Pakistan Government officials have announced an Internet ban imposed on more than 450 websites that was set in place today, May 20th, 2010. The main reason cited by Islamabad officials was the deeply sacrilegious and derogatory material present on these sites.
Immediately after their filter was put into place, Pakist… (read more)
Filed under: Etc., Celebrities
For all the talk of heavyweight star power, in all but the most extreme cases, it is directors that have the most power on the set, not the celebrities. That’s apparently how it happens that Michael Bay has removed Megan Fox from Transformers 3, who is said to have insulted Bay at almost every chance she got, calling him Hitler, Napoleon, a “nightmare to work for,” and “hopelessly awkward.” Actually, that last comment she meant to be a compliment.
The official line is that Fox was cut because “giving Shia a new love interest makes more sense for the story.” If you buy that one of the most popular features of the franchise needed to be replaced – or that Sam Witwicky was looking for a hotter, more badass accomplice, well, we’ve got a few other things we’d like to sell you. We’ll wait to find out who Michael Bay’s got in mind to replace her, and who knows – casting hopefuls might be busy learning how to wash his Ferrari as we speak…
Report: Transformers 3 will not have Megan Fox originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 May 2010 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Buick Regal GS Concept
Earlier this year, during a live chat on GM’s FastLane Blog, former Buick/GMC General Manager Brian Sweeney told us that General Motors has no plans on doing a coupe or sport wagon version of the new 2011 Buick Regal. However, Sweeney reaffirmed GM’s interest in bringing the high-performance Regal GS sedan to the market.
Speaking to The Detroit News, Tom Stephens, vice chairman of global product development, confirmed that the Regal GS has been approved for production; however, he did not offer details on when we can expect to see the model in showrooms.
Click here to get pricing on the 2011 Buick Regal.
The production Regal GS is expected to stay close to the concept version shown at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, including the 255-hp 4-cylinder turbo, 6-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel drive.
Back in January when Sweeney was asked whether or not GM will offer the Regal GS with the 325-hp 2.8L Turbo V6 found in the Opel Insignia OPC (AWD), he said: “At 255hp with 0-60 in less than 6 seconds we think we’re in good shape.”
As for the Regal sedan itself, the model is currently being imported directly from Germany and 25 units have been sold so far.
Click here for more Buick Regal news.
– By: Omar Rana
Source: Detroit News
We see nearly identical stories every six months or so, but Chris Curvey has sent in the latest involving the various US collection societies — ASCAP, BMI and SESAC threatening a little coffee shop into canceling all live music, after demanding a performance license, despite the fact that the coffee shop only has local, unsigned bands playing, with a promise that they won’t play any cover songs. It’s the same old story that we hear over and over again. The venue insists that only unsigned bands are playing, and they’re not playing ASCAP music, and ASCAP says that it doesn’t matter. You need to pay up just in case a band happens to hum someone else’s song:
“I am 100 percent in compliance,” Hopper said. “I’m not charging cover at the door. I’m not paying the bands, and they are just playing songs they wrote. They essentially said to me, ‘We don’t care. We have this low-end licensing fee you must have because there is a chance your band might play a cover song.’ ”
This has been happening all over the country, and the end result is actually causing massive harm for up-and-coming artists. That’s because these kinds of coffee shops and small bars that used to be where most musicians would get their start via open mic nights, are now banning all music to avoid having to pay these licenses. It means there are fewer places for musicians to have a chance to perform in front of a live audience. ASCAP/BMI/SESAC claiming that they’re helping artists is a flat out lie. Their mission is really to support the largest acts at the expense of smaller acts, and ridiculous demands on coffee shops like the one above contributes to that situation. They even admit it at times, when you catch them talking candidly.
Some folks have been willing to stand up to these collection societies, like the town in Connecticut who received license demands for music played at the town center. In response, the town council voted to ignore the threats. But, it seems that it’s just easier for most little shops to just stop playing music altogether. Of course, that goes against ASCAP’s public claims of being in the interest of artists, but ASCAP and BMI have made their real goals clear through their actions, and it has little to do with actually helping up-and-coming artists. After all, they might compete with the big stars.
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Many student aspire to be part of the University of California Berkley incoming student population.
While entrance examinations and aptitude examinations and panel interviews are routine screenings for a student to be admitted in such a university, just this month, something else is new. In addition to SAT scores, applicants are taken DNA (dioxyribonucleic acid) test for three gene parameters. Such genes will indicate and reveal how strong one students capacity is to resist alcohol, his ability to metabolize folic acid and the sugar lactose.
Just like any other tests, this will be kept confidential in the school’s database. Of course, knowing the results, the students will be able to take advantage of the data on how they can improve their way of living better to follow a healthier lifestyle. Furthermore, they were previously asked to widen their knowledge on living healthy and acquiring a healthy lifestyle by reading journals. According to the Mark Schlissel, Dean of the Division of Biological Sciences of the University of California Berkley, “We don’t just give you books to read. We involve you in cutting edge issues in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. You won’t see this anywhere else in higher education.”, proud of their unique values and continued pursuit of academic excellence.
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Thursday May 20, 2010 a serious cyclone has hit southeastern India, leaving behind broken power lines and damaging electrical installations bringing darkness all over the place.
Around 15 people have died during the cyclone, waves grew as high as 3 meters and it was raining like crazy according to Chief Minister Andhra Pradesh.
Peak winds reached up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) per hour mixed with heavy rain. The cyclone hit the coastal town of Bapatla which is around 400 kilometers (250 miles) southeast of Hyderabad that is the state capital.
More than 50,000 perople have been evacuated as welfare agencies guided them to safety. It is said to have been the worst cyclone in 14 years. Those affected are given temporary shelter at government buildings and schools said minister Dharmana Prasad Rao.
According to some sources 55 fishermen went missing after this tragedy, officials told vessels and owners to stay in port.
“We are making all-out efforts to prevent the loss of human lives and to minimize damage to public and private property,” Rosaiah told reporters.
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Is this the next stroke of brilliance from Infiniti? We’ll have to wait until the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event in August to find out.
As has been its custom the past couple of years, Nissan’s luxury-division carmaker has been revealing its wares at events surrounding the California concours. And today we’ve obtained teaser “brush strokes” of two cars to be shown there this summer.
Here’s what we know: One of the Pebble debuts will be a mainstream vehicle, the other a performance version. The vehicles are expected to be derivatives of current models in the portfolio.
We can say with certainty they’ll wear Infiniti badges, but speculation of either one being a coupe variant of the new M sedan is wrong, we’re told.
Officially, Nissan and Infiniti spokespeople are saying wait until August for more clues.
For more
At just 24 years old, the young American Idol contestant and Lee DeWyze is a true American idol.
And, last night, after playing the song “Hallelujah” in the singing contest, the audience of the arena in Los Angeles not only exploded in applause, but also the name of Lee turned up today in one of the topics most followed on Twitter and Google.
It stressed that the show’s judge, Simon Cowell, was that Lee gave the theme to interpret it in the penultimate night of singing contest. The English music producer was more than delighted with DeWyze, after his interpretation.
If you are asking, who got kicked off american idol may 19th? The answer is Casey James. He had a serious motorcycle accident at the age 21, but he overcame the injuries and got this far in the competition.
The may 19th American Idol results: Lee is competing for the title of American Idol with Crystal Bowersox. The final show will be broadcast live and live in Peru, on Wednesday 26 and through the sign of Sony.
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Chevrolet
About a month ago, General Motors said it will be breaking up with long-time ad agency Campbell-Ewald, a Detroit-based ad agency that has worked for the automaker since 1919. Chevrolet eventually moved its ad account to Publicis Worldwide, a Paris based agency.
New reports say that GM’s new marketing chief, Joel Ewanick, plans to shift primary responsibility for Chevy’s advertising to Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.
According to sources that spoke with AdWeek, the move will undo the decision in April to transfer creative work on Chevrolet to Publicis Worldwide. Ewanick, who was hired by GM earlier this month, used Goodby when he led marketing at Hyundai Motor America.
AdWeek also says that Campbell-Ewald is being rehired for Chevrolet retail and sponsorship work.
Publicis USA CEO Susan Giannino said she has heard nothing and is continuing its work on Chevrolet as planned. Goodby declined to comment.
– By: Kap Shah
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)
IPS is pleased to announce that from the 1st of June 2010, Sanjay Suri will assume the post of Editor in Chief and Diana Cariboni will be the associate Editor in Chief. This decision has come following a six-month transition period, successfully carried out by Suri and Cariboni, with a valuable contribution from Pablo Piacentini, one of the founders of IPS, and the current Director of the IPS Columnist Service.
These last six months, Suri and Cariboni have worked with their colleagues to strengthen the daily editorial quality of IPS copy, initiate a new series of multi-authored global stories and increase the flow of translations between our main languages. Among major events covered in this period, Cariboni led the team that reported from the Copenhagen climate change negotiations and Suri led the team that produced TerraViva at the Beijing + 15 celebrations in New York.
In his announcement IPS Director General Mario Lubetkin noted that Suri and Cariboni are skilled and energetic professionals with all the characteristics to lead the IPS news agency, which is at the heart of our organisation, and was delighted to make these new appointments.
We wish both of them the best of luck with this new challenge, and we know that they will be able to count on the support of all their colleagues at IPS.
Last time we checked, Gran Turismo 5 is still at 90% complete somewhat of a disappointment, especially considering that the game has been in development since dinosaurs roamed the planet. But if you take a closer
2011 Ford Flex Titanium
We recently heard reports on how FoMoCo is still dedicated to the Flex crossover even with the arrival of the next-generation three-row Ford Explorer on the way. Well, to show its dedication and commitment Ford has quality launched the new 2011 For Flex lineup, which now consists of a new trim-level called “Titanium.”
Click here to get prices on the 2011 Ford Flex.
The 2011 Flex Titanium gets most of its packaging content from the Limited model but also adds:
Prices for the 2011 Ford Flex Titanium start at $40,340 when mated to a 3.5L V6 Duratec FWD and $42,190 if you go for AWD. The 2011 Ford Flex Titanium 3.5L EcoBoost V6 (only available with AWD) starts at $45,185. With every single option offered by Ford, the Ford Flex Titanium 3.5L EcoBoost V6 AWD can carry a price tag of $54,152… ouch.
– By: Omar Rana
John Shepherd-Barron, creator of the first automated teller machine (ATM), died at tage 84 in Raigmore Hospital, Scotland. He was credited for the design of a machine that used special checks matched with a personal identification number to withdraw cash. Comedy actor Reg Varney was the first person to use the machine in 1967, also made it first in UK. He studied at the University of Edinburg and University of Cambridge and later on worked as a managing director of Dela Rue Instruments. Barron was honored in the New Year’s Honours List in 2005. Puggal notes there are around 2 million teller machines worldwide.
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Those who want to Enroll at UC-Berkeley need more than just transcripts and SAT scores when applying. Applicants will go through cotton swab and 2 bar code stickers. Those who would like to take an DNA test will be given the option to do so. The DNA test will be tested for three genes, its results will reveal how strong one students ability is to resist alcohol and metabolize folic lactose and acid.
All the information will be kept in a secret database. It is for their own good so one can change lifestyle and diets. In previous enrollments, students have been asked to read journals and books about lifestyle and behaviour.
“This type of experience is one of the true, unique values of a Berkeley education. We don’t just give you books to read. We involve you in cutting edge issues in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. You won’t see this anywhere else in higher education.” Said Mark Schlissel, Dean of the Division of Biological Sciences.
Questions arise as Universities nowadays require more and more from their students. Not everyone would like your personal DNA to be put in a database, even though they say its kept confidential. Who knows if those DNA data will be used in future testing.
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Scientists at Harvard University analyzed several studies involving more than one million people and found that eating just 50 grams of processed meat a day can increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
By contrast, no processed meats such as steaks, lamb and pork, has less risk of producing any evil in the heart, although both forms of meat have a similar content of fat, say researchers in the journal Circulation.
According to scientists, as both products have similar amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat, the difference could be in the salt and preservatives that are added to processed meat.
Processed products include any meat preserved with smoke, salted, such as bacon, sausages, salami, ham and other meats.
It is known that salt increases blood pressure for some people and this is a key risk factor for coronary heart disease.
In animal studies have found that the nitrates are used as preservatives may promote atherosclerosis (fatty deposits in arteries) and reduce glucose tolerance, which lead to heart problems and diabetes.
Team of the School of Public Health at Harvard University who analyzed 20 studies conducted in 10 countries, determined that each portion of 50 grams of processed meat a day was associated with an increase of 42% in the odds of developing coronary disease, and a 19% increase in risk of diabetes.
“Although this type of long-term observational studies can not prove cause and effect, all studies took into account other risk factors,” says Dr. Dr. Renata Micha, who led the study.
“Also, lifestyle factors associated with the consumption of unprocessed and processed meat were similar, but only processed meats showed a link with a high risk,” he added. (BBC)
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Mais um recall está sendo realizado pela Toyota, dessa vez com o Lexus onde 11.500 veículos estão sendo convocados para uma manutenção, devido a problemas no controle do sistema de direção. A versão convocada do Lexus é a LS, que é vendida no Japão, EUA, China e Europa.
A Toyota declara para a agência EFE, que a maioria dos carros afetados estão concentrados no Japão, e que o recall será realizado em 4.500 unidades. Em outros países, serão um total de 7.000 unidades que realizarão o recall.
Segundo a montadora, os veículos convocados não possuem a função de controle de direção, que se chama VGRS e que ajusta a resposta do carro ao movimento do volante. Os modelos que foram afetados são: LS 460, LS 460L, LS600h e LS600hL.
Via | Quatro Rodas
Google Wave is now open to everyone. Any user with a Google account can log into the service, create a new Wave or participate in an existing one. But that’s only half of the news at Google I/O 2010. Google is also introducing Wave for Google Apps. Administrators will now be able to turn on the service for their companies and the tool shou… (read more)
Filed under: Motorsports
If you’ve been following this year’s Formula One World Championship and wonder how the backmarkers – mostly the new teams that joined the grid for 2010 – have been allowed to compete given their lagging performance, know that the FIA is on top of things.
According to emerging reports from the F1 paddock, FIA president Jean Todt is considering re-instituting a threshold in qualifying for each grand prix. Known colloquially as the 107% Rule, the measure demands that, in order for any driver to qualify for a grand prix, his or her qualification time has to be within 107% of the time set by the polesitter. The rule was last enforced in 2002, after which it was taken off the books. But in Todt’s eyes, it’s about time to bring it back.
Since implementing the regulation mid-season would require unanimous approval of all the teams – including those newcomers who’d be most effected by it – the FIA president (and former Ferrari chief) is looking towards bringing it back for next season, which would only require ratification by 70% of the teams. The sport’s commercial director Bernie Ecclestone reportedly supports the idea, but recommends changing the threshold to 105%. For his part, Todt says the measure is not intended to hurt the new teams, but rather force them to get with the program if they wish to compete and not merely fill the grid.
[Source: ESPN | Image: Fred DuFour/AFP/Getty]
FIA considers re-instituting 107% qualification threshold to keep out the riffraff originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 May 2010 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dragon Quest IX has officially set a new Guinness World Record. It’s not about sales, though Final Fantasy XIII outstrips it (qjnet/news/final-fantasy-xiii-is-last-years-top-seller-for-square-enix.html) just in Square Enix’s figures. There is, however, more than one way that
Reports reveal that Volkswagen wants to enter Formula One and participate as an engine supplier on the condition that the FIA approves use of the ‘world engine’ for 2013.
When it comes to branding, VW’s motor racing boss Kris Nissen said that it could be an Audi, a Porsche or a VW but that Skoda, Seat or Bentley won’t be well-suited. Nissen had been interviewed during last weekend’s Nurburgring 24 Hour race. Meanwhile, Toyota isn’t keen on returning to formula one in the near future. Toyota had failed to win a single grand prix during its more than $3 billion F1 experience from 2002 until last year. Former team principal Tadashi Yamashina told Automotive News about the “big gap” between formula one and Toyota’s actual car users, one of the reasons why it doesn’t sense the need for returning to the race.
[via worldcarfans]
Source: Car news, Car reviews, Spy shots
