Blogger's Delight

The United Nations: "Haiti earthquake is the worst disaster it's ever confronted."

2010-01-17T02:28:00.000+08:00

The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva says the country has been "decapitated".

It says the situation is worse than the devastation wrought by the 2004 tsunami in the Aceh province of Indonesia.

Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince was extensively damaged by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Tuesday.

The US Geological Survey said a further aftershock measuring magnitude 4.5, occurred close to the capital on Saturday morning.

Gangs are preying on residents and looting. Officials say 4000 prisoners are unaccounted for after the main prison was destroyed.

There are reports of people fighting each other for food. Many people are trying to get out of Port-au-Prince.

The BBC reports there is little police presence in the capital, although some Brazilian UN peacekeepers are patrolling the streets.

Relief has been arriving, but little has moved beyond the jammed airport.

Damage to the port, roads and other infrastructure has prevented distribution of food, water and medical supplies.

Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aime said 50,000 bodies had been collected, but the total number of dead could be "between 100,000 - 200,000".

Trucks piled with corpses have been carrying bodies to mass graves.

The UN said on Friday that about 300,000 people had been made homeless.

Winter Solstice 2009: Facts on Shortest Day of the Year

2009-12-22T00:56:00.000+08:00

Today is the winter solstice and the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It's all due to Earth's tilt, which ensures that the shortest day of every year falls around December 21.

But it's not all about astronomy.

Since ancient times people have marked the winter solstice with countless cultural and religious traditions—it's no coincidence the modern holiday season surrounds the first day of winter.

Solstice in Space: Astronomy of the First Day of Winter

During the winter solstice the sun hugs closer to the horizon than at any other time during the year, yielding the least amount of daylight annually. On the bright side, the day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days leading up to the summer solstice.

"Solstice" is derived from the Latin phrase for "sun stands still."

That's because—after months of growing shorter and lower since the summer solstice—the sun's arc through the sky appears to stabilize, with the sun seeming to rise and set in the same two places for several days. Then the arc begins growing longer and higher in the sky, reaching its peak at the summer solstice.

The solstices occur twice a year (around December 21 and June 21), because Earth is tilted by an average of 23.5 degrees as it orbits the sun—the same phenomenon that drives the seasons.

During the warmer half of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted toward the sun. The northern winter solstice occurs when the "top" half of Earth is tilted away from the sun at its most extreme angle of the year.

Being the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice is essentially the year's darkest day, but it's not the coldest.

Because the oceans are slow to heat and cool, in December they still retain some warmth from summer, delaying the coldest of winter days for another month and a half. Similarly, summer doesn't hit its heat peak until August, a month or two after the summer solstice.

Actress Brittany Murphy Dies

2009-12-21T10:28:00.000+08:00

Actress Brittany Murphy has died, according to the Los Angeles coroner’s office.

The 32-year-old actress, who starred in “Clueless” and with Eminem in “8 Mile,” was declared dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to Selena Barrows, an investigator with the coroner’s office.

“We have a preliminary death report of someone with the name of Brittany Murphy,” Barrows told TheWrap. The report came from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

The news was first reported by TMZ.com.

TMZ said multiple sources reported that the actress had gone into cardiac arrest and could not be revived on Sunday morning. She reportedly was found unconscious in the shower by her mother.

Barrows said cardiac arrest could mean any number of things, and was not an indication of the cause of death.

The Los Angeles City Fire Department said a 911 call was made at 8 a.m. from the Los Angeles home of Murphy’s husband, Simon Monjack. She was pronounced dead on arrival at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

“In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support. It is their wish that you respect their privacy,” her publicist, Nicole Perna said in a statement.

Popeye's Creator in Google Doodle

2009-12-08T20:29:00.000+08:00

The creator of Popeye the Sailor man, Elzie Crisler Segar becomes the latest person honored by Google Doodle. On the 115th birthday of E C Segar Google depicted the rambunctious cartoon seaman in typically feisty pose.

Popeye is famous for his power after consumption of spinach. Popeye the Sailor man was firstly introduce in 1929, in Segar’s newspaper comic strip Thimble Theatre.

E C Segar, the cartoonist was born on 8 December 1894 in US. He wanted to become a cartoonist and showed his talent in his young age. He went to Chicago to pursue his career.

In the beginning Popeye appeared as a supporting character in Thimble Theatre, which had already been running for ten years with a certain Olive Oyl as its heroine, with the passage of time Olive Oyl became the sailor’s girlfriend.
In the cartoon of Popeye Spinach is the main product as the muscle of Popeye swells to three time of the normal size after having it. E C Segar chose spinach as in 1870’s German study showed that it also contains the same amount of iron as red meet contains.

E C Segar was died at the age of 43 on 13 October 1938. Even though E C Segar died but the character of Popeye has lived on and cartoon still appearing on television program.

Legion Of Extraordinary Dancers

2009-12-03T17:52:00.000+08:00

Legion Of Extraordinary Dancers:Paramount Digital Entertainment and Agility Studios announced today that that they have struck a deal to launch the “The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD),” a multi-platform property from writer/director Jon M. Chu (STEP UP 2: THE STREETS) and Agility Studios. Beginning early 2010, The LXD will debut on select online video destinations.

The LXD allows us to evolve how we tell stories using dance while creating a platform for the best dancers in the world to do what they do best,” states Jon M. Chu, Creator of The LXD. “PDE’s commitment and passion for the LXD has been amazing and together with Agility and my creative team, producing partner Hieu Ho and choreographers Harry Shum and Chris Scott, we hope reshape the future of dance and storytelling.

The LXD launches with a scripted online series about heroes and villains with amazing powers of dance, that band together in rival factions, with an epic back-story and mythology woven around how the various dance styles in the hip-hop world came to be. The LXD employs the hugely popular and visually stunning culture of dance battles, intertwined with a cinematic narrative. The series will be complemented by live performances, instructional videos, and a web community where fans can learn and perfect their own dance moves, and even become part of the story.

“The LEGION OF EXTRAORDINARY DANCERS” is the next generation of Chu’s successful run of dance projects; beginning with “STEP UP 2: THE STREETS,” the worldwide film sensation that grossed $148 Million at the box office, followed by “THE BIGGEST ONLINE DANCE BATTLE,” an internet phenomenon that has had over 20 million views on a series of dance videos with celebrity cameos including Adam Sandler, Diana Rossand Miley Cyrus. His upcoming project “STEP UP 3D” will be released in the summer of 2010.

Here's the new trailer( even better than the last one) of the series which is set to run on January:

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

2009-12-01T20:29:00.000+08:00

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, also know as EDS is a group of inherited connective tissue disorders that caused by a defect in the synthesis of collagen.Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is also known as “Cutis hyperelastica”. A Collagen is a protein in connective tissue and its purpose is to help tissues to resist deformation i.e. the increase in elasticity. Collagen plays a vital role reduced elasticity in the skin, blood vessels, muscles, ligaments, and visceral organs. According to sources, there is no cure or treatment for it.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) was named after two doctors. Edvard Ehlers and Henri-Alexandre Danlos of Denmark and France respectively. At the turn of the 20th century, Edvard Ehlers and Henri-Alexandre Danlos identified it. Now the question that raised in our minds it that, what are the symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)?

For your convenience, the major signs and symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome are given below:

-Highly flexible fingers and toes
-Loose, unstable joints that are prone to: sprains, dislocations, subluxations (partial dislocations), hyperextension (double jointedness)
- Flat feet
- High and narrow palate, resulting in dental crowding
- Easy bruising
- Fragile blood vessels resulting from cystic medial necrosis with tendency towards aneurysm (even abdominal aortic aneurysm)

According to sources, these symptoms ultimately generates due to faulty or reduced amounts of Type III collagen.

Annie Lennox HIV Positive

2009-11-30T18:11:00.000+08:00

Annie Lennox won the 2009 Woman of Peace Award. Annie Lennox was awarded by the honor, for her work to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS impact on women and children.Her campaign “Sing”, a project to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS played a vital role and especially in South Africa, where the disease is common. To raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS’s devastating effect all over the world, the British musician wore a HIV Positive t-shirt.

With campaigns such as Nelson Mandela’s 46664 campaign and Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Annie Lennox’s song ‘Sing’ was subsequently born out of her involvement. Both Nelson Mandela’s 46664 campaign and (TAC) are human rights groups that worked for health, prosperity and education for those people that were affected by the HIV AIDS virus.

To promote her activities in support of AIDS awareness issues, Annie Lennox has also established a Sing website. On this website, you can get information that how to prevent this disease and other AIDS awareness issues. Annie Lennox is promoting a noble cause and she truly deserved the Woman of Peace Award.

ABS-CBN: PMPC's best TV Station

2009-11-30T12:43:00.000+08:00

MANILA - ABS-CBN has won the most number of awards, including best television station, at the 23rd PMPC Star Awards for TV Sunday night.

The Kapamilya network also bagged major prizes such as best primetime TV series (May Bukas Pa), best drama actor (Coco Martin for Tayong Dalawa), best drama actress (Gina Pareño for Tayong Dalawa), and best single performance by an actor (Joross Gamboa for Maalaala Mo Kaya’s Bisikleta).

Gretchen Barretto took home the best single performance by an actress award for her performance in “Maalaala Mo Kaya’s Salamin.” She shared the award with Sunshine Dizon (Obra Presents: Sunshine Dizon, “Butch”).

ABS-CBN’s “Umagang Kay Ganda” was named best morning show, while its hosts won the best morning show host award.

Named best morning show hosts were Edu Manzano, Pinky Webb, Bernadette Sembrano, Rica Peralejo, Donita Rose, Kim Atienza, Alex Santos, Anthony Taberna, Winnie Cordero, and Ginger Conejero.

“TV Patrol” was named best news program, while news anchor Julius Babao was best male newscaster.

“Matanglawin” shared the best educational program prize with Q 11’s “Quickfire.” The best public affairs program went to “Probe Profiles” and the best public affairs program host to Cheche Lazaro.

The best new male TV personality went to Zaijian Jaranilla for “May Bukas Pa” and JR de Guzman (Midnight DJ, TV 5). “Banana Split” and “Bubble Gang” (GMA-7) took home the best gag show award.

Other prizes won by ABS-CBN were best new female TV personality (Maricar Reyes, Precious Hearts Romance Presents: Bud Brothers); best variety/game show (Wowowee); best showbiz-oriented show (SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon); best male showbiz-oriented show host (Boy Abunda, SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon); best female showbiz-oriented show host (Toni Gonzaga, Entertainment Live);

Best comedy actor (Pooh, Banana Split); best daytime drama series (Pieta),
best drama mini-Series (Your Song Presents: My Only Hope); best drama anthology (Maalaala Mo Kaya); best musical variety show (ASAP ’08); best male TV host (Luis Manzano, ASAP ’08); and best female TV Host (Valerie Concepcion, Wowowee).

Noli de Castro bagged the Excellence in Broadcasting: Lifetime Achievement Award, while Johnny Manahan won the 2009 Ading Fernando Lifetime Achievement Award.

The male star of the night was Piolo Pascual while Anne Curtis was the female star of the night. John Lloyd Cruz was named face of the night (male).

The awards night was held at Pagcor Grand Theater in Paranaque City.

Rachel Uchitel Pictures Shown in Tiger Woods National Enquirer Story

2009-11-29T23:50:00.000+08:00

(Media-Newswire.com) - The Tiger Woods affair claims were brought out with Rachel Uchitel pictures and the mysterious friend in the National Enquirer newspaper who claims Uchitel is having an affair with the golfer. The friend claims that Uchitel told her of her involvement with the golfer. Over the past several days, Uchitel has vigirously denied such matters and even hired famed lawyer Gloria Allred.

The National Enquirer was reported to get this information from a friend of Uchitel's who according to the paper was given a lie detector test along with providing other corroborating information as to the matter.

No word yet from Woods or his team.

Tiger Woods - Seriously injured in a car accident

2009-11-28T04:26:00.000+08:00

MIAMI, Nov 27 (Reuters) - World renowned and number one golfer Tiger Woods was seriously injured in a car accident on Friday, a Florida newspaper reported.

The Orlando Sentinel, citing the Florida Highway Patrol, said Woods’ car struck a fire hydrant and a tree in Florida’s Isleworth community, near Orlando.

Woods, 33, was transported to a hospital in Ocoee in serious condition, the newspaper said, citing the FHP.

California RB Best taken to hospital after landing on head

2009-11-08T11:19:00.000+08:00

Running back Jahvid Best taken to the emergency room after landing on his head while scoring a touchdown for California. Best leapt in the air and was flipped over by Oregon State defender Cameron Collins on the play in the second quarter.

When he hit the ground after the the drop to the ground, Best lost his helmet. Paramedics removed his jersey and Best was on oxygen when carted away. The game was delayed 13 minutes as he was tended to in the end zone.

Cal spokesman Herb Benenson said that a preliminary evaluation showed Best sustained a concussion, but more tests were being done before a final diagnosis would be announced by the school. Best had movement in all of his extremities, Benenson said.

The injury to one of the nation's top players silenced the Golden Bears crowd at Memorial Stadium. His teammates went down on their knees and waited, then moved to the end zone as trainers and doctors took him away on a stretcher.

Droid Phone Reviews

2009-11-08T00:34:00.001+08:00

The Droid Motorola, presented on Wednesday 6 November and is available from Verizon, is the latest smartphone based on Google’s Android operating system, designed for phones as powerful as a PC.
It is the first phone built with the latest 2.0 version of Android, and Google first phone from Verizon, which has been heavily marketing. It costs $ 199.99 (with a two-year contract), can handle corporate email and have a faster Internet browser.
The Verizon-ins are usually absent, such as V CAST service entertainment. Instead, Google is all Droid – with links to Gmail (you can choose another email provider if you want), Google Calendar, Maps and YouTube.
There are 12,000 applications available, including Pandora and Imeem for music and Weather.
In their ads, Verizon is unmatched in the iPhone by Droid play three key features: a physical keyboard, the ability to run more than one application at a time and the ability to customize the home screen. I heard the radio service Pandora Internet in the background while composing an e-mail (cool!) And moved around the icons on the home screen.
But the physical keyboard is no picnic. Because the letters and numbers are united in the same key, so was difficult to access my Google of letters and numbers that I gave up and created another account. Fortunately, there is a virtual keyboard – just like the iPhone – which is much softer.
The coolest feature is new Google Maps application that provides audio turn-by-step directions and photo of Google’s Street View neighborhoods.

20/20 Rihanna interview

2009-11-07T20:02:00.000+08:00

LOS ANGELES, November 7: 20/20 Rihanna interview, Rihanna's forehead and 20/20 rihanna. Viewers who were glued to their television sets were shocked to know about R&B singer Rihanna’s ordeal.

The popular singer was baring her heart to the audience. She said that the attack by her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown that fateful night had left her bruised and devastated.

Brown had had bitten her, put her in a headlock and left her bleeding and swollen.

"It wasn't the same person that says 'I love you.' It was not those...eyes," Rihanna told Diane Sawyer in an interview on ABC television's "Good Morning America" show.

"He had...no soul in his eyes. Just blank...He was clearly blacked out. There was no person when I looked at him," the 21-year-old singer said.

Singer Brown, 20, who became a star after his song "Kiss, Kiss," was paid a heavy price for his misdemeanor. He was sentenced to five years probation and 180 hours of community service for the assault in February on the eve of the Grammy Awards.

It is another story that after realizing his folly he has apologized publicly. And it was after this event that the pair briefly reunited to split later on.

Rihanna said she now has "no desire at all to be with him."

Yankees Win World Series!

2009-11-05T22:25:00.000+08:00

Andy Pettitte pitched effectively with three days rest and Hideki Matsui was the hitting star as the New York Yankees defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 Wednesday night to win the 2009 World Series four games to two.
Pettitte gets the win by pitching into the sixth inning, allowing three runs. Matsui was the big bat driving in six of the seven runs the Yanks scored in the game. New York wins its 27th World Series title but its first since the 2000 season.

Matsui was also named the World Series MVP while Pettitte won a clinching game of a postseason series for the sixth time.

The Yankees chased starter and loser Pedro Martinez early as they took a 2-0 lead they would never relinquish. The Yankees finished off Martinez and built a 7-1 lead before Ryan Howard hit a two run homer off Pettitte but the New York bullpen saved the day for the winners.

Brian Westbrook, Byron Westbrook's brother, hurt; NFL must upgrade helmets

2009-10-27T16:03:00.000+08:00

The ESPN Monday Night Football contest between two NFC East foes the Philadelphia Eagles visiting the Washington Redskins wasn't that at all. The Redskins lost a game they could have won 27 to 10, but for their sloppy play. But there was a more important story.
Unfortunately Redskins cornerback Byron Westbrook and the Eagles, the Eagles' Running Back Brian Westbrook suffered a major concussion and did not return for the game. He should not have.

Westbrook was on the ground for a while - an eternity it seemed - before he got up. His brother Byron Westbrook came over to be by his side. I hope I never in my life see a player die on the football field, especially on national television.
What this points to is the need for new helmet technology. What I don't understand is why the NFL uses basically the same helmets as were employed 20 years ago. Why can't someone make a helmet that can compress an impact and stop or at least slow it before it harms the brain?
According to my Internet research, Riddell's "Revolution" helmet is the first one designed specifically to reduce or eliminate concussions. While that comes from the helmet maker, it's not hard to be concerned over the news that its the first new helmet technology in a quarter century.
We as a culture and the NFL and NCAA have to make the creation of a helmet that comes as close to making concussions a thing of the past a top priority. Today's football players are amazingly fast and strong; so much so that they seem to have pushed the limits of what's currently used. Let's hope we never see a day when those limits are reached.

Halloween on Ice

2009-10-26T08:58:00.000+08:00

Halloween on Ice -Mannheim Steamroller accompanies Nancy Kerrigan and other skating stars for Halloween on Ice! This icy Halloween show will air Friday at 8 p.m. on Hallmark.

Pie-splattered comedian Soupy Sales dies at 83

2009-10-23T14:04:00.001+08:00

DETROIT (AP) - Soupy Sales, the rubber-faced comedian whose anything-for-a-chuckle career was built on 20,000 pies to the face and 5,000 live TV appearances across a half-century of laughs, has died. He was 83. Sales died at Thursday night at Calvary Hospice in the Bronx, New York, said his former manager and longtime friend, Dave Usher. Sales had many health problems and entered the hospice last week, Usher said.

'Glee': Bust a move, Sweet Caroline

2009-10-22T15:58:00.000+08:00

Tonight on "Glee," there are no music mash-ups but there are some great real ones. Sue gets a date, Will and Sue swing dance. But the best? Puck and Rachel make out!

Your regularly scheduled recapper Liz had an apartment emergency tonight and I am so privileged to be stepping in for her. I love "Glee" so much you don't even know.

Finn & Quinn
The Hockey Jocks (HoJos) have waged war on Finn for joining the glee club and Quinn for being the pregnant "Queen of the Chastity Club." Even his own football players won't listen to Finn anymore. My boyfriend comments, "Just whup someone's ass." Yep. Kick one dude's butt and the rest will back down.

Ken & Emma & Will
Ken and Emma have decided to get married in Hawaii. For their first dance, Emma wants "I Could've Danced All Night" and Ken wants "The Thong Song." Oh dear. They ask Will to do a mash-up of the two songs and to give them dance lessons. When he dances all sexy for Emma to the "Thong Song" you can practically see the little cartoon hearts dancing around her head. Of course Ken sees, so what does he do? Schedules a football practice during glee club practice so that the guys who do both have to choose. Jerk.

Will confronts him about the conflicting practices but Ken gets to the real problem: that he is a consolation prize for Emma. Will tells him he doesn't have to worry about that anymore, but Ken still says the practice stays so the kids can decide who's first choice and who's a consolation prize. I guess pettiness doesn't end in high school.

The next day, Will goes wedding dress shopping with Emma (way to discourage her, Will) and of course she looks like a vision in white. My boyfriend goes, "Who does she look like? It's the hair and the gloves... 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.'" I'm going to say I like that he knows his Audrey Hepburn... and just leave it at that.

Will and Emma dance (to see if she can dance in the dress) as she sings "I Could've Danced All Night" and wow, she has a nice voice! She's no Julie Andrews, but she'll do. It's a lovely scene but he tells her he has to go and fills her in on Ken's ultimatum.

Luckily (and somewhat unbelievably) the players choose glee over football. Except Finn. And when he has to throw a slushee on Kurt, Kurt does it for him and tells him to stop and think if any football players would've done that for Finn.

Will talks some sense into Finn about seizing this opportunity to create who he is and stop letting others decide. So Finn tells Ken he doesn't want to have to choose and Ken cancels the Thursday practice. Meanwhile, Will goes to Emma about how he can't make their wedding mash-up work and they agree it's because those two songs don't go together.

Finn comes back to glee with apology slushees in tow and Quinn drops the bomb that she's been ditched from the Cheerios. Will assures her that they'll be there to clean slushee off her, then the team douses him with slushee because he's never had one.

Rachel & Puck
Turns out Puck had a sex dream about Rachel, so when they're at her house rehearsing their mash-up they make out. AWESOME. But she stops because she says she can't be with a guy not man enough to do a solo (what she really means is a guy who isn't Finn). But it inspires Puck to perform "Sweet Caroline" in Glee. Quinn, Rachel and every girl watching swoons.

Of course, the HoJos don't like him in glee or parading around with Rachel so he gets splashed with slushee too. He tells Rachel he's choosing football over glee but he changes his mind. He and Rachel talk about how she likes Finn and he likes Quinn, so they won't work out. Awww. Darnit!

Sue & Rod
Sue gets asked out by an anchor from the news show where she does Sue's Corner. She is surprised but says yes and then tells Will she's in love after one date (of playing battleship, no less). Will teaches her to dance because Rod asked her to a dance-a-thon.

She shows up in a PIMPIN' zoot suit and catches Rod making out with his co-anchor (her name is Andrea, boooo). Sue is crushed. Awwww. But getting flung like that turns her right back into the bitch we all know and love.

RAT CHEESE

2009-10-22T15:45:00.000+08:00

UCLA scientists now claim that middle aged and elderly males that frequently use the internet may have better brain function than their male counterparts who do not surf the web. The work from UCLA demonstrates that web activity can help stimulate and possibly improve brain function. The study looked at 24 neurologically normal individuals between the ages of 55-76. Half the group had experience with the internet and the other half were clueless about cyberspace. Age and education levels were similar between the groups.
While performing web searches, the researchers evaluated brain function using magnetic resonance imaging scans. Study participants who were internet savvy showed significantly more brain activity while surfing than those who had no experience with cyberspace.
The researchers did not look at whether surfing for porn also increased brain activity.
So what are individuals searching on a Wednesday morning on Google?
Looking at searches performed today based on Google keywords, it reveals that rat cheese, chuck E cheese coupons, fat rat and Steve Philips top the list. If anyone thinks that surfing on the above key words is great for brain enlightening- you need some rat cheese.

Uroclub: The Ultimate Relief For A Golfer!

2009-10-21T13:39:00.000+08:00

What is UROCLUB?

Uroclub is a new form of whizzinator. It is a sanitary mode for urgent relief. It contains a reservoir and built into the grip to relieve yourself.

When you relieve yourself, the privacy shield of the uroclub hooks to the sides of the pants or belt and adds stability. The entire club and zipper are made of non-porous material and therefore leak proof. It also makes the cleaning of the equipment effortless.

Uroclub contains almost half a litre of urine. This is twice the volume of common urination. It has the length of standard 7 iron.

Dr. Floyd Seskin, a Board Certified Urologist created this revolutionary sanitary ware. The towel around the Uroclub hides the equipment from the spectator view. Now, there is no more peeing around trees and bushes.

Apple's Impressive Earnings

2009-10-20T16:49:00.001+08:00

Apple’s earnings have continued to top analysts estimates so. The entire generation wants only apple products.
The iconic company Apple Inc on Monday posted record computer and iPhone sales and its second-highest quarterly revenue tally on record. Those standout results helped send the company’s stock up to near a record high.
Apple’s Fourth-quarter net income rose 47 percent to $1.67 billion, or $1.82 a share, Sales advanced 25 % to $9.87 billion in the period, which ended Sept. 26.
Apple shares climbed as much as $14.99, or 7.9 %, to $204.85 in late trading, exceeding the intraday record of $202.96 set in 2007. The shares, which have more than doubled this year, closed at $189.86 on monday at the Nasdaq Stock Market.
Apple’s shares are trading at such an apex level that has not been noticed since the iPhone first emerged as a hit product two years ago, when the handset opened up a third major business for the company.
No doubt Apple’s growth slowed during the recession but earnings have continued to top analysts estimates. A faster iPhone called the 3GS debuted this year, boosting sales.

Schwarzenegger to Shriver: Put down the cell phone

2009-10-14T17:55:00.001+08:00

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is calling out his wife, Maria Shriver, for apparently violating a state law he signed — holding her cell phone while driving.
The celebrity Web site TMZ.com posted two photographs Tuesday showing Shriver holding a phone to her ear while she's behind the wheel. It says one was snapped Sunday and the other in July.
The Web site later added a video it said was shot Tuesday in Brentwood, where the family lives. It shows Shriver holding a cell phone to her ear while driving a large SUV that appears to be a Cadillac Escalade. She then puts the phone down while the camera is rolling.
The first lady's office said it would have no comment.
On his Twitter feed, Schwarzenegger wrote to TMZ.com founder Harvey Levin: "Thanks for bringing her violations to my attention. There's going to be swift action."
Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear says that by "swift action," the governor means he'll ask his wife not to hold the phone while driving.
In a note accompanying the video, TMZ responded to Schwarzenegger's tweet by saying, "... your scofflaw wife was at it again."
A law that took effect in July 2008 requires California drivers to use a handsfree device when talking on cell phones.
Since then, the California Highway Patrol has issued more than 150,000 citations. That figure does not include citations issued by local police.
Drivers who are spotted by law enforcement officers holding a cell phone to their ear are subject to fines of at least $20 for the first ticket and $50 for subsequent tickets, plus additional fees.
In Los Angeles County, where Brentwood is located, the Superior Court has set the cost at about $93 for the first ticket and $201 for the next one, meaning Shriver would owe at least $300 in fines and court fees had she been caught by police.
Schwarzenegger has previously praised the regulation and said he warned his then-16-year-old daughter that if she ever violated the law, "she'll be taking the bus."

Marge Simpson, Hits Playboy Cover

2009-10-14T05:03:00.004+08:00

Marge Simpson, The cover of the Playboy Magazine. Whew! this is one of a kind!

The Marge Simpson edition of Playboy is a magazine marketing ploy and a tribute to the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons.

According to Hugh Hefner who raved at CNN about Marge Simpson:

Marge Simpson is the quintessential girl next door who stole our hearts 20 years ago and has held them captive ever since. We were delighted to learn she wanted to grace the pages of our magazine. Her pictorial is truly stunning.

LOL! don't you just love marge?! heheheh.... do you think his husband's gonna like it? mmmm.....

The Mystery Google

2009-10-13T20:05:00.001+08:00

A strange Google spin-off that gives you someone else’s search results, is the latest Google-related web enigma.

The site – www.mysterygoogle.com – says that “you get what the person before you searched for”.

In practice this means you get, to all intents and purposes, entirely random search results. A search for “Benjamin Franklin” brought back the Google search page for “Tengo mucha hambre” – Spanish for “I am very hungry” – while looking for “David Cameron MPs expenses” returned, gnomically, “oatmeal”.

Of course, these results are a one-off. Next time the same searches may return “the Franco-Prussian war” or “cheesecake recipes”.

Pressing I’m Feeling Lucky, of course, is even more of an exercise in randomness than usual. A search for “Michael Jackson” took us to something strange called The Exorcist Scary Maze Game.

The appearance of the site comes just weeks after the "Google Doodles" incidents. A series of UFO-related Google logos on the homepage led to a flurry of speculation.

It was eventually revealed that they were in honour of the the birthday of The War of the Worlds author HG Wells.

At the time of writing it was not clear whether Mystery Google is affiliated with the usual, non-mysterious Google. The Telegraph has asked for a comment from Google’s UK offices, but so far has not received a reply.

What is Degos disease or Dago disease?

2009-10-13T16:24:00.000+08:00

Degos Disease seems to be a disease of the blood vessels - a thrombotic vasculopathy. Cells in the linings of the walls of the medium and small veins and arteries under the skin swell when they become inflamed.

This causes the blood flow to be restricted.

Where this happens, spots (lesions) appear on the skin. They are small and red, slightly raised (we are building up a library of photos of Degos skin lesions on this web site: if you have any more photos, please let us know).

As they develop, the centre becomes dry and white (atrophic). Sometimes the spots itch.

Degos lesionsYou can see some typical lesions in the picture inset on the left and at the following site:
http://tray.dermatology.uiowa.edu/Degos01.htm

In some people, the disease stays at this stage and other symptoms do not develop. We know of one patient who was diagnosed in 1973 and is still well and working full-time.

Be aware that information on some sites is inaccurate . You will read statistics and numbers which might scare you - but they are often based on projections and on published case reports. There are lots of Degos patients whose cases haven’t been written up and who are alive and well.

There are also lots of confident assertions which just aren’t true! For example: “This disease affects mainly young men” - not in our experience! Or “The lesions don’t appear on the soles of the feet” - wrong again! Percentages and actual numbers can’t be right, as no-one has compared living patients until now. Take it all with a pinch of salt and add your experience to our site and to the data being collected in Dessau, Germany.

Our collective knowledge will make the difference between assertive inaccuracies on medical sites and clear truth on this Degos Disease site.

Most of us are leading full and normal lives. Some patients have a few lesions on the skin; others have hundreds. We don’t yet know if numbers are significant.

Sometimes the disease affects blood vessels in other parts of the body. Most commonly, the gut, the central nervous system or the eyes are involved.

Most case histories in the medical literature are of ‘worst case’ scenarios.

Detailed article about Degos Disease by Noah S Scheinfeld, MD, JD, FAAD. http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic931.htm

Other names for Degos disease are:

    * Malignant atrophic papulosis
    * Köhlmeier - Degos disease
    * Köhlmeier disease
    * Degos - Köhlmeier disease
    * Degos disease
    * Degos syndrome
    * Erythrokeratoderma en cocardes
    * Thromboangiitis obliterans (courtesy: degosdisease.com)