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May 18th, 2013 | 
Author: By INTI LANDAURO And NADYA MASIDLOVER
Hours after the Cannes Film Festival premiered Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring,” depicting a gang of Hollywood jewel thieves, a real-world heist lifted $1.4 million of jewelry from a hotel in Cannes. Inti Landauro has details. Photo: Associated Press.
PARISâHours after the Cannes Film Festival premiered Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring,” depicting a gang of Hollywood jewel thieves, a real-world heist lifted $1.4 million of jewelry from a hotel in Cannes, French prosecutors said.
The jewels were stolen in the early hours of Friday from an employee of Swiss jeweler Chopard, an official sponsor of the Cannes festival and maker of its iconic Palme d’Or award, prosecutors said.
Chopard said the jewels weren’t part of the collection to be worn by actresses at the festival, and that the value of the stolen pieces was “far lower than those in the figures circulating in the media.” The company didn’t give an estimated value of the stolen goods.
The employee had left the jewelry in the safe of her hotel room at the four-star Novotel in Cannes, they said. Upon returning to her room at 2 a.m. on Friday, the employee saw that the safe had been taken off the wall and stolen, prosecutors said. Preliminary investigation suggests it was a burglary, said Jean-Michel Caillau, the prosecutor in the nearby town of Grasse, who is conducting the probe.
Reuters
Actress Fan Bingbing posing next to a set of jewels, new pieces of the ‘Green Carpet Collection,’ during the 66th Cannes Film Festival on Friday.
“The majority of the jewels belong to the company Chopard, but it seems some are owned by other private persons, we have no detailed inventory yet,” he said.
The Novotel hotel chain’s parent company Accor SA
declined to comment.
Local police were interviewing witnesses and watching video footage from security cameras, Mr. Caillau said. He declined to say whether police had identified any suspect.
Mr. Caillau said similar thefts have happened in Cannes in the past. “This is a risk that we are aware of,” he said.
The Palme d’Or wasn’t involved in the theft and is still set to be awarded on May 26 at the end of the festival to the winner of the Best Film prize, according to a spokeswoman for the festival organizers. Since 1998, when Chopard was enlisted to redesign the event’s trophy, the company has crafted the award in its workshops.
The Swiss luxury jewelry and watchmaker, founded in 1860, rose to fame in recent decades with a number of high-profile ventures including its partnership with Cannes Film Festival, where it uses the red carpet to display its works. Jewels are typically lent to the stars to be worn during award ceremonies and parties.
Related
The Cannes Film Festival (which begins May 15) is known for its sometimes tough audience. But many films that were booed at the festival go on to win awards and are considered classics now. (Photo: Columbia Pictures)
This year, stars including Spain’s Blanca Suárezâwho played in Pedro Almodóvar’s film “The Skin Ilive In”âand Chinese actress Fan Bingbing have sported pieces made by Chopard at the festival.
In “The Bling Ring,” which is based on a real-life story, a group of juvenile thieves accumulated high-end branded goods from celebrities’ homes.
Friday’s apparent burglary in Cannes followed a string of high-profile luxury-goods thefts in the country. In March, Louis Vuittonâthe main brand of the world’s largest luxury company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton
âsaw its store in the northern French town of Deauville attacked by masked gunmen in broad daylight. Last month, a truck carrying products made by Hermès, was the victim of a holdup orchestrated by robbers masquerading as police officers, according to press reports.
Write to Inti Landauro at inti.landauro@dowjones.com and Nadya Masidlover at nadya.masidlover@dowjones.com
A version of this article appeared May 18, 2013, on page A8 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Jewels Stolen At Cannes Film Festival.
Posted in 
By ANNE TERGESEN
Funding the individual retirement accounts of family members before April 15 can boost their retirement security and potentially lower your tax bill.
Before putting money into the IRA of a spouse, child or grandchild, however, it’s important to understand the rules that apply to such contributions.
For married couples, the need for one spouse to contribute to an IRA for the other typically arises when one of the two drops out of the workforce or becomes unemployed. Normally, an individual must have compensation to be eligible to put money into an IRA. But in the case of a nonworking spouse, there is an exception, says Ed Slott, an IRA expert in Rockville Centre, N.Y. The loophole allows a working spouse to establish and fund an IRA in the nonworking spouse’s name.
“It is a great way for a stay-at-home parent or an unemployed spouse to keep their nest eggs growing,” he adds.
Whether it makes sense to use a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA depends on your income, age and goals. With either type of account, an individual under age 50 can save up to $5,000 for 2012 and $5,500 for 2013. Those 50 and older can contribute up to $6,000 for 2012 and $6,500 in 2013.
With a traditional IRA, the nonworking spouse, who cannot be older than 70½, may be eligible to deduct from taxable income some or all of this annual contribution, thus reducing the couple’s tax bill. With a Roth, which allows contributions at any age, you invest with post-tax dollars but you withdraw earnings later on tax-free.
To qualify, though, a married couple has to meet certain requirements. If neither spouse is eligible to participate in a company-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k), the couple can fully deduct the IRA contributions of both spousesâno matter how much money they make.
But if each is eligible for a 401(k)-style plan, they can only fully deduct their contributions if they earn less than $92,000. (The deduction phases out between $92,000 and $112,000.)
If one spouseâsay, the husbandâis eligible for a 401(k)-style plan but the other isn’t, the husband can deduct his contribution if the couple earns less than the $92,000 phaseout amount. But the wife can deduct her contribution even if they earn as much as $173,000. (Her deduction phases out between $173,000 and $183,000.)
Because nonworking spouses typically are ineligible for 401(k) plans, they often qualify for a deduction at the higher income limits, which can help some couples claim an extra deduction, says Mr. Slott.
Roth IRAs are good options for couples who expect to pay higher future tax rates or want to leave an IRA to beneficiaries. (The income limit is $183,000 for married couples filing joint tax returns.)
If you want to fund an IRA for a child or grandchild, a Roth is often a no-brainer, says Mr. Slott. Why? To contribute to an IRA, the child must have income. But because children often earn little, “the deduction they would receive for making a traditional IRA contribution would be almost worthless,” he says. Be aware that annual contributions to a child’s IRA can’t exceed his or her annual income.
If the child needs money for college or medical costs, he can withdraw the contributions tax- and penalty-free from a Roth IRA. And if the money is used for higher education, no early-withdrawal penalty is assessed on earnings either.
Email:
encore@wsj.com
Editor’s note: Arne Svenson is a fine art photographer and a former therapist/educator working with severely disabled children.
My art practice has led me down many and varied paths of visual exploration — from landscape photographs of Las Vegas to portraits of sock monkeys, chewed dog toys and medical museum specimens.
Currently, in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Museum, I am working on a long-term portrait project with a group of autistic teenagers. Given my background as a special education teacher, I find this a particularly rewarding homecoming.
First and foremost, my practice seeks out the inner life — the essence — of my subjects, whether they be human or inanimate. I use my camera as a writer uses text, to create a narrative that helps the viewer understand what might lie hidden or obscured. This narrative, at times only a whisper or suggestion, weaves throughout my bodies of work.
Some time ago, I began photographing the occupants of a neighboring building through the windows. I’ve lived in Tribeca, in Lower Manhattan, for 30 years, and have built my life and studio here. The area has gone through many changes, and I watched the building across the way built from the ground up. Made entirely of glass and steel, it offers residents views of the neighborhood — and neighbors and passersby views into the apartments.
As people filled the empty units, I was intrigued not only by the implied stories within the frame of the glass but also by the play of light upon the subjects, the shadows, the framing of the structure. I don’t photograph anything salacious or demeaning — instead I record the turn of the head, the graceful arc of a hand, the human form obscured by drapery.
The photographs make up a show called “Neighbors,” which opened a week ago at the Julie Saul Gallery in New York, and some people have raised concerns.
I am not photographing the residents as specific, identifiable individuals, but as representations of humankind. In fact, I take great care in not revealing their identity; the strength of the imagery comes from us seeing ourselves in the anonymous figures of “The Neighbors.”
In New York, people are masters of being both the observer and the observed. We live so densely packed that contact is inevitable — even our homes are stacked facing each other. It is no wonder that street photography was born in this city, and some of the best subjects and most famous works are the results of those who didn’t know they were being photographed or painted.
“Neighbors” has sparked a good bit of conversation. While people differ in their opinions — as most do when it comes to art — I believe the images speak for themselves. I encourage everyone to draw their own conclusions after seeing the work.
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SEOUL |
SEOUL (Reuters) – Overtaking Apple Inc as the world’s leading maker of smartphones has stretched Samsung Electronics Co’s in-house supply lines, and the South Korean firm is now courting some of its rival’s main parts suppliers.
After costly courtroom battles over technology patents, the two gadget giants are now going head-to-head over securing the best supply of parts as they jostle to rule the $253 billion smartphone market. The two took 100 percent of the industry’s profit in January-March, Canaccord Genuity data show.
Trampling on Apple’s supply patch could make life tough for the U.S. firm as it prepares for its next product line-up including a cheaper iPhone for emerging markets such as China. Having Samsung muscle in on its suppliers could drive up costs and lead to component bottlenecks, disrupting product launches.
Samsung’s huge in-house supply chain – providing parts from displays and powerful processors to memory chips and batteries – has been a core strength in its war for smartphone supremacy. As it now looks to widen its lead with products spanning both the high and cheap-and-cheerful ends of the market, Samsung’s supplies have become stretched, prompting it to hunt elsewhere to ensure it isn’t caught short.
“The next round of the post-patent battle for them will be over component supplies,” said Lee Sun-tae, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities. “Who wins access to the best performing components in class in large quantity – that’s the key … and explains why Samsung is shopping for components more than ever.”
SHARP AND SOUR?
Samsung has made overtures to traditional Apple partners such as Japanese display maker Sharp Corp and South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix. Samsung, which buys most of its mobile screens from its Samsung Display unit, last year placed orders with Sharp for high-resolution LCD screens for its popular Galaxy range of products, though it later canceled the order, said two people familiar with the matter, asking not to be named as the negotiations were confidential.
Sharp, in which Samsung bought a 3 percent stake earlier this year for $110 million, said this week it was seeking to boost sales to the Korean firm, potentially souring the Japanese company’s ties with Cupertino, California-based Apple.
Samsung is also using more chips made by Qualcomm, another major Apple supplier, in its flagship Galaxy S, which went on sale late last month.
Some other suppliers who provide parts to both Apple and Samsung include Toshiba Corp in NAND memory chips, Sony Corp, in image sensors, and Corning Inc for its Gorilla Glass used in iPhones, iPads and Galaxy products, industry data show.
STMicroelectronics and Bosch, the only mass producers of pressure sensors used in navigation features, supply those parts for the Galaxy range, and could be tapped by Apple for future products, according to research firm iSuppli.
TINY OVERLAP, BIG IMPACT
For sure, Samsung still buys the majority of its components in-house, and the overlap with Apple on external suppliers is, so far, limited. BNP Paribas estimates that more than 80 percent of component profits generated by Galaxy S4 sales go to Samsung itself and its units.
But even a tiny overlap can be damaging as smartphones are constantly upgraded to more powerful computing and media devices – allowing users to take pictures, shoot video, play music, game online, watch TV and navigate – raising the need for more and smarter components.
“Any disruption in even small parts that you wouldn’t think are really core, say headphones, can affect product launches,” said Lee at NH Investment & Securities.
For example, Taiwan’s HTC Corp, which has slipped out of the top-10 smartphone makers, reported a record-low quarterly profit last month after delaying the full launch of its flagship model due to a shortage of cameras.
“Having a single supplier carries a lot of risk. Bearing that in mind, Samsung may even consider using LCD along with OLED in its signature Galaxy S range to reduce its total reliance on Samsung Display,” said Song Jong-ho, an analyst at KDB Daewoo Securities.
Samsung Display doesn’t produce LCDs for smartphones so as it boosts sales at the lower end of market it needs to outsource LCDs. The Korean firm uses the more expensive OLED display only on its high-end models.
NOT SO DIFFERENT
Outsourcing more components could mean Samsung will lose some of its hardware differentiation – a big selling point for the Galaxy range – and be seen as just selling generic phones, say some analysts.
The Exynos 5 Octa processor, which Samsung touted as having 8 brains designed to maximize energy efficiency while multi-tasking, is not used in the S4 models sold in the United States. Instead, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips will power the phone in that crucial market, with Exynos chips used in select markets such as South Korea and some European countries.
“Given that Qualcomm chips are also found in rival products, and the much-heralded launch of smartphones with flexible display appears to be delayed, I’m worried Samsung is losing its hardware differentiator,” said BNP Paribas analyst Peter Yu.
Samsung says both Qualcomm and its own chips have passed its rigorous quality standards and both will provide satisfactory user experience. “We’ll continue to resort to multi vendors to ensure smooth supply,” Kim Hyunjoon, vice president of Samsung’s mobile business, told analysts on a recent earnings call.
Samsung’s Exynos processors accounted for around 30 percent of the S3, but that is likely to fall to around 10 percent in the S4, analysts said.
“Qualcomm’s latest chips are getting good reviews from carriers, which I think forced Samsung to switch in favor of Qualcomm from Exynos in the S4,” said KDB Daewoo’s Song. “There’s even a possibility Apple may drop its own processor and go for Qualcomm chips in some future devices.”
FLEXI-TIME?
Losing some of its hardware appeal and taking longer than expected to come up with innovative products such as flexible or wearable devices are additional challenges for Samsung, which is getting only mixed reviews for its efforts to improve software capability to integrate better with hardware.
In a recent review of the S4, Walt Mossberg, a gadget expert for the Wall Street Journal, said Samsung’s software was “often gimmicky, duplicative of standard Android apps, or, in some cases, only intermittently functional.
Despite the lukewarm reviews, consumers keep snapping up the S4, according to carriers. For the first time in at least three years, Samsung last year spent more on marketing than on research and development, seeking to pick up market share in the absence of new, competing models from Apple. And Samsung’s operating profit is seen topping Apple’s this quarter for the first time in years, J.P. Morgan analysts predict.
“There’s not much left in terms of what you can do to really differentiate your product as everybody’s thinking something similar – flexible or wearable,” said NH Investment & Securities’ Lee.
In late 2011, Samsung told analysts it planned to introduce flexible displays on handsets “some time in 2012, hopefully the earlier part than later”, but a year later it said the technology was still “under development.” It again demonstrated prototypes of flexible phones earlier this year, but executives now say they can’t disclose the timing of flexible smartphones.
Rivals are also moving fast. LG Electronics Inc, the third-biggest smartphone maker in January-March on strong sales of its high-end Optimus G model, said last month it planned to introduce an unbreakable smartphone by the year-end.
(Additional reporting by Mari Saito and Reiji Murai in TOKYO; Graphic by Catherine Trevethan; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
Release Date: 04/19/2013Contact Information: Stacy Kika, kika.stacy@epa.gov, 202-564-0906, 202-564-4355 / Dale Kemery, Kemery.dale@epa.gov, 202-564-7839, 202-564-4355
WASHINGTON— The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today that CEMEX, Inc., the owner and operator of a Portland cement manufacturing facility in Lyons, Colo., has agreed to operate advanced pollution controls on its kiln and pay a $1 million civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA).
“Today’s settlement will reduce harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides, which can have serious impacts on respiratory health for communities along Colorado’s Front Range,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Cutting these emissions will also help improve environmental quality and visibility in places like Rocky Mountain National Park.”
“This agreement will mean cleaner air for Colorado residents downwind of the CEMEX facility and will contribute to improved air quality in the Rocky Mountain National Park, which is one of our nation’s most cherished public spaces,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The settlement is part of the Justice Department’s continuing efforts, along with the EPA, to bring significant sources of air pollution within the cement manufacturing sector into compliance with the Clean Air Act.”
The Department of Justice , on behalf of EPA, filed a complaint against CEMEX alleging that between 1997—2000, the company unlawfully made modifications at its Lyons plant that resulted in significant net increases of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions. The complaint further alleges that these increased emissions violated the CAA’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Non-Attainment New Source Review requirements, which state that companies must obtain the necessary permits prior to making modifications at a facility and install and operate required pollution control equipment if modifications will result in increases of certain pollutants.
As part of the settlement, CEMEX will install “Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction” (SNCR) technology at their Lyons facility, which is an advanced pollution control technology designed to reduce NOx emissions. This will reduce their NOx emissions by approximately 870 to 1,200 tons of NOx per year. The initial capital cost for installing SNCR is approximately $600,000 and the cost of injecting ammonia into the stack emissions stream, a necessary part of the process, is anticipated to be about $1.5 million per year.
The settlement is part of EPA’s national enforcement initiative to control harmful air pollution from the largest sources of emissions, including Portland cement manufacturing facilities.
NOx emissions may cause severe respiratory problems and contribute to childhood asthma. These emissions also contribute to acid rain, smog, and haze which impair visibility in national parks. CEMEX’s facility is located within 20 miles of Rocky Mountain National Park, and its emissions may contribute to visibility impairment and to the nitrogen pollution problem that is affecting the park’s vegetation, water quality, and trout populations. Air pollution from Portland cement manufacturing facilities can also travel significant distances downwind, crossing state lines and creating region-wide health problems.
The proposed consent decree will be lodged with the Federal District Court for the District of Colorado, and will be subject to a 30-day public comment period.
More information about the settlement: http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/air/cases/cemex-lyons.html
More information about EPA’s national enforcement initiative: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/data/planning/initiatives/2011airpollution.html
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By TODDI GUTNER
Q:
I am looking for a full-time job that uses my writing, people and information-gathering talents from 25 years as a Los Angeles Times staff writer. My concern, validated by the coach at the retraining corporation, is that I am over 40. That coach actually told me to leave the dates of college attendance, etc., off my resume. My brother, president of a publicly-traded company, said this advice was nonsense, although he did say age is an issue (and he’s older than I am).Can you address this issue of inferiority complex for those of us competing with candidates 20 years our junior? How do we address it? How can we compensate for the potential perception that we are burn-outs or tired when we might — in my case — just be bored because we know the job so well?
Associated Press
A: No doubt, age discrimination does exist in the workplace. But don’t despair. There actually are advantages to being over 40.
“This is a good time to position yourself as a deeply competent and confident professional in your area of expertise and experience,” says Rabia de Lande Long, a consultant and executive coach at Chartwell Advisors. “In uncertain economic times, employers can be drawn more to experienced workers who join with ready-to-use skills and a shallow learning curve,” she says.
What’s more, younger workers are often perceived as job hoppers — quick to jump from one opportunity to the next. Employers aren’t likely to want to invest in training new talent — especially in this environment — unless employees are committed and stable.
As to whether or not you include the dates of your degrees, career experts have varying opinions. In most cases, it is a good idea to include them. If your resume attempts to indicate that you are younger by leaving out graduation dates or eliminating 10 years of early career history, “you could run the risk of surprising the interviewer and disqualifying yourself — not so much because of age, but because you have misled the employer,” says Sheryl Spanier, a career coach and consultant. When you include early work experience, it isn’t difficult to calculate the general age of a candidate. So why make the recruiter do the math? Leaving out the dates of your degrees may also make it appear that you have something to hide. What’s more, many employers verify degrees and will ask you to provide graduation dates, so you might as well provide them. Be sure to include any recent continuing education and dates you completed the work.
For professionals who are in their mid-50s and older, it will be harder to overcome potential employer biases. “If you are a youthful 55, perhaps you could post a professional photo of yourself on LinkedIn, which most recruiters check these days,” says Ms. de Lande Long. In addition, in your cover letter, you’ll want to differentiate yourself “by showing results, (understanding of) technology and demonstrate ease in interacting with colleagues of all ages,” she says.
During the interview process, avoid the “been there, done that” attitude. Instead, show interest, commitment, enthusiasm and energy. “If you’re bored with your profession, you can be sure that comes through in an interview,” says Susan Chadick, a principal at Chadick Ellig, an executive-search firm serving small and mid-size companies and startups.
Write to Career Q&A at cjeditor@dowjones.com.
—-
NOTE: Reuters has not verified these stories and does not
vouch for their accuracy.
($1 = 3.0115 Malaysian ringgit)
Story By: by Bob Boilen
Femi Kuti writes that “The World Is Changing” was inspired by the sorts of poverty and inequality that he sees, and not just in his country:
“I want people to understand that poverty is winning the game of life, as there are more people these days feeling the pain of suffering and hunger, not just in Africa but to understand it’s now a global problem, as we see in Europe and America too. That even if the rich are crying from the recession, the poor still die from hunger. And then we have the important issue of climate change. I wanted the video to highlight all this for all to see the importance of doing something about it immediately and to make it clear people have had enough of the suffering as the ongoing says.”
This film makes the message even clearer. Juan Gélas purposefully uses the lyrics to drive the point home:
“The message had to be clear, in your face, inescapable. The images that appear throughout the video also reflect directly the song’s message. A fast, urgent, exciting and sometime scary mix of images of global capitalism, world poverty and natural disasters. But the game between rich and poor that Femi Kuti talks about here is not just a symbolic one, It is also a very harsh reality, confronting millions living today in the South’s huge new urban megalopoli. This is why we commissioned some footage to be shot documentary style, in one of Lagos’s huge garbage dumps. The Venezuelan visual artist Joaquin Urbina, who heads the audio-visual design studio No-Domain in Barcelona, directed and animated the video, bringing in his modern and emotional vision to the work, while respecting the raw energy of the groove and the urgency of the message.”
This song is from a new record by Femi Kuti, No Place for My Dream, which comes out June 25 with a summer tour happening as well. If you’ve never seen his huge, powerful big band, take an evening and be inspired.
Mobile computing initiatives are changing the ways that teachers teach and students learn. Collaborative, interactive learning: As schools seek to improve student engagement, they are emphasizing one-to one learning experiences, in which each student uses a laptop computer for accessing multimedia content and completing lessons. Mobility gives schools flexibility in how classroom space, teachers, and learning resources are used.
Meru completely changes how schools view and use wireless. With Meru, schools can keep students, teachers, and administrators continuously connected in the classroom, across the school campus, and between schools in a system or district. Schools are able to transparently enhance the students learning experience with seamless access rich multimedia content, online books, and virtual tours to another part of the world. Easy to deploy and simple to manage, schools are able to deliver an incomparable user experience and a lower total cost of ownership than other wireless LANs.
This Meru Networks EMEA white paper looks at:
• Symptoms of network problems
• Supporting partner solutions
Getty Images (duck)
THE TABLET MAY be the ultimate leisure gadget, so not surprisingly we take it wherever we lounge: the couch, the bed, the La-Z-Boy
. But unless you stuff your tablet in a clunky waterproof case, it’s been impossible to enjoy your pinching and swiping in one of the most leisurely places of all: the bath. That will change when Sony‘s
ultrathin Xperia Tablet Z launches next month. You can safely dunk it in up to 3 feet of water for 30 minutes (just remember to seal its port covers). And while its vivid 10.1-inch screen, virtual-surround-sound speakers and 8.1-megapixel camera are nice touches, the Xperia Tablet Z is all about going where no tablet has gone before. Happy splashing. $500, store.sony.com
—Kevin Sintumuang
A version of this article appeared April 6, 2013, on page D15 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: rethink42 A Tub-Friendly Tablet.