Gardner Cowles Jr., founder and publisher of Look magazine and head of one branch of a family communications empire that included newspapers, magazines, book publishing and television stations, died of cardiac arrest yesterday at Southampton (L.I.) Hospital.

Mr. Cowles, who had long suffered from cancer, was 82 years old and had homes in Manhattan, Southampton, and Florida.

A liberal Republican and internationalist, he was for many years an influential voice in urging the United States to move away from isolationism and toward a more active role in world affairs.

In 1942 he accompanied Wendell L. Willkie on the journey around the world that inspired the latter's book ''One World,'' which helped to win Republican support for the wartime policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Later Mr. Cowles championed such causes as American recognition of China's Communist Government.

It was through his publications that he exerted his greatest influence, especially through Look, a mass-circulation, general-interest magazine that, among other issues, focused early attention on the civil rights movement. He made his mark professionally as an innovative and aggressive creator of magazines.

Began Career in Des Moines

Mr. Cowles was born in 1903 in Algona, Iowa. His father, Gardner Cowles, thought he looked Irish and so nicknamed him Mike, which he thought sounded Irish.

After growing up in Des Moines and graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University, Mr. Cowles returned to Iowa in the mid-1920's to begin his career at The Des Moines Register and Tribune, the newspaper base established by his father. The Register's financial success made possible the Cowles family's expansion into other areas of communications.

Mr. Cowles and his older brother, John, aggressively acquired radio stations during the 1930's, and in 1935 the family bought The Minneapolis Star and John Cowles moved to Minneapolis to manage it.

During this period he became persuaded that a national picture magazine could be a great success, in part because of opinion polls by George Gallup, then a graduate student at the University of Iowa. Henry Luce, the founder of Time, had a similar idea.

Mr. Luce's magazine was Life, started in 1936, and Mr. Cowles's was Look, which came out in early 1937. Both magazines quickly became successful and bitter rivals, prompting Mr. Luce to buy stock in Look.

A Move to New York

Though originally published in Des Moines as a monthly picture magazine, Look soon switched to biweekly publication and in 1940 moved its corporate headquarters to New York. Mr. Cowles, however, continued to supervise its operations from Des Moines, where he managed the family paper.

During World War II Mr. Cowles took a leave from publishing to become deputy director of the Office of War Information. After the war he left Des Moines for New York to devote his full energies to Look, though he retained the title of president of the Des Moines Register and Tribune Company.

In the next two decades, Mr. Cowles started a number of unsuccessful magazines, including Quick, a pocket-sized news digest that failed because advertisers did not like its size, and Flair, a chic and lavishly produced women's magazine that was guided by Mr. Cowles's third wife, Fleur Fenton. Flair foundered after being hailed as ahead of its time.

Among the other publications started by Mr. Cowles that proved to be costly failures were Venture, a hard-cover travel magazine, and The Suffolk Sun, a daily newspaper intended to share the Long Island market with Newsday.

But there were also very successful investments.

In 1959, Mr. Cowles founded Puerto Rico's first English-language daily, The San Juan Star, and it won a Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing during its first year. Later he bought the monthly supermarket magazine Family Circle for $3.5 million in stock, as well as several newspapers and television stations. Other acquisitions included television stations in Memphis and Orlando, Fla., several Florida newspapers and Florida real estate.

In the mid-1960's, Look, which had become more a feature publication with photographs than a picture book, passed its rival Life in circulation, reaching 8.5 million.

Cowles Communications, the corporation created by Mr. Cowles that was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, reached its peak in the late 1960's. At that time its holdings included Look, Family Circle, a group of trade magazines, a cluster of small newspapers in Florida, television stations in Orlando-Daytona Beach, Fla., Memphis and Des Moines, a cable television system, and the Cambridge Book Company, a book publisher.

But at the same time television's seizure of the national advertising that had been Look's principal source of revenue prompted a financial crisis at the magazine and at other mass-market magazines: Collier's, The Saturday Evening Post, and Life.

To keep Look operating, Mr. Cowles sold several of the company's other properties, including Family Circle, Florida newspapers, a book division and the Memphis television station, to The New York Times Company for about 23 percent of the Times company's outstanding stock. The stock, which had limited voting power, was then valued at $50 million. Mr. Cowles was a director of the Times Company from 1971 to 1974.

Despite his efforts, Look continued to lose money, and it stopped publishing in 1971. A few months later the original weekly Life folded, but it has since been revived as a monthly magazine.

''It was the most difficult day of my life,'' Mr. Cowles said later, referring to his announcement of Look's last issue.

After that he progressively shed his business responsibilities, and in 1978 he dissolved Cowles Communications, the umbrella corporation for the companies he had assembled around Look. The block of New York Times stock was dispersed among the many stockholders of Cowles Communications.

In recent years Mr. Cowles devoted himself mainly to overseeing the Cowles Charitable Trust, which has a net worth of $11 million.

A week ago the sale of The Des Moines Register and Tribune Company to the Gannett Company became final. The sale left Cowles Media, the company formed around the family's newspapers in Minnneapolis, as the only remaining branch of the family empire.

Associates described Mr. Cowles as a man who leavened seriousness about the quality of his publications and his interests in the arts, politics and many other fields with a sense of fun and offbeat humor.

For many years he kept in his living room the Cardiff Giant, a stone statue once viewed by experts as evidence that a race of giants once roamed North American, though it was exposed later as a hoax. He also took wry pride in the fact that each of his three divorces was announced on the front page of The Register and Tribune.

Mr. Cowles served on the board of overseers of Harvard University and was a trustee of many other schools, including Columbia University Teachers College, the University of Miami and Drake University.

He is survived by his wife, Jan; three daughters, Lois Harrison of Lakeland, Fla.; Kate Nichols of Tallahassee, Fla., and Virginia Kurtis of New York City; a son, Gardner 3d, of Stony Brook, L.I., and a stepson, Charles, of New York City.

A memorial service is being planned.

photo of Gardner Cowles Jr. (NYT)


WikiLeaks said Saturday that it is not trying to hack Donald Trump’s tax returns, following an interview in which WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said the group was “working on it.”

“WikiLeaks isn’t ‘working on’ hacking Trump’s tax-returns. Claim is a joke from a comedy show. We are ‘working on’ encouraging whistleblowers,” the organization said on Twitter.

Asked in a Friday interview on Real Time with Bill Maher why WikiLeaks hasn’t hacked into Trump’s tax returns, Assange said, “We’re working on it.” The organization’s statement on Saturday aimed to walk back that comment.

MORE Why It Matters Who Hacked the Democratic National Committee

In Friday’s interview, Maher accused Assange of “working with a bad actor, Russia, to put your thumb on the scale” and influence the presidential election. Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, WikiLeaks released emails obtained through a Democratic National Committee hack thought by U.S. officials to have been carried out by Russia. The email release led to the resignation of party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Summary: A statement came after Julian Assange said the group was "working on it"


Unconfirmed reports of gunfire at Kennedy Airport on Sunday night left travelers panicked as the police worked to evacuate two terminals.

Panicked travelers stampeded through Kennedy International Airport on Sunday night after unconfirmed reports of gunfire there, leading the police to evacuate two terminals and close part of a major highway that runs near the airport, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.

The Port Authority said in a statement that its preliminary investigation “does not indicate shots were fired” at the airport, but that Terminals 1 and 8 were evacuated “to be cautious.” No explanation was given as to what had caused the initial reports.

“There are no injuries,” the statement said. “At this time, no firearm, rounds or shell casings or other evidence of shots fired has been found.”

Harry J. Wedin, chief of the special operations division of the New York Police Department, said on Twitter shortly after midnight that all affected terminals had been searched and cleared. He said no shots had been fired. The spokesman for the Port Authority, Joe Pentangelo, said no arrests had been made.

Both the panic earlier in the evening and the process of clearing the terminals produced dramatic scenes inside the airport and striking imagery on social media, where one user shared pictures and a video that appeared to show hundreds of travelers standing in the terminal with their hands raised over their heads.

“Armed police have evacuated the terminal — everyone is being searched,” Zack Young, a businessman who was inside Terminal 8, wrote on Twitter. Mr. Young shared more than half a dozen images of frightened travelers hiding behind rows of chairs inside the terminal and, later, standing with their arms raised.

Woah what a night #JFK #jfkairport pic.twitter.com/bhPEeixIho

Mr. Pentangelo said in an email that reports of gunfire inside Terminal 8 began arriving around 9:30 p.m. He said the panic appeared to have begun “near the departures area.”

Mr. Pentangelo said Terminal 1 was evacuated after the police received additional calls of shots fired. He said the Van Wyck Expressway, which runs near the airport in Queens, had been partially closed to aid in the response.

The port agency said there was a “substantial” police presence at both Kennedy and La Guardia Airports on Sunday night. The Police Department was assisting the Port Authority Police, a police spokesman said.

Dan Archer, a journalist and media executive who was inside the airport when the first report of gunfire filtered through the crowd, described scenes of “panic” in a series of Twitter posts.

He said that the gates at the security checkpoints were closed and that he saw armed policeman patrolling the terminal. Just minutes later, he wrote that travelers were “told the situation has been cleared” at the terminal, but that it was unsafe for them to stay there.

Panic at jfk theyre closing the gates at security-possible shooter pic.twitter.com/OJUIFaenEI

Confusion and unease spread onto the tarmac, where both recently arrived flights and those that had boarded for departure sat waiting in a state of limbo.

On one JetBlue flight scheduled to depart for Los Angeles at 9:45 p.m., the pilot powered down the engines at around 11 p.m. and told 130 passengers that all flights had been temporarily halted.

One passenger, Dan Buontempone, scrolled through his phone for updates from Twitter and from his wife, Melissa, who was watching the news at home on Long Island. The flight took off shortly after 11:40 p.m.

“I was concerned before they said no shots were fired, especially with the volume of flashing lights out the window,” Mr. Buontempone said, shortly before the flight departed. “Now I am thinking about how little sleep I will get before my 8:15 meeting.”

Inside Terminal 8, Luke Robert Mason, another traveler, posted updates on Twitter from inside a lounge. He said he had seen “lots of running and screaming” and overheard airport staff members talk about “an apparent shooting.”

Mr. Mason said he believed that he was “currently in no danger” and that the situation had been “very professionally handled” by airport employees.

Joel Siegel, the managing editor of NY1, a local TV station, had just landed at the airport when the episode began.

“Looking out plane window, nothing seems unusual,” he said on Twitter. “Ground crews are unloading baggage from planes. Can see people in terminal.”

But once he got inside, confusion reigned.

Confusion at #jfk. Voice on loudspeaker says @delta baggage handling shut down because of the "ongoing situation." pic.twitter.com/8n3JFD29We

A version of this article appears in print on August 15, 2016, on page A17 of the New York edition with the headline: 2 J.F.K. Terminals Evacuated After Reports of Shots Fired. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Summary: Travelers were told to leave two terminals while the police investigated, but no injuries were reported and there was no confirmation that shots had been fired.


The Soviet-installed government of Najibullah fell three years after the last Soviet soldier left Afghanistan—and mere months after the Soviets stopped supporting it financially. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki moved against his Sunni political opponents within 24 hours of the departure of the last American soldier, starting to set the conditions for the loss of all the gains purchased with much American and Iraqi blood. Yet Washington is full of leaks that the Obama administration is planning to end America's military presence in Afghanistan in 2016. And Congress has already slashed U.S. financial assistance to the fifth-poorest country in the world.

It seems we are about to repeat the mistakes of the past vainly hoping for a different outcome. We will be disappointed.

Candidate Barack Obama declared in 2008, "we will not repeat the mistake of the past, when we turned our back on Afghanistan following Soviet withdrawal. As 9/11 showed us, the security of Afghanistan and America is shared." He was right about the urgency. He was a poor prophet of his own future policy.

Our security remains tied to Afghanistan's. Al Qaeda leadership remains battered but defiant (and still operational) in Pakistan despite Osama bin Laden's death. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are enormously larger and more competent than they were when Obama took office, but they are still unable to function independently against an insurgency that remains lethal and determined. Afghanistan remains unable to survive financially without massive infusions of international support. It is preparing for its first peaceful transition of power in many decades. It is impossible to argue for withdrawal on the grounds that Afghanistan no longer needs help.

Many Americans think Afghanistan no longer wants our help. President Hamid Karzai fuels that belief almost every time he speaks, ranting about American abuses, reviling the U.S., and refusing to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement that would give legal basis to continued U.S. presence. Who could possibly want to help a man like that or the country for which he pretends to speak?

But Mr. Karzai is not Afghanistan. On the contrary, the gathering of influential elders and leaders he convened in November to consider the Bilateral Security Agreement emphatically endorsed it and called on him to sign it quickly. Almost every major candidate running to succeed Mr. Karzai has supported signing the agreement. Advertisements are running on Afghan television stations calling on Mr. Karzai to sign.

Mr. Karzai's refusal to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement has virtually no support among Afghans. He does not speak for them. And in a few months he will not be leading them. It would be worse than folly to base policies touching long-term American interests on the outbursts of a jaded politician fading gracelessly from the scene.

The only reason that remains for abandoning Afghanistan is the belief that the cause there is simply lost. It is clear that many advisers to the president such as Douglas Lute have long thought so, opposing a counterinsurgency strategy on the grounds that it cannot succeed and is not necessary. Possibly President Obama himself has come to the conclusion that the strategy he endorsed and partially resourced in 2009 was mistaken.

The facts do not support this belief. Eight years of a very light-footprint, development-oriented, targeted-strike-focused strategy in Afghanistan left the Taliban on the verge of seizing Kandahar City and almost all of Southern Afghanistan in 2009. Mr. Karzai then was in reality little more than the mayor of Kabul, whose approaches the Taliban controlled or contested. There were fewer than 100,000 members in the ANSF—police and army combined—for a country of 32 million. They were equipped with rifles and pickup trucks. The Afghan Air Force did not fly a single aircraft.

Five years on things are very different. The Taliban have failed to regain their former positions in and around Kandahar despite the withdrawal of most of the international forces. They are fighting hard to regain positions in Helmand that had formerly been their fortified strongholds—and Afghans are fighting back. The ANSF numbers over 350,000, with increasingly modern vehicles, artillery and even its own helicopter support. Some Taliban strongholds around Kabul have been disrupted, although the premature withdrawal of the surge forces has left lethal foes too close to Afghanistan's capital (and international airport). Complaints that Mr. Karzai controls too much of Afghanistan are valid—but more promising in some respects than when he controlled nothing at all. Corruption and hyper-centralization can be corrected, albeit with great difficulty. Anarchy is infinitely harder to cure.

And Afghanistan still matters to American national security. Mr. Obama was right in 2008 when he called Afghanistan "a war that must be won." The al Qaeda franchises growing around the world threaten the U.S. more imminently than their confederates in Afghanistan or possibly even Pakistan. But they are all looking expectantly to the defeat of another superpower in South Asia. They intend to re-establish themselves in the land where bin Laden founded their organization and from which he hurled planes like thunderbolts at the American foe. History matters to these people and it should matter to us.

Withdrawal from Afghanistan, whether financial or military or both, will be a defeat for the U.S. and a victory for al Qaeda. It really is that simple.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle can speechify and expound arguments about how we are winning and losing simultaneously, and how, either way, we should leave now. They may persuade themselves and the American people. But they will be just as wrong as George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton were to ignore Afghanistan in the 1990s, to our great pain and suffering.

We have seen many times what will happen if the U.S. adopts the policy now being leaked. We can be sure that it will end very badly for us.

Mr. Kagan is director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute.

Summary: In The Wall Street Journal, Frederick W. Kagan writes that U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will be a defeat for America and a victory for al Qaeda.


When Barry and Joy Lambert donated nearly $34 million to the University of Sydney for medicinal cannabis research last year, they were hailed as Australia’s most generous grandparents.

But there is a very real pain behind their generosity.

Their four-year-old granddaughter, Katelyn, suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a potentially fatal childhood epilepsy condition.

Since she was six months old, Katelyn has suffered from agonising, debilitating seizures. One occurred in a hospital emergency room and lasted more than two hours, with doctors powerless to stop it.

It was this cruel condition, and memories of the loss of their own young daughter to another rare condition decades ago, that spurred the Lamberts to make one of the largest medical donations in Australian history when Mr Lambert sold his business Count Financial to the Commonwealth Bank for more than $370 million last year.

That money has been used to establish what is now the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics.

Mr Lambert told 60 Minutes reporter Allison Langdon, “if you can afford it, why not.”

“This is not just for Katelyn, this is for a whole range of various conditions,” he said.

“That’s what the research is about, so doctors will be medically convinced.

“We’re just doing what’s right.”

Another person also desperate to ease Katelyn’s suffering, is her father Michael Lambert, Barry and Joy’s son.

He has turned to cannabis oil to help his young daughter deal with her illness.

“It clears her mind, it’s making her less drowsy, less confused,” he said.

“Raw cannabis is not psychoactive, it doesn’t make you high.”

The family agrees, saying the results have been remarkable.

“From the first day she improved,” Mrs Lambert told Langdon.

“She got clear in her mind, she wanted to do more.

“She was more active and she was happier.”

Michael is now growing his own cannabis crops and is facing drugs charges.

He is fighting them in court but is unrepentant, calling the treatment a “medical necessity”.

He said he will continue to seek conventional medical treatment for Katelyn, who will still take clinically proven medicines.

“You can’t make a father watch his daughter die,” he said.

© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016


09/12/2016 AT 09:50 AM EDT

Justin Ross Harris, the man accused of murdering his 22-month-old son by allegedly

, is finally facing trial – five months after a judge abruptly halted jury selection to move the trial out of the Atlanta area.

Jury selection is set to begin on Monday morning in Brunswick, Georgia, more than 275 miles away from where the toddler died. About 200 potential jurors have been summoned to the Glynn County Courthouse.

It will be the second time that the lawyers have gone through this process. In April, attorneys began

. Three weeks into the process, Harris' attorneys filed a motion arguing that "an impartial jury cannot be obtained in the county where the crime is alleged to have been committed."

On June 14, 2014, Harris allegedly left his son, Cooper, in the family's SUV on a day when the outside temperatures were nearly 90 degrees. An autopsy found that Cooper died of hyperthermia.

Harris's attorney, Maddox Kilgore, contends Harris merely forgot about Cooper because he was distracted and that Harris never intended to harm his son.

Prosecutors charged Harris with eight felony counts, including malice murder, cruelty to children and criminal attempt to commit a felony.

Prosecutors contend that Harris was not the loving father he has claimed to be.

In a pretrial hearing, a detective told the court that Harris had

while his son was dying in the car. One of the females he allegedly sexted was just 16 years old. (Harris tried to have the alleged racy text messages

In a 2014 probable cause hearing, detective Phil Stoddard outlined Harris's alleged strange behavior, both before and after Cooper's death.

According to Stoddard, Harris had researched hot car deaths online. He also searched "how to survive in prison."

Surveillance video has shown Harris returning to the car during lunchtime and placing two boxes of light bulbs inside. He appears not to look at Cooper's car seat.

Stoddard also testified that Harris

with responding officers after discovering Cooper's lifeless body. When he was arrested, Harris allegedly said, "But there was no malicious intent."

For nearly two years, Harris's wife, Leanna,

, calling him a good father.

Earlier this year, however, she quietly filed for divorce. "She had had enough," a source close to Leanna tells PEOPLE. "She is 100% done with him."

She is on the trial's witness list, but it's unclear whether she will be called to testify against or for him.

The trial is expected to last several weeks. Harris faces life in prison if found guilty.

Summary: After a judge ruled that he couldn't get a fair trial in his home county, Justin Ross Harris' trial resumes 275 miles away


An indigenous community is struggling to cope after a car crashed into a house where mourners were gathered in far north Queensland, killing a woman and injuring 25 others.

Police say the tight-knit Kowanyama township is in shock but banding together as nine people remain in hospital with serious injuries.

It's alleged a man drove a council-owned vehicle through the front of the home as about 50 people gathered to view the body of a woman, believed to be his partner, on Friday morning.

As he faced court charged with murder on Saturday, additional police arrived in the small township on the western side of Cape York.

Despite fears of potential unrest in the wake of the tragedy, Acting Inspector Michael Gooiker said officers hadn't encountered any problems.

"The community appears to be in shock ... there has been a lot of people hurt, a lot of them from a similar family," he said on Saturday.

"It's just such a shock the way it's happened that the people appear to be struggling to cope with it and are pulling together and trying to get through it."

Seven women and two men, aged 15 to 61, were still being treated for injuries at hospitals in Cairns and Townsville on Saturday.

A 56-year-old woman was in a serious condition, while the rest of the injured were stable.

A total of 25 people were injured in the crash, with some treated at the scene and in Kowanyama.

They suffered a range of spinal injuries, fractures, dislocations and lacerations.

Kowanyama Mayor Michael Yam said everything was being done to support his community as it grappled with the tragedy.

"Council has activated its disaster management plan and we are working closely with Queensland Health and Queensland Police to support the community at this tragic time," he said in a statement.

Four additional uniformed police have been flown to the community, while specialist investigators and homicide and forensic officers have also been deployed.

The accused man, 55, was remanded in custody when he faced the Cairns Magistrates Court on Saturday.

Acting Insp Gooiker said it was highly likely more charges would be laid once police ascertained what the injuries of the victims were and how they were caused.

The case will next be mentioned in court on November 7.

Summary: More than 20 people are recovering from injuries suffered when a car smashed into a Cape York house and killed a woman at a funeral viewing.


NEW YORK (AP) — Wells Fargo’s earnings slipped in the third quarter, the bank said Friday, as the banking giant started dealing with the aftermath of a sales practices scandal that has consumed it in recent weeks.

Wells said it earned $5.6 billion, or $1.03 per share, compared with $5.8 billion, or $1.05 per share, in the same period a year earlier. The results beat analysts’ expectations of $1.01 per share.

The San Francisco-based bank is being roiled by a crisis that ultimately toppled its CEO this week. Wells reached a $185 million settlement with regulators last month following allegations that its employees opened up to 2 million bank and credit card accounts without their customers’ authorization in order to meet sales goals.

Under pressure from politicians and investors, the bank’s long-time CEO, John Stumpf, abruptly retired on Wednesday. Chief Operating Officer Tim Sloan was named to replace him. That has not stopped politicians like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, to call for Wells to be criminally charged for defrauding its customers.

‘‘I am deeply committed to restoring the trust of all of our stakeholders, including our customers, shareholders, and community partners,’’ Sloan said in a statement. ‘‘We know that it will take time and a lot of hard work to earn back our reputation, but I am confident because of the incredible caliber of our team members. We will work tirelessly to build a stronger and better Wells Fargo for generations to come.’’

It is too early to see the total, long-term impact the scandal will have on Wells’ bottom line, since most of the developments from the scandal broke in mid-to-late September, when the quarter was nearly over. The bank had noticeably higher non-interest expenses in the quarter, due partly to the $185 million settlement.

In the branches, there were signs that customers were backing away from the bank. In a presentation to investors released Friday, Wells reported a drop in what it calls banker and teller ‘‘interactions’’ in September from both a year ago and from August, the month before the scandal broke. Consumer checking account openings dropped by 25 percent in September from a year earlier and 30 percent from August. Consumer applications for Wells credit cards also fell sharply in September.

In other parts of Wells’ business, the bank said referrals for mortgages from their retail branches were down 24 percent from August. Retail branch referrals account for 10 percent of all Wells’ mortgage originations. Wells is the nation’s largest mortgage lender.

Wells Fargo community banking franchise, the bank’s largest division and the business at the center of the scandal, had net income in the quarter of $3.23 billion compared with $3.56 billion in the same period a year. The bank drew loans and deposits in the quarter from a year ago.

Wells’ wholesale banking division, which consists of Wells’ investment bank, lending to companies and others, reported net income of $2.04 billion in the quarter, up from $1.93 billion a year earlier.

Wells Fargo revenue in the quarter was $22.33 billion, up 2 percent from a year earlier.

Summary: Wells Fargo’s earnings slipped in the third quarter as it deals with the aftermath of a sales practices scandal that has consumed it in recent weeks.


Alison Kotin was out of her element. And that was exactly the point.

The designer was sitting in a police squad car when the call came in: There was a bomb threat in the Financial District.

Sporting thick plastic glasses and an asymmetrical haircut, she trailed the bomb squad as it raced up the stairway of the office tower downtown. A few weeks earlier, she jumped on a truck as it sped to a three-alarm electrical fire that tore through a rooftop in Roslindale.

Kotin wasn’t there to help save lives, but on behalf of her employer, Boston consulting firm Continuum Innovation. Shadowing the first responders, she took notes and asked lots of questions: Why did the officers type in a password each time they logged onto their dashboard computers? Did the firefighters’ infrared cameras have to weigh nearly 10 pounds?

“A lot of the tools had the tremendous potential to be helpful,” she said, “but they were creating significant pain points.”

Since its launch in 1983, Continuum’s domain has centered largely on designing innovative products such as wireless insulin delivery devices and the Reebok Pump sneaker. It grew in prominence as it launched the Swiffer and the graduated “stages” diaper that helped propel Pampers into a $10 billion brand.

Using a technique called human-centered design, it focuses on identifying problems that arise in human interactions and prototyping solutions to fix them.

But recently, Continuum has moved beyond the realm of designing products that make life easier for consumers. It’s now bringing its promise of innovative thinking to the public sector, tackling policy matters with the same gusto it once tackled dust bunnies.

In the last two years alone, the firm has worked to reimagine operations for Boston's first responders, its transit system, and its schools. Last month, Continuum unveiled a radical new vision for the long-suffering Boston Redevelopment Authority, giving it a new name, and a new strategy for working with the public.

Continuum’s senior vice president, Jon Campbell, called the push into policy a “natural progression” for the company, one based in “this realization that human centered-design can be applied to all sorts of different challenges, not just product design,” he said.

It’s a shift that’s been happening to many design firms.

As Continuum and like-minded national firms IDEO, frog, and Smart Design have increasingly moved toward policy design, they have begun to compete with the likes of consulting giants McKinsey & Company, KPMG, and Deloitte for government contracts. And while those other, more staid consultants can offer budget and staffing audits, Continuum and its ilk offer something a bit more sexy, particularly in the minds of beleaguered public sector employees: fresh ideas, a bit of startup fairy dust, or, in the example of the BRA, the equivalent of a new soul.

The work isn’t just challenging, it’s lucrative. “This type of work sort of elevates the entire image of the company away from industrial design and toward something more strategic,” said Jon Kolko, the executive director of product design at GE Aviation and founder and director of the Austin Center for Design. Getting a reputation for fixing troubled government entities can help attract other high-profile clients, he said, ones with deeper pockets.

But measuring the success of public policy can prove far more difficult than assessing the success of a diaper. Add to that the red tape that riddles public sector work, and the question remains whether design firms’ big visions will enable their clients to actually commit to change.

In the last two years, Continuum staff have wandered through Boston Public School classrooms to rethink the educational experience in a project called High School Redesign. They have climbed aboard MBTA trains, buses, and ferries with their notepads, shadowing commuters to understand the ridership experience for MassDOT’s Focus40 program, the results of which were unveiled earlier this month at an event in Dudley Square.

And last month, the firm wrapped up a 14-week, $670,000 contract to rebrand one of the city’s most fraught institutions, the Boston Redevelopment Authority. After twice-weekly meetings that involved creating “visual mood boards and spoken narratives,” the reborn Boston Planning and Development Agency was unveiled to its staffers in Continuum’s sleek Seaport offices, with a new logo and website that prominently features Continuum’s role in its makeover.

“It was organizational transformation from the inside out,” said Heather Campisano, the BPDA’s chief of staff.

Justin Saglio for the Boston Globe

Attendees pitched ideas to MassDOT at a Focus40 earlier this month.

The experience of working with Continuum was similarly transformative for the first responders who participated in its Department of Homeland Security-sponsored “future of first response” project last year.

“You think of these West Coast, innovative, sleek and chic, cool, nerdy-type people, who got brains but can also put the brains into practice — I was surrounded by that,” said Boston Fire Captain Ryan McGovern, who took part in a series of breakout sessions with the design firm’s staff. “I fight fires and rescue cats, and these people were eating it up with a spoon.”

After riding along on ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks with the likes of McGovern, Kotin and her teammates peppered the emergency workers with questions: What were the biggest challenges they faced in crises like the Boston Marathon bombing? And they pushed them to think beyond the present: What would they do if drones were programmed to attack downtown Boston or if hacked driverless cars suddenly began intentionally crashing into buildings?

The answers helped the Continuum team build and test prototypes of devices like a smart fire helmet with augmented reality in its viewfinder, and a Band-Aid like sticker that could track biometric data from victims after they went through triage.

D’Arcy Morgan, the program manager with the Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology directorate’s first responder group, said watching Continuum’s team work with first responders was fascinating. “For over 30 years now I’ve worked around cops, firefighters, and EMTs, and nothing gets them excited,” he said. “They like fighting fires, they like arresting bad guys, and they like saving people’s lives. But people were legitimately excited.”

But therein lies the rub with a design firm’s involvement in civic affairs. While it’s possible to reimagine a transit system or to prototype a biometric sticker, getting those things into practice will prove harder than it might in the private sector.

“I think certainly the Baker-Polito administration is interested in borrowing best practices from the private sector,” said Scott Hamwey, the manager of long-range planning for MassDOT. But he admitted Continuum’s work on the Focus40 project was “very different” from what he’s experienced working with other consultants.

“It was an adjustment for us,” he said.

Kolko, who authored a cover story on bringing design thinking into the workplace for Harvard Business Review last fall, said that while he’s written a book on the subject and participated in countless workshops touting its promise, he’s still skeptical about how well design thinking can be applied to the public sector.

“One of the challenges that designers have is that you throw something at the wall and you iterate on it. But policy doesn’t really work with iteration,” he said. Administrations change, budgets get sliced, and entrenched employees fall back on bad habits.

Kolko said design firms might also be looking to public sector contracts as potential long-term cash cows. If they not only design solutions, but also get contracts to help with the execution of those plans, “it basically creates a menu of future work,” he said.

Jon Campbell, Continuum’s senior vice president, said he sees why people might raise their eyebrows when they hear that the Swiffer designers are now sculpting public safety practices or public schools. But he said it’s the toughest challenges that make his team work the hardest.

“What really juices a designer is tackling really hard problems, and trying to make it better for people,” he said, no matter if it’s a “medical device, consumer good, or a public service.”

In the end, he believes, good design will win.

Summary: How did the designers behind the Swiffer get into the business of rethinking Boston’s most beleaguered institutions?


The Queensland Ambulance Service is warning people to be vigilant after a pair of near-drownings in the state on Sunday.

A two-year-old girl was transferred by helicopter to the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital in a critical condition after a near-drowning at Woodford, north of Brisbane, while a short time later a one-year-old girl was taken to the same hospital in a stable condition after a near-drowning at Daisy Hill.

"QAS have responded to high number of water related incidents this weekend, please be vigilant around pools, lookout for family and friends," the service tweeted in the wake of the two incidents.

Summary: A two-year-old girl has been airlifted in a critical condition in one of two near-drowning incidents in Queensland on Sunday.


A man charged over an alleged assault which left his baby daughter in a Queensland hospital with serious brain injuries has faced court.

The 39-year-old New Zealand man, who cannot be identified, was granted bail after appearing in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday charged with grievous bodily harm.

It's alleged he assaulted the four-month-old girl and when she became unresponsive she was transported from her Upper Coomera home to the Gold Coast University Hospital on July 20.

The court heard the child remains in hospital in a vegetative state after the alleged incident.

The man, who is a fly-in, fly-out mine worker, was arrested on Sunday at Brisbane Airport after returning from Western Australia.

The court heard the man was alone with the child when the alleged assault occurred.

Unable to revive the girl, the man's phone was out of battery and he had to go to neighbours to call emergency services, the court was told.

The man's lawyer, Paul Hamilton, said his client knew he was under investigation but had shown no intention to flee.

"(He) could have fled the jurisdiction if he wanted to, knowing full well the injuries alleged in the prosecution case are very serious, leaving her in a vegetative state," Mr Hamilton said.

As part of his bail conditions, the man can only visit his daughter in the presence of hospital staff or "a responsible adult with no prior criminal convictions".

He has also been ordered to pay a $20,000 surety and surrender his passport.

The case has been adjourned until January 17.

Summary: A 39-year-old man accused of assaulting his four-month-old daughter and leaving her with serious brain injuries has been granted bail.


Eversource is investing in a large offshore wind project 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, a deal that could help the company capitalize on a new state law requiring electric utilities to ramp up their use of wind energy.

Boston-based Eversource is taking a 50 percent stake in Bay State Wind, a company set up by Danish wind power company DONG Energy. The project’s cost will likely exceed $1 billion, according to Eversource spokeswoman Caroline Pretyman, although no formal estimate has been made public. Lee Olivier, executive vice president of strategy and business development at Eversource, said the company is initially investing $10 million but will spend much more as the project progresses.

The companies hope to take advantage of a state law passed earlier this year that will require big electric utilities — mainly Eversource and National Grid — to purchase large amounts of offshore wind power on contracts of 15 to 20 years. Wind-power producers that reach agreements with utilities would be guaranteed a long-term source of revenue. The joint venture could also provide Eversource with some of the wind power it will need to buy.

The precise size of the wind farm — including the number of turbines that will be built — likely will depend on how much energy the state’s utility companies agree to buy from Bay State Wind and the type of equipment used to build the machines.

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But Olivier said the power generated by Bay State Wind will become increasingly important as older power plants shut down. One of them — the coal-powered Brayton Point plant in Somerset — is expected to halt operations next year.

“If you have to repower the region, we should be doing it more with renewable energy,” Olivier said. “Clearly, this joint venture is very much aligned with where policy makers want to go.”

Over time, utilities will be required to buy up to 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind electricity — enough for about 800,000 homes, according to an Eversource estimate. Utilities will begin the process of buying the wind power in 2017, putting contracts for at least 400 megawatts of power out to bid.

The partnership with DONG Energy comes after the European company entered the region in 2015 by securing development rights to a 300-square-mile area of ocean off Martha’s Vineyard.

“When we set up shop here in Massachusetts, quite quickly we were having discussions with Eversource about offshore wind and how far it’s gone in Europe,” said Thomas Brostrom, general manager for DONG’s US wind operations.

Eversource and DONG each bring specific expertise to the deal. The Massachusetts utility specializes in transmission, and its executives know about the region’s power grid; DONG brings years of experience in building and operating offshore wind farms.

For Eversource, the wind farm will mark the company’s first significant power-generation project in years. In the 1990s, when the state deregulated the energy industry, Eversource’s predecessor companies in Massachusetts — including Boston Edison — spun off most of their power plants to focus on distribution.

Olivier said Eversource is allowed to invest in power generation, as long as it is done through an unregulated subsidiary that does not pass the project’s costs directly to consumers. Shareholder money, rather than revenue from ratepayers, will fund the venture, the company said.

But the arrangement concerns some industry officials because a company Eversource is invested in will now be bidding to sell energy to Eversource.

“It’s going to get a long-term contract from a utility, and in this case, it’s the subsidiary of the affiliate,” said Cynthia Arcate, chief executive of PowerOptions, which buys energy in bulk for nonprofits. She suggested a third party — such as the state — should mitigate the potential conflicts by soliciting wind power bids on Eversource’s behalf.

Pretyman, the Eversource spokeswoman, said state and company policies would ensure “transparency and fairness” in the bidding process.

Bay State Wind could face at least two competitors in the bidding for contracts with Massachusetts utilities. Deepwater Wind and OffshoreMW also have lease rights to offshore areas south of Massachusetts. Deepwater Wind this week became the first company to produce offshore wind in the United States, when its five-turbine farm blew to life off Block Island in Rhode Island.

Deepwater Wind chief executive Jeff Grybowski said he expects Eversource would “deal fairly” with Bay State Wind competitors during the bidding process. He said he considers Eversource’s investment as a positive step for the industry.

“It’s a strong sign that offshore wind is about to become a reality in the United States,” he said. “We have big, established utilities getting involved in the business.”

OffshoreMW could not be reached for comment.

Eversource, when it was still known as Northeast Utilities, had previously agreed to buy wind power from the controversial Cape Wind project. It pulled out of the agreement in early 2015 after the project missed a deadline to secure financing and begin construction, a massive setback for a project whose future is now bleak.

Summary: The joint venture with Danish company DONG Energy will mark Eversource’s first Massachusetts power generation project in years.


Copyright © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Because it’s perfectly acceptable to give into your obsession

Updated November 16, 2016 at 10:28am EST

KRISPY KREME PUMPKIN SPICE GLAZED DOUGHNUT

The people have spoken and they are still not over pumpkin spice. After polling fans on social media, Krispy Kreme decided to bring back their pumpkin spice original glazed doughnut. The catch? It's available for one day only on Nov. 16, so act fast.

CARAMEL ALMOND PUMPKIN SPICE KIND BARS

Crunchy almonds, caramel and pumpkin spice (that includes actual pumpkin) all come together in one sweet and salty bar that makes for smart and easy snacking.

As part of their limited-time fall menu, the sandwich sub shop is offering cookies made with a pumpkin-flavored dough, vanilla, molasses, nutmeg, white confectionary chips and cinnamon.

If you thought you couldn't say no to Honey Nut Cheerios before, you probably won't be able to resist this version made with real pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The limited-edition cereal will be available around mid-August.

ORGANIC PUMPKIN SPICE LOW FAT YOGURT

Good news, healthy eaters: You can get your pumpkin spice fix in the morning—along with a big shot of protein—with Whole Foods' yogurt made with organic pumpkin puree, cinnamon and ginger.

PUMPKIN & SPICE TRISCUIT CRACKERS

These crunchy crackers are a slightly-sweet complement to your fall cheese plate.

Back by popular demand, the old-fashioned pumpkin spice doughnut is covered in Krispy Kreme’s signature glaze — and makes the perfect sweet compliment to the company’s take on the PSL.

The new Caribou coffee flavor turns your dream of drinking pumpkin pie into a reality. All you have to decide is whether you want it hot, iced or blended.

BAILEYS PUMPKIN SPICE IRISH CREAM

Ready to cue up the fall spirits as summer winds down? Baileys' pumpkin spice Irish cream combines sweet cinnamon and baking spices, rich maple, brown sugar, and—wait for it—actual baked pie crust!

Pumpkin spice frappuccinos from Starbucks are finally in your local grocery stores. Tell your favorite barista you'll be MIA for a few months this fall while you indulge in the grab-and-go version.

Real pumpkin and whole grains make this soft baked bar a quick and healthy breakfast option.

The California Fruit Wine Co. made the beverage you never knew you wanted this season. Slow-slipping this baby while indulging in a slice of warm pumpkin pie is really what fall food dreams are made of, right?

These Lindor truffles stuffed with pumpkin spice filling offer a fanciful, chocolate-y twist on the iconic fall flavor.

The iconic Easter marshmallow birds have gotten a fall makeover that will appeal to your pumpkin spice cravings and your java addiction. They're also dipped in white fudge, which may just be its main selling point. (Available toward the end of August or beginning of September.)

This is not a drill, folks! McDonald's is finally offering a warm, cinnamon-y PSL in all of its restaurants starting August 31st.

ICED PUMPKIN MINI LOAF CAKES

We're going to try not to eat this whole box of Otis Spunkmeyer mini loaf cakes in a day. We said try...

This Salazon dark chocolate bar is the richly flavored lovechild of The Gourd Standard Pumpkin bee and Flying Dog’s custom pumpkin spice blend, with a little sea salt added for good measure.

It's about time the pumpkin craze made its way south of the border. Now where's our pumpkin salsa?

Ahh, there it is. With fire-roasted tomatillos and sweet-smoky chipotle chiles, this spicy dip is just the way to heat up your snacking game this season.

Double up on the pumpkin fun with Kraft's pumpkin spice flavored marshmallows in the shape of Autumn's favorite fruit. (Yes, pumpkin is technically considered a fruit.)

That's it. We're done with regular cereal until Autumn ends thanks to this crunchy, pumpkin spice cereal from Kellogg's.

Mornings just got creamier and spicier for Keurig owners with these quick and easy k-cups from Starbucks.

For the days this fall when mere pumpkin cheesecake flavor just won't do, whip up the real thing with Libby's pumpkin cheesecake kit.

Whether you're spiking your coffee for a boozy instant PSL or making another cocktail, this festive beverage from Sugarlands is great choice for casual home entertaining this fall.

Is it too much to triple our pumpkin spice intake with this Thomas' bagel topped with pumpkin spice cream cheese and accompanied by a creamy PSL? Is it!?

PUMPKIN STYLE PIE JELL-O DESSERT

Unlike most pumpkin-spice items, Noosa's super-creamy Australian "yoghurt" is packed with actual pumpkin, making it a delicious option for people opposed to artificial spice flavors. (Note: It pained us to add an "h" to yogurt, just like it pained you to read it, but seeing as the yoghurt is Australian, we just have to try to respect it.)

These buttery Auntie Anne's pretzel nuggets are coated in sweet spices. The best part? You can eat as many as you like, because mini versions of things don't have calories.

Heat it up and pour it in coffee for an instant PSL, or just drink this Promised Land milk straight if you have a serious addiction.

Ah, autumn…the season when it's finally cool enough for us to crave warm pancakes, particularly of the pumpkin spice variety from Krusteaz.

FROSTED MINI WHEATS PUMPKIN SPICE

The best part of the "first-ever nationally available pumpkin spice cereal" is the fact that it turns your milk into a sweet, spiced concoction that would probably taste delicious with a shot of espresso.

"Finally, a vegan marshmallow that evokes the flavors of fall," said someone, somewhere of these Dandies treats.

For people who think they're better than pumpkin spice, maybe the added 'n' between the two words – plus the addition of flax and nuts – will make these Natures's Path bars a suitable fall time snack.

NESTLÉ PUMPKIN SPICE REFRIGERATED COOKIE DOUGH

If cookies-from-scratch seem too daunting, just pull apart these dough squares (with pumpkin purée and white chocolate chips already added in), bake, and devour.

Good news, health nuts – you can get your pumpkin spice fix in along with your fiber and protein with these rolled oats from Sweet Home Farm mixed with pumpkin seeds and cinnamon.

Unlike most food products, Terra's sweet potato chips actually make sense to receive the pumpkin spice treatment of cinnamon and nutmeg, two flavors that pair nicely with the root vegetable.

KEEBLER PUMPKIN SPICE FUDGE STRIPE COOKIES

Starting in September, the classic sandwich cookie will be available with a bright orange strip of pumpkin flavor, just begging to be dipped in a frothy Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Philadelphia's seasonal and sweet spread is basically cream cheese frosting. We approve.

If a sweet spiced coating isn't enough for you, grab a Cumberland Farms pretzel stuffed with actual pumpkin purée. The tasty snack will be available from September 7 until November 1.

Pumpkin spice PB&J?! Pumpkin spice cinnamon toast?! Pumpkin spice grilled cheese?! The possibilities are truly endless with this Pepperidge Farm bread. It's available from August 12 until November 24.

STARBUCKS INSTANT PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

Make a latte that started it all in the comfort of your own home. Hermits, rejoice.

PUMPKIN SPICE FLAX GRANOLA BARS

The absence of high fructose corn syrup separates these crunchy Kashi granola bars from many of its overly sweet pumpkin spice competition.

Topped with crispy granola, Chobani's seasonal yogurt is basically pumpkin pie for breakfast. (Actual pumpkin pie for breakfast is good, too.)

Snack time just got a whole lot cozier with Planters' warmly-spiced nuts coated with cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pumpkin powder (which, apparently, is a thing).

To be fair, Dairy Queen's Pumpkin Pie Blizzards have been in the game since 1991 – long before pumpkin spice became a cultural phenomenon – but it's still worth including here. Why? Because the shake literally has pieces of pumpkin pie blended in it. That is all.

The warm spices lend itself to a warm bowl of oatmeal, which is – by all accounts – easier than baking a pumpkin pie.

The perfect comination of salty and sweet — these pretzels solve any craving and are a tasty treat for fall.

Copyright © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


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If your cable company is Charter Spectrum, you may not be able to tune into the new NBC Boston station when it launches on Sunday, as well as other related networks such as MSNBC, New England Cable News, and Bravo.

Charter Spectrum and NBC parent NBCUniversal said Friday that they have yet to reach a new national agreement to carry more than a dozen of the media giant’s channels, which means Charter customers won’t be able to watch “Sunday Night Football,” live Celtics games, or “The Today Show.”

Charter Spectrum, which recently combined with Time Warner Cable, primarily serves central and Western Massachusetts. The company had about 223,000 subscribers in 68 municipalities as of the end of 2015, according to the latest filing with the state department of telecommunications and cable.

“Charter Spectrum has been unyielding in its demand for terms superior to those agreed to by the rest of the industry, including larger distributors,” according to a statement from NBCUniversal.

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The impasse comes as NBC parts way with longtime Boston affiliate WHDH-TV (Channel 7) on Sunday. The network is launching its own station, NBC Boston, and will shift its programming there. WHDH will become an independent news station.

A spokesman for Charter Communications, the cable operator’s parent company, declined comment but indicated in an e-mail that the new NBC Boston station will be added on Sunday to its line up on channels 10, 17, or 23, depending on location.

Whether viewers will be able to see anything will depend on whether Charter and NBCUniversal reach a new deal after the current one expires Saturday. Cable behemoth Comcast Corp. owns NBCUniversal, as well as NECN, CSN New England, and Telemundo Boston.

Summary: Charter Spectrum and NBCUniversal have beenunable to reach a new national agreement to carry more than a dozen of the media giant’s channels.


By GREG B. SMITH DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

A mob-controlled owner of the popular Ranch 1 fast-food chain cooked up a unique recipe for laundering cash - he used a Brooklyn yeshiva to hide the origin of bribes paid in a multimillion-dollar Mafia stock fraud scheme, according to FBI tapes.

James Chickara, co-owner of the Ranch 1 chain, has been captured on the undercover recordings saying he used the Mesivta Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin on Coney Island Ave. to launder bribes paid to brokers in the stock scams.

Chickara and Sebastian Rametta, who the FBI says are associates of the Colombo crime family, were co-owners of Ranch 1 when they were arrested in June in a mammoth "mob on Wall Street" bust.

Both men quietly pleaded guilty to stock fraud in Manhattan Federal Court three weeks ago. Rametta faces up to a year in jail, Chickara up to 16 months.

The school is run by Abraham Fruchthandler, a politically connected real estate developer.

An assistant of Fruchthandler, who has donated more than $22,000 to political candidates in the last four years, said he would not comment.

In their March 29 plea before Judge William Pauley, Rametta and Chickara admitted hiding an inflated commission paid to a broker to hype stock of their food retailer, Manhattan Soup Man, which they modeled on "The Soup Nazi" character of the TV sitcom "Seinfeld."

In talks secretly taped by the FBI, Chickara said that he twice wrote checks to the Brooklyn yeshiva and that school president Fruchthandler tapped into yeshiva bank accounts to give cash back.

The yeshiva got a fee for its services, and Chickara and Rametta were able to claim a tax deduction for charitable giving, according to a talk secretly recorded Dec. 14, 1999, between Chickara and an informant named Jeffrey Pokross.

"We donated money to his yeshiva," Chickara said. "Let's say we gave him a $100,000 check. ... Out of the yeshiva, he gave me back $75,000 or $80,000, actually $80,000 in cash."

Pokross: "And you get the tax deduction?"

Before their arrest, Rametta was listed as Ranch 1's CEO and Chickara as its vice chairman. Since then, they have been removed from the executive suite, though Rametta continues working as a Ranch 1 consultant and both still own stock in the firm.

The company owns 60 restaurants, including 23 in New York City, selling what it terms healthy fast food such as flame-broiled chicken sandwiches. Current CEO George Naddaff said the company had no knowledge of any wrongdoing by Rametta and Chickara.

Rametta's lawyer, Edward Little, noted that in accepting his client's plea, prosecutors agreed to drop the mob-related racketeering charges.

Little also questioned whether Chickara actually laundered money through the yeshiva, though he couldn't say it didn't happen.

Chickara's lawyer, Robert Gage, did not return calls seeking comment.

The guilty pleas tarnished the image of respectability the men have carefully maintained in cobbling together several multimillion-dollar business deals over the last decade.

The two sold Arnie's Bagelicious Bagels to Quaker Oats in 1994, took the profits and started Ranch 1 in 1996. They brought in several big-name investors, including John Sculley, former CEO of Apple Computers.

At the same time, according to tapes made by the FBI, they were hanging around gangsters from the Brooklyn neighborhood where they grew up.

In a Jan. 26, 2000, taped conversation, Chickara said he and Rametta had "been around" Anthony (Gaspipe) Casso, the homicidal ex-underboss of the Luchese crime family.

After Casso was arrested, Chickara said on the tape, he and Rametta became associated with William (Wild Bill) Cutolo, a Colombo capo who disappeared in 1999.

By last year, Rametta and Chickara were working with Bonanno crime family capo Robert (Little Robert) Lino to take Ranch 1 and Manhattan Soup Man public in a mob-orchestrated pump-and-dump scheme, according to court papers.

On tape, Chickara said the mob would do well in the deal. He noted that his Mafia handlers got a $500,000 payment when they sold Arnie's Bagels to Quaker Oats and said the Colombo crime family stood to profit from Ranch 1 and Manhattan Soup Man as well.

"They'll make money with Ranch 1, they'll make money with soup," Chickara said. "Basically, anything we do, we try to give them something. And always to stay on good terms."

In describing how he laundered cash as part of a Mafia stock fraud scheme, a former Ranch 1 executive said he used a religious school as the conduit and netted a hefty tax break in the process. Here's how he said the scheme worked:

1 Write a check for a charitable donation to a yeshiva called Mesivta Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin on Coney Island Ave. in Brooklyn. The yeshiva is run by a friend.

2 The friend gives back 80% of the check in cash. The yeshiva keeps 20% as a fee.

3 Pay off brokers and stock promoters with the cash. Brokers hype worthless stock until its value crests, then insiders sell off, sending the stock crashing. This is called pump and dump.

4 The Ranch 1 executive claims a tax break for the charitable donation to the yeshiva.


Monday, March 3th 2003, 1:20AM

As a thin person who hasn't put any effort into being thin, I've never gotten much sympathy about gaining weight or feeling out of shape. That's all about to change. I got my body fat tested last month.

On the surface, nothing is different. I still appear thin and fit. But according to the National Institutes of Health, with a body-fat percentage of 32.4, I'm on the verge of being classified as overfat and slipping into high risk for serious health problems.

Most people are aware that even when weight remains stable, an increase in body fat is associated with a higher risk of obesity, which can trigger heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke. Dieters have learned that muscle weighs more than fat, making the bathroom scale an imprecise gauge of physical fitness.

Which is where body-fat gauges come in. The first system that attempted to measure body fat was the Body Mass Index (BMI), a formula created by the Centers for Disease Control based on height and weight. BMI is considered a good indicator of body-fat percentage - heavy people tend to have high body fat - but does not produce an exact number and often classifies very muscular people as obese.

Coming to a gym near you

"A major league athlete was referred to us for weight loss because they thought his BMI was too high," says Dr. Steven Heymsfield, deputy director of the New York Obesity Research Centre at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, "and it turned out he had virtually no fat at all."

To distinguish between fat and muscle, calipers and densitometry (underwater weighing) have been standard for more than a decade. More recently, DXA, an X-ray that measures bone density and fat, and bioimpedance analysis (BIA) have been introduced.

No method is perfect. Calipers, which determine fat percentages by pinching layers of skin, can be painful and are often administered by untrained gym staffers. Caliper readings were found to be off by 50% in a recent Good Housekeeping Institute test.

While currently considered the gold standard, underwater weighing (about $150) is time-consuming and uncomfortable. Subjects must expel as much air as possible from their lungs and sit completely still while submerged in a tank of water, a process that may be repeated several times.

DXA (about $300) is simple and highly accurate but involves radiation, which most of us would prefer to avoid in a body-fat test. The BIA method (about $35), based on the electrical conductivity of water-filled muscles versus fat, sends small electrical currents through the soles of the feet. Though this is quick and easy, bloating can cause BIA inaccuracies. Because the current only goes as far as the hips, those with heavy middles may get incorrect results.

With the exception of the caliper and BMI, all methods are administered in a lab. Combination fat analyzers and scales, manufactured by companies such as Taylor and Tanita, are good options for getting an approximate fat-percentage reading at home. The Taylor 5553, found to be the most accurate by the Good Housekeeping Institute, costs $49.99.

I was tested in a Bod Pod, a $35,000 egg-shaped chamber that measures body fat by means of air-displacement plethysmograph - in other words, how much air your body displaces. "A way to accurately, simply and safely test body fat has been unavailable to the medical community until now," says Tom MacLeod, CEO of Life Measurement, Inc., manufacturer of the Bod Pod. "Our device is underwater weighing without the water."

The test, which costs about $125 (generally not covered by insurance), was administered at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital. After arriving at the Body Composition Lab, I changed into a bathing suit, bathing cap and small booties, and removed all my jewelry. Any extraneous material can contribute to errors.

After my height and weight were measured, I stepped inside the Bod Pod, which feels like a cross between a photo booth and Sigourney Weaver's spaceship bed in the "Alien." The door was sealed and I sat still and breathed normally for about 60 seconds, occasionally hearing air rush into the Pod. I was comfortable, but claustrophobics and people over 350 pounds or 7 feet should choose another method.

My results were printed by the attached computer within minutes. The report included my fat and lean body percentage, plus a breakdown of my fat and lean weight in pounds.

Testing your body fat in a Bod Pod is simple and quick, but there aren't many available in the New York area. Besides the machine at St. Luke's-Roosevelt, there are Bod Pods at Brooklyn College and Syracuse University. In other parts of the country, Bod Pods are being made available to the public via mobile service. The simpler Bod Pod ST, which can produce a fast fat-percentage result but cannot store or manipulate data, is less expensive and should begin to appear in high-end gyms this year.

If you're interested in a Bod Pod appointment, or for more information, call 1-800-426-3763, or visit www.bodpod.com.

Summary: By chrissy persico A s a thin person who hasn't put any effort into being thin, I've never gotten much sympathy about gaining weight or feeling out of shape. That's all about to change. I got my body fat tested last month. On the surface, nothing is different. I still appear thin and fit. But according to the National Institutes of Health, with a body-fat percentage of 32.4, I'm on the verge of being


By DAVID BIANCULLI DAILY NEWS TV CRITIC

Thursday, May 13th 2004, 7:20AM

It's a jarring, but instructive, coincidence: The same week Warner Home Video releases a DVD set with all the original season's episodes of "The Jetsons," Cartoon Network revisits George and his Space Age family in a less-than-futuristic episode of "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law."

The "Back to the Present" episode of "Harvey Birdman," premiering Sunday night at 11, is a riot. The 24-episode DVD set of "The Jetsons," (four disks, $64.92), is a minor revelation.

After William Hanna and Joseph Barbera struck prime-time gold in 1960 with "The Flintstones," which translated "The Honeymooners" into prehistoric animation, they tried again with "The Jetsons."

The show imagined a future world - set in far-off 2002 - where meals were cooked by pushing a button, sidewalks moved while people stood still, TV was projected on giant screens, and people were whisked from one location to another via pneumatic glass tubes.

Okay, so they were wrong about the tubes.

But unlike "The Simpsons," an animated prime-time series that remains far and away the best-selling title on DVD, the old "Jetsons" episodes don't reward repeated viewings. They punish them.

A more rewarding venture is "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law." Three years ago, Hanna-Barbera optioned the rights to the characters in "Birdman" - a very mature cartoon built around a character from a very immature Hanna-Barbera series.

A little history may help: In 1967, a few years after launching "Jetsons" in prime time on ABC (where it lasted one season), Hanna-Barbera presented a vapid Saturday-morning series on NBC. It was called "Birdman and the Galaxy Trio," and featured winged heroes trying to save the world.

Birdman was a B-level hero even by Hanna-Barbera standards, so "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law" creators Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter had no problem reimagining him as a suit-wearing, wing-sporting defense attorney, taking on cases brought to him by various characters in the Hanna-Barbera universe.

The best of these, from early in the run, reimagined Fred Flintstone as a mob boss, complete with an opening sequence that married those from "The Flintstones" and "The Sopranos." (Its title: "Dabba-Dabba-Don.")

For Sunday's "Harvey Birdman," Harvey is visited by the Jetsons, who travel to Harvey's time period to sue everyone for ruining the planet.

"We're from the future," George explains. "The magnificent, far-off year of 2002."

Well, that is the 21st century, and George doesn't quite get - but audiences will - how the imagined future of "The Jetsons" at times hasn't even kept pace with our own reality.

George provides Harvey, for example, with a giant stack of evidence he claims will support his lawsuit.

"Punch cards," he explains helpfully, taking a condescending tone. "In the future, that's how we input data into machines we call computers."

That's what I call funny.

And that's just what I don't call the original "Jetsons." For now, save your money on the DVD set. Maybe it'll be on sale, in the discount bins, in the very near future.

Summary: It's a jarring, but instructive, coincidence: The same week Warner Home Video releases a DVD set with all the original season's episodes of "The Jetsons,"Cartoon Network revisits George and his Space Age family in a less-than-futuristic episode of "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law."The "Back to the Present"episode of "Harvey Birdman,"premiering Sunday night at 11, is a riot. The 24-episode DVD set of


Friday, February 11th 2005, 1:11AM

Celeriac is a rugged-looking root - the base of a celery variety cultivated just for its big bulb. Also called celery root, it has a milder, sweeter flavor and denser texture than the stalks we know, and European chefs have been applying its charms for at least 500 years. Americans, though, are still unfamiliar with its many uses: Mash it into potatoes for a tangy twist, puree it into a creamy soup, roast it alone or with other root vegetables. It's also great raw, shredded into salads: The classic French preparation is julienned and topped with a tart remoulade.

For a Yankee version, check out this slaw from Tracy Young, a chef at Stone Park CafÃ©, a new spot serving inspired American comfort food in Brooklyn's Park Slope.

From Tracy Young, co-chef at Stone Park CafÃ©, 324 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn, (718) 369-0082 Serves 4 as a side dish

Available at greenmarkets through spring, celery root can be stored in your refrigerator crisper for several weeks.

1 large celery root, peeled and julienned

1/2 cup mayonnaise (Stone Park makes its own, but you don't need to)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. At Stone Park, this dish is served with smoked bluefish cakes, but they also suggest pairing it with fried fish or barbecued ribs and chicken.

Summary: FRESH START THE ROOT OF ALL POSSIBILITIES Celeriac is a rugged-looking root - the base of a celery variety cultivated just for its big bulb. Also called celery root, it has a milder, sweeter flavor and denser texture than the stalks we know, and European chefs have been applying its charms for at least 500 years. Americans, though, are still unfamiliar with its many uses: Mash it into potatoes for a tangy twist, puree it into


Sunday, February 9th 2003, 1:95AM

Photographer Annie Leibovitz usually does the shooting, but Wall Street bond trader Robert Snider and his wife and infant son are aiming at her - with a $15 million lawsuit alleging Vanity Fair's top photographer ran a "terror campaign of harassment, provocation, destruction and terror" against them after he refused last summer to sell her their next-door landmark Village townhouse on W. 11th St. The intensely personal complaint calls this "evil and reprehensible." Howdy, neighbor!

The high - or low - point was reached, the suit alleges, when Leibovitz's contractors dug beneath a shared load-bearing wall, knowing it would collapse. They also charge Leibovitz with repeatedly cutting their phone lines, denying repairmen access, erecting sidewalk scaffolds without security measures, "the wholesale gutting" of her landmarked buildings, sledgehammering, drilling - you get the idea. All leading to "headaches, nausea, coughing, wheezing and insomnia," their house filling "with explosive fumes," and their forced removal by Buildings Department officials for safety reasons. Then the roof opened, the pipes burst, there was a flood - and they lost almost everything. "This in order to extort the sale [of their house] at a bargain-basement price," the suit pounds home. All that's missing is a plague of locusts. There were rats, though. "We can't comment on a suit we don't know anything about," says Leibovitz's business manager, Rick Kantor, who is also named in the suit.

John Lennon would have turned 62 last October. His widow, Yoko Ono, turns 70 on Feb. 18. To celebrate the milestone, their son, Sean Ono Lennon, and his squeeze, actress and sometime party girl Bijou Phillips (herself a child of John Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas), are taking over the midtown music-and-art-biz hangout Mr. Chow for the night and inviting 200 of Yoko's nears and dears for cocktails and squab nibbles. With all due respect to the birthday girl, The Word hopes someone other than Yoko sings.

Tuesday night, while the fashion flock sit like black crows on a wire in the front row of the fall designer shows, their latest nemeses will be celebrating the launch of a Web site that regularly makes a meal of their bony carcasses.

Yo, Drudge! Everyone who is anyone in chic Manhattan is reading gawker.com - or should be. It's run by Elizabeth Spiers, a former equity analyst for venture capitalists and hedge funds, and Nick Denton, who covered technology for England's Financial Times before he caught the dot-com bug. Gawker offers links to all the hottest gossip and shallowest chatter around (including The Word), as well as daily digests of the best talk in town.

There's also the odd piece of original reporting, such as Spiers' recent effort, asking Wall Street wonders how to find the perfect cocaine dealer. What's the point? "To say what other people can't," says Spiers. "That's the fun of it."

Geoffrey Thomas, 59, has lived with Lehman banking heiress Sharon, Countess Sondes, the great-niece of 1930s New York Gov. Herbert Lehman, for the last 17 years, while running jewelry-maker Sasson-Thomas. Now he's hanging out with models one-third his age.

It's not what you think. After years of being told he was handsome enough to model, he let his pal Ann Dexter-Jones, wife of Foreigner's Mick Jones, set up a meeting for him at Ford Models, passed the audition, and now, this Park Ave. prince is pounding the pavement to go-sees and auditions.

"I'm the fresh face in town at almost 60," he boasts.

Lady Sondes won't let him quit his day job, though. "I don't want to give up all that free jewelry," she says.

At Saks Fifth Avenue's dinner for fashion designer Angela Missoni, photographer Patrick McMullen tried to push the former and current editors of Harper's Bazaar together for a photo op. But Glenda Bailey skittered away from her predecessor, Kate Betts. "What can I say?" McMullen sighed. "I mean well."

FOR SALE: BARNEYS? YES BARNEYS

Barneys New York, the deadly chic fashion chain that plunged into bankruptcy in 1996 after a wild expansion, is secretly for sale, according to several fashion types who have kicked its tires.

They say that grocery billionaire Galen Weston, the second-richest man in Canada; Peter Rizzo, the former CEO of Bergdorf Goodman; Marty Staff, last seen atop Hugo Boss, and Philip Miller, the former head of Marshall Field and Saks Fifth Avenue, all have expressed interest in yanking the chain.

Though burdened by debt, Barneys has been bettering its finances under current chairman Howard Socol, who came from the relatively down-market Burdines chain. Socol denies the store is for sale and David Strumwasser, a managing director of Whippoorwill Associates, one of two vulture capital funds that own most of Barneys, agrees: "You've got bad sources - the company is not actively for sale."

But vulture funds buy distressed companies and whip them into shape to sell them, and with fourth-quarter earnings about to be announced, Barneys owners are said to see dry land from their so-far underwater investment.

"It's a very attractive property," says Miller, now a merchant banker, who denies he's buying, but adds: "If they were selling, there would be buyers."

"They say they're not interested, but everyone knows it's for sale," says an actively interested party, who thinks the problem is that the company has lost two-thirds of its value - and should be marked down - while the owners want to get full retail. "They're looking for a bigger fool," another tire-kicker says.

A WORD TO THE WISE

"It's only for the summer," you told all who asked when your husband moved out last year. But fall has turned to winter - and he's not only stayed away, he's shacked up with somebody else, and by all accounts, is happy as Snoopy after nailing the Red Baron. And now, everyone's wondering if you'll keep your post position on Manhattan's fast track without his power to propel you. This ain't small stuff, like losing your Rolodex to a rival (even if it wasn't yours in the first place). It's a moment to consider the bridges you've burned, the price of your vendettas and how what goes around inevitably comes around. Will your clients catch on that your juice is almost squeezed out? Everyone in your world knows, so it's only a matter of time. Speaking of which, you're no poulet de printemps. Damage control - that's the ticket. Sure you could console yourself with Belgian chocolates, but why don't you wash your hair, give up smoking, try being nice for a change. Look at it this way: Who cares if it's good for your career - it might help you land a new man.

Summary: ANNIE GET YOUR GUN Photographer Annie Leibovitz usually does the shooting, but Wall Street bond trader Robert Snider and his wife and infant son are aiming at her Â with a $15 million lawsuit alleging Vanity Fair's top photographer ran a "terror campaign of harassment, provocation, destruction and terror"against them after he refused last summer to sell her their next-door landmark Village townhouse on W. 11th St. The intensely personal complaint calls this "evil and


ZAWIYA, Libya — Dozens of opposition fighters surrounded Libya's last functioning oil refinery Wednesday and laid siege to about 100 government troops, part of a push which brought them closer to seizing this strategic western city.

A rebel victory in Zawiya could be a turning point in the six-month-old war and leave Moammar Gadhafi nearly cornered in his increasingly isolated stronghold of Tripoli, the capital, just 50 kilometers (30 miles) to the east along the Mediterranean coast.

Rebel fighters are now closing in on the capital from the west and the south, while NATO controls the seas to the north. The opposition is in control of most of the eastern half of the country and has declared Benghazi, 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) east of Tripoli, as its de facto capital.

Wednesday's fighting focused around the sprawling refinery complex on the western outskirts of Zawiya, a city of 200,000. The rebels, who began their assault on the refinery a day earlier, took control of the facility's three-story administration building, tearing down the Gadhafi regime's green flag that flew over the grounds.

Desperate Gadhafi troops cut off from the main government forces took cover in a residential compound and closed the gates to prevent workers from fleeing, rebels said. The troops barricaded themselves in and positioned snipers on rooftops. An Associated Press photographer inside the refinery with rebel troops heard occasional bursts of gunfire.

An oil engineer in the compound told the AP that about 100 Gadhafi soldiers remained inside late Wednesday afternoon. At least several dozen rebel fighters were also in the area. Arusi said his forces controlled parts of the complex.

The Libyan rebels made a dramatic advance on Saturday out of their bases in the western mountains near Tunisia into Zawiya on the Mediterranean coast. Since then, they have taken control of 70 percent of the city, rebel commanders say, and have been slowly gaining ground in fierce battles with Gadhafi's forces.

The clashes at the refinery began on Tuesday, then opposition fighters pulled out at nightfall and made a new push after daybreak, Arusi said.

Arusi said rebels wanted to take the refinery undamaged, and have been negotiating with Gadhafi soldiers inside the refinery since entering Zawiya on Saturday. He said on Tuesday morning, some of the regime fighters, all locals, surrendered to the rebels after several days of negotiations.

The remaining Gadhafi loyalists closed the gate of the residential compound for refinery workers and their families. It was unclear how many people were living there. Many of the workers were evacuated early in the civil war, which began in mid-February.

"If (the civilians) leave, we can deal with Gadhafi's guys with full force," Arusi said. "So Gadhafi's guys don't want them to leave. They keep them as protection."

About half a mile south of the refinery, an AP reporter saw two cars carrying civilians driving away from the refinery on an otherwise deserted road. Meanwhile, three pickup trucks loaded with fighters sped toward the refinery along the same road, to reinforce the troops.

A rebel field commander in Zawiya, Osama Arusi, said the clashes at the refinery shut down an oil pipeline to Tripoli, where a third of Libya's 6 million people live.

"The pipeline from Zawiya to Tripoli has been switched off," Arusi told The Associated Press. "The man who is responsible for switching the pipeline off said it is not working."

Neither a pipeline shutdown nor a capture of the 120,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Zawiya would have a major impact on Gadhafi's ability to secure fuel, analysts said.

The flow of crude to the refinery from fields in the southwest of Libya had largely halted since midsummer. The refinery was believed to be running at about one-third of its normal capacity, drawing mainly on crude oil that was in its storage tanks. At any rate, Zawiya produces mostly fuel oil, not gasoline, which Gadhafi had trucked in mainly from Tunisia and to a lesser extent Algeria.

"In that sense, it's more significant that they (the rebels) have got control of the roads than the refinery," said John Hamilton, a Libya energy expert with Cross-Border Information and a contributing editor of Africa Energy. "Strategically, that's a more important gain for the rebels. Having control of the roads makes it much harder for Gadhafi to get the petrol he needs" from Tunisia and Algeria.

In fighting elsewhere in the west, more than 45 wounded rebel fighters arrived in Tunisia for medical care over the past 24 hours through the Zintan border crossing, Tunisia's official TAP news agency reported.

Outside the rebel-held city of Misrata east of Tripoli, opposition fighters said they captured the town of Haysha, located halfway between Misrata and Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte on the Mediterranean coast. Haysha was used by Gadhafi forces as a base to fire rockets on Misrata.

On the eastern front of the civil war, hundreds of miles from Zawiya around the coastal town of Brega, rebels clashed with Gadhafi troops for control of the town's oil refinery. The front lines have swept through Brega several times, and the oil facility there has not been operating for months.

A rebel doctor in Brega, Mohammed Idris, said the field hospital in Brega was overwhelmed by the number of casualties and that many wounded were sent to Benghazi for treatment.

He said that at least 18 rebels had been killed and 74 wounded in fighting Tuesday.

Rebel fighter Moussa Ahmaid, who was escorting the wounded rebels to the hospital, said the fighting was mainly on the southern side of Brega.

"We are using light hand-held weapons and mortars," he told the AP. "Most of our casualties are from sniper fire or shrapnel from shelling."

AP Business Writer Tarek El-Tablawy in Cairo contributed to this report.


Sep 19th 2011, 15:02 by A.G. | LONDON

IT IS exactly three years since economic woes began to dominate the minds of the British electorate, and such concerns show no sign of diminishing. According to the latest The Economist/Ipsos-MORI poll, 59% of people identified the economy as one of the most important issues facing the country today.

Meanwhile concerns about unemployment have crept up to second place, causing concern for 30% of the population. Fears have been exacerbated by rising joblessness that has particularly affected the young.

The official unemployment rate for people aged under 25 in the three months to July was 20% (the poll was conducted before more recent, and equally concerning, figures were published on September 13th). The complete picture is a little less awful than portrayed because the unemployment rate is calculated as percentage of those who are either in work or looking for it, which excludes the many youngsters (almost half the population) who are in higher education. As a percentage of all those under 25, unemployment was about 13%—worrying but not terrifying.

Still, the issue is at its most vexed since July 2009, six months after the start of the recent recession. Unemployment lags behind economic trends, as struggling businesses shed staff or slow down any new recruitments. As the economy falters, the quest for jobs looks set to become a long one.


Trend Benders: FedEx, Angry Birds, milk teeth

CNET Host Wilson Tang tells Russ Mitchell what's trending on the Web. Among the most viewed videos online: A purported FedEx worker throwing a computer monitor over a fence, a new Angry Bird holiday game, and a kid getting his teeth pulled out.

Summary: CBS News video: Holiday Mishaps - Author Amy Goodman joins Rebecca Jarvis to talk about how to handle the occasional holiday mishap with grace.


In the days following AOL’s relaunch as a separate company, CEO Tim Armstrong is already looking to jettison some of its properties that take away from its new focus as a digital content producer. That means getting rid of properties and assets that don’t contribute to the AOL brand and that don’t focus heavily on AOL’s goals for the future.

As The Wall Street Journal reports, AOL is in talks to sell ICQ, the once prominent — but now archaic — instant messaging service. The Wall Street Journal also says that Bebo, the social network AOL acquired in 2008 for a jaw-dropping $850 million, may be on the block. In the ensuing 20 months, Bebo hasn’t quite turned out to be the profit center AOL hoped it would be. Although traffic was up after a redesign in February, Bebo has continued to languish as European users migrate to Facebook, like the rest of the world.

Spending nearly $1 billion on Bebo — which at this point is nearly a third of AOL’s valuation as a separate entity — was just one of many, many missteps for the former web titan.

With ICQ, the situation is a bit less embarrassing. AOL acquired ICQ in 1998 for $287 million. At the time, ICQ was a huge competitor to AOL’s AIM service, which had only recently become available to non-AOL subscribers. The Wall Street Journal says that ICQ’s potential buyer, Facebook investor Digital Sky Technologies, could pay as much as $300 million for the service. That’s not bad for a service that has never had a strong association with the AOL brand.

It’s fascinating how quickly Armstrong is making moves to streamline AOL into a leaner, more focused company. What are you thoughts on the new AOL? Where does the Bebo acquisition rank in the company’s long line of bad business moves?

Summary: AOL is in talks to sell ICQ, the once prominent — but now archaic — instant messaging service. Social network Bebo is also on the block.


(AP) WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Manufacturer ITT Corp. said Friday that it will delay its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings report by two weeks because of accounting issues related to the spinoff of its defense and water businesses.

ITT now plans to report on Feb. 29. It will also offer guidance for the 2012 fiscal year then.

In October ITT broke into three separate companies, making it more difficult to compare current results with those from last year, when the firm was larger.

ITT provided a preview of its full-year earnings report, saying that the 2011 revenue of the new stand-alone company was $2.1 billion. ITT reported $11 billion in revenue for 2010, before the corporate breakup.

ITT spun off its defense and water technology businesses to focus on more profitable segments. ITT now provides parts and services to the industrial, aerospace, transportation and oil and gas markets.

Its former defense unit is now called Exelis Inc. and the water-management unit is now Xylem Inc.

ITT shares fell 11 cents to close at $22.60.

Summary: ITT Corp to delay its 4Q earnings report