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2011-10-04T05:59:00.001-07:00

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DTS, LG Partner To Launch 3D Phone

2011-08-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

DTS Inc. (NASDAQ:DTSI) recently partnered with Korean mobile manufacturer LG Electronics (NYSE:LG) to develop its latest 3D smartphone LG Optimus (LG-P920).

The smartphone, which has debuted in Korea, is scheduled to release in more than 60 countries in the second half of 2011. The latest device is equipped with DTS’ high-performance audio technology and is supported by the tri-dual architecture.

The “tri-dual” configuration boosts performance, leveraging its dual-core, dual-channel and dual-memory architecture capabilities. LG Optimus is the world’s first smartphone, which can be used without the help of a 3D glass.

LG integrated DTS’ audio decoding (or DTS Digital Surround) technology into the latest smartphone. The integration of DTS technology in LG products is the latest milestone in the growth of DTS, which is quickly becoming a household name in the home entertainment arena.

The integration of DTS Inc. technologies with mobile manufacturing companies will be incrementally beneficial for the company as it would gain significant traction in the mobile and tablet market space. As the demand for mobile devices increase, the company would cater to more manufacturers and thus increase its revenue.

With the competition heating up in the mobile and tablet space, product quality and audio-visual experience along with innovations and affordability will be the key factors in determining market share. In this scenario, the onus lies with the manufacturing companies to combine the technologies so that consumers can easily stream content from their phones and enjoy superior sound quality.

Moreover, DTS has partnerships with a number of other companies such as Pantech and Chinese manufacturers such as Changhong, Skyworth, Hisense, Haier, TLC and Konka, which will drive growth. The company’s existing partnerships with the Internet Protocol television (IPTV) operators in the broadcast market will also boost top-line growth and expand their business going forward, in our view.

Recommendation

We believe the widespread adoption of DTS’s high-definition audio technology will facilitate the company’s expansion into new markets over the long term, thus driving further market share gains.

However, DTS continues to face stiff competition from Dolby Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:DLB), Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE) and privately held THX limited.

We maintain a Neutral rating on a long-term basis (6-12 months).Currently, DTS has a Zacks #4 Rank, which implies a Sell rating on a short-term basis (1-3 months)

source: http://www.dailymarkets.com/stock/2011/08/30/dts-lg-partner-to-launch-3d-phone/

DVD Giveaway: Enter to Win Sons of Anarchy Season 3

2011-08-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, August 30th, 2011 Sons of Anarchy season 3 will be released on DVD. To celebrate the release, @FoxHomeEnt and Think Jam promotions is giving three TVaholic readers a chance to win a copy of the DVD set. All you have to do is follow the easy instructions below, which pretty much amounts to answering the question below in the comments on this post. Good Luck!

Also, don’t forget that Sons of Anarchy season four premieres Tuesday, September 6th on FX. The first episode of the new season is awesome, you won’t want to miss it.
What Is the Prize?

One of three Sons of Anarchy: Season Three DVD sets, which includes all 13 episodes, deleted scenes, behind the scenes footage, scenes that bridge the story between S.3 and S.4, gag reel, and director and cast commentaries on three episodes.

How Do I Enter?

Leave a comment on this post below as follows:

Besides Sons of Anarchy, what is your favorite TV show (or movie) that revolves around bikers or motorcycles?

What Are the Rules?

Limit one entry per person. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. Must be 18 and a legal resident of the United States. Must include a valid name and email address, which we will only use to contact you, if your comment is selected as the winner. Odds of winning depend on number of legitimate entries. The use of automated devices to enter the giveaway is prohibited. There is no responsibility assumed by TVaholic.com for lost or late entries, or any computer, online telephone, or technical malfunctions that may occur.
Each comment is time stamped and numbered. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. PT, Tuesday, September 6th, 2011. Three numbers will be drawn at random using the random integer generator at Random.org and the corresponding comments will be selected as the winners.
The winners will be notified via email. Overzealous spam filters can sometimes eat the message, so please check your spam folder or come back to this page to see if you’ve won. You will have until September 9th, 2011 to respond. Once the winners have responded with their U.S. shipping address to claim their prize, the winners’ name and state will be added to this post. If you don’t respond in time, a new winner will be selected. Prizes lost, stolen, or damaged during shipping cannot be replaced and winners are responsible for any taxes resulting from the receipt of prizes. Any and all guarantees and warranties of prizes are subject to the manufacturer’s terms and conditions, and winners agree to contact the prize manufacturers for any such warranty or guarantee claim.

source: http://www.tvaholic.com/2011/08/26/dvd-giveaway-enter-to-win-sons-of-anarchy-season-3/

Daryl Hannah ARRESTED at the White House

2011-08-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

Daryl Hannah donned a familiar accessory outside the White House today -- HANDCUFFS -- after she was arrested during an oil pipeline protest.

The actress-turned-activist was busted with several other protesters -- when they sat on the sidewalk in front of the White House and ignored three requests by police to move.

Daryl's an old pro when it comes to getting arrested -- saying, " Sometimes it's necessary to sacrifice your freedom for a greater freedom. And we want to be free from the horrible death and destruction that fossil fuels cause, and have a clean energy future."

Hannah was famously arrested after she stopped traffic in West Virginia in 2009 -- blocking a busy street during a protest over mining practices.

source: http://www.tmz.com/2011/08/30/daryl-hannah-busted-protest-pipeline-environment-white-house-washington-arrested-handcuff/#.Tl10sF2fguw

Verizon Wireless & Intuit Offer Mobile Credit Card Processing

2011-08-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Verizon Wireless and Intuit are making it easier for small businesses to accept credit card payments using smartphones or tablets with the introduction of Intuit’s GoPayment app and pocket-sized credit card reader. The card reader plugs into the audio jack of supported smartphones and tablets. You can then swipe a credit or debit card through the reader or enter information manually into the app. GoPayment supports select Android, BlackBerry, and iOS devices. Various pricing options for both the credit card reader and a GoPayment account are available.

Your Smartphone Or Tablet Now Takes Plastic: Verizon Wireless And Intuit Team Up To Offer GoPayment; Mobile Credit Card Processing For Small Businesses

Intuit GoPayment App and Credit Card Reader Now Available at Verizon Wireless Stores

08/25/2011 - BASKING RIDGE, NJ and MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — Verizon Wireless and Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU) today announced a strategic alliance to give all small businesses – from the sole proprietor to a medium-sized business – the ability to process credit card payments on smartphones and tablets. The companies are now offering Intuit’s GoPayment app and pocket-sized credit card reader in Verizon Wireless’ 2,300 retail stores and business-to-business sales channels.

GoPayment makes it easier and more affordable for small businesses to process credit cards and for anyone who sells products or services to accept credit card payments wirelessly. The card reader simply plugs into the audio jack of a supported smartphone or tablet. Credit and debit cards can be swiped through the card reader or entered into the app manually. The transaction is processed immediately and funds are automatically deposited into a user’s bank account within a few business days. GoPayment supports devices on Android™, BlackBerry® and iOS platforms for most popular 3G and 4G LTE smartphones and tablets.

“Intuit’s GoPayment on America’s most reliable network is a mobile transaction game changer, and brings another dimension of must-have technology to the small business community,” said Mike Schaefer, executive director of the Business Solutions Group for Verizon Wireless. “Payments and transactions are often the biggest hurdle businesses face. Our value proposition is to streamline, simplify and enable business owners to get paid with minimal delay. This collaboration with Intuit is an important part of our strategy to bring the most innovative online and mobile tools to our customers.”

“Rather than lose out on potential business, anyone who sells a product or service can now easily and affordably give their customers the option of paying with plastic,” said Chris Hylen, general manager of Intuit’s Payment Solutions division. “GoPayment is meeting a huge need and is one of the fastest growing mobile payment solutions in the market. With Verizon Wireless, we’ll help even more people discover that they too can process credit card payments on the phones or tablets they already own.”

To save time when processing payments, GoPayment offers the ability to create and sell from a list of frequently sold items. Depending on the types of goods and services sold, users can choose to apply sales tax, add tips and send customized receipts via text message and email with a map of where the transaction took place. To protect data, sensitive credit card information is never stored on the phone. The data is also encrypted – once via the card reader and a second time via the GoPayment app.

For the more than four million small businesses that use QuickBooks®, GoPayment can also sync transactions with recent versions of QuickBooks – PC, Mac and soon QuickBooks Online – to save time by reducing manual data entry. GoPayment also supports up to 50 users on one account, which is ideal for businesses with multiple employees who work in the field.

Pricing

Verizon Wireless customers can get the GoPayment credit card reader free with activation of a GoPayment account and a mail-in rebate for the $29.97 purchase price. The GoPayment mobile payment app is free and the basic service has no monthly, transaction or cancellation fees, and offers a competitive 2.7 percent discount rate for swiped transactions.

A paid version of GoPayment is also available for $12.95 a month and provides a low discount rate of 1.7 percent for swiped transactions. Intuit is offering Verizon Wireless customers two months of free service when they select this monthly paid plan.

Customers who purchase a smartphone for their GoPayment use will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 for monthly access. Tablet and smartphone users require a data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

For additional information, please visit www.verizonwireless.com/gopayment or gopayment.com/verizon.

source: http://hothardware.com/News/Verizon-Wireless--Intuit-Offer-Mobile-Credit-Card-Processing/

Storm tracker: Hurricane Irene headed for New York, New Jersey

2011-08-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

Storm tracker: Hurricane Irene headed for New York, New Jersey
As Hurricane Irene gains speed, it might soon be headed for New York, The Huffington Post reports.

While sources state the storm might pass directly over New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is encouraging residents in low-lying areas to temporarily relocate to higher grounds this weekend. Irene is expected to hit Sunday, and Bloomberg will announce Friday whether inhabitants of “Zone A” will need to evacuate the area.

Crews are currently working to clean catch basins to assist with street drainage, and police boats have been moved to station houses in low-lying areas. Yet, despite such precautionary measures, New York is reportedly unprepared for such an event, as the storm could cause serious alteration to subways and hinder evacuation, the International Business Times said.

NJ. com reported that Hurricane Irene moved through the Bahamas Thursday morning with 115 mile per hour winds, making it approximately 30 miles from New York. The storm is also expected to cause severe alteration to New Jersey, producing torrential rain, hazardous rip currents and beach erosion, stated National Weather Meteorologists Dean Iovino and Michael Gorse.

Irene is also expected to approach the North Carolina coast within the next couple of days.

source: http://www.nocommentnews.com/255/storm-tracker-hurricane-irene-headed-for-new-york-new-jersey

Willie Nelson offers tribute to Glen Campbell

2011-08-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

Photo by Lisa Poole

Willie Nelson and Glen Campbell perform on stage at the 20th Autry National Center gala at the Gene Autry Western Heritage museum in Los Angeles September 29, 2007. The gala celebrated the 100th birthday of late actor Gene Autry.

Willie Nelson pays tribute to friend Glen Campbell, according to Rolling Stone. Willie is interviewed as saying that Campbell helped him when he was starting out in the music business. Rolling Stone features Glen Campbell in it’s latest issue. Reporter Patrick Doyle talks with different artists about Glen Campbell, and Willie Nelson spoke of Campbell’s generosity.

Nelson said, “He’s always been a big help to me. During one of my down years, he signed me to his publishing company and paid me a lot of money. “I only wrote one song, and it was Bloody Mary Morning. I hope he got his money back.”

source: http://stillisstillmoving.com/willienelson/willie-nelson-offers-tribute-to-glen-campbell/

Drop The Dead Donkey creator to write hacking comedy

2011-08-26T06:13:00.000-07:00

Drop The Dead Donkey creator Guy Jenkin is to write a comedy based on the newspaper phone-hacking scandal for Channel 4.

Hacks is set in a fictional paper where journalists use methods such as hacking, using private investigators and "pinging" - when a phone signal is used to track someone.

The one-off special is due to be broadcast later this year.

Jenkin said: "We hope to be faster and funnier than all the inquiries so far."

The scandal has so far brought about the close of British newspaper News of the World and has led to the arrest and questioning of former journalists and senior News International executives.

Channel 4's head of comedy Shane Allen said: "We are very excited about Hacks and it's great that Channel 4 can be so quick off the mark to shine a satirical light on what's been happening in the media over the last few months."

Drop The Dead Donkey, which Jenkin created with long-time collaborator Andy Hamilton, ran from 1990 to 1998 and was set in the offices of the fictional TV news company GlobeLink News.

The ensemble cast of the Bafta-winning show included Stephen Tompkinson and Neil Pearson.

source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14676191

When you are in a (Jackson) Hole, stop digging

2011-08-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

The Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, is due to speak in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, later today and according to some of the investment notes that I receive, he is expected to commit that central bank to a third round of credit creation from thin air, otherwise known in these mealy-mouthed days as "quantitative easing." There are doubters out there about the wisdom, or lack thereof, of this. We can of course expect the usual devotees of hard money to scoff at this, but what intrigues me is how some economists in the commercial world are hostile. Take this from Steen Jakobsen , chief economist at Denmark-based Saxo Bank:

"When talking about the impact from Quantitative Easing (QE) one has to realise that most academic studies show that the biggest “impact” from QE on markets comes from the actual announcement of it rather than the execution of it. An analysis of the two prior QE introductions point to a 50 to 100 basis point reduction on bond yields and subsequent inflation of equities via “a feel good” factor – the so-called wealth effect."

"But realistically, what has been the net impact of QE1 and QE2? Chairman Bernanke has used 3,000 billion US Dollars to create what? Nothing! Unemployment is still above 9.0 per cent, the housing market is still in a slump, and now the only successful thing going for the Fed is the stock market's rise from the floor at 666.00 in March 2009. But now there's talk of an interbank funding crisis and unrealised losses. It certainly smells like 2008, doesn't it? Or what about August 2010? – Yes! It is almost a 100 per cent analogy to last year. It’s actually like watching the movie Groundhog Day."

I like his final paragraph:

"There is another political theory stating that the best environment to create growth in is one in which politicians have no power to pass legislation (similar to the U.S. situation for now until the U.S. elections). Think about Clinton: he had a major “programme” coming in as President, yet failed to get anything whatsoever done in his eight years in the White House which then led to the biggest growth period in U.S. history. What does this tell us? Total radio silence works as the micro-economy - investors, consumers and companies - adjust their behaviour and consumption to the new reality and then start moving forward. The last thing that we need is “political noise” and promises of better days ahead with nothing to back them up."

I can think of a good book on the collapse of paper money that I can send this man.

source: http://www.samizdata.net/blog/archives/2011/08/when_you_are_in.html

Derek Jeter & Minka Kelly Call It Quits! Derek Jeter & Minka Kelly Call It Quits!

2011-08-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

It looks like someone else will be taking Minka Kelly out to the ballgame.

The Friday Night Lights beauty and New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter have called it quits after a 3-year relationship, according to JustJared.com, who broke the news early Friday.

"They care about each other and it was amicable," a source told People. "They're still friends."

On Wednesday, Kelly waxed philosophical on her Twitter page, re-tweeting an inspirational quote from spiritual guru Deepak Chopra that read, "Today every word I utter will be chosen consciously.

“I will refrain from complaints, condemnation, and criticism. #PeaceIsTheWay."

Kelly, 31, was a regular presence at Yankee games during the relationship. She cheered as Jeter, 37, cemented his eventual ticket into the Baseball Hall of Fame by collecting his 3000th hit during the Bronx Bombers' July 9 game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

The split didn't seem to impact Jeter's play during the Yankees' 22-9 rout over the Oakland A's on Thursday, as he went 3-6 to bring his batting average up to a healthy .299.

As for Kelly, she’ll be featured on ABC's upcoming Charlie's Angels remake, which premieres Thursday, September 22 at 8/7c.

source: http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/08/derek-jeter-minka-kelly-call-it-quits

Porn, a carousel and photos of Condoleezza Rice: Inside Gadhafi's opulent palace

2011-08-26T05:23:00.000-07:00

Once they would have been arrested for daring to look at the homes of the Gadhafi family. Yesterday ordinary Libyans were able to walk straight in to the grand houses abandoned by the fleeing dictator and his children, and help themselves to trappings of wealth beyond the imagination of most.

Many expressed disbelief at the sheer vulgarity of it all, with gold and marble fittings on display everywhere; others saw touches of insanity in the Gadhafi clan’s bizarre personal tastes.

One of the first Gadhafi residences to be looted was the beachfront home of his son, Al-Saadi, 38, where a white Lamborghini was among four cars that swiftly disappeared as Tripoli fell earlier this week.

A BMW, an Audi and a Toyota were also liberated by the rebels from a garage decorated with a mural of a yellow sports car.

In a study, piles of catalogues for yachts and cars lay abandoned. One brochure had a yellow handwritten Post-it note on the front, listing the price for a 100-foot yacht as seven million euros. A DVD of homosexual pornography was also among his possessions. Seifallah Gneidi, 23, took a large bottle of gin, a toothbrush with a gilded handle and a pair of Diesel jeans from the villa.

“We wanted to have the stuff that he had,” said the rebel fighter.

A short distance across town in the western suburb of Nofleen, the villa of Al-Saadi’s sister, Aisha, 36, proved that money can buy you many things, but it cannot buy you taste.

In a circular entrance hall rebels took turns to be photographed sitting on a gold-painted sofa in the shape of a mermaid.

Lying on the floor nearby, a carrier bag from the London toy store Hamleys lay next to abandoned children’s clothes and a pink travel cot.

“I can’t even believe what I am seeing,” said Muftah Shubri, a local resident, as he stared at the indoor swimming pool, a small inflatable children’s dinghy still floating in the water. But it was Col. Gadhafi's own Bab al-Azizia compound, now a base for the rebel fighters, that held the greatest surprises.

A house where the dictator’s adopted daughter, Hanaa, was killed in a U.S. bombing raid in 1986 had been turned into a shrine, with glass cases built over her bed and other items of furniture to preserve them exactly as they were immediately after the attack.

The most incongruous sight of all in the “House of Resistance”, as Gadhafi called the bombed-out building, was that of several dummy missiles hanging from the ceiling as if they had just fallen from an American bomber - his idea of a memorial to the little girl, perhaps.

Outside, Gadhafi had built his own fairground, complete with carousel and spinning teacups, in an unlikely echo of Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch.

And despite his apparent hatred of American politicians, Gaddafi’s personal effects suggested that he might have had a soft spot for one of them: looters discovered an album filled with pictures of him meeting Condoleezza Rice, the former U.S. secretary of state.

source: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Porn+carousel+photos+Condoleezza+Rice+Inside+Gadhafi+opulent+palace/5308145/story.html#ixzz1W8XhwcGb

Jim Carrey to Emma Stone: I Love You!

2011-08-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Jim Carrey wishes he were a much younger man. That way, he could have passionate sex with Emma Stone and produce "chubby little freckle-faced kids."

So the actor himself says in a new video, which is making its way around the Internet and creating a bit of a controversy. Not because Carrey is misguided in his affection for Stone - seriously, have you seen Crazy, Stupid Love or The Help?!? - but because Carrey is 49 and the object of his desire is 22.

A rep for the star says the video is "intended to be comical," and we certainly laughed. But watch for yourself and then vote below.

read more: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/08/jim-carrey-to-emma-stone-i-love-you/

Hurricane Preparedness Steps

2011-08-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

Now is the time for those in the Southeastern United States to check their preparations for hurricanes. Below is a list of steps I go through anytime there is a hint of a potential storm. These steps were derived from past experiences and lessons I have learned from other Survivalblog.com posts. I do this prep so as not to get caught up in panicked crowds on the days immediately preceding the storm. Should the storm not hit me directly I consider this prepping chance to practice and shore up my supplies.

7 Days Out

1. Water (1 or 5 gallon jugs) is purchased and any filter systems, storage systems and well pumps are checked.
2. Storage food is checked and additional food is purchased if necessary. During his phase any non-perishable food needed, including comfort food should is purchased.
3. Fuel Stores such as gasoline, diesel, propane, natural gas, Coleman White fuel, kerosene are checked and topped off as needed.

4. Cooking fuels are checked and purchased as needed.
5. Battery stores are checked and additional batteries are purchased as needed.
6. Flashlights, lanterns and other alternative light sources are tested and batteries are replaced, fuel is added to each device as needed.
7. Alternative cooking devices are tested.
8. Radio communications are tested and made ready.
9. Storm shutters and fasteners are made ready for deployment.
10. Blackout curtains are located and made ready for use.
11. Generators – run on a load for 30 minutes, tanks are topped off and any maintenance need is completed.
12. First aid supplies – are checked and additional supplies are purchased as needed.
13. Double check prescriptions and fill if necessary.
14. Firearms (If you have them) are checked and cleaned and lubricated if necessary. Ammunition is checked and the amount needed for a possible event is moved from storage to an easily accessible, but secure location.
15. Daily used household items such as cleaners, soaps, tooth care; toilet paper etc. should be checked and purchased as necessary.
16. Start making Ice and have bags ready for when the container for the ice maker gets full.
17. G.O.O.D. packs are checked and replenished as needed.
18. Fuel tanks for vehicles from this point on are not allowed to go below ¾ths filled and as a normal procedure should not be allowed to go under ½ full.
19. Check vehicles for tire pressure, fluid levels, belt tensions, and any pending maintenance critical to the operation of the vehicle should be done at this time.
20. Communicate with your preparedness group, family and like-minded friends; discuss the possibility of implementing your preparedness plan assuming you have one.

4-to-5-Days Out

1. Grocery store – last minute items and surprisingly perishable items such as fruits and vegetables that do not need refrigeration are purchased. The event may be short term and this will allow for one to two weeks of fresh fruits and vegetables before the need to move to dry and canned food.
2. Mail all bills due in the next 30 days if possible.
3. Start freezing water in 2 liter soda bottles. This will help freezers and refrigerators stay cool longer when the power goes out.
4. Have family or group meeting and discuss preparedness plans to include responsibilities for final preparations and survival responsibilities immediately after the event and contingency plans for when things go wrong.
5. Start consuming primarily refrigerated perishable food.
6. Assuming the garbage trucks are still running; make sure all trash is removed.
7. Any member of your family or group who has to work will need to place a survival pack in their vehicle, that should include 3 to 7 days of food and water and one or two Jerry can(s) of fuel if possible. If possible, preposition short term emergency supplies at the place of employment.

Experience has demonstrated the hordes of panicked people are beginning to start at this phase, but depending on the event and how the event is covered in the media, the hordes could potentially start earlier than expected; making some of the preparations at this stage more difficult to accomplish.

read more: http://www.survivalblog.com/2011/08/letter_re_hurricane_preparedne_1.html

New director, new location for 'Good Morning America'

2011-08-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

7 am Good Morning America • An 83-year-old woman who undergoes cosmetic procedures; fashion on a budget; Lexi St. George. 8:24 am The Daily Show With Jon Stewart • Author Jay Bahadur ("The Pirates of Somalia"). 8:55 am The Colbert Report • Author

In July, Hutchison told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he was down and out — twice divorced and battling alcoholism — when he met Stodden last year. "The way we met was really beautiful," Stodden said in the same interview.

"There was really a disconnect between the Susan who was a faithful, loving wife, and the Susan who was a very flirtatious, sexual being," Steven Powell told ABC News' "Good Morning America." "Father-in-law – daughter-in-law flirting with each other,

In July, Hutchison told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he was down and out — twice divorced and battling alcoholism — when he met Stodden last year. "The way we met was really beautiful," Stodden said in the same interview.

By Jessica Strachan | The Flint Journal For all you loyal Good Morning America viewers out there, there's a few new changes underway to take note of. Yes, GMA has a new director and will be renovating for a new location. Media Bistro recently reported.

source: http://www.funny-portal.com/?p=20143

Did Rihanna & J. Cole Make A Sex Tape?

2011-08-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

Another day, another sex tape, this one features Rihanna and J. Cole. Word on the street is that there’s a sex tape for sale which shows the “Rude Boy” singer and rapper J.Cole getting it in. Those who saw the screen shots confirmed that the woman with the fiery red hair looks a lot like a certain someone. And get this… J Cole recently lost his cell phone, so you already know.

On a brief hiatus from her “Loud” world tour Rihanna joined both J. Cole and Trey Songz in Barbados recently as Cole was on the island to shoot his music video for his next single “Can’t Get Enough.”

Damon Dash Remembers Aaliyah: “I Would Do It All Over Again”

2011-08-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

Ten years today, singer Aaliyah died when her plane crashed following a video shoot in the Bahamas. While fans mourned her loss, pouring over newspapers and listening to the radio for updates, those who knew her personally felt a pain much closer to their hearts.

Aaliyah’s then boyfriend Damon Dash spoke to Billboard this week about his relationship with Aaliyah. The former Roc-a-feller executive reflected on the better times and how her death impacted him.

A few excerpts from Dash’s interview with Billboard’s The Juice:

On meeting Aaliyah through his accountant in 2000:

“She was intelligent and she caught me. I’m the kind of guy who says things sometimes just to make myself laugh, but she would just catch me making jokes for me. I couldn’t get anything past her. She had a very quick mind and a very kind heart.”

On their chemistry:

“The energy we created together for people to observe was kind of crazy. We’d be in a room full of people talking to each other and it felt like everyone was listening but it would be just us. It would be like we were the only ones in the room…It was like something was going down in history every time I was with her. Every time I was around her I felt it was the place to be.”

On juggling a relationship and career:

“She was always working and shooting movies. She was always gone for like four months at a time, then come back and be gone for another month. She had to rehearse and I was doing my own thing, so it was really hard for us to get long stretches of time together. When you’re with someone like that you buy into a life of being separate, but again, I couldn’t help my feelings.”

On what would have been next:

” My heart was broken. Nothing prepares you for that…Our time together meant so much that when we got more time, we felt like that [engagement] would be next. She was one of the best people I ever met. Even with the pain I felt, I would do it all over again.”

Source

The interview was a rare candid take from the man who in recent years has become more and more guarded when it comes to the press. After his marriage with designer Rachel Roy came to an end, Dash faced scathing rumors and reports about his financials. Hearing Dash talk about his time with Aaliyah, it’s undeniable how he felt about her. It’s also undeniable that fans will keep a little piece of baby girl’s spirit with them too.

source: http://clutchmagonline.com/2011/08/damon-dash-remembers-aaliyah-%E2%80%9Ci-would-do-it-all-over-again%E2%80%9D/

Apple Stock Falls After Jobs Announcement

2011-08-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

Apple’s stock is getting hit hard in after-hours trading following the announcement that CEO Steve Jobs has resigned.

Jobs, who will become chairman, is handing over the day-to-day operations to former COO Tim Cook, who has deftly operated the company in Jobs’s absence before.

Still, investors are clearly uneasy with the top-level change, even though it has been a possibility for some time.

At one point, shares traded down $20.19, or 5.37 percent, to $355.99. That translates roughly to $18.5 billion in market value.

Investors, who recently pushed Apple shares high enough for the phone and computer-maker to overtake Exxon Mobil as the world’s most valuable company, obviously places overwhelming value on Jobs.

The stock had recently been trading higher on the expectation that the iPhone 5 would launch in October.

This is not the first time that Jobs’s sudden departure has shaken investors’ nerves.

Back in January 2009, shares dropped as much as 10 percent, or roughly $6 billion in market value, when the news broke that the CEO was taking a medical leave of absence.

At the time, AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski called investors wusses. “Yes, Jobs’s sensibility pervades Apple’s culture and its products, but that culture and those products are not tethered to his health or day-to-day presence at the company. And Apple’s deep executive bench is more than capable of running it — and running it well — in his absence. … Apple will endure — with or without Steve Jobs.”

source: http://allthingsd.com/20110824/apple-stock-falls-after-jobs-announcement/

Tectonic Plates Locations – Earthquake Map

2011-08-24T04:15:00.000-07:00

These are the locations of the world’s major plate tectonics. A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere. Plate size can vary greatly, from a few hundred to thousands of kilometers across; the Pacific and Antarctic Plates are among the largest. Plate thickness also varies greatly, ranging from less than 15 km for young oceanic lithosphere to about 200 km or more for ancient continental lithosphere (for example, the interior parts of North and South America)

The main features of the plate tectonics are:

- The Earth’s surface is made up of a series of large plates (like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle).
- These plates are in constant motion travelling at a few centimetres per year.
- The ocean floors are continually moving, spreading from the centre and sinking at the edges.
- Convection currents beneath the plates move the plates in different directions.
- The source of heat driving the convection currents is radioactive decay which is happening deep in the Earth.
- The edges of these plates, where they move against each other, are sites of intense geologic activity, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building.
- Plate tectonics is a relatively new theory and it wasn’t until the 1960′s that Geologists, with the help of ocean surveys, began to understand what goes on beneath our feet.

source: http://dailypostal.com/2011/08/24/tectonic-plates-locations-earthquake-map/

Glen Campbell Opens Up About Battle With Alzheimer's

2011-08-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Glen Campbell is opening up about being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, something that certainly has not robbed the legendary performer of his sense of humor. The singer of iconic hits including 'Rhinestone Cowboy,' 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix' and 'Wichita Lineman,' along with his wife of nearly 30 years, Kim Woollen, spoke with ABC's Terry Moran for a segment on tonight's 'World News with Diane Sawyer.'

"I have been blessed, I really have," says the 75-year-old from the couple's Malibu, Calif., home. "I figured it out that I'm not that bright, but God gave me a break."

Noting that her husband has been experiencing short term memory loss for some time, Kim adds that taking care of him can be a daunting task.

"He repeats himself," she says. "Tells the same joke several times in a row."

"Well, yeah, it's funny," he remarks with a laugh.

"He'll tell a joke, laugh at it and a few minutes later tell the same joke, laugh, and then we laugh at him because he's just enjoying it so much," Kim explains. "You just make the best of each day and try not to worry about tomorrow."

"Definitely take care of what's today and tomorrow's going to have what it has," adds Glen. "There's a verse in the Bible that says, 'If the man findeth a good wife, he's found a good thing,' and I found a good thing, or she found me. Did you find me or did I find you?"

"I think we found each other," Kim responds.

"That's what we did. Amen," Glen replies.

Born the seventh son of 12 children to a sharecropper dad in Delight, Ark., Glen Campbell was given his first guitar, a $5 Sears and Roebuck model, at four years old. After joining his uncle's Western swing band as a teenager, he made the move to Los Angeles in 1958, where he became an in-demand session player and singer, initially earning just $10 a session. In 1965, Glen became Brian Wilson's on-the-road replacement in the Beach Boys. Signing with Capitol Records, he scored his first major hit with John Hartford's 'Gentle on My Mind' in 1967. By 1969, he had become an international superstar, thanks in part to his CBS television series, 'The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour,' which ran for three years.

Other hits followed, including 'Galveston,' 'It's Only Make Believe,' and the No. 1 smash, 'Rhinestone Cowboy' in 1975. Troubles also followed, including a volatile and highly publicized romance with Tanya Tucker, and bouts of heavy drinking. He married Kim in 1981 and quit drinking cold turkey until a relapse in 2003, which led to an arrest for drunk driving.

"Thank you Lord, that's what I say," Glen notes of his sobriety and his marriage to Kim. "Thank you lord for giving me another chance."

Now, Glen is preparing to release one final album, 'Ghost on the Canvas,' due out August 30, and he's embarking his Goodbye tour to say thank-you to fans. Three of his children, Ashley on keyboards, Shannon on guitar and Cal on drums, will be joining him on stage.

"Music is a natural memory aid, and we're finding out it really does help his memory and help keep him from declining," says Kim. "So it's really good for him and all the love he gets from all the fans is really encouraging, so that's why we want to do it as long as we can, because it's healthy for all of us. Music is good medicine."

A Golden Globe nominee for his appearance in the 1970 John Wayne film, 'True Grit,' Glen Campbell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

Should You Get Earthquake Insurance?

2011-08-24T03:45:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as far north as New York City and Rhode Island.

The quake sent hundreds of people spilling into the street a block from the White House, with other buildings evacuated in North Carolina. It is believed to be the most powerful earthquake to hit the D.C. area. There are also reports of significant damage to buildings in Fredericksburg VA. Folks all the way up in Clifton Park, New York reported seeing cars rocking on the highways and some business even evacuated their buildings in reaction to the tremors.

But many folks in the northeast regions are not as familiar with earth quakes as are folks who live in California. And as such, I don’t think these folks give the matter of whether or not to buy earth quake insurance a second thought.

First things first: if you live in an area where earthquakes with the potential to damage property are a rare, if ever, occurrence, then it may never occur to you to even consider buying such insurance.

But if you live and own property in an area where damaging earthquakes happen on a regular basis, it’s of course worth considering. And that includes a lot of homeowners! According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 39 states have experienced tremors in the last century, and among natural disasters, earthquakes are the most costly from which to recover. Also, 90 percent of Americans live in potential earthquake zones.

Many homeowners, however, still hold off on purchasing insurance; in California, only 12 percent of owners with homeowners’ policies also have earthquake coverage.

Why? The main reasons appear to be denial and cost.

The average rate for a policy purchased with the California Earthquake Authority, a publicly-managed organization that provides Californians catastrophic residential earthquake insurance, is about $720 per year.

Another reason is high deductibles: many earthquake policies only pay for damage that exceeds 15 percent of the home’s value and never more than the stated coverage amount in the policy.

Still, there can be a reason to purchase earthquake insurance, given their prevalence and cost. And if you haven’t reviewed your home insurance in the past few years, you could be exposed to significant risk. Pull out your homeowner’s policy, look up the limit for dwelling coverage, and ask this question: “Do I have the right types and enough coverage to rebuild my home?”

If you have the slightest doubt, then call your insurance company and ask them the same questions and get their answers.

Read more: http://moneywatch.bnet.com/retirement-planning/blog/what-works/should-you-get-earthquake-insurance/914/#ixzz1Vw9x4BWH

Earthquake map shows epicenter in central Virginia

2011-08-24T03:30:00.000-07:00

A 5.8 earthquake shook central Virginia this afternoon. It was felt in both Washington DC to New York. HuffPost Green is working on a comprehensive map of where.

By Star-Ledger Staff The US Geological Survey has posted this map of the 5.9-magnitude earthquake that hit central Virginia just before 2 pm today, sending tremors up and down the East Coast. The yellow glow represents the area where potential damage

Date-Time. Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 05:46:19 UTC; Monday, August 22, 2011 at 11:46:19 PM at epicenter; Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Small globe sh.

In the aftermath of Fukushima, Climate Central's David Kroodsma put together an interactive map of the earthquake risk to US nuclear plants. Today's quake is the perfect time to repost it. This clickable map shows the 104 active nuclear reactors in the

I want to see if we can work together and map the earthquake. I created a Google Map that seeks to track where the 5.9-magnitude earthquake in Mineral, Va., that reached Bergen County as a 2.2 on the Richter scale was felt throughout Fair Lawn.

source: http://www.blueplanetnews.org/2011/08/24/earthquake-map-shows-epicenter-in-central-virginia/

Washington Monument To Remain Closed "Indefinitely" After Quake Causes Cracks

2011-08-24T03:15:00.000-07:00

Engineers inspecting the Washington Monument on Tuesday found cracks at the top of the 555-foot obelisk which will keep it closed to visitors indefinitely, the Associated Press reports.

The damage, likely caused by the 5.8 earthquake that struck central Virginia, was located toward the top of the landmark — though there does not appear to be any damage to the base, a National Parks Service spokesman told the AP.

Crews will conduct further examination of the cracks to in the 91,000 ton marble structure on Wednesday to determine their seriousness and possible strategies for repair.

Rumors spread in the hours after the earthquake that the icon was "tilting" — though they proved false. Most government buildings in Washington were evacuated after the tremor, with older buildings and landmarks like the U.S. Capitol undergoing hours-long inspections to ensure they were safe to reenter.

The monument is located just south of the White House on the National Mall — and normally hosts tourists on tours to the observation level, providing picturesque views of the nation's capital.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/washington-monument-to-remain-closed-indefinitely-after-quake-causes-cracks-2011-8#ixzz1Vw8g3C2v

Pat Summitt determined to face down Alzheimer's challenge

2011-08-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

For those who want to learn more about the disease, Alzheimer's Tennessee, http://www.alztennessee.org, will sponsor a Virtual Dementia Tour, which simulates Alzheimer's symptoms, 5-8 pm Sept. 13. Cole Neuroscience Center Director Dr. John Doughtery

Anderson County woman describes husband's dementia symptoms. OAK RIDGE (WATE) – first United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge is the home of the Keystone Adult Day Program. It provides activities and supervision for

Hormone Therapy and Dementia | Brain Blogger “gejala Demensia” width. Addons Image by brain_blogger “I can tolerate the symptoms of menopause or became insane while on hormone replacement therapy. So, spare me

This same thing occurs in the general population, as many participants in the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging brain donation program come to autopsy with full-blown Alzheimer's pathology in their brains but no record of clinical dementia symptoms

Anderson County woman describes husband's dementia symptoms. OAK RIDGE (WATE) – first United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge is the home of the Keystone Adult Day Program. It provides activities and supervision for

source: http://www.212articles.com/pat-summitt-determined-to-face-down-alzheimers-challenge/

OPM chief discusses new diversity initiative

2011-08-24T02:45:00.000-07:00

Plans for diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce are taking shape, John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management announced Monday at the Blacks in Government National Training Conference.

Berry's remarks followed President Obama's directive, issued Thursday, ordering federal agencies to develop strategic plans to cultivate a more diverse workforce.

In conjunction with the announcement Thursday, OPM launched a diversity and inclusion website.

Berry on Monday cited OPM's previous accomplishments bringing in veterans and people with disabilities, speeding the hiring process and simplifying the recruitment process as evidence that the new diversity program will work. Still, he said, getting minorities into Senior Executive Service positions is an area that needs progress.

"We've come a long way in the last few decades, but we still have mountains to climb," he said. "Although minorities comprise 34 percent of our diverse federal workforce, they're just 18 percent of our SES. That's unacceptable. We can do better."

Berry also discussed OPM's plan for propelling the initiative forward. Within three months, he said, the office -- cooperating with Budget Deputy Director Jeff Zients, the President's Management Council and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission --will have created a governmentwide plan on diversity and inclusion.

This framework will detail the next steps, which Berry said will include a focus on recruiting through partnerships with colleges and universities that cater to diverse populations.

Individual agencies also should experiment with their own initiatives to improve diversity, Berry said. He named the Social Security Administration and EEOC as examples of diversity that other agencies should follow.

"Our ability to draw the most talented people, from every segment of our population, is one of the most important measures of our success as an employer -- and our greatness as a nation," Berry said.

source: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=48589&oref=todaysnews

Mohyeldin joins NBC News as foreign correspondent

2011-08-24T02:30:00.000-07:00

August 22, 2011 — NEW YORK (AP) — Former NBC newsman Ayman Mohyeldin is returning to the network where he started his career a decade ago.

Mohyeldin, who will be based in Cairo and cover the Middle East, rejoins NBC next month, the network announced Monday. He comes from Al Jazeera English, where he has been a correspondent for five years. There he covered Arab revolutions, Israeli politics and human rights abuses in the Arabian Gulf. Prior to that, he worked for Fox News and CNN.

He began his journalism career in 2001 at NBC News as a desk assistant in the network's Washington bureau. Mohyeldin was born in Cairo and grew up in Detroit, Amman, Jordan, and Marietta, Ga.

source: http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/639494-mohyeldin-joins-nbc-news-foreign-correspondent.html

Todays Google doodles – Jorge Luis Borges 112th birthday Read more: BRJ News | All latest Happening Around You | Todays Google doodles – Jorge Luis Borges 112th birthday | BRJ News Arun

2011-08-24T02:17:00.000-07:00

A doodle inspired by the writings of Jorge Luis Borges honours the Argentine author on his 112th birthday. Born on August 24, 1899 in Buenos Aires the poet, essayist and short-story writer had command over a number of languages, though Spanish was the language of his literature.

Born to a respected Argentine family, Borges interest in literature was triggered by the books in his father’s library. In 1914 Borges moved to Switzerland with his family, where he learned French and German and also received his bachelor’s degree. While in Europe, Borges also spent a year in Spain, where he joined the Ultraist movement of avant-garde poets.

Upon his return to Argentina in 1921 he established the Ultraist movement in South America. Borges’ first published work was a volume of poems titled Fervor de Buenos Aires, poemas

source: http://black-robert-journal.com/2011/08/24/todays-google-doodles-jorge-luis-borges-112th-birthday/

'America's Got Talent': Semi-Final 1 recap

2011-08-24T02:13:00.000-07:00

Having secured their place in the semi-finals, the first group of 12 hopefuls took to the stage again tonight in order to compete for a spot in the Top 10 of America's Got Talent's sixth season.

Here's what the judges had to say.

Zuma Zuma - Acrobatic Dance Group

The act includes fire breathing, as well as the group building massive towers atop stacks of wooden chairs. Piers admires the flexibility of some of their members and praises them for improving from previous rounds, keeping the audience engaged and putting on a "terrific" show. Sharon agrees, saying that she loves what they do and that they display such infectious enthusiasm, though she admits that it's not as good as past weeks. Howie sides with Sharon, claiming that it didn't share the same "exuberance" as past acts and that they didn't step it up from the quarter-finals.

Beth Ann Robinson - Dancer

Sharon thinks it's a "flawless" performance and hopes that American voters will take into consideration how young she is and how hard she works to compete with acts that have more people. Howie calls it "beautiful". He says that Beth Ann and what she does are "mesmerizing" when she begins dancing, and that she is "beyond her years". Piers insists that America should be proud that someone of her age possesses such "extraordinary talent" and confesses that they have not had many dancers who are technically better than her in the history of the show.

Sandou Trio Russian Bar - Acrobatic Group

The group changes it up by including singing with their act, with the female lead hanging upside down from a piano. Piers is unimpressed and buzzes "no" shortly into the act. Howie questions whether or not they were "going for comedy", admitting that they made a bad choice in leaving behind the "death-defying" aspects of their act. Piers calls it a "suicide mission", saying that they weren't voted through to sing badly on a piano but rather to perform on the Russian bar. Sharon agrees, calling it "disappointing" and saying that she is a "mediocre singer" and that they let themselves down, though she admires that they took a risk.

Kevin Colis - Singer/Songwriter

He performs a version of 'Rhythm of Love' by the Plain White Ts, which Piers buzzes "no" to partway through. Piers later admits that his nervousness was obvious and that the stage may have been too big for him, saying that it wasn't good enough to move forward in the competition. Sharon compares it to "something like The Wiggles", calling it very sweet and nice, but bland and forgettable. Howie thinks that he has a very good voice and considers him lucky to be part of the YouTube show as he was able to stand out during that round, but claims that he's not up to par with everyone else at this stage.

Matt Wilhelm - Stunt Cyclist

Sharon thinks that the routine's message and presentation was "great", but is saddened that he fell at one point, saying that she hopes that it doesn't affect his chances of getting votes. Howie is a huge fan of Matt, but admits that it wasn't much different or better than his past performance. However, he hopes that America can forgive him for his mistakes. Piers isn't bothered by the mistake and thinks that Matt is very talented, but thinks that the routine is repetitive and that it probably couldn't fill an entire show without boring people.

Poplyfe - Teen Band

The group performs a lively version of 'Come Together' by The Beatles. Howie thinks that they stepped it up yet again from their last audition, saying that they blew him away and that they are already stars and headliners in his eyes. Piers congratulates them on a job well done, saying that while he was initially skeptical of their song choice, they managed to impress him with every aspect of their performance. Sharon agrees, calling it a "great song choice" and loving that their confidence grows and that they get better every week. "I know I'm looking at the winner. I'm just so proud of you guys," she adds.

West Springfield Dance Team - Dance Troupe

Piers finds the horror-themed routine "scary" but is impressed with the performance, saying that it was their best yet. Sharon agrees, saying that she feels "a part of the team". She praises them for pulling off a successful routine and for their "brilliant" choreography, synchronisation and timing. Howie loves that they showed off what he sees as their "signature moves". He insists that they deserve to be there and move forward with the competition.

Melissa Villasenor - Comedian/Impressionist

The act includes impressions of Sarah Silverman, Christina Aguilera and Shakira. Sharon thinks that she did "so well" and that she achieved the impossible by making Piers laugh. Howie thinks that she has a huge act and really deserves to be there, while Piers praises her for sticking to four impressions which suited her well and for managing what little time she has on stage well.

Team iLuminate - Electric Light Dance Group

The video game-themed act impresses the judges and audience alike, earning them a standing ovation. Howie says that he "just watched a million dollars" and that they deserve to win, but admits that he's scared that America might take for granted how good they are. He urges viewers to vote for them. Piers loves that they manage to change their theme each time, playing to their core strength and remaining "exciting" every time. Sharon is dumbfounded, saying that she can't believe that they aren't already famous because of how good they are.

Daniel Joseph Baker - Singer

He performs a version of Adele's 'Turning Tables' on a white grand piano, prompting Piers to admit that he was initially skeptical but eventually came around to it and enjoyed it in the context of a Vegas show. Sharon loves him, describing him as "incredibly talented" and saying that he makes everyone smile when he performs, as he delivers with passion and is as "camp as Christmas". Howie also thinks that he's a star and says that he came into his own with tonight's performance as there is no one like him.

Miami All-Stars - Salsa Dance Group

The group performs a swing-inspired routine, earning high praise from Sharon, who says that she felt like she was watching a movie and calls it "superb". She wishes that she had something to criticise but admits that there is nothing she can think of to say. Howie agrees, calling them one of his favourite dance teams in the competition and urges America to vote for them. Piers calls it his favourite performance of the entire night.

Lys Agnes - Opera Singer

After a performance of Evanescence's 'Bring Me To Life', Sharon admits that it took her breath away, calling it "sensational" and praising her confidence and beauty. Piers is impressed that she finally moved him and showed her full range of capabilities. Howie is speechless, saying that there are no words to describe her beauty and sound.

source: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/s67/americas-got-talent/news/a336777/americas-got-talent-semi-final-1-recap.html

Defector says Qaddafi not courageous enough to commit suicide

2011-08-22T06:54:00.001-07:00

23:48 Al Arabiya: Libya's freedom fighters will halt their offensive if Muammar Gaddafi announces his departure, the head of Libya's National Transitional Council said on Al Arabiya television tonight.

Amateur footage, which could not be verified by Al Arabiya, showed demonstrators in Damascus, Homs and Hama waving banners and chanting anti-Assad slogans, demanding he leave at once. The US, Europe and Britain said they are drafting a UN Security

Amateur footage, which could not be verified by Al Arabiya, showed demonstrators in Damascus, Homs and Hama waving banners and chanting anti-Assad slogans, demanding he leave at once. The US, Europe and Britain said they are drafting a UN Security

Libyan rebel leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil told Al Arabiya the opposition National Transitional Council has been in touch with the commander of the special force tasked by Mr. Qaddafi to protect Tripoli. Mr. Abdel Jalil said the commander of the force was

DUBAI Aug 22 (Reuters) – Libyan rebels are negotiating with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrange the handover of Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam who was detained late on Sunday, al Arabiya TV reported on Monday without naming a source.

source: http://todaynewstrends.info/defector-says-qaddafi-not-courageous-enough-to-commit-suicide.html

The faces behind bipolar disorder

2011-08-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

New stem cell lines developed from the skin of adults living with bipolar disorder are providing researchers at the University of Michigan Health System an unprecedented opportunity to delve into the genetic and biological underpinnings of the

Teen Mom 2 star Jenelle Evans has admitted that she takes medication for bipolar disorder. The troubled teen has been tweeting about her money woes and her need to be on medication to control her moods. "I got antibiotics and my bi-polar medication I

Bipolar Analyze. If you came looking for an exact bipolar test online for different kinds of Bipolar Disorders for example: Bipolar 1. Bipolar a couple of. Bipo.

New stem cell lines developed from the skin of adults living with bipolar disorder are providing researchers at the University of Michigan Health System an unpr.

Whenever diagnosing bipolar disorder you can find two main forms of bipolar that the medical community refer to be able to. They are named bipolar My partner and i and bipolar II but you may even see them referred to as

source: http://www.212articles.com/the-faces-behind-bipolar-disorder-2/

US Open Tennis Preview (Ladies)

2011-08-22T06:41:00.001-07:00

The US Open tennis kicks off next week, running from August 29th to September 11th. Check out part two of the RoundersPalace.com US Open preview – the Ladies tournament – where Serena Williams is the hot favourite to take the title at Flushing Meadows.

Serena Williams
Serena Williams was off the court for a year prior to Wimbledon, yet she still managed to make the last 16 before succumbing to Marion Bartoli. Since then, she has won two WTA titles but pulled out of a third due to an injury to her foot. Williams is clearly back to something close to her dominant best and if the foot injury isn’t serious, it’s very easy to see why the bookmakers rate her as a clear favourite for the 2011 US Open.

A winner of 13 Grand Slam titles, including the US Open three times, Williams at 80% of her best is still more than good enough to beat the current crop of female tennis stars and she will be especially eager to do so, given that a US Open success would catapult her back towards the top 10 in the WTA rankings. With more than a week’s rest, the injury to her toe shouldn’t be too much of a problem either.

The best price available for Williams at the moment is 2.70 (Unibet) and she is as short as 2.30 with bwin.

Maria Sharapova
Despite being rated as second favourite by the bookmakers, at a best price of 8.00 (Unibet), Maria Sharapova doesn’t actually have the best of records at the US Open. She has won the event once – but not since 2006 – and last year’s tournament. where she made the fourth round, was her best performance at Flushing Meadows since that 2006 triumph.

That said, after an up and down 2011, Sharapova has had the perfect US Open preparation, beating the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova, Samantha Stosur and Jelena Jankovic on the way to winning the Western & Southern Open, in Cincinnati. This hard court victory has seen Sharapova jump to number four in the world – her highest position since returning from a career threatening shoulder injury.

If the 24 year old can carry that form into the US Open an with her injury problems seemingly behind her, that 8.00 currently being offered by Unibet could look huge come September 11th.

Victoria Azarenka
22 year old Belarusian Victoria Azarenka is currently ranked number five in the world and is fresh from her first ever Grand Slam Semi Final appearance, which came at Wimbledon earlier this summer. Despite that result, Azarenka’s US Open preparation hasn’t been ideal having crashed out of the 2011 Bank of the West Classic in the second round. She had been seeded number one and was the defending champion.

Azarenka doesn’t have a great deal of form at the US Open either; her best finish to date came in 2007 when she reached the fourth round. She has entered the competition five times and averages a third round finish. All things considered, it’s perhaps a little surprising to see her ranked as third favourite by the bookmakers, at a best price of 12.00 (Unibet) but as short as 9.00 with Bet365.

Petra Kvitova
Petra Kvitova is undoubtedly enjoying her best season to date. The 21 year old from the Czech Republic made her first ever Grand Slam Final at Wimbledon this summer, beating Maria Sharapova in straight sets to land her first Grand Slam title. In the Australian Open she reached the Quarter Final, beating her previous best effort and although she only made the fourth round of the French Open, this equalled her best performance in the tournament.

In the three US Open tournaments that Kvitova has competed in, she is yet to progress past the fourth round, but given her current rate of progression, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to expect at least a Quarter Final appearance, if not much better. Her current best price for US Open glory is 12.00 with Betfair, though she is as short as 6.00 with William Hill. If the bookmakers are struggling to agree on her chances, there is surely value to be had.

Vera Zvonareva
Zvonareva made back to back Grand Slam Finals last year, losing out at both Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows. Although she made the Semi Final of this year’s Australian Open, the 26 year old Russian has so far struggled to reach the form that she displayed throughout 2010.

Things could be about to change though; Zvonareva has been preparing hard for the US Open, playing in four hard court tournaments already, making a Semi Final and two Finals. Of those two Final appearances, she managed to emerge triumphant in the Baku Cup en route to a career record sequence of nine straight victories.

Zvonareva can currently be backed to win the US Open at 20.00 on Betfair and is as short as 13.00 with Paddy Power.

The Field
The women’s competition looks much more open than the men’s, with the likes of Li Na (21.00, Betfair), Caroline Wozniacki (18.00, Unibet) and Venus Williams (40.00, Unibet) all capable of taking down a Grand Slam tournament on their day. Despite this, the 2011 US Open winner still looks most likely to come from the shortest priced contenders in the betting.

RoundersPalace.com verdict
Serena Williams looks back to her best and she is going to be tough to stop, but we think that Maria Sharapova represents the best value at 8.00 with Unibet. She is in great form and her hard court preparation couldn’t have gone better.

source: http://www.rounderspalace.com/us-open-tennis-preview-ladies/

The Legendary Island of Bora Bora in Tahiti Featured on E! ‘s Hit Show Keeping Up with the Kardashians

2011-08-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

Press Release Source: Tahiti Tourisme North America On Wednesday August 17, 2011, 12:46 pm EDT LOS ANGELES, Aug. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The island of Bora Bora, located in the famed islands of Tahiti in the South Pacific and known for its world-renowned blue lagoon, will be featured in three episodes of E! 's hit show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The Bora Bora episodes air on Sundays, August 21st and 28th and September 4th . The two-part finale airs Sunday, September 4th and Monday, September 5th at 10pm ET/PT on E! Keeping Up with the Kardashians is produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions and Bunim/Murray Productions.
(Photo: photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110817/LA53485) The Kardashians began their dream vacation on Air Tahiti Nui, Tahiti's luxurious, award-winning international airline. Officially known as French Polynesia, the islands of Tahiti are much closer than many people think. Only eight hours from Los Angeles, located in the same time zone as Hawaii, and the same distance below the equator as Hawaii is above the equator. Covering a vast area of the South Pacific - about the same size as Western Europe - Tahiti is comprised of 118 islands and atolls broken up into five distinct archipelagoes. Bora Bora is one of the main islands in the Society Islands archipelago. Other islands included in the archipelago are Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Huahine and Taha'a.Featuring some of the most romantic, beautiful and adventurous locations on earth, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians season finale episodes were shot at the breathtaking Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa, built above what author James Michener coined as "the most beautiful lagoon in the world."While the entire family stayed in Tahiti's signature overwater bungalows, Kris and Bruce Jenner and Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries enjoyed Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa's two $5,000-a-night Presidential villas, the only two-story overwater villas in French Polynesia.As one of the top-rated honeymoon destinations in the world, Bora Bora has long been a location for filming and the playground for celebrities. To learn more about Tahiti and her islands, visit tahititourisme.com Air Tahiti Nui and its partners have launched the "Vacation Like a Celebrity" package, a value-driven, six-day luxury Bora Bora vacation that makes it easy to turn a dream family vacation into a reality."Vacation Like a Celebrity" package includes:Round-trip international airfare from Los Angeles on award-winning Air Tahiti NuiOne night at Radisson Plaza Resort Tahiti in a deluxe ocean view roomFour nights at Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa in a lagoon view suite (including one free night)Free American breakfast dailyRound-trip inter-island air transportation on Air Tahiti, Tahiti's domestic airlineMeet and greet and shell lei upon arrivalAll transfers and baggage handlingBook "Vacation Like a Celebrity" package for $2699 per person for departures between November 1 – December 14, 2011 or $2799 per person for travel between August 16 – October 31, 2011 and January 7 – March 31, 2012. For additional information, restrictions and terms of this package, please visit Air Tahiti Nui online at airtahitinui-usa.com or call Travelscene at 888-819-7460.This release is being issued by Tahiti Tourisme North America.

source: http://cheapmuslims.com/the-legendary-island-of-bora-bora-in-tahiti-featured-on-e-s-hit-show-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-legendary-island-of-bora-bora-in-tahiti-featured-on-e-s-hit-show-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians

Rant & Rave: An awkward trailing vine at the nursery

2011-08-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Rave To the nice employee at Swanson's Nursery who came up quietly behind me and said in a low voice, "Ma'am, you'll have to return to the restroom — you have a long trail of toilet paper hanging out the back." Indeed, I did — at least 2 feet long. I applaud her graciousness and thank her for making me painfully snicker at myself.

Rant To aggressive petition-takers trying to get passers-by to sign their petitions. Lighten up. No one wants to be browbeaten or insulted. You're defeating the purpose of the cause you represent.

Rave To the two men working at Sluys Bakery who broke out into delightful a cappella song. I hope people strolling the streets of Poulsbo will hear your harmony and stop in for the great doughnuts!

Rant and Rave Rave to my neighbors who called 911 when they saw two people breaking into my house, and to the police who arrived quickly so our loss was minimized. We really appreciate it. Rant to the two who broke a window and kicked in a door and stole money from my 85-year-old mom's room.

Rave To people who take the time to remove their garage-sale signs once the sales are done.

Rant To all of those folks who sample our store's cherries and leave the pits in the aisle, in with the other cherries and under the display boxes. You are rude and gross.

Rave Many thanks to the U.S. Postal Service employee(s) who returned the library books I mistakenly deposited in the mailbox!

Rant To the person or persons who continuously steal trinkets/memorabilia from our mother's grave in Preston. My mother would say, "If they took it, they needed it more than she did." But shame on you!

Rave To the people who came to my rescue when I was assaulted and knocked down, helping me and quickly calling the police so they could arrest the man who'd also pushed several other people along Third Avenue.

source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2015934868_rantrave21.html?prmid=head_main

Libya News

2011-08-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

Here in the sixth month of what was supposed to be a few days of NATO’s war in Libya, it seems Muammar Gadhafi may be on the verge of being ousted from power. The rebels have expanded their control of a number of cities and towns outside of the de facto rebel capital Benghazi and have now invaded Tripoli, Gadhafi’s last stronghold. Rebels marched within two miles of the city center, as Gadhafi’s defenders melted away, his presidential guard surrendered, and his two sons were arrested, according to rebels.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Gaddafi’s government, Moussa Ibrahim, said he was ready for immediate negotiations with rebels through the head of the National Transitional Council, and has asked NATO to convince the rebel forces to halt an attack on Tripoli. Signaling his desperation, he appears to recognize he has nearly lost.

These developments have prompted heads to turn to the Western powers that facilitated this war for what to do about a post-Gadhafi Libya. Having hitched the NATO wagon to a rather unimpressive star, concerns are rising that a rebel-controlled country is unworkable and undesirable.

The rebel group is not a cohesive assemblage, but made of disparate factions. The main rebel group, based in Benghazi in the country’s east, consists of former government ministers who have defected, and longstanding opposition figures, representing a range of political views including Arab nationalists, Islamists, secularists, socialists and businessmen. Their military forces are a hodge-podge of armed groups, former soldiers and freelance militias, including amateur neighborhood gangs and former members of an Islamist guerrilla group crushed by Gaddafi in the 1990s.

An example of their divisions made headlines at the end of July, when rebel military commander Abdel Fattah Younis was assassinated by his fellow comrades on suspicion of being disloyal and having perhaps been responsible for an inadequate rebel performance in the east. More than division, the rebels have accumulated a record of extrajudicial executions, suppression of free speech, beatings, and thievery, which have their Western enablers worried about their ability to run a just and humane country.

And such a task will be monumental. The economy is ruined, infrastructure has been bombed and destroyed, communications are disrupted, public services are damaged and heavily armed gangs loyal only to themselves are likely to remain at large. Political tasks, like a significant refugee problem and a looming division of the country between eastern and western tribes, are also complicated undertakings, to say the least.

Some minor preparations have been made. The National Transition Council has spent months working on a post-Gaddafi plan that includes the establishment of a constitutional authority and UN-supervised elections. But the environment on the ground signals it may not be enough.

Uncertainty over who controls Libya, or doubts about whether they enjoy broad support, could potentially undermine the stability of the embattled country. Such instability, being addressed by such an incompetent and fractured group, could not only produce a humanitarian disaster, it could lead to the emergence of new authoritarian government.

But the NATO-led intervention shows in and of itself that the U.S. and European powers perceive vital interests in Libya, including oil and gas supplies. This virtually excludes any sort of “hands off” approach. And the impending political vacuum surely concerns those in Washington and the European Union, for a descent into chaos as was seen in Iraq circa 2006 is a political liability and a costly option.

This makes it extremely unlikely that the U.S. and NATO will simply pat the rebels on the back and wish them good luck in their new Gadhafi-free Libya. Actually, it has been known for some time now that NATO ground troops will eventually be necessary. U.S. Army General Carter Ham, who led the military mission until NATO took over, predicted as much back in April. And U.S. Admiral Samuel Locklear anticipated back in June that ground troops would probably be necessary after Gadhafi’s fall.

The European powers have expressed no desire to lead a nation building occupation in Libya, and their struggling economies are an excuse to take a back seat, which means America, the world’s military hegemon, will be looked at to do the job. Another U.S.-led NATO occupation in yet another Muslim country in the Middle East would be a disaster and would likely prolong a simmering civil war in Libya for a decade or more.

Furthermore, the costly, broken adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan prove that such interventionist, imperial campaigns are not only deadly, but also expensive. And Libyans surely do not want to be run by foreigners. That sentiment has been coming back to bite America for more than a decade now, at terrible cost to blood and treasure and liberty.

The political and military elites in Washington, though, seem to think it a blessing that American troops, bases, and client states be set up in yet another country. Their hubris, if pursued in Libya, will be yet another piece in the puzzle of America’s ruin.

source: http://news.antiwar.com/2011/08/21/imperial-hubris-in-post-gadhafi-libya/

Jackie Chan Death Hoax

2011-08-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Nearly 150,000 Jackie Chan fans have “liked” a page memorializing the action film star… despite the fact Jackie Chan is, in fact, alive and well.

The page, originally called “Jackie Chan R.I.P 08/17/2011″ and now just called “Jackie Chan R.I.P” (perhaps for the next time “Jackie Chan dead” becomes a Twitter trending topic?) has been instrumental in pushing forward this incarnation of the Jackie Chan death hoax. For some reason, Chan can’t stay alive in the internet death hoax rumor mill this year. In March, news of his death spread virally on Twitter, and fans of the Rush Hour star poured out condolences until it became apparent Chan had not died of a heart attack as the rumor claimed.

While the number of Facebook likes on the Jackie Chan death hoax page may seem like a lot, compare it to the actual Jackie Chan fan page, which has 20,161,490 likes. (Chan actually owns the Facebook page for simply “Jackie,” like “Madonna,” or “Cher.”) Were there any official news on Jackie Chan’s health or significant injury, it would certainly turn up on Jackie Chan’s official page rather than some fly by night page that won’t allow access to its wall- a wall that’s probably covered in messages that insist Chan has not died.

38,000+ people have “liked” Chan’s most recent quote on the page, in which he says:

‎”When I work I do it from my heart, and my heart is that I bring love to the world. When I travel around the world I bring my love. I bring so much love in my heart. I hope you can feel that.”
- Jackie

To stay abreast of Jackie Chan news, you can like the official Jackie Chan page linked above

source: http://www.inquisitr.com/135052/jackie-chan-dead-august-2011/

Firefox 6 Arrives With New Tools for Web Developers

2011-08-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Firefox 6 is now available. This update to the popular open source web browser comes just eight weeks after Firefox 5 was unveiled. The quick turnaround time and increasing version numbers are part of Mozilla’s new rapid release cycle.

You can grab the latest version of Firefox from the Mozilla downloads site or head to the About Firefox menu and apply the update.

Firefox 6 doesn’t bring any huge changes to the table, despite what the version number bump might imply (and in fact Mozilla is planning to hide the version number so future releases will just be "Firefox"), but it is up to 20 percent faster than Firefox 5.

The most noticeable change to the look of Firefox 6 is the move to a Chrome-style URL bar where the domain name is now darker than the rest of the URL. Firefox 6 doesn’t dispense with the HTTP prefix the way Chrome does, but Firefox 7, which will soon move from the Aurora to the Beta channel, will hide the http:// portion of the URL.

Firefox 6 does include some nice new tools for web developers. Scratchpad is a new JavaScript editor that’s well worth checking out, and the Web Console panel has also been improved.

For a complete list of everything that’s new in Firefox 6, check out the extensive release notes.

source: http://www.webmonkey.com/2011/08/firefox-6-arrives-with-new-tools-for-web-developers/

How does Matter energy transport function in Star Trek?

2011-08-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

I mean, when i played star trek voyager: elite force, when going through the transporter, i see the blue thing around me, but if matter is all broken down this is impossible right??? Unless i don't understand how the transporter works. what Im asking is, will someone who goes through a transporter and see whats going on when they are still materializing or dematerializing? I know such technology does not exits, but in the star trek universe, does it work that way?

This is probably not the best place to ask this question. I would presume, however, that you would see the blue glow (as all scifi tech seems to glow) just before the breakdown effect got to your brain.

source: http://fairfieldlawyers.com.au/how-does-matter-energy-transport-function-in-star-trek

Watchmen Costumes

2011-08-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

This year, Watchmen costumes have become incredibly popular for Halloween and other science fiction gatherings. Silk Spectre, Night Owl, The Comedian, Dr. Manhattan – all of the popular characters from the best-selling graphic novel have stolen the Halloween spotlight, thanks to the release and continuing popularity of the smash hit movie by the same name.

Watchmen costumes offer a large variety of characters to choose from, so you’re sure to find one that speaks to your inner superhero. They’re perfect for individual costumes, and would work great if you’re looking for a theme for a family or group of friends. Night Owl and Silk Spectre would make great Watchmen costumes for couples. Most of the characters are dressed in relatively simple costumes, making them easy to imitate and comfortable to wear.

Ladies are free to get in touch with their super heroine sides in Sally Jupiter or Silk Spectre Watchmen movie costumes. Both are fearless fighters dressed in yellow and black costumes, with Silk Spectre’s outfit being a little more sleek and stealthy, while Sally Jupiter maintains a look closer to that of a pin up girl. Costumes for both heroines are easy to find in a range of sizes online, or check your local specialty costume shop.

Watchmen movie costumes offer a variety of choices for men wishing to get in touch with their inner superhero. Night Owl, a popular choice in Watchmen movie costumes this Halloween, is a superhero costume in the likeness of an owl, with a long cape instead of wings. Night Owl’s uniform is quite detailed, and the costumes available this season copy the detail well. Night Owl costumes are relatively inexpensive, and include the owl headpiece.

The Comedian is also a hit when it comes to Watchmen movie costumes. When The Comedian stepped out to fight crime, he did so much like Night Owl – in a very detailed costume. Difficult to duplicate, this may be one Watchmen movie costume you’re better off purchasing.

If you’re hoping to make your own Watchmen costumes, Rorschach is one of the easier Watchmen characters to copy. His vigilante crime fighting uniform was quite simple – a mid-length trench coat with a beige colored scarf, gloves, and a fedora make up the clothing, and the mask could be copied with some thick white material and a fabric pen and very basic sewing skills.

Dr. Manhattan would also be a fairly simple Watchmen Halloween costume to duplicate on your own. While you can purchase a mask and gloves to help make your Watchmen movie costumes more authentic, this isn’t necessary. The only clothing Dr. Manhattan requires is a pair of black pants, though you could opt for a full black suit if you wanted, similar to the one he wore to The Comedian’s funeral. Blue body paint or liquid latex will help turn your skin blue just like Dr. Manhattan.

Who watches the Watchmen? From Dr. Manhattan and Silk Spectre to Rorschach, Watchmen costumes will ensure that everyone is watching you!

source: http://qingdoanews.com/watchmen-costumes-are-popular-halloween-costumes-this-year%C2%A0%C2%A0.html

World Youth Day 2011

2011-08-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

I have been juggling my time between classroom teaching and facilitating retreats and recollections with college students. As if “existentially thrown” into teaching young men and women from rich families, I have to find my way into their own contextual confusions, level of existential curiosities or social conscience. Context is very important.

Passing on ideas is a little handy. It’s main requirement is one’s willingness to become a talker. What is crucial though is the content – what’s being passed on and how it’s being passed on. But beyond passing on, once considered as the parameter of learning that was so teacher-centered has been challenged by findings especially in developmental psychology research. What were once the standard learning pedagogies of rote memorization or “multiple choice” tests of my late father’s yester-schools are now of course questioned, modified, debunked by developmental psychology. Now, we talk about “transformative learning” or “constructivist classrooms” and the exploration of the meaning of these phrases continue despite its established definitions. “Constructivist classrooms” are grounded on the assumption and research-based data generated for example by Piaget and other cognitive psychologists that the human mind is pliable enough for restructuring developmentally. Whereas in traditional classrooms, teachers generally behave in a didactic manner, disseminating information to students, in a constructivist classroom, teachers behave in an interactive manner, serving as mediators of the learning environment for students. Whereas in traditional classrooms, strict adherence to fixed curriculum is highly valued, in constructivist classrooms, the pursuit of student questions are highly valued. Whereas in traditional classrooms, students are viewed as “blank slates” onto which information is etched by the teacher, in a constructivist classroom, students are viewed as thinkers with emerging theories about the world. Consistent with the findings of physics, especially quantum physics, constructivist classrooms are based on the presupposition that learning is a complex process that “defies the linear precepts of measurement and accountability,” that the linear approach to educational renewal is badly flawed” because of the multidimensionality of reality that equally includes students’ internally constructed understandings and sense of meaning about the world.

I have less burden with teaching, even within a constructivist classroom. The steep challenge comes in facilitating or leading retreats and recollections, especially ones with a contemplative bent as part of its content. It’s a big deal for my literally still aching back and shoulders. In facilitating, we can talk about strategies and skills, knowledge in group dynamics or even handy group games. But beyond techniques and their “therapeutic workability,” there is a burden that the young men and women of today, especially those coming from well-off families that a facilitator like myself cannot but absorb within the process. It’s how distracted they are by a lot of noises, especially technological noises. These are young people overexposed to gadgets and the noise of social networking. These are people whose minds are discombobulated by a barrage of information, even thinking that facebooking can still be squeezed in within a retreat, that a retreat at least must be loaded with music videos all the time. They are edgy after a short absence from their computer monitors. They have a hard time trying to be still and I doubt if stillness is a learning pedagogy in their homes and dormitories. These young men and women, just like any human being regardless of his/her developmental stage, are inherently charged with the power of silence except that its discovery must be an uphill, steep climb within a more seductive, easy, gratifying, senses-stimulating subculture of technological noise.

source: http://desertfishing.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/world-youth-day-2011-being-with-young-men-and-women/

HP tablet withdrawn after 4 days

2011-08-21T00:56:00.000-07:00

HP’s Website, along with Amazon, continues to sell the HP TouchPad, despite announcing the tablet’s ignoble death.
Hewlett-Packard’s Website is still selling the HP TouchPad, the webOS tablet it has condemned to history’s dustbin of dead tech.

Those interested in purchasing a piece of future geek trivia can find the 16GB and 32GB versions on HP’s official shopping page for $399.99 and $499.99, respectively. Another HP page sings the virtues of webOS, complete with text claiming it’s “the smartest OS ever created.” For the moment, the tablet is also available on Amazon.

THE much awaited HP TouchPad tablet was withdrawn from the Australian market today just 4 days after its launch, making it one of the shortest-lived electronics products in Australian history.

Retailer Harvey Norman, which sold the HP TouchPad tablet exclusively, said it had instructed franchises to remove all stocks from shelves and to contact customers who had bought it and offer them a full refund or credit for another purchase.

The HP TouchPad’s dramatic demise in Australia is the result of HP’s decision in the United States yesterday to axe it and smartphones powered by its in-house webOS mobile operating system, after astonishingly poor sales since its United States launch in July.

The problem for the Palo Alto, California-based tech company was that webOS was neither Apple nor Android. It was a mobile operating system HP acquired when it bought smartphone manufacturer Palm for $1.2 billion last year.

With relatively few apps available for download, and several exhibiting serious bugs, many commentators believed the HP TouchPad was doomed from the start.

source: http://www.hotslive.com/hp-tablet-withdrawn-after-4-days/

HP TouchPad Sale Going Crazy

2011-08-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

HP TouchPad price has crashed and the fire sale price has dropped to $99! It seems poor sales are making dealers sell out the HP Touchpad at unbelievable rates.

If you visit the Best Buy Canada store right now, 16GB HP TouchPad with Wi-Fi, which was selling for $399.99, is now on sale for $99.99 only; while the HP TouchPad 32GB with Wi-Fi, which was originally priced at $499.99 is selling for $149.99 only. Stock seems sold out right now.

So is it a limited and one shop discount? It seems HP affiliates have been informed about liquidating HP TouchPad inventories and so many more dealers may follow with the huge sale very soon. Amazon is still selling at the high price, but you might want to watch their prices.

Recently HP announced that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, and it seems unsold HP Tablets are piling up and have already been selling for a discount for sometime, but this huge deep discount is a great deal to buy the HP Touchpad.

source: http://www.quickonlinetips.com/archives/2011/08/hp-touchpad-sale-price-crashes/

Kim Kardashian Wedding

2011-08-21T00:41:00.000-07:00

Kim Kardshian's wedding is over, and reportedly, the entire ceremony was charming. One of those charms, her nephew Mason, nearly caused a major mishap. Her sister and maid of honor Kourtney stumbled while carrying the ring bearer down the aisle.

Kim Kardashian Wedding: Kourtney Stumbled Carrying Mason Down the AisleAs many young ring bearers do, Mason did not want to go down the aisle, so his mom helped him carry the "K" embossed pillow. Of course, as she started, Kourtney tripped a bit, and the entire crowd gasped at what could have been a hugely embarrassing moment for the maid of honor. Thankfully, nothing happened, and little Mason continued down the aisle with the pillow all by himself. After getting to the wedding party, he went to sit with his dad, Scott Disick.
With children in a wedding party, you never can tell what will happen, and that is part of their adorable charm. Kim Kardashian is a proud aunt, and even though Mason began crying during the closing prayer at the ceremony, there is little doubt that she would not change a thing about including the little man in her special day.

source: http://celebs.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979999211

Silk Road - Buying Illegal Drugs Online

2011-06-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Silk Road Blackmarket online

Buying cocaine can get you shot. What if you could buy and sell drugs online like books or light bulbs? Now you can: Welcome to Silk Road.

Silk Road, a digital black market that sits just below most internet users' purview, does resemble something from a cyberpunk novel. Through a combination of anonymity technology and a sophisticated user-feedback system, Silk Road makes buying and selling illegal drugs as easy as buying used electronics—and seemingly as safe. It's Amazon—if Amazon sold mind-altering chemicals.

Here is just a small selection of the 340 items available for purchase on Silk Road by anyone, right now: a gram of Afghani hash; 1/8th ounce of "sour 13" weed; 14 grams of ecstasy; .1 grams tar heroin. A listing for "Avatar" LSD includes a picture of blotter paper with big blue faces from the James Cameron movie on it. The sellers are located all over the world, a large portion from the U.S. and Canada.

source: http://fashioncopious.typepad.com/fashioncopious/2011/06/good-reads-silk-road.html

Weather Boston

2011-06-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia, New York, Boston Weather: Tornado Watch Issued

The watch region stretches from Maine to Pennsylvania and is in impact until 8 p.m. A watch means weather conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.

This NOAA satellite image taken Wednesday, June 1, at 10:45 AM EDT shows a broad patch of comma shaped cloud cover over eastern Canada. Showers and thunderstorms develop ahead of this cold front, from parts of Vermont and New York via Pennsylvania and Virginia. Strong daytime heating and increased southwesterly winds ahead of this cold front generate favorable conditions for severe weather development throughout this afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for much of the East Coast, which includes Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

The watch region stretches from Maine to Pennsylvania and is in effect until 8 p.m. A watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.

The Weather Service says thunderstorms with 70 mph wind gusts and harmful lightning are probable. There also could possibly be hail measuring about 2 inches in diameter.

The threat of severe weather comes soon after a stretch of many days of unseasonable heat. Temperatures have soared into the 90s in spots.

The National Weather Service issues tornado warnings for cities and towns southwest of Boston. Two funnel clouds have been spotted in central Massachusetts.

A tornado touched down Wednesday afternoon in Springfield, Mass., causing considerable damage to buildings within the region.

The National Weather Service has issued tornado warnings for points east of Springfield, including Milford, Millis, Dedham, and points southwest of Boston, Mass.

Two funnel clouds had been been spotted at five p.m. Wednesday.

When the tornado passed by way of the city of Springfield, it caused damage to buildings, vehicles, and trees across an 17-mile area, according to Dennis Leger of the Springfield Fire Department. He stated there had been some injuries caused by vehicles flipping. Cars were reported overturned near Sturbridge, Mass., on Interstate 84, based on Massachusetts State Police.

The storms also consist of hail and lightning.

reported previously, considerably of the East Coast between Philadelphia and Boston, is under a tornado watch until 8 p.m. A watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.

The National Weather Service says thunderstorms with 70 mph wind gusts and hazardous lightning are possible. There also could be hail measuring about 2 inches in diameter.

The threat of severe weather comes immediately after a stretch of several days of unseasonable heat. Temperatures have soared into the 90s in spots.

Springfield Tornado Videos :Tornado hits Springfield, Mass. (video)

KungFu Panda 2

2011-05-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a 3D computer-animated family film that is a sequel to the 2008 film Kung Fu Panda ,The film was released on May 26, 2011 in Real 3D and Digital 3D,The first film was released in June of 2008, and by the following October, the studio DreamWorks Animation announced plans for a second film, and The film's characters are used in products and advertising campaigns across various media,Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger were screenwriters and co-producers for the first film, and while they returned for the sequel,the studio hired Charlie Kaufman to revise the screenplay,Like the other DWA films beginning production in 2009, Kung Fu Panda 2 was produced in stereoscopic 3D technology,Kung Fu Panda 2 is an upcoming sequel for the 2008 blockbuster film Kung Fu Panda,and The theater release date is set for May 26th, 2011.It is set to be in 3D and will be directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson , with most of the original cast returning, along with some new characters.

Kung Fu panda 2 trailer

the story "In Kung Fu Panda 2 , Po is now living his dream as the Dragon Warrior , protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, the Furious Five . But Po's new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain , who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. It is up to Po and the Furious Five to journey across China to face this threat and vanquish it. But how can Po stop a weapon that can stop kung fu, He must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins is only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed, and the film Kung Fu Panda 2 was screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in early May before its commercial release.The film is scheduled to be released on May 26 , 2011. Box Office Mojo reported the film's release date as advantageous; the computer-animated family film Rio is concluding its theatrical run, and another computer-animated family film, Cars 2 , is scheduled to open in four weeks.

Patriot Act

2011-05-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

The USA Patriot Act is an extensive piece of legislation, passed in 2001, consisting of amendments to many other laws. Its official name is Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. A similar bill, the USA Act was introduced to Congress earlier the same year, but it failed to pass. However, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Congress was much more receptive to increasing law enforcement capabilities, and passed the Patriot Act with virtually no debate.

Among other things, the law extends law enforcement capabilities in terms of searches and wiretapping, and includes provisions for gag orders. This means that the subject of a search, the media, or anyone else cannot be informed that the search took place. These provisions have been lauded by some and criticized by others. Two of the most vocal opponents to the Act have been the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the American Library Association (ALA).

This electronic pathfinder provides links to information about the Patriot Act, including the bill itself and related documents, as well as a variety of sources on both sides of the debate.

Bishop Eddie Long

2011-05-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

Bishop Eddie Long reached a settlement with four men who accused him of sexual abuse, an attorney for the men told Channel 2 Action News on Thursday.

Four former New Birth Missionary Baptist Church members filed lawsuits against Long, his church and youth academy, after they said he used his power and influence to entice them into sexual relationships. Long has denied the claims.

Attorney BJ Bernstein told Channel 2’s Jodie Fleischer that neither she, nor the men who made the complaints would speak about the settlement. She released a statement saying only, "The matter has been resolved."

The settlement came after court-ordered mediation sessions. It was Easter week when the judge in the case said the parties engaged in a marathon mediation session and came out of it close to a settlement.

Judge Johnny Panos said back then: "They’ve resolved a lot of major issues and there's a few fine details that need to be worked out."

NBA Finals Schedule

2011-05-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

The Miami Heat proved once again that in a close series the difference often comes down to the final few possessions. Just like the Dallas Mavericks, the Heat came from behind late in the game to beat the Chicago Bulls and advance to the 2011 NBA Finals. The series is both a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals and a chance to see LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki go head-to-head in crunch time. It should be a blast.

The Miami Heat with a NBA regular season record of 58-24 will host the Dallas Mavericks who went 57-25. Game 1 will be in Miami on Tuesday, May 31 at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT with ABC holding the TV broadcast rights. The schedule format changes in the NBA Finals with the first two games at home, followed by three on the road and then the final two back on the home court of the team with the better regular season record.

Over the coming days we will get more into the specific match ups and ultimately will make a prediction on this series but here's some immediate thoughts. The Dallas Mavericks have the deeper team but are woefully undersized at the two guard. They will need a fantastic series from Shawn Marion defending LeBron James and of course, Dirk has to be Dirk and Jason Kidd and Jason Terry and J.J. Barea need to knock down threes.

The Heat have the best two players and have proven they can both play defense and score in crunch time. Dwyane Wadedidn't have a great series against the stingy Bulls' defense but he should have more room to roam against the Mavs. Miami shouldn't have too much trouble scoring but is going to have a much harder time defending Dallas' ball movement and outside shooting.
Here's the full schedule for the 2011 NBA Finals with all games broadcast on ABC TV:
Game 1 May 31, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
Game 2 June 2, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
Game 3 June 5, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT
Game 4 June 7, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
Game 5 * June 9, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
Game 6 * June 12, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT
Game 7 * June 14, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT

About World Market

2011-05-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

Kuoni, the luxury travel brand, has announced it is now represented by World Market Travel, a leading Independent travel agency in Bath.

The new relationship was officially announced at the launch event held in April at the elegant Roman Baths, where guests were treated to a tour of the museum followed by drinks, canapes, and a string quartet.

Just under 200 guests attended the event including Joanna Edmunds, Kuoni UK Managing Director, Derek Jones, Kuoni UK Distribution Director, and Tim and Peter Giles, joint owners of the World Market Travel store.

A guest at the event commented: "I would like to express our thanks and appreciation for a most splendid and enjoyable evening.

"The choice of venue was absolutely superb and you could not have chosen a better setting to mark this very special occasion. It was a pleasure to mix with other clients of World Market Travel and to learn from their travel experiences and in particular to appreciate the high regard they have for the store and staff."

Sponsors of the event included Hilton Worldwide, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Canada Tourist Board, YTL Hotels, AAT Kings, Orion Cruises and Qantas.

With World Market Travel representing the tour operator, Kuoni has given the store a face lift. The store has a brand new chic interior, offering a comfortable and relaxing environment for customers to browse the range of holidays on offer, which include Antigua holidays and Barbados holidays.

World Market Travel is the first independent travel agency that Kuoni will partner this year, creating dual-branded shops in locations where the operator does not have high street shops.

About Kuoni:
Kuoni is ABTA and ATOL protected, giving customers financial protection and ensuring they won't be stranded abroad. Customers are safe in the knowledge that while they are abroad, Kuoni have professional ground agents and English speaking guides to ensure they have an enjoyable stay.

Kuoni offers luxury holidays in a number of beautiful locations, including a range of all-inclusiveMaldives holidays, holidays to Thailand and luxury holidays as well as a host of memorable experiences such as brewing coffee at ancient Brazilian fazendas, tracking chimpanzees in the wilds of Tanzania and salsa dancing in Havana. The company's Authentic Experiences enable travellers to do as the locals do or learn from experts in their field.

About World Market Travel:
World Market Travel is one of the UK's leading independent travel agencies based in Bath and is personally owned and operated by brothers Peter & Tim Giles. The office is managed by Peter's son Steve Giles who together with a team of travel experts can offer impartial advice on all aspects of planning holidays.

World Market Travel are appointed agents for all major airlines and have discounted airfares with over 50 carriers including Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Continental and Air New Zealand. It has the largest selection of discounted flights in the centre of Bath.

ATT Wireless

2011-05-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

AT&T's mobile broadband network is based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) family of technologies that includes GSM and UMTS, the most widely used wireless network platforms in the world. AT&T has the broadest international coverage of any U.S. wireless provider, providing access to voice service in more than 220 countries and data service in more than 200 countries. AT&T also offers voice and data roaming coverage on more than 135 major cruise ships, as well as mobile broadband services in more than 130 countries.

AT&T also operates the nation's largest Wi-Fi network** with more than 24,000 hotspots in the U.S. and provides access to more than 135,000 hotspots globally through roaming agreements. Most AT&T smartphone customers get access to our entire national Wi-Fi network at no additional cost, and Wi-Fi usage doesn't count against customers' monthly wireless data plans.

For more information about AT&T's coverage in Pennsylvania or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit the AT&T Coverage Viewer. Using the online tool, AT&T customers can measure quality of coverage from a street address, intersection, ZIP code or even a landmark.

For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
** Largest based on company branded and operated hotspots. Access includes AT&T Wi-Fi Basic. A Wi-Fi enabled device required. Other restrictions apply. See www.attwifi.com for details and locations.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.
Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.

The Full Report About What Happened On Air France Flight 447 -- Sounds Like Pilot Error

2011-05-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

France's air-crash investigation agency has released an updated report on what happened aboard Air France Flight 447, which crashed in the Atlantic two years ago.

As described here, the plane stalled at 38,000 feet--meaning that its speed slowed to the point where its wings no longer generated enough lift for the plane to remain in the air--and it then plummeted at 10,000 feet per minute into the Atlantic.

All the way down, the pilots tried to regain control of the aircraft, but failed. The plane remained in a stall despite having all its engines operating normally at full thrust.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/air-france-crash-sounds-like-pilot-error-2011-5#ixzz1NZG78Ga0

Tyler Hamilton Accuses Lance Armstrong of Doping

2011-05-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

Lance Armstrong has taken his defense against Tyler Hamilton's 60 Minutes cheating allegations to another level, producing a long and detailed takedown of Hamilton on a site called Facts4Lance.com. On the page it's claimed Hamilton is lying to make money off a book deal, sold out Armstrong so that the government will let him keep his Olympic gold medal and so on.

A history of Hamilton's own doping denials is presented, which aims to show that he's finally telling the truth now that money's on the line. Though, of course, that doesn't necessarily mean he's still a liar.
Click here for full story

Zombie Apocalypse

2011-05-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

I've been saying this for years, and finally people are catching on. The zombie apocalypse is upon us, and unless you arm yourself, then you are going to get eaten in the guts-and-gloopy-stuff massacre. And today, I found out that even the CDC agree. They released their Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse guide today.

(Personally I wold have spent more time training people on how to use LPs, cricket bats and shovels as weapons and teaching them the benefits of "borrowing" items from grocery stores in abandoned areas, but what can you do? It's a government-sponsored zombie survival guide.)

They say the best way to learn is from experience. Here's a collection of zombie themed videos so you can watch what it's going to be like. Like the Boy Scouts of America say, "Always be prepared." And, as Ash says, "Shop smart. Shop S-mart."
Read full story here

End Of The World Not May 21st

2011-05-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

If Christian Radio Broadcaster Harold Camping has his way, Saturday May 21st will be The End Of The World. It's not necessary to go into a lot of detail to explain that Mr. Harold Camping is wrong.

Rather than immediately point to any Biblical scripture that reads "The World Will End On May 21st 2011," Camping points to a self-created math that leads him to that conclusion. But, really, it's a conclusion Camping would have come to an asserted without numbers.

It's just like Google using an algorithm to express what really is a set of opinions about how Internet search, and the placement of news, should work. Google execs are fond of pointing to this 'black box' that produces a result, but the fact is, if that black box comes up with a search outcome that's not in favor with their views, it will be altered.
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History of Friday the 13th

2011-05-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year. Any month's 13th day will fall on a Friday if the month starts on a Sunday.

*Phobias*
The fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia (Frigga being the name of the Norse goddess for whom "Friday" is named and triskaidekaphobia meaning fear of the number thirteen), or paraskevidekatriaphobia a concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή, meaning "Friday"), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς, meaning "thirteen") attached to phobía (φοβία, from phóbos, φόβος, meaning "fear"). The latter word was derived in 1911 and first appeared in a mainstream source in 1953.

A theory by author Charles Panati, one of the leading authorities on the subject of "Origins," maintains that the superstition can be traced back to ancient myth:

The actual origin of the superstition, though, appears also to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil — a gathering of thirteen — and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as "Witches' Sabbath."

Another theory about the origin of this superstition traces to the arrest of the legendary Knights Templar.

The Knights Templar were a monastic military order founded in Jerusalem, in the year 1118. Their original mission was to guide and protect Christian pilgrims along the path from Europe to Jerusalem during the Crusades. Through this mission, the Templars developed a banking system to protect the finances of the traveling pilgrims, eventually expanding this banking system throughout their holdings in Europe. Over time, France's Philip IV amassed a substantial debt to the Knights Templar, due to their years of service to the crown. He had nearly depleted his money, from France's ongoing battles with England. In the Knights' rise to power, King Phillip became envious of them, so he set his sights on their famed fortunes. Philip devised a plan to arrest all the Knights in a single day, and charge them with crimes so heinous that no person or group would dare come to their defense. The charges against them were religious in nature, and backed by the papacy of the Vatican and Pope Clement V. His plan was swift and carefully crafted, so as not to alert the Templars in advance.
Knights Templar and Philip IV

King Phillip's orders were sent a month in advance to the King's Men and other Bailiffs, with instructions not to open the orders until dawn of Friday, October 13, 1307. The charges against the Templars were of the highest accusations of heresy: that the Knights Templar had asked members to spit on the cross and to step on it, to deny Christ, to perform homosexual acts, and so on. The king's orders were to engage and arrest every Templar in France. All Templar outposts, homes, wineries, mills, and castles were to be taken in the name of the King of France and Pope Clement V. The nationwide arrest was widely successful, with medieval torture tactics used to obtain confessions from the Knights. This act against the Templar Order is now viewed as one of the most unlucky days in History - Friday the 13t.

Read full story here

Love & Hip Hop

2011-05-17T00:34:00.000-07:00

The ladies of VH1′s, Love & Hip Hop, taped their reunion show last week in New York hosted by radio DJ Angie Martinez. Jim Jones even made an appearance.

Through all of their successes and their failures, professionally and personally, Chrissy Lampkin, Olivia Longott, Emily Bustamante and Somaya “Boss” Reece kept viewers hooked on their lives this past season. On the reunion special they dish about what happened behind the scenes. This is something you will not want to miss!
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egyptsaidso.com

Holy Buddha Purnima

2011-05-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the Holy Buddha Purnima, the most sacred and most significant day for Buddhists all over the world. On this happy day the Buddha was born at the Lumbini Garden in 624 BC, attained Enlightenment under the Bo-tree at Gaya in 589 BC, and passed into Mahaparnibbana at Kushinara in 544 BC. The thrice-sacred events of Buddha Purnima are of great significance to the people of the world. It is observed all as the most blessed day with peace, happiness, universal love and purity.

The Buddha, whose name was Siddhartha Goutama, lived in northern India in the 6th century B.C. His father, Suddhodhana, was the ruler of the kingdom of the Sakyas (in modern Nepal). His mother was queen Mahamaya. According to the custom of the time, he was married at the age of sixteen to a beautiful and devoted young princess named Yasodhara.

The young prince lived in his palace with every luxury at his command. But all of a sudden, confronted with the reality of life and the suffering of mankind, he decided to find the solution -- the way out of this universal suffering. At the age of 29, soon after the birth of his only child, Rahula, he left his kingdom and became an ascetic in search of the true solution of the suffering of mankind.

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thedailystar.net

Movie Review | Bridesmaids

2011-05-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Look out boys, the baddest bridesmaids are in town and they’re nursing a lot of grudges! It’s payback time in Kristen Wiig’s stunningly funny snapshot of a pre- wedding party gone wild. It’s almost unbelievable that a film about women as coarse, foul mouthed, potty focused and raucous as this has been made. It’s about time. Bridesmaids is straight ahead R-rated comic women’s lib and it’s sublime.

Wiig is phenomenally talented as a writer and comedienne; she’s confident enough as Annie to look awful and behave worse and skilled enough to make the most of each comic opportunity. Her timing is impeccable and her awkwardly charming movement is unique; she reminds me of Charlie Chaplin. Wiig is a revelation and my new fave comedienne.

Wiig is also smart enough to surround herself with rock solid supporting talent, from Molly and Mike’s Melissa McCarthy – who looks strangely like Ricky Gervais’ twin - as Megan, who suggests a Fight Club themed shower, to co-writer Annie Mumolo’s comic turn as a nervous airline passenger and Matt Lucas and Rebel Wilson as twin roommates.

Maya Rudolph is Lillian the bride in question, who has asked Annie to organize events around her wedding; they’re lifelong best friends and although Annie’s clearly lacking in skills necessary to do this job, loyalty is the standard. Lillian takes a leap of faith that comes back to bite her in the rear.

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Video Game Review | LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean

2011-05-15T04:52:00.000-07:00

The Lego games' family-friendly formula of chaotic combat, gentle puzzle solving and laugh-out-loud comic cut-scenes has become at least as big a part of their appeal as the Hollywood movies on which they are based.

Which is handy here because, as befits a franchise born our of an amusement park ride, Disney's 'Pirates of the Caribbean' blockbusters are big on swashbuckling action but somewhat lacking in iconic characters.
The one true exception, of course, is Captain Jack Sparrow, and he's the star of this show too; developers Travellers Tales improbably imbuing his brick form with as much swagger and style as Johnny Depp does on screen.

Elsewhere they've also provided plenty of bang for your pieces of eight. All four of the franchise's films - including newie '...Stranger Tides' - are afforded the full story mode treatment; there's chest-fuls of secret booty for the dedicated to dig up; and welcome refinements to the controls make 'Pirates...' one of the most accessible Lego installments yet.

It might not boast the depth and variety of the recent 'Star Wars' and 'Harry Potter' outings, but 'Pirates...' still has a ch-arrrrgh!-m all of its own.

Watch the trailer here

Running Shoes Specialists | Achilles heel

2011-05-15T04:39:00.000-07:00

Achilles heel is a specialist provider of Running Shoes and equipment. The first achilles heel store opened in 2000 in Decourcys Arcade, Glasgow; since this point the company successfully expanded and it now operates from a larger premise on Great Western Road.

What makes achilles heel so special is the level of customer service that you will receive. Whether you’re searching for Track Running Shoes, professional advice, comfortable walking shoes or the latest Fitflops, the company’s friendly staff will always endeavour to help you to the fullest of their ability.

You may wonder: why are the achilles heel team qualified to talk about running shoes? The simple answer to this question is that all of the company’s staff are running enthusiasts; each of them has a vast degree experience and knowledge when it comes to running shoes and gaits.

In addition to this, each member of the team receives training by company representatives on a regular basis, so that they are fully up to speed with every new product that appears on the shop’s shelves.

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Madhuri Dixit Birthday

2011-05-15T04:23:00.000-07:00

Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit, who is once again seen entertaining his huge fans with her TV presence, turned 44 on Sunday.

After a long break, the 'Dhak Dhak' girl of B-town had been back again this time in a new avatar as she was seen as a judge in the dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa season 4'.

Madhuri Dixit was seen judging the participants in the show.

Bollywood heart-throb of the 1990s Madhuri Dixit, has always been recognized by her fans for her mind blowing performances in films like 'Hum Apke Hain Kaun', 'Lajja', 'Devdas', 'Beta', 'Dil To Pagal Hai', 'Saajan', 'Tezaab'.

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History of Origami

2011-05-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD at the latest and was popularized outside Japan in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form. The goal of this art is to transform a flat sheet of material into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques, and as such the use of cuts or glue are not considered to be origami.

The number of basic origami folds is small, but they can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. The best known origami model is probably the Japanese paper crane. In general, these designs begin with a square sheet of paper whose sides may be different colors or prints. Traditional Japanese origami, which has been practiced since the Edo era (1603–1867), has often been less strict about these conventions, sometimes cutting the paper or using nonsquare shapes to start with.

There is much speculation as to the origin of origami. While Japan seems to have had the most extensive tradition, there is evidence of an independent tradition of paperfolding in China, as well as Germany and Spain among other places. However because paper decomposes rapidly, there is very little direct evidence of its age or origins, aside from references in published material.

In China, traditional funerals include burning folded paper gold nuggets (yuanbao) but it is not known when this practice started. The paper folding has typically been of objects like dishes, hats or boats rather than animals or flowers.
The earliest evidence of paperfolding in Europe is a picture of a small paper boat in Tractatus de sphaera mundi from 1490. There is also evidence of a cut and folded paper box from 1440. It is probable paperfolding in the west originated with the Moors much earlier, it is not known if it was independently discovered or knowledge of origami came along the silk route.

In Japan, the earliest unambiguous reference to a paper model is in a short poem by Ihara Saikaku in 1680 which describes paper butterflies in a dream. Origami butterflies were used during the celebration of Shinto weddings to represent the bride and groom, so paperfolding had already become a significant aspect of Japanese ceremony by the Heian period (794–1185) of Japanese history, enough that the reference in this poem would be recognized. Samurai warriors would exchange gifts adorned with noshi, a sort of good luck token made of folded strips of paper.

In the early 1900s, Akira Yoshizawa, Kosho Uchiyama, and others began creating and recording original origami works. Akira Yoshizawa in particular was responsible for a number of innovations, such as wet-folding and the Yoshizawa-Randlett diagramming system, and his work inspired a renaissance of the art form. During the 1980s a number of folders started systematically studying the mathematical properties of folded forms, which led to a steady increase in the complexity of origami models, which continued well into the 1990s, after which some designers started returning to simpler forms

Tour of California

2011-05-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

The Tour of California (advertised as Amgen Tour of California) is an annual professional cycling stage race on the UCI America Tour and USA Cycling Professional Tour. It began on February 19, 2006. The eight-day race covers 650–700 miles (1,045 - 1,126 km) through California — beginning in Nevada City, traveling through the redwoods, wine country and the Pacific Coast, finishing in Escondido. The 2009 race crossed the Central Valley from Merced to Fresno, with an excursion through the Sierra Nevada foothills, before crossing to the coast. The tour is sponsored by Amgen.

With eight to nine of the 20 UCI ProTour teams, the Tour of California is one of the largest cycling races in the United States since the demise of the Coors Classic in 1988. On November 28, 2006, the UCI upgraded it from 2.1 (category 1) to 2.HC (French: Hors categorie; English: beyond categorization), the highest rating and one of only three in the United States. The others are the Tour de Georgia and the Tour of Missouri.

In 2010, the 2010 Tour of California moved from February to May (May 16–23), the same time as the Giro d'Italia. It is considered likely that the number of Americans in the Giro and Italians in the Tour of California will decrease. Tour of California organizers seek to make the race a preparatory event for the Tour de France, believing few riders who seek a serious position in the Tour will ride the Giro.

The eight-day 2011 Tour of California, in its sixth year, starts May 15 at the California-Nevada state line on Lake Tahoe's south shore.

Mississipi river Flood

2011-05-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

Forecasters said the Mississippi River could crest late Monday at Memphis — hours sooner than previously predicted — but the mayor said his city is ready for it.

Forecaster Joe Lowery of the National Weather Service office in Memphis said it looked as though the river is starting to level out and could crest as soon as Monday night at or near 48 feet. Forecasters had previously predicted the crest would come Tuesday.

Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton said lessons from past disasters have shown city officials the importance of going door-to-door to warn residents in flood-prone areas. He said there are also stepped up patrols of neighborhoods to prevent looting.

Wharton told CBS’ The Early Show that authorities are going back to some areas repeatedly to tell people that they should abandon their homes before they are swamped by waters from the rising Mississippi River.
Memphis residents have been abandoning low-lying homes for days as the dangerously surging river that threatens to crest just shy of the 48.7-foot record, set by a devastating 1937 flood.

Anora Brown, who lives in the flooded neighborhood of Frayser, watched the rising floodwaters creep along a closed section of U.S. Highway 51 near her home Sunday.
“The water is behind, it’s right behind my house, but it’s not up to the house yet,” Brown told NPR. “It’s very, very close,” she says. It’s within, let’s say about 12 feet maybe.”
She said that if the water rises much higher, she’s prepared to evacuate her home.

The swollen river has swamped houses in Memphis and threatens to consume many more, but its rise has been slow enough that some people were clinging to their normal lives just a bit longer.
Officials have issued evacuation notices to more than 1,300 homes as the flood zones grow due to the overflowing Wolf and Loosahatchie rivers and the Nonconnah Creek. Even as the Mississippi rises, some of the worst of the flooding is along its tributaries — as the mighty river’s high waters push a back-flow up those already swollen tributaries, flooding low-lying neighborhoods.

“They flow east to west so they normally dump into the Mississippi,” says Bob Nations, director of the Shelby County Office of Preparedness. “But now they can’t dump into the Mississippi so they’ve been backing up all week because they hit that wall of the Mississippi River rising.”
Nations said he hopes people don’t wait too long to get out of danger “because it’s much easier to evacuate dry than it is to do water evacuations.”

Officials said some 370 people were staying in shelters, with nearly 200 crammed into a shelter set up in a gymnasium at Hope Presbyterian, a sprawling megachurch east of Memphis.
With Hope stretched beyorn capacity, scores of people also were staying at other shelters in houses of worship around Memphis. Shelby County officials are relying entirely upon the faith-based community to house those displaced by the floods.

“The need is huge,” Michael Leirer, pastor of missions at Hope Presbyterian, told NPR. “From what I’m hearing, the river is going up even more, so within a few days or what not, we’re going to be seeing even more people coming in.”
But while some people fled to safety, others came as spectators. At Beale Street, the famous thoroughfare known for blues music, dozens gawked and snapped photos as water pooled at the end of the road. Traffic was heavy downtown on a day the streets would normally be quiet.

The river is “probably the biggest tourist attraction in Memphis,” said Scott Umstead, who made the half-hour drive from Collierville with his wife and their three children.
Col. Vernie Reichling, Army Corps of Engineers commander for the Memphis district, said the homes in most danger of flooding are in areas not protected by levees or floodwalls, including near Nonconnah Creek and the Wolf and Loosahatchie rivers.

About 150 Corps workers were walking along levees and monitoring performance of pump stations along what Reichling called the “wicked” Mississippi. “There should be no concern for any levees to fail,” he told The Associated Press in a downtown park on a bluff overlooking the river.
For Cedric Blue, the flooding in his south Memphis neighborhood near the overflowing Nonconnah Creek is a source of frustration and anger.

Blue, 39, has watched as the water engulfed three homes on his street, including that of an older woman who had to be rescued in a boat because she had refused to leave. He fears the rising water will ruin his house and his belongings while washing away a lifetime of memories that were created there.
Sunday afternoon, a garbage can floated in the high water near his house. Some feet away, the water had reached more than halfway up a yellow “No Outlet” street sign. He became emotional talking about how he has about 7 feet of water in his backyard and less than a foot inside the house, which his mother owns. They were in the middle of a remodeling project when the flood hit.

Blue said he wants the city, county or the federal government to give him a hotel voucher so he does not have to go to a shelter.
“I just want a new life and relocation,” Blue told the AP. “I would like the elected officials to come down here to see this with their own eyes and see what we’re going through.”

Flood waters were about a half-mile from the Beale Street’s world-famous nightspots, which are on higher ground.
The river already reached record levels in some areas upstream, thanks to heavy rains and snowmelt. It spared Kentucky and northwest Tennessee any catastrophic flooding and no deaths have been reported there, but some low lying towns and farmland along the banks of the river have been inundated.
And there’s tension farther south in the Mississippi Delta and Louisiana, where the river could create a slow-developing disaster.

Downriver in Louisiana, officials warned residents that even if a key spillway northwest of Baton Rouge were to be opened, residents could expect water 5 feet to 25 feet deep over parts of seven parishes. Some of Louisiana’s most valuable farmland is expected to be inundated.
The Morganza spillway, northwest of Baton Rouge, could be opened as early as Thursday, but a decision has not yet been made.

A separate spillway northwest of New Orleans was to be opened Monday, helping ease the pressure on levees there, and inmates were set to be evacuated from the low-lying state prison in Angola.
Engineers say it is unlikely any major metropolitan areas will be inundated as the water pushes downstream over the next week or two. Nonetheless, officials are cautious.

Since the flood of 1927, a disaster that killed hundreds, Congress has made protecting the cities on the lower Mississippi a priority, spending billions to fortify cities with floodwalls and carve out overflow basins and ponds — a departure from the “levees-only” strategy that led to the 1927 disaster.
NPR’s David Schaper reported from Memphis for this story, which contains material from The Associated Press. [Copyright 2011 National Public Radio]Login

Samoa

2011-05-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

Samoa looks set to try to change its time zone and move the country's clocks forward by a day to be in line with Australia and New Zealand.

Two years ago, the government passed the side of the road on which disk Samoans and this year he intended to change the side of the deadline of the country is running.

Samoan Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, is quoted in the online media as saying he wants to make it easier for Samoa to do business with Australasia.

He said Samoa is indeed lose two working days per week with the region being on the east side of the date line.

But the Samoans who are doing business with the neighboring countries of American Samoa does not want to change sides - even if the Prime Minister said the two nations could use a time difference to attract tourists who would celebrate their birthday or twice, in the country in just one hour apart by plane.

Seth Meyers | Saturday Night Live

2011-05-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

Seth Adam Meyers (born December 28, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He currently serves as head writer for Saturday Night Live and anchors its news parody segment Weekend Update.

Meyers joined the SNL cast in 2001. In 2005, he was promoted to writing supervisor, and in January 2006 he became co-head writer, sharing the role with Tina Fey and Andrew Steele. In 2004, he auditioned to co-anchor "Weekend Update" with Fey, but lost out to Amy Poehler. With Fey's departure, Meyers became head writer for the 2006–2007 season and also took on the role of Weekend Update co-anchor with Amy Poehler. When Poehler left the show during the 2008–2009 season, Meyers anchored solo. In fall 2009, Meyers co-anchored two episodes of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday with Poehler.

During the 2008 United States presidential election, while appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman, former SNL cast member Fey credited Meyers with writing the sketches involving Fey's impression of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

On SNL, Meyers has impersonated such figures as John Kerry, Michael Caine, Anderson Cooper, Carrot Top, Prince Charles, Ryan Seacrest, Sean Penn, Stone Phillips, Tobey Maguire, Peyton Manning, Ben Curtis (also known as the Dell Dude), Ty Pennington, Bill Cowher, Brian Williams, Nicollette Sheridan, Wade Robson, Donald Trump, Jr., Tom Cruise, and Kevin Federline. His recurring characters include Zach Ricky, host of the kids' hidden camera show "Pranksters"; Nerod, the receptionist in the recurring sketch "Appalachian Emergency Room"; David Zinger, a scientist who often insults his fellow workers; DJ Johnathan Feinstein, the DJ on the webcam show "Jarett's Room"; Dan Needler, half of a married couple "that should be divorced," (opposite Amy Poehler); and William Fitzpatrick, from the Irish talk show "Top o' the Morning."

Meyers supported and picketed during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. When interviewed he said, "We all know how lucky we are to have the jobs we have. We're not asking for much. You have to change the rules because people are watching TV in a different way." Even so, he mentioned in interviews that he regretted missing much of the presidential election primary season.

source: wikipedia.org

Chegg History

2011-05-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

Chegg or Chegg.com is an online textbook rental company in the United States based in Santa Clara, CA, which was created in 2001 by three Iowa State University students. Students rent textbooks typically by ordering online, and return books after the semester. It was founded by entrepreneurs Osman Rashid and Aayush Phumbhra. The name Chegg is a contraction of the words chicken and egg, based on the founders' experience after graduating from college: they couldn't land a job without experience, but couldn't get experience without a job, or a chicken and egg type quandary.

In 2001, Josh Carlson, Mike Seager and Mark Fiddelke created the precursor to the business called Cheggpost.com, a Craigslist-type classified service for college students at Iowa State University. Aayush Phumbhra, who attended Iowa State University and was an avid Cheggpost.com user, approached Carlson in late 2003 with the idea of taking the company national. Phumbhra mentioned the service to a friend, Osman Rashid, who saw potential in the idea and joined as chief executive officer to help fund the company in 2005 and formally launched Chegg, Inc., was incorporated in August. Carlson remained until February 2006 and then left to pursue other interests. In April 2006, Chegg found some initial investors including Sam Spadafora, Mike Maples and others. The co-founders quit their regular jobs to focus on Chegg full-time. They tested services; they acquired three college classifieds businesses; they publicized Chegg via campus campaigns and word-of-mouth. In summer 2007 the firm launched "textbookflix.com" which used the textbook rental model. Rashid and Phumbhra decided to switch the "textbookflix" name to "Chegg.com" in December 2007. The firm has enjoyed strong growth. According to a company spokesperson, Chegg rented its two millionth book in 2010.

source: en.wikipedia.org

SEAL Team Six

2011-05-02T16:34:00.000-07:00

The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), commonly known as DEVGRU and informally by its former name SEAL Team Six (ST6), is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units (SMUs), the other one being 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force). In a recent article, Marc Ambinder wrote that DEVGRU's designation had been changed by the Defense Department to a new name. However, the new name is currently classified.

This has also been the case for Delta Force, which was originally designated 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, and is now known as Army Compartmented Elements," or "ACE.”. The vast majority of information surrounding DEVGRU is highly classified and details of its activities are not commented on by either the White House or the Department of Defense.

The origins of ST6 can be traced to the aftermath of Operation Eagle Claw, the failed 1980 attempt to rescue American hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Iran. During the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979, Richard Marcinko was one of two Navy representatives for a Joint Chiefs of Staff task force known as the TAT (Terrorist Action Team). The purpose of the TAT was to develop a plan to free the American hostages held in Iran, which culminated in Operation Eagle Claw. In the wake of the operation's disaster at Desert 1, the U.S. Navy saw the need for a full-time dedicated Counter-Terrorist Team and tasked Marcinko with its design and development.

Marcinko was the first commanding officer of this new unit which he named SEAL Team Six (at the time, the US Navy had only two SEAL teams. Marcinko purportedly named the unit Team Six in order to confuse the Soviet intelligence as to the number of SEAL Teams in operation. It became officially operational in 1981. Marcinko himself from across the U.S. Navy’s Special Operations personnel handpicked the men in the unit. SEAL Team Six would be known as the U.S. Navy's premier counter-terrorist unit. It has also been compared to the US Army's Delta Force. Marcinko held the command of SEAL Team Six for three years from 1980–1983 instead of what was typically a two-year command in the Navy at the time. SEAL Team Six was formally created in October 1980 and an intense, progressive work-up training program made the unit mission-ready six months later. Prior to this, the existing SEAL teams had already begun counter-terrorism training, including 12 platoons in SEAL Team One on the West Coast. On the West Coast, elements of the SEAL Team One had taken the issue one-step further. They formed a dedicated two platoon group known as "MOB Six" (Mobility Six) in anticipation of a maritime scenario requiring a counter-terrorism response and had begun training to that end.

In 1987, a new unit was formed, given the official title of 'Naval Special Warfare Development Group' (NAVSPECWARDEVGRU, or DEVGRU) after SEAL Team Six was dissolved. Reasons for the disbanding are varied. But the name "SEAL Team Six" is often used in reference to DEVGRU because of their similarities as a maritime counter-terrorism unit.

Source: wikipedia.org

Celebrity Apprentice

2011-05-02T03:37:00.000-07:00

Firings! Hirings! Dudes in red cowboy boots! Meat Loaf spending half the task in the bathroom! It was two-hours of madness on tonight’s Celebrity Apprentice, headed by NeNe’s verbal beat down of Star Jones. But who was sent packing in the end? My full recap will be up at 2am (UPDATE: Click over now to read Dalton’s full Celebrity Apprentice recap), but if you can’t wait to sound off on what went down, then read on for more. [SPOILER ALERT: Read on only if you've already watched Sunday's episode of The Celebrity Apprentice.]

In an episode that saw the teams tasked with putting on a hair show, Star Jones had her own personal challenge to contend with — withstanding a constant barrage of insults, accusations, and epithets from NeNe Leakes, who had tired of Star’s bossy, manipulative ways. Their epic feud guaranteed that neither would be fired so Donald Trump could keep that drama ramped up for at least another week. So when the women lost, it was Hope Dworaczyk who paid the price and took the elevator ride of shame down to a waiting town car.

But who knows, maybe she’ll be back next week! After all, Trump also let the previously fired La Toya Jackson back to the competition for no reason whatsoever. (Trump logic — gotta love it!) What did you think of the episode? Did NeNe go too far, or not far enough? Is La Toya being let back into the competition Celebrity Apprentice‘s most ludicrous twist yet? And how crazy were those on-stage hair stylists? Weigh in now and then check back later for my full recap. And for more Celebrity Apprentice news and views, follow me on Twitter

Pippa Middleton's Party Gown

2011-05-02T03:06:00.000-07:00

Like her sister Duchess Catherine, who donned a second wedding dress on Friday evening after the royal wedding, Pippa Middleton also changed into another gown for the post-reception party.

While Pippa, who served as maid of honor, also wore a dress by Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton to the ceremony, she chose designer Alice Temperley to make a custom look for the evening's festivities.

Pippa wore an emerald green Temperley London gown to the dinner dance hosted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

"I was honored that Ms. Pippa Middleton asked me to design her dress for the Royal Wedding evening reception," Temperley said Friday. "Pippa was a delight to work with and knows exactly what she likes. She loved the green color, which looks great on her skin tone. The dress was designed especially for her with a fantastic open back and a full skirt for dancing in."

She completed the look by complementing the gown with silver Aruna Seth heels.

Aside from Kate Middleton, who was photographed in a Temperley London dress last year, young celebs from Isla Fisher to Emma Roberts have recently been spotted in the designer's party-perfect frocks.

Pippa's pick is especially fitting since the Queen royally appointed the designer. Temperley was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to the fashion industry in March 2011.

Phoebe Snow | Professional Life

2011-04-30T06:01:00.000-07:00

Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for her chart-topping 1975 hit "Poetry Man." She was described by The New York Times as a "contralto grounded in a bluesy growl and capable of sweeping over four octaves."

It was at the Bitter End club in 1972 that Denny Cordell, a promotions executive for Shelter Records, was so taken by the singer that he signed her to the label and produced her first recording. She released an eponymous album, Phoebe Snow, in 1974. Featuring guest performances by The Persuasions, Zoot Sims, Teddy Wilson, David Bromberg and Dave Mason, Snow's album went on to sell over a million copies in the United States and became one of the most acclaimed recordings of the era. It spawned a Top Five single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Poetry Man" and was itself a Top Five album in Billboard. It won Snow a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and established her as a formidable singer/songwriter. The cover of Rolling Stone magazine followed, while she performed as the opening act for tours by Jackson Browne and Paul Simon (with whom she recorded the hit single "Gone at Last" in 1975). 1975 also brought the first of several appearances as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, on which Snow performed both solo and in duets with Paul Simon and Linda Ronstadt. During the 1975 appearance, she was seven months pregnant with her daughter who was severely brain damaged.

Snow's backup vocal is heard on Paul Simon's hit song "50 Ways to Leave your Lover" along with Valerie Simpson and Patti Austin, from 1975. Snow also sang backup on the Chicago song "Take me back to Chicago", from 1978.

Legal battles took place between Snow and Shelter Records, and Snow ended up signed to Columbia Records. Her second album, Second Childhood, appeared in 1976, produced by Phil Ramone. It was jazzier and more introspective, and suffered disappointing sales.[citation needed] Snow moved to a harder sound for It Looks Like Snow, released later in 1976 with David Rubinson producing. 1977 saw Never Letting Go, again with Ramone, while 1978's Against the Grain was helmed by Barry Beckett. After that Snow parted ways with Columbia; she would later say that the stress of her parental obligations degraded her ability to make music effectively.

In 1981, Snow, now signed with Mirage Records, released Rock Away, recorded with members of Billy Joel's band; it spun off the Top 50 hit "Games". The 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide summed up Snow's career so far by saying: "One of the most gifted voices of her generation, Phoebe Snow can do just about anything stylistically as well as technically ... The question that's still unanswered is how best to channel such talent." However, Snow would now spend long periods away from recording, often singing commercial jingles for AT&T and others in order to support herself and her daughter. During the 1980s she also battled her own life-threatening illness. Snow returned to recording with Something Real in 1989 and gathered a few more hits on the Adult Contemporary charts. Also, Snow composed the Detroit's WDIV-TV Go 4 It! campaign in 1980. She sang Ancient Places, Sacred Lands on Reading Rainbow's tenth episode The Gift of the Sacred Dog which was based on the book by Paul Goble and narrated by actor Michael Ansara. It was shot at Crow Agency, Montana in 1983.

Snow performed in 1989 on stage at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City as part of Our Common Future, a five hour live television broadcast originating from several countries.

In 1990, she contributed a cover version of the Delaney & Bonnie song "Get ourselves together" to the Elektra compilation Rubáiyát which included Earth Wind & Fire guitarist Dick Smith. In 1992, she toured with Donald Fagen's New York Rock and Soul Revue and was featured on the group's album recorded live at the Beacon Theater in New York City. Even when she wasn't recording her own works, Phoebe continued to tour extensively as a solo artist throughout North America, Great Britain, Germany, and the Far East.
Throughout the 1990s she made numerous appearances on the Howard Stern radio show. She sang live for specials and birthday shows.

In 1997, she sang the Roseanne theme song a cappella during the closing moments of the final episode.
Snow has performed with a numerous artists including Lou Rawls, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dave Grusin, Avenue Blue with Jeff Golub, Garland Jeffreys, Jewel, Donald Fagen, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Queen, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Jackson Browne, Dave Mason, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, Cyndi Lauper, Roger Daltrey, Chaka Khan, CeCe Peniston, Take 6, Michael Bolton, Thelma Houston, Mavis Staples, Laurie Anderson, Tracy Nelson and The Sisters of Glory (with whom she performed at the second Woodstock festival), among others. She also sings the title track on the 1997 Laura Nyro tribute album, Time and Love, and recently Snow joined the pop group, Zap Mama, who recorded its own version of "Poetry Man," in an impromptu duet on the PBS series, "Sessions At West 54th." Hawaiian girl group Na Leo also had a hit on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1999 with their cover version of "Poetry Man."
In May 1998, Snow received the Cultural Achievement Award by New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. She was also the recipient of a Don Kirschner Rock Award, several Playboy Music Poll Awards, New York Music Awards and the Clio Award.

She performed for U.S. President Bill Clinton, First Lady Hillary Clinton, and his cabinet at Camp David in 1999.

In 2003, Snow released her album Natural Wonder on Eagle Records, containing ten original tracks, her first original material in fourteen years.
Snow performed at Howard Stern's wedding in 2008, and made a special appearance in the film Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom as herself. Some of her music was also featured on the soundtrack of the film. Her Live album (2008) featured many of her hits as well as a cover of "Piece of My Heart."

Prior to her stroke, Snow planned to release a new album in 2010, and had been scheduled to begin touring with her band in March.

Snow suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on January 19, 2010 and slipped into a coma, enduring bouts of blood clots, pneumonia, and congestive heart failure. Snow died on April 26, 2011 at age 60 in Edison, New Jersey.[

Asus Transformer | Sold Out at Best Buy

2011-04-30T05:08:00.000-07:00

iPad probably not the only tablet computer that is easy to lure the consumer interest. Although Asus Eee Pad Transformer does not have big names such as iPad attraction, this Android tablets reportedly sells.
Reportedly Geek, Transformer tablets worth $ 399 16GB sold out online at Best Buy on the first day of sale.
Besides Best Buy, other online retailers like Amazon, Wall mart, Newegg and Target reported running out of stock. Retailers in Britain are reportedly experiencing the same thing. In addition, the Asus has released a statement promising to do more shipments in late April or early March.

However, Asus has not officially confirmed this news-related. However, Asus Transformer considered a potential consumer interest. Operating system (OS) Honeycomb Asus embedded in this tablet seems to be the main attraction. Transformer may be the cheapest way to ‘taste’ special Android OS tablets.

For comparison, Motorola’s Xoom it had already been using Honeycomb. However, the price is $ 800 more expensive be banderol. Consumers of course are still in doubt, whether Honeycomb nice and not taking any chances by paying a heavy price.

Another attraction is, of course Asus Transformer look quite steal the show. With the addition of keyboard docking, Transformer has benefit and differentiates them from other tablet product. Best Buy even display ads that are quite provocative, which is making jokes with Transformer reconcile with the iPad.

Summer Youth Employment - Offer from Kaiser Permanente

2011-04-30T04:58:00.000-07:00

A Community Benefit Program geared primarily toward 11th and 12th grade students, the Kaiser Permanente LAUNCH (Learn About Unlimited New Careers in Health Care) High School Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) has been creating opportunities for underserved high school students since 1968. We offer paid summer work experience at Kaiser Permanente facilities throughout California and encourage students to consider that lifelong learning and earning power begins with a high school diploma. There are a wide variety of health care and health care support jobs available, and many students who have participated in the SYEP have chosen health care–related fields after graduation—some of them right here at Kaiser Permanente.
As a SYEP student, you’ll be paid for your time, working in one of our departments while learning about careers in health care. Additionally, when a certified Regional Occupational Programs (ROP) teacher is involved and you complete the various components of the program, you can earn up to 10 Cooperative Vocational Education (CVE) units. These units may be added to the total units required for high school graduation.

The SYEP focuses on health care careers that are in demand. We offer a well-rounded program that will help you prepare for an exciting future in health care. Learn more and take the first step toward building the career you’ve been dreaming of.

No Deadline available, but act quickly!

For more information please visit:
https://epf.kp.org/

Barrak Obama Facebook Live

2011-04-26T02:13:00.000-07:00

President Obama made plenty of political points at his virtual town hall meeting at Facebook's Palo Alto, Calif., headquarters today.

During an hour-long question-and-answer session moderated by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Obama touched on issues ranging from technology and education to immigration and an onerous deficit. At times, the Q&A took on a campaign pep rally in anticipation of the 2012 election.

Among the president's more memorable lines:
-- "My name is Barack Obama, and I'm the first guy to get Mark Zuckerberg to wear a jacket and tie."
-- "What makes me incredible optimistic is that at every juncture in our history, we've always been able to adapt."
Reducing the $1 trillion debt, he said, is "doable."
-- "The housing market is the biggest drag on the economy."
-- "If we don't have a serious (plan) to attack the deficit, we will have an even bigger problem" of investors pulling back when the economy starts to perk up.
-- "Immigration in this country has always been complicated. We are a nation of immigrants and laws. And sometimes the laws are unfair."
"If we bring high-skilled immigants to come here, why wouldn't we want them to stay? They are job generators. We don't want them starting an Intel in China or France. We want them starting them here."
-- "Our education system has to do a better job of math and science education for women, Hispanics and blacks."
-- "I want people to think of the next big Internet breakthrough as the next moon launch."
"We have to lift our game up for the Internet, math and science."
-- Obama said he is confident of a federal education law by 2012 to initiate good school reform.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Zuckerberg presented Obama with a Facebook-logoed hoodie. Obama lauded the "fashion" statement.

Dustin Zito of "Real World: Las Vegas"

2011-04-26T01:22:00.000-07:00

Dustin Zito of "Real World: Las Vegas" is straight. That's no secret.

What is, however, is his gay porn past.

The 24-year old Louisiana native comes from a rough background, and to escape, he headed to Los Angeles. There, he got involved a website called FratPad, which used streaming video cameras to document attractive young men living together. And often times, do much more than just hang out.

It's a secret he's thus far kept from his roommates, and in Wednesday's premiere episode, he even hooked up with a (female) cast member named Heather.

420 is Cannabis culture

2011-04-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

420 is Cannabis culture, refers to consumption of cannabis. It is just a way to identify oneself with cannabis subculture. April 20 is the notable day of it. This term allegedly coined by a group of teenagers in San Rafael, California in 1971 who calling themselves the Waldos, because their chosen hang out spot was a wall outside the school.

The group first used the term in connection to a fall 1971 plan to search for abandoned cannabis crop that they had learned about. The Waldos for the first time made a meeting at Louis Pasteur statue of San Rafael High School at the time 4:20 pm. 420 is the time of their first meeting.

Apple asked to explain Iphone tracker

2011-04-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

A report from two researchers, Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden, at a technology conference in California raises questions about how much privacy you implicitly surrender by carrying around a smartphone. It also questions the responsibility of smartphone makers to protect the sensitive data that flows through their devices.

Much of the concern over iPhone and iPad tracking stems from the fact the computers are logging users’ physical coordinates without users knowing it - and that information is then stored in an unencrypted form that would be easy to find for a hacker, a law enforcement officer without a warrant… or maybe, even worse - a suspicious spouse.

Apple devices have been retaining this information for some time, but it was kept in a different form until the release of the iOS 4 operating software last year.

Sean Morrissey, a security expert, said on Thursday that the tracking on Apple devices isn’t new, or a surprise, to those in the computer forensics community.

Sean Morrissey, Managing Director of Kanata Forensic, said, “This is to help the user use the applications that are on this phone. Because when you’re using anything that has any geo-location data, it needs to know where it is, and part of the function of the certain parts of the operating system and this file constantly let the phone know where I am.”

Researchers emphasize that there’s no evidence that Apple itself has access to this data.

But in London, privacy campaigners say that if consumers were more aware of the issue, it could affect sales.
Daniel Hamilton, Pricacy Campaigner, said, “If you went into a shop and said I’d like to buy an iPhone’and a sales assistant handed it to you and said ‘Before you buy this I need to make you aware that from now on Apple will be able to track everywhere that you go with this iPhone’, then clearly nobody would ever buy that product.”

Mobile User, said, “I feel like it could be a good thing if I lose it or something maybe, but other than that I think it’s kind of weird.”

Apple didn’t immediately respond.

The Boston Bruins beat Canadiens 2-1 on Horton's OT goal

2011-04-24T02:43:00.000-07:00

The Boston Bruins lost a playoff series last year when they had a 3-0 lead. So a mere 3-2 edge over the Montreal Canadiens guarantees nothing.

Coach Claude Julien knows how tough closing can be.

“I think we experienced that last year,” he said after Boston’s 2-1, double-overtime victory Saturday night. “You don’t want to bring it up, but we know how hard it is. We’ve got to go to Montreal knowing we’ve got to be ready. Montreal will come out and play the game of their lives.”
The Bruins won their second overtime game in three days when Nathan Horton scored at 9:03 of the second extra session.

But they remember one of the darkest stretches in club history when they lost four straight games to the Philadelphia Flyers — and squandered a 3-0 lead in Game 7 — last year in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“We learned about last year you can’t take any lead for granted,” said Milan Lucic, who had seven shots after taking just five in the first four games.

On the winning goal, Montreal goalie Carey Price stopped Andrew Ference’s wrist shot from 30 feet but couldn’t control the rebound. Horton put the puck into the open right side of the net for his second goal of the playoffs.

“I saw the rebound come out,” Horton said. “It was like it was in slow motion. It was just sitting there.”

The win was the first by the home team in the first-round series.

“I felt confident,” Julien said. “I liked our composure in overtime. We were making some strong plays. We didn’t really panic.”

The Bruins, who have won three straight games, can end the series Tuesday night in Montreal.

“Playing at home Tuesday in front of our fans, hopefully that will make a difference,” Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said.

In Game 4, also in Montreal, Boston won 5-4 when Michael Ryder scored at 1:59 of overtime after the Bruins overcame deficits of 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3.

On Saturday, Horton came through in a well-played, tiring game.

“I just saw a shot,” Price said. “It hit my pad … and they buried it.”

Boston’s Tim Thomas made a brilliant save at 5:35 of the second overtime on a 2-on-1 Montreal break. Travis Moen passed from the left side across the slot to Brian Gionta, and Thomas slid across the crease to turn aside Gionta’s shot from 5 feet.

“My thought was just trying to get it on the net and get it over him,” Gionta said. “He moves well side to side and he just read it.”

At 8:08 of the first overtime, Price nearly gave the game to the Bruins when he whiffed as he attempted to clear the puck from the crease. He then fell backward on it as his mask fell off while Brad Marchand was just a few feet away.

“We were getting very tired,” Marchand said. “Guys were starting to cramp up. I’m pretty tired right now but it was a pretty special feeling being out there, very intense.”

Thomas made 44 saves, and Price stopped 49 shots.

The Bruins are 0-26 in series they trailed 2-0. But the Canadiens have lost the last two series in which they won the first two games — in 1996 against the New York Rangers and in 2006 against the Carolina Hurricanes, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

After two scoreless periods, Marchand gave Boston the lead at 4:33 of the third period before Jeff Halpern tied it at 13:56.

Marchand passed from behind Price’s left side across the crease. The puck hit Boston’s Patrice Bergeron and trickled back to Marchand, who put it in the open side of the net to the left of Price.

Halpern scored with a short shot over Thomas’ right shoulder after taking a pass from Lars Eller from behind the net.

There was plenty of tight checking and end-to-end action in the first two periods as the Bruins outshot the Canadiens 21-16.

Montreal got a break about 8 minutes in when Dennis Seidenberg’s pass from the right to left point intended for Zdeno Chara was stolen by Michael Cammalleri. He skated in ahead of the defense, but Thomas knocked his shot to the left of the crease. Tomas Plekanec got the puck and shot it toward the open right side where a sprawling Ryder swatted it away with his right glove.

“It was sort of a 2-on-1, 3-on-1,” Ryder said. “I think Timmy was out of position and I just tried to get a glove on it.”

Boston had the better opportunities for the rest of the period.

Horton stole the puck behind the Montreal net and fed David Krejci out front, but Price made the save at 10:38. Then, with Montreal’s David Desharnais serving an interference penalty, Milan Lucic had a clear shot from 5 feet but put it right into Price’s pads.

The Bruins had another opportunity early in the second period, but Marchand and Mark Recchi, both just in front of Price, couldn’t put the puck in at the 52-second mark.

One of the Canadiens’ best chances of the period came at 10:59 when Plekanec fired a 10-footer into Thomas’ pads. The goaltender quickly looked behind to see if the puck went into the net but it stayed in his pads.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Died at 86

2011-04-24T02:29:00.000-07:00

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, whose spiritual clout ran far and wide, passed away on Sunday morning in Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district due to cardio-respiratory failure.

Sai Baba, who was 86, breathed his last at 7.40 AM at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, its Director A N Safaya said in a bulletin on Sunday.“Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is no more with us physically. He left his earthly body on April 24, 2011 at 7:40 AM due to cardio-respiratory failure,” it said.

The body will lie in state at Sai Kulwant Hall for two days — Monday and Tuesday, it said, adding that arrangements will be made for darshan after 6:00 pm Sunday at the Hall.“We appeal to all not to rush to the hospital, but to remain calm and have Darshan in an orderly manner,” it said

A pall of gloom descended on this town, 450 km from Hyderabad, as the news of Sai Baba’s death spread.

His family members, four ministers and government officials rushed to the hospital following reports that the Sai Baba’s condition had deteriorated further.

There has been a complete shutdown in Puttaparthi since morning following reports about deterioration in the condition of Sai Baba.

Sai Baba was hospitalised on 28th March following problems related to heart and respiration.

Anxious devotees of the Sai Baba, whose followers range from top politicians to industrialists, gathered at ‘Prashanti Nilayam’, the spiritual resort of the leader, 6 kms from the hospital.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has rushed for Puttaparthi from Hyderabad following the Baba’s death.Police, which has been deployed in large numbers here, has put up barricades for crowd control.

Free Download 3D Mahjong Nintendo Dsi Game

2011-04-24T02:14:00.000-07:00

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The events of the cross and resurrection of Christ

2011-04-24T02:00:00.000-07:00

The Christian faith is not a mere collection of doctrines - a bag of truths. Christianity is a comprehensive truth claim that encompasses every aspect of revealed doctrine, but is centered in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And, as the apostolic preaching makes clear, the gospel is the priority.

The Apostle Paul affirms this priority when he writes to the Christians in Corinth. In the opening verses of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul sets out his case:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Paul points directly to the events of the cross and resurrection of Christ. He is not concerned with just any gospel, but with the only gospel that saves. This is “the gospel I preached to you,” Paul reminds the Corinthians. The same Paul who so forcefully warned the Galatians against accepting any false gospel reminds the church at Corinth that the very “gospel I preached to you” is the gospel “by which you are being saved.” Their stewardship of the gospel is underlined in Paul’s words, “if you hold fast to the word I preached to you.”

Paul’s statement of priority is a vital corrective for our confused times. Without hesitation, Paul writes with urgency about the truths that are “as of first importance.” All revealed truth is vital, invaluable, life-changing truth to which every disciple of Christ is fully accountable. But certain truths are of highest importance, and that is the language Paul uses without qualification.

And what is of first importance? “That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,” and “that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” The cross and the empty tomb stand at the center of the Christian faith. Without these, there is no good news - no salvation.

Earth Day Activities 2011

2011-04-23T01:33:00.000-07:00

The very first Earth Day time special event occured within 1970 also it released the current environment motion along with more than 20 zillion People in america through just about all strolls associated with existence.

Earth Day time, that is these days, provides by using it numerous actions created each with regard to enjoyable and also to improve environment attention.

“A large amount of the environment challenges originate through the truth that individuals possess dropped the connection using the out-of-doors and find out on their own totally taken off the actual natural globe. These people attempt to reside away from organic globe, ” stated Nate Larger, preservation as well as stewardship director in the South west The state of michigan Property Conservancy.

Little Warriors: More Earth Day Activities
More Earth Day Activities. Here are a few more activities that we did for Earth Day! We made these Earths from DTLK! They turned out so cool!!!! And it was so easy!! Just a coffee filter and the kids color it with blue and green markers ...
Publish Date: 04/21/2011 9:58

Denver and Colorado celebrate Earth Day activities today | Xneh News

By The Denver Post Posted: 04/22/2011 07:35:48 AM MDT Updated: 04/22/2011 11:56:09 AM MDT Kallie Kessler of Denver Natural Areas talks with kids from the.

Earth Day Activities: How To Get Involved (PHOTOS)

Exactly 41 years ago today, the inaugural Earth Day was celebrated with 20 million participants in the United States. Today, April 22, 2011, Earth Day is bigger than ever, with estimates of more than one billion people expected to ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/feeds/verticals/green/index.xml

Earth Day Activities and History
Earth Day Activities and History. Earth Day is a day intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. Earth Day was established by a United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in ...
http://newsonline2011.blogspot.com/

Appealing Events: Earth Day Activity Round-Up: Culture ...
Up at Dolores Park, there are a variety of Earth Day activities you can volunteer for. Volunteering starts at 10am with a community clean-up of the park that includes raking the grass and sweeping paths, as well as garden maintenance. ...
http://sfappeal.com/culture/

You will find small points individuals can perform to assist environmental surroundings, for example becoming much more alert to what forms of bacteria these people place in their house landscapes, he or she stated, or just going for a stroll as well as understanding how to value character.

“A lot of our environmental challenges stem from the fact that people have lost the relationship with the out-of-doors and see themselves completely removed from the natural world. They try to live outside the natural world,” said Nate Fuller, conservation and stewardship director at the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy.

There are little things people can do to help the environment, such as being more conscious of what kinds of flora they put in their home gardens, he said, or simply taking a walk and learning to appreciate nature.
If those don’t appeal to you, there are plenty of other activities from which to choose this weekend in recognition of Earth Day Activities .

ACM Girls Night Out | Tonight Special On CBS

2011-04-23T00:29:00.000-07:00

On tonight’s ‘ACM Girls Night Out’ CBS special, Ronnie Dunn serenaded Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles with one of her own songs, the 2007 platinum hit, ‘Stay.’

“Jennifer, my love,” Dunn said as he took the microphone. “You’ve been an incredible friend to me, and it’s an honor to sing this song tonight. I hope I can do it justice.”

Nettles was invited to the event to be honored as one of only two female artists in the academy’s history to ever write and perform the winning Song of the Year for ‘Stay,’ an achievement that she alone can take credit for. She sat perched in her throne at the side of the stage and watched as her country music peer, formerly of Brooks and Dunn, poured out the same emotion that she put into the song originally.
Though, Dunn’s unique male touch gave an entirely new element to the song, and the ‘Bleed Red’ soloist received applause from both the audience and Nettles as he drew the last note.

“Thank you so much, that was really, really beautiful,” Nettles said to Dunn, still in awe. “It’s wonderful to be included in such beautiful — and talented — company. That was great.”

Tonight’s event honored female artists the Judds, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Loretta Lynn and Carrie Underwood — as well as Nettles — for their great achievements in the industry.

What is Gonorrhea?

2011-04-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain. In both men and women if gonorrhea is left untreated, it may spread locally causing epididymitis or pelvic inflammatory disease or throughout the body, affecting joints and heart valves.

Treatment is commonly with ceftriaxone as antibiotic resistance has developed to many previously used medications.

Gonorrhea if left untreated may last for weeks or months with higher risks of complications. As of 2010 injectable ceftriaxone appear to be one of the few effective antibiotics. Because of increasing rates of antibiotic resistance local susceptibility patterns need to be taken into account when deciding on treatment. Many antibiotics that were once effective including penicillin, tetracycline and fluoroquinolones are no longer recommended because of high rates of resistance. Cases of resistance to ceftriaxone have been reported but are still rare.

It has been suggested that mercury was used as a treatment for gonorrhea. Surgeons tools on board the recovered English warship the Mary Rose included a syringe that, according to some, was used to inject the mercury via the urinary meatus into any unfortunate crewman suffering from gonorrhea. The name "the clap", in reference to the disease, is recorded as early as the sixteen century.

Silver nitrate was one of the widely used drugs in the 19th century, but it became replaced by Protargol. Arthur Eichengrün invented this type of colloidal silver, which was marketed by Bayer from 1897 on. The silver-based treatment was used until the 1st antibiotics came into use in the 1940.

The exact time of onset of gonorrhea as prevalent disease or epidemic cannot be accurately determined from the historical record. One of the first reliable notations occur in the Acts of the (English) Parliament. In 1161 this body passed a law to reduce the spread of "...the perilous infirmity of burning." The symptoms described are consistent with, but not diagnostic of, gonorrhea. A similar decree was passed by Louis IX in France in 1256, replacing regulation with banishment. Similar symptoms were noted at the siege of Acre[disambiguation needed] by Crusaders.

Coincidental to, or dependent on, the appearance of a gonorrhea epidemic, several changes occurred in European medieval society. Cities hired public health doctors to treat afflicted patients without right of refusal. Pope Boniface[disambiguation needed] rescinded the requirement that physicians complete studies for the lower orders of the Catholic priesthood.

Medieval public health physicians in the employ of their cities were required to treat prostitutes infected with the "burning", as well as lepers and other epidemic victims. After Pope Boniface completely secularized the practice of medicine, physicians were more willing to treat a sexually transmitted disease.

Healthy Passover Dessert Recipes

2011-04-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

Passover dessert recipes is challenge when it comes to important dietary rules. Starts with the Seder, Passover, an 8 day celebration for Jews. The seder is a traditional meal that includes matzo, gefilte fish with horseradish, hard-boiled eggs in salt water, and wine.

Eating matzo commemorates the Jewish slaves who fled Egypt 3,000 years ago, since there was no time to let dough rise so that they had to live off unleavened bread.
There are prayers and the retelling of the story of the Israelitas’ escape from slavery in Egypt during biblical times, prior to and during the meal.

The challenges can be fierce when a special diet meets Passover. Dairy is taboo if gluten is out and maybe eggs or nuts are verboten, avoiding rice flour, baking powder and yeast too.
As a Passover dessert recipes, this chocolate pie can double with gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free. It couldn’t be simpler to prepare with full and rich chocolate flavor. It uses just three ingredients, there is nothing to bake, plus toppings.
Was taken from http://www.livingwithout.com/: here are the healthy Passover dessert recipes
1 pound Kosher for Passover plain macaroons (about 4 cups), crumbled
1 cup coconut milk (not low fat) or Kosher for Passover dairy-free creamer
10 ounces Kosher for Passover dark chocolate dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate, chopped
- Whipped Coconut Milk or dairy-free whipped topping
- Fresh Strawberries, sliced, optional

How to: Lightly grease a 9-inch round tart pan. Bring coconut milk to boil in a medium saucepan. In a medium size, place chocolate pieces, heat-proof bowl. Whisk until smooth and chocolate is melted. Up the sides of prepared pan, after press macaroon crumbs into. For easier handling, set on baking sheet. Pour chocolate mixture into crust. About 30-60 minutes or overnight, refrigerate until filling firms. oTop with sliced strawberries, dairy-free whipped topping or crumbled macaroons. Cut the Passover dessert into slices and serve

Review | Game of Thrones

2011-04-18T07:54:00.001-07:00

We must first say that the excitement is for good reason. Based on the best selling George RR Martin, and beloved novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire, the books have sold over seven million copies worldwide, won countless awards and hit the top of the list of the New York Times bestsellers, so no surprise that HBO saw the potential in it. But there is a possible drawback - the fantasy genre has not done traditionally and tellybox. A Game of Thrones is doing better?

From the first couple of episodes, I recognize that just might. With a narrative that jumps right into the action, we are introduced to the seven kingdoms of the west, and things - both human and supernatural - that threaten their peace. In the far north, beyond the wall that protects the kingdoms, walkers Wight - reanimated corpses - old fairy tales are moving. Meanwhile, King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) travel to Winterfell to ask your trusted friend Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) to rule at his side, while in the south, the last remaining heir of the previous dynasty, Viserys Targaryen , Daenerys sells her sister bought an army and regain his crown.

With so many characters, plots, places and background to present concerns to the Game of Thrones was always that the series would be confusing. However, the filmmakers have found the perfect balance, introducing the world of the west at a leisurely pace, while the continuous movement throughout history. The show's production values are the key, not only because it looks so good (and it looks amazing), but because every kingdom is given its own distinct visual identity, the wall is sad and miserable, Winterfell is dark and sad, King's Landing is lush and green, while Pentos in the south is exotic and vibrant. The series' complex mythology is woven into everything from characters dressed in their accents, all of which have been carefully designed to tell us more about our heroes and villains that any long monologue ever could.

That said, the concept of heroes and villains is not really relevant here. Regardless of your environment, Game of Thrones is ultimately a story of humanity. The story is based on the actors' ambition, greed and lust, giving Game of Thrones realism that helps you rise above the usual costume historical dramas. Each character has a dark side and the cross, intentions or alliances are clear giving a nice background unpredictable quality. It is clear from the outset that each of the large cast of characters has a journey to pursue, but if they come to the end of the season is unknown.

Passover | Jewish holy day and festival

2011-04-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

Passover is a Jewish holy day and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays.

Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which typically falls in March or April of the Gregorian calendar. In accordance with the Hebrew Bible, Nisan is the first month of the Hebrew calendar's festival year. Passover is a spring festival, so the 14th day of Nisan begins on the night of a full moon after the vernal equinox. To ensure that Passover did not start before spring, the tradition in ancient Israel held that the first day of Nisan would not start until the barley is ripe, being the test for the onset of spring. If the barley was not ripe, or various other phenomena indicated that spring was not yet imminent, an intercalary month (Adar II) would be added. However, since at least the 4th century, the date has been fixed mathematically.

In Israel, Passover is the seven-day holiday of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, with the first and last days observed as legal holidays and as holy days involving abstention from work, special prayer services, and holiday meals; the intervening days are known as Chol HaMoed ("festival days"). Diaspora Jews historically observed the festival for eight days, and most still do. Reform and Reconstructionist Jews and Israeli Jews, wherever they are, usually observe the holiday over seven days. The reason for this extra day is due to enactment of the Sages. It is thought by many scholars that Jews outside of Israel could not be certain if their local calendars fully conformed to practice of the Temple at Jerusalem, so they added an extra day. But as this practice only attaches to certain (major) holy days, others posit the extra day may have been added to accommodate people who had to travel long distances to participate in communal worship and ritual practices; or the practice may have evolved as a compromise between conflicting interpretations of Jewish Law regarding the calendar; or it may have evolved as a safety measure in areas where Jews were commonly in danger, so that their enemies would not be certain on which day to attack.

Karaite Jews and Samaritans use different versions of the Jewish calendar, which are often out of sync with the modern Jewish calendar by one or two days. In 2009, for example, Nisan 15 on the Jewish calendar used by Rabbinical Judaism corresponds to April 9. On the calendars used by Karaites and Samaritans, Abib or Aviv 15 (as opposed to 'Nisan') corresponds to April 11 in 2009. The Karaite and Samaritan Passovers are each one day long, followed by the six day Festival of Unleavened Bread – for a total of seven days.

According to Exodus 12:3 the Passover lamb must be separated on the "10th day of the Month" therefore, a full cycle of the moon must be observed to determine when to hold the Passover. It cannot merely be held on the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. It must be observed after the first New Moon after the Equinox, then count 10 days, and 14th, and 15th, then always the Passover falls on the Full Moon.

Article source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover

Boston Marathon | 115th running of the Boston Marathon

2011-04-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Thousands of runners are gathering in the small and normally quiet town of Hopkinton for the 115th running of the Boston Marathon.

Buses carrying the athletes began arriving shortly after dawn Monday. Most runners leave at 10 a.m. with the finish line 26.2 miles away in Boston's Copley Square.

Police have been shutting down roads along the route, which also winds through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton and Brookline.

Defending champions Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (CHEER-ee-yot) of Kenya and Teyba Erkesso (TAY-ee-bah Er-KESS-oh) of Ethiopia have return to defend the men's and women's titles, respectively. But they will face plenty of competition along the way.

Defending men's wheelchair champion Ernst Van Dyk is seeking an unprecedented 10th Boston title.

The race forecast calls for temperatures in the 50s with a tailwind that could help the runners.

Article source: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2011-04-18-3414333217_x.htm

Hulk Hogan Engaged to Jennifer McDaniel | Hulk Hogan Engaged to Jennifer McDaniel | Grammy Nominations 2010 | Kalika Moquin Pictures | Meredith Baxter on Today Show

2009-12-03T03:31:00.001-08:00

Grammy Nominations 2010
The nominations for the 2010 Grammy Awards were announced Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Beyonce Knowles topped the nominees with 10 nods for her third solo album, "I Am...

Kate Hudson Harper's Bazaar January 2010
Kate Hudson is the cover girl of Harper's Bazaar's January 2010 issue. The 30-year-old actress who's dating Yankees lothario Alex Rodriguez, set the record straight about her pregnancy rumors in an interview with the magazine.

Hulk Hogan Engaged to Jennifer McDaniel
Just four months after his nasty divorce with ex wife Linda was finalized, Hulk Hogan is ready to get hitched again! The wrestler is reportedly engaged to his new younger girlfriend Jennifer McDaniel.

Tiger Woods Admits "Transgressions"
Tiger Woods, who's been plagued by rumors of infidelity for the past week, issued a statement on his official website expressing his "regret" over some unspecified "transgressions." "I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves.

Kalika Moquin Pictures, Tiger Woods Alleged Mistress #3
Another day, another woman. Kalika Moquin, a marketing manager for The Bank nightclub in Las Vegas has reportedly been an item with Tiger Woods for months.

Meredith Baxter on Today Show : "I'm Gay"
Meredith Baxter of TV sitcom Family Ties has come out as a lesbian on the Today Show. "I want to say I'm a lesbian, and it was a later-in-life recognition," Meredith said in an interview with Matt Lauer.

Kylie Bisutti : New Victoria's Secret Angel (Photos)
Kylie Bisutti, a 19 year-old California girl got her Victoria's Secret wings at the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show Tuesday night. Kylie beat out runner-up Jamie Lee Darley to became the lingerie giant's newest angel based on an online poll nationwide for the Victoria's Secret National Model Search.

Tiger Woods Voicemail and Text Messages Sent to Jaimee Grubbs
UsMagazine has released a voicemail allegedly left by Tiger Woods for his alleged mistress Jaimee Grubbs (pictured above). The golfer called the Los Angeles cocktail waitress on November 24 and left a message in which he begged her to change her voicemail greeting because his wife Elin Nordegren [images] had gone through his phone.

Kylie Bisutti | Tiger Woods Affairs | Obama Speech | Jaimee Grubbs | Brian Schneider | Gabrielle Schoeneweis | Gator Bowl | Carlos Dunlap Arrested | Moonbow | Sheila Dixon | Meredith Baxter Today Show | Kalika Moquin

2009-12-03T03:21:00.001-08:00

Tiger Woods Cocktail Waitress
Tiger Woods is in news for wrong reasons once more. According to reports, a cocktail waitress claims that she had a nearly three-year affair with the world's No.1 golfer. Rachel Uchitel, Kalika Moquin and now Jaimee Grubbs claims that she is allegedly having a fling with Tiger Woods. How many more are yet to come?

Meredith Baxter Today Show
Meredith Baxter appeared on Today Show and she made the show more interesting as she revealed some secrets. On the show, she also revealed a secret that she has been hiding for seven years. On Today Show, Meredith Baxter told Matt Lauer that she is a lesbian. Meredith Baxter is best known for playing Elyse

Victoria's Secret Models Names and Pictures
Victoria's Secret Models is a perfect show for the people interested in fashion. The people who have watched the recent fashion show by Victoria's Secret will also love it. In the 2009 fashion show, the hot models of Victoria's Secret made a huge impact. Marisa Miller, Alessandra Ambrossio, Lindsay Ellingson and Emanuela de Paula were

Kalika Moquin
Every woman seems to be in the list to have an affair with ace golfer Tiger Woods, now one more woman has an alleged affair with Tiger. Kalika Moquin is the third alleged mistress of Tiger, Kalika is a hot brunette marketing manager for The Bank nightclub in Las Vegas. The trio of alleged mistresses

Roy Jones Danny Green
Danny Green has retained his weight world title. WA boxer Danny Green stopped Roy Jones Jr in about two minutes and retained the IBO cruiser weight world title. American superstar Roy Jones Jr was considered as for the fight at Acer Arena in Sydney tonight but all predictions went wrong and Green was the man

Moonbow
Moonbow is also known as white rainbow or lunar rainbow. A colored circle around the moon is not a rainbow its actually a diffraction phenomenon produced by very small water droplets or ice crystals in cirrus clouds. Moonbow is a rainbow which produced by light reflected off the surface of moon. Moonbow is normally faint due

Sheila Dixon
Sheila Dixon is 48th Mayor of Baltimore and also the first African-American female to serve as a council's president. She defeated Keiffer J.Mitchell Jr. with 63% of vote and became the first female Mayor of Baltimore. She completed her studies in Baltimore and then began her career as a kindergarten teacher. Dixon was selected

Floyd Mayweather And Pacquiao Fight
According to ESPN's Dan Rafael, Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants to have a match with Pacquiao and he is ready for the terms of this match. The fight will be of a welterweight limit of 147 lbsAccording to sources, the match will be aired on March 13 HBO PPV. The venue has to be decided yet

Kristin Cavallari And Justin Bobby: The Hills
Kristin Cavallary and Audriana Patridge unanimously reached on a decision during Tuesday night's "Hill" finale after their screaming matches and dramatic fights. Justin Bobby confessed that he likes blond beauty while sitting on lounge chairs outside Kristin's Malibu beach house. "A big part of me wants to be with you and give it a shot," she

Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that is played at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. It is the sixth oldest college bowl, held continuously since 1946. Its current full name is the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl after its present sponsor, Konica Minolta. With a 6-6 regular season record, the Seminoles

Carlos Dunlap Arrested
The Florida Gators will face the Alabama Crimson Tide without their defender at the SEC Championship. The starting defender has been arrested by the police Tuesday morning charged with driving under influence. Police arrested him near the campus of University of Florida at 3:25 a.m. police took him to jail and released after several hours

Xerostomia
Xerostomia is also known as dry mouth in which a patient suffer from reduced or absent saliva flow. Dry mouth occurs when the salivary glands do not work properly. Its not a disease but can be a symptom of various negative effects on the patient's life. Its can effect dietary habits, speech, taste and

Gabrielle Schoeneweis
Scott David Schoeneweis is an American left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent after playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks for one year. On May 20, 2009, his wife, Gabrielle Dawn Schoeneweis, 39, was found dead on the floor of the master bedroom in their suburban Fountain Hills, Arizona home.

Brian Schneider
Brian Duncan Schneider was born on November 26, 1976, he is an American Major League Baseball catcher. On Tuesday, Brian and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed on a two year contract for $2.75 million. Brian spent the last two seasons with the New York Mets, he will be a backup to Carlos Ruiz in Philadelphia

Jaimee Grubbs
Girls are line up to prove their affairs with Tiger Woods and here, we have another one. Jamie Grubbs claims that she had an affair with golfer Tiger Woods. According to Jamie, she had a 31 months long affair with the golfer after she first met with him in Las Vegas in April 2007. Jaimee

Tiger Woods Affairs
Golfer Tiger Woods is like a magnet who only attracts women but mostly the affairs turns out fake or alleged. After Rachel Uchitel denies allegations of an affair with Tiger Woods. Now Jaimee Grubbs, 24, a Las Vegas cocktail waitress claims that she had a relationship with none other than Tiger Woods. She becomes second

Obama Afghanistan Speech
Tonight, before a well-dressed audience President Obama presented his policy over Afghanistan in a speech of 35 minutes. The speech turned skeptical observers from mild opponents to supporters. In speech, he declared that their intention is not to occupy a country or to target a religion but they want to make Afghanistan free from terrorists.

Kylie Bisutti
On Tuesday night, California Kylie Bisutti was crowned the latest Victoria's Secret angel on the lingerie company's televised runway show. Women across the country competed to be the next lingerie superstar. Bisutti 19 year old, Simi Valley, California won the competition after a nationwide online voting which earned her the spot on the Victoria's Secret

Biltmore Estate The National Attorney General Conference
State's top prosecutors are in phoenix to discuss the biggest law enforcement issues of the nation. The winter conference of The National Association of Attorneys General will be held this week at Arizona Biltmore Resort. The agenda is to establish a working relationship between lenders and homeowners and maintain a check on mortgage fraud.

Google To Place Limits On Free Web News Content

2009-12-02T04:31:00.001-08:00

Comcast To Take 51 Percent Stake In NBC Universal Says CNBC
Comcast, which has been widely rumored to be in negotiations to purchase NBC Universal from General Electric (GE), appears to have reached a deal with GE, according to CNBC's anonymous sources.

Dollar approaching 16-month low, Australian dollar rallies
The dollar is dropping at an astonishing rate. In November, the dollar lost 1.9% of its value. With the economic crisis raging on, many people are starting to wonder if the dollar will recover. What should investors look at when facing the dropping dollar?

The Hunt is On for Big Outsourcing Deals
Whether you are the buyer or seller of large outsourcing deals (US$50m and up), you will require a total understanding of the complex outsourcing process that is required to win and deliver large deals. This book will help you understand the entire deal lifecycle and show you the stages involved from an insider's view - the buyer's and seller's perspectives - as the authors have worked on both sides.

Google To Place Limits On Free Web News Content
As newspapers fall onto tougher and tougher times, Google has come under fire from many, including Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., for basically making it easy for web searchers to find news. After all, Google indexes just about everything. On Tuesday, Google announced modification to an existing program, called First Click Free, which will address that criticism, and allow publishers to, if they want, limit online readers to a certain number of views without paying or registering.

American Idol begins 9th amazing season in January
'American Idol' is a favorite for many families. 'American Idol' season 9 is set to begin on January 12. America is excited to see if this season of 'Idol' will create such stars as Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood, or Kelly Clarkson.

Victoria Secret Fashion Show 2009 Features $3M Bra
Tonight on CBS, the highly-anticipated Victoria Secret Fashion Show will show off some eye candy for male viewers and a spectacular $3 million Fantasy Bra worn by Marisa Miller. The bejeweled bra has over 150 carats of diamonds including 2,300 diamonds and a 16-carat heart-shaped diamond pendant.

Stroke Risk Highest For Those Born In South
People born in the seven southern states have a lifelong higher risk of dying of stroke than others. The risk remains higher even if they live elsewhere later in life.

Gabrielle Schoeneweis Autopsy Results Reveal Drug Overdose
In May the wife of then Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Scott Schoeneweis, Gabrielle Schoeneweis, was found dead. On Tuesday the autopsy results were released. She was 39 at the time of her death.

Fourth Time Running As Junior Gotti Gets Another Mistrial
Another trial for Junior Gotti, and another mistrial. That seems to be a consistent trend, and that's what happened on Tuesday for the fourth time running.

ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas Schedule of Holiday Movies
The biggest Christmas TV event of the season, ABC Family kicks off December 1st with Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause starring Tim Allen and Martin Short. The 2nd shows Pixar Short Films, and the Polar Express on Dec. 3rd, for a total of 25 days of Christmas movies and films. Get the family together for a festive family movie marathon.

Fritz Henderson Out As GM CEO
Eight months of recovery, restructuring, and turmoil later, Fritz Henderson is out. General Motors' CEO Frederick "Fritz" Henderson has resigned after eight months as head of the United States' largest automaker.

Bomb Threat Made to Delay Boss' Flight
An employee made a bogus bomb threat about an American Airlines plane in an effort to delay the flight for her boss. The woman felt bad about making her boss late for his flight and thought calling in the bomb threat would buy enough time for him to make it.

Ask.com Reveals Top 10 Questions of 2009
Ask.com, a website for questions and answers online, today announced its top questions of 2009. There are billions of questions asked on Ask.com each year and the top 10 are both revealing and amusing. From Twitter to pregnancy, many questions seem to be in tune with what's going on in the world today.

Obama To Declare Troops Begin To Leave Afghanistan Before End Of Term
While President Barack Obama has not publicly stated his new plans for Afghanistan, he has already outlined it to his commanders. The gist of it is the U.S. will be sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, and will have the first troops on the ground as early as Christmas. At the same time, he will declare during Tuesday night's speech to the nation that the troops will begin leaving in 19 months.

Jaimee Grubbs Reveals Tiger Woods Affair with Texts, Voicemails
The news for Tiger Woods is getting steamier. The $164 ticket he got today for crashing into a fire hydrant is nothing compared to the new revelation by 24 year old Los Angeles cocktail waitress, Jamiee Grubbs. She revealed exclusively to US Weekly that she has been having an affair with Tiger Woods for 31 months and has the racy texts and voicemails to prove it.

BMW Has Plans for Electric Car
BMW has believed for years that more efficient gasoline or diesel models were a better bet than hybrid cars. However, as the possibility of the hybrid giving way to the all-electric vehicle, German automaker BMW wants to be the leader. BMW is spending more than $1 billion to develop a small car for urban drivers that will include an electric-powered version.

Free Christmas Desktop Wallpapers Popular Holiday Themes
Looking for free winter wonderland desktop wallpaper to get in the Christmas spirit? Free Christmas and holiday desktop themes are easy to download, with Santa Claus, snowy cottages, Christmas cookies, crackling fireplaces and more. And the best part is, they're free, just click and download.

Expensive Perfume As Ebay Slapped With $2.5-million Fine
eBay was slapped with a 1.8 million euro ($2.5 million) fine by a French court on Monday. The court's verdict stemmed from a charge of of violating an injunction banning sales of LVMH products.

Florida Gators Star Arrested for DUI
The Florida Gators star defensive end, Carlos Dunlap, has been arrested for DUI. Carols Dunlap's DUI arrest occurred early Tuesday morning after a Gainesville police officer found the Florida Gators football star asleep in his car with the engine running.

Learn How to Grow Pot at School: Medical Marijuana is Growing Business
In a recently published article by The Washington Post called "The School of Pot" – Michigan's Med Grow Cannabis College – the growing school is teaching students how to make hash brownies, as well as the legal how-to's of the state's new medical marijuana program. The controversial subject of legalizing and growing medical marijuana has become a highly sought after business, with the opportunity to be extremely successful in the medical cannabis industry.

Starbucks Contributes to World Aids Day 2009
To support World AIDS Day, December 1, Starbucks is contributing five cents for every beverage (except ready to drink beverages) to the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. In just one year in partnership with (RED)TM, Starbucks has generated enough money to buy more than 7 million days of medicine to help those living with HIV in Africa.

Former Miss Argentina Solange Magnano Dies After Cosmetic Surgery
A former Miss Argentina, Solange Magnano, has died from complications following cosmetic surgery. The surgery was a gluteoplasty, which is essentially cosmetic surgery on her buttocks. She was 38 years old.

OSCE Minsk Group Statement Opens Door For Karabakh Independence
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan reported some further progress today at the OSCE meeting in Athens where foreign ministers from 56 European countries have gathered to discuss European Security. The the statement, issued by the OSCE Minsk group, which mediates the peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, reads that both countries are willing "to complete work on the Basic Principles." Madrid Basic Principles envisions referendum, opening door for Nagorno Karabakh Independence.

White House Party Crashers Appear on TODAY Show
The pair of alleged party crashers, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, who managed to sneak into the White House dinner party last week still maintain they were invited. The White house and Secret Service continues to deny this, and a Congressional hearing into the matter has been scheduled for Thursday.

Alicia Keys World AIDS Day - Free Concert
One Night, One Voice, One Life at a Time -- Tune in for Alicia's live global webcast from the Nokia Theater in NYC - December 1st - WORLD AIDS DAY @ 8:00 p.m. (EST)

Also: Annie Lennox World Aids Day 2009 SING Charity Auction
Media Files
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Study Examines Long Term Home Health Care Utilization
Over seven million Americans require care at long-term health care at home because of an acute illness, disability or aging. A national study examines how the availability of long-term care insurance benefits those needing home care.

Oprah.com 12 Days Contest Replaces Favorite Things Holiday Show
Oprah's famed "Favorite Things" show didn't transpire in 2009 but most fans know that Oprah can't celebrate the holidays without giving away some goodies. Instead of sending audience members into a frenzy giving away refrigerators and computers, The Oprah Winfrey Show has opted to have the O Magazine host The Oprah Magazine's 12-Day Holiday Give-O-Way

Dubai World To Restructure $26b in Debt
While local stock markets in the Persian Gulf continued to swoon yesterday, most of the rest of the financial world breathed a sigh of relief after the Dubai World conglomerate announced a plan to restructure $26 billion of its outstanding debt.

Mich. baby gains 20 moms after his dies in childbirth
The case of Charles Moses Martin Goodrich gives new meaning to the old African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child." In his case, the prhase proved literal after more than 20 of his family's neighbors in Marquette, Mich., banded together to offer to nurse the infant when his mother, Susan Goodrich, died during childbirth last January. Now, almost a year later, they're still at it.

European Leaders Put Small Arms Control At Forefront
The OSCE plays a crucial role in ensuring safe and secure storage of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), and it is a leader in helping countries eliminate the threat posed by a toxic Soviet-era rocket fuel component, officials said today at an event held on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Athens.

Sigma Having First-Ever Scholarship Contest
Sigma is having their first-ever scholarship contest for high school seniors. The winning senior will receive a $5,000 check and a $1,000 gift card to be used towards the purchase of Sigma equipment.

Suspect in Lakewood Police Shootings, Maurice Clemmons, Confirmed Dead
Maurice Clemmons, suspected Clemmons of killing the four officers at a coffee shop Sunday morning in Lakewood, was shot and killed early Tuesday. Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer confirmed that Seattle police found Clemmons after the authorities were given addresses of possible hiding spots.

Ministers of 56 European Countries Discuss Security in Athens
The dialogue on European security can be meaningful only if it is tied to concrete progress, the foreign ministers of the 56 OSCE participating States heard at the start of the 17th OSCE Ministerial Council in Athens today.

Tiger Woods Has Sponsors' Full Support
Tiger Woods' major sponsors, including Nike, Gatorade and Gillette, are standing by the richest athlete in the world. In September, Tiger Woods became the first athlete to earn $1 billion in a career, according to Forbes. His endorsements have more than quadrupled his earnings on the PGA tour and he has the backing of his sponsors despite the beating he's taking in the press after his alleged car accident last Friday.

White House Security Breach: Congressional Hearing Thursday
Congressman Bennie G. Thompson, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, announced his intention to hold a Full Committee Hearing on the matter this Thursday, December 3 with regards to the breach of security at the White House State Dinner last Tuesday.

Burglars Watch Twitter, Facebook Updates to Target Homes
The holidays are here and people are out shopping, attending parties and enjoying friends and family during this festive time. If you're a social media junkie, you are probably updating your Facebook or Twitter accounts to let everyone know what you're doing and where you're going. One or more of these 'friends' that you connect with on these sites might be making good use out of your updates...as a burglar.

Five British Yacthers detained by Iran
Iran has picked up a racing yacht piloted by five British citizens in the Persian gulf. The yacht might have strayed unintentionally into Iranian waters. The crew members are still being held by Iran and are said to be "in good condition."

Jaimee Grubbs PICS | Jaimee Grubbs PHOTOS | Bobby Bowden Retirement | Miss Argentina Died PHOTOS | Joanna Jagoda PICS | Joanna Jagoda PHOTOS | Santa | Norad Tracks Santa 2009 | Lands’ End Surprise | Tiger Woods Car Crash PHOTOS | Tiger Woods Alleged

2009-12-02T03:37:00.001-08:00

Shawn Southern Loud Mouth Tool PHOTOS!
PHOTOS! Here are pictures of Jaimee Grubbs' boyfriend on Tool Academy - Shawn Southern aka Loud Mouth Tool. Shawn Southern Loud Mouth Tool and Jamie Grubbs appeared on Tool Academy which premiered in January 2009. Grubbs claimed she had a 31 month affair with Tiger Woods that started in 2007. Grubbs claims have been involved [read full article here]

Jaimee Grubbs of Tool Academy PICS!
PICS! Here again are pics of Jaimee from Tool Academy aka Jaimee Grubbs allegedly also of Tiger Woods! Jaimee Grubbs' allegations - the affair, girlfriend meetups, mistress text messages - are stunning new claims today in the growing Tiger Woods media free fall. Jaimee Grubbs is not a former Swedish bikini supermodel with stunning blue [read full article here]

Jaimee Grubbs PHOTOS!
PICS! Here are photos of Jaimee Grubbs a new alleged Tiger Woods' mistress! Jaimee Grubbs of Tool Academy claims a Tiger Woods affair, from mistress text messages to voice mails, that spanned 31 months! Jaimee Grubbs claims her Tiger Woods affair started in Las Vegas. Unlike Rachel Uchitel, formerly of Tao Las Vegas who denies any [read full article here]

Bobby Bowden No Press Conference - Bobby Bowden Retirement
Bobby Bowden did not hold a press conference but did confirm his retirement today. A Bobby Bowden retirement press conference had been scheduled within the hour did not occur. Rather the Florida State Seminoles coach released a statement around the same time. ESPN reports that officials suggested an on-camera announcement which Bowden declined. A rep tells ESPN [read full article here]

Miss Argentina 1994 Died PHOTOS
FOTOS - Here are again fotos of Miss Argentina 1994 who died from a gluteoplasty. Miss Argentina 1994 died from an implant procedure gone wrong in Buenos Aires, as profiled earlier today on LALATE. Solange Magnano had gone into critical condition three days following her cosmetic procedure to her derriere - a gluteoplasty. Solange would never [read full article here]

Joanna Jagoda PICS!
PHOTOS! Here are again are pics of Tiger Woods' ex girlfriend Joanna Jagoda who is speaking out. Joanna Jagoda speaks about Tiger Woods' wife in a new statement to press Tuesday. Joanna Jagoda as profiled earlier today on LALATE dated Woods before his current wife. Woods' ex girlfriend Joanna says of Elin that she "is exactly what [read full article here]

Joanna Jagoda PHOTOS - Tiger Woods Ex Girlfriend!
PHOTOS! Here are pictures of Tiger Woods' ex girlfriend Joanna. Joanna Jagoda pictures are sparking Tiger Woods fan curiosity Tuesday as the net asks how did Elin Nordegren win over Tiger Woods, and whatever happened to Tiger and Joanna? In fact it's a question asked and answered by Fox News back in 2004. Then Elin, 24, [read full article here]

Where is Santa Right Now!
Santa where are you now? Where is Santa right now? You can track Santa online to answer where is Santa right now. Santa, are on your way? Is Santa still at the North Poll? Santa - did you get the gift i asked for? Santa won't get loss this month. Insiders reveal to LALATE exclusively that Santa [read full article here]

Norad Tracks Santa 2009!
Where is Santa! Norad tracks Santa's 2009 arrival for you. The Norad2009 Santa Claus Tracker will track Santa from the North Pole to your home. But just in case, LALATE has been texting Santa for you to make sure he is on schedule. Norad has been Santa's tracker for 50 years. 50 years? Yeah, Santa is [read full article here]

landsend.com/surprise Lands' End Surprise!
Lands' End has a surprise for you at landsend.com/surprise for the holidays. The landsend.com/surprise is for catalog and store purchases, but do you have the coupon code? Recently Lands' End kicked off the holiday season with a statement from president Nick Coe: "The quality, value and outstanding customer service that Lands' End delivers throughout the year [read full article here]

Pulmonary Embolism and Gluteoplasty!
Solange Magnano Miss Argentina 1994 dead from a pulmonary embolism (not an amniotic fluid embolism) following a gluteoplasty. What is a pulmonary embolism and a gluteoplasty? Solange Magnano won Miss Argentina in 1994 and became the pride of her Buenos Aires. But yet Solange decided to have a gluteoplasty that would taker her life. The gluteoplasty, involving [read full article here]

Tiger Woods Car Crash PHOTOS!
PHOTOS! Below are Tiger Woods' car crash photos depicting the crash of Tiger Woods' Escalade and the arrival of Elin Nordegren Woods' golf cart. The Tiger Woods car crash was Tiger Woods' sole fault, reports the golfer in a statement Sunday. And while some reports say that Escalade did not deploy airbags from the crash and [read full article here]

Tiger Woods Alleged Mistress PHOTOS!
PHOTOS! Here again are pictures of Rachel Uchitel, Tiger Woods' alleged mistress. Rachel Uchitel says she is not Tiger Woods' mistress. But while Tiger Woods' story puts Rachel Uchitel in the limelight this week, Uchitel has been it before. From Tao Nightclub (Las Vegas) to Griffin Nightclub (New York), Rachel Uchitel has given media media interviews [read full article here]

oprah.com/12days Oprah 12 Days!
The Oprah Magazine has a 12 Day Holiday Give-O-Way at oprah.com/12days. The oprah.com/12days event awards 12 days of excitement to Oprah Magazine readers! We all love an exciting offer, and this one is great. And the Oprah excitement starts today. Are you ready? Do you have the code? Here's how it works. The "O's 12 Day Holiday Giveaway" [read full article here]

Solange Magnano PHOTOS
PHOTOS - Here are fotos of Solange Magnano Miss Argentina 1994 dead from a gluteoplasty. Pics of Solange Magnano Miss Argentina 1994 are being used to remember the stunning beauty queen from Buenos Aires today who captivated a nation in 1994 winning the country's national beauty queen title. The cause of her death was a plastic [read full article here]

Marion Jones WNBA!
Marion Jones wants to join the WNBA. Marion Jones wants to play basketball in the WNBA having served her time for lying about steroid use in a fraud case that started 2 years ago. In September 2008 Marion Jones was done with her 6 month prison term. While it seems like yesterday, it was 2 years [read full article here]

Michaele Salahi Tareq Salahi Today Show!
VIDEO! PHOTOS! Here are pictures of White House state dinner crashers Michaele Salahi and Tareq Salahi who won't crash a Today Show interview! Michaele Salahi and Tareq Salahi are Real Housewives of DC upcoming stars, at least claims reports despite no confirmation from Bravo. But on Tuesday morning, the Michaele Salahi and Tareq Salahi will appear [read full article here]

Robert Meachem Devery Henderson New Orleans Saints!
Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, and Pierre Thomas led the New Orleans Saints with Drew Brees to an easy win tonight. Robert Meachem was one of many Brees connected to for his win in Monday Night Football's showdown. Final score was 17-38. After Saints' John Carney put the game up 0-3 with a 1st quarter field goal, Laurence [read full article here]

Jaimee Grubbs Claims Affair | Rachel Uchitel Denies Rumors | Independent Spirit Awards 2010 Nominations | White House Party Crashers Tareq & Michaele Salahi on TODAY Show | Solange Magnano, Former Miss Argentina Dies From Plastic Surgery Complication

2009-12-02T02:53:00.001-08:00

Rachel Uchitel Denies Rumors, Offers To Take Lie-Detector Test (Photos)
Tiger Woods' alleged mistress Rachel Uchitel continues to deny rumors that she had an affair with the golfer. She has spoken out saying that she offered to take a lie detector test to disprove the National Enquirer's affair story. [read full article here]

Jaimee Grubbs Claims Affair with Tiger Woods (Photos)
Jaimee Grubbs - a Los Angeles cocktail waitress claims she had a steamy 31-month fling with Tiger Woods and has voicemails and text messages to prove it. Jaimee Grubbs, 24, says she began having an affair with Tiger, 33, in April 2007. [read full article here]

Independent Spirit Awards 2010 Nominations
Nominations for the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning. Precious and The Last Station topped the list - each earning 5 nominations for the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards to be held March 5, 2010. [read full article here]

White House Party Crashers Tareq & Michaele Salahi on TODAY Show
The alleged White House party crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi appeared on The TODAY Show Tuesday. Speaking to TODAY's Matt Lauer, Tareq Salahi and his wife Michaele denied crashing Tuesday night's state dinner at the White House and insisted they were actually invited. [read full article here]

Solange Magnano, Former Miss Argentina Dies From Plastic Surgery Complications
Solange Magnano, a former Miss Argentina, died from complications after undergoing a plastic surgery procedure on her buttocks. The 38-year-old suffered a pulmonary embolism after three days in critical condition following a gluteoplasty - a procedure also known as buttocks augmentation which involves placing implants in the buttocks to improve their outline. [read full article here]

St. Anthony’s Triathlon | Parris Island | Miss Argentina Died | Carlos Dunlap | Marion Jones | Sean Payton

2009-12-02T02:46:00.000-08:00

Miss Argentina Died
Solange Magnano,Former Miss Argentina died on 30th November after butt augmentation surgery. According to her friend the liquid injected into her buttocks went into her lungs and brain. Former Miss Argentina was just 38 years old and left behind a husband and twins. On Thursday after surgery she suffered from a pulmonary embolism on Sunday. This [read full article here]

St. Anthony's Triathlon
On Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 9 a.m EST the online registration for the 2010 St. Anthony's Triathlon opens at satriathlon.com with the competition is now in its 27th year. St. Anthony's Triathlon is one of the largest Olympic-distance triathlons in the United States, this Triathlon is sponsored and produced by St. Anthony's Hospital. From [read full article here]

Parris Island
US President Barack Obama is expected to announce of sending more than 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan. Although marines are already fighting in southern Afghanistan but more will be thrust into the front line. Parris Island, South Carolina is a place where raw recruits are trained into elite fighting force of America. In America, Parris [read full article here]

Carlos Dunlap
Carlos Dunlap was born on February 28, 1989 in North Charleston, South Carolina. He is an American football defensive end for the Florida Gators. Early Tuesday morning he was arrested for DUI in Gainesville, according to the spokesman Lt. Keith Kameg of Gainesville police department. He was arrested at 3:25 a.m near campus and was [read full article here]

Marion Jones
Marion Jones, the famous American former golden girl of athletics said that she wants to come back as a professional basketball player. She is a disgraced sprinter who was sentenced to six months jail last year. Marion was involved in a cheque fraud case and also for lying to federal agents over her drug use. [read full article here]

Sean Payton
Inspirational performance by Drew Brees made his team New Orleans Saints to beat New England Patriots 38-17. New Orleans coach Sean Payton was full of praise of Brees. Saints quarterback was in full form and he threw five touchdowns to move to 27 for the season. He also completed 18 of 23 passes for 371 [read full article here]

Argentine model dies after cosmetic surgery

2009-12-01T05:22:00.001-08:00

Model Solange Magnano, a former Miss Argentina, died of a pulmonary embolism after undergoing cosmetic surgery in Buenos Aires, a media report said. Magnano, 38, travelled Thursday from her home in the central province of Cordoba to the Argentine capital to have a cosmetic operation. While she was being treated at a private ... [read full article here].

World?s 5 fastest computers

2009-12-01T05:21:00.005-08:00

The latest ranking of the Top500 project has made a list of the world's fastest computers. According to a report in New Scientist, the chart is based on the maximum rate at which a computer can crunch numbers using what are called floating point operations. November's list ... Read more »».

Obama calls Manmohan, seeks support for Copenhagen summit

2009-12-01T05:21:00.003-08:00

more images more images NEW DELHI - With six days to go for the UN conference on climate change, US President Barack Obama Tuesday rang up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek support for the Copenhagen summit, with India making it clear that it will play a constructive role for a successful outcome at the 192-nation conference. .... Source article : Obama calls Manmohan, seeks support for Copenhagen summit.

Seattle police shoot, kill suspect in coffee-shop slaying of 4 officers in T...

2009-12-01T05:21:00.001-08:00

Seattle police kill suspect in officer slayings SEATTLE ? The man suspected of gunning down four police officers in a suburban coffee shop was shot and killed by Seattle police early Tuesday, a sheriff's spokesman said. Maurice Clemmons was shot to death in a working-class south Seattle neighborhood after police tracked him down using possible hiding spots ... Original source on Gaea Times at : Seattle police shoot, kill suspect in coffee-shop slaying of 4 officers in Tacoma suburb.

Tareq Salahi denies he and wife Michaele crashed White House dinner for visi...

2009-12-01T05:20:00.003-08:00

more images more images Salahi denies being White House party-crasher WASHINGTON ? The man who got into a White House dinner without an invitation denied Tuesday that he and his wife were gatecrashers. Appearing on a nationally broadcast morning news show with his wife, Michaele, Tareq Salahi said the furor surrounding their attendance at the state dinner for the ... Original article on : Tareq Salahi denies he and wife Michaele crashed White House dinner for visiting Indian PM.

Brittany Binger : Grady Sizemore?s Girlfriend?

2009-12-01T05:20:00.001-08:00

San Francisco- Is Brittany Binger Grady Sizemore's girlfriend? That is the question that seems to be surging in the internet ever since the story of his indecent pictures resurfaced. The answer to this question is "no". She is not his girlfriend, at least not right now. The former Playboy model was the girlfriend of the [..] Read the original article: here.

Chelsea Clinton Engaged With Marc Mezvinsky

2009-12-01T05:19:00.003-08:00

San Francisco- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton has got engaged with Marc Mezvinsky who is an investment banker by profession. The engagement was announced through e-mail that they had sent to their friends to inform them about the good news. The mass e-mail was supposedly sent on .... Source article on Gaea Times at : Chelsea Clinton Engaged With Marc Mezvinsky.