Koleksi Blog

History of this blog

2011-09-02T12:38:00.004+07:00

After I wrote the article about my adsense,now it's time to sharing about history.Well,today I am enthusiastic to update new article because i want to apply my english writing.Ok friends,I would prefer to say friend than another because we are friend no enemy.

I decided to start writing down experience last year.But at first i made a blog just for consolation,then i tried to register google adsense and first time i was rejected then i tried to register again and accepted.I thought that i wanted to produce money from google adsense but in fact my purpose had gone when i knew that earning from GA is very difficult because you had to have a earn as big as 100$ whereas my earn just had 30$,it's less 70$ to earning,it was difficult in my mind if you aren't really serious to get it.

I wrote down the article about news,information,download software,then i started to blogwalking adn exchange link until my blog was more increase.My article was more copas(copy paste) than pure article.

So right now i want to make the original article from author is me,although my english is so bad but i want to improve than before,therefore i start to learn english.

so this my story of this blog,so thanks for reading this article,im very grateful to you...

My adsense has been three years

2011-09-02T09:13:00.004+07:00

Hello friends,I'm back to update my blog,How are you today ? Today is special day because I can post article hehehe just intermezzo.

Ok in my holiday,I don't go anywhere,so I'm in home ,therefore I'm using my time to learning.Do you know what I learn ?Well,I learn about english grammar,so that I can write my blog very well than before hehehehe.

Now is my adsense.My adsense(google adsense) has been three years but I never haven't earned from my adsense,you know why ? it's because my dollar hasn't reached 100$ because the rule of google adsense said,"You can earn your money if it hasn't reached 100$",so that until today I can't do that(earning my adsense).I like writing experience with english so fun

Thanks for reading my article,i will be back with another one

The author is very lazy to update the blog

2011-08-27T06:48:00.003+07:00

Now in August,Long time no update because there are many problem that is still confused me.I don't have idea to update new article.the author is still learning english in order to update this blog So stay tuned but I want to start from here that I will start to write english article in here.In my holiday I don't go anywhere just stay at home and my entertainment is my laptop.Because it makes me no bored.I can look the world with internet.

I have good the book of learning engish.What is the title of it ? it's "53 English Grammar For the utterely confused" I could this book from internet and I am still learning it.

I hope that there is no grammartical incorrect because im still learning.

Have a nice day friends

The social networking Google+

2011-07-06T20:17:00.008+07:00

After google released button+ which is very interesting,suddenly google released something new is google plus which is similiar with facebook.We can write on wall like facebook,We can separate between friends with the boss is very fantastic,isn't ?the feature which not owned by facebook.Many users don't want to be seen by public and in google plus it can be done.

the more review about google plus

Now facebook has a rivaval.The google plus still beta so no everyone who be able register.To register have to is invited.

website of google plus

srry if my english is so bad,I'm still learning english.

PageRank up become 3

2011-06-28T09:48:00.001+07:00

I haven't already updated my blog,because I were bored to update the contain of this blog.Now I am studying english through internet such as : youtube,www.engvid.com(this web is very good to study english) for my future.I was lazy to blogwalking because of my activity.

Suddenly,time I visited my blog and tried to check my pagerank that before my pagerank is 2,at moment I checked my pagerank,it will become 3 it was nice...

Although I rarely updated but it's amazing my pagerank up one....

as thanksgiving for you whom always visited my blog I will give one video.

This video about my dog whom named minnie.Minnie will give us danced that will make us to laugh heehehehhe....

Please watch this video

Obama to supporters: I understand your frustration

2011-04-21T14:46:00.000+07:00

SAN FRANCISCO – Easing into his 2012 campaign, President Barack Obama is telling his supporters he understands their frustration over the compromises he's made with Republicans, while preparing them for more to come.

It's a timely warning given the upcoming vote on raising the debt ceiling and the ongoing debate over long-term deficit reduction, both issues Obama says can only be solved if Republicans and Democrats work together. But further compromises could prove a tough pill to swallow for many of Obama's liberal backers, who have grown tired of watching the president cede ground to the GOP on spending cuts and tax breaks for the wealthy.

During a raucous fundraiser focused on young people in San Francisco Wednesday night, Obama said his supporters are not alone in their frustration.

"There are times when I've felt the same way you do. It's a big, complicated, messy democracy," he said. "We knew this wouldn't be easy."

Obama's three-day West Coast swing — his most extensive travel since announcing his re-election bid — offered a glimpse of how Obama will seek to reenergize the independents and first-time voters who carried him to victory in 2008. Obama's rallying cry is that more work needs to be done in order to make the vision of America he promised a reality, and he is the only one who can see those hopes through.

"It is going to take more than a couple of years," Obama said. "It's going to take us more than one term to finish everything that we need to do."

Obama senior adviser David Plouffe offered a more sobering political forecast to the hundreds of young supporters gathered for the nighttime rally.

"This is going to be a close campaign," Plouffe said. "The one thing we better assume is that it's going to be closer than the last one."

After a third fundraiser here Thursday morning, Obama was to make stops in Reno, Nev., and Los Angeles. The president was scheduled to return to Washington Friday afternoon.

Obama was coupling his fundraising efforts with a series of town hall meetings aimed at selling his plan for cutting deficit spending directly to a wary public.

"The deficit is real, our debt is real. We've got to do something about it. But how we do it is going to make a huge difference," Obama said during a smaller, high-dollar fundraiser Wednesday night.

The president and Republicans have both offered plans for bringing down the deficit, but vast differences exist over how to do so. The president is calling for $4 trillion in deficit reduction over 12 years, through a combination of spending cuts and tax hikes on the wealthy, while House Republicans have passed a plan that would reduce the deficit by nearly $6 trillion in a decade, in part by overhauling Medicare and Medicaid.

The president and Republicans have accused each other of pitching "radical" plans.

"I think it's fair to say that their vision is radical," Obama told a town hall gathering Wednesday at the headquarters of Facebook, the huge social network company.

Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, returned fire. "What's radical is piling up $9 trillion more in debt on the backs of our kids and grandkids," he said, echoing a GOP criticism that Obama's plan would accomplish too little.

Obama's mixing of politics and policy on this West Coast swing is a harbinger of things to come as he balances campaigning with the duties of the presidency.

White House aides insist the president is only involved in the reelection campaign from a distance at this point. But with fundraisers and campaign-style town hall meetings quickly becoming staples in his schedule, it's clear Obama is already in re-election mode.

SOURCE:YAHOO!NEWS

Officials: Pressure rises again in Japan reactor

2011-03-20T12:29:00.000+07:00

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Technicians prepared to vent radioactive gas into the air Sunday because of a new spike in pressure at Japan's crippled, leaking nuclear complex, while a safety official said protective iodine pills should have been distributed near the plant days earlier.

Radiation, a danger for days in areas around the plant, already has seeped into the food supply, with the government warning that tests of spinach and milk from areas as far as 75 miles (120 kilometers) away exceeded safety limts. Tap water farther away turned up tiny amounts of radioactive iodine in Tokyo and other areas.

Amid concerns of wider contamination, a nuclear safety official said the government was caught off-guard by the accident's severity and only belatedly realized the need to give potassium iodide to those living within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex.

The pills help reduce the chances of thyroid cancer, one of the diseases that may develop from radiation exposure. The official, Kazuma Yokota, said an explosion at the plant's Unit 3 reactor last Sunday should have triggered the distribution. But the order only came three days later.

"We should have made this decision and announced it sooner," Yokota told reporters at the emergency command center in the city of Fukushima. "It is true that we had not foreseen a disaster of these proportions. We had not practiced or trained for something this bad. We must admit that we were not fully prepared."

While four of Fukushima's six nuclear reactors have been dangerously overheating since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disrupted cooling systems, Unit 3 has proved particularly troublesome.

After the government said Saturday that the unit appeared to be stabilizing after being doused with water, nuclear safety officials said the efforts may not have worked. Pressure was rising again inside the reactor's containment vessel, requiring a release of radioactive gas to prevent a more dangerous buildup, said safety agency official Hidehiko Nishiyama.

The venting is an "unavoidable measure to protect the containment vessel," Nishiyama said. He warned that a larger amount of radiation would have to be released than when similar venting was done a week ago because more nuclear fuel have have degraded since then.

While battling Unit 3, emergency teams used an unmanned vehicle to spray water at another at-risk reactor — Unit 4 — while preparing to switch power back on for the first time since a March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out the plant's crucial cooling systems.

However, there was no guarantee the cooling systems would still work, even once power was restored.

Japan has been struggling with an overwhelming chain of disasters prompted by the 9.0-magnitude quake. The quake spawned a tsunami that ravaged Japan's northeastern coast, killing more than 8,100 people and knocking out cooling systems at the plant, prompting overheated reactors and fuel to leak radiation.

More than 12,000 people are still missing, and more than 452,000 are living in shelters.

__

Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo, as did Associated Press writers Elaine Kurtenbach, Tim Sullivan, Joji Sakurai, and Jeff Donn.

Source Yahoo!News

Obama budget: Some cuts, not the slashes GOP asks

2011-02-15T11:02:00.001+07:00

WASHINGTON – Putting on the brakes after two years of big spending increases, President Barack Obama unveiled a $3.7 trillion budget plan Monday that would freeze or reduce some safety-net programs for the nation's poor but turn aside Republican demands for more drastic cuts to shrink the government to where it was before he took office.

The 10-year blueprint makes "tough choices and sacrifices," Obama said in his official budget message. Yet the plan, which sets the stage for this week's nasty congressional fight over cuts in the budget year that's already more than one-third over, steers clear of deeply controversial long-term problem areas such as Social Security and Medicare.

The budget relies heavily on the recovering economy, tax increases and rosy economic assumptions to estimate that the federal deficit would drop from this year's record $1.6 trillion — an astronomical figure that requires the government to borrow 43 cents out of every dollar it spends — to about $600 billion after five years.

Obama foresees a deficit of $1.1 trillion for the new budget year, which begins Oct. 1, still very high by historical benchmarks but moving in the right direction.

The president claims $1.1 trillion in deficit savings over the coming decade for his plan, a 12 percent cut from the federal deficits the administration otherwise projects. But that figure includes almost $650 billion in spending cuts and new transportation revenues the administration won't specify.

Obama would trade cuts to some domestic programs to pay for increases in education, infrastructure and research as necessary investments that he judges to be important to the country's competitiveness in a global economy.

But he also raises taxes by $1.6 trillion over the coming decade, much of it from allowing recently renewed tax cuts for families making more than $250,000 a year to expire in two years — he signed a two-year extension of them into law just two months ago — and from curbing their tax deductions for charitable contributions, mortgage interest and state and local tax payments.

Despite his spending cuts and tax increases, the government's total debt would still mushroom from $14.2 trillion now to almost $21 trillion by 2016. Republicans assailed his blueprint for failing to take the lead on the nation's daunting fiscal problems.

"People vote for presidents because they want leadership," House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said in an interview. "They expect presidents to take on the greatest challenges facing the country. Well, the biggest crisis we have is the debt, and he's doing absolutely nothing to get it under control."

While Obama's budget total of $3.7 trillion would be down slightly from this year's estimated $3.8 trillion, lower war costs and naturally declining stimulus spending are chiefly responsible.

A year after appointing a bipartisan commission to recommend ways to deal with the debt, Obama would bypass almost all of its painful prescriptions to cut huge benefit programs like Social Security and Medicare. But the president said he understood more must be done.

"The only way to truly tackle our deficit is to cut excessive spending wherever we find it, in domestic spending, defense spending, health care spending and spending through tax breaks and loopholes," Obama said at a middle school outside Baltimore. "So what we've done here is make a down payment."

The White House and its allies said the administration was willing to go further in taking on the long-term problems of Social Security, Medicare and other huge benefit programs. But for Obama to go out on a limb and propose them now, they said, could be counterproductive. It would invite partisan attacks and rally interest groups in opposition.

Instead, Obama appears to be counting on private talks with lawmakers to spark action on the deficit this year, especially in the Senate, where a bipartisan group including several members of the Obama's debt commission are trying to be that catalyst.

"Ultimately the best strategy for getting a result is if we demonstrate in the Senate — Republicans and Democrats — that there's some serious prospect of taking this on," said Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., who's taking part in the Senate talks.

The $1.1 trillion in claimed budget savings over the coming decade combines cuts in domestic agency budgets with tax increases and modest curbs to benefit programs like Medicare. But the administration claims more than $300 billion of that savings — to pay for preventing a cut in Medicare payments to doctors — without specifying where it would come from. An additional $328 billion would come from unspecified "bipartisan financing" to pay for transportation infrastructure projects like high speed rail lines and road and bridge construction.

To reduce the annual deficit to a relatively manageable $607 billion by 2015, or 3.2 percent of gross domestic product, the White House gives optimistic estimates for the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and relies on significantly rosier economic predictions than does the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The White House estimates economic growth averaging 4 percent over 2013-2016; CBO predicts a more modest 3.4 percent.

"They are certainly on the upbeat side," said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor's in New York.

The rosy economic projections help the administration project significantly more tax revenues than otherwise would occur — on the order of $1.7 trillion over the upcoming decade when compared with CBO estimates.

While the budget deficit would drop to $645 billion in 2014, Obama's policies have virtually nothing to do with it. In fact, his promised $36 billion in deficit reduction in 2014 could be erased by higher war costs than the administration estimates. In the current year, the administration's policies actually would increase the deficit by $31 billion, in part by proposing a $250 payment to Social Security beneficiaries that's already been rejected on Capitol Hill.

The president's projected $1.6 trillion deficit for the current year would be the highest dollar amount ever, surpassing the $1.4 trillion deficit hit in 2009. It would also represent 10.8 percent of the total economy, the highest level since the deficit stood at 21.5 percent of gross domestic product in 1945, reflecting heavy borrowing to fight World War II.

The president's 2012 budget projects that the deficits will total $7.2 trillion over the next decade with the imbalances never falling below $607 billion. Even that would exceed the deficit record before Obama took office of $459 billion in 2008, President George W. Bush's last year in office.

Obama's budget would also raise $46 billion over 10 years by eliminating various tax breaks to oil, gas and coal companies — proposals that went nowhere when Democrats controlled Congress and are even less likely to pass now that Republicans control the House.

While Obama's budget avoided painful choices in entitlement programs, it did call for $78 billion in cuts from the Pentagon's future plans, to kill a program opposed by Obama to build an alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a move opposed by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, whose state is a principal beneficiary. Obama would also terminate a new amphibious assault vehicle for the Marine Corps; it's well behind schedule and way over budget.

Administration officials also said that the savings from limiting tax deductions for high income taxpayers would be used to keep the Alternative Minimum Tax from hitting more middle-class families over the next two years.

The budget proposes cutting grants for airports and funding awarded to states for water treatment plants, and proposes cutting energy subsidies for the poor in half, reversing huge gains awarded by Democrats the past two years.

Obama's budget for next year comes as House Republicans are trying to slash current-year spending by $61 billion, a proposal that would cut domestic agencies funded by Congress each year by almost one-quarter over the second half of the budget year.

Republicans are taking on many of the very programs Obama wants to increase. Obama is seeking $53 billion for high-speed rail over the next few years; Republicans are trying to pull back $2.5 billion that's already been promised. He's seeking increases for his "Race to the Top" initiative that provides grants to better-performing schools; Republicans on Friday unveiled a 5 percent cut to schools serving the disadvantaged.

___

AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report.

Source Yahoo!News

FACEBOOK WILL END ON MARCH 15th! why ?

2011-01-09T14:01:00.002+07:00

PALO ALTO, CA –Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook will be shut down in March. Managing the site has become too stressful.

“Facebook has gotten out of control,” said Zuckerberg in a press conference outside his Palo Alto office, “and the stress of managing this company has ruined my life. I need to put an end to all the madness.”

Zuckerberg went on to explain that starting March 15th, users will no longer be able to access their Facebook accounts.

“After March 15th the whole website shuts down,” said Avrat Humarthi, Vice President of Technical Affairs at Facebook. “So if you ever want to see your pictures again, I recommend you take them off the internet. You won’t be able to get them back once Facebook goes out of business.”

Zuckerberg said that the decision to shut down Facebook was difficult, but that he does not think people will be upset.

“I personally don’t think it’s a big deal,” he said in a private phone interview. “And to be honest, I think it’s for the better. Without Facebook, people will have to go outside and make real friends. That’s always a good thing.”

Some Facebook users were furious upon hearing the shocking news.

“What am I going to do without Facebook?” said Denise Bradshaw, a high school student from Indiana. “My life revolves around it. I’m on Facebook at least 10 hours a day. Now what am I going to do with all that free time?”

However, parents across the country have been experiencing a long anticipated sense of relief.

“I’m glad the Facebook nightmare is over,” said Jon Guttari, a single parent from Detroit. “Now my teenager’s face won’t be glued to a computer screen all day. Maybe I can even have a conversation with her.”

Those in the financial circuit are criticizing Zuckerberg for walking away from a multibillion dollar franchise. Facebook is currently ranked as one of the wealthiest businesses in the world, with economists estimating its value at around 7.9 billion.

But Zuckerberg remains unruffled by these accusations. He says he will stand by his decision to give Facebook the axe.

“I don’t care about the money,” said Zuckerberg. “I just want my old life back.”

The Facebook Corporation suggests that users remove all of their personal information from the website before March 15th. After that date, all photos, notes, links, and videos will be permanently erased.

Source weeklyworldnews.com

Obama sets mission for new team: Accelerate growth

2011-01-08T09:58:00.003+07:00

WASHINGTON – His presidency tied to the fate of the economy, Barack Obama is revamping his economic policy team and signaling cooperation to ascendant Republicans and the business community at a pivotal moment in the nation's recovery and Washington politics.

The president is surrounding himself with veterans of the Clinton administration. Chief of staff William Daley, economic overseer Gene Sperling and recently confirmed budget director Jacob Lew form an inner circle with a history of bipartisanship and experience in the art of the deal.

"Our mission has to be to accelerate hiring and accelerate growth," the president declared Friday at a window manufacturing plant in suburban Maryland.

It's a mission facing political and economic crosscurrents, underscored Friday by a mixed bag of an unemployment report and a relatively upbeat but cautionary assessment of the economy from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

The Labor Department said unemployment dropped to 9.4 percent from 9.8 percent and private employers added a net total of 103,000 jobs last month. But the drop in unemployment was due partly to people who stopped looking for work.

Bernanke told the Senate Budget Committee that there's rising evidence that a self-sustaining recovery is taking hold. "Overall, the pace of economic recovery seems likely to be moderately stronger in 2011 than it was in 2010," he said.

Continued high unemployment and slow growth into 2012 would certainly haunt Obama's reelection campaign. But the ability to shape an economic policy is complicated by a divided Congress where Republicans are demanding deficit reductions while many Democrats seek more spending to spur the economy.

Obama has moved to have it both ways, and to appeal to Republicans and business leaders who find value in international trade deals. To that end, he is wielding an economic message centered on competitiveness that spends on education initiatives to retool the workforce, embraces trade and provides tax breaks to businesses.

At the same time, with a new chief of staff and a new director of the National Economic Council in place at the White House, Obama also is turning his focus toward tackling the deficit and debt.

"Everybody knows that the long-run fiscal situation facing the country is one that we've got to address, and the president's not afraid of that," White House economist Austan Goolsbee said. "You will see when the president releases his budget in the coming weeks that he's got a tough-minded approach."

With Daley, Sperling and Lew, Obama enters the second two years of his presidency counseled by Clinton era officials who have worked across party lines to cut economic deals. They recall a happier time, when unemployment was low, budgets were balanced and the economy was humming.

Sperling was a key player in the bipartisan negotiations in December that extended Bush era tax rates for all taxpayers, including the wealthy — a Republican priority — but also included Obama priorities such as an extension of a refundable earned income tax credit and a 2 percent, year-long payroll tax cut.

As director of the White House National Economic Council, Sperling will have a hand in shaping the course of nearly all of the administration's economic policies, including looming battles with Republican lawmakers on spending cuts and raising the debt ceiling.

"He's a public servant who has devoted his life to making this economy work — and making it work, specifically, for middle-class families," Obama said.

Daley, a member of the Chicago political family dynasty, brings his record as a banker and political insider to the White House. As Clinton's Commerce Secretary, he was a champion of the North American Free Trade Agreement — a pact that left a legacy of bitterness among some sectors of the Democratic Party.

Before joining the White House Daley has advocated a moderate path for Obama and is a board member of the centrist group Third Way.

On Friday, Obama also nominated Katharine G. Abraham to his Council of Economic Advisers and Heather Higginbottom as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. Those two posts require Senate confirmation. Obama also elevated economic adviser Jason Furman to assistant to the president for economic policy.

The changes set the stage for Obama's State of the Union speech later this month. Expected to emphasize economic themes, it will be a blueprint not only for governing but an initial marker of his reelection campaign.

But first, the president is engaging in some high-profile outreach to the business community. On Tuesday, he will go to Schenectady, N.Y., to tour a future GE battery manufacturing plant with GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt. In four weeks, he will cross Lafayette Park in front of the White House to address the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a trade group that has battled his top policy initiatives on health care and financial regulation.

But the Chamber can also be a potential partner for Obama, supporting greater spending on infrastructure and helping push trade deals in Congress.

The president also has been prodding businesses to shake loose untapped corporate cash and create more jobs.

At the Thompson Creek Window Company in Landover, Md., on Friday, Obama took note of the recent tax deal that allows businesses to expense 100 percent of their investments in 2011. The president made a direct appeal to other companies, telling them now is the time to capitalize on that opportunity.

"If you are planning or thinking about making investments sometime in the future, make those investments now, and you're going to make money," Obama said.

-----

Associated Press writers Julie Pace and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Source Yahoo!News ^^

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T15:19:00.005+07:00

I on behalf of the owner of this blog to congratulate Christmas, God bless you

Regard Steven Gunanto.

Cache in Chinese Mountain Reveals 20,000 Prehistoric Fossils

2010-12-23T14:34:00.002+07:00

A giant cache of nearly 20,000 fossil reptiles, shellfish and a host of other prehistoric creatures unearthed from a mountain in China is now revealing how life recovered after the most devastating mass extinction on Earth.

This research could help point out which species might be more or less susceptible to extinction nowadays, and how the world might recover from the damage caused by humanity, scientists added.

Life was nearly completely wiped out approximately 250 million years ago by massive volcanic eruptions and devastating global warming. Only one in 10 species survived this cataclysmic end-Permian event.

Much was uncertain regarding the steps life took to piece itself back together after this disaster, or even how long it took. Now the clearest picture yet of this recovery has been discovered by a team of researchers, who excavated away half a mountain in Luoping in southwest China to unearth thousands of marine fossils, the first fully functional ecosystem seen after the end-Permian.

"The pattern and timing of recovery can tell us something about how life today might recover after human-induced crises," said researcher Michael Benton, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Bristol in England.

[Learn more: What exactly is a fossil, anyway?]

A trove of fossils

The 50-foot-thick (16 meters) layer of limestone that held these fossils dates back to when south China was a large island just north of the equator with a tropical climate. A smattering of fossil land plants suggest this marine community lived near a conifer forest.

Click image to see photos of the prehistoric fossils

Shixue Hu, Chengdu Geological Center in China

The fossils are exceptionally well-preserved, with more than half of them completely intact, including soft tissues. Apparently they were protected across the ages by mats of microbes that rapidly sealed their bodies off from decay after death.

"Soft tissues can give us more profound information about larger patterns of evolution and relationships, such as the feathers on dinosaurs," Benton said. "Soft tissues in some of the marine creatures may help us understand diet and locomotion."

Ninety percent of the fossils are bug-like creatures, such as crustaceans, millipedes and horseshoe crabs. Fish make up 4 percent, including the "living fossil" known as the coelacanth, which is still alive today nearly 250 million years later. Snails, bivalves (creatures including clams and oysters), squid-like belemnoids, nautilus-like ammonoids and other mollusks make up about 2 percent of the fossils.

The largest creature the scientists found was a thalattosaur, a marine reptile about 10 feet (3 meters) in length, which would have preyed on the larger fishes there, which reached lengths of about 3 feet (1 m). Other predatory marine reptiles the scientists found include dolphin-bodied ichthyosaurs.

"Every time we find a new site like this, we get closer to what life in the past was really like," Benton told LiveScience.

A long time to heal

This extraordinarily detailed snapshot of a diverse bygone ecosystem reveals that life took a long time to heal from the massive damage it received - 10 million years, which is even more than it took life to recover after the K-T event that claimed the dinosaurs.

"Recovery after most mass extinctions, including the K-T, seems to have taken 1 million to 4 million years," Benton said. "The end-Permian event was so profound, killing perhaps 90 percent of species, that ecosystems had nothing left to hang their structure on."

"The importance of the discovery that ecosystems took 10 million years to recover completely reflects the unequalled severity of the event," Benton said.

Some marine animals such as the ammonoids did recover fast, within 1 million to 2 million years, but "physical environmental conditions continued to suffer setbacks for the 4 million to 5 million years of the Early Triassic, with four or five pulses of sudden heating and ocean stagnation," Benton said, referring to severe climate changes and reduced ocean water circulation. "The Luoping site and evidence from older locations in south China shows that ecosystems in total had not recovered until some 10 million years after the crisis."

[Rewind: Fossil evidence reveals existence of gigantic penguins]

The researchers now plan to explore the recovery over the ecosystem's entire life span to see which species recovered when and how the food web rebuilt itself. In addition, "we hope to now explore all the amazing fossil organisms from Luoping - this has only just begun and will take many years to document in detail," Benton said.

The scientists, led by Shixue Hu of the Chengdu Geological Center in western China, detailed their findings online Dec. 22 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Source Yahoo! News ^^

'Spider-Man' stunt goes awry; is show in peril?

2010-12-22T12:56:00.001+07:00

NEW YORK – Broadway might need a superhero to save the new Spider-Man musical. "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," the most expensive production in Broadway history, suffered its fourth accident in a month when a stuntman playing the web-slinger fell about 30 feet into a stage pit during a preview Monday night. The safety tether that clips to his back failed to prevent the spill.

The performer, Christopher W. Tierney, was wheeled out of the Foxwoods Theatre on a stretcher, still in his costume, and taken by ambulance to Bellevue Hospital with minor injuries. He suffered broken ribs and internal bleeding, said a castmate, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the musical.

An uncle in Florida, Michael Tierney, said when reached by phone Tuesday night that he had spoken with his nephew a few hours ago. "He sounded pretty good," Tierney said, adding that his nephew was still at the hospital when he spoke with him.

In a statement, Actors' Equity said investigators determined that the accident was caused by human error. It gave no details but said additional safety measures are being undertaken.

A state Department of Labor spokesman said the cause was under investigation.

The fall was the latest setback for the troubled, $65 million show.

Conceived by Tony-winning director Julie Taymor and U2's Bono and The Edge, who wrote the music, "Spider-Man" has been more than eight years in the making. It has been plagued by delays, money woes and several other accidents, including one in which an actress suffered a concussion and another in which a performer broke his wrists in an aerial stunt. Its official opening has been postponed twice, to early February.

The huge costs — a 41-member cast, 18 orchestra members, complicated sets and 27 daring aerial stunts, including a battle between two characters over the audience — mean the 1,928-seat theater will have to virtually sell out every show for several years just to break even. The weekly running bill has been put as high as $1 million. (Tickets are $67.50 to $135 for weekday performances, $67.50 to $140 on weekends.)

A spokesman for "Spider-Man," Rick Miramontez, said in a statement that new safety measures ordered by the government after the latest accident have been adopted. Wednesday's matinee was canceled, but Wednesday night's show will go on, Miramontez said. (No performance had been scheduled for Tuesday.)

Leo Rosales, spokesman for the New York Department of Labor, said the show's producers had not yet presented new safety protocols and would do so on Wednesday. If the measures were inadequate, he said, the state won't let the show perform the complicated aerial maneuvers.

"If it takes longer, it will need to take longer," he said of the show's timing. "We need to be satisfied."

Taymor, the director, said in a statement: "An accident like this is obviously heartbreaking for our entire team and, of course, to me personally. I am so thankful that Chris is going to be alright and is in great spirits. Nothing is more important than the safety of our Spider-Man family and we'll continue to do everything in our power to protect the cast and crew."

One audience member who attended Monday's performance, Brian Lynch, said he knew of the previous mishaps and still wanted to come.

"I was making jokes about it earlier in the day," said Lynch, visiting from Hollywood, Calif. "I said if anyone got hurt I was ready to jump in and help out. I never thought it would happen, I thought they probably worked it all out. I really didn't think it would happen like it did. It was pretty horrific."

The accident happened during the show's big finale, when the Green Goblin drops Mary Jane and Spider-Man leaps to her rescue.

"But then he just kept falling, it seemed, and then everything went dark and then people, crew ran up to the stage and we heard the girl playing Mary Jane screaming from the pit," Lynch said.

"Spider-Man" might yet prevail. Other Broadway shows have struggled with getting their sets and stunts to work during previews, including "Mary Poppins," whose house set went off track in 2006, and "Titanic," which was plagued by numerous technical problems during a month of previews in 1997. Both were hits.

Mary Martin, who starred many times in productions of "Peter Pan," had numerous accidents, "beauts," as she flew about the stage. A year before she died, in a 1989 interview with the Chicago Tribune, she recalled smashing into a concrete wall during a rehearsal as she was trying to show the children in the cast that they shouldn't fear being in the air.

"It was like a cannon shot," Martin said. "I thought, `My God, these kids will never fly now,' never thinking that my arm might be broken. So we went right back and I said, `Now we're going to fly it like it should be,' and we did, and it went perfectly."

But "Spider-Man" — whose costs beat the previous most expensive Broadway show, the $25 million "Shrek The Musical" — has reached a dangerous level of attention: fodder for comics. Online, where parodies by "Saturday Night Live" and "Conan" poking fun of the musical's early technical problems had recently been eagerly passed around, the tone shifted Tuesday from jokey schadenfreude to mild outrage.

An actor from TV's "Modern Family," Jesse Tyler Ferguson, wisecracked: "I'm torn between wanting to see `Spider-Man' on Broadway and not wanting to see someone literally die doing musical theater."

The production — supervised by Juniper Street Productions, a management firm that has overseen such Broadway and Las Vegas productions as "The Producers" and "Promises, Promises" — has been under investigation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration since Nov. 2 at the request of the state Labor Department, according to OSHA.

"It's certainly going to be continuing as a result of the latest incident," OSHA spokesman John Chavez said.

The state Department of Labor inspected 37 separate aerial maneuvers planned for the show at rehearsals in November and approved the use of all equipment in the show, Rosales said. "From what we saw back then," he said, the maneuvers appeared to be safe.

Miramontez said OSHA, Actors' Equity and New York State labor officials met with the "Spider-Man" company on Tuesday to discuss additional safety measures, and "it was agreed that these measures would be enacted immediately."

Tierney, who appeared in the national tour of "Moving Out" and in "Dirty Dancing" in Toronto, is the show's main aerialist and performs stunts for the roles of Spider-Man and the villains Meeks and Kraven the Hunter. The castmate who spoke on condition of anonymity said the cable to Tierney's harness snapped. But one special-effects expert raised the possibility that the rope was not hooked up securely.

Scott Fisher, president of Fisher Technical Services Inc. of in Las Vegas, which builds equipment for aerial stunts for the show, said the rope was supposed to be clipped to the stage at one end and the performer's back at the other.

"The stage crew would have been responsible for making the connection for hooking him up," Fisher said. "The actor is responsible for making the final check that he's good to go. It's sort of like packing your own parachute."

He said the script called for the stuntman to lurch forward at the end of a ramp as if leaping to Mary Jane's rescue. "He runs and stops and freezes in a position that you wouldn't normally be able to hold unless you had a little support from behind him," Fisher said. "If that's not hooked up and he leans forward, he's going to fall forward."

Fisher said the rope was not part of his company's onstage flight systems. But he said it was unlikely to have snapped: It is a 10,000-pound line.

After the actor fell, screaming could be heard coming from the pit.

"A voice yelled, `Someone call 911!' Then there was a silence," an audience member, fashion blogger Mariana Leung, wrote on the website NearSay.com. "A minute later, the stage was still dark. Then there was an announcement that the show would be delayed. A few minutes later, a second announcement that the performance would not continue. The lights came up."

Just last week, the show's lead producer, Michael Cohl, delayed the official opening for the second time, pushing it back from Jan. 11 to Feb. 7. He cited "some unforeseeable setbacks, most notably the injury of a principal cast member."

The first preview on Nov. 28 did not go well. The musical had to be halted five times because of technical glitches, and actress Natalie Mendoza, who plays Spider-Man's evil love interest Arachne, was hit in the head by a rope and suffered a concussion. She was sidelined for two weeks.

___

Associated Press writers John Carucci, Tom McElroy, Karen Matthews, Ula Ilnytzky and Sara Kugler Frazier, Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle, Broadcast correspondent Warren Levinson and AP news researcher Jennifer Farrar contributed to this report.

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Dog in Germany gives birth to 17 puppies

2010-12-21T22:46:00.001+07:00

BERLIN – A dog in Germany has given birth to 17 puppies, leaving their owner thrilled but fatigued after having to feed them with a bottle for several weeks because their mother couldn't cope with the demand.

Owner Ramona Wegemann said Monday she barely slept for more than a couple of minutes without interruption during about four weeks in an "exhausting" struggle to make sure all of the purebred Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies would survive.

She said when she was "finished feeding the last puppy, the first was hungry again."

Wegemann's dog Etana gave birth to eight female and nine male puppies on Sept. 28 in Ebereschenhof, which is near Berlin.

At least five times a day, Wegemann gave the dogs a bottle with special milk because their mother's nipples could have never coped with the demand, and when the puppies were not hungry, they wanted to be entertained, she said.

Wegemann said when dogs give birth to so many puppies several of them die within the first week. "But all of our puppies survived. This is incredible and wonderful," the 32-year-old added.

It was the second time that Etana gave birth. She gave birth to eight puppies in her first pregnancy, not uncommon for the dog's breed, Wegemann said.

"The birth of the puppies was very special. All puppies were born naturally, no cesarean was necessary," she added. It took Etana a full 26 hours to give birth to all of the puppies — and Wegemann was as baffled as amazed.

But caring for 17 puppies turned out to be a full-time job: Wegemann put her work as an independent animal psychiatrist on a hold and her husband took as much vacation as he could.

Their lives have been turned upside down by the puppies, and their living room is now occupied by a giant box that houses the puppies.

But even Wegemann still struggles to recognize them: The females puppies are called Bahati, Binta, Bahya, Bashima, Batouuli, Binki, Bora, Bisa and the male ones are Baakir, Banjoku, Belay, Bruk, Bundu, Bayo, Bukekayo, Biton and Bulus.

Wegemann gave them all African names because the Rhodesian Ridgeback is an African hunting dog. Wegeman and her husband now plan to give most of the puppies away.

A price of ?800 ($1,050) per puppy would only cover the expenses for the veterinary, vaccinations, food and the mandatory paperwork, Wegemann said. She hopes to get about ?1,000 ($1,315) per dog, but said they would only give them to families with children, not breeders.

Four of the puppies have been sold, two more are already paid for and will leave their siblings shortly.

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North Korea says won't react to South drill

2010-12-20T21:12:00.002+07:00

YEONPYEONG, South Korea (Reuters) – North Korea said it would not react to "reckless" military drills by the South on Monday, despite an earlier threat to retaliate, and CNN reported that Pyongyang had agreed to the return of nuclear inspectors.

Air-raid bunkers on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong shook during the live-fire artillery exercise, which went on for just over 90 minutes, but the North Korean guns that had shelled the island after a similar drill last month stayed silent.

"The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK did not feel any need to retaliate against every despicable military provocation," the official KCNA news agency said, quoting a communique from the North's Korean People's Army Supreme Command that dismissed the drills as a "childish play with fire."

The U.N. Security Council was deadlocked in its efforts to ease tensions on the divided peninsula, but the lack of North Korean response and the nuclear offer reportedly made to U.S. troubleshooter Bill Richardson offered some breathing space.

"The situation is very tense," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow. "There can be no optimism in this situation."

South Korean financial markets took the day's events in their stride, recovering from early falls, but international investors remained concerned, with the cost of insuring South Korean sovereign debt for five years rising 10 percent.

The mercurial North had threatened it would strike back if its neighbor went ahead with the live-fire exercise.

On November 23, North Korean artillery had shelled Yeonpyeong, close to the disputed maritime border off the west coast of the Korean peninsula, killing four people, in the worst attack on South Korean territory since the Korean war ended in 1953.

"It's a perfectly natural thing for a sovereign nation and a divided country to conduct military exercises to defend its territory in the face of military conflict," South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said in a statement.

Monday's artillery exercise came hours after a U.N. Security Council meeting on the Korean peninsula crisis ended in an impasse, with Russia and China resisting an explicit condemnation of the North for last month's attack.

China's foreign ministry responded to the drills with a statement that said: "We strongly call for the relevant parties to maintain the greatest degree of restraint and adopt a responsible attitude to prevent the deterioration and escalation of the situation."

POTENTIAL BREAKTHROUGH

But amid the diplomatic gloom, New Mexico Governor Richardson, visiting Pyongyang to try to ease tension, won agreement from North Korea to allow U.N. nuclear inspectors to return, according to CNN, which has a team traveling with him.

Pyongyang "agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Agency personnel to return to a nuclear facility in the country and agreed to negotiate the sale of 12,000 ... fuel rods and ship them to an outside country, presumably to South Korea," CNN said, quoting correspondent Wolf Blitzer in Pyongyang.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said it could not confirm the agreement.

"We do not have the specific details yet, so it is too early to make an official evaluation," a spokesman said.

Richardson was visiting in an unofficial capacity, the traditional means of communication between the two sides, but it was unclear whether the reported agreement meant real progress, particularly given Pyongyang's poor record of honoring deals.

North Korea expelled inspectors in April 2009 after ripping up a previous disarmament-for-aid agreement.

"It means that they are prepared to give up, at least in part, the plutonium programme, which has been the source of the fuel rods they came up with," said North Korea expert Kim Yong-hyun of Dongguk University. "It would be considerable progress, if true."

However, North Korea last month unveiled major technical progress in uranium enrichment, suggesting another reason it could be willing to end the plutonium programme.

"There is obviously a large element of gamesmanship in North Koreans reported offer," said Mark FitzPatrick, a nuclear expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"It's a way to entice the U.S. and its allies to return to six-party talks, to discuss what the North Koreans would expect in exchange for these offers."

In Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had no immediate comment.

"The question is: what would the IAEA be asked to do?" said a diplomatic source, adding that one possibility was that North Korean wanted the IAEA to "tell the world" about its uranium enrichment programme.

NERVOUS MARKETS

Tension ahead of the military drills initially hit Korean markets when they opened on Monday, with the won falling nearly 2 percent to a four-week low against the dollar and stocks also down 1 percent in early trade.

But shares recouped most of their losses to close down just 0.3 percent, slightly outperforming the region as a whole, while the won ended local trade higher against the dollar.

Sunday's announcement that Seoul would impose a levy on the foreign debt of banks from late 2011 also weighed on markets. The move was Seoul's latest attempt to discourage too much speculative hot money flowing into South Korean assets, a reminder that local markets are bullish despite the tension.

Both sides have said they will use force to defend what they say is their territory off the west coast, raising international concern that the standoff could quickly spiral out of control.

Five-year credit default swaps for South Korean sovereign debt rose 9 basis points to 100 bps.

Russia had called Sunday's emergency Security Council meeting to try to prevent an escalation, but major powers failed to agree on a draft statement because of differences over whether to lay the blame on Pyongyang.

"The gaps that remain are unlikely to be bridged," said Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Other diplomats, however, said it was possible the Council could return to the issue as early as Monday.

Western diplomats said China and Russia were pushing for an ambiguous statement that would not have blamed North Korea for the crisis, but would have called on both sides to exercise restraint. Rice said the "vast majority" of council members did not want an ambiguous statement.

(Additional reporting by Jack Kim, Yoo Choonsik and Jeremy Laurence in Seoul, Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations, Chris Buckley in Beijing and Frederik Dahl in Vienna; Writing by Andrew Marshall and Alex Richardson; Editing by Ron Popeski)

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Bones found on island might be Amelia Earhart's

2010-12-18T14:43:00.001+07:00

NORMAN, Okla. – The three bone fragments turned up on a deserted South Pacific island that lay along the course Amelia Earhart was following when she vanished. Nearby were several tantalizing artifacts: some old makeup, some glass bottles and shells that had been cut open.

Now scientists at the University of Oklahoma hope to extract DNA from the tiny bone chips in tests that could prove Earhart died as a castaway after failing in her 1937 quest to become the first woman to fly around the world.

"There's no guarantee," said Ric Gillespie, director of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, a group of aviation enthusiasts in Delaware that found the pieces of bone this year while on an expedition to Nikumaroro Island, about 1,800 miles south of Hawaii.

"You only have to say you have a bone that may be human and may be linked to Earhart and people get excited. But it is true that, if they can get DNA, and if they can match it to Amelia Earhart's DNA, that's pretty good."

It could be months before scientists know for sure — and it could turn out the bones are from a turtle. The fragments were found near a hollowed-out turtle shell that might have been used to collect rain water, but there were no other turtle parts nearby.

Earhart's disappearance on July 2, 1937, remains one of the 20th century's most enduring mysteries. Did she run out of fuel and crash at sea? Did her Lockheed Electra develop engine trouble? Did she spot the island from the sky and attempt to land on a nearby reef?

"What were her last moments like? What was she doing? What happened?" asked Robin Jensen, an associate professor of communications at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., who has studied Earhart's writings and speeches.

Since 1989, Gillespie's group has made 10 trips to the island, trying each time to find clues that might help determine the fate of Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan.

Last spring, volunteers working at what seemed to be an abandoned campsite found one piece of bone that appeared to be from a neck and another unknown fragment dissimilar to bird or fish bones. A third fragment might be from a finger. The largest of the pieces is just over an inch long.

The area was near a site where native work crews found skeletal remains in 1940. Bird and fish carcasses suggested Westerners had prepared meals there.

"This site tells the story of how someone or some people attempted to live as castaways," Gillespie said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press. "These fish weren't eaten like Pacific Islanders" eat fish.

Millions of dollars have been spent in failed attempts to learn what happened to Earhart, a Kansas native declared dead by a California court in early 1939.

The official version says Earhart and Noonan ran out of fuel and crashed at sea while flying from Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island, which had a landing strip and fuel.

Gillespie's book "Finding Amelia: The True Story of the Earhart Disappearance," and "Amelia Earhart's Shoes," written by four volunteers from the aircraft group, suggest the pair landed on the reef and survived, perhaps for months, on scant food and rainwater.

Gillespie, a pilot, said the aviator would have needed only about 700 feet of unobstructed space to land because her plane would have been traveling only about 55 mph at touchdown.

"It looks like she could have landed successfully on the reef surrounding the island. It's very flat and smooth," Gillespie said. "At low tide, it looks like this place is surrounded by a parking lot."

However, Gillespie said, the plane, even if it landed safely, would have been slowly dragged into the sea by the tides. The waters off the reef are 1,000 to 2,000 feet deep. His group needs $3 million to $5 million for a deep-sea dive.

The island is on the course Earhart planned to follow from Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island, which had a landing strip and fuel. Over the last seven decades, searches of the remote atoll have been inconclusive.

After the latest find, anthropologists who had previously worked with Gillespie's group suggested that he send the bones to the University of Oklahoma's Molecular Anthropology Laboratory, which has experience extracting genetic material from old bones. Gillespie's group also has a genetic sample from an Earhart female relative for comparison with the bones.

The lab is looking for mitochondrial DNA, which is passed along only through females, so there is no need to have a Noonan sample.

Cecil Lewis, an assistant professor of anthropology at the lab, said the university received a little more than a gram of bone fragments about two weeks ago. If researchers are able to extract DNA and link it to Earhart, a sample would be sent to another lab for verification.

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. That's why we're trying to downplay a lot of the media attention right now," Lewis said. "For all we know, this is just a turtle bone, and a lot of people are going to be very disheartened."

Under the best circumstances, the analysis would take two weeks. If scientists have trouble with the sample, that time frame could stretch into months, Lewis said.

"Ancient DNA is incredibly unpredictable," he said.

Other material recovered this year also suggested the presence of Westerners at the isolated island site:

• Someone carried shells ashore before cutting them open and slicing out the meat. Islanders cut the meat out at sea.

• Bottles found nearby were melted on the bottom, suggesting they had been put into a fire, possibly to boil water. (A Coast Guard unit on the island during World War II would have had no need to boil water.)

• Bits of makeup were found. The group is checking to see which products Earhart endorsed and whether an inventory lists specific types of makeup carried on her final trip.

• A glass bottle with remnants of lanolin and oil, possibly hand lotion.

In 2007, the group found a piece of a pocket knife but didn't know whether it was left by the Coast Guard or castaways. This year, it found the shattered remains of the knife, suggesting someone had smashed it to extract the blades. Gillespie speculated a castaway used a blade to make a spear to stab shallow-water fish like those found at the campsite.

Following Earhart's disappearance, distress signals picked up by distant ships pointed back to the area of Nikumaroro Island, but while pilots passing over saw signs of recent habitation, the island was crossed off the list as having been searched, Gillespie said.

In 1940, a British overseer on the island recovered a partial human skeleton, a woman's shoe and an empty sextant box at what appeared to be a former campsite, littered with turtle, clamshell and bird remains.

Thinking of Earhart, the overseer sent the items to Fiji, where a British doctor decided they belonged to a stocky European or mixed-blood male, ruling out any Earhart connection.

The bones later vanished, but in 1998, Gillespie's group located the doctor's notes in London. Two other forensic specialists reviewed the doctor's bone measurements and agreed they were more "consistent with" a female of northern European descent, about Earhart's age and height.

On their own visits to the island, volunteers recovered an aluminum panel that could be from an Electra, another piece of a woman's shoe and a "cat's paw" heel dating from the 1930s; another shoe heel, possibly a man's, and an oddly cut piece of clear Plexiglas.

The sextant box might have been Noonan's. The woman's shoe and heel resemble a blucher-style oxford seen in a pre-takeoff photo of Earhart. The plastic shard is the exact thickness and curvature of an Electra's side window.

The body of evidence is intriguing, but Gillespie insists the team is "constantly agonizing over whether we are being dragged down a path that isn't right."

___

Associated Press Writer Kelly P. Kissel contributed to this report from Oklahoma City.

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USC defeats No. 19 Texas 73-56

2010-12-06T18:43:00.002+07:00

LOS ANGELES – Nikola Vucevic scored 16 of his career-high 24 points in the first half and Southern California beat No. 19 Texas 73-56 on Sunday night.

The Trojans (5-4) led the entire way in their biggest win of the season, snapping a two-game skid in front of about 25 NBA scouts. Alex Stepheson added 14 points and 11 rebounds, Maurice Jones had 12 points and Marcus Simmons 11 for USC in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series matchup.

J'Covan Brown led Texas with 17 points. Jordan Hamilton, from nearby Compton, was held to 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting, well off his average of 21.7 points. The Longhorns (6-2) came in averaging 78.6 points and had outscored their opponents by an average of 17.7.

But they were clearly riled by USC's defensive pressure, with Simmons keeping Hamilton in check and the Trojans contesting shots while capitalizing on fast-break chances.

The Trojans opened the second half with a 14-3 run, including nine straight points, to build 49-30 lead. Stepheson had six points in the spurt and freshman Bryce Jones provided the biggest highlight, taking a pass from Maurice Jones and scoring on a play that began when the Trojans blocked a shot at the Longhorns' end.

Texas twice got within 10, the first time by outscoring USC 11-2 midway through the half. Two free throws by Brown again drew them to 59-49 with 5:44 to play.

But Simmons continued harassing Hamilton, and Maurice Jones scored nine of USC's final 15 points. The Trojans made 13 of their final 16 free throws.

The Trojans built their largest lead of the first half, 33-20, on three consecutive 3-pointers, including two by Vucevic. Hamilton's only basket came on a goaltending call.

SKorea to boost troops as NKorea issues warning

2010-11-25T17:20:00.002+07:00

YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea – South Korea's president vowed Thursday to boost troops on an island targeted by a North Korean artillery barrage, while the North stridently warned of additional attacks if the South carries out any "reckless military provocations."

Seoul and Washington ratcheted up the pressure on China to use its influence on ally North Korea to ease soaring tensions after an exchange of fire Tuesday that left four South Koreans dead — including two civilians. China urged both sides to show restraint.

The North's bombardment of this tiny South Korean island along a disputed maritime frontier — the first such attack on a civilian area — alarmed world leaders, including President Barack Obama, who reaffirmed plans for joint maneuvers with Seoul involving a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea starting Sunday.

"We should not let our guard down in preparation for another possible North Korean provocation," South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said during an emergency meeting in Seoul on repercussions of the attack, presidential spokesman Hong Sang-pyo said. "I think a similar North Korean provocation could come at any time."

Yeonpyeong Island, home to military bases as well a fishing community of 1,300 residents, looked like a war zone Thursday, with homes and shops completely flattened and the streets strewn with blackened rubble, mangled window frames and shattered glass.

Hundreds of residents have already fled the devastation for the mainland, but a few were still rooting around the rubble looking for personal belonging and spending cold nights in underground shelters.

Hong said that South Korea will boost ground troops on Yeonpyeong and four other islands in western waters in response to this week's attack, reversing a 2006 decision calling for an eventual decrease. He declined to discuss specifics for the increase, but said troops there currently amount to about 4,000.

His comments came as South Korea's defense chief visited the island, located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the port of Incheon west of Seoul but just 7 miles (11 kilometers) from North Korean shores.

The military was analyzing debris from North Korea's artillery and has not ruled out North Korea's use of thermobaric bombs, which burn more violently and increase casualties and property destruction, a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said. He asked not to be identified, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

The two Koreas are required to abide by an armistice signed at the close of the three-year war, but the North does not recognize the maritime line drawn by U.N. forces in 1953 and considers South Korean maneuvers near Yeonpyeong island a violation of its territory.

The attack added to animosity from the March sinking of a South Korean warship in nearby waters that killed 46 sailors in the worst military attack on the nation since the Korean War.

Skirmishes occur from time to time around the sea border, but Tuesday's attack was the first to target civilians and raised concerns about escalating hostilities leading to another war.

The shelling also comes as North Korea is undergoing a delicate transition of power from leader Kim Jong Il to his young son Kim Jong Un. The son, who is in late 20s, was made a four-star general and nominated to high-ranking Workers' Party posts in the first steps toward eventually succeeding his father.

The previously scheduled U.S.-South Korean drills set to begin Sunday and involving the carrier USS George Washington are sure to infuriate North Korea.

The North made no specific mention of those exercises in its statement but warned that its military would "launch second and third strong physical retaliations without hesitation if South Korean warmongers carry out reckless military provocations."

The North also said Washington was to blame for the South Korean artillery drills on Yeonpyeong that prompted the North to respond with its artillery barrage Tuesday.

Washington "should thoroughly control South Korea," it said. The warning was issued by North Korea's military mission at the truce village of Panmunjom and was carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

South Korea says its artillery exercises Tuesday were aimed away from North Korea, and a top military official on the island Thursday showed reporters a trajectory heading to the southwest.

"North Korea argues that we fired at them first, but this is the direction that we fired," Lt. Gen. Joo Jong-hwa said.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration urged China to rein in ally North Korea, with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, saying: "We really think it's important for the international community to lead, but in particular China."

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called on all sides to show "maximum restraint." He repeated calls for renewed six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to dismantle its nuclear programs. Wen said those talks, involving the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the United States, are the best way to ensure stability on the peninsula and its denuclearization.

Wen's remarks were made in Russia on Wednesday on a state visit and posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website.

South Korea said it will increase diplomatic efforts to get China, which supplied North Korea with troops during the Korean War and remains its main ally and biggest benefactor, to put pressure on Pyongyang.

On Thursday, the coast guard transported two white coffins carrying the bodies of civilians pulled from the rubble Wednesday.

In Seongnam, just outside Seoul, military officers and family members mourned the two marines killed in the attack, laying flowers and burning incense at an altar. Funerals are to take place Saturday.

Yeonpyeong residents arrived in Incheon with harrowing tales of fiery destruction and narrow escapes.

Survivor Ahn Ae-ja said the artillery barrage caught her by surprise.

"Over my head, a pine tree was broken and burning," Ahn told AP Television News on Wednesday. "So I thought 'Oh, this is not another exercise. It is a war.' I decided to run. And I did."

About 10 homes suffered direct hits and 30 were destroyed in the barrage, according to a local official who spoke by telephone. She asked that her name not be used.

"I heard the sound of artillery, and I felt that something was flying over my head," said Lim Jung-eun, 36, who fled the island with three children, including a 9-month-old strapped to her back. "Then the mountain caught on fire."

The shower of artillery from North Korea was the first to strike a civilian population. In addition to the two marines and two civilians killed in the exchange, at least 18 people — most of them troops — were wounded.

Officials in Seoul said there could be considerable North Korean casualties but there was no mention in North Korean state media of casualties.

___

Kwang-tae Kim reported from Seoul. Matthew Lee contributed to this reported from Washington.

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Box Office: Will 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' beat the 'New Moon' record?

2010-11-21T21:23:00.000+07:00

It's no surprise that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" dominated the box office this weekend. Fans dressed as Harry, Snape, and Luna Lovegood lined up outside theaters for access to midnight screenings across the country -- in fact, those midnight screenings alone raked in $24 million.

"Harry's" Friday total amounted to an estimated $61.1 million, which gives the film a strong projection for the weekend... and a fighting chance at breaking the November opening-weekend record set by "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" last year.

Films in the "Potter" franchise have typically done extremely well throughout Saturday and Sunday on their opening weekends because of the appeal to children, though many reviewers have suggested that "Deathly Hallows" may not be the most kid-friendly fare.

To best "New Moon," the movie will have to rake in $142.8 by midnight on Sunday.

Will you be hitting theaters this weekend? Take a peek at Friday's Top 10 below and let us know your pick.

1. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" - $61.1 million
2. "Unstoppable" - $4m
3. "Megamind" - $3.7m
4. "Due Date" - $2.9m
5. "The Next Three Days" - $2.2m
6. "Morning Glory" - $1.6m
7. "Skyline" - $1m
8. "Red" - $720,000
9. "For Colored Girls" - $675,000
10. "Fair Game" - $375,000

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Photo/Video credit: WB Pictures

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Chicken Butternut Squash Soup

2010-11-18T16:56:00.000+07:00

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut in 3/4-inch pieces (4 cups)
• 1 small red onion, cut in 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 14-oz. cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 15- to 16-oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup dried apricots, snipped
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated or ground nutmeg
• 1 deli-roasted chicken, cut up
• Fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In shallow roasting pan toss squash and onion with curry powder and the 1 tablespoon oil. Roast, uncovered, 20 minutes or until tender. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

2. In 4-quart Dutch oven combine roasted vegetables, broth, beans, and apricots. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Cook about 5 minutes. Transfer half the soup to food processor or blender. Cover; process or blend until smooth. Return to Dutch oven; heat through.

3. Meanwhile, in bowl toss walnuts with 1 teaspoon oil and the nutmeg. Spread nuts on baking sheet. Bake 7 minutes or until golden and toasted. Reheat chicken according to package directions, if needed.

4. To serve, top soup with nuts, chicken, and cilantro. Makes 6 main-dish servings.

Recipe Source

Time after time just sharing

2010-11-16T18:12:00.003+07:00

Here author use help google translate,so if you find sentence which wrong please excuse the author okey thanks.

Now I will sharing about "time",what's that time ? let I answer time is time which have meaning day,date,ETC.Why I choose time word ?because I believe everytime which the pass will always and never back.Here I very disappointed time use for the thing which useless,because what ? Every time that we use for things that are not useful tantamount to wasting time.We life in world just while !!! for it not to do things that disappoint.How ? with closer to the Lord and do something positive.

conclusion we have time and we use well

Fresh iPhone Games for Nov: 11: Space Miner Blast, MMA Pro Fighter, Spider-Man

2010-11-11T19:18:00.000+07:00

Fans of the popular Space Miner: Space Ore Bust should check out Space Miner Blast, which heads up today’s Fresh Games list and is free for a limited time. Meanwhile, iPad owners should check out the phenomenal Spider-Man: Total Mayhem at a discount. Read more below and get your spider sense tingling.

Space Miner Blast (iPhone) Free

A spin-off of Space Miner: Space Ore Bust, Space Miner Blast simplifies the RPG/space shooter down to its base elements -- flying around in a ship, shooting asteroids and collecting items. Built with some interesting physics controls, you steer your ship with one stick and fire its thrusters with one button, while blasting away the ships guns with another. Your job is to track down asteroids and blow them apart for the ore inside, and use the money you earn to upgrade your ship.

Space Miner includes integration with Game Center for achievements and leaderboard support, and while the base app is free, you can also buy up to three fully-upgraded alternate ships for 99 cents each, or spend $1.99 and get all of them. Any purchase you make also strips the ads from the app as well.

MMA Pro Fighter (iPhone) Free

Here’s another spin-off -- this one’s an iPhone version of the Facebook app of the same name, which lets you cultivate a mixed martial arts fighter and battle other players using a ton of different moves.

You can purchase a full version of the app, and can customize your fighter and increase his training in order to win more fights. The app includes leaderboards, additional martial arts styles, and Facebook integration so you can battle your friends and humiliate them in your newsfeed.

Spider-Man: Total Mayhem HD (iPad) $6.99

There’s already an extremely well-received version of this Spider-Man action game on the iPhone, but today marks the webhead’s debut on the iPad.

Based on the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, Total Mayhem uses virtual controls to let players battle through several different levels with beat-em-up style combat. You’ll have access to 20 different combo moves with all of Spider-Man’s standard abilities like wall-crawling and web-slinging. Through the course of the game, you’ll fight through 12 different levels and take on six iconic Spider-Man villains.

Obama voices concerns about Mideast peace talks

2010-11-09T21:25:00.001+07:00

JAKARTA, Indonesia - President Barack Obama, visiting the world's most populous Muslim nation, expressed deep concern Tuesday that Israelis and Palestinians aren't making the "extra effort" to secure a breakthrough for achieving Middle East peace.

Obama said he hasn't seen the kind of progress in negotiations that "could finally create a framework for a secure Israel living side by side in peace with a sovereign Palestine." Asked at a news conference with Indonesia's President Suslilo Bambang Yudhoyono about Israeli settlement construction in East Jerusalem, Obama said, "Each of these incremental steps can end up breaking that trust between these parties."

Obama raised his Mideast concerns while appearing with Yudhoyono during his first visit to Indonesia as president to the country where he lived for four years as a child. He marveled over "sights and sounds" that evoked memories of the past and said that Indonesia's landscape of today barely resembles the land where he went to live at age 6 in 1967.

The U.S. sees Indonesia as a counterweight to China's growing strength, though Obama said Tuesday he's not seeking to stop China's growth.

"We think China being prosperous and secure is a positive," Obama said. "We're not interested in containing that process."

Still, with the controversy over how China values its currency looming as Obama heads to the G-20 economic summit in South Korea later this week, Obama said all countries must operate within, "an international framework and sets of rules in which countries recognize their responsibilities to each other."

Obama will meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, but officials say they don't expect the currency issue to be resolved.

Speaking in the world's largest Muslim country, Obama said he believes the administration has improved relations with the Muslim work, but called it an "incomplete project," saying much more work needs to be done. Obama said policy differences with Muslim countries will linger, but that building better ties between the people of the United States and the Muslim world will foster improved overall relations.

He voiced support for Yudhoyono's efforts to nurture a rapidly growing society even in a time when Indonesia has been hit by earthquakes, a tsunami, and now a volcanic eruption. Concerns about volcanic ash caused the White House to shorten Obama's stay here and expedite his takeoff Wednesday for the G-20 summit in Seoul.

Mount Merapi, Indonesia's most volatile volcano, began erupting two weeks ago, unleashing a flood of volcanic gas, rock and debris that smothered whole villages and cut down people who tried to fleeing. More than 150 people have died.

As scheduled, the trip was less than 24 hours, with Obama arriving late afternoon Tuesday and leaving midday Wednesday. The trip was shoehorned into a jam-packed 10-day Asia trip, between three days spent in India and economic meetings in South Korea and Japan that start Thursday.

Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrived on a gray, humid day in Indonesia's capital, and were greeted by dozens of dignitaries at Istana Merdeka, a white columned presidential palace reminiscent of the White House. Obama greeted some of the officials in Indonesian as he shook their hands.

Indonesians all over this country of more than 17,000 islands gathered around television sets in their houses, coffee shops and office buildings as Obama's plane touched down.

Notwithstanding the likely change in schedule for his time here, Obama's quick stop to visit a country that is increasingly important player in Asia allowed him to speak to the values of democracy and religious tolerance and reflect on his time here as a boy.

The U.S. has increasingly embraced Indonesia as a moderate Muslim nation and partner in counter-terror efforts in the wake of attacks in Bali, Jakarta and elsewhere in the region between 2002 and 2005. The nation of 250 million people is made up of a string of islands stretched through the Indian Ocean between Australia and Malaysia.

"Lots of U.S. interests and lots of challenges and opportunities intersect in Indonesia," Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, told reporters Monday.

Obama's abbreviated schedule doesn't allow time for him to visit childhood haunts, but he intends to speak to his personal biography at an address to a large crowd at the University of Indonesia scheduled for Wednesday morning. The future president moved to Jakarta when he was 6, after his divorced mother remarried an Indonesian, and lived here until he was 10.

Obama's stepfather was Muslim, and during his time in Indonesia Obama occasionally studied the Quran and visited a local mosque. Although Obama is Christian, that background helped foster enduring rumors in the U.S. about the president's religion.

Bieber says he won't wear his namesake nail polish

2010-11-02T21:39:00.001+07:00

LOS ANGELES - Justin Bieber's music has inspired a collection of nail polish, but the 16-year-old singer says he won't be wearing any of the Bieber-riffic shades.

"It's not really my nail polish line. Like, I think it's weird to think about that," he said at a recent event to promote his autobiography, "First Step 2 Forever: My Story."

Bieber says the nail polish from Nicole by OPI, which is set to hit stores next month, is inspired by his hit songs. "Like, there's names like named after my music," he said.

"I don't know," he said. "It's like a really weird concept."

The collection, called One Less Lonely Girl, is set to include a bright red shade called OMB! and a glittery polish named Step 2 the Beat of My Heart.

Members of Bieber's team chimed in to add that the impetus for the nail polish line was OPI's willingness to donate to Pencils of Promise, a school-building organization Bieber has supported before.

"So do you want me to say that?" Bieber asked, then turned to a reporter and said, "Yeah, a portion of it goes to charity, so that's always good."

__

Online:

http://www.justinbieberneversaynever.com/

SOURCE : YAHOO! NEWS

Saw 3D' takes top box-office slice with $24.2M

2010-11-01T13:57:00.001+07:00

LOS ANGELES - Psychokiller Jigsaw has come back to life at the box office.

Lionsgate's "Saw 3D," billed as the final installment in the series about Jigsaw's legacy of bloody terror, debuted as the Halloween weekend's No. 1 movie with $24.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That was $10 million more than the debut of last year's "Saw VI," the first dud in the annual horror franchise.

"Last year, a lot of people said, 'OK, that's it. Put a fork in it, it's done,'" said David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate. "The following week, we were all disappointed and thought, what can we do to reinvigorate the franchise? So we shot the movie in 3-D and said this is the final chapter."

It paid off, though "Saw 3D" still brought a modest return compared to earlier chapters in the "Saw" series, whose second, third, fourth and fifth movies all topped $30 million over opening weekend.

"Saw 3D" also had a soft debut compared to the previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Paramount's "Paranormal Activity 2," a newer fright franchise that opened with $40.7 million. "Paranormal Activity 2" slipped to No. 2 this weekend, raising its total to $65.7 million.

"Seven years into it, obviously, that's a long time for one franchise to hold up year after year," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "Other types of horror movies have come into vogue. `Saw' is part of that whole torture-porn genre, which has gone from great success to lesser success. But they've had a good run. There's nothing to complain about here."

"Saw 3D" also had the benefit of premium prices for 3-D screenings, which cost a few dollars more than tickets for 2-D movies. According to Lionsgate, 3-D projection accounted for roughly 77 percent of "Saw 3D" screenings but 92 percent of the movie's revenues.

Summit Entertainment's action comedy "Red" continued to hold up well, finishing at No. 3 with $10.8 million and lifting its total to $58.9 million.

Another franchise playing in 3-D for the first time, Paramount's "Jackass 3D," crossed the $100 million mark, coming in at No. 4 with $8.4 million. The stunt and prank comedy raised its haul to $101.6 million.

In narrower release, Fox Searchlight's legal drama "Conviction" broke into the top-10 after two weeks in a handful of theaters. Starring Hilary Swank in the real-life story of a woman who put herself through law school to free her brother on a murder rap, "Conviction" was No. 10 with $1.8 million, playing in 565 theaters and averaging a modest $3,230 a cinema.

That compared to an $8,618 average in 2,808 theaters for "Saw 3D."

Also in narrower release, Music Box Films had solid results for "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," which follows "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Girl Who Played With Fire" to finish the trilogy based on late author Stieg Larsson's best-selling thrillers.

"Hornet's Nest" took in $735,000 in 121 theaters, averaging $6,074 a cinema. The Swedish-language film has Larsson's troubled savant Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) targeted by ruthless conspirators.

Director David Fincher is shooting Sony Pictures' English-language remake of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. The movie is due in theaters in December 2011.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Saw 3D," $24.2 million.

2. "Paranormal Activity 2," $16.5 million.

3. "Red," $10.8 million.

4. "Jackass 3D," $8.4 million.

5. "Hereafter," $6.3 million.

6. "Secretariat," $5.1 million.

7. "The Social Network," $4.7 million.

8. "Life as We Know It," $4 million.

9. "The Town," $2 million.

10. "Conviction," $1.8 million.

__

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice
SOURCE YAHOO! NEWS

Indonesia tsunami toll hits 343 as bodies found

2010-10-28T18:18:00.001+07:00

MENTAWAI ISLANDS, Indonesia - Rescuers searching islands ravaged by a tsunami off western Indonesia raised the death toll to 343 Thursday as more bodies were found and said the number is likely to climb higher because hundreds of missing people may have been swept away.

Elsewhere in Indonesia, the volcano that killed 33 people this week began erupting again, though there were no reports of new injuries or damage. Mourners held a mass burial Thursday during a lull in Mount Merapi's rumblings.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was to meet Thursday with survivors of the twin catastrophes, which struck within 24 hours in different corners of the seismically charged region, severely testing the nation's emergency response network.

Officials say a multimillion-dollar warning system installed after a monster 2004 quake and tsunami broke down one month ago because it was not being properly maintained.

In the tsunami-ravaged Mentawai islands, search and rescue teams — kept away for days by stormy seas and bad weather — found roads and beaches with swollen corpses lying on them, according to Harmensyah, head of the West Sumatra provincial disaster management center.

Some wore face masks as they wrapped corpses in black body bags on Pagai Utara, one of the four main islands in the Mentawai chain located between Sumatra and the Indian Ocean. Huge swaths of land were underwater and houses lay crumpled with tires and slabs of concrete piled on the surrounding sand.

Ferry Faisal, of the West Sumatra provincial disaster management agency, raised the official toll Thursday to 343 from 311 earlier in the day. He said 338 people are still missing.

Harmensyah said the teams were losing hope of finding those missing since the wall of water, created by a 7.8-magnitute earthquake, crashed into the islands on Monday.

"They believe many, many of the bodies were swept to sea," he said.

On Thursday, more than 100 survivors crowded into a makeshift medical center in the town of Sikakap on Pagai Utara. Some still wept for loved ones lost to the 10-foot (three-meter) wave as they lay on straw mats or sat on the floor, waiting for medics to treat injuries including broken limbs and cuts.

Hermansyah, a local fisheries ministry official who survived the earthquake and wave that hit Sikakap because he was on higher ground, quickly formed a rescue coordination committee and began traveling to other areas, finding several villages flattened.

"Not even the foundations of houses are standing. All of them are gone," said Hermansyah, who like many Indonesians uses a single name.

He said the devastation he saw indicates the wave could have been higher than reported in some areas — perhaps more than 20 feet (six meters) high.

About 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) to the east in central Java, Mount Merapi began spewing hot clouds of ash again at around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the Indonesian vulcanology agency Subandriyo.

Most residents have been evacuated from the area. It was unclear whether the new activity was a sign of another major blast to come. Tuesday's eruption killed at least 33 people and injured 17, said Agustinus, a doctor at the local health department.

Residents from the hardest-hit villages of Kinahrejo, Ngrangkah, and Kaliadem — which were decimated in Tuesday's blast — crammed into refugee camps. Officials brought surviving cows, buffalo and goats down the mountain so that they wouldn't try to go home to check on their livestock.

Thousands attended a mass burial for 26 of the victims six miles (10) kilometers from the mountain's base. They included family and friends, who wept and hugged one another as bodies were lowered into the grave in rows.

Among the dead was a revered elder who had refused to leave his ceremonial post as caretaker of the mountain's spirits. He was buried in a separate funeral Thursday.

__

Associated Press writers Slamet Riyadi at Mount Merapi and Irwan Firdaus in Jakarta contributed to this report.

Source : Yahoo!

Can voucher google adword worth 40$

2010-10-26T14:46:00.003+07:00

Startled also get google adword voucher is for $ 40 (400ribu). I think the letter of warning or anything.

In gogole adword explained that we could put ads free for $ 40 with ketentuan.And lists it was no trouble with the matter of minutes.

Provisions of the voucher would be worth $ 40 to 31 oct after that vouchers will drop to $ 25 up to 12 november.Dan other terms you can google search myself.

Vouchers that I can not I use.But for you who want to sell my voucher is worth $ 10 (100ribu).

Video Sakti Streeball

2010-10-22T16:50:00.005+07:00

Fad for video that theme on a regular basketball game before the home school.Here I learned a lot about making a video with movie maker and how to upload videos on youtube of course will increase knowledge and experience.

Please for those who want to see this video Sakti Streetball......

Versi Trailer Title "Sakti Streetball"

Versi Part(Maybe there parts next) Title "Sakti Streetball Part 1"

Thanks for watching GBU

Google Update Pagerank October 2010

2010-10-18T16:05:00.002+07:00

Finally after waiting for months pagerank update as well.Of course my pagerank again2 up from N/A to 2 not bad.So for you try check pagerank who knows you ride too.First time my pagerank up 2(check my first post about pagerank) continue to go down again now rising again.Why PageRank is important in the eyes of search engines? because of where we can know that how the quality of your blog / websitu it.Try to check the site info on this blog then you will see this blog pagerank into 2.

A few short post I am today hopefully useful to you all GBU.

Training cooling technique (Life Skills)

2010-10-16T15:12:00.002+07:00

Tomorrow and the day of week and so I have the training organized by the Ministry of Education (National Education). Therefore, I get a decent experience there pretty cool because I was taught about the cooling technique, I hope with this I would add experience for my future.

Want to share a few weeks ago I get a great calamity that made me get a lot of experience.Sunday ago last Thursday when I want to register at the STTS I had the misfortune of traveling when I strayed and did not find a place STTS.So Finally I returned home, while home There was heavy rain makes my motorcycle broke down and when I led a motorcycle, I was surprised because a motorbike keys disappear after a few minutes I look for it but luckily I found it and quickly and then I turn on the lights until I can finally go home.

The next day I try to register again this time I am accompanied by someone who already knows the way to arrival in the STTS my heart happy.Time follow the meeting and go home after I get a motorcycle accident again I lost my ticket so I have to pay for 25ribu for can go puff ... unlucky indeed true.

After I finished the race on Monday once again get my mobile stolen accident while leaving school.Maybe successive events add to the experience of the world out there.

Last time at school playing basketball until I banged my head bleeding so I quickly gave the water on my head to get rid of my blood.

Actually this post I've come from last week's post connect time there now, I would sekarang.Cukup Sharing today want to express pent-up feelings that you want issued.

Thanks for read and GBU always

This paper, I translate on google sorry if there is one word of writing, and others.

Liverpool sold to Red Sox owners

2010-10-15T23:29:00.001+07:00

LONDON – Liverpool was sold to the owners of the Boston Red Sox on Friday after a bitter trans-Atlantic court fight over the storied English club with the previous American owners.

The $476 million deal with New England Sports Ventures ends the turbulent three-year ownership by Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr.

The sale finally went through after Hicks and Gillett withdrew the temporary restraining order blocking the sale they had obtained in a Texas court. But they intend to pursue a claim for $1.6 billion in damages.

The deal came on the day set as the deadline for repayment of the club's debts to the Royal Bank of Scotland and Wells Fargo, which have risen to more than $456 million.

"We are committed first and foremost to winning," said John Henry, the financier who heads NESV. "We have a history of winning, and today we want LFC supporters to know that this approach is what we intend to bring to this great club."

Amid the takeover turmoil, Liverpool is mired in the relegation zone after its worst start to a league season since 1953.

"As every Liverpool fan knows, the most nerve-racking way to win a match is by a penalty shootout," club chairman Martin Broughton said. "But in the end, as long as you get the right result, it's worth the wait. We've got the right result."

Broughton said the deal "comprehensively resolves the pressing issue of the club's debt and should give staff, players and fans great confidence regarding the future of Liverpool FC."

Attorneys for Hicks and Gillett called the sale of the 18-time English champions an "extraordinary swindle."

"This outcome not only devalues the club but it also will result in long-term uncertainty for the fans, players and everyone who loves this sport because all legal recourses will be pursued," said Steve Stodghill, the Texas attorney representing Hicks and Gillett. "Mr. Hicks and Mr. Gillett pledged to pay the debt to RBS so that the club could avoid administration that was threatened by RBS. That offer was rejected.

"It is a tragic development that others will claim as a victory. This means it won't be resolved the way it should be resolved. My clients worked tirelessly to resolve these issues but RBS would not listen to any reasonable solution and the directors acted selfishly and illegally."

Source News : Yahoo! News

Indomie Instant Noodles raided in Taiwan (Coverage 6)

2010-10-11T18:38:00.002+07:00

Liputan6.com, Taipei: Product Indomie instant noodles officers raided the Ministry of Health and Food in Taiwan for allegedly contains two substances are not permitted for use in foods and are prohibited from sale. But the PT. Indofood Indomie as the manufacturer states are not sure who raided products are official products exported to Taiwan, on Monday (11/10).

In a videotape broadcast on Public Television Service in Taiwan seen a number of officers sealed the cardboard Indomie instant noodles and take it from store shelves. Even some customers who will buy Indomie also looks surprised when there are raids.

From the test results of Health Department of Taiwan, Indomie contains two preservatives in mienya Hydroxy Methyl Benzoate and Benzoic Acid in the marinade preservatives. Two of these materials do not qualify for the clarification of imported goods.

Related to this case, the Indomie instant noodles also stated that in exports to Taiwan have been fully comply with U.S. Department of Health and Security Bureau of Taiwan. Belief Indofood instant noodles in Taiwan rather than raid the instant noodle market aimed at Taiwan. So that sold in Indonesia contain ingredients banned in Taiwan. (JAY / Job)

The author again learn HTML to race

2010-10-08T22:09:00.005+07:00

Tomorrow, exactly on 9 October, I will follow the competitions held by the STTS (Surabaya Technical High School) entitled IT Vaganza.Theme for tomorrow is about logic with a variety of unique problems (because I already had a meeting even if briefly).

For the second day on Oct. 10, race remains STTS but with a different theme that is business of course this will be interesting because we will be told to process the money from day one.

Why do I say the title to learn HTML?. Because there will be a problem where I will design a website which of course we have to understand about HTML itself.

So loyal blog friends I forgive me if rarely blogwalking because of this.

Final thank you to pray for me.

srry my bad english.

Smadav 2010 Rev. 8.3 Free For All

2010-10-07T20:42:00.003+07:00

SmadAV Rev. 2010. 8.3: Addition of 40 new virus database, all variants of the virus cleaning shortcuts, and many other new features.

SmadAV Rev. 2010. 8 was released with many new features and improvements that are specific to local eradication of the virus. Features such as Smad-Behavior that can identify new local virus that does not exist in database SmadAV of his behavior when infecting the system. Smad-Ray that can scan automatically flash when installed within a maximum of 5 seconds. SmadAV 2010 more stable and highly recommended to be combined with international anti-virus because it can only handle SmadAV local virus. Immunization flash (using autorun.inf folder) has been revised and previously there will be a confirmation so you can decide whether a flash is to dikebalkan or not.

For information, the virus samples that users uploaded to the site Smadav.net, local spread of the virus is starting to fall dramatically in Indonesia. Perhaps this is due to the many local antivirus that can eradicate local viruses. And also because the users of Windows XP that have been reduced because some had to upgrade its operating system to Windows Vista or Windows 7 a very safe from viruses, especially viral infections locally. The spread of the virus in Indonesia, more dominated by viruses and malware international SmadAV certainly can not be overcome. You must and highly recommended to use the international anti perlindungkan your computer from viruses and malware of this international....

25 NATO fuel tankers attacked in Pakistan

2010-10-06T15:07:00.001+07:00

QUETTA, Pakistan - Gunmen torched more than two dozen tankers carrying fuel to NATO troops and killed a driver Wednesday, the sixth attack on convoys taking supplies to Afghanistan since Pakistan closed a key border crossing almost a week ago.

Islamabad shut down the Torkham crossing along the fabled Khyber Pass last Thursday after a NATO helicopter attack in the border area killed three Pakistani troops. The closure has left hundreds of trucks stranded alongside the country's highways and bottlenecked traffic heading to the one route into Afghanistan from the south that has remained open.

In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said an investigation of the helicopter attack was expected to be concluded later Wednesday, and that he expected the spat between allies could be resolved soon.

The U.S. has supply routes through other countries into Afghanistan, and Morrell emphasized that the Torkham closing had not caused fuel problems for NATO troops.

"We don't suspect it will, even if this were to last into the future," he said Tuesday at the Pentagon. "But we really do have a sense we're making progress and this can be resolved soon."

Hundreds of supply trucks still cross into landlocked Afghanistan each day through the Chaman crossing in southwestern Pakistan and via Central Asian states.

Still, Pakistan is the fastest and cheapest way to get goods to Afghanistan, and trouble with other routes in the past makes it even more vital. Uzbekistan evicted U.S. troops from a base that was used to ferry supplies into Afghanistan, and last year Kyrgyzstan threatened to do the same, though it has since backed down.

The attack early Wednesday morning came on trucks on their way to the Chaman crossing.

An unidentified number of gunmen in two vehicles attacked the trucks as they sat in the parking lot of a roadside hotel on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. At least 25 trucks were destroyed by fire that spread quickly from vehicle to vehicle, senior police official Hamid Shakil said.

Of the six attacks on convoys bringing supplies in from the port city of Karachi since the Torkham closure, four were on trucks heading to that crossing and two were on their way to Chaman.

The convoys bring fuel, military vehicles, spare parts, clothing and other non-lethal supplies for foreign troops in Afghanistan.

It was unclear who was behind the latest attack, but the Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for similar assaults on NATO supplies, including one before dawn Monday that killed four people.

The events have exposed the frequent strains in the alliance between Pakistan and the United States, but Morrell downplayed the possibility of any lasting effects.

"There are incidents which create misunderstandings, there are setbacks, but that does not mean the relationship — this crucial relationship to us — is in any way derailed."

In addition to ensuring safe passage for NATO supplies, the U.S. needs Pakistan to help target Taliban and al-Qaida militants who stage cross-border attacks against foreign troops in Afghanistan. In return, Pakistan receives billions of dollars in military and civilian assistance that help keep its economy afloat.

Even if the border is reopened, underlying tensions will remain in the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, especially over Pakistan's unwillingness to go after Afghan Taliban militants on its territory with whom it has strong historical ties and who generally focus their attacks on Western troops, not Pakistani targets.

The U.S. has responded by dramatically increasing the number of CIA drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal belt, carrying out 21 suspected attacks in September — nearly double the previous monthly record.

The U.S. has also stepped up military operations along the Afghan border, but officials in Washington said the recent NATO cross-border helicopter strikes were not a strong-arm tactic aimed at pressuring Pakistan.

The officials said the U.S. did not oppose the temporary closure of Torkham because it lets Pakistan rebuke Washington in a way that plays well to the domestic Pakistani audience without seriously hampering U.S. military operations. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

__

Associated Press writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar and Anne Gearen in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

We can post before sleeping

2010-10-03T01:38:00.007+07:00

Finnaly,I can Online Long Time hehehe.. Today is Day Sunday and I say Good Morning and
Happy Wekend(common words out of the chat box).Why post it should be used before bed as you will dream, and early in the morning you will say how ya already earned yesterday.

Actually this post I just wanted to add because tomorrow week I will not be able to posting.So I used the best time possible because time is always running and will stop if no longer lives in the World.Posting today is so because already Sleepy.Posting about the author's experience may not be any use but I'm hoping to make the best for our,With simple words this.

Oce thanks for reading and Say "Happy Wekend and GBU"

image source

New CCleaner ver 2.36.1233 Good for Windows

2010-10-01T17:34:00.003+07:00

What is CCleaner ?

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)

Cleans the following:

Internet Explorer
Firefox
Google Chrome
Opera
Safari
Windows - Recycle Bin, Recent Documents, Temporary files and Log files.
Registry cleaner
Third-party applications
100% Spyware FREE

Download here free

Picture :

Today I tired because there extrakulikuler

2010-10-01T16:51:00.003+07:00

Indonesian air that is increasingly more heat makes me sweat out.Because today I have a very good basketball training but tiring not make me tired writing this blog.I want to make my blog as an outpouring hatiku.Maka of those 2 days I make writing about the daily contents of this article aku.Mungkin singkat.Jujur just simple and I'm writing this I translate from google as well as I wanted to learn better English.

Thank you for reading and God Bless You

Pictures taken from google image

Because the author's head dizzy trigonometry

2010-09-30T18:21:00.002+07:00

Yesterday and today is the day that makes me dizzy, yesterday I learned trigonometry very long time about 5 hours more, to be honest my head until a headache thinking about that lesson.Because this writer was in high school (Senior High School) to be bothered with the tasks repeatedly.So there is no long time to blogwalking, in addition to the day of the holiday week and this month there is chance for training and schedule all week days.Because more and more busy making me confused so I prayed to the Lord for all the problems and remain firm because the day I began to feel discouraged.
A few of my articles for this post I want to spend what is in my heart and go on my blog.

Fixed smile and spirit always

Picture taken from google image

North Korea leader's son promoted, seen as heir

2010-09-29T14:35:00.002+07:00

SEOUL, South Korea - The ascension of Kim Jong Il's little-known, 20-something son to a prominent ruling party post put him well on the path Wednesday to succeed the supreme leader at the helm of nuclear-armed North Korea and carry the family dynasty into a third generation.

Kim's Swiss-educated, youngest son was made a four-star general in his first mention in North Korea's state media on Tuesday. In the early hours of Wednesday, the communist nation announced that Kim Jong Un was appointed to the Workers' Party Central Committee.

Kim Jong Il has led the nation with absolute authority since taking over in 1994 upon the death of his father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, in the communist world's first father-to-son transfer of power.

Many are predicting another hereditary succession since the 68-year-old reportedly suffered a stroke in August 2008. There are concerns that his sudden death without a leadership plan in place could spark chaos in the nation of 24 million that he rules under a "military-first" policy.

Noticeably thinner and grayer, Kim Jong Il has resumed touring factories and farms but is said to be suffering from diabetes and kidney trouble.

However, none of his sons appears ready to step into the limelight. The eldest, Jong Nam, spends much of his time outside the country and may have thwarted his chances by getting caught trying to sneak into Japan on a fake passport in the 1990s. The father thinks the middle son, Jong Chol, is too girlish, according to a 2003 memoir by a former sushi chef for the leader.

Kim Jong Un is believed to be only 27 and until this week held no known political or military positions. However, he was always his father's favorite, and the most like him in looks and ambition, the chef wrote in "I Was Kim Jong Il's Cook" under the pen name Kenji Fujimoto.

The son has been kept well under wraps since childhood, and the mere mention of Kim Jong Un's name in state media caused ripples among North Korea watchers looking for confirmation that Kim Jong Il had anointed the young man as his successor.

"It's clearly the biggest news we've had from North Korea since the death of Kim Il Sung," said Peter Beck, a Council on Foreign Relations-Hitachi research fellow at Keio University in Tokyo.

The secrecy is reminiscent of Kim Jong Il's own ascent in the 1970s, when his status as the nation's future leader was confirmed in an appearance at the last major Workers' Party gathering: a party congress in 1980.

However, L. Gordon Flake, executive director at the Mansfield Foundation, said speculation about power hand-offs in the North is premature.

"There is no succession as long as Kim Jong Il is alive," Flake said. "What we are witnessing here is the early indication of the beginning steps of the process of succession. ... Kim Jong Il is still in power."

But, he said, it is clear that Kim Jong Un is being thrust into positions of power earlier than Kim Jong Il was. "Clearly, the process is being rushed," he said, adding: "It's a pretty big jump up to a four-star general in a day."

Kim Jong Un was named a vice chairman of the party's Central Military Commission, which formulates the party's military policies, directs the country's 1.2 million-member army and oversees military projects, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry.

He also won a spot on the party's Central Committee, the official Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch from Pyongyang. The Central Committee oversees the powerful Political Bureau and Secretariat, and functions as the party's top decision-making body when national congresses are not convened.

Kim Jong Il was named to the committee in 1972, two years before he was tapped as the country's next ruler, the Unification Ministry said.

Kim also appeared to be tightening the circle of power around the Kim family by elevating his sister and her husband.

Sister Kim Kyong Hui, 64, retained her position as a department director on the Central Committee and gained a new post as a member of the Central Committee's Political Bureau.

"There is a possibility that she could play the role of a coordinator to make sure the power succession goes smoothly," said analyst Cheong Seong-chang, of the Sejong Institute think tank.

Her husband, Jang Song Thaek, built on his nomination in June to the No. 2 position on the National Defense Commission with three posts: alternate member of the Political Bureau, department director for the Central Committee and a spot on the military commission, according to KCNA.

Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, said the U.S. is monitoring events in the North and looking for details, "just like just about everyone else."

Campbell suggested the U.S. wouldn't jump to conclusions about events in Pyongyang.

"It is interesting and cautionary to see how wrong we've been in the past," he said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington.

Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a message to Kim Jong Il congratulating him on the successful party conference. China is the North's strongest ally and watches the North closely for signs of instability, which could spill over their shared border.

The moves come at a time of tension on the Korean peninsula. Seoul and Washington blame Pyongyang for the sinking of a South Korean naval warship. The North denies responsibility.

North Korea also remains at odds with international powers over its nuclear program, and was slapped with widespread U.N. sanctions last year.

But Wednesday brought a sign of a possible easing of tensions between the North and South. The two rivals agreed to hold their first working-level military talks in two years, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry.

Jerry Yan Sick Due to Stomach Inflammation

2010-09-26T16:56:00.006+07:00

It was reported that the singer / actor Taiwan is currently not in good health lately, often look pale and limp in his appearance in public. The 33-year-old star also said to be in a weak condition and become vulnerable to the flu.

Speculation is growing that Jerry Yan might suffer from a strange disease, which causes the thin man was losing weight. Although requested by the fans, but Jerry still refuses to undergo any form of intrusive medical examinations, and finally relented after much forced by his close friend who was a doctor, Hou Wenyong.

"I arranged for a check-up Jerry. He's a grown man and must perform a full body examination once every year," said Hou. He added that Jerry disease mainly because of pressure from work, and will develop into stomach ulcers if more severe.

Source Yahoo ! News

Obama presses Mideast peace in UN address

2010-09-23T18:01:00.002+07:00

UNITED NATIONS - President Barack Obama is exhorting the world to unite around the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, challenging the United Nations to support an agreement that would create an independent Palestine and a secure Israel in a year's time.

In a speech to the annual session of the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, Obama will call on world leaders to cast aside decades of division over the conflict, overcome cynicism and prove their support for a settlement to be reached by the two sides that his administration is now pushing against long odds.

Without a deal, he will say, "more blood will be shed" and "this Holy Land will remain a symbol of our differences, instead of our common humanity," according to portions of the text released by the White House in advance of the speech.

"If an agreement is not reached, Palestinians will never know the pride and dignity that comes with their own state," he says. "Israelis will never know the certainty and security that comes with sovereign and stable neighbors who are committed to coexistence."

The excerpts released by the White House dealt only with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and made no mention of other foreign policy initiatives that Obama is expected to champion in his full remarks. The emphasis underscored the urgency of overcoming hurdles that he has met less than a month after relaunching direct negotiations between the parties.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is threatening to walk out of the talks if Israel does not extend a slowdown on construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank that is set to expire next week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not extend that partial freeze.

The looming expiration appears to have stalled the negotiations, which got under way in early September in Washington between Abbas and Netanyahu and then moved to a second round in Egypt and in Jerusalem last week. That second round ended inconclusively with little visible progress and without an expected announcement of a third session.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the administration's special Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell have been meeting with officials from both sides and other interested parties this week in New York to press the agenda forward but seem to have made little headway.

So, faced with the real possibility of the collapse of negotiations, Obama is imploring the international community to get behind the idea of peace and forget age-old alliances to one side or the other.

"Those of us who are friends of Israel must understand that true security for the Jewish state requires an independent Palestine," he will say. "And those of us who are friends of the Palestinians must understand that the rights of the Palestinian people will be won only through peaceful means — including genuine reconciliation with a secure Israel."

Israel, along with numerous U.S. administrations, has long accused the United Nations of being a forum for anti-Israeli activity. Obama laments that many member states have allowed the institution to become an echo chamber of criticism and condemnation without addressing the real need for peace or its requirements.

"Many in this hall count themselves as friends of the Palestinians," he was to say. "But these pledges must now be supported by deeds."

Among those deeds are providing financial support from Arab states to the Palestinian Authority and preparing those in Muslim world for an eventual deal that will see their countries at peace with Israel.

Obama was to urge the U.N. in its 60th year to look beyond past Middle East peace failures and get on with the task at hand.

"We can come back here, next year, as we have for the last 60, and make long speeches about it," he was to say. "We can read familiar lists of grievances. We can table the same resolutions. We can further empower the forces of rejectionism and hate."

"We can do that," he was to say. "Or, we can say that this time will be different, that this time we will not let terror or turbulence or posturing or petty politics stand in the way.

"This time, we should draw upon the teachings of tolerance that lie at the heart of three great religions that see Jerusalem's soil as sacred. This time we should reach for what's best within ourselves. If we do, when we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that will lead to a new member of the United Nations — an independent state of Palestine, living in peace with Israel."

Obama's speech was his second to the world body and comes amid a three-day U.N.-dominated trip to New York, where the president will also meet privately with the leaders of China, Japan, Colombia, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan. In addition, he will host Southeast Asian leaders and attend a meeting aimed at preventing renewed civil war in Sudan.

Source : Yahoo ! News

The Defenders Cast - Tanya Fischer

2010-09-22T18:09:00.004+07:00

Biography

Tanya Fischer

Tanya Fischer's television credits include a recurring role on "Life On Mars" and as a guest star on "Law & Order." She appeared in the feature film, "Assassination of a High School President."

Fisher's theater credits include off-Broadway productions of "Los Angeles" (as part of the prestigious Flea Theatre, directed by Adam Rapp), "US Drag," and "The Dream Express."

In her free time, she enjoys singing and playing guitar, listening to records and practicing new magic/card tricks.

Originally from West Bend, Wisc., Fischer moved to New York City when she was 19. She now splits her time between Los Angeles and New York. Her birth date is Aug. 3.

Afghans vote amid threats and scattered attacks

2010-09-18T12:02:00.002+07:00

KABUL, Afghanistan - Men in traditional tunics and women covered in sky-blue burqas trickled into polling centers to vote in Afghanistan's parliamentary election Saturday, as scattered attacks and the closure of some voting sites by insurgents underscored the difficulty of trying to hold a vote in a country at war.

The poll — the first since a fraud-marred presidential election last year — is a test of the Afghan government's ability to conduct a safe and fair vote after months of pledges of reform.

The number of attacks and the willingness of people to turn out at the polls will also be a measure of the strength of the insurgency, which vowed to disrupt the vote.

A rocket slammed into the Afghan capital before dawn, while another hit in Kandahar city in the south and three struck the eastern city of Jalalabad, officials said. No casualties were reported.

Insurgents had warned ahead of the vote that those who cast ballots and those working the polls would be attacked.

About 2,500 candidates are vying for 249 seats in the parliament. Observers have said they expect the vote in a country where many areas are under threat from insurgents to be far from perfect, but hopefully accepted by the Afghan people as legitimate.

In Nangarhar's troubled Surkh Rud district, the Taliban blocked two voting centers from opening, said a resident, Kasim, who uses one name like many Afghans. Taliban were patrolling the area to prevent residents from going elsewhere to vote, he said.

And in the province's main city, Jalalabad, an explosion was heard midmorning at a high school being used as a polling center, according to provincial police spokesman Ghafour Khan. There were no casualties, he said.

In a southern neighborhood of Kabul, a small roadside bomb exploded near a voting center some 40 minutes before opening, injuring no one, local residents said. Voting was delayed at the site in Dah Dana because of the blast, election officials said.

In eastern Khost province, a bomb planted under a pile of wood exploded in the school yard next to a polling center in Khost city. No one was injured, police said. The station remained closed for about an hour before the voting resumed.

Despite the violence and threats, many voting centers opened without incident.

At an elementary school in the east of Kabul, doors opened on time and a line of 15 or 20 men who had been lined up outside filed in to cast ballots.

Mohammad Husman, a 50-year-old government worker, was at the head of the line in a crisp white traditional tunic.

"I came here because I want prosperity for Afghanistan, stability for Afghanistan," Husman said. "I'm worried about security and fraud. I hope my vote goes to the person I picked to vote for." He said he arrived a half an hour before the station was scheduled to open.

President Hamid Karzai cast his vote about an hour after polls opened at a high school in the capital.

He urged citizens not to accept money from people trying to influence their vote and instead to cast their ballots for their preferred candidates.

"In every election, we do hope there will be a high voter turnout, that nobody will be deterred by security incidents, which I'm sure there will be some," he said.

The election will "take the country many steps forward to a better future," Karzai added. Last year's presidential election was similarly seen as a chance for the government to move forward to a more democratic future, then complaints of ballot-box stuffing and misconduct mounted, much of it to Karzai's benefit.

Though Karzai still emerged the victor, the drawn-out process and recalcitrance of the Afghan president to acknowledge corruption within the administration led many of the government's international backers to question their commitment to Afghanistan. There are about 140,000 NATO troops in the country, and the international community has spent billions trying to shore up the Karzai administration in the face of a strengthening insurgency.

Questions about fraud-prevention measures started to arise within a few hours of the polls opening.

Mohammad Hawaid, representative of an election candidate at one of the polling stations, complained that the ink that is applied on fingers of voters to prevent them from casting their ballots multiple times, is not working.

"It can be wiped off," Hawaid said. "This is a major irregularity." The ink is supposed to last at least 72 hours and be resistant to bleach — reappearing within a few minutes.

In Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold in the south, voters ventured out of their homes and headed to the polls, a few members of one family at a time. Before voting began, the city was hit by a remote-control bomb and a rocket, but neither caused any injuries, officials said.

Vehicles without special election passes were banned from the streets. Law enforcement, intelligence and government officials were monitoring various parts of Kandahar province via satellite television hookups from the governor's compound.

At a voting center in Kandahar, Lalia Agha, 26, a taxi driver, said he was pleased with election day security and was happy that inside the voting center, more than one place had been set up to cast ballots. That, he said, eliminates lines and crowds that could be targeted by insurgents.

"I have a lot of expectations for this election. With our candidates, we can send our voice to the parliament," Agha said. "The election is the only thing we have in our hands in which to change our future."

The rocket launched in Kabul landed in the yard of Afghanistan's state-owned television station, a couple of blocks from the presidential palace, NATO headquarters and the U.S. Embassy, Afghan police officer Mohammad Abrahim said.

In Jalalabad, three rockets were fired at a military base on the eastern edge of the city, provincial spokesman Ahmedzia Abdulzai said.

On the eve of the balloting, the head of a voting center in southern Helmand province was killed when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb. At least 24 people have been killed in election-related violence preceding the vote, including four candidates, according to observers.

In the past two days, Taliban militants abducted 18 election workers from a house in northern Bagdhis province, and a candidate was kidnapped in eastern Laghman province. Coalition forces also detained an insurgent in eastern Khost province who was "actively" planning attacks during the elections, NATO said.

The Afghan parliament is relatively weak so the outcome of the races is unlikely to change the workings of the government. Voters tend to select candidates of the same ethnic group and are often motivated mostly by a desire for patronage jobs or federal funds for a road or a school in their district.

__

Associated Press writers Kathy Gannon in Jalalabad, Mirwais Khan in Kandahar and Rahim Faiez in Kabul contributed to this report.

Runways go back to nature at NY Fashion Week (AP)

2010-09-16T10:12:00.001+07:00

NEW YORK - The runways at New York Fashion Week carved a path through the woods — sometimes literally.

Michael Kors had a wooden runway lined with boxwood for his sunny nature-inspired show on Wednesday, which featured a "shredded shrub" fabric. At Rodarte, dresses mimicked tree bark and wood paneling.

But nature was evident even in ways that were less obvious — in natural, textured fabrics like gauze, silk and linen.

"It's all very natural and easy and it's all being mixed: chiffon, gauze, leather, suede, hemp and linen. It's an interesting take on what you find in nature," said Joe Zee, creative director for Elle magazine.

The earthy feel goes with the easy feeling that has prevailed at the spring Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week previews that run through Thursday. The fashion flock then moves on to London, Paris and Milan.

MICHAEL KORS Bells and whistles can mask many things in fashion: sketchy tailoring, stale ideas and figure flaws. Simplicity done well, like Michael Kors turned out Wednesday, means everything else has to be perfect.

"It's all about the way you cut it, the texture ... You can't hide behind ruching and ruffles. But I love simplicity when it's right," Kors said backstage just after his "Sunshine State of Mind" collection debuted on the runway. The words he used to describe the look that included a daffodil-yellow cashmere tank dress, a crinkly hemp linen tunic, a white gauze pullover and matching sarong skirt that looked like something the long, lithe model just tossed on in the casually chic way models often do.

The fluid gabardine trench over a stone-colored pullover and floaty linen gauze skirt captured the easy elegance that editors, stylists and retailers are buzzing about as the big message from the spring collections.

The shoes were mostly flat buff-colored sandals. Kors said he was tired of seeing women in heels tucking an extra pair of shoes into their bags; the solution is stylish flats.

MARCHESA Really, no one had to go farther than the entrance of the Marchesa Fashion Week presentation at the Chelsea Art Museum to see "the dress."

It was a huge black-and-white tulle confection decorated in a hand-painted floral motif.

"One morning, Georgina (Chapman) came into the office and said, `I think we should start the show with the finale,'" said the label's co-founder Keren Craig.

She could have had her choices: Other feats presented Wednesday that seem destined for the red carpet were a mint-colored, hand-pleated mini with jadelike embellishment; a pearl-colored, all-embroidered dress with a lacelike effect; and a fully sculpted strapless gown made of a midnight-stained organza with flower details and painted illustrations.

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ The full change in fashion's favorite silhouette from the aggressive, tight shape of just a season or two ago to a looser, more languid look couldn't have been more obvious than on the Narciso Rodriguez runway.

His spring collection was feminine and sultry, yet it never lost sight of the strong woman underneath.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Courtney Love were among those in his front row. Love had to put her glasses on to get a better view.

The delicacy of Rodriguez's spaghetti straps — make that angel hair — on the last few slip dresses was masterful.

Rodriguez has made architectural styles his signature, and they were still a driving force here, but there was an overall mellowing in line with the trends that have dominated New York Fashion Week. And, strategic use of champagne-colored fabrics were used as he hit the bareness-without-skin trend.

ONESTOPPLUS Curvy girls walked a Lincoln Center runway Wednesday in clothes that accented their real-life silhouettes during New York Fashion Week's first-ever show exclusively for plus sizes.

Turned away from the official Mercedes Benz tents, sponsor OneStopPlus.com presented "Belle Epoque" just down the street above Jazz at Lincoln Center, drawing some of the most visible inspirations for girls and women of size — Nikki Blonsky, KayCee Stroh and Gabourey Sidibe among them.

Models representing the low end of the plus spectrum (sizes 12 to 16) showed off one-shoulder goddess dresses and bouquet-print blouses, belted shirt dresses, cropped jackets in leather and lace sheaths.

"It's, like, finally!" said Stroh, who played Martha Cox in the "High School Musical" franchise. "Designers make good clothes, but who's going to wear them?"

"It's a very, very big step in acceptance of people of size," said Sidibe, the Oscar nominee for "Precious," of Wednesday's show. "We obviously buy a lot of clothes."

TORY BURCH Like no one else at New York Fashion Week, Tory Burch is her own customer, and there were 20 Burch lookalikes on the runway Wednesday at her presentation.

Not that the models all had her bouncy blond hair or just-golden skin, but you could imagine Burch in each and every outfit there. There were striped pantsuits for business meetings, a tiered white linen dress topped with a bone-colored leather blazer for luncheons, and a nubbly Baja hoodie for weekends.

Kanye West was there, wandering in search of Burch to congratulate her. "I saw Tory before, but that was before I saw it. I have to find Tory again now that I've seen the collection."

VERA WANG Vera Wang typically specializes in artful, romantic styles, which might give one pause when she cites as inspiration Quentin Tarantino's violent "Kill Bill."

But Wang, in her notes, said it was a "fusion of East meets West, with a mixture of boyish urban sophistication and romantic otherworldly sensuality."

Wang's dresses were her best offerings, including a red silk-tulle gown with a high neck and hand-ruched draping over a bustier, and a gray jersey dress with twisted pleats and a sheer organza back drape.

She conducted a worthwhile experiment with a rolled "welted" cuff that she added to shorts and, even more successfully, to the collar of a jersey tunic that was paired with a high-waisted skirt that had twisting pleats. But Wang's high-waisted pant with a pleated front, skinnier legs and, there's no other way to say this, dropped crotch, might need to revisit the drawing board.

HERVE LEGER Max Azria has lightened up his dresses for the Herve Leger brand. Azria tweaked the skintight banded dresses to include light pinks, off-whites and beige to create a chic sexiness.

Azria said the sexiness of the signature dresses comes from the corsetry. When he's designing them, he thinks of a beautiful woman who "wants to be sexy and classic."

The clothes were definitely sexy. A nude color sleeveless dress had netting around the neck area and at the hip to reveal skin. A black dress of perforated leather and bands had cutouts. A peach dress played peek-a-boo with mesh. There was also a sweet pink strapless dress with pink and cream lines running down it, and dresses with woven straps that revealed skin.

BILL BLASS Bill Blass made its return to New York Fashion Week with designer Jeffrey Monteiro at the creative helm, with a small, quiet collection for spring — pretty but not a lot of flash.

That might be an intentional move, considering there have been several high-profile attempts — and flameouts — at returning the house to its place on the designer floors of department stores since Blass left the company in 1999 and, in 2002, died.

Monteiro said that color and texture were already on his mind when he found a photography book from the 1970s about South African tribal culture. It's from there that he added a raffia dress and a red-based striped tribal gown.

"I'd like to think I bring a youthfulness and a lightness to the collection. Mr. Blass did that, too, but I bring my spirit and my eye to it," Monteiro said.

3.1 PHILLIP LIM The atmosphere at the 3.1 Phillip Lim show was austere and dark, but the clothes were demure and feminine.

Large white abstract sculptures were laid out on the huge wooden floor that the models walked on. In his show notes Lim quoted singer Charlotte Gainsbourg: "She walks crooked and paints her eyelids blue ... dandie-lion, I wanna go there too."

And there were blues but also black, tan, nude, taupe and some copper. Some fabrics were very languid and there was lots of layering. Some skirts looked like they had panels on them.

___ AP writers Lisa Orkin and Leanne Italie contributed to this report.

Venus Williams' dress gives her problems during U.S. Open win

2010-09-07T08:52:00.002+07:00

Follow Busted Racquet's U.S. Open coverage on Twitter.

Opinions on Venus Williams' pink, sequined dress with matching Bedazzled tennis underwear will vary, but on one thing we can all agree: It was quite a distraction.

Though Venus defeated No. 18 seed Shahar Peer in straight sets during their third-round match at the U.S. Open on Sunday, the tightness of Venus' self-designed dress clearly gave her issues throughout the match. During most points the tight garment would ride up Venus' hips, revealing her undergarments for everyone to see. Before the next point began, Venus would have to pull down the sides of the dress. The routine captivated the announcers in the CBS broadcast booth, who talked about the form-fitting dress for much of the match.

[Photos: See Venus in her distracting flashy dress]

At one point they had this hilarious exchange:

John McEnroe: I think that dress has distracted [Venus].
Dick Enberg: It's distracting you.
McEnroe: That's a fair point.
Enberg: It sounds like it might be a distraction to her opponent.
McEnroe: Well, she's tugging at it. She's uncomfortable with it.
Mary Carillo: She uses that fabric a lot in her designs, John. And for the last couple of years we've seen her have to correct her outfit after every point.

CBS went so far as to later display a "tug count" that tallied the number of times Venus and Peer pulled at their respective dresses following a point. At the time, Venus was leading Peer 42 to four.

[Photos -- Fashion at the U.S. Open: The best | The worst]

At a press conference following the match, Venus was asked whether the dress and its constant readjustment-necessity was a distraction. "No," she said. "The only thing that bothered me was when I didn't win the point, I think. That was it."

That tug count would suggest otherwise.

Speaker-in-waiting Boehner balances GOP factions

2010-09-05T20:01:00.001+07:00

WASHINGTON - John Boehner could walk down most American streets without turning a head.

But the perpetually tanned, chain-smoking Ohioan might be the next House speaker and a huge force in national politics, trying to manage an increasingly libertarian-leaning Republican caucus while leading the opposition to President Barack Obama's policies.

For those who know Boehner (pronounced BAY'-nur), the question is which version of the House Republican leader will emerge as speaker if the GOP takes at least 40 seats from Democrats in November.

Will it be the policy-minded lawmaker who sometimes shows bipartisan tendencies, such as when he worked with the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., on major education bills?

Or will it be the fiery partisan of recent months who shouted "hell no" to Obama's health care bill and who threw the Democrats' massive economic stimulus bill to the House floor in a theatrical rebuke?

Boehner left little doubt that the president and other Democrats will face fierce resistance in the House if he is speaker, starting with a push to dismantle Obama's hard-fought health care law.

"We're going to do everything we can to prevent this law from being implemented, and I mean everything," Boehner said in a recent interview. "I think it will ruin health care and bankrupt the country."

In truth, Obama's veto powers will make it virtually impossible to repeal the law. Still, Boehner said, he would use every parliamentary and appropriations trick available, including making sure "they don't get the funds to hire employees to implement the law."

Boehner, 60, has been raising his profile in recent days, giving well-publicized speeches in Cleveland and Milwaukee criticizing Obama's economic and military policies.

Still, he knows he won't become a household name overnight. His ramped-up schedule is mainly a signal to GOP colleagues and political insiders that he's ready to assume leadership of the House — and in some respects, the entire party — if voters end four years of Democratic House control and Rep. Nancy Pelosi's speakership.

For Boehner, leading a full-throated Republican opposition to Obama and congressional Democrats might be the easy part. His bigger challenge looms on his right. Restless and uncompromisingly conservative Republicans probably will expand their ranks after tea party loyalists win some races Nov. 2.

Boehner already has a somewhat wary alliance with several younger and more dogmatic GOP members. They include Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the party's second-ranking House leader.

Cantor and two colleagues — Reps. Kevin McCarthy of California and Paul Ryan of Wisconsin — are publishing a Republican manifesto, "Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders," which is promoted by a flashy video.

There's one glaring omission in the hoopla over the book: any reference to Boehner.

Republicans say there's little chance of a coup attempt if the GOP takes control of the House. But expectations have soared so high that every leadership post, including Cantor's, could be in play if they fall short.

House members elect their respective party leaders. The majority party's top leader becomes the speaker, who wields enormous influence over legislation and follows the vice president in the line of presidential succession.

Boehner scoffs at suggestions that the "young guns" might undermine his leadership.

"They are some of our brightest, most energetic members," he said in a telephone interview between campaign stops for House candidates in the Dakotas. He praised, without fully endorsing, Ryan's much-debated proposals to replace the corporate income tax with a consumption tax and to transform Medicare over time into a voucher program that wouldn't keep pace with rising health care costs.

Ryan's road map "is very good work," Boehner said. He added that he doesn't agree with everything Ryan proposes.

Republican strategist and lobbyist John Feehery, who worked for former Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said Boehner will have to cope with "a bunch of rambunctious new members." He predicts partisan gridlock, but he said Boehner can effectively lead his party and its young cadre of firebreathers.

"He provides adult leadership," Feehery said.

On the surface, Boehner is a Washington throwback. He loves golf and cocktails. He is genial and courteous to almost everyone, including reporters and Democratic staffers. He constantly smokes Barclay cigarettes, even during meetings in his Capitol office. And he maintains a remarkably deep tan, which Obama and others have gently mocked.

The second of 12 children in a Catholic family from Cincinnati, Boehner played high school football and helped at his father's bar and restaurant. He worked his way through college, sometimes as a janitor, graduating from Xavier University at age 27. He rose to the top of a plastics distribution company, and entered Republican politics in his hometown.

While clearly a conservative, Boehner has sometimes worked with Democrats to enact major legislation. Notable examples include his 2001 collaboration with Kennedy and Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., now a top Pelosi ally, to pass President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind education bill.

In 2008, Boehner was embarrassed when he failed to corral enough GOP votes to help the Democratic majority pass an early version of the financial bailout bill. The Dow plunged 780 points that day.

The often-emotional GOP leader seemed to choke back tears when he asked colleagues to search their souls for the nation's best interests.

The episode might suggest that Boehner is a bit less rigidly partisan than some of his fellow GOP leaders. Most House Republicans opposed the bailout bill that he backed.

Hastert, as speaker, had a "majority of the majority" rule. He would not push major legislation unless most of his GOP caucus supported it, rendering the Democratic minority almost superfluous.

Boehner says he would want to "make sure our team is supportive" of big bills, but he stopped short of embracing Hastert's rule. "All members should have a role in the legislative process," Boehner said.

Even a whiff of bipartisan cooperation angers some tea party supporters, and Boehner might clash with the newest and most ideological House Republicans. But in other respects, they might be kindred souls.

Boehner entered the House in 1991 as a windows-rattling reformer. He joined the "Gang of Seven" that insisted on naming all 355 members with overdrafts at the House Bank, a damaging scandal.

And he has long opposed earmark spending, which some lawmakers use to steer pet projects to their districts. It's a favorite conservative target this year.

Boehner was a key ally of Rep. Newt Gingrich when the firebrand Georgia lawmaker led the 1994 Republican revolution that ended four decades of Democratic House control. But Boehner lost his leadership post in the turmoil that followed the speaker's downfall in 1998. Boehner spent years quietly cultivating friendships with colleagues and planning his return to power, which came in 2005.

Now possibly on the cusp of nationwide recognition and clout, Boehner is a solid choice for a Republican Party that must harness and direct its emotions if it is to regain the ground it lost in the last two elections, said Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga.

Kingston, an 18-year House veteran who has had his own turns in the GOP leadership, said Boehner "is a known quantity. He's not going to be saying anything stupid or doing anything stupid."

Boehner may lack Gingrich's revolutionary zeal and intellectual bent, Kingston said, but he has a steadier grasp of intramural politics.

"He'd be better able to manage that new, hard-energy reform crowd than Newt," Kingston said, adding that the House "is a political body, not an ideological body."

Weakened Earl hits Mass. with wind, rain, surf

2010-09-04T15:58:00.001+07:00

CHATHAM, Mass. - The remnants of Hurricane Earl headed for Nova Scotia early Saturday after a brush with the Northeast that was far less intense than feared, dumping wind-driven rain on Cape Cod's gray-shingled cottages and fishing villages.

Officials planned to survey the damage from the storm at daybreak, but early reports showed only a few hundred power outages, a handful of downed power lines and isolated flooding in Massachusetts.

Earl swooped into New England waters Friday night as a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph after sideswiping North Carolina's Outer Banks, where it caused flooding but no injuries and little damage. The rain it brought to Cape Cod, Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard was more typical of the nor'easters that residents have been dealing with for generations.

Winds on Nantucket, closest to the storm's center, blew at around 30 mph, with gusts above 40 mph. The island got about 1.5 inches of rain, while adjacent Martha's Vineyard got more than 3 inches.

Nantucket, the well-to-do resort island and old-time whaling port, briefly saw some localized flooding, but it had cleared within hours, Nantucket Assistant Town Manager Gregg Tivnan said. There were no evacuations, power outages or even reports of trees down, he said.

"The south side of the island certainly did take a hit. We'll assess the damage and the erosion to the beach tomorrow, but so far don't have any report of major damage," Tivnan said late Friday.

In the hours and days before the storm, vacationers had pulled their boats from the water and canceled Labor Day weekend reservations on Nantucket. Shopkeepers boarded up their windows. Beachgoers were warned to stay out of the New England waters — or off the beach altogether — because of the danger of getting swept away by high waves.

Airlines canceled dozens of flights into New England, and Amtrak suspended train service between New York and Boston.

The center of the storm passed about 105 miles east-southeast of Nantucket early Saturday and was moving away from the U.S. It was expected to reach the coast of Nova Scotia by Saturday afternoon.

The storm weakened faster than predicted and would continue to diminish, National Weather Service meteorologist Rebecca Gould said.

Earl dulled quickly over the course of 36 hours. By midday Friday, it had dropped to a Category 1 storm — down from a fearsome Category 4 with 145 mph winds a day earlier. At 11 p.m., it was downgraded to a tropical storm.

Officials had warned New England residents against complacency, but many in Chatham, a fishing village at Cape Cod's eastern edge, didn't seem worried.

Tourists strolled past the bookstores, cafes and ice cream parlors on Main Street, where a few stores had put plywood over their windows, including the Ben Franklin Old Fashioned Variety Store. "C'mon Earl, we're ready for you," a handwritten note read.

Late Friday, when it appeared Earl would not deliver a strong punch, the town's beach turned festive. People ran on the sand and a teenager in an alien-like suit measured wind speeds.

"We're having a great time," said Jodie Charest, 36, of Chatham, who was there with her daughters, Alexis, 15, and Molly, 8. "We just ran down to the beach ... enjoying the rain in our faces and just enjoying the wind in our hair."

Earl stayed far off New Jersey and the eastern tip of New York's Long Island as it made its way north.

"Where is the hurricane everybody's been talking about?" Lenard LoBiondo asked as he stood under a soft drizzle with a drink and some relatives on the deck outside the Liar's Saloon, a longtime locals hangout by a marina in Montauk, N.Y.

The storm did kick up dangerous riptides up and down the coast. In New Jersey, two young men apparently died earlier this week in the rough surf caused by Earl and the hurricane before it, Danielle. Fog, wind and roiling seas also hindered the search for a boater who went missing before Earl's arrival early Friday afternoon in Portsmouth, N.H.

Officials warned that rip currents would continue to be a concern Saturday and Sunday. With offshore seas up to 20 feet, beaches would continue to see big waves that could knock people off jetties or piers.

Twenty miles out off the Maine coast, lobstermen on Matinicus Island were cautious after getting fooled by Hurricane Bill, which missed the mainland last year but sent tides and rough seas that destroyed their traps. This time, they moved their gear to the safety of deeper water or pulled their traps out altogether.

At Maine's Acadia National Park, officials closed most of a road where a 7-year-old girl was swept to her death by a 20-foot wave last year while watching the swells from Bill.

After skirting Massachusetts, Earl was headed for Canada. Tropical storms typically weaken when they enter the colder waters between Maine and Canada, but many Nova Scotia residents stocked up on bottled water and canned goods, fearing a repeat of 2003, when Hurricane Juan killed eight and caused millions of dollars in damage.

Others counted on Earl being downgraded. A biker rally expected to draw thousands in Digby, Nova Scotia, on Saturday wasn't canceled, and thousands of motorcycles lined the main street Friday night.

Bob Martin, of Halifax, said the looming storm wasn't a big deal.

"We're putting our motorcycles in a buddy's garage," he said. "We're just going to party and let the storm go by."

__

Associated Press writers David Sharp in Portland, Maine; Lyle Moran, Denise Lavoie, Jay Lindsay and Rodrique Ngowi in Boston; Larry Neumeister in Montauk, N.Y.; and Rob Gillies in Halifax, Nova Scotia, contributed to this report.

God did not create the universe, says Hawking (Reuters)

2010-09-03T14:56:00.001+07:00

LONDON (Reuters) - God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book.

In "The Grand Design," co-authored with U.S. physicist Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking says a new series of theories made a creator of the universe redundant, according to the Times newspaper which published extracts on Thursday.

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist," Hawking writes.

"It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

Hawking, 68, who won global recognition with his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time," an account of the origins of the universe, is renowned for his work on black holes, cosmology and quantum gravity.

Since 1974, the scientist has worked on marrying the two cornerstones of modern physics -- Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which concerns gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles.

His latest comments suggest he has broken away from previous views he has expressed on religion. Previously, he wrote that the laws of physics meant it was simply not necessary to believe that God had intervened in the Big Bang.

He wrote in A Brief History ... "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God."

In his latest book, he said the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting another star other than the Sun helped deconstruct the view of the father of physics Isaac Newton that the universe could not have arisen out of chaos but was created by God.

"That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions -- the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings," he writes.

Hawking, who is only able to speak through a computer-generated voice synthesizer, has a neuro muscular dystrophy that has progressed over the years and left him almost completely paralyzed.

He began suffering the disease in his early 20s but went on to establish himself as one of the world's leading scientific authorities, and has also made guest appearances in "Star Trek" and the cartoons "Futurama" and "The Simpsons."

Last year he announced he was stepping down as Cambridge University's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a position once held by Newton and one he had held since 1979.

"The Grand Design" is due to go on sale next week.

(Editing by Steve Addison)

Who Is Samus Aran?

2010-09-02T17:00:00.000+07:00

Even if you don't follow video games, you've probably heard of Metroid, or seen the intimidating orange power-suit worn by its protagonist. But did you know the bounty hunter inside is a woman named Samus Aran, one of the first heroines in the history of video games?

Created by Makoto Kano in 1986 for his action video game Metroid, Samus was originally intended to be a man -- until someone on the staff noted that it would be interesting to have players discover that they'd been playing as a woman the whole time. A vote ensued, and the “he” became a “she.”

A tough, alien-fighting heroine. Sound familiar? Metroid co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto took much inspiration from Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi classic Alien, even going so far as to name a recurring Metroid villain, space pirate Ridley, after Scott himself. Later, he’d compare Samus’s blonde-bombshell appearance to Kim Basinger’s strong good looks in movies like 9 1/2 Weeks and My Stepmother Is an Alien.

But who, exactly, is Samus? According to Metroid lore, she began life as a child on the mining world of K-2L when space pirates swooped in, killed nearly everyone, and destroyed the planet. The young Samus was rescued by an alien race known as the Chozo, who spirited her to their planet where they trained her into a great warrior and gave her the game’s iconic power suit.

From there, Samus briefly joined the Galactic Federation Police, though that story has yet to be told. After leaving the force, she only went on to become the most formidable freelance bounty hunter in the galaxy. Listed at 6'3" and 198 lbs (in her suit, of course), the formidable huntress splits her time between thwarting space pirates, combating mysterious aliens known as Metroids, and her ongoing pursuit of Ridley, the pirate who destroyed her world.

Along the way she somehow found time to fight in all three Super Smash Bros. games, and made cameo appearances in Super Mario RPG, Kirby Super Star, and Kirby's Dream Land 3. Her eleventh game, Metroid: Other M, arrived on August 31 for the Nintendo Wii -- and it’s the first in the line to be developed outside of Nintendo.

Other M, developed by the team behind the Ninja Gaiden series, places a unique focus on Samus's hand-to-hand fighting skills. The game also promises to delve ever deeper into its heroine's fascinating past, while paving the way for tomorrow's legendary exploits.

Goo Hye Sun with Leather Best Female Actress

2010-09-01T17:23:00.000+07:00

This survey was held from 24 until August 31 with the question "Who is the actress of women among this makeup models that have the best skin like ceramic?" Goo Hye Sun's own gain votes from the total 4343 1442, and occupied the # 1 position with 32.7% sound. In accordance with his background as one of the pretty-faced figure on the internet, one of the features of the best Goo Hye Sun is bright white nan who gave her a nickname, Flour Doll (Doll Starch).

Park Shin Hye follow behind it, occupied the # 2 position with 16.3% of the vote, because his cheeks and his skin is too smooth. Go Hyun Jung ranked # 3 with 7.9% noise, for netter thought to have skin that does not seem to age.

Finally, brought to Kejari Andi Soraya

2010-08-31T17:46:00.002+07:00

JAKARTA - The ending was 'escape' from execution Kejari South Jakarta. Sexy actress is finally Kejari from his home to the office.

Artist's familiarly called Aya came out of his house in Castle Cinere, Block III / 5, South Jakarta, Tuesday (08/31/2010) afternoon. He did not say anything to reporters. His face was not friendly.

Wearing a striped white shirt, Aya driving itself towards Jaksel Kejari office. Aya driving a white Toyota Avanza, B 1149 bernopol PFB. He was not alone in the car, but was accompanied by officers Kejari.

Before finally succeeded to the office Kejari, mother of two children had a chance dilobi by complex security officers and local RT pack. When Aya is executed, inside a former house mate Aya, Steve Emmanuel and his two children.

Aya was found guilty and sentenced to three months in jail because it violates Article 351 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of mild abuse (throwing a glass) to a woman named Sri Sukaesih on November 22, 2008 at the Second Floor, Kemang, South Jakarta.

War and peace: Obama nears pivotal Mideast moment

2010-08-30T15:42:00.000+07:00

WASHINGTON - Straddling war and peace, President Barack Obama is about to formally end the divisive U.S. combat role in Iraq and restart talks between Israelis and Palestinians, a moment defined more by relief and hope than triumph.

On Tuesday night, Obama will tell the nation from the Oval Office that the U.S. role in Iraq has changed for good, with the remaining U.S. troops to play a supporting role to Iraqi forces. It will be a milestone with no celebration or banners in a still unresolved war, one that wages on years longer and at greater cost than most Americans ever imagined.

The next day, Obama will make his largest investment of political capital to date in the trying Mideast peace process. He will welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for individual talks and a joint dinner, the prelude to direct negotiations between the leaders on Thursday with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as host.

Put together, the events amount to what the White House considers to be the capping of Obama's initial phase of foreign policy in the region and the starting of another. Officials see a picture in which Iraq is taking on self-reliance, the Mideast process is showing life, the international sanctions against Iran are taking hold and the added military muscle Obama ordered in Afghanistan is in place. All are considered progress toward solutions requiring deep patience.

Yet there are no victories to declare, and weary Americans have seen turning points come and go. The risk for Obama comes in defining expectations on pursuits that can fall apart at any time, often over events outside his control.

In Iraq, political leaders are in such stalemate that they have been unable to form a government since the March elections. Bombers and gunmen killed more than 50 Iraqis in attacks just last week, a reminder of the terror that can come at any time. In perspective, the levels of violence in Iraq have dropped considerably, but security and democracy are highly unfinished projects.

"This is not, 'Everything is over,'" White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. "We still have people there. And we'll still have violence there."

On Mideast peace, the resumption of talks is itself a victory, but Clinton set a sober tone even in announcing them. "There have been difficulties in the past; there will be difficulties ahead," she said. "We will hit more obstacles."

The focus on Iraq and the Mideast talks is Obama's most concentrated public emphasis on foreign policy and national security in weeks. That will continue throughout September as the president marks the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and heads later in the month for talks with world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly.

Hastening the end of a war he never supported, Obama's message about Iraq is expected to echo a line he said about Afghanistan in his major address about that war last December.

He will say Iraqis must take responsibility for their nation because the country he wants to build most is the United States, a nod to the economic anxiety that has eroded morale at home.

There will be no reference to mission accomplished.

The U.S. role in the war was already on a path to end when Obama took office. All U.S. troops are set to leave Iraq by the end of 2011 under an accord the United States reached during Bush's presidency.

Until then, the mission of U.S. forces will be mainly to help and train Iraqi forces and take part in targeted counterterrorism missions. Obama is already framing the importance of the end of the combat mission as a promise kept.

"The bottom line is this: The war is ending. Like any sovereign, independent nation, Iraq is free to chart its own course," the president said over the weekend. "And by the end of next year, all of our troops will be home."

Obama will be speaking on Aug. 31, his self-imposed deadline for ending the combat operation in Iraq and shrinking the U.S. footprint there to no more than 50,000 troops.

It is already below that number. When he took office, there were more than 140,000 troops in Iraq.

Obama's Oval Office address will come more than seven years after major combat operations were declared over the first time, by then President George W. Bush.

The news of Obama's speech — the deadlines met, the time of transition — has been playing out for weeks. So his mission is to honor the sacrifice of those who have served and to put Iraq in the context of an ongoing fight against terrorists, which the United States is waging in Afghanistan and other places around the world where al-Qaida has rooted.

Before the nighttime address, the president will travel to Fort Bliss, Texas, to thank troops in person. The sprawling Army base in El Paso has contributed heavy armor and tours of soldiers throughout the war.

In the public eye, much of Obama's time has been spent working on the sluggish economy, the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the Democrats' re-election efforts this year.

Although the Iraq war gets less attention now, it was at the heart of the U.S. political debate when Obama launched his bid for the White House in 2007. His opposition to the war and his pledge to end it responsibly helped drive his election.

Antivirus Products That Make Our Computers Durable

2010-08-29T11:17:00.002+07:00

In our everyday use of computers both for work, school or other tasks so we do not realize, that the virus is a scary thing for us let alone a computer virus and how to exit reinstall windows.I want to share my experience before I use the antivirus that I use to date this.

Approximately two years ago I did not know what my computer is exposed to the virus until my friend told me "that there computer virus loh". I'm confused ....? virus I began to wonder and finally I let go to bring my computer to Tailor Service cost is quite expensive and I'm angry cuman taxable because the virus already ngeluarin money like dinner hehehehe .....

Until one day I use antivirus and within months of finally bam .. ~ ~ got a virus again why .. ? (With annoyance). Until finally in service again I'm bored and I used almost every month certainly cuman service because of a virus that damaged windows system ....

Long slow then I found a lot of ways on the internet for viruses by using antivirus menangkali the expert attempted ... saja.Sampai result is the same but I finally found a good SmadAV to eradicate the virus and can be combined with others like Avast Antivirus, Kaperskey, Avira and so lain.Sejak Using Combined SmadAV and Avast antivirus is up to now the computer is still healthy,,,: D but it's never been exposed to the virus but not until it is brought to a handyman service .... hehehe

So bottom line if you want durable computers from virus threats that you believe to use the Antivirus can ... and is suitable for you and your computer and do not forget the most important after using the antivirus must be updated online or offline because it makes your computer virus attack is weak because the passage of time this sophisticated viruses will be two times more intelligent than the antivirus so be careful ...

Justice Dept signs off on United-Continental deal

2010-08-28T13:23:00.001+07:00

MINNEAPOLIS - The Justice Department said Friday that it has no more antitrust concerns about the deal that would combine United and Continental into the world's largest airline.

To win that approval, the airlines had to open the door to Southwest Airlines at Continental's hub in Newark, N.J., where it is the dominant carrier. The Justice Department said leasing takeoff and landing permission to Southwest in Newark cleared up its main competitive concern.

Shareholders at Continental Airlines Inc. and United parent UAL Corp. are set to vote on the deal on Sept. 17, and the Transportation Department has to approve it. The airlines now expect the deal to close by Oct. 1.

The combined airline would leapfrog Delta Air Lines Inc. to become the world's biggest airline. Delta itself grabbed the top spot by buying Northwest Airlines in 2008.

The Justice Department said it thoroughly investigated the United-Continental deal and concluded that their two networks mostly complemented each other, with overlaps on a limited number of routes.

But Newark stood out. Continental had 70.9 percent of Newark's passengers during the year that ended in June. United is only Newark's fifth-biggest airline, but most of its hubs also connect directly to Newark.

Continental and United operate 442 daily roundtrip flights in and out of Newark. The deal with Southwest will give it enough of Continental's slots to operate 18 roundtrip flights there by June 2011.

The move increases competition for Continental at its Newark hub, as well as for United. Currently, Southwest operates a few flights at New York's LaGuardia Airport but none at Newark or Kennedy.

Southwest is getting slots at both peak and off-peak travel times, Continental Chairman and CEO Jeff Smisek told workers in a memo. Smisek will be CEO of the combined airline, which is to be called United and based in United's hometown of Chicago.

Southwest's entrance to Newark won't change the estimates for revenue gains and cost savings from combining United and Continental, United Chairman and CEO Glenn Tilton told employees in a message on Friday.

"We vigorously compete with Southwest throughout our network," he said.

Mike Boyd, an airline and airport consultant in Colorado, said giving up a few slots at Newark was an easy decision for the combining giants.

"United and Continental want to get this merger done," Boyd said, and if federal regulators "stick their nose in there and say, 'Give something up,' they're going to give it up."

Bob Jordan, Southwest Airlines Co.'s executive vice president for strategy, said Newark would complement his airline's service at LaGuardia and increase competition in the New York market. Southwest, which is based in Dallas, said it was still deciding what cities it will serve from Newark. From LaGuardia, it flies only to Chicago and Baltimore.

__

Koenig reported from Dallas.

Deep-sea images reveal colorful life off Indonesia (AP)

2010-08-27T17:14:00.001+07:00

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Scientists using cutting-edge technology to explore waters off Indonesia were wowed by colorful and diverse images of marine life on the ocean floor — including plate-sized sea spiders and flower-like sponges that appear to be carnivorous.

They predicted Thursday that as many as 40 new plant and animal species may have been discovered during the three-week expedition that ended Aug. 14.

Click image to see photos of the colorful marine life AP/NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program More than 100 hours of video and 100,000 photographs, captured using a robotic vehicle with high-definition cameras, were piped to shore in real-time by satellite and high-speed Internet.

Verena Tunnicliffe, a professor at the University of Victoria in Canada, said the images provided an extraordinary glimpse into one of the globe's most complex and little-known marine ecosystems.

"Stalked sea lilies once covered the ocean, shallow and deep, but now are rare," she said in a written statement. "I've only seen a few in my career. But on this expedition, I was amazed to see them in great diversity."

Likewise, Tunnicliffe has also seen sea spiders before, but those were tiny in comparison, all around one-inch (2.5 centimeters) long: "The sea spiders ... on this mission were huge. Eight-inches (20-centimeters) or more across."

One animal captured on video looks like a flower, covered with glasslike needles, but scientists think it is probably a carnivorous sponge. The spikes, covered with sticky tissue, appear to capture food as it passes by.

Scientists used powerful sonar mapping system and the robotic vehicle to explore nearly 21,000 square miles (54,000 sq. kilometers) of sea floor off northern Indonesia, at depths ranging from 800 feet (240 meters) to over two miles (1.6 kilometers).

The mission was carried out by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's ship, the Okeanos Explorer. An Indonesian vessel, the Baruna Jaya IV, also took part, collecting specimens that, together with all rights for future use, will remain in the country.

Confirmation that a species is new involves a scientific peer review and other steps and can take years.

____ Online: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/welcome.html http://shiptracker.noaa.gov/

Bad news on homes, goods adds to air of recession

2010-08-26T14:14:00.000+07:00

WASHINGTON - It's starting to feel like another recession.

Businesses are ordering fewer goods. Home sales are the slowest in decades. Jobs are scarce, and unemployment claims are rising. Perhaps most worrisome, manufacturing activity, which had been one of the economy's few bright spots, is faltering.

"The odds of a double-dip are rising and uncomfortably high," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, referring to the possibility that the nation will tip back into recession. "Nothing else can go wrong. There is no cushion left."

On Wednesday, the government offered the latest dose of grim news about the economic recovery: Companies cut back last month on their investments in equipment and machines. And Americans bought new homes at the weakest pace in nearly half a century.

Earlier this week came news that sales of previously occupied homes fell last month to the lowest level in 15 years.

Unemployment remains near double digits because job growth in the private sector has slowed.

The economy has grown for a full year now, and many experts believe the recession technically ended in July 2009. But the pace of expansion has slowed significantly in the past six months.

Economists are predicting the government will announce Friday that the economy grew from April to June even more slowly than previously thought, at an annual rate below 2 percent — weak for normal times and especially anemic right after a recession.

Of course, for most Americans, the numbers are strictly academic.

For Tim Reardon, a sales executive at a small Massachusetts company that installs kitchen counters and floors, August is shaping up to be the worst month of business in 11 years. His company cut a third of its staff and is placing factory orders a job at a time.

"You definitely watch the pennies a little closer — everything from advertising to tools," he said. "This is feeling like another recession."

For the average household, whether the economy is growing slightly or not at all may not matter much. Two gauges that matter more are the unemployment rate, which is stuck at 9.5 percent, and home values, which are down about 30 percent from their 2006 peak.

"Who cares if it's a second recession or a double-dip?" said William Dunkelberg, an economics professor at Temple University's School of Business and Management and chief economist of the National Federation of Independent Business. "Either way, things are not going well."

Overall orders for big-ticket manufactured goods did rise for July, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. But that was only because demand for commercial aircraft surged by 76 percent.

Taking out the volatile transportation category, orders for durable goods fell at the steepest rate since January. And business investment took its sharpest drop since the economic dark days of early 2009.

The decline is particularly troubling because manufacturers had been helping to lead the economy on its comeback, filling orders for businesses that were rebuilding their stockrooms.

"Take it away, throw in a relapse in housing and you don't have much left," said Paul Ashworth, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics.

Housing has never fully recovered from the recession. Builders have been forced to compete with foreclosed properties offered at sharply lower prices.

Sales of new homes fell 12.4 percent in July from a month earlier to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 276,000, the government said. From 1983 through 2007, about 600,000 new homes were sold in an average year.

The July pace was the slowest in at least 47 years. The past three months have been the worst on record.

Weak housing sales mean fewer jobs in the construction industry, which normally powers economic recoveries. On average, each new home built creates the equivalent of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in taxes, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

The industry got some help this spring when the government offered tax credits to homebuyers. But since they expired in April, the number of people looking to buy homes has dropped, even with bargain prices and the lowest mortgage rates in decades.

Toll Brothers Inc. was among those that benefited from the tax credits. Its CEO, Douglas Yearley, said there are positive signs: Far fewer buyers are canceling their orders for new homes than during the worst days of the housing bust.

And the buyers who are visiting Toll's sales offices appear to be serious about buying, rather than just examining model homes for decorating tips.

Still, builders have sharply scaled back construction in the face of weak sales. There were about 210,000 new homes up for sale at the end of July, the lowest level in about 40 years.

SOURCE YAHOO!

Gabriela Spanic Poisoned Asisten Personal?

2010-08-25T14:16:00.003+07:00

Shocking news came from Gabriela Spanic, telenovela famous player famous for his acting as the two twin sisters, Paulina and Paola Bracho, in the Mexican soap opera called A USURPADORA. Because, pretty actress who was apparently poisoned food containing ammonium chloride.

Marcia Babio Celeste Fernandez, Gabriela personal assistant, is estimated as being the actress of food poisoning. Marcia himself had been arrested by Mexican police.

Fortunately, Gabriela still be saved, and now the situation has improved. "Mother Gabriela was under medical treatment for detoxification," his spokesman said.

Apparently, since April, Gabriela, her mother, her child, and caregivers the child had complained of health problems such as vomiting, headache, and abdominal pain. After conducting several tests, doctors confirmed the high level of ammonia in the blood Gabriela. And systemic poisoning can cause death if it occurs in the long term.

Marcia Celeste indicted on charges of attempted murder. Women's 24-year-old Argentine Gabriela has been working on since January this year. According to the newspaper, he has started a family food poisoning the actress for four months. (Rvq / NPY)

Pull the Julia Roberts film Wisman to Bali

2010-08-23T16:29:00.001+07:00

Jakarta (AFP) - Julia Roberts' latest film, Eat Pray Love (EPL), considered a potential as a vehicle to attract more foreign tourists (tourists) to Bali.

"We take this moment (the film launching EPL) to further promote Bali to the international world," said Director General of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Marketing (Kemenbudpar), Sapta Nirwandar, in Jakarta, Monday.

He said the filming location of EPL is one of them took place in Bali should be a moment of tourism promotion in Bali and Indonesia generally indirectly to the international world.

Moreover, the gala premiere of EPL for Movies held in the United States (U.S.) some time ago some success and watched by millions of movie lovers in the country.

"We are attending the Premier Gala event in the U.S. and we see it succeed," he said.

It will start offering a world class filming locations other than Bali, which is scattered in various corners of Indonesia.

"We offer world-class filmmaker shooting a movie where the world scale," he said.

Last year, the institute had met with the Film Producers EPL in Bali and offered it.

Even the Minister of Culture and Tourism (Menbudpar), Jero Wacik, on occasion, offer shooting locations include Sumbawa, which is perfect for cowboy-themed movie.

Not only that there are still many other places in Indonesia are very suitable as a world class film location shooting.

It met the film producer EPL Stein Wlodkowski and listen to their opinions on Bali.

According, Wlodkowski and his crew who came late in 2009, they were very impressed with Indonesia, especially Bali, judged as the most romantic places in the world.

It to express my thanks for the support Wlodkowski and his crew to shoot a film with Oscar-winning star, Julia Roberts, in Bali.

According to Seven, the film will be a very effective means to introduce the culture of Bali to the world, as well as to stimulate the desire of people to visit Bali.

He argues, the film is one of the means to introduce to the world of nature and culture, thereby increasing appreciation of the world to Indonesia, especially Bali.

Generally, moviegoers are usually curious and interested to visit shooting locations.

"Moreover, this film starring famous actress Julia Roberts," he said.

SOURCE : YAHOO!

2010 SmadAV Rev. 8.2 released

2010-08-20T21:08:00.008+07:00

2010 SmadAV Rev. 8.2: Addition of 80 new virus database, improved false alarm, the addition of heuristic techniques for virus variants penginfeksi exe, and several other bug fixes

Addition of a new virus database 100
Viruses (or more precisely Malware), which many in Indonesia today is spread mostly foreign-made viruses that are similar to viruses in nature is still local. These viruses become targets of this latest version SmadAV. Local virus itself is starting to decrease and their distribution is very rarely found. This we deduce from the virus samples are uploaded by Smadaver in www.smadav.net.

SmadAV Virus Scanner Engine (SmadEngine.dll)
SmadAV the old engine has been used since 2006 is not used anymore since 2010 SmadAV Rev. This 1.8. Re-Virus Scanner Engine overhaul that makes more than one month delayed release SmadAV. This latest engine completely rewritten from scratch using C + + programming language, refining the previous engine was written in Visual Basic. Most of the existing virus detection techniques in this new engine has been revamped and improved for the better. Memory usage on the new engine is more stable and efficient than the old engines, as well as the scanning speed is also faster.

Compatible with Windows Vista & 7
In Rev. 8-rev and previous rev SmadAV was still not 100% compatible with Windows Vista and Windows 7. But the Rev. 1.8 is a good scanner and protector SmadAV its been supportive and 100% compatible for use in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Here is the complete list of enhancements in 2010 Rev. SmadAV. 8.1:

* Engine new scanner (SmadEngine.dll) to detect the virus more quickly and accurately.
* External Database (Smadav.loov) to facilitate database update for the next revision.
* Plug-in explorer right click on the latest (SmadExtc.dll) better.
* Compatible with Windows Vista & 7.
* Detection of some of the many International Virus spreads in Indonesia (Sality & Alman) is faster and more accurate.
* Addition of a database of more than 100 new viruses and their variants-the variants
* Improved false alarm on some files.
* Completion of key blacklist illegal methods SmadAV Pro
* Changes in the structure of teams for 2010 SmadAV
* Additions to uninstall menu in the Tray Icon for easy uninstall process
* And many other improvements ...

________________________

Sorry I am new just posts

Arizona fugitive and fiancee arrested at campsite

2010-08-20T16:07:00.000+07:00

PHOENIX - An unattended campfire and a suspicious forest ranger led to the arrest of two of the most wanted fugitives in the U.S., ending a three-week nationwide manhunt that drew hundreds of false sightings, authorities said.
John McCluskey fled July 30 with two other inmates from a private prison in northwest Arizona and evaded authorities in at least six states before being caught Thursday evening just 300 miles east of the prison.

Authorities arrested McCluskey, 45, and his alleged accomplice Casslyn Welch, 44, at a campsite in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in eastern Arizona.

Welch, who is McCluskey's fiancee and cousin, reached for a weapon but dropped it when she realized she was outgunned by a swarming SWAT team, said David Gonzales, U.S. marshal for Arizona.

Officers apprehended McCluskey without incident after finding him lying in a sleeping bag outside a tent. He told authorities he had a gun in his tent and would have shot them if he had been able to reach for it.

It was a peaceful close to a manhunt that authorities had said was likely to end in a bloody shootout between officers and desperate outlaws who fancied themselves as a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde.

"The nightmare that began July 30 is finally over," Gonzales said.

The fugitives' ruse began to crumble about 4 p.m. Thursday when a U.S. Forest Service ranger investigated what appeared to be an unattended campfire, Gonzales said. He found a silver Nissan Sentra backed suspiciously into the trees as if someone were trying to hide it.

The ranger had a brief conversation with McCluskey, who appeared nervous and fidgety. A SWAT team and surveillance unit surrounded the campsite and swarmed on the fugitives, Gonzales said.

McCluskey told officers he wishes he would have shot the forest ranger when he had the opportunity, authorities said.

McCluskey and Welch were being held in the Apache County Jail in St. Johns.

A photo released by authorities showed McCluskey wearing dirty blue jeans and no shirt with an "Arizona" tattoo across his chest.

"I hope the citizens of Arizona and the nation can rest easier this evening," said state Corrections Department Director Charles Ryan.

Authorities will spend Friday combing the campsite looking for any evidence that could link the fugitives to other crimes during their time on the lam.

Gonzales said investigators looked into 700 tips from nearly every state in a manhunt that had officers swarming into small towns from Montana to Arkansas. Authorities said the trail had gone cold since McCluskey and Welch were last seen Aug. 6 in Billings, Mont.

It's unclear how long they were in Arizona, but Gonzales said authorities suspected they might return to the state they know best.

Corrections officials have said that Welch helped McCluskey and fellow inmates Tracy Province and Daniel Renwick escape from the private prison near Kingman by cutting through a security fence.

Renwick was recaptured in Rifle, Colo., on Aug. 1, and Province was found in Meeteetse, Wyo., on Aug. 9.

Renwick and Province were serving time for murder. McCluskey was serving a 15-year prison term for attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault and discharge of a firearm.

Province, McCluskey and Welch have been linked to the slayings of Greg and Linda Haas of Tecumseh, Okla., whose burned bodies were found in a travel trailer Aug. 4 on a remote ranch near Santa Rosa, N.M. They had been traveling to Colorado on an annual camping trip.

Officials said the stolen car found Thursday at the Arizona campsite had New Mexico license plates stolen around the time the Haases were killed.

"That's the best news we've had in 10 days. Everybody just broke down and cried for a little bit," Sheila Walker, one of the Haases' best friends, told The Associated Press late Thursday. "That was the one thing we wanted to hear."

The family was grateful that their prayers had been answered and that no one else was hurt during the hunt for the fugitive and his accomplice.

"That was one of our main fears, that they would get desperate and someone else would get hurt," Walker said. "We are just thrilled they are back behind bars."

The arrests came hours after officials discussed a report that outlined a series of embarrassing security breakdowns that allowed the escape.

The prison has a badly defective alarm system, a perimeter post was unstaffed, an outside dormitory door had been propped open with a rock and the alarms went off so often that prison personnel often just ignored them, the report said. Also, operational practices often led to a gap of 15 minutes or longer during shift changes along the perimeter fence, Ryan said.

Prison staff told a review team that the dormitory door was left open because of the heavy amount of foot traffic. That open door allowed the three inmates to reach a 10-foot chain-linked fence that hadn't been topped with razor wire. They scaled that fence and hid out for a time behind a building in an area that isn't visible to staff from the yard.

Using wire cutters, which Welch tossed into the prison yard shortly before the 9 p.m. shift change, the inmates cut a 30-by-22-inch hole and held the fence back with a dog leash.

SOURCE YAHOO!

Do You Know What This Symbol Means?

2010-08-18T15:56:00.009+07:00

Do you recognize the symbol here? It lights up in your instrument panel and looks like a U-shaped pictograph with treads and an exclamation point in the middle.

Do you understand what it means now?

If you guessed a low tire-pressure warning, you are right. If you didn’t recognize the symbol, that’s also understandable because one out of three drivers do not, according to Schrader, a company that makes tire pressure monitoring systems.

The warning for the TPMS lights up when one or more of your vehicle’s tires is 25% below the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. The system is now required on all vehicles starting with the 2008 model year.

The issue here seems to be that the public hasn’t been properly educated on the warning symbol, which is supposed to be “idiot proof” and understandable across a wide variety of cultures and languages. Yet 46% of drivers couldn’t figure out that the icon represents a tire and 14% thought the symbol represented another problem with the vehicle entirely, according to Schrader.

As we said earlier in the week, properly inflated tires are vitally important to your safety. Low pressure will affect your braking, acceleration, stability, cornering and fuel economy. The government instituted the TPMS mandate after the Bridgestone/Firestone tire failures on the Ford Explorer in 2000, a controversy that was partly attributed to inadequately inflated tires.

SOURCE : Yahoo!

I'll try to post one month with another reason busy

Gulf Coasters skeptical of Obama, BP promises

2010-06-15T15:58:00.001+07:00

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. - President Barack Obama promised that life would return to normal for people living on the stricken Gulf Coast , and BP said by the end of the month it would contain more than three times as much oil spewing from a ruptured undersea well.

The pledges didn't placate some residents.

"I think that as long as BP is still in control, there's not a lot he can do other than show support for the residents of these Gulf states ," Jennifer Jenkins, 34, of Long Beach , said of Obama .

The president visited Mississippi and Alabama Monday as part of a two-day stop. He sought to assure residents — and the country — that the government will "leave the Gulf Coast in better shape than it was before." He visits Florida on Tuesday ahead of a national address on the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, which has become a stern test of his presidency .

His trip coincided with BP announcing that it could trap a maximum of roughly 2.2 million gallons of oil daily by the end of June as it deploys additional containment efforts, including a system that could start burning off vast quantities as early as Tuesday.

It also came as documents revealed that BP made a series of money-saving shortcuts and blunders that dramatically increased the danger of a destructive spill from a well that an engineer ominously described as a "nightmare" just six days before the blowout in the Gulf of Mexico .

Investigators found that BP was badly behind schedule on the project and losing hundreds of thousands of dollars with each passing day, and responded by cutting corners in the well design, cementing and drilling mud efforts and the installation of key safety devices.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee released dozens of internal documents that outline several problems on the deep-sea rig in the days and weeks before the April 20 explosion that killed 11 workers and set in motion the catastrophe. The committee has been investigating.

"Time after time, it appears that BP made decisions that increased the risk of a blowout to save the company time or expense. If this is what happened, BP's carelessness and complacency have inflicted a heavy toll on the Gulf, its inhabitants, and the workers on the rig," said Democratic Reps. Henry A. Waxman and Bart Stupak .

During the address from the Oval Office , Obama will announce new steps to restore the Gulf Coast ecosystem, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to upstage the president's announcements.

"I can't promise folks ... that the oil will be cleaned up overnight. It will not be," Obama said during a speech in Alabama . But, he added, "things are going to return to normal."

Residents, though, were skeptical that the economic and environmental destruction would improve any time soon.

Watching oil flow through Perdido Pass in Alabama's Gulf Coast , former Navy firefighter Clayton Ard said he wished Obama would break up the unified command responding to the crisis and let local governments handle it with more autonomy.

"It's just a huge bureaucracy that's slowing things down. ... We want to stop the oil now, but we can't do anything," Ard said.

The breached well has dumped as much as 114 million gallons of oil into the Gulf under the worst-case scenario described by scientists — a rate of more than 2 million a day. BP has collected 5.6 million gallons of oil through its latest containment cap on top of the well, or about 630,000 gallons per day.

To trap more oil faster, BP would continue to siphon off the flow from a containment cap sitting above the well to a drill ship sitting on the ocean surface. More oil from the blowout preventer — a stack of pipes sitting on the seafloor — also would be drawn through hoses and pipes to a drilling rig where it will be burned using a specialized flare.

Still, BP warned its containment efforts could be hampered if hoses or pipes clog and as engineers struggle to run the complicated collection system.

Also, BP spokesman Bill Salvin told The Associated Press that the company has contracted with actor Kevin Costner and Ocean Therapy Solutions to use 32 of their centrifuge machines that are designed to separate oil from water.

"We recognized they had potential and put them through testing, and that testing was done in shallow water and in very deep water and we were very pleased by the results," Salvin said.

Meanwhile, congressional investigators have identified several mistakes by BP in the weeks leading up to the disaster.

In the design of the well, the company apparently chose a riskier option among two possibilities to provide a barrier to the flow of gas in space surrounding steel tubes in the well, documents and internal e-mails show. The decision saved BP $7 million to $10 million; the original cost estimate for the well was about $96 million.

In an e-mail, BP engineer Brian Morel told a fellow employee that the company is likely to make last-minute changes in the well.

"We could be running it in 2-3 days, so need a relative quick response. Sorry for the late notice, this has been nightmare well which has everyone all over the place," Morel wrote.

BP also apparently rejected advice of a subcontractor, Halliburton Inc., in preparing for a cementing job to close up the well. BP rejected Halliburton 's recommendation to use 21 "centralizers" to make sure the casing ran down the center of the well bore. Instead, BP used six centralizers.

Asked about the details disclosed from the investigation, BP spokesman Mark Proegler said the company's main focus right now is on the response and stopping the flow of oil.

"It would be inappropriate for us to comment while an investigation is ongoing."

__

Associated Press Writers Erica Werner in Theodore, Ala., Jay Reeves in Orange Beach, Ala ., and Harry R. Weber in Houston contributed to this report. Daly contributed from Washington.

SOURCE:Yahoo News

Smadav 2010 Rev. 8.1

2010-03-23T17:48:00.004+07:00

Whatever is in SmadAV 2010 Rev 8.1?

Addition of new virus database 100
Virus (or more precisely Malware) that a lot of spread in Indonesia today are mostly foreign-made virus in nature is similar to the local virus. These viruses to become the targets of this latest version SmadAV. Own local virus is currently spreading began to decline and very rarely found. We conclude from virus samples uploaded by the www.smadav.net Smadaver.

SmadAV Virus Scanner Engine (SmadEngine.dll)
SmadAV old engine that has been used since 2006 is not used since 2010 SmadAV Rev. Is 8.1. Re reform Virus Scanner Engine that makes SmadAV release delayed over a month. This new engine completely rewritten from scratch using the programming language C + + with a complete engine that was previously written with Visual Basic. Most virus detection techniques in this new engine has been revamped and improved for the better. Memory usage on the new engine is more stable and efficient than the old engine, as well as the scanning speed is also faster.

Compatible on Windows Vista & 7
In Rev. 8-rev and previous rev SmadAV is still not 100% compatible on Windows Vista and Windows 7. But the Rev. This 8.1 SmadAV both scanner and his protector has supported and 100% compatible for use in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

The following is a complete list of improvements SmadAV Rev. 2010. 8.1:

* Engine new scanner (SmadEngine.dll) to detect the virus more quickly and accurately.
* External Database (Smadav.loov) to make it easier to update the database for the next revision.
* Plug-in explorer right click on the latest (SmadExtc.dll) the better.
* Compatible in Windows Vista & 7.
* Detection of several viruses that many international spread in Indonesia (Sality & Alman) was more rapid and accurate.
* Adding a database of more than 100 new viruses and their variants
* Improved false alarm on some files.
* Completion of key blacklist illegal methods SmadAV Pro
* Changes SmadAV team structure for 2010
* Added uninstall menu in the Tray Icon for easy uninstall
* And many other improvements

free download Smadav 2010 8.1 click here
join forum smadav......... click here

Osx86 Creating A Hackintosh

2010-01-25T11:33:00.000+07:00

Hackintosh Sticker - Unique guide to installing Apple"s Mac OS X software on non-Apple hardware If you"ve always wished you could install Apple"s rock solid Mac OS X on your non-Apple notebook, budget PC, or power-tower PC, wish no more.

osx86-making-a-hackintosh Details ( click link )
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Yes, you can, and this intriguing book shows you precisely how. Walk through these step-by-step instructions, and you"ll end up knowing more about Apple"s celebrated OS than many of the most devoted Mac fans.

You"ll learn to build OS X-ready machines, as well as how to install, employ, and program OS X. Now that Apple computers are based on the Intel platform, the same as most PCs, rogue developers in droves are installing Mac OS X on PCs, including those based on the AMD and Atom processors.

This is the first book to display how to create an OSx86 machine running OS X Provides step-by-step instruction on the installation, employ, and programming of OS X on your existing computer, as well as how to build OS X-ready machines Helps you avoid pitfalls and common problems associated with running Apple software on PC hardware Offers many practical hints, tips, and illustrations Create your own Hackintosh with this fundamental guide. Buy This Product - 0470521465

Free Download Smadav 2010 Rev. 8 [New 12 Januari 2010]

2010-01-12T15:35:00.004+07:00

Smadav 2010 Rev. 8 dirilis dengan berbagai fitur dan penyempurnaan baru yang dikhususkan untuk pemberantasan virus lokal. Fitur-fitur itu seperti Smad-Behavior yang bisa mengenali virus lokal baru yang belum ada di database Smadav dari tingkah lakunya ketika menginfeksi sistem. Smad-Ray yang bisa melakukan scan flashdisk secara otomatis setelah terpasang hanya dalam waktu maksimum 5 detik. Smadav 2010 lebih stabil dan sangat disarankan untuk digabungkan dengan antivirus internasional karena Smadav hanya bisa menangani virus lokal. Pengebalan flashdisk (menggunakan folder autorun.inf) telah disempurnakan lagi dan sebelumnya akan ada konfirmasi sehingga Anda bisa memutuskan apakah suatu flashdisk ingin dikebalkan atau tidak.

Sebagai informasi, dari sampel-sampel virus yang di-upload pengguna ke situs Smadav.net, penyebaran virus lokal saat ini sudah mulai turun drastis di Indonesia. Mungkin ini dikarenakan sudah banyaknya antivirus lokal yang bisa membasmi virus-virus lokal. Dan juga karena pengguna Windows XP yang sudah berkurang karena sebagian sudah meng-upgrade sistem operasinya menjadi Windows Vista atau Windows 7 yang sangat aman dari infeksi virus khususnya virus lokal. Penyebaran virus di Indonesia lebih banyak didominasi oleh virus dan malware internasional yang tentunya tidak bisa diatasi Smadav. Anda wajib dan sangat disarankan menggunakan antivirus internasional untuk perlindungan komputer Anda dari virus dan malware internasional ini.

Smad-Behavior
Hampir semua virus lokal baru yang masih menggunakan teknik virus lokal untuk menginfeksi sistem akan terdeteksi oleh Smadav. Virus lokal ini dapat dideteksi dari tingkah lakunya yang langsung menginfeksi sistem sesaat setelah tereksekusi. Jadi, tidak masalah lagi bagi Smadav untuk mencegah virus lokal baru yang belum ada di database.

Bergabung dengan Antivirus Internasional
Smadav dibuat dengan tujuan untuk membersihkan dan melindungi komputer Anda dari virus-virus lokal yang banyak menyebar di Indonesia. Jadi, Smadav tidak mampu mendeteksi virus internasional. Oleh karena itu, Kalau Anda sering berinternet atau sering meng-install program-program baru, Anda wajib dan sangat disarankan untuk menginstall satu antivirus internasional untuk digabungkan dengan Smadav. Smadav dapat digabungkan dengan hampir semua antivirus internasional. Setelah digabungkan, Smadav akan melindungi komputer Anda dari virus lokal dan antivirus internasional tersebut yang akan melindung Anda dari virus internasional secara keseluruhan. Antivirus Internasional itu misalnya yang gratis adalah Avira, AVG, atau Avast dan yang berbayar misalnya adalah Kasperksy, Norton, atau NOD32.

Smad-Ray dan Pengebalan Flashdisk
Smad-Ray adalah scan cepat flashdisk (maksimum 5 detik) sesaat setelah flashdisk terpasang sehingga tanpa menunggu lama Anda bisa segera tahu apakah flashdisk Anda terinfeksi virus lokal atau tidak. Pengebalan flashdisk dilakukan Smadav dengan menambahkan folder autorun.inf di flashdisk Anda sehingga virus yang biasanya menginfeksi flashdisk akan sangat sulit menyebar karena file autorun-nya tidak bisa lagi dibuat di flashdisk Anda. Pengebalan ini akan dilakukan setelah Anda menyetujui konfirmasi yang muncul sesaat setelah flashdisk terpasang.

Berikut ini adalah daftar lengkap penyempurnaan Smadav 2010 Rev. 8

Penambahan database 23 virus lokal baru dan perbaikan beberapa false positive
Teknik heuristik baru yang bisa mendeteksi varian virus lokal dengan mudah asalkan salah satu variannya sudah ada di-database
Teknik heuristik VBS lebih akurat dan bertambah cerdas
Lebih stabil untuk digabung dengan semua AV internasional (mendeteksi AV lain di komputer dan jika tidak ada akan menyarankan AV internasional untuk segera di-install)
Scan flashdisk sangat cepat hanya 5 detik (Smad-Ray) tidak hanya men-scan bagian terluar flashdisk saja, tapi juga sampai semua file di flashdisk
Smadav Pro yang di-password tidak mempunyai hak akses untuk mengubah registry dengan Smadav
Notifikasi (Balloon Tray) awal pada saat start-up sudah tidak ada lagi
Smad-behavior sudah sempurna dan dengan tampilan baru ketika memperingatkan user
Konfirmasi penambahan folder autorun.inf untuk pengebalan flashdisk sesaat setelah flashdisk terpasang, user bebas memilih untuk mengebalkan flashdisk-nya atau tidak
Folder Smad-Lock/Brankas Smadav tidak lagi otomatis ditambahkan di FD tapi harus manual lewat tab Smad-Lock
Penambahan tombol “more” di SMARTP alert

Download Smadav 2010 Rev. 8

PageRank UP Two

2010-01-07T11:53:00.016+07:00

Sempat kaget dengan kenaikan PageRank menjadi 2 dengan blog yang dibilang Gak Terlalu Ramai padahal masih awam ngeblog dan pemula banget karena pada waktu buat blog saya hanya iseng-iseng aja.Dengan Mengikuti waktu saya mencoba hal-hal baru Seperti memasang Widget yang lumayan membingungkan,Memasang GA yang seharusnya english saya ganti dengan bahasa Indonesia atau boleh juga disebut Campur IndLish(IndonesiaEnglish) dan kalin ini saya coba buat 2 bahasa English dan Indonesia dan masih banyak lagi.

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Disney biographer remembers Roy E. Disney

2009-12-17T13:33:00.001+07:00

LOS ANGELES - The scene was Van Nuys Airport in the San Fernando Valley . Patty and Roy E. Disney were preparing for a flight to New York to help promote a book about Roy's father who found the money to realize the dreams of his brother, Walt Disney. Patty and Roy were seated in the right front row. They were holding hands as the plane, which Roy owned, trundled down the runway to prepare for the flight.
They still held hands as the plane climbed over Burbank and began the flight east. They finally loosened their grips over the mountains and Roy commented to a fellow traveler, "We always hold hands at the takeoff. So far we've never had a problem."

It was 1998 and we were on our way to New York to tout the book I had written about Roy O. Disney, older brother of Walt Disney . We would also visit where both Disneys were born in Illinois, and Kansas City, Mo ., where they lived before their arrival to Los Angeles .

Roy Edward Disney, who died Wednesday at age 79, had been an ideal source about his father and Uncle Walt, whose biography I had also written. He recalled that his father was ambivalent about whether his son should join the studio.

"I think he was apprehensive about that if I did get involved in doing things for Walt, that he would not treat me as well as he did other people," Roy told me, adding "Of course he treated everybody pretty rough.

"I have always said he was very, very fair to me, If I did crappy work, he told me so. If he liked what I did, he told me that too."

Young Roy tried out on the studio's " True Life Adventures " nature film series and suggested two scripts to Walt but got no reply. Then he clicked on the idea for "An Otter in the Family." He made four more "True Life Adventures" before Walt died.

Roy found cooperative co-workers in far-off locations, but the studio workers were not as understanding. They concocted derogatory terms for the son of the boss. It would be a long time before they would recognize his contributions.

Roy Edward's work required long periods in the wilds, but he was able to court Patricia Dailly, New Orleans-born daughter of newsman Pete Dailly. On one of his flights back to L.A. from Utah , Roy was greeted by his mother and Patricia. His mother said to her son, "Well, aren't you going to kiss her?" He did.

When Roy started on a trip back to Utah, he mused, "I've got to go back and propose to the girl." But out of his shyness he didn't. Instead, when he got to Salt Lake City , Roy wrote a five-page letter to Patty. At the end he suggested, "By the way, I think we ought to think about getting married." She sent a telegram: "Hell yes!"

Source:Yahoo! News

Company: Roy Disney, nephew of Walt Disney, dies

2009-12-17T13:32:00.002+07:00

LOS ANGELES - Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney whose powerful behind-the-scenes influence on The Walt Disney Co . led to the departure of former chief Michael Eisner , has died. He was 79.
The company announced that Disney died Wednesday in Newport Beach, Calif., after a yearlong bout with stomach cancer.

Company president and chief executive Bob Iger said Disney was much more than a valued 56-year company veteran.

"Roy's commitment to the art of animation was unparalleled and will always remain his personal legacy and one of his greatest contributions to Disney's past, present and future," Iger said in a statement.

Although he generally stayed out of the spotlight, Roy Disney didn't hesitate to lead a successful campaign in 1984 to oust Walt Disney's son-in-law after concluding he was leading the company in the wrong direction.

Nearly 20 years later, he launched another successful shareholders revolt, this time against Eisner, the man he'd helped bring in after the previous ouster.

Eisner and his wife issued a statement expressing their sympathies over Disney's death.

Don Hahn, an executive producer at the Disney movie studio, credited Roy Disney with ushering in a new era after taking over the animation department in 1984. Together, they helped make such blockbusters as " Beauty and the Beast " and " The Lion King ."

"He took it under his wing, was a cheerleader, a coach, therapist," Hahn said.

John Lasseter , chief creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios , also lauded Disney.

"He put his heart and soul into preserving Disney's legendary past, while helping to move the art of animation into the modern age by embracing new technology," Lasseter said.

Born in 1930, Roy Disney had practically grown up with the company. His uncle Walt Disney and his father, Roy O. Disney, had co-founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio seven years before, later renaming it The Walt Disney Co .

While Walt was the company's creative genius, his brother was the one in charge of the company's finances.

Starting in the 1950s, the younger Roy Disney worked for years in the family business as an editor, screenwriter and producer. Two short films he worked on were nominated for Academy Awards: the 1959 "Mysteries of the Deep," which he wrote, was nominated as best live action short, and the 2003 film "Destino," which he co-produced, was nominated as best animated short.

Despite his heritage, Roy Disney never got the chance to lead the company. But as an investor who grew his Disney stock into a billion-dollar fortune, he had a huge impact on the company's destiny.

In 1984, dissatisfied with the leadership Walt's son-in-law Ron Miller was providing, Disney resigned from the company's board of directors and sought investors to back a bid to install new management. (Miller was the husband of Diane Disney Miller, Roy's cousin.)

His efforts resulted in the hiring of Eisner and Frank Wells , who led the company as a team until Wells died in 1994.

During that time, Disney rejoined the board and rose to become the company's vice chairman and chairman of its animation division. He also became a savvy investor over the years, forming Shamrock Holdings with his friend and fellow Disney board member Stanley Gold in 1978.

The fund grew to become a major investor in California real estate, the state of Israel and other entertainment and media companies.

Gold, president of Shamrock Holdings and a friend of Disney for 35 years, described him as steadfastly loyal to his principles and his friends.

"He was a gracious, humble gentleman," Gold said in a statement.

After years of dissatisfaction with Eisner's leadership and the company's lagging stock price, Disney and Gold resigned their board seats in 2003 and launched a shareholder revolt.

In his resignation letter, Disney called for Eisner's ouster, complaining that on his watch the company's standards had declined, particularly at theme parks like California's Disneyland and Florida's Walt Disney World.

Initially rebuffed, Disney rallied small investors and enthusiasts who responded to his folksy complaints about peeling paint at the theme parks and his anger at being told he would have to leave the board because he was too old.

Shareholders eventually delivered an unprecedented rebuke to Eisner, withholding 45 percent of votes cast for his re-election to the board. The chief executive was later stripped of his role as board chairman and announced his retirement in 2005, a year before his contract was up.

Disney initially opposed Iger, Eisner's successor, but they reconciled and in 2005 Iger named Disney a board member emeritus and welcomed him back to company events. Disney didn't attend board meetings and at the time of his death was no longer a significant shareholder.

Born in Los Angeles on Jan. 10, 1930, Roy Edward Disney was Roy and Edna Disney's only child. As an adult, he bought a castle in Ireland and indulged his passion for yacht racing, setting several speed records.

He was also an active philanthropist, supporting the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, a school founded by his father and uncle.

"It's kind of hard to imagine us without him," said school president Steven D. Lavine, citing Disney's unflagging support.

In 1999, he matched a gift from The Walt Disney Co . to establish an experimental theater space as part of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. He named the theater for his parents.

In 2005, Disney pledged $10 million to establish the Roy and Patricia Disney Cancer Center at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

Source:Yahoo! News

Lawyer: Jon & Kate divorce likely final in 2010

2009-12-17T13:32:00.001+07:00

PHILADELPHIA - Jon and Kate Gosselin will likely ring in the new year as husband and wife as they await a final divorce decree .
A lawyer for Jon Gosselin says the reality TV couple's divorce is not likely to be finalized until early next year.

Mark Jay Heller tells The Associated Press that the arbiter's decisions on custody and finances is "a work in progress." He says the couple has not signed off on it.

The former " Jon & Kate Plus 8 " stars, the parents of eight children, are divorcing after 10 years of marriage.

The divorce is pending in Pennsylvania's Montgomery County , although the family home is in neighboring Berks County .

Heller says the divorce arbiter's decisions will be final.

A spokeswoman for Kate Gosselin's lawyers did not immediately return messages Wednesday.

Source:Yahoo! News

S. Korea court approves Ssangyong SUV revival plan

2009-12-17T13:31:00.000+07:00

SEOUL, South Korea - A court overseeing bankruptcy protection for South Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor approved the company's rehabilitation plan Thursday, clearing a key hurdle in the debt-ridden SUV manufacturer's path toward revival.
Ssangyong Motor went into court-approved bankruptcy protection in February amid falling sales and mounting red ink . Fears of its liquidation had spiked last summer as hundreds of workers seized its main assembly line for more than two months to oppose mass layoffs.

Ssangyong is majority-owned by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp ., or SAIC , one of China's largest vehicle manufacturers, though it lost management control amid the bankruptcy protection process.

The company mostly manufactures light SUVs, but also makes a luxury sedan, the Chairman.

In September, the automaker submitted a corporate rehabilitation plan to the court that centers on how to repay its debt worth about 1.2 trillion won ($ 1 billion ).

Some creditors, however, have so far rejected the plan over Ssangyong's proposed debt repayment terms.

But the Seoul Central District Court overruled the objections in giving approval on Thursday, saying the plan has met all legal requirements and is believed to be able to protect creditor rights.

Ssangyong hailed the decision as "laying the groundwork for normalizing" operations.

The company said in a statement that it will "make utmost efforts to be reborn as a corporation with long-term survival capabilities by making sure to push ahead with the revival plan."

Ssangyong is far smaller than domestic rivals Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors Corp . Its troubles have drawn attention, however, as they came amid turmoil in the world auto industry amid the global economic slowdown .

Source:Yahoo! News

Treasury backs out of plans to sell Citi stake

2009-12-17T13:30:00.001+07:00

WASHINGTON - In a striking reversal of its attempts to unwind the government's financial stakes in big banks, the Treasury Department has backed out of plans to sell its 34 percent stake in Citigroup Inc .
The move came after investors responded tepidly to a massive stock offer by the New York-based bank. Citi said Wednesday it will sell 5.4 million common shares at a steep discount to raise the cash it needs to repay $20 billion of the $45 billion in government support it received to weather the financial crisis.

Citi is the last remaining Wall Street bank in which the government still owns a major stake. Treasury's move underscores the Obama administration's halting progress in drawing back the tens of billions of dollars it invested to stabilize the banking sector .

In what it called the largest equity offering in history, Citi is selling the common stock at $3.15 apiece, an 8.7 percent discount to Wednesday's closing stock price . The bank also is selling 35 million tangible equity units, which can be converted into common stock at a later date, for $100 each.

The government converted $25 billion of its Citi bailout into a 34 percent equity ownership stake in the bank earlier this year. The government paid $3.25 a share for its stake, which means it would have lost 10 cents a share in the offering.

"Based on today's offering price, Treasury has decided not to participate in the equity offering," said a department official familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn't authorized to discuss it.

Citigroup's shares dropped 24 cents, or nearly 7 percent, to $3.21 in after-hours trading after closing at $3.45.

The discount reflected investors' continued uncertainty about Citi's financial strength. Analysts believe the bank has benefited from one-time sales and government subsidies but may not yet have repaired its balance sheet and returned to profitability.

The Treasury Department agreed to wait 90 days after the completion of the offering to sell any of the 7.7 billion common shares that it owns. The government has said it plans to sell the entire stake next year.

Treasury Secretary Geithner reiterated this week that the U.S. does not want to be a shareholder in companies. But Treasury's decision to hold its stake shows that the government, too, believes Citi may not be strong enough to stand on its own. It also preserves one of the administration's few remaining bits of leverage in negotiations with the banks.

President Barack Obama called the CEOs of major banks to the White House Monday to press them to lend more and support his overhaul of financial regulation . He said the banks benefited from taxpayer bailouts, and should do their part to support economic recovery.

Obama and the bankers called the meeting productive, but Obama failed to extract any concrete promises on the issues he raised. A day earlier, he had gone on TV to call the bankers "fat cats" who "don't get it."

Citi was the only one of the 12 banks whose CEO did not attend the meeting. It said CEO Vikram Pandit was tied up with the announcement about repaying the first $20 billion of its bailout. Chairman Richard Parsons was to attend the meeting, but ended up dialing in from New York because of inclement weather.

Citigroup announced the offering on Monday, shortly before Wells Fargo & Co . announced plans to raise capital through a public stock offering to pay back its own government bailout loan. The San Francisco-based bank priced a $12.25 billion offering of common stock on Tuesday.

The offerings followed a share sale by Bank of America Corp . earlier this month. The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank, which named its consumer banking chief as CEO Wednesday evening, raised $19.29 billion to help pay back $45 billion in government bailout funds.

Citigroup said once the offerings are complete and it repays the $20 billion, it will no longer be deemed a recipient of "exceptional financial assistance" under TARP, and therefore won't be subject to some of the strict executive compensation rules attached to its bailout.

The repayment may boost Citigroup's image. It also will save the bank $1.7 billion a year in dividend payments. However, the capital raise significantly dilutes current shareholders' stakes.

The Washington Post reported late Tuesday that Citi had received a special tax break to help it exit the bailout. The tax change saved Citi $38 billion.

Source:Yahoo! News

Brian Moynihan to succeed Ken Lewis as BofA CEO

2009-12-17T13:28:00.001+07:00

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Bank of America's new CEO says he doesn't expect to lead a major shift in strategy at the nation's largest bank when he takes over from Ken Lewis on Jan. 1. But with loan losses continuing to mount amid double-digit unemployment rates , it remains to be seen whether investors will embrace staying the course.
Bank of America's board late Wednesday named its 50-year-old consumer and small business banking chief, Brian Moynihan, as president and CEO. The promotion ended a months-long search complicated by pay restrictions imposed by government pay czar Kenneth Feinberg before the bank repaid $45 billion of federal bailout loans needed to prevent its failure over the past year.

"I am pleased that it's finally over," said Nancy Bush, managing member of NAB Research LLC in Annandale, N.J. Bush said there will be divergent opinions both on Wall Street and within the bank about Moynihan, but overall, she feels it was the smart move.

"My concern about bringing in an external candidate was that somebody would come in and feel the need to put their stamp on the company through a restructuring or through a period of turbulence," she said. "The bank just doesn't need that right now. An internal candidate who knows the players and who knows what needs to be done ... is probably a wiser choice at this point."

Analysts have said outside candidates likely would have wanted to break up the company, something Bank of America's board reportedly is reluctant to do.

"Brian's wide range of experience, his relationships inside and outside of the company, and his demonstrated ability to understand business dynamics and effect constructive change made him the best person for the position," said Bank of America Chairman Walter E. Massey, who led the CEO search. Massey said that while the bank did consider external candidates, the board decided that Moynihan's experience was as good or better, "and he offered the advantage of a smooth transition."

Bank of America didn't immediately return messages left seeking comment. But Moynihan told The Wall Street Journal Wednesday night that he doesn't plan to exit any current businesses, nor does he foresee making any major changes to the bank's strategy.

"Clearly, customers and clients have benefited from the franchise Ken Lewis, Hugh McColl and others have built over the decades. Our business model has also worked for shareholders," he said in a statement. "What we need to do now is very simple. We need to execute."

Moynihan joined the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank as part of its 2004 purchase of FleetBoston Financial Corp ., where he led global wealth and investment management. Over the past year he has served as BofA general counsel , head of global corporate and investment banking and consumer banking chief. He will now join the bank's board of directors .

As the new CEO, Moynihan faces many daunting tasks. He must juggle regulatory investigations into the bank's 2008 acquisition of Merrill Lynch while trying to repair relationship with regulators and members of Congress who sharply criticized Lewis after the bank required billions in aid. Some of those lawmakers, including Maryland Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings , had also questioned Moynihan's leadership skills during a hearing on the Merrill takeover.

Moynihan takes over at time when the bank faces continued loan losses in the billions of dollars. It lost more than $2.2 billion in the third quarter as bad debt kept rising as consumers still struggled to pay their bills. Bank of America, which has about 53 million consumer and small business customers, is considered particularly vulnerable to unemployment, which remains at double-digit levels.

Bank of America told the Treasury Department of its decision before making the announcement, and Treasury raised no objections, according to industry officials familiar with the matter. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the bank's discussions were private.

The Treasury Department declined to comment Wednesday evening.

Lewis, 62, announced his departure in September in a move that surprised Bank of America's board and left it scrambling for a replacement with no clear succession plan in place. Before then, Lewis had promised he would remain as CEO until the bank cleared up its financial problems. But the heavy regulatory scrutiny and shareholder fury that accompanied the Merrill deal drove Lewis to decide to step down early.

Lewis said Wednesday he believes Moynihan "is the right person to lead our company forward."

Edolphus Towns , D-N.Y., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said he hopes Moynihan "appreciates the debt Bank of America owes to U.S. taxpayers, and is prepared to increase lending to consumers and small businesses in order to create jobs and grow the economy."

One thing Moynihan doesn't have to worry about is repaying the government loans. The bank received $25 billion from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program , or TARP, as part of the initial round of investments into hundreds of financial institutions when the credit crisis peaked last fall. It then received an additional $20 billion shortly after it acquired Merrill Lynch in what was a heavily scrutinized deal.

Bank of America repaid the money it received from TARP on Dec. 8. That freed the bank from the government restrictions that had hampered its search for a new CEO, including executive pay limitations. However, its negotiations with outside candidates continued to falter.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp.'s CEO Robert Kelly told employees Monday that he wasn't going anywhere, leaving BofA with one less candidate for its top job. Media reports had listed Kelly among the top choices to lead the bank.

Other candidates reportedly had included: Bob Diamond, president of British bank Barclays PLC; Larry Fink, CEO of asset manager BlackRock Inc.; and New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, a former Goldman Sachs chairman and CEO. Bank of America's chief risk officer , Gregory Curl, was also a top internal candidate for Lewis' job. It wasn't clear Wednesday night if Curl, 61, would remain at the bank.

By picking someone from within, "you express an ability to create a culture that can produce leaders and that's very important," said Keith Springer, president of Sacramento, Calif.-based Capital Financial Advisory Services, which owns financial stocks.

"It's important for these companies to show they have longevity," he said. "And if you can't breed leaders, then you can't survive."

Source:Yahoo! News

US to expand eyes in the sky over Afghanistan

2009-12-17T13:27:00.003+07:00

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military is adding more drones and expanding its video surveillance in the skies over Afghanistan to meet the needs of American forces as 30,000 more troops head into the war zone, a top Air Force general said Wednesday.
The bolstered eyes in the sky will come from a mix of manned and unmanned aircraft and added technology that allows each MQ-9 Reaper drone to collect 10 video transmissions and beam them back to 10 different users on the ground, Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, told reporters.

Deptula's comments came as Defense Secretary Robert Gates continues to press the Air Force to find ways to more rapidly provide better intelligence to the U.S. and its allies in Afghanistan.

The first troop units of the surge ordered by President Barack Obama have begun to arrive in Afghanistan, a Pentagon official said Wednesday, adding to the 68,000 U.S. forces already deployed to counter emboldened insurgents.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said a Marine battalion ordered to move in earlier this month already has "some boots on the ground," with the rest to be flown in before Christmas. "So the surge has begun in earnest," he said.

Deptula provided the most detailed assessment to date of the Air Force plans to meet ground troops' needs for more intelligence and surveillance data. He said the expanded air capabilities would be added over the next eight months.

He would not provide any details on the operation of the Air Force's latest model of its stealth reconnaissance drones, known as the Beast of Kandahar. And he would not specify how many other drones were being sent to Afghanistan.

The aircraft reportedly resembles the much larger, swept-wing B-2 Stealth bomber , and officials confirmed this month that the military has begun using the classified, unarmed drone in Afghanistan.

According to Deptula, the Air Force also will be sending its first MC-12W piloted surveillance plane to Afghanistan this month. Six of the turboprop aircraft are operating in Iraq , and he said the Air Force plans to have a total of 30 in Iraq and Afghanistan by late summer.

In addition, he said new, high-tech video sensors, called the Gorgon Stare, are being installed on Reaper unmanned drones and will be in Afghanistan by late summer.

The new sensors will allow the Reaper to cover a much broader area, estimated at 2 1/2 square miles, and send 10 video streams to 10 different receivers with troops on the ground.

Larger ground stations would be able to receive as many as 50 video streams.

Deptula said four of the Gorgon Stare sets will be deployed in the late summer, followed by three more sets in September or October. Those three sets would have the ability to send 30 video streams to troops on the ground.

Sensor sets with even greater capabilities — as many as 65 video streams — are planned for 2014.

Because Afghanistan is such a large country, even the expanded vision of the missile-armed Reapers won't be enough.

He said officials have not yet determined how many additional surveillance aircraft to send to the war zone.

Deptula also downplayed the difficulties in processing the expected spike in surveillance data, saying officials will shift the workload to analysis units in Korea, Hawaii, California, Virginia and Germany, and add more if needed. At the same time, he said technical changes will also help, including the use of classified computer Web sites to provide easy access to the data.

He added that the Air Force has placed liaison officers with Army brigades to help them figure out what data need.

Often, he said, combat units will say they want a high-tech surveillance drone such as a Predator or Reaper, when a much smaller Raven will do.

In other comments, Deptula told reporters that the Air Force is looking toward developing unmanned, long-range surveillance aircraft that also can carry warheads so they can be used during combat.

The Reaper is built by California-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc . and the MC-12W is built by Hawker Beechcraft in Kansas, with sensors from L-3 Integrated Systems in Texas.

Source:Yahoo! News

House narrowly approves year-end jobs

2009-12-17T13:27:00.001+07:00

WASHINGTON - Democrats in the House Wednesday muscled through a year-end plan to create jobs, mixing about $50 billion for public works projects with another almost $50 billion for cash-strapped state and local governments .
The unemployed would get continued benefits. But conspicuously absent from the plan were President Barack Obama 's recently announced proposals to give Social Security recipients $250 payments, a tax credit for small businesses that create jobs and a program awarding tax credits to people who make their homes more energy efficient.

In a statement, Obama said the House measure offers "productive ideas to respond to this great need" for jobs across the country, while urging lawmakers to do more.

"Some may think standing by and taking no action is the right approach, but for the millions of Americans still out of work, inaction is unacceptable," Obama said.

Not a single Republican voted for the plan, which passed on a 217-212 vote after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., worked the floor for an hour. The measure now goes to the Senate, which won't consider the measure until next year and which generally has a smaller appetite for such deficit-financed economic stimulus measures.

Given increasing anxiety among Democrats over massive budget deficits and the party's poor marks with voters for its free-spending ways, the measure could face a tough road. Some 38 Democrats voted against the plan, mostly moderates and junior members elected from swing districts.

According to documents released by Democrats, the measure would cost $154 billion. But there's also another $20 billion from the federal treasury to keep the highway trust fund afloat.

The measure blends a familiar mix of money for highway, transit and water projects and aid to help communities retain teachers and firefighters. There's also $41 billion for a six-month extension of more generous unemployment benefits and $12 billion to renew health insurance subsidies.

Many of the ideas are renewals of programs started in February's $787 billion economic stimulus bill , which has earned mixed reviews from the public as unemployment has hit 10 percent.

The idea behind the "Jobs for Main Street Act" was to enact fast-acting steps that would quickly boost employment. The bill also reflects concerns among rank-and-file Democrats that the original stimulus measure didn't have enough money for infrastructure projects.

But infrastructure spending is notoriously slow to spend out as projects need to be planned and can require a lengthy contracting process. Many of the so-called shovel ready projects have already been funded.

According to the Congressional Budget Office , less than half of the $39 billion in the measure for transportation and housing projects would be spent over the next decade, with just $1.7 billion being spent through next September.

Democrats claimed $75 billion of the measure is "paid for" with unused money from the Wall Street bailout. Republicans countered that the bill is really financed with red ink since the bailout money would otherwise revert to the Treasury to lower the deficit.

Republicans branded the new bill "Son of Stimulus" and were withering in their assessments.

"More spending, more debt. Same lousy policies that haven't produced jobs all year," said House Minority Leader John Boehner , R-Ohio.

Democrats also say that economists largely credit the earlier stimulus measure for the fledgling economic recovery and the improving unemployment picture.

"The situation is worse than we thought and getting better more slowly than we hoped but it's clearly getting better," said Rep. Barney Frank , D-Mass.

Democrats said that the measure would prevent a double-dip recession by giving state and local governments $23 billion to retain teachers and lesser amounts to keep firefighters and police officers. And it would help prevent tax increases by state governments by giving them $23.5 billion for the Medicaid program for the poor and disabled.

Republicans also distributed a chart showing that roughly half the money goes into accounts brimming with cash from the earlier stimulus bill.

"The agencies are awash with money coming through the pipeline," said Rep. Jerry Lewis , R-Calif.

But Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey , D-Wis., countered that most of the earlier stimulus money has been committed if not actually spent.

The measure also includes money for Amtrak construction, school renovation and job training. There's also $1.1 billion for part-time college jobs, summer employment for low-income teenagers and money for workers in national parks and forests.

The bill also allows very poor people with as little as no income to claim a $1,000-per-child tax credit in what Republicans charged was simply a welfare payment to 16 million poor families.

The bill also would extend federal surface transportation programs through the end of next September.

Democratic leaders had to scramble to find the votes for the measure, which came up right after the House approved a $290 billion increase in the government's ability to borrow. That 218-214 vote reflected unhappiness by moderate Democrats about adding to the nation's red ink. The timing made the jobs bill vote a "heavy lift," Pelosi said.

Heading into the roll call, Pelosi was about two dozen votes short, spokesman Brendan Daly confirmed. But she lobbied indefatigably to almost single-handedly turn the tide.

"I looked at her with doubt on my face and in my eyes and she gave me that steely look and said, 'Let's call the vote,'" said party whip Jim Clyburn , D-S.C.

Source:Yahoo! News

Single-payer health care plan dies in Senate

2009-12-17T13:26:00.000+07:00

WASHINGTON - The liberals' longtime dream of a government-run health care system for all died Wednesday in the Senate, but Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont vowed it will return when the realization dawns that private insurance companies "are no longer needed."
The proposal's demise came as Senate Democratic leaders and the White House sought agreement with Sen. Ben Nelson , D-Neb., to become the 60th supporter of President Barack Obama 's health care overhaul — the number needed to overcome a Republican filibuster.

Nelson has met three times in the past nine days with Obama. While he is seeking stricter curbs on abortions in the insurance system the bill would establish, he also has raised issues in his home state that are unrelated to the health care legislation , according to an official with close ties to the senator. The official spoke on grounds of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Sanders, an independent and socialist, said his approach is the only one "which eliminates the hundreds of billions of dollars in waste, administrative costs, bureaucracy and profiteering that is engendered by the private insurance companies." His remarks drew handshakes and even a hug or two from Democrats who had filed into the Senate to hear him.

Sanders acknowledged the proposal lacked the votes to pass, and he chose to withdraw it after Sen. Tom Coburn , R-Okla., exercised his prerogative and required Senate clerks to begin reading the 767-page proposal aloud to a nearly empty chamber. After three hours, they were 139 pages into it.

Republicans accused Democrats of trampling on Senate procedure in allowing Sanders to interrupt the reading, and Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said the incident showed the majority party "is willing to do anything to jam through a 2,000-page bill before the American people or any of us has a chance to read it."

It was unclear how much, if any, headway Nelson's pursuers were making as they struggle to pass the health care measure by Christmas.

The Nebraska lawmaker told reporters he was reviewing a proposal to toughen abortion restrictions in the legislation. Nelson said the compromise negotiated by anti-abortion Sen. Bob Casey , D-Pa., involves attempt to separate private and public funds, an approach that in the past failed to sway the Nebraska moderate and Catholic bishops.

Asked whether the new language was satisfactory, Nelson said, "I don't know at this point in time. Constituency groups haven't responded back yet."

Nelson emerged as the lone known holdout among 60 Democrats and independents earlier in the week after Sen. Joe Lieberman , I-Conn., forced supporters of the bill to remove a proposed Medicare expansion.

In general, the overall legislation is designed to spread coverage to millions who lack it, ban insurance industry practices such as denying coverage because of pre-existing medical conditions and slow the rate of growth for medical spending nationally.

Republicans are unanimously opposed, and accuse Democrats of seeking deep cuts in Medicare and higher taxes to create a new benefit program that they argue gives government too large a role in the health care system .

Obama repeated his demand for action, telling ABC News "the federal government will go bankrupt" if the health care bill fails. He said Medicare and Medicaid are on an "unsustainable" path if no action is taken.

The debate over the proper role for the government has bedeviled the issue from the outset.

At the behest of liberal Democrats , the House bill establishes a nationwide government-run insurance option in hopes of creating competition for private insurers.

But to satisfy the moderates, the Senate bill does not. Instead, it envisions nonprofit nationwide plans to be set up by private companies and overseen by the federal agency that oversees the system used by federal employees and members of Congress.

The compromises to the Senate bill have union leaders reassessing whether they should continue to offer public support for the measure.

The politically powerful Service Employees International Union backed out of a Wednesday news conference at which it and other groups — including the AARP — planned to promote the bill. "We're looking at what we need for the reform bill to be something that we can probably support," SEIU spokeswoman Lori Lodes said.

The House already has approved its version of the health care bill, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., said Wednesday she was confident a final compromise would be signed into law before Obama's 2010 State of the Union address .

She signaled a willingness to look at the proposal in the Senate bill that takes the place of government-run insurance in the House bill.

Asked whether she could support a final bill without a so-called public option, she said, "it depends what else is in the bill."

__

Associated Press writers Charles Babington, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Erica Werner and Sam Hananel contributed to this report.

Source:Yahoo! News

Smadav 2009 PRO Rev 7.5

2009-12-16T13:18:00.008+07:00

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