Bush to Shoe Thrower : " You Miss Me Sucker...Better Luck Next Time"

President Bush visit to Iraq is a surprise one and a farewell visit before he steps down and a press conference, a pair of shoew were thrown at him. And he , Bush ducked twice just in time. Hmm..is this staged :)

Here is a video of the event (source : - celebrity oops pictures )

3D Universe From Sony's PS3

Sony to launch 3D universe

TOKYO - SONY said it would finally launch its 'Home' 3D social community for the PlayStation 3 worldwide on Thursday, enabling users to roam through a virtual universe filled with life-like characters.

The company hopes the service will boost interest in the PS3 in the face of fierce competition from Nintendo's Wii, which has proved a hit even with people who would not usually play video games.

The service is seen as a cross between social community website MySpace and Linden Lab's Second Life, which allows 'residents' to build homes, create vehicles, nightclubs and stores, and to communicate with instant messaging.

Sony said the service would deliver 'overwhelming visual graphics and rich gaming social experiences only possible on the PS3 platform.'

Users will be able to communicate online through text or voice chat, and enjoy mini-games, videos and special events. The basic service will be free but users will have to pay for some content and extras.

'We are committed to providing PS3 users with exciting gaming experiences with PlayStation Home,' said Kazuo Hirai, head of Sony's game unit.

Users will be able to dress up their life-like virtual characters, or avatars, in designer clothing, furnish their virtual apartments and access exclusive video content.

'Home' had originally been scheduled for launch in late 2007 but was delayed as Sony ironed out some problems with the service.

The Japanese icon, which announced Tuesday as many as 16,000 job cuts to cope with the global financial crisis, has much riding on the PS3 but faces competition from Microsoft's XBox 360 and Nintendo's Wii. -- AFP

http://www.straitstimes.com/

More Food Safety Scare

Well 2008 is surely not a safe year for the food industry. From the still on going Melamine tainted foodstuffs from China to now, the pork problem from Ireland. This time the pork is said to be tainted with dioxin.

The latest food scare is going to cost $128.2 million as this news article quoted.

DUBLIN, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Ireland worked on Monday to restart the supply of pork products after dioxin contamination caused the meat to be pulled from shelves in up to 25 countries, leaving producers facing a bill of at least 100 million euros ($128.2 million).

"There are indications from my members already that between debtors list and stock that they believe is in the system, we're looking at a bill in the region of 100 million (euros)," said Cormac Healy, director of The Irish Association of Pigmeat Processors (IAPP). "And we're just starting there."

News from this source :- Ireland faces $128 million bill on pork recall

The Rescue of Ingrid Betancourt Video

I deemed the dramatic rescue of Ingrid Betancourt in Columbia the most ’hot’ news of the past week. Not only it’s one of the good news we are missingg for a long time now. Anyway it’s also about the bravery of the Columbian soldiers who did the rescue. Bravo. They have released a video of the dramatic rescue and I included it here.

The reason for the release of this video is to dispel rumors that a large ransom had been paid out or there were outside elements or parties involved. News source :- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/colombia/2249599/Ingrid-Betancourt-hostage-rescue-Video-shows-audacious-Colombian-raid.html

Obama Barack Said No To Use of Public Campaign Fund

What's wrong with Obama refusing the use of public fund, which is limited to 85million for his champaign? As it's his right to do so and the 85 million can be put to better use throught out the country for education for instant.

Anyway a fuss is brewing over this issue when there is really no fuss at all. Perhaps it's just a chance to hit hot news headlines. Just look at the article below from a non-US paper. I extracted to whole thing below.

US elections: Obama faces backlash for refusing public campaign funding

Barack Obama faced widespread condemnation today from both right and left for reneging on a promise on election campaign financing.

The Democratic presidential candidate, who normally gets a good press, found himself in the unusual position of being under attack not only from his Republican rival John McCain but papers such as the New York Times and Washington Post, think-tanks committed to election reform and even his own supporters.

Obama promised last year that, provided his Republican rival would too, he would abide by the election funding scheme set up after the 1974 Watergate scandal. The scheme provides each candidate with $85m (£42.5m) from the public purse to fight the election campaign from early in September to November 4, on condition they accept no outside money.

McCain, less successful at fund-raising than Obama, agreed yesterday to take public funding but Obama said he is not going to participate, the first presidential candidate ever to do so.

Obama's campaign team insisted the candidate made the decision because the existing system is open to abuse by the Republicans. But signing up for the $85m deal would be squander a huge advantage he has in fund-raising.

Up to the end of April, Obama raised $265m, spent mainly on his battle for the Democratic nomination with Hillary Clinton, compared with McCain's $115m by the end of May. Obama is on course to raise at least another $265m between now and the election.

Steve Schmidt, a senior adviser in the McCain campaign team, led the attack today, saying that breaking the promise raised questions about trust. "As we scrutinise Barack Obama's words, it is increasingly difficult for those of us with the responsibility of following this year's election closely to discern what Obama truly believes at his core on the issues of great importance to the American people," Schmidt said.

The Republican party today distributed copies of editorials from major US papers, including the New York Times and the Washington Post.

The New York Times, said; "The excitement underpinning senator Barack Obama 's campaign rests considerably on his evocative vows to depart from self-interested politics. Unfortunately, Mr Obama has come up short of that standard with this decision to reject public spending limitations and opt instead for unlimited private financing in the general election."

The Washington Post was also indignant: "Mr Obama had an opportunity here to demonstrate that he really is a different kind of politician, willing to put principles and the promises he has made above political calculations. He made a different choice ... "

Michael Malbin, director of the non-partisan Campaign Finance Institute, expressed disappointment and said the system likely would have worked well again this year. He thought the money provided by public funds should have been sufficient: "A million dollars a day doesn't look to me like chicken feed."

The Democratic senator Russ Feingold, an Obama supporter, called Obama's retreat "not a good decision".

Obama has said before he believes that the more money spent, the better the chance of winning an election. He today aired his first general election ad on television across 18 states, an early demonstration of his spending power.

In an article for USA Today, Obama wrote: "The decision not to participate in the public financing system wasn't an easy one - especially because I support a robust system of public financing of elections. But the public financing of presidential elections, as it exists today, is broken - and the Republican Party apparatus has mastered the art of gaming this broken system."

His team argues that while McCain has agreed to the limit, there are right-wing groups with millions at their disposal who could back campaigns such as the Swift Boat one in 2004 that challenged the Vietnam record of the Democratic candidate, John Kerry. His team also says that the Republican party is cash-rich compared to the Democrats. Both parties can spend on campaigning separate from their candidates.

Obama's decision could spell the end of publicly financed election campaigns.

In other developments, Obama announced today that he and Clinton are to campaign jointly next Friday, the first time since she conceded the race a fortnight ago.

Obama has said he would not make any public comment about his search for a vice-presidential running mate but a Democratic congresswoman, Carolyn Kilpatrick, disclosed today after meeting his team vetting candidates that John Edwards, who was the vice-presidential candidate in 2004, and the former senator Sam Nunn are both on the list.

News Source
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/20/barackobama.johnmccain

Hillary Clinton supports Obama Barack

After a bitter competition in the last few months, Hillary Clinton is throwing her support for Obama. Will this formed the ultimate partnership of the century? Come November, if Obama becomes the first black US president, will he choose Hillary as the NO 2.

If this happens, then it is the ultimate partnership of the century. The first women vice president in US with the first black US president. this is history in making. Well I do hope Obama will choose Hillary.

Anyway here is the piece of news item I want to include here.

WASHINGTON - Without a hint of reservation in her voice or words, Hillary Clinton formally ended her presidential campaign yesterday and endorsed Barack Obama, a onetime rival she portrayed as a joint partner in a historic quest for the presidency.

"I think we all know that this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic Party is a family and now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together," the New York senator said at a midday rally at the National Building Museum. "We may have started on separate journeys, but today our paths merge."

Heralding Obama's candidacy as an opportunity to "stretch the boundaries of the possible," Clinton offered him her "full support" and vowed to "work my heart out" for his election. Her priorities were at stake, Clinton said, from universal healthcare coverage to control of the Supreme Court - suggesting that Obama would continue the "tremendous progress" made by her husband's administration.

"This is the yin and yang of the Democratic Party, and this speech created the perfect circle," said Mark Aronchick, a lawyer and fund-raiser who was chairman of Clinton's Pennsylvania campaign. "There will be nobody wondering, 'What does Hillary want?' "

Clinton, who had been officially running for president for 16 months, had declared "I'm in it to win it" upon declaring her candidacy last January. As late as Tuesday, after the final two primaries that gave Obama the necessary delegates for the nomination, Clinton insisted she would be "making no decisions" that night about whether to continue her candidacy.

Yesterday, she mounted a stage surrounded by her daughter, mother, and husband to wild applause from thousands of supporters. She waved, picked individual supporters out of the crowd, and took a little bow.

"Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company," Clinton said, framed by massive marbleized columns and encircled by supporters, some of whom leaned over the rafters beneath the museum's great hall.

The largely female crowd stretched down city blocks on a day when local broadcasters were advising citizens to remain indoors because of extreme heat. Sweat-soaked T-shirts outlined a campaign's life cycle in slogans, from "Rise Hillary Rise" to "Strength. Vision. Courage" to "Give 'Em Hill" to a freshly painted, homemade "Thank You."

More from this source : - http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/08/clinton_ends_her_bid_hails_obama/

Watch Latest News on Your PC or Laptop

Using PC satellite TV software is a quick way to watch satellite TV online for free. Although the viewing is free, you will need to pay a one time fee for the software.

With this software, it allows one to watch satellite TV instantly online and it is entirely free. You need not have to pay the TV stations to watch TV as what the software is receiving are free to Air TV broadcasts.

Free To Air TV broadcasts actually means that anyone is allowed to receive and watch the unencrypted broadcasts legally. The satellite stations are only very concerned if you send a signal to them. So unless you are sending them signals, there is nothing to worry about receiving free TV to watch.

You can watch satellite TV online and tune in to more than 3000 channels worldwide. TV channels online include movies, music, LIVE games, news, educational, kids channels and radio stations. So there is a channel for everyone in the family from grandparents to the youngest kid in the house.

This neat piece of software can be downloaded at several online authorized retailers. The whole process of downloading the PC satellite TV software to watch TV online from payment to installation and playtime takes no more than 1 hour even for PC dummies.

Similarly, there are some basic requirements for the online software to work properly on your PC. Requirements are quite identical with what was mentioned earlier. And you can watch satellite TV online on most operating systems like Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000 or XP. That is practically all Windows Operating Systems (OS).

Direct PCTV
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Chengdu - China Earthquake

Reported latest that the epicenter of the latest earthquake in China, Chengdu escaped major damages. However this not the case for the outlying ares from the epicenter. According to news report in www.timesonline.co.uk the external areas of Chengdu suffered extensive damage and casualties could be in the thousands.


Here is the full report.

Up to 5,000 people were reported to have been killed in a single Chinese county today after a major earthquake struck a densely populated area of in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

The quake, with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, flattened schools, offices and houses in Sichuan, and caused widespread damage in nearby Gansu and Yunnan as well as the sprawling municipality of Chongqing. The tremor was felt in cities across southeast Asia as far as Bangkok, more than 1,200 miles from the epicentre.

Wen Jiabao, the Chinese Premier, who flew immediately from Beijing to Sichuan province, called it a “major disaster” and urged calm.

The quake struck at 2.28pm (0628 GMT) 57 miles northwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu, which has a population of more than 12 million.

The state-run Xinhua news agency said that 3,000 to 5,000 were killed in Beichuan, a county of Sichuan province, and 10,000 were injured.

Xinhua reported that up to 900 students were trapped in the rubble of a high school collapsed in Dujiangyan, which has a population of some 600,000. Xinhua said that at least four children were confirmed dead there and quoted a local official saying “rows of houses” had also been demolished.

Another four children died and more than 100 were injured when two primary schools crumbled in Chongqing.

A resident of Mianyang, in Sichuan, said: “The air-conditioning unit fell off the wall. Vases are all broken. The sick in hospital have been moved outside to open fields. There is no electricity and no mobile phone reception. People are afraid of aftershocks."

“Facing disaster the most important thing is calm, confidence, courage and strong leadership,” Mr Wen told China’s CCTV television on a flight to the heart of the quake-hit zone. “We will definitely overcome this major disaster”.

President Hu Jintao urged an “all-out” effort to rescue victims.

Military troops were ordered to help with the disaster relief work. The international airport at Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, was closed and air travel disrupted elsewhere.

An Olympic spokesman said that none of the 31 venues for the Beijing Olympics in the capital and six other host cities had been damaged. “They are earthquake-proof to a high degree and no damage was done,” said Sun Weide of the Olympic communictions department.

Both the Chinese seismological bureau and the US Geological Survey, which use different scales, measured it at 7.8. A series of aftershocks continued to rock the region, including one of 5.8 felt near Chengdu, according to the USGS.

The phone network there and elsewhere around the country appeared to suffer a meltdown as people tried to find out what happened.

Resident of Chengdu said that they felt a violent shaking that threw glassware to the floor and toppled street lights.

Troops were immediately sent to help with disaster relief work in Wenchuan, a city of about 111,000 people. Tian Yixiang, who works for the emergency office of the People’s Liberation Army, said the soldiers would assist the local government there. Wenchuan is best-known as the home of the Wolong Nature Reserve, China's leading research and breeding base for the endangered giant panda. Calls to the base failed to connect.

The government in Aba prefecture of Sichuan province said buildings had collapsed and many were cracked. Mountain roads had been damaged.

The earthquake was felt as far away as Vietnam and Thailand, startling office workers in high-rise buildings. There were no reports of damage. In Beijing, office workers rushed in panic out of towers in the capital’s financial district.

One of China’s tallest buildings, the Jinmao Tower in Shanghai, as well as other skyscrapers were ordered to evacuate after the tremor and aftershocks.

China’s worst earthquake in modern history was centred in the northern city of Tangshan and killed some 250,000 people on July 27, 1976.

That tremor lasted for 15 seconds and flattened 90 percent of buildings. It was the deadliest in the world of the 20th century.

Common Trends These Days

I spotted this news recently about how inflation is affecting the lives of people all over the world. This story is about the effect on Singaporeans, the wealthiest state in SE Asia but then there are citizens who are in the lower income group too.

This brings me to the point of the importance of creating a family budget as what I read the article Why You Need To Have A Family Budget

Any way here is the story :-

SINGAPORE (AFP) - From taking fewer taxi rides to eating out less and shortening shower time, residents of affluent Singapore are trying to cope with inflation, which has soared to 26-year highs.

Rising costs of housing, food, and transport have eaten into family budgets of Singaporeans as well as the large number of expatriates working in the city-state, consumers and analysts said.

Except for the ultra-rich, the impact of the sharp price increases has cut across social classes in one of Asia's wealthiest nations, they said.

Government figures show Singapore's annual inflation was at 6.7 percent in March, the highest since 1982, boosted by higher costs of food, transport, communications and housing.

The figure is more than double the inflation rate in Malaysia and higher than that of the Philippines, Hong Kong and Australia. Unlike bigger countries in the region, Singapore imports most of its needs.

"When the inflation rate is high, it affects everybody," said Serena, a businesswoman who lives near the prime Orchard Road shopping and would only give her first name.

Serena said even affluent families like hers have had to adjust to the rising costs by eyeing grocery prices more closely, using the car less and eating in fancy restaurants only on special occasions.

"You have to differentiate between needs and wants, what is necessary and what is not necessary. If you can get something cheaper, you don't have to go for branded (luxury) items," she told AFP.

While soaring inflation in developing countries, amid a global food crisis, has left many struggling to feed their families, Singaporeans are dealing with the impact of price hikes in their own ways.

For Janice Tan, 35, who works at a travel agency, the soaring prices have forced members of her family to shower only once a day to cut their water bill. Water used to rinse vegetables is recycled to flush the toilet.

To reduce the electric bill, Tan said she told her maid to iron only office clothes -- and just the parts that are visible.

"It's a big deal for Singapore in that we have never had inflation higher than three percent," said Euston Quah, head of the economics division at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

"It hits the poor badly because the poor spend maybe 40, 50 percent of their income on food," he said.

Quah sees inflation eventually easing to around 4.5 to 5.5 percent this year, while the government has forecast 2008 economic growth forecast of 4.0 to 6.0 percent.

Amin Sorr, 65, who works with a shipping firm, said life has become harder, especially for those earning less.

With a monthly salary of 3,000 Singapore dollars (2,200 US), Sorr said he can cope, but friends pulling in 2,000 dollars or less are struggling.

"I know a lot of friends who have problems with their water bills... and even personal credit lines."

Local charities say rising food prices are also driving more Singaporeans, especially poor senior citizens, to join queues for free meals.

Salamah Salim, 40, who runs a food stall on the fringes of the business district, said: "Our expenses on food and rice have more than doubled over the past year. Rice and oil have risen tremendously."

Even expatriate professionals, particularly those with less generous housing allowances and other benefits, have been hit.

As apartment rents surged, some moved their families from condominiums that come with swimming pools, gyms and barbecue pits to cheaper government-built flats without such resort-style amenities.

"They raised our rent by 150 percent after our contract expired late last year," said a Filipino computer engineer, who transferred from a gated condominium to a government-built high-rise in the suburbs.

"I know several friends who have also made similar moves or are planning to move out once their leases expire," he said, requesting anonymity.

Dee Pritchard, who works at the Australian International School, said that except for being more careful with the grocery shopping and giving the children fewer treats, nothing much has changed in her lifestyle.

"I'm lucky I'm not in the lower income (group) which would be suffering a lot more than I do really. But at the end of the week, the cash is less. There is less savings."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080427/business/singapore_economy_inflation_consumer

Cyprus Island - Is Peace coming?

This is one piece of news about peace and what man can achieve if they set out and forget about their differences. I remembered I watch watching a documentary about this island and how it is difficult for one side of the island to make a telephone call to the other side.

Hopefully with the removal of the barrier, the telephone communication has improved and peace prevails. Below is an excerpt form VOA ( http://voanews.com/english/2008-04-03-voa16.cfm )

Greek and Turkish Cypriots have removed a blockade that has separated them for half a century. Ledra Street, a thoroughfare in the heart of Nicosia had become a potent symbol of Cyprus's ethnic partition. For VOA, Nathan Morley has this report from Nicosia.

Piles of sand bags, soldiers with rifles and sentry points that have long been the visual symbol of this island's division have given way to the bustle of pedestrians crossing through the capital's oldest shopping street.

You still have to have your passport stamped when crossing from the Greek sector to the Turkish side, which takes a few minutes, so this is by no means an open and free crossing.

But the technicalities were brushed aside Thursday as both Greek and Turkish Cypriots savored the moment.

How is Obama Doing?

One word sums it up...GREAT. Judging form the results of election news search in google news, below is what the results shows. Obama could be the first black US president sometime by this time next year.

Snippets of News headlines:

The Obama's Doctrine
The Obama's Difference

The headlines suggest that, Obama is like a fresh wind blowing across America's political landscape. Will he , Obama make a great president? This is some thing we should look forward to and if American voters give him the mandate at the end of this year.

Below is the screen shot of the search results

NewsHour

Wash. Post's Gerson suggested Obama should "come out strongly for ... Media Matters for America, DC - 2 hours ago Barack Obama should "come out strongly for policies that would reduce the number of abortions -- support for pregnant women, abstinence education, ... Obama, both Clintons visit Triad Carolinian (subscription) In Terms of Geography, Obama Appeals to Academics and Clinton ... U.S. News & World Report Obama compared with Bill : Hillary’s dream shaky Afrik.com Indiana's NewsCenter - New Albany Tribune all 813 news articles »

Lompoc Record

The Obama Doctrine Wall Street Journal - 1 hour ago Barack Obama is a skillful candidate, but also one who has never had to deal with foreign policy pronouncements on the fly before. Sometimes it shows. ... Obama the Conservative Choice Huffington Post Camp McCain: Obama “dishonest” about Iraq, engaging in “nonsense talk” FOXNews WaPo: Obama gets 2 Pinocchios for 100 Years War Hot Air Swampland - Atlantic Online all 645 news articles »

Boston Globe

The Obama difference Salon - 2 hours ago Barack Obama speaking Wednesday at the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO convention in Philadelphia. April 3, 2008 | PHILADELPHIA -- "I've been running now for 15 months ... Obama Trims Clinton's Lead in Pa. The Associated Press WRAPUP 3-Obama, Clinton focus on economy in Pennsylvania Reuters Obama story KVOA.com The Associated Press - Raw Story all 398 news articles »

Yes We Can Musical

A musical piece of Barack Obama's famous speech, "Yes We Can" . Not a hot world news or anything but let's have a change and have HOPE for a minute. Listen and enjoy

Is South America Heading for War?

Ecuadorian soldiers head to the country's border with Colombia.

According to report by online news portal www.spiegel.de, South America is closer to war than it has been in years as troops face off along Colombia's borders with Ecuador and Venezuela.

A weekend raid that sent Colombian commandos into Ecuador to kill top members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, has resulted in a growing regional crisis.

Colombian troops entered a few miles into Ecuador on Saturday, killing a top-ranking FARC commander known as Raul Reyes.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe celebrated this as a victory against the rebel forces, while Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa denounced it.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton - US Election 2008

It's going to be democrats in this 2008 presidential election. Tha's my prediciton and an interesting one too. Either way from the democrat camp are two first. The first black president or the first woman president. Both are equally interesting developnment. Below are the most current news feed of the 2008 election.

Obama and Hillary Debate

The big debate between Presidential hopefull, Senator Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton, most feel that Obama hold out well and came out unscathed.