Mars Makes Movie Execs See Red

60-Second Space | Space

John Carter is the latest in a string of movies set on the red planet that have all wound up in the red, financially. John Matson reports.

March 19, 2012

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?We open on a lone soldier walking through the desert. The year: 1861. The place: Mars!?

Who wouldn?t want to see that movie? A lot of people, apparently. Disney?s John Carter isn?t doing so well at the box office, nor with critics. It?s bringing back memories of Mars Needs Moms, one of last year?s biggest flops.

Should studios give up on the Red Planet? A look back at space sci-fi films does reveal a trend. The recent movies set on Mars?Red Planet, Mission to Mars, Ghosts of Mars?have not performed all that well. Total Recall was a hit, but it featured Arnold back when he was a movie star, not a politician.?

So, what do moviegoers seem to like? Aliens are great, as long as they?re on our turf: War of the Worlds, Transformers. And alien worlds seem to work, as long as they?re imaginary. Think Avatar and Star Wars.

Disney can at least take solace in the fact that John Carter isn?t bombing on the order of the Adventures of Pluto Nash. That 2002 Eddie Murphy lunar comedy made only $7 million on a $100 million budget. Maybe they should have given the money to JPL.

?John Matson

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast]

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Goldman resignation letter. Judge's critique. Now, the fallout?

Goldman resignation letter blistered Goldman Sachs for putting its interests ahead of customers. A state judge nearly kills Goldman deal over conflict of interest. Firm now says it will try to strengthen conflict-of-interest controls, but doesn't tie review to Goldman resignation letter.

Goldman?Sachs, the investment bank blistered by a resigning employee this week for how it does business, said Friday that it will try to strengthen internal rules to prevent questions about conflicts of interest.

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A U.S. judge almost killed a deal between two energy companies last month because?Goldman?had ties to both parties: The bank collected a fee for advising one company, and a?Goldman?banker owned stock in the other.

Goldman?was stung Wednesday by an Op-Ed article published in The New York Times by a young banker who was quitting the company. The Goldman resignation letter accused the firm's executives of privately insulting clients and not acting in customers' best interest.

The bank did not offer specifics Friday on the review of its policies.

The energy deal was a $21 billion buyout of El Paso, a Houston natural gas and oil company, by Kinder Morgan, a Houston natural gas pipeline company. The judge ultimate allowed the deal.

Goldman?collected a fee for advising El Paso on the deal. The judge criticized?Goldman?for failing to disclose that one of its lead bankers on the team, Steve Daniel, personally owned $340,000 of Kinder Morgan stock.

People like Daniel "get paid the big money because they are masters of economic incentives, and keenly aware of them at all times," said the Delaware judge, Chancellor Leo Strine.

Goldman?had disclosed other conflicts: Its private-equity arm owned a stake in Kinder Morgan, and it controlled two seats on Kinder Morgan's board.

"We regret that El Paso's board wasn't aware," said David Wells, a spokesman at?Goldman. "We are reviewing our policies and procedures with the goal of strengthening them."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/FS0ERmS0AhQ/Goldman-resignation-letter.-Judge-s-critique.-Now-the-fallout

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Lawyer for Afghan killings suspect to visit him

SEATTLE (AP) ? With formal charges looming against his client within days, the lawyer for an Army sergeant suspected in the horrific nighttime slaughter of 16 Afghan villagers flew to Kansas and was preparing for his first face-to-face meeting with the 10-year veteran.

John Henry Browne of Seattle said he planned to meet Monday with Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who is being held in an isolated cell at Fort Leavenworth's military prison.

Bales, 38, hasn't been charged in the March 11 shootings, which have endangered relations between the U.S. and Afghanistan and threaten to upend U.S. policy over the decade-old war. But formal charges are expected to be filed within a week and if the case goes to court the trial will be held in the United States, said a legal expert with the U.S. military familiar with the investigation.

That expert said charges were still being decided and that the location for any trial had not yet been determined. If the suspect is brought to trial, it is possible that Afghan witnesses and victims would be flown to the United States to participate, he said.

Military lawyers say once attorneys involved in the initial investigation of an alleged crime involving a service member have what they believe to be a solid understanding of what happened and are satisfied with the evidence collected, they draft charges and present them to a commander. That person then makes a judgment on whether there is probable cause to believe that an offense was committed and that the accused committed it.

That commander then "prefers" the charges to a convening authority, who typically is the commander of the brigade to which the accused is assigned but could be of higher rank.

Bales' defense team said in a statement late Saturday that "it is too early to determine what factors may have played into this incident and the defense team looks forward to reviewing the evidence, examining all of Sergeant Bales' medical and personnel records, and interviewing witnesses."

The lawyers' statement also said Bales' family was "stunned in the face of this tragedy, but they stand behind the man they know as a devoted husband, father and dedicated member of the armed services."

Military officials have said that Bales, after drinking on a southern Afghanistan base, crept away March 11 to two slumbering villages overnight, shooting his victims and setting many of them on fire. Nine of the 16 killed were children and 11 belonged to one family.

Court records and interviews in recent days have revealed that Bales had a string of commendations for good conduct after four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. But he also faced a number of troubles in recent years: a Florida investment job went sour, his Seattle-area home was condemned as he struggled to make payments on another, and he failed to get a recent promotion.

Legal troubles included charges that he assaulted a girlfriend and, in a hit-and run accident, ran bleeding in military clothes into the woods, court records show. He told police he fell asleep at the wheel and paid a fine to get the charges dismissed, the records show.

Rebecca Steed, spokeswoman at Fort Leavenworth, said Bales would be able to meet with Browne in what is described as a privileged visit. Along with medical visits, such meetings are generally more private than others conducted in the prison.

Browne, 65, has represented clients ranging from serial killer Ted Bundy to Colton Harris-Moore, known as the "Barefoot Bandit." He has said he has handled only three or four military cases. Bales will also have at least one military lawyer.

Tall and stylish, Browne has been a prominent figure in Washington state legal circles since the 1970s, known equally for his zeal in representing his clients and his flair before television cameras.

_____

Also contributing were Associated Press writers Manuel Valdes in Seattle, John Milburn in Topeka, Kan., and Deb Riechmann in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawyer-afghan-killings-suspect-visit-him-193250755.html

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April 2 ? Hayhows have plea court in Kitchener ... - Rowan Family Tree

Folks ? we have learned that the Hayhows, who ripped off Imagine Adoption, bankrupted the agency, and left children to starve in the transition home, will be entering their guilty plea at plea court on April 2 @ 9:30 in the new court house in
Kitchener. If you are anywhere nearby and have been touched by their horrible actions, please attend court, as apparently the sentencing ill happen right there. A strong showing mey encourage the judge to give a stronger sentence. If you remember, this was almost three years ago, and the reason we flew on 6 hours notice to Ethiopia to pick up our kids. I had the unfortunately job of telling the home director that their agency was bankrupt? I will never forget the horror of the staff that hadn?t been paid for months, and the hungry look in the children?s eyes. Hope you can show up.

Source: http://rowanfamilytree.com/2012/03/17/april-2-hayhows-have-plea-court-in-kitchener-be-there-if-you-can/

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The Many Different Aspects Of Home Lighting | Home Remodeling ...

There are many ways you can really make your house stand out from the crowd with some effective lighting. Often an oversight altogether, lighting can really affect how your home looks and feels and therefore it is crucial to get it just right. There are many different types of lighting that are needed in the home and that is what this article will discuss. Read on to learn about all the different aspects of home lighting that are necessary to make it just right.

First of all there is security lighting to think about. You may well want to purchase an exterior security light. These are usually equipped with motion detectors so if something approaches the house the light will come on. These can work as good deterrents, especially if the light alerts someone sleeping in the house or maybe a dog who will start barking. Another way to secure your home is to have some lights come on even if there is no one in the house. Making out that there is someone in the house even if there isn?t can act as a great deterrent. It can be a good idea to arrange this for when you go away on holiday as it is during this time that houses can be broken into.

Another aspect of your home lighting is your outdoor lighting. This is an important factor because it enables you to entertain guests outside in a nice environment. Some good ways to light your outside space are to put some lights in any trees and shine a spotlight on any nice features in the garden too. You should also have some nice atmospheric lighting on the main patio or dining area. Having a bright security light here will not provide the right kind of light. Instead you want some low level, mood lighting. If you really want to enjoy the space throughout summer and beyond then investing in a patio heater will allow you to do just that. Outdoor fairy lights can in particular look good strung up around or across a patio. You can have a lot of fun developing your outdoor lighting scheme and even provide a real party atmosphere.

As well as your outdoor lights you need to think of your interior lights. In the bathroom you are going to need some good task lighting and you will also need this in the kitchen. These two rooms in particular need good task lighting so you can see to cook, wash yourself, apply makeup, chop carrots etc. Kitchens and bathrooms are also places where you sometimes want low level lighting however. When enjoying a meal or having a bath, bright lights can dampen the mood. It is a good idea to be able to turn down the lights in the bathroom and kitchen, either by dimmer switches or by turning off one of two lights and just leaving a small light on. In the sitting room you may also want to be able to turn the lights down for relaxing in the evening or entertaining guests. Having a reading light is a good idea however and a nice type for the sitting room is a standing lamp that can be swiveled around depending on where you are sitting. The bedrooms also need good reading lights by the bed and any desk will need a separate desk lamp because otherwise you can damage your eyes when working or reading in poor light.

These are the main aspects you need to think about when designing your home lighting. If you get all elements just right then you will end up with a secure and relaxing home that functions perfectly. The interior lighting as well as the security lighting should be considered early on, as should all the exterior lighting in the garden.

Source: http://leta-kotleta.com/the-many-different-aspects-of-home-lighting/

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The Remains of Columbus in Huelva- Spain - Travel - EzineMark

Huelva is a beautiful city of Spain and while entering the city, you will first get the impression that this city is an industrial city with a big modern port. The area close to this city has many mines which makes the city an important economic and industrial hub for the country. However, there are many places worth visiting here like Costa de la Luz for visitors.

Donana National Park is also located near Huelva and apart from this park you can also visit the most significant wetland preserve in the Andalusia region called Odiel Marshes which are known for being the habitat of some unique species of birds. Picos de Aroche and Sierra de Aracena are the mountains which are located in the north of Huelva and in these mountains and forests, a huge collection of fauna are also present.

Huelva is also known for some great prehistoric findings.

This city was once used as an important cultural center by the Tartessos and you can still visit the walls of the city built by Tartesso and a town which was built by Phoenicians in 1000 BC. You can also visit the museum of the city to view some of the unique findings from ancient times.

Important Landmarks in Huelva

Following are some of best landmarks in the city which are worth visiting:

San Pedro Church

This is the oldest church in the city and was constructed in the Moorish design in the 15th century, but later on it was re-constructed in the Baroque design during 16th century. This church is located at the bottom of the old castle in Huelva.

La Merced Cathedral

This cathedral was built in Baroque style and it belonged to the Convento de la Merced Monastery, which has now been converted into a university.

Iglesias de la Concepcion

This church has some very beautiful spain rentals architecture and it was constructed during the 16th century.

This church is situated at the middle of the famous and busy Plaza de la Concepcion Square.

Barrio Reina Victoria

This town was built by the Rio Tinto Mine Company during the 19th century in the traditional Anglo-Saxon style.

Plaza de las Monjas

This is also known as the Square of the Nuns and is located in the center of the city. In this plaza you can also visit the town hall, a small Mudejar style convent, the former Paris Hotel and Bank of Spain and a building of the local government.
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Source: http://travel.ezinemark.com/the-remains-of-columbus-in-huelva-spain-7d34d1c9be26.html

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International Business: International Business Programs: Grab The ...

Pursuing an international business career is not an easy task, it usually requires extensive traveling, fluency in a second language which is almost always a requirement in international business, and of course working in this profession necessitates flexibility to fit into very different cultures than your own.

International business specialty offers different paths one could take. The many opportunities for professionals in American business are the same opportunities overseas some of which includes advertising and sales professionals, product managers, retail buying, travel and tourism business, banking, managers and trade experts. International companies must compete in the challenging market thus requiring the need for knowledgeable and business minded professionals.

A bachelor?s degree in business is often required for most people who choose a career in international business. International business jobs can often be competitive and so many aspiring business students go the extra mile of earning their master?s degree in either business administration (MBA) or international business (MIB). A bachelor?s degree is a four year course and a master?s degree is usually one to three years after a bachelor?s degree.

Some international business programs are much more aggressive than others. However, for any of these international business programs, a high school diploma or its equivalent is a minor requirement. Since international business also involves working together and communicating within the cultures, fluency in a second language is another requirement. International business programs of bachelor?s and master?s degree are usually the most competitive and require a high GPA to be accepted. Consulting with a college career counselor is a good way to know the specific requirements for entry into specific international business programs.

Online international business programs offer all levels of preparation for elite individuals who aims towards a career in international business. A lot of international business programs offer classes that can be completed at home. Specific programs can also be offered online such as a bachelor?s or master?s degree in business administration, or associate?s in international business.

International business careers are very rewarding and yearly salaries in this field can vary greatly depending on the company and the type of business. Chief international executives can have pays ranging from $200,000 to $400,000 annually. Lower level directors? and representatives? may have salaries ranging from $50,000 to $130,000 per year. Higher end pay scales are most likely for those individuals who have a master?s in international business and many years of experience.

Some of the leading schools that offer International Business programs are the University of Phoenix ?Business; Walden University; Ellis College; Regent University; Strayer University; Keiser College eCampus; Kennedy western University: Argosy University (Business & IT); National American University Online; LeTourneau University; Keller graduate School of Management; Berkeley College Online; Jones International University; and Cardean University.

Source: http://etonogram.blogspot.com/2012/03/international-business-programs-grab.html

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