"Descendants:" uproarious comedy about grief and loss (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? In the same way that "aloha" can be used for either hello or goodbye, the Hawaii-set "The Descendants" contains its own contradictions -- it's an uproarious comedy about grief and loss, and a reminder that hell can exist quite comfortably in paradise.

Attorney Matt King (George Clooney) has a full plate, and it's not because he's at a luau. A descendant of one of the islands' original colonists who married into Hawaii's royal family, he is overseeing the sale of a huge chunk of family property, the last undeveloped beach in the state.

But it's not just his money-hungry cousins and the voracious developers keeping him hopping; his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) was injured in a boating accident and now lies comatose in a hospital. Her absence forces Matt, who calls himself "the back-up parent, the understudy," to deal with their two daughters: troubled 10-year old Scottie (Amara Miller) and rebellious teen Alexandra (Shailene Woodley).

The last time Alexandra spoke with her mother, the two fought; when Matt brings her home for Elizabeth's impending death, his daughter informs him that Elizabeth was cheating on him with another man.

So even with his wife being taken off life-support and the property sale just around the corner, Matt takes his family to the island of Kauai to track down his wife's lover (Matthew Lillard) to let him know that she's dying. Or maybe to punch him in the face. It could go either way.

With just a handful of films -- shockingly, this is only his fifth feature -- Payne has proven himself a master of a uniquely American brand of comedy. His characters lead lives of quiet desperation, only to find themselves blurting out buried, uncomfortable truths at the least likely moments.

Adapting the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings with Groundlings vets Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (Payne's usual co-writer Jim Taylor is one of the film's producers), Payne gets into Matt's head and finds the humor in his suffering and his unexpected personal development with the same sure hand he brought to "Sideways" and "About Schmidt."

Many filmmakers might not have thought of Clooney as the right guy to bring this cuckolded, grief-stricken dad to life on the screen, but the actor once again proves adept at constantly finding new colors in his paintbox. You think you know exactly how this work-distracted father is going to reconnect with his daughters, and what obligatory moments the movie will provide, but both the script and the stars are too smart for that.

Clooney is simply extraordinary, juggling a panoply of emotions while completely inhabiting the persona of this hard-working and harried regular guy. (He has a dorky style of running that reminded me of Cary Grant's twitterpated body language in "Bringing Up Baby.") He's ably supported by youngsters Miller and Woodley, who offer deeply felt work that never gives off the "cute kid" stink.

Payne shoots Hawaii in a way that we've rarely seen on film -- it's one of the most beautiful places on earth, yes, but in this movie we believe that people actually live there -- and he provides many moments for his talented ensemble to shine, from Robert Forster as Elizabeth's embittered father to Mary Birdsong and Rob Huebel as friends who kept Elizabeth's secrets from Matt.

Deserving special attention is Judy Greer, one of this generation's great comedic character actresses, who takes a three-scene performance as the wife of Elizabeth's lover and plays it for both laughs and heartache. It's the sort of underappreciated, extraordinary turn that Thelma Ritter used to knock out of the park.

Neither the laughs nor the tears ever feel forced in "The Descendants," and Payne masterfully elicits both along the way. Like Sid (Nick Krause), Alexandra's goofy but stealth-smart boyfriend who accompanies the family on their adventures, the film's charms and its intelligence sneak up on you subtly, making you glad to be along for the ride.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111115/film_nm/us_reviews_film_thedescendants

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Inefficient and bureaucratic bank process

Contributed by Anthony Hobrow

Banking in Singapore leaves me frustrated at every turn. I am not sure how much is the fault of the bank and how much is detailed regulation by MAS but the end result is a system where there appears to be no authority granted to the front line, excessive paperwork and very long process times. It is not the same in London.

With the same international bank I can get an overdraft facility in one short phone call. Here it has taken paperwork and two weeks! I even had to provide copy payslips when the bank has access to every receipt and payment in my account in UK and in Singapore and has access to 40 years of my banking history!! What possible purpose can a payslip serve?

I needed a new credit card as my card failed sometimes to work when I was travelling. In UK this would have been couriered next day to wherever I was. Singapore could not send me a new card. I had to be with a faulty card until the end of my trip and then collect a new one when I got back. BUT the worst thing was they cancelled my old card and took the account off the internet banking facility, before I had the new one! The card was not lost or stolen, just worn and intermittently didn’t swipe well.

Anthony Hobrow
Direct Asia

Baby Health Insurance

Baby Health Insurance

If you are unsure about the child's coverage under the health plan you need to check on this before the baby is born. Usually when you register in advance at the hospital where you will get all your insurance information. Depending on the type of health insurance plan you have, you may need to notify the Company in advance of the date of maturity of the child.If you do not have the coverage your family will need to check with the company about the proper way to add your child to your health insurance.Help is available.In addition, although the new baby of the family is an extraordinary opportunity, it can also be stressful, especially if money is tight and your family do not fall into a health insurance plan. Even the routine work and the delivery will cost you thousands of dollars. If you want to send over to Caesar, or other special care while in hospital, ค่าที่สามารถกลายเป็นส่าย!Fortunately, there are financial assistance and assistance for families who can not afford health insurance age. Prenatal care is important to ensure that your child is healthy. But it can also be expensive if you do not have insurance. When your baby is born, bills that will not end with a visit to the hospital. You will need to continue to take your children for medical examinations and vaccinations, and it is rare for children to overcome childhood without experiencing a common disorder in childhood.Children's Health Insurance Program.There are about 11 million people in the United States that are not covered by health insurance available. Each state has its own guidelines. But chances are if you can not buy health insurance for yourself, your child will be covered under the chip. (Children's Health Insurance Program) until he or she reaches eighteen. Stays doctor visits, drugs and the hospital are covered by this plan. To learn more about this program and others who may not be available, you can call the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. 1-877-KIDS-NOW. Be sure to check this program, in order to obtain health insurance for the child.The WIC (Women, Infants and Children).Another program which is wonderful as a special nutritional supplements for women, infants and children. United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service WIC management.According to the USDA, WIC provides healthy foods, nutrition counseling and referrals for health and social services free of charge. Low-income women who are pregnant or have given birth to children under five years can be covered, and this program is offered in all fifty states. Revenues are some guidelines that will be encountered and possible nutritional risks. For more information on state guidelines and requirements, you should contact your local health department.Remember that your child does not have insurance. There is help available and it would be nice to know that you do not have to worry about large medical expenses and medical expenses? Call them and see about the child's health today.

EU adopts guidelines on airport body scanners

BRUSSELS?? The European Union adopted new guidelines Monday on using body scanners at airports, hoping to address the privacy concerns that have delayed their implementation across the continent.

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Siim Kallas, the EU commissioner responsible for transport, said under the rules the technology will only be used with strict safeguards to protect health and fundamental rights.

"Security scanners are not a panacea but they do offer a real possibility to reinforce passenger security," he said.

The scanners, some of which produce nude-like images of passengers, are already used in the United States and elsewhere as a more effective screening of passengers than metal detectors.

Scanner technology is developing rapidly and has the potential to significantly reduce invasive pat-downs. The latest machines are equipped with software that displays a generic outline of a human body, with a red box around the area where a passenger may be concealing an object.

Small airports getting full-body scanners

EU member states and airports do not have an obligation to deploy security scanners, but if they decide to use them, they will have to comply with the EU-wide operational standards.

Under the new EU law, security scanners must not store or copy any of the images, and the security staff analyzing the images will be in a room separate from where the actual screening is conducted. In addition, passengers must be informed and be given the right to choose an alternative method of screening.

And in order not to risk citizens' health and safety, only security scanners that do not use X-ray technology can be used at EU airports.

Scientists question cancer risks of full-body scanners

"The most important provision is that every passenger has the right to opt out and ask for the use of an alternative method," said Helen Kearns, spokeswoman for the transport commission.

EU states have been mulling the use of security scanners ever since Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 24-year-old Nigerian, attempted in 2009 to blow up a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit with plastic explosives he had hidden in his underwear.

Until now, security scanners were used in a limited way under a patchwork of different national operational procedures. The scanners have tested in France, Italy, Finland and other countries, and been used at airports in Britain and the Netherlands.

But the whole body imaging machines have sparked outrage among some passengers and privacy advocates because the explicit images they display. Germany has already said it won't introduce them.

Authorities tested the scanners at Hamburg airport for 10 months on passengers who volunteered. Among the findings, they said the machines' software proved too sensitive to things such as creases in suits.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45286987/ns/travel-news/

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Mortgage insurer in big deficit

It seems that there will be extremely difficult times ahead for the USA. The Federal Housing Agency insures the mortgages on many homes. They are facing a big deficit and need to be bailed out by the Government. Wow! http://www.cnbc.com//id/45305350

If we look at the problem of the housing market in the USA, the lesson is that property prices should not be allowed to go up too high - as it will eventually have to burst. A good benchmark in the past is that property prices should be 3 years of the average income of the main bread winner (and excludes the income of the spouse). The USA has allowed the property prices to go up under a deregulated environment - and is now suffering the pain of adjustment.

The situation in Singapore is worse, as our property prices - in relation to the average income - is worse than USA. It is now being propped up by foreign buying - but we cannot count on this source of support for a long time. (Note: Dubai was in a similar situation with its property market at a high level due to foreign funds, but it has now burst.)
  

Bank failed to get customers to accept fees

JP Morgan Chase has to give up the trial on several bank fees, due to non-acceptance by its customers:
http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/15/pf/chase_bank_fees/index.htm?section=money_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_topstories+%28Top+Stories%29

Pension and provident fund

There is a difference between the operations of a pension fund and a provident fund. A pension fund promises fixed benefits to the pensioners and may face a deficit when the value of its assets fall below its obligations. This is explained here: http://www.cnbc.com//id/45307724

In a provident fund, the amount due to the members vary according to the value of the assets. If the assets earn a low yield, the interest credited can be quite small and may fall below the rate of inflation. The members have to bear the fluctuations of the market.

I am personally in favor of a provident fund system, as it is better for the risks to be spread among its members, rather than in the government. But, it is also important that the provident fund be invested efficiently to earn a market rate of return for its members, and the administration expenses, including the cost of managing the investments, be kept at a low level (which is possible due to the economy of scale).

The Central Provident Fund in Singapore started on the right track, but over the years, it has grown to be too complicated. It is time to move back to its basics.

Better to have small businesses

A good economic system has many small businesses that compete in the market to offer good service at a transparent price. You can see many good examples in the retail trade, food and in hair dressing, tailoring and other personal services.

Large businesses are needed for manufacturing, but the distribution can be done through small retailers. This is the model for the sale of household and electronic products.

It should be possible for banking services to be operated by small banks who can serve the customers in the community for banking services. There is no need for each bank to develop an expensive computer system, as they can tap into a common system, similar to the arrangement where the Singapore Exchange provide a centralized service to the stockbrokers.

The argument that we need big banks to be able to afford the investment in computer system to operate efficiently is flawed. It has led to large banks increasing their profits to excessive levels, by charging high fees to customers, and also engaging in risky trading. We now have the situation of "too big to fail" when banks make big losses on their large bets - which has to happen from time to time.  We need to make banks smaller, so that they can be subject to the discipline of the market. See http://www.cnbc.com//id/45307122

There is a similarity with the operations of large transport and telephone companies. There is a similar argument that they need to be large to afford the investment in the infrastructure. It is easy for these large businesses to abuse their pricing power to make big profits. A better approach is for the infrastructure to be developed and owned by the state and rented out to the service providers.

The current business model in many countries, including Singapore, favors big businesses, but it also leads to excessive profit margins for these businesses - leading to higher cost for consumers. We need to have a new economic and business model for the future.

Scam - invest in gold bars

This is a way for the scammer to mark up the price of the gold bar by 23%, without the investor realizing it. The scammer distracts the investors by offering a complicated structure of interest payment, buy back guarantee and delivery of the physical gold bar. The investor overlooked checking the real price of gold. http://tankinlian.com/admin/file.aspx?id=186

Getting Auto Insurance Quotes Vs online your local offices

Car getting several quotes online insurance work a slightly different if you go to local offices to obtain. When you need to get to an Office to, you must sometimes appointments. For all this work on the same day, if you need to go to appointments, this means making appointments for the same day and their scheduling, so you're not the end. In this case, you do not have to make an appointment, you

A decade on, terrorism tribunals are bogged down (Reuters)

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) ? The beige-carpeted room where an al Qaeda chief appeared last week charged with blowing a hole in the side of an American warship looks like any modern court, with pop-up computer screens at lawyers' tables and a judge in black robes presiding from the bench.

But it sits in a warehouse-like building on an abandoned airfield at the Guantanamo Bay Navy base in southeast Cuba, ringed by barbed wire and nestled among rows of khaki tents and trailers in an "expeditionary" compound that was never meant to be permanent.

A decade after President George W. Bush authorized military tribunals for terrorism suspects, the Obama administration is plodding forward with new tribunals at a glacial pace, hampered by persistent political and legal arguments over the procedures and principles involved.

"I think we've botched this so bad that we're past the point of redemption," said retired Air Force Colonel Moe Davis, a former chief prosecutor for the Guantanamo tribunals and now one of their strongest critics. He quit because of what he called political meddling and pressure to use evidence obtained through methods he considered torture.

The tribunals authorized by Bush in an executive order on November 13, 2001, were set up to try non-U.S. citizens on terrorism charges outside the regular U.S. federal and military courts.

Those who plotted the hijacked plane attacks of September 11, 2001, were neither civilians nor warriors and did not deserve the legal protections granted to either, Bush argued.

Ten years and three major revisions later, the tribunals remain largely untested.

Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, arraigned last week in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen, would be only the second prisoner to get a fully contested trial at Guantanamo. His case is not expected to be ready for trial for at least another year and his lawyers are questioning what legal precedents apply.

"One might say there are certain gaps that are not present in other more developed systems ...." the chief judge in the Guantanamo tribunals, Army Colonel James Pohl, said during the arraignment. "I think we all know the uniqueness of the system," replied Richard Kammen, Nashiri's lawyer.

NOT MEANT TO BE PERMANENT

The Supreme Court struck down the original version of the tribunals in 2006, ruling that the president had no power to create a court system. It said that authority rested with Congress, which created a new version of the tribunals in 2006 and then revised them at the behest of the Obama administration in 2009 to grant the defendants more rights.

Congress in recent months added a new wrinkle, with proposals that the military courts be expanded to try U.S. citizens, a prospect that horrifies civil rights advocates.

"Don't make our armed forces judge, jury and jailer for terrorism suspects," said Heather Hurlburt, executive director of the nonprofit National Security Network. "The military is completely unequipped for it."

The Guantanamo tribunals are not strictly military.

Justice Department lawyers are included in the prosecution teams -- an assistant attorney from Kansas is leading the case against Nashiri -- while civilian lawyers from many top U.S. firms bolster the defense.

Kammen, a civilian attorney from Indianapolis, was brought in on the Nashiri case because he has experience handling death penalty cases, something most military lawyers lack. Nashiri, a round-faced 46-year-old Saudi merchant and alleged al Qaeda chieftain, could be executed if convicted of masterminding the bombing that killed 17 sailors.

The prosecution of five Guantanamo prisoners accused of plotting the September 11 attacks is currently on hold while the government conducts extensive security reviews of civilian lawyers chosen to join their defense teams as "learned counsel" with death penalty experience.

Prosecutors have asked to try those five, including self-described mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, on capital charges. President Barack Obama planned to send them to New York for trial in federal courts but Congress has blocked the transfer of Guantanamo prisoners to U.S. soil for any reason.

FROZEN AND THAWED

Shifting political winds have complicated the trials.

Obama froze the tribunals upon taking office in 2009 and ordered the Guantanamo detention operation shut down by January 2010. But Congress blocked his efforts to make civilian courts the preferred venue for terrorism trials, so Obama thawed the Guantanamo courts and allowed new cases to proceed this year.

Nashiri's lawyers questioned whether he could be held forever even if acquitted. The Bush and Obama administrations have both said the law of war allows them to hold Guantanamo prisoners indefinitely, until the end of hostilities in the war against terrorism.

Six cases have been completed in the Guantanamo court. But four defendants pleaded guilty in exchange for leniency and one was convicted in a trial in which no defense was presented because the defendant said the tribunal lacked legitimacy.

Of the 171 prisoners remaining at Guantanamo, the United States wants to try about three dozen but Nashiri is the only one currently facing charges.

"These are extremely complicated cases," a lawyer involved in the prosecution said.

Critics of the Guantanamo tribunals point out that the U.S. federal courts have tried more than 400 people on terrorism charges in the last decade. The post-World War Two Nuremberg tribunals managed to try more than 200 Nazi leaders and other accused war criminals in four years.

The Guantanamo tribunals have proceeded so slowly largely because of legal challenges to the system.

NEW RULES

The tribunal rules are still being tweaked. Two days before Nashiri's arraignment, the Pentagon released 202 pages of new rules, bolstering criticism that it's an ad hoc system with rules made up on the fly.

Army Brigadier General Mark Martins, the sixth Guantanamo chief prosecutor in seven years, said the changes were largely administrative and dealt with procedures such as travel reimbursement and how the lawyers would be paid.

"None of these is unfair to the accused," Martins said.

The Guantanamo tribunals have many fans in Congress, where Senate Republicans inserted provisions into a 2012 defense authorization bill that would require military detention and military tribunals for anyone accused of terrorist acts, including U.S. citizens.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he would block consideration of the defense bill until those provisions were changed. Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson said they would "overmilitarize" U.S. counterterrorism efforts.

In an editorial published last month in the Chicago Tribune, three former federal judges said the "deeply disturbing" provisions could limit trial options and strip the FBI and local and state law enforcement agencies of the ability to gather intelligence from terrorism suspects.

"Not only would such an effort ignore 200 years of legal precedent, it would fly in the face of common sense," they said. "Such an effort to restrict counterterrorism efforts by traditional law enforcement agencies would sadly demonstrate that many members of Congress have very little faith in America's criminal justice system."

(Editing by David Storey)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111113/ts_nm/us_guantanamo

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Live trading account shows profit

There were a few comments about a particular forex trainer who was able to impress the audience with a live trading account that showed profit. If I want to deceive people, I can also show a live trading account that shows profit for the previous day, and I can do it on any day. How do I do this impressive show? Make a guess. It is not difficult - for people who knows how to perform magic!

Positive experience with online website

I have made online bookings with a few airlines. My best experience is with Sri Lanka Airlines. Their website is simple. I completed the online booking with little effort and quite quickly. They focused on what needed to be done, and did not distract the customer with options that are not really needed.

Criminology Careers

Amplify’d from careersinlaw.org

You may be interested in being directly involved in law enforcement, or perhaps you would prefer to use your degree in administration and policy making. There are a number of schools which can provide you with a degree or certificate in criminology. Criminology studies involve a wide range of basic courses. You will study everything from basic psychology to word processing depending upon where you decide to study. It is important to note that many certificates are not accredited and therefore are not recognized by most employers. However, they may assist you in meeting some of the requirements that you will need to get into the more advanced programs. (Take a look at careers in criminal justice and careers in law also) Read more at careersinlaw.org

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1i3at

Car Insurance Quote - Reasons to Get Car Insurance Quote Online

When looking for a car insurance quote, it will be very necessary that you take your time to do a good research. There are many car insurance companies that are advertising aggressively on the internet today.The most pragmatic thing is to compare insurance quote from different companies before signing up with one. It will be very appropriate that you make inquiries from the companies online