Reuter site - RIM bets the house on QNX

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RIM bets the house on QNX

Mon, Dec 05 16:48 PM EST

By Alastair Sharp

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion, facing analyst stock price target downgrades after its steep profit warning on Friday, is willing to absorb huge losses on its unloved PlayBook because the success or failure of the tablet are key to RIM's hopes of revitalizing its BlackBerry.

PlayBook is RIM's poor-selling entry into the tablet market created by Apple's iPad, and is crucial to RIM's efforts to move to a new operating system that will power BlackBerry smartphones from early next year.

Since PlayBook is the first device to feature the QNX system - soon to be renamed BBX - the company can't abandon the tablet, analysts say.

"QNX is important not because the tablet itself is important but because they have to attract developers to this platform because it's the pathway to BBX and obviously BBX is crucially important to the company's future," Morgan Keegan analyst Tavis McCourt said in a telephone interview.

"This is their last shot, their only real shot to revive the business."

The need to stick with the PlayBook while it makes QNX/BBX work has forced RIM to offer heavy discounts on unsold PlayBooks. On Friday it announced a $485 million pre-tax writedown on the inventory and said full-year profit would not meet earlier forecasts.

Getting QNX right has been no simple task, and analysts worry RIM's evident struggle to make the software work with legacy systems to handle email or run Android apps bodes ill for the next round of BlackBerries.

"Investors may be underestimating what it will take to transition to BBX - that's still a big unknown," Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu said in a phone interview.

On Friday, RIM said it had sold just 150,000 PlayBooks - one for every 74 iPads sold by Apple in its last quarter.

RIM also needs to get the BBX-powered BlackBerry up and running as soon as possible. Last week it said it expects to ship fewer BlackBerry smartphones in the three months to early March than in the previous quarter, implying weak demand for the latest phones powered by its legacy operating system.

"BlackBerry 7 is just not selling like it should," Morgan Keegan's McCourt said, referring to that latest line. "The fundamentals will be tough until BBX launches."

The once-dominant Canadian smartphone company's share price and U.S. market share have shriveled as consumers flock to Apple devices and others using Google's Android software.

The BlackBerry sales data is "further underscoring (RIM's) current lack of competitive edge and its urgent need to accelerate the migration to QNX-derived BBX," Exane BNP Paribas analyst Alexander Peterc wrote in a note to clients.

But McCourt says RIM needs to make sure the BBX-equipped BlackBerry is ready before launching the product. "If BBX fails it's clearly over, so why would you rush that," he said.

UNSOLD STOCK

Nomura says RIM likely has a stockpile of at least 1 million unsold PlayBooks. The 7-inch device has no in-built email, lacks other standard functions and has a dearth of the kind of third-party applications that help sell rival devices.

RIM had hoped to get some Android apps to run on the PlayBook by the North American summer, but it has delayed that until a February software upgrade that will link the device to RIM's private network, which suffered a massive failure in October.

"The company seems to be mis-executing in hardware, software and service - the entire operation," wrote Deutsche Bank analyst Brian Modoff wrote.

At least four brokerages cut their price targets on RIM's U.S.-listed stock on Monday.

CIBC slashed its price target $25 from $55, while Nomura cut its target to $18.90 from $26. "This is the highest price we think any financial bidder is likely to offer in a take-over bid," it said. Speculation has been rife that RIM could be the target of a strategic buyout.

"An indefinite period of decline has now begun," analyst Matthew Robison at Wunderlich Securities said, cutting his price target on RIM's stock to $16 from $24.

After a plunge of almost 10 percent on Friday, RIM's Nasdaq-listed shares closed 1.5 percent higher at $17.02 on Monday. Its Toronto-listed stock gained 1.3 percent to C$17.30. The stock has lost more than 70 percent of its value this year. ($1 = 1.0131 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting By Alastair Sharp; Editing by Frank McGurty)

Reuter site - RIM caps dismal year with another profit warning

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RIM caps dismal year with another profit warning

Fri, Dec 02 11:58 AM EST

By Euan Rocha

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research in Motion capped an already dismal year with a steep profit warning on Friday, taking a huge charge to write down inventories on its languishing PlayBook tablet and sending its shares tumbling more than 8 percent.

Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM, the company whose ubiquitous BlackBerry virtually invented the smartphone, said it now no longer expects to meet its forecast for full-year adjusted earnings of $5.25 to $6.00 a share, due to the $360 million after-tax writedown on PlayBook inventories and a $50 million charge related to a damaging service outage in October.

RIM launched the PlayBook to unfavorable reviews in April, making it a late arrival to a new market segment where Apple's iPad had established an overwhelming dominance.

It slashed the price of the underwhelming device last month in an effort to drive up anemic sales. RIM sold only about 150,000 tablets in the third quarter, which ended November 26, down from 200,000 in the second quarter - a tiny fraction of the 11 million iPads that Apple sold in its latest quarter.

"RIM is continuing to suffer from its Playbook endeavors," said CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber. "It hurt RIM initially by diverting focus, but muted demand is now becoming clearly visible in the financials."

RIM, which launched its first BlackBerry in 1999, has rapidly fallen out of favor with investors as it struggled to keep pace in the rapidly evolving smartphone market it once pioneered.

In recent months, Apple's iPhone and Google Android devices have gobbled up RIM's once mighty market share.

The one-time technology darling has also been plagued with a series of product missteps and profit warnings, as well as an embarrassing global outage for its BlackBerry network in October, when customers were stranded without e-mail and the popular BlackBerry messaging service for several days.

RIM shares fell 8.7 percent to $16.97 by late morning, and the stock is down more than 70 percent this year. Its Canadian-listed shares fell 8.4 percent to C$17.24, hovering around seven-year lows.

The meltdown in RIM's stock price has actually prompted some analysts to raise their ratings on RIM, with Goldman Sachs contending that the current valuation already fairly captures the fundamental concerns. Speculation has also been rife that RIM could be the target of a strategic buyout.

FULL YEAR EARNINGS

"The severe outage in October did little for consumer confidence and undoubtedly dented sales during that time," said Blaber.

RIM had previously forecast full-year earnings of $7.50 a share, but it backed away from that forecast in mid-June, due to product delays and lackluster sales.

Bernstein Research analyst Pierre Ferragu said the latest cuts come as no surprise.

"What is more worrying, of course, is the profound denial the tone of the release reflects. Although it appears obvious to us that RIM's current strategy is bound to fail rapidly, the company continues to support it vehemently," he said.

"We can only hope that this increasing dissonance will accelerate necessary changes at the top of the company."

Excluding the two charges, RIM now expects adjusted earnings in the third-quarter to be at the low to mid-point of its previously forecast $1.20 to $1.40 per share range.

Revenue, excluding the outage charge, is expected to be slightly lower than the previously forecast range of $5.3 billion to $5.6 billion, in part because of the PlayBook discounting, which it plans to expand.

RIM, which is still finalizing its quarterly results, said it shipped about 14.1 million BlackBerry phones in the third quarter, in line with its earlier forecast of between 13.5 and 14.5 million.

The company, which will report its quarterly results on December 15, said it was confident the PlayBook promotion will help boost sales and reduce its inventories.

"RIM is committed to the BlackBerry PlayBook," Co-Chief Executive Mike Lazaridis said in a statement. "Early results from recent PlayBook promotions indicate a significant increase in demand across most channels."

RIM said it expects to ship fewer smartphones in the current quarter than in the recently-ended third quarter.

"We do not see any sign that RIM's downward spiral is about to bottom out. The company has a number of new phones on the market, yet guidance for Q4 suggests that their momentum is already starting to stall," Nomura analyst Stuart Jeffrey said in a note for clients.

(Reporting By Euan Rocha and Alastair Sharp in Toronto and Tarmo Virki in Helsinki; Editing by Frank McGurty and Janet Guttsman)

Reuter site - RIM to offer security features for iPhone, Android

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RIM to offer security features for iPhone, Android

Tue, Nov 29 16:54 PM EST

By Alastair Sharp

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion is introducing a software tool that gives corporate customers the option of linking employees' personal iPhones to the BlackBerry network without compromising security.

The move, announced on Tuesday, is RIM's first tangible acknowledgment that it has lost its iron grip on the corporate smartphone market and must accommodate the growing preference of workers for Apple and Google's Android devices. Its battered shares jumped on the announcement.

"It's not an admission of guilt - it's a necessary evil," Suquehanna analyst Jeff Fidacaro said.

RIM's Mobile Fusion service is designed to give the Canadian company the leading role in managing corporate communications, whether over the BlackBerry or a rival device.

"What our enterprise customers are looking for, and the opportunity for us, is to become the de facto platform," Alan Panezic, RIM's vice-president for enterprise product management, said in an interview ahead of the announcement.

Taking a first, tentative step to offer its network services independently of its own devices, the company could develop a fresh source of revenue to offset a shrinking market share in handsets.

Indeed, success with the strategy could encourage RIM to focus more and more on services rather than devices.

RIM's often-volatile stock closed 5.4 percent higher at $17.37 on Nasdaq and up 5.5 percent at C$17.95 in Toronto. It still down more than 70 percent this year following a string of delayed or botched product launches, and disappointing quarterly results.

RIM's BlackBerry was for years the preferred device for businesses and government agencies, who treasured its encrypted data and distributed the device to millions of workers needing secure, round-the-clock email access.

But many workers now prefer using their own Apple and Android-powered devices to access corporate emails, raising security questions for corporations, which RIM hopes to address with the new software.

"While a positive step, the larger challenges remain RIM's need to narrow competitive gaps in its handsets," RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky wrote in a note to clients. He pointed to RIM's software deficiencies and limited content and applications available on its devices.

RIM's slice of the lucrative U.S. smartphone market fell to 9 percent in the third quarter, down from 24 percent a year earlier, according to research firm Canalys. Globally, the report placed RIM in fifth place, with 10 percent market share, compared with 15 percent a year earlier.

DUE BY LATE MARCH

Mobile Fusion, due in late March, will allow corporate information technology staff to set and monitor rules for passwords, apps and software on a range of devices, including Apple's iPad and iPhone, and smartphones using the Android operating system.

A company can remotely lock or wipe a lost or stolen device, a key selling point for security-conscious corporations that may have been wary of shifting away from the BlackBerry.

"We will take full advantage of whatever security capabilities are provided by the core operating system. We're not going to hold that back in any way, shape or form," Panezic said.

Mobile Fusion will include and extend existing BlackBerry Enterprise Servers, or BES, behind corporate firewalls.

Panezic said the software will manage RIM's PlayBook independently from a BlackBerry after the tablet - which has yet to gain traction with either businesses or consumers - receives a long-awaited software upgrade, due in February.

He declined to give any pricing details for the Fusion service, but said it would be competitive with rivals.

"It will help stem the tide of those companies that may have considered eliminating their BES but it won't help sell more phones," said Gartner analyst Phillip Redman. "That's what they really need to do."

"RATTLE SOME CAGES"

RIM has recently launched touchscreen devices using its legacy BlackBerry operating system as it works to put the QNX software powering the PlayBook on to a new generation of phones from early next year.

The new software follows on from the acquisition of device management company Ubitexx, which RIM announced in May.

Smaller companies such as Good Technology, MobileIron and BoxTone already offer device management as companies fret about leakage of sensitive commercial information via their workers' personal, non-BlackBerry devices.

"This will definitely rattle some cages" among firms that filled a niche by securing and managing iPhones and other non-BlackBerry devices for corporations, Forrester analyst Christian Kane said.

Panezic said customers had requested a solution to handle Apple and Android devices, but RIM would consider adding support for other systems, such as Microsoft's Windows Phone, if it saw enough demand.

($1=$1.03 Canadian)

(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; editing by Frank McGurty)

Reuter site - Hackers jailbreak RIM's PlayBook

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Hackers jailbreak RIM's PlayBook

Wed, Nov 30 15:31 PM EST

TORONTO (Reuters) - Three hackers say they have exploited a vulnerability in Research In Motion's PlayBook tablet to gain root access to the device, a claim that could damage the BlackBerry maker's hard-won reputation for security.

Root access means a user has permission to alter any file or program on a device and can control hardware functions.

In a response to queries, RIM said it is investigating the claim, and if a "jailbreak" is confirmed will release a patch to plug the hole.

The three hackers - who identify themselves as xpvqs, neuralic and Chris Wade - plan to release their data within a week as a tool called DingleBerry.

Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems are frequently attacked by users who want to run programs that have not been authorized by the manufacturers, but breaches of RIM's software are more rare.

The PlayBook runs on a different operating system than RIM's current BlackBerry smartphones. However, the QNX system will be incorporated into its smartphones starting next year.

The PlayBook in July became the first tablet device to win a security certification approving it for U.S. government use.

In a video posted on YouTube, Wade shows the DingleBerry tool allowing the PlayBook to access the Internet video service Hulu, which is not currently available on RIM's tablet.

Hulu, a service from Comcast's NBC Universal, News Corp's Fox and Walt Disney Co's ABC, blocks all mobile browsers by default and has yet to offer an app for the PlayBook.

A second video showed neuralic typing commands into a computer to turn the PlayBook's LED indicators on and off.

A source told Reuters that RIM had previously closed a PlayBook vulnerability that allowed a pre-loaded racing game to force a user to watch an introductory video.

(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; editing by Rob Wilson)

Reuter site - Factbox: Five facts about Research In Motion

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Factbox: Five facts about Research In Motion

Fri, Dec 02 08:43 AM EST

(Reuters) - Research In Motion's PlayBook tablet computer, which went on sale last April, is the Canadian company's biggest foray outside the smartphone business since launching the iconic BlackBerry in 1999.

Here are five facts about RIM:

* Mike Lazaridis co-founded Research In Motion with a school friend while studying at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. He left school months before graduating as contracts flowed in for the startup. The university later gave him an honorary degree.

* The level of encryption used in BlackBerrys has made them de rigor devices for governments and corporations sending sensitive information while out of the office. It has also drawn the ire of countries, including India and the United Arab Emirates, which have demanded access to the system.

* U.S. President Barack Obama is a BlackBerry aficionado who fought the Secret Service to keep a Spartan version of the device once he stepped into the Oval Office.

* RIM's main campus is a 90-minute drive from Toronto and minutes from Lazaridis' alma mater. It is also near a sizable Mennonite community that eschews many modern conveniences.

* RIM's PlayBook runs on an operating system from QNX Software, a company RIM bought after realizing it ran almost all the infotainment systems in automobiles (as well as nuclear reactors, Internet routers and the U.S. postal service). (Reporting by Alastair Sharp; editing by Janet Guttsman)

Reuter site - RIM to offer security features for iPhone, Android

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RIM to offer security features for iPhone, Android

Tue, Nov 29 16:54 PM EST

By Alastair Sharp

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion is introducing a software tool that gives corporate customers the option of linking employees' personal iPhones to the BlackBerry network without compromising security.

The move, announced on Tuesday, is RIM's first tangible acknowledgment that it has lost its iron grip on the corporate smartphone market and must accommodate the growing preference of workers for Apple and Google's Android devices. Its battered shares jumped on the announcement.

"It's not an admission of guilt - it's a necessary evil," Suquehanna analyst Jeff Fidacaro said.

RIM's Mobile Fusion service is designed to give the Canadian company the leading role in managing corporate communications, whether over the BlackBerry or a rival device.

"What our enterprise customers are looking for, and the opportunity for us, is to become the de facto platform," Alan Panezic, RIM's vice-president for enterprise product management, said in an interview ahead of the announcement.

Taking a first, tentative step to offer its network services independently of its own devices, the company could develop a fresh source of revenue to offset a shrinking market share in handsets.

Indeed, success with the strategy could encourage RIM to focus more and more on services rather than devices.

RIM's often-volatile stock closed 5.4 percent higher at $17.37 on Nasdaq and up 5.5 percent at C$17.95 in Toronto. It still down more than 70 percent this year following a string of delayed or botched product launches, and disappointing quarterly results.

RIM's BlackBerry was for years the preferred device for businesses and government agencies, who treasured its encrypted data and distributed the device to millions of workers needing secure, round-the-clock email access.

But many workers now prefer using their own Apple and Android-powered devices to access corporate emails, raising security questions for corporations, which RIM hopes to address with the new software.

"While a positive step, the larger challenges remain RIM's need to narrow competitive gaps in its handsets," RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky wrote in a note to clients. He pointed to RIM's software deficiencies and limited content and applications available on its devices.

RIM's slice of the lucrative U.S. smartphone market fell to 9 percent in the third quarter, down from 24 percent a year earlier, according to research firm Canalys. Globally, the report placed RIM in fifth place, with 10 percent market share, compared with 15 percent a year earlier.

DUE BY LATE MARCH

Mobile Fusion, due in late March, will allow corporate information technology staff to set and monitor rules for passwords, apps and software on a range of devices, including Apple's iPad and iPhone, and smartphones using the Android operating system.

A company can remotely lock or wipe a lost or stolen device, a key selling point for security-conscious corporations that may have been wary of shifting away from the BlackBerry.

"We will take full advantage of whatever security capabilities are provided by the core operating system. We're not going to hold that back in any way, shape or form," Panezic said.

Mobile Fusion will include and extend existing BlackBerry Enterprise Servers, or BES, behind corporate firewalls.

Panezic said the software will manage RIM's PlayBook independently from a BlackBerry after the tablet - which has yet to gain traction with either businesses or consumers - receives a long-awaited software upgrade, due in February.

He declined to give any pricing details for the Fusion service, but said it would be competitive with rivals.

"It will help stem the tide of those companies that may have considered eliminating their BES but it won't help sell more phones," said Gartner analyst Phillip Redman. "That's what they really need to do."

"RATTLE SOME CAGES"

RIM has recently launched touchscreen devices using its legacy BlackBerry operating system as it works to put the QNX software powering the PlayBook on to a new generation of phones from early next year.

The new software follows on from the acquisition of device management company Ubitexx, which RIM announced in May.

Smaller companies such as Good Technology, MobileIron and BoxTone already offer device management as companies fret about leakage of sensitive commercial information via their workers' personal, non-BlackBerry devices.

"This will definitely rattle some cages" among firms that filled a niche by securing and managing iPhones and other non-BlackBerry devices for corporations, Forrester analyst Christian Kane said.

Panezic said customers had requested a solution to handle Apple and Android devices, but RIM would consider adding support for other systems, such as Microsoft's Windows Phone, if it saw enough demand.

($1=$1.03 Canadian)

(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; editing by Frank McGurty)

CNN - Syracuse basketball coach fired amid sex abuse investigation

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Syracuse basketball coach fired amid sex abuse investigation

Syracuse University has fired Bernie Fine as an assistant men's basketball coach, the school announced Sunday night, hours after new reports arose regarding his alleged sexual abuse of boys.

"At the direction of Chancellor Cantor, Bernie Fine's employment with Syracuse University has been terminated, effective immediately," university Senior Vice President Kevin Quinn said in a statement, referring to Syracuse Chancellor Nancy Cantor.

Fine was placed on administrative leave earlier this month, after former Syracuse ball boy Bobby Davis and his stepbrother, Mike Lang, accused him of molesting them. The university in announcing Fine's leave earlier this month noted it had conducted its own investigation in 2005 and was "unable to find any corroboration of the allegations."

"The events of the past week have shaken us all," Cantor said in a statement Sunday. "No other witnesses came forward during the university investigation (in 2005), and those who felt they knew Bernie best could not imagine what has unfolded."

Syracuse men's basketball head coach Jim Boeheim said in a statement Sunday night that he believed "the university took the appropriate step" in firing Fine, his assistant coach the past 35 years.

"The allegations that have come forth today are disturbing and deeply troubling. I am personally very shocked because I have never witnessed any of the activities that have been alleged," said Boeheim, who days earlier said Fine had his "full support." "I deeply regret any statements I made that might have inhibited that from occurring or been insensitive to victims of abuse."

The news of Fine's firing came the same day that the Syracuse-based Post-Standard newspaper and ESPN both reported the existence of a recording of a 2002 phone conversation that they said Davis had recorded between him and the coach's wife.

What did Fine's wife know?

Davis provided the recording to the Post-Standard soon after it was recorded, but the newspaper then declined to report on it because it couldn't find "witnesses, enough corroborating evidence or a second accuser."

The wife, Laurie Fine, at the time suggested to the Post-Standard that Davis had taped her on multiple occasions and edited the recordings to make them appear more inflammatory.

In the tape, a woman -- which ESPN, citing experts, claims was Laurie Fine -- said she knew "everything that went on" with her husband, adding that "he thinks he's above the law."

"Bernie has issues ... and you trusted somebody you shouldn't," the woman said, speaking to Davis.

The woman appears to acknowledge an inappropriate sexual relationship between Davis and Bernie Fine, saying, "It's just wrong and you were a kid." She also said that her husband should "find (himself) a gay boy, get your rocks off."

Repeated calls by CNN to Laurie Fine were unanswered Sunday, and no one answered repeated knocks on the door of her house.

Cantor, the Syracuse chancellor, said the school did not know of the recording during its 2005 investigation.

Bernie Fine's attorneys, Donald Martin and Karl Sleight, released a statement Sunday -- hours before their client's firing was announced -- declining to comment on the reports.

"Any comment from (Fine) would only invite and perpetuate ancient and suspect claims," the lawyers said. "Mr. Fine remains hopeful of a credible and expeditious review of the relevant issues by law enforcement authorities."

The embattled coach appeared to be getting some support as evidenced by a sign outside his home that read: "We believe in your innocence Bernie. We love you!"

On Friday, the Secret Service joined local law enforcement to search Fine's home, according to John Duncan, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in New York's northern district.

File cabinets were among the items taken from the home after the search warrant was issued, though Duncan declined to discuss what authorities were looking for.

Duncan noted that the Secret Service's duties include "investigations into crimes involving electronic transactions." The Secret Service did not comment Sunday on the probe.

Davis, a former Syracuse ball boy who is now 39, told ESPN earlier this month that Fine molested him "hundreds of times" over the course of 16 years, starting from when he was in the fifth or sixth grade.

He told university officials six years ago that he informed Syracuse police that he had been "subjected to inappropriate contact by an associate men's basketball coach" during the 1980s and 1990s, according to an earlier statement from Quinn, the school spokesman.

Police had told Davis years ago that they would not pursue the case because the statute of limitations had expired, Quinn said in a statement.

On Sunday, another man -- Zachary Tomaselli, now 23 -- told CNN that he also was abused by Fine while in a hotel room in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he'd gone to watch a Syracuse game.

The incident happened about a decade ago, when he traveled by himself a few months after he'd met Fine, Tomaselli said.

He claimed that the coach "put his hand down my shorts" as he was watching TV, adding Fine allegedly did so "four or five times."

Tomaselli said that he agreed with Syracuse's decision to fire Fine, adding the school also owed an apology to the coach's alleged victims.

The accuser's father, Fred Tomaselli, claimed that while he and his son had sat in "nose-bleed" seats during Syracuse games, they'd never met Fine. Moreover, he said the boy never stayed overnight in a hotel room with Fine, nor had he ever been brought to Pittsburgh or gone to a game there.

The father said that Zachary Tomaselli's allegation is completely "100% false," suggesting that his son needed help and calling him a "master manipulator." The father and son are estranged.

Davis' stepbrother, Mike Lang, 45, has also accused Fine of sexual abuse. Lang told ESPN earlier this month that Fine molested him "15 to 20 times," and confirmed the abuse to CNN in a phone interview Sunday.

While he said that he often found himself "pushing (Fine's) hand away," Lang said that his stepbrother suffered much more than he did.

He described Bernie Fine as "like a father figure" to both he and Bobby Davis, noting the two then-teenagers attended Bernie's wedding to Laurie 26 years ago.

Lang said his "hands started shaking" when he heard the apparent voice of Laurie Fine -- as broadcast this weekend on ESPN -- talking to his stepbrother about the alleged abuse.

Thirty minutes after the story broke earlier this fall about former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of sexually abusing boys over a span of 14 years, Bobby Davis texted his stepbrother. Lang said the text read: "'This is what happened to me.'"

Lang's accusation, made after the Sandusky scandal broke, kick-started the reopened police investigation November 17.

Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick has harshly criticized Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler and Deputy Chief Sean Broton over the handling of a 2002 probe of Fine that began with Davis' allegation.

Fitzpatrick filed subpoenas for records in the 2002 and current investigations that he said he should readily have access to.

A 1967 graduate of Syracuse, where he'd been a student manager for the basketball team, Fine rejoined the program nine years later as an assistant coach under Boeheim.

Prior to his dismissal, he'd been with the Orange ever since -- the longest such streak for an assistant coach in Division I basketball, the school said.

According to his official biography, which was taken down from Syracuse's website on Sunday night, Fine "has been a tremendous advocate for SU alumni who want to play professional basketball" and "an active member of the Syracuse community."

Besides his wife, Laurie, he has a son and two daughters, the profile stated.

CNN - Syracuse basketball coach fired amid sex abuse investigation

Sent from bombastic4000@yahoo.com's mobile device from http://m.cnn.com.

Syracuse basketball coach fired amid sex abuse investigation

Syracuse University has fired Bernie Fine as an assistant men's basketball coach, the school announced Sunday night, hours after new reports arose regarding his alleged sexual abuse of boys.

"At the direction of Chancellor Cantor, Bernie Fine's employment with Syracuse University has been terminated, effective immediately," university Senior Vice President Kevin Quinn said in a statement, referring to Syracuse Chancellor Nancy Cantor.

Fine was placed on administrative leave earlier this month, after former Syracuse ball boy Bobby Davis and his stepbrother, Mike Lang, accused him of molesting them. The university in announcing Fine's leave earlier this month noted it had conducted its own investigation in 2005 and was "unable to find any corroboration of the allegations."

"The events of the past week have shaken us all," Cantor said in a statement Sunday. "No other witnesses came forward during the university investigation (in 2005), and those who felt they knew Bernie best could not imagine what has unfolded."

Syracuse men's basketball head coach Jim Boeheim said in a statement Sunday night that he believed "the university took the appropriate step" in firing Fine, his assistant coach the past 35 years.

"The allegations that have come forth today are disturbing and deeply troubling. I am personally very shocked because I have never witnessed any of the activities that have been alleged," said Boeheim, who days earlier said Fine had his "full support." "I deeply regret any statements I made that might have inhibited that from occurring or been insensitive to victims of abuse."

The news of Fine's firing came the same day that the Syracuse-based Post-Standard newspaper and ESPN both reported the existence of a recording of a 2002 phone conversation that they said Davis had recorded between him and the coach's wife.

What did Fine's wife know?

Davis provided the recording to the Post-Standard soon after it was recorded, but the newspaper then declined to report on it because it couldn't find "witnesses, enough corroborating evidence or a second accuser."

The wife, Laurie Fine, at the time suggested to the Post-Standard that Davis had taped her on multiple occasions and edited the recordings to make them appear more inflammatory.

In the tape, a woman -- which ESPN, citing experts, claims was Laurie Fine -- said she knew "everything that went on" with her husband, adding that "he thinks he's above the law."

"Bernie has issues ... and you trusted somebody you shouldn't," the woman said, speaking to Davis.

The woman appears to acknowledge an inappropriate sexual relationship between Davis and Bernie Fine, saying, "It's just wrong and you were a kid." She also said that her husband should "find (himself) a gay boy, get your rocks off."

Repeated calls by CNN to Laurie Fine were unanswered Sunday, and no one answered repeated knocks on the door of her house.

Cantor, the Syracuse chancellor, said the school did not know of the recording during its 2005 investigation.

Bernie Fine's attorneys, Donald Martin and Karl Sleight, released a statement Sunday -- hours before their client's firing was announced -- declining to comment on the reports.

"Any comment from (Fine) would only invite and perpetuate ancient and suspect claims," the lawyers said. "Mr. Fine remains hopeful of a credible and expeditious review of the relevant issues by law enforcement authorities."

The embattled coach appeared to be getting some support as evidenced by a sign outside his home that read: "We believe in your innocence Bernie. We love you!"

On Friday, the Secret Service joined local law enforcement to search Fine's home, according to John Duncan, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in New York's northern district.

File cabinets were among the items taken from the home after the search warrant was issued, though Duncan declined to discuss what authorities were looking for.

Duncan noted that the Secret Service's duties include "investigations into crimes involving electronic transactions." The Secret Service did not comment Sunday on the probe.

Davis, a former Syracuse ball boy who is now 39, told ESPN earlier this month that Fine molested him "hundreds of times" over the course of 16 years, starting from when he was in the fifth or sixth grade.

He told university officials six years ago that he informed Syracuse police that he had been "subjected to inappropriate contact by an associate men's basketball coach" during the 1980s and 1990s, according to an earlier statement from Quinn, the school spokesman.

Police had told Davis years ago that they would not pursue the case because the statute of limitations had expired, Quinn said in a statement.

On Sunday, another man -- Zachary Tomaselli, now 23 -- told CNN that he also was abused by Fine while in a hotel room in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he'd gone to watch a Syracuse game.

The incident happened about a decade ago, when he traveled by himself a few months after he'd met Fine, Tomaselli said.

He claimed that the coach "put his hand down my shorts" as he was watching TV, adding Fine allegedly did so "four or five times."

Tomaselli said that he agreed with Syracuse's decision to fire Fine, adding the school also owed an apology to the coach's alleged victims.

The accuser's father, Fred Tomaselli, claimed that while he and his son had sat in "nose-bleed" seats during Syracuse games, they'd never met Fine. Moreover, he said the boy never stayed overnight in a hotel room with Fine, nor had he ever been brought to Pittsburgh or gone to a game there.

The father said that Zachary Tomaselli's allegation is completely "100% false," suggesting that his son needed help and calling him a "master manipulator." The father and son are estranged.

Davis' stepbrother, Mike Lang, 45, has also accused Fine of sexual abuse. Lang told ESPN earlier this month that Fine molested him "15 to 20 times," and confirmed the abuse to CNN in a phone interview Sunday.

While he said that he often found himself "pushing (Fine's) hand away," Lang said that his stepbrother suffered much more than he did.

He described Bernie Fine as "like a father figure" to both he and Bobby Davis, noting the two then-teenagers attended Bernie's wedding to Laurie 26 years ago.

Lang said his "hands started shaking" when he heard the apparent voice of Laurie Fine -- as broadcast this weekend on ESPN -- talking to his stepbrother about the alleged abuse.

Thirty minutes after the story broke earlier this fall about former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of sexually abusing boys over a span of 14 years, Bobby Davis texted his stepbrother. Lang said the text read: "'This is what happened to me.'"

Lang's accusation, made after the Sandusky scandal broke, kick-started the reopened police investigation November 17.

Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick has harshly criticized Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler and Deputy Chief Sean Broton over the handling of a 2002 probe of Fine that began with Davis' allegation.

Fitzpatrick filed subpoenas for records in the 2002 and current investigations that he said he should readily have access to.

A 1967 graduate of Syracuse, where he'd been a student manager for the basketball team, Fine rejoined the program nine years later as an assistant coach under Boeheim.

Prior to his dismissal, he'd been with the Orange ever since -- the longest such streak for an assistant coach in Division I basketball, the school said.

According to his official biography, which was taken down from Syracuse's website on Sunday night, Fine "has been a tremendous advocate for SU alumni who want to play professional basketball" and "an active member of the Syracuse community."

Besides his wife, Laurie, he has a son and two daughters, the profile stated.

CNN - Syracuse basketball coach fired amid sex abuse investigation

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Syracuse basketball coach fired amid sex abuse investigation

Syracuse University has fired Bernie Fine as an assistant men's basketball coach, the school announced Sunday night, hours after new reports arose regarding his alleged sexual abuse of boys.

"At the direction of Chancellor Cantor, Bernie Fine's employment with Syracuse University has been terminated, effective immediately," university Senior Vice President Kevin Quinn said in a statement, referring to Syracuse Chancellor Nancy Cantor.

Fine was placed on administrative leave earlier this month, after former Syracuse ball boy Bobby Davis and his stepbrother, Mike Lang, accused him of molesting them. The university in announcing Fine's leave earlier this month noted it had conducted its own investigation in 2005 and was "unable to find any corroboration of the allegations."

"The events of the past week have shaken us all," Cantor said in a statement Sunday. "No other witnesses came forward during the university investigation (in 2005), and those who felt they knew Bernie best could not imagine what has unfolded."

Syracuse men's basketball head coach Jim Boeheim said in a statement Sunday night that he believed "the university took the appropriate step" in firing Fine, his assistant coach the past 35 years.

"The allegations that have come forth today are disturbing and deeply troubling. I am personally very shocked because I have never witnessed any of the activities that have been alleged," said Boeheim, who days earlier said Fine had his "full support." "I deeply regret any statements I made that might have inhibited that from occurring or been insensitive to victims of abuse."

The news of Fine's firing came the same day that the Syracuse-based Post-Standard newspaper and ESPN both reported the existence of a recording of a 2002 phone conversation that they said Davis had recorded between him and the coach's wife.

What did Fine's wife know?

Davis provided the recording to the Post-Standard soon after it was recorded, but the newspaper then declined to report on it because it couldn't find "witnesses, enough corroborating evidence or a second accuser."

The wife, Laurie Fine, at the time suggested to the Post-Standard that Davis had taped her on multiple occasions and edited the recordings to make them appear more inflammatory.

In the tape, a woman -- which ESPN, citing experts, claims was Laurie Fine -- said she knew "everything that went on" with her husband, adding that "he thinks he's above the law."

"Bernie has issues ... and you trusted somebody you shouldn't," the woman said, speaking to Davis.

The woman appears to acknowledge an inappropriate sexual relationship between Davis and Bernie Fine, saying, "It's just wrong and you were a kid." She also said that her husband should "find (himself) a gay boy, get your rocks off."

Repeated calls by CNN to Laurie Fine were unanswered Sunday, and no one answered repeated knocks on the door of her house.

Cantor, the Syracuse chancellor, said the school did not know of the recording during its 2005 investigation.

Bernie Fine's attorneys, Donald Martin and Karl Sleight, released a statement Sunday -- hours before their client's firing was announced -- declining to comment on the reports.

"Any comment from (Fine) would only invite and perpetuate ancient and suspect claims," the lawyers said. "Mr. Fine remains hopeful of a credible and expeditious review of the relevant issues by law enforcement authorities."

The embattled coach appeared to be getting some support as evidenced by a sign outside his home that read: "We believe in your innocence Bernie. We love you!"

On Friday, the Secret Service joined local law enforcement to search Fine's home, according to John Duncan, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in New York's northern district.

File cabinets were among the items taken from the home after the search warrant was issued, though Duncan declined to discuss what authorities were looking for.

Duncan noted that the Secret Service's duties include "investigations into crimes involving electronic transactions." The Secret Service did not comment Sunday on the probe.

Davis, a former Syracuse ball boy who is now 39, told ESPN earlier this month that Fine molested him "hundreds of times" over the course of 16 years, starting from when he was in the fifth or sixth grade.

He told university officials six years ago that he informed Syracuse police that he had been "subjected to inappropriate contact by an associate men's basketball coach" during the 1980s and 1990s, according to an earlier statement from Quinn, the school spokesman.

Police had told Davis years ago that they would not pursue the case because the statute of limitations had expired, Quinn said in a statement.

On Sunday, another man -- Zachary Tomaselli, now 23 -- told CNN that he also was abused by Fine while in a hotel room in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he'd gone to watch a Syracuse game.

The incident happened about a decade ago, when he traveled by himself a few months after he'd met Fine, Tomaselli said.

He claimed that the coach "put his hand down my shorts" as he was watching TV, adding Fine allegedly did so "four or five times."

Tomaselli said that he agreed with Syracuse's decision to fire Fine, adding the school also owed an apology to the coach's alleged victims.

The accuser's father, Fred Tomaselli, claimed that while he and his son had sat in "nose-bleed" seats during Syracuse games, they'd never met Fine. Moreover, he said the boy never stayed overnight in a hotel room with Fine, nor had he ever been brought to Pittsburgh or gone to a game there.

The father said that Zachary Tomaselli's allegation is completely "100% false," suggesting that his son needed help and calling him a "master manipulator." The father and son are estranged.

Davis' stepbrother, Mike Lang, 45, has also accused Fine of sexual abuse. Lang told ESPN earlier this month that Fine molested him "15 to 20 times," and confirmed the abuse to CNN in a phone interview Sunday.

While he said that he often found himself "pushing (Fine's) hand away," Lang said that his stepbrother suffered much more than he did.

He described Bernie Fine as "like a father figure" to both he and Bobby Davis, noting the two then-teenagers attended Bernie's wedding to Laurie 26 years ago.

Lang said his "hands started shaking" when he heard the apparent voice of Laurie Fine -- as broadcast this weekend on ESPN -- talking to his stepbrother about the alleged abuse.

Thirty minutes after the story broke earlier this fall about former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of sexually abusing boys over a span of 14 years, Bobby Davis texted his stepbrother. Lang said the text read: "'This is what happened to me.'"

Lang's accusation, made after the Sandusky scandal broke, kick-started the reopened police investigation November 17.

Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick has harshly criticized Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler and Deputy Chief Sean Broton over the handling of a 2002 probe of Fine that began with Davis' allegation.

Fitzpatrick filed subpoenas for records in the 2002 and current investigations that he said he should readily have access to.

A 1967 graduate of Syracuse, where he'd been a student manager for the basketball team, Fine rejoined the program nine years later as an assistant coach under Boeheim.

Prior to his dismissal, he'd been with the Orange ever since -- the longest such streak for an assistant coach in Division I basketball, the school said.

According to his official biography, which was taken down from Syracuse's website on Sunday night, Fine "has been a tremendous advocate for SU alumni who want to play professional basketball" and "an active member of the Syracuse community."

Besides his wife, Laurie, he has a son and two daughters, the profile stated.

CNN - Occupy Wall Street calls for a national day of action

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Occupy Wall Street calls for a national day of action

Occupy Wall Street protesters called for a national day of action and celebration on Thursday to mark the start of the movement two months ago.

A "Shut Down Wall Street" breakfast is scheduled for Thursday morning in a downtown park, just before the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange, according to the group's website.

In the afternoon, demonstrators plan to spread their message at 16 subway hubs throughout the city's five boroughs, the website says.

Occupy Wall Street protesters say they want Thursday to be a day of non-violent protests, although it comes a day after a demonstrator was arrested for making violent threats.

Nkrumah Tinsley, 29, was arrested for making terrorist threats and aggravated harassment on Wednesday evening in Zuccotti Park, where the movement was based, New York City police said.

Occupy roundup: Movement marks 2 months

Tinsley is seen in a YouTube video making threats toward a department store. "In a few days, you're going to see what a Molotov cocktail can do to Macy's," he said.

In another part of the video, Tinsley threatens to burn New York City to the ground on Thursday.

Wednesday's arrest is Tinsley's second in as many months. He was arrested on October 26 for assaulting a police officer.

About 200 Occupy Wall Street demonstrators were arrested on Wednesday, police said.