Incident 2day
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
AR Rahman lost the Oscar 2011
AR Rahman, who was nominated for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards for the year 2010, for his score in 127 Hours, directed by Danny Boyle, has lost the Oscar.
The Oscar for Best Original Score went to Toy Story Musician, Randy Newman for 'We Belong Together' from Toy Story 3.
AR Rahman, has also lost the Oscar for best original score category, which went on to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network.
Florence Welch and AR Rahman performed the 'If I Rise' on stage prior to the award being announced.
AR Rahman had earlier lost the BAFTA. Rahman had only won the Best Original Song award at the 16th Critics' Choice Movie awards held early this year for his 'IF i Rise' composition from 127 Hours.
In the year 2009, Rahman, had won the best original score and best oridinal song category in the Oscars as well as BAFTA for his 'Jai Ho' compiositon from the movie Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle.
The Oscar for Best Original Score went to Toy Story Musician, Randy Newman for 'We Belong Together' from Toy Story 3.
AR Rahman, has also lost the Oscar for best original score category, which went on to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network.
Florence Welch and AR Rahman performed the 'If I Rise' on stage prior to the award being announced.
AR Rahman had earlier lost the BAFTA. Rahman had only won the Best Original Song award at the 16th Critics' Choice Movie awards held early this year for his 'IF i Rise' composition from 127 Hours.
In the year 2009, Rahman, had won the best original score and best oridinal song category in the Oscars as well as BAFTA for his 'Jai Ho' compiositon from the movie Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle.
Salman in love with Brit model Hazel?
Though believed to have sworn to celibacy, as though determined never to let a girl distract him again, Salman Khan has surprised us.
The actor has recently found a female companion who he loves spending time with. Rumour has it that Sallu and British model Hazel are getting close to each other rather well. She took him out for a bike ride in Pune about two weeks ago, post which they spent a lot of quality time together. The weather in that city is such that you can't blame the two, but they have sure become the talk of town in Mumbai.
Salman and Hazel have been shooting together for Siddique Lal's Bodyguard for some time now but sparks flew in Pune only recently, they say. Before and after their shooting schedules, Salman and Hazel would spend a lot of free time with one another.
This comes as a surprise because Salman, whose reputation of having had an impressive line-up of girlfriends precedes him, reportedly wanted to concentrate only on his career post the success of Dabangg. In the past, he had close relationships with Somy Ali, Sangeeta Bijlani, Aishwarya Rai and Katrina Kaif.
He was briefly linked up with Mahek Chahal, Bruna Abdullah and more recently, Kangna Ranaut. But post his "brea-up" with Katrina, the actor chose to doggedly pursue his work and not allow women to distract him.
It seems Hazel is a cute exception to the rule however. Says a source, "Most new girls in the industry get quite intimidated by Salman, but Hazel has not shown any such signs. Salman and she hit it off like a house on fire. It now seems that they are more than just good friends."Hazel and Salman remained unavailable for comment.
The actor has recently found a female companion who he loves spending time with. Rumour has it that Sallu and British model Hazel are getting close to each other rather well. She took him out for a bike ride in Pune about two weeks ago, post which they spent a lot of quality time together. The weather in that city is such that you can't blame the two, but they have sure become the talk of town in Mumbai.
Salman and Hazel have been shooting together for Siddique Lal's Bodyguard for some time now but sparks flew in Pune only recently, they say. Before and after their shooting schedules, Salman and Hazel would spend a lot of free time with one another.
This comes as a surprise because Salman, whose reputation of having had an impressive line-up of girlfriends precedes him, reportedly wanted to concentrate only on his career post the success of Dabangg. In the past, he had close relationships with Somy Ali, Sangeeta Bijlani, Aishwarya Rai and Katrina Kaif.
He was briefly linked up with Mahek Chahal, Bruna Abdullah and more recently, Kangna Ranaut. But post his "brea-up" with Katrina, the actor chose to doggedly pursue his work and not allow women to distract him.
It seems Hazel is a cute exception to the rule however. Says a source, "Most new girls in the industry get quite intimidated by Salman, but Hazel has not shown any such signs. Salman and she hit it off like a house on fire. It now seems that they are more than just good friends."Hazel and Salman remained unavailable for comment.
Third batch of Indians arrives from Libya
Mumbai: The third batch of 67 Indians arrived in Mumbai from Libya early on Monday morning. So far, over 500 Indians have returned from strife-torn Libya on special Air India flights, but thousands are still stranded.
Two more Air India flights will soon leave to ferry more Indians back home. Three navy ships as well as a chartered passenger ship have also set sail as part of India's Operation Safe Homecoming.
The first batch of 291 people from Tripoli landed in the national capital late on Saturday night at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The second flight with 237 Indians on board landed at the IGI airport early on Sunday.
Those who returned left Libya in a hurry.
"Other than my passport, I don't have anything. We came back to save our lives and were stranded at the airport for 12 hours. The airport seemed like a refugee camp," said one of the passengers.
One such family is that of the Parekhs. They have spent the last few days trying to get out of war-torn and increasingly unsafe Libya.
"Things were getting really bad for the last 10 days. People were killing each other, and there was self-imposed curfew. We couldn't go out to buy regular food; our children stayed at home," said Narayan Parekh.
But for now, the relief of being away from the sound of gunfire is all that matters. For the past 27 years, Tripoli has been their home so their sense of displacement is acute.
Two more Air India flights will soon leave to ferry more Indians back home. Three navy ships as well as a chartered passenger ship have also set sail as part of India's Operation Safe Homecoming.
The first batch of 291 people from Tripoli landed in the national capital late on Saturday night at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The second flight with 237 Indians on board landed at the IGI airport early on Sunday.
Those who returned left Libya in a hurry.
"Other than my passport, I don't have anything. We came back to save our lives and were stranded at the airport for 12 hours. The airport seemed like a refugee camp," said one of the passengers.
One such family is that of the Parekhs. They have spent the last few days trying to get out of war-torn and increasingly unsafe Libya.
"Things were getting really bad for the last 10 days. People were killing each other, and there was self-imposed curfew. We couldn't go out to buy regular food; our children stayed at home," said Narayan Parekh.
But for now, the relief of being away from the sound of gunfire is all that matters. For the past 27 years, Tripoli has been their home so their sense of displacement is acute.
Oscar Awards Winners 2011
Academy Awards 2011 winners:
Tom Hooper bags the Best Director award for 'The King's Speech'. So far, 'Inception' won 4 Awards: Best Visual Effect, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Cinematography. 'The Social Network' got 3 Awards: Best Film Editing,Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.
Christian Bale and Melissa Leo won their first Academy Awards for their respective supporting roles in the movie "The Fighter". Leo was so overcome by her win that she dropped the F bomb during her acceptance speech. Bale, later while accepting his award said, " Bloody hell, its such an honour,I am hoping not to drop the 'f' bomb like Melissa had done before. " Check out the other winners...
Best Director
Tom Hooper 'The King's Speech'
Best Original Song
Randy Newman for "We belong together" in 'Toy Story 3'
Best Film Editing
Angus Wall Kirk Baxter for 'The Social Network'
Best Visual Effect
Paul Franklin,Chris Corbould and Andrew Lockley for 'Inception'
Best Documentary of the Year
Inside Job by Charles Fergusson and Audrey Marrs
Best Live Action Short Film
Luke Matheny for 'God of Love'
Best Short Documentary
Karen Goodman, Kirk Simon for 'Strangers No More'
Best Costume Design
Colleen Atwood for 'Alice in Wonderland'
Best Makeup
Rick Baker Dave Elsley for 'The Wolfman'
Best Sound Editing
Richard King for Inception
Best Sound Mixing
Lora Hirshberg and Gary A Rizzo for Inception
Best Original Score
Trent Reznor Atticus Ross for 'The Social Network'
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale
Best Foreign Language Film
In A better World (Denmark)
Best original Screenplay
David Seidler for 'The King's Speech'
Best Adapted Screenplay
Aron Sorkin for 'The Social Network'
Best Animated Feature Film
Toy Story 3: Directed by Lee Unkrich
Best Animated Short Film
The Lost Thing Directed by Andrew Ruhemann
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Melissa Leo for 'The Fighter'
Best Cinematography
Movie: Inception
Winner: Wally Pfister
Best Art direction
Movie: Alice in Wonderland
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Google blunts Facebook phone app on Android
Google has stepped up its data battle with Facebook by blunting the social networking site's app on its phones.
An update for its latest mobile operating system will see users' Facebook contacts disappear from the phone's address book.
Google said it took the action as it was no longer willing to exempt Facebook from its data-sharing rules.
The decision has been seen as indicative of growing tensions between the two internet giants.
The contact-altering update applies to the Gingerbread version of Google's Android mobile operating system - currently only available for the Nexus S and Nexus One handsets, which are manufactured for Google.
Makers of other Android-based handsets are expected to make the Gingerbread upgrade available to their users in the coming months.
If those mobiles use the same version of Gingerbread as the Nexus phones, more owners would find Facebook contacts wiped from their address book.
Originally, Facebook's Android app allowed users to populate the phone's address book with Facebook contacts.
However, that data could not be exported from the handset, instead it was controlled by Facebook - something Google has said it can no longer tolerate.
"Since Facebook contacts cannot be exported from the device, the appearance of integration created a false sense of data portability," Google said in a statement.
Facebook contacts will, however, remain accessible via the app.
More than 200 million people accessed Facebook via a mobile device in 2010, according to its own figures - up from 65 million in the previous year.
An update for its latest mobile operating system will see users' Facebook contacts disappear from the phone's address book.
Google said it took the action as it was no longer willing to exempt Facebook from its data-sharing rules.
The decision has been seen as indicative of growing tensions between the two internet giants.
The contact-altering update applies to the Gingerbread version of Google's Android mobile operating system - currently only available for the Nexus S and Nexus One handsets, which are manufactured for Google.
Makers of other Android-based handsets are expected to make the Gingerbread upgrade available to their users in the coming months.
If those mobiles use the same version of Gingerbread as the Nexus phones, more owners would find Facebook contacts wiped from their address book.
Originally, Facebook's Android app allowed users to populate the phone's address book with Facebook contacts.
However, that data could not be exported from the handset, instead it was controlled by Facebook - something Google has said it can no longer tolerate.
"Since Facebook contacts cannot be exported from the device, the appearance of integration created a false sense of data portability," Google said in a statement.
Facebook contacts will, however, remain accessible via the app.
More than 200 million people accessed Facebook via a mobile device in 2010, according to its own figures - up from 65 million in the previous year.
Intel launches high speed Thunderbolt connector
Chip manufacturer Intel has announced it is to roll out a new technology for connecting computers and peripherals.
The system, known as Thunderbolt, promises transfer speeds twice as fast as USB 3.0.
However it won't reach its theoretical maximum because Intel has opted to use copper wires rather than fibre optic cables.
The company said it would gradually move to higher speeds over time.
Apple will become the first manufacturer to use Thunderbolt, on its Macbook Pro computers.
The Cupertino firm is said to have been a major driver of its development, although it remains to be seen how may other manufacturers will adopt the new standard.
Light Peak
Intel has been working on the technology for several years.
It was first announced, under the codename Light Peak in 2009.
At launch, its top speed will be limited to 10 Gigabits per second - twice as fast as USB 3.0, but still well below the theoretical maximum using optical cables.
intel claims that future versions will be able to reach 100 Gb/sec.
The faster data transfer rates are likely to be welcomed by those consumers who use high-definition video, said Sarah Rottman Epps, an analyst with Forrester Research.
"This isn't an innovation that consumers have been asking for, but it's one they'll appreciate," she said.
"Especially when transferring video, as that's when [USB] starts to feel slow."
The system also promises to reduce the number of cables a user has connecting their computer setup.
It is able to carry multiple signal types at the same time, enabling power, display and peripherals to use a single cable.
However, in the short term, users may need to invest in special adaptors to connect their older devices onto Thunderbolt sockets.
Its arrival on the consumer market also raises questions about the future of other connector standards, such as USB and Firewire.
Thunderbolt's most high profile supporter, Apple, is expected to gradually transition to a single connector, according to Karen Haslam, editor of Macworld UK.
"In the long run there will be no need for Apple to support these multiple formats with individual ports - existing products can run through an adaptor," she said.
Not everyone is convinced that Thunderbolt will become the lone standard.
Ian Chiu, editor of the website Everythingusb.com told BBC News that the cost of components could put off some manufacturers.
"I don't really know how Intel will make Thunderbolt appealing to all the other first-tier PC manufacturers," he said.
"HP, Sony, Dell, Acer, Asus make most of their money from the low-end and medium-end notebooks.
Deutsche Bank gets 1bn won fine after Korea market fix
Deutsche Bank has been fined 1bn won ($887,000) after South Korea's regulators said its staff manipulated the country's stock market.
The fine is the largest ever handed down by Korea's stock exchange, KRX.
On Thursday, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) said Deutsche Bank staff colluded to force down the value of the stock index so that they could profit illegally.
Deutsche Bank said it was "disappointed" with the FSC's findings.
Closing rush?
The FSC started its investigation into Deutsche Bank's staff after the main KOSPI stock index fell 2.8% in the last 10 minutes of trade on 11 November.
That drop earned the staff profits of about 44.9bn won, the regulators claim.
According to the FSC, Deutsche Bank employees had built up large positions in derivatives that allowed them to influence the market.
The regulators say Deutsche Bank employees pushed through $2.2bn (£1.4bn) worth of trades during the last 10 minutes of trading on the KOSPI
Friday, February 25, 2011
Apple’s Mobile Browser is Fastest
Sick of waiting for pages to load on your mobile device? Get an iPad or iPhone. That’s the upshot of a mobile browser speed study done by a company called Gomez. They found that Apple’s mobile version of Safari was fastest and BlackBerry’s browser the slowest.
According to Gomez, the iPad fully loads pages in 8.4 seconds on average. The iPhone comes in second at 19.7 seconds, followed by Android at 36.5 seconds, and Blackberry at 61 seconds.
Gomez also analyzed perceived page loading times--that is, how long it took each browser to load the items visible "above the fold" on screen (i.e. the elements visible to you when you first visit the page without scrolling down). Perceived load times are shorter because … In this, the iPad again came out on top, with a perceived load time of roughly 6.6 seconds. The iPhone clocked in at about 15.7 seconds, followed by Android at 28.2 second, and BlackBerry at around 43.8 seconds.
Some have tested mobile browsers on a particular OS--such as our Android browser comparison from September--or have compared browsing on one phone to browsing on another, but as far as we're aware, nobody else has released this sort of mobile browser speed comparison before.
Here's a complete chart of Gomez's browser data, including its data for PC (i.e. laptop/desktop) browsers:
These are by no means end-all, be-all numbers. Browser speed testing can be a bit of a thorny issue. There are many variables involved, depending on your hardware, your network connection, your operating system, the Web site itself, and so forth. For example, Gomez's numbers don't match up exactly with the testing we've previously done.
In the case of Gomez, the company, which helps companies improve the performance of their Websites and applications, decided to take what it considers to be a "real-world" approach to measuring browser performance. Its data is based on over 282 million Webpages served across over 200 popular sites. Gomez used data collected from business customers that use its performance monitoring services. It only takes into account Webpages visited using the browser included with the operating system, so browsers like Opera Mini were not included.
Also, since the data is in aggregate, it includes data from both Wi-Fi and cellular network users, and users from different cellular networks. It also includes data from all sorts of different phones and tablets with different hardware configurations. Still the information they provided to us is interesting, and gives us at least an idea of what the general experience of using each browser is like.
And as we've said in the past, other factors beside speed should dictate your choice in browsers--and now, smartphone OSes. Go with whatever works best for you.
'Campus placement' at Tihar, 14 get jobs :: New Delhi
It was a special campus placement session. Eight companies came calling and interviewed 46 candidates. Fourteen were given job offers while the rest hope to make the cut in the next couple of days. What's special about that? Well, the 'campus' was Delhi's Tihar jail and the candidates inmates serving time there.
At the end of the day, what the lucky 14 held in their hands weren't just job letters — they were tickets to a new life of dignity.
"This is not just an appointment letter. It is an assurance of a rehabilitated life in society which would have otherwise maybe shunned me. I can now hope for a speedy acquittal by sending this letter to the court to convince them to acquit me soon. I can assure my wife and children of a decent life in Delhi," said 40-year-old Sandeep Bhatnagar, an undertrial in Tihar for the past five years. Bhatnagar is accused of dressing up as a "human bomb" and conducting a bank robbery in Vikaspuri in May 2006.
Said Neeraj Kumar, DG (Prisons), "These 46 inmates were chosen for placement as they fulfilled three criteria. They had impeccable conduct inside the jail where they utilized their time to gain education and vocational skills. Two, they all expect to be released within a year or so, and three, they were keen to rehabilitate themselves and lead a new life."
"We are expecting 100% placement. The rest should be given letters in the next couple of days," said Tihar law officer Sunil Gupta. Among the companies which agreed to be part of this exceptional recruitment drive was Agarwal Packers and Movers, one of the country's largest companies in their field.
Many of the inmates who sat for placement have completed their education — from schooling to multiple graduation degrees — in jail. "After I was sent to jail, it was a painful and stressful time for me as I had no clue what to do next. However, I was motivated inside the jail by officials and NGOs. I studied day and night to finish 10 years of education in five years. Now I am assisting a Supreme Court lawyer Michael Peter and preparing for civil services. Michael fought my case and has been a great help," said 26-year-old Dilip Kumar, who was booked under narcotics Act in 2005.
Dilip came to Delhi from Madhubani in Bihar as a youth who had studied up to Class V. He worked as a sub-contractor at a parking site in Sarojini Nagar when he was arrested. Now acquitted after fighting the case as an undertrial for years, he is about to complete his Bachelors in Tourism Studies from IGNOU and is planning to pursue LLB. He was one of the 46 inmates who were up for placement on Friday.
The action started around 11am at jail number 3 of Tihar. The excitement was palpable. "I am extremely nervous. I am willing to take any type of job offer I get and this placement drive may just help me regain some of the acceptance and prestige that I lost after coming to jail," said 23-year-old Gaijaomei George Kamei.
George is undergoing trial for criminal conspiracy for murder. He was the first inmate to be given an appointment letter — as a research assistant for JRA & Associates. He also received an offer to be a marketing associate for ASP Sealing Products. "Two years in jail have taught me to be careful and not make rash decisions. I will weigh both options and decide," he said, beaming.
Siddharth Bhatnagar, 29, an undertrial for murder, was offered a marketing executive position.
While Agarwal Packers and Movers picked up seven inmates for positions such as marketing executive, assistant manager, supervisor and data entry operator, Vedanta Foundation and Good House Keeping recruited two inmates each. JRA & Associates and ASP Sealing products made an offer each.
No hike in railway fares, sops for Bengal
The 2011-12 Railway Budget presented by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday saw no increase in passenger fares, 56 new trains and a clear focus on election-bound West Bengal, where her party, the Trinamool Congress, will be hoping to unseat the long-ruling Left Front government.
Apart from announcing no hike in passenger fares, Banerjee also cut booking rates for non-AC and AC tickets by Rs 10 and Rs 5 per ticket respectively.
Among the new trains that will be introduced, the Duronto (non-stop) trains will be introduced in 9 routes, including Allahabad-Mumbai, Pune-Ahmedabad, Sealdah-Puri, Madurai-Chennai, Chennai- Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai Central-New Delhi routes. Playing up to expectations of commuters in metropolitan cities, she also extended 32 new services for the Kolkata Metro, nine additional services for the Chennai suburban service and pushed for strengthening the Hyderabad suburban rail network. She also said frequency of 17 trains will be increased while introducing 3 new Shatabdis (Pune-Secunderabad, Jaipur-Agra and Ludhiana-Delhi) and double-decker AC trains on Jaipur-Delhi and Ahmedabad-Mumbai routes. To cater to the metropolitan commuters, a new 'Go India' smart card ticket will also be launched.
Though she came under Opposition attack for her splurge on Bengal, Mamata Banerjee announced Metro coach factories in Singur and Kolkata, track-making industry to be set up in Uluberia and a rail industrial park in Nandigram.
Giving a boost to safety measures that were badly needed for the Railways, she declared that all unmanned railway crossings will be scrapped. Further, she said more anti-collision devices will be commissioned for South and South-Central zones.
Expanding on plans for the Railways, she said the rail network to be extended by 700 km. One of the biggest gainers of this rail budget would be Manipur which will be connected to the rest of India by rail. The state has also been allotted a diesel locomotive centre. She also announced a new bridge factory in Jammu and Kashmir. The Railway Minister said the government undertaking will also open 442 new stations by March next year.
Giving a list of the Railway budgeting, she said the entire exercise seeks to allot Rs 57,630 crore to the Railways. While earnings are set to exceed Rs 1 lakh crore, Rs 9,000 crore would be spent on new lines and Rs 13,000 crore would to be spent on rolling stock. Explaining drains on the budget, she said the enhancement of employee benefits by the Sixth Pay Commission added Rs 73,000 crore to expenses in the last financial year.
Indian state allows claims against Coca-Cola
NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian state has passed a law allowing residents to seek compensation from soft drink giant Coca-Cola for alleged environmental damage from a former bottling plant.
Coca-Cola Co.'s Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages, says the legislation passed Thursday by Kerala state is "devoid of facts, scientific data or any input from or consideration given to" the company.
Environmental activists and local residents say the plant in Palakkad district contaminated ground water, caused severe water shortages and leeched dangerous chemicals before it was shut down in 2004.
Coca-Cola denied the allegations. A Kerala committee recommended that a tribunal be set up to hear compensation claims, which the new law facilitates.
Login Edit Feedback Christchurch earthquake: Levels of liquefaction 300 - 500 pc worse
The level of liquefaction after Tuesday's 6.3 magnitude aftershock dwarfs the amount caused by the original earthquake that hit Christchurch in September, Mayor Bob Parker says. He says the amount of damage is particularly high in the city's eastern suburbs. "The scale of this is huge. "Possibly 300 to 500 per cent the level of liquefaction we had in September." Liquefaction happens when soil is subjected to severe shaking, causing it to lose strength or stiffness. It is most likely to occur in soils with poor drainage. At a press conference this evening, Mr Parker also reminded Christchurch residents to conserve water amid efforts to repair
Man kills daughter after failed rape attempt
Palwal, Feb 24 (PTI) A man was arrested for allegedly killing his eight-year-old daughter after she resisted his attempt to rape her in the district here, police said.
The victim, a student of class three, had gone missing since November 28 last year and a report had been filed with the police in the connection, they said.
The police yesterday recovered a decomposed body of a girl near a railway crossing here, which was later identified by the victim's mother.
The father of the girl first tried to rape her and later strangulated the minor to death when she resisted him
and then dumped her body near a tree, they said.
Victim's mother alleged that her daughter was last seen with her father near a railway track before she went missing. He had been sexually harassing the girl for a long time, she alleged.
Facebook will NOT end on March 15th. Hoax news story spreads like wildfire
Heard a story that Facebook is going to end on March 15th? You should take it with a pinch of salt.
A story is spreading like wildfire across Facebook this weekend, claiming that the world's most popular social network is closing on March 15th.
The reason? CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims that "managing [Facebook] has ruined my life. I need to put an end to all the madness."
There's only one problem with the story. It's not true. Facebook is not going to end on March 15th, and Mark Zuckerberg never said any such thing.
But that's not stopping many many Facebook users spreading the message.
Many of the messages include a link to an apparent news story, where users can read more about the surprising announcement of Facebook's death:
If you click on the link, here's where you are taken. A news story by a publication that also tells us that Mike Tyson is a pigeon fancier, Michelle Obama is pregnant and alien spaceships are to attack earth in 2011:
Thursday, February 24, 2011
No Oscar For This Year
Hollywood, CA. Protesting stars force cancellation of Academy Awards!
The list of Hollywood stars boycotting the 83rd Academy Awards has grown so long that organizers have been forced to pull the plug on Sunday’s ceremony. Unnamed sources say ABC will air a re-broadcast of last year’s Oscars telecast in its place.
What started out as a boycott by a few disgruntled A-listers has grown into a protest movement inspired by recent events in the Middle East. At the core of the dispute are unfair labor practices and human rights abuses that the stars are forced to endure every Oscar season. The movement reached the tipping point when the Academy announced that this year’s red carpet, which the stars are forced to walk, would be even longer than last year’s 1.75 mile-long stretch.
“Every year they make us walk a little bit farther, but this is ridiculous,” said two-time Oscar winner, Al Pacino. “When I was nominated for Serpico in ‘73, it was just a strip of carpet from the curb to the entrance of the Chandler Pavilion. Now it’s like the Bataan death march.” Nominees have complained for years about the lack of water and facilities along the route. In 2008 Javier Bardem was issued a citation for urinating in an alley off of Vine Street.
Last year’s red carpet walk took nearly three hours and delayed the start of the awards ceremony. “It wouldn’t be so bad if folks didn’t stop every three feet to sign autographs or pose for pictures,” said would-be presenter, Tom Hanks. “When I heard this year’s carpet was three and a half miles long, I got depressed. Then I saw the YouTube video of Natalie tagging big Oscar, and I knew there was hope.”
Hanks is referring to the viral video of best actress nominee, Natalie Portman, spray-painting the slogan, “Hell No, We Won’t Show,” on a giant Oscar statue outside the Kodak theater, site of the canceled ceremony. “When a first-time nominee has the balls to do that, it gives you the courage to speak up,” said Jeff Bridges. “I’m out of here.”
Publicly, executives at ABC have denied the existence of the boycott and continue to air promos for Sunday’s telecast, even as workers dismantle sets at the Kodak theatre. The network has employed several strategies to lure the actors back to the event, including using stars’ mothers as bait. Musical numbers were dropped from the show at the last minute, to make room for the moms, who were to be featured with their offspring during “special” segments. In lieu of the ceremony, winners will be announced via Twitter on the morning of February 28.
FACEBOOK WILL END ON MARCH 15th! - incident 2day
PALO ALTO, CA –Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook will be shut down in March. Managing the site has become too stressful.
“Facebook has gotten out of control,” said Zuckerberg in a press conference outside his Palo Alto office, “and the stress of managing this company has ruined my life. I need to put an end to all the madness.”
Zuckerberg went on to explain that starting March 15th, users will no longer be able to access their Facebook accounts.
“After March 15th the whole website shuts down,” said Avrat Humarthi, Vice President of Technical Affairs at Facebook. “So if you ever want to see your pictures again, I recommend you take them off the internet. You won’t be able to get them back after Facebook goes out of business.”
Zuckerberg said the decision to shut down Facebook was difficult, but that he does not think people will be upset.
“I personally don’t think it’s a big deal,” he said in a private phone interview. “And to be honest, I think it’s for the better. Without Facebook, people will have to go outside and make real friends. That’s always a good thing.”
Some Facebook users were furious upon hearing the shocking news.
“What am I going to do without Facebook?” said Denise Bradshaw, a high school student from Indiana. “My life revolves around it. I’m on Facebook at least 10 hours a day. Now what am I going to do with all that free time?”
However, parents across the country have been experiencing a long anticipated sense of relief.
“I’m glad the Facebook nightmare is over,” said Jon Guttari, a single parent from Detroit. “Now my teenager’s face won’t be glued to a computer screen all day. Maybe I can even have a conversation with her.”
PALO ALTO, CA –Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook will be shut down in March. Managing the site has become too stressful.
“Facebook has gotten out of control,” said Zuckerberg in a press conference outside his Palo Alto office, “and the stress of managing this company has ruined my life. I need to put an end to all the madness.”
Zuckerberg went on to explain that starting March 15th, users will no longer be able to access their Facebook accounts.
“After March 15th the whole website shuts down,” said Avrat Humarthi, Vice President of Technical Affairs at Facebook. “So if you ever want to see your pictures again, I recommend you take them off the internet. You won’t be able to get them back after Facebook goes out of business.”
Zuckerberg said the decision to shut down Facebook was difficult, but that he does not think people will be upset.
“I personally don’t think it’s a big deal,” he said in a private phone interview. “And to be honest, I think it’s for the better. Without Facebook, people will have to go outside and make real friends. That’s always a good thing.”
Some Facebook users were furious upon hearing the shocking news.
“What am I going to do without Facebook?” said Denise Bradshaw, a high school student from Indiana. “My life revolves around it. I’m on Facebook at least 10 hours a day. Now what am I going to do with all that free time?”
However, parents across the country have been experiencing a long anticipated sense of relief.
“I’m glad the Facebook nightmare is over,” said Jon Guttari, a single parent from Detroit. “Now my teenager’s face won’t be glued to a computer screen all day. Maybe I can even have a conversation with her.”
SIGN THE “SAVE FACEBOOK” PETITION HERE
Those in the financial industry are criticizing Zuckerberg for walking away from a multibillion dollar franchise. Facebook is currently ranked as one of the wealthiest businesses in the world, with economists estimating its value at around 7.9 billion.
But Zuckerberg remains unruffled by these accusations. He said he will stand by his decision to give Facebook the axe.
“I don’t care about the money,” said Zuckerberg. “I just want my old life back.”
The Facebook Corporation suggests that users remove all of their personal information from the website before March 15th. After that date, all photos, notes, links, and videos will be permanently erased.
Libyan leader blames al-Qaeda for uprising - incident2day
LIBYAN LEADER Muammar Gadafy has blamed al-Qaeda for the unrest which is threatening his regime of more than 40 years.
“It is obvious now that this issue is run by al-Qaeda,” he asserted in response to a statement of support from the network’s north African franchise. He said that young people staging the uprising are being manipulated by al-Qaeda and reiterated a claim made on Tuesday that they were on drugs. He warned that the organisers of the rebellion would be prosecuted in the country’s courts and scolded parents for failing to keep their children at home.
Col Gadafy said Libyans had “no reason to complain” about their lives – unlike Tunisians and Egyptians who overthrew their rulers – and argued that the people exercised political power in Libya and he was only a “symbolic” fixture like Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. He said if Libyans do not return to work, “the flow of oil will stop”. Before the broadcast, Libyan state television announced that he would deliver his address from Zawiya, a city near oil export facilities and refineries. But that city was engulfed in clashes between pro- and anti-government forces throughout the day. He did not appear and spoke on the phone from an undisclosed location.
Helicopter gunships firing missiles and loyal troops of the Hamza brigade armed with heavy machine guns attacked a mosque in Zawiya during the morning – bringing down the minaret, killing 10 and wounding 150 rebels. During subsequent fighting, forces loyal to Col Gadafy were said to have been routed.
While Tripoli remained largely locked down, pro-Gadafy militia- men and African mercenaries raided homes, making arrests, and took bodies from hospital morgues. However, Col Gadafy’s hold on cities and towns around the capital came under challenge. In addition to the clashes in Zawiya, 45km to the south, demonstrations erupted in Zuwarah, 120km west of Tripoli near the Tunisian border and fighting took place at Sabratha near Tripoli and Sabha in the south. Gadafy’s for- ces launched an offensive on rebel-controlled Misrata, east of Tripoli.
The southern oil fields were said to be under rebel control and production has stopped.
Col Gadafy’s second son, Saif al-Islam, appeared on TV to accuse “Arab brothers” of mounting a “conspiracy” against the regime and asked Egypt not to join. He claimed “life in Tripoli is normal” and invited journalists and human rights organisations to visit and see for themselves. But government offices, schools and businesses remained closed while grocery shops and bakeries were open only for a few hours. Prices of staples have trebled and petrol is in short supply.
On arrival in Cairo, a close aide and cousin of Col Gadafy, Ahmad Qadaf al-Dam, said he had defected because the crackdown has involved “grave violations of human rights and international law”.
In Benghazi, epicentre of the revolt, elders have established committees to run the city and to interrogate captured “mercenaries” from southern Libya and sub-Saharan Africa who fought on the regime’s side. Regular army soldiers stationed in the east have joined the revolt but in some cities under rebel rule pro-Gadafy militiamen are said to roam the streets at night.
At a meeting of tribal elders in rebel-held Bayda, former minister of justice Mustafa Abul Jalil said: “No negotiation, no solution, until Gadafy and his sons leave.” Weapons captured from pro-Gadafy forces are being distributed in the battle for Tripoli.
In an interview with a Swedish newspaper, Mr Abu Jalil also said Col Gadafy had ordered the 1988 bombing of a US civilian airliner that exploded over Lockerbie in Scotland, killing 270 people.
Opposition parties in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco issued a joint statement calling on their governments to intervene to halt the crackdown in Libya. “It is a genuine extermination effort that has been unleashed. We must . . . stop this massacre.”
Thousands of Tunisians have fled to their homeland in the west while in the east 20,000, mainly Egyptians, have crossed the border into Egypt over the past two days. The bodies of three Egyptians killed in clashes were repatriated.
Oscars to continue on ABC TV through 2020
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - ABC television will broadcast the annual Oscar ceremony until 2020, extending its current agreement by six years, the TV network and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Thursday.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - ABC television will broadcast the annual Oscar ceremony until 2020, extending its current agreement by six years, the TV network and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Thursday.
ABC, a unit of the Walt Disney Co, has broadcast the Academy Awards -- traditionally the most-watched non-sporting event of the year -- to U.S. viewers for decades.
"This contract ensures that the Oscar show will be an ABC tradition for 45 consecutive years," Academy president Tom Sherak said in a statement.
ABC television group president Anne Sweeny said that ABC has aired 46 of the annual telecasts honoring the best movies and performances of the year "so we're thrilled to announce that this tradition will continue."
The 83rd Academy Awards will be aired live from Hollywood on Sunday.
Last year, the ceremony was watched by 41.7 million Americans -- the largest TV audience in five years.
The Oscars are also watched by millions of people around the world under a separate agreement with Walt Disney International, which runs through 2014.
Priyanka warms up to Kareena
Mumbai Mirror reported on December 21 on ceasefire between Kareena and Priyanka. At the Mumbai Police Mela organised then, Piggy made the first move and called Bebo on stage. A six-year-long cold war ended.
Technically, Bebo should have made the second move but it seems Piggy is keener. So be it. At the Filmfare Awards rehearsals on Friday night, Priyanka went up to Bebo and gave her a warm hug. Kareena, who was scheduled to rehearse after Piggy, had to wait for a long time because a lot of changes were being added to Piggy's performance. Kareena was apparently getting very restless in the interim and she walked down to the rehearsal hall.
Furious for having had to wait for so long, Bebo was apparently pacing up and down the hall. In a little while, she even had to rush to Pune for the shoot of Bodyguard.
Sachin Tendulkar New house 1200 crores
It's official. Master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar may be tossing a coin before he puts his money on this. The Little Master is close to buying a villa in the Rs 1,200-crore Champion Reef Golf Country located near Kolar. Promoted by Bangalore-based realty major Confident Group, the sprawling villa project running alongside an 18-hole golf course is spread across 371 acres.
Sachin was seen teeing off in style at the Champion Reef golf course on Tuesday. Sources told TOI that Sachin has set his eyes on the Presidential and Imperial range of mansions at Champion Reef measuring 4,000-6,000 sft and costing anywhere between Rs 2-3 crore.
"Sachin has shown serious interest in buying either the Imperial or Presidential villa. Right now, he's busy with the World Cup. He may freeze the deal after that," said Roy CJ, chairman and managing director, Confident Group.
Casa Imperial villa comprising 4-5 bedrooms tucked with lavish entertainment spaces costs Rs 3 crore, while the Casa Presidential range of villas overlooking the golf course comes with a price tag of Rs 2 crore. It's built on plots measuring 6,000 sft with villas measuring 2,400-4000 sft. The first phase of the project comprising of 200 units will be completed in the next six months. The second phase housing 202 units will take two years for completion.
The proposed buy comes close on the heels of Sachin buying a 7-acre plot in Kensville Golf and Country Club located in Ahemdabad. He may be associated with Kensville Golf to promote its academy. He also bought Dorab Villa, an old bungalow in suburban Bandra, for Rs 39 crore a few years back.
