Judge OKs settlement in BP class action suit

A U.S. judge on Friday gave final approval to BP Plc's settlement with individuals and businesses who lost money and property in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The order only addressed the settlement of economic and property damage claims, not a separate medical benefits settlement for cleanup workers and others who say the spill made them sick.

BP has estimated that it will pay $7.8 billion to settle more than 100,000 claims in the class action litigation.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier initially approved the deal in May, but held a "fairness hearing" in November to weigh objections from about 13,000 claimants challenging the settlement to resolve some of BP's liability for the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

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Ex-BP workers plead innocent to Gulf manslaughter

London-based BP's Macondo well spewed 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over a period of 87 days. The torrent fouled shorelines from Texas to Alabama and eclipsed the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska in severity.

Lawyers for some affected parties had objected to the deal, reached in March between BP and lawyers representing plaintiffs ranging from restaurateurs, hoteliers, and oyster men who lost money from the spill. They argued that some claimants would be underpaid or unfairly excluded.

But in a 125-page order approving the settlement, Barbier called the deal "fair, reasonable and adequate," citing the low number of class members who objected or opted out.

BP welcomed the approval order in a statement, adding that the settlement resolves the majority of economic and property damage claims stemming from the accident.

BP to pay largest criminal fine ever in Gulf spill

"Today's decision by the Court is another important step forward for BP in meeting its commitment to economic and environmental restoration efforts in the Gulf and in eliminating legal risk facing the company," BP said.

Separate from the class action claims, BP has been locked in a year-long legal battle with the U.S. government and Gulf Coast states to settle billions of dollars in civil and criminal liability from the explosion.

In a settlement with the U.S. government announced last month, BP agreed to pay $4.5 billion in penalties and plead guilty to felony misconduct. The government also indicted the two highest-ranking BP supervisors aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig during the disaster, charging them with 23 criminal counts including manslaughter.

The class action case is In Re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig "Deepwater Horizon" in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, No. 10-2179.

(Reporting by Terry Baynes in New York; Editing by Gary Hill)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50275838/ns/us_news/

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FREE IS MY LIFE: MOVIE REVIEW: Jack Reacher

This movie review for "Jack Reacher" was written by guest blogger Liz Parker...

Jack Reacher is based on a series of books about a six-foot, 250-pound man, so apparently fans of the book were not pleased to hear that 5'7" Tom Cruise, more scrawny than brawny, had been cast in the role. However, he does a great job with the role; if the book fans can put away their biases, they may actually end up enjoying the film adaptation.

Jack Reacher (Cruise) is a ghost. He served in the military, mostly working as an investigator, and received many honors; and then, after that, he seemed to vanish. When James Barr (Joseph Sikora), a sniper who has shot five random people asks for him by name, he randomly shows up to talk to the DA, Rodin (Richard Jenkins) and his colleague Emerson (David Oyelowo) about the man, and ends up working with the lawyer defending the sniper, the DA's daughter, Helen (Rosamund Pike). All evidence points to Barr having committed the crime, but Reacher isn't so sure, and he must figure out the evidence before being run out of town by some shady characters.

The movie was action-packed, but did feel a little slow at times. My other complaint was that they never explained the motivation for the whole scheme (without going into more details...) at the end, and why that turn of events happened that way; we learn who was involved other than the sniper, but the reason for this person being involved is left up in the air, which kind of annoyed me. Other than that, I found the film to be very witty, as well as including great action scenes, including a few car chases as well. I can't remember the last time I saw an action movie that was this witty, actually; for example, in one scene the DA is discussing how hard Jack Reacher is to find, and then an aide pops into the room and says "a Jack Reacher is here to see you, sir," which was ironic and also pretty funny.

Yes, see this movie. Like I said, I have not read the books, so I can't tell you how it compares, but as a stand-alone film, I enjoyed it a lot. It's a little bit "fluffy" - odds are, the next day, you won't remember much for it - but it's definitely a fun ride and one worth taking. Tom Cruise proves he definitely still "has it," and he upholds his reputation as a great action star here. The film also seemed to be left open for a sequel, so perhaps we will see more of Jack Reacher in the near future.

Jack Reacher?is in theaters now and is rated PG-13 with a runtime of 130 minutes. 3.5 stars out of 5.

Clickhere if "Jack Reacher" movie trailer is not shown

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Liz Parker is a University of Michigan graduate with a degree in Creative Writing and Literature, and she loves going to the movies.?Visit her at her movie blog?Yes/No Films

Source: http://www.freeismylife.com/2012/12/movie-review-jack-reacher.html

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If You Are Looking For An Automated Program To Earn Money ...

If You Are Looking For An Automated Program To Earn Money Online You Might Want To Read This

There are plenty of different methods to begin earning money online but you are going to see that many men and women want to try and find an automated way in order to do this. While there are lots of programs that can show you how to make money online you are going to discover that there are extremely few programs that claim to be able to do this automatically for you. Something you should be conscious of is that a few of these programs are nothing much more than scams that will not ever work, but a few may be able to begin earning you some cash. In the following paragraphs we are going to be explaining a number of the things you should be looking for when deciding to choose an automated program for earning cash online.

Any successful Online Marketer will tell you that there are particular things that are absolutely required for folks to end up becoming successful in their web based business. Three of the items are absolutely required when it comes to making cash on the web is a good selling product, the means to sell this product and also traffic. For individuals who definitely want an automated program you?re going to find that these three requirements are going to have to be something that this program can provide for you, otherwise it will not be worth it.

Building an e-mail list is something which most successful Web Marketers do, of course, if you find a good automated program which will help you with this you?ll be well ahead of the game. There are successful Internet Marketers out there today that do not have an e-mail list, but you will find that success without one will be rare. If the program is unclear about list building you can always feel free to contact them and figure out if this is part of their program and just how it works.

Whether or not you?ll be advertising affiliate links or your own website is one more thing you may want to find out about before you buy the program so you know what you are in store for. Even though promoting affiliate links would be fine, most Web Marketers will recommend you have your own website that you are driving traffic to rather than driving traffic straight to affiliate links. Affiliate marketing programs can often close down with no notice whatsoever, which means all of the work you have done in order to market this has been wasted. For individuals who have your own sites, I am sure you comprehend that if one affiliate program closes you are able to merely replace it with a different one.

The very last thing you should be looking for is some sort of guarantee that the program will achieve success or they?re going to give you your cash back. The tips that we detailed here should be able to help you in deciding whether an automated program is worth the investment or not.

Online MLM is a great internet business option. If you are looking for online Network Marketing Tips visit this video by clicking here

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Source: http://www.businesslistingnow.com/blog/if-you-are-looking-for-an-automated-program-to-earn-money-online-you-might-want-to-read-this/

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Instagram Courts Future Advertisers By Letting Facebook Brand Page Owners Share Straight To Fans

Instagram pushed some app updates for iOS and Android yesterday, but it delayed a blog post about them until this morning to give the company's apology for terms of service shenanigans more time at the top of the site. A post describing the updates came this morning, and it highlights that its Android app now lets Facebook Page admins connect their accounts and share Instagrams directly to fans.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/BCl8G4rB8pc/

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Reducing Car Travel As Effective As Cutting Calories? - BuiltLean.com

With some great health & fitness articles out there this week, it was hard to sift through them all to decide what to highlight. Since it?s getting colder and the holidays are here, it gets harder to get moving this time of year.

So, this Saturday, it?s all about exercise: we?ve got pieces about exercise and detox, exercise and national security, exercise and partners, and finally, about exercise and electricity.

TRENDING NEWS

1. Can Exercise Detoxify The Body? Health Experts Are Skeptical (Reuters)

There is a lot of talk out there about a relationship between detoxification and exercise, but does one exist? This article discusses why some people believe that exercise has a positive influence on ridding our bodies of toxins, but that many experts aren?t convinced there is enough evidence for this. As the article states, exercise is important because it enables our body to do what it is made to do, whether or not it ?detoxes? our bodies.

2. Memphis ? Most Obese U.S. City, Moving From Fat To Fit (CNN)

One man, after receiving news he had diabetes from being overweight, began his own ?Biggest Loser? ? and involved his whole city. While Memphis is one of the US?s most obese cities, there is hard work going on to change this & at the moment, it seems to be paying off.

3. Obesity As A National Security Issue (Aiken Standard)

Being overweight is currently the primary reason that civilian military recruits are deemed medically unfit for service & apparently it?s not just a new issue; the same reason was recorded during both WWI and WWII. This article suggests that the changes need to come from the school system, and what it could mean if physical fitness and performance is not improved on. Whether you are looking at it from a security standpoint or not, physical fitness is important for all of us to keep us healthy.

4. Simply Gluten Free Holiday Issue A Success (Simply Gluten Free)

Simply Gluten Free launched their inaugural magazine for the holidays at Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Whole Foods, and hundreds of health food store across America. We?ve gotten word that reception for the magazine has been exceptional.

TRENDING ARTICLES

1. Study: Exercising With Physically Superior Partners Makes You Better (The Atlantic)

A study run with one exerciser paired with a simulation shows that when placed on a team individuals perform better than they would on their own. Not only is the study conducted in an interesting fashion, this is a great idea for those of us who are looking for some motivation to work out just a little harder, a little longer. Team up with a partner & see where it takes you!

2. Integrating Technology Into Standard Weight Loss Treatment (JAM Network)

A recent study asks whether the outcome of physician-directed weight loss treatment can be improved by adding mobile technology. Since apps & fitness tech has become so ubiquitous, you?d think the answer is yes ? and it was: technology can enhance short-term weight loss in combination with an existing system of care. So if you?ve been debating whether to use that app or not, now might be a good time to give one a try!

3. Reducing Car Travel As Effective As Cutting Calories (Medical News Daily)

This article makes the point that our daily car rides & calories ingested are directly linked to body weight, and states that driving even one mile less a day could be linked to a decreased BMI. While the research isn?t finite, there is no question that simply paying attention to caloric intake in addition to moving more can help reduce BMI.

TRENDING VIDEOS

Gym Converts Workouts Into Electricity (CNN)

A free outdoor gym paid for by the city council? That?s what happened in Hull, where this gym converts the power generated by peoples? workouts into electricity. Whether it spreads to more places remains to be seen, but is a cool concept for both green energy and our health!

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Source: http://www.builtlean.com/2012/12/22/car-travel-cutting-calories/

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More Guns Have Not Produced More Killings, But We Still Need Gun Control

I?ve beaten up on opponents of gun control in posts published on the day of the Newtown massacre and again on Sunday. In both posts, I strongly implied that more guns mean more shootings. Now I?d like to present statistics that contradict that hypothesis, or at least show it to be grossly simplistic. I found these stats in ?Gun Control Legislation, ?a report of the Congressional Research Service published on November 14, just a month before the Newtown massacre.

The number of guns in the U.S. surged from 192 million in 1994 to 310 million in 2009. That includes 114 million handguns, 110 million rifles and 86 million shotguns. There are now about as many firearms in the U.S. as people. These stats have been widely reported. What has not been so widely reported is that the number of firearm-related homicides fell from 17,073 in 1993 to 9,903 in 2011 (up slightly from 9,812 in 2010). Per capita, the gun-related murder rate has dropped by more than 50 percent over the past two decades.

This is a remarkable and somewhat mysterious trend. Some scholars have attributed the decline in gun-related homicides and other violent crimes to rising rates of incarceration; the U.S. has by far the highest rates in the world. But the decline has continued since 2007 as incarceration rates have fallen slightly and as the U.S. economy has tanked. ?This would also be the last time to expect a crime decline,? legal scholar Frank Zimring told The New York Times last year.

So am I taking back my call for gun control? Hardly. Recent rates of gun-related homicide in the U.S., in spite of the recent decline, are still unacceptably high, much higher than in any other developed nation. Moreover, according to an analysis by Mother Jones, there have been 62 ?mass shootings??defined as incidents in which one or, more rarely, as in the case of Columbine, two shooters kill at least four people?over the past 30 years. Mass shootings exclude armed robberies and gang violence.

There seems to be a gradual, albeit highly erratic, trend toward higher casualties recently. 2012 already has by far the highest casualty count from mass shootings of any year since 1982, with over 140 people killed or wounded. Before the Newtown massacre, there were mass shootings at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. The third and fourth worst years?behind only 1999, the year of Columbine?were 2007 and 2009.

Mother Jones found that the vast majority of mass shooters used either semi-automatic handguns or assault weapons, most of which were purchased legally. So the logical step would be to ban possession?not just sale?of semi-automatic handguns and assault weapons and high-capacity cartridges, all of which are, in effect, designed for mass shootings. The government could buy back banned guns, a program that has apparently worked well in Australia. Also, we obviously need much stricter background checks on would-be buyers. I like Canada?s requirement?which I read about in a column by Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times?that would-be buyers have two people vouch for them.

The gun lobby is going to fight such restrictions. This afternoon, Wayne LaPierre, head of the National Rifle Association, which reportedly receives much of its funding from firearm manufacturers, predictably called for more guns. not fewer. ?The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,? he declared. ?Would you rather have your 911 call bring a good guy with a gun from a mile away ? or a minute away?? This proposition, like much of the NRA?s propaganda, flies in the face of the facts.

While LaPierre was speaking, media in Pennsylvania were reporting that a gunman had killed three people before being shot to death by police.

Image: http://www.thepetroc.com.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=10ff2433add7ee7a02ab3a5186ae899a

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You Can Find Out About Home Businesses On The Web | Batten ...

Not everybody is cut out to own their own home-based business, but that doesn?t mean you should not give it a try. This is especially true now, when at an insignificant cost you can create any of a number of home-based businesses with a computer. The obstacles are low: a high speed internet access which is inexpensive nowadays, plus a bit of determination to get the essential research carried out. Unlike a local brick-and-mortar business, which is expensive to set up, and is confined to local customers, your computer business can be global. Everyone in the world who has access to the Internet is a potential customer.

Read more at http://homebasedincome4you.com/what-can-i-sell-online/

There are lots of opportunities you might be keen on trying, if you are serious about giving an online business a go. You could begin on the Internet without being a computer geek, but knowing about using a computer helps. Rather than technical skills, what is even more important for success on the internet is your level of knowledge regarding something you like doing. One example of a web business for individuals who are excellent at writing would be doing copy writing. As the saying goes, content is king, so people with writing skills could easily become freelance writers for those who aren?t any good at writing. The secret, if you can actually provide a certain skill, like content in our writer?s example, is to locate people who have a need for it and sell it to them. Create a collection of your work, do a bit of marketing, and, hey presto! you have a business.

There are online auction websites that are making lots of money for many individuals. It?s likely you have a lot of products already that can be sold online, or you can order items at wholesale and sell at retail. Getting your product offers viewed by potential customers is taken care of for you by places like eBay and other online auction websites. All you have to do, is determine a price for your merchandise, list it for sale, and then wait until a buyer chooses your product. You are going to collect payment if a person makes a purchase, and then you fulfill your side of the deal by sending the buyer their purchase.

Technological breakthroughs have made life a lot easier in lots of ways. The computer has given everyday folks a chance to own their own business. Anyone looking to make money on the internet can access the information about how to do it ,and also get products, online. As opposed to re-invent the wheel, find what you believe is a very good business model and follow its example in setting up your own web based business.

As opposed to a fulltime business you may just be after an extra income stream, which the Internet caters for handsomely. Spend a while on your computer seeking information on starting an internet business, and you will find lots of it. The earlier you get going on your research, the sooner you will start seeing money come in.

Source: http://kadecantrell.puttrustin.com/2012/12/21/you-can-find-out-about-home-businesses-on-the-web/

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