tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89983262914262339132024-03-06T05:12:32.186+00:00The BadbugFrom my fangs to your screensSharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-20079304508637537572012-01-10T16:09:00.002+00:002020-06-19T22:18:19.639+01:00#21 Greek parents too poor to care for their children<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1">
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Greece's financial crisis
has made some families so desperate they are giving up the most
precious thing of all - their children.</div>
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1">
<br /></div>
One morning a few weeks before Christmas a kindergarten teacher in Athens found a note about one of her four-year-old pupils.<br />
<br />
"I will not be coming to pick up Anna today because I cannot
afford to look after her," it read. "Please take good care of her.
Sorry. Her mother."<br />
<br />
In the last two months Father Antonios, a young Orthodox
priest who runs a youth centre for the city's poor, has found four
children on his doorstep - including a baby just days old.<br />
<br />
Another charity was approached by a couple whose twin babies
were in hospital being treated for malnutrition, because the mother
herself was malnourished and unable to breastfeed.<br />
<br />
Cases like this are shocking a country where family ties are strong,
and failure to look after children is socially unacceptable - they feel
to Greeks like stories from the Third World, rather than their own
capital city.<br />
<br />
One of the children cared for by Father Antonios is Natasha, a
bright two-year-old brought to his centre by her mother a few weeks
ago.<br />
<br />
The woman said she was unemployed and homeless and needed
help - but before staff could offer her support she had vanished,
leaving her daughter behind.<br />
<br />
"Over the last year we have hundreds of cases of parents who
want to leave their children with us - they know us and trust us,"
Father Antonios says.<br />
<br />
"They say they do not have any money or shelter or food for
their kids, so they hope we might be able to provide them with what they
need."<br />
<br />
Requests of this kind were not unknown before the crisis -
but Father Antonios has never until now come across children being
simply abandoned.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="cross-head">Handouts</span></b><br />
<b><span class="cross-head"> </span></b>
<br />
One woman driven by poverty to give up her child was Maria, a
single mother who lost her job and was unemployed for more than a year.<br />
<br />
<div id="story_continues_2">
"Every night I cry alone at home, but what can I do? It hurt my heart, but I didn't have a choice," she says.</div>
<div id="story_continues_2">
<br /></div>
She spent her days looking for work, sometimes well into the
evening and that often meant leaving eight-year-old Anastasia alone for
hours at a time. The two of them lived on food handouts from the church.
Maria lost 25kg.<br />
<br />
In the end she decided to put Anastasia into foster care with a charity called SOS Children's Villages.<br />
<br />
"I can suffer through it but why should she have to?" she asks.<br />
<br />
She now has a job in a cafe, but makes just 20 euros (£16) a
day. She sees Anastasia about once a month, and hopes to take her back
when her economic situation improves - but when that might be she has no
idea.<br />
<br />
SOS Children's Villages' director of social work, Stergios Sifnyos,
says the charity is not accustomed to taking children from families for
economic reasons and does not want to.<br />
<br />
"The relationship between Maria and Anastasia is very close.
You can say you cannot see any problem, [any reason] why this child has
to be far away from her mother," he says.<br />
<br />
"But it's very difficult for her to feel comfortable to take
back the child when she is not sure she will [still] have a job the next
days."<br />
<br />
<b><span class="cross-head">'Act of violence'</span></b><br />
<br />
<div id="story_continues_3">
In the past when SOS Children's Villages took
children into its care, the cause was mostly drug and alcohol addiction
in the family. Now the main factor is poverty. </div>
<div id="story_continues_3">
<br /></div>
Another charity, The Smile of a Child, also focused in the
past on cases involving child abuse and neglect. It too is now catering
for the destitute of Athens.<br />
<br />
Its chief psychologist Stefanos Alevizos, says that when a
parent puts a child into care, the child feels its entire foundations
have been shaken.<br />
<br />
"They experience the separation as an act of violence because they cannot understand the reasons for it," he says.<br />
<br />
But The Smile of a Child's Sofia Kouhi says the biggest
tragedy, in her eyes, is that those parents who ask for their kids to be
taken into care may be the ones who love their children the most.<br />
<br />
<div id="story_continues_4">
"It is very sad to see the pain in their heart
that they will leave their children, but they know it is for the best,
at least for this period," she says.</div>
<div id="story_continues_4">
<br /></div>
Father Antonios disagrees.<br />
<br />
He believes that no matter how poor parents may be, the child is always better off with its family.<br />
<br />
"These families will be judged for abandoning their children," he says.<br />
<br />
"We can provide a child with food and shelter, but the truth
is that the biggest need any child has is to feel the love of its
parents."<br />
<br />
<i>The names of children in this report have been changed to protect their identities.</i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;">source (with added info and related news)</span> : <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16472310" target="_blank"><b>BBC News</b></a>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-42688736310722300902012-01-09T17:04:00.002+00:002012-01-15T19:50:17.879+00:00#20 Acer unveils world's thinnest laptop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Acer on Sunday unveiled the world's thinnest
laptop computer as an array of "ultrabook" rivals prepared to debut this
week at the <a class=" lingo_link lingo_link_hidden" href="http://topics.breitbart.com/Consumer+Electronics+Show/" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;">Consumer Electronics Show</a> in <a class=" lingo_link" href="http://topics.breitbart.com/Las+Vegas/" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">Las Vegas.</a><br />
<br />
The Taiwan-based computer titan will begin shipping Acer Aspire 5 models
in the second quarter of this year, with prices to be disclosed in
coming weeks.<br />
<br />
"That S5 is quite significant," analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies said after the Acer press event.<br />
<br />
"It looks like the thinnest and lightest, and it sets the bar for the rest of the ultrabook vendors," he continued.<br />
<br />
The Aspire S5 has a 34-cm (13.3-inch) screen and is 15 mm at its
thickest point. The ultrabook weighs slightly less than 1.35 kg (three
pounds).<br />
<br />
"We are committed to evolving this technology," said Acer chief
executive J.T. Wang. "By the second quarter of this year we will have
four models of ultrabook and more to come."<br />
<br />
Ultrabooks powered by Windows 8 will be released by Acer after Microsoft
releases the new version of its computer operating system later this
year, according to Wang.<br />
<br />
He estimated that ultrabooks would make up at least 35 percent of the Acer product line by the end of this year.<br />
<br />
Since Aspire S5 is Windows based it is not likely to be a direct
challenge to MacBook Air laptops, which have been winning converts to
the sleek machines powered by Apple software, according to Bajarin.<br />
<br />
"The real battle is not with Apple, it is with all the other vendors coming out with Windows ultrabooks," Bajarin said.<br />
<br />
"Apple will still do great with MacBook Air, but in the Windows world it
is great news that five years after Apple set the tone the industry is
finally getting something equal," he continued.<br />
<br />
Acer also announced plans to launch a free service that will let users
of its computers store video, photos, music, and documents in the
Internet "cloud" and access files from any Windows 8 or Android software
powered gadgets.<br />
<br />
"We believe Microsoft will take care of Windows devices; Google will
take care of Android devices, and Acer will take care of in between,"
Wang said.<br />
<br />
"We will make Windows work very well with Android and other platforms too."
<br />
Bajarin described Aspire S5 as the first viable Windows equivalent of
popular MacBook Air laptops built by California-based Apple.<br />
<br />
Acer Cloud appeared to be a Windows version of the Apple's
freshly-launched iCloud service that lets people access their content
from iPads, iPhones, iPods, and <a class=" lingo_link" href="http://topics.breitbart.com/Macintosh+computers/" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">Macintosh computers,</a> according to the analyst.
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<br />
text source : <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.f1c8d4ea77b5464caa752dda865ccb1b.201&show_article=1" target="_blank"><b>Breitbart</b></a>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-47475655159195352512012-01-07T09:22:00.002+00:002012-01-07T09:26:54.505+00:00#19 Video: Van Halen’s New Song “She’s The Woman” at Cafe Wha?!<object style="height: 351px; width: 576px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GzNNg9ALr8w?version=3&feature=player_embedded">
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<b>Van Halen played one new song last night, “She’s The Woman”.</b> As die hard
fans may know, this song actually came from an old demo made in 1976.
Ever since the discovery of this demo, die hard fans have been wanting
the band to release this as official material. Although the new song is
based on the original demo recording, the song has been tweaked and
changes have been made on the new recording, such as having a completely
new guitar solo. Read our <a href="http://www.vhnd.com/2012/01/06/van-halen-live-at-cafe-wha-vhnd-review/" title="Van Halen Live at Cafe Wha? – VHND Review">full review</a> of the Cafe Wha? show.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;">source</span> : <b><a href="http://www.vhnd.com/2012/01/07/video-van-halens-new-song-shes-the-woman-at-cafe-wha/" target="_blank">Van Halen News Desk </a></b>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-86115112978161553352012-01-06T04:57:00.004+00:002012-01-06T04:59:08.214+00:00#18 Why we fall out of love<h2 class="articleAuthor">
<span style="font-size: small;">By Laura Schaefer</span> </h2>
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<b>“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore!” sang
Dean Martin.</b> We all know the delicious feeling of new love, but what
about the flip side? Love doesn’t always last, and its retreat can leave
us bewildered, confused or downright depressed.
<br />
<br />
<b>Even if you were raised on a plentiful diet of fairy tales, you know
that “till death do us part” can be a rare thing.</b> Even staying with
someone forever is no guarantee of experiencing lasting love. But why do
people <i>really</i> fall out of love? Is there anything we can do to
make love stay? Do some of us give up too easily? To understand the
phenomenon of love’s end, we asked the experts’ opinions on the subject.
Here are the top three reasons they shared with us:
<br />
<br />
<b>1. A distancing “Wave” can topple a good thing if you let it.</b> Ken Page, psychotherapist and author of the <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/finding-love/201101/the-single-greatest-threat-new-relationships-and-what-do-about-it">Finding Love blog</a> for <i>Psychology Today</i> and founder of the <a href="http://www.deeperdating.com/">Deeper Dating</a>
website, has identified a phenomenon that can destroy new love: “The
‘Wave’ occurs when we unconsciously push a caring and available person
away by inwardly diminishing his or her worth.” Think about how Carrie
Bradshaw behaved when she first started dating Aidan Shaw: Aidan was
“too available” and Carrie freaked because she wasn’t used to being with
someone so open.<br />
<br />
<b>“When someone is available and decent,”</b> Page explains, <b>“something inside
us knows </b>[this person]<b> can get to our nest, our soul </b>— the place where
we care the most and can be hurt the most. And our unconscious gets
panicked.” If you find yourself breaking up with someone awesome for no
good reason, check yourself; you might be acting out of fear. After all,
real love is a big deal. It involves a leap of faith, and that can be a
scary thing. Those who give in to the Wave fall out of love before they
even give themselves a chance to fall properly <i>in</i> love, and that’s kind of sad.
<br />
<br />
<b>2. Unwillingness to discuss relationship problems.</b> OK,
let’s say you’ve taken that leap and you’re in a long-term, committed
relationship. Good for you! Now, don’t forget to communicate with your
partner regularly. <a href="http://www.guywinch.com/">Guy Winch</a>, Ph.D., author of <i>The Squeaky Wheel: Complaining the Right Way to Get Results, Improve Your Relationships and Enhance Self-Esteem</i>,
says that people fall out of love because they don’t talk through their
relationship peeves with each other: “Research shows that couples who
are able to voice complaints well and discuss them productively have
greater marital satisfaction and much lower divorce rates than couples
who are unable to do so.” If you’re in a newer relationship, iron out
the kinks early on to keep love alive over the long haul. “It is much
easier to address issues earlier in a relationship than later, just as
it is much harder to mold cement once it has dried and hardened,”
explains Winch.
<br />
<br />
<b>The key word here, however, is “productively.”</b> It usually doesn’t help
to fight and blame your partner for all of the relationship’s problems. <a href="http://www.drfranpraver.com/books.html">Dr. Fran Praver</a>, author of <i>The New Science of Love: How Understanding Your Brain’s Wiring Can Help Rekindle Your Relationship</i>,
says that “when couples play the blame game, they wage a war of being
right where both parties lose. It may seem like a strong personality to
insist on being right, but in fact ‘rightness’ is born out of rigidity
and weakness, not strength.” Couples fall out of love when they can’t
find a way to make the partnership good for both people involved.
Creativity and open minds are the stuff of lasting love; silence and
blaming, though? Not so much.
<br />
<br />
<b>3. People change or get bored with each other.</b> April Masini, the relationship expert behind <a href="http://www.askapril.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=1">AskApril.com</a> and author of <i>Romantic Date Ideas</i>,
says: “Over time, people can change — or more often, they become who
they really are. Someone who loved his steady business career may
suddenly realize he always wanted to be a stand-up comedian and throw
caution to the wind to chase his dreams.” People evolve; circumstances
change — and sometimes, relationships can’t be sustained as a result.
But if you <i>really</i> know your partner down to the core, the
changes won’t be as shocking. “The kind of change that leads to love
lost is always about a buried desire to be someone that’s repressed
inside,” continues Masini. <b>“It’s important to really know your partner
to avoid this lost-love syndrome.”</b> In other words, don’t neglect someone
you care about. You cannot get to know a person thoroughly right away —
rather, it’s a lifelong journey. There’s a whole universe inside the
person you fell for, and if you don’t check in with that individual on a
regular basis, you could wake up one day hearing this: “I’m unhappy.
I’m moving to another country to start my life over fresh, and you’re
not invited.”
<br />
<br />
<b>If you find <i>yourself</i> perusing faraway rental homes and thinking, “He’s changed!”</b> or “I’m just so <i>bored</i>
with her,” think about holding on and digging a little deeper first.
“At a certain point in a relationship, according to Imago Couples
Therapy,” says Page, “each partner feels that the thing they most need
from their partner is the very thing that their partner can’t give. At
that point, many people feel that the relationship has run its course
and they leave. The reality, however, is much different. This can be the
beginning phase of an entirely new level of intimacy, if they each
decide to learn to grow and try to give that partner what [he or she
needs most].”
<br />
<br />
<b>Then again, love doesn’t necessarily have to last decades (or a
lifetime) to matter. </b>Romantic relationships can also evolve into dear
friendships — and that’s perfectly fine. <a href="http://www.coffeytalk.com/">Dr. Lissa Coffey</a>, author of the book, <i>Closure and the Law of Relationship: Endings as New Beginnings</i>,
agrees. “We may come together for a certain period of time to help each
other learn and grow, and when that has been accomplished, we’ve gotten
everything we were meant to get out of the relationship. Then it
changes,” Coffey explains. “It doesn’t have to end; it’s just
redefined.”
<br />
<br />
<i>Laura Schaefer is the author of</i> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Ingredient-Laura-Schaefer/dp/1442419598/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312477580&sr=8-1">The Secret Ingredient</a> <i>and</i> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Explorers-Chicago-ebook/dp/B0057ZFIAK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312477656&sr=1-1">Planet Explorers Chicago</a>.<br />
<br />
source : <b><a href="http://yahoo.match.com/y/article.aspx?articleid=12680&TrackingID=526103&BannerID=926100" target="_blank">match.com</a></b>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-47635330830747963622012-01-01T04:12:00.004+00:002012-01-01T04:12:42.938+00:00#17 Happy New Year!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-76474169988701401012011-12-29T20:46:00.002+00:002011-12-29T20:46:41.169+00:00#16 99-year-old divorces wife after he discovered 1940s affair<div class="firstPar">
The <b><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/">Italian</a></b>
man, identified by lawyers in the case only as Antonio C, was rifling
through an old chest of drawers when he made the discovery a few days before
Christmas.
</div>
<div class="secondPar">
Notwithstanding the time that had elapsed since the betrayal, he was so upset
that he immediately confronted his wife of 77 years, named as Rosa C, and
demanded a divorce.
</div>
<div class="thirdPar">
Guilt-stricken, she reportedly confessed everything but was unable to persuade
her husband to reconsider his decision.
</div>
<div class="fourthPar">
She wrote the letters to her lover during a secret affair in the 1940s,
according to court papers released in Rome this week.
</div>
<div class="fifthPar">
The couple are now preparing to split, despite the ties they forged over
nearly eight decades – they have five children, a dozen grandchildren and
one great-grand child.<br />
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The discovery of the letters was the final straw for a marriage which had
already run into difficulty – 10 years ago the husband briefly left their
house in Rome and moved in with one of his sons, only to return a few weeks
later.
<br />
<div class="body">
The Italian press attributed the acrimonious split to the couple's southern
blood – he is originally from Olbia in Sardinia, while his wife was born in
Naples.
<br />
The couple met during the 1930s when Antonio was posted as a young Carabinieri
officer to Naples.
<br />
The case appears to set a new record, at least for the age of the oldest
protagonist – the previous oldest couple to divorce were <b><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6529037/British-couple-become-worlds-oldest-divorcees-aged-98.html">Bertie
and Jessie Wood, both aged 98, from the UK</a></b>.
<br />
The pair ended their 36-year marriage in 2009 when they were both two years
away from their 100th birthdays.
<br />
They got married in Elstree, Hertfordshire, in 1972, having both ended
previous marriages, before moving to Falmouth, Cornwall four years later.<br />
<br />
<div class="bylineBody">
By Nick Squires in Rome </div>
<div class="publishedDate">
3:39PM GMT 29 Dec 2011</div>
<div class="publishedDate">
source : <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8982958/99-year-old-divorces-wife-after-he-discovered-1940s-affair.html" target="_blank"><b>The Telegraph </b></a></div>
</div>
</div>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-62705564539960020462011-12-23T21:37:00.003+00:002011-12-23T21:51:07.355+00:00#15 A few examples of HDR images<b>HDR imagery refers to the technique of shooting several images, usually three, and merging them in one frame using an image manipulating software like PhotoShop. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. The three shots are one underexposed, one properly exposed and one overexposed. This way you extract much more detail from the picture than you could possibly do with any single shot alone. As a result the images look oversaturated and often surreal :</b><br />
<a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/Supra_HDR__by_Gasbot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/Supra_HDR__by_Gasbot.jpg" width="600" /></a> <a href="http://gasbot.deviantart.com/art/Supra-HDR-86968453" target="_blank">image source</a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/elementalpaul/2588834960/" title="Ford Mustang GT by elementalPaul, on Flickr"><img alt="Ford Mustang GT" height="405" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3054/2588834960_858f963504_z.jpg" width="600" /> </a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_buckie/209267297/" title="FORD GALAXIE HDR by abux_77, on Flickr"><img alt="FORD GALAXIE HDR" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/64/209267297_ecc7d71c38_z.jpg" /> </a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/180697936/" title="The Red Hiney, Presenting by Stuck in Customs, on Flickr"><img alt="The Red Hiney, Presenting" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/71/180697936_82d4c75f3f_z.jpg" /> </a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/742619149_CYkrj-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/742619149_CYkrj-M.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://stuckincustoms.smugmug.com/Portfolio-The-Best/your-favorites/10668747_AuyBk#742619149_CYkrj" target="_blank">image source</a>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-21816261283848566032011-12-23T12:47:00.003+00:002011-12-23T17:42:01.190+00:00#14 Melissa Riso loves her Wii<b>Melissa Riso i</b><b>s a Wii fan with a lovely tattoo.</b> This exotic beauty gets her exotic, curvy looks from a heritage
that includes family from the island of <b>Guam</b> and <b>Italy.</b> When she's not
playing <b>Nintendo</b>, she's trying to make the internets a better place.
She's also quite the human equivalent to <b>Wii Fit</b>, keeping herself busy
by dancing, swimming and hitting the gym - clearly doing more physical
activity on a daily basis than any Nintendo fan has done in their entire
lives.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/babe-of-the-day-melissa-riso-20090920072514858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="736" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/babe-of-the-day-melissa-riso-20090920072514858.jpg" width="489" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;">source</span> : <b><a href="http://uk.stars.ign.com/articles/102/1026653p1.html" target="_blank">IGN </a></b>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-2542852491342402082011-12-20T16:17:00.007+00:002011-12-20T16:17:59.449+00:00#13 Star Wars : The Old Republic finally released<b>Today is the big day, at least for North America.</b> One of the most eagerly anticipated games of all time, <b>Star Wars : The Old Republic</b>, is released. Europe and the rest of the world will have to wait for merely two more days.<br />
So we will all soon be able to actively enjoy it, instead of just drooling over stunning trailers like this one here. This is the 6'21" Intro Cinematic trailer you are treated to before you start playing :<br />
<object height="330" width="580"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/themes/swtor/en/assets/mediaPlayerInterior.swf" />
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" />
<param name="flashvars" value="title=undefined&description=undefined&source=http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/Return.flv&fullscreen_source=/&comment_url=/media/trailers/return#comments&download_1=header|Windows Media Video (.wmv),thumb|null,filesize|262M,resolution|1280x720,url|http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/TOR_Return_wmv.zip&download_2=header|Quicktime (.mov),thumb|null,filesize|345M,resolution|1280x720,url|http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/TOR_Return_mov.zip&lang=EN&age_gate=0" />
<embed src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/themes/swtor/en/assets/mediaPlayerInterior.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="580" height="330"flashvars="title=undefined&description=undefined&source=http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/Return.flv&fullscreen_source=/&comment_url=/media/trailers/return#comments&download_1=header|Windows Media Video (.wmv),thumb|null,filesize|262M,resolution|1280x720,url|http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/TOR_Return_wmv.zip&download_2=header|Quicktime (.mov),thumb|null,filesize|345M,resolution|1280x720,url|http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/TOR_Return_mov.zip&lang=EN&age_gate=0" /></object>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-59400291926378157962011-12-10T10:41:00.001+00:002011-12-10T10:50:05.555+00:00#12 Lindsay Lohan's Playboy cover leaks online<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KXOR1E_u5hc-oEF66hBd0o83l0rSk7r24agCkI6YSaGUxkyojOeTxtv0UY64ltf_wzLD5izQjdqkseLBJgliVpIUA1FrzCo0h1piSX6U8_EJ1DkYNUzEgxk1iCHWLy0JTRg5JPPkNp4/s1600/Lindsay-Lohan+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KXOR1E_u5hc-oEF66hBd0o83l0rSk7r24agCkI6YSaGUxkyojOeTxtv0UY64ltf_wzLD5izQjdqkseLBJgliVpIUA1FrzCo0h1piSX6U8_EJ1DkYNUzEgxk1iCHWLy0JTRg5JPPkNp4/s320/Lindsay-Lohan+1.jpg" width="320" /></a>(CBS) It wasn't supposed to surface until next week, but Lindsay Lohan's Playboy cover has already leaked online. <a href="http://www.theinsider.com/gossip/47313_Lindsay_Lohan_s_Playboy_cover/index.html">The Insider</a> posted the shot<br />
on Wednesday, and the blogosphere has been blowing up ever since.
<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-207_162-4868274.html">Pictures: Lindsay Lohan</a>
<br />
<br />
In the <a href="http://www.theinsider.com/gossip/47313_Lindsay_Lohan_s_Playboy_cover/index.html">photo</a>,
the 25-year-old actress seems to be channeling a Marilyn Monroe look.
She's sitting naked (minus a pair of black stiletto heels) on a chair
with the iconic Playboy logo covering her private parts. <br />
Lohan is expected to unveil the entire spread on the Dec. 15 episode of <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57337357-10391698/lindsay-lohan-headed-to-ellen/">"The Ellen DeGeneres Show."</a><br />
<br />
Lohan received a reported $1 million for the photo shoot, the result
of which will appear in the January/February issue of Playboy.<br />
"The
pictorial is absolutely fantastic and very tasteful, and will be
accompanied by an interview that will let readers see another side of
Lindsay," Lohan's publicist Steve Honig said.<br />
<br />
source : <b><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57339204-10391698/lindsay-lohans-playboy-cover-leaks-online/" target="_blank">CBSNEWS </a></b>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-82075069737095600762011-11-29T01:45:00.001+00:002011-11-29T02:30:03.338+00:00#11 Pakistan PM: No more "business as usual" with U.S.<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="articleText"></span></span>
<br />
<div id="articleInfo">
<div class="byline">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="articleText">By Qasim Nauman and <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=christopher.allbritton&">Chris Allbritton</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="articleText"><span class="location">ISLAMABAD</span> |
<span class="timestamp">Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:45pm EST</span>
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="articleText">
</span></span><br />
<span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph">(Reuters) -
Pakistan's prime minister ruled out "business as usual" with the United
States on Monday after a NATO attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and
the army threatened to curtail cooperation over the war in <a href="http://www.reuters.com/places/afghanistan" title="Full coverage of Afghanistan">Afghanistan</a>.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgng-vd3qASvy-LUekjSOHNnN6UMF9EqKfZ3XIBifSUdoyGcU6rWQjHMJ5rcu4O2FM6rqKi7CMCaaRw3EbncxAQRHAso0Hy9Z26pwDD60DdzztoaA9_JScbCAqhC8UPUu4h4qvBed7uii8/s1600/Paki1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgng-vd3qASvy-LUekjSOHNnN6UMF9EqKfZ3XIBifSUdoyGcU6rWQjHMJ5rcu4O2FM6rqKi7CMCaaRw3EbncxAQRHAso0Hy9Z26pwDD60DdzztoaA9_JScbCAqhC8UPUu4h4qvBed7uii8/s640/Paki1.jpg" width="566" /></a></div>
<br />
Saturday's incident on Pakistan's border with
Afghanistan has complicated U.S. attempts to ease a crisis in relations
with Islamabad and stabilize the region before foreign combat troops
leave Afghanistan.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_2"></span>"Business as
usual will not be there," Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told CNN when
asked if ties with the United States would continue. "We have to have
something bigger so as to satisfy my nation."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_3"></span>While
the NATO strike has shifted attention from what critics say is
Islamabad's failure to go after militants, Gilani's comments reflect the
fury of Pakistan's government and military - and the pressure they face
from their own people.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_4"></span>"You cannot win any war without the support of the masses," Gilani said. "We need the people with us."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_5"></span>The relationship, he said, would continue only if based on "mutual respect and mutual interest." Asked if <a href="http://www.reuters.com/places/pakistan" title="Full coverage of Pakistan">Pakistan</a> was receiving that respect, Gilani replied: "At the moment, not."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_6"></span>Gilani's
comments cap a day of growing pressure from the Pakistani military,
which threatened to reduce cooperation on peace efforts in Afghanistan.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_7"></span>"This
could have serious consequences in the level and extent of our
cooperation," military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told Reuters.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_8"></span>Pakistan
has a long history of ties to militant groups in Afghanistan so it is
uniquely positioned to help bring about a peace settlement, a top
foreign policy and security goal for the Obama administration.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_9"></span>Washington
believes Islamabad can play a critical role in efforts to pacify
Afghanistan before all NATO combat troops pull out in 2014 and it cannot
afford to alienate its ally.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_10"></span>Pakistan
shut down NATO supply routes into Afghanistan in retaliation for the
weekend shooting incident, the worst of its kind since Islamabad allied
itself with Washington in 2001.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_11"></span>"We
have been here before. But this time it's much more serious," said
Farzana Sheikh, associate fellow of the Asia program at Chatham House in
London.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_12"></span>"The government has taken
a very stern view. It's not quite clear at this stage what more
Pakistani authorities can do, apart from suspending supplies to NATO
forces in Afghanistan."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_13"></span>The
weekend attack was the latest perceived provocation by the United
States, which infuriated and embarrassed Pakistan's powerful military in
May with a unilateral special forces raid that killed al Qaeda leader
Osama bin Laden.<br />
<br />
<b>CHINA AND RUSSIA VOICE CONCERN</b><br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_15"></span>Adding a new element to tensions and giving a diplomatic boost to Islamabad, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/places/china" title="Full coverage of China">China</a>
said it was "deeply shocked" by the incident and expressed "strong
concern for the victims and profound condolences for Pakistan."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_0"></span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/places/russia" title="Full coverage of Russia">Russia</a>,
seeking warmer relations with Pakistan as worry grows over the NATO
troop pullout in Afghanistan, said it was "unacceptable" to violate the
sovereignty of states even when hunting "terrorists."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_1"></span>U.S.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Pakistan was rethinking
whether to attend next week's conference on Afghanistan in Bonn, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/places/germany" title="Full coverage of Germany">Germany</a>, although Washington had not yet received any definitive decision from the Pakistanis.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_2"></span>"We
understand that they are reconsidering," Toner told reporters. "We hope
that they do in fact attend this conference because this is a
conference about ... building a more stable and prosperous and peaceful
Afghanistan and so that is very much in the interests of Pakistan."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_3"></span>On
Saturday, NATO helicopters and fighter jets attacked two military
outposts in northwest Pakistan, killing the 24 soldiers and wounding 13,
the army said.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_4"></span>NATO described the
killings as a "tragic, unintended incident." U.S. officials say a NATO
investigation and a separate American one will seek to determine what
happened.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_5"></span>"It is very much in
America's national security interest to maintain a cooperative
relationship with Pakistan because we have shared interests in the fight
against terrorism, and so we will continue to work on that
relationship," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_6"></span>A
Western official and an Afghan security official who requested
anonymity said NATO troops were responding to fire from across the
border at the time of the incident.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_7"></span>Pakistan's
military denied NATO forces had come under fire before launching the
attack, saying the strike was unprovoked and reserving the right to
retaliate.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_8"></span>Abbas, the military spokesman, said the attack lasted two hours despite warnings from Pakistani border posts.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_9"></span>"They
were contacted through the local hotline and also there had been
contacts through the director-general of military operations. But
despite that, this continued," he said.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_10"></span>After
a string of deadly incidents in the largely lawless and confusing
border region, NATO and Pakistan set up the hotline that should allow
them to communicate in case of confusion over targets and avoid
"friendly fire."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_11"></span>Both the Western
and Pakistani explanations are possibly correct: that a retaliatory
attack by NATO troops took a tragic, mistaken turn in harsh terrain
where differentiating friend from foe can be difficult.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_12"></span>An
Afghan Taliban commander, Mullah Samiullah Rahmani, said the group had
not been engaged in any fighting with NATO or Afghan forces in the area
when the incident took place. But he added that Taliban fighters control
several Afghan villages near the border with Pakistan.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_13"></span>A
similar cross-border incident on September 30, 2010, which killed two
Pakistani service personnel, led to the closure of one of NATO's supply
routes through Pakistan for 10 days.<br />
<br />
<b>OBAMA EFFIGY BURNED</b><br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_15"></span>The
main Pakistani association that delivers fuel to NATO forces in
Afghanistan said it would not resume supplies soon in protest against
the NATO strike.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_0"></span>In the Mohmand
region, where the attack took place, hundreds of angry tribesmen yelled
"Death to America." About 200 lawyers protested in Peshawar city, some
burning an effigy of U.S. President Barack Obama.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_1"></span>Pakistani
editorials were strident. "We have to send a clear and unequivocal
message to NATO and America that our patience has run out. If even a
single bullet of foreign forces crosses into our border, then two fires
will be shot in retaliation," said one mass-circulation Urdu language
paper.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_2"></span>Pakistan joined the U.S.-led
war on militancy launched after al Qaeda's attacks on the United States
on September 11, 2001, and has won billions of dollars in aid in
return.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_3"></span>But the unstable,
nuclear-armed country has often been described as an unreliable ally and
the United States has resorted to controversial drone aircraft strikes
against militants on Pakistani territory to pursue its aims.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_4"></span>U.S.
Senator John McCain, a leading voice of Republicans on military issues,
echoed frustration in Washington when he said the loss of life was
"tragic" but that Pakistani intelligence still supported militants
fueling violence in Afghanistan.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_5"></span>"Certain
facts in Pakistan continue to complicate significantly the ability of
coalition and Afghan forces to succeed in Afghanistan," he said.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;">source</span> : <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/28/us-pakistan-nato-idUSTRE7AP03S20111128">Reuters </a>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-49977576236551437942011-10-22T09:49:00.003+01:002011-10-22T09:49:41.116+01:00#10 Gaddafi's death breached the law, says Russia<div class="tagline" style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>World Reaction</b></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>By Shaun Walker in Moscow</b></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Saturday, 22 October 2011</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<br /></div>
<div class="font-null">
<b>As politicians in Western capitals were taking
quiet pleasure in the capture and killing of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi
yesterday, opinions elsewhere were divided. </b></div>
<b>
</b><div class="font-null">
<br /></div>
<div class="font-null">
<b>In Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
that the Geneva Conventions had been breached with the killing of
Colonel Gaddafi. </b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/1b817de37f35b50ba81dac9d914c642ea4b454d9_two_column.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/1b817de37f35b50ba81dac9d914c642ea4b454d9_two_column.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="font-null">
"We have to lean on facts and international laws,"
Mr Lavrov said. "They say that a captured participant of an armed
conflict should be treated in a certain way. And in any case, a prisoner
of war should not be killed."</div>
<div class="font-null">
<br /></div>
<div class="font-null">
Russia has been
critical of Nato military action in Libya, saying that it has gone well
beyond the stated mission of saving civilian life. The main concern for
Moscow now is whether the new Libyan authorities will honour contracts
signed by the Gaddafi regime. As well as the oil and arms trade, Russian
Railways had secured a £2bn contract to construct a railway line
between Sirte and Benghazi. Moscow recognised the National Transitional
Council as the official government of Libya last month and said it
expected all existing contracts to be honoured. </div>
<div class="font-null">
<br /></div>
<div class="font-null">
China,
which like Russia abstained in the Security Council vote on whether to
use force against Colonel Gaddafi's troops, was quicker yesterday to
change its tune. Beijing initially refused to support the rebels and had
been highly critical of the bombing campaign. But as realities on the
ground altered, in recent weeks the Chinese government had started to
engage with the rebel movement. </div>
<div class="font-null">
<br /></div>
<div class="font-null">
"A new page has been turned in the history of
Libya," a foreign ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, said yesterday. "We
hope Libya will rapidly embark on an inclusive political process ... and
allow the people to live in peace and happiness," she said. </div>
<div class="font-null">
<br /></div>
<div class="font-null">
A
sign of the official policy change could be discerned in the language
that Chinese state media used to refer to Colonel Gaddafi. Newspapers
and agencies run by the state, which had previously referred to a
"Middle East strongman", had yesterday made a small but significant
change to their phrasing, calling him a "madman" instead.</div>
<div class="font-null">
<br /></div>
<div class="font-null">
Reaction
from other enemies of the US was varied. Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez described the dead dictator as a "martyr", while Iran's foreign
ministry tried to banish any parallels between the Libyan revolution and
anti-government protests at home. "Despots and oppressors throughout
history have no fate other than destruction and death," a spokesman
said. He called Colonel Gaddafi's killing a "great victory" but added
that all foreign forces must now pull out of the country.</div>
<div class="font-null">
<br /></div>
<div class="font-null">
And
the eccentric Russian politician Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who is also the
head of the World Chess Federation, said that Colonel Gaddafi's death
was a "tragedy" but that he died as a martyr and would be reincarnated.</div>
<div class="font-null">
<br /></div>
Mr Ilyumzhinov made a surreal mission to Tripoli in June, where he met
with Colonel Gaddafi as an unofficial mediator and played a game of
chess with him. Yesterday, he said in a Russian newspaper interview that
he had spoken to the Libyan leader numerous times on the phone since.
He claimed that Colonel Gaddafi had not been scared of death: "Not a
bit! He believed in reincarnation."<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;">source</span> : <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/gaddafis-death-breached-the-law-says-russia-2374250.html"><b>Independent </b></a>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-30255399093665479662011-10-22T06:36:00.000+01:002011-10-22T06:37:00.851+01:00#9 Analysis: Greek PM clings to power, tries to dodge snap polls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/m02d20111021t2i520310584w460fhfwllplrBTRE79K17QA00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/m02d20111021t2i520310584w460fhfwllplrBTRE79K17QA00.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="articleText"><div id="articleInfo">
<div class="byline">
By <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=dina.kyriakidou&">Dina Kyriakidou</a></div>
<span class="location">ATHENS</span> |
<span class="timestamp">Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:28pm EDT</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph">(Reuters) - Greece's
embattled socialist Prime Minister George Papandreou is clinging to
power after losing a deputy in the effort to impose a fresh wave of
austerity on an angry public, but his grip is weakened by problems at
home and abroad.</span></span></span></div>
<div id="articleInfo">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph"> </span></span></span></div>
</span></span><span id="articleText">A shrinking parliament majority, street
protests and lack of wider consensus are testing Papandreou's resolve,
as will any failure on the EU's part to come up with a comprehensive
solution to Greece's biggest post-war economic crisis.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_2"></span>Snap
elections now would be disastrous for his ruling Socialists, who won
polls two years ago on tax-and-spend pledges and found themselves
unprepared to deal with the debt crisis threatening to take down the
euro and derail the global economy.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_3"></span>"He
won't call a snap election unless he has to. He'll stay on even if he
loses two more deputies," said Theodore Couloumbis of the ELIAMEP think
tank. "He doesn't want to be the leader who brought his party to second
or even third place in one term."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_4"></span>Faced with a huge debt mountain and shut out of bond markets, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/places/greece" title="Full coverage of Greece">Greece</a>
took international bailout deals in exchange for strict fiscal measures
to avoid default. Foot-dragging has prompted lenders to ask for more
belt-tightening, angering a public which says only the poor are paying
for the crisis.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_5"></span>Papandreou's
parliament majority was cut to 153 out of 300 seats late Thursday, after
he was forced to expel a senior party member and family friend for
voting against part of a bill calling for EU/IMF prescribed wage cuts
and tax hikes.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_6"></span>As over 100,000
protesters screamed expletives at parliament, more and more Socialist
deputies made clear it was the last time they were blindly voting for
measures they did not believe in and asked Papandreou to form a
multi-party government.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_7"></span>"There
won't be a next time," said PASOK deputy Sofia Giannaka. "PASOK voices
saying it is impossible for a single-party government to impose future
measures are multiplying."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_8"></span><b>PUBLIC WRATH</b><br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_9"></span>Analysts
said that unless the street protests turn violent, they will continue
to poison the political climate but not topple the government.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_10"></span>"Greeks
tend to express their rage even though there are no other political
alternatives. Regardless how big, these protests cannot change the
government's policies," said the head of ALCO pollsters, Costas
Panagopoulos.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_11"></span>Government officials
say thoughts this summer of calling snap elections were put on the back
burner, as opinions polls started to show the conservative opposition
New Democracy may eventually manage to win elections alone.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_12"></span>Polls
show New Democracy rising fast, riding a wave of public discontent with
belt-tightening and perceived lack of social justice, and getting about
22 percent of the vote compared to about 15 percent for PASOK.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_13"></span>That
would not win the conservatives the election outright but it would
strengthen their hand in demanding a repeat poll, which they may well
win on their own. That means PASOK faces the prospect of not only losing
the election but being left out of government altogether.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_14"></span>"The
opinion polls changed the government's thinking and Papandreou will try
to avoid elections at all costs," said a government official who
requested anonymity. "But in every battle he fights, he loses a deputy.
It's no longer an issue of what he wants but what he can do."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_15"></span>Government
officials had said a year ago that Papandreou, who initially won 160
seats in parliament, was determined to call snap elections if his
majority dropped to 153 deputies. This is no longer the case, they now
say.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_0"></span><b>CONTENTIOUS BILLS AHEAD</b><br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_1"></span>With
a tax bill and the 2012 budget due in parliament by the end of the
month, more defections are possible before the end of the year. This has
prompted even pro-government newspapers to urge Papandreou to heed his
deputies and try to forge a coalition government.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_2"></span>"It
is imperative that the prime minister consider the demands by many
deputies and take political initiatives," said the daily Ta Nea. "The
country must exit the dead end."<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_3"></span>Analysts
say New Democracy, brought down by scandals in 2009, can taste victory.
It has refused to back government policies, saying austerity is only
stifling growth and cannot get Greece out of the crisis.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_4"></span>"The
two political leaders are like two kids at kindergarten, fighting over
marbles while the country is near the edge of the abyss," Couloumbis
said.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_5"></span>Its leader, Antonis Samaras,
turned down an offer from Papandreou in June to step down as prime
minister if that would get New Democracy to join a coalition government.
Party officials say Samaras is adamantly opposed to any cooperation
with the Socialists despite criticism from Brussels.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_6"></span>"In
a democracy we must have alternatives. The opposition leader can't
waste the country's prospect for another solution," Samaras was quoted
by party officials as telling Papandreou in a recent discussion.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_7"></span>Even
if Papandreou weathers the storm at home, his political future rides on
what European leaders decide in two summits next week.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_8"></span>A rift between EU powerhouses Germany and <a href="http://www.reuters.com/places/france" title="Full coverage of France">France</a>
on how to deal with the crisis that started in Greece but spread to the
rest of the euro zone periphery may hamper efforts to reach a
comprehensive solution soon.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_9"></span>Papandreou
is counting on the EU coming to the rescue soon to give his government
time to turn things around and Greeks to see the light at the end of the
tunnel of austerity measures before he calls snap elections, now
expected next year.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_10"></span>"The threat of
a snap election is now being used more as a threat against his MPs:
help out or you're out," Couloumbis said. "If elections are held now,
about 80 percent of them would lose their seats."<br />
<span id="midArticle_11"></span>(Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou)<br />
<br />
source : <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/21/us-greece-politics-idUSTRE79K47O20111021"><b>Reuters </b></a></span>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-65357650079285725652011-10-03T13:30:00.000+01:002011-10-03T13:31:21.383+01:00#8 What We’re Expecting from iPhone 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/iPhone-5-mini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/iPhone-5-mini.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Tomorrow is the big day that Apple presents iPhone 5, the fifth generation iPhone. What's amazing about it is that it is still shrouded in mystery and speculations. Apple has done a very good job in keeping in secret pretty much everything about it. Here is a short list of what the guys at iphone5release.org expect from the new iPhone : </b><br />
<br />
<br />
After Apple announced a media event with the slogan “Let’s talk
iPhone”, it is certain that the iPhone 5 launch is coming. There is a
huge buzz surrounding the new iPhone and what will be included. Here are
some things you should expect with the iPhone 5:<br />
<br />
<b>A New Design</b><br />
<br />
At first, many people thought that Apple was going to keep the design
of the iPhone 5 identical or extremely close to the iPhone 4. However,
numerous pictures of new iPhone cases have been released, which in no
way could hold the previous versions of the iPhone. Therefore, it is
safe to say the iPhone 5 has been redesigned.<br />
<br />
<b>Faster Performance</b><br />
<br />
To keep up with competitors, Apple most likely will be upgrading the
RAM on the iPhone 5. We rely on smartphones extensively so it only makes
sense that Apple would have upgraded the speed and performance of the
new iPhone.<br />
<br />
<b>Better Camera</b><br />
<br />
While Apple did improve the camera with the iPhone 4, it is expected
that the camera on the iPhone 5 will be upgraded further. Many experts
believe the screen will be larger, the camera will be 8 megapixels
instead of 5, and the iPhone 5 will allow for full 1080p recording.<br />
<br />
<b>4G?</b><br />
<br />
It is still unknown whether or not Apple will include 4G capabilities
on the iPhone 5. However, if 4G is included, expect the iPhone to be
larger. 4G requires a large amount of battery power and Apple has always
been careful about battery life. While many people do want 4G on the
iPhone, we will have to wait until the meeting to see whether or not
Apple has included it.<br />
<br />
<b>Addition of New Carriers</b><br />
<br />
Apple has slowly been extending its’ reach to new carriers. There is
some speculation that Apple will include new carriers for the iPhone 5.
Some rumors have indicated T-Mobile will be included, especially with
AT&T trying to buy them. Sprint will likely be offering the<span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"></span><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://iphone5release.org/sprint-to-offer-unlimited-data-plans-with-the-iphone-5/">iPhone 5 with an unlimited data plan</a></span>, which AT&T / Verizon no longer offer.<br />
<br />
<b>iOS 5</b><br />
<br />
Apple will definitely be launching the <span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://iphone5release.org/apple%E2%80%99s-ios-5-being-released-to-assemblers-around-sept-23/">iPhone 5 with it’s new operating system</a></span> giving us over 200 new features. You can see exactly what’s included on the <span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.apple.com/ios/ios5/features.html">Official Apple iOS5 page</a></span>.<br />
<br />
<b>Voice Recognition</b><br />
<br />
Apple acquired a voiced-based personal assistant service Siri last
year and has not used it much at all, at least that we know of. Apple
may be integrating this service on the new iPhone to allow for voice
recognition.<br />
If anything is certain, the new iPhone 5 should be much improved and
better then previous models. Apple always seems to one-up themselves
with each version and hopefully the iPhone 5 is no different.<br />
<br />
source : <a href="http://iphone5release.org/what-were-expecting-from-the-iphone-5/"><b>iPhone5Release</b></a>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-1558158832315211262011-10-02T15:57:00.001+01:002011-10-02T21:38:54.619+01:00#7 Could Amazon's Kindle Fire Dethrone Apple's iPad?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/bezos-amazon-kindle-fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/bezos-amazon-kindle-fire.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image : Shannon Stapleton / Reuters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By Matt Peckham</span><br />
<br />
<b>Whatever the pundits want to say about Amazon's new Kindle Fire,</b>
however much they want to throttle each other for letting slip trite,
presumptive clichés like "iPad killer," they have to admit, Amazon
basically painted crosshairs on Cupertino's back when it unveiled a $200
color Android tablet at today's press event—a tablet that'll play in
Amazon's unique, e-tail comprehensive, cloud-fueled ecosystem.<br />
<br />
<b>Hey, it's the question everyone's asking, right?</b> Apple's the
800-pound gorilla in the tablet-sphere, and the iPad's not exactly
boutique-priced at just $500 for the base model—you're getting a fair
lot of computing power for $500. But a souped up Android tablet gilded
with exclusive Amazon-ian features and on a relatively cheap $200 flight
path toward Amazon's <i>eventual</i> dyed-in-the-wool iPad competitor
that'll no doubt rectify stuff like the Fire's missing camera,
microphone and 3G wireless? That's just gravy.<br />
<br />
<b>So no, let's get this straight up front, the Kindle Fire isn't an
iPad-killer</b> (nothing is or really could be, until Apple stumbles in a
big way, which it has yet to do). IDC <a href="http://techland.time.com/2011/09/14/idc-ipad-2-playbook-gobbled-android-market-share-last-quarter/">recently said</a>it
expects Apple's iOS to stay well ahead of Android OS—the entire,
multi-model Android-verse, that is—by over 40 percentage points through
2011.<br />
<br />
<b>What the Kindle Fire is: a shot across Apple's bow.</b> It's a vision of
what happens when a major player like Amazon steps into the Android
game. And it's a warning to Cupertino. Okay, it's <i>more</i> than a
warning for some of you. For some of you, $200 and Amazon integration is
the jump-off spot. I'll be frank, the Kindle Fire may in fact be <i>my</i> first tablet when it launches November 15. I was holding out for the iPad 3, but the Fire suddenly looks a lot more appealing...<br />
<br />
Read the rest at <a href="http://techland.time.com/2011/09/28/could-amazons-kindle-fire-dethrone-apples-ipad/"><b>TIME's Techland</b></a>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-8186641175294400482011-10-02T14:58:00.001+01:002011-10-02T14:58:54.907+01:00#6 Best Beer Trips in Europe<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/03-old-smart-traveler-beer_35918_600x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/03-old-smart-traveler-beer_35918_600x450.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">In Prague, outdoor bar patrons enjoy the beer and the view overlooking the Vltava Moldau River. </span></b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photograph by Christer Fredriksson, Lonely Planet Images</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><br />
<div class="author">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By Margaret Loftus</span></div>
<div class="author">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>From the September 2010 issue of</em> National Geographic Traveler</span></div>
<a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/traveler-magazine/"></a><br />
<b>With a declaration of <em>“O’zapft is!”</em>
(It’s tapped!), Munich’s mayor kicks off Oktoberfest,</b> first celebrated
200 years ago in honor of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig. The Wiesn
(as locals call the fest) has since evolved into a 16-day toast to
Bavaria’s rich heritage, attracting millions and spawning spin-offs
worldwide. But Munich is just one of the myriad cities where beer has
been a part of life since the Middle Ages, when it was safer to drink
than water. Parched? Here’s where to get a taste.<br />
<br />
<strong>Munich: Community Gardens</strong><br />
<br />
<b>The home of Oktoberfest has been hailed as one of the world’s most livable cities. </b>Nowhere is the sense of <em>gemütlichkeit</em>—loosely
translated, a communal warmth—felt more keenly than at the city’s 36
beer gardens. City residents have been going for centuries to places
such as the <a href="http://www.hirschgarten.com/" target="_blank">Hirschgarten</a> or <a href="http://www.nockherberg.com/index.html" target="_blank">Paulaner am Nockherberg</a> to enjoy a mug of Bavarian brew and a typical BYO picnic of salted white radish, pretzels, and <em>obatzda</em> (a savory mash of cheeses, onions, and spices). The <em>biergarten</em>
first sprouted on the banks of chestnut tree–lined Isar River because
it was the coolest place to store beer during summer months, when
brewing was forbidden by Germany’s purity laws.<br />
<br />
<b>Breweries in Munich, in fact, still follow 15th-century regulations</b>
stipulating that beer be brewed using only barley, hops, and water.
Among the city’s most storied institutions are the state-run <a href="http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/index_en.html" target="_blank">Hofbrauhaus</a>, on Old Town’s Platzl, and <a href="http://www.augustiner-braeu.de/augustiners/html/en/" target="_blank">Augustiner Bräu</a>, known for its signature <em>Helles </em>(a golden lager).<br />
But
during the approximately 16 days preceding the first Sunday in October,
all the action shifts to the 14 massive beer tents—each accommodate
thousands—outside the city. Entrance to Oktoberfest itself is free, but
drinks (about 10 bucks for a liter beer), parade tickets, and the
obligatory souvenir stein can add up...<br />
<br />
Read the rest at <a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/international-foods/best-beer-trips-europe/"><b>National Geographic </b></a><br />
<strong></strong>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-73859198529707599052011-10-02T13:03:00.000+01:002011-10-02T13:05:42.386+01:00#5 Battered by Economic Crisis, Greeks Turn to Barter Networks<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzffQQ1dv8Yi-ZhsIoDseDSPNcfkjZmRW8YG6i9kYBrKQ7nwcQX6TBEKbnxfDisZ80Bek8rdqpeWJTEDcj0G8ttptAxVfCu5TEj-cfNW5exF1fSJOMDoCWEwygN7W6U7dPj2ZyP7rnS9s/s1600/Barter1jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzffQQ1dv8Yi-ZhsIoDseDSPNcfkjZmRW8YG6i9kYBrKQ7nwcQX6TBEKbnxfDisZ80Bek8rdqpeWJTEDcj0G8ttptAxVfCu5TEj-cfNW5exF1fSJOMDoCWEwygN7W6U7dPj2ZyP7rnS9s/s1600/Barter1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Angeliki Ioanniti, a seamstress, runs a small shop in Volos and
participates in a network that uses barter and vouchers. Such networks
build on a sense of solidarity in tough times as people seek creative
ways to cope with a radically changing landscape</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By RACHEL DONADIO</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Published: October 1, 2011 </span><br />
<br />
<b>VOLOS, Greece — The first time he bought eggs, milk and jam at an
outdoor market using not euros but an informal barter currency,
Theodoros Mavridis, an unemployed electrician, was thrilled. </b><br />
<br />
<b>“I felt liberated, I felt free for the first time,”</b> Mr. Mavridis said in
a recent interview at a cafe in this port city in central Greece. “I
instinctively reached into my pocket, but there was no need to.”<br />
<br />
<b>Mr. Mavridis is a co-founder of a growing network here in Volos</b> that
uses a so-called Local Alternative Unit, or TEM in Greek, to exchange
goods and services — language classes, baby-sitting, computer support,
home-cooked meals — and to receive discounts at some local businesses.
<br />
<br />
<b>Part alternative currency, part barter system, part open-air market</b>, the
Volos network has grown exponentially in the past year, from 50 to 400
members. It is one of several such groups cropping up around the
country, as Greeks squeezed by large wage cuts, tax increases and
growing fears about whether they will continue to use the euro have
looked for creative ways to cope with a radically changing economic
landscape.<br />
<br />
<b>“Ever since the crisis there’s been a boom in such networks all over Greece</b>,” said <a href="http://economics.soc.uoc.gr/Personnel/personnel_navigation.php?lang=eng&id=18" title="More about Mr. Stathakis">George Stathakis</a>,
a professor of political economy and vice chancellor of the University
of Crete. In spite of the large public sector in Greece, which employs
one in five workers, the country’s social services often are not up to
the task of helping people in need, he added. “There are so many huge
gaps that have to be filled by new kinds of networks,” he said.<br />
<br />
<b>Even the government is taking notice.</b> Last week, Parliament passed a law
sponsored by the Labor Ministry to encourage the creation of
“alternative forms of entrepreneurship and local development,” including
networks based on an exchange of goods and services. The law for the
first time fills in a regulatory gray area, giving such groups nonprofit
status .... <br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/world/europe/in-greece-barter-networks-surge.html?scp=8&sq=Greece&st=cse">Read the rest at NY Times</a></b>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-22443677896779124132011-10-02T11:33:00.003+01:002011-10-02T12:03:32.772+01:00#4 Cameron - euro zone must get ahead of markets<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/cameron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/cameron.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cameron reassures his friends, British bankers and various CEOs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph"><span style="font-size: large;">(Reuters) - The <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/subjects/euro-zone" title="Full coverage of Euro Zone">euro zone</a>
crisis is a threat to the global economy and Europe's policymakers must
act urgently to fix its banks and deal with its debt, Prime Minister
David Cameron said on Sunday.</span><br />
<br />
</span><span id="midArticle_0"></span>"The euro zone is a threat not
just to itself but also a threat to the British economy, but a threat to
the worldwide economy," Cameron told BBC television on the opening day
of the Conservative party's annual conference in Manchester.<br />
</span><span id="articleText">"Action needs to be taken in the next coming
weeks to strengthen Europe's banks, to build the defences that the euro
zone has, to deal with the problems of debt. They've got to do that now.
They've got to get ahead of the markets now."<br />
<span id="midArticle_2"></span>Cameron
also said he was not about to "tear up" Britain's own deficit reduction
plans, despite signs that the UK economy is struggling to grow.<br />
<span id="midArticle_3"></span>(Reporting by <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=uk&n=keith.weir&">Keith Weir</a> and <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=uk&n=matt.falloon&">Matt Falloon</a>)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">source</span> : <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/10/02/uk-britain-europe-cameron-idUKTRE7910FQ20111002"><b>Reuters </b></a><br />
<br />
comment : In other words Cameron urges for a <b>Pan-European bank bailout</b>, with tax-payers money of course. Hey, they did it in the United States, why not do it in Europe too?</span>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-27674620926346742702011-10-02T10:05:00.001+01:002011-10-02T10:12:06.136+01:00#3 Samsung unveils Honeycomb-running Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus<div class="nr-tags">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/gsmarena_004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="377" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/gsmarena_004.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<b>Today Samsung introduced
another member to its lineup of Android-powered tablets. The Galaxy Tab
7.0 Plus runs on the Android 3.2 Honeycomb and packs the Exynos chipset
with a 1.2 GHz CPU under the hood.</b></div>
<div class="st-text" id="review-body">
<span id="intelliTxt"><br /></span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt">The slate's 7" PLS LCD has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. The
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus has two onboard cameras - a 3 MP main
shooter at the back that also does 720p video and a 2 MP front-facing
snapper for video-chatting.</span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt"><br /></span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt"><a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_unveils_honeycombrunning_galaxy_tab_70_plus-news-3206.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#"><img alt="Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus" height="130" src="http://st.gsmarena.com/vv/newsimg/11/09/sgt-70p/thumb/gsmarena_001.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_unveils_honeycombrunning_galaxy_tab_70_plus-news-3206.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#"><img alt="Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus" height="130" src="http://st.gsmarena.com/vv/newsimg/11/09/sgt-70p/thumb/gsmarena_002.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_unveils_honeycombrunning_galaxy_tab_70_plus-news-3206.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#"><img alt="Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus" height="130" src="http://st.gsmarena.com/vv/newsimg/11/09/sgt-70p/thumb/gsmarena_003.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_unveils_honeycombrunning_galaxy_tab_70_plus-news-3206.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#"><img alt="Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus" height="130" src="http://st.gsmarena.com/vv/newsimg/11/09/sgt-70p/thumb/gsmarena_004.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_unveils_honeycombrunning_galaxy_tab_70_plus-news-3206.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#"><img alt="Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus" height="130" src="http://st.gsmarena.com/vv/newsimg/11/09/sgt-70p/thumb/gsmarena_007.jpg" /></a>
</span><br />
<br />
<span id="intelliTxt"><b>Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus in white</b>
</span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt">The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus has quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
(yeah, it has telephony!) and tri-band 3G with 21 Mbps HSPA. The tablet,
which will come in 16GB and 32GB flavors (both packing a microSD card
slot), comes with dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, GPS and Bluetooth radios.</span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt"><br /></span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt">The Android 3.2 Honeycomb platform has been spiced up with Samsung's
home-backed TouchWiz UI on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. The included
1GB of RAM makes sure that Honeycomb will be able to fulfill its great
multi-tasking potential.</span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt"><br /></span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt"><a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_unveils_honeycombrunning_galaxy_tab_70_plus-news-3206.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#"><img alt="Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus" height="130" src="http://st.gsmarena.com/vv/newsimg/11/09/sgt-70p/thumb/gsmarena_005.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_unveils_honeycombrunning_galaxy_tab_70_plus-news-3206.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#"><img alt="Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus" height="130" src="http://st.gsmarena.com/vv/newsimg/11/09/sgt-70p/thumb/gsmarena_006.jpg" /></a>
</span><br />
<br />
<span id="intelliTxt"><b>Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus in gray</b>
</span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt">Coming with a decently sized 4,000 mAh battery the droid measures 193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96 mm and weighs just 345g.</span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt"><br /></span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt">Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus will be available in Indonesia and
Austria from end-October with worldwide availability to follow shortly
after that. No pricing info has been revealed so far.</span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt"><br /></span><br />
<span id="intelliTxt"><a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_unveils_honeycombrunning_galaxy_tab_70_plus-news-3206.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter"><b></b></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">source</span><b> </b>:<b> <a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_unveils_honeycombrunning_galaxy_tab_70_plus-news-3206.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter">GSM Arena</a></b></span></div>
<span id="intelliTxt">
</span>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-28823017751810121782011-10-02T01:21:00.002+01:002011-10-02T12:46:39.758+01:00#2 Just What Soldiers Need: A Bigger Robotic Dog<div class="head">
<div class="description">
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">A next-generation robotic dog will help soldiers. </span></h3>
<div class="info">
<div class="info">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgE5YDKpUta-LUXEj2VFm9Cc72j8LHRdPqK_219O3wJ3RSkKzrv-40N-kr8ZRYX57QwRrMenAGd7RA4r16N8gsMaZpxa3Oj_d5hQ3zmwx58sl4VCjQFvVTlrl91a2OC1Gmy7aPkTiUp8/s1600/Robodog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgE5YDKpUta-LUXEj2VFm9Cc72j8LHRdPqK_219O3wJ3RSkKzrv-40N-kr8ZRYX57QwRrMenAGd7RA4r16N8gsMaZpxa3Oj_d5hQ3zmwx58sl4VCjQFvVTlrl91a2OC1Gmy7aPkTiUp8/s1600/Robodog1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By Kristina Grifantini 09/30/2011</span></div>
</div>
<div class="info">
</div>
</div>
</div>
After BigDog, <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/25248/" target="_blank">LittleDog</a>, and <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/24313/" target="_blank">Petman</a>, we now have a glimpse of the newest intimidating robot from Boston Dynamics: AlphaDog. <br />
<br />
In the video below, you can see an AlphaDog prototype trot along like
a mechanical horse. It smoothly steps over loose rocks and a pipe,
rebounds after a two-person shove, and rights itself when it's on its
side. The technology is an evolution of BigDog, <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/23008/" target="_blank">which could catch itself when skidding across ice and carry 340 pounds</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='450' height='270' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/SSbZrQp-HOk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
This motorized mule (officially dubbed Legged Squad Support Systems,
or LS3) will be able to carry 400 pounds nonstop for up to 24 hours (or
20 miles) over rugged terrain. This could be a great boon to combat
soldiers, who have to lug over a hundred pounds of payload.<br />
<br />
And rather
than need a human driver, AlphaDog will use computer vision to follow a
squadron leader on its own, or GPS to go to a predetermined location,
according to <a href="http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_ls3.html" target="_blank">Boston Dynamics</a>.<br />
The first completed version, funded by DARPA and the US Marine Corps, is aimed for 2012.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">source :</span><b> <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/27214/?p1=blogs">TR</a></b>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-16167138666110785952011-10-01T23:25:00.000+01:002011-10-02T12:45:42.761+01:00#1 A Trip to China Can Make a Guy Hate His iPhone<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/02Daisey1-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/02Daisey1-articleLarge.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mik</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">e Daisey in “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs,” which will run
at the Public Theater from Oct. 11 to Nov. 13. Photo by Stan Barouch</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By CATHERINE RAMPELL </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Published: September 29, 2011 </span><br />
<br />
MIKE DAISEY, one of the great solo storytellers of contemporary theater,
has traveled the world performing sharp, polemical and extemporaneous
monologues about Amazon.com, national security, James Frey and a host of
other subjects. <a href="http://mikedaisey.blogspot.com/index.html" title="About Mike Daisey.">He</a> brings his latest piece, <a href="http://www.publictheater.org/component/option,com_shows/task,view/Itemid,141/id,1043" title="page for the production">“The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs,”</a> to the <a class="meta-org" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/p/public_theater/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More articles about Public Theater">Public Theater</a> from Oct. 11 through Nov. 13.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/02Daisey2-articleInline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/02Daisey2-articleInline.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">David Morris/Bloomberg News</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Half of the show profiles Mr. Jobs, <a class="meta-org" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/apple_computer_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More information about Apple Incorporated">Apple</a>’s
former chief executive, the brilliant micromanager who acknowledged in
2004 that he was battling pancreatic cancer. The other half describes
Mr. Daisey’s trip to Shenzhen, China, where he posed as a wealthy
businessman to infiltrate factories where Apple products and other
electronics are made. He says he witnessed inhumane conditions and
interviewed workers outside of factories who said they were as young as
12<br />
<br />
Mr. Daisey spoke by phone recently with Catherine Rampell about what
defines a “tech geek” and how his exposure to Chinese factories has
changed his relationship with his beloved <a class="meta-classifier" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/iphone/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival news about the iPhone.">iPhone</a>. These are excerpts from that conversation...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>Q.</b> How did you first become interested in Apple and Steve Jobs as the subject for a monologue?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>A.</b> I’ve used their products my whole life and have been
deeply influenced by Steve Jobs, the way many people have, because he
is so associated with his design. The way he sort of dominates Apple
means that it really feels like you’re having a conversation with him
when you use the devices. I’ve wanted to talk about Apple for a long
time, but I don’t do monologues unless there’s something compelling in
collision with something else in my life. There was nothing really to
talk about until a couple years ago, when I started reading and learning
about the working conditions in southern China and investigating the
supply chain. <br />
<br />
<b>Q. </b>In the show you say that Mr. Jobs is not really a “tech geek.” What do you mean? <br />
<br />
<b>A.</b> I mean that he’s far too charismatic to be really
what we traditionally think of as a tech geek. He’s more of a showman, a
salesman. There’s a lot more of Barnum in him than there is Spock.
<br />
<br />
<b>Q. </b>There’s a certain theater that comes with Apple
product announcements and the entire experience of the Apple store. What
do you think of Mr. Jobs as an artist? <br />
<br />
<b>A.</b> Well I think that he’s tremendously effective as an
artist in that sense. However, it’s deeply unfortunate that he sold out
his ideals. <br />
<br />
This is someone who had an opportunity to transform the world with these
devices and then did. He started as someone whose devices were forged
out of piracy, and today it’s the most locked-down computer company in
the world. As a capitalist I’m sure that it’s very attractive. But if
we’re talking about him as an artist, I’d say that he completely lost
track of his ideals. <br />
<br />
<b>Q.</b> Have you softened the show because it might feel callous to criticize a man who has serious health problems? <br />
<br />
<b>A.</b> The idea that [Mr. Jobs] could pass away is a
tremendous distraction from the really essential story. To be truthful,
it’s difficult to know that we are so hungry to be distracted from the
unfortunate and uncomfortable situation we’ve created for ourselves with
China, with our labor, with all of our manufacturing, that we will
grasp at whatever it takes to not talk about it. <br />
<br />
<b>Q.</b> Did conditions in these factories surprise you? <br />
<br />
<b>A.</b> I’d expected conditions to be bad, to be worse than
I’d ever experienced, and I’ve lived a relatively comfortable life. What
was shocking to me was the level of dehumanization built into the
systems that have been put into place by American corporations in
collusion with suppliers. <br />
<br />
<b>Q.</b> Many Americans resent that China is “stealing” our
manufacturing jobs. What do you think about those concerns now that you
have experienced firsthand what some manufacturing conditions are like?
<br />
<br />
<b>A.</b> Let’s be clear. The manufacturing jobs are the way
they that they are because we’ve chosen to collude with a fascist
country, to strip away the labor conditions that so many thousands
fought and died for to make possible. It’s not a function of
manufacturing. They’re a function of our decision to strip away
essential human rights. <br />
<br />
<b>Q.</b> One of the implications of your show is that
consumers should think more critically about the devices they buy. But
there may not be a more ethical competitor to turn to. How do you hope
your show will change viewers’ choices as consumers? <br />
<br />
<b>A.</b> The situation we find ourselves in is not terribly different than it was for the <a class="meta-classifier" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/o/organic_food/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="More articles about organic food.">organic food</a>
movement in the 1950s, an era when the idea that food should not be
treated with pesticide was bizarre because people didn’t even understand
why you wouldn’t want your food in a can. <br />
<br />
In other words the act of making people think about these issues is a
revolutionary act because no one is thinking about them. <br />
<br />
<b>Q. </b>Have you bought any new Apple products since putting together this show? <br />
<br />
<b>A.</b> I haven’t. I can’t undo the truth, and so I find myself making do with the devices that I have. <br />
<br />
There’s a hunger in very controlling companies like Apple to create
planned obsolescences sooner rather than later, so it will become more
and more difficult to stay functional. As a consequence I’m going to
have to make some decisions in time. <br />
<br />
<b>Q.</b> But I take it you still own Apple products you had bought before researching this show. <br />
<br />
<b>A.</b> If I throw them away, I’ll just have to find another
device made the same way in order to continue being in conversation
with people. Like right now we’re both talking over the telephone, the
guts of which were probably made in Shenzhen.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">A version of this article appeared in print on October 2, 2011, on page AR4 of the New York edition with the headline: A Trip to China Can Make a Guy Hate His iPhone</span><br />
<br />
<div class="articleCorrection">
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">source</span><b> </b></span>: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/theater/mike-daisey-discusses-the-agony-and-ecstasy-of-steve-jobs.html?ref=technology"><b>New York Times</b></a>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8998326291426233913.post-73745898860067889762011-10-01T22:15:00.000+01:002011-10-02T12:44:07.737+01:00#0 Qatar Holdings to invest $1bln in European Goldfields -CEO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/gold-mine-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/Santoval/gold-mine-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>ATHENS, Oct 1 (Reuters)</b> - Qatar's sovereign wealth fund will invest $1 billion in European Goldfields (<span id="symbol_EGUq.L_0"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=EGUq.L">EGUq.L</a></span>) including $600 million to <a href="http://www.reuters.com/finance" title="Full coverage of finance">finance</a> operations in Greece, where the London-based firm has a permit to mine gold, the fund's head said on Saturday. <span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph"><br /></span><span id="midArticle_2"></span><span id="midArticle_3"></span><br />
It was the second major investment in Greece by the Gulf state in two months. Qatar struck a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/finance/deals" title="Full coverage of deal">deal</a> in August to provide funding for a merger of two of the recession-hit country's largest banks.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_4"></span> Greece, which is in dire need of private investment as its
worst recession in four decades is seen extending into next
year, has long sought to convince the wealthy emirate to invest
in its private and public companies.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_5"></span> Qatar Holdings will buy a 10 percent stake in European
Goldfields from Greek building firm Ellaktor (<span id="symbol_HELr.AT_1"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=HELr.AT">HELr.AT</a></span>) and has a
call option to buy another 5 percent, CEO Ahmad al-Sayed said
after a meeting between Greek and Qatari officials in Athens.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_6"></span> "In total, we will invest in the company about $1 billion,"
Sayed told reporters. <br />
<span id="midArticle_7"></span> Sayed also said Qatar was "examining different opportunities
in the country".<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_8"></span> Greece granted European Goldfields a long-awaited permit in
July that allows it to mine for gold in the north of the
country, a move set to turn the London-based firm into the
European Union's largest primary gold producer.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_9"></span> The European Goldfields deal was announced after Qatar's
Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani met Prime Minister George
Papandreou in Athens on Saturday.<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_10"></span> "Qatar's investments show trust in the Greek <a href="http://www.reuters.com/finance/economy" title="Full coverage of economy">economy</a>," Papandreou told a news conference after the meeting. <br />
<span id="midArticle_11"></span> Qatar's investment in Greek banks in August will give it
about 17 percent of the lender that will be created by the
merger of Alpha Bank (<span id="symbol_ACBr.AT_2"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=ACBr.AT">ACBr.AT</a></span>) and Eurobank (<span id="symbol_EFGr.AT_3"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=EFGr.AT">EFGr.AT</a></span>).<br />
<br />
<span id="midArticle_12"></span>Paramount, a company controlled by Qatar, will own the stake
after taking part in a 1.25 billion euro rights offer and fully
taking up a 500 million euro convertible bond issue. <br />
<span id="midArticle_13"></span><br />
For a Dealtalk on European Goldfields click
(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; Writing by Ingrid Melander;
Editing by Catherine Evans)<br />
<br />
<span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph"></span></span><br />
* Sovereign wealth fund will take 10 pct stake in firm<br />
</span><span id="midArticle_0"></span> * Deal includes $600 mln to finance gold mining in <a href="http://www.reuters.com/places/greece" title="Full coverage of Greece">Greece</a><br />
<span id="midArticle_1"></span> * Qatar's second investment in Greece in two months
(Adds quotes, details) <br />
<br />
<br />
<span id="articleText"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">source</span> : <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/01/greece-qatar-deal-idUSL5E7L10F220111001"><b>Reuters</b></a></span>Sharpedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154151724668140312noreply@blogger.com0