Facebook Launches 'Facebook Live' Video Channel
Facebook on Friday launched its own video streaming channel, intended to keep users updated on what's happening at the social-networking site.
Facebook Live is about "capturing activity already happening at Facebook and showing it to the people who use the service," a Facebook spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
The service, powered by Livestream, will feature videos from Facebook staff and is not intended as a platform for Facebook users to showcase their own videos – or a means for Facebook to get into the video distribution space.
"Facebook Live is a natural extension of our blog and is a way to communicate with our users more directly," the spokeswoman said. "The company has no plans to get into content production."
All the content shown on Facebook Live will have some tie-in with Facebook products, features, or how people are using the site. If a celebrity stops by Facebook, the company introduces a new product, or hosts a special event, staffers will be Facebook Live with more details, the company said.
The service will kick off Friday with an appearance by "Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera. She will stop by Facebook to discuss her new movie "The Dry Land," which is being promoted via social media channels like Facebook rather than traditional media. Her interview will air live starting at 6pm Eastern time.
Facebook Live will include an "Ask a Question" feature, which will let viewers submit questions to a moderator. A Live Feed feature lets users update their status with Facebook Live information. The offering is also an app that can be added as a Facebook tab to any Page, where videos will stream live. Videos can also be archived and distributed as future reference materials.
Dr laura-apologize for th e N-word rant
Dr. Laura Schlessinger's habit of spouting incendiary remarks continues.
The controversial talk-radio host apologized for using the N-word during a rant on Tuesday's program in which she went off on an African-American caller, accusing her of being overly sensitive to racism.
"Yesterday, I did the wrong thing," Schlessinger said in comments at the opening of Wednesday's show. "I didn't intend to hurt people, but I did. And that makes it the wrong thing to have done."
Listen to her full apology here.
The incident began when the longtime syndicated radio personality took a call from "Jade," who asked her how to handle what she felt were racist remarks from white relatives and friends of her husband, who's also white.
But instead of addressing the issue at hand, Dr. Laura interrupted Jade after the latter mentioned family members' flagrant use of the N-word. She then repeated the slur several times after noting from the confines of her cozy studio the hypocrisy of black comics on HBO employing the N-word word consistently in their stand-up acts.
Wonder what Chris Rock thinks about that one?
After a quick break, Jade replied that she was taken aback by Schlessinger's casual use of a slight that historically has been uttered to denigrate African-Americans.
The good doctor then chastised the caller for allegedly taking her out of context and expressed bafflement that in an era where the U.S. has a black president, "we have more complaining about racism than ever."
"I didn't call anybody a n---er. Nice try, Jade. Actually sucky try. You need a sense of humor," cracked Dr. Laura in a snarky aside before suggesting, "Maybe you shouldn't marry outside your race."
The tirade was subsequently edited out of an audio recording on the show's website.
But Schlessinger, who was once picketed by gay groups in 2000 for calling homosexuality a "biological error," prompting a boycott and her TV show's cancellation, drew quick condemnation from various politicians and civil rights leaders. Among them was the Rev. Al Sharpton, head of the National Action Network who told CNN her logic that the N-word wasn't offensive was "extremely disturbing."
"At no point did she say that even during all of that it was wrong. It's wrong even if blacks say it," he said.
Dr. Laura seems to have realized the error of her outspoken ways in her mea culpa.
"I was attempting to make a philosophical point, and I articulated the N-word all the way out—more than one time. And that was wrong. I'll say it again—that was wrong," she said. "I ended up, I'm sure, with many of you losing the point I was trying to make, because you were shocked by the fact that I said the word. I, myself, realized I had made a horrible mistake, and was so upset I could not finish the show."
Schlessinger then read a letter on the air from an African-American listener who said she wasn't sure she'd listen to her radio show anymore after being offended by her rant. She then implored Jade to call her back so she could do her "best to be helpful, which is what she wanted from me in the first place and what she did not get."
Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b195230_dr_laura_sorry_n-word_rant.html#ixzz0wWbJ9IQy
The controversial talk-radio host apologized for using the N-word during a rant on Tuesday's program in which she went off on an African-American caller, accusing her of being overly sensitive to racism.
"Yesterday, I did the wrong thing," Schlessinger said in comments at the opening of Wednesday's show. "I didn't intend to hurt people, but I did. And that makes it the wrong thing to have done."
Listen to her full apology here.
The incident began when the longtime syndicated radio personality took a call from "Jade," who asked her how to handle what she felt were racist remarks from white relatives and friends of her husband, who's also white.
But instead of addressing the issue at hand, Dr. Laura interrupted Jade after the latter mentioned family members' flagrant use of the N-word. She then repeated the slur several times after noting from the confines of her cozy studio the hypocrisy of black comics on HBO employing the N-word word consistently in their stand-up acts.
Wonder what Chris Rock thinks about that one?
After a quick break, Jade replied that she was taken aback by Schlessinger's casual use of a slight that historically has been uttered to denigrate African-Americans.
The good doctor then chastised the caller for allegedly taking her out of context and expressed bafflement that in an era where the U.S. has a black president, "we have more complaining about racism than ever."
"I didn't call anybody a n---er. Nice try, Jade. Actually sucky try. You need a sense of humor," cracked Dr. Laura in a snarky aside before suggesting, "Maybe you shouldn't marry outside your race."
The tirade was subsequently edited out of an audio recording on the show's website.
But Schlessinger, who was once picketed by gay groups in 2000 for calling homosexuality a "biological error," prompting a boycott and her TV show's cancellation, drew quick condemnation from various politicians and civil rights leaders. Among them was the Rev. Al Sharpton, head of the National Action Network who told CNN her logic that the N-word wasn't offensive was "extremely disturbing."
"At no point did she say that even during all of that it was wrong. It's wrong even if blacks say it," he said.
Dr. Laura seems to have realized the error of her outspoken ways in her mea culpa.
"I was attempting to make a philosophical point, and I articulated the N-word all the way out—more than one time. And that was wrong. I'll say it again—that was wrong," she said. "I ended up, I'm sure, with many of you losing the point I was trying to make, because you were shocked by the fact that I said the word. I, myself, realized I had made a horrible mistake, and was so upset I could not finish the show."
Schlessinger then read a letter on the air from an African-American listener who said she wasn't sure she'd listen to her radio show anymore after being offended by her rant. She then implored Jade to call her back so she could do her "best to be helpful, which is what she wanted from me in the first place and what she did not get."
Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b195230_dr_laura_sorry_n-word_rant.html#ixzz0wWbJ9IQy
Android has taken over iphone round the globe
Analysts say Android passing iOS, near BlackBerry
Android is now larger than the iPhone on the world stage, analysts at Gartner said today. Google's phone platform jumped to 10.6 million phones sold, or enough to overtake the iPhone and take 17.2 percent of the market. The researchers believe Apple sold more iPhones than it shipped, at 8.47 million, but the higher number was still enough to put it at fourth place with 14.2 percent.
The biggest losers were those pushing established mobile operating systems; Symbian shipments didn't increase enough to prevent a steep collapse from 51 percent a year ago to 41.2 peercent today, while RIM's BlackBerry growth also wasn't enough to stop a slight slide to 18.2 percent, or just within striking distance of Android. Microsoft's deliberate decision to reboot its mobile strategy has seen Windows Mobile sink from 9.3 percent to just five percent, while the share of pure Linux phones has been cut in half to 2.4 percent.
Among individual cellphone makers of all kinds, Apple is keeping its lead over HTC secure and is now large enough at 2.7 percent to be within a tenth of a point of fading Motorola. It and Sony Ericsson faced the steepest relative drops as both of them are transitioning to smartphones, but Nokia and LG also lost share as their weaknesses in smartphones cost them share across the board.
Gartner expected a significant change in the summer, as launches were likely to shift the landscape in dramatic form. Apple would likely have had higher share if not for supply limits on the iPhone 4 launch and is due to grow. Such optimism wasn't reserved for RIM: the BlackBerry Torch is more for workers and will mostly just keep customers from abandoning an aging platform.
Apple is also likely to overtake Motorola and Sony Ericsson, as their transitions to smartphones are still underway and may see them continue to shed sales of high volume but unprofitable low-end phones. In the longer term, a Verizon iPhone could mute Android's push as some Verizon subscribers may opt out of the Droid line for an iPhone instead.
The results don't reflect the total footprint of each mobile OS, as some are used beyond phones; Apple's total iOS share is much higher as it includes the 3.27 million iPads sold in the same period as well as the iPod touch.
Android is now larger than the iPhone on the world stage, analysts at Gartner said today. Google's phone platform jumped to 10.6 million phones sold, or enough to overtake the iPhone and take 17.2 percent of the market. The researchers believe Apple sold more iPhones than it shipped, at 8.47 million, but the higher number was still enough to put it at fourth place with 14.2 percent.
The biggest losers were those pushing established mobile operating systems; Symbian shipments didn't increase enough to prevent a steep collapse from 51 percent a year ago to 41.2 peercent today, while RIM's BlackBerry growth also wasn't enough to stop a slight slide to 18.2 percent, or just within striking distance of Android. Microsoft's deliberate decision to reboot its mobile strategy has seen Windows Mobile sink from 9.3 percent to just five percent, while the share of pure Linux phones has been cut in half to 2.4 percent.
Among individual cellphone makers of all kinds, Apple is keeping its lead over HTC secure and is now large enough at 2.7 percent to be within a tenth of a point of fading Motorola. It and Sony Ericsson faced the steepest relative drops as both of them are transitioning to smartphones, but Nokia and LG also lost share as their weaknesses in smartphones cost them share across the board.
Gartner expected a significant change in the summer, as launches were likely to shift the landscape in dramatic form. Apple would likely have had higher share if not for supply limits on the iPhone 4 launch and is due to grow. Such optimism wasn't reserved for RIM: the BlackBerry Torch is more for workers and will mostly just keep customers from abandoning an aging platform.
Apple is also likely to overtake Motorola and Sony Ericsson, as their transitions to smartphones are still underway and may see them continue to shed sales of high volume but unprofitable low-end phones. In the longer term, a Verizon iPhone could mute Android's push as some Verizon subscribers may opt out of the Droid line for an iPhone instead.
The results don't reflect the total footprint of each mobile OS, as some are used beyond phones; Apple's total iOS share is much higher as it includes the 3.27 million iPads sold in the same period as well as the iPod touch.
super bug study in india
India angry over medical 'superbug' study
By Giles Hewitt (AFP) – 46 minutes ago
NEW DELHI — India has reacted angrily to a medical study linking Indian hospitals to a multi-resistant "superbug," with some politicians claiming a conspiracy against the country's booming medical tourism industry.
The study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, said health tourists flocking to South Asia had carried a new class of antibiotic-resistant superbug to Britain, and warned that it could spread worldwide.
In a strong statement issued late Thursday, the Indian health ministry criticised the report for scaremongering and took particular exception to the naming of the NDM-1 bacteria -- or "New Delhi metallo-lactamase-1".
The ministry acknowledged that such bacteria might circulate more widely with advances in international travel.
"But to link this with the safety of surgery in hospitals in India and citing isolated examples to show that... India is not a safe place to visit, is wrong," the statement said.
"We strongly refute the naming of the enzyme... and also refute that hospitals in India are not safe for treatment including medical tourism."
The NDM-1 gene was first identified last year by Cardiff University's Timothy Walsh in two types of bacteria -- Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli -- in a Swedish patient admitted to hospital in India.
Worryingly, the new NDM-1-carrying bacteria are resistant even to carbapenems, a group of antibiotics often reserved as a last resort for emergency treatment for multi-drug resistant bugs.
Researchers said the bugs had been brought into Britain by patients who travelled to India or Pakistan for cosmetic surgery.
South Asia, and India in particular, is undergoing a medical tourism boom, with swanky new hospitals and well-trained medical staff offering everything from facelifts to fertility treatments and open-heart surgery at half the price of western Europe.
The Lancet study was mentioned in India's parliament with some angry MPs denouncing what they saw as a plot by global pharmaceutical firms.
"When India is emerging as a medical tourism destination, this type of news is unfortunate and may be a sinister design of multi-national companies," said Hindu-nationalist MP SS Ahluwalia.
India has been criticised in the past for having a loose policy on antibiotics use, with the result that they are over-prescribed and over-used to the point where resistant strains become more common.
V.M. Katoch, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, told AFP that multiple drug resistance was "always a concern".
"But when you draw conclusions that link it to a specific country, then you are going too far," Katoch said.
"When you link it to our antibiotics policy... say it is dangerous to get operated on in India and that you will get more infections, that is totally irrational."
In the new study, led by Walsh and Chennai University's Karthikeyan Kumarasamy, researchers set out to determine how common the NDM-1-carrying bacteria were in South Asia and Britain, where several cases had turned up.
Checking hospital patients with suspected symptoms, they found 44 cases -- 1.5 percent of those screened -- in Chennai, and 26 (eight percent of those screened) in Haryana, both in India.
They likewise found the superbug in Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as 37 cases in Britain, some in patients who had recently returned from having cosmetic surgery in India or Pakistan
Anil Chadha, a senior plastic surgeon in the west Indian city of Ahmedabad, said the way the study had been reported in the media was bound to scare off some foreigners.
"People will think twice before coming to India for a treatment. I think the reports are economically motivated to prevent patients coming here," Chadha told AFP.
Another plastic surgeon, K.M Kapoor, based in the northern city of Mohali, agreed that the study was being used to "malign" India's health system.
"And naming the bug after New Delhi is simply ridiculous," he added
By Giles Hewitt (AFP) – 46 minutes ago
NEW DELHI — India has reacted angrily to a medical study linking Indian hospitals to a multi-resistant "superbug," with some politicians claiming a conspiracy against the country's booming medical tourism industry.
The study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, said health tourists flocking to South Asia had carried a new class of antibiotic-resistant superbug to Britain, and warned that it could spread worldwide.
In a strong statement issued late Thursday, the Indian health ministry criticised the report for scaremongering and took particular exception to the naming of the NDM-1 bacteria -- or "New Delhi metallo-lactamase-1".
The ministry acknowledged that such bacteria might circulate more widely with advances in international travel.
"But to link this with the safety of surgery in hospitals in India and citing isolated examples to show that... India is not a safe place to visit, is wrong," the statement said.
"We strongly refute the naming of the enzyme... and also refute that hospitals in India are not safe for treatment including medical tourism."
The NDM-1 gene was first identified last year by Cardiff University's Timothy Walsh in two types of bacteria -- Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli -- in a Swedish patient admitted to hospital in India.
Worryingly, the new NDM-1-carrying bacteria are resistant even to carbapenems, a group of antibiotics often reserved as a last resort for emergency treatment for multi-drug resistant bugs.
Researchers said the bugs had been brought into Britain by patients who travelled to India or Pakistan for cosmetic surgery.
South Asia, and India in particular, is undergoing a medical tourism boom, with swanky new hospitals and well-trained medical staff offering everything from facelifts to fertility treatments and open-heart surgery at half the price of western Europe.
The Lancet study was mentioned in India's parliament with some angry MPs denouncing what they saw as a plot by global pharmaceutical firms.
"When India is emerging as a medical tourism destination, this type of news is unfortunate and may be a sinister design of multi-national companies," said Hindu-nationalist MP SS Ahluwalia.
India has been criticised in the past for having a loose policy on antibiotics use, with the result that they are over-prescribed and over-used to the point where resistant strains become more common.
V.M. Katoch, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, told AFP that multiple drug resistance was "always a concern".
"But when you draw conclusions that link it to a specific country, then you are going too far," Katoch said.
"When you link it to our antibiotics policy... say it is dangerous to get operated on in India and that you will get more infections, that is totally irrational."
In the new study, led by Walsh and Chennai University's Karthikeyan Kumarasamy, researchers set out to determine how common the NDM-1-carrying bacteria were in South Asia and Britain, where several cases had turned up.
Checking hospital patients with suspected symptoms, they found 44 cases -- 1.5 percent of those screened -- in Chennai, and 26 (eight percent of those screened) in Haryana, both in India.
They likewise found the superbug in Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as 37 cases in Britain, some in patients who had recently returned from having cosmetic surgery in India or Pakistan
Anil Chadha, a senior plastic surgeon in the west Indian city of Ahmedabad, said the way the study had been reported in the media was bound to scare off some foreigners.
"People will think twice before coming to India for a treatment. I think the reports are economically motivated to prevent patients coming here," Chadha told AFP.
Another plastic surgeon, K.M Kapoor, based in the northern city of Mohali, agreed that the study was being used to "malign" India's health system.
"And naming the bug after New Delhi is simply ridiculous," he added
Trojan virus made away with $1 million dollars
trojan virus discovered/stole over $1 millioin dollars
The Zeus Trojan, called the “most dangerous virus ever created” has stolen £675,000 from a British financial institution, and it isn’t done yet.
It is like the plot of a Hollywood movie, only the bad guys are definitely winning so far. Earlier this week, the internet security group M86 uncovered a Trojan virus targeting an unnamed financial institution in the UK. The “Zeus Trojan” has already siphoned off over $1 million from over 3,000 British customers between July 5 and August 4, and it shows no signs of stopping.
The thefts were discovered after M86 gained access to the command-and-control server in the Eastern Europe country of Moldova. As for the money, M86 could not give an exact location for where it was going, other than to suggest that it was heading into the former Soviet states- which likely meant that the money was going to the Russian mafia, or another Eastern European gang.
“We’ve never seen such a sophisticated and dangerous threat. Always check your balance and have a good idea of what it is.” M86 said in a security report released on Tuesday.
The Zeus Trojan, also known as Zbot has infected more than 37,000 computers in the UK through a drive-by download. Users visiting a compromised site would unknowingly receive the virus as a cookie, hidden as part of a legitimate ad on potentially any website.
Once the virus is on the computer, it waits until the user goes to their bank’s website — it is only one specific bank that has yet to be named as the investigation is ongoing — and then it intercepts password information before it can be encrypted. Once the trojan has access to the account, it checks to make sure that there is at least £800 available, then it begins to transfer anywhere up to £5,000 to various bank accounts. Once the transfer is complete, the virus then creates a false electronic statement to conceal the missing funds.
Most, if not all, of the victims will have their money reimbursed by the bank.
“In the vast majority of cases, if people had kept their computer’s operating systems and software such as Internet Explorer up to date they would not have been attacked,” Ed Rowley, product manager at M86 said, according to the Daily Mail.
“More often than not Trojans exploit known vulnerabilities that can be simply patched and fixed by downloading updates.”
Earlier this month, the UK based security group, Trusteer warned that more than 100,000 computers may have been infected with the Zeus Trojan, meaning that this is far from ove
The Zeus Trojan, called the “most dangerous virus ever created” has stolen £675,000 from a British financial institution, and it isn’t done yet.
It is like the plot of a Hollywood movie, only the bad guys are definitely winning so far. Earlier this week, the internet security group M86 uncovered a Trojan virus targeting an unnamed financial institution in the UK. The “Zeus Trojan” has already siphoned off over $1 million from over 3,000 British customers between July 5 and August 4, and it shows no signs of stopping.
The thefts were discovered after M86 gained access to the command-and-control server in the Eastern Europe country of Moldova. As for the money, M86 could not give an exact location for where it was going, other than to suggest that it was heading into the former Soviet states- which likely meant that the money was going to the Russian mafia, or another Eastern European gang.
“We’ve never seen such a sophisticated and dangerous threat. Always check your balance and have a good idea of what it is.” M86 said in a security report released on Tuesday.
The Zeus Trojan, also known as Zbot has infected more than 37,000 computers in the UK through a drive-by download. Users visiting a compromised site would unknowingly receive the virus as a cookie, hidden as part of a legitimate ad on potentially any website.
Once the virus is on the computer, it waits until the user goes to their bank’s website — it is only one specific bank that has yet to be named as the investigation is ongoing — and then it intercepts password information before it can be encrypted. Once the trojan has access to the account, it checks to make sure that there is at least £800 available, then it begins to transfer anywhere up to £5,000 to various bank accounts. Once the transfer is complete, the virus then creates a false electronic statement to conceal the missing funds.
Most, if not all, of the victims will have their money reimbursed by the bank.
“In the vast majority of cases, if people had kept their computer’s operating systems and software such as Internet Explorer up to date they would not have been attacked,” Ed Rowley, product manager at M86 said, according to the Daily Mail.
“More often than not Trojans exploit known vulnerabilities that can be simply patched and fixed by downloading updates.”
Earlier this month, the UK based security group, Trusteer warned that more than 100,000 computers may have been infected with the Zeus Trojan, meaning that this is far from ove
2010 meteor shower
The meteor showers are here again, who know what they are capable of doing. the sky scrapers of the united states are a great source of meteor showers and their happenings.click here to sky scrapers
Quayle's bump on road to Congress
Republican congressional candidate Ben Quayle’s glossy campaign photos and polished talking points paint for voters a portrait of a longtime Arizonan, accomplished attorney and family man who will bring a “new generation” to Washington.
The claims reflect the small biographical exaggerations that often accompany a political newcomer’s first campaign. The reality is that Quayle has held three jobs in four years, posed for pictures in campaign literature with children who were not his and grew up in Washington with a famous father, former Vice President Dan Quayle, whose influential friends have given generously to the younger Quayle’s campaign.
But Quayle, 33, has had to confront a much bigger credibility issue this week after a blogger revealed that he had once been a contributing writer for Dirty Scottsdale, a raunchy, sex-themed website that covered the club scene in his adopted hometown before morphing into the national gossip site TheDirty.com.
At first, Quayle denied the claim, telling POLITICO on Tuesday that he “was not involved in the site.” But hours later, after blogs, news websites and other media picked up the story, Quayle told several Phoenix TV stations that he had posted on the site “to try to drive some traffic.”
He continued to maintain, however, that he did not post under the pseudonym “Brock Landers,” the name of a porn star in the 1997 flick “Boogie Nights.”
All this has derailed the carefully managed political debut of an indisputably attractive candidate with a name that resonates in the conservative Southwest and who seemed well on his way to retracing his father’s steps to Congress.
Quayle’s connection to the site has undercut the carefully honed image of a conservative with strong family values, and his inept handling of its disclosure brings up a different association with the Quayle name — his father’s gaffe-prone history.
Quayle said the accusations are just the latest in a string of smears. But much of the damage has been self-inflicted.
In the mailer that became a campaign issue, Quayle was pictured with two young girls, whom the campaign later identified as his nieces. He appeared on the back of the flier with his wife, Tiffany Crane Quayle, whom he married in April.
“Tiffany and I live in this district and are going to raise our family here,” he states in the mailer. The couple has no children.
His opponents pounced on what they said was a blatant piece of image creation.
“It’s like a Hollywood scene they are trying to portray,” said Vernon Parker, the former Paradise Valley mayor who served in both the George H.W. and the George W. Bush administrations and is one of Quayle's nine opponents in the Aug. 24 primary.
Other opponents have made an issue of the money he has raised — two-thirds of which came from outside Arizona — especially the contributions from friends of his father, who was first elected to Congress from Indiana at age 29 and later served in the Senate
Read more:
The claims reflect the small biographical exaggerations that often accompany a political newcomer’s first campaign. The reality is that Quayle has held three jobs in four years, posed for pictures in campaign literature with children who were not his and grew up in Washington with a famous father, former Vice President Dan Quayle, whose influential friends have given generously to the younger Quayle’s campaign.
But Quayle, 33, has had to confront a much bigger credibility issue this week after a blogger revealed that he had once been a contributing writer for Dirty Scottsdale, a raunchy, sex-themed website that covered the club scene in his adopted hometown before morphing into the national gossip site TheDirty.com.
At first, Quayle denied the claim, telling POLITICO on Tuesday that he “was not involved in the site.” But hours later, after blogs, news websites and other media picked up the story, Quayle told several Phoenix TV stations that he had posted on the site “to try to drive some traffic.”
He continued to maintain, however, that he did not post under the pseudonym “Brock Landers,” the name of a porn star in the 1997 flick “Boogie Nights.”
All this has derailed the carefully managed political debut of an indisputably attractive candidate with a name that resonates in the conservative Southwest and who seemed well on his way to retracing his father’s steps to Congress.
Quayle’s connection to the site has undercut the carefully honed image of a conservative with strong family values, and his inept handling of its disclosure brings up a different association with the Quayle name — his father’s gaffe-prone history.
Quayle said the accusations are just the latest in a string of smears. But much of the damage has been self-inflicted.
In the mailer that became a campaign issue, Quayle was pictured with two young girls, whom the campaign later identified as his nieces. He appeared on the back of the flier with his wife, Tiffany Crane Quayle, whom he married in April.
“Tiffany and I live in this district and are going to raise our family here,” he states in the mailer. The couple has no children.
His opponents pounced on what they said was a blatant piece of image creation.
“It’s like a Hollywood scene they are trying to portray,” said Vernon Parker, the former Paradise Valley mayor who served in both the George H.W. and the George W. Bush administrations and is one of Quayle's nine opponents in the Aug. 24 primary.
Other opponents have made an issue of the money he has raised — two-thirds of which came from outside Arizona — especially the contributions from friends of his father, who was first elected to Congress from Indiana at age 29 and later served in the Senate
Read more:
Fasting for Ramadan around the world
Muslims praying
Muslims across the world are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan
Muslims across Africa, europe, asia, and environs and the world are marking the most important month in the Islamic calendar - Ramadan.
But one non-Muslim from Bradford is taking part in the holy month in a bid to gain a better understanding of how her Muslim friends are feeling.
Eilish Bromley works with the youth service in Bradford. She's not Muslim but will begin fasting this year.
She explains her reasons behind it.
She says: "I've got a lot friends who are Asian and they're fasting so I want to respect their religion and fast.
During this month, Muslims refrain from drinking, eating and other activities from dawn until sunset.
Fasting is intended to teach Muslims the virtues of patience, humility and spirituality, and is carried out as an offering to God.
Participants rise in the darkness to eat a pre-dawn meal called "suhur".
They must stop eating and drinking before the dawn call to prayer, and must not break their fast until the fourth call to prayer at dusk.
Muslims are expected to start observing the fasting ritual once they reach puberty, as long as they are healthy.
Eilish says: "I'm also trying to have a small understanding of what's going on around the world, people who are suffering in poverty, and I hope this will also help me gain more understanding about myself."
She says she will have to rise early around 3am, before dawn, to have her breakfast.
Eilish has fasted in the past and it's something she says she was glad she did and will be glad to do it again.
I'm also trying to have a small understanding of what's going on around the world. people who are suffering in poverty. I want to understand that.
Elish Bromley, Bradford
She explains: "I will try and eat the same amount I eat normally. I didn't notice any weight loss the last time I did it. I don't think you necessarily lose any weight.
"It's about trying to gain a better understanding of people and what they are going through, which is why I want to do it."
Fasting this year will be particularly difficult for British Muslims, for whom daylight fasting means going 17 hours without food.
The elderly, the chronically ill and the mentally ill are exempt from fasting, although the first two groups are expected to try to feed the poor instead.
The holiday of Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of the fasting period of Ramadan and the first day of the following month, which is called called Shawwal.
When fasting is over, celebrations are held and Muslims go to their mosques in their best clothes to say the first Eid prayer.
Muslims praying
Muslims across the world are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan
Muslims across Africa, europe, asia, and environs and the world are marking the most important month in the Islamic calendar - Ramadan.
But one non-Muslim from Bradford is taking part in the holy month in a bid to gain a better understanding of how her Muslim friends are feeling.
Eilish Bromley works with the youth service in Bradford. She's not Muslim but will begin fasting this year.
She explains her reasons behind it.
She says: "I've got a lot friends who are Asian and they're fasting so I want to respect their religion and fast.
During this month, Muslims refrain from drinking, eating and other activities from dawn until sunset.
Fasting is intended to teach Muslims the virtues of patience, humility and spirituality, and is carried out as an offering to God.
Participants rise in the darkness to eat a pre-dawn meal called "suhur".
They must stop eating and drinking before the dawn call to prayer, and must not break their fast until the fourth call to prayer at dusk.
Muslims are expected to start observing the fasting ritual once they reach puberty, as long as they are healthy.
Eilish says: "I'm also trying to have a small understanding of what's going on around the world, people who are suffering in poverty, and I hope this will also help me gain more understanding about myself."
She says she will have to rise early around 3am, before dawn, to have her breakfast.
Eilish has fasted in the past and it's something she says she was glad she did and will be glad to do it again.
I'm also trying to have a small understanding of what's going on around the world. people who are suffering in poverty. I want to understand that.
Elish Bromley, Bradford
She explains: "I will try and eat the same amount I eat normally. I didn't notice any weight loss the last time I did it. I don't think you necessarily lose any weight.
"It's about trying to gain a better understanding of people and what they are going through, which is why I want to do it."
Fasting this year will be particularly difficult for British Muslims, for whom daylight fasting means going 17 hours without food.
The elderly, the chronically ill and the mentally ill are exempt from fasting, although the first two groups are expected to try to feed the poor instead.
The holiday of Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of the fasting period of Ramadan and the first day of the following month, which is called called Shawwal.
When fasting is over, celebrations are held and Muslims go to their mosques in their best clothes to say the first Eid prayer.
Robert williams wishes for a vegas wedding
ROBBIE WILLIAMS was pushing for a low-key Las Vegas wedding - but decided against heading to Sin City after realising how long partner AYDA FIELD had been planning her perfect day.
The British pop star wed his American actress girlfriend at their Beverly Hills home on Saturday (07Aug10) with a small number of close friends and family in attendance.
Williams admits he initially wanted to escape to the bright lights of Vegas and have a quirky ceremony - but backtracked on the idea because it was the biggest day of Field's life.
He tells Britain's Hello magazine, "I didn't have those marital dreams that are ingrained in women. My idea, was 'Yeah, I love you, I'm yours for life, so why don't we just pop to Las Vegas and make it official?' But then I realised how important the day is to Ayda, and that she had a day planned in her head. I thought, 'Baby, whatever you want to do.' It's about the bride, isn't it?"
And Field reveals the pair was also considering escaping to the Bahamas for a beachside ceremony - but decided to stay at home because it felt "safe".
She adds, "We were thinking of a beach in the Bahamas, but August is hurricane season. We feel safe in this house - plus we wanted the doggies to be here."
Williams and Field snubbed bridesmaids and ushers at their nuptials - choosing to walk down the aisle accompanied by their eight dogs.
Comment on this story
Ted Steven plane crash
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Federal investigators have arrived at the scene of the Ted Stevens plane crash to begin examining the wreckage.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman said investigators had to hike to the scene and got there Wednesday afternoon. She said the engine was loosely attached to the frame, and that a wing was folded back at a 45-degree angle and had slightly penetrated the fuselage.
Hersman said her teams wanted to interview the four survivors Wednesday but couldn't because of their medical conditions.
She said investigators still don't know what caused the crash, but weather is one area being looked at. The crash killed the former Alaska senator and four others.
courtesy AP
National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman said investigators had to hike to the scene and got there Wednesday afternoon. She said the engine was loosely attached to the frame, and that a wing was folded back at a 45-degree angle and had slightly penetrated the fuselage.
Hersman said her teams wanted to interview the four survivors Wednesday but couldn't because of their medical conditions.
She said investigators still don't know what caused the crash, but weather is one area being looked at. The crash killed the former Alaska senator and four others.
courtesy AP
* Sport * US PGA Why Whistling Straits is a course to make Tiger Woods wince
There are lies, damn lies and then there are the world rankings, a mathematical formulation that would have us believe on the eve of the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, as it would on the eve of any major championship, that the most likely winner is the player ranked No1.
That man is Tiger Woods, as it has been for more than five years, but with the world No1's game plumbing hitherto uncharted depths – at least for him – it seems not even he believes he is the man to beat this week.
Whistling Straits, a long and relentless test on the shore of Lake Michigan, is not the place to recover from an 18-over-par tournament. Nor is it the place to find a golf swing although Woods, who today was seen in consultation with the swing coach Sean Foley for a second successive day, appears to have found the man who can help guide him out of the wilderness.
Foley is said to be a "genius" at what he does. He had better be, and he had better work quickly if Woods is to play himself into one of the eight automatic slots on the team or find favour with the US Ryder Cup captain, Corey Pavin.
"He is high up on my list,'' Pavin said when asked about the world No1's prospects of receiving one of his four captain's picks – a diplomatic choice of words which led to an angry exchange with a US television journalist who had earlier reported Pavin as saying: "Of course I'm going to pick him, he's the world No1."
It was an eventful day for the US captain, who moments earlier came to the defence of his European counterpart Colin Montgomerie, who was being asked questions about his personal life, saying: "Let's stick to golf subjects here." No doubt the start of tomorrow's opening round at Whistling Straits and the emphasis it will bring to events on the course will come as blessed relief to both captains, although it is questionable whether such relief will be shared by those who will go into tomorrow's first round believing they may have a better chance of winning a major championship.
Golf's burgeoning equality has been a conversation topic in recent months and with Woods woefully out of form, Phil Mickelson recovering from illness and Lee Westwood recuperating from injury in Portugal, it will be a recurring theme over the next four days. At least two dozen players have justifiable hopes of leaving with the Wannamaker Trophy in their arms, although perhaps no one will approach the task ahead with as much glee as Rory McIlroy, who was in no mood to understate his optimism.
"There are going to be a lot of guys here thinking that it is the right time for them to break through, and I'm definitely one of those guys," he said. "And you can never write the likes of Tiger and Phil off. But I definitely think guys have a lot better chance coming into this event with those two guys not playing great and Lee obviously not playing."
Confident words from a confident young man but for all his brilliance and for all that he has already had a couple of top-five finishes in majors, the 2009 US PGA at Hazeltine and at this year's Open, the young Ulsterman has yet to really contend over the back nine on Sunday. He has proved his talent as a player, but can he show his mettle in the sport's most exacting moment?
Then there is also the challenge presented by the course itself which, visually, looks like the links lands of McIlroy's native Ireland but which plays more like a US Open venue. There are upwards of 500 bunkers on the property and there is more than enough rough to open a highly profitable hay-concession stand. Throwing in swarms of mosquitoes and the promise of thunderstorms, as well as strengthening winds at the weekend, and what you have is a test of attrition as much as an examination of ability. In other words, it is unlikely to be pretty but it is sure to be compelling.
In such circumstances, the victory usually goes not to the player with the most talent but the player with sufficient talent and the greatest amount of determination, a plodder rather than a dashing blade such as McIlroy or Anthony Kim.
Wisconsin's favourite son Steve Stricker, the world No4, would have a chance to ascend to the No1 spot where he to win on Sunday and as the patron saint of plodders, not to mention a deadly putter (always a must when par is the height of a player's ambition), there are many thinking he could do exactly that.
There have been mentions in pre-tournament despatches, too, for the likes of Jeff Overton and Sean O'Hair, two of the better young US players showing good form on the PGA Tour in recent weeks.
Victory for any of those three Americans would mean another fresh member to the first major winner's club, along with this year's other new recruits Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen. There is something to be said for change and new faces, but the suspicion is that Whistling Straits is not a place for ingenues, young or even, like Stricker, 43 and middle-aged. It is a place for experience, for the tough-minded like Padraig Harrington.
The Irishman has finished inside the top-10 at his last two events, in Ireland and in Akron, and spoke earlier this week about rediscovering the game that won him three majors in the space of 12 months. If he has, then this week could belong to him.
Micheal jackson in a video game
Michael Jackson is one again in the news, this time for a number of reasons including his secret getaways to avoid his staff, details of a new video game and more. A recent article on ContactMusic.com has a former Michael Jackson aide calling him one of the rudest celebrities she knew:
"I remember a long time ago, I was working with Michael Jackson and he had a tunnel built which took him from the stage into the dressing room. He crawled into this big white tunnel so he didn't have to speak to any of us... ...He was probably the rudest (celebrity) because we all went up to meet him and he wouldn't speak to anyone, not even the crew who were beside him."
The Boombox, another Internet news site tailored to the music industry has some details on a possible video game featuring the late pop star, too:
Read more: http://www.thirdage.com/news/michael-jackson-making-headlines-rude-behavior-video-game-details_8-11-2010#ixzz0wLYIRTiC
PARIS Hilton appeared as Marilyn Monroe for the launch of her “Tease” fragance in Hollywood
PARIS HILTON CHANNELS MARILYN MONROE DURING FRAGRANCE LAUNCH – PICTURES!
Wednesday August 11, 2010
PARIS Hilton appeared as Marilyn Monroe for the launch of her “Tease” fragance at MyStudio in Hollywood on August 10, 2010.
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Someone needs to quit smoking pot…
Meanwhile, Hilton — who has been single since splitting from The Hills star Doug Reinhardt earlier this year — has reportedly been on several romantic dates with Las Vegas nightclub owner Cy Waits.
Paris and Cy couldn’t keep their hands off each other as Paris shot a new commercial for Devassa Beer in Long Beach, California, and one onlooker noted, “They are clearly enjoying every minute of their new relationship and aren’t afraid to show their feelings and affection for one another.”
Paris — who has previously dated Benji Madden, Rick Salomon, and model Jason Shaw — recently revealed she doesn’t want a famous boyfriend and is on the look out for a more low-key romance.
“It’s really hard in my position just being in a relationship, because so much goes along with it,” she said.
“The media are constantly making up stories and it’s just hard to know if you can trust a guy who has fame.
“I’d rather be with someone who’s not in the public eye — I think it just makes it easier, and I don’t know there’s so much that comes along with it. I’d rather be with someone who’s not in this world.”
Sap boosts renewable energy by 50%
Sap boosts renewable energy by 50%
Walldorf, Germany — Half of the energy used by software giant SAP now comes from renewable sources, moving the company closer to its goal of shrinking its carbon footprint 5 percent this year.
Virtualization tools are also helping the company use energy more efficiently in 2010, but an uptick in business activity has pushed business travel figures higher than they were one year ago. As a result, limiting employee air travel has become a top priority for SAP as it continues its long-term efforts to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
"While travel to support our customers is a priority for the organization, we are working to provide our employees greater insight into the situation and encourage travel alternatives such as virtual meetings," SAP said last week in its quarterly sustainability update. "As part of this effort we plan to invest further in Telepresence systems throughout our offices to support communications with customers, partners, employees and stakeholders."
The challenge of keeping emissions low once the economy gains steam is one many companies are grappling with, including 3M, Autodesk and PricewaterhouseCoopers, to name a few. In a recent ClimateBiz.com news story, SAP and Autodesk discussed how technology and videoconferencing tools would play a role in trimming emissions related to business travel, which tend to represent a large slice of overall carbon footprint for service-based companies.
Technology is also helping SAP track its emissions in real-time, and its SAP Carbon Impact OnDemand product has allowed the company to report its greenhouse gas emissions on a quarterly basis since the beginning of the year. In Q2, which ended in June, SAP shaved its worldwide emissions to 115,000 metric tonnes, compared to 120,000 metric tonnes in Q1.
Also in Q2, SAP joined the Sustainability Consortium inspired by Walmart and introduced a Supplier Code of Conduct that encourages suppliers to use sustainable business practices and use resources responsibly.
The company warned the unaudited emissions data do not incorporate acquisitions that closed in Q3. In Q4 SAP will release an Abatement Cost Curve showing the cost and potential CO2 emissions savings from a range of emissions reduction projects.
courtesy scooptimes!
Walldorf, Germany — Half of the energy used by software giant SAP now comes from renewable sources, moving the company closer to its goal of shrinking its carbon footprint 5 percent this year.
Virtualization tools are also helping the company use energy more efficiently in 2010, but an uptick in business activity has pushed business travel figures higher than they were one year ago. As a result, limiting employee air travel has become a top priority for SAP as it continues its long-term efforts to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
"While travel to support our customers is a priority for the organization, we are working to provide our employees greater insight into the situation and encourage travel alternatives such as virtual meetings," SAP said last week in its quarterly sustainability update. "As part of this effort we plan to invest further in Telepresence systems throughout our offices to support communications with customers, partners, employees and stakeholders."
The challenge of keeping emissions low once the economy gains steam is one many companies are grappling with, including 3M, Autodesk and PricewaterhouseCoopers, to name a few. In a recent ClimateBiz.com news story, SAP and Autodesk discussed how technology and videoconferencing tools would play a role in trimming emissions related to business travel, which tend to represent a large slice of overall carbon footprint for service-based companies.
Technology is also helping SAP track its emissions in real-time, and its SAP Carbon Impact OnDemand product has allowed the company to report its greenhouse gas emissions on a quarterly basis since the beginning of the year. In Q2, which ended in June, SAP shaved its worldwide emissions to 115,000 metric tonnes, compared to 120,000 metric tonnes in Q1.
Also in Q2, SAP joined the Sustainability Consortium inspired by Walmart and introduced a Supplier Code of Conduct that encourages suppliers to use sustainable business practices and use resources responsibly.
The company warned the unaudited emissions data do not incorporate acquisitions that closed in Q3. In Q4 SAP will release an Abatement Cost Curve showing the cost and potential CO2 emissions savings from a range of emissions reduction projects.
courtesy scooptimes!
A buried man found Alive after 50 hours in china
A man buried alive for over 50 hours was rescued from rubble by disaster relief workers in a rural Chinese town on Tuesday.
52-year-old Liu Ma Shendeng, who had been trapped in his collapsed apartment building, was sniffed out by trained dogs working with the rescue crews, The Associated Press reported.
Rescuers then dug by hand through the mud to pull him out, and carried him to medical attention on a stretcher.
Liu, whose nephew told CNN he was disabled and bedridden, was reported to be in a weak state but breathing normally.
The landslides in northwestern China have now claimed 702 victims, the AP reports, and over 1,000 people are still missing according to the government.
It remains unclear how many of the missing are actually in danger or just unable to confirm their safety, as communications in the area have been heavily impacted by the storm.
The flooding has affected millions across China, Pakistan, and North Korea.
14 million people have been impacted in Pakistan, where the flooding has been declared the worst natural disaster in the country's history. 1500 people there have died in two weeks of heavy rain.
52-year-old Liu Ma Shendeng, who had been trapped in his collapsed apartment building, was sniffed out by trained dogs working with the rescue crews, The Associated Press reported.
Rescuers then dug by hand through the mud to pull him out, and carried him to medical attention on a stretcher.
Liu, whose nephew told CNN he was disabled and bedridden, was reported to be in a weak state but breathing normally.
The landslides in northwestern China have now claimed 702 victims, the AP reports, and over 1,000 people are still missing according to the government.
It remains unclear how many of the missing are actually in danger or just unable to confirm their safety, as communications in the area have been heavily impacted by the storm.
The flooding has affected millions across China, Pakistan, and North Korea.
14 million people have been impacted in Pakistan, where the flooding has been declared the worst natural disaster in the country's history. 1500 people there have died in two weeks of heavy rain.
Linda McMahon for conecticut senate
Former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, the newly nominated Republican Senate candidate in Connecticut, said Wednesday she's ready to spend whatever it takes to beat Democrat Richard Blumenthal.
Appearing on a network news program, McMahon brushed off accusations she made millions by promoting an industry allegedly rife with violence and steroid abuse.
Asked about this on ABC's "Good Morning America," McMahon said the entertainment model "will continue to evolve." She has said she plans to spend up to $50 million of her own money in the fall, telling the network: "It's money I've earned. It's money I'm willing to invest."
McMahon warned Democrats that a negative campaign against her could backfire.
Meanwhile, the Blumenthal campaign announced Wednesday that it will begin airing its first television ad of the general election. The ad, entitled "Stand Up", is a 30-second spot that was to begin airing Wednesday morning on statewide television.
"There is a clear choice in this election, and this ad reinforces that Dick Blumenthal is the only candidate in this race with a record of fighting for the people of Connecticut and standing up to the special interests," said Mindy Myers, campaign manager for the attorney general
china experiences floods and losses 1,100
Flood wipes China again
The search for survivors in northwestern China is growing desperate in the wake of flash floods and landslides that have killed hundreds and disrupted the lives of millions more across Asia.
In one of the most dramatic cases, a landslide in China's Gansu province took out an entire village.
Rescuers were digging through mud and wreckage there on Monday using shovels or their hands, CTV's Beijing Bureau Chief Ben O'Hara-Byrne reported. In one instance, rescuers were able to pull a 74-year-old woman from the rubble of her home.
"But overall survivors are saying they don't think very many people escaped this landslide that crashed into the town at midnight Saturday, when very many people were sleeping," O'Hara-Byrne said. "There are very few signs of optimism today."
Officials estimate that landslides in Gansu province have killed 337 people, covering villages in water and mud. But the number of dead is likely to climb as rubble is removed, with 1,148 people reported missing by Monday night, local time. About 45,000 people have also been relocated on evacuation orders.
Meanwhile in Pakistan, flooding has killed 1,500 people. An estimated 13.8 million people have been affected by the country's worst-ever flooding, leading to widespread concerns of an impending humanitarian disaster.
In the Indian-controlled mountainous Kashmir district, rescuers came to the aid of foreign hikers and to search for 500 people missing in flash floods there that killed at least 140.
China's Gansu landslide was caused by a blockage of the Bailong River, which created a three-kilometre-long artificial lake. It overflowed early Sunday morning, crashing down into the town below, which is located in the remote county of Zhouqu.
Apartment buildings were demolished, houses uprooted and more than a metre of mud and silt was dumped on the streets, The Associated Press reported.
Vehicles were trucking aid supplies over congested roads, attempting to reach survivors in the area, while bodies taken from the rubble were wrapped in blankets and laid out on truck beds.
"There were some, but very few, survivors. Most of them are dead, crushed into the earth," said Guo Wentao, who witnessed the disaster.
O'Hara-Byrne said there was some positive news Monday as officials were able to get heavy equipment into the landslide-hit area to help with rescue efforts.
State broadcaster CCTV beamed video of Premier Wen Jiabao at one of the devastated areas.
"Don't move! We're getting you out," he called out to a group of people waiting to be rescued from their buried home.
Demolition crews tried to clear debris blocking the Bailong River upstream from Zhouqu to prevent more devastation. Work is also underway to restore power and communication lines to the affected areas.
However, more rain is forecast for early in the week, which could add to the misery of residents.
"Already most have been evacuated but you can imagine if more bad weather and more rain were to come and more water were to come down it would seriously hamper an already very difficult rescue effort," O'Hara-Byrne said.
The floods in northwest China have caused tens of billions of dollars in damage across 28 provinces and regions. So far this year 1,100 people have perished in what is being called the country's worst flooding in a decade.
In Pakistan, the United Nations said flooding may affect more people than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti quake combined.
Maurizio Giuliano, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that rescue workers were still trying to reach as many as 600,000 people stranded in the northwestern Swat Valley.
There is growing frustration at the government's response to the crisis across Pakistan. Islamabad has deployed thousands of troops to distribute aid but they have been overwhelmed by the extent of the catastrophe, leading to fears of a humanitarian disaster.
Manzoor Ahmed fled his home in Sindh province in the south of the country, along with thousands of other survivors.
"It would have been better if we had died in the floods as our current miserable life is much more painful," the 25-year-old said, after spending the night shivering in the rain with his family.
With files from The Associated Press
The search for survivors in northwestern China is growing desperate in the wake of flash floods and landslides that have killed hundreds and disrupted the lives of millions more across Asia.
In one of the most dramatic cases, a landslide in China's Gansu province took out an entire village.
Rescuers were digging through mud and wreckage there on Monday using shovels or their hands, CTV's Beijing Bureau Chief Ben O'Hara-Byrne reported. In one instance, rescuers were able to pull a 74-year-old woman from the rubble of her home.
"But overall survivors are saying they don't think very many people escaped this landslide that crashed into the town at midnight Saturday, when very many people were sleeping," O'Hara-Byrne said. "There are very few signs of optimism today."
Officials estimate that landslides in Gansu province have killed 337 people, covering villages in water and mud. But the number of dead is likely to climb as rubble is removed, with 1,148 people reported missing by Monday night, local time. About 45,000 people have also been relocated on evacuation orders.
Meanwhile in Pakistan, flooding has killed 1,500 people. An estimated 13.8 million people have been affected by the country's worst-ever flooding, leading to widespread concerns of an impending humanitarian disaster.
In the Indian-controlled mountainous Kashmir district, rescuers came to the aid of foreign hikers and to search for 500 people missing in flash floods there that killed at least 140.
China's Gansu landslide was caused by a blockage of the Bailong River, which created a three-kilometre-long artificial lake. It overflowed early Sunday morning, crashing down into the town below, which is located in the remote county of Zhouqu.
Apartment buildings were demolished, houses uprooted and more than a metre of mud and silt was dumped on the streets, The Associated Press reported.
Vehicles were trucking aid supplies over congested roads, attempting to reach survivors in the area, while bodies taken from the rubble were wrapped in blankets and laid out on truck beds.
"There were some, but very few, survivors. Most of them are dead, crushed into the earth," said Guo Wentao, who witnessed the disaster.
O'Hara-Byrne said there was some positive news Monday as officials were able to get heavy equipment into the landslide-hit area to help with rescue efforts.
State broadcaster CCTV beamed video of Premier Wen Jiabao at one of the devastated areas.
"Don't move! We're getting you out," he called out to a group of people waiting to be rescued from their buried home.
Demolition crews tried to clear debris blocking the Bailong River upstream from Zhouqu to prevent more devastation. Work is also underway to restore power and communication lines to the affected areas.
However, more rain is forecast for early in the week, which could add to the misery of residents.
"Already most have been evacuated but you can imagine if more bad weather and more rain were to come and more water were to come down it would seriously hamper an already very difficult rescue effort," O'Hara-Byrne said.
The floods in northwest China have caused tens of billions of dollars in damage across 28 provinces and regions. So far this year 1,100 people have perished in what is being called the country's worst flooding in a decade.
In Pakistan, the United Nations said flooding may affect more people than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti quake combined.
Maurizio Giuliano, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that rescue workers were still trying to reach as many as 600,000 people stranded in the northwestern Swat Valley.
There is growing frustration at the government's response to the crisis across Pakistan. Islamabad has deployed thousands of troops to distribute aid but they have been overwhelmed by the extent of the catastrophe, leading to fears of a humanitarian disaster.
Manzoor Ahmed fled his home in Sindh province in the south of the country, along with thousands of other survivors.
"It would have been better if we had died in the floods as our current miserable life is much more painful," the 25-year-old said, after spending the night shivering in the rain with his family.
With files from The Associated Press
Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos, born on June 8, 1978 is an American actress, journalist, and a TV presenter. It seems that she’s born to be a beauty queen for she’s into beauty competitions, since she bloomed into a fine lady. In 1996, she won the title of Miss Massachusetts Teen USA and competed at Miss Teen USA where she didn’t get a spot in the top 10. But a few years after, she then again compete for the title of Miss Massachusetts USA 2000 where she placed as the 1st runner up. She has also appeared in FHM magazine and in People magazine in 2004 as one of the “50 Most Beautiful People.”
Josephine baker dance
Uninhibited, exotic and spontaneous, Josephine Baker (1906-1975) swept through the landscape of 20th century dance like a wild, booty-shaking tornado. From the moment she arrived in Paris in 1925, she electrified French audiences with her signature piece — the jaw dropping ‘ Banana Dance‘, in which she wore little else except for a skirt made out of bananas.
Baker was African-American, born in St Louis, Missouri. She was 16 when she started performing on the streets of her hometown, but moved to New York a few years later to become a chorus girl on Broadway. In October 1925 she performed in La Revue nègre at the Théatre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. With her partner Joe Alex, she danced a pas de deux called Danse Sauvage. Josephine Baker was an instant hit.
Contemporary critic Pierre de Régnier described watching her perform the Danse Sauvage:
“She is in constant motion, her body writhing like a snake or more precisely like a dipping saxophone. Music seems to pour from her body. She grimaces, crosses her eyes, wiggles disjointedly, does a split and finally crawls off the stage stiff-legged, her rump higher than her head, like a young giraffe.”
The Théatre des Champs-Élysées had been the scene of the famous 1913 premiere of the Rite of Spring. But interestingly, a review in Vogue from 1925 stated that “the Negro … dances better than Nijinsky”.
A few months later, Baker had a show at the Folies Bergère and she was also taking ballet classes with Balanchine. She had swiftly become one of France’s most famous, important and beloved performers.
Writer Philip M Ward explains how her improvisations transgressed the conventions of choreographed dance. “Where European dancers showed the front, presenting the body as a unified line, Baker contrived to move different parts of her body to different rhythms,” he says. “Most shocking to dance purists, she used her backside, shaking it, as one of her biographers says, as though it were an instrument.”
Fortunately, many of her routines have been archived and Baker’s remarkable style can still be admired. With movements as syncopated and frenzied as wild fire, Josephine Baker was always in control.
Baker was African-American, born in St Louis, Missouri. She was 16 when she started performing on the streets of her hometown, but moved to New York a few years later to become a chorus girl on Broadway. In October 1925 she performed in La Revue nègre at the Théatre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. With her partner Joe Alex, she danced a pas de deux called Danse Sauvage. Josephine Baker was an instant hit.
Contemporary critic Pierre de Régnier described watching her perform the Danse Sauvage:
“She is in constant motion, her body writhing like a snake or more precisely like a dipping saxophone. Music seems to pour from her body. She grimaces, crosses her eyes, wiggles disjointedly, does a split and finally crawls off the stage stiff-legged, her rump higher than her head, like a young giraffe.”
The Théatre des Champs-Élysées had been the scene of the famous 1913 premiere of the Rite of Spring. But interestingly, a review in Vogue from 1925 stated that “the Negro … dances better than Nijinsky”.
A few months later, Baker had a show at the Folies Bergère and she was also taking ballet classes with Balanchine. She had swiftly become one of France’s most famous, important and beloved performers.
Writer Philip M Ward explains how her improvisations transgressed the conventions of choreographed dance. “Where European dancers showed the front, presenting the body as a unified line, Baker contrived to move different parts of her body to different rhythms,” he says. “Most shocking to dance purists, she used her backside, shaking it, as one of her biographers says, as though it were an instrument.”
Fortunately, many of her routines have been archived and Baker’s remarkable style can still be admired. With movements as syncopated and frenzied as wild fire, Josephine Baker was always in control.
TIM TEBOW HAIR CUT
Tim Tebow’s new haircut
Love him or hate him, Tim Tebow, seen above sporting his new haircut, seems to be a good sport.
Teammate LenDale White tweeted this picture of Tebow’s new haircut which seems to have given him a literal halo to go along with his figurative one. This goes a little above and beyond carrying veterans shoulder pads I’d say, but I guess good for Tebow for working hard to fit in
UFC 117 card: after saturday
UFC 117 card: after saturday
• Saturday's headliner in the UFC has been called a great bout, says USA today yet Chael Sonnen fought in much the same way as Jake Shields and Georges St. Pierre, who are routinely booed these days for their wrestling-based approach.
Jon Fitch spent three rounds wearing down Thiago Alves in a fight that no one would call fantastic, and an hour later Sonnen did essentially the same thing to Anderson Silva. Sonnen blanketed him, but the champ was never in danger after recovering from being wobbled in the opening minutes. In fact, the most damaging blow of the fight was a Silva elbow from the bottom.
Fighting as a heavy underdog can cloud people's perceptions. Success becomes magnified when you're supposed to lose badly, so anything Sonnen did well became a magnet for praise. But a grinding fight is a grinding fight no matter how you look at it.
• Still, give Sonnen credit for his effort. He drew attention for his many outlandish statements over the last several weeks, but he touched on the truth at least twice: even when he loses, he tends to dominate the scorecards; and he's a better striker than people realize.
The submissions that produced seven losses on Sonnen's record are moves often applied from the bottom, including four triangle chokes, two armbars and a guillotine choke. Nate Marquardt nearly submitted him with a guillotine choke, as well.
In other words: Sonnen dumps every opponent to the ground, both with wrestling and punches.
He wobbled Silva more than once on the feet and controlled him on the mat for more than 20 minutes. He blanketed Paulo Filho for most of their first meeting. He put himself atop Forrest Griffin, Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Jeremy Horn. All of them went on to beat Sonnen, but not before giving up positions.
Sonnen seemed to confirm the conventional wisdom that says Silva must be beaten with wrestling, but the challenger actually outstruck the champion on the feet. Sonnen boxed intelligently by punching from angles and moving laterally, rather than charging forward in the manner of Forrest Griffin or Chris Leben. Future opponents of Silva should take note.
• Tactics of attrition are hard to maintain over an extended period. Had the main event lasted three 5-minute rounds or the Pride Fighting Championships/Dream system of a 10 and two fives, Sonnen would be the new middleweight champion.
But everyone makes a mistake at some point, and 25 minutes offer plenty of chances for jiu-jitsu experts to work their chess moves. It was far too much time for someone such as Sonnen, who has a hard enough time keeping his defense tight for 15 minutes.
• The 35-year-old Silva might be feeling his age. He was caught by punches that he has dodges in the past, and his counterstrikes seemed to be slower than usual.
Quickness and speed are the first things to go for most athletes, especially by the time they hit their mid-30s. Randy Couture and Bernard Hopkins are rarities in combat sports -- most fighters peak physically before 35, particularly below the heavyweight division.
Silva afterward said he was suffering from ribs injured in training, but even that suggests that he's getting older. He didn't seem to suffer any serious wounds during his time with Chute Boxe Academy, which was renowed for the brutality of its training. But as the aches and pains of regular sparring and practice become harder to take with age, the vulnerability to injury increases and the ability to recover decreases.
• Roy Nelson wasn't the only one with a tough chin in his fight. He connected more than once with the right hand that produced one-punch knockdowns or knockouts against Brad Imes, Antoine Jaoude, Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve, yet Junior dos Santos came back firing every time. Combine that with his outstanding takedown defense, and he appears to be a very difficult match-up for anyone, even Brock Lesnar or Cain Velasquez.
It might take someone who can quickly slap on submissions from his back after being knocked down. But dos Santos already put that guy to sleep in October 2008 and sent him packing to Strikeforce; UFC has no other Fabricio Werdums in its pipeline at the moment.
• Matt Hughes had a surprising choke-out of Ricardo Almeida, but it was simply a headlock out of classic wrestling that Hughes learned in his college days, rather than a new and exotic maneuver. In choreographed pro wrestling it's sometimes used as a rest hold while the performers plot their next sequence, but like many of that industry's moves, it has real applications as long as you apply it quickly and have the muscle to pull it off.
• Saturday's headliner in the UFC has been called a great bout, says USA today yet Chael Sonnen fought in much the same way as Jake Shields and Georges St. Pierre, who are routinely booed these days for their wrestling-based approach.
Jon Fitch spent three rounds wearing down Thiago Alves in a fight that no one would call fantastic, and an hour later Sonnen did essentially the same thing to Anderson Silva. Sonnen blanketed him, but the champ was never in danger after recovering from being wobbled in the opening minutes. In fact, the most damaging blow of the fight was a Silva elbow from the bottom.
Fighting as a heavy underdog can cloud people's perceptions. Success becomes magnified when you're supposed to lose badly, so anything Sonnen did well became a magnet for praise. But a grinding fight is a grinding fight no matter how you look at it.
• Still, give Sonnen credit for his effort. He drew attention for his many outlandish statements over the last several weeks, but he touched on the truth at least twice: even when he loses, he tends to dominate the scorecards; and he's a better striker than people realize.
The submissions that produced seven losses on Sonnen's record are moves often applied from the bottom, including four triangle chokes, two armbars and a guillotine choke. Nate Marquardt nearly submitted him with a guillotine choke, as well.
In other words: Sonnen dumps every opponent to the ground, both with wrestling and punches.
He wobbled Silva more than once on the feet and controlled him on the mat for more than 20 minutes. He blanketed Paulo Filho for most of their first meeting. He put himself atop Forrest Griffin, Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Jeremy Horn. All of them went on to beat Sonnen, but not before giving up positions.
Sonnen seemed to confirm the conventional wisdom that says Silva must be beaten with wrestling, but the challenger actually outstruck the champion on the feet. Sonnen boxed intelligently by punching from angles and moving laterally, rather than charging forward in the manner of Forrest Griffin or Chris Leben. Future opponents of Silva should take note.
• Tactics of attrition are hard to maintain over an extended period. Had the main event lasted three 5-minute rounds or the Pride Fighting Championships/Dream system of a 10 and two fives, Sonnen would be the new middleweight champion.
But everyone makes a mistake at some point, and 25 minutes offer plenty of chances for jiu-jitsu experts to work their chess moves. It was far too much time for someone such as Sonnen, who has a hard enough time keeping his defense tight for 15 minutes.
• The 35-year-old Silva might be feeling his age. He was caught by punches that he has dodges in the past, and his counterstrikes seemed to be slower than usual.
Quickness and speed are the first things to go for most athletes, especially by the time they hit their mid-30s. Randy Couture and Bernard Hopkins are rarities in combat sports -- most fighters peak physically before 35, particularly below the heavyweight division.
Silva afterward said he was suffering from ribs injured in training, but even that suggests that he's getting older. He didn't seem to suffer any serious wounds during his time with Chute Boxe Academy, which was renowed for the brutality of its training. But as the aches and pains of regular sparring and practice become harder to take with age, the vulnerability to injury increases and the ability to recover decreases.
• Roy Nelson wasn't the only one with a tough chin in his fight. He connected more than once with the right hand that produced one-punch knockdowns or knockouts against Brad Imes, Antoine Jaoude, Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve, yet Junior dos Santos came back firing every time. Combine that with his outstanding takedown defense, and he appears to be a very difficult match-up for anyone, even Brock Lesnar or Cain Velasquez.
It might take someone who can quickly slap on submissions from his back after being knocked down. But dos Santos already put that guy to sleep in October 2008 and sent him packing to Strikeforce; UFC has no other Fabricio Werdums in its pipeline at the moment.
• Matt Hughes had a surprising choke-out of Ricardo Almeida, but it was simply a headlock out of classic wrestling that Hughes learned in his college days, rather than a new and exotic maneuver. In choreographed pro wrestling it's sometimes used as a rest hold while the performers plot their next sequence, but like many of that industry's moves, it has real applications as long as you apply it quickly and have the muscle to pull it off.
MARK HURD RESIGNS FROM HP
Mark Hurd resigned as chief executive officer Hewlett-Packard Co.’s after an investigation found he had a personal relationship with a contractor who received numerous inappropriate payments from the company.
Chief Financial Officer Cathie Lesjak, 51, will take over as interim CEO. While an investigation didn’t find a violation of the company’s sexual-harassment policy, Hurd “demonstrated a profound lack of judgment that seriously undermined his credibility and damaged his effectiveness in leading HP,” General Counsel Michael Holston said. The shares plunged 9.3 percent in late trading after the announcement.
The departure leaves Hewlett-Packard, the world’s biggest maker of personal computers and printers, in search of a new CEO and chairman after more than five years under Hurd. On his watch, the Palo Alto, California-based company regained leadership in the PC market from Dell Inc. and used acquisitions to expand into new areas, such as computer services. The company’s stock-market value increased $44.6 billion, rising to $108.1 billion, since Hurd took the helm on April 1, 2005.
“Clearly he’s been a significant leader and visionary in restructuring the company,” said Jeffrey Fidacaro, an analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group in New York. “It’s going to be a significant loss to the company in terms of operations.”
Hewlett-Packard fell $4.31 to $41.99 in extended trading. The shares, down 10 percent this year, dropped 5 cents to $46.30 earlier today on the New York Stock Exchange.
Successors?
Lesjak, a 24-year HP veteran, doesn’t wish to replace Hurd permanently, the company said. Todd Bradley, who runs the personal computer division, and Ann Livermore, executive vice president of the enterprise business, could be candidates.
External possibilities include Steve Mills, who has run the software group at International Business Machines Corp. for a decade and recently took over the hardware division, said Rick Sturm, chief executive officer of EMA, which researches the information technology industry. Another possible candidate is Ray Lane, the former chief operating officer of Oracle Corp., who’s now a managing partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said Neil Sims, a managing director at Boyden, an executive search firm.
HP initiated the investigation on June 29 after the contractor made a claim of sexual harassment. The woman, who HP declined to identify, worked on marketing tasks for two years, the company said. The probe found violations of HP’s standards of business conduct, though it didn’t find violations of the harassment policy.
Expenses
Hurd submitted receipts for expenses ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 over two years, including meals and travel, that should have been labeled as personal and not related to business, said a person familiar with the situation.
The expenses were incurred at HP-hosted “CEO forums,” mostly in North America, in which Hurd participated, this person said. The woman worked as a contractor hosting the events. Hurd, who is married and has two children, intends to pay the company back the entire amount.
Discussions of Hurd’s departure began about a week ago, the person said.
The contractor didn’t have an affair or a sexual relationship with Hurd, according to Gloria Allred, the woman’s attorney.
Gina Tyler, an HP spokeswoman, declined to comment beyond what HP said during a conference call and in statements.
Hurd will get a severance payment of $12.2 million, plus other benefits that include a prorated vesting settlement of 330,177 restricted HP shares. He received $30.3 million in compensation in 2009 and $42.4 million the year before.
Severance Payment
“The board took immediate action in this matter and their decision was right and necessary to uphold HP’s values of trust, respect and uncompromising integrity,” Holston said.
Hurd isn’t the first CEO to resign after a relationship surfaced. In 2005, Boeing Co. ousted CEO Harry Stonecipher for having an affair with an employee, 15 months after he returned from retirement to lead the company’s recovery from a purchasing scandal. Boeing is the world’s second-biggest commercial jet builder.
In June, Mark McInnes resigned as CEO of David Jones Ltd., Australia’s second-largest department store chain, apologizing for “unbecoming” behavior toward a female colleague. The employee, Kristy Fraser-Kirk, sued him and the company, saying McInnes made unwelcome sexual advances toward her.
‘Would Be Difficult’
“It would be difficult for me to continue as an effective leader at HP and I believe this is the only decision the board and I could make at this time,” Hurd, 53, said in a statement. “I want to stress that this in no way reflects on the operating performance or financial integrity of HP.”
Hurd, who took over as CEO after Carly Fiorina stepped down in 2005, used acquisitions to expand in businesses that generate wider profit margins. Hurd’s biggest deal came in 2008 with the $13.2 billion takeover of Electronic Data Systems Corp., a provider of computer services. That catapulted HP to No. 2 in the services market, behind IBM, helping offset a slump in demand this year for PCs and printers.
This year, Hurd acquired 3Com Corp., stepping up competition with Cisco Systems Inc. in networking equipment, as well as the smart-phone maker Palm Inc.
Hewlett-Packard relied on its retail connections and mobile-computer designs to grab the largest share of the PC market in 2006. The company’s tens of thousands of retailers put its products in front of more consumers -- giving it an edge over former leader Dell, which mostly sold computers online and through catalogs.
Topping Dell
“The company has a very strong management team behind Mark Hurd,” Nehal Chokshi, an analyst at Technology Insights Research-Southridge Research Group in New York. “However, whenever there is a key executive that has brand value, such that Mark Hurd does have, you would expect the stock to react negatively.”
The company also reported preliminary results for the fiscal third quarter. Excluding some costs, earnings were about $1.08 a share, compared with the $1.07 average estimates of analysts in a Bloomberg survey. Revenue rose 11 percent to about $30.7 billion, HP said. Analysts had predicted $30 billion on average.
For the full year, earnings will be $4.49 to $4.51 a share and sales will be $125.3 billion to $125.5 billion, the company said. Analysts have predicted profit of $4.49 and revenue of $124.6 billion.
Annual Forecast
“HP remains in an exceptionally strong position both financially and in the marketplace,” Lesjak said in a memo to employees. “It is essential, however, that we remain focused and continue to achieve -- if not exceed -- our operational and financial objectives.”
Hurd’s departure had nothing to do with the company’s performance, HP said.
“Mark was an important part of this story operationally over the last several years and a big part of where HP was going,” said Aaron Rakers, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. in St. Louis. He recommends buying the stock.
Hurd is also on the board of News Corp. Jack Horner, a spokesman for the media company, declined to comment on whether he would keep that post.
--With assistance from Katie Hoffmann in New York, Brian Womack, Joseph Galante in San Francisco, and Dina Bass in Seattle. Editors: Nick Turner, Dick Schumacher.
Chief Financial Officer Cathie Lesjak, 51, will take over as interim CEO. While an investigation didn’t find a violation of the company’s sexual-harassment policy, Hurd “demonstrated a profound lack of judgment that seriously undermined his credibility and damaged his effectiveness in leading HP,” General Counsel Michael Holston said. The shares plunged 9.3 percent in late trading after the announcement.
The departure leaves Hewlett-Packard, the world’s biggest maker of personal computers and printers, in search of a new CEO and chairman after more than five years under Hurd. On his watch, the Palo Alto, California-based company regained leadership in the PC market from Dell Inc. and used acquisitions to expand into new areas, such as computer services. The company’s stock-market value increased $44.6 billion, rising to $108.1 billion, since Hurd took the helm on April 1, 2005.
“Clearly he’s been a significant leader and visionary in restructuring the company,” said Jeffrey Fidacaro, an analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group in New York. “It’s going to be a significant loss to the company in terms of operations.”
Hewlett-Packard fell $4.31 to $41.99 in extended trading. The shares, down 10 percent this year, dropped 5 cents to $46.30 earlier today on the New York Stock Exchange.
Successors?
Lesjak, a 24-year HP veteran, doesn’t wish to replace Hurd permanently, the company said. Todd Bradley, who runs the personal computer division, and Ann Livermore, executive vice president of the enterprise business, could be candidates.
External possibilities include Steve Mills, who has run the software group at International Business Machines Corp. for a decade and recently took over the hardware division, said Rick Sturm, chief executive officer of EMA, which researches the information technology industry. Another possible candidate is Ray Lane, the former chief operating officer of Oracle Corp., who’s now a managing partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said Neil Sims, a managing director at Boyden, an executive search firm.
HP initiated the investigation on June 29 after the contractor made a claim of sexual harassment. The woman, who HP declined to identify, worked on marketing tasks for two years, the company said. The probe found violations of HP’s standards of business conduct, though it didn’t find violations of the harassment policy.
Expenses
Hurd submitted receipts for expenses ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 over two years, including meals and travel, that should have been labeled as personal and not related to business, said a person familiar with the situation.
The expenses were incurred at HP-hosted “CEO forums,” mostly in North America, in which Hurd participated, this person said. The woman worked as a contractor hosting the events. Hurd, who is married and has two children, intends to pay the company back the entire amount.
Discussions of Hurd’s departure began about a week ago, the person said.
The contractor didn’t have an affair or a sexual relationship with Hurd, according to Gloria Allred, the woman’s attorney.
Gina Tyler, an HP spokeswoman, declined to comment beyond what HP said during a conference call and in statements.
Hurd will get a severance payment of $12.2 million, plus other benefits that include a prorated vesting settlement of 330,177 restricted HP shares. He received $30.3 million in compensation in 2009 and $42.4 million the year before.
Severance Payment
“The board took immediate action in this matter and their decision was right and necessary to uphold HP’s values of trust, respect and uncompromising integrity,” Holston said.
Hurd isn’t the first CEO to resign after a relationship surfaced. In 2005, Boeing Co. ousted CEO Harry Stonecipher for having an affair with an employee, 15 months after he returned from retirement to lead the company’s recovery from a purchasing scandal. Boeing is the world’s second-biggest commercial jet builder.
In June, Mark McInnes resigned as CEO of David Jones Ltd., Australia’s second-largest department store chain, apologizing for “unbecoming” behavior toward a female colleague. The employee, Kristy Fraser-Kirk, sued him and the company, saying McInnes made unwelcome sexual advances toward her.
‘Would Be Difficult’
“It would be difficult for me to continue as an effective leader at HP and I believe this is the only decision the board and I could make at this time,” Hurd, 53, said in a statement. “I want to stress that this in no way reflects on the operating performance or financial integrity of HP.”
Hurd, who took over as CEO after Carly Fiorina stepped down in 2005, used acquisitions to expand in businesses that generate wider profit margins. Hurd’s biggest deal came in 2008 with the $13.2 billion takeover of Electronic Data Systems Corp., a provider of computer services. That catapulted HP to No. 2 in the services market, behind IBM, helping offset a slump in demand this year for PCs and printers.
This year, Hurd acquired 3Com Corp., stepping up competition with Cisco Systems Inc. in networking equipment, as well as the smart-phone maker Palm Inc.
Hewlett-Packard relied on its retail connections and mobile-computer designs to grab the largest share of the PC market in 2006. The company’s tens of thousands of retailers put its products in front of more consumers -- giving it an edge over former leader Dell, which mostly sold computers online and through catalogs.
Topping Dell
“The company has a very strong management team behind Mark Hurd,” Nehal Chokshi, an analyst at Technology Insights Research-Southridge Research Group in New York. “However, whenever there is a key executive that has brand value, such that Mark Hurd does have, you would expect the stock to react negatively.”
The company also reported preliminary results for the fiscal third quarter. Excluding some costs, earnings were about $1.08 a share, compared with the $1.07 average estimates of analysts in a Bloomberg survey. Revenue rose 11 percent to about $30.7 billion, HP said. Analysts had predicted $30 billion on average.
For the full year, earnings will be $4.49 to $4.51 a share and sales will be $125.3 billion to $125.5 billion, the company said. Analysts have predicted profit of $4.49 and revenue of $124.6 billion.
Annual Forecast
“HP remains in an exceptionally strong position both financially and in the marketplace,” Lesjak said in a memo to employees. “It is essential, however, that we remain focused and continue to achieve -- if not exceed -- our operational and financial objectives.”
Hurd’s departure had nothing to do with the company’s performance, HP said.
“Mark was an important part of this story operationally over the last several years and a big part of where HP was going,” said Aaron Rakers, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. in St. Louis. He recommends buying the stock.
Hurd is also on the board of News Corp. Jack Horner, a spokesman for the media company, declined to comment on whether he would keep that post.
--With assistance from Katie Hoffmann in New York, Brian Womack, Joseph Galante in San Francisco, and Dina Bass in Seattle. Editors: Nick Turner, Dick Schumacher.
TAYLOR SWIFT AGAIN
Taylor swift; one reason why Country and Pop Music Superstar Taylor Swift is so well-liked, and perhaps why fans buy her songs, is that she's vulnerable, or at least has presented that in her public communications. In the case of the early release of her new song "Mine," Taylor swift..
I landed in Japan and got 20 texts and looked at iTunes and got tears in my eyes. And so, we begin again. :)
Taylor Swift grows in power from Fearless
Taylor Swift is 2010's 12th most powerful celebrity from an earnings perspective, pulling down $45 million. That's up from 2009, when Swift earned "just" $18 million, and was the 69th most powerful celebrity. That level was earned because of the success, the overwhelming success of her second album Fearless.
Fearless placed Swift on a pedestal that's going to be hard to maintain. The album featuring this bloggers favorite, You Belong To Me, was at the top of the Billboard 200 for 11 non-consecutive weeks, and no song has been ranked number one more times since 2000.
Can "Mine" and her upcoming third album called "Speak Now", due for release October 25th, 2010, match the performance of Fearless?
If both do, Taylor Swift will prove she's got bankable star power that will last for years. No one can ever say she's a one-or-two hit wonder if that happened.
I landed in Japan and got 20 texts and looked at iTunes and got tears in my eyes. And so, we begin again. :)
Taylor Swift grows in power from Fearless
Taylor Swift is 2010's 12th most powerful celebrity from an earnings perspective, pulling down $45 million. That's up from 2009, when Swift earned "just" $18 million, and was the 69th most powerful celebrity. That level was earned because of the success, the overwhelming success of her second album Fearless.
Fearless placed Swift on a pedestal that's going to be hard to maintain. The album featuring this bloggers favorite, You Belong To Me, was at the top of the Billboard 200 for 11 non-consecutive weeks, and no song has been ranked number one more times since 2000.
Can "Mine" and her upcoming third album called "Speak Now", due for release October 25th, 2010, match the performance of Fearless?
If both do, Taylor Swift will prove she's got bankable star power that will last for years. No one can ever say she's a one-or-two hit wonder if that happened.
proposition 8 (prop 8)
PROP 8 as it was called has finaly been overruled today by a federal judge. same sex marriage is like a dream come true for some, while others see it like a taboo. Don't you think love should not be restricted. Leave a reply
WYCLEF JEAN FOR HAITI PRESIDENT
WYCLEF JEAN the haiti-American hip-hop star will soon anounce his ambition to run for the post of the president in his nativf country this week. cnn reports that wyclef jean interest in the post has been in the past weeks, he will make the announbement on cnn's 'larry king live' show on thursday which was disclosed by a source close to the artist. Prevals mandate expires in february 2011, bv several parties have accusf him of seeking to stay in office adding political tensions to tie economic and humanitarian troubles already aelicting the country. Wyclef JEAN IS THE FOUNDER of humanitarian yele haiti foundation and has played a major role in securing aid after earthquake hit the country capital city port au prince.
ZARDARI AND THE TALIBAN WAR
ZARDARI says parkistan is losing the war against the taliban ahead of a meeting with the uk prime minister DAVID CAMERON. Zardari who arrived the uk today is expected to spend a five day visit in the uk has become an international spectacle for zardari whose whose country has been in throes of epic flood and war. last week, David cameron while visiting india implif that pakistan was playing a duplicitous game, that it 'exports' terror to india and afganistan. zardari arrival in the uk has arroused a lnt of anger back home over leaving when he could be directing emergency flood relief and consoling victims. The taliban war has grnwn tougher inside and outside pakirtan,coupled with a flood of recent wikileaks documents purporting covert support by pakistan. Today two british parkistan members of parliment; kahlid mahmood and lord ahmed cancelled their m3ting with zardari saying it was not a good time to visit.
karachi province records death again
KARACHI province in pakistan has been under turmoil after gunmen went under kiling spree,killing 39 people with valuable properties(including vehicles,houses),and a furniture market. Karachi has a record of political,religious and ethnic violence. Karachi has been a hide out for Al-queda and taliban militants. The MQM's main nemesis is the Awani national party, a secular nationalist party whose main power center is pakistan northwest and whose base is the ethnic pashun community.
Officials from various hospitals has put the total casualties to be 80 people who sustained gunshot wounds and 37 people died. Sindl province spokesman jamil soomro said 10 people have been arrested, but he said gunfire could still be heard in tuesday. All school and colleges in karachi and neigbouring centres in the province were ordered to be closed by the government.
Officials from various hospitals has put the total casualties to be 80 people who sustained gunshot wounds and 37 people died. Sindl province spokesman jamil soomro said 10 people have been arrested, but he said gunfire could still be heard in tuesday. All school and colleges in karachi and neigbouring centres in the province were ordered to be closed by the government.
CHARLIE SHEEN ESCAPES JAIL TERM
CHARLIE SHEEN who pleaded guilty to assault in respect to a 2009 christmas domestic dispute involving wife brooke muller sheen. As a result charlie sheen would avoid jail term. Charlie sheen entered a plea thir afternoon in the Aspen,colo., court and was sentenced to 30 days of rehab which would be spent at the 'promises treatment center' in malibu as well as 30 days probation and 36 hours of anger management classes. As at the time of the incident, muller sheen his wife said that charlie threatened to kill her while brandishing a knife, but charlie sheen denied the allegation. Do you think charlie got what he deserved or he should have gotten a harsher punishment?
WEIMAR REPUBLIC
Weimar republic was named after weimar,the city where the constitutional assembly took place. It was given by historians to the parliamentry republic recognised in the early 1919 in germany to put back the colonial form of government. The 75 years, ago Hitler came to power to finish the WEIMAR REPUBLIC, did Germany's research ever stand a chance? Germany's new weimar republic inherited the vast burden of vast inflation and the severe weight of reparation. The weimar republic is a laboratory for contending visions or modernity, persist to disturb the imagination of the 20th century, its political and cultural lessons.
DAN RESIN is dead
DAN RESIN who played Dr.beeger, the physician and country club member in a comedy movie ''caddyshack'' died on saturday from parkinson's disease. He lived in new j., for almost 50 years before moving over to Wanye four years ago. DAN RESIN was born Daniel wrzesin in south bend indiana,later he studied music and theater arts at the indiana university. Dan resin appeared in several television commercials spaning to over a hundred of them. Dan resin was active in raising funds for parkinson disease research.
DAN RESIN is dead
DAN RESIN who played Dr.beeger, the physician and country club member in a comedy movie ''caddyshack'' died on saturday from parkinson's disease. He lived in new j., for almost 50 years before moving over to Wanye four years ago. DAN RESIN was born Daniel wrzesin in south bend indiana,later he studied music and theater arts at the indiana university. Dan resin appeared in several television commercials spaning to over a hundred of them. Dan resin was active in raising funds for parkinson disease research.
Bill COSBy dead or alive
Bill Cosby dead or alive, has been a rumor that has been spreading like wild fire via twitter and other sources. Its just another Bill cosby death hoax, just like the one that happened in february this year. The 73 year old comedian Bill cosby says 'i am fine and alive' through his twitter account.
Erin Andrews Suing Hotels Over Peeping Tapes
The suit was filed in Cook County Thursday. In it, Andrews cites “severe and permanent emotional distress” as her reasons for the filing, and is asking for more than $1.2 million from Barrett and the hotels—–which include Marriott International Inc.; West End Hotel Partners LLC and Nashville Marriott At Vanderbilt University; Windsor Capital Group Inc.; Radisson Hotels International Inc.; Ashtel Inc. and Radisson Hotel Milwaukee Airport; Ohio State University and The Blackwell Inn; and Preferred Hotel Group Inc. and Summit Hotels & Resorts. In addition, she alleges the hotels gave out her room number without permission.
ESPN reporter Erin Andrews cries as she comments on the sentence of her stalker outside the U.S. District Court downtown Los Angeles on Monday, March 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Seven months earlier, Westmont, Ill. resident Michael David Barrett plead guilty to interstate stalking for filming Andrews in her hotel room through a peep hole, making tapes and trying to sell them to TMZ. He rented hotel rooms adjacent to Andrews’ in three cities and shot video of her in Columbus, Ohio in February 2008 and Nashville, Tenn. in May 2009. He was sentenced to a two-and-a-half year prison stint in March of this year.
Andrews hopes the suit will improve hotel etiquette and responsibility.
“Although I’ll never be able to fully erase the impact that this invasion of privacy has had upon me and my family, I do hope that my experience will cause the hospitality industry to be more vigilant in protecting its guests from the time they reserve a hotel room until they check out,” she said in a written statement.
Ahoy at the World Trade Center! Ship discovered
This week, construction crews working at the World Trade Center site were digging through that old trash – now turned to muck that smells like low tide – and discovered the skeletal remains of a 32-foot vessel. It once plied the local waters, archaeologists think.
“It’s the biggest object so far of historical significance” that’s been found during the rebuilding of the site, says Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the property.
On Thursday, the port authority let reporters see what was left of the ship at the World Trade Center site. What they saw were timbers that formed the outlines of the vessel, most likely a sailboat. Since the wood is now exposed to the air, consulting archaeologists are trying to figure out how to preserve it.
“It’s very brittle, obviously from being more than 200 years old, and once it’s exposed to air, it gets even more brittle. So they are trying to establish if they can salvage all of it, some of it, or none of it,” Mr. Coleman says.
The remnants were discovered about 30 feet underground. No construction has occurred in that specific location, Coleman says, since Washington Street was built in the early 1800s.
“This is the first time they have excavated in this area, so it’s not surprising there would be things down below,” he says. “Obviously, it’s a piece of New York’s history.”
The remains will be sent to a laboratory, which will try to date the wood, according to some news reports.
Sometimes a lot can be learned from old timbers. Twenty-nine years ago, urban archaeologist Joan Geismar discovered a 92-foot sailing vessel on the East Side of Manhattan, not far from the East River.
When the wood was examined, archaeologists found shipworm casings that had come from the Caribbean. This indicated that the ship, which had gun ports, was probably involved in some sort of commerce with the islands. For whatever reason, the vessel became a derelict and was used to help fill in land prior to 1746.
It’s not surprising to find the hulks of wooden vessels along the shoreline, says Kathleen Hulser, public historian at the New York Historical Society. “The worms were really fierce: There was not enough pollution to kill them,” she says. “If you didn’t scrape the bottom of the boat, it would get rotten really fast.”
When a vessel sank on the shoreline, it sometimes just stayed there, becoming part of the landfill, Ms. Hulser says.
Landfilling was especially important in Manhattan’s history since settlers could buy “underwater” lots. Having an underwater lot gave the owner the right to build a wharf. But, Ms. Hulser says, a lot of clever owners built out the land between wharves, creating new property for themselves.
“I’m not saying it happened in this piece of land [at the World Trade Center site]. We don’t know it all,” she says.
Finding the vessel is not surprising, Ms. Geismar says. “I’m sure there are ships all along the river coast,” she says. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there were Indian canoes.”
Unlike some archeological discoveries, this one is not considered so earthshaking that it would cause construction to halt at the site. Not far from the ship remnants, bulldozers moved earth around for what will become the vehicle security center. This is where buses, trucks, and cars will be examined before they are allowed into underground areas.
The World Trade Center site is filled with construction cranes and workers. One World Trade Center is now built to the 30th floor. Twin pools, which will be part of the 9/11 memorial, have been fully formed. The Memorial Plaza is still on track to open in time for the 10th anniversary of the attack next year, Coleman says, and the World Trade Center museum will be ready in 2013.
“We’re going ahead full throttle,” says Coleman.
Plenty of love at St. Andrews for John Daly as former British Open champ opens with 6-under, 66
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland - There is power in the spirits that inhabit the Old Course, enough Thursday to resurrect the magic in the long lost game of an adopted son.
The U.S. may have tired of John Daly's act, but once an Open champion, always an Open champion. Here it is always 1995 for Daly and his followers, and here he was Thursday, gripping and ripping the driver to the tune of a 6-under 66.
"He said on the flight over, 'I'm going to win this tournament,'" said girlfriend Anna Cladakis, who followed him wearing a purple paisley skirt to match his purple paisley pants.
"There's just something peaceful about this place," Daly said. "You don't really think about it too much. It's just more of a place whether the wind is blowing 50 miles and hour or it's a calm day like today. ... It's just one of those places that I just love."
The love is reciprocal.
The galleries adore him. So do two young Scots, Scott Macfarlane and James Hair, who held placards just outside the barriers on 18. One said, "John Daly Living Legend," the other "Daly for President" on one side, "The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment," on the other, with an 'X' drawn through a picture of wrestling legend The Rock.
The R&A wouldn't allow them to carry the signs onto the course - "I reckon that's for Tiger," said a disappointed Macfarlane.
"He's a great role model," said a straight-faced Hair.
That may be debatable, but there's no question that if Daly can carry this through, it would be a remarkable comeback.
The round was Daly's best since the 2007 Frys.Com Open in Scottsdale, where he shot 63 and tied for 44th. It beat any round he shot in winning the Claret Jug in '95 and equaled his best-ever Open round at Sandwich in '93, where he tied for 14th. Daly hit driver on every hole but two, with 1-irons on Nos. 1 and 7. If he didn't have a wedge in his hands, he was putting onto greens from 40 yards out.
"I feel the game is coming around and when I'm hitting the driver the way I am right now, it brings confidence," he said. "I haven't been in this position in a long, long time."
Between his self-induced problems and his more recent struggles with a rib injury, Daly has been more sideshow than anything else. He endured a PGA Tour suspension in '09, taking refuge in Europe.
Now, at 44, he insists he has "learned a lot." And at least he looks more presentable, down to 195 pounds after lap-band surgery.
"I just can't eat as much of the bad crap as I used to," he said. "The thing I miss most about having the band put in is I can't drink...whole milk. I used to drink half a gallon of that a day. When you used to be as hung over as I used to be, it was great. Got rid of everything."
The media center erupted in laughter at that one. It probably explains the affection for him.
Daly was so low that at San Diego this year, he spoke about giving up the game.
"But I love the game too much," he explained Thursday. "A lot of guys have said it. I was the idiot who said it on TV."
Now that "idiot" has a chance to win the British Open... again.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2010/07/15/2010-07-15_plenty_love_st_andrews_john_daly_former_british_open_champ_opens_6under_66.html#ixzz0tr9uONLZ
Obama will tout Wall Street reform to fire up voters ahead of midterm elections in November
WASHINGTON - President Obama takes off for a short vacation today with a major accomplishment packed in his bag - a financial overhaul that will be a major keepsake on the campaign trail.
The Senate voted 60 to 39 yesterday to pass the greatest overhaul of the banking and finance systems since the Great Depression.
The mostly party-line vote hands Obama yet another tough legislative victory that Democrats plan to tout all the way through November, even though earlier big wins like health reform and the stimulus act have so far failed to fire up voters.
But the White House plans to roll out frequent reminders of the finance bill, which includes new rules to control risky derivatives trades and a new financial consumer protection agency and gives regulators the power to dismantle companies "too big to fail."
"The American people will never again be asked to foot the bill for Wall Street's mistakes," Obama said. "There will be no more taxpayer-funded bailouts - period."
Just three Republicans backed the measure, and others say it will hamper the economy by punishing job-creating businesses.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) yesterday said the bill is " going to punish every banker in America for the sins of a few on Wall Street."
"I think it ought to be repealed," he added.
The White House has long predicted that reining in Wall Street would connect with middle-class voters. And Obama aides plan to milk it for everything it's worth, sources said.
Democrats quickly circulated Boehner's defense of bankers yesterday and targeted Republican senators who opposed the bill.
The President is expected to sign the measure when he gets back from his break, which would give him a fresh high-profile opportunity to tout the win.
jessi slaughter review
Jessi Slaughter is an Internet Trend and someone posted a question on yahoo answers. Here’s only what we have found,. A video that leads to youtube and has links to her StickyDrama Jessi Slaughter.
First you have to watch her Video on Youtube here. Her profile says.” Ello my name is Jessica but u can call meh Jessi or any thing u wana. just dont call me a BOTDF hater!!!!”
“People STFU This Is A Very Private Matter And Im Dealing With It.
This Post Ruined Muh Life…
And Yes That Was Muh Status On Myspace! Cuzz I Saw A Squril Fall Out Of A Tree In Muh BakYard!
It Was Funnah To Meh!
Muh Mom Has Read This And Is Talking To Dahvie On The Fone Right Nao!
So I Would Shut Your Mouths If I Were You!
I Have Muh Life And Dahvie Has His.
We Are Just Friends! If You Have Shit To Talk About Us Keep It In Your Little Worlds Where We Arnt! We Have More Of A Life The You Will Eva Have! So Keep Sitin On Your Internet Dissing Us And Well Live Our Happy Little Xsiteing Lives C=.”
Source Jessi Slaughter 1 Image source via stickydrama
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First you have to watch her Video on Youtube here. Her profile says.” Ello my name is Jessica but u can call meh Jessi or any thing u wana. just dont call me a BOTDF hater!!!!”
“People STFU This Is A Very Private Matter And Im Dealing With It.
This Post Ruined Muh Life…
And Yes That Was Muh Status On Myspace! Cuzz I Saw A Squril Fall Out Of A Tree In Muh BakYard!
It Was Funnah To Meh!
Muh Mom Has Read This And Is Talking To Dahvie On The Fone Right Nao!
So I Would Shut Your Mouths If I Were You!
I Have Muh Life And Dahvie Has His.
We Are Just Friends! If You Have Shit To Talk About Us Keep It In Your Little Worlds Where We Arnt! We Have More Of A Life The You Will Eva Have! So Keep Sitin On Your Internet Dissing Us And Well Live Our Happy Little Xsiteing Lives C=.”
Source Jessi Slaughter 1 Image source via stickydrama
share: Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Buzz it up Buzz it up Share via MySpace Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend Print for later You might also be interested in:
iphone 4 Press Conference
iphone 4 Press Conference. Does iphone 4 need a ...
Batman 3 Movie - Watch Trailer Soon
Batman 3 "the Batman" a fictional character, a c...
Health Care Consider Changes in Rural
Health care in the United States is provided by ...
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chritiana perry
Christina Perry became popular, especially because his song was of him and the epic ballad epic composed. After receiving a gift from Christina Perry, the public expects a lot more to get from her. What is their future in this album remains to be seen. Christina Perry, twenty-three musicians is a native of Philadelphia and lives in Los Angeles. It was found that the younger sister of famous guitarists Nick Perri is old. She said, however, that this practice was not a bonus.
Superstar singer Christina Perry, that only two weeks ago I was working full time in the restaurant, which move faster, and his first album of all time with his song “Jar of Hearts” has sold more than 100,000 copies and broke up the top of the iTunes with its magnificent voice.Don ‘t forget, Christina made her debut on TV tonight Charts Perry, with all the stars and Neil Allison, Christina is so well made. We are convinced that Chris Perry has worked hard to get this break, in a restaurant, and since he is a singer of hard work, but she is very happy to be a great singer and is in 14 days, 100,000 documents sold, good work Christina Perry.
Sony Ericsson Swings To 2Q Profit
By Gustav Sandstrom Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES STOCKHOLM (Dow Jones)--Sony Ericsson posted its second successive quarterly profit Friday as strong sales of newly-launched mobile phones reversed heavy losses a year earlier.
The company reported net profit of EUR12 million for the three months to June 30, compared with a EUR213 million net loss the year before and sustaining the turnaround that started in the first quarter.
Sony Ericsson, a joint venture between Sweden's Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson (ERIC) and Japan's Sony Corp. (SNE), has long struggled with losses and falling market share but in the first quarter 2010 posted its first net profit since the second quarter 2008 due to cost cuts and healthy sales of its new Xperia X10 smartphone, which is built around Google Inc's (GOOG) increasingly popular Android platform.
Its turnaround is in contrast to Nokia Corp. (NOK), its far larger Finnish rival, which last month issued a profit warning due to fierce competition in the premium smartphone market, in particular from Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone.
Sony Ericsson said Friday its Xperia X10 and Vivaz smartphones as well as the recently launched X10 mini and X10 mini pro devices have been well received by operators.
"We are now well positioned for long term growth," Chief Executive Bert Nordberg said. "Our second quarter results show that the company continued the momentum seen in the first quarter as a result of our focus on the value market and the success of new smartphones," he added.
Friday's report looked decent overall with net profit slightly ahead of market expectations and a strong upturn in average selling price but rather low sales volumes, said Redeye analyst Greger Johansson.
Sony Ericsson shipped 11 million phones at an average selling price of EUR160 in the second quarter, compared with 13.8 million units at an average price of EUR122 a year earlier. Sales rose to EUR1.76 billion from EUR1.68 billion, against expectations of EUR1.79 billion.
The company's estimated share of the global handset market remained flat from the previous quarter at around 4%.
CEO Nordberg told Dow Jones Newswires Friday that ongoing cost-cutting measures and a strategic shift in focus to smartphones should help to sustain profitability.
Android will remain a key platform, while Sony Ericsson will likely drop either Symbian or the Windows Mobile operating system.
"There is an outlook for us winding down to less than those three" platforms, he said.
Sony Ericsson, which reports earnings a week before market leader Nokia, maintained its previous outlook for slight unit growth in the global handset market in 2010.
The company booked restructuring charges of EUR32 million for its cost-cutting program, which was launched in 2008. The program is now in its final stages and on target to cut annual operating expenses by EUR880 million by the end of 2010, it said.
Sony Ericsson's turnaround looks sustainable as its recent launches have been well received and the wider handset market seems stable, said Redeye's Johansson.
Still, he said the company should try to boost its volumes even though its increased focus on more exclusive smartphones has apparently been successful.
At 1255 GMT, shares in Ericsson were down 1.6% at SEK84.90, underperforming a 0.5% drop in the wider Stockholm market and shedding some gains after outperforming earlier in the day in the wake of Sony Ericsson's report.
Sony Ericsson's second-quarter profit was won't have any major financial effect on Ericsson's earnings, but is still positive for the co-parent which has previously had to book losses from the joint venture, Johansson said.
The company reported net profit of EUR12 million for the three months to June 30, compared with a EUR213 million net loss the year before and sustaining the turnaround that started in the first quarter.
Sony Ericsson, a joint venture between Sweden's Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson (ERIC) and Japan's Sony Corp. (SNE), has long struggled with losses and falling market share but in the first quarter 2010 posted its first net profit since the second quarter 2008 due to cost cuts and healthy sales of its new Xperia X10 smartphone, which is built around Google Inc's (GOOG) increasingly popular Android platform.
Its turnaround is in contrast to Nokia Corp. (NOK), its far larger Finnish rival, which last month issued a profit warning due to fierce competition in the premium smartphone market, in particular from Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone.
Sony Ericsson said Friday its Xperia X10 and Vivaz smartphones as well as the recently launched X10 mini and X10 mini pro devices have been well received by operators.
"We are now well positioned for long term growth," Chief Executive Bert Nordberg said. "Our second quarter results show that the company continued the momentum seen in the first quarter as a result of our focus on the value market and the success of new smartphones," he added.
Friday's report looked decent overall with net profit slightly ahead of market expectations and a strong upturn in average selling price but rather low sales volumes, said Redeye analyst Greger Johansson.
Sony Ericsson shipped 11 million phones at an average selling price of EUR160 in the second quarter, compared with 13.8 million units at an average price of EUR122 a year earlier. Sales rose to EUR1.76 billion from EUR1.68 billion, against expectations of EUR1.79 billion.
The company's estimated share of the global handset market remained flat from the previous quarter at around 4%.
CEO Nordberg told Dow Jones Newswires Friday that ongoing cost-cutting measures and a strategic shift in focus to smartphones should help to sustain profitability.
Android will remain a key platform, while Sony Ericsson will likely drop either Symbian or the Windows Mobile operating system.
"There is an outlook for us winding down to less than those three" platforms, he said.
Sony Ericsson, which reports earnings a week before market leader Nokia, maintained its previous outlook for slight unit growth in the global handset market in 2010.
The company booked restructuring charges of EUR32 million for its cost-cutting program, which was launched in 2008. The program is now in its final stages and on target to cut annual operating expenses by EUR880 million by the end of 2010, it said.
Sony Ericsson's turnaround looks sustainable as its recent launches have been well received and the wider handset market seems stable, said Redeye's Johansson.
Still, he said the company should try to boost its volumes even though its increased focus on more exclusive smartphones has apparently been successful.
At 1255 GMT, shares in Ericsson were down 1.6% at SEK84.90, underperforming a 0.5% drop in the wider Stockholm market and shedding some gains after outperforming earlier in the day in the wake of Sony Ericsson's report.
Sony Ericsson's second-quarter profit was won't have any major financial effect on Ericsson's earnings, but is still positive for the co-parent which has previously had to book losses from the joint venture, Johansson said.
maryland earthquake
Interested in what's being said on Twitter about it?
* Here are results from a search for "earthquake md."
* And here are search results for "earthquake maryland."
Already, three Facebook groups have been started:
* I was alive for the 2010 baby earthquake in DC/Maryland. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/I-was-alive-for-the-2010-baby-earthquake-in-DCMaryland/137517799604915?ref=search
* Here are results from a search for "earthquake md."
* And here are search results for "earthquake maryland."
Already, three Facebook groups have been started:
* I was alive for the 2010 baby earthquake in DC/Maryland. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/I-was-alive-for-the-2010-baby-earthquake-in-DCMaryland/137517799604915?ref=search
inception movie review
Inception requires so much exposition that a lesser director would have forced theaters to distribute pamphlets to audience members in order to explain the complicated world he’s developed. During my first draft of this view, I realized I had spent three paragraphs simply trying to explain the plot. I will simply avoid this exposition and present the movie’s basic premise. Inception centers on a team of individuals led by an “extractor” named Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) who, through the use of a special device, construct the dreams of a target and use those dreams to implant an idea so that the target will make a decision beneficial to the individual who hired the team. To say that scratches the surface would be an insult to both scratches and surfaces. But since it takes Nolan about fifty minutes to set everything up, I hope you’ll forgive my brevity.
Why is it so difficult to explain the plot in depth? First, I don’t want to spoil you. Secondly, the film layers dreams on top of dreams to the point where a unique keepsake called a “totem” is required in order to inform a character as to whether or not he or she is still dreaming. Then you have people in particular roles like “The Architect”, “The Forger”, and “The Chemist” in order to pull off the job. Furthermore, dreams have rules: dying in a dream forces the dreamer to wake up, delving too deeply into a mind can cause an eternal slumber called “Limbo”, using memories to construct dreams is dangerous because it can blur the line between dreams and reality. In addition, intruding in the dreams of another will cause the dreamer’s “projections” (human representations created by the dreamer) to attack the intruders like white blood cells going after an infection. And these explanations only represent a fraction of the terminology, rules, exceptions, or details that are necessary for creating the world of Inception.
But it’s not a confusing movie if you provide it with your full attention. There are a lot of summer movies that ask you turn off your brain and enjoy the persistent-vegetative-state ride. Inception is not one of those movies. There’s a lot to take in, but the imaginative and thoughtful delivery of exposition keeps the viewer riveted despite the amount of information required in order to understand the premise, setting, and plot.
It tends to be the case that lots of rules create lots of loopholes. Filmmakers can use these to cheat and let audiences fill in the leaps of logics. But Inception always plays fair. It will twist your mind but it’s not a film built on twists. It’s a film built on possibilities and the boldness of pursuing those possibilities. On my first viewing, the film experienced a technical malfunction where a misplaced reel skipped the movie forward by twenty minutes and then played the scene upside down and in reverse. Inception had already sent the audience through such a strange narrative labyrinth that almost everyone in the theater wasn’t sure if something had gone wrong or if Nolan had just made another bold decision.
The film deserves, demands, and rewards repeat viewings, but from your first viewing you can grasp the events on screen and how they interact with each other as long as you force yourself to be an active viewer. But with set pieces so intricate, so jaw-dropping, and so breathtaking, you’ll find that there’s no exertion needed to stay focused. You’ll already be swept up in the whirlwind.
“And I will lead them on a merry chase.”
Inception features one of the best fight scenes of all-time. Take a moment to consider that: in the entire history of cinema, of every fight scene that has ever taken place, the one in this movie is among the best. Watching a fight without gravity is incredible. It’s not like in The Matrix where a character can defy gravity if they choose. The fight scene in Inception has no gravity to defy and Arthur (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the team’s point man, has to figure out how to achieve his objective while fending off projections. I can only hope that someday in the distant future, when people with free time are on a space station in zero-gravity, they will re-enact this scene. In the meantime, Nolan’s spectacular visual effects will have to suffice.
With the exception of one set piece (which I’ll get to in a moment), the action scenes in Inception are spectacular. Visually lush and imaginative, Nolan transforms car chases into countdowns, fistfights into puzzles, and shootouts into…well, shootouts. There’s a mission on a snowy mountainside that doesn’t work as well as the other set pieces because there’s a poor sense of location, a lack of visual diversity, and sloppy editing. But that doesn’t really halt or hurt the film because Nolan brilliantly placed the car chase, the fistfight, and the shootout on top of each other. You would think this would cause action fatigue, but by cutting between three set pieces and having what happens in one set piece affect the others, the action climax of Inception isn’t exhausting—it’s exhilarating.
“If you’re going to perform inception, you need imagination.”
You can be the best action director around but you can only get so far if you lack characters worth caring about. With Inception, every character not only has a particular skill and task, but has a personality that mirrors their job description.
We learn about the characters of Inception not from long monologues about their past or even (with the exception of Cobb) delving into their dreams and memories. We learn about them by how they interact with each other. The small moments between Arthur and Eames, “The Forger” (Tom Hardy) indicate years of working on j tolerating each other on jobs but with no animosity between the two. Neophyte “Architect” Ariadne (Ellen Page) is a total jerk towards Cobb, but she’s the only one who’s willing to cut through his bullshit. Cobb’s relationship with his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) is the heart of Inception. The interactions among the supporting characters are standard for a well-made action movie, but the relationship between Cobb and Mal is yet another reason why Inception stands apart.
DiCaprio will take some flack for playing a similar character to his one in Shutter Island from earlier this year. Both Cobb and Teddy Daniels have become separated from their families, suffer from unbearable guilt, and have a tough time handling the nature of reality. Here’s another similarity: DiCaprio is great in both movies. I wouldn’t worry about him getting typecast as tragic-figure-with-tenuous-grasp-on-reality-as-a-result-of-intense-guilt-and-regret.
Two of the film’s stars will (hopefully) find their careers at the next level after this movie opens. Their names are “Joseph Gordon-Levitt” and “Tom Hardy”. Gordon-Levitt has excelled at playing lost boys, tortures souls, and recently a charming male lead in (500) Days of Summer. You can now add “bad-ass blockbuster action star” to that list. Gordon-Levitt’s versatility is why I will be excited for any movie that lists him as one of its stars.
Hardy’s critically acclaimed performance in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Bronson brought him to Hollywood’s attention. His performance in Inception will bring him the attention of countries. He brings a light-hearted touch to the film and while the script forces other characters to remain serious, Eames takes a more laid back approach to the mind-heist game. But he’s not comic relief and he’s not around to comment on absurd circumstances. Like everyone in the cast, he’s there to help the team achieve their goal (although the script functions in such a way that you could see each character as a representation of a specific idea).
The only actor who’s a little shaky is Ken Watanabe who plays Saito, the team’s employer. His performance is great. He pulls off the impressive feat of being threatening without being menacing. The only problem is that Watanabe’s Japanese accent is so thick that it’s sometimes difficult to make out what he’s saying. In a movie where the dialogue is as delicately crafted as the rest of the film, it’s unfortunate to lose a few lines due to something as simple as pronunciation. And it’s only noticeable because everything in Inception is so finely crafted.
The physical scope of this movie is astounding. Worlds fall on top of each other, a freight train can burst onto a city street, hotels can lose all gravity, and everything that we know is impossible appears completely natural. It’s not enough to say that the cinematography is gorgeous, or that the sound design is sensational, or that this is one of composer Hans Zimmer’s all-time best scores. There aren’t “supporting” elements in Inception. Just as the film layers its narrative structure and thematic subtext, so it does with its technical elements. You will notice the cinematography and the art direction and the sounds and the score. It’s like hearing beautiful solos mixed together in a glorious anthem.
“Dreams feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.”
As you’ve probably guessed, when I said at the beginning of this review that Inception was the first movie in over a decade to mix breathtaking action with thoughtful subtext, I was referring to 1999’s The Matrix. The comparisons are inevitable. Both movies deal with the nature of reality combined with pulse-pounding set pieces that will be included in any action-scene highlight reel. But The Matrix is a freshman level course compared to the doctorate held by Inception, and it has nothing to do with how far special effects have come in ten years. It’s about taking multiple genres, settings, ideas, emotions, and questions and weaving them into a rich tapestry that will have folks talking long after the credits roll. But then you throw in those advanced special effects and you have a summer blockbuster that will blow your mind.
You’ve never seen anything like Inception, and you’ll want to see it again and again.
Rating: A
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