Depardieu meets Putin, gets Russian passport

Mikhail Klimentyev / RIA Novosti via Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, greets French actor Gerard Depardieu during their meeting in Sochi on Saturday.

By Reuters

French film star Gerard Depardieu met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea town of Sochi and obtained his Russian passport, the Kremlin said on Sunday, after he left his homeland to avoid a new tax rate for millionaires.?

Putin signed a decree on Thursday granting Russian citizenship to Depardieu, who objected to French Socialist president Francois Hollande's plan to impose the 75 percent tax rate. His decision to quit France had prompted accusations of national betrayal.?

The Russian president and Depardieu were shown on state-run Channel One shaking hands and hugging each other early on Sunday during what the Kremlin said was a private visit by the actor to Russia.?

"A brief meeting between the president and Depardieu took place," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "On the occasion of his visit to Russia, he was handed a Russian passport."?

Peskov did not say whether Putin personally gave Depardieu the passport or if he picked it up through standard procedures. He said the actor also told Putin about his career plans.?

Depardieu, star of the movies "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Green Card", is a popular figure in Russia, where he has appeared in many advertising campaigns, including for ketchup. He also worked there in 2011 on a film about the eccentric Russian monk Grigory Rasputin.?

Putin asked Depardieu whether he was pleased with his work in the movie, TV footage of their meeting showed, with the French actor saying he had already sent Putin some excerpts from it.?

Depardieu bought a house in Belgium last year to avoid the French income tax increase. French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called Depardieu's decision to seek Belgian residency "pathetic" and unpatriotic, prompting an angry response from the actor.?

Putin said last month that Depardieu would be welcome in Russia, which has a flat income tax rate of 13 percent, compared to the 75 percent on income over 1 million euros ($1.30 million) that Hollande wants to levy in France.?

He offered Depardieu a Russian passport, saying he had a close, special relationship with France and had developed warm ties with the actor, even though they had rarely met.?

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/01/06/16383204-french-actor-depardieu-meets-putin-picks-up-russian-passport?lite

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Say Anything Kent Conrad Will Earn $20,000 - $50,000 On Public ...

The headline says Conrad will earn something in that price range for public speaking gigs now that his Senate career is (thankfully) over, but it seems unlikely to this observer that anyone would pay that much to Conrad say dry, obvious things about the nation?s finances.

Conrad was a regular guest on the cable talk shows about fiscal matters, and most recently the ?fiscal cliff,? but let?s be honest. In reality Conrad was an outsider to those negotiations. At the end of his career, he was irrelevant.

Anyway, according to his booking page on the Leading Authorities website (LA apparently has an exclusive contract to book Conrad?s services) Conrad will earn the following rates for speaking appearances:

Local Fee Range
$20,001.00 to $30,000.00

West Coast Fee Range
$25,001.00 to $50,000.00

East Coast Fee Range
$25,001.00 to $50,000.00

So what area is defined by the ?local fee range?? It?s not the upper midwest region, that?s for sure. According to the website, Conrad travels from Washington DC. Meaning that if anyone was holding out hope that Senator Conrad would be returning to live in North Dakota now that his time in Washington is up, they can disabuse themselves of that notion now.

I mean, nobody really thought Conrad was going to move into that apartment in a 4-plex in Bismarck he was claiming as his official residence, did they?

Which is an interesting contrast with other leaders who have served North Dakota. Former Governor Ed Schafer went to Washington DC to serve as Secretary of Agriculture in the Bush administration. When his service was up, he came back to live and work in North Dakota. Former Senator Mark Andrews also returned to North Dakota to live and work after he left the Senate. Former Congressman Rick Berg, who lost his bid to serve in the Senate, has returned to North Dakota after serving a term in the House where, he told me, he plans on getting involved in investment opportunities in the state.

By contrast, Senators Dorgan and Conrad, as well as Rep. Earl Pomeroy, all now live outside of North Dakota now that their terms are up.

That speaks volumes, I think.

Tags: Byron Dorgan, Earl Pomeroy, Ed Schafer, Kent Conrad, leading authorities, mark andrews, North Dakota News, Rick Berg

Source: http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/kent-conrad-will-earn-20000-50000-on-public-speaking-tour/

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Break in at Microsoft?s research office sees only iPads stolen

According to a report in a Palo Alto newspaper, a break in took place at Microsoft?s office in Mountain View and the only things that were taken from the property were iPads. The Break in supposedly happened over the Christmas period at one of Microsoft?s research offices and the thief got away with two iPad 2 models, two iPad third generation models and one of the latest iPad 4th generation models. Apparently no Microsoft products were stolen in the burglary.

Police Sgt Sean Thompson said there are no suspects and no sign of forced entry. The iPads were taken from three offices in Microsoft Building 5 on the campus at 1075 La Avenida Street, according to Thompson, the theft was reported on Wednesday.

Thompson said, all employees have access to the building through their electronic key cards. The company told police it was closed for two days on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Thompson said he assumes Microsoft has some sort of video surveillance and will be reviewing who entered and exited the building during the time frame of the theft. So far police do not have any suspect information.

Now before you to start to laugh, there could be a really simple explanation for all this. Maybe the offices didn't have any Microsoft Surface?s or Laptops lying around. Maybe the only things available in those particular offices were Apple?s products. Ok, it?s a long shot I agree, go on, laugh if you want!

Source: macgasm

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/q8vdUkOkOrM/story01.htm

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21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 3 & 4?.The End #21DSD

I started the downward spiral yesterday. Day 3, I woke up feeling extremely dizzy, light-headed and nauseous. As the day progressed, it didn?t get any better until I made my way to Costco and got myself some Pistachios for snacking. I still managed to make it through the day without any major setbacks, but I was feeling not-that-great.

Breakfast was my usual frittata (eggs and mushrooms), followed my large amounts of water.

Lunch was leftovers from the previous night?s dinner, including cottage cheese. Then I had some pistachios and cheese to help me make it through the afternoon.

Dinner was leftover Savory Baked Chicken. Admittedly, I did not eat enough yesterday. Not even close to enough, as a matter of fact. If I ate 800 calories, I?m lucky. It wasn?t on purpose?I was just feeling nauseous and not particularly hungry.

Then Came Day 4

This morning, I woke up to my alarm and stumbled my way into the shower. About five minutes into my shower, I started feeling extremely light-headed, dizzy, nauseous and my arms and legs turned to jelly. I?ve honestly only ever felt like that a few times before after a night of far too much drinking. I lost all strength in my body and ended up having to sit down in the shower to get the shampoo out of my hair (not cute, by the way).

I realized that I wasn?t even going to make it through the shower without getting sick, so I quickly turned off the water then slowly stood up. When I got to my feet, I felt so weak that I could barely walk. The spots in front of my eyes were so big that I literally couldn?t see (like a major head rush, but much longer) and it lasted longer than I?ve ever experienced before.

I had to sit on the bathroom floor and call for my husband to bring me an orange or something that would put some sugar in my body. I was literally minutes away from seriously bad stuff happening, I?m sure of it. I?ve never felt so weak in all my life. Once I got some fruit in me, I was doing better, but I still feel weak and I don?t like it.

The End of my Detox

It?s because of that scary encounter with my bathroom floor this morning that I?m throwing in the towel on the 21-Day Sugar Detox. At the very least, I won?t continue it in its original form. I?m going to add fruit back to my diet and moderate my sugar intake. Clearly, my body needs some sort of sugar to avoid hypoglycemia. I?ve lost four pounds in the last 3 days and I realize that?s not a safe weight loss.

I?m not willing to put my body at risk for weight loss. That?s not safe and it?s not rational.

I?m not saying that the 21-Day Sugar Detox won?t work for anyone?but it isn?t going to work for me in it?s original form.

Please note: This is not a poor reflection on the program in any way. The 21-Day Sugar Detox has worked for thousands of people and many people have gained a new freedom from sugar addiction because of the program. The low blood sugar level that I experienced is not a normal part of the program (yes, you may get low blood sugar, but probably won?t pass out in the shower) and is mostly because of my lack of knowledge about how to properly replace foods.

I was simplyNOT EATING ENOUGH and that caused my blood sugar to crash. I am still going to use much of what I learned from the 21-Day Sugar Detox book, but I will be modifying to fit my lifestyle and nutritional needs.

Have you liked my Facebook page yet? That's where I hang out pretty much always, so head over and stay connected!

Source: http://www.lindsayblogs.com/2013/01/04/21-day-sugar-detox-day-3-4-the-end-21dsd/

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Lilly 2013 profit forecast tops expectations

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Eli Lilly and Co. unveiled a better-than-expected 2013 earnings forecast Friday, in part because the pharmaceutical company expects growth from several established drugs to help make up for revenue lost to generic competition.

The Indianapolis drug developer saw sales for its all-time best-selling drug, the antipsychotics Zyprexa, crater in 2012 after it lost U.S. patent protection. Lilly will take another hit next December when it loses patent protection for its current top seller, the antidepressant Cymbalta.

But company executives told analysts Friday they still expect Cymbalta and another product that loses patent protection in 2013, the insulin Humalog, to help drive revenue growth along with products like the cancer treatment Alimta and the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis.

Lilly also expects more growth from Japan, developing countries and its animal health business.

All told, the drugmaker forecast 2013 adjusted earnings of between $3.75 and $3.90 per share on $22.6 billion to $23.4 billion in revenue.

That topped analyst expectations, on average, for per-share earnings of $3.72, according to FactSet. Analysts also expected $22.87 billion in revenue.

Company shares climbed $1.71, or 3.4 percent, to $51.43 in Friday afternoon trading, while broader indexes rose less than 1 percent.

Lilly said it expects operating expenses will be flat or drop slightly compared with 2012, and that was slightly better than what Edward Jones analyst Judson Clark expected.

He called Lilly's 2013 forecast "a pleasant surprise," but he also noted that plenty of long-term concerns remain. Lilly won't feel the brunt of the Cymbalta patent loss until 2014, and Clark expects the company's earnings to shrink then. What remains to be seen, he said, is whether the drugmaker is willing to preserve its dividend and cut expenses enough to tame that loss.

"We think the real question marks are in 2014," he said.

Lilly also expects to counter the patent expirations by developing new drugs, and the company said Friday it has 13 experimental drugs in late-stage testing, the last phase before a company seeks regulatory approval.

Lilly reiterated on Friday that it expects at least $3 billion in net income and revenue of at least $20 billion through 2014. It also expects to keep paying its dividend and to buy back $1.5 billion in shares this year.

Zyprexa once brought in more than $5 billion in annual revenue for Lilly, but its sales sank 66 percent through the first nine months of 2012 after generic competition entered the market. The company expects revenue from Cymbalta, which topped $4 billion in 2011, to start falling in this year's fourth quarter.

Humalog, Lilly's best-selling insulin, brought in about $1.4 billion in U.S. revenue in 2011. That product may take less of a sales hit after it loses U.S. patent protection in May because it's a biologic drug made from living cells instead of a chemical formula. Those are harder for generic drugmakers to replicate.

Lilly should not expect to replace blockbuster drug revenue with another round of blockbusters, said WBB Securities analyst Steve Brozak. He said the company's success will depend on a combination of drug development, partnerships with other companies and acquisitions that help stoke its product pipeline.

But that approach will be difficult because other drugmakers also are facing patent expirations and will be competing with Lilly on those deals.

"If (Lilly executives) think that business as usual applies, their shareholders are going to vote with their sell orders," he said.

The company reports fourth-quarter and 2012 results Jan. 29.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-04-Eli%20Lilly-Outlook/id-ebaac9c259eb401a83082f0a634e8d12

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Play the Slate News Quiz

The dying days of the winter holidays typically make for a slow news week, but this year even Congress?not always a symbol of tireless diligence?made New Year's a working holiday. I hope you didn't celebrate too hard to keep track of the latest-breaking events of 2012 and the first ones of 2013. Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Not as long as the Slate News Quiz is around.

Question 1 of 12

"I'm willing to get this done," said Sen. Mitch McConnell on Sunday, "but I need a dance partner." Who became McConnell's "dance partner" in new fiscal cliff negotiations that night?

The vice president had worked with McConnell to hammer out similar down-to-the-wire fiscal deals in 2010 and 2011.

Question 2 of 12

"2013" is the first calendar year in a long time to be composed of four sequential digits (in this case, 0, 1, 2, and 3). How long ago was the last such year?

It hasn't happened since 1432.

Question 3 of 12

Neurobiologists at the University of Rochester announced this week that which of these could be a cause of Alzheimer's disease?

Working at NASA, the scientists learned that deep-space radiation had serious cognitive impact on mice, a discovery that could affect manned missions to Mars and beyond.

Question 4 of 12

In retaliation for U.S. legislation condemning Russian human rights abuses, Vladimir Putin signed a bill last Friday banning what from Russia?

Question 5 of 12

What is the Kulluk, grounded on Monday due to stormy conditions?

There is currently no sign of leakage from the drilling ship, which ran aground near Kodiak Island.

Question 6 of 12

What famed 88-year-old, who celebrated his 80th and 85th birthdays by taking up skydiving, spent the holidays in intensive care with a bronchitis scare?

The recovering former president, who was moved out of intensive care on Saturday, has been in good spirits and "even singing," said his spokesman.

Question 7 of 12

Belgium authorities have announced plans to charge what group, whose European arm is based in Brussels, as a criminal organization?

Prosecutors expect to charge the religious organization on counts including extortion, fraud, and illegally practicing medicine.

Question 8 of 12

In an attempt to resolve the fiscal cliff stand-off, Starbucks instructed its Beltway-area baristas to write what Beatles song title on every coffee cup served?

The crisis was resolved within the week, no doubt thanks in large part to Starbucks' heroic efforts.

Question 9 of 12

United Nations peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi warned Sunday that 100,000 people could die next year due to strife in what country?

Brahimi said that Syria is doomed to "hell" if a political deal can't be reached soon.

Question 10 of 12

Last Friday, Japan's Jirouemon Kimura became the longest-lived man in world history at 115 years, 253 days. To what personal motto does he attribute his longevity?

Rice porridge and miso soup make up a typical meal for Kimura, who was born in 1897, with Queen Victoria still on the British throne.

Question 11 of 12

If actress Kate Winslet takes her new husband's last name, what will her new surname be?

Ned Rocknroll (the former Ned Smith) is his uncle Richard Branson's "Head of Astronaut Relations and Marketing."

Question 12 of 12

Marching crowds in Hong Kong donned what unusual garb on New Year's Day to protest the city's controversial chief executive Leung Chun-ying?

The long-nosed masks refer to accusations that Leung has lied in an ongoing scandal over building projects at his home.

You got 8 out of 12 answers correct in 20 minutes 30 seconds.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=3081a213529552db5e1218531d0643a9

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Inside the mind of a criminal

You work for the behavioural analysis unit, your goal, to stop the criminal using you profiling skills. ROLEPLAY IN CONSTRUCTION can still take charters in.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

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