SOURCE: Reuters

Microsoft Corp’s recent mock funeral for Apple Inc’s iPhone at its Redmond, Washington campus was symbolic, but if the company has its way it will bury Apple in the phone life.

The bizarre gathering, which morphed into a spirited Michael Jackson “Thriller” dance routine, marked the completion of its Windows Phone 7 software, and showed how badly Microsoft wants to resurrect itself in the viciously competitive phone market.

The new software, which will be publicly unveiled on October 11 and expected on handsets in stores by November, is Microsoft’s last chance, some analysts say, to catch up with Apple and Google Inc’s Android smartphones, after squandering its strong market position in only a few years.

A group of smartphone manufacturers including Samsung and HTC Corp are expected to roll out Microsoft-based phones for the holiday season.

Whether they will be good enough to render the iPhone obsolete is the question.

“The product can’t be an also-ran that just does everything that is already out in the marketplace,” said Bryan Keane, an analyst for Alpine Mutual Funds, which holds Microsoft shares. “Right now, it isn’t apparent that Windows 7 is better than anything that’s out there, except that it might have a better tie-in to the actual Windows platform.”

By the admission of Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, the company “missed a generation” with Windows Mobile, its last phone operating system, which floundered while the iPhone and Android roared past with sumptuous touch screens and a host of new applications.

Microsoft is now fourth in the fast-growing U.S. market for smartphone operating systems with a share of less than 12 percent, according to research firm comScore, behind BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion Ltd, Apple and Google.

STOCK OVERHANG

Microsoft’s strange disappearance from the phone market, and its delayed response to the emergence of tablet devices like Apple’s iPad, has been seen as a drag on Microsoft’s shares, which are down 20 percent this year.

“The market is really fearful of their positioning in those two markets (phones and tablets),” said Ken Allen, Baltimore-based portfolio manager of T. Rowe Price’s Science and Technology Fund, which holds Microsoft shares. “Tablets — the iPad in particular — and the smartphone market are major overhangs and discounted heavily in the stock.”

Investors were not impressed with Microsoft’s last attempt to launch a new phone, the Kin, which was dropped after fewer than three months on the market.

Whether the new phones can make up for that error and lift concerns will depend on how the handsets measure up and how much the network carriers promote the phones.

Prototypes of the new devices, which have been demonstrated by Microsoft employees over the past few months, look to be a huge improvement over the last version of Microsoft’s phone software. They have a touch-screen interface resembling the company’s Zune music player and movable ’tiles’ that access various phone functions.

But at first glance, they don’t appear to offer radical new features that rivals lack.

Launch phones are expected from Samsung, LG and HTC Corp, while AT&T Inc is expected to be the initial U.S. network provider, according to a person familiar with the launch plans. Microsoft and AT&T declined comment. None of the handset makers immediately replied to requests for details.

All three of those phone makers already offer Android-based phones, while AT&T is currently the sole carrier for the iPhone, which means none has too much riding on the success of the new software, which could be a problem for Microsoft.

“We’ll have to see how much vendor support (Microsoft) gets behind it — that was partially what drove Android success,” said Keane at Alpine. “But now, their problem is, ‘We already have Android and the iPhone, do we need a third one?’.”

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MY TAKE: Seems to me that in an age when the value of stuff is linked to the feature app capability of our cell phones, the shininess of our Pilates equipment, we are missing something critical. When I hear words like “bury” in a business story I’m reminded that, whether we are buying monthly Pilates workout passes.

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OTHER RESOURCES

Markers of a Good School

When parents are searching for a school for their children and want to make sure that they obtain the best position in the best school they can, it’s rather important to look at the sort of issues that mark a good school from a less than successful school such as whether the children who go to a Panama international school graduate on time and how they do in college after they’ve graduated. If a school enjoys a high level of graduating students who go on to illustrious careers in their college destinations, it’s a good bet that they are a good establishment.

Performance and Portability

All folding bikes go from full size to completely folded in under 20 seconds. Sound convenient? Simply pop the front wheel off and open the frame quick release to fold the bike. No tools, no complicated instructions. This isn’t complicated; it’s about folding your bike in a flash to catch the bus or train. During the design process, the focus was on perfecting ride quality, handling and comfort. The company believes you should not have to sacrifice any of these crucial components even if a folding bike does not fit in the trunk of a Volkswagen.

Dental Directories

Need a good Chantilly dentist? The best Virginia dentists register on 1-800 Dentist.com and you should shop her before you book your appointment. Click to the site if you want to read more.

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SOURCE: LOS ANGELES TIMES

Molecular biologist and author Jon Kabat-Zinn was a pioneer in applying the Buddhist concept of mindfulness to Western medicine and secular society. But he doesn’t consider himself a Buddhist.

“Mindfulness, the heart of Buddhist meditation, is at the core of being able to live life as if it really matters. It has nothing to do with Buddhism. It has to do with freedom,” Kabat-Zinn said in a telephone interview from Lexington, Mass. “Mindfulness is so powerful that the fact that it comes out of Buddhism is irrelevant.”

Kabat-Zinn is the author of the bestsellers “Full Catastrophe Living” and “Wherever You Go, There You Are.” He is scheduled to speak Wednesday at a breast cancer awareness event for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure group at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

An emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Kabat-Zinn developed the system known as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and founded the first MBSR clinic at the university’s hospital more than 30 years ago.

At the time, students of integrative medicine like Kabat-Zinn were considered radical, and meditation was viewed as a subject for religion scholars, not scientists. But in recent years, studies have shown that meditation can improve the conditions of patients dealing with diseases from psoriasis to cancer.

Today there are more than 200 medical centers in the United States and abroad that employ the MBSR model to complement conventional therapies.

Kabat-Zinn is reluctant to use the word “spiritual” to describe the approach to healthy living that he promotes, characterizing it instead as being “grounded in common sense.”

“You don’t have to have a belief system or faith of one kind or another,” he said. “It’s not in conflict with faith. It’s about a profound connection with the universe … within a faith tradition or outside of any faith tradition.”

Kabat-Zinn’s father was an immunologist and chemist, and his mother was a painter. He believes that early exposure to science and art fostered in him a recognition that there are “multiple ways of knowing and being in the world.”

When he took up Buddhist meditation in the late 1960s — he was a founding member of the Cambridge Zen Center — it helped bridge various interests in his life, including biology, the arts, even politics. And it sparked his research into the mind-body connection.

Mindfulness, he says, is to be aware of one’s own experience as it is happening, not to be preoccupied with the future, the past or otherwise distracted from the essence of living. “It’s really about paying attention; on purpose, in the moment and in a non-judgmental way.”

Practices such as meditation, yoga or Eastern martial arts can aid the process, but mindfulness is fundamentally an “acceptance” or “coming to terms with things as they are,” not in the sense of passive resignation but active awareness, says Kabat-Zinn.

“Your life becomes the meditation practice. It’s not about sitting on a cushion in the lotus position,” he said. “The Buddhist emphasis on enlightenment does not mean there is thunder and lightning and your mind is clarified once and for all on the mountain top. It is every little moment of letting go.”

Kabat-Zinn says anything resembling religious vocabulary can be anathema to many people. He prefers to use a vocabulary that doesn’t exclude anybody.

“I don’t have to use the word ’spiritual,’” he said. “Part of it is the power of silence and stillness. And part of that power is the power of healing that happens when you move from the domain of doing to being. It’s transformative.”

In fact, there have been rabbis, priests and even an imam who have taken Kabat-Zinn’s eight-week MBSR training course and told him that it deepened their experience of their own faiths.

The imam told him the practice was “totally consistent” with Islam, Kabat-Zinn said. Priests said MBSR reminded them of why they first went into the seminary and allowed them to transmit their faith more effectively to their flocks. Kabat-Zinn noted that even Mother Teresa described her conversations with God as mutual silence.

“Is silence Jewish or Christian or Buddhist? Is awareness Jewish or Christian?” said Kabat-Zinn. Mindfulness principles are found on every continent in every culture, he added.”We’re born with this capacity. It’s about cultivating it.”

In 2002, neuroscientist Richard Davidson studied the effect of meditation on Buddhist monks and found evidence that those who had logged 10,000 hours or more had different brain structures from those in a control group.

“It’s like Lance Armstrong having different muscle fiber than someone who just rides a bike,” Kabat-Zinn said. He and Davidson later reported findings that even 15 minutes of meditation three times a week can strengthen the immune system.

Research into mindfulness meditation dovetails with the new scientific fields of neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change physically, and epigenics, how behavior can affect physiology.

“It’s like an antioxidant for the mind,” Kabat-Zinn said, laughing. “We have so much scientific evidence about how we can participate in our own well-being.”

For those coping with cancer or other serious diseases, Kabat-Zinn said, a crucial element of mindfulness is to try to lessen attachment to outcomes: “It’s not about how long you live but how well you live,” he said.

And consciously connecting with experience goes beyond any religion or ideology or even a hectic way of life, he believes.

“It’s about people waking up, not being confined by any belief system,” he said. “Awareness is bigger than a belief system.”

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MY TAKE: I don’t’ know about you, but as a busy Kentucky Mortgage lender, and even with an answering service and a personal assistant to help me, I find it hard to meditate. I spend a lot of time sifting through KY refinancing laws, taking calls from my call answering service, and servicing my customers, it’s a miracle if I get home before midnight and I’m in my office well before 8 a.m. each day, even some weekends. Meditation is not something I’m going to likely find time to do, but I know this article has to have a lot of medical supply companies and big pharmaceutical manufacturers (Can you say Paxil?) spinning.

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OTHER RESOURCES

Platlett protection:

Too Much apsrin? The VerifyNow® Aspirin Assay is a qualitative test to aid in the detection of platelet dysfunction due to aspirin (ASA) ingestion in citrated whole blood for the point of care or laboratory setting. Ask your doctor.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

Southern California are finally getting long-awaited loans to hire new workers and expand their operations.

Money for loans backed by the Small Business Administration, but held up for weeks in Congress, is on its way. Just days after President Obama signed a $30-billion-plus package of incentives for small businesses, Southland bankers, bureaucrats and borrowers are scrambling to nail down the final details and get the money flowing.

Business owners, which include a range of people from the bakery shop manger to consumer rights attorneys and the product liability lawyer were told by lenders that some could begin receiving their money as soon as Monday.

“This is a dream come true for me,” said Pasadena rare-coin dealer Richard Heller, who spent much of Thursday driving around picking up documents so that his new loan could be completed. Heller is using a loan from Wells Fargo Bank to buy a tiny building in San Francisco so he can open a second shop there.

In Fullerton, Jim Harper is finally ready to crack open the stack of resumes that has been on his desk for months. He’s looking for two programmers for his computerized aerospace machine shop, Anaheim Machine Products.

“Right now, my partner and I are doing all the programming,” said Harper, who is also busy lining up more work and managing the firm. A $350,000 loan will allow him to refinance expensive equipment, he said. He figures that will free up $10,000 a month to reduce other debts and hire the programmers.

Nationally, about 1,400 businesses waited all summer for the loans. Thousands more loans are expected to be funded by the end of the year.

The loans, which were authorized along with tax breaks and other incentives, will not solve all of the problems faced by small businesses in a rough economy, but experts say they’re a key step.

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MY TAKE: I would imagine that if you are a lawyer, whether that’s a Philadelphia divorce Lawyer, a child support lawyer, or a Philadelphia PA criminal attorney, you’ve got to have some kind of cash flow. Even if you’re a divorce lawyer you probably have been able to keep on earning a living, because I rarely see stories about lawyers in the unemployment line. However, I do know California businesses are suffering and it’s good to hear the big cash is flowing down to the little guys, even the coin collector.

I have a brother who owns a computer repair shop and he says business has been horrible for him. He now advertises his computer support services on Craig’s List but he says he’s thinking about shutting the business down because he can barely make the rent, and working in customers’ homes until things get better. He says he hasn’t heard anything about his loan yet.

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Other Resources

Checking Out a Car’s Past

It has become an important part of buying a vehicle these days to make sure that the car will last a long time and do its job well, and when it comes to being able to Virginia trade used cars, there should also be some research done to make sure that a car is otherwise going to perform well even though it might be used. Statistically speaking, there are some vehicles that perform a lot better than others and when it comes to longevity and vehicles that don’t require many repairs, there are some clear choices out there.

Getting out of Holiday Debt

People tend to spend more than they should during the holidays because they feel pressured to find presents for all their family members and it’s important to figure out how best to pay off that debt in a timely manner lest a family arrive at the next year’s holiday and end up needing to engage in some debt negotiation because of the issues that have compounded during the year through additional debt. For consumers who want to lower their debt, sometimes talking with a lender about lower interest rates can make debt go away faster.

Many Economic Indicators Up

A lot of focus recently has been on the state of the economy and how various economic indicators have been regarding the state of the economy and for staffing services who have been putting feelers out for new and potential workers, there have been a few pieces of encouraging news to come out of various research outlets regarding how employment numbers are looking in recent months. One of the most interesting aspects of the employment reports are that hourly earnings for the average worker were actually up overall for 2011 which means that workers saw a two percent bump up in earnings potential.

How Groupon Clone Works

Sometimes called a “group buying site,” a Groupon clone provider aims to provide local values to shoppers in a specific, targeted area. For example, a collective buying site will offer visitors the chance to receive a deeply discounted rate on a popular local item or service like offering a meal at a restaurant for 50% off. With a guarantee that the merchant will receive a set number of customers for the discounted item, a very low rate for a good or service can be negotiated since the merchant is guaranteed a certain number of purchases.

Building Blunders?

Denver CO construction attorneys can help you if you have a dispute with your contractor on a project you’ve paid for or are in the process of making payments on. These guys specialize in faulty construction work, defaults on construction contractual agreements and more.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

It’s been 50 years of “Yabba Dabba Do!” time.

It was 50 years ago this month, on the evening of Sept. 30, 1960, that America met the Flintstones, television’s modern Stone Age family. That Friday night, kids couldn’t wait. Parents were curious. And the ABC network executives pondered their gamble patiently. TV’s first animated prime-time sitcom made history; well, they were history.

“I remember sitting and watching the premiere episode,” says actor Paul Reubens, who later starred in his own popular children’s show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.” “I think I was in fourth or fifth grade at the time. Just the whole idea of a cartoon in prime time was exciting and there was a lot of hype about it. I loved how they patterned some characters after real stars like Ann Margrock and Stoney Curtis.”

Set in the animated suburbia of Bedrock, Fred and Wilma Flintstone (voiced by radio veterans Alan Reed and Jean Vander Pyl) along with their genial neighbors Betty and Barney Rubble ( Bea Benaderet and Mel Blanc), were meant as an amalgam of adult satire and children’s amusement.

“The Flintstones” was drawn to be a slice-of-life sitcom with a prehistoric twist. The show boasted several milestones: Quite possibly, Fred and Wilma Flintstone were the first sitcom couple to be shown sleeping on the same king-size, er, slab. And definitely a cartoon first. And until 1997 when “The Simpsons” surpassed their prehistoric predecessor, “The Flintstones” held the record as the longest-running prime time animated series.

John Stephenson, 87, who carries an undeniably familiar Hanna Barbera intonation in his speaking voice, is one of the last surviving cast members of the iconic show. Most notably, Stephenson portrayed Fred’s bombastic boss at the rock quarry, Mr. Slate, among multitudes of Bedrock citizenry throughout the program’s original six-year run.

“I think the show was successful because it was an adult cartoon and viewers associated it with ‘The Honeymooners,’ ” he says. “And with the Stone Age setting and some very good writing, audiences loved it. They still do.”

Created by animation legends William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, “The Flintstones” (titled “The Flagstones” in early development) became the flagship property for the cartoon factory the duo created for television production. After producing an Academy Award-winning slew of Tom and Jerry cartoons at MGM, Hanna and Barbera formed their own company and created such animated characters as Emmy winner Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw and Ruff and Reddy. This time, however, they audaciously decided to redirect their efforts, wipe the slate clean, and twist their usual format: Their new TV series would extend the animation to a half hour and gamble on prime-time audiences. That was unheard of in 1960.

In the process, Hanna-Barbera reinvented the animation business, introducing a more efficient and economically feasible “limited animation” procedure that proved popular both with the network and with audiences. While many animation studios were closing in Hollywood, Hanna and Barbera were just opening their doors and enticing a pool of veterans to join them in their plunge. Some of animation’s greatest talents helped polish these precious ’stones.’ With caveman characters designed by artist Ed Benedict and a talented team of animators, the unique cartoon took off, and fast. “The Flintstones” ignited a following with loyal audiences young and old, setting off a groundbreaking cascade that eventually paved the way for more prime-time favorites such as “The Jetsons,” “Top Cat,” and such current mega-hits as “The Simpsons” and ” Family Guy.”

Stephenson credits Barbera’s talent for directing the cast as a key to the show’s charm, at least vocally. During those smoke-filled studio recording sessions (the show was sponsored by Winston cigarettes for a while), it was not uncommon to hear Barbera barking over the speaker, “I paid a lot of money for this script, so I want to hear the lines!”

The verbal gymnastics were always bold and lively. “Very seldom did he want anyone to talk in a moderate tone or conversational tone,” Stephenson explains. “He wanted it up there, right in your face, punctuated, laid out and hit!”

Over decades, “The Flintstones” spawned many reincarnations, including several new series attempts (even a proposed series titled “The Blackstones”) and in the 1990s Fred and Wilma became movie stars with a pair of live-action feature films for Universal Studios.

One spinoff in 1979 was a short-lived segment of “The New Fred and Barney Show” on NBC called “The Frankenstones,” which mixed “The Flintstones” talent with a touch of “The Munsters.” Paul Reubens, just getting started in his television career, provided a voice on the show.

“I’m a big fan of ‘The Flintstones,’ so when I worked on ‘The Frankenstones,’ it was really exciting,” he recalls. “The whole idea of going to a recording studio with Fred and Wilma Flintstone was unbelievable and a little intimidating. I worked with Mel Blanc and that was unforgettable. The first time I went in there, it was so amazing to hear those famous voices come out of real people’s mouths; and these grown people were taking their work so seriously. It amazed me and I couldn’t’ wait to go to work.”

The classic series, for now, is at home on Cartoon Network’s Boomerang channel and it continues to be a viable worldwide franchise for Warner Bros. Animation, the characters’ current owner. Just look on any grocer’s store shelves and you’ll see “yabba-dabba-delicious” Fruity Pebbles cereal and other sugary flavors plus colorful Flintstones vitamins within reach for all the kiddies.

Marking the show’s golden anniversary, Boomerang will air the first episode of “The Flintstones” on Sept. 30 at 8:30 p.m., 50 years exactly to the date and hour of its premiere. A 24-hour marathon of classic episodes will air on Boomerang beginning Oct. 2 at 6 a.m.

Arguably, “The Flintstones” was the best thing created by cartoon moguls Hanna and Barbera. The show may be five decades older, but fans of classic TV will attest: It’s still a gem.

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MY TAKE: I would imagine that the number of DVD duplication service requests to reproduce this show are off the charts. It was a huge hit for me growing up and still is. I have an 11-year old son. I bought him a DVD copy of the Flintstones from one season and he loves it. He relates to the show as if it were 1960 all over again and it makes me happy because I often worry that he is learning way more about how to download PS3 games than he is about art and history and culture and good old fashioned animation. He does have PS3 download access to games online and some of them are cartoons. But a lot of them aren’t. So it’s good he’s got access to the shows on DVD. Keep ‘em comin!

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Other Resources

Aspects of Server Hosting

As a company that requires server hosting, it can be a rather handy thing to investigate different hosting options because doing so means that a company will be the most efficient it can be. As far as dedicated server hosting is concerned, this type of hosting will usually be the sort of set up that is most often seen in colocation facilities and one of the most obvious aspects of such facilities is that a company will usually look into making sure that the facility offers redundant power sources because the most important thing is to make sure the facility’s lights stay on.

SOURCE: Associated Press

A real estate broker rescued after four days lost in the desolate Joshua Tree National Park says he focused on remaining still to avoid heat exhaustion and writing messages to his family on his hat, according to his wife.

Edward Rosenthal, 64, was on a day hike when he made a wrong turn trying to get back to his car on Sept. 24, Nicole Kaplan told The Associated Press by telephone just hours after her husband was rescued by a San Bernardino County sheriff’s helicopter crew. He then strayed 13 miles before stopping and waiting for help.

“He realized he was lost and could not go any further, so he lied low and wrote on his hat,” Kaplan said.

Temperatures in the area nudged toward 100 degrees during the week, a park spokesman said.

On the hat, Rosenthal told Kaplan he wanted Persian food served if they had a wake or party to celebrate his life.

“He had certain poems he wanted read. A vacation that we had planned, who I should take in his place, that I should still go on the vacation. Some of his clients that he wanted me to thank. It was very heartfelt,” she said.

He told her that if she ever got down to “just think about him and how much he loved me and there is always hope.” He also wrote messages of love to their daughter.

Rosenthal was weak and severely dehydrated when rescuers found him but was lucid and remembered each day of his ordeal, his wife of 21 years said. He was admitted to the intensive care unit at High Desert Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition.

Rosenthal is known around Los Angeles for writing short, humorous poems and reading them aloud at public events. So he naturally had a pen with him, Kaplan said. But he had no paper, so he used the hat. It got crowded and he used a lot of abbreviations, but it was legible, and the pen never ran out of ink, Kaplan said.

Their daughter, who has been in the desert all week helping in the search effort, wasn’t in the room when Rosenthal was reunited with his wife. His first question was: “Where’s Hillary?” Kaplan said.

The Hat in the Heat
It’s not clear what kind of hat Resenthal was wearing or writing on, but had it been found posthumously it would have been an emotional form of data recovery, considering the content. Clearly, the hat will become a family heirloom.

Kaplan was carrying around part of the hat Thursday afternoon, while her daughter had the back flap.

“We will probably frame the hat, along with the map the ranger gave us showing exactly where he was found,” Kaplan said.

Rosenthal was being given only water and juice Thursday, but when he regains his strength, he’ll get that Persian food he craved on the hiking trail. And he won’t have to wait until he dies for that party with friends either, Kaplan said.

Then the family, who lives in Culver City, about 150 miles west of Joshua Tree, will return to the desert to somehow thank the rescue crews, who used horses, dogs and helicopters to find Rosenthal.

“There is no way he could have been found if it weren’t for them,” Kaplan said. “They were relentless.”

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MY TAKE: I’m not sure what the San Bernardino County sheriffs department was using as data recovery solutions or search tools, but there’s no doubt this guy was going to die if they didn’t find him. He took a wrong turn on his hike right smack in the middle of some of the hottest days on record in Southern California. It was so hot, 117 degrees in some areas that week, that this Realtor must have been thinking it would have been cooler trying to show Arizona new homes for sale than run around Culver City or Los Angeles. Not that Arizona’s market is doing all that great: Phoenix AZ foreclosures are among the highest in the nation.

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OTHER RESOURCES

Chinese Orders Still Up

The lumber industry is always looking for the hottest housing markets so as to concentrate advertising efforts in those geographic locations and as far as the hottest markets on the planet are concerned, China has definitely started to fill the void otherwise left by the United States and other Western countries that have not yet seen their housing markets and demand for live edge furniture increase significantly. The Chinese have certainly been putting in more orders for lumber in the past year and Canadian lumber outfits have been very quick to respond to that need by forming strong trade relationships.

Only Two Songs for Oscar

There have apparently been only two songs deemed worthy for this year’s Academy Awards for original song and while there were a number of scores nominated for their style in production music, many people are wondering why only two songs made the cut for best song of the year when there were some clear contenders throughout the year such as a song by Madonna that she wrote for the film she directed. One of the reasons why the Madonna song didn’t make the cut was it was listed second on the closing credits, which has been cited as a very odd rule in the Academy Awards rulebook.

Pakistanis Consider International Training

With the volleyball teams of Pakistan reaching new heights in their ability to beat local teams and improve their skills on the volleyball court, it would appear that the country is considering sending the junior volleyball team in the country abroad to practice for an upcoming championship. The chairman of the Pakistan Volleyball Federation has said that there is no specific plan yet to send students abroad, but that it is likely that there will be discussion on the subject soon. The federation is hopeful international exposure will help the team improve when they play against teams from other countries.

Competitive Archery

Not only does archery enjoy a renewed popularity in hunting circles, but there are also several national and international competitions that focus on archery. Competitive archery will generally involve the shooting of arrows at a specified target. The archer will compete at various distances from the target and may use a traditional bow or compound bow for competition. Beyond straight target shooting, there is also a popular variant of archery competition called field archery which generally takes place in a wooded area and is often practiced in Europe and the United States. Modern archery competition also includes novelty games and historical archery demonstrations.

Call a Lawyer

Denver car accident lawyers can work with you if you have been involved in an accident and it was your fault. You need a criminal lawyer Denver CO especially if there were drugs and alcohol involved in your accident as you will be facing serious charges, all the more serious if there was a death involving another driver or passenger. Don’t hesitate to call a lawyer. You need someone working on your case immediately.

Employee Protections

If you have been victimized by an employer via sexual harassment or some form of discrimination, you can get help from New York sexual harassment lawyers. Harassment and discrimination cases involving workers are common, but you are not alone. Contact a NY discrimination lawyer if you have been treated unfairly because of your race, gender, sexual preferences or your religious beliefs. You do not have to tolerate intolerance.

SOURCE: Reuters

Producers of Australia’s Next Top Model are facing an awkward moment: supermodel host Sarah Murdoch announced the wrong winner in what newspapers said was the country’s biggest TV blunder.

Murdoch, the daughter-in-law of media baron Rupert Murdoch, was close to tears after realizing she had mistakenly announced Sydney 19-year old Kelsey Martinovich as the winner of the Foxtel TV series during the live finale.

Martinovich had completed her acceptance speech before Murdoch backtracked on stage to reveal the real winner from a public vote was 18-year-old Gold Coast rival Amanda Ware.

“I don’t know what to say right now. I’m feeling a bit sick about this,” Murdoch told a 2,000-strong live audience.

“I’m so sorry. Oh my God, I don’t know what to say. This is what happens when you have live TV folks, this is insane, insane, insane.”

Foxtel is owned by Australian phone company Telstra, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and Consolidated Media Holdings.

Foxtel publicity director Jamie Campbell Wednesday blamed a miscommunication between series directors in a broadcasting truck control room and Murdoch on stage.

Series judge and fashion designer Alex Perry told Sydney radio that Murdoch had made a genuine mistake, denying accusations in media reports that the bizarre mix-up was a publicity stunt.

“Everybody wants to tag something sinister on it and say it was done for ratings. I know Sarah and I know the executive producer. It’s just not their style,” Perry said.

Martinovich may have had a short-lived reign as Australia’s Next Top Model, but it wasn’t all bad news as Foxtel said she would receive a A$20,000 ($19,360) cash prize and trip to New York as consolation, almost matching Ware’s series spoils.

Ware won an appearance in Harpers Bazaar magazine, a modeling contract, A$20,000, a trip to New York and a car.

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MY TAKE: Not a good thing if she was in True Religion jeans. Or, if she was modeling Mek denim. Then again, sometimes a TV blunder can get the “blunderee” more press than the winner herself. This kind of publicity doesn’t exactly work if you’re a hair thinning specialist and you reveal the name of your star clients. Stars do their best to keep the facts surrounding their “work” as private as possible. That includes the guys who slip out and get a hair transplant and recoup for a week before heading back to L.A. for their close up.

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OTHER SOURCES

Fee Worries Resolved

Redwood City DWI attorney fees can be extremely high. If you’ve been given a quote by Redwood City CA attorneys and you can’t afford the fees, check with the California Legal Aid Society for help. Click here for more info.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

Yosemite marks its 120th year as a national park Friday, a celebration of a beautiful open space that attracts some 4 million visitors per year.

First, rangers don’t dance with bears anymore. (Enid Michael, above, served in the park as a naturalist and ranger from 1921 to 1942.) There is no more model train power supply. In fact there are no more model trains running in the displays at the visitor center.

Second, parts of the park — the mega-popular Valley and Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias — were protected much earlier, in 1864, after President Lincoln signed a bill to protect the two tracts.

The National Park Service isn’t planning anything special for the park’s 120th birthday, but that doesn’t preclude you from honoring the country’s third official national park (after Yellowstone and Sequoia). Here are some ideas to get the party started.

>”National Parks: America’s Best Idea”: Even if you’ve seen it before, watch Part 1 of Ken Burns’ six-part documentary (or the whole series) that chronicles the history of John Muir and Yosemite, or read the accompanying book of the same title. Then craft your own travel plan; for inspiration, read the L.A. Times story  “Trip to Yosemite – in an Airstream.”

>”Yosemite Through the Eyes of a Buffalo Soldier, 1904”: This stage show at the park features ranger Shelton Johnson, who presents the overlooked story of the African American Army regiment tasked with protecting Yosemite and serving as the first park rangers after the Civil War. 7 p.m. Sunday, Yosemite Theatre LIVE.

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MY TAKE: I don’t care if you’re a Brockville drinking and driving lawyer, a Manhattan taxi driver, or a Dallas school teacher, if you haven’t been to Yosemite and there is any remote possibility you might not ever go if you don’t plan for it now, quit your job, or get a vacation approval, and head up there now. That goes for you too, Toronto criminal lawyer. This is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, but take it from an insider: The landscape will blow any Piermont homes or Palisades real estate owner out of water, but you will enjoy it more if you go in late summer or late Autumn. Fewer people, more wildlife.

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Other Resources

Teacup Yorkie and Coats

As Yorkshire terriers and the Teacup Yorkie will often have a very easily identifiable long blue and brown coat, what is not commonly known is that these dogs are a terrific type of animal for people with an allergy to dog fur. The glossy and fine coat is a hypoallergenic type of fur and these dogs shed very little of their coat when washed. A dog allergy is generally caused by pet dander animal saliva and with less shedding comes fewer potential allergies. Although not all people who are allergic to dogs will be able to tolerate the Yorkie, the chance is still there.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

Despite a recent report indicating home values may have crept up in July, economists predict weak growth in housing and a decline in home prices as the year winds to a close.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index of 20 metropolitan areas showed that prices of previously owned single-family homes rose 0.6% in July from June and 3.2% over July 2009.

The closely watched index encompasses data from May, June and July. Although sales plummeted in July they were bolstered by popular federal tax credits for buyers in May and June. Other housing indicators, such as starts for new construction and some price measures, also have shown weakness.

“The housing market is in awful shape; it is probably as bad as it has been in 60 years,” said Patrick Newport, U.S. economist for consultancy IHS Global Insight. “You have weak demand, a lot of foreclosures and a big glut, and even though the Case-Shiller numbers were up for the month, we still think they are going to drop.”

Separately, an index of consumer confidence fell to a seven-month low in September after having improved in August, according to data released Tuesday, underscoring concern Americans have about the economy and their future prospects.

The market for previously owned homes swooned in July, with sales dropping 27% to the lowest level in more than a decade after the boost from the federal tax credit evaporated, according to the National Assn. of Realtors. That number improved somewhat in August, rising 7.6%, but was not enough to stir confidence that the housing market would recover robustly this year.

Celia Chen, a housing economist for Moody’s Economy.com, said she expects prices to fall as more banks step up their repossession of homes through foreclosure and put those properties back on the market. Lenders have been seizing houses at a record clip this year, taking back 95,364 U.S. properties in August, according to Irvine-based RealtyTrac, the highest monthly total in the research firm’s records.

“Eventually those homes are going to end up as discounted for-sale homes and will pull down prices,” Chen said. “So we are in for weakness.”

Prices in 12 of the 20 cities measured by the Case-Shiller index increased in July over June. The nonseasonally adjusted index showed home prices in California cities continued to appreciate, with Los Angeles up 0.3% from June, San Diego up 0.7% and San Francisco up 0.5%.

Some of the cities that saw the biggest gains were Detroit, up 1.6% from the previous month; New York, 1.3%; Washington, 1.1%; and Chicago, 1%.

Cities that declined included Las Vegas, which fell the most, 0.8%; Phoenix, down 0.6%; and Denver, 0.4%.

Separately, the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, dropped to 48.5 in September, down from 53.2 in August. The index is based on the Conference Board’s survey of 5,000 U.S. households.

The private research group started the survey in 1967. The index is benchmarked to consumer sentiment in 1985, because that year was neither a peak nor a trough, and any reading above 100 indicates strong growth.

Stuart Hoffman, chief economist for PNC Financial Services Group, called the number disappointing and an indication that consumers remain “fickle.”

The present situation index, a Conference Board gauge of consumer sentiment about current economic conditions, fell to 23.1 from 24.9. The board’s expectations index, which measures consumer sentiment about what future economic conditions will bring, also fell, to 65.4 from 72.

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MY TAKE: In my mind, you’d be better off investing right now in network security, work benches, or some other commodity that can trade for real cash value on the market, as real estate is and probably will remain in the dump for quite a while. Ok, network security software or the big mobile drawer cabinet manufacturer may not appeal to your investment strategies but the point is, until prices come back up, REITS and other real estate products are not a good bet.

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OTHER SOURCES

Retirement Connections

Senior online community sites are among the fastest growing segment in online social networking. Why? Because baby boomers set to retire comprise one of the largest segments of the working population now and they are tech savvy, social butterflies by nature. They are also looking for more than a retirement calendar online. They are looking up investment strategies; partnership options with potential entrepreneurs who are planning their second, third or even fourth careers, and they are dating!

Sorting Tough Law issues

It doesn’t matter whether you are working with the best Murfreesboro family law attorney or have hired the West Palm Beach FL alimony attorney to the stars. The rules guiding family courts are generally bound by individual states. What does this mean to you? It means that whether you are working with a pro-bono Nashville TN divorce lawyer or a high-priced West Palm Beach FL family attorneys your divorce, custody or alimony case will fall under court guidelines for your state. Your lawyer may have more experience navigating these guidelines than another lawyer, which will help. But be prepared to find out that your case will have boundaries to follow.

SOURCE: CNN

A spokeswoman for Aretha Franklin’s confirmed that the Queen of Soul’s son was severely beaten at a gas station in Detroit..

Eddie Franklin was attacked Monday night and was undergoing surgery at a hospital, Gwendolyn Quinn said in a statement. She said three people may have been involved in the attack, but did not address a possible motive.

Quinn told The Associated Press she didn’t have any additional information beyond the written statement.

Detroit police spokeswoman Eren Stephens said a female acquaintance was with Franklin just before the beating took place. The woman walked into the gas station, and when she returned, the assault had taken place, Stephens said.

Police said the woman then drove Franklin to the hospital, dropped him off and headed to a police station to file a report.

Stephens said investigators want to talk to Franklin about the circumstances of the attack once he’s able to speak to them.

Aretha Franklin, known as the Queen of Soul, is one of the most honored musicians in American history, having won numerous Grammys; the National Medal of Arts; the Presidential Medal of Freedom and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Her hits include “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools” and her signature song, “Respect.”

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MY TAKE: I didn’t know the Queen of Soul had a son. For all we know he’s works for home healthcare providers or makes key blanks for Home Depot. She’s done a good job of making sure we don’t know him. The attack is terrible, regardless. I’ve heard of lockpicks breaking into Aretha’s home in the past, but never heard about her son. It’s possible he was in some kind of trouble. There’s a growing number of people who like to play blackjack online or Poker for real money and then can’t pay it back when they lose. Maybe he owed people money he lost in online casino gambling. Maybe it’s jealousy? Maybe it’s a racial thing? I just hope he’s OK.

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OTHER RESOURCES

Drug Defenders

A drug attorney Philadelphia courts provides for you won’t have near the experience or incentive to help you beat your case. If you need one of the best Bucks County criminal attorneys there is hire one and worry about the expenses later.

Event Planners

If you’re putting on a big event and need to pad wall space or provide bleacher enclosures, you have options. There are many online companies that rent this equipment. They will come in measure the space and on the day of your event they will install everything and take it down after you’re event is over.

SOURCE: CNN

Toy manufacturer Fisher-Price has recalled roughly 10 million toys and other products determined to be too dangerous for children including some tricycles and sitting chairs.

The toy maker said it has recalled about 2.8 million of several types of baby play areas with inflatable balls because of problems with choking. It also recalled 125,000 of the toys in Canada.

The company found that a valve from the inflatable ball can come off and become a choking hazard.

Fisher-Price said it knew of 46 reports where the valve came off in the U.S. and eight incidents in Canada.

“These include 14 reports of the valve found in a child’s mouth and three reports of a child beginning to choke. No injuries have been reported,” the company said.

Details of recalled toys on Mattel website

More than 7 million tricycles were also being recalled over a protruding part that had cut children, the company said.

The company said it was “aware of 10 reports of incidents resulting in injury. Six of the incidents required medical attention.”

Fisher-Price, which is part of Mattel Inc., also said it recalled about 120,000 small car toys because of at least two reported cases where the wheels came off and caused a choking hazard.

Along with the toys, the company also recalled close to a million of several types of high chairs because of 14 reports of children being cut by the legs of the items.

In seven of the cases, the injured children needed stitches, the company said.

Customers can call the Fisher-Price hot line at 800-432-5437 for more information.

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MY TAKE: Los Angeles lemon law attorneys unfortunately can’t help with defective toys or chairs. The CA lemon law pertains to the sale of used cars. But, what Mattel and other toy manufacturers ought to do is create questionnaire software programs that let customers find out about the pas recall efforts of toys so they don’t miss anything. Taking it one step further, the companies could employ online survey software to let parents give feedback about toys 24/7 to further ensure the latest information gets disseminated.

It’s not just toys and parts that can choke a child. You’ve probably seen those vinyl name wall decals you can stick on your child’s wall right? Those vinyl wall letters are super fun to peel off so be careful and make sure they are put up high enough to not be reached and eaten.

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OTHER RESOURCES

Do a Little Waving

If you’re looking for signal flags or other miniature flags for projects, events or the classroom you can buy them in bulk online and save money. Need 5,000 Texas flags for a convention? Click here.

Does Your Basement Have Potential?

If you’re in the Denver area and are thinking about Denver basement refinishing you could be on track to save a lot of money by redoing your basement to add an extra room instead of construction of a new room from the ground up. Denver Colorado basement remodeling contractors are all different, charge different fees and even provide varying levels of service. Be sure to shop around for at least three to five contractors, get estimates in writing from all of them and ask for customer referrals.