Former Goldman Sachs director expected to face criminal charges

A former Goldman Sachs director, who was also once the global head of elite consultancy McKinsey & Co, will surrender to the FBI on Wednesday to face criminal insider trading-related charges, a person familiar with the investigation said.

Rajat Gupta, one of the most prominent business executives to be caught up in the government's wide-ranging insider-trading probe, had been named by prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in the criminal case against hedge fund tycoon Raj Rajaratnam earlier this year.

Gupta's attorney, Gary Naftalis, would not comment late on Tuesday on possible criminal charges, but he issued a statement echoing his previous comments that Gupta committed no wrongdoing.

"Any allegation that Rajat Gupta engaged in any unlawful conduct is totally baseless. The facts demonstrate that Mr Gupta is an innocent man and that he has always acted with honesty and integrity. He did not trade in any securities, did not tip Mr Rajaratnam so he could trade, and did not share in any profits as part of any quid pro quo."

Rajaratnam, founder of the Galleon Group hedge fund, was convicted in May by a New York federal jury after a two-month trial.

On 13 October, a judge sentenced him to 11 years in prison, the longest recorded for insider trading.

Rajaratnam is under house arrest and was ordered to report to prison on 28 November.

Gupta, 62, well-known in the business world after 34 years at McKinsey, had won a seat in 2006 on the board of Goldman. He retired from McKinsey in 2007.

Goldman Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein was called to the witness stand by the government to testify at Rajaratnam's trial in Manhattan federal court.

Blankfein told the jury that Gupta violated confidentiality at Wall Street's most powerful bank by leaking boardroom secrets.

Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman for Manhattan US attorney Preet Bharara, whose office prosecuted Rajaratnam, declined to comment on Gupta's surrendering to authorities or any possible charges.

In August, Gupta and the US Securities and Exchange Commission agreed to drop litigation against each other stemming from the sprawling Galleon probe, which has ensnared money managers, traders and corporate executives.

The SEC had said Gupta passed illegal tips to Rajaratnam about Goldman, including a possible multibillion dollar investment from Warren Buffett, as well as tips about Procter & Gamble Co, where Gupta was also a director.

While the SEC said in August it would dismiss its administrative proceeding against Gupta, the agency said it could still bring a case against him in a federal district court.

The Rajaratnam trial punctured McKinsey's prized reputation for closely guarding client confidentiality - former McKinsey executive Anil Kumar pleaded guilty to criminal charges and testified against Rajaratnam.

At the trial, prosecutors played recordings in which Rajaratnam was heard discussing information he received from Gupta about Goldman Sachs.

In one recording dated 24 October, 2008, Rajaratnam was heard calling David Lau, chief of Galleon's Singapore branch, and discussing a tip he got from a board member that Goldman was on its way to a surprise fourth-quarter loss, its first as a public company.

The call comes one day after the investment bank held a board meeting discussing the loss, prosecutors said.

"I just heard from somebody who's on the board of Goldman Sachs, they are gonna lose $2 per share," Rajaratnam was heard saying. "So what he (the board member) was telling me was that, uh, Goldman, the quarter's pretty bad."

Fury as Ricky Gervais ridicules Down's syndrome children with 'two mongs don't make a right' Twitter

Ricky Gervais has come under attack by Down’s syndrome groups over his frequent use of the word ‘mong’ to describe people he thinks are stupid.
The comedian claims that its meaning has changed from a derogatory term for those suffering with the chromosome disorder to meaning nothing more than ‘complete idiot’.
However, campaigners angrily dismissed this defence.

The award-winning star of The Office has repeatedly posted references to mongs on his personal Twitter account and blog.
These have included phrases such as ‘good monging everyone’ and ‘two mongs don’t make a right’, as well as posting pictures of himself gurning.
He also used the word to describe thousands of people who camped out to line the streets of London before the royal wedding in April.
About 750 babies each year will have Down’s syndrome and there are 60,000 people in the UK with  the condition, which is the most common cause of learning disability.
It occurs by chance at conception and is irreversible.

Gervais, 50 – who has more than 435,600 followers on Twitter – said yesterday: ‘I have used the word mong but I have never used that word to mean Down’s syndrome and never would.
‘I have explained, even during stand-up shows, that the meaning of words changes over time. Gay, for example, would never be used to mean happy any more.

‘The modern use of the word mong means “dopey” or “ignorant”.’
But Penny Green, director of the Down’s Heart Group charity, said: ‘I refute his suggestion that the word has changed its meaning.
‘We come across people every day who still think the term applies to people with Down’s.
His actions have proved incredibly upsetting and distressing to families of disabled children, as we’ve seen on Twitter and our own forums.
Ricky is telling everyone it’s acceptable to use this derogatory term.’
Gervais further tried to justify his use of the term by posting on Twitter a link to the internetslang website which lists the word as meaning ‘complete idiot’.

Fox breached ministerial code but did not gain financially, says official report

The former defence secretary Liam Fox will be found on Tuesday to have breached the ministerial code in what is expected to be a brief but damning report into his improper links with his close friend and adviser Adam Werritty.

But the report will not find that Fox benefited financially from Werritty's actions.

Fox resigned on Friday, knowing the impending report from the cabinet secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell, and revelations about Werritty's funding made it impossible for him to cling to office.

The funding was arranged by Fox and some of the donors have expressed anger at the way in which the money was used. The report prepared by O'Donnell and handed to David Cameron on Monday, will be published on Tuesday morning.

It is intended to be a bare statement of facts and will not offer any policy recommendations, such as further revisions to the ministerial code.

It is likely to question whether Fox did enough to distance himself from Werritty after he was warned by the permanent secretary, Ursula Brennan, that it was wrong for Werritty to distribute business cards claiming to be an adviser to Fox.

The document may also suggest it was wrong to have allowed Werritty to be presented as a government official at some events the two attended.

The fact that the report finds Fox did not gain financially from his promotion of Werritty will come as a relief to the former minister and make it more likely he can return to government.

But the report will not touch on whether Fox misled any donors as to why they were to fund Werritty, and whether the lobbyist's jet-set lifestyle was endorsed by the donors.

Werritty is still subject to a separate police inquiry. Ministers were still pondering whether to make an oral Commons statement on the issue, but know they are likely to be forced to make a statement by the Speaker if they fail to volunteer one.

It is expected that Fox will make a personal statement expressing his regret at the way in which he remained too close to Werritty in office.Werritty met Fox more than 20 times in the Ministry of Defence and accompanied him abroad on 18 occasions, predominantly to attend social events.

No 10 stressed it would press ahead with a statutory code for lobbyists in the next parliamentary session, but privately ministers feel the connection between Fox's behaviour and the need for a lobbyist register is tenuous.

Ministers have refused to set out the terms of reference of the O'Donnell inquiry, simply saying it is to examine all the issues the public want answered.

But in advance of publication, Labour was claiming the report would ignore many of the questions the public expect to be answered, including the sources of Werritty's funding. The shadow defence secretary, Jim Murphy, said: "Now it seems all we are being offered is a selective internal report.

"David Cameron must provide full transparency over all of Liam Fox and Adam Werritty's activities.

"We need to know the full extent of Dr Fox's use of Adam Werritty as an 'unofficial adviser', how Mr Werritty was funded, and all his links and meetings with government.

"Unless this report examines what all ministers knew and when, including the prime minister; the activities of Atlantic Bridge and all Mr Werritty's organisations; all overseas visits Mr Werritty was part of; and the legality of donations Dr Fox was part of soliciting, it will be deemed inadequate. People must be able to judge for themselves how this has been allowed to happen on David Cameron's watch." Labour is also to ask Sir Philip Mawer, the official adviser on ministerial interests, whether he is happy about his exclusion from the controversy.

The Pentagon confirmed that Fox introduced Werritty to Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, during a meeting there in March 2010, just before the general election. The meeting was described as a "courtesy call".

In July 2010 Werritty and Fox had dinner with the US general now commanding the war in Afghanistan.

The pair met General John Allen, who was deputy commander of US Central Command and now leads the International Security Assistance Force, in Tampa, Florida.

Werritty and Fox went back to Tampa, the HQ of CentCom, which runs US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, in May this year. The MoD refused to describe the nature of the "official meetings" Fox held.

What's delay in hiring Epstein?

Mike Quade, still manager of the Cubs, had a favorite saying whenever his team came out on top despite a dire predicament:

"We never do anything the easy way."
So it should come as no surprise to anyone who has paid attention to the 2011 Cubs that the Theo Epstein contract negotiations would not be different.

One day after the Cubs and Epstein agreed to a five-year deal worth more than $15 million, negotiations over compensation for the Red Sox were at a standstill.

A major league source said late Thursday one of the holdups is the Cubs' insistence on paying only cash for compensation while the Red Sox are adamant on receiving a player or a package of players.

Talk-show host John Dennis of WEEI-AM 850, the Red Sox's flagship station, echoed the Tribune's source during an appearance on "Chicago Tribune Live" Thursday, saying his sources told him the first day of negotiations did not go well and the two sides weren't close to reaching.

Epstein's deal won't be finalized until they come to an accord. Both sides apparently are playing hardball, so it could get contentious. However, the Tribune's source said there are no concerns the deal will fall through.

Efforts to reach Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts and interim general manager Randy Bush for comment were unsuccessful. Red Sox President Larry Lucchino declined comment.

In one of those Shakespearean twists that seem commonplace in Boston sports annals, Lucchino — who is representing the owners in negotiations along with assistant GM Ben Cherington — was once Epstein's mentor, but now is considered one of the reasons Epstein is leaving Boston.

The two Red Sox executives reportedly had an irrevocable split after the 2005 season, leading to Epstein's infamous escape from Fenway Park in a gorilla costume after suddenly resigning on Halloween. Epstein then followed Pearl Jam on tour in South America during his hiatus, before returning to his old job in January of 2006.

Epstein and Lucchino have "co-existed" the last six years, a source said, "like Phil Jackson and Jerry Krause did, or Ozzie (Guillen) and Kenny (Williams)." Ironically, it's now in Lucchino's best interests to treat the departure of Epstein as an incalculable loss, arguing that a return of the highest value possible was merited.

Ricketts, a successful businessman who has negotiated many deals, is suddenly in a new arena with much different stakes. He seemingly increased his popularity with the hiring of Epstein and doesn't want anything to mar the impact of the signing that is perceived as a huge step forward for the organization. Ricketts is being advised by his baseball staff, which includes Bush, player personnel director Oneri Fleita and scouting chief Tim Wilken.

Major League Baseball must approve the deal.

While Epstein can't play a role in the de facto trade of himself, it's obviously in his best interests to keep the best prospects in a farm system already thinned out by last January's Matt Garza deal. The Red Sox are hoping to get at least one top prospect and perhaps a lesser one. The White Sox received two solid prospects from the Marlins last month when they let Guillen leave to manage them.

Triple-A Iowa outfielder Brett Jackson, a first-round pick in 2009 currently playing for the U.S. national team, figures to be at or near the top of Lucchino's list. Jackson is one of a trio of prospects the Cubs probably would deem untouchable, along with Class-A outfielder Matt Szczur and Double-A right-hander Trey McNutt.

Of Baseball America's top 10 Cubs prospects last January, three (right-hander Chris Archer, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and outfielder Brandon Guyer) were sent to the Rays in the Garza deal. If they're forced to part with one of their current top 10 prospects, third baseman Josh Vitters or right-hander Chris Carpenter would be more expendable.

Along with the compensation issue, the two sides also must agree on which, if any, of Epstein's staff can come with him to Chicago.

Despite the prolonged wait for the deal to be finalized, Epstein already must be thinking about his ultimate decision on Quade and his staff, who have been sweating out their futures since the end of the season.

Once Epstein is installed, the ''Hire Ryne Sandberg'' movement is bound to begin anew, and already may have begun. Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan, a noted Cubs fan, made a personal plea to Epstein Thursday on the "WGN Morning News."

"Please, please hire Ryne Sandberg," Corgan said. "White Sox Nation followed Ozzie all those years. I think Cubs Nation will follow 'Ryno.'"

Fortunately for Quade, Corgan does not get a vote.

'Green' air fares levy is just a tax grab on hard-up households admits Osborne

A controversial ‘green’ levy that adds hundreds of pounds to family holidays is a simple tax grab on hard-pressed households, the Chancellor has admitted.
Air Passenger Duty has been dressed up as an environmental measure designed to discourage air travel.
But in a leaked letter, George Osborne says: ‘APD is fundamentally a revenue raising duty and currently raises around ￡2.5billion per year.’
Last night one senior aviation figure said: ‘The cat is out of the bag with this admission. It’s a tax grab, pure and simple.’
Mr Osborne is expected to announce a rise in APD for 2012 in next month’s autumn statement. At present, a family of four flying economy to Florida pay a total of ￡240 tax.
APD was introduced by the Tories in 1994 as a straightforward way to raise money but was swiftly rebranded as a ‘green signals’ tax by Labour. The idea was to discourage plane use, but it is loathed by many who have seen it vastly inflate air fares.
Mr Osborne’s admission that the tax, divided into four bands according to the length of flights, is nothing more than a way of raising cash comes in a letter dated August 12 to Olivier Jankovec, director general of the Brussels-based Airports Council International.
The Chancellor says his intention is to ‘improve on the current system’ by simplifying it on ‘a revenue neutral basis’, while extending  the tax on business jets. There  has been mounting criticism by  airlines and consumer groups of Government plans to retain the controversial tax.
Travel expert Bob Atkinson of travelsupermarket.com said: ‘British families are facing pressure on the amounts they pay for their air fares because of increases in flight tax, the forthcoming EU emissions trading scheme and the soaring cost of fuel.’
Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways’ parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), has previously said increasing APD would have ‘a huge negative effect’, accusing ministers of using the air tax to reduce the economic deficit.
Louise Ellman, who chairs the Commons transport select committee, said: ‘There is great ambiguity as to whether the Government is telling us that this is a green tax or a revenue raising tax.’
The Labour MP said that in recent years APD had been modified ‘to provide green signals. Now it’s not clear’.
Mr Osborne has published a consultation document setting out options which could increase APD from the current level of ￡12 to ￡16 per person for economy flights of up to 2,000 miles.
That could mean a family of four flying economy to Spain seeing their air tax rise from ￡48 to ￡64.
But for many middle-class families who upgrade to ‘premium economy’ or above, the tax would soar from ￡24 to as much as ￡32. A family of four would see their air tax increase from ￡96 to ￡128.
Currently, passengers who travel between 2,001 and 4,000 miles face a ￡60 tax in economy, totalling ￡240 for a family of four heading to Florida.
For journeys of 4,001 to 6,000 miles, such as the west coast of America, the tax is ￡75 per head in economy. Flights in excess of 6,000 miles, for example to Australia,  are taxed at a rate of ￡85 in economy and ￡170 in premium economy and above.
Last night Treasury officials acknowledged that the Chancellor’s comments in his leaked letter – describing APD as ‘fundamentally a revenue raising duty’ – represented Government thinking. But they denied the views were ‘secret’ or ambiguous.

Now that's Bad! Dishevelled Christina Aguilera hits a low note in an unflattering costume at Michael Jackson tribute concert

Christina Aguilera shocked fans today as she emerged on stage at the Michael Jackson tribute concert in a dishevelled state.
The 30-year-old singer performed at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, today as part of the controversial show.
Her blonde hair, which was filled out with long extensions, was mattered mess and her skimpy corset and fishenets did little to flatter her very curvy figure.
She belted out one of the King of Pop's favourite songs, Smile by Charlie Chaplin, with her usual flair but her outfit certainly hit a low note.
She later changed into a more demure navy dress, with military detailing favoured by Jackson, which was more forgiving on her frame.
The Black Eyed Peas pulled out of the lineup this week, citing 'unavoidable circumstances'.
And Jennifer Hudson all cancelled at the 11th hour, and she didn't hide her frustration at the show's organisers.
She tweeted earlier today: 'To my uk fans that were coming to the mj show in wales. I will no longer be attentding due to major production issues.
'I would have thought they would have informed you all by now , so since they did not , I am. Thank u for your support.'
Still, the show went on with a lineup that also included Cee Lo Green, Jamie Foxx, Gladys Knight and Smokey Robinson, and British stars Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, JLS and Diversity. 
Jackson's three children were also present for the concert.
'We're very happy to be here on this special night to honor our father,' said 13-year-old  Paris, who made a brief onstage appearance alongside brothers Prince, 14, and 9-year-old Michael Joseph Jr., known as Blanket.
The children wore outfits evoking their father's famous styles - Paris most strikingly, in a red and black Thriller-style jacket. Blanket stood stoic and shy, but the older children smiled and appeared confident in the spotlight.
On a stage shaped like a giant glove, the musicians performed songs from across Jackson's career - from his childhood with the Jackson 5 through monster solo albums like Thriller and Bad.
Participants urged fans to ignore the criticism and controversy, and to revel in the celebration of Jackson's musical legacy.
'It's not about the controversy,' said R&B star Ne-Yo, who kicked off the show with a rendition of Billie Jean, complete with some passable moonwalking.
'It's not about the trial. It's not about his death. It's about celebrating his life. It's about celebrating his music.'
The 50,000-strong crowd at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium did just that, roaring with approval as Jackson's brothers Marlon, Tito and Jackie - three-fifths of the original Jackson 5 - took the stage to perform Blame It On the Boogie with British boyband JLS.
'Can you feel his spirit in the house tonight?' asked Marlon. Judging by the cheers, the fedora hats and the sequined gloves in the audience, many could.
Jackson died in June 2009, at age 50, as he was preparing for a string of comeback concerts in London.
His last hours are being relived in graphic detail at the manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, accused of giving Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol and other sedatives in the bedroom of his rented mansion on June 25, 2009.
'This is a great counter-act to that,' said Motown great Smokey Robinson, who gave a soulful rendition of 'She's Out of My Life.' 'And it gives people something happy to do, rather than thinking about what's going on in the trial.'
The show mined a rich trove of Jackson hits. Leona Lewis crooned I'll Be There, Beyonce delivered the early single I Wanna Be Where You Are and Jamie Foxx performed Rock With You.
'Tonight is a history lesson,' Foxx told the crowd. 'We're going to cover five decades of greatness.'
The concert has divided the King of Pop's family and followers. The three brothers, sister La Toya and vocal group 3T - composed of three of Michael's nephews - all performed, while 81-year-old matriarch Katherine was in the audience.
But Michael's brothers Jermaine and Randy and sister Janet have stayed away, saying it is wrong to hold the show at the same time as Murray's trial.
 

Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder, dies

CEO Steve Jobs holds up the new MacBook Air after giving the keynote address at the Apple MacWorld Conference in San Francisco. Apple on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011 said Jobs has died.
The Apple chairman was 56.
The iconic American CEO, whose impact many have compared to auto magnate Henry Ford and Walt Disney— whom Jobs openly admired — abruptly stepped down from his position as CEO of Apple in August because of health concerns. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer.
STORY: Apple's future looks secure
STORY: Obama, Gates, Zuckerberg mourn Jobs
VIDEO: Jobs talks passion at Stanford Commencement
"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being," read a statement on Apple's website. "Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor."
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, a former Apple board member, called Jobs the best CEO of the past 50 years — perhaps 100 years.
A seminal business and technology leader, Jobs' success flowed from a relentless focus on making products that were easy and intuitive for the average consumer to use. His products were characterized by groundbreaking design and style that, along with their technological usefulness, made them objects of intense desire by consumers around the world.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dies at 56.
He was known as a demanding, mercurial boss and an almost mystical figure in technology circles as well as popular culture. Author and business consultant Jim Collins once called Jobs the "Beethoven of business."
He was one of the people who made Silicon Valley the capital of technological innovation and venture capital fortunes.
His creation of iTunes as an online way to purchase music digitally helped transform the music industry and delivered a blow to the standard industry practice of packaging music in albums or CDs. With iTunes, consumers initially could buy individual songs for 99 cents. The music industry didn't welcome the change at first, but after waging an intense battle against illegal downloads, it came to rely on the business model iTunes created.
Jobs' work at Apple and other projects made him a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine in 2011 at $8.3 billion. He was No.110 on Forbes' list of billionaires worldwide and No.34 in the United States, as of the magazine's March 2011 estimates.
His death raises questions about whether Apple, one of America's most successful businesses, can maintain the momentum it has built as the source of must-have technology products that have helped to define a generation.
Unlike tech rival Bill Gates of Microsoft or business leader Warren Buffett, Jobs did not make a practice of public philanthropy. While he may have made anonymous gifts to charity, he did not publicly embrace Gates' and Buffett's call for the wealthiest Americans to pledge to donate half their fortunes.
Jobs was married to Laurene Powell Jobs, 47. He had four children, three with Powell Jobs. A fourth child, Lisa, had an early Apple computer — a predecessor to the Macintosh — named after her. The family succeeded in keeping the children out of the spotlight and largely unknown to the public. Jobs was a Buddhist.
Steve Jobs' legacy

Jobs dropped out of Reed College to build computers with high school friend Steve Wozniak, creating what became the Apple I computer in 1976.
As sales lagged by the 1980s, Jobs was ousted from the company's leadership in a 1985 boardroom coup led by then-Apple CEO John Sculley. He returned in 1996 after Apple bought his technology start-up, NeXT, for $400 million. Within months, Jobs took over as Apple CEO for the ousted Gil Amelio and led a major corporate turnaround.
Five years later, with the release of the iPod personal digital music player, Apple had leaped from computer maker to become the leading consumer electronics giant worldwide.
Millions of its computers and gadgets were produced in Asia and sold to U.S. and worldwide markets, making the company one of the most recognizable and beloved brand names ever.
Once on the brink of a financial abyss, Apple had a market value of $350 billion — not far behind No.2 Exxon Mobil — by the time Jobs resigned as CEO.
After his forced departure from Apple, Jobs bought what became Pixar from filmmaker George Lucas. The digital animation movie company has produced box-office hits including Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Disney bought the company for $7.4 billion in 2006. Jobs held a 7.3% ownership stake in Disney.
Health concerns
He was known for creating a culture of secrecy at Apple that fueled intense media speculation about the company's next product. Jobs himself introduced major products with flair at highly anticipated events that proved to be one of the company's best marketing tools.
Jobs didn't hesitate to level caustic comments at competitors, particularly Microsoft in earlier years and later Google, which he ridiculed as evil, mediocre and lacking in taste. His skewering of Microsoft was parodied in a series of TV ads featuring the characters "Mac" and "PC."
Jobs was known for firing employees in profanity-laced tantrums and reducing some subordinates to tears. Yet many of his top deputies at Apple and Pixar worked with him for years.
Jobs is listed as an inventor or co-inventor on 313 Apple patents, including the iPod's user interface.
STORY: Jobs' battle with pancreatic cancer
Although he brought simple, elegant technology to the masses, the reclusive Jobs was often uncomfortable around people and rarely spoke publicly. On rare occasions when he spoke with reporters, he offered few or no personal insights.
His reluctance to appear in public led to questions about his health, as did a dramatic loss in weight and gaunt appearance.
Jobs was diagnosed with a form of pancreatic cancer in 2003. He informed Apple employees in 2004.
"No one wants to die," he said in a commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005. "And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it."
Jobs' status as a corporate star put him on the covers of Time, Fortune and Forbes.
"Jobs led an enormous cultural shift of the businessman as a creative, even artistic, force," says Alan Deutschman, author of The Second Coming of Steve Jobs.
"When Jobs first came on the scene, it wasn't cool to be in business," Deutschman says. "Through the 1970s, the Dow hardly moved. Being in business was seen as being a total sellout. But Jobs was young and glamorous, and gave business that image. Now, young people aspire to be in business."
The early years
Steven Paul Jobs was born in San Francisco on Feb. 24, 1955, to unwed parents. He was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, Calif.
The young Jobs contacted William Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, to ask for parts for a class project. Impressed, Hewlett offered Jobs a summer internship.
Upon graduating from Homestead High School in Cupertino, Calif., in 1972, Jobs briefly went to Reed College in Portland, Ore. After a stint as a video-game designer at Atari, Jobs trekked to India in 1974, where he embraced Eastern culture and religion. Shortly after that, he lived in a commune in California.
In 1975, Jobs began hanging out with the Homebrew Computer Club and a friend from high school, Steve Wozniak. Jobs, then 21, and Wozniak — the "two Steves," as they became known — co-founded Apple Computer in Jobs' parents' garage in 1976.
By 25, Jobs was a millionaire. His first go-round at Apple was highlighted by the creation and introduction, in 1984, of the Macintosh, a revolutionary personal computer with an inviting graphical user-interface and mouse that popularized PCs for the masses.
The influence of the Beatles ran deep to Apple's core, too. Jobs presented a Mac to Yoko Ono, wife of the late John Lennon, and was ensnared in a long-running trademark lawsuit with the music group's Apple Corps label. It was settled in 2007.
In a 1996 interview in San Francisco, Jobs offered a glimpse of his hopes to mirror the success of Walt Disney and George Lucas. "Computers are commodities with a six-month shelf life," he said. "Classics like Snow White and Fantasia are passed from generation to generation."
Wozniak said Apple is a reflection of Jobs' creative daring.
"He helped it achieve incredible things in music, smartphones, tablets and retail, while still making great computers," said Wozniak, who said he and Jobs occasionally talk.
Leander Kahney, author of Inside Steve's Brain, said Jobs reconciled conflicting personality traits into an eclectic business philosophy.
"Jobs embraced the personality traits that some considered flaws — narcissism, perfectionism, total faith in his intuition — to lead Apple and Pixar to triumph against steep odds," Kahney says. "In the process, he became a self-made billionaire."

Wilkinson gives England some good news but Tindall causes more concern

Jonny Wilkinson, still among the highest-profile players in rugby eight years after dropping the goal that brought the World Cup to England, gave the beleaguered red-rose manager Martin Johnson
a welcome dollop of good news yesterday when he negotiated a training session without aggravating the elbow injury he suffered during the victory over Scotland last weekend. Mike Tindall, who would much prefer to keep a low profile just at the moment, did not train at all, however, and there is no guarantee that the much-maligned centre will recover from a dead leg in time for the quarter-final meeting with France at Eden Park in three days' time.

After the frank and forthright encounter with the Scots, the concern over Wilkinson was greater than that over his midfield partner – especially as it was initially feared that the outside-half had suffered another of the shoulder problems that made his life such a misery after the 2003 triumph. However, it subsequently emerged that the issue had nothing to do with his shoulder at all, and that Tindall, who appeared to be trodden on by his back-line colleague Delon Armitage, was the more damaged of the two.

Once again, the former champions found themselves on the disciplinary back foot after confirming that another of their midfielders, the Leicester youngster Manu Tuilagi, had been fined ￡5,000 for wearing a gumshield bearing a sponsor's logo, in defiance of the stringent regulations on advertising imposed by tournament organisers petrified of upsetting their own blue-chip backers. It was hardly a hanging offence: set against the long list of other English misdemeanours – harassment of a chambermaid in Dunedin, drunken behaviour in Queenstown, suspensions on and off the field – Tuilagi's behaviour might almost have been described as innocent. All the same, it was another thing that needed sorting.
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Tuilagi's brother Alesana, who represented the family's native Samoa in this competition, had a similar punishment imposed last week. Given that there are half a dozen rugby-playing siblings, it might be worth the International Rugby Board fining all of them, just for the hell of it. That way, they might offset some of the financial losses they will suffer as a result of holding this World Cup in New Zealand.

Not that Tuilagi the younger seemed particularly miffed yesterday. He was highly impressed by the news that his brother's fine had effectively been paid by Samoan supporters living in New Zealand. "That's awesome," he remarked, before explaining that his own gumshield was an old England Under-18s issue, with a sponsor's brand stamped on it. Having been caught wearing it in the second pool game against Georgia, he used a marker pen to rub out the offending detail before the match with Romania six days later.

A number of players from a variety of countries are thought to have fallen foul of this rule, although the International Rugby Board refuses to confirm the number, claiming that it is up to individual governing bodies to divulge information about such fines as and when they wish. On the basis that nothing stays quiet for long – a fact of rugby life that continues to elude the tournament organisers, despite repeated leaks of information they would rather keep to themselves – it is difficult to understand why they continue in this vein. Next chairman of the IRB? Step forward, King Canute.

And, of course, the players keep on talking. Yesterday it was Shontayne Hape's turn among the England squad to play down the off-pitch controversies that have dogged them. At least Hape had the sense of perspective, absent among certain of his fellow squad members, to admit that "a couple of the guys have let the squad down", before adding that "it's not like anyone killed anyone. We want to focus on rugby now."

Focusing on rugby, England, who name their side for the quarter-final tomorrow, restricted themselves to light training yesterday. Conversely, the French went full tilt, at the request of the players themselves, who, according to the loose forward Imanol Harinordoquy, were keen to rid themselves of the lingering anger and frustration arising from the shock defeat by Tonga in Wellington last weekend. "There might be some collisions and some stitches, but that won't be a bad thing," the Biarritz player said. "We need to release some feelings inside us."

Marc Lièvremont, the head coach, has retained faith in the body of the side that went apex-over-base at the weekend: even Aurélien Rougerie, the centre, has been named, despite the fact he is struggling with a shoulder injury and will have to pass a fitness test on Friday if he is to take his place in the team. If the Clermont Auvergne midfielder is ruled out, David Marty of Perpignan will probably take his place.

Johnson, meanwhile, has midfield decisions of his own to make – especially if Tindall's condition fails to improve. Toby Flood, clearly worth a start somewhere on the evidence of his tournament to date, ran at inside centre during yesterday's training. Meanwhile, James Haskell performed the No 8 duties, although Nick Easter is considered well in the frame for a recall.