Costner reflects on Houston's self-doubt

By Shirley Halperin, The Hollywood Reporter

"This feels right," said actor Kevin Costner from the podium at Newark's New Hope Baptist Church where he was one of a handful of speakers to honor the late Whitney Houston.

For his part of the service, he recalled casting Houston as his costar in "The Bodyguard," explaining to those gathered that "I Will Always Love You" "wasn?t supposed to be in the movie. The first choice was ?'What Becomes of a Broken Heart.' ... what becomes of our broken heart?"

Actor Kevin Costner shares his memories of Whitney Houston while speaking at her funeral, Saturday, in Newark, N.J.

The actor went on to explain that he and Houston had more in common than meets the eye. "I?know a lot of people are thinking: 'Really? She?s a girl, you're a boy. You're white, she?s black.'" Like Houston, Costner spent his formative years in a baptist church and it's a commonality they discussed at length as they got to know each other.

Houston is 'singing with the angels,' Tyler Perry says

"I told Whitney I always worried God would ask me to be preacher," said Costner. "Whitney said she wasn?t worried at all. She told God she would be like Aretha and her famous cousin Dionne."

Costner continued: "At the height of her fame as a singer, I asked her to be my costar. I thought she was the perfect choice. But the red flags came out immediately." Costner convinced?the studio, Warner Bros., to postpone filming for a year so?that Houston could tour.

"It was a lot for the studio to accept and to their credit they did but not without a screen test," he said. "Whitney would have to earn it.?Whitney was scared the biggest pop star in the work wasn?t sure if she as good enough.?I held her hand and told her she looked beautiful and that everyone wanted her to be successful but I could still feel the doubt."

Ray J to Houston: 'I miss you Nippy'

The studio fell in love with her, he added. "It was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble again."

Tearing up, Costner concluded: "Whitney, if you could hear me now I would tell you you weren?t just good enough, you were great...?I was your pretend bodyguard not too long ago and now you?re gone.?Off you go, Whitney -- escorted by an army of angels and your heavenly father. When you stand before him, don?t you worry. You?ll be good enough."

Coster received a standing ovation for his comments.

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Source: http://todayentertainment.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/18/10443881-costner-on-houston-the-burden-that-made-her-great-caused-her-to-stumble

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More Chinese cities seize iPads over trademark (AP)

BEIJING ? Authorities have seized iPads from more Chinese retailers in an escalating trademark dispute between Apple Inc. and a struggling local company that could disrupt global sales of the popular tablet computer.

Shenzhen Proview Technology claims it owns the iPad name in China, and a court ruled in its favor last year. This week, the Chinese company said it will ask customs officials to stop imports and exports of iPads, which are made in China.

A website run by newspaper China Business News said Thursday iPads were seized in the central city of Zhengzhou and the eastern port of Qingdao. Seizures were reported earlier in Shijiazhuang and Xuzhou.

Proview said it has asked regulators in more than 40 cities to investigate possible trademark violations.

Chinese media say Proview is deeply in debt, and observers have suggested the company needs a large settlement to repay creditors.

"We've appealed to Apple through its agents to have a settlement, but so far we haven't received any response from them," said a Proview lawyer, Xie Xianghui. He declined to say how much Proview wants.

An employee of the press office of Zhengzhou's Administration of Industry and Commerce confirmed some iPads were seized there.

"One of our local offices seized iPads from a shop and sealed them off based on the Chinese Trademark Law, although we did not carry out a city-wide seizure," said the employee, who would give only his surname, Jiang.

A spokesman for Qingdao's Administration of Industry and Commerce said he knew of no order to seize iPads but said the agency was monitoring the legal process.

"We're investigating iPad sales in the city and will move quickly once there is a final legal judgment," said the spokesman, who would give only his surname, He.

A spokesman for Weihai's commerce agency said he knew of no citywide seizures but said local offices might be investigating sales or collecting evidence. He refused to give his name.

Shenzhen Proview Technology is a subsidiary of LCD screen maker Proview International Holdings Ltd., headquartered in Hong Kong.

Proview registered the iPad trademark in China in 2001. Apple bought rights to the name from a Taiwanese affiliate, but the mainland company says it still owns the name in China. A Chinese court rejected Apple's claim to the name in China last year. Apple has appealed.

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, insists it owns the iPad name and has accused Proview of failing to honor its agreement.

Apple has cited a Hong Kong court ruling last year that concluded Proview and the Taiwan company both were controlled by the same Taiwanese businessman, Yang Long-san.

The judge said the companies acted together "with the common intention of injuring Apple" and granted a temporary order barring Proview from transferring rights to the iPad name in China.

Proview also has filed suit against Apple in Shanghai and the cities of Shenzhen and Huizhou, according to Xie.

___

Associated Press researcher Yu Bing contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120216/ap_on_hi_te/as_china_apple_ipad_dispute

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Video: Woman lawmaker walks out of all-male hearing

Democratic Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton tells msnbc's Tamron Hall what led her to the decision to walk out of a heated hearing on contraception.

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/46417186/

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World News - Uganda minister shuts down gay rights conference

By msnbc.com staff and news services

A Ugandan cabinet minister accompanied by police raided a gay rights conference, claiming that one of the organizers had insulted him and demanded she be arrested, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.

The minster for ethics and integrity Simon Lokodo told activists that the gathering at a hotel in Entebbe on Tuesday was an "illegal assembly," the newspaper reported.

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"You should not allow people to plan the destruction of your country. You cannot allow terrorists to organize to destroy your country," he told the newspaper.

Homosexuality remains taboo in Uganda, where Pentecostal clerics have made the fight against gay culture one of their core messages. Homosexuality is already illegal under Uganda's penal code.

Lokodo also tried to get prominent activist Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera arrested but she fled before he could, the Guardian reported.

"I wanted to arrest a lady who was abusing me and calling me a liar," Lokodo told the newspaper.

Lokodo's move came days after the country's parliament tabled an anti-homosexuality bill.? While references to the death penalty for some homosexual acts had been removed, it still contained provisions for life imprisonment for "aggravated homosexuality."

The anti-homosexuality bill was reintroduced last week by legislator David Bahati, who said when he first introduced the bill in 2009 that his goal was to protect Ugandan children from Western homosexuals who lure them with money and other promises.

It remained unclear if the bill will ever be voted on by parliamentarians. Analysts said it would be passed immediately and that it had not been considered only because it lacked the political blessing of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who said it undermines his foreign policy agenda.

The bill has been condemned by leaders in Europe and the U.S., including by President Barack Obama. European countries such as Sweden have threatened to cut aid to Uganda if the bill is passed.

"The knock-on effect of passing this bill would reach far beyond gay and lesbian people in Uganda, impeding the legitimate work of civil society, public health professionals, and community leaders," Michelle Kagari, the deputy program director for Africa at Amnesty International, said in a statement.

?Msnbc.com staff and The Associated press contributed to this report.

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/15/10416448-uganda-minister-shuts-down-gay-rights-conference

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Trusts ? Better Robust Than Bust - MS Estate Planning

Not all trusts are created equal, especially when it comes to protection in a divorce.

Trusts are like pocket knives, in a way. Even a fairly basic pocket knife can make your life immensely easier, especially in a pinch, but a particularly well built and expansive pocket knife is an actual survival tool.

When it comes to trusts, however, why settle for a basic trust when a robust trust can provide essential protection for your loved ones?

While surfing my news sources I discovered yet another, renewed, lesson in the robust set of provisions that can be crafted into a single trust, here. In addition, this article illustrates the difficult space between divorce and the trust, and that?s one more area where a robust trust can make all the difference.

Depending on how you?ve structured it, a trust can last for varying lengths of time and offer the beneficiary/child various ways of accessing those funds. You might use this to teach lessons, for example, but don?t forget that you?re not always planning for the budding child but also the future adult. Unfortunately, that future adult may have creditors who could attempt an attack on the trust funds.

More likely, however, is that a divorce and an ex-spouse will come into play, perhaps also children and child-support. How the courts treat your trust depends on numerous factors best considered at the formation and worthy of your consideration at that time.

For more ideas (and at least one promising court case) read the original article. In the end, as with so many planning devices, everything hinges entirely on you, your family, and your unique circumstances.

Reference: Financial Planning Magazine (February 1, 2012) ?Trust, But Verify?

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For more information on Madison and Jackson MS Wills Trusts and other Estate Planning please visit our website.

For a Video on Health Care Directive please visit our website.

Source: http://blog.estateplanning123.com/2012/02/trusts-better-robust-than-bust.html

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2012 Ford Focus Electric Won?t Be Available Outside NY, CA Until Sept.

Back in November, we reported that Ford was planning on starting deliveries of its 2012 Ford Focus Electric to customers in New York and California before the end of 2011, with sales in other areas due to follow some time this year.?

In reality, while Ford technically did get all-electric Focuses to customers during 2011, it only managed to deliver 8.?

During January, deliveries weren?t much higher, and now the Detroit automaker is being rather tight-lipped about its future rollout plans after Mike Tinskey -- associate director of Ford?s Global Electric Vehicle Infrastructure -- hinted that Ford wouldn?t be delivering 2012 Ford Focus Electric cars outside of New York and California until September.?

Speaking two weeks ago, Tinskey told Mlive.com that Ford would continue to slowly roll out the vehicle to customers in New York and California, with other key market areas like Detroit having to wait until September to get a chance to buy the car.?

That?s quite different to what we?d initially understood Ford?s plans to be, so we reached out to Ford to make sure we?d understood things correctly.?

Specifically, we asked Ford to give us details on its initial sales numbers, comment on Tinskey?s comments about availability, as well as details of when pre-orders were expected to open outside of new York and California.?

?We are still on track to ramp up Focus Electric retail production and availability in the first half of this year followed by 16 additional markets later this year,? said Ford spokesman Wesley Sherwood in an email last week. ?We are not providing specific sales projections but continue to believe all-electric vehicles will be a small portion of the electrified vehicle mix for some time. Our initial orders are in line with this projection.?

What does this tell us? Very little, other than suggest that Ford isn?t keen to talk about its Focus Electric rollout plans at the moment.?

And that leaves us to draw one sad conclusion: For most customers, the wait for a new 2012 Ford Focus Electric might be a little longer than they?d initially hoped.?

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Source: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1072974_2012-ford-focus-wont-be-available-outside-ny-ca-until-sept

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Retail sales up modestly but recovery advances | Stock Market ...

WASHINGTON |
Tue Feb 14, 2012 10:14am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Business inventories rose 0.4 percent in December, reinforcing the view that fourth-quarter economic growth received a big boost from companies restocking their shelves.

The Commerce Department said on Tuesday that inventories climbed to $1.56 trillion in December.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast inventories increasing 0.5 percent in December. Sales rose 0.3 percent in November, the government said.

Inventories are a key element for measuring changes in gross domestic product.

A report on January 27 showed growth in business inventories helped drive a 2.8 percent expansion in gross domestic product during the fourth quarter.

Tuesday?s report showed manufacturing stocks rose 0.1 percent in December, while retailers gained 0.2 percent and wholesalers? stocks edged 1.0 percent higher.

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Read More from the Article Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/businessNews/~3/-ruMVytb_20/us-usa-economy-idUSTRE7BM0AB20120214

Source: http://www.rocketnews.com/2012/02/retail-sales-up-modestly-but-recovery-advances/

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