LG Arena KM900 Touchscreen Mobile: Leaked Details


Recently we talked about the Toshiba TG01 touchscreen mobile which seems to be a strong competitor to iPhone, now details about a new LG Arena KM900 multimedia smartphone have leaked on the Internet. It’s a touchscreen phone and it looks very much similar to Samsung Omnia. It has a high quality touch display with a new 3D user interface which is called the ‘S Class’.
It has a metallic design and is a lot more compact than Omnia. The user interface looks a bit like the iPhone one. Apart from that, it has a 5MP camera having DVD quality video recording capability and it also supports Divx video playback. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi and EDGE/GPRS. More details about the phone will emerge when it will be showcased probably at the MWC 2009.
The LG KM900 does look good and it is expected to be launched by March 2009.

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A-ROD Reportedly tested Positive for Steroids Video

Sports llustrated is reporting that in 2003 during Alex Rodriguez last season with the Texas Rangers before joining the Yankees he was one of 104 players who tested positive for steroids. Because the MLB didn't have any regulations for positive steroid test results at the time A-Rod escaped disciplinary actions. I feel sorry for Alex when he visits Fenway. Ouch. - ICE



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The Stimulus Package (House) Versus The Tax Cut Package (Senate)

There are some notable differences between the two economic stimulus packages proposed by both houses of Congress.
The House of Representatives, which already passed their version of the economic stimulus package. The House version would invest $550 billion into the economy plus provide $275 billion in tax cuts. The House version would create or save three to four million jobs.
But the Senate's version of the economic stimulus package is very different. Initially, the Senate Democrats increased the size of the package before realizing that they didn't have the votes to pass that package. In order to pass it, they needed a few Republicans to help them out. After negotiating with these Republicans, the Senate came up with a deal that fully or partially cut funding for several elements of the package.
The Senate's version also cut back on President Barack Obama's proposed middle class tax cut even though tax cuts are a main part of the Senate's package.

By comparison, one-third of the House package was made up of tax cuts (approximately $275 billion). The Senate version is said to include $350 billion in tax cuts, which means that in a package that costs approximately $780 billion, tax cuts are nearly half of the whole package.
So what does this all mean? It means that we are in for quite a week. The Senate has yet to vote on their package, but that vote should happen some time this week. It will be interesting to see how the states react, considering that $40 billion in funding set aside for states was slashed from the Senate's version of the stimulus package. Many states, including New York, would have benefited from that money. But now, much of it has been cut away.
The best plan is the House plan, but it was easier for the House to pass this bill. With such a solid majority, the House did not need (and did not receive) a single Republican vote. In all, 244 Democrats supported the bill. But the Senate does not have that luxury.
The Senate needs 60 votes. There are 56 Democrats and two Independents who caucus with the Democratic Party. That means they needed two votes. So instead of talking tough, they folded. They cut a stimulus package down to $780 billion and loaded it up with tax cuts for two votes. There might have been some deal-making that needed to be done, but the Senate Democrats went too far.
Economists say that we do need a stimulus package. And they also say the sooner, the better. We need a stimulus package. But we also need leaders who realize that we are in an economic crisis. This isn't time to take a hard-line stand solely based on politics. If a majority of economists say that we need a stimulus package, we should listen to those calls and implement a package that will be in the best interests of the American people.
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NASCAR: Bud Shootout Results

Kevin Harvick started near the rear of the field and had problems all night long, but was in the right place at the right time to capture the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.

In the first 25 lap segment, Harvick was squeezed into the wall by Brian Vickers, suffering damage to his right front fender. He fell back out of the draft soon after that, but his crew made the necessary repairs during the 10-minute intermission to get him back into the race. He was near the front in the final laps and got a push from Denny Hamlin to take the lead from Jamie McMurray in turn three just seconds before the final caution came out freezing the field. Tony Stewart finished third, followed by Jeff Gordon and A. J. Allmendinger.

In this manufacturers' showdown, Chevy had three of the top four spots. McMurray had the top Ford. Allmendinger had the top Dodge. Kyle Busch, who finished tenth, had the top Toyota.

David Stremme slid up out of turn four and got into Greg Biffle with three laps, bringing out the seventh caution of the night and setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Harvick came up the middle and squeezed in front of Hamlin on the outside, who pushed him by McMurray. Seconds later, Casey Mears got into the rear of Jimmie Johnson causing a chain reaction accident and freezing the field with Harvick in front.

The cars were bouncing around wildly. The result was eight cautions in just 75 laps, starting early on lap 4. Some cars slowed in the middle of the field, bunching up the cars behind. When David Regan slowed Robbie Gordon got into the rear of him, knocking out the two main contenders for Rookie of the Year, Scott Speed and Joey Lagano. By the time of the green-white-checkered restart, only fifteen cars remained on the track out of the 28 that started the race. Another four or five were damaged in the final wreck.

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Pirate Bay data shows Mac users don’t share

Are you a leech? You know, one of “those” people who only keep a torrent alive long enough to download what you want, but never or only rarely seed (ie feed the other leechers)?

Quoting Pirate Bay data, TorrentFreak reports that when it comes to digital thievery of the BitTorrent kind, Windows users are more than twice as generous as Mac users.

We thought it would be interesting to compare the users of different operating systems on their sharing behavior. Therefore, we decided to take a closer look at the share ratios of Windows, Mac and Linux software on The Pirate Bay—TorrentFreak

See also—Transmission 1.5 beta 5 now available

The gist of the data in the table is that for every for each piece of software PC users get via the torrents, they give 2.55 times as much stuff back. Users of the fair platform? Not so much.

There are several ways to spin this information, but none of them are good (ie PC users are feckless whores; Mac users a parsimonious skinflints that only serve themselves; etc). Still, whatever you think of PC, Mac and Linux users—the three most common platforms sharing “data” via BitTorrent—nothing compares to Xbox users, which post an utterly pathetic share ratio of 0.3.

Man, now those people are really evil and greedy…

What’s your take?

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Potfest movie


After the movie Beerfest received so much positive feedback, it turns out that the Broken Lizard team has decided to make a sequel called Potfest. Awesome. There's something to look forward to.

At first the idea was a joke. According to IGN, the Broken Lizard team stated that so many people have been curious about whether or not the movie is going to be made, that they've finally began discussing the idea. Although we should make note that nothing is solid yet.
Check out more information at --> Broken Lizard on the Road to Potfest

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Coloradan, 56, becomes first woman to swim across Atlantic


A 56-year-old American has become the first woman on record to swim across the Atlantic Ocean.

Jennifer Figge of Aspen, Colo., touched land last week for the first time in almost a month.

Reaching a beach in Trinidad — exhilarated and exhausted — she realized a dream she’d held since the early 1960s, when a stormy trans-Atlantic flight got her thinking she could don a life vest and swim the rest of the way if needed.

Figge left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa’s western coast on Jan. 12, swimming about 2,100 miles through strong winds and waves of up to 30 feet.

She said Saturday that she now planned to swim from Trinidad to the British Virgin Islands, ending her odyssey in late February.

Then it’s home to Aspen — where she trained for months in an outdoor pool amid snowy blizzards — to reunite with her Alaskan Malamute, Hank.

The dog swirled in her thoughts, as did family and friends, as Figge stroked through the chilly Atlantic waters escorted by a sailboat. She saw pilot whales, turtles, dolphins, Portuguese man-of-war — but no sharks.

Her journey comes a decade after French swimmer Benoit Lecomte made the first known solo trans-Atlantic swim, covering nearly 4,000 miles from Massachusetts to France in 73 days. No woman on record has made that crossing.

Figge woke most days around 7 a.m., eating pasta and baked potatoes while she and the crew assessed the weather. Her longest stint in the water was about eight hours, and her shortest was 21 minutes.

Crew members gave her bottles of energy drinks as she swam. At night she ate meat, fish and peanut butter, replenishing the estimated 8,000 calories she burned a day.

Figge wore a red cap and wet suit, with her only good-luck charm underneath: an old, red shirt to guard against chafing, signed by friends, relatives and her father, who recently died.

The other cherished possession she kept onboard was a picture of Gertrude Ederle, an American who became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

“We have a few things in common,” Figge said. “She wore a red hat, and she was of German descent. We both talk to the sea, and neither one of us wanted to get out.”

Figge arrived on Trinidad’s Chacachacare Island, an abandoned leper colony, on Thursday. She plans to leave Trinidad on Monday night.

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SUNshine Girl,Girl on Girl


Hazel-eyed Arielle, 18, likes to cook and bake and when she's not in the kitchen, our 5-foot-9 Virgo enjoys playing field hockey and snowboarding. Arielle is also a big NFL fan and her favourite team is the New Orleans Saints. Rah-rah! (Jim Wells Photo)

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Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18


Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18 - Gundam fans, are you excited to watch Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18? Looking for some spoilers or info on Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18? We have here some info on what's going to happen in this week's episode of Gundam 00.

The title of Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18 is "Mixed Feelings". This episode 18 of Gundam 00 season will be aired this Sunday, February 8, 2009 in Japan. As you guys know, Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18 raw will come out first. Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18 English Sub / Subbed usually comes out a day after or depends if it comes out the same day as the version.

Sometimes we watch the raw version first if we are very eager to watch the episode then we just watch Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18 once it becomes available, right? Anyway, here is the summary of Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18.

Summary: Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18 (s02e18)

Four months after the destruction of the orbital elevator in Africa, the world is a different place. The Federation now worries about the control of power under A-LAWS' jurisdiction. Tieria suggests to the Ptolemy crew that this time they should carry out a mission to take back Veda. And for that purpose, Sumeragi designs a plan centered around capturing an Innovator.


That's it for Gundam 00 Season 2 Episode 18.

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Wiped out: Towns destroyed by killer fires (Victoria, Australia)


The town of Marysville in central Victoria has been almost completely destroyed by bushfires.

Aerial pictures taken by the ABC show street after street of completely destroyed homes in the town. Most are just piles of rubble. Some still have walls standing and a handful appear to be mostly intact. Twenty-six people are now confirmed to have died in the fires north of Melbourne and this morning there are unconfirmed reports of bodies being found in cars overtaken by the fires in Gippsland in the state's east.

Six of the dead have been found at Kinglake, six at Kinglake West and four at St Andrews and Wandong, all north of Melbourne. More bodies have been found at Humevale, Bendigo, and Arthurs Creek. Stuart Ord, of the Department of Environment and Sustainability (DSE) confirmed there have been substantial property losses in the Marysville area.

Raylene Kincaide from Narbethong, south-west of Marysville, has lost her home and says the whole township is gone. "It's just devastating. We've lost everything. It's not good," she said. "Our little town had gone 20 minutes after we left. Probably 95 per cent of the houses are gone. She said they are worried that some residents are missing and have not been accounted for. "My partner was up there and he left when he saw the cattle burning. I've been in Ash Wednesday, but this is worse," she said.



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Dr. Ben Carson's Parenting Success


How do you raise a smart, respectable child who just so happens to change history? The world renowned pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson, MD, shares his experiences as a dad of three and the lessons of his mother, Sonya Carson, a single mom who had only a third grade education.

What's the most important lesson your mother passed on? You are not a victim. My mother never accepted excuses from me, and when I tried to give them, she quoted a poem that began, 'You're the captain of your ship.' The bottom line is that we can go through life finding other people to blame, or we can own up to our situation and deal with it. That's exactly what I've taught my children.

Did you ever have trouble relating to your boys? Just remember what it's like to be a kid. If you stop and think about what you once felt at your child's age, it can turn you into a considerably better parent.

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Healesville Australia Fires

A huge flame razed hundreds of towns in Southeastern Australia and burned more than 700 houses, cars including the fleeing residents and kill at least 84 people. This fire is Australia's worst fire disaster on it's quarter century.
The Australian government release $10million Australian dollars.

Health Minister Daniel Andrews says more than 78 people were hospitalized with 3rd degree burns. Dr. John Coleridge from Alfred Hospital said most of the injuries were the burned feets of people who tried to fled across the burning ground.

The Australian fire burned more than 460 square miles, the fire smoked were so massive as seen on NASA's satellite photographs.


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MixMap - Track Who's Visiting Your MySpace Profile

MixMap.com was originally created to be a MySpace Profile Tracker. However, in addition to being a free tracker for myspace, MixMap.com tracker code can be used on any site where you are allowed to edit HTML. MixMap.com tracking code has been successfully used on many sites.



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Blame game in Pakatan starts


DAP lawyer Karpal Singh (left) has blamed Anwar Ibrahim for creating the party-hopping culture and causing trouble in Pakatan Rakyat. He also asked Anwar Ibrahim to step down as PR de facto leader and to stop creating trouble. Strong words indeed but that's Karpal Singh for you. He is consistent in his stand, even if it means offending his fellow PR leaders. He is against the setting up of an Islamic state and he spoke up when DAP and PKR leaders have started to compromise their stand by keeping a deafening silence.

After all, there is the possibility of winning in the next elections and nobody wants to ruin anything, even if it means compromising their political principles. But Karpal Singh seems to be the odd man out again. He remembers the Sept 16 scam and massive frog hunting exercise from Sabah, Sarawak to Taiwan when many chose to forget or ignore it.

A war of words have erupted following Karpal Singh's statement and the word is that PKR leaders are busy writing their press statements to whack Karpal Singh. Politics in Malaysia is always exciting and unpredictable.

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Premier League round-up: Liverpool back on top as Blues drop to fourth


Liverpool back to the top of Premier League thanks to a thrilling 3-2 victory over luckless Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Fabio Aurelio almost gave the Reds a first half lead but his curling free-kick just clipped the outside of the post.

Pompey improved after the interval and were rewarded when former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch slipped in David Nugent behind the defence and the forward slotted home past Pepe Reina.

But Crouch then gifted his old club an equaliser on 69 minutes as he forced David James in to handling his awful backpass inside the box. Xabi Alonso, on as a substitute, tapped the ball for Aurelio to smash into the bottom corner.

Full Article


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Sen. Susan Collins Defends Her Decision to Vote For Obama Stimulus Plan - Video 2/7/09


Sen. Susan Collins is one of three Republicans who have decided to jump ship and vote with the Democrats on the Obama Stimulus (Porkulus) Bill. Arlen Specter and Olympia Snowe are the other two. Here is video of Collins today defending her decision to vote with the Democrats. Essentially, she says the revised bill will put money in the pockets of Americans through tax cuts, and they cut out $110 Billion. Pressure should be put on Collins and the other two renegade Republicans who say they will vote with the Democrats. Thanks to Gateway Pundit, here are the phone numbers for the three senators:Collins (202) 224-2523Snowe (202) 224-5344Specter (202) 224-4254

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Australian Bushfires

The fires are continuing even with a drop in temperatures, and dry lightning is in the forecast, so more may start. The latest from Australian Broadcasting is 35 confirmed dead and the towns of Marysville and Kinglake, in the state of Victoria, may have been totally destroyed.
Obviously New Zealand and the BBC have coverage, but Canada has been joined by CNN with their own coverage. The US networks, like NBC, are using Associated Press reporting.
You would think that conglomerates with a global reach could afford a few stringers around the world. They could find new locations for cheap reality shows when they weren’t reporting the news.

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Sources tell SI Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003


In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, four sources have independently told Sports Illustrated.

Rodriguez's name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's '03 survey testing, SI's sources say. As part of a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association, the testing was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004.

When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. "You'll have to talk to the union," said Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything."

The MLBPA issued a statement on Saturday, saying "Information and documents relating to the results of the 2003 MLB testing program are both confidential and under seal by court orders. We are prohibited from confirming or denying any allegation about the test results of any particular player[s] by the collective bargaining agreement and by court orders. Anyone with knowledge of such documents who discloses their contents may be in violation of those court orders."

Rob Manfred, MLB's Executive Vice President of Labor Relations, also released a statement on Saturday, saying, "We are disturbed by the allegations contained in the Sports Illustrated news story which was posted online this morning. Because the survey testing that took place in 2003 was intended to be non-disciplinary and anonymous, we can not make any comment on the accuracy of this report as it pertains to the player named." (Click here for full statement)

Though MLB's drug policy has expressly prohibited the use of steroids without a valid prescription since 1991, there were no penalties for a positive test in 2003. The results of that year's survey testing of 1,198 players were meant to be anonymous under the agreement between the commissioner's office and the players association. Rodriguez's testing information was found, however, after federal agents, armed with search warrants, seized the '03 test results from Comprehensive Drug Testing, Inc., of Long Beach, Calif., one of two labs used by MLB in connection with that year's survey testing. The seizure took place in April 2004 as part of the government's investigation into 10 major league players linked to the BALCO scandal -- though Rodriguez himself has never been connected to BALCO.

The list of the 104 players whose urine samples tested positive is under seal in California. However, two sources familiar with the evidence that the government has gathered in its investigation of steroid use in baseball and two other sources with knowledge of the testing results have told Sports Illustrated that Rodriguez is one of the 104 players identified as having tested positive, in his case for testosterone and an anabolic steroid known by the brand name Primobolan. All four sources spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the evidence.

Primobolan, which is also known by the chemical name methenolone, is an injected or orally administered drug that is more expensive than most steroids. (A 12-week cycle can cost $500.) It improves strength and maintains lean muscle with minimal bulk development, according to steroid experts, and has relatively few side effects. Kirk Radomski, the former New York Mets clubhouse employee who in 2007 pleaded guilty to illegal distribution of steroids to numerous major league players, described in his recent book, Bases Loaded: The Inside Story of the Steroid Era in Baseball by the Central Figure in the Mitchell Report, how players increasingly turned to drugs such as Primobolan in 2003, in part to avoid detection in testing. Primobolan is detectable for a shorter period of time than the steroid previously favored by players, Deca-Durabolin. According to a search of FDA records, Primobolan is not an approved prescription drug in the United States, nor was it in 2003. (Testosterone can be taken legally with an appropriate medical prescription.)

Rodriguez finished the 2003 season by winning his third straight league home run title (with 47) and the first of his three MVP awards.

Because more than 5% of big leaguers had tested positive in 2003, baseball instituted a mandatory random-testing program, with penalties, in '04. According to the 2007 Mitchell Report on steroid use in baseball, in September 2004, Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the players' union, violated an agreement with MLB by tipping off a player (not named in the report) about an upcoming, supposedly unannounced drug test. Three major league players who spoke to SI said that Rodriguez was also tipped by Orza in early September 2004 that he would be tested later that month. Rodriguez declined to respond on Thursday when asked about the warning Orza provided him.

When Orza was asked on Friday in the union's New York City office about the tipping allegations, he told a reporter, "I'm not interested in discussing this information with you."

In its statement on Saturday, the MLBPA said, "As we have explained previously, in detail and in public, there was no improper tipping of players in 2004 about the timing of drug tests. As set forth in our letter to Chairman Waxman of the House Government Reform Committee, in September 2004 MLBPA attorneys met with certain players, but we are not able to confirm or deny the names of any of the players with whom we met."

Anticipating that the 33-year-old Rodriguez, who has 553 career home runs, could become the game's alltime home run king, the Yankees signed him in November 2007 to a 10-year, incentive-laden deal that could be worth as much as $305 million. Rodriguez is reportedly guaranteed $275 million and could receive a $6 million bonus each time he ties one of the four players at the top of the list: Willie Mays (660), Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762), and an additional $6 million for passing Bonds. In order to receive the incentive money, the contract reportedly requires Rodriguez to make extra promotional appearances and sign memorabilia for the Yankees as part of a marketing plan surrounding his pursuit of Bonds's record. Two sources familiar with Rodriguez's contract told SI that there is no language about steroids in the contract that would put Rodriguez at risk of losing money.

Arguments before an 11-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Pasadena are ongoing between government prosecutors and the players' association over the government's seizure of the test results from the Long Beach lab. The agents who collected the material had a search warrant only for the results for the 10 BALCO-linked players. Attorneys from the union argue that the government is entitled only to the results for those players, not the entire list. If the court sides with the union, federal authorities may be barred from using the positive survey test results of non-BALCO players such as Rodriguez in their ongoing investigations
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A New US Foreign Policy? The Biden Speech in Munich Yesterday

The media chat this morning will be about Vice President Joe Biden’s speech to the Munich Security Conference yesterday. Our own reading is that the easy part was Biden’s signals of difference from the Bush Administration. The US would act “preventively, not pre-emptively” (no more Iraq 2003, at least over the pretext of weapons of mass destruction) and multilaterally. The emphasis will not be on magic capabilities like Missile Defense, but on a wider range of diplomatic, economic, and military instruments.

“America will not torture. We will uphold the rights of those we bring to justice,” Biden asserted, and he also said that the US would be constructive in finding solutions to climate change.


At the same time, Biden was careful to play the “America will be tough” card, saying the US would “vigorously protect [its] security and values, and he had a not-so-veiled challenge, if not warning, to international partners. The US would uphold alliances if they were “credible and effective” (think back to George W. Bush’s 2002 lecture to the UN that it would not be “relevant” if it did not back military action over Iraq), and “America will ask for more from its partners”.



Which brings us to the hard part. The Obama Administration may be far more “realist” in its approach to foreign affairs than its predecessor, but the up-front choices are daunting. Biden tried to match the Russians in the competitive co-operation, saying the US would not tolerate a Russian “sphere of influence” but continuing, “The United States and Russia can disagree and still work together where our interests coincide, and they coincide in many places.”

On Iran, Biden stuck to the current script of possible diplomacy first but waved the stick: “Continue down the current course and there will be pressure and isolation; abandon the illicit nuclear program and your support for terrorism and there will be meaningful incentives.”

OK, so the hope of “engagement” continues to flicker. What the media missed is that, on two other cases, Biden’s signal is that the Obama White House may be charging ahead against perceived enemies, even if that rips up possible settlements and co-operation.

Consider this on the Middle East, which no one seemed to pick up yesterday or this morning: “We must consolidate the cease-fire in Gaza by working with Egypt and others to stop smuggling, and developing an international relief and reconstruction effort that strengthens the Palestinian Authority, and not Hamas.” So, despite all the evidence that beating up on Gaza — be it through Israeli military action or economic strangleholds — is not dislodging the Gazan leadership and actually weakening Mahmoud Abbas, the US (at least in its public signals) is going to keep playing at the game that it doesn’t have to accept the political realities. It will do so even if that means more deprivation and destruction in Gaza.

It is on Afghanisan/Pakistan, however, that this Administration could meet its downfall, and here Biden’s “realism” led him to say, if we go down, we all go down together: “”We look forward to sharing that commitment with the government and people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and with all of our allies and partners, because a deteriorating situation in the region poses a security threat not just to the United States, but I would suggest, somewhat presumptively, to every one of you assembled in this room.”

The glimmer of light is that Biden also said the US “strategic review” on the two countries is not completed — code for the battle between President Obama and the military on the way forward — so Washington may pull back from its full-speed, military-first surge in Afghanistan.

If not, you can go back to Biden’s speech and see where all the talk of a new, multilateral relationship actually had the makings of an almighty bust-up between the US and its European partners.
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Over 100 fishermen trapped on ice slab rescued


OHIO: Over hundred fishermen trapped on a big ice slab that broke off from the shore of Lake Erie were rescued, however one person died fallen in icy water.

The news agency said that the slab of ice that broke off and floated away was about eight miles (13 km) wide. Fishermen say ice on Lake Erie has been particularly thick this winter, luring more people on than usual.

The ice started to crack when temperatures rose above freezing this weekend and strong gusts of wind pushed on the ice. It is thought the anglers had used wooden pallets to make a temporary bridge across a crack to get further out on the lake, leaving them stranded when the ice shifted and the planks fell in the water.


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Hamas, Gaza and Bush’s Legacy

One would have to have a heart of stone not to be appalled by the mass suffering visited upon the Gaza Strip by Israel’s punishing assault. If blame is to be assessed, however, it does not belong to Israel alone.

The Gaza war between Israel and Hamas is but another legacy of George W. Bush’s disastrous presidency. After Israel withdrew its soldiers and its 8,000 settlers from Gaza in the summer of 2005, the Bush administration decided to bring “democracy” to the Palestinians. It insisted on running a parliamentary election and allowing Hamas to compete.

Hamas was not legally qualified to run without meeting the minimum requirements of the Oslo agreements still in effect from the 1990s: primarily to renounce violence and accept Israel’s existence. Qualifying for elections in this way might have been a lever to get Hamas to change its spots, but the Bush State Department insisted on allowing Hamas to run as it was, cynically assuming that it would not win. Hamas won a plurality of votes with 44 percent to Fatah’s 42 percent and took power early in 2006.



Soon after its election, Hamas declared a truce, but it was still allowing other factions to fire at Israel. Hamas even lauded as “resistance” two successful suicide bombings—one in Tel Aviv and another in Ashdod. A coalition of groups, including Hamas, captured one IDF soldier, while killing two others, in a cross-border raid in June of 2006; this one soldier, Gilad Shalit, is still their prisoner. Tragically, in response, Israeli forces rampaged through Gaza that summer, killing several hundred Palestinians to no avail (a veritable second front to the larger Lebanon war raging to the north).

In June of 2008, Egypt mediated a six-month cease-fire agreement, which expired on December 19. It was mostly observed by both sides until Israel destroyed a tunnel on the Gaza side of the border, apparently being prepared for another raid to capture Israelis. A few armed Palestinians were killed in this incident and Hamas resumed fire on Israeli towns near the border—up to 60 rockets and mortar shells daily.

A very real Israeli security concern is that the Hamas rockets are improving in range. Towns of increasing distance from Gaza have been hit; the fear is that they may soon be able to target Tel Aviv.

There is an elaborate network of tunnels used to smuggle in arms, drugs, medicines and consumer goods from Egypt. Longer-range rockets from Iran have come in via this route. It is this network of tunnels that was a legitimate target for Israel and must be a prime focus of international diplomacy. If this threat is stopped, the international economic blockade imposed since Hamas first took power in 2006 should be lifted. Regardless, its severity should be curtailed to allow for more effective humanitarian relief.

It is believed that Hamas declared an end to the cease-fire and escalated rocket attacks as a “negotiating” tactic to get the economic blockade lifted—without agreeing to peaceful coexistence. Hamas has supposedly suggested a ten-year truce, but only in return for a full Israeli withdrawal to the pre-June 1967 lines and a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.

If allowing for the possibility of an exchange of territories and a full peace, this would be appropriate as an end point of negotiations, but not as an ultimatum that doesn’t even commit to peace. This offer is uncomfortably reminiscent of an episode in the Koran when the Prophet Mohammed enacted a fixed-term truce until his forces were strong enough to conquer their foe.

Moreover, this comes from a reactionary theocratic movement that still holds to its 1988 founding charter, which characterizes Jews as “sons of apes and pigs” and as conspiring to enslave the world as depicted in the notorious anti-Semitic forgery, “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” When coupled with acts of violence that have cost Israel hundreds of civilian lives in each of the last two decades, persuading most Israelis of the possibility of a peaceful accommodation with such a movement is a hard sell.

Still, it is hardly likely that Israel intentionally killed masses of civilians. If it had been gunning for civilians, Palestinian casualties would probably have been much higher; the dead would almost certainly be counted in the thousands, rather than hundreds.

It is also true that, by comparative historical and regional standards, the level of carnage—although terrible and heartbreaking—was not very high. For example, it is estimated that the Muslim Brotherhood rebels in Hama, Syria in 1982 were crushed by the Baathist regime (still in power today in Damascus) at the cost of between 7,000 and 25,000 lives. This example is especially apt since Hamas is the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. Intra-Arab violence in such places as Iraq and Lebanon, as well as conflicts between fellow Muslims in Iran and Iraq in the ’80s, Algeria in the ’90s, and in Darfur today, have been far bloodier than any of the Arab-Israeli conflagrations.

But I raise these facts only to provide perspective, not to excuse Israel. Despite its finger-pointing at Hamas for using innocents as “human shields,” Israel, in having chosen to take the fight against Hamas into population centers, has knowingly decided to pull the trigger anyway.

It is doubtful that an attack of this magnitude—in one of the world’s most overcrowded places, causing many civilian casualties––will ultimately be an effective way to bring Israel security. The human toll in Gaza, the cost to Israel’s image and rising hatred aimed at Israel and even at random Jews around the world, all suggest that this operation was ill-advised.

My final point pertains to Israel’s national elections to be held on February 10. The initial bump up for Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s Labor party, and the loosely-defined “left” or moderate bloc (six or seven of the 15 parties currently represented in the Knesset), appears to have been lost as voters grow embittered by a perception of meager positive results from the Gaza campaign.

The opposition Likud party is expected to be propelled back into power with the claim that the current centrist ruling coalition stopped short of victory, before Hamas fighters emerged from the rubble in surrender. Benjamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu would return as prime minister after a ten-year hiatus. I don’t envy Sen. George Mitchell in his new task as US special envoy.
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Shepard Fairey Arrested for his Art


Image by stevegarfield via Flickr
Shepard Fairey, the artist who gained fame when created a series of posters supporting Barack Obama's candidacy for President in 2008, including the iconic "HOPE" portrait, was arrested Friday night as he entered a sold-out dance event at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, Massachusetts.


Fairey had been scheduled to deejay the event kicking off his new exhibition....

But instead Boston Police have charged him with criminal damage to property for allegedly having painted two Boston area locations with graffiti…

Fairey has been arrested numerous times for drawing on buildings and other private property without permission.... in fact Fairery told the Boston Globe this make about the 15th time....

He is schedule for arraignment on these charges Monday morning in Boston.


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Pelosi chides GOP criticism of stimulus

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday disavowed what she termed as Republican "personality attacks" over President Obama's stimulus bill, reiterating previous arguments that the legislation allowed for bipartisan input.

"The people who can't win on policy always resort to process and then they stoop to their personality attacks," Mrs. Pelosi told reporters here at the Kingsmill golf resort, where about 200 House Democrats gathered for a three-day retreat. "The process afforded Republicans every opportunity to put their suggestions forward and they know that."
Her defense of the House version of the stimulus package -- crafted solely by Democrats and passed without a single Republican vote -- were buoyed by House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, who said there "was a lot of bipartisanship."

"The bipartisanship was in defeat of the Republican proposals that were put on the House floor," said Mr. Hoyer, of Maryland.

House Republicans quickly hit back, arguing that the White House and House Democrats are not on the same page.

"Two months ago, President Obama never thought the biggest obstacle to delivering the 'change' he promised would be Speaker Pelosi and Steny Hoyer," said Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for Minority Whip Eric Cantor. "House Republicans have made creating and protecting jobs their focus and it must be extremely frightening to like minded Blue Dogs like Brad Ellsworth and Gene Taylor that their views would be disregarded so harshly by their leaders."

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India v.s SriLanka - Live Links - 5th ODI




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