85,000 museum artifacts feared lost in NYC Chinatown fire

NEW YORK  — Some 85,000 artifacts that tell the story of the Chinese migration to the United States may have been lost in a fire that struck a building in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown, a museum official said Friday.

The president of the Museum of Chinese in America told The New York Times that most of the thousands of historic and artistic items in its collection were probably lost in the fire that started Thursday night and tore through a building where the museum’s acquisitions were stored.


“One hundred percent of the museum’s collection, other than what is on view,” said Nancy Yao Maasbach, the president of the museum. She said that the collection was one of a kind and that she was “just distraught” after receiving the news.

The fire started in a former school that more recently housed a senior center, the Chen Dance Center and a number of community groups. The museum is nearby and stored its collection in the structure that was hit by fire.

A Fire Department spokesman said the fire was still not under control Friday night, 24 hours after it was first reported.

Videos and photos posted to social media Thursday night showed flames bursting out of windows and flowing heavily from the roof of the building, which Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Twitter was “a pillar to the Chinatown community.”

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said firefighters were forced to battle the blaze from the outside.

“The interior became untenable and the units had to be withdrawn,” he said. “It was too dangerous in the building.”

Maasbach said she was told by emergency responders that no one will be able to enter the building to retrieve items for at least three weeks. She said the museum’s artifacts, which include textiles, restaurant menus and tickets for ship’s passage, have likely been soaked by water and will be irreparably damaged by then.

About 35,000 items in the collection had been digitized and those files were backed up, she said.

Nine firefighters and a 59-year-old man were injured in the blaze. The man was rescued from the fifth floor of the building and was reported to be in serious but stable condition. The firefighters sustained minor injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.


The fire comes ahead of the Lunar New Year, which is Saturday.

City Council member Margaret Chin tweeted that the fire was “devastating.” “We will work to make sure vital services aren’t lost,” Chin told WNBC.

“I know the neighborhood is in shock,” de Blasio tweeted. ”We’re going to help the community get through this.”

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

New York’s huge Gay Pride fest launches with star-studded concert

New York’s highly anticipated World Pride festivities officially opened Wednesday with a benefit concert hosted by performer Whoopi Goldberg and featuring headliner Cyndi Lauper.

The event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center arena launches days of celebrations including more concerts, exhibitions, movie screenings, theatre shows and workshops as the city pays homage to those who took part in the 1969 Stonewall riots, a week-long protest against police harassment of the New York gay community at the time.

Ticket proceeds from Wednesday’s concert will go to three New York-based organizations supporting LGBTQ rights in the city.

Also set to perform are singers Chaka Khan and Ciara as well as Billy Porter, known for his showstopping red carpet looks and role on “Pose,” a television series about the primarily Black and Latino underground drag ball scene of the 1980s and early 1990s.

On Friday, a large crowd will gather outside Greenwich Village’s Stonewall Inn where on June 28, 1969 hundreds of gay and transgender people pushed back against the latest police raid on the establishment, sparking six days of unrest.

The weekend celebrations will feature concerts by Madonna and Grace Jones, winding up with a giant World Pride Parade on Fifth Avenue. It will be the sixth edition of World Pride, which began in Rome in 2000 and brought together droves of people from across the world.

New York’s Gay Pride is regularly one of the largest such events globally, but for this year’s milestone anniversary, authorities expect an additional two to three million visitors to attend.

Source: Agence France-Presse

Taylor Swift makes surprise performance at gay bar Stonewall

Taylor Swift made a surprise performance at an iconic gay bar a day after releasing a song supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

Swift celebrated Pride Month by appearing at New York City’s Stonewall Inn on Friday night, June 14.

She released her new tune Thursday, June 13, called “You Need to Calm Down”, where she calls out those who attack the LGBTQ+ community.

The song is the second single from Swift’s seventh album “Lover” which will be released on Aug. 23.

Swift sang her hit song “Shake It Off” at the New York City bar with “Modern Family” actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who hosted the event.

Ferguson is working on a documentary about Stonewall Inn, where patrons resisted a police raid in 1969 and helped spark the gay rights movement. The bar is marking 50 years since the riots. HM/JB

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

New York blast ‘intentional’ but no terror link at this point

NEW YORK, United States — New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said that they believed that the blast that rocked the city’s Chelsea neighborhood on Saturday and hurt 29 people was intentional.

Blasio however added that there was no immediate evidence of terrorism in the blast.

Authorities raised the number of injured to 29 people, one of whom was reported in serious condition.

“There is no evidence at this point of a terror connection to this incident. This is preliminary information,” De Blasio told a news conference.

Of the 29 people wounded in the incident, 24 have been taken to hospitals with various degrees of scrapes and abrasions from glass and metal, said Fire Department commissioner Daniel Nigro.

Police said the specific cause of the explosion, which occurred on the street at around 8:30 pm (8:30 a.m., Manila time) was not clear but was not caused by gas.

“We believe it was intentional,” de Blasio said.

The mayor said it was not immediately apparent if the blast was connected to an explosion in a trash can in New Jersey earlier Saturday./rga

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

eBay, Sotheby’s unveil tie-up on art auctions

NEW YORK—Highbrow art house Sotheby’s is opening a door to the masses in an alliance with Internet age online marketplace eBay.

The companies touted the tie-up as uniting eBay’s global clout with the “iconic international art” expertise of Sotheby’s famed auction house.

The eBay website will soon launch a revamped market for art and collectibles, featuring live auctions with real-time bidding from around the world. Sotheby’s was billed as the virtual venue’s “anchor tenant.”

The collaboration will begin with a series of live auctions from Sotheby’s headquarters in New York City.

The companies will also “explore themed and time-based sales, as well as live auctions from Sotheby’s other global salesrooms.”

“The growth of the art market, new generation technology and our shared strengths make this the right time for this exciting new online opportunity,” said Sotheby’s chief operating officer Bruno Vinciguerra.

“We are joining with eBay to make our sales more accessible to the broadest possible audience around the world.”

Sotheby’s says online bidders accounted for about 17 percent of the lots offered in 2013.

The number of lots purchased online at Sotheby’s last year jumped 36 percent from that seen in 2012, with an accompanying surge in bidders using smartphones or tablets to access the auction house online.

Mobile devices account for a quarter of the visits so far this year to people visiting sothebys.com

- $41,000 watch -

More than half of Sotheby’s lots sold in the $5,000 to $100,000 price range. The average price of a watch auctioned at Sotheby’s topped $41,000 while the average winning bid for a print was about $27,500.

John James Audubon’s elephant-folio “The Birds of America” sold in April 2014 for $3.5 million, setting a record for an online purchase in a live auction at Sotheby’s.

Devin Wenig, president of eBay Marketplaces, said the partnership “is a significant milestone in our efforts to expand the live auction market.”

“Sotheby’s is one of the most respected names in the world,” Wenig added.

“When you combine its inventory with eBay’s technology platform and global reach, we can give people access to the world’s finest, most inspiring items — any time, anywhere and from any device.”

California-based eBay has some 145 million customers in 190 countries, and says 36 million purchased some $8 billion in collectibles from the site in 2013.

According to surveys cited by the two firms, the global art market is currently estimated around $65 billion and online art sales could reach $13 billion by 2020.

By accessing eBay’s huge audience, Sotheby’s increases the potential for bidding competition and, by extension, bigger payoffs on art or collectibles put on the blocks.

“The more people bidding, the more money sellers make and the more money Sotheby’s makes; so it is sort of a natural,” said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley.

Sotheby’s will need to be cautious about dulling its reputation as a high-end auction house by rubbing elbows with eBay, which is known for bargains and oddities, according to the analyst.

source: technology.inquirer.net

KC Concepcion in NYC for studies, not to hide rumored pregnancy

NEW YORK, New York – Actress KC Concepcion is done being in the shadow of her famous parents.

She recently won two acting awards, making her an actress in the eyes of many and no longer just the love child of one-time heartthrob couple Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion.

“How many of us, children of actors, have achieved such honor?” KC wondered aloud during an interview with The FilAm. “The award is a big thing for me because it’s so hard for us having parents who are into showbiz as well. Oftentimes people would see us as no different from our

parents.”

Concepcion won Best Actress at the 30th Star Awards for Movies for her role as a stripper in “Boy Golden: Shoot to Kill, The Arturo Porcuna Story;” and Best Drama Supporting Actress at the 27th PMPC Star Awards for Television for the series “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala.”

She learned about the Star Award from a friend’s text message showing a smiley face and three hearts. She couldn’t believe the news at first. It only sank in when her mother’s text message followed soon after.

“It’s an R-18 movie based on a true story, based on real people” she said of “Boy Golden.”

She accepted the role because of her faith in director Chito Rono, and it was a role that brought her out of her comfort zone.

“I’ve experienced firsthand certain roles that didn’t interest me at first yet gave me the chance to shine and get recognized.” “Boy Golden” was one of them.

KC is currently in New York — and will be in the city for a while — to study business and acting, and so was not able to receive her acting award.

Rumors flew fast that she was in New York to hide an unplanned pregnancy. She denied it, insisting she needed a long break from her highly demanding schedule.

“After doing ‘Boy Golden,’ I had pneumonia,” she said. “The doctors here said run-down yung katawan ko.”

KC said she had a back-to-back schedule, from hosting “The X Factor Philippines” to filming “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala” soap with Judy Santos and Sam Milby and then “Boy Golden.” Her work schedule overlapped, and before she knew it, her body just shut down.

“I just realized my body was screaming out for a bit of rest and probably it came to a point that I would really want to explore (the city),” she said. “I’ve always been the type to need rest cause it’s so difficult to do that in the Philippines. It’s a different world out there and everyone knows your whereabouts.”

She is so happy to be in New York and to be able to live on her own. “Here, I can read three books in one week. In the Philippines, I had no time to read and just used the time to sleep.”


She has relatives in L.A., but her parents taught her to be independent and to not appear to be “too needy.”

“This is a good break kasi sa Philippines you needed a chaperone just to go to the bathroom.”

Actually, she will be shuttling between New York and Manila because of her many commitments. “I will be flying back and forth for work, been doing a lot of shoots for my endorsements and guestings because I still have many contracts that I need to fulfill.”

She is thankful to ABS-CBN and Viva for giving her a chance to pursue her studies.

An interview with KC – done over a period of two hours — is never complete without questions on love and relationship.

“Paulo Avelino is not my boyfriend yet,” she declared, setting the record straight. “I’m not committing to anyone right now. I have no commitments to anyone.”

After a tumultuous breakup with Piolo Pascual over a widely rumored gay past, KC is very cautious about becoming romantically involved.

“It’s not my priority right now. But it will be soon enough. Honest naman ako eh, the people involved know my state of mind right now and my limitations,” she said, intentionally sounding vague and elusive.

“I don’t wanna be hurt , it’s so tiring. I’m taking it slow. Talagang very slow. I’m very careful with my heart right now. I’m being good to myself, welcoming enough but also putting limits because I gave too much before,now it’s time to take care of me.”

She avoided talking about Piolo. “I’d rather keep that to myself,” she said.

For now, she is taking it easy and taking in as much as she can of New York.

“Apart from my classes, I enjoy the household chores. I do my laundry and spend some bonding time with my friends here like Ate Ritz Brinas.

“I’m lucky to have friends here who (no matter how busy they are) are always there to give me company when I want to go out.

“Sometimes, I play tourist, but I’ve always been a traveler rather than a tourist.

“Other times I go to nearby cities like Toronto and spend some time with friends over there. Throw a party in my balcony para mag-barbecue. Other times mag museum, manood ng concerts.

“But I like the fact that everything happens here in New York City, the center of everything.

“You can pay through apps here – you just point your smart phone. If you want to eat oysters, there’s an app for that too.”

KC is an avowed pescatarian and eats only fish and some seafood.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

New Year’s in Times Square is endurance contest

NEW YORK  — Crowds jammed New York’s Times Square on Tuesday to ring in 2014, braving bone-chilling cold and ultra-tight security for the chance to see Miley Cyrus, a final countdown from a U.S. Supreme Court justice and the drop of the shimmering crystal ball.

The sea of horn-tooting, hat-wearing humanity that filled the Crossroads of the World was part celebration, part endurance sport because post-Sept. 11 security measures force spectators into pens at least 12 hours in advance, with no food, no warmth and no place to go to the bathroom.

“We’ve got adult diapers. We’re wearing them right now,” said 14-year-old Amber Woods, who came with friends from the New York City’s suburbs to experience the event for the first time. They entered their corral at 10 a.m. For nourishment, they brought lollipops and popcorn. For the cold, they did a lot of jumping in place.

“Every time I say, it’s the last. But then I come back,” said Yasmina Merrir, a 42-year-old Washington, D.C., resident attending her fourth Times Square ball drop. In 2009, the cold was so bad, she got hypothermia. Her legs swelled up like balloons.

She was also fasting and not drinking anything to deal with the lack of restrooms. As for the cold, she recommends vigorous dancing for as long as you can stand on your feet.

“At a point,” she said, “your brain is not working anymore.”

New York’s midnight celebration came as millions welcomed the new year in cities around the world, including jubilant events in London, where the fireworks came packed with edible confetti, and Dubai, which attempted to stage the world’s largest fireworks display.

Brianna Becerril, a 21-year-old singer and songwriter from Chino, Calif., persuaded her grandparents to join her at Times Square. As evening fell, they huddled together for warmth under big, furry hats, dined on cold chicken nuggets and drank nothing so they wouldn’t have to leave to find a toilet.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience!” Becerril said.

“Once in a lifetime for me, for sure. I mean, if I even survive. I can’t wait to get out of here,” said her smiling grandfather, Jerry Bender. But, he said, he was enjoying getting to know their neighbors in the pen, many of whom hailed from distant countries.

Even when she lived in Algeria in North Africa, Merrir said, she knew that Times Square was the place the world celebrated best on New Year’s Eve.

“It’s Times Square! It’s the ball!” she said. “The fireworks may be better in Dubai, or in London, but this is extra special.”

On the other side of the Atlantic, Britain welcomed 2014 with a mixture of futuristic fireworks and torch-lit tradition. For those in London, the event offered the opportunity to taste the fireworks.

The city’s mayor — in conjunction with telecommunications company Vodafone — said this year’s explosive display came packed with peach-flavored snow, edible banana confetti and orange-scented bubbles. The evening also included scratch-and-sniff programs, LED wristbands and fruit-flavored sweets.

In Dubai, a Persian Gulf city known for glitz, glamour and over-the-top achievements like the world’s tallest skyscraper, officials sought to break another record by creating the largest fireworks show.

The Dubai skyline was a canvas for a dazzling 30-minute show. The display capped off with six minutes of fireworks that engulfed the city’s man-made, palm-shaped island, with its fronds and trunk shimmering in thousands of lights.

Organizers had promised that the fireworks would form a flying falcon, a sunrise and the United Arab Emirates flag. It was not immediately clear if the promised designs or world record had been achieved.

The effort attempted to surpass the current world record held by another Gulf Arab state in just the first 60 seconds. Kuwait has held the record since last year, when it fired more than 77,000 fireworks in a display lasting more than an hour.

Guinness World Record officials were on hand to measure the scale of Dubai’s event, which needed to be longer than five minutes to qualify.

More than 260 people were injured by firecracker blasts and celebratory gunfire in the Philippines, a nation marking the end of a year of tragic disasters, including a Nov. 8 typhoon that left more than 6,100 dead and nearly 1,800 missing.

“Many here are welcoming the new year after losing their mothers, fathers, siblings and children so you can imagine how it feels,” said village chief Maria Rosario Bactol of Anibong community in Tacloban, the city worst hit by Typhoon Haiyan. “I tell them to face the reality, to move on and stand up, but I know it will never be easy.”

Back in New York, outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who hobnobbed with celebrities during past Times Square celebrations, was sitting out this year’s festivities to spend time with family and friends. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio was to be sworn in at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday at his Brooklyn home.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a New York City native, will lead the final 60-second countdown and push the ceremonial button to drop the ball.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Beyonce talks surprise album, success at NYC event

NEW YORK — Beyonce had her doubts minutes before her new album’s surprise release, despite all the hard work she put in on the songs and videos.

“I was terrified. I was so scared. I already envisioned like the worst things that could happen,” Beyonce said Saturday at a screening for her new music videos. “I was really nervous because this was a huge risk.”

The singer’s fifth album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts this week after it was released without the public knowing. “Beyonce” sold 617,000 units in the U.S. in a week; it has sold more than 1 million albums worldwide.

The album includes 14 songs and 17 videos, which fans were able to see during the screening at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Beyonce answered fans’ questions via Instagram, including one about her opening up personally on the new album.

“I’m very private and I’m very respectful, and I think it just took me no longer being someone’s child — once I became a mother, I felt like I could tear those fourth walls and I just felt like it was time,” she said. “I completely feel liberated.”

The album features collaborations with her husband Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, Drake and her daughter, Blue Ivy. “Beyonce” is the follow-up to 2011′s “4,” the first album the singer released on her production company, Parkwood Entertainment, after parting ways professionally with her father-manager, Mathew Knowles.

“I felt like I wanted follow in the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire,” she said to cheers from the crowd. “And (to) show other women when you get to this point in your career, you don’t have to go sign with someone else and share your money and your success, you can do it yourself.”

The album’s unconventional release became one of the year’s top pop culture and social media moments. Beyonce, 32, said she became bored in the music industry after her last release, and the new album is a reflection of experimentation and growth.

“Honestly I was at a point where I felt like, you know, everything feels the same … that’s how I felt and if I could not challenge that, then maybe it’s time for me to do something else or develop more artists, which is something I want to do,” she said. “I just hope that I continue to move forward and challenge myself, and I think now that I’ve become a mother, I just want my legacy to inspire people.”

She added that the goal of the new album was not to produce No. 1 hits, but to showcase her evolution and create her own lane.

“I took all of my insecurities, all of my doubts, all of my fears and everything I’ve learned over the 17 years and I applied it into this project,” she said. “But more than the music — I’m proud of myself as a woman … the biggest message is owning your imperfections and all the things that make you interesting, because I refuse to allow someone to put me in anyone’s box.”

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Tumblr brings hipster twist to year-end lists

SAN FRANCISCO — Tumblr is where the Internet’s cool kids hang out. That’s why Yahoo paid $1.1 billion to buy the blogging site in one of this year’s most buzzed-about deals.

Now, Tumblr is flaunting its hipster credentials with a first-ever breakdown of the year’s hottest trends, topics and celebrities.

The retrospective starts Tuesday at http://YearinReview.tumblr.com with an exploration of 20 categories ranging from the most popular musical groups to the most interesting architecture of 2013. Boasting a plethora of images, the review will continue through December with daily posts that will culminate on New Year’s Eve with the best fireworks displays featured on Tumblr during the year.

Similar end-of-the-year lists are annual rites at Yahoo, Google and other websites equipped with search engines that sort through billions of requests for information to determine which topics piqued people’s interests.

Tumblr’s musings figure to stand out because they are drawn from a younger audience that differs from the more conventional crowds that flock to general-purpose search engines.

More than half of Tumblr’s 170 million users are under 35 years old, a demographic that has helped turn the service into a free-wheeling forum filled with provocative imagery, snarky humor and occasionally ribald commentary.

“The people on Tumblr never cease to amaze me with their creativity and their wit and the amount of fun they are having online,” said Danielle Strle, Tumblr’s director of product for content and community. “There are certain things they are crazy about that I am sure that a more general Internet audience is not super nuts about.”

Tumblr’s eclectic tastes are evident in some of the categories featured in the service’s year-end roundup. Entire sections will be devoted to photo bombing, fingernail art, unicorns, bacon, pretty colors, student loans and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

In contrast, the annual lists released by the mainstream search engines tend to be more prosaic and predictable recitations that pore through the most popular celebrities, movies, singers, TV shows, and news stories.

Microsoft Corp.’s Bing search engine also reviewed the most popular social media services in its year-end list released Monday. (Tumblr ranked sixth behind Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.)

Tumblr’s look back delves into some of that well-worn territory, too, though its selections may send some people scurrying to a search engine to find out more. For instance, the most blogged-about actor on Tumblr during this year was Benedict Cumberbatch, an English performer who has primarily had supporting roles in U.S. films (he most recently played the villain Khan in “Star Trek Into Darkness.”)

Cumberbatch doesn’t appear in a separate year-end roundup to be released Tuesday by Yahoo, but “Star Trek Into Darkness” tops Yahoo’s rankings of the most-searched movies on its site.

Other Tumblr items unlikely to show up in other year-end roundups include shots of brides throwing cats into the air instead of wedding bouquets and school notices explaining the reasons for students’ detention.

In a tip to Tumblr, Yahoo is highlighting three of the blogging site’s categories in its own breakdown.

Now Yahoo Inc. wants 6-year-old Tumblr to start selling more ads. One of the categories in Tumblr’s retrospective highlights the best ads that appeared on the service this year.

source: technology.inquirer.net

JP Morgan, gov’t settle all issues

WASHINGTON DC, USA- The Justice Department and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have settled all issues and could sign a $13 billion agreement as early as Tuesday that would be the largest settlement ever reached between the government and a corporation, a person familiar with the negotiations says.

The deal is the latest chapter in the bursting of the housing bubble in 2007, when JPMorgan and others among the largest U.S. banks sold low-quality, mortgage-backed securities that collapsed in value. Investors were left with billions of dollars in losses.

In blunt criticism of those banks, the Justice Department’s No. 2 official said Monday that too many financial institutions had failed in their duty to ensure that their businesses were run cleanly.

Recounting the conduct that JPMorgan and other banks engaged in, Deputy Attorney General James Cole told the American Bankers Association that too many supervisors incentivized excessive risk taking, knowing that risky products “could be unloaded down the road, … leaving someone else to deal with the consequences.”

According to the person familiar with the talks between JPMorgan and the Justice Department, the final issue in the settlement revolved around the $4 billion to compensate consumers. Some $1.5 billion will be a write-down to reduce the principal of homeowner loans; $300 million will enable homeowners to pay less now on their mortgages; and the remainder of the $4 billion will go toward reducing mortgage interest rates, originating new loans and helping revive blighted properties in some of the hardest hit areas of the housing crisis, such as Detroit. An independent monitor will be appointed to oversee the assistance to homeowners.

The person familiar with the negotiations spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been finalized. When it is signed, it will eclipse the record $4 billion levied on oil giant BP in January over the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Another person familiar with the talks, also speaking only on condition of anonymity, said the two sides were “very close” to a final agreement.

Still to come is a decision on whether the Justice Department will file criminal charges against JPMorgan. An investigation is under way by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Sacramento, California.

The nation’s biggest bank will pay more than $6 billion to compensate investors, pay $4 billion to help struggling homeowners and pay the remainder as a fine.

JPMorgan has said most of its mortgage-backed securities came from Bear Stearns Cos. and Washington Mutual Inc., troubled companies that JPMorgan acquired in 2008.

As part of the $6 billion to investors, $4 billion will resolve government claims that JPMorgan misled mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac about risky mortgage securities the bank sold them before the housing market crashed. That part of the deal was announced Oct. 25. Fannie and Freddie were bailed out by the government during the crisis and are under federal control.

The Justice Department and the banks reached a tentative settlement in mid-October on the $13 billion, but the negotiations hit a stumbling block that has now been resolved. As part of any settlement, JPMorgan wanted to be able to collect money from a receivership involving Washington Mutual Inc., the biggest U.S. savings and loan. The S&L failed and was purchased by JPMorgan. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which maintains stability and public confidence in the banking system, said JPMorgan should be responsible for any liabilities regarding the Washington Mutual acquisition. Under the arrangement, JPMorgan cannot seek reimbursement from the FDIC for any part of the deal, the person close to the talks said Monday night.

The $13 billion JPMorgan settlement amount is only about half of its record 2012 net income of $21.3 billion, or $5.20 a share, which made it one of the most profitable U.S. banks last year.

Mounting legal costs from government proceedings pushed JPMorgan to a rare loss in this year’s third quarter, the first under CEO Jamie Dimon’s leadership. The bank reported Oct. 11 that it set aside $9.2 billion in the July-September quarter to cover the string of legal cases against the bank. JPMorgan said it has placed $23 billion in reserve to cover potential legal costs.

On Friday, the company announced it had reached a $4.5 billion settlement with 21 major institutional investors over mortgage-backed securities issued by JPMorgan and Bear Stearns between 2005 and 2008. The investors, which include Goldman Sachs, said the bank deceived them about the quality of high-risk mortgage securities.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Empire State Building lights up in blue, red, yellow for ‘Yolanda’ victims

MANILA, Philippines—For two consecutive nights, blue, red and yellow colors illuminated the iconic Empire State Building in New York City in solidarity with the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan).

The 103-story skycraper rising above the Manhattan skyline began to display the colors of the Philippine flag on Friday (Saturday in Manila), and again on Saturday, New York time.

“Empire State Building raises awareness and support for Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines,” the management of the 82-year-old building said on its website.

Each night, the building’s tower lights take on a new lighting sequence, representing major holidays, iconic milestones and global events.

source: globalnation.inquirer.net

Lady Gaga unveils ‘flying dress’ at NY album party

NEW YORK – Lady Gaga’s album sales are already stratospheric, so why not her evening wear?

The “Applause” singer unveiled a high-tech, white vehicle she calls the world’s first flying dress.

The contraption lifted her inside a mammoth building in New York City, where she held a launch party for her new album Sunday.


The 27-year-old New York entertainer said this was “maybe a small step for Volantis” — as she calls the battery-powered metal dress — but “a big-time step” for Lady Gaga.

She says her ultimate goal is to stage the first musical performance from space.

Her third studio album, “Artpop,” will be released worldwide Monday.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Google Sending Out Invitations to October 24th Event – Apparently Not Nexus 5 Related

While we’re all patiently awaiting the official announcement of the Nexus 5, Google has sent an invitation out to Geek for an October 24th event in New York City. The catch? It doesn’t look to be Nexus related.

What exactly is Google planning for the 24th? Well, it’s apparent that the event will be surrounding Google Play, but the invitation you see above is rather vague. “Join us for a night out with Google Play. Music, movies, games, and a special performance by Capital Cities” is the only thing mentioned on the invitation, leaving us scratching our heads a bit.

We have our doubts that the search giant would hold an event for the upcoming Google Play Store refresh that’s set to debut on November 21st, but there’s an even greater chance that we won’t be seeing the Nexus 5 or Android 4.4 KitKat.

Whatever the event could involve, we don’t have much longer to wait until we find out. Still, if it’s not the official Nexus 5 announcement, we’re going to have a hard time getting excited.

source: intomobile.com

Nicki Minaj & Keith Urban Officially Join American Idol

It's official! Mariah Carey will be in good company at the American Idol judges' table.

In addition to familiar face Randy Jackson, Carey will be joined by Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban on the panel when the singing competition's 12th season debuts in January, Fox announced Sunday.

"It's really an honor to have been invited to be a part of the American Idol family," Urban, 44, says. "I'm looking forward to working with everyone and to seeing the same passion that I have for music in all of the participants."

Minaj, 29, whose addition to the show was buzzed-about last month, teased her Twitter followers earlier in the weekend with a vague promise for "info tmrw…"

Host Ryan Seacrest later confirmed the news with a sweet snapshot of the Idol cast and crew. "It's official," he wrote Sunday.

The announcement ties up yet another Idol casting shakeup that saw the departure of Jennifer Lopez and rocker Steven Tyler after two seasons.

Freshly minted judge Carey, who will reportedly rake in about $18 million for the season, Tweeted in July, "I'm excited to help find and nurture new talent."

Aspiring superstars will meet the four-person panel when auditions begin Sunday in New York City.

source: people.com

Michael Phelps's Last Olympics Will Be 'Emotional,' Says Mom

When all's said and done next month, Michael Phelps might be the most-decorated athlete in Olympic history.

But no matter the outcome, saying goodbye to the pool won't be easy for the retiring Olympic athlete – nor his family.









"It'll be a big moment," his mom Debbie, 61, a middle school principal outside Baltimore, Md., recently told PEOPLE. "I'll pull out my box of [tissues], because it's going to be emotional."

Recently Phelps confirmed that this would be his fourth and final Olympic Games.

After qualifying for eight events in the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, he's opted to swim seven: the 200 and 400 individual medley, the 100 and 200 butterfly, and all three relays.

"It's so much smarter for me to do that," Phelps told the Associated Press July 2 after scratching on the 200-meter freestyle. "We're not trying to recreate what happened in Beijing. It just makes more sense."

What happened in Beijing, of course, was magic – Phelps made history by winning eight medals, the most of any athlete in a single Olympic Games, besting American swimmer Mark Spitz's record seven in 1972.

Phelps at 27

So what can fans of the most exciting swimmer in U.S. Olympic history expect this time around?

"Maturity," says Debbie of her son, who turned 27 during trials. "He's an old man now!"

He's also grown up a lot.

After his record-making turn in 2008, the young swimmer's life transformed, and for a while, Phelps was making headlines more often for partying than his performance in the pool. But the mistakes helped him grow.

"Michael's always been a role model," says Debbie, who was recently in New York City speaking on behalf of The Century Council to promote Ask, Listen, Learn, an alcohol education program geared towards middle school-aged kids and their parents.

"I've heard Michael talk about his successes, and when he fell on his face," she says. "We all go through life lessons; it's about how you embrace them and go from there."

Difficult for Mom

For Debbie – who, with her two older daughters Hilary, 34, and Whitney, 32, has become famous for tearfully cheering on her son from the bleachers at the Games – watching Phelps step down from the podium that final time will be especially hard.

Starting when Whitney was 7, the single mom was shuttling her kids to and from twice-a-day practices, sacrificing holidays and vacations so they could pursue their Olympic dreams.

"It's not just the end of Michael swimming, but the end of a 25-year era that the Phelps family has been involved with," Hilary tells PEOPLE. "And it's culminating with Michael essentially being the greatest Olympian of all time – so there's a nice bow on it!"

"It's just about capturing memories. This whole year has been about that," adds Debbie. "All these lasts are bundling up."

source: people.com

Kidrobot fans line up at the Cosmopolitan for autographed toys

Toy collectors lined up by the dozens Thursday night at the Cosmopolitan to pick up a new series of Kidrobot figures and have them signed by two of the artists who created them.

Kidrobot began offering pop art sculpture toys in 2002. Dozens of artists create them in limited editions.

The toys retail from $5 to $25,000 and appreciate in value. Some made the collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Thursday marked the launch of the Dunny Series 2012. Adult and child fans waited in line to buy the new items and have their collections signed by artists "Mad" and "Scribe."

"This event is going on simultaneously in all the stores across the country," said Tara Buck, retail manager of the Las Vegas store for the Cosmopolitan. The company also has stores in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, New York and London.

This year's Dunny Series contains works by 14 artists.

source: lasvegassun.com

New York Asian Population Growing

NEW YORK (AP) – New York City's Asian population is growing in both size and complexity, according to a report being released Friday, spreading out from traditional strongholds like Chinatown into neighborhoods all over the city and including ethnicities that weren't even big enough to be counted merely 10 years ago.

The Asian American Federation, a civic and advocacy group, analyzed data from the 2010 and 2000 U.S. cen¬sus as well as the 2006-2010 American Community Survey.

``All these changes have implica¬tions for the local hospitals, the local schools,'' said Cao O, executive director of the federation. It's ``whether the local institutions are adequately prepared.''

The foundation's report found that the city's population of people identifying themselves as Asian, either monoracially or mixed, had gone up to 1.135 million, up more than 262,000, between 2000 and 2010, a 30 percent increase and the biggest percentage increase among the city's racial and ethnic groups.

Neighborhoods with concentrated Asian populations could be found all over the city, both in neighborhoods like Flushing in Queens, which has had a strong Asian presence for years, as well as newer neighborhoods like Sunset Park in Brooklyn.

``These different enclaves are starting to emerge,'' said Howard Shih, census programs director for the federation.

One traditional enclave, China¬town in the lower part of Manhattan, actually saw its Asian population decline by 15.2 percent, the report found, although nearby areas saw an increase.

In the diverse borough of Queens, the report found, census data showed more Asian residents than black resi¬dents, and fewer than non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics. Shih said if growth rates continue at their current rates for all groups, Asians are likely to become the largest ethnic group in the borough sometime in the next decade.

The ethnic groups that make up the bulk of the community - includ¬ing Chinese, Indian, Korean, Filipino - all continued to grow, as did ethnic groups that number under 10,000 people, like Thai, Indonesian, Sri Lankan, Cambodian. The census was even able to count small communities of Hmong, at 83 people. It also noted Bhutanese, at 388, who largely weren't even in the United States to be counted in the 2000 census, accord¬ing to the report.

That increasing range of ethnici¬ties is ``shifting the definition of what it means to be Asian American,'' Shih said.

The report also touches on other areas, looking at issues of language access and poverty in certain seg¬ments of the community, as well as civic engagement and businesses. ``We hope to see there be more atten¬tion paid,'' O said, ``to look at pockets of need in the community that have not been addressed.''

article source: mb.com.ph

1st same-sex couples wed at Empire State Building

NEW YORK (AP) — Two women who met as college students and two men who met at a nightclub 18 years ago became the first same-sex couples Tuesday to be married at the Empire State Building after winning a contest for Valentine's Day weddings at the New York City landmark.

"I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you," Stephanie Figarelle told Lela McArthur as they exchanged rings in a ceremony at the iconic skyscraper.

"I will always love you forever, with every beat of my heart," said McArthur, who is taking her partner's name.

Figarelle and McArthur, of Alaska, were among four couples who won an online contest for a Valentine's Day wedding at the Empire State Building designed by event planner Colin Cowie.

After the ceremonies in a 61st-floor area that is rented out for parties, the couples posed for photos on the 86th-floor observation deck.

Figarelle, 29, and McArthur, 24, met in an anatomy class at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Celia Milton, the interfaith minister who married them, said that Figarelle invited McArthur out to see a drag show and McArthur thought she meant a drag race.

"Needless to say she was quite surprised," Milton said.

The two work as personal trainers in Anchorage and are finishing their degrees.

Figarelle was married in a black tuxedo while McArthur wore a strapless white gown with a train.

Figarelle said she hopes the couple's home state of Alaska will legalize same-sex marriage, which became legal in New York last year.

"Equality's a beautiful thing," she said. "Love is a beautiful thing. We don't have enough of it in this world."

New Yorkers Phil Fung and Shawn Klein walked up the aisle to the strains of the Michael Bolton song "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You." The men wore matching brown suits and checkered ties.

They met 18 years ago at the Roxy, a popular Manhattan nightclub that has since closed.

"You can find true love on the dance floor. It can happen," said Klein, 51, who works in procurement at New York Presbyterian Hospital while Fung, 49, works in the technology department of a financial firm.

The decor for the women's nuptials was "winter wonderland," said Cowie, the host of a wedding planning show on Lifetime TV. The flowers were white, and crystals dripped from a white tree.

The men were married under a jungle-inspired arbor draped with banana leaves and tangerine-colored flowers.

The other two couples were heterosexual: Angela Vega and Lubin Masibay of San Francisco and Paula Cubero and Enrique Catter of Greenwich, Connecticut.

source: philstar.com

John Lennon Truly a Legend

Today marks the 31st death anniversary of Legendary Beatles member, one of the founders of The Beatles John Lennon. Legendary Beatle member/legend was shot by Mark David Chapman December 8, 1980, at the age of 40 outside his New York City apartment building and died at a local hospital about 15minutes later. John Lennon is truly a legend and everybody loves The Beatles!

30th Anniversary of John Lennon's Death

Today marks the 30th death anniversary of the murder of John Lennon- most influential man of a generation. John Lennon was shot and killed on December 8, 1980 by Mark David Chapman outside his apartment building in New York City. It was around 10:50 PM when John Lennon was returning home from a recording session.

Millions of fans will gather at a memorial garden in Central Park, New York, opposite the apartment block where he was shot dead and many will have a vigil at a new memorial in Liverpool. John Lennon’s death anniversary will be celebrated around the World.


John Lennon is still very popular after three decades since his death and as of 2010, his solo album sales in the United States exceed 14 million units and as performer, writer or co-writer he is responsible for 27 number one singles on the US Hot 100 chart.




John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool UK and he formed The Beatles in 1957, at the age of 16. He is 70 years old if he was alive now. However, John Lennon is alive and his music will remain and continue to be passed down through generations.