SEOUL (Reuters) ? Park Sung-su is a devoted follower of baseball and collects Major League souvenirs.
Now, the 58-year-old founder and top shareholder of privately-owned South Korean retailer E-Land Group may be closer to getting his hands on the real thing, confirming on Tuesday he is part of a consortium shortlisted to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers out of bankruptcy.
The Dodgers were put up for sale after owner and Los Angeles businessman Frank McCourt was forced to place the team in bankruptcy protection last June, and could fetch a price of more than $1.5 billion, a record for a Major League outfit. McCourt bought the team from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp in 2004 for $430 million, primarily financed with debt.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said earlier this month he wanted the Dodgers sale - which is being conducted by Blackstone Group - to be wrapped up by April 30.
E-Land said it was taking a stake in a bidding consortium For the Dodgers, with local media saying its around 15 percent share was worth 150-200 billion won ($133-$177 million).
But the company declined to comment on local media reports it joined forces with former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley to bid for one of baseball's most storied franchises.
Other shortlisted bidders are said to include billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen, ex-Yankees and Dodgers manager Joe Torre and basketball great Magic Johnson.
BRIDGEHEAD TO U.S. MARKET
Baseball is one of the most popular sports in South Korea, and Los Angeles is home to a large Korean population, with the Wilshire neighborhood dubbed 'Koreatown'.
In 1994, with O'Malley in charge, the Dodgers signed pitcher Park Chan-ho, making him the first South Korean to reach the Major League. A year later, the Dodgers signed Hideo Nomo, only the second Japanese player to reach the Majors. Nomo's success is credited with having paved the way for more Japanese players to join the league.
As the Brooklyn Dodgers - the club was previously based in New York - it earlier made history by signing the first black player to the Major Leagues, Jackie Robinson.
While E-Land's motivation for a stake in the Dodgers remains unclear, such a move would give it greater reach into the Los Angeles market.
Park, who studied architecture at the prestigious Seoul National University, opened his first E-Land clothing store in Seoul in 1980 and the company has grown quickly, mainly through debt-fuelled acquisitions.
A company spokesman said management principles are centered on Christian beliefs and E-Land donates a tenth of its profits to charitable causes. Operating profit in 2010 was 462 billion won ($411.3 million) on sales of 4.6 trillion won.
The company has added outlets, leisure holdings and upmarket brands such as Mandarina Duck. It has set out to capture part of the U.S. teen apparel market with its Who.A.U stores. It is also licensed to sell the New Balance brand of sports shoes in South Korea.
In 2008, it was forced to sell the Carrefour stores in South Korea that it bought for $1.85 billion two years earlier, and recent failed takeover attempts include a local savings bank and a construction company.
One private equity investor familiar with E-Land, but who did not want to be named as he was not authorized to talk to the media, said the bid for the Dodgers as part of a consortium makes sense as this would provide a bridgehead for its brand in the United States.
There is a precedent for Asian ownership in Major League Baseball, with former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi becoming majority owner of the Seattle Mariners in 1992.
($1 = 1127.2500 Korean won)
(Additional reporting by Ju-min Park and Iktae Park in SEOUL and Stephen Aldred in HONG KONG; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Ian Geoghegan)
Barrett's patients who smoke are twice as likely to develop esophageal cancerPublic release date: 30-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Alissa J. Cruz media@gastro.org 301-272-1603 American Gastroenterological Association
Barrett's esophagus (BE) patients who smoke tobacco are at a two-fold increased risk of developing esophageal cancer, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. BE patients who smoke also double their risk for developing advanced precancerous cells.
"We found that tobacco smoking emerged as the strongest lifestyle risk factor for cancer progression. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol consumption didn't increase cancer risk in this group of patients with Barrett's esophagus," said Helen G. Coleman, PhD, of Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland and the lead author of this study.
While analyzing data (ranging from 1993 to 2005) from one of the largest population-based cohorts of more than 3,000 BE patients worldwide, doctors found that by Dec. 31, 2008, 117 of the patients developed dysplasia or cancers of the esophagus or stomach. For the first time in such a large study, researchers were able to get information about smoking at the time a person was first diagnosed with BE to see how this influenced cancer risk years later. This is important for reducing bias known to be associated with asking patients about their smoking habits in the past.
Current tobacco smoking, regardless of the number of daily cigarettes, was significantly associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer. This suggests that reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day may not reduce the risk of cancer in BE patients.
The incidence of esophageal cancer is on the rise in developed countries. It originates from the premalignant condition BE, presumably progressing through low- and high-grade dysplasia (precancerous cells). However, progression along this pathway is uncommon, and the vast majority of BE patients never develop esophageal cancer or high-grade dysplasia. Factors distinguishing the small minority of patients who do progress remain largely elusive. This underscores the importance of identifying modifiable lifestyle factors that may contribute to cancer progression.
"Tobacco smoking has been long established as highly carcinogenic," added Dr. Coleman. "Barrett's esophagus patients who smoke should start a cessation program immediately."
Although these findings need to be confirmed in future studies, the study's researchers suggest that tobacco smoking be discouraged and smoking-cessation strategies considered in BE patients in order to reduce future cancer risk. Further, identifying modifiable lifestyle factors that influence cancer progression may provide an additional cost-effective method of alleviating future cancer burden in this patient group.
###
About the AGA Institute
The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to include 17,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. http://www.gastro.org.
About Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology, the official journal of the AGA Institute, is the most prominent scientific journal in the specialty and is in the top 1 percent of indexed medical journals internationally. The journal publishes clinical and basic science studies of all aspects of the digestive system, including the liver and pancreas, as well as nutrition. The journal is abstracted and indexed in Biological Abstracts, Current Awareness in Biological Sciences, Chemical Abstracts, Current Contents, Excerpta Medica, Index Medicus, Nutrition Abstracts and Science Citation Index. For more information, visit http://www.gastrojournal.org.
Become an AGA fan on Facebook.
Join our LinkedIn group.
Follow us on Twitter @AmerGastroAssn.
Check out our videos on YouTube.
About Queen's University Belfast
A member of the Russell Group of the U.K.'s 20 leading research-intensive universities, Queen's University has gained global recognition for the impact of its research and education. The institution has won five Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Further and Higher Education for world-class achievement in cancer research, green chemistry, environmental research, palaeo-ecology and law.
Four prestigious Times Higher Education Awards further recognize the university's contribution to society. Queen's received the Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts in 2008, was awarded the title of the U.K.'s Entrepreneurial University of the Year in 2009, the Outstanding Engineering Research Team of the Year in 2010 and Most Innovative Teacher of the Year in 2011.
Founded as Queen's College in 1845, Queen's became a university in its own right in 1908, an international center of research and education rooted at the heart of Northern Ireland; it offers a life-changing student experience to students from more than 80 countries. Queen's is a magnet for inward investment, a patron of the arts and a global player in areas ranging from cancer studies to sustainability, and from pharmaceuticals to creative writing.
About Helen G. Coleman, PhD
Dr. Coleman is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Center for Public Health, within the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen's University Belfast. Dr. Coleman has been researching diet and lifestyle risk factors for cancer for the past six years, and specializes in pre-cancerous conditions of the esophagus (Barrett's esophagus) and bowel (colorectal polyps). Dr. Coleman works in the cancer epidemiology and health services research group, which is led by Professor Liam Murray.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Barrett's patients who smoke are twice as likely to develop esophageal cancerPublic release date: 30-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Alissa J. Cruz media@gastro.org 301-272-1603 American Gastroenterological Association
Barrett's esophagus (BE) patients who smoke tobacco are at a two-fold increased risk of developing esophageal cancer, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. BE patients who smoke also double their risk for developing advanced precancerous cells.
"We found that tobacco smoking emerged as the strongest lifestyle risk factor for cancer progression. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol consumption didn't increase cancer risk in this group of patients with Barrett's esophagus," said Helen G. Coleman, PhD, of Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland and the lead author of this study.
While analyzing data (ranging from 1993 to 2005) from one of the largest population-based cohorts of more than 3,000 BE patients worldwide, doctors found that by Dec. 31, 2008, 117 of the patients developed dysplasia or cancers of the esophagus or stomach. For the first time in such a large study, researchers were able to get information about smoking at the time a person was first diagnosed with BE to see how this influenced cancer risk years later. This is important for reducing bias known to be associated with asking patients about their smoking habits in the past.
Current tobacco smoking, regardless of the number of daily cigarettes, was significantly associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer. This suggests that reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day may not reduce the risk of cancer in BE patients.
The incidence of esophageal cancer is on the rise in developed countries. It originates from the premalignant condition BE, presumably progressing through low- and high-grade dysplasia (precancerous cells). However, progression along this pathway is uncommon, and the vast majority of BE patients never develop esophageal cancer or high-grade dysplasia. Factors distinguishing the small minority of patients who do progress remain largely elusive. This underscores the importance of identifying modifiable lifestyle factors that may contribute to cancer progression.
"Tobacco smoking has been long established as highly carcinogenic," added Dr. Coleman. "Barrett's esophagus patients who smoke should start a cessation program immediately."
Although these findings need to be confirmed in future studies, the study's researchers suggest that tobacco smoking be discouraged and smoking-cessation strategies considered in BE patients in order to reduce future cancer risk. Further, identifying modifiable lifestyle factors that influence cancer progression may provide an additional cost-effective method of alleviating future cancer burden in this patient group.
###
About the AGA Institute
The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to include 17,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. http://www.gastro.org.
About Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology, the official journal of the AGA Institute, is the most prominent scientific journal in the specialty and is in the top 1 percent of indexed medical journals internationally. The journal publishes clinical and basic science studies of all aspects of the digestive system, including the liver and pancreas, as well as nutrition. The journal is abstracted and indexed in Biological Abstracts, Current Awareness in Biological Sciences, Chemical Abstracts, Current Contents, Excerpta Medica, Index Medicus, Nutrition Abstracts and Science Citation Index. For more information, visit http://www.gastrojournal.org.
Become an AGA fan on Facebook.
Join our LinkedIn group.
Follow us on Twitter @AmerGastroAssn.
Check out our videos on YouTube.
About Queen's University Belfast
A member of the Russell Group of the U.K.'s 20 leading research-intensive universities, Queen's University has gained global recognition for the impact of its research and education. The institution has won five Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Further and Higher Education for world-class achievement in cancer research, green chemistry, environmental research, palaeo-ecology and law.
Four prestigious Times Higher Education Awards further recognize the university's contribution to society. Queen's received the Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts in 2008, was awarded the title of the U.K.'s Entrepreneurial University of the Year in 2009, the Outstanding Engineering Research Team of the Year in 2010 and Most Innovative Teacher of the Year in 2011.
Founded as Queen's College in 1845, Queen's became a university in its own right in 1908, an international center of research and education rooted at the heart of Northern Ireland; it offers a life-changing student experience to students from more than 80 countries. Queen's is a magnet for inward investment, a patron of the arts and a global player in areas ranging from cancer studies to sustainability, and from pharmaceuticals to creative writing.
About Helen G. Coleman, PhD
Dr. Coleman is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Center for Public Health, within the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen's University Belfast. Dr. Coleman has been researching diet and lifestyle risk factors for cancer for the past six years, and specializes in pre-cancerous conditions of the esophagus (Barrett's esophagus) and bowel (colorectal polyps). Dr. Coleman works in the cancer epidemiology and health services research group, which is led by Professor Liam Murray.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The 75-year-old actress, who as Mary Richards "turned the world on with her smile" in her groundbreaking 1970s sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," received the lifetime achievement award at Sunday night's 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.
"MTM. There's probably not a person in the civilized world who doesn't know what that means," said Dick Van Dyke, her former co-star in the equally appealing 1960s sit-com "The Dick Van Dyke show," as he introduced her.
He noted Moore's achievements as an Oscar-nominated actress, a dancer and a Hollywood executive whose MTM Enterprises has produced several other hit TV shows.
As she accepted her award, Moore revealed how the civilized world almost never did hear of MTM, who was told in the opening theme song of her show each week, "You're gonna make it after all."
When she entered show business at age 18 in 1955, Moore said, there were already six others Mary Moores in the Screen Actors Guild.
Told to change her name, she quickly added Tyler, the middle name of both her and her father, George.
"I was Mary Tyler Moore. I spoke it out loud. Mary Tyler Moore. It sounded right so I wrote it down on the form, and it looked right," she said. "It was right. SAG was happy, my father was happy, and tonight, after having the privilege of working in this business among the most creative and talented people imaginable, I too am happy, after all."
Before the awards show Van Dyke had stopped on the red carpet to remember working with Moore on his show.
"She was 23 and had never done comedy. I never saw somebody pick it up so fast. I still have a crush on her," he said.
The show's audience, including Moore's former co-star Betty White, showered both her and Van Dyke with standing ovations, leading Van Dyke to remind them, "I'm just a presenter."
Van Dyke and Moore were so believable as husband and wife Rob and Laura Petrie on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" that many viewers thought they were married in real life.
As Laura Petrie, Moore also turned Capri pants into a fashion trend during the show's run.
Van Dyke noted they fit her so well, which created such a concern during that more conservative era, that she was limited to wearing them in only one scene per show.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama's bid to get millionaires and multinational companies to pay more taxes may play well with many voters but it faces long odds in the deadlocked U.S. Congress.
Obama used his State of the Union speech on Tuesday to press the case for a new minimum 30 percent tax on Americans earning more than $1 million a year and for tougher treatment of corporations that move jobs out of the United States.
At the same time, he called for tax credits to lure jobs back to the United States.
"Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas," Obama said. "Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world."
Obama, facing a tough re-election campaign, for several years has called for steeper taxes on corporations' foreign profits and closing what he calls tax loopholes that also benefit multinational companies.
Most of these ideas have stalled for years in Congress - even some Democrats say they can wait for a complete overhaul of the tax code.
A tax lobbyist affiliated with Democrats said real debate over the proposed tax changes would have to wait until after the November 6 presidential and congressional elections.
"They would only likely stand a chance in a broader corporate tax reform debate and I just don't think that tax reform is in the cards," the lobbyist said.
Obama and Republicans both say the tax code needs a major rewrite and lawmakers are laying the groundwork for such a reform, but the process is expected to take years. The 35 percent U.S. corporate rate is among the highest in the world and critics say it harms business competitiveness.
Obama is calling for a number of tax policies that could in theory appeal to Republicans, in the name of boosting the flagging economy. For example, he wants to trim tax rates for manufacturers and double a tax deduction for high-tech manufacturing - ideas that might gain some bipartisan backing.
But even that is unlikely in the current environment.
"Tempted as they may be by more tax cuts, anything that smacks of a deal with Obama, or a victory for Obama, especially one that undercuts their theme - however detached from the reality - that Obama is a tax-increaser, will be reflexively resisted by Republicans in both houses," said Norm Ornstein, a congressional watcher at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
BUFFETT RULE
Probably the biggest tax change Obama outlined is a revamp of what he has called the Buffett rule, named for billionaire investor Warren Buffett, to ensure the wealthy pay what he calls a fair share of taxes. Obama proposed a minimum 30 percent tax on millionaires, and eliminating many tax deductions for them - including for housing, healthcare and childcare.
Buffett's secretary - famous for her boss's observation that she pays a higher tax rate than he does - sat in the congressional gallery as a guest of the White House to underscore the point.
A minimum 30 percent tax rate would be about twice the tax rate paid by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the past two years, according to filings he released on Tuesday.
Lower tax rates enacted under former Republican President George W. Bush are set to expire at the end of this year, setting up a fight over extending them in late 2012.
Obama and Democrats want to let the lower rates for the wealthy expire. Obama said given steep budget deficits, Americans face a choice.
"Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else?" Obama asked.
The top individual income tax rate is now 35 percent, but the superwealthy can enjoy lower rates in some cases if they earn most of their income from investments - as does Romney - which are subject to a 15 percent rate.
A version of Obama's so-called Buffett rule has been promoted by Democrats in Congress as a way to pay for extending the payroll tax cut, but has no chance of passing.
Obama had previously proposed limiting deductions for wealthier Americans to a certain percentage of their income, but he went further in Tuesday's speech to advocate cutting out certain tax breaks completely for millionaires.
Even before Obama spoke, Republicans were blasting the speech as a campaign event.
"No Bailouts, No Hand-outs, And No Cop-outs," read one congressional Republican press release.
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) ? The Johnny Depp-voiced "Rango," which scored an Oscar nomination for best animated feature film on Tuesday, will receive an extremely limited re-release later this month, according to Paramount.
The film, which follows the comic adventures of a heroic chameleon in the Wild West, will return to one theater: the ArcLight Hollywood for a one-week run, beginning January 27.
The film, released in March 2011, has taken in more than $230 million worldwide. In addition to the Academy Awards nominated, "Rango" has won the National Board of Review and Critics' Choice Movie awards for Best Animated Feature.
With the right funding and scholarship, are you sure that you can spot the exact communications diploma for you? Some job offers want people who have a diploma in communications and for that reason finding a good grant is just easy. For you to be able to save budget you must have knowledge of the financial aids that are given to you when you want to pursue a masters in communication.
Financial aids that are offered in communication courses are due to the fact that there are a lot of occupations to choose from once they have graduated. Are you aware of the perks of having a communications diploma? If you have this degree, you may see yourself in the fields of photography, publishing, advertising, graphic design and more.
Seeing that there are many jobs related with the program, there is really no deficiency in terms of the scholarships that can be given in this area of study. Is there a way of getting financial assistance? You can earn them the same way that you would earn them in other programs.
By applying you could have them. The procedure of applying varies from school to school and they are not all the same. Because this is a special field, the application process often requires a demonstration of your communication ability.
Similar to scholarships for English majors, most financial aid given to students will be based on your ability to speak your thoughts. You may either speak to a panel or you might have to write essays. Applying is mostly going to require a paper that tells them why you deserve it.
A test like this shows the ability of one if he is really capable of going into this field. If communication is really your passion, then you will do everything just to stand out and to pass the application process. In your final decision of pursuing a communications degree grant, you also have to ensure that your communicating skills are great so that when you apply, you will really stand out.
Many institutions offer financial aids. In the Internet is where you may be able to see the details regarding this in the colleges? communication course. If a student is majoring in something specific and wants financial assistance, then a private grant can be chosen.
With the Electric Document System Foundation or EDSF, financial assistance is given to those communications students. This financial assistance is a full funding of the student?s education it is granted to 30 students every year. Other famous scholarships are the Betty Endicott/NTA-NCCB Student Scholarship and the James Lawrence Fly Scholarship that is given to pupils in the communications program.
The department of communications of each college or institutions normally guarantees some bit of financial aid to those majoring in communications. At this time, there are schools that give financial help to their students. Well known universities that guarantee scholarships are the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Miami.
In terms of communications degree, not all will be able to achieve it. What happens is that they would just pursue a related degree. Try to apply to many scholarships, especially those aimed at a communications course.
Do you want to know what you can do with a communications degree? If so, hitting this masters in communication link should be ablet ot explain things further. Check it out now!
It's that time again for Business Insider Advertising's weekly caption contest.
Here's how it works: Every Sunday we will post an image from a ridiculous, new advertising campaign. Your job is to come up with a witty caption to accompany the shot. Entries do?not?have to have anything to do with advertising ? this is our twist on the New Yorker's?cartoon contest.
Last week, Matt Spada from Baltimore, Maryland proved that he could give the people working on Madison Avenue a run fro their money?by creating the best caption for a JDate ad.?
This week's ad is from Diesel's new advertising campaign (on the right). The photography was done by Mert & Marcus (also known as Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott). And please, even though the picture features model Ashley Smith bent over a robot, please try to keep your entries appropriate.
Email your caption to Lstampler@businessinsider.com by midnight on Thursday along with your name, where you live, and what you do, for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com (and bragging rights, of course). ?The winner will be announced on Friday.?
BRUSSELS ? The EU's foreign policy chief said Monday that the international community remains open to talks with Iran, even as an EU embargo on Iranian oil seems set to be approved Monday.
Catherine Ashton said in a statement that the international community ? specifically, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the U.S., Russia and China ? have "a continued willingness to engage" with Iran regarding that country's nuclear program.
Ashton also released the text of a letter she sent in October to Saeed Jalili, Iran's top nuclear negotiator. The letter said Ashton's overall goal is a negotiated solution that "restores international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program."
The letter was dated Oct. 21. Ashton said she has received no reply. Officials in many other countries fear Iran is working to develop nuclear weapons ? something Iran denies.
Meanwhile, diplomats said Friday that EU foreign ministers meeting Monday in Brussels will likely approve a ban on buying Iranian oil, even though working out the details of the embargo will be left for later. The embargo would immediately prohibit the signing of any new oil contracts with Iran.
However, important details on the embargo would likely still remain to be negotiated. Those include the date by which existing contracts to buy Iranian oil would no longer be held to be valid, and the nature of a review of the effects so far of the embargo prior to that date.
The U.K., Germany and France are eager for a strong embargo on Iranian oil to be implemented quickly. But Greece, which has deep financial troubles, benefits from low prices it pays for Iranian oil, and it wants assurances that the embargo will not become a financial burden it cannot bear.
NEW YORK ? Bruce Springsteen's new album, "Wrecking Ball," will be out March 6, and he's just released a new single, "We Take Care of Our Own."
Although the song is musically upbeat, it references the current struggles of America with lyrics like, "Where's the promise, from sea to shining sea?"
Other songs on the 11-track album include "Death to My Hometown," "This Depression" and "Easy Money."
The announcement was made Thursday morning on the rocker's website.
Springsteen's manager, Jon Landau, who is also the executive producer of the album, calls the writing on the disc "some of the best of his career."
"Wrecking Ball" is Springsteen's 17th album and the first since the death of E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons last year. Springsteen and the band are due to go on tour this year, but it hasn't been revealed who may step in for Clemons.
President Barack Obama arrives at JFK International Airport in New York, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, on his way to Manhattan where he is scheduled to attend several fundraisers. (AP Photo/David Karp)
President Barack Obama arrives at JFK International Airport in New York, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, on his way to Manhattan where he is scheduled to attend several fundraisers. (AP Photo/David Karp)
CORRECTS BYLINE - President Barack Obama speaks about tourism and travel, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, along Main Street USA at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
CORRECTS BYLINE - President Barack Obama speaks about tourism and travel, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, along Main Street USA at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
President Barack Obama delivers remarks on tourism and travel, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, along Main Street USA at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
President Barack Obama greets guests after speaking at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
NEW YORK (AP) ? From the Magic Kingdom to the Apollo Theater, President Barack Obama on Thursday made the case for American tourism and his own re-election bid, mingling his political and economic agendas as he tried to stay ahead of the Republicans chasing after his job.
"I hope you know that the values you cherish, what you stand for, what you believe in, are the things I cherish and I believe in and I'm willing to fight for," Obama said at Daniel, an exclusive Manhattan restaurant, in the first of four glitzy fundraisers.
Presidential politics were not far from the surface during events on both ends of the East Coast, as Obama sought a piece of Florida's political spotlight ahead of a Jan. 31 Republican presidential primary with a high-profile appearance at Walt Disney World. Against the backdrop of Disney's Cinderella castle, Obama announced initiatives aimed at making it easier for citizens of China and Brazil to visit the United States.
"America is open for business," Obama said under Florida's picture-perfect blue skies. "We want to welcome you."
Later, the president told top donors in New York that he had made American foreign policy stronger during his first term, vowing that U.S. support for Israel's security is "nonnegotiable." He also defended his administration's approach to Iran, saying even Tehran has acknowledged that U.S. sanctions are having an impact.
The New York itinerary included a $35,800 per ticket fundraiser at the home of film director Spike Lee and an event starting at $100 per ticket at the famed Apollo Theater featuring performances by singers Al Green and India.Arie.
Outside the theater, more than 100 people demonstrated on behalf of several groups, including Occupy Wall Street and MoveOn.org, and some carried signs that read "Obama Wall Street Stooge" and "Capitalism (equals) 'Democracy' for Billionaires."
Inside, Obama touted his administration's work on everything from health care to ending the Iraq war. But he warned an enthusiastic crowd of about 1,400 supporters that, "everything we did over the last three years is now at stake in this election."
At a separate fundraiser earlier in the night, Obama said the November election would be "as stark a choice as we have seen". He drew a contrast between the current crop of GOP presidential hopefuls and 2008 Republican nominee John McCain, who Obama said shared some of his views on banning torture, climate change and closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"If you've been listening to the Republican debates, they have moved," Obama said. "I've stayed here. They've gone in a different direction."
Obama's trip to Florida marked an attempt by the White House and his campaign to steal attention from Republicans vying for the GOP presidential nomination. In recent weeks Obama held a live video conference with Iowa voters during the Republican caucus, Vice President Joe Biden held a similar event with voters in New Hampshire on the night of the state's first-in-the-nation primary and next week Obama will travel to Nevada, which follows Florida on the primary calendar.
Obama was greeted in the Orlando area by ads from GOP front-runner Mitt Romney blaming the president for the state's struggling economy. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, could take a major step toward securing the Republican nomination with a win in Florida's Jan. 31 primary contest.
"I have a simple question for you: Where are the jobs?" Romney wrote in an open letter to the president on Thursday running as an ad in the Tampa Bay Times. In a conference call with reporters, Romney said Obama was "speaking from Fantasyland."
While Obama carried Florida in 2008, the state is a top target for Republicans in the November elections. Florida twice backed Republican George W. Bush, providing the decisive electoral votes in the cliffhanger 2000 election that was decided after a 36-day recount.
Tourism is a key component to the economy in Florida, which has been battered by 10 percent unemployment and rampant home foreclosures.
The White House said more than 1 million U.S. jobs could be created over the next decade, according to industry projections, if the U.S. increases its share of the international travel market.
The tourism initiative is part of an executive order Obama signed. Its goal is to boost nonimmigrant visa processing capacity in China and Brazil by 40 percent this year; expand a Visa Waiver Program that allows participating nationals to travel to the U.S. for stays of 90 days or less without a visa; appoint a new group of chief executives to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board; and direct an interagency task force to develop recommendations for a National Travel and Tourism Strategy, including promoting national parks and other sites.
The efforts to boost tourism were praised by travel and tourism groups, but one lawmaker said the decision to relax tourist visas could undermine national security. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the administration was "pushing the envelope and using their authority beyond congressional intent," noting that only two of the 19 hijackers in the 9/11 terrorist attacks were interviewed by consular offices. He said Congress moved to require visa applicants to be interviewed as a result.
The White House says the travel and tourism industry represented 2.7 percent of gross domestic product and 7.5 million jobs in 2010. But the U.S. share of spending by international travelers fell from 17 percent to 11 percent between 2000 and 2010, due to increased competition and changes in global development, as well as security measures imposed after Sept. 11, 2001, according to the White House.
The approach was welcomed by Brazilian tourists Lilian Lara and Lindbergh Souza, who shopped along the resort's streets hours before the president's speech. Souza said the visa process was expensive, at $500, and time-consuming for Brazilians who don't live close to consuls in Rio de Janiero and Sao Paulo. "The whole process took me six months," Souza said.
___
Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando, Fla., and Cristian Salazar in New York contributed to this report.
This undated photo provided by the Philadelphia Police Department shows Dennis Veteri. Veteri, who police say was the instigator of a brutal fight that ended with a New York Rangers fan lying stunned in the middle of a Philadelphia intersection, faces assault charges stemming from the altercation between rival fans following the NHL Winter Classic hockey game. Veteri was charged Thursday Jan. 12, 2012, with aggravated and simple assault and other counts stemming from the Jan. 2 fight following the outdoor matchup between the Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. (AP Photo/Philadelphia Police Department)
This undated photo provided by the Philadelphia Police Department shows Dennis Veteri. Veteri, who police say was the instigator of a brutal fight that ended with a New York Rangers fan lying stunned in the middle of a Philadelphia intersection, faces assault charges stemming from the altercation between rival fans following the NHL Winter Classic hockey game. Veteri was charged Thursday Jan. 12, 2012, with aggravated and simple assault and other counts stemming from the Jan. 2 fight following the outdoor matchup between the Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. (AP Photo/Philadelphia Police Department)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? The New Jersey man has posted bail stemming from charges over a street fight that left another hockey fan unconscious outside a Philadelphia cheesesteak shop following the NHL Winter Classic.
Online court records say Dennis Veteri was released Wednesday after 10 percent of the $400,000 bail was posted. A judge had raised bail from $100,000 earlier in the day.
Video of the Jan. 2 fight posted online shows a confrontation between Philadelphia Flyers fans and New York Rangers fans escalating into a brawl that ends with a man motionless on the ground.
Police say Veteri was the aggressor and landed the punch that knocked out Woodbridge Township, N.J., police officer and Iraq war veteran Neal Auricchio.
Veteri's attorney says the case is a fistfight that's being blown out of proportion.
PARK CITY, Utah ? A fresh dusting of snow over Park City heralded the beginning of the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday.
Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford opened the festival by characterizing the slate of 117 feature films as products of "dark and grim" times and the "suffering from a government that's in paralysis."
"Even though the work reflects hard times, there's not paralysis here," the 75-year-old filmmaker said at an afternoon news conference. "They're breathing life into fresh, new stories."
The selection of films are "as diverse as they can be" and no overriding theme has emerged, said festival director John Cooper.
"Independent film is the theme," he said.
For 11 days every January, Sundance becomes the focal point of the independent film world as established directors and stars mix with up-and-coming talent, while theatrical distributors prowl the festival looking for the next indie hit, and film lovers just have a good time being the first audiences to see new movies.
"You can't make a film with a festival in mind, and it's not something I would have expected or taken for granted. But it's always kind of the dream in the back of your mind," said Lauren Greenfield, who premiered her debut documentary "Thin" at Sundance in 2006 and returns this time with one of the opening-night films, "The Queen of Versailles," chronicling the housing-bust story of a couple that tried to build a palatial 90,000-square-foot mansion.
"I think it's this really magical environment, a place that's such a nurturing, supportive influence for independent films. Even when you're out there making your film, I think that you think about Sundance, and it just kind of gives you motivation."
Also opening Thursday is "Hello I Must Be Going," actor-turned-director Todd Louiso's U.S. dramatic entry that centers on a love story between a 19-year-old man and a 35-year-old divorcee, and stars Melanie Lynskey; the world-cinema drama "Wish You Were Here," a dark story of a vacation gone wrong from Australian filmmaker Kieran Darcy-Smith that stars Joel Edgerton and Teresa Palmer; and Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul's world-cinema documentary "Searching for Sugar Man," a portrait of promising 1970s singer-songwriter Rodriguez and his fade into obscurity.
Sundance also is a launch place for films that already have distributors, who show off their films hoping to build buzz among audiences and the legions of cinema journalists and bloggers who attend the festival.
"All the film press in North America is at Sundance to discover films," said Michael Barker, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, which is showing director Nadine Labaki's Lebanese drama "Where Do We Go Now?" and Gareth Huw Evans' Indonesian action tale "The Raid" at the festival. "Sundance is like the best place to set up a film for release. You have instant press junkets at Sundance."
Among the more established filmmakers showcasing their work at the festival are Spike Lee with his urban drama "Red Hook Summer," in which he reprises the character he played in "Do the Right Thing"; Stephen Frears with his sports-wagering caper "Lay the Favorite," starring Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rebecca Hall; documentary veteran Joe Berlinger with his Paul Simon portrait "Under African Skies"; and Julie Delpy with her relationship comedy "2 Days in New York," in which she stars with Chris Rock.
The Sundance Film Festival has grown tremendously over its 28 years, but Redford said the institute's mission remains the same: to support and encourage independent filmmakers and provide a platform for their work to be seen.
"There are those people who say, `Why give money to art? It means nothing,'" Redford said. "I think it means a lot. And we're here to try and prove how much it does mean. So we can only do what we can do, but we're going to keep doing it.
The Sundance Film Festival continues through Jan. 29.
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AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter at http:// www.twitter.com/APSandy. AP Movie Writer David Germain contributed to this report.
Sometimes, however, you get to a location where there just isn't a good place to lay out your gear in any semblance of an order that will enhance your task at hand. Other times, you have so many different pieces of gear to use that there's no way to reach anything, if you don't have some sort of stacking system. Enter Crane Stand company, and their Crane Stand Pro.
Retired NBA superstar Jamal Mashburn has been accused of causing a nasty car accident that left two people badly injured ... but Mash says the other driver shouldn't have been DRIVING WHILE USING A CELL PHONE!!!
The ESPN commentator has been sued in Florida over an accident that occurred back in February ... and one of the alleged victims claims she was physically scarred and disfigured? as a result.
But Mashburn is fighting back -- and in court docs obtained by TMZ, he denies responsibility and points the finger at his accusers ... who he says were NOT following common safety rules of the road.
In the docs, Mashburn claims both people were NOT wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash ... and alleges the driver was using a cell phone.
Mashburn also claims the alleged victims are LYING about the extent of their injuries ... insisting they were not permanently injured, scarred or disfigured.
The alleged victims are seeking more than $15k. Calls to Mashburn have not been returned.
Jakadrien Turner, age 15, center, walks with her grandmother Lorene Turner, left, and mother Johnisa Turner, right, all of Dallas, at DFW Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday Jan. 6, 2012. Jakadrien Turner, was mistakenly deported to Colombia after Immigration and Customs Enforcement say she claimed to be Colombian woman named Tika Lanay Cortez, 21, when she was arrested in April for theft by Houston Police. She ran away from her Dallas home in November 2011. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)
Jakadrien Turner, age 15, center, walks with her grandmother Lorene Turner, left, and mother Johnisa Turner, right, all of Dallas, at DFW Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday Jan. 6, 2012. Jakadrien Turner, was mistakenly deported to Colombia after Immigration and Customs Enforcement say she claimed to be Colombian woman named Tika Lanay Cortez, 21, when she was arrested in April for theft by Houston Police. She ran away from her Dallas home in November 2011. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)
Jakadrien Turner, 15, arrives at DFW Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday Jan. 6, 2012. Turner, was mistakenly deported to Colombia after Immigration and Customs Enforcement say she claimed to be Colombian woman named Tika Lanay Cortez, 21, when she was arrested in April for theft by Houston Police. She ran away from her Dallas home in November 2011. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)
Cara Leising of Dallas, left, hugs Lorene Turner at Terminal D of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport before Turner's granddaughter, Jakadrien Lorese Turner, was reunited with her family Friday, January 6, 2012. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, G.J. McCarthy) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY
This undated file photo provided by WFAA-TV News shows Jakadrien Lorece Turner, a Texas teen who ran away more than a year ago, her family said. Immigration officials say they're investigating the circumstances under which Turner was deported to Colombia after providing a false identity. She was located in Bogota by Dallas police, with help from Colombian and U.S. officials. (AP Photo/Courtesy of WFAA-TV)
This undated file photo provided by WFAA-TV News shows Jakadrien Lorece Turner, a Texas teen who ran away more than a year ago, her family said. Immigration officials say they're investigating the circumstances under which Turner was deported to Colombia after providing a false identity. She was located in Bogota by Dallas police, with help from Colombian and U.S. officials. (AP Photo/Courtesy of WFAA-TV)
DALLAS (AP) ? A Texas teenager who was deported to Colombia in May after claiming to be an illegal immigrant was returned to the United States and remains at the center of an international mystery over how a minor could be sent to a country where she is not a citizen.
Her family has questioned why U.S. officials didn't do more to verify her identity and say she is not fluent in Spanish and had no ties to Colombia. While many facts of the case involving Jakadrien Lorece Turner remain unclear, U.S. and Colombian officials have pointed fingers over who is responsible.
Jakadrien, 15, arrived in Dallas on Friday evening and was reunited with her family. She was flanked by her mother, grandmother and law enforcement when she emerged from the international gate at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport shortly before 10 p.m.
"She's happy to be home," the family's attorney, Ray Jackson, said, adding that the family would not be issuing any statements Friday night.
He said the family was "ecstatic" to have Jakadrien back in Texas and they plan to "do what we can to make sure she gets back to a normal life."
Immigration experts say that while cases of mistaken identity are rare, people can slip through the cracks, especially if they don't have legal help or family members working on their behalf. But they say U.S. immigration authorities had the responsibility to determine if a person is a citizen.
"Often in these situations they have these group hearings where they tell everybody you're going to be deported," said Jacqueline Stevens, a political science professor at Northwestern University, who is an expert on immigration issues. "Everything is really quick, even if you understand English you wouldn't understand what is going on. If she were in that situation as a 14-year-old she would be herded through like cattle and not have a chance to talk to the judge about her situation."
Jakadrien's saga began when the teen ran away more than a year ago. Jakadrien's family said she left home in November 2010. Houston police said the girl was arrested on April 2, 2011, for misdemeanor theft in that city and claimed to be Tika Lanay Cortez, a Colombian woman born in 1990. It was unclear if she has been living under that name.
Houston police said in a statement that her name was run through a database to determine if she was wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement but the results were negative. She was then turned over to the Harris County jail and booked on the theft charge.
The county sheriff's office said it ran her through the available databases and did the interviews necessary to establish her identity and immigration status in the country, with negative results. A sheriff's office employee recommended that an immigration detainer be put on her, and upon her release from jail she was turned over to ICE.
U.S. immigration officials insist they followed procedure and found nothing to indicate that the girl wasn't a Colombian woman living illegally in the country.
An ICE official said the teen claimed to be Cortez throughout the criminal proceedings in Houston and the ensuing deportation process, in which an immigration judge ultimately ordered her back to Colombia.
Standard procedure before any deportation is to coordinate with the other country in order to establish that person is from there, the ICE official said.
The ICE official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to not being authorized to discuss additional details of the case, said the teenager was interviewed by a representative from the Colombian consulate and that country's government issued her a travel document to enter Colombia.
Jakadrien was issued travel documents at the request of U.S. officials using information they provided, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Colombian officials are investigating what kind of verification was conducted by its Houston consulate to issue the temporary passport.
The girl was given Colombian citizenship upon arriving in that country, the ICE official said.
According to the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the girl was enrolled in the country's "Welcome Home" program after she arrived there. She was given shelter, psychological assistance and a job at a call center, a statement from the agency said.
"If she looked like an adult, and she told them she was a 21-year-old Colombian citizen, and she didn't show up in their databases, this was inevitable," said Albert Armendariz, an immigration attorney from El Paso.
Jakadrien's family says they have no idea why she ended up in Colombia. Johnisa Turner said the girl is a U.S. citizen who was born in Dallas and was not fluent in Spanish. She said neither she nor the teen's father had ties to Colombia. Jakadrien's grandmother, Lorene Turner, called the deportation a "big mistake somebody made."
"She looks like a kid, she acts like a kid. How could they think she wasn't a kid?" Lorene Turner asked on Thursday.
Lorene Turner, a Dallas hairstylist, said she spent a lot of time on the Internet trying to track down Jakadrien.
Ultimately, the girl was found in Bogota by the Dallas Police Department with help from Colombian and U.S. officials.
Dallas Police detective C'mon (pronounced Simone) Wingo, the detective in charge of the case, said she was contacted in August by the girl's grandmother, who said Jakadrien had posted "kind of disturbing" messages on a Facebook account where she goes by yet another name.
Wingo said the girl was located in early November through her use of a computer to log into Facebook. Relatives were then put into contact with the U.S. embassy in Bogota to provide pictures and documents to prove Jakadrien's identity.
Colombian officials said when the government discovered she was a U.S. citizen and a minor, it put her under the care of a welfare program.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the case was brought to the State Department's attention in mid-December.
"We didn't have any involvement at all in this case until it came to light that there may be a problem with an American minor in Colombia, and that ? and then we became involved both with Colombian authorities and with folks in Dallas," Nuland said.
Stephen Yale-Loehr, who teaches immigration law at Cornell Law School, said hundreds of U.S. citizens are wrongfully detained or deported each year.
"There are a variety of legitimate reasons why somebody might not appear to be a U.S. citizen at first glance." he said. "It's the duty of the U.S. federal immigration agency to make sure that we do not detain and deport U.S. citizens erroneously. And this, unfortunately happened in this case."
NEW YORK (AP) ? Republican Ron Paul blasted rival Newt Gingrich on foreign policy Wednesday, calling the former House speaker a "chicken hawk" for advocating U.S. overseas military conflicts even though he avoided service as a young man.
Paul made the comments as the presidential battle shifted to New Hampshire, which hosts the first in the nation primary next Tuesday. The Texas congressman has pledged to compete vigorously there after placing third in Iowa's kickoff caucuses. Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum came in a virtual tie for first, while Gingrich placed a distant fourth.
Speaking to CNN, Paul was asked to respond to Gingrich, who has depicted Paul's foreign policy views as "dangerous." Paul has pledged not to commit U.S. troops overseas unless the U.S. is attacked or is facing imminent danger ? a position that has made him popular among students and many independent voters but is generally outside the Republican mainstream.
Paul said Gingrich was willing to put soldiers in harm's way even though he'd never gone to war himself.
"When Newt Gingrich was called to service in the 1960s in the Vietnam era, guess what he thought about danger? He chickened out on that and got deferments and didn't even go," Paul said, adding, "Some people call that kind of program a chicken hawk, and I think he falls into that category."
Paul, 76, served as an Air Force flight surgeon for five years during the Vietnam era. Gingrich, 68, received deferments as a college student and a father.
Paul appeared on several network television shows Wednesday morning before stepping off the campaign trail to return to Texas. He planned to travel to New Hampshire Friday for several campaign events.
You might think they only make knives, but Victorinox also makes some of the best flash drives on the market (in this reporter's opinion.) They're well-built, extremely fast, and in a few days might be available in one terabyte capacities. More »
AT&T ended its unlimited data plans in 2010, and Verizon followed suit in 2011 just a few months after the iPhone landed on its network. Meanwhile, T-Mobile's "unlimited" data is throttled -- or slowed way down -- after you've used a couple of gigabytes on its network. So unless you're willing to go contract-free (and iPhone-free) Sprint's $79 a month offering is the only truly unlimited data plan left that's open to new subscribers.
(A recent report suggested that Sprint was throttling data for its most excessive users, but was in error. The throttling only applies to people who are roaming.)
The question is, do you really need an unlimited plan, or would you be better off with a cheaper option? Is there any way to tell?
Estimating your data usage
There are a number of apps and online tools that will let you do this. The newest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, even comes with a built-in app that not only shows you how much data you're using, it breaks it down by which app uses the most on which days. Many other smartphones keep a running tally of how many megabytes you use up.
Verizon's online calculator lets you get a ballpark estimate ... if you can accurately remember just how many emails you send in a month. However, Marguerite Reardon of CNet summarized how much data each activity counts for in her "Ask Maggie" column. The upshot? Emailing is basically free, while web browsing can add up but only if you do it a ton.
What really racks up the data use
The biggest culprits are streaming music and videos. If you've got all your songs on Google Music, say, and you listen to them from it instead of downloading them, you've got about 50 hours you can do that in a month before going over the limit for AT&T's $25 (for 2 GB) plan ... and that's if you don't do anything else.
How about videos? That same plan will let you or your child watch one twenty-four minute episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender per day on Netflix, in low quality, for every school day in the month. Alternatively, it'd let you stream about two and a half HD movies before running out.
So as you can see, it's the music and video that eat through your data allotment, especially HD video.
Are you "that person?"
According to the Nielsen Company, as of 2010, "the top 6 percent of smart phone users are consuming half of all data." In other words, most people don't watch Netflix in HD on their daily commute on the train. But a handful of people do things like that, and they're possibly the only ones who "need" unlimited data.
If you're not watching videos over 3G every day, or listening to Google Music every hour that you're at work, you'd probably do better to measure your monthly data usage and then find a tiered plan that's right for you. Preferably one that won't penalize you too bad if you go over, just in case.
INDIANAPOLIS ? Democrats were poised to sit out another day of the Indiana House session on Thursday as they try to stop their state from becoming the first in more than a decade to enact right-to-work legislation.
Nearly three dozen Democrats holed up inside a small Statehouse conference room for more than three hours Wednesday, the first day of the 2012 session. They debated behind closed doors, between bites of pizza, about how they would block the divisive labor bill that they halted last year with a five-week boycott.
The measure would bar businesses and private unions from mandating that workers pay union fees for representation. Lawmakers from the House blocked the bill last year by leaving the state for weeks, denying Republicans the two-thirds attendance needed to conduct business.
This time, Democrats said they planned to stall work indefinitely.
"What's the urgency?" House Democratic Leader Patrick Bauer said Wednesday. "They are ignoring the public input."
Bauer, who led last year's walkout, said Republicans were "railroading" the revived measure through the chamber and more public hearings should be held.
Most Indiana House Democrats were no-shows on the floor Wednesday when House Speaker Brian Bosma tried three times to gavel the House into order. He plans to try again Thursday, and said a Democratic boycott won't lead Republicans to back off on the bill.
"We will do our very best to encourage them to do what is right, which is to show up at work and do what they were elected to do," Bosma said. "Democracy is about participating, not going on strike."
He said a joint hearing of the House and Senate labor committees on the bill will take place as scheduled Friday, although the House committee might not be able to take a vote on the proposal.
Bosma and other Republicans contend that the measure got a thorough vetting during a series of hearings last summer.
If Indiana passes the measure, it would be the first state to enact such a law since Oklahoma in 2001, and the 23rd overall. Supporters say it would help attract new business to the state. Opponents call it an attempt to weaken organized labor.
Getting the law passed would be a major victory for national conservatives and business groups, after more than a dozen states considered such legislation last year but none adopted it. It would be another blow to unions, which have fought initiatives to curb labor rights that followed nationwide Republican legislative wins in 2010.
Bauer said his members would not leave Indianapolis this year but would "filibuster" until Bosma agrees to more public hearings. He did not specify how many, but said he wants to meet with Bosma to discuss what it will take for Democrats to return to their seats. Bosma said earlier in the day Wednesday that he had requested meetings with Bauer three times and had not heard back.
When asked how long the Democrats will stay out, Bauer said, "that time schedule is not in our hands."
Rep. Craig Fry, D-Mishawaka, had called a walkout "the only way" to block the bill.
After Democrats walked out last year, the Republican-led Legislature adopted new fines of $1,000 a day on each lawmaker who boycotts their chamber for more than three days in a row. Concern about the 2012 elections and public response to another walkout may have made some lawmakers wary of another.
Some Democrats broke ranks throughout the day and joined Republicans in the House. Up to six Democrats could return to their seats and there would still not be enough lawmakers to conduct business.
As the vast majority of Democrats holed up inside the conference room just steps from the House chamber, union protesters packed the halls outside the room and cheered Democrats on. Others lined sidewalks outside. The protest crowds were smaller than the largest ones seen during last year's session.
Bosma has said Democrats were bowing to pressure from union leaders, and complained that Indiana AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott spoke to Democrats at their closed-door meeting Wednesday.
However, Bosma and other Republicans pushing the measure have maintained similarly cozy relationships with the state's business lobbyists, keying them in on their plans well ahead of time.
The Indiana AFL-CIO has been airing TV and radio ads targeting Republicans who may be vulnerable in the 2012 elections if they vote in favor of the measure. Bosma and Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels have been airing their own ads throughout the state in support of it, and the National Right to Work Committee has sent staffers to the state to build grass-roots support for the measure.
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Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
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Retired NBA superstar Jamal Mashburn has been accused of causing a nasty car accident that left two people badly injured ... but Mash says the other driver shouldn't have been DRIVING WHILE USING A CELL PHONE!!! 