Barbra Streisand declares: 'I'm not a diva'

By Courtney Hazlett, TODAY

If you're among those who thinks of Barbra Streisand and the word "diva" comes to mind, you might be especially interested in the singing legend's new role, in which she's anything but.?In "The Guilt Trip" Streisand plays Joyce, mom to a character played by Seth Rogan. Joyce is a Gap-loving, sneaker-wearing, candy-eating, doting mom from New Jersey. In other words, she's anything but a diva.

In an exclusive interview with TODAY host Savannah Guthrie, the singer says she and the character have lots in common. "Yeah, there's a part of me that's very like Joyce. You know, I'm -- I like to be very comfortable, so I was able to wear sweatsuits and sneakers, you know -- the part of me that really came from Brooklyn," she said.?

To be clear, Streisand emphasizes that despite what some people might say, "I'm not a diva. I don't think so," she said. "I'm very down-to-earth."

But back to Brooklyn --?Streisand recently performed her very first concert there, an experience that was meaningful, she told Guthrie. "It made me really appreciate coming from Brooklyn. You just know where you stand in Brooklyn ... Those are my people. That's where I was born.?That's where I was raised.?That's where I also wanted to escape from."

Escaping is something Streisand is able to do from time to time. She told Guthrie that she and her husband James Brolin are fans of taking a road trip.

"We bought a truck with a bench seat so you could sit next to each other," Streisand said. "It's fun to get away.?You close those doors and it's just the two of you."

Acting, performing, going on road trips: Streisand's life has been a full one of late. But there's one type of project she still hopes to tackle. Like many performers before her, she's wants a chance to be a director.

"I wanna direct movies. That's what I wanna do. Be behind the camera, not in front of the camera. Just get the best out of actors, the best out of a story," Streisand said. In the meantime though, Streisand says she's feeling grateful for how things have unfolded.

"You know, as I said on stage in these tours, I was feeling very grateful at this period of my life.?And grateful for the people who have supported me for a lot of years.?And grateful for life itself."

Related content:

More in TODAY Entertainment:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/12/07/15732616-barbra-streisand-declares-im-not-a-diva?lite

guernsey nit colcannon dystonia tourettes gonzaga rosie o donnell

Eyeing public companies you never heard of. Maybe's there's a gem ...

There are thousands of public companies you never heard of. There are reasons. Most haven?t done well in the past two years. Or they?re new and taking a very long time to get ramped up. Or they screwed up. (hired too many people, expanded too quick) and then? they ?restructured? (fired people, sold divisions). Or they have marketing-challenged managements. Or all combined.

Fact is it?s not easy to be a small public company today. Especially if your stock has been around 17 cents all year.

The worst ones are biotech. Most are so far from an approved drug they can sell that you wonder why they even bother. I met one that was selling for $700 three years ago, then dropped to 28 cents and is now 56 cents. Heh, we doubled the price this year. As one biotech director quipped, ?If mice had money, we?d all be millionaires.? He was referring to all the mice whose lives were saved by new drugs. Of course, most of them were made sick deliberately by old drugs. But, that?s another story. Maybe.

The LD Micro Conference I?m attending in L.A. features public companies selling at 11 cents on up. Many are under $1. Virtually all are under $10. There is one selling at $26.88 ? BOFI Holdings. BOFI is the holding company for Bank of Internet USA. It works over the Internet from one location in San Diego. Its sales have exploded. One is selling at $24 ? the DDD Group, which develops and sells software to let you watch 3D images without glasses. Their sales are growing nicely. BOFI and DDD present today.

But they?re not this morning?s story.

Nor is this morning?s story a diatribe on CEOs who can?t speak publicly or Powerpoint slides the audience can?t read because there?s too many words, numbers, pie charts, and zillions of circles and arrows all crammed into unbelievable clutter. Nor is this about using cliches, like ?game changer,? or ?restructuring?, or our ?exit strategy.? But it could be about all these presentation practices which can give irritation a whole new meaning. I wonder if any of these CEOs have ever heard of communications coaches. They sure could use a few.

I spied four trends ? first, making online purchases better, faster, bigger with software and other services. Second, making commerce work on smartphones. Dumb phones that only make phone calls and do SMS are dead. Now everyone has apps that do everything from price shopping to calling limousines. And everyone is buying a smartphone. Third, everyone is eying social media ? especially Facebook and now also Google Plus ? as a way of finding out what consumers want to buy and then selling it to them online. Fourth, everyone and everything is moving to the cloud. The cloud is hot. Since I write this column ?in the cloud,? I am aware of its perils.

I?m here to find nuggets. Here goes with nuggets, albeit preliminary ones and based on my listening to their 25 minute presentations and getting in an occasional question ? but no additional research.

I liked Acacia Research (ACTG). They get patents from the holders, license them and split the revenues. Their sales are exploding. They have 250 patent portfolios and seem to be getting more every day. They mine money from their patents.? Companies will license patents as a peace of mind thing ? not being sued down the road when they?re successful with their shiney new products. The lawyers are winning, again.

I liked Local Corp. (LOCM). They help local businesses (many of whom don?t have web sites) be contacted by people looking for local services, like hairdressing or dog grooming, etc.

I liked Newtek Business Service (NEWT). They?re the only non-bank SBA-approved lender, which means that of every $100 they lend to a small business, they can immediately sell off $75 ? the part that?s SBA-insured. They hold the remaining 25% on their balance sheet, hoping it won?t default. They talked about a 9% default, which seemed high to me. They also do ?managed technology solutions? for small businesses ? like web hosting, data storage, cloud computing, etc. Little businesses are being pushed into the 21st century.

I also liked Cinedigm Digital Cinema (CIDM). They process movies for showing in theaters. Their digital files are much larger and far more complex than the movies you and I watch on DVDs. There are worldwide standards for showing in theaters, great theater projection equipment (from Sony and others). Digital movies don?t degrade ? get scratched, etc. These guys seem to be in the right place at the right time.

The good news about the conference was nobody ? and I mean nobody ? talked about the Fiscal Cliff. They all talked about their shiny new thing and their shiny new company. It?s truly exciting to float around watching everyone selling everyone else a deal.? Heh, I?m buying.

That?s it for now. I got to get ready for the early sessions, which begin at ? yuch ? 7.30 AM.

?PYONGYANG (The Borowitz Report)-North Korean leader Kim Jong-un surprised Korea-watchers today by abruptly cancelling his nation?s controversial rocket test and launching a fragrance instead.

The dictator?s signature fragrance, called ?Number Un,? could be on store shelves in time for Christmas, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The decision to launch a fragrance rather than a rocket ?shows a kind of realism that has been rare in the Kim family,? said North Korea expert Dr. Hiroshi Kyosuke, of the University of Tokyo.

?I think Kim Jong-un most likely said to himself, `Given how badly my last rocket did, maybe I?ll just launch a fragrance,? ? he said.

The official North Korean announcement offered this description of the new fragrance: ?Number Un deliriously combines the sweet smells of North Korea?s native unicorns with the irresistible aroma of our Dear Leader himself. This holiday season, every kiss begins with Kim Jong-un.?

Harry Newton, who is aware that his emailed column is truncated. But isn?t quite sure why. If you?re looking for a good reason to hate software, this is it.

Apple got pounded yesterday. Down over 6%. One of the firms raised its margin need on Apple. But the firm was tiny. And not powerful enough to erase over $30 billion of Apple market cap in one day. I suspect people are dumping Apple to lock in gains, figuring their cap gain tax rates will be hugely higher next year. What with the Fiscal Cliff. I?m glad I?ve been warning against Apple, because of no-Steve and no-new products. But I didn?t push short-selling it. Drat. Apple will bounce back, but maybe not until next year. Meantime, I love the iPhone 5. I?m getting one the moment I get back to New York ? tomorrow morning. Stay well. Turn off the TV. Stop with this Fiscal Cliff, for now. There are businesses to start, businesses to buy and products to launch. It?s a good time to be alive ? despite Washington?s efforts to rain upon our parade. Whoever elected the morons?

Which way do you spell eyeing or eying? I like eyeing. But the dictionary tells me I?m wrong. Wait there, I wrote a dictionary. I?ll do it my way.

Source: http://www.technologyinvestor.com/?p=16477

kevin rose sessions march madness scores doonesbury padma lakshmi daughtry lakers trade

Confrontation between rival protesters looms in Egypt

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood called for a rally backing President Mohamed Mursi outside his palace on Wednesday and leftists planned a counter-demonstration, raising fears of clashes in a crisis over a disputed push for a new constitution.

Mursi returned to work at his compound a day after it came under siege from opposition protesters furious at his drive to ratify a new constitution in a snap referendum set for December 15 after temporarily expanding his powers by decree.

The Islamist president said he acted to prevent courts still full of appointees from the era of autocratic predecessor Hosni Mubarak from derailing the draft constitution meant to complete a political transition in the Arab world's most populous state.

The Brotherhood, from which Mursi emerged to narrowly win a free election in June, summoned supporters to a demonstration outside the palace in response to what it termed "oppressive abuses" by opposition parties.

Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan was quoted on its Facebook page as saying opposition groups "imagined they could shake legitimacy or impose their views by force".

Leftist opposition leader Hamdeen Sabahy promptly urged his supporters to go to the streets as well, heightening the chances of confrontation between Islamists and their opponents.

A spokeswoman for Sabahy's Popular Current movement asked protesters to head to the palace to reinforce those still camped out there after Tuesday evening's protests, in which officials said 35 protesters and 40 police were wounded.

Although they fired tear gas when protesters broke through barricades to reach the palace walls, riot police appeared to handle those disturbances with restraint.

About 200 protesters camped out overnight, blocking one gate to the palace in northern Cairo, but traffic was flowing normally and riot police had been withdrawn.

"Our demands to the president: retract the presidential decree and cancel the referendum on the constitution," read a placard hung by demonstrators on a palace gate.

The rest of the Egyptian capital was calm, despite the political furore over Mursi's November 22 decree handing himself wide powers and shielding his decisions from judicial oversight.

Crowds had gathered on Tuesday for what organisers dubbed a "last warning" to Mursi. "The people want the downfall of the regime," they chanted, roaring the signature slogan of last year's uprising that ousted Mubarak.

But the "last warning" may turn out to be one of the last gasps for a disparate opposition that has little chance of stopping next week's vote on a constitution drafted over six months and swiftly approved by an Islamist-dominated assembly.

MURSI STANDS HIS GROUND

Facing the gravest crisis of his six-month-old tenure, the Islamist president has shown no sign of buckling under pressure, confident that the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies can win the referendum and a parliamentary election to follow.

Many Egyptians yearn for an end to political upheaval that has scared off investors and tourists, damaging the economy.

Ahmed Kamel, spokesman for the Congress Party led by former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, said Mursi should meet opposition demands, not call for an Islamist counter-demonstration.

Some protesters have already gone beyond opposition calls for Mursi to scrap his decree, defer the referendum and set up a "representative committee" to revise the draft constitution, instead demanding the president's overthrow.

"The demands of the street are moving faster than those of the politicians," said Elijah Zarwan, a fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations. "Now is the time for the Egyptian liberals to negotiate without conditions."

COURT PROTEST

Dozens of pro-Mursi demonstrators, watched by equal numbers of police, waved flags outside the Supreme Constitutional Court, whose rulings have complicated the Islamists' rise to power.

"You are not a political agency," read one banner held by the demonstrators, addressing a court that in June ordered the dissolution of the Islamist-led lower house of parliament.

Mursi issued his decree temporarily putting his actions above the law to forestall any court ruling to dissolve the upper house or the assembly that wrote the constitution.

State institutions, with the partial exception of the judiciary, have mostly fallen in behind Mursi.

The army, the power behind all previous Egyptian presidents in the republic's six-decade history, has gone back to barracks, having apparently lost its appetite to intervene in politics.

In a bold move, Mursi sacked Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the Mubarak-era army commander and defence minister, in August and removed the sweeping powers that the military council which took over after Mubarak's fall had grabbed two months earlier.

The liberals, leftists, Christians, ex-Mubarak followers and others opposed to Mursi, elected in a close result against a secular rival, have yet to generate a mass movement or a grassroots political base to challenge the Brotherhood.

Protesters have scrawled "leave" over Mursi's palace walls, but the president has made clear he is not going anywhere.

"The crisis we have suffered for two weeks is on its way to an end, and very soon, God willing," Saad al-Katatni, head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, told Reuters.

Investors have seized on hopes that Egypt's turbulent transition, which has buffeted the economy for two years, may soon head for calmer waters, sending stocks 1.6 per cent higher after a 3.5 percent rally on Tuesday.

The most populous Arab nation has turned to the IMF for a $4.8 billion loan to help it out of a crisis that has depleted its foreign currency reserves.

The government said on Wednesday the process was on track and Egypt's request would go to the IMF board as expected.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-mursi-back-palace-night-protests-090428384.html

masters winner instagram facebook mike wallace mike wallace chicago cubs split pea soup recipe the client list

The Best Things to Buy In December

Feeling the cold yet? Winter is coming, and so are the holidays?which make for some pretty great deals to round out the end of the year.

Every month, we look back at the best times to buy anything during the year, and pull out items each month to remind you what's coming. Obviously, none of this is to say you should go on a shopping spree?but if you've been holding off for a lower price on something, these are the things that get the sale treatment in October.

All Autumn

• Cars: New car models come out in the summer, which makes the end of the year a great time to buy a car?as long as you're willing to get last year's model. Time.com goes into a bit more detail, noting that the later into the autumn you go, the better deal you're going to get, so if you can hold off, it might be a good idea. Make sure it's not better for you to lease a car instead of buy, and if you're looking to get a good deal, you can save some money by screwing with the car salesmen.
• Cookware & Kitchen Accessories: MSN Money notes that November has the best deals, but you'll find sales through the rest of December too. Check out Consumer Reports' cookware buying guide, our five must-have kitchen tools, and give your kitchen a makeover.
• Gas Grills and Air Conditioners: Just like in September, most stores are trying to get rid of their summer gear. As Forbes says, no one wants to store the stuff no one is buying?it's cheaper to just sell it at a discount. So if you have the space to store it, stock up on your grills, air conditioners, and other summer-only items now.
• Shrubs, Bushes, Bulbs, etc.: Most plants aren't going to survive the harsh winter ahead, but if you have an indoor garden or greenhouse going on, you can pick up a lot of new plats cheaply as the weather starts to cool down.
• Toys & Games: Places like Toys R Us are starting to ramp up their holiday sales, so now's a good time to get kids' stuff at a discount?whether for Christmas gifts or not.
• Wedding Supplies: As beautiful as it is, winter isn't exactly prime wedding season for most people, which means planning one gets a lot easier and cheaper. Find a venue, negotiate services, and buy or rent supplies for much less as the fall and winter go on.

December

• Champagne: New Year's is coming up, and that means champagne is actually going to get cheaper, according to Sharon Castillo, director of the Office of Champagne USA. In this case, the high demand means companies are trying to undercut their competitors to sell more during this peak time.
• Golf Clubs: As you might expect, it's not exactly the best month to go play a round of 18 holes, so golf clubs are going to be on sale right now. New England Golf Monthly points out that they'll probably be last year's models, so you won't be getting the absolute latest and greatest, but if you're hunting for a deal, now's the time.
• Pools: You may not be looking to go for a dip in the cold winter, but it's a good time to get that pool set up for summer. A number of pool installers have blogged about the fact that winter is the best time to buy a pool, mainly because no one else is buying them, so they need to keep prices down in order to keep up work. And, since they're doing so much less work in the winter, it's often of higher quality, too.
• Televisions & Other Electroincs: You should see sales continue after Black Friday and through the holidays, though if you can wait, February is probably a better time than now to buy that new TV.
• Tools: If you shop around, you can probably find some good holiday sales on tools, so it's a good time to buy?particularly if you want to winterize your home before the cold really sets in.

• ---

  We'll be posting updates for you guys every month, so you're aware of the deals going on all year round. If you're curious to see what's coming up, you can always check out our full best time to buy guide to see the entire year at a glance. And, if you know of any deals we didn't mention, share them in the comments below.

  Pool icon by DryIcons.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/C9x1mcoQFHQ/the-best-things-to-buy-in-december

fox sports obama speech amber rose drew peterson Art Modell Frank Ocean Gay scarlett johansson

Russia criticizes EU on human rights ahead of summit

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday respect for human rights was declining in the European Union, as part of a campaign to turn the tables on the West's criticism of Moscow's rights record.

"We are seeing a certain deterioration in regard to safeguarding human rights in the EU member states," Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry's special representative for human rights, told a news conference.

"Undoubtedly during a financial and economic crisis, solving these problems will not become any easier," he said, shortly before leaving for Brussels to meet his EU counterpart Stavros Lambrinidis.

European leaders have expressed concern over the jailing of members of punk band Pussy Riot, prosecutions of opposition figures and laws restricting protests and foreign-funded organizations since President Vladimir Putin started a third term in May.

Putin, who is expected to meet EU leaders later this month for a twice-yearly summit, has said the West has no right to lecture Russia on human rights or use its concerns as an instrument of political pressure.

After years of Western criticism, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a report on human rights in other countries for the first time last year, focusing on allegations of abuse by U.S. authorities.

Dolgov was presenting the ministry's first report dealing solely with human rights in the EU, where Russia has complained of mistreatment of Russian-born children adopted in the EU and accused some bloc members of mistreatment of Russian-speaking minorities.

The report also cited allegations of abusive treatment of people in custody, poor prison conditions and bias against ethnic minorities and labor migrants.

Dolgov said the EU should take more action to combat "all this ugliness that is unfortunately taking place and continuing in the European Union members in terms of not observing human rights, not observing democratic standards and in terms of not following the rule of law".

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Steve Gutterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-criticizes-eu-human-rights-ahead-summit-143350096.html

madonna halftime m i a mia super bowl tom coughlin wes welker eli manning eli manning

Remains of the Day: Thousands of Tumblr Fall Victim to Phishing Hack

Tumblr gets hacked, voting for Facebook's new site governance policies begins, an Instagram vulnerability is found on iOS, and Verizon is shutting down Vcast.

• Hackers Claim 8,600 Accounts Infected in Tumblr Compromise (Update: Tumblr Responds) A large number of Tumblr accounts were affected by hackers who were responsible for the defacement of both personal blogs and the Tumblr pages of several news outlets such as Reuters. No one's personal information seems to have been compromised. [The Verge]
• Facebook Users Have 7 Days Starting Now To Vote On Clarified Policy Changes And If They'll Keep Voting Today marked the start of the seven-day voting period Facebook users have to determine whether or not the site will continue to allow users to vote on site changes. If less than 30% of Facebook users vote against the change, then the new site governance policy goes into effect and they will no longer be able to vote against further site changes. [TechCrunch]
• Instagram vulnerability on iPhone allows for account takeover A cookie exploit found in the latest version of Instagram's iOS app leaves users vulnerable to have their accounts taken over. Attackers on the same network as the victim could easily obtain control of the victim's Instagram accounts through a technique known as Access Resolution Protocol spoofing. Again, for this to work, the attacker must be on the same LAN as their target?and since Instagram isn't the only app vulnerable to ARP spoofing, it bears remembering that you should take care when using public wifi [Computerworld]
• Verizon Shutting Down the Mobile Video Service It Launched in 2005 Following their already-announced plans to shutter their app store,Verizon announced today that they will also be shutting down the Vcast mobile video service. December 15th marks the last day that you'll be able to use the service. Still standing, however, are Verizon's Viewdini video discovery service and access to NFL Mobile for $5 a month. [AllThingsD]
• [Rumor] Microsoft Rumored To Deliver Three New Surface Tablets In 2013 A tipster says that Microsoft is planning a new wave of three new Surface tablets for 2013: An 8.6-inch Surface RT 2, an 11.6-inch Pro, and a 14-inch "Surface Book." No word on when in 2013 these will come, but odds are that we won't hear about them until roughly the same time of year Microsoft announced the first Surface tablets. [TechCrunch]

Photo by photastic (Shutterstock), a2bb5s (Shutterstock), and Feng Yu (Shutterstock).

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/u1nH_0nsxgQ/remains-of-the-day-thousands-of-tumblr-fall-victim-to-phishing-hack

bonnie raitt internal revenue service intc andrew shaw tupac tim lincecum hologram

Global slowdown, austerity to constrain UK economy - BCC

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's economic growth in the next two years will be weaker than previously thought, held back by a global slowdown and domestic austerity measures, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said on Tuesday.

The BCC revised down its gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecasts for 2013 and 2014 to 1.0 and 1.8 percent respectively from 1.2 and 2.2 percent, also citing weak household consumption.

Economists polled by Reuters last month predicted similar rates of growth and the BCC report will provide gloomy reading for chancellor George Osborne the day before he presents a half-yearly budget statement to parliament.

"We expect quarterly growth to increase gradually over the next two years, but we have to accept that it will remain modest and below trend for some time," said BCC Chief Economist David Kern.

"Although there will be a slow improvement over the medium term, GDP will only return to its pre-recession levels at the end of 2014."

After two recessions in four years, Britain bounced back to growth in the last quarter, helped by extra working days and London's hosting of the Olympic Games. But analysts reckon the economy will expand by a far lower 0.1 percent in the current quarter and will barely pick up in the year ahead.

The recovery has been hampered by a protracted debt crisis in the euro zone, Britain's main trading partner, as well as by the government's debt-cutting plans.

Osborne said on Sunday that it was taking longer than hoped to deal with Britain's debts, but insisted he would stick with the programme when he delivers what is known as the Autumn Statement on Wednesday.

However, the BCC said the government also needed to support growth, job creation, exports, investment, and business confidence.

"The fact remains that growth is still too weak. We are calling for decisive action in the Autumn Statement. Business wants a hybrid strategy that delivers both deficit reduction and (economic) growth," said John Longworth, BCC Director General.

Public sector net borrowing in the 2012-13 year will be 104.1 billion pounds, the BCC said, around 12 billion higher than the Office for Budget Responsibility, an independent fiscal forecasting body, predicted in March.

The trade group, representing firms employing more than one in five private-sector workers in Britain, said unemployment was likely to peak at around 8.1 percent in the final months of next year partly due to job losses in the public sector.

It also revised up its inflation forecasts for this year and next.

(Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/global-slowdown-austerity-constrain-uk-economy-bcc-000200638--finance.html

Olympic medal count Medal Count 2012 London 2012 Fencing olympics chariots of fire nbc Medal Count