9 O N E S

ANDHRA BANK RECRUITMENT OF CLERKS EXAM RESULTS

2009-11-10T23:28:00.000+05:30

ANDHRA BANK

RECRUITMENT SECTION

HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

HEAD OFFICE : HYDERABAD

RECRUITMENT OF CLERKS

Further to the written test held on 14.06.2009 for the post of clerks, we furnsih below the short listed candidates qualified for interview.

Watch this site for interview Schedule i.e., Date, Time and Place of Interview. Call Letters will be sent in due course.

Click here for the List of candidates for interview

S R K PRASAD

General Manager(HR)

TAGS : ANDHRA BANK CLERK,ANDHRA BANK RECRUITMENT,ANDHRA BANK RESULTS

NARENDRA MODI DOWN WITH SWINE FLU

2009-10-30T13:10:00.000+05:30

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is down with swine flu two days after returning from Russia, doctors at a hospital said Friday.

This was confirmed by Atul Patel, the doctor at a government civil hospital on Friday morning.

The chief minister who returned from his three day-visit to Russia on Wednesday worked through Thursday attending his official engagements, despite feeling tired and coughing frequently.

As doctors in attendance checked him, samples were taken to check for the H1N1 virus. By evening, his fever shot up and speculation mounted that he had swine flu.

Following confirmation, Modi has been put under swine flu medication and quarantined at his own official residence here. All his appointments have been cancelled and he will be in isolation for a week.

Reports that the sample of a 60-year-old swine flu suspect - referred to as 'VIP' and carrying the name Ramesh - had been sent for tests from Gandhinagar added to the rumours.

source : sify news

JAIPUR FIRE : FIRE AT INDIAN OIL DEPOT

2009-10-30T12:53:00.002+05:30

Five persons have killed and more than 160 people injured in a massive fire broke out at Indian Oil Corporation’s fuel depot in Sanganer area in Jaipur on Thursday night. Many of the injured persons are critical condition.

Around 35 persons have been trapped inside the oil depot. People staying in the nearby areas have been asked to shift and move to other places. Two villages warned ....

source : www.monkeydollars.net

Read Full Story from : www.monkeydollars.net

REVIEW OF EK NIRANJAN TELUGU MOVIE

2009-10-29T19:16:00.001+05:30

he Prabhas-Kangana Ranaut starrer Ek Niranjan presented and directed by Puri Jagannath and produced by Aditya Ram under the banner of Adityaram Movies is all set to hit the screens across the globe on October 29.

Producer says, “This is the first film in Prabhas career, which is being produced with a heavy budget, released with highest prints and in highest theatres. The story has several kinds of elements and the directorPuri Jagannath has moulded the film excellently on the celluloid. The film is an out and out entertainer. Prabhas’ performance would be a highlight and the film would earn him lots of name and fame. The audiences can find a novel Prabhas in performance, dances and fights. He has been personally involved in several risky shots in the climax scenes that were shot in Thailand.”

Starcast : Prabhas, Kangana Ranaut, Sonu Sood, Mukul Dev, Tanikella Bharani, Bramanandam, Ali, Brahmaji, Posani Krishna Murali and others

Music Director : Mani Sharma

Producer : Aditya Ram

Director : Puri Jagannath

Suresh Movie film distributors bagged the theatrical rights of Nizam and Ceded of Puri Jagan’s latest directorial venture Ek Niranjan.

Ek Niranjan Movie Review and Rating will be soon available on our blog.

Categories: Telugu Movie Reviews, Tollywood, Trailers

Tags: Ali in Ek Niranjan, Brahmaji in Ek Niranjan, Bramanandam in Ek Niranjan, Ek Niranjan, Ek Niranjan Film Review, Ek Niranjan Movie Online, Ek Niranjan Movie Rating, Ek Niranjan movie review, Ek Niranjan Rating, Ek Niranjan review, Ek Niranjan Telugu Movie Rating, Ek Niranjan Telugu Movie Review, Kangana Ranaut in Ek Niranjan, Kangna Ranaut, Mukul Dev in Ek Niranjan, Posani Krishna Murali in Ek Niranjan, Prabhas, Prabhas in Ek Niranjan, Puri Jagannadh, Review, Review of Ek Niranjan Telugu Movie, Sonu Sood, Sonu Sood in Ek Niranjan, Tanikella Bharani in Ek Niranjan, Telugu Movie Ek Niranjan, Tollywood Movie Ek Niranjan

VIDYASAGAR UNIVERSITY RESULTS 2009

2009-10-29T18:03:00.003+05:30

Vidyasagar UniversityVidyasagar University Examination Results for Vidyasagar University BA/BSc/BCom Part II 3 Tier Old/New Examination 2009 Results will be announced on 29th, October 2009 at 3:00 PM in official website http://www.www.vidyasagar.ac.in/. Vidyasagar University BA/BSc/BCom Part II 3 Tier Old/New Results will be available today at 15.00 hrs. Through Website :....

- Source : http://indian-results.blogspot.com

Read Full Story from indian-results.blogspot.com

Griffey spurns Atlanta, signs with Seattle instead

2009-02-20T10:36:00.002+05:30

In one of the stranger baseball stories this offseason, Ken Griffey Jr. has decided not to sign with the Braves, instead he’ll head back to Seattle, where he started his career 19 years ago.

Here’s how the story unfolded:

The Journal-Constitution first reported Tuesday that Griffey had told a close friend he would sign with the Braves. Wren said Wednesday that communication with Griffey’s agent, Brian Goldberg, had gone smoothly until after that AJC report, which Goldberg and Griffey said was inaccurate.

Griffey told MLB.com later Tuesday that he was still torn between the pull of Seattle, where he had spent the first half of his career, and the Braves, where he would be just a one-hour flight from his wife and children in Orlando, and where he would spend spring training just a 20-minute drive from his home.

By noon Wednesday, Braves officials seemed concerned by the silence from Griffey’s camp and said they expected a decision from him by Thursday.

It’s been a week of misdirection plays for Griffey. Even as it was being widely reported last week that he would sign with Seattle, Griffey called Jones and a Braves official to express interest in playing for the Braves.

He hadn’t been one of the Braves’ preferred options for their outfield job entering the offseason, but the free-agent pool had thinned, plus the Braves didn’t have much room left in their payroll and didn’t want to trade top prospects to acquire an outfielder via trade.

Suddenly the Griffey option looked pretty good, and the Braves figured they would pair the left-handed slugger, one of only six players with 600 career homers, in left field with right-handed hitting Matt Diaz.

As the story goes, Griffey was apparently ticked off that the AJC reported that he chose the Braves over Mariners. Whether or not that was Griffey’s official reason for turning around and signing with the Mariners is uncertain, but nevertheless this situation developed oddly.

Several AJC writers are taking a beating because of their original report. Braves fans are claiming the paper ruined the team’s shot of landing Griffey, but in defense of the AJC, stories are printed like this all the time. If Griffey honestly based a decision of this magnitude (i.e. one that involves his family, where he’ll work and where he’ll live for the next year) off of what a newspaper printed, then that’s ridiculous. Did the paper jump the gun? Probably, but it’s their job to report that the news and they reported what they had.

Either way, Griffey is on his way back to Seattle after signing a one-year contract, and the Braves are still in need of a fourth outfielder.

Soruce..

Texas Tech, Mike Leach finally agree to contract extension

2009-02-20T10:36:00.001+05:30

Texas Tech and football coach Mike Leach have finally agreed to a contract extension after more than 10 months of negotiations that will keep him at the school through 2013, a source with knowledge of the talks told The Dallas Morning News on Thursday.

Leach met with Tech chancellor Kent Hance for almost three hours early Thursday afternoon and the two sides have agreed to Tech's $12.7 million offer that will extend Leach's current two-year deal three more seasons. The contract hasn't been signed but that could take place as early as Friday, the source said.

Tech athletic director Gerald Myers and Leach's IMG agents, Gary O'Hagan and Matt Baldwin, didn't attend the meeting between only Leach and Hance, the source said. Leach and Hance could not immediately be reached for comment.

Leach and Hance hashed out the sticking points earlier today involving four clauses that Tech inserted into its latest offer Jan. 9 that wrecked previous progress. The four clauses involved the guaranteed termination compensation Leach would receive if fired, the buyout amount he would pay if he left early, a penalty for interviewing for another job without permission and who controlled Leach's personal property rights.

A news conference has been called for 6 p.m. today.

The two sides agreed to take out the buyout in the contract altogether, the source said. Tech had wanted a $1.5 million buyout, but now Leach will become the fifth Big 12 football head coach without a buyout in his contract.

The two sides agreed to raise Leach's guaranteed money to $2 million, the source said. Tech had offered $1.5 million in its latest offer. Both parties agreed that Leach is to give notification if he is to interview for another job, the source said, but doesn't need Myers' permission, as Tech had originally asked. Both sides agreed to meet in the middle on Leach's personal property rights, the source said.

The convoluted and sometimes heated contract negotiations first became public after The Dallas Morning News filed an open records request in mid-January asking for documents involving talks between the two parties. On Wednesday, the drama played out nationally as Leach talked to everyone from ESPN to a local radio station.

Tech had set a Tuesday deadline for Leach to agree to its terms, but no deal was signed. A few hours before Tuesday's 5 p.m. deadline, Tech's Board of Regents called a "special teleconference meeting" for Friday in which regents were to discuss Leach's contract status and future with the school. Earlier Tuesday, about 40 people showed up outside the football offices for a rally on Leach's behalf.

On Wednesday, Leach formally requested that the regents meeting be open and for him to have the chance to speak. But that won't be necessary after an almost yearlong standoff has ended with Leach able to keep his job following a 2008 season in which he led the Red Raiders to one of the best seasons in school history.

Leach, who just completed his ninth season, is seven wins shy of becoming the school's all-time winningest football coach.

Source..

Assessing the president’s mortgage plan

2009-02-20T10:34:00.000+05:30

“The president’s new mortgage-relief plan contains clever elements that might indeed help homeowners. However, the superfluous threat of inviting judges to rewrite contracts must dilute the collateral behind troubled mortgage-backed securities. That, in turn, would jeopardize the endangered capital of banks, pension funds and other holders of such securities, including the Federal Reserve, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.” (02/19/09)

Link: http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9988

Source..

'Survivor: Tocantins': If we had voted

2009-02-20T10:24:00.000+05:30

"Survivor: Tocantins" got down to the nitty-gritty Thursday night, including one tribe dining on fresh termites and a free-for-all water basketball game that led one team to immunity.

The two tribes - Jalapao and Timbira - got to know each other a little better after last week's fast-moving first episode, with Sierra letting fellow Timbira tribe member Brendan in on her secret quest to find the immunity idol.

"Survivor's" very own basketbrawl ended with the Jalapao tribe winning immunity and sending Brendan off to Exile Island. He was able to take an opposing team member with him, choosing Taj George, whose big secret - that she's married to former NFL player Eddie George - is out and has left her feeling uneasy.

At the tribal council, Candace was taken by surprise and voted off the island. Sierra lives to see another week.

Sweet Home Alabama: James "JT" Thomas Jr., a cattle rancher from Samson and Mobile, is quickly establishing himself as a leader of the Jalapao tribe with his outdoor skills. "He's the Alabama country boy," says fellow teammate Stephen. "He's Tom Sawyer." Stephen really likes JT, who seems bemused by his New York buddy. Do we smell a bromance brewing? On the other team, Auburn middle school principal Deborah "Debbie" Beebe seems safe for now - no one has it in for her, and they like being around her.

Who got the boot? Candace Smith, a 31-year-old attorney from Dayton, Ohio.

If we had voted: We'd have taken the opportunity to get rid of Ben Wade, the amazingly egotistical coach and Fabio wannabe in the Timbira tribe. He led the charge against Candace, though, so his team must be listening to him. A side note - Wade lost his job this week as women's soccer coach at Southwest Baptist University. They say he failed to tell them he took time off to be on a TV show. He says he'll go into acting.

Indian Cricket team gets a new colour and New Zealand Fixture

2009-02-19T21:00:00.000+05:30

Indian team after better performance in the recent series leaves for New Zealand for their tough assignment in the recent times. Their past record in New Zealand is very dismal and Dhoni and his men would be keen to improve their past performance this time.

Indian team will arrive in New Zealnd on 20th of February and would open their tour with two twenty20 International to be played on 25th February and 27th February. Indian cricket team also got brand new kit in striking deep blue dress codes for the two tenty20 interntional and one day international. All the players were gatherd in function at Mumbai before departure with new dress code.

Indian team last tour to New Zealand were more than worse as they have lost both test series as well as ODI series by 2-0 and 5-2 respectively. Last test series win for India came way back in 1967-68 under the captaincy of M.Pataudi, so it has been long 41 years for men in blue to win the test series on New Zealand soil.

So far India has travel seven times to New Zealand and manages just one test series win while loosing four test series and drawing two. In the current Indian squad only five players played at New Zealnd soil- Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, V.V.S Laxman, Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh.

Past record may be against the Indians at New Zeland soil but the current form of men in blue will be very helpful and will help Dhoni and his men to perform better this time. Last two ODI series against England and Sri Lanka, Indian team looked completely dominant over the opponents by winning the series by 5-0 and 4-1.

India Twenty20 Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain & WK), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha.

India ODI Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain & WK), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Kaarthick, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha.

India Test Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain & WK), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Kaarthick, Murali Vijay, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, L Balaji, Dhawal Kulkarni, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra.

India tour of New Zealand Fixture

25th February: 1st Twenty20 International, AMI Stadium, Christchurch

27th February: 2nd Twenty20 International, Westpac Stadium, Wellington

3rd March: 1st One Day International, McLean Park, Napier

6th March: 2nd One Day International, Westpac Stadium, Wellington

8th March: 3rd One Day International, AMI Stadium, Christchurch

11th March: 4th One Day International, Seddon Park, Hamilton

14th March: 5th One Day International, Eden Park, Auckland

18th – 22nd March: 1st Test Match, Seddon Park, Hamilton

26th – 30th March: 2nd Test Match, McLean Park, Napier

3rd – 7th April: 3rd Test Match, Basin Reserve, Wellington

All ODI and twenty20 Matches are day night encounters, for timing of each matches you can view detail here India tour of New Zealand Cricket schedule 2009.

Tags: India tour of New Zealand Schedule, India Vs New Zealand 2009 Fixtures, India tour of New Zealand, India Vs New Zealand 2009 Cricket Series Fixtures and Schedule, India Vs New Zealand Schedule 2009 ODI Series, twenty20 Cricket India Vs New Zealand

source

Steve Harvey: Act Like A Lady

2009-02-19T20:37:00.002+05:30

Millions of listeners nationwide tune in to the Steve Harvey Morning Show and hear the comedian’s opinions during his relationship commentary as he responds to listeners’ issues in what the show calls "Strawberry Letters." And now the King of Comedy has put his advice in print with his raw-talk book "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment." Harvey talked with the Defender about topics in his book.

What makes your book different than other relationship books?

This book is written by a man about how men view relationships, commitment, intimacy, family, marriage, all of that and it's done from a nonclinical standpoint. This is just straight talk. I have friends who are politicians, who are entertainers, who are pro-athletes, who are truck drivers, CEOs, guys that work at factories…I know exactly how men think on these subjects.

You say, “a man’s love isn’t like a woman’s love.” Do you think this is why so many relationships don’t work?

Exactly. If you have two different people with two different definitions of love and each one wants love the same way, somebody’s going to be disappointed, and it’s usually women.

Women are sometimes called gold diggers for trying to find men who are successful, but your book says that men will be too busy to focus on a woman until he makes it financially. So how does a woman avoid the title if she knows this?

Seeing as how there are so few men who are already successful and so many women would be looking for them, why would you want to get in line like that? In the book, I teach you how to find the potential in a man. You just got to know how to recognize it and be aware of his plan and buy into it…then both of you get there together. Then you have rights to it, and if you get a divorce, hello!

You agree with the 90-day rule on sex and compare it to a job. What makes you think 90 days is enough?

To read the rest of this article, subscribe to our digital or paper edition. For previous editions, contact us for details.

Copyright 2008 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Breville Cafe Roma Espresso Maker

2009-02-19T20:33:00.002+05:30

The Only Thing Worse Than Being Talked About Is Not Being Talked About

The last time we wrote about the Breville XXESP8XL Cafe Roma Espresso Maker we noticed a very special visitor. And so, we just wanted to take this moment to say thank you, Mr. Meltzer, for stopping in for a visit.

If you were nearby, we’d make you a cup of espresso from the Breville XXESP8XL Cafe Roma Espresso Maker. And we think you’d enjoy how the Thermoblock heating system made a decent cup of coffee that a comic book professional could enjoy. Of course, you’d probably storm out in anger after we spent the next three hours trying really hard to prove to you how Jean Loring was actually the one who left The Atom, but we’d understand that. We get hate mail from nerds as well. It’s just part of the territory. And when they reboot it away in five years we’ll all look back and laugh.

Anyway, it was nice to see you clearly enjoyed the mention, and we hope you’ll enjoy it this time as well. And we know that you probably spend all day counting the millions of dollars you got from the I Hate The Elongated Man Foundation and would never dream of buying a thing from a fly-by-night site like us. But if you’re thinking about espresso, Mr. Meltzer, please, consider the Breville XXESP8XL Cafe Roma Espresso Maker. We’re sure you’d like to stay awake as much as possible. After what you did, the dreams must be horrible.

Warranty: 90 Day Breville
Authorized for SquareTrade Extended Warranty

Features:

* The Café Roma features a 15 bar pump for optimal pressure and perfect crema on every shot of espresso
* Thermoblock heating system ensures the water is at the proper temperature for brewing espresso
* The stainless steel steam wand with froth enhancer allows you to create a variety of milk-based café drinks at home
* Stainless steel body with die-cast warming tray capable of heating up 6 espresso cups at the same time
* 40 ounce water tank capable of dispensing about 26 espresso shots before needing to be refilled
* Dual-wall créma technology, beneath the first wall is a second wall with a single exit hole. This produces back pressure inside the head which helps to extract flavor from the coffee
* Dual-action selector dial provides control over the pump and heating system
* Dimensions: 8.5” x 9.5” x 11.82”
* Weight: 13.2 lbs.
* Pump: 15 bar – made in Italy

In the box:

* Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Espresso Maker
* Stainless Steel Frothing Pitcher
* Portafilter
* 1 Cup Stainless Steel Filter
* 2 Cup Stainless Steel Filter
* Cleaning Tool
* Scoop with Tamper

Breville Cafe Roma Espresso Maker

2009-02-19T20:33:00.000+05:30

Magellan Maestro 3200 Ultra thin 3.5″ touch screen Automobile Navigator $59.99 Shipped FREE!

2009-02-19T20:21:00.001+05:30

Affordable, ultra-thin and amazingly easy to use, the Magellan Maestro 3200 enables you to find virtually anywhere in seconds without reading the instructions! The simple touch-screen menu presents easy options in brilliant color! The large 3.5″ touch screen shows your position on the interactive map, plus distance to the next turn, distance to destination, ETA, street names and more, all at a glance. Voice guidance offers worry-free driving with turn-by-turn directions so you can keep your eyes on the road.

Easily find your way around town or from Florida to Washington with built-in maps of the 48 contiguous United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. 1.3 million pre-programmed Points of Interest (POI) enable you to search and select nearby services, and recreation and business locations. Find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs and more. Phone numbers are included (when available) so you can call ahead for information and reservations.

Magellan Maestro 3200 Ultra thin 3.5″ touch screen Automobile Navigator

Balayya Squeezed Priyamani 'There'

2009-02-19T20:11:00.002+05:30

It is known news that natasimham Balakrishna is currently busy with the new movie that is being made under the Sravanthi movies banner and this marks the debut of Mahadev as the director while the buxom beauty Priyamani is the leading lady for the Yuvaratna.

Do you know where Balayya squeezed Priyamani? That's at Ramoji Film City. Yes, the squeeze that we are talking about happened at Ramoji film City during a song and it is heard that it was a rather sensuous song. Given the oomph that Priyamani has been generating, it is not a surprise that anyone would find it hard not to see her or get into a steamy act. It is about to lure all mass audiences, says inside sources.

Slated to be a family entertainer with full commercial values, the expectations are high on this one since Balayya has not been able to deliver a clear cut hit in the recent past. It will take nothing less than a blockbuster from him to actually keep up his tag of 'Box office bonanza' now. Let us see if Priyamani helps him in this mission.

Will Priyamani's bikini do any good for Nithin?

2009-02-19T20:02:00.000+05:30

Priyamani’s bikini act in the forthcoming Nithin’s ‘Drona’ is the hottest topic in tinsel town. The heroine debuted to Tollywood with ‘Evare Athadu’ sharing screen space with Vallabhaneni, son of KS Rama Rao, directed by Bhanu Shankar.

The Tamil girl had a bad opening with the dud and again made a comeback with Madan’s ‘Pellaina Kothalo’ starring Jagapathi Babu. The movie gave her a big break in Telugu cinema followed by the super hit ‘Yamadonga’ (NTR) directed by SS Rajamouli.

‘Drona’ is the latest which will hit screens tomorrow on 20th February. Nithin is near starvation for a hit and is troubled by his previous duds. Even though, the movie has a good script, screenplay and action stunts, the film makers seem to be betting high on the glamour part. Riveting stills of Priyamani’s rain dance was a trail for her main bikini act in the movie.

Will Priyamani’s bikini drive Nithin towards the road to ‘El Dorado’? Just wait for a day and watch out for the review on ‘Drona’ to see if Priyamani saved Nithin!

Movie Review: ‘Delhi - 6’

2009-02-19T19:43:00.000+05:30

Review of ‘Delhi 6’, 20th Feb 09
Posted by Neha Aggarwal
February 19, 2009

delhi-61

Rokeysh Omprakash Mehra made two movies earlier – Aks and Rang De Pasanti – the latter sweeping the mass appeal and a box office hit. Now the same director brings out his third movie “Delhi 6” and already the film has started sending ripples among critics and expectations of “Bollywood” movie lovers. It is said that Omprakash Mehra has made this film, based upon his own growing up as a lad of Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi.

The story moves around a young man from the foreign soil to his family roots in Old Delhi. Incidentally the Postal Code Number of Old Delhi is 110006 and the title “Delhi 6” denotes old Delhi conversely. Abishek Bachan (son of the greatly popular Amitabh Bachchan of Indian Cinema) is the hero Roshan – an Indian-American guy. His grand mother (Waheeda Rahman) is ailing and wants to be at her native place, Chandni Chowk of Old Delhi, at the time she breathes her last. Just to fulfill the last wish of his beloved grandmother, the hero takes a trip from America to India, least knowing that what was planned as a quick-trip (for the very first time to India) would meet with many developments and thrills to end well.

Once reaching Delhi with his grandmother, the hero meets Bittu (Sonam Kapoor) a beautiful girl and daughter of a neighbor. This being the first visit of his to India, everything that takes place in India, that is Delhi with its rituals, the religious beliefs, the food, the culture and friendly attitude of people fascinates him. But as he sees the hypocritical tendency of his neighbors, in concealing their evil side behind a friendly mask, Hindu Muslim religious riots, attributed to a phantom figure “Black Monkey” and every other thing an American can see in India, he gets upset. How he resolves all his problems is rest of the story you can watch on the silver screen.

The supporting roles of Rishi Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, Om Puri, Divya Dutta, Tanvi Azmi, Supriya Pathak and Pavan Malhotra are accomplished by the artists finely. The fans of Hindi Hero Abhishek Bachchan and Bollywood buffs await the release of the film in India on 20th February.

Now some of the inside stories doing rounds about the much awaited film are – Director Omprakash Mehra, during the early stages of development of the film wanted to introduce new faces for the lead roles and changed his mind due to commercial compromises. Headlines about frequent changes of choices for the hero appeared in News reports – first with Hrithik Roshan set to play the hero, but was dropped out due to scheduling problems. Then Akshay Kumar was considered and the idea was dropped as he refused. The ultimate cast, Abhishek Bachchan got the nod and later Mehra stated that he was his first choice.

On December 20, 2007 the film started production and grew, but Mehra said he was not involved in the editing of the film. At the Dubai International Film Festival, the movie unveiled first and following the screening, the director and the cast of the film answered questions from the audience.

Februay13 was the date originally the movie was scheduled to be released, but consequent to the release of another much talked about film “Billu Barber” on that date, to avoid conflict the release date was rescheduled to February 20. But the premier screen went off at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, on 15th February.

A.R. Rehman, the first Indian Music Composer to win the prestigious Golden Globes for his numbers in “Slumdog Millionaire” and has been recommended for 3 Oscar Awards , has done music to the film “Delhi 6”. The music tracks and sound tracks were released on 14th January at the Indian Idol 4 competition. Since then positive reviews are pouring about the songs of “Delhi 6” (Prasoon Joshi is the lyricist).

The first video of the song “Masakalli” featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam with a pigeon was released. This song is not there in the original film. The Director reasoned out later about the cut-off, as a song about a dove will not fit in a film like “Delhi 6” and only after nearing the climax scene shooting he realized it.

A load of positive reviews about Rehman’s album release have come up and here are few excerpts –

“Delhi 6 – is as rich, just as powerful, and just as awe-inspiring, as his work in Slumdog Millionaire. As we take the timeless stroll down the streets of Delhi-6, let us rejoice the phenomenon that is Rehmania”

“Delhi 6 is near perfect. If one thought that Slumdog Millionaire, Ghajini and Jane Tu Ya Jaane Na were superb, then listen to Delhi 6 once.”

“Rehman beats his own score with Delhi 6, which would easily go down as one of his best scores till date.”

With such encouraging reviews, fans are anxious to see for themselves what is in store for them in “Delhi 6”.

MMS sex scandal in Noida

2009-02-19T19:40:00.002+05:30

Five years after a sex clip made and circulated by a Delhi school student made news, a similar incident has been reported from a business school in Noida.

A student has sent out a video of his 23-year old girlfriend doing a striptease for him, to some fellow students at the management school. This reportedly happened after the woman refused to marry him. The woman studies at the same institution.

The story was first reported by Mid Day. It said the two students were probably classmates. The man, who apparently knew the password of the woman’s email ID, logged in to her mail and sent the video to some people on her contact list.

MBA student circulates clip of 23-year-old girlfriend after she refuses to marry him.

The Noida Police are yet to take any action in the matter because they have not received any complaint. “We’ve not received any complaint from the girl or her family or from the college,” says A.K. Tripathi, Noida’s superintendent of police (city). “But we, on our part, are investigating the matter. I’ve instructed the officer concerned to give me all the details about any developments in the case.”

The video shows the woman stripping to music; the man apparently captured it on a cellphone camera.

Women organisations have repeatedly expressed concern over the rising cases of sexually explicit MMS clips of students being put on websites or circulated among students.

“It is a matter of deep concern that school and college students are indulging in such deplorable activities and defaming their classmates by putting their obscene clips on websites or circulating it among other students,” said Raksha Shukla, a representative of the All India Women Conference. “The police should not wait for an official complaint from the victim. They should act at own level and punish the erring students so that others do not dare to do such acts.”

In 2004, a student of a south Delhi school had found herself at the centre of a similar scandal.

Nintendo's DSi planning a European tour ahead of US release

2009-02-19T19:37:00.000+05:30

If you're still feeling all giddy about getting your mitts on a DSi here in the States on April 5th, prepare for a bit of a downer. Nintendo Europe has just announced gamers within its territories be getting the multi-screen multi-cam wonder a full two days earlier, on April 3rd, but hasn't said how much they'll be paying for the privilege. Also, while we're stuck with black and a rather cheeky baby blue, Euro gamers will be getting the more stolid/boring color selection of black or white, which may be good or bad depending on your monochromatic tendencies. Regardless, whether you're domestic or abroad, you'd best get your pre-orders in now.

Update: LostProphet commented to say that it's showing up for pre-order abroad at £149.99, or about $214. That's quite a premium for a few days worth of exclusivity.

[Via Nowhere Else]

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Charlie Sheen's Wife Brooke Mueller Fine After Premature Contractions

2009-02-19T19:36:00.001+05:30

Experiencing premature contractions, Brooke Mueller is said to be fine following hospitalization on Tuesday, February 17. In a statement issued to US Weekly, Stan Rosenfield, a representative for Brooke's husband Charlie Sheen confirmed Brooke "is expected to be released from the hospital" later that day.

Giving more details of Brooke's hospitalization, Stan explained, "Brooke Mueller Sheen was taken to a Los Angeles area hospital Tuesday morning after experiencing premature contractions." Furthermore, Stan added, the condition "is not uncommon at this stage of a pregnancy carrying twins."

Prenatal scare, in fact, isn't something new for Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller. Back in September 2008, Brooke underwent emergency gall-bladder surgery, described as a routine procedure but one that carries extra risk for both mom and baby during the first trimester of pregnancy. She was treated at the hospital for five days before then being discharged.

Broke is expected to give birth to the twins she is carrying in April. The twins will be her first children and the fourth ones for Charlie who has two daughters, Sam and Lola, from his failed marriage to Denise Richards, and another daughter, named Cassandra, with former girlfriend Paula Profit.

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Watch Lost Season 5 Episode 6 (Lost 316) Free Online Video

2009-02-19T19:35:00.001+05:30

The latest season of LOST is here. Let’s watch lost season 5 episode 6 video available in this website for free. To the avid viewers of Lost, the all new Lost or Lost Season 5 Episode 6 showcases the only way back to the island. In Lost season 5 episode 6 or Lost 316, their destiny will be their final destination. So, watch lost season 5 episode 6 a.k.a. Lost 316 and continue to be amazed by this thriller. Enjoy the coaster ride as the people of lost season 5 episode 6 decides to go back to the island voluntarily.
Watch Lost Season 5 Episode 6 or Lost 316 free online video clips.

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Orochon Ramen - Spicy!

2009-02-19T19:34:00.001+05:30

On the way to the LA Auto Show last week, me and a few buddies stopped by Orochon Ramen in Little Tokyo. It’s become somewhat of a tradition to get a bowl of ramen somewhere in the area before the car show for the last couple of years. Apparently this place is known for its spicy ramen (i love spicy) and if you can eat a whole bowl of their spiciest ramen (including drinking all of the broth) they’ll take your photo and put it on their wall.

Aside from not wanting a blood pressure spike from all the sodium that I’d take in from drinking a bowl full of broth, I was too afraid to try their spiciest. Even our server said he’s only had the second spiciest and that it was too spicy. I was hungry and wanted a meal more than I wanted to impress my friends so i went for the 5th spiciest (called #3 Impact on the menu). It actually wasn’t too spicy, but pretty much at the upper limit of enjoyable. My friends had the 7th and 8th spiciest and they weren’t very spicy at all.
The noodles were pretty good, although since the broth was so spicy, most of my taste buds were pretty numb and to be honest it could have been instant ramen and I really wouldn’t have noticed much difference. The service was pretty good, although our 4 bowls of ramen came out over a 10 minute period of time which was kind of awkward. I will be going back though and next time I plan to go for the spiciest bowl and all the glory, but it will be on a day when I don’t have to walk
around the convention center for a few hours, just in case it doesn’t agree with me.

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River Rats team bus crashes; three injured

2009-02-19T19:33:00.000+05:30

The bus transporting the Albany River Rats back from Lowell, Mass., after Wednesday night’s game rolled on its side along the Massachusetts Turnpike, according to state police.

The bus was carrying 19 players, two coaches and five support staff. Three members were injured and taken to Berkshire Medical Center, but names have not been released.

We are working on the story, and the latest information will be posted here.

American Idol Results Show

2009-02-19T19:32:00.001+05:30

The first 3 contestants into the Top 12 are…..
Michael Sarver, a 27-year-old oil rigger from Texas,Alexis Grace, a 21-year-old single mother from Tennessee, and Danny Gokey, a 28-year-old church music director from Milwaukee were advanced through the next round of American Idol!

Former Idol contestants made appearances on the show, including Carly Smithson and Michael Johns!

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Beheading in Buffalo - at Muslim TV Station

2009-02-19T19:29:00.002+05:30

Muzzammil “Mo” HASSAN, the founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV, a Buffalo, NY based Islamic television Network he helped pioneer in 2004 amid hopes that it would help portray Muslims in a more positive light, reportedly admitted to police that he beheaded his wife at the television station yesterday afternoon.The victim was identified as Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37, who just last month, filed for and received an order of protection against her husband.

According to police, HASSAN walked into the Orchard Park police station shortly after 6:00 PM yesterday and admitted that he murdered his wife earlier in the afternoon. While Erie County, NY District Frank A. Sedita III stated about the murder that “”…this is the worst form of domestic violence possible,” it is more pertinent to understand that the act of beheading in Islam is frequently and closely associated with “honor killings.”

The intentional mainstream media obfuscation of honor killings and the act of beheading as both relate to Islamic fundamentalist practices & beliefs is anticipated, especially in this case. (For a good primer about Islam and honor killings, please read this 2008 article written by Robert Spencer).

HASSAN and Bridges TV of Buffalo has been a focus of investigation by the Northeast Intelligence Network in the past. The Northeast Intelligence Network made several inquiries to HASSAN and Bridges TV about their relationship with al Manar television - inquiries that HASSAN and his station refused to answer.

Meanwhile, HASSAN was charged with second-degree murder and has been arraigned by Orchard Park, NY Village Justice Deborah Chimes. He is currently in custody at the Erie County Holding Center.

TV Channel won’t air Dubai tourney after Israeli barred

2009-02-19T19:29:00.001+05:30

(CNN) — The Tennis Channel has canceled plans to broadcast a tournament in Dubai because an Israeli player was banned.

Shahar Peer, the 45th-ranked women’s player according to the World Tennis Association, qualified to compete in this week’s Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships but was denied a visa by the United Arab Emirates.

The cable network had planned to air parts of the tournament this weekend.

“Preventing an otherwise qualified athlete from competing on the basis of anything other than merit has no place in tennis or any other sport, and has the unfortunate result of undermining the credibility of the very nature of competition itself,” the network said.

The announcement comes the same day the Wall Street Journal Europe announced it is dropping its sponsorship of the tournament.
Source : CNN

The Terms of Service Revolt, Facebook and the Higher Ed Community

2009-02-19T19:27:00.000+05:30

A few short days ago, Facebook changed it’s Terms of Service to include some controversial language.
For those of you who don’t like legalese:
In sum, Facbook made its ToS so that your historical data and content survives you canceling your Facebook account. Then, in the face of usual user unrest, Facebook repealed.
For those of you who like to sort through legalese the exact legalese was at the bottom.
The privacy consicous Higher Ed blogosphere and the twittercliques were, needless to say, with the users that were up in arms.
I’m going to take a moment to say that 1) we would never take that kind of position at Inigral because we make relationships with institutions, as in enter into formal agreements; and 2) I can certainly understand how this happened and my faith in Facebook remains calm and steady.

This shift in ToS is understandable because, as a company, your legalese CYA can often be at odds with company policy. I’ve with spoken with hundreds of Facebook employees of different stripes, including Zuckerberg, and they are all fully committed to giving users the best possible user experience. A company’s legal protection does not have to be company practice, and their lawyer’s language does not reflect company intent. Facebook does not intend to post your embarrassing photos to your friends after you delete your Facebook account. It most likely just wants to solve three problems with this new language: 1) analyze what types of users choose to leave Facebook and strategize how can they provide them with a better experience so that less people do it, 2) minimize the risk of trace elements of your account being present in the system so that they are not liable for a childish message you sent someone when you were angry and now you’re embarrassed, and 3) making sure when you decide that without Facebook you simply can’t live a normal life and you rejoin Facebook there’s a low barrier for you jump back in. (FYI, I know people that have deleted and recreated their account more than 3 times.)
You can have the best customer service in the industry and still have a legal statement somewhere that says “We are in no way obligated to provide customer service.” The reason is that the lawyers who craft this language have seen too many lawsuits where someone sues literally because the company has a hole in their policies. And Facebook doesn’t want lawyers somewhere putting together a class action suit representing 150 million people just because their ToS wasn’t strong enough.
So, really now, while I understand making the statement to Facebook you want to be able to remove any of your content anytime you choose is understandable, but thinking Facebook is an evil empire is just not a conclusion that will hold water. Plus, it’s bound to cause you cognitive dissonance as you check your Facebook account for the tenth time today.
“You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof.
The following sections will survive any termination of your use of the Facebook Service: Prohibited Conduct, User Content, Your Privacy Practices, Gift Credits, Ownership; Proprietary Rights, Licenses, Submissions, User Disputes; Complaints, Indemnity, General Disclaimers, Limitation on Liability, Termination and Changes to the Facebook Service, Arbitration, Governing Law; Venue and Jurisdiction and Other.”

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Hulu cuts off Boxee, Old Media takes one step forward, two steps back

2009-02-19T19:26:00.000+05:30

Users of the growingly popular Boxee media platform will no longer have access to Hulu, after the Fox/ NBC JV decided that letting people watch programs for free where they want wasn’t part of the game plan.

Hulu didn’t elaborate on the reasons behind the move, saying only in a post that

Our content providers requested that we turn off access to our content via the Boxee product, and we are respecting their wishes. While we stubbornly believe in this brave new world of media convergence — bumps and all — we are also steadfast in our belief that the best way to achieve our ambitious, never-ending mission of making media easier for users is to work hand in hand with content owners. Without their content, none of what Hulu does would be possible, including providing you content via Hulu.com and our many distribution partner websites.

The real reason though comes back to the threat Boxee represents. In a tight market where cable subscriptions are heading down and TV networks are bleeding advertisers, services such as Boxee offer TV or cable like convenience without the same costs, and likewise the revenue streams expected by old media. Boxee was too much of a substitute for Fox and NBC to handle, and in taking one step forward with Hulu itself, and now taking two steps back by locking up that content by restricting where it can be played.

The net result is easy to predict. More piracy of content, and NBC and Fox lose even more. A short sighted decision from myopic media companies.
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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Attorney General Eric Holder at the Department of Justice African American History Month Program

2009-02-19T19:25:00.002+05:30

The following remarks were delivered by Attorney General Eric Holder at the Department of Justice African American History Month Program: Every year, in February, we attempt to recognize and to appreciate black history. It is a worthwhile endeavor for the contributions of African Americans to this great nation are numerous and significant. Even as we fight a war against terrorism, deal with the reality of electing an African American as our President for the first time and deal with the other significant issues of the day, the need to confront our racial past, and our racial present, and to understand the history of African people in this country endures. One cannot truly understand America without understanding the historical experience of black people in this nation. Simply put, to get to the heart of this country, one must examine its racial soul. Full release

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Say, have you seen SEC-cited billionaire sleazebag "Sir Allen" Stanford? 'Cause it seems the feds don't know where he is -- or care a whole lot

2009-02-19T19:25:00.001+05:30

In case you didn't catch it, Howie added an update to yesterday's account of the charges by the SEC that billionaire sleazebag "Sir Allen" Stanford -- he claims to have picked up some sort of knighthood in Antigua -- had swindled investors out of who-knows-how-much out of some $8 billion worth of highly questionable CDs he sold. In that update, which I've reprinted below, sets out the details of our Sir's apparent escape-to-Antigua attempt via a rented private plane.

And sure enough, earlier today Bloomberg reported:
U.S. regulators don’t know the whereabouts of R. Allen Stanford, the billionaire accused of running a “massive, ongoing fraud” through his Houston-based Stanford Group Co., a Securities and Exchange Commission official said.

“We don’t know where he is, quite frankly,” said Rose Romero, director of the SEC’s office in Fort Worth, Texas.

Bloomberg also reported that Sir Allen "has six planes registered with the Federal Aviation Administration, according to the agency’s Web site," and that "Alfredo Perez, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshall’s office in Houston, which yesterday raided the company’s offices there, said he isn’t aware of any arrest warrant for Stanford." (The SEC's action was limited to filing a civil suit, though Bloomberg reported, "A federal judge in Dallas agreed to freeze assets and appoint a receiver to account for the roughly $8 billion investors spent on the CDs, according to the SEC.")

In his update, Howie also had some pointed questions regarding some of Sir Allen's famous connections. Here it is again:
WHAT, STILL NO ANKLE BRACELET?

CNBC reported this morning that "Sir" Allen tried to flee the U.S. on a private plane. Apparently he's desperate to reach the banana republic he owns a healthy chunk of but was foiled, neglecting to have sent a wire transfer to rent the getaway plane. He called them at 3pm and said he had to leave by 6pm for Antigua.

Does anyone know if Chuck Schumer and the other politicians who have aided and abetted Stanford in his offshore banking shenanigans have been asked about returning any of the million plus dollars he gave them as legalized bribes over the years? And since the SEC now says they don't know Stanford's whereabouts, I'm wondering if the FBI is on this. Or have his political connections given the word that he's allowed to escape?

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Obama Plans $75 Billion Outlay to Fight Foreclosures

2009-02-19T19:24:00.001+05:30

MESA, Ariz. — President Obama announced a plan on Wednesday to help as many as nine million American homeowners refinance their mortgages or avert foreclosure, saying that it would shore up housing prices, stabilize neighborhoods and slow a downward spiral that was “unraveling homeownership, the middle class and the American Dream itself.”

The plan, which was more ambitious and expensive than many housing analysts had expected, drew praise from consumer advocates as well as the financial industry.

It could ultimately cost taxpayers as much as $275 billion — $75 billion in direct spending to keep people in their homes and the rest in additional financial backing for the government-controlled mortgage giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

But analysts and administration officials alike cautioned that it would not come close to halting the tidal wave of foreclosures. Nor would it provide much help to millions of homeowners who are “under water,” or holding mortgages that are bigger that the market value of their houses.

“This plan will not save every home, but it will give millions of families resigned to financial ruin a chance to rebuild,” Mr. Obama told a crowd here, in one of the communities hardest hit by the housing crisis. “It will prevent the worst consequences of this crisis from wreaking even greater havoc on the economy. And by bringing down the foreclosure rate, it will help to shore up housing prices for everyone.”

Almost one in 10 home mortgages is either delinquent or in foreclosure, and analysts estimate that at as many as six million families could lose their homes over the next three years in the absence of government action.

The plan has three components. The first would help homeowners who are still current on their payments, but who are paying high interest rates and cannot refinance because they do not have enough equity in their homes, a problem afflicting growing numbers of people as housing values tumble.

A second component would assist about four million people who are at risk of losing their homes. It would provide incentives to lenders who alter the terms of loans to make them affordable for the troubled borrowers. A third component would try to increase the credit available for mortgages in general by giving $200 billion of additional financial backing to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Beyond luring lenders with government money, the plan also calls on Congress to give bankruptcy judges the power to change the terms of mortgages and reduce the monthly payments.

The banking industry has vehemently fought that proposal for more than a year, saying it would make investors unwilling to finance future mortgage lending. But Democratic leaders in Congress strongly support the idea and banking executives are putting up less resistance than before.

Republican lawmakers reacted cautiously to Mr. Obama’s plan. Representative John Boehner of Ohio, the House Republican leader, called it “an important step,” but raised questions.

“Does your plan compensate banks for the bad mortgages they should never have made in the first place?” Mr. Boehner asked. “Will individuals who misrepresented their income or assets on their original mortgage application be eligible to get taxpayer-funded assistance?”

Mr. Obama’s announcement came a day after he signed his $787 billion economic stimulus package, and administration officials said that the initiatives would work in tandem to stabilize the economy.

The plan will take effect March 4, when the administration publishes detailed rules explaining it.

Except for the provision that empowers bankruptcy judges, almost all the other elements can be enacted by Mr. Obama without further action by Congress.

To help the estimated four million homeowners in danger of foreclosure, Mr. Obama will create a $75 billion program to subsidize loan modifications that would reduce a family’s monthly payment to as little as 31 percent of its gross monthly income.

As envisioned, a mortgage lender would have to first make enough concessions to reduce a borrower’s payments to 38 percent of monthly income. To encourage lenders, the government would offer incentives, like a $1,000 upfront payment for every loan modified and more payments if the borrower stays current.

If the lender gets the monthly payments down to 38 percent of the borrower’s monthly income, the government would then match, dollar for dollar, additional reductions to bring the payment as low as 31 percent of monthly income.

The changes could be accomplished in several ways, from stretching out the repayment period of a loan to reducing the interest rate or reducing the outstanding principal.

But analysts noted that lenders, or the mortgage-servicing companies that administered the loan, would still have the last word on whether to make concessions. If a lender decides that the cost of the concessions is higher than the cost of foreclosing, even with the government subsidies, then a borrower would probably still lose the property.

A potentially big limitation on the rescue portion of Mr. Obama’s plan involves second mortgages. To avoid the need for a down payment, or to minimize the down payment, millions of people bought homes with piggy-back mortgages that went alongside the primary mortgages.

Administration officials said on Wednesday that their plan to help homeowners facing foreclosure did not deal with second mortgages. Because those second mortgages were often made by a different lender than the first mortgages, that could greatly complicate negotiations over a loan modification.

To help homeowners who can still keep up with their payments, but who may resent the idea of rescuing others, Mr. Obama’s plan would make it easier to refinance at today’s very low interest rates.

The plan would apply to people with fairly traditional loans that are owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — about 30 million homeowners. The new loans would not be subsidized, but borrowers would not need to have a 20 percent equity stake in the house.

Normally, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require that such borrowers pay private mortgage insurance, which can add hundreds of dollars to a monthly payment. Administration officials estimated that this portion of the plan could help 4 million to 5 million borrowers.

The big limitation of the refinancing portion of the plan is that it would not help borrowers who are current, but under water. It would only be available for mortgages that are not more than 5 percent above the current market value of the house. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com, estimated that the plan would help only a million of the 14 million homeowners who are under water.

A third, more vague component of the plan is aimed at propping up the mortgage market as a whole by having Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac step up their purchases of mortgages and mortgage-backed securities.
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Under fire, Burris refuses to resign Senate seat

2009-02-19T19:23:00.000+05:30

“Despite calls for his resignation, Sen. Roland W. Burris (D-Ill.) made clear Wednesday that he intends to fight. Burris, appointed to fill President Obama’s Senate seat, is under investigation for repeatedly changing his story about contacts with associates of then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D). But he insisted that his hands are clean. … Burris has offered five varying explanations — three of them under oath — of his contacts with associates of Blagojevich, who was charged Dec. 9 with taking part in a bribery conspiracy that included trying to sell Obama’s former seat.” (02/18/09)

Link: http://adjix.com/628t

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New York Post publishes extremely racist political cartoon

2009-02-19T19:22:00.002+05:30

Cartoonist Sean Delonas and the New York Post don't think this is offensive at all.

The New York Post is standing behind a cartoon that some have interpreted as comparing President Barack Obama to a violent chimpanzee gunned down by police.
The cartoon in Wednesday's Post by Sean Delonas shows two police officers standing over the body of a bullet-riddled chimp. One of the officers says to the other, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

You can find contact information for Sean Delonas and New York Post's Managing Editor Jesse Angelo here.

Linkin: Julia Roberts Children, New York Post Chimp Cartoon, Painted Babies, More

2009-02-19T19:22:00.001+05:30

Julia Roberts is out on the stump promoting her new movie and talking about her kids, motherhood and marriage to husband, Danny Moder. The full-time mom (except for when she's working) has said that it should be illegal to take pictures of celebrity children, but I guess it's OK to sell your own pictures as she did in 2005 or to trot them out to promote your current film entitled, um, Duplicity. In other shocking news...the NY Post publishes a cartoon that critics claim represents Obama as a chimp, Little Miss Perfect is a new show about child beauty pageant contestants, girls and boys really do marry their parents (or people who resemble them), the preschooler essentials before you leave the house, and a fashion-garden mash up that benefits everyone. Find out now!
Julia Roberts is out on the stump promoting her new movie Duplicity and talking about her kids, motherhood and marriage to husband Danny Moder. (Celebrity Baby Blog)
Did the NY Post call Obama a chimpanzee? (Huffington Post)
Little Miss Perfect is the new WE show about "painted babies," child beauty show contestants and their completely not living through their children parents. Check out clips from the first episode. (Extra)
So as it turns out, little girls really do marry their daddies. Let’s hope that’s good news. (Stollerderby)
When you have a preschooler it’s easier to over pack when leaving the house than to under pack. Trying to get it just right? See if you would choose the same three items as the readers of simple mom. (Simple Mom)
What happens when Brooklyn Industries teams up with the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens? This!
Jodi Nelson Call also writes for Pistols and Popcorn. Check out her latest article here.

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Hands off Tristan und Isolde!

2009-02-19T19:21:00.001+05:30

We just saw Tristan at the Chicago Lyric Opera, with David Hockney's magnificent 1987 set designs (click to enlarge).

What a work it is. Somehow, though it is one of my favorite works of art in any medium, I had never seen it performed live before. I've been wandering around in a daze ever since. Even after his break with Wagner, Nietzsche affirmed the greatness of Tristan: “Even now," he said, "I am still in search of a work which exercises such a dangerous fascination, such a spine-tingling and blissful infinity as Tristan — I have sought in vain, in every art.” He was right, as he usually was about works of art.

I guess one reason I was not over-eager to see it in the flesh is that you never seem to see Wagner performed nowadays unless the production deliberately distorts the work in some way or other. Shakespeare also gets this sort of special treatment: The Tempest presented as a criticism of British imperialism, etc. Chicago's Wagner performances have been especially egregious in this regard. Several years ago they had the amazing chutzpah to present The Flying Dutchman with a conventional happy ending. Instead of the Dutchman's ship sinking beneath the waves and Senta hurling herself off a cliff, they had the happy couple walking arm in arm down the beach, presumably to get married and raise 2.5 children. Then there was that unforgettably awful staging of the Ring, in which the Ride of the Valkyries was indicated by girls jumping on trampolines.

One reason I thought I could afford to see Tristan at last is that I saw Hockney's designs: they do bear some resemblance or relation to what Wagner intended us to see on the stage.

Of course, since this is Chicago, the producers could not resist messing with the work. At the end, as Isolde sings the Liebostod, they had her standing with arms raised exultantly, a gesture that philosopher Roger Scruton has compared to that of a football player doing an end-zone victory dance. Then, instead of her collapsing and dying in ecstasy, they had her, through a trick of lighting, disappear.

Scruton thinks this messing-with-the-text is not a matter of childish vandalism, but an inevitable result of the fact that there are ideas in Wagner, such as religious self-sacrifice, that are no longer available to modern audiences, except "between quotation-marks."

He's partly right of course, but I don't think this explanation is sufficiently general. It doesn't seem to explain why the same sorts of people mess with Shakespeare.

Personally, I lean toward the childish vandalism theory, though I admit that it is not much of an explanation. It leaves questions unanswered. Regardless of what you think of Wagner, isn't it obvious that you should be more interested in hearing what he thinks of love, death, and redemption, than in hearing what some Chicago opera producer thinks? And how on Earth could that producer possibly ignore that obvious fact? How can such people possibly have the temerity to substitute their ideas for his?
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Framed Documents #029: Breaker Morant

2009-02-19T19:19:00.002+05:30

Lieutenant Handcock (Bryan Brown) composes a last letter to his wife from the condemned cell in Breaker Morant:

Dear Polly

I have but an hour [...] cast and altho my brain [...] for four long weary months I [...] from wanting you a few last [...] going to find out the grand secret [...] will face my God with the firm belief [...] innocent of murder and I obeyed my orders [...] and served my King as I thought best.

If I over steped [sic] my duty I can only ask my People & country for forgiveness.

Take care of little Allison for me at all costs. They You were my greatest comforts [sic] at home & my greatest trouble now. I hope my country will see my children cared for. I will die brave for the sake of all. God forgive any enemys [sic]. I give you peace for ever. I have not heard if my brother Eugene was killed in the wretched war or not. But if not tell him [...] will I have gone to rest. Tell Willie & Peter to be good to their sister. God be with you in your trouble.

Your loving husband

Peter Handcock

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Carmen Sucart said Yuri Sucart is Alex Rodriguez’s cousin

2009-02-19T19:19:00.001+05:30

uri Sucart is Alex Rodriguez’s cousin, who A-Rod claimed provided and injected him with steroids from 2001 – 2003. Yuri Sucart is a resident of Miami. Carmen Sucart, the wife of Yuri, confirmed that her husband was the man Rodriguez had referred to who had injected him with boli (steroid Primobolan).

Yuri Sucart is Rodriguez’s close friend and part of his entourage when he travels. Carmen Sucart has refused to elaborate further on her husband and said whatever Rodriguez revealed in his press conference was all there was to tell.

Carmen Sucart said Yuri Sucart is Alex Rodriguez’s cousin - news link. There are more puzzling implications which are discussed in the link.

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jimmy brooks + lykke li =

2009-02-19T19:18:00.000+05:30

source: youtube.com + my own collage i made with pics found awhile back

Julia: Dan Keeps Me Hot

2009-02-19T19:12:00.000+05:30

We haven't heard much from Julia Roberts in a while.

And we must say, we've missed her.

So when we heard that she'd been chatting about all things love to Allure magazine, our ears started ringing.

41-year-old Jules says she owes her youthful good looks to her cameraman hubby of six years, Danny Moder.

She says that it's Dan's love for her that keeps her looking young and luminous.

"The key to beauty is always to be looking at someone who loves you, really," she told Allure magazine.

"One of my favourite
Danny Moder and Julia Roberts
things about my children right now, even Henry, who can't say all the words... sometimes he'll see me and go, 'Mama' and throw himself on me. Or Finn says he likes my earrings. Or Hazel will say, 'You look pretty, Mama,' first thing in the morning.

"And I realise, that's all my husband. They're seeing the things that he does and the way that he shares his feelings with me, and the way that I share my feelings with him.

"The coolest thing you can do for your children is to love each other in their presence."

Jules has recently headed back to work after a four year hiatus in which she concentrated on raising her four-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, and Henry, 20 months.

And she said it wasn't all smooth-sailing, especially when a crew member put his foot in it on the set of her new film, Duplicity.

"Just when you think you're getting your s**t together, someone says, 'When is your baby due?' I had Henry on my hip, and it was like, 'This is my baby.'

"It hurt my feelings so bad. I think the second-meanest thing you can say to somebody is, 'You look tired.' Why do people say that? Just tell me I look like a mom. Don't tell me I look tired."

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Nirmalamma Passed Away

2009-02-19T18:53:00.001+05:30

Famous Telugu actress Nirmalamma passed away on Thursday morning in Hyderabad. She was 89. This gifted actress got recognition as a natural artiste who immortalised hundreds of mother and grandmother characters. Nirmalamma has been an innevitable part of Telugu film for decades.

She began her acting career in 1950 with a Telugu film ‘Garudagarvabhangam’ at the age of 16. She has acted in almost a 1000 films. She got FiImfare award for the best character artiste.

Her important films include Shankarabharam, Yamagola, Padiharella Vayassu, Shubhasankalpam, Apadbandhavudu, Swathimythyam and many more. After acting in Chiranjeevi starrer Sneham Kosam, Nirmalamma almost stopped acting in movies.

She had been suffering from ailments related to old age. On Thursday morning she was rushed to hospital after her health deteriorated where she breathed her last.

The film industry has expressed grief over the demise of the blessed actress.

Chiru About Nirmalamma Videos

Elizabeth Wong's Nude Photos And Videos Victim Of Scandal In Malaysia Politics

2009-02-18T19:56:00.001+05:30

Outspoken Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong lodged a police report at the Damansara police station here Sunday night over nude pictures and videos of her that have been circulating via MMS.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, Wong said that the distribution and publication of these photos/ video was a malicious attack.
“This constitutes a gross outrage on my modesty, a gross invasion of my privacy, and in particular the sanctity of my personal life,” she said (see statement in full below).
“I have received a lot of support from my supporters, friends, colleagues and members of my constituency. I wish to thank them for their concern, support and encouragement.
“My family members are standing behind me. I would like to appeal to the media to give me and my family members some breathing space in this trying time so that I can weather this huge challenge,” she added.
OCPD Asst Comm Arjunaidi Mohamed confirmed a report was lodged and that police were investigating.

He appealed anyone who has received or seen the nude pictures of Wong to come forward and cooperate with the police.
"We don't have the pictures and we have not seen them, either," he said.
The pictures are believed to have been taken using a handphone, possibly before the general election last March.
Police sources said that the Commercial Crimes Division has been put in charge of the investigation.
Wong won the Bukit Lanjan seat with a majority of over 5,000, the second largest majority won by a PKR state assembly candidate in Selangor.
She was later appointed a member of the Selangor state executive council, in charge of Tourism, Consumer Affairs and the Environment. She is also the information chief of the Women’s wing of PKR and of her division Petaling Jaya Utara.
As at press time, she had not commented on the issue on her blog.
Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim urged the police to conduct a proper investigation into the matter.
He told reporters at the Parliament lobby in Kuala Lumpur that the Selangor state executive council would discuss the matter during its meeting on Wednesday.
“Someone is trying to frame her," said Khalid, adding that he was waiting for the police report before commenting further.
“The party will discuss the matter with regard to her status. It is unfair to make any decision at this moment without any information," he said.
PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said she would look into the matter and said she felt sad that it happened.
“There is a pattern of PKR assemblymen being attacked,” she said, alleging that the ruling coalition Barisan nasional has had its share of scandals too.
Selangor exco member and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said she had nightmares after learning about the incident.
“This is like invading a person’s privacy and the incident took place at her home.
“The whole incident could be politically motivated,” said Kok, adding that there must be someone purposely circulating the photos.
“She did not do anything that is against the people’s wishes. She is a victim and I support her," said Kok.
Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) said the party would wait for Wong to explain the situation to the Selangor mentri besar.
“We don’t want to know if these are old or new nude pictures. She must explain to us and if she is really guilty of having posed or was involved in the taking of these pictures, we will not hesitate to take action.
“But we don’t want to make any speculation as yet,” he said, adding that he had earlier discussed the matter with both Khalid and Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“And they both agreed that we should not compromise on any disciplinary action. We will leave it to the mentri besar to decide if she is guilty or not as he is the head of the state,” he said.

OHIO LOTTERY

2009-02-18T19:55:00.000+05:30

OHIO LOTTERY

• Wednesday's Classic Lotto:
11, 13, 15, 17, 39, 49; no $11.3 million jackpot winner. Saturday's jackpot: $11.5 million.

• Wednesday's Rolling Cash 5 : 5, 10, 17, 23, 30; at least one $130,000 jackpot winner. Tonight's jackpot: $100,000.

• Wednesday's Pick 3 number (midday drawing): 120.

• Pick 3 number (evening drawing): 889.

• Wednesday's Pick 4 number (midday drawing): 5573.

• Pick 4 numbers (evening drawing): 5274.

• Wednesday's Ten-OH! numbers (midday drawing): 7, 12, 16, 19, 23, 28, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38, 47, 48, 53, 57, 60, 64, 66, 73, 79.

• Wednesday's Ten-OH! numbers (evening drawing): 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 12, 16, 18, 29, 31, 34, 37, 38, 39, 52, 59, 61, 69, 74, 77.

• Tuesday's Rolling Cash 5: 7, 24, 25, 30, 35.

• Tuesday's Kicker: 892363.

• No Tuesday Mega Millions winners. Friday's estimated jackpot: $21 million.

• Tuesday's Mega Millions: 1, 9, 10, 35, 46. Mega ball: 9.

2 tickets with 5 numbers, $250,000 each; 13 with 4 numbers plus Mega ball, $10,000 each; 913 with 4 numbers, $150 each; 1,244 with 3 numbers plus Mega ball, $150 each; 20,316 with 2 numbers plus the Mega ball, $10 each; 53,157 with 3 numbers, $7 each; 113,221 with 1 number plus the Mega ball, $3 each; 199,179 with Mega ball, $2 each.

For Ohio Lottery payout figures, visit http://www.ohiolottery.com.

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Next-gen cell phone stars shine

2009-02-18T19:54:00.001+05:30

Samsung really pulled out the stops this year in terms of innovation, and one of the most unusual handsets in its lineup is the Blue Earth, which the company bills as "the first solar-powered full-touch phone." It has a solar panel on the back and comes with a couple of eco-conscious applications, including an eco-walk calculator that uses a built-in pedometer to figure out how many steps you've taken -- and then calculates how much CO₂ emission you've saved by walking instead of driving.

Even the packaging for the phone is eco-friendly (made from recycled paper), and its charger (for when there's not enough sun to power the device) is rated five-star energy efficient and uses less than 0.03 watts of standby power.

The Blue Earth is made from recycled PCM plastic, extracted from water bottles, and (according to Samsung) is "free from harmful substances such as Brominated Flame Retardant, Beryllium and Phthalate." Kind of makes you wonder whether the rest of the phones we use typically have this evil-sounding stuff in them.

Source:

Street Fighter IV (PS3)

2009-02-18T19:53:00.000+05:30

Street Fighter III was a hard sell for both fans of the series and new challengers alike. While the legendary Street Fighter II was a global phenomenon that launched action figures, aniamted shows, and a wonderfully cheesy live-action movie, the series' third installment was much less popular than Capcom had hoped. Thankfully, Street Fighter IV evens the playing field for a wide range of potential players with a spectacular fighting engine that creates an incredibly accessible experience. Don't know how to parry attacks, juggle combo, or fire off an EX attack? To have a blast in SFIV, you don't have to -- just pick up a controller, throw a punch, and let the good times roll in this easily accessible, yet equally deep brawling experience!

Skype VoIP Software Will Be Integrated into Nokia Devices

2009-02-18T19:52:00.000+05:30

Furthering Nokia's aim to integrate its devices with more online services, Nokia and Skype have announced a partnership in which Skype functionality will be integrated into future Nokia devices.

The upcoming Nokia N97 will be the first device to include Skype's presence, VoIP, and IM functionality. This will not be made as a separate application, but be integrated into the built-in address book.

"Collaborating closely with Nokia to pre-load and integrate our software onto their devices will benefit the many Nokia customers who already use Skype, as it makes Skype easily accessible and simple to use on the go. It will also bring Skype new users who love Nokia's Symbian S60 experience," said Scott Durchslag, Skype's CEO.

Today's announcement is big news for Nokia users, as there is no Skype client for Symbian S60.

More about Skype
Skype is a VoIP service which lets users talk to other Skype users for free over Wi-Fi or 3G connections, and also enables low-cost voice calls to landlines. In addition, it offers instant messaging with Skype and other IM services.

Users need to purchase minutes via major credit cards or PayPal in order to make calls to regular phones.

There are also versions of Skype for Windows Mobile and Nokia Internet Tablets, as well as Windows and Mac OS X.

Source: Nokia

Greens Give Thumbs Up To GSMA's Universal Phone Charger

2009-02-18T19:51:00.001+05:30

The GSMA's plan to implement an industry-wide standard for a universal mobile phone charger by 2012 is "great news," but standardizing power supplies across the full spectrum of consumer electronic products still requires aggressive action, according to one very interested vendor of such products.

"We've been at this for three years, evangelizing the need for interoperable power supplies," said Paul Panepinto, sales and marketing chief at San Ramon, Calif.-based Green Plug. "Without a doubt, things need to happen more quickly. It personally offends me that the average user [of CE products] throws away 300 power adapters in their lifetime."

At the GSMA's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday, the industry group said that 17 of its members have agreed to a universal charging solution (UCS) for mobile phones based around Micro-USB as the charging interface. Green Plug, manufacturer of a "universal connector" that pairs any electronic device with any power supply, hopes the GMSA and bodies like the Open Handset Alliance will call for similar standards for other devices -- from printers to cordless power tools, Panepinto said.

Why all the concern? The company cites recent studies that found 3.2 billion new power supplies being manufactured worldwide in 2008 even as some two billion older ones were going into landfill.

"Nobody benefits from this, not consumers, not manufacturers, not the environment," Panepinto said.

To achieve more standardization like Tuesday's GSMA initiative, he's hoping Green Plug can secure a big-name vendor win for its GreenTalk protocol.

"We need a major adopter to drive this market forward. We have to get to a tipping point and others will follow. We hope that HP and Sony are listening. We hope Wal-Mart puts up a quote [supporting Green Plug's efforts] on our Web site," Panepinto said.

Source:

Prosecutor drops a charge in Pirate Bay case

2009-02-18T19:50:00.000+05:30

Huge win for the Pirate Bay in the Swedish prosecution of the BitTorrent search engine: The prosecutor has dropped one of the major charges against the four men who run the Bay, IT World reports.

Prosecutors dropped a charge for aiding in the copying of copyright works, because they couldn’t prove copies of the content were made. The music industry blustered:

It’s a largely technical issue that changes nothing in terms of our compensation claims and has no bearing whatsoever on the main case against The Pirate Bay. In fact it simplifies the prosecutor’s case by allowing him to focus on the main issue, which is the making available of copyrighted works,” [industry lawyer Peter Danowsky] said in a statement.

Ummmm … “making available”? I have no idea what Swedish law says, although I believe European law comports with U.S. Copyright law, which pretty clearly has been interpreted as requiring an actual distribution. Read back on the fate of the “making available” theory here and here and here.

Evidence presented on Tuesday included screenshots showing computers were connected to The Pirate Bay’s tracker, or software that coordinates P-to-P (peer-to-peer) file sharing. But a majority of the screenshots show that The Pirate Bay was actually down at the time and that the client connections timed out. The clients, or peers, were still connecting with each other, but through a distributed hash table, another protocol for coordinating downloads unrelated to The Pirate Bay.

Source:

Facebook's Fine-Print Fiasco

2009-02-18T19:49:00.000+05:30

It's always a good idea to pay attention to the service terms on social media sites. The importance of reading the fine print became especially clear over the President's Day weekend during a brouhaha over social network Facebookand recent changes to the of service users must sign digitally before joining.

Initially, users paid little heed to a move by Facebook in early February to update its terms of service, announced with a brief note on the company blog by legal representative Suzie White, who said Facebook "simplified and clarified a lot of information that applies to you." At issue is the clause that says users, by signing on, give Facebook "an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license" to use, retain, and display content posted to the site. Facebook removed language saying that the license expires when a user leaves the site.

DEFENDING THE POLICY

On Feb. 15, The Consumerist, a consumer blog, called attention to the changes, saying, "Now, anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later."

Amid the ensuing uproar in the blogosphere and on Facebook's own profile pages, Facebook executives took pains to clarify the changes. A spokesman pointed out in an e-mail that the company wouldn't use information in a way that goes against the privacy settings outlined by users. For instance, it wouldn't publicly show a photo that a user wished to be shared only with friends. "Any limitations that a user puts on display of the relevant content are respected by Facebook," a company representative pointed out in an e-mail.

Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said in a blog entry that his company's policies are comparable to those of e-mail service providers. "When a person shares something like a message with a friend, two copies of that information are created—one in the person's sent messages box and the other in their friend's inbox," Zuckerberg wrote. "Even if the person deactivates their account, their friend still has a copy of that message. We think this is the right way for Facebook to work, and it is consistent with how other services like e-mail work."

HOW FACEBOOK STACKS UP AGAINST OTHERS

But how comparable are Facebook's service terms to those of other social media sites? Legal and privacy experts say Facebook is giving itself wider latitude in how it can use content than several other companies that rely on user-generated content. Retaining rights to content after the user has left is unprecedented for a social media site, says David Ardia, director of the Citizen Media Law Project at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. Licenses granted to News Corp.'s (NWS) social network MySpace, Google's (GOOG) video-sharing site YouTube, Yahoo's (YHOO) photo-sharing site Flickr, and the microblogging site Twitter "end at the time a user terminates his or her account—or within a reasonable time after termination," Ardia says. "In this regard, Facebook's new terms of use are a significant departure."

Source:

brushy mountain

2009-02-17T20:27:00.000+05:30

PHOTOS OF GRANT AND TAMIA HILL AND MICHAEL STRAHAN AT NASH BASH AT NBA ALL STAR WEEKEND IN SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA

2009-02-17T20:26:00.002+05:30

Sky Nellor / Supermodel, DJ / Photos by Diana Levine

2009-02-17T20:26:00.001+05:30

Sky Nellor [Supermodel, DJ]
Photo by: Diana Levine
http://www.dianalevine.com
Contact Diana for full set/licencing info:
dianaroselevine@gmail.com

The Frustrating History of Dave Eggers Film Adaptations

2009-02-17T20:25:00.000+05:30

It’s kind of crazy that no film studio has yet to successfully adapted one of Dave Eggers’ books for the big screen. Considering he’s been a literary rock star since the release of his breakout memoir, 2000’s “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” it seems to reason that we’d have seen at least one of his books hit the big screen by now. Is it possible that Eggers’ work is somehow too literary to make for an easy adaptation? In search of an answer, we investigated the status of his books’ journeys to the big screen. Read on for the latest info, plus the scoop on a couple of other film projects he’s involved with. And keep your fingers crossed that we’ll get to see one of his books on the big screen soon.

A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS
In 2002, New Line pictures optioned Eggers’ award-winning memoir about raising his younger brother after the death of their parents. The property spent several years in development and a screenplay was penned by fellow one-time “it” author Nick Hornby and D.V. DeVincentis, but the project eventually evaporated. “The option ran out,” he told Entertainment Weekly in a 2007 interview. “So that will probably be the end of that.”

YOU SHALL KNOW OUR VELOCITY!
Miguel Arteta (”The Good Girl”) is attached to direct the film adaptation of Eggers’ first novel, the story of a pair of childhood friends who travel the globe giving away the large sum of money one of them is uncomfortable with having earned — a plot at least partially inspired by Eggers’ own overnight success in the literary world. “With the ‘Velocity’ movie,” Eggers told Entertainment Weekly about the production, “We’re talking very, very small numbers. It’s a small independent production company.” Wells Tower, a contributor to The Believer, will write the screenplay.

WHAT IS THE WHAT
Tom Twyker (”Run Lola Run”) is involved in the big-screen version of “What Is the What,” the semi-fictionalized biography of a Sudanese refugee who journeys from his village in Sudan to Ethiopia, Kenya and eventually to the U.S.

Other film projects:
In addition to “Away We Go,” which he wrote with his wife, and which will be directed by Sam Mendes (”Revolutionary Road”) and star John Krasinksi and Maya Rudolph, Eggers himself has been hard at work on an adaptation of his own — Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are,” which Spike Jonze is directing. The film, which is a mix of live-action, CGI and animatronics, was originally being made for Universal, but after the studio and Jonze clashed, he brought it to Warner Bros. It cost a reported $80 million, and at one point, the troubled production was rumored to be re-shooting nearly the entire film. “The jury is still out on this one,” Alan Horn, President of Warner Bros, told the L.A. Times. “But we remain confident that Spike is going to figure things out and at the end of the day we’ll have an artistically compelling movie.” Karen O from the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs is on board to create the soundtrack and Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini and Forest Whitaker will star.

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Sluti portrayal airs Sunday

2009-02-17T20:24:00.000+05:30

EARNEY — The made-for-TV movie about the 2001 kidnapping of Anne Sluti of Kearney will air at 7 p.m. Sunday.

The 88-minute movie based on the true story of Sluti’s April 6, 2001, kidnapping will appear on the Lifetime Movie Network. The channel is available only to Charter digital customers on Channel 302.

Viewers with basic and expanded basic cable do not receive LMN because that channel is part of the digital view package.

James van der Beek, left, plays Tony Zappa in a television drama about the 2001 kidnapping of Anne Sluti from Kearney’s Hilltop Mall. Canadian actress Sara Canning plays Sluti. The movie will be broadcast Sunday." vspace="2" width="400" border="0" height="267" hspace="0">

The show will air on DirecTV Channel 253 and Dish Network Channel 109, depending on individual customer plans.

“Taken in Broad Daylight” focuses on Sluti’s six-day survival: how she outsmarted her captor, Tony Zappa of St. Paul, Minn.; how she left evidence for law enforcement along the way; and how she kept her wits to ultimately help negotiate her safe release.

A preview of the show can be seen by going to www.lmn.tv and typing “Taken in Broad Daylight” in the search engine.

Filming began Sept. 22 near Winnipeg, Manitoba, and wrapped Oct. 16.

Of the more than 100 law enforcement officers between Kearney and Montana involved in Sluti’s case, there are only two fictional characters portrayed in the drama: FBI Detective Reynolds and a detective and hostage negotiator, Mike Timbrook, who is played by actor LeVar Burton.

Sluti, now 24, is a quality engineer in Indiana at Boston Scientific, where urology medical products are manufactured. Zappa, now 38, is in federal custody near Tucson, Ariz.
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Amber Frey & Bobby Hernandez: Frey & Hernandez divorce

2009-02-17T20:23:00.002+05:30

Amber Frey, better known as the former girlfriend of Scott Peterson, filed for divorce from her husband, Bobby Hernandez. Frey cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for her divorce.

The background story on Amber Frey and Scott Peterson.

Photo of Amber Frey.

Amber Frey has troubles on her home.

Video: Shaq Grooves With Jabbawockeez

2009-02-17T20:23:00.001+05:30

Jabbawockeez + Shaq = pure hilarity. NBA FanHouse's Brett Pollakoff detailed Shaq's exciting performance at the All-Star Game, which included one of the most memorable introductions ever (video after the jump).

The masked 15-time All-Star busted a move with the dance troupe that won Season 1 of America's Best Dance Crew during the opening, and was later named co-MVP after the game.
Big Baryshnikov's shifty moves definitely impressed Kobe. "On the dance floor that'd be an A-plus," Bryant said. "That size moving and all that ... and he didn't show you the windmill. He can still windmill."

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Power Animals: The Parrot

2009-02-17T20:22:00.000+05:30

The parrot as a healer would be representative of both a colour therapist and a speech therapist. Parrot is a magical totem that teaches us that the world is full of possibility. The role of the parrot is that of a linguist opening communication centers. When parrot totem appears look to see if you need assistance in understanding views that are different from your own. It may be time to widen your horizons or sign up for a class to learn a new language

With its brightly coloured feathers, the parrot is considered a bird of the sun. The attributes of colour and association with the life-giving sun are what gives it its magic. Parrot feathers can be used in prayer sticks for powerful healing rites and also to invoke the energies of the sun at any time of the year.

Some parrots are taught to mimic humans. Because of this ability, the parrot is considered a link or bridge between the bird kingdom and the human one. In this sense, parrots can be viewed as ambassadors, diplomats, or interpreters for the bird realm. They have a magic that can awaken a diplomacy within and enable you to understand others more effectively.

In the Pueblo tradition, parrots are associated with the gathering of salt. Salt was a precious commodity, and the places where salt was found, were considered a gift from the sun. Since the parrot was a bird of the sun to the Pueblo, there is that correlation. But the most noticeable attribute of parrots is its bright colours. Anyone with a parrot as totem should study colours and their effects. Thus the parrot can be a wonderful teacher of the power of light and colour.

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Things That Keep Me From Sleeping At Night

2009-02-17T20:21:00.001+05:30

(1) Do you think that Jerry Mathers ever got a day at Penn State's Beaver Stadium?

(2) And speaking of Penn State....why is it called Penn State when its in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania?

(3) Pink Floyd....which one's pink?

(4) The Utah Jazz....yeah, when I think about Utah, its always about Brigham Young, the Great Salt Lake, and Miles Davis.

(5) If God Created Man in His Own Image? Lemmy Kilmister of MOTORHEAD.

(6) Kudos to the heroes of Flight 3407, not losing a single passenger in the emergency crash into the Hudson River. Sadly, all their luggage was reported as "late" or "missing".

(7) If ESPN's Trey Wingo married Drey Mingo, of the University of Maryland's women's basketball team, would Mrs. Wingo be called Drey Mingo Wingo? And when they get old, would Mr Wingo and Ms. Mingo Wingo get to spend their Golden Years playing Bingo?

(8) I found out recently that under most circumstances Medicare will not pay for most hearing aids used by most elderly patients. I suppose the logic is that if Grandpa can't hear what's going on he'll be less likely to break into the conversation with the same story you've heard at least fifty times.

(9) A very simple two-pronged way to end the economic crisis and get people to spend again- first, have Congress declare a Christmas, Part II for sometime in July, a Little Valentine's Day in September, and Son of Mother's Day for August. Bill O'Reilly and Fox News could fight their war on those heathens who declared war on Christmas twice in the same year, keeping conservatives happy. And second, the Department of Treasury can send notices to all of the people who bought those mass marketed Barack Obama "collectibles", and tell them the actual value of those items.....then give the people envelopes, like the guys who buy the used gold in the infomercials, and send them to the US Treasury in exchange for a US Savings Bond....savings....what a concept!

And the economy is saved. See, I'm not wasting my time online.

(10) If God Created Man In His Own Image, Pt2....Keith Richards

Wow!!!! That last one even scared me. I'm going to try to get some sleep.

Lincoln Tops List of Past Presidents

2009-02-17T20:20:00.001+05:30

He saved the Union.

One Hundred and forty-five years after he became president, Abraham Lincoln appears at the top of a list published by CNN.com that ranks the nation's presidents. Using a list of categories, each president from George Washington to George W. Bush was ranked. When combined, it was quite easy to see who bubbled to the top AND who wallowed in the dregs of the rankings.

It's still a little early to judge the presidency of George W., but as one would expect, he came near the bottom of the list; he was number 36.

Abraham Lincoln came out on top based on his leadership (during the Civil War), moral authority (on the issue of slavery), and vision (keeping the United States together). James Buchanan (who?) came in dead last for his lack of leadership (he squandered the opportunity to address the slavery issue during the 1850's), moral authority (slavery again), vision (that peculiar institution in the south), and job performance (because of you know what).

All 42 presidents (remember that Coolidge's two terms were separated by Roosevelt, but he's only ranked once in the survey) were scored in the following categories:

HTC proudly shows off Touch Diamond2, Touch Pro2

2009-02-17T20:18:00.002+05:30

HTC has just unveiled the Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2, upgraded versions of the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro respectively.

The Touch Diamond2 features a larger 3.2-inch QVGA touchscreen display with touch zoom bar, 5-megapixel camera, and a new and improved version of Touch FLO 3D. Design-wise, HTC decided to go back to basics with a slightly less flashy but nonetheless still stylish casing for the Touch Diamond2 as compared to its predecessor.

The Touch Pro2, on the other hand, is the more impressive upgrade of the two. It features a large 3.6-inch WVGA display with touch zoom bar, an improved QWERTY keyboard design, the new TouchFLO 3D with Straight Talk (a new UI that combines all communications into a single interface), and a new feature that activates speakerphone functionality when the phone is turned upside down.

It also comes with a mute button at the back so you can easily put it on mute mode when using it as a speakerphone in a conference. It’s also now housed in an even more stylish design and features a tilt design so that it’s ergonomically easier to use as well. The only thing that got left out at the upgrade party is its camera, but I guess 5-megapixels is still pretty impressive even by today’s standards.
Look for both phones to hit the European market sometime in the second quarter of 2009. Early summer is the target release date for major markets across the globe. Pricing is yet to be determined, but if I were you, I’d start saving up right now as these two look tempting to say the least.

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FA Cup: Eduardo back with a bang

2009-02-17T20:18:00.001+05:30

Eduardo da Silva enjoyed a dream return as the Brazilian-born Croatian striker scored twice in Arsenal's 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round replay win over Cardiff, exactly 359 days after suffering the horrendous injury which had threatened to end his career.

Playing his first club match since suffering a double compound fracture of his leg nearly a year ago, Eduardo headed the Gunners in front on 20 minutes after Carlos Vela struck a cross from the left.

The home side doubled their advantage in the 34th minute when Nicklas Bendtner outjumped three Cardiff defenders to head Samir Nasri's corner into the far corner of the net.

Seconds before half-time they should have been even further ahead but Bendtner somehow missed an open goal after Tom Heaton could only parry Eduardo's shot.

In the 60th minute, Cardiff midfielder Gavin Rae was adjudged to have fouled Eduardo in the box and referee Mark Halsey pointed to the spot. Eduardo stepped up himself and slotted home calmly for his second.

Eduardo nearly had a hat trick a few minutes later but saw Heaton make another save before the striker was substituted to a standing ovation.

The man who replaced Eduardo, Robin van Persie, got his name on the scoresheet in the 89th minute after Bendtner's throughball found the Dutch international who blasted the ball past Heaton with his right foot.

Van Persie also hit the post in injury time with a header, but by then the damage had already been done.

Arsenal now have a chance for revenge against Burnley - the team who knocked them out of this season's Carling Cup.

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Michael Phelps And Bong Buddies Off The Hook

2009-02-17T20:17:00.001+05:30

The smoke has cleared for Michael Phelps!

After arresting eight people who attended the November party where the infamous Phelps bong photo was taken, Richland County sheriff Leon Lott announced today that his investigation failed to produce enough evidence to prosecute anyone, including Phelps. Here is what Phelps had to say:

“I’m glad this matter is put to rest. But there are also some important lessons that I’ve learned. For me, it’s all about recognizing that I used bad judgment and it’s a mistake I won’t make again. For young people especially – be careful about the decisions you make. One bad decision can really hurt you and the people you care about.”

One fallen hero story resolved. Stick around to see what happens to A-Rod and Chris Brown…

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The Milkshakes - "Shimmy Shimmy" & "Pretty Baby"

2009-02-17T20:16:00.000+05:30

Pakistan army vows to hold fire in Swat

2009-02-17T20:13:00.003+05:30

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's military on Tuesday vowed to hold fire and respect a controversial agreement signed between the government and militants to enforce Islamic law in the violence-torn Swat valley.

"The army works on the government's orders. The government has given it orders to hold fire. The army will not take any offensive action," chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told. The army will "certainly" respect the agreement, he said. "The army went there (Swat) at the request of the government. Whenever the government feels normalcy has been restored and the writ of government has been re-established, it will leave," added Abbas.

Monday's deal, widely seen as a government concession but billed by the authorities as a chance to restore peace to Swat, was signed between provincial ministers and a pro-Taliban but relatively moderate cleric, Soofi Mohammad.

TWD- Devil's Food White Out Cupcakes

2009-02-17T20:13:00.001+05:30

This weeks Tuesday's with Dorie recipe was chosen by Stephanie, who blogs over at Confessions of a City Eater. The recipe she chose was Devil's Food White Out Cake, which is the cake that is on the cover of Dorie's Baking book.

Yes, that lovely 3-layer cake with tons of billowy marshmallow frosting. You might be wondering where that beautiful cake is? Well, I turned the triple layer goodness into cupcakes and made a different frosting. Its not that I didn't want to make the gorgeous cake, but my hubby wanted some treats to take to work and cupcakes are easier to distribute than cake. And, I am all for giving the baked goods away. Then I can enjoy the process of baking but don't have to worry about eating all of the baked goodness.

I have made Dorie's marshmallow frosting before, when I made these Lime Cupcakes for Cupcake Hero. It is really good, light and fluffy, but it took me forever to get the sugar syrup to the right temperature and well, I was in a hurry this time. My hubby requested treats as he was leaving for work and asked if I could have them ready by 1. Not really a problem, but since I was making these cupcakes and 2 other cookies, I didn't have all day to stand there and wait for the frosting to come together. Plus, after making Peabody's to die for Chocolate Malted Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting, I decided that my absolute favorite frosting for cupcakes is sweetened whipped cream. I just started whipping some cream and added alot of powdered sugar and vanilla. You can get great height and the frosting is always light, well at least it tastes light. I have to say that the actual cake (I tasted a crumb before I sent them all away) was a little too chocolately and dark for my tastes. Peabody's Chocolate Malted Cupcakes are my favorite chocolate cupcake. To see some beautiful takes on this recipe, go check out the Tuesday's with Dorie Blogroll and visit Stephanie's blog for the recipe!
Doesn't this frosting look like a soft-serve ice cream cone? Yum
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Senator Roland Burris must resign his seat

2009-02-17T20:12:00.001+05:30

United States Senator Roland Burris has had a wonderful political career. He has in many ways been a trailblazer for African-Americans seeking higher office. In 1978 he was elected as Illinois State Comptroller, being the first African American elected to statewide office. In 1990, he was elected to another statewide office as Illinois Attorney General.

He has always served in these positions with high honor and distinction. His integrity was always beyond question. He ran over the years for such other statewide offices as United States Senate in 1984, defeated by Senator Paul Simon. He ran for Governor of Illinois in 1994 and in 2002 and lost both times in the Democratic primary. He lost in 1995 against current Mayor Richard M. Daley. But always he was honorable and was revered by the citizens of Illinois in spite of these defeats.
Until now.
Senator Roland Burris must resign. He perjured himself before the Illinois House and brought disgrace unto himself and the state of Illinois. He also accepted a “loan” in the amount of 1.2 million from businessman Joseph Stroud and never repaid the “loan” begging the question, what type of payment was this. And now Illinois House Republicans want to pusue this matter of Burris testimony before them.
He then discussed with Robert Blagojevich campaign contributions to then Governor Rod Blagojevich, presumably in exchange for the appointment.
And he denied he ever discussed anything with Blagojevich. It is obvious why Burris lied. It was because he was blinded by ambition. To be a United States Senator is a great honor and unfortunately, it is an honor that Burris does not deserve in view of the facts.
And although Burris now acknowledges the fact that he was approached by Robert Blagojevich, it is too late, I believe. The damage has been done. He had an opportunity to square with the Illinois state house and the people of Illinois. But Senator Burris chose to lie instead.
And it is for those reasons Burris must go. ASAP. Chicago City Hall Examiner.

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Did France's Secrecy Cause a Nuclear Submarine Collision?

2009-02-17T20:11:00.001+05:30

A collision between a British nuclear-powered submarine carrying multiple nuclear warheads and a French nuclear submarine armed with a similar payload may have been the result of lack of communication between France and NATO nations, according to a former British submarine commander whose revelations were partially corroborated by an official at the French navy.

Sometime on Feb. 3 or 4, the British HMS Vanguard and France's Le Triomphant collided in the mid-Atlantic.

The accident probably happened because the two submarines were not aware of each other.

NATO operates a traffic control system that alerts allied nations to the deployment zones of friendly submarines.

Facebook’s new Terms of Service

2009-02-17T20:10:00.002+05:30

There is a lot of rage about the new TOS from Facebook. In short, it gives all the rights (and I mean all of them) of what you share in Facebook (and what is connected to it it seems) to Facebook. With the new terms, this is even true if you delete things or your account. Mark now posted on the Facebook blog with a few words about the TOS but I am not really happy. He says that “In reality, we wouldn’t share your information in a way you wouldn’t want.” and that is just plain wonderful. But please, reflect that in the TOS and get your lawyers in line.

I can see how the TOS came about. The lawyers asked several people what they want to do with the content and started writing. Then they asked whether they might ever use it for advertising, and people said that sure, there might be something they could do there. Would they use it after the account was deleted, sure, for mining the data would be nice and my friends still have my mails via Facebook. And in all those things go.

Duncan from The Inquisitor actually has a great post about all of this. The good thing is that he copied over the TOS from Google’s Picasa and who would have thought, the Google Lawyers managed to write something up that makes sure I remain holder of the copyright and I remain in control. And I am pretty sure that Google would be able to do anything with my content if they really wanted to, unless I delete it.

Come on Mark, you can do better than Google. Sure it makes the TOS more complicated and sure, you need to add some limits to your system, but this is what the users want.

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Windows Mobile for Windows Phones rolls out touchscreen, marketplace and syncing

2009-02-17T20:10:00.001+05:30

With a whole raft of competitors hogging the mobile spotlight recently, Microsoft tried to stage a comeback at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress with today’s announcement of new Windows Phones from HTC, LG, and Orange. Chief executive Steve Ballmer also confirmed a touchscreen user interface, an application marketplace, and a MobileMe-style synchronizing service — that yes, rhymes will a certain device by Apple, though Microsoft apparently didn’t realize it.

In her rundown of the news, All About Microsoft’s Mary Jo Foley reports that this is part of a broader shift in Microsoft’s mobile strategy; the company says it’s now interested in selling to both businesses and consumers, not just businesses (who are probably all using BlackBerrys anyway). There’s some rebranding, too — you may have noticed that Microsoft is calling the devices “Windows Phones” now, though the operating system is still Windows Mobile.

Will consumers buy it? It’s hard to say, since I haven’t had a chance to try any of these new products and services myself. (Neither has Matthaus Krzykowski, VentureBeat’s man in Barcelona.) Jesus Diaz at Gizmodo reports that “the new interface rocks.”

Still, it’s hard to get too excited, and not just because early screenshots already indicated this news was coming. Given that every major smartphone maker already has touchscreen support, it would have been incredibly lame if Microsoft didn’t follow suit. Ditto the Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which should open this fall — a year or more after the app stores by Apple and Google. And likely several months after the ones for the Palm Pre and BlackBerry.

On the other hand, Apple has has a rocky experience launching MobileMe, so Microsoft’s free My Phone service (currently in invite-only testing) could be a chance to actually do better than Apple, rather than just copying its moves.

Also disappointing: No word yet on the rumored ZunePhone or Project “Pink”.

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Conan O’Brien & Liza Powell: O’Brien & Powell move west

2009-02-17T20:09:00.000+05:30

Conan O’Brien and his wife Liza Powell have two children; Neve, 4 and Beckett, 2. O’Brien and Powell are packing up to move west. O’Brien will wrap up “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” on Friday, Feb 20. O’Brien will be working on “The Tonight Show”. Jimmy Fallon will take over “The Late Night Show”. O’Brien has hosted The Late Night Show for 16 years and taped 2725 episodes.

RESPONDING TO THE KILLING OF AASIYA HASSAN: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE LEADERS OF AMERICAN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES

2009-02-17T20:08:00.000+05:30

A few weeks ago, I ran into Asma [last name], who runs a Muslim women’s shelter in Baltimore. I expressed my interest in wanting to volunteer because I know that many Muslim women who are fleeing an abusive marriage have few places to go. When I first wrote about domestic violence in this blog post, I was very encouraged to hear that Muslim leaders like Imam Johari in DC were taking proactive steps towards addressing domestic violence in our communities. But when this story broke, I was horrified and deeply concerned about the continual violence against women. But what type of hatred and rage goes into a beheading? So many of us in the Muslim community are still in shock, unable to fathom how this could have happened. ISNA has written an open letter Muslim community leaders calling them to action.
RESPONDING TO THE KILLING OF AASIYA HASSAN: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE LEADERS OF AMERICAN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES
By Imam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali
Executive Director, ADAMS Center
Vice-President, The Islamic Society of North America
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is saddened and shocked by the news of the loss of one of our respected sisters, Aasiya Hassan whose life was taken violently. To God we belong and to Him we return (Qur’an 2:156). We pray that she find peace in God’s infinite Mercy, and our prayers and sympathies are with sister Aasiya’s family. Our prayers are also with the Muslim community of Buffalo who have been devastated by the loss of their beloved sister and the shocking nature of this incident.

This is a wake up call to all of us, that violence against women is real and can not be ignored. It must be addressed collectively by every member of our community. Several times each day in America, a woman is abused or assaulted. Domestic violence is a behavior that knows no boundaries of religion, race, ethnicity, or social status. Domestic violence occurs in every community. The Muslim community is not exempt from this issue. We, the Muslim community, need to take a strong stand against domestic violence. Unfortunately, some of us ignore such problems in our community, wanting to think that it does not occur among Muslims or we downgrade its seriousness.
I call upon my fellow imams and community leaders to never second-guess a woman who comes to us indicating that she feels her life to be in danger. We should provide support and help to protect the victims of domestic violence by providing for them a safe place and inform them of their rights as well as refer them to social service providers in our areas.
Marriage is a relationship that should be based on love, mutual respect and kindness. No one who experiences a marriage that is built on these principles would pretend that their life is in danger. We must respond to all complaints or reports of abuse as genuine and we must take appropriate and immediate action to ensure the victim’s safety, as well as the safety of any children that may be involved.
Women who seek divorce from their spouses because of physical abuse should get full support from the community and should not be viewed as someone who has brought shame to herself or her family. The shame is on the person who committed the act of violence or abuse. Our community needs to take a strong stand against abusive spouses. We should not make it easy for people who are known to abuse to remarry if they have already victimized someone. We should support people who work against domestic violence in our community, whether they are educators, social service providers, community leaders, or other professionals.
Our community needs to take strong stand against abusive spouses and we should not make it easy for them to remarry if they chose a path of abusive behavior. We should support people who work against domestic violence in our community, whether they are educators or social service providers. As Allah says in the Qur’an: “O ye who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you swerve, and if you distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do” (4:136).
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never hit a women or child in his life. The purpose of marriage is to bring peace and tranquility between two people, not fear, intimidation, belittling, controlling, or demonizing. Allah the All-Mighty says in the Qur’an: “Among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are signs for those who reflect” (30:21),
We must make it a priority to teach our young men in the community what it means to be a good husband and what the role the husband has as a protector of his family. The husband is not one who terrorizes or does harm and jeopardizes the safety of his family. At the same time, we must teach our young women not to accept abuse in any way, and to come forward if abuse occurs in the marriage. They must feel that they are able to inform those who are in authority and feel comfortable confiding in the imams and social workers of our communities.
Community and family members should support a woman in her decision to leave a home where her life is threatened and provide shelter and safety for her. No imam, mosque leader or social worker should suggest that she return to such a relationship and to be patient if she feels the relationship is abusive. Rather they should help and empower her to stand up for her rights and to be able to make the decision of protecting herself against her abuser without feeling she has done something wrong, regardless of the status of the abuser in the community.
A man’s position in the community should not affect the imam’s decision to help a woman in need. Many disasters that take place in our community could have been prevented if those being abused were heard. Domestic violence is not a private matter. Any one who abuses their spouse should know that their business becomes the business of the community and it is our responsibility to do something about it. She needs to tell someone and seek advice and protection.
Community leaders should also be aware that those who isolate their spouses are more likely to also be physically abusive, as isolation is in its own way a form of abuse. Some of the abusers use the abuse itself to silence the women, by telling her “If you tell people I abused you, think how people will see you, a well-known person being abused. You should keep it private.”
Therefore, to our sisters, we say: your honor is to live a dignified life, not to put on the face that others want to see. The way that we measure the best people among us in the community is to see how they treat their families. It is not about how much money one makes, or how much involvement they have in the community, or the name they make for themselves. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said, “The best among you are those who are best to their families.”
It was a comfort for me to see a group of imams in our local community, as well as in the MANA conference signing a declaration promising to eradicate domestic violence in our community. Healthy marriages should be part of a curriculum within our youth programs, MSA conferences, and seminars as well as part of our adult programs in our masajid and in our khutbahs.
The Islamic Society of North America has done many training workshops for imams on combating domestic violence, as has the Islamic Social Service Associate and Peaceful Families Project. Organizations, such as FAITH Social Services in Herndon, Virginia, serve survivors of domestic violence. All of these organizations can serve as resources for those who seek to know more about the issues of domestic violence.
Faith Trust Institute, one of the largest interfaith organizations, with Peaceful Families Project, has produced a DVD in which many scholars come together to address this issue. I call on my fellow imams and social workers to use this DVD for training others on the issues of domestic violence. (For information, go to the website: http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/). For more information, or to access resources and materials about domestic violence, please visit www.peacefulfamilies.org.
In conclusion, Allah says in the Qur’an “O my son! Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong; and bear with patient constancy whatever betide thee; for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs” (31:17). Let us pray that Allah will help us to stand for what is right and leave what is evil and to promote healthy marriages and peaceful family environments. Let us work together to prevent domestic violence and abuse and especially, violence against women.
I pray that she is brought to justice. May Allah have mercy on Aasiya and console her family and loved ones. Please make du’a for this women, whose promising life was cut too short. I hope that Muslim leaders heed this call and that more of us support women and children who are in danger.

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Virginia Hill & Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel: Hill & Siegel photos

2009-02-17T20:07:00.000+05:30

Virginia Hill was the girlfriend of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. Siegel was allegedly an American gangster. Siegel was assassinated in 1947 at the age of 41. Hill died, allegedly from suicide, in 1966, when she was 49.

Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel - wiki link with photos.

Virginia Hill - wiki link.

Virginia Hill photo.

Band's sticker triggers bomb threat

2009-02-17T20:06:00.000+05:30

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - The owner of a bicycle was arrested Monday evening after police investigated a bomb scare at Memphis International Airport.

"We cleared out a portion of the terminal building," John Greaud, Vice President of Operations at Memphis International Airport, said.

The incident happened when an officer noticed an alarming sticker stuck on the bike.

"We had a K-9 bomb dog respond," Greaud said. "They cleared the scene and indicated that it was not an explosive," he added.

Police would not let Action News 5 to get up close to the bike, but we could see the sticker just above the chain. It read "This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb."

"This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb" is the name of a folk-punk band from Pensacola, Florida. The band's bumper stickers have caused chaos at other airports in the past.

Monday night in Memphis, air traffic was not interrupted. But things were at a stand-still on the roads leading into Memphis International as part of Terminal C was evacuated. In some cases, travelers got out of their taxis and walked to try and make their flights.

"I saw a bunch of cops going over the bankings, going around people, cars waiting in traffic," traveler Dwayne Lapate said.

He was glad "something" turned out to be "nothing."

"Unfortunately, this is one of those things you can't plan for in great detail," Greaud said.

Airport officials say they're never willing to take a chance.

The FBI is now handling this case due to the nature of the incident. There's no word on the identity of the bike's owner or if formal charges have been filed. We're told he was not a traveler, but was at the airport to see someone off or welcome them home.
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The Bugsy Siegel Riff.

2009-02-17T20:05:00.002+05:30

See gal, seagull, Bugsy Siegel the fact is officer, as Cocoyea will agree, if you can’t play live, fuck off.
Oh! enough with the corpses Chico, sombrero’ed slinger, conjuring ghosts from an urban desert.
Haha, context through framing as in framed. Wasn’t me Bob, I swear, not this time.
And if you’re leaving, I’ll be at Jason’s
downing a couple listening
to the sound of Billy Corgan
getting rained on with his own ‘38.

Aubrey O'Day On The 'Chelsea Lately Show'

2009-02-17T20:05:00.001+05:30

Former Danity Kane member, Aubrey O'Day, shows up on Chelsea Handler's "Chelsea Lately Show" to promote her brand new cover of Playboy magazine. She talks posing nude, the bi-sexual rumors, Danity Kane and more.

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Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia Split

2009-02-17T20:04:00.001+05:30

Heroes costars Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia have called it quits, Usmagazine.com has learned.

"It was a lifestyle conflict," a source close to the couple tells Us, adding that the split happened within the last week. "They were in very different places."

See photos of other stars who are single

Adds the insider, "They are still on friendly terms. There are no hard feelings."

See photos of stars who are very friendly with their exes

The source tells Us that Panettiere, 19, "is young. She likes to go out in the Hollywood scene and that's not his style."

Ventimiglia, 31, "has been concentrating on work on his production company [Divide Pictures]," the source adds.

The two, who began dating in 2008, had been an open secret for months – in part because of their 12-year age gap.

See photos of other stars who met on set

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TrapCall - Unmask Blocked Calls! - FREE (AS ALWAYS)

2009-02-17T20:01:00.002+05:30

Ever wanted to unmask an unknown number calling your cell phone?
Well, go ahead and sign up for TrapCall (FREE)!

I just signed up. What they do is change your call forwarding option from your voice mailbox to their phone number (I am guessing voice mailbox will still work of course). Once you decline an anonymous call, it'll go to their #, then your phone will ring again with the REAL number this time! How cool is thatttttt!!?!?!?!?
One thing that you do need is call forwarding from your provider...

tl;dr- unmask private callers to your cell by signing up for free here:

Signup Link: https://www.trapcall.com/signup

Main Website: http://www.trapcall.com/

how they make money?: there are different plans besides the free one. some you can get the name of the anonymous number, and some you can even get billing name&address. they also have dif calling goodies like spoofcard and liarcard...

Will definitely have fun when my friends "prank ME" next time

I'm hoping this is a HOT Deal btw, even though it's always free...
Also, a search brought up almost no results!

Good luck and, most importantly, have fun and peace of mind fellow SDers!

*EDIT: here's a link to an article about it: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/...pcall.html
seems they've been around for a while.
I got this from a fellow off of another forum (www.xtremesystems.org)

***EDIT: so, someone here called me, and this is what happened (tl;dr it failed... but person X used a special secret phone hehe):
I declined. a few seconds later, i got a text as follows:
"Name unavailabl - (999) 999-9999 (02/17/09 3:35 am)" yes SDers, there was no "e" after "Unavailabl"
**** he called me with a special phone. details of his phone are unavailable, so i guess this isn't a normal case lol. will update other results later guys

I'll test this out with some other people and see if we have any successes. pm me if you know how to block your number

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Khmer Rouge genocide trial opens in Cambodia

2009-02-17T20:01:00.001+05:30

The boss of a prison where some 16,000 men, women and children were tortured and executed appeared before Cambodia's genocide tribunal Tuesday in its first trial over the Khmer Rouge reign of terror more than three decades ago.

A tourist takes picture of human skulls Monday, at Choeung Ek, one of the main Killing fields of the Khmer Rouge regime in the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Photo: AP
SLIDESHOW: Pictures of the week
Kaing Guek Eav - better known as Duch, who headed the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh for the Khmer Rouge regime - is charged with crimes against humanity and is the first of five defendants scheduled for long-delayed trials by the U.N.-assisted court.

They were among a close-knit, ultra-communist clique that turned Cambodia into a vast slave labor camp and charnel house in which 1.7 million or more died of starvation, disease and executions.

"It is not only me wanting justice today. All Cambodian people have been waiting for 30 years now," said Vann Nath, one of less than 20 survivors of S-21, who attended the hearing in a courtroom packed with some 500 people. "I look at Duch today and he seems like an old, very gentle man. It was much different 30 years ago."

Vann Nath, who survived by painting and sculpting portraits of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, described Duch as a "very cruel man."

Duch, 66, is accused of committing or abetting a range of crimes including murder, torture and rape at S-21 prison - formerly a school - where up to 16,000 men, women and children were held and tortured, before being put to death.

"This first hearing represents the realization of significant efforts to establish a fair and independent tribunal to try those in leadership positions and those most responsible for violations of Cambodian and international law," presiding judge Nil Nonn told the chamber.

But the tribunal has drawn sharp criticism.

Its snail-slow proceedings have been plagued by political interference from the Cambodian government, allegations of bias and corruption, lack of funding and bickering between Cambodian and international lawyers.

Some observers believe Prime Minister Hun Sen - a former Khmer Rouge officer himself - is controlling the tribunal's scope by directing the decisions of the Cambodian prosecutors and judges.

Duch has made no formal confession. However, unlike the other four defendants, he "admitted or acknowledged" in some of the 21 interviews by investigating judges that many of the crimes occurred at his prison, according to the indictment from court judges. Duch, who converted to Christianity, has also asked for forgiveness from his victims.

Duch has been variously described by those who knew him as "very gentle and kind" and a "monster."

"Duch necessarily decided how long a prisoner would live, since he ordered their execution based on a personal determination of whether a prisoner had fully confessed" to being an enemy of the regime, the tribunal said in an indictment in August.

In one mass execution, he gave his men a "kill them all" order to dispose of a group of prisoners. On another list of 29 prisoners, he told his henchmen to "interrogate four persons, kill the rest."

After the fall of the Khmer Rouge, Duch disappeared for two decades, living under two other names and as a converted Christian before he was located in northwestern Cambodia by a British journalist in 1999.

Taken to the scene of his alleged crimes last year, he wept and told some of his former victims, "I ask for your forgiveness. I know that you cannot forgive me, but I ask you to leave me the hope that you might."

His defense lawyer Francois Roux said Tuesday that his client has been in detention for nine years, nine months and seven days, adding, "This situation is unacceptable."

During the hearing, Roux and co-prosecutor Robert Petit sparred over whether to allow one of four children S-21 survivors to appear before the trial. Petit said Norng Chan Phal could provide "key testimony."

Norng Chan Phal was an 8-year-old inmate of the torture center when troops from neighboring Vietnam stormed into Phnom Penh to end Khmer Rouge rule in 1979. He hid in a pile of inmate clothing as his captors evacuated to prison to elude approaching Vietnamese troops.

His story surfaced only last week when previously unseen footage was shown of Vietnamese troops entering the prison. It included images of living children and many adult corpses, some decapitated.

The trial comes 30 years after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, 13 years after the tribunal was first proposed and nearly three years after the court was inaugurated.

Many victims feared that all the Khmer Rouge leaders would die before facing justice, and getting even one of them on trial is seen as a breakthrough. But there are concerns that the process is being politically manipulated and that thousands of killers will escape unpunished.

The Cambodian side in the tribunal has recently turned down recommendations from the international co-prosecutor to try other Khmer Rouge leaders, as many as six according to some reports. This has sparked criticism from human rights groups.

"The tribunal cannot bring justice to the millions of the Khmer Rouge's victims if it tries only a handful of the most notorious individuals, while scores of former Khmer Rouge officials and commanders remain free," the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a release Monday.

The group's representative Sara Colm said at the trial, "It's very good to see Duch in the dock. It's been a long time coming. We only hope the tribunal can address the very serious issues."

Others facing trial are Khieu Samphan, the group's former head of state; Ieng Sary, its foreign minister; his wife Ieng Thirith, who was minister for social affairs; and Nuon Chea, the movement's chief ideologue.

All four have denied committing crimes.

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State officials discuss splitting Opel from GM

2009-02-17T20:00:00.001+05:30

German state governments are working to split car manufacturer Opel from the ailing US parent General Motors, daily Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Monday.

Daimler warns rough ride ahead in 2009 - Money (17 Feb 09)

McDonald's hopeful Germans will opt for cheap eats in recession - Money(17 Feb 09)

Roads dangerous with more snow on the way - National (17 Feb 09)

“We cannot carry on like this with GM, the only prospect is disentanglement,” Klaus Franz, head of the Opel workers’ council, told the paper.

One possible scenario for rescuing the traditional German automaker is for the states of North Rhine Westphalia (NRW), Hesse and Thuringia - in which Opel has factories - to take on a share in the company as the state of Lower Saxony did in taking on 20 percent of Volkswagen, the paper reported.

Talks between Opel and GM over a possible separation have been running for several weeks in Düsseldorf, according to the paper, which added that Opel was also trying to gain access to its own technologies because patents are currently with a subsidiary of the US firm.

But some state politicians have offered other alternatives because the European Commission is keen to abolish the so-called VW law, which allegedly violates EU treaty provisions by allowing Lower Saxony to shield the car maker from takeovers.

NRW state premiere Jürgen Rüttgers recently suggested a German-wide fund which could take a share in companies with key significance for the economy during emergencies, the paper said. Other politicians have said the move would be impractical.

“A state share in Opel is not feasible - it would be a suicide mission for taxpayers,” head of the pro-business Free Democrats in the NRW State Parliament, Gerhard Papke, told the paper, referring to difficulties faced by the 720,000 small businesses in the state. “Should the state take a stake in them too?”

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Why Buying Glass Jewelry Should Be Done Online

2009-02-17T19:59:00.002+05:30

The Internet has done much for the consumers of today- it’s brought down prices and made ordering with ease so much effortless than before. This has also done well for the jewelry industry, in which glass jewelry can be found and obtained with almost no effort at all. Indeed, the process is much more simple than even going to a local retailer for more information.

Getting a vintage-type style of glass jewelry is usually done simply by going to a resale shop. These shops, which function based off donations and allow customers to buy items for extremely discounted prices, are great for finding long-lost treasures, but not so much if the buyer decides to take it back. Most resale shops will not give refunds, while Internet counterparts usually do.

Online auctions have become popular for getting new and used items for large discounts- another reason why buying glass jewelry online is a good idea. Glass jewelry found via these outlets are, on average, much cheaper than what a consumer would pay regularly. It takes timing and effort to get a bid in just right, but regardless the Internet serves as a very valuable cost-cutting tool. Best yet, there are many auction websites to choose from!

The ease of use of the Internet is also a factor in deciding to buy online. Not only can consumers buy over the Internet from the comfort of their own home, they can do so with more options in payment methods. Using credit, debit, or even electronic funds is possible with online retailers, unlike some local shops and resale retailers.

Getting hand-made glass jewelry is only available at upscale jewelry stores when in the physical world. By using the Internet, consumers can instead open up their possibilities even more when concerning their selection of jewelry. In going through the Internet to get a hand-made glass ornament, consumers are getting a guarantee that the jewelry they wear will be unique to them, and thus, gives them their own fashion sense.

Even without the prospect of auction websites, buying online is generally cheaper. This is because there is more competition over the Internet, as literally thousands of companies will be competing for business. This pushes down their margin of profit to its maximum in order to keep their business thriving. It’s still worth checking out local resources regardless, as sales do indeed happen.

In Conclusion

The world of glass jewelry couldn’t be more beneficial to the buyer- it’s inexpensive and it looks great. Just keep your options in mind while going about the business of purchasing glass jewelry. After all, money saved on glass jewelry can be used on other important things. So go out and check prices, look at Internet retail prices, and make an educated purchase.

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Travis Chimpanzee Attack: Chimp attack video

2009-02-17T19:59:00.001+05:30

Travis the Chimpanzee attacked two women. The Chimp attack happened in Stamford on Monday Feb 16. The chimp attack resulted in two women being hospitalized.

The chimp attack was at Rockrimmon Road. Sandra Harold, a home owner on Rockrimmon Road, used a butcher knife to stab the chimp in her attempts to stop the chimp attack on her friend. Travis the chimp was undeterred and still mobile.

Police arrived and the chimp attacked police officers. Travis the chimp tried to open the squad car door. This chimp attack led police to shoot the chimp. One woman had bad facial wounds. Sandra Harold had a heart attack.Both wome were sent to hospital. The Chimp Travis had escaped from a home.

News on Chimp Attack - link.

Chimp attack - video link. This is an example of how a chimp suddenly attacked a man

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Trump Entertainment May File Bankruptcy, Says WSJ

2009-02-17T19:58:00.001+05:30

PHILADELPHIA - Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc, Donald Trump's casino group, is expected to file Tuesday for bankruptcy, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The company's board was scheduled to meet late Monday night to decide whether to authorize the filing, the newspaper reported in its online edition. Otherwise, the casino operator would be forced into bankruptcy involuntarily by creditors, the newspaper said.

Read the whole story from Reuters
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Pol Pot

2009-02-17T19:57:00.001+05:30

"A tourist looks at human skulls at Choeung Ek, one of the main killing fields of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, as five Khmer Rouge leaders prepare to face a UN-backed genocide tribunal."

Fred Is Dead

2009-02-17T19:56:00.001+05:30

Fred Is Dead - “Fred” who has a million videos on YouTube was a guest on iCarly tonight.
Fred is a 15-year-old boy named Lucas Cruikshank from Nebraska .
You can watch the video after the jump.

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Justin Timberlake, Kanye West Make GQ's List Of '10 Most Stylish Men

2009-02-17T19:39:00.000+05:30

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Timberlake wins style props in the March issue of GQ magazine. The magazine picked the entertainer to lead a list of the "10 Most Stylish Men in America." It singled out Timberlake for his impact on fashion, willingness to take risks and "knack for targeting trends" such as hats, three-piece suits, skinny ties and beards.

Timberlake, who launched his clothing line William Rast several years ago, tells GQ he considers model Kate Moss a style icon because she "could put a barrel on and it would be some sort of statement."

It irks the 28-year-old heartthrob when an entire outfit revolves around a hat, and he'd never wear an argyle sweater vest off the golf course. He prefers to keep it simple, clothes-wise.

Other "Stylish Men" include Kanye West, T.I., Jason Schwartzman, hotelier Andre Balazs and photographer Alexi Lubomirski.

- Click here for tons of hot Justin Timberlake pics -

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plaxico burress "situation" with giants "very convoluted" according to his agent.

2009-02-14T10:53:00.000+05:30

in a run of recent sports stories that kicked off with a a few salacious leaks from joe torre's kiss and tell book, "the yankee years," which was then kicked off the front burner by the leak of alex rodriguez' steriod use during 2001-03 seasons and, in turn, was momentarily bumped aside by news of brett favre's retirement from the jets (after one lonely season) - we now read the news that plaxico's agent sent word the other nfl teams that burress is available for a trade!!

this particular news should be hilariously inconsequential in view of (a) the giants didn't give burress permission to seek a trade and (b), more importantly, plaxico next move may be from giants stadium to rikers island, if he's convicted of gun possession charges and a mandatory jail term in imposed. there is nothing "convoluted whatsoever about his situation with the giants. his accidental, self-inflicted, gunshot wound triggered the giants late season spiral into oblivion. now plaxico is set to go on trial and, if convicted, possibly serve jail time.

that his agent is already shopping him around may be great forward thinking, in his mind. coupled with the grievances filed on plaxico's behalf by the players union over the 4 game suspension and fines imposed on him by the giants for the gunshot incident, it may finally show team management that plaxico has to go (and not, as they hope, return and play for the giants down the road)!

the giants should redouble the search for their new number one receiver!!

Heartland Data Breach: List of Victims Grows; First Arrests Made

2009-02-14T10:50:00.000+05:30

Three FL Suspects Arrested on Fraud Charges Tied to Heartland Breach

The list of financial institutions impacted by the Heartland Payment Systems (HPY) breach now tops 220. In related news, three men in Florida were arrested earlier this week on multiple charges of credit card fraud, and some of the card numbers they allegedly used are tied to the Heartland hack.
The Leon County, FL. Sheriff's office arrested area residents Tony Acreus, Jeremy Frazier and Timothy Johns, who had allegedly used stolen credit card numbers since November, according to Sgt. Tony Drzewiecki, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

According to the Tallahassee, FL. Democrat, the suspects were running "a very sophisticated and complex criminal enterprise." Law enforcement is investigating how the three men were able to obtain credit card numbers from the Heartland breach, which was first announced on January 20.

Meanwhile, in just over a week, the number of financial institutions that have come forward to say they have been contacted by their credit card companies Visa and MasterCard in relation to the breach has jumped from fewer than 50 to more than 200.

As part of its ongoing coverage of the case, BankInfoSecurity.com on Thursday asked institutions to contact the site if they had been affected by the Heartland breach and didn't appear on the latest list of impacted institutions. More than 60 came forward, and institutions continue to identify themselves today. Some of these institutions have reported fraudulent use of the stolen card numbers. One bank in Arkansas said nearly 70 customer cards were counterfeited and used to make charges in Texas, Florida, and Louisiana beginning in mid December. Another institution in Maine reported fraud from stolen card numbers was nearly $70,000.

Heartland, the sixth-largest payments processor in the U.S., says that its processing systems were breached in 2008, exposing an undetermined number of consumers to potential fraud. While Heartland and the credit card companies remain tight-lipped about the total number of institutions and card account numbers involved, Heartland has said that, at the time of the breach, it processed an average of 100 million transactions per month for more than 250,000 different retailers and merchants.