tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31727064291337445972026-07-29T17:07:35.829-07:00ONLINE NEWS READING ROOM...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger295125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-57638700108102821922012-09-22T01:17:00.001-07:002012-09-22T01:17:04.996-07:00<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cCvLyKHzehc?fs=1" width="459"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-81636674445321752162012-01-16T20:20:00.000-08:002012-01-16T20:20:30.338-08:00<a href="http://mashable.com/2012/01/16/golden-globes-2012-twitte/">Twitter's Take on the 2012 Golden Globes [INFOGRAPHIC]</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-68625760870825878022012-01-16T20:09:00.000-08:002012-01-16T20:09:57.512-08:00<a href="http://mashable.com/2012/01/16/wikipedia-sopa/">Wikipedia Going Dark to Protest SOPA</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-65316448913420206212011-11-01T02:17:00.000-07:002011-11-01T02:17:05.589-07:00<a href="http://www.mp3raid.com/music/lady_gaga.html#.Tq-4uvYRuHg.blogger">Lady Gaga Mp3 Downloads @ Mp3Raid.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-50849303571115768502011-09-23T23:21:00.001-07:002011-09-23T23:21:20.273-07:00<div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-6574643802523789332011-06-30T04:47:00.001-07:002011-06-30T04:47:01.804-07:00<a title='Top 10 TV Trendsetters - ad' href='http://lx.im/1dwrv?v=cYnVJsWtlk0bP4TE-OHssGz6K28hlTAeVEeGMJ8KeSY'><img alt='Top 10 TV Trendsetters - ad' src='http://d.likes-media.com/uimg/4eb832ce6edf6b27a460fe0aee5e23cf'/></a><br/>Some of the biggest trends start right in your home...on the TV! Check out the Top 10 TV Trendsetters! <img src='http://lx.im/_t.gif?v=cYnVJsWtlk0bP4TE-OHssGz6K28hlTAeVEeGMJ8KeSY' style='border: 0px;height:0px;background:transparent;width:0px;position:absolute;left:-10000px;top:-10000px;'/><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-9360532195864623052011-06-27T01:00:00.001-07:002011-06-27T01:00:22.087-07:00<a title='Fubar - The Internet&amp;#039;s Only Online Bar and Happy Hour! - ad' href='http://lx.im/1dsE5?v=WSQzO0pbaxQ9eLmj9QPotaYU0iRiczlGah-3M5j6VEU'><img alt='Fubar - The Internet&amp;#039;s Only Online Bar and Happy Hour! - ad' src='http://d.likes-media.com/uimg/3ad0df90abd5a8d75f8e24fc3b3eae31'/></a><br/>Sign up on fubar. A fun social network where you can buy each other virtual drinks!<img src='http://lx.im/_t.gif?v=WSQzO0pbaxQ9eLmj9QPotaYU0iRiczlGah-3M5j6VEU' style='border: 0px;height:0px;background:transparent;width:0px;position:absolute;left:-10000px;top:-10000px;'/><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-36118442500644101482011-06-12T22:47:00.000-07:002011-06-12T22:48:35.860-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110612/capt.photo_1307876707823-1-0.jpg?x=213&amp;y=131&amp;xc=1&amp;yc=1&amp;wc=410&amp;hc=252&amp;q=85&amp;sig=rZMIzmlkbC6zNZ2kAy8.TQ--" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110612/capt.photo_1307876707823-1-0.jpg?x=213&amp;y=131&amp;xc=1&amp;yc=1&amp;wc=410&amp;hc=252&amp;q=85&amp;sig=rZMIzmlkbC6zNZ2kAy8.TQ--" /></a></div>KUWAIT CITY (AFP) – Kuwait's supreme court on Sunday upheld a woman's death sentence for setting ablaze her husband's wedding tent, killing 57 women and children.<br /> Nasra Yussef Mohammed al-Enezi, 24, was condemned to death by a lower and appeals courts for the apparent act of revenge against her husband for taking a second wife.<br /> Under Islamic laws, men in Kuwait can take up to four wives at a time.<br /> The ruling against Enezi is final unless the emir commutes the sentence to a life term. Death sentences in the oil-rich Gulf state are carried out by hanging.<br /> Enezi, who has two mentally-ill children from her husband, denied the charges throughout the trial and her defence lawyers argued there was no material evidence to convict her.<br /> The August 15, 2009 inferno engulfed the women-and-children-only tent in minutes and triggered a stampede. The final death toll was 57, including Saudis and stateless Arabs.<br /> If Enezi is hanged, she would be the first Kuwaiti woman to be executed in the Gulf state's history. Three foreign women have been hanged.<br /> Kuwait has executed a total of 72 people since it introduced the death penalty some four decades ago. Most of those condemned have been convicted murderers or drug traffickers.<br /> The last execution in the emirate dates back to mid-2007 although dozens of convicts are on death row.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110612/wl_mideast_afp/kuwaitfiretrial">Death upheld for Kuwait woman for wedding carnage - Yahoo! News</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-8282711142020759872011-06-12T22:32:00.000-07:002011-06-12T22:33:13.742-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmAkikSHbucqHRorMApExnAGXR8kjSFBzzeI9y1u73b252VBbBTA5rAh5fx_fU9tqEWKWKGxNH4YbwtbLmpQzAS0wjj2TktgKvdVyDLlwdsxzRMeVtsfUz3dpRpx0LIeZ1wBQwqE2EFU/s200/yao+jiaxin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmAkikSHbucqHRorMApExnAGXR8kjSFBzzeI9y1u73b252VBbBTA5rAh5fx_fU9tqEWKWKGxNH4YbwtbLmpQzAS0wjj2TktgKvdVyDLlwdsxzRMeVtsfUz3dpRpx0LIeZ1wBQwqE2EFU/s200/yao+jiaxin.jpg" /></a></div>BEIJING —<a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.0,105.0&amp;spn=10.0,10.0&amp;q=35.0,105.0%20%28China%29&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" title="China">China</a> on Tuesday executed a music student convicted of stabbing a woman to death after hurting her in a car crash, a crime that sparked national debate over China's "rich second generation."<br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yao Jiaxin was executed after the high court in north China's <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.1833333333,109.066666667&amp;spn=0.01,0.01&amp;q=35.1833333333,109.066666667%20%28Shaanxi%29&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Shaanxi">Shaanxi province</a> turned down his appeal over the April 22 death sentence, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.cctv.com/" rel="homepage" title="China Central Television">China Central Television</a> reported.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The execution was also approved by China's <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.court.gov.cn/" rel="homepage" title="Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China">Supreme People's Court</a>, which noted the "extremely despicable and odious" nature of the crime, the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.8987638889,116.365230556&amp;spn=0.01,0.01&amp;q=39.8987638889,116.365230556%20%28Xinhua%20News%20Agency%29&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Xinhua News Agency">Xinhua news agency</a> reported.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yao, 21, was convicted of murdering 26-year-old mother <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Miao" rel="wikipedia" title="Zhang Miao">Zhang Miao</a> on October 20 after hitting her with his car on the streets of the provincial capital of Xian.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Zhang, who was riding her bike, only suffered minor injuries in the accident but instead of helping the woman, Yao stabbed her eight times with a knife as she eyed his car number plate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yao, a student at the Xian Conservatory of Music, fled the scene but was later caught and, according to an earlier Xinhua report, confessed that he killed her because he feared the "peasant woman would be hard to deal with" over the accident.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The crime has prompted hand-wringing over the country's so-called "rich second generation."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The term is applied to the wealthy offspring of people who have prospered with China's economic opening of the past 30 years -- youths seen as expecting privilege and sometimes lacking in morals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">It follows another notorious incident involving a 23-year-old man, Li Qiming, who was sentenced to six years in prison in January after attempting to exploit his father's senior police rank to flee a fatal drink-driving accident.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">After running over two young women on a college campus in north China, killing one, he shouted, "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.8788888889,115.56&amp;spn=1.0,1.0&amp;q=38.8788888889,115.56%20%28Li%20Gang%20incident%29&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Li Gang incident">my father is Li Gang</a>," and dared onlookers to try to stop him leaving the scene.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">News reports said Yao's family was neither especially wealthy nor well connected, but that both his parents worked for companies in China's defence industry, which has boomed in recent years as the country has rapidly modernised its military.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Reaction to Tuesday's execution on the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China" rel="wikipedia" title="Internet in the People's Republic of China">Chinese Internet</a> was mixed, with some saying Yao's actions could be the result of the huge pressure to succeed heaped on many youngsters by their parents, sometimes at the expense of moral values.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">"He shouldn't have been killed, what a pitiful kid. Why can't we have a little compassion -- this entire episode has been good for neither family," said a posting from a sina.com user in south China's <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=23.3333333333,113.5&amp;spn=1.0,1.0&amp;q=23.3333333333,113.5%20%28Guangdong%29&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Guangdong">Guangdong province</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another user from the eastern province of Shandong identified as Fenfang said: "What good is a college student if they cannot have just a little bit of humanity? The execution of Yao Jiaxin is a necessary result of the crime."</div><br /> <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/2011/06/china-executes-student-over-hit-and-run.html">Death Penalty News: China executes student over hit-and-run murder</a> <br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=1ca9295a-530f-435d-a04b-b9e7fdb23d03" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-61757233039497383472011-06-11T09:44:00.000-07:002011-06-11T09:46:02.141-07:00<div class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/twitter" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun..." height="138" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0005/4559/54559v1-max-250x250.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="250" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 250px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></span></div><div class="" id="storyBodyContent"><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.history.com/topics/new-york-city" rel="historycom" title="New York City">New York</a> Congressman <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.house.gov/weiner/" rel="homepage" title="Anthony Weiner">Anthony Weiner</a> says the now-infamous crotch photo he sent via <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/" rel="homepage" title="Twitter">Twitter</a> was a joke. If so, count Hollywood resident Denise Richardson among those who aren’t laughing. <br /> “It kind of struck home with me. … I thought jokes were meant to be funny,” said Richardson, who recalls her ex-husband using the same “only a joke” excuse for inappropriate conversations he had in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_chat" rel="wikipedia" title="Online chat">online chat</a> rooms. The couple ultimately divorced, with Richardson convinced her ex’s online chats in fact led to in-person affairs. <br /> In Weiner’s case, she said, the online transgressions alone are enough to warrant the “cheating” label. <br /> “It’s not only shady, but it demonstrates poor judgment,” Richardson said. “It’s cheating all the way around.” <br /> Technology like Twitter is only a few years old, so there is scarce research on public attitudes toward X-rated tweets and whether they fit the traditional definition of cheating. <br /> The widespread condemnation of Weiner suggests many believe his conduct does constitute infidelity. In a similar vein, a 2004 <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_News" rel="wikipedia" title="ABC News">ABC News</a> pollfound that 64 percent of adults felt that “if a person who’s married or in a committed relationship has sex talk in an <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chat_room" rel="wikipedia" title="Chat room">Internet chat room</a>,” it would amount to being unfaithful. <br /> “For most people who are in a committed relationship, the partner does see it as cheating,” says Shelley Green, a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=26.0778954,-80.2418899&amp;spn=1.0,1.0&amp;q=26.0778954,-80.2418899%20%28Nova%20Southeastern%20University%29&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Nova Southeastern University">Nova Southeastern University</a> professor who teaches in the school’s family therapy program and treats couples in private practice.<br /> But ultimately, the question of is-it-or-is-it-not can only be decided by couples themselves, Green adds. Each relationship has its own set of boundaries. <br /> “There’s certainly partners who feel like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_pornography" rel="wikipedia" title="Internet pornography">Internet porn</a> is absolutely unacceptable,” she says. At the same time, other couples “are watching porn together and having that enhance their sexuality.” <br /> Across the country, the Weiner photo controversy has sparked conversations about what’s acceptable and what is not. <br /> Amy Austin of Minneapolis had a blunt assessment for her husband, Jon, as they watched Weiner’s stunning confession on television this week. <br /> “You’d be dead,” she told him. <br /> Still, there are others who insist that physical intimacy is necessary for cheating to occur. Charles Trattler of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=26.71,-80.05&amp;spn=0.1,0.1&amp;q=26.71,-80.05%20%28Palm%20Beach%20County%2C%20Florida%29&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Palm Beach County, Florida">Palm Beach County</a> says that if he caught his partner sending racy photos via Twitter or text, it would certainly be something to talk about, but it wouldn’t be an act of infidelity. <br /> Trattler, who responded to an online query from The Herald, said his priority would be to “make sure there are no root issues in the relationship that are actually causing this behavior.” <br /> “If it does not go any farther than exchanging photos and messages, it is flirting as far as I am concerned,” he said. <br /> The practice of texting sexually explicit photos, or “sexting,” is often associated with middle- and high-schoolers. And while tech-savvy teens may be more likely to send racy texts, some grown-ups do it too. A May 2010 survey from the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.pewinternet.org/" rel="homepage" title="Pew Internet">Pew Internet</a> and American Life Project found that 15 percent of adults said they had received “a sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude photo or video” on their cellphone, and 6 percent admitted to sending such a text. </div><div class="spill_navigation pagination" id="page_controls"><span class="fullstory"></span></div><br /> Read more: <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/10/2260271/is-tweeting-cheating.html#ixzz1OpfSZgnQ" style="color: #003399;">http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/10/2260271/is-tweeting-cheating.html#ixzz1OpfSZgnQ</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/10/2260271/is-tweeting-cheating.html">Is tweeting cheating? - Living - MiamiHerald.com</a> <br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=419c680e-5c14-49e6-ab58-6bc69a996c73" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-10399568065702211612011-06-08T09:30:00.000-07:002011-06-08T09:31:53.535-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ecorazzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bieber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ecorazzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bieber.jpg" /></a></div><b><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.myspace.com/justinbieber" rel="myspace" title="Justin Bieber">Justin Bieber</a></b> may not be old enough to go to college, but he’s performing a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benefit_concert" rel="wikipedia" title="Benefit concert">charity concert</a> to help <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student" rel="wikipedia" title="Student">students</a> who want to reach their own academic goals. <br /> The <a href="http://www.collegetrack.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=367&amp;Itemid=202">College Track</a> benefit concert will be held on June 11th at the <a href="http://www.collegetrack.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=367&amp;Itemid=202">Mountain Winery</a> in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.2725,-122.019444444&amp;spn=0.1,0.1&amp;q=37.2725,-122.019444444%20%28Saratoga%2C%20California%29&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Saratoga, California">Saratoga, California</a>, with all proceeds going to benefit <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_inequality_metrics" rel="wikipedia" title="Income inequality metrics">underprivileged</a> high school students. The <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-profit_organization" rel="wikipedia" title="Non-profit organization">non-profit organization</a> helps with <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After-school_activity" rel="wikipedia" title="After-school activity">after school programs</a> to get students prepared for the application process, and even follows them into college to provide emotional support for the changes that come with a new environment.<br /> Ticket prices range from $250 for FAN level seats, all the way up to $2,000 for the premium level, and all guests who attend are invited to join a pre and post concert reception that will include drinks, apps, and some yummy desserts along with a souvenir t-shirt!<br /> <span id="more-54664"></span><br /> Celebs have praised the Biebs for his involvement with the charity, as <b><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ashton_kutcher" rel="rottentomatoes" title="Ashton Kutcher">Ashton Kutcher</a> </b>took to <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/APLUSK">his Twitter</a> and wrote, “Hey Justin Bieber proud that you are playing a show for College Track. Good on you.”<br /> Agreed, totally good on you Biebs!<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.ecorazzi.com/2011/06/07/justin-bieber-performing-charity-show-for-underprivileged-students/">Justin Bieber Performing Charity Show For Underprivileged Students | ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip</a> <br /> <div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://997now.radio.com/2011/06/06/win-tickets-to-the-college-track-benefit-concert-with-justin-bieber/">Win Tickets To The College Track Benefit Concert with Justin Bieber!</a> (997now.radio.com)</li> </ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=34ffb1eb-df97-4704-a05a-9bfaee8a7bee" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-85925163883937882732011-06-05T03:34:00.000-07:002011-06-05T03:35:25.496-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl/famous-faces-th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl/famous-faces-th.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl/103-famous-faces.html">103 Famous Faces in One Painting</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-33315158980532531402011-06-05T02:18:00.000-07:002011-06-05T02:21:57.487-07:00It’s not news that the app store has been revolutionary for mobile gaming, with titles such as Angry Birds and Words With Friends paving the way, just as Farmville has for social gaming. Increasingly, though, with developers and publishers seeing both of these previously ridiculed areas of the industry suddenly surging in popularity, it seems like a new Golden Age of Gaming may be on the horizon.<br /> <br /> Apple’s efforts with the iPhone and the iPad in particular have opened up the market to people who otherwise wouldn't have shown any interest in playing games. Joe Wee of Chillingo, one of the leading publishers of iOS games, singled this out as the greatest strength of these platform, saying: ‘<i>It brings out the hidden gamer in everybody. That’s the magic that iOS has brought to an entirely new gaming market.</i>’<br /> <br /> Relentless Software, responsible for the Buzz! games on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, agrees that iOS is currently at the forefront of this effort to open new markets. ‘<i>I had a lot of people that would say they weren’t gamers, but then when you quiz them on what they do, they do play games,</i>’ said David Amor, Relentless Software CEO. ‘<i>People almost accidentally have a game device in their pocket.</i>’<br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2011/06/a-new-golden-age-of-gaming/deadspace-s.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2011/06/a-new-golden-age-of-gaming/deadspace-s.png" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>New iOS games boast a fidelity and depth that was previously unheard of in mobile gaming</i></td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> The situation has been helped by the great deal of innovation in iOS game development too. Much like the indie market at large, the overheads are minimal compared to the more standard models of software development seen in the industry. Amor illustrated as much when comparing the process of bringing his upcoming iOS title Quiz Climber to market with the stress of getting Buzz! to launch on the PSP and PlayStation 3. <br /> <br /> ‘<i>Traditional video game development requires a massive commitment'</i> he says. <i>'In the case of making a PlayStation game, your master disc is going to Austria and there’s a machine there that stamps out a million discs and that’s a big thing to take on. This is much more straightforward.</i>’<br /> <br /> It’s not just the PC market that suffers from this. The mobile gaming market outside of Apple is also affected by the diversity of the hardware currently in use. Chillingo started out developing for Pocket PC (now known as Windows Mobile). ‘<i>We know the pains of delivering content and provisioning,</i>’ said Chris Byatte. ‘<i>It’s tricky, and in the old days providing support was very time consuming and really, that has gone now.</i>’ <br /> <br /> Before Apple, developers wanting to sell in the mobile market would have to port titles to many different platforms and then rely on shaky distribution centres, only to earn 50 per cent of the revenue (compared to Apple’s 70 per cent). Joe Wee described the release of the iPhone as a ‘Eureka moment’ in mobile gaming, as it offered a standardised platform with a built-in digital distribution centre that was attractive to many developers.<br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2011/06/a-new-golden-age-of-gaming/david-1-614x250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2011/06/a-new-golden-age-of-gaming/david-1-614x250.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Yet it's often the simplest games which stand out the most</i></td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> The accessibility and ubiquity of iOS appears to offer the benefits of the PC market, but also the benefits of working with the homogenised hardware configuration of a console. Small teams of developers aren’t just prospering in the market; they're thriving, despite the fierce competition. These teams are setting up virtual studios, and Byatte tells us how Chillingo is working with teams that have never even met each other face to face, or are operating on different sides of the globe. <br /> <br /> The platform is also very easy for a developer to work with and the development software for the iDevices is highly accessible. ‘<i>Anyone who is creative can download that and just hammer out a game,</i>’ says Chillingo’s Chris Byatte. ‘<i>It’s opened the doors to everyone to reach the market.</i>’ Although some have criticised Apple’s approval process, Byatte believes it's highly beneficial to the consumer. ‘<i>In the more traditional mobile market, there’s a 50 per cent chance that it won’t even work,</i>’ added Wee.<br /> <br /> Developing for iOS also bypasses a significant drawback of PC development, which is that developers only have to worry about one standardised system (albeit now with a few SKUs). One positive aspect of Apple’s strict control over the uses for its device and how it can be modified is that development for it is much simpler. ‘<i>So much energy as a developer is soaked up figuring out different configurations,</i>’ says Amor. ‘<i>You’re spending half your energy worrying about that, and it would be much more fun spending that energy on making a new game or coming up with new ideas.</i>’<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/apple/2011/06/01/a-new-golden-age-of-gaming/1">A New Golden Age of Gaming | bit-gamer.net</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-26105244900038640882011-06-04T00:23:00.000-07:002011-06-04T00:29:01.801-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/286291/thumbs/r-FRIARS-large570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/286291/thumbs/r-FRIARS-large570.jpg" /></a></div>BUFFALO, N.Y. — Identical twins Julian and Adrian Riester were born seconds apart 92 years ago. They died hours apart this week. The Buffalo-born brothers were also brothers in the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor. Professed friars for 65 years, they spent much of that time working together at St. Bonaventure University, doing carpentry work, gardening and driving visitors to and from the airport and around town.<br /> "It was fun to see them, just quiet, gentle souls," Yvonne Peace, who worked at the St. Bonaventure Friary for nearly 21 years, said Friday.<br /> They died Wednesday at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., Brother Julian in the morning and Brother Adrian in the evening.<br /> Both died of heart failure, said Father James Toal, guardian of St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, where the inseparable twins lived since moving from western New York in 2008.<br /> "It really is almost a poetic ending to the remarkable story of their lives," St. Bonaventure spokesman Tom Missel said. "Stunning when you hear it, but hardly surprising given that they did almost everything together."<br /> Julian and Adrian Riester were born Jerome and Irving on March 27, 1919, to a couple who already had five daughters. They took the names of saints upon their ordination in the Catholic church.<br /> "Dad was a doctor and he said a prayer for a boy," Adrian once said, according to St. Bonaventure. "The Lord fooled him and sent two."<br /> After attending St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, the brothers were turned away by the military because of their eyesight, the university said. One had a bad left eye, the other a bad right eye.<br /> Eventually they joined the friars of Holy Name Province in New York City. They received separate assignments before reuniting at the seminary at St. Bonaventure from 1951 to 1956. After serving parishes in Buffalo for 17 years, they returned to St. Bonaventure in 1973 and spent the next 35 years there.<br /> <br /> They had separate rooms in the friary but one telephone extension that rang into both, Peace recalled. It was usually the more talkative Adrian who answered, though Julian possessed a quiet authority. They never said who was born first.<br /> "Brother Julian was like the big brother. Brother Adrian would defer to him," Peace said. "They picked up one of our friars at the airport one time and the friar said, `Can I take you to dinner?'<br /> "Brother Adrian looked at Brother Julian and said, `We aren't going to dinner?' `No, we'll go home,'" Peace said. "So that was it. No discussion, no contradicting. `No, we aren't going today.'"<br /> Funeral services are scheduled for Monday at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church in St. Petersburg. Afterward, the brothers' bodies will be flown to Buffalo and buried Wednesday at St. Bonaventure Cemetery, across the street from the university.<br /> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/03/julian-adrian-riester_n_871156.html?ref=tw">Julian, Adrian Riester, Buffalo-Born Twin Friars, Die On Same Day At Age 92</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-32989455519025070192011-06-03T09:33:00.000-07:002011-06-03T09:34:18.556-07:00<a class="author noHrefOverride" href="http://gizmodo.com/people/KatHannaford/" title="Click here to read posts written by Kat Hannaford">Kat Hannaford</a> —<img alt="Dancing Dolls and Pink N8s Won't Save You, Nokia" class="image_-1 embeddedVideoThumbnail v10_medium" src="http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2011/06/medium_24478952.jpg" style="display: none;" title="Dancing Dolls and Pink N8s Won't Save You, Nokia" width="300" /> We're hardly the target audience for <a href="http://conversations.nokia.com/2011/05/02/nokia-n8-pretty-in-pink/">a pink phone</a> and Lady Gaga-esque visuals, but Nokia's latest commercial does make me laugh. Or weep, when I remember that Nokia's share prices are at a 13year-low. [<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/31/us-nokia-idUSTRE74U2JN20110531">Reuters</a> and <a href="http://thecuriousbrain.com/">Curious Brain</a> via <a href="http://www.adverblog.com/2011/06/02/pink-is-the-new-gold-for-nokia/">Adverblog</a>]<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24478952?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="400"></iframe><br /> <a href="http://vimeo.com/24478952">Nokia N8 Pink - Freedom</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/dwilsoncreative">David Wilson Creative</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5807724/dancing-dolls-and-pink-n8s-wont-save-you-nokia">Dancing Dolls and Pink N8s Won't Save You, Nokia</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-7124454931064951162011-06-03T09:22:00.000-07:002011-06-03T09:30:25.807-07:00<div class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shahrukh_Khan_2004.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shahrukh Khan during filming at Kennedy Space ..." height="505" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Shahrukh_Khan_2004.jpg/300px-Shahrukh_Khan_2004.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shahrukh_Khan_2004.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></div><div class="yom-mod yom-art-content" id="yui_3_3_0_1_130697675048526"><div class="bd" id="yui_3_3_0_1_130697675048525"><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1306976750485145">Indore, June 2 (ANI): Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan on Thursday said yoga guru Baba Ramdev's proposed hunger strike against corruption is politically motivated, and added that he would not support the agitation.</div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1306976750485146">"I do not know what his agenda is. As soon as somebody gets embroiled in politics and becomes a political leader, I think they develop their known way of thinking. I think what they are saying is very good, but if you have a political party, I am apolitical by nature. So I don't align myself. I think he has a political party now," Shah Rukh Khan told reporters here.</div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1306976750485147">"This has been said for years, remove black money, corruption needs to be going out, and if this is one way of looking at it, wonderful, something is being done. But as far as I am concerned, I like to make an opinion through my work because everyone should do what they are supposed to do," he added.</div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1306976750485148">Asserting that black money stashed abroad should be declared a national property, Ramdev earlier today remained firm on going ahead with his fast to demand urgent steps to curb corruption. </div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1306976750485149">"The black money stashed abroad should be declared national property, and keeping black money should be considered a crime at par with sedition. We are not staging any protest or rebellion," he told reporters here.</div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1306976750485150">Ramdev also rubbished reports of differences with veteran social activist Anna Hazare.</div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1306976750485151">"I talked to Anna Saheb before coming here, there are no differences, we were together and we are together," he added.</div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1306976750485152">Meanwhile, Anna Hazare announced that he will take part in Ramdev's movement against black money and corruption. </div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_130697675048540">"I will join Baba Ramdev on June 5. I will sit with him on the dais and discuss many issues. If we all get together, then the government will have to concede to our demands," he told reporters in Ralegoan, <span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1307029627_2">Maharashtra</span>.</div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1306976750485153">Hazare made it clear that there is unity among civil society members and the perception that Ramdev is upset about the inclusion of father-son duo of Shanti and Prashant Bhushan in the Lokpal Bill drafting committee is in correct.</div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_130697675048524"><span class="yshortcuts cs4-visible" id="lw_1307029627_0">Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram</span> on Wednesday said the next round of talks between the government and Baba Ramdev will be held on Friday to further discuss the latter's proposed hunger strike plan.</div>"I am told that they have agreed to meet again on June 3 to continue the discussions and I will advise everyone to observe restraint," said Chidambaram.<br /> <div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1306976750485158">The government had earlier deputed Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Sudhir Chandra to persuade Baba Ramdev not to undertake the agitation, but the effort failed.</div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_130697675048537">Ramdev announced his decision to go on a fast over the black money issue last month. He is demanding that black money stashed away in safe havens abroad be brought back to <span class="yshortcuts cs4-visible" id="lw_1307029627_1">India</span>. (ANI)</div></div></div><br /> <a href="http://in.news.yahoo.com/srk-takes-ramdev-says-fast-politically-motivated-154707139.html">SRK takes on Ramdev, says fast politically motivated - Yahoo! News</a> <br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=8086a891-51a4-4ce2-ba24-54cff785791e" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-25753528121780143652011-06-02T07:22:00.000-07:002011-06-02T07:30:10.622-07:00<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Google-Story-David-Vise/dp/B0028N72A8?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=miradsha-20&amp;link_code=bil&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Google Story" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;WS=1&amp;Format=_SL160_&amp;ASIN=B0028N72A8&amp;tag=miradsha-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=miradsha-20&amp;l=bil&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969&amp;o=1&amp;a=B0028N72A8" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Inc. is blaming computer hackers in China for a high-tech ruse that broke into the personal Gmail accounts of several hundred people, including senior U.S. government officials, military personnel and political activists.<br /> The breach announced Wednesday marks the second time in 17 months that Google has publicly identified China as the home base for a scheme aimed at hijacking information stored on Google's vast network of computers.<br /> This round of attacks isn't believed to be tied to a more sophisticated assault originating from China in late 2009 and early last year. That intrusion went after some of Google's trade secrets and triggered a high-profile battle with China's Communist government over online censorship that has made it more difficult for the company to do business in the world's most populous country.<br /> The latest duplicity appeared to rely on so-called "phishing" scams and other underhanded behavior that hackers frequently use to obtain passwords from people and websites that aren't vigilant about protecting the information.<br /> Google credited its own security measures for detecting and disrupting the intrusions. All the victims have been notified and their Gmail accounts secured, according to the company. Mila Parkour, a security researcher who helped alert Google to the Gmail breach, said the attacks had been occurring for at least a year before they were finally uncovered.<br /> <br /> <div id="story_text_remaining">"It was persistent and bold," Mila Parkour said of the hacking scheme in a Wednesday email exchange with The Associated Press. Parkour first shared her suspicions about the breach in a Feb. 17 post on her Contagio blog.<br /> Google wouldn't say what parts of the U.S. government were targeted or whether any confidential information may have been contained in the trespassed Gmail accounts. Besides senior government officials, other people whose Gmail accounts were infiltrated included Chinese political activists, military personnel, journalists and officials in other countries, mainly in South Korea.<br /> The U.S. Department of Homeland Security didn't shed any light in its statement on the attacks. "We are working with Google and our federal partners to review the matter, offer analysis of any malicious activity, and develop solutions to mitigate further risk," agency spokesman Chris Ortman said.<br /> Google traced the origin of the attacks to Jinan, China. That's the home city of a military vocational school whose computers were linked to the assault more than a year ago on Google's computer systems, along with those of more than 20 other U.S. companies.<br /> That break-in prompted Google to move its Chinese-language search engine from mainland China last year so it wouldn't have to censor content that the government didn't want the general public to see. The search engine is now based in Hong Kong, which isn't subject to Beijing's censorship rules.<br /> Before the shift, the tensions escalated amid reports that the Chinese government had at least an indirect hand in the 2009 and 2010 hacking attacks, a possibility that Google didn't rule out.<br /> This time around, the hackers appeared to rely on tactics commonly used to fool people into believing they are dealing with someone they know or a company that they trust. Once these "phishing" expeditions get the information needed to break into an email account, the access can be used to send messages that dupe other victims.<br /> The culprits behind the Gmail breaches appeared to have specific targets in mind. That is known as "spear phishing" in high-tech circles.<br /> Computer security specialist says spear phishing often provides the means for even broader attacks.<br /> The Gmail attackers were intent on spying on inboxes, according to Google, but their ambitions beyond that were unclear.<br /> Parkour said the hackers' scam proved highly effective "because they used information from the emails for future phishing emails, often using information that would be known only to (the) victim - thus gaining more trust." She said the ruse served as a reminder of the security weaknesses of Web-based email services such as Google's.<br /> Gmail has 221 million users worldwide, ranking it third behind the Microsoft Corp.'s Hotmail at 327 million and Yahoo Inc.'s webmail service at 277 million, according to the research firm comScore Inc.<br /> Both Google and the Department of Homeland Security advised email users to take steps to protect their accounts. Google posted its safety tips on its blog, http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/ensuring-your-information-is-safe.html </div><a href="http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/06/01/2410636/google-says-chinese-hackers-broke.html">Google says Chinese hackers broke into Gmail - California State Wire - fresnobee.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-77032160293280983662011-05-31T09:54:00.000-07:002011-05-31T09:56:45.310-07:00<div class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:No_no_smoking.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Stop for no smoking terror" height="299" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/No_no_smoking.png/300px-No_no_smoking.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:No_no_smoking.png">Wikipedia</a></span></div><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_cessation" rel="wikipedia" title="Smoking cessation">Stop Smoking</a> Tips provides all the information on how to quit smoking<br /> According to a recent report from the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=33.798817,-84.325598&amp;spn=0.01,0.01&amp;q=33.798817,-84.325598%20%28Centers%20for%20Disease%20Control%20and%20Prevention%29&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Centers for Disease Control and Prevention">U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>, more than 20% of male and female adults in the U.S. smoke cigarettes, while more than 80% of them light up a cigarette every day. The reason why smoking has become such an issue is because the addictive effects of nicotine lead to various types of cancers, strokes, and heart attacks. As such, everyday is the RIGHT TIME to <b>quit smoking</b>.<br /> The main goal of Stop-Smoking-Tips.com is to assist smokers aspiring to quit smoking and prevent smokers from having the urge to start smoking again. Once you quit smoking, you can immediately feel the health benefits of your decision within 24 hours, which could lead you to be free from smoking cigarettes forever.<br /> The information on this website is based on evidence from research on stop smoking programs, stop smoking aids and counseling, which are aimed at helping people to quit smoking for good.<br /> For smokers, to Stop Smoking is really a tough action to take. Majority of smokers want to quit smoking, but find it difficult to do so as nicotine is very addictive and hard to get rid off. 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If you’re thinking about quitting or have stopped smoking but failed to quit, don’t lose hope because smokers often try to quit more than once before they actually succeed.<br /> In this section, you will learn about the history of cigarette smoking, facts about smoking, smoking cessation and benefits of quitting smoking. To give you a strong reason to quit smoking, this section will also tackle dangerous diseases – such as lung cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, etc – caused by smoking cigarettes. In addition, this section will explain the reasons why it is extremely hard to quit smoking, hurdles in quitting and possible <a href="http://www.withdrawal.net/nicotine-withdrawal.html">nicotine withdrawal</a> symptoms that you may encounter throughout this process.<br /> <h2> Step 2: Effects of Smoking</h2>Years of clinical studies have proven that using <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_smoking" rel="wikipedia" title="Tobacco smoking">Tobacco</a> causes people to become sick, disabled or die. Since the first Surgeon General’s Report in 1964, over 12 million smoking-related deaths have occurred. More than 500,000 deaths in the U.S are caused from smoking-related illnesses. 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Determine your personal goals, discover your reasons for quitting and get rid of temptations that may become a hindrance to your stop smoking program. Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, a drug that is addictive and can make it very hard, but not impossible, to quit.<br /> In this section, you will face the facts about <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine" rel="wikipedia" title="Nicotine">nicotine addiction</a> before your last stick of cigarette. You will learn the most effective steps to be followed when planning to quit smoking. You will also find out about the real reason why it is so hard to quit smoking. To help you plan your quit smoking program, you need to confront your personal reasons to start quitting and understand what you need to do stop smoking. This section also deals with the psychological recovery stages to stop smoking and provides helpful tips to quit smoking.<br /> <h2> Step 4: Stop Smoking Tips</h2>Even if you have no idea where to start and what to do, you can quit smoking as long as you have the mindset and commitment to do so. Stop smoking tips can help you create a good stop smoking plan and lifestyle changes that could lead to a healthier, smoke-free life.<br /> In this section, you will learn some of the simplest ways and useful tips to quit smoking for good. You can choose from several psychological areas that can help you to stop smoking based on your lifestyle. This section also deals with stop smoking tips that will help your loved ones quit this deadly habit and tips on how to overcome nicotine withdrawal symptoms using an effective stop smoking plan, attending support groups and establishing a smoking cessation program.<br /> <h2> Step 5: Stop Smoking <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS" rel="wikipedia" title="AIDS">Aids</a></h2>When smoking cigarettes has played a large part in your life, quitting smoking may not be that simple. Fortunately, the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.fda.gov/" rel="homepage" title="Food and Drug Administration">U.S. Food and Drug Administration</a> has approved seven over-the-counter stop smoking aids – five of these help in managing nicotine withdrawal symptoms, while the other two help in reducing cigarette cravings.<br /> In this section, you will learn about different proven stop smoking methods like Water Therapy, Psychological Therapy and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine_replacement_therapy" rel="wikipedia" title="Nicotine replacement therapy">Nicotine Replacement Therapy</a>. This section also deals with other useful stop smoking aids such as nicotine nasal sprays, nicotine lozenges, nicotine inhalers, nicotine patches, nicotine gum and stop smoking pills.<br /> <h2> Step 6: Stay a Quitter</h2>After sometime, some quitters get back to their smoking habit due to temptation and persistent nicotine carving. Some may slip and puff “just one cigarette”, while others experience total relapse. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, smokers who quit are at greater risk of relapsing in the first three months of becoming smoke-free.<br /> In this section, you will learn effective methods in avoiding nicotine carvings, while training how to control urges through breathing exercises. To understand what you are going to experience through this process, you need to learn and manage nicotine withdrawal symptoms. This section also tackles steps to manage weight gain, discusses FAQ on common frustrations of a quitter, handle traumatic events without a cigarette and other possible solutions for ex-smokers.<br /> <h2> Stop Smoking Products</h2>Some people may find it difficult to quit smoking without any aids, nicotine replacements, or an <a href="http://www.smoketip.com/">electronic cigarette</a>. If you’re one of them, you still have hope because there are numerous stop smoking products available in the market today to make quitting an easier journey.<br /> In this section, you will discover the quit smoking products available in the market today, reviews of each product and ranking of the top quit smoking products. To understand what each product can do for your body, the frequently asked questions section about ‘Quit Smoking’ Products can help you understand and choose an appropriate stop smoking product for your program.<br /> <h2> Recommended Quit Smoking Products</h2>The following products are the best quit smoking products available in the market and have been proven to help you stop smoking forever. Do try them out and stay smoke free forever.<br /> <span class="g_underline"> <b></b></span><br /> <span class="g_underline"> <b><a href="http://www.buychantix.con/" target="_blank" title="buy chantix online">Buy Chantix </a></b>- Best recommended quit smoking drug by Pfizer. FDA approved and clinically tested chantix proven to be the best drug for those who want to quit smoking and stay free from the addiction. Chantix is also marketed as <b>champix</b> and you can <a href="http://www.buychampix.net/">buy champix</a> in many countries. Varenicline, Chantix and Chantix are different names for the same quit smoking pills produces by Pfizer.<br /> </span><br /> <h2> Health Risks of Smoking</h2>Smoking is one of the main causes of serious health diseases, such as cancer, stroke and heart problems. If you have no plans of quitting today, having knowledge of the different types of illnesses that you may experience through years of smoking may change your perception and lead you to stop smoking.<br /> In this section, you will discover how smoking affects various parts of the body including the eyes, nose, throat, lungs, heart, skin, blood, etc. Here are some possible health effects of smoking:<br /> • Lung Cancer<br /> • Heart Diseases<br /> • High Blood Pressure<br /> • Bad Breath<br /> • Gum Disease<br /> • Depression<br /> • Snoring<br /> • Diabetes<br /> • Infertility on men and women<br /> • Thyroid Disease<br /> • Harmful effects on Bones and Joints<br /> This section also includes tips for reducing the health risks of smoking like heart attacks and blood pressure as well as dangers involved in breastfeeding while smoking.<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.stop-smoking-tips.com/">Stop Smoking Tips - Learn How to Quit Smoking</a> <br /> <div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;"> Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/features/quit-smoking-drug-nicotine-patches-gums?src=RSS_PUBLIC">Quit-Smoking Aids: What Works?</a> (webmd.com)</li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/features/surviving-without-smoke?src=RSS_PUBLIC">Help to Quit Smoking With These Useful Tips</a> (webmd.com)</li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://anthomas760.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/the-realities-of-nicotine-withdrawal/">The Realities of Nicotine Withdrawal</a> (anthomas760.wordpress.com)</li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://vabenefitblog.com/resources-to-help-veterans-to-quit-smoking/">Resources to Help Veterans to Quit Smoking</a> (vabenefitblog.com)</li> </ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=4a4390ae-43be-4acf-9dd5-9a45fafbfe05" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-81773150028021192302011-05-29T08:51:00.000-07:002011-05-29T08:57:46.075-07:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/29/article-1392023-067240E4000005DC-551_468x460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/29/article-1392023-067240E4000005DC-551_468x460.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 'Sex and the City' generation: Women are now remaining sexually active for longer<div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /> </div></td></tr> </tbody></table><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The number of women in their 40s having abortions has risen by almost a third in the past decade, newly released government figures show.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The sudden rise is being attributed to an increase in the amount of sexual activity among what has been dubbed the 'Sex in the City generation'.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Older women - including higher numbers of singles and divorcees - are now more likely to have casual relationships and are more inclined to take chances with contraception.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The figures reveal 8,179 women aged 40 and above had an abortion last year with more than 650 aged over 45.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Anne Furedi, the chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, told the Sunday Times, she believed the increase was as a result of women staying sexually active for longer.<br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">She said: 'Women in their 40s increasingly see themselves as sexual players whether or not they are in relationships - in a way that they didn't even a decade ago.'</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Most of the abortions were carried out before 12 weeks when ante-natal screening begins, suggesting they had been unplanned pregnancies.<br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">However some of the procedures included women who had tried to get pregnant but decided to undergo a termination after being told there was a high chance of abnormalities such as Down's Syndrome.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Josephine Quinatavalle, of the Pro-Life Alliance told the newspaper: 'These figures are extraordinarily depressing.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'When we see high rates of teen pregnancy we often end up debating whether ignorance is to blame, but you would think by the age of 40 women have some idea of how things work.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'It seems incredible that at that age, any woman would take such reckless chances.'</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The figures show that in the past three decades the percentage of single women in Britain has more than doubled.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">And in the same period divorce rates have increased massively with half of today's marriages not expected to last compared to one in three in 1980.</span><br /> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /> <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392023/Sex-City-generation-women-40s-sees-abortion-rate-soar-third.html">'Sex and the City generation' of women in their 40s sees abortion rate soar by a third | Mail Onli</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-70359498431504742612011-05-29T08:29:00.000-07:002011-05-29T08:35:40.767-07:00<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Travelling with small children can be a nightmare for most parents. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">But as <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/nicole_kidman" rel="rottentomatoes" title="Nicole Kidman">Nicole Kidman</a> and husband <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.myspace.com/keithurban" rel="myspace" title="Keith Urban">Keith Urban</a> made their way through L.A.X. with their daughters, both little girls behaved impeccably.<br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Country singer Keith carried a snoozing Sunday Rose, who will be three in July, who appeared to be while Nicole was charged with carrying the newest member of their <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_%28biology%29" rel="wikipedia" title="Family (biology)">family</a> little Faith Margaret.<br /> </span><br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/25/article-0-0C414E9F00000578-833_634x463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/25/article-0-0C414E9F00000578-833_634x463.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy family: Nicole Kidman and husband Keith Urban were seen carrying their daughters Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret through <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/LAX-Game/dp/B000ZK42QI%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dmiradsha-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB000ZK42QI" rel="amazon" title="LAX">LAX</a> yesterday</td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> <br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">These pictures are the first sightings of five month old Faith with the rest of the family.<br /> Australian actress, Nicole, 43, was dressed in a pair of olive green trousers a patterned blouse, burgundy jumper and dark jacket.<br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Singer-songwriter Keith kept things casual in jeans and a T-shirt and donned a baseball cap for the travel.<br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Both little girls were dressed in white and Sunday Rose wore her hair in two side plait</span><br /> <br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/25/article-0-0C414FD400000578-896_634x467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/25/article-0-0C414FD400000578-896_634x467.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a good girl: Although their newest addition to the family is just five months old Faith was well behaved as the family headed to the plane</td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Earlier this month Keith was honoured with a star on Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame and was joined by his wife to celebrate the unveiling of his plaque.<br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The couple welcomed the newest addition to their family Faith Margaret in December who was born by surrogate.<br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Speaking about the experience Nicole said: ‘Having given birth and then being there to see my child born in that way, I felt so much love for our surrogate, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrogacy" rel="wikipedia" title="Surrogacy">gestational carrier</a>.’</span><br /> <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/25/article-0-0C3682E900000578-198_634x991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/25/article-0-0C3682E900000578-198_634x991.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red carpet glamour: Nicole looked stunning in black as she and Keith attended the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Music_Award" rel="wikipedia" title="Billboard Music Award">Billboard Music Awards</a><br /> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1390664/Beautiful-babes-arms-Nicole-Kidman-Keith-Urban-carry-pair-gorgeous-girls-jet-LAX.html#ixzz1NbNAI2Q7" style="color: #003399;"><br /> </a></div></td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The Academy Award-winning actress also explained that she uses the term ‘gestational carrier’ as opposed to ‘surrogate’.<br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Speaking to Australia’s 60 minutes Nicole explained: ‘We were trying to be accurate.<br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The term gestational carrier is used if it's your biological child and if it isn't, then you use surrogate. I mean, who knows what it is. But she's the most wonderful woman to do this for us.’<br /> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have a story about a celebrity? Call the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/" rel="homepage" title="Daily Mail">Daily Mail</a> showbusiness desk on 0207 938 6364 or 0207 938 6683. For U.S. stories, phone 310 642 2317.</span></span><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1390664/Beautiful-babes-arms-Nicole-Kidman-Keith-Urban-carry-pair-gorgeous-girls-jet-LAX.html">Beautiful babes in arms: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban carry their pair of gorgeous girls as they jet out of LAX | Mail Online</a> <br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=f558ce1a-0e7a-47c6-80a1-3aa77804296f" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-77344561781545484672011-05-27T02:48:00.000-07:002011-05-27T02:51:17.323-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.images.theweek.com/img/dir_0061/30743_article_main.jpg?42" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.images.theweek.com/img/dir_0061/30743_article_main.jpg?42" /></a></div><h2>Climbing temperatures, melting ice caps... and red, itchy eyes? A new study suggests a link between global warming and allergies</h2>Global climate change may be most closely associated with warmer temperatures and rising sea levels, but it may also be responsible for another (less devastating) scourge: An increase in allergies. A new study from Quest Diagnostics finds that sensitivity to two common airborne allergens is increasingly common, and may be tied to climate change. Here, a guide to the study:<br /> <br /> <b>Allergies are on the rise?</b><br /> They sure are. The number of people afflicted by allergies increased by about 6 percent from 2005 to 2008. And allergies to common ragweed (up 15 percent) and mold (up 12 percent) jumped even more "dramatically," <a href="http://www.questdiagnostics.com/brand/business/healthtrends/allergies/index.html">according to the Quest report</a>.<br /> <br /> <b>And this is really tied to climate change?</b><br /> Yes, accordng to the study. As the planet gets hotter, ragweed and mold are better able to thrive, and that prevalence leads to an increase in allergies, says the Quest report. Already, earlier studies had found that the growth of fungal spores increased with rises in carbon dioxide, and that the ragweed pollen season has gotten nearly a month longer since 1995, <a href="http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/climate-change-causing-allergies-researchers-say-10428">says Susanne Rust in <i>California Watch</i></a>. So "if you like it hot, be prepared to suffer the consequences," <a href="http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/05/climate_change_allergy.php">says Dennis Romero in <i>LA Weekly</i></a>.<br /> <br /> <b>How was this new study done?</b><br /> Quest examined nearly 14 million blood samples from more than 2 million allergy patients over the course of four years. Quest's blood tests looked for antibodies to 11 common allergens, including ragweed, mold, dust mites, and dog dander. The company says this was the largest allergy study ever done in the U.S.<br /> <br /> <b></b><b>How common are allergies overall?</b><br /> They affect 1 in 5 Americans. "Allergies account for more than 17 million physician office visits, 30,000 emergency room visits, and several hundred deaths each year." The study also found that allergies are more prevalent among men than women, and more common among children than adults. Earlier studies had suggested that women suffered more from allergies.<br /> <br /> <b>And where are allergies worst?</b><br /> "In the United States, the western region has been hit the hardest, with the largest increases being seen in California, Nevada and Arizona," <a href="http://www.healthnews.com/Categories/Alerts-Updates/Climate-Change-Causing-Increase-in-Allergy-Symptoms">says Lynn Walbrecht at <i>Health News</i></a>. Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Overland Park, Kan., had the highest rates of ragweed sensitivity, while Miami, San Francisco, and Portland, Ore., had the lowest.<br /> <b>Sources:</b> <a href="http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/climate-change-causing-allergies-researchers-say-10428"><i>California Watch</i></a>, <a href="http://www.healthnews.com/Categories/Alerts-Updates/Climate-Change-Causing-Increase-in-Allergy-Symptoms"><i>Health News</i></a>, <i><a href="http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/05/climate_change_allergy.php"><i>LA Weekly</i></a>,</i> <a href="http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/05/24/Climate-change-may-be-linked-to-allergies/UPI-86741306284028/"><i>UPI</i></a> (<a href="http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/05/25/Phoenix-Las-Vegas-worst-for-ragweed/UPI-36011306370880/#ixzz1NT323a00">2</a>)<br /> <a href="http://theweek.com/article/index/215662/bad-allergies-blame-climate-change">Bad allergies: Blame climate change? - The Week</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-59726652176251625732011-05-27T02:13:00.000-07:002011-05-27T02:17:02.164-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.images.theweek.com/img/dir_0061/30731_article_main.jpg?42" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.images.theweek.com/img/dir_0061/30731_article_main.jpg?42" /></a></div><h2>A Canadian couple isn't telling whether their 4-month-old baby is a boy or a girl. Will that foster personal freedom, or just create confusion?</h2><b>Best Opinion:</b> Babble, Fox News, NY Times<br /> <br /> <br /> Two Canadian parents are <a href="http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/babiespregnancy/babies/article/995112--parents-keep-child-s-gender-a-secret">making headlines</a>, and courting controversy, for attempting to raise a genderless baby. Kathy Witterick gave birth to baby Storm four months ago, but she and her husband, David Stocker, have yet to proclaim "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!" Rather, they're keeping Storm's gender a secret, telling friends and relatives "we've decided not to share Storm's sex for now — a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation." The only other people who know Storm's sex are his or her two young brothers, the two midwives who helped in the delivery, and one close family friend. Will this secret allow Storm to duck society's gender expectations, or just confuse and damage the kid?<br /> <br /> <b>What a compelling idea: </b>"It's a fascinating experiment," <a href="http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/2011/05/23/is-it-a-boy-or-girl-this-4-month-olds-family-isnt-saying/#more-71902">says Madeline Holler at <i>Babble</i></a>. While keeping the baby's gender a secret sounds like a big hassle — I certainly wouldn't try it — the uproar over this decision, and "the fact that people get emotional about it, proves the parents' point." Strangers shouldn't care what gender this baby is, and really, it shouldn't be of such great import to anyone outside the family's inner circle. Pronouns aren't worth getting worked up about.<br /> <a href="http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/2011/05/23/is-it-a-boy-or-girl-this-4-month-olds-family-isnt-saying/#more-71902">"Is it a boy or girl? This 4-month-old's family isn't saying"</a><br /> <br /> <b>This will only confuse the poor kid:</b> "These parents might be doing the wrong thing by their child," <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/24/parents-creating-gender-identity-crisis-4-month-old/#ixzz1NOH7dQhZ">says Dr. Manny Alvarez at<i> Fox News</i></a>. I'm all for letting children make choices about their gender identity and sexual orientation, but this seems like the wrong way to go about it. "The parents are introducing undue doubt from the beginning of the child's life, which may lead to an entirely new form of identity crisis — the crisis of not being able to identify with any gender at all."<br /> <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/24/parents-creating-gender-identity-crisis-4-month-old/#ixzz1NOH7dQhZ">"Are parents creating a gender identity crisis in 4-month-old?"</a><br /> <br /> <b>Not to mention harming Storm's siblings:</b> What about the genderless baby's older brothers? <a href="http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/is-this-baby-a-boy-or-girl/">asks Lisa Belkin in <i>The New York Times</i></a>. I worry about the message they're getting, with their new sibling's gender being treated as an "unspillable secret." "Doesn't that in itself give gender the all-defining importance that these parents are trying to avoid?"<br /> <a href="http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/is-this-baby-a-boy-or-girl/">"Is this baby a boy or girl?</a><br /> <a href="http://theweek.com/article/index/215629/should-a-babys-gender-be-kept-a-secret">Should a baby's gender be kept a secret? - The Week</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-55973199427876747252011-05-24T08:04:00.000-07:002011-05-24T08:06:38.293-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://tctechcrunch.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/disrupt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://tctechcrunch.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/disrupt.jpg" /></a></div>Today, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.techcrunch.com/" rel="homepage" title="TechCrunch">TechCrunch</a> editor <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.crunchbase.com/person/erick-schonfeld" rel="crunchbase" title="Erick Schonfeld">Erick Schonfeld</a> sats down with Moat’s Mike Walrath, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://facebook.com/" rel="homepage" title="Facebook">Facebook</a>’s ad chief Carolyn Everson, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.medialets.com/" rel="homepage" title="Medialets">Medialets</a>’ <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.ericlitman.com/" rel="homepage" title="Eric Litman">Eric Litman</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://radiumone.com/" rel="homepage" title="RadiumOne">RadiumOne</a>’s <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.chahal.com/" rel="homepage" title="Gurbaksh Chahal">Gurbaksh Chahal</a> to address the disruptions in display <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising" rel="wikipedia" title="Advertising">advertising</a> on social and mobile platforms. On the panel, Everson revealed some interesting information about where advertising on Facebook is heading, particularly with brands. <br /> Everson, who <a href="http://adage.com/article/digital/facebook-s-sales-chief-mad-ave-understand/227314/">joined Facebook</a> from Microsoft in February, says that advertising can be brought to life digitally through peer to peer recommendations and friend to friend experiences on Facebook. The social network is trying to work with top brands to help capitalize on this experiences. As she tells the audience, the “holy grail for branding are recommendations.”<br /> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.briansolis.com/2009/03/i-like-you-emerging-culture-of-micro.html%20" rel="homepage" title="Likes">Likes</a> of course are a huge opportunity for Facebook when it comes to advertising. Everson says that there are currently 50 million likes per day for brands on Facebook, which is out of a<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/21/facebook-like-button/"> billion or more likes</a> per day across the web. <br /> Everson says that founder and CEO <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.myspace.com/everything/mark-zuckerberg" rel="myspace" title="Mark Zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</a> thinks advertising has to be as compelling as sharing a status update or sharing a photo. The social network<a href="http://www.insidefacebook.com/2011/01/24/sponsored-stories-feed-ads/"> recently launched</a> sponsored stories, which turns status updates, Likes, checkins and application activity on Facebook into advertisement for a brand. Everson says that the more progressive brands are starting to adopt this ad format, but of course <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/17/facebook-5-percent-online-ad-revenue/">display ads still reign supreme</a> on the network. “We’re one percent done on our ad products,” says Everson. <br /> That’s an impressive outlook, considering that Facebook is <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/12/emarketer-ad-sales-on-facebook-to-reach-1-3b-in-2010-myspace-sales-to-plummet/">minting money</a> from advertising currently. It’s hard to imagine that a company making billions on advertising thinks that they have only touched a small percentage of a market. Clearly, there will be more to come from Facebook on the advertising front. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/24/facebook-ad-sales-chief-there-are-50-million-likes-per-day-for-brands/">Facebook Ad Sales Chief: There Are 50 Million Likes Per Day For Brands</a> <br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=bfb78fc2-e9d0-4431-93f4-e8d300428837" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-1012145938768343862011-05-23T06:49:00.000-07:002011-05-23T06:50:30.334-07:00<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/23/techcrunch-disrupt-2011-watch-live-video_n_865317.html">TechCrunch Disrupt 2011: How To Watch Live (VIDEO)</a><br /> <div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;"> Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/23/techcrunch-disrupt-livestream/">TechCrunch Disrupt: Watch It Live!</a> (techcrunch.com)</li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/23/the-list-of-startups-launching-at-techcrunch-disrupt-new-york/">The List Of Startups Launching At TechCrunch Disrupt New York</a> (techcrunch.com)</li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/23/techcrunch-erupt/">TechCrunch Disrupt, Indeed</a> (techcrunch.com)</li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.twilio.com/blog/2011/05/joinable-org-launches-at-techcrunch-disrupt.html">Joinable.org Launches at TechCrunch Disrupt</a> (twilio.com)</li> </ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=db5efd97-38f9-4fac-98ba-41b498ae8e78" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "> <a class="addthis_button_facebook_like" fb:like:layout="button_count"></a> <a class="addthis_button_tweet"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_pill_style"></a> </div> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4d98a4f410e0b5be"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172706429133744597.post-85318547833250621622011-05-23T06:46:00.000-07:002011-05-23T06:47:20.777-07:00<div class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CBS_News_old.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="&quot;Classic&quot; logo of CBS News, from the..." height="210" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/27/CBS_News_old.jpg/300px-CBS_News_old.jpg" style="border: medium none; 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