Monday, September 19, 2011

Anand Mahindra and Vijay Mallya strike back through twitter on ET's reports


From Virgin's Richard Branson to Gujarat CEO Narendra Modi, leaders have been, for some time now, using social media as way to reach out to their core constituency. In the past week, two high-profile business leaders saw an opportunity to counter perceptions created by two reports in The Economic Times by tweeting to their legion of wide-eyed followers.

In response to a feature examining Mahindra & Mahindra's attempt to be an end-to-end mobility solutions provider - from two wheelers to aircraft - vice chairman & managing director Anand Mahindra had this quip on Twitter: "ET story asks whether M&M should stick to SUVs. Forgot to tell them when I joined M&M management consultants advised we stick to tractors!"

A few days later, it was the turn of UB group chairman to voice his discontent about an ET story that reported auditors had raised doubts about Kingfisher Airlines' ability to do business over the longer term. "Kingfisher being slammed by media based on an unknown investment analyst's report. He covers telecom and is an ex-employee of The Economic Times," thundered Mallya, referring to the analyst with the Canada-headquartered Veritas Investment Research who came out with scathing report on Kingfisher Airlines.

Cleary, social media is proving to be a fitting platform for business CEOs to put forth their point of view on news and views carried in the more traditional medium of publishing-and to question that view if it is potentially damaging to the company and the CEO's image. Followers of these leaders have an opportunity to respond, which in term allows the head honchos to gauge how successful they have been at countering perception created through such newspaper reports. That's social media with its interactive vigour working at its best. More power to the CEO-and to ET!

Telangana News : Transport Employees' Strike Paralyse

Transport services in Andhra Pradesh's Telangana region came to a standstill Monday as all employees of the state-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC) joined the indefinite general strike and groups demanding a separate Telangana state blocked highways.

About 10,000 buses went off the roads in Hyderabad and nine other districts of Telangana as over 54,000 RTC employees joined the strike, paralysing road transport and causing severe inconvenience to commuters, officials said.

Raising slogans of "Jai Telangana", RTC employees staged demonstrations outside the bus depots and stayed away from work.

The strike by government employees, teachers and workers of state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Ltd entered the seventh day Monday, crippling the administration, closing down schools and bringing coal production to a halt.

Lawyers are also boycotting the courts while doctors in government-run hospitals are staging protests for a separate state. Electricity departments employees are also set to join the strike Monday by not collecting the bills.

In Hyderabad, the RTC strike paralysed the city bus services. Students and office-goers going to schools and work places had a tough time reaching their destinations.

The usually busy Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) wore a deserted look as all the 3,000 bus services to various parts of the state were cancelled.

While buses to cities like Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Tirupati and other places in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions were cancelled Sunday night, the services to all the towns in Telangana were withdrawn early Monday.

RTC managing director Prasada Rao said they were making alternate arrangements to operate buses. Hundreds of policemen and those from paramilitary forces were deployed at bus stations as RTC management was using the services of retired drivers and ex-servicemen.

In an attempt to minimise inconvenience to people, the transport department has given freedom to private vehicle operators to run their services across the region. Seven-seater auto-rickshaws, which are not allowed in Hyderabad city on normal days, are being permitted to operate.

The railways are operating additional local trains in Hyderabad and also to various destinations in the state.

Transport services between Telangana, other parts of the state, and neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra also came to a standstill Monday as Telangana activists began the daylong road blockade.

"The movement has intensified and it will continue till we achieve our goal," said Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Harish Rao while leading the road blockade at Kodada in Nalgonda district, blocking all vehicles coming from coastal Andhra region.

The protestors also blocked highways connecting Telangana to Rayalaseema, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Narendra Modi scared, wants to look strong: Congress

Congress leaders once again hit out at the BJP and chief minister Narendra Modi's "luxurious" on Tuesday. While Congress members of Parliament from Saurashtra region could not attend the party's fast, minister of state for railways Bharatsinh Solanki, party's national general-secretary Madhusudan Mistry and Rajya Sabha MP Praveen Rashtrapal were present at the Congress fast venue outside Sabarmati Ashram.

Many religious leaders, including saints of Swaminarayan Gurukul from Kalol, religious heads of Maldhari community, also visited Shankersinh Vaghela and Arjun Modiwadia at the venue.

Vaghela again spewed venom at BJP and Modi. "There is a saying in Sanskrit that 'Excess of anything should be avoided', now Modi and his government have done so many excessive things, which will not last for long. In next six months or in a year, they will see the results. We have gone on fast because of their fast, but I am not able to understand why they have gone on fast? He is misusing Gujarat people's tax money for his own personal gain," he said.

He further said, "His government is talking about US Congress report, but I want to ask why we need to live on a certificate from the US?"

Leader of the opposition in assembly, Shaktisinh Gohil, said: "He is planning to conclude his fast on Monday evening, though as per his announcement of 72-hour fast it should be completing on Tuesday. Many Muslim leaders complained to me over phone that they had been forced to visit Modi's fast venue and meet him."
Union minister Solanki referred to Sigmund Freud in his speech. "Sigmund Freud has said that if any person is feeling very scared from within, he behaves as if he is the most powerful. He (Modi) has fear for the forthcoming elections."

GPCC president Modhwadia said, "The government machinery and the BJP are trying hard to bring in more and more Muslim people to the venue. If Muslim men and women are not turning up, the BJP is arranging for BJP women cell members and covering their faces with veils.

RA.One Movie mp3 Songs Free Download


Film: “RA.One”
Music Directors: Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani
Lyricists: Vishal Dadlani, Niranjan Iyengar, Kumaar, Panchhi Jalonvi, Anvita Dutt and Anubhav Sinha
Singers: Akon, Hamsika Iyer, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani, Clinton Cerejo’s Choir, Shruti Pathak, Nandini Srikar, The Prague Philharmonic Choir, Sidd Coutto and Sukhwinder Singh
Rating: 35star

Shah Rukh Khan’s “RA.One” has been generating curiosity since beginning and expectations have been high from its music as well. The album of the film lives up to the expectations, thanks to composers Vishal-Shekhar for packing a musical punch for the sci-fi movie.

The film offers 14 tracks, including remix versions and theme tracks.

It starts on a rocking note with the already popular number “Chammak Challo”. A clear winner all the way, the song, which has Hindi, English and Tamil words in the lyrics, makes you groove.

An interesting thing about the track is that it’s crooned by international artist Akoon, who has voiced not just the English lyrics but Hindi ones too. Hamika Iyer supports him by singing Tamil words. A fun dance number, “Chammak Challo” is here to stay and it will surely become DJs’ favourite.

The song also has a few other versions, including a remix by Abhijit Vaghani, another remix by DJ Khushi and an international version.

Then comes “Dildaara”, a mush melody at its best. Sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali, it has John Lennon’s song “Stand by me” mixed into it and the combination is interesting. The song boasts of various genres.

Then comes another Akon number called “Criminal”, a peppy and upbeat track that also has Vishal Dadlani and Shruti Pathak behind the mike. An amalgamation of Hindi and English lyrics, “Criminal” is a perfect party number.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Bad weather affects rescue operation in quake-hit Sikkim, 28 dead

Large scale rescue and relief operations were on as the actual impact of Sunday's earthquake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, emerged on Monday. Most of the quake-hit areas lie in the remote and largely inaccessible parts of the small Himalayan state Sikkim.

Till the last information, at least 16 people had died in different Indian states, while neighbouring Nepal reported five deaths. Another seven people were killed in China's autonomous Tibet province.

Bad weather was affecting rescue and relief operations as was raining heavily in most of the affected areas.

According to the ministry of home affairs (MHA), apart from Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur and Mizoram were also affected by the earthquake. Maximum nine people died in Sikkim, while 64 others were injured. West Bengal reported five deaths and injuries to 29. Two people died in Bihar, while one person was reported injured in Assam.

Bad weather affects rescue
Sikkim Governor B.P. Singh said inclement weather was hampering rescue operations. He said north Sikkim was the worst hit by the quake.

The Centre has mobilised 72 columns of army apart from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Border Road Organisation (BRO) personnel. For the first time, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed five aircraft, including two of its newly acquired C 130J Super Hercules.

The planes would be used to transport relief supplies to the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF). The state-of-the-art aircraft are equipped to land in inhospitable terrains in darkness.

Youth made Lokpal movement a success, says Kiran Bedi

Attributing the success of the anti-corruption movement to people's participation, Team Anna member and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi on Saturday implored the young delegates at the Mind Rocks India Today Youth Summit 2011 that their support should continue so that the government is forced to legislate a strong Lokpal Bill during the winter session later this year.

"The movement was a success because of you and all credit goes to Anna Hazare," Bedi told the summit, which was held on Saturday in Delhi. She attributed her association with the movement to RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal, calling it an 'opportunity.'

She called for people to end their indifference towards how government is run, else it would give the people in power a free run to do corrupt dealings. They should be held accountable, she said, calling the government draft of the Lokpall bill ineffective.

Bedi said the government proposes to create two CBIs - saying the first CBI will be under the government control, while the other, the new one, would only investigate new cases of corruption. She asserted that a senior minister told her that the government is worried that an independent CBI under Lokpal may reopen old corruption cases like that of Bofors gun deal.

The fear of going to jail and usurping of property created by corrupt means will act as an effective deterrent for people like Suresh Kalmadi and A. Raja, she added.

On being asked what makes her sure the Jan Lokpal will not become corrupt, Bedi said, "It's very transparent. It has a search committee and it is very accountable. All its functioning will become website-oriented. It will be a harbinger of change."

Bedi summed up saying that she is still youthful at heart. Her passion, determination and drive to be just and fearless against pressure and adversaries remain intact. That is so because she trained hard as a sportswoman earlier in her life. She told the youth that what they do now in their formative years will have a lasting bearing on the rest of their life. She shared her experiences with the youth on how to deal with life.

The former IPS officer, who calls herself a rebel by nature, told the gathering, her passion to stand against the unjust has remained undiminished since her childhood. She attributed this to her devotion to sports. Bedi was an ace tennis player and women tennis's Asian champion at the age of twenty.

Sports gave right focus to immense store of energy in her that helped her lifelong, she said. Bedi feels spiritual, mental and physical are all essential components of education and sports provide best training in the formative years.

Saying she never lost her focus in life, Bedi said she joined the Indian Police Service at the age of 22 in 1972, a profession considered taboo for women. She added soon she became a role model for men during training years. She called it 'destiny' that she was transferred to Delhi. In 1975, she had a frank talk with the then IG Police (now called Commissioner) Delhi, P.R. Rajgopal, to persuade him to lead the January 26 parade in 1976. "This is one event that announced the arrival of women in the police force," she says raising fist in the air.

She never looked back. In 1982, Bedi issued a ticket to the driver of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi when her car was wrongly parked. "She was in power, so was I," Bedi said, asserting the point that policing has to be just and equitable. There cannot be two different standards for the rich and the poor.

She explained that she was perhaps not made the commissioner of Delhi Police, because she would have not bowed down to the will of politicians. Earlier, she was not given the charge of anti-terror wing of Delhi Police simply because she would have released people held illegally in the name of anti-terror investigations, she said.

Motivating the youth, she said, "Had I not been somebody, I would have been nobody. So, I never lost track of my priority. At 16, I knew when to say yes, when to say no... What you did in teenage returns to you at 20-23."

CCTV footage of Nepal mall as Quake Struck


Kathmandu, Nepal: Five people were killed as the Sikkim earthquake, with a 6.8 magnitude on the Richter Scale, shook nearby Nepal yesterday.

Three of the five Nepalese quake victims were killed when a high brick wall of the British Embassy at Lainchaur in Kathmandu collapsed, the police said.

Among them were Bir Bahadur Majhi and his eight-year-old daughter Anisha, who were walking past the Embassy when the wall collapsed. The other victim at this spot was identified as Sajan Shrestha, 36.

Two persons were killed in a wall collapse in Dharan which is close to the epicenter of the quake along the eastern Nepal-India border.

Several people were injured as they panicked and ran out of their homes, offices and marketplaces and on to the streets and open spaces.

Some people, panic-stricken, reportedly jumped off their houses, hotels and buildings that house shops.

This Close Circuit TV footage shows the inside of a shopping mall in Kathmandu as the earthquake shook Nepal.

Big earthquake in Sikkim, tremors across India: 28 dead, over 100 injured



New Delhi: At least 28 people have been killed, 16 in India, five in Nepal and seven in Tibet, and over 100 are injured after an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale shook Sikkim on Sunday evening. Strong tremors were also felt in parts of North and East India and parts of Bangladesh and Nepal, causing widespread panic. The epicentre of the quake is said to be just 64 kilometre North-West of Gangtok.

Seven people, including two Armymen, were killed in Sikkim and 33 others received injuries there. In Bihar, a seven-year-old girl was among two dead. Latehar was one of the worst hit in India; two people died there and wide cracks were visible on houses. Roads also cracked in several places and residents ran out on the streets. Four more died in West Bengal. Of the five people killed in Nepal, three casualties were reported from Kathmandu, where the British embassy collapsed and smashed a car.

Tremors were felt in Lucknow, Patna, Kolkata, New Delhi and the National Capital Region, which sent thousands of people running out of their homes. (Forum: Did you feel the tremors?)

Three aftershocks, of magnitude 5.7, 5.1 and 4.6 were also felt in Sikkim, says the India Meteorological Department.

Many buildings in Sikkim developed cracks, including the Sikkim Manipal University building. Key roads to the Hills have been badly damaged, leaving Sikkim virtually cut off from the rest of the country.

A total number of 4000 people are involved in the rescue operations including the personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). They have launched search and rescue operations in the Pegong area of north Sikkim which has been "badly affected." The ITBP rescued 15 foreign tourists and 150 villagers in their operations. They were moved to battalion headquarters. Rescue operations are, however, being hampered by heavy rainfall and landslides.

HBSE Extend the Date of HTET Examination September to November

As per the notice of dated 17-09-2011, Haryana Board of School Education department extend the date of Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test date from 24-25 September to 05 November and 06 November 2011. The Secretary said that all the student will contact the official website for all the details. The Admit will be send to all candidate before the date of examination/test.

The schedule of the HTET is as the details below:

Category - 3(lecturer) : 05-Nov.-2011 Time : 11 AM to 12:30 PM (Saturday)

Category - 1(for Class 1 to 5 Teachers) : 06-Nov.-2011 Time : 11 AM to 12:30 PM
(Sunday)

Category - 1(for Class 6 to 8 Teachers) : 06-Nov.-2011 Time : 02:30 PM to 04:00 PM
(Sunday)


For more details you can download the notice of the Board here :

Click here

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Abhishek Bachchan injured during film shoot in Jaipur


Actor Abhishek Bachchan was on Wednesday injured during a film shoot in Jaipur. According to sources, Abhishek fell from a rickshaw while shooting for Rohit Shetty's upcoming film Bol Bachchan.

The shooting was cancelled after the incident. The movie stars Abhishek Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Asin, Prachi Desai and Archana Puran Singh.

The movie is written and directed by Rohit Shetty.

Delhi High Court blast: 2 J&K Teenagers Arrested


The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday arrested two teenagers for their alleged role in the blast outside the Delhi High Court, in which 13 people were killed.

The two youth -- Shariq Bhatt and Abid Hussain Wani -- had earlier been detained from Kishtwar for questioning as an e-mail claiming responsibility for the Delhi blast led the investigators to a cyber cafe in the J&K town.

According to ministry of home affairs (MHA) sources, one of them was allegedly related to a former militant and the investigators were trying to ascertain who of the two had sent the email.

An FIR has been registered under the Information Technology Act for sending email after the blast claiming responsibility for it. Several people were being questioned in Kishtwar in connection with the case.

The arrests come exactly a week after the blast.

In Delhi, Union home secretary R.K. Singh said the NIA had got some clues and there was progress. He, however, refused to divulge details.

"Some people have been arrested and they are being interrogated," Singh said, adding, "We have clues. There is progress also. But we do not want to disclose whatever progress we have made as it will hamper the investigation."

The NIA had on Tuesday raised the reward money from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh for anybody giving information about the perpetrators of the blast.

Govt Announces Reward for upset Hockey Players


After the outrage over Hockey India's meagre incentives to the victorious hockey players, the Sports Ministry on Wednesday hiked the reward money.

Sports Minister Ajay Makan, who maintained "a small thing is unnecessarily snowballed into major controversy", has said the government will give an award of Rs. 1.5 lakh each to 17 members of hockey team that won in China.

Maken said he requested the government of India to consider granting reward money to players under a special scheme.

"After discussion it was decided that Sports Ministry will give an award of Rs. 1.5 lakh each to members of the team," the minister said.

Hockey India had offered the players a paltry sum of Rs. 25,000 for the recently won Asian Champions Trophy, which was refused by the team.

The players were offered the money by HI during their felicitation on Tuesday. But the players refused, saying the amount was too less and would not even fetch them a decent playing kit.

Maken said players did the right thing in refusing Rs. 25000 given to them earlier. "I think no action should be taken against these players," he said.

The Indian team beat archrivals Pakistan 4-2 in a tie-breaker in the finals of the inaugural championship in China.

Hockey management in India too is under perennial crisis. Recently, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) withdrew the hosting rights for the 2011 men's Champions Trophy from India.

Maken also said, "I have tried and will continue trying to make sure things are fine between FIH and HI. The fighting between the two is the cause for the current state of hockey in India."

The minister said the players get the reward automatically.

"The government had been giving awards medal winners in international sports even. That's why we don't announce, because it is in public domain. We don't take credit. The players automatically get money. In the past six months, we had given Rs. 7.81 crore on preparation of hockey team," he said.

State govts show the way

Earlier, even as the Union Sports Ministry had washed its hands off the entire episode, the Punjab and Maharashtra state governments had announced bigger cash rewards for the players.

While Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal announced Rs. 25 lakh for the entire team, the Maharashtra government was giving 10 lakh to Yuvraj Walmiki, a player from the state.

The move came even as Maken failed to announce any rewards suggesting they had spent enough on Indian hockey.

In fact, after announcing the reward, the Punjab deputy CM said the Centre should apologise for the shabby treatment of the players after their big win.

Maken absolves govt

Maken was quick to absolve the Sports Ministry of any blame in the matter. He tweeted that the government had nothing to do with the measly reward for the new Asian champions.

The Sports Minister tweeted, "Rs. 25000 cash award was not announced by Govt but by the Hockey India. Govt spends all the money on training, coaching & foreign exposure."

He went on to tweet that the government has spent almost Rs. eight crore on the hockey team in the last six months, Rs. 5.97 crore on national coaching camps, Rs. 1.75cr on foreign visits and Rs. 8.75 lakh on foreign experts.

Ryan Harris Blow for Aussies


Colombo - Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris looks unlikely to start in the upcoming third and final cricket Test against Sri Lanka after scans revealed a hamstring strain.

Harris had complained of a stiff right hamstring on the last day of the drawn second Test in Pallekele on Monday and underwent scans when the team drove to Colombo on Tuesday afternoon.

Australia, leading 1-0 in the three-match series, are unlikely to risk Harris in the final Test starting at the Sinhalese Sports Club on Friday, although the bowler himself is keen to play.

"I want to play as much as I can but I know I am a risk," Harris, nicknamed 'Rhino' for his burly physique, told reporters after the team's training session on Wednesday, which he missed.

He said he will leave the decision to captain Michael Clarke and the team management, adding: "If Michael is happy to take me in with a slight risk, I will give it 100 percent in what is a pretty big game. If not, I will sit out and do as I am told."

The hamstring strain is the latest setback for injury-prone Harris, who has been battling a chronic knee problem since his debut last year.

"It's disappointing because I have done a fair bit of work to be strong again and something minor like this has upset it," he said.

The 31-year-old has been Australia's most successful bowler in the series with 11 wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the first Test in Galle that fashioned Australia's 125-run victory.

Harris took six wickets in the second Test, but heavy rain in Pallekele frustrated Australia's bid to record a series-clinching victory.

If Harris is declared unfit to play, Australia have two other seamers, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson, to choose from. Neither has played in the series so far.

Graeme Swann named T20 captain against West Indies.



London - Graeme Swann was Wednesday named captain of England's squad for two Twenty20 internationals against West Indies.

With injured captain and vice-captain Stuart Broad and Eoin Morgan currently unavailable, England had been hesitating over who would lead the team at The Oval next week.

Both one-day international captain Alastair Cook and regular Tim Bresnan made it clear over the past two days that they would jump at the chance to take over.

But Test and ODI opener Cook remains outside the Twenty20 squad, having not featured in the shortest format for almost two years.

There is also no Kevin Pietersen in the 14-man list, meaning England will start with a youthful squad which includes two potential debutants in Yorkshire batsman Jonathan Bairstow and Hampshire spinner Danny Briggs.

There is a return to Twenty20 for fast bowler James Anderson, inked in for Tests and ODIs - while young Durham leg-spinner Scott Borthwick is the other addition to the squad from the one which beat India by six wickets last month.

National Selector Geoff Miller said: "We have once again selected a blend of experienced international performers, along with exciting young players with a great deal of talent.

"We have had a successful summer to date and will be looking to continue our form during the Twenty20 series against West Indies and finish the summer with two strong performances.

"We have selected 10 of the players who were involved in last month's Twenty20 victory over India, while the injuries to Stuart Broad and Eoin Morgan and the continued period of rest for Kevin Pietersen means we bring four players into the squad."

Off-spinner Swann, who has never captained his country before, will become the fifth man to lead them this summer.

Miller added: "Graeme Swann is a highly-respected member of the England side, and his experience and leadership qualities will be invaluable when he leads a young England team next week - a role he is very much looking forward to."

England play the West Indies at The Oval on September 23 and 25.

Squad

GP Swann (capt), JM Anderson, JM Bairstow, RS Bopara, SG Borthwick, TT Bresnan, DR Briggs, JC Buttler, JW Dernbach, ST Finn, AD Hales, C Kieswetter (wkt), SR Patel, BA Stokes

Blast at Iraq restaurant kills 13


Baghdad - A car bombing on Wednesday morning killed 13 people and wounded scores of others in southern Iraq as the blast went off outside a restaurant where local police were having breakfast, officials said.

It was not immediately clear how many police were among the dead.

The blast, shortly before 08:00, also wounded 41 people, said Zuhair al-Khafaji of the Hillah hospital, where the wounded and dead were taken. The explosion happened just south of Hillah, in the town of al-Shumali, about 90km south of Baghdad.

A police official at the scene put the death toll at 11 and confirmed 41 were wounded. Conflicting death tolls are common immediately after large attacks in Iraq. The police official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release the information.

Meanwhile, a roadside bomb targeting a security patrol in western Iraq killed two soldiers and wounded nine others, two officials said.

That blast took place near the town of Habbaniyah, 80km west of Baghdad, in Iraq's Sunni-dominated Anbar province where insurgents frequently attack security forces who have worked with the US military.

Both officials spoke about the Anbar attack on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

Ambulance crashes into Crowd, Kills 11

Monrovia - An official in Liberia says 11 people were killed after an ambulance crashed into a crowd who had been waiting all day to see a visiting presidential candidate.

Regional official Momo Kiadii said on Wednesday the ambulance crashed into the crowd late on Tuesday in the western town of Vonzula. He says many others were wounded.

Presidential candidate Kennedy Sandy was visiting the region on a campaign tour.

Police spokesperson George Bardue confirmed the accident on Wednesday, but gave no details.

Fifteen candidates are challenging incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in October's poll.

Liberia was ravaged by civil wars for years until 2003. The country is still struggling to maintain a fragile peace with the help of UN peacekeepers.

GOP Tea Party Debate: Audience Cheers, Says Society Should Let Uninsured Patient Die


A bit of a startling moment happened near the end of Monday night's CNN debate when a hypothetical question was posed to Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).

"What do you tell a guy who is sick, goes into a coma and doesn't have health insurance? Who pays for his coverage? Are you saying society should just let him die?" Wolf Blitzer asked.

"Yeah!" several members of the crowd yelled out.

Paul interjected to offer an explanation for how this was, more-or-less, the root choice of a free society. He added that communities and non-government institutions can fill the void that the public sector is currently playing.

"We never turned anybody away from the hospital," he said of his volunteer work for churches and his career as a doctor. "We have given up on this whole concept that we might take care of ourselves, assume responsibility for ourselves ... that's the reason the cost is so high."

The answer may have struck a truly libertarian tone, but it was clearly overshadowed by the members of the crowd who enthusiastically cheered the prospect of letting a man die rather than picking up the tab for his coverage.

Watch 'Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn' Full Theatrical (Video)


Forget Beyonce's baby bump; now, it's all about Bella Swan's brewing belly. After all, only one of the two cultural icons is carrying a seemingly impossible miracle child from an undead hubby.

The first full theatrical trailer for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1" has hit the web, bringing with it enough melodrama to give Dracula morning sickness. We get our first good glimpse of the insanely persistent Bella and complicatedly dreamy Edward Cullen taking their wedding vows (which makes Jacob sad!), and then the how-did-they-do-that pregnancy of the new couple.

Mr. Cullen has such strong seed, apparently, it not only defies the laws of life & death (staying fresh for over 90 years of discontinued use) but also implants into his wife's womb a rapidly growing, energy-sucking offspring that threatens her very existence (making Jacob even more sad!). Then again, Part 2 will see him get pretty happy about the kid, so, all in all, a bit of a wash for the abtastic teen wolf.

It also seriously angers Jacob's doggy pals (perhaps they resent being assigned the Baby Bjorn on the baby shower registry?) and the Volturi over in Italy (not that they're ever super pumped about anything).

Also something of which to take note: the newlyweds may need to invest in some new bedroom furniture.

WATCH:

Friday, September 2, 2011

Haryana Teachers Eligibility Test 2011 Admit Card Online, hbse.nic.in

All the candidates are informed : They can get their admit card only online through haryana education board's website at the Official website :

hbse.nic.in

www.hbse.nic.in


The online submission of the prospectus date has been closed and now the test has been gone through videography.

the test dates are 24-09-2011 and 25-09-2011.

Candidates are advised the get their ADMIT Card/Roll no. through official website.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark Movie of August 2011 Reviews


Despite countless signs of imminent danger, the moronic adult characters in Troy Nixey’s remake of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark never heed this classic Horror film warning. Instead, struggling architect Alex (Guy Pierce) and his assistant/girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes) cast a blind eye to the dangerous phenomena tormenting Alex’s daughter, Sally (Bailee Madison), an inquisitive and lonely young girl who moves into the labyrinthian mansion her father is renovating. Sally’s appearance sparks a supernatural reign of terror, and no matter how bad the situation gets her genuine pleas for help are attributed to an overactive imagination. Narrative cliches like this prove Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is just another example of numskull adults hiding their heads in the sand.



Sally’s fateful curiosity sets a very familiar haunted house story in motion. One day, while walking the ghostly grounds she discovers a hidden basement housing a Pandora’s Box of golem-like monsters. Cries and whispers start emanating from the darkness, and what first seems like an intriguing fantasy soon turns into Sally’s worst nightmare. A missing razor, shredded clothing, and billowing sheets are potent promises of violence to come, and Sally is often left alone to face her miniature tormentors with only her wits to fend off their advances. One cramped moment inside a bathroom is particularly brutal; Sally must battle a legion of creatures amidst a slippery tile floor and a host of sharp edged weapons, hinting at producer Guillermo del Toro’s brand of outlandish violence. Still, most of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark lacks this kind of innovative severity and settles for inane jump-scares.

Nixey does display a keen sense of space during many of the interior scenes, lingering on the intricate set design for moody effect. Beautifully layered wood carvings define each wall, dimly lit stairwells seem to stretch on forever, and each antiquated room becomes a kind cob-webbed tomb for Sally. Pipes, vents, and doorways evoke the creepy anatomy of the house itself, swollen varicose veins potentially bursting with evil. But the leaden character conflicts (divorce, parenting, adolescence) are so overstuffed and obvious much of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark turns into a tired merry-go-round of bitter arguments, blatant dismissals, and idle threats. When Alex and Kim do finally realize the figments of Sally’s imagination are knife-wielding devils hellbent on fulfilling some trite mythological prophecy, its far too late to take their cries for help seriously.



Reviews:
Don’t be Afraid of the Dark is co-written by Guillermo del Toro who teams with Mimic writer Matthew Robbins to rework of TV writer and producer Nigel McDeand’s 74-minute, 1973 teleplay for a TV movie.

It starred Kim Darby of 1969’s True Grit so how good could it be?

Don’t be Afraid of the Dark is done by first time director Troy Nixey who mimics — no pun intended — the lush cinematography and set-heavy directorial style of del Toro whose works include the Hellboy flicks and Pan’s Labyrinth, one of the best horror stories ever.

It’s a del Toro production and his style is stamped all over the picture. Admittedly the film is creepy. But creepy can only carry a movie so far. A so-so idea with almost nowhere to go is slowed down even more by the additional 25 minutes.

Style — in this case — overwhelms substance and an underwhelming plot.

Rated R for violence and mature themes. It opens Friday, August 26 at Regal’s Columbia Center 8 and at the Fairchild Cinemas 12.

Mr. Movie rating: 2 stars

5 stars/4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen

4 stars / 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.

3 stars / 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on DVD.

2 stars / 1 star: Don't bother.

0 stars: Speaks for itself

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni - Biography


Michelangelo
full name: Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born at Caprese, a village in Florentine territory, where his father, named Ludovico Buonarroti Simoni was the resident magistrate. A few weeks after Michelangelo's birth the family returned to Florence, and, in 1488, after overcoming parental opposition he was formally apprenticed to Domenico Ghirlandaio for a term of three years. Later in life Michelangelo tried to suppress this fact, probably to make it seem that he had never had an ordinary workshop training; for it was he more than anyone else who introduced the idea of the 'Fine Arts' having no connection with the craft that painting had always previously been. His stay in the Ghirlandaio shop must also have coincided with his beginning to work as a sculptor in the Medici Garden, where antiques from their collection were looked after by Bertoldo. Although this connection drew him into the Medici circle as a familiar, the account by Vasari of an established 'school' is now discredited. It must, however, have been Ghirlandaio who taught him the elements of fresco technique, and it was probably also in that shop that he made his drawings after the great Florentine masters of the past (copies after Giotto and Masaccio; now in the Louvre, in Munich, and in Vienna). Michelangelo produced at least two relief sculptures by the time he was 16 years old, the Battle of the Centaurs and the Madonna of the Stairs (both 1489-92, Casa Buonarroti, Florence), which show that he had achieved a personal style at a very early age.


In 1492, Lorenzo de' Medici died. Michelangelo then studied anatomy with the help of the Prior of the Hospital of Sto Spirito, for whom he appears to have carved a wooden crucifix for the high altar. A wooden crucifix found there (now in the Casa Buonarroti) has been attributed to him by some scholars. The next few years were marked by the expulsion of the Medici and the gloomy Theocracy set up under Savonarola, but Michelangelo avoided the worst of the crisis by going to Bologna and, in 1496, to Rome. He settled for a time in Bologna, where in 1494 and 1495 he executed several marble statuettes for the Arca (Shrine) di San Domenico in the Church of San Domenico.

In Rome he carved the first of his major works, the Bacchus (Florence, Bargello) and the St Peter's Pietà, which was completed by the turn of the century. It is highly finished and shows that he had already mastered anatomy and the disposition of drapery, but above all it shows that he had solved the problem of the representation of a full-grown man stretched out nearly horizontally on the lap of a woman, the whole being contained in a pyramidal shape.

The Pietà made his name and he returned to Florence in 1501 as a famous sculptor, remaining there until 1505. During these years he was extremely active, carving the gigantic David (1501-4, now in the Accademia), the Bruges Madonna (Bruges, Notre Dame), and beginning the series of the Twelve Apostles for the Cathedral which was commissioned in 1503 but never completed (the St Matthew now in the Accademia is the only one which was even blocked in). At about this time he painted the Doni Tondo of the Holy Family with St John the Baptist (Florence, Uffizi) and made the two marble tondi of the Madonna and Child (Florence, Bargello; London, Royal Academy).

After the completion of the David in 1504 he began to work on the cartoon of a huge fresco in the Council Hall of the new Florentine Republic, as a pendant to the one already commissioned from Leonardo da Vinci. Both remained unfinished and the grandiose project of employing the two greatest living artists on the decoration of the Town Hall of their native city came to nothing. Of Michelangelo's fresco, which was to represent the Battle of Cascina, an incident in the Pisan War, we now have a few studies by him and copies of a fragment of the whole full-scale cartoon which once existed (the best copy is the painting in Lord Leicester's Collection, Holkham, Norfolk). The cartoon, which is known as the Bathers, was for many years the resort of every young artist in Florence and, by its exclusive stress on the nude human body as a sufficient vehicle for the expression of alt emotions which the painter can depict, had an enormous influence on the subsequent development of Italian art - especially Mannerism - and therefore on European art as a whole. This influence is more readily detectable in his next major work, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In fact, however, the Battle of Cascina was left incomplete because the Signoria of Florence found it expedient to comply with a request from the masterful Pope Julius II, who was anxious to have a fitting tomb made in his lifetime.

The Julius Monument was, in Michelangelo's own view, the Tragedy of the Tomb. This was partly because Michelangelo and Julius had the same ardent temperament - they admired each other greatly - and very soon quarrelled, and partly because after the death of Julius in 1513, Michelangelo was under constant pressure from successive Popes to abandon his contractual obligations and work for them while equally under pressure from the heirs of Julius, who even went so far as to accuse him of embezzlement. The original project for a vast free-standing tomb with forty figures was substantially reduced by a second contract (1513), drawn up after Julius's death; under this contract the Moses, which is the major figure on the extant tomb, was prepared as a subsidiary figure. Two others, the Slaves in the Louvre, were made under this contract but were subsequently abandoned. The third contract (1516) was followed by a fourth (1532), and a fifth and final one in 1542, under the terms of which the present miserably mutilated version of the original conception was carried out by assistants, under Michelangelo's supervision, in S. Pietro in Vincoli (Julius's titular church) in 1545. Michelangelo was then 70 and had spent nearly forty years on the tomb.

Meanwhile, the original quarrel of 1506 with Julius was made up and Michelangelo executed a colossal bronze statue of the Pope as an admonition to the recently conquered Bolognese (who destroyed it as soon as they could, in 1511). In 1508, back in Rome, he began his most important work, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican for Julius, who, as usual, was impatient to see it finished. Dissatisfied with the normal working methods and with the abilities of the assistants he had engaged, Michelangelo determined to execute the whole of this vast work virtually alone. Working under appalling difficulties (amusingly described in one of his own poems), most of the time leaning backwards and never able to get far enough away from the ceiling to be able to see what he was doing, he completed the first half (the part nearer to the door) in 1510. The whole enormous undertaking was completed in 1512, Michelangelo being by then so practised that he was able to execute the second half more rapidly and freely. It was at once recognized as a supreme work of art, even at the moment when Raphael was also at work in the Vatican Stanze. From then on Michelangelo was universally regarded as the greatest living artist, although he was then only 37 and this was in the lifetimes of Leonardo and Raphael (who was even younger). From this moment, too, dates the idea of the artist as in some sense a superhuman being, set apart from ordinary men, and for the first time it was possible to use the phrase 'il divino Michelangelo' without seeming merely blasphemous.

The Sistine Ceiling is a shallow barrel vault divided up by painted architecture into a series of alternating large and small panels which appear to be open to the sky. These are the Histories. Each of the smaller panels is surrounded by four figures of nude youths - the Slaves, or Ignudi - who are represented as seated on the architectural frame and who are not of the same order of reality as the figures in the Histories, since their system of perspective is different. Below them are the Prophets and Sibyls, and still lower, the figures of the Ancestors of Christ. The whole ceiling completes the chapel decoration by representing life on earth before the Law: on the walls is an earlier cycle of frescoes, painted in 1481-82, representing the Life of Moses (i.e. the Old Dispensation) and the Life of Christ (the New Dispensation). The Histories begin over the altar and work away from it (though they were painted in the reverse direction): the first scene represents God alone, in the Primal Act of Creation, and the story continues through the rest of the Creation to the Fall, the Flood, and the Drunkenness of Noah, representing the human soul at its furthest from God. The whole conception owes much to the Neoplatonic philosophy current in Michelangelo's youth in Florence, perhaps most in the idea of the Ignudi, perfect human beauty, on the level below the Divine story. Below them come the Old Testament Prophets and the Seers of the ancient world who foretold the coming of Christ; while the four corners have scenes from the Old Testament representing Salvation. The Prophet Jonah is above the altar, since his three days in the whale were held to prefigure the Resurrection. On the lowest parts - and very freely painted - are the human families who were the Ancestors of Christ. There can be no doubt that the splendour of the conception and the size of the task distracted Michelangelo from the Tomb, but he at once returned to it as soon as the ceiling was finished, from 1513 to 1516, when he returned to Florence to work for the Medici. (For details on the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel take a guided tour.)

His new master was Pope Leo X, the younger son of Lorenzo de Medici, who had known Michelangelo from boyhood; he now commissioned him to complete the façade of S. Lorenzo, the family church in Florence. Michelangelo wasted four years on this and it came to nothing. In 1520 he began planning the Medici Chapel, a funerary chapel in honour of four of the Medici - two of them by no means the most glorious of their family. The chapel is attached to S. Lorenzo. Leo X died in 1521 and it was not until after the accession of another Medici Pope, Clement VII, in 1523 that the project was resumed. Work began in earnest in 1524 and at the same time he was commissioned to design the Laurenziana Library in the cloister of the same church. Both these buildings are turning-points in architectural history, but the sculptural decoration of the chapel (an integral part of the architecture) was never completed, although the figures of Giuliano and Lorenzo de' Medici set over their tombs, eternally symbolizing the Active and the Contemplative Life, above the symbols of Time and Mortality - Day and Night, Dawn and Evening - are among his finest creations. The unfinished Madonna was meant to be the focal point of the chapel.

In 1527, the Medici were again expelled from Florence, and Michelangelo, who was politically a Republican in spite of his close ties with the Medici, took an active part in the 1527-29 war against the Medici up to the capitulation in 1530 (although in a moment of panic he had fled in 1529) and supervised Florentine fortifications. During the months of confusion and disorder in Florence, when he was proscribed for his participation in the struggle, it would appear that he was hidden by the Prior of S. Lorenzo. A number of drawings on the walls of a concealed crypt under the Medici Chapel have been attributed to him, and ascribed to this period. After the reinstatement of the Medici he was pardoned, and set to work once more on the Chapel which was to glorify them until, in 1534, he left Florence and settled in Rome for the thirty years remaining to him.

He was at once commissioned to paint his next great work, the Last Judgement on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, which affords the strongest possible contrast with his own Ceiling. He began work on it in 1536. In the interval there had been the Sack of Rome and the Reformation, and the confident humanism and Christian Neoplatonism of the Ceiling had curdled into the personal pessimism and despondency of the Judgement. The very choice of subject is indicative of the new mood, as is the curious fact that the mouth of Hell gapes over the altar itself where, during services, stands a crucifix symbolizing Christ standing between Man and Doom. It was unveiled in 1541 and caused a sensation equalled only by his own work of thirty years earlier, and was the only work by him to be as much reviled as praised, and only narrowly to escape destruction, though it did not escape the mutilation of having many of the nude figures 'clothed' after his death. Most of the ideas of Mannerism are traceable implicitly or explicitly in the Judgement and, more than ever, it served to imprint the idea that the scope of painting is strictly limited to the exploitation of the nude, preferably in foreshortened - and therefore difficult - poses. Paul III, who had commissioned the Judgement, immediately commissioned two more frescoes for his own chapel, the Cappella Paolina; these were begun in 1542 and completed in 1550. They represent the Conversion of St Paul and the Crucifixion of St Peter.

Michelangelo was now 75 years old. Earlier, in 1538-39, plans were under way for the remodeling of the buildings surrounding the Campidoglio (Capitol) on the Capitoline Hill, the civic and political heart of the city of Rome. Although Michelangelo's program was not carried out until the late 1550s and not finished until the 17th century, he designed the Campidoglio around an oval shape, with the famous antique bronze equestrian statue of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius in the center. For the Palazzo dei Conservatori he brought a new unity to the public building façade, at the same time that he preserved traditional Roman monumentality. However, since 1546 he had been increasingly active as an architect; in particular, he was Chief Architect to St Peter's and was doing more there than had been done for thirty years. This was the greatest architectural undertaking in Christendom, and Michelangelo did it, as he did all his late works, solely for the glory of God.

In his last years he made a number of drawings of the Crucifixion, wrote much of his finest poetry, and carved the Pietà (now in Florence Cathedral Museum) which was originally intended for his own tomb, as well as the nearly abstract Rondanini Pietà (Milan, Castello). This last work, in which the very forms of the Dead Christ actually merge with those of His Mother, is charged with an emotional intensity which contemporaries recognized as Michelangelo's 'terribilità'. He was working on it to within a few days of his death, in his 89th year, on 18 February 1564. There is a whole world of difference between it and the 'beautiful' Pietà in St Peter's, carved some sixty-five years earlier.

Unlike any previous artist, Michelangelo was the subject of two biographies in his own lifetime. The first of these was by Vasari, who concluded the first (1550) edition of his 'Vite' with the Life of one living artist, Michelangelo. In 1553 there appeared a 'Life of Michelangelo' by his pupil Ascanio Condivi (English translations 1903, 1976 and 1987); this is really almost an autobiography, promoted by Michelangelo to correct some errors of Vasari and to shift the emphasis in what Michelangelo regarded as a more desirable direction. Vasari, however, became more and more friendly with Michelangelo and was also his most devoted and articulate admirer, so that the very long Life which appears in Vasari's second edition (1568), after Michelangelo's death, gives us the most complete biography of any artist up to that time and is a trustworthy guide to the feelings of contemporaries about the man who can lay claim to be the greatest sculptor, painter and draughtsman that has ever lived, as well as one of the greatest architects and poets. He is the archetype of genius.

Pure fresco was his preferred painting technique; he despised oil-painting, though the now authenticated unfinished Entombment (London, National Gallery) is in oil over a tempera underpainting. The Doni Tondo is in tempera. In sculpture, his usual method was to outline his figure on the front of the block and, as he himself wrote, to 'liberate the figure imprisoned in the marble', by working steadily inwards, with perhaps a few more finished details. Occasionally he made drawings for parts of a figure, and a few small wax models survive as well as one large one, made for the guidance of assistants working on the Medici Chapel figures. The four abandoned Slaves intended for a later version of the Julius Tomb (Florence, Accademia) and the two marble tondi left unfinished in 1505 provide fine examples of his direct carving technique and his consistent use of various sizes of claw chisel. No modelli exist for any paintings or frescoes, and only one cartoon (London, British Museum), made to help Condivi, has survived.

The Founder of Apple Company- Steve Jobs


Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs, who quit as Apple chief executive amid more fears over his health, is credited with changing people's lives "immensely" with his vision and products.

The 56-year-old with a passion for minimalist design has altered the course of personal computing and the entertainment industry.

The company's gadgets, such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad, have inspired an almost cult-like following and its chain of sleek, modern shops are popular around the world.

He is seen as the heart and soul of the firm which was briefly the most valuable in America this month.

Mr Steve Jobs
- a college dropout and Buddhist with links to the West Coast counter-culture of the 1960s - started Apple Computer with his friend Steve Wozniak in 1976.

He reportedly sold his VW camper van to help finance the original design of the Apple l.



Vidya Balan played Silk Smitha role in The Dirty Picture : Ekta Kapoor


'The Dirty Picture' is based on the life of southern sex siren 'Silk Smitha'. The first look of ‘The Dirty Picture' was released on Friday.



In the picture, Vidya is looking hot and sexy in deep-neck red-blouse and red lipstick. Vidya is surrounded by Naseeruddin Shah, Emran Hashmi and Ritesh Deshmuk.

Ekta Kapoor and Milan Luthria team up once again after the blockbuster Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai to create a bold, humorous and dazzling multi-starrer set in the 80′s south film industry.

Billed as Moulin Rouge meets Himmatwala in terms of its look, The Dirty Picture chronicles the romantic journey of the erstwhile sensation Silk Smitha (played by Vidya Balan) her rise to stardom and her subsequent fall.

Talking about her look in the film, Vidya says, “Silk was made to give Indian men sleepless nights! She doesn’t leave much to imagination. Silk is every woman’s wild side and yet she’s soft where it matters. She was spunky, yet she can shock you with a straight face.”

The Dirty Picture also sees Vidya Balan reunite with her Ishqiya co-star Nasseruddin Shah. Produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and directed by Milan Luthria, the film also stars Tusshar Kapoor and Emraan Hashmi who play the key romantic interests in Silk’s life.


Movie Vidya's first look in 'Dirty Picture' :


Silk Smitha had received huge popularity by her nude and semi nude scenes but she became of victim of financial crisis soon.

Our Idiot Brother Hollywood Movie Reviews


You know what Our Idiot Brother isn't? Title aside, it's not stupid nor does it fall into the trap so many R-rated comedies do where gross-out humor and the use of dirty language substitute for a smartly written script. And unlike a lot of R-rated comedies, it's not mean-spirited and it doesn't resort (other than in one very small scene) to potty humor to get an easy laugh. What Our Idiot Brother is is a surprisingly sweet film, with Paul Rudd in the title role delivering an absolutely charming and disarming performance that's quite possibly the best he's been since Anchorman.


Story of The Movie :

Ned is a free spirit who accepts people at face value. He's like a throwback to the '60s, a hippie-ish laid-back optimist who believes people are genuinely decent. And because he's a pacifist who's willing to see the best in everyone, he's easily taken advantage of. And, in fact, it's his sweet disposition and willingness to help out that gets him in trouble with the law. See, selling pot to a uniformed cop just because he tells you he's having a lousy day and really needs it isn't exactly the smartest move a bio-dynamic farmer can make. But that's what Ned does and so off to jail he goes. But even there he makes friends with the guards and his fellow inmates. He's just that kind of dude, you know?

However, after doing his time he discovers his girlfriend (Kathryn Hahn) has moved on and doesn't want him back helping out on the farm. She's got a new guy (TJ Miller) to boss around, so Ned finds himself girlfriend-less and homeless. And to make matters worse, she refuses to give him custody of their dog, Willie Nelson, who obviously wants to be with Ned. So with nowhere else to go, he heads to his mom's house for a short stay before moving on to spend time with each of his three sisters.


While Ned's sweet, innocent, uncomplicated, and doesn't filter his thoughts, his three sisters - Liz (Emily Mortimer), Miranda (Elizabeth Banks), and Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) - are a pretty messed up group. Liz's marriage is in trouble and she doesn't even know it (and she's raising her son in a world in which he's not allowed to play or have fun). Miranda is willing to sell her soul to get a scoop to impress her bosses at Vanity Fair, and she's blind to the fact she's stuck the one guy who really wants to be with her (played by Adam Scott) in the friend zone. And Natalie is confused about her sexuality and cheating on her lesbian lover (Rashida Jones) with an artist (Hugh Dancy) who she poses for nude. As Ned hangs out with each of his sisters in turn, he turns their lives upside down. Of course they blame him for ruining everything when in actuality he's just trying to open their eyes to the truth they're too busy/blind to see.

Director Jesse Peretz (The Ex) has his hands full juggling so many characters, and there are a few times where balls get dropped. But, overall, Our Idiot Brother is just a sweet, gentle (a strange yet fitting word to use with an R-rated film) comedy that's refreshing in its focus on a character who completely lacks any cynicism. It's a feel-good film that's engaging, smartly paced, and entirely likable.

GRADE: B+

Our Idiot Brother was directed by Jesse Peretz and is rated R for sexual content including nudity, and for language throughout.

Theatrical Release date : 26 August, 2011

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Dad Punches Daughter On Her 14 B’day Party

A girl ended her 14th birthday in protective custody after her father allegedly punched her because she tried to stop him from fighting during her birthday party Sunday in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

The man, 42, had been drinking and fighting with guests at the girl’s party at Storm Mountain in Big Cottonwood Canyon, said Unified Police Lt. Manfred Lassig. The man threatened the guests with a fire poker, a knife and a beer bottle, Lassig said.

The girl tried to intervene, and the man punched her, Lassig said, and when she tried to intervene a second time, he punched her again.

The man was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and child abuse, Lassig said. The girl was placed in protective custody.

Japan’s Balloon Dress Pics & Video

But the 35-year-old artist has been working with balloons for 10 years so she has everything pretty much figured out. She started her career as a florist, before switching to balloon art and opening her very own studio, Daisy Balloon.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Justin Bieber Working On Two Albums

If you've been dying to hear new music from Justin Bieber, the wait is almost over!

But the news gets better than that - the teen dream is reportedly working on not one but two albums.

Justin has been in the studio for a few weeks now with producers like will.i.am and the very young Julian Swirsky (yes, that's the same 16-year-old buddy Justin set up with Kendall Jenner!), and he's already collaborated with Chris Brown. Sadly, no word yet on if he'll work with GF Selena Gomez.

Justin is excited about his hard work too. He Tweeted Tuesday, "in the studio writing with @TrickyStewart - last time this happened a song called BABY happened. LEGGO. #believe"

What's with the hashtag? Though the singer does have a penchant for starting Twitter trends, this one has some meaning behind it - though it hasn't been officially announced, "Believe" is expected to be the name of his album dropping this fall.


Justin opened up about his upcoming album in June, saying he wanted to focus on himself and write a lot. He told MTV News, "[I'm] writing about how I feel and producing. I've been producing on my laptop and on my computer. I've been really into it and, hopefully, this next album will be huge."

Justin has also been working hard in and out of the studio. He made an appearance at the Do Something Awards! Sunday. The show will air Thursday night at 9/8 on VH1.

Ever the Tweeter, Justin added "#MAKEACHANGE" when reminding fans to watch the awards show. He seriously loves his hashtags!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

WATCH: Georgetown Brawls In China (Video)


Georgetown Fights In China: Brawl Breaks Out Between Hoyas And Chinese Team During Goodwill Tour (VIDEO
BEIJING -- A wild brawl broke out between Georgetown and a Chinese men's basketball team Thursday night, putting an immediate end to a supposed goodwill game that coincided with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the country.

The benches cleared and fights erupted all over the court with about 9 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The rest of the exhibition between Georgetown and the Bayi Rockets was called off.
Biden did not attend the game. On Wednesday, he watched the Hoyas beat the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons 98-81.

The Washington Post reported Georgetown and Bayi players tackled and threw punches at each another. Chairs and water bottles were tossed as the Hoyas headed to the locker room with the score 64-all in a testy, foul-plagued matchup.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Man Dies After Police Use Taser During Arrest

Cumbria Police said officers were called to an address on Hartington Street in Barrow on Tuesday evening following reports of a man causing a disturbance.

A police spokesman said: "Neighbourhood police officers attended the scene and arrested a male on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

"During the arrest, a Taser was deployed.

"The man became unwell following the arrest and was taken to Furness General Hospital by officers."

The man, who was in his 20s, died later in the evening.

The incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Woman Swept Over Niagara Falls, Presumed Drowned

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario -- Authorities say a woman is presumed to have drowned after being swept over Niagara Falls when she fell from a railing along the Canadian side of the Niagara River.

Niagara Parks Police in Ontario say two female students in their 20s from the Toronto area were visiting the falls around Sunday night when one of them climbed onto a railing near the river's edge and sat on a block pillar, with her legs straddling the railing.

Police say the woman stood up and apparently lost her footing, falling into the river about 80 feet upstream from the brink of the falls. Officials say the river's swift current swept her over the falls.

Police say foul play isn't suspected.

The search for the woman's body is expected to resume Monday morning.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Kanye West Falls Off His Throne During Concert (Video)

Kanye West is used to commanding the stage ... but not following down on it!

During his show Wednesday night in Norway, the outspoken rapper took a header during one of his numbers. Fall from grace? Maybe ... but he got back up.

The show must go on! Kanye and Jay Z recently released an album together "Watch The Throne." Check out a clip from their upcoming video for "Otis" ... after the jump.




Taylor Lautner Stars In 'Abduction,' 'Twilight' Star In Action Movie (WATCH)

Coming off the heels of Mark Wahlberg's prophesy that Taylor Lautner will develop into a mega star who will make every other actor obsolete, his new movie 'Abduction' embraces his new leading man stature.

In the John Singleton film, Lautner plays a high school kid blissfully unaware that he is adopted and that his parents are spies--despite his father's sick fighting moves.

Then the absurdly good-looking teen embarks on the road to self-discovery and turns into an action prodigy to avenge his parents death.

With a impressive supporting cast of Danny Glover, Sigourney Weaver, Alfred Molina, Michael Nyqvist, Maria Bello, and Jason Isaacs, Lautner may be taking over sooner than we thought.

WATCH:

Jani Lane Dead: Warrant Singer Dies At 47

LOS ANGELES — Jani Lane, the former lead singer of the metal rock band Warrant, has died in Los Angeles. He was 47.

Officer Sara Faden says Lane's body was found Thursday in a Woodland Hills hotel. She had no immediate information on the cause or circumstances of his death.

With his long blond hair and tight leather outfits, Lane embodied the excess of 1980s "hair metal" rock bands. He joined Warrant in 1984 and wrote such hits as "Heaven," "Down Boys" and "Cherry Pie."

He had an on-and-off relationship with the band, leaving it in 1992 before returning and quitting again several times.

In recent years, he appeared in VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club" and made news for a drunken driving arrest.

He is survived by two daughters from two previous marriages.

Republican Debate Open Thread

Tonight is the Big Republican Debate on Fox News. Candidates appearing are Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich. And of course, ever present in this debate will be the corporate "persons."

Jeff Bridges Promotes Debut Album

As if Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges doesn’t have enough to brag about already, the singer-songwriter-musician will release his self-titled debut album August 16.

Bridges has added visits to Charlie Rose, NPR’s Morning Edition, PRI and WNYC’s Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, and NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jay Leno to his press schedule.

“What A Little Bit of Love Can Do” is the first single off the album, and is currently in rotation at AAA and Americana Radio. The video premiered on the AARP website yesterday.

Appearances on shows such as The Colbert Report and Live! With Regis & Kelly are also booked in the near future.
Bridges will play a show at the American Thunder Music Festival at the 2011 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally before heading to New York for a Q&A with his Big Lebowski co-stars at Lebowski Fest New York.

Famed producer T Bone Burnett produced the album. The two have previously collaborated on Bridges’ film Crazy Heart. His song “The Weary Kind” won the 2009 Oscar for Best Original Song.

Jeff Bridges Tour Dates:
8/11/2011 – American Thunder Music Festival – Buffalo Chip, SD
8/24/2011 – Marin Center – San Rafael, CA
8/26/2011 – The Mountain Winery – Saratoga, CA
8/28/2011 – Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery – Woodinville, WA

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Paul and Santorum clash over US-Iran relationship


AMES, Iowa -- Congressman Ron Paul says rival White House hopeful Rick Santorum has his history wrong on Iran, arguing that the United States has been at war with Iran since it helped orchestrate regime change in the 1950s.

Paul and Santorum clashed during Thursday's debate over Iran's nuclear ambitions and its threats to the United States. Paul says Santorum engages in "war propaganda." Santorum says Paul is "obviously not seeing clearly" on the subject and does not understand the threats to the country from Islamic militants.

Paul, a tea party favorite who opposes U.S. military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, says the United States is agitating in that region without reason. Santorum, the former No. 3 Republican in the Senate, says Iran is responsible for U.S. deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/11/3832670/paul-and-santorum-clash-over-us.html#ixzz1UoaNC7wr

GOP Debate: Tim Pawlenty Goes After 'Obamneycare' In Iowa (VIDEO)

When moderator Chris Wallace gave Tim Pawlenty a chance to go after Mitt Romney on health care, this time, he didn't pass it up.

During a June debate, Pawlenty declined to use the word "Obamneycare" to slam the Massachusetts health care plan Romney signed into law, even though he had used the phrase earlier, raising questions about whether he was ready to go toe-to-toe with Romney.

Tonight, Pawlenty was more aggressive: "I don't want to miss that chance again, Chris. Look, Obamacare was patterned after Mitt's plan in Massachusetts. And for Mitt or anyone else to say there aren't substantial similarities or they are not essentially the same plan -- it just isn't credible. So that's why I called it Obamneycare, and I think that's a fair label. I'm happy to call it that again tonight."

Romney cited the 10th amendment to argue that Massachusetts had the right to implement its plan, whereas the federal Affordable Care Act was an overreach. When host Chris Wallace asked where in the Constitution it says that the government can implement an individual mandate, Romney challenged Wallace:
Are you familiar with the Massachusetts constitution? I am. The Massachusetts constitution allows states for instance, to say our kids have to go to school. It has that power. The question is, is that a good or bad idea? I understand different people come to different conclusions. What we did in our state was this: We said, we're finding people are going to the hospital and getting the state to pay for them. Taxpayers are picking up hundreds of millions of dollars of costs from people who are free riders. We said we are going to insist those people who can afford to pay for themselves do so. We believe in personal responsibility. ... That was our conclusion. The right answer for every state is to determine what is right for those states, not to impose Obamacare on the nation. That's why I would repeal it.

Chimpanzees Display Behavior Thought To Be Unique To Humans (VIDEO)

Chimpanzees may be more generous than we thought.

Chimps spontaneously displaying empathy by consoling each other after fights and sharing food has been documented by scientists. However, altruistic behavior thought to be unique to humans was shown in previous research to only occur when the chimps were tricked or pressured, the Daily Mail reports.

A new report has found they are more giving than previous studies have credited them for. "Spontaneous Prosocial Choice By Chimpanzees," published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reports that chimpanzees are as co-operative as their human cousins, particularly when their partners are patient.

Study leader Dr. Horner told The New York Times the study suggests that rather than altruism being a behavior unique to humans, it is the number of instances in comparison to other mammals that is different.

"We were excited to find female after female [chimpanzee] chose the option that gave both her and her partner food," Dr. Horner told the Daily Mail.

The study found the chimps were much less likely to share the food if their partner kicked up a fuss.

Dr. Horner told LiveScience: "For me, the most important finding is that like us, chimpanzees take into account the needs and wishes of others."

Researcher Frans de Waal said empathy had also been found in capuchin monkeys, marmosets and tamarins, and he expected to find it in dogs and rats as well.

"Since empathy is an old mammalian trait, there is no reason why the sort of altruism we describe should be unique for the primates," de Waal told Discovery News.

Not everyone supports the findings. The New York Times reports that Michael Tomasello at the Max Planck Institute feels the study is poorly designed. Having conducted his own experiment, he came to a different conclusion: “Chimps help others, but what they do not do is give up food themselves so others can have it,” he said. “So they are prosocial when it is not costly, but when it is, not so much.”

An increasing number of studies are showing that other animals share many similar traits to humans. For example, this year, studies have shown that monkeys doubt themselves, and they also show regret and disappointment, just like humans.

WATCH:

Venice Introduces New Tourist Tax To Save City From Sinking (PHOTOS)

The future for one of the world's most romantic cities has long seemed uncertain. But now, Venice is finding new ways to fight for its survival and hopefully reverse, or at least stall, the environmental catastrophe it faces.

Italian heritage group Italia Nostra recently warned that the large number of tourists visiting the town known locally as "La Serenissima," which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is contributing to the gradual destruction of its ecosystem.

As the Vancouver Sun is reporting, officials will implement new tourist taxes in an effort to save the Italian city from the rising sea levels and provide much-needed maintenance. Visitors staying in five-star hotels will see 4.5 euros added to their bill from Aug. 24, while those staying in less luxurious accommodation will pay according to a sliding scale of fees as the city edges closer to the long-advocated idea of an entrance fee.

"This tax is a new and important opportunity for the city," Sandro Simionato, Venice deputy mayor, is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying. "The fundamental objective, which will also involve tourists who visit and love Venice, is to save this unique city, which is precious and fragile. The tax will help finance tourism, maintenance of cultural heritage sites, the environment, as well as public services."

View stunning photos of Venice here:
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