news issues usa trends: January 2010

Gold rises as U.S. GDP grows more than expected Strong dollar keeps gains in check

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures rose on Friday, after the U.S. reported growth rose more than expected in the fourth quarter, lifting the value of the precious metal as a hedge against inflation, even as a rising dollar capped gold's gains.

Signs that Greece might be avoiding a default on its debt also helped lift investors' appetite for risk-taking, which has benefited gold and commodities for more than a year.

"GDP figures and Greece apparently not defaulting gave positive reads enough for some Friday short-covering as today is the last day of the roll over from February gold to April gold," the metals team at RBC Wealth Management wrote in a note.

Gold for April delivery was recently up 30 cents at $1,085.10 an ounce in electronic trade.

Coming out of the worst recession in generations, the U.S. grew at the fastest pace in six years in the fourth quarter. Real gross domestic product increased at a 5.7% seasonally-adjusted annual rate in the final three months of the year, the best quarterly growth since late 2003, the government estimated. The economy grew 2.2% in the third quarter.

The 5.7% increase was faster than the 5.4% gain expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch. Read more on the GDP.

Gold's gains were somewhat held up by a rising dollar, which rose sharply after the U.S. GDP. A stronger dollar has tended to pressure gold and commodities. Over the past year, investors have used the safety of the cheap dollar, which can be borrowed at near zero interest rates.

But "for the foreign exchange market, the critical question is whether the strong U.S. [GDP] report will finally cause the dollar to trade off of its economic outlook and not risk appetite," said Kathy Lien, director of currency research at Global Forex Trading, in a note.

Nick Godt is MarketWatch's markets editor, based in New York.

It was a party in the WPGC studios Friday morning, because after 32 years on Washington's airwaves, radio personality Donnie Simpson is signing off.

Celebrities from across the country called in to say farewell and thank you to the radio pioneer.

Simpson began in radio as a teenager in Detroit before coming to Washington. He was with 93.9 WKYS for 16 years before moving his morning show to WPGC 95.5 in 1993, where he spent 16 years.

It is reported that contract negotiations for Simpson fell through with CBS Radio. Simpson is not allowed to work on air in Washington for 13 1/2 months per the non-compete clause in his contract with CBS.
This is a temporary separation until February 2011," Simpson told his listeners Friday morning, but did not reveal his future plans.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama held out the hope of overhauling the main law outlining the federal role in public schools, a sprawling 45-year-old statute that dates to the Johnson administration.

But experts say it would be a heavy lift for the administration to get the job done this year because the law has produced so much discord, there is so little time and there are so many competing priorities.

In 2001, when Congress completed the law’s most recent rewrite, the effort took a full year, and the bipartisan consensus that made that possible has long since shattered. Today there is wide agreement that the law needs an overhaul, but not on how to fix its flaws.

Since it was recast into its current form by the second Bush administration — and renamed No Child Left Behind — it has generated frequent, divisive debate, partly because it requires schools to administer far more standardized tests and because it labels schools that fail to make progress fast enough each year as “needing improvement.” That category that draws penalties and has grown to include more than 30,000 schools.

Several states sued the Bush administration over the law in the last decade, unsuccessfully. Connecticut challenged its financing provisions, saying it imposed costly demands without providing adequate financing. Arizona fought rules on the testing of immigrant students.

“Its hard to see how they can get” a rewrite done, said Joel Packer, executive director of the Committee for Education Funding, which includes about 80 groups representing teachers, superintendents, principals, school boards and others. “If there’s some bipartisan agreement about what the administration proposes, and the Republicans say, ‘We want to work together,’ then maybe. But I think its going to be tough.”

During the 2008 campaign and his first year in office, President Obama’s posture was popular with almost everyone: the law embodies worthwhile goals like narrowing the achievement gap between minority and white students, he said, but includes flawed provisions that need fixing. Once any rewrite begins in earnest, however, Mr. Obama will need to support specific changes that will be unpopular with at least some groups.

“Few subjects divide educators more intensely,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a speech about the law in September.

In that speech, Mr. Duncan leveled some of his own criticisms of the law, including that it labeled schools as failures even when they were making real progress, and that it often inadvertently provided incentives for states to lower academic standards to avoid sanctions. He said he was eager to begin a rewrite.

“This work is as urgent as it is important.” Mr. Duncan said.

Mr. Obama communicated a lower sense of urgency on Wednesday, perhaps because the administration’s legislative agenda for the year is already packed.

“I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay,” the president said.

While he also urged Congress not to abandon the health care overhaul, on the education law, he said only, “When we renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we will work with Congress.”

Mr. Duncan said in an interview on Thursday that key lawmakers “share our sense of urgency” about the need for an immediate rewrite, and were already pitching in.

Last week Mr. Duncan and more than a dozen other administration officials met with the Democratic chairmen and ranking Republican members of the education committees in both houses of Congress to discuss the rewrite of the law, first drafted in 1965 as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

“We are blue-skying this thing, taking a big-picture approach, to try to coalesce the themes that are most important,” Mr. Duncan said. “It’s early, a million things could go wrong, but I’m hopeful.”

Changes in the Congressional leadership could complicate the effort. The death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who worked closely with President George W. Bush in 2001, removed a passionate believer in the law.

Senator Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who replaced Mr. Kennedy as chairman of the Senate education committee, has other priorities. He wants to continue the law’s focus on closing achievement gaps, but to include an emphasis on school nutrition and physical fitness programs.

“We also need to take a new approach to things that are not working, like using the same solutions for all school problems,” Mr. Harkin said.

Some Republicans, including Representative John Kline, the Minnesotan who is the ranking minority member of the House education committee, say they want changes to the law, but are in no hurry.

“He’s not interested in an arbitrary deadline,” said Alexa Marrero, Mr. Kline’s spokeswoman. “It’s a lot more important on something like this to get it right than to just get it done.”

Chester E. Finn, Jr., an assistant secretary of education in the Reagan administration, wrote in a blog post on Thursday: “One can only wish them well, but reworking this monstrously complex statute is apt to prove almost as challenging as health care.”

“The odds of getting a full-dress reauthorization done between now and August are very, very slender,” Mr. Finn said in an interview.

The Apple iPad: It's just ahead of its time

t's hard to argue the fact that this week's Apple iPad launch disappointed the tech crowd, and not just because of that inexplicable name. Despite its lovely design, beefier core apps, and new e-book features and store, the iPad is hampered by a well-documented string of missing features: a camera, 16:9 support, Flash support (seriously?), multitasking, SD card slot, HDMI or high-res video output support, USB ports, GPS, and so on. Plus, it's exclusive to the AT&T network (again: seriously?) in this iteration, the pricing scheme is overly complex, and while I'm not sure it's genuinely overpriced, it's nevertheless expensive, and you can't imagine the price going much lower without crashing into the 64GB iPod Touch and making the iPad look a lot like a sucker's buy.

OK, but all that said, I think we all need to take a deep breath and remember: it's not that the iPad is a failure. It's just a product ahead of its time. No one should actually buy this iPad--between its inevitable first-generation bugs, fulfillment problems, and buyer's remorse over added features and price drops, it's heartbreak waiting to happen. Try to think of the iPad as, like, a proof of concept. A concept car, even. A work in progress, really.

Now, I know tablet PCs are nothing new, and I know Microsoft's been trying to get the idea off the ground for a decade now. But this is the concept design for the e-reader/media device we'll all own in three to five years--when every publication is available as a feature-rich, interactive reading experience, when Apple (or someone else) has introduced the Newsstand app store with some actual newspaper and magazine content partners, and when prices are in the $100 to $200 range and 3G wireless is not a $130 add-on (SERIOUSLY?), and the idea of consuming just 250MB of data a month on a true multimedia device is recognized as the belly-busting joke that it is.

Right now, the iPad is a product in search of a market. It's kind of poorly implemented, feature-wise; it's been poorly articulated, market-wise; and it's hard to imagine why on earth you'd ever need such a thing at such a price. But I think there will be a market for a touch-screen, all-in-one device that's more than a Kindle and less than a laptop, and it's easy to imagine getting all my media on one slick Internet-connected device that also works as one heck of a pretty digital picture frame.

Here's what Apple needs to do: stop trying to convince me that an iPad is better than a Netbook. That's not the point. I have plenty of things in my life that can bring me a calendar, music, photos, and touch-screen painting. I don't need more of that (no matter how pretty you make it). Don't try to put the iPad between a laptop and a smart phone--that positioning doesn't make any sense to anyone, and no one needs that.

Start pitching this thing as the actual replacement for paper. Get some serious content deals with periodicals and papers, and maybe even offer a combined subscription service that lets you choose 8 or 10 papers and magazines for a flat fee. Get the bookstore up to Amazon stock levels, put an e-ink/LCD hybrid display in the next version, and get serious about what this really is: a multimedia reader. (Also, get your product line and pricing in order and stop trying to act like a 3G chip really costs an extra $130.) See you in three to five years!

Shon Coleman, the highly rated offensive lineman from Olive Branch, Miss., who has pronounced himself "100 percent committed" to Auburn, is on the road again this week.

After a trip to Tuscaloosa, Coleman is reportedly going to spend some time at Miami before signing.

Does this mean he's leaving the Tigers? Not necessarily. He's been committed for a long time, and he may have decided to get all the enjoyment he can out of the recruiting process.

After all, no one is paying attention right now to players who committed back in June. All the attention in the days before National Signing Day is focused on those few players who still have a decision to make.

Check out the Coleman ticker here.

The other player Auburn seems in danger of possibly losing is D.J. Howard, an athlete/running back from Lincoln. Auburn says he'll get a chance to play running back on the Plains, but Clemson's pitch be a bit more convincing at the moment. We'll see. His news ticker is here.

The Watch is officially on. Brett Favre is doing his now annual retirement song and dance.

Favre, who spent the NFC Championship game getting pounded into the turf courtesy of the Super Bowl-bound New Orleans Saints, tells ESPN's Ed Werder he's leaning toward ending his career. Again. For now.

In fact, the 40-year-old, who said after his valiant, but losing effort in the Louisiana Superdome Sunday night that he felt more like 49, said he's "highly unlikely" to come back. If true - and until the middle of training camp, nothing is certain - Favre will end a brilliant career on an interception at the end of regulation.

Of course, the man's probably too beat up to get into his Wranglers by himself, so this declaration may end up meaning very little, as Favre retirement announcements often do. So Vikings owner Zygi Wilf would be well-advised to keep the corporate jet available and coach Brad Childress should have his Escalade gassed up for the trip to the airport.

And all NFL fans need to come to grips with the beginning of the Favre Watch season, which runs through mid-summer. Maybe we can make a drinking game out of it or something.

If you’re into rock and roll, you inevitably have heard of the rock super group West Bruce Jr. and Laing, an offshoot of the 1970’s group Mountain, which featured Leslie West, Corky Laing and Jack Bruce of Cream. And, if you’re into rock and roll, you probably also like guitars and really great motorcycles…you might even like Howard Stern. Well, on January 28th, you’ll have it all at The Ridgefield Playhouse. Not only do you get a great rock show featuring West, Bruce Jr. and Laing (Jack’s son Malcolm is filling his dad’s shoes), but each ticket buyer is automatically entered to win a signed Leslie West signature series Dean guitar or a Harley Davidson motorcycle, courtesy of Harley Davidson of Danbury, for a week (you must have a valid motorcycle license to win this.) And, if that wasn’t enough, you also get two other great bands – the guys from Orange County Choppers will be here with their band, as Fred Norris, of Howard Stern fame, along with his band King Norris! This rock evening like no other is sponsored by i95 The Home of Rock ‘n’ Roll and starts at 8 p.m.

When West Bruce Jr. and Laing toured together, the trio released two studio albums, 1972's “Why Dontcha” and 1973's “Whatever Turns You On.” They disbanded shortly before the release of their live, and most successful, album “Live 'n' Kickin'” in 1974. West, Bruce Jr. & Laing will perform songs from those albums plus songs from Cream and Mountain. Malcolm Bruce, a seasoned instrumentalist and the son of Jack Bruce, has been well received as his father’s stand-in for the band. And, every ticket holder who attends the concert that night will automatically be entered into a raffle to win a signed signature Les West guitar. Leslie himself will announce the winner from the stage of the Playhouse!

When the stars of American Chopper aren’t filming their TV show, they’re practicing with their band -- Orange County Choppers - The Band. And, boy they can play! Kicking off the evening will be Fred Norris’s band King Norris. Norris has been a fixture on the Howard Stern show for more than 30 years. A college student at the time, Norris first met Howard Stern while working the overnight shifts at WCCC, on FM and AM radio station in Hartford, Connecticut in the spring of 1979.

So, whether it’s for the music, to meet your favorite radio or TV celebrity or just for a chance to win the Leslie West guitar or Harley Davidson bike, January 28th is a night for the rocker in all of us!

For tickets ($65/55) and information about The Ridgefield Playhouse, call or visit the box office at 203-438-5795, 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT, or buy tickets online at www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

After watching the dramatic Jersey Shore reunion on Thursday night, some fans were left asking: When was the reunion filmed? And sammi still together?
The questions were sparked because dating castmembers Sammi and Ronni appeared to break up during the Jersey Shore reunion, after the host introduced previously unaired footage of Sammi being friendly with Mike behind Ronnie’s back. Ronnie seemed extremely upset during the taping, and even though he was close to tears, he said, “It really makes no difference to me. I cut girls quicker than barbers do, to be honest with you, so she could be right down the list if she wants. I really don't care."

So, when was the reunion filmed? According to a previously-written article in the New York Post, The Jersey Shore reunion was shot last week at LA's Sunset Bronson Studios — and that leads us to believe that Ronnie and Sammi are still together!

The couple shot an episode of The Rachael Ray show on Tuesday, after the Jersey Shore reunion was reportedly filmed. During the show, which aired on Thursday, Ronnie told Rachael “We’re still together... It's a different kind of relationship because of everything that’s going on. It’s pretty hard, but I mean you just deal with it day by day and that’s it."

Our own spy also spotted Ronnie and Sammi together at an event on Wednesday looking like they were very much a couple.

So, the answer to the question “Are Ronnie and Sammi still together?” seems to be yes. But do you think these two have what it takes to last after seeing what went down at the Jersey Shore reunion? Let me know in the comments!

More Jersey Shore Finale Links:

* Take the Jersey Shore quiz
* Who will you miss the most?

Its almost the Martin Luther King Jr day soon, and we will be having a holiday. A lot of people are looking for quotes that have been raised by Martin Luther King Jr. I have a couple of selections right below. Which can be used to inspire. A lot of people have been moved by Martin Luther King Jr. And through his Quotes , we will understand not just the likeness of his life, but also the beliefs that Martin Luther King Jr has lived to stand out for. See some of the Martin Luther King Jr quotes right below.

The following below are some of the quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.

-A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
-A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.
-A right delayed is a right denied.
-Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better
-At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
-Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
-Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.
-Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

The following below are some of the quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.

-A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
-A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.
-A right delayed is a right denied.
-Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better
-At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
-Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
-Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.
-Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

Martin Luther King Jr still has a lot of quotes to offer, Lets just all stand and believe, that its not the religion that binds us, but its the fate and the unity of soceity that makes us hold on forever. MOre Martin Luther King Jr quotes below. Hope you found this enjoyable.

are banks open or closed on Martin Luther King day Jan 18 2010

are banks open on martin luther king day Jan 18 2010? No All banks will be closed on Martin Luther King Day since its a federal holiday. That means you can't do some banking transaction however you can always withdraw cash from ATM. If you are visiting banks for Mortgage or loans or anything related to that, you might want to get your Free Credit Report 2010

No answers posted yet
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Rough weather this morning. We’re just under halfway across the Drake Passage, which separates South America from Antarctica, and the sea is handing us a whipping. Winds up to 55 knots and gusts up to 100 have piled the sea into an endless stampede of rolling swells.

The swells rise 45 feet. The ship pitches and creaks as its bow bucks over the top of one wave and plunges down to the belly of the next. Viewed through the round windows at water level, the world outside resembles the churning contents of a washing machine

As I step out of bed, my bare feet slide across the tilting floor—right, then left, then right again. I resort to sitting on the floor as I gather my things. Showering while holding on white-knuckled with one hand, lathering with the other, and bracing both feet evokes a feeling of absurdity—an attempt to maintain normalcy when things are in fact far from normal, like awakening into an episode of Laverne & Shirley or I Love Lucy. Except in this case the hanging on isn’t just funny; it’s all that separates me from serious injury.

Downstairs, the labs sit deserted—laptop computers bungee-corded to counters, monitors bobbing, and a few chairs capsized on the floor. Motion sickness pills or not, most people haven’t ventured far from their beds today.

Pilots have eased the Nathaniel B. Palmer’s throttle back from ten to six knots and turned her into the wind. That adds a few hours to our dash for the shelter of the Antarctic Peninsula, but it also eases the punishment being heaped on both man and machine. With the course deviation calming things just a tiny bit, crew members hurry to secure a 20-foot rescue speedboat—hanging on our starboard side along with lifeboats—that clanged ominously through the night. Mechanics check the two helicopters. Even with them tied down, the hanger affords their blades only four inches’ clearance above. A stray bounce could damage a blade, ground a helo, and prevent our scientists from getting to the glaciers they hope to study.

Today separates those of us with sea legs (and stomachs) from those without. And the ship, with its decks stacked one atop another, has become a Jungian metaphor: The higher you climb above the water, the worse the side-to-side motion becomes. The stronger your stomach, the higher you can climb. I climb six flights of stairs, slowly, to the highest level—the bridge. Four of our scientists gaze out the panoramic windows, chatting serenely about the decomposition of whale bones on the seafloor. I lie flat on the floor to steady my stomach, then beat a rapid retreat downstairs.

In the galley a light fare of sandwiches is served for those with the stomach to eat. I pull aside Gary Talbot, one of the mates responsible for piloting the Palmer. “You’re really not taking anything for seasickness?” I ask. “No,” he says, “just a BLT.” His nonchalance says more than his words.

By 10 p.m. the seas settle down slightly, and the Palmer reaches a milestone: We’re now officially outside Argentine waters. We can begin collecting scientific data. The multibeam sonar is turned on. An XBT (expendable bathymetric temperature probe) is fired like a harpoon into the water. It will tell us the temperature of the water as it sinks to a depth of 6,000 feet, before falling to its permanent resting place on the seafloor.

A map on a computer screen displays our current position, and the multibeam sonar (multibeam for short) paints a swath of yellow-green onto the map—with different colors representing different depths in the undulating terrain below. From where we stand, the seafloor is 12,000 feet down.

The multibeam will map the seafloor for the rest of our journey. These are some of the least known seas in the world. Knowing the seafloor is crucial for understanding Antarctica’s glaciers. Many of them rest on beds that lie below sea level—in some cases up to 6,000 feet below. Map the seafloor around Antarctica and you can see a bit of history: troughs carved by the glaciers as they expanded out to the edge of the continental shelf during dozens of ice ages over the past 30 million years.

Those same grooves will play a part in modern history as temperatures rise. They're an Achilles’ heel for many of Antarctica’s glaciers, providing a path for warm, deep water from farther north to follow to the glaciers’ feet. Some of the most worrisome melting is already happening far below sea level and out of sight.

We should see our first Antarctic islands tomorrow night—hopefully a smoother ride than we’ve seen so far. From there on, the ship will become busy with science. Come round again, and we’ll share some of it with you.

COLUMBIA (WACH) – Jimmy Buffett is coming back to Columbia February 23rd and tickets will go on sale Saturday at 8 a.m.

Officials with the Colonial Life Arena say they will institute a random lottery to discourage overnight camping and potential ticket scalping.

Wristband distribution for the “SUMMERZCOOL TOUR 2010” lottery will be available at the Colonial Life Arena Guest Services Desk.

According to a Colonial Life Arena release tickets will be priced at $38, $78 and $128. They will be available in person at the Time Warner Cable Box Office at Colonial Life Arena, Lexington, and Columbia's Play It Again Sports.

You can also buy tickets by phone at 1-877-4-TWC-TIX or online at www.TWCtix.com.

Latest Updates
Direct Relief International Responding to 7.0-Magnitude Earthquake in Haiti
January 12, 2010

Direct Relief International is responding to a 7.0-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks that struck Haiti today. The earthquake, centered off Port-au-Prince, destroyed a hospital in Petionville and damaged other buildings. Early reports indicate significant property damage and deep concern about large numbers of injured persons.

Emergency aid is being offered to all our partners in Haiti to support their response to the quake. Two shipping containers of medical material aid were scheduled to arrive today in Port-au-Prince today as part of Direct Relief’s ongoing humanitarian and emergency-preparedness work in the country.

The 40-foot and 20-foot containers, containing over $420,000 of essential medicines, supplies, and nutritionals, were destined for St. Damien Children’s Hospital. The hospital is one of three local facilities in Haiti with which Direct Relief has partnered in its Emergency Pre-Positioning Program. The program stages essential medical materials on site with key partners for immediate use in emergency situations such as this one.

The organization announced it will commit up to $1 million in aid for the response and is coordinating with its other in-country partners and colleague organizations.

Direct Relief’s partners in Haiti include Partners in Health, St. Damien Children’s Hospital, and the Visitation Hospital. St. Damien and Partners in Health are particularly active in emergency response and last year received pre-positioned materials in anticipation of hurricane season. The pre-positioned materials become available for general use by the facilities November 30, the end of hurricane season.

Since 2000, Direct Relief has provided more than $60 million in medical material aid to Haiti.

Direct Relief's partners in-country provide medical care for thousands of vulnerable Haitians. Partners in Health began in 1985 as a small community clinic; today that clinic has grown to a 104-bed, full-service hospital and eight other clinic sites across Haiti's Central Plateau. Food for the Poor, a Catholic relief agency founded in 1982, offers assistance to the poor throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Visitation Hospital serves between 80 and 90 patients a day at its facility outside Port-au-Prince, which houses a lab and pharmacy, seven exam rooms, two medical/dental procedure rooms, and a food bank.

As partners' needs become clear, additional emergency aid consignments will be dispatched.

Elvis Presley left the building, cosmically speaking, at the young but bloated age of 42. Had he been an avid jogger and into juice fasts instead of pills, he just may have celebrated his 75th birthday this week. In his absence, Angelenos can gather at the Egyptian for a marathon celebration that includes a quiz game and a double feature of 1957's "Jailhouse Rock" and the documentary "Elvis '56." There also will be karaoke, birthday cake, barbecue and banana-peanut butter pancakes. Oh, and a lot of people wearing open-to-the-navel bespangled jumpsuits. Just a warning.

Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Sunday, Jan. 10, 5:30 p.m.; screenings at 7:30 p.m.; $11

The Today Show this morning talked about an inspirational new book by Gretchen Rubin. It's call The Happiness Project, and it describes her experience dedicating a full year to figuring out ways to increase her happiness, without making the sort of rash changes (divorce, expensive purchases, moving) that many people consider as options to shake off that "midlife malaise."
As Rubin describes it, "I wanted to change my life without changing my life, by finding more happiness in my own kitchen." She takes an incremental approach to self-improvement, focusing on making small changes in one area of her life each month. January was preparation for the rest of the year - she organized her living space and made healthy changes to increase her energy. February she works on her marriage, March she works on work, and April brings her to parenting, and so on.

In the end, Gretchen Rubin says the approach worked for her. She's formulated so-called "Four Splendid Truths" and her own "Twelve Commandments" for happiness. I plan to check it out! For now, we can all check out Rubin's The Happiness Project blog.

The Happiness Project: Gretchen Rubin Describes Her Year-Long Pursuit

Simple, sin lujos ni grandes infraestructuras. El principal -y casi único- atractivo es la playa, su mar transparente y paisajes típicos del Caribe. Si uno busca eso, la Isla de San Andrés (Colombia) lo proporciona y con creces. Pero es importante saberlo de antemano para evitar sorpresas.

Para llegar a la isla hay que volar 6 horas rumbo a Bogotá y otras 2 horas hasta San Andrés, porque no existen vuelos directos. El aeropuerto es chico y la primera impresión es la de llegar a un pueblito muy rústico, no tan bonito y con poca actividad. El calor es sofocante y no todos los vehículos que transportan a los turistas están equipados con aire acondicionado. Llama la atención la cantidad de motos y carros de golf. Son, junto a las bicicletas, el medio de transporte más utilizado. La gran mayoría de los autos son taxis.

La isla es pequeña (33 km de largo por 4 de ancho), tiene 90 mil habitantes, casi todos viven del turismo y en segundo lugar del comercio, que concentra su oferta en los productos electrónicos, indumentaria, joyas con esmeraldas y artículos de free shop.

Entablar conversación con un nativo es a veces complicado. En un principio se muestran recelosos de responder, pero si se logra intimidar, el panorama se vuelve interesante. Recién ahí es posible comprender qué ha pasado en el archipiélago desde su descubrimiento en los tiempos de Colón y su colonizaje por puritanos ingleses en 1629 y luego por leñadores jamaiquinos con sus esclavos negros, y especialmente desde su declaratoria de puerto libre en 1953. Si bien el idioma oficial es el español, hay un predominio de la lengua inglesa debido a que la cultura nativa es la anglocaribeña.

Todos los hoteles tienen muelle y playa propia, piscina (algunos con pileta natural), bar, restorán y la mayoría cuenta con discoteca, que sólo abren por la noche. La actividad del turista en la isla se divide entre el hotel y la playa. Hay algunos tours imperdibles, como el paseo en lancha por las islas Haynes Cay, el Acuario y Johny Cay. El programa, que cuesta 10 dólares por persona y dura 4 horas, comienza en Haynes Cay y el Acuario, que están una al lado de la otra y es posible cruzarlas caminando. Haynes Cay está repleta de vegetación autóctona, hay buena sombra y varios puestos con venta de tragos, jugos y licuados. El Acuario es más parecido a un gran banco de arena blanca y fina, cuenta con un par de locales que ofrecen refrescos y es posible darles de comer pan a los peces que llegan hasta la costa y nadan alrededor del visitante. Luego de 2 horas un guía recoge a los turistas y los lleva a una isla más grande, Johny Cay. La infraestructura allí es otra: hay restaurantes, puestos de venta de artesanías, y -como en las dos anteriores- una playa paradisíaca.

Otra excursión recomendada es el Semisubmarino (u$s 25 p/p). Se trata de un viaje de 2 horas en un barquito que sale de la cooperativa de lancheros. La embarcación tiene un túnel subterráneo desde donde se observa todo lo que sucede bajo el agua. También es posible meterse al mar y darle de comer a los peces.

La mejor forma de recorrer la isla por tierra es en carrito de golf. Se alquilan a 30 dólares por 5 horas en todos lados. Es conveniente pedir un plano turístico para facilitar el recorrido. Lo ideal es ir por el borde de la isla. Los mejores sitios para visitar son: las playas del lado oriente, el hoyo soplador (ideal para comprar artesanía o souvenirs, ya que en el centro es más caro y existen pocos lugares), muelles o embarcaderos, la Piscinita, la primera iglesia de la isla, el Mirador, que ofrece una vista espectacular de la isla, y por último el centro comercial.

Entre los tours que recomiendan en los hoteles hay algunos prescindibles. Uno es la Cueva de Morgan. Por 3 dólares, el paseo consiste en transitar distintas salas relacionadas con el pirata Morgan, y finaliza en la cueva donde supuestamente escondía tesoros. Otro paseo para el olvido es la Lagunita de agua dulce (u$s 5), que en realidad no es más que un gran charco de agua estancada, donde la principal atracción pasa por ver como el guía de turno alimenta a los yacarés con pequeñas lagartijas que caza en la corteza de los árboles durante el recorrido. Mejor abstenerse que arrepentirse después.

Gastronomía y compras

La riqueza gastronómica se basa en platos compuestos de frutos marinos, como el tradicional Rondón, uno de los más apetecidos de la cocina típica, elaborado a base de pescado, caracol, yuca y dumplings (trozos de masa), en salsa de leche de coco, ingrediente principal de casi toda la cocina isleña.

El cangrejo es otro ingrediente fundamental; con él se preparan los crab backs (caparazones rellenos), empanadas, guisos y -lo mejor- las muelas a la vinagreta. También hay restoranes de comida típica colombiana, cocina internacional y algunos pocos sitios de comida rápida.

Para salir de compras, es fundamental recorrer y comparar precios antes de concretar la operación. Existen más de 500 negocios y hay mucha diferencia de costos entre unos y otros. De todos modos, si bien se consiguen productos económicos, no es más barato que cualquier free shop.

Indira’s secret wish and other stories, by Natwar

New Delhi Did you know that Indira Gandhi yearned for a daughter, or that veteran communist parliamentarian Hirendranath Mukherjee tried to find out if Comrade Jyoti Basu had accepted money to deliver the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture in 1998?

These and other nuggets of information are recorded in former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh’s book Yours Sincerely, a selection of correspondence between him and eminent public personalities — among them Indira Gandhi, P N Haksar, H Y Sharda Prasad, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Rajiv Gandhi, E M Forster, Nadine Gordimer and Mulk Raj Anand.

The book, released earlier this month, does not include any correspondence with Sonia Gandhi. But many letters, written by people long gone, remain relevant even today.

In December 1971, Indira wrote: “It is not important what the Chinese think or what they want. What is important is what they do. So far they have kept to the expected line.” Nearly four decades later, her advice would still make sense.

In April 1975, with Morarji Desai on a fast demanding elections to the dissolved Gujarat Assembly, Indira wrote to Natwar, then India’s Deputy High Commissioner in London: “We have given in to a part of Morarji’s demand... It seemed such a silly point for which to fast or for us to hold out... However, our difficulties are acute and varied enough without having a dead Morarji haunting the scene... I was deeply shocked at the manner in which some (Opposition parties) seemed to (claim) that his disappearance from the scene would clear the way for Opposition unity.”

Congress leaders grappling with the fallout of their seeming capitulation before the fasting K Chandrasekhar Rao earlier this month would find Indira’s reaction insightful.

Some of the correspondence reveals Indira’s softer, affectionate side. In January 1970, after Natwar suffered a slipped disc while bending to give his son a teddy, she wrote to him, “Do you remember when the same thing happened to KPS Menon? He had to stand in a very artistic Ajanta pose for quite some time. Now you know the pleasures of fatherhood.”

When Natwar’s daughter was born, she wrote, “You certainly have done better planning than many of us. My heart has always yearned for a daughter, so I can imagine your joy in Jagat’s having a baby sister.”

A letter from Hiren Mukherjee demonstrates the CPI veteran’s commitment as a public representative.

On January 10, 1999, he wrote to Natwar: “For reasons I can guess but cannot relish, the Jawaharlal Trust got my old comrade of close to sixty years to give the annual lecture (November 1998). I remember in the old days the lecture carried an honorarium of a hundred thousand rupees (plus, expenses, etc.,) which may well have been enhanced. As the only surviving original trustee, I might perhaps inquire (thought I am not doing so — this is a purely personal request) if Jyoti was offered and declined or accepted any such payment...”

There is no indication why Mukherjee decided to contact Natwar instead of asking Basu directly.

The book contains the gracious letter Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to Natwar the day after he resigned in the wake of the oil-for-food scandal. “I have received your letter of 6 December 2005... I have... asked the Rashtrapati to accept your resignation,” the PM wrote.

“Under your leadership, the external relations of the country have seen immense progress and we have been able to make giant strides on all fronts. In the last 17 months the prestige and standing of the nation has risen to unprecedented heights on the international plane. Your contribution to the peace process with Pakistan, moving forward our relations with neighbours and in making a historic breakthrough in our relations with the US are indeed praiseworthy accomplishments,” he added.

January 06, 2010, 7:14AM

Good morning. Here are some of the latest news highlights:

Connecticut Democratic Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, who was a major player in both efforts to deal with the economic meltdown and the debate on overhauling health care, has decided not to seek re-election in November, according to Democratic officials.

Dodd, who has served five terms but has seen his popularity ratings plummet after his failed 2008 presidential bid and questions about a VIP mortgage loan, was expected to make an announcement today.

» The New York Times: Senator Dodd will not seek re-election, Democrats say

And in other news:

» The Post-Standard: Penn Traffic Co. says auction off all our stores; Schumer asks Penn Traffic, creditors to 'cool it'

» Utica Observer-Dispatch: DA's Office investigates death threats on Utica Topix

» Jezebel: Americans hate their jobs more than ever

» WSYR Channel 9: Non-profits having a tough time getting car donations

» Detroit Free Press: Arab-American students clash with school officials over 9/11 sweatshirts

» The Associated Press: Buffalo's debt collectors accused of bullying

Vist New York CityOfficial Site for New York City Vacation Packages (NYCVP)
www.nyctrip.com/NYCVP

Obama Urges Refinance$180,000 Refinance $939/mo. See Rates- No Credit Check Req.
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It's not just bloggers who are obsessed with Cupertino's tablet computer

"I'm hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that." — New York Times managing editor Bill Keller

Keller's videotaped speech to his digital staff last October, excerpted below the fold, has been getting a lot of play lately on the off-chance that he had been briefed by Apple (AAPL) and let slip the presumptive name — iSlate — of Steve Jobs' next big thing. (See, for example, here.)

But the off-the-record, all-hands speech may have been something else. It may have been a signal from the top of the newsroom that the paper of record's reporters and columnists were to start focusing for self-serving reasons on a particular product, not on the editorial page but in the paper's news hole.

We've certainly been reading a lot about Apple's tablet in the Times recently; a quick search turned up more than two dozen mentions in December alone, including a Bits item declaring 2010 the Year of the Tablet.

But two pieces Monday — one in the Times and one in Times Co.'s (NYT) International Herald Tribune — stand out: design columnist Alice Rawsthorn's "Impact of the 'iSlate' Could Rival iPhone," and David Carr's "A Savior in the Form of a Tablet."

"There hasn’t been this much hype about a tablet," writes Carr, the Times' star new-media columnist, "since Moses came down from the mountain."

It's no secret that the Times — and nearly every other company in the print business, including Time Inc. (TWX), which publishes this blog — is struggling to adapt to the exigencies of the digital age. And it's an open secret that Apple has been courting publishers, encouraging them to prepare redesigned content for a possible forthcoming tablet device. (See, for example, the Sports Illustrated tablet demo.)

Rawthorn's piece in Monday's IHT, despite some cluelessness (she calls tablets "one of the the fastest growing areas of the computer market," apparently confusing them with netbooks), is right on message:

"Many people like their e-readers (not least because they save them from having to haul around books, newspapers and magazines) but I’ve yet to meet anyone who loves them. That’s the key. If a really great e-reader appeared, the market would explode … If it comes through, demand for electronic books, newspapers and magazines should soar."

Carr, who is anything but clueless, puts the issue in its starkest terms, calling the iSlate a "Jesus tablet" and exploring the ways it might save "some embattled print providers from doom."

"For one thing," he writes, "it helps magazines and newspapers enter a world where they can measure consumer engagement with ads, which is pretty much the only game in town going forward."

And why, he asks rhetorically, would people pay on a tablet for what they've been getting for free on the Internet?

"That’s where Apple comes in. A simple, reliable interface for gaining access to paid content can do amazing things: Five years ago, almost no one paid for music online and now, nine billion or so songs sold later, we know that people are willing to pay if the price is right and the convenience is there.

"People have pointed out that there is far more value in repeat uses of 'Stand by Me,' by Ben E. King than, say, a copy of this column. But somewhere between the iTunes model and the iPhone app store, where people pay for applications that make their life better or simpler, there may be a model for print."

Carr opens the piece by saying he'd buy an iSlate in a minute, even if it did cost closer to $1,000 than $200. But being David Carr, he ends it by putting some distance between himself and the device to which his boss seems to have hitched the paper's wagon.

"I haven’t been this excited about buying something since I was 8 years old and sent away for the tiny seahorses I saw advertised in the back of a comic book. Come to think of it, the purchase didn’t really meet my expectations, but with the whole new year thing, a boy can dream, right?"

The NY Times (hearts) Apple's iSlate

PITTSBURGH (KDKA)-Streamers of lake effect snow continue to affect the western Pennsylvania region, Monday morning and is affecting travel and school districts.

KDKA-TV Meteorologist Dennis Bowman said that visibility is down to about a mile and roads are getting covered with snow. We can expect a coating to an inch of snow, generally, today with one to two inches in the Laurels and near I-80.

Today's high will near 24 with single-digit wind chills and little change can be expected for several days.

As a result of the snow traffic in the area is being impacted.

KDKA-TV's Traffic and Transit reporter, Jim Lokay said that at one point this morning, traffic on the inbound Parkway West (I-376) was backed up to the Interstate 79 junction due to snowy and icy road conditions.

In addition, outbound traffic is also slowing between Parkway Center and Rosslyn Farms. The roadway is generally snow covered, with only tire tracks visible.

At one point, West Liberty Avenue was backed up to Scott Road in Mt. Lebanon.

Also, Saw Mill Run Boulevard saw delays as far back as Baldwin.

The road conditions and lingering snow is also forcing schools to either cancel or delay classes this morning.

Celtic v Rangers live stream. This is a game that you want to see. Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League Celtic v Rangers on January 3, 2009 at 12:30 PM GMT at the Celtic Park. Yet again a soccer match that we have to follow as Celtic have dropped striker Scott McDonald and defender Stephen McManus for Sunday’s derby with Rangers.

You can watch Celtic v Rangers live stream through Justin TV, US Stream, and using Sopcast and TVants. You can also check your local channel for the live coverage. Enjoy the Rangers vs Celtic live stream.

Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez collaborated on New Year’s Rockin Eve TV show. Up and coming popstars Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez recently collaborated for the song, “One Less Lonely Girl” on Dick Clark’s “New Year’s Rockin Eve” the other night (video below). The show was hosted by American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest.

Justin came out to lead off the performance. He worked the crowd with theatrics, hand gestures,dance moves,and of course,singing. He continued to work the crowd and hit the notes,which made the teeny bopper girls scream. Then, about a minute and half through the performance, a guy walks Selena Gomez onto the stage so she could act like Justin’s girl during his performance.

He gave her a hug and started serenading her. Selena appeared to enjoy the performance as she started bopping a little bit to the song. Towards the end of the performance, Selena got up and started dancing along with the other back-up dancers. He ended it, by thanking everybody and giving Selena a big hug.

Leeds United caused the biggest shock of the FA Cup third round so far with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Jermaine Beckford, the Leeds striker, scored in the 19th minute for the League One leaders as United lost at this stage of the competition for the first time since losing to Bournemouth in 1984.

Beckford looked to have miscontrolled Johnny Howson's long diagonal pass, but he angled a low finish past Wes Brown, the Manchester United centre half, and goalkeeper Tomas Kuszczak.

It was the first time Alex Ferguson had suffered defeat in the third round, the stage at which the top clubs enter the FA Cup, since he became United manager in 1986.

Lawrence brothers sue ex-officer and city for police brutality

LAWRENCE — Two Lawrence brothers have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against an ex-police officer and the city, alleging police brutality.

The suit comes nearly three years after the brothers said they were beaten by the officer.

Moises and Rubenito Fernandez also accused the city and the Police Department of "tacitly condoning mistreatment of prisoners" by ex-officer Kyle Wilcox. Their allegations came in a 14-page complaint filed yesterday in Federal District Court.

"The Lawrence Police Department, the Mayor and the Chief of Police are also aware of individuals being physically mistreated, beaten and otherwise abused by police within the walls of the Lawrence Police Department by Mr. Wilcox and other members of the force," the lawsuit reads, in part.

Wilcox, 31, a four-year member of the police force, was convicted last year of two counts of assault and battery on the Fernandez brothers after a week-long bench trial before a Worcester District Court judge. He received a suspended one-year jail sentence and a year probation for each offense.

The Fernandez brothers accused Wilcox of beating them after their arrest during a tenant dispute on Myrtle Street on Dec. 22, 2006. Rubenito Fernandez, 44, said Wilcox forced him to the ground in the vehicle bay of Lawrence police headquarters. Fernandez said he later received 26 stitches to close a cut on his face.

Moises Fernandez, 41, said Wilcox hit him across the head with a hard object while he was handcuffed in a basement holding area known as the "pink room."

The Fernandez brothers faced a variety of charges stemming from their arrest, in which Wilcox said the pair threw a tenant's property outside and resisted arrest. Those charges were later dismissed by a judge because prosecutors and police failed to provide critical information to a defense attorney in a timely manner.

"The city and supervisors of officers in the police department have demonstrated deliberate indifference to the rights of the Fernandez' brothers," the lawsuit reads.

"This has fostered and perpetuated an understanding within the ranks of the Police Department that gratuitous, violent abuse of persons by officers would not result in discipline, and, indeed, may be done with virtual impunity," the suit continued.

Also named as defendants are the city, Mayor Michael Sullivan, police Chief John Romero, police Lt. Scott McNamara and officers Terrance Pennington, Ryan Guthrie and Fabian Guerrero.

Worcester lawyer Hector Pineiro said the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, which his clients want determined in a jury trial. The lawsuit noted that Wilcox and the city are defendants in several other federal lawsuits, but said the city has done little to address the problem of police brutality.

"The Mayor, the city, Chief Romero and other officers knew of Wilcox's dangerous propensities, but failed to do anything about it," Pineiro said yesterday.

"These failures in training, disciplining and supervision caused Moises and Ruben to be deprived of their constitutional rights," he said of his clients.

Romero declined comment on the lawsuit, but defended his department's efforts to remove Wilcox from the force.

In fact, the chief noted that the city tried to fire Wilcox in July 2007, when the mayor terminated him for mistreating a prisoner in a holding cell at the police station early that year.

That firing was overturned in February, when a civil service hearing officer concluded there wasn't enough evidence to support the prisoner's allegations.

Wilcox was fired again last year after being convicted of abusing the Fernandez brothers.

He appealed the firing, But the arbitrator ruled in the city's favor this time.

Death Tunnel – Waverly Hills Sanatorium

This morning I heard for the first time about of a deserted hospital which is very famous to be a haunted hospital!
It is located at Waverly Hills near Louisville, Kentucky (USA), the Waverly Hills Sanatorium.
This kind of deserted places always fascinates me a lot so I made some research about it.
In fact it is a sanatorium which was built in 1910 on a hill, south-west Louisville, to accommodate tuberculosis patients. It closed in June 1962. It reopened the same year but as a geriatrics hospital. In 1981 it was forced to close allegedly due to patient abuse.
The place became a mythical place with some urban legends. One of them says that “63,000 deaths” occurred at the Sanitorium. The deserted building is today one of the most famous haunted place of USA!
During my research I discovered that under the old building there is an inclined tunnel (150 meters length) which links the first floor to the bottom of the hill near a railroad.
On one side of the inclined tunnel there are steps and on the other side there is an inclined plane on which there were rails and a carriage which was pulled by a motorized cable to carry supplies.
The tunnel was a way to reach the building without using the main road. The tunnel was lighted and ventilated by some vertical air ducts leading from the roof of the tunnel to above ground level.
The tunnel was used to discreetly evacuate the bodies of the dead patients away in full view of other patients. Another urban legend says that the bodies were tossed and thrown on the slope of the tunnel!
The name of the tunnel is “Death Tunnel” or “Body Chute)!

New Year’s resolutions – it’s that time of year again. The time when many of us say we’re going to change ourselves, change our lives, maybe even change the world. Some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight, exercise more, save money and manage debt, get a better education, and reduce stress.

Making resolutions specific increases the chance that we’ll follow through on them. Below, I have a few specific suggestions for New Year’s resolutions that shouldn’t be too hard to keep and will, I hope, be worth trying.

* » See also: How Food Shapes Our Cities
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1) Master the basics of cooking. Proper technique improves any recipe and can make cooking more enjoyable. Stuart Stein wrote a list of the top ten techniques every cook should know (part 1 and part 2) . I would add deglazing a pan, cooking onions to the proper texture, and cooking garlic without burning it to a list of basics.

2) Find out what grows within one hundred and fifty miles of your home. Try to eat entirely locally for one week. It’s not easy, but it doesn’t have to be boring if you do a bit of homework. Eating locally not only gets you the freshest foods—and fresher means more vitamins and better flavor—it also keeps your money in the local economy. It benefits the farmer directly, since the farmer doesn’t have to share the profit with distributors and retailers, and it benefits the localities by improving the tax base.

3) Round out your repertoire. Master at least one recipe for every occasion. While you probably have recipes for the family holidays down pat – I mean, you got them from Grandma, right? – you need that quick meal for when you got caught in traffic on the way home and everyone’s starving. Or a few appetizer recipes for an impromptu gathering of friends at your place.

4) Give up junk food for a week. This one goes towards the classic “lose weight this year” New Year’s resolution. Junk food is popular for many reasons: convenience, uniformity of flavor, comfort. But one thing junk food lacks is nutritional density. While there’s nothing wrong with junk food as an occasional treat, many of us (including me) tend to reach for it too often for our health. Even making the same food at home that you can pick up at a fast food place will cut down on calories and likely increase nutrition since you’ll be selecting quality ingredients.

5) Broaden your palate. We all get stuck in a rut from time to time. Try a new vegetable or spice. If you try eating locally, you’ll probably have plenty of opportunities to experiment as you meet farmers who are testing out varieties to see what grows best and sells best in the area.

This was YouTube's decade. Plus: Top ten Web moments of the '00s

It seems inevitable and permanent now, as much a fixture in the American mind as McDonald's or Time magazine.
But YouTube, it is easy to forget, did not exist when the current decade opened.
It didn't exist in 2001 or 2002.
There was no YouTube in 2003 or 2004, either.
Not until "Me at the zoo," a video of co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo, was posted in April 2005, was there, really, a YouTube.
Yet despite being around for fewer than half of the past 10 years, the video-sharing service is the decade's most-influential popular-culture force on the Internet.
From Karim talking about the length of the elephants' trunks in the still-available 19-second clip, it has spearheaded the widespread availability of video on the Web, everything from golf's Masters tournament, live, to brand-new episodes of popular sitcoms such as "30 Rock" in the same week they aired on TV.
These developments, of course, threaten traditional and long-standing delivery systems.
YouTube became the clearinghouse for the short, shared, "viral" videos that were key to making Internet culture into mainstream culture, and started to play a role in politics, especially in the 2008 presidential campaign.
It developed as a kind of chaotic library, a go-to reference resource for people seeking video of musical artists, old cigarette commercials or the latest news sensation.
And it has championed the decade's DIY aesthetic: Skip the professionals, was YouTube's implicit message.
Shoot your own video. Upload it here, fast and easy.
And in the end, it doesn't matter so much if your backyard trampoline-stunt footage (ouch!) isn't great art; what matters is the validation it seems to get by being hosted on an external site.
With YouTube, if you wanted your friends to watch what you made, you didn't have to drag them into your living room and plug the camcorder into the TV.
You just sent them a link, and they watched it at the same Web site that also has professional material by TV stars. The site echoed similar revolutions happening in writing, as blogs came to prominence, and in photography, where people shared photos on sites including Flickr. But with YouTube, it was even more so, because the bar to getting videos shown in public had been higher.

Professional creators of content tried to fight YouTube for a while, policing their copyrights zealously and seeking takedowns whenever possible. But eventually, they decided they'd rather switch than fight. Deals were struck, and the providers who didn't form their own YouTube channels to show highlights (as CBS, for one, does) offered the equivalent of YouTube clips and much more on their own sites or on professional aggregators. But even as YouTube has become a ubiquitous brand, it hasn't yet proved that it can translate its traffic — it is ranked among the top five Web sites — into revenue. The site has struggled to integrate advertising in a manner that won't alienate customers.

Rival Hulu — a project of General Electric (NBC), News Corp. (Fox) and Disney (ABC) that might be termed a professional version of YouTube — has announced that it will, next year, begin charging its users.

But the battle of getting people to pay for content on the Web — or of getting content to pay for itself via ads — is a, and possibly the, question for the next decade.

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