Your Tax Dollars Subsidizing Celebs

If ever there was a populist blueprint for deficit reduction, this has got to be it.

Each year, millionaires are soaking the government, not illegally, for some $30 billion in benefits from tax giveaways and loan programs, according to a report by Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

The Republican senator, a staunch fiscal hawk and equal opportunity scourge of government waste and abuse, released "Subsidies of the Rich and Famous" Monday to little fanfare, saying in an e-mailed statement, "This welfare for the well-off - costing billions of dollars a year - is being paid for with the taxes of the less fortunate, many who are working two jobs just to make ends meet, and IOUs to be paid off by future generations."

The eye-popping findings in the 36-page report include some eye-catching names, like former NBA star Scottie Pippen and billionaire media mogul Ted Turner, both of whom received farm subsidies courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer. Singer Jon Bon Jovi paid property taxes of only $100 last year on a plot of land he used to raise bees. Iconic crooner Bruce Springsteen also got in on the farm subsidy action, for property he leases to an organic farmer. And Millionaire composer-producer Quincy Jones is even singled out for receiving a $25,000 award from the federally-funded National Endowment for the Arts.

Coburn's investigation found that from 2003 to 2009, millionaires received over $316 million in farm program payments. In one four-year period alone, the senator's staff, reviewing tax returns found that fully 78 percent of recipients listed a city as their primary address, not exactly a location for a farm.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture regularly pays millionaires, the report found, to conserve land and protect endangered species, waving income caps for government subsidies in current law. In the past two years, Coburn's staff counted more than $89 million paid out, as a result of this waiver authority.

The report lists two examples: "A founder and former executive of an insurance company improperly received more than $300,000 in farm program payments in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006; and a part-owner of a professional sports franchise received total of more than $200,000 in farm program payments in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006."

"The government's social safety net, which has long existed to catch those who are down and help them get back up, is now being used as a hammock by some millionaires, some who are paying less taxes than average middle class families," Coburn said.

Parents are likely to be outraged when they read about millionaires taking advantage of a Department of Education low-interest loan program. Over the past four years, the average loan paid out through one program to wealthy families was $19,405. A total of more than $16 million went to rich students. Not only that, but those making more than $1 million in their adjusted gross income, from 2007 to 2009, according to the Coburn report, saved $18 million through childcare tax credits.

And perhaps one of the most egregious findings in the report, millionaires collecting home heating assistance from a program that is supposed to help the very poor. A nonpartisan General Accounting Office investigation found wealthy individuals collecting payments through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) while living in million-dollar mansions in tony Potomac, Maryland and in the Chicago suburbs. According to the report, "GAO even identified one such person living in a home valued at $2 million, who also owned a Mercedes. That same individual won a multimillion dollar settlement in the mid-2000s, which was under appeal at the time of the report."

Taxpayers also subsidized the losses of gamblers to the tune of $20 billion over the past four years.

Coburn said his investigation, compiled using some previously-published government reports and news accounts, reveals the "sheer Washington stupidity with government policies pampering the wealthy costing taxpayers billions of dollars every year."

But to be clear, these individuals did nothing wrong, technically. The system is the system, and these individuals operated within it, not apart from it. 

No doubt, these findings will be waived about by both sides of the aisle in the ongoing fight over deficit reduction, which has a bipartisan group on the brink of failure as it grapples to find at least $1.2 trillion in savings over 10 years. Republicans want tax code reform; Democrats want the rich to "pay their fair share." The report provides ammo to both sides.

"This is not an accidental loophole in the law. To the contrary, this reverse Robin Hood style of wealth redistribution is an intentional effort to get all Americans bought into a system where everyone appears to benefit," Coburn said. "We should never demonize those who are successful. Nor should we pamper them with unnecessary welfare to create an appearance everyone is benefiting from federal programs."

Dr. Conrad Murray Found Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter of Michael Jackson

A jury found Michael Jackson's doctor guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of the King of Pop.
Dr. Conrad Murray appeared stone-faced as the verdict was read Monday in a Los Angeles courtroom. The 58-year-old doctor, who is to be sentenced November 29, is facing up to four years in prison. He could also lose his medical license.
Jackson's sister LaToya screamed out upon hearing the verdict, while his crying mother, Katherine, was consoled by her son, Jermaine Jackson.

Murray's supporters looked somber over the news, with one shaking her head back and forth, mouthing the word "no."
Jackson fans who had gathered outside the courtroom burst into applause and cheered as the verdict, "Guilty!," was announced.
The decision was reached after less than nine hours of deliberation. The prosecution asked for Murray to be remanded into custody immediately. “He is now a convicted felon,” prosecutor David Walgren said.
Defense lawyer Ed Chernoff argued that he is not danger to the community before Murray was escorted out of the courtroom by the Sheriff.
Jackson died on June 25, 2009. The complete story of his death finally emerged during the six-week trial. It was the tale of a tormented genius on the brink of what might have been his greatest triumph with one impediment standing in his way -- extreme insomnia.
Testimony came from medical experts, household employees and Murray's former girlfriends, among others.
The most shocking moments, however, came when prosecutors displayed a large picture of Jackson's gaunt, lifeless body on a hospital gurney and played the sound of his drugged, slurred voice, as recorded by Murray just weeks before the singer's death.
Jackson talked about plans for a fantastic children's hospital and his hope of cementing a legacy larger than that of Elvis Presley or The Beatles.
"We have to be phenomenal," he said about his "This Is It" concerts in London. "When people leave this show, when people leave my show, I want them to say, `I've never seen nothing like this in my life. Go. Go. I've never seen nothing like this. Go. It's amazing. He's the greatest entertainer in the world."'
Throughout the trial, Jackson family members watched from the spectator gallery, fans gathered outside with signs and T-shirts demanding, "Justice for Michael," and an international press corps broadcast reports around the world. The trial was televised and streamed on the Internet.
Prosecutors portrayed Murray as an incompetent doctor who used the anesthetic propofol without adequate safeguards and whose neglect left Jackson abandoned as he lay dying.
Murray's lawyers sought to show the doctor was a medical angel of mercy with former patients vouching for his skills. Murray told police from the outset that he gave Jackson propofol and other sedatives as the star struggled for sleep to prepare for his shows. But the doctor said he administered only a small dose on the day Jackson died.
Lawyers for Murray and a defense expert blamed Jackson for his own death, saying the singer gave himself the fatal dose of propofol while Murray wasn't watching. A prosecution expert said that theory was crazy.
Murray said he had formed a close friendship with Jackson, never meant to harm him and couldn't explain why he died.
The circumstances of Jackson's death at the age of 50 were as bizarre as any chapter in the superstar's sensational life story.
Jackson was found not breathing in his own bed in his rented mansion after being dosed intravenously with propofol, a drug normally administered in hospitals during surgery.
The coroner ruled the case a homicide and the blame would fall to the last person who had seen Jackson alive -- Murray, who had been hired to care for the singer as the comeback concerts neared.
Craving sleep, Jackson had searched for a doctor who would give him the intravenous anesthetic that Jackson called his "milk" and believed to be his salvation. Other medical professionals turned him down, according to trial testimony.
Murray gave up his practices in Houston and Las Vegas and agreed to travel with Jackson and work as his personal physician indefinitely.
For six weeks, as Jackson undertook strenuous rehearsals, Murray infused him with propofol every night, the doctor told police. He later tried to wean Jackson from the drug because he feared he was becoming addicted.
Jackson planned to pay Murray $150,000 a month for an extended tour in Europe. In the end, the doctor was never paid a penny because Jackson died before signing the contract.

During the last 24 hours of his life, Jackson sang and danced at a spirited rehearsal, reveling in the adulation of fans who greeted him outside. Then came a night of horror, chasing sleep -- the most elusive treasure the millionaire entertainer could not buy.
Testimony showed Murray gave Jackson intravenous doses that night of the sedatives lorazepam and midazolam. Jackson also took a Valium pill. But nothing seemed to bring sleep.
Finally, Murray told police, he gave the singer a small dose of propofol -- 25 milligrams -- that seemed to put him to sleep. The doctor said he felt it was safe to leave his patient's bedside for a few minutes, but Jackson was not breathing when he returned.
Witnesses said he was most likely dead at that point.
What happened next was a matter of dispute during the trial. Security and household staff described Murray as panicked, never calling emergency services but trying to give Jackson CPR on his bed instead of the firm floor.
A guard said Murray was concerned with packing up and hiding medicine bottles and IV equipment before telling him to call emergency services. Prosecutors said Murray was distracted while Jackson was sedated, citing Murray's cell phone records to show he made numerous calls.
Authorities never accused Murray of intending to kill the star, and it took eight months for them to file the involuntary manslaughter charge against him. It was the lowest possible felony charge involving a homicide.
There was no law against administering propofol or the other sedatives. But prosecution expert witnesses said Murray was acting well below the standard of care required of a physician.
They said using propofol in a home setting without lifesaving equipment on hand was an egregious deviation from that standard. They called it gross negligence, the legal basis for an involuntary manslaughter charge.
The defense team countered with its own expert who presented calculations suggesting that Jackson gave himself the fatal dose.
In closing arguments, the prosecutor said the mystery of what happened behind the closed doors of Jackson's bedroom on the fatal day probably would never be solved.

NATO Convoy Attacked in Afghanistan, Killing 17 Including Americans

A Taliban suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into an armored NATO bus Saturday, killing 17 people, including 12 Americans and a Canadian in the deadliest attack on the U.S.-led coalition in Kabul since the war began.
It was a major setback for the alliance as it begins to draw down combat troops.
The explosion sparked a fireball and littered the street with shrapnel and twisted metal hulks. Heavy black smoke poured from burning wreckage at the site along the four-lane highway frequently used by foreign military trainers in the southwestern section of the city.

Underscoring the difficulties ahead, the brazen assault occurred on the same day that top NATO and Afghan officials were meeting elsewhere in Kabul to discuss the second phase of shifting security responsibilities to Afghan forces in all or part of 17 of the country's 34 provinces.
It also was a blow to efforts by the U.S. and President Hamid Karzai to forge peace with the fundamentalist Taliban movement as NATO plans to withdraw all its combat troops from the country by the end of 2014, with support for the costly war reaching new lows in the West.
NATO said five coalition service members and eight civilian contractors working for the coalition died in the explosion.
A U.S. official said all were Americans, but Canadian defense spokesman, Lt. Col. Christian Lemay, told The Associated Press that a Canadian soldier was among the troopers killed.
The Afghan Ministry of Interior said three Afghan civilians and one policeman also died in the attack. Eight other Afghans, including two children, were wounded, said Kabir Amiri, head of Kabul hospitals.
Kabul has increasingly been targeted by attacks in recent years, with many blamed on the Haqqani network, an al-Qaida and Taliban-linked movement that operates out of Pakistan. But NATO already has shifted security responsibilities for the capital to the Afghans and foreign forces have little presence on the streets.
A similar Taliban attack targeted a NATO convoy on the same road in May 2010, when a suicide bomber struck a convoy, killing 18 people. Among the dead were five American troops and a Canadian colonel. But Saturday's strike was the deadliest since the decade-long war began.
The Taliban said the bomber, Abdul Rahman, was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV containing 1,540 pounds (700 kilograms) of explosives and targeting foreigners providing training for Afghan police. The Taliban, who frequently exaggerate casualty claims, said that 25 people were killed by the blast.
The Taliban also claimed responsibility for another suicide bombing outside a government intelligence office in the northwest province of Kunar in which only the bomber was killed. In all, there were three attacks against NATO and Afghan forces, killing at least 21 people.
Elsewhere, a man wearing an Afghan military uniform opened fire on a joint NATO-Afghan base, killing three Australian service members in Uruzgan province, an area in the restive south that is traditionally viewed as the Taliban's stronghold, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi said officials were investigating whether the shooter, who was killed in the incident, was a member of the Afghan army or a militant wearing an army uniform.
In Kabul, the armored personnel carrier, known as a Rhino, was sandwiched between of a convoy of mine-resistant military vehicles traveling on the road, a major artery leading to the landmark Darulaman Palace, the bombed-out seat of former Afghan kings. The attack occurred near the entrance of the American University.
NATO and Afghan forces sealed off the area as fire trucks and ambulances rushed in. An AP reporter at the scene saw two NATO helicopters landing to airlift casualties, while coalition troops using loudspeakers ordered bystanders to evacuate the area.
One witness, Noor Ahmad, said he saw a coalition soldier choking inside the burned bus.
"The bottom half of his body was burned," Ahmad said.
Coalition troops were seen carrying three black body bags from the burned wreckage and one charred body on a stretcher toward the waiting helicopters.
It was the deadliest single attack against the U.S.-led coalition across the country since the Taliban shot down a NATO helicopter on Aug. 6 in an eastern Afghan province, killing 30 U.S. troops, most elite Navy SEALs, and eight Afghans.
The most recent attack in Kabul occurred on Sept. 20, when an insurgent with a bomb hidden in his turban assassinated former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani. The insurgent was posing as a peace emissary coming to meet Rabbani, who was leading a government effort to broker peace with the Taliban. Afghan officials blame the Haqqani for that incident.
Earlier Saturday, a female suicide bomber blew herself up as she tried to attack a local government office in the capital of Kunar province, a hotbed of militancy in northeast Afghanistan along the Pakistan border.
Abdul Sabor Allayar, deputy provincial police chief, said the guards outside the government's intelligence office in Asad Abad became suspicious of the woman and started shooting, at which point she detonated her explosives.
Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces conducted operations earlier this month, killing more than 100 insurgents in an effort to curb violence in rugged areas of Kunar where the coalition and Afghan government have a light footprint.

U.S. Drone Involved in Final Qaddafi Strike, as Obama Heralds Regime's 'End'

A U.S. Predator drone was involved in the airstrike on Muammar Qaddafi's convoy Thursday in the moments before his death, a U.S. defense official told Fox News.
The official said the drone, along with a French fighter jet, fired on the "large convoy" leaving Qaddafi's hometown of Sirte. A French defense official earlier said about 80 vehicles were in the convoy -- the official said the strike did not destroy the convoy but that fighters on the ground afterward intercepted the vehicle carrying Qaddafi. He was later killed.

President Obama and other officials would not elaborate on the circumstances of Qaddafi's death. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said only that U.S. and NATO actions helped Libyans reach this point.
But as some lawmakers continued to criticize the administration for its handling of the Libya operation, Obama pointed to the end of the Qaddafi regime as the close of a "long and painful chapter" for Libyans and defended the multilateral mission which began in March.
"Today we can definitively say that the Qaddafi regime has come to an end," Obama said. "This is a momentous day in the history of Libya."
Obama, speaking in the Rose Garden, said of Libyans, "You have won your revolution."
Obama said the NATO mission would soon be over; if so, the use of a Predator drone Thursday would mark a fitting end for U.S. involvement.
U.S. engagement in Libya consisted mostly of aerial missions. More than 70 U.S. aircraft were involved in the Libya operation -- throughout, the U.S. conducted a total of 145 Predator strikes in the country, in addition to thousands of other aerial missions. The United States has stepped up the use of Predator drones in several other countries, including Pakistan and Yemen. A drone was credited with killing American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in September.
Though the attack Thursday started with an aerial strike, Qaddafi died of wounds suffered during his capture near Sirte, according to a spokesman for the National Transitional Council in Libya.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle hailed the news as a milestone, while turning their attention to the next step of helping Libyans form a new democratic government and ensure stability in a post-Qaddafi nation.
House Speaker John Boehner, in a written statement, called Qaddafi's death a "turning point in the Libyan people's pursuit of freedom."
Some lawmakers, though, continued to criticize Obama for his handling of the mission.
"He did the right things, he just took too long to do it," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told Fox News. He later suggested that the operation would not have lasted as long as it did if the administration had gotten involved earlier and acted more decisively.
Throughout the mission, some lawmakers criticized Obama for letting NATO take the reins, while others complained that the president was moving forward without initially seeking permission from Congress.
But Obama on Thursday lauded the "unprecedented global response."
"Without putting a single U.S. servicemember on the ground, we achieved our objectives," Obama said. "We've demonstrated what collective action can achieve."
Asked Thursday if the president views Qaddafi's death as vindication for his approach, Carney said Obama "views this as a victory for the Libyan people."
Carney said the president made the "right decision" to work with U.S. allies. "I think this is a day not to engage in politics," he added.
Meanwhile, Obama and other officials cautioned that there will be "difficult days ahead" for Libya. Obama called on the new government to build an "inclusive and tolerant and democratic Libya that stands as the ultimate rebuke to Qaddafi's dictatorship."
He also called on Libyans to work with the international community to secure the "dangerous materials" left behind by the Qaddafi regime, a reference to the potentially thousands of weapons that are not yet accounted for.

Scotty McCreery Sets Records "Happy Birthday"

Reigning American Idol and Mercury Nashville/19 Recordings/Interscope artist Scotty McCreery debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts with Clear As Day, making him the youngest male in history to open at the top of the all-genre chart with a debut release. This is also the highest first-week album sales of any solo country artist in 2011.

With first-week sales totaling 196,739, he is the first new country artist this year to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Scotty has the second-highest debut week for a new artist in all genres in 2011, behind rapper J.Cole. He is the first American Idol winner in eight years to land his debut album atop the Billboard 200 and the first country male singer from the show to do so. This is the first debut by a new country artist to top 100,000 in first-week sales since Carrie Underwood’s in 2005.
“My hopes were just to go out there and have fun and let people know that the album was out there. Everybody hopes for the number one, but you never really expect it. To see it up there is pretty incredible,” says Scotty, who turned 18 on Sunday. “It’s a very good birthday present! I can’t think of anything to top it!”

Scotty appeared on Today, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Ellen during release week, while the Oct. 3 premiere of GAC’s Introducing: Scotty McCreery earned high ratings. An estimated 15,000 people attended his Album Release Party Homecoming Concert and Birthday Celebration that was held at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, N.C. He was presented with a gold record by Mercury Nashville and Interscope staffers during the event to celebrate achieving a gold certification in digital sales for “I Love You This Big.”

“We are proud to be part of this project,” says Luke Lewis, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville, which includes Mercury Nashville. “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer young man.”

Says American Idol Season 10 mentor Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M, "It's rare that someone with a truly honest voice has a first album that debuts at number one. It's an exciting thing to be a part of."

In May, Scotty won Season 10 of American Idol, becoming the youngest male winner in the show’s history. A record-breaking 122.4 million votes were cast for the finale. The final show garnered 29.3 million viewers and 38.6 million people tuned in to see the winner’s name announced.

He continues the success that began with Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson, who premiered at No. 1 in 2003. For ten seasons, American Idol winners and finalists have steadily topped the Billboard charts. "What a fantastic few days this has been for Scotty," says Simon Fuller, creator and executive producer of American Idol, CEO/Founder of XIX Entertainment and Manager of Scotty McCreery. "He turned 18 on Sunday and now he has the number one-selling album in America, an incredible achievement for someone so young. Scotty is a true talent; he will stand the test of time and I am honored to be helping guide his career."

People magazine says, “From the moment the American Idol finalists first squared off last season, it was as clear as his baby blues that Scotty McCreery was a natural-born country star. After taking the title in May, the North Carolina native, who turns 18 on Oct. 9, brings his old soul, easy charm and—his killer weapon—that preternaturally deep voice to winning debut. Producer Mark Bright—whose credits include another American Idol, Carrie Underwood—wisely plays up McCreery’s traditional sensibility and rounds up some good tunes.”

Scotty will sing the national anthem at Game One of the World Series on Oct. 19.

Apple to Launch 'iPad Mini' in Early 2012?

Apple may be working on a new entry-level tablet scheduled to launch early next year.
In a note to investors on Wednesday, Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White recounted numerous meetings with technology supply chain companies at a trade show in China this week. White noted a general ominous environment, with the majority of the companies he met with commenting on weakening demand across the industry.
“The whole world is shrinking,” one company representative told the analyst.
White’s meetings with Apple suppliers has turned up an interesting note, however.
“Our research is pointing to the unveiling of a lower priced iPad in the first few months of 2012 that is aimed at expanding the company’s market potential by tapping into a more price sensitive consumer segment,” the analyst wrote. “Essentially, this ‘iPad mini’ will also fend off the recently announced Amazon Kindle Fire that addresses the low-end tablet market with a $199 price tag but could lead to bigger tablet ambitions from the online retailer in the future.”
White noted that the “mini” moniker refers to the tablet’s lower price and not necessarily a smaller screen size.
“We believe this lower priced iPad could be priced in the mid-to-high-$200 range,” White said. “We expect this will be followed by a much more powerful, feature rich standard-priced iPad 3 in 2Q12.”

Apple's Guru - Steve Jobs leaves us at 56

Steven Paul Jobs, co-founder, chairman and former chief executive of Apple Inc., passed away Wednesday.

A visionary inventor and entrepreneur, it would be impossible to overstate Steve Jobs’ impact on technology and how we use it. Apple’s mercurial, mysterious leader did more than reshape his entire industry: he completely changed how we interact with technology. He made gadgets easy to use, gorgeous to behold and essential to own. He made things we absolutely wanted, long before we even knew we wanted them. Jobs’ utter dedication to how people think, touch, feel and interact with machines dictated even the smallest detail of the computers Apple built and the software it wrote.

Jobs was born in San Francisco on Feb. 24, 1955, and adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, California. He was a techie from a young age, often sitting in on lectures at Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto while attending Homestead High School in Cupertino. He eventually landed a summer job there, working alongside Steve Wozniak.

Jobs enrolled in Reed College in Portland, Ore. in 1972, but dropped out after six months – he later said he “didn’t see the value in it.” He eventually returned home to California. He got a job at Atari, renewed his friendship with Wozniak and started hanging out with the Homebrew Computer Club. After trekking to India in 1974 — a trip he, like so many others, made to find enlightenment – Jobs returned home and looked up Woz.
The two of them launched Apple in 1976. Their first project, the Apple I, wasn’t much to look at — just an assembled circuit board. Anyone who bought it had to add the case and keyboard. But it was enough for Jobs to convince Mike Markkula, a semi-retired Intel engineer and product marketing manager, that personal computing was the future. Markkula invested $250,000 in the fledgling enterprise.

The Apple I begat the Apple II in 1977. It was the first successful mass-market computer, and easy to use, too. That would become a hallmark of Apple under Jobs.

The Apple II had a huge impact on the tech business, but cheaper alternatives, like the Commodore 64 and the VIC-20, quickly eroded Apple’s market share. IBM’s open PC platform eventually won out over Apple’s closed approach, and the die was cast. The PC dominated the market.

Still, Apple was by any measure a success. By the time Jobs was 25 in 1980, he was worth more than $100 million. Not that it mattered to him.

“It wasn’t that important because I never did it for the money,” he once said.

Apple once again shook up the industry with the Macintosh, announced in 1984 with a now-iconic Super Bowl ad challenging IBM. The Mac was a revolutionary step forward for personal computing — the first mass market computer to use a mouse-driven, user-friendly graphical interface. It was influenced by – critics would argue lifted from — technology Jobs saw a few years earlier at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. It irreversibly changed how we interact with computers.

But then Jobs fell from grace. One year after the Mac’s introduction, Jobs was fired in a power struggle with CEO John Sculley. Jobs was devastated. He felt he’d let those who came before him – pioneers like David Packard and Bob Noyce – down, and he wanted to apologize.

“It was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the Valley,” he admitted in a 2005 speech.

But Jobs realized he loved what he did, and wanted to keep doing it. So he founded NeXT, a computer company, and a computer animation outfit that he renamed Pixar. As for Apple, it faltered in his absence. The company’s stock plummeted 68 percent, pushing Apple to the brink of bankruptcy.

But in 1996, Apple purchased NeXT and Jobs returned to the company he founded. It wasn’t long before he was once again back at the helm, and Apple’s ascent began.

One of Jobs’ first moves was to make peace with arch-rival Microsoft. That led to a $150 million investment from Microsoft, breathing new life into the moribund Apple. Jobs was once again firmly in control, and this time he would make sure he didn’t lose it.

He ran Apple with a firm hand, enforcing a policy of secrecy, while instilling an unrivaled dedication to design and an unwavering commitment to quality. These things mattered so deeply to Jobs that he became a micromanager, one said to have put as much thought into the boxes holding Apple’s products as the products themselves.

Apple’s incredible string of hits started with the iMac and continued with iTunes and the iPod in 2001, the iPhone in 2007 and 2010’s iPad. There were some misses along the way – Mobile Me and Apple TV – but Jobs, working with lieutenants like Tim Cook, made Apple one of the biggest companies in the world.

Jobs had always been the public face of Apple, but he began retreating from the spotlight in 2004 when doctors diagnosed him with pancreatic cancer. It was a rare form of the disease, one that could be treated, and Jobs survived. His health, though, continued to deteriorate. His liver failed in 2009, and Jobs took a six-month medical leave. He returned, but was rarely seen. He announced he was resigning as CEO in August, and Tim Cook replaced him as the head the company.

At a 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, Jobs shared the philosophy that drove him.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life,” Jobs said. “Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Auto Owners Beware -- D.C. Cops Throw Drivers in Jail for Expired Tags, AAA Cries Foul

In a city that hosts its fair share of murders and terror plots, Washington, D.C., police are cracking down on another threat to the nation's capital -- expired vehicle registrations.
To the frustration of forgetful drivers, Metropolitan Police Department officers are throwing people in jail for letting their tag renewals lapse. The practice provoked somewhat of a backlash last year after a local mother from Maryland was jailed for what in many places would be a routine traffic offense punishable by fine. But the department continues to reserve and exercise the right to throw drivers in the clink for missing the DMV deadline, no matter where they're from.

The practice has drawn the attention of AAA, the nation's largest motor club and travel organization, which is calling on the D.C. Council to review the policy.
"This is ridiculous," AAA spokesman John Townsend said, noting that surrounding jurisdictions would not arrest for the same offense.
Accounts from those who've been locked up suggest it is not just a tactic designed to give police an opening to hassle and root out bona-fide criminals. Townsend said in one case, police arrested a mother on her way to pick up her child from school, with her younger child in the car. In another incident, a D.C. resident on his way to meet up with his girlfriend was arrested and forced to spend the night in a series of holding cells.
A spokeswoman with the city's police said officers generally issue a $100 fine for registrations that have been expired for fewer than 30 days. But spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump noted that D.C. Code provides the authority to arrest for more egregious offenses.
"It is prohibited in the district to operate a motor vehicle that is unregistered. This is a crime that can result in arrest and a traffic citation," she said in an email.
According to D.C. Code, it is illegal to drive a vehicle without proper registration, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 30 days.
But some of those taken into custody are puzzled. They say the district has bigger problems on its hands than delinquent registrations, and are hoping the city takes a second look at the practice.
"Of all places, D.C. could be using its time more prudently," said the D.C. resident who was arrested for registration violation in August 2010. The resident asked not to be identified because he doesn't want his online reputation ruined by being linked to criminal wrongdoing.
The individual detailed his experience in an interview with FoxNews.com, describing a roller coaster night that started when an officer pulled him over on his way to meet up with his girlfriend on U Street, a popular nighttime haunt for jazz lovers and revelers. He had recently moved from Maryland to D.C., and his registration was 10 days overdue.
He said he found it "a bit odd" when he was told to get out of the car, and handcuffed for the offense.
At first, it appeared the incident would be quickly resolved. His girlfriend was told to come to the precinct with $100 in order to get him out, he said.
She did that, but he wasn't released.
Instead, the traffic offender said he was transported from the precinct to another holding cell in the basement of a separate courthouse. His detainment lasted hours. Confused, at one point he asked an official whether the department processes a lot of people for registration violations.
According to his account, after the official replied yes, he made a crack about "hardened criminals." The official then snapped that he wouldn't be saying that if someone he loved got hit by someone else with an expired registration.
"That argument really does not make much sense to me," he told FoxNews.com. "An expired registration really has no bearing whatsoever on your ability to drive a car."
At about eight hours of detainment, the resident was released. When he finally returned to his car, he realized the police officer who moved it left it illegally parked with all the doors unlocked. On the car was a fresh $50 ticket.
"It's a nice cherry on top of the story," he said, noting the ticket was later thrown out. He accepted fault for the expired registration but questioned why that was an arrestable offense.
Days earlier, Maryland mother Nycci Nellis had a similar experience. Her registration was three months expired. She acknowledged being completely in the wrong, but said it had slipped her mind.
"I'm a mother of five and a business owner, it fell off my plate," said Nellis, a D.C. food and wine writer.
She spent the night in two jails, until her husband picked her up six hours later.
"They didn't make a single dollar off of me," she said. "I just don't understand."
D.C. Councilwoman Mary Cheh, whom AAA asked to investigate the matter, said the authority to arrest has been on the books for awhile but questioned whether the practice is prudent.
"I think it is an invitation to misuse," she told FoxNews.com. "I would want to know what the justification is."
She said an expired registration is not comparable to driving without a license.
"It doesn't speak to whether you're a danger," she said. "It might speak to your absent-mindedness."
Townsend claimed the policy of handing out fines for registrations expired for fewer than 30 days was implemented recently. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said in an interview last year that the authority to arrest is "discretionary."
Perhaps demonstrating this policy, the D.C. resident who was arrested last year said he was pulled over again this past summer for a registration two weeks overdue. He received only a warning -- and acknowledged he's got to get better about renewing his tags.
But Townsend expressed concern with the current policy, and relayed the case of a woman who was arrested this past May for having a registration expired by 36 days. In that case, she had a three-year-old child in the car and was on the way to pick up her older child from school.
According to AAA, the arresting officer informed her the children would have to go to social services if she couldn't find someone to watch them while she was driven to jail. The mother, though, was able to convince a teacher to watch the children.
"There have been a number of other situations like this," AAA wrote in an email to Cheh Friday requesting the council take a closer look at the policy.

Italian Court Acquits, Frees Amanda Knox

An Italian appeals court Monday overturned American student Amanda Knox's conviction in the murder and rape of a fellow student, freeing her from prison and allowing her to return to the United States.
Knox collapsed in tears after the verdict was read. Her co-defendant, Raffaele Sollecito, also was cleared of killing 21-year-old Meredith Kercher in 2007.

The court, however, upheld Knox's slander conviction for accusing bar owner Diya "Patrick" Lumumba of carrying out the killing. The sentence was set at three years, or time served, since Knox has been in prison since Nov. 6, 2007.
The Kercher family looked on grimly as the verdict was read after 11 hours of deliberations by the eight-member jury. Outside the courthouse, some of the hundreds of observers shouted, "Shame, shame!"
Yet inside the frescoed courtroom, Knox's parents, who have regularly traveled from their home in Seattle to Perugia to visit the 24-year-old over the past four years, hugged their lawyers and cried with joy.
"We've been waiting for this for four years," said one of Sollecito's lawyers, Giulia Bongiorno.
Hours later, Knox again was a free woman.
Corrado Maria Daclon, the secretary general of a foundation that has championed Knox's cause, said Knox told him as she left prison that she just "wanted to go home, reconnect with her family, take possession of her life and win back her happiness."
Daclon was in the car with Knox as she left Perugia's Campanne. Italian lawmaker Rocco Girlanda, who is close to the American, says she and her family will leave Italy on Tuesday aboard a commercial flight from Rome.
Prosecutors can appeal the acquittal to Italy's highest court. There was no word late Monday if they planned to do so.
Earlier Monday, Knox delivered a tearful 10-minute address in Italian to the packed courtroom asking them to allow her to return to the U.S. and saying she did not kill her British roommate.
"I did not kill. I did not rape. I did not steal. I wasn't there," Knox said.
"I've lost a friend in the worst, most brutal, most inexplicable way possible," she said of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, a 21-year-old Briton who shared an apartment with Knox when they were both students in Perugia. "I'm paying with my life for things that I didn't do."

Knox and Sollecito, Knox's former boyfriend from Italy, were convicted in 2009 of sexually assaulting and murdering Kercher, who was stabbed to death in her bedroom. Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison, Sollecito to 25. They both deny wrongdoing.
"I never hurt anyone, never in my life," Sollecito said Monday in his own speech to the jury.
Hundreds of eager observers gathered outside the courthouse ahead of the highly anticipated announcement, joining television vans that have been camped out for more than a week. One hundred reporters were being allowed into the subterranean courtroom.
Observers lined the street leading to the courthouse, taking pictures as the two vans carrying Knox and Sollecito from the prison to the court passed by.
Kercher's mother, sister and a brother traveled to Perugia for the verdict. They had expressed worry over the possibility of an acquittal but told reporters as deliberations were under way that they hoped the jury would do the right thing and not be influenced by the media's focus on the case.
"As long as they decide today based purely on the information available to them and they don't look into the media hype, I think justice will be found," the victim's sister, Stephanie Kercher, told reporters. She said the family was satisfied with the original verdicts.
She lamented that Meredith had been "most forgotten" in the media circus surrounding the case, with news photos more frequently showing Knox and Sollecito than "Mez" -- the victim's nickname. "It's very difficult to keep her memory alive in all of this," she said.
The family, however, said it could understand the Knox family's media campaign.
"They fully believe in her innocence. You can't blame them for that," said Lyle Kercher, the victim's brother. "But it's obviously hard for us."
As the verdict was broadcast live, hundreds of reporters and camera crews filled the underground, frescoed courtroom before Knox's address, while police outside cordoned off the entrance to the tribunal.
The trial has captivated audiences worldwide: Knox and Sollecito had been convicted of murdering Meredith in what the lower court said had begun as a drug-fueled sexual assault.
Also convicted in separate proceedings was Rudy Hermann Guede, a small-time drug dealer and drifter who spent most of his life in Italy after arriving here from his native Ivory Coast. Guede was convicted in a separate fast-track procedure and saw his sentence cut to 16 years in his final appeal.
Lawyers for Knox and Sollecito believe Guede was the sole killer, but the prosecution and a lawyer for the Kercher family say that bruises and a lack of defensive wounds on Kercher's body prove that there was more than one aggressor holding her into submission.
Knox said she had nothing more than a passing acquaintance with Guede, who played basketball at a court near the house, and didn't even know his name. Sollecito, who addressed the court before Knox, told jurors that he did not know Guede at all.
Sollecito was anxious as he addressed the court, shifting as he spoke and stopping to sip water. He said prior to the Nov. 1, 2007 murder was a happy time for him, he was close to defending his thesis to graduate from university and had just met Knox.
The weekend Kercher was murdered was the first the pair planned to spend together "in tenderness and cuddles," he said.
At the end of his 17-minute address, Sollecito took off a white rubber bracelet emblazoned with "Free Amanda and Raffaele" that he said he has been wearing for four years.
"I have never taken it off. Many emotions are concentrated in this bracelet," he said. "Now I want to pay homage to the court. The moment to take it off has arrived."

Emmys 2011 Winners: TV Award Winners

A wide open year for the Emmy Awards is expected to yield some brand new winners and repeat victories alike, with young stars and veterans alike in the running for the highest honors in television.

Here's a running list of all the winners.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy
Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy
Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
Michael Alan Spiller, "Modern Family"

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Steve Levitan & Jeffrey Richman, "Modern Family"

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy
Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy
Melissa McCarthy, "Mike & Molly"

Outstanding Reality Competition Program
"Amazing Race"

Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series
"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart"

Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music, Or Comedy Series
Don Roy King, "Saturday Night Live"

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series
"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart"

Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Jason Katims, "Friday Night Lights"

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Margo Martindale, "Justified"

Outstanding Directing In For A Drama Series
Martin Scorsese, "Boardwalk Empire"

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"

Outstanding Actress in a Drama
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"

Outstanding Actor in a Drama
Kyle Chandler, "Friday Night Lights"

Outstanding Writing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
Julian Fellowes, "Downton Abbey"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Mini-series or Movie
Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"

Outstanding Leading Actor in an Mini-Series or Movie
Barry Pepper, "The Kennedys"

Outstanding Directing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
Brian Percival, "Downton Abbey"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Mini-series or Movie
Guy Pearce, "Mildred Pierce"

Outstanding Leading Actress in a Mini-series or Movie
Kate Winslet, "Mildred Pierce"

Outstanding TV Miniseries or Movie
"Downton Abbey"

Outstanding Drama Series
"Mad Men"

Outstanding Comedy Series
"Modern Family"

Russian Soyuz Lands Safely in Kazakhstan After Communication Breakdown

A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying three returning astronauts from the International Space Station touched down safely Friday in the central steppes of Kazakhstan, but not without rattling nerves after a breakdown in communications.
NASA astronaut Ron Garan and Russian cosmonauts Andrei Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyayev landed some 150 kilometers (93 miles) southeast of the city of Zhezkazgan at 10 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) after 164 days in space.

Repeated calls to the Soyuz TMA-21 capsule from Mission Control in Korolyov, outside Moscow, went unanswered for several minutes, well after the craft had de-orbited. Communication was eventually established between the crew and an Antonov fixed-winged aircraft circling the landing site.

The landing was smooth in the area planned seconds before the expected arrival time.
Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, NASA's Michael Fossum, and Satoshi Furukawa of Japan's JAXA space agency remain onboard the international space station and are due to return to Earth on Nov. 22.
There will be some taut nerves in the run-up to that return, which Roscosmos announced Friday should be preceded by a manned Soyuz launch from Baikonur on Nov. 14. Earlier this week, Roscosmos announced that the launch was to take place on Nov. 12.
Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, had to postpone that launch from October amid concerns over a failed supply mission last month. Another delay would almost certainly mean the space station would have to be left unmanned. Astronauts have been living aboard the station, without interruption, for almost 11 years.
Since phasing out the U.S. space shuttle program earlier this year, NASA is relying entirely on Russia to get American and other astronauts to the international space station.
On Friday, Russian space officials mounted their well-rehearsed search-and-recovery operation for Soyuz landings, deploying 14 Mi-8 helicopters in a holding circular pattern, as well as more than half a dozen all-terrain vehicles.
"What these helicopters do is that they sort of arrive at a targeted area and hover for a bit until they get a confirmation of exactly where the Soyuz has landed. But we actually did not hover at all today, we came straight in to the landing site," said NASA spokesman Josh Byerly, speaking from the landing site.
Samokutyayev, who occupied the central seat in the capsule, was the first to be pulled out and hoisted into a medical chair. He look visibly drained, but in good spirits, as a nurse mopped his brow and checked his blood pressure.
A beaming Garan was hoisted out a few minutes later, shortly followed by Borisenko.
The three men were then carried in their reclining seats into an inflatable medical tent positioned some 30 meters (30 yards) away, where they were to change out of their entry suits into more comfortable clothes ahead of their return home.
Around them, jubilant Russian space officials exchanged congratulations and posed for photographs. Some fixed a photo of Russian space pioneer Yury Gagarin together with seminal rocket designer Sergei Korolyov, after whom the Moscow mission control is named.
Helicopters will first take the three men to the Kazakh city of Karaganda, after which Samokutyayev and Borisenko will fly on to the Chkalovsky airport, near Moscow, while Garan will leave directly for the United States with a NASA support crew.
Russian Mission Control could not secure direct audio communication in the period between the Soyuz capsule de-orbiting and landing. A mission control official repeatedly called out their call-sign, "Tarkhany," and appealed for a response, but received no answer.
Still, a beeping signal indicated that the module separation process had been completed. Minutes before landing, an aircraft awaiting their craft's arrival reporting seeing the parachute deploy and shortly afterward a flying Antonov aircraft command center received the message that the crew was well.
The capsule landed gently around 30 seconds before 10 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) in the barren steppe, throwing up a puff of dust, before rolling onto its side.
While it is not unusual for the capsule to be pulled onto its side, it makes pulling out the crew a slightly lengthier process.
Their craft carrying the returning crew was dubbed the Gagarin, as they began their trip to the space station from the Baikonur spaceport in southern Kazakhstan on April 4, just eight days shy of the 50th anniversary of Yury Gagarin's maiden voyage into orbit.

Netflix stock plunges as subscribers quit

Netflix subscribers threatened to flee in droves when the company whacked them with a surprise price hike, which kicked in this month.
Now they're making good on that threat. Netflix on Thursday cut its subscriber forecast for the current quarter, saying it now expects to end the period with 24 million customers -- down from the 25 million the company forecast just a few weeks ago.
That's also down from the 25.6 million global subscribers Netflix had on June 30, the end of its second quarter.
Investors punished the stock, sending Netflix (NFLX) shares down nearly 19% -- even though the company did not change its earnings or sales guidance.

The writing has been on the wall since July, when Netflix angered many subscribers by saying it would begin charging separate prices for its DVDs-by-mail and streaming video plans. That amounted to a big price hike for Netflix customers, as the cheapest-possible bill for customers who want both services jumped from $10 to $16 a month.
Enraged customers flooded Netflix's site with tens of thousands of comments, as well as a barrage of tweets under the hashtag #DearNetflix.
Angry subscribers aren't good for business, of course, but even more concerning are the reasons for the price hike. Netflix is struggling to build and maintain a robust streaming catalog, but that's getting tougher as studios demand more money and threaten to take their content to Netflix's growing list of rivals.
As a result, customers have been complaining about a smaller selection -- and asking why they're paying more for less. Earlier this month, cable network Starz ended contract renewal negotiations with Netflix and will pull its movies and TV shows from Netflix early next year. It highlights the sometimes contentious relationship that Netflix has with content owners such as Sony (SNE), Walt Disney (DIS, Fortune 500) and Time Warner (TWX, Fortune 500), the parent company of CNNMoney.
Now that streaming video is so popular, providers are upping the price for the content they're licensing to Netflix. One analyst predicts that Netflix's streaming content licensing costs will rise from $180 million in 2010 to a whopping $1.98 billion in 2012.
"There may be a renewed sense of urgency for Netflix to go out to acquire film and TV content to replace Starz," says Anthony DiClemente, Internet and media analyst at Barclays Capital, which owns Netflix stock.

"To keep subscribers, or lure them back, you need offer them value at a good price," DiClemente adds.
Netflix's competitors have become a bargaining chip for studios: If Netflix won't pay studios what they think their content is worth, they'll simply take their business elsewhere.
Beyond direct rivals like Hulu and kiosk service Redbox (owned by Coinstar (CSTR)), big tech players like Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) and Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) are jumping into the streaming game. Cable providers including DISH Network (DISH, Fortune 500) are also ramping up streaming, on-demand options.
Despite its growing list of problems, Netflix has been one of the hottest-performing tech stocks of the past few years. Shares are up a staggering 460% since 2008.
DiClemente, the Barclays analyst, is still bullish on Netflix shares. He now predicts that the U.S. subscriber base will recover to 28.8 million by the end of the year -- though that's lower than the 30 million he had projected.
Netflix had been adding subscribers "radically," he says, noting that in recent quarters the company's revenue has been up about 40% to 50% year-over-year -- which gives it a fatter wallet for snapping up new content.

Who is going to snag an Emmy on Sunday night?

It's that time of the year again -- Emmy season. And with the awards show running on Sunday night, now's the chance to lay out some of the likely statue winners. As any diehard television viewer knows, the awards don't always go to who necessarily deserves them.
Here's a look at some predictions, along with some thoughts on some pretty strong contenders.

Best Drama Series -- "Mad Men"

"Mad Men" will likely be the big winner of the night. The series had yet another strong season and has solidified its role as the darling of the Emmy voters.

Best Comedy Series -- "Modern Family"

Expect '"Modern Family" to beat out "Parks and Recreation," earning it back-to-back wins. It's consistently funny and universally likable, which should translate to lots of Emmy votes.

Best Actor in a Drama -- Jon Hamm

Despite stellar performances by Kyle Chandler in "Friday Night Lights" and Steve Buscemi in "Broadwalk Empire," expect Hamm to capitalize on a Bryan Cranston-free year and take the prize. Hamm's performance this season forever changed the way we view Don Draper.

Best Actress in a Drama -- Elisabeth Moss

While "The Good Wife's" Julianna Margulies and Kathy Bates from "Harry's Law" are bigger, more attractive names for Emmy voters, I think the nod will go to Elisabeth Moss. Her performance on "Mad Men" this season hit an elite level.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama -- John Slattery

His might be the most stacked category of the night. While Walton Goggins and Peter Dinklage both had very strong seasons respectively on "Justified" and "Game of Thrones," it's likely this one will go to Slattery for his performance on "Mad Men." He's been nominated before and is due for a trip to the podium.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama -- Margo Martindale

Margo Martindale's memorable role on "Justified" might just grant her the Emmy, while Kelly Macdonald's impressive role in "Boardwalk Empire" will probably be overlooked.


Best Actor in a Comedy -- Steve Carell


Louie C.K. had a tremendous first season on "Louie," but next year will likely be his year to get showered with awards. This year belongs to Steve Carell, especially after his touching final season as Michael Scott on "The Office."

Best Actress in a Comedy -- Laura Linney

Laura Linney should grab the win here. She had a strong first season of "The Big C" and the voters love to reward movie actors for making the jump to the small screen. Her biggest competition is Amy Poehler's impressive work on "Parks and Recreation."

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy -- Ed O'Neill


With four of the six nominees in this category, it's a safe bet that the winner will hail from "Modern Family." While an argument can be made for all four men, Ed O'Neill, with an intensely solid year, should win it.

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy -- Jane Lynch


While the most likable choice is "Hot in Cleveland's" Betty White and the most consistent choice is "Modern Family's" Julie Bowen, Jane Lynch has the single strongest performance in "Glee's" emotional episode, "Funeral." And yes, she is also hosting this year's awards show.

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series --"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"


Chalk up another win for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." The show is consistently well-done and just as consistently loved by the voters.

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program -- "The Amazing Race"


There's a good chance "The Amazing Race" will regain the crown from "Top Chef." It's cooking up to be a bit of a race.

Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries -- "Mildred Pierce"

While "Downton Abbey" was critically acclaimed, one can't ignore simple mathematics: HBO Miniseries + Respected Film Star = Emmy Award. Count on "Mildred Pierce," which starred Kate Winslet in the title role.

Best Actor in a Movie or Miniseries -- Edgar Ramirez

Look for Edgar Ramirez, with his performance in "Carlos," to edge out Laurence Fishburne for his work in "Thurgood."

Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie -- Kate Winslet


Kate Winslet is the likely choice. She was the backbone of "Mildred Pierce" and is the clear favorite.

Djokovic Beats Nadal to Win U.S. Open, Adds to Nearly Perfect Season

Novak Djokovic produced a nearly perfect performance to match his nearly perfect season.
Returning brilliantly, swatting winners from all angles, the No. 1-ranked Djokovic held on to beat defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 on Monday night in a final chock-full of lengthy, mesmerizing points to earn his first U.S. Open title and third Grand Slam trophy of 2011.
Djokovic improved to 64-2 with 10 tournament titles in a simply spectacular year, one of the greatest in the history of men's tennis -- or any sport, for that matter.

He's been perfect against No. 2 Nadal, too, going 6-0 head-to-head, all in finals -- three on hard courts, including Monday; two on clay; and one on grass at Wimbledon in July. Djokovic also won the Australian Open in January, and is only the sixth man in the 40-plus years of the Open era to collect three major titles in a single season.
Nadal did it in 2010, including a victory over Djokovic in the U.S. Open final. But the rematch was more of a mismatch, even if Nadal led 2-0 in each of the first two sets before Djokovic turned things around.
Only in the third set did Djokovic really falter for a few moments, getting broken while serving for the match at 6-5, then being outplayed in the tiebreaker. He was treated by a trainer for an aching back three times after that, getting massaged and taking pills to dull the pain.
But in the fourth set, Djokovic was in control from the start, breaking in the opening game with a forehand winner, then cruising from there.
When Djokovic ended it with a forehand winner, he raised his arms, then tossed aside his racket and dropped to the court. He pulled off his shirt and threw it into the stands, then put on a dark hat with "FDNY" written on it -- a nod to Sunday's 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which both he and Nadal mentioned during the trophy ceremony.

US Open 2011: Andy Murray looks to Davis Cup after losing to Rafael Nadal

Andy Murray left New York on Sunday, his favourite city, disappointed but not devastated to be out of the US Open and committed to helping Great Britain win their Davis Cup tie against Hungary in the more familiar surroundings of Glasgow next weekend.

A return to the team environment is compensation of sorts – not to mention a distraction – and, after losing his semi-final in four sets to Rafael Nadal, Murray was in a better mood than might have been expected.

He was quick to dispel fears that a sore back would prevent his involvement. "I didn't feel it at all until middle or end of the fourth set," he said. "It was just sore from playing a lot of tennis on the hard courts. I'm sure everyone has problems right now. Playing three best-of-five matches in three days you're going feel stiff and sore."

Recalling the happy experience of his last visit to the Braehead Arena with the Great Britain team, when he won three matches against Luxembourg, Murray said: "It's nice. It's not something I'm thinking about too much, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it again and enjoy being with the team. I always enjoy playing Davis Cup. I will probably leave [on Sunday] and then go straight up to Scotland. I might even fly directly there, because the team's meeting up in the evening. I'll go as soon as I can."

If absorbing himself in the Davis Cup – not historically a priority – was a way of cleansing the memory of another loss to Nadal, Murray sounded more resigned to losing to a great player than distraught at falling short again.

"I had chances to break and go up a break in the first and the second sets, and didn't. I was playing better in the third and fourth sets. I had a chance to go up in the fourth, and didn't quite get it. I managed to hang on relatively well right until the end. It was a tough match because I think both of us had quite a lot of chances."

On his decision to spend a lot more time at the net – 44 visits for 33 points – he said: "Rafa was slicing a lot of returns at the start of the match so, when I went down, I started serving and volleying a bit more. Once he started seeing I was more [aggressive] it becomes harder to serve and volley.

"But, yes, I was trying to come in. The first two sets I just wasn't coming in on the right shots, and then I started picking my moments much better on the third and fourth sets.

"When you [have] played a long match the day before, you need to get the balance right. Anyone playing Rafa is going to play a lot of long rallies. So, if you can get opportunities to shorten the points, it is good to do that."

As for the outcome of the final – and his place among the top four – he said, "Rafa can obviously still win against him, but Novak this year is playing much better tennis than he did last year. That's something I have to look at and say, 'You know, it's not impossible to improve and turn those head to heads around.' I'm sure the final will be a very good match. I don't see either one as a major favourite."