One of the most important stories in the U.S. economy these days is the rise of extreme inequality.
Over the past 30 years, a larger and larger portion of America's income growth has gone to those in the top 10% of incomes, and especially those in the top 1%. This is a major change from the prior 60 years, in which the top 10% and the bottom 90% shared in the income gains.
A stark and startling example of this trend is the fact that, adjusted for inflation, "average hourly earnings" in this country have not increased in 50 years.
A recent Pew study confirms that America's middle class has recently experienced a "lost decade."
Since 2000, the Pew says, "the middle class has shrunk in size, fallen backward in income and wealth, and shed some?but by no means all?of its characteristic faith in the future." Pew cites statistics showing that middle class earnings and net worth have plummeted since the mid-2000s and that about 85% of the middle class say it is harder to maintain their standard of living than it was 10 years ago.
The reason the decline of the middle class is important is not just about fairness. It's about the health of the economy as a whole.
Collectively, the middle class represents enormous buying and spending power, and in the past 60 years this spending power has helped the U.S. economy become the envy of the world.
But now, however, the middle class is increasingly strapped. And the resulting impact on spending is constraining the growth of companies that sell products and services to American consumers.
The causes of this middle-class decline are many, from globalization (jobs being shipped overseas), to the decline of private-sector unions, to the wholesale embrace of a "shareholder value" religion that values profit over everything else that companies produce. But the result of the trend can be seen vividly in two charts.
First, wages are now at an all-time low as a percent of the economy.
Second, corporate profits are now at an all-time high.
To truly "fix" the U.S. economy, corporations are going to have to be persuaded to invest more of their excess profits in their employees, both by hiring new employees and paying existing employees more. "Wages" to employees become spending money for those employees, and the spending produces revenue for other companies. If corporations can collectively be persuaded to reinvest more of their profits in their people, in other words, they will help restore their own revenue growth.
Henry Ford famously decided to pay his workers more than he had to to keep them. One result of this was that the workers made enough money to be able to buy Ford's cars, and this made Ford more successful. Another result, which is considered irrelevant in some business circles, is that Ford employees were able to live middle-class lives. This helped not only Ford, but the country.
Our current economic problem is not likely to be solved by the government, which possesses neither the power nor the competence to make it happen. The problem will have to be solved by the private sector. And one important part of that solution is for corporations to share more of their wealth with one very important (and often overlooked) corporate constituency: Their employees.
SEE ALSO: Here's How To Fix The Economy--In One Simple Chart.
Maybe we?ve been wrong about Nintendo. Maybe we?ve been wrong to be thinking in terms of Nintendo vs. Apple or Nintendo vs Microsoft or Sony. Maybe we?ve even been wrong to think Nintendo?s big thing this year is a new console.
After I interviewed Nintendo president Satoru Iwata last week, I?m thinking that the angle I?ve been missing ? the angle almost no one has been talking about ? is that Nintendo sounds like they want to create a gamer?s version of Facebook. Forget talking about the 3DS XL as a counter to the next iPhone, the Wii U as an iPad or Xbox competitor. The biggest story just might be that Nintendo wants to make a social network, bake that into their next console, eventually add it to their 3DS, too and basically change the way gamers (read: Nintendo customers) connect to each other.
?I feel that we need to create ? or present ? a gaming platform as the place to create that ?social graph? for folks who are in gaming circles,? Iwata said as he began to describe to me Nintendo?s ambitions for an online service called Miiverse that will launch on Nintendo?s new console and eventually spread to the company?s 3DS handheld as well. A ?social graph?? This will require some explanation.
All of this Nintendo-social-network stuff came upon me by accident. I was chatting with Iwata at Nintendo?s San Francisco-area offices about Nintendo?s new 3DS XL and their latest Mario game. We were running out of time and I remembered an intriguing comment Iwata had made in a pre-recorded video address before the E3 show in June about how the company was going to start an online service called Miiverse for the upcoming new Wii U console and how this new service would, among other things, gamers? sense of ?empathy? for each other.
?Empathy.?
Iwata: ?We have reached an era where even a single-player game experience [can] have a social component that is very important. And I think, again, that social component is mandatory.?"
Online gaming can be a hostile place. If gamers could be more empathetic, that would be great. Since E3, I had assumed that is what he was getting at. I remembered this as we chatted and as I looked at the 3DS XL I?d placed between me and Iwata. I thought about one of my favourite features of the 3DS, how a small green indicator lights up when my system is near someone else?s 3DS system as the two machines wirelessly and automatically trade greetings between me and the other machine?s owner and how those little ?Street Pass? connections turn out to be delightful discoveries when I remove my 3DS from my bag and see the green light glowing. It makes me feel good about other gamers; maybe even empathetic. So I mistakenly asked Iwata if he was hoping that Nintendo could reduce the hostility in online gaming. I thought that?s what that was all about: a positive twist by Nintendo applied to some commonly unpleasant systems of online play.
I was way off, probably because I was thinking about what Nintendo is doing in the context of Microsoft?s Xbox Live, that popular service that is just chock full of nasty gamers who have no empathy for each other.
Iwata?s reply seemed to have as little to do with Xbox Live as it had much to do with Facebook and with Nintendo bringing forming a new Nintendo-style social network on its consoles and handheds. But he get there in an unconventional way.
?We have reached an era where even a single-player game experience [can] have a social component that is very important,? he said, skipping past any talk about Street Pass lights and going to the big picture. ?And I think, again, that social component is mandatory.?
He began to talk about the nature of the Internet and how it allows people to have more social interactions every day. He reminisced about the social interactions he used to have with friends that were about gaming. ?Early on, when I played a Mario game, it was really fun for me to sit and chat with my friends about, ?Hey I found coins over here, there?s a hidden place.? [or] ?This is how far I got.? That interaction was great. It was really a lot of fun, and I think you?ll agree that [it was also great] to help your friends in playing a Zelda game by saying, ?Hey, this is how you get past this boss or solve this puzzle.?
?Of course the Internet does provide a lot of that interaction,? he continued, ?but it?s not built for that purpose. For example, Facebook is something that connects you socially with a lot of different folks, but that doesn?t guarantee that the people you are going to have interactions with via Facebook are interested in games. And what I?m saying is that I don?t believe that the life experiences that you have ? and those might be with the people you are connected with on Facebook ? are not equal to the gaming experiences you might have with a lot of different folks.?
Pause.
Iwata tends to talk in double-negatives. At least that?s how they come through in translation. So let?s take ?I don?t believe that the life experiences that you have?are not equal to the gaming experiences you might have with a lot of different folks.? and re-write/read it as him saying that the experiences in our gaming life are as important as the experiences in our non-gaming life, that our experiences adventuring through a game world or leaning on each other for help in games are as consequential to our lives as a lot of the non-gaming stuff we might post on Facebook.
Back to Iwata:
?I feel that we need to create ? or present ? a gaming platform as the place to create that ?social graph? for folks who are in gaming circles, I guess. So that?s kind of the reason for creating Miiverse.?
?Social graph? seems like a strange term unless you start thinking about the way the 3DS and Wii are already tabulating the hours people spend on the system each day and week and how the 3DS collects and counts the Miis of people you encounter through Street Pass. And then there?s the stuff Iwata showed back at E3 regarding what the Wii U?s version of MiiVerse is supposed to entail:
A gathering place for avatars, all of which represent gamers you know or live near, all conglomerating around icons representing games they?re playing, all text-chirping about their status in the games?
Online hint services and status updates by these gamers?
Basic online messaging, via the Wii U?s touchpad controller?
All for a system that is designed to be more social.
So we?ve got Nintendo trying to make something that really doesn?t sound a whole lot like Xbox Live, which makes sense, since Xbox Live is fairly archaic. When Xbox Live was re-introduced for Xbox 360 in 2005, it was a cutting-edge service for online gaming. But today it amounts to little more than a marketplace linked to a competitive gaming service, a provider for basic voice chat, text chat, user parties, and a 100-person friend limit. That?s all closer to the blunt edge, compared to ever-evolving social networks like Facebook. Microsoft will get their shot to re-do Xbox Live for their next console next year, but Nintendo gets to move things forward with Miiverse. Back to Iwata: ?When we looked at the timing of how we are going to be implementing it, [we said], ?Okay, when are the best points when people want to have social interactions and makes them want to reach out and say, ?Me too,? ?I did that,? ?I feel the same way,??? I think, on a very human level, that is what will give them a sense of satisfaction.
Iwata: ?Of course we?re going to have that service of head-to-head [multiplayer].. . but what we really want to do is create a place where folks who are playing by themselves will not feel like they are playing by themselves.?
?If you look at gaming services, for example if you look at Xbox Live, one of the more traditionally or generally accepted features of the gaming service is the ability to play with folks at different locations at the same time,? he said. ?On the other hand, you?re not always going to be available at the same time to play with each other. And of course we?re going to have that service of head-to-head [multiplayer, when you are] on at the same time playing games against each other, but what we really want to do is create a place where folks who are playing by themselves will not feel like they are playing by themselves. They?ll be able to share those experiences and have that empathy that we mentioned earlier.?
Nintendo will talk more about their online service in the future, as it?s obvious this is a complex plan, one that will debut on their next console, spread to their handhelds and go who knows where else. ?We will be making announcements as we are talking more about specific software and we?ll ask you to wait for those announcements of how we are implementing it with those software titles,? Iwata said. For now, we?re left to ponder what Nintendo can pull off.
Expectations should be kept in check, of course. This is Nintendo. This isn?t a company known for leading in online gaming. But they are a company that?s been able to bring gamers together in unexpected ways. They did it back in the day with Mario Kart and again with Wii Sports. Their online offerings have gradually improved, though the late launch for the 3DS? eShop revealed them to be a company that?s yet to make their online services as high a priority as the launch of their consoles.
Consider this: back in 2006, the know-it-alls in the press, myself included, thought that the Wii was Nintendo?s big thing, and by ?Wii? I mean ?Wii Sports? and the controller and the unassuming little white box that ran the game. What no one was talking about then until we got it in our homes were the Miis, those little avatars that everyone who touched the Mii just had to create and tweak for themselves. These little avatars, like Microsoft?s Achievements, proved to be one of the smartest innovations in this past console generation. They just weren?t the ones whose impact we saw coming. We didn?t see the brilliance of them until they were live and changing gaming as we knew it. If Nintendo creates a gaming version of Facebook and bakes it into our consoles and handheld, well, then maybe they?ll be able to stealthily transform what we expect from console gaming all over again.
Web 2.0 properties are networking platforms that promote file and content sharing, as well as World Wide Web collaboration of certain tasks. Unlike the standard blogs where communication is normally a one-way traffic where readers are mainly viewers without the chance to express out their opinions and thoughts with other readers, web 2.0 properties have two-way friendly interactive environment where readers share their views on certain topics and they also get to interact with other members.
Since its introduction to the online world, web 2.0 properties have significantly enhanced the user experience when viewing sites and reading contents. They are no longer spectators to the thing happening in the internet, but they also get to participate in many ways even if they are simply browsing. This can be done even without having a website on their own.
There are many ways people can do in web 2.0 blogs, such as the following:
Blogging
One of the remarkable benefits is the chance to blog without having a blog. This eliminates the hassle of setting up the site, customizing it, and maintaining it. With web2 sites, all you have to do is to open an account and once it is approved, you can start publishing contents or interact with other members. Blogging is one of the effective one to help your business.
In fact, you can even start building your reputation online by just commenting on the contents of other members and build an enormous fan-base along the way. You can also tap on the huge fab-base to promote your contents and enjoy higher page views.
Social Networking
Another way people can make use of web 2.0 properties is social networking. The platform allows users to connect with others and start capturing more fans or friends. You can follow other individuals whom you find interesting and with common interests, while others can follow you as well.
Thus, active involvement is imperative if you want to build a massive network for friends, which you can tap on any time for different purposes like marketing. The best part about it is that most people are friendly, and you can learn many things from them as they will also get valuable insights from you.
Take note that social networking is now an online trend. Millions of people around the world log-on to the internet just to socialize with friends and new associates, as well as to expand their network. This is usually done for personal reasons and business purposes.
Most online marketers are striving to improve and grow their fan-base in order to capture more targeted leads, while maintaining and growing their business relations with existing clients. This is, therefore, an important marketing tool that can boost business performance.
Web Content Voting and Web Survey
Also an excellent way of making use of these properties is for market research. If you need market data on certain products, or simply want to conduct surveys to get the general opinion of the public, then you can do so in these venues.
Sites like Hubpages have survey modules that allow you to do your own survey without incurring costs on your part. There are also features that provide a chance for readers to rate or to vote for the rating of the site according to several parameters like quality of the information, usefulness, and so on.
While using survey tools are better if you want to make in-depth market research that requires a lot of questions, the surveys provided by web properties are good for short surveys with few questions only.
Multiple Authors or Publishers
A unique benefit is the multiple-authoring system. Unlike articles directories where each article is published by a single author only, there are web 2 sites where literary pieces were created by many users. A good example is the Wiki site where most contents were created by different users from various locations around the globe. Another great example is Live Journal. A piece of article may be published by multiple authors; each has the capacity to edit and update a single content.
Top 10 Web 2.0 Properties According to Page Rank
While there are now plenty of web 2.0 properties, it is best to know the popular ones, especially those who have excellent page ranking in Google. By knowing the top web2 sites, you can easily plan where to start hanging out and socialize with others that bring great results.
Knol Google ? www.Knol.Google.com
Squidoo ? www.squidoo.com
Webs ? www.webs.com
Ning ? www.ning.com
LiveJournal ? www.livejournal.com
Plurk ? www.plurk.com
Vox ? www.vox.com
Hubpages ? www.hubpages.com
Wet Paint ? www.wetpaint.com
Quizilla ? www.quizilla.com
How to Make Money with Web 2.0 Sites
If you want to make money through the internet, one of the best methods is to join a couple of top Web 2 properties that offer revenue-sharing schemes. These sites have great compensation plans that allow you to socialize with friends while earning generous income at the same time.
Hubpages and Squidoo are great places to start with. These properties have millions of viewers every month; there are millions of world-wide members, as well. Hence, you can harp on the huge number of users to expand the exposure of your literary works, thereby increasing your chances of earning bigger income.
These two sites have different payment schemes. But the end point is, revenues earned from different advertising networks are shared with you. In fact, top writers are earning thousands of dollars per month, and all they did is to publish valuable contents on regular basis.
But before you can start earning money, you need to have an account with top advertising networks like Google Adsense. You may also need to have a publisher?s account with Amazon and Ebay.
Success in this method is greatly affected by different factors. One of them is content quality. If your post provides valuable information, there is greater chance that it will be shared with others. This will give your content a boost in viewers.
Another key area of success is search engine optimization. Since these blogs are highly-respected in the online community and they also have higher page rank, it is easier for you to optimize your post and grab one of the top spots in the front page of Google. If you post your content in your personal blog, you will have to start the SEO process from scratch, which is more difficult and time-consuming as well.
But in this case, getting more viewers to your posts is no longer difficult since popular sites like Hubpages and Squidoo already have huge number of members, which you can easily tap on to get more viewers.
Backlinking Advantage
Aside from helping you make more money online, publishing contents at high ranking web properties will also enhance the search engine optimization of your blog. You can post an informative article and insert a link back to your personal site, and these are not just ordinary links but high quality backlinks from a high-ranking source. This will give your site a remarkable SEO advantage.
While web 2.0 properties are now increasingly popular, its numerous advantages make it all the more imperative for bloggers and internet marketers alike to include these resources as part of the marketing and SEO campaign. Even if you are not into online marketing, you can still hang out in these properties and make money at the same time while enjoying your pastime simply sharing your thoughts, and by just sharing your ideas and expertise with others.
The 2nd camping is companies ? which means co-workers and immediate bosses, not only senior management. Companies have to accord more respect to employees? to personal time. Ideally they ought to define a company policy on out-of-hrs calls, and be sure staff stays into it. Not simply will an accountable, sincere policy on cell phone use keep employees more happy and much more motivated, it?ll ultimately result in greater efficiencies, since staff that doesn?t fear constant disruptions may make sure they are available to handle a real emergency.
While evidence remains not yet proven, there remain concerns concerning the frequent utilization of cell phones on human health. The possibility impact from the type of electromagnetic fields produced by cell phones around the mind has gotten little attention until relatively lately, also it?s most likely still way too soon to pronounce around the possible negative effects of lengthy-term exposure.
The small, and not yet proven, research carried out to date has nevertheless suggested that excessive contact with electromagnetic fields (EMF) might cause such undesirable effects as loss of memory, Parkinson?s and Alzheimer?s illnesses, as well as brain growths. An Australian study released in 1997, for instance, recommended that transgenic rodents uncovered to signals much like individuals released with a mobile phone were as much as two times as prone to develop lymphomas. A United kingdom study, meanwhile, discovered that cell phone use may affect the nerve cells responsible for brief-term memory, while research completed within the Nordic region linked unneccessary use of cell phones with head aches and fatigue ? signs and symptoms which generally disappeared the moment mobile phone use was stopped.
But to date the possible lack of hard data has meant researchers have felt themselves not able to pronounce positively or adversely around the results of heavy cell phone use ? aside from shelling out (inadvertently) amusing advice like the recommendation which made an appearance inside a United kingdom newspaper this past year: ?If you utilize a cell phone a great deal, you?ll need your mind examined.?
In order to garner some concrete evidence concerning the potential side effects of common lengthy-term cell phone use, the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has started the Worldwide EMF Project, designed use a reasonable risk assessment from the risks of frequent contact with rf fields.
In what?s the biggest lengthy-term study ever carried out, EMF scientists will expend the following couple of years dealing with the Worldwide Agency for Research on Cancer, a WHO specialized agency in Lyon, analyzing 3,000 mind and neck tumor patients. The normal cell phone utilization of this group will be compared using the mobile phone habits of three,000 tumor-free control patients, to find out whether any correlation is available. The outcomes from the study, together with other research into other possible non-cancerous unwanted effects of cell phone use, are because of be examined in 2003 and 2004.
At the moment, many operators and producers are playing it safe and suggesting that customers take preventive action, for example alternating ears every couple of minutes throughout a lengthy call, or benefiting from new, low-radiation antennas and make contact with chips. Separate earphones and microphones will also be progressively broadly used, as a means of keeping the potential radiation effects farther away from the mind, in addition to permitting hands-free operation from the phone.
About the writer
Victor Epand is experienced agent for BuyCellularPhones.info, an enormous mobile phone supermarket featuring low prices and rebates on cell phones including Motorola, Samsung,
Use and distribution want to know , is susceptible to our Writer Recommendations
whereby the initial author?s information and copyright should be incorporated.
This is the way you you disable the filter in your mobile phone (particularly LG ENV3. When you disable the filter you?ll have limitless free mobile phone service. It takes approximately 10-twenty minutes the very first time you?re doing so. The only real warning I give is you most likely will void the warranty using this method. This process could be modified to many phones. Wise phones do be a little more difficult and that i will most likely publish another video regarding how to do them. Don?t allow the mobile phone companies take all of your cash on monthly plans. Tools: 2 screwdrivers (2. mm Flat Mind, 2. mm Phillips) 1 cent (pre 1960) or a piece of content of copper 1 bobby pin 1 torch (optional) Motivation (Free mobile phone service!) I?ll publish more tech videos later on to save a little money and perform some awesome stuff. Thanks men
The Wallee iPad 3 Case ($39.95 AUD/$42 USD approx.) ?is the foundational piece for a modular system of accessories designed for the New Apple iPad?. Wallee is based out of Australia, but offers free global shipping, and serves up a number of useful add-on accessories that work seamlessly with the Wallee iPad case. We tested the Wallee case with the optional Hand Strap ($19.95 AUD/approx.?$21?USD). The case itself is a little pricey for a plastic shell, and the cost of accessories can quickly add up, but if you want an easy-to-use universal system for mounting and using your iPad in a variety of ways, the Wallee system is a nice, clean solution.
The Wallee case is a thin and light piece of rubberized plastic, which snaps easily onto the edges of the New iPad. There are appropriate cutouts for all ports and buttons, with a signature Wallee cross in the center of the back panel, exposing the Apple icon. The case is flush with the iPad at the edges, but slightly raised towards the center, under the cross, to accommodate various Wallee accessories. The Hand Strap features a simple felt velcro strap attached to a solid metal base with a plastic cross on the bottom. To attach accessories, simply line up the crosses, press them together, and twist into place.?
It lets you easily hold the iPad without fear of dropping it and reduces hand strain from holding the iPad with just one hand. It's a similar concept to the Octa Vacuum Dock + WhaleTail?and the Speck Handyshell?case.
The real beauty of the Wallee system is its vast array of easily swappable accessories and mounts. There are simple wall mount discs (approx.?$10.50 USD each), a high-end desk or table stand called the Pivot (approx.?$63 USD), a VESA adapter (approx. $16), and even car headrest mounts (approx?$42 USD). Swapping between accessories is as easy as a simple twist and pull. When you're not using an add on, the Wallee case is thin, light, and hardly noticeable, but it also only provides minimal protection for the back of your iPad and none for the glass screen. I should note that with the Hand Strap, the iPad didn't feel completely secure, and spinning it to use in a different orientation occasionally caused the strap to pop off. For the mounts and stands, however, this should not be a problem.
Rather than buying separate cases, stands, mounts, and other accessories, each requiring removal when you want to swap, the Wallee system allows for hassle free accessory transitions. The company also makes a case for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1?, which uses the same add-ons. All told, the system is easy to use, and worth a look if you want a unified set of accessories for your iPad.?
More Cases & Carrying Gear Reviews: ??? Wallee iPad 3 Case and Hand Strap ??? Mophie Juice Pack Pro (for iPhone 4 and 4S) ??? LifeProof iPhone 4/4S Case ??? Speck HandyShell (for iPad 2 and New iPad) ??? Chrome Citadel Laptop Bag ?? more
Valve Corporation and IceFrog seem to know really well what fans of Defense of the Ancients (Dota) 2. That pretty much explains why they wasted very little time to add Nessaj the Chaos Knight to the hero-roster in the free-for-play action role-playing game
(RPG).
Chaos Knight is a strength hero with an ominous presence in the battlefield. He has an advantage over the rest of the heroes in terms of movement speed, which is significantly greater than other heroes even without any movement speed items.
When playing with Chaos Knight, one ends up relying heavily on luck as two of his defining abilities have a random number generation, namely Chaos Bolt and Chaos Strike. At their maximum potential, both the abilities are devastating to say the least, but
at other times, they are pretty-much average.
One of Chaos Knight?s most crucial abilities and the reason that he will be picked in a number of games is Chaos Bolt. It is a single-target spell that, when aimed at an enemy, has the potential to stun him for duration of up to four seconds, while dealing
damage somewhere in the range of 100-275. This ability is extremely useful in initiating a gank, as well as bringing a feeling enemy to a halt and making him a sitting duck.
Chaos Knight?s second ability Reality Rift has a striking resembles to Rikimaru?s and Phantom Assassin?s Blink Strike, though with one notable difference. Instead of teleporting the hero to the targeted enemy, the ability will move both you as well as the
targeted unit towards each other. In addition, the ability will give you a 100 percent damage buff for 1.2 seconds. There is more to the ability that will be revealed when we talk about his ultimate.
His third ability, Chaos Strike, is a critical strike, making it possible for Chaos Knight to deal a huge amount of damage while dealing a physical hit. With 10 percent chance to deal three-times the damage that he deals on his normal hit, the passive ability
indeed strikes fears into the hearts of his enemies.
Nessaj?s ultimate is called Phantasm, an aptly named ability that, when activated, summons three images for 24 seconds at its highest level. One thing that makes these images unique from that of Terrorblade or other heroes is the fact that these images deal
100 percent damage, though they will take 200 percent damage. These damages are extremely powerful and can bring down a tower with apparent ease. The ultimate also ends up confusing the enemy by creating a jumble of Chaos Knight look-alikes, grating him a
slight advantage in form of deception.
One thing to note is that Chaos Knight?s ultimate has a strong synergy with his other skills, especially Chaos Bolt and Reality Rift. Summoning up to three images at the ability?s maximum level, it will be so much easier to lay an enemy to waste by striking
him with Chaos Bolt, preventing him from moving as much as a muscle. Aside from that, the Reality Rift ability moves Chaos Knight as well as his images in the 1400 Area of Effect (AoE) to the targeted enemy in a blink of an eye, instantly bringing him within
striking range.
Chaos Knight is indeed a powerful hero to play with, though he is best left for the advanced players.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the writer?s and do not reflect bettor.com?s official editorial policy.
The Vincent Thomas Bridge in L.A. was featured in Tony Scott's "Unstoppable," and was the site of his Sunday suicide.
By Daniel Miller, The Hollywood Reporter
The bridge that Tony Scott leaped from on Aug. 19 is a Los Angeles-area landmark that featured in the director's storied career -- playing a part in a past success and a potential future project. It was at a railroad yard beneath the 185-foot-high connector between San Pedro and Terminal Island that the British director-producer filmed reshoots of the 2010 Denzel Washington hit "Unstoppable." And in 2009, Scott told Rotten Tomatoes he wanted to shoot a sequence of his planned "Warriors" remake at the location. "I'm hoping to get 100,000 real gang members standing on the Vincent Thomas Bridge for one shot," he told the movie news site in June 2009.
PHOTOS: Tony Scott's Films: From 'Top Gun' to 'Unstoppable'
Instead, the 68-year-old filmmaker's tragic end has been deemed "a witnessed suicide" by authorities, shocking the entertainment industry as conflicting reports about his health in recent months continue to muddy any clear sense of why he would kill himself.
According to police investigators, the "Top Gun" and "True Romance" director, the younger brother of filmmaker Ridley Scott, parked his Toyota Prius on the suspension bridge and scaled an 18-foot fence at about 12:30 p.m. before throwing himself into Los Angeles Harbor. The Los Angeles Times reported that detailed contact information found inside Scott's car led authorities to a suicide note in his office at Scott Free Productions, the prolific film and TV company he ran with his brother.
While the basic outline of Scott's final moments is clear, the reasons behind his actions remain shrouded in mystery. An Aug. 20 report by ABC News said that Scott, whose films include "Crimson Tide," "Days of Thunder" and "Man on Fire," suffered from inoperable brain cancer. But Los Angeles County Coroner's chief investigator Craig Harvey said later that day that the director's family -- Scott was the father of twin preteen boys with wife Donna Wilson Scott -- told investigators it was "incorrect" that the filmmaker had brain cancer. ABC News, which drew widespread media scrutiny, later amended its story to say Scott's family was unaware he had cancer. (An ABC News rep tells THR it is continuing to pursue the story and "will issue a full retraction and apology" if incorrect information was reported.)
An autopsy conducted Aug. 20 could shed light on any Scott health problems. Ed Winter, assistant chief of investigation for the coroner's office, says that his office does not yet know if Scott was ill. (Any pre-existing ailments likely won't be determined for several weeks, once toxicology and other test results are returned.) Scott's publicist, Simon Halls, did not respond to e-mails and phone calls seeking comment about his client's health.
STORY: Tony Scott's death: Witness says director was 'determined' just before jumping from bridge
Scott -- a former commercials director who came to prominence in Hollywood with 1986's "Top Gun" -- was as busy as ever. The hard-charging filmmaker known for his worn-out red hat and penchant for cigars often juggled several projects at the same time. "He had so much on the go," says a producer who worked with him. "That's why this is so shocking."
After this summer's hit "Prometheus," which he produced and Ridley directed, Scott had several high-profile projects in development. As late as Aug. 17, Scott met with Tom Cruise to research their planned "Top Gun" sequel for Paramount. According a source close to the project, the pair were in Nevada touring a naval air station. "Tony was my dear friend, and I will really miss him," said Cruise in a statement. He and Scott also worked together on the 1990 NASCAR thriller "Days of Thunder." "He was a creative visionary whose mark on film is immeasurable."
STORY: Tony Scott spent final days working with Tom Cruise on 'Top Gun 2'
Before the "Top Gun" sequel, Scott was expected to direct "Narco Sub," ?which centers on a disgraced U.S. naval officer forced to pilot a submarine carrying a payload of cocaine to America, for 20th Century Fox. Scott Free has its production deal at Fox, which recently tapped writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff ("Traitor") to rewrite the script. Another project, the mob thriller "Potsdamer Platz," had Mickey Rourke attached, and Scott was prepping "Lucky Strike," an $80 million project set in the world of jet repossession, with Vince Vaughn and Emmett/Furla Films. The status of those movies is unclear, but Scott's final completed project, an A&E miniseries called "Coma" that he executive produced, is scheduled to premiere Labor Day.
Borys Kit and Pamela McClintock contributed to this report.
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