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Sunday, February 28, 2010

sochi russia


Sochi Russia : American athletes might not be able to train in places years before the Olympic Games, a feature they were in Vancouver. But there are other factors that may be similar to Vancouver, such as mild climate and poss
Reporting from Vancouver, Canada – Worldsnowboarding.com offered comprehensive look at the mountain resort of Krasnaya Polyana strange, and Russia, with one seemingly simple denunciation.

The website of the resort only drawback was its size and mild climate, “which means that there are very serious to find a little snow in the least runs until January.”

Wait a minute. . . .

We just did not go through these past two weeks, let alone lead an angry follow-up efforts to redistribute snow to weather the challenge Cypress mountains?

Now, we may go through it all again in the Olympic Games in Sochi, 2014?

You can say Sochi, Russia, and Vancouver, Canada, has a lot in common.

Vancouver is indicated by the rest of Canada as the “Lotus Land”, and Sochi, nicknamed “the Russian Riviera,” the Black Sea resort for the rich and famous.

Then there is the birthplace of hockey pressure. If you think that pressure on the gold medal-winning hockey team Canada was extensive, and I think “strangle” in Russia.

One newspaper headline called Russia 7-3 at the quarter-finals in Canada, “a nightmare in Vancouver.”

Unlike Sochi, Vancouver may boast of preparing in advance of its facilities. When attention turned to Vancouver at the end of 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, all but two of the facilities had been completed.

Construction is under way in Sochi, but organizers do not expect a first test event in Alpine skiing, even after a year from now. There are two sets of competition, which combines coastal playground for the central and ice hockey and ice skating stadiums, and the mountain sports place in Krasnaya Polyana, which will phase in skiing and snowboarding, luge, among other events.

Sochi 2014 CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko said Saturday that his organization brought a group of 150 to monitor the Vancouver Games and close attention to the issues of Cypress Mountain.

“The major milestone is to provide everything [in] two years, two seasons ago to compete in the Games,” he said. “Well in advance. So we’re looking in plenty of time to acquire sites and training of our employees.”

And one for the United States is that the athletes playing in Vancouver years were available in advance, and not too far.

Nordic combined gold medal skier Bill Demong was coming to Canada for training as far back as three years.

“We felt like our home games, which is part of the reason why we do it well,” he said. “It will be a little different [in 2014]. You can not just get a few hours of flying, and go to Sochi.”

Mike Plant, head of mission for the United States team, said that the U.S. Olympic Committee will send the scouts in Sochi this year.

“And start looking at stadiums and geography, the region and start to understand that years ago,” and said: “Even when we have games, we are probably the best team prepared not only because of competition [athletes], but also because of our operations. Combine that with the commitment to The passion and dedication these athletes, you come up with a very strong.

catherine o hara


A splendid spectacle of a dazzling array of fireworks brought down the curtains for the Vancouver Olympics on last Sunday. The closing ceremony of the Vancouver Olympics 2010 became a celebration of Canada glorifying its athletic and cultural triumphs.

Commemorating the technical hitch that delayed the lighting of the indoor cauldron at the inaugural ceremony, a mime went through the motions of pulling the fourth arm of the massive cauldron from the floor of 60000-seat BC Place stadium. Former speedskating champion Catriona Le May Doan, finally lit the fourth arm with the Olympic torch. Probably whole of Vancouver echoed with the cheers celebrating the home-country’s new record of winning maximum gold medals (numbering 14) in the winter Games. Athletes gathered from all across the globe waving flags of their respective countries amid much merry-making. The 24 year old bronze medal winner, skater Joannie Rochette of Île-Dupas became Canada’s flag-bearer for the closing event.

John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver organizing committee (VANOC), honored all the athletes and volunteers that made the Vancouver Games happen.

The closing ceremony saw Canada’s star powers taking the centre stage. Canadian-American actress and comedienne, Catherine O’Hara quipped, “I’m sorry you thought Canada was one great big frozen tundra.” While actor Michael J. Fox said despite living in USA for three decades he would still root for his homecountry, Canada during hockey match.

Singer Michael Buble donned in a Mountie gear crooned a patriotic, tongue-in-cheek tune playing off Canadian clichés. Following the performances of Nickelback, Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan, a touching rendition of Wunderkind by Alanis Morissette wowed the athletes who hugged each other and waved their flags.

Rogge officially closed the Vancouver Games before Canadian singing legend Neil Young delighted the crowd with a moving rendition of Long May You Run.

white castle

Dave Rife - White Castle Owner on Undercover Boss
HAMILTON — Dave Rife found himself behind the counter of a White Castle restaurant for a second time. This time cameras were following him.

Rife, the executive of White Castle restaurants, was commissioned by the CBS reality television show, “Undercover Boss” and worked at multiple White Castle restaurants for 10 days in the month of June 2009. He said he had once worked at White Castle as an employee about 10 years prior to the filming.

“When I started my career with White Castle, I started behind that counter,” Rife said. “A lot of technology has changed but the basic job itself is the same.”

White Castle on High Street in Hamilton received a visit from the high-ranking staffer.

“The Hamilton store, specifically, is a new location,” Rife said. “We had just opened the building a month prior. I kind of wanted to see how things were going. I was just really thrilled with what I found.”

Rose Neeley, a White Castle employee, was working the day Rife stopped by on a Sunday afternoon.

“They told us it was for a documentary,” Neeley said.

Rife said the employees were told he was a laid-off employee looking for odd-end jobs.

The White Castle employees at the High Street store just found out weeks ago the filming was for the show.

Rife made stops in Ohio, northern Kentucky and Illinois.

“I learned that there’s some opportunities for our company to capitalize on,” Rife said.

Rife said he learned the ins and outs of working at a White Castle.

“I would call it an emotional roller coaster,” Rife said. “We have long days. I worked all three shifts, met some remarkable people. We covered a lot of ground.”

Neeley said the show would capture fun times employees had during Rife’s visit.

“I think our show is just going to be a goofy one, it’s not going to be sad, it’s just going to be silly, ” she said.

“Undercover Boss” airs at 9 p.m. Sunday on WKRC-TV Local 12.

Subsidiaries: White Castle Distributing LLC, which produces frozen product line for retail and PSB Co., which specializes in manufacturing stainless steel fixtures and equipment. The company also operates three bakery sites and three meat plants.

Stores: 415, all company owned.

Co-branded stores: 27 White Castle locations in three states are co-branded with Church's Chicken.

Employees: (at the end of 2007) 11,630, including 10,785 in the restaurant division. Of those, 500 have 25 or more years with the company, and more than 2,000 have more than 10 years continuous service.

nickelback



Games closers a mystery but Michael Bublé, Nickelback safe bets
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta, formed in 1995. Founded by members Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and then-drummer Brandon Kroeger. Nickelback is one of the most commercially successful Canadian groups, having sold 30 million records worldwide. Nickelback ranks as the 11th best selling music act of the 2000s, and places as the 2nd best selling foreign act in the US behind The Beatles for the 2000s.


(8001050f)



Error: 8001050F Takes Down PlayStation Network
Many pre-Slim PlayStation 3 owners are experiencing error 8001050F on their consoles and it's preventing players from logging into the PlayStation Network plus improperly displaying or corrupting trophy data.

Sony has posted on their Twitter page stating that 120GB and 250GB Slim models are working correctly and they are looking into the situation. Users who have converged at the NeoGAF forums theorize the error is due to the PS3's internal clock having a leap year-related bug and are advising everyone to not use the console for at least 24 hours in the hope that the problem fixes itself.

We'll update when any significant developments arise. Definitely keep an eye on that Twitter page as well.

2pm

SEOUL : Popular Korean boy band 2PM's management agency JYP Entertainment has confirmed that former band leader Park Jae-Bum's contract has been terminated and that he will not be returning to the group.

The agency said on its website that the termination was due to problems more serious than his Internet postings five years ago about how he hated Korea and its people, which generated a public backlash that caused him to leave the seven-member group in September last year.

"Thanks to the outpouring support from his fans and his contrite attitude, we were seriously thinking about giving him another chance... A series of developments afterward led to the agency's decision to have Jae-bum return to Korea in February and joining the group in March," said JYP Entertainment's statement on its website.

"However, Jae-bum called the agency late last year to admit that he made a terrible personal mistake when the group had released 'Again and Again' last summer. The nature of the problem cannot be revealed because it's a personal matter, but it is definitely more serious than the publicised postings and could cause more social repercussions. The agency, therefore, decided that Jae-bum is no longer fit to remain with the agency and cancelled his contract."

JYP Entertainment claimed that they had wanted to inform the rest of the band of this development at the end of last year but they were too happy after winning some major awards and were expecting Park's return.

It said the remaining members of 2PM only found out about this news in January but unanimously agreed that it was impossible to continue working with Park under the present circumstances after the agency discussed the matter with them.

psn is down


PlayStation Network Down:PSN Down
Sony PlayStation 3 owners in multiple regions (including North America, Europe, and Australia) are facing the inability to sign into the PlayStation Network online gaming service, corrupted user data and inability to play some games online or off. The problems are accompanied by the 8001050F error code.

When they try to load up certain games — including the just-released Heavy Rain — they receive the error code and the following message: “Registration of the trophy information could not be completed. The game will now quit.” After the message, the system reboots. The problems seem to mostly affect older, “fat” models of the PS3. Slim models are either not impacted or affected far less frequently.

Trophies are prizes given to players for accomplishing certain tasks in each game; the trophies are synced with the PlayStation Network so players can compare their achievements. Gaming blog Joystiq found reports that the consoles were having their dates reset to 12/31/1999; that might somehow be related to the trophy syncing problems.

Once reports of the problems started to appear, Sony tweeted: “We’re aware that many of you are having problems connecting to PSN, and yes, we’re looking into it. Stay tuned for updates.” That’s all we’ve heard from them so far. There’s no solution just yet; even disconnecting your console from the Internet doesn’t help. We’ll post an update immediately when we hear about a resolution.

Bachelor


Chris Harrison: The Bachelor Winner Will "Shock" Fans, But "Jake Is Happy"


Millions of fans will be disappointed.

But at least one guy will be happy.

That's what The Bachelor host Chris Harrison says will go down in the big season finale, in which Jake Pavelka will make his final choice for love. "I know for a fact Jake is happy with his decision," Chris tells me.

Hmmm…So will it be Vienna? Gia? Tenley? Or now that Chris has revealed Ali is back, could she be the one?

Here's the exclusive scoop Chris tells me...
Chris Harrison ABC

"As far as everyone's opinion," Chris says when asked about the winner, "I will steal a line from Jake. He has said, 'I will shock people, I will disappoint people,' but he did what he feels was right, and I totally support him. Good for him."

Internet rumors have long speculated that the big winner of this season will be Vienna, and if that is the case, many viewers will indeed be let down. She's arguably the most hated housemate of the current season.

So why would Vienna make it so far? "I will say I was surprised that he kept her around," Chris tells me. "And I even asked him, 'Really? Why?' Every time I asked him about Vienna he said, 'I know that the other girls don't love her, but I see a side in her that they don't, and I'm not going to let the cattiness and the competitiveness ruin what I have with her. And what I have with her is real.' I have to give the guy credit to have the balls to go against what everybody's saying."

Chris also says she's not quite as evil as she may appear. "I think Vienna has a bit of a bad rep," he explains. "I think she was put behind the 8 ball in the beginning, because when you are one on the front-runners early on, there is a target put on your back. So, there is competitiveness, there is jealousy from the other girls. But in the other girls' defense, I don't think Vienna went out of her way to fix that problem. She even stoked the flame a couple times. And so by the time she tried to apologize and make things better, that ship had sailed and it was just too late."

So was it all in the editing? "I don't think Vienna is the devil that she's made out to be," Chris says. "I'm not going to completely absolve her, but I think the real Vienna, I think there's a mix. I think I would go somewhere between the Vienna we saw in the house and then the very warm, touching, vulnerable Vienna that we saw in her hometown."

olympics closing ceremony




Canada bid adieu to the world Sunday with a rousing closing ceremony just hours after the host country defeated the United States for the gold medal in men's hockey. A party that started on the ice at Canada Place continued steps away at BC Place, where 60,000 people enjoyed performances from an A-list of Canadian entertainers.

But the jubilation was tempered, because the Vancouver Games began 17 days ago with the horrific death of a luger and a barrage of questions about a lack of snow. In genuine Canadian fashion, those issues were not swept away Sunday in a sea of joy as the 2010 Winter Olympics came to a dramatic conclusion.

It was just too painful to forget. A bouquet of flowers rests as a memorial near the spot where Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, suffered a fatal crash at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

"We started the games in very difficult circumstances, which is something the Olympic movement won't forget," vowed Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee president.

Despite the promise, issues over safety will continue to be raised as Olympians head for Sochi, Russia, in four years.

"We have a moral responsibility to ensure the safety of the athletes, but we will never be able to eliminate all the risk," Rogge added.

Reflections of death created a bittersweet atmosphere at the closing ceremony, where Canadian hero Joannie Rochette walked
in as Canada's flag-bearer. She won a bronze medal in figure skating the week her mother died of a heart attack, only hours after arriving in Vancouver.

Sunday morning, Canadian medalists talked about how Rochette had inspired them to greatness.

The rest of the world might not forget the domination by Canadian and American athletes over the past 17 days. Their success attracted large television audiences and public interest to sports usually overshadowed by baseball, basketball and football. But it also left most of the world on the outside, a dramatic change from previous Winter Olympics.

The United States won 37 medals — the most for any nation in a Winter Olympics. And Canada, with its "Own the Podium" program, collected a record 14 gold medals.

"It has felt like a home games for us," Seattle short-track star Apolo Ohno said. "I think that's part of the reason why we're doing so well."

They were supported by boisterous crowds, who showered all of the Olympians with applause, no matter where they placed or which country they represented.

"You don't get that from every Olympics," two-time U.S. ski medalist Lindsey Vonn said. "I definitely didn't feel the same energy and the same atmosphere in Torino as I did here in Whistler."

50 kilometers is how many miles

he Lombardy region of northwestern Italy borders on Switzerland. It should come as no surprise that spring doesn’t always start in early March.Lombardy is home to the fashion and economic capital of Italy, Milan, and is also the lake region of Italy. You won’t regret a spring visit.

The first Monday of March the village of Nesso, population 1300, situated about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Milan holds the Fiera di Marzo, a country fair of merchandise and animals on a bank of Lake Como. On or about March 18 the small town of Lezzeno, population 2 thousand, also situated about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Milan hosts its annual Palio dei Falo (Bonfire Competition), a centuries old tradition in which neighborhoods compete for the largest, loveliest, and the most unusual bonfire.

The town of Castelleone, population 9 thousand, located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Milan starts their Bonfire of San Guiseppe early on March 19 when runners carry a small statue from the Sanctuary of Caravaggio to the Church of Santa Maria of Misericordia. Then a large parade carries the statue throughout the town streets. At night there’s a giant bonfire with plenty of food and wine. Brembio, population 2400, some 28 miles (45 kilometers) southeast of Milan hosts a Rabbit Show with hundreds of those furry creatures around March 19. On March 31 Zogno a city of 9 thousand 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Milan celebrates the Ciacciata di Marzo (Kicking March Out!) Festival, where the young people invade the streets in the afternoon and evening; ringing cowbells to say goodbye to Old Man Winter.

The city of Cremona, population about 72 thousand, some 65 miles (105 kilometers) southeast of Milan holds an antique show called A Thousand Toys. Many of the toys are literally hundreds of years old. Even if you don’t have kids circle the first Sunday in April on your calendar. On April 9 and 10 the town of Pontida, population 3 thousand situated some 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Milan hosts a costumed parade commemorating a local alliance to fight the head of the Holy Roman Empire, Federico Barbarossa. A little later in the month the city of Brescia whose population is about 200 thousand holds a firearms and accessories show.

On the second weekend of May Brescia hosts the Mille Miglia (Thousand Mile Race), a non-competitive version of the world famous auto race of the 30’s and 40’s. Hundreds of thousands of spectators watch 400 classic cars zip through the city streets as part of a thousand mile (1600 kilometer) race throughout northern and central Italy. The city of Legnano, population about 60 thousand, holds its Carroccio Festival & Palio delle Contrade on May 23rd to celebrate a military victory in 1176. Hundreds of people parade in medieval costumes. There is an ox cart and then a horse race. A few days later the city of Caravaggio, population 16 thousand, located 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of you know where, hosts the Madonna of the Fountain celebration commemorating Madonna’s miraculous appearance in 1432 to console a young woman in distress. Why not celebrate the final Sunday of May in the beautiful walled city of Bergamo, population 120 thousand, situated about 60 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Milan at the Bergamo Marathon? You may even apply to run.

Levi Reiss wrote or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but to tell the truth, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Check out his wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

manchester united aston villa


Wayne Rooney was the Carling Cup final head boy as Manchester United came from behind to retain a knockout competition for the first time with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.

• O'Neill bemoans ref's refusal to send Vidic off

After starting as a substitute, Rooney was only on the pitch because of an injury to Michael Owen, who had levelled James Milner's fourth-minute penalty.

He was not going to let that inconvenience stop him becoming the Wembley match-winner against Villa though and 16 minutes from time, Rooney got on the end of Antonio Valencia's cross and looped home yet another headed goal - his fifth in a row - to take his goal tally for the season to 28 and allow United to retain the trophy after a thrilling Wembley encounter Sir Alex Ferguson feared was not possible.

One of the more obvious reasons why Ferguson would choose to leave his best player out of such a showpiece occasion was the surface, which has been claggy every time the Red Devils have played at the rebuilt stadium.

Fearing a draining match, plus extra-time, then an England game and a Premier League trip to Wolves, when victory will take his side top, before that decisive meeting with AC Milan on March 10, Ferguson presumably felt this was an outing Rooney could do without.

Yet any worries about the pitch were groundless. And Villa's flying start meant there was no chance of either side being allowed to turn this into the sterile affair many had predicted.

At the time, Martin O'Neill questioned how Nemanja Vidic avoided a card of any kind for his foul on Gabriel Agbonlahor. As the contest wore on, and an increasing number of his own players ended up in Phil Dowd's notebook, the criticism grew.

If Agbonlahor had gone down when Vidic first grabbed his shirt, the card should have been red. Instead, the Villa striker admirably attempted to stay on his feet after outpacing the Serbian to reach Ashley Young's lofted pass beyond the United defence. In the end, it was too much. Vidic stuck out a leg and hauled Agbonlahor down. Milner kept his nerve, sending Tomasz Kuszczak the wrong way to provide the contest with the start it craved.

As tends to be the case when they fall behind, United's response was an all-out attacking assault, which in turn provided Villa with space to counter. The mixture produced a thrilling spectacle, made all the more absorbing because Ferguson's team levelled so quickly.

So solid all season, it was just Richard Dunne's luck his blunder should come in Villa's biggest game of the year. The Irishman was robbed by Dimitar Berbatov close to his own penalty area and though he made up the ground, in making his despairing tackle, Dunne only succeeded in rolling the ball into Owen's path, offering the kind of instinctive first-time finish he has made a career out of.

That Owen's contribution - and Rooney's exile - came to an end three minutes before the break was cause for regret, although the watching Fabio Capello has long since deduced those dodgy hamstrings cannot be trusted through another World Cup campaign.

Capello was probably also reaching the conclusion Stephen Warnock should be handed his problematic left-back berth against Egypt on Wednesday. But when Warnock slipped just before half-time, man-of-the-match Valencia galloped past him down the by-line, his cross eventually arriving at the feet of Park Ji-sung, who slammed it onto the inside of a post, where it rocketed across goal for Carlos Cuellar to hack clear.

Friedel palmed away a magnificently constructed effort from Michael Carrick after half-time, although Villa were United's equals and could easily have levelled when Ashley Young sent a volley bouncing into the ground.

The problem for Villa was knowing Rooney lurked. After falling victim to him in midweek, Gianfranco Zola claimed England's superstar has the Midas touch. It is more a Boy's Own story he is writing at the moment and having looped home yet another header to put his side ahead, Rooney came agonisingly close to making it number six when he crashed another onto the woodwork.

Villa responded in kind, Vidic nudging Emile Heskey's header onto his own bar. But that would have spoiled the story.

what time is the gold medal hockey game


BOTH Canadian and American Hockey fans wait with bated breath, as the USA vs Canada hockey gold medal game takes place at the Canada Hockey Place. The game which begins at 12:15 PM PST and 3:15 EST, is the 30th hockey game at the Vancouver Olympics 2010. It is also the last medal event on the last day of the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010.

The USA vs Canada gold medal game would be the culmination of intense rivalry that has festered between the two teams, ever since United States won against Canada in the Olympics in 1960. Main faceoffs between the two recently include the 1996 Hockey World Cup, where USA won on Canadian soil, the 2002 Olympic Hockey tournament at Salt Lake City, where Canada won.

This Olympics, United States has already won once against Canada. In the Men's Preliminary round, USA beat Canada 5-3. Therefore, the gold medal game has come up as more of a rematch of this occasion and the previous ones.

For the USA vs Canada gold medal game, Canada has the advantage of being on home ice, with a large contingent of red clad, maple leaf covered fans to cheer them through. Roberto Luongo said, "You come out on the ice you see everybody screaming, wearing red. It gets the guys going even more."

Leaving fans aside, Canada has a tough offensive lineup, which could wreak havoc against United States. The Canadian offense consisting of Centers Joe Thornton, Sidney Crosby and Ryan Getzlaf.

United States, on the other hand, has a dangerous defensive make, including the likes of goalie Ryan Miller, faceoff leaders Ryan Kesler and Joe Pavelsko and penalty killing duo Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury.

langoliers

So the German conference about which I was so apprehensive turned out to be really awesome. In a way that’s almost sad: confronted by increasing evidence about the impossibilities of the job market (I just heard a story about a bright young literary critic who was forced to take a job in Omaha and lives in snow-shoveling misery), I’ve been thinking recently that I wouldn’t mind leaving academia that much, if it came down to it. But the reason so many people are drawn to it is that it can sometimes be pretty great: everyone at this conference was extremely bright and fun and nice, I got to go for free, etc. I felt like one of thosepeople playing their violins while the Titanic sank.

The monastery was pretty cool and, as expected, a bit creepy. The nuns were nothing like my only other experience of nunnery:

When I first showed up I barged in the front door with my bags expecting to find, I don’t know, a lobby or something, but it was actually the front door of the church and there was a gaggle of nuns chanting. It’s not really a hotel in the normal sense; there are just a few rooms that are, I’ve since learned, primarily for pilgrims. Each room is complete with a large crucifix. Nuns care for your every need with fearsome efficiency. Once I left my room and walked about three minutes before realizing I’d forgotten something and went back. In this 6-minute interval, a nun had been in my room, cleaned everything up, given my new towels/sheets, and disappeared. Maybe she was hiding in the closet. It did seem, though, like the kind of place where there might be a murder which would be covered up by the crooked town police in cahoots with the wicked head nun (the town, which has under 20Kpeople, was quaint in that sinister kind of way).

The conference itself—my first in Germany—was pretty different from an American one. Instead of having a panel of several papers that would then have a response and questions addressed to the group, people presented one at a time and then stood up there all alone while people fired questions at them. When this firing is taking place at rapid speed in a language that is not your own, this yields maximum stress. Thankfully, there was not much actual question and answer; usually the handful of prestigious older professors would make a long-winded comment that did not require response. I was hoping that nobody would ask me an actual question, and I almost lucked out. The first two talked quickly, and while I got the gist of what they were saying, I was not sure whether or not it was taking the form of a question, but they finished with a declarative and not an interrogative ending so I was spared. The last guy, who talked at such a blistering pace that I actually had no idea what he was talking about, unfortunately ended his babbling with an interrogative lilt and a look of expectation. When I responded with only a look of horror and shame, he caught himself and repeated himself slowly, and overall the whole thing was less humiliating than expected.

My favorite part of the weekend was this one older guy who stood behind the Powerpoint screen while his introduction was being read (you could see his little legs sticking out the bottom). And then he tottered out when the chairperson said his name. I thought this was so funny. I expected a burst of steam and “ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?!!” Also an older woman who came up to me and said, “It was so nice to hear a real Boston accent!” As she had clearly been prepping this sentence (in English) in her head for some time, I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I had only been to Boston for about 48 hours in my life.

And another thing: I am currently in the Munich airport where, loyal readers might recall, I have written before (the Munich airport is my cork-lined room, you might say). I got here two hours early, sailed through security, and was feeling pretty good that I had bested the airport that had so destroyed me a few months ago. But this was hubris. What I did then, in my ecstasy, was enter the wrong terminal: the one for true international departures, and not intra-EU travel. I thought it was a little weird that I was getting my passport checked, but EU regulations are mysterious to me so I didn’t think much of it. After wandering around the duty-free shops for a while, I noted that my gate was not there. So, 30 minutes after legally exiting Germany, I had to legally enter it again, and explain this to the passport man and get a new stamp. This then spat me out in international baggage claim so I had to rework my way through the whole airport and go through security again. And this time the line was long, there was a large family w/ baby in front of me that seemed to have bones made of metal, and the kid right in front of me: a) had a Zippo lighter, which had to be completely disassembled by a squad of Lufthansapeople for some reason; b) was trying to travel with some kind of big metal thing that is used to soup up car engines. I don’t know what it was, but it looked just like a bomb from a movie and is definitely not the sort of thing that belongs in one’s carry-on luggage. This caused a great to-do. So anyway, despite all my precautions, I almost missed my flight.

Damn you, Munich Airport! You may have won this time, but we will meet again!

[update to the above, which was written at the gate: Actually, Munich Airport was not done with me yet. The flight was delayed by two hours, I was seated next to a violently ill ten-year-old, and the train into Paris was closed for repairs, so everyone had to wait in the rain for a very long bus ride]

kimber riddle, langoliers movie, the langoliers, patricia wettig, kate maberly

guilt group


guilt group \: Maybe you feel a twinge of guilt about having missed President Obama’s health care forum on Thursday. Maybe you wonder if you should have called in sick, stocked up on popcorn, printed out a few Congressional Budget Office reports and tuned in for six hours to do your civic duty.

Let me put your mind at ease. Not since Sarah Palin’s ill-starred interview with Katie Couric has a political event so perfectly anticipated a “Saturday Night Live” satire.

The president himself set the tone of self-parody. Some of Mr. Obama’s critics have suggested that he can be a wee bit pedantic, a touch too professorial. Now they have six hours of videotape to back them up. Forthe president , this was less a conversation than a seminar: He lectured and interrupted (“Let me just finish, Lamar”), started debates and then cut them off, ruled his opponents’ arguments out of order and always gave himself the final word.

His Republican opponents, meanwhile, were out to disprove the notion that they have no ideas on health care reform. Not so, America, not so! They have two ideas, malpractice reform and interstate purchasing, which they clung to all day like Al Gore with his lockbox. Also, they had several piled-high copies of the lengthy Senate health care bill, and a slogan to go with them: “Let’s start over from a clean sheet of paper.” What would end up on that paper? Why, malpractice reform and interstate purchasing, of course!

Then there were the Congressional Democrats. So often stereotyped as a group of ineffective bleeding hearts, for whom every political debate is a chance to relive the civil rights era, they more than lived up to that cliché. There were rambling remarks from Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, health care sob stories from everyone else, and, courtesy of Tom Harkin of Iowa, an extended analogy between high-risk insurance pools and racial segregation.

No comedy-sketch atmosphere would be complete, of course, without a dose of Joe Biden’s logorrhea: “I think it requires a little bit of humility,” he ruminated at one point, “to be able to know what the American people think, and I don’t. I can’t. I can’t swear I do. I know what I think. I think I know what they think, but I’m not sure what they think.”

Nor am I, Mr. Vice President. But here’s what they should think, based on Thursday’s forum: The Democrats have a health care plan that may turn out very, very badly, and the Republicans, for all their protestations, don’t really have a plan at all.

The first five hours proved the first point. Even with Professor Obama keeping a firm rein on the proceedings, the Republicans (especially Jon Kyl of Arizona, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Dave Camp of Michigan, all exceptions to the self-parodic norm) were able to demonstrate that you don’t need to mention “death panels” to critiquehealth care reform . You can talk about the bill’s budgetary gimmickry, the burdens of its mandates and the risks involved in having Washington set prices, define benefits and (eventually) limit care.

In the last hour, though, President Obama finally invited the Republicans to offer their own ideas — beyond, yes, tort reform and interstate purchasing — for covering the uninsured. And the Grand Old Party’s representatives lapsed swiftly into platitudes and filibustering.

This wasn’t amusing; it was shameful. Ideas for expanding coverage not only exist on the political right, they’ve also been championed by politicians who were sitting at that table — by John McCain in the last presidential campaign; by Lamar Alexander and Chuck Grassley, past co-sponsors of the Wyden-Bennett bill; by Representative Ryan and Tom Coburn in this year’s Patients’ Choice Act. But the Republicans have clearly decided to offer nothing, absolutely nothing, that could be construed as changing the existing system by more than an iota.

As the forum wound down, the participants complimented one another on having such a respectful and substantive conversation. (“Never have so many members of the House and Senate behaved so well for so long before so many television cameras,” Joe Barton of Texas remarked.) Afterward, some commentators acted as though our elected representatives were to be congratulated just for talking publicly about policy without falling on their faces.

No congratulations are in order. The forum exemplified why Americans have every reason to hate Washington right now. The first five hours revealed a majority party whose health care bill probably deserves to be defeated. But the sixth one exposed a minority party that deserves to lose as well.

kathy ireland

What do Anne Vyalitsyna, Bar Refaeli and Gisele Bundchen have in common? OK, they've all been introduced to the business end of Mr. Leonardo DiCaprio's Titanic, but they are largely famous for gracing the cover and pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

While print media has been taking a thumping, the SI's SI has been chugging right along. Like the Super Bowl, the Swimsuit Issue started in the 1960s, shows up in early February and is a MUST for big money advertisers. Where the Super Bowl and the Swimsuit Issue differ, however, is that one of them was not a backdoor way for young men to explore the form of the female body. Read: Men Ogle Women 43 Minutes A Day

While I believe my first run-ins with a lady's epidermis were courtesy of the army-themed comedies Private Benjamin and Stripes, the first and best skin-heavy print publication I ever saw was THE SWIMSUIT ISSUE. I believe I received a subscription to the seminal sports mag as a Christmas gift when I was too old to use action figures recreationally.

I informed a buddy at the bus stop that I got the sub and he was amped, for both of us. Since neither of us came from one of THOSE houses*, we'd have to settle for scintillating semi-nudity and the occasional sopping wet, transparent top. Two words: worth it.

toms shoestoms shoes


toms shoes : I love TOMS Shoes. It was founded in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie, who promised that with every purchase of another pair of shoes would be given to children in need. By the drops of shoes in Argentina and South Africa. Blake goal was simple: “to show how we can work together for a better tomorrow by taking action on clemency.”

Not only this, the best thing you have heard? And melts my heart knowing that each purchase one or make you make that the last pair of shoes will be put to the loved one, a child without shoes. TOMS Shoes and comfortable, elegant, practical and can be worn with nearly every group. I can not wait for my husband to arrive in the mail. Better yet, I can not wait for my second pair to put on an equal small need.
For a pair of TOMS Shoes Special shoes and put on another child, click the button on my profile and use of the limited time promotional code:
New2TOMS
$ 5 to buy your boot.

credit card connection


Credit Card Connection: The use of Credit Card Connection as a means of payment has been used extensively. The way to get it fairly easily. Use it wisely can make a credit card as your financial rescue. But, if not careful, a credit card can make you a great debt that will destroy your finances Connection.

Although using Credit Card Connection more freely and easily, but to remember is to use the same credit card you owe. When buying something, you do not need to spend money but enough to swipe a credit card. Purchase transactions are conducted in a period of one month accumulated a total of bills to pay.

Flexibility and variety of benefits offered by credit card partially offset by the danger either temptation to buy and live outside the ability. It is also the danger of abuse and credit card fraud. Given the danger that threatens the use of credit cards is reversed, so act wisely.

Tags: susie orman, nfl scouting, combine 2010, results, roth ira
[Business Blog SEO | Credit Card Connection]

move your money


Move Your Money is a campaign launched by American University students, other universities and financial institutes in Washington Dc to assist local communities to develop businesses and overcome the gross wealth inequality in the city.

The idea is to move some of the university's $312 million endowment money to local financial institutes like local banks and credit unions which will lend out to help local businesses and help revitalize the community. Specifically the students are campaigning to move 5% of the cash assets from the school's endowment into Community Development Financial Institution like the City First Bank.

Move your money in Washington is not a lone event. Actually in some other cities a similar move has been initiated.

In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has pledged to move 425 million of municipal tax dollars to local credit unions.

In Los Angeles City, the city Council is reportedly considering a measure to move all government money out of big banks that routinely foreclose on citizen's without mercy or trying to keep them in their homes.

Move your money should be a national campaign to encourage individuals and governments to move cash to financial institutions that are more friendly to the local communities and citizens. We have read news stories saying that some big banks are taking foreclosed homes from home owners and sell the homes for their own interest - in a way to take the equity from the owners.

celtic rangers





The cruellest blow yet to Tony Mowbray should prove the definitive one. Maurice Edu's goal, seconds from the end of a pulsating Old Firm derby, means Rangers are 10 points clear of their city rivals with a game in hand. The Celtic manager requires a minor miracle to take the championship and, thereby, avoid obvious speculation over his future.

Mowbray will cite the dismissal of Scott Brown as the key moment here. The Celtic captain was shown a red card after 66 minutes following an apparently innocuous clash with Kyle Lafferty. At the end of a week in which Celtic's gripes with referees were made public, perhaps such controversy was inevitable.

The Ibrox atmosphere was noticeably raucous, even for this fixture. The predictable, if still disappointing, disruption of a minute's silence for the late Rangers goalkeeper Gerry Neef poured petrol on an already wild fire. Celtic's spat with officialdom, front-page headlines about the private life of the Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor and the basic need for the visitors to avoid defeat to prolong the Premier League title race were pertinent factors.

Kris Boyd passed up an early opportunity for the hosts, rounding Artur Boruc but shooting into the side netting. Robbie Keane, another subject of intrigue here, replied with a fierce volley which McGregor did well to parry. Marc-Antoine Fortuné missed a more meaningful chance, two minutes before the interval, as he wastefully screwed wide.

Mowbray hauled off the anonymous Aiden McGeady after an hour. The fact that his replacement was Georgios Samaras highlighted the manager's intention to finish the game with four strikers on the pitch.

That plan was disrupted within minutes as Dougie McDonald, the referee, adjudged Brown to be guilty of violent conduct. Mowbray introduced Ki Sung-yueng to fill Brown's midfield void but service to Keane remained in short supply.

Rangers hardly looked more dangerous but supplied the killer touch. It was not a thing of beauty, Edu scrambling over the line after Boruc had blocked a Boyd attempt. That matters not one iota in the blue half of Glasgow.

manchester united aston villa

osmond


Sad news ... Marie Osmond's son, 18, commits suicide
The 18-year-old son of American singer Marie Osmond, has died, a spokesman for the family has said.

Ms Osmond, 50, said in a statement that her family was "devastated and in deep shock by the tragic loss" of her son Michael Blosil.

News reports from the US suggested he committed suicide by jumping from an apartment building in Los Angeles.

Marie and her brother Donny hosted the popular TV variety programme the Donny & Marie Show in the late 1970s.

The Los Angeles coroner's office said the death was being investigated.

holi



The Bachchan family is going to give Holi celebrations a miss this year too, due to the death of a close relative of family friend Amar Singh and the recent Pune blast, which killed 17 people.

"We do not celebrate again this year. Primarily because of the death of a close relative of our family friend Amar Singhji, but also we do not feel comfortable in celebrating when our own have lost lives in the Pune blast recently," megastar Amitabh Bachchan posted on his blog bigb.bigadda.com Saturday night, from his Prateeksha residence.

The first family of Bollywood also skipped the festival celebrations last year as a mark of respect to the 26/11 terror attack victims and did not celebrate the same in 2008 due to Amitabh's mother Teji Bachchan's death.

The 67-year-old actor, however, did greet his fans for the festival.

"My wishes and those of my family remain, however, with those that do bring in this festival, a festival that fills us with the joy of achievement and change and produce," Big B wrote.


"Happy Holi! And may the colours bright and beautiful ever remain with you in celebration. May it bring peace and calm and may it become the turning point for good tidings," he added.

shawcross


RYAN SHAWCROSS claims there was 'absolutely no malice' in his challenge on Aaron Ramsey.

Shawcross, 22, was sent off for the tackle, but Danny Pugh and Rory Delap said he did not mean to hurt Ramsey.

"There was no malicious intent from Ryan, he's not that kind of player," midfielder Pugh told BBC Radio Stoke.

Delap said: "He's a committed player, but he's never going to go into a challenge looking to hurt someone."

He added: "Everyone knew straight away what had happened. The referee [Peter Walton] said it wasn't meant, but because of the injury he had to send Ryan off."

Pugh continued: "No one wants to go out and hurt a fellow professional, Ryan more than most. He's a good lad, he's not a malicious player and he's been unlucky that that's happened."

Shortly after being driven away from the Britannia Stadium by his parents, Shawcross received his first call-up to the full England squad for the friendly against Egypt at Wembley on Wednesday.

Following the challenge there was a lengthy delay while Wales international Ramsey, 19, was treated on the pitch, with players from both sides visibly shaken.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described the tackle by Shawcross as "horrendous" and "not acceptable", but Pugh refuted claims that Stoke are a dirty team.

"I don't think we are, we're fully committed. We don't go out to hurt anyone, we just give 100% in every game," he added.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis told BBC Radio Stoke: "It's an unfortunate injury, it looks a poor challenge, but Ryan Shawcross has not got any bad blood in him whatsoever.

"There's no way in a million years that he would ever, ever go out to hurt a person. He's a lovely kid and he's been exemplary since he's been at this football club. It was breaking his heart coming off the pitch.

"The game drops into insignificance really in respect of the injury. We just wish Ramsey all the best, we hope he recovers quickly. It's a desperately sad blow for Arsenal."

Shawcross, himself, released a statement on the official club website, reading: "There was absolutely no malice in the challenge. I would never, ever go out to hurt a fellow professional.

"I am deeply upset that Aaron has suffered such a bad injury and my thoughts are with him. I would like to send him my best wishes too for a speedy recovery."

Saturday, February 27, 2010

tsunami hits hawaii


A tsunami triggered by a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Chile has swept across Hawaii without causing damage.

Oceanographer Nathan Bedford has told CNN water levels in Hawaii are rising by about a metre before receding then rising again.

Mr Bedford says these waves are striking every 20 minutes.

The waves have caused no damage to date, but bigger waves are possible.

There is a tsunami warning in place for Australia's east coast from Tasmania to Queensland as the wave moves across the Pacific.

The American islands had hours of warning and authorities sounded sirens and moved people to higher ground.

Boats, including US Navy ships, moved out to deeper water so that they would be unaffected by the wave.

Supermarkets were swamped by customers stocking up on emergency supplies.

Hawaii was struck by a tsunami in 1960 after a 9.5 magnitude earthquake struck off Chile, the strongest quake ever recorded. That quake struck in the same region as yesterday's.

Earlier, a four-metre high wave hit part of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. There were no reports of casualties.

The quake's after-effects have already been felt in New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa. Further afield Russia and Japan are on alert.

In the immediate aftermath of the Chile quake, a wave about two metres high struck islands off the coast near the quake's epicentre, just north of the city of Concepcion.

But as the wave moves across the Pacific it will lose power, meaning the chance of devastation in Australia is slim.

Waves up to half-a-metre high have hit New Zealand's eastern Chatham Islands and officials warned bigger waves were to follow.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued warnings for Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

A huge tsunami has caused serious damage to the southern part of Juan Fernandez island, also known as Robinson Crusoe island, while a partial evacuation of Easter Island has been ordered.

smash mouth

Smash Mouth : Ah, thank you, I was very impressed for the etymology of the word!

In fact, is that most of the American people about this error, as I was. It really is too bad that the fight against the experience and realism that can be done, where we had an alternative parallel world where we believe McCain to be president, and assumed that U.S. law does not do the recovery. (Or maybe it would?) That the economy is likely to bleed jobs worse.

You can call Krugman a dumbass, as you did in your response before, but of course, who the hell are you? John Doe PhD (piled higher and deeper) in the voodoo economics to crush the mouth politics at the University WordPress.com.

I often simplify the economic history of the United States and overlooked a lot since the beginning of the Reagan era. Was not so smooth and rosy.

“We know what works,”

Oh, and we do, we? Are you sure exactly what you think you know, just because thats all you hear the right wing echo chamber.? We will see, I suppose.

For your information, there are no socialists “” in the White House, so as not disturbed you have a little heart righty. ;

ibogaine

Howard Lotsof was 19, addicted to heroin and searching for a new high in 1962 when he swallowed a bitter-tasting white powder taken from an exotic West African shrub.

“The next thing I knew,” he told The New York Times in 1994, “I was straight.”

The substance was ibogaine, an extract of Tabernanthe iboga, a perennial rain-forest plant found primarily in Gabon. In the Bwiti religion it is used in puberty initiation rites, inducing a powerful altered state for at least 48 hours during which young people are said to come into contact with a universal ancestor.

By Mr. Lotsof’s account, when he and six friends who were also addicted tried ibogaine, five of them immediately quit, saying their desire for heroin had been extinguished.

It was the start of a lifelong campaign for Mr. Lotsof. And now thousands of former addicts around the world and some scientists contend that ibogaine should be scientifically tested for its ability to halt heroin and cocaine cravings and even end addiction. Ibogaine is used in drug treatment clinics in many countries, but is banned in the United States.

Mr. Lotsof, who was 66, died on Jan. 31 at a hospital near his home on Staten Island. The cause was liver cancer, his wife, Norma said.

Virtually from that day 48 years ago when he first tried ibogaine, Mr. Lotsof became perhaps its leading advocate, lobbying public officials, pharmaceutical companies and independent researchers to investigate its efficacy. In the mid-1980s, he persuaded a Belgian company to manufacture ibogaine in capsule form and begin offering it to addicts in the Netherlands.

In 1986 he received a patent for the use of ibogaine as a remedy for heroin and cocaine addiction. Five years later, he began working with Jan Bastiaans, a Dutch psychiatrist who had gained renown by using LSD therapy for Holocaust survivors.

They treated 30 addicts from around the world, two-thirds of whom stopped using drugs for periods ranging from four months to four years. With 75 percent of addicts typically relapsing within six months of conventional care, the results spurred scientific interest.

“In the uncontrolled environments in which ibogaine is typically used, clinics or nonmedical settings,” Dr. Alper said, “the observations indicate that there is a resolution of withdrawal, meaning the addict is detoxified and no longer has withdrawal symptoms and is no longer physically dependent.” Scientifically controlled testing is needed, he said.

“At various times ibogaine has been proposed to treat opioid withdrawal as a cure for opioid dependence and as a cure for cocaine dependence,” Dr. Kleber said. “But there is a lack of controlled scientific studies to back those beliefs.

“A number of deaths have been associated with its use, especially to treat opioid withdrawal and dependence,” Dr. Kleber continued. “I therefore do not feel it is something that should be used in the absence of such evidence.”

Howard Stephen Lotsof (pronounced LOTS-uv) was born in the Bronx on March 1, 1943, the only child of Abner and Lillian Weiner Lotsof. Besides his wife, the former Norma Alexander, he is survived by two sisters, Rosalie Falato and Holly Weiland.

“These accomplishments are all the more extraordinary,” Dr. Alper said, “in view of the fact that Mr. Lotsof, a graduate of New York University who majored in film, was without a doctoral-level degree.”

An earlier version of this article misspelled the university's name as Farleigh Dickinson University and incorrectly referred to Mr. Lotsof's sisters as his daughters. Mr. Lotsof has no children.

tsunami warning in japan


The first tsunami wave, 30 centimetres high, hit Nemuro on Japan's northern Hokkaido island and there were reports of a second, 90 centimetre wave in Iwate prefecture.

Tsunami sirens were activated and massive steel gates shut across the entrances to several fishing ports as warnings of a large wave of up to three metres were broadcast across northern Japan.

The meteorological agency said that although the initial waves were quite small, larger ones may follow.

"Depending on the location, it is possible that waves higher than the ones observed at tidal stations have arrived," the agency said.

"It is possible that tsunami waves will grow bigger."

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama warned people not to approach the coast, even as fears of destructive waves eased across the rest of the Pacific.

"Please do not approach the coast at any cost," a sombre-looking Hatoyama said in nationally televised comments.

"We should not drop our guard. I would like people to take all possible measures."

In 1960, a tsunami caused by a large earthquake in Chile killed 140 people in Japan.

Warnings lifted

Meanwhile, tsunami warnings across the Pacific are being lifted as the threat passes.

Russia has cancelled warnings after 25 centimetre waves hit parts of its Pacific coast.

Russia had warned that a two-metre tsunami could hit its far east Kuril Islands about 3:00pm (AEDT) on Sunday, and dozens of people were evacuated from their coastal homes.

People in Hawaii were urged to evacuate to higher ground, but the tsunami threat has since past there.

Beaches on Australia's east coast were closed today as smaller waves hit the coast.

Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii, said the waves were generally much smaller than had been feared.

"We had a full coastal evacuation in Hawaii and the waves here were quite a bit smaller than expected," he said.

"The reason is that the earthquake didn't extend all the way to the trench, the deepest water off Chile, so it was in shallower water and that meant there was less water to move and so the initial tsunami was somewhat small


2pm


2PM: We all agreed to let Jaebum out of the group For four hours on Feb. 27, members of boy band 2PM and representatives from JYP Entertainment held a meeting with 87 representatives of Korean and international 2PM fan clubs in Seoul to thresh out issues regarding the agency’s decision to oust Park Jaebum and the future of the K-pop group.

International fans were represented in the conference by 2oneday.com.

The meeting was the climax of months of tense relationship between JYPE/2PM and the fans since Jaebum’s sudden departure last September, owing to the controversy over what his critics described as his “anti-Korea” comments on his MySpace account when he was still a JYP trainee.

Thousands of fans in many countries waited updates from the conference since it started in the afternoon at Garden5 Works shopping mall in Songpa, Seoul.

All the six members of 2PM were present together with Jung Wook, president of JYP Entertainment.

In a transcript of the meeting posted by the Korean 2PM fan union and translated by 2oneday.com, the international 2PM/2AM fan forum, members of the boy band confirmed to the fans that they all agreed to let go Jaebum last Jan. 6.

Last Feb. 25, JYPE issued a statement announcing that it has terminated its exclusive contract with Jaebum because of a “personal wrongdoing” that the latter admitted and which is more severe than his MySpace comments that came out last September.

In the said statement, JYPE said Jaebum’s personal mistake was revealed to the 2PM members on Jan. 3 and after three days, they all agreed that they could no longer work with their former leader.

In the conference, the JYPE representative said that despite the termination of his contract, Jaebum would not be required to pay damages to the company.

Jung said the six remaining members are the victims of the issue and blamed Jaebum.

“We believe that Park Jaebum must take full responsibility for his actions. The rest of the members are victims to this case, while Park Jaebum is the attacker,” the JYPE president declared.

2PM member Nichkhun, who recently visited the Philippines, said Jaebum knew that a conference between them and the fans would be held.

Jung and the 2PM members said there are no plans to add a new member to replace Jaebum or to appoint a new leader of the boy band. Taecyeon was rumored to be the one being groomed as Jaebum’s replacement because of his numerous appearances on Korean TV shows.

In the conference, Jung and 2PM members openly declared that Jaebum is no longer welcome to the boy band. The boy band also said that they cannot cover up for Jaebum’s personal mistake due to its severity.

“We were put in a situation where the only thing we could do was agree. That is why we agreed. If we hadn't, I believe that the results would be the same,” Jung said.

2PM member Junho admitted being hurt by the boycott initiated by fans. He also said that when he found out Jaebum’s “personal mistake” last Jan. 3, he hated Jaebum but said that, “Silence will protect him.”

Jung also revealed that Jaebum’s exclusive contract with JYPE was 7 years. 2PM debuted in the Korean music scene in 2008.

As of this writing, at least 26 fan sites dedicated to 2PM members have closed, according to the list posted on 2oneday.com.

nfl combine


Full combine workouts got under way in Indianapolis on Saturday, as the offensive linemen and tight ends took the field. There were several outstanding performances, with a number of prospects moving up draft boards and improving their stocks. Several other players, including a few top names, moved in the other direction. Here's a look at the initial workouts at this years NFL Combine:
Risers

Bruce Campbell/T/Maryland: As we alluded to in last week's Top 50 list, Campbell was expected to turn in a great workout -- and he didn't disappoint. The 314-pound Campbell posted two solid 40 times around 4.7 seconds; he also looked terrific during offensive line drills. On Friday, he completed 34 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press. Though not a staggering number, it's impressive when factoring in his arm length of 36¼ inches -- the longest of any offensive lineman. Campbell has solidified himself in the top half of Round 1.

Russell Okung/T/Oklahoma State: Okung showed why he is widely considered the top offensive lineman in this draft. He put up a solid 38 reps on the bench with arms that measured just a quarter inch shy of Campbell's. Okung then ran a pair of solid forty's in times which averaged around 5.12 seconds. He started strong in drills before a minor leg injury sidelined him.

Jimmy Graham/TE/Miami (Fla.): Graham continues to impress scouts every time he takes the field. Graham broke 4.6 in both 40 times. His receiving workout was stellar, too, as Graham flowed about the field making all the catches. Graham was not even on the scouting radar entering the season but has now moved into the draft's top 60 picks.

Dorin Dickerson/TE/Pittsburgh: Dickerson continues the upward momentum he built during Senior Bowl week. He was the fastest tight end on the field, at one point timing 4.47 seconds in the 40. Dickerson later displayed reliable hands during his workout. He measures just 6-1½ and 226 pounds and is not a player for everyone. Yet Dickerson has established himself as a receiving threat that's too fast for linebackers to cover yet big enough to outmatch defensive backs.

Mike Iupati/OL/Idaho: Iupati's physical tests were not overly impressive, running the 40 in the 5.3 range and completing only 27 reps on the bench. Yet once the offensive line drills started, Iupati looked terrific. He was athletic and explosive, displaying good movement skills -- besides footwork -- in pass protection drills. Iupati continues to move up draft boards.

Bryan Bulaga/T/Iowa: Bulaga did not put up impressive numbers during the bench press or 40, but like Iupati, he was terrific when asked to showcase his football skills. The Hawkeye junior moved effortlessly about the field, displaying outstanding footwork, hand quickness and overall explosion. Bulaga looked more polished than people thought and is likely to move into the middle of Round 1.

Dennis Pitta/TE/BYU: The combine is about expectations more than anything else, and Pitta exceeded them. He's a known commodity catching the football, but his 27 reps on the bench and 40 times (below 4.7) were a pleasant surprise.

Jared Veldheer/T/Hillsdale: The small-school tackle has looked like a big-time player at the combine. His physical tests were solid, running the 40 under 5.1 after tipping the scales at 312. He also looked effective in drills, but Veldheer really impressed people during the interview process. Scouts said Veldheer was not at all intimidated by the combine atmosphere -- unusual for a player from such a small school. He's being compared to Sebastian Volmer, the Patriots' second-round pick in 2009, though many feel Veldheer has greater upside.

Trent Williams/OL/Oklahoma: Williams is giving scouts reason for pause after his poor senior season. The 315-pound lineman ran 40s in the 4.85 range, second-fastest of any blocker. He then looked very athletic during line drills. Hence, scouts must either upgrade Williams based on the physical skills he's displayed at the combine or downgrade him on the poor play last season.
Sliders

Anthony Davis/T/Rutgers: Davis looked sluggish, poorly conditioned and worst of all, very ordinary at the combine. He completed just 21 reps on the bench press and could not break 5.4 in the 40. Davis looked very stale on the field, almost as if he hasn't been working out recently. In our Top 50 list, we mentioned scouts would grill Davis about his passion for football. He did nothing to quell the criticism or answer questions in Indianapolis.

Cole Pemberton/T/Colorado State: Pemberton looks the part but did not test to it the past two days. The 6-7/315-pound tackle was only able to complete 18 reps on the bench press, a number equaled or bettered by all but two tight ends. His 40 times were slow, and Pemberton displayed little in the way of athleticism during drills.

Dace Richardson/G/Iowa: The 320-pound lineman was sluggish, slow and did not counter with a strong showing on the bench. Richardson could not break 5.7 in the 40 and completed just 19 reps on the bench press.

Notes: Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma had an adequate showing at the combine. Sitting out the '09 season with a knee injury, Gresham ran the 40 in the mid-4.7 area and lacked quickness and explosion throughout his workout. He was not able to run to the deep throw and displayed a marginal burst of speed, two traits he showed as a junior and sophomore with the Sooners.

Arkansas offensive lineman Mitch Petrus tied a combine record by completing 45 reps on the bench press Friday. The former fullback was unable to capitalize with a good workout on Saturday, as many had expected. Petrus injured his left hamstring during his first running of the 40 (5.25) and was sidelined the rest of the day.


jennifer lopez snl

After officially announcing her departure from her long time recording label home, Sony Music/Epic Records, saying singer/actress Jennifer Lopez is coming off of a pretty rough week would be an accurate statement. She might have extended the roughness into the weekend with a pretty poor appearance on Saturday Night Live as the guest host and musical performer last night (February 27).



Following perhaps the dullest SNL opening monologue of recent seasons–where the best material J-Lo could find was spoofing her once large entourage–she continued the night on delivering unfunny skits and weak live performances.

Signature high energy performances from the star took a back seat to off key, dreary performances of ballads taken from her scrapped-then-resurrected upcoming album Love?, that will now be hitting stores this summer via her new, undisclosed label.

land of the dead

People don't do things like that," is the final appalled line of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. Hedda does do things like that, and so do the latter-day New Yorkers in Neil LaBute's trio of plays. Particularly the unnamed woman in the final play, Helter Skelter, which like much of LaBute's work, is influenced by Greek tragedy, but also echoes the fate of Sharon Tate at the hands of Charles Manson.

Discovering her husband's infidelity, the woman commits an act of monstrous passion that's all the more devastating because it is framed by cold reason. LaBute's dialogue between the couple, already estranged even as they sit at the same table, is a masterclass in building tension, but I'm inclined to take the Judge Brack position: I was dutifully shocked, but never persuaded by the actions of LaBute's suburban Medea.

LaBute's depiction of women is problematic, particularly in the first and weakest play, The Furies. Here, Barry's break-up with his callow boyfriend, Jimmy, is made all the more difficult by the interventions of Jimmy's sister, Jamie, a vengeful harpy so deranged that you wonder why somebody hasn't locked her up and thrown away the key.

The middle play is the most emotionally engaging, as a young pregnant woman faces up to her choices in the early hours of September 11 2001. In two entwining monologues, the relationship between the woman and her boyfriend is laid bare as they both rush blindly forward as the world tilts beneath their feet.

All the playlets are excellently acted: Frances Grey seizes the opportunity to reinvent herself three times over, and Patricia Benecke's production is sleek and coolly detached. But while the evening is narratively compelling, and is likely to make you gasp, it's unlikely to make you feel anything for anyone.

okcupid




Okcupid : From a statistical standpoint, OKCupid uses all the mathematical equations to search for the other half and people like the idea of dating through the Internet. According to the New York Times article, and thousands of people have flocked to the OKCupid site to see if he could find true love in this alternative to other sites (match.com & eHarmony.com)

Posted on OKCupid, and it gives surfers step by step graphs, charts and updates to help them understand where they are with the dating scene. It also gives tips, based on statistics about how people respond to ads and online dating. Using data from the hard (instead of theories like the other sites) on a Web site can explain why some dating techniques work and others do not.


Last year, we ruffled a few feathers when we posted some OKCupid data on dating and race. We're sure this latest news is going to be equally unpopular, but the data support the conclusions, so here we go.

Women users of the online dating site state a range of preferred ages for partners that is relatively normal, and when it comes to reaching out to other users, they stay pretty strictly within their own self-imposed guidelines. However, men on the site continue to state a preference for 20-something girls well into their later years. And even when male users state a cut-off age, they continue to contact women who are below that age.
Culture of sexual exploitation or personal preference? Check out the graphs below and let us know what you think in the comments.

For starters, OKCupid's blog states, "Men between 22 and 30 - nearly two-thirds of the male dating pool - focus almost exclusively on women younger than themselves... A man, as he gets older, searches for relatively younger and younger women. Meanwhile his upper acceptable limit hovers only a token amount above his own age."

Here's what that looks like in a graph format:

justin olsen




VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The 2010 Winter Olympics began with tragedy when a young luger going 89 mph flew off the world's fastest track and died in a crash hours before the Opening Ceremonies.

The bleak mood was exacerbated by a caldron malfunction, the host country's early losses, too little snow on Cypress Mountain and too much fog in Whistler.

But like a slalom skier zig-zagging through gates, the Sea to Sky Games found rhythm that built to the dream climax of Canada vs. the United States in Sunday's men's hockey gold-medal game.

By the time the Games come to a breathless close, the magnificence of the athletes' performances in an equally magnificent setting will provide the abiding images of the warmest Winter Games in history.

There was redemption for Bode Miller in the mountains and the coronation of Kim Yu-Na in the city, acrobatics by Shaun White in the halfpipe, and rumbling rides by the United States' ``Night Train'' down the bobsled track for a gold medal.

The United States, always a summer powerhouse and usually a winter wimp compared to much smaller countries, was on the verge of winning the medal count for the first time since the 1932 Lake Placid Games, when it won 12 medals, in part thanks to last-minute changes to speedskating rules that favored the home team.

The United States was assured of winning at least 36 medals, breaking its own record haul of 34 at the Salt Lake City Games and tying Germany's record, also from 2002.

``Back in Nagano we felt like we were a small country at the Olympics; we felt like outsiders,'' said Nordic combined athlete and four-time Olympian Billy Demong, who won the first Olympic gold medal in the 86-year history of the sport for the United States. ``Now we're here to win.''

CANADA'S LATE SURGE

Canada, nimbly surging and juking like a short-track speedskater, salvaged its pride with a late rush to 13 gold medals to tie the Soviet Union (1976) and Norway (2002) for the most gold medals won at a Winter Games.

The host country, capable of winning 27 medals, did not reach Canadian Olympic leaders' projected goal of 30, and the $110 million ``Own the Podium'' program was being lambasted as ``Blown the Podium'' and threatened with funding cuts, but a victory in the hockey showdown would erase any other disappointments and the sour taste of losing to the young American team 5-3 in the preliminary round and set the Winter Olympic record for gold medals.

The champagne-swigging Canadian women's hockey team beat the United States 2-0. And in curling, Canada's other national passion, the men's team beat Norway for the gold Saturday night.

The $620 million cost of the Games, expected to leave British Columbia with a budget deficit, was protested with a mock ``Poverty Games'' and the erection of a ``Homes Not Games'' tent city in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, the poorest postal code in the country. But recession woes didn't dampen festivities on the packed streets of Vancouver, the largest city to host the Winter Games.

Danger was ever-present at these Games, starting with the death of Georgian slider Nodar Kumaritashvili, which forced officials to shorten the luge run on the fast track. Crashes continued throughout the skeleton and bobsled events.

The snowboardcross and skicross course was no less forgiving and neither was the slope at Whistler Creekside, site of numerous wipeouts because of its length, variable snow and tricky visibility.