No. 2 executive at UM medical school stepping down




















Amid roiling faculty anger over drastic budget cuts, the University of Miami announced the number two executive at the Miller School of Medicine, Jack Lord, is “stepping down.”

The change, announced by Dean Pascal Goldschmidt, comes as a petition circulates among tenured medical school faculty expressing no confidence in both Goldschmidt and Lord.

In a statement Thursday, Goldschmidt said: “Last year we had many challenging issues to fix, as do many medical schools in the U.S. Thanks to Jack Lord’s leadership and hard work by everyone at the Miller School, we have met those challenges and turned things around financially. Our medical center is strong and well positioned for the future.”





Goldschmidt in a letter to faculty thanked Lord’s help in restructuring the medical school’s finances, which showed a surplus of about $9 million for the first six months of this fiscal year — compared to a $24 million loss for the first six months of the previous fiscal year.

Lord, a physician who had been chief innovation officer at Humana, became the medical school’s chief operating officer last March. He was deeply involved in a series of drastic changes, including laying off about 900 full-time and part-time employees in the spring. Lord will be temporarily replaced by Joe Natoli, UM’s chief financial officer.

Many faculty members, who had spent decades at the medical school without seeing mass layoffs, were angry that the cuts were made without consulting them. A report by a faculty senate committee said medical school professors described the layoffs as “unprofessional,” “graceless” and “heartless.”

The report said faculty “fear is widespread within the school. They cited instances in which someone suffered retribution for criticizing the school’s administration. ... Faculty with alternatives are leaving.”

UM did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the report on Thursday. Last May, President Donna Shalala, a veteran administrator at several universities, said tradition-bound faculty often complained when tough changes needed to be made.

Associate Professor Sam Terilli, head of the committee that wrote the interim report in late August, said last week that a follow-up report is being prepared, but said it was too soon to offer details of what it would say.

Meanwhile, several anonymous sources have sent The Herald a copy of a petition being circulated among school faculty members who “wish to express, in the strongest possible terms, the concern we feel for the future for our school of medicine.” The petition blamed “the failed leadership of Pascal Goldschmidt and Jack Lord. ... We want to make clear that the faculty has lost confidence in the ability of these men to lead the school.”

The petition states: “Under the current leadership, there has been a major shift in the mission of the schools that we feel jeopardizes our educational, clinical and research enterprises. The deterioration of the relationship with Jackson Memorial Hospital fundamentally threatens both our graduate and undergraduate medical education programs without which the school of medicine cannot exist.”

A half-dozen persons closely connected to the medical school who requested anonymity told The Herald that they’ve heard that between 400 and 600 of the school’s 1,200 faculty have added their names to individual copies of the petition.





Read More..

Can the Government Really Ban Twitter Parody Accounts?






Arizona is entertaining a law that will make it a felony to use another person’s real name to make an  Internet profile intended to “harm, defraud, intimidate or threaten,” which to some sounds like a law against parody Twitter accounts. The legislation, if passed, would make Arizona one of a few states, including New York, California, Washington and Texas, to enact anti-online-impersonation laws. If these regulations seek to put a stop to fake representations online, that does sound like the end of fake celebrity baby accounts and Twitter death hoaxes. Then again, these laws have existed in these other places for years, and that hasn’t stopped the faux accounts from coming in. So what then does this mean?


RELATED: The Army’s Social Media Industrial Complex






What kind of stuff is the law intended to prosecute?


RELATED: Why French Broadcasters Can’t Say ‘Twitter’ and ‘Facebook’ Anymore


The law does not say that all uses of another person’s real name can be charged as a felony, but only profiles made for the more nefarious purposes fall into that territory. The legislation is  targeted at more serious forms of impersonation, like cyber bullying. Two Texas teens were arrested and charged under this law for creating a fake Facebook page to ruin a peer’s reputation, for example. Or, the case of Robert Dale Esparza Jr. who created a fake profile of his son’s vice principal on a porn site might fall under this law, suggests The Arizona Republic‘s Alia Beard Rau. Or, in one of the cases brought to court under the Texas version of this law, an Adam Limle created websites that portrayed a woman he used to date as a prostitute. (The case was eventually dropped because of a geographical loophole. Limle lived in Ohio, not Texas.) 


RELATED: Prius Drivers Will Get Their Own Social Network


Okay, the harm and threat in those situation is pretty clear. How can it at all apply to something relatively harmless, like a Twitter parody account? 


RELATED: How the Deported American Teen Spent Her Time in Colombia


The term “harm” is pretty vague, as this Texas Law blog explains, referring to that state’s version of this legislation, on which Arizona based its own law. “‘Harm’ can be very broadly construed–one person’s joke is another person’s harm,” writes Houston lawyer Stephanie Stradley. 


RELATED: Netanyahu’s Son Demonstrates Another Political Risk of Social Media


So, that could extend to parody accounts then? 


Well, possibly. Stradley suggests that politicians who had parody accounts created to mock them might have a case. Some of the impersonation of Texas lawmakers has gone beyond just the jokey fake Twitter handle. Jeffwentworth.com is not the official site for Texas state senator, but rather redirects to the web site of the anti-tax advocate group Empower Texans which considers the San Antonio politician the “the most liberal Republican senator in Austin.” Wentworth told The New York Times this domain squatting amounted to “identity theft,” and could be the basis for the law’s usage. 


The law could also possibly effect sillier parody accounts, suggest privacy advocates. “The problem with this, and other online impersonation bills, is the potential that they could be used to go after parody or social commentary activities,” senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation Kurt Opsahl told The Arizona Republic’s Alia Beard Rau. ”While this bill is written to limit ‘intent to harm,’ if that is construed broadly, there could be First Amendment problems.”


Ok, but what about precedent? Has the law ever applied to a faux Twitter handle? 


Twitter has its own parody policy that mitigates a lot of the possible damage that could ever lead to a court case. Saint Louis Cardinals manager Anthony La Russa sued Twitter in 2009 because of a made-up account, but the account was removed before the case went anywhere (And that was before these laws went into effect.) 


But it’s not clear that parody would ever be considered harmful enough for the law. When California’s version went into effect, a first amendment lawyer suggested to SF Weekly‘s Joe Eskenazi that jokes could go pretty far without prosecution. “You’re going to have to have room for satire,” he said. The account would have to look fool people, he argued. “A key question is, ‘is it credibile?’” asks Simitian. “Do people who read it think it’s him?” Because of our increasing skepticism of things on Twitter, unless the site has verified checkmark, it’s unlikely that most people believe in a fake account for long. So, unless the imitation tweeter does something extremely harmful to someone’s character, it doesn’t sound like anyone would have a strong case. Alas, parody Twitter accounts, for better or worse (worse, right?) are here to stay. 


Social Media News Headlines – Yahoo! News





Title Post: Can the Government Really Ban Twitter Parody Accounts?
Url Post: http://www.news.fluser.com/can-the-government-really-ban-twitter-parody-accounts/
Link To Post : Can the Government Really Ban Twitter Parody Accounts?
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment




Read More..

Julianne Hough Speaks About Escaping Dark Past

ET was first to sit down with Julianne Hough on the set of her new movie Safe Haven and the actress opens up about a dark period in her past that "sucked the life out of me."

Hough, who recently revealed that she suffered physical and mental abuse while studying dance in her youth, said she identifies with her character in Safe Haven, who's forced to confront an abusive past. "Being Katie, I relate a lot to her. The fact that she had been in one situation that just sucked the life out of her, and it was a bad situation, and she needed to change and move on and kind of find her own again. And through that you find love and everything."

RELATED: Julianne Hough Reveals Horrific Childhood Abuse

The 24-year-old actress -- who is known for playing upbeat roles and appearing on Dancing with the Stars -- said it is the first time she's really opened up publicly about her darker times. "I think a lot of people got to know me through Dancing with the Stars and don't really know about my past before that, which I don't talk about much," Hough said.

"But yeah, I've been through certain things that have sucked the life out of me... and just the light about me was gone... and I was just a dark person," she added. "So I had to leave that situation and kind of come into my own again and I did."

VIDEO: Julianne Hough: Rock of Ages Set with Tom Cruise is a 'Blast'

Tune in to ET tonight for more of Julianne's interview.

Read More..

Google strikes deal with FTC to end antitrust probe




















LOS ANGELES — Google reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to make voluntary changes to its search practices to put an end to a 19-month antitrust probe, the FTC announced Thursday.

Google also has settled an investigation into its handling of mobile technology patents that it acquired when it bought Motorola Mobility.

The settlement brings to a close one of the FTC's most closely watched investigations. Google still faces antitrust investigations by European regulators and some U.S. state attorneys general. Google is expected to offer concessions to resolve the European Union probe later this month.





Google agreed to give marketers more control over their ads. It also agreed to limit its use of snippets or reviews and other content from rivals, a practice that it had already moved away from.

It also resolved a separate antitrust case involving Google's use of patents to attempt to keep competitors from using mobile technology.

“The changes Google has agreed to make will ensure that consumers continue to reap the benefits of competition in the online marketplace and in the market for innovative wireless devices they enjoy,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “This was an incredibly thorough and careful investigation by the commission, and the outcome is a strong and enforceable set of agreements.”

But competitors don't see it that way. That the Internet search giant is emerging largely unscathed from the antitrust probe frustrated competitors, including software giant Microsoft, which had its own years-long battle with antitrust regulators in the late 1990s and 2000s just as Google began its rise to dominance in online search.

Microsoft, which runs the Bing search engine, has accused Google of abusing that dominance, harming consumers and competitors. It has railed against the FTC for doing nothing to rein in Google's growing monopoly on the Web.

Google handles about two-thirds of all U.S. Web searches, according to research firm ComScore Inc. It handles more than 80 percent in much of Europe. The software giant has mounted campaigns to condemn Google's business practices. Smaller competitors have also complained that Google search results unfairly promote links to its own business listings, Google+ social network and other online services.

Google has maintained that it has done nothing wrong.

“The evidence the FTC uncovered through this intensive investigation prompted us to require significant changes in Google's business practices. However, regarding the specific allegations that the company biased its search results to hurt competition, the evidence collected to date did not justify legal action by the Commission,” Beth Wilkinson, outside counsel to the FTC, said in a written statement. “Undoubtedly, Google took aggressive actions to gain advantage over rival search providers. However, the FTC's mission is to protect competition, and not individual competitors. The evidence did not demonstrate that Google's actions in this area stifled competition in violation of U.S. law.”

“The conclusion is clear: Google's services are good for users and good for competition,” David Drummond, Google's senior vice president and chief legal officer, said in a blog post.

The settlement with the FTC and the search giant was nearly done before the Christmas holiday, but concern that the deal was too weak from rivals and state attorneys general delayed a vote from the commission.

David Balto, a former policy director of the FTC's bureau of competition, who also has done some paid work for Google, said the decision was a “win-win” for consumers.

“Consumers benefit because Google will not be hobbled by unnecessary regulation or denied the opportunity to try to win consumer loyalty through aggressive competition,” Balto said. “The FTC's mission is protect consumers and as today's statement makes clear, there is no consumer harm.”





Read More..

Cuomo tells House: 'Show me the money'








ALBANY, NY — A still angry Gov. Andrew Cuomo isn't ready to believe the Republican House leadership will finally vote on Sandy relief aid. Instead, he's telling them: "Show me the money."

The Democratic New York governor isn't taking back his criticism Wednesday of Republican majority leaders who promised several times to vote on aid for Sandy victims, but abruptly postponed any action.

Cuomo says the lack of a vote on the package worth billions of dollars to victims and local governments remains an "outstanding failure."

He says Thursday that, in a way, the Republican leaders violated their oath of office.





Ron Sachs/CNP/AdMedia



Governor Andrew Cuomo





The House now plans to approve a $9 billion flood insurance proposal to help pay claims by residents and businesses.

The Senate has already passed a $60.4 billion aid package.










Read More..

Naked man arrested after choking family dog




















A barking dog woke a homeowner out of his early morning sleep Wednesday. When he grabbed his gun and went to check, he found a naked man choking the family pet.

When the victim tried to intercede, the culprit quickly turned around and began biting the man, according to Miami Police.

Fearing for his life, the victim shot the man, while family members called police.





The culprit continued to fight with officers who arrived on the scene.

The subject finally was taken into custody and transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center to be treated for a gunshot wound.

The victim was treated for his injuries.

Police charged the man, who refused to give his name, with burglary with an assault, resisting arrest with violence, lewd and lascivious behavior and animal cruelty.





Read More..

Apple reportedly considering Waze acquisition to help fix iOS Maps app









Title Post: Apple reportedly considering Waze acquisition to help fix iOS Maps app
Url Post: http://www.news.fluser.com/apple-reportedly-considering-waze-acquisition-to-help-fix-ios-maps-app/
Link To Post : Apple reportedly considering Waze acquisition to help fix iOS Maps app
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment




Read More..

Five Things You Don't Know About Marion Cotillard

This Academy Award-winning actress (for 2007's La Vie en Rose) is getting Oscar buzz again after picking up Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for her performance in the French-language drama Rust and Bone. Here are five things you probably don't know about Marion Cotillard.

1. Born September 30, 1975 in Paris, France. Her father was an actor, playwright and director and her mother was an actress and drama teacher.

VIDEO: Marion Cotillard on Getting a Lifetime Achievement Award at 37

2. Has spoken on behalf of Greepeace and traveled the world to try to raise awareness about major environmental issues.

3. Has confessed that she's an "obsessed" fan of the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.

RELATED: Stars React To Their Golden Globe Nominations

4. Is a singer and has been known to dress up like a man and perform under the name Simone with the French singer Yodelice.

5. Was considered to play Hanna Schmitz in the World War II drama The Reader after Nicole Kidman dropped out due to pregnancy, but the role eventually went to Kate Winslet.

VIDEO: Impossible Oscar Buzz Makes Naomi Watts Nervous

Read More..

Cruise industry veteran Pamela Conover named CEO of SeaDream




















SeaDream Yacht Club, a niche cruise operator with two small ships, announced the appointment of Pamela Conover as CEO on Wednesday.

Conover, who was previously president and CEO of luxury six-ship Seabourn Cruise Line, took over the position Wednesday. It had been filled by Atle Brynestad, SeaDream’s chairman and owner, since 2009. SeaDream president Bob Lepisto will keep that role.

Since 2011, when Seabourn moved its offices from Miami to Seattle, Conover has been special advisor and brand ambassador for the brand, part of Carnival Corp. She was Seabourn’s president and CEO from 2006-2011 and also served as president and chief operating officer of Cunard Line Limited, which operated Cunard and Seabourn ships, from 2001 until 2004, when the brands were split.





She will work from the Miami office of SeaDream, known for its focus on service and upscale but casual atmosphere. SeaDream’s “yachts,” as they’re called, sail to the Caribbean, Costa Rica, the Amazon, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and Asia.

Conover and Brynestad have their former companies in common: Brynestad founded Seabourn in 1987 and became chairman of Cunard Line Limited when Seabourn and Cunard merged in 1998. He left that job in 2000 and founded SeaDream the following year, using ships that were formerly from the Seabourn fleet.

“I am delighted to have an executive of Pam’s talent and expertise to lead the SeaDream management team,” Brynestad said in a statement. “We have worked together over the years and have a great track record of success together.”





Read More..

Former MTA boss Joe Lhota strongly hints at mayoral run

Former MTA boss Joe Lhota all but told Republican Party leaders today that he’s a candidate for mayor and he’s equipped to run the nation’s largest city.

“Mr. Lhota made an excellent case that he would be an effective mayor,” Staten Island GOP chairman Bob Scamardella said following a meeting with Lhota.

“I asked if he has decided to run. Mr. Lhota told me, `I’m going through the decision-making process now. But I wouldn’t have the left the MTA if I did not think I was going to be a candidate for mayor.’”

“In my mind, he’s just about there (a candidate). His decision is going to be `yes,’” Scamardella said.




Joseph M. Calisi



MTA Chairman/CEO Joe Lhota.



Lhota, who just stepped down as MTA chairman, served as top deputy to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Read More..