LibertyNewsprint com 3-03-08 Edition

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Your Click and Print Newspaper LibertyNewsprint.com U.S. Edition02/03/08 - 03/03/08

A New Low for Hillary ClintonBy David Knowles (PoliticalMachine)

Submitted at 3/2/2008 2:07:00 PM

Filed under: Hillary Clinton, Democrats,Barack Obama, Featured Stories, 2008PresidentInterviewed on "60 MInutes," HillaryClinton gave the nation a glimpse of herwin-at-all-costs mentality. Confronted overwhether or not she believed Barack Obamawas actually a Muslim, she couldn't give asimple, firm answer and let it stand at that.

Croft: You don't believe that SenatorObama is a Muslim?

Clinton: Of course not. I mean that's, youknow, there is no basis for that. You knowI take him on the basis of what he said.There isn't any reason to doubt that.

Croft sensed a bit of hedging in theanswer, and reshaped the question.

Croft: You said you take Senator Obama athis word that he's not a Muslim, you don'tbelieve that he's a Muslim... or implying...

Clinton: No, no. Why would I? No, there'snothing to base that on... as far as I know.

I realize that this is something of a politicalRorschach test. If you're a Clinton fan, youhear a stern denial. If you're everybodyelse, you hear her planting a seed of doubt.Watch the exchange for yourself.

To my mind there are two places she hasdeliberately left the door open a

crack.First, as Croft noted, there's a

difference between believing something tobe true or false, and believing somethingbased on what another person says is true.Consider the different implications in thefollowing sentences:

"I believe it is raining outside."

and

"On the basis of what Jack said, I believe

it is raining outside."

The distinction is simple. In the secondsentence, if it's not actually raining, blameJack for the fact that I gave you the wronginformation. And that's precisely whyCroft followed up. Hillary started off muchbetter the second time around, but quicklytook a detour back into the territory ofdoubt.

"No, there's nothing to base that on... asfar as I know."

Once again, it's as if she's suggesting theremay still be some information out therethat might overturn her thoughts on thematter. Perhaps after we "peel the bark off"Senator Obama, we'll discover some othertruth.

Hillary supporters will think me part ofthe VRWC, but it troubles me that shecouldn't just come out and say: No, he's nota Muslim. He's a Christian.

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Obama and the Question of IsraelBy Justin Paulette (PoliticalMachine)

Submitted at 3/3/2008 4:31:00 AM

Filed under: Barack ObamaObama has become the center of gravityfor much controversy over Jewish issues asof late. Eschewing the pestilent circulationof nauseating e-mails postulating upon hissecret Muslim professions, issues of

Jewish concern continue to arise inconjunction with with candidate.

First, the Farrakhan endorsement caused atempest-in-a-tea-cup, guilt-by-associationscandal last week. M.J. Rosenberg ragedagainst Tim Russert's question to Obamaregarding the Islamic demagogue'ssupport, concluding, "The bottom line isthat Obama, like Senators Clinton and

McCain, is a friend of Jews and Israel."

On the other hand, the boys over atPowerline have devoted a bit of space tothe question of Obama's commitment toAmerica's unwavering support of Israel.The post's doubts are raised within thesubtle context of how the candidate hasresolved doubts favoring either Israel or itsneighboring states. Read in conjunctionwith a parallel post criticizing Obama'sparadoxical commitment to "a summit in

the Muslim world," the Powerline positionseems to provide ample substance forreasonable concern as to Obama's actualconvictions regarding the Jewish state.


AOL Straw Poll:March 3-10By Kathleen Hayden (PoliticalMachine)


Filed under: 2008 President, StrawPollThis content requires the most recentversion of the Adobe Flash Player. Get thisv e r s i o n b e l o w: & l t ; b r / & g t ; & l t ; ahref="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflash/">Get Flash

Note From AOL: Our weekly Straw Poll

was restarted again on Monday, March 3 at12PM ET. After voting, check back againnext Monday for a chance to recast yourballot.

Last week's poll received almost 500,000votes. On the Republican side, JohnMcCain came out ahead with 72% of theStraw Poll vote. Barack Obama led theDemocrats with 51%, over HillaryClinton's 48%.



2/19

2 Your Click and Print NewspaperTop Democrat Says FISA Deal NearBy Mark Impomeni (PoliticalMachine)

Submitted at 3/2/2008 11:00:00 PM

Fi led under : House , Democra ts ,Republicans, TerrorThe Chairman of theHouse Intelligence Committee, Silvestre

Reyes (D-TX), said on Sunday that a dealwas in the works to pass a controversialextension of the Foreign IntelligenceSurveillance Act, or FISA, as early as thisweek. Speaking on CNN's "Late Editionwith Wolf Blitzer," Reyes said that theHouse is moving closer to approving abipartisan Senate passed extension of thelaw, which contains immunity fortelecommunications companies that havepreviously assisted the government inlistening in on potential terrorists 'communications.

Democrat leaders in the House had beenholding up the bill over the immunityissue, refusing to allow the Senate

legislation to come up for a vote despitemajority support for it in the chamber.Before the President's Day recess, minorityRepublicans and a group of moderateDemocrats joined forces to prevent theHouse from taking up a temporaryextension of the law. The Democraticleadership chose at the time to allow thelaw to expire on February 16, rather thanbring the Senate bill up for a vote.R e p u b l i c a n s i n C o n g r e s s a n dAdministration officials have been

pressuring Democrats ever since to restorethe law and the Administration's ability toeavesdrop on suspected terrorists.

Renewal of FISA is a major policy goal forthe Bush Administration. White HouseSpokesman Gordon Johndroe expressedhope that the law will get acted uponquickly. "We certainly hope the House

Democratic leaders will bring the measureto the floor as soon as possible," he said.Last week, the Administration sentAttorney General Michael Mukasey,perhaps it's most trusted figure, out topublicly pressure Democrats into gettingthe law passed. Republicans in Congress

are cautiously anticipating a politicalvictory later this week if the emerging dealholds.

The Administration's eavesdroppingprogram is broadly unpopular among theDemocratic Party's base. But Democraticleaders, in seeking a deal to pass thelegislation, are making a nod toward theirmoderate members, many of themfreshmen, who hold seats in traditionallymore conservative districts. Democratswon the House in 2006 on the strength ofthose freshmen members' victories, andthey don't want to place them in a difficultposition back home in this election year.Still, among the core of the party's base

activists, passing FISA with immunity andthe eavesdropping program authorizationwill be seen as a capitulation to the BushAdministration by the Democraticleadership; and Republicans are sure toseize on that unrest in their bid to takeback the House this November.


Hillary Needs Big Win inOhioBy Dave (Political Machine)


Filed under: Hillary Clinton, Primaries,2008 PresidentOhio has a weird system for awardingdelegates on the Democratic side, andbasically what it amounts to is that in closecontests, both candidates come away witha lot of delegates.Obama and Clinton are competing on twolevels - statewide and at the congressionaldistrict level. The 18 congressional

districts have 92 delegates to be chosen,while another 49 delegates will be chosenat large throughout the state.

Another 21 superdelegates from Ohio cando as they like, regardless of how OhioDemocrats vote.

The Democrats distribute their delegatesby based on proportional representation.

I'm not sure that even a narrow win willhe lp Hi l la ry much wi th the r aceperception. The fact is that in this state shewas leading by double digits a couple ofweeks ago. This should not even be acontes t , but Hi l la ry i s showingext raordinary weakness .

And if she wins only by the barest ofmargins and in a situation where Obamastill gets a nice number of delegates, I justdon't think it's going to count for much.

Most analysts are putting Hillary in thecoffin and calling Ohio and Texas thebiggest latest nails, but this shows thatthere are scenarios in which even if shewins, she loses.


Jack Nicholson Concedes Race for HillaryBy Brandon Barker (PoliticalMachine)

Submitted at 3/3/2008 12:35:00 AM

Filed under: Hillary Clinton, FeaturedStories, 2008 President, Viral Video,LOLectionThere are two types of people inthe world: (a) Those who know when toadmit failure and (b) those who get JackNicholson to do it for them. Hey, we've alldone it. It's much easier, when the balloonpops or the vase breaks, to just throw downyour hands and say maniacally, Wendy,I'm home! or You make me want to be abetter man or even Where does he get suchwonderful toys?

Over the last twelve days leading up to the

Ohio and Texas primaries, political junkieshave been analyzing the words and deedsof Sen. Hillary Clinton for any admissionof failure, any graceful decline, anyreluctant concession. We've seen some

heavy compliments, some rash publicitystunts and some heartfelt musical tributes,

but nothing firm and convincing.

Well, at long last, the death knell has rung.Jack Nicholson, on Hillary Clinton'sbehalf, has conceded the race for theDemocratic nomination.

B. Brandon Barker is the author of thenovel Operation EMU.


Politics *


3/19

3Your Click and Print NewspaperObama and NAFTA, RhetoricallySpeakingBy David Knowles (PoliticalMachine)


Filed under: Democrats, Barack Obama,Breaking News, 2008 PresidentA troublingstory from North of the border. BarackObama adviser and University of Chicagoprofessor Austan Goolsbee stands accusedof telling Canadian consular officials thatthe protectionist posturing Obama wasengaging in while campaigning for votes inOhio should be taken with a grain of salt.While Goolsbee had denied the meetingwas about NAFTA, a memo given to theAP today shows that one person whoattended the meeting did.

The memo is the first documentation toemerge publicly out of the meetingbetween the adviser, Austan Goolsbee, and

officials with the Canadian consulate inChicago, but Goolsbee said it misinterpretswhat he told them. The memo was writtenby Joseph DeMora, who works fot theconsulate and attended the meeting.

"Noting anxiety among many U.S.

domestic audiences about the U.S.

economic outlook, Goolsbee candidlyacknowledged the protectionist sentimentthat has emerged, particularly in themidwest during the pimary," the memosaid. "He cautioned that this messagingshould not be taken out of context andshould be viewed as more about political

positioning than a clear articulation ofpolicy plans."

For his part, Goolsbee takes issue with thememo.

"In no possible way was I inferring that hewas going to introduce any policies thatyou should ignore and he had no intentionof enacting."

Obama needs to step forward and explainthis mess. If Goolsbee did, in fact, sendthis message on his own, without theSenator's blessing, he should be fired. If itwas a tactical decision Obama knew about,he should immediately step up to themicrophones and address it. If it's all just amisunderstanding, an explanation statingso from the candidate himself would behelpful.


The Do-Nothing CongressBy Justin Paulette (PoliticalMachine)


Filed under: Senate, HouseCongress enters session today after a weekof gridlock and fruitless posturing.Following three days of protracted debateson Iraq, which ended with a complete lackof resolution, the legislative branch swiftlyturned to the looming mortgage crisis inhopes of passing corrective housing reform... but managed only a 48-46 stalemate.

Democrats rejected GOP demand on taxcuts and tort reform, and the GOP scuttledmeasures on Iraq and housing legislation.The only sign of life from the Hill seemedto be the creation of an investigatory ethicssubcommittee regarding the activities of

indicted Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) - yetPolitico assures that "the ethics committeeis not going to do anything about Renzi.Nothing. Not a blessed thing. Bank on it."

Of course, this post could have beenwritten at any time in the past year and ahalf. The present Congress is notoriouslyunproductive - due in part, no doubt, to thewillful intent of the GOP to cast dispersionon the new Democrat majority. However,the degree of inactivity is becoming epic -and the intensifying electoral season doesnot bode well for a greasing of thelegislative wheels.

Politico describes the current state of theSenate as "in limbo." I have more a senseof Purgatory - but perhaps I'm just beingoptimistic.


Florida Do-Over?By David Knowles (PoliticalMachine)

Submitted at 3/3/2008 12:52:00 AM

Filed under: Democrats, BreakingN e w s N ow he r e ' s a n i n t e r e s t i ngde ve l opme n t :

Florida Governor Charlie Crist said he'dsupport a repeat of the Democraticpresidential primary so the state's delegatescan be counted at the party's nationalconvention.

Democratic National Committee ChairmanHoward Dean said he's open to thepossibility.

So my home state may actually attain therelevance it sought in the primary process,

after all. Good! And good for Crist, whoturns out to be a pretty decent Governorwhen compared with his predecessor. A re-vote is really the only fair way to go. Iknow many Dems in Florida who stayedhome on election day (and shame on themfor not voting against the property taxinitiative) because they were told the votewouldn't count for anything.

While many Florida Democrats are rightlysteamed that their voices have been mutedin this election, the only fair thing to do is

create a level playing filed, let eachcandidate campaign in the Sunshine State,and then re-vote.


Politics *


4/19

4 Your Click and Print NewspaperClinton Claims Obama PutsPolitics FirstBy Greg McNeilly (Political Machine)


Filed under: Hillary Clinton, Democrats,Ads, 2008 PresidentThe newest :30 second

spot, titled "True," from the campaign ofHillary Clinton turns the heat up on BarackObama, in Texas, making a case thatObama puts politics over national security.

The ad script reads:Narrator: Barack Obama says he has the

judgment to be president. But as chairmanof an oversight committee charged with theforce of fighting al-Qaeda in Afghanistan,he was too busy running for president tohold even one hearing.Obama: I became chairman of this

committee at the beginning of thiscampaign, at the beginning of 2007. So itis true that we haven't had oversighthearings on Afghanistan.Narrator: Hillary Clinton will never be too

busy to defend our national security,bringing our troops home from Iraq andpursuing al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.Clinton: I'm Hillary Clinton and I approvethis message. Texas has 228 delegates andholds a combined primary and caucus onTuesday, March 4.


HSBC (HBC) soars ongood earningsBy Brent Archer (BloggingStocks)


Filed under: Major movement, Earnings

reports, Good news, Industry, Options,Technical Analysis, Economic dataHSBCHoldings PLC ADS (NYSE: HBC) sharesare trading higher this morning after thecompany reported a 21% rise in profit in2007, to $19.1 billion, beating analystexpectations. While the bank suffered loanimpairment charges of $11.7 billion in2007, net operating income rose 13% to$61.75 billion. If you think that thecompany won't fall by too much in thecoming months, then now could be a goodtime to look at a bullish hedged trade onHBC.

After hitting a one-year high of $99.52 inOctober, the stock hit a one-year low of

$69.25 in February. HBC opened thismorning at $77.95. So far today the stockhas hit a low of $77.63 and a high of$79.35. As of 11:00, HBC is trading at$78.61, up $3.36 (4.5%). The chart forHBC looks bearish but improving slightly,while S&P gives the stock a neutral 3STARS (out of 5) hold rating.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, Iwould consider an April bull-put creditspread below the $65 range. A bull-put

credit spread is an options position thatcombines the purchase and sale of putoptions to hedge risk in case the stockdoesn't do what you think but still leveragenice returns. This particular trade willmake a 6.4% return in just one and a halfmonths as long as HBC is above $65 atApril expiration. HSBC would have to f allby more than 17% before we would start tolose money.

HBC hasn't been below $69 at all in thepast year and has shown support around$75 recently. This trade could be risky ifthe worldwide economic situationcontinues to worsen, but even if thathappens, this position could be protected

by the support the stock might find around$70 where the stock bottomed over thepast month.

Brent Archer is an options analyst andwri te r a t Inves tors Observer . Atpublication time, Brent neither owns norcontrols positions in HBC.Permalink |Email this | Comments

U.S. construction spending falls 1.7% in January, worse than expectedBy Joseph Lazzaro

(BloggingStocks)Submitted at 3/3/2008 3:41:00 AM

Filed under: Bad news, Economic data,Housing, RecessionU.S. constructionspending declined 1.7% in January 2008,as private builders continued to pull-backamid the housing slump, the U.S.Commerce Department announcedMonday.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg Newshad expected construction spending tode c l i ne 0 . 7% i n J a nua ry 2008 .Construction spending is down 3.3% on ayear-over-year basis.

Me a nw hi l e , t he D e c e mbe r 2007construction spending statistic was reviseddownward, to a 1.3% decline, from theearlier announced 1.1% decline, the

Commerce Department said.

In January 2008, private residentialconstruction declined 2.9%, publicconstruction dropped 0.2%

Spending on private construction totaled aseasonally-adjusted annual rate of $827.4billion, 2.2% (plus/minus 1.1%) below therevised December 2007 estimate of $845.7billion. The estimated seasonally-adjusted

annual rate of public construction spending

was $294.1 billion, 0.2% (plus/minus0.8%) below the revised December 2007estimate of $294.7 billion.

Economic Analysis: Another negative datapoint for the U.S. economy. The tellingstat: a 3.3% year-over-year decline inconstruction spending. Further, the January2008 private construction statisticcontained declines in almost every

category, which suggests that building

continues to contract across-the-board.Further, the 2.9% decline in privateresidential construction indicates thatbuilders continue to retreat from thehousing sector, a statistic that's consistentwith other recent data indicating slowingh o m e s a l e s a n d r i s i n ginventories.Permalink | Email this |Comments

Getac's rugged PS535EWindows Mobilehandheld does GPSBy Paul Miller (Engadget)


Filed under: GPS, HandheldsWe've seenourselves some major ugly in the pastwhen it comes to rugged devices, so whilethis new Getac PS535E won't be swipingany work from Jonathan Ive in the nearfuture, it won't make him cry either, whichis certainly a step in the right direction.The internals are decent as well, with GPS,802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth, a 400MHzSamsung processor, 64MB of SDRAMand 2GB of flash storage. There's atransflective 3.5-inch QVGA touchscreenfronting the device, and Windows Mobile5.0 Premium is holding it all together. Noword on price or availability.

[Via NaviGadget]

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Politics * Business * Tech Gadgets *


5/19

5Your Click and Print NewspaperDid Eliot Spitzer destroyAIG and Marsh &McLennan?By Zac Bissonnette(BloggingStocks)


Filed under: Management, Amer IntlGroup (AIG), PoliticsAn op-ed in today'sWall Street Journalwonders (subscriptionrequired) whether Eliot Spitzer's high-profile demands for change at AIG(NYSE: AIG) and Marsh & McLennan(NYSE: MMC) did more harm than good:

"In both cases, Mr. Spitzer issuedultimatums to the company boards thatthey had to replace their CEOs, or else he'dindict the company," the paper says. "Bothcompanies have struggled ever since."

Before we get on Spitzer too hard, it'sworth noting that almost all companies seetheir stock prices go down following theannouncement of investigations andcharges. News items like this generallyreflect serious problems at the company --and mark the first time investors becomeaware of certain issues that the companyhadn't previously disclosed. If regulatorsworried about driving down share pricesby launching investigations, they wouldn't

be able to launch any investigations!Ultimately, investors are protected byzealous enforcement of the law.

However the notion of an AttorneyGeneral essentially installing at executivesat public companies is frightening one andhopefully the failure of Mr. Cherkasky --his resignation as CEO prompted a 5% run-up in the stock -- will put an end toexperiments like this one for a long time tocome.

Ideally institutional shareholders wouldlobby for strong upper managementreplacements in the face of scandal.Read |Permalink | Email this | Comments

Analyst upgrades: NOC,GDNNY and MELIBy Eric Buscemi (BloggingStocks)


Filed under: Analyst reports, Analystupgrades and downgrades, Boeing Co

(BA), Northrop Grumman (NOC)MOSTNOTEWORTHY: Northrop Grumman,Groupe Danone and MercadoLibre weretoday's noteworthy upgrades:

Oppenheimer upgraded shares ofNorthrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) toOutperform from Perform after thePentagon selected the company overBoeing (NYSE: BA) for the newlydesignated KC-45A Aerial RefuelingTanker with a potential value of $35B. Citigroup upgraded shares of Groupe

Danone (OTC: GDNNY) to Buy fromHold on valuation, as they believe the sell-off on commodity cost concerns is

overdone. MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI) was

raised to Outperform from Sector Performat RBC Capital, as they believe MELI'slong-term thesis is more compelling now

vs. six months ago and notes favorablereaction to Mercado Pago v2.0.

OTHER UPGRADES:

Goldman upgraded Societe Generale(OTC: SCGLY) to Neutral from Sell. Jefferies upgraded Exelon (NYSE: EXC)to Buy from Hold. Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) was

raised to Neutral from Underweight at JPMorgan.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Analyst downgrades: F, TRAK and OCRBy Eric Buscemi (BloggingStocks)


Filed under: Analyst reports, Analystupgrades and downgrades, Ford Motor(F)MOST NOTEWORTHY: Ford,DealerTrack and Omnicare were today'snoteworthy downgrades:

Citigroup downgraded shares of Ford(NYSE: F) to Sell from Hold, as they see anumber of rising headwinds in thecompany's turnaround, including a lowlikelihood of Ford's relatively older

product lineup holding U.S. share in thefirst half of 2008. Lehman downgraded DealerTrack

(NASDAQ: TRAK) to Equal Weight fromOverweight citing near-term headwindsfrom economic uncertainty, declining autosales, declining growth, and non-primetransaction risk. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of

Omnicare (NYSE: OCR) to Perform fromOutperform to reflect concerns over thetiming and pace of a potential recovery.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria(NYSE: BBV) was lowered to Hold from

Buy at Deutsche Bank. Mediaset SpA (OTC: MDIUY) was

downgraded to Sell from Neutral at UBS. Western Digital (NYSE: WDC) was cut

to Underweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.


Buffett letter offers greatlessons for investorsBy Timothy Sykes (BloggingStocks)


Fi led under: Berkshi re Ha thaway(BRK.A), Citigroup Inc. (C), MerrillLynch (MER), Federal Natl Mtge (FNM),Southwest Airlines (LUV), WashingtonMutual (WM), AMR Corp (AMR), UALCorp (UAUA), JetBlue Airways (JBLU),Delta Air Lines (DAL)As you can tellfrom this post on my blog, I am no fan ofvalue investing. While I believe investors,

especially smaller investors, shouldpartake in more aggressive strategies, I dorespect its high priest, Warren Buffett.Since its release late Friday last week, hisannual letter to Berkshire Hathaway(NYSE: BRK.A) shareholders has alreadybeen dissected here, here and here by thosemuch smarter than me, but I offer my takeon four important passages in hisremarkable letter:

"You only learn who has been swimmingnaked when the tides goes out - and whatwe are witnessing at some of our largestfinancial institutions is an ugly sight."

Hmm, could he be referring to troubledcompanies like Washington Mutual(NYSE: WM), Citigroup (NYSE: C)Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER), AmbacFinancial (NYSE: ABK) and Fannie Mae(NYSE: FNM)? Too late to do anythingabout it this cycle, but in the future weneed greater industry transparency!Continue reading Buffett letter offers greatlessons for investorsPermalink | Email this| Comments

Fastcompany.TVLaunches With Scobleizerand Fastcompany LiveBy Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)Submitted at 3/2/2008 11:17:03 PM

The recently redesigned Fastcompany hasl a unc he d i t s v i de o c oun t e rpa r t ,Fastcompany.TV. First two shows areScobleizer, which needs no introduction,and Fastcompany Live, which features liveshows filmed with a Nokia N95 andstreamed via qik.coms service.Below you can see Robert Scoble baskingin the sunlight and welcoming everyone tothe new site.

ShareThis

Business * Social Net *


6/19

6 Your Click and Print NewspaperAnalyst initiations: NVDA,ENTR and CLFBy Eric Buscemi (BloggingStocks)


Filed under: Analyst reports, AnalystinitiationsMOST NOTEWORTHY:

Nvidia, Entropic Comm and ClevelandCliffs were today's noteworthy initiations:

Piper initiated Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) with a Neutral rating and $23target and believes the rate at which thecompany gained market share over the pasttwo years is unsustainable. The firmexpects EPS deceleration over the next fewyears.

Piper believes Entropic Comm(NASDAQ: ENTR) is a key benefactorfrom the general adoption of highdefinition video consumer goods, as wellas from growth in multi-room DVRs. The

firm assumed shares with a Buy rating and$10 target. Cleveland Cliffs (NYSE: CLF) was

started with a Buy rating and $135 target atDeutsche Bank. The firm believes CLF is a

leveraged play on bulk commodities'momentum.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

Merrill initiated Allied Capital (NYSE:ALD) with a Neutral rating. Stifel initiated Blue Nile (NASDAQ:

NILE) with a Buy rating and $54 target,and initiated Bank of Florida (NASDAQ:BOFL) with a Buy rating.


China Techfaith WirelessCommunication Technology(CNTF): Shares in bullish 'flag'By Larry Schutts (BloggingStocks)


Filed under: Earnings reports, Google(GOOG), Texas Instruments (TXN),Technical Analysis, Stocks to BuyChina Techfaith Wireless CommunicationTechnology (NASDAQ: CNTF) is amobile handset maker in the People'sRepublic of China. Products include smartphones, feature phones, wireless modules,data cards, printed circuit boards andwireless software. Services involvehardware design, component selection,sourc ing, prototype tes t ing, p i lotproduction and production support. Thefirm creates sets for platforms developedby Phi l ips (NYSE: PHG), TexasInstruments (NYSE: TXN) and Skyworks

Solutions (NASDAQ: SWKS). Customersinclude leading Chinese and international

mobile handset brand owners.The firm pleased investors last week, whenit reported Q4 EPS of seven cents andrevenues of $45.7 million. Analysts hadbeen expecting four cents and $43.3million. Management also guided Q1revenues to $48-$49 million ($42.86Mconsensus) and disclosed plans to workwith Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) todevelop a phone based on that firm'sAndroid operating system.Continue reading China Techfaith WirelessCommunication Technology (CNTF):Shares in bullish 'flag'Permalink | Emailthis | Comments

United Technologies offers$2.63 billion for DieboldBy Eliza Popescu (BloggingStocks)


Filed under: Forecasts, Deals, Competitivestrategy, United Technologies (UTX),Initial public offeringsMaker of Otiselevators and Chubb security systems,United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX),announced Sunday that it had made anunsolicited $2.63 billion offer for DieboldInc. (NYSE: DBD). Diebold is one of the

largest makers of automated tellermachines and voting machines, and UnitedTech's move comes as a part of its plan toextend its security business and presence inChina.

United Technologies announced it firstapproached Diebold about a possible dealtwo years ago but nothing had materializedthus far. United Tech announced that its

current bid amounts to $40 a share, a 66%premium to Diebold's closing price of$24.12 on Friday. The company also said ait may increase its offer if it is sees moredetailed information.

George David, United Technologies'chairman and chief executive, stated thatthe "transaction creates significant andimmediate value for Diebold shareholderswith no operational risk, while creatinglong term value for UTC shareholders."Continue reading United Technologiesoffers $2.63 billion for DieboldRead |Permalink | Email this | Comments

Oil climbs to new highsBy Michael Fowlkes(BloggingStocks)


F i l e d u n d e r : M a j o r m o v e m e n t ,Inte rna t iona l marke ts , Consumerexperience, Middle East, Economic data,Politics, Commodities, Oil, FederalReserveOil prices rose to new highs today,with crude moving up as high as $103.95earlier in the session, before cooling offslightly. Prices are now trading at $103.36,up $1.52.

There are two main driving forces todaythat are pushing prices higher. The first isthe continued weakness of the U.S. dollar,and the second is the general consensusthat OPEC will decide to leave outputunchanged at this week's meeting.

First, taking a look at the dollar, today ithit a new record low versus the euro. Thedollar continues to suffer as world markets

prepare for a possible recession hittingAmerica this year. With America's

economic slowdown on traders' minds, thedollar continues to fall as many expect thatthe Federal Reserve is going to be forcedto cut interest rates even further to keep theeconomy moving. Of course, any rate cutswill only further weaken the alreadystruggling currency.Continue reading Oil climbs to newhighsPermalink | Email this | Comments

Hands-on withthe 9-inch EeePCBy Paul Miller (Engadget)


Filed under: Features, Laptops

If you hadn't guessed from the headline,and as rumored just an hour ago, there's 9-inches of LCD on this thing. Actually, 8.9,but who's counting? We found out that anda few other little tidbits about this Eee PC"New Generation" at the ASUS booth justnow, but for the most part the 9-inch EeePC is quite similar to its 7-inch forebearer.Anything past that ASUS is saving fortomorrow's press event when this laptopwill become officially official, butwhatever they end up calling it (Eee PC900 is rumored), it's certainly for real. Thebattery impact of the new display is said tobe "negligible," with 2.5 to 3 hours ofbattery quoted. ASUS wouldn't let us turnit on since it's all so very secret at themoment, but they did confirm some release

details. The 9-inch Eee will hit in the"middle" of 2008, with that 399 pricetagfor the 12GB version, but other capacitiesavailable (we saw an 8GB on display). Noword yet on US pricing, but we're trying topry it out of them.

Gallery: Hands-on with the new 9-inch EeePC


Business * Tech Gadgets *


7/19

7Your Click and Print NewspaperWoz strikes again: disappointedby iPhone, wary aboutMacBook Air and Apple TVBy Paul Miller (Engadget)


F i l e d unde r : C e l l phone s , H omeEntertainment, LaptopsWe'd say 2007 wasa pretty big year for Steve Wozniak, whatwith Kathy Griffin, an Epcot animatronic,some widely covered Apple sentiments,and (honor of honors) an Engadgetinterview to top it all off. Turns out he'snot backing down in 2008, and spoke outat a Sydney press conference with somefairly constructive criticism for some ofApple's brightest stars. He expressedconcern over the 24 hour limit for iTunesmovie rentals, and doesn't see the AppleTV taking off just yet, though he sees it asa "good indication of the future." Woz wasless kind to the iPhone, saying he was

"really disappointed" at the iPhone'sintroduction, due to the lack of 3G. He'ssti l l a fan of the phone interface,particularly the browser, but he's miffedabout those speed constraints. Finally, helikes his MacBook Air, and he's currently

attempting to see if he can make it hissingle laptop, but the shortage of ports andlack of disc drive and removable batteryare making it difficult. We really couldn'thave said any of it any better, Woz.

[Via The Inquirer]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments TomTom intros GO 930T and730T with Lane Guidance and IQRoutesBy Nilay Patel (Engadget)


Filed under: GPS

TomTom might be in a bit of a tussle with

the EU lately, but that isn't stopping thecompany from announcing two new GOmodels at CeBIT this morning -- say helloto the GO 930 and 730. The updates to thepopular 720 and 920 now featureTomTom's new IQ Routes features, whichuses a database of historical vehicle speedsalong different paths rather than speedlimit information to generate routeguidance, and Advanced Lane Guidance(shown above), which aims to make

navigating complex interchanges a littlesimpler. Other than that, there's not muchof a bump here: both models feature thesame 4.3-inch, 480 x 272 touchscreen,400MHz CPU and Map Share as theirpredecessors, and the main difference

between the 930 and the 730 is thep r e s e n c e o f a d e a d - r e c k o n i n gaccelerometer in the 930. Expect the $450730 and $500 930 to hit in April, with a$50 surcharge if you want traffic data aswell.

[Thanks, Tim]


ASUS set toannounce 9-inchEee PC 900?By Paul Miller (Engadget)


Filed under: Laptops

We're hoping to get official confirmationfor this in just a few minutes, but the

current scuttlebutt is that ASUS is planningto announce the rumored 9-inch followupto the Eee PC soon. The new laptop will bepurportedly named Eee PC 900, andshould be the same size as the original, justwith more screen to squint at. Otherrumored additions include 1GB of RAMstandard and SSD capacities up to 12GB.The base price will be 399 , but hopefullythat doesn't mean $600-ish in the US --that conversion rate is certainly gettingpainful. While we can't vouch for thesource of this rumor, Blogeee.net isclaiming this is official word straight fromAsus, so take that for what you will.

[Via Eee Site]


Much Hyped AllPeers ToDeadPoolBy Michael Arrington (TechCrunch)


UK/Prague based peer to peer file sharingstartup AllPeers announced that it isshutting down today: We have not

achieved the kind of growth in our userbase that our investors were expecting, andas a result we are not able to continueoperating the service.AllPeers first launched in 2006 to anincredible amount of user enthusiasm.They allowed anyone to create a privateBitTorrent-like file sharing network via aFirefox extension.We compared AllPeers to a number ofcompetitors in late 2006 and found it to bethe best service for those looking to createlong term sharing networks with friends.Late last year they turned open source and

began to build in full BitTorrentfunctionality into the service as well.But apparently none of it was enough tokeep the company on its feet. AllPeers hadraised a single round of financing fromMangrove Capital Partners and IndexVentures.AllPeers joins the DeadPool.CrunchBaseInformationAllPeersInformation providedby CrunchBaseCrunch Network: CrunchGeardrool overthe sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Tech Gadgets * Technology *


8/19

8 Your Click and Print Newspaper

LG.Philips hooking Syntax-Brillianup with LCD panelsBy Darren Murph (Engadget)


Filed under: Displays, HDTV

Not even two months after Syntax-Brillianannounced that it would be delivering atleast 700,000 LCD panels to Sharp during2008, along comes word that the firm willalso be on the receiving end of a similardeal with LG.Philips -- er, LG Display, weshould say. Nomenclature aside, theagreement between the two asserts that

LG.Philips (or whatever it becomes) willsupply Syntax-Brillian "with a minimumof 750,000 LCD panels during 2008,"though it's certainly not the first deal of its

kind. More specifically, it'll provide 32-,37-, 42- and 47-inch Full HD units, and theoption to purchase additional inventoryremains alive. So much teamwork in theLCD industry -- those other sectors couldstand to learn a thing or two.


Sony Ericsson says XPERIA X1 isstill on track for this yearBy Donald Melanson (Engadget)Submitted at 3/3/2008 2:53:00 AM

Filed under: CellphonesIt looks like thoseeagerly waiting to get their hands on SonyEricsson's HTC-madeXPERIA X1 can resta little easier, as the much anticipatedapparently is still on track for release in thesecond half of this year, and not inFebruary 2009 as recently rumored. Thatword comes straight from Sony EricssonCorporate Vice President of the Global

Communications Aldo Liguori, who toldthe Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog that "Ican confirm that we will be launching theX1 product in 2nd Half of 2008, as per ourannouncement of 10th February." Thatsure is about as definitive as you can get,though we're guessing there's plenty offolks out there that think any date otherthan tomorrow is too long to wait.


7-inch Eee PC vs 9-inch Eee PC -- ready,fight!By Thomas Ricker (Engadget)


Filed under: Features, LaptopsWe know you need it. Now you've got it.ASUS' 7- and 9-inch Eee PCs lined up fora side by side comparison. The new 9-incher is clearly the bigger brother to theshorter original. Too bad too 'cause thatchunky bezel on the 7-inch already offers

plenty of room for screen-estate growth.You can also clearly see the biggertouchpad and beefier display hinge of thenew 9-inch. Check the gallery to see all thehot 9- on 7-inch action.

Gallery: Hot 9-inch on 7-inch Eee PCaction


Eyes-on ASUS' first gaming desktop: ARES CG6150By Thomas Ricker (Engadget)


Filed under: Desktops, Features, Gaming

We're still waiting for the official pressrelease, but that's ASUS first gamingdesktop attempting to intimidate you fromthe CeBIT floor. The ARES CG6150 is

said to offer "breathtaking performance ina menacing armor-cladded case." We'll

see. One thing's for sure, they've taken

more than a few design hints fromAlienware. Republic of gamers, unite!

Gallery: Eyes-on ASUS' first gamingdesktop: ARES CG6150


Time Capsule: everything you wanted to knowBy Nilay Patel (Engadget)


Filed under: Features, Wireless, Storage

So we spent the weekend playing withTime Capsule and we've discovered someinteresting answers to all your questions,

as we l l a s a few accompanyingannoyances. Our main takeaway? It's asolid product, but you shouldn't expect it todo anything more than back up your files --

and Apple really needs to step up andenable general NAS support for TimeMachine. Read on!Cont inue reading Time Capsule :

everything you wanted to know


Tech Gadgets *


9/19

9Your Click and Print NewspaperIs Amazon Rethinking Its MovieDownload Service?By Erick Schonfeld (TechCrunch)


Its been a year-and-a-half since Amazon

launched Unbox, its movie downloadservice that competes with Netflix andiTunes. Amazon has a partnership withTiVo to allow people to download moviesstraight to their TV set-top boxes. ButUnbox doesnt appear to have really madea dent in Amazons business yet. Theservice did not even warrant a mention inlast quarters earnings announcement.Maybe that is why Amazon is noodlingover what it can add to Unbox to make it ahit.Amazon is asking Unbox customers to fillout an online survey about how satisfiedthey are with the service. One of thequestions asks which of ten potentialimprovements is most likely to increase

your use of the Amazon Unbox service?The options range from free streamingwith ads and an HBO-like moviesubscription service to HD-quality videosand bundling digital copies with thepurchase of a regular DVD.HD videos i s a no-bra iner . Pa idsubscription services have been triedbefore and failed. Free streaming with adsis the most radical concept. The question iswhether the economics would work out,especially for new releases. Bundlingseems to me a bit redundant from aviewers perspective. (If I already watcheda stream of the movie on my PC or TiVo,then what do I need the DVD for?). Instantvideo streams sound great, but the qualitywill vary from consumer to consumer. Youshould be able to choose betweendownloads, streaming, and getting aphysical DVD based on your Internet andhome-entertainment set-up. Over time,consumers will shift over to purely digitalmeans of distribution as that becomes lesspainful for them than the Postal Service.

The problem with many of these options isthat they do not offer anything that youcannot already get from other moviedownload and streaming sites. Theobstacles to broader adoption of any digitalmovie service are 1) getting the movie to aT V ; 2 ) r e d u c i n g d o w n l o a dtimes/improving video quality; and 3)making it easier than just ordering fromNetflix (which offers its own unlimitedvideo streaming as part of its subscriptionservice) or going to Blockbuster.Here is the full list of options underconsideration, which you can vote on inour own survey (with full explanation ofeach one below). Tell us which oneAmazon should adopt:Which FeatureWould Do the Most to Help Spur Adoptionof Amazon Unbox? Free Video Streaming with ads High-Definition Videos Burn to DVD Hit Movie Subscription Service Browse your Unbox media library on

your TiVo DVD & Instant Stream DVD & Digital Copy Video Extras Paid Video Streaming without ads Independent Film Subscription Service

View ResultsFree Video Streaming with ads Theability to watch movies and TV shows

online within an Internet browser.Watching videos would not cost anythingbut would include advertisements.

Burn to DVD - The ability to burnpurchased movies and TV showdownloads to a DVD for playback on a

DVD player. To burn videos to a DVD youwould need to have access to a specialDVD burner on your PC, and use a specialtype of DVD.

DVD & Instant Stream - The ability topurchase a DVD from Amazon.com andreceive a streamed video of the same titleyou could instantly playback while youwait for your DVD to arrive. This wouldbe included in the DVD price.High-Definition Videos - The ability topurchase and watch High-Definition (HD)movies and TV shows.DVD & Digital Copy - The ability topurchase a DVD from Amazon.com and,for a small additional fee, get a permanentdigital copy in Your Media Library.Hit Movie Subscription Service Theability to watch a defined number ofvideos per month for a flat monthly fee,including top Hollywood titles. Not all

movies would be available for viewing;however, the se lec t ion would becomparable to most pay movie channels(i.e. HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc).Video Extras - The ability to select andwatch video extras (i.e. DVD extras)when purchasing or renting a movie.Paid Video Streaming without ads - Theabili ty to immediately watch yourpurchased Unbox movies and TV showson your PC within an Internet browserwithout commercials, instead of having todownload them to your PC or TiVo.Independent Film Subscription Service The ability to watch a defined number ofindependent films per month for a flatmonthly fee.Browse your Unbox media library on yourTiVo The ability to access all of yourpurchased Unbox videos on the TiVo userinterface.Crunch Network: CrunchGeardrool overthe sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

More Consolidation in the WhiteLabel Social Networking Space:Mzinga Acquires ProsperoBy Mark Hendrickson (TechCrunch)

Submitted at 3/3/2008 12:00:14 AM

White label social networking providerMzinga, which officially launched atTechCrunch Boston this past November,has announced its acquisition of ProsperoTechnologies, another social networkingcompany that we covered in a roundupawhile back.Mzinga has also raised an impressive$32.5M in funding, part of which has gonetowards acquiring Prospero, and part ofwhich will be used to expand the business,which post-acquisition brings in over$30M annually from 125 enterprisecustomers.This acquisition news comes on the heelsof another acquisition in the space - that ofONEsite acquiring Social Platform twoweeks ago. The combined activity suggeststhat the very fragmented and crowdedwhite label social networking space hasbegun to consolidate.I had a chance to get Forrester analystJeremiah Owyangs thoughts on where thismarket is heading. He keeps a close eye onall of the white label social networkingplayers and currently counts over 60 ofthem, with more joining the fray eachweek.Given that the software technologyprovided by these companies is mostly acommodity - and that ordinary customerscant distinguish between the manyvariants - Owyang predicts that manycompanies will combine and/or partner to

form larger entities that deliver not justsoftware but a slew of other value-addservices.These are services that can include hosting,metrics, and widgets, which make for morecomplete software solutions. But they canalso include ongoing consultation thathelps clients plan and execute moreeffective online community-buildingstrategies. As Owyang puts it, successful

companies will be strategic marketing orenterprise partners who can share the goalsof their clients business objectives. Theywill also provide communities that notonly integrate seamlessly into existingcorporate websites but also pervadeconsumer social networks like Facebook

and MySpace through the deployment ofwidgets.In addition to intra-market acquisitions likethose of Prospero and Social Platform,Owyang sees major ERP, media, and webcompanies getting involved throughacquisitions and partnerships. Themovement should be reminiscent of theconsolidation that took place in the CMSindustry during the late nineties.He also predicts that the character of theseservices will change in time, with amovement away from generic white labelsolutions and towards packages thataddress well-defined verticals such assports or video. The companies will alsofall into camps that serve either enterpriseswho want to develop communitiesinternally or clients who want to leveragecommunities for marketing purposes.CrunchBase Informat ionProsperoT e c h n o l o g i e s O N E s i t e S o c i a lP la t formInformat ion provided byCrunchBaseCrunch Network: CrunchBoardbecause itstime for you to find a new Job2.0

Technology *


10/19

10 Your Click and Print NewspaperWhen Will We Have Our FirstValleywag Suicide?By Michael Arrington (TechCrunch)

Submitted at 3/2/2008 10:07:44 PM

Today I read all the sordid details about the

alleged sexual encounter between a notabletechnology visionary and a woman whoappears to be looking for as much publicityas possible. Where did I read it? On theSilicon Valley gossip blog Valleywag. Theposts include private IM chats and variousrumors, all designed to make the personmentioned look like as much of a fool aspossible. Thats not new, of course.Valleywag is making a business out ofdigging into peoples personal lives andpublishing it for all to see (me included,regularly).A lot of people I know read Valleywag,and say its fun to hear all the gossip. Butall of those people change their tune thefirst time the blog turns on them and

includes them in a rumor. An example:TED founder Chris Anderson, distressedover the publication of the TED attendeelist, recently wrote to Valleywag ownerNick Denton that he didnt think [hed] be

on the receiving end of Valleywag gossip.His email was promptly posted to the site.Most of the gossip is harmless. Much of it,though, isnt (like the sex incident above).

Celebrities have had to live with this kindof nonsense for decades, which explainswhy some of them pull out of societyentirely and become completely anti-social. Perhaps, some argue, they bring iton themselves by seeking fame.But for people in Silicon Valley, who arenot celebrities and who have no desireother than to build a great startup, a post onValleywag comes as a huge shock. Seeingyour marriage woes, DUI or employmenttermination up on a popular public website(permanently indexed by search engines) issimply more than they can handle. Theyhave not had the ramp up time to buildresistance to the attacks.The New York Times today is reporting

about the suicide of advertising exec PaulTilley, saying that it that might be linked toheavy criticisms about the person on ablog. The blogger, an anonymous woman,takes no responsibility. She says Im

saddened by Paul Tilleys death, but I donot feel that my blog postings contributedto the events that occurred and boastedabout the sites traffic growth since the

incident. The blog in question is owned byJupiterMedia and counts IAC and the WallStreet Journal as advertisers.So how long will it be before Valleywagdrives someone in our community tosuicide? My fear is that it isnt a matter ofif it will happen, but when. Valleywag andNick Denton, though, will likely lookforward to the event, and the great trafficgrowth that will surely follow.Theres a market for this kind of content,obviously. And nothing can stop it exceptsignificant changes to our libel anddefamation laws. That isnt something Isupport. But the valley was a much nicerplace to live and work before the days ofValleywag.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunchMobileGadgets and Applications, DeliveredDaily.

InsideTrip Thinks Theres More to Shopping for AirlineTickets Than Just PricesBy Mark Hendrickson (TechCrunch)

Submitted at 3/2/2008 11:30:50 PM

InsideTrip made its debut into the airlineticket search scene this weekend, joiningthe likes of Kayak and Mobissimo amongseveral others.As wi th these s ta r tups and moreestablished players such as Orbitz andExpedia, InsideTrip wants to help you findand purchase the tickets for your next trip.However, instead of focusing entirely onsurfacing the cheapest flights, the serviceintends to help you identify those flightswith the highest levels of quality.Quality is measured by factors spanning 3categories (speed, comfort, and ease) andaddressing 12 so-called pain points (suchas number of stops, security wait time,legroom, aircraft type, connection time,and gate location). As a user of InsideTrip,

you can indicate which of these pain pointsare most important to you and the servicesalgorithms will generate a uniqueTripQuality score for each ticket result.These can be used in conjunction with theticket price to find just the right itinerary.

Founder Dave Pelter says the company hascollected information about the quality oftrips from a variety of sources, somepublicly available online and some devisedby InsideTrip itself. Information about howlong it usually takes to get through securityat a particular airport, for example, isprovided by the Transportation SecurityAdministration. Other information isscraped from airline and airport websitesthemselves.As someone who has bought into anitinerary that provided insufficient time toconnect between flights, I can appreciate a

ticket search engine that takes more intoconsideration than just price. However,price will always remain the predominantfactor for most consumers. Pelter arguesthat prices dont actually vary much acrosssearch sites these days and so its focus onquality is justified. InsideTrip actuallypulls its flights, and their prices, from

Orbitz and sends users there once they areready to purchase.Among other helpful features touted byInsideTrip include a visual itinerary barthat lets you more easily compare the legsof various trips. The system will also flagtrips that it thinks have particularly highquality.Note: when I tried using the service thise ve n i ng , I ke p t ge t t i ng a f a t a lcommunication error; hopefully this willget fixed soon. The site also doesntsupport Safari yet, so Mac users should tryi t w i t h F i r e f o x . C r u n c h B a s eInformationKayakMobissimoInformationprovided by CrunchBaseCrunch Network: CrunchBoardbecause itstime for you to find a new Job2.0

TNS Buys Compete For UpTo $150 MillionBy Erick Schonfeld (TechCrunch)


London-based market research firm Taylor

Nelson Sofres (TNS) has acquiredCompete for $75 million. Another $75million in possible earn-outs through 2010brings the total acquisition price up to$150 million. Publicly-traded comScore,by comparison, has market cap of $570million. TNS will use the data culled fromCompetes panel of 2 million Web surfersto measure online purchasing behavior andthe effectiveness of online ads. Competestarted out as an Idealab company, and hasraised about $43 million since 2000. Otherinvestors include Charles River Ventures,Commonwealth Capital Partners, NorthHill Ventures, Split Rock Partners, andWilliam Blair Capital Partners. They wereundoubtedly probably hoping for a betteroutcome, but a solid double is better than astrike out. (Update: Heres the Compete

blog post about the deal).Competes revenues in 2007 rose 50percent to $15 million, but it lost $4.5million. Compete offers Web traffic statsfor free on its site Compete.com, andcompetes with Alexa, Quantcast, (bothalso free) and comScore (not free).According to Competes own stats, itattracts about the same number of U.S.visitors a month as Alexa (727,000 forCompete vs. 758,000 for Alexa), butQuantcast is the leader with more thandouble that (1.9 million uniques).C r u n c h B a s eInformationCompeteQuantcastAlexacomScoreInformation provided by CrunchBaseCrunch Network: CrunchBoardbecause its

time for you to find a new Job2.0

Facebook Now InGerman - Thanks To2,000 Generous UsersBy Michael Arrington (TechCrunch)


How do you poke someone in German?Facebook users decided the right word isanklopfen.Facebook wi l l l aunch in Germantomorrow, thanks to 2,000 users whovehelped translate the site using anapplication that Facebook released acouple of months ago to a limited numberof users. Supported languages includeGerman, Spanish and French - more willpresumably be coming after these versionsare launched. User can set their language

Technology *

FACEBOOK page 11


11/19

11Your Click and Print NewspaperWhat Exactly Did TheJuicyCampus FounderThink Would Happen?By Michael Arrington (TechCrunch)

Submitted at 3/2/2008 12:23:40 PM

Im not sure what JuicyCampus founderMatt Ivester expected when he launched agossip site for college students, butapparently things are getting out of hand.People, who can post anonymously, arebeing mean. And despite some legalprotections, Ivester might be getting a littlenervous about defamation and libellawsuits.In a blog post on Friday, he saysSome ofthe things that have been posted have beenmean-spirited, and we have receivedemails from people claiming to have beendefamed on the site, and adds We wantyou to make JuicyCampus Juicy, not

hateful.Hes also quick to point out that hes notliable for anything said on the site: Pleasebe advised that Juicy Campus is not theauthor of the posts that appear on the site.Rather, Juicy Campus is the provider of aninteractive computer service. As such,pursuant to 47 U.S.C. Section 230, JuicyCampus is immune from liability arisingfrom content posted by users.As users, posting anonymously, accuseothers of being child molesters and debatewho is the sluttiest girl in school, pageviews will likely rise. But Matt will bedealing with a nearly constant barrage of

legal threats from quite-rightly angrystudents and parents. Appeals to simply benice wont do anything to stop it. Andthose legal protections may not be as bulletproof as he thinks. The whole thing mayfall apart when the daughter of the wrongpolitician gets attacked.Philip Kaplan dealt with almost exactly thesame issues with FuckedCompany back in2000-2001. Matt, you may want to givehim a call, and ask for a referral to a gooda t t o r n e y . C r u n c h B a s eInformationJuicyCampusInformationprovided by CrunchBaseCrunch Network: CrunchBoardbecause itstime for you to find a new Job2.0

Big Win For LinkedIn AsThey Hook Up WithFrances ApecBy Michael Arrington (TechCrunch)

Submitted at 3/2/2008 10:00:04 PM

Most English speakers wont know muchabout Frances Apec, a non profitorganization that offers job listings and jobresources in France. But theyre big - theyemploy around 1,000 human resourcespecialists who work with companies andpeople. Job listings are free, and they aresecond only to Monster in France in totalnumber of listings. The site, the companysays, has about 1.2 million unique monthlyvisitors, 600,000 registered users and35,000 registered companies.Today Apec announcing that theyreworking with LinkedIn via their API. Thisis a big win for LinkedIn - they have 5

million registered users in Europe, but noreal presence in France at all (French usersmust use LinkedIn.com, in English). Theycompete with both Viadeo and Xing inEurope. Apec users will have theopportunity to register for LinkedIn, andcan then create a profile, add contacts andresearch positions (and companies canresearch candidates), all without leavingthe Apec site. The integration will bereleased on March 11.The integration goes well beyond whatBusiness Week is doing with LinkedIn. Itsbasically all of the functionality of the

LinkedIn site pulled into Apec andintegrated with their existing accountfeatures.The terms of the deal are not beingdisclosed, but LinkedIn did say that theyare paying Apec a fee for every newr e g i s t r a t i o n . C r u n c h B a s eInformationLinkedInInformation providedby CrunchBaseCrunch Network: MobileCrunchMobileGadgets and Applications, DeliveredDaily.

FACEBOOKcontinued from page 10

to German, and anyone who visits the sitefrom a German speaking country willautomatically see the site in German.Users translate small bits of the site, andthose translations are then voted on byother users until the process is complete.Spain launched last month, although only1,500 users helped out there. The Frenchversion is basically done as well from whatIve heard.Facebook says they have about 1 millionusers from German speaking countries.That number will likely skyrocket now thatthey can read the site in their own

language.Application developers arent being leftout of the party, either. Soon, Facebooksays, theyll make the same tools theyreusing available to developers as well, andusers can translate their Facebookapplications.Competitor MySpace takes a muchdifferent approach to localized sites. Theytend to put a team on the ground locally(they are now hiring in Turkey) and thenbuild the site not only in the locallanguage, but promote local artists andother popular culture as well. MySpace

now has offices in London, Paris, Berlin,Madrid, Milan, Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo,Copenhagen, Sydney, Mexico City, SaoPalo, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Tokyo, andBeijing. Offices will be opening up soon inM u m b a i , M o s c o w , a n dI s t a n b u l . C r u n c h B a s eInformationFacebookInformation providedby CrunchBaseCrunch Network: CrunchGeardrool overthe sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

I Really HopeMicrosoft HasMore Than ThisBy Michael Arrington (TechCrunch)

Submitted at 3/2/2008 10:42:13 PM

Excitement rose this weekend with therumor, kicked off by Nick Carr, thatMicrosoft may be releasing web versionsof Office and other software. Software andstorage would be moving to the cloud.But now I fear that the rumor may havebeen wrong, and that Microsoft has nosuch plans in the near future. TonightMicrosoft announced an expansion of theirsoftware plus services strategy that givesbusinesses many of the collaboration andstorage benefits of Sharepoint withoutactually having to install software on theirown internal machines. The program wasinitially launched in September 2007.This is not a web based version of office.Its not competitive with what Google isoffering businesses with Apps and Docs.Its a half way approach that still requiresthe installation of Office and othersoftware on local machines. It sacrificessome Sharepoint revenue, but does not putMicrosofts $16 billion Office business atrisk.Which means Microsoft is giving moretime for Google to eat their lunch.Unless something else is coming. In an

email to Microsoft PR I asked Is this thebig announcement? Theres nothing elsewrt online software coming in the nextweek or two? The answer - I cantcomment on rumors, but wanted to flagthis for you because it is related.Crunch Network: CrunchGeardrool overthe sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Technology *


12/19

12 Your Click and Print NewspaperData Portability is BoringBy Guest Writer (Mashable!)


This guest post was contributed by well-known web skeptic Drama 2.0.Data portability is a hot topic in the Web2.0 community. Ive previously weighed in

with my opinion: data portability is not auniversal right and the value a companymay receive from offering it varies fromcompany to company. Some companieshave a valid business rationale for offeringit while others dont.In an interview in early February, TimBerners-Lee, the father of the web,essentially stated that Internet serviceswhich arent offering data portability areboring. He explains:Now if you look at the social networkingsites which, if you like, are traditional Web2.0 social networking sites, they hoard thisdata. The business model appears to be,We get the users to give us data and wereuse it to our benefit. We get the extravalue. When one person has typed in whoit is thats in a photo, then we can benefit.We give the other person extra benefit bybeing able to give them a list of photos thatthey a re in . Tha t s t remendouslybeneficial. Thats the power of t heSemantic Web. And I think, the socialnetworking sites, some of the ones thathave become very popular have done itbecause captured the semantics. They

havent just allowed you to tag somethingwith somebodys name, theyve allowedyou to capture the difference betweensomebody who took the photo andsomebody whos in the photo, so that thepower of the reuse of the data has beenmuch greater.So, first of all, are they goingto let people use the data? I think, the pushnow, as weve seen during the last year,has been unbearable pressure from users tosay, Look, I have told you who myfriends are. You are the third site Ive toldwho my friends are. Now, Im going to a

travel site and now Im going to a photosite and now Im going to a t-shirt site.Hello? You guys should all know who myfriends are. Or, You should all knowwho my colleagues are. I shouldnt have totell you again.So, the users are saying,Give me my data back. Thats my data.That was one of the cries originally behindXML, it was a desktop application. Dont

store it in a format which I cant reuse. So,now its, Give it to me using the idea ofstandards. If you do that, then I can dothings with it.

I find Tims comments amusing. While Idont necessarily disagree with his vision,

the number of mainstream Internet users Iknow who are getting their panties in aknot over data portability is about the samenumber of mainstream Internet users Iknow who could actually tell me whatFOAF is - close to zero.From what Ive seen, its really only asmall but vocal portion of the Internetpopulation comprised primarily oftechnologists and Web 2.0 kool aid sipperswho are beating the drum for dataportability.The truth is that the average mainstreamInternet user doesnt look at Facebook as awarehouse for data; Facebook is merely aplace to socialize with friends and poke hotcoeds. Im sure users wouldnt complain ifthere was an easy way to take certain datafrom one service to another, but by inlarge, I think the technologists pushing fordata portability are trying to supplysomething that there isnt a whole lot ofdemand for.(more)ShareThis

Compete Acquired by TNSfor $75 MillionBy Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)


Taylor Nelson Sofres plc (TNS), has just

announced it acquired web analyticscompany Compete, Inc. for $75 million incash plus deferred cash payments in 2008-2010 of up to another $75 million. Theacquisition comes at a time when Competeannounced revenue of $14.9 million for2007 and a loss of $4.5 million for thesame year, due to investing in building itspanel and industry expertise.Among bloggers, Compete has becomeknown over the last year as Alexa whichdoesnt suck (as much), and while thatsounds a bit harsh, have in mind that alongwith the (grossly inaccurate) Alexa,Quantcast, Compete has been the onlyrelevant, free, publicly available metric ofwebsite traffic. Their results are based on a

survey of over 2 million US users, whichmeans that theyre a lot less accurate forsites with non-US visitors.Heres the news in marketingese:David Lowden, Chief Executive of TNS,said:This acquisition is an important move forTNS that builds on our ability to helpclients understand consumer behaviour inthe new and highly complex digital world.Compete has built a world-class digitalintelligence capability that deliversmultiple perspectives on how consumersengage with brands online. In the longerterm, we will look at the opportunities to

add further value by using our Worldpanel,Re ta i l & Shopper and audiencemeasurement capabilities to integrate dataon purchasing and viewing behaviour withinternet search and shopping behaviour.We believe this will allow TNS to developnew syndicated and custom products,unique in our industry.Donald McLagan, Chairman and CEO ofCompete, said:We welcome this exciting opportunity to

join one of the worlds most respectedmarket information and insight groups.Whether consumers buy online, or simplyresearch online as they reach a purchasingdecision, the marketing platforms theyencounter bring major opportunities for

brands. Companies need to understandhow the internet affects consumerpreferences, att i tudes, knowledge,understanding and motivation. They alsoneed help in maximising the new onlinesales and marketing opportunities to targetthe i r prospec t ive cus tomers moreeffectively. For the first time, we havegiven clients the opportunity to measuretheir effectiveness across all theirmarketing programmes. This ability will begreatly enhanced when we are part ofTNS.ShareThis

Turn Smart Market Fully Automates Targeted Behavioral AdsBy Kristen Nicole (Mashable!)Submitted at 3/2/2008 5:57:34 PM

Turn Inc., the ad network founded by JimBarnett, the former CEO of Altavista,came on the scene with $8 million in around of funding last year, and is nowfurthering its automated ad placementprocess with the launching of the TurnSmart Market.Having built up its automated tools basedon a machine learning platform that

considers contextual, behavioral andaudience targeting methods for onlinecampaigns, Turn is taking this process astep further by making the entire service afully automated market. One of the keydifferences with Turns automated processis the extended options for ad placement aswell as pricing, which includes CPM, CPCand CPA pricing, in a single market.

Being that Turn is a fully automatedprocess for targeted ads, the company is

also quick to note that it doesnt requirethings like category or keyword foroptimized marketing results. Behavioraltargeting for ads is the primary way inwhich brands are currently experimentingwith the online market, and ad networksare quickly adjusting to the changing needs

of balancing brands with consumers,interacting in various ways across anincreasingly social web.One must wonder if behavioral ads, in thissense, should be fully automated. To thatend, Turn does offer some manualfunctions that allow marketers to respondto consumer response and feedback, inorder to tweak their campaigns for betterresults.Something I find to be of great importancewith online ad networks is the ability to

provide such metrics and also provide adirection for a brands plan of action. Thisis one process that one could argue has notbeen entirely automated to a satisfactorylevel, and probably shouldnt be, thoughTurn is certainly taking this informationinto account in order to improve its ownautomated processes across the board.ShareThis

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13/19

13Your Click and Print NewspaperMzinga Acquires Prosperoto Grow Online CommunitySolutions SectorBy Kristen Nicole (Mashable!)


Mzinga, a provider of online communitysolut ions , has acqui red ProsperoTechnologies, which specializes in thesame SaaS approach for enterprise andconsumer use. Financial terms of theacquisition were not disclosed. Given thevast history behind these mergingcompanies, its been interesting to see howMzinga came to be, and how it had torespond to a changing market in regards toits community offerings as an enterprisesolution, for about a decade now.I was particularly interested in thecompanys ability to shift to a vast andever-changing market in specific regards toits approach to businesses, given the slowadoption rate this particular niche has seenin years past. The market is currentlygetting quite ripe, so how will experiencehelp Mzinga, which is now an even largercompany, continue on its path? Would itinvolve a heavy sales team, or anintegrated approach to offering DaaS andfront-end consumer products?Looking at what Mzinga largely focuseson, theres an obvious knack for front-endtools directed at consumer interaction. Themodular approach allows Mzinga to

present polls, feedback features, wikis andmore on a case-by-case basis for eachcompany that requires its service. Thismodel is quite similar to eZ.no and a fewothers out there, most of which have asimilarly deep-rooted history in the market.But given the current trends for clouds andintranets as enterprise solutions, would thisbe something the new Mzinga would alsobe attacking with certain vigor?In some regards, yes, however, majorobjective for the merger between Mzingaand Prospero is to provide a scalablebusiness model that can extend online

community solutions for marketing, humanresource and customer service sectors. Andwhat about the other going trend ofproviding tools that individuals can use (inthe modular sensethink bricabox) forcreating their own custom communities?Thats something that Mzinga will beexploring a bit more as well, given thecommunity properties Talk City andDelphi Forums that Prospero already hadas part of its corporate suite.ShareThis

Predictify PlatformLaunches withFreakonomicsBy Kristen Nicole (Mashable!)


Predictify is a community-based predictionsite where users can earn money based onth accuracy of their responses forparticipating in the sites questions andevents. First reviewed here, Predictifyofficially launched to the public a fewmonths ago. Now, Predictify is taking thenext step in its web development andoffering a platform for others to create a co-branded Predictify community. The firstto participate in the new platform offeringis none other than Freakonomics, thepopular book that has kept up itspopularity with an online presence andactive blog from the authors.

If you go to the new co-branded site forFreakonomics, powered by Predictify,youll see that there isnt much activity orcontent just yet. At first glance, it appearsas though all the questions presented maybe offered by Freakonomics, but there is infact an option for users to submit free andpremium questions as well.

This should make for some interesting

material for Freakonomics next books,right? It may seem questionable thatFreakonomics would want to offer such anopen-ended approach to users submittingtheir own content, but you may recall hatPredictify does in fact scan every questionbefore its approved and released onto theFreakonomics-Predictify market.Given that this is a co-branded effort, thereare also plenty of ways to land back onPredictifys main site. Thats one thing thatsome third-parties wouldnt be entirelycomfortable with, which is why wetypically see full licensing options that are

offered right along with co-brandedoptions. This doesnt seem to be the casewith Predictify, though it may be an optionin the future. Ive always enjoyed thequirky topics and findings presented by theFreakonomics camp, so it will beinteresting to see the ongoing outcomesthrough the joint effort with Predictify.ShareThis

Practice What You Preach: Nine Inch Nails Gives Away New AlbumBy Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)


Its not like we doubted him, but TrentReznor really meant it when he said that hehates the way the music industry operatesand that he encourages sharing of hismusic on the internet. Nine Inch Nails haveput up the first volume of their albumGhosts on torrent sites, under a creativecommons license. If you want the wholepackage of the multi volume album (36

tracks!), though, you can go over to NiNs

official site and download it for 5 bucks.You can also order a 2xCD box set for amere 10 bucks, deluxe limited editionpackage for 70 bucks, and you can get anultra-deluxe limited edition package for$300.Let me just stop here for a second and saythat personally, I havent listened to NiNmuch since the Downward Spiral phase,but if theres one album Im gonna buy thisyear (I usually go to concerts and buy t-

shirts, as I feel the band profits moredirectly from this; I have quite a

collection), its going to be this one.

Finally, you get good value for yourmoney, and you get a fantastic number ofoptions which cater to every pocket. Imsure that fans will realize this and get theoption they can afford, be it free, or theultra-deluxe one.Heres what the band has to say aboutBitTorrent: Now that were no longerconstrained by a record label, wevedecided to personally upload Ghosts I, thefirst of the four volumes, to various torrent

sites, because we believe BitTorrent is a

revolutionary digital distribution method,and we believe in finding ways to utilizenew technologies instead of fightingthem.I couldnt have said it better.ShareThis

YieldBuild Raises $6Million for AdOptimization NetworkBy Adam Ostrow (Mashable!)Submitted at 3/3/2008 4:30:13 AM

YieldBuild, an online advertisingoptimization service, has raised $6 millionin Series B funding. Versus typical adnetworks, YieldBuild is more of a middle-man of sorts, selecting the best ads to runon a given site at a given point in time,based on what it determines will monetizebest.Here is a handy diagram to describe it forthose of you that are visual learners:

Currently, the service selects ads fromGoogle AdSense, Yahoo PublisherNetwork, or eBays Ad Context to serve

contextual advertising. The companymakes its money by taking 3% ofpublishers impressions for themselves.The funding round was led by StormVentures, with participation from HummerWinblad.ShareThis

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15/19

15Your Click and Print NewspaperStump the King: thirtysomethingBy Paul Goebel (TV Squad)


Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Ask TVSquadAs I'm sure you've heard by nowquarterlife was a huge failure on networktelevision. Those of you who read my

unfavorable review of the show last weekknow that I didn't see much of a future forthe show anyway and yet, I feel that theshow was still treated unfairly by thepeople in charge, i.e. NBC.Producers Ed Zwick and MarshallHerskovitz designed this show to appeal toa very specific audience, men and womenin their mid-twenties who spend a lot oftime online. Now, that may seem like avery small demographic if you're a 40-year-old TV addict like me. but I actually knowpeople in their mid-twenties who don'twatch network TV. One of my friends,who is chronically hip insists that the onlytime he watches network television is

online or on DVD. Aside from making mefeel very old, his revelation cleared upsome things for me.Continue reading Stump the King:thirtysomething

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Family Guy: Play it Again, BrianBy Brad Trechak (TV Squad)


Filed under: OpEd, Family Guy, EpisodeReviews(S06E10) Lois, Peter and Briantake a vacation to Martha's Vineyard. Peterdrinks up a storm and Brian confesses hislove for Lois. Hilarity ensues.

Seth McFarlane shows his Massachusettsbackground in this episode (his parents arefrom there). I saw references to BostonHarbor (the John Hancock building was inthe background) and Six Flags NewEngland (which i s ve ry c lose toConnecticut, the state where he wasraised).

The show continues to explore Brian'sartistic tendencies as he wins a writingaward (we later learn the piece he wrote

was mostly plagiarized). It's debatable ifthis is better or worse than the time he wasa porn director.Continue reading Family Guy: Play itAgain, Brian


The Wire: Late EditionsBy Jonathan Toomey (TV Squad)


Filed under: OpEd, The Wire, EpisodeReviews

(S05E09) "Deserve got nuthin' to do withit." - SnoopOne down and one to go. The penultimateepisode. Talk about depressing. After nextSunday, there won't be any more newepisodes of The Wire. I don't think I'vebeen this bummed out about a show endingsince Six Feet Under went off the air and

let's be honest -- The Wire is way betterthan Six Feet Under, or anything else...ever. With the finale so close, this episodeset a lot of stuff up as you'd expect.Everything that's been percolating allseason started to boil over and now allthat's left to find out is who gets burnedand who doesn't. Quoting Stringer Bell'slast words, "get on with it motherf*ckers!"%Gallery-13453%Continue reading The Wire: Late Editions

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The Simpsons: The DebartedBy Richard Keller (TV Squad)


Filed under: OpEd, The Simpsons, EpisodeReviews(S19E13)"Young man, I'm going to be onyou like a numerator on a denominator" --Principal Skinner to Donny the informantIt's been a looong time since we had anepisode of The Simpsonsthat focused onthat young rapscallion Bart and his statusof Prankmaster at Springfield Elementary.Frankly, I was starting to get a bit worriedthat we wouldn't see one at all this seasonand that all we would get is one episodeafter another focusing on Homer and his hi-jinks. Luckily, someone at FOX or theoffices of The Simpsons realized this andgave us an installment that not only

reignited the feud between Bart andPrincipal Skinner, but parodied the Martin

Scorsese film The Departed. Plus, it wasactually a good episode.Continue reading The Simpsons: TheDebarted


Big Brother 9:Live feeds report -March 2By Jackie Schnoop (TV Squad)

Submitted at 3/2/2008 12:46:00 PM

Fi led under: OpEd, Big Brothe r(US)Although this season of Big Brother 9isn't quite the norm (as much as a norm

this show can have), there are someconstants when compared to past seasons.The editing, what production wants theviewers to perceive, is more obviouslydistorted when the viewer can watch livefeeds. This sort of editing happens forevery reality show out there, but it's onlyBig Brother where we can see what's reallyhappening.

The promos for tonight's show were first alove affair betwixt Ryan and Allison, thensome sort of showdown with Joshuah andAllison. What's really going on? For showSunday and Tuesday show spoilers, readon past the jump.Continue reading Big Brother 9: Live feeds

report - March 2


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16/19

16 Your Click and Print Newspaper

Big Brother 9: Nomination Ceremony #3By Jackie Schnoop (TV Squad)


Filed under: OpEd, Big Brother (US),Episode Reviews(S09E09) Will the soulmates inside the BigBrother 9 house find true love? Inwatching this group, the only couple withany real possibility of even speaking toeach other after the season ends would beJames and Chelsia. Leading into tonight'sshow the commercials first focused onromantic possibilities between Ryan and

Allison. Over the past few days, thecommercials switched to a Joshuah andAllison blow-up.

Tonight was the nominations episode.Who's on the block and what elsehappened? Read on past the jump!Cont inue reading Big Brothe r 9 :Nomina t ion Ceremony #3


Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Laser LensesBy Jonathan Toomey (TV Squad)


Filed under: OpEd, Animation, AdultSwim, Episode Reviews

(S05E06) "The flames are tickling yourbuttocks!" - ShakeFrylock's eyes. Who knew they couldbecome the basis for a whole episode?Heck, I didn't even realize that he worecontact lenses. I thought his eyes just

launched laser canons naturally. I mean, heis a talking carton of french fries so Ifigure anything is possible. But leave it to

Shake and his megalomaniacal delusions(remember The Drizzle?) to steal his goodfriend's "laser lenses."Continue reading Aqua Teen HungerForce: Laser Lenses


Dirt: Welcome to Normal (season premiere)By Jonathan Toomey (TV Squad)Submitted at 3/2/2008 3:01:00 PM

Filed under: OpEd, Dirt, Episode Reviews

(S02E01) "No honey, I love the pudding.You can have the applesauce." - LucyLucy Spiller is back! Hold your breaththough because those stab wounds shereceived from Julia Mallory in last season's

Dirt finale must've taken away some of hertrademark bitchiness. Lucy, while still100% dedicated and obsessed with her job

as editor of Dirt Now magazine, is a lotnicer than I remember her to be. Is that abad thing though?%Gallery-17043%Continue reading Dirt: Welcome toNormal (season premiere)

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'Wolverine' LosesYoung Logan to'The Road'By Elisabeth Rappe (Cinematical)

Submitted at 3/2/2008 12:08:00 PM

Filed under: Casting, 20th Century Fox,Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes andSequelsSuperhero Hype reports that X-Men Origins: Wolverine has done a bit ofrecasting. Young actor Kodi Smit-McPheewas set to play the young Logan. His staris clearly on the rise, because he alsolanded the key role as Viggo Mortensen'sson in The Road. Due to changes inWolverine's shooting schedule, the twomovies conflict and Smit-McPhee has beenforced to drop out.

But he has been quickly replaced by 13-year-old Perth resident, Troye Mellet.Mellet is apparently a bit of an Internetsuccess story, as Hollywood talent scoutsspotted him singing on YouTube. Wow.

You just never know where you might endup when you post something online -- andto surf through so much YouTube drecktakes one dedicated scout.

Some set photos have also surfaced onAin't It Cool News, which I didn't postinitially because there was so little to goon. There was also a similar "from the set"report in a Queenstown paper about ayoung actress who doubled for Silver Fox.Spoilers may exist, so view at your ownrisk. The Queenstown report makes mehappy, as it seems to indicate they'llprobably be abandoning Silver Fox's daysas a revolutionary.

But I'm rather worried about those AICNset photos. That never featured in a singlestoryline I can remember. When combinedwith the reminder that we'll see a youngWolverine in this film, it begs the question... are they going Phantom of the Operawith this?Permalink | Email this |Comments

TV * Movies


17/19

17Your Click and Print NewspaperCinematical Seven: Best Coen BrothersSupporting CharactersBy James Rocchi (Cinematical)


Filed under: Cinematical Seven, Lists

With No Country For Old Men coming toDVD next Tuesday (3/11) in the finalpaces of the film's victory lap, it seems likea good time to note that when one of thefilm's Oscars went to Best SupportingActor Javier Bardem, it came as the logicalconclusion of a long-established fact formany Coen watchers: the brothers have aMidas touch when it comes to supportingparts -- writing them, casting them,directing them. Throughout their career,the writing-directing duo of Joel and EthanCoen have always peppered their filmswith brief, brisk parts that both f amous andlesser-known actors have turned intostandout moments. Here, then, is a list ofseven truly great Coen Brothers supportingparts, as well as runners-up from each film.As ever, these lists are highly subjective,and our comments section below awaitsyour thoughts. ...

1. The Dane (J.E. Freeman), Miller'sCrossing

In Miller's Crossing (for my money, thethe most overlooked and under-appreciatedfilm in the Coen canon) the brothers pull a

balancing act; they not only refuse, refuteand re-invent gangster film styles, plotsand archetypes, but they also freshen, fireup and fulfill those gangster film styles,plots and archetypes. So it is with J.E.Freeman's Eddie Dane, a fearsome toughguy whose simple, shark-like capacity formurder and mayhem drives the plot andwhose complicated private life adds a fewtwists to the finale. Much is made of JohnTurturro's work in this film (as it shouldbe) but it's The Dane who keeps stickingout in my mind whenever I re-visit Miller'sCrossing, a small, self-contained example

of why the film as a whole is s

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