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Michael Jackson Legacy

2009-07-23T00:33:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, U.S.A on August 29, 1958. He is the seventh child of nine born to steelworker Joe Jackson and his wife Katherine. Michael Jackson is Dancer, Singer, Actor, Composer, Record producer, and Entrepreneur by profession.

1968 Jackson 5 signed to Motown records
Berry Gordy signs The Jackson 5 to Motown Records, with youthful prodigy Jackson as lead vocalist. Also in the group are brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon.

1970 Jackson 5 top the charts
The Jackson 5 becomes the first acto to reach the top of the charts with its first four label singles, “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There”. Jackson was just 11 years old.

1971 Going Solo
Jackson begins his solo career at age 13 while still frontman for The Jackson 5 with his debut solo singles, “Got to Be There”.

1978 ‘The Wiz’
Jackson appears in the film version of “The Wiz” where he meets musical director Quincy Jones, who later produces his best-known albums.

August 05, 1979 ‘Off the Wall’
“Off the Wall”, the first album adult Michael Jackson (who turned 21 this vey month), is released. It produces four hit singles and spends eight months in the Top 10. Source: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1982 “Thriller” released
“Thriller” is released and tops the album charts for 37 weeks, yielding a staging seven hits, including “The Girls Is Mine”, “Bellie Jean”, and “Beat It”, leading The Guinness Book of Records in 1985 to proclaim it the best-selling album of all time.

1983 The ‘moonwalk’ debuts
Jackson premieres his signature “moonwalk” and at year’s end releases the 14-minute mini movie based on the song “Thriller”, considered the most important video clip of music history.

January 27, 1984 Accident on set of commercial
Jackson is treated in the hospital for serious burns to his head after his hair caught fire during an accident while singing his hit “Bellie Jean” for a Pepsi commercial.

August 31, 1987 ‘Bad’ released
“Bad”, the hotly anticipated follow-up to “Thriller”, is released. It tops the charts for eight weeks and yields seven hit singles, including “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, “Bad”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Man in the Mirror”, and “Dirty Diana”.

November 14, 1991 Debut of ‘Black or White’
Jackson’s controversial 11-minute “Black or White” video debuts on television. It is teaser for “Dangerous”, his third No. 1 album in a row and the source of seven more hit singles.

February 24, 1993 Living Legend Award
Jackson receives the Living Legend Award at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, and 1,2 million people worldwide view his performance and acceptance.

November 15, 1993 Sexual abuse allegations
Lawyers for a 13-years-old boy file a civil suit against Jackson alleging sexual abuse. On December 22, Jackson responds to the allegations via satellite from his Neverland compound, proclaiming his innocence. He later settles out of court.

January 01, 1994 Marriage to Lisa Marie Presley
Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley. This divorce less than two years later.

November 13, 1996 Second marriage
Just months after his divorce from Presley, Michael Jackson walks back up the aisle with Debbie Rowe. She bears him a child and they divorce three years later.

May 11, 1997 Album release
“Blood on the Dance Floor: Hi Story in the Mix” is released but sells only 1 million copies.

October 30, 2000 ‘Thriller’ goes platinum again
“Thriller” receives its 26th platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), representing 26 million copies sold in the U.S.

March 19, 2001 Hall of Fame
Jackson is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

September 25, 2001 ‘Invincible’ released
“Invincible”, Jackson’s first album in four years, is released.

December 18, 2003 On Trial
Jackson is charged with seven courts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 at a press conference by Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddo. Jackson proclaims his innocence and is later acquitted of all charges.

June 25, 2009
Jackson is pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital.

Top 10 Philippine Presidential Candidates in 2010

2009-06-13T01:08:00.000-07:00

wxPresidential elections will be held in the Philippines on May 10, 2010.

1 ) Sen. Francis Escudero
2 ) Sen. Mar Roxas
3 ) Erap Estrada
4 ) Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay
5 ) Sen. Loren Legarda
6 ) Sen. Manuel Villar
7 ) Sen. Panfilo Lacson
8 ) Bayani Fernando
9 ) Vice President Noli de Castro
10 ) Among Ed

Next Top 7

11 ) Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn
12 ) Gilbert Teodoro
13 ) Miriam Santiago
14 ) Sen. Richard Gordon
15 ) Jose De Venecia
16 ) Fidel Ramos
17 ) Feliciano Belmonte

Prime Minister Gloria Arroyo?

2009-06-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Now that Philippine House of Representatives has passed HR 1109Flanked by Sec. Puno and Speaker Nograles, Gloria Arroyo presides over the Lakas-Kampi merger to convene Congress into constituent assembly for charter change, might Filipinos be using the term "madam prime minister" anytime soon? With the recent merger of the two major political parties, Lakas and Kampi—to the consternation of a few senior leaders of both those parties—the Arroyo administration might now have what it needs to tackle the major hurdles on the road towards a parliamentary system of government.

The present Philippine constitution limits the president to a single six-year term. However, if it can be revised to allow the country to switch over to a parliamentary system, then Gloria Arroyo can run for parliament and then be elected prime minister, thus keeping her at the helm of government albeit a parliamentary one.

The two stumbling blocks that stand in the way of this 'nightmarish scenario' are the Senate and the Supreme Court. The senators will certainly ask the court to declare unconstitutional, the Lower House convening as a constituent assembly without the Senate. Sadly, the hastily drafted 1987 Constitution is not clear as to whether the three-fourths majority needed to call for a constituent assembly shouldThe Philippine House of Representatives vote to convene as a constituent assembly come from the House and Senate voting separately or as one. Since the Lower House clearly has the overwhelming numbers, they argue they can satisfy the constitutionally required majority even if no Senator participates.

Given this push for charter change after Gloria Arroyo's ten years in office, one has to ask the question why? Is ten years at the helm not enough? In fact the constitution allows for only a single six-year term and Arroyo should consider herself blessed to be given those extra four years as president. Has a decade of Arroyo created a trapo-tocracy, where political operatives need Gloria Arroyo at the helm in order to hold on to their power. And the president in turn has to keep all her operatives and her power brokers happy least she find herself in former president Joseph Estrada's shoes. If this is so, then Gloria has a tiger by the tail and can't afford let go.

Only then does this concerted push for charter-change begin to make sense. Arroyo and those who benefit from her being in power have a lot more to lose than just the office of the president. The next few months will give us an indication of just how important it is for this trapo-tocracy to hold on to power.

NBI now trying to find uploader of Kho video

2009-06-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

The Hyden Kho & Katrina Halili Sex Video outcast the global financial crisis and AH1N1 outbreak. Generally, the overall impact of this scandal brought a new gateway for internet user, blogger, freelancer, programmer and affiliate marketer for it create a great possibility of making more money out of the internet.

I don't think even the NBI with the government dis advancement in technology cant't exactly find the source path of the uploaded video. Aside from those mass visited video streaming sites like youtube, etc. there are a lot of file sharing sites which the administrator doesn't support or beyond the activities of the user. One of this is ziddu.com where most of Hyden Kho Scandal is still active.

Actually, more than 15 Hyden Kho Sex Video Scandal including Rufa Mae Quinto has been uploaded. But, withdrawn immediately after the Hyden-Katrina Sex Video.

Air France Jetliner Tragedy

2009-06-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

Seventeen bodies have been recovered from last week's crash of an Air France jetliner off the South American coast, Brazil's military said Sunday. The Brazilian navy and air force said they found nine bodies in the Atlantic Ocean, where the Airbus A330-200 went down. The crew of a French vessel taking part in the search has found eight, military officials told reporters Sunday evening.

Air France 447 disappeared over the Atlantic early Monday. The jet was en route to Paris, France, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with 228 passengers and crew aboard.

The bodies were found floating about 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) from the Brazilian coast. Items found in the same area Saturday were confirmed to have come from the jet, including pieces of the aircraft's wing section, luggage and a leather briefcase containing an airplane ticket with a reservation code for the doomed flight, Brazilian air force spokesman Jorge Amaral told CNN.

The exact location of the crash has not been determined, since ocean currents likely caused the bodies and debris to drift in the six days since the crash. And two key pieces of evidence -- the flight data and cockpit voice recorders -- remain missing, and could lay on the ocean floor. The part of the ocean where the debris and bodies have been found ranges between 19,685 and 26,247 feet (6,000 and 8,000 meters) deep. The search area covers 77,220 square miles (200,000 square km), an area nearly as big as the country of Romania. Fourteen aircraft -- 12 Brazilian and two French -- were participating in the recovery efforts, along with five Brazilian ships and one French frigate. In Washington, a U.S. defense official told CNN the U.S. Navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen for emergency beacons still operating in deep water. The "towed pinger locators" help search for emergency beacons on downed aircraft to a maximum depth of 20,000 feet, and will be placed aboard two French tugs that are part of the search efforts, the official said.

Recovery of bodies and debris is significant not only for families, but for crash investigators, said Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"Even if they don't find anything else they can get some very important clues from the pieces that they do find and from the human remains," Schiavo told CNN Saturday.

She said investigators would be able to discern if there was an explosion from possible residue on the bodies or other items. Or, if water is found in the lungs of victims, investigators would know the plane went down intact, she said.

Investigators in Paris said Saturday that the Air France flight sent out 24 automated error messages lasting about four minutes before it crashed. The error messages suggest the plane may have been flying too fast or too slow through severe thunderstorms it encountered before the crash, officials said.

Schiavo said the four minutes of automated signals sent from the plane "was a very long time."

Investigators also reported the airline failed to replace a part on the aircraft, as recommended by the manufacturer, Airbus.

Airbus had advised airlines to update equipment that monitors speed, known as Pitot tubes. The recommendation was a result of technological developments and improvements, an Airbus spokesman told CNN. The change was not mandatory, and the spokesman would not comment on Air France's failure to follow the advice.

In Iraq, Colbert gets military haircut to show his solidarity

2009-06-07T22:42:00.000-07:00

Stephen Colbert left no doubt about his solidarity with American troops when he taped the first of four Comedy Central shows he'll produce in Iraq this week. Colbert, wearing a business suit made of the same camouflaged material used for soldiers' desert uniforms, submitted to a regulation military haircut as hundreds of U.S. troops cheered wildly Sunday.

The comedian, who satirizes conservative TV pundits on his "Colbert Report," began his "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando" USO tour Sunday in the Baghdad headquarters of the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq.

"It must be nice in Iraq, because some of you keep coming back again and again," Colbert said, joking about the multiple tour many troops have had in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. Some troops had accumulated enough frequent flyer miles to earn them a free ticket to Afghanistan, he joked.

Colbert told his guest, Gen. Ray Odierno, he felt "a little intimidated" by him, not because he was he top U.S. commander in Iraq, but because it felt like he was "interviewing Shrek." Odierno is an imposing bald figure at 6-feet, 5-inches tall.

Odierno said the military is "not yet ready to declare victory" in Iraq and that there was a little more work to be done for long-term stability. "I, Stephen Colbert, by the power invested in me by basic cable, officially declare we won the Iraq war," Colbert said, as his audience broke out into applause.

The interview was interrupted when President Obama appeared on large television screens. The commander-in-chief told his general it was time to "cut that man's hair."

With white electric hair clippers in his hand, Ordierno stood up and began shaving Colbert's trademark thick dark hair. The troops stood and cheered as a female member of Colbert's staff finished the job.

After the haircut, Colbert ran through the audience, high-fiving the troops as he showed off his new military look.

One Army major said that "shaving of the hair is an amazing show of support" that was "very touching."

Former Republican presidential nominee John McCain also made a pre-taped appearance on the show, jokingly reminding the troops to "take time to clean your muskets."

Lt. Col. Debra Shoemaker, a native of Colbert's hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, said the show was a "nice break" from the monotony of service in Iraq.

USO Senior Vice President John Hanson said the shows are an important diversion for the troops.

Colbert's USO tour is unusual because it's the first time it has been a show taped in a combat zone has been edited and aired so quickly. The Sunday show will be televised on the Comedy Central network Monday night.

Collection of Scandals Made By Hyden Kho

2009-06-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

A couple of nights ago, on primetime news, a member of the NBI was asked about their possession of the Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili sex tape. Here is what he had to say:

“Kailangan naming panoorin ng maigi ang video para malaman ang motibo ng nagkalat ng video.”

It was kind of the same situation with me, except that I don’t have to make a lame excuse about having to acquire it from the internet. It did serve a purpose though, looking back: if I was going to talk about what happened inside that room, it is only fair that I witness the entire thing to get my facts straight. That way I don’t get accusations of irresponsible reporting. Maybe NBI Guy had the same concern.

But the issue is so out in the open that it’s already been featured as a headline in some prominent broadsheets and news programs. What’s funny is that people from all walks of life, from curious pre-teen boys and affluent colegialas to yayas and semi-senile grandparents, still talk about the tape in small voices and hushed tones. Yet two minutes later everyone is glued to the computer screen watching a “SEZZ-LENG HAT!” dance to the beat of Beautiful Girls, complete with glowing rubber balls in each hand.

It’s doubly sad. What counts for news in this country, I mean. And the dancing.

What’s comforting, though, is that we can be more open about it at home. It’s been the subject of at least one dinner conversation. Even my little brother, who remains remarkably clean of heart even as he undergoes the deadlier throes of puberty, has seen the video. Or at least the first, non-nude part.

Actually, I did stop at the first part during my first viewing. In so many ways, it’s all you need to watch.

On the one hand — and I have been bothered by this all weekend — I simply cannot understand how anyone, even someone as handsome as Hayden, could get any action after that. Unless I’m looking at this all wrong, and apparently it turns women on when a man can’t dance or sing to save his life, but tries anyway. And even then he did hog the camera for some time, in what seemed to me was an attempt to outdo a sexy star at sexy dancing. It was…kooky.

After seeing that performance, I am of the opinion that Hayden Kho should never, ever dance again, indeed.

On the other hand, the damage will have been done by the dying seconds of the first part. By that time, we all would have laughed at someone else’s expense. Perhaps repeatedly.

I’m not so concerned here about the damage it’s done to Hayden Kho — if indeed it could be called ‘damage’, since he’s become something of an idol to many guys. I am of the minority opinion that his dancing is a deal-breaker, yet I guess getting someone like Katrina Halili in bed automatically overrides everything for most.

He had it coming, though. He was the one in a relationship at the time. And it’s not just her, it’s countless other hers. He has complained that he wasn’t the one who leaked the videos, but it really doesn’t matter anymore, especially since he is a medical practitioner and has a reputation to keep. Sadly, this might mean that the verdict has already been cast before his case even gets to the courtroom.

As a matter of principle, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with recording your bedroom activities — as long as your partner consents and the terms are clearly defined. If it’s your sort of thing as a couple, then that’s your business.

What’s rather depraved is when the girl doesn’t know, or her consent is manufactured. Because when the videos get publicized, it’s not just the right to privacy that’s violated. It’s bad enough that Katrina Halili is already the stuff of men’s fantasies — and now she has to deal with this humiliation. It’s tantamount to rape.

Then again, I guess if you sleep with a guy like Hayden Kho, someone who confesses to recording videos for his “personal collection”…well, that’s also your problem.

Still, let’s not be prudes and wash our hands clean of any crime. The fact is that we’ve committed it by taking part in this media circus.

Also, it’s not like we all don’t have secrets we would rather keep to ourselves. Things like these happen as a result of our being human and our ability, even willingness, to commit mistakes.

But if you really, really have to keep a video, be very, very careful in guarding your secrets.

In Hayden’s case, however, it’s not like there’s much to keep.

click here to download

Official: Missing plane sent 24 error messages

2009-06-06T08:30:00.002-07:00

Air France Flight 447 sent out 24 automated error messages -- including one saying the aircraft's autopilot had disengaged -- before it vanished with 228 people on board, aviation investigators said Saturday.

But even as they analyzed the error messages and satellite images of the doomed flight's path, investigators said they still have a lot of work to determine what caused the plane to go down.

"I would just like to ask you to bear in mind that all of this is dynamic and there are a lot of question marks," Paul-Louis Arslanian, head of France's accident investigation bureau told reporters.

"We don't know how the aircraft entered the water. We don't know how these pieces of debris entered into the water and that you have to take into account the current ... and the shape of the ocean floor."

The error messages suggest that the plane may have been flying too fast or too slow through the stormy weather it encountered before the crash, officials said.

In addition, investigators have said the plane's autopilot disengaged, cabin pressure was lost and there was an electrical failure before the disaster.

The jet's manufacturer, Airbus, sent a Telex to operators of Airbus models reminding them of what to do when speed indicators give conflicting readings.
The spokesman said the notice does not mean there is any major flaw in the aircraft, but is simply a reminder to pilots of what to do in the cockpit if they get conflicting information about air speed.

All 228 passengers and crew aboard the Airbus 330 are presumed to have died when the plane disappeared northeast of the Fernando de Noronha Islands, an archipelago 355 kilometers (220 miles) off the northeast coast of Brazil.
The flight originated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and was en route to Paris, France. Search teams were still trying to find debris from the jet Saturday, two days after a Brazilian Air Force official said debris plucked from the ocean was not from the Air France jet.

31 children die in Mexico day-care center fire

2009-06-06T08:30:00.001-07:00

Thirty-one children were killed and more than 100 others were injured Friday when their day-care center caught fire in the northwestern state of Sonora, a spokesman for the state's governor said.

The victims were from 1 to 5 years old, said Jose Larrinaga, the spokesman.

The fire appeared to have started at 3 p.m. in a warehouse next door to the one-story concrete building that housed the state-run ABC Daycare and spread to the state-run institution, news reports said.

By then, many children had already been picked up by their parents from the one-story building. But others came after the blaze had been put out, with parents screaming their children's names as others fainted.

In a message of condolence, President Felipe Calderon wished a quick recovery for the injured, who were taken to several area hospitals. He also called on the nation's attorney general to investigate the fire.

Authorities dispatched 15 specialists in reconstruction and three air ambulances to the area along with respirators and specialized medicines, and a U.S. hospital will help treat some of the victims. Admissions will begin Saturday, said Catherine Curran, a spokeswoman for Shriners Hospitals for Children in Sacramento, California.

Shriners Hospitals is a health care system that gives children free treatment for burns, spinal cord injuries, orthopedic conditions, and cleft lip and palate, according to its Web site. It admits children under 18.

The first hospital opened in 1922. The system has burn units in Boston, Massachusetts; Cincinnati Ohio; and Sacramento, California.

No deal yet to buy land for 9/11 memorial

2009-06-06T08:29:00.003-07:00

The government is delaying legal action against Pennsylvania landowners who haven't yet agreed to sell their land for a memorial to victims of United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, federal officials said Friday.

The government has been negotiating with several landowners since 2003 in an effort to purchase their properties near Shanksville where the hijacked jet crashed into a field, killing everyone aboard.

If final efforts at negotiations are unsuccessful, officials intend to use eminent domain to acquire the property. That right allows governments to take private property for public use without an owner's consent, after paying a fair price for the land.

The government is seeking to buy 166 acres in western Pennsylvania to complete the area needed to build a memorial on 2,200 acres.

"The (National Park Service) will negotiate with the landowners to reach agreement. If agreement is not reached, eminent domain remains as a backstop to acquire these lands," said Kendra Barkoff, spokeswoman for the Department of Interior. See plans for the proposed Flight 93 Memorial

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pennsylvania, met with landowners and some 9/11 victims' relatives Friday in Somerset County, where the plane crashed into a field.

"The goal remains to finish phase one of the memorial by September 10, 2011," Barkoff said. "We'll try to negotiate with the families, but eminent domain has always been and will continue to be the last resort."

Landowner Randy Musser told CNN he is encouraged that the government is recognizing that the negotiations aren't working.

While the threat of eminent domain stills seem to be on the table, "it finally seems like the lines of communication are open," Musser said.

Husband, not carjacker, charged in wife's death

2009-06-06T08:29:00.001-07:00

A man who told Maryland State Police that his wife was killed by a carjacker early Friday morning has been charged in her death.

Ryan Holness, 28, was charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Serika Dunkley Holness, 26, according to Maryland police.

Her body was found about 6 a.m. Friday in a field in Crumpton, Maryland, police said.

Holness was arrested after inconsistencies surfaced in his story, according to investigators.

Holness said that he and his wife were carjacked by a man armed with a knife and a gun on the New Jersey Turnpike while returning to Maryland from New York on Thursday night, police said.

"He told investigators that he was assaulted by the suspect and forced to drive to Crumpton," said Gregory Shipley of the Maryland State Police. "He said the suspect bound his feet and hands with duct tape before attacking his wife who had tried to flee the scene."

Police interviewed various people and launched a nationwide search for the carjacker and Holness' 2007 blue Honda Accord, Shipley said.

"Information provided by Holness throughout the day Friday did not match information developed through witnesses and evidence at the scene," Shipley said.

Shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, Holness' car was located by a D.C. police officer on a Washington street.

"Maryland State police homicide detectives have taken custody of the car," Shipley said.

State police are not yet sure how the car got to Washington.

LA Lakers vs Orlando Magic

2009-06-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Basketaball Dudes.........So Long KingJames your Legacy will continue next season but for now take a rest you did ur best and sometimes a man just have its own limits and youve just have reached yours...Take a rest and think thrice if ur gonna sign in again to a team which will amke you a one man show again or a team which will give u an oportunity to play as a team not a one man show...could it be the knicks? we shall see!!! rest well KingJames!........................now for the topic:

My basis is the season Supadwight and the magic defeated Mamba bryant and his Lakers 2-0 in the season series and that...thats a big big big evidence of how the magic can match up to the lakers meaning they caaaaaaan beat the lakers..however the mamba scores or perform...kingjames did his best but still magic dominated just as the mamaba will do his best and the magic will still dominate....

so i think from my standpoint....if the Orlando magic can beat the lakers at least 1 at their homecourt making it 1-1...hehe i see game 5 or 6 for the Magic as new champs...but if the Lakers beat them twice 2-0 starting...i see the lakers winnning their 16th title at 6 or 7...

head to head...experience and basketball IQ the black mamba dominates but stregnth and toughness the supadwight man will dominate...so it will now depend on their teamamtes to execute!!! it will be a good match up...but personally for me i see orlando as champs in game 6..

Goodluck and may the best team wins!!!! ...and KingJames dont take it too hard u have now more experience and ur opportunities lies ahead...even MJ took him 2 yrs. before he reached the finals vs. the lakers in 91......Lower your pride and focus on the future coz you are the future LeBron "King" James!!!

When is the NBA going to man-up and not favor the league chosen "Face of the NBA"?In L.A. there is no dought the visiting team is an underdog! But it is just to obvious that any call that can go the " CHOSEN ONE'S WAY" IS GONING TO DO JUST THAT! The NBA has become the WWE of professional sports. MJ was the best ever but when he was at the peak of his career, he got the benefit of every dought! Now that Cobe has become the face of the NBA it's the same way. The Magic have no chance. Cobe is going to win his 4th title and there is nothing Orlando can do about it. Next it will be "THE KING", Lebron James! Wish the NBA would just let them play the game like it is ment to be played and whoever wins , WINS!

Normally i'd just call your post stupid but judging by your many spelling mistakes (Cobe, Dought, ment, etc.), its no surprise where such a retarded comment comes from. Orlando shot 29% and thats why they lost, kobe played a fantastic game and didnt even go to the line that much, so quit your whining kids.

Bynum did good in game 1, and if he wasn't in foul trouble, would have probably outplayed Dwight Howard. He went for 9 points in TWELVE minutes less playing time, 75% free throw shooting, and no turnovers. If he can do better, the Magic will have a harder time trying to bring themselves back into the series.

But of course, we can't rule the Magic out. They're in the finals for a reason.

Manny Pacquiao Scandal

2009-06-05T08:10:00.002-07:00

Weeks ago, I received a forwarded email with a subject of “Manny Pacquiao Scandal“. I was curious on what the contents of this email so I opened it.

As I was opening the email, I wondered on what the hell am I doing. Manny Pacquiao isn’t even a girl but I was just curious I guess. I scrolled down the list of email address and found some pictures…

Basically, this was Manny Pacquiao and a girl named Donna in the Embassy Bar at the fort. Pacquiao was obviously doing some moves on this Donna girl. I guess if you are rich and famous, you can get a pretty girl without any effort right?

US actor Carradine found hanged in Thai hotel

2009-06-05T08:10:00.001-07:00

US actor David Carradine, star of 1970s TV series "Kung Fu" and the "Kill Bill" movies, was found hanged in a Bangkok hotel room Thursday in what Thai police said was a possible suicide. He was 72.

The US embassy in the Thai capital confirmed the death of Carradine , who was in Thailand to shoot a film called "Stretch".

"He was found in his hotel room in Bangkok but the cause of death has not yet been established," an embassy official told AFP.

Police said Carradine's body was found around 11:30 am (0430 GMT) hanging by his neck in the closet of his hotel room. Local media said a maid found the actor "half-naked".

"We suspect that he committed suicide by hanging himself," local police officer Pirom Janthapirom told AFP, adding that security cameras showed no one else going in or out of Carradine's room.

"There is no trace of fighting in the hotel room and the room was locked from inside," he said, adding there was no sign of bruising on the deceased's body.

"We are investigating from where he got the rope because it does not seem it was from the hotel", and all of the actor's personal belongings "were intact", Pirom said.

The producer of "Stretch", French firm MK2, said Carradine was found at the Nai Lert Park hotel three days before the end of filming for the movie. A spokesman for the company said Carradine's death "could be accidental".

A spokeswoman for Carradine's Los Angeles agents said the "circumstances surrounding his death are still unknown."

"The Carradine family is devastated by the news of Davids passing," said Julie Nathanson. "There will be no further comment until more information can be confirmed."

Carradine's manager, Chuck Binder, paid tribute to the actor, telling the BBC: "He was full of life, always wanting to work... a great person."

Carradine was the son of prominent actor John Carradine and part of an acting family that includes brothers Keith Carradine and Robert Carradine.

He was born on December 8, 1936, during Hollywood's "Golden Age" of cinema, though he first entered showbusiness through musical theatre on New York's Broadway.

While best known for his role as the fugitive half-Chinese Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s TV drama "Kung Fu", Carradine had a long a varied career in film.

He appeared in Martin Scorsese's "Boxcar Bertha" in 1972, and played legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie in the 1976 film "Bound for Glory", which gained him a Golden Globe nomination.

The following year, director Ingmar Bergman called on Carradine to play a wandering out-of-work American Jew in poverty-struck Weimar Germany, for the movie "The Serpent's Egg."

Swedish master Bergman was said to have entrusted Carradine to take the role for his commanding physical presence, recalling that of his father.

In the following two decades Carradine continued to work, but failed to find success outside of cult "B movies," as he was beset by the use of drugs and alcohol.

In the mid-1990s, he reprised the role as Kwai Chang Caine in "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues," which found home on US TV for a further 60 episodes.

A huge fan of his B movie work during the 1980s and 1990s, director Quentin Tarantino called on Carradine to play the title character in the 2002-2003 revenge-action-epic "Kill Bill" and "Kill Bill II."

Carradine's work on the movies earned him a fourth Golden Globe "Best Actor" nomination.

Married five times, most recently in 2004, and the father of two daughters, Carradine was still working at the time of his death.

China blocks any commemoration of Tiananmen crackdown

2009-06-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

China blanketed Tiananmen Square with police and security forces on Thursday, blocking any attempt to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the deadly crackdown on mass democracy protests.

The government again defended the decision to put down the demonstrations, which left hundreds and perhaps thousands dead, and firmly dismissed a US demand for a public accounting of the events of June 3-4, 1989.

Tens of thousands of people crowded a park late Thursday in semi-autonomous Hong Kong for the only major commemoration of the anniversary on Chinese soil. Thousands more were expected to attend events in other cities around the world.

Hundreds of police and security forces were deployed throughout the day in Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing, where protesters rallied for weeks in 1989 for democratic reform before the army's deadly intervention.

Police officers searched the bags and pockets of thousands of Chinese and foreign tourists streaming through checkpoints to visit the giant plaza in the Chinese capital, and foreign journalists were barred from entering.

"There are far more police than on normal days," said a 35-year-old Chinese man. "It's pretty scary having so much police. There are a lot of plainclothes officers too."

China has for days worked to prevent any public discussion or remembrance of the events by blocking access to social networking websites like Twitter, blacking out some foreign news reports and hiding away key dissidents.

An AFP TV journalist was ordered by police to delete footage from his camera, and local tourists near the square were reluctant to discuss the crackdown -- a subject that remains taboo.

In Hong Kong, Victoria Park was illuminated by tens of thousands of candles lit in remembrance of the victims. Organisers said 150,000 attended the vigil, while police put the figure at 62,800.

"I'm deeply moved, it was proof that Hong Kong people still preserve their conscience," said Debby Chan, aged 28, a campaigner on behalf of mothers of the victims of the crackdown.

"This rally will tell the world... that we still remember the Tiananmen Square democracy movement," Xiong Yan, a student leader of the 1989 protests who was surprisingly let into Hong Kong on Saturday, told AFP.

But the government in Beijing dismissed calls for a review of the crackdown and expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's demand for an account of the dead and missing.

"On the political incident that took place in the 1980s, the party and the government have already reached a conclusion," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.

Clinton had called on Beijing to publish victim's names, saying it would help China "learn and heal".

Canada echoed US calls for an official account of what happened.

"Twenty years later, we hope that they will be able to examine these events in an open and transparent fashion -- including the public accounting of those killed, detained or missing," Canadian foreign affairs minister Lawrence Cannon said in a statement late Thursday.

From his home in exile in India, Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama also called for a review of the bloodshed and urged China to "pursue a policy of greater accommodation and tolerance of diverse views".

The events that unfolded in Tiananmen Square in 1989 played out on television screens around the world and temporarily made Beijing a pariah in the West.

Twenty years on, the government's authority at home is intact and its global clout greater than ever, thanks mainly to its ranking as the world's third-biggest economy.

But activists have continued to press the government to address the crackdown.

"The Communist Party has to acknowledge the crimes that it committed," Qi Zhiyong, 53, who lost a leg in June 1989, told AFP ahead of the anniversary.

Exiled leaders of the uprising appealed for democracy in China at a news conference in Washington.

"It is our unfailing pursuit to build a democratic China," some 15 dissidents said in a joint statement.

"We are calling on the generation of the 1989 massacre, both in China and overseas, as well as those who came before us and those who will come after us to work together and combine our strengths."

Vicki Belo & Hyden Kho Scandal

2009-06-05T05:03:00.000-07:00

Belo is known for being associated both professionally and personally with many Filipino celebrities and politicians. She was divorced from businessman Atom Henares Film/music video director Quark Henares and Cristalle Henares are her two children. She is the adopted daughter of former Philippine Congressman and official delegate to the 1971 Philippine Constitutional Convention, famed Attorney Enrique Belo. she has a controversial love affair with Dr. Hyden Kho Jr.

In May 2009, Dr. Hayden Kho faced a controversy about his sex videos with different female celebrities. One of them is Katrina Halili, a finalist for the rality based tv talent search of GMA network, Star Struck. Halili later became an award winning Filipina actress and also an endorser for the Belo Medical Group.

Download Vicki Belo & Hyden Kho Jr Scandal here for free

Recovered debris not from Air France jet, Brazilian officials say

2009-06-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Brazilian air force said that debris picked up Thursday near where officials believe Air France Flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean was not from the plane.

"It has been verified that the material did not belong to the plane," Brig. Ramon Borges Cardoso told reporters in Recife, Brazil, about the material recovered Thursday. "It is a pallet of wood that is utilized for transport. It is used in planes, but on this flight to Paris, there was no wooden pallet."

He added that oil slicks seen on the ocean were not from the plane either and that the quantity of oil exceeded the amount the plane would have carried.

"No material from the airplane was picked up," he said.

The announcement left open the question of whether other debris that had not yet been plucked from the ocean might be from the plane.
On Wednesday, searchers recovered two debris fields and had identified the wreckage, including an airplane seat and an orange float as coming from Flight 447. Officials now say that none of the debris recovered comes from the missing plane. Helicopters had been lifting pieces from the water and dropping them on three naval vessels.

Officials said searchers had found objects in a circular 5-kilometer (3-mile) area, including one object with a diameter of 7 meters (23 feet) and 10 other objects, some of which were metallic, Brazilian air force spokesman Jorge Amaral said.
The debris was found about 650 kilometers (400 miles) northeast of the Fernando de Noronha Islands, an archipelago 355 kilometers (220 miles) off the northeast coast of Brazil.

Earlier Thursday, a public interfaith service was held for the 228 victims at a Catholic church in Rio de Janeiro.

"Whoever has faith, whoever believes in God, believes in the eternity of the soul," said Mauro Chavez, whose friend lost a daughter on the flight. "This means everything."

Investigators have not determined what caused the plane to crash Monday. The flight data recorders have not been recovered, and the plane's crew did not send any messages indicating problems before the plane disappeared.

The aircraft's computer system, however, relayed about four minutes of automated messages indicating a loss of cabin pressure and an electrical failure, officials have said.

Investigators said the plane flew through lightning and turbulence, but they don't know what role, if any, the weather might have played in the disaster.

A report in France suggested the pilots may have been flying at the "wrong speed" for the violent thunderstorm they encountered early Monday before the Airbus A330's systems failed.

Le Monde newspaper reported that Airbus was sending a warning to operators of A330 jets with new advice on flying in storms. No one at Air France immediately responded to a call from CNN.

Foul play has not been ruled out.

A Spanish pilot reported seeing an "intense flash" in the locale where Flight 447 went down Monday, the Spanish carrier Air Comet told CNN on Thursday, confirming a report in the Spanish daily El Mundo.

The co-pilot and a passenger on the flight between Lima, Peru, and Lisbon, Portugal, also said they saw a light.

"Suddenly, we saw in the distance a strong and intense flash of white light, which followed a descending and vertical trajectory and which broke up in six seconds," the unidentified captain wrote to his airline.

Air Comet said a written copy of the pilot's report has been sent to Air France, Airbus and the Spanish civil aviation authority.

The Airbus A330 went down about three hours after beginning what was to have been an 11-hour flight. No survivors have been found.
Most of the people on Flight 447 came from Brazil, France and Germany. The remaining victims were from 29 other countries, including three passengers from the United States.

Obama's speech draws mixed reviews in Middle East

2009-06-05T04:58:00.000-07:00

Israelis and Palestinians had one thing in common Thursday: They hung on every word in President Obama's wide-ranging speech on U.S. and Muslim relations. The main themes of the address resonated well with Palestinian and Israeli officials, while a Jewish settlers' group -- upset that Obama spoke against settlement activity -- found problems with the speech, and others, like a Hamas official, expressed mixed or negative views.

The government of Israel expressed "hope that this important speech in Cairo will indeed lead to a new period of reconciliation between the Arab and Muslim world and Israel."

"We share President Obama's hope that the American effort heralds the beginning of a new era that will bring about an end to the conflict and lead to Arab recognition of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, living in peace and security in the Middle East," it said.

"Israel is committed to peace and will make every effort to expand the circle of peace while protecting its interests, especially its national security." Israeli President Shimon Peres welcomed the address, calling Obama's words wise and courageous and saying the president "called for hard work on the part of all the sides involved with the advance of the peace process in the Middle East."

"The concept of peace was born in the Middle East and constitutes the cornerstone of all three monotheistic faiths -- Christian, Jewish and Muslim -- and it is incumbent on the people of Abraham to unite to meet the challenge and together realize the vision of a sustainable peace in the Middle East," he said. Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat applauded Obama's commitment to the creation of a two-state solution.

"This was a very important speech, in which President Obama reinforced the message that ending the occupation and establishing a viable and independent Palestinian state was in the mutual interest of Palestinians, Israelis and indeed the entire world. Progress towards peace hinges on both parties implementing their obligations under existing agreements," he said.

He said this means Palestinians must pursue progress "in the areas of governance, security and financial sector reforms" and Israel must adapt "an immediate and comprehensive settlement freeze" and lift restrictions on Palestinian movement.

Erakat also lauded Obama's description of the plight of Palestinians and the "need to address the daily injustices that Palestinians face. This includes the dislocation, dispossession and insecurity that millions of Palestinian refugees face, the intolerable realities of Israel's occupation, especially in Gaza, as well as the importance of Jerusalem to all faiths and peoples, including Palestinians, Christians and Muslims." For Nabil Abu Rudeineh, adviser of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the address was "very encouraging, and this is a new start and different American policy."

"This kind of change is very important for the whole region," he said, making note of Obama's call to stop the Jewish settlement activity.

Rudeineh made reference to Obama's remark that Jerusalem, which Israel has established as its capital, should be "a secure and lasting home" for Christians, Muslims and Jews.

"This is very important . This message should be understood by the Israelis," he said.

Responding to Obama's call for reinvigorating road map diplomacy, he said, "We think that this is the basis for a just and lasting peace in the region. If the Israelis are ready, we are committed to the road map and the Arab peace plan."

Obama lauded Islam's achievements and civilization. Ahmed Yousef, a Hamas official who is an adviser to the Foreign Ministry in Gaza, praised his words on the religion. "But where was the call for Palestinian right of return to lands lost when Israel was created or the continuing blockade on Gaza?" he asked.

Israeli settler leaders were predictably angered by Obama's call for an immediate end to settlement expansion. Making reference to Obama's Muslim middle name, the Yesha Council -- the settlers' group -- told Israeli media that "Hussein Obama gave priority to Arab lies."

In a West Jerusalem cafe, Israelis who watched the speech were heartened by Obama's reference to Holocaust denial as "baseless," "ignorant" and "hateful," saying Obama managed to hit a deep chord in the Jewish experience.

One Israeli, Melvin Lopotor, said the speech was "even-handed, and I think that he addressed the issues that I think are reflected in both people."

"What he said, he has already said before, and people know where he stands, but he kind of summarized it all in a very articulate way," he said.

Obama mentioned that he plans to visit the site of Buchenwald, a Nazi concentration camp, and Lopotor said Obama's understanding of historical anti-Semitic persecution and the Holocaust won points.

"He brought out a very important point that we Jews understand and feel strongly about, but the world -- particularly the Arab countries -- don't necessarily understand," Lopotor said. Ismail Muhamad, a Palestinian at the cafe, said the speech was balanced, promoting conciliation and a new way forward.

An Israeli, Roland Klein, said it's important to realize that the speech was a speech, and "not any kind of serious action."

"Everyone who heard it has to think about it, and this is important," he said. "But it needs to be said, and said aloud."

At a coffee shop in the West Bank city of Ramallah, a man named Tayeed couldn't accept Obama's interpretation and acceptance of the Jewish narrative of history in the region.

He "gave the Jews the right to establish their states on the back and suffering of the Palestinians and Muslims in general. And he also gave the right to the Palestinians on the account of the Jews." Ahmad Salem was pleased Obama used the term "occupation" when he described Palestinian suffering.

"In general, he admitted that the Palestinians suffered from the Israeli occupation, focused on the settlements and that he is going to abolish the illegal settlements," he said.

Salem said that while Obama talked about Palestinian rockets hitting sleeping children, a reference to the cross-border attacks from Gaza into Israel, he didn't mention Israeli military incursions into the West Bank and its Gaza offensive.

"He could have just mentioned that 'I sympathize with them,' but ... he did not mention that thing at all," he said. Abed Alsalam abu Askar said he was pleased that Obama mentioned his support for stopping settlement activity, which Askar said he believes is the main obstacle to peace.

"I know that Mr. Obama talked about the Israeli people suffering -- I do not know why they are suffering. I am very happy that he mentioned the suffering of the Palestinians, also."

Authorities hunt for man charged with threatening Obama

2009-06-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

Federal authorities are searching for a man who has at least eight guns registered to him and has threatened to kill President Obama.

The man, identified as Daniel James Murray, is charged with making threats against the president of the United States.

He recently withdrew $85,000 from a Utah bank and told a teller: "We are on a mission to kill the president of the United States," according to court papers.

Murray is originally from New York, but was seen several times in late May in St. George, Utah, making bizarre statements at a bank.

According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Utah, Murray opened an account at Zions First National Bank on May 19 with a $85,000 check.

"With all this mess going on under President Obama with banks and the economy, I'm sure if citizens happen to lose their money, they will rise up and we could see killing and deaths," he said, according to the criminal complaint.

On May 27, he returned to the bank and tried to withdraw $12,000, but lacked proper identification.

"Not to be disrespectful, but if I don't get this money, someone is going to die," Murray said, according to the criminal complaint.

A bank manager was summoned and Murray was allowed to withdraw the money without proper identification.

Murray would not accept a check and demanded bills no larger than $50, the complaint says.

"We are 94 million miles from the sun, and are in between the sun and moon, and the eagle that flies between them and it's a giant step for mankind. ... I have traveled thousands of miles to be here and know things that are going to happen. ... the banking system will fail and people will die. ... there will be chaos in the world," Murray said.

He then made his threat against the president, the complaint says.

The next day, Murray returned to the bank, withdrew the rest of his money and closed the account.

Authorities do not know where Murray is and said he has been seen driving a blue 2001 Buick LeSabre with New York license plate number ERL 1445.

There are at least eight guns registered to Murray, including semi-automatic pistols and revolvers.
The president is on an overseas tour, having given a major foreign-policy speech in Egypt addressed to Muslims worldwide. He is now in Germany.

Suspected suicide blast kills 30 at Pakistani mosque

2009-06-05T04:55:00.000-07:00

A suspected suicide attacker detonated his explosives at a mosque in northwestern Pakistan during Friday prayers, killing at least 30 people and wounding roughly 40 others, a local police official said.

Residents were trying to stop the suspect from entering the main gate of the mosque when the explosion happened at about 3 p.m. (5 a.m. ET) in a village in the Upper Dir district of North West Frontier Province, said Atiq Ur Rehman, a district coordination officer told CNN.

Upper Dir is a part of the Swat Valley, where the Pakistani military has waged a massive operation against Taliban militants, but the district has not been part of the ongoing military offensive.

It is the latest attack on civilians in northwestern Pakistan. Militants bombed a girls' school near Peshawar on Thursday, damaging several classrooms but resulting in no casualties.

Earlier this week, militants in the tribal region of North Waziristan abducted more than 120 students and staff at a graduation ceremony at Razmak Cadet College. The Pakistani army rescued most of them, while remaining hostages were freed after tribal elders negotiated their release.

On Monday, militants bombed a bus station in the North West Frontier Province city of Kohat, killing two civilians and wounding 18, a police official said. Last week, a string of militant attacks in Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan -- also located in the province -- killed 12 people.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for any of the attacks. However, Pakistan's Taliban said it carried out a suicide attack in Lahore, Pakistan last Wednesday that killed 27 people.

The militants threatened to continue attacking cities in Pakistan until the military ends its operations against Taliban militants. As a result, Pakistani authorities increased security in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital city.

The Pakistani military has been conducting a month-long offensive against the Taliban, centered in the Swat region of North West Frontier Province.

Hyden Kho 40 Scandal: Featuring Katrina Halili & Maricar Reyes

2009-06-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

The scandal that erupted in our country this past few days is so tiring to people from all walks of life, but this is a wake up call to everyone, if we only open our eyes to the things that is happening and see the spectacle from afar. A reality check to everyone. Consider thinking some of the things that started to grow within me:

What Dr. Kho did is not acceptable to the society he is in, specially to the moralist who can see what's really the problem beyond what he did (consider tracing the root of his problem....hmmm unacceptable? yeah 'coz we always think that we are the cleanest person we are)
What happened to Ms. Halili is a sad reality of the wrong decisions made, thinking the love is the same as lust (oops im sorry), but sometimes when we are young, we dont care who we're going to hurt because we thought that what the guy told as is really true...(think again; how can Ms. Halili accept the fact that Dr. Kho really loves him when in fact she is also an endorser of the girlfriend of Dr. Kho.) I know that its a damn thing (what Dr. Kho did to her, but its also a damn thing opening one's legs without the sanctity of marriage? [be fair in judging the morals of everyone]), but one should realize that every girl in that tape is more or less a part of the morals you want to tell everyone.

Cant we people see that this senators is not really helping everyone in that scandal, rather they are using them for their benefit, its a free advertisement anyway.
In the end its all of us being used by the sharks of greed in our society.

What about the media people who sensationalized the issue? do we still have media personnel who have the right morals and ethics who knows when to make an issue an issue?

cant we make of a better way of helping this kind of situation, without gaining anything from it.
All the people in the scandal are all victims of circumstances

Its a pity that almost everyone cant see the lessons to be learned in that situation
We are all accountable to all the things that we are doing or not doing. So no matter what decisions or actions we made, we should be ready for whatever circumstances that comes after what we did. I pity all the people who in one way or the other is part of that scandal, because all of you are victims of a lousy circumstance in your life. I hope each one of you will stop berating each other trying to pull each other down the drain, don't be victimized again by the sharks of the society we are in.

Bong Revilla is a known womanizer. I am puzzled how he can even utter the word "respecting women".
He may even "had " more women than Hyden. I think this issue is overblown. Our senate should be more concerned with poverty, crime and health issues......I pity the people involved in this drama...they are all being used by our attention grabbing politicians.

It seems they are already getting ready for the upcoming election because they are riding on the scandal issue intentionally made for fun only . They just taken for granted the health issue who threaten the health of everyone. How come they allow it to happen? Please wake up government officials!

Watch Hyden Kho 40 Scandal for just $50: Featuring Katrina "Palawan Girl" Halili & Maricar "Modess" Reyes.

Purported bin Laden tape slams U.S. role in Pakistan

2009-06-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

The emergence of a purported statement from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden about U.S. policy in Pakistan as the U.S. president embarks on a major trip to Muslim countries is no coincidence, the White House spokesman and a counterterrorism official say.

"I think the reports we've seen are consistent with messages we've seen in the past from al Qaeda threatening the U.S. and other countries that are involved in counter-terrorism efforts," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Wednesday.

"But I don't think it's surprising that al Qaeda would want to shift attention away from the president's historic efforts and continued efforts to reach out and have an open dialogue with the Muslim world."

A U.S. counterterrorism official, asked about the statement, said bin Laden "has timed the release of tapes to major events so it is not surprising that he picked this particular week."

Al-Jazeera, the Arabic-language TV network that aired the message on Wednesday, said the statement was "a voice recording by bin Laden." As for the tape's authenticity, a CNN analysis said the voice does indeed sound like the leader of the terrorist network that attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. The counterterrorism official said "there has never been a fake Bin Laden tape."

The message comes as Obama begins his trip to the Middle East, visiting Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and, in Egypt on Thursday, making a major speech to the Muslim world.

Zeroing in on the conflict in Pakistan's Swat Valley, where Pakistan's troops are taking on Taliban militants, the message asserts that Obama is proving that he is "walking the same road of his predecessors to build enmity against Muslims and increasing the number of fighters, and establishing more lasting wars."

The message said U.S. policy in Pakistan has generated "new seeds of hatred and revenge against America."

The remarks -- which would be bin Laden's first assessment of Obama's policy -- were believed to have been recorded several weeks ago at the start of a mass civilian exodus because of fighting in northwestern Pakistan.

The speaker cites strikes, destruction, and Obama's "order" to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari "to prevent the people of Swat from implementing sharia law."

"All this led to the displacement of about a million Muslim elders, women and children from their villages and homes. They became refugees in tents after they were honored in their own homes," the message says.

"This basically means that Obama and his administration put new seeds of hatred and revenge against America. The number of these seeds is the same as the number of those victims and refugees in Swat and the tribal area in northern and southern Waziristan."
And, the message says, "the American people need to prepare to only gain what those seeds bring up."

The speaker also says Zardari and Pakistan's military chief, Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, continue to divert the army's main role from protecting the nation to fighting Islam and its followers. He says the war is also hurting Pakistan's economy, endangering the country's religion and security and "fulfilling an American, Jewish and Indian plot."

"Most of the Pakistani people reject this unjust war. Zardari did this in response to the ones paying him in the White House -- not 10 percent but multiple folds of that," the message says.

The message points to India's aspirations, saying it is "easy for India to subject the disassembled territories of Pakistan, one after another, for its own benefit, like the case of eastern Pakistan before, or even worse."

"This way, America eases its worry towards Pakistan's nuclear weapons," the message says.

Eastern Pakistan is a reference to Bangladesh, which had been part of Pakistan until it became an independent country in 1971. Pakistan and India have also been at odds over the disputed territory of Kashmir, and pro-bin Laden jihadis have opposed Indian rule there.

Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's special envoy to Pakistan and India, said he hadn't listened to the message but commented on what he had heard about it.

"The idea that anyone is responsible for the refugee crisis other than al Qaeda and the Taliban and the other people who have caused such tragedy in western Pakistan is ludicrous," he said. "This entire problem begins with al Qaeda and its associates, and everybody in the world knows that, and it's silly to even respond to such a ludicrous charge."

Al-Jazeera aired three separate segments totaling just over four minutes long from what it said is a new bin Laden audiotape aired over an old still picture of the terrorist leader. The network's anchors took part in describing each of the segments before they ran them.

Since the message was not posted on the radical Islamist Web sites that usually carry statements from al Qaeda, it is believed that this latest message was hand-delivered to the TV network, based in Doha, Qatar.

In other purported bin Laden messages issued in March, he called for Somalia's new president to be overthrown and called Israel's recent offensive in Gaza a "holocaust."

Bin Laden has delivered many messages over the years, but the last video message from him was in early September 2007.

In that video message, he criticized U.S. Democrats for failing to stop the war in Iraq; spoke of the anniversary of the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II; the troop surge in Iraq; and world leaders such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

On that tape, bin Laden's appearance was artificially changed for the first time. He dyed his beard from grayish white to black, leading analysts to believe that he has switched to sending only audio messages because he is altering his looks and doesn't want people to know what he looks like. Analysts also believe that bin Laden hasn't made videos lately because they are more labor-intensive to produce.
There have been gaps between videos from bin Laden, with many audio messages in between, each time prompting analysts to theorize he might be dead. The last two videos of bin Laden himself delivering an address were the 2007 tape and another in 2004.

The U.S. counterterrorism official said of the latest purported bin Laden tape that "while the words are different" from other messages, this statement "recycles the broad themes of messages past."

"While we are still looking at the message closely there is no reason to believe any specific or credible threat is contained in it," the official said.

Al Qaeda's second in command issued an audio statement Tuesday saying Obama is not welcome in Egypt.

Ayman al-Zawahiri said relations with the United States cannot be mended so long as the administration maintains its alliance with Israel.

In a message called "Tyrants of Egypt and America's agents welcome Obama" that was posted on Islamist Web sites, al-Zawahiri once again lashed out at the United States. Obama's message to the Muslim world, he said, has already been delivered with his support for "Zionist aggression."
In the 10-minute audio message, al-Zawahiri said Obama had already made himself an enemy of Muslims by sending more soldiers to Afghanistan, ordering bombings in the tribal areas of Pakistan and administering a "bloody campaign against Muslims" in Pakistan's Swat Valley.

Why satellites didn't find missing plane

2009-06-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Cars have Global Positioning System devices to pinpoint where drivers are when they get lost, so why can't GPS be used to locate the exact position of planes when the worst happens?

It took search and rescue teams over 30 hours to locate the wreckage of the Air France plane that crashed in the Atlantic on Monday. The aircraft's onboard GPS system was no help to rescuers in the mission.

Although details of Flight 447's fate remain uncertain, in some air accidents, this critical time could mean the difference between life and death for any survivors.

Michel Roelandt, aviation expert for Eurocontrol, a European air navigation safety organization, told CNN that some planes are fitted with GPS systems, but these are essentially "dumb" units -- like those in cars -- that receive location information from satellites but do not send any data back.
So while a flight crew knows its exact position over an ocean, the information is not automatically sent to air traffic control. That is left to someone in the cockpit to relay via satellite communication when the plane is out of radar range. According to industry experts, satellite technology that would allow constant monitoring of an aircraft's exact position is available, and although plans are afoot to introduce it, cost may be deterring some airlines.

"Airlines often have a contract with a private operator to provide their satellite communications. Some companies pay for it, some have free contracts," Roelandt said.

The United States owns most of the GPS satellites in space that track the positions of commercial aircraft. As long as an airplane is within range of two to three satellites in space, it uses them to triangulate its position and send the information to the nearest ground station via a transponder, said Bill Waldock, professor of safety science at Embry Riddle University in Prescott, Florida.

It's also possible, although unlikely, that the location of a troubled aircraft could be pinpointed by military defense satellites, experts said.

Some U.S. military satellites employ heat-sensitive cameras that scan the skies for missiles and could possibly detect a plane if it were not obscured by clouds, said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a public policy organization whose Web site provides news on weapons systems and the defense industry.

Roelandt stressed that the idea of GPS tracking has not been part of any safety review within the aviation industry. The general consensus has been that a trained flight crew is on hand that always has the capability to be in contact with someone on the ground should an emergency arise.

In the case of Air France Flight 447, it appears that the crew had no time to relay an emergency message.

Shortly before the plane disappeared, its automatic system initiated a four-minute exchange of messages to Air France's maintenance computers, indicating that "several pieces of aircraft equipment were at fault or had broken down," Air France CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon said on Monday.

"Usually these data reports send information on normal systems, things like what the in-flight entertainment is doing, or that the cabin temperature has dropped by a few degrees," said Kieran Daly of Air Transport Intelligence, an online aviation news service.

"It's like your car telling you something is wrong, but in this case the A330-200 sent out a signal to Paris, basically warning that when it arrives in X number of hours, this is what's wrong with the plane," said CNN's Richard Quest. "It was the automatic system on the plane telling Air France headquarters we've got a problem."

Based on the aircraft's route and the timing of the data reports, search and rescue teams could know where, roughly, to look for the plane.

Upgrading from radar to satellite system

The aviation industry is moving toward replacing its traditional radar-based tracking system with a satellite one that would allow air traffic control to know where a plane is at all times, even over oceans.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has begun implementing a system, nicknamed NextGen, in which GPS signals would transmit an aircraft's precise location to air traffic controllers via ground receivers. The system would allow planes to fly more direct routes instead of zig-zagging between radio beacons.

The FAA is testing the system in pockets of the U.S. and plans to be using it by the end of the year in the Gulf of Mexico, much of which is out of radar range. The agency hopes NextGen will cover the entire country by 2013.

Roelandt says a similar system will be implemented in Europe by 2015.

"It means planes will automatically transmit the GPS position to the ground and surrounding aircraft within about 150 miles," he said. "In the far future the idea is to be in a free flight condition," where pilots have more flexibility in their routes while GPS keeps planes safely separated.

In a trial last year using an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system, two Airbus planes were able to change altitude safely while cruising over oceanic airspace.

At present, airliners flying over oceans are usually not permitted to change altitude, because oceanic airspace beyond a certain distance from land cannot be controlled by radar. Controllers and pilots keep the planes on vectors, or defined highways in the sky, to maintain safe distances between aircraft.

The ADS-B system is being developed internationally. But the expense of outfitting planes with GPS is dwarfed by the cost to upgrade from radar to satellite tracking of planes. According to a 2006 FAA report, it would cost $4.6 billion to change to a satellite-based system in the U.S.
"It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation," Roelandt said. "If you don't put an implementing rule on this equipment, airlines won't install it as it's a costly operation for them. It is ongoing, and will be installed on European commercial airliners, but it takes time as always."

China's youth post-Tiananmen: Apathy a fact or front?

2009-06-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

They're known as the "post 1980s" kids or the "Tiananmen-plus-20" generation: 200 million-strong, Web-savvy, pop-culture-conscious and decidedly apolitical.

As the world observes the 20th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, pro-democracy advocates abroad lament how little Chinese youth today know or care about the student-led movement that ended with the deaths of hundreds when tanks rumbled through the capital's streets and troops opened fire.

But what is lost in the generalization is whether today's political apathy is a fact or a front.

"Politics is not a game that we want to play or we can play," said "Holly," a 21-year-old college student, who like the rest of the people quoted in this article, agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.

" 'Politics is the dirtiest kind of business; stay as far as you can from it,' says my grandfather," she added. "So, we better focus on something that we are in control of. Practicality is what today's China is all about."

Indeed, if the generation today is focused more on individual success, it is because they are much better off and risk losing much more than their predecessors.
At the time of the Tiananmen uprising, China was isolated from the outside world, with skyrocketing inflation.

Students were expected to participate in mass movements, such as the Cultural Revolution launched by Mao Zedong, the Communist Party chairman, to rid alleged liberal bourgeoisie elements from the party by mobilizing the youth.

Today, the communist country is on a stable path, enjoying unparalleled growth.

The economy, one of the largest in the world, has grown at an average rate of more than 9 percent a year since 1978, when the annual income per capita was 380 yuan ($55), according to the International Monetary Fund. The per capita income soared to 41,000 yuan ($6,000) in 2008.

China sends more students to colleges and universities in the United States than any country other than India.

"Our safety, our wealth are all controlled by the authority," said "John," a 27-year-old restaurant owner in Beijing. "The only thing that common people can do is to work hard and earn more money."

Added Holly: "An old Chinese saying is that 'Self-preservation is the first law of nature.' Politics doesn't pay. We must go to wherever that pays."

This is not to say that many of today's youth have not sought out information about the Tiananmen uprising -- in vain.

School textbooks barely mention it. When they do, the movement is labeled counterrevolutionary.

The government does its best to ignore the massacre, calling it a "political incident that took place in the late 1980s," at a foreign ministry news conference last week.

Tiananmen Square -- seared into the world's collective memory through a photograph and video of an unknown man standing in the path of advancing tanks -- bears no reminder of the 20-year-old event.

People gather for photographs. Children play.

Citizens, wary of the government's position, are reluctant to talk about the movement.

"I remember when I was a child and I asked a question," said "Victoria," a 25-year-old marketing representative. "And my father said, 'Now, I don't want to explain about this because you're too young. You should learn more stuff and read more books and you will know about it.'

"One of my teachers said something about it -- but just one sentence, that's all."

The government also makes it clear that dissent is not tolerated. Those who publicly challenged authority have been thrown in jail with harsh sentences.

"What happened then helped me to protect myself and my loved ones from ignorant sacrifices, which are extremely important," said "Rodney," a 25-year-old professional who works for a company abroad.

"You know what? The most foolish thing is to start a fight with a mad man. So you don't let the mad man see you. You just maybe throw stones at him, without letting him know."

For youths disillusioned with the system, that venue today is the Internet.

The nation's online population is the world's largest: 298 million users -- about the size of the entire United States.

Instead of plastering posters on college campuses, the agents of change are planting seeds in the blogosphere.

"You want to see where the freedom of expression movements are in China? Twenty years ago, it was on Tiananmen Square. Today it is on the Internet," said Xiao Qiang of the China Internet Project at the University of California, Berkeley, which looks at the effect of the Web on China's media and politics.

"Yes, the Internet is the greatest invention ever," said "Jessica," a 22-year-old recent graduate who works at a film studio. "It is like the combination of a time machine and a space machine. Not quite, but close enough."

Chinese law forbids the use of the Web to incite hatred and division or to promote the overthrow of the government. The government employs thousands to monitor sites, filtering for unwelcome content.

Keywords like "Tiananmen" and "Tibet" are tracked. Web sites, such as the video-sharing site YouTube, and media outlets, including CNN.com, are routinely blocked.

On Tuesday, Chinese censors blocked access to the micro-blogging site Twitter, as well as the photo sharing site Flickr and others.

China has also shut down more than 6,000 online message boards affiliated with colleges and universities ahead of the Tiananmen anniversary, the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said.
"You tell me. Would those be actions a government would take if activism among young people was truly dead?" said "Andrew," a 25-year-old office worker. "Our country is like our national animal, the panda. It is slow to change, but change will come. We're making sure of it -- but just quietly."

More debris found from Air France plane crash

2009-06-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Searchers found four more debris fields Wednesday from an Air France jet that plunged into the Atlantic Ocean early Monday with 228 people on board, the Brazilian Air Force said.

Searchers had found two debris fields Tuesday and identified the wreckage as coming from Flight 447.

The Airbus A330 went down about three hours after beginning what was to have been an 11-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, France.
Investigators have not determined what caused the plane to crash. The flight data recorders have not been recovered, and the plane's crew did not send any messages indicating problems before the plane disappeared.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday it has accepted an invitation from the French aviation accident investigation authority, the Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses, to aid in the investigation.

NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has designated senior air safety investigator Bill English as the U.S. accredited representative. The U.S. team will include technical advisers from the Federal Aviation Administration; General Electric, which made the plane's engines; and Honeywell, which made the planes data recorders.

The aircraft's computer system did send about four minutes of automated messages indicating a loss of cabin pressure and an electrical failure, officials have said.

Some investigators have noted that the plane flew through a severe lightning storm. Foul play has not been ruled out.

Air France had received a bomb threat May 27 for a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Paris, sources in the Argentine military and police told CNN on Wednesday.

According to the officials, who had been briefed on the incident and declined to be identified because of the ongoing investigation, the Air France office in Buenos Aires received the threat from a man speaking Spanish.

Authorities checked the Boeing 777 and did not find anything. Security was tightened during check-in for Flight 415, which left on time and without incident, the officials said.

Among the debris found Wednesday were various objects in a circular 5-kilometer (3-mile) area; one object with a diameter of 7 meters (23 feet); 10 objects, some of which were metallic; and a thin oil slick that extended as far as 20 kilometers (12 miles), said Brazilian Air Force spokesman Jorge Amaral. The latest debris was found about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Tuesday's discovery, Amaral said. The earlier debris was about 650 kilometers (400 miles) northeast of the Fernando de Noronha Islands, an archipelago 355 kilometers (220 miles) off the northeast coast of Brazil.

The wreckage found Tuesday included an aeroplane seat, metal debris, an orange float, a drum and an oil spill.
Eleven aircraft and five ships are engaged in the search, including airplanes from France and the United States.

Although officials have said the likelihood of finding survivors are small, authorities have not closed the door on the possibility.

"Until the aircraft is identified, and the remains indicate that survival is technically impossible, we will maintain the possibility that there could be survivors," Amaral said.

The majority of the people on the flight came from Brazil, France and Germany. The remaining victims were from 29 other countries, including three passengers from the United States.

French officials said Wednesday they may never find the jet's flight data recorders.

"We need time to reach the recorders," said Paul-Louis Arslanian, head of France's accident investigation bureau.

The recorders give off a locator signal that lasts for up to 30 days. The French government has sent a research vessel with a deep-diving submersible on board to the area where the debris was found.

French officials said weather conditions at the site remain "extremely difficult" and the depth of the Atlantic near the area where wreckage was found is around 7,000 meters (21,000 feet).

"Even in history ... recorders from time to time were found after the 30 days. But I'm not so optimistic," Arslanian said. "It's not only deep, it's also very mountainous at that place of the ocean."

Brazilian officials have said the sea depth in the area is around 2,000 to 3,000 meters (6,562 to 9,842 feet).

Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva was optimistic that the flight data recorders would be found.

"I think that a country with the ability to retrieve oil from 6,000 meters (3.7 miles) underwater can retrieve a plane from 2,000 meters (1.2 miles). The truth is, we are going to see -- I'm not a specialist and don't want to give predictions of what will happen," Lula said, according to the Brazilian state news agency.

Arslanian said answers on what caused the crash could take a long time.

"It could be long, we cannot do with 80 percent understanding," he said. "This catastrophe is the worst that our country has known in our country's air history."
A memorial for the victims of Flight AF 447, which included 61 people from France, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans and people from 29 other countries, took place later Wednesday at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Brazil has declared three days of mourning.

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