'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini challenged mobster stereotype

The actor who played Tony Soprano was remembered for his talent and his respect for others by HBO, the channel which aired the hit series 'The Sopranos,' in a statement released Wednesday. Gandolfini had a varied career from Broadway to television and film.

By Lynn Elber,?Associated Press / June 19, 2013

This file photo provided by HBO, shows James Gandolfini as mob boss Tony Soprano, in an episode from the first season of the HBO cable television mob series, "The Sopranos." HBO and the managers for Gandolfini say the actor died Wednesday in Italy.

AP Photo/HBO, Anthony Neste, File

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James Gandolfini, whose portrayal of a brutal, emotionally delicate mob boss in HBO's 'The Sopranos' helped create one of TV's greatest drama series and turned the mobster stereotype on its head, died Wednesday in Italy.?

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In a statement, the cable channel, and Gandolfini's managers Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders, said he died Wednesday while on holiday in Rome. No cause of death was given.

'Our hearts are shattered and we will miss him deeply. He and his family were part of our family for many years and we are all grieving,' said Armstrong and Sanders.

HBO called the actor a 'special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone, no matter their title or position, with equal respect.' The channel expressed sympathy for his wife and children.

Gandolfini played mob boss Tony Soprano in the groundbreaking HBO series that aired from 1999 to 2007. His film credits included 'Zero Dark Thirty' and 'Killing Them Softly,' and he amassed stage credits as well.

He shared a Broadway stage in 2009 with Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden in a celebrated production of 'God of Carnage,' where he earned a Tony Award nomination for best actor. He had also been in 'On the Waterfront' with David Morse and was an understudy in a revival of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' in 1992 starring Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange.

Gandolfini's performance in 'The Sopranos' was indelible and career-making, but he refused to be stereotyped as the bulky mobster who was a therapy patient, family man and cold-blooded killer.

After the David Chase series concluded with its breathtaking blackout ending, Gandolfini's varied film work included comedies such as 'In the Loop,' a political satire, and the heartwarming drama 'Welcome to the Rileys,' which costarred Kristen Stewart. He voiced the Wild Thing Carol in 'Where the Wild Things Are.'

In a December 2012 interview with The Associated Press, Gandolfini said he gravitated to acting as a release, a way to get rid of anger. 'I don't know what exactly I was angry about,' he said.

'I try to avoid certain things and certain kinds of violence at this point,' he said last year. 'I'm getting older, too. I don't want to be beating people up as much. I don't want to be beating women up and those kinds of things that much anymore.'

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/MtDybO-Va8k/Sopranos-star-James-Gandolfini-challenged-mobster-stereotype

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Lytro Camera Gets an iOS App That Makes Animated GIFs

Lytro has finally seen the light: To make it in this crazy photo-sharing world, you need an app that makes GIFs.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/RuObhoLgiNg/

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PFT: Mangold says Jets want Sanchez as QB

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Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan do not like each other. When they were active players, Sapp reacted to Strahan breaking the single-season sack record by saying there should be an asterisk next to his record because Brett Favre laid down for the final sack. Strahan responded that there should be a McDonald?s next to Sapp?s house because Sapp is fat. That kind of verbal sniping has continued through the years, and kept going this year when Sapp was voted into the Hall of Fame and Strahan was voted out.

Now Sapp is saying that Strahan should stay out of the Hall of Fame. And Sapp says that if the Hall of Fame Selection Committee wants to put in a good pass rusher, it should look to his own former teammate Simeon Rice over Strahan.

?Simeon was a better rusher than Michael Strahan any day of the week and twice on Sunday,? Sapp told the Tampa Tribune.

Rice was an excellent pass rusher, a three-time Pro Bowler who had double-digit sacks in eight different seasons and 122 sacks in his career, the 13th-highest career total since the NFL started counting sacks in 1982. But was he really a better rusher than Strahan, who in addition to being the single-season record holder is No. 5 in career sacks, with 141.5? According to Sapp, yes.

Sapp says that Rice routinely beat opposing left tackles, while Strahan had an easier job facing right tackles.

?[Rice] didn?t rush the worst lineman,? Sapp said. ?You know the right tackle is the worst of the five. Strahan played right end his first four years. When they were putting the label on him as a bust, they put ?B-U-S . OK, let?s transition him on the other side and see if he can play in his fourth year.? They put him at right end and he couldn?t do it, so they moved him to the weak guy. One-on-one with the [Eagles right tackle] Jon Runyans for eight quarters every year. Sim won?t ever have his name brought up [for the Hall of Fame], and that?s a shame. He?s one of the best pass rushers I?ve ever encountered in my life.?

And, at least in Sapp?s mind, a better pass rusher than Strahan.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/19/nick-mangold-says-jets-want-mark-sanchez-to-be-their-starter/related/

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Sony says sorry for the buggy update that bricked a number of PS3 consoles http:...

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How the Government Calculates the Cost of Student Loans

A couple of weeks ago, the Student Loan Ranger detailed some of the proposals Congress is pondering to provide short- and long-term fixes to the imminent doubling of interest rates on subsidized federal direct loans. Part of that debate is data released last month by the Congressional Budget Office that shows a fiscal year 2013 "profit" of $50.6 billion for the Department of Education.

But it's not as simple as finding a fair way to help students by lowering interest rates. Some analysts argue that the government is using an inaccurate accounting method that vastly overestimates the amount the government will make both in the coming fiscal year and beyond.

[Learn more in our College Loan Center.]

In fact, they argue, the government will lose money in the long run so it should keep interest rates the same or even raise them. As this Congressional Budget Office publication explains, the current estimates that show a government profit are based on principles established by the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990.

The publication states first "the cost of a student loan is recorded in the federal budget during the year the loan is disbursed, taking into account the amount of the loan, expected payments to the government over the life of the loan and other cash flows." Items like the probability of default and the recovery rate are accounted for in this part of the equation.

Next, a discount rate is subtracted. A discount rate allows a calculation of gain or loss in today's dollars by taking into account market risk and the idea that money available now is worth more than the same amount of money available in the future.

[Find out the perks, pitfalls of simplifying student loan repayment.]

In the current calculation, the discount rate is simply the interest rate on U.S. Treasury securities. That is, it is the cost to the government of obtaining the funds through Treasury borrowing.

Since Treasury bills are one of the world's safest investments, using them as a discount rate doesn't take risk into account - that's been done in the first step - but does account for the lower value of money obtained later.

It's easy to see why federal student loans are projected to make a lot of money using this calculation: subtracting the low current interest rate for Treasury bills from fixed student loan interest rates of 6.8 to 7.9 percent - assuming the 3.4 percent rate on subsidized loans does double July 1 - results in a net gain for the government. In fact, under this accounting method, the budget office calculates that the government will net about $184 billion from 2013 to 2023.

However, some analysts think that this accounting is flawed because it does not sufficiently reflect risk, including, for example, the risk of default. They argue for a "fair-value" approach that would use a market-based discount rate.

In other words, the discount rate would not be based on the government's cost of borrowing but on the higher interest rate the private sector pays, which reflects a much higher degree of market risk.

Using the higher discount rate in the fair-value approach leads to far different results. The CBO projects the federal direct loan program would cost the federal government $95 billion between 2013 and 2023 instead of earning $184 billion.

That's a whopping difference - and implies far different student loan policies. So which calculation, and which policies, should be chosen?

[See how the Student Loan Fairness Act could benefit borrowers.]

Ultimately, the Student Loan Ranger feels that the current accounting method - which has worked well for decades - is the correct one for a few reasons, many of which are articulated in a report by the Center for American Progress.

Corporations and individuals are, and should be, risk averse because the consequences of unanticipated risks can be devastating to them. They should also, for similar reasons, want to ensure they make a profit. The fair-value approach adds value in that context.

But the federal government should be risk neutral and is not aiming to make a profit. The fair-value approach would drive up the budgetary cost of the student loan program in order to account for eventualities that are unlikely to occur.

This would be of little value because unlike a private entity, the federal government - with its far greater resources and ability to print money - is well-equipped to handle those eventualities. And the downside of increasing the budgetary cost of the student loan program is considerable, because it will mean there is less money available for other valuable programs such as Pell Grants.

Instead, it should focus on budgeting accurately and ensuring its money is spent wisely. A move to fair-value accounting would burden student loan borrowers with unnecessarily high interest rates for the foreseeable future.

Isaac Bowers is a senior program manager in the Communications and Outreach unit, responsible for Equal Justice Works's educational debt relief initiatives. An expert on educational debt relief, Bowers conducts monthly webinars for a wide range of audiences; advises employers, law schools, and professional organizations; and works with Congress and the Department of Education on federal legislation and regulations. Prior to joining Equal Justice Works, he was a fellow at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP in San Francisco. He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/government-calculates-cost-student-loans-150203683.html

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The Turner Report: DESE standards will bring new teachers in line ...

You know that there are serious problems in the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education when it issues a news release that takes the National Council on Teacher Quality seriously. That organization has been bashing teachers at the behest of its billionaire backers for a long time and its just-issued report on teacher education grades down schools if they are not pushing for Common Core Standards and not stressing standardized tests. The DESE news release is printed below.

The State Board of Education reviewed Missouri's progress on implementing new assessments to help prepare future teachers for the classroom at its meeting Tuesday in Jefferson City.

The new assessments for the state's educator preparation programs are being phased in over the next two years for prospective teachers, as well as guidance counselors, librarians and school administrators.

"These assessments are designed to help new teachers and school leaders become effective educators," said Chris L. Nicastro, commissioner of education. "Quality educators are the most important factor in providing students with the knowledge and skills they need for college, other postsecondary training and a career."

Preparing, developing and supporting effective educators is a primary goal of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's?Top 10 by 20?initiative, which calls for education in Missouri to rank among the top 10 performing states in the nation by the year 2020. The State Board is responsible for establishing standards for the education, assessment and certification of all public school teachers and administrators in Missouri. The board approved updated standards for the state's educator preparation programs in November 2012.

The new assessments are aligned to the new standards and are part of the Missouri Educator Gateway Assessment (MEGA) program and include:

• Missouri General Education Assessment: This test for admission into undergraduate professional educator preparation programs includes sections on English language arts, writing, mathematics, science and social science. The assessment will begin in September 2013 and will replace the current College BASE (CBASE) test.
• Missouri Educator Profile (MEP): This new assessment is designed to measure a person's work style as it relates to the field of education. The MEP is set to begin in September 2013 and will assess the characteristics of individuals pursuing certification as a teacher, counselor, librarian and school leaders, including principals and superintendents.
• Content Specialty Assessments: These exit exams must be completed by prospective educators, including teachers, counselors, librarians, principals and superintendents, for all areas of certification they are seeking. The assessments are aligned with state and national standards and will begin in September 2014. They will replace the current Praxis test.?
• Missouri Standards-Based Performance Assessments: These new assessments for prospective teachers, counselors, librarians, principals and superintendents will measure their performance in content, coursework and clinical experiences, including student teaching and internships. The assessments are set to start in September 2014.

The work the Department is doing will help to address some of the concerns voiced in the?NCTQ Teacher Prep Reviewreleased today by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) and U.S. News & World Report. The Review evaluates more than 1,100 educator preparation programs nationwide, providing prospective students, parents and school districts with information about the quality of available programs.

According to the Review, only two teacher preparation programs in the state -- Missouri State University and Missouri University of Science and Technology -- earned at least three out of four possible stars to make the high-rated program list, while other institutions received lower marks or chose not to participate.

Missouri's new certification and testing requirements through the MEGA program will raise the bar in a number of areas, including increasing the admission and licensing standards, aligning teacher preparation with the Common Core State Standards, improving clinical preparation and holding preparation programs accountable for student success.

Source: http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2013/06/dese-standards-will-bring-new-teachers.html

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Guy in Sharon Stone T-shirt poses with actress

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Kurt Schlosser TODAY

10 hours ago

Sharon Stone's interrogation scene in the 1992 film "Basic Instinct" is memorable partly because of what she wasn't wearing. A fan drew the attention of the actress on the street for precisely what he was wearing.

In a photo posted on Reddit on Monday, user BenjaminNet wrote, "One of my friends was walking in Tel Aviv with his Basic Instinct t-shirt when ..."

imgur

And there posing on the street is the 55-year-old actress, and the friend of the Redditor, standing beside each other smiling. The man's T-shirt clearly shows Stone in the iconic "Instinct" scene, wearing her white dress with her legs crossed. The scene from the erotic thriller, also starring Michael Douglas, is famous for its view up Stone's dress as she crosses her legs in front of room full of male police detectives.

Most of us would probably be wearing something ridiculous when Sharon Stone passed us on the street. Maybe film stills on T-shirts aren't your thing, but this guy sure reached his target audience.

And when it comes to shirts, let's not forget Stone's legacy in that department. This is the woman who made fashion history by wearing a Gap turtleneck to the Oscars.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/guy-wearing-sharon-stone-t-shirt-gets-photo-sharon-stone-6C10357254

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