Niea Milwaukee 2009 Again

Audra McDonald: Shaping ‘Bess’ On Broadway

TerranceV — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:06:08 +0000

Story By: Fresh Air from WHYY

The women of Porgy and Bess dance.

Audra McDonald.

Audra McDonald plays Bess in the current Broadway production of Porgy and Bess.

On stereotypes in Porgy and Bess

“[Author DuBose Heyward] really tried to get into their mindset, which was an incredible feat for that period, but it was still written at a time when blacks and whites were not commingling. So even though he researched as much as he possibly could, there were some aspects he couldn’t possibly know. He didn’t live it, and it wasn’t a time when blacks and whites could commingle. But as African-Americans, we can bring something to it that is our own experience, which is a truer experience just by the fact that it can’t possibly be anything but a truer experience because we actually are African-American. But people throughout the history of this piece have come down on both sides saying, ‘This is stereotypical and this is archetypes.’ “

On the Gullah accent

“We had a dialect coach, a very, very talented lady, come in and speak to us about this. And we decided that we would not use an authentic Gullah dialect because no one would understand. The authentic Gullah dialect is actually very clipped, and so it would sound almost Jamaican and be very odd to an American audience’s ears. It’s not the typical Southern dialect that we’re used to. It has a much more percussive rhythm to it. So she said it was better to use a more authentic Southern dialect as opposed to this Gullah dialect.”

On Stephen Sondheim‘s critical letter in The New York Times about the production before it began previews

“My agent called me and told me that this letter [appeared]. You know, you get certain calls and the phone rings in certain ways, and it just doesn’t sound good. And that was one of those times. I was shocked. I knew how much Steve loves Porgy and Bess. He’s never shied away from how passionate he is about this particular opera. And I think he is a genius; he is one of the great composers of American musical theater. And I respect his passion. But I know how I feel about this opera. I know how I’ve always felt about this opera. And I have never had anything but the greatest love and respect for this opera. So even if that’s how it came across in the piece â or that’s how it came across to Steve in the piece â there’s not one iota of disdain for this opera in my heart. And that’s apparent by my obsession with it over the years.”

On performing at the first legal gay wedding in New York City

“I’ve been a real loud active voice in the movement to get marriage equality. And I had gone up the month before to Albany, when they were days away from that historic vote, to rally and to see who I could talk to, and just be another face out there saying let’s do the right thing here. … I had read a beautiful story in The New York Times about the couple who were getting married, and that Mayor Bloomberg was going to preside over their wedding at Gracie Mansion. And my friend called me and said, ‘They’d love to have you come and sing.’ And I was floored. I was so honored. And I cried like a baby at that ceremony. And I brought my daughter. And it was a very moving moment and a very teachable moment having my daughter there. And as far as she was concerned, it was just another wedding. She doesn’t really see the issue, which is great. So that’s how it came about. It was a beautiful day.”

Advice on Going Where Jobs Are

TerranceV — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:06:08 +0000

By AMY HOAK

When unemployment is high, job-seekers may need to go where the jobs are, “to make ends meet, to get on with their lives,” says John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

But don’t move with the herd.Before workers decide to relocate, career counselors advise making sure they understand the local economy they’re going to, and what they’d do if the new job doesn’t work out as planned.

Also, make sure you understand what kind of help, if any, your new employer is prepared to give you for moving costs.

Long Haul for Working Couples

Companies typically have standard relocation packages. Often, companies will provide lump-sum assistance to employees or help in selling a home.

“Make sure you completely understand the policy,” says Rich McClure, president of UniGroup, parent company of United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit. “It’s important for [employees] to understand exactly what they’re getting.”

“Our very recent experience has been that companies are less likely to enhance offerings related to selling real estate, overcoming deficit equity or loss on sale situations, or offsetting the cost of temporary living/duplicate housing expenses as a means of capitalizing on this trend,” he says.

Before accepting a position in another location, make sure you do some homework on your new home, and know what you want out of the new job. “People react and grab anything … I don’t think it’s bad to relocate for a good opportunity, but understand what you’re trying to do first,” says Deb Bailey, a transition coach in New Jersey Understand how this move will advance your career, and also think about what you would do in the worst-case scenario: You accept a job in another place, move, and for whatever reason, the job doesn’t work out, she says.. Ms. Bailey’s advice: Ask yourself, are there other opportunities in the area? Or would it be worth it to stay in your current town, perhaps selling your home for a loss or living with a roommate and accepting a lower-paying job until the local job market improves?

On the other hand, “You really have to be in a career-management mode. If you’re unemployed and the opportunity is in Oshkosh, if it’s a good opportunity go to Oshkosh,” says Dale Winston, CEO of Battalia Winston, an executive search firm in New York. “Otherwise, you want to base yourself in a center of opportunity.”

And if it’s only a home holding you back from a job that could move your career forward, it might be time to cut your losses. “If you made an error in judgment in terms of overleveraging yourself, get out of it and move on. It’s like credit-card debt… pay it down and don’t do it again,” she says.

When conducting a national job search, your willingness to move should be made clear upfront, says Tim Johnson, managing editor for Relocation.com. Today, that also may mean indicating that you’d make the move with or without a relocation package.

To keep costs down, get at least three quotes before hiring a moving company, and have each actually see the items you need moved, Mr. Johnson says. “It’s the only way to get a precise quote.”

For the average cross-country move with full moving services, including packing, loading, driving and unloading, the cost is roughly $6,000 to $8,000, Mr. Johnson says.

“If you choose to do packing on your own, it’d cut the cost to roughly $3,500 to $5,500,” he says. In that example, the movers would load and unload the truck, as well as drive it to the destination.

A self-service move would be roughly a third of the cost of full moving services, or about $2,000 to $3,000, Mr. Johnson says. That would require the individual to pack, load and unload items, leaving only the driving to the movers.

Write to Amy Hoak at amy.hoak@dowjones.com

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A21

Serena thrashes Azarenka in Madrid

TerranceV — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:06:08 +0000

Williams took just over an hour to take the 41st WTA singles title of her career in a 6-1 6-3 win over the world No. 1.

The in-form Williams, who has won all 13 of her matches on clay this year, set the tone for a dominant performance by winning the first four games against an opponent that had lost just one set in the tournament before the final.

New Wave Spain

TerranceV — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:06:08 +0000

Marques de Murrieta

The Ygay estate covers 750 acres in Rioja Alta.

Anyone interested in what is happening in the world of wine should be looking toward Spain. From a viticultural perspective, it is one of the most fascinating wine-producing countries in Europe, if not the world.

Ask me which wines I have had the most fun tasting this year and, unquestionably, the answer is those offbeat grape varieties, grown by small, often young, artisanal wine producers in the northwest of the country. Varieties such as Albillo, Graciano and Mencia may not mean as much as Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon, but they are helping producers in spearheading a movement that puts a greater emphasis of indigenous regional styles, reintroduces traditional grape varieties and uses oak sensitively.

For the consumer, the country isn’t as easy to comprehend as, say, Australia or Chile, as there isn’t the consistency in winemaking styles. In many ways, it is probably easiest to navigate your way through contemporary Spanish wine by imagining three different strands. Firstly, there is the traditional style, where it still exists, which favors long maturation in American oak that can produce brick-red wines with a creamy, vanilla character. Secondly, there is a new international form of winemaking that embraces technology but favors heavily extracted, deep-colored, glamorous and opulent wines, which are often high in alcohol and dominated by plenty of fruit characteristics. And lastly, there is a new wave of young winemakers who are rediscovering the quality of ancient vineyard sites, using new technology judiciously and focusing on indigenous grapes. It is the latter that I find the most appealing.

Drinking Now

Enlarge Image

From everyday drinking to a treat from the cellar, three Spanish wines ripe for tasting today.

“Add all these components together and the result is a wine-producing country with so much variety and style,” says Pierre Mansour, Spanish wine buyer for the Wine Society cooperative. “We try to taste all the wines we are selling together and to get a sense of the world as a whole. In those tastings, Spain, along with Chile and southern France, emerges as one of the most exciting areas to buy wine.”

Of course, to refer to Spain in winemaking terms is to hopelessly generalize. This is a country that has been making wine for more than 3,000 years. Today, it has more land under vine than any other country and is a myriad of elevations, climates, regions and styles. Spain is searingly hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. Some of its vines back onto the Atlantic, others touch the Mediterranean, while other more-distinguished pockets are land-locked.

Temperatures have increased to such an extent that in certain regions, for example Catalonia, winemakers such as Miguel Torres have been forced to plant vines on higher ground in light of future temperature increases. This is where plantings of heat-tolerant grape varieties, such as Graciano, come in. High in acidity, with a tart, green character, the grape variety produces red wines with plenty of character and freshness.

Another varietal, Mencia, is being planted widely in the northwest of Spain. Wines from this grape sit in the glass with a pronounced maroon color and offer an inviting herbal character on the nose, before giving way to a tart, cherry fruit flavor on the palate. Often heralded as one of Spain’s most interesting new grape varieties, Mencia stylistically is not unlike France’s Cabernet Franc, a grape variety that goes into some of Bordeaux’s finest blends.

It isn’t just the red wines that are worth hunting out; some of the white wines coming out of Spain are fascinating. Albarino has established itself as a wonderfully aromatic white wine that has an attractive, broad, sometimes buttery feel, in the mouth, with a racing acidity on the finish. Then there’s Godello, another hugely aromatic variety, with inviting notes of peach and pineapple; it adds texture to the blend and isn’t as acidic as Albarino. And the Albillo, an early ripening variety, has a pleasant aromatic nose, with a delicious, weighty mouthfeel. At their best, these wines are thrilling.

Write to Will Lyons at william.lyons@wsj.com

EPA Ensures Columbia Sportswear Company Properly Labels Pesticide-treated Clothing for Domestic Sale

TerranceV — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:06:08 +0000

Release Date: 04/25/2012Contact Information: Derrick Terada, EPA FIFRA Program, 206-553-4768, terada.derrick@epa.gov
Tony Brown, EPA Public Affairs, 206-553-1203, brown.anthony@epa.gov

(Seattle – April 25, 2012) Columbia Sportswear Company, headquartered in Portland, Oregon sold and distributed mislabeled pesticide-treated clothing in violation of federal pesticide rules, according to a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

EPA found that the clothing labels lacked the required EPA pesticide registration number, a proper ingredient statement, a proper storage and disposal statement, and were missing the statement "It is a violation of Federal Law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling."

EPA immediately issued a Stop Sale Order on the products until they could be properly labeled by the company, which fully cooperated with EPA. The company will pay a fine of $22,880.
According to Scott Downey, manager of EPA’s pesticide unit in the Seattle office, pesticides must be properly labeled to ensure protection of human health and the environment.

“We are very concerned that pesticide products are labeled correctly and that the language is identical to what the Agency originally reviewed and approved,” said EPA’s Downey. “Labels are carefully worded to inform consumers about the safe use of a product and any risks.”

EPA first learned about the misbranded products by monitoring pesticide imports and finding that one of the company’s shipments coming into the U.S. had been denied entry at a foreign port. Further investigation revealed that several other shipments of clothing treated with “Insect Blocker” were returning to the U.S. with foreign product labels and then erroneously being redirected for domestic sale. Domestic sale of items that include pesticides must meet United States labeling requirements, which differ from those of other countries.

For additional information about pesticides, visit: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/

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Published by: United States Environmental Protection Agence (EPA) (yosemite.epa.gov)

Kids Get Money-Wise at Camp

TerranceV — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:06:08 +0000

By MARY PILON

This summer, droves of school-age children will attend summer camp, where they will paddle canoes, play tennis and make crafts from paste and yarn. Others, will go to finance camp, where they will take excursions to a local bank or delve into budgeting and investing simulations. Rather than singing around the campfire, they will chant personal-finance mantras like these sung at Camp Millionaire in Santa Barbara, Calif.: “Financial freedom is your choice” and “Assets feed you, liabilities eat you.”

Ed Koren

In the past, business and finance camps attracted high-achieving high-school students. Now, with the country’s uncertain economy, financial education is expanding to an unlikely audience — younger kids, even grade-school students. They are also reaching out to those from diverse economic backgrounds. And the lessons are surprisingly sophisticated, teaching campers how to rebalance portfolios, invest in real estate and use credit cards without getting dinged on fees.

At Camp Millionaire, campers in five days create a minieconomy based around “moola” — mock currency that features a cow’s portrait — which kids use to spend, invest in stocks and compete with each other. They also use the fake currency to pay their “bills,” running around and depositing moola in large envelopes with labels like “phone bill” and “credit card bill.” Parents spend the real moola to send their kids to the weeklong session, which ranges from $279 to $300. Scholarships are available, based on financial need.

“Adults underestimate kids’ abilities. Investing — they’ll get it and be interested in it,” says counselor Pamela Capalad.

Andrew Adams, of Santa Barbara, attended the camp twice, once when he was 10 years old and again two years later. “He was coming home with words like ‘adversely affect your credit score,’ ” says his mother, Denice Adams.

Andrew pointed out to his mother that her credit-card billing cycle had changed, and that she wasn’t keeping up with payments. Her delays were racking up late fees, jacking up her interest rate and hurting her credit score. After considering her non-discretionary household expenses (his words), Andrew also pronounced that the mortgage on their Santa Barbara home was too high for her income. Now 15 years old, Andrew has launched his own small travel business and is a financial-news junkie.

Gauging Risk

At YoungBiz’s Smart Start to Money Camp in Sarasota, Fla., campers ages 13 to 18 are asked to toss a ball into a bucket, earning more points the farther away they stand. It aims to teach kids about risk tolerance and lead them into a discussion about stocks and asset allocation. How far away from the bucket they’re willing to stand might tell them something about their investing style.

Bonding Over Banking

Girls only? Read about finance camps for girls, and join a discussion on WSJ.com’s Front Lines.

Campers pay $100 to $300 for the three-day session, in which they form teams and compete to create the best portfolio. In 2001, during one of the first camps, one camper pleaded with his teammates to buy stock in a then-risky company, eBay

. His peers lobbied for safer bets, like utility companies. After a fiery debate, the team passed on eBay but agreed on an alternative stock allocation. They won the competition because counselors were so impressed with their cooperation.

Camp Challenge, a joint effort between the North Carolina Bankers Association and 4-H, mixes financial education in the morning with traditional activities, such as horseback riding or swimming, in the afternoon. For $350, kids 10 to 14 years old learn the basics of everyday finance using the FDIC’s Money Smart curriculum.

Robin Diamond

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke with campers from Camp Challenge.

Camp Challenge is also part of the America’s Promise Alliance, a business and nonprofit cooperative that works to reach students at risk of drug abuse or dropping out, for example. The weeklong overnight camp in Westfield, N.C., has drawn the attention of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who have been known to mingle with campers when they’re in the area.

In Denver, the Young Americans Center for Financial Education takes a macroeconomic approach to financial education.

Creating a Ghost Town

In weeklong sessions that cost $185, fourth- and fifth-graders take part in large-scale simulations of the economy of a small town. Campers apply for jobs. They create business plans for 17 different businesses, patronize others along Main Street and even buy health insurance. (It costs two AmeriDollars.) One year, the counselors had a camp of savers, and AmeriTowne turned into a ghost town when the kids refused to spend any money. The incident sparked a fruitful discussion about free enterprise. Counselors asked campers to imagine what would happen to AmeriTowne’s Main Street if no one spent any money in the long term. The grim consequences of an inactive economy soon became apparent, especially when they realized that they, too, were business owners.

Global Economics

The fifth- and sixth-graders take the minitown approach and bump it up a notch to the International Towne. It is like a model United Nations with a robust focus on trade, currencies and deficits. They’re thrown questions about environmental protection and sustainability. When counselors asked campers to write down how they would cope with limited water resources on the planet, they ran out of paper.

“They really run the world at the end of the week,” former banker C.J. Juleff, vice president of programming for the camp, said.

Write to Mary Pilon at mary.pilon@wsj.com

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D1

Sebastian Coe: Into the last lap

TerranceV — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:06:08 +0000

As optimistic as he may seem, Lord Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), knows that though preparations for the London Olympics are in the final straight, there is no guarantee that a gold medal is yet in sight.

One of the greatest middle-distance runners in athletics history — when he competed against compatriots Steve Cram and Steve Ovett — Coe knows the meaning of the term "you don’t win silver, you lose gold" only too well.

Test events at various venues are being staged and the Olympic stadium at the Olympic Park in East London has also been stress-tested with an inter-collegiate athletics event earlier this month. The feedback so far has been good, albeit not outstanding. London is on the home stretch in a race that has lasted seven years since they won the bid on July 6, 2005.

Pragmatic approach

Article continues below

Las remesas a México crecieron un 1,4% interanual en marzo

TerranceV — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:06:08 +0000

Por ANTHONY HARRUP

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (Dow Jones)–Las remesas provenientes de mexicanos que viven en el extranjero crecieron un 1,4% en marzo frente a igual mes del año pasado, a US$2.080 millones, según datos del banco central.

En marzo se registraron un 6,2 millones de transferencias a un promedio de US$336 cada una, y elevaron el total de remesas del primer trimestre a US$5.370 millones, un aumento del 5,3% frente al mismo período de 2011. La lectura representa un fuerte descenso en relación al alza del 8,5% registrada en febrero.

Las remesas son una importante fuente de ingresos de capital extranjero para México, inferior a las exportaciones de petróleo, pero mayor que el turismo extranjero.

Ex-Murdoch editor Brooks charged in hacking scandal

TerranceV — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:04:34 +0000

By Michael Holden and Kate Holton

LONDON |
Tue May 15, 2012 1:57pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) – Rebekah Brooks, a close confidante of Rupert Murdoch, was charged on Tuesday with interfering with a police investigation into a phone hacking scandal that has rocked the tycoon’s empire and sent shockwaves through the British political establishment.

Brooks, 43, was charged with conspiring to remove boxes of archive records from Murdoch’s London headquarters, concealing material from detectives, and hiding documents, computers and other electronic equipment from the police.

If found guilty she could face a prison sentence.

The charges against Brooks, her husband and four others are the first since police re-launched an investigation into alleged illegal practices at Murdoch’s British newspapers following accusations that the extent of wrongdoing had been covered up.

The news is a personal blow for the world’s most powerful media boss and also embarrassing for British Prime Minister David Cameron, who was close friends with Brooks and sent her text messages of support when the alleged offences took place.

Murdoch is facing increasing pressure in Britain.

He has been forced to close one newspaper, withdraw a major takeover bid for a lucrative TV group and been described in a parliamentary committee report as someone who is not fit to run a major international company.

Murdoch’s closeness to Brooks, instantly recognizable for her mane of flame-red hair, was highlighted last year when the mogul flew into London to tackle the hacking scandal, put his arm around her and declared that she was his top priority.

The charges relate to those frenzied days last July, when Murdoch shut the 168-year-old News of the World, a top-selling Sunday tabloid, and Brooks was first arrested.

Police said “unemployed” Brooks would face three charges of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. All six are due appear in court in London on June 13.

“I have concluded … there is sufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction,” said Alison Levitt, principal legal advisor to Britain’s director of public prosecutions, in a rare televised statement.

“All these matters relate to the ongoing police investigation into allegations of phone hacking and corruption of public officials in relation to the News of the World and The Sun newspapers,” Levitt said.

Also charged were Brooks’ racehorse trainer husband Charlie Brooks, her secretary and other staff including her driver and security officials from News International, the British newspaper arm of Murdoch’s News Corp media empire.

Rebekah Brooks said she was baffled by the decision to charge her. “I cannot express my anger enough that those close to me have unfairly been dragged into this,” she said, emerging from her lawyer’s offices with her husband, dressed in a dark trouser suit.

Charlie Brooks, who was at school with Cameron at the exclusive Eton College, said he believed his wife was the subject of a “witch hunt”, and that he and others were being used as scapegoats.

“I have grave doubts that my wife will ever get a fair trial, given the volume of biased commentary which she has been subject to,” he said.

CUSTODIAL SENTENCE

Earlier, photographers surrounded the London police station where Brooks was questioned, and chased her limousine down the street as she was driven away – something her newspapers routinely inflicted on others while she was in charge.

“Perverting the course of justice is a very serious offence,” said Mark Spragg, Consultant Solicitor at Keystone Law. “If found guilty, a custodial sentence is inevitable.”

The maximum sentence for the offence is theoretically a life prison term although that would be unlikely, with a sentence of between a few months and three or four years more common.

A spokesman for Cameron said the prime minister had not been informed in advance of Tuesday’s announcement, and would not be commenting further.

Ivor Gaber, professor of political journalism at London’s City University, said: “This is a symbolic moment for British media and politics.”

“This yet again raises questions about the prime minister’s judgment, that he chose to associate both professionally and socially with somebody who is facing charges which could result in imprisonment,” he said.

Prime Minister Cameron has also been criticized for hiring as his spokesman Andy Coulson, another ex-News of the World editor who resigned from the newspaper in 2007 after its royal reporter and a private detective were jailed for phone hacking.

News International long scapegoated the journalist as a “rogue reporter” and Coulson said he knew nothing of the illegal activities, but he quit Cameron’s office last year after police reopened their investigations. He has since been arrested.

More than 160 officers are examining claims that journalists at the News of the World routinely hacked into the phones of hundreds of celebrities, politicians and victims of crime to generate front-page stories.

They are also investigating whether staff hacked into computers and made illegal payments to public officials, including the police, to get ahead in their reporting.

Almost 50 people have been arrested, with a tax official and a woman the latest to be held by detectives on Tuesday morning.

“HORSEGATE” AND THE PYJAMA PARTY

The explosive saga has shone a light on close ties between the media, British politicians and the police, with Brooks one of the central characters.

Ministers who previously overtly courted Murdoch and the backing of his papers turned on him last year, forcing the 81-year-old to withdraw a $12 billion bid for British pay TV group BSkyB.

Under pressure, Cameron admitted he had gone riding with Charlie Brooks on a horse given to Rebekah by police, an admission that critics dubbed “horsegate” and seized on as evidence of an overly cosy relationship.

He also attended a Christmas party at the couple’s house in 2010, at a time when the government was deciding whether to approve the BSkyB deal.

Dubbed by some Murdoch’s “fifth daughter”, Brooks edited the News of the World from 2000 to 2003 and went on to become the first female editor of the Sun daily tabloid, Britain’s most widely read newspaper, for six years.

With her close links to the upper echelons of the British establishment including a string of prime ministers and senior police officers, Brooks was promoted to run Murdoch’s British newspaper arm from 2009 to 2011.

She had close ties with Cameron’s predecessor as prime minister, Gordon Brown of the now-opposition Labor party, whose wife Sarah hosted a sleepover in 2008 that was attended by Brooks and Murdoch’s wife Wendi and daughter Elisabeth.

Brooks was also close to Tony Blair.

But she was forced to stand down last July under a tide of revelations, and was arrested two days later over allegations of phone hacking and corruption.

Brooks was detained again in March this year, along with her husband, on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. Detectives have not concluded their investigations into the other potential offences.

During day-long questioning at a public inquiry into media ethics last week, Brooks said she and Cameron had frequently exchanged text messages and that he would occasionally sign them off “LOL”, by which he meant “lots of love”.

Chris Bryant, an opposition lawmaker and hacking victim, said: “I fear the prime minister will have some questions to answer about the kind of company he has been keeping.”

The others charged on Tuesday were Cheryl Carter, Brooks’s personal assistant, Mark Hanna, the head of security at News International, Paul Edwards, her chauffeur, and Daryl Jorsling, who provided security for Brooks.

(Additional reporting by Tim Castle, Clare Kane and Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Giles Elgood)

UPDATE 6-Ex-Murdoch editor Brooks charged in hacking scandal

TerranceV — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:04:34 +0000

Tue May 15, 2012 1:53pm EDT

* Ex-editor charged along with husband, staff

* Offence could lead to jail time

* To appear in court on June 13

* Move is blow for Murdoch and Cameron

* Husband says Brooks is subject of “witch hunt”

By Michael Holden and Kate Holton

LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) – Rebekah Brooks, a close
confidante of Rupert Murdoch, was charged on Tuesday with
interfering with a police investigation into a phone hacking
scandal that has rocked the tycoon’s empire and sent shockwaves
through the British political establishment.

Brooks, 43, was charged with conspiring to remove boxes of
archive records from Murdoch’s London headquarters, concealing
material from detectives, and hiding documents, computers and
other electronic equipment from the police.

If found guilty she could face a prison sentence.

The charges against Brooks, her husband and four others are
the first since police re-launched an investigation into alleged
illegal practices at Murdoch’s British newspapers following
accusations that the extent of wrongdoing had been covered up.

The news is a personal blow for the world’s most powerful
media boss and also embarrassing for British Prime Minister
David Cameron, who was close friends with Brooks and sent her
text messages of support when the alleged offences took place.

Murdoch is facing increasing pressure in Britain.

He has been forced to close one newspaper, withdraw a major
takeover bid for a lucrative TV group and been described in a
parliamentary committee report as someone who is not fit to run
a major international company.

Murdoch’s closeness to Brooks, instantly recognisable for
her mane of flame-red hair, was highlighted last year when the
mogul flew into London to tackle the hacking scandal, put his
arm around her and declared that she was his top priority.

The charges relate to those frenzied days last July, when
Murdoch shut the 168-year-old News of the World, a top-selling
Sunday tabloid, and Brooks was first arrested.

Police said “unemployed” Brooks would face three charges of
conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. All six are due
appear in court in London on June 13.

“I have concluded … there is sufficient evidence for there
to be a realistic prospect of conviction,” said Alison Levitt,
principal legal advisor to Britain’s director of public
prosecutions, in a rare televised statement.

“All these matters relate to the ongoing police
investigation into allegations of phone hacking and corruption
of public officials in relation to the News of the World and The
Sun newspapers,” Levitt said.

Also charged were Brooks’s racehorse trainer husband Charlie
Brooks, her secretary and other staff including her driver and
security officials from News International, the British
newspaper arm of Murdoch’s News Corp media empire.

Rebekah Brooks said she was baffled by the decision to
charge her. “I cannot express my anger enough that those close
to me have unfairly been dragged into this,” she said, emerging
from her lawyer’s offices with her husband, dressed in a dark
trouser suit.

Charlie Brooks, who was at school with Cameron at the
exclusive Eton College, said he believed his wife was the
subject of a “witch hunt”, and that he and others were being
used as scapegoats.

“I have grave doubts that my wife will ever get a fair
trial, given the volume of biased commentary which she has been
subject to,” he said.

CUSTODIAL SENTENCE

Earlier, photographers surrounded the London police station
where Brooks was questioned, and chased her limousine down the
street as she was driven away – something her newspapers
routinely inflicted on others while she was in charge.

“Perverting the course of justice is a very serious
offence,” said Mark Spragg, Consultant Solicitor at Keystone
Law. “If found guilty, a custodial sentence is inevitable.”

The maximum sentence for the offence is theoretically a life
prison term although that would be unlikely, with a sentence of
between a few months and three or four years more common.

A spokesman for Cameron said the prime minister had not been
informed in advance of Tuesday’s announcement, and would not be
commenting further.

Ivor Gaber, professor of political journalism at London’s
City University, said: “This is a symbolic moment for British
media and politics.”

“This yet again raises questions about the prime minister’s
judgment, that he chose to associate both professionally and
socially with somebody who is facing charges which could result
in imprisonment,” he said.

Prime Minister Cameron has also been criticised for hiring
as his spokesman Andy Coulson, another ex-News of the World
editor who resigned from the newspaper in 2007 after its royal
reporter and a private detective were jailed for phone hacking.

News International long scapegoated the journalist as a
“rogue reporter” and Coulson said he knew nothing of the illegal
activities, but he quit Cameron’s office last year after police
reopened their investigations. He has since been arrested.

More than 160 officers are examining claims that journalists
at the News of the World routinely hacked into the phones of
hundreds of celebrities, politicians and victims of crime to
generate front-page stories.

They are also investigating whether staff hacked into
computers and made illegal payments to public officials,
including the police, to get ahead in their reporting.

Almost 50 people have been arrested, with a tax official and
a woman the latest to be held by detectives on Tuesday morning.

“HORSEGATE” AND THE PYJAMA PARTY

The explosive saga has shone a light on close ties between
the media, British politicians and the police, with Brooks one
of the central characters.

Ministers who previously overtly courted Murdoch and the
backing of his papers turned on him last year, forcing the
81-year-old to withdraw a $12 billion bid for British pay TV
group BSkyB.

Under pressure, Cameron admitted he had gone riding with
Charlie Brooks on a horse given to Rebekah by police, an
admission that critics dubbed “horsegate” and seized on as
evidence of an overly cosy relationship.

He also attended a Christmas party at the couple’s house in
2010, at a time when the government was deciding whether to
approve the BSkyB deal.

Dubbed by some Murdoch’s “fifth daughter”, Brooks edited the
News of the World from 2000 to 2003 and went on to become the
first female editor of the Sun daily tabloid, Britain’s most
widely read newspaper, for six years.

With her close links to the upper echelons of the British
establishment including a string of prime ministers and senior
police officers, Brooks was promoted to run Murdoch’s British
newspaper arm from 2009 to 2011.

She had close ties with Cameron’s predecessor as prime
minister, Gordon Brown of the now-opposition Labour party, whose
wife Sarah hosted a sleepover in 2008 that was attended by
Brooks and Murdoch’s wife Wendi and daughter Elisabeth.

Brooks was also close to Tony Blair.

But she was forced to stand down last July under a tide of
revelations, and was arrested two days later over allegations of
phone hacking and corruption.

Brooks was detained again in March this year, along with her
husband, on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.
Detectives have not concluded their investigations into the
other potential offences.

During day-long questioning at a public inquiry into media
ethics last week, Brooks said she and Cameron had frequently
exchanged text messages and that he would occasionally sign them
off “LOL”, by which he meant “lots of love”.

Chris Bryant, an opposition lawmaker and hacking victim,
said: “I fear the prime minister will have some questions to
answer about the kind of company he has been keeping.”

The others charged on Tuesday were Cheryl Carter, Brooks’s
personal assistant, Mark Hanna, the head of security at News
International, Paul Edwards, her chauffeur, and Daryl Jorsling,
who provided security for Brooks.

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Ex-Murdoch editor Brooks charged in hacking scandal

UPDATE 6-Ex-Murdoch editor Brooks charged in hacking scandal