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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Report: Saudi Arabia may try to end anonymity for Twitter users

Reuters ? ? ? 2 hrs.

Saudi Arabia may try to end anonymity for Twitter users in the country by limiting access to the site to people who register their identification documents, the Arab News daily reported on Saturday.

Last week, local media reported the government had asked telecom companies to look at ways they could monitor, or block, free internet phone services such as Skype.

Twitter is highly popular with Saudis and has stirred broad debate on subjects ranging from religion to politics in a country where such public discussion had been considered at best unseemly and sometimes illegal.

Early this month, the security spokesman for Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry described social networking, particularly Twitter, as a tool used by militants to stir social unrest.

The country's Grand Mufti, Saudi Arabia's top cleric, last week described users of the microblogging site as "clowns" wasting time with frivolous and even harmful discussions, local newspapers reported.

"A source at (the regulator) described the move as a natural result of the successful implementation of (its) decision to add a user's identification numbers while topping up mobile phone credit," Arab News reported.

That would not necessarily make a user's identity visible to other users of the site, but it would mean the Saudi government could monitor the tweets of individual Saudis.

The English-language daily and sister paper to the Saudi-owned pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper did not explain how the authorities might be able to restrict ability to post on Twitter. Both newspapers belong to a publishing group owned by the ruling family and run by a son of Crown Prince Salman.

Internet service providers are legally obliged to block websites showing content deemed pornographic.

One of the big investors in Twitter is Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of King Abdullah who also holds significant stakes in Citi Group, News Corp and Apple through his Kingdom Holding Company.

The country's telecom regulator, Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) did not immediately responded to requests for comment on the report. Last week it did not comment on the report it was seeking to restrict Skype use.

A spokeswoman for Kingdom Holding said Prince Alwaleed was not available to comment.

"There are people who misuse the social networking and try to send false information and false evaluation of the situation in the kingdom and the way the policemen in the kingdom are dealing with these situations," said Major General Mansour Turki, the security spokesman, at a news conference on Mar 8.

At a separate interview with Reuters this month, Turki argued that a small number of supporters of al Qaeda and activists from Saudi Arabia's Shi'ite minority used social media to stir wider sympathy for their goals and social unrest.

However, he also argued against banning the site.

Two weeks ago one of Saudi Arabia's most prominent clerics, Salman al-Awdah, who has 2.4 million followers on the site, used Twitter to attack the government's security policy as too harsh and call for better services. He warned it might otherwise face "the spark of violence".

Two leading Saudi human rights activists were sentenced to long prison terms this month for a variety of offences including "internet crimes" because they had used Twitter and other sites to attack the government.

Some top princes in the monarchy now use Twitter themselves and Crown Prince Salman, King Abdullah's designated heir and also Defence Minister, recently opened an official account.

(Reporting By Angus McDowall; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a29c693/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Ctechnolog0Creport0Esaudi0Earabia0Emay0Etry0Eend0Eanonymity0Etwitter0Eusers0E1C9144293/story01.htm

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Payroll & Benefits Coordinator - NAIS Career Center

Payroll & Benefits Coordinator		POSTED: Mar 29
Salary:	Open	Location:	North Hollywood, California
Employer:	Oakwood School	Type:	Full Time - Administration
Category:	Other	Preferred Education:	4 Year Degree

Oakwood School is a progressive coeducational K-12 non-profit independent day school located in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.? It was founded in 1951 by a group of parents who wanted to provide their children with an educational experience that was rich in the arts, sciences, and humanities, challenging to their creative and intellectual capacities and, above all, humane.

Oakwood School is currently seeking an experienced Payroll & Benefits Coordinator to manage the full-cycle payroll functions and coordinating employee benefits. Working with the Human Resources and Accounting team, the incumbent will process the semi-monthly payroll and manage all changes, reporting, reconciliations and audits. The Payroll & Benefits Coordinator interfaces with all faculty and staff employees providing answers to payroll and employee benefits inquires and providing overall support within the payroll and employee benefits disciplines.
?

RESPONSIBILITIES

Prepares and coordinates semi-monthly payroll and employee benefits for over 200 exempt and non-exempt full-time, part-time, temporary employees and 1099 consultants in California using ADP payroll software;
Updates the system for newly hired and terminated employees, enters and monitors benefits, 403(b),HSA, FSA and wage deductions and confirms Vacation, Sick and Personal Leave is calculated and documented accurately;
Collaborates with Human Resources for proper transfer of data and reconciling of payroll records;
Ensures compliance with all applicable state and federal wage and hour laws as well as tax filings and proper deductions;
Processes and documents payroll funds transfers with Accounting;
Coordinates any special checks and reimbursement payments; processes wage garnishments;
Assists with payroll and 403(b) audits; assists in the review and/or input of federal and state W4 data and local tax withholding set up;
Assists with ongoing set up, testing and maintenance of the payroll system; helps with conversions by reconciling data and post conversion issues. Helps in planning and testing system upgrades and/or interfaces;
Creates bimonthly, monthly, quarterly and year-end HR and payroll reports;
Makes recommendations to improve the quality and efficiency of the payroll and benefits process;
Provides excellent customer service to all employees as primary contact for payroll and benefits related topics;
Assists with new hire orientations and terminations, benefits open enrollment, detailed HRIS data input, payroll and HR reporting and related employee communications; and
Additional duties, as assigned.

NOTES:

Additional Salary Information: Salary commensurate with experience; comprehensive benefits package offered.

QUALIFICATIONS

BA/BS in Accounting or a related field preferred
Three+ years? experience processing CA payroll
Knowledge of appropriate tax laws, payroll deductions, tax rates and maximum allowances for 403b,HSA, ?FSA, FICA, state disability and other withholdings
Strong proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel
Keen attention to detail, process execution and follow-through with excellent organization skills
Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to confidently interact with all faculty and staff employees

Please forward resume and letter of interest to Stephanie Sztanski, Director of Human Resources at Oakwood School. Competitive salary and benefits package offered.? ?

Check us out at www.oakwoodschool.org

Oakwood School

North Hollywood CA

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Source: http://careers.nais.org/jobs/5292565/payroll-benefits-coordinator

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Veterinarians try artificial insemination on Giant Panda at National Zoo

Mei Xiang, the Giant Panda at the National Zoo was artificially inseminated Saturday after she and the zoo's male giant panda failed to breed naturally.?

By Jane Sutton,?Reuters / March 30, 2013

Giant panda Mei Xiang looks over a stone wall in her enclosure at the Smithsonian's National Zoo during a spring snow in Washington, D.C. March 25.

Connor Mallon/Smithsonian's National Zoo/Reuters

Enlarge

Veterinarians at the?National Zoo?artificially inseminated the zoo's female giant panda?Mei Xiang?on Saturday after natural breeding failed to occur, zoo keepers said.

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Mei Xiang?was put under general anesthesia and inseminated with a combination of fresh semen and frozen semen collected from the zoo's male giant panda Tian Tian. The scientists said they planned a second insemination later on Saturday.

Veterinarians detected a rise in hormone levels on Tuesday, indicating?Mei Xiang?was ready to breed but said "no competent breeding" between the panda pair had occurred.

"We are hopeful that our breeding efforts will be successful this year, and we're encouraged by all the behaviors and hormonal data we've seen so far," said?Dave Wildt, head of the?Center for Species Survival?at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

Scientists will continue to monitor?Mei Xiang's hormone levels in the coming months and conduct ultrasounds to determine whether she is pregnant. A pregnancy lasts between 95 and 160 days, they said.

Mei Xiang?has given birth to two cubs. One died a week after its birth last year. The other was born in 2005 and is now at the?China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda?in Wolong.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/ti5HnTXiknU/Veterinarians-try-artificial-insemination-on-Giant-Panda-at-National-Zoo

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

George Christy Talks About The Professional Dancers Society, Mitzi ...

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?Giant footsteps ? we?ve taken giant footsteps!?? With evangelical fervor, Ben Vereen was praising the progress of the arts.? The award-winning actor, singer, dancer, an international breakout star during the ?70s with his starring role in Pippin, was honored with the 26th annual Gypsy Award during the Professional Dancers Society luncheon at The Beverly Hilton?s Grand Ballroom. ? For more than four decades, Ben?s showcased his astonishing versatility, and today he and his band are touring his one-man show, Steppin? Out.

This looked-forward-to event hosted by the Professional Dancers Society sells out, recently honoring Julie Andrews.? For $170, there?s the three-course luncheon and a whale?s worth of entertainment, including a treasure trove of film clips starring fabulous dancers of yesterday and today. ? Did you know Carl Reiner, now 91, was a shake-your-booty dancer once upon a time?

Lee Hale?s the genius behind the thrilling video/film clip segments, featuring Busby Berkeley and Hermes Pan classics, along with fabled hoofers through the decades. ? His autobiography, The Lee Hale Story, traces a childhood from Tacoma, Washington to his brilliant career in Hollywood.? Producing, writing and directing with the best of the best. ? Gene Kelly, Dean Martin, Mitzi Gaynor, Florence Henderson, Bob Hope, Rita Hayworth, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett. In 1971, Orson Welles declared, ?Lee put me where I am today in the world of music.?

Every spring, Mitzi Gaynor, the PDS president for nine years, pops the cork for the afternoon, regaling everyone with drop-dead comic timing.? The ballroom?s filled with loving warmth, and nonstop applause from the crush of dancers and friends of all ages, attesting to Sandi Johnson?s belief that ?we dancers are fun folk.?? Sandi received the Gypsy Robe this year, a tradition from the 1950s handed down from one dancer to another, each adding their personal memorabilia to Ret Turner?s raggedy-ass costume, a Mad Hatter?s ?hello, there!? hallucination.

After the luncheon of carrot soup, chicken with a mild chili sauce, and baked Alaska, underwritten by heiress Joni Berry, the big-hearted chairman of the PDS board, Michael Rooney (yes, the son of Mickey) was presented with the First Choreographers Award.? ? Comings and goings flourished, with loyalists Florence Henderson and Dick Van Dyke lighting up the stage, the best hotel ballroom stage in our town.

Mitzi had returned from Chicago, where Leonard Maltin interviewed her for Turner Movie Classics (?fell in love with him?). ? Indefatigable, she travels week after week performing her one woman show. ? ?Show business isn?t simply New York or L.A.,? she reminded.? ?It?s Muncie, Indiana and Spokane, Washington.?? We?ve never forgotten Mitzi?s remark that she was ?born to make people happy!?

Monies from the luncheon give life to dancers in need, as the Actors Fund?s Keith McNutt noted.? More than $150,000 was raised. ? ?We?re there for dancers whose talents contribute so much to our joyful memories,? says Joni,? and we?re there to help with medical expenses, low income housing and emergency concerns through our affiliation with the Actors Fund of America.?

The late PR veteran Dale Olson made the marriage between PDS and the Actors Fund, and he was remembered, as were Billy Barnes and those performers the entertainment community lost over the year.? ? Birthdays were also remembered. ? Among them were? designer Bob Mackie, Lee Hale, and Shane Rosamonda, Mitzi?s co-manager with Rene Reyes.

Debbie Reynolds, always a presence of sheer delight, presented Ben Vereen with his Gypsy Award.? Debbie brought back our recollection from a USC Town and Gown evening when she was honored.? Arriving from El Paso, Texas with her mom, she was Mary Frances Reynolds.? A spark plug of a singer, dancer, actress. ? Happily she and mom managed an appointment/audition with Jack Warner of Warner Bros. ? Driving to the studio in Burbank, they were delayed.? For more than an hour. ? A dog called Debbie bolted headlong into a truck.? A sympathetic crowd quickly clustered, halting traffic.

Mr. Warner was not amused by the Texas latecomers.? However, he was charmed by the mother and talented daughter, complaining that Mary Frances was no name for a movie star. ? In an inspired moment, mogul Warner decided to professionally rename Mary Frances as Debbie Reynolds.? After that dead dog named Debbie. ? So help us, we were there.? In that Town and Gown audience as a Sunday dinner guest of MCA founder Jules Stein and his wife Doris, who were the Emperor and Empress of Hollywood.

Debbie?s now published her memoir, Unthinkable.? We were floored with the naughty tale about Shelley Winters during a Malibu party.? She writes that the Rat Pack?s Sammy Davis Jr. has the ?smallest ass.?

?If Jay Leno were a Jewish (or Italian) mother, he?d know how to handle NBC,? writes the New York Post?s right-on television critic Linda Stasi about the network dumping Jay for Jimmy Fallon.? ?He wouldn?t use his scathing nightly monologues or his worldwide reach to cut them down for trying to cut him out ?

?He?d use something much more deadly.? He?d use that sentence ? the one that has felled millions of mighty men and women ? the deadly bullet of guilt ?

?Repeat after me: ?That?s the thanks I get for giving you the best 21 years of my life and making you so (pick one) rich/happy ? ??

Linda Stasi continued, ?For 21 years, Leno has made NBC gazillions by delivering almost consistently the top-rated show in late night.? For 21 years, he has been the best son any network could want.?

Television?s changing at a dizzying pace with archivists recalling the launch of the The Tonight Show during the ?50s.? Host Steve Allen described it as ?a mild little show in a New York theatre that sleeps 800 people.?? For his premiere night, Steve fried 100 eggs in a gigantic frying pan.

Kleiner-Backed Fisker Mulls Bankruptcy as Investor Search Persists ...

NEW YORK/DETROIT, March 28 (Reuters) ? Fisker Automotive, the U.S.-backed maker of luxury plug-in hybrid sports cars, has hired law firm Kirkland & Ellis to advise it on a possible bankruptcy filing, a source said on Thursday, while executives continue their search for a strategic investor.

The company, based in Anaheim, California, furloughed its U.S. work force this week to preserve cash.

Fisker, founded in 2007, has raised more than $1 billion in venture capital, according to Thomson Reuters (publisher of peHUB).?Most recently, the company raised $103.67 million in September 2012 from Advanced Equities Inc., Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, New Enterprise Associates and one undisclosed firm, Thomson Reuters reports. KP has participated in all but one of the company?s 14 financing rounds, while NEA has participated in seven, according to Thomson Reuters.

Anup Sathy, a bankruptcy lawyer at Kirkland who handled the Chapter 11 filings of General Growth Properties and Innkeepers USA Trust, is advising Fisker, the source said.

On Wednesday, two sources said the company was considering bankruptcy while it pursued alternatives.

All of the sources declined to be named because the matter is not public.

A Fisker spokesman declined to comment. Neither Kirkland & Ellis nor Sathy were immediately available to comment.

Fisker, which makes the $100,000-plus Karma plug-in hybrid, has not produced a car since July and is seeking a financial backer to help finish the development of a second plug-in hybrid, the Atlantic, and produce it at a Delaware plant.

The company?s cash crunch comes less than a month before it must make a payment on a U.S. Department of Energy loan that Fisker received in 2009. Fisker declined to divulge the amount of the payment, which is due April 22.

Fisker has faced many challenges this month, including the abrupt resignation of its founder, Henrik Fisker, over ?several major disagreements? with top management.

Its efforts to find an investor in China also stalled. The company had been in talks with Chinese automakers Dongfeng Motor Group and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to gauge their interest in acquiring a majority stake in Fisker.

Both Geely and Dongfeng balked at the terms of Fisker?s loan agreement with the DOE. Fisker?s chief executive, Tony Posawatz, visited China this week to try to rekindle those deals, sources said this week.

?OVERLY AMBITIOUS? PLAN

Fisker was founded by Henrik Fisker and his partner Barny Koehler in 2007 shortly before a deep recession in the United States sapped consumer demand for vehicles.

Fisker has raised $1.2 billion since it was founded and has the backing of Ray Lane, a managing partner at venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers who is also a Fisker director.

The Karma quickly won accolades for its styling and cache with celebrities, including pop star Justin Bieber and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who is also an investor in the company.

In 2009, the DOE awarded Fisker a $529 million loan as part of an Obama administration program to finance advanced vehicle development. Fisker used $193 million of the loan and earmarked the bulk of the funding for the Atlantic.

But the DOE froze its credit line partly due to Fisker?s delays in launching the Karma. The last payment from the DOE came in May 2011, government records show.

The resulting cash crunch made it tough for Fisker to meet what Posawatz described last year as an ?overly ambitious and aggressive? business plan.

Fisker has been flagging its interest in a strategic partner since at least April 2012, when then-CEO Tom LaSorda unveiled a concept version of the Atlantic at the New York auto show. LaSorda later left the company and was succeeded by Posawatz.

Sources said this week that Fisker now is open to selling off pieces of the company, including intellectual property rights for its plug-in electric hybrid technology.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the hiring of Kirkland & Ellis.

By Nick Brown and Deepa Seetharaman, Reuters

Additional reporting and editing by Lawrence Aragon, peHUB

Photo: The Fisker automotive electric Atlantic sedan is seen during its unveiling ahead of the 2012 International Auto Show in New York April 3, 2012. Photographed by??by?Allison Joyce, Reuters.?

Source: http://www.pehub.com/193799/kleiner-backed-fisker-mulls-bankruptcy-investor-search-persists/

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Charlie Daniels has successful pacemaker surgery

NEW YORK (AP) ? A representative for Charlie Daniels says the 76-year-old country singer is recovering after having a pacemaker implanted Thursday.

Daniels was diagnosed Monday with "a mild case of pneumonia." Tests at a Nashville, Tenn.-area hospital revealed that he needed a pacemaker to regulate his heart rate. He's scheduled to be released Friday.

Daniels said in a statement that he's feeling better and looking forward to spending Easter with his family.

His Saturday and Sunday performances at Middle Tennessee State University have been canceled. Concerts with his band on April 5 in Englewood, N.J., and April 6 in Newark, Ohio, have been canceled and will be rescheduled. His tour will resume April 11 in Lynchburg, Va.

Daniels has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry for five years. His hits include "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

____

Online:

http://charliedaniels.com/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/charlie-daniels-successful-pacemaker-surgery-190802474.html

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Cyprus is very special case, found right solution: German finance minister

By Brian Homewood March 28 (Reuters) - Swiss champions FC Basel, renowned for their youth development programme, face a constant battle to stop teenage players moving to English, Spanish and Italian clubs. President Bernhard Heusler told Reuters in an interview that parents often do not listen to the club when warned against taking their sons elsewhere. "We get enormous pressure from outside, including English clubs," said Heusler before adding Basel were powerless to stop their youngsters leaving before the age of 16. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cyprus-very-special-case-found-solution-german-finance-070837317--business.html

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Sunday, March 31, 2013

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