Sunday, December 27, 2009

plus 4, Watson: Right where I want to be - Wichita Falls Times Record News

plus 4, Watson: Right where I want to be - Wichita Falls Times Record News

Watson: Right where I want to be - Wichita Falls Times Record News

Posted: 26 Dec 2009 10:37 PM PST

Ten years ago this week, I left the newspaper business.

After seven years at the paper, I decided to return to my educational roots and abandon this little detour.

I had taken detours before.

In fact, I had no intention of embarking on a career in journalism in the first place. I wanted to be a pharmacist.

A chemistry nerd in high school who spent as much time at science fairs as I did on the cheerleading squad, I loved balancing equations. My favorite drinking game — but I don't drink — was diagraming the chemical makeup of saccharine. Trust me, it brings the house down.

As one of the first in my family to go to college, my high school-educated parents took great pride in telling anyone who would listen that their little girl was going to be a pharmacist.

They had high hopes for me.

Midway through my first semester at the University of Georgia, those hopes came crashing down, literally.

You see, I'm pretty much a klutz, a dangerous characteristic when you're preparing medications.

In chemistry lab, I hooked the Bunsen burner up to the water instead of the gas, spraying practically everyone in my class. I blew up a sink, nearly, when I accidentally poured zinc oxide in the pipes. I burned my hands with the lye soap I made, frying the top layer of my skin when I lathered before my classmates. The solution was more acidic than basic.

This would not be the career for me.

So I ventured into the journalism school, not for news writing but hospital marketing. If I couldn't cure them, I'd make sure they knew who could. After graduation, I did just that, working at a couple of hospitals in Georgia while my husband finished graduate school.

When I followed him to Texas, however, I couldn't find a similar job here, so I answered a classified ad in the newspaper and ended up as a general assignments reporter for my mentor, former editor Carroll Wilson. He took a chance on me, whittling my stories down to next to nothing and building them back up, into something readers might find interesting.

It was an invaluable apprenticeship. He allowed me to tackle numerous tasks in the newsroom, from copy editing to editorial writing. A career, you could say.

But I was only passing through, I thought. This is not what I wanted to be when I grew up.

So I left, 10 years ago, to work in a hospital foundation, a step away from marketing and a giant leap into fundraising. The causes were immensely worthwhile, and the message easy for me to craft. Raising money through grant writing, I could do. Raising big money by knocking on doors, not necessarily my strong suit.

That detour lasted nearly a year, and I would not change that decision for anything.

By leaving, even for 12 months, I realized how much the ink had gotten into my blood.

Just a month before I left the hospital job, on Election Day 2000, I joined my newsroom friends for lunch. The topics of conversation centered around the hotly contested presidential election between Vice President Al Gore and George W. Bush. The exit polls promised a down-to-the-wire finish, yet we had no idea just how long the decision would take. The banter was lively, almost worthy of a cable news talk show.

This was fun, I thought.

Someone said, across nacho chips and queso, "You should come back to the paper." I should, I said, half-jokingly, missing the banter that comes with hanging out with journalists. Before the end of the day, Wilson had offered me a job.

And, as the saying goes, I've been here ever since.

The decade has flown by. It would seem like yesterday, if so much hadn't happened. In that first year back, the United States was attacked by terrorists, and in the years following, we went to war, I became a mother again, Britney Spears shaved her head, and my mentor retired from here.

The industry has taken a hit, and our obituary has been written, prematurely, I believe. We prove our relevance every day, transforming much like we have before, when hot lead ruled the back shop.

I have a front-row seat to history, of the world and of journalism.

And I wouldn't want to be sitting anywhere else.

Buckle up, and welcome to a new decade.

Deanna Watson's column appears here on Sundays. Watson, the editor, can be reached by e-mail at watsond@timesrecordnews.com.

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Just a tip: Don't bring heroin to the courtroom - Miami Herald

Posted: 26 Dec 2009 10:01 PM PST

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THE WEEK THAT WAS

Calle 13 leads nominees in Latin Grammy Awards

Calle 13 leads the list of Latin Grammy nominated artists with five nods.

The alternative Puerto Rican hip-hop duo will compete for album of the year against Colombian singer-songwriter Andres Cepeda, Nicaraguan salsa singer Luis Enrique, folksy Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa and Brazilian musician Ivan Lins & The Metropole Orchestra at the 10th annual Latin Grammy Awards on Nov. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

``We are super happy,'' said Calle 13's Rene ``Residente'' Perez, who heard about the nominations at home in Puerto Rico. ``The Latin Grammy Awards are, for us, valid because they have to do a lot with the music, with the art.''

Steven Tyler in rehab for painkiller addiction

Steven Tyler has entered a rehabilitation facility to treat an addiction to painkillers the Aerosmith frontman has taken to cope with 10 years of performance injuries.

Tyler said he's eager to return to work with his band mates.

"I love Aerosmith; I love performing as the lead singer in Aerosmith. I am grateful for all of the support and love I am receiving and am committed to getting things taken care of," the 61-year-old rocker said in a statement released Tuesday.

Buju Banton set to appear at bail hearing in Miami

Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton is set to appear in Miami federal court.

A bail hearing is scheduled Wednesday morning for the 36-year-old singer, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie.

Banton and two others allegedly attempted to buy a large amount of cocaine from an undercover law enforcement officer in Sarasota last week. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was tipped off by a confidential informant.

Celebrity birthdays on Dec. 25

Singer Tony Martin is 96. Actor Dick Miller is 81. Rhythm-and-blues singer John Edwards (The Spinners) is 65. Singer Jimmy Buffett is 63. Country singer Barbara Mandrell is 61. Actress Sissy Spacek is 60. Actress CCH Pounder is 57. Singer Annie Lennox is 55. Singer-musician Robin Campbell (UB40) is 55. Singer Shane MacGowan (The Pogues) is 52. Rock musician Noel Hogan (The Cranberries) is 38. Singer Dido is 38. Singers Jess and Lisa Origliasso (The

Veronicas) are 25.

Wyclef Jean tapes Haiti plea

Haitian-born rap star Wyclef Jean has recorded a radio message asking people in the country to give up crime, the BBC rerports.

"If you love Wyclef that means you love Haiti," he said in Creole in a short ad run by local stations in the nation, according to the report..

Jean, 35, was made a roving ambassador for Haiti last year by President Rene Preval. The singer gained fame as a member of hip-hop trio The Fugees.

PETE DOHERTY: The Babyshambles singer was arrested for heroin possession minutes after getting sentenced for reckless driving. He really should guest star on truTV's World's Dumbest.

TAYLOR SWIFT: The AP named the 20-year-old country singer entertainer of the year. Just stay away from the tattoos and stripping poles.

THE HEENES: The parents responsible for the Balloon Boy hoax will have to do time. Looks like their dream of a reality show has floated away.

PRINCE WILLIAM: The heir to the throne spent the night on the streets of London to call attention to the homeless. His five bodyguards didn't shave to blend in.

BRITNEY SPEARS: An L.A. judge has ruled the 28-year-old singer will remain under the conservatorship of her father. Too bad the court didn't get to Brittany Murphy first.

CHRISTINA AGUILERA: The singer was in a minor fender bender, and it made headline news. Can't wait to hear about her parallel parking abilities.

AMY WINEHOUSE: The Rehab singer was arrested yet again -- this time for disrupting a children's production of Cinderella. What's next, Ames? Stealing candy from babies?

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Guerry Clegg commentary: Offering some perspective on the Atlanta ... - Ledger-Enquirer

Posted: 26 Dec 2009 10:37 PM PST

At the same time, let's put this in perspective:

Even the franchise that is the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers — ineptitude personified — produced consecutive winning seasons. And they didn't have just two; they notched three straight, though you have to trace the streak back to their point of origin, when they were the Buffalo Braves.

Even the San Diego Padres, whose .538 losing percentage leads all major league baseball franchises save the still relatively new Tampa Bay Rays, have posted consecutive winning seasons.

And even in their inept days before their historic run of 14 consecutive division championships, the Atlanta Braves had consecutive winning seasons (1982-83).

So lest you think shedding this anvil of futility is as hollow as a Brett Favre retirement speech, think again. And that's aside from the obvious, that winning these last two games, like a milestone birthday, sure beats the alternative.

The Atlanta Falcons will complete their 44th season a week from today. With two wins — or one win and one tie — over Buffalo today and Tampa Bay next Sunday, they will finish with a winning season. That alone is noteworthy, as it would be just their 10th winning season ever. But, as Jerry Glanville once said (and about the only thing he ever got right), "NFL stands for 'Not For Long.' "

Indeed, the Falcons' combined record in the first year after those first eight winning seasons is 46-78. That computes to a "winning" percentage of .371, dreadful even by their low-bar standards. Their all-time winning percentage of .401 is third-worst among current NFL franchises, ahead of Tampa Bay and Houston. In other words, just when you think they may have turned a corner, they not only regressed but fell flatter than Wile E. Coyote at the bottom of the canyon.

Twice, they defied that pattern. Following their first winning season in 1971, the Falcons were 7-5 going into their last two games. They lost both.

They were even closer four years ago. They were 8-5 with three games to play. They lost all three.

Ending such an inglorious streak is not what any of these current players or coaches bargained for. For one thing, very few of these current Falcons had even a little part in that aforementioned ineptitude, even if Jason Snelling in a throwback uniform does look frighteningly similar to Cannonball Butler.

Thomas Dimitroff, the most prudent executive the Falcons have employed (now there's a short roll call) was a defensive back at the University of Guelph when Atlanta ignored every bit of common sense and made Auburn's Aundray Bruce the first overall draft choice in 1988. Mike Smith, the Falcons' universally respected head coach, is as far from Glanville as Beyonce is from Britney Spears.

Even if the Falcons lose both of these last two games, the leadership tandem of Dimitroff and Smith fosters realistic hope that this streak of futility will end sooner or later.

But the sooner the better.

Their path is reasonably clear. Buffalo and Tampa Bay are a combined 7-19. One trademark of Smith's teams has been their ability to take care of business against inferior opponents.

To their credit, these current Falcons have embraced this opportunity rather than shirk any responsibility. Quarterback Matt Ryan, quoted on the team's Web site, called it "a milestone for the Atlanta Falcons."

Settling for a winning season was not what lured Tony Gonzalez, the future Hall of Fame tight end, to leave Kansas City and sign with Atlanta. Still, the historical significance did not escape him.

"I think it's real important," Gonzalez said, "that we go out and get that done."

Guerry Clegg, gclegg@ledger-enquirer.com

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Skirting rules on executive pay - NorthJersey.com

Posted: 26 Dec 2009 10:29 PM PST

How do you know whether a charity will use your donations for a good cause? Here are some tips:

Don't let charities pressure you into contributing on the spot. Request written information and do your own homework before donating. Reputable charities generally spend at least 65 percent of their money on "program services" and no more than 35 percent on administration and fund raising. The following Web sites will help inform you.

Charity Navigator www.charitynavigator.org

Evaluates how efficiently and effectively non-profits operate. To see ratings for many large and midsized non-profits, type in the name of the organization in the "charity search" box at the top of the Web page.

The Better Business Bureau www.bbb.org/us/charity

Offers research and advice on charitable giving. On the Web page, you can read the BBB's "Wise Giving" guides and check out reports and complaints on individual non-profits.

Guidestar www.guidestar.org

Provides in-depth information about charities. You can view the detailed returns that non-profits file with the IRS by clicking on the bar that reads "Forms 990 and docs." Those returns provide information about a charity's revenues and expenses, including pay for its leaders. To make full use of the site, users must register — but a basic registration is free.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In Cornelius, N.C., a non-profit set up to help people in debt paid its chief executive more than $5 million — nearly everything it had.

In Anson County, N.C., a charity that worked to keep troubled children in school paid its leader about $300,000 a year, roughly twice as much as the county superintendent of schools.

In Spartanburg, S.C., a non-profit religious broadcaster paid its president and her husband nearly $800,000 — a third of the organization's budget.

On paper, federal law prohibits charities from awarding excessive compensation to their leaders.

But in practice, loopholes and understaffed regulators allow non-profits to pay almost any salary, a Charlotte Observer investigation found.

"The [IRS] criteria for excessive compensation are so loose that they're virtually worthless …" said Pablo Eisenberg, a senior fellow at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. "The sky's the limit."

Regulators rarely enforce the rules that do exist. Most years, fewer than 10 of the nearly 2 million U.S. non-profit leaders are penalized for receiving excessive compensation. And the IRS office that monitors non-profits is so thinly staffed it examines just 1 percent of their returns.

Taxpayers and charitable donors pay the price. Each year, charities get tax breaks worth more than $60 billion.

To be sure, most non-profit leaders do crucial, difficult work for relatively little pay. The majority get less than $100,000 a year, according to data compiled by Guidestar, a group that collects information on thousands of nonprofits. Most spend the bulk of their budgets on charitable works rather than executive compensation.

"Most non-profit executives are terribly paid," notes charity watchdog Rick Cohen.

But there are glaring exceptions.

More than 200 charities across the nation pay CEOs over more than $1 million a year.

While salaries for corporate executives dropped about 9 percent last year, the economic downturn did little to curb pay for charity CEOs. Non-profit leaders got a 6 percent raise, on average, according to a study by Charity Navigator, which evaluates non-profits.

Ken Berger, Charity Navigator's president, says most non-profits aren't trying to line the pockets of their executives. But he's troubled by the many who are.

"These kinds of scoundrels poison the public's trust in the whole sector," he says.

Confidence in Charlotte's United Way took a beating in 2008 following news of a $2 million pension package awarded to former CEO Gloria Pace King, who was fired amid outrage over her pay.

Hospital executives and university presidents — who usually bring home between $100,000 and $1 million a year — dominate the list of best-paid non-profit leaders. But even smaller charities that depend on donations and tax dollars can receive dole out generous salaries.

To understand non-profit compensation in the Carolinas, the Observer analyzed a database listing pay for more than 10,000 nonprofit executives.

Reporters then looked in-depth at top-paying non-profits in several categories, taking into consideration the organizations' budgets and how they compared to their peers.

Tax-exempt status

The nation's non-profit sector has grown rapidly in recent years, with total revenue approaching $2 trillion. That exceeds the combined annual revenue of America's eight largest corporations.

If all those tax-exempt organizations were for-profit companies, they'd likely be required to pay at least $60 billion a year in taxes on investment income alone, according to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service.

At times, though, tax-exempt organizations can be just as profit-driven as companies owned by investors, says U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who is pushing a proposal that would make it harder for non-profits to justify enormous salaries.

"Sometimes the only difference is that investor-owned entities return profits to shareholders while tax-exempts return profits to executives," Grassley said recently.

Virtually all charities have to do to pass muster with the IRS is show they examined salaries of people in comparable positions and left the decision to independent boards.

The rules allow non-profits to compare their pay packages to those of executives in the for-profit world, where seven-figure compensation is common.

The result: Non-profits "can find a justification [for pay] that any person on the street would find problems with," says Dean Zerbe, former tax counsel for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.

In one case under investigation by Grassley, a salary study for a non-profit leader compared his pay to that of Oprah Winfrey and Britney Spears.

Profit possible

Federal rules also let charity executives and board members profit by doing business with the nonprofits they run.

American Credit Counselors, for instance, paid millions for services provided by companies owned by chief executive Waskin and his wife, Cheryl.

The law allows charities to strike such deals — as long as they're at fair-market value.

The IRS can impose fines — known as "excise taxes" — on nonprofit leaders found to be receiving excessive pay or benefits.

But in reality, that rarely happens. Since 2003, the IRS has taken that step about 10 times a year on average.

Part of the problem, experts say, is thin staffing at the IRS office that's supposed to monitor non-profits.

From 2005 to 2008, the number of charities filing returns with the IRS increased by 38 percent, according to data from the National Center for Charitable Statistics. But staffing in the IRS branch that monitors non-profits declined over that period.

Marc Owens, who headed the IRS' non-profit branch for a decade before leaving in 2000, said the office doesn't get the attention it deserves from the IRS — an agency that is primarily concerned with collecting taxes, not regulating charities.

The office also isn't set up to react quickly to complaints about charities, he said. The reason: It relies on annual tax returns as its chief fact-finding document, so its agents often don't see what's gone wrong at a charity for two years.

That's why Owens favors setting up a new oversight agency outside the IRS.

"It would have its own independent source of funding so it wouldn't be an orphan embedded in the collection agency of the IRS," Owens said. "It would be its own master."

Little IRS oversight

The IRS's non-profit bureau isn't likely to get a large infusion of resources anytime soon, says Lois Lerner, who heads the office.

"I'm not going to have my staff multiplied by 100 so we need to use other tools," Lerner told the Observer.

With research and new reporting requirements, the agency has tried to get a better handle on how charities pay their executives, Lerner noted.

During a project launched in 2004, the IRS examined 782 nonprofits that reported significant pay to their executives. In most cases, the agency found the charities could justify the pay. But the agency found problems at 25 organizations and assessed $21 million in penalties.

The agency recently revamped its Form 990 — the return filed by non-profits — to collect more information about non-profit pay and how it's set.

"We're doing a pretty good job," Lerner said. "That doesn't mean that if we had more staff we couldn't do more exams."

Lawmakers could help, some experts say, by turning to an appropriate source of revenue: the excise taxes collected from nonprofit foundations. Those taxes, based on the investment income foundations earn, now go into the general fund. Beefed-up enforcement could help pay for itself by generating more tax revenue.

While experts have divergent thoughts about how to fix the system, they agree on this: The time is ripe for change.

"The sector is hugely important in the lives of our citizenry," said Owens, the former IRS official who now works as a lawyer representing charities. "The government and the public deserve someone paying attention to how well the system is working."

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Stimulate senses with fab fragrances - Edmonton Journal

Posted: 26 Dec 2009 11:05 PM PST

Fragrance evokes the innermost sense of who we are. If we want to present a gift of scent, it's essential to get it just right -- and that's not easy when there are some 300 new fragrance launches each year. In 2009, though, we saw several gorgeous new fragrances, packaged in even more gorgeous bottles. Here are just a few to choose from:

Estée Lauder Private Collection Jasmine White Moss

This is the most recent in a series of lovely fragrances from creative director Aerin Lauder and inspired by her grandmother, the late Estée Lauder, and a fragrance formula she began (but never finished) many years ago. Jasmine White Moss is a modern yet classic lush green floral chypre fragrance. An opulent white bouquet is surrounded by delicate moss and rich woods, with citrus top notes. Price: 30 mL eau de parfum spray $80; 30 mL parfum spray $345. Holt Renfrew.

Lise Watier Folies Neiges

First there was Neiges, a lovely bouquet of white flowers. Now the Quebec designer has released Folies Neiges, a fragrance that is joyfully feminine and spontaneous. It is at once citrusy and filled with fresh spring blossoms, a happy scent for a winter day. Price: 100 mL eau de parfum spray $75 at Sears, The Bay, London Drugs and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise

Fans of the English perfumer Jo Malone know how much she loves the intense, pure scents of the natural world, and her latest is no exception. But Vanilla & Anise might just be her sexiest fragrance yet -- it's been shown that men consider the aroma of vanilla a true aphrodisiac, while women feel the same way about the scent of anise. Here she's captured the essence of the rare vanilla orchid, a fragile blossom that exists for only the briefest of moments. Price: 30 mL eau de toilette $70; 100 mL is $118. Holt Renfrew.

Notre Flore Collection, Labdanum and Mimosa, by L'Occitane

Those of us who love the ease and warmth of the Mediterranean will cherish the latest fragrances from L'Occitane en Provence's Notre Flore Collection. There are two new scents: the warm and enveloping Notre Flore Labdanum has citrus fruits and spices as a top note, labdanum (a fragrant resin similar to amber) at its heart, and a base of benzoin and vanilla; and the light, sweet Notre Flore Mimosa has violet leaf as the top, mimosa as the heart and almond accord as the base. Price: 75 mL eau de parfum $92, available at L'Occitane boutiques, online at www.loccitane.ca or toll-free mail order at 877-212-0238.

Prada L'Eau Ambrée

Amber is a luscious aroma to be sure, but it can be more than a little overwhelming. Prada's new take on it is surprisingly light and clean, without sacrificing its deep, warm, sensual notes. L'Eau Ambrée offers subtle floral notes as well as patchouli, vanilla and opponax. Price: 50 mL eau de parfum $95; 80 mL $120. Holt Renfrew.

Couture Couture by Juicy Couture

Juicy's latest fragrance is for the gal who likes to break the rules. It's bursting with fruit aromas like mandarin and pink grape and rich floral notes of orange flower, honeysuckle and star jasmine, with seductive sandalwood, amber and vanilla beneath. Price: 50 mL $76. 100 mL $99 at major department and drug stores.

Circus Fantasy by Britney Spears

For a star whose life was something of a circus for a good long time, it's interesting that Britney Spears would have chosen that for the theme of her new fragrance. It may come in a cheesy-looking bottle, but is actually a luscious blend of rich fruits, tempting florals and creamy musks: you may detect sugar-coated raspberry, apricot blossom, blue peony, water lily, red sweetheart, sweet vanilla wood, creamy musks and violet candy. Price 50 mL $63; 100 mL $78. Sears and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Mariah Carey Forever

Opulent is the only way to describe Mariah Carey's latest fragrance, and it seems only fitting, for a recording artist who embodies the very ideal of opulence. Forever comes in a gorgeous Art

Deco-inspired bottle, and a luscious bouquet of tuberose, gardenia, neroli and lotus blossom with a depth of exotic woods and white musk. Price: 50 mL $63; 100 mL $78. At select department stores.

The Body Shop Love Etc ... Collection

Love comes in many forms, all of which are poured into The Body Shop's new fragrance. Love Etc... is the world's first eau de parfum made from community-trade alcohol sourced from organic sugar cane farmers in Ecuador. It is redolent with luscious notes of vanilla, jasmine and sandalwood. Price: 30 mL eau de parfum $24; 50ml $29.50; gift set with body wash and lotion $60. Available at The Body Shop.

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