Roommate-matching site does not violate housing laws, court (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? A roommate-matching website that allows users to hunt for living partners based on gender and sexual orientation does not violate fair-housing laws that ban discrimination, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday.

Fair Housing Councils in California sued Roommates.com in 2003, accusing the company of violating federal and state laws barring discrimination in the sale or rental of a residence. But the court refused to apply the laws to roommate relationships.

While the federal law was designed to prevent landlords from discriminating against tenants, the court found no indication Congress intended to regulate relationships inside the home.

"Taking on a roommate means giving him full access to the space where we are most vulnerable," Chief Judge Alex Kozinski wrote for a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

To prevent people from choosing roommates with compatible lifestyles would be "a serious invasion of privacy, autonomy and security," the panel ruled.

The fair housing groups accused Roommates.com of facilitating discrimination by allowing users to run online roommate searches based on gender, sexual orientation and number of children. The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to advertise housing with any preference for race, sex or family status.

The groups argued that roommates are intermediaries between housing providers and prospective tenants and should not be allowed to inject prejudice into the housing market. A district court agreed, barring the website from soliciting information on users' sex, sexual orientation or family status.

But the appeals court found it unlikely that Congress, when it passed the law in the 1960s, intended women to have to accept men as roommates.

Eliminating preferences in roommate selection could also burden people's religious practices, the court found. An orthodox Jew shouldn't "have to worry about finding the honey-baked ham in the refrigerator next to the potato latkes," the panel said.

The appeals court overturned the injunction and $494,714 in attorneys fees the district court had ordered Roommates.com to pay the housing groups. Neither the Fair Housing Councils nor their lawyers responded to requests for comment.

(Reporting By Terry Baynes; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120202/us_nm/us_roommates_lawsuit

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Alonso and Massa gifted a pair of Ferrari Red SRT8 Jeeps ...

Alonso and Massa gifted a pair of Ferrari Red SRT8 Jeeps
New 2012 Jeep? Grand Cherokee SRT8? SUVs will sport Ferrari Red for Formula 1 stars Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa

Custom-built versions of the high-performance Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 feature exclusive Rosso Corsa colored exteriors, red leather interiors and additional Ferrari looks pay tribute to the two Ferrari 'ambassadors'. Vehicles are the first two 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 models to be delivered in Europe where the introduction of the high-performance model of the Jeep flagship SUV will start in May. Both vehicles were prepared by Chrysler Group's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) design and engineering teams.

Today, two specially prepared models of the new 2012 Jeep? Grand Cherokee SRT8? - the most powerful and best handling Jeep vehicle ever - were delivered to Scuderia Ferrari Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa at the Fiorano circuit in Maranello, Italy.

The identically built vehicles were handed over to the two star drivers by Beth Paretta, Director of Marketing and Operations - SRT Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC.

Each Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 features an aggressive exterior look with an SRT-exclusive design, which adds classic Ferrari brand styling cues and the unmistakable Rosso Corsa signature color.

The iconic, seven-slot Jeep front grille is painted matte black and features custom red inserts. A race-inspired, offset black driver's stripe with a white accent customizes the front and rear bumpers, hood, the entire surface of the roof and the rear spoiler. Additional exclusive details include a matte black painted dual-pane sunroof, Carbon fiber mirror caps and a gloss black rear light bar with red accents on the Jeep logo. To complete the unique exterior trim of the two custom-built SRT8 models, the Italian flag has been painted on the underside of the rear spoiler: a tribute to the Ferrari F150? Formula One car.

Ride height has been lowered 1.5 inches and both vehicles ride on unique forged aluminium, 20-inch wheels painted black giving them an even more aggressive stance.

In line with the vehicle's custom exterior, the interior cabin is enhanced by exclusive Ferrari Red leather inserts on the seats with sculpted bolsters. Also the door trim panels, the central armrest and the instrument panel boast exclusive red leather. The leather-wrapped SRT8 steering wheel with mounted paddle shifters features red contrasting stitching. The unique instrument cluster features yellow dials which give the cabin the look of the GT cars produced in Maranello.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is powered by the all-new 6.4-liter HEMI? V-8 engine with Fuel Saver technology that turns off four of the eight cylinders when full power is not required to ensure increased fuel economy. Thanks to the powerful HEMI V-8 powertrain delivering 468 horsepower (344 kW) and 624 N?m of torque, the SRT8 model achieves benchmark performance of 0-100 km/h in 5 seconds, has a top speed of 257 km/h and brakes from 100-0 km/h in 35 m.

"We're excited and proud to be able to share 'Ferrari-style' custom-built versions of the most powerful and best handling Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 ever with two of the most talented drivers in the world," Paretta said. "We know that both Fernando and Felipe will feel right at home in our ultimate performance SUVs that are identically built with classic Ferrari styling cues and one-of-a-kind Rosso Corsa exteriors. The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 brings a combination of Jeep's world-class capability to the road or the race track along with unparalleled luxury and refinement and advanced innovative technologies for all driving enthusiasts."

The two, uniquely customized Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 models are based on the new high-performance model of the Jeep flagship SUV set to arrive in Europe, where it will be available in Jeep dealerships starting in May.

Source [Chrysler]

Source: http://www.teamspeed.com/forums/general-automotive-suv-forum/69412-alonso-massa-gifted-pair-ferrari-red-srt8-jeeps.html

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VBrick inroduces new video conferencing module to its H.264 DME ...

CBR Staff Writer Published 31 January 2012

Enterprises can stream their video conferences to large audiences, record the content and offer it on-demand

Enterprise IP video firm VBrick Systems is introducing the Video Conference Streaming Gateway Module for its H.264 Distributed Media Engine (DME).

The H.264 Distributed Media Engine is the latest technology element of the VBrick Enterprise Video Architecture (VEVA), which encompasses video capture, content management, distribution and video display.

The Video Conference Streaming Gateway Module will deliver a multi-vendor, standards-based offering to enable thousands of smartphones, tablets, PCs/MACs and TVs to display a video conference.

In addition, the Module will become a participant in the video conference, ingesting the conference audio and video, transforming it and delivering it as a stream to the other elements of VBrick's infrastructure.

When used in conjunction with other VEVA products such as VBrick's VEMS Mystro content management offering, the DME is able to deliver video to any device, over any network.

With the new VBrick offering, enterprises can now easily stream their video conferences to large audiences, record the content and offer it on-demand.

VBrick Systems chief operating officer John Shaw said VBrick is making it easier and more cost effective for organisations to use all of their video assets to collaborate, educate and communicate with their employees, customers and partners.

"More employees are mobile or work remotely and increasingly they rely on smartphones or tablets as their primary communication tool. VBrick has just made it far easier for those employees to stay connected - offering video conferences via VBrick streaming video," said Shaw.

Source: http://unified.cbronline.com/news/vbrick-inroduces-new-video-conferencing-module-to-its-h264-dme-310112

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Summary Box: Ex-UK finance chief slams Goodwin row (AP)

TARNISHED: The man who led the British government's bailout of Royal Bank of Scotland, former Treasury chief Alistair Darling, said Wednesday that the decision to strip the bank's former chief executive of his knighthood was distasteful.

KNIGHT NO MORE: The government's Honors Forfeiture Committee has decided to annul the title awarded to Fred Goodwin, who pursued the takeover of Dutch bank ABN Amro that led RBS to the brink of collapse in 2008.

HISTORY: The government invested 45 billion pounds ($71 billion) in rescuing RBS, and now holds an 82 percent stake in its shares.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120201/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_rbs_summary_box

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Exclusive: U.S. accuses China of instigating plot against DuPont (Reuters)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) ? Chinese government representatives directed a U.S. businessman to obtain valuable technology manufactured by chemical giant DuPont and were seeking on Wednesday to keep him in jail ahead of his trial on charges relating to trade secret theft, U.S. prosecutors say in newly released court documents.

Walter Liew, a U.S. citizen, and his wife, Christina Liew, each were indicted last year by a Northern California grand jury on three counts, including witness tampering, making a false statement and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses and evidence, according to court documents.

A hearing on bail is scheduled for Walter Liew on Wednesday in U.S. federal court in San Francisco as prosecutors try to keep him behind bars.

According to court documents, Walter Liew paid at least two former DuPont engineers for assistance in designing chloride-route titanium dioxide, also known as TiO2. DuPont is the world's largest producer of the white pigment used to make a range of white-tinted products, including paper, paint and plastics.

Both Liew, 54, and his wife have pleaded not guilty. Liew was held without bail, while his wife was released, court documents show.

DuPont also filed a civil lawsuit against Liew for misappropriating trade secrets.

Liew denies obtaining or possessing "any confidential, proprietary trade secret materials" from DuPont regarding TiO2, according to court documents.

Last month, Liew's attorneys requested that a U.S. magistrate judge reconsider the decision to deny Liew bail. In the court filing on Tuesday, prosecutors argued for Liew's continued incarceration by listing his connections with Chinese officials.

Liew was hosted at a banquet in 1991 by Luo Gan, who at the time was a high-ranking official of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, according to correspondence from Liew that U.S. federal officials say they seized from his safety deposit box. Luo Gan went on to become a member of the nine-member Standing Committee of the Politburo, prosecutors wrote in the filing.

Several other Chinese officials also attended, according to the documents.

"The purpose of the banquet is to thank me for being a patriotic overseas Chinese who has made contributions to China," Liew wrote in a memo to a Chinese company, according to U.S. prosecutors, "and who has provided key technologies with national defense applications, in paint/coating and microwave communications."

Luo Gan gave Liew directives at the meeting, and two days later Liew received a list of "key task projects," including TiO2, prosecutors stated.

"DuPont's state-of-the-art technology is not available publicly and PRC (People's Republic of China) companies have not been able to master it on their own," prosecutors wrote. "Liew, however, obtained that technology from former DuPont employees and sold it to companies controlled by the PRC government."

In his court filing seeking bail, Liew denies he was invited to a banquet with some Chinese officials, but Luo Gan is not discussed. In seeking bail, Liew's attorneys note that was born in Malaysia and has lived in the United States for 32 years.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment early on Wednesday.

The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is United States of America vs. Walter Liew and Christina Liew, 11-cr-573.

(Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120201/bs_nm/us_china_usa_dupont

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AMR Corp may cut up to 14,000 jobs to trim costs (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? AMR Corp, the bankrupt parent of American Airlines, may slash between 12,000 and 14,000 jobs as part of a bankruptcy cost-cutting strategy the carrier says is necessary to compete with rivals.

Sources familiar with American's plan said the job cuts detailed by executives in a meeting with labor groups on Wednesday would be part of an overall effort to reduce operating expenses by more than $2 billion annually.

"We will end this journey with many fewer people," AMR Chief Executive Tom Horton told the unions, according to someone who was at the meeting.

Horton also said the airline intends to emerge as an independent company, according to one of the sources who attended the meeting with the unions.

American has said it suffers from higher labor costs than its peers and filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in November.

Horton said in a letter to employees that the carrier was aiming for $2 billion in overall annual cost reductions, including $1.25 billion in employee-related expenses. American also plans on restructuring debt and leases as well as grounding older planes.

Total employee-related costs will be reduced by roughly 20 percent across the board, including management.

American also wants to generate $1 billion per year in new revenue through changes in its network, fleet utilization and product improvements.

Horton did not touch on the possibility of slashing employee pension plans, which the U.S. government expects the company to try to do during bankruptcy.

(Reporting By Kyle Peterson; Editing by Mark Porter and Maureen Bavdek)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120201/bs_nm/us_amr

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Fla. primary's big prize likely to go to Romney (AP)

TAMPA, Fla. ? Florida's time has come.

The state hosts its pivotal primary Tuesday as Mitt Romney seeks to tighten his grip on the Republican presidential nomination.

Newt Gingrich reset the race by scoring an overwhelming victory in South Carolina. But in the 10 days since, the GOP contest has turned increasingly hostile. And the polls have swung decidedly in Romney's direction.

The former Massachusetts governor enters the day as the heavy favorite in the winner-take-all primary, the final contest in a month of high-stakes elections in which Romney claimed one win and two second-place finishes so far. The path to the Republican nomination ? and the right to face President Barack Obama this fall ? shifts to a series of lower-profile contests in February.

The polls open at 7 a.m. across Florida, where Romney offered an increasingly optimistic tone while campaigning in recent days.

"With a turnout like this, I'm beginning to feel we might win tomorrow," an upbeat Romney told a crowd of several hundred at a stop in Dunedin on Monday.

Gingrich acknowledged his momentum had been checked but promised not to back down.

"He can bury me for a very short amount of time with four or five or six times as much money," Gingrich said in a television interview. "In the long run, the Republican Party is not going to nominate ... a liberal Republican."

Romney's campaign canceled a Tuesday morning rally, but scheduled a night celebration at the Tampa Convention Center. Gingrich will make a series of public appearances ? including visits to two polling stations and a stop at the Polk County headquarters ? before gathering with supporters for a primary night party in Orlando. The last polls close at 8 p.m.

The other two candidates in the race will not be in Florida on Tuesday. Both Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have ceded Florida's primary to Romney and Gingrich in favor of smaller, less expensive contests. They will spend the day campaigning across Colorado and Nevada.

Romney and his allies have poured more than $14 million into Florida television advertising primarily to attack Gingrich, who has struggled to compete with Romney's fundraising ability, staffing and network of high-profile supporters. Gingrich and his allies spent roughly $3 million on Florida advertising.

"We are pitting people power versus money power," Gingrich said Monday as he tried to rally his shrinking base of support.

GOP officials in Florida were anticipating a big turnout, more than 2 million voters, up from a record 1.9 million in the Republican primary in 2008. More than 605,000 Floridians had already voted as of Monday, either by visiting early voting stations or by mailing in absentee ballots, ahead of the total combined early vote in the GOP primary four years ago.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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