Japan fiscal discipline key to gaining confidence: PM
TOKYO (AFP) – Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Friday said the country must demonstrate fiscal discipline to gain investor confidence, a day after its credit rating was cut for the first time in eight years.Kan said his government had to work to change the perception of what Standard & Poor's said was a lack…
NY man admits killing daughter, 9, and baby sitter
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – A man admitted in court Wednesday that he fatally shot his 9-year-old daughter and her baby sitter — after telling the girl's mother over the phone what he was about to do.Darrell Evans, 51, of Mount Vernon, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in exchange for a sentence of 40…
Conrad eyes alternate path for deficit reduction
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lawmakers in the U.S. Senate might vote on an unusually ambitious budget proposal that could include sweeping tax-and-spending reforms if other efforts to get the nation's finances under control falter, the head of the Budget Committee said on Thursday.One day after budget forecasters projected a record $1.5 trillion deficit for this fiscal…
J.C. Penney exiting catalog, closing some stores
PLANO, Texas – J.C. Penney Co. is getting rid of its catalog business and closing some stores, outlets and call center locations in an effort to streamline operations and boost profits.The department store operator also said Monday that Vornado Realty Trust Chairman Steven Roth and activist investor William Ackman will become board members. Penney's enacted…
Intel names Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am as director of creative innovation
It looks like Intel is taking a page out of Polaroids book. The instant-print camera company brought Lady Gaga on as creative director last year, and now chip manufacturer Intel has hired will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas for the same purpose.In a , Intel announced the musician will serve the worlds largest chip maker…
Brooks scores 20, Friars top No. 8 Villanova 83-68
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Marshon Brooks scored 20 points and Providence upset a ranked team for the second time in five days with an 83-68 win over No. 8 Villanova on Wednesday night.The Friars had gone 51 weeks and 17 games without a Big East victory before beating No. 19 Louisville 72-67 on Saturday but now…
Zero-G Creative Solves Biggest Challenges to Blogging with New Bloggernaut™ Social Media Service
Zero-G Creative, the Atlanta area small business marketing and web design firm, announced today the launch of their new Bloggernaut managed social media service. Bloggernaut solves the biggest challenges of starting and maintaining a blog - time and authenticity - with a professional, affordable program that for the business owner may require as little time…
Jazz Hands: Bob Fosse Is Subject of New Biopic; Bryan Singer Will Direct
A new feature-length film about the life and work of late Tony Award-winning dancer-director-choreographer Bob Fosse is in the works from producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, whose new "Footloose" musical picture is due out in fall 2011.Zadan and Meron will produce the Fosse project with Bryan Singer ("X-men"), who will direct. The producers are…
What's Behind H&R Block's Free Tax Service
The 2011 tax season is under way and the airwaves are full of a deal that sounds too good to be true: For another month, Americans can visit their local H&R Block (NYSE: - ) office and file their taxes for no charge.How and why would the nation's largest tax filer give its service away…
Haitians attack U.N. troops, blame them for cholera
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Protesters in Haiti who blame United Nations troops for a cholera epidemic that has killed hundreds attacked U.N. peacekeepers with rocks in two cities on Monday, raising questions about security ahead of presidential elections this month, authorities said.In Haiti's second city of Cap-Haitien in the North, hundreds of protesters yelling anti-U.N. slogans…