text:
CAMPBELL BROWN
Remembering Michael Jackson
Aired June 29, 2009 - 20:00 ET
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: (voice-over): Tonight: the must-see pictures, Michael Jackson's last superstar moments hours before he died.
Here are the questions we want answered. Is this the way the world will remember him?
Plus, what really killed Michael Jackson? His doctor gives his side.
EDWARD CHERNOFF, ATTORNEY FOR DR. CONRAD MURRAY: We don't know why he died.
BROWN: A look at what happened inside the mansion in the minutes leading up to Jackson's death.
And what about the children? Today, Jackson's mother, Katherine, is named temporary guardian, while his father gives a bizarre news conference.
JOE JACKSON, FATHER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: I established a record company with Marshall.
BROWN: Plus, is there a new Jackson album already ready to roll? More about the video and music recorded during his final rehearsal.
And Janet Jackson's tribute to her brother.
JANET JACKSON, MUSICIAN: To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family. And he will forever live in all of our hearts.
ANNOUNCER: This is your only source for news. CNN prime time begins now. Here's Campbell Brown.
BROWN: Hi, everybody.
We are covering every angle of Michael Jackson's story tonight -- a lot to tell you about. We begin with the "Mash-Up." It is, of course, our look at all of today's developments, plus some stories you may have missed today. We're watching it all, so you don't have to.
Many unanswered questions remain about Michael Jackson's death. But, tonight, new details are emerging about the final days and the final minutes of his life. Just hours ago, investigators found drugs in the house where the pop star passed away, one thing abundantly clear -- this is going to be a long investigation.
KATIE COURIC, HOST, "CBS EVENING NEWS": Investigators from the Los Angeles County Coroner's went to his rented mansion today. They left with two large plastic bags containing undisclosed medications as they looked for clues in the pop star's death.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He says he felt a pulse and administered CPR. But he did it in the bed. You know, CPR is supposed to be done on a hard surface.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, Joe Jackson said he will wait for results of their private autopsy before burying his son.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A California judge has just approved Jackson's mother's request for temporary custody of his three children.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That means they're living under the same roof as Jackson's father, Joe, whom the late singer claimed beat him as a child.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: Michael Jackson's mother said that, as far as she knew, Michael Jackson had no will.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But others say there is a will; it just hasn't come out yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The will is in a safe. The lawyer who has the will was out of town.
JOE JACKSON: I'm a pretty strong guy, but at least -- at least I suffer, I cry on the inside. A lot of people will see tears coming on the outside down the face. Not me. I take it in here. But I'm strong.
JANET JACKSON: I would just like to say that, to you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family. And he will forever live in all of our hearts.
BROWN: Also made public today, pictures of one of the last times Michael Jackson ever performed on stage. Take a look at this. Here he is. This is the Staples Center in Los Angeles, two days, just two days before he die. He was rehearsing for his upcoming concert tour. There are reportedly video and audio recordings of this session that the promotion company, AEG, may be planning to release as an album and a DVD.
AEG so far not commenting. And this may just be the beginning of the profit-making and videos of Michael Jackson, the Associated Press reporting tonight that Jackson recorded an elaborate music video two weeks before he died. Clearly, there are going to be a lot of people lining up to make money off the late singer. And we're going to talk about that a little bit later in the show.
We're also learning tonight no date has yet been set for Jackson's funeral. But his father, Joe Jackson, says the funeral will be public and it will be big. It will have to be. Take a look.
BROWN: And, again, much more on the investigation on the Jackson family, how they are doing, and also new details of what happened inside the mansion the day that Michael Jackson died.
The other big headline, today, though, big time for a big cheater, Bernard Madoff sentenced to 150 years behind bars. Today, the mastermind of the world's largest Ponzi scheme heard his sentence from the judge and a little payback from his victims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bernie Madoff sentenced to the full amount, 150 years in prison. He is 71 years old.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One hundred and fifty years is what the prosecutors said was uniquely an extraordinary situation. For this extraordinary situation, he said that those 150 years, the maximum allowed by law, was necessary, not just to punish Bernie Madoff, but also as a means of deterring others from committing white-collar crimes like this.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: When he did give that sentence, the victims in the courtroom did erupt in applause.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: There was applause? We haven't heard that yet. There was applause in the courtroom. Did the judge then tell people to quiet down or did he let them have their moment there in court?
A. CHERNOFF: Not at all. Not at all. And, in fact, there was a lot of hugging as well among the victims. They were very emotional. Some of them did break down in tears.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I expected the judge to actually give him a very harsh sentence to make him an example. But I don't have satisfaction, because the victims have no reparation yet.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We have a statement now from Bernie Madoff's wife. Here's part of what she said -- quote -- "Like everyone else, I feel betrayed and confused. The man who committed this horrible fraud is not the man whom I have known for all these years."
BROWN: A judge took away Ruth Madoff's homes and most of her money, leaving her with a mere $2.5 million. There are reports she can't find a new place to live. No one will rent her an apartment. Bernie Madoff will end up in a medium-security federal prison.
To Baghdad now, where Tuesday is the deadline for U.S. troops to pull out of Iraqi cities. Midnight has already come in Baghdad. And in the minutes before the deadline, people were dancing and singing in the streets.
CNN's Michael Ware is there. Check it out.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With just hours to go to the official handover of control of this war from the Americans to the Iraqis, this is the mood in Baghdad.
(CHEERING)
BROWN: Some U.S. troops will stay in cities to train and advise. But most will stay in bases outside of the cities -- almost all U.S. troops set to leave Iraq by the end of 2011.
And that is the "Mash-Up."
Tonight's big question, what really killed Michael Jackson? There have been so many questions about his private doctor, who was the last person to see him alive. Tonight, his lawyer is our newsmaker. And he's making a bold claim about the cause of death.
E. CHERNOFF: Yes, there are no narcotics. Campbell, I can't go into what we believe that Michael Jackson had consumed that night, had ingested that night, because we have an agreement with LAPD not to go into that until toxicology comes back. But I believe, when toxicology comes back, you're not going to find narcotics.
BROWN: You're basically ruling out an overdose, at least from what you know and from what your client knows, correct?
E. CHERNOFF: Yes. From what we know, that -- I'm ruling out an overdose.
BROWN: Welcome back.
So many of the questions about Michael Jackson's death can only be answered by the doctor who was treating him during the last minutes of his life, Dr. Conrad Murray. He was a cardiologist -- is a cardiologist. Murray met for several hours this weekend with detectives from the L.A. Police Department.
And his legal team insists he has done nothing wrong. Dr. Murray's attorney, Ed Chernoff, tells us more. He is tonight's newsmaker. Listen.
BROWN: There have been so many questions about what happened. So, let me ask you to start by just giving us a timeline of the moments leading up to Michael Jackson's death. What was happening with your client?
E. CHERNOFF: OK.
Well, some time before noon, Dr. Murray walked in to Michael Jackson's bedroom and saw that he wasn't breathing. He went over to him to make sure that that was the case, that he wasn't breathing. It was an emergency situation to him, because he didn't expect that to occur.
Of course, he tried to feel for a pulse. He felt a very weak pulse, felt that the body was warm, and then immediately started CPR on Michael Jackson to try to revive him.
BROWN: One of the basic questions has been about the CPR. Basic CPR, you generally do it on a hard surface like the floor. Let's listen just for a moment to a little bit of that 911 call.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Is he on the floor? Where is he at right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's on the bed sir. He's on the bed.
911 OPERATOR: OK, let's get him on the floor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
911 OPERATOR: OK, let's get him down to the floor. I'm going to help you with CPR right now.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BROWN: So, why was Dr. Murray doing CPR on the bed?
E. CHERNOFF: He was doing CPR on the bed because the situation demanded it when he -- at the time.
He was -- Michael Jackson was in bed, where he was presumably sleeping. The doctor felt it was important to immediately start administering CPR. Michael Jackson's a very -- I don't want to say frail, but a very, very small, thin, man.
Dr. Murray is a large man, a very -- very tall. He put his hand underneath Michael Jackson's back to brace it and held him there and compressed with his other hand. He checked to make sure that there was compression and that blood was flowing. And it was. And that's how he began the CPR process.
BROWN: It was reported it took more than 20 minutes from the time that Dr. Murray found Jackson to the time that that 911 call was made. Why? What took so long?
E. CHERNOFF: Right.
You know, and Dr. Murray performed CPR for -- for all of those 25 minutes or so, until emergency personnel came. In the Jackson house, in Michael Jackson's room, there is no phone. There's no land line, so to speak.
And so there's no way to call 911 and have an automated system determine where the call's coming from. Dr. Murray had his cell phone. But he did not know the precise address of Michael Jackson's home. He knew how to get there. He generally knew what road it was on, but he didn't know the precise address.
And so he couldn't use the cell phone. He called security from his cell phone while administering CPR. And there was no answer. He continued to administer CPR, trying to revive Michael Jackson. And, at some point, he had to run downstairs and yell for help, yelling for help, finally locating the chef. And the chef got security up to the room and then the 911 call was made.
BROWN: Now, you have said in a couple of interviews now that Mr. Murray never prescribed or administered Demerol or OxyContin, these very potent narcotics. Did he prescribe any other narcotics?
E. CHERNOFF: There -- I will say this.
What he prescribed during the two-month period of time that he was with Michael Jackson as his private physician was prescribed specifically for medical conditions or medical complaints, and -- and was prescribed appropriately, indicated for those complaints. And it...
BROWN: So -- so, just to be clear, are you talking about narcotics?
E. CHERNOFF: Yes, there are no narcotics.
Campbell, I can't go into what we believe that Michael Jackson had consumed that night, had ingested that night, because we have an agreement with LAPD not to go into that until toxicology comes back.
But I believe, when toxicology comes back, you're not going to find narcotics.
BROWN: In his system at all?
E. CHERNOFF: No. We -- we -- there's nothing that -- that occurred that night or that morning that would have led Dr. Murray to believe that Michael Jackson would suffer any heart failure or respiratory failure.
And if there is Demerol, if there is OxyContin in his system -- I'm not sure where that rumor comes from, frankly -- but...
BROWN: So, you're basically -- just to be clear here, just -- you're basically ruling out an overdose, at least from what you know and from what your client knows, correct?
E. CHERNOFF: Yes. From what we know, that -- I'm ruling out an overdose, from what we know.
We know only what we saw administered -- or what Dr. Murray administered, if anything, to Michael Jackson and what Michael Jackson might have taken. It was not sufficient to cause heart attack. It was not sufficient to cause failure, heart failure or respiratory failure.
BROWN: So, is it possible he could have been taking Demerol, OxyContin, another narcotic, and Dr. Murray, your client, wouldn't have known about it?
E. CHERNOFF: I suppose it's possible.
But Dr. Murray was there that night, and he did not see him consume Demerol or take Demerol or OxyContin or any pills that would have caused these problems.
BROWN: Has he, Dr. Murray, reached out to the Jackson family to explain to them what happened, to offer them some comfort or talk about those last moments of Jackson's life?
E. CHERNOFF: Yes, he reached out immediately.
BROWN: Who did he talk to?
E. CHERNOFF: And I know there was some -- there was some press about him not doing that. But he reached out to them immediately. He went to the hospital with Michael Jackson.
He stayed with him in the room until the doctors at UCLA pronounced Mr. Jackson dead. He was there with LaToya, Jermaine, and Mrs. Jackson, with Michael Jackson's children for hours after he was pronounced dead, over three hours after he was pronounced dead.
He counseled Jermaine on -- on a press release that they were working on. He counseled the doctors on how to address Mrs. Jackson, knowing that she had a heart condition, counseled that -- he was there telling -- he was the person with the manager who told Michael Jackson's children that their father had died.
And they were very, very close. And he was the one that was -- that did that. So, yes, he's reached out to the family and continues to reach out to the family. He's here to help in any way possible. BROWN: And, Mr. Chernoff, finally, let me just ask you to bottom-line this. Is there anything -- because there is a lot of pressure on your client right now. Is there anything Dr. Murray could have done differently that might have saved Michael Jackson's life?
E. CHERNOFF: I'm sure he asks himself that question all the time.
And that's one of the reasons that we're trying to cooperate as much as we are with the L.A. Police Department and the medical examiner's office.
We don't know -- Campbell, we don't know what killed Michael Jackson. We don't know why he died. And until -- if we can get away from all these rumors and we stick with the facts, and we -- until we get the toxicology report and a final autopsy report, we won't know.
At that point, maybe. Maybe you can ask the doctor that question, and he will have an answer. But, right now, it's a mystery to us. We are the ones -- Dr. Murray is the one who requested an autopsy report. He's the one who first suggested to the family to get an autopsy.
Once -- once -- once he -- once that was requested, then it was -- it was -- they followed his advice, and they did request an autopsy. And, once that autopsy comes back, then we're going to know.
BROWN: All right, Ed Chernoff, Mr. Chernoff, of course, the attorney representing Michael Jackson's doctor, really appreciate your time tonight. Thanks so much.
E. CHERNOFF: Thank you, Campbell.
BROWN: Police did search Michael Jackson's house today and did find drugs on the premise. Now, does that contradict the doctor's story?
Plus, why did the family ask for a second autopsy? We're going to have the very latest on the investigation tonight very shortly.
Plus, who should raise Michael's kids? His family goes to court today to try to keep custody.
JOE JACKSON: This is where they belong. We're the parents. And we have got other kids of their size. They love those kids. And we love those kids, too.
BROWN: New developments in the Michael Jackson death investigation.
Los Angeles police and the coroner's office returned this afternoon to the mansion that Jackson was renting. And they removed two bags of drugs from his house. No word yet on what kind. But we just heard from the lawyer, you just heard a moment of ago -- this is the lawyer for Jackson's doctor -- who claims no drugs will be found in Michael Jackson's system and he claims there was no overdose.
So, with us right now to try to sort out some of the contradictions here, Jim Moret, who is a reporter for "Inside Edition." He's also a former CNN anchor, joining us from Los Angeles. Also, Harriet Ryan who covers celebrity justice for "The Los Angeles Times," and Sharon Waxman with us as well, editor of the entertainment news Web site "The Wrap."
Welcome to everybody.
Let me get you all to react -- Jim, you start here -- on what we heard from Dr. Murray -- or from the attorney, rather, for Dr. Murray. What did you think?
JIM MORET, CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": Well, I mean, I think he's being a good lawyer. I think he's trying to protect his client. He says his client did not prescribe or administer Demerol or OxyContin or any other drugs that would have caused an overdose.
However, these are the inconsistencies. There's a local pharmacy that claims Jackson owed $100,000 in medication. That predates Dr. Murray coming on to the scene. We have attorney Brian Oxman, a family friend, and another family friend who both told me that they have been concerned for a long time, years even, that Jackson has been overusing medication.
Those are inconsistencies. And then add to that the fact that the LAPD took medication out of Michael Jackson's home. It's unlikely that medication isn't involved. But, of course, you have to wait for the toxicology reports to be sure.
BROWN: Harriet, what are you hearing?
HARRIET RYAN, "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES": Well, I think -- I want to give Ed the benefit of the doubt here and make a distinction between painkillers and prescription medication.
We know that Michael Jackson was taking prescription medication. That's one of the few things the coroner's office has said. Our sources are telling us that the police investigation is widening into other physicians who may have treated Mr. Jackson in the past, not just now, but over the course of years, and that they're going to start looking very carefully at that.
And from past investigations, the Anna Nicole case that we have now, we know this can take a long time to sort of cross-reference pharmacist records, medical records, and track down all these doctors.
BROWN: That -- Sharon, the drugs could be coming from a lot of different places, presumably.
SHARON WAXMAN, "THE WRAP": Yes.
They -- they undoubtedly were coming from a lot of different places. We know that Michael Jackson had been dealing with back pain for many, many years. We also know that he didn't look very healthy. I mean, come on, we have all -- we have seen the pictures of him. And everyone around him who have been interviewed, including the people you just showed on the air, talked about how frail he was.
And you are talking about someone taking strong, probably taking strong medication without a whole lot of meat on his bones, so to speak, so that's going to have a powerful impact on him. And this will not be the first time that we have seen celebrities being -- getting multiple prescriptions from multiple doctors.
Who knows what he had in the house.
BROWN: Right.
WAXMAN: But we do know that he had severe back pain for many years. And also we have seen him in a wheelchair.
BROWN: Well, let me ask you, Sharon, the attorney for Dr. Murray said that he's working with the family very closely and being open with them.
But Jesse Jackson said that the family had requested the second autopsy partly because they had concerns about this doctor. How to you square that?
WAXMAN: You don't square that. I think that the family -- well, first of all, we don't know what the second autopsy has said. So, there have been some reports apparently, I don't know, out of England or places like that, saying needle marks and that kind of thing.
I don't think that is accurate. And I don't know that we know exactly what the autopsies are going to say. But, obviously, this is a very complicated case. And the family wants to protect their interests and have their own set of information. And it wouldn't be the first time that the family might have one version of events, and the officials of the state or the city might have a different version of events.
BROWN: And, Jim, would a second autopsy uncover anything that the coroner wouldn't?
MORET: Well, you want a second opinion always, just in case something was missed. But they're going to use the same blood and tissue samples as that first autopsy.
This wouldn't also be the first time that you have a celebrity who is surrounded by enablers. And Michael Jackson loved to surround himself with people who agreed with him. And if you didn't agree with him, you were not on the inner circle. So the fact that if he was in fact able to get multiple doctors to give him medication, he could get away with that for quite a long time because of his inner circle.
BROWN: Harriet, very quickly...
WAXMAN: But the other thing is that the fact that the lawyer said that just because Dr. Murray didn't see him take anything doesn't mean he didn't take anything...
WAXMAN: ... obviously, that's a pretty...
Let me ask you, Harriet, if you know anything about the will. There are also a million conflicting reports about whether or not he had a will.
RYAN: And I'm hearing those reports, too.
I think it's interesting that the family went into court just two business days after his passing to file to take control of the estate. I mean, that's unusual, especially for a man who over the course of his career had had dozens and dozens of attorneys.
I'm not sure that -- if they have checked with all these attorneys, if they have talked to everyone who was a business and financial adviser, and said, hey, did this guy have a will? We don't know. But it's happening pretty quick. It's been pretty quick for them to say there is no will.
A lot to sort out here. To Harriet, Sharon, and Jim, thanks very much, all of you. Appreciate it.
Tonight, we're going to follow up on some of the points just made there -- drug-pushers in Hollywood. Michael Jackson battled addiction for years. But, still, from what many of his friends say, he had unfettered access to narcotics like OxyContin. Drew Pinsky, joining us live when we come back, he's part of a growing course of people who think at least some of these doctors should be brought to justice.
DEEPAK CHOPRA, AUTHOR, "THE BOOK OF SECRETS": There's a plethora of doctors in Hollywood, they are drug-peddlers, Wolf. They are drug- pushers. They just happen to be having a medical license.
BROWN: Our next big question tonight, what role did doctors play in Michael Jackson's death? Did they help an addict get dangerous drugs?
You heard the attorney for Jackson's private physician. He says tests will show Jackson did not have narcotics in his system.
E. CHERNOFF: Campbell, I can't go into what we believe that Michael Jackson had consumed that night, had ingested that night, because we have an agreement with LAPD not to go into that until toxicology comes back.
But I believe, when toxicology comes back, you're -- you're not going to find narcotics.
BROWN: Well, my next guest says there's a whole lot more to this story.
Dr. Drew Pinsky is an addiction specialist. He's the host and executive producer of "Celebrity Rehab" on VH-1, also the author of "The Mirror Effect," and contributing author to "When Painkillers Become Dangerous."
Drew, good to see you. You heard the lawyer there.
DR. DREW PINSKY, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Thanks, Campbell.
BROWN: Are you buying it? What did you think?
PINSKY: Well, you're running headlong on some very nuance issues here. For instance, the word narcotic, that's a very inaccurate term. You need to ask him was he using opiates or opioids?
For attorneys, narcotic sometimes means illicit drugs, street drugs.
PINSKY: And so probably he's not using narcotics by the attorney's definition of narcotics. The original term narcotics meant drugs that induce narcosis or sleep, so it's a very inaccurate term. I think if you went back and ask him, was he taking opiates or opioids for pain, he would say, absolutely he was.
And you need to know that that's another nuance and highly controversial issue, which is how to treat people with a history of opiate addiction who have chronic pain? In my world, you take them off pain medication because this is exactly what happens. My patients die every day of pharmaceutical drug overdoses in exactly these kinds of situations.
BROWN: But, Drew, he also said no overdose. In his view, he didn't think -- I mean, what could he have meant, I guess?
PINSKY: Yes. I think he was choosing language very, very carefully. You're getting a sort of lawyerly or attorney-esque discussion there. And he might have meant there was no intentional overdose or that the doctor didn't give what would be unusual doses of medication. But just the combinations of things that have been reported are sufficient to make somebody stop breathing, no doubt about that.
Not only that, a healthy, essentially 50-year-old man admittedly with many, many medical complaints but a man who can get up and dance in front of a stage. A 50-year-old man should not have trash bags full of medication in their home. And a $100,000 pharmacy debt, that is profound drug abuse and that's what Deepak Chopra was concerned about in that previous segment he mentioned before you guys went to break.
BROWN: But you can't -- I mean, I don't know, maybe you can. But I guess that would suggest that there are multiple doctors involved here writing multiple prescriptions. Is that the most likely scenario?
PINSKY: I think that is. And I feel very bad for Dr. Murray. He may not have really understood what he got himself into there. But this is the nature of relationship with celebrity and physician.
If physicians feel sort of charged up and sort of especially -- we call it basking in the glow of celebrity, if they are gratified by their relationship with the celebrity in ways that are not good for the patient or really don't have training in dealing with addicts and people with narcissistic disorders who need confrontation and frustration -- and, by the way, you risk your access to these celebrities when you give them what you need.
There are plenty of cases where I've tried to do that and the patients just dismiss me. That happens. But that's what they need. And if you go in and gratify the patients, you end up in situations like this. And, unfortunately, as Dr. Chopra was saying, there are all together too many physicians who line up to sort of bask in the glory of celebrity and gratify these people rather than give them what they need which is frustration and confrontation.
BROWN: But, Drew, I mean, I guess it's not illegal necessarily that they're writing these prescriptions. You think these guys ought to be brought to justice. What does that mean? How do you go after them?
PINSKY: I'm not sure you can. I think you're getting into a very nuanced area. As I've said, there's an epistemological struggle even with the medicine.
You heard the attorney said he was prescribing medications for specific medical problems. We're going to find out. I bet you that those problems aren't pain.
And if you don't have a lot of experience treating chronic pain and addiction, we know Michael Jackson was an opiate addict. He was admitted to a couple of different treatment centers. You can't have been admitted to a chemical dependency treatment center without a diagnosis of addiction.
Back in London over ten years ago, they admitted it was opiate addiction. That is a lifelong addiction. It doesn't go away. And if an opiate addict is using opiates, their addiction is active. And if you don't have a lot of experience dealing with that, you can really get yourself in some unpleasant situations.
I'm really -- poor Dr. Murray has gotten himself into those situations. Whether he should be brought to justice, I don't know. But certainly physicians, we need to do a much better job of policing our profession in how we approach people who are celebrity and addicted.
BROWN: Well, it's a fascinating issue here. Drew Pinsky, Dr. Drew joining us tonight. Really appreciate it, Drew. Thanks.
PINSKY: My pleasure.
BROWN: Michael Jackson's father speaking out today on the family's plans for Michael's three children. Will there be a custody battle here? Take a listen.
JOE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S FATHER: We love those kids, too. We're going to take care of them and give them the education they're supposed to have. We can do that.
BROWN: We have another newsmaker tonight -- Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson. Their relationship was, well, beyond strange. While the pop star was alive, Michael, himself, alleged in multiple interviews that his father had severely abused him as a child. Now, Joe Jackson has mostly denied it.
Today, he gave a press conference outside the family home in which he disclosed a lot of detail about the impending custody situation for Michael's kids and upcoming plans for the funeral. But listen very closely as Joe Jackson starts off by plugging his new record company. Here's Joe Jackson in his own words tonight.
JOE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S FATHER: Hello, everybody. I'm here to witness that Marshall (ph) -- and this is Marshall, by the way. And also, this is something that we want you to know that I was asked a question last night about the record company.
Well, what I'm doing is I established a record company with Marshall. And the company is called Ranch Records distributed by Blue Sun Blue-Ray. Yes. So we have a lot of good artists fixing to come out. And I have been asked that question and I answer it just like it was asked because they wanted to know what else I was doing.
The family and I are very proud too see all of you come out here and help us with this whole situation because we know that we do have fans all over the world. We know that we are loved all over the world. But one thing that I wish could have happened. I wish that Michael could be here to see all of this, not to wait until something happened like this before -- before it could be realized.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What exactly are the funeral arrangements?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Funeral services --
JACKSON: We're not ready for that.
We're not ready for that, yet, because we're trying to wait on something. We're searching to see what happens to Michael.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have any idea about what the timeframe was?
JACKSON: Just answered your question. We don't have the timeframe yet because I want to see how this autopsy is coming out, you know? The second autopsy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do you expect to hear back from the private autopsy?
JACKSON: They're doing it right now. And I'm expecting to hear back from it really soon. (INAUDIBLE)
Debbie Rowe has nothing to do with what we're doing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it true that the family (INAUDIBLE) to fulfill Michael's other dates in this London world tour --
JACKSON: I don't know about that either because I have not seen no rehearsal on the tour yet, not with the rest of the family yet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Right here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's either Joe or Al, if you could talk about how the children are doing? Are they talking about their father? And what are they saying?
JACKSON: Oh, yes. They're happy, though. But they're happy with the kids that they're around because we have kids over there, back there, at least. We have kids back there of small, just like they are, and almost some of them are the same age. And so, you know, they were never around others kids. But they're happy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Jackson, have you seen a will?
JACKSON: Have I seen -- no, not yet. No, not yet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How is Mrs. Jackson?
JACKSON: She's fine. Thank you.
Doing fine. She's doing great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) that Michael will be buried in Neverland Ranch?
JACKSON: That's not true. That's not true.
BROWN: So what will happen to the children? That's next.
Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, went to court today to get custody. Well, what if any role also will past allegations of abuse play in the court's decision? We'll talk about that when we come back.
BROWN: We are following new developments, all the new developments tonight on the custody case involving Michael Jackson's three children. You're also getting a new look at the King of Pop of what he was like as a father.
Tmz.com posted these pictures of Michael and his kids looking very much like a typical American family. Sharp contrast to some of the earlier pictures, some of the strange pictures we were used to seeing of Michael's children wearing masks or veils in public.
Well, today, a Los Angeles judge made Michael's mother, Katherine, temporary legal guardian of Prince Michael, Paris, and the youngest child, Blanket. Michael's father, Joe Jackson, had something to say about that today. Listen.
JOE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S FATHER: This is where they belong. We're the parents and we've got other kids of their size. They love those kids and we love those kids, too. We're going to take care of them and give them the education they're supposed to have.
BROWN: Back with me now from L.A., again, "Inside Edition" chief correspondent Jim Moret. And right here with me in New York, CNN legal analyst Lisa Bloom joining me again.
I want to ask you guys to talk about the custody situation. But first, I just wanted to get your reaction, Jim. You start with -- to this press conference, to Joe Jackson. And listening to him today, what did you think?
JIM MORET, CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": You know, I've heard this news conference now five times and every time I hear it I'm still stunned. This does not sound like a father who's grieving. He sounds detached.
And if you look at the documents that were filed with the court, and Lisa I believe mentioned this earlier as well, they were very careful. The temporary guardianship has been granted to Katherine, not to Katherine and Joe. And I think after listening to this news conference, you can understand maybe why they want to separate Joe from the equation.
LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes.
BROWN: That was going to be my question for you.
BLOOM: Yes.
BROWN: So he's not involved here?
BLOOM: Yes. She filed the application to be the guardian. She is appointed the temporary guardian. And I think that was a strategic move because she comes into the court with clean hands as we say legally. They've got nothing on her.
Joe Jackson has this history of alleged child abuse but not Katherine. Look at him yesterday committing this terrible faux pas of talking about his record company. So to fix it today, he plugs his record company, again. I mean, it makes no sense. It shows his bad judgment.
BROWN: Would that come into play or could that potentially come into play? He had the allegations of abuse that we heard in some of these interviews that Michael has done.
BLOOM: Only if someone can test custody. And the only someone that could be would be Debbie Rowe who's so far has not indicated that she wants custody of the kids.
BROWN: So what do we think is going to happen here, Jim? I mean, walk us through the scenario. She hasn't suggested that yet, so where do we go from here? What potentially could happen?
MORET: Well, the family says that they have not even been contacted by Debbie Rowe. But as Lisa will point out under California law, Debbie Rowe is the mother of two of those three children and she could claim parental rights unless she has waived them. And she thought she had done so in the past. A lawyer ruled that she had not done so, so she could come back in the picture. And here's why.
There's a great deal of money that's going to follow those kids because they will inherit a tremendous fortune. I understand that Michael Jackson is supposedly some $300,000, $400,000 in debt. But the spending is over and the asset could continue to grow. And where the money goes, that's where you could find a battle.
BROWN: So even if though Michael Jackson's mother does get custody of the children, she's also 80 years old.
BLOOM: Yes. She's almost 80 years old. That's right.
BROWN: I mean, so what happens next? BLOOM: Well, presumably, look, this is a family of great means. They have a full-time nanny who we're all hoping has been staying on because, by all accounts, she's been doing a good job with the children. It's a large extended family, so hopefully it's not just Katherine solely responsible for these three young children.
We heard the family today talk about cousins and other grandchildren being around the children, maybe giving them a relatively normal life where they're interacting with other children, maybe a little bit less sheltered than they've been in the past.
BROWN: And the youngest children -- the youngest son --
BLOOM: Prince Michael II is his legal name.
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: It's his legal name.
BLOOM: Right.
BROWN: They call him blanket. That's sort of a nickname.
BROWN: Jim, do we know -- I know they don't have the same mother, correct? Do we know whether anybody else might also have the right to challenge?
MORET: Well, on the document it's listed as none because it was -- they simply haven't revealed who the mother is. And it was a donor. But we've never been told the identity of that person.
MORET: And when you talk about an extended family, a lot of people live at that family compound. And so you're right. This could be a semblance of normalcy for those kids to grow up with cousins and aunts and uncles and lead a semi-normal life.
BLOOM: And, Campbell, I'd just say in the guardianship papers, there's a clear wall between the Jackson family and Debbie Rowe. They say they don't even know her address. They say they don't even know the names of her family members which would be the children's grandparents on her side.
They say they hadn't made any attempts to contact her about guardianship. It's almost as if they're trying to minimize her as much as possible to keep her out of the children's lives.
BROWN: Oh, boy, you hope this is one situation that gets wrapped up very quickly and with the least amount of angst possible.
BLOOM: Everybody could get together and be present in the kids' lives.
BROWN: Absolutely. Lisa and Jim, many thanks again. Appreciate it. Michael Jackson's mountain of debt, you heard Jim talk about it there, could turn into a huge fortune. One of the issues here. But who would get it? What happens to all that money?
We're going to talk about that when we come back.
BROWN: As if the mystery of what killed Michael Jackson isn't enough, here tonight, there is a huge financial mess to try to wade through Jackson's estate or what's left of it. Right now, even the most basic details are up in the air.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Was there a will?
LONDELL MCMILLAN, ATTORNEY: Well, there have been reports on one and we're trying to assess that now. None has been presented to the family at this time.
LEMON: And not through his attorney, through you, a will has not surfaced?
MCMILLAN: I have not seen a will at this time.
BROWN: From coast to coast, headlines in this morning's "L.A. Times" and the "New York Daily News" are just the first sign that we could see a summer of ugly legal battles over all of this. So who would potentially end up profiting here?
Let's bring back Sharon Waxman right now, along with entertainment attorney James Walker, who has represented a number of celebrity clients including the Jackson family. And our legal analyst Lisa Bloom joining us once again as well.
You guys have all been doing reporting on this. James, you've talked to a lot of people. You've been looking into the family business. And Michael Jackson's business dealings, what did you learn?
JAMES WALKER, ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY: Well, a couple of things I learned. First, though, I want to clear up this $500 million in debt, Campbell.
He was in heavy debt but a lot of it was mortgage monies against his publishing catalog.
BROWN: OK.
WALKER: I want to point out to your viewers that Michael Jackson's catalog, he didn't sell the entire catalog. And he had various companies that own different portions of his music. For example, he had MiJack (ph) publishing which owns the "Off the Wall" stuff.
WALKER: The "Great Balls of Fire," and other great songs.
WALKER: Then you have the Sony ATV partnership that he shared with Sony. Now, when you do a partnership like that, as an entertainment attorney, I can tell you he didn't sign to Sony the entire 100 percent.
WALKER: There was some portion of it to Sony.
BROWN: So there is still -- there's still a lot of money coming in? That's really the bottom line.
WALKER: There's still millions of dollars coming in. And I looked at a lawsuit filed by his former manager, Raymone Bain, his spokesman and manager. And in her lawsuit, she says that from one of the companies, he was getting about $10 million to $15 million a year in revenue and publishing revenue. And it's not the Sony ATV company, it's another publishing deal yet, I believe with Warner Chappell. So if you look at that and all these other issues --
BROWN: All right.
SHARON WAXMAN, "THE WRAP": I'm skeptical about all this. Michael Jackson has been very deep --
BROWN: Go ahead, Sharon.
WAXMAN: Yes, thanks. I mean I've done a lot of reporting on Michael Jackson's finances in recent years, and he has not had money coming from these catalogs. He's been borrowing against his half ownership of that Sony ATV catalog for years and he's defaulted on those loans. Not recently.
So, what was going on with that catalog, the last time I checked is that Sony had the option of being able to buy half of the catalog and that's Michael Jackson's half of the catalog. And they've been waiting to do that.
WALKER: But, Sharon, if you check the copyright records, there's nothing indicating that they actually bought it or they actually purchased it.
WAXMAN: No, they haven't done it.
WALKER: So they've done nothing. So, in fact, if he has sold them a portion of it, he still remains a majority owner because there's no indication that they exercised that option.
BROWN: So that does mean, Sharon, that basically, and I want to boil this down because I don't understand all the legal ramifications by any means. But that the family or whoever ends up with, you know, his holdings could sell it all and wouldn't be stuck with all this debt? Bottom line?
WAXMAN: No, no. I don't think that's true at all. I don't think that's true at all. I think that Michael Jackson defaulted on a lot of loans that he took out. He's basically been living off of the largesse of other people, whether that's Sony or whether that's the Bahraini prince.
But it is correct what Jim Moret said earlier which is that Michael Jackson's spending which had no relationship to his actual income anymore is now finished. So his catalog or whatever assets he has will, or his music will continue to throw off revenue for his children. And as we reported at "The Wrap," it seems like there was his last rehearsal the night before he died was recorded. If that -- and it is releasable as an album. Just imagine how many copies that would sell for the next 50 years.
BROWN: Now, hold on, I want to bring Lisa into this. Because really what we care about is that his mother at least has been granted temporarily control of all his assets. And what does this mean for the children? You don't want them to be saddled with this enormous amount of debt.
BLOOM: She's been given control of the small stuff, not the big stuff. She's been given control of his tangible personal property which are things like a computer or table. Not real estate.
BLOOM: And not the big business interests like the ATV Sony catalog that we've been talking about. She's not controlling those at this point. The judge could order that down the line. But for now, it's just the small stuff so she can take care of the kids and control the personal property.
WALKER: And, Campbell, I want to be clear to Sharon and the other viewers out here. We have nothing on record to prove that Sony actually exercised 25, 50, or 100 percent of the catalog.
WALKER: So what we do know is he owned that catalog and the majority of it.
BLOOM: And money will be coming in.
WALKER: And money will be coming in to the estate.
BLOOM: And continue to come in.
BROWN: And we've got to end it there because we're almost out of time. But still, clearly, a lot of unanswered questions. But many thanks for a little bit of enlightenment there from James Walker, Sharon Waxman and Lisa Bloom. As always, thanks, guys. Appreciate it.
WALKER: Thank you.
BROWN: Less than a week ago, the King of Pop still getting set for his comeback concerts. Tonight, the choreographer who was at his final rehearsal shares his memories of Jackson doing what no other performer could for the very last time.
KENNY ORTEGA, JACKSON'S CHOREOGRAPHER: He was the Michael Jackson that we all remembered, you know, with that same incredible electricity.
BROWN: Our breakout tonight, insight into Michael Jackson's final days from a man who worked more closely with him than perhaps anyone else. When Michael Jackson was working these moves, in his final rehearsals last week, choreographer Kenny Ortega was there.
Abbie Boudreau of CNN special investigations unit asked Ortega whether Jackson was in any shape to do the shows that he had planned.
KENNY ORTEGA, JACKSON'S CHOREOGRAPHER: It was awesome to watch him. You know? It was not like watching, you know, a 50-year-old man returning to the stage. In fact, you know, there were nights where he looked up there and it was, like, just timeless, ageless.
You know, he was the Michael Jackson that we all remembered, you know, with that same incredible electricity and performance no-how. You know, an entertainer of entertainers.
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The night before Jackson died, Ortega was with him at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for a rehearsal.
You were with him on Wednesday.
ORTEGA: I was with Michael on Wednesday. Yes, as I was like about six days a week since April, you know, where he was, you know, 100 percent invested in every single dynamic of the entire production from helping, you know, lineup the shots for the film sequences that we were shooting to overseeing the choreography, the costuming, the lighting -- you know, the rundown. You know, working with the band, working with the singers.
BROWN: Danny Ortega. That's it for us. "LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.


And I've made Pancakes and a whole load of us ate together - they taste nice at this time of year.
But also in India is a common "hymn" which is Spiritual and Christian: "Khushi! Khushi Manao! Khushi Khushi Manao! Bolo, bolo maseh ha ke Jai! Jai! Jai!" Many people know that one - it's a longer one and a nice song.
And Happy Christmas! and Good New Year to you! have a great time!
Some people in India learn Sanskrit and teach it to children in schools etc. They like it as a "nice language" not to use it as SES does and did.
That's a good one to send, and not in any way a "nasty" one that wouldn't be correct. Well done!


Glasgow FrontRunners 2015 Annual General Meeting will take place on Saturday 24 October at 6.30pm at Citizen M hotel, 60 Renfrew Street, G2 3BW.
For club members' information the minutes of all 2014–15 committee meetings and the named committee-role profiles are published below. Full details of the AGM notification can be found in the email sent to all current members today, 30 September 2015. Club members have until Friday 9 October to submit to the Club Secretary motions for discussion at the AGM and nominations for the 2015–16 committee.


Have you seen the movie "The Emperor's New Groove"? Yes, it is a cartoon about a prince turned into a talking llama, but it really is funny. I have been relating to one of the lines from the movie lately--as the emperor is going about his super elaborate, ridiculous day (which involves singing and dancing, of course), he trips over a peasant and exclaims, "You threw off my groove!" I am definitley feeling thrown off my "groove" from the travel, wedding, Lucas leaving for a business trip in Boston, etc. But, I am trying really hard to keep a semblance of a routine for Lincoln's sake. He had a rough couple nights staying up until all hours at the rehearsal dinner and wedding. We are slowly moving back towards a reasonable night's sleep, and hopefully that will help reset our "groove."
Anyway. I missed Sunday Suppers this weeks, so here is the promised Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie recipe : ) It is delicious. And, it is my new favorite pie. Lucas and I actually went to Village Inn the night before he left for his trip for a mini-date and split a piece of their strawberry-rhubarb pie (supposedly award winning). Verdict: the homemade pie puts the Village Inn pie to SHAME. Lucas described the filling as "straight out of a can." So, friends, don't resort to canned filling! Make yourself the real deal. It isn't hard (really), and your mouth will thank you.
1. Place bottom pie crust in pie plate.
2. Combine strawberries in rhubarb in a bowl. Mix together sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch.
3. Sprinkle pie crust with a bit of the sugar mixture (enough to coat). Pour the rest of the mixture over the strawberries and rhubarb and stir to coat.
4. Pour fruit into pie crust. Sprinkle with lemon juice and dot with butter.
5. Place top crust onto pie, seal and crimp edges. Cut steam holes in top crust. Brust crust with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
6. Place pie plate onto baking sheet (to catch drips) and bake at 400 degrees F for 35 minutes. Remove pie and cover edges of pie with foil or aluminum ring. Return to over for 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and fruit is bubbling.


I'll be using one of the latest Langoor backgrounds as an example.
For those of you who read yesterday's piece "Brands loosen grip on social media" in the Sydney Morning Herald, you would have read about the debate on who should control an organisation's social media message – the organisation itself or an agency who you can outsource to.
Years ago, if you asked an SEO expert for advice on how to move your website up the Google ranks, they would probably stuff your site with keywords in the keyword and description meta tags, build a repertoire of inbound links from spammy sites and advise you on content changes that make your website look like a word cloud than anything remotely informative.
So we're now a year old as a business and we've definitely come a long way. It has been a fun journey where we've generally done well.
We moved offices a couple of weeks ago, we're doing a lot of work and we are currently trying to open shop in India.
But while we grow, we want to give back. This blog is one of those ways where our team will post regularly to talk about something interesting they came across recently or something we can share so that you don't make the same mistakes again.


Our picks for Saturday's NBA action.
The Hawks may be at home but this spread just doesn't look right. Considering they've only won 9 games at home this season they will surely get beaten up by a Pistons side, currently sat in eighth position in the Eastern Conference, who have everything to play for.
The Pistons have a good defence, only allowing an average of 108 points per game, which looks even more impressive compared with Atlanta who gives up more points than anybody else, a shocking 118 per game. This spread is far too close.
If you've been following my tips you'll have noticed I've backed against the Knicks relentlessly. I could tell you that the Knicks have the lowest home win percentage in the league, it's an embarrassing 14%, or that they've only covered the spread in 36% of their home games. There's no need for stats in this case though, the Knicks are hot trash and if you've watched them play you'll have seen that the NBA's most dysfunctional has reached new depths this season.
I don't even need to sell you on the Timberwolves, they're not the Knicks and sometimes that's enough.


In flexo printing, the requirements for product quality are high and, in a contested market, increasingly rising. BST eltromat International knows the exact demands of the industry – and thinks ahead, for precise printing results and an efficient printing process.
Whether web monitoring, web guiding, or defect detection – with the range of services from BST eltromat, you can expect flawless results on all of your flexo printing orders.


text:
[[Agent #12, "Maddie", sits in the background quietly observing.]]
Trudy 2: Trudy, I may not know everything that's happened to you since you joined GPF, but I know most of it. I also know the struggle you've been through these past three years.
Trudy 2: While SOME people may not believe you, I KNOW about your conversion, your change of heart. It may not be complete yet, but I think you're on the right path. Given time, I think you'll prove yourself to those who doubt you.
[[Trudy looks down in seeming shame.]]
Trudy 2: It won't be easy. You will face much prejudice, people who will believe your sins far too great to be forgiven. They will challenge you, mock and ridicule you, and believe you can never be redeemed. That's their short-sightedness, but your burden.
[[The two hold hands. Trudy's eyes are down and closed.]]
Trudy: That... sounds almost like the voice of experience...
Trudy 2: It IS. Like you, I made a change for the good. Like you, I must fight the darkness within me daily...
GPF HOME SEARCH ARCHIVE ARCHIVES BY DATE STORY INDEX STORYLINES: Year One: Nov. 1998 to Oct. 1999Year Two: Nov. 1999 to Oct. 2000Year Three: Nov. 2000 to Oct. 2001Surreptitious MachinationsYear Five: Nov. 2002 to Oct. 2003Year Six: Nov. 2003 to Oct. 2004Year Seven: Nov. 2004 to Oct. 2005To Thine Own Self... Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter EightYear Nine: Mar. 2008 to Oct. 2008Year Ten: Nov. 2008 to Oct. 2009Year Eleven: Nov. 2009 to Oct. 2010Year Twelve: Nov. 2010 to Oct. 2011Year Thirteen: Nov. 2011 to Oct. 2012Year Fourteen: Nov. 2012 to Oct. 2013Scylla and CharybdisYear Seventeen: Nov. 2015 to Oct. 2016Year Eighteen: Nov. 2016 to Oct. 2017Year Nineteen: Nov. 2017 to Oct. 2018Year Twenty: Nov. 2018 to Oct. 2019Year Twenty-One: Nov. 2019 to Oct. 2020Year Twenty-Two: Nov. 2020 to Oct. 2021Year Twenty-Three: Nov. 2021 to Oct. 2022

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home - King Sihamoni praises first Asian civilisation conference
King Sihamoni praises first Asian civilisation conference
Khuon Narim / Khmer Times No Comments Share:
King Norodom Sihamoni is currently in China for the first Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations in Beijing. AFP
King Norodom Sihamoni has praised China for promoting the exchange of cultures and understanding during its first Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations in Beijing on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the King met Chinese President Xi Jinping during the CDAC and thanked the people of China for fostering deeper relations with the royal family, Royal du Cambodge's said in a Facebook post.
King Sihamoni noted that the CDAC was initiated by Mr Xi and that it played an important role in cultural exchange and promotion of understanding among countries.
"The Cambodian people will firmly stand with the people of China in all circumstances," the King said in the post. "Cambodia wishes to congratulate the People's Republic of China for 70 years of achievements so far, and also praise its influence in international affairs and fully support the Belt and Road Initiative."
King Sihamoni also praised Mr Xi for helping developing countries through his Community Destiny initiative.
He noted that the Belt and Road Forum last month demonstrated unity for the betterment of the Belt and Road Initiative, before praising the CDAC once again.
"I'd like to conclude by highlighting good results from the first Asian Civilisation Forum that will efficiently contribute in pushing good relations among the nations in Asia by promoting cooperation and peace," King Sihamoni said.
Mr Xi said ties with Cambodia have shown that both countries fostered a genuine friendship.
"China will continue to support Cambodia in pursuing the development path suited to its own national conditions, and work with Cambodia to push their comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation to a new level," he said.
King Norodom Sihamoni joins a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. AFP
Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said Asia's civilisations are diverse and colourful.
"The dialogue and exchanges between different civilisations are very important to explore Asian values, and will lay a solid foundation for regional and global peace and human progress," Mr Phea said.
Mr Phea said learning about each other's civilisations is imperative for all people.
"Peace can only be consolidated through peaceful coexistence, which cannot be achieved without dialogue between civilisations," Mr Phea said. "Civilisation is the main pillar that can support mankind."
Regarding the BRI, Mr Phea said Cambodia is one of BRI's staunchest supporters due to economic opportunities.
He noted that China is Cambodia's top foreign investor, and that it has become a major donor and important trading partner.
"China has invested in many large projects in Cambodia," Mr Phea said. "BRI has a positive impact on the Cambodian economic growth."
King Norodom Sihamoni. KT/ Chor Sokunthea
King leaves for Beijing tomorrow to attend conference
The People's King
Royal Birthday
King Norodom Sihamoni will attend the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations. KT/Khem Sovannara
King leaves for Beijing today
Tags: Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations, cultures, King Norodom Sihamoni
Chinese gang's threat an old clip: Police
Police highlight achievements ahead of 74th anniversary


text:
Keith Dunlap, Digital Content Team, Graham Media Group
Published: June 10, 2019, 8:52 am
Tags: Soccer, International, World Cup, Travel, Sports
Vive la Women's World Cup! Viewer's guide to event in France
How to and when to watch upcoming Women's World Cup
At least this time, there will be a United States team for American soccer fans to follow.
After the U.S. men's team failed to qualify for last year's World Cup in Russia, the defending champion U.S. women's team is currently in France to compete in the month-long Women's World Cup, which kicked off Friday.
Fox is likely delighted to have a U.S. team to feature as well during its telecasts both on the main Fox channel and Fox Sports 1.
Here's a viewer's guide on how to watch, when to watch and how the tournament will play out.
How many games will be on TV each day?
A majority of the pool play round will feature three games each day at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. Eastern time. Other days will have two, but in general, there will be a lot of soccer to watch over the first couple weeks of competition.
When the knockout stage begins June 22, there will be two games on each day for the round of 16.
When will the U.S. games be on?
The Americans and Thailand will be the last teams to start pool play when they meet at 3 p.m. EST on Tuesday in Reims. The U.S. will then have a Sunday matinee at noon Eastern time on June 16 against Chile in Paris before closing out pool play at 3 p.m. ET on June 20 against Sweden in Le Havre.
U.S. soccer fans will have to plan their watch parties accordingly.
Rendezvous in France
After hosting the 2016 European championships and the 1998 World Cup, France will welcome in another global soccer event to its nation.
Things didn't get off to a good start, with a ticket fiasco that left many fans furious, but the French hope to put on a nice show once the games begin.
Related: World Cup ticket fiasco leaves fans outraged
There will be nine sites around the country, those being Rennes, Le Havre, Paris, Valenciennes and Reims in the northern half, and Lyon, Montpellier, Grenoble and Nice in the southern portion. Paris actually won't host any of the semifinals or the final.
The semifinals and final will be in Lyon.
Unlike the 32 teams in the men's tournament last year, there will be 24 teams in the women's field, divided into six pools of four teams each.
Each team will have three games in pool play against the other opponents placed in its pool.
The top two teams in each pool and the four best third-place finishers will advance to the round of 16, the start of the knockout stage.
Group A - France, Korea, Norway, Nigeria
Group B - China, Germany, Spain, South Africa
Group C - Australia, Brazil, Italy, Jamaica
Group D - Argentina, England, Japan, Scotland
Group E - Cameroon, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand
Group F - Chile, Sweden, Thailand, United States
June 7 - First game was held, France vs. Korea in Paris
June 11 - U.S. plays first game of pool play against Thailand (3 p.m. ET)
June 22 - Knockout stage begins
June 27-29 - Quarterfinals
July 2-3 - Semifinals
July 7 - Final in Lyon (11 a.m. ET)
Graham Media Group 2019
Keith Dunlap
Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.


text:
Sergio Aliaga Chivite (born ) is a Spanish male track cyclist. He competed in the team sprint event at the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

References

External links
 Profile at cyclingarchives.com

1991 births
Living people
Spanish track cyclists
Spanish male cyclists
People from Tudela (comarca)
Cyclists from Navarre

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The Batman Characters, Martial Artists, Allies, Gotham City Police Department
Ellen Yin
Detective Yin
"All I've seen the last few months...the last two nights...has challenged everything I ever believed in. It all comes down to one thing. Ethan. He was right. Gotham needs the Batman." ―Detective Ellen Yin
Ellen Yin is a detective for Gotham City Police Department created for the animated series The Batman.
Ellen Yin is a police detective with the Gotham City Police Department, formerly head of her department in Metropolis PD. She transferred to Gotham PD looking for a challenge (it is implied that she left Metropolis due to Superman's presence there). Yin is a career cop at the top of her game, simple and by the book. She is as physically adept at as any male cop she knows, and has proven to be skilled in hand to hand combat. She was initially assigned as a partner to Detective Ethan Bennett.
Yin quickly grows fond of her partner after being tasked with unmasking the Batman. Having shown to be an effective detective, she gains the approval of Chief Angel Rojas. She had a difficult relationship with the Batman initially, and not warming to his alter ego Bruce Wayne so easily either. Ellen doesn't have it out personally for The Batman. As a vigilante, he's breaking the law, and as Bruce Wayne she only sees a spoiled billionaire playboy, despising his seemingly silver-spoon arrogance.
Yin and her partner Ethan Bennett
When her partner and friend Ethan Bennett is transformed into Clayface, Yin loses one of her best friends in the city. Before she and Batman parted ways after fighting Clayface, Batman handed her a Batwave commlink, telling her to call him whenever she needed. Keeping the commlink, Yin later calls Batman her new "partner" during a coffee shop meeting with Ethan's best friend, Bruce Wayne.
Yin soon decides to test her new partnership with Batman, asking for his help in "The Cat, the Bat and the Very Ugly" as she investigates Catwoman and her mysterious new partner in crime. When Yin discovers that the mysterious partner is none other than the Batman himself, she questions her trust in the caped crusader. She decides to trust him though, after he and Catwoman stop one of Penguin's schemes to hold all of Gotham at ransom.
Yin and Batman
Her first true mission with Batman as partners came in "Riddled" when the Riddler planted bombs around Gotham, threatening to detonate them if Yin didn't play his "game". The two worked together to solve the riddles, with Batman communicating secretly with Yin through the Batwave. They are both eventually captured by the Riddler, upon discovering his true plans. Yin and Batman were able to break free and foil the Riddler's plan. Riddler later attempts to reveal Yin's partnership with the Batman to Chief Rojas, but Rojas ignores him, calling him a lunatic.
In the episode "Fire & Ice", Ellen attends a charity party hosted by Bruce Wayne. She tells Wayne that she knows his secret, and he initially thinks that she knows he's Batman. However, the "secret" is that Yin realizes that Bruce's "spoiled, arrogant playboy" persona is only a facade.
When her former friend turned villain, Ethan Bennett resurfaced as Clayface, he is apprehended by Batman and receives therapy at Arkham Asylum. He is later cleared for released after he was deemed safe to return to society, as long as he didn't use his abilities. Yin is relieved to have her friend back, but Bennett is still angry at the Joker and seeks revenge. Yin, along with Batman attempt to reason with him, but he loses control, deciding that it was easier to be Clayface than Ethan Bennett. In the end Yin is the one to take him down with a device given to her by Batman, immobilising him. Later Yin sadly says 'we've really lost him this time'.
Yin and Batman grow closer as partners, with each mission together. Yin starts to trust Batman more than her police colleagues, saving Batman from capture by her newly assigned partner Detective Cash Tankenson in "JTV". Yin is unwilling to accept Tankenson's brash behavior, but when he is targeted by the Joker, she fears that she will lose another partner to the Joker's madness, and orders Tankenson to stay away from him. Her new partner refuses to listen however, and becomes Joker's prisoner. Yin eventually saves him with help from Batman. Tankenson later transfers to a desk job, leaving Yin once again with Batman as her sole partner.
Yin ambushed in her home by Joker
However, their partnership did not go unnoticed by the villains of Gotham, drawing unwanted attention to Yin. In "Strange Minds" in order to get his revenge on both Yin and the Batman, the Joker ambushed Yin in her apartment and knocked her out with a gas. He then kidnapped her and held her hostage at a secret location with bombs rigged to blow after eight hours. Batman attempts to save Yin by entering the Joker's mind to find out her whereabouts. Batman is able to save Yin just in time, after tricking the Joker into revealing where he'd trapped her.
Yin worked alongside Batman until "Night and the City", where her Batwave was destroyed by Rojas, and her badge confiscated. Yin and Batman are then briefly on the run from the GCPD, as well as the Joker, Riddler and Penguin. Her badge was later returned by Commissioner James Gordon at the end of the episode, and she was reinstated. Yin no longer appeared after season 2, though it is implied she becomes Police Commmisioner in the near future during the fourth season episode "Artifacts".
Ellen Yin's most common appearance.
Ellen Yin is a young Asian-American woman with brown eyes and long dark hair. She most commonly has her hair in a high-set ponytail. However, she has been known to let her hair down. She is mostly seen wearing a red jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, long loose-fitting grey pants, and black shoes. Yin sometimes removes her jacket, revealing a black short-sleeved t-shirt with a gun holster strapped over her shoulders.
In the episode "Fire and Ice" she is seen wearing a red sleeveless dress to the police gala charity ball. She is also seen wearing a black winter coat, with a red turtle-neck sweater earlier in the episode. In the episode "Strange Minds" Yin is forced to wear a red and purple jester costume after being kidnapped by the Joker. In the episode "Traction" Yin is temporarily hospitalized by Bane and is seen wearing a hospital robe, with several bandages on her face. In the episode "Riddled" Yin wears a bomb suit as she tries to disarm a bomb set by the Riddler. In the episode "Tospy Turvy" Yin is sealed in a playing card by the Joker. The card design has a purple royal robe with two white hands, each holding scepters and one of them is upside down. The card also features a crown above Yin's head, which conceals her ponytail and the bottom half of the card has a face of a woman with long dark hair. The Joker calls Yin "Queen of Spades".
Though the character of Ellen Yin is largely original to the series, it appears that she, or at the very least her name, was likely inspired by the character Commissioner Ellen Yindel, from Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Both displayed strong, anti-Batman beliefs at their introduction, and though never confirmed, it is implied that Yindel, like Yin, developed a certain respect for Batman, after seeing his heroics. It is also mentioned in the Time Skip episode, and likely a nod to the comic, that she became Commissioner.
Ellen Yin made her final appearance at the end of the second season and was replaced by Batgirl for the third season onward.
Ellen Yin bears a striking resemblance to Elisa Maza from Gargoyles, especially the maroon coat, black shirt, and jeans habitually worn by both.
Ellen Yin appeared in a total of 16 episodes in The Batman TV show.
Ellen Yin appeared in 13 issues of The Batman Strikes! comic.
TV Show Appearances Edit
The Batman Edit
"The Bat in the Belfry"
"Traction"
"Call of the Cobblepot"
"The Man Who Would Be Bat"
"The Big Chill"
"The Cat and the Bat"
"Topsy Turvy"
"The Rubberface of Comedy"
"The Clayface of Tragedy"
"The Cat, the Bat and the Very Ugly"
"Riddled"
"Fire & Ice"
"Meltdown"
"JTV"
"Strange Minds"
"Night and the City"
"Artifacts" (Mentioned)
The Batman Strikes! Comic Appearances Edit
Issue #1 "Penguin Rising"
Issue #2 "City of Bats"
Issue #3 "Outlaw and Disorder"
Issue #4 "Without a Chance"
Issue #5 "Deadly Partner"
Issue #6 "The Cat's Prize"
Issue #7 "Icestorm"
Issue #9 "Sanity Plea"
Issue #11 "Man of Service"
Issue #12 "Break in at Gotham Central"
Issue #13 "Catwoman on the Prowl"
Issue #14 "Sands of Time"
Issue #17 "Who is Batman?!?"
Voiced by Edit
Ming-Na Wen (English)
Yuko Kato (Japanese)
Olga Velasco (Spanish)
Barbara Beretta (French)
Yin takes a shortcut
Yin with her newly assigned partner Detective Tankenson
Yin held hostage by Joker
Yin in a hazmat suit
"Joker!"
Joker drugs Yin
Yin orders a pizza
Yin struggles to free herself
Joker taunts Yin
Yin caught by Riddler
Yin qualifies to play Riddler's 'game'
"Yin. Detective Ellen Yin."
"Someone is very bright. Step into the light."
Yin solving Riddler's puzzle under pressure
Yin knows Bruce's 'secret'
Yin secretly communicating with Batman
Yin frozen in ice
Yin contacts Batman for the first time
Yin on the run with Batman
Yin's secret is discovered by Rojas
Yin's first encounter with Batman
Yin responding to a call
Yin sealed in a playing card
"The next time we meet Batman, the mask comes off!"
Yin saves Bennett's life
Yin notices something is wrong
Yin receives her batwave
Retrieved from "https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Ellen_Yin?oldid=209581"
The Batman Characters
Gotham City Police Department


text:
by Nick + Noah
Noah Wilson
Noah Wilson What's not to love about this album? Nick + Noah are quickly becoming my favorite group. They are highly competent musicians, unafraid to experiment with arrangements, textures, and layers. The strings and choral arrangements on this album will wrap your heart in a warm blanket all winter long. The Painter, in particular, is gorgeous. Favorite track: The Painter (feat. Tom Kenny).
Frischluft! Tonträger
Richard George
Frank PJ Hartwig
K Ellis
frisolino
ZwWdP
Michael Bakos
Bells Are Ringing 04:59
under the bright city lights something feels different tonight the holiday season a few short weeks away, but this year you'll stay all the traditions you've known won't be the same here on your own follow the lights till you find the city square, and hear in the air, bells are ringing snow is falling children singing all around don't have to feel out of place there's so much joy to embrace each stranger's smile has a gentle hint of home, you don't feel alone when we're together we find if we can learn to be kind there is a magic that lifts our heavy hearts, when we do our part bells are ringing snow is falling children singing all around starlight glistening dreams are calling if you're listening to the sound under the bright city lights something feels different tonight...
Interlude I (When It Snows) 00:45
when it snows outside and you know you must hide will you go outside?
The Painter (feat. Tom Kenny) 05:15
A blue half moon shined its light across a glittering sea, revealing crystals falling softly upon a white, silk landscape. Every so often a school of flakes was swept up by a gust of wind, sailing through the air in spirals. Belle sat on her knees, facing backwards on a red velvet chair. Her arms were crossed, and she rested her little chin on top of them, peering out the window at the shimmering backdrop. Mama helped her bundle up, and she marched outside in her woolen boots and her fluffy pink coat that looked four sizes too big. While exploring the serene landscape, Belle noticed a strange figure off in the distance. She decided that it was her duty to investigate, and so she walked toward it. As she grew closer, she could make out the figure of a man. He was gripping a paintbrush and seemed to be lost in his canvas. He did not notice Belle until she was very close to him, and he peered up at her as she approached. "Well hello there, miss…" Belle looked timidly down at her feet, sneaking quick glances up at the mysterious man. "Don't be shy, now! What's your name, young lady?" "Belle." "Hello, Miss Belle. I'm Vincent." "Hi Mr. Vincent." Belle's curiosity far outweighed any timidity. "What are you painting?" "That train over there, of course!" "But I don't see a train." "But surely you must, it's right over there! Come, sit. It must be you are looking from the wrong angle." Belle walked closer to the man and he lifted her onto his knee. "But all I can see is your painting, Mr. Vincent!" Belle looked around feeling frustrated, trying to peer around the canvas until finally, she gave up and cocked her head around to look at Mr. Vincent. "But there's nothing there!" She yelled indignantly. The painter took his index finger and pointed at the painting. Belle looked where he pointed, yet she saw nothing but a starry sky on the horizon. Then, suddenly, she saw a strange shape emerging from behind the hills. At first it was only headlights and the silhouette of a steam engine, but sure enough, a train seemed to be approaching. She could see many more of the cars now as the train curved around the bend. Little lights shown through the windows and Belle could see people walking about inside. "But it's only a picture!" She exclaimed with surprise. Mr. Vincent smiled. "Is it? Listen." And then, in the not-so-far-off distance, she heard a "Choo, choo!" Belle shivered with excitement. In a second of disbelief, she reached out to touch the painting, but Mr. Vincent caught her hand and stopped her. "Now, my dear girl, we must never touch a painting. We must only look into it," the painter said with a smile, and with that, he began packing up his easel and his brushes, and covered the painting with a tarp. "Farewell, Miss Belle." He took the painting under his arm and with the tip of his hat and a wink, disappeared into the snowy night. However, just as Belle had turned to go home, there came a tremendous roar from beyond the woods. Sure enough, she spun around to find a majestic locomotive barreling toward her. It continued to advance until it was so close that Belle could see the conductor's playful grin. She jumped up and down and waved with gusto, tugging her arm down to signal him. He returned her wave with a twist of his mustache, and the train answered with another "Choo, choo!" Belle felt the wind on her rosy cheeks as the train passed by, and she turned around and ran home to tell her mother all about it. "Mama, mama! Look at the train!" she yelled. But when her mother opened the door, the train was already far off in the distance, disappearing into a shadowy tunnel. When Belle went to sleep later that night, all she could think of was her encounter with the mysterious man and his magical painting. She wondered how such things were possible, and thought that someday, she too would paint stories that could come to life. As she drifted into her dreams, she was sure she heard the sound of a steam engine making its way across the moonlit horizon.
Interlude II (It's So Cold) 00:33
it's so cold i feel old in the bones freezing through me and you
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 04:09
they asked me how i knew my true love was true i of course replied something here inside can not be denied they said some day you'll find all who love are blind when you heart's on fire you must realize smoke gets in your eyes so i chaffed them and i gaily laughed to think they could doubt my love but today my love has gone away i am without my love now laughing friends deride tears I cannot hide so i smile and say when a lovely flame dies smoke gets in your eyes
Interlude III (The World Awakes) 02:00
the world awakes i dont have what it takes and my heart breaks i dont have what it takes
It Might Take A While 06:39
what's it take to love one another is it meant for us? we were always good to each other that was not enough both so scared of love when we need it now both so scared to feel but we don't know how and it might take a while for me to learn to smile but I know we'll reconcile it just might take a while when the sky is white in the winter stars cannot be found you let out a ghost of a whisper but your words are drowned all so scared of love when we need it now all so scared to feel cause we know deep down that it might take a while for me to learn to smile but I know we'll reconcile it just might take a while ive been chasin fairytales my whole life throughhh but just because a love is pretty doesnt make it true and it might take a while for me to learn to smile but I know we'll reconcile it just might take a while ...it just might take a while
Interlude IV (When The Sun Goes Down) 01:06
when the sun goes down there in your evening gown you see the world as new i'll never hide from you
Home 03:28
home is a place where your heart lives where dreamers learn how to dream people who love you and smiles that beam and you always will belong some parts of life can be fleeting sometimes a love isn't true family will always be waiting for you in this room, full of warm light, cozy and safe, on this peaceful night it's never cold never dark by the fireside snow falling down flakes of white out the window so if you feel sad or lonely there is a place you can go and as you cherish the mem'ries you've known your heart will carry you home
This album is a portrait of winter. Of stillness. Of serenity. Of reflection. Of confinement. Of the magic in one night's silence. Of cold. Of coziness. Of celebration. Of snow. Of the simple enchantment of a crackling fire. Of belief. Of families coming together, whether in spirit or in location. Of perseverance. Of staying warm. And of the wonder that can be found in something as simple as the ringing of a bell.
"Winter" is the second of four seasonal EPs by Nick + Noah, a pop duo consisting of longtime friends and collaborators Nick Frenay and Noah Kellman.
Gary Frenay, Jackie Lewis-Frenay, Dr. Robert Kellman, Jessie Kellman, Samuel Kellman, Curtis Kelley, Griff Gall, Drew Krasner, Cody Stahl, Laila Smith, Kevin Greene, Tori Moran, Hanya Wozniak-Brayman, Mary Beth Lewis, Nancy Lewis Brown, John Williams, Steven Spielberg, Chris Columbus, Nelson Riddle, Nat King Cole
Nick Frenay: lead and background vocals, electric bass, electric guitar, trumpets, flugelhorns, trombones
Noah Kellman: lead and background vocals, acoustic piano, synths
Jimmy Navarra: drums, sleigh bells, tambourine, voice of train conductor in "The Painter"
Tom Kenny: voice of storyteller in "The Painter"
Jakob Rabitsch: whistling
Sam Crowe: clarinets, flutes
Zach Brown: acoustic bass
Chase Potter: violin
Sumaia Jackson: violin
Dan Lay: viola
Sean Brennan: cello
Introflection: vocal choir
The Back Bay Ringers: handbell choir
Engineered by Jack Emblem, Diego Huaman, Yianni Anastos-Prastacos, Kama Bell, Joe Miller VI, Joey Izzo, Leonard Do, John Wynn, and Arieh Berl
All songs written by Nick + Noah, with the exception of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," written by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach.
All songs performed and produced by Nick + Noah.
Mixed and mastered by Noah Kellman.
Album Artwork Photography by Samuel Kellman.
Album Artwork Editing by Kaya Blaze Kelley.
pop r&b christmas music classic pop classical crossover classical pop indie pop jazzy power pop singer-songwriter surf pop winter New York
Nick + Noah New York, New York
Nick + Noah is a pop duo consisting of Nick Frenay and Noah Kellman. Longtime friends and musical partners, this is their first official collaboration. Not only have Nick and Noah both attended the GRAMMYs, but between the two of them, they have performed in venues across the globe and won awards from ASCAP, Downbeat Magazine, Yamaha, and more. ... more
nickandnoahsing.com
Give U Up (feat. Jake Sherman & Aubrey Haddard)
Too Many Years
Contact Nick + Noah


text:
Atari CEO David Pierce Resigns
Publisher Atari has announced that its CEO David Pierce has left the company following what its board of directors chair called a "difficult period in the Company's history," leaving chief restructuring officer Curtis Solsvig to act as interim CEO.
Brandon Boyer
Publisher Atari has announced that its CEO David Pierce has left the company following what its board of directors chair called a "difficult period in the Company's history," leaving chief restructuring officer Curtis Solsvig to act as interim CEO. Solsvig was appointed as restructuring officer in October by parent company Infogrames, following the removal of all but three board members earlier in the month. That move was prompted investor Coghill Capital Management to contact Atari's Board of Directors to express "serious concerns" regarding the moves. Coghill demanded that Atari's Board of Directors immediately reconstitute itself with a majority of independent directors, re-establish an independent audit committee, and "put an end to the sweetheart agreements with Infogrames." The call has thus far not publicly been commented on, but in the meantime, Atari's recently announced Q1 results showed sales for the quarter of $10.4 million, down from $19.5 million at the same time last year and losses of $11.9 million. Atari has said that an executive search is underway for a permanent replacement for Pierce. Said board of directors chairman Gene Davis, "We appreciate David's support and commitment through a difficult period in the Company's history and wish him well in his future endeavors."


text:
Q: Is there a way to control Pause or Grace period features through Huawei developer console? I am trying to input the grace period into IAP setting. InAppPurchaseDetails, the graceExpirationTime field indicates the expiration time of the grace period. This sounds good but I'm not able to find graceExpirationTime field in "Server-side" related documentation and Webhook notification payload as well. Is it available in the API's consumed by the client-side?

A: Grace period function is not available yet. For details, please refer to Link

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Happy National DNA day! So what is DNA?
Young Gideon: Come get 'em! But watch out, 'cause I'm a fox! And like you said in your dumb little stage play, us predators used to eat prey, and that killer instinct is still in our duh'nuh!
Nine weeks ago me and my daughter did the Ancestry.com DNA test. I have so much of my Genealogy done already, but still wanted to know what my DNA make up was. Even siblings with the same parents can have different percentages of the DNA. (Unless you are identical twins) I wasn't surprised by my results, though there were a few places that were fun finds. Below is my results of the DNA test that I took.
Look at those beautiful eyes she has.
After I saw my results I kept looking online for my daughter's results, but they still weren't up. I wanted to know would we find out where her two different colored eyes came from? What surprises would show up? Finally about three hours later they were posted. I was so excited I couldn't resist taking a look. My daughter is adopted and she doesn't have a biological Family Tree, although I strongly believe that DNA doesn't make you family. I also know that it's an amazing feeling to know where you come from. Even without names to connect the dots just knowing that she has different ancestors from all over the world is an amazing thing. Below are my daughter's DNA results.
in our hotel room only a week after she was born.
Brooklynn was thrilled when she saw her results. How amazing to have West Asia, and Southeastern Africa in her blood. Yes it is a very small amount, but still knowing that she had an ancestor from those parts of the world is really neat. Brooklynn loves to read and told me that she wants to learn more about all those places. I am so happy that Brooklynn is part of our family and so thankful that she is able to learn about her heritage through so many amazing advances in science.


text:
PM Interview 101: Most Important Questions asked around the Product Development Process.
During a product management (PM) interview, you may be asked a variety of questions related to the steps taken while developing a product. Here are a few examples:
User Research Phase:
One of the first steps in the product development process is to conduct user research to understand the needs and preferences of the target market. This may involve techniques such as user interviews, focus groups, usability testing, or surveys to gather feedback and insights. By understanding the needs of the users, it is possible to identify opportunities for innovation and to develop a product that meets their needs.
Case Study: Apple conducted extensive research on the mobile phone market and identified a gap in the market for a device that combined the functionality of a computer with the convenience of a phone. They also conducted studies on the behavior and needs of consumers in order to understand how they used their current mobile devices and what features they desired in a new product.
Sample Questions:
Can you describe a time when you conducted user research for a product? What methods did you use and what insights did you gain?
How do you ensure that the user research you conduct is representative of your target market?
How do you prioritize which user research to conduct based on time and resource constraints?
How do you determine the right research methodologies to use for a product?
How do you keep user research at the forefront of product development?
How do you analyze and interpret user research data?
How do you handle user research findings that conflict with business goals?
Ideation Phase:
Once the user research has been completed, the next step is to brainstorm and generate ideas for the product. This may involve collaborating with the team to come up with creative solutions and to identify opportunities for differentiation and value. The ideation process may involve techniques such as mind mapping, sketching, or brainstorming sessions to generate a wide range of ideas.
Case Study: Based on their research, Apple began brainstorming ideas for a new device that would meet the needs of consumers. They considered various form factors, such as a tablet or a slider phone, before settling on the concept of a touchscreen device with a large display. They also developed ideas for key features such as a virtual keyboard and a multi-touch interface.
Can you describe a time when you led a brainstorming session for a new product idea? How did you facilitate the session and what was the outcome?
How do you evaluate and prioritize different product ideas? What criteria do you use?
How do you involve cross-functional teams in the ideation process?
How do you come up with new and innovative product ideas?
How do you evaluate the feasibility of new product ideas?
How do you decide which product features to include and which to leave out?
How do you create a product roadmap that balances short-term and long-term goals?
Product Building & Testing Phase:
After the ideation process has been completed, the next step is to begin building and testing the product. This may involve working closely with the engineering team to design and develop the product, as well as to conduct testing and validation to ensure that it meets the desired quality standards. It may also involve collaborating with other teams such as design or marketing to ensure that the product is aligned with the company's overall strategy and goals.
Case Study: With a clear vision for the product, Apple's engineers and designers began building prototypes and testing them with consumers. They made numerous iterations and adjustments to the design and functionality of the device based on feedback from testing.
Can you describe a time when you worked with a development team to build a product? How did you ensure that the team was aligned on the product vision and goals?
How do you handle changes or unexpected challenges that arise during the product development process?
How do you ensure that your product is tested effectively before launch? What types of testing do you use?
How do you ensure that your product is built to meet user needs?
How do you manage the development process to ensure that the product is delivered on time and on budget?
How do you handle conflicting feedback from different stakeholders during testing?
How do you ensure that your product is scalable?
Execution Phase:
Once the product has been built and tested, the next step is to begin executing the plan to bring it to market. This may involve working with the sales and marketing teams to develop a go-to-market strategy, as well as to establish partnerships, set pricing, and launch the product. It may also involve conducting ongoing user research to gather feedback and to make adjustments as needed to ensure that the product meets the needs of the users.
Case Study: Once they felt confident that they had a solid product, Apple launched the iPhone to the public. They heavily marketed the device and its innovative features, and it quickly became a commercial success.
Can you describe a time when you launched a new product? What was your role in the launch process and what were the results?
How do you measure the success of a product after launch? What metrics do you use?
How do you handle product feedback and handle post-launch updates?
How do you develop a go-to-market strategy for a new product?
How do you determine the right pricing strategy for a product?
How do you create a product launch plan?
How do you measure and analyze the performance of a product after launch?
How do you handle the end-of-life for a product?
These are just a few examples of the types of questions you may be asked during a PM interview. It's important to be prepared to give specific examples from your past experience that demonstrate your skills and abilities as a PM.
TAM vs SAM vs SOM: What is the difference, why define it?
Lean Software Development: Advantages, Practices, Process


Knowing what radio to choose can be quite confusing because of the range of models and features available. Here we go through some important considerations when choosing a VHF marine portable of fixed radio?
Look at why you need a VHF. If you are a dinghy sailor, jet skier or sea kayaker, space will be an issue and a buoyant waterproof handheld with a long battery life may be desirable for the day long sessions.
A large motorboat or yacht sailing further offshore, like above, will need greater range so a fixed mount unit will be a better solution. A larger vessel may opt for dual station control with a remote handset. All yacht and motorboats should consider AIS, either receiver only or a class B transponder.
Most handheld VHF's offer basic functionality. Others offer extras such as DSC. Higher end features are being developed and integrated in modern fixed and handheld units. It is important to bear in mind that in an emergency you want an easy to use radio that is easy to operate and control.
If you are purchasing a Handheld VHF, the radio should come as standard with charger, battery, belt clip and antenna. But if you are a serious user or semi commercial user you may want to see if the radio you are buying has the necessary accessories available to help you. Are there headsets, cases or speaker microphones available?
For information about ICOM marine products, visit the marine radio pages on our website.


text:
Review - The Fix #1 (@ImageComics)
"I'm not gonna lie to you..."
There are two sides to the law. Those two sides are eternally at odds with one another so it only stands to reason that crossing over and playing both sides would make things easier for that individual. Even playing both sides brings with it plenty of danger as one will find out in reading The Fix #1 from Image Comics. The issue is written by Nick Spencer, illustrated by Steve Lieber, colored by Ryan Hill and lettered by Nic Shaw.
The Fix is a story of the crooked cops, scheming mobsters, and corrupt politicians that run things—and the sex toy that can bring them all down. Oh, and the hero is a drug-sniffing beagle named Pretzels. Bad people do bad things to each other in this frenetic, outrageous, sometimes off-putting new caper!
The Fix #1 is a criminal tale that relies on an old-school mentality to drive the characters through a new way of being a criminal. Lieber's script is very snappy and fast-moving, effectively giving readers what they need to know about the players involved and their somewhat dastardly motivations. And the entire issue builds up to an extremely satisfying reveal at the end that sets the direction of the remainder of the series. Every characters feels realized and Lieber gives them plenty to work with as far as personality goes. There's also plenty of great callouts to what it's like being a physical criminal in a digital age, using that as a plot device to force the criminals into some rather unseemly (even by their standards) situations.
The illustrations in The Fix #1 lend the story an almost whimsical sensibility. Spencer's characters are defined by pretty sharp lines and and square jaws, all of which works together effectively to present the cast of characters. There's also a lot of attention paid to the backgrounds the characters live in, with Spencer filling each panel with plenty of detail that adds to the tone of the book. Facial expressions also really help the book as well with Spencer giving each character expressions that are lively and really give them a sense of emotional heft which also has the effect of giving the events plenty of levity. Hill's colors mute the action to an extent, but seems to fit the ideal that California is a place that seems to be under a continual fog of some sort.
The Fix #1 is a very enjoyable first issue that sets a rather irreverent tone. The premise seems like a relatively straightforward crime caper story, but there's a lot more going on in it to make it stand out on its own. Lieber's script feature rapid-fire dialogue and plenty of entertaining characters, working together for a story by criminals and about criminals. Spencer's illustrations are fantastic and really give the book the almost airy attitude it needs. The Fix #1 is a lot of fun and is something readers will definitely want to check out.
The Fix #1 is in stores April 6.


Which Deep Conditioners Does Your Hair Need For Winter?
Your conditioner is the mainstay in your hair style program; most of us have to condition every time we wash it so it isn't a dry, stringy mess. The issue in wintertime is how dry hair can become even with regular conditioner usage.
Every conditioner fits a particular need & everyone's hair has a different conditioning requirement. You need a daily conditioner, but sometimes that needs to be supplemented with a deeper conditioning treatment.
Which deep conditioner do you need for winter & which does your stylist recommend?
Jen's favorite is Bumble and bumble Color Minded Conditioner because of it's versatility; it's designed for everyday conditioning or can be left on for 5 minutes for intense conditioning.
Becky's favorite product to help combat dry hair this time of year is Bumble and bumble's Hairdresser's Invisible Oil. It can be used on wet hair before drying or on dry hair to help tame fly-aways and static. Apply to mid-lengths and ends and its' featherlight oils will have a cumulative effect on dry, damaged hair.
Danielle's classic favorite is Bumble and bumble's Super Rich It's a daily conditioner of the highest order & is excellent for any hair type!
For Jeanne, the trick to hydration is using the right product for your hair type. For example, people with fine hair should shy away from the word "hydrate" because the product may be too heavy for their hair. Kevin Murphy has created amazing masques for every type of hair. Use Angel.Masque if you want the moisture without the weight, and for course or curly hair hair kick it up a notch with Hydrate.Me or Young.Again. Leave any of these on after you shampoo for 3-5 minutes, a couple times a week to battle the wintertime dryness and have shiny, smooth hair all year round!
Francesca recommends Hydrate.Me mask also! It's her go-to mask to recommend because she loves how it gives dry hair the moisture it's missing without weighing it down or making it too oily.
Laura's favorite is also Kevin.Murphy's Born.Again. It makes dry, brittle hair feel baby soft again.
Em's favorite conditioner treatment right now is Evo's The Great Hydrator. It's a moisture mask that not only adds moisture to damaged, dry hair but can also be a quick fix for a dry, flakey scalp. "I sold it to a male client who gets a really dry, flakey scalp and I've cut his hair once since and saw a great improvement!" Great for men and women for dry scalp or dry frazzled ends.
Our girl Jeanne modeling the benefits of Bumble and bumble's Invisible Oil!