Kehne Do

New Type of Alien Planet Is a Steamy 'Waterworld'

2012-02-22T02:40:00.000-08:00

Scientists have discovered a new type of alien planet — a steamy waterworld that is larger than Earth but smaller than Uranus.

The standard-bearer for this new class of exoplanet is called GJ 1214b, which astronomers first discovered in December 2009. New observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope suggest that GJ 1214b is a watery world enshrouded by a thick, steamy atmosphere.

"GJ 1214b is like no planet we know of," study lead author Zachory Berta of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., said in a statement. "A huge fraction of its mass is made up of water."

Adding to the diversity

To date, astronomers have discovered more than 700 planets beyond our solar system, with about 2,300 more "candidates" awaiting confirmation by follow-up observations.

These alien planets are a diverse bunch. Astronomers have found one planet as light and airy as Styrofoam, for example, and another as dense as iron. They've discovered several alien worlds that orbit two suns, like Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine in the "Star Wars" films. [The Strangest Alien Planets]

But GJ 1214b, which is located 40 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer), is something new altogether, researchers said.

This so-called "super-Earth" is about 2.7 times Earth’s diameter and weighs nearly seven times as much as our home planet. It orbits a red-dwarf star at a distance of 1.2 million miles (2 million kilometres), giving it an estimated surface temperature of 446 degrees Fahrenheit (230 degrees Celsius) — too hot to host life as we know it.

Scientists first reported in 2010 that GJ 1214b's atmosphere is likely composed primarily of water, but their findings were not definitive. Berta and his team used Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 to help dispel the doubts.

Hubble watched as GJ 1214b crossed in front of its host star, and the scientists were able to determine the composition of the planet's atmosphere based on how it filtered the starlight.

"We’re using Hubble to measure the infrared color of sunset on this world," Berta said. "The Hubble measurements really tip the balance in favor of a steamy atmosphere."

Berta and his colleagues report their results online in the Astrophysical Journal.

A watery world

Since astronomers know GJ 1241b's mass and size, they're able to calculate its density, which turns out to be just 2 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc). Earth's density is 5.5 g/cc, while that of water is 1 g/cc.

GJ 1214b thus appears to have much more water than Earth does, and much less rock. The alien planet's interior structure is likely quite different from that of our world.

"The high temperatures and high pressures would form exotic materials like 'hot ice' or 'superfluid water,' substances that are completely alien to our everyday experience," Berta said.

GJ 1214b probably formed farther out from its star, where water ice was plentiful, and then migrated in to its current location long ago. In the process, it would have experienced more Earth-like temperatures, but how long this benign phase lasted is unknown, researchers said.

Because GJ 1214b is so close to Earth, it's a prime candidate for study by future instruments. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, which is slated to launch in 2018, may be able to get an even better look at the planet's atmosphere, researchers said.

Giant whale shark washes ashore

2012-02-07T21:52:00.000-08:00

Residents gather as a whale shark is pulled from the water by cranes after it was found dead at Karachi's fish harbor February 7, 2012. A giant whale shark washed ashore near Karachi fisheries harbor on Tuesday and was sold for 1.7 million PKR ($18,758), local media reported.

A man stands on a dead whale shark before it was pulled from the water by cranes as residents gather at Karachi's fish harbor February 7, 2012. A giant whale shark washed ashore near Karachi fisheries harbor on Tuesday and was sold for 1.7 million PKR ($18,758), local media reported.

Six Tricks to Help Lower Your Car Insurance Rate

2012-01-25T04:23:00.000-08:00

There's more to getting a good rate than just staying accident-free...

By Terence Loose
When it comes to auto insurance, we all want to get the right coverage for the lowest premium. Unfortunately, shopping for auto insurance can be easier said than done.
But don't give up on finding the best rate just yet. There are a variety of factors that could potentially save you money.
"The price you pay for your auto insurance can vary by hundreds of dollars, depending on what type of car you have and the insurance company you buy your policy from," says Loretta Worters, vice president of the Insurance Information Institute (III).
Keep reading to learn more about other tricks to help lower your rate.

Tip #1 - Shop Companies

There's a reason why Black Friday and Cyber Monday are such popular days for consumers: We all like to shop for a good deal. And while shopping for auto insurance is not as exciting as finding the right big-screen TV, it could result in a lot more savings.
But Worters advises: "Don't shop by price alone. Ask friends and relatives for their recommendations. Contact your state insurance department to find out whether they provide information on consumer complaints by company."

Tip #2 - Ask for Discounts

Instead of waiting to be offered discounts, ask about them. The fact is, your insurance carrier may not know that you just got married or you finally took that driver's education class - both of which could dig up some savings for you.
What else could help you save? Here's a partial list of possible discounts:*

Low-Mileage Discount: applies when you drive less than 10,000 miles per year, according to III
Good Student Discount: generally requires a B average for a full-time student
Anti-Lock Brakes, Anti-Theft Device, or Air Bag Discount: usually must be factory installed
Driver Education Course Discount: applies when you complete a defensive driving course
Bundled Insurance Discount: applies when you have auto, home, or renter's insurance with the same company

Tip #3 - Check Your Credit

A good credit score isn't just ideal for buying a car or a house - in many states, it could also lower your auto insurance rate.
"Most insurers use credit information to price auto insurance policies. Research shows that people who effectively manage their credit have fewer claims," says Worters. "So establishing a solid credit history can cut your insurance costs."
And while some states like California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts do not allow insurance companies to use credit-based insurance scores, most states do.
What does this mean for you? Worters suggests paying your bills on time, only obtaining credit you need, and keeping your credit balances low as ways to improve your credit score.
Here are a few other tips and tricks to consider:

Get at least three quotes and compare rates, either over the phone or online.
Give the same information to all companies. This ensures a more accurate comparison.
Use rating companies such as A.M. Best Company and Standard & Poor's to check out a company's financial health.

Tip #4 - Consider Raising Your Deductible

If you file a claim, a deductible refers to the amount you pay before your insurance policy covers it. If you have a higher deductible, your insurance premium could be lower. And the potential for savings might surprise you.
"Increasing your deductible from $200 to $500 could reduce your collision and comprehensive coverage cost by 15 to 30 percent. Going to a $1,000 deductible can save you 40 percent or more," says Worters.
But remember, before increasing your deductible payment, make sure that you have enough cash set aside to pay it in case you do have to file a claim.

Tip #5 - Don't Over-Insure

If you lived in a 100-year-old shack, you probably wouldn't pay a lot for home insurance, right? Same goes for an aging car, yet many people neglect to drop coverage that they'll likely never use.
Specifically, Worters advises dropping collision and/or comprehensive coverage - which protects your car in the event that it's damaged - if you drive an older car.
"If your car is worth less than 10 times the premium, purchasing the coverage may not be cost-effective," she says.
But make sure to check the worth of your car before making this decision, says Worters. You could find out your car's worth through banks, auto dealers, or online with Kelley Blue Book.

Tip #6 - Lose Your Kid

No, no, we don't mean lose little Bobby or Sally at the mall or Disneyland. We're talking about removing them from your auto insurance policy if they've grown up, gone away to college, and only visit home occasionally - i.e., they only drive your car on weekends or during holiday vacations.
How can this help your auto insurance rate?
According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) website, if your child lives away at school - at least 100 miles - and has less access to the insured vehicle, you may be able to take advantage of insurance discounts.

Senator's Hockey Injuries Stand Out At NHL Champs' White House Visit

2012-01-25T04:19:00.000-08:00

NHL teams have visited the White House for years after winning the Stanley Cup, but it's a safe bet that never before has a Senator shown up more beaten and broken than the hockey players.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was part of the ceremony honoring the Boston Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup win, appearing like he had just come from a knock-down, drag-out ruckus.
Kerry, 68, suffered two black eyes and a broken nose during a "friendly game of hockey" with family and buddies over the Christmas break, according to TheHill.com. If that's the result of a friendly game, we don't want to be a part of an unfriendly one.
"He must feel like Mitt Romney after South Carolina," Kerry spokeswoman Whitney Smith told the Boston Globe when confirming the injury. Mitt Romney lost the South Carolina primary vote last weekend after a surprise surge by GOP rival Newt Gingrich.
When asked by a reporter from the Boston Globe, Kerry, who plays forward and right wing, wouldn't rat out who slammed him with a stick to cause the injuries.
The senior Democrat from Massachusetts in his fifth term is a huge sports fan. Kerry played hockey, lacrosse, soccer and fencing while attending Yale University in the 1960s.

Things Electronics Retailers Won't Say

2012-01-25T04:17:00.000-08:00

Some of the hype and come-ons make the used-car lot seem tame.
1. "That item you just bought isn't really in stock."

Chicago resident Andrew Schrage was thrilled to get the email from BestBuy.com confirming his order for a Black Friday door-buster -- a 42" Sharp 1080p LCD flat-screen TV for $199 instead of the usual $500. But a few days later, the site sent another email cancelling his order because the set was out of stock. "Obviously, by then I'd missed out on the weekend's other big TV deals," says Schrage.

Such "out-of-stock" cancellations have become more common, particularly during big sales and busy times when site inventory monitoring systems can't keep up with orders placed, says Brad
Wilson, the founder of sale site BradsDeals.com. It's not a problem specific to one retailer, he says, but some are worse than others. "Whenever there's a great deal at Best Buy, we just wait for the comment from someone who says they placed the order and it didn't get fulfilled," says Wilson. Consumers reported plenty of complaints similar to Schrage's about Best Buy orders during the holiday season. Best Buy says it was a one-time problem. "The online order issue we encountered was due to a combination of software and process issues," says a spokeswoman. "We caught the issue quickly, but not as quickly as we would have liked. We have addressed these issues and do not expect this to happen again."
Consumers' only recourse is to put little stock in online stock promises, Wilson says. Instead take advantage of websites that allow in-store pickup of merchandise ordered online. Absent that, call the store to confirm that the site is correct in stating that it has an item in stock. If a confirmed order is later cancelled, complain. Two years ago, 1,269 consumers signed a petition on complaint site Groubal.com because their black Friday TV orders at Fry's Electronics were cancelled. It worked, says a Groubal spokesman -- Fry's decided to provide the TVs to each buyer at the promised price. A Fry's spokesman declined to comment. More recently, Schrage got a $75 gift card after calling customer service and emailing Best Buy's chief executive Brian Dunn.

2. "We're the ones protected by this warranty."
Most gadgets have a slim profit margins, which may be why retailers are so anxious to sell shoppers warranties, service plans and other protections, says experts -- even on purchases as cheap as a $20 cordless phone. Profit from those plans can easily top 50%, in large part because shoppers have little chance to make a claim on them. "Electronics, more than other products, tend to fail either in the first 30 days -- which is covered by the manufacturer's warranty -- or not at all," says Andrew Eisner, director of content for Retrevo.com.
They also typically exclude accidental damage resulting from say, water exposure or a fall. "We'd be the first to acknowledge that service plans aren't for everyone," says a spokeswoman for Best Buy. "We're finding that these plans are particularly desirable to customers who are buying mobile products or purchasing higher-end home theater gear." Just don't expect the retailers to disclose just how much they make from extended warranties and the like, since they're not broken out in quarterly earnings reports. "I haven't seen a number on that in probably a decade," says R.J. Hottovy, an industry analyst for Morningstar. But he says it likely represents a significant and growing part of their revenue as digital media eats into DVD and CD sales and companies refocus on selling big-ticket items.
Shoppers can avoid the hype and still stay protected by paying with one of the many credit cards that automatically double manufacturers' warranties. BradsDeals.com founder Wilson recently took advantage of this when his 20-month-old Samsung television died. American Express sent a technician out to see if it could be repaired (it could not) and then credited Wilson the original purchase price. That refund bought a better TV now than it did two years ago, says Wilson.
Consumers who still want extended protection should compare plans available from manufacturers, retailers, and independent warranty providers such as SquareTrade, experts say. Shoppers usually have 30 days from purchasing a gadget to decide if they want some kind of extra protection plan, and there's no requirement that it come from the store where the item was bought. Prices vary and plans may offer different coverage for different kinds of potential problems. Thus one warranty might be better than another for a consumer looking for, say, tech support or worried about a cracked screen.
3. "We'll sell you more than you need."
Ah, the up-sell. That's when salespeople try to persuade you that you'll need a lot of other things besides what you're buying. It's particularly prevalent when shopping for electronics, experts say. Home theater HDMI cables, camera memory cards and printer ink are all more profitable for retailers than the gadgets themselves, says Retrevo's Eisner. "Some of that stuff is useful, but you really have to be careful not to get pressured into buying the expensive version they want to sell you," he says. Shoppers should also be wary of an up-sell on the gadget itself. Store associates often push the newest models, even though there may functionally be little improvement over last year's, says technology consultant Alex Goldfayn, author of "Evangelist Marketing." The same goes for top-of-the-line models when an entry-level may better fit the buyer's needs.
But Shawn DuBravak, chief economist for the Consumer Electronics Association, an industry group, says most salespeople don't get commissions, so recommendations are likely motivated more by personal preference and knowledge of a device than profit. "If [the up-sell] was ever prevalent, it's certainly not today," he says. It's valid for a salesperson to ask how you'll be using a device and offer recommendations, but it helps to have done your own research beforehand, says Eisner. Read expert and consumer reviews to determine which features are a must and which aren't necessary. "With most electronics these days, the standard-out-of-the-box version is going to be enough for most people's needs," he says.

4. "Good luck comparing our prices."
Retailers often tout policies that will match competitors' prices. But experts say finding an exact price match is easier said than done, even with the rash of new smartphone comparison apps. Retailers "don't want some smart-aleck consumer coming in and saying, 'it's $20 cheaper at X,'" says Edgar Dworsky, founder of ConsumerWorld.org, a consumer advocacy site. Dworsky has seen employees reject price matches because they didn't consider a particular retailer a competitor, the competitor's nearest location wasn't close enough or it didn't currently have the sale item in stock.
There are other complications, too. Retailers frequently create special bundles in popular categories such as a video game console with two games. That kind of thing is hard to find a match for because competitors don't often offer the exact same combination of products. Another stumbling block: Retailers often negotiate with manufacturers for exclusive model numbers, says Retrevo's Eisner. Sam's Club, for example, is the only retailer selling Sony BX421 televisions, which Retrevo says, aside from the special model number, are nearly identical to Sony BX420 series sets sold at Wal-Mart. But if you walked into Wal-Mart saying Sam's sells its model for less, it's likely you'd be rejected because it's not an exact match, Dworksy says. Price-matching policies typically require that the competitor with the lower price be selling the exact same item, down to the model number, he says. Wal-Mart did not respond to requests for comment.
Deal hunters are better off looking for comparisons from home before they shop, says Dworsky. That way you simply buy from the retailer with the lowest price instead of trying to negotiate a match. If you're counting on a price match, print out a copy of the store's policy to bring in so you can prove to an overzealous employee that, say, there's no requirement that the competitor's nearest store be within a five-mile radius, he says. Sometimes getting a match will save you more money, so it's worth the hassle, he adds. Stores such as Sears and Lowe's say they will match a competitor's price and offer an extra 10% discount.
5. "This sale is final."
Problems with returns are the biggest complaint about electronics purchases, according to the Better Business Bureau. It's no surprise, say experts: Department stores often have separate return policies for electronics and electronics retailers have different policies for different products. Conditions can be fairly restrictive, says Chris Morran, a senior editor for consumer advocacy site The Consumerist. "We've had people write in that they have bought three or four crappy laptops because they didn't realize they couldn't get a refund, only a new laptop," he says. What's more, returns can still cost you money. Although some retailers have eliminated restocking fees in recent years, Amazon charges a return shipping fee on many electronics, while Newegg.com tacks on a 15% restocking fee for most returns. A Newegg.com spokeswoman says the fee is charged "to encourage customers to purchase products they intend to keep." Shoppers who received defective products won't be charged the fee, she says, and customer service representatives can waive it for other returns at their discretion. Amazon.com did not respond to requests for comment.
Reading the fine print of the retailer's return policy online or at the customer service desk in stores will go a long way toward avoiding hassles, Morran says. It also helps to keep as much of the original packaging intact as possible. Many stores require it for a return if the product isn't defective. Otherwise, they will tack on a restocking fee for an opened item. Or they might not take it back at all. "If you have buyer's remorse, you might be stuck with it," he says.
6. "You should have bought this online."
When Iris Karasick of New York was in the market for a new TV last year, prices in stores for the set she wanted -- a 55" 1080p Samsung LED -- were around $2,500. Then her brother recommended online wholesale site East Coast TVs. Its price: $1,700 for the same model, which arrived within days in pristine condition. "When it comes to electronics, there's very little reason not to buy online," says Goldfayn. Online reviews provide better insight for uncertain shoppers than many inexpert store employees can, he says. Plus, as Karasick found, prices can be much lower. In fact, many bricks-and-mortar stores, including Wal-Mart, Fry's and Target, won't match their own dot-com's prices. "To remain competitive, sales or promotions may vary from stores to Target.com," says a Target spokeswoman. A spokesman for Fry's declined to comment. Wal-Mart did not respond to requests for comment.
Buying online is not risk free. Experts suggest shoppers read reviews of sites as well as the gadgets to make sure that the retailer has a good reputation for filling orders in a timely fashion and that products arrive undamaged. As mentioned in number four, it's also important to review return and re-stocking policies in case there's a problem with the order or the device.

Date with a Woman

2012-01-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

After 21 years of Marriage, my Wife wanted me to take another Woman out to Dinner and a Movie.
She said I Love You but I know this other Woman loves you and would Love to spend some Time with You.
The other Woman that my Wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER,
who has been a Widow for 19 years,
but the demands of my Work and my three Children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.
That night I called to Invite her to go out for Dinner and a Movie.
‘What’s wrong, are you well,’ she asked?
My Mother is the type of Woman who suspects that
a Late Night Call or a Surprise Invitation is a sign of Bad News.
‘I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you,’ I responded.
‘Just the two of us.’
She thought about it for a moment, and then said, ‘I would like that very much.’
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit Nervous.
When I arrived at her House, I noticed that she too seemed to be Nervous about our Date.
She waited in the Door with her Coat on.
She had Curled her Hair and was wearing the Dress that she had worn to Celebrate her last Wedding Anniversary.
She smiled from a face that was as Radiant as an Angel’s.
‘I told my Friends that I was going to go out with My Son, and they were impressed, ‘
She said, as she got into the Car.
‘They can’t wait to hear about our meeting’.
We went to a Restaurant that, although not Elegant, was very Nice and Cozy.
My Mother took my Arm as if She were the First Lady.
After we sat down, I had to read the Menu. Large Print.
Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me.
A Nostalgic Smile was on her Lips.
‘It was I who used to have to Read the Menu when you were Small,’
She said.
‘Then it’s Time that you Relax and let me Return the Favor,’
I responded.
During the Dinner, we had an Agreeable Conversation, nothing Extra-ordinary,
but catching up on recent Events of each others Life.
We talked so much that we missed the Movie.
As we arrived at her House later,
She said, ‘I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.’
I agreed.
‘How was your Dinner Date?’ asked My Wife when I got Home.
‘Very Nice. Much more so than I could have Imagined,’ I answered.
A few days later, my Mother died of a Massive Heart Attack.
It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have Time to do anything for her.
Some time later, I received an Envelope with a Copy of a Restaurant Receipt
from the same place Mother and I had dined.
An Attached Note Said:
‘I paid this Bill in Advance.
I wasn’t sure that I could be there;
But nevertheless, I paid for Two Plates –
One for You and the Other for Your Wife.
You will never know what that Night meant for Me.
I Love You,
My Son.’
At that moment, I understood the Importance of saying in Time:’I LOVE YOU!’
and to give our Loved Ones the Time that they Deserve.
Nothing in Life is more important than God and your Family.
Give them the Time they Deserve, because these Things cannot be Put Off till ‘Some Other Time.’

Afghani Girl Love story

2012-01-11T23:17:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone... I m an Afghani girl, I m 19 yrs old and i have been in india around 13 yrs and now i m in europe. So my love story is one sided but not from my side, from the indian guy who loves me from last 7 or 8 yrs. He is my brother friend and i asked him today that when u liked me so he said that i liked u from the time i saw u and u were my friends sis so i didnt told u and i scare. He is so nice and cute and i do like him but i cant love him coz we cant be together coz i m muslim and he is hindu. No one will agree for this marraige so i dnt no wat to do? I have contact with him and he still say the same thing that he loves me and will forever. I dnt no how to make him understand, i know its difficult to forget the one u love but we cant be one.i like him alot and we r like best friends.Now he want to meet me but he cant get visa so he asked me alot and now i m trying to get him visa so tomorrow i m going to call abt visa so plz pray that i get visa for him and he meet me coz he said to me that its his dream to meet me and talk to me in private.I cant be him but i would like to give him some nice moment to be with me.I want to fulfill his dream and wish. So please pray for us that he come to me.I will be in touch in here watever happen with us.Take care for now and see you guys later.

.::Masoomiat ki Saza::.

2012-01-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

Aap sab ne zindagi mein kam se kam ek bar to jaroor kisi ko pyar kiya hoga. Aur shayad uske baad bhi kayi auron ko pyar kiya hoga. Par najane kyon, hamesha pehla pyar hi sabko zyada yaad aata hai. Shayad isliye ke usme ek sachayi, ek masoomiat bhari hoti hai. Aur shayad hamesha pehla pyar hi apko zindagi ka sabse bada jakhm bhi deta hai, jo kabhi puritarah nahin bharta. Main bhi aaj apni zindagi ke pehle pyar se is buri tarah ghayal hui hoon ke mujhe samajh mein nahin aa raha ke apne zakhm ko marham lagane ke liye kahan jaoon. Kaise apni zindagi ke is shraap ka samna karoon. Shayad meri kahani padhne ke baad aap meri kuch madad kar saken.
Maine abhi do-teen maheene pehle hi ladkiyon ke school se apni 12th ki padhayi pass ke hai aur shehar ke mashoor college mein admission li hai. Mere papa ek gazatted officer hain aur meri maa ek housewife. Sari umar ladkiyon ke school mein padhi hone ke karan, aur mere mummy papa ke mere prati jyada hi dhyan rakhne ke karan mera ladkon se kabhi samparak hua hi nahin. Shayad isliye mujhe is co-edcollege mein adjust hone mein pehle maheene bahut mushkil bhi hui thi. Mujhe ladkon se baat karne mein dar lagta tha aur agar koi ladka mere pass se bhi gujar jata to main kamp jati thi. Lekin phir ek din usne mujhse ek miss hue lecture ke notes mangne ke bahane mujhse baat ki. Maine jhijhakte sehme hue useapne notes diye the. Phir agle din jab usne notes vapis kiye to mujhe thanks karne ke liye canteen mein chaye peene ke liye invite kiya. Aur phir uske baad to pata hi nahin chala kab hum hafte bhar mein hi is tarah ghul mill gaye ke manon bachpan se hi ek dusre ko jante hon. Woh mera khayal rakhta aur mein uska. Phir ek din usne mujhe college ke lawn mein akele baithe paa kar mujhse apne pyar ka izhaar kiya. Main pehle to ghabra gayi, kuch nahin boli aur do din college nahin gayi. Phir jab college gayi to woh mujhse rote rote maffi mangne laga, ke usse galti ho gayi, woh aisa phir kabhi nahin karega. Par najane kyon us din ke baad mere uske prati vichar badal gaye aur mujheapni dosti mein pyar dikhayi dene laga, aur mein man hi man uski ho gayi.
Hum donon ke beech mein jo pyar ka rishta tha, woh hum donon ke bina aur kissi ko pata nahin tha, siva mere school ki pakki saheli ke. Lekin usse hamara yeh rishta ek ankh nahin bhata tha.Main ek ucche ghar ki, gori chitti, sundar aur kamsin-komal kachnar jaise ladki thi, aur woh ek garib ghar ka, dikhne mein kaala, patla sa bikhre-bikhre baloon wala ladka tha. Meri saheli mujhe hamesha kehti ke woh mere layak nahin hai, par main sochti thi ke woh kya jane ke uska dil kitna sundar hai aur woh kis tarah mujh par jaan chidakta hai. Agar mujhe uske bare mein kuch pasand nahin tha to woh thi uski hamare mohalle ki char dukanon mein se us photostat wali dukan wale ke saath dosti. Maine use ek do baar kaha bhi tha, “dekho, aap please us photostat wale ke saathapni dosti tod do.”
“are are, us bechare ne tumhara kya bigada hai?” Woh hamesha mujhse puchta.
“tum nahin jante. Wo ek lucha lafanga badmash aur aawara kism ka ladka hai. Hamesha college aati jaati ladkiyon ko ghurta aur chedta rehta hai. Ek do baar to pehle usne mujh par bhi comment kiya hai,” main usse kehti.
“choddo na jaan. Galti ho gayi usse. Abh to woh tumhe bhabhi kehta hai, aur tumhari badi hi tarif karta hai mere pass. Mujhe kehta hai kemain bada lucky hoon jo college ki sabse sundar, pyari aur sharif ladki mujhe pyar karti hai,” ek din usne mujhse kaha.
“achcha! Chalo main tumhare kehne pe usse muaf kar deti hoon,” maine usse kaha. Par pata nahin kyon usse ke munh se yeh sunkar ke woh lafanga mujhe bada achcha samajhta hai, mujhe acha laga. Aur uske baad semain jab bhi uski dukan ke samne se gujarti, to uski taraf pehle jaise nafrat se nahin dekhti thi, aur woh bhi kabhi kabhi muskura kar namashkarmein haath jod deta tha aur main muskura padti thi. Aise karte karte daid-do mahine gujar gaye, aur mera mere unke saath pyar aur gehra ho gaya. ……….

Par ab to lagta tha ke jo main college 5-10 minute pehle aa kar unke saath ye kuch pyar ke pal bitati hoon, woh sab kafi nahi the. Main unki bahoon mein ghanton bethna chahti thi. Chahti thi ke woh mujhe khoob pyar karen. “jaan, kyun na hum aisa karen ke kal college mein tum pehla lecture laga kar mujhe kahin bahar milne chalo,” woh kal mujhse bole.

“nahin nahin yeh kaise ho sakta hai? Kissi ko pata chal gaya to? Kissi ne dekh liya toh?” Maine ghabra kar pucha.

“tum chinta na karo jaan maine sab soch liya hai,” woh bole. “tum kal aisa karna ke kal apna pehla lecture laga kar us photostat ki dukan par aa jana. Wo tumhare ghar ke rastemein padti hai, isliye agar kissi ne tumhe jaate hue dekh bhi liya to shak nahin karega. Aur uski dukan ke piche wali gali mein jo gate khulta hai, main usse khula rakhoonga, aur tum apni scooty ko seedha uske andar le aana. Darwaja band ho jayega to kissi ko tumhare wahan hone ka pata nahin chalega. Hum uski dukan ke peeche wale kamremein aaram se baith kar jee bhar pyar ki baatein karenge,” usne aage kaha.

“nahin nahin! Mujhe dar lagta hai,” main phir boli.

“are jaan darna kya hai! Hum kissi ko batane wale thodi hain. Aur woh to vaise bhi mera dost hai aur tumhe bhabhi manta, to woh bhala kissi ko kyon kahega? Aur phir tumhara jab bhi dil kare, tum chahecollege wapis aa janan, chahe apne ghar chali jana. Kissi ko kya pata chalega,” usne daleel di.

Ab man mein to mere bhi ladoo phul rahe the ke main usse jhi bhar kar pyar karoongi,
…. aur phir sharma kar halke se maan gayi. “toh phir paka raha. Kal tum college ka pehla period laga kar aa jana. Main college nahin aaunga aur tumhara dukan par intezar karonga,” woh bola aur challa gaya.

Mujhe to apni is mulakat ke baare mein sochte hue sari raat achche se neendh bhi nahin aayi. Man mein ladoo phut rahe the. Main subha subha jaldi jaldi naha dho kar tayar hui aur apne ghar se nikal padi college ko jane ke liye. Maine apni mausi ka diya hua special perfume lagaya tha jisse mujhme se phoolon ke dali ke tarah ek madham madhosh karne wali khusboo aa rahi thi. Apne baalon main bhi baalon ki khusbhu lagayi thi. Plan ke mutabik maine college mein pehla lecture attend kiya aur phir apne scooty par us photostat ki dukan par nikal gayi. Main har-roj issi raste se gujarti thi, par main kabhi is photostat ki dukan mein nahin gayi thi. Aur na hin us dukan ke saath wali mechanic sardarji ki dukan par hi gayi thi. Unke saath wali parchoon ke dukan se maine kabhi kabhi ek aad cheez jaroor li thi aur akhri dukan jo ke ek dairy thi woh hamesha shaam ko hi khulti thi halanke aaj woh subha jaroor khuli hui thi.

Khair main apni scooty daudate hue photostat ki dukan ki taraf badh gayi. Mere dil ke dhadhkan thodi tej ho gayi thi aur halki halki se ghabrahat bhi ho rahi thi.
Thoda thoda meetha meetha dar sa lag raha tha aur mann mein khushi ke phuware bhi phoot rahe the ke main aaj apne pyar ko jee bhar kar gale milne aur pyar karne ke liye chali hoon aur kissi ko kanon kaan khabar bhi nahin hai. Maine achchi tarah sadak par nazar daudate hue ke koi mujhe dekh to nahin raha, apni scooty dukan ke piche wali gali main ghuma lee aur yeh dekh kar ke woh gali bhi khali hai, main khush aur be khauf ho gayi ke kissi ko pata nahin chala, aur maine scooty, photostat ki dukan ke peeche wale darwaje se andar ki taraf modh di. Darwaje par photostat wala khada tha.

“ayiye bhabhiji aayiye,” woh bola.
“aap?” Main thoda hichkichate aur ghabrate hue boli.
“are bhabhi aap ghabrayiye nahin, mujhe sab pata hai. Aap scooty stand par lagayiye aur andar kamre mein chal kar baithiye, bahar koi dekh bhi sakta hai. Apke woh to abhi aa jayega. Woh chemist ki dukaan…” Kehte kehte woh ruka phir bola, “woh chemist ki dukaan ke saath wali dukan se thanda lene gaya hai apke liye. Bas abhi aa jaayega aap baithiye.”

Maine jaldi jaldi scooty stand par lagaye aur kamre ke aadh lene ke liye jaldi jaldi andar ghus gayi. Mere haath pair kaamp rahe the aur mere dil ke dhadkar bahut tez aur jordar ho chuki thi.
“aap baithiye, main dukan sambhalta hoon. Woh jaise hi aayega seedha aapke paas hi aayega” yeh keh kar woh chala gaya, aur main kamre mein pade ek bed ki ek side par baith gaye. Waise bhi us kamre mein jyada furniture tha bhi nahi. Bas ek bed tha jo ek kone mein sata hua tha, aur ek lakdi ka lamba bench tha. 5-10 minute ki sadiyon jaise lambi waite ke baad woh bhi aa gaye, haath mein do thande pakde hue.

“kahan reh gaye the aap? Yeh thande kya hum donon se jyada jaroori hai? Kya yeh hum roj nahin peete? Pata hai main yahan kitna ghabrayi hui thi?” Maine ek saath pyar bhare gusse se kitne hi sawal kar dale.

……………….

Ab to mujhe yeh bhi chinta nahin thi ke mujhe koi dekh na le. Main to bas ghar pahunchna chahti thi. Shayad nahin bhi, kyon ke dar tha ke pakdi na jaon. Par jab ghar pahunchi to dekha ke papa ke gadi nahi thi aur mummy bhi ghar par nahin thi. Socha ke papa abhi kaam se aaye nahin honge aur mummy sair par gaye hongi. Mera bhai shyam ko tuition jata tha. Maine chain ke saan li. Phata phat apni scooty khadi kar apne kamre mein bhagi, khud nahayi aur kapde dho kar sukhaye. Aur phir apni kahani likhne baith gayi taan ke aap mein se koi mujhe bataye ke mujhe mere pyar ne kis jurm ki sazaa di …….. Kya pyar ki yahi reet hai ke jise chaho usi ko doston ki aayiaashi ka saman bana do? Aap batayiye ke maine agar usse pyar kiya tha to isme mera kya jurm tha jo usne phull jaise komal, doodh jaisi safed, lambi, sundar, kanchan, abhi abhi school se nikali ladki ko zindagi ke college mein chudwa kar ruswa kiya.

Young Katrina Kaif Scandal Video That Made Her Famous

2012-01-07T02:45:00.001-08:00

Veena Malik taking bath in swimming pool in Big Boss

2012-01-07T02:43:00.000-08:00

Cameron Diaz Unveils Super Sexy Bikini Bod, New Haircut

2012-01-04T04:14:00.000-08:00

Cameron Diaz is going for a brand new look in 2012!
Three days before ringing in the new year, the 39-year-old Bad Teacher star unveiled her sexy, toned bikini body in Hawaii. Though her frame was once quite muscular, Diaz -- wearing a gray and yellow two-piece -- looked much more feminine than she did in August.
PHOTOS: Look back at Cameron's love life
The single actress -- who's been hooking up on-and-off with Sean "Diddy" Combs since 2008 -- believes her body has only gotten better with age.
VIDEO: Cameron swears and smokes pot
"The more I work on my body at this age, the better it gets," she told Harper's Bazaar in 2010. "I feel so much more attractive now. A thousand percent. I'm appreciating my skin and my wrinkles and all those things."
PHOTOS: Cameron's hottest leg-baring moments
Diaz, who swam with dolphins during her Hawaiian getaway, also debuted a new bleach blonde bob.

Jessica Alba Flaunts Amazing Post-Baby Bod in Pink Bikini!

2012-01-04T04:12:00.000-08:00

Hot mama!
Jessica Alba just gave birth to daughter Haven four months ago, but her bikini body is already back in tip-top shape!
PHOTOS: Stars' incredible post-baby bodies
On Monday, the 30-year-old actress flaunted her trim, toned physique in a hot pink bikini in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
PHOTOS: Jessica's chic pregnancy style
So how did Alba, who is also mom to 3-year-old Honor, get back in shape so quickly after her pregnancy? "I have 1,200 calorie meals delivered," she told Lucky magazine. "But I also work out, so basically I'm starving. It sucks. I drink a lot of water."
PHOTOS: 2011's most talked about celebrity bodies!
But Alba told Us Weekly she didn't go "too crazy" dropping her baby weight. "I didn't gain as much weight with my second pregnancy, so I think that really made a big difference," she said.
PHOTOS: Haven and more adorable Hollywood babies born in 2011
"I did prenatal yoga up until the very end," she added. "I just made healthier choices. I started working out and not going too crazy, but I did what was safe and what the doctor approved."

'American Idol' finalist James Durbin marries

2012-01-04T04:09:00.000-08:00

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — "American Idol" finalist James Durbin has married longtime girlfriend Heidi Lowe in a New Year's Eve ceremony at the edge of a California redwood forest.
The couple says in a statement that the wedding in a Santa Cruz Mountains chapel was a perfect way to kick off 2012.
The Contra Costa Times (http://bit.ly/vOxulV ) reports the 85 guests included their 2-year-old son, Hunter, who was the ring bearer.
Other guests included fellow "American Idol" alums Haley Reinhart, Stefano Langone and Casey Abrams.
The "Idol" season 10 finalist turns 23 on Friday. His debut album, "Memories of a Beautiful Disaster," was released in November.
Durbin is from nearby Santa Cruz.

Eva Longoria: I Became "So Thin" After My Divorce

2012-01-04T04:06:00.000-08:00

Eva Longoria didn't fare well on the breakup diet.
In the January issue of Health, the 36-year-old Desperate Housewives star actress says the stress of her split with Tony Parker resulted in unwanted weight loss.
PHOTOS: Eva's smokin' hot post-split style
"I remember after my divorce, I was so thin and everyone kept saying how great I looked. It was probably the most unhealthy place I've ever been. So it was funny what people would see as 'healthy,'" Longoria says. "In my worst time, people were saying I've never looked better. [But now] I have a great diet and exercise routine."
VIDEO: Watch a sneak peek from Sunday's all-new Desperate Housewives
"I like weight training and abs. I hate the elliptical," she tells Health. "I despise cardio. I just can't do it. So I try to do my cardio within the workout."
The self-proclaimed "hopeless optimist" says it didn't take long to get over Parker, 29.
PHOTOS: Famous women who've been cheated on
"It's so funny, because I don't get depressed," says the star (currently dating Eduardo Cruz). "Even after my divorce, everybody was like, 'Wow, you bounced back so quick.' I was like, 'I am not letting this take over. Something great is around the corner -- I can't wait to see what's going to happen.'"

Experts stumped by ancient Jerusalem markings

2011-12-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

JERUSALEM (AP) — Mysterious stone carvings made thousands of years ago and recently uncovered in an excavation underneath Jerusalem have archaeologists stumped.

Israeli diggers who uncovered a complex of rooms carved into the bedrock in the oldest section of the city recently found the markings: Three "V'' shapes cut next to each other into the limestone floor of one of the rooms, about 2 inches (5 centimeters) deep and 20 inches (50 centimeters) long. There were no finds to offer any clues pointing to the identity of who made them or what purpose they served.

The archaeologists in charge of the dig know so little that they have been unable even to posit a theory about their nature, said Eli Shukron, one of the two directors of the dig.

"The markings are very strange, and very intriguing. I've never seen anything like them," Shukron said.

The shapes were found in a dig known as the City of David, a politically sensitive excavation conducted by Israeli government archaeologists and funded by a nationalist Jewish group under the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in east Jerusalem. The rooms were unearthed as part of the excavation of fortifications around the ancient city's only natural water source, the Gihon spring.

It is possible, the dig's archaeologists say, that when the markings were made at least 2,800 years ago the shapes might have accommodated some kind of wooden structure that stood inside them, or they might have served some other purpose on their own. They might have had a ritual function or one that was entirely mundane. Archaeologists faced by a curious artifact can usually at least venture a guess about its nature, but in this case no one, including outside experts consulted by Shukron and the dig's co-director, archaeologists with decades of experience between them, has any idea.

There appears to be at least one other ancient marking of the same type at the site. A century-old map of an expedition led by the British explorer Montague Parker, who searched for the lost treasures of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem between 1909 and 1911, includes the shape of a "V'' drawn in an underground channel not far away. Modern archaeologists haven't excavated that area yet.

Ceramic shards found in the rooms indicate they were last used around 800 B.C., with Jerusalem under the rule of Judean kings, the dig's archaeologists say. At around that time, the rooms appear to have been filled with rubble to support the construction of a defensive wall.

It is unclear, however, whether they were built in the time of those kings or centuries earlier by the Canaanite residents who predated them.

The purpose of the complex is part of the riddle. The straight lines of its walls and level floors are evidence of careful engineering, and it was located close to the most important site in the city, the spring, suggesting it might have had an important function.

A unique find in a room beside the one with the markings — a stone like a modern grave marker, which was left upright when the room was filled in — might offer a clue. Such stones were used in the ancient Middle East as a focal point for ritual or a memorial for dead ancestors, the archaeologists say, and it is likely a remnant of the pagan religions which the city's Israelite prophets tried to eradicate. It is the first such stone to be found intact in Jerusalem excavations.

But the ritual stone does not necessarily mean the whole complex was a temple. It might simply have marked a corner devoted to religious practice in a building whose purpose was commonplace.

With the experts unable to come up with a theory about the markings, the City of David dig posted a photo on its Facebook page and solicited suggestions. The results ranged from the thought-provoking — "a system for wood panels that held some other item," or molds into which molten metal would could have been poured — to the fanciful: ancient Hebrew or Egyptian characters, or a "symbol for water, particularly as it was near a spring."

The City of David dig, where the carvings were found, is the most high-profile and politically contentious excavation in the Holy Land. Named for the biblical monarch thought to have ruled from the spot 3,000 years ago, the dig is located in what today is east Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in 1967. Palestinians claim that part of the city as the capital of a future state.

The dig is funded by Elad, an organization affiliated with the Israeli settlement movement. The group also moves Jewish families into the neighborhood and elsewhere in east Jerusalem in an attempt to render impossible any division of the city in a future peace deal.

Palestinians and some Israeli archaeologists have criticized the dig for what they say is an excessive focus on Jewish remains. The dig's archaeologists, who work under the auspices of the government's Israel Antiquities Authority, deny that charge.

Pakistani model's nude photo causes fury

2011-12-04T06:51:00.000-08:00

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani Actress who posed in the nude for an Indian magazine with the initials of Pakistan's feared and powerful intelligence agency on her arm has triggered fury across this conservative nation.

Veena Malik's photo on the website of FHM India, in advance of its publication in the magazine's December issue, has been lighting up social network websites since earlier this week.

Many here anticipate a backlash, as nationalists and Islamists regularly stage rallies against anything they deem an insult to Islam or to the national honor. India and Paksiatan have fought three wars, and the Inter-Services Intelligence agency or ISI has been accused of sponsoring terrorist attacks inside India.

Malik has broken Pakistani religious and national taboos in the past. She is a target for conservative ire and a heroine to some Pakistani liberals.

Conservative cleric Maulana Abdul Qawi declared on Aaj TV on Saturday that her latest venture into controversy was a "shame for all Muslims."

In an interview with Pakistani Geo television broadcast Saturday, however, Malik said the nude photo was published in violation of her agreement with FHM India and she was considering legal action against the magazine.

Malik acknowledged having been photographed for a "bold but not nude shot." She said the editor of the magazine had promised that he would cover most of the photo with the ISI initials.

The photo was intended to poke fun at the Indian fear of Pakistani spies, she said, adding "whatever happens (in India), people say ISI is behind that."

Magazine editor Kabeer Sharma said Malik had given full consent for the shoot and the picture.

"We have all the record(s)," he told the Pakistani television station. "Veena was very excited about that ISI idea."

Zubair Khan, a 40-year-old shopkeeper in the northwestern city of Peshawar, agreed, saying the photo had given rival India another opportunity to insult Pakistan.

"She has earned a bad name for the entire Pakistan nation," he said.

Others questioned the authenticity of the photo.

"It seems to be an Indian attempt to malign Pakistan by faking her nude pics, or she might have done it to get a cheap publicity," said Lubna Khalid, 38, a housewife in the southern port city of Karachi.

Twitter commentator Umair Javed however called on Pakistanis to "make copies of the picture and bury it in your backyard. This way, our grandkids will know there were some amongst us who lived free!"

Asked by reporters whether Pakistan would "pursue the matter" legally, the country's Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Saturday, "First, let us see whether it is real or fake."

Malik does most of her work in India. The entertainment sector there is booming, while Pakistan's is moribund. Her ties to Pakistan's archrival have landed her in controversy in the past.

During a much-publicized talk show appearance early this year, she lashed out her nemesis Abdul Qawi, who criticized her for having a scripted love affair with an Indian actor on an Indian reality show.

"What is your problem with me?" an angry Malik demanded of the scholar, who had accused her of insulting Islam.

Abusive Boss May Harm Workers' Home Life, Too

2011-12-04T06:48:00.000-08:00

Having an abusive boss can do more than ruin your workday, it can also harm your family life, new research suggests.

The study, published online and in the winter issue of the journal Personnel Psychology, included 280 full-time employees and their partners who completed online surveys.

The Baylor University researchers found that the stress and tension an abusive boss causes an employee also affects the worker's partner, their relationship and the rest of the family.

However, the longer the employee-partner relationship, the less effect the abusive boss had on the family. The researchers also found that having more children at home meant greater family satisfaction for the employee.

"These findings have important implications for organizations and their managers. The evidence highlights the need for organizations to send an unequivocal message to those in supervisory positions that these hostile and harmful behaviors will not be tolerated," study author Dawn Carlson, a professor of management and chair of organizational development at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor, said in a university news release.

Abuse by a boss may include tantrums, rudeness, public criticism and inconsiderate action, the study authors pointed out.

"It may be that as supervisor abuse heightens tension in the relationship, the employee is less motivated or able to engage in positive interactions with the partner and other family members," study co-author Merideth Ferguson, an assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship, said in the news release.

Businesses and other organizations should encourage workers to use employee assistance programs or other resources, such as counseling and stress management, to find ways to reduce the impact an abusive boss has on the family, the study authors said.

Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines

2011-09-06T03:48:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Villagers and veteran hunters have captured a one-ton saltwater crocodile which they plan to make the star of a planned ecotourism park in a southern Philippine town, an official said Monday.

Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said dozens of villagers and experts ensnared the 21-foot (6.4-meter) male crocodile along a creek in Bunawan township in Agusan del Sur province after a three-week hunt. It could be one of the largest crocodiles to be captured alive in recent years, he said, quoting local crocodile experts.
Elorde said the crocodile killed a water buffalo in an attack witnessed by villagers last month and was also suspected of having attacked a fisherman who went missing in July.
He said he sought the help of experts at a crocodile farm in western Palawan province.
"We were nervous but it's our duty to deal with a threat to the villagers," Elorde told The Associated Press by telephone. "When I finally stood before it, I couldn't believe my eyes."

After initial sightings at a creek, the hunters set four traps, which the crocodile destroyed. They then used sturdier traps using steel cables, one of which finally caught the enormous reptile late Saturday, he said.

About 100 people had to pull the crocodile, which weighs about 2,370 pounds (1,075 kilograms), from the creek to a clearing where a crane lifted it into a truck, he said.

The crocodile was placed in a fenced cage in an area where the town plans to build an ecotourism park for species found in a vast marshland in Agusan, an impoverished region about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southeast of Manila, Elorde said.

"It will be the biggest star of the park," Elorde said, adding that villagers were happy that they would be able to turn the dangerous crocodile "from a threat into an asset."

Despite the catch, villagers remain wary because several crocodiles still roam the outskirts of the farming town of about 37,000 people.

They have been told to avoid venturing into marshy areas alone at night, Elorde said.

Braves fan leaps to make fantastic one-handed grab

2011-08-22T03:38:00.000-07:00

The Atlanta Braves have been flashing some serious leather of late. That continued during their 8-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night when center fielder Michael Bourn(notes) crashed into the wall at Turner Field to rob Paul Goldschmidt(notes) of extra bases.

But as fantastic and important as Bourn's play was, it only gets half of my vote for the best catch of the game. The other half will go to the young man seated along the first base line, about 30 rows up from field level, who wowed the crowd with a leaping, one-handed catch of Martin Prado's(notes) third inning foul ball.
Oh, and did I mention it was a barehanded one-hand grab?

Great play.
I know a person who once tried to make a similar catch as a younger man. It was at Milwaukee's County Stadium in the early 1980's, and the baseball was hit by Cecil Cooper. This fan also jumped from his seat, leaped in the air, and attempted to snag the line drive out of mid-air with a bare hand. Unfortunately, the baseball bounced off his hand and ended up in the lap of an older lady who wasn't even looking at the field when the ball was hit.
The fan that day was my dad. And the only souvenir he took home was the indentation of a baseball in his palm that lasted about two weeks. Having heard my dad's story several hundred times — just this season, of course — I truly admire the fan in Atlanta's effort, as well as his ability to hold on to the ball.
Well done, young man.
Now go put some ice on that hand.

Popular Kauai swimming hole gets deadly reputation

2011-07-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

LIHUE, Hawaii (AP) — Travel guidebooks call Kipu Falls "a glorious little hidden place" and a "swimming hole extraordinaire." But the alluring beauty of the waterfall and natural pool conceals a deadly side.

Five visitors have drowned at Kipu Falls in the past five years, including two since December. In most of the cases, the swimmers jumped off the top of the waterfall into the pool of blue-green water about 20 feet below, then were pulled to their deaths while attempting to swim to the shore. Others have suffered chest injuries, rope burns, perforated eardrums and broken and sprained ankles. A teenage girl was paralyzed after jumping there.
The deaths have given rise to speculation about whether there's a powerful whirlpool current in the swimming hole and prompted local authorities to push for greater restrictions to the site. The local tourism bureau became so alarmed by the toll that it mounted a campaign last year to push guidebooks to remove all references to the place.

It supported a bill before the Hawaii legislature that would have made writers and publishers of travel guides liable if a reader is injured or dies while trespassing on private property they have depicted. The bill died amid protests from publishers who said it violated their First Amendment rights.

The latest victim, Santhosh Heddese of Irvine, Calif., drowned on June 26. Rescue divers found the 35-year-old's body at the bottom of the pool an hour later.

The Kauai Visitors Bureau is also urging hotel concierges and tour operators to steer people away from the area.

Sue Kanoho, the agency's director, notes anyone who goes to the falls is trespassing.

Kanoho helped Heddese's widow get the couple's luggage home after he died last month. She said it was "devastating" to see another tragedy.

"I've really asked the community and the visitor industry, please, let's not send people there," Kanoho said.
The deaths have some locally questioning whether an angry "mo'o" — a Hawaiian water spirit lizard — lives in Kipu Falls.

"I kept thinking, something just held him down there. What possibly could have sucked him back down to the bottom of the pond?" said Christine Kauhi, whose 26-year-old son, Kulana Kauhi-Apao, from the Honolulu suburb of Kaneohe, drowned last December.

Kipu Falls sits in a clearing along the Huleia Stream, which pours out of the hills of southeastern Kauai into the island's biggest harbor, Nawiliwili. It's rimmed by banyan and other large trees. Most people get there by driving along a paved road that's only a few miles from downtown Lihue and some of Kauai's biggest hotels. From there, they walk about five minutes down a narrow dirt trail flanked by 6-foot-tall growths of invasive Guinea grass.

The pool and falls are on private property owned by Grove Farm, but locals have been swimming there for decades largely without problems. Residents say tourists arrived when guidebooks started mentioning it in the mid-90s. Though multiple guidebooks tout it is as "hidden," it was crowded with several dozen tourists on a recent weekday. A consistent trickle of people walked to and from the spot along the trail.

The Kauai Fire Department sent rescue crews to Kipu Falls 10 times last year, and twice so far this year.

Dr. Monty Downs, a doctor at Kauai's Wilcox hospital, said someone comes to his emergency room from Kipu Falls every few months. In recent years, they've included a 25-year-old man who suffered major chest injuries when he swung from a rope over the pool but failed to let go and slammed into the cliff. He required surgery, but survived.

Despite suspicions about mysterious forces, John Blalock, deputy chief of the Kauai Fire Department, said Kipu Falls doesn't have any strange or unusual currents. His rescue divers tell him the water is actually calm under the surface.

Locals who frequent the spot say the falls have a current, but only a downstream flow — exactly what you would expect in a river.

Instead, Blalock attributes the high number of deaths and injuries to tourists getting in over their heads. He compared travelers from big cities or the U.S. mainland going to Kipu Falls to someone born and raised in Hawaii going skiing — and deciding to take on a challenging slope.

"When you think about it, when you go on vacation, you do 'high risk, low frequency' events," Blalock said. "You do things that you don't normally do."

Kipu Falls isn't the only place tourists have encountered danger. Earlier this month, a visitor from California died after being sucked into a blowhole on Maui. Witnesses said he was frolicking in the sprays when he disappeared.

Grove Farm, a former sugar plantation that now owns a fish farm and leases farmland, is in a dilemma over Kipu Falls.

Closing it off would be an expensive undertaking for a small Kauai company that has only about a dozen employees. A fence could break and Grove Farm could be held responsible for not maintaining the barrier. If the company posts warning signs, it would be acknowledging the area is risky, exposing itself to liability.

Locals who have enjoyed the pool for years fear they would lose one of the places they love most if Grove Farm blocks access.

Downs, the emergency room doctor, said he's reluctantly concluded that's exactly what should be done.

"I've seen enough families destroyed," Downs said, "that to me the benefit of making it not be accessible outweighs the downside of taking away yet another spot that locals enjoy."

Daniel Hale, a tour boat captain who has been swimming at the falls for about a decade, is sympathetic to families who have lost loved ones. But he said the accidents shouldn't lead to closure.

"People come here on vacation and they get hurt, and it's sad, but it happens because it's not Disneyland. It doesn't cushion you," Hale said.

Kauhi, whose son died there in December, hopes something can be done to prevent more drownings. As a Native Hawaiian, she also hopes a Hawaiian priest will bless the place and the people who have passed there.

"I know if my son had a choice, if he knew, I don't think he would have gone," Kauhi said, as she tried to stifle tears. "I don't think he would have wanted to leave his family and friends behind. I'm just very sad, and I'm sure all these other families are grieving just like me."

‘The Dark Knight’ Teaser Answers Some Questions, But Raises More

2011-07-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

If you're one of the millions of people who went to see "Harry Potter" this weekend, you might have also seen a preview of another hero who's about to face his final battle. The first teaser trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises" played in front of "Deathly Hallows" this past weekend. And like the last "Potter" film -- which took the box-office record for biggest opening weekend ever away from "The Dark Knight" -- this trailer promises that Batman's story will end with a bang.
Now the teaser trailer has been officially released online, and the video quality is much clearer than in the bootleg versions that recently popped up. The high-definition picture reveals more details about the movie, but also raises some new questions. For instance, who is the figure standing in the background in the last shot where Batman faces his new adversary? Could it be Catwoman, played in the movie by Anne Hathaway, who is otherwise left out of this first preview?
Watch the teaser trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises," then keep reading to see what information we can pick out from still captures of the video.

The first voice you hear in the teaser belongs to Liam Neeson, with dialogue from the opening sequence of "Batman Begins" (and also the trailer for that first movie). Neeson's character, Ra's al Ghul, told Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) when he was locked in a foreign prison, "If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal... then you become something else entirely. A legend."

A shot from 'Batman Begins'

This is played over shots from "Batman Begins," which not only ties this movie back to the first, but also lends credence to Variety's report that Neeson will be back as Ra's al Ghul in the next movie. But whether he will appear in flashbacks or if he somehow cheated death is still unknown.
The trailer then shows a clip from the final shot of "The Dark Knight," with Batman speeding off on the Batpod. The second movie, of course, ended with him on the run from the police after he took the blame for Harvey "Two-Face" Dent's crimes to protect his late friend's reputation.

The final scene of 'The Dark Knight'

Then we get into new footage. Commissioner Gordon, played again by Gary Oldman, is in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask he's pulled down to speak. We're looking over Bruce Wayne's shoulder, and we don't see his face but we do hear him speak. Gordon says, "We were in this together, and then you were gone."

Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman)

As Gordon says, "And now this evil, rising," we see a figure scaling the well Bruce Wayne fell down when he was a child that first instilled him with the fear of bats. The well later led Bruce down to where he set up his Batcave.

Climbing up the well

Gordon tells Bruce, "The Batman has to come back," to which he responds, "What if he doesn't exist anymore?" Then we get a quick, shaky shot of a bearded, shirtless man doing push-ups in what looks to be a jail cell. You can't really make out his face, but it looks like it might be Tom Hardy, who plays the movie's villain, Bane. In the comics, Bane was raised in prison and subjected to an experimental drug called Venom which gave him incredible strength.

Push-ups in prison

Gordon tells Bruce that Batman must come back, and we get a clear reveal of Bane, who wears a creepy mask that may be supplying him with Venom. Hardy previously worked with director Christopher Nolan in last year's "Inception" where he played Eames, the "forger" who could appear to be other people in dreams. But with his shaved head, bulky physique, and intimidating mask, Hardy is completely unrecognizable.

Bane (Tom Hardy) is revealed

And speaking of unrecognizable, we're left with the final shot of the trailer with Batman facing off with Bane and that mysterious person in the back. Batman looks damp, out of breath, and a little unsteady on his feet as Bane comes lumbering at him. Behind him, an out-of-focus figure stands on a catwalk ("Cat"-walk? Could that be a clue?) From that distance, it's hard to make out if it's a man or a woman. While Anne Hathaway is notably excluded from the footage of the trailer, so are other new cast additions Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard (who were also in "Inception"). Might one of them be observing the big brawl? At this point, it's just too early to say.

Batman takes on Bane as someone watches

Obviously, speculation about this and most every other aspect of the movie will run rampant over the next year. But as Christopher Nolan has proven over the past several years, he's very particular about what details get out about his movies. For now, we'll just have to wait. "The Dark Knight Rises" will swoop into theaters on July 20, 2012.

This illusion is just a matter of perspective

2011-07-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

SIDEWALK SPHERE: Created in Paris by Francois Abenalet, this ingenious sidewalk installation goes beyond the usual chalk drawings by incorporating actual grass and trees. It's a classic example of anamorphosis -- a distorted image that only takes its "proper" form when viewed from exactly the right angle.

GEORGE WASHINGTON: America's first president gets a little homage in this illusion, which includes both a picture and a signature that work equally well when viewed upside-down.

HIDDEN ANIMAL: Can you spot the creature embedded in this tree?

IMPOSSIBLE ROOM: LEGO mastermind Henry Lim has used the plastic blocks to create a convincing three-dimensional version of M.C. Escher's famous mind-boggling lithograph, "Relativity."

The identity of Vancouver’s famous kissing couple is revealed

2011-06-17T22:07:00.001-07:00

In the age of Facebook and Twitter, it was only a matter of time before the world learned the identities of the kissing couple from that now-iconic photo of the Vancouver riots.

About 24 hours after photos of the smooch was passed on through emails, IMs and blog posts, the Toronto Star and the CBC are reporting that the boyfriend and girlfriend in the photograph are Aussie bartender Scott Jones and Canadian college student Alex Thomas, who was injured just before the picture was taken.
The papers report that Jones and Thomas have been dating since Jones arrived in Vancouver on a "working holiday." They attended Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, which the hometown Canucks lost 4-0 to the Boston Bruins, and then somehow found themselves between the angry rioters and charging riot police later that night in downtown Vancouver.
The famous aftermath, as captured by Getty Images photographer Rich Lam:

So how were Jones and Thomas ultimately identified as the unlikely "make love, not war" couple of Vancouver's embarrassing night of injury and destruction?
It probably won't surprise you to learn that Facebook was involved.
Though Scott's sister Hannah first identified her brother to an Australian news network, things really started taking off when Brett Jones, Scott's father, posted the following update on his Facebook profile on Friday morning from the family's home in Perth, Australia.

(Note the funny response from Scott's brother, Ryan.)

Brett Jones now says the couple is being besieged by media requests from outlets around the world. All, of course, are interested in knowing the circumstances that found the couple smooching as cars were burned and windows were smashed around them.

But despite some of our initial assumptions, the kiss seen 'round the world wasn't the product of a riot-fueled, uncontrollable passion. Brett Jones instead notes that Thomas was injured and his son was coming to her aid. An alternate angle taken from above shows other bystanders later attempting to help Thomas and Jones.
Combine that different angle with Brett Jones' story and it certainly dispels the rumors that the couple had intentionally staged the photo.

"They were between the riot police and the rioters, and the riot police were actually charging forward, and Alex got knocked by a [police] shield and fell to the ground," Brett Jones told CBC News. "[Scott] was comforting her and gave her a kiss to say, 'It's going to be OK,' and the photographer just took the shot at that moment."

Jones' mother Marie said she immediately knew it was her son in the picture because "he doesn't have a lot of clothes with him and he always puts on the same thing."
So where do they go from here? The good news is that Jones escaped the incident unhurt and Thomas only suffered a bruised leg. The bad news is that Jones is scheduled to leave Canada soon and head home for Australia after a trip to California. The Jones family says that Thomas plans to visit California with their son but that the couple's future after that is uncertain.
UPDATE: Jones and Thomas spoke with the Toronto Star:

Thomas said this morning that everything happened so fast that there was just massive confusion all around. "I was trying to understand what was going on. The photo was definitely not something we expected to happen," said Thomas.
The couple is leaving in three days on a trip to California, before Scott heads back to Australia. Thomas said the response from her friends and family has been overwhelming.
"When I saw that picture I couldn't believe it and then I looked at it more and realize it's quite artistic and really something beautiful."

First man ‘functionally cured’ of HIV

2011-06-06T04:10:00.000-07:00

Since HIV was discovered 30 years ago this week, 30 million people have died from the disease, and it continues to spread at the rate of 7,000 people per day globally, the UN says.
There's not much good news when it comes to this devastating virus. But that is perhaps why the story of the man scientists call the "Berlin patient" is so remarkable and has generated so much excitement among the HIV advocacy community.
Timothy Ray Brown suffered from both leukemia and HIV when he received a bone marrow stem cell transplant in Berlin, Germany in 2007. The transplant came from a man who was immune to HIV, which scientists say about 1 percent of Caucasians are. (According to San Francisco's CBS affiliate, the trait may be passed down from ancestors who became immune to the plague centuries ago. This Wired story says it was more likely passed down from people who became immune to a smallpox-like disease.)

What happened next has stunned the dozens of scientists who are closely monitoring Brown: His HIV went away.
"He has no replicating virus and he isn't taking any medication. And he will now probably never have any problems with HIV," his doctor Gero Huetter told Reuters. Brown now lives in the Bay Area, and suffers from some mild neurological difficulties after the operation. "It makes me very happy," he says of the incredible cure.
The development of anti-retroviral drugs in the 1990s was the first sign of hope in the epidemic, transforming the disease from a sudden killer to a more manageable illness that could be lived with for decades. But still, the miraculous cocktail of drugs is expensive, costing $13 billion a year in developing countries alone, according to Reuters. That figure is expected to triple in 20 years--raising the worry that more sick people will not be able to afford treatment.
Although Brown's story is remarkable, scientists were quick to point out that bone marrow transplants can be fatal, and there's no way Brown's treatment could be applied to the 33.3 million people around the world living with HIV. The discovery does encourage "cure research," according to Dr. Jay Levy, who co-discovered HIV thirty years ago, something that many people did not even think was possible years ago.

Rays apologize to fans for Avril Lavigne’s obscene concert

2011-05-29T23:56:00.001-07:00

Chill out, what ya yelling for?

That's the question that the embarrassed Tampa Bay Rays should have thrown back at Avril Lavigne after the punk rawker let loose some profanities during the team's summer concert series at Tropicana Field on Saturday night.

Instead the red-faced Rays just apologized directly to their fans in a statement on Sunday.

Said spokesman Rick Vaughn (via The Heater):

"The Rays demand profanity-free performances from all of our concert performers and we are extremely disappointed by the language used in last night's show. It is not consistent with the family-friendly atmosphere that Tropicana Field is known for."

So what was Lavigne yelling for? Was it because the native Canadian still has a soft-spot for her Blue Jays and the Rays lead them in the current AL East standings? Was she suffering from withdrawal from her normal mall habitat of Hot Topics and Orange Juliuses? Good guesses, but no.

In reality, her salty language was reportedly aimed at the fans who booed the technical difficulties — notably, a dead microphone — that occurred during the singer's first song.

Between her swear words, Lavigne reportedly noted that live shows — especially those at a "baseball stadium" — have a tendency to feature a few glitches. As someone who suffered through bad sounds at George Thorogood's set after a Pittsburgh Pirates game last August, I can attest to that. (I also would have cheered anything that blocked Lavigne's music from being disseminated further, but that's just me.)

Still, Avril should have known better because this was a family atmosphere the Rays were paying her to perform at. And it was filled with the very same families that Lavigne and her marketing companies have targeted over the past decade by being just the right kind of punk rawk dangerous (which is, to say, usually not dangerous at all).

Were the words she uttered probably any worse than the kids in the expensive seats can hear from the ballplayers on the field? Probably not, but she could have dropped a quick "earmuffs!" before her tirade.

Apple usurps Google as world's most valuable brand

2011-05-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

LONDON (Reuters) - Apple has overtaken Google as the world's most valuable brand, ending a four-year reign by the Internet search leader, according to a new study by global brands agency Millward Brown.
The iPhone and iPad maker's brand is now worth $153 billion, almost half Apple's market capitalization, says the annual BrandZ study of the world's top 100 brands.
Apple's portfolio of coveted consumer goods propelled it past Microsoft to become the world's most valuable technology company last year.
Peter Walshe, global brands director of Millward Brown, says Apple's meticulous attention to detail, along with an increasing presence of its gadgets in corporate environments, have allowed it to behave differently from other consumer-electronics makers.
"Apple is breaking the rules in terms of its pricing model," he told Reuters by telephone. "It's doing what luxury brands do, where the higher price the brand is, the more it seems to underpin and reinforce the desire."
"Obviously, it has to be allied to great products and a great experience, and Apple has nurtured that."
By contrast, one of the brands most threatened by Apple's rising popularity in offices took a big hit in the survey.
Research In Motion's BlackBerry brand lost a fifth of its brand value. Among technology companies, only Nokia's 28 percent decline was steeper.
Of the top 10 brands in Monday's report, six were technology and telecoms companies: Google at number two, IBM at number three, Microsoft at number five, AT&T at number seven and China Mobile at number nine.
McDonald's rose two places to number four, as fast food became the fastest-growing category, Coca-Cola slipped one place to number six, Marlboro was also down one to number eight, and General Electric was number 10.
Walshe said demand from China was a major factor in the rise of fast-food brands. "The Chinese have been discovering fast food and it's such a vast market -- Starbucks, McDonald's... and pizza has hit China," he said.
"The way McDonald's has reinvented itself, adapted its menus, added healthy options, expanding the times of day it can be visited, for example oatmeal for breakfast... that allied with growth in developing markets has really helped that brand."
Nineteen of the top 100 brands came from emerging markets, up from 13 last year.
Facebook entered the top 100 at number 35 with a brand valued at $19.1 billion, while Chinese search engine Baidu rose to number 29 from 46.
Toyota reclaimed its position as the world's most valuable car brand, as it recovered from a bungled 2010 product recall. The survey was carried out before the March earthquake that caused massive disruption to Japanese supply chains.
The total value of the top 100 brands rose by 17 percent to $2.4 trillion, as the global economy shifted to growth.
Millward Brown takes as a starting point the value that companies put on their own main brands as intangibles in their earnings reports.
It combines that with the perceptions of more than 2 million consumers in relevant markets around the world whom it surveys over the course of the year, and then applies a multiple derived from the company's short-term future growth prospects.

Lindsay Lohan to Clean L.A. Morgue

2011-04-26T02:55:00.000-07:00

As a result of being found in violation of probation, Lindsay Lohan will be collecting trash, emptying trash bins, mopping floors and cleaning windows and restrooms at the L.A. County Department of Coroner's facility.

PHOTOS: Meet the new ladies taking over Hollywood
"She won't be handling any dead bodies but she'll certainly see them,” Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter tells People of the actress, 24, who also has been ordered to complete 360 hours of service at the Downtown Women's Center, a homeless shelter located in L.A.'s Skid Row.
Lohan must enroll in the two programs within a week and has a year to complete them, according to People.

PHOTOS: Most outrageous stars Twit pics
The actress – who previously completed a DUI morgue program following her second drunk-driving conviction 2007 – remains free on $75,000 bail (she was sentenced to 120 days behind bars Friday).

PHOTOS: NYC’s most powerful players
The trial in her grand theft charge begins June 3. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of an additional year in jail.

Largest Fossil Spider Found in Volcanic Ash

2011-04-20T23:25:00.000-07:00

The largest fossil spider uncovered to date once ensnared prey back in the age of dinosaurs, scientists find.
The spider, named Nephila jurassica, was discovered buried in ancient volcanic ash in Inner Mongolia, China. Tufts of hairlike fibers seen on its legs showed this 165-million-year-old arachnid to be the oldest known species of the largest web-weaving spiders alive today — the golden orb-weavers, or Nephila, which are big enough to catch birds and bats, and use silk that shines like gold in the sunlight.
The fossil was about as large as its modern relatives, with a body one inch (2.5 centimeters) wide and legs that reach up to 2.5 inches (6.3 cm) long. Golden orb-weavers nowadays are mainly tropical creatures, so the ancient environment of Nephila jurassica probably was similarly lush.
"It would have lived, like today's Nephila, in its orb web of golden silk in a clearing in a forest, or more likely at the edge of a forest close to the lake," researcher Paul Selden, director of the Paleontological Institute at the University of Kansas, told LiveScience. "There would have been volcanoes nearby producing the ash that forms the lake sediment it is entombed within."
Spiders are the most numerous predators on land today, and help keep insect numbers in check. So these findings help us "understand the evolution of the insect-spider predator-prey relationship," Selden said, suggesting that golden orb-weavers have been ensnaring insects and influencing their evolution since the Jurassic Period.
"There were many large or medium-sized flying insects around at that time on which it would have fed indiscriminately," Selden said.
In modern golden orb-weaver species, females are typically much larger than males. This new fossil was a female, suggesting this trend stretches back at least as far as the Middle Jurassic, Selden said — that is, back before the first known bird, Archaeopteryx, or giant dinosaurs such as Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus.
Although this is the largest fossil spider known to date, it is not the oldest. Two species from Coseley, England, Eocteniza silvicola and Protocteniza britannica, both come from about 310 million years ago.
Selden and his colleagues are now investigating other fossil spiders from China, "as well as those from elsewhere in the world — currently Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Italy and Korea," he said.
The scientists detail their findings online April 20 in the journal Biology Letters.

Veena Malik Enjoys Ashmit Patel Birthday Bash

2011-04-20T00:37:00.000-07:00

How to Earn More from Google Adsense

2011-04-20T00:33:00.000-07:00

How to Earn More from Google Adsense

This is how I make my earnings of $0.01-$0.14 to $0.34 per ad!
I have already made an experiment so you gotta believe this!
Follow this step by step:

Login into your Google Adsense account
Click on ‘Adsense Setup’ tab
Click on ‘Competitive Ad Filter’
Paste the list below into the textarea:
Click on ‘Save Changes’

Survey: Tablets primarily used for gaming

2011-04-13T00:21:00.000-07:00

If you own a tablet computer, chances are you're playing games with it.
That's the take home message from a new survey conducted by Google's AdMob division. The survey of 1,430 tablet owners found that gaming was far and away the most frequent activity.
A surprising 84% of those surveyed claimed they played games, easily outpacing other entertainment choices including music/video (51%) and ebooks (46%). More surprising, however, is that gaming even beat out standard tablet tasks like searching for information (78%), emailing (74%), and reading news (61%).
Though the AdMob survey doesn't break the data down by specific tablets, it's pretty clear that the success of the game-friendly iPad has a lot to do with the results. Over 15 millions iPads have been sold worldwide, and games have largely dominated the App Store since day one. Perhaps gaming's influence will lessen a bit as new devices from the likes of Samsung and Motorola begin rolling out, but it's unlikely.
The survey also noted that, contrary to popular opinion, most tablet owners (82%) primarily use their device at home and that 43% use their tablet more often than their desktop or laptop computers. 77% added that their desktop/laptop usage has dipped since getting a tablet.

Is the president of the Czech Republic a pen stealer?

2011-04-13T00:10:00.000-07:00

As just about anyone who's ever worked in an office can attest, one of life's most festering annoyances are people who don't return pens that they borrow. Now it appears as though Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus may be one of those people, and the citizens of the nation he rules over are none too pleased about it.
You see, Klaus, whose most notable prior controversy was probably his flat rejection of climate change science—a position that he even appeared on Glenn Beck's show to tour—was caught on video coyly pocketing a ceremonial pen during a recent visit to Chile. What's more, the brazen stylus heist took place in full view of the media during a ceremony to announce a trade agreement. The video shows Klaus clearly admiring the pen, then slowly moving it into one of his jacket pockets as Chilean President Sebastian Pinera speaks to the assembled members of the media.
Now, Reuters is reporting that some Czech citizens are accusing Klaus of being a kleptomaniac. But the president's staffers claim that he had every right to take the pen—and that he was, in fact, acting entirely in line with established Czech state protocols. "We at the Prague Castle always give such a pen to delegations, along with a notepad," presidential spokesman Radim Ochvat told the news agency.
You can watch video of the incident, complete with graphics and a humorous soundtrack, below:

The Most Dangerous Thing You'll Do All Day

2011-04-13T00:05:00.000-07:00

We stand around a lot here at Men’s Health. In fact, a few of us don’t even have office chairs. Instead, we write, edit, and answer e-mails—a lot of e-mails—while standing in front of our computers. All day long. Why?

It all started last summer, when Assistant Editor Maria Masters came across a shocking study in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (one of dozens of research journals we comb each month as we put together the magazine). Scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana analyzed the lifestyles of more than 17,000 men and women over about 13 years, and found that people who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks.

That’s right—I said 54 percent!

Masters immediately called the lead researcher at Pennington, a professor named Peter Katzmarzyk. Turns out, this wasn’t the first study to link sitting and heart disease. Similar research actually dates back to 1953, when British researchers found that (sitting) bus drivers were twice as likely to die of heart attacks as (standing) trolley operators.

Here’s the most surprising part: “We see it in people who smoke and people who don’t,” Katzmarzyk told Masters. “We see it in people who are regular exercisers and those who aren’t. Sitting is an independent risk factor.”

In other words, it doesn’t matter how much you exercise or how well you eat. If you sit most of the day, your risk of leaving this world clutching your chest—whether you’re a man or women—as much as doubles.
Bonus Tip: For the latest health, fitness, and nutrition tips and advice, check out our all-new Today's News channel!
This raised a rather obvious question: Why? Truth is, the researchers aren’t sure. But Marc Hamilton, Ph.D., one of Katzmarkzyk’s colleagues, suspects it has to do with an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase (LPL), which breaks down fat in the bloodstream and turns it into energy. Hamilton found that standing rats have ten times more of the stuff coursing through their bodies than laying rats. It doesn’t matter how fit the rats are; when they leave their feet, their LPL levels plummet. Hamilton believes the same happens in humans.

Still sitting? Then you should know that your office chair also:

1. Screws up your posture. The fascia, the tissue that connects individual muscles into a full-body network, begins to set when you stay in one position for too long, says Men’s Health advisor Bill Hartman, P.T., C.S.C.S., a physical therapist in Indianapolis. If you’re hunched over a keyboard all day, this eventually becomes your normal posture.

2. Makes you fatter. This happens for two reasons. First, you burn 60 more calories an hour when standing versus sitting. But more importantly, says Hartman, when you spend too much time sitting, your largest muscle group—the glutes (a.k.a. your butt)—become lazy and quit firing. This is called gluteal amnesia. And it means you burn fewer calories.

3. Causes lower back pain. Weak glutes push your pelvis forward, putting stress on the spine, says Hartman. Here’s the other unseemly thing that happens when your pelvis tilts forward: Your belly protrudes, making you look 5 months pregnant.
Bonus Tip: For more strategies that will keep you fit and healthy for life, check out The Best Fitness Tips Ever!
So what’s a desk-bound worker to do? First, Hamilton suggests you change how you think about fitness. We have a tendency to segment our lives—work, home, and downtime. Exercise falls into the last category, something we squeeze into our busy schedules when possible. But if you stop thinking about exercise as an activity, and instead think of it as a lifestyle, it’s easier to make healthy choices throughout the day.

In other words: Stop trying to be fit, and start trying to live fit.

Second, of course, is to stand more throughout the day. These strategies will get you up on your feet more often:

Strategy #1: Take two breaks an hour. Grab a drink from the water fountain. Pop over to the cube next door to say hi. Or simply stand and stretch for a minute. A European Heart Journal study of 5,000 men and women found that the quarter who took the most breaks during the day were 1.6 inches thinner than the quarter who took the least.

Strategy #2: Stand during phone calls. It may seem like a small thing but, as Hamilton told Masters: “Small choices will help move you in the right direction. . . . It all adds up, and it all matters.”

Strategy #3: Don’t write long emails. If crafting an email will take longer than 15 minutes, go talk to the person instead. Or stand up and call them.

And if that’s not enough (and it may not be) . . .

Strategy #4: Ask HR for a standup desk. Australian researchers found that workers who log more than 6 hours of seat time a day are up to 68 percent more likely to be overweight. If you make the changes above and your waistline isn’t shrinking, a standup desk may be the answer. Make sure the screen is at arm’s length, and the top at eye level. Position the keyboard so your elbows are bent 90 degrees. Men’s Health Senior Editor Bill Stieg built his own. Check it out.

7 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance

2011-04-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

What would you say if I told you that you might be able to save over $500 on car insurance in less than an hour? And that you could complete the entire process from home?

Here are seven different ways that you just might be able to save hundreds of dollars on your car insurance if you simply take a few minutes to put these tips into action:

Here are seven different ways that you just might be able to save hundreds of dollars on your car insurance if you simply take a few minutes to put these tips into action:
[Click here to check auto rates in your area.]

1. Drop Coverage You Don't Need
The beauty of doing a car insurance coverage checkup every six months or so is that even if it turns out that your current car insurance coverage is still the best value out on the market you may just find out that you are paying for a part of your auto insurance policy that you no longer need.
Not only do insurance rates change quite often but your insurance needs change more often than you may think. If you have a new teenage driver or have added a new car to your policy or have moved to a new zip code or--well, the list goes on and on. All of these things may potentially cause you to be paying for coverage that you no longer need.
[See The Most and Least Expensive Vehicles to Insure]
2. Search for Discounts
Never assume that because you searched for all of the car insurance discounts available 6 months ago that now there are no new discounts that you may be eligible for. New opportunities for saving money with a car insurance discount program pop up all of the time as different companies announce different discount programs in order to increase their market share.
3. Improve Your Credit Score
It's no secret that a better credit score will result in better car insurance rates. You may have been working hard to improve your credit score over the last few months in order to qualify for lower interest rates for a home loan or auto loan and you are now starting to see some of your hard work pay off.
When you see an increase in your credit score don't let the opportunity slip by to check and see if this credit score improvement will result in an improvement in your auto insurance rates as well. You've worked hard to improve your credit score so why not spend a few minutes to see if that can only help you get a lower interest rate but a lower car insurance rate as well?
Take some of your car insurance savings and use it to treat yourself to a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant--you deserve it!
4. Pay Your Premiums With a Credit Card
Wanna shave off 1 percent to 5 percent off of your total car insurance premiums just by changing your method of payment? With the average cash back credit card earning you anywhere from 1 percent to 5 percent cash back that's like getting a bill from your insurance company and then having to only pay 95 percent to 99 percent of the total instead of the full 100 percent!
One to 5 percent may not seem like much but as you can see with a cash back credit card calculator that money can quickly start to add up--depending upon how much money you spend each month if you use that cash back card for many of your purchases then your savings could end up being enough to pay for an entire year of college tuition after 15 to 20 years!
5. Tell Your Kids to Keep Their Grades Up
Virtually all of the major car insurance companies offer some form of good student discount. If your kids get good grades then you save money. Some companies offer savings for a lackluster C while most offer savings for you that range from 5 percent to 15 percent if your student maintains a B or an A on their report cards.
Maybe it's time to pass along some of that savings to your kids as a financial incentive to keep their grades high (after all, why not just let the insurance company pay your kids to get good grades rather than you?)
[See Buzzworthy New Cars to Check Out for 2011]
6. Take a Driving Course
OK, maybe you don't want to tell your spouse that you are signing up for a driving course because no one wants to admit that they may not be the world's best driver BUT if signing up for a defensive driving course that will take up minimal time and save you money--why not?
After all, at least you aren't one of the world's worst drivers - at least I hope not! Taking a driving course just one time can result in lifetime savings on your car insurance.
Check with your car insurance company as to what type of courses and course providers they will recognize for a discount on your policy.
7. See If Your Occupation Can Save You Money
Did you know that when car insurance actuaries calculate car insurance rates that they actually assign different risk classes to different types of occupations? Some occupations have cheap car insurance rates while other occupations get assigned an added level of risk that increases their rates.
The various occupation risk assessment algorithms will vary from one insurance company to the next but generally speaking professions like engineering and teaching will receive lower car insurance rates than business owners and attorneys. So what do you call yourself if you are an engineer that owns their own business? You tell me.

Two Changes That Will Improve Your Odds of Retiring

2011-04-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

If you're over age 50 and worried about your retirement, consider making two changes that could significantly improve your odds of retiring.
Ten years ago, I used to hear lots of people talking about traveling the world, buying vineyards with their Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO - News) stock, and endowing their Alma maters with legacy buildings bearing their names. Well, I don't hear many people talk about those things too much these days. But just because you can't get a building named after you, doesn't mean you can't have a secure retirement.

If you're over age 50, and feel like you're behind with your retirement goals, you need to make a realistic assessment of what's achievable. For many people, the lifestyles they're leading while working won't be supportable by the income they can generate from their retirement savings at age 65.

That means you've got to change your retirement goals. If you combine working a little longer with some modest reductions in your retirement lifestyle, you can vastly improve your retirement picture.

1. Working 5 More Years
First, consider how much of an impact working five more years could have on your retirement. Let's assume you're 65 and have $1,000,000 in retirement assets. If you could earn 5% a year on those funds, your retirement plan would be worth about $1,275,000 at age 70, or about 28% more than at age 65. That means it could support almost 28% more in distributions.
Plus, let's assume you could save $15,000 a year for each of those 5 years. The extra savings helps boost the plan balance to $1,360,000, or about 36% more than at age 65.
By waiting five years, you've increased your retirement assets and potential retirement income by 36%.
[How to Decide Where to Retire]
2. Reducing Your Lifestyle
Now let's assume you also reduce your retirement lifestyle expectations by 15%. That means you'll need 15% less in savings to meet your goals.
• For a couple targeting $100,000 of retirement income, that means living on $15,000 less a year. A good rule of thumb for producing distributions in retirement is that every $5,000 worth of distributions will require about $100,000 of assets at age 70. If you reduce your lifestyle needs by $15,000 that means you need $300,000 less in assets to support your retirement.
You might not be happy about the prospects of a reduced lifestyle, but you may find it works just fine if you adjust your expectations. It really comes down to how important it is for you not to work. If that 15% reduction provides you with the freedom to retire, it may well be worth it.
Combined Impact
When you combine the 36% boost in retirement assets by working five more years with the 15% reduction in lifestyle expenses, you've got a swing of 50% in your retirement preparedness. That's a huge change, and can make all the difference between an unrealistic goal and an achievable goal.
[Bargain Retirement Spots]
There are lots of retirement planning tools out there that will help you make some projections, and allow you to play with different retirement scenarios. I like some of the calculators at www.dinkytown.net because the site provides a variety of different calculators on savings and debt reduction. If you're working with an advisor, then enlist their help in running different retirement goals.
Bottom Line
You can put yourself on a path to a more secure retirement if you're willing to adjust the path.

Michael Shannon to play villain in Superman movie (Reuters)

2011-04-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Michael Shannon, who received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role as a mentally troubled man in "Revolutionary Road" two years ago, has been cast as the villain in the upcoming Superman film.
He will play General Zod opposite Henry Cavill 's Superman in "Superman: Man of Steel." Zod, like Superman, is from Krypton, where he commanded its armed forces. The character appeared in both 1978's "Superman" and its sequel "Superman II," where he was played by Terence Stamp .
"Zod is not only one of Superman's most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don't," said Zach Snyder, the director of the new film. "Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role."
Shannon, seen more recently as a stern federal agent in HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," joins a lineup that also includes Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent, the adoptive parents of Superman's alter ego Clark Kent.

Sachin will have to wait for 100 international tons: Afridi

2011-03-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Karachi : Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi predicted that Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar will have to wait until after the World Cup to reach the milestone of scoring 100 international centuries.

"Sachin will have to wait until after the World Cup for his 100th international century because we are not going to allow either him or any other Indian player to play a big innings," Afridi said.
Tendulkar has been in prolific form in the World Cup and completed 18,000 runs in One-dayers in the previous game against Australia. He needs just one more hundred to complete 100 international centuries, the first by any batsman.
Pakistan will take on India in the second semifinal of the World Cup to be held in Mohali on March 30 and Afridi said he was confident of his side beating India.
"It is a game of cricket and both teams can lay claim they will win the semi-final but given our current form I am confident we can beat India," Afridi said.
Admitting that his team-mates wanted to face India in the semi-finals, the skipper said, "The players wanted this clash and we are looking forward to it. We know the expectations are high but at the end of the day I have told the players that the team, which controls and keeps its nerves in such a high tension match, will prevail."
Afridi also felt that the pressure on India would be far more in the semi-final as compared to Pakistan, as they would be playing in front of their home crowd.
"Normally whenever both teams play there is great pressure because of the high expectations of the people but this time India are playing in front of their home crowd and the pressure will be greater on them," he said.
Stating that his players were under no pressure because of the fact that Pakistan had never beaten India in a World Cup match before, Afridi said, "That is history and this team has a habit of changing history. More importantly the winning momentum we have got it allows the players to be better prepared for the big match."
The flamboyant all-rounder also made it clear the players were not feeling the pressure of having to go and play in India after a gap of nearly four years.
"We have a young team and many of our players have not played in India before but it is not a problem for them because they have become used to playing even home matches abroad. I am confident they can handle the pressures of playing in India."
Afridi, meanwhile, also appealed to the fans to treat this high-profile clash between the neighbours as just another cricket match.

U.S. shows growing alarm over Japan nuclear crisis

2011-03-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States showed increasing alarm about Japan's nuclear crisis on Wednesday and urged its citizens to stay clear of an earthquake-crippled power plant, going further in its warnings than Japan itself.
The State Department said the United States has chartered aircraft to help Americans leave Japan and had authorized the voluntary departure of family members of diplomatic staff in Tokyo, Nagoya and Yokohama -- about 600 people.
"The State Department strongly urges U.S. citizens to defer travel to Japan at this time and those in Japan should consider departing," it said.
As operators of the Fukushima plant tried to douse overheating reactors, U.S. officials warned about the risks of getting anywhere near the area and relied on their own officials for details about the danger.
"The situation has deteriorated in the days since the tsunami and ... the situation has grown at times worse with potential greater damage and fallout from the reactor," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.
U.S. officials took pains not to criticize the Japanese government, which has shown signs of being overwhelmed by the crisis that began after last Friday's devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami.
But Washington's actions indicated a divide with the Japanese about the perilousness of the situation.
U.S. President Barack Obama told Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan in a telephone call that the United States will do all it can to help Japan recover, the White House said.
"The president briefed Prime Minister Kan on the additional support being provided by the U.S., including specialized military assets with expertise in nuclear response and consequence management," it said in a statement.
The State Department recommended that U.S. citizens within 50 miles of the plant leave the area or stay indoors.
Japan's government has asked people living within 12 miles to evacuate and those between 12 miles and 18 miles to stay indoors.
PLUME OF RADIATION
Gregory Jaczko, the top U.S. nuclear regulator, cast doubt on efforts to cool overheating reactors, saying workers may be hit with "lethal doses" of radiation.
"It would be very difficult for emergency workers to get near the reactors," Jaczko said.
A United Nations forecast projects the radioactive plume from the Fukushima facility would reach the Aleutian Islands on Thursday and hit Southern California late on Friday, The New York Times reported.
The projection, calculated on Tuesday and obtained by the newspaper, gives no information about actual radiation levels, it said. Health and nuclear experts emphasize that radiation in the plume will be diluted as it travels and will have extremely minor health consequences in the United States, it reported.
The U.S. military has ordered its forces to stay 50 miles away from the plant, the Pentagon said. There are at least 55,000 members of the U.S. forces in Japan and offshore assisting the relief operation.
"All of us are heartbroken by the images of what's happening in Japan and we're reminded of how American leadership is critical to our closest allies," Obama said in Washington.
"Even if those allies are themselves economically advanced and powerful, there are moments where they need our help, and we're bound together by a common humanity."
CONFLICTING REPORTS
The State Department's warning to U.S. citizens was based on new information collected by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy and other U.S. sources.
The United States is trying to deploy equipment in Japan that can detect radiation exposure at ground level, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu told a congressional hearing.
The detection system is part of equipment and 39 personnel from the Energy Department sent to Japan, he said. It has also provided equipment to monitor airborne radiation.
The United States is deploying more radiation monitors on Hawaii and other U.S. islands even though it does not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach U.S. soil, environmental regulators said.
Chu declined to tell lawmakers, when asked, whether he was satisfied with Japan's response so far to its nuclear crisis.
"I can't really say. I think we hear conflicting reports," Chu said. "This is one of the reasons why (the United States is) there with boots on the ground ... to know what is really happening."
Beyond the risk to workers at or near the damaged nuclear plant, one scientist, Dr. Ira Helfand, warned of possible widespread contamination of people and land.
"We need ... to focus on the radioactive isotopes being dispersed at some distance from the plant, because this is going to cause a whole different set of health problems," Helfand, past president of the anti-nuclear group Physicians for Social Responsibility, said in a telephone briefing.
The Obama administration has maintained its support for expanding U.S. use of nuclear energy despite renewed fears about its safety after the events in Japan.
But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday the crisis raised questions about the use of nuclear energy in the United States.
"What's happening in Japan raises questions about the costs and the risks associated with nuclear power but we have to answer those," she said in an interview with MSNBC in which she emphasized the need for a comprehensive U.S. energy policy.
"We get 20 percent of our energy right now in the United States from nuclear power."

“Zombie” ants fall victim to mind-control fungus

2011-03-10T22:03:00.001-08:00

'Zombie ants' may sound like the title of an Ed Wood movie, but, according to National Geographic, they are quite real.
Oddly, there's nothing very zombie-like about the actual ants. It's only when a particular fungus takes over the ant's brain that things get weird.
Once the "stalk of the newfound fungus species Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani infects an ant, the ant gives up control over its own body. After the fungus is in control, it forces the ant to scamper toward "a location ideal for the fungi to grow and spread their spores." Then, it's lights out for the ant. Who knew a fungus could be so diabolical?
These wild discoveries were made by a group in Brazil headed by entomologist David Hughes. National Geographic published a series of pictures of ants that have "lost their minds" to the fungus. You can check out a sample of them below. Not for the squeamish.

2010 Movies Guide

2011-03-10T08:24:00.000-08:00

The new movies of 2010. It doesn’t sound like a real year does it? 2010. More like something that appears on a title card at the beginning of a movie. It sounds like the future. It sounds like you need a crazy, wild-eyed old man and a flux capacitor to get there, but you don’t, all you need is patience.
Unfortunately, we at Movie Moron are impatient as all get out. Screw patience. We’re already looking ahead to 2010 and its silver screen offerings, and we’d like you to join us. We’ll be your crazy, wild-eyed old man. Below is a list of our 20 most anticipated movies, 2010. Pay attention, Marty…

20. Cop Out
Starring: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Seann William Scott, Adam Brody, Jason Lee
Director: Kevin Smith
Release Date: 26th February 2010

Cop Out is the first movie from Kevin Smith that he hasn’t written himself. It’ll be interesting to see how he takes on someone else’s material while no doubt retaining his distinctive voice. The concept appears to be a straightforward buddy comedy about a couple of cops but Smith should be able to elevate the familiar ground he has to cover. Maybe elevate isn’t the right word, more like bring it down to his level. Whatever he does, we can’t wait to see it and that’s why Cop Out makes the list.
19. Looper
Starring: N/A
Director: Rian Johnson
Release Date: ~~TBC 2010~~ Update: Pushed to 2011

This movie is a bit of an enigma. Still in the very early stages of development, little is known about the project plot-wise, and there are no stars attached. In fact, it’s the only film on the list with no actors on board, so the fact that it even makes the list says a lot. It says we love Brick, we really like The Brothers Bloom, and we are super-stoked to see Rian Johnson tackle an ultraviolent time-travel movie. Rian Johnson builds worlds, he takes ordinary surroundings and injects them with the uncanny, and he does this in high school movies and con-men movies. What is he going to do with a sci-fi movie, a genre where such mish-mashing and world-building is de rigueur?
18. The Last Airbender
Starring: Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Jackson Rathbone, Nicola Peltz
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Release Date: 2nd July 2010

Possibly the most divisive movie on the list. Shyamalan is loved by some and loathed by others, but there’s no denying that The Happening was an all-time low, resulting in some declaring The Last Airbender a flop before hearing a single line of dialogue. But it’s not just the Shyamalan apologists that are praying for this movie to be good, it’s fans of the source material. Avatar: The Last Airbender was one of Nick’s most popular shows, a well animated, action-packed, humorous and intelligent piece of television with a mythos to rival Star Wars and an appeal well beyond its target demographic.
Many still struggle to cast aside fury at the thought of the ~~racist~~ controversial casting, but with teaser trailers and teaser images cropping up, anticipation is building.

17. The Book of Eli
Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis
Directors: Albert & Allen Hughes
Release Date: 15th January 2010

You didn’t know you wanted a post-apocalyptic showdown between Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman, but the guys that made Menace II Society did, so they went ahead and made The Book of Eli for you. It’s about, naturally, the titular book, a tome that may be the key to man’s salvation. Denzel defends the book, Oldman does the opposite. Comic Book artist Chris Weston did design work for the film, and says on his blog that ‘you’ll get to see Denzel Washington kick serious arse in this film… ‘Man on Fire’ is a mere taster compared to the righteous vengeance he rains down on the scum in this film’. We recommend ‘rains down on the scum’ become a phrase that you use regularly, not only because you’ll sound epic, but to familiarise yourself with the concept so as to prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed when you witness Mr Washington in all his arse-kicking glory.
16. Paul
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen
Director: Greg Mottola
Release Date: ~~TBC 2010~~ Update: Pushed to 18th March 2011
Brit Comic Book Geeks travelling across the US with an alien in tow. Meh. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost? Not so meh. The talented duo reunite for another comic caper, this time without director Edgar Wright, who just found out there’s a whole guild of other screen actors out there. It’ll be nice to see Pegg back with Frost after cavorting around in space and sucking up to Megan Fox – and now they’ve added Seth Rogen to the crew! Or he’s added them to his, we’re not sure. Rogen will be voicing the alien known as Paul, and he has a pretty weird voice anyway, right? So that should work nicely. Knowing Frost and Pegg this will be a crowd pleaser and a nerd-pleaser at the same time, and there aren’t many films out there that manage to do both. Plus, it’s another offering from the director of Superbad.

15. The Cabin in the Woods
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Amy Acker
Director: Drew Goddard
Release Date: ~~TBC 2010~~ Update: Pushed to 2011
Whedonites are legion. So having Joss Whedon onboard to co-write this script is a good thing in terms of drumming up hype. And this film promises a new take on a played out horror movie trope – the cabin in the woods. Coming from Drew Goddard, one of the men behind Cloverfield, and starring Chris Hemsworth, the man who will be Thor.
14. Piranha 3D
Starring: Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O’Connell, Richard Dreyfuss, Ving Rhames
Director: Alexandre Aja
Release Date: 20th August 2010
Richard Dreyfuss reckons it’s safe to go back in the water – you think he’d know better. You know the deal: Remake. 3D. Sex, violence, comedy. Prehistoric piranhas tear to shreds every living thing in their path, mostly hot, young dumb actors, a couple of porn stars, and a couple of old intelligent actors for good measure. This isn’t high-brow, this is pure popcorn entertainment (although judging by the set pics, most of that popcorn will be regurgitated before you leave the theatre). Carnage!
13. The A-Team
Starring: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper
Director: Joe Carnahan
Release Date: 11th June 2010

Smoking Aces was insane. And while it wasn’t spectacularly successful, it is proof that director Joe Carnahan may be able to breathe some life into The A-Team. As , Well-known television characters in a high-octane cinematic adaptation can be a very good thing, as evidenced by the Star Trek reboot. Liam Neeson will be taking on the role of Hannibal, and although it’s been argued that his on screen persona differs considerably from that of previous Hannibal, George Peppard, Taken proved he can do action, and how many other actors have trained Obi-Wan Kenobi and Batman? Man of the moment Bradley Cooper will play Face, a role originated by Dirk Benedict (the lesser of two Starbucks). Fighter-for-a-living Quinton Jackson has the impossible job of replacing Mr.T.

12. The Green Hornet
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz
Director: Michel Gondry
Release Date: ~~TBC 2010~~ Update: Pushed to 14th January 2011
This is superhero Seth Rogen. The last time we saw Rogen kicking ass and taking names he wasn’t wearing a mask, he was high, and he was riding shotgun with James ‘Harry Osborn’ Franco. Now he’s the one with the sidekick, and if what has been said up until now is true, The Green Hornet may be more lighthearted than some superhero fare, but it won’t be an out-and-out comedy.
A big part of whether or not this movie works hinges on us believing that the slob from Knocked Up is a crime-fighter, and Seth Rogen’s so damn likeable we’ll probably all cross our fingers and hope he can do it. Not to mention Michel Gondry’s directing the whole affair and his zany indie sensibilities should be a sight to behold when thrown over the superhero framework.
11. Alice In Wonderland
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway
Director: Tim Burton
Release Date: 5th March 2010

As per usual, the visuals of the latest Tim Burton project, Alice In Wonderland, look stunning. Newcomer Mia Wasikowskia plays Alice in the loose adaptation of Carroll’s treasured novel, alongside Burton mainstays Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen. The only troubling aspect of this is the ‘loose’ part of the loose adaptation; unlike the previous adaptations Burton has made (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, etc.) this film will take more liberties with the source material. It features a considerably older Alice returning to Wonderland. That sounds a bit like Hook. But we’re confident it won’t be met with the same lukewarm reception, and that Burton thrills us with a wild and wacky world as he has in the past.

10. A Nightmare On Elm Street
Starring: Jackie Earle Haley
Director: Samuel Bayer
Release Date: 16th April 2010

Freddy Krueger, the dream-dwelling killer first brought to cinema screens in 1984, is back. But this time actor Robert Englund is going to be watching it in the cinema with the rest of us. Exec-producer Michael Bay is hitting the Batman Begins/Star Trek reboot button in an effort to restart the horror franchise as he did with Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There’s only one reason this has ranked so highly on our list – the casting of Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy. He was terrific as Rorschach in Watchmen. But can he deliver? Knife-fingers are crossed.
9. Clash Of The Titans
Starring: Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes
Director: Louis Letterier
Release Date: 2nd April 2010
The highest remake on the list, Clash of the Titans takes the most fondly remembered sword and sandal classic to showcase Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion creatures and re-imagines it for the CGI generation. Director Louis Letterier should be somewhat familiar with intense action and CG smackdowns thanks to his prior work on The Incredible Hulk and The Transporter franchises. Up and coming actors Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation, Avatar) and Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace, Prince of Persia) take on the roles of Perseus and Io, whilst veterans Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes take on the roles of Zeus and Hades. It will be interesting to see how the Olympian elements of the story are handled, as the gods have been notably absent from most recent sword and sandal flicks like Troy.
8. Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood
Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett
Director: Ridley Scott
Release Date: 14th May 2010
Ridley Scott is a living legend. The mastermind behind Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator returns to roughly the period of time in which his criminally underrated Crusades movie Kingdom of Heaven took place and reunites with frequent collaborator Russell Crowe. So he should be in his comfort zone and ready to deliver a memorable take on the oft filmed Robin Hood legend, presumably without incongruous accents, talking foxes or men in tights.

7. Arrested Development
Starring: Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, David Cross, Will Arnett, Portia de Rossi
Director: Mitchell Hurwitz
Release Date: ~~TBC 2010~~ Update: Pushed to 2011
The best TV shows get cancelled. Frequently. Sometimes the fanbase is so vocal about the injustice that the property is given a new lease of life – Family Guy, Futurama and Joss Whedon’s Firefly were all brought back from the dead. And currently slated for a 2010 release is the critically acclaimed comedy Arrested Development. This movie has been rumoured for a very long time, but clearly, what with it being so high on the list, hope has not been lost, anticipation has not been lessened. Stuff White People Like explains the Arrested Development phenom thusly:

Even though most white people prefer to say that they don’t watch television, one thing they agree on is that Arrested Development was the best show on TV. They love it so much! The love it for a number of reasons. Firstly, since the show was cancelled before it jumped the shark, it’s effectively like a rocker that dies at 27. Also, the show got terrible ratings, meaning that it wasn’t ‘mainstream,’ which makes white people love it unilaterally. Other examples of shows like this are Twin Peaks and The Ben Stiller Show. They also love it because there are a few references to white popular culture, and if there is one thing that white people love, it’s cultural references that they understand (see Garden State, The Onion, and Juno for examples). If you are ever a white person’s house, and you see an orange box in their DVD collection, you should say “oh, you have Arrested Development, I love that show!” To which you will be offered a glass of wine, and perhaps an invitation to 80s night. Also of note: the hip hop group Arrested Development is also loved by white people.

We’ve seen Arrested Development alumni go on to make their mark in cinema, but they are allegedly all locked to return to their TV characters, and we couldn’t be more excited by the prospect. Hopefully it’ll be a success.
6. The Expendables
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Release Date: 13th August 2010
Sly Stallone wants to go out in a blaze of gory. Sorry, typo, blaze of glory. Actually, they’re both right. The Expendables could well be the throwback action movie that dreams are made of. With a cast list that reads like someone just reading names off of their action movie DVD collection, fans of the genre are getting spoilt rotten.

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin
Director: Edgar Wright
Release Date: 13th August 2010

One of the greatest indie comic books in recent history, Scott Pilgrim, is an epic love story, a teen comedy and a bizarre action piece set in Canada. Influenced by video games, music, manga and real life it really is like nothing else. If you haven’t read it yet, you’re missing out.
Edgar Wright’s film adaptation stars Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, lead singer of crappy, unsigned band Sex Bob-Omb (that’s a Super Mario reference, n00bs), and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers, the girl of Scott’s dreams. Literally. He dreams about her, and then she shows up. In pursuit of her he has to fight her seven evil ex-boyfriends, evade his jilted ex ‘Knives’ Chau, and put up with Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin), the gay roommate that he sleeps with (but not in a gay way). Made of win.
4. Tron Legacy
Starring: Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Release Date: 17th December 2010

Tron was ahead of its time. Now is that time. While the first film amazed with its vision and FX, it still managed to bore with its pace, but on the basis of this concept trailer, the sequel has managed to get the balance just right. The plot sees Flynn’s son enter Tron to find out what happened to his father (Jeff Bridges) all those years ago. Looks spectacular.
3. Toy Story 3
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton
Director: Lee Unkrich
Release Date: 18th June 2010

Pixar: the most dependable movie studio around. Coming off of Wall-E and Up, they’re returning to their roots, the movie that made their name, Toy Story. Ordinarily, threequels are something to dread, and unnecessary sequels to animated movies often feel every bit as superfluous as they actually are (yes, you, Shrek). But Pixar can (virtually) do no wrong at this point, and the first two Toy Story movies are such bona fide modern classics that you can’t help but be excited about the further misadventures of Woody and Buzz.
2. Iron Man 2
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke
Director: Jon Favreau
Release Date: 7th May 2010

“I am Iron Man.” How could you not be desperate to see a sequel after Robert Downey Jr delivered that line at a press conference in the final scene of Iron Man? In the superhero sequel tradition, this installment promises to be bigger, and has heightened fanboy expectations. Scarlett Johansson is Natasha – Tony Stark’s replacement red-head assistant now that Paltrow’s Pepper Potts has been promoted – she’s also secretly superspy Black Widow. Rourke plays angry Russian ‘Whiplash’, Iron Man’s nemesis along with Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer. Terrence Howard is probably (like the rest of us) still in shock after getting Cheadled, and Olga Kurylenko can’t believe she didn’t get Johansson’s part. She refuses to take the costume off, it’s kind of embarrassing…

1. Inception
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy
Director: Christopher Nolan
Release Date: 16th July 2010

Nothing else could have been number one, not after 2008, not after The Dark Knight. It. Was. Awesome. Due in no small part to the genius of Christopher Nolan, a director with an enviable track record, who now turns his attentions to the sci-fi genre with Inception, a movie shrouded in Cloverfield-levels of mystery. We know Ken Watanabe is blackmailing Leonardo DiCaprio, who’s married to Marion Cotillard and works with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page, but that’s it. Oh, and, it’s set within ‘the architecture of the mind’, which could mean anything at this point. Inception is our number one most anticipated on the basis of the acting talent involved, and the phenomenal director.
— UPDATE : DECEMBER 2010 Those were our 20 most anticipated movies at the start of the year. Now we’re at the end of 2010 we can see that some were disappointments (Robin Hood, Iron Man 2), some turned out to be plain terrible (Cop Out, Nightmare On Elm Street, Last Airbender), and others were exactly what we hoped for (Inception, Toy Story 3, Scott Pilgrim).
Here are the top 10 movies according to critics this year (via Rotten Tomatoes):
1. Toy Story 3
2. How to Train Your Dragon
3. Restrepo
4. Exit Through The Gift Shop
5. The Social Network
6. True Grit
7. The Town
8. The Kids Are All Right
9. Winter’s Bone
10. The King’s Speech
And the top 10 according to the public (user voted on IMDB):
1. Inception – 9.0 / 10
2. Black Swan – 8.9
3. Toy Story 3 – 8.7
4. The Social Network – 8.2
5. How To Train Your Dragon – 8.2
6. Tangled – 8.1
7. Kick-Ass – 8.0
8. Shutter Island – 8.0
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I – 7.9
10. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – 7.9

Seth Green, Digitally and Sonically Erased From 'Mars Needs Moms'

2011-03-09T21:44:00.000-08:00

Moviemakers can do crazy things with computers these days. They can reverse-age a guy from shriveled old man-baby to healthy, adolescent Brad Pitt. They can make a sixtysomething Jeff Bridges look like he did in 1982 (albeit with a really creepy-looking mouth). And, if they discover that a 37-year-old actor in a performance-capture suit can jump around like a nine-year-old but not really sound like one, they can easily recast the voice part with an actual kid. The animators for the upcoming "Mars Need Moms" pulled off that last trick with "Robot Chicken" star and onetime "Cha-Ching! Guy" Seth Green, reports the L.A. Times:
"During production, the star acted as he would in any performance-capture movie, which requires actors to move in special sensor-equipped suits. Green spent six weeks outfitted in a uniform while also simultaneously performing his lines. But during the post-production process, in which animators used computer imaging to shape the character, filmmakers noticed that Green was able to physically embody a 9-year-old -- imitating the movements and behaviors of a child -- but his voice sounded too mature for the character."
Thus, they found 11-year-old Seth Dusky to come in and dub Green's lines, considering Green is a 37-year-old man who was having some trouble channeling the sound of prepubescence. To review: To nail down how a nine-year-old talks, they had an 11-year-old speak. To nail down how a nine-year-old moves, they motion-captured Seth Green jumping around. That sounds about right.
Green therefore spent weeks in motion-capture dots, prancing to and fro, for a performance that no one will hear or see. (Well, they'll technically see his digitized motions, but you know what we're getting at.) It's possible he played the second Winklevii brother.
Oh, and Green is still doing publicity for the film he's been mostly erased from. They couldn't really use the computer to put Dusky's voice in Green's mouth on "Conan."

Taylor Swift Releases "Mean" as Next Single

2011-03-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

Taylor Swift shipped "Mean" to country radio on Monday (March 7) as the third single from her third album, Speak Now. The new single follows the success of "Mine" and "Back to December" from Speak Now, which has sold 3 million copies since its release in October. After wrapping her Asian tour less than two weeks ago, Swift launched her European tour on Sunday night (March 6) in Brussels, Belgium. The U.S. portion of her Speak Now World Tour begins May 27 in Omaha.

'Angry Birds' to attack Facebook, your remaining free time

2011-03-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought the "Angry Birds" campaign for world domination was finally starting to subside, it appears that no, NO ... it has only just begun. "Angry Birds" and Facebook are about to join forces ... and your free time will never be the same.
Mikael Hed, chief executive at Rovio (the development company that makes the game), says in Wired's UK magazine that "Angry Birds" is coming to the social network in the next month and that "there will be completely new aspects to it that just haven't been experienced in any other platform."
Rovio has not released much in the way of details about how the game might differ from the "Angry Birds" we know, but there is one tidbit of information to be had: Those of you who think that the pigs have been getting the short end of the stick in this ongoing saga will be happy to hear that "the pigs will have a more prominent role" in the Facebook app, says Hed.
(An interesting side note: Rovio tells Wired that users spend 200 million minutes playing the game every day and that some three trillion pigs have been popped so far.)
Meanwhile, Peter Vesterbacka, Rovio's "mighty eagle" (and head of business development) confirmed in the article that there may be other spin-off games in the works as well — perhaps games in the driving and sports genres.
Though "Angry Birds" got its start on the iPhone, it can now be played on iPads, Android phones, Palm devices, and Sony's PlayStation Portable game machine among other places, and the game is in the works for Windows Phone 7 devices and the Nintendo DS. Meanwhile, it's approaching the 100 million download mark.
But be warned: "Angry Birds" and Facebook together ... that sounds like the deadliest combination yet. Be afraid for your free time. Be very afraid.
While you wait for the end of your free time to begin, take a look at Conan O'Brien's tribute to Finland's most famous export. He and his crew say they've built the world's largest live-action "Angry Birds" game ever.

Mexican police chief fired after reportedly fleeing to U.S.

2011-03-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

The AP reports that 21-year-old Marisol Valles has been fired from her post as police chief of the violent town of Praxedis G. Guerrero when she didn't show up for work this morning. She is reportedly seeking asylum in the United States after receiving death threats from drug cartels. She may have difficulty making an asylum case, though, since U.S. immigration officials typically approve such request on the basis of political threats to an applicant's life or well-being, and Mexican drug violence is obviously not state-sanctioned.
Valles was hailed as the bravest woman in Mexico for agreeing to head up the town's police force when no one else applied for the job in October. Warring local drug gangs had beheaded other city officials--but Valles, a criminology student, said she overcame her fear for the good of her community. Valles said she would focus on administrative tasks and community-building, and would not take on the drug cartels.

Even so, she reportedly became the target of a campaign of intimidation. Mexican papers reported Friday that Valles fled the town and was seeking asylum in the United States after receiving death threats, but city officials released a statement claiming Valles was only traveling across the border for a brief stay to get her young son medical attention. They said she would be back on the job by this morning. When she didn't show up, they fired her.
A Chihuahua state human rights official named Gustavo de la Rosa Hickerson told El Pais that Valles received death threats over the phone before fleeing. He said a local government employee accompanied her to the international bridge that crosses into Fort Hancock, Texas on Thursday. Her plan, according to the official, was to seek asylum.
The United States doesn't often deviate from the political criteria for granting asylum. In addition to proving a government-based threat, successful asylum applicants must show that the persecution stems from their race, religion, nationality, political views or membership in a particular social group.
Women officials have not been spared in the country's brutal drug violence. In Bravos, Mexico 28-year-old Érika Gándara was given the chief of police job by her uncle, the mayor, after no one applied. According to a report in the New York Times, she was taken from her home in December by armed gunmen and hasn't been seen since. Hermila García, appointed police chief of Meoqui, was killed in November after only a month on the job.

John Kerry calls on Zardari, Gilani

2011-02-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator John Kerry called on President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh separately and discussed with them the issue of Raymond Davis, Geo News reported on Wednesday.

According to the sources, in the meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari, Senator Kerry said that Pakistan is bound to implement on Vienna Convention, therefore, the US diplomat Raymond Davis be released.

The US Senator also discussed Pak-US bilateral relations besides regional issues with the President.

Earlier, Senator Kerry met Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and demanded release of Raymond Davis. He assured the PM that criminal investigations would be carried out against Davis in the US.

Meanwhile, John Kerry also held a meeting with Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAWW) today

2011-02-16T07:01:00.001-08:00

KARACHI: The nation is celebrating Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) today (Wednesday) with religious fervour, renewing the pledge to follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (PBUH).

Earlier on Tuesday, the chief of the Sunni Tehreek (ST), Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, has warned the government to refrain from imposing US policy on the country.

“The 180 million people of Pakistan are not American slaves, but we are the slaves of Madina and we would not hesitate from sacrificing our lives for the sake of Islam and the ideology of Pakistan,” he said while addressing a huge rally on the eve of Eid Milad-un-Nabi on Tuesday.

The rally started from Liaquatabad Dakkhana and culminated in Kharadar.

Strict security measures were adopted throughout the rally as no vehicular traffic was allowed to pass through the route.

Expressing concern over the failure of the authorities to expose the mastermind behind the ghastly incident that took place at the Nishtar Park five years ago, in which the entire party leadership was eliminated, the ST leader said that they would continue the mission of the Shuhada-i-Mustafa.

On this occasion, he demanded from President Zardari to confer the Sitara-i-Imtiaz award on March 23 to all those Sunni leaders who were martyred in the Nishtar Park in 2006 on the Eid Milad-un-Nabi day.

Qadri said that those who used derogatory remarks against Hazrat Mohammad Mustafa (PBUH) must be awarded the death penalty and they must not be given any immunity.

The nation is celebrating Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) today with religious fervour, renewing the pledge to follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (PBUH).

Mahafil-i-Milad and other public meetings will be held at various places in the city to celebrate the day.

The main congregation will be held at the Nishtar Park, where processions from various parts of the city will converge and the main procession will be held, which will be also addressed by Shah Turab-ul-Haq and Sarwat Ejaz Qadri.

A stage has been set up at the Nishtar Park and the entire area has been decorated with illuminating lights. Camps have been set up along the main procession route. About 1,500 volunteers of the Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, in addition to personnel of the law-enforcement agencies, have been guarding the venue.

The main rally will be staged from the New Memon Masjid, Boultan Market, at about 3pm, which will pass through MA Jinnah Road and culminate at the Nishtar Park.

A Fateha Khwani will also be held for those who were martyred in the 2006 blast.

The main reception camp has been set up at the Numaish Chowrangi. Camps have been erected on major arteries of the city to guide the smaller processions to their destination at the Nishtar Park.

Meanwhile, the religious leaders have appealed to the people to avoid taking women and children to the main procession venue and fully cooperate with the volunteers and law enforcers deployed in and around the Nishtar Park.

Both the Jamaat Ahle Sunnat and the Sunni Rahber Council have already announced a code of conduct for the day so as to regulate the processions and rallies reaching the Nishtar Park.

Pa. teacher strikes nerve with 'lazy whiners' blog

2011-02-16T07:00:00.001-08:00

FEASTERVILLE, Pa. – A high school English teacher in suburban Philadelphia who was suspended for a profanity-laced blog in which she called her young charges "disengaged, lazy whiners" is driving a sensation by daring to ask: Why are today's students unmotivated — and what's wrong with calling them out?
As she fights to keep her job at Central Bucks East High School, 30-year-old Natalie Munroe says she had no interest in becoming any sort of educational icon. The blog has been taken down, but its contents can still be found easily online.
Her comments and her suspension by the middle-class school district have clearly touched a nerve, with scores of online commenters applauding her for taking a tough love approach or excoriating her for verbal abuse. Media attention has rained down, and backers have started a Facebook group.
"My students are out of control," Munroe, who has taught 10th, 11th and 12th grades, wrote in one post. "They are rude, disengaged, lazy whiners. They curse, discuss drugs, talk back, argue for grades, complain about everything, fancy themselves entitled to whatever they desire, and are just generally annoying."
And in another post, Munroe — who is more than eight months pregnant — writes: "Kids! They are disobedient, disrespectful oafs. Noisy, crazy, sloppy, lazy LOAFERS." She also comes up with a colorful list of comments that she felt should be available on student report cards.
Munroe did not use her full name or identify her students or school in the blog, which she started in August 2009 for friends and family. Last week, she said, students brought it to the attention of the school, which suspended her with pay.
"They get angry when you ask them to think or be creative," Munroe said of her students in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. "The students are not being held accountable."
Munroe pointed out that she also said positive things, but she acknowledges that she did write some things out of frustration — and of a feeling that many kids today are being given a free pass at school and at home.
"Parents are more trying to be their kids' friends and less trying to be their parent," Munroe said, also noting students' lack of patience. "They want everything right now. They want it yesterday."
A spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association declined to comment Tuesday because he said the group may represent Munroe. A message left for the Central Bucks School District superintendent was not immediately returned.
Sandi Jacobs, vice president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, said school districts are navigating uncharted territory when it comes to teachers' online behavior. Often, districts want teachers to have more contact with students and their families, yet give little guidance on how teachers should behave online even as students are more plugged in than they've ever been.
"This is really murky stuff," she said. "When you have a teacher using their blog to berate their students, maybe that's a little less murky. But the larger issue is, I think, districts are totally unprepared to deal with this."
Munroe has hired an attorney, who said that she had the right to post her thoughts on the blog and that it's a free speech issue. The attorney, Steven Rovner, said the district has led Munroe to believe that she will eventually lose her job.
"She could have been any person, any teacher in America writing about their lives," he said, pointing out that Munroe blogged about 85 times and that only about 15 to 20 of the posts involved her being a teacher. "It's honest and raw and a little edgy depending on your taste. ... She has a deep frustration for the educational system in America."
Rovner said that he would consider legal action if indeed Munroe loses her job.
"She did it as carefully as she could," he said about her blog. "It's so general that it applies to the problems in school districts and schools across the country."

Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule with Pakistan Time

2011-02-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule with Pakistan Time. Start time of all worldcup matches according to Pakistan timing with venue stadiums in India , Bangladesh and Srilanka

20 February 2011 09:00 PST
New Zealand	Match 2	Kenya	M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
20 February 2011 14:00 PST
Sri Lanka	Match 3	Canada	Hambantota International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
21 February 2011 14:00 PST
Australia	Match 4	Zimbabwe	Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
23 February 2011 14:00 PST
Pakistan	Match 6	Kenya	Hambantota International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
25 February 2011 14:00 PST
New Zealand	Match 8	Australia	Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
26 February 2011 14:00 PST
Sri Lanka	Match 10	Pakistan	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
28 February 2011 09:00 PST
Zimbabwe	Match 13	Canada	Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
1 March 2011 14:00 PST
Sri Lanka	Match 14	Kenya	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
3 March 2011 14:00 PST
Pakistan	Match 17	Canada	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
4 March 2011 09:00 PST
New Zealand	Match 18	Zimbabwe	Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
5 March 2011 14:00 PST
Sri Lanka	Match 20	Australia	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
7 March 2011 14:00 PST
Kenya	Match 23	Canada	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
8 March 2011 14:00 PST
Pakistan	Match 24	New Zealand	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
10 March 2011 14:00 PST
Sri Lanka	Match 26	Zimbabwe	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
13 March 2011 09:00 PST
New Zealand	Match 30	Canada	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
13 March 2011 14:00 PST
Australia	Match 31	Kenya	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
14 March 2011 14:00 PST
Pakistan	Match 32	Zimbabwe	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
16 March 2011 14:00 PST
Australia	Match 35	Canada	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
18 March 2011 14:00 PST
Sri Lanka	Match 37	New Zealand	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
19 March 2011 14:00 PST
Pakistan	Match 39	Australia	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
20 March 2011 09:00 PST
Zimbabwe	Match 41	Kenya	Eden Gardens, Kolkata

[edit] Group B

Main article: 2011 Cricket World Cup Group B


19 February 2011 14:00 PST
India	Match 1	Bangladesh	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
22 February 2011 14:00 PST
England	Match 5	Netherlands	Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
24 February 2011 14:00 PST
South Africa	Match 7	West Indies	Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi
25 February 2011 09:00 PST
Bangladesh	Match 9	Ireland	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
27 February 2011 14:00 PST
India	Match 11	England	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
28 February 2011 14:00 PST
West Indies	Match 12	Netherlands	Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi
2 March 2011 14:00 PST
England	Match 15	Ireland	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
3 March 2011 09:00 PST
South Africa	Match 16	Netherlands	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
4 March 2011 14:00 PST
Bangladesh	Match 19	West Indies	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
6 March 2011 14:00 PST
India	Match 21	Ireland	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
6 March 2011 14:00 PST
England	Match 22	South Africa	M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
9 March 2011 14:00 PST
India	Match 25	Netherlands	Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi
11 March 2011 09:00 PST
Ireland	Match 27	West Indies	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
11 March 2011 14:00 PST
Bangladesh	Match 28	England	Chittagong Divisional Stadium, Chittagong
12 March 2011 14:00 PST
India	Match 29	South Africa	Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
14 March 2011 14:00 PST
Bangladesh	Match 33	Netherlands	Chittagong Divisional Stadium, Chittagong
15 March 2011 14:00 PST
South Africa	Match 34	Ireland	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
17 March 2011 14:00 PST
England	Match 36	West Indies	M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
18 March 2011 09:00 PST
Ireland	Match 38	Netherlands	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
19 March 2011 09:00 PST
Bangladesh	Match 40	South Africa	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
20 March 2011 14:00 PST
India	Match 42	West Indies	M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

[edit] Knockout stage

Main article: 2011 Cricket World Cup knockout stage

[edit] Quarter-finals


23 March 2011 14:00 PST
Group A1	Match 43	Group B3	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
24 March 2011 14:00 PST
Group A2	Match 44	Group B4	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
25 March 2011 14:00 PST
Group A4	Match 45	Group B2	Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
26 March 2011 14:00 PST
Group A3	Match 46	Group B1	Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad

[edit] Semi-finals


29 March 2011 14:00 PST
Winner of Match 43	Match 47	Winner of Match 44	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
30 March 2011 14:00 PST
Winner of Match 45	Match 48	Winner of Match 46	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

[edit] Final

Main article: 2011 Cricket World Cup Final


2 April 2011 14:00 PST
Winner of Match 47	Match 49	Winner of Match 48	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Ruling Egypt After Mubarak: Presidential Contenders Emerge

2011-02-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

Even before President Hosni Mubarak left office on Friday, a number of hats were already in the ring to succeed him. Egypt's political future remains in flux, and it's unclear how soon the emerging contenders will get to make their bids for the now vacant presidency. So far, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces - to which Mubarak had ceded his authority - has simply decreed that the current government ministers would continue running things until new elections are held.
It's quite possible, of course, that Mubarak appointees such as Vice President Omar Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik could seek the presidency. The ruling National Democratic Party is not yet dead, despite what many protesters insist. But amid the euphoria that has continued on the day after Mubarak's fall, many insist that a new era for Egyptian politics has begun, and that the fortunes of Suleiman and Shafik are waning. It may take six months to a year to organize a presidential election, analysts and party leaders say, but many predict that Mubarak's replacement will be the first Egyptian President chosen in a genuinely competitive election. (See photos of Cairo's celebration after Mubarak stepped down.)
"No one in Egypt is going to allow fraudulent and manipulated elections," says political analyst Diaa Rashwan at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. "They searched for their freedom and now they have it."
So who are the contenders for president? Taking cues from who's who among the protesters' heroes in Tahrir, you can start with the usual suspects.
At the top of the list may be Amr Moussa. State TV reported Friday that the former Egyptian foreign minister would be stepping down as Secretary General of the Arab League, where he has served for nearly a decade, renewing speculation over a presidential bid. The long-time diplomat has a large popular following in Egypt because of his habit of publicly criticizing policies of the U.S. and Israel, in marked contrast to Mubarak's quiescence. And he may be the only contender praised in a chart-topping song. Moussa made local headlines over a year ago when he demurred on the question of whether he would make a bid for the presidency, and his name has been at the tip of many tongues in Tahrir Square. "All of Egypt loves Amr Moussa," says Ali Hassan, a 21-year-old student. For Egypt's allies, Moussa may have the added appeal of being "not far from the establishment," Rashwan says. "That will be a kind of guarantee to international powers that Egyptian foreign policy will be stable." (See the 2009 discussion about an Egyptian successor.)
But there's also wildcard Mohamed ElBaradei, the nobel laureate and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who captivated Egyptian and foreign media with his return to Egypt early last year to mount a fresh challenge Mubarak's dictatorship and abuses. ElBaradei commands a loyal youth following and launched the National Coalition for Change, the first broadly based campaign calling for constitutional amendments and an end to the regime. His followers have campaigned hard to promote him as a possible presidential candidate, despite ElBaradei's evasiveness on the subject. But his forays into the protest movement have been limited; the bespectacled reformist tending to tweet his dissent more often than physically acting it out. And many Egyptians still say they don't trust a man who spent much of his career abroad to make the call. "ElBaradei has lost credibility," says opposition politician Hamdeen Sabahi. "He is not really connected to the country and its people." Others have gone so far as to accuse ElBaradei of trying to hijack the revolution.
For some, the imperfect opposition leader they know - such as Ayman Nour, who ran against Mubarak in 2005 in the first multi-candidate presidential race and was subsequently jailed by the regime, slandered by state media, and stripped of his license to practice law - is a safer choice than the one they don't know. "The difference between Ayman Nour and ElBaradei is that one is a real Egyptian and the other is more of a khawaga [foreigner]," says Abdel Hamid Osman, a demonstrator. Nour commands a small army of loyal young followers, and has vowed to run in the 2011 race. On Saturday, he passed out copies of his personal draft for the new constitution. "Of course yes," Nour says of when asked if he intends to run. (See what was going through the mind of Mubarak when he was in power.)
And then there are the lesser known figures that have emerged in the course of Egypt's momentous 18 days. Yahya al-Jamal, a retired head of the constitutional court may be too old some say, but others want him to lead the way to constitutional reform. "He's the spokesman for the revolution," cried one bystander excitedly, as Jamal moved through the crowd in Tahrir last week. Other prominent judges, Mahmoued al-Khudairy and Zakaria Abdel Aziz, have also attracted attention for their time spent in the square. And another popular nobel laureate, the chemist Ahmed Zuweil has also returned to his home country to join the cause.
"We have the traditional names," says Rashwan. "But perhaps we will have dozens of new people running. The process of destroying the old regime is already finished." Now, it's time for phase two, he adds: "Building a new regime. And I'm not excluding the chance of dark horses appearing suddenly."

12 Reasons To Watch The 2011 Grammys

2011-02-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

The Grammys certainly embrace the buddy system. In recent, the vast majority of performance slots on the telecast have been given over to odd-couple superstar teamings, never-to-be-repeated duets, and all-star medleys. That recipe is on tap for this year, certainly, with legends Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, and Barbra Streisand sharing the stage with the junior likes of Justin Bieber, Jaden Smith, and some profanity-skirting puppets.
Here are a dozen solid reasons to get over your awards fatigue and tune in Sunday at 8:
Mick Jagger
1. Mick Jagger's first in-person Grammys appearance. He won't be accompanied the Stones, but what's promised could be even better: He'll be tribute to one of his early idols—the late, great soul man Solomon Burke—in tandem with Raphael Saadiq. It's been a long time since anyone considered Mick the cool guy in the Stones, but if he successfully re-conjures the band's rough-hewn R&B roots, this could be the moment Jagger earns some cachet back.
Florence Welch
2. Florence, Aretha. Aretha, Florence. The Grammys aren't waiting for Aretha Franklin to shuffle off this mortal coil to pay tribute to her. They've assembled an intriguingly motley assortment of female singers to pay homage to the thankfully still-with-us legend, foremost among them Best New Artist nominee (and likely winner?) Florence Welch, of Florence & the Machine. Other big-voiced gals participating in the medley: Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Yolanda Adams, and Christina Aguilera. (Will someone in the pit be holding up cue cards for Christina that spell out "R-E-S-P-E-C-T"? Cheap shot, we know.)
Justin Bieber & Usher
3. Justin Bieber, in 2D! If you're long in the tooth—or, let's face it, if all your adult teeth have grown in—you may be wary of heading to theaters this weekend and having Bieber whip his bangs in your face in 3D. So this will provide a less visually intimidating chance for Justin to convince adult doubters that he's got the kind of talent that might last. In his first Grammys performance (he presented last year), Justin will be teaming up with his mentor, Usher, who presumably has been released from whatever sort of hospitalization he required after doing the Super Bowl splits. Also reunited for this number, for the first time since the Karate Kid soundtrack: Bieber and another child possibly destined to become a world dictator, Jaden Smith.
4. Eminem wins Album of the Year...? There's no guarantee on this one, but after some controversial misses at Grammy telecasts past, Marshall Mathers seems to be the odds-on favorite to win it this time, between the "he's due" sentiment and the lack of any competitor with strong momentum. Will he go sociopathic on NARAS in his acceptance speech, or be a pussycat and thank a long list of agents, managers, and deities?
Gwyneth Paltrow
5. Puppets join America's sweetheart in saying the F-word. The F-word in question is "forget," as in "Forget You," the sanitized version of an unsanitary hit that is the version we think Gwyneth Paltrow and Cee Lo will be performing at the Grammys. Joining these two on the censored, Glee-authorized rendition of the racy tune will be the Jim Henson Company Puppets—not the Muppets, it's been pointed out (lest anyone think Kermit would risk any more guilt by association after that whole Katy Perry/Sesame Street brouhaha).
6. Bob Dylan, + Avett Brothers + Mumford & Sons, - Soy Bomb. It's been close to 50 years since Dylan shocked the folk world by going electric, but the Grammys, which have traditionally been a little slow to accept change, have squeezed him into a salute to acoustic music. Maybe he'll defy them and turn it up to 11 anyway. The preliminary part of the medley will have Mumford & Sons performing "The Cave," and the Avetts will do "Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise." But Dylan's song selection hasn't been publicly locked in yet. (Wouldn't it be great if Bieber painted "Soy Bomb" on his bare chest and bumrushed the stage?)
7. Meet the singing Focker: Barbra Streisand. To a generation of Bieber-maniacs, she is the funny lady in the Ben Stiller movies. Trust us, young 'uns, she has other talents, too. "I am singing and talking for 12 to 15 minutes," she told the Los Angeles Times—which, if true, will be a chunk of time unprecedented in recent Grammy telecast history. That sounds even more unlikely when you consider that her performance will follow a medley of other singers paying homage, including Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Jeff Beck, Stevie Wonder, and the cast of Glee. But far worse things could happen than if the Grammys got hijacked for a half-hour by Barbrafest 2011.
Arcade Fire
8. Two words: Arcade Fire. As far as anyone has been told, these Album of the Year nominees are not being shoehorned into a medley. On a show that thrives on teaming people for the novelty factor, letting a great rock 'n' roll band do their thing without any guests or partners may count as the biggest novelty of the night.
Esperanza Spalding
9. Esperanza Spalding: A star is born? Ever since Ricky Martin galvanized the viewing audience at the 1999 Grammys, there's been a thought—or hope—that the show can actually break artists. Spalding is the only artist getting a major slot this year who really counts as unknown even to most music fans, so she's this year's designated breakout performer, even if her jazz orientation may keep her from becoming a household name no matter how well she comes off. Spalding also helps fill a token old-school "class" slot, since the jazz singer and bassist (and Best New Artist nominee) will be performing with youngsters from the Grammy Jazz Ensembles and Grammy Camp.
10. Rihanna belatedly makes it to the Grammys. Better two years late than never. She'll be performing with Drake, so gossip-attuned viewers will be looking to see if there are anything other than purely visual fireworks going off.
Dr. Dre & Eminem
11. The return of Dr. Dre. So far, Dre has kind of been making his long-awaited comeback into an extended anticlimax. But if he's going to reestablish himself with a splash, teaming up for a live performance with Eminem is the means to do it. Let's hope they debut some music from Dre's looooooong-gestating album. Also included in this segment: Maroon 5's Adam Levine, who was recently seen posing in a set of Dre's headphones, but whose connection to the two hip-hoppers is yet unknown.
12. No Black Eyed Peas. Maybe it only feels like this is the first music awards show of the century not to include a BEPs performance (although will.i.am is scheduled as a presenter). Even if you love them, you are ready for them to go away and quietly count their endorsement deals for a while.

Indian Net Cafe Secret.flv

2011-02-06T03:33:00.001-08:00

Desi Lap Dance.flv

2011-02-06T03:33:00.000-08:00

Jubilant crowds flood Cairo, escalating protests

2011-02-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

CAIRO – More than a quarter-million people flooded Cairo's main square Tuesday in a stunning and jubilant array of young and old, urban poor and middle class professionals, mounting by far the largest protest yet in a week of unrelenting demands for President Hosni Mubarak to leave after nearly 30 years in power.

The crowds — determined but peaceful — filled Tahrir, or Liberation, Square and spilled into nearby streets, among them people defying a government transportation shutdown to make their way from rural provinces. Protesters jammed in shoulder-to-shoulder, with schoolteachers, farmers, unemployed university graduates, women in conservative headscarves and women in high heels, men in suits and working-class men in scuffed shoes.

They sang nationalist songs, danced, beat drums and chanted the anti-Mubarak slogan "Leave! Leave! Leave!" as military helicopters buzzed overhead. Organizers said the aim was to intensify marches to get the president out of power by Friday, and similar demonstrations erupted in at least five other cities around Egypt.

Soldiers at checkpoints set up the entrances of the square did nothing to stop the crowds from entering.

The military promised on state TV Monday night that it would not fire on protesters answering a call for a million to demonstrate, a sign that army support for Mubarak may be unraveling as momentum builds for an extraordinary eruption of discontent and demands for democracy in the United States' most important Arab ally.

"This is the end for him. It's time," said Musab Galal, a 23-year-old unemployed university graduate who came by minibus with his friends from the Nile Delta city of Menoufiya.

Mubarak, 82, would be the second Arab leader pushed from office by a popular uprising in the history of the modern Middle East, following the ouster last month of Tunisia's president.

The movement to drive Mubarak out has been built on the work of on-line activists and fueled by deep frustration with an autocratic regime blamed for ignoring the needs of the poor and allowing corruption and official abuse to run rampant. After years of tight state control, protesters emboldened by the Tunisia unrest took to the streets on Jan. 25 and mounted a once-unimaginable series of protests across this nation of 80 million people — the region's most populous country.

The repercussions were being felt around the Mideast, as other authoritarian governments fearing popular discontent pre-emptively tried to burnish their democratic image.
Jordan's King Abdullah II fired his government Tuesday in the face of smaller street protests, named an ex-prime minister to form a new Cabinet and ordered him to launch political reforms. The Palestinian Cabinet in West Bank said it would hold long-promised municipal elections "as soon as possible."

With Mubarak's hold on power in Egypt weakening, the world was forced to plan for the end of a regime that has maintained three decades of peace with Israel and a bulwark against Islamic militants. But under the stability was a barely hidden crumbling of society, mounting criticism of the regime's human rights record and a widening gap between rich and poor, with 40 percent of the population living under or just above the poverty line set by the World Bank at $2 a day.

The chairman of the powerful U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. John Kerry, gave public voice to what senior U.S. officials have said only privately in recent days: that Mubarak should "step aside gracefully to make way for a new political structure."

The U.S. ambassador in Cairo, Margaret Scobey, spoke by telephone Tuesday with prominent democracy advocate Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, the embassy said. ElBaradei has taken a key role with other opposition groups in formulating the movement's demands for Mubarak to step down and allow a transitional government paving the way for free elections. There was no immediate word on what Scobey and ElBaradei discussed.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya television, ElBaradei rejected an offer late Monday by Vice President Omar Suleiman for a dialogue on enacting constitutional reforms. He said there could be no negotiations until Mubarak leaves.

Suleiman's offer and other gestures by the regime have fallen flat. The Obama administration roundly rejected Mubarak's appointment of a new government Monday afternoon that dropped his interior minister, who heads police forces and has been widely denounced by the protesters. State TV on Tuesday ran a statement by the new prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, pleading with the public to "give a chance" to his government.

The United States, meanwhile, ordered non-essential U.S. government personnel and their families to leave Egypt in an indication of the deepening concern over the situation.

They join a wave of people rushing to flee the country — over 18,000 overwhelmed Cairo's international airport and threw it into chaos. EgyptAir staff scuffled with frantic passengers, food supplies were dwindling and some policemen even demanded substantial bribes before allowing foreigners to board their planes.

Normally bustling, Cairo's streets outside Tahrir Square had a fraction of their normal weekday traffic. Banks, schools and the stock market in Cairo were closed for the third working day, making cash tight. Bread prices spiraled. An unprecedented shutdown of the Internet was in its fifth day.

The official death toll from the crisis stood at 97, with thousands injured, thought reports from witnesses across the country indicated the actual toll was far higher.

But perhaps most startling was how peaceful protests have been in recent days, after the military replaced the police in keeping control and took a policy of letting the demonstrations continue.

Egypt's army leadership has reassured the U.S. that the military does not intend to crack down on demonstrators, but instead is allowing the protesters to "wear themselves out," according to a former U.S. official in contact with several top Egyptian army officers. The Egyptians use a colloquial saying to describe their strategy: A boiling pot with a tight lid will blow up the kitchen, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Troops and Soviet-era and newer U.S.-made Abrams tanks stood at roads leading into Tahrir Square, a plaza overlooked by the headquarters of the Arab League, the campus of the American University in Cairo, the famed Egyptian Museum and the Mugammma, an enormous building housing departments of the notoriously corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy.

Protester volunteers wearing tags reading "the People's Security" circulated through the crowds in the square, saying they were watching for government infiltrators who might try to instigate violence.

"We will throw out anyone who tries to create trouble," one announced over a loudspeaker. Other volunteers joined the soldiers at the checkpoints, searching bags of those entering for weapons. Organizers said the protest would remain in the square and not attempt to march to avoid frictions with the military.

Two dummies representing Mubarak dangled from traffic lights. On their chests was written: "We want to put the murderous president on trial." Their faces were scrawled with the Star of David, an allusion to many protesters' feeling that Mubarak is a friend of Israel, still seen by most Egyptians as their country's archenemy more than 30 years after the two nations signed a peace treaty.

Every protester had their own story of why they came — with a shared theme of frustration with a life pinned in by corruption, low wages, crushed opportunities and abuse by authorities.

Sahar Ahmad, a 41-year-old school teacher and mother of one, said she has taught for 22 years and still only makes about $70 a month.

"There are 120 students in my classroom. That's more than any teacher can handle," said Ahmad. "Change would mean a better education system I can teach in and one that guarantees my students a good life after school. If there is democracy in my country, then I can ask for democracy in my own home."

Tamer Adly, a driver of one of the thousands of minibuses that ferry commuters around Cairo, said he was sick of the daily humiliation he felt from police who demand free rides and send him on petty errands, reflecting the widespread public anger at police high-handedness.

"They would force me to share my breakfast with them ... force me to go fetch them a newspaper. This country should not just be about one person," the 30-year-old lamented, referring to Mubarak.

Among the older protesters, there was also a sense of amazement after three decades of unquestioned control by Mubarak's security forces over the streets.

"We could never say no to Mubarak when we were young, but our young people today proved that they can say no, and I'm here to support them," said Yusra Mahmoud, a 46-year-old school principal who said she had been sleeping in the square alongside other protesters for the past two nights.

Authorities shut down all roads and public transportation to Cairo and in and out of other main cities, security officials said. Train services nationwide were suspended for a second day and all bus services between cities were halted.

Still, many from the provinces managed to make it to the square. Hamada Massoud, a 32-year-old a lawyer, said he and 50 others came in cars and minibuses from the impoverished province of Beni Sweif south of Cairo.

"Cairo today is all of Egypt," he said. "I want my son to have a better life and not suffer as much as I did ... I want to feel like I chose my president."

Tens of thousands rallied in the cities of Alexandria, Suez and Mansoura, north of Cairo, as well as in the southern province of Assiut and Luxor, the southern city where some 5,000 people protested outside an ancient Egyptian temple.

The various protesters have little in common beyond the demand that Mubarak go.

A range of movements is involved, with sometimes conflicting agendas — including students, online activists, grass-roots organizers, old-school opposition politicians and the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood.

Perhaps the most significant tensions among them are between young secular activists and the Muslim Brotherhood, which wants to form a state governed by Islamic law. The more secular are deeply suspicious the Brotherhood aims to co-opt what they contend is a spontaneous, popular movement. American officials have suggested they have similar fears.

A second day of talks among opposition groups fell apart after many of the youth groups boycotted the meeting over charges that some of the traditional, government-condoned opposition parties have agreed to start a dialogue with Suleiman.

Face of Mideast unrest: young and hungry for jobs

2011-01-30T22:24:00.000-08:00

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Just days before fleeing Tunisia, the embattled leader went on national television to promise 300,000 new jobs over two years.

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak did much the same Saturday as riots gripped Cairo and other cities: offering more economic opportunities in a country where half the people live on less than $2 a day.

The pledges-under-siege have something else in common: an acknowledgment that the unprecedented anger on Arab streets is at its core a long-brewing rage against decades of economic imbalances that have rewarded the political elite and left many others on the margins.

The startling speed — less than two months since the first protests in Tunisia — underscored the wobbly condition of the systems used by some Arab regimes to hold power since the 1980s or earlier. The once formidable mix of economic cronyism and hard-line policing — which authorities sometime claim was needed to fight Islamic hard-liners or possible Israeli spies — now appears under serious strain from societies pushing back against the old matrix.

Mubarak and other Arab leaders have only to look to Cairo's streets: a population of 18 million with about half under 30 years old and no longer content to have a modest civil servant job as their top aspiration.

One protester in Cairo waved a hand-drawn copy of his university diploma amid clouds of tear gas and shouted what may best sum up the complexities of the domino-style unrest in a single word: Jobs.

"They are taking us lightly and they don't feel our frustration," said another protester, homemaker Sadat Abdel Salam. "This is an uprising of the people and we will not shut up again."

The narrative of economic injustice has surrounded the protests from the beginning.

"The regimes and the leaders are the ones under fire, but it's really about despair over the future," said Sami Alfaraj, director of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies. "The faces of this include the young man with a university degree who cannot find work or the mother who has trouble feeding her family."

Tunisia's mutiny that ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was touched off by a struggling 26-year-old university graduate who lit himself on fire after police confiscated his fruit and vegetable cart in December. Apparent copycat self-immolations quickly spread to Egypt, Yemen and elsewhere.

In Yemen, the poorest nation on the Arabian peninsula, sporadic riots have forced President Ali Abdullah Saleh into quick economic concessions, including slashing income taxes in half and ordering price controls on food and basic goods.

On Friday in Jordan, thousands of marchers clogged streets to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Samir Rifai and call for measures to control rising prices and unemployment. Many chanted: "Rifai go away, prices are on fire and so are the Jordanians."

King Abdullah II also has tried to dampen the fury by promising reforms, and the prime minister announced a $550 million package of new subsidies for fuel and staple products like rice, sugar, livestock and liquefied gas used for heating and cooking.

What feeds the flames is common across much of the Arab world: young populations, a growing middle class seeking more opportunities and access to websites and international cable channels, such as Al-Jazeera, which have eroded the state's hold on the media.

There are no clear signs on whether more protests could erupt.

Syria's authoritarian regime remains in firm control and has taken gradual steps to open up the economy. Rulers in the wealthy Gulf states have the luxuries of relatively small populations that often receive generous state benefits and other largesse. Kuwait's emir, for example, pledged this month 1,000 dinars ($3,559) and free food coupons for each citizen to mark several anniversaries, including the 1991 U.S.-led invasion that drove out Saddam Hussein's army.

But there have been stirrings of discontent in North Africa. Earlier this month, security forces in Algeria clashed with opposition activists staging a rally apparently inspired by neighboring Tunisia. In Mauritania, a businessman died after setting himself ablaze in a protest against the government.

A state-backed newspaper in Abu Dhabi, The National, ran interviews from four men from across the Middle East describing their trouble finding work. One 33-year-old Syrian, who has an English literature degree from Damascus University, complained he cannot find a teaching job or afford to get married.

"I feel as though I am in the Samuel Beckett play `Waiting for Godot,' which I studied during my degree," Khaled Kapoun was quoted as saying. "I keep hoping that tomorrow a job will come along."

Even high Arab officials have expressed unusual candor following Tunisia's upheaval.

Earlier this month, the head of the Arab League warned that the "Arab soul is broken by poverty, unemployment and general recession."

"The Tunisian revolution is not far from us," Amr Moussa said in his opening address to the 20 Arab leaders and other representatives of Arab League members gathered in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. "The Arab citizen entered an unprecedented state of anger and frustration."

Moussa, who is Egyptian, called for an Arab "renaissance" aimed at creating jobs and addressing shortcomings in society.

But at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, some experts said an education overhaul is needed in the region to shift from emphasis on state jobs to more dynamic private sector demands.

"Many people have degrees but they do not have the skill set," Masood Ahmed, director of the Middle East and Asia department of the International Monetary Fund, said earlier this week.

"The scarce resource is talent," agreed Omar Alghanim, a prominent Gulf businessman. The employment pool available in the region "is not at all what's needed in the global economy."

The Most Anticipated Movies of 2011

2011-01-19T02:18:00.000-08:00

It’s 2011, believe it or not, and there's a whole new crop of movies to look forward to from Norse gods, to Swedish hackers, to Kermit the Frog. We've put together a list of some of the most anticipated flicks of the year. Keep reading.
Thor (May 6) -- You'll have to wait until 2012 for the A-list superheroes like Spider-Man, Batman and even Superman to return to your local megaplex. In the meantime, there's "Thor." Unlike those others, this superhero is not a millionaire with a dark side or a high school kid with unusual insect bites. No. Thor is a god! This movie gives fans a chance to see the mighty warrior (played by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth) in his own flick. You'll see him next fighting along side Iron Man and the Hulk in the hotly anticipated "Avengers" movie, which also comes out in 2012.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20) -- Jack Sparrow is back, which isn't surprising considering the huge piles of booty raked in by the last three flicks. This time Sparrow teams up with his old nemesis Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and his old flame Angelica (Penelope Cruz) to track down the Fountain of Youth. Blocking their path is Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and a host of supernatural baddies that includes zombies and mermaids.
[See also: Newest Bond girl cast for 'Hansel and Gretel']
The Hangover, Part II (May 26) -- If there's one place on the planet that can top Vegas in terms of sin, it's the red-light districts of Thailand. And that's where Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) head for Stu's (Ed Helms) bachelor party. It's safe to assume that the party goes horribly wrong. The production landed itself in the news last year with word of two high-profile cameos. Bill Clinton appears briefly, perhaps the only ex-president out there appropriate for a "Hangover" movie. Mel Gibson, after a lot of screaming and yelling, will not be in the flick.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1) -- "Transformers 2" might have made over $400 million domestically, but just about everyone from hardcore fans to producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to star Shia LaBeouf admits that the movie just wasn't that good. Michael Bay has promised that this flick will be better and reportedly will have cooler action and less "dorky comedy." Also absent from this go-around is Megan Fox, replaced by Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
[Photos: The top 10 box office movies of 2010 ]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (July 15) -- It's taken just about ten years for everyone's favorite boy wizard to have his final face-off with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. While the previous Potter movie, the first half of J.K. Rowling's tome, started with some high-flying action (literally) only to level into a long stretch of angst, exile and self-doubt, this movie looks like it's going to be one long breathless chase to that wizarding Gotterdammerung, the battle of Hogwarts.
Cowboys & Aliens (July 29) -- Han Solo and James Bond star in a Western about aliens. Do you really need to know more? It's a veritable tiramisu of Fanboy awesomeness. Jon Favreau of "Iron Man" fame directs.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1 (November 18) -- After the wild success of "Eclipse," Twi-hards everywhere are waiting with bated breath to see how Stephenie Meyer's final book in the Twilight series is going to be adapted. Thematically, "Breaking Dawn" is marked with less moony-eyed longing than the previous books and with more shocks, including a graphic, not to mention icky, child-birthing scene. How can this movie possibly be faithful to the text and keep a tween-friendly rating of PG-13? The producers are remaining tight-lipped about the whole thing, but they did bring in Oscar-winning filmmaker Bill Condon to direct. We'll see if the "Dreamgirls" director can find a way to satisfy both fans and the MPAA.

The Muppets (November 23) -- Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the rest of the gang is finally getting a reboot after a twelve year absence from the silver screen. The same guys responsible for "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" -- Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller -- wrote the screenplay, so expect the same silly comic sensibility as "Marshall" -- though presumably with a lot less nudity. There are few public details about "The Muppets" although Amy Adams, Zach Galifianakis, Paul Rudd and Ricky Gervais along with Segel do reportedly star.
Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol (December 16) -- Tom Cruise reprises his role as the seemingly indestructible IMF agent, Ethan Hunt. Not much is known about the plot aside from a couple of pictures with Cruise dangling from the tallest building in the world -- Burj Khalifa in Dubai. If that seems incredible, it's just as well. The movie's director, Brad Bird, previously directed "The Incredibles." Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Josh Holloway, and Simon Pegg also star.
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (December 21) -- Stieg Larsson's book might just be one of the most compulsively readable books out there; it's a relentlessly riveting murder mystery that turns the popular view of Sweden from a nice quiet country that makes great furniture to a hotbed of family jealousy, investigative journalism and hidden crimes. It also features one of the most memorable literary characters in memory -- the punk-rock hacker savant Lisbeth Salander. It's not surprising then that film producers snatched up the movie rights faster than you can say lutefisk. A well-crafted European version of the movie came out in '09, but now it's Hollywood's turn, featuring director David Fincher, fresh off his soon-to-be-Oscar-winning flick "The Social Network" and starring Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer and Rooney Mara as Salander.

Netflix Is Abandoning DVDs, Customers Who Prefer DVDs

2011-01-19T02:15:00.001-08:00

When Netflix started up more than 10 years ago, its sales pitch was pretty simple: Hey, subscribe to us, and we'll mail you DVDs that you can then mail back to us without worrying about any late fees. But as the rental market moves toward online and on-demand models, Netflix's iconic red envelopes may eventually become as antiquated as VHS tapes. Beefing up their streaming business, Netflix has predicted that in about two years their economics will be geared more toward their "Watch Instantly" service than through physical discs. For that to happen, Netflix will have to nudge their DVD-loyal customers to the new platform. And on Monday, the company learned just how hard that may be.
In a seemingly innocent 109-word blog post, Netflix director of product management Jamie Odell announced, "We're removing the 'Add to DVD Queue' option from streaming devices," suggesting that it was being done so that the company "can concentrate on offering you the titles that are available to watch instantly." Granted, the Netflix website still allows DVD queue updating, but this post, dropped on the morning of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, created an immediate firestorm of comments -- most of them very, very angry.
"Clearly Netflix wants to send less discs through the mail, and therefore wants to make it more difficult for the user to add to their queue in furtherance of that," wrote "Eldendor." "Horrible idea!" wrote "usrbingeek." "Especially when there are still few titles available for streaming and the titles that you do have, seem to have very narrow license windows." On and on came the complaints, with most responders saying essentially (1) I like having access to DVDs even if I use a PS3 or mobile phone to stream movies on Netflix; and (2) there aren't enough good titles available on "Watch Instantly." "I think this is a totally foolish move on your part. I like to be able to add movies to my DVD queue from my iPhone," commented "b.dsign." "[I]f this means that netflix is going to add more movies to watch instantly i support the change," "Beto" wrote, "but if they are not, then it's just a bad idea."
As of yet Netflix hasn't released any response, which, really, is their response. Whether customers like or not, Netflix knows that the future is moving away from physical discs and toward instant access. And, really, none of us who use Netflix should be surprised: Back in November the company announced that they were offering a new lower subscription rate for streaming-only customers while increasing the rate for people who still wanted DVDs. Right now, if you want DVDs from Netflix, the company is less than thrilled with you: They need you to get used to the idea of streaming films and TV shows so that you'll drop the physical disc habit: a craving, ironically, that they themselves created thanks to the ease of their iconic red envelopes.
But while Netflix is slowly discouraging the continued interest in DVDs, they face a different challenge even if their business model transformation succeeds. As Slate reported, if Netflix's streaming business takes off the way they think it will, it could prove a serious drain on America's broadband capacity, which is far less nimble than other countries'. Netflix is angering customers right now because the company wants to do away with DVDs: We don't even want to think of a future where Netflix angers the entire Internet community because too many people are streaming old episodes of "Friends" at the same time.

Indian Couple Caught Naked During Sex Scandal Video

2011-01-14T04:12:00.000-08:00

This video is a village in India. This is a married man to his wife after mother,s home fun filled girls used to get. Give her a wife again and again her mothers home brought a girl. But today it was what his father's Woe. His wife came home early today and her husband dyed his hands with a girl caught naked. And then she and her husband beating her daughter enough. And even after killing the police called her knee. And handed them to the police. View and enjoy this video. And leave your comments must be.

Pakistani Tv Actress Bushra Ansari Sexy Boobs

2011-01-14T04:06:00.000-08:00

Bushra Ansari, is a Pakistani television compere, actress and producer. Bushra Ansari was born in Karachi. She is daughter of an eminent journalist and writer Ahmad Bashir. Bushra studied in Lahore at Lady Griffin School and then she did intermediate from famous Lahore College for Women University, completed her BA in 1977 from Waqarunnisa College in Rawalpindi.

Ayesha Khan Scandal Show her Belly & Enjoy With A Guy

2011-01-14T04:04:00.000-08:00

Jiah Khan Caught with Hotel Cutleries Scandal Video

2011-01-14T04:01:00.000-08:00

What one feels when a waiter in a restaurent in the hotel of your bag with cutlery picks?
Well, what actually happened''Nishabd girl Jiah Khan, who along with her co Housefull Resort Deepika Padukone between dinig was one in Italy, Lara Dutta, Akshay Kumar, Ritesh Deshmukh, deirector Sajid Khan and producer Sajid Nadiawala -- stars.
Akshay and Ritesh Deshmukh, a very well known for their co who are with Jiah Khan playinghabits mischief on stars engineer. While busy with her food Jiah, Akshay got along with some forks and spoons to the table and was walking Jiah. Seeing her bag Jiah not much atention, Akki quickly open her big bag that was cutleries slipped.
After a minute or two, Ritesh same exercise was repeated, but with a spoon. eewwe! Soon after the gang's entire renewable passed all spoons and forks and Ritesh who has finished his ignorance than a bag of them into Jiah.
Later when the waiter, who was part of the bill came with a gang, they all got spoons and forks disappearance shocked and said, "was God where spoons and forks if you do not mind?, I have my bag have to check. "
Total left to wonder when all Jiah missing spoons and forks out of her bag tumbled down around laughing there was a mischievous leading to burst.

Coptics protesting bombing clash with Egypt police

2011-01-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

CAIRO (Reuters) – Angry Coptic Christians clashed with police on Sunday as they demanded more protection for Egypt's Christians following a New Year's Day church bombing that killed 21 of their brethren.
Hundreds of members of Egypt's large Christian minority protested in Cairo and Alexandria, the northern city where the presumed suicide bomber detonated a device outside a church during a midnight service.
A security source said Egypt was holding seven people for questioning over Saturday's bombing, which also wounded 97 people, and had released 10 others.
At Saint Mark's Cathedral, the Cairo base of Orthodox Pope Shenouda, several hundred young Copts fought police on Sunday as they tried to leave the cathedral grounds and take to the streets to demand more protection for Christians.
Their protest continued into the night, the crowd held back by a cordon of riot police nine men deep. A church official approached the crowd briefly to try to calm them down, without success.
"Security - are you with us or with them?" the men cried. "You government are cowards."
"Pope Shenouda, have a care. We are youth. We will protect you with our blood," the men shouted, many of them holding aloft makeshift wooden crosses. "Revolution, revolution in Egypt, in all churches of Egypt."
Earlier, protestors in Cairo had heckled government officials who visited the cathedral compound to offer condolences: "Where are you, Interior Minister, when they are killing our brothers before your eyes?"
Some protesters pelted a minister's car with stones when he left, witnesses said. Some visiting Christian officials had cars shaken by angry demonstrators, while other protesters scuffled with police outside the compound.
Extra police officers were posted outside several churches in Cairo and Alexandria on Sunday, preventing cars from parking next to the buildings, witnesses said.
Pope Benedict, head of the Roman Catholic church, condemned the bombing as a "vile gesture," the latest in a series of attacks on Christians in the Middle East and Africa.
Egyptian officials said there were indications that "foreign elements" were behind the blast and that it seemed to have been the work of a suicide bomber.
An Iraqi group linked to al Qaeda threatened in November to attack Egypt's Coptic Church. And about two weeks before the bombing, a statement on an Islamist website urged Muslims to attack churches in Egypt and elsewhere around Christmas, which for Orthodox denominations such as the Copts falls on January 7.
A statement on another Islamist website after the blast read: "This is the first drop of heavy rain, hand over our prisoners and turn to Islam." No group was named.
Islamist groups have accused the Church of trying to coerce Christian women who wanted to convert to Islam.
One protester, Nader Shenouda, said: "When there was a threat from al Qaeda a month or a month and a half ago, did the government have to wait till the disaster happened before protecting us?"
Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, the head of al Azhar, Egypt's most prestigious seat of Sunni learning, visited the Muslim Orthodox Coptic Pope Shenouda to express condolences.
President Hosni Mubarak, 82, has pledged to track down the culprit. He made a televised address on Sunday calling for national unity, saying the attack was directed at all Egyptians, not just Christians.
Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 79 million people. Tensions often flare with the majority Muslims over issues such as building churches or close relationships between members of the two faiths.
Analysts said the attack was on a much bigger scale than typical sectarian flare-ups but said laws that make it easier to build a mosque than a church, and similar causes of Christian complaint, meant such an attack would fuel sectarian tension.
Angus Blair, head of research at investment bank Beltone Financial, said the blast was likely to be brushed off by investors in the bourse and was not likely to have a "material negative impact" on tourism, a major revenue source.

UConn’s win streak ends at 90 in loss to Stanford

2010-12-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

STANFORD, Calif. (AP)—Top-ranked Connecticut’s record 90-game winning streak is over.

The Huskies never led and were beaten by No. 9 Stanford 71-59 Thursday night, ending a run that drew national attention to women’s basketball.

Stanford was the last school to beat the Huskies, in the 2008 NCAA semifinals.
Jeanette Pohlen hit five 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 31 points and the Cardinal (9-2) had the Huskies’ number at last—a huge number at that. Stanford won its 52nd straight at Maples Pavilion in a rematch of last season’s NCAA title game won 53-47 by two-time defending national champion UConn.
Last week, the Huskies (12-1) topped the 88-game winning streak set by John Wooden’s UCLA men’s team from 1971-74 by beating No. 22 Florida State 93-62, then won their 90th in a row this week at Pacific.

6 misunderstood first-date signs

2010-12-24T03:06:00.000-08:00

You’re on a first date, and it’s going horribly. Or is it? It turns out that it’s all a matter of perspective. The elements that are making your date a disaster could actually signal something much sweeter. Read on for the six signs that your doomed date is anything but.

1. Your date is not your type
Sure, you’ve seen your date’s photo on his or her profile — but when you meet face to face, you realize the person is so not your type. “Next!,” you say? Not so fast. “Remember that there are thousands of happy couples out there who are not each other’s type,” says Janice MacLeod, coauthor of The Dating Repair Kit. By ruling out someone just because he or she does not meet your romance requisites, you are cutting yourself off from a world of possibilities.

When Jenna, 32, of Key West, FL, met Jeremy, she thought it would never work. After all, he was three inches shorter than she was and was a bit scruffy for her taste. “I wanted to leave instantly, but I had agreed to dinner and didn’t want to be rude,” she says. “Once I got past the superficial stuff, I realized what a gem of a guy he was, and to my surprise, our souls totally clicked. I never thought my soul mate would come in a package like his, but it happened. The lesson? Never say never, no matter what your ‘type’ may be.”

If your date isn’t your type, try redefining your “type” in terms of how a person treats you and makes you feel. This will instantly broaden your dating horizons. “Then vow to finish out the date, come what may,” MacLeod concludes. “Just be in the moment, and give chemistry a chance to grow and prosper.”

2. Your date is super-nervous
When Jennifer, 38, of Las Vegas, NV, was on her first date with Bob, she couldn’t help but notice that his voice was shaking. And his hands were trembling. And he was sweating buckets, right through his shirt. “I thought something was seriously wrong with this guy,” she recalls. “I had no intentions of dating him again.” But luckily for Jennifer (and Bob), she changed her mind and decided to give him a second chance. “The next date, he was much more chilled out and relaxed,” she continues. “He later told me he was nervous because I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. That was a good enough reason for me!”

Extreme nervousness on a first date could be a good sign, says MacLeod. “It probably means this person likes you a whole lot,” she says, “and might need a few dates to get past the initial set of jitters.”

When your date is super-nervous, put him or her at ease by being deliberate and calm yourself. Take a few deep breaths, smile, and make eye contact. “It helps to be compassionate and understanding about what the other person is going through,” MacLeod advises. “A first date isn’t necessarily easy, especially if you’re super-nervous to begin with, so try to cut your date some slack.”

3. Your date tells you there are other people in the picture
It’s your first dinner date. Between the hot wings and the halibut, she drops it on you: she’s just out of a major breakup and is seeing a few other men at the moment. Instant date-killer, right? Wrong, says MacLeod: “This full disclosure means your date is very honest,” she says. “She’s laying all her cards on the table and not pretending to be someone she’s not.”

Over appetizers, Bob, 29, of Colorado Springs, CO, learned more than he ever wanted to know about his date, Jill. “She told me she was dating another guy, but they weren’t totally serious — they were more like friends with benefits,” he recalls. His response to her confession? “I paid the tab and told her to call me if she ever dumped her so-called ‘friend,’” he recalls. Four weeks later, she did — and Bob and Jill began dating in earnest. “She later explained that she liked me so much, she didn’t want to lead me on during that first date,” he says. “In retrospect, I guess I can respect that.”

If your date tells you he or she is dating other people, just be happy no secrets are being kept from you. (After all, it’s better to know now than later.) However, if the bombshell your date drops is more of the “I’ve cheated on every person I’ve ever been with” variety, this is a major red flag, according to MacLeod... beware!

4. You argue
You’re having a nice, normal, getting-to-know-you conversation when suddenly you have a difference of opinion. What begins as a friendly disagreement quickly escalates into an all-out fight. Whether you’re arguing over politics, religion, or even the merits of VH1’s current reality show lineup, an argument on a first date never feels like a good sign. But a fight can actually be a very good thing. If you’re arguing, it can mean there’s passion between you. Sparks are flying — sure, maybe not in the way you’d hoped, but they’re still there. “Arguing can lead into interesting conversation, which is part of what keeps a relationship alive,” says MacLeod.

When 28-year-old Noah, of Burbank, CA, met Lillian, they instantly clashed. “It felt like we couldn’t see eye-to-eye on anything that first date,” he recalls. “She was a vegetarian, and I ordered a rib-eye steak. An hour-long debate on animal rights ensued.” Despite the meat melee, their connection was still meaty enough to merit a second date. “She was my opposite, sure, but being with her was never boring,” he says.

The next time you find yourself in a heated argument with a new date, try embracing your differences. After all, who’d want to date a clone of him- or herself? Agree to disagree, then search for common ground.

5. The date feels more like an interview
The entire time Mark, 41, of Plano, TX, was out with Jackie, he felt like he was in the hot seat. “She just kept asking me question after question — where I was from, what my favorite ice cream flavor was, where I wanted to be in five years,” he says. “It was really uncomfortable, and it was hard to feel a vibe or any sparks over all the interview-speak.”

If your date spends the whole time you’re together shooting questions at you in rapid-fire succession and giving you the hard sell, it could just mean that he or she is impressed by you and is simply trying too hard, says MacLeod. That was the case for Mark and Jackie: “Once I ‘passed’ her pre-screening interview, she let her true self come out — and that’s when we actually started to have some fun,” he recalls.

When your date is grilling you, attempt to turn it around and ask some questions of your own. That way, it won’t feel so one-sided. If you have a second date, MacLeod suggests catching a movie. “That way, you won’t have to talk the whole time,” she says. After your first-date chatfest, it will be a nice break.

6. There’s no goodnight kiss
If your date isn’t sealed with a kiss, it doesn’t always mean you’re getting the kiss-off. In fact, a sans-smooch soiree could even be a good thing, according to MacLeod. “Not kissing you on a first date very often means he’s being respectful,” she says. “He’s waiting for the perfect moment to have that great first kiss, like people have in movies. Plus, this means he’s probably not kissing all his other first dates, either. He’s too selective to just give his kisses away.”

Judy, 32, of Baltimore, says her current boyfriend waited four whole dates to kiss her. “I was wondering if he just wanted to be pals or what,” she recalls. “It turns out that he’s really old-fashioned. He just wanted us to build a friendship before we took things to the next level. The wait made our first kiss even that much more spectacular. I think we both saw fireworks!”

In the absence of a smooch, look for other signs of attraction. Does your date make eye contact, give you undivided attention, and make you feel like you’re the only person in the room? In this case, actions speak louder than… no action. Hang in there, and you may well be smooching in no time.

Girl gang raped in Karachi posh area

2010-12-21T23:13:00.000-08:00

KARACHI: Some car-riding criminals, allegedly, gang-raped a girl after abducting her from Clifton, a posh area of Karachi, and later left her at Sea View and fled, Geo News reported Monday.

Police have taken the statement of the victim.

According to TPO Clifton Tariq Dharejo, some unidentified criminals abducted the girl who was on her way back home after attending a birthday party in Clifton area and took her to unknown place, where the girl was allegedly raped.

Later on, they left her near Sea View in Clifton.

Police was informed about the incident, after which the girl was taken to Civil Hospital for medical check-up, where a lady police surgeon examined her.

Police took down the statement of the victimized girl, in which she put the number of criminals at four. However, the girl’s family stopped media from covering the incident.

JWP’s Shahzain Bugti detained, arms recovered

2010-12-21T23:12:00.000-08:00

QUETTA: Jamhoori Watan Party's provincial chief Shahzain Bugti has been detained at Buleli Check Post by the Frontier Contablary (FC) after illegal weapons recovered from one of the vehicles in his convoy, Geo News reported Wednesday.

He was coming back from Chaman after attending fateha of Jeelani Khan Achakzai. The FC intercepted the 12-vehicle fleet at 04:00 am for checking at the check post. The security personnel detained the JWP leader along with his fellowmen.

DIG Quetta Hamid Shakil and officers of other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) reached the spot. While, talking to Geo News Shahzain said he has been victimized.

Shahzain Bugti also tried to escape from the scene but the LEAs failed his attempt.

America's Top 5 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants

2010-10-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Who hasn’t unwrapped a sandwich while driving down the highway or pulled a hard U-turn into a fast-food joint on the way home from a late meeting or soccer game? We practically live in our cars, so we need quick food, and please, we’d like it to be healthy.

Well, guess what: We surveyed the nation’s 100 largest fast-food chains, as defined by the number of locations, and found many are creating menus that look more and more like what we’d cook ourselves (if we had the time)—from nutritious soups and healthy salads to fresh whole grains and sensible desserts. Even better: They’re offering good-news Mexican, Asian, and Mediterranean fare.

Using criteria that was created with the help of our expert panel, we scored the chains on such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrees, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce to determine the 10 highest-ranking restaurants.

One big surprise: A traditional fast-food chain, McDonald’s, cracked our top 10. Sure, it’s the home of the Big Mac, but did you know it also serves a mean yogurt-and-granola parfait? Here, the standouts that are making grabbed food healthy food.

1. Panera Bread
Over 1,230 locations nationwide (and in Canada)

This bakery-cafe-based eatery wowed our judges with a comprehensive menu of healthy choices for every meal. “Variety makes it easy for everyone to choose healthy,” praises registered dietitian and panelist Marisa Moore. What does that mean for you? For starters, you can pick from two whole-grain breads for your sandwich and have an apple with it instead of chips (though the chips are fine, too—they can be baked!). Half-size soups, salads, and sandwiches make it a cinch to control portion size. Also, most of the chicken is antibiotic- and hormone-free, a rarity for large chains.

Panera also won top honors for kid fare, dishing out RD-approved crowd-pleasers like squeezable organic yogurt, PB&J (with all-natural peanut butter), and grilled organic cheese on white whole-grain bread.

We love: Delicious, nutrient-packed combos like a half–Turkey Artichoke on focaccia bread with a bowl of black bean or garden vegetable soup.
Danger zone: Sticky buns and cheese danishes are on display at the counter.

Health.com: The 50 fattiest foods in the states

2. Jason’s Deli
206 locations in the West, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, South

How did this up-and-comer snag second place? Largely because of its devotion to organic food: About one-fifth of all its ingredients are organic, from blue-corn tortilla chips and whole-wheat wraps to field greens and spinach. Plus, its creative salads—like the Nutty Mixed-Up Salad with organic field greens, grapes, chicken breast, feta cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries, pumpkinseeds, raisins, and organic apples—make you actually want to order the greens.

Our judges applauded the portion-control option: Reduced sizes of, say, a stuffed baked potato, are $1 less. Jason’s menu also highlights ultrahealthy sandwiches and provides the nutitional info.

We love: Being able to build any sandwich on an organic whole-wheat wrap.
Danger zone: High-sodium counts on some sandwiches; if sodium is a concern, stick to the ultrahealthy choices.

3. Au Bon Pain
280 locations nationwide

A pioneer in healthy fast food, Au Bon Pain serves up sandwiches, soups, salads, and hot entrees made with whole grains, veggies, and hormone-free chicken.

New this year: Portions, a 14-item menu of nutritious small plates—from appetizers like apples, blue cheese, and cranberries to salads like chickpea and tomato—all of which are less than 200 calories. Another impressive feature: Au Bon Pain provides on-site nutritional information via computer kiosks, so before you even order you know each option’s calories, fat, and sodium. “It’s a great way to empower customers,” praises judge Amy Jamieson-Petonic.

We love: Yummy low-cal soups, from Jamaican Black Bean to Fire Roasted Exotic Grains and Vegetables.
Danger zone: The sodium counts can get high if you don’t pay attention.

Health.com: 25 diet-busting foods you should never eat

4. Noodles and Company
204 locations in West, Midwest, South

Noodles and Company isn’t your typical greasy Asian food-court joint. In fact, it goes beyond Asian fare and cuts out the grease (only healthy soybean oil is used in sauteing). Here, you choose from three food types: Asian, Mediterranean, or American, then within each style, pick from four noodle bowl options. Lean proteins—hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken, beef, shrimp, and organic tofu—can be added, too.

The result? Tasty combos like Japanese Pan Noodles with broccoli, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, Asian sprouts, and sauteed beef. Also key: “You don’t have to chow down on a giant bowl of noodles. You can opt for a small portion,” says judge Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, Health’s Senior Food and Nutrition Editor. The small Bangkok Curry bowl has just 250 calories.

We love: The whole-grain linguine—usually hard to find when eating out.
Danger zone: The desserts. The only options are two kinds of cookies and a Rice Krispy Treat bar that checks in at 530 calories and 19 grams of fat!

5. Corner Bakery Cafe
111 locations in West, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, South

What sets Corner Bakery apart? A fantastic breakfast menu, which is rare in the quick-serve world. We love the Farmer’s Scrambler: eggs scrambled with red and green bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms, potatoes, and Cheddar cheese. (It’s only 260 calories when ordered with egg whites.) There’s also Swiss oatmeal, a chilled European breakfast cereal made with rolled oats, green apples, bananas, currants, dried cranberries, low-fat yogurt, and skim milk.

But Corner Bakery also has healthy salads, sandwiches, and soups made with whole grains, fresh, lean meats, and vegetables, as well as great portion-controlled combinations that make limiting calories a no-brainer.

Total Video Converter (Fully Working with Serial)

2010-10-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

E.M. Total Video Converter is a piece of extremely powerful and full-featured converter software that supports almost all video and audio formats. The software is designed to convert video for your mobile video player as 3gp, mp4, PSP, PS3, iPod, iPhone etc and also VCD or DVD Player, XBOX360.

E.M. Total Video Converter V3.2 New Features:

1. Multi-language GUI.
2. Integrate a free tool for capturing desktop to any formats video.
3. Support mpeg, h264, wmv multi-thread decoding and endcoding for Multi-core CPU;
4. Support watermark through Plugin while making conversion;
5. Support VirtualDub video filter plugin;

Main Features of Total Video Converter:

Convert all kinds of videos to mobile videos or audios (mp4, 3gp, xvid, divx mpeg4 avi, amr audio) which are used by cell-phone, PDA, PSP, iPod, iPhone, Xbox360, PS3 etc.;
Photos slide show combines multi-photos and musics with more than 300 photos fantasy transition effect;
High compatibility and high efficiency for Importing RMVB or RM video/audio;
Convert various videos to MPEG videos compatible with standard DVD/SVCD/VCD;
Burn the converted videos to DVD/SVCD/VCD;
Rip DVD to popular videos of all sorts;
Extract audio from various of videos and convert which to all kinds of audios (mp3, ac3, ogg, wav, aac);
RIP CD to audios of all sorts directly;
Support using with command line;
Combine several video and audio files to one video file;
Demultiplex or extract video and audio;
Multiplex video and audio to one file; you can free download Total Video Converter 3.71 now.

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The Lazy Girl's Guide to Skin Care

2010-10-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

I have a rather shameful admission to make. It is a confession that would likely shock my beauty-obsessed coworkers and bring shame upon my household … perhaps that last bit's a tad dramatic, but I just want to really impart upon you how disreputable I believe this admittance to be. Here it is:
My skin care regimen consists of: washing my face. Once a day. That’s it.
Luckily, my complexion isn’t awful these days, but it is by no means perfect like some women's (see the 7 Habits of Perfect-Skinned People here). And the problem is, I know better, heck it's not even that I know better, it's that I gab away about the importance of an anti-aging skin care regimen for healthy skin and I don’t even follow one myself. My head is officially hung.
So why am I admitting this dirty little secret? Two reasons: one, I believe I am not alone in this -- I can't be the only woman feeling too busy or lazy to deal with a 12-step skin routine every day, right? And two, I need to learn how to lead a busy life and still take care of my skin.
So, how am I dealing with this "problem"? I went to the experts: medical aesthetician Susan Perry and Beverly Hills board certified dermatologist Doctor Harold A. Lancer for what I call "The Busy Gal's Guide to Skin Care." Here are some of the tips they gave me, hopefully they help you too:
Tip 1: Clean out your skin care closet
When you have a ton of different skin care products staring at you from your medicine cabinet, it can all start to feel too overwhelming. Instead of feeling bogged down or suffocated by so many options, pare down your routine. Because despite what QVC or commercials might be telling you, you only need a few key items to keep your skin healthy. You don't need any sort of twelve-step program. So grab your trash bin and get to work.
First, throw out any expired products. Then, toss any eye cream or moisturizer where the water has separated from the product and is resting on top -- this is a sign of a spoiled product. Lastly, trash product you don't use on a daily basis or haven’t touched in over a month. Then, if it's still crowded in there, read the next few slides to determine the exact products to keep and then the rest can go.

Tip 2: Have a simple A.M. skin care routine you can actually stick to
Here's the simple, anti-aging skin care regimen Lancer and Perry recommend. It requires four products and takes about three minutes:
a.m. routine:
1) Cleanse with a non-soap cleanser (try Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser, $8.95)
2) Gently exfoliate (try Lancer Dermatology Polish, $50)
3) Prevent/correct with vitamin C and antioxidants (try SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, $142)
4) UVA/UVB protection (try Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 70, $10.99)

Tip 3: Ditto for a basic p.m. skin care routine
Your nighttime routine can be extremely simple, says Perry, and should include the following:
p.m. routine:
1) Cleanse
2) Correct/Repair with a retinoid (try Retin A from your dermatologist or RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream, $19.99)

Tip 4: Use multi-tasking skin care products
Sometimes it's easier to have one product for each skin care need, like the five separates mentioned in the previous a.m. routine slide, to keep things simple, yet comprehensive. Other times we multi-taskers of the world want skin care products that kill two birds with one stone. If that sounds like you, try these great multi-taskers:
• For a cleanser and exfoliant in one, try Kiss My Face Start Up Exfoliating Face Wash, $13.99.
• For anti-aging prevention (with vitamin c and antioxidants) and sunscreen try Lancer Dermatology Vitamin C Antioxidant Sunscreen, $34.

Tip 5: Get healthy skin without products

If you want to spend less time fussing over your skin, your goal should be to have the healthiest skin possible. The easiest way to keep your skin healthy if you're on-the-go is to eat right and stay hydrated.
"I always tell my clients to watch what they eat when they are traveling or working a lot," says Lancer, as "salt reduction is critically important for healthy skin." Why? Salt decreases the water intake of your internal organs and when your organs are dehydrated, they suck the water out of your skin and leave you with sallow, dry, cracked skin, he says. So, if you're grabbing quick food while on the run, pay extra attention to nutritional labels.

Protein intake is also essential for healthy, youthful skin says Lancer. He recommends protein be 40 percent of your dietary intake. Why? If your protein intake isn’t high enough, the "amino acids in the blood stream are insufficient to stimulate collagen and elastin production," he advises.
See the rest of the tips in "The Busy Gal's Guide to Skin Care."

Want more healthy skin tips? Scope out this skin care breakthroughs guide
See other great multi-tasking beauty products for the busy gal
Get more health and beauty tips and skin care advice
Keep up with the latest in beauty -- follow us on Twitter, add us on YouTube or become a fan on Facebook.

The World's Most Powerful Women

2010-10-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

When it comes to power, cultural impact means as much as money and political influence.
Forbes' power lists are synonymous with moguls and movie stars, heads of state and captains of business. One look at the 2010 World's 100 Most Powerful Women list and it is clear that we've come up with a new ranking of the female power elite that reflects the New Order of now.
When we set out to identify this year's list, we decided it was time to look up and out into the broader culture. Our assessment is based less on traditional titles and roles and more on creative influence and entrepreneurship. These power women have built distinctive companies and brands and championed weighty causes, sometimes through unconventional means; in other cases they have broken through gender barriers.
In Pictures: The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women
Click here to see the full list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women
We divided our power women candidates into four groups: politics, business, media and lifestyle (that is, entertainment, sports and fashion). We ranked the women in each group, and then group against group. Not easy, but that's today's reality: an unpredictable, diverse mash-up of hard power (currencies and constitutions) and dynamic power (audience and audacity).
Why else would Lady Gaga (No. 7) and Ellen DeGeneres (No. 10) share top 10 billing with Michelle Obama (No. 1), Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods ( KFT - news - people ) (No. 2), Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (No. 5) and Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo ( PEP - news - people ) (No. 6)? If anything, it's inspiring.
We included many heads of state and hopeful candidates, but we also have queenmakers who don't hold office, first ladies of various sorts, Surpreme Court justices and cultural icons, bankers and bestselling authors. We rely on these women for, yes, managing our money, creating paychecks and governing at home and on the international stage, but also what we eat, download, talk about around the dinner table and the causes we support. What we think and how we act.
At the top of our list, First Lady Michelle Obama is a true change-maker since taking lodge in the White House in 2008. The first African-American in the post, she's changed the face of the office (literally), and with consistently high approval ratings, she's given a new generation of girls and women around the world a role model. A former private attorney and public servant in Chicago, her interest in working with young people and advocating for healthy eating, among other issues, is evidenced by her Let's Move! campaign, which aims to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation.
Power women are connected, each one leveraging the power of the next. As a result of Let's Move!, for example, major food and drink manufacturers (including Rosenfeld's Kraft Foods and Nooyi's PepsiCo) have pledged to cut 1.5 trillion calories from their products by 2015 through new products, recipes and reduced portion sizes. At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) last month, Secretary of State Clinton led a plenary session on empowering women and girls, a new CGI action area, and attended by Katie Couric (No. 22), Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan (No. 76) and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (No. 86).
Back to how Nooyi and talk show host DeGeneres landed together among the top 10 most powerful women in the world? While Nooyi helms PepsiCo, which has revenues of $43 billion annually and a portfolio of brands that include Tropicana, Frito Lay and Gatorade, DeGeneres directly connects with 3 million viewers daily weekdays through her talk show. And that's just one hour of her day.
Off-camera, the out-and-proud DeGeneres spreads her message to more than 5 million Twitter followers, notably bringing national attention to a gay teen's fight for same-sex prom dates last spring. Her high-profile, high-energy personality--as a television host, CoverGirl model and former judge of American Idol--has made LGBT issues more than mainstream. She's instilled a sense of glee and attractiveness to it all.
Traditionally, women's lists are heavily salted with the language of "firsts." First woman CEO. First woman on the Supreme Court. First female president. To be sure, there are firsts on this list: Nancy Pelosi is the first female Speaker of the House, while race car driver Danica Patrick is the first (and only) woman to have won an IndyCar series. With the impending launch of OWN, Oprah Winfrey is the first woman to own her own cable network and Julia Gillard and Johnson Sirleaf are currently the first female prime minister of Australia and Africa's first female president, respectively.
First females make for good copy, but the real headline is that packs have emerged. Three women sit on the Supreme Court, marking an unprecedented tipping point for change. This year Diane Sawyer joined Couric as a female nightly solo news anchor, with Rachel Maddow and Christiane Amanpour as compats. Gillard is among 10 female heads of state on this year's rankings. From Singapore to Silicon Valley, 25 women on the list hold CEO titles.
Ripening for political leaders, generally, comes at the 50s and 60s, while business leaders peak in their 40s and 50s. Media and lifestyle power women seem to come of age in their 20s and 30s. But there are notable exceptions and crossover. Madonna and Arianna Huffington have exceptional staying power, while Sarah Palin and Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg are early bloomers.
Redefining the idea of power as influence is a challenging feat, particularly hard in that we looked at the world in all of its complexities to find the women who wield their importance in four distilled spheres to create change. Add the pace of the year 2010--the speed at which we consume and communicate--and the task becomes even greater.
What we've found is that power, hard or dynamic, can be fleeting. One million or so Twitter followers today can be kissed goodbye as quickly as a company can go bankrupt or a government overthrown. And so we consider this list a frozen moment in time.
We invite you to visit forbes.com/woman where the list will live, breathe and be shaped and reshaped in months to come.

Active Desktop Calendar with Serial Full

2010-09-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

This application is a software calendar with appointments notes, tasks, alarms and contacts that provides seamless integration and interactivity with the desktop background. You can organize your data in layers and share them with other people on a local area network.
The program can integrate with Outlook to show its appointments and tasks on the desktop. There are options for changing calendar icons, fonts and colors, marking weekdays of choice and marking dates with notes and/or alarms. You can have a text only version of the calendar and choose between displaying one, two or three months on the desktop.
Recurrence patterns are available for both notes and alarms. An alarm can be stand alone or attached to a note. If interactive desktop option is enabled, the program accepts direct clicks on dates, notes and tasks displayed on the desktop. You can set each note to normal, private or invisible desktop view. Private notes are displayed as generic text reminder and invisible notes are not displayed at all.
Printing calendar data is easy and includes an option to choose date range for printing notes. Built-in address book allows you to maintain detailed information about all your contacts, personal and business alike. Importing contacts from Outlook, Outlook Express and Windows Address Book is possible.
Google Calendars are supported through direct connection with their iCal addresses. Special desktop pictures option will let you add some of your pictures to existing desktop background. For importing and exporting calendar data the program supports iCal and comma separated values CSV formats. Tablet PC users should not worry as the program detects desktop orientation changes automatically. Finally, Active Desktop Calendar comes with world clock screen saver that shows your computer's system time, plus five major time zones around the world.

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Download Free AVG 8.5 Full With Serial

2010-09-16T21:57:00.000-07:00

The potential dangers of Internet are not limited to viruses transmitted via e-mail or Trojans hidden inside suspicious programs. They can be also on any website you visit.
To avoid being infected by online spyware or fall under an unexpected phishing attack, you can use AVG LinkScanner. This security tool is actually one more component of the AVG Antivirus software, only that you can now install and use it as an independent, standalone app.
AVG LinkScanner analyzes websites before you open them and blocks you out if it finds any sign of potential danger. It can also detect phishing scams and stop the installation of fake plug-ins from untrusted websites. The program offers to install its own toolbar on your browser (either Firefox or Internet Explorer) but it's not really necessary, as it only includes a couple of buttons and a Yahoo!-branded search field.
AVG LinkScanner scans websites, links and search results in real time, and I must say it runs very smoothly. It doesn't hog resources nor slow down your browsing speed. It works fine along with other security tools, though it's obviously not a replacement for your antivirus or firewall.
The only thing I didn't like about AVG LinkScanner is that it's overly linked to Yahoo! search. Either if you say no to using the Yahoo! search engine – which is offered during the installation – you still have it on the toolbar.
With AVG LinkScanner you can be sure you're safely browsing the Web, away from phishing attacks, spyware and other online threats.

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Having a sister might make you a better person

2010-08-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK: Though siblings can sometimes be a pain, having a sister might be good for kids' emotional health, according to a new study.

The results show young adolescents who had sisters either younger or older were less likely to experience negative feelings, such as loneliness and guilt.

"Even after you account for parents' influence, siblings do matter in unique ways," said study researcher Laura Padilla-Walker, of Brigham Young University in Utah. "They give kids something that parents don't."

The study is part of BYU's Flourishing Families Project and included 395 families with more than one child, at least one of whom was an adolescent between the ages of 10 and 14. The researchers gathered a wealth of information about each family's dynamic at the study's start and then followed up one year later.

Sisters seemed to help siblings avoid negative emotions. Those adolescents with sisters were less likely than those without sisters to indicate feeling lonely, unloved, guilty, self-conscious and fearful. It didn't matter whether the sister was younger or older, or how far apart the siblings were age-wise.

Brothers matter as well, though their positive influence manifests in different ways. Having a loving sibling of either gender promoted good deeds, such as helping a neighbor or watching out for other kids at school. In fact, loving siblings fostered charitable attitudes more than loving parents did. The relationship between sibling affection and good deeds was twice as strong as that between parenting and good deeds.

"For parents of younger kids, the message is to encourage sibling affection," Padilla-Walker said. "Once they get to adolescence, it's going to be a big protective factor."

Many parents worry about the seemingly endless fighting between siblings. Indeed, the study found hostility was associated with greater risk of delinquency. But Padilla-Walker also sees a silver lining in the data: The fights give children a chance to learn how to make up and to regain control of their emotions skills that come in handy later in life.

"An absence of affection seems to be a bigger problem than high levels of conflict," Padilla-Walker said.

The study is published in the August issue of the Journal of Family Psychology.

Man hurled shoes towards President Zardari: Eyewitness

2010-08-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

BIRMINGHAM: A man threw two shoes towards President Asif Ali Zardari when the latter was delivering a speech at Pakistan People’s Party’s convention here on Saturday, an eyewitness said.

However, the shoes failed to reach the stage, sources said.

President Zardari was addressing a gathering of PPP workers at a convention here when a man – apparently a PPP worker – stood up and threw something in direction of the President as he (the man) criticized the latter for the UK trip, the sources said.

An eyewitness who was present at the convention said ‘the man threw two shoes one after another towards the President when he was giving speech.’ Security personnel present there sprung to action and took the man into custody and took him outside, the eyewitness added.

This led the President to stop his address and immediately leave the place in a security cordon in his car waiting for him outside.

However, Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar rubbished the above report, saying there is no substance in it as he was himself present at the convention and no such incident took place during the President’s speech.

“I was sitting in the front row and I can confidently say that nobody threw anything,” Farhatullah Babar said while talking to Geo News.

On the other hand, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira confirming the incident said that ‘highlighting a wrong act of a person would not be a right thing to do’ and added that the incident will be investigated.

President Zardari is presently in UK on a trip which was widely criticized due to his leaving the country at a time when people in Pakistan are facing unprecedented floods that has killed over 1000 people and displaced millions.

Enraged PPP-led govt has Geo turned off on cable

2010-08-09T22:01:00.001-07:00

KARACHI: Geo has once again at the target-list of the rulers after it aired the news of a man’s hurling shoes at President Asif Ali Zardari at Pakistan People’s Party meeting in Birmingham.

Geo’s transmission was blocked in many parts of the country soon after the channel broadcast the shoe-hurling news.

Government dignitaries and some of the PPP office bearers came out issuing threats to cable operators, pressurizing them to put Geo News off the cable. However, most of the cable operators did pay much heed to the bullying tactics and continued to keep Geo’s transmission on.

However, a private company named World Call and another one, KMPC, blocked Geo News signals at 2am early on Sunday morning. People were of the view that Geo/Jang Group is being penalised over the revealing of facts and speaking the truth. They said the ruling elite was angry over reporting of news regarding controversial visit of president Zardari in face of worst floods in country.

A massive number of people across the country have protested against the blocking of Geo News.

Geo’s staff members have announced to stage protest against the unjustified silencing of Geo News, depriving people of access to information and keeping them unaware about facts.

Demonstrations will also be staged in front of offices of the cable operators who have gagged Geo’s transmission.

Meanwhile, the police have refused to register the FIR against the issuance of threats to cable operators and journalists.

Officials: Floods kill at least 267 in Pakistan

2010-07-29T23:07:00.000-07:00

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – The death toll in three days of flooding in Pakistan reached at least 267 on Friday, rescue and government officials said, as rains bloated rivers, submerged villages, and triggered landslides.
The rising toll of the monsoon rains underscore the poor infrastructure in impoverished Pakistan, where under-equipped rescue workers were struggling to reach people stranded in far-flung villages.
Pakistani TV showed striking images of people clinging to fences and other stationary items as water at times gushed over their heads.
The northwest appeared to be the hardest hit, and Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the information minister for the province, said it was the worst flooding in the region since 1929.
At least 245 people died in various parts of that province over the last three days, said Mujahid Khan of the Edhi Foundation, a privately run rescue service that operates morgues and ambulances across the South Asian country.
In Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, at least 22 people had been confirmed dead as of Thursday evening, the area's prime minister, Sardar Attique Khan, told reporters.
The tolls from the deluge were expected to rise because many people were still missing. Poor weather this week also may have been a factor in Wednesday's Airblue plane crash that killed 152 people in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
In the Swat Valley, residents were forced to trudge through knee-deep water in some streets.
A newly constructed part of a dam in the Charsadda district collapsed, while the U.N. said it had reports that 5,000 homes were underwater in that area. Hussain estimated 400,000 people were stranded in various northwest villages.

Click image to see more photos of crash scene

"A rescue operation using helicopters cannot be conducted due to the bad weather, while there are only 48 rescue boats available for rescue," he said on Thursday.
Pakistan's poorest residents are often the ones living in flood-prone areas because they can't afford safer land.
Southwest Baluchistan province has also been hit hard by the recent rains. Last week, flash floods in that region killed at least 41 people and swept away thousands of homes. The U.N. statement Thursday said 150,000 people were affected there.
The U.N. said Punjab province in Pakistan's east was also hit by some flooding. Crops were soaked in farmlands throughout the country. The U.N. said the humanitarian community was trying to put together a proper response, but the rains were making many roads impassable, complicating efforts to assess needs.

152 die as plane crashes in rainy Pakistan hills

2010-07-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

ISLAMABAD – A passenger jet that officials suspect veered off course in monsoon rains and thick clouds crashed into hills overlooking Pakistan's capital Wednesday, killing all 152 people on board and scattering body parts and twisted metal far and wide.
The Airblue jet's crash was the deadliest ever in Pakistan, and just the latest tragedy to jolt a country that has suffered numerous deaths in recent years due to al-Qaida and Taliban attacks. At least two U.S. citizens were on the plane, which carried mostly Pakistanis.
The plane left the southern city of Karachi at 7:45 a.m. for a two-hour flight to Islamabad and was trying to land when it lost contact with the control tower, said Pervez George, a civil aviation official. Airblue is a private airline based in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city.
The aircraft, an Airbus A321, crashed some 15 kilometers from the airport, scorching a wide stretch of the Margalla Hills, including a section behind Faisal Mosque, one of Islamabad's most prominent landmarks. Twisted metal wreckage hung from trees and lay scattered across the ground. Smoke rose from the scene as helicopters hovered.
The exact cause of the crash was not immediately clear, and rescue workers were seeking the "black box" flight data recorder amid the wreckage. But Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar said the government did not suspect terrorism.
Rescue workers and citizen volunteers were hampered by the rain, mud and rugged terrain. The crash was so severe it would have been nearly impossible for any of the 146 passengers and six crew members to survive, rescue officials said.
"There is nothing left, just piles and bundles of flesh. There are just some belongings, like two or three traveling bags, some checkbooks, and I saw a picture of a young boy. Otherwise everything is burned," rescue worker Murtaza Khan said.
As the government declared Thursday would be a day of mourning and condolences poured in from the U.S., Britain and other nations, hundreds of people showed up at Islamabad's largest hospital and the airport seeking information on loved ones.

They swarmed ambulances reaching the hospital, but their hopes fell as rescue workers unloaded bags filled with body parts. A large cluster of people also surrounded a passenger list posted near the Airblue counter at the airport.

Click image to see more photos of crash scene

"We don't know who survived, who died, who is injured," said Zulfikar Ghazi, who lost four relatives. "We are in shock."
Mirza Ahmed Baig rushed to the hills after hearing that the plane carrying his brother had crashed. He wept amid the chilly weather, criticizing the rescue effort as too little and too lax.
"I'm not satisfied at all on the steps the government is taking," Baig said.
As of Wednesday night, when rescue work was suspended till the morning, 115 bodies had been recovered, federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said. DNA tests would be needed to identify most of them, he said.
U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire confirmed that at least two American citizens were on board, but he declined to provide any further information on their identities or links to Pakistan.
In the U.S., Paulette Kirksey said that her godmother, Rosie Ahmed of Gadsden, Alabama, and her husband, Saleem Ahmed, were among those on the plane. Rose Ahmed was in Pakistan to make arrangements for him to move to the United States, Kirksey said. She said Rosie Ahmed was in her late 50s.
Witnesses said the plane appeared to be flying very low and that it seemed unsteady in the air.
"The plane had lost balance, and then we saw it going down," Saqlain Altaf, who was on a family outing in the hills when the crash occurred, told Pakistan's ARY news channel.
The Pakistan Airline Pilot Association said the plane may have strayed off course, possibly because of the poor weather. Several officials noted the plane seemed to be an unusual distance from the airport, which was some 9 1/2 miles (15 kilometers) away.
"It should not have gone so far," said Air Vice Marshal Riazul Haq, deputy chief of the Civil Aviation Authority. "We want to find out why it did."
Raheel Ahmed, a spokesman for the airline, said the cause of the crash would be investigated. The plane had no known technical issues, and the pilots did not send any emergency signals, Ahmed said. Airblue flies within Pakistan and to the United Arab Emirates, Oman and the United Kingdom.
Airbus said it would provide technical assistance to the crash investigators. The aircraft was initially delivered in 2000, and was leased to Airblue in January 2006. It accumulated about 34,000 flight hours during some 13,500 flights, it said.
The only previous recorded accident for Airblue, a carrier that began flying in 2004, was a tail-strike in May 2008 at Quetta airport by one of the airline's Airbus 321 jets. There were no casualties and damage was minimal, according to the U.S.-based Aviation Safety Network.
Other Pakistani airlines have come under international scrutiny due to safety concerns.
In 2007, the European Union temporarily banned flights in its airspace of most of the aircraft operated by Pakistan's national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, because of concerns over the age of the aircraft and poor maintenance. The bloc lifted the ban later that year after the airline took action to comply with safety standards.
The last major plane crash in Pakistan was in July 2006 when a Fokker F-27 twin-engine aircraft operated by PIA slammed into a wheat field on the outskirts of the central Pakistani city of Multan, killing all 45 people on board.
In August 1989, another PIA Fokker, with 54 people onboard, went down in northern Pakistan on a domestic flight. The plane's wreckage was never found. In September 1992, a PIA Airbus A300 crashed into a mountain in Nepal, killing all 167 people on board.
The Airbus 320 family of medium-range jets, which includes the A321 model that crashed Wednesday, is one of the most popular in the world, with about 4,300 jets delivered since deliveries began in 1988.
Twenty-one of the aircraft have been lost in accidents since then, according to the Aviation Safety Network's database. The deadliest was a 2007 crash at landing in Sao Paolo by Brazil's TAM airline, in which all 187 people on board perished, along with 12 others on the ground.

58 killed in rain-related incidents in KP

2010-07-28T21:56:00.001-07:00

PESHAWAR: Nearly 58 people have died all across Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa as unprecedented rains, thunderstorms, land-sliding, electric shocks and floods and other rain-inflicted incidents have wrecked deadliest havocs all across province on Wednesday, Geo news reported.

Hundreds of (Kachay Makanat) mud-made houses have been washed away by floodwater and by heavy downpours in tribal areas in province meanwhile fierce floodwater from River Swat has entered Charsadda.

Pakistan army has arrived in ill-fated districts upon request of district administrations, sources said.

Over 100 houses have collapsed due to raging floodwater, flowing at 57,000 cusecs through Charsadda and has rendered several people detained in their houses for fear of death.

Floodwater has also played annihilation with ripened crops at fields in many parts throughout KP while people are looking for help from government, local sources told media.

46 bodies of crash victims identified

2010-07-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

ISLAMABAD: At least 46 bodies of plane crash victims have been identified and handed the same over to their heirs while many charred bodies are still kept at PIMS Hospital whose identification will be determined through DNA tests, Geo News reported Thursday morning.

Federal Interior Minister Abdul Rehman Malik said DNA tests would be conducted today.

Meanwhile, Chief Commissioner Islamabad said it will take one complete week at least to complete DNA tests.

Earlier, Pakistani health officials said Wednesday they would have to use DNA tests to identify charred bodies plucked from the wreckage of an airliner that crashed into hills outside Islamabad.

"Most of the dead bodies are in pieces, only body parts, some of them badly burnt... these can only be identified through DNA," Mahmood Jamal, chief of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) told reporters.

Officials said rescue workers had collected body parts and pieces of charred flesh into bags.

"Some 300 body bags, 40 blankets and 10 bundles of rope have been air dropped at the crash site," said the national disaster management authority.

Angelina Jolie Admits She Isn't Completely "Sane"

2010-07-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

These days, Angelina Jolie may not be wearing blood vials or locking lips with her brother, but the 35-year-old mother-of-six insists she still has a wild side.
In a new USA Today interview, she says: "There's certainly a side of me that isn't completely ..." Pausing to search for the right word, she then adds, "Sane. Or completely 'even' all the time. We all have our dark sides."'
PHOTOS: Angelina Jolie as a teen model
In her case, Jolie says her dark side was exposed in the public eye.
"I grew up in front of everybody, really," she says. "The big years of exploration."
Jolie famously dived into a pool in her Golden Globes dress after winning for her role as a drug addicted model in 1998's Gia. And then there was all that bizarre Billy Bob stuff.
"There was a certain madness I was going through," says the actress. "I learned a lot about myself." But she isn't embarrassed. "People tend to sum up times in your life and simplify," she says. "I would say there's a way of being bold when you're young that seems very brave. ... What's perceived as tough is a very funny thing. I think to be a parent is one of the scariest, boldest things to do, as opposed to, um, getting a tattoo. ... Much more than jumping into a pool when you're 20."
PHOTOS: Stars who went from wild to mild
She credits beau Brad Pitt with making her "a better person. I've learned so much from him, as you do when you come together with another person. You both make each other better. You both learn about the best of each other, and recognize the things where you're failing, or where you need to step up. When it's a great partnership, you really are patient with each other."
Pitt, 46, "has been a huge influence on me," she adds. "In all ways, from my parenting to my art, to ... everything."
But at the end of the day, Jolie says only she knows herself best.
"My evolution, and any extremes in my evolution, has been my personality, out of the nature of what's inside me," says the actress. "I'm very unaware of my public self. I don't read anything written about me. I don't look at magazines. I only watch the films and premieres if I have to. I still haven't seen some of my films.
"If you become aware of a public self," she adds, "you're in danger of becoming a very artificial person."