Maurício Mattar sofre acidente de carro no Rio

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DO RIO

O ator Maurício Mattar sofreu um acidente no começo da tarde desta sexta-feira, no Rio. De acordo com o Corpo de Bombeiros, o ator dirigia um Toyota Corolla quando perdeu o controle do carro e bateu em um poste na esquina da avenida Lúcio Costa com a avenida Gláucio Gil no Recreio, zona oeste da cidade.

AgNews

Maurício Mattar em lançamento de livro no Rio

Mattar teve algumas escoriações, mas passa bem. Ele foi socorrido pelos bombeiros e levado para o Hospital Municipal Lourenço Jorge, na Barra da Tijuca, também na zona oeste.
Segundo a Secretaria Municipal de Saúde, o ator deu entrada no hospital por volta das 14h, recebeu os primeiros socorros e foi transferido para uma unidade particular.

+ Canais

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Simpsons actors says he'd take a massive pay cut for a share of profits... but Fox refused

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 8:53 PM on 7th October 2011

Harry Shearer offered to take a 70% pay cut on The Simpsons in exchange for a tiny piece of profits. Fox refused

One of the voice actors on 'The Simpsons' says he's willing to cut his salary by 70 percent to keep the show going in exchange for a taste of the production's profits.
Harry Shearer, who voices the characters of Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders and others, is one of six actors who provide voices for the animated characters on Fox's Sunday night hit.
He said Friday that producers turned down his offer.
Current cast negotiations are threatening the future of the comedy, which entered its 23rd season last month.
The Simpsons has earned an estimated $1 billion in profits for its producers, according to the actors locked in a salary cut row with 20th Century Fox.
'Fox hasn't explained what kind of new business model it has formulated to keep the show on the air, but clearly the less money they have to pay us in salary, the more they're able to afford to continue broadcasting the show,' Shearer wrote.
'And to this I say, fine -- if pay cuts are what it will take to keep the show on the air, then cut my pay. In fact, to make it as easy as possible for Fox to keep new episodes of The Simpsons coming, I'm willing to let them cut my salary not just 45 percent but more than 70 percent -- down to half of what they said they would be willing to pay us.

Doh! The Simpsons has been running for 23 years but is under threat because Fox Television wants to cut the voice cast's wages by 45 per cent

'All I would ask in return is that I be allowed a small share of the eventual profits.

Shears voices Mr Burns, pictured, Ned Flanders and others

The network refused and has refused to comment.
Fox Television, a unit of News Corp, are threatening to cut the iconic and much-loved American series unless the show's voice cast take a 45 per cent pay cut.
But The Simpsons' voice actors have hit back at the network in the negotiations by commissioning a survey revealing the show has made an estimated $1 billion profit.
The study made by the cast estimates that The Simpsons will eventually make around $2.8 billion through 23 seasons.
Six actors who voice the likes of Bart, Homer and Lisa Simpson, as well as the dozens of other characters on the programme, have been asked to decide by Friday whether they are prepared to have their salaries cut from $440,000 per episode to $250,000.
The cast last week agreed to a cut to $300,000 in exchange for back-end payments they currently don't receive, but the studio rejected this offer.
Fox Television had issued a statement earlier this week saying: 'We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model,' Fox said.
'We are hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the voice cast that allows The Simpsons to go on entertaining audiences with original episodes for many years to come,' the statement added.

Popular: The show also generates billions of dollars through global syndication, as well as DVD and merchandise sales

'The Simpsons' is the longest-running comedy series on U.S. television and is currently in its 23rd season on Fox.
The show also generates billions of dollars through global syndication, as well as DVD and merchandise sales.
The Fox statement followed a report on news website The Daily Beast that the principal voice cast members - including the voices for Homer (Dan Castellaneta), Marge (Julie Kavner), Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith) - were having difficulty renegotiating contracts that currently see them earning around $8million each per season.

Raking it in: Dan Castellaneta (Homer) and Julie Kavner (Marge). The cast currently earn around $8m a season each

The Daily Beast, quoting an unnamed insider, said the cast had tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a 30 percent pay cut in return for a portion of the show's profits.
Fox did not dispute the Daily Beast report.
'The Simpsons' is broadcast in more than 100 countries and 50 languages and has become a staple of American culture, with the family earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Contract negotiations: Nancy Cartwright (Bart) and Yeardley Smith (Lisa).  The cast had tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a 30 percent pay cut in return for a portion of the show's profits

TV industry sources said producers have enough episodes to keep the comedy on the air until the end of the 2011-12 TV season in May.
But the sources said the dispute would need to be settled by December 2011, so that writers would be able to work on either the season finale, or the series finale, depending on the outcome of contract talks.
Other members of the cast and crew are also being asked to take pay cuts, according to the sources.
News Corp executives have said in recent weeks they are looking at ways to make more money from the show in the future, both in syndication rights and other areas.

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Brasil: Ex-vice-cônsul de Portugal procurado pela Interpol

A representação da Interpol no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, no Brasil, informou hoje que encaminhou o pedido de inclusão do ex-vice-cônsul de Portugal em Porto Alegre, Adelino Pinto, na lista de foragidos internacionais. O pedido foi enviado ao escritório da Interpol em França, após decisão judicial da 10.ª Vara Criminal de Porto Alegre, confirmou a assessoria da representação da Interpol (Organização Internacional de Polícia Criminal) à Agência Lusa.
Em setembro deste ano, Adelino Pinto foi acusado pelo Ministério Público brasileiro por estelionato (crime semelhante a burla) e coação no curso do processo. É acusado de se apropriar indevidamente de 2,5 milhões de reais (1,03 milhão de euros) na Arquidiocese de Porto Alegre e foi-lhe aplicada a 12 de agosto a medida de coação de prisão preventiva, que não cumpriu por se ter ausentado do país.
Diário Digital / Lusa A representação da Interpol no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, no Brasil, informou hoje que encaminhou o pedido de inclusão do ex-vice-cônsul de Portugal em Porto Alegre, Adelino Pinto, na lista de foragidos internacionais. O pedido foi enviado ao escritório da Interpol em França, após decisão judicial da 10.ª Vara Criminal de Porto Alegre, confirmou a assessoria da representação da Interpol (Organização Internacional de Polícia Criminal) à Agência Lusa.
Em setembro deste ano, Adelino Pinto foi acusado pelo Ministério Público brasileiro por estelionato (crime semelhante a burla) e coação no curso do processo. É acusado de se apropriar indevidamente de 2,5 milhões de reais (1,03 milhão de euros) na Arquidiocese de Porto Alegre e foi-lhe aplicada a 12 de agosto a medida de coação de prisão preventiva, que não cumpriu por se ter ausentado do país.
Diário Digital / Lusa

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#PT Prefeito condenado por pedofilia foi expulso do PT do Piauí

Geraldo Machado foi expulso ainda em março de 2011. Nesta semana, ele foi condenado pelo TJ/PI.

O PT divulgou nesta sexta-feira (7) que o prefeito de Sebastião Barros, Geraldo Eustáquio Machado, foi expulso do partido em março de 2011. O gestor foi condenado ontem pela 2ª Câmara Criminal do Tribunal de Justiça do Piauí a oito anos de prisão e perda do mandato, pelo crime de pedofilia. O motivo da expulsão, no entanto, foi infidelidade partidária.

Agência Senado

Geraldo Mineiro

"O partido informa que em dezembro de 2010, a filiada Irene Nogueira Costa ingressou com uma representação contra o prefeito à Comissão de Ética do Partido dos Trabalhadores. O prefeito foi acusado de infidelidade partidária nas eleições de 2010, por não acatar a decisão do PT, deixando de votar nos candidatos da sigla.", diz nota enviada pela sigla. 

De acordo com o PT, o prefeito foi notificado sobre o processo em dezembro de 2010 pelo presidente do Conselho de Ética e Disciplina do partido, o advogado José Maria de Araújo Costa. A Executiva Estadual decidiu pela expulsão em março deste ano. 

Sobre a acusação de pedofilia, o partido encerra a nota dizendo: "A Executiva, Diretório, filiados e simpatizantes do PT solidarizam-se com a família da menor e, pelo cerne partidário, que é também lutar e defender as causas daqueles que se encontram em situação de fragilidade e vulnerabilidade social, clama para que a Justiça seja cumprida.".

O prefeito ainda pode recorrer da condenação em instâncias superiores da Justiça.

Da Redação

redacao@cidadeverde.com

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Promotoria pede interdição de Cingapura por risco de explosão

MELINA CARDOSO
DE SÃO PAULO

O Ministério público pediu a remoção das famílias que moram no conjunto habitacional Cingapura na avenida Zachi Narchi (zona norte). Ao divulgar o caso, nesta sexta-feira, a Promotoria informou que a área --próxima ao shopping Center Norte-- tem risco de explosão devido à alta concentração de metano no solo.
De acordo com a promotora Cláudia Cecília Fedeli, o pedido foi feito com base no laudo enviado pela Cetesb (órgão ambiental paulista) sobre a situação do Cingapura.
Assim como o shopping Center Norte o conjunto habitacional foi construído numa área onde antes funcionava um lixão. Além do Cingapura, o laudo apontou alta concentração de metano no centro educacional infantil Nair Salgado.
O shopping ficou fechado por dois dias, por determinação da Justiça, e reabriu nesta sexta, após técnicos constatarem que o Center Norte instalou drenos para extração do gás metano --o que afastou o risco de explosão no centro de compras.
O pedido de remoção dos moradores do Congapura foi enviado no noite de quinta-feira (6). Se a Justiça acatar o pedido, a Prefeitura terá cinco dias para retirar as famílias com segurança, instalar um sistema de drenagem no solo e comprovar sua eficácia.

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CRÍTICA: A volta de Fabio Assunção à TV

Por motivos alheios ao seu talento, Fabio Assunção passou um tempão longe da TV. Sua última aparição foi em “Dalva e Herivelto” e por esse trabalho é finalista do Emmy. Ano passado, Gilberto Braga e Ricardo Linhares criaram para ele o papel do vilão Léo de “Insensato coração”. Fabio chegou a gravar, mas, antes da estreia, deixou o trabalho. Há duas semanas, está de volta em “Tapas & beijos”, uma das melhores séries da Globo, criação de Cláudio Paiva, dirigida por Maurício Farias e com um elenco de primeira linha, sem exceções.
Fabio já chegou bem como Jorge, o dono de uma boate de strip-tease aparentada daquelas casas de show que existem perto do Lido, em Copacabana. Sua dupla com Andrea Beltrão é divertida, e eles estão entrosados. Muito bom também é o fato de seu personagem não funcionar como detergente de imagem: o público não é bobinho nem precisaria disso para receber sem reservas a volta à cena de um ator da melhor qualidade.
Cláudio Paiva driblou eventuais apelos politicamente corretos e inventou para ele um tipo que “fuma, bebe e ainda ronca”. Agradando com essas credenciais, Fabio provou que não precisa se apresentar como galãzinho impoluto. Refeito dos problemas que o tiraram do vídeo, ou tendo caminhado muito nessa direção, ele ganhou com a chance de interpretar um sujeito cheio de defeitos e bem real, ainda que numa história cômica. É um acerto de todos.

• Adultérios (título original: Central Park West) é um dos textos de Woody Allen escritos diretamente para o palco
• Peça montada pela 1ª vez no Brasil
• Inteligente, divertido e ligeiramente neurótico, como todo bom script assinado por Woody Allen
• Woody Allen foi o diretor de Noivo Neurótico, Noiva Nervosa, Manhattan, A Rosa Púrpura do Cairo, Hannah e Suas Irmãs, A Era do Rádio, Crimes e Pecados, Simplesmente Alice, Maridos e Esposas, Tiros na Broadway, Poderosa Afrodite, Desconstruindo Harry, Ponto Final - Match Point, Scoop - O Grande Furo, O Sonho de Cassandra, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Meia Noite em Paris
• Grande elenco com Fabio Assunção, Norival Rizzo e Carol Mariottini
• Tradução: Raquel Ripani
• Adaptação e direção: Alexandre Reinecke
• Até 58% off em peça com Fábio Assunção e texto original de Woody Allen é aqui no Groupon, o seu site de compras coletivas

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Porsche bate em carros e foge na região do Morumbi, diz polícia

DE SÃO PAULO

O motorista de um Porsche se envolveu em um acidente com ao menos outros dois carros e fugiu, na manhã desta sexta-feira, no Jardim Guedala, na região do Morumbi (zona oeste de São Paulo). Segundo a Polícia Militar o motorista aparentava estar embriagado.
Informações preliminares apontam que o motorista dirigia na contramão e em alta velocidade pela rua Olegário Mariano. Um Honda Fit teria tentado desviar e acabou batendo em um poste. Já um Palio Weekend não consegui desviar e acabou sendo atingido pelo Porsche.
Segundo o tenente Rodrigo Sato, da Polícia Militar, o motorista do carro de luxo deixou o local do acidente e foi para casa. Ele, no entanto, foi seguido pelo motorista de um outro carro, que chamou a polícia.
No local indicado, a polícia deteve o motorista do Porsche e o encaminhou para o 89º DP (Portal do Morumbi). O tenente disse que o homem aparentava estar embriagado, mas não soube dizer se ele fez o teste do bafômetro. O nome dele não foi informado.
Ainda de acordo com a PM, a motorista do Honda Fit que atingiu o poste teve ferimento leve, foi encaminhada para o Hospital Albert Einstein e já recebeu alta.
OUTROS CASOS
Nos últimos meses, foram registrados diversos outros casos de acidente com carros de luxo. O mais recente ocorreu na última sexta-feira (30), quando um jovem de 19 anos bateu seu Camaro em outros seis carros. Um homem de 55 anos morreu em decorrência do acidente.
No dia 12 de setembro, Patrick Fiks Brukirer Fajer, 20, morreu após bater seu Mercedes em um muro de proteção na região do Morumbi (zona oeste de São Paulo). O carro dele capotou diversas vezes até atingir um carro da Polícia Militar. A namorada de Fajer disse que ele dirigia a 140 km/h.
Em julho, houve ainda um acidente envolvendo outro Porsche no Itaim Bibi (zona oeste). O veículo atingiu o carro da advogada Carolina Menezes Cintra Santos, 28, que não resistiu e morreu.
Já na Vila Madalena (zona oeste), o administrador Vitor Gurman, 24, morreu após ser atropelado por um Land Rover. O laudo, divulgado ontem, afirma que o jipe estava a 57 km/h no momento do acidente, sendo que o limite de velocidade é de 30 km/h.

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Batman: Arkham City to get early release at Times Square event

By Rick Marshall | Digital Trends – 

• 1

Holy pre-release, Batman! If you’re the sort who’s counting down the days until Batman: Arkham City is comfortably nestled in your favorite console, you might want to make a trip to Times Square in the near future to pick up the game 24 hours early, courtesy of an upcoming Toys R Us event.

The central Manhattan location of the popular toy chain will make the much-anticipated sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum available on Monday, October 17 — a full day before it officially hits shelves.

Only 500 copies of the game will be available at the event, and the first 100 customers to pre-order a copy through the store’s “Personal Shopping Department” will have a chance to get their game autographed by DC Entertainment co-publisher Jim Lee, Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy, Arkham City game director Sefton Hill.

The remaining 400 copies of Arkham City can be purchased at the event, which starts at 4 PM at the Toys R Us in Times Square.
Here’s the full text of the press release:

BAT-SIGNAL SHINES ON TOYS”R”US® TIMES SQUARE DURING LAUNCH OF BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY FROM ­­­­WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND ROCKSTEADY STUDIOS

500 Advance Copies Glide Into The World’s Greatest Toy Store® On October 17; First 100 Copies to Be Signed During Appearances by Jim Lee, Kevin Conroy and Sefton Hill
WHO: Jim Lee, legendary artist and co-publisher at DC Entertainment Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman in Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City and Batman: The Animated Series Sefton Hill, Game Director at Rocksteady Studios
WHAT: On Monday, October 17, Toys”R”Us® Times Square, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, DC Entertainment and Rocksteady Studios invite gamers to don the cowl of the Caped Crusader when a combined total of 500 copies of Batman: Arkham City for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 become available one day earlier than the game’s official U.S. release.
Now through Monday, October 17, the first 100 customers to pre-purchase a copy of Batman: Arkham City for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 through the Personal Shopping Department at Toys”R”Us Times Square will receive a ticket, reserving a copy of the game and granting access to a special signing event where they will have the opportunity to meet and receive autographs from Jim Lee, Kevin Conroy and Sefton Hill.* 400 additional customers can also purchase the game during the event, without a signature.
Toys”R”Us Times Square visitors can also experience activities from 4 – 7 pm on the day of the event, including a special appearance by Batman and Catwoman, who will pose for pictures with customers who bring their own cameras. Visitors will also be able to pose with a statue of Batman, dressed in his Arkham City costume, which will be featured in the store. As a bonus, Rocksteady Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will showcase demos of the game.
MEDIA OPPS: Film/Photography elements include: * Interviews with Jim Lee, Kevin Conroy and Sefton Hill** * Customers purchasing Batman: Arkham City * Customers receiving autographs from Jim Lee, Kevin Conroy and Sefton Hill * Batman and Catwoman posing with fans * Rocksteady Studios interviews and demonstrations of Batman: Arkham City
WHEN: Monday, October 17 Media Call Time: 3:30 pm Event Begins: 4 pm
WHERE: Toys”R”Us Times Square, Level Three 1514 Broadway (at 44th Street) New York, NY
If you’re thinking about making the trek, make sure to get there early, as lines will probably start forming well before the event’s kickoff time.

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Pre-orders are here, but should you buy the iPhone 4S, or wait for iPhone 5?

By Barb Dybwad, Tecca | Today in Tech 

Here's some food for thought when considering the new iPhone model

Apple has unleashed all the juicy details on the newest member of the iPhone family, the iPhone 4S — and with it, a torrent of consumer angst over whether or not to buy the latest and greatest Apple smartphone when it launches October 14, or hold out for the inevitable iPhone 5.
Whether or not an iPhone 4S purchase makes sense for you will depend on a number of factors: are you currently under contract with an earlier iPhone model or other smartphone? Do you have the now last-generation iPhone 4, or the even older iPhone 3GS model? Are you hankering to switch cell carriers?
Read on for some advice on whether or not the iPhone 4S would be a good purchase, depending on which of the following camps you're currently in. The ultimate decision is all yours, and of course a very personal one: let us know what your gameplan is in the comments!

Current iPhone 3GS or earlier owners

If you bought the iPhone 3GS when it first came out back in June of 2009, or are still rocking either the iPhone 3G or the original iPhone, you should be clear of the 2-year contract you signed then, making the iPhone 4S a very sensible upgrade for you. In fact, Apple knows full well it needs to craft its phone hardware strategy around this typical 2-year cycle, and the arguably less than earth-shattering upgrades between the iPhone 3G and 3GS, and now the 4 and 4S, were actively designed to appeal to consumers two generations behind (you can check out a feature comparison of the latter three devices here).
If you picked up the iPhone 3GS sometime after it was released and are still under contract, you'll want to check out your current upgrade status — especially since new iPhone launches often prompt AT&T to "massage" your eligibility. You can do this by visiting att.com/wireless, dialing *NEW# (*639#) from your phone, calling customer service at 1-800-331-0500, or visiting a retail location.

AT&T Upgrade Advantage

Even if you haven't completed your contract, you may still be eligible for AT&T's Early Upgrade program, which still nets you a discounted price for the phone, although not quite as much of a discount as a fully-subsidized handset. If the difference seems worth it to you, go for it — or you could simply wait out the remaining months in your contract to get the subsidized iPhone 4S pricing (16GB for $199, 32GB for $299, and a first-ever 64GB version for $399) in exchange for signing a new 2-year contract.
And of course, if you're still under contract with the iPhone 3GS, you have one other upgrade path open to you: switch cell phone carriers. Perhaps you're one of the many folks who've been frustrated with AT&T's service, or maybe one or more family members use a different carrier and you'd like to take advantage of free in-network calling or offered family plans. If you bought your iPhone 3GS before June 1, 2010, you're also lucky enough to be subject to a less onerous early termination fee than customers who bought iPhones after that date: you'll pay $175 minus $5 for each month of the 2-year contract you've completed so far.

Current iPhone 4 owners

iPhone 4

For current iPhone 4 owners, the "to upgrade, or not to upgrade" decision gets a bit more difficult. Unless you bought an unlocked phone, you're probably still under contract — but again, it's worth checking when your upgrade eligibility falls, and if you're on AT&T, whether or not you're eligible for Early Upgrade pricing as we mentioned in the previous section. If you're tempted by the iPhone 4S's new features but think you can wait out your contract without needing to snag the latest and greatest, you'll definitely be saving yourself some hard-earned money. If the faster processor, increased storage size, better camera, and Siri voice assistant are just too much to resist, though, you still have options. Apple offers a fairly decent recycling program that could net you a significant amount of dough for your current iPhone. You could also sell your current handset to a friend, family member, or willing buyer on eBay or Craigslist to defray the cost of paying full price for a new iPhone 4S.
And as with current iPhone 3GS owners still under contract, you also have the option of switching carriers to try and save some upgrade cost. Now that AT&T and Verizon have both raised the early termination fees for smartphones to a pro-rated $350, it's certainly not going to be cheap; but depending on how many months you have left to go in your current contract, it could still be more cost-effective to pay an ETF and get the subsidized price for a new iPhone 4S than to pay the full cost for the phone. Be sure to check our guide to cell carrier ETFs to find out what you'd need to pay to escape the clutches of your current cell provider.
Yes, you're going to feel some upgrade angst all over again when the iPhone 5 does eventually hit — but if history is any indication, you'll probably have about a year's worth of happy ownership of the latest and greatest model before then. If your smartphone is a mission critical device in your life or business, it can be well worth going ahead with an upgrade now. Available storage space can be another important deciding factor: if you've managed to fill up your current iPhone 4 at any capacity, it's going to be hard to imagine living another year without getting any additional space... unless embarking on a big "iPhone Spring cleaning" project can keep you happy and spare you from spending the money it would take to upgrade.

Non-iPhone owners

Are you ready to upgrade?

If you don't currently own an iPhone but have been curious about joining the Apple smartphone faithful, it's a good time to pick up an iPhone 4S. Sure, the inevitable iPhone 5 will bring its own pang of buyer's remorse when it ends up launching, but remember that's probably going to be an entire year from now. If you're not currently under 2-year contract and eligible for an upgrade with your carrier, you should feel good about picking up an iPhone 4S. If you're still under contract with your current phone, it's worth finding out from your carrier when you're next eligible for an upgrade, and whether or not you can pay a bit extra to get the iPhone 4S under an early upgrade plan. If you don't currently have a smartphone, your early termination fee might be fairly nominal — so switching carriers could be a reasonable upgrade path for you to consider as well.

Heavy data users

If you're a smartphone power user who tends to gobble a lot of data on the go, one of the more compelling reasons to upgrade to the iPhone 4S is its newfound availability on Sprint. As the last remaining U.S. cell carrier with an available unlimited data plan, it could be well worth shelling out some extra up front cost in order to avoid any potential monthly charges for using too much cellular data.
If you're either already on Sprint and not under 2-year contract, or out of contract on another carrier, upgrade away or sign a new contract with Sprint in good conscience. If you're on Sprint and still within your current contract, find out if you can wait it out until you become eligible for an upgrade, or decide whether or not it's worth paying the full, unsubsidized price of the phone. If you're under contract with another carrier, find out how much that pesky ETF is going to cost you to jump ship, and compare it to the cost of potential data overage charges you might face on your current carrier.

How to place your pre-order

If you're ready to commit to an upgrade, and have figured out exactly how much it's going to cost you to do so, placing your advanced order for the iPhone 4S couldn't be simpler. Apple's pre-order program begins at 12:00 AM EST on October 7. If you fancy staying up until the midnight hour, you can head right over to the iPhone home page to begin your order.
When placing your order, you'll be able to check your eligibility for AT&T and Verizon discounts right from Apple's website (Sprint support is coming soon). The system will show you the price that you qualify for and you can choose whether you would like to replace your current smartphone or add an additional line to your wireless plan. The 4S begins shipping on October 14, and when you receive your handset in the mail it will guide you through the steps to activating it without the need to visit a carrier location.
If you'd rather purchase your new 4S right through your carrier, you'll likely be able to place a pre-order through all three iPhone 4S service providers as well. Depending on your location, your local wireless outlet may or may not be accepting pre-orders, so it's always best to call ahead. Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint haven't detailed their pre-order plans as well as Apple, but if history serves, they won't be far behind in offering to take your cash ahead of time.
No matter what you end up deciding, we want to know about it! Let us know your decision, and any tips you might have for other potential upgraders, in the comments below.

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Without Jobs, Apple’s gap with rivals could narrow

Thursday, 06 October 2011

Could the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs make room for rivals to catch up with the technology giant? (File photo)

inShare1

By Miyoung Kim and Hyunjoo Jin
REUTERS SEOUL

The death of Apple’s inspirational leader is likely to have a deep impact on the maker of the iPod, iPhone and iPad, giving major rivals a greater chance to catch up with the technology giant.

Steve Jobs’ creative spirit was so closely tied to the fortunes of Apple that his death at 56 raises questions about the company’s ability to keep its pipeline of transformational products running at such a fast pace.

“As a technology analyst, I am sorry for his death. It was Jobs’ Apple, not Apple’s Jobs,” said Kim Young-chan, an analyst at Shinhan Investment in Seoul.

The CEOs of rivals including Samsung Electronics, Amazon, Google and Sony mourned the death of Jobs, a sign of the respect they held for the Silicon Valley legend.

Investors had known about Jobs’ long battle with pancreatic cancer. In August, the man known for minimalist design and marketing genius handed the reins to long-time operations chief Tim Cook.

“Apple no longer has someone as creative and ambitious as Jobs that they can rely on,” said Simon Liu, deputy investment officer of Polaris Group’s fund unit.

In Asia, the fortunes of Samsung are most closely tied to Apple.

Analysts have said the South Korean conglomerate is one of the best placed companies to deliver something fresh and exciting to rival Apple. Samsung produces the closest competitor to Apple’s iPad tablet computer.

The two companies are scrapping for top spot in the smartphone market, having overtaken Nokia , the market leader for the past decade, in the second quarter.

Apple is also Samsung’s biggest customer through the sale of mobile chips and display screens.

The relationship and rivalry has helped Samsung become a top global brand over the past decade with a stock market value of $115 billion − still modest compared with Apple’s $345 billion.

But the relationship has also produced tensions as Samsung emerged as a credible challenger to Apple’s mobile devices. The two companies have sued each other in 10 countries involving more than 20 cases since April.

Samsung’s Galaxy range of smartphones and tablet computers running on Google’s Android operating system are seen as the main competitor to Apple’s game-changing iPhones and iPads.

The competition was “flummoxed” by the iPad, Jobs declared in March when he took the stage to unveil Apple’s latest tablet.

“They went back to the drawing boards. They tore up their designs because they weren’t competitive,” Jobs said.

Lee Seung-woo, technology analyst at Shinyoung Securities, said Apple had transformed the industry, but its influence would wane without Jobs at the helm of the company.

“Under Jobs, Apple consolidated segmented IT sectors into one big consumer market and claimed so many victims,” Lee said. “Without Jobs, Apple’s rivals now have some time to step up and majors such as Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Facebook will try to fill the gap.”

Iconic Products

Jan Dawson, chief telecoms analyst at research consultancy Ovum, said Apple would do well in the short term as the company would roll out products Jobs had a hand in.

The iPhone − introduced in 2007 with the touchscreen template now adopted by its rivals − is the gold standard in the booming smartphone market, and its sales have dealt a blow to ambitious plans of many competitors.

“The question is whether it can continue to launch iconic and successful products without him (in the longer term)... In the longer term, Apple risks becoming a more ordinary company without him.”

Jobs’ influence was underlined by the outpouring of tributes from executives of the world’s biggest companies.

“Chairman Steve Jobs introduced numerous revolutionary changes to the information technology industry and was a great entrepreneur,” Samsung Chief Executive G.S. Choi said in a statement.

Howard Stringer, the chief executive of Sony Corp said: “The digital age has lost its leading light, but Steve’s innovation and creativity will inspire dreamers and thinkers for generations.”

Symbolic

Jobs’ death comes after Apple this week launched the latest version of its iPhone, in what was Cook’s first big product introduction.

However, the iPhone 4S failed to wow fans and investors and some analysts said the rare loss of momentum could give rivals room to push their products.

“Jobs was an outstanding CEO and his successor Tim Cook faces a test (as to) whether Apple will be able to lead the global market as it was before,” Lee Jun-hyuck, a fund manager at Dongbu Asset Management.

On Thursday, Samsung’s shares rose 3.9 percent, LG Electronics advanced 6.6 percent and Sony rose 3.6 percent as part of broad gains in Asian markets.

Phones based on Google’s Android, which is available for free to handset vendors such as Samsung, HTC, LG and Motorola, have a greater combined market share than Apple’s iPhone, which is still the world’s No. 1 selling smartphone.

“Apple faces big challenges with the loss of Jobs and that will offer other technology companies opportunities to challenge its supremacy,” said Lee at Shinyoung.

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Street fighting rocks Qaddafi’s hometown of Sirte; 22 NTC fighters killed

Friday, 07 October 2011

Libyan rebels dismantle Sirte’s eastern gate which was meant to separate the city of Sirte, former leader Muammar Qaddafi’s birth place, and nearby towns. (Photo by Reuters)

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By Al Arabiya and Agencies
DUBAI

Muammar Qaddafi’s besieged hometown of Sirte was rocked by heavy street fighting on Friday, as the former leader called on Libyans to turn out in their millions to demonstrate against the country's new rulers.

At least 22 revolutionary fighters were killed and 146 others injured on Friday in fierce clashes with Qaddafi forces in Sirte, Al Arabiya correspondent said.

An AFP correspondent said there were particularly violent clashes around and inside the university, near the city center.

Street fighting and heavy bombardment also continued from overnight at the Ouagadougou conference centre, a major stronghold of pro-Qaddafi forces, while the Mauritanian Quarter was also under attack.

During his first visit to Iraq on Thursday, Libya’s interim premier Mahmoud Jibril, said that Qaddafi was hiding among tribesmen in the southern part of the country, and through their protection he is free to move forth and back through the borders with Niger.

Meanwhile, medics at a field hospital 50 kilometers (35 miles) west of Sirte said 18 injured anti-Qaddafi fighters had been brought in, most of them with shrapnel wounds, but that there were no immediate reports of any killed.

Qaddafi’s audio message

Qaddafi made his call late Thursday on Syria-based Arrai television, as the National Transitional Council’s forces pressed their three-week campaign to capture Sirte.

“I call on the Libyan people, men and women, to go out into the squares and the streets and in all the cities in their millions” to reject the NTC, the deposed leader said in a scratchy audio message.

“I say to them, do not fear anyone. You are the people, you belong to this land,” said Qaddafi, whose whereabouts are unknown but is widely thought to still be in Libya.

“Make your voice heard against NATO’s collaborators,” he said, in reference to the new regime.

Fighting on Sirte’s northeastern front had erupted Thursday morning after Qaddafi diehards advanced under the cover of darkness, fighters told AFP.

Sirte and Bani Walid, a desert town 170 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Tripoli, are Qaddafi’s last major bastions against the NTC, which has ruled most of the oil-rich country since the veteran strongman was toppled in August.

By midday Thursday, NTC fighters had halted the pro-Qaddafi assault and were advancing on foot among the buildings, in the face of rocket and sniper fire.

Thursday night, the Ali Nuri Sbag Brigade advanced nearly a kilometer (0.6 mile), bringing them close to the north-south thoroughfare that forms a pro-Qaddafi stronghold, an AFP correspondent said.

The brigade is made up mostly of defectors from Qaddafi’s army. Their professionalism is evident, in marked contrast to the amateurism of certain units of civilian volunteers.

Defenders had erected a sand berm to block the main road, so the attackers had to navigate a maze of alleys, two-storey homes and gardens.

The narrow lanes made it almost impossible for military vehicles to move forward without being targeted by snipers, forcing Mismari’s men to proceed on foot, guns at the ready.

Reinforcements to Bani Walid

Meanwhile, NTC reinforcements were sent to Bani Walid for another assault of Qaddafi’s loyalists who are fiercely defending the oasis.

Mussa Ali Yunes, commander of the Jado Brigade, said “we are heading for the southern front of Bani Walid,” speaking of a column of 1,000 men and hundreds of vehicles.

Yunes said efforts were being made to convince the remaining 10 percent of the population still there to leave before the new assault is launched after a month-long siege.

“The offensive could, possibly, be launched in two days, but that depends” on the situation, he added, explaining that the NTC forces were outgunned.

“There are many weapons in Bani Walid, weapons of high technology, very recent, coming from Russia,” he said. “We need more precise weapons but also intelligence on the inside, particularly on the number of missiles they have.

“About 2,000 fighters are deployed on the northern front, but they only have light weapons for now, because all the heavy weapons are in Sirte.”

Yunes said Qaddafi son “Saif al-Islam is in Bani Walid and possibly Qaddafi as well, but there is a 50 percent doubt about that. There are many Qaddafi loyalists in Bani Walid, more than in Sirte.”

On Tuesday, an NTC commander said Saif al-Islam was leading the final stand inside the besieged oasis.

Saif al-Islam, his father and Qaddafi’s intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi are the subject of International Criminal Court war crimes arrest warrants for murder and persecution in the bloody uprising.

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This Is Your Brain on 3D Ads

What makes a good advertisement? From a consumer's standpoint, a good ad is entertaining, helpful, and hopefully not too much of an interruption. Ads are a part of life for consumers, especially on the Web. In exchange for getting all this stuff for free or cheap, we accept the background noise of advertising.
But advertisers don't want to be in the background. They want ads to be engaging, interesting, even fun - whatever creates a lasting memory of the product. It's an attention economy, and whatever can grab users' attention wins. But touch-driven mobile apps are so immersive, advertisers need to step their game up. Palo Alto-based Cooliris has a solution, and they think the science backs it up. World, ready or not, here comes interactive, touch-controlled, 3D mobile advertising.

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"The advertisement experience does not have to be sub-par compared to the application experience," Cooliris CEO Soujanya Bhumkar says. "Good experience matters, because that is what delivers high engagement." To deliver that experience, Cooliris has created a standalone business unit called Adjitsu to build 3D mobile ads that users can touch to move, pinch, zoom and explore products.
"What we wanted to do was create a new generation of ads that allowed people to decide which parts of the experience they wanted to indulge in," says Aneesh Karve, product manager at AdJitsu. "Our mantra is pretty simple. It's 'Beyond HTML5.' We think [AdJitsu ads are] the next generation, which goes beyond video and beyond HTML."
"Video is telling the consumer what they should look at," Karve says. "What we've tried to do with our ads is to allow the consumer to decide which part of the ad they're most interested in."
The Ad Is An App
An AdJitsu ad starts off as a small, out-of-the-way display ad, but it has a 3D model of a product, like a new smartphone, suspended inside it. The model is linked to the device's accelerometer. As the user tilts the phone or tablet he or she is using, the product tilts and turns, catching the user's attention. Ideally, the user will then tap the ad, which expands to into a full-screen, app-like experience where the user can manipulate the product using typical touchscreen gestures.





The advertiser can display more info about the product on the screen alongside the model, but the experience is designed around letting the user closely examine the product and kick the tires a little bit - virtually, of course.
Karve says these ads are especially effective for "products that consumers need to hold in their hands." It's not just for consumer electronics, but jewelry or clothing, too. "People want to see how a fabric hangs or how a material looks in a certain light, and we're uniquely capable of providing those kinds of experiences."
This Is Your Brain On AdJitsu
It's neat, it's technologically advanced, and it shows off the product better than any static or video ad can. But does it really engage users with the product? Cooliris has enlisted a neuromarketing firm called MindSign to prove that it does, and this is where things get a little... edgy.
MindSign is a San Diego facility that uses functional MRI to analyze consumer reactions to products and advertising. An fMRI scanner magnetically tracks hemoglobin, the iron-rich protein in the blood, as blood flows in the brain. When blood cells offload oxygen to activated brain cells, the hemoglobin's magnetic field changes, which shows up in the scan. This allows researchers to measure the level of activity in specific areas of the brain in real time.


Science Channel video from MindSign explaining how fMRI works:      MindSign did a study for Cooliris that presented one group of subjects with a Cooliris ad and another with a video ad that was the same, shot by shot, but not interactive. Using the fMRI, MindSign produced video of the subjects' brain activity as they experienced the ads. MindSign found that the passive act of watching video was the "most deactivating" experience across all subjects. The subjects who manipulated the 3D ads were lit up all over their brains, engaging motor and attention areas.
We're not neuroscientists at RWW, so the subtle differences between the scans might be lost on us, but one clearly defined area of difference was the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, what MindSign calls the "personal meaning area." This is a central region of the brain involved in decision making. "It's an area that activates with what I would call good, engaging content," says MindSign vice president Philip Carlsen.
Unfortunately, MindSign couldn't provide RWW with a shareable video that compared the control and 3D subjects side by side, but they did offer these still images that show an average activation across the whole trial. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is mostly dark for the control group, but it's brightly colored for the group that saw the AdJitsu ads:


fMRI of control brain (left) versus 3D ad exposure (right) Is Neuromarketing For Real?
Does this activation necessarily correspond to the kind of engagement advertisers want? MindSign couldn't really answer that. This is a brand new science, and MindSign admits it. "fMRI is still in an infant state as far as neuromarketing goes," says Carlsen. "Activation is compared to a baseline looking at a blank screen with a crosshair on it, so you're going to want your stimuli to be more activating than the crosshair."
"Whether that's good activation because they love it or bad activation because they're disgusted," Carlsen says, "that depends on the stimuli."
"The reporting that we do fits into the traditional marketing reports of memory retention, brand recognition, value judgments, but we can do lots more than that," MindSign president Devin Hubbard says. "You can quantify, pretty objectively, the brain reaction in these key areas that are researched and known to be caused by certain stimuli, and they react accordingly."
For now, it sounds like the best fMRI can do for advertisers is provide a corroborating hunch alongside traditional marketing surveys.
Bringing UI Into Advertising
"The importance of engaging MindSign was to show the brands that they could get a higher return on their investment for their dollars," Karve says. "A lot of the really deep things advertisers want to track, you can't do with just Internet cookies or tracking session data from an app. So by going to the brain data, we want to establish how this is going to really have an impact on people."
The brain data do look differently between the control group and the 3D ad subjects, but it's hard to make the case conclusively that this means 3D ads are really better ads. But there's no question that these AdJitsu ads make fuller use of the Web technology and hardware that users love than traditional ads do.
What do you think? From a user standpoint, does the opportunity to play with the ad in 3D make it more interesting to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

By Jon Mitchell / October 7, 2011 7:00 AM / 

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Universidade espanhola concede Doutorado Honoris Causa a Lula

06 de outubro de 2011 • 09h49 • atualizado às 10h39

Lula discursa ao receber o Honoris Causa na Bahia
Foto: Maria Clara Dultra/Especial para Terra

O Conselho de Governo da Universidade Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP), da Espanha, aprovou nesta quinta-feira a concessão do Doutorado Honoris Causa ao ex-presidente do Brasil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. O título é um reconhecimento ao seu "papel fundamental" na erradicação da pobreza e na luta pela democracia.
Em comunicado, a UIMP destacou que após assumir a presidência do Brasil, Lula tentou erradicar a pobreza, impulsionou a criação de empregos, investiu em programas sociais e cortou as taxas de juros.
Em política externa, o ex-presidente nascido em 1945 e fundador do Partido dos Trabalhadores em 1980 buscou o reconhecimento internacional e assinou vários acordos, defendeu a Amazônia e reivindicou para o Brasil um posto permanente no Conselho de Segurança da ONU.
O comunicado lembra também do segundo mandato de Lula, quando ele se centrou no Mercosul, na União de Nações Sul-Americanas (Unasul), e no Grupo do Rio, embora tenha mantido uma boa relação com os Estados Unidos e a União Europeia.
A UIMP acrescentou que o ex-presidente, também agraciado com o prêmio Príncipe de Astúrias de Cooperação Internacional e o Prêmio pela Paz da Unesco, alcançou níveis de popularidade inéditos, reconhecimento internacional, uma significativa redução da pobreza, e a realização dos jogos Olímpicos no Rio de Janeiro em 2016.
A cerimônia de entrega do prêmio será no próximo verão no Palácio de La Magdalena de Santander. Além de Lula, a UIMP também concederá o Doutorado Honoris Causa ao jornalista espanhol Iñaki Gabilondo por sua defesa da liberdade de expressão, que de acordo com o comunicado da universidade se reflete em uma aposta constante em um jornalismo de qualidade e no seu compromisso com a informação.
A soprano espanhola Montserrat Caballé, o cardiologista espanhol Valentín Fuster e a ex-presidente do Chile Michelle Bachelet são alguns dos doutores Honoris Causa da UIMP.

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