Bharat bandh: Normal life disrupted in Assam
The Bharat bandh called by the BJP and other opposition parties to protest the diesel price hike, FDI in multi-brand retail and cap in subsidised LPG affected normal life in Assam.
Markets, shops, educational institutions, banks and private offices remained closed, while long distance private buses and other vehicles were off the roads, officials said.
Though privately operated city buses did not ply, the government-run ones were seen on the road with auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws ferrying passengers.
Trains and air services also operated normally, they said.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place with security personnel deployed on the city streets, highways, at vital installations and vulnerable areas across the state, they said.
All the state government offices, including transport and power, were functioning normally. The government had issued a notification yesterday to ensure normal functioning and attendance in all government offices and undertakings in the state in view of the nation-wide bandh today.
The notification warned that the government would resort to pay-cut, break in service and disciplinary action against employees who absent themselves from duties during the bandh period.
All heads of offices and departments were further instructed to deduct pay and allowances for unauthorised absence from offices and duties today and to initiate disciplinary action for such unauthorised absence.
2012年9月20日星期四
2012年9月19日星期三
Rushdie memoir tells of life under Iranian fatwa
Rushdie memoir tells of life under Iranian fatwa
- British author Salman Rushdie's memoir of more than nine years in hiding after Iran's supreme leader issued a death sentence against him hits the shelves on Tuesday, ending the wait for his account of a furor that has echoes across the world today.
"Joseph Anton: A Memoir" opens with the moment when Rushdie, already a member of London's literary elite, received a call from a journalist asking for his reaction to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's 1989 fatwa, or religious edict, calling for his head.
"It doesn't feel good" was his understated reply, but at the time he recalled thinking to himself: "I'm a dead man."
What followed was nearly a decade of life on the run, fearing for his own safety and that of his family.
The fatwa, in response to the 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses", turned Rushdie into a household name that will forever be linked with the tussle between the right to freedom of expression and the need to respect religious sensitivities.
The topic is back in the headlines after violent protests spread across the Muslim world in response to a U.S.-made video mocking the Prophet Mohammad.
"I always said that what happened to me was a prologue and there will be many, many more episodes like it," Rushdie told the Daily Telegraph at the launch of his memoir.
"Clearly, (the film is) a piece of crap, is very poorly done and is malevolent. To react to it with this kind of violence is just ludicrously inappropriate. People are being attacked who had nothing to do with it and that is not right."
On the weekend, a state-linked Iranian religious foundation increased the bounty on his head to $3.3 million. Its leader argued that had Rushdie been killed, later cases of Islam being insulted would have been avoided.
English PEN, a branch of the international group promoting free expression in literature, defended Rushdie.
"The film that has caused this round of unrest is an insult to everyone's intelligence, but the means of combating that is more intelligence, not threats of reinstated fatwas and killings," said author and campaigner Lisa Appignanesi.
'Impossible dream'
The 633-page Joseph Anton, written in the third person singular, recalls Rushdie's days as a student at Cambridge and his early literary career, including the day he won the coveted Booker Prize for "Midnight's Children" in 1981.
Seven years later The Satanic Verses appeared, and for a few weeks it was, he fondly remembered, "only a novel".
Then it was banned in India and South Africa, copies were burned in the streets of northern England, fellow authors turned against him, his first wife Clarissa received threatening calls and book stores were firebombed.
Rushdie found himself at the eye of a storm which grew fiercer still on Valentine's Day, 1989, the day the fatwa was issued, forcing on him nearly a decade of fear, frustration and guilt living under armed guard and moving from house to house.
He was asked to change his name for security reasons and Rushdie chose a combination of the first names of two of his favorite authors, Conrad and Chekhov, and, for 11 years, was known as Joseph Anton.
Outside the "prisons" he inhabited with his protection officers, violent protests raged, the novel's Japanese translator was stabbed to death and a Muslim leader in Belgium who criticized the fatwa was slain.
Early reviews posted online on Tuesday were mixed.
"Joseph Anton demonstrates Mr. Rushdie's ability as a stylist and storyteller," wrote Michael C. Moynihan in The Wall Street Journal. "It also serves as an important moral balance sheet."
But in the Guardian, Pankaj Mishra was less impressed with what he called "failures of analysis."
"A peevish righteousness comes to pervade the memoir as Rushdie routinely and often repetitively censures those who criticized or disagreed with him," he said.
Much of the content of the memoir, published by Jonathan Cape of the Random House Group, is deeply personal.
In one passage, Rushdie feared the worst when his son Zafar, whom he was able to see only occasionally, failed to answer the telephone at the appointed time. He also recounted the breakdown of his second marriage to American novelist Marianne Wiggins and the death of Clarissa in 1999.
Rushdie survived by engaging in the literary world—writing novels, newspaper articles and reviews and receiving awards. He travelled where he could and lobbied for his freedom, and ironically became an international celebrity.
But in the dark early days, his frustration was clear and friends who saw him then said he looked "a beaten man".
- British author Salman Rushdie's memoir of more than nine years in hiding after Iran's supreme leader issued a death sentence against him hits the shelves on Tuesday, ending the wait for his account of a furor that has echoes across the world today.
"Joseph Anton: A Memoir" opens with the moment when Rushdie, already a member of London's literary elite, received a call from a journalist asking for his reaction to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's 1989 fatwa, or religious edict, calling for his head.
"It doesn't feel good" was his understated reply, but at the time he recalled thinking to himself: "I'm a dead man."
What followed was nearly a decade of life on the run, fearing for his own safety and that of his family.
The fatwa, in response to the 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses", turned Rushdie into a household name that will forever be linked with the tussle between the right to freedom of expression and the need to respect religious sensitivities.
The topic is back in the headlines after violent protests spread across the Muslim world in response to a U.S.-made video mocking the Prophet Mohammad.
"I always said that what happened to me was a prologue and there will be many, many more episodes like it," Rushdie told the Daily Telegraph at the launch of his memoir.
"Clearly, (the film is) a piece of crap, is very poorly done and is malevolent. To react to it with this kind of violence is just ludicrously inappropriate. People are being attacked who had nothing to do with it and that is not right."
On the weekend, a state-linked Iranian religious foundation increased the bounty on his head to $3.3 million. Its leader argued that had Rushdie been killed, later cases of Islam being insulted would have been avoided.
English PEN, a branch of the international group promoting free expression in literature, defended Rushdie.
"The film that has caused this round of unrest is an insult to everyone's intelligence, but the means of combating that is more intelligence, not threats of reinstated fatwas and killings," said author and campaigner Lisa Appignanesi.
'Impossible dream'
The 633-page Joseph Anton, written in the third person singular, recalls Rushdie's days as a student at Cambridge and his early literary career, including the day he won the coveted Booker Prize for "Midnight's Children" in 1981.
Seven years later The Satanic Verses appeared, and for a few weeks it was, he fondly remembered, "only a novel".
Then it was banned in India and South Africa, copies were burned in the streets of northern England, fellow authors turned against him, his first wife Clarissa received threatening calls and book stores were firebombed.
Rushdie found himself at the eye of a storm which grew fiercer still on Valentine's Day, 1989, the day the fatwa was issued, forcing on him nearly a decade of fear, frustration and guilt living under armed guard and moving from house to house.
He was asked to change his name for security reasons and Rushdie chose a combination of the first names of two of his favorite authors, Conrad and Chekhov, and, for 11 years, was known as Joseph Anton.
Outside the "prisons" he inhabited with his protection officers, violent protests raged, the novel's Japanese translator was stabbed to death and a Muslim leader in Belgium who criticized the fatwa was slain.
Early reviews posted online on Tuesday were mixed.
"Joseph Anton demonstrates Mr. Rushdie's ability as a stylist and storyteller," wrote Michael C. Moynihan in The Wall Street Journal. "It also serves as an important moral balance sheet."
But in the Guardian, Pankaj Mishra was less impressed with what he called "failures of analysis."
"A peevish righteousness comes to pervade the memoir as Rushdie routinely and often repetitively censures those who criticized or disagreed with him," he said.
Much of the content of the memoir, published by Jonathan Cape of the Random House Group, is deeply personal.
In one passage, Rushdie feared the worst when his son Zafar, whom he was able to see only occasionally, failed to answer the telephone at the appointed time. He also recounted the breakdown of his second marriage to American novelist Marianne Wiggins and the death of Clarissa in 1999.
Rushdie survived by engaging in the literary world—writing novels, newspaper articles and reviews and receiving awards. He travelled where he could and lobbied for his freedom, and ironically became an international celebrity.
But in the dark early days, his frustration was clear and friends who saw him then said he looked "a beaten man".
2012年9月18日星期二
Life term imposed in Pa. slaying near playground
Life term imposed in Pa. slaying near playground
A judge has imposed a life prison term on a man in a slaying near a crowded eastern Pennsylvania playground last year despite the defendant's insistence that he is innocent.
The Reading Eagle ( http://bit.ly/RjtA1y) says Berks County Judge Paul Yatron sentenced 20-year-old Jaquill Blake of Reading on Monday, calling him "an extraordinarily dangerous young man."
Jurors convicted Blake of first-degree murder on Friday in the April 2011 death of 21-year-old Alexis Rosario. Witnesses testified that he continued to fire even after the victim fell.
Blake told the judge "Whatever time you give me, I'm still innocent."
Waldron also imposed another seven to 14 years on weapons and other counts despite objections from defense attorney William Bispels Jr., who said the life term already carried no possibility of parole.
A judge has imposed a life prison term on a man in a slaying near a crowded eastern Pennsylvania playground last year despite the defendant's insistence that he is innocent.
The Reading Eagle ( http://bit.ly/RjtA1y) says Berks County Judge Paul Yatron sentenced 20-year-old Jaquill Blake of Reading on Monday, calling him "an extraordinarily dangerous young man."
Jurors convicted Blake of first-degree murder on Friday in the April 2011 death of 21-year-old Alexis Rosario. Witnesses testified that he continued to fire even after the victim fell.
Blake told the judge "Whatever time you give me, I'm still innocent."
Waldron also imposed another seven to 14 years on weapons and other counts despite objections from defense attorney William Bispels Jr., who said the life term already carried no possibility of parole.
2012年9月17日星期一
Police: Florida teen killed 2-year-old brother
Police: Florida teen killed 2-year-old brother
A decade before he was charged with murder, a 2-year-old Cristian Fernandez was found naked and dirty, wandering a South Florida street. The grandmother taking care of him had holed up with cocaine in a messy motel room, while his 14-year-old mother was nowhere to be found.
His life had been punctuated with violence since he was conceived, an act that resulted in a sexual assault conviction against his father. Fernandez' life got worse from there: He was sexually assaulted by a cousin and beaten by his stepfather, who committed suicide before police investigating the beating arrived.
The boy learned to squelch his feelings, once telling a counselor: "You got to suck up feelings and get over it."
Now 13, Fernandez is accused of two heinous crimes himself: first-degree murder in the 2011 beating death of his 2-year-old half-brother and the sexual abuse of his 5-year-old half-brother. He's been charged as an adult and is the youngest inmate awaiting trial in Duval County.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Fernandez could face a life sentence-- a possibility that has stirred strong emotions among those for and against such strict punishment. The case is one of the most complex and difficult in Florida's courts, and it could change how first-degree murder charges involving juvenile defendants are handled statewide.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this summer that it is unconstitutional for juvenile offenders to get mandatory life sentences without parole. Because of that, Fernandez' defense attorneys said they can't advise their client what kind of sentence he could face. Another complication involves whether Fernandez understood his rights during police interrogations.
Richard Kuritz, a former Jacksonville prosecutor who is now a defense attorney, said everyone agrees that Fernandez should face consequences if convicted â?? but what should they be?
"What would be a fair disposition? I don't suspect this case is going to end anytime soon," said Kuritz, who has been following the case closely.
Supporters of local State Attorney Angela Corey say she's doing the right thing by trying Fernandez as an adult: holding a criminal accountable to the full extent of the law. But others, like Carol Torres, say Fernandez should be tried in juvenile court and needs help, not life in prison.
"He should be rehabilitated and have a second chance at life," said Torres, 51. Her grandson attended school with Fernandez and she has created a Facebook page to support him.
In other states, children accused of violent crimes are often charged or convicted as juveniles. In 2011, a Colorado boy pleaded guilty to killing his two parents when he was 12; he was given a seven-year sentence in a juvenile facility and three years parole. A Pennsylvania boy accused of killing his father's pregnant fiancee and her unborn child when he was 11 was sent this year to an undisclosed juvenile facility where he could remain in state custody until his 21st birthday.
The Justice Department said that 29 children under age 14 committed homicides around the country in 2010, the most recent year for which the statistics were available
Fernandez' judge -- and jury, if the case gets that far -- will have to decide whether to consider the boy's past when determining his future.
Fernandez was born in Miami in 1999 to Biannela Susana, who was 12. The 25-year-old father received 10 years' probation for sexually assaulting her.
Two years later, both mother and son went to foster care after authorities in South Florida found the toddler, filthy and naked, walking in the street at 4 a.m. near the motel where his grandmother did drugs.
In 2007, when Fernandez was 8, the Department of Children and Families investigated a report that he was sexually molested by an older cousin. Officials said other troubling incidents were reported, including claims that he he killed a kitten, simulated sex with classmates and masturbated at school.
In October 2010, Fernandez and his mother were living in Hialeah, a Miami suburb, with his mother's new husband. Fernandez suffered an eye injury so bad that school officials sent him to the hospital where he was examined for retinal damage. Fernandez told officers that his stepfather had punched him. When officers went to the family's apartment, they found the stepfather dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Soon, the family moved north to Jacksonville and Fernandez enrolled in middle school, getting straight A's. They settled in a bland, beige public housing complex.
A few months later on March 14, 2011, deputies were called to the apartment: Fernandez' baby brother, 2-year-old David, had died at a local hospital. The medical examiner determined that the toddler had a fractured skull, bruising to his left eye and a bleeding brain.
Susana, then 25, admitted to investigators that she had left Fernandez, David and her other children home alone. When she returned, she said she found David unconscious. She waited eight-and-a-half hours before taking him to the hospital and searched "unconsciousness" online and texted friends during that time.
Susana also revealed that two weeks before David's death, Fernandez had broken the toddler's leg while wrestling.
Susana was charged with aggravated manslaughter; the medical examiner said David might have survived if she had taken him to the hospital sooner for the head injury. She pleaded guilty in March and could get 30 years.
Fernandez, who had first been questioned as a witness, was soon charged with first-degree murder. The other felony charge was filed after his 5-year-old half-brother told a psychiatrist that Fernandez had sexually assaulted him.
The boy has talked openly to investigators and therapists about his life; the gritty details are captured in various court documents.
"Christian denied any plans or intent to kill his brother," one doctor wrote. "He seemed rather defensive about discussing what triggered his anger. He talked about having a 'flashback' of the abuse by his stepfather as the motive for this offense ... Christian was rather detached emotionally while discussing the incident."
Based on psychological evaluations, prosecutors say that Fernandez poses a significant risk of violence. That's why he is being detained pre-trial and why they charged him with two first-degree felonies.
Yet difficult questions remain for Judge Mallory Cooper: Should a child so young spend his life in prison? Does Fernandez understand his crimes, and can he comprehend the complex legal issues surrounding his case?
In August, Cooper ruled that police interrogations of Fernandez in the murder and sexual assault cases are not admissible, because the boy couldn't knowledgeably waive his rights to remain silent and consult an attorney. Prosecutors are appealing.
The defense wants the charges dismissed, saying the U.S. Supreme Court ruling banning sentences of life without parole for juveniles makes it impossible for them to advise Fernandez since the Florida Legislature has not changed state law. Prosecutors say they never said they would seek a mandatory life sentence â?? they say the old Florida law that called for a 25-year-to-life sentence could apply.
Mitch Stone, a Jacksonville defense attorney who is familiar with the case, said Corey and her prosecutors are in a tough position.
"I know they're good people and good lawyers," he said. "But if a resolution short of trial doesn't occur, this case is on a collision course to sending Cristian Fernandez to life in prison. That's why this is one of those very difficult cases. It's hard to understand what the appropriate measure is."
A decade before he was charged with murder, a 2-year-old Cristian Fernandez was found naked and dirty, wandering a South Florida street. The grandmother taking care of him had holed up with cocaine in a messy motel room, while his 14-year-old mother was nowhere to be found.
His life had been punctuated with violence since he was conceived, an act that resulted in a sexual assault conviction against his father. Fernandez' life got worse from there: He was sexually assaulted by a cousin and beaten by his stepfather, who committed suicide before police investigating the beating arrived.
The boy learned to squelch his feelings, once telling a counselor: "You got to suck up feelings and get over it."
Now 13, Fernandez is accused of two heinous crimes himself: first-degree murder in the 2011 beating death of his 2-year-old half-brother and the sexual abuse of his 5-year-old half-brother. He's been charged as an adult and is the youngest inmate awaiting trial in Duval County.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Fernandez could face a life sentence-- a possibility that has stirred strong emotions among those for and against such strict punishment. The case is one of the most complex and difficult in Florida's courts, and it could change how first-degree murder charges involving juvenile defendants are handled statewide.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this summer that it is unconstitutional for juvenile offenders to get mandatory life sentences without parole. Because of that, Fernandez' defense attorneys said they can't advise their client what kind of sentence he could face. Another complication involves whether Fernandez understood his rights during police interrogations.
Richard Kuritz, a former Jacksonville prosecutor who is now a defense attorney, said everyone agrees that Fernandez should face consequences if convicted â?? but what should they be?
"What would be a fair disposition? I don't suspect this case is going to end anytime soon," said Kuritz, who has been following the case closely.
Supporters of local State Attorney Angela Corey say she's doing the right thing by trying Fernandez as an adult: holding a criminal accountable to the full extent of the law. But others, like Carol Torres, say Fernandez should be tried in juvenile court and needs help, not life in prison.
"He should be rehabilitated and have a second chance at life," said Torres, 51. Her grandson attended school with Fernandez and she has created a Facebook page to support him.
In other states, children accused of violent crimes are often charged or convicted as juveniles. In 2011, a Colorado boy pleaded guilty to killing his two parents when he was 12; he was given a seven-year sentence in a juvenile facility and three years parole. A Pennsylvania boy accused of killing his father's pregnant fiancee and her unborn child when he was 11 was sent this year to an undisclosed juvenile facility where he could remain in state custody until his 21st birthday.
The Justice Department said that 29 children under age 14 committed homicides around the country in 2010, the most recent year for which the statistics were available
Fernandez' judge -- and jury, if the case gets that far -- will have to decide whether to consider the boy's past when determining his future.
Fernandez was born in Miami in 1999 to Biannela Susana, who was 12. The 25-year-old father received 10 years' probation for sexually assaulting her.
Two years later, both mother and son went to foster care after authorities in South Florida found the toddler, filthy and naked, walking in the street at 4 a.m. near the motel where his grandmother did drugs.
In 2007, when Fernandez was 8, the Department of Children and Families investigated a report that he was sexually molested by an older cousin. Officials said other troubling incidents were reported, including claims that he he killed a kitten, simulated sex with classmates and masturbated at school.
In October 2010, Fernandez and his mother were living in Hialeah, a Miami suburb, with his mother's new husband. Fernandez suffered an eye injury so bad that school officials sent him to the hospital where he was examined for retinal damage. Fernandez told officers that his stepfather had punched him. When officers went to the family's apartment, they found the stepfather dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Soon, the family moved north to Jacksonville and Fernandez enrolled in middle school, getting straight A's. They settled in a bland, beige public housing complex.
A few months later on March 14, 2011, deputies were called to the apartment: Fernandez' baby brother, 2-year-old David, had died at a local hospital. The medical examiner determined that the toddler had a fractured skull, bruising to his left eye and a bleeding brain.
Susana, then 25, admitted to investigators that she had left Fernandez, David and her other children home alone. When she returned, she said she found David unconscious. She waited eight-and-a-half hours before taking him to the hospital and searched "unconsciousness" online and texted friends during that time.
Susana also revealed that two weeks before David's death, Fernandez had broken the toddler's leg while wrestling.
Susana was charged with aggravated manslaughter; the medical examiner said David might have survived if she had taken him to the hospital sooner for the head injury. She pleaded guilty in March and could get 30 years.
Fernandez, who had first been questioned as a witness, was soon charged with first-degree murder. The other felony charge was filed after his 5-year-old half-brother told a psychiatrist that Fernandez had sexually assaulted him.
The boy has talked openly to investigators and therapists about his life; the gritty details are captured in various court documents.
"Christian denied any plans or intent to kill his brother," one doctor wrote. "He seemed rather defensive about discussing what triggered his anger. He talked about having a 'flashback' of the abuse by his stepfather as the motive for this offense ... Christian was rather detached emotionally while discussing the incident."
Based on psychological evaluations, prosecutors say that Fernandez poses a significant risk of violence. That's why he is being detained pre-trial and why they charged him with two first-degree felonies.
Yet difficult questions remain for Judge Mallory Cooper: Should a child so young spend his life in prison? Does Fernandez understand his crimes, and can he comprehend the complex legal issues surrounding his case?
In August, Cooper ruled that police interrogations of Fernandez in the murder and sexual assault cases are not admissible, because the boy couldn't knowledgeably waive his rights to remain silent and consult an attorney. Prosecutors are appealing.
The defense wants the charges dismissed, saying the U.S. Supreme Court ruling banning sentences of life without parole for juveniles makes it impossible for them to advise Fernandez since the Florida Legislature has not changed state law. Prosecutors say they never said they would seek a mandatory life sentence â?? they say the old Florida law that called for a 25-year-to-life sentence could apply.
Mitch Stone, a Jacksonville defense attorney who is familiar with the case, said Corey and her prosecutors are in a tough position.
"I know they're good people and good lawyers," he said. "But if a resolution short of trial doesn't occur, this case is on a collision course to sending Cristian Fernandez to life in prison. That's why this is one of those very difficult cases. It's hard to understand what the appropriate measure is."
2012年9月15日星期六
With ‘Fix My Life,’ Iyanla Vanzant Opens Next Chapter by Helping Others
With ‘Fix My Life,’ Iyanla Vanzant Opens Next Chapter by Helping Others
As the Oprah Winfrey Network continues to churn out provocative celebrity interviews with Oprah Winfrey herself asking the tough questions, a familiar face will make her debut this weekend.On Saturday, author, Yoruba priestess, and life coach Iyanla Vanzant returns to television in Iyanla: Fix My Life, a show that aims the camera at those struggling with the everyday issues of life, surviving family strife, and managing love.
While this type of on-air entertainment may not chart new territory for the television audiences, Vanzant’s own life journey—filled with heartache, betrayal, and loss—effortlessly gives this tried-and-true theme a more authentic, polished, and updated look.
Vanzant, born Ronda Eva Harris, was already a beloved African-American writer when Winfrey invited her to be a guest on her talk show more than a decade ago. Her feisty, no-nonsense approach to the most mundane problems of life brought her countless fans, and she sold more than 8 million books. Titles such as In the Meantime and One Day My Soul Just Opened Up made the New York Times bestseller list and put Vanzant front and center as a foremost inspirational speaker and ordained New Thought spiritual leader.
“I’ve always wanted people to know who they are from the inside,” says Vanzant. “Then they can create the life they desire and deserve. I’ve always believed that my job was to facilitate the evolution of the human consciousness. If you don’t like your sister or don’t get along with your father, let’s find out if you like yourself. Let’s not sugarcoat anything about it.”
Sugarcoating was something Vanzant never had the opportunity to experience. Motherless at 3, raped at 9 years old, and a mother by age 16, Vanzant would also become the victim of domestic violence. She fought to survive with welfare checks and public housing until she one day figured out a way to turn her life around. She put herself through college, then law school, and eventually created the self-help empire that made her a household name.
Suddenly she was receiving million-dollar book-royalty checks and appearing regularly on the most popular talk show in the country. Vanzant says she was living a life so amazing, she had to pinch herself daily to be sure was real. It was real—and unfortunately short-lived.
“I wasn’t ready for fame and all that brings to your life,” remembers Vanzant. “It was an amazing experience, but so overwhelming, because no one can tell you beforehand when it will happen or how it will impact you. So no one can tell you how to handle it, being stopped everywhere you go because people saw you on Oprah. It took me over, and I wasn’t ready.”
After appearing on Winfrey’s show numerous times in one season, Vanzant seemed destined to walk the same path traveled by the likes of Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz.
“That’s not quite the way it turned out, of course, for me,” says Vanzant. “I wanted a show sooner than Oprah and Harpo [Productions] thought I was ready for. I went with another female powerhouse—Barbara Walters—in the business, and it didn’t work out. That’s life in many ways, and I knew that.”
As the Oprah Winfrey Network continues to churn out provocative celebrity interviews with Oprah Winfrey herself asking the tough questions, a familiar face will make her debut this weekend.On Saturday, author, Yoruba priestess, and life coach Iyanla Vanzant returns to television in Iyanla: Fix My Life, a show that aims the camera at those struggling with the everyday issues of life, surviving family strife, and managing love.
While this type of on-air entertainment may not chart new territory for the television audiences, Vanzant’s own life journey—filled with heartache, betrayal, and loss—effortlessly gives this tried-and-true theme a more authentic, polished, and updated look.
Vanzant, born Ronda Eva Harris, was already a beloved African-American writer when Winfrey invited her to be a guest on her talk show more than a decade ago. Her feisty, no-nonsense approach to the most mundane problems of life brought her countless fans, and she sold more than 8 million books. Titles such as In the Meantime and One Day My Soul Just Opened Up made the New York Times bestseller list and put Vanzant front and center as a foremost inspirational speaker and ordained New Thought spiritual leader.
“I’ve always wanted people to know who they are from the inside,” says Vanzant. “Then they can create the life they desire and deserve. I’ve always believed that my job was to facilitate the evolution of the human consciousness. If you don’t like your sister or don’t get along with your father, let’s find out if you like yourself. Let’s not sugarcoat anything about it.”
Sugarcoating was something Vanzant never had the opportunity to experience. Motherless at 3, raped at 9 years old, and a mother by age 16, Vanzant would also become the victim of domestic violence. She fought to survive with welfare checks and public housing until she one day figured out a way to turn her life around. She put herself through college, then law school, and eventually created the self-help empire that made her a household name.
Suddenly she was receiving million-dollar book-royalty checks and appearing regularly on the most popular talk show in the country. Vanzant says she was living a life so amazing, she had to pinch herself daily to be sure was real. It was real—and unfortunately short-lived.
“I wasn’t ready for fame and all that brings to your life,” remembers Vanzant. “It was an amazing experience, but so overwhelming, because no one can tell you beforehand when it will happen or how it will impact you. So no one can tell you how to handle it, being stopped everywhere you go because people saw you on Oprah. It took me over, and I wasn’t ready.”
After appearing on Winfrey’s show numerous times in one season, Vanzant seemed destined to walk the same path traveled by the likes of Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz.
“That’s not quite the way it turned out, of course, for me,” says Vanzant. “I wanted a show sooner than Oprah and Harpo [Productions] thought I was ready for. I went with another female powerhouse—Barbara Walters—in the business, and it didn’t work out. That’s life in many ways, and I knew that.”
2012年9月14日星期五
Alps shooting ended life of abused woman
Alps shooting ended life of abused woman
Suhaila Al-Allaf, who was shot dead last week together with her daughter Ikbal and son-in-law Saad al-Hilli, had suffered years of violence from her son, said the legal documents from Sweden.
Haydar Thaher, 46, had repeatedly "insulted, threatened and beaten his parents over a very long time", said one document.
Police had been called out to their home in the southern suburbs of Stockholm eight times between 2001 and 2007. Mr Thaher still lived at home because of mental health problems, the documents added.
In the transcript of one interview, the parents say they think their son might be schizophrenic.
The overall impression left by the documents is of an irascible individual, who lashes out physically as soon as he feels threatened.
In 2003, a Swedish court had Mr Thaher placed under guardianship and the following year his father, Abdul-Amir Al-Saffar, reported that his son had threatened to kill him.
In 2006, after the police were called out once again, Mr Thaher had been transferred to a psychiatric unit for care. The following year he had been briefly detained after attacking his parents.
He was freed after they declined to press charges.
A source close to the French investigation confirmed Ms Allaf's identity to AFP on Thursday.
Varg Gyllander, a spokesman for Swedish national police, refused to comment on any possible cooperation with the French police into the murder investigation.
Suhaila Allaf, Saad and Iqbal Hilli were all killed in last week's attack, near Annecy, on the edge of the French Alps, as well as a passing cyclist, Frenchman Sylvain Mollier.
Ms Allaf's seven-year-old granddaughter Zainab al-Hilli is in hospital, having suffered serious head injuries; Zainab's four-year-old sister, Zeena, survived unhurt after hiding under the skirts of the dead women for eight hours.
Meanwhile, the British man who first came upon the crime scene, said it resembled an episode of TV show CSI: Miami.
"It was pretty much what you would imagine a set from (TV crime series) 'CSI Miami' would be like,'' Brett Martin told the BBC, in his first television interview since the shooting Wednesday last week.
"There was a lot of blood and heads with bullet holes in them.''
He said one of the family's daughters, seven-year-old Zainab al-Hilli, was "prone on the road, moaning, sort of semi-conscious'' when he stumbled across the scene in a forest area in Annecy.
Mr Martin, a former member of Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF), said he came across the tragic scene after he had set out for a bicycle ride in the French Alps at about 2.30pm local time.
As he climbed a hill near the village of Chevaline, he was confronted with the bloodbath, first spotting a French cyclist who had been shot dead.
"It was the sort of thing you would never in your life expect to come across,'' he said.
"As I approached the scene, the first thing I saw was a bike on its side. I had seen the cyclist ahead of me much earlier so I thought he was just having a rest.
"As I got a little bit closer, a very young child stumbled out onto the road and at first I thought she was actually just playing with her sibling because she sort of looked, from a distance, as if she was falling over, larking about like a child would.
"However, as I approached her it was obvious that she was quite badly injured and there was a lot of blood on her.
"As I got even closer, I then saw the car with its engine revving and its wheels spinning. It seemed at that moment in time like there had been a terrible car accident.''
Eric Maillaud, the French prosecutor in charge of the investigation, said after arriving in Surrey, the area of southeast England where the family lived, that the cause of the killings lay in Britain.
"We are perfectly aware that Annecy is just the chance location of this drama and that it seems that the origin, the causes and the explanation are here,'' he told journalists in the town of Woking in Surrey.
Surrey Police later said in a statement that a meeting had taken place between Mr Maillaud, the French judge leading the investigation, senior members of the French paramilitary police, Surrey Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
The statement said the meeting had been "extremely productive''.
It said that "progress had been made in relation to a number of issues arising from the challenges and complexities of an enquiry across two judicial processes.
"The meeting built on the already established strong working relationships between all parties involved,'' the statement added.
"The UK and French authorities are extremely pleased with the progress which has been made.''
Suhaila Al-Allaf, who was shot dead last week together with her daughter Ikbal and son-in-law Saad al-Hilli, had suffered years of violence from her son, said the legal documents from Sweden.
Haydar Thaher, 46, had repeatedly "insulted, threatened and beaten his parents over a very long time", said one document.
Police had been called out to their home in the southern suburbs of Stockholm eight times between 2001 and 2007. Mr Thaher still lived at home because of mental health problems, the documents added.
In the transcript of one interview, the parents say they think their son might be schizophrenic.
The overall impression left by the documents is of an irascible individual, who lashes out physically as soon as he feels threatened.
In 2003, a Swedish court had Mr Thaher placed under guardianship and the following year his father, Abdul-Amir Al-Saffar, reported that his son had threatened to kill him.
In 2006, after the police were called out once again, Mr Thaher had been transferred to a psychiatric unit for care. The following year he had been briefly detained after attacking his parents.
He was freed after they declined to press charges.
A source close to the French investigation confirmed Ms Allaf's identity to AFP on Thursday.
Varg Gyllander, a spokesman for Swedish national police, refused to comment on any possible cooperation with the French police into the murder investigation.
Suhaila Allaf, Saad and Iqbal Hilli were all killed in last week's attack, near Annecy, on the edge of the French Alps, as well as a passing cyclist, Frenchman Sylvain Mollier.
Ms Allaf's seven-year-old granddaughter Zainab al-Hilli is in hospital, having suffered serious head injuries; Zainab's four-year-old sister, Zeena, survived unhurt after hiding under the skirts of the dead women for eight hours.
Meanwhile, the British man who first came upon the crime scene, said it resembled an episode of TV show CSI: Miami.
"It was pretty much what you would imagine a set from (TV crime series) 'CSI Miami' would be like,'' Brett Martin told the BBC, in his first television interview since the shooting Wednesday last week.
"There was a lot of blood and heads with bullet holes in them.''
He said one of the family's daughters, seven-year-old Zainab al-Hilli, was "prone on the road, moaning, sort of semi-conscious'' when he stumbled across the scene in a forest area in Annecy.
Mr Martin, a former member of Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF), said he came across the tragic scene after he had set out for a bicycle ride in the French Alps at about 2.30pm local time.
As he climbed a hill near the village of Chevaline, he was confronted with the bloodbath, first spotting a French cyclist who had been shot dead.
"It was the sort of thing you would never in your life expect to come across,'' he said.
"As I approached the scene, the first thing I saw was a bike on its side. I had seen the cyclist ahead of me much earlier so I thought he was just having a rest.
"As I got a little bit closer, a very young child stumbled out onto the road and at first I thought she was actually just playing with her sibling because she sort of looked, from a distance, as if she was falling over, larking about like a child would.
"However, as I approached her it was obvious that she was quite badly injured and there was a lot of blood on her.
"As I got even closer, I then saw the car with its engine revving and its wheels spinning. It seemed at that moment in time like there had been a terrible car accident.''
Eric Maillaud, the French prosecutor in charge of the investigation, said after arriving in Surrey, the area of southeast England where the family lived, that the cause of the killings lay in Britain.
"We are perfectly aware that Annecy is just the chance location of this drama and that it seems that the origin, the causes and the explanation are here,'' he told journalists in the town of Woking in Surrey.
Surrey Police later said in a statement that a meeting had taken place between Mr Maillaud, the French judge leading the investigation, senior members of the French paramilitary police, Surrey Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
The statement said the meeting had been "extremely productive''.
It said that "progress had been made in relation to a number of issues arising from the challenges and complexities of an enquiry across two judicial processes.
"The meeting built on the already established strong working relationships between all parties involved,'' the statement added.
"The UK and French authorities are extremely pleased with the progress which has been made.''
2012年9月13日星期四
Barfi!: The sweet life
Barfi!: The sweet life
Even before you see a single frame of Anurag Basu’s “Barfi!” you will get a sense of the movie, thanks to a quirky song which calls on you to switch off “both your mobiles and kids”. It also promises that the film will give you no “gyaan” (expressing opinion) and that it will tell you about “saccha pyaar” (true love).
You could either be charmed by this unusual beginning or be put off by it, as I was, especially because it feels like overstating the tone of the movie and making a judgment for you about its content. But you might soon forget that and a lot of other things. The very first scene, a Chaplinesque chase through narrow streets is shot expertly by Ravi Varman, and will give you a sense of the old-world charm that pervades the film.
Basu’s film is set in a fairy-tale world, where people seem to have all the time in the world to stop and stare. Basu certainly seems in no hurry to tell his tale, allowing Varman’s camera to meander through the gorgeous landscape of Darjeeling, taking his own time to set up his characters and their lives.
We meet Murphy (Ranbir Kapoor), a cheerful young man who dances, cycles and charms his way through the village with not a care in the world. That he is hearing and speech impaired is conveyed through a song, without much melodrama. He lives with his father, a chauffer.
When Shruti (Ileana D’Cruz) moves to his town, he instantly falls for her, shamelessly wooing her, taking her on idyllic rides through the forest. But when it comes to committing to marriage, Shruti shies away, on the advice of her mother, who tells her to consider what marriage to Murphy would entail. “He will never be able to say what you want to hear,” she says.
Even in his much maligned “Kites“, Basu managed to handle the moments between the two lovers well and he brings that same skill here. “Barfi!” is full of such moments, whether it is the kiss between Shruti and Murphy or the scene where he leaves her house knowing she won’t marry him. They are all beautifully conceived, shot and enacted.
From here on, the film is a bit of a dampener. When Murphy needs money for a medical emergency, he stages the mock abduction of Jhilmil (Priyanka Chopra) a childhood friend who is autistic. Unable to pronounce his name, she calls him Barfi. When the kidnapping plan goes awry, it is up to Shruti to save her former lover and Jhilmil.
One thing you have to say for “Barfi!” — it is the most beautifully shot film in ages. Each frame is picture-perfect and some are bound to induce a sigh or two. Basu complements Varman’s cinematography with some lovely scenes — watch the one where Murphy cuddles up to his dad after being spurned by Shruti, or the one with Murphy, Jhilmil and the lamp post.
The other plus point in “Barfi!” is Pritam’s music — it is lilting, haunting and adds so much to the tone of the film you conjure up images of a quaint town, steaming cups of tea, mist and good times.
Unfortunately, great moments and music do not make a great film and Basu could not make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. The script is skeletal and the reasons for Jhilmil’s disappearance are flimsy. Basu uses so many flashbacks that at some point during the second half, you wonder if you are in the past, the present or the future. Don’t be surprised if you don’t find an answer to that question.
Of the cast, Priyanka Chopra is competent, but at times walks the thin line between hamming it up and emoting perfectly. Ileana D’Cruz is fresh, natural and the surprise package of the film. Her scenes with Ranbir are a joy to watch.
Of course, that is in part due to Ranbir Kapoor, who proves all over again — not that he needed to — he is the best young actor Bollywood has right now. Whether it is his penchant for slapstick comedy, or emotions or just riding a bicycle, he outshines everything else in the frame. To take up a Bollywood role where the lead hero doesn’t have a single line of dialogue is a brave, and some would say foolhardy thing to do, but he manages to pull it off, seemingly effortlessly.
To his credit, Basu seems content to let the silences speak for themselves, and doesn’t feel the compulsion to fill every moment with words — a rarity in Hindi cinema.
“Barfi!” is likely to test your patience at some points, but this is a film that deserves a watch, because the good outweighs the bad. Sometimes too much of a sweet thing can be good.
Even before you see a single frame of Anurag Basu’s “Barfi!” you will get a sense of the movie, thanks to a quirky song which calls on you to switch off “both your mobiles and kids”. It also promises that the film will give you no “gyaan” (expressing opinion) and that it will tell you about “saccha pyaar” (true love).
You could either be charmed by this unusual beginning or be put off by it, as I was, especially because it feels like overstating the tone of the movie and making a judgment for you about its content. But you might soon forget that and a lot of other things. The very first scene, a Chaplinesque chase through narrow streets is shot expertly by Ravi Varman, and will give you a sense of the old-world charm that pervades the film.
Basu’s film is set in a fairy-tale world, where people seem to have all the time in the world to stop and stare. Basu certainly seems in no hurry to tell his tale, allowing Varman’s camera to meander through the gorgeous landscape of Darjeeling, taking his own time to set up his characters and their lives.
We meet Murphy (Ranbir Kapoor), a cheerful young man who dances, cycles and charms his way through the village with not a care in the world. That he is hearing and speech impaired is conveyed through a song, without much melodrama. He lives with his father, a chauffer.
When Shruti (Ileana D’Cruz) moves to his town, he instantly falls for her, shamelessly wooing her, taking her on idyllic rides through the forest. But when it comes to committing to marriage, Shruti shies away, on the advice of her mother, who tells her to consider what marriage to Murphy would entail. “He will never be able to say what you want to hear,” she says.
Even in his much maligned “Kites“, Basu managed to handle the moments between the two lovers well and he brings that same skill here. “Barfi!” is full of such moments, whether it is the kiss between Shruti and Murphy or the scene where he leaves her house knowing she won’t marry him. They are all beautifully conceived, shot and enacted.
From here on, the film is a bit of a dampener. When Murphy needs money for a medical emergency, he stages the mock abduction of Jhilmil (Priyanka Chopra) a childhood friend who is autistic. Unable to pronounce his name, she calls him Barfi. When the kidnapping plan goes awry, it is up to Shruti to save her former lover and Jhilmil.
One thing you have to say for “Barfi!” — it is the most beautifully shot film in ages. Each frame is picture-perfect and some are bound to induce a sigh or two. Basu complements Varman’s cinematography with some lovely scenes — watch the one where Murphy cuddles up to his dad after being spurned by Shruti, or the one with Murphy, Jhilmil and the lamp post.
The other plus point in “Barfi!” is Pritam’s music — it is lilting, haunting and adds so much to the tone of the film you conjure up images of a quaint town, steaming cups of tea, mist and good times.
Unfortunately, great moments and music do not make a great film and Basu could not make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. The script is skeletal and the reasons for Jhilmil’s disappearance are flimsy. Basu uses so many flashbacks that at some point during the second half, you wonder if you are in the past, the present or the future. Don’t be surprised if you don’t find an answer to that question.
Of the cast, Priyanka Chopra is competent, but at times walks the thin line between hamming it up and emoting perfectly. Ileana D’Cruz is fresh, natural and the surprise package of the film. Her scenes with Ranbir are a joy to watch.
Of course, that is in part due to Ranbir Kapoor, who proves all over again — not that he needed to — he is the best young actor Bollywood has right now. Whether it is his penchant for slapstick comedy, or emotions or just riding a bicycle, he outshines everything else in the frame. To take up a Bollywood role where the lead hero doesn’t have a single line of dialogue is a brave, and some would say foolhardy thing to do, but he manages to pull it off, seemingly effortlessly.
To his credit, Basu seems content to let the silences speak for themselves, and doesn’t feel the compulsion to fill every moment with words — a rarity in Hindi cinema.
“Barfi!” is likely to test your patience at some points, but this is a film that deserves a watch, because the good outweighs the bad. Sometimes too much of a sweet thing can be good.
2012年9月12日星期三
Pakistan girl fears life in blasphemy case: Reports
Pakistan girl fears life in blasphemy case: Reports
A Christian family and their daughter, who was bailed after spending three weeks in a Pakistan jail on blasphemy charges, fear for their lives despite government promises to protect them, media reports said.
Rimsha Masih was arrested on August 16 for allegedly setting fire to papers that contained Koranic verses in an impoverished neighbourhood of Islamabad.
Her plight attracted an international outcry because she is underage, illiterate and said to suffer from learning difficulties.
"I'm scared" CNN quoted her as saying on Tuesday by telephone, from a secret hiding place with her family. "I'm afraid of anyone who might kill us."
But she said she would never leave the country.
"I love Pakistan," said Rimsha, who is thought to be 14.
According to CNN, she often answered just "yes" or "no" in a shy and nervous voice, and firmly denied she had burnt pages of Koran.
She said she was falsely accused, but would not answer questions about what exactly happened on August 16.
Blasphemy is hugely sensitive in Pakistan, where 97 percent of the population are Muslims, and allegations of insulting Islam or the prophet Mohammed prompt fury.
Insulting the prophet Mohammed is punishable by death and burning a sacred text by life imprisonment. Two politicians who spoke out on the matter were killed last year.
According to CNN, Rimsha's father -- a Christian house painter who earns a few dollars a day -- said no one in his family would dare dishonour the Koran.
The BBC quoted him as saying the family were threatened by neighbours.
"They were saying: 'We are going to burn you inside the house,'" he said. "'We are not going to spare you or your kids. Then we will burn the homes of the other Christians.'
"Even after we left the area they were saying: 'Bring the girl and the family to us. We want to kill them.'"
"We are worried that we can be attacked and killed any time," Rimsha's father said. "Before, when cases like this have arisen, people who were accused were killed."
According to the BBC, Rimsha's mother said she was assaulted after a mob tried to enter the house before her daughter was arrested.
"A woman hit me," she said, "and slapped my face. People started running into the house to catch my daughter. I was scared they might kill us. We were all crying. My daughter was very upset."
The family said Rimsha's 14-year-old sister was also traumatised.
"A lot of people had gathered," the BBC quoted her as saying, "and they were saying: 'We will cut off the hands of the people who burned the Koran.' Rimsha wouldn't come out of the bathroom. Later the police came and took her away."
A Christian family and their daughter, who was bailed after spending three weeks in a Pakistan jail on blasphemy charges, fear for their lives despite government promises to protect them, media reports said.
Rimsha Masih was arrested on August 16 for allegedly setting fire to papers that contained Koranic verses in an impoverished neighbourhood of Islamabad.
Her plight attracted an international outcry because she is underage, illiterate and said to suffer from learning difficulties.
"I'm scared" CNN quoted her as saying on Tuesday by telephone, from a secret hiding place with her family. "I'm afraid of anyone who might kill us."
But she said she would never leave the country.
"I love Pakistan," said Rimsha, who is thought to be 14.
According to CNN, she often answered just "yes" or "no" in a shy and nervous voice, and firmly denied she had burnt pages of Koran.
She said she was falsely accused, but would not answer questions about what exactly happened on August 16.
Blasphemy is hugely sensitive in Pakistan, where 97 percent of the population are Muslims, and allegations of insulting Islam or the prophet Mohammed prompt fury.
Insulting the prophet Mohammed is punishable by death and burning a sacred text by life imprisonment. Two politicians who spoke out on the matter were killed last year.
According to CNN, Rimsha's father -- a Christian house painter who earns a few dollars a day -- said no one in his family would dare dishonour the Koran.
The BBC quoted him as saying the family were threatened by neighbours.
"They were saying: 'We are going to burn you inside the house,'" he said. "'We are not going to spare you or your kids. Then we will burn the homes of the other Christians.'
"Even after we left the area they were saying: 'Bring the girl and the family to us. We want to kill them.'"
"We are worried that we can be attacked and killed any time," Rimsha's father said. "Before, when cases like this have arisen, people who were accused were killed."
According to the BBC, Rimsha's mother said she was assaulted after a mob tried to enter the house before her daughter was arrested.
"A woman hit me," she said, "and slapped my face. People started running into the house to catch my daughter. I was scared they might kill us. We were all crying. My daughter was very upset."
The family said Rimsha's 14-year-old sister was also traumatised.
"A lot of people had gathered," the BBC quoted her as saying, "and they were saying: 'We will cut off the hands of the people who burned the Koran.' Rimsha wouldn't come out of the bathroom. Later the police came and took her away."
2012年9月11日星期二
Life sentence for killing Kiwi musician
Life sentence for killing Kiwi musician
A former bouncer found guilty of murdering a New Zealand musician by pushing him through a second-storey pub window has been sentenced to life in prison today.
Stefan Pahia Schmidt, 26, will serve a minimum of 14 years, after being sentenced by the Supreme Court of Western Australia today.
A jury delivered a guilty verdict against Schmidt on June 20 after an eight-day trial.
Schmidt admitted pushing Andy Marshall - the cousin of slain Feilding farmer Scott Guy - through the window of a Perth pub in May 2011.
But the trained boxer and kickboxer with links to Perth's outlaw Rock Machine motorcycle gang had pleaded not guilty, saying the death was an accident because he only meant to push the 29-year-old out of the way as he tried to tell two girls he knew to "go home".
Crown prosecutor Amanda Forrester told the court today that a life sentence was entirely justified, and there needed to be strong deterrents to acts of random violence in licensed venues.
Schmidt's trial was told Mr Marshall was talking to two girls with his back to the window at the Ocean Beach Hotel at Cottesloe when Schmidt swore at him and pushed him through it.
As Schmidt fled the pub he glanced at Mr Marshall, who he didn't know, dying on the footpath.
His sentence was backdated to the date of Schmidt's arrest in May last year, which means he will be eligible for release in 2025.
Schmidt was due to be sentenced on Friday but after hearing family victim impact statements and defence counsel submissions, Justice Ralph Simmonds adjourned sentencing until today.
Mr Marshall's father Alan, who flew to Perth for the sentencing, read out a victim impact statement on Friday in which he told of his devastation.
"Not a day starts without a sick feeling and a deep abiding pain," he told the court.
His wife Wendy, who spoke via video-link from New Zealand, said it was like being in "an avalanche of black snow".
"The sense of loss is overwhelming," she said.
Alan Marshall, who is returning to New Zealand tonight, told the New Zealand Herald his family was relieved the process had come to an end.
"We are aware that it will never be over for us, but at the same time there is a little bit of closure from the point of view that this is the end of a chapter."
He believed the sentence was a good result.
"It's hard to say you're happy with it because there is no result which is going to get our son back, and there is no compensation for that. So it's not about feeling like it's payback or revenge or getting square, it was about a punishment that fitted the crime. But also it needed something as a deterrent to address that culture of violence," he said.
Mr Marshall said he had travelled to Australia for the sentencing to honour his son and to make sure people got the message that life was precious.
"The whole point for us about being at the trial and being at the sentencing is about Andy. He is the centre of it. The people that you love are very important in your life - if you love someone let them know."
A former bouncer found guilty of murdering a New Zealand musician by pushing him through a second-storey pub window has been sentenced to life in prison today.
Stefan Pahia Schmidt, 26, will serve a minimum of 14 years, after being sentenced by the Supreme Court of Western Australia today.
A jury delivered a guilty verdict against Schmidt on June 20 after an eight-day trial.
Schmidt admitted pushing Andy Marshall - the cousin of slain Feilding farmer Scott Guy - through the window of a Perth pub in May 2011.
But the trained boxer and kickboxer with links to Perth's outlaw Rock Machine motorcycle gang had pleaded not guilty, saying the death was an accident because he only meant to push the 29-year-old out of the way as he tried to tell two girls he knew to "go home".
Crown prosecutor Amanda Forrester told the court today that a life sentence was entirely justified, and there needed to be strong deterrents to acts of random violence in licensed venues.
Schmidt's trial was told Mr Marshall was talking to two girls with his back to the window at the Ocean Beach Hotel at Cottesloe when Schmidt swore at him and pushed him through it.
As Schmidt fled the pub he glanced at Mr Marshall, who he didn't know, dying on the footpath.
His sentence was backdated to the date of Schmidt's arrest in May last year, which means he will be eligible for release in 2025.
Schmidt was due to be sentenced on Friday but after hearing family victim impact statements and defence counsel submissions, Justice Ralph Simmonds adjourned sentencing until today.
Mr Marshall's father Alan, who flew to Perth for the sentencing, read out a victim impact statement on Friday in which he told of his devastation.
"Not a day starts without a sick feeling and a deep abiding pain," he told the court.
His wife Wendy, who spoke via video-link from New Zealand, said it was like being in "an avalanche of black snow".
"The sense of loss is overwhelming," she said.
Alan Marshall, who is returning to New Zealand tonight, told the New Zealand Herald his family was relieved the process had come to an end.
"We are aware that it will never be over for us, but at the same time there is a little bit of closure from the point of view that this is the end of a chapter."
He believed the sentence was a good result.
"It's hard to say you're happy with it because there is no result which is going to get our son back, and there is no compensation for that. So it's not about feeling like it's payback or revenge or getting square, it was about a punishment that fitted the crime. But also it needed something as a deterrent to address that culture of violence," he said.
Mr Marshall said he had travelled to Australia for the sentencing to honour his son and to make sure people got the message that life was precious.
"The whole point for us about being at the trial and being at the sentencing is about Andy. He is the centre of it. The people that you love are very important in your life - if you love someone let them know."
2012年9月10日星期一
Normal life hit due to Odisha bandh
Normal life hit due to Odisha bandh
Around 200 protesters were today taken into custody for picketing near government offices and other place during a state-wide bandh which disrupted train and road traffic and hit normal life. The bandh has been called by Congress against alleged police crackdown on partymen during a rally on September 6.
More than a dozen trains were stopped at several railway stations including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Khurda Road, Berhampur and Sambalpur as bandh supporters staged dharna on the tracks, a spokesman of East Coast Railway (ECoR) said.
Vehicular movement virtually came to a grinding halt in many parts of the state as passenger buses, trucks and auto-rickshaw remained off the roads, police sources said.
A large number of passengers were seen stranded at railway stations and bus stands at many places, while roads wore a deserted look during the one-day shut-down.
City bus services in many places like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri were suspended.
Shops, business establishments and commercial centres downed their shutter in major areas including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Balasore, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Rourkela, Baripada, Bhadrak and Angul, sources said.
Schools, colleges and other educational institutions remained shut in most areas.
Around 200 Congress supporters including some party leaders were taken into custody in places like Bhubaneswar, Rourkela and Cuttack while picketing near government offices and other places to enforce the bandh, called in protest against alleged crackdown by police during a party rally at MG Road here on September 6, sources said.
Elaborate security arrangements were made by the police with heavy deployment of force throughout the state to prevent any untoward incident during the shut-down.
"The situation is peaceful and no untoward incident has so far been reported from any part of the state. We are keeping a close vigil," a senior police official said.
In the state capital, about 51 platoons of force (around 1700 personnel) have been deployed at different places while strict vigil is maintained near government buildings, vital installations and other sensitive locations.
"Our bandh call has evoked overwhelming support from the public. It is peaceful and complete success," said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Niranjan Patnaik.
"It shows people are against the BJD government headed by Naveen Patnaik," he said.
Around 200 protesters were today taken into custody for picketing near government offices and other place during a state-wide bandh which disrupted train and road traffic and hit normal life. The bandh has been called by Congress against alleged police crackdown on partymen during a rally on September 6.
More than a dozen trains were stopped at several railway stations including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Khurda Road, Berhampur and Sambalpur as bandh supporters staged dharna on the tracks, a spokesman of East Coast Railway (ECoR) said.
Vehicular movement virtually came to a grinding halt in many parts of the state as passenger buses, trucks and auto-rickshaw remained off the roads, police sources said.
A large number of passengers were seen stranded at railway stations and bus stands at many places, while roads wore a deserted look during the one-day shut-down.
City bus services in many places like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri were suspended.
Shops, business establishments and commercial centres downed their shutter in major areas including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Balasore, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Rourkela, Baripada, Bhadrak and Angul, sources said.
Schools, colleges and other educational institutions remained shut in most areas.
Around 200 Congress supporters including some party leaders were taken into custody in places like Bhubaneswar, Rourkela and Cuttack while picketing near government offices and other places to enforce the bandh, called in protest against alleged crackdown by police during a party rally at MG Road here on September 6, sources said.
Elaborate security arrangements were made by the police with heavy deployment of force throughout the state to prevent any untoward incident during the shut-down.
"The situation is peaceful and no untoward incident has so far been reported from any part of the state. We are keeping a close vigil," a senior police official said.
In the state capital, about 51 platoons of force (around 1700 personnel) have been deployed at different places while strict vigil is maintained near government buildings, vital installations and other sensitive locations.
"Our bandh call has evoked overwhelming support from the public. It is peaceful and complete success," said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Niranjan Patnaik.
"It shows people are against the BJD government headed by Naveen Patnaik," he said.
2012年9月8日星期六
Alien life may be found in 40 years
Alien life may be found in 40 years
Alien life beyond our solar system could be discovered within the next 40 years, a top astronomer from the United Kingdom has said.
According to Lord Martin Rees, the president of the Royal Society of London, developments in astronomy mean that astrophysicists could be able to
view images of distant planets outside of our solar system as soon as 2025, and potentially discover whether there is some form of life on them, the Daily Mail reported.
The question of whether earth is alone in supporting living organisms has puzzled scientists, philosophers for centuries. “We know now that stars are orbited by retinues of planets just as our sun is. We have learned this in just the last decade, essentially,” Rees said.
“Within 10 or 20 years we will be able to image other planets like the earth, orbiting other stars. That will be a really exciting subject to see if there is evidence for [extra-terrestrial] life or not,” Rees was quoted as saying by the paper.
Speaking at a debate on the meaning of life for the launch of Professor Stephen Hawking’s new show Grand Design, he added that finding out more about the “origin of life, the place where it exists, and whether aliens exist, is going to be crucial over the next four decades”.
“There may be some questions that our brains will never understand, in the same way that chimpanzees couldn’t understand quantum theory, that are just beyond human brains,” Rees added.
Last year Lord Rees had said it was possible that aliens were “staring us in the face” in a form that humans are unable to recognise. “I suspect there could be life and intelligence out there in forms we can’t conceive,” he added.
Alien life beyond our solar system could be discovered within the next 40 years, a top astronomer from the United Kingdom has said.
According to Lord Martin Rees, the president of the Royal Society of London, developments in astronomy mean that astrophysicists could be able to
view images of distant planets outside of our solar system as soon as 2025, and potentially discover whether there is some form of life on them, the Daily Mail reported.
The question of whether earth is alone in supporting living organisms has puzzled scientists, philosophers for centuries. “We know now that stars are orbited by retinues of planets just as our sun is. We have learned this in just the last decade, essentially,” Rees said.
“Within 10 or 20 years we will be able to image other planets like the earth, orbiting other stars. That will be a really exciting subject to see if there is evidence for [extra-terrestrial] life or not,” Rees was quoted as saying by the paper.
Speaking at a debate on the meaning of life for the launch of Professor Stephen Hawking’s new show Grand Design, he added that finding out more about the “origin of life, the place where it exists, and whether aliens exist, is going to be crucial over the next four decades”.
“There may be some questions that our brains will never understand, in the same way that chimpanzees couldn’t understand quantum theory, that are just beyond human brains,” Rees added.
Last year Lord Rees had said it was possible that aliens were “staring us in the face” in a form that humans are unable to recognise. “I suspect there could be life and intelligence out there in forms we can’t conceive,” he added.
2012年9月7日星期五
Adrift With a Tiger and the Film God
Adrift With a Tiger and the Film God
“YOU become the movie you are making,” the Oscar-winning director Ang Lee said in a recent telephone interview. Given that the movie in question is “Life of Pi,” based on the award-winning, fantastical novel about a boy and a Bengal tiger marooned on a boat for 227 days, Mr. Lee is feeling a bit more at sea than usual these days.
With this film Mr. Lee has not just defied the old showbiz adage “Never work with children or animals,” but he has also taken on a few more challenges — like water, 3-D, religion and the expectations of millions of rapt readers of the book, by Yann Martel. Although “Life of Pi” was just a few months away from release (it is set to open on Nov. 21), Mr. Lee was still in the editing room.
“I’m like Pi,” he explained. “I feel adrift over the Pacific. I haven’t locked the picture yet. There are lots of confusions, constant surprises. There are times you feel defeated. You feel like your faith is being tested. When you’re on the ocean, it’s spiritual. I look at God and ask, ‘Why?’ But it’s a happy why.”
Mr. Lee, who is gentle and soft-spoken in life, has always been fearless in his cinematic choices. In a career spanning 20 years he has continually jumped across genres. The Lee oeuvre includes a Jane Austen novel (“Sense and Sensibility”), a Chinese martial-arts epic (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), a comic-book adaptation (“Hulk”) and the deeply moving love story of two cowboys, for which he won the best director Oscar in 2006 — “Brokeback Mountain.”
Still, it took Mr. Lee two months before he agreed to take on Mr. Martel’s complex book, which charts Pi’s journey across the Pacific Ocean and his struggle with despair, faith and a ravenous tiger. Adapting “Life of Pi” had been considered by others since Fox Studios acquired the film rights to the book in 2003 (including M. Night Shyamalan and Alfonso Cuarón). Not only were there long stretches during which nothing happens, but the book is open to many interpretations, literal and metaphorical.
“I loved the book,” he said, “but it’s very hard to crack. I thought you can’t make a movie about religion but it can be a movie about the value of storytelling and how that brings structure and wisdom to life. This is a coming-of-age story. It’s about taking a leap of faith.”
This isn’t material that immediately screams 3-D, but Mr. Lee decided on that format before he started writing the script. His style has been described as “emotionally resonant (in human relationships) and visually splendid (in the natural world),” by Whitney Crothers Dilley, the author of “The Cinema of Ang Lee.”
The “Life of Pi” trailer features almost otherworldly visuals of animals, fish and starlit skies, but for Mr. Lee the key was to balance the spectacle with “the delicate moments.”
“There is a certain perception about 3-D, but just because nobody has made an intimate movie with it doesn’t mean it can’t be done,” he said.
The filming of “Life of Pi” began with a two-week shoot in India in March 2011. After 10 days in Pondicherry, where the story opens, Mr. Lee moved to Munnar, a sleepy small town in the hills of South India. Indian filmmakers, especially from the Tamil- and Malayalam-language industries, often shoot in Munnar, but these were the first 3-D cameras to arrive there. They created such a flutter that one day the local customs officer dropped by for a look. That day Mr. Lee seemed upbeat and smiling. He refused lunch (“This is war, I don’t need to eat”), then spoke intently of a “film god” who presides over every project.
“My ideas and not me are at the center of attention,” he said. “A movie seems to have a life of its own. You don’t create it, you initiate it because you get a call. It’s not about dictatorship. You have to be humble, you have to be tender, communicate sensitively, admit your shortcomings, share your dreams and allow them to be told.”
Mr. Lee’s actors seem to sense that for this director, making a film is almost a spiritual process. Irrfan, who plays the older Pi, described that experience in an e-mail as “a quest, a journey, an exploration.” He added, “Ang puts himself in the line of fire.”
The younger Pi is played by an unknown 17-year-old Indian teenager named Suraj Sharma, whose parents just happen to be mathematicians — a coincidence that gave Mr. Lee a big laugh. “What are the chances,” he asked, “that two mathematicians give birth to a kid who plays the lead in a film called ‘Life of Pi’?”
Before the shoot started, Mr. Sharma’s mother performed a small ceremony, which anointed Mr. Lee as Mr. Sharma’s guru. At the end of it Mr. Sharma, in the traditional Indian way, touched Mr. Lee’s feet. “There is no equivalent in Chinese,” said Mr. Lee, who was born in Taiwan but has lived in the United States for more than three decades. “I don’t have a superpower. I’m not a swami. But I took him in as my own son. I try to play the role of guru as best as I can.”
Mr. Sharma trained seven days a week for three months in Taiwan. This included learning how to swim because the film was extensively shot in a gigantic water tank built in a hangar in Taiwan.
As Mr. Lee tells it, the stress created a role reversal. Mr. Sharma became the “spiritual leader.” “The innocence, the effort,” Mr. Lee said, “we are all experienced and perhaps jaded a little bit. He reminded us about why we want to make movies. Every day was a miracle.”
Mr. Sharma said in an e-mail that the process never overwhelmed him because “Ang was always there.” He added, “I knew he would take care of me.”
The challenges, for Mr. Lee, at least, are not over yet. “Life of Pi” is an expensive film, which worries Mr. Lee. “We are doing something sensitive,” he said. “Normally you do it cheap. Sensitivity and money are like parallel lines. The don’t meet.”
In a landscape dominated by comic-book movies like “Marvel’s The Avengers” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” will viewers put down money to see an Indian boy on a literal and spiritual journey with a tiger? That question “stresses out” Mr. Lee.
The film had already forced him to grow up, he said. “I’m like Peter Pan,” he added. “I was not very mature in many ways, but I learned a lot of things. I had to take decisions that were more responsible.”
Now, he said, like Pi, he just wanted the journey to end. “I just want to survive it.”
“YOU become the movie you are making,” the Oscar-winning director Ang Lee said in a recent telephone interview. Given that the movie in question is “Life of Pi,” based on the award-winning, fantastical novel about a boy and a Bengal tiger marooned on a boat for 227 days, Mr. Lee is feeling a bit more at sea than usual these days.
With this film Mr. Lee has not just defied the old showbiz adage “Never work with children or animals,” but he has also taken on a few more challenges — like water, 3-D, religion and the expectations of millions of rapt readers of the book, by Yann Martel. Although “Life of Pi” was just a few months away from release (it is set to open on Nov. 21), Mr. Lee was still in the editing room.
“I’m like Pi,” he explained. “I feel adrift over the Pacific. I haven’t locked the picture yet. There are lots of confusions, constant surprises. There are times you feel defeated. You feel like your faith is being tested. When you’re on the ocean, it’s spiritual. I look at God and ask, ‘Why?’ But it’s a happy why.”
Mr. Lee, who is gentle and soft-spoken in life, has always been fearless in his cinematic choices. In a career spanning 20 years he has continually jumped across genres. The Lee oeuvre includes a Jane Austen novel (“Sense and Sensibility”), a Chinese martial-arts epic (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), a comic-book adaptation (“Hulk”) and the deeply moving love story of two cowboys, for which he won the best director Oscar in 2006 — “Brokeback Mountain.”
Still, it took Mr. Lee two months before he agreed to take on Mr. Martel’s complex book, which charts Pi’s journey across the Pacific Ocean and his struggle with despair, faith and a ravenous tiger. Adapting “Life of Pi” had been considered by others since Fox Studios acquired the film rights to the book in 2003 (including M. Night Shyamalan and Alfonso Cuarón). Not only were there long stretches during which nothing happens, but the book is open to many interpretations, literal and metaphorical.
“I loved the book,” he said, “but it’s very hard to crack. I thought you can’t make a movie about religion but it can be a movie about the value of storytelling and how that brings structure and wisdom to life. This is a coming-of-age story. It’s about taking a leap of faith.”
This isn’t material that immediately screams 3-D, but Mr. Lee decided on that format before he started writing the script. His style has been described as “emotionally resonant (in human relationships) and visually splendid (in the natural world),” by Whitney Crothers Dilley, the author of “The Cinema of Ang Lee.”
The “Life of Pi” trailer features almost otherworldly visuals of animals, fish and starlit skies, but for Mr. Lee the key was to balance the spectacle with “the delicate moments.”
“There is a certain perception about 3-D, but just because nobody has made an intimate movie with it doesn’t mean it can’t be done,” he said.
The filming of “Life of Pi” began with a two-week shoot in India in March 2011. After 10 days in Pondicherry, where the story opens, Mr. Lee moved to Munnar, a sleepy small town in the hills of South India. Indian filmmakers, especially from the Tamil- and Malayalam-language industries, often shoot in Munnar, but these were the first 3-D cameras to arrive there. They created such a flutter that one day the local customs officer dropped by for a look. That day Mr. Lee seemed upbeat and smiling. He refused lunch (“This is war, I don’t need to eat”), then spoke intently of a “film god” who presides over every project.
“My ideas and not me are at the center of attention,” he said. “A movie seems to have a life of its own. You don’t create it, you initiate it because you get a call. It’s not about dictatorship. You have to be humble, you have to be tender, communicate sensitively, admit your shortcomings, share your dreams and allow them to be told.”
Mr. Lee’s actors seem to sense that for this director, making a film is almost a spiritual process. Irrfan, who plays the older Pi, described that experience in an e-mail as “a quest, a journey, an exploration.” He added, “Ang puts himself in the line of fire.”
The younger Pi is played by an unknown 17-year-old Indian teenager named Suraj Sharma, whose parents just happen to be mathematicians — a coincidence that gave Mr. Lee a big laugh. “What are the chances,” he asked, “that two mathematicians give birth to a kid who plays the lead in a film called ‘Life of Pi’?”
Before the shoot started, Mr. Sharma’s mother performed a small ceremony, which anointed Mr. Lee as Mr. Sharma’s guru. At the end of it Mr. Sharma, in the traditional Indian way, touched Mr. Lee’s feet. “There is no equivalent in Chinese,” said Mr. Lee, who was born in Taiwan but has lived in the United States for more than three decades. “I don’t have a superpower. I’m not a swami. But I took him in as my own son. I try to play the role of guru as best as I can.”
Mr. Sharma trained seven days a week for three months in Taiwan. This included learning how to swim because the film was extensively shot in a gigantic water tank built in a hangar in Taiwan.
As Mr. Lee tells it, the stress created a role reversal. Mr. Sharma became the “spiritual leader.” “The innocence, the effort,” Mr. Lee said, “we are all experienced and perhaps jaded a little bit. He reminded us about why we want to make movies. Every day was a miracle.”
Mr. Sharma said in an e-mail that the process never overwhelmed him because “Ang was always there.” He added, “I knew he would take care of me.”
The challenges, for Mr. Lee, at least, are not over yet. “Life of Pi” is an expensive film, which worries Mr. Lee. “We are doing something sensitive,” he said. “Normally you do it cheap. Sensitivity and money are like parallel lines. The don’t meet.”
In a landscape dominated by comic-book movies like “Marvel’s The Avengers” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” will viewers put down money to see an Indian boy on a literal and spiritual journey with a tiger? That question “stresses out” Mr. Lee.
The film had already forced him to grow up, he said. “I’m like Peter Pan,” he added. “I was not very mature in many ways, but I learned a lot of things. I had to take decisions that were more responsible.”
Now, he said, like Pi, he just wanted the journey to end. “I just want to survive it.”
2012年9月6日星期四
The ninth life of political cat Jean Charest
The ninth life of political cat Jean Charest
It's a testament to Jean Charest's reputation as a political survivor that on the day he announced his plans to get out, after three decades in public life, his peers were already abuzz about whether he might someday be pulled back in.
After a lengthy career that spanned nine federal and provincial elections and a stormy nine-year run as Quebec premier, Charest announced Wednesday that he was "going home now."
His experiences as a Brian Mulroney cabinet minister, a referendum campaigner in 1995 and a provincial premier placed him at the forefront of many of the defining political events of a generation.
With a tear in his eye, Charest announced his exit bowed but not broken. After five provincial elections Charest had finally lost the popular vote in one of them — by a single percentage point Tuesday.
While Charest's Liberals were swept from office, and he lost the riding he has long represented, he was spared the sort of ignominious electoral death predicted so often for him, over so many years.
In a form of poetic symmetry, his defeat on Tuesday was 28 years to the day after he first won office as a young lawyer in Sherbrooke, Que.
He was repeatedly written off in the intervening years. A group of parliamentary reporters in Quebec City, gathered for dinner on the eve of the 2003 election call, chatted about his dismal poll numbers and burst out laughing when one quipped that Charest might turn it around because he was a good campaigner.
A few weeks later, he won a majority government. He won a minority four years after that. Then he won another majority, before losing by four seats this time.
The Liberals finished a surprise second in the Quebec election, defying pundits and pollsters who had predicted a meltdown.
Charest, 56, leaves his party as the official Opposition with a minority government across the aisle.
The party's outgoing leader presided over one last cabinet meeting in Quebec City on Wednesday afternoon. Several ministers were in tears as they emerged.
Standing in front of six Quebec flags in the foyer of the provincial legislature, Charest announced he would step down as party leader as soon the PQ officially formed its government.
"The big Quebec family gathered yesterday, Sept. 4, to choose a new government," Charest said in Quebec City.
"Amid that decision my immediate family also met for a consultation on our future. I announce to you a unanimous decision."
Charest spent the first part of his career as a protege of Mulroney and the wunderkind of the old Progressive Conservatives. He was the youngest cabinet minister in Canadian history at age 28 and was party leader by the time he turned 40.
He gained further national exposure while campaigning for the No side in the 1995 referendum. His fiery, passport-waving speeches were a mainstay of federalist rallies.
But he left federal politics in 1998 to take the helm of the Quebec Liberals, who were leaderless and fretful over the prospect of another referendum.
In much of English Canada, Charest was seen as sacrificing a bright career with the Tories for the sake of keeping the country together — he earned the tongue-in-cheek moniker of Captain Canada.
Quebec didn't easily warm to the prodigal son returned from Ottawa.
Charest won the popular vote in 1998, while losing to the PQ, and then he strung together three consecutive election wins — a feat unmatched since the 1950s. But he also suffered through record-low approval ratings through much of his tenure and faced massive popular unrest in recent months.
His political skill may have earned the respect of Quebec voters, but not everyone's love.
After voting in his home riding of Sherbrooke, Que., on Tuesday, a small crowd chanted "Na-Na-Hey-Hey-Goodbye." A few months ago, student protesters repeatedly gathered outside his family home in Montreal. At some protests, he was hung in effigy and people chanted about him being dead.
None of it, though, appeared to faze Charest.
"I loved every day I spent in office, including the most difficult ones," Charest said in his farewell speech Wednesday.
Charest's experience, in Quebec politics, has sometimes been compared to that of a cat with nine lives. So it was perhaps inevitable that his actual departure, when it was finally announced Wednesday, only prompted talk of his next improbable comeback.
Within moments of Charest announcing his decision, some federal Liberals were already inviting him into their tent.
Ontario's Liberal agriculture minister, Ted McMeekin, tweeted that he was "hearing from many that they would support this great and charismatic federalist to lead the Federal Liberals."
The interim federal Liberal leader, Bob Rae, expressed the hope that Charest not lose his desire to be politically involved.
"There's always a home for Mr. Charest in the federal Liberal party," Rae said. "But I take it from his decision today that he's not contemplating continuing in a political life. For some reason, I can understand that."
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, who once served in Charest's cabinet and had a falling out with the premier, said Wednesday that his old boss is still young and has "a full career" ahead of him.
From a national perspective, Charest's defining achievement will likely be the nine years worth of relative constitutional peace he brought Canadians and Quebecers.
He was among the rare prominent voices for Canada after the federal Grits' electoral woes following the sponsorship scandal.
Charest showcased his unabashed love for Canada in his last speech as premier.
"We are all blessed to have been born in this country, to share its wealth and we're blessed to have each other," he said in English, after making a brief reference to Canada in French.
"I wish that, every day, each and every one of us could feel and understand how much of an opportunity it is for us to live here... There's no other place that I would want to be."
Charest's legacy within Quebec's internal politics is more uncertain.
He tried to move Quebec farther away from state intervention but faced howls of protest from the province's powerful unions.
He promised to cut income taxes, and he did, but later hiked user fees for services including health care and tuition.
He created a long-term program to pay down the debt, the Generations Fund, but the province's already-heavy debt swelled under his watch.
He entered office declaring that health care would be his priority and promised shorter hospital wait times. His opponents suggest Quebec's hospitals are comparably worse off today.
And he now describes the ambitious Plan Nord as key to his legacy but his foes call it a marketing gimmick. It doesn't take a premier to force mining companies to extract diamonds and other minerals, they say.
Charest created new transparency rules, tougher fundraising laws and a corruption inquiry. But this was after two years of controversies, one of which involved a Charest cabinet minister charged with fraud.
His last months in office were dominated by the tuition dispute that triggered huge protests and made international news last spring.
Charest fought an aggressive campaign against his critics.
Despite his ex-cabinet minister Tony Tomassi facing criminal charges, he defied his opponents on the campaign trail to prove his government was corrupt. The issue died down after the campaign's first week.
He also campaigned against his own protesters, calling upon a "silent majority" of Quebec voters to impose law and order. Judging by the final election score, the silent majority fell just a few decibels short of restoring him to office.
But in leaving politics, Charest exposed a softer side that may be unfamiliar to many Quebecers. As he spoke about how he would soon become a grandfather, he broke into tears.
"I'm going home now," Charest said as he wrapped up his speech. "And I thank you for having given me the privilege of being your premier."
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Jean+Charest+calls+quits+Quebec+Liberal+leader+after+years/7195299/story.html#ixzz25g10byKa
It's a testament to Jean Charest's reputation as a political survivor that on the day he announced his plans to get out, after three decades in public life, his peers were already abuzz about whether he might someday be pulled back in.
After a lengthy career that spanned nine federal and provincial elections and a stormy nine-year run as Quebec premier, Charest announced Wednesday that he was "going home now."
His experiences as a Brian Mulroney cabinet minister, a referendum campaigner in 1995 and a provincial premier placed him at the forefront of many of the defining political events of a generation.
With a tear in his eye, Charest announced his exit bowed but not broken. After five provincial elections Charest had finally lost the popular vote in one of them — by a single percentage point Tuesday.
While Charest's Liberals were swept from office, and he lost the riding he has long represented, he was spared the sort of ignominious electoral death predicted so often for him, over so many years.
In a form of poetic symmetry, his defeat on Tuesday was 28 years to the day after he first won office as a young lawyer in Sherbrooke, Que.
He was repeatedly written off in the intervening years. A group of parliamentary reporters in Quebec City, gathered for dinner on the eve of the 2003 election call, chatted about his dismal poll numbers and burst out laughing when one quipped that Charest might turn it around because he was a good campaigner.
A few weeks later, he won a majority government. He won a minority four years after that. Then he won another majority, before losing by four seats this time.
The Liberals finished a surprise second in the Quebec election, defying pundits and pollsters who had predicted a meltdown.
Charest, 56, leaves his party as the official Opposition with a minority government across the aisle.
The party's outgoing leader presided over one last cabinet meeting in Quebec City on Wednesday afternoon. Several ministers were in tears as they emerged.
Standing in front of six Quebec flags in the foyer of the provincial legislature, Charest announced he would step down as party leader as soon the PQ officially formed its government.
"The big Quebec family gathered yesterday, Sept. 4, to choose a new government," Charest said in Quebec City.
"Amid that decision my immediate family also met for a consultation on our future. I announce to you a unanimous decision."
Charest spent the first part of his career as a protege of Mulroney and the wunderkind of the old Progressive Conservatives. He was the youngest cabinet minister in Canadian history at age 28 and was party leader by the time he turned 40.
He gained further national exposure while campaigning for the No side in the 1995 referendum. His fiery, passport-waving speeches were a mainstay of federalist rallies.
But he left federal politics in 1998 to take the helm of the Quebec Liberals, who were leaderless and fretful over the prospect of another referendum.
In much of English Canada, Charest was seen as sacrificing a bright career with the Tories for the sake of keeping the country together — he earned the tongue-in-cheek moniker of Captain Canada.
Quebec didn't easily warm to the prodigal son returned from Ottawa.
Charest won the popular vote in 1998, while losing to the PQ, and then he strung together three consecutive election wins — a feat unmatched since the 1950s. But he also suffered through record-low approval ratings through much of his tenure and faced massive popular unrest in recent months.
His political skill may have earned the respect of Quebec voters, but not everyone's love.
After voting in his home riding of Sherbrooke, Que., on Tuesday, a small crowd chanted "Na-Na-Hey-Hey-Goodbye." A few months ago, student protesters repeatedly gathered outside his family home in Montreal. At some protests, he was hung in effigy and people chanted about him being dead.
None of it, though, appeared to faze Charest.
"I loved every day I spent in office, including the most difficult ones," Charest said in his farewell speech Wednesday.
Charest's experience, in Quebec politics, has sometimes been compared to that of a cat with nine lives. So it was perhaps inevitable that his actual departure, when it was finally announced Wednesday, only prompted talk of his next improbable comeback.
Within moments of Charest announcing his decision, some federal Liberals were already inviting him into their tent.
Ontario's Liberal agriculture minister, Ted McMeekin, tweeted that he was "hearing from many that they would support this great and charismatic federalist to lead the Federal Liberals."
The interim federal Liberal leader, Bob Rae, expressed the hope that Charest not lose his desire to be politically involved.
"There's always a home for Mr. Charest in the federal Liberal party," Rae said. "But I take it from his decision today that he's not contemplating continuing in a political life. For some reason, I can understand that."
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, who once served in Charest's cabinet and had a falling out with the premier, said Wednesday that his old boss is still young and has "a full career" ahead of him.
From a national perspective, Charest's defining achievement will likely be the nine years worth of relative constitutional peace he brought Canadians and Quebecers.
He was among the rare prominent voices for Canada after the federal Grits' electoral woes following the sponsorship scandal.
Charest showcased his unabashed love for Canada in his last speech as premier.
"We are all blessed to have been born in this country, to share its wealth and we're blessed to have each other," he said in English, after making a brief reference to Canada in French.
"I wish that, every day, each and every one of us could feel and understand how much of an opportunity it is for us to live here... There's no other place that I would want to be."
Charest's legacy within Quebec's internal politics is more uncertain.
He tried to move Quebec farther away from state intervention but faced howls of protest from the province's powerful unions.
He promised to cut income taxes, and he did, but later hiked user fees for services including health care and tuition.
He created a long-term program to pay down the debt, the Generations Fund, but the province's already-heavy debt swelled under his watch.
He entered office declaring that health care would be his priority and promised shorter hospital wait times. His opponents suggest Quebec's hospitals are comparably worse off today.
And he now describes the ambitious Plan Nord as key to his legacy but his foes call it a marketing gimmick. It doesn't take a premier to force mining companies to extract diamonds and other minerals, they say.
Charest created new transparency rules, tougher fundraising laws and a corruption inquiry. But this was after two years of controversies, one of which involved a Charest cabinet minister charged with fraud.
His last months in office were dominated by the tuition dispute that triggered huge protests and made international news last spring.
Charest fought an aggressive campaign against his critics.
Despite his ex-cabinet minister Tony Tomassi facing criminal charges, he defied his opponents on the campaign trail to prove his government was corrupt. The issue died down after the campaign's first week.
He also campaigned against his own protesters, calling upon a "silent majority" of Quebec voters to impose law and order. Judging by the final election score, the silent majority fell just a few decibels short of restoring him to office.
But in leaving politics, Charest exposed a softer side that may be unfamiliar to many Quebecers. As he spoke about how he would soon become a grandfather, he broke into tears.
"I'm going home now," Charest said as he wrapped up his speech. "And I thank you for having given me the privilege of being your premier."
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Jean+Charest+calls+quits+Quebec+Liberal+leader+after+years/7195299/story.html#ixzz25g10byKa
2012年9月5日星期三
Bahrain court upholds life sentences for activists
Bahrain court upholds life sentences for activists
A Bahrain court Tuesday upheld jail sentences against 20 opposition figures convicted of plotting to overthrow the Western-allied government, including eight prominent activists facing life in prison.
The decision is likely to deepen the nearly 19-month-long crisis between Bahrain’s Sunni rulers and Shi’ite-led protesters demanding a greater political voice in the strategic Gulf kingdom, which is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
The group on trial includes some of the most high-profile leaders. Among the eight sentenced to life is rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who staged a 110-day hunger strike earlier this year in protest. The other 12 have lesser prison terms, ranging from five to 15 years, with seven of them convicted in absentia.
The decision also could intensify street clashes that have occurred nearly nonstop since the Arab Spring-inspired uprising began in February 2011. More than 50 people have been killed in Bahrain’s unrest.
Hours after the court announcement, riot police outside the capital, Manama, fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters. Some demonstrators threw firebombs at security forces.
‘‘We totally reject today’s verdict, which is clearly not a step toward beginning to solve the issues in Bahrain,’’ said former Parliament member Abdul Jalil Khalil, a member of the country’s main Shi’ite political bloc, Al Wefaq.
Shi’ites represent about 70 percent of Bahrain’s more than 500,000 citizens, but complain they face systematic discrimination, such as being excluded from top government and security posts.
Bahrain’s Sunni rulers have set in motion a series of reforms, including giving more powers to the elected Parliament, but opposition leaders say the measures don’t go far enough to break the ruling family’s near monopoly over government control.
The antistate convictions against the 20 opposition figures were first handed down last year by a military-led tribunal created under temporary martial law-style rules. A retrial was granted, but only limited changes in some charges were made in the hearings, said Jalil al-Aradi, one of the defense lawyers.
The 13 defendants held in Bahrain did not appear in court, and family members were barred under tight security, Aradi said. The activists have previously said they suffered beatings and other abuses behind bars.
International rights groups have pressed Bahrain to free the group as a sign of outreach to opposition factions, alongside efforts to ease criticism about the government’s political crackdowns from key allies such as the United States.
Khawaja, who also has Danish citizenship, has been the focus of efforts by Denmark to secure his release.
Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal of Denmark called the decision to uphold the life sentence ‘‘very disappointing’’ and said he would discuss possible further international action from ‘‘the very broad range of countries that in the spring supported Denmark in the demand for the release of al-Khawaja and the other human rights and democracy fighters in Bahrain.’’
‘‘It is important that the international community maintains that Bahrain must respect fundamental human rights,’’ he said. ‘‘This includes not least the freedom of speech and assembly.’’
A government statement said the court ‘‘provided all assurances of a fair trial’’ and allowed defense attorneys full access to the defendants.
A Bahrain court Tuesday upheld jail sentences against 20 opposition figures convicted of plotting to overthrow the Western-allied government, including eight prominent activists facing life in prison.
The decision is likely to deepen the nearly 19-month-long crisis between Bahrain’s Sunni rulers and Shi’ite-led protesters demanding a greater political voice in the strategic Gulf kingdom, which is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
The group on trial includes some of the most high-profile leaders. Among the eight sentenced to life is rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who staged a 110-day hunger strike earlier this year in protest. The other 12 have lesser prison terms, ranging from five to 15 years, with seven of them convicted in absentia.
The decision also could intensify street clashes that have occurred nearly nonstop since the Arab Spring-inspired uprising began in February 2011. More than 50 people have been killed in Bahrain’s unrest.
Hours after the court announcement, riot police outside the capital, Manama, fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters. Some demonstrators threw firebombs at security forces.
‘‘We totally reject today’s verdict, which is clearly not a step toward beginning to solve the issues in Bahrain,’’ said former Parliament member Abdul Jalil Khalil, a member of the country’s main Shi’ite political bloc, Al Wefaq.
Shi’ites represent about 70 percent of Bahrain’s more than 500,000 citizens, but complain they face systematic discrimination, such as being excluded from top government and security posts.
Bahrain’s Sunni rulers have set in motion a series of reforms, including giving more powers to the elected Parliament, but opposition leaders say the measures don’t go far enough to break the ruling family’s near monopoly over government control.
The antistate convictions against the 20 opposition figures were first handed down last year by a military-led tribunal created under temporary martial law-style rules. A retrial was granted, but only limited changes in some charges were made in the hearings, said Jalil al-Aradi, one of the defense lawyers.
The 13 defendants held in Bahrain did not appear in court, and family members were barred under tight security, Aradi said. The activists have previously said they suffered beatings and other abuses behind bars.
International rights groups have pressed Bahrain to free the group as a sign of outreach to opposition factions, alongside efforts to ease criticism about the government’s political crackdowns from key allies such as the United States.
Khawaja, who also has Danish citizenship, has been the focus of efforts by Denmark to secure his release.
Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal of Denmark called the decision to uphold the life sentence ‘‘very disappointing’’ and said he would discuss possible further international action from ‘‘the very broad range of countries that in the spring supported Denmark in the demand for the release of al-Khawaja and the other human rights and democracy fighters in Bahrain.’’
‘‘It is important that the international community maintains that Bahrain must respect fundamental human rights,’’ he said. ‘‘This includes not least the freedom of speech and assembly.’’
A government statement said the court ‘‘provided all assurances of a fair trial’’ and allowed defense attorneys full access to the defendants.
2012年9月4日星期二
Resurrecting Kingfisher: Larger-than-life fantasy?
Resurrecting Kingfisher: Larger-than-life fantasy?
The Ajit Singh-led Civil Aviation Ministry has made it clear several times that the Government will not be seen asking Kingfisher Airlines to close down unless there is a safety concern or until the airline’s fleet size falls below five aircraft.
But from the outlook Chairman Vijay Mallya has given for his airline in the annual report for 2011-12, it sure appears that Mallya is not planning to wind up this business. Instead, he appears keen to bring it back to its original glory!
“Your company will take a phased and pragmatic approach to re-induction of capacity as well as further market expansion. The focus will be on maximising the nascent potential of the domestic Indian market and capitalising on strategic international routes,” Mallya said in the annual report. Not only has he not abandoned plans for expansion, it is clear that the airline hopes to restart international operations too.
So is this a sensible approach or is Mallya’s vision of resurrecting Kingfisher a larger-than-life fantasy?
Official sources have told Firstpost that they have received many feelers from the airline suggesting that the government begins the process of asking Kingfisher to wind up, but the ministry has not bitten the bait. “Why should we ease him out of his misery and in the process leave thousands jobless? Kingfisher’s continuation is in the interest of several stakeholders. Its not as if there are no operations, it is flying some aircraft and offering services on some routes,” said a senior official.
He added that if there is a sudden withdrawal of capacity from the market, other airlines will immediately raise fares and further distort the market. “Let Kingfisher fly till it can. We will not close it down. Till now, we have not found any safety concern,” this official added.
Kingfisher continues to face manpower issues with pilots refusing to fly on some sectors due to salary delays, leading to flight cancellations. From 67 aircraft (scheduled and non scheduled operations) it operated till November 2011, fleet was reduced to 55 by March 2012. And instead of flying 9 Airbus 320 aircraft and 8 ATRs – as it had promised in the summer schedule – Kingfisher is now flying only 6 A 320 and 5 ATRs. So fleet is down to just 11 aircraft. Headcount was already down to 5,696 in March from 7,317 in the previous fiscal but is sure to be even lower with continuous exit of pilots and other staff.
Also, Mallya has himself said in the annual report that as part of cost rationalisation, the airline has completely removed expat pilots from the A320 and ATR fleet (since expat pilots are paid more than Indians). Besides, the airline has optimised headcount of cockpit and cabin crew to fleet count. It has even begun to benchmark the number of meals which are put on each departing flight to control catering costs.
Kingfisher continued to focus on other major cost control initiatives too last fiscal. So the airline went on to reduce distribution costs, implement fuel optimisation systems and processes, improve aircraft utilisation, optimise headcount and re-negotiate general contracts in order to enforce cost competitiveness.
Then, not just pilots and engineers but even the airline’s top management has begun to disintegrate. The Executive VP Commercial Manoj Chacko quit earlier this week and there are rumours about at least one more top level resignation being in the offing.
Manpower issues apart, Mallya has also acknowledged in the annual report that Kingfisher is now on a “member-elect” status with the Oneworld Alliance. Had Kingfisher managed to gain entry, its operations would have got a big boost.
With domestic operations severely curtailed, international operations suspended and no clarity from the Government on whether it will allow foreign airlines to pick up stakes in Indian carriers, what options remain before Mallya to keep Kingfisher afloat?
Diageo Plc is expected to pick up to 27 per cent stake in Vijay Mallya‘s United Spirits (USL) for a total amount of Rs 3,000 crore ($640 million), Firstpost reported on Monday. It also said that this amount would be used to pay off debts which have Mallya’s personal guarantee, especially the ones extended to Kingfisher Airlines.
A consortium of banks which extended loans of Rs 7,000 crore to the airline is learnt to have told the management that if it needs fresh infusion of funds, then it should raise at least half of the Rs 2,200 crore it needs immediately to stay afloat. Perhaps Diageo may prove to be the knight in shining armour needed to rescue a dying Kingfisher.
The Ajit Singh-led Civil Aviation Ministry has made it clear several times that the Government will not be seen asking Kingfisher Airlines to close down unless there is a safety concern or until the airline’s fleet size falls below five aircraft.
But from the outlook Chairman Vijay Mallya has given for his airline in the annual report for 2011-12, it sure appears that Mallya is not planning to wind up this business. Instead, he appears keen to bring it back to its original glory!
“Your company will take a phased and pragmatic approach to re-induction of capacity as well as further market expansion. The focus will be on maximising the nascent potential of the domestic Indian market and capitalising on strategic international routes,” Mallya said in the annual report. Not only has he not abandoned plans for expansion, it is clear that the airline hopes to restart international operations too.
So is this a sensible approach or is Mallya’s vision of resurrecting Kingfisher a larger-than-life fantasy?
Official sources have told Firstpost that they have received many feelers from the airline suggesting that the government begins the process of asking Kingfisher to wind up, but the ministry has not bitten the bait. “Why should we ease him out of his misery and in the process leave thousands jobless? Kingfisher’s continuation is in the interest of several stakeholders. Its not as if there are no operations, it is flying some aircraft and offering services on some routes,” said a senior official.
He added that if there is a sudden withdrawal of capacity from the market, other airlines will immediately raise fares and further distort the market. “Let Kingfisher fly till it can. We will not close it down. Till now, we have not found any safety concern,” this official added.
Kingfisher continues to face manpower issues with pilots refusing to fly on some sectors due to salary delays, leading to flight cancellations. From 67 aircraft (scheduled and non scheduled operations) it operated till November 2011, fleet was reduced to 55 by March 2012. And instead of flying 9 Airbus 320 aircraft and 8 ATRs – as it had promised in the summer schedule – Kingfisher is now flying only 6 A 320 and 5 ATRs. So fleet is down to just 11 aircraft. Headcount was already down to 5,696 in March from 7,317 in the previous fiscal but is sure to be even lower with continuous exit of pilots and other staff.
Also, Mallya has himself said in the annual report that as part of cost rationalisation, the airline has completely removed expat pilots from the A320 and ATR fleet (since expat pilots are paid more than Indians). Besides, the airline has optimised headcount of cockpit and cabin crew to fleet count. It has even begun to benchmark the number of meals which are put on each departing flight to control catering costs.
Kingfisher continued to focus on other major cost control initiatives too last fiscal. So the airline went on to reduce distribution costs, implement fuel optimisation systems and processes, improve aircraft utilisation, optimise headcount and re-negotiate general contracts in order to enforce cost competitiveness.
Then, not just pilots and engineers but even the airline’s top management has begun to disintegrate. The Executive VP Commercial Manoj Chacko quit earlier this week and there are rumours about at least one more top level resignation being in the offing.
Manpower issues apart, Mallya has also acknowledged in the annual report that Kingfisher is now on a “member-elect” status with the Oneworld Alliance. Had Kingfisher managed to gain entry, its operations would have got a big boost.
With domestic operations severely curtailed, international operations suspended and no clarity from the Government on whether it will allow foreign airlines to pick up stakes in Indian carriers, what options remain before Mallya to keep Kingfisher afloat?
Diageo Plc is expected to pick up to 27 per cent stake in Vijay Mallya‘s United Spirits (USL) for a total amount of Rs 3,000 crore ($640 million), Firstpost reported on Monday. It also said that this amount would be used to pay off debts which have Mallya’s personal guarantee, especially the ones extended to Kingfisher Airlines.
A consortium of banks which extended loans of Rs 7,000 crore to the airline is learnt to have told the management that if it needs fresh infusion of funds, then it should raise at least half of the Rs 2,200 crore it needs immediately to stay afloat. Perhaps Diageo may prove to be the knight in shining armour needed to rescue a dying Kingfisher.
2012年9月3日星期一
Life Insurance: Lose weight, save premium
Life Insurance: Lose weight, save premium
Our weight is an indication of how healthy we are and is one of the significant criteria that a life insurance company keeps in consideration while deciding the insurance premium that one has to pay. If one is overweight, the insurance company charges a loading, which is an extra charge over and above the basic premium. The reason why insurance companies apply loadings or charges extra premium due to being overweight is because of—
The increased risk of health complications such as diabetes, hypertension or high blood pressure that comes with being overweight.
They classify or categorise people into underweight, normal, overweight and obese. Medical research over the years have shown that obesity is a precursor to a plethora of diseases and this means that you are a higher insurance risk for life insurers to underwrite and that they will charge you more to make sure that they can cover their expenses when they have to pay a claim made by you.
The higher premium in other words is to allow for the fact that you are more likely to die young than a rightly built person
Even though your overall health is perfect but if you are overweight, you will have a difficult time getting affordable life insurance. Being overweight does not only affect your way of life and health, but it can also influence your policy approval rate and insurance premium.
Let us evaluate that how does your weight affects your life insurance premium. Your physical built is directly proportional to your life insurance premium. In order to be considered for preferred life insurance rates it is important to keep your BMI i.e your height to weight ratio under check. Losing that extra 20 kilos can considerably lower your life insurance premium. If you are considering to buy life insurance policy for yourself then the advise would be to lose the extra weight. Life insurance companies use different health ratios to determine rates, therefore, shopping around may uncover both potential savings and better coverage. In order to save on your life insurance premium and get the best possible rate for term life insurance when purchasing it on your own, you need to fall under the “preferred” category. The preferred category is someone who is low risk, basically healthy, and a non-smoker. Most life insurers in India today have preferred rates. Once the premium is set, that’s what you pay for the rest of your term.
Our weight is an indication of how healthy we are and is one of the significant criteria that a life insurance company keeps in consideration while deciding the insurance premium that one has to pay. If one is overweight, the insurance company charges a loading, which is an extra charge over and above the basic premium. The reason why insurance companies apply loadings or charges extra premium due to being overweight is because of—
The increased risk of health complications such as diabetes, hypertension or high blood pressure that comes with being overweight.
They classify or categorise people into underweight, normal, overweight and obese. Medical research over the years have shown that obesity is a precursor to a plethora of diseases and this means that you are a higher insurance risk for life insurers to underwrite and that they will charge you more to make sure that they can cover their expenses when they have to pay a claim made by you.
The higher premium in other words is to allow for the fact that you are more likely to die young than a rightly built person
Even though your overall health is perfect but if you are overweight, you will have a difficult time getting affordable life insurance. Being overweight does not only affect your way of life and health, but it can also influence your policy approval rate and insurance premium.
Let us evaluate that how does your weight affects your life insurance premium. Your physical built is directly proportional to your life insurance premium. In order to be considered for preferred life insurance rates it is important to keep your BMI i.e your height to weight ratio under check. Losing that extra 20 kilos can considerably lower your life insurance premium. If you are considering to buy life insurance policy for yourself then the advise would be to lose the extra weight. Life insurance companies use different health ratios to determine rates, therefore, shopping around may uncover both potential savings and better coverage. In order to save on your life insurance premium and get the best possible rate for term life insurance when purchasing it on your own, you need to fall under the “preferred” category. The preferred category is someone who is low risk, basically healthy, and a non-smoker. Most life insurers in India today have preferred rates. Once the premium is set, that’s what you pay for the rest of your term.
2012年9月1日星期六
Life without Luck: No. 21 Stanford sloppy in 20-17 victory against San Jose State
Life without Luck: No. 21 Stanford sloppy in 20-17 victory against San Jose State
Following No. 21 Stanford's season-opening 20-17 victory over San Jose State, the second-year coach had little patience trying to explain one of the most frustrating games of his tenure. At one point, a reporter asked him if this season might be more fun without No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck, considering the room for growth his young team could make.
"Fun?" Shaw asked. "For whom?"
Certainly not for the coach.
The post-Luck era got off to a disappointing debut, with former backup Josh Nunes throwing for 125 yards and a touchdown, and struggling to move the offense in the running game before getting bailed out by Jordan Williamson's rejuvenated right foot.
Williamson kicked a career-long 46-yard field goal and the go-ahead score from 20 yards to save Stanford from what would've been a stunning start to this season.
"It was real close," senior running back Stepfan Taylor said. "But close will get you beat in a heartbeat."
Almost did.
Williamson, who missed three field goals _ including a potential game-winner in regulation _ in a 41-38 overtime loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2, might have been the only one with a reason to hold his head down following that fantastic effort from both sides.
Now he might be the only Stanford player who should hold his head high after a shaky start this season.
Nunes finished 16 for 26 with no interceptions in place of Luck, but the offense stalled when it counted most _ and it almost cost the Cardinal (1-0) dearly against the Spartans (0-1).
"We were close to doing a lot of really good things tonight," Nunes said. "But close doesn't always win football games."
It usually loses them.
The David Fales-Blake Jurich quarterback combo gave Stanford fits until De'Leon Eskridge fumbled in Spartans territory late in the third quarter. That set up Williamson's tiebreaking kick, giving the redshirt sophomore a small stroke of redemption after months of public silence and tissues and tears back home.
"That shows the kind of person he is," said Taylor, who ran for 116 yards and a touchdown. "That's a lot of pressure, and missing them in the Fiesta Bowl you know all the pressure is going to be on him. He's cold blooded."
So was San Jose State's passing game.
Fales threw for 216 yards with one touchdown and an interception that landed in the hands of Ed Reynolds with 71 seconds remaining to seal Stanford's victory. Jurich ran for 32 yards and a score.
The fight Stanford showed so many times behind Luck dissolved.
With the two-time Heisman Trophy finalist now with the Indianapolis Colts, the Cardinal converted only 2 of 13 third downs (although it was 2 for 3 on fourth downs) and allowed the Spartans to move methodically at times down field. San Jose State outgained Stanford 288 to 280 in total yards.
Stanford beat San Jose State 57-3 last year and has won five straight meetings.
"Since we got our butts kicked here last year, we could have won every game since," third-year San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre said. "So we're making progress. We're getting bigger, stronger and faster. We're making strides. But in no way, shape or form is this a moral victory. We're a better football team, but we have to finish it off."
Taylor ran for 38 yards almost untouched until a defender tackled him on the game's first drive. Remound Wright converted a fourth-and-1 from the 10-yard line, and Taylor dived over the pile for a 1-yard TD on fourth down to give Stanford a 7-0 lead.
Nunes quickly led Stanford down field again and tossed a perfect ball in the corner on a stop-and-go route by Drew Terrell for an 11-yard score and his first career touchdown pass.
The first-game hiccups eventually surfaced, though, and bubbling later than expected until they almost completely popped Stanford's season.
Game-clock management became an issue on Stanford's final drive of the first half, tossing a short pass over the middle to tight end Zach Ertz, then throwing incomplete and running on third down to settle for a field goal. Williamson, who tore a groin muscle last October and was never the same when he returned, made his career-high 46-yarder as time expired to extend Stanford's lead to 17-3.
"I feel like I finally put everything from the past in the past and now I can focus on the future," a smiling Williamson said. "It was a tremendous feeling."
All the same problems that plagued the Cardinal defense in losses last year to Oregon and Oklahoma State _ no cornerback coverage, poor open-field tackling and quarterback pressure when it counts _ looked even worse with two new starting safeties.
Jurich ran for a short touchdown on San Jose State's first possession of the third quarter and Fales floated a 21-yard touchdown pass to Noel Grigsby to tie the score at 17-all late in the third quarter.
Fales, who transferred from Monterey Peninsula Community College in the spring, redshirted at Nevada in 2009 but quickly had San Jose State in position for the season's first shocking upset.
One mistake ended all that.
Reynolds stripped Eskridge on a pitch play, and Usua Amanam recovered the fumble at San Jose State's 38-yard line. Stanford's offense stalled again, and Williamson made his second field goal.
San Jose State stuffed Taylor on fourth-and-1 with fewer than 7 minutes to play, sending MacIntyre jumping and high-fiving all over the sideline and on the field. Fales and the offense failed to even get a first down on the next two possessions and Reynolds stepped in front of his final pass to close out San Jose State's rally.
Following No. 21 Stanford's season-opening 20-17 victory over San Jose State, the second-year coach had little patience trying to explain one of the most frustrating games of his tenure. At one point, a reporter asked him if this season might be more fun without No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck, considering the room for growth his young team could make.
"Fun?" Shaw asked. "For whom?"
Certainly not for the coach.
The post-Luck era got off to a disappointing debut, with former backup Josh Nunes throwing for 125 yards and a touchdown, and struggling to move the offense in the running game before getting bailed out by Jordan Williamson's rejuvenated right foot.
Williamson kicked a career-long 46-yard field goal and the go-ahead score from 20 yards to save Stanford from what would've been a stunning start to this season.
"It was real close," senior running back Stepfan Taylor said. "But close will get you beat in a heartbeat."
Almost did.
Williamson, who missed three field goals _ including a potential game-winner in regulation _ in a 41-38 overtime loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2, might have been the only one with a reason to hold his head down following that fantastic effort from both sides.
Now he might be the only Stanford player who should hold his head high after a shaky start this season.
Nunes finished 16 for 26 with no interceptions in place of Luck, but the offense stalled when it counted most _ and it almost cost the Cardinal (1-0) dearly against the Spartans (0-1).
"We were close to doing a lot of really good things tonight," Nunes said. "But close doesn't always win football games."
It usually loses them.
The David Fales-Blake Jurich quarterback combo gave Stanford fits until De'Leon Eskridge fumbled in Spartans territory late in the third quarter. That set up Williamson's tiebreaking kick, giving the redshirt sophomore a small stroke of redemption after months of public silence and tissues and tears back home.
"That shows the kind of person he is," said Taylor, who ran for 116 yards and a touchdown. "That's a lot of pressure, and missing them in the Fiesta Bowl you know all the pressure is going to be on him. He's cold blooded."
So was San Jose State's passing game.
Fales threw for 216 yards with one touchdown and an interception that landed in the hands of Ed Reynolds with 71 seconds remaining to seal Stanford's victory. Jurich ran for 32 yards and a score.
The fight Stanford showed so many times behind Luck dissolved.
With the two-time Heisman Trophy finalist now with the Indianapolis Colts, the Cardinal converted only 2 of 13 third downs (although it was 2 for 3 on fourth downs) and allowed the Spartans to move methodically at times down field. San Jose State outgained Stanford 288 to 280 in total yards.
Stanford beat San Jose State 57-3 last year and has won five straight meetings.
"Since we got our butts kicked here last year, we could have won every game since," third-year San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre said. "So we're making progress. We're getting bigger, stronger and faster. We're making strides. But in no way, shape or form is this a moral victory. We're a better football team, but we have to finish it off."
Taylor ran for 38 yards almost untouched until a defender tackled him on the game's first drive. Remound Wright converted a fourth-and-1 from the 10-yard line, and Taylor dived over the pile for a 1-yard TD on fourth down to give Stanford a 7-0 lead.
Nunes quickly led Stanford down field again and tossed a perfect ball in the corner on a stop-and-go route by Drew Terrell for an 11-yard score and his first career touchdown pass.
The first-game hiccups eventually surfaced, though, and bubbling later than expected until they almost completely popped Stanford's season.
Game-clock management became an issue on Stanford's final drive of the first half, tossing a short pass over the middle to tight end Zach Ertz, then throwing incomplete and running on third down to settle for a field goal. Williamson, who tore a groin muscle last October and was never the same when he returned, made his career-high 46-yarder as time expired to extend Stanford's lead to 17-3.
"I feel like I finally put everything from the past in the past and now I can focus on the future," a smiling Williamson said. "It was a tremendous feeling."
All the same problems that plagued the Cardinal defense in losses last year to Oregon and Oklahoma State _ no cornerback coverage, poor open-field tackling and quarterback pressure when it counts _ looked even worse with two new starting safeties.
Jurich ran for a short touchdown on San Jose State's first possession of the third quarter and Fales floated a 21-yard touchdown pass to Noel Grigsby to tie the score at 17-all late in the third quarter.
Fales, who transferred from Monterey Peninsula Community College in the spring, redshirted at Nevada in 2009 but quickly had San Jose State in position for the season's first shocking upset.
One mistake ended all that.
Reynolds stripped Eskridge on a pitch play, and Usua Amanam recovered the fumble at San Jose State's 38-yard line. Stanford's offense stalled again, and Williamson made his second field goal.
San Jose State stuffed Taylor on fourth-and-1 with fewer than 7 minutes to play, sending MacIntyre jumping and high-fiving all over the sideline and on the field. Fales and the offense failed to even get a first down on the next two possessions and Reynolds stepped in front of his final pass to close out San Jose State's rally.
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