News , USA Stories , Hot Topics

Gaza ceasefire begins after Hamas releases list of hostages to be freed

2025-01-19T01:27:00.000-08:00

Gaza ceasefire has now started

From CNN's Dana Karni and Mick Krever

The ceasefire in Gaza is now in effect, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

The truce began at 11:15 a.m. (4:15 a.m. ET). It was delayed by almost three hours after Hamas said there was a “technical” delay in delivering the names of three hostages due to be released to Israel on Sunday.

Israeli strikes after the originally planned ceasefire start time of 8:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m. ET) killed at least 13 Palestinians and wounded 30, according to hospital and civil defense officials.

11 min ago

Israel has received list of hostages set for release Sunday, prime minister's office confirms

From CNN's Dana Karni

Israel has received the list of hostages set for release by Hamas on Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

“The security establishment is currently reviewing the details,” the statement said, adding that the families of the hostages have been notified by the Israeli military.

30 min ago

Hamas publishes names of three hostages set to be released Sunday

From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman

Hamas has released the names of three Israeli hostages set to be released on Sunday, according to a statement by Hamas armed wing spokesman Abu Obaida.

In a separate statement, Hamas said it handed the names of three female Israeli hostages set for release on Sunday to mediators.

CNN has reached out to Qatar and Egypt for confirmation.

The Israeli government has not yet confirmed if it has received the names.

The Israeli military said earlier that the planned ceasefire wouldn’t go into effect until Hamas provides the names of hostages it will release on Sunday

Taliban goes to winning war in Afghanistan

2021-08-12T09:37:00.002-07:00

Enjoy seamless experience on APP

We're 10x faster on APP

INSTALL APP

Read on App

Kabul no longer far away as Taliban advances unbelievably quickly; world fears the inevitable

Taliban takes more Afghan cities amid US withdrawal

Synopsis

Chances are that the Taliban would like to be ensconced in Kabul on or before September 11 or perhaps even October 7, when the US-led invasion started, but certainly before November 13 when Kabul fell to the erstwhile Northern Alliance. The questi...

By ET Bureau

Last Updated: Aug 12, 2021, 03:14 PM IST

By Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury

The Taliban today took the city of Ghazni, a mere 150 kms from the Afghan capital of Kabul, according to official sources in Afghanistan. With this, the spectre of fanatical militamen taking over the country again, taking it back to the dark days of Taliban rule, has become very real.

The Islamists now control 65% of the country. They have already taken or are likely about to take 11 provincial capitals, an EU official said.

The speed of the Taliban advance and feeble resistance from the Afghan Army has surprised defence and security analysts around the world. Even Pakistan is reportedly surprised by Taliban's rapid advance.

In just over a couple of months since the US withdrawal commenced, the Taliban have doubled the number of districts under their control. But what is even more spectacular is the fact that they have made significant inroads in areas which were traditionally not their strongholds and from where the maximum resistance to them came. These areas include a number of provinces in the north and west of Afghanistan which have never really welcomed the Taliban.

The manner in which they have surrounded populations and key power centres suggests that they are confident that they can capture more towns and cities without too much trouble or fighting.

Clearly, the way the battlefield is shaping up, it seems to be just a matter of time – or maybe a couple of months – before the Taliban walk in triumphant into Kabul. Chances are that the Taliban would like to be ensconced in Kabul on or before September 11 or perhaps even October 7, when the US-led invasion started, but certainly before November 13 when Kabul fell to the erstwhile Northern Alliance. The question, therefore, is not so much about how and when the Taliban will establish their sway over a substantial part of, if not the entire, Afghanistan; the real issue is what happens the day after the Taliban take over Kabul and much of Afghanistan.

There are broadly three dimensions to what will happen once the Islamic Emirate re-establishes itself. The first is the sort of governance model they impose and the repercussions, both domestic as well as international, of this model; the second dimension is the security situation inside Afghanistan and whether or not there will be resistance, and foreign interference and involvement on the side of the resistance, and how this will play out both domestically and internationally; and the third dimension is what will provide sanctuary to jihadists from around the world, whether it will become “Terror Central”, whether it will support jihadist and Islamist causes in other countries, and whether it will export its brand of radical Islam to other countries in the region and beyond.

Governance Model
Unless someone has been completely taken in by the ambiguously worded “changed” worldview of the Taliban, it is very clear that the Taliban are more medieval than moderate in not just their governance but also their social policy. There could be some very minor tweaks from the Taliban 1.0 model of the 1990s but by and large it remains unreconstructed. This means that there will be strict interpretation of Sharia, not just in the running of the Emirate but also on social and religious issues. The Taliban will follow hard-line, antediluvian policies on women and religious minorities. The Shias and other Islamic sects, if not killed, will be persecuted. Their rule will be very arbitrary and power will be exercised by both the Mullahs and the military commanders – an abiding feature of Pashtun society in which the Maliks the Mullahs tend to share power.

There is a very high likelihood of the Taliban massacring their opponents and those whom they consider as having sided with the ‘invaders’. The fear of these reprisal killings and the stifling controls the Taliban will impose is likely to result in yet another exodus out of Afghanistan. While some Afghans will be able to go to Europe and North America, perhaps even the Middle-east, the bulk of the refugees will head to either Pakistan or Iran or even up north into the Central Asia states. This will once again create a bid refugee crisis and bring with it security and economic challenges for the neighboring countries. Inside Afghanistan, the fact that the Taliban have limited administrative experience means that they have little knowledge of how to run a modern administration. Their ability to run the ‘Emirate’ will also be constrained by the resource crunch that they will confront.

Simply put, Afghanistan is not a financially viable state and depends on foreign assistance to run the government. This assistance is likely to run out if the Taliban grab power. Unlike the 1990s when Pakistan was still in a position to provide some cushion to the Taliban government, it is now struggling. It is not clear if the Saudis or UAE will fund the Emirate, especially if the Emirate pretends to be run by an Emir-ul-Momineen. China is not exactly known for being very generous with its money but could fund the Taliban Emirate to small extent. But Chinese assistance will also depend on Taliban attitude towards China’s treatment of Muslims and its relationship with Uighur Islamists struggling against China. With the economy going into a tailspin, many of the educated and qualified Afghans will want to get out, creating a big void in terms of people who can run critical infrastructure. It is of course possible that these Afghans will be replaced by qualified Jihadists from other parts of the world who will make a beeline for the Emirate because they want to live under an undiluted Islamic Emirate – basically the sort of thing that happened with the Islamic State in the Levant and Iraq. But the implication of the Taliban Emirate becoming a magnet for Jihadists from around the world is that they will use it as a base for exporting this ideology in their own countries.

Security Situation
While it appears that the Taliban are well poised to re-establish their Emirate, what is not clear is if there will be any resistance to them and of what level. There are broadly three or four possibilities. The first is that after the initial setbacks, the ANA will regroup (at least the elements of ANA who are not ready to reconcile to the Taliban and resist Taliban advance; the second possibility is that there will be is no ANA as a coherent force, but individual war loads and communities from forces to resist the Taliban in their areas; the third possibility is that there are a few holdouts across the country where there are pockets of resistance; the fourth is that there is resistance from groups that operate from outside Afghanistan’s borders – in Central Asia or Iran.

There is a good chance that elements that resist the Taliban will get assistance from external actors. This will mean that Afghanistan will become a playground for external powers trying to counter each other and the Taliban. The response of the Taliban remains to be seen. At one level, such foreign interference will incentivize them to pay back these countries by giving refuge to their dissidents and directing attacks into these countries. In the event, the arc of destabilization of the region will expand. At another level, the longer the war inside Afghanistan continues, the more instability will radiate in the region. But the question is also whether the resistance will be able to halt the momentum propelling the Taliban? Snuffing out resistance in isolated pockets or from hastily assembled militias is unlikely to be very difficult for the Taliban. Also, their supporters in Pakistan will also double down in their backing for the Taliban because many of Pakistan’s grand plans depend on the Taliban managing to establish their control and suppress all resistance to their rule.

Foreign and Security Policy
The final dimension pertains to the foreign and security policy of the Taliban. Will the Taliban emerge as an independent entity or will it remain a hostage to the strategic grand designs of Pakistan? If the Emirate snaps the strings that tie it to Pakistan, how will Pakistan react? Will it use its proxies like Haqqani Network and commanders loyal to Pakistan to lean on the Emirate? Will Pakistan’s overbearing attitude lead to dissensions and divisions within the Taliban ranks between the pro-Pakistan lobby and the lobby which wants Afghanistan to forge an independent foreign policy not tied to Pakistan’s interests? Will this division lead to internecine conflict or will it be a normal sort of policy difference which will find some equilibrium within the Emirate? The Pakistan angle aside, how will Taliban deal with rest of the world? Will they sponsor and provide sanctuary to Islamists from around the world? Both Taliban’s links as well as Pashtun traditions demand they cannot refuse refuge to anyone seeking it. This will then add to the disquiet in other countries whose dissidents, rebels and terror groups find refuge in Afghanistan, and they will then be tempted to fund and equip resistance against the Emirate, more so if it is discovered that Taliban assurance that they won’t let anyone use Afghan territory against any other country remains only on paper.

The India Factor
For India, the primary concern in Afghanistan is security related. Instability in Afghanistan tends to naturally destabilize the region and its impact will inevitably radiate into India. One immediate concern will be about Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for anti-India Jihadist groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in Kashmir and other Indian terrorist groups. Another concern will be of Indian citizens wanting to go and live in the ‘pristine’ Islamic Emirate. There have been instances in the past of radicalized Indian Muslims going to Afghanistan to live under the rule of the Islamic State Khorasan Province.

Some of these radicals might decide to now join the ranks of the Taliban and then spread that ideology and even initiate terror attacks inside India after receiving training in Afghanistan. Apart from Kashmiri and Indian terrorists, Afghanistan becoming a hub for international Jihadists, some of whom see India as a Dar-ul-Harb (Land of War) is another serious concern. Pakistan of course will want to use Afghan territory against Indian interests, both inside Afghanistan as well as India.

India should be under no illusion about the Taliban. Nor should overlook the Taliban or show unseemly haste and keenness to engage the Taliban. If not immediately, then eventually the Taliban will seek out India, to counter-balance Pakistan, but also for India’s own equities and assistance that have been provided to Afghanistan over the last 20 years. Ideally, India should play it by the ear, wait for the opportunity and to the extent possible, even try and create the opportunity by driving a wedge between the Taliban and Pakistan. At the same time, India should not dump its friends in Afghanistan.

To the maximum extent possible, India should remain engaged with the liberal leadership of Afghanistan, including regional strongmen from among the Pashtuns, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Hazaras; provide support to sustain the regime in Kabul to the extent possible as well as long-term visas to ease the path of any of India’s friends who seek to come to India to escape the Taliban.

India also needs to become very active in engaging Iran, Russia and some of the Central Asian states that are concerned about the Taliban coming to power and which might become players in propping up any resistance against the Taliban. But it is imperative that India not place any faith in these prospective partners, not until they demonstrate their commitment against the Taliban. Afghanistan is the land of treachery, and this treachery is not limited to only what happens inside Afghanistan but also among anyone who deals with Afghanistan.

In Video: Taliban takes more Afghan cities amid US withdrawal

(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

27 COMMENTS ON THIS STORY

	9 minutes ago Raj Sharlan Womder wha tis playing the mind of Imran Khan and Gen Bajwa
	42 minutes ago Vedavyasa H. Joshi India need not end its military to Afghanista. Sending military hardware and amunition sh...
	51 minutes ago Sankara All this turbulence in Afghanistan is due to US withdrawal of its forces from the territor...

VIEW COMMENTS ADD COMMENT

Read. Lead. Succeed. ET Prime - For Members Only

1ST

Access the exclusive Economic Time

Stories, Editorial & Expert opinion

ETPrime stories of the day

4TH

Complimentary Stock Reports Plus worth ₹ 1,499 Powered By REFINITIV

What you get with Stock Reports Plus?

Make Investment Decisions
with proprietary stock scores on earnings, fundamentals, relative valuation, risk and price momentum
Find New Trading Ideas
with weekly updated scores and analysts forecasts on key data points
In-Depth Analysis
of company and its peers through independent research, ratings, and market data

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Independence Sale at Amazon - Upto 80% off on Electronics, Appliances, Grocery & more...

Can e-RUPI become the game-changer for digital currency adoption in India?COVID-19 numbers in SE Asia plateaued over past month mainly due to cases in India remaining stable: WHO

George Washington, First President of the USA

2011-08-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

When Barack Obama was inaugurated as President of the USA earlier this year, we were informed that he is the 44th President of the USA. It is natural to reflect on his 43 predecessors, and to wonder what they achieved

George Washington was the very first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797. It is interesting to look at the back-ground which prepared him for the role of first President of the United States. He was born on February 22, 1732, at a time when America was one of the British Colonies. He was born on his family's Pope's Creek Estate near present-day Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
In his youth, Washington worked as a surveyor, and in this way he acquired invaluable knowledge of the terrain around his native Colony of Virginia, which helped him later. In 1749, he was appointed as surveyor of the newly created Culpeper County. In 1752, Washington joined the Virginia militia and was appointed as a district adjutant general, and appointed Major at the age of 20.
In April 1775, fighting broke out, which started the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence. Washington had a sound military back-ground, which aided his appointment as Commander of the Continental Army. At this time The British had besieged Boston, and Washington placed artillery on Dorchester Heights overlooking the city, and forced the British to evacuate it. In August 1776, the British launched a massive naval and land campaign designed to seize New York. Washington engaged the enemy for the first time at the Battle of Long Island, the largest battle of the entire war, a British victory which forced Washington out of New York and across New Jersey. On the night of December 25, 1776, Washington staged a counter-attack, leading the American forces across the Delaware River and captured nearly 1,000 Hessians. He followed this victory with another one at Princeton, which quickly raised the morale of his Continental army.
Not everything went Washington's way, as he suffered a defeat in the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. France then entered the war, in support of America. In December 1977, Washington's army camped at Valley Forge for six months, during which time 2,500 of the 10,000-strong force died from disease and exposure. However, he organized a full-scale training program, under the supervision of Baron von Steuben, a veteran of the Prussian general staff.
In 1778, the British evacuated Philadelphia to New York, and Washington attacked them at Monmouth, driving them from the battlefield. Afterwards, the British headed towards New York, and Washington moved his army outside the city. He delivered the final blow to the British in 1781, after a French naval victory allowed American and French forces to trap the British army in Virginia. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed, by which Britain recognized the independence of the United States.
At first, the United States was governed without a President under the Articles of Confederation, which were the forerunner to the Constitution. In 1789, Washington was unanimously elected as President, as he had gained a high reputation for his military success. He took the oath of office as the first President under the Constitution for the United States of America on April 30, 1789 at Federal Hall in New York City.
The 1st United States Congress voted to pay Washington a salary of $25,000 a year, which was a large sum in 1789. Washington's initial reaction was to decline the salary. However, he later accepted it, on the grounds that otherwise the presidency would be perceived as limited only to independently wealthy individuals, who could serve afford to serve without salary. Washington ensured that the titles and trappings were suitably republican, as he had no wish to emulate the European countries, such as his preference for the title "Mr. President".
Washington proved an able administrator. Whilst he reluctantly served a second term, he refused to run for a third, and so established the policy for a president to serve a maximum of two terms, which later became law by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.
At this early period, there were no political parties in America, and Washington warned against them, on the grounds that they would cause conflict and stagnation. Washington was a man known for his high values, as evidenced by the famous story when he cut down his father's cherry tree, and confessed "I cannot tell a lie. It was I!" Therefore, it is not surprising that his Farewell Address of 1796 forms one of the most influential statements of American political values. It gives advice on the value of the Constitution and the rule of law, the evils of political parties, and the proper virtues of a republican people.
After retiring from the presidency in March 1797, Washington returned to Mount Vernon, and devoted much time of his time to farming. On December 12, 1799, he went out on horseback in the snow to inspect his farms, and the next morning, awoke with a bad cold and a throat infection called quinsy. He died on the evening of December 14, 1799, at the age of 67. Modern doctors believe that Washington died largely because of his treatment, which included bloodletting, which resulted in a loss of five pints of blood.
Throughout the world men and women were saddened by Washington's death. Napoleon ordered ten days of mourning throughout France. On December 18, 1799, a funeral was held at Mount Vernon, and in the funeral oration, Henry Lee stated that of all Americans, Washington was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Cleak

Unique Entertainment For Your Corporate Event

2011-06-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

A successful corporate event will require the consideration of a number of factors. From the venue to the food and even the amount of guests to arrive; every aspect requires thorough planning in order to help the overall success of the evening. An often overlooked aspect of corporate events is the entertainment. With a wide range of event planning services at our disposal, it can be easy to allow an external company to run ahead with every aspect of our special event. However, this can often have disastrous results if our guests are not correctly catered for.
When choosing entertainment for your corporate event, you need to ensure that your performer is not only suitable for your event, but that their presence will help to create a fun and happy atmosphere for all involved. In some respects, the entertainment can even be the one aspect that 'makes' the evening for some guests.
There are a wide number of entertainers you can choose from for your event, such as magicians and live musical acts. However, over recent years, comedians have grown in popularity for corporate events as a more unique form of entertainment. Not only can a quality comedian provide the level of entertainment you require for your event, but they can help to make the event more memorable for your guests thanks to audience participation and additional aspects of their act such as singing and puppetry. What's more, should you comedian be well chosen and a hit with the audience, it can also help to cement your reputation as the event planner.
Depending on the purpose of your corporate event, the entertainment may be a crucial part of the night, meaning that it is essential that you hire a comedian who is not only available and within your budget, but also one who is appropriate for the intended audience and willing to cater for your needs. So, whether the occasion is informal or formal, there are a number of considerations you should make when choosing your entertainer.
Being a corporate event, you will need to ensure that your chosen comedian is one who specializes in performing family-friendly comedy. Although there may be some guests who enjoy more extreme comedy, comedy does not need to be crude or offensive in order to be funny. To eliminate any offence caused to your guests, it is important that your comedian either specializes in suitable comedy, or is willing to devise a performance that caters for this requirement. Always arrange to see a preview of their performance before hiring them to be sure of this fact.
The details of their performance are also important. Whereas some comedians perform simple stand-up comedy, many are renowned for combining a number of creative outlets such as singing and props in order to enhance their routine. By identifying what the likes and dislikes of the guests will be, you will be more able to decide which type of performance will suit your corporate event best.

If in doubt when looking for unique entertainment for your corporate event, it is always advantageous to turn to the help of a professional entertainment company that specializes in providing quality entertainment for corporate events. The Grable Group, in particular, has concrete experience in providing organizations and communities across the country with the highest quality comedians and performers. Featuring talented comedians such as Taylor Mason, your event will be provided with family-friendly yet hilarious comedy which is guaranteed to keep all entertained. Skillfully combining ventriloquism with stand-up comedy and music, Taylor Mason has entertained some of the largest organizations in America today, including Walmart, Disney and McDonald's to name but a few. Renowned for his audience participation performances, Mason's show is the ideal entertainment for any corporate event that you don't want forgotten in a hurry!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Grable

Liberals Sickened by 'USA! USA!' Chants

2011-05-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

For decades, we have held in contempt those who actively celebrate death. When we’ve seen video footage of foreigners cheering terrorist attacks against America, we have ignored their insistence that they are celebrating merely because we have occupied their nations and killed their people. Instead, we have been rightly disgusted -- not only because they are lauding the death of our innocents, but because, more fundamentally, they are celebrating death itself. That latter part had been anathema to a nation built on the presumption that life is an "unalienable right."
But in the years since 9/11, we have begun vaguely mimicking those we say we despise, sometimes celebrating bloodshed against those we see as Bad Guys just as vigorously as our enemies celebrate bloodshed against innocent Americans they (wrongly) deem as Bad Guys. Indeed, an America that once carefully refrained from flaunting gruesome pictures of our victims for fear of engaging in ugly death euphoria now ogles pictures of Uday and Qusay’s corpses, rejoices over images of Saddam Hussein’s hanging and throws a party at news that bin Laden was shot in the head. Read more at salon.com.
Killing of Bin Laden: What Are the Consequences?
By Glenn Greenwald
...I'd have strongly preferred that Osama bin Laden be captured rather than killed so that he could be tried for his crimes and punished in accordance with due process (and to obtain presumably ample intelligence). But if he in fact used force to resist capture, then the U.S. military was entitled to use force against him, the way American police routinely do against suspects who use violence to resist capture. But those are legalities and they will be ignored even more so than usual. The 9/11 attack was a heinous and wanton slaughter of thousands of innocent civilians, and it's understandable that people are reacting with glee over the death of the person responsible for it. I personally don't derive joy or an impulse to chant boastfully at the news that someone just got two bullets put in their skull -- no matter who that someone is -- but that reaction is inevitable: it's the classic case of raucously cheering in a movie theater when the dastardly villain finally gets his due. Read more at salon.com.
Celebrating Bin Laden's Killing: It's Complicated
By Petula Dvorak
A generation of young Americans slammed the door Monday on the great big boogeyman of their childhoods with an epic woot-woot and rounds and rounds of “U.S.A.!”
At the news of Osama bin Laden’s death, thousands of people — most of them college-age and in requisite flip-floppy collegiate gear — whipped up a raucous celebration right outside the White House gates that was one part Mardi Gras and two parts Bon Jovi concert.
There were cigars, a few beers, a lacrosse-stick-turned-flagpole waved by a kid who just climbed a statue, joining others aloft in trees and atop lampposts. Well past midnight, cars zipped up and down the streets of downtown Washington with women standing up through sunroofs waving ginormous American flags and guys blowing vuvuzelas, spring break style.
It felt a little crazy, a bit much. Almost vulgar. Read more at washingtonpost.com.

Read more: http://nation.foxnews.com/culture/2011/05/03/liberals-sickened-usa-usa-chants#ixzz1opQriRjh

Gaddafi’s son killed in Nato airstrike

2011-05-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

Tripoli, Sunday. A Nato air strike killed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi ‘s youngest son and three grandchildren, a spokesman said today, after rebels and Nato dismissed an offer for talks to end the crisis.

The house of Seif al-Arab Gaddafi, 29 (pictured), “was attacked tonight with full power,” government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told a news conference announcing the deaths in the Saturday evening strikes.

The Libyan strongman and his wife were in the building that was hit, but were not harmed, Ibrahim said, though others present were killed or wounded in what he deemed “a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country.”
“The leader himself is in good health; he wasn’t harmed. His wife is also in good health; she wasn’t harmed, (but) other people were injured,” he added.

Ibrahim later said intelligence on Gaddafi’s whereabouts appeared to have been “leaked.”
“They knew about him being there, or expected him for some reason,” the spokesman said.

Nato said it had staged airstrikes in Tripoli but did not confirm the Libyan claims. There was no immediate confirmation of the deaths either. At least three missiles had been heard exploding loudly over the capital earlier as jets flew overhead.

The transatlantic military alliance “continued its precision strikes against Gaddafi regime military installations in Tripoli overnight, including striking a known command and control building in the Bab al-Azizya neighbourhood shortly after 1800 GMT yesterday evening,” a statement said.

Automatic gunfire, apparently in mourning, echoed across the capital following the announcement, while state TV showed flag-waving demonstrators whom it said turned out to mourn Seif al-Arab’s death.

Overjoyed rebels fired rockets, Kalashnikovs, TNT and 12.5 anti-aircraft machine guns for more than a half an hour, rocking the rebel capital of Benghazi with sustained gunfire and explosions to mark the moment.

“They are so happy that Gaddafi lost his son in an air strike that they are shooting in celebration,” said Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani, military spokesman of the Libyan opposition Transitional National Council (TNC) headquartered in the eastern city.
Cars whizzed by the seafront beeping their horns as people shouted “God is greatest” below a night sky lit up by red tracer fire.

Ibrahim had earlier taken journalists to the remnants of a heavily damaged house in Tripoli, hinting but not explicitly indicating this was the one in which Gaddafi ‘s son had died.

Long, twisted rods of reinforcing steel bars stuck out of large chunks of blasted concrete lay in and around the structure. In some areas, the roof had caved in completely and walls had collapsed. A thick layer of dark grey dust covered the grounds.

Given the level of destruction, it was unclear that anyone could have survived, raising the possibility that if Gaddafi was there, he had left beforehand.Nato vowed to stage more strikes, though the commander of Nato’s Operation Unified Protector stressed that “we do not target individuals.”

“All Nato’s targets are military in nature and have been clearly linked to the... regime’s systematic attacks on the Libyan population and populated areas,” added Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard.
In a speech on state television yesterday, Gaddafi had said Nato “must abandon all hope of his departure.”
Artical source:-
googletrends.com

American News Media Cover Royal Wedding More Frequently than UK Counterparts

2011-04-26T01:33:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the Royal Wedding, U.S. media outlets have out-published the Brits, according to The Nielsen Company, which analyzed online buzz in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia following the announcement of the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton in November 2010. The study of buzz on social media (blogs, message boards/groups) and traditional media finds that while the United Kingdom creates the greater overall level of consumer buzz about the Royal Wedding, the United States has the highest share of news coverage by traditional news sources, such as the online versions of newspapers and magazines.

U.S. News Media Take the Crown

Since the couple’s November 2010 engagement, there have been thousands of news posts about the Royal Wedding and its participants by U.S. news outlets, accounting for more than .3% of all news coverage immediately following the engagement and a steady stream of articles since. This share of news coverage from traditional media sources is considerably higher than in the U.K. and Australia. Given the varied number of news outlets, the share of news coverage is the best metric for comparison among the three markets; the share of news coverage by U.S. news outlets is more than twice that in the United Kingdom and Australia at the most recent measurement on April 3.

Kate vs. Prince William

Though Kate has received considerable interest online, Prince William continues to be the more popular subject of social media discussion in the United Kingdom, both by buzz volume and share of all buzz. William is also mentioned more often in the United States and Australia.
Overall the U.K. makes up a larger share of buzz about the Royal Wedding and its participants, while the more populous U.S. market had a greater volume of buzz since the engagement was announced.
Note: For the purposes of this analysis, Social Media use is defined as buzz from blogs and message boards/groups. Traditional Media includes posts/updates from the online counterparts of print and broadcast news outlets, online news publishers, industry publications, and wire services.
Article Source:-
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/royal-wedding-buzz/

Watch Prince William and Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding Live

2011-04-25T04:18:00.000-07:00

ABC News invites you to witness Prince William and Catherine Middleton exchange wedding vows after nearly a decade of courtship.
From Buckingham Palace, Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters will anchor live coverage of the royal wedding on the ABC television network starting at 4 a.m. ET.
If you aren't near a television, no need to worry. Catch ABC's live broadcast everywhere we are: ABCNews.com, ABC News' Facebook page, your mobile phone and on the ABC News app for iPad.
ABC News is your front row seat to the royal wedding. Don't forget to visit ABCNews.com where you can watch and share your favorite videos from the best moments of the day, sign the royal guestbook to leave a note for William and Catherine and view photos from the royal wedding in our slideshows.
Plus, join the conversation and interact with ABC News on Facebook and Twitter.
David Muir will be on-air with the ABC News team to cover your reaction of this historic day. Follow him on Twitter (@DavidMuirABC) and ask him all your royal wedding day questions, share your thoughts on Catherine Middleton's dress and let us know what you think are the best #royalmess and #royalsuccess moments.
Follow @ABCRoyals, the official royal wedding Twitter from ABC News. In the week leading up to William and Catherine's big day, @ABCRoyals will be tweeting the latest royal roundup from London. On April 29th, @ABCRoyals is your source for every detail and headline from the royal wedding, as they're happening.
"Like" ABC News on Facebook to vote and tell us what you think about Queen Elizabeth's hat, the sure to be infamous wedding gown, what could go wrong at the wedding, and much more.
On Friday night, ABC News will continue to be your all access pass for all of the wedding details. Watch a special 20/20 with Barbara Walters 9/8c on ABC.
Article Source:-
http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/abc_royalprom_110415_wg.jpg

Patch Picks: Earth Day Activities

2011-04-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Patch Picks highlights editor and reader picks for great local businesses, destinations, services, organizations, ways to spend a day off and more.
You’ll find useful lists to help you, your family, friends, and significant others find the best places for everything from Sunday brunch to New Year’s Eve celebrations, pumpkin patches, date night destinations, florists, girlfriend nights out, kids’ party places, parks and more.
Today’s list is a list of great local ideas for celebrating Earth Day.

Lewis University: Lewis University’s Environmental and Energy Conservation Council are hosting an event to remove invasive plant species from the nature trail and replace the invasive species with native trees. Volunteers are welcome at both events. All volunteers will receive a “going green” T-shirt for helping to make the university a more sustainable campus. Volunteers are needed from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, at the university, 1 University Parkway, Romeoville. For more information, visit http://www.alumni.lewis.edu/green.
Comcast Cares: Join Comcast employees, members of the Exchange Club of Joliet and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties for brush clearing, picnic table painting, wood chipping and assisting with trail maintenance in trails throughout Joliet. Volunteers will meet from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 30, at St. Sava Church, 3457 Black Road, Joliet. The volunteer efforts will benefit the native plants, animals and the community. To volunteer, contact Renee Gauchat at 815-722-7364 or at rgauchat@fpdwc.org.
Plainfield Public Library: The Plainfield Public Library will celebrate Earth Day with a host of activities for the family. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 22, families can explore how worms work, make treasure from trash, add a book leaf to the Go Green Tree and see what floats or sinks at the “Four Elements Science Stations.” Attendees can also participate in the Recycling Raffle by bringing old batteries, flags, eyeglasses, cell phones and ink cartridges to the lower-level lobby.
Naperville Park District: The Naperville Park District is looking for volunteers to make the community a better place to live by sprucing up local parks. Volunteers are needed through Sunday, April 24, to pick up litter, weed and remove fallen twigs from one of 16 local parks. Contact Lynnette Hoole at lhoole@napervilleparks.org or 630-848-3606 to sign up.
Conservation Foundation: Support the work of the Conservation Foundation by attending anEarth Day Benefit Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, at Bobak's Signature Events in Woodridge. The event serves as the foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year. This year’s event will unveil a new campaign to “protect the lands and rivers you love.” Tickets are $100 each. The evening will feature dinner, a silent auction, cash raffle and video Registration is available online at www.theconservationfoundation.org.
Artical Source:-
http://bolingbrook.patch.com/articles/patch-picks-earth-day-activities-2

This 'Jihadi' Is Armed With a Subversive Sense of Humor

2011-04-19T04:26:00.000-07:00

Dressed in a police uniform, Aman Mojadidi once set up a fake roadside checkpoint to hand out real money to befuddled Afghan motorists used to paying, not receiving, bribes.
Then, during last fall's parliamentary elections, the Florida-born Afghan artist took his antics a step further by covertly pasting Kabul walls with faux campaign posters that featured him in a black turban with a gold-plated pistol hanging around his neck.
"Vote for me," the posters urged. "I'm rich—and I've done jihad."
The stunts are part of a campaign the 40-year-old Afghan-American has been waging for the past three years against the excesses of the Afghan government, ranked as one of the world's most corrupt. In the process, he has become the leading agent provocateur of the nascent Afghan art scene.
"I think Aman can be a leader for Afghans in showing what provocative art can do in Afghanistan," said Tamim Samee, founder of Afghanistan's Contemporary Art Prize, a four-year-old competition meant to nurture the country's young artists.
In recent years, Mr. Mojadidi has helped train young Afghans about street graffiti, worked with Mr. Samee on the annual arts prize, and joined forces with expats who have injected a jolt of inspiration into Kabul's evolving artistic community.
"No one's doing as provocative and unusual stuff," says Nikki Diana Marquardt, Mr. Mojadidi's Paris-based art dealer.
Kabul is now home to a small-but-growing number of experimental musical acts, including a heavy metal band and a popular indie group inspired by Britain's pop sensation Oasis.
Filmmakers have used American and European government money to produce movies on everything from Afghan women prisoners to the region's unusual sport of buzkashi, under which players on horseback vie for possession of a dead goat.

Aman Mojadidi Mr. Mojadidi's use of the word jihad in his work is no coincidence. Here, it usually refers to the U.S.-backed Afghan war against Soviet troops in the 1980s.

Veterans of that struggle, known as mujahedeen, occupy the top rungs of power in President Hamid Karzai's administration—and many of these once-respected fighters have come under withering criticism for enriching themselves while on government service.
"Jihad," proclaims Mr. Mojadidi, "is the Afghan bling."
Mr. Mojadidi, who spent his teen years as a vegetarian, high-school dropout and surfer in Florida, most famously channeled widespread contempt for the country's corrupt leaders by adopting the persona of "Jihadi Gangster"—a comical blend of Afghan mujahedeen and American gangsta rappers.
The most controversial photograph from his "Jihadi Gangster" series—"After a Long Day's Work"—featured Mr. Mojadidi sitting on a couch in front of a gold-plated prosthetic leg and a table filled with alcohol, cashews and jade-tipped bullets.
With his black turban and golden gun hanging down below his long gray beard, Mr. Mojadidi was pictured blithely using a remote to switch TV channels as a scantily clad woman with a blue burqa covering her face fawned over her man.
The limited edition photos—one of which was auctioned off for $14,000—have caused an uproar in Kabul.
When Afghan censors saw some of the tamer photographs from the series featured in the December issue of Kabul's largest English language magazine, Afghan Scene, they angrily forced the publisher to cut out the images—literally, with scissors—from 9,000 already-printed copies.
"This is not a Muslim fighter, he is Indian or something," said government censor Abdul Raquib Jahid as he jabbed his finger at one of the banned photographs. "This is an insult—or a blasphemy—to jihad."
As it happens, Mr. Mojadidi, who sometimes describes himself as a "Southern Fried Afghan," comes from holy warrior stock himself.
His uncle, Sibghatullah Mujaddedi, was one of the country's most famous anti-Soviet mujahedeen in the 1980s, and, until recently, chaired Afghanistan's Senate. Mr. Mojadidi himself briefly traveled with his uncle's anti-Communist fighters in 1990 to the front lines in Afghanistan.
At the time, dressed in Converse sneakers and the traditional Afghan shalwar kameez, the artist even fired a couple of mortars at the Soviet-backed government's tanks outside Jalalabad. He drove back to Pakistan the next day, filled with his first jolt of conflict reality.
"I grew up saying: 'I'm Afghan,'" Mr. Mojadidi recalls. "But when I came on that trip when I was 19, I remember thinking: 'I'm not that. My experience is completely different.'"
The next time he returned to Afghanistan was in 2001, when he joined his uncle in a triumphant convoy from Pakistan to Kabul after the fall of the Taliban regime.
The uncle, Mr. Mujaddedi, who had served as interim president of Afghanistan after the fall of the Soviet-backed regime in 1992, oversaw the drafting of a new Afghan constitution.
The white-bearded Afghan leader chuckled quietly when he was first shown his nephew's photographs of the "Jihadi Gangster" series.
"I don't agree with him," Mr. Mujaddedi said while looking over the images in his office as former Taliban government officials sat nearby waiting to confer. "This will make people upset and create problems for him."
Controversy, of course, is what Mr. Mojadidi is courting. His recent run-in with Afghan censors was just the latest round of cultural shenanigans.
In his first big attempt at performance art, Mr. Mojadidi bought an Afghan police uniform in 2009 and set up a fake checkpoint on a road outside Kabul.
Some of his filmed experiment, which he called a "reverse bribe," made its way onto "Danger Bell," Afghanistan's premier political satire TV show.
With video cameras rolling, Mr. Mojadidi flagged down cars, checked their papers and then offered a personal apology—along with $2 worth of Afghan currency, a significant amount of money here—if the drivers had ever had to pay off a police officer in the past.
On the video, most of the drivers appeared perplexed and initially hesitant to take the cash, perhaps fearing it was some sort of cruel trap. But only four of the 20 drivers turned down the money.
Artical Source:-
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703916004576271262475103684.html?mod=WSJ_Ahed_LEADTop

'Twin Peaks' now on Netflix Instant

2011-04-19T04:11:00.000-07:00

"Pardon if you've already mentioned it, but Twin Peaks is currently streaming via Netflix," he says. "I know there have been a number of releases of this series on DVD, some of good quality and some not so good. The quality of the streaming version is very good (both video and audio)." That's great news!
Brad adds, "Even better, it actually includes the original broadcast version of the pilot episode, which has been hard to find other than in the $100+ Definitive Gold Box Edition."
Since I have an older edition of the DVDs without the broadcast version of the pilot, this is one of the best things I've heard all day. Pass it on.

News , USA Stories , Hot Topics

2011-04-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

News , USA Stories , Hot Topics

Fires burn across Texas with no end in sight

2011-04-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

Dozens of large fires burned out of control Monday in Texas in what officials described as unprecedented conditions that show no signs of abating soon.
"We're experiencing conditions never seen in Texas before," said Marq Webb, a public information officer with the Texas Forest Service, which was devoting massive resources to the effort. "Yesterday, we had 1,400 people and that number will go up today," Webb said Monday in a telephone interview from the service's incident command center in Merkel just west of Abilene.
In all, the Forest Service has been asked to help battle fires covering some 700,000 acres, he said.
Thirty-one fires were being fought in East Texas; another 11 fires in West Texas, officials said.
"We've had 19 consecutive days of just super-dry weather, relative humidities in the single digits," said Forest Service spokeswoman C.J. Norvell in Midland. "What we're seeing right now is winds that are typical of spring, but everything else is typical of late summer -- no rain, vegetation that's just super dry. When you combine those two, it really has not boded well."
The Wildcat Fire just north of San Angelo has led to the evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes, Norvell said. The same fire threatens three small communities just north of Saint Angelo -- Robert Lee, Bronte and Tennyson, she said.
A predicted change in wind direction from south to southwest could worsen the prognosis, she said. "This little change is going to test some infrastructure and fire lines that we've set up," she said.
The fires have a variety of causes -- some of them acts of nature, such as lightning strikes -- but most of them acts of man, said Webb. Those include anything from fence welding to debris burning, despite the fact that burn bans are in effect for 195 of the state's 254 counties, he said.
Texas authorities have made an arrest in connection with one of hundreds of blazes scorching the state in what a Forest Service official called the "perfect storm for wildfires."
A man was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, which is a felony under Texas law, Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief Palmer Buck said early Monday. The man, whom authorities did not immediately identify, was being held under a $50,000 bond.
According to Buck, the man started a campfire at a homeless camp in a remote area, which got out of control and prompted evacuations. The fire burned about 60 acres.
"We're experiencing conditions we've never seen in Texas before," he said. "We have a huge area of Texas with abundant fuels and they are tinder dry -- and I'm talking about probably half of the state."
Monday's forecast was worse than Sunday's, "and tomorrow's supposed to be worse than today," he said. Though temperatures are expected to dip Wednesday, they were predicted to ramp back up on Thursday and Friday.
Such weather has taxed the resources available to fight the fires. "We're stretched pretty thin right now," Webb said.
Conditions this spring are the driest they've been in Texas since 1917, said a Texas Forest Service spokeswoman.
Authorities have responded to 7,807 fires across more than 1.5 million acres since this year's wildfire season began, Gov. Rick Perry wrote over the weekend in a letter to President Barack Obama. Perry requested that the federal government declare Texas a disaster area. Fires have affected all but two of the state's 254 counties.
Perry noted that one firefighter has died and 18 others have been injured, while 244 homes have been destroyed and another 8,514 threatened residences "saved."
In the Possum Kingdom complex west of Fort Worth, approximately 90 head of cattle were killed by the fire, said Webb.
In southwest Austin, 10 homes suffered major damage and six suffered minor damage in a 100-acre area, said Matt Curtis, a spokesman for Mayor Lee Effingwell. Curtis said Monday morning that the fire was contained, though firefighters were expected to spend the day looking for potential flareups and hotspots.
Officials were to decide later in the day whether to allow evacuees -- some 50 of whom spent the night at a shelter -- to return home, Curtis said.
"Luckily, this fire happened in a somewhat unpopulated part of that neighborhood," he said. The multi-jurisdictional effort included the Austin Police Department, the Austin-Travis County Fire Department, the Austin-Travis County EMS, the Travis County Sheriff's Department and the Texas Forest Service.

"The mayor, who has lived in Austin all 72 of his years described this as the largest fire he had ever seen in Austin and largest multi-jurisdictional effort," Curtis said.
Artical source:-
mw.cnn.com/primary/_A6hlx6-iLnCbGmXWWi

Violent criminals expand into cigarettes

2011-04-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

A recent wave of state tobacco tax increases, designed to pump revenue into cash-strapped local governments, is inspiring an increasingly dangerous cigarette smuggling industry where big profits lure violent criminal gangs and drug traffickers into the booming illegal market, according to law enforcement officials and court records.

Larry Penninger, acting director of the tobacco diversion unit of theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), says investigations and prosecutions involving tobacco trafficking have been increasing as smugglers flood high-tax states with cigarettes from low-tax states.

From 2007 to last year, 27 states raised their cigarette taxes, according to Michigan’s Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which closely tracks tobacco tax rates across the country. Mackinac describes tobacco smuggling as an “unintended consequence of high cigarette taxes.”

STORY: State taxes on cigarettes

There is so much illicit money to be made, Penninger says, that some drug and weapon trafficking organizations are adding tobacco to their product lines to boost profits. For example, in low-tax states such as Virginia, where cigarettes cost about $4.50 a pack, smugglers can sell a truckload (typically 800 cases) in New York at $13 a pack. New York is the highest tobacco taxing jurisdiction in the country.

Smuggling costs states and the federal government about $5 billion, according to U.S. government estimates. “Everybody out there (involved in illegal trafficking operations) is tapping into tobacco,’’ Penninger says.

Since 9/11, much of federal law enforcement has focused on terrorism, but tobacco smuggling is attracting fresh interest.

•Last year, the ATF reported 357 open cases involving tobacco smuggling, compared with a handful a decade earlier.

•During the 2010 fiscal year, the Justice Department reported 71 new prosecutions referred by the bureau, a 39% increase from the year before, according to records compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University in New York.

Artical sourse:-
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-05-02-atf-cigarette-smuggling.htm

Fallout Continues as Onyx Cup Cancelled

2011-04-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

The fallout continues from Friday’s indictment of the founders of three online poker companies as the Full Tilt Poker sponsored Onyx Cup has been cancelled at least temporarily but most likely forever.
The Onyx Cup was set to be a series of six tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $100,000 to $300,000. According to sources close to the television production of the series the first event, scheduled for May 11 and 12 in Las Vegas, and the following one scheduled for July 7 -8, have been postponed and most likely cancelled as Full Tilt Poker leaves the U.S. market.
Full Tilt Poker has not yet released any official statement regarding the Onyx Cup and has not responded to a request for comment.
The next televised poker domino to fall will most likely be the PokerStars-backed North American Poker Tour. ESPN was scheduled to air new episodes of the North American Poker Tour on Monday but those episodes are unlikely to air. With no new NAPT events scheduled the likelihood that Jason Mercier’s and Vanessa Selbst’s historic back-to-back wins at Mohegan Sun last week are the tours last is extremely high.
ESPN has also removed the PokerStars sponsored Inside Deal from the ESPN.com website. No official word has come from the network as of yet but the ESPN Poker Club - which was powered by PokerStars - is no longer available for download.

Obama speech to outline fiscal policy proposals

2011-04-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

He will propose reducing spending on healthcare programmes for the poor and elderly and on defence, and raising taxes on the wealthy, aides have said.
Republicans are certain to reject Mr Obama's tax increase proposals and call for deeper spending cuts, analysts say.
The contrasting ideas are set to play heavily in the 2012 election campaign.
The US government budget deficit is expected to reach $1.4 trillion (£860m) this year, and both Democrats and Republicans say curbing spending should be a top priority.
Buoyed by the fiscally conservative Tea Party movement, Republicans have won a series of policy victories, including forcing $38.5bn in government spending cuts for the remainder of the current fiscal year.
'Non-starter' Mr Obama hopes to retake momentum from Republicans on the issue as the 2012 presidential campaign warms up, analysts say.

On Tuesday morning, Mr Obama was previewing his proposal before a bipartisan gathering of congressional leaders at the White House. Later, he was to make a speech at George Washington University in Washington DC.

In a pre-emptive attack on Tuesday morning, Republican House Speaker John Boehner called any proposal to raise taxes "a non-starter".
Republican Representative Paul Ryan, the powerful chairman of the House of Representatives budget committee, said he was pleased Mr Obama was talking publicly about spending cuts but said: "We don't have a problem because Americans don't pay enough taxes."
Mr Ryan has outlined a 2012 plan that would slash $6.2 trillion from government spending over the next decade, in large part through cuts to government programmes that serve the elderly and the poor, analysts say.
His plan would also drastically reduce taxes for wealthy Americans, analysts say.
The House is due to vote on Mr Ryan's proposal on Friday.
US political observers expect the fight over the government budget for the fiscal year beginning 1 October to be bruising, as Republicans and Democrats push their competing visions.
Last week, the US government came within an hour of shutting down as Republican and Democratic leaders battled to reach an agreement on a budget for the next six months.
The deal reached just before midnight on Friday cut $38.5bn from the budget to 30 September.
for more details below ...............
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13067836

Virginia Tech survivor Colin Goddard lobbies for gun control

2011-04-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

Waiters carry trays of hors d'oeuvres through the crowd while Goddard, a 25-year-old who could model for a J.Crew catalog, chats amiably. He doesn't have to move much because people flutter around him. The lights flicker, and the crowd moves to a screening room to watch Gun Fight, a documentary on the nation's firearms debate. The film prominently features Goddard, a survivor of the April 16, 2007, shooting at Virginia Tech.

Scenes like this are typical of Goddard's life since he became assistant director for federal legislation at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a Washington-based group pushing for more gun control. When Goddard visits lawmakers on Capitol Hill or speaks to groups, listeners latch onto his words. Some say they respect how he has turned the trauma of being shot four times into something productive. Before Gun Fight, filmmaker Kevin Breslin made a documentary featuring Goddard called Living for 32, so named for the number of people shot dead by Virginia Tech gunman Seung Hui Cho before he fatally shot himself. That documentary was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

This new life is all a whirlwind to Goddard, who shows no obvious signs that three bullets remain in his body. When Goddard first arrived at Virginia Tech's campus in Blacksburg, Va., he had plans to become an astronaut. Now, he is working seven days a week for federal legislation to keep felons and people with mental problems from getting guns.

"Sometimes, I'll be going somewhere and I'm like, 'What the hell am I doing? How did I get to be on this plane going to Los Angeles right now to speak to these people,' " Goddard said during an interview at Brady Campaign headquarters in downtown Washington.

April is proving to be a busy month for Goddard, one of 17 survivors wounded in the massacre by a troubled Virginia Tech senior who bought at least one of the two semiautomatic pistols he used in the shooting at a shop. HBO's Gun Fight premieres April 13. There are gruesome anniversaries too. Along with Virginia Tech, there is the April 20, 1999, shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., and the April 3, 2009, shooting at an immigrant services center in Binghamton, N.Y.

At 6'3" and 190 pounds, Goddard looks like a typical, healthy twentysomething. He wears a rubber bracelet on his right wrist in honor of a cousin who died of leukemia. He plays volleyball and he snowboards. His ruddy complexion belies the discomfort his father says he feels daily from the titanium rod in his left leg and bullet pieces throughout his thigh.

"He knows there's something different about his body, no doubt about that," Andrew Goddard said.

Colin Goddard's early life may have prepared him for the chaos of the day of the massacre.

His parents were international development workers — his father a mechanical engineer for the British government and his mother a Peace Corps volunteer — who met in northeastern Kenya. Anne Goddard gave birth to her son at a hospital in Nairobi. He was a good baby who rarely cried and who followed his parents to cities in developing countries — Mogadishu in Somalia, Djakarta in Indonesia and Cairo in Egypt. He saw deep poverty at a young age, his father said. He was self-assured and easily mingled with adults as a toddler.

"That gave him more of an ease which he's carried over into adulthood," said Andrew Goddard, 57.

When Goddard reached college age, he visited Virginia Tech and loved it. He started out as a physics major, but his astronaut career plans were dashed when he learned he was colorblind. Taking part in ROTC gave him second thoughts about the military.

"He said, 'I don't want people to follow me because I frighten them.' He said, 'I want people to follow me because of the example I set,' " Andrew Goddard said.

By 2007, Colin Goddard was rethinking his life. He had recently lost a cousin and a friend, both to car accidents. He had shifted his academic focus to international affairs with an eye toward joining the foreign service.

The morning of April 16 was unusually cool in Blacksburg, a university town of 43,000 in southwest Virginia. Wisps of snow blew around campus, and Goddard was a few minutes late for his French class in Norris Hall. He and the other 16 students in room 211 heard a commotion in another part of the building. Their professor, Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, 49, ordered everyone under their desks and told someone to call 911.

Goddard dialed his cellphone, whispering as Cho burst into the room.

"The dispatcher was still talking on the phone, and I thought it sounded so loud," Goddard said.

Goddard felt something kick him in the leg. It was a bullet striking above his left knee. The force knocked his phone out of his hand, but another student covered it with her hair and kept the line open. Three more bullets struck him in the left hip, right shoulder — the only bullet that exited — and right hip.

"I was kind of spinning," he said. He felt wetness, blood, slip down his leg. He smelled something like fireworks. "There was no pain and, with that, numbness."

Cho shot everyone in room 211. Eleven students and the professor died. "I have some images that I don't think I'll ever forget of lying on the floor and seeing all the bullet casings. And seeing bodies as well. And getting pulled out of the room and lying in the hallway," he said.

Wide-eyed policemen repeatedly asked him his name and his major. Four of them, one for each limb, picked him up and carried him out of the building.

In the ambulance, he started to hurt. The ride was about a half-hour because the emergency room closest to the school was full.

"It felt like the driver was driving 100 miles an hour," he said. "That caused me to bounce up and down on the gurney table and I was screaming and hollering at the guy to slow down. I kept telling the police officers, 'This is the craziest thing in my life.' "

That morning, Andrew Goddard was at the home in Richmond, Va., where he and his wife had just moved so Anne Goddard could take a job heading ChildFund International, an organization that helps poor children. The move was so recent that Colin Goddard didn't have his parents’ telephone number. He could only tell the emergency staff where his mother worked.

The hospital staff tracked down Anne Goddard, who was leading her first board meeting. A board member offered the couple a private plane for the 220-mile trip to the hospital in Radford, Va. After a harrowing trip through the wind and snow, the couple found their son at the hospital, sitting up on a gurney.

"He had a huge pit crew working on him," Andrew Goddard said. "He turned his head to the surgeon and said, 'Is all this absolutely necessary?' And apparently the surgeon thought that was very funny."

After six days in the hospital, Colin Goddard went back to the apartment in Blacksburg that he shared with three other students. His father camped out on an air mattress to take care of him. Friends came to visit from morning until night.

"My friends who came were like, 'Dude, what was it like? What was it like to get shot? How were the nurses?' "

In three months of physical therapy, Goddard abandoned his wheelchair. By summer, he had gone from a walker to crutches to a cane to nothing. His father said it was lucky that he'd secured a summer internship in Madagascar, because that motivated him to get back on his feet. While in the country off Africa's southeast coast, he met a journalist who'd dealt with trauma victims. The journalist advised him to talk as much as possible about his experience.

So that's what he did, over and over, with friends. It got easier.

While he returned to Virginia Tech for his final year, his father and parents of others who'd been shot began investigating the school's response to the shooting and Cho's background. They learned Cho had been seen by counselors, written morbid essays for classes and had been cited as making classmates uncomfortable, but he was still able to buy a gun at a shop.

The elder Goddard became involved with the Million Mom March, an organization against gun violence, and took over the Richmond chapter. He asked his son to speak publicly about his experiences. Colin Goddard agreed. Afterward, he received an anonymous e-mail that said, "You are a coward for not throwing your chair at the guy who shot you."

"The message I got was like, wow, if I start talking about this, this is what people are going to tell me?" Goddard said.

On April 3, 2009, he heard a television announcer describe the massacre in Binghamton, N.Y. Jiverly Wong, a Vietnamese immigrant, shot and killed 13 people at an immigration services center and wounded four more before killing himself.

"I was so sucked into it because it seemed to me like the same montage of images of people crying and policemen running and yellow tape and flowers and candles," he said.

Goddard said the incident unnerved him so much that he contacted Paul Helmke. He'd met the president of the Brady Center through his father.

Goddard interned with the Brady Campaign that summer, spending a lot of time on Capitol Hill, then went to France to teach English in a program he'd signed up for before Binghamton happened. While there, U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was charged with killing 13 people and wounding 29 at Fort Hood in Texas. That incident solidified Goddard’s desire to resume his work with the Brady Campaign.

These days, Goddard divides his time between Capitol Hill, appearances around the country and a sparsely decorated office at the Brady Campaign. He lives with three roommates he met through Craigslist. He likes to read The Economist. He is dating someone. Sometimes, flashes from April 16, 2007, pop up in his mind, and he realizes he could have died.

"People say, 'Well, you're here because God was looking out for you.' But there were good people who were killed in that classroom, and I'm sure he was looking out for them too. People say, 'Oh, well, you're here to do something profound and change the world.’ I want to just improve things a little bit," Goddard said.

"I've learned some things that I can't help but share."

MORE: Virginia Tech fined $55K in shootings

"He looks good, he speaks directly and honestly, he's not programmed, he's not scripted," said Paul Helmke, president and CEO of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "Sometimes, it's not quite what I think he should say," Helmke added , "but, hey, that's him."

Barbara Kopple, director of Gun Fight, said there was little footage shot of Goddard for the documentary that she didn't use. "He's approached all this with an amazing levelheadedness and a sense of purpose."

"He's just very unique for a young guy," Kevin Breslin said. "He could have collected the insurance policy and taken a walk. A lot of people would have."

for more details .......

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-04-12-virginia-tech-shooting-survivor-goddard.htm

News Bytes of the Week--Second coming: The new iPhone is here

2011-04-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

Apple's latest line: New 3G iPhone hits the streets
The wait is over. Apple's new iPhone 3G goes on sale today, promising to download information twice as fast as its predecessor, featuring a built-in global-positioning system (GPS) and running hundreds of new software programs, including one from the Associated Press that uses the GPS to determine the iPhone owner's location and automatically send him or her local news articles. Other software includes eBay Mobile, which allows iPhone users to shop and to track bids on any items they are selling as well as programs from Facebook, MySpace, Sega and Travelocity specifically designed to work on the device's touch screen. Also, unlike its predecessor, which debuted in June 2007 retailing at $599, the new iPhone will cost a more reasonable $199 for the eight-gigabyte model and $299 for the 16-gigabyte model, if your sign a two-year contract with network provider AT&T (the only phone company licensed to support the iPhone in the U.S.).
It doesn't take much of a fortune-teller to predict a new iPhone in June; the first-generation iPhone went on sale in June 2007 and the iPhone 3G in early July, 2008. But take all these reports with a big spoonful of salt: They all depend on bloggers reading articles based on other people's interviews, and then interpreting what the original source might have meant to say based on what the blogger read that the reporter wrote. "This could easily be a misunderstanding on the part of the reporter, a misquote, or a combination of signs, portents, and omens, but it's certainly an interesting little tidbit," says Engadget.

Violent Storm Conceives Mysterious Island

2011-04-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

One dark and violent morning in the early days of 2009, the most powerful force to hit France in years came storming down upon the edge of the Atlantic.
Winds of up to 200 km/ph tore through the nebulous dawn, leaving 26 people dead, forests and power lines crushed, buildings and roads annihilated, and the people of Rowan (a tiny fishing port) utterly flabbergasted.
For not ten miles out to sea, a mysteriously conceived blob ascended from the depths, blasting its way onto the surface. The locals have since named this land mass (which measures 250 acres across at low tide) "l'île mystérieuse" - or 'the mysterious island' - aptly named after a novel by Jules Verne.
Mysterious indeed, as this island has arisen rather close to the famed lost Island of Cordouan, a place once home to the English 'Black Prince', who lived there before it sank during the Hundred Years War in the 14th and 15th centuries.
The Black Prince was a renown formidable warrior, who donned in black and mercilessly crushed all in his path - a sort of dark knight. Has he risen from the sea in the form of an island to slap France in the chops one last time? Or is this just one behemoth of a geological disturbance?
19th century French Historian, Jules Michelet, gives a clue. He has called the area "a sea of contradictions", as depths in the southern end of the gulf suddenly plummet into a fathomless abyss. However, historical records simply state the continual erosion of Cordouan's limestone led to its disappearance.
In any case, Cordouan or not, this 'mysterious island' is currently not listed on any map, nor does it have any bona fide name. In short, it does not officially exist. Scientists, however, are radically attempting to alter this, as the island has attracted an array of vertebrate and plant life which they believe is in dire need of protection.
This scientific urgency is fuelled by the activity of bombastic parachuting thrill seekers, who use the island's lack of legitimacy in order to land, as well as howling, boot scooting ravers who use it for intense go-go dancer type parties. The circus like behaviour the island appears to have spawned has also led to increased interest from mysterious advocacy groups.
Dr Stanley Sherbet, from the Underwater Transmogrification Society (UTS), claims the Black Prince has indeed returned, and is intent on 'finishing the job' by sending all who seek his shores into an unbridled pleasure seeking rampage.

For More Details check out this which given below.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6150219

Government Shutdown 2011: Crisis averted, for now

2011-04-09T03:38:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama and congressional leaders reached a last-minute budget deal on Friday, averting a government shutdown.
With a midnight deadline looming for a government closure, the compromise between the Democrats and Republicans requires lawmakers to approve stopgap funding to keep federal agencies running into next week until the budget agreement can be formally enacted.
The plan calls for $39 billion in spending cuts. There was no immediate comment from the White House or congressional Democrats.
A shutdown would have idled hundreds of thousands of workers and carry political risks for Obama and his fellow Democrats as well as opposition Republicans, who would be seen by voters as failing to make compromises.
Leaders of the House and Senate were at odds on Friday over the reasons for not reaching agreem
ent.Democrats said they were at odds over federal funding for birth control. Republicans said spending cuts were the issue.
After narrowing their differences, the House was set to vote later on Friday night on a short-term funding bill to keep the government running until the longer budget plan can be enacted into law.
Without an agreement, money to operate the federal government for the next six months would run out at midnight on Friday and agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service would begin a Despite the apparent resolution of the impasse, the bitter political fight raised questions about the ability of Obama and a divided U.S. Congress to deal with bigger issues looming down the road, from raising the federal debt ceiling to reining in budget deficits, as the 2012 presidential election campaign gathers steam. The leadership of the world's lone remaining superpower has been consumed for days by the budgetary infighting that could bring large swathes of government to a standstill.
for more details.......
http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/132424/20110409/government-shutdown-2011-crisis-averted-for-now.html

9 Atlantic hurricanes forecast this year

2011-04-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

The Atlantic basin is facing a busier-than-average hurricane season, in part because of unusually warm water in the ocean, according to a seasonal hurricane forecast released Wednesday morning.

Colorado State University's forecast team, which has been issuing seasonal hurricane predictions since 1984, calls for 16 named tropical storms this year in the Atlantic basin, which includes the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The team says nine will become hurricanes, with sustained winds reaching 74 mph. Fiveare expected to be major hurricanes — Categories 3, 4 or 5 — with maximum wind speeds of 111 mph or greater.

The average Atlantic hurricane season, going back to 1950, has 10 named storms — six of them hurricanes, and two of those major.

The forecasters, Phil Klotzbach and William Gray, say there's a 72% chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. coast in 2011 (the long-term average probability is 52%).

"We expect that anomalously warm tropical Atlantic sea-surface temperatures, combined with neutral tropical Pacific sea-surface temperatures, will contribute to an active season," says Klotzbach.

Insurance companies, emergency managers and the news media use the forecasts from Colorado State to prepare Americans for the season's likely hurricane threat. The team's annual predictions are intended to provide a best estimate of activity to be experienced during the upcoming season, not an exact measure, according to Colorado State.

"We remain — since 1995 — in a favorable multi-decadal period for enhanced Atlantic basin hurricane activity, which is expected to continue for the next 10-15 years or so," says Gray. "Except for the very destructive hurricane seasons of 2004-05, United States coastal residents have experienced no other major landfalling hurricanes since 1999. This recent 9 of 11-year period without any major landfall events should not be expected to continue."

Colorado State forecasters tend to be rather conservative on their seasonal forecasts: Since 2000, the team has under-forecast the number of named tropical storms and hurricanes five times, over-forecast three times, and been almost right — within two storms — three times, a USA TODAY analysis shows. In 2010, the team predicted 15 named storms and eight hurricanes. Nineteen named storms actually formed, including 12 hurricanes.

Also last week, the private forecasting firm AccuWeather predicted 15 tropical storms would form this year, of which eight will be hurricanes.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will issue its 2011 hurricane forecast in May.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The first named storm in the Atlantic will be called Arlene, followed by Bret and Cindy.

Krugman To Pawlenty: You Misunderstand Me

2011-04-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

Republican Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty was hoping to get some media attention for his near instantaneous response to President Obama's reelection video posted on youtube. What he probably didn't expect was for his blockbuster themed 30-second spot to almost completely fizzle.

In fact, if it were not for Paul Krugman, it likely would have been missed all together.

The New York Times economy columnist played a very small bit part in the video, where he flashed across the screen for a few seconds stating "Washington has given up on the jobs picture."

As Politico notes, Krugman's appearance that the soundbite is parsed from actually is an argument for the government to spend more money on financial stimulus, something Pawlenty has stood in opposition of.

"[T]he tragedy is that Washington has given up on the jobs picture. It's not that — it's not a failure of policy. I think the policies that we have undertaken made things less bad than they would have been. But here we are with still terrible unemployment rate, 37 weeks the average unemployed person is unemployed. And no interest in Washington about doing anything to create jobs."

Krugman, meanwhile, made sure to jab Pawlenty on his lack of financial policy knowledge.

"Pawlenty — who knows so little about the whole subject that he fell for a well-known zombie claim (killed by facts, but still shambling along) about soaring government employment — is hardly qualified to lecture anyone else on the issue.

USA Hot Lotto - Free Winning Tips Inside

2011-04-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

Luck does not really play a part that much in winning the USA Hot Lotto. Now, you can hit the jackpot by simply taking the risk, learning the game, and applying some useful strategies and systems that would increase your probability of winning in the game. You do not have to be a super genius to analyze and scrutinize the game, but you must be wise enough to realize that the USA Hot Lotto is purely a probability game. Once you are good in manipulating probability, you will have a greater chance of earning the top prize and become an instant millionaire.
A brief review of the game
Before going into the tips, here is a short review of what a USA Hot Lotto is and how it being is played.
This type of lottery is being played in selected states in the US, such as in Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Kansa, Minnesota, Montana, and New Hampshire. From a number range of 1 to 39, the player must choose five to make up his set and one number from 1 to 19 to be his “hot ball.” The ticket would usually cost for about a dollar. To win a prize is to get the five numbers in the set, and to win the jackpot is get a right match of the hot ball and the five numbers in your set. However, you should remember that the numbers in your set and the hot ball cannot cross over during the draw. For example, if you have the winning set of five in your ticket, which is composed of the numbers 7-14-26-33-35, and your hot ball is 14, you only win for your set, and the number fourteen cannot be repeated for you to win the jackpot for your hot ball. Another 14-ball must also appear during the draw for your hot ball.
The winning tips
The rule of thumb for you before deciding for your set is to remember that those numbers that frequently appear during the draw have the highest probability to be drawn again. So keep your bets on those, especially if you are a beginner. After you mastered the pattern, you can start your strategy by betting on a set with a combination of odd and even. Then, try to analyze again the winning set if it contains groups of 10′s, 30′s, etc. if you haven’t seen any numbers from 11 to 19, then don’t try to put your luck on them. Instead focus on the most commonly seen number groups. Lastly, never bet on a number that did not appear on any USA Hot Lotto draws in the past, it will least likely to come out on the next draw.
End notes
USA hot Lotto is one exciting lottery game. It is full of excitement, as well as surprises. And compared to other lotto draws, you have a higher likelihood of winning in this game. However, you need to improve your chances of taking home millions of dollars as a grand prize by picking the best game strategy and system that would deliver positive upshots.

Satellite TV In The USA - Some Things to Know

2011-04-05T02:03:00.000-07:00

Satellite TV in the USA has become a hot topic today. With the communication boom and the advent of the internet, people are now aware that when it comes to their entertainment needs, the sky is literally the limit. Satellite television has changed the way millions of Americans choose and watch their TV programs.
In The Beginning
Few things have had such an impact on American culture as the television. It soon formed the core of typical family life- parents and children would crowd around the television during or after dinner. The focal point of everyone's living room shifted from the fireplace to the TV set. And of course, television brought with it a legion of new superstars, movies and shows that would leave a mark in history.
But before there was satellite TV in the USA or even cable for that matter, the 'box' dictated what you watched. There were only four major networks and if you lived in a remote area, chances are you wouldn't be able to pick up a television signal at all. The advent of cable television did change this to a certain extent. The 1970s brought a range of new technology that improved the transmission of channels and offered better picture quality. People could now tune their televisions to pick up the channels they wanted, like a radio. As this technology became more advanced, televisions themselves became more advanced and were programmed to pick up channels on different frequencies.
Enter Satellite
Though cable TV certainly made a difference to the viewing experience, it did have its drawbacks. Since the signal had to run via cable, transmission could still be weak in certain places. Furthermore, cables are also susceptible to weather phenomena like storms. Satellite TV in the USA began as a hobby for some- it wasn't uncommon to see a massive dish in some backyards or rooftops, picking up a number of television channels from around the world.
Today, this technology has improved greatly and has become accessible to almost anyone with a television. The dish itself has become much smaller so it doesn't take up as much room as it used to. The main attraction with Satellite TV in the USA is the numerous channels you can get with a single dish. Adding channels with cable television sometimes is expensive. In this regard, satellite TV is also a much cheaper option, barring the initial investment in the equipment.
Another attractive feature for many is the signal - people who live in mountainous or remote areas no longer have to worry about weak or faulty transmissions. Since the signal comes via satellite, there are no cables or amplifiers to worry about so you can count on good reception. There is also no worry about losing television reception during a storm, since there are no cables involved. This works better for television stations as well as it vastly increases their range of subscribers.
Today, you can also look into options like Direct-To-Home satellite TV. The boom of Satellite TV in the USA continues to grow everyday. As the technology keeps expanding, it also becomes more accessible to more people.

USA in 19Miracles on Ice - The Inspirational Story of Team

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

The beginning of the 1980s was a year of tumultuous changes in the world compared to the inspirational story of this miracle. The Cold War was at its peak. America was just emerging from a humiliating defeat in Vietnam and the world was still reeling from an oil crisis when the Soviet Union decided to exert its influence further by invading Afghanistan. The world of sports was also affected by the duel of these two superpowers as the west contemplated a boycott of the Summer Olympics in the Moscow. In the midst of this volatile world climate, an inspiration story was taking shape that would catalyst the decline of the communist world and revolutionizes the world of sports.
We can trace the beginnings of this inspirational story to two great ice hockey playing nations. Just prior to the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid, USA in February 1980, the Soviet Union was considered to be the best ice hockey playing nation of the world. Since 1960, the Soviets had clinch gold in every Olympics. Along the way, they have amassed a 27-1-1 record scoring 175 goals and allowing 44 goals in the process. Although Soviet ice hockey was deemed an amateur sports, the Brezhnev regime had allowed the player to take on 'soft jobs' while training full time in outstanding sports facilities. Heading into the 1980 Lake Placid games, the Soviet team was ankled by veteran players like Boris Mikhailov, Vladislav Tretiak, and Valeri Kharlamov, and youngsters Viacheslav Fetisov, Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov. To make things more difficult for the USA, this Soviet team has beaten them 28 times out of 35 meetings. The latest debacle was a 10-3 defeat suffered at the hands of the Soviets in one of the warm up matches leading to the 19080 Winter Games.
The USA on the other hand was far from the inspirational story they are to become. Made up of a diverse collection of players who have never played together for long, these group of players had the greatest problem of being totally distracted from what they were supposed to do. They were also under the impression that the Soviets were unbeatable and therefore they did not stand a chance against them. Everyone expected them to lose, except for the most important person in the team - Head Coach Herb Brooks. It was perhaps a good omen that Brooks was the last player cut from the 1960 USA Olympic squad, which was also the last USA team that beat the Soviets. Brooks was on a mission to get the best out of his team, and he became the father of this inspirational story. Watch how Brooks inspired his team here.
In this inspirational story and miracle, Team USA beat the heavily favored Soviets in a tight contest, sparking renewed patriotism in a country that has seen too many defeats in the past decade. It also created a new revolution in professional hockey as the demise of the Soviet Union began a slow but steady flow of outstanding Russian players to the National Hockey League. A new era of modern and professional sports was born. Miracles as they say do happen to those that want it the most.

News , USA Stories , Hot Topics

Gaza ceasefire begins after Hamas releases list of hostages to be freed

Taliban goes to winning war in Afghanistan

Enjoy seamless experience on APP

We're 10x faster on APP

Kabul no longer far away as Taliban advances unbelievably quickly; world fears the inevitable

Synopsis

Chances are that the Taliban would like to be ensconced in Kabul on or before September 11 or perhaps even October 7, when the US-led invasion started, but certainly before November 13 when Kabul fell to the erstwhile Northern Alliance. The questi...

READ MORE NEWS ON

27 COMMENTS ON THIS STORY

Popular Categories

Hot on Web

In Case you missed it

More from our network

Download ET APP

Follow us on

George Washington, First President of the USA

Unique Entertainment For Your Corporate Event

Liberals Sickened by 'USA! USA!' Chants

Gaddafi’s son killed in Nato airstrike

American News Media Cover Royal Wedding More Frequently than UK Counterparts

U.S. News Media Take the Crown

Kate vs. Prince William

Watch Prince William and Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding Live

Patch Picks: Earth Day Activities

This 'Jihadi' Is Armed With a Subversive Sense of Humor

'Twin Peaks' now on Netflix Instant

News , USA Stories , Hot Topics

Fires burn across Texas with no end in sight

Violent criminals expand into cigarettes

STORY: State taxes on cigarettes

Fallout Continues as Onyx Cup Cancelled

Obama speech to outline fiscal policy proposals

Virginia Tech survivor Colin Goddard lobbies for gun control

MORE: Virginia Tech fined $55K in shootings

News Bytes of the Week--Second coming: The new iPhone is here

Violent Storm Conceives Mysterious Island

Government Shutdown 2011: Crisis averted, for now

9 Atlantic hurricanes forecast this year

Krugman To Pawlenty: You Misunderstand Me

USA Hot Lotto - Free Winning Tips Inside

Satellite TV In The USA - Some Things to Know

USA in 19Miracles on Ice - The Inspirational Story of Team