Battling a horde of zombies may sound like your average commute to work, but for some it’s how they’ll be getting to know their managers this summer.

If you’re faced with zombies coming at you you’re relying on your team mates and it’s survival of the fittest

That’s right, fighting off a zombie apocalypse in an abandoned shopping centre is one of the latest popular choices for a team away day in Britain.

Philippe Bell is the Adventure Category Manager at events provider Buyagift.com. He says the zombie adventures they offer to clients typically cost around £100 ($130) and are particularly popular with office-based employees such as banks and call centres.

“The key thing is the adrenalin rush especially when workers are sitting at their desks all day. Battling zombies is a great way of building relationships within companies. If you’re faced with zombies coming at you you’re relying on your team mates and it’s survival of the fittest, it’s like a war and whoever is victorious will carry on living.”

While some can’t wait to hurl themselves round an assault course or get stuck in to raft building, others can think of nothing worse than bonding over paintballing.

Fan or not, you’ll probably end up taking part in a team-building event at some point in your working life, so what can you expect?

For one firm average spend on a team-building-event has increased by 32% in just 3 years, from £1,970 ($2,588) in 2013 to £2,592 ($3,405) in 2016 according to Team Challenge Company, one of the UK’s biggest providers of corporate team building. It works with big corporations from publishers to oil companies.

One year we went to Las Vegas, got picked up by helicopters and landed in the Grand Canyon for a picnic

Cathy Israel, chief operating officer at Best Corporate Events, one of the biggest firms in the US, says per company average annual spend is difficult to pinpoint, but the average spend per event is around $9,000. One company purchased an event for 6,571 participants “that totalled nearly $400,000," she adds.

As budgets become more extravagant so have the activities involved. Once upon a time bowling and a pizza might have covered it but things have gone off-piste to include everything from training to be a stunt person or gum-boot dancing in a bid to get employees talking.

The one that will forever stick in my mind involved everyone being told to karate chop a piece of wood in half

At the luxury end, at $100,000 a week for up to eight people, firms like Valdez Heli Ski Guides in Alaska clients can take a helicopter to the top of a mountain and shoot back down on skis, staying at a private lodge with private dining, according to founder Scott Raynor.

“We’ve had teams from investment bank Merrill Lynch, Apple, Google and big law firms,” Raynor says. “They’ve mastered their skills and are looking for new challenges.”

But does an expensive week of hair-raising heli-skiing genuinely improve working relationships?

Raynor has no doubt it does: “It definitely builds team unity because you need to create mutual a sense of trust and more importantly, be yourself and drop any facade.”

But your firm doesn’t need to spend a fortune. Less expensive at £88 ($115) per person but no less adrenalin-fuelled are the Hunger Games team-building events organised by UK company Rabble. Teams are split into groups and sent hunting for items that might help them on their final quest. For the end game they use battle equipment such as laser guns, dodgeballs, archery equipment and like the real Hunger Games, the last man or woman standing wins.

What kind of company sends its employees on a simulated killing spree? Founder Charlotte Roach says customers range from tech starts-ups to supermarket chains and HR companies but that it’s particularly popular with competitive professions such as sales teams and bankers. That doesn’t mean quieter, more thoughtful types are left on the sidelines, Roach says.

“Introverts enjoy playing because they’re given a set of rules to stick to. They shout less and think more and tend to be super successful,” she says.

There are subtler approaches to team bonding: Horse Sense takes an animal-centred approach to team work by literally getting hands on with horses. In the middle of the English countryside, a makeshift classroom has been erected next to some stables. Karen Fleming, managing director of the company’s management training and coaching business called Sense and Ability, she explains how it all works.

“Horses are incredibly intuitive and pick up on what we are feeling,” she says. “We do a mindfulness exercise which involves asking the clients to put their hands on the horse, relax and breathe slowly. We observe how the horses react and behave as clients interact with them. It’s very effective; horses get to the core of people straightaway so we immediately get feedback on how they’re behaving and how they’re communicating with each other and themselves.”

Why do some bosses think this is a good investment?

But at £150 ($197) per person for an afternoon, is Horse Sense just an expensive novelty? Chris Hurst, a director of Tazamo web design who came along to Horse Sense with his team says there’s method behind this unconventional approach.

“We’ve recently changed the way we work from office based to remote working and we want to improve our communications, so we thought why not do this? I’ve taken colleagues on other team-building days, but nothing quite like this. Our company thrives on imagination and if we can find something different, we’ll throw ourselves into it. It’s the best way to find out about yourself.”

Our company thrives on imagination and if we can find something different, we’ll throw ourselves into it.

Another manager who prefers to think differently and get his team doing the same is Brian Scudamore, CEO and founder of O2E Brands, based in Vancouver, Canada. There are four businesses under the O2E banner doing junk hauling, painting, moving and home improvements. All work on a franchise basis and with annual revenues of $250m. Scudamore says he is keen to keep his franchisees working efficiently, and incentivise his top performing employees.

“One year we went to Las Vegas, got picked up by helicopters and landed in the Grand Canyon for a picnic. Another year we drove NASCARs, racing around the track at nearly 150mph. In 2015, 100 employees including myself signed up for the Tough Mudder assault course. It cost around $100 per person but it was definitely worth it,” he says. “Experiences like jumping from a great height into icy cold water take you out of your comfort zone and you’d be amazed at how those types of experiences make people work better together.”

Not everyone’s cup of tea

The more extreme kind of team-building exercises aren’t for everyone however. Amelia Bowman now works in the oil industry in London but used to be a television producer.

“I’ve had my fair share of team-building exercises but the one that will forever stick in my mind involved everyone being told to karate chop a piece of wood in half with their bare hands in the middle of a circle of onlooking colleagues. I was one of the ones who was unable to break the wood. It was extremely humiliating and far from boosting self-confidence and generating a sense of team work, it had quite the opposite effect.”

Rob Briner, professor of organisational psychology at the University of Bath is also sceptical.

“It can be counterproductive; some people would rather just get on with their job or spend time with family. Companies should spend a lot more time working out what the actual problems with their employees are. I think one reason team-building events are so popular is that they’re seen as an activity that people will enjoy so it’s hoped they will hit lots of buttons; improving morale, improving communication and so on. Unfortunately I think the trend in corporations is on having more fun rather than removing stress and team-building events are part of this.”

It can be counterproductive… Companies should spend a lot more time working out what the actual problems are

Bowman is prepared to keep an open mind however.

“When team-building events are done properly there can be positives such as breaking of cross-disciplinary boundaries,” she says. “It can be good to meet folk from other departments and discover that they are actually quite nice. This enables a far more cordial manner of working. I would also add however that this outcome can also be readily achieved by simply going down the pub!”

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Summary: Companies are doing away with the standard team-building exercises in favour of extreme stunts like battling zombies and heli-skiing. But are these stunts worth the money?


FORT KNOX, Ky. — The Pentagon has approved plans for a battle tank of the nineteen‐eighties with unprecedented levels of fire power, mobility and protection.

“We've put it all together,” said Maj. Gen. William R. Desobry, head of the 33‐man Army team that recommended production of the new tank. “We ought to be shot if it doesn't work.”

One‐third of a century after the German blitzkrieg smashed the French Army and established the tank as the new queen of battles, the development of powerful antitank weapons has produced some skeptics who believe, as one Australian officer put it, the tank is “as anachronistic as medieval body armor.”

But the upholders of the tank as a decisive Weapon, including many Israeli officers, are unshaken. General Desobry's task force “feels that the new tank, the XM‐1, will be not only superior to the Soviet T‐62 but also the very heart of the combined arms team of helicopters, antitank weapons, and tanks that will dominate future battlefields.

Faith in the tank's future is understandably strong here at the Armor Center. The Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor, with its adjoining display of tanks and guns from World War I onward, stands nearby and the spirit of Gen. George S. Patton Jr., the patron saint of tankers, remains strong throughout the post.

The task force's recommendations for the XM‐1 were approved by the Department of Defense in January. Brig. Gen. Robert Baer has been named production manager for the Army and the tank's specifications have been sent to General Motors and the Chrysler Corporation. The two companies will report their ideas on the new tank to the Army Materiel Command.

The XM‐1 is the Army's second attempt at designing a tank to succeed the M‐60 and subsequent improved models of that tank. The original M‐60 first went into service in 1961.

The Armed Services Committee of the House of Representafives killed the first attempt in June, 1971. By then the Army had spent more than $500‐million on a tank, the XM803, that would have cost more than $800,000 each to produce.

The XM‐1 will cost “slightly below $500,000 in constant 1972 dollars,” according to General Desobry. No one can say now, either here or in the Pentagon, how many the Army will need. The current Army and Marine Corps inventory is approximately 4,500 tanks of all types.

No specific recommendation was made on the size of the gun that will be the XM‐1's main armament beyond the stipulation that it should be between 105 and 120 mm. Britain and Germany are working on a new 110‐mm gun and the Army will await the results of their tests. Pentagon sources say that, tri‐lateral development of a new gun would reduce costs.

The team decided on a conventional gun rather than the combined gun‐Shillelagh missile launcher that is fitted on the M‐60A1E2, the Army's most advanced main battle tank, and the Sheridan armored reconnaissance vehicle.

“There will be plenty of missiles in the tank team,” General Desobry explained, “the TOW in helicopters and on the ground, the Dragon with infantry. What we need is a gun that can knock out enemy tanks and we'll have it.”

The Shillelagh has developed some weaknesses. The missile has a relatively long flight time during which, for guidance purposes, the firing tank must remain stationary, thus increasing its vulnerability. Also, the missile is said to be affected by bad weather conditions.

The fire control system ?? the XM‐1 represents a “long jump forward,” according to General Desobry. There is also an advanced stabilizing system for the gun platform. The tank will be driven by a 1,500 horsepower engine compared to the 900 horsepower engine in the M‐60 series.

This engine, General Desobry said, will provide the tank with greater mobility. The speed is expected to be approximately 50 miles an hour on roads and about one‐third of that across country. The XM‐1 will be slightly larger in size than the present series of M‐60's and will weigh about 54 tons.

The silhouette has been dropped from 120 to 95 inches and the cupola, a distinctive feature of the M‐60 series, eliminated. In addition to the main armament, the XM‐1 will be armed with a Bushmaster cannon of 20 or 30‐mm and a 7.62 machinegun.

Specifications for the tank's armor are classified. However, Mere have been reports that XM‐1's heavy armor, will be set in oblique angles to deflect hits by antitank weapons.

Ammunition will be compartmentalized. This means that if the ammunition compartment is hit it will blow out from the rear of the tank rather than inward on the crew.

The tank's impressive specifications must be weighed against constant improvements in antitank weapons. The latter now include area weapons, small bombs or mines that can be spread from the air or by artillery. These would not knock out a tank but, by blowing off a track, could immobilize it and leave it vulnerable to heavier weapons.

Both Britain and Germany are producing area weapons in large numbers and it is assumed that the Soviet Union has followed suit.

General Desobry and other supporters of the tank argue that predictions of the tank's demise are premature. The publie and some critics, they say, tend to think of tanks operating alone. “They've seen too many movies,” the general said.

Modern tank doctrine emphasizes the combined arms team in which reconnaissance vehicles, helicopter gun ships, assault and antitank guns and missile launchers will operate with tanks.

“This doctrine is far more important than it was 15 years ago,” General Desobry said. “In combination it gives you a look at the ‘other side of the hill’ by the helicopters, missiles and guns to attack their tanks and your own tanks for hitting power.

“Sure, we'll lose some tanks to area weapons and missiles. But today's missiles are no more dangerous to modern tanks than the Panzer Faust and the Bazooka were to the tanks of World War II. The Israeli experience showed that. No, tanks are vital to settle the fundamental issue in battle.”

We are continually improving the quality of our text archives. Please send feedback, error reports, and suggestions to archive_feedback@nytimes.com.

A version of this archives appears in print on April 24, 1973, on page 6 of the New York edition with the headline: Pentagon Approves Plans for Superior Battle Tank for 1980's. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Summary: Pentagon has approved plans for battle tank of '80s with unprecedented levels of fire power, mobility and protection; Maj Gen W R Desobry, head of 33-man Army team that recommended production of new tank, says 'we ought to be shot if it doesn't work'; says tank, called XM-1, will dominate future battlefields; recommendations for XM-1 were approved by Defense Dept in Jan; Brig Gen R Baer has been named production mgr for Army and tank's specifications have been sent to GM and Chrysler Corp; XM-1 is Army's 2d attempt at designing tank to succeed M-60; HR Armed Services Com killed Tst attempt in June '71; XM-1 will cost 'slightly' below $500,000 in constant '72 dollars; no specific recommendation was made on size of gun that will be on tank's main armament beyond stipulation that it should be between 105 and 120 mm; GB and W Ger are working on new 110-mm gun and Army is awaiting results of their tests; XM-1 specifications described


LONDON — The origins of punk rock are somewhat hazy, but by 1976 it had emerged as a genre of loud, fast, rebellious music, with style and attitude to match. Forty years later, we asked punk rockers and those who know their music what it means to them.

It’s about waking people’s consciousness up. It’s your life, don’t sleep through it. There’s a lot of somnambulists around, sleepwalkers controlled by society. I think punk stopped and questioned that kind of socialization for a while. It’s an assault on the senses and the audience have to react to that in some way.

It’s like a massive piece of denim, and with that denim you can make something really cool. You can make a jacket, you can make some cool jeans, or you can make a cushion or a cover. There’s nothing that’s wrong or right about it, it’s just a thing that gives anything you want to do some backing. I’m doing this because it’s what I want to do; I don’t need any other reason, but if you need a reason, I’m going to call it punk.

Punk was for the marginal and the brave. It is summed up by the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen.” The lyric “There is no future in England’s dreaming” means, if you want a better future, you have to make it. Punk’s self-starter-D.I.Y. impulse was its most important consequence, and dissidence was vital, too. Punk is applicable across cultures and times.

It is a passionless and immediate dismissal of intimidation. A contempt for organized power structures that registers as pure instinct. A desire to confront that is indistinguishable from lust.

Punk is a D.I.Y. attitude, to step forward without any restraint and fight like a warrior until you achieve what you were aiming for.

It is a four-letter word aptly ending with the letter K, which has been extremely handy when affixed to music, poetry, fashion, art, politics, dance and media; probably there will be punk fitness, philosophy, economics, sports, cooking and things we don’t yet have names for. As adjective-noun-verb, “punk” implies youth (“youthiness”?), sexiness, originality, belonging, spontaneity, rebellion, humor (one hopes) and a mode that’s very stylish and a bit transgressive. “Take me, I’m me!”

What would we have done without that word these past 40 years?

A version of this article appears in print on August 15, 2016, on page C7 of the New York edition with the headline: After Four Decades, What Is Punk Rock?. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Summary: We asked punk rockers what it means to them, 40 years after it emerged as a genre of loud, fast rebellious music, with style and attitude to match.


A pilot is dead after his light plane crash-landed at a rural airport in Victoria.

The plane took off from Tooradin Airfield near Melbourne but crashed on the perimeter of Yarram airport, in the state's southeast at 3.45pm on Wednesday, authorities say,

The pilot, aged in his 60s, was the sole occupant of the plane, and was treated at the scene by paramedics.

The plane, a nine-year-old Jabiru j-170, was registered with Recreational Aviation Australia, the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB) told AAP on Wednesday.

Police investigators are still probing the cause of the crash.

The ATSB was to send three experts from Canberra to the crash site on Thursday morning to get a better idea of what happened.

"We'll talk to witnesses, we'll examine the aircraft wreckage and then examine any other documentation on the site," a spokesman told AAP.

An air ambulance was dispatched but was not required.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

Summary: A man in his 60s has died after his plane crashed near an airport in Victoria.


Michael Phelps said the 2016 Olympics would be special because it would be the only time he would compete in front of newborn son Boomer.

Well, this weekend, Boomer experienced another first. He got to see his dad lip sync Eminem's "Lose Yourself."

This is done incredibly well. Phelps kind of looks like Eminem with the hoodie, nails the mannerisms and knows the lyrics. He also manages to weasel his Under Armour branding into his costume (see the logo on top of his head).

Phelps -- or as he is now known, "Swim Shady" -- made the performance on Spike's "Lip Sync Battle," presented by LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen. Gymnasts Aly Raisman and Simone Biles performed Sia's "Cheap Thrills" with actress Olivia Munn. Spike posted the highlight:

Forget the argument of would you rather be a star recording artist or a star athlete. Just do both.

-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.

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Summary: Michael Phelps lip syncs Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and Aly Raisman and Simone Biles sing Sia's "Cheap Thrills."


Sydney Grammar Headmaster John Vallance.

A female teacher at the elite Sydney Grammar school was suspended as soon as the school knew about allegations of her having sex with a 17-year-old male pupil, the headmaster says.

The teacher at the Darlinghurst school allegedly kissed the boy while he was under her care and had sex with him twice in Newtown between January and February this year.

She is also accused of having sex with him four times in Darlinghurst between January and March.

Her case was mentioned in the Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, when a lawyer acting for several media companies argued against the need for an order preventing the publication of the teacher's name.

Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge said naming the teacher risked revealing the identity of the underage schoolboy, whose identity is protected by law.

But publishing the name of the school was of interest to those studying there and may encourage any other victims to come forward, she said.

Following the court appearance Sydney Grammar's headmaster John Vallance released a statement saying the school had suspended the teacher and parents had been notified.

"As soon as the school became aware of the allegations, the employee concerned was suspended and forbidden to have any contact with pupils pending the outcome of the matter," Mr Vallance said.

The school's alumni spans from the current Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, to the very first, Sir Edmund Barton and also includes Banjo Patterson.

The woman, who was arrested on October 14, is charged with seven offences, six counts of having sex with someone under her care between 17 and 18 years and one of indecent assault.

The teacher, who has been granted bail, was not present in court on Tuesday.

Summary: Sydney Grammar has been revealed as the school at which a teacher allegedly had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student.


(Read more: Here's who might score if DC shuts down)

Much of the wagering, they said, was done on Election Day "and at other critical moments of the campaign."

More plausibly, this trader could have been attempting to manipulate beliefs about the odds of victory in an attempt to boost fundraising, campaign morale, and turnout.

In all, the paper looked at a 15-day period during which 3.5 million contracts were traded between 3,200 accounts on Intrade—which has since been disbanded under regulatory pressure—and Betfair.

The sites were popular places for bettors to play the election, and the trends reflecting the probable results were cited frequently by the media:

The single largest trader was responsible for more than one-sixth of (double-counted) total volume, with more than 1.2 million contracts bought or sold in about 13,000 distinct transactions. The most frequent trader engaged in almost 34,000 transactions, accounting for more than 20 percent of (double-counted) total observations. The largest 32 traders (just 1 percent of the trading population) were responsible for 60 percent of volume, while the 32 most frequent traders accounted for 57 of transactions.

(Read more: DC's autumn chill means heated political battles)

One of those traders clearly went all-in for Romney.

Trader A was responsible for one-third of the total money on Romney over the two weeks in our sample, and about a quarter over the entire cycle. The result was a loss of close to four million dollars over the two week period, and a likely loss of almost seven million overall. What could possibly have motivated this activity? Given that the trader bet on Romney and not Obama, we can rule out cross-market arbitrage with Betfair as a motivation.

This leaves three possibilities: (i) the trader was convinced that Romney was underpriced throughout the period and was expressing a price view, (ii) he was hedging an exposure held elsewhere, or (iii) he was attempting to distort prices in the market for some purpose.

Ultimately, the analysis "leaves open the possibility" that the trade was simply about "market manipulation for political purposes" and whoever lost the money really didn't care.

The trading losses, while hardly trivial, pale in comparison with the cost of contemporary political campaigns. Beliefs about the likelihood of victory are important determinants of fundraising as well as volunteer effort and morale.

Some voters appear to have a preference for affiliation with a winning candidate, and are prepared to abandon those seen as likely to lose. Turnout can also be affected by perceived candidate viability. Intrade was among the most closely watched indicators of campaign vitality, resulting in incentives for price manipulation to boost support, donations, effort and morale prior to the election and turnout while voting was in progress. The last swing state to close its polls was Colorado at 9pm ET (7 pm local time), and this is almost exactly when the floor in the Romney contract gave way.

The paper found the manipulation of the market successful at least to a point, with the trading strategy remaining intact even if Obama still won the election.

(Read more: GOP in disarray over shutdown threat)

Similar strategies, Rothschild and Sethi said, could find their way into the stock market.

Such dynamics are most likely to arise in electoral prediction markets and in sports betting, but similar effects may well exist also for common stock. Especially in the case of consumer durables, attachment to products and the companies that make them is widespread. It would not be surprising if one were to find Apple or Samsung partisans among investors, just as one finds them among consumers.

—By CNBC's Jeff Cox. Follow him @JeffCoxCNBCcom on Twitter.

Summary: Mitt Romney may have taken the fall in the presidential race, but the trader who bet as much as $7 million on the him was the one who took the hit.


A man with the same nickname as the man on trial for the 1974 McCulkin murders was at their Brisbane home on the night they vanished, a neighbour has told a court.

Garry Reginald Dubois, 69, is accused of raping and murdering siblings Vicki and Leanne McCulkin and killing their mother Barbara.

The prosecution alleges Dubois and his co-accused, Vincent O'Dempsey, took the McCulkins from their Highgate Hill home on or about January 16, 1974 and murdered them in bushland.

Then-neighbour Janet Gayton, has told the Brisbane Supreme Court she saw two men at the McCulkins' house that evening, the same night a birthday party was being held for her sister at their own home.

Ms Gayton, then aged 13, said she went to the McCulkins' house around 6.30pm and saw two men, including a man inside called Vince she'd previously met.

She said the other man was called "Shorty", a name the court has heard was Dubois' nickname.

"I think I asked what Shorty's real name was, they told me but I don't recall what it was," Ms Gayton said.

The court also heard evidence on Tuesday about how the McCulkins claimed to have knowledge of the 1973 Whisky Au Go Go nightclub blaze that killed 15 people.

The prosecution alleges the suspected connection between the fatal blaze and the Torino club fire 11 days earlier provided a motive for the murders.

Witness Ellen Ashford (nee Gilbert) said Mrs McCulkin, a former workmate, was worried and thought her house was bugged after the Whisky Au Go Go blaze.

Peter Nisbet, a former neighbour of the McCulkins, said Mrs McCulkin had given him the impression that her estranged husband Bill had some involvement in the club fires.

"She said that if the police had asked Bill some questions, or the right questions, they may get additional information about Whisky Au Go Go and the Torino firebombings," he told the court.

The jury heard on Monday evidence would be presented that the group involved in the Torino blaze, allegedly organised by O'Dempsey and including Dubois, was worried about being linked to the Whisky Au Go Go fire.

In his opening address, crown prosecutor David Meredith said the suspected connection between the fires would provide a motive for Dubois and O'Demspey to keep Mrs McCulkin quiet.

Dubois has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder, two counts of rape and one count of deprivation of liberty. O'Dempsey is to face trial next year.

It's alleged Dubois assisted O'Dempsey kidnap the McCulkins and murder them. It's further alleged Dubois raped one of the daughters and assisted O'Dempsey to rape the other.

The trial before Justice Peter Applegarth continues.

Summary: Two men were seen at the home of a Brisbane woman and her two daughters on the same day they were allegedly taken and murdered, a court has heard.


A search by Thomson Reuters found that materials companies Airgas, Praxair and Sherwin Williams all complained about weather impact, as did industrial names—United Parcel Service and Stanley Black & Decker.

Harrison points out that some companies besides utilities saw positive effects. For instance, Johnson Controls had higher volumes in North America and said the weather could be a tailwind, and O'Reilly Automotive said the early and extreme cold in the Midwest helped its sales because of more parts failures.

Meanwhile, Group 1 Automotive said Tuesday that 105 of its 118 stores have been impacted by hazardous driving conditions and road closures that have resulted in store closures or reduced traffic. It said the storm events resulted in the equivalent of 391 lost selling days for the quarter, or the equivalent of about a 9 percent loss in total available selling days through Feb. 16.

The utility sector is faring better. Utilities Wisconsin Energy and Exelon got boosts from cold weather, Harrison noted.

(Watch: Cold weather outlook fuels energy prices)

AGL Resources, the pipelines and gas utilities company, is one of the companies in the sweet spot to benefit. In a note last week, Citigroup analysts said they were raising their estimates on the company based on its infrastructure investment program and colder than normal temperatures. They have a neutral rating on the stock but boosted the price target to $48.

Home builders have not yet seen first-quarter earnings estimates revised lower, and in fact estimates for the household durables group were raised slightly, from 8 percent to 8.2 percent, according to Short at S&P. But that could change. The National Association of Home Builders survey Tuesday showed a steep drop, from 56 to 46, the biggest one-month decline since the index was launched in 1985 and the first time since May that it has been below 50.

Companies in the business of transportation have been particularly challenged.

After its recent earnings report, C.H. Robinson said it's margins were hurt by the weather.

"In the past, we've always believed that ... volume would come back after a period of time," CEO John Wiehoff said on a conference call.

"I don't know, in some of the January weather whether that was true or not, it does feel like some of the worst weather days in the month of January did diminish volumes pretty significantly where there wasn't a corresponding rebound to it. So that's another thing that we'll study more over time, but it does feel like weather was a contributor to some of our challenges over the last couple of months," he said.

United Continental Holdings also described bad weather on its earnings conference call, with Vice Chairman James Compton calling the subzero arctic blast in the first week of January "among the worst weather events in our history," resulting in 6,300 canceled flights. The airlines have canceled tens of thousands of flights this winter, and some of that lost revenue probably won't be recovered.

(Read more: NY manufacturing cools in February after surge)

The rail industry is also likely to feel headwinds, with storms impacting freight volume.

"The weather could play an increasing role in shipper's inventory decisions given that retailers typically switch to spring merchandise in February," Citigroup rail analyst Christian Wetherbee said in a note. "However, shoppers may be reluctant to spend for warmer weather items with winter still in full force across much of the country."

Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts have been wary of consumer discretionary stocks for a while and say more than weather may be to blame for soft sales.

"While some of this is due to the weather, we have noted that negative surprises from consumer- oriented companies have been trending higher over the last several quarters," they wrote in a note Tuesday.

"This quarter's results could mark the weakest 4Q [year-over-year] growth for discretionary since the crisis. While guidance has recently improved for staples, it has deteriorated for discretionary. We remain market weight staples and underweight discretionary," the BofAML note said.

Suzuki said it appears there has been a slowdown but growth should pick up.

"From an academic standpoint, the impact of a single month or a couple of months of bad weather isn't huge in terms of the long-term earnings of a company, and it's less bad if you think about the different industries and sectors," he said. "Retail is probably going to get a little bounce back as the weather improves whereas in other areas it's lost for good, like restaurants."

Summary: So far, the stock market has looked past the weather impacts on manufacturing, housing, consumer spending and even hiring.


A man who killed a police officer more than 30 years ago has time added to his prison sentence for escaping custody in Adelaide.

Gordon Marshall, 48, fled from staff at a pre-release centre north of Adelaide as he was returning from day leave in July.

He was detained outside the city's main court complex in the CBD the next day, putting the building in lockdown for a short time.

The District Court sentenced him on Monday for being unlawfully at large, adding nine months to his existing prison term.

The Northfield facility that he escaped from houses prisoners in their final months before they are released into the community.

Jailed initially for shooting dead a police officer in 1985, Marshall was released on parole in 1996 but was jailed again in 2008 over further offending.

Summary: A man who shot and killed a police officer in 1985 has had nine months added to his jail term for escaping from a low-security facility in Adelaide.


Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided not to expel any US diplomats and instead invited them and their families to a New Year's party at the Kremlin.

"We will not create any problems for American diplomats. We will not expel anyone," Putin said in a statement posted on the Kremlin's website on Friday.

Russia would decline to utilise its right to a reciprocal measure, Putin said, after the US announced it was expelling 35 Russian diplomats in a dispute over alleged Russian hacking geared to influence the US presidential election.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier that his country intended to expel the same number of US diplomats from Russia as a reciprocal response.

The US has expelled 35 Russian diplomats and closed two Russian compounds in response to a campaign of harassment against American diplomats in Moscow.

Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20 and is pictured here with Barack Obama, has called for better relations with Russia.

Summary: The US has moved to expel 35 Russian diplomats and close two compounds in retaliation for harassment of US diplomats in Moscow.


Drake and Rihanna have not parted ways, a source close to the couple confirms to PEOPLE on Monday.

One source says they’re still together “but it’s an open thing.” Neither Rihanna nor Drake’s reps have commented.

The couple made their relationship official in July, but were believed to be “secretly dating for months” before that, a source close to the couple told PEOPLE in May.

However, another source tells PEOPLE the duo “spent a lot of time together and were really close but never considered themselves to be ‘dating.'”

Drake has never shied away from showing his adoration of the Barbados-native, publicly proclaiming his love for the “Work” singer at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in late August.

“She’s someone I’ve been in love with since I was 22 years old,” he said, before embracing Rihanna with a kiss. “She’s one of my best friends in the world. She’s a living breathing legend in our industry.”

Rihanna shared an Instagram post on Sunday about her past relationships.

RELATED VIDEO: Drake and Rihanna Kiss on Stage During Her Surprise Appearance at Rapper’s Miami Tour Stop

“None of my exes are married or in happy relationships so it’s safe to say that I wasn’t da problem lol,” the 28-year-old singer wrote in the message, including a trophy emoji.

The star did not mention names, but previous ex-boyfriends include Chris Brown, and Atlanta Braves star Matt Kemp.

The “Hotline Bling” singer recently suffered an ankle injury that forced him to cancel the remainder of his Summer Sixteen tour.

Summary: One source tells PEOPLE they’re still together “but it’s an open thing”


"I'm an optimistic guy," President Bush likes to say, focusing on tomorrow. But he might be forgiven for a bit of nostalgia. Just as he is putting a new emphasis on letting allies take the lead  on Iran and North Korea, notably  some of the leaders he needs most are lined up at the check-out desk.

This is true from Mexico to Japan, but particularly noticeable in Europe, where leader after leader faces a dropoff in prospects for his program  and himself.

What's going on? Partly it's power fatigue. It may also be the diminishing of optimism. In the last five years, members of the European Union have retreated to protectionism and nationalism. Nobody is sure how to deal with a rising China, a backpedaling Russia. Shocks to optimism were delivered by terrorism, the Iraq war, unhappy immigrants. Prospects for disarming North Korea and keeping Iran from eventually getting the bomb look dimmer.

Not every grand vision of the 90's is dead: Democracy is still a growth stock in the world. The global economy is growing. Still, a number of the West's leaders are realizing at the same time that they will be measured by what happened on their watch. At such a time, it's tempting to focus on tomorrow  in hopes that history may be kinder to them than public opinion is today. DAVID E. SANGER

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES

POWER BASE Republican loyalists. George W. Bush barely made it into the Oval Office in the 2000 election but brilliantly capitalized on his handling of the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He won re-election in 2004 largely on confidence he would keep Americans safer. When he pushed through an aggressive tax cut plan, he delighted conservatives. But it was his willingness to use American power  first in Afghanistan, then to chase down terrorists, and finally to topple Saddam Hussein  that galvanized his supporters.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS Three key goals met. The Taliban and Saddam Hussein are out of power, and Mr. Bush has moved the Supreme Court to the right. The rest is ambiguous. Tax cuts may have revived the economy, but deficits have ballooned. Mr. Bush hoped the liberation of Iraq would change the dynamics of the Middle East, but many Americans now seem more interested in knowing when and how America will get out.

TROUBLES Osama, Katrina, Dubai, deficits and defecting Republicans. Mr. Bush has battled accusations of incompetence in the Iraq war and hurricane relief. Concerning Iraq, many administration officials seem willing to define victory down to allow a faster withdrawal. Congress is threatening to review Mr. Bush's acts on warrantless wiretaps. Iran is racing toward acquiring nuclear weapons. Opinion polls put his approval ratings in the mid-30's.

A TIN EAR? Port safety. Allowing the sale of some American port operations to a Dubai company seemed a case of not seeing trouble coming.

PROSPECTS Quack? In the 2004 campaign, Mr. Bush said he had 18 months to get things done before he was "quacking like a duck." Now that looks optimistic. DAVID E. SANGER

PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR, BRITAIN

POWER BASE The yuppie center. Young, photogenic and energetic, he swept into power in 1997, and restyled a working-class party as New Labor. He also drew in disillusioned Conservatives. For a brief, shining moment, Britannia was cool again.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS Laws, laws, laws. Mr. Blair used his huge early parliamentary majority to give Britons their first American-style bill of rights and freedom of information legislation. After the Sept. 11 attacks, he muscled tough antiterrorism legislation past Labor traditionalists and civil liberties-minded Conservatives. He poured money into the National Health Service.

TROUBLES George Bush. Britain was America's closest ally in the invasion of Iraq  a war Britons in general did not want and increasingly hate. The anger has only intensified with revelations about the failures of prewar intelligence and American treatment of prisoners, and with the leaking of memos that seem to show that Mr. Bush was determined to go to war and Mr. Blair did nothing to talk him out of it. His detractors call this blind loyalty. Recently, Mr. Blair has faced an erosion of his parliamentary majority, particularly as Conservatives smell blood and left-leaning Laborites rebel.

A TIN EAR? Too glib? A slick, silver-tongued debater, he has outlasted three Conservative leaders while in office. But in 1997, his ease with words got him in trouble, too. After the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, he went on television and coined the phrase "the people's princess," provoking charges of insincerity and showboating.

PROSPECTS An exit strategy. Mr. Blair has publicly declared that he will step down, ceding power to his chancellor of the exchequer, Gordon Brown, sometime in the next few years. SARAH LYALL

POWER BASE The entitled elite. Mr. Chirac went to the best French schools and got help from two powerful patrons: the French defense contractor Marcel Dassault, for whom his father was banker, and President Georges Pompidou, for whom the young Mr. Chirac was a close aide. By 1974, Mr. Chirac was prime minister. Throughout a long career, personal charm and willingness to cut through France's leaden bureaucracy to get things done has won him widespread support.

Summary: A number of the West's leaders are realizing that they will be measured by what happened on their watch.


BY JOSE MARTINEZ DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, August 21th 2003, 7:12AM

Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider said yesterday that the gangland-style slaying of his brother-in-law has left his family crushed and desperate for answers.

"We're sitting here, trying to find out what happened," Snider said. "We have no clues."

Vincent Gargiulo, a steelworker, was shot in the head Monday on W. 30th St. near Broadway as he walked to work. Police have theorized Gargiulo may have been targeted because of a failed business deal.

Gargiulo, the brother of Snider's wife of 27 years, Suzette, previously invested in Sculpt, a failed Manhattan health club, and had dabbled in real estate.

"But this was years ago," said Snider, whose Long Island band hit it big in the 1980s with "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It."

The businesses were a part of Gargiulo's bid to go straight after he did three stints in jail, Snider said. "Eighteen years ago, he walked away from a life of crime, and he never looked back," he said. "That's major."

Gargiulo, who lived in Sunnyside, Queens, joined the steelworkers union three months ago. Two days before he was killed, he had attended a nephew's engagement party. "We were all excited to see him," Snider said. "We didn't know of any problem he had."

The wild-haired rocker - now the host of an '80s heavy-metal radio show - said relatives are hopeful the killer can be caught.

"I loved him and I miss him," said Snider. "Anybody who knows anything, please come forward and talk to the police."

Summary: Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider said yesterday that the gangland-style slaying of his brother-in-law has left his family crushed and desperate for answers. "We're sitting here, trying to find out what happened,"Snider said. "We have no clues."Vincent Gargiulo, a steelworker, was shot in the head Monday on W. 30th St. near Broadway as he walked to work. Police have theorized Gargiulo may have


Friday, September 29th 1995, 4:32AM

A group of 15 wealthy families has jumped into the fight for Rockefeller Center with a plan aimed at knocking out two high-profile rivals that until now have dominated the battle.

The group, Gotham Partners, proposed yesterday that the real estate investment trust that now holds the mortgage on the New York landmark raise $105 million by selling new stock to existing shareholders in order to gain control of the entire center.

Analysts said the offer has a good chance at besting multi-million dollar offers made by Goldman Sachs and a group that includes Chicago investor Sam Zell and Walt Disney.

Gotham whose members include the Ziff family, which recently made more than $1 billion when it sold its publishing empire purchased 5.6% of the trust's shares when they were selling at a steep discount. If their plan succeeds they stand to make a huge profit if the center rises in value.

Gotham said in a letter to the trust that its plan has the support of its other major shareholders.

The trust is in line to become the owner of the complex because Mitsubishi and the Rockefeller family said last month that they were giving up their struggle to hold onto it. They put it into a bankruptcy last May.

Goldman Sachs and the Zell group have both made offers to buy the majority of the shares in the trust. But both of those offers would dilute the ownership of current investors.

"Our transaction permits the company to continue as a widely-held public company without a transfer of control to an outside investor," Gotham officials said in their letter.

Analysts agreed that the Gotham offer appears to be better than the bids made by Goldman and the Zell group. "Shareholders do not want to get diluted here," said Arnold Kastenbaum, an analyst with M.J. Whitman & Co. "They're finally getting to the point where they can realize value by becoming the owners and sharing in the appreciation of the Center."

Analysts believe that the Gotham offer may force Goldman or Zell to sweeten their offer. Officials at those two firms yesterday declined comment or could not be reached.

Up until now the Zell group, which also includes General Electric and Merrill Lynch, appeared to be winning the battle. It had signed a deal with the trust's board of directors which last week concluded that the Goldman bid was not any better.

But the shareholders ultimately must approve the board's action and Gotham's letter indicates that the Zell deal does not have the votes it would need. Smaller shareholders also said yesterday that they believe the Gotham offer is the best one so far.

"It seems at first glance to be a much better deal than the one Zell is proposing," said Orin McCluskey, whose investment firm owns 50,000 shares in the trust.

The trust, which itself has some $800 million in debt, needs a cash infusion of more than $100 million soon to pay debt service and expenses related to the takeover of the Center. Both the Goldman and Zell plans would provide this money but at a large dilution cost.

Under Gotham's offering, shareholders would get two rights to buy stock at $5.50 a share for every five shares they own. The trust's stock rose 12 cents, closing at $7.50 a share yesterday.

The trust was formed in the mid-1980s when the Rockefeller family wanted to extract cash from its ownership of the 12-building complex. Numerous individuals bought shares thinking they were becoming partners with the Rockefellers. In fact, they were clobbered when the city's real estate market collapsed and shares in the trust, which originally traded at $20, fell to $5 a share.

Even if Gotham's offers succeeds, both Goldman and Zell will come out big winners. Zell will be paid a $11 million breakup fee. Goldman, which has numerous rights to buy stock as the trust's largest creditor, will wind up with 20% of the new company that would own Rockefeller Center.

"Regardless of what happens, Zell and Goldman will profit," Kastenbaum said.


We are authorized publish the following exracts from letters received from members of the sanitary Commission, now actively employed in Washington and its neighborhood.

It is gratifying to observe that they bear the strongest testimony to the activity and ability of our Surgeon-General, Dr. HAMMOND. The temporary deficiency of medical stores for the wounded at Centerville was due to the capture of the depot by the enemy -- for which the Medical Department is not in any way responsible.

"We started from Washington with our wagons laden with sanitary stores on Saturday evening and reached the line our army at the foot of Centreville Hills, at 4 o'clock next morning, (Sunday, August 31st). It was a ride of only thirty miles, but we were delayed by the trains and crowds that were. moving in both directions. At the summit of the hill, just this side of Centreville, I came upon a train of fifty or sixty ambulances stationed in the rear of one of the old rebel redoubts, the enemy's shells being expected every moment. On communicating with the surgeons on the ground, and with the wounded, I learned that there was its a lamentable lack of medical and sanitary stores, the supplies having been cut off by the raids of the enemy. Forty-two wagons laden with medical stores had been capture at Manassas Many of our wounded soldiers had been without food for two days, and were soon to start for Alexandria and Washington over a rough and stony road, at the mercy of the merciless and insubordinate ambulance drivers. My wagon-loads of crackers and of pure and honest stimulants were soon cheering the eyes and comforting the exhausted nerves of many. Some were arranged on the narrow couch of the ambulance, others lying on the wet ground with no covering above them or rubber cloths under them, waiting their turn, or looking anxiously to the nearest ambulance as to a haven of rest.

As the field of battle of Saturday was in the hands of the enemy, it was not possible, without much delay, to carry out the original plan of reaching the wounded still there, and it was the opinion that I would not be permitted to enter the lines of the enemy. The need of stores at Centreville and in the very streets (where surgical operations were going on, and the wounded lying about,) was so apparent that there was no question as to present duty. Most of the houses of that dilapidated village were already occupied as hospitals, and a room was not to be had. I therefore appropriated an old hay-rack and a section of the rough sidewalk for my depot, and my boxes were soon arranged and opened. I had conferred with the Medical Director and with others of the Medical Corps, as they were hurrying through the town to and from their camps, so that a wise disposal of the supplies soon became a work of time only. Pressing inquiries came from all sides; "Have you stimulants, have you bandages, lint, dressings, splints, sponges, food, anything for the wounded?" And when my affirmative included beef tea, chocolate and condensed milk, you will appreciate the effect. The "interest of the occasion" was heightened by the fact that the street was crowded with wagon trains, regiments, stragglers, wounded, etc., and my depot generally regarded as a sutler's stand -- the' consequence being that I was besieged by the rank and file in very unmilitary confusion to sell much of what I had, and more of what I had not. Of the latter, tobacco, I think, took the lead.

One melancholy question was asked me; "Have you any chloroform?" No stimulants and no chloroform at the headquarters of our army, thirty miles from the unfinished dome of the Capitol! Such are the accidents of war.

Not knowing how our return might be delayed, I retained a few eatables, which were readily disposed of the next morning, before reaching Alexandria, to the wounded and wearied men by the roadside. I wished myself master of a train of Sanitary stores. We were able to take back with us some of the wounded.

It was the only enjoyment of the day to see how well, and as a matter of every day business, the Surgeon-General was providing for the wounded. He started; 5,000 convalescents for Northern hospitals, and in 36 hours every one of them is gone, and with a mattress under him. He got an order for 2,000 beds for the Capitol and 1,000 for the upper floor of the Patent office, and secured thirty or forty churches and dwelling-houses -- among them CORCORAN's, on Lafayette-square -- for hospitals. He sent for his best army Surgeons who were North, and to Boston, New-York and Philadelphia for sixty more picked citizen volunteers. His accumulation of supplies enables these hospitals to be organized quickly and with little embarrassment."


BY ERICA GARCIA Special to the News

Friday, July 2th 1999, 2:11AM

All who enter the capitol of capitalism the New York Stock Exchange have to wear a jacket and tie.

NYSE Chairman Richard Grasso's newly shaved head turned heads yesterday when he showed up at 9:30 a.m. for the opening bell.

Grasso got his nothing-on-top cut between Wednesday night when he appeared at a news conference with Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt and Nasdaq chief Frank Zarb and yesterday morning.

The 52-year-old Queens native who runs the world's largest stock exchange wouldn't talk about his coiffure. Officially, the NYSE wouldn't discuss it.

"If you're asking me about a haircut, it must be a slow news day," said NYSE spokesman Ray Pellecchia.

It was the second time in a week that the respected exchange chief made news with untraditional behavior.

A few days ago, Grasso traveled to South America to meet with fatigue-wearing members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Grasso said he made the trip, arranged by the Colombian government, to demonstrate the support of the financial community for democracy efforts in that country.

And in recent months, Grasso has staged many wacky photo ops to help celebrate new NYSE listings. In April, he joined "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer and Viacom boss Sumner Redstone in getting "slimed" with the green goo used on Nickelodeon kids' shows.

Wall Streeters generally gave Grasso a thumbs up for risking a hip haircut in a conservative crowd.

"It was bold and radical of him," said Gary Book, 39, a consultant in the Financial District. "He is probably trying to compete with the Nasdaq by being on the cutting edge."

Still, many couldn't believe he had taken the leap.

"Good for him," said one trader. "He's a normal guy."

"It would make him look shorter," one passerby said.

The NYSE chief's shiny dome had floor traders and brokers buzzing "Hey, check out Grasso's head" but in front of the exchange, most were mum.

"We value our jobs," one trader said.

Summary: All who enter the capitol of capitalism the New York Stock Exchange have to wear a jacket and tie. Hair is optional. NYSE Chairman Richard Grasso's newly shaved head turned heads yesterday when he showed up at 9:30 a.m. for the opening bell. Grasso got his nothing-on-top cut between Wednesday night when he appeared at a news conference with Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt and Nasdaq chief Frank Zarb and yesterday morning. The


BY GEORGE RUSH AND JOANNA MOLLOY WITH LOLA OGUNNAIKE AND KASIA ANDERSON

Sunday, December 31th 2000, 2:15AM

You would think the star flock might have tired of Aspen by now.

The once-funky Colorado hamlet long ago became caked with glitz. There are so many fashion shows and gallery openings, people nearly forget to ski. Yes, the Kennedys have deserted the place in the wake of Michael Kennedy's tragic death in 1998. But plenty of others are spending their New Year's Eve there.

Among those decorating the slopes this season are Mel Gibson and family, Don Johnson and wife Kelley, Diana Ross, Anne Archer, Robert Wagner and Jill St. John. Meg Ryan turned heads as she tramped through the lobby of the St. Regis in her bathrobe and flip-flops - on her way to the hotel's spa.

Kevin Costner and his 26-year-old girlfriend, Christine Baumgartner, are everywhere. The other day, the couple lunched at the Aspen Mountain Club (checking out Dennis Basso's furs). That night, they hit the Fendi-sponsored benefit for the Aspen Art Museum. Afterward, they inspected David La Chapelle's whimsical nudes at a dinner at the Baldwin Gallery. They capped the evening with some nuzzling at the Caribou Club.

Goldie Hawn and daughter Kate Hudson have not let the little matter of Kate's wedding tonight deter them from their shopping. Goldie picked out a mink hat at Helen Yarmak's boutique while Kate opted for Gucci. Elsewhere, Meryl Streep hit Brioni and Louis Vuitton.

People are still talking about the Washington crowd that gathered at financier Ted Forstmann's recent Aspen powwow. Secretary of State-designate Colin Powell impressed hotel bellhops with his banter and gratuity. Less beloved by baggage handlers was Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, who allegedly tipped zip. Must be the tight-money policy.

Angelina Jolie should be an eyeful when she brings animated "Tomb Raider" heroine Lara Croft to life on the big screen.

Costume designer Lindy Hemming says Jolie has "13 different costumes. Â Some of them are as little as a towel."

Jolie whipped her bod into supervixen shape with three months of rigorous training.

"I'm all for curves on a woman, and feeling sexy," Jolie tells Electronic Gaming Monthly. "And I'm hoping that everybody will enjoy it as well."

But even Lara Croft might have trouble pleasing Jolie's hubby, Billy Bob Thornton, in the nighttime. Thornton declares in the new Esquire: "Did you ever look at a woman when she's asleep and think, 'Who the [bleep] is that?'Â You can kind of see her face, and she looks like a [bleeping] monster? And much of the daytime, you're, like, 'Oh, honey, I love you. Are you okay?' But when she's asleep, that's how you really feel about her." Has he considered separate bedrooms, we wonder?

More kindling for rumors that Julia Roberts and Benjamin Bratt are inching toward the altar. Designer Matthew Williamson crowed at a Vogue magazine party recently that the Pretty Woman is "my No. 1 fan and she wants to meet me so I can make her a special dress. She is being very secretive about what she wants, but I'm going to make her something very special. I'd absolutely love to make her a wedding gown."

Roberts' spokeswoman tells us the actress has one of Williamson's sweaters, but has "never met or spoken to him. She's not getting married."

Koo Stark, the former soft-core starlet who once dated Prince Andrew, has been having a lively holiday.

Stark told London police on Christmas Eve that ex-boyfriend American banker Warren Walker struck her on the arm at his Notting Hill home, according to the Daily Mail.

A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed that Stark filed a complaint, which "did not substantiate the allegations. The matter is now closed as far as we're concerned."

Walker and Stark have clashed over custody of their 3-year-old, Tatiana. Now a photographer based in Florida, Stark filed a $60 million breach-of-promise suit last May in Manhattan Supreme Court, where she alleged that Walker called off their wedding when he found out she was pregnant.

Walker has argued he never promised marriage and that Stark is using their love child to "obtain absurd sums from me."

Vanity Fair columnist Christopher Hitchens is kicking sand on Time magazine movie critic Richard Schickel. Schickel recently wrote a snippy review for the L.A. Times of "Vanity Fair's Hollywood," the magazine's lavish bound collection of star portraits.

Calling it "a bulky book, hard to hold for very long on your lap," Schickel sniffed that the "chipper, vapid captions" were not worthy of the "usually cranky Christopher Hitchens."

Biting back, Hitchens has written to the Times: "If you can't find an intellectually tough reviewer, could you not at least look for a physically robust one? Failing that, might you not supply him with a stout table that will support both his elbows and the pages you are paying him to turn? The weight of a book and the lightness of a reviewer should not be so poorly matched, or perhaps I mean proportioned."

Responds Schickel: "Ahh, that's more like it: The Christopher Hitchens whom we love somewhat more than we loathe - funny, flailing, outrageous. Where was he when 'Vanity Fair's Hollywood' really needed him?"

CUBA GOODING JR., Yankee Chuck Knoblauch, retired hoopster Jayson Williams and former MTV veejay Eric Nies are the hosts at Noel Ashman's Studio 54. Â

DEREK JETER, model Carmen Kass and designer Betsey Johnson are on the list at NV on Spring St. ...

XZIBIT AND Fragma will perform at Joey Morrissey's all-night dance-a-thon at The World, WWF's Times Square nightclub. Â

MAYFLOWER MADAM Sydney Biddle Barrows and husband Darnay Hoffman are due for dinner at Rockefeller Center's Alfredo of Rome. Joining them will be biographer C. David Heymann, now working on the story of Travis Butler, the 9-year-old boy who lived with his mother's corpse for 33 days.

DAVID SCHWIMMER and girlfriend Mili Avital shared a drink at APT in the West Village this week. Â

EVEN WHEN they're off-duty, Radio City's Rockettes keep on dancing. About 30 of the Champagne-fueled hoofers kicked up their heels at Club One51 Wednesday. Â

GOLF FIEND Samuel L. Jackson bought two warmup suits for some friends at Mason's Tennis Mart on E. 53rd St. ...

JIMMY SMITS' grand Christmas Eve feast? A Blimpie sandwich that he picked up on Second Ave.


Vacation is a time to relax, or a time to seek out adventure. It’s a way to let go of your stress and live out your fantasies. That is, if the stress and pain of planning the vacation doesn’t kill you first.

Whether you want to relax on the beaches of Hawaii, roam the English countryside, or visit the temples of Thailand, you’ve got to be informed, organized, and ready for what lies ahead. To that end, social and web tools can help. From utilizing wikis for collaborative planning to using social networks to share the YouTube videos you record, social media is a useful partner in experiencing the best vacation possible. This short guide highlights some tips, tools, and advice on how to use the social graph to plan and execute the perfect excursion.

The first step whenever you are planning to travel is to do your research! Research is key to choosing a location, picking a hotel, and figuring out where you should visit. One of the best ways to get good information is to read the insight provided by others. This is where social media can play a vital role to getting the best information possible.

While there are hundreds of social media websites you can visit for information, here are recommendations to get you started:

Nextstop: Nextstop, which we recently reviewed, provides a ton of simple-to-understand, user-generated guides for getting the most out of any locale.

Where I’ve Been: Not only is Where I’ve Been a popular Facebook application, but it’s also a stand-alone social network as well. Use it to get in-depth information on different.

Wikitravel: Perhaps the largest collection of user-generated travel information on the web, Wikitravel provides good information on where to go, what to expect, and even information on the culture.

TripAdvisor: One of the best-known sites in travel, TripAdvisor has millions of reviews that will help you pick out the gems and avoid the disasters.

The key is to look at a wide range user-generated content and reviews to get an overall picture. For more detailed information and social tools for research, check out our article HOW TO: Use Social Media for Travel Research.

Picking a vacation spot might just be the easiest part of the battle. Tackling the daunting task of planning, organizing, and building a vacation plan can be the stumbling block that makes the excursion fall apart. Yet social and web tools are ideal for saving this information, creating itineraries, and sharing them with others. There are a couple of things you can do to help make the collaboration easier.

First, if you’re going on a vacation larger than just your family, then you’ll want to collect everyone’s research and thoughts onto one page. Setting up a wiki for the vacation is a great solution for this issue. It will help make sure nobody’s ideas are lost. Set up one at Wikidot, PBWorks, Wikia, or Wetpaint. Want a simpler option? Then Google Docs may be a fit as well.

Planning a vacation should not be a solo effort. Working with a spouse, the kids, and friends not only lightens the work load, but makes the vacation a greater shared experience. Make collaboration a painless process by using time-based tools like Google Calendar and CalendarHub, both of which can remind you when tasks are due. TripIt is also ideal.

Finally, remember that Facebook, MySpace, and comprehensive social networks are an easy way to keep a group of friends in the loop about a vacation. Create a new event or a group for the vacation and post updates via the wall or send messages to everyone in the group. This can be a lifesaver when you need to collect things like signatures, opinions, or vacation funds.

Social media’s usefulness in vacation planning doesn’t end when you step off the plane. Even the best-planned (or impromptu) vacation will require adjustments. Here are a few tips and tools for when you need to find a great restaurant on-the-ground or are looking for advice from locals:

Go mobile: iPhone and Android apps are your friends. Having GPS-enabled and informative applications while on-the-go can mean the difference between finding the great treasures of Italy or getting lost in the alleys of Brazil. Be sure to check about data plans in the area you’re visiting – you don’t want to pay enormous roaming and data fees after all.

Some apps need online access, while others will work regardless. So even if the phone is off, there are a great deal of applications that can make life easy. We suggest having ZAGAT TO GO, MapsBuddy, and Yelp [iTunes links] handy to start.

Check tweets in the area: Did you know that Twitter search has location-based search? Say you want to find out about parties near Paris. Just search “party near:Paris” and you’ll have a set of local results. Refine as you’d like. Reach out if you’re adventurous.

Another idea: use Tweetie’s local tweets function to find residents who may be willing to help. Just be sure not to tweet to unsavory characters.

Use location-based social networks: Location-based social networks, while still fresh and new, are a great way to find friends and friendly strangers around you. Check out Loopt and BrightKite and see if either will work for you.

Tools like Flickr, YouTube, and a personal blog should be key partners in your vacation plan. Specifically, use these tools to store the memories of your trip for posterity. Creating albums of your adventures helps encompass the memory and can be referenced for years to come. A personal blog chronicling the trip can also be fun to write.

Don’t forget to share your multimedia with your friends and family, as well. You know they will ask, so make it easy for them to find it by posting the photos and links via your top social networks.

Hopefully with all of the tools and information highlighted in this short guide, you will have a no-stress vacation that you can remember for the rest of your days.

-11 Essential iPhone Apps for a Road Trip

- HOW TO: Use Social Media for Travel Research

- HOW TO: Find Your Way Around Any New City

- HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE: 20+ Tools for Family Travel

- How to Turn Your Business Trip into a Social Media Experience

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, apomares

Summary: Vacation is a time to relax, or a time to seek out adventure.  It's a way to let go of your stress and live out your fantasies.  That is, if the stress and pain of planning the vacation doesn't kill


Regardless of who puts their stamp on the ultra-cheap tablet, OLPC's biggest task may be getting the various components in line. A typical fragile, glass LCD screen hardly seems a wise choice in the hands of young children, or in countries with unpredictable and scarce electricity. So OLPC hopes to incorporate plastic back-plane components, possibly from Mountain View, Calif.-based Plastic Logic, that would be far more durable. The tablet will also likely use ultra low-power screens from start-up Pixel Qi with both reflective and LCD capabilities, created by former Negroponte disciple Mary Lou Jepsen.

If Behar's design comes to fruition, the XO-3 will feature a camera on the back of the device and a finger-hold ring on the computer's corner. That loop, a metal cable that runs from the device's rim and is encased in the same rubber as the screen frame, can be used to steady the computer in the user's hand or to let it hang at one's side. Magnets in the loop could also be used to keep it tucked behind the machine, out of the way.

Those simple additions are the only departures from the tablet's minimalist design: Ideally, the machine won't even have a charging port. Behar says OLPC wants to use induction to wirelessly charge the battery through its rubber frame. "We wanted to remove all the scars that you typically see on a laptop from Lenovo or HP," he says.

While the tablet isn't slated to appear until 2012, OLPC has other plans in the meantime. An incremental upgrade of the XO set for release in January will have several times the memory, storage and processing power of the current machine. The next upgrade, in 2011, will boost the machine's performance again and replace its AMD chip with a lower-power processor from phone chip maker Marvell.

When it comes to his plans for the $75 dream tablet, however, Negroponte admits his track record of lofty promises doesn't offer much assurance that this latest fantasy machine will appear. But he warns the computer industry not to underestimate OLPC. "Sure, if I were a commercial entity coming to you for investment, and I'd made the projections I had in the past, you wouldn't invest again," he says. "But we're not a commercial operation. If we only achieve half of what we're setting out to do, it could have very big consequences."

In Pictures: The $75 Future Computer

One Laptop Per Child--Version 2.0

One Virtual PC Per Child

One Windows User Per Child

Summary: Designer Yves Behar shares images and details from One Laptop Per Child's flashy PC plans. Page 2 of 2


This holiday season, the hottest retail trend isn’t on store shelves. It’s at the cash register. Major retailers are promising to match competitors’ prices. Generally, customers need only to bring in an ad or a printout to show the same item is available elsewhere at a lower price. In some cases, shoppers can come back with a receipt and get a refund for the difference if the price of an item they bought fell. Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and Sears offer price matching year round. What’s different now is that Best Buy and Target for the first time are matching online retailers …

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Summary: This holiday season, the hottest trend among retailers isn’t found on a store shelf. It’s taking place at the cash register. Major retailers, from Best Buy to Toys R Us, are promising to match their competitors’ prices. Generally customers just need to bring in an advertisement or printout to prove that the same item is available elsewhere at a lower price. In some cases, shoppers can come back with a receipt and get a refund for the difference if the price of an item they bought fell.


DEARBORN, Mich. — In the fiercely competitive world of luxury cars, Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln brand has long been stuck in the slow lane, with stodgy models, older buyers, and a distinct lack of glitz. But Ford is determined to change that. On Monday, the company will announce upgraded customer service initiatives, a new brand name for Lincoln that plays down the Ford connection, and an unusual advertising campaign that features Abraham Lincoln, the president for whom the brand is named. Chief executive Alan R. Mulally will begin the rebranding effort at Lincoln Center in Manhattan — the first in a series …

This is an article preview. The full story is available to BostonGlobe.com subscribers.

Summary: In the fiercely competitive world of luxury cars, Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln brand has long been stuck in the slow lane, with stodgy models, older buyers, and a distinct lack of glitz. But Ford is determined to change that. On Monday, the company will announce upgraded customer service initiatives, a new brand name for Lincoln that plays down the Ford connection, and an unusual advertising campaign that features Abraham Lincoln, the president for whom the brand is named. Chief executive Alan R. Mulally will begin the rebranding effort at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. Ford will formally rechristen the brand as Lincoln Motor Co.


New Orleans -- Jim Harbaugh doesn't suffer fools easily, so how would he endure an event dotted with, ahem, journalists in capes, leotards and Mardi Gras masks?

As it turns out, Harbaugh handled his one-hour Super Bowl Media Day duty in much the same way he handles most news conferences: He gave cordial non-answers to questions he didn't like, constantly credited his players and offered a few memorable sound bites.

For example, his thoughts on social media?

"My personal opinion is, it's a time drain," Harbaugh said. "A lot of time is used on the Facebooking and the Tweeter and things like that. It seems unnecessary, though. It just seems like a modern-day diary."

Harbaugh, of course, was peppered with questions about coaching against his brother, Baltimore's John Harbaugh, on Sunday. The queries ranged from their boyhood brawls to, in true media-day fashion, his potential concern that John could read his mind.

"No," Harbaugh said. "Worried about a lot of things, but I have not noticed that he has any clairvoyant powers."

Asked another question about his brother later, Harbaugh turned the focus to his team with Shakespearean flair, quoting a "Henry V" line also used in "Band of Brothers."

"There's no question that it's very exciting playing against my brother, John," Harbaugh said. "The thing I also think about is the San Francisco 49ers, our players. They're my brothers. For he who sheds his blood with me today shall be my brother. I feel that about our players, I felt that and still do about our Stanford players and our USD (University of San Diego) players. This is their time. This game is about them playing with their brothers."

Meanwhile, quarterback Colin Kaepernick, like his coach, stayed in form in the face of the media barrage. Described as "a man of enough words" by Harbaugh this season, Kaepernick rarely added any unnecessary syllables for the flotilla of cameras.

What makes a good read-option quarterback? Kaepernick broke it down succinctly: "You need to be able to run and you need to be able to read the defense," he offered.

Asked if he would remain in the pocket more against Baltimore's defense, however, Kaepernick did provide a memorable quote.

"If I was worried about my health," he said, "I wouldn't be playing football."

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch

Summary: Jim Harbaugh doesn't suffer fools easily, so how would he endure an event dotted with, ahem, journalists in capes, leotards and Mardi Gras masks?  Asked another question about his brother later, Harbaugh turned the focus to his team with Shakespearean flair, quoting a "Henry V" line also used in "Band of Brothers."  [...] quarterback Colin Kaepernick, like his coach, stayed in form in the face of the media barrage.  Described as "a man of enough words" by Harbaugh this season, Kaepernick rarely added any unnecessary syllables for the flotilla of cameras.  Asked if he would remain in the pocket more against Baltimore's defense, however, Kaepernick did provide a memorable quote.


In 1971, Gerald Weigert was just a young man with a plan. Fresh out of college, he wanted to build fast cars and, after several years of trial and error, he built the W8, his first production-bound car. With avionic rivets and a massive 6-litre twin-turbocharged Ford-sourced V8 producing 625 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque mounted behind the cockpit, the W8 was a formidable performer. Weigert claimed his creation could surpass 220mph â astounding performance for 1989, when it went on sale. Weigert had clearly spared no expense making his dream come true, and it was reflected in the carâs $455,000 sticker price, which exceeded that of the Ferrari F40, a benchmarked supercar that has gone on to become catnip at collector-car auctions. Production of the W8 ended in 1993. Just 17 W8s found homes.

RM Auctions sold the pristine W8 pictured above in 2010 for Â£179,200 ($287,000).

In the dark recesses of the internet, however, stirs what may be the second coming of Vector Motors, promising cars with 2,000 horsepower. Some dreams, apparently, die hard. (RM Auctions)

Summary: With a pristine Tucker â one of only 51 built â going to auction in Florida this weekend, a look back at memorable cars that burned hot and died young.


Itâs turning into a good week for tiny-engined sports things.

This morning we drove the Caterham Seven 160, and now Honda has revealed its compact offering for next month’s Tokyo motorshow: the S660 concept.

Cute, isn’t it? Honda hasn’t revealed details yet, but that name would suggest the two-seat roadster is powered by a 660cc engine, in line with Japan’s stringent kei car regulations. Sure, it’s small, but as the little Caterham and – for those with longer memories - the Smart Roadster prove, you don’t need a big block to have fun.

If the S660 is intended to qualify for kei car status, that mean it's every bit as dinky as it looks. Kei cars must be shorter than 340cm in length: the current Mazda MX-5, for comparison, measures 402cm from bumper to bumper. Even the thankfully-now-dead Renault Wind spanned a gargantuan 387cm.

It could prove a worthy successor to the lovely Honda Beat of the early 90s, a kei roadster that made use of every last drop of its modest 63bhp (and which even Clarkson praised in his "big hair" era). That said, the original Beat had a simple five-speed manual, while the presence of steering wheel paddles and absence of gearstick would suggest the S660 gets an auto box. Shame.

Even so, we’re looking forward to a closer poke around the S660 at the Tokyo show. Are we witnessing a brave new era of small, modestly powered, relevant sports cars?

Summary: The breezy kei car study, which packs a 660cc engine, is headed for the Tokyo Motor Show in November.


A highly public spat has broken out between members of Boston’s startup community and the organizers of a conference Wednesday in Dedham that charges new entrepreneurs and other attendees for access to venture investors.

The war of words began when youngStartup Ventures, a New York firm that stages business conferences around the country, organized the New England Venture Summit, taking place at Hilton Boston Dedham, that costs as much as $1,095 for attendees to hear tips from more than 40 venture capitalists.

That kind of cover charge rubbed many techies in Boston the wrong way. So much so that they are staging their own event at the same time, in Kendall Square Wednesday afternoon. Called Unpitch Boston, the event has 30 local venture capitalists volunteering to mix among young entrepreneurs — and it’s entirely free. (Boston Globe columnist Scott Kirsner is among the organizers of the Unpitch event.)

“Entrepreneurs should never pay to pitch,” said Philip Beauregard, chief executive officer of Boston startup Objective Logistics and an organizer of the Unpitch event. “These are literally people who can’t afford to buy lunch.”

YoungStartup Ventures did not return a call seeking comment, but it defended the conference on its blog by saying it is providing a much-needed service for early stage companies to find funding. The company said its business is similar to many other such conferences around the country, and moreover the group is coaching startup workers on how best to woo potential investors.

In response to the criticism of the Boston event, one event organizer said that by discouraging youngStartup Ventures “from producing programs, you are actually damaging the ecosystem and doing startups a huge disservice.”

The daylong Dedham event will involve startup founders pitching their companies, panel discussions on the latest technology trends, and networking among investors and entrepreneurs. Among the venture firms scheduled to appear are Birchmere Ventures, Covidien Ventures, and Excel Venture Management.

Beauregard and other members of Boston’s startup community have used social media, especially Twitter, to discourage local entrepreneurs from attending the youngStartup Ventures event.

Though the company has held numerous venture summits in the Boston area, this year’s event seems to have struck a particular nerve within the local tech community.

For example, youngStartup Ventures initially advertised that its New England summit would include a partner from the hot local venture capital firm Spark Capital — even though Spark had not agreed to take part.

That elicited an angry retort on Twitter from Spark Capital investor Alex Finkelstein: “Entrepreneurs, don’t attend New England VC Summit, scam artist charging companies to present and claiming VCs will be there who 100% won’t.”

Finkelstein said the organization was also using his name to promote other events around the country.

The current list of speakers on the New England summit website does not include Finkelstein or Spark as a presenter at the Dedham event.

Though paid conferences with expert presenters are a staple of many industries, the issue of paying for access to investors has been the subject of much debate in the technology hotbeds of Boston and Silicon Valley.

Members of the Boston tech community appeared to take particular aim at youngStartup Ventures after several entrepreneurs complained about its past events here, and the issue of “paying to pitch” gained new prominence via Twitter.

But one entrepreneur who does not mind paying the youngStartup fee is Rod Massey, a maker of mobile apps from Nashville.

Massey recently attended a youngStartup event in New York and will be in Dedham Wednesday.

“It gives us the ability to have access to VCs and investors, but also to receive coaching and guidance about the message we are delivering,” said Massey, whose company, iCitizen Corp., produces apps designed to increase civic engagement.

“There are certainly other venues where you can practice your pitch,” Massey said. “But the amount that we’re talking about is a small amount in the scheme of things if you look at the value of what you’re doing or achieving.”

But the hometown crowd is not buying it, as they banded together in just a few weeks to put together the Unpitch event. One of the presenters at Unpitch will be Alex Finkelstein from Spark Capital.

Summary: A highly public spat has broken out between members of Boston’s startup community and the organizers of a conference Wednesday in Dedham that charges new entrepreneurs and other attendees for access to venture investors. The war of words began when youngStartup Ventures, a New York firm that stages business conferences around the country, organized the New England Venture Summit, at the Hilton Boston Dedham, that costs as much as $1,095 for attendees to hear tips from more than 40 venture capitalists. That kind of cover charge rubbed many techies in Boston the wrong way. So much so that they are staging their own event at the same time, in Kendall Square Wednesday afternoon. Called Unpitch Boston, the event has 30 local venture capitalists VCs volunteering to mix among young entrepreneurs — and it’s entirely free.


Pawel Pawlikowski has never followed convention. The Polish-born, Oxford-educated director first gained attention in the early ’90s, with several offbeat documentaries for British television, then earned critical acclaim for his debut feature, “Last Resort” (2000). He followed that up with “My Summer of Love” (2004) starring a then-unknown Emily Blunt. After a lukewarm reception to his Paris-set “The Woman in the Fifth” (2011), Pawlikowski returns to maverick form with “Ida.” Set in 1962 Poland, it’s about two women, Wanda (Agata Kulesza), a cynical prosecutor, and her niece, Anna/Ida (Agata Trzebuchowska), who’s about to take her vows as a nun. But before she does, she meets her aunt for the first time and the two embark on a journey to find out what happened to their family during the Nazi occupation. The film has been well received critically and commercially since it screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. It opens here Friday.

“What surprised me most was the big turnout in Paris. That had never happened to me,” says Pawlikowski over the telephone from New York. Over the course of his career, he says, his most personal films have turned out to be his biggest successes. “I made a documentary [“From Moscow to Pietushki”] in 1989 about an unknown poet. It was a freewheeling, strange documentary that I made just for me and for my father, who had just died. It won several awards. It’s a strange thing; audiences seem to respond when I go out on a limb completely.”

“Ida,” with its stark black-and-white photography, single long takes and minimal dialogue, was Pawlikowski going out on a limb because he’d become “bored with the cinema.”

“I thought, ‘I can’t watch movies anymore.’ All its weapons, all its tricks, the grammar of it, all the tracking shots, the music, the cutting, the noise. I knew I wanted to have strong photography, because then you don’t need a lot of close-ups or hand-held cameras. You can convey emotion in a wide, static shot if you do it well. I wanted to do each scene in practically one shot. I wanted to make a film that didn’t feel like storytelling, although there’s a story. But it’s more of a meditation. You watch it in a certain state of mind — if you stay and watch it. I knew it wasn’t going to be a widely seen film, but it might turn out to be my most widely seen film. So there you go.”

Born in Warsaw in 1957, Pawlikowski left Poland in 1971, at 14, to stay with his mother in England after she remarried. “I couldn’t go back to Poland as I had left illegally and was only allowed back in to visit in the late ’70s,” he says. By 1980 he was allowed to return; and went back often after the fall of the Berlin Wall, in 1989. But he’d never shot a film there.

“Ida,” he says, is his attempt to depict the early-’60s Poland of his boyhood memories. “It was an important period in Polish history; culturally, when censorship weakened, Stalinism faded away, and a tiny margin of freedom was grabbed with both hands by a young generation who started playing great jazz music and writing books that were not imitative of any other culture. Polish culture at that time was at its most interesting, which often happens with authoritarian cultures, because all that was pent-up just explodes. I made this film in the same ‘I don’t give a damn’ spirit. I wanted to make a film that doesn’t imitate anything, doesn’t pander, doesn’t try to cover issues. It was a challenge to enter that spirit with both anarchic and disciplined filmmaking.”

Pawlikowski’s four-feature oeuvre is filled with complicated women, or girls, in the case of “My Summer of Love.” It was that film that first impressed Trzebuchowska, who is currently finishing her bachelor of arts degree at the University of Warsaw.

“I saw ‘My Summer of Love’ as a teenager and it made a huge impression on me. I really liked this weird and mysterious relationship between the girls,” Trzebuchowska says in an e-mail interview. “After ‘Ida’ came to an end, I decided to watch ‘My Summer of Love’ again, and it turned out that I still have the same feelings about it.”

It was Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska who first spotted Trzebuchowska in a Warsaw cafe.

“We were sitting in the same cafe and Malgorzata took a picture of me, which I didn’t notice, and sent it to Pawel,” recalls Trzebuchowska. “Then she contacted the production office, where I shot one short scene from the script. After a while I met Pawel. We talked, did some rehearsals and, as it turned out, it was the beginning. It seemed so incredible that I didn’t even have time to think if I would manage. Things like that do not happen every day. I trusted Pawel and believed he knew what he was doing.”

The heart of the film is the relationship between jaded, worldly Wanda and young, sheltered Ida, whose luminous presence underscores the film’s themes of guilt and innocence, saint and sinner, earthy and ethereal.

“Wanda is not a sentimental character; there’s no pathos,” says Pawlikowski. “She had a heroic life as a revolutionary, but after 1956, communism started looking like a joke. They are both women of faith, but Wanda’s faith has stopped carrying her. Ida is a woman of God. She is not a common creature. There are not many people like that: Irregardless of religion, they have that and don’t need the world so much.”

Summary: In “Ida,” set in Poland in 1962, director Pawel Pawlikowsky returns to maverick form.


FORTUNE — Earlier this morning, there appeared to be two finalists for the Yahoo YHOO CEO job: Interim CEO Ross Levinsohn and Hulu boss Jason Kilar.

But now there is only one, as Hulu just issued the following statement:

“As has been reported, Jason Kilar has been a focus of the Yahoo CEO search committee. He has graciously declined to be considered.”

First, let’s leave aside the obvious silliness of someone declining to be considered. Pretty sure that’s not really something you can decline. For example, I’m considering Albert Pujols for my company softball team. Come on Albert, try to stop me.

So what exactly does Hulu mean? Here are a few options:

1. Kilar just doesn’t want the job. He’s happy at Hulu. You know, the company that reportedly spurned Yahoo’s $2 billion acquisition offer last year. At least he knows the business issues he faces, rather than diving into what many believe is a bottomless pool of despair.

2. Kilar wants the job but saw the writing on the wall. This is the face-saving option. Popular sentiment is that Levinsohn has done a good job since taking over for Scott Thompson, including today’s news that Yahoo has settled its patent dispute with Facebook FB . Moreover, he is the company’s third CEO in the past 12 months. Can the rank-and-file really handle a fourth change in leadership? Maybe Kilar came to these realizations late, and is trying to make someone else’s decision look like his own.

3. Kilar is still in the running. This is the double-secret recruitment theory. Kilar is still CEO of Hulu, and few companies do well upon hearing that their fearless leader is looking to switch teams. So he officially pulls out, but keeps back channels open. If he gets an offer from Yahoo, then he sheepishly tells the Hulu troops that he tried telling Yahoo no, but then received an offer that he couldn’t refuse.

You got an alternate theory?

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Summary: What does "graciously declined" really mean?


Ten years ago, I called anyone buying into Google’s much hyped IPO a “sucker.” My bottom line, which I helpfully broke out into a separate paragraph titled “My Advice” in my Money magazine article was “stay clear.” Man was I wrong.

In fact, few investing calls, since the beginning of time, have been more wrong. Leading economist Irving Fisher calling stocks cheap in 1929. And then there’s me.

Google’s shares started trading at $50, adjusted for a 2-for-1 split a few years later. I said they were worth less than half that, around $20. And I was pretty sure they would soon nosedive to that price. They never did.

A decade later, Google’s shares now trade for $586. That’s a 1084% return, roughly 10 times what the stock market did at the same time. If you had invested $10,000 in Google GOOG then, you would now have $118,400, or $97,000 more than what you would had if you invested the same money in the S&P 500. You’re welcome!

So why was I so utterly wrong about Google? Can I learn anything about investing from this call?

More from Money: The 8 worst things ever said about Google as an investment

First of all, trying to come up with an exact price for what a company is worth is the true sucker’s game. To come up with my $20 a share for Google, I used what Wall Streeters and finance professors call a discounted cash flow model. And I sought out the advice of New York University economics professor Aswath Damodaran, who wrote a textbook about how to value companies, to do it. Estimate all the money you think a company is going to generate over the next decade (because try to estimate beyond that and you are bound to look pretty silly), and then figure out what, based on future inflation, that cash flow would be worth today. And presto, you will know what Google, or any company should be worth.

Ok, so there were a number of ways to mess this up, and I did all of them. My first mistake was to assume that Google’s sales growth would be a stable 30% a year. Online advertising was increasing, and I figured Google would get a slice of that. What I didn’t understand was that Google wouldn’t just get a slice, but nearly all of it. As a result, Google’s revenue has grown an average of 50% a year over the past decade.

Also, I thought there was a high probability that I was overestimating how profitable Google could be. I said there was a strong possibility that Google would end up with Netscape in the internet graveyard. Based on its current profitability, I said Google could earn $48 billion over its lifetime. But that, I said, was unlikely. What’s more, inflation would eat up the value of a lot of those profits. So I used a discount rate of 15%, per year, to figure out that the value of those profits was more like $15 billion.

Not even close. Google’s actual cash flow over the past decade has been just over $90 billion, and inflation has been basically non-existent.

If I had gotten that number correct, and trusted it, I still wouldn’t have predicted that Google’s shares would be near $600 by 2014. But I would have thought the stock was a buy back at $50.

Second, some companies do live up to their hype. Actually, probably more than most of us expect. Damodaran, who I called up to chat about our decade old folly, said not to be so down on trying to value companies. He thinks you will be wrong 20% of the time. That seems low to me. A number of companies that I thought were successes a decade ago have faltered. But I can’t think of eight high profile busts.

The companies that are still around a decade from now will probably perform better than expected. So the better question is not what the company will earn over the next ten years, but will it be around ten years from now. And then just assume if it is, it will do much better than you expect.

More from Money: 10 Ways Google Has Changed the World

Lastly, the companies that succeed are always going to be worth more than you think they are worth. That’s the nature of the stock market. We’re all chasing the same few stocks. And the market moves in herds. We think of the market and all the buying and selling as a way to come at the exact price a company is worth. That’s the efficient market hypothesis. Instead, the market for stocks works like any other market. The good stuff always costs more than you think it should. And the bad stuff is always overpriced.

Bruce Greenwald, Columbia’s reigning expert when it comes to investing, says I shouldn’t feel so bad about being so wrong about Google. A decade ago, the search business still seemed in flux. So again, I would have had to have known that Google wasn’t going away, and that it along with online advertising was going to take over the advertising world. In short, I had to know that Google was not just another Internet company, but the Internet company. I did not know that.

So here’s what I think I have learned: A decade ago, I thought price was the most important thing when it came to investing in stocks. That doesn’t seem right to me. The lesson of Google is that the most important thing when it comes to investing is picking the right companies. Get that right, and the price you pay for their shares is always going to be a good bet.

How do you know what companies will succeed? That leads me to my second, and more useful, lesson from my experience with Google: Buy index funds. I don’t know the future. Do you? And you kind of have to know the future really well to pick individual stocks. So don’t do it. Just buy the S&P 500. If the companies are successful, like Google, they will end up in the index eventually.

A few months after the IPO’s success, when Google’s stock had risen to the equivalent of $61, I again advised avoiding the stock. Instead, I said to buy eBay EBAY . Wrong, again. eBay’s stock is up a pathetic 17% since then. Although I also said to avoid the shares of Yahoo YHOO –a good call, but not enough to get me off the hook for the worst investment call of all time.

Summary: A decade after Google's IPO, I revisit one of the worst investment calls of all time, and it was mine: Don't buy Google.