Zeeshan's Blog

Announcement

2010-05-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

This is to notify all that this blog would not be updated that frequently (You guessed it right...after months of inactivity :( )

My other blog I Am Zeeshan would be frequently updated now.

Thanks :)

Christmas Greetings :D

2009-12-25T00:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! :)

Let me quote from Holy Quran: Mary Chapter, verses 33-34. “Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt.”

Regards

Zeeshan Ahmed

This Is Us - Backstreet Boys [Review]

2009-10-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

Love This Album! What an album This Is! Or should i say, THIS IS US!

1. "Straight Through My Heart" 5/5 (Peppy, Catchy, Superb!)

2. "Bigger" 5/5 (Smooth and slow, great tune)

3. "Bye Bye Love" 5/5 (Another Hottie, upbeat tune)

4. "All of Your Life (You Need Love)" (4/5 Really Nice one as well)

5. "If I Knew Then" (4/5 R&B Tune, lush music, A.J's voice so great in this one....!)

6. "This Is Us" (5/5 The perfect song in terms of defining the album, great harmony of voices, as always!)

7. "PDA" (4/5 The funky-tuned song , typical disco beats and catchy rhymes)

8. "Masquerade" (5/5 Another great song....disco tune, along with typical BSB rockin'!)

9. "She's a Dream" (5/5 Another one of those BSB beauties, that sound different and are still are lyrically and musically peppy!)

10. "Shattered" (5/5 My most favorite song from the album, remind you of old BSB along with the tunes of this modern era, The modern derivation of Show Me The Meaning....

11. "Undone" (5/5 You get typical 'George Michael' feel when you listen to this and the music is so good that it crawls and grows on you, you can feel the song on yourself when you listen to it. Nick sounds so matured in this one and you can feel it. Not just he, A.J, Brian and Howie all sound great as always.....)

12. “International Luv” (4/5 A very up-to-the-beat song, with some seriously cool music!)

Hope you like it...

KTBSPA!

Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers (Cover)

2009-08-29T03:11:00.000-07:00

This is my cover of Ain't no Sunshine by Bill Withers.

Do comment Folks

Autopsy set after Michael Jackson's sudden death

2009-06-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

By LYNN ELBER, Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson, defined in equal parts as the world's greatest entertainer and perhaps its most enigmatic figure, was about to attempt one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Then his life was cut shockingly — and so far, mysteriously — short.

The 50-year-old musical superstar died Thursday, just as he was preparing for what would be a series of 50 concerts starting July 13 at London's famed 02 arena. Jackson had been spending hours and hours toiling with a team of dancers for a performance he and his fans hoped would restore his tarnished legacy to its proper place in pop.

An autopsy was planned for Friday, though results were not likely to be final until toxicology tests could be completed, a process that could take several days and sometimes weeks. However, if a cause can be determined by the autopsy, they will announce the results, said Los Angeles County Coroner Investigator Jerry McKibben.

Police said they were investigating, standard procedure in high-profile cases.

Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center after being stricken at his rented home in the posh Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him at his home for nearly three-quarters of an hour, then rushed him to the hospital, where doctors continued to work on him.

"It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known," his brother Jermaine said.

Cardiac arrest is an abnormal heart rhythm that stops the heart from pumping blood to the body. It can occur after a heart attack or be caused by other heart problems.

Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.

His 1982 album "Thriller" — which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" — is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.

As word of his death spread, MTV switched its programming to play videos from Jackson's heyday. Radio stations began playing marathons of his hits. Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital. In New York's Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.

"No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow," Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend had sent him. "It's like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died."

The public first knew him as a boy in the late 1960s, when he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of theJackson 5, the singing group he formed with his four older brothers out of Gary, Ind. Among their No. 1 hits were "I Want You Back," "ABC" and "I'll Be There."

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his backward-gliding moonwalk, his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched singing, punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks, as was his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.

"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," saidQuincy Jones, who produced "Thriller." "He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music's biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie. Jackson's sudden death immediately evoked comparisons to that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977.

"I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible," Lisa Marie Presley said in a statement. "I am heartbroken for his children who I know were everything to him and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me."

As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure — a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He often wore a germ mask while traveling, kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions and surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, a storybook playland filled with toys, rides and animals. The tabloids dubbed him "Wacko Jacko."

"It seemed to me that his internal essence was at war with the norms of the world. It's as if he was trying to defy gravity," said Michael Levine, a Hollywood publicist who represented Jackson in the early 1990s. He called Jackson a "disciple of P.T. Barnum" and said the star appeared fragile at the time but was "much more cunning and shrewd about the industry than anyone knew."

Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below.

In 2005, he was cleared of charges that he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behavior with other children.

The case followed years of rumors about Jackson and young boys. In a TV documentary, he acknowledged sharing his bed with children, a practice he described as sweet and not at all sexual.

Despite the acquittal, the lurid allegations that came out in court took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary. He was 4 years old when he began singing with his brothers — Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie and Tito — in the Jackson 5. After his early success with bubblegum soul, he struck out on his own, generating innovative, explosive, unstoppable music.

The album "Thriller" alone mixed the dark, serpentine bass and drums and synthesizer approach of "Billie Jean," the grinding Eddie Van Halen guitar solo on "Beat It," and the hiccups and falsettos on "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'."

The peak may have come in 1983, when Motown celebrated its 25th anniversary with an all-star televised concert and Jackson moonwalked off with the show, joining his brothers for a medley of old hits and then leaving them behind with a pointing, crouching, high-kicking, splay-footed, crotch-grabbing run through "Billie Jean."

The audience stood and roared. Jackson raised his fist.

During production of a 1984 Pepsi commercial, Jackson's scalp sustains burns when an explosion sets his hair on fire.

He had strong follow-up albums with 1987's "Bad" and 1991's "Dangerous," but his career began to collapse in 1993 after he was accused of molesting a boy who often stayed at his home. The singer denied any wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the boy's family, reported to be $20 million, and criminal charges were never filed.

Jackson's expressed anger over the allegations on the 1995 album "HIStory," which sold more than 2.4 million copies, but by then, the popularity of Jackson's music was clearly waning even as public fascination with his increasingly erratic behavior was growing.

Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, and they divorced in 1996. Later that year, Jackson married Deborah Rowe, a former nurse for his dermatologist. They had two children together: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, now 12; and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11. Rowe filed for divorce in 1999.

Jackson also had a third child, Prince Michael II. Now 7, Jackson said the boy nicknamed Blanket as a baby was his biological child born from a surrogate mother.

Billboard magazine editorial director Bill Werde said Jackson's star power was unmatched. "The world just lost the biggest pop star in history, no matter how you cut it," Werde said. "He's literally the king of pop."

Jackson's 13 No. 1 one hits on the Billboard charts put him behind only Presley, the Beatles and Mariah Carey, Werde said.

"He was on the eve of potentially redeeming his career a little bit," he said. "People might have started to think of him again in a different light."

AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch and AP writers Derrik J. Lang, Solvej Schou, Anthony McCartney and Thomas Watkins in Los Angeles; and Virginia Byrne, Hillel Italie, Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Jocelyn Noveck in New York contributed to this report.

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090626/ap_en_ot/us_obit_michael_jackson

Pop icon Michael Jackson dead at 50

2009-06-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

By Rob Woollard

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Michael Jackson is dead after suffering a cardiac arrest, sending shockwaves sweeping across the world and tributes pouring in Friday for the tortured music icon revered as the "King of Pop."

Jackson, 50, collapsed at his rented mansion in the exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills and was rushed to hospital by paramedics before being pronounced dead at 2:26 pm (2126 GMT) on Thursday.

One of the most influential figures in pop history whose career included the highest-selling album of all-time, "Thriller," Jackson had been preparing for a concert comeback in London next month he had dubbed "the final curtain."

News of his death triggered an outpouring of grief as shocked celebrities, foreign governments and devoted fans from Beijing to Beverly Hills paid tribute to the troubled star.

Lieutenant Fred Corral, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner's office, said an autopsy would likely be carried out on Friday and would not speculate on the exact cause of death.

Jackson's brother Jermaine, the family's official spokesman, later revealed physicians had battled for more than an hour to revive the star after his arrival at the UCLA Medical Center before he was pronounced dead.

"Our family requests that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time," Jermaine Jackson said. "May Allah be with you, Michael, always."

As the sun began to sink over Los Angeles, a coroner's office helicopter bearing Jackson's body took off from the UCLA Medical Center, where hundreds of media and fans had gathered throughout the day.

Meanwhile police motorcycle riders surrounded Jackson's gated mansion as crowds of tourists and fans congregated.

Pop diva Madonna was among dozens of celebrities who struggled to cope. "I can't stop crying over the sad news," the singer said in a statement. "The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever!"

The star's first wife Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, said his death had left her speechless.

"I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children, who I know were everything to him, and for his family," Presley told MTV News in a statement.

Political figures also paid their tributes.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger lamented the loss of "one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry."

But the most visible emotion came in spontaneous gatherings of fans here and across the world.

In Los Angeles Lana Brown, a 49-year-old tourist from Dallas, broke down in tears as she digested the news. "I can't believe we might have lost the best entertainer this world has ever seen," she told AFP.

In New York's Times Square, Chantal de Roy van Zuydewijn watched a giant screen broadcasting the news of Jackson's death with tears running down her cheeks.

"He is a legend. He is a genius," said the 28-year-old Dutch tourist, who had a ticket to the pop legend's scheduled comeback tour in July.

Jackson's death came as the singer prepared to make a keenly anticipated concert comeback in London, his first series of shows in more than a decade.

Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman said he had harbored concerns over the singer's condition, revealing that he had been taking prescription medication as he prepared for his comeback.

Oxman compared Jackson's fate to the overdose death of Playboy centerfold Anna-Nicole Smith, voicing concern over "enablers" in his entourage.

"The people who have surrounded him have been enabling him... if you think that the case of Anna-Nicole Smith was an abuse, it was nothing to what we have seen in Michael Jackson's life," Oxman told CNN.

While Jackson ruled the charts and dazzled audiences with electric dance moves like the backwards "moonwalk" in the 1980s, his once-stellar career was overshadowed by his colorful public behavior, his startling physical transformation and multiple allegations of child abuse.

He lived as a virtual recluse following his 2005 acquittal on charges including child molestation and plotting to kidnap his young accuser.

Despite his acquittal, the trial was a body blow from which the pop music superstar, who named his ranch after Peter Pan's "Neverland" of perpetual childhood and furnished it with Disney-inspired rides, struggled to recover.

Born on August 29, 1958, Jackson made his show business debut with four of his elder brothers in the Jackson Five pop group, and went on to lead the stage clan with a piping soprano and dazzling dance moves.

In 1979, Quincy Jones produced Jackson's first solo album for Epic, "Off the Wall," a huge disco-oriented success that sold 10 million copies.

They teamed up again in 1982 for what would be Jackson's breakthrough album as a composer and co-producer, "Thriller," which became the top-selling album of all time, with sales exceeding 41 million.

Jones reacted with shock after being informed of Jackson's death Thursday.

"I'm absolutely devastated at this news," he said. "I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together and allowed us to do what we could do through the '80s," Jones said.

Tommy Mottola, the former head of Sony Music who released Jackson's records for 16 years, said the singer had a place in the pantheon of American music icons, alongside Elvis and Frank Sinatra.

"It's one of the greatest losses," Mottola told the Los Angeles Times.

Crowds continued to throng near the UCLA Medical Center and Jackson's home late Thursday, while street vendors selling hastily designed commemorative T-shirts for 25 dollars sought to cash in.

Link : http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5go1jWJqQJPMaRYQ0Am_wb0n1Kyyg

Pakistan win ICC T20 Final

2009-06-26T06:17:00.000-07:00

Pakistan are the new ICC World Twenty20 champions after easing to a dominant eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at Lord's.

A devastating bowling display by Pakistan decimated Sri Lanka's top order, before man-of-the-match Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik steered them home in the run chase, reaching the 139 target with eight balls to spare.

Seventeen-year-old opening bowler Mohammad Aamer set the tone for the game with a wicket-maiden first over, taking the scalp of leading run-scorer in the tournament, Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Sri Lanka were in all sorts of trouble at 70-6, but Kumar Sangakkara hit a captain's knock of 64 not out, supplemented by Angelo Mathews who saw out the innings on an unbeaten 35 as Sri Lanka forced their way into the match at 138-6 after their 20 overs.

However, Pakistan looked comfortable throughout with the bat. A quick-fire 37 off 28 balls by Kamran Akmal got the ball rolling, before Afridi and Malik sealed the win.

Afridi hit two sixes on the way to an efficient 54 not out, which came from just 40 deliveries. Malik also played a good innings, giving the strike to Afridi as often as possible and scoring 24 runs himself.

The comfortable victory was particularly sweet for Pakistan as they lost to India in the final of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007.

Link : http://www.sportbox.tv/cricket/news/story.php?id=287348

ICC World Twenty20, England 2009, Schedule

2009-05-30T03:17:00.002-07:00

ICC World Twenty20, 2009

All times : GMT +6 Hours (PST +5 Hrs + 1 Hr Daylight Saving)

June 2009

Fri 5
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

1st Match, Group B - England v Netherlands
Lord's, London

Sat 6
10:00 local, 09:00 GMT

2nd Match, Group D - New Zealand v Scotland
Kennington Oval, London

Sat 6
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT

3rd Match, Group C - Australia v West Indies
Kennington Oval, London

Sat 6
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

4th Match, Group A - Bangladesh v India
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Sun 7
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT

5th Match, Group D - Scotland v South Africa
Kennington Oval, London

Sun 7
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

6th Match, Group B - England v Pakistan
Kennington Oval, London

Mon 8
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT

7th Match, Group A - Bangladesh v Ireland
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Mon 8
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

8th Match, Group C - Australia v Sri Lanka
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Tue 9
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT

9th Match, Group B - Netherlands v Pakistan
Lord's, London

Tue 9
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

10th Match, Group D - New Zealand v South Africa
Lord's, London

Wed 10
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT

11th Match, Group C - Sri Lanka v West Indies
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Wed 10
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

12th Match, Group A - India v Ireland
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Thu 11
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT

13th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D1 v A2

Thu 11
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

14th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
B2 v D2

Fri 12
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT

15th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
B1 v C2

Fri 12
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

16th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A1 v C1

Sat 13
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT

17th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
C1 v D2

Sat 13
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

18th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
D1 v B1

Sun 14
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT

19th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A2 v C2

Sun 14
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

20th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A1 v B2

Mon 15
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT

21st Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
B2 v C1

Mon 15
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

22nd Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
B1 v A2

Tue 16
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT

23rd Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D1 v C2

Tue 16
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

24th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D2 v A1

Thu 18
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

1st Semi-Final - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Fri 19
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT

2nd Semi-Final - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London

Sun 21
15:00 local, 14:00 GMT

Final - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London

Yousuf and Razzaq set for international return

2009-05-30T03:17:00.001-07:00

Cricinfo staff

The ICL has accepted the resignations of Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq, paving the way for their return to official cricket, possibly as early as Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka which starts in late June.

While some national boards have set a 'cooling period' before players associated with the ICL are considered for selection, the PCB is accepting both players into official cricket immediately. "They are available for selection now and that is a good thing," Wasim Bari, director HR of the PCB, who has been handling the ICL cases, told Cricinfo. "Cooling period doesn't come into it."

Yousuf had signed up with the ICL in 2007 but was lured out of the contract by the PCB administration of the day. However, legal wrangles denied him an IPL contract in 2008 and he rejoined the ICL in November. That virtually ended his career with Pakistan, but the latest development could see him back in national colours in little more than a month's time.

His team-mate Razzaq hasn't played for Pakistan in more than two years, and had even announced his international retirement in August 2007 after being excluded from the national side for the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa. He had signed up with the ICL then, but earlier this month he said he was ready to pledge his future to Pakistan.

Link : http://content.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/406520.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Isra University's FCMS Party : Dance Performance

2009-05-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hello All!
This is the video from our University's Party : A Dance Performance by my pals :)
I recorded, compiled and edited it :)

Pakistan v Australia, Twenty20 International, Dubai

2009-05-08T04:14:00.000-07:00

Gul and Afridi demolish Australia

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

20 overs Pakistan 109-3 (Akmal 59*) beat Australia 108 (Watson 33, Gul 4-8, Afridi 3-14) by seven wickets

Umar Gul took a wicket first ball, Shahid Afridi took two in his first two balls, and Australia imploded bizarrely after a flying start from Shane Watson. From 42 for 0 in four overs Australia went to 73 for 5 and 108 all out, a target Pakistan chased down easily after an early wobble. Australia had fielded almost a second XI, and played like that.

The first innings of the match was as frenetically eventful as the second was assured and sedate. Gul's 4-0-8-4 was just one run off the best-ever figures in Twenty20 internationals. Afridi followed his double-wicket maiden with another wicket and nine more runs in the next two overs, as the Australian batsmen kept playing for the non-existent spin. The collapse was just as spectacular as Watson's onslaught on Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanvir. It was ironically a missed inside edge by Aleem Dar that started the slide.

No less a bizarre innings would have been fit for a day when the match started one-and-a-half hours after the toss while waiting for Dubai's Sheikh, an esteemed guest for the match. A day when Younis Khan pulled out at the 11th hour because of fever. A day when Misbah-ul-Haq, the stand-in captain, said at the toss that Younis stepped down to give Fawad Alam an opportunity.

The delayed start didn't affect Watson, who seemed to be carrying on from his century in the final one-dayer. He started the match with an outside-edged boundary off Shoaib, didn't get much strike for the next three overs, and exploded in the fourth. He carted Tanvir for back-to-back boundaries through midwicket, and pulled the next to deep backward square leg. In four overs, Watson had reached 33 off 13 deliveries, with Misbah seeming out of sorts.

He was in complete control, though, hurrying the introduction of perhaps the best Twenty20 bowler in international cricket. With his first ball Gul went level with Daniel Vettori, with most wickets in Twenty20 internationals. The ball swung in late, hitting Watson in front, but for the inside edge that Dar missed. Gul would soon go past Vettori.

The breakthrough achieved, Misbah took Gul off and turned to his spinners, who have troubled Australia all series. James Hopes went for a slog sweep off Afridi first ball, and missed. Andrew Symonds saw Afridi running in to him as soon as he lifted his head after taking guard. This one was a straighter one too, and Symonds was clearly late in a half-hearted prod.

In Afirdi's next over, Hussey went on to cut a fullish topspinner and played it on. When Australia's new captain, Brad Haddin, chipped Shoaib Malik straight to long-on, Australia were in absolute tatters. The lower half had the small matter of Saeed Ajmal and Malik's doosras and Gul's reverse-swing to negotiate, but there was always going to be one winner.

Gul took three wickets in his second spell, bowling Brett Lee and Marcus North with perfect late inswingers. Between them Gul and Afridi took 7 for 22, and the last 16 overs yielded just 66.

The only hope then for Australia was that the pitch was a touch double-paced, and they raised hopes of a close match by removing the Pakistan openers for 23 in four overs. But without a target to build pressure, the spinners were always going to find it tough. Kamran Akmal, just like Watson, carried forward the good form from his match-winning century in the last ODI, and Misbah finished a perfect night as captain with a responsible 24.

Nothing about Kamran suggested there was any panic in the air. The third ball he faced he square-drove Brett Lee powerfully for four, and his stability thereon ended the contest. His occasional square-cut boundaries kept Pakistan ahead of the modest run-rate required, and it was not until the 14th over - with just 32 required - that he had some fun. Hopes was the unfortunate bowler pulled over long-on and scooped over fine leg for consecutive sixes. When he reached his half-century, Kamran - a new father - celebrated with a baby-rocking gesture; he had played with the responsibility that befits a father.

Hauritz finished the match with a wide down the leg side, and Australia were yet to beat Pakistan in Twenty20 internationals: they lost their first meeting too, during the World Twenty20 in 2007.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Link

Pakistan Vs. Australia ODI Series Round-up

2009-05-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

While the powerful start by Pakistan in 1st ODI (Pakistan won by 4 wickets with 35 balls remaining) assured of a good series with Afridi going for the best ever figures of 6-38 in 10 overs, the 2nd ODI was a bit edgy towards Aussies with Australia winning by 6 wickets (with 29 balls remaining).
It was the 3rd ODI, Pakistan restricted Australia to a mere 198, but a shocking tumbling of Pakistani batsmen, just like dominoes made the result contrary, Australia won by 27 runs.
It was the 4th ODI that had to be won by Pakistan to ensure the series is still alive, but it was not in the cards, Umar Gul was rested. Pakistan made 197 (48.4 ov) and towards the end Australia won by 8 wickets (with 34 balls remaining).
As the series was gone now, but Pakistan still had pride to ponder upon, so the 5th ODI was a exquisite one from Pakistan. Aussies made 250/4 (50 ov) but it was not too much for Pakistan this time who were superb when they came out to bat, After a 3 wickets gone down, a mammoth partnership by Kamran Akmal (116*) and Misbah-ul-Haq (76*) smacked Aussies.
The series was an all right one apart from the hiccups that Pakistan suffered. The series was lost, 3-2.
Man of the Series went to Michael Clarke for excellent performance by Bat and Ball throughout the series.

May 7th will mark the last encounter between Aussies and Pak when they meet in the format of Twenty-20.

(Zeeshan Ahmed)

Pakistan Vs. Australia : 1st One Day International

2009-04-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

The first match between Aussies and Pakistan was an ideal start of the series for Pak fans. Played for the first time in the excellent new stadium of Dubai in Dubai Sports City. Aussies tumbling in the first inning for a mere 168 runs, Thanks to superb bowling by Shahid Afridi (Career and All-time best against Aussies, bowling figures of 6-38) and Saeed Ajmal (2-19). The spinners played a huge part as predicted by Pak. Skipper Younus Khan.
The second innings started slowly, with slow hiccups for Pak. But in the end Pak won extensively.

Kamran Akmal 48 : Misbah-ul-Haq 30 : Shahid Afridi 24 : Shoaib Malik 24

Next Match would be on April 24th. D/N

My Tweet Featured

2009-04-22T02:20:00.001-07:00

My Tweet was featured @ http://www.breakingtweets.com/2009/03/pakistan-bans-access-to-independent-tv.html

Game Preview : Batman Arkhan Asylum

2009-04-22T02:16:00.000-07:00

Batman: Arkham Asylum is the upcoming action-adventure video game which is based on popular comic hero 'The Batman'. It is being developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics...

To Read further click here

New Dan Brown novel coming in September

2009-04-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer

NEW YORK – At last, a new Dan Brown novel is coming.

Six years after the release of his mega-selling "The Da Vinci Code," the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group announced that Brown's "The Lost Symbol," a thriller set during a 12-hour period and featuring "Da Vinci Code" symbolist Robert Langdon, will come out in September.

"This novel has been a strange and wonderful journey," Brown said in a statement issued Monday by his publisher. "Weaving five years of research into the story's twelve-hour time frame was an exhilarating challenge. Robert Langdon's life clearly moves a lot faster than mine."

The first printing will be 5 million copies, Knopf Doubleday said Monday, a modest number considering that "The Da Vinci Code" has sold more than 80 million worldwide and inspired a spin-off community of travel books, diet books, parodies and religious works.

A film version, starring Tom Hanks, came out in 2006 and made more than $700 million at the box office. Hanks will again be seen as Langdon when the adaptation of Brown's "Angels & Demons" debuts in May.

Brown, 44, had kept his readers and the struggling book industry in suspense as year after year passed without a new novel. As far back as 2004, Doubleday had hinted that a follow up was coming, tentatively titled "The Solomon Key" and widely believed to be about Freemasons in Washington, D.C. (Brown has been spotted over the years in Washington, researching Masonic temples.)

Monday's announcement did not say where the story was set or who it would be about, and Doubleday spokeswoman Suzanne Herz declined to offer further information. In "The Da Vinci Code," a murder at the Louvre museum in Paris sets Langdon on an investigation that includes secret religious cults and speculation that Jesus had fathered a child with Mary Magdalene — a scenario that enraged scholars, critics and religious officials, all of it only bringing the book more readers.

Eager for success, but unprepared for obsession, Brown became increasingly reluctant to make public appearances or talk to the media. His reserve was only magnified by a copyright infringement lawsuit that was decided in his favor, but not before Brown was forced to testify in London and prepare an in-depth brief about his career, writing process and the fury he faced when promoting "The Da Vinci Code."

"I recall feeling defenseless because more than a year had passed since I'd researched and written the novel, and the precise names, dates, places and facts had faded somewhat in my memory," Brown wrote.

The trial, too, only made his book sell more.

Inspired in part by the commercial fiction of Sidney Sheldon, Brown is an Amherst College graduate who has said he long gave up on the idea of being a literary writer and instead wanted to write novels read by many. But neither the author nor his publisher nor booksellers expected such a boom for "The Da Vinci Code," his fourth novel, which remained on best-seller lists for more than three years and made million sellers out of such previous books as "Deception Point" and "Angels & Demons."

The long silence after "The Da Vinci Code," far longer than the time spent between his previous books, led to speculation that Brown was hopelessly blocked, as staggered by fame as "Forever Amber" author Kathleen Winsor or Grace Metalious of "Peyton Place," novelists who never again approached the heights of their controversial best sellers.

Brown is a native of Exeter, N.H., who still lives in his home state with his wife, Blythe Brown, whom the novelist cited during the London trial as a virtual co-author, an energetic researcher who brought an invaluable "female perspective" to a book immersed in "the sacred feminine, goddess worship and the feminine aspect of spiritually."

Link

Game Review : World of Goo [DAWN's Young World : April, 18, 2009]

2009-04-19T01:56:00.000-07:00

My review of the game 'World of Goo' got published in the DAWN's Young World this Saturday ( April, 18, 2009). The special issue was available both online and in print.

Click the Image below to read the review.

(Now Follow me on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/zeeshan_ahmed )

Excerpt from my brand new Script

2009-04-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

Following is the excerpt from my script, on which a film would be adapted.

There’s a dark place, Faizan enters the room.

Faizan : I’m here, where are you people?

Suddenly the lights are powered on.

A stinging personality appears in front of Faizan, whose expressions are wicked.

Faizan : Ramoné! What the hell are you doing here!!!

Ramoné : O my fragile friend, how could have you believed that my own men can turn against me and call you for aid? This was a plan that worked beyond my expectations, the bird came to the trap by itself…

Faizan : You’ll suffer!

Do Comment.

( Now Follow me on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/zeeshan_ahmed )

Easter Greetings.... :)

2009-04-12T03:10:00.000-07:00

Easter Greetings Everyone!

'Bolt' Review in DAWN's Young World

2009-04-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

My Review of 2008 Disney-Pixar Movie 'Bolt' for published in DAWN's Young World.

Click the Image below to read it...

Do Comment... :)

[Now follow me on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/zeeshan_ahmed ]

We Strongly Condemn This...

2009-04-03T05:26:00.000-07:00

We, The Pakistanis, Strongly condemn the public flogging of the 17-year old girl by TALIBAN.
The act, shown as a video, is totally inhumane with no any significant connections with any culture.
There should be strong actions against such elements.
United we stand on such issues....

Pakistan Zindabad!

Beware Conficker worm come April 1

2009-03-26T03:50:00.000-07:00

In an event that hits the computer world only once every few years, security experts are racing against time to mitigate the impact of a bit of malware which is set to wreak havoc on a hard-coded date. As is often the case, that date is April 1.

Malware creators love to target April Fool's Day with their wares, and the latest worm, called Conficker C, could be one of the most damaging attacks we've seen in years.

Conficker first bubbled up in late 2008 and began making headlines in January as known infections topped 9 million computers. Now in its third variant, Conficker C, the worm has grown incredibly complicated, powerful, and virulent... though no one is quite sure exactly what it will do when D-Day arrives.

Thanks in part to a quarter-million-dollar bounty on the head of the writer of the worm, offered by Microsoft, security researchers are aggressively digging into the worm's code as they attempt to engineer a cure or find the writer before the deadline. What's known so far is that on April 1, all infected computers will come under the control of a master machine located somewhere across the web, at which point anything's possible. Will the zombie machines become denial of service attack pawns, steal personal information, wipe hard drives, or simply manifest more traditional malware pop-ups and extortion-like come-ons designed to sell you phony security software? No one knows.

Conficker is clever in the way it hides its tracks because it uses an enormous number of URLs to communicate with HQ. The first version of Conficker used just 250 addresses each day -- which security researchers and ICANN simply bought and/or disabled -- but Conficker C will up the ante to 50,000 addresses a day when it goes active, a number which simply can't be tracked and disabled by hand.

At this point, you should be extra vigilant about protecting your PC: Patch Windows completely through Windows Update and update your anti-malware software as well. Make sure your antivirus software is actually running too, as Conficker may have disabled it.

Microsoft also offers a free online safety scan here, which should be able to detect all Conficker versions.

Link : http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/128643/beware-conficker-worm-come-april-1/

Reality TV star Jade Goody dies after cancer fight

2009-03-22T03:27:00.000-07:00

LONDON – Jade Goody, a dental assistant turned reality-TV star whose whirlwind journey from poverty to celebrity to tragedy became a national soap opera and morality tale in Britain, has died. The 27-year-old had cancer and died in her sleep early Sunday at her home in Essex, southeast England, her publicist Max Clifford said.

Goody gained fame at 21 in 2002, when she joined the reality television show "Big Brother," in which contestants live together for weeks and are constantly filmed. Loud and brash, she became a highly divisive star — initially mocked as an ignorant slob, then celebrated as a forthright everywoman by a hungry tabloid press.

It was a pattern of praise and condemnation that followed her for the rest of her life. Goody became a national touchstone who sparked debate about race, class and celebrity in Britain.

For some, Goody was a survivor who had overcome a tough childhood on a London housing estate. Her father was absent and often in jail, and her mother struggled with drug addiction.

But she also was reviled in the press during her stint on "Big Brother" for her weight, her big mouth and her apparent lack of general knowledge — she branded the English region of East Anglia "East Angular," and asked whether it was abroad.

She didn't win the show, but she did become a celebrity, earning millions through television and magazine appearances, an autobiography, a perfume and a series of exercise videos.

It was during a follow-up stint on a celebrity version of "Big Brother" in 2007 that Goody was labeled a racist bully for her treatment of another contestant, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. Goody bad-mouthed Shetty's cooking of Indian food, mocked her accent and referred to her as "Shilpa Poppadom." While complaints against the show skyrocketed, so did ratings.

Goody's treatment of Shetty sparked anger in India and Britain — even becoming the topic of debate during a House of Commons question-and-answer session with then Prime Minister Tony Blair. A major sponsor suspended its advertising deal with "Celebrity Big Brother," and a chain of perfume shops pulled a Goody-endorsed fragrance, ironically named "Shh..."

After television viewers voted to evict Goody from the show, Goody — herself of mixed race — insisted she wasn't a racist. "I argue like that with everybody. It wasn't just because of the color of her skin that I was that aggressive," she said during an interview on Britain's GMTV.

After the eviction, the Indian Tourism Office invited Goody to travel to the country. She did, visiting charity projects and later agreeing to appear on an Indian version of the show.

"The people of India have only seen a small part of me and I'd like to show them that there is more to me," Goody said. "I'm a mother of two, a businesswoman. I can't be all that bad."

It was during filming of the show in the summer of 2008 that Goody received a diagnosis of cervical cancer by telephone from a doctor in Britain. The camera captured the deeply personal moment, which was shown repeatedly on TV in Britain, though not in India.

The progress of her illness was chronicled in detail in the tabloid press and weekly magazines, to the unease of many.

"Goody isn't rich or famous because she won the lottery: she's rich and famous because we bought all those papers and magazines and ghosted books with her on the cover, because we watched her television series, because we cheered when she was good and booed when she was bad, because we sat around discussing her over lunch," wrote columnist India Knight in The Sunday Times. "Now she's dying, she's making us all feel bad so we want her to go away, like a broken toy that's stopped being fun."

In February, a bald and frail Goody, married fiancee Jack Tweed in an elaborate event staged at an elegant countryside hotel outside London. She reportedly sold the photos for more than $1 million.

Goody defended being paid for interviews and photo shoots.

"People will say I'm doing this for money," she said. "And they're right, I am. But not to buy flash cars or big houses — it's for my sons' future if I'm not here. I don't want my kids to have the same miserable, drug-blighted, poverty-stricken childhood I did."

Before her rise to fame, Goody worked for a period as a dental nurse. She had an unhappy childhood in a poor south London neighborhood. Her father was a heroin addict who served jail time for robbery and died in 2005, her mother a former crack addict who lost the use of an arm in a motorcycle accident.

While many empathized with Goody as she underwent surgery and chemotherapy in the public eye — filming part of the experience for another television series — she still inspired vitriol in others. A Web site was even set up, devoted to predicting when she would die.

In February 2009 Goody's publicist said the cancer had spread to her liver, bowel and groin.

Goody is survived by Tweed and her two sons Bobby and Freddie, with an ex-boyfriend, television presenter Jeff Brazier. She also is survived by her mother, Jackiey Budden.

Budden told reporters Sunday: "Family and friends would like privacy at last.

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090322/ap_en_tv/eu_britain_obit_jade_goody

My Review in Young World, DAWN

2009-03-21T03:53:00.000-07:00

My Review got published in DAWN's Young World

[Click the Image to Read The Review]

Link : http://dawn.com/weekly/yworld/pdfyworld7.htm

(You can now Follow Me On Twitter @ www.twitter.com/zeeshan_ahmed )

Is It The Matter of Uttering Thoughts?

2009-03-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered?
When you see pain in front of your eyes, when you look at people dying, when you see children crying, when you look into the mirror and ask, "Who Am I to think about that?"
The world is nothing but a web of webs of thoughts. We all are linked together, all of us.
Is that weeping child your relative? Then why are you feeling his sorrow deep inside yourself? Is that old lady, who just tipped over, urged you to help her, make her stand again, ask if she's alright.
My dear friends, that's nothing but your connection to these souls.
Without even knowing the person, why are you urged to help them, this explains the most amazing phenomenon, a beautiful phenomenon that is overlooked by us.
This connection breaks when we overlook those souls, when we just ignore a dying person by saying "Who is that? I don't know him…"
You can always break a physical connection, but can you break a connection that is spiritual, the existence of which is not in a form that we can touch, but only feel...?
It does not matter if you recognize and feel the link, but it does matter when you ignore it...
Think about it...!

Syed Zeeshan Ahmed
[ Now find me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/zeeshan_ahmed ]

My Recent Comments

2009-03-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

One of my Latest comments got published in DAWN's Young World...(On March 14, 2009)

(Click the above Image to Read The Article)

And previous comments were also published in the same Magazine, few weeks back

(Click the above Image to Read The Article)

Regards, Syed Zeeshan Ahmed

France's rendezvous with history

2009-03-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said his country would end four decades of self-imposed isolation and return to Nato's military command.

Here, the BBC's Allan Little reflects on France's long journey to reconcile itself with one of the darkest chapters in its history and its difficult relationship with the US and the UK.

There is a story about a conversation between General de Gaulle, who, as president of the French Republic, telephoned his American counterpart Lyndon B Johnson, to inform him that France had decided to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty alliance.

Since its foundation nearly two decades earlier, Nato had had its headquarters in France. Now Nato would have to move.

Furthermore, de Gaulle added, it was his intention that all American service personnel should be removed from French soil.

"Does that include," Johnson is said to have replied, "those buried in it?"

Ouch.

Anti-Americanism

But go to the cemeteries of Normandy and you see what an Anglo-Saxon business the D-Day landings - and the liberation of France - really were.

The historian Andrew Roberts has calculated that of the 4,572 allied servicemen who died on that day on which, in retrospect, so much of human history seems now to have pivoted - only 19 were French. That is 0.4%.

Of the rest, 37 were Norwegians, and one was Belgian. The rest were from the English speaking world - two New Zealanders, 13 Australians, 359 Canadians, 1,641 Britons and, most decisively of all, 2,500 Americans.

After the disastrous Suez crisis in 1956, it fell to Harold MacMillan as UK prime minister to move Britain from the Age of Empire to the Age of Europe.

But his attempts to take the United Kingdom into what was then called the Common Market fell foul of General de Gaulle's famous vetoes.

Harold MacMillan spoke of the strained relationship with France

Twice Monsieur Non listened politely to Britain's plea, and twice he slammed the door.

De Gaulle saw in British membership the Trojan Horse of American imperialism in Europe.

After Algeria won its independence from France in the early 1960s, de Gaulle was fond of saying that he had not granted freedom to one country only to sit by and watch France lose its independence to the Americans.

MacMillan, in old age, spoke ruefully of France's almost psychotic relationship with its Anglo-Saxon allies.

France, he said, had made peace with Germany, had forgiven Germany for the brutality of invasion and the humiliation of four years of occupation, but it could never - never - forgive the British and Americans for the liberation.

French anti-Americanism has a long pedigree. The 18th Century philosophers of the European Enlightenment believed the New World to be self evidently inferior.

They spoke - and wrote, prolifically - of the degeneration of plant and animal life in America.

They believed America had emerged from the ocean millennia after the old continents; and that accounted for the cultural inferiority of civilisations that tried to plant themselves there.

Self-liberation

I was living in Paris when France celebrated the 60th anniversary of its liberation.

In Paris the French Resistance received back-up from US soldiers

I went to the beaches of Normandy on the 60th anniversary of D-Day and watched veterans assembling one last time, old men, heads held high, marching past blown up photographs of themselves as young liberators.

France's ambivalence - the same neurosis that Harold MacMillan spoke of - was evident.

Paris launched a series of events to mark the 60th anniversary of its own liberation in August 2004.

The city's mayor had given the celebrations the title Paris Se Libere! - Paris Liberates Herself!

One of the newspapers published a 48-page commemorative issue. There was no mention of the allies until page 18.

Building a myth

An English friend of mine, in town that weekend, had remarked how empty Paris felt in August, the month the city empties out as its residents head for their annual sojourn in the countryside.

"I see," he said "that Paris was liberated in August. I guess the Parisians didn't find out about it till September, when they came back."

Again - ouch. The caustic Anglo-Saxon wit stings.

President Sarkozy has taken his country back into the Atlantic fold

It stings because the tale that France told itself after the war was built around a lie. Paris se libere.

The words were first spoken by de Gaulle himself at the Hotel de Ville on the evening of 25 August 1944.

Paris had been liberated by her own people, he declared, "with the help of the armies of France, with the help and support of the whole of France, that is to say of fighting France, the true France, the eternal France."

France knew, in its heart, even in 1944, that that was not true. It took until the 1980s for a generation of historians properly to re-examine the darkest chapter of France's 20th Century history.

When I was living in Paris, it struck me that Sarkozy - not yet president - had the potential to be France's first post-Gaullist leader.

His enemies called him "Sarkozy the American" in the hope that this would make him unelectable. It did not work.

And now he has taken his country back into the Atlanticist fold.

It seems to me another step in a long journey, in which France - in its mature, disputatious, entrenched democracy - is growing reconciled to the history that is now challenging the myths.

Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7942086.stm

Sri Lankan cricketers injured in terror attack

2009-03-03T02:47:00.000-08:00

Cricinfo staff

Terror struck at the heart of cricket when masked gunmen attacked the bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Five cricketers, including Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, and his deputy Kumar Sangakkara, received minor injuries. The attack also left six security men and two civilians dead.

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chief, said the Test has been called off. Salman Tasheer, the Punjab governor, said a helicopter will soon evacuate the Sri Lankan players from Gaddafi Stadium and take them to a nearby airbase from where the team will fly back to Sri Lanka. Duleep Mendis, the Sri Lanka Cricket chief, said that they were "getting the team back [to Sri Lanka] today".

Mahinda Rajapakse, Sri Lanka's president, condemned the attack and asked foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama to fly to Pakistan to oversee the evacuation of the Sri Lankan players.

There have been terror strikes on the peripheries of cricket, but this is the first time players have been directly targeted. The Sri Lankans were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium when their bus was attacked by five armed terrorists near Liberty market. Habibur Rehman, chief commissioner of police, said 12 masked terrorists fired at the Sri Lankan team bus. The gunmen shot at the wheels of the bus and also injured the driver. A grenade was also thrown at the bus but it missed.

Jayawardene received a cut to the ankle while Sangakkara was injured in the shoulder. Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paravitarana were the ones most seriously injured; Samaraweera received shrapnel in the leg and Paravitarana in the chest. Ajantha Mendis received shrapnel in the neck and scalp.

"The bus came under attack as we were driving to the stadium, the gunmen targeted the wheels of the bus first and then the bus," Mahela Jayawardene told Cricinfo. "We all dived to the floor to take cover. About five players have been injured and also Paul Farbrace [a member of the support staff], but most of the injuries appear to be minor at this stage and caused by debris."

Sangakkara told CNN-IBN that "all the players are out of danger". "We are shocked, but apart from that everyone is okay. Thilan [Samaraweera] has a shrapnel wound in his leg, but he is fine. [Tharanga] Paranavitana had shrapnel in his chest, but thank God it wasn't very deep and just on the surface.

"I had shrapnel injuries in my shoulder, but they have all been removed and I'm okay now. Ajantha [Mendis] had shrapnel in his neck and scalp, but he too has had medical attention and is fine. Everyone else is perfectly all right.

"It's very unfortunate that this has happened... I don't regret coming here to play cricket because that's what we have been doing all our lives. That is our profession. But... all we want to do now is to go back home to our families, get back home and be safe," he said.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, confirmed that the remainder of the tour had been cancelled. "We note with dismay and regret the events of this morning in Lahore and we condemn this attack without reservation.

"It is a source of great sadness that there have been a number of fatalities in this attack and it is also very upsetting for the wider cricket family that some of the Sri Lanka players and one match official have been injured in this attack. At this time our thoughts and prayers are with the injured people and also the families of those who have died."

Television footage of several gunmen creeping through the trees, crouching to aim their kalashnikovs then running onto the next target were aired by Pakistan's private channel Geo.

Chamra Ranavira, third secretary and press secretary at the Sri Lankan High Commission in Islamabad, said Samaraweera and Paranavitana had been admitted to hospital, but were out of danger now. "We are communicating with the Pakistan Cricket Board and the high commission has taken action to send the cricket team back home as soon as possible," he said.

The reserve umpire Ahsan Raza was also injured in the attack. Nadeem Ghauri, the TV umpire, who was traveling in a bus behind the Sri Lanka team bus said the firing continued for some time. Umpire Steve Davis, who was on the team bus, called the terrorist attack "terrible". "I'm lost for words," he said.

Speaking from Sri Lanka, Sanath Jayasuriya said that it was an "extremely unfortunate incident. "We've never had this kind of problem," Jayasuriya told CNN-IBN. "They are all safe, that's the good news I got when I spoke to Kumar. I don't think they'll stay back and play. I think they will come back as soon as possible. Depends on the injuries."

Speaking on Geo TV, Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, said: "This is the first time that a cricket team has been seriously targeted... Pakistan's image will be hit and only time will tell how much damage has been done to Pakistan cricket. The World Cup too might be affected... no country would want to come now to Pakistan... I am worried where Pakistan will get a chance to play, not only in Pakistan but outside as well. This is all so sad."

The Indian cricket board, which called off a scheduled tour of Pakistan last December, expressed its sorrow over the attack. "We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured cricketers, and sympathise with their families and compatriots," BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan said in New Delhi. "The BCCI stands alongside Sri Lanka Cricket in this hour of crisis."

The Sri Lankan team had stepped in after the Indian government had barred the Indian team from touring Pakistan after the terror attack in Mumbai.

Link : http://content-www.cricinfo.com/pakvsl/content/story/393212.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Match drawn after late drama

2009-02-25T04:50:00.000-08:00

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera

Sri Lanka 644 for 7 dec (Mahela 240, Samaraweera 231) and 144 for 5 (Sangakkara 65, Samaraweera 24*, Prasanna 7*) drew with Pakistan 765 for 6 dec (Younis 313, Akmal 158*)

In the end the pitch won. Pakistan created late excitement by knocking out five top-order wickets but they didn't have enough time to pull off the minor miracle. After four-and-a-half dreary days dominated by the bat, the game sprang alive in a dramatic fashion on the final evening when Umar Gul and Danish Kaneria struck in rapid succession to leave Sri Lanka struggling at 120 for 5. Thilan Samaraweera and Prasanna Jayawardene however, pulled the shutter down with some cautious batting to ensure there would not be any further drama.

The final day began with all the attention centered on whether Younis Khan would go past Brian Lara's record of 400 not out, but he couldn't. He fell after adding only seven runs to his overnight score of 306, cleaned up by Dilhara Fernando. But Kamran Akmal continued Pakistan's strong reply on the flattest of pitches, scoring an unbeaten 158 to give Pakistan a 121-run lead.

There was little to play for when Sri Lanka began their second innings, and they even altered the batting line-up, sending Dilshan ahead of Jayawardene. But some careless cricket put them in discomfort.

Umar Gul lifted Pakistan with an early strike, inducing an edge from Malinda Warnapura. Tharanga Paranavitana missed out for the second time in this game, run out by a direct hit from Yasir Arafat. The Pakistan seamers bowled with more purpose, and sent down several short balls. Dilshan pulled one such bouncer from Gul straight to deep square leg.. Jayawardene turned Danish Kaneria lazily straight to short leg and Sangakkara was caught in front, trying to play across the line.

Younis began the day 31 runs short of Hanif Mohammad's 337, the highest individual score by a Pakistan batsman. He started slowly, nudging around, but was surprised by the movement from Fernando. The ball landed short of a length outside off stump before cutting back in quickly to beat the defensive poke and crashed into the off stump.

As Younis walked back, he was congratulated by most of the Sri Lankan fielders. Pakistan sighed in disappointment but Brian Lara's fans in the Caribbean would have been relieved. Younis batted for 836 minutes, the third longest Test innings in terms of minutes behind Hanif (970) and Gary Kirsten (878).

Akmal carried on unperturbed, helping himself to an easy century on the batting paradise. Sri Lanka relaxed after Younis left and bowled an assortment of irregular bowlers like Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratane Dilshan, Malinda Warnapura and Mahela Jayawardene. Akmal scored 98 runs off the irregular bowlers and reached 158 off only 184 balls before Younis finally declared on 765.

Despite the late excitement, it was a predictable and a just result on the placid pitch. Neither team finished their first innings completely and had to declare - not the perfect advertisement for the longer version of the game, especially considering that this was Pakistan's first home Test in 16 months. The attention now shifts to the second Test, starting on March 1 at Lahore.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Link : http://content-www.cricinfo.com/pakvsl/content/story/392143.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Oscar Scoop: Beyoncé, Zac Efron & More to Sing

2009-02-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

Marc Malkin

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Host Hugh Jackman won't be the only star singing and dancing at Sunday's Academy Awards.

Several sources say that the Aussie hunk will be joined on stage by Beyoncé, High School Musical stars and real-life couple Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens and Mamma Mia!'s Amanda Seyfried. Dominic Cooper, Seyfried's costar and rumored boyfriend, will also likely participate, but I'm told scheduling conflicts still have to be resolved to make it work.

One source tells me that Jackman and Beyoncé have been rehearsing at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City.

The entire group begins rehearsals tonight here in Hollywood, according to another source.

The song-and-dance routine is being directed by Jackman's Australia director Baz Luhrmann. No stranger to musicals, Luhrman's credits include Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet and Strictly Ballroom. Jackman reportedly requested to have Luhrmann stage the Oscar number.

As I first told you earlier today, Efron is also expected to present Best Original Song.

No word yet on what they'll singing and dancing to. First-time show producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon have kept a tight lid on their plans, but have continually stressed that they intend to shake things up on the movie industry's biggest night of the year.

Reps for the stars and the Oscars did not comment.

The 81st annual Academy Awards will telecast live on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20090218/en_tv_eo/100397

And the Oscar goes to Matilda if Ledger wins

2009-02-18T09:22:00.000-08:00

By STEVE POND

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – If Heath Ledger is named best supporting actor at Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, his daughter, 3-year-old Matilda Rose Ledger, will become the owner of the Oscar statuette.

But it won't really be hers until her 18th birthday on Oct. 28, 2023 — and even then, only if she signs a contract.

Matilda, daughter of the late Ledger and actress Michelle Williams, has been designated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the eventual owner of her father's Oscar, should he win for his portrayal of the Joker in "The Dark Knight."

The actor died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs last year at the age of 28.

But Ledger's nomination, and his daughter's young age, led to one of the trickiest situations the academy has dealt with in its eight decades of awarding posthumous Oscars.

"It's complicated, because there are two different questions that have to be answered," says Bruce Davis, executive director of the academy. "First, we have to decide who gets the job of accepting the award onstage on the night of the ceremony. And then there's the question of the eventual disposition of the posthumous statuette, which may not stay with the person who accepts it."

In Ledger's case, says Davis, the second question was the hardest to answer.

Academy tradition calls for a posthumous statuette to go to the spouse, or, if there is no living spouse, to the oldest child. Ledger wasn't married, and Matilda is his only child.

Yet because she is only 3, Matilda is legally unable to sign the winner's agreement — a contract required of all nominees that says the recipient will not resell his or her Oscar without first offering it back to the academy for $1. The agreement is the academy's way of limiting what might otherwise be a lively secondary market in Oscars.

"From our point of view, somebody has to sign the winner's agreement, and a 3-year-old can't do that," says Davis. "Nor can a parent sign any kind of legal document that obligates a child to do something once they turn 18. I didn't know that before we looked into it, but it's a good law."

After conversations with Williams and with Ledger's family in Australia, the academy hit on a solution: "In the event that Heath Ledger should be selected as the supporting actor recipient, the statuette will be held in trust for his daughter by her mother, Michelle Williams, until Matilda reaches the age of 18," says Davis. "At that point, she may execute what we call an heir's agreement and keep the statuette forever — or, if she chooses not to do that, it will return to us."

In other words, the Oscar statuette can spend the next 15 years with Matilda, but her mother, who has signed the academy's agreement, will be the legal custodian. When Matilda is old enough, she can claim ownership by signing the agreement. If she does so, she'll become the official owner and will be legally bound not to sell her Oscar; if she opts not to sign, the statuette will revert to the academy without any payment.

As for who would accept the award, that — like many other aspects of the ceremony — is a matter that show producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon are keeping under wraps. Davis will only say that tradition calls for a posthumous Oscar to be accepted either by a close relative or "an artist who was close to the nominee, and who can speak credibly for him or her." (The last posthumous Oscar went to cinematographer Conrad L. Hall in 2002, and was accepted by Hall's son.)

"We always had a very good idea of what we should do and who was going to accept," says Gil Cates, who produced 14 Oscar shows that included nine posthumous nominations and three wins. "You need to line up someone who's respectable to avoid any embarrassing or difficult moments, and for me it was always easy to agree with the academy on a legitimate person."

The decision was also simple for this year's other posthumous nominees, Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, producers of best-picture nominee "The Reader." If the movie wins the top prize, the other nominated producers, Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris, will also accept on behalf of Pollack and Minghella, and the statuettes will then be given to their widows.

Faced with the prospect of a minor potentially taking possession of Ledger's Oscar, the academy has in recent days revisited the way it handled underage winners such as Tatum O'Neal, who was 10 when she won best supporting actress for 1973's "Paper Moon," and Anna Paquin, who in 1994 won the best supporting actress award for "The Piano" at age 11.

"What we've tended to do is have them sign anyway, and then get back to them after they turn 18 and ask them to re-execute the agreement," Davis says. "I would love to tell you that that has happened in every single case, but your call prompted a little research. And in a couple of cases, we've never completed the circle."

In other words, there may be some Oscars out there not under academy control?

"I don't expect any trouble," says Davis with a laugh, "but, in fact, yes."

___

On the Net:

http://www.oscars.org

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090218/ap_en_ot/oscars_if_ledger_wins

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T01:37:00.000-08:00

Wishing every Heart out there, whether it be Creepy, Happy, Lonely, Sarcastic or just Emotional....

Happy Valentine's Day! ;)

Regards, Zeeshan Ahmed.

BAFTAs Put "Win" in Winslet, Extend Slumdog's Reign

2009-02-10T09:03:00.002-08:00

Gina Serpe - ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) – If there was ever anyone not in need of a home court advantage, it was Kate Winslet heading into tonight's Orange British Academy Film Awards.

Well, her and anyone who had anything to do with Slumdog Millionaire.

Like the SAGs and Golden Globes before them, the BAFTAs did their part to keep putting the "win" in Winslet, naming The Reader star the year's Leading Actress over, among other notable contenders, herself.

Winslet was nominated twice in the category, for both The Reader and Revolutionary Road, all but guaranteeing Angelina Jolie (who turned up with fellow ultimately snubbed nominee Brad Pitt), Kristin Scott Thomas and Meryl Streep yet another night in which to practice their "it's an honor just to be nominated" faces.

The cast of Slumdog Millionaire, meanwhile, practiced no such fixed smiles: The film continued its awards show dominance, racking up seven awards, including one of the most coveted of the night, Best Film.

And the movie that actually managed to upset the juggernaut for the night's other main award...

Man On Wire. The documentary about the Frenchman who staged a secret high-wire walk between the two World Trade Center towers was the surprise winner of Outstanding British Film.

While Slumdog scored the lion's share of the night's prizes, followed none too closely by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which earned three, they failed to make an impact on the acting categories.

Though not on the speeches, thanks to Best Director winner Danny Boyle.

"David Lean said you should announce your ambition for the film in the first five minutes," Boyle said. "In that spirit, I'd like to announce my ambition for this speech: My father's power went out last night. A big shout-out to everyone who helped him run the extension cable in so he could watch this tonight."

As for Winslet, the actress kept her speech brief, possibly to avoid a repeat of her post-Globes tongue-lashing from her stiff upper-lipped countrymen.

"Thank you very, very much," she said. "To get this award at home, this really means a great deal to me. Thank you BAFTA."

Winslet also thanked her "mum and dad," who were in the audience, but said she couldn't look at them during her speech as she would likely "burst into tears."

"I want to thank Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack. You are much missed today, and you will be much missed for years to come."

Meanwhile, joining Winslet in the winner's circle was Vicky Cristina Barcelona's Penélope Cruz, who took home the Supporting Actress prize, The Dark Knight's Heath Ledger, who continued his posthumous domination in the Supporting Actor category and The Wrestler's Mickey Rourke, who walked away with the Lead Actor nod.

"It's a pretty statue," Rourke said, before thanking director Darren Aronofsky for giving him a second chance despite his having "f---ed up my career for 15 years. Such a pleasure to be here and be out of the darkness."

While Rourke did not thank his dogs this time around, he did remember to thank costar Marisa Tomei for "being brave enough to take your clothes off all the time."

Aw, he shouldn't have.

Surprisingly, Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button were the only films of the night to score multiple awards.

Here's the complete list of winners for the 2009 Orange British Academy Film Awards:

• Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire • Outstanding British Film: Man On Wire • Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire • Leading Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler • Leading Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader • Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight • Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona • Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, In Bruges • Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire • Animated Film: Wall-E • Film Not in the English Language: I've Loved You So Long (France) • Music: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire • Editing: Slumdog Millionaire • Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire • Production Design: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Costume Design: The Duchess • Sound: Slumdog Millionaire • Special Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Makeup & Hair: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Short Animation: Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death • Short Film: September • The Carl Foreman Award (special achievement for first feature film): Steve McQueen, writer/director, Hunger • The Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by public): Noel Clarke • Academy Fellowship: Terry Gilliam • Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: Pinewood Studios/Shepperton Studios

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20090208/en_top_eo/98893

BAFTAs Put "Win" in Winslet, Extend Slumdog's Reign

2009-02-10T09:03:00.001-08:00

X-Men Origins : Wolverine [2009] Trailer

2009-02-08T09:03:00.000-08:00

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an upcoming superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Wolverine, due for release on May 1, 2009. The film is directed by Gavin Hood and stars Hugh Jackman as the title character. It is a prequel to the X-Men film trilogy, focusing on the mutant Wolverine and his time with Team X, before Wolverine's skeleton was bonded with the indestructible metal Adamantium. The film was mostly shot in Australia and New Zealand.

Plot :
Set roughly twenty years before X-Men, the film will focus on Wolverine's violent past, and his early encounters with William Stryker (Danny Huston). The Weapon X program and his interactions with other mutants will be explored,including his complex relationship with Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber).
Also features Rogue Mutant Gambit.

The 81st Academy Awards Nominations

2009-02-08T09:00:00.001-08:00

Nominations

Best Picture

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• Frost/Nixon

• Milk

• The Reader

• Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director

• Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire

• Stephen Daldry – The Reader

• David Fincher – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon

• Gus Van Sant – Milk

Best Actor

• Richard Jenkins – The Visitor

• Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon

• Sean Penn – Milk

• Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Actress

• Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married

• Angelina Jolie – Changeling

• Melissa Leo – Frozen River

• Meryl Streep – Doubt

• Kate Winslet – The Reader

Best Supporting Actor

• Josh Brolin – Milk

• Robert Downey, Jr. – Tropic Thunder

• Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt

• Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

• Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actress

• Amy Adams – Doubt

• Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

• Viola Davis – Doubt

• Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

Best Original Screenplay

• WALL-E - Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter

• Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh

• Frozen River - Courtney Hunt

• In Bruges - Martin McDonagh

• Milk - Dustin Lance Black

Best Adapted Screenplay

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth and Robin Swicord

• Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan

• The Reader - David Hare

• Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy

• Doubt - John Patrick Shanley

Best Animated Feature

• Bolt – Chris Williams and Byron Howard

• Kung Fu Panda – Mark Osborne and John Stevenson

• WALL-E – Andrew Stanton

Best Foreign Language Film

• Revanche (Austria) in German - Götz Spielmann

• The Class (France) in French - Laurent Cantet

• The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany) in German

• Departures (Japan) in Japanese

• Waltz with Bashir (Israel) in Hebrew - Ari Folman

Best Animated Short

• La Maison En Petits Cubes - Kunio Kato

• Lavatory - Lovestory - Konstantin Bronzit

• Oktapodi - Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand

• Presto - Doug Sweetland

• This Way Up - Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Best Art Direction

• Changeling – James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

• The Dark Knight – Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando

• The Duchess – Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway

• Revolutionary Road – Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt

Best Cinematography

• Changeling – Tom Stern

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Claudio Miranda

• The Dark Knight – Wally Pfister

• The Reader – Chris Menges, Roger Deakins

• Slumdog Millionaire – Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Costume Design

• Australia – Catherine Martin

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Jacqueline West

• The Duchess – Michael O'Connor

• Milk – Danny Glicker

• Revolutionary Road – Albert Wolsky

Best Documentary Feature

• Nerakhoon (The Betrayal)

• Encounters at the End of the World

• The Garden

• Man on Wire

• Trouble the Water

Best Documentary Short

• The Conscience of Nhem En – Steven Okazaki

• The Final Inch

• Smile Pinki

• The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

Best Film Editing

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

• The Dark Knight – Lee Smith

• Frost/Nixon – Mike Hill, Daniel P. Hanley

• Milk – Elliot Graham

• Slumdog Millionaire – Chris Dickens

Best Live Action Short

• On the Line (Auf der Strecke)

• Manon On the Asphalt

• New Boy

• The Pig (Grisen)

• Toyland (Spielzeugland)

Best Makeup

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Greg Cannom

• The Dark Knight – John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan

• Hellboy II: The Golden Army – Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Best Original Score

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Alexandre Desplat

• Defiance – James Newton Howard

• Milk – Danny Elfman

• Slumdog Millionaire – A.R. Rahman

• WALL-E – Thomas Newman

Best Original Song

• "Down to Earth" from WALL-E – Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman (music), Peter Gabriel (lyrics)

• "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman (music), Gulzar (lyrics)

• "O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman and M.I.A.

Best Sound Editing

• The Dark Knight – Richard King

• Iron Man – Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes

• Slumdog Millionaire – Tom Sayers

• WALL-E – Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood

• Wanted – Wylie Stateman

Best Sound Mixing

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten

• The Dark Knight – Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick

• Slumdog Millionaire – Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

• WALL-E – Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt

• Wanted – Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt

Best Visual Effects

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

• The Dark Knight – Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin

• Iron Man – John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick, Shane Mahan

Academy Honorary Award

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

• Jerry Lewis

Films with multiple nominations

• 13 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• 10 Slumdog Millionaire

• 8 The Dark Knight, Milk

• 6 WALL-E

• 5 Doubt, Frost/Nixon, The Reader

• 3 Changeling, Revolutionary Road

• 2 The Duchess, Frozen River, Iron Man, Wanted, The Wrestler

Jessica Biel hosts Sci-Tech Oscars

2009-02-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

By RYAN PEARSON, AP Entertainment Writer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Host Jessica Biel wore Oscar de la Renta, but it was bearded, buttoned-down Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull who got whoops and whistles at the first Academy Awards presentation of the year.

Attendees yelled and stood for Catmull, president of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, as he accepted an Oscar statuette Saturday night for a lifetime of work in computer animation. He said he was inspired by early Disney films "Peter Pan" and "Pinocchio," then name-dropped collaborators George Lucas, Steve Jobs and Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter.

"In each of the communities that I've been in, we know that when we make the movies look good, we make each other look good," Catmull said. "It's really been a great adventure."

Pixar celebrates its 23rd birthday this year and is set to release "Up" — its 10th feature — in May. Its "WALL-E" is favored to win the animated feature category at the main Oscars ceremony Feb. 22.

Nine other men were honored at the annual scientific and technical awards ceremony, which put a spotlight on the geekier side of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Biel, who was not accompanied by boyfriend Justin Timberlake, picked her way through tricky jargon like "anamorphic de-squeezers" and got cheek-peck greetings from European honorees.

Philippe Parain, CEO of French lens maker Angenieux, checked with a cameraman to ensure that his company's product was being used to record the host of the black-tie ceremony.

"I just want to make sure Jessica's image is as perfect as she is beautiful," he said. "Vive le cinema!"

Biel, 26, who starred most recently in "Easy Virtue" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," said she's far from tech-savvy but has been steadily learning about equipment used behind the scenes on her films.

"The older I get, the more movies I do, the more aware I am," she said. She praised "WALL-E" and said animated films deserve a place among best picture nominees.

"They're so emotional," she said. "And most of the Pixar films, I usually laugh, cry, am frightened. Those types of movies could and should — if they're good enough — win an Oscar. Why not?"

Among the other honorees Saturday: the makers of the Arrimax lighting system, the Hylen lens system, and Transvideo monitors. Computer scientist Mark Kimball, formerly of Disney, glanced from Biel to the medallion he'd been awarded for his technological achievements on films ranging from "Tron" to "Beauty and the Beast."

"What a gorgeous thing!" he said, smiling broadly.

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090208/ap_en_ot/oscars_tech_awards

Slumdog Millionaire, Milk Have Write Stuff at WGA Awards

2009-02-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

Joal Ryan

Los Angeles (E! Online) – If this award season were a quiz show, Slumdog Millionaire would be the final answer.

The much-honored indie love story took yet another honor—Best Adapted Screenplay—at tonight's 2009 Writers Guild Awards. Milk scored the Original Screenplay prize.

30 Rock, Mad Men, In Treatment, Breaking Bad, Recount, John Adams, The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live were among the TV winners. Tina Fey's 30 Rock was honored for both best writing on a comedy series and best writing of a single comedy episode ("Succession").

Slumdog's Simon Beaufoy defeated the writers of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, all of whom he'll face at the Oscars, and The Dark Knight, whom he, of course, won't.

The win for Milk's Dustin Lance Black reiterates his front-runner status in Oscar's original screenplay race: He was the only WGA nominee to even score a like Academy Award nod.

Slumdog's win means the film swept top prizes from the directors', producers' and actors' guilds. Its fairytale could end happily—or not—in just about two weeks. At the 81st Academy Awards.

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20090208/en_movies_eo/99003

Disney's The Princess and the Frog

2008-12-10T00:48:00.000-08:00

By The Animation Powerhouse Disney, A fairy tale centered on a young girl named Princess Tiana who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age.

To Be Released in 2009

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

2008-12-10T00:44:00.000-08:00

Bruno is an eight year old German boy who leads a very comfortable life in Berlin during the Second World War. His father is a high ranking Nazi officer, and things change when the family has to move due to his father’s new post. In his innocence, Bruno sees the nearby concentration camp as a ‘farm’ and wonders why its inhabitants are always wearing striped pajamas. Eventually Bruno becomes friends with a Jewish boy his own age who lives on the other side of the fence.

All Nightmare Long - Metallica

2008-12-10T00:37:00.000-08:00

New Video by the Rock Legends 'Metallica'

Britney Spears' Circus Act Tops the Charts

2008-12-10T00:28:00.001-08:00

By David Jenison

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Britney Spears is back at No. 1.

For the first time in more than five years, Britney topped the Billboard 200. Her new album Circus sold more than half a million copies for the week ended Sunday.

This gives Spears the second biggest female bow of the year, topping debut weeks by Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Janet Jackson and Beyoncé and only trailing Taylor Swift. Once the final retail receipts are counted, the album should claim the seventh biggest bow of 2008.

Back in October, Britney set the stage for her comeback when "Womanizer" became her first Hot 100 chart-topper since "…Baby One More Time" a decade ago. "Womanizer" also set the record for the biggest digital sales debut by a female artist (286,000 copies) since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking downloads in 2003.

"Imagine a year ago, did anyone think that today she would be able to come out with an album that would, not only just debut at No. 1, but also do half a million copies in its first week?" asks Billboard Senior Chart Manager Keith Caulfield. "It's surprising, but at the same time it's got to be pretty satisfying for Britney and for her record label."

And it's not just album and song sales soaring, because according to her website, "This tour is selling out like hot cakes! In response to overwhelming ticket sales, we have several more dates in cities including Los Angeles, London, Chicago, Toronto and Newark!"

So expect the circus to be coming to your town soon.

Link

Humour : Hungry Dogs

2008-12-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

( I love this one! )

At a workshop on dog temperament, the instructor noted that a test for a canine’s disposition was for an owner to fall down and act hurt. A dog with poor temperament would try to bite the person, whereas a good dog would lick his owner’s face or show concern.

Once, while eating pizza in the living room, I decided to try out this theory on my two dogs. I stood up, clutched my heart, let out a scream and collapsed on the floor.

The dogs looked at me, glanced at each other and raced to the coffee table for my pizza.

Courtesy : Reader's Digest

NASA delays Mars mission to 2011

2008-12-08T05:06:00.000-08:00

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein, Ap Science Writer

WASHINGTON – NASA is delaying a mission to Mars that already had been over budget and will get even more costly.

The launch of the massive roving robot with a rock-zapping laser was pushed back Thursday from next year until 2011, adding $400 million to the price tag. More than 10 different problems, all solvable with time, forced the postponement, Mars exploration chief Doug McCuistion said.

The six-wheeled Mars Science Laboratory is designed as the most powerful spacecraft to explore the Martian surface. About the size of a small sport utility vehicle, it will probe the red planet's climate and geology in finer detail than previous missions.

The project has been dogged by cost increases and technical challenges. Just two years ago the lab was supposed to cost $1.6 billion; the launch delay inflates the total price to nearly $2.3 billion.

The biggest major technical problem involves motors and gear boxes that will help the rover drive around and bend its robotic arm to reach out to test soil. One of the most vexing problems: the brake sticks in the on position in cold weather, McCuistion said. Other problems involved cracks in a key pipe, computer glitches and easy-to-fix failures with solar power cells, he said.

The problems couldn't be fixed and tested in time to launch next year, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said at a news conference.

"Despite the delay, work on the mission really is progressing well with the exception of the motor problem," he said.

Mars and Earth only pass close enough to launch probes every 26 months. The next opportunity is September and October next year; it will be the first time since 1994 that NASA will miss a chance to launch toward Mars.

Sean Solomon of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, who heads a NASA Mercury mission, thinks the space agency made the right choice to slip the Mars launch, but he warned it could hurt other projects.

"That's quite a high price to pay for this delay. We're not in a good place on this mission," said Solomon who chairs the planetary subcommittee of NASA's Advisory Council.

It is the second time in two years that NASA has postponed a Mars mission. Last year, it delayed a planned 2011 launch of a $485 million Mars atmospheric probe by two years because of an unspecified conflict of interest in the selection process.

___

AP Science Writer Alicia Chang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

Mars Science Laboratory: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/

Link

Pakistan arrests suspected Mumbai plotter

2008-12-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

By MUNIR AHMAD, Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Security forces overran a militant camp on the outskirts of Pakistani Kashmir's main city and seized an alleged mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, two officials said Monday.

Backed by a helicopter, the troops grabbed Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi among at least 12 people taken Sunday in the raid on the riverbank camp run by the banned group Laskhar-e-Taiba in Pakistani Kashmir, the officials said. There was a brief gunfight in the camp near Muzaffarabad before the militants were subdued, the officials said.

The officials — one from the intelligence agencies and one from a government agency — spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Indian officials say the sole Mumbai attacker captured alive has told them that Lakhvi recruited him for the mission and that Lakhvi and another militant, Yusuf Muzammil, planned the operation, which left 171 people dead in India's commercial capital.

The capture of Lakhvi was likely to please India as well as U.S. officials, who allege he also directed Laskhar-e-Taiba operations in Chechnya, Bosnia and Southeast Asia, training members to carry out suicide bombings and attack populated areas. In 2004, he allegedly sent operatives and funds to attack U.S. forces in Iraq.

It was not immediately clear what Pakistan intended to do with Lakhvi.

Pakistan and India do not have an extradition treaty. Last week, President Asif Ali Zardari indicated anyone arrested in Pakistan in connection with the attacks would be tried in Pakistan.

Link

Eid Mubarak!

2008-12-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Wishing everybody who celebrates Eid-ul-Adha out there, a heartily and joyous Eid...!

Regards

Zee

Police declare Mumbai siege over

2008-11-29T01:46:00.000-08:00

One of the luxury hotels taken over by gunmen in Mumbai is back under the control of the authorities, India's elite commando chief says.

JK Dutt said commandos had killed two militants at the Oberoi-Trident hotel. Police found 24 bodies there, shortly after 93 guests and staff were freed.

Operations continue to rescue hostages at two other city sites, after a series of attacks that left at least 130 dead.

India's foreign minister said "elements with links to Pakistan" were involved.

However, his Pakistani counterpart has urged India not to bring politics into the issue, saying "we should join hands to defeat the enemy".

Gunmen armed with automatic weapons and grenades targeted at least seven sites in Mumbai late on Wednesday, opening fire indiscriminately on crowds at a major railway station, the two hotels, the Jewish centre, a hospital and a cafe frequented by foreigners.

Some 370 people have been injured, while the death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are discovered. One security official said eight foreigners were known to have died, among them three Germans, a Japanese, Canadian and Australian.

'Bodies in hall'

Mr Dutt, the director-general of India's National Security Guard, said the Oberoi-Trident was "under our control".

"We have killed two terrorists today," he said. "There was lots of firing, they also lobbed hand grenades. Some of them are unexploded, we are going to defuse them - you may hear some sound of explosions."

Security troops are battling at least one militant still in the hotel

Earlier, the army said at least one gunman with "two or more hostages" remained in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel.

Gunfire and explosions continue to be heard, after more than 100 commandos went into the hotel. A journalist and bystander outside the hotel were taken to hospital after being hit by shrapnel.

Indian commandos who managed to enter other parts of the Taj Mahal say they found at least 30 bodies in one hall.

The commandos also said the militants were well aware of the layout of the hotel, and that they had recovered a Mauritius identity card as well as guns and money.

The relief of the guests at the Oberoi-Trident was evident as 93 of them were escorted from the hotel on Friday morning following the lengthy siege. They included 20 Air France crew members.

One of those freed, Briton Mark Abell, spoke of his delight at seeing several heavily armed soldiers at his hotel door after spending more than 36 hours in his room.

But he was shocked by the state of the hotel. "The lobby was carnage, blood and guts everywhere. It was very upsetting," he told the BBC.

Smoke bombs

At first light, helicopters swooped over the Nariman House business and residential complex in south Mumbai, which houses the Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch.

Commandos initially dropped smoke bombs to create confusion, and then several troops abseiled down ropes to secure the roof.

They are said to have been tentatively moving down through the building, trying not to cause casualties among the hostages.

Earlier, a woman and child were seen leaving the building, but it was unclear whether they had managed to escape or were released.

The child was identified as the two-year-old son of Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holzberg, the main representative at the ultra-orthodox outreach centre. There was no word on the rabbi's fate.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7753892.stm

Pakistan condemns Mumbai attack, offers cooperation

2008-11-27T03:58:00.000-08:00

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan condemned on Thursday militant attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai in which at least 101 people have been killed, and promised full support and cooperation in fighting terrorism.

India has in the past accused elements in Pakistan of supporting Islamist militants battling Indian forces in the disputed Kashmir region, and of complicity in bomb attacks elsewhere in India.

In separate messages, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani deplored the Mumbai attacks, the state-run APP news agency said.

"President Zardari stressed the need for taking strict measures to eradicate terrorism and extremism from the region," it said.

Gilani also strongly condemned the violence and said Pakistan had always opposed terrorism, the government said in a statement. Zardari, the widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and Gilani came to power after February elections that restored democratic, civilian rule.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi arrived in India on Wednesday for a four-day visit that will include talks on the nuclear-armed rivals' tentative four-year peace process.

Their main dispute is over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both countries claim in full but rule in part. Pakistan offers political support for what it calls a freedom struggle in mostly Muslim Kashmir but denies supporting terrorism.

Qureshi said in a statement he was shocked and horrified by the "barbaric" attacks in Mumbai.

Noting a spate of recent attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide truck bomb attack on one of Islamabad's top hotels in September, Qureshi said all civilised societies had to work together to deal with terrorism.

Link

Dozens still held hostage in Mumbai after night of terror attacks Coordinated series of attacks leave at least 101 people dead

2008-11-27T03:22:00.000-08:00

Dozens of people were being kept hostage by gunmen in India's financial capital Mumbai today, more than 12 hours after coordinated attacks on luxury hotels, popular restaurants, a rail terminus and an ultra-orthodox Jewish centre.

The Maharashtra state police chief, AN Roy, said the hostage situation had ended at the Taj Mahal hotel but there were still apparently hostages in the Oberoi hotel.

The death toll has risen to 101 with more than 300 people injured. Police and gunmen exchanged heavy gunfire early this morning. Several people managed to flee the Taj hotel, the roof of which was destroyed after heavy fires raged through the night.

"People who were held up there [Taj hotel], they have all been rescued," Roy told the NDTV news channel. "But there are guests in the rooms, we don't know how many."

"That is why the operation is being conducted more sensitively to ensure there are no casualties of innocent people."

At noon local time (6.30am GMT) two bodies covered with white sheets were wheeled out of the Taj hotel entrance and put in ambulances. During the night a series of explosions had rocked the building.

At the nearby Oberoi hotel, soldiers could be seen on the roof of neighboring buildings. A banner hanging out of one window read "Save us".

"We did not know anything, we just heard gunshots. It was a long night for us," said Nasim Desai, a South African visiting her family in India.

Indian television reported that a Singaporean woman had called her embassy and asked Indian security forces not to attack the Oberoi or the terrorists would kill her.

Officials at Bombay hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a Japanese man had died there and nine Europeans had been admitted, three of them in a critical condition with gunshot wounds. All had come from the Taj Mahal hotel, the officials said.

Gunmen seized the Mumbai headquarters of an ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach group, Chabad Lubavitch. Indian commandos surrounded the building this morning and witnesses said gunfire could be heard from inside.

A spokesman for the Lubavitch movement in New York, Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, said attackers "stormed the Chabad house" in Mumbai.

"It seems that the terrorists commandeered a police vehicle which allowed them easy access to the area of the Chabad house and threw a grenade at a gas pump nearby," he said.

The home secretary for Maharashtra state, Bipin Shrimali, said four suspects were killed when they tried to flee in cars, while four more gunmen were reported killed at the Taj Mahal hotel. Officials said nine more had been arrested but gave no further details.

Mumbai has frequently been targeted in terrorist attacks blamed on Islamist militants, including a series of bombings in July 2006 that killed 187 people.

An Indian media report said a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen had claimed responsibility for the latest attacks in emails to several media outlets. There was no way to verify the claim.

Mumbai was today turned into a ghost town, with the normally chaotic and crowded streets eerily still.

The only movement was by police, army and commando units making their way through labyrinthine back alleys. The state government ordered schools, colleges and the Bombay stock exchange to close for the day.

"We blame the intelligence - the government spends so much money and nothing happens. Then these people come and do whatever they want," said one local resident, Richard Madhavan, 34.

Many Mumbai residents have experienced similar violence before, either in the form of bombings or gunfights between mobsters and police. But no one was prepared for the running gun battles or the coordinated execution of last night's violence.

"Bombay's streets are used to violence," said Dinesh Bhandari, 41. "Tomorrow we'll be back to work."

Link

5 Fresh Car Concepts

2008-11-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

Extreme concepts with an eye on the future.

By Matt DeLorenzo | Photos by John Lamm and Marc Urbano

Honda FC Sport Concept

Auto shows rely on concept cars to generate excitement and the Los Angeles show is no different — its loaded with fresh ideas ranging from futuristic sports cars to alternative takes on everyday transportation. Here are five top picks that someday may make it from show stand to showroom floor.

Honda FC Sport Concept

Showing that there will be a sporting life beyond internal combustion engines, the Honda FC Sport Concept is a design study that shows what a high-performance fuel-cell car may look like. This unique package seats three with the driver in the center, flanked on each side in back by a passenger. The fuel-cell powertrain components are packaged in the center of the vehicle for a low center of gravity and ideal weight distribution. While only a show car today, the FC Sport Concept is evidence that Honda believes fuel-cells will offer serious performance in the future.

Dodge EV concept

Chrysler's vision of the future has the electric car providing more than a modicum of performance. The Dodge EV show car takes a page from the Tesla playbook in calling on the expertise of British sports car maker Lotus as a chassis partner in its electric dreams. Dodge has modified the European-market Lotus Europa to take a lithium-ion battery pack and a 268-hp electric motor to provide 0–60 mph acceleration of less than 5 seconds.

Jeep Wrangler EV

Alternative power isn't just for the street, as the Jeep EV demonstrates. Based on the terrain-eating Wrangler, the EV is a range-extended electric vehicle that uses lithium-ion batteries that can provide up to 40 miles of pure electric range before a small gasoline engine takes over to drive the electric motor and extend the range to 400 miles. As in the Dodge EV, the electric motor has 268 horsepower, giving the EV a top speed of more than 90 mph.

2010 Mini E

BMW's Mini will further burnish its image as a hip urban car with the introduction of the Mini E, an electric version of its 3-door hatchback, which the company will deploy in a fleet of about 500 units for private use in daily traffic. The Mini E is powered by a 204-hp electric motor connected to a lithium-ion battery pack. Mini says the car has a range of 156 miles and will be demonstrated in selected markets in New York, New Jersey and California.

Toyota CNG Camry Hybrid

While pure electric vehicles are garnering a lot of attention, another fuel, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), is beginning to come to the fore as an alternative to traditional gasoline and diesel fuels, especially when used in combination with a hybrid powerplant. To explore that potential, the Toyota CNG Camry Hybrid relies on clean-burning CNG in a conventional internal combustion powerplant teamed with the company's hybrid synergy drive technology to provide yet another choice on the green car menu.

Link : http://autos.yahoo.com/auto-shows/la_auto_show_2008/759/5-fresh-car-concepts/1

Why mailmen give up...?

2008-11-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

By Paul Collins

It's a discovery worthy of a murder mystery: In a parking lot in the mountains outside Santa Cruz, Calif., a truck is found abandoned, the keys still hanging in the door. Inside the police find … a note? A body?

Not quite. Try 13,000 pieces of undelivered mail.

The recent discovery in Bonny Doon, Calif., of a former mail carrier's old stash was not exactly unprecedented. There's also the recent arrest of a Detroit postal carrier who squirreled away 9,000 pieces of mail into a storage locker, a work dodge worthy of a Seinfeld plot. A week earlier, a postman was nailed for hoarding 27,000 letters in Leeds, England; the week before that revealed a postal hoarder with 20,000 letters in Frankfurt, Germany. ("[He] didn't deliver mail addressed to himself either," a police statement dryly noted.) And all of them were dwarfed by the North Carolina postman who admitted in August to filling his garage and burying in his backyard nearly a tractor trailer's worth of undelivered junk mail.

But the hoarding and abandonment of mail is a phenomenon that extends at least back to 1874, when Providence, R.I., postman Benjamin Salisbury was caught throwing mail into the ocean "to avoid the trouble of delivery." Some things don't change much; a Long Island postman used the same MO in 1954, when he blamed a bum leg from the war for forcing him to dump his mail off a local pier. The scheme kind of worked … until the tide came in.

In 2006, the last year the U.S. Postal Service released figures, there were 515 arrests and 466 convictions for "internal theft." That figure includes abandonment and hoarding cases, where the motive has remained constant since the days of penny postage: A worker gets overwhelmed or simply disinclined to finish his route. "It's not a huge issue," Agapi Doulaveris of the U.S. Office of the Inspector General told me. "We work on referrals."

And there's the rub: For a referral to happen, first someone has to notice.

The deliveries affected are often what the U.S. Postal Service now terms "standard mail"—and what the rest of us call "junk." With the railroad-driven growth in catalogs, postal abandonment stories were already common by the 1880s. The New York Times complained of mailmen burning their bundles and in 1883 ran the immortal headline "To Deliver His Letters Some Time" after the discovery of a mailman's old stash in the basement of an Upper East Side saloon.

For a mail-sack slacker, there's a dark allure to hoarding junk. Think about it: If someone's first-class mail with paychecks or credit card bills doesn't show up, they're liable to complain. But if the umpteenth Eddie Bauer catalog doesn't arrive, well … who's gonna notice?

Link

Road detour for Depp movie shoot costs county

2008-11-22T02:05:00.000-08:00

By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press Writer Scott Bauer, Associated Press Writer

MADISON, Wis. – County officials in Wisconsin are holding the bag following a movie shoot involving Johnny Depp as famed bank robber John Dillinger.

During filming of "Public Enemies" — Wisconsin's first film under the governor's new movie incentives — state highway traffic was diverted away from the center of Columbus, 70 miles northwest of Milwaukee. The detour road couldn't stand the load — and collapsed.

Dodge County was left with a $116,000 repair. It's filed a claim against the city of Columbus that could lead to a lawsuit.

But Columbus Mayor Nancy Osterhaus says talks are ongoing between the city, county and film studio NBC Universal, with hopes that they might split the bill for the March mishap.

"Public Enemies" is out July 2, 2009

Link

Cholera outbreak strikes Zimbabwe

2008-11-22T02:04:00.000-08:00

Nearly 300 people have died in Zimbabwe in recent weeks in a cholera outbreak which has hit about 6,000 people, the World Health Organization reports.

The UN body predicted the water-borne disease would continue to spread because of poor sanitation in the impoverished country's urban areas.

Many hospitals have shut down and most towns suffer from poor water supply, broken sewers and uncollected waste.

An outbreak of cholera on this scale is rare in Zimbabwe, correspondents say.

The outbreak is likely to continue as the water and sanitation situation is worsening

WHO statement

Harare's hospitals die

While the disease is endemic in Zimbabwe, it seems this will be the worst outbreak since 2000, Michel Van Herp of the aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) told the BBC.

The WHO said that tackling the problem would be difficult because of the local shortage of drugs, medical supplies and health professionals, and the start of the rainy season was "also of concern".

"The outbreak is likely to continue as the water and sanitation situation is worsening, with severe shortages of potable water, sewage and waste disposal problems reported in most of the populated areas," a WHO statement said.

In Geneva, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs specified that cholera had spread to all of Zimbabwe's provinces.

It and the WHO put the total number of suspected cholera as of 18 November at 6,072 with 294 deaths.

'Unprecedented'

Zimbabwe's own government has reported fewer deaths, putting the figure at 90, but Health Minister David Parirenyatwa said this week that his ministry was "battling to control unprecedented... outbreaks".

CHOLERA

An intestinal infection caused by bacteria

Is often linked to contaminated supplies of drinking water

Can spread quickly in areas where there is poor sanitation

Rarely spread by person-to-person contact

Most people infected do not actually get ill

He identified Budiriro, a suburb of the capital Harare, as "the epicentre of the disease", adding that the current wave of cholera had begun in September in Chitungwiza, a satellite town south of Harare.

Admitting the situation in government hospitals was "bad", he told the Herald newspaper he hoped food would soon be made available under the Reserve Bank's programme to ensure Zimbabweans had basic commodities.

The country's Association of Doctors for Human Rights highlighted the dire state of a health service once widely admired in Africa.

"Our health delivery system, previously the envy of many developing countries, is now teetering on the verge of virtual collapse," it said.

"Sick people in need of medical attention are being turned away from Zimbabwe's hospitals and clinics."

The usually busy reception at Harare Central is deserted

Harare's Central Hospital officially closed down last week and now hardly a doctor or nurse is in sight, Zimbabwean journalist Brian Hungwe reports from the city.

Cholera-sufferers would be "coming to hospital to die because there is nobody to care for anyone", said Dr Malvern Nyamutora, vice-chairman of the Junior Doctors' Association.

"Cholera is treatable, just fluids and tetracycline [an anti-biotic] is enough, but if you get people dying of this diarrhoea - that explains the state of the health crisis," he added.

Link

European online library crashes

2008-11-22T02:03:00.000-08:00

A new digital library launched by the European Union has crashed within hours of opening - forcing its closure.

The Europeana website was attracting more than 10 million hits an hour - more than double the number which had been anticipated.

The site includes paintings, photos, films, books, maps and manuscripts from 1,000 museums, national libraries and archives across Europe.

It is expected to reopen in December after technological improvements.

Users clicking on Europeana.eu currently find a message saying the site is "temporarily not accessible due to overwhelming interest after its launch".

It adds: "We're doing our utmost to reopen Europeana in a more robust version as soon as possible. We'll be back by mid-December."

It confirms it's worth doing, European culture is more popular than we had anticipated in our wildest dreams

Spokesman, EU Commission

"Thousands of users were searching for the words 'Mona Lisa' at the same time", explained a spokesman for the European Commission.

"It confirms it's worth doing, European culture is more popular than we had anticipated in our wildest dreams," he said.

After a massive surge just before Europeana's launch, the system's creators doubled the number of servers from three to six and got it working again for a short time.

However they will now perform more tests to ensure the digital library can stay open at peak times.

On Thursday, most hits came from Germany, followed by France and Spain.

However, 4% of online requests about Europe's cultural heritage came from the United States.

Link

Harry Potter's Not Opening, and They're Not Over It

2008-11-21T02:08:00.000-08:00

Joal Ryan

Los Angeles (E! Online) – The fan petitions are still growing. The movie is still not coming out.

Friday was supposed to be the day Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opened. Instead, over the summer, Warner Bros. rescheduled the franchise's latest adventure for next July, a move that caused a fan upset that hasn't entirely settled.

"I think most fans are disappointed more than angry, and definitely skeptical of the real motive behind the delay," said Sara Greer, editor of the Harry Potter fan site MuggleNet.

A fan identifying herself as Jen Stewart said in an email she felt the studio was "pandering" when it pointed out the reschedule, attributed, in part, to fallout from the writers' strike, meant a shorter wait between Half-Blood Prince and the first part of the two-part finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

"I don't know about everyone but I am still just as upset as I was over the summer," Stewart said.

Interestingly, the recent release of the new Half-Blood Prince trailer doesn't seem to have appeased the most seriously aggrieved. Dozens and dozens of new names are still being added to one popular online petition that's more sounding board, than call to action.

"Ahhh. I can't wait until next year! I want it this year," one signer wrote Thursday.

The post's emoticon tag—:(—left no doubt as to how bad the signer wanted it.

Greer even compared the new trailer to a "bit of torture."

"The new trailer was a treat, sure, it just made a lot of us more impatient to see the film," she said in an email. "Especially since all the Twilight fans will get their fangirl on instead!"

Ah, yes, Twilight…

In one more painful twist, the Half-Blood Prince trailer is attached to prints of Twilight, the based-on-a-best-seller movie that is opening Friday because Half-Blood Prince isn't. (Originally, Twilight was going to hit theaters in December.)

"A former MuggleNet editor commented she was probably going to see Twilight just for the new trailer in all its big screen glory," Greer said. "I think I'll just reread the books and wait for summer."

At least her emoticon tag—;)—was upbeat.

Link

Pakistan v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi

2008-11-19T02:54:00.001-08:00

'This win is a big boost' - Malik

Pakistan's 3-0 whitewash of West Indies in Abu Dhabi has primed them for the upcoming series against India, their captain Shoaib Malik has said. Younis Khan hit 101 and Rao Ifthikar Anjum took 4-59 in Pakistan's 31-run win in the last game, a win which Malik praised as a solid team effort.

"Before the start of this series, I had asked the players to play to potential and show commitment," Malik said. "They have done that quite well and I am pleased they have given their best here.

"In the second match, our total was small but we knew that they heavily depend on Chris Gayle. We planned to get Gayle out early and did it. We also did well in saving boundaries as planned. We have not played international cricket in a long time, but that hasn't deterred us. This win is a big boost to our confidence ahead of the series against India."

Pakistan have been starved of international cricket this year with several teams refusing to tour the country due to security reasons. India are scheduled to play three Tests and five ODIs in Pakistan in January and February next year. There are doubts over the tour due to security worries, but Malik was hopeful of a tough series.

"The way India are playing we would need to be at our best and do extra work to beat them," Malik said.

Younis, Man of the Match after his hundred, said India could be beaten. "This is pretty much the same team we played and beat last year. The only difference is they have an aggressive captain in [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni. But Dhoni has been very lucky as his changes and decisions have all paid off. His real test will come when luck deserts him."

Link

Mystery solved: How bleach kills germs

2008-11-15T03:48:00.000-08:00

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Bleach has been killing germs for more than 200 years but U.S. scientists have just figured out how the cleaner does its dirty work.

It seems that hypochlorous acid, the active ingredient in bleach, attacks proteins in bacteria, causing them to clump up much like an egg that has been boiled, a team at the University of Michigan reported in the journal Cell on Thursday.

The discovery, which may better explain how humans fight off infections, came quite by accident.

"As so often happens in science, we did not set out to address this question," Ursula Jakob, who led the team, said in a statement.

The researchers had been studying a bacterial protein called heat shock protein 33, which is a kind of molecular chaperon that becomes active when cells are in distress, for example from the high temperature of a fever.

In this case, the source of the distress was hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite.

Jakob's team figured out that bleach and high temperatures have very similar effects on proteins.

When they exposed the bacteria to bleach, the heat shock protein became active in an attempt to protect other proteins in the bacteria from losing their chemical structure, forming clumps that would eventually die off.

"Many of the proteins that hypochlorite attacks are essential for bacterial growth, so inactivating those proteins likely kills the bacteria," Marianne Ilbert, a postdoctoral fellow in Jakob's lab, said in a statement.

The researchers said the human immune system produces hypochlorous acid in response to infection but the substance does not kill only the bacterial invaders. It kills human cells too, which may explain how tissue is destroyed in chronic inflammation.

"Hypochlorous acid is an important part of host defense," Jakob said. "It's not just something we use on our countertops."

(Editing by Maggie Fox and John O'Callaghan)

Link

Pakistan v West Indies, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi

2008-11-14T11:20:00.001-08:00

Pakistan Won a battle out of the shell in the 2nd ODI against West Indies.

Unlike the first one-dayer, which was full of manic fireworks, the second one was more of a slow-burning scrap. Like the first one-dayer, Pakistan were second-best at the halfway stage but came out on top in a tight finish, this win sealing the series. Like in the first one-dayer, there was a dogged century from a senior West Indies batsman - Shivnarine Chanderpaul this time - but there wasn't enough support for him from the rest.

Sohail Tanvir's menacing opening spell helped Pakistan fight back after a disciplined West Indies bowling had kept them down to a less-than-average total. He was the star performer but each member of the Pakistan attack played his part: Umar Gul hounded the batsmen with a mix of bouncers and yorkers, Iftikhar Anjum kept probing away just outside off stump and was unlucky to not get more than one wicket, Shahid Afridi provided the crucial breakthrough by removing Ramnaresh Sarwan, and Saeed Ajmal confounded West Indies with his doosras.

Pakistan 232 (Misbah 52, Taylor 3-38, Powell 3-50) beat West Indies 208 (Chanderpaul 107*, Gul 3-44 ) by 24 runs

Pakistan has won the 3 Match ODI series.

Pakistan v West Indies, 1st ODI, Abu Dhabi

2008-11-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

Akmal and Malik script a thriller

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter

49.5 overs Pakistan 295 for 6 (Manzoor 69, Malik 66, Younis 56) beat West Indies 294 for 9 (Gayle 113, Sarwan 55, Tanvir 3-42) by four wickets

Those who say 50-overs cricket has lost its ticker needed to look no further than the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi for a humdinger. In a throwback to the days of Sharjah classics, Pakistan overcame a sluggish start and a middle-order wobble to sneak the most thrilling of last-over wins over West Indies. Khurram Manzoor and Younis Khan helped Pakistan overcome a jittery start and gather some steam, but it was Shoaib Malik's whirlwind 66 and a stunning last-over assault from Kamran Akmal that pulled the carpet from beneath West Indies' feet.

After winning the toss and batting, West Indies settled for an below-par 294, which owed plenty to Chris Gayle's glorious 113, his 17th one-day hundred and second on the trot after an unbeaten 110 against Canada in August. Just 96 runs were scored since Gayle departed in the 35th over, and only 71 in the last ten overs, credit to Pakistan for sticking to their guns on a hard pitch. Ultimately, that made a big difference.

The last 15 minutes of the match were nerve-wracking. Akmal amazingly swept the last ball of the 48th off, by Jerome Taylor, for six, but a miserly penultimate over from Gayle seemed to have sealed it West Indies' way. Fawad Alam failed to put away a full toss, Gayle bowled Akmal with a no-ball, and Akmal then survived a stumping appeal. The over cost only six runs.

Needing 17 from the last over, Akmal slashed the third and fourth deliveries for six, backing away, to cue hysteria in the ground. A scampered two became three with an overthrow, and Alam clipped the fifth delivery of the final over for a single to seal victory. Akmal's 24 from nine balls, however, was the clincher.

When Pakistan struggled initially under lights in the first 15 overs, this was hard to envision. In the absence of any fluency from Salman Butt, it was left to Manzoor to keep the score ticking over. Manzoor played himself, reaching his second half-century in two ODIs played for Pakistan, one full of punchy back-foot play. Younis Khan, Pakistan's most experienced batsman after Mohammad Yousuf joined the ICL, hit consecutive boundaries in the 23rd over - one driven off the back foot, the other lapped very fine -to up the rate.

Taylor was brought back in the 28th over to do a job, and he succeeded. Taylor dropped short, Manzoor tried to run it fine, and Carlton Baugh held on to the thin outside edge (142 for 2). Younis swept his way to half-century from 50 balls, but the pressure told on Misbah-ul-Haq, way too early into a reverse-sweep against Nikita Miller's left-arm spin.

As per the new rules, the batting side can choose one Powerplay and Pakistan left the third one until the 38th over. It was a critical phase and Pakistan lost two wickets for 38. Unable to pierce the field like Malik, Younis slogged Baker into the starry night while Shahid Afridi pulled Baker to a tumbling Shivnarine Chanderpaul at deep midwicket. Malik made sure to hit the ball as straight as possible and went past 50 from 36 balls, but when Pakistan needed 33 from 18 balls, he pulled Taylor to midwicket.

Akmal's heroics, though, spoiled what should have been Gayle's party. The venue changed from Antigua to Abu Dhabi, the format from Twenty20 to 50-overs, but what did Gayle care? After five overs West Indies were 11 for 0; that's when Gayle moved up a gear, stepping outside the line of a delivery from Abdur Rauf and swinging it over midwicket for six.

Rauf, who opened the attack in the absence of an injured Shoaib Akhtar, was then taken for 17 in one over. A whip over mid-on was followed by a flick off the pads. Then Rauf pitched outside off stump and craned his neck as Gayle biffed him over his head. Shoaib Malik removed third man and Gayle smartly steered the ball past the wicketkeeper. Having hit a 33-ball half-century in the Stanford 20/20 for 20 earlier this month, Gayle enjoyed his first trip to Abu Dhabi. Sohail Tanvir was cracked past point and West Indies' fifty was up in the tenth over with consecutive pulled sixes in Umar Gul's first over. In five overs, 48 had been scored, and Gayle's half-century needed 36 balls.

Sewnarine Chattergoon contributed 33 to an opening stand of 125, the sixth-best for West Indies against Pakistan, content to play second fiddle before an attempted heave against the turn went to mid-on. Ramnaresh Sarwan partnered Gayle past his century - in a 73-run stand - and watched him get out for 113 after a series of attacking shots, the last of which went straight to midwicket (198 for 2) in an over in which he had been dropped by Gul. Sarwan used his wrists well and leapt on to anything short, hitting five boundaries before he tickled Afridi down the pads in the 38th over. But Gul came back well to take 3 for 66 and Tanvir took two in two balls during the last over as West Indies failed to build on Gayle's innings.

A cricket-starved Pakistan came to Abu Dhabi wanting to win. They've certainly started well.

Jamie Alter is a senior sub-editor at Cricinfo

Link : http://content-pak.cricinfo.com/pakvwi/content/story/377968.html

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

Wishing everybody, Happy Halloween!

Eid Mubarak

2008-09-30T02:37:00.000-07:00

Hazrat Abu Hurraira (Radi Allahu Anh) reported that the messenger of Allah Ta'ala, Hazrat Mohammad (Sall Allahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said,

"When the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr comes, all the angels rejoice. Allah Almighty says: "Oh My Angels! What is the reward of those laborers who have completed their task?" The angels reply that they should be fully rewarded. Allah Almighty then says:

"Be witness, I have forgiven them all."

On this festive occasion, I would like to wish you and your family a very happy, joyous and blessed Eid

Wishing all Muslims here, a joyous and prosperous Eid-ul-Fitr....

Chinese astronaut makes nation's first spacewalk

2008-09-27T02:45:00.000-07:00

BEIJING - A Chinese astronaut has emerged from the Shenzhou 7 spaceship to perform his nation's first-ever spacewalk.

Mission commander Zhai Zhigang floated out of the orbiter module's hatch Saturday afternoon in footage shown live on state television.

Zhai said: "Greetings to all the people of the nation and all the people of the world."

Fellow astronaut Liu Boming also emerged briefly from the capsule to hand Zhai a Chinese flag that he then waved for an exterior camera. The third crew member, Jing Haipeng, monitored the ship from inside the re-entry module.

A successful spacewalk paves the way for assembling a space station from two Shenzhou orbital modules, the next major goal of China's manned spaceflight program.

Explosion at Pakistan Marriott hotel kills 40

2008-09-20T09:59:00.001-07:00

By ASIF SHAHZAD, Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A massive truck bomb devastated the heavily guarded Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital Saturday, killing at least 40 people and wounding at least 100. Officials feared there were dozens more dead inside the burning building.

The Marriott has been a favorite place for foreigners as well as Pakistani politicians and business people to stay and socialize in Islamabad despite repeated militant attacks.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but Pakistan has faced a wave of militant violence in recent weeks following army-led offensives against insurgents in its border regions.

The capital has not been spared, though Saturday's blast appeared to be one of the largest ever terrorist attacks in the country.

The bomb left a vast crater, some 30 feet deep in front of the main building, where flames poured from the windows and rescuers ferried bloodied bodies from the gutted building.

Witnesses and officials said a large truck had rammed the high metal gate of the hotel at about 8 p.m., when the restaurants would have been packed with dinners, including Muslims breaking the Ramadan fast.

Senior Police official Asghar Raza Gardaizi said rescuers had counted at least 40 bodies at the scene and that he feared that there "dozens more dead inside."

Associated Press reporters saw at least nine bodies scattered at the scene. Scores of people, including foreigners, were running out — some of them stained with blood.

Witnesses spoke of a smaller blast followed by a much larger one.

A U.S. State Department official using a section of white pipe as a walking stick led three colleagues through the rubble from the charred building, one of them bleeding heavily from a wound on the side of his head.

One of the four, who identified himself only as Tony, said they had begun moving toward the rear of the Chinese restaurant after the first blast when the second one threw them against the back wall.

"Then we saw a big truck coming through the gates," he said. "After that it was just smoke and darkness."

Ambulances rushed to the area, picking their way through the charred carcasses of vehicles that had been in the street outside. Windows in buildings hundreds of yards away were shattered.

Mohammad Sultan, a hotel employee, said he was in the lobby when something exploded, he fell down and everything temporarily went dark.

"I didn't understand what it was, but it was like the world is finished," he said.

In January 2007, a security guard blocked a suicide bomber who triggered a blast just outside the Marriott, killing the guard and wounding seven other people.

In July, a suicide bombing killed at least 18 people, most of them security forces, and wounded dozens in Islamabad as supporters of the Red Mosque gathered nearby to mark the anniversary of the military siege on the militant stronghold.

In June, a suicide car bomber killed at least six people near the Danish Embassy in Islamabad. A statement attributed to al-Qaida took responsibility for that blast, believed to have targeted Denmark over the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

In mid-March, a bomb explosion at an Italian restaurant killed a Turkish woman in the capital, and wounded 12 others, including four FBI officials.

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Associated Press writers Zarar Khan, Stephen Graham and Munir Ahmad in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Explosion at Pakistan Marriott hotel kills 40

2008-09-20T09:59:00.000-07:00