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Lloyd Webber wine collection sells for $5.6 mln

HONG KONG (AFP) – British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's wine collection sold for more than expected at a Hong Kong auction Saturday, raking in $5.6 million, one of several weekend sales in the fast-growing auction hub.

Every one of 746 lots found a buyer during the sale at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, with a dozen bottles of Chateau Petrus 1982 fetching $77,564, Sotheby's said.

Most of the collection beat previous price expectations, it said, adding that one lot had been withdrawn prior to the sale.

The high estimate for the whole collection had been about $4.1 million, said the auction giant, which sold about $52 million worth of fine wine in the former British colony last year -- more than twice as much as their wine sales in London and three times as much as New York.

After deciding to sell off part of his vast wine collection himself, the "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera" composer targeted Asia's ever-growing army of ultra-wealthy connoisseurs.

"I hope the new owners enjoy my wines as much as I have and look forward to reacquainting myself with them in restaurants all over China when 'Cats' starts its national tour in Mandarin," Lloyd Webber said in a statement following the six-hour sale.

His collection featured a large supply of top-end French wines, which are popular among Asian and particularly Chinese collectors due to their "proven reputation", said Serena Sutcliffe, Sotheby's worldwide head of wine.

"It's a great collection and an obvious one for Hong Kong because there is a great love of French wines such as Bordeaux and Burgundy" she told AFP earlier.

"It happens to be a category appreciated so much in this region."

Hong Kong has emerged as the world's third-largest auction centre after New York and London, thanks in large part to China's rapidly growing number of millionaires.

Wine auctioneer Acker Merrall & Condit is hosting a $9 million wine sale in the territory on Saturday and Sunday, while a separate auction Sunday could see a 19th century stamp set emblazoned with Queen Victoria's face rake in $1.5 million.

"This exceedingly rare block of four is unique in the world and has already seen tremendous interest from worldwide collectors", organisers said.

Mainland Chinese are regular buyers of the top lots at sales of art, jewellery and wine and Hong Kong has positioned itself as a wine hub for Asia as well as the gateway to China's vast market.

Collectors come from across the region, including Taiwan, Singapore and Indonesia, "although at the top end there are some really heavy hitters from mainland China," Sutcliffe said.

"People are buying all sorts of luxury brands here", she added.

Ellen R. Malcolm and Bryan S. Traubert Appointed to National Park Foundation Board

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2010 – WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The , the official charity of America's national parks, announced the appointment of љEllen R. Malcolm and Bryan S. Traubert to its . The appointments were made by National Park Foundation Board Chair and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. љMalcolm and Traubert will join the NPF Board immediately, providing valuable direction and expertise to the Foundation as it executes its mission to strengthen the connection between the American people and their national parks.

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"We are pleased to welcome Ellen R. Malcolm and Bryan S. Traubert to the National Park Foundation's Board of Directors," said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of National Park Foundation. "Both bring significant vision and extensive experience, along with a commitment to preserving America's national parks for the generations to come."

Ellen R. Malcolm is Chair of the Board of EMILY's List, an organization to elect Democratic women to office, which she founded in 1985 and lead for 25 years. љIn addition, Malcolm serves as Chair of the Board of the National Partnership for Women and Families. љShe has served as a director and officer in several real estate development projects. љMalcolm holds a BA from Hollins University and an MBA from George Washington University.

Bryan S. Traubert is a board certified ophthalmologist, civic leader, health expert, and wellness advocate. љAs President of the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation (PTFF), which is dedicated to enhancing public education and quality of life in Chicago, Dr. Traubert has initiated programs to improve the fitness of young people. He's chairman of the board of Marwen, an organization which educates and inspires thousands of underserved Chicago children through the visual arts and serves on the board of the Noble Street Charter Schools, a network of ten high performing charter high schools in Chicago. He is President of the Chicago Park District, one of theљcountry's largest urban park systems, a board member of Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ), and one of 28 distinguished, presidentially-appointed citizens responsible for recommending exceptional men and women to the President as White House Fellows.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

You are the part-owner of 84 million acres of the world's most treasured landscapes, ecosystems and historical sites -- all protected in America's nearly 400 national parks. Chartered by Congress, theis the official charity of America's national parks. We work hand in hand with the National Park Service to help connect you and all Americans to the parks, and to make sure that they are preserved for the generations who will follow.

Join us - This is Your Land.љ

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CONTACT: Marjorie Hall, +1-202-354-6480,

SOURCENational Park Foundation

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Bradford's brilliance leads USC past UCLA 28-14

PASADENA, Calif. – Allen Bradford ran for 212 yards and caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Matt Barkley in the fourth quarter, and Southern California wrapped up its first season under NCAA sanctions with a 28-14 victory over UCLA on Saturday night.

Barkley passed for 198 yards and Malcolm Smith returned a fumble 68 yards for a touchdown for the Trojans (8-5, 5-4 Pac-10), who beat their crosstown rivals for the 11th time in 12 meetings, including four straight.

Bradford capped a spectacular finale to his up-and-down career with a 73-yard TD run with 3:31 to play, churning through the heart of UCLA's defense. The Trojans celebrated with their band and thousands of fans in the south end of the Rose Bowl, where they played in four straight postseason games before last season.

"It's great, especially to go out," Smith said. "This is our last game. It's good for our soul. ... It is our bowl game. We didn't have an opportunity to be in a bowl. This is the best we could do, and I'm glad we got the victory."

USC won't appear in the postseason for the first time since 2000 while serving the first year of a two-season bowl ban. Despite NCAA sanctions, several transfers and an inconsistent season featuring back-to-back disappointing losses to Oregon State and Notre Dame in the past two weeks, the Trojans tied with Washington in third place in the Pac-10.

Jonathan Franklin rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown for the Bruins (4-8, 2-7), who closed their disappointing third season under coach Rick Neuheisel with six losses in their last seven games. Joseph Fauria caught a 10-yard TD pass with 23 seconds left, but UCLA lost three straight to close the season.

"It's a difficult, bitter game for us," Neuheisel said. "We certainly had chances, plenty of opportunities."

In the final Pac-10 game before the conference adds Utah and Colorado next season, USC kept the Victory Bell in the rivals' 80th meeting — one that turned violent before the teams arrived at the Rose Bowl.

Most fans and players were unaware of a brawl three hours before kickoff involving dozens of early arriving fans in an outer parking lot. Two men were stabbed during the altercation, and two people were arrested for investigation of attempted murder.

The blue-on-red clash of both teams' home jerseys was just about the only attractive thing in a disjointed, turnover-plagued game between two struggling programs wrapping up a decidedly down year for football in Los Angeles. For just the fourth time in 35 years, neither team is headed to the postseason, and both schools were unranked in the meeting for the first time since 2000.

USC's offense awoke from two awful weeks with 474 yards in the return of Barkley, just two weeks after the sophomore got a high ankle sprain in the Trojans' loss at Oregon State.

Freshman tailback Dillon Baxter also threw a first-quarter touchdown pass to tight end Rhett Ellison.

"We beat the Bruins, and I got to complete a pass for a touchdown," Baxter said. "I thought it was a great game all around."

But Bradford dominated in just his fourth start of a season spent largely out of favor with first-year head coach Lane Kiffin. He put the Trojans in control with 11:17 to play, catching a short pass from Barkley and rolling down the USC sideline into the end zone, aided by a key block from fullback Stanley Havili.

After UCLA's Taylor Embree couldn't hang onto a pass from Richard Brehaut in the corner of the end zone on fourth down with 4:25 to play, Bradford wrapped it up with his TD run directly at the USC band.

Brehaut's 230 yards passing were the second-most by a quarterback this season for UCLA, which ranked among the FBS' worst passing teams all year long. Embree had seven catches — also the second-most by a Bruins player this year — for 76 yards.

USC still hasn't ended a season with a three-game skid since 1992, and hasn't lost three straight at any point since 2001.

Cleveland takes on Wall Street over the foreclosure-cleanup tab

, Cleveland Scene

On a quiet day in the office, attorney Joshua Cohen talks about the case that has consumed him since its filing in 2008. It's the one in which Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson has sued 21 banks for their role in the foreclosure crisis. All the big players are named, and then some: from Ameriquest, JP Morgan-Chase, Bank One, and Deutsche Bank to Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch.

If the odds of beating 21 of the nation's biggest lenders makes Jackson's quest seem rather quixotic, then Cohen is his loyal servant Sancho Panza - but quite a bit brainier. He doesn't look like the kind of high-powered attorney you see on prime-time TV. At ease in his Warehouse District office, he's dressed in khakis and a red and blue plaid buttoned-down shirt, more professorial than courtroom shark.

But Cohen's r'esum'e includes high-profile cases that make a difference to entire cities - like the one he took up half a career ago on behalf of Browns season ticket holders. He's the guy who sued the Cleveland Browns when Art Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore; for wounded Dawg Pounders, Cohen scored a $3 million settlement.

The case against the banks isn't a class action about individual homeowner losses, or whether they were tricked into signing commitments they couldn't keep. Cohen knows that's a common misunderstanding. Instead, it's about the big picture from the city's point of view - an attempt to recover money Cleveland has been forced to spend cleaning up the mess Wall Street left behind.

The foreclosed homes often end up as abandoned, ugly board-ups that are a haven for crime. The city is left to mow the grass when neighbors complain about rodents. The police end up dealing with festering drug problems. All of that costs money. And ultimately, the city must demolish thousands of these derelict properties at a cost of $7,000 each or more. But Cleveland is not alone: A similar case filed by the city of Buffalo, New York, claims the maintenance, police attention, and eventual demolition of foreclosed homes totaled as much as $16,000 per building. Of course, Buffalo was left holding the tab.

"Was it irresponsible lenders or borrowers?" Cohen asks rhetorically. "You could argue that until the cows come home. But whatever conclusion you reach, Cleveland was an innocent bystander. It's amazing to me that the financiers have not been called to answer for this in any meaningful way."

And in cases filed by cities across the country, that much has proven true. In addition to Cleveland and Buffalo, similar suits have been filed by Cincinnati, Baltimore, Maryland, and Memphis.

The only suit to gain any traction so far was filed in Massachusetts, resulting in a $60 million settlement from Goldman Sachs. According to law professor Kathleen Engle - whose book on subprime lending begins and ends in Cleveland - Massachusetts' broadly written consumer-protection law "makes it very nerve-wracking for corporations who are defendants."

Cleveland's suit, meanwhile, hasn't even been able to get a hearing. Filed in January 2008, it alleges that the banks created a public nuisance by financing home loans the borrowers couldn't realistically repay.

"Banks are in the business of assessing risk, which is why it is incredible to us that they couldn't foresee the effect of making money available as they did," Cohen says. "Historically, if you go for a loan, the bank wouldn't give it if you didn't have the money to pay it back."

But the courts haven't seen it that way. A U.S. District Court judge threw the suit out in May 2009 for a list of reasons, including the fact that state law governs bank loans and trumps local nuisance law.

Besides that, as Cleveland State law professor Kermit Lind says, facilitating lawful conduct - buying a house - by financing it can't qualify as a public nuisance.

The city appealed, taking the case to the U.S. Sixth Circuit - which probably suited the banks' interests well. As Lind says, the federal courts "have a reputation for being more favorable to large corporate interests, and they don't have much understanding - certainly not a sympathetic understanding - of local law or local government."

So perhaps it wasn't surprising at that point that the Sixth Circuit also rejected the case, its only reason being that the Wall Street banks that financed the loans were too far removed from the situation to be held liable. In legalese: They failed to meet the requirement of "proximate cause."

Lind says the distance between borrowers and financiers is intentional. "One of the deliberate design features of the mortgage-finance industry was to atomize it, to hold investors harmless. It's hard to say the harm was done by anyone. It's like trying to hold raindrops accountable in a drizzle."

Cleveland's case is at the Hail Mary point of appealing to the Supreme Court. Cohen and the city have until mid-January to file their request for review.

"We're going to argue that it should have been sent back to state court by the Sixth Circuit, instead of dismissed," Cohen says, almost immediately conceding that a sit-down with the Supreme Court is a very long shot. "We have no reason not to try," he says. "And the city wants to."

If the court agrees to hear the case, it will be on the procedural issue that it should be argued in state court. And if the Supreme Court agrees, the case will start from scratch at the state level.

If all that sounds grim, Cohen lightens up a little when he talks about Cleveland Vs. Wall Street, a film that aims to tell the story of the case. He is one of its stars. He recalls a scene in which the filmmaker interviews Michael Osinski, the computer programmer who wrote the software that enabled banks to package loans - including subprime loans - so that the bundles could be sold as an investment. Osinski has written about the guilt he carries for having created the tool that enabled greed to run roughshod over entire neighborhoods. He applies the kind of common-sense logic that seems lost in the cloud cover of financial relationships, indicating that he and the banks who hired him knew many of the loans they underwrote would go bad.

"If they couldn't pay at 7 percent, how could they pay at 14 percent?" he asks.

The city will know by January whether the Supreme Court views that kind of logic - as well as recent revelations about "robo-signing" on foreclosures and the continuing impact of the crisis - as reasons to hear the case, or just more blameless raindrops in the storm.

Send feedback to mgill@clevescene.com.

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Pupils taught to carry out Sharia punishments

LONDON (AFP) – Pupils at Islamic schools across the country are being taught to chop off a criminal's hand and that Jews are conspiring to take over the world, a BBC investigation found Monday.

Up to 5,000 pupils aged between six and 18 are being taught Sharia law punishments using "weekend-school" text-books which claim those who do not believe in Islam will be subjected to "hellfire" in death.

A text book for 15-year-olds advises: "For thieves their hands will be cut off for a first offence, and their foot for a subsequent offence."

"The specified punishment of the thief is cutting off his right hand at the wrist. Then it is cauterised to prevent him from bleeding to death," it added.

Young pupils are warned that the punishment for engaging in homosexual acts is death by stoning, burning with fire or throwing off a cliff and that the "main goal" of the Jews is to "have control over the world and its resources."

The schools are part of the "Saudi Students Clubs and Schools in the UK and Ireland" organisation. The BBC investigation claimed that one school in London is owned by the Saudi government.

Education Minister Michael Gove told the BBC programme: "I have no desire or wish to intervene in the decisions that the Saudi government makes in its own education system.

"But I?m clear that we cannot have anti-Semitic material of any kind being used in English schools. Ofsted (Britain's education watchdog) will be reporting to me shortly."