Man, dog join forces for new breed of philanthropy

LOS ANGELES — When Charlie Annenberg adopted an abandoned golden retriever named Lucky, a new breed of philanthropy was born.

Lucky was 4 in 2001 when he teamed up with Annenberg, scion to a wealthy family known for giving money away.

The 46-year-old Annenberg incorporated Lucky into all his projects. They were on the road more than they were home as they traveled around making documentaries about people who were making a difference.

Lucky became Annenberg's sidekick and soul mate and would eventually inspire donations to dog-focused causes from the as much as $8 million the philanthropist controls annually.

Whether it was a chef at The White House or coal miners 100 feet underground in West Virginia, Lucky made documentary interviews easy because he made everyone so comfortable. In each small town and big city, the man and dog would make unannounced stops at a retirement home, where Lucky would steal the show.

The workload for both grew with explore.org. Using state-of-the-art cameras, Annenberg brought wildlife (bears and bees and beluga whales) to stunning life for millions of web watchers. He and Lucky traveled to every installation in North America and everywhere they went, Annenberg filmed Lucky interacting with people and places.

At the Delta Blues Museum in Mississippi, Annenberg cut a harmonica-backed, spontaneous freestyle jazz tribute to Lucky.

"It doesn't matter what color your skin, man or woman, fat or thin. He loves them all, every day. His name is Lucky and he's my friend."

In 2010, Annenberg decided to use his Lucky photos and films for a travel journal on Facebook, telling the story of their trips.

Annenberg called the journal Dog Bless You, he said, because several years earlier Lucky had befriended a homeless man in San Francisco. They shared time and a sandwich with the man. As they were leaving, the man said: "Dog bless you."

The Facebook page was all about Lucky, but it captured the fervor for pets that was growing around the country. "Today we have an audience of 505,000 fans," said Courtney Johnson, explore.org's community relations manager.

When an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan in 2011, killing more than 18,000 people, Annenberg used Dog Bless You to send six search dogs.

Then war veterans started returning home in large numbers, with wounds including brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Passion for the cause on Dog Bless You soared. Dogs cost between $2,000 and $50,000 each, depending on how much training they need, Johnson said.

Annenberg, grandson of the late publisher, ambassador and philanthropist Walter H. Annenberg, is a vice president and director of the grant-making Annenberg Foundation. He gives away up to $8 million a year.

In just three years, he has donated 170 guide dogs, search-and-rescue dogs or service dogs for veterans.

The majority of the dogs funded by Annenberg have been for veterans. Because there are waiting lists at almost every training school and experts say thousands of veterans would benefit from a dog, Annenberg plans to accelerate the dog grant program.

Warrior Canine Connection in Brookeville, Md., is just one of the dog training schools Annenberg uses, but it's also one of the most unique because dogs are raised for, by and with veterans.

The latest group of nine puppies is even named after veterans, said Warrior Canine executive director Rick Yount. Called the "honor litter," they are Bre, Luke, Gavin, Leigh Ann, Derek, Nick, Florence, Cody and Stanley.

"It's a good way to say, 'We are not forgetting about your sacrifices.' And they (the namesakes) get to spend time with the puppies and get therapy themselves," Yount said.

Trained veterans teach the puppies for the first eight to 12 weeks. Then the dogs go live with volunteers from military or veteran's organizations. "By the time a dog is fully trained, over 500 vets and service members have been involved in getting it ready," Yount said.

"Hearing the stories of how these dogs help bring their humans out of the darkness is incredible. In some instances, having the companionship of a dog is what motivates them to keep going — it gives them a purpose and reason to get up in the morning," said Dog Bless You fan Rachel Nelken of Vancouver, British Columbia.

As Lucky aged and slowed down, the format of Dog Bless You changed, becoming a tribute to every dog. And Lucky had to retire from traveling.

Annenberg misses Lucky at work.

"He was my partner on all these trips," he said. "It's not the same. He would open the door and make me look good. People always stopped and petted him. Everyone wanted to keep Lucky, especially the coal miners. Isn't it interesting that every day was a new day for Lucky? And he just wanted to be petted? It's been a great ride."

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Judge refuses to suspend BP settlement payments

NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge has rejected BP's latest request to suspend settlement payments to Gulf Coast residents and businesses while a former FBI director leads an independent investigation of the program, which compensates victims of the company's 2010 oil spill.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier's order Wednesday says an internal probe by the claims administrator's office didn't find credible evidence of fraud involving employees of the settlement program's claims center in Mobile, Ala.

BP said it received a tip that someone who worked at the center helped people submit fraudulent claims in exchange for some of the settlement money.

In July, Barbier rejected an earlier request by BP to suspend payments after appointing former FBI director Louis Freeh to investigate possible misconduct by a lawyer who worked on the settlement program.

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Fonterra resumes operations in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — New Zealand diary giant Fonterra said Wednesday that it has resumed operations in Sri Lanka after temporarily closing its plant out of concern for the safety of its staff.

Operations in Colombo were temporarily halted to ensure the safety of about 755 employees after members and supporters of a government-allied political party held a protest near Fonterra's office, accusing the company of selling tainted milk.

I am now confident that our people are safe and the business is ready to resume operations and continue selling high quality dairy nutrition to Sri Lankan people," said Fonterra Chief Executive Theo Spierings in a statement posted on the company's web site.

Fonterra recalled infant formula earlier this month after announcing it discovered the presence of botulism bacteria in some of its products. The company has since retested the product and found it free of the bacteria.

Two weeks ago, a nurses' trade union won a court order forcing Fonterra to suspend sales and advertising of its products after Sri Lanka's Health Ministry said tests showed that some imported Fonterra milk products contained traces of the agricultural chemical dicyandiamide.

Health authorities asked Fonterra to recall the tainted batches from the market. The company says it complied.

The court lifted the suspension Friday.

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UK orders Ryanair to sell its stake in Aer Lingus

DUBLIN — British competition authorities have ordered Ryanair to sell its stake in Aer Lingus, a ruling that could deal a fatal blow to Ryanair's 7-year campaign to acquire its main Irish rival.

Ryanair vowed to appeal Wednesday's judgment by the United Kingdom Competition Commission. Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary called it "bizarre."

The commission ordered Ryanair to reduce its 30 percent holding in Aer Lingus to 5 percent to eliminate what it described as Ryanair's ability to "impede or prevent" Aer Lingus' acquisition by any other airline.

Ryanair has launched three failed takeover bids since Ireland's government privatized the state-owned airline in 2006.

Ryanair is Aer Lingus' largest shareholder, while the government has retained a 25 percent stake. The government says it's willing to sell its shares, but not to Ryanair.

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NBC trying to create big event with game

NEW YORK — A giant hourglass structure being built on the rooftop of an abandoned Manhattan car dealership may look like Godzilla's futuristic toy but instead represents NBC's hope for the television event of the season.

It's the set for "The Million Second Quiz," a prime-time competition with Ryan Seacrest as host that will play out over two weeks starting Sept. 9. Someone adept at trivia will win a $2 million prize on the Sept. 19 finale.

More than a game, the event is a peek into the future of broadcast television.

With the sources for quality content expanding along with the ability of viewers to watch when and how they want, showing big live events like football games and awards shows is becoming the most reliable way broadcast networks can draw a big crowd and distinguish themselves from rivals.

"The rewards of doing the same thing every day are relatively small in TV land these days," said Paul Telegdy, head of alternative and late-night programming at NBC Entertainment. "We have to be taking risks. We have to be doing things to scale. We have to do everything we can to energize the audience."

NBC moved quickly to build the show from scratch after Telegdy heard a pitch from executive producer Stephen Lambert last December. There's the physical structure, which includes a chamber for the top four players to stay day and night, and a duplicate indoor set in case of rain. Three truck trailers provide 600,000 watts of generator power.

Producers also needed to build the infrastructure of the game: composing nearly 25,000 quiz questions, processing applications for the estimated 800 to 1,000 participants in the round-the-clock contest, and building an app that allows people to play at home. The free tablet app became available two weeks ago; NBC won't say how many have been downloaded, but estimated that 4.5 million "bouts" have already been played online.

With the play-at-home app, NBC hopes to capture the imagination of people who have grown accustomed to watching television with a second screen open.

"If things play out the way we hope things play out, we could be changing the course of television" with the integration of digital and viewer participation, said David Hurwitz, an executive producer.

Seacrest is a big "get" for producers. Sure, the "American Idol" host seems to be everywhere, but his presence will signal to many viewers that "The Million Second Quiz" is worth checking out, Hurwitz said.

"It was something that really stood out to me as big and different and ambitious, something I had not truly done to this level before," Seacrest said. "I've hosted game shows in the past, but none to this caliber. I love the live event aspect of it."

During the prime-time broadcasts, local NBC personalities will arrive at the door of a person playing online somewhere in the country and send them to New York where they will play on TV the next night.

The game continues even when not on TV, and is designed to test speed and endurance. A player's goal is to stay in the "money chair," where the number of seconds they control the game corresponds to a cash prize. The chamber for top players includes cots and televisions because some of the quiz questions are plucked from the day's headlines.

Even though she'd never seen the game yet, one woman from Orlando, Fla., flew to New York to apply and waited outside the NBC Experience store all night, Hurwitz said.

"We've seen a different kind of contestant than we've seen in years past on different shows," said the former "Fear Factor" producer. "They're enthusiastic to be on TV and go for it, but they're also an intelligent group."

The event is timed for a two-week fallow period for television before the introduction of new fall programming and, if it works, will give NBC a platform to promote those shows. NBC isn't talking publicly about expectations. Telegdy would say only that he'd like to beat NBC's ratings for the same time slots a year ago, which seems relatively easy. His real hopes may been expressed in a conversation with the architect who helped turn an idea into the tons of steel and flashing lights rising into the sky of Manhattan's West Side.

"I said, 'You're spending an awful lot of money. I do hope we're going to use this thing several times over,'" he recalled.

If it does work, "The Million Second Quiz" will appear again as a special event, not a regular series. The design of the game — the million seconds — locks that format in, Telegdy said.

Success could also mean a potential conflict for Seacrest, who has a well-known TV commitment that sucks up his time during the winter and spring. "I haven't even crossed that bridge yet," he said.

___

Online:

http://www.nbc.com/million-second-quiz/

___

EDITOR'S NOTE — David Bauder can be reached at dbauder@ap.org or on Twitter @dbauder. His work can be found at http:bigstory.ap.org/content/david-bauder.

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RI judge OKs lawsuit against Schilling, others

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Most of a state agency's lawsuit against former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and executives at his failed video game company can move forward, a Rhode Island judge ruled Wednesday.

Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein issued a 99-page decision that allows the state Economic Development Corp. to go ahead with its lawsuit against Schilling, former 38 Studios executives, former EDC officials and others. The suit alleges fraud, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, racketeering and conspiracy and says the board was misled into approving a $75 million state loan guarantee for the company in 2010.

38 Studios filed for bankruptcy last year, leaving the state on the hook for more than $100 million.

With the decision, the EDC has now cleared the first major hurdle in pursuing potential claims against Schilling and others. Among other things, the lawsuit claims the defendants knew the company would run out of money by 2012, but concealed that from the EDC board, which made the final decision to back the deal.

The agency had used the loan guarantee to lure 38 Studios from Maynard, Mass., to Rhode Island, which has struggled for years with a bad economy and high unemployment.

The EDC sued in November, naming 14 defendants. Nine of those worked for the agency, including former Executive Director Keith Stokes and former Deputy Director Michael Saul, as well as its attorneys and financial advisers. Four of the defendants were executives or on the board at 38 Studios, including Schilling. The final defendant issued an insurance policy to 38 Studios.

All the defendants moved to dismiss the lawsuit, and the judge turned most of them down.

The suit doesn't seek a specific dollar amount but wants repayment of the $75 million in bonds that supported the deal. It seeks triple damages from some of the defendants, including Schilling.

In his ruling, Silverstein said the state can't immediately seek damages of the entire $75 million because it has not yet lost that much. The bonds are being repaid over time. But the judge said the state might have a claim for future losses once the money has been spent. He also said the EDC could sue for fees and salaries paid to the defendants and damage to its reputation and credit.

The General Assembly this year appropriated $2.5 million in payments on the bonds.

Max Wistow, a lawyer for the EDC, told The Associated Press he was "quite pleased" by the decision and was looking forward to moving ahead with the case. In court, Wistow has described a "fraudulent scheme" in which the defendants both withheld information and provided false information.

Schilling attorney Jeffrey Schreck declined to comment. Schilling has previously called the lawsuit political and denied any wrongdoing. He said at the time the suit was filed that the EDC's approval of the loan guarantee was made "with its eyes wide open and with full understanding of any risks."

Attorneys for Stokes and Saul argued they should be immune from liability under the "public duty" doctrine because they were public officials who were doing their jobs and following orders, but the judge ruled the doctrine doesn't apply in a case where an employer is suing an employee.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Sept. 13.

___

Associated Press writer Michelle R. Smith contributed to this report.

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1st US-made smartphone just as cheap to produce

NEW YORK — Motorola's new Moto X phone doesn't cost more to make simply because it's assembled in Texas, research firm IHS said Wednesday.

The Moto X is the first smartphone to carry the "Made in the U.S.A." designation. Labor costs are higher in the U.S. compared with Asian factories, where phones are typically made. But IHS said the Moto X is about 5 percent cheaper to make than Samsung Electronic Co.'s flagship Galaxy S4 phone. The firm said the Moto X's overall production cost is just 9 percent more than that of Apple's iPhone 5.

The findings come as little surprise, as the labor cost of a phone is just a small part of its production cost. IHS estimates that labor and other assembly costs Motorola $12 per phone for the Moto X, bringing the production cost to $226. That compares with $207 for the iPhone 5 and $237 for the Galaxy S4. IHS said Motorola is able to keep the cost of parts low by using standard components that don't break much new ground.

By assembling the phone in Fort Worth, Texas, Motorola is able to let customers order custom designs online for delivery within four days. Standard black or white models are available immediately at retail stores.

"With the Moto X, Motorola is reaping the public-relations and customization upsides of producing a smartphone in the United States, while maintaining competitive hardware costs," said Andrew Rassweiler, senior director for cost benchmarking services at IHS.

IHS said the estimated $12 for assembly is about $3.50 to $4 more than other leading phones.

"Our initial estimate suggests the additional costs of onshoring the Moto X are relatively low," IHS said.

The phone went on sale last Friday, starting with AT&T. It's coming to other carriers, including Verizon this week. The Moto X's price is about $200 with a two-year service agreement.

The Moto X is Motorola's first phone designed from the start under its new owner, Google Inc. The Internet search company bought Motorola Mobility for $12.4 billion last year.

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Nintendo cuts price of Wii U game console by $50

WASHINGTON — Nintendo Co. announced Wednesday that it is cutting the price of its Wii U video-game system as it braces for the fall release of competing consoles from Sony and Microsoft.

Nintendo will reduce the price of the Wii U deluxe set from $349.99 to $299.99, effective September 20. The company will also release a Wii U bundle featuring "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD," a remake of the 2003 game, that will also be available September 20 for $299.99.

The Wii U has struggled to find an audience. Nintendo sold 3.61 million of the consoles between the Wii U's launch last November and the end of June. The company aims to sell 9 million Wii U units over the fiscal year through March 2014.

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said in an interview that consumers who have bought the Wii U "love the system" but want more software. Nintendo's game releases for the rest of 2013 include "Super Mario 3D World," ''Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze," ''Wii Party U" and "Wii Fit U."

"As long as we create high-quality software we will be able to drive our business," Fils-Aime said. Regarding the price cut, he said: "Now is the right time to offer better value. This sets us up for a strong holiday season."

Sony's new console, the PlayStation 4, is due November 15 with a $399 price tag. Microsoft has not announced an exact launch date for its new Xbox One, which will cost $499.

Nintendo also announced a new handheld gaming device that will join its successful DS line. The Nintendo 2DS, coming Oct. 12 for $129.99, will play all DS and 3DS games — although it will not display the latter games' three-dimensional graphics. Like Nintendo's DS models, the 2DS has two screens; unlike them, it does not fold up. Fils-Aime said the 2DS is intended to appeal to "the entry-level consumer looking for lower-priced access to a fantastic library."

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Fears of strike on Syria stalk markets

LONDON — Growing fears of a U.S.-led military strike against Syria continued to weigh on stocks Wednesday and at one point sent the price of oil soaring to its highest level since May 2011. However, the mood in financial markets appeared to stabilize as the day wore on.

Concerns of an attack have swelled this week following claims that President Bashar Assad's government was responsible for a chemical attack on civilians outside Damascus on Aug. 21. Assad denies the allegations.

On Wednesday, Britain said it would put forward a resolution to the U.N. Security Council condemning the Syrian government. A statement from Prime Minister David Cameron's office said Britain would seek a measure "authorizing necessary measures to protect civilians" in Syria. Military force is one of the options that can be authorized under Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter.

Investors have responded to the prospect of a military strike and uncertainty in the Middle East by punishing supposedly risky assets such as stocks in favor of traditional safer investments like gold.

"Tuesday's risk-off tone remains in evidence but to a lesser degree although uncertainty remains the order of the day," said Andrew Wilkinson, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak & Co.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed down 0.2 percent at 6,430 while Germany's DAX fell 1 percent to 8,157. The CAC-40 in France was 0.2 percent lower at 3,960.

In the U.S., stocks rose after Tuesday's broad sell-off. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.5 percent at 14,825 while the broader S&P 500 index rose the same rate to 1,639.

Though stocks have taken a bit of a pounding this week, other assets have posted big gains, notably the price of oil.

"While Syria isn't a big producer of oil, the potential for the conflict to escalate in the Middle East is likely to continue to push prices higher, unless we see attempts from the U.S. to ease concerns about some form of military action," said Craig Erlam, market analyst at Alpari.

The benchmark New York rate was trading 86 cents higher to $109.87 a barrel, having earlier risen to a high of $112.24, its highest level since May 2011. On Tuesday, the oil price jumped $3.09 to $109.01 a barrel, its highest closing price since February 2012. Despite the recent gains, the oil price remains far below its record close of $145.29 a barrel, reached on July 3, 2008.

Gold has also been in demand this week through its status as a haven in times of geopolitical uncertainty. After hitting a three-month high of $1,434 an ounce, the yellow metal fell back to trade flat 0.2 percent down on the day at $1,417.

The dollar was a tad stronger Wednesday and clawed back some recent ground. The euro was 0.4 percent lower at $1.3329 and the dollar rose 0.6 percent to 97.66 yen.

The prospect of a strike on Syria has been felt across financial markets as investors searched out safer places for their money.

India's rupee, for example, fell to a new low against the U.S. dollar. One dollar now buys about 68.4 rupees compared with 66.2 rupees only a day earlier. The stock benchmark in the Philippines shed 3 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 index sank 1.5 percent to close at 13,338.46, its lowest finish in two months, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.6 percent to 21,524.65. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slid 1.1 percent to 5,087.20.

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Brokerage giant settles discrimination lawsuit

CHICAGO — A plaintiffs' attorney says hundreds of black financial advisers have reached a $160 million settlement in a lawsuit accusing Wall Street brokerage giant Merrill Lynch of racial discrimination.

Chicago attorney Suzanne E. Bish on Wednesday confirmed the settlement involving Merrill Lynch and some 1,200 plaintiffs. She says it's one of the largest settlements ever in a racial discrimination case.

A Merrill Lynch statement says it's "not commenting on the existence" of a settlement.

The primary plaintiff, George McReynolds, alleged Merill Lynch engaged in a pattern of discrimination, resulting in blacks having lower production than white men at the company.

Bish noted the settlement coincides with the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech."

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