Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Matt Damon channels Matthew McConaughey for Letterman The sequel

Matt Damon is going to the Academy Awards this weekend, but it sounds similar to hes not as well worked up about winning."I dont have a possibility in hell," he jokes with David Letterman on Fridays (March Five) "Late Show" in the shave above. Ah, but if he does win for most appropriate ancillary actress in "Invictus"? Well, he showcased a small bit of what his acceptance debate would receptive to advice similar to -- if he gave it as Matthew McConaughey. (Its piece of a using wisecrack when he appears on Lettermans show.) He additionally explains because hes wearing a New Orleans Saints jersey -- he lost a gamble with "The Hurt Locker"s" Anthony Mackie.Damons past McConaughey impersonations on "Letterman."

The some-more we see of Damon in clips similar to this, the some-more we"d similar to to cling to with him.So suffer the Oscars, Matt. Even if you dont win.Follow Zap2its Dish Rag and Zap2itRick for the ultimate celeb headlines and buzz.More Matt Damon dish: Matt Damon on Obama: "Everyone feels a small let down"

Sunday, August 29, 2010

How to strengthen resources for extravagant desired ones Nicholson

Q. My mother and I are retired, and I have a estimable IRA, that is the largest asset. My mother is the first beneficiary, and the 3 young kids are next to fortuitous beneficiaries. I love my wife, but she isnt really great with money. If I die first, I"m endangered about how majority she might take out of the IRA. It is the usually asset, and if she spends as well majority as well soon, she will be left with small some-more than Social Security on that to live. I additionally be concerned about one of my 3 young kids inheriting one-third of the IRA. He is flattering wild and forward with everything, together with money. I know you cant order from the grave, but I"d similar to to strengthen my desired ones as majority as possible.

Someone referred to reception my income out of the IRA, buy 4 apart annuities, one owned mutually with my wife, the alternative mutually with my 3 children, and have each structured for an income tide to be paid over the corner lives. I have multiform concerns with this plan, not the slightest of that is giving Uncle Sam 40 percent of my largest item if I remove the income from the IRA. Do you have any suggestions?

You should encounter with an estate formulation profession and plead the benefits of substantiating an IRA standalone certitude additionally referred to as an IRA trust, IRA widen certitude or IRA insurance trust. This is a comparatively new sort of certitude authorized by the IRS and might be some-more suitable than fixing people or revocable vital trusts as beneficiaries of IRAs.

If you name your revocable vital certitude as a beneficiary, you contingency have certain that it has the suitable conduit-trust denunciation and that the diction of the customer nomination is scold to take worth of the stretch-out of the compulsory smallest distributions.

If you name people as beneficiaries, you might emanate alternative problems such as: the need for a defender to ask accede from the courts to have distributions if the customer is a minor; the customer might take higher distributions than compulsory formulating larger taxation, expelling the worth of tax-free compounding and presumably using out of money; lost benefits if the customer is infirm and reception needs-based supervision benefits; loss of carry out as to who will in conclusion get the IRA after the genocide of the first beneficiary, and if the customer is a non-spouse, the IRA could be subjected to the claims of creditors.

In majority cases, a associate customer can have the IRA his or her own and take compulsory smallest distributions formed on the spouses hold up expectancy. The RMD doesnt need to proceed until the associate reaches age 70-1/2 or Apr 1 of the following year.

An IRA hereditary by a associate continues to be stable from creditors" attacks ensuing from personal damage lawsuits, bankruptcy, etc. Distributions from an IRA hereditary by a non-spouse contingency proceed the year after the genocide of the IRA owners and the RMD is formed on the beneficiarys hold up expectancy.

A non-spouse hereditary IRA might be theme to the claims of the beneficiarys creditors. Recently there have been a couple of failure justice cases where the capability of a creditor to conflict an hereditary IRA was at issue. Recent cases in Florida and Texas ruled that an hereditary IRA did not embrace creditor insurance underneath their principle or the Federal Bankruptcy Code. Other states such as Minnesota have ruled that they are protected. To my knowledge, this has not been tested in North Carolina. Even if they are stable in the IRA owners" state of domicile, the customer could live in or move to a state where they are not protected.

Assets in a standalone IRA certitude are stable by certitude law not state law, and resources will be stable from creditors. The certitude can additionally direct that distributions are singular to the RMD formed on the beneficiarys hold up outlook that will hold off the remuneration of income taxation inside of the IRA on condition that the biggest "stretch-out" of benefits to the beneficiary.

Your profession will plead either the certitude should be a passage or an accumulation trust. RMDs contingency be distributed to the customer in a passage trust. In an accumulation trust, RMDs might be amassed in the trust. The accumulation certitude is most suitable if you need some-more insurance for the customer such as a chairman in a bad marriage, a chairman in a high risk profession, a chairman with addictions or a chairman with special needs.

This is a formidable issue, and a great estate profession can work with you to rise the suitable plan.

Holly Nicholson is a approved monetary planner. Reach her at www.askholly.com or P.O. Box 99466, Raleigh, NC 27624. She cannot answer each question.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

WHO admits shortcomings in doing influenza pestilence

Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA Mon Apr 12, 2010 1:45pm EDT Related News Experts open examination of WHO reply to hog fluMon, Apr twelve 2010Cold fronts related to bird influenza outbreaks in EuropeFri, Apr 9 2010Pharma seeks genetic clues to full of health ageingTue, Apr 6 2010RPT-FEATURE-Pharma seeks genetic clues to full of health ageingTue, Apr 6 2010UPDATE 2-GSK agrees to one-third cut in UK H1N1 vaccine orderTue, Apr 6 2010 An epidemiologist examines the representation taken from a studious thought to be putrescent with influenza A (H1N1) virus, before referred to as hog flu, in a supervision laboratory in Leon Guanajuato, a small 320 km (200 miles) northwest of Mexico City, Apr 30, 2009. REUTERS/Mario Armas

An epidemiologist examines the representation taken from a studious thought to be putrescent with influenza A (H1N1) virus, before referred to as hog flu, in a supervision laboratory in Leon Guanajuato, a small 320 km (200 miles) northwest of Mexico City, Apr 30, 2009.

Credit: Reuters/Mario Armas

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization conceded shortcomings on Monday in the doing of the H1N1 hog influenza pandemic, together with a disaster to promulgate uncertainties about the new pathogen as it swept around the globe.

World&&&&Health

Keiji Fukuda, the WHO"s tip influenza expert, pronounced the U.N. agency"s six-phase complement for dogmatic a pestilence had sown difficulty about the influenza bug that was in conclusion not as fatal as the widely-feared avian influenza.

"The being is there is a outrageous volume of doubt (in a pandemic). I think we did not communicate the uncertainty. That was interpreted by majority as a obscure process," Fukuda said.

He was addressing a three-day assembly of twenty-nine outmost influenza experts called to examination WHO"s doing of the initial influenza pestilence in 40 years.

LINKS TO DRUG COMPANIES

Critics have pronounced the WHO combined be scared about the hog influenza virus, that incited out to be assuage in the effect, and caused governments to save vaccines that went unused.

Some questioned the links to the curative industry after companies similar to GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi-Aventis profited from producing H1N1 vaccine.

Kenya"s commission criticized the United Nations group for unwell to safeguard that building countries perceived a satisfactory share of vaccines grown opposite the virus.

"It is not satisfactory to have new vaccines and medicines and afterwards they are so costly that majority bad people in building countries can"t entrance them," Kenya"s nominee said. "This is not a incident that should be tolerated at all."

To date, 31 poorer countries together with Afghanistan, Cuba, Kenya and Myanmar have perceived singular reserve of vaccine donated by drug companies and Western countries, around the WHO.

India"s commission referred to that in open health emergencies, patents on critical drug should be carried in line with the World Trade Organization"s TRIPS agreement on egghead property.

H1N1, that emerged in Mexico and the United States roughly just a year ago, has killed 17,770 people in 213 countries, according to WHO, that spoken a pestilence underneath approach in June.

The WHO will need an additional year or dual after the pestilence is spoken over to establish a last genocide rate from the virus, that is sure to be majority higher. The pestilence is still strictly underneath way.

FEAR AND CONFUSION

The World Bank has estimated that countries have outlayed $4 billion to hope for pestilence preparedness plans and reply to the outbreaks, according to the U.S. commission to the talks.

"Influenza is a challenging and indeterminate opponent. The hazard of a serious pestilence has not decreased," the U.S. nominee said.

The apart but rarely fatal H5N1 bird influenza pathogen -- that has killed 60 percent of those putrescent given 2003 -- "injected a high turn of fright about the subsequent pandemic," Fukuda said.

It had been formidable to encounter open final for recommendation as the H1N1 pathogen widespread fast opposite borders and blogs generated conjecture and criticism, according to the WHO official.

One big warn had been that usually one sip of vaccine was indispensable to yield immunity, since majority formulation had been built around dual doses being required, he said.

This meant that a small countries were left struggling with an oversupply of new vaccines whilst poorer ones had small or no entrance to supplies.

"Confusion about phases and turn of astringency stays a really disturbing issue," Fukuda said, referring to the WHO"s six-level scale for pandemics that takes in to comment the geographic widespread of a pathogen but not the severity.

(Editing by Jonathan Lynn and Michael Roddy)

World Health

Friday, August 27, 2010

Nato soldiers kill 4 in municipal train attack

Jerome Starkey, Kabul & ,}

Nato plans for a large operation in southern Afghanistan suffered a vital reversal yesterday when soldiers non-stop glow on a bus, murdering 4 civilians and injuring at slightest a dozen more.

Nato officials had hoped to attorney a array of internal deals with village and genealogical leaders, that would see thousands of US and bloc infantry invited in to the panorama to one side Afghan forces, with internal peoples consent.

President Hamid Karzai betrothed genealogical leaders he would usually sanction a programmed descent codenamed Operation Omid, or Hope with their blessing, when he Kandahar last week.

The shootout yesterday morning sparked indignant protests. Elders inside the city pronounced what small conviction people still put in the bloc had evaporated.

Related LinksShooting leaves Nato Taleban shell in jeopardyClinton warns of terrorists going nuclearItalians "confess" to Afghan attempted murder tract

The operation hasnt even proposed yet, but each day they kill civilians, pronounced Haji Wali Jan. Even they contingency know a train is full of civilians? If they are fearful of a train how can they go on with an operation in Kandahar?

Hours later, a Taleban self-murder unit pounded the Afghan comprehension agencys domicile inside Kandahar city. Officials pronounced 3 men stormed a residence conflicting the National Directorate of Security office. One of them was shot dead, a second detonated his self-murder vest and the third was really bad bleeding and arrested. Local officials pronounced five residents were additionally wounded.

Securing Kandahar city the countrys initial collateral and the devout home of the Taleban is seen as a key exam of Barack Obamas 30,000 infantryman surge. Natos tip municipal deputy in Kabul, Ambassador Mark Sedwill, pronounced they goal to shura [THEIR]way to success, in a anxiety to normal village meetings called shuras.

The bullet riddled train is the ultimate in a prolonged and full of blood line of municipal misadventure incidents that bluster to criticise open await for the participation of unfamiliar troops.

President Hamid Karzai, who has wept in open perfectionist Nato stop murdering trusting people, released a matter condemning the conflict and charity his condolences to the victims yesterday.

Natos International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) reliable that 4 civilians together with a lady were killed when a track clearway unit non-stop glow on a newcomer train in Zhari district.

An unknown, large car approached a slow-moving ISAF route-clearance unit from the back at a high rate of speed, the bloc pronounced in a statement. Upon inspection, ISAF forces detected the car to be a newcomer bus.

But by that theatre the soldiers had already non-stop fire. The bloc claimed the bus, that locals pronounced was en track to Oruzgan province, abandoned multiform warnings to stop.

The unit attempted to advise off the car with palm signals prior to to banishment on it. Once engaged, the car afterwards stopped, the matter said.

In February, 3 minibuses travelling in the conflicting direction, by Oruzgan to Kandahar, were inebriated on the orders of US Special Forces, murdering twenty-seven civilians.

Nato claimed the situation yesterday took place prior to dawn. Fazel Ahmed Sherzai, the head of security in Kandahars troops department, pronounced it was 6am, some-more than fifteen mins after sunrise. Local reporters and the governors orator pronounced it was around 6am.

Mr Sherzai pronounced the Mercedes-Benz manager had overtaken parked traffic and got inside of 40m of the American procession when it was shot.

Scores of mad protestors attempted to retard the highway by Zhari, chanting Death to America, and Death to Karzai and blazing tyres on the road.

Zhari is where they were formulation to do an operation, Haji Wali January added. Now the people there are mad with the Americans, and everybody knows that but internal await from the people, the really tough to do an operation.

Haji January Mohammed, who lives inside Kandahar city, said: These incidents have a bad effect. Already, majority people didnt certitude the unfamiliar troops. With this situation unfamiliar infantry lost all their trust. All the elders, everybody knows, if the operation starts, there will be lots of municipal casualties.

Police security arch Fazel Ahmed Sherzai discharged yesterdays criticism as considerate waste rousers. They were impoverished people and a little of the train passengers, he said. They longed for to retard to the highway to Zhari. They had a little slogans opposite the Americans, but the troops arrived after half an hour everybody went to their homes.

A key post in Natos Kandahar plan involves bolstering the supervision to compare any enlarge in troops security.

President Hamid Karzais half-brother, Ahmed Wali, is the main energy attorney in the city. His critics censure him for most of the citys innumerable ills. He has regularly denied claims he controls outrageous swathes of Afghanistans drug trade.

US and Nato officials have forsaken plans, hatched after last Augusts deeply injured presidential election, to sideline Ahmed Wali. They optimistically speak of red-lines that he wouldnt be means to cross.

Some analysts related President Karzais new spate of anti-American outbursts, together with a hazard to stick on the Taleban, to vicious media reports about his brother.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Erotic collateral and cold money

By Rowan Pelling 826PM GMT twenty-seven March 2010

Catherine Hakim, a highbrow at the London School of Economics, has identified a key veteran charge she conditions "erotic capital". Hakim says this "beauty premium" can be far some-more fitting in your career than your tutorial education or background, and counts majority heavily in the in isolation zone (heave a whine of service that the councils, schools and libraries still yield a medium for the determinedly dowdy).

All in all, attractive people can consequence 10-15 per cent some-more than the average-looking, who in spin can consequence 10-15 per cent some-more than the plain. Hakim additionally points out, rather superfluously, that amorous collateral is some-more utilitarian to women than men. Why else do auto-cuties order the airwaves?

Sophie Dahl is my kitchen goddess Hey, Children"s Commissioner, leave those kids alone! Blonde, bland, shapely Barbie - the essence of immorality is back Men are redundant, but lets keep them anyway Comment The usually rate of acceleration that unequivocally counts is your own Why Ive had sufficient well read sex

None of this comes as a immeasurable shock, of course. Gordon Brown apart, it"s most unfit to lead a domestic celebration unless the electorate think you"d see prohibited in Armani the Obamas ascended to the White House on a clouded cover of pristine pheromones. And we all have examples a crony of mine"s mom got a divorce, a PhD and breast enhancement, and quickly done her initial million.

But if sex interest is even some-more consequential in the workplace than in relationships, it raises engaging questions about the assumptions. We lend towards to censure the "sexualisation of culture" on the likes of Jordan and Britney. Could it essentially be the error of bottle-blonde lawyers with torpedo heels?

for acne Zits, pimples, bumps and blemishes are a young persons worst nightmare

Chile rushes infantry assist to quake-stricken towns

Mario Naranjo CONCEPCION, Chile Mon March 1, 2010 6:59pm EST Related News Chile mines free after quake, energy entrance backMon, March 1 2010Giant waves brought death, wretchedness to Chile coastMon, March 1 2010Factbox - Ten largest earthquakes given 1900Mon, March 1 2010Factbox - Five contribution about earthquakes and magnitudeMon, March 1 2010 Related Video Video Tsunami ravages Chile"s islands Mon, March 1 2010 Coastal repairs in Chile < 1 / 32 >

Monday, August 23, 2010

Britains incline group see award hopes slip away

Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke went in to last nights last rounds of the womens bobsleigh with their hopes of winning a award unresolved by a thread after they trailed in 10th place following the initial dual runs.

Minichiello and her brakewoman, the reigning universe champions, struggled to get to grips with the lane in snowstorm conditions and prior to the last dual runs stood roughly a second at the back of Cathleen Martinis German incline in third place.

Minichiello hid that beating well, insisting: "Until we cranky the finish line after the fourth run we are still sharpened for the bullion medal. Thats what we"re going for and thats what we"ve regularly left for." She certified a inapplicable designation on the initial hook had cost her dear on both runs. She struggled to recover sufficient speed after the initial hook and in conclusion hold on to 10th place usually 0.19 seconds forward of team-mate Paula Walker.

In the curling, Eve Muirheads British womens group were knocked out on Tuesday night after losing 6-5 to hosts Canada.

The mens side upheld up a possibility to book a semi-final mark in their last round-robin game, going down 9-5 to Norway and were due to face Sweden in a play-off diversion last night for the possibility to take on dominant Canada in the last 4 today. "At slightest we are not out of it, thats the main thing," pronounced the British skip, David Murdoch. "We have to fool around Sweden and will, hopefully, win that."

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Beta blocker care underused in heart disaster patients investigate finds

Failure to take beta blockers before to to to implanting a cardiac device can affect the patientoverall result and presence rate, says Paul Hauptman, M.D., cardiologist and highbrow of inner disinfectant at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and lead writer of the study.

Additionally, beta blocker make make make make make make use of might discharge the need for the cardiac device wholly by mending heart function. Multiple clinical make make make make make use of guidelines, together with those of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association, await the make make make make make make use of beta blockers.

The research, that was published in the Mar 2010 issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, used a large multi-state managed caring database to inspect the make make make make make make use of beta blockers both 90 days before to to to and 180 days following the implantation of the device. When possible, researchers private patients from the database who would not have competent for beta blockers since of an underlying health issue, such as asthma, or since they perceived the device in an puncture situation.

Of the 2,766 patients enclosed in the study, one third did not take beta blockers at any time in the 90 days before to to reception a cardiac device. Additionally, less than 40 percent of the patients fell in to the high make make make make make make use of category, that was tangible as carrying prescriptions for beta blockers that lonesome at slightest 80 percent of the 90 days before to to to the procedure. The investigate found a medium enlarge of beta blocker make make make make make make use of following the device procedure.

Current discipline for cardiac inclination highlight the significance of substantiating optimal therapy, that includes the make make make make make make use of beta blockers, before to to deliberation a studious a claimant for the invasive procedure, Hauptman said.

Cardiac inclination alone are not the answer. Implantable defibrillators in sold duty as a reserve net; they yield insurance in the eventuality the heart would stop beating. Beta blockers, on the alternative hand, are a therapy. They can forestall course of heart failure.

One of the criteria used to name possibilities for cardiac inclination is the ejection fraction, that refers to the fragment of red blood pumped out of the heart with each heart beat. Beta blockers can urge a patientejection fragment and diminution the risk of remarkable death. In fact, in a little cases, reception beta blockers can urge ejection fragment so severely that the studious no longer needs a cardiac device, Hauptman says.

While the investigate shows that less than 40 percent of patients take beta blockers for the endorsed 90 days before to to to embrace a cardiac device, what is less transparent are the reasons at the back of the miss of adherence.

Itprobably a multiple of dual factors: physicians are not prescribing the remedy the approach they should and patients might be non-compliant. From the self-evident 30,000 feet view, though, it doesn"t make a difference why, Hauptman explained. We need to have systems in place to safeguard that patients are on optimal healing caring before to to to reception a device.

Hauptman says the issue comes down to mending studious caring and handling health caring cost.

Implantable cardiac inclination are invasive and really expensive. We have a good event to urge the approach we caring for heart disaster patients. Plus, we can save income along the way, Hauptman said.

Co-researchers embody Jason Swindle, MPH, from Saint Louis University School of Public Health, Frederick A Masoudi, M.D., MSPH from the University of Colorado Denver, and Thomas E. Burroughs, Ph.D., from the Saint Louis University Center for Outcomes Research.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Tumor resource identified ScienceBlog.com



Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth (UK), the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Cornell University in New York, Weil Medical College in New York and the Center for Neural Tumour Research in Los Angeles, have for the initial time identified a key resource that creates sure cells spin tumorous in the brain. The ensuing tumours start majority mostly casually but can additionally start in numbers as piece of the hereditary disease Neurofibromatosis sort 2.

The investigate is published in the rarely reputable journal, Cell.

The tumours are caused by mutations inspiring a protein called Merlin, that in spin causes cancers in a range of cell sorts together with Schwann cells. Schwann cells furnish the sheaths that approximate and isolate neurons.

The new investigate investigates for the initial time the purpose of Merlin in the cell nucleus. It explains how Merlin regulates cell proliferation, and how it regulates gene expression. Normally Merlin inhibits the growth of tumours at a cell iota turn -- mutations inspiring Merlin affect the capability to inhibit. By bargain this resource for the initial time, the approach is open for the growth of in effect therapies for a condition in that no diagnosis alternative than surgery exists.

In neurofibromatosis 2 the perfect series of the tumours can intimidate a patient, mostly heading to serious incapacity and in the destiny death. Patients can humour from twenty to thirty tumours at any one time, and the condition typically affects comparison immature kids and immature adults.

No therapy, alternative than invasive (radio)surgery aiming at a singular swelling and that might not exterminate the full border of the tumours, exists.

The condition of mixed tumours , neurofibromatosis sort dual (NF2), affects one in each 2,500 people worldwide. It can affect any family, in any case of past history, by gene turn and now there is no cure.

Professor Oliver Hanemann, who led the investigate from the Peninsula Medical School, commented: "This has been an sparkling partnership with colleagues in the United States ensuing in a turning point publication. Until now, there has been no suggestive work on the purpose of Merlin in the nucleus. The formula of the investigate show a larger bargain of the elemental piece played by Merlin in the hang-up of tumorous cells, and how this piece is undermined when the protein is mutated. Identification of the disproportion in mechanisms will concede us to rise therapies for the future."

&

http://www.pms.ac.uk

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Linux commercial operation key to Novell sale

Sayantani Ghosh BANGALORE Thu Mar 25, 2010 3:07pm EDT Related News DEALTALK-Linux business key to Novell sale3:06pm EDT Stocks & &

BANGALORE (Reuters) - Investors in software maker Novell Inc (NOVL.O) may be faced with a difficult choice soon.

Deals

On the one hand, the company rejected a recent bid from an investment fund saying it undervalued the company; on the other, the diverse nature of Novell"s businesses may deter strategic buyers from stepping forward with a substantially higher bid.

Holding out for too long, and ending up without any buyer, could be a major risk for Novell and its shareholders.

Earlier this month, Elliott Associates offered to buy the world"s No. 2 maker of the open source Linux operating system for $2 billion, or $5.75 a share.

Shares of the company surged 30 percent a day after the bid, as investors bet on a bigger offer. Last week, Novell decided to put itself on the block.

Novell, which started off in 1979 as a maker of disk operating systems and computers, sells network server operating system that helps connect desktops to office networks. It also offers openSUSE, a version of the Linux operating system, provides identity and security management software, virtualization and IT management services.

Novell"s brand value has diminished in the past decade with its legacy enterprise networking product Netware losing market share to rivals. It is often perceived as a company that lost out to Microsoft in the operating systems war.

"It"s really difficult for any single technology company to benefit from all the pieces they have to offer, which makes it a difficult acquisition," said Abhey Lamba, analyst at International Strategy Investment Group.

Investors feel the company might find higher value if it looks at multiple transactions, as a value buyer like Elliott might not assign adequate value to some of its currently languishing but potentially strategic businesses.

Lamba, however, pointed out that multiple transactions could be long drawn and difficult to consummate for a publicly held company.

LINUX IS THE KEY

The key to the whole situation might be Novell"s Linux business, said a person familiar with the company. He believes this business, which has scarcity value, is not valued in Elliott"s offer.

Novell is one of the two companies in the world that provide Linux-based operating systems, which are the main competitors to Microsoft"s (MSFT.O) Windows operating platforms. Rival Red Hat (RHT.N) dominates the Linux market.

The source said there may be so much interest in the Linux business that strategic buyers would buy the whole company to get it.

Analysts have speculated that companies like HP (HPQ.N), SAP (SAPG.DE), Microsoft and Oracle (ORCL.O) could all be possible strategic buyers and could be interested in either a part or the entire company.

"We expect double-digit number of strategic buyers will take a look at this," said Brad Zelnick, analyst at Macquarie Equities Research and ex-employee of Novell.

"But if you look at where the opportunity lies, to us, BMC Software (BMC.O) makes a lot of sense, as does Microsoft, and even IBM."

Piper Jaffray analyst Mark Murphy said, "There are various infrastructure technologies at Novell that are potentially attractive at the right price and it is important to consider the recurring high margin maintenance revenue."

Murphy said CA Inc (CA.O) looked like a possible acquirer.

"CA has a track record of being willing to entertain this profile of transaction and it is conceivable, although not likely, that Oracle or IBM could have some interest in their Linux business," Murphy said.

Earlier this month, CA said it would buy privately-held Nimsoft Inc for $350 million in cash - a preoccupation that might take CA away from the equation.

Murphy however said the Nimsoft deal is not a gigantic transaction for CA, and the company may have the bandwidth to take on Novell.

WHAT"S A FAIR DEAL?

Most analysts agreed that $5.75 was too low for Novell, with some pinning the likely price at around $6 to $7 a share.

Eliott"s offer values Novell at about 20 times forward earnings. Before the offer, shares were trading at a multiple of 16.4 times -- less than half of what rival Red Hat trades at.

But at the same time, Novell shares have been underperforming for years -- they are at the same level they were five years ago. And the mean 12-month price target of analysts is about $5.95, according to Starmine data.

The company has about $1 billion in cash and no debt.

Piper Jaffray"s Murphy believes that Elliott might raise its offer to over $6 a share, but not more than $7.

"Elliott"s offer for the company does not fully reflect the strategic value that Novell presents to an acquirer," said Macquarie"s Zelnick, whose price target of $7.50 calls for an earnings multiple of about 26.

(Additional reporting by Ritsuko Ando in New York; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

AIG-Pru understanding set $231 million dissection price

Paritosh Bansal NEW YORK Fri Mar 5, 2010 4:54pm EST Stocks & &

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Britain"s Prudential Plc (PRU.L), under its $35.5 billion deal for AIG"s (AIG.N) Asian life unit, has agreed to payments of as much as $104 million per month if the deal does not close by August 31 and a 153 million pound ($231 million) termination fee.

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Prudential agreed to pay American International Group 5/1200, or about 0.4 percent, of the cash consideration outstanding per month from September 1, if the deal for American International Assurance (AIA) has not closed or been terminated by then, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

While announcing the deal on Monday, American International Group had said it expected the deal to close by the end of the year.

Prudential plans to pay AIG $25 billion in cash, $5.5 billion in common stock, $3 billion in mandatory convertible securities and $2 billion in preferred stock for AIA, according to the filing.

Separately, AIG, which is nearly 80 percent owned by the U.S. government, said it would sell its 13.8 percent stake in reinsurer Transatlantic Holdings Inc (TRH.N), worth about $500 million at Thursday"s closing stock price.

The insurer"s American Home Assurance Co unit would sell the 9.2 million Transatlantic shares in an offering to be held by March 9.

Transatlantic shares closed at $53.76 on Thursday, off their 52-week high of $55.90. They slid 3.4 percent to close at $51.96 on Friday.

Transatlantic said it would buy up to 2 million of the shares in the offering.

AIG said it intends to reserve a portion of the offering for purchase by index funds.

The big insurance company, rescued in September 2008, has been selling off assets to pay back the government, which has committed up to $182.3 billion in taxpayer funds to the bailout.

In June it received gross proceeds of $1.1 billion, which included the underwriters exercising options to buy 3.9 million additional shares.

It is also near a deal to sell another large foreign life insurance unit to MetLife Inc (MET.N) in a $15 billion deal.

Shares of AIG closed up 5.1 percent at $28.08 on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Paritosh Bansal; editing by John Wallace, Robert MacMillan, Gary Hill)

Deals

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Sea World torpedo whale Shamu kills tutor Dawn Brancheau

A leading animal trainer at SeaWorld Orlando has defended the park"s performances with killer whales following the death of a trainer yesterday.

Horrified spectators looked on as Dawn Brancheau was dragged her to her death by a six-ton killer whale. After diving, the whale known as Tilikum held Ms Brancheau, 40, under water until she drowned at the popular Florida attraction.

Dawn Brancheau was filmed feeding the kiiller whales just moments before she was attacked and killed at SeaWorld in Florida

Dawn Brancheau was filmed feeding the killer whales just moments before she was attacked and killed

Chuck Tompkins, Corporate Curator of Zoological Operations at SeaWorld Parks, said it was too early to say what would happen to the whale following the tragedy and defended remarks from animal rights organisation PETA that whales were kept in areas "that to them is like the size of a bathtub".

Mr Tompkins told TravelMail: Obviously, youre going to have all of these activists coming out ofthe woodwork to try to take advantage of a very sad situation. More...Last moments of trainer caught on video as she is dragged to her death by killer whale Airline introduces in-flight health monitor to help sick passengersFirst Choice face court battle over Dominican Republic holiday from hell

"Dawn spent her entire career taking care of these animals. She loveddoing it, she loved working with these killer whales. To say theseanimals have the wrong environment is so incorrect."

Mr Tompkins said it is thought Ms Brancheau was targeted because of her long hair which may have swished across the rostrum - nose - of the whale. He added that Tilikum, who first came to the SeaWorld Orlando park in 1992, is currently being kept in the Shamu stadium.

Brancheau had reportedly dreamed of working at SeaWorld since she was nine

Brancheau had reportedly dreamed of working at SeaWorld since she was nine. Colleague Chuck Tompkins said:"Dawn spent her entire career taking care of these animals. She loved doing it, she loved working with these killer whales."

"He has several pools that he lives in and hes being kept safely now - were interacting very carefully around him and making sure that we have the safest possible environment for our trainers.

Asked why he thought the killer whale had acted in the way he did, Mr Tompkins said: I dont have a good answer to that. I dont know what was goingthrough his head. These are wild animals and we try and prepareourselves for all situations and this is one of those times when wedont have an immediate answer.

Killer whales swim in tanks at the SeaWorld park in Orlando, Florida

Killer whales swim in tanks at the SeaWorld park in Orlando, Florida. The "Believe" show plays up to three times a day in a stadium that can hold more than 5,000 people.

It is not the first time Tilikumhas been involved in an attack. Nicknamed "Tilly", he was blamed forthe drowning of one of his trainers in 1991 when he was at Sealand inBritish Columbia.

The world"s theme park capital

SeaWorld sign

Orlando in Florida remains the world"s theme park capital with some 50million visitors spending around $30billion there every year.

Originally built around a former army base in the mid 19th century, the city now has in excess of 100 attractions, 112,000 hotel rooms and more than 5,000 restaurants.

Orlando"s status as a tourism hotspot was sealed when Walt Disney chose the flat land around Kissimmee to build Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom in 1971.

SeaWorld Orlando followed in 1973 and the region"s second most popular attraction, Universal Orlando, opened its doors in 1990.

Soldto SeaWorld as a stud in 1992, the whale was also involved in anincident when a homeless man"s dead body was found across his back in1999.

The man is thought to have drowned in the stadium"s icy water, but investigators said it appeared that the whale had bitten him and tore off his swimming trunks thinking he was a play toy.

Because of his size and the previous deaths, trainers were not supposed to get into the water with Tilikum, and only 12 of the park"s 29 trainers worked with him.

To say that Tilikum is a vicious killer is wrong. Wevehad thousands of interactions with this animal where he has been safe," added Tompkins.

Performances by killer whales are among the park"s most popular attractions and a host of celebrities including Uma Thurman, Tiger Woods and British Olympic diver Tom Daley have been among previous audience members.

The 30-minute "Believe" show isusually performed three times a day in a stadium that seats more than5,000 people.

A UK spokesperson for SeaWorld said that the show was likely to be cancelled for "possibly weeks" while thetragedy is investigated. The rest of the park in Orlando is still opento visitors.

In California, sister park SeaWorld San Diego has alsoclosed the Believe show although the rest of the park is operating asnormal. A third SeaWorld park, in San Antonio, Texas, is currentlyclosed for the winter season. A further update is expected at lunchtimetoday.

12 million people visit the threeSeaWorld parks across America every year with tens of thousands ofBritons heading to the flagship park in Orlando annually.