A former hedge fund portfolio manager has pleaded not guilty to insider trading charges after authorities said he persuaded a medical professor to leak secret data from an Alzheimer's disease drug trial.
Mathew Martoma appeared Thursday in federal court in Manhattan. He remains free on bail.
Martoma is charged with engineering a record-setting inside trade scheme that earned more than a quarter-billion dollars in illegal profits.
He was arrested in November at his $2 million Palm Beach County, Fla., home on securities fraud and conspiracy charges.
He is a former portfolio manager at an affiliate of the Stamford, Conn.-based firm owned by Steven A. Cohen.
REUTERS
Mathew Martoma in November
Martoma is the fourth person associated with SAC Capital to be arrested on insider trading charges in the past four years.
Amid roiling faculty anger, the University of Miami announced the number two executive at the Miller School of Medicine, Jack Lord, is “stepping down,” to be replaced temporarily by Joe Natoli, UM’s chief financial officer.
The change, announced by Dean Pascal Goldschmidt, comes as a petition circulates among tenured medical school faculty expressing no confidence in both Goldschmit and Lord.
Goldschmidt said in a letter to faculty, obtained by The Herald late Wednesday that he extended his “deepest gratitude” to Lord for his leadership in helping to restructure the medical school’s finances, which showed a surplus of about $9 million for the first six months of this fiscal year -- compared to a $24 million loss for the first six months of the previous fiscal year.
Lord, a physician who had been chief innovation officer at Humana, became the medical school’s chief operating officer last March. He was deeply involved in a series of drastic changes, including laying off about 900 full-time and part-time employees in the spring.
Many faculty members, who had spent decades at the medical school without seeing mass layoffs, were angry that the cuts were made without consulting them. A report by a faculty senate committee said medical school professors described the layoffs as “unprofessional,” “graceless” and “”heartless.”
The report said faculty “fear is widespread within the school. They cited instances in which someone suffered retribution for criticizing the school’s administration. ... Faculty with alternatives are leaving.”
UM did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Last May, President Donna Shalala, a veteran administrator at several universities, said tradition-bound faculty often complained when tough changes needed to be made.
Associate Professor Sam Terilli, head of the committee that wrote the interim report in late August, said last week a follow-up report is being prepared, but said it was too soon to offer details of what it would say.
Meanwhile, several anonymous sources have sent The Herald a copy of a petition being circulated among school faculty members who “wish to express, in the strongest possible terms, the concern we feel for the future for our school of medicine.” The petition blamed “the failed leadership of Pascal Goldschmidt and Jack Lord. ... We want to make clear that the faculty has lost confidence in the ability of these men to lead the school.”
The petition states: “Under the current leadership, there has been a major shift in the mission of the schools that we feel jeopardizes our educational, clinical and research enterprises. The deterioration of the relationship with Jackson Memorial Hospital fundamentally threatens both our graduate and undergraduate medical education programs without which the school of medicine cannot exist.”
A half-dozen persons closely connected to the medical school who requested anonymity told The Herald that they’ve heard that between 400 and 600 of the school’s 1,200 faculty have added their names to individual copies of the petition.
The petitions are addressed to the chair of the faculty senate, Richard L. Williamson, a law professor. Williamson said last week he would not comment on how many had signed the petition because it was “an internal matter” and may never become public. He said that the number of those who know how many have signed is “extremely small and none of them will talk.”
A barking dog woke a homeowner out of his early morning sleep Wednesday. When he grabbed his gun and went to check, he found a naked man choking the family pet.
When the victim tried to intercede, the culprit quickly turned around and began biting the man, according to Miami Police.
Fearing for his life, the victim shot the man, while family members called police.
The culprit continued to fight with officers who arrived on the scene.
The subject finally was taken into custody and transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center to be treated for a gunshot wound.
The victim was treated for his injuries.
Police charged the man, who refused to give his name, with burglary with an assault, resisting arrest with violence, lewd and lascivious behavior and animal cruelty.
It’s a simple request: I just want my online calendars to sync with my smartphone… is that too much to ask? It took some initial research and finesse, but I’ve discovered the best ways to get your Yahoo and Google calendars to appear on either an Android or Apple IOS mobile device.
Google Calendar on Android Phone
When you first set up your Android phone, you had to create or enter your Google account info, so the phone already has the login info for your Google Calendar. Now you can go to your phone’s Settings, choose Accounts, click the Google account and then make sure “Sync Calendar” is checked. Then go to the Calendar App on your Android phone and it should be there.
For multiple calendars, hit the Settings button and then Calendars to customize which Google calendars you see.
Yahoo Calendar on Android Phone
Although it seems like it should be easy to add the Yahoo Calendar to your Android, I never got mine to sync. Theoretically, you would open the Android calendar on your phone, hit the Settings option, and Add Account. But depending on the flavor of Android I tried, I either couldn’t add a Yahoo account or when I did, it didn’t sync. It could just be me, but I found a lot of people online with the same issue. So I tried one of the most recommended apps to solve the problem – Smoothsync for Yahoo. It costs just under three dollars, and once you install it, you can sync all your Yahoo calendars into the native Android calendar. Ah, sweet relief.
[Related: New Tricks for New (and Old) Androids]
Yahoo Calendar on iPhone
On your IOS device, hit Settings. If you haven’t added your Yahoo Account yet, do so by going to Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Choose “Add Account.” Once you’ve input your Yahoo login info, the next screen gives you the option to Sync Mail, Contacts, and Calendars. Make sure calendars is on. Hit the Home button, open the IOS calendar. Hit the Calendars button on the top corner and you will see all your calendars listed under Yahoo. If you only have one Yahoo calendar, make sure you check to have it show in your IOS Cal. Also, many people have multiple Yahoo calendars: a family calendar, a work calendar, a soccer team calendar for the kids, and a personal calendar. You can customize which of these Yahoo Calendars show up by checking or unchecking them in this screen.
Google Calendar on iPhone
It’s a little more complicated, but you can also put a Google or Gmail calendar on the iPhone. Here’s how:
If you only have your one personal Google calendar to sync, you do things the same way as with Yahoo: Go to Settings on your IOS device, add your Google account (if you haven’t done so yet) by going to Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Choose “Add Account.”
Once you’ve input your Google login info, the next screen gives you the option to Sync Mail, Contacts, and Calendars. Make sure Calendars is on. Hit the Home button, then open the IOS calendar. Hit the Calendars button on the top corner and you will see your calendar listed under Google. You can track those Google dates in the IOS calendar and multiple Yahoo calendars at the same time.
But if you want multiple Google calendars, you need an app for that. Google does let you do this through their mobile site, but that’s basically just a website without the power of notifications and all the extras you like from your calendars. So I suggest getting the CalenMob app. It’s free with ads or $ 5 ad-free. It syncs all your Google calendars to the app (not the native IOS calendar) and adds in notification options, SMS functions and email alert options. It also syncs simultaneously to your Yahoo calendars.
[Related: True/False: Never Sell Your Old Phone]
Wireless News Headlines – Yahoo! News
The party continued into New Year's Day for Hugh Hefner and his new bride Crystal Harris, who celebrated their New Year's Eve wedding with a big bash at Hef's legendary Playboy Mansion.
Celebrity guests included Gene Simmons and his wife Shannon Tweed (who herself was 1982's Playmate of the Year), who didn't miss an opportunity to kid with the 86-year-old magazine mogul.
Related: Hugh Hefner Ties the Knot!
"We wish you the best .. what are you doing tonight?," Gene suggestively joked.
"It's about time ... I'm just kidding," Shannon added.
Hefner tied the knot with his 26-year-old model girlfriend Monday at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, their second attempt at tying the knot -- Harris was nicknamed "Runaway Bride" for calling off the couple's wedding just days before the ceremony in June of 2011.
Pics: Crystal Harris Shows Off Her Engagement Ring
Check out the video to see the newlyweds' post-wedding bliss firsthand, and to witness the epic New Year's Eve countdown at the Playboy Mansion!
REUTERS
A school bus passes angel paintings seen along the route to the Chalk Hill School Wednesday where the Sandy Hook Elementary School children will begin to attend classes in Monroe.
MONROE, Conn. — The children who escaped last month's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown were welcomed Wednesday to a school in a neighboring town that was overhauled specially for them.
The open house at the former Chalk Hill School in Monroe marks the students' first time in a formal classroom setting since the massacre on Dec. 14, when a gunman killed 20 of their fellow classmates and six educators. Classes are starting for the Sandy Hook students on Thursday.
The road leading to the school in a rural, largely residential neighborhood was lined with signs greeting the students, saying "Welcome Sandy Hook Elementary School" and "Welcome. You are in our prayers." Several police cars were parked outside the school.
Teams of workers, many of them volunteers, prepared the former Chalk Hill middle school with fresh paint and new furniture and even raised bathroom floors so the smaller elementary school students can reach the toilets. The students' desks, backpacks and other belongings that were left behind following the shooting were taken to the new school to make them feel at home.
Counselors say it's important for children to get back to a normal routine and for teachers and parents to offer sensitive reassurances.
When classes start on Thursday, schools Superintendent Janet Robinson said teachers will try to make it as normal a school day as possible for the children.
"We want to get back to teaching and learning," she said. "We will obviously take time out from the academics for any conversations that need to take place, and there will be a lot of support there. All in all, we want the kids to reconnect with their friends and classroom teachers, and I think that's going to be the healthiest thing."
LONDON --
The world’s financial markets breathed a huge sigh of relief Wednesday that U.S. lawmakers agreed on a budget deal that will stop hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic tax increases and spending cuts that risked plunging the world’s biggest economy into recession.
Stocks around the world started 2013 with hefty gains as investors welcomed the vote in the House of Representatives that made sure that the U.S. does not go over the so-called “fiscal cliff.” Though longer-term fiscal problems remain and President Barack Obama will likely face more battles with the Republican-dominated House, investors were relieved that the biggest near-term stumbling block to the world economy has been cleared.
“Investors are trading with a sense of relief after lawmakers in Washington agreed on a compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff that has been the dominant theme in equity markets since the presidential elections back in November,” said Mike McCudden, head of derivatives at stockbroker Interactive Investor.
In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares jumped 2.2 percent to 6,028, its first foray above the 6,000 mark since July 2011. The CAC-40 in France rose 2.4 percent to 3,729 while Germany’s DAX was up 2.3 percent at 7,786.
Earlier, in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index shot up 2.9 percent to close at 23,311.89, its highest finish since June 1, 2011. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 surged 1.2 percent to close at 4,705.90, its best finish in 19 months while South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.7 percent to 2,031.10.
Wall Street was likewise set to rally on the open – Dow futures were up 1.3 percent at 13,195 while the broader S&P 500 futures jumped 1.5 percent to 1,441.
The “fiscal cliff” deal is likely to remain the focus of attention in financial markets over the rest of the day.
The bill that Congress approved calls for higher taxes on incomes over $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples, a victory for Obama. Earnings above those amounts would be taxed at a rate of 39.6 percent, up from the current 35 percent. It also delays for two months $109 billion worth of across-the-board spending cuts that had been set to start affecting the Pentagon and domestic agencies this week.
If lawmakers had not agreed by the Jan. 1, 2013 deadline on the new budget measures, more than $500 billion in tax increases would have hit the economy in 2013 alone. Government spending worth $109 billion would have been cut from the military and domestic spending programs.
Though fears over an imminent fall off the “fiscal cliff” have eased, investors still have a host of issues to worry about – not least the prospect of more debates over unresolved longer-term U.S. budget issues.
“Cynics will point out that another argument has been booked in for two months’ time, when the debt ceiling comes up for debate, and Republicans will be looking to make progress on the spending cuts that haven’t been featured in the New Year deal,” said Chris Beauchamp, market analyst at IG.
Investors will also keep a close watch on any response from the credit rating agencies. After a fight in Congress to raise the debt limit in 2011, Standard & Poor’s lowered the U.S. government’s AAA bond rating, citing the lack of a credible plan to reduce the federal government’s debt. It also voiced its concerns about the “effectiveness, stability and predictability of American policymaking.”
A suspected “peeping tom” was arrested Sunday after he was caught with video of women trying on clothes at the Forever21 store at the Sawgrass Mills mall.
Andre Clements, 30, has been charged with video voyeurism and disorderly conduct, Sunrise police said.
A manager at the store became suspicious when Clements, 30, was caught loitering in the dressing rooms. Customers also complained about Clements.
The manager alerted mall security, who called Sunrise police. When police arrived, the manager found several large slits in the curtain which separated the fitting room Clements was in and the adjoining fitting room.
In Clements possession police found a Sony camcorder with videos of young women changing clothes.
Clements admitted taping the women just before police had arrived.
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