NewsMediaSpan » 2009

The Press Robert Gibbs Sonia Sotomayor’s Racist comments

May 31st, 2009 Olivia

Gibbs disqualifies youtube snippets as misleading and unfactual.The press does not let him off easy…

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Movies to Watch Out For in 2009

May 30th, 2009 Olivia

Fantasy: This year is bound to see the release of the much awaited Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. As the series draws to a close and Harry Potter grows up, this is one movie that no kid or adult is going to miss this year. Another awaited fantasy/ book based movie of 2009 is Where the Wild Things Are. An adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s children’s classic, where a small boy creates his own imaginary world of monsters and wild things, this book has been in the news for a lot of reasons. The movie however, may be geared towards the adult population.

Drama: Hollywood is high on drama in 2009, and we see almost all current screen stalwarts starring in some emotional or moral drama this year. The Soloist, starring Robert Downey Jr as a journalist and Jamie Foxx as a schizophrenic musical prodigy is based on a true heart wrenching storyline. As per most experts, this might be a favourite at the 2009 Oscars. Also, Quentin Tarantino’s latest, Inglourious Basterds, a flick about a group of Jewish-American soldiers and their brutal Nazi killings is a must watch for war movie/action/drama fans. Expect the trademark Tarantino violence and a star studded cast with Brad Pitt, Mike Myers, Samuel L. Jackson, Eli Roth and other notables.

Prequels and Sequels: This year is going to be full of popular prequels and sequels. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a prequel, promises to be a treat for X-men fans, since the story deals with the origin of the X-Men and how it all came to be. Gambit, who has been till date missing from the big screen, debuts in this one. Boondock Saints 2: All Saints’ Day and fourth instalment from the F&F series, the Fast and Furious 4 promise to keep cult fans entertained.

Book Based: 2009 sees big books going to the big screen. The Watchmen, which is based on one of the best graphic novels ever is a highly anticipated release, especially with 300 director Zack Snyder behind the camera. The prequel to the Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, again starring Tom Hanks as symbologist Robert Langdon in his adventures at the Vatican is much awaited in spite of the poor performance of the Code.

Action: The Terminator returns in 2009 with Terminator: Salvation and so do the Transformers with Transformers: Rise of the Fallen. Star Trek promises some high quality sci fi action while the Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian and other notable movies will keeps action fans entertained through 2009.

Author: Simon Therrien Migneault

visit us at http://www.stmsuperdiscounts.net

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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Zoe Saldana Wears Prabal Gurung

May 30th, 2009 Olivia

Zoe is definitely selling the look. That red really suits her.
s: profashionelle

By: Brigitte Source

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Transformers ROTF Trailer 3

May 23rd, 2009 Olivia

Sorry for the sound.

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Iris

May 23rd, 2009 Olivia

Source: MairiMcCann

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My own road movie #2.

May 23rd, 2009 Olivia

Made it on Explorer: December 5, 2007
Check the whole set:
My Own Road Movie

Source: Sr. Samolo

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G20 and FASB: the banks win again

May 18th, 2009 Olivia

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown might proclaim the G20 summit as the beginning of a "new world order" but the reality is the financial crisis will be around for some time yet. Don't get too worked up about markets' celebrating the trillion dollar G20 deal. It's a sucker's rally.

Why do I say that? First, there are a number of unanswered questions.

First, there is the issue of reining in the compensation schemes in the financial services sector which created all that excessive risk taking. The G20 endorsed the Financial Stability Forum principles on compensation which aim to reduce incentives towards excessive risk taking. On paper, they look fine and well thought out, placing the supervision of the compensation in the hands of directors and requiring compensation to be adjusted for all types of risk including difficult to measure risks like liquidity risks, reputation risk and cost of capital. Executives will not be given bonuses immediately when the risks are stretched out over time and where it's uncertain when the money will start coming in. Bonuses should be reduced or taken off the table when the firm starts performing badly so there will be no reward for failure. Furthermore, firms have to "clear, comprehensive and timely information" about their compensation practices.

This is all well and good but there is insufficient detail as to how exactly it's going to be implemented. Another problem is whether there will be different levels of regulatory oversight in different countries. We just don't know yet.

The other worry is the G20 suggesting that accounting rules could be eased back with improved standards that would "dampen adverse dynamics associated with fair-value accounting".

This is consistent with the Financial Accounting Standards Board ruling that allowing companies to use their own judgment to a greater extent in determining the "fair value" of their assets and thus avoid those nasty impairment charges.

As John Mason maintains in his Seeking Alpha column, it's an April Fools joke that has come one day late and it's a gift to the banks.

Think of it this way. Fair value accounting is the only way that lenders, depositors and shareholders would know about what condition the bank is in. Secondly, if companies are allowed to use their own judgement, it means there will be no objective criteria for assessing the value of the bank's assets. It means that the banks will still be able to take excessive risks and focus on short-term rewards. And finally, as Mason says, the problem might not be that the market for the banks assets are illiquid. It might be more a case that the banks themselves are insolvent and that this bit of accounting trickery allows them to hide that financial distress. And needless to say, the financial crisis will not be fixed until the banks are fixed.

So the financial and market performance of the banks might improve but the elephant is still in the room. Mason writes: "In truth, the condition of banks and other financial institutions has not changed! Those that are insolvent are still insolvent. Those that are not insolvent are still not insolvent. But, the public, the lenders, the depositors, the investment community, and the regulators are worse off. The change in the accounting rules is another bailout for the bankers!"

Is it any wonder, as ethicist Dov Seidman writes, that the real problem we have now is a breakdown of trust. People simply don't trust what corporations are telling them. And needless to say, this accounting pea and thimble trick will make it worse because people will have little faith in the numbers the banks are presenting.

By: leon Source