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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Feds, Transocean reach $1.4B deal over Gulf spill

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? The Justice Department reached a $1.4 billion settlement Thursday with Transocean Ltd., the owner of the drilling rig that sank after an explosion killed 11 workers and spawned the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The proposed settlement resolves the department's civil and criminal probe of Transocean's role in the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster. It requires the Switzerland-based company to pay $1 billion in civil penalties and $400 million in criminal penalties and plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of violating the Clean Water Act, according to a court filing.

The deal, which is subject to a federal judge's approval, also calls for Transocean to implement a series of operational safety and emergency response improvements on its rigs.

"This resolution of criminal allegations and civil claims against Transocean brings us one significant step closer to justice for the human, environmental and economic devastation wrought by the Deepwater Horizon disaster," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.

Transocean described the settlement as a positive development in a statement.

"These important agreements, which the company believes to be in the best interest of its shareholders and employees, remove much of the uncertainty associated with the accident," the company said. "This is a positive step forward, but it is also a time to reflect on the 11 men who lost their lives aboard the Deepwater Horizon. Their families continue to be in the thoughts and prayers of all of us at Transocean."

Much of $1.4 billion will fund environmental restoration projects and spill-prevention research and training. The company has two years to pay the $1 billion civil penalty.

BP PLC, which leased the rig from Transocean, already has agreed to pay a record $4.5 billion in penalties and plead guilty to manslaughter and other criminal charges related to the spill. The deal with BP doesn't resolve the federal government's civil claims against the London-based oil company.

Transocean previously announced it had reserved $2 billion for paying claims related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Transocean also said in a September regulatory filing that it had rejected settlement offers last year from BP and a group of attorneys for Gulf Coast residents and businesses who blame the spill for economic damages. Those claims are still pending.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans gave final approval to a class-action settlement agreement between BP and a team of private plaintiffs' attorneys. BP estimates it will pay about $7.8 billion to resolve these claims, but the settlement isn't capped.

Barbier also is set to preside over a trial designed to identify the causes of BP's deadly well blowout and assign percentages of fault to the companies involved. The first phase of the trial is scheduled to start Feb. 25.

BP reported profits of more than $25 billion in 2011, but for Transocean the year resulted in a loss of about $5.7 billion, some of it attributed to contingencies for litigation resulting from the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon.

A series of government investigations has spread out the blame for the nation's worst offshore oil spill among BP, Transocean and other partners on the project, including cementing contractor Halliburton.

The Deepwater Horizon was drilling in water a mile deep about 50 miles southeast of the Louisiana coast when it exploded on the night of April 20, 2010.

The Justice Department says Transocean crew members on the rig, acting at the direction of BP supervisors, failed to fully investigate clear signs that the well was not secure and that oil and gas were flowing into the well.

The rig burned for about 36 hours before sinking.

As engineers made repeated attempts to halt the flow of oil from BP's burst well, millions of gallons of crude flowed out. Marshes, beaches and fishing grounds across the northern Gulf were fouled by the oil.

___

Associated Press writer Pete Yost in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-03-Gulf%20Oil%20Spill-Transocean/id-807620e4eb65408f973b20fda2c944b2

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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Indian court may suspend lawmakers facing crimes

Indian women offer prayers for a gang rape victim at Mahatma Gandhi memorial in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. India's top court says it will decide whether to suspend lawmakers facing sexual assault charges as thousands of women gathered at the memorial to independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi to demand stronger protection for their safety. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

Indian women carry their children as they march during a protest to mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. India's top court said it will decide whether to suspend lawmakers facing sexual assault charges as thousands of women gathered at the memorial to independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi to demand stronger protection for their safety. The writing on the sign in foreground reads " Daughter-in-law, daughter, mother are the ones who decide the fate of the family."(AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

Indian paramilitary women stand guard during a march to mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. India's top court says it will decide whether to suspend lawmakers facing sexual assault charges as thousands of women gathered at the memorial to independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi to demand stronger protection for their safety. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

Chief Minister of Delhi state Sheila Dikshit, center, along with others offer prayers for a gang rape victim, at Mahatma Gandhi memorial, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. India's top court said it will decide whether to suspend lawmakers facing sexual assault charges as thousands of women gathered at the memorial to independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi to demand stronger protection for their safety. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

Indian women carry placards as they march to mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. India's top court says it will decide whether to suspend lawmakers facing sexual assault charges as thousands of women gathered at the memorial to independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi to demand stronger protection for their safety. The banners read "India won't tolerate women's insult and We want respect not violence in life." (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

NEW DELHI (AP) ? Indian lawmakers facing sexual assault charges against women could be suspended from office if the country's top court rules in favor of a petition submitted following a gang-rape and murder that shocked the country.

Six state lawmakers are facing rape prosecutions and two national parliamentarians are facing charges of crimes against women that fall short of rape, said Jagdeep S. Chhokar, an official with the Association for Democratic Reforms, which tracks political candidate's criminal records.

The petition will be heard Thursday and comes as police prepare to formally charge six suspects in the gang-rape and killing of a student in the capital two weeks ago.

The Dec. 16 rape triggered outrage across the country and sparked demands for stronger laws, tougher police action against those accused of sexual assault and a sustained campaign to change society's views on women.

As part of that campaign, Chief Justice Altamas Kabir agreed to hear a petition from retired government administrator Promilla Shanker asking the Supreme Court to suspend all lawmakers from the national and state legislatures who are facing prosecution for crimes against women.

She also asked the court to force the national government to fast-track thousands of rape cases that have languished in India's notoriously sluggish court system for years.

In the past five years, political parties across India nominated 260 candidates awaiting trial on charges of crimes against women, he said. Parties ran six candidates for the national parliamentary elections facing such charges, Chokkar said.

"We need to decriminalize politics and surely a serious effort has to be made to stop people who have serious charges of sexual assault against them from contesting elections," said Zoya Hasan, a political analyst.

On Wednesday morning, several thousand women held a silent march to Gandhi's memorial in the capital in memory of the victim, holding placards demanding "Respect" and "Justice." Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit joined the women for a prayer session for the victim. The Gandhi memorial is a common protest site.

On Tuesday, the government set up a task force to monitor women's safety in New Delhi and to review whether police were properly protecting women. The government had set up two earlier bodies to look into the handling of the rape case and to suggest changes in the nation's rape laws.

The rape of the 23-year-old university student on a bus has horrified many in the country and brought unprecedented attention to the daily suffering of women here, who face everything from catcalls and groping to rapes.

Six men arrested in the case were to be formally charged Thursday with kidnapping, rape and murder, said Rajan Bhagat, the New Delhi police spokesman. Police have said they would push for the death penalty in the case.

Police were awaiting findings on a bone test conducted on one of the suspects to confirm whether he is a juvenile or an adult, which could affect the charges against him.

The Bar Association of lawyers last week decided against defending the six suspects because of the nature of the crime, although the court is expected to appoint attorneys to defend them.

Media reports say 30 witnesses have been gathered, and the charges have been detailed in a document running more than 1,000 pages. Police also have detained the owner of the bus used in the crime on accusation he used false documents to obtain permits to run the private bus service.

The family of the victim ? who died Saturday at a hospital in Singapore ? is struggling to come to grips with the tragedy.

"She was a very, very, very cheerful little girl and she was peace loving and she was never embroiled in any controversies like this. I don't know why this happened to her," her uncle, Suresh Singh, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The family of the victim, whose name was not revealed, called for stronger rape laws to prevent such attacks from happening again and demanded swift ? and harsh ? justice for woman's assailants, Singh said.

"If the government can't punish them, give the rapists to the people. The people will settle the scores with them," he said.

___

Associated Press reporter Biswajeet Banerjee contributed to this report from Lucknow.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-02-India-Gang%20Rape/id-6d142ce85dae4d0fa69df5f2ebe3f376

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Lawmakers furious after House leaves Sandy victims high and dry

WASHINGTON (AP) ? New York area-lawmakers in both parties erupted in anger late Tuesday night after learning the House Republican leadership decided to allow the current term of Congress to end without holding a vote on aid for victims of Superstorm Sandy.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said he was told by the office of Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia that Speaker John Boehner of Ohio had decided to abandon a vote this session.

Cantor, who sets the House schedule, did not immediately comment. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland told reporters that just before Tuesday evening's vote on "fiscal cliff" legislation, Cantor told him that he was "99.9 percent confident that this bill would be on the floor, and that's what he wanted."

A spokesman for Boehner, Michael Steel said, "The speaker is committed to getting this bill passed this month."

In remarks on the House floor, King called the decision "absolutely inexcusable, absolutely indefensible. We cannot just walk away from our responsibilities."

The Senate approved a $60.4 billion measure Friday to help with recovery from the October storm that devastated parts of New York, New Jersey and nearby states. The House Appropriations Committee has drafted a smaller, $27 billion measure, and a vote had been expected before Congress' term ends Thursday at noon.

More than $2 billion in federal funds has been spent so far on relief efforts for 11 states and the District of Columbia struck by the storm, one of the worst ever to hit the Northeast. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund still has about $4.3 billion, enough to pay for recovery efforts into early spring, according to officials. The unspent FEMA money can only be used for emergency services, said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J.

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are receiving federal aid.

Sandy was blamed for at least 120 deaths and battered coastline areas from North Carolina to Maine. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the hardest hit states and suffered high winds, flooding and storm surges. The storm damaged or destroyed more than 72,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey. In New York, 305,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed and more than 265,000 businesses were affected.

"This is an absolute disgrace and the speaker should hang his head in shame," said Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.

"I'm here tonight saying to myself for the first time that I'm not proud of the decision my team has made," said Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y. "It is the wrong decision, and I' m going to be respectful and ask that the speaker reconsider his decision. Because it's not about politics, it's about human lives."

"I truly feel betrayed this evening," said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.

"We need to be there for all those in need now after Hurricane Sandy," said Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.

The House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, said she didn't know whether a decision has been made and added, "We cannot leave here doing nothing. That would be a disgrace."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ny-area-lawmakers-house-gop-scraps-vote-sandy-045956219.html

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Quadrantid meteor shower: Will moon wash out the show?

Quadrantid meteor shower-watchers will have to deal with a three-quarter-full moon, but the event peaks overnight Wednesday, meaning the show will go on.

By Pete Spotts,?Staff writer / January 2, 2013

A meteor streaks across the sky near Lafayette, Ind., during the annual Geminid meteor shower in December. The Quadrantid meteor shower, the first of 2013, peaks Wednesday night.

Michael Heinz/Journal & Courier/AP/File

Enlarge

Just when you thought the New Year's fireworks were over, a defunct comet is providing a natural encore.

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One of the year's meteoric show stoppers ? the Quadrantid meteor shower ? peaks overnight Wednesday.

Anyone with the good fortune of living under very dark skies on a moonless night could expect to see as many as 120 meteors an hour when the shower's source region in the sky ? or radiant ? is directly overhead.

Wednesday, however, the shower will have competition from a moon nearly three-quarters full, so moonlight will mask most of the dimmer bulbs on the shelf. Given the moon's phase, that translates into a rate of between five and 10 meteors an hour visible to people from urban centers through suburbs and into rural areas, according to estimates from the American Meteor Society.

The shower actually spans six days, starting Jan. 1. But this year Earth is encountering the bulk of this cosmic debris in the predawn darkness of Jan. 3.

While other meteor showers typically derive their names from constellations near each shower's radiant, the Quadrantids appear to come from a kind of netherworld between the end of the Big Dipper's handle and the four stars that comprise the head of Draco, the dragon. Astronomers already recognize a meteor shower each October as the Draconids. The Ursids come each December. And it's hard to get excited about something that could have been named the Dippids. So Quadrantids it is. Warning: You can't take that explanation to the bank.

Skywatchers have been observing the Quadrantids at least since 1825.

Somewhere between a short item entitled "Account of the Poison Plants of the Southern Parts of Brazil" and "Professor Buckland's Notice of the Hyaena's Den near Torqay," the Edinbrugh Philosophical Journal informed its readers that "on the 2d of January 1825, about 5 a.m.; Antonio Brucalassi ... observed ... a singular electric phenomenon." He saw what researchers later would refer to as a fireball, with "a great number of shooting stars ... seen before and after the appearance of the meteor." The issue was dated 1826.

Some 14 years after Signore Brucalassi's observation, scientists in the US and Belgium would independently posit that what Brucalassi saw was a recurring event.

In 2003, the shower was pegged to a near-Earth asteroid dubbed 2003 EH1. Using data gathered by the Lowell Observatory's Near-Earth Object Search, Peter Jenniskens, with the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., ran calculations that showed how in the past, the object's closest approach to the sun coincided with Earth's passage through the densest part of the debris ? quite like meteors from comets, he noted.

After some additional sleuthing, he suggested that 2003 EH1 was the remnant of comet C1490 Y1, observed in Asia between 1490 and 1491 and that later broke apart.

While this year's Quadrantid shower risks being a relative washout visually, you may be able to snag more meteors on your FM radio. As meteors plummet through the atmosphere and heat to the point of glowing, they leave a streak of ionized gas behind them ? briefly. Ionized gases reflect radio signals.

By tuning to a powerful FM station roughly 800 miles away that broadcasts on a quiet part of the FM band where you live, you may be able to pick up the "ping" of a passing meteor. They sound like this. Nothing like Steely Dan, but clearly noticeable. For detailed information on observing meteor showers via radio, try this website.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/R9EwzgbJtGA/Quadrantid-meteor-shower-Will-moon-wash-out-the-show

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Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Politics, Priorities, Psychology and Hope WITHIN The Black ...

The guest host on the "Mo Ivory Show" talked about how elected officials can't get along and how it harms the interests of the people.

She made a glancing reference to the various county school systems in metro Atlanta who have lost their accreditation as an example of how personal and ideological squabbles harm the public interests.

Most people would accept this claim, disarm and say "OK let's work together".
Being in metro Atlanta allows me to disassemble that argument.

Dekalb County GA School System - Probation
Clayton County GA School System - Lost Accreditation and got it restored
Atlanta Public Schools - Probation

Let me say in passing that all of these school systems are lead by 100% Democrats or a monopoly majority. AGAIN - this is not the centerpiece of my argument.

The talkshow guest went on to enumerate how President Obama's policies and theories match her own and thus she voted for him, and in turn was strongly opposed to President Bush. ?Point well taken.

HOWEVER - when he look at the SYSTEM and how it is true that all three of these problem plagued school systems had individuals just like her, VOTING for what was appealing to them as the proper course to obtain QUALITY EDUCATION for (Black) children - the results, in aggregate do not bear this out.

I have been saying incessantly what is POPULARLY ASSUMED to be the "Best Interests Of The Black Community" cannot, in and of itself, be confirmed as the EFFECTIVE MEANS of producing these desired ends.

When a person, like the radio host starts out with the notion: ?

My (progressive) views are correct
I am open minded enough to receiving information about a better way of doing it and I will change upon seeing it
NO ONE HAS CONVINCED ME YET so I keep investing my valuables.

BUT WAIT! ? ?Why aren't the failures that you just referenced evidence that you are not correct in your assumptions? ??

When the "Mission Accomplished State" is achieved in a metro-area like Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago - those who are entrenched in their beliefs merely "Expand The Police Tape Outward" - finding the RIGHT WING enemy who is made into the "External Variable" that must be defeated before this "social justice" end can be achieved.

The radio host - who I am not sure if she actually lives in metro-Atlanta fails to mention the powerful force of the "Civil Rights Pharisees" that have a strong influence upon the way things work in Atlanta.

Take the model that I mentioned above about the "Mission Accomplished" school systems, municipal governments (executive, legislative, police and judicial) and then note the RESULTS that I mentioned. ?Just because "Black people have been failed" DOES NOT mean that those "favorable people in power" will be protested against.

The "Civil Rights Pharisees" are the force that define "good and evil" (ie: are Black people to be OFFENDED by the actions of the government OR is there a away to generate a "Struggle Motion" against the external right-wing Republicans?).

In recent years the "Civil Rights Pharisees" have conducted more legal and protest action against majority White (Republican controlled ) school systems than they have shown willingness to defend the interests of the parents and students who voted for the school board in the "Mission Accomplished" systems listed above.?

It is not the presence of PROTESTS against their friends in power that would show proof of their even handedness.? My test for their transparency would be for them to identify a model for good governance, lean upon their friends to implement it, clearly communicate to the adults in the community their role in achieving academic success and then measure the results?? Affirm what works and throw out what has failed- firing some people in the process. This includes their own recusal.

Instead we have the notion of "Sharing The Poverty" with the White school systems as the new name for "school busing" - because "racial integration" has fallen into disfavor.? Shamefully only "poor Blacks" are in mind when they talk about the "shared resource" that will get on the bus each morning.?

"The Justice Thurgood Marshall Justice Scheme"

The radio host's model of "Work together" did not mention if SHE AGREED with the findings from the "Southern Association Of Colleges and Schools" on their probation/ loss of accreditation. ? While it is true that in all 3 cases the "dysfunctional school board" and/or sloppy governance was the reason sited for the sanction - the CIVIL RIGHTS PHARISEES ran a "Justice Thurgood Marshall Justice" play in which they PUT THE JUDGE (the system) on trial and deemed the "defendant" a VICTIM (of SACS).

The fact that only "Black school systems" seem to get in trouble with SACS was proof of their RACISM.? The notion that the ANTICS that are allowed among the system leadership that was elected by the parents - who are influenced by the Civil Rights Pharisees was never considered as part of the problem. ?

This is how the promise of "Salvation Through Voting" is squandered within the Black community. ? The rational shift from "Once We Get Favorable People Into Power We Will Prosper" over to "OUR VOICES Are Represented By The People In Power.? We Must PROTECT THEM From This Attack Upon Black People".?

I don't recall Mo Ivory - the Democratic Party delegate standing against the antics of the "Civil Rights Pharisees" to "judge the judge". ? ?I do recall during this recent election, however, she joined the chorus against the "State Charter Schools Initiative" as an attack on BLACK ELECTED OFFICIALS as White people seek to do an end around against their local power by starting their own charter schools.

The point is that the Civil Rights Pharisees are guilty of promoting BLACK ELECTED OFFICIALS over the interests of THE RANK &? FILE. ??

It sounded to me that the talk show guest did this very same thing in acting as the voice of Obama.

Instead of being able to say "The 50 year economic development policies have failed the Black community and thus we have a disproportionate number of people who are unemployed" - she advocated for more Unemployment Insurance and THIS was the adopted "Struggle Motion" against the right-wing that opposes the extension.

The cascading shift toward the "external indictment" while abdicating the "Black Community Governance Culture" where the INVESTMENTS are to be protected as someone stands up and demands a return on investment FROM THE INSTITUTIONS THAT DEVELOP THE PEOPLE rather than from PROGRESSIVE PUBLIC POLICY TRANSFER PAYMENTS - is the biggest damage that is being done to the Black people as so many people go along, affirmed by the POPULARITY of the theories.?

The notion that the "combatants" in the school board have lost sight of their jobs of educating the children, leaving them less prepared to become "Professional Service Providers" for the Black community's uplift - is lost as "The Blacks" function as loyal Democrats.?

Source: http://withintheblackcommunity.blogspot.com/2012/12/csu-psychology-studies-waok-part-ii.html

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'Silly season' arrives as transfer window opens

Associated Press Sports

updated 10:51 a.m. ET Jan. 1, 2013

(Eds: With AP Photos.)

LONDON (AP) - Expect plenty of speculation about Cristiano Ronaldo, David Villa, Wesley Sneijder, Frank Lampard and Theo Walcott, among others, to be flying around for the next month.

Yes, the "silly season" has arrived.

European soccer's January transfer window opens for business on Tuesday, giving clubs a month to strengthen their squads for the second half of the season.

Top teams operating strategic transfer plans, such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United, rarely make major deals during this period. Likely targets are usually tied up by Champions League restrictions and managers can be put off by inflated prices and a preference to add new players in the offseason.

However, an inspired January signing - whether a loan or permanent move - can make the difference between winning a title, qualifying for the Champions League or Europa League or surviving relegation, meaning plenty of deals will go through over the next 31 days.

The cash-rich English Premier League is usually the place where the big acquisitions are made, especially on deadline day. And considering the lucrative television deals lying in wait from next season as well as the impoverished state of many leagues across the continent following Europe's financial crisis, this should be the case this season, too.

"Many of the traditional European leagues are facing economic problems so we would suggest the trend of overseas players coming to the Premier League to ply their trade will continue and outweigh transfers between English clubs," said James Skelland, a player representative for James Grant Sport Management.

"We would anticipate that there will be more loan moves," Skelland added, "which tend to suit all parties better, and some permanent moves made by clubs who are looking to stave off relegation or push for European places."

English clubs memorably spent 225 million pounds (then $362 million) in the January 2011 window, defying the recession. In the nine winter windows since 2004, nearly a billion pounds have been splashed out.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who has dubbed the transfer window the "silly season," has virtually ruled out making any signings in January, with his team top of the Premier League. However, his rival coaches are poised to make moves.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini indicated Monday that he would "probably" go into the market while Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger has money to spend - especially if he fails to keep hold of Walcott, who appears to be holding out for a big wage increase with his contract expiring in June.

"If we find a player who will give us something special, we will do it - but that in January isn't easy," said Wenger, who has been linked with Villa of Barcelona.

Wenger, like Ferguson, is not a fan of the January transfer window, although he couldn't resist the temptation to dip into it in 2009 when he beat the deadline to sign Russia winger Andrey Arshavin for 15 million pounds.

Chelsea, the European champion, should be one of the most active of the big English clubs. The 34-year-old Lampard is out of contract in the summer and could be sold, along with forward Daniel Sturridge reportedly going to Liverpool, and the club has been linked with moves for Newcastle forward Demba Ba and Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao.

Either player would join a squad containing Fernando Torres, the most famous January transfer signing after switching from Liverpool to Chelsea for 50 million pounds (then $81 million) in 2011.

Ba, the joint-second top scorer in the Premier League, has a release clause of 7 million pounds in his contract and Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said Friday it is "even (money) whether he'll stay or go."

In Italy, the future of Sneijder has been a topic of much debate. Although Inter manager Andrea Stramaccioni says there's still room for him, the unsettled Dutch playmaker is expected to leave. England is a likely destination.

Over at AC Milan, which is seventh in Serie A and struggling financially, one of the team's two Brazilian strikers - Alexandre Pato or Robinho - is likely to leave and the club has been linked with Didier Drogba as a replacement.

Starved of action on the pitch because of the winter break, the sports pages in Spain have been dominated by the upcoming transfer window and the potential departures of three of La Liga's top forwards.

Ronaldo has been linked with a move away from Real Madrid ever since he said he was "sad" in September. Talk of a move back to Man United refuses to go away, despite Ferguson recently claiming the Portugal forward was "unbuyable."

Villa, Spain's record goal-scorer, is more likely to leave La Liga. British media are reporting that Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are interested in the 31-year-old forward, who spent eight months sidelined with a broken leg and has found it hard to win a place in Barcelona's starting lineup since his return.

Falcao, meanwhile, said Saturday he doesn't expect to leave Atletico until at least the summer.

"I'm proud that so many great clubs have manifested an interest in me, but they will have to wait until the end of the season, then we will see what might happen," he said. "Leaving Atletico in the winter transfer window is absolutely not on."

Money talks, however, and agents' phones are sure to be red hot throughout January, when clubs' fortunes can be revived and coaches' reputations destroyed.

More news

Transfer spec? Start with Sneijder

??CFT: January is here, and that means the transfer speculation and scuttlebutt that was on low simmer through the last weeks of 2012 will now be on full boil for the first month of 2013.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50336781/ns/sports-soccer/

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Tribune, Bankruptcy Over, Is Expected to Sell Assets - NYTimes.com

?6:12 p.m. | Updated

Analysts and prospective buyers are preparing for horse trading to begin over the Tribune Company?s newspapers now that the company, whose holdings include The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune, has emerged from bankruptcy protection.

Tribune, which completed its bankruptcy paperwork on Monday, has not announced the sale of any assets, but it is likely to do so in the next several months so it can streamline its business, said Reed Phillips, managing partner of DeSilva & Phillips, a media banking firm.

The troubled state of the newspaper industry makes those assets most likely to be sold, he added. Less clear, however, is whether the company will sell them all at once or by region, for example selling The Chicago Tribune with Chicago magazine.

?The company is too large and complex right now, coming out of bankruptcy,? Mr. Phillips said. ?What?s needed is a more focused strategy.?

Aaron Kushner, chief executive of Freedom Communications and publisher of The Orange County Register in California, confirmed on Monday that he was eager to buy Tribune?s newspapers. He would not say whether he had had any specific conversations with Tribune Company executives.

He said that from what he had gleaned from bankruptcy court filings and public pension documents, it seemed likely that Tribune would sell its newspapers as a group. That is because the company has such enormous and complex pension obligations and corporate overhead that it would be difficult to untangle them and sell properties individually.

?We?re interested in all of the papers, though obviously, from an outside perspective, we have not seen the numbers,? Mr. Kushner. ?If papers are sold, someone has to be responsible for the pensions.?

The company?s reorganization plan was approved in July by the United States Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. It received final approval from the Federal Communications Commission in November.

The announcement on Monday ended a four-year process for the company. Its assets were tied up in court while the media industry continued its digital transformation. In a letter to employees, Eddy Hartenstein, the company?s chief executive, acknowledged that the last four years ?have been a challenging period.?

?You have been resilient, dedicated to serving the company, our customers and your fellow employees,? he said. ?You are what sets Tribune apart from our competitors.?

The company also announced a seven-member board. The directors include Mr. Hartenstein and Peter Liguori, a former chief operating officer of Discovery Communications, who is expected to be named chief executive. Bruce Karsh, a founder of Oaktree Capital Management, which is a major shareholder in the company, also sits on the board, as does Ross Levinsohn, a former interim chief at Yahoo.

Tribune said it expected to resolve details about board members? responsibilities at its first meeting in the next few weeks. The company is emerging from bankruptcy protection with a $300 million loan to finance its continuing operations, as well as a $1.1 billion loan to finance its reorganization. According to a company statement, Tribune plans to give former creditors 100 million shares of new class A common stock and new class B common stock.

The end of the bankruptcy has led to plenty of speculation about who might buy Tribune?s newspapers, with names like Rupert Murdoch and David Geffen floated as contenders. Mr. Phillips said he was skeptical that Mr. Murdoch would be a serious bidder because his company had so much else on its plate.

?I would think they would take a look,? said Mr. Phillips. ?But when it comes to stepping up and making a substantial offer, I would be surprised. They?re already splitting off the publishing business from the entertainment business.?

He said that Mr. Geffen, too, would probably not acquire Tribune properties ?unless the price is really attractive, because he?s not someone who has run a newspaper company previously. So I think it will be more of a challenge. The price he?s probably willing to pay based on advice from his advisers is going to be lower than what someone else is willing to pay.?

Mr. Kushner praised Tribune?s board and said he expected that ?one of the first things that they?ll be trying to figure out is how the different parts of the Tribune company really work well together or separately.?

Mr. Kushner, who bought The Orange County Register last summer, said he was focused on buying large metropolitan newspapers. He said that while Tribune newspapers appeared to be profitable, how they would remain profitable was unclear, as with many newspapers.
At The Register, Mr. Kushner said, he tried to increase revenue by strengthening relationships with subscribers.

For example, he said, the newspaper gave its readers more value by increasing its pages 40 percent in the last year. It also spent $12.4 million sending $100 checks to its subscribers that they could in turn make payable to favorite local nonprofit groups. He said enhancing a paper?s relationship with subscribers would help drive subscriptions and, ultimately, advertising.

?Our basic view is that we add more value,? said Mr. Kushner. ?This is the only path that we can have revenue grow.?

Source: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/tribune-co-emerges-from-bankruptcy/

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