NY Times reports "Saturday Night Live" alum Jan Hooks dead at 57

Actress and comedian Jan Hooks, famous for her five years on “Saturday Night Live,” died on Thursday at 57, the New York Times reports.

Her death was confirmed by her agent, who did not provide any other details.

Hooks joined “S.N.L.” in 1986 and was regarded by many as part of one of the best casts in the show’s history, alongside such stars as Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz.

Among the people she impersonated were Donald Trump’s wife, Ivana, the TV evangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, and was the first cast member to portray Hillary Clinton.

After leaving S.N.L in 1991, she played Carlene Dobber on “Designing Women and made appearances in “3rd Rock from the Sun” and “30 Rock.”

She also had role in movies such as “Pee-wee’s big Adventure” and “Batman Returns.”

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NY Times reports "Saturday Night Live" alum Jan Hooks dead at 57

New York Times to slash 100 newsroom jobs in streamlining

Wednesday, October 01, 2014 | 9:19 AM    

NEW YORK, (AFP) – The New York Times said Wednesday it plans to cut 100 newsroom jobs in the latest move by the prestigious daily to adapt to industry upheaval.

“The job losses are necessary to control our costs and to allow us to continue to invest in the digital future of The New York Times, but we know that they will be painful both for the individuals affected and for their colleagues,” according to a note to employees cited by the daily.

The note from publisher Arthur Sulzberger and chief executive Mark Thompson also said that a mobile app dedicated to opinion content was shutting down because it lacked enough subscribers.

The job cuts represent around 7.5 per cent of the newsroom staff of 1,330 — which according to the newspaper is a record high. The Times has been adding jobs over the past year for online and video news initiatives.

The Times will be offering buyouts to journalists and will resort to layoffs if it cannot get enough people to leave voluntarily, according to the note.

The daily has been struggling to remain profitable in recent years and has been pushing harder to emphasise digital content as print subscriptions decline. The Times has also been selling off “non-core” assets including the Boston Globe newspaper and websites unrelated to its news operations.

But even as the Times shifts its focus, it is being challenged by a new breed of all-digital news operations with lower costs.

Executive editor Dean Baquet, in a separate note to the staff said he would use the opportunity “to seriously reconsider some of what we do — from the number of sections we produce to the amount we spend on freelance content”.

The news comes following a tumultuous period which saw the dismissal of executive editor Jill Abramson, who was replaced by Baquet.

Abramson’s dismissal in May unleashed a polemic in the media world amid speculation that she was fired for complaining about being paid less than her male counterparts — an allegation denied by the company.

In the most recent quarter, the New York Time Company reported a sharp drop in profits as lower advertising revenues offset gains in digital subscriptions.

Net profit for the second quarter fell to $9.2 million from $20.1 million in the same period a year ago. Total revenues fell slightly to $389 million, with circulation revenues up 1.4 per cent and ad revenues down 4.1 per cent.

The bottom line was also hurt by higher operating costs, which the company attributed to increased investments in boosting the digital profile of the prestigious newspaper publisher.

Digital advertising revenues were up 3.4 per cent but that failed to offset a 6.6 per cent drop in print advertising revenue.

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New York Times to slash 100 newsroom jobs in streamlining

Man reports dog to police. Said he was bitten 18 times by the animal

DEON P GREEN, STAR Writer

A St Thomas man who killed a dog after the dog bit him, was freed of cruelty to the animal in the Morant Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court recently.

Richard Reid, 40, from Golden Grove, was allowed to go after the court heard that he acted in self defence when the animal attacked him first and bit him. The dog had bitten Reid on numerous occasions, the court heard.

Reid revealed to the court that he was on his way to work when he was attacked by the dog.

He said the dog had bitten him some 18 times as he walked on the road. He said he had even been to work late on several occasions because of the dog and was even told to leave work and seek medical attention after the dog had bitten him on one occasion.

problems

In his defence, he told the court that prior to him killing the dog, he had reported his problems with the animal to the Golden Grove Police Station.

He said when he complained to the lawmen at the station about the attack, one told him that duppy was on him, which is why the dog kept attacking him. He said nothing was done to address his concerns.

He said on the fatal day, he was on his way to work when he was attacked again by the dog. He used a stone to hit the animal. The dog later died of the injury caused by the stone.

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Man reports dog to police. Said he was bitten 18 times by the animal

Testing times ahead for Argentina

27 January 2014 Last updated at 11:04 ET By Ignacio de los Reyes BBC Mundo, Buenos Aires One day, Argentines went to sleep with a plummeting peso and tight exchange controls.

The next day, the country awoke to a radical change in the government of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s foreign currency policy.

After more than two years of increasing restrictions on the purchase of dollars, like taxing credit card transactions abroad or restricting online commerce on foreign websites, Ms Fernandez’s chief of staff, Jorge Capitanich, announced that buying dollars for savings accounts would be legal again.

From Monday, only those who earn at least 7,200 pesos (about $1,000; £600) a month will be entitled to apply, and be able to buy up to $2,000 a month.

There will be a register for those who apply, and Argentines who keep dollars on their account for at least a year will not need to pay a special tax.

It was an unexpected announcement and a shocking political reaction to the biggest devaluation of the peso in 12 years – and the biggest crisis of confidence for the Argentine economy since the collapse of the country in 2002.

“People are tired,” Emanuel, a young banker from Buenos Aires, told the BBC.

Like many Argentines, he does not want to give his full name for fear of being investigated by the fiscal authority if he speaks out against government policies.

“One week, the government put restrictions on online shopping and now they allow the purchase of dollars; it does not follow a pattern, they contradict each other all the time,” he says.

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The new measure seeks to ‘create more equity in this exchange market and provide certainty’”

End Quote Axel Kicillof Argentine Economy Minister Argentina’s new economy minister, young Keynesian Axel Kicillof, says the government is worried about the situation, but blames “market speculators” for the freefall of the peso in recent days.

The new measure seeks to “create more equity in this exchange market and provide certainty” in the national finances, he said.

But the main concern in Argentina is that, unlike most other countries, there is not just one foreign currency market, but two: the official one, where a dollar is worth eight pesos, and an underground system known as “dollar blue”, where buyers pay up to 12 pesos for a greenback.

Argentines who do not trust their own currency and fear the economy might worsen in coming months usually pay up to 50% more to buy dollars from underground money changers located all over central Buenos Aires, on the black market.

They know that with a rocketing inflation rate, currently standing at close to 30%, their pesos might not be worth saving in only a couple of months, so they would rather purchase dollars, even though this had been illegal up until now.

“I do not think this is good news,” says Liliana, 58, from Buenos Aires.

“Traders will suspend sales or increase prices to cover the cost of devaluation,” she says.

Booming prices

Indeed, the rising inflation is the main concern for Argentines.

Some electronics stores had already stopped displaying the prices of television sets, computers and home appliances on Friday, as they feared the new value of the peso would have an impact on all imported goods.

Travel agents say they are putting some holding bookings on hold, as tourists start to get nervous about the situation in Argentina.

And yet there is another concern for national economists.

Argentina’s reserves of hard currency dropped by 30% last year.

Despite the government’s efforts, Argentina’s reserves are now below $30bn – their lowest level since 2006.

The government hopes that the coming soy and cereal crops, one of the main sources of revenue for Argentina, will help ease the pain.

“This is not as worrying as it was in 2001 or 2002, but we are facing testing times,” Gerardo, 47, from Buenos Aires, says.

Like him, many fear the cocktail of rising prices and the worrying shape of the foreign reserves could put the economy on the brink once again.

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Testing times ahead for Argentina

Surviving the times

ONE would be tempted to think that the title of this most recent submission (and this writer’s first in the capacity of Manager, Corporate Solutions & Wealth Management) was inspired by the song penned by Nasir Jones off his ‘Greatest Hits’ album. In reality, it was prompted by many clients and curious parties alike who asked the common question of ‘what should I do with my money?’

The easy answer in a pre-JDX (Jamaica Debt Exchange) environment would have been to place it on REPO (repurchase agreement) and let the returns exceeding 10 per cent accumulate over time. This would then be supplemented by directing said person to the closest beach to get acquainted with a Mai Tai, designer sunglasses and a beach chair. In fairness, however, the implications have taken on much graver meaning, for markets have become more turbulent as investors seek new homes for capital.While the purpose of this submission is not to share a specific answer, it will draw attention to two primary means of surviving the times that have surfaced. In times of war, one is either on the defensive or offensive. There are relative middle grounds, but the fact remains that one is either inherently positioned to defend or attack. Since the capital markets are now a battlefield (if you have doubts, please look at a Google Finance screen during a day of rampant [downward] speculation and see red, which denotes capital losses and admit that a bloodbath doesn’t come to mind!) these two strategies/outlooks apply perfectly.While in one’s personal life, a counterpart going on the defensive may not elicit positive thoughts, there has been proven to be value in one’s going defensive in the capital markets on occasion. This may raise the question of ‘what does a defensive stance look like?’ Usually, investors in a defensive position tend to react negatively/conservatively to movements in the markets by liquidating their investments and holding cash, or investing in fixed-income securities in the pursuit of ‘safety’. If said investor were to invest in equities, it would usually be in the most conservative of holdings.While this is neither a good nor a bad thing, timing is of the greatest importance. Looking on past instances of successful deployment of the defensive strategy, it has proven to be most effective when prices in the market are rising aggressively, and the person in question was perhaps in ‘attack mode’ previously and now seeks to profitably exit the current position and shift from the pursuit of capital gains towards preservation. An instance that comes to mind is Q3 to Q4 2012 in the fixed-income markets overseas.Conversely, as with every competitive endeavour, attack is an important variable as oftentimes, while defence serves the purpose of preservation and stability, the matchup is determined in the attacking sphere. Applying this to today’s capital markets would be to envision risk-tolerant individuals consistently and continually deploying cash towards buying and oftentimes holding high-quality instruments whilst looking to buy more on a fall in price. Similar to any efficient striker in the beautiful game of football, an aggressor in the capital markets usually waits for the perfect opportunity to pounce. Buying low and selling high is the ultimate objective.The inherent risks of each strategy are somewhat clear, as the defensive person runs the risk of missing opportunities because of the proclivity to hold cash and being trigger-shy in capitalising on investment instruments. Needless to say, relying solely on fixed income can lead to relative attrition of one’s principal, especially in this environment where the 10-year treasury rate in the USA has risen to its highest level in years and the Federal Reserve is pursuing economic stimuli and a two per cent inflation rate. Accordingly, the aggressive, attack-minded investor may occasionally experience capital losses were the price of their holding to fall and may have liquidity challenges if their capital is aggressively deployed without provision being made for unforeseen needs/circumstances.To conclude, there is no real answer to the question, as investments aren’t one size fits all and the shoe has to fit for someone to wear it; is the hope. Secondly however, when the potential pitfalls are considered, it is clear that balance is required to suitably adjust to the scenarios at hand. Note that while defensive positioning has its benefits, it also bears perils for the recent scenario in Cyprus where bank account principals were taxed (circa 10 per cent) would force one to give a second thought to going overweight in savings instruments.Needless to say, one should have a lengthy meeting with a trusted, established and performance-driven investment advisor ahead of executing a survival strategy.Finally, the situation is best illustrated by the responses of two separate individuals in February of this year. At US$10,000 the principal sums were the same, and both approached their advisor with a cheque and asked for the necessary advice. Investor number one opted to place the funds on repo, while Investor number two believed that the 3.5 per cent per annum repo rate was insufficient to grow the principal and pay down on a new premium motor vehicle. With that in mind, Investor number two bought Diageo (DEO) at US$119 and Nike (NKE) at US$53.70. Today, Investor number one has a principal of US$10,065, while Investor number two has US$11,607 – growth of 16.07 per cent in six months. The moral of the story is that while both may be happy in the pursuit of wins, it can (literally) pay to attack.Survive the drought. I wish you well!Ryan Strachan is the Manager, Corporate Solutions & Wealth Management at Stocks & Securities Limited and may be contacted via rstrachan@sslinvest.com.Buying shares in Nike and Diageo six months ago would have given an investor greater returns than investing in repos.

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Surviving the times

Keeping cool in hot times

News

Corey RobinsonTuesday, August 13, 2013

WITH temperatures rising this summer doctors have warned that good hydration habits are essential to keeping cool, especially while outside.According to the National Library of Medicine, dehydration is when one’s body does not have as much water and fluids as it should. Symptoms of dehydration can be mild, moderate or severe, and the illness can be life-threatening.“When the total pool of water inside the body decreases at a certain point, where there is dysfunction in the body, then you are dehydrated,” explained Dr Ijah Thompson of Essential Medical Services in Red Hills, St Andrew.According to Thompson, a person who is mildly dehydrated does not show many signs, but the symptoms get stronger at the other levels.“Somebody who is mildly dehydrated wouldn’t really show much symptoms but would definitely be a bit lethargic,” said the doctor. “However, the person who is moderately dehydrated would have a lot of symptoms. Lab tests would show electrolyte imbalances as well as a decrease in fluid pools. They can also be lethargic, disoriented and poorly responsive. And when you are severely dehydrated then persons are unresponsive, lethargic, and so on,” he added.Persons who jog, exercise or work outside are more likely to become dehydrated, and as a result Dr Thompson said that such individuals need to be more cognisant about staying hydrated.“People who are out playing sports a lot, and people who are active on the road, can definitely develop heat exhaustion. You can lose a lot of fluid through perspiration, so dehydration is something that can happen to people who do marathons, people who are very active outdoors”.

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Keeping cool in hot times

Man on bail for rape allegedly rapes seven more times

Latest News

Friday, June 28, 2013 | 7:09 PM

ST JAMES, Jamaica — Twenty-three-year-old Jermaine Bowen, lifeguard of Glendevon, St James who was on bail for abduction and rape has been arrested and charged once again, this time for seven counts of rape and illegal possession of a firearm, the police say.According to the St James arm of the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) Bowen was charged in January and received bail in April for abduction and rape. However, Bowen is accused of raping seven individuals since he received bail in April and was subsequently picked up by the police on Thursday, June 20 along the Ironshore main road in Montego Bay following investigations. A 9mm pistol along with a magazine containing nine 9mm rounds was also taken from him, the police reported.??He was charged on Wednesday, June 26 and is to appear before the Western Regional Gun Court on Wednesday, July 3 to answer to the charge of Illegal Possession of a Firearm and the St James Resident Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, July 4 to answer to all the rape charges.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Man on bail for rape allegedly rapes seven more times

Man on bail for rape allegedly rapes seven more times

News

Friday, June 28, 2013 | 7:09 PM

ST JAMES, Jamaica — Twenty-three-year-old Jermaine Bowen, lifeguard of Glendevon, St James who was on bail for abduction and rape has been arrested and charged once again, this time for seven counts of rape and illegal possession of a firearm, the police say.According to the St James arm of the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) Bowen was charged in January and received bail in April for abduction and rape. However, Bowen is accused of raping seven individuals since he received bail in April and was subsequently picked up by the police on Thursday, June 20 along the Ironshore main road in Montego Bay following investigations. A 9mm pistol along with a magazine containing nine 9mm rounds was also taken from him, the police reported.??He was charged on Wednesday, June 26 and is to appear before the Western Regional Gun Court on Wednesday, July 3 to answer to the charge of Illegal Possession of a Firearm and the St James Resident Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, July 4 to answer to all the rape charges.

HOUSE RULES

1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper – email addresses will not be published.

2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.

4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.

5. Please don’t use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed:mailto:advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.

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Man on bail for rape allegedly rapes seven more times