Crape myrtles pack a summer punch

You've got to love a plant that blooms its head off in the heat of summer.
And, this year, it seems the crape myrtles really have their party clothes on.
"I think they have been especially wonderful this year too," LSU AgCenter horticulturist Denyse Cummins said in an e-mail answer to my question about best crape myrtle cultivars.
Her picks?
"I really think the best ones are those 25 that were released by the National Arboretum a few years ago. They were part of a breeding program that concentrated on pretty bark and disease resistance and all have American Indian tribe names. It would be hard to pick a few favorites, but if I had to, I'd pick Natchez or Tuscarora out of those."
Denyse said the white Natchez is a very tall tree that often gets planted in a space that's too small.
"If it goes into a sunny space where it has room, it has good bark and a lovely, graceful shape," she said. "Tuscarora is a dead ringer for the old-fashioned watermelon red one, but does not get defoliated by that horrible cercospora leaf spot, which knocks the leaves off of so many of the old cultivars in late summer."
Another favorite is Basham's Party Pink, which Denyse described as a good heavy bloomer with a medium pink color and a nice shape that doesn't get too big.
She's also high on shrub crape myrtles.
"I saw them blooming in trials at Burden Research Plantation in Baton Rouge and they really knocked me out. They had the perfectly rounded shapes and total bloom coverage of a good azalea."
Among shrub cultivars are Chickasaw and Pokemoke, which are more of the National Arboretum introductions, and several in the Razzle Dazzle series.
As for growing them, Denyse says crape myrtles are pretty care free.
"Full sun and proper spacing is the key," she said. "If you try to grow them in a shadier location, they will stretch and lose their shape and have all the flowers up high where you can't enjoy them. They will also be more prone to cercospora leaf spot and aphid attack. I tend to ignore both of those problems, since they never do much damage to the tree, but they are a nuisance. The older varieties can get powdery mildew and I'd rather replace that tree than start a regular spray program. When it's bad, it's really bad."

Al-Qaeda propaganda forum 'forced offline'

The al-Shamukh forum was used by the terror group to issue official statements, including its acknowledgement that Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces in May, and video messages from his successor Ayman al-Zawahiri.

But the website is now completely crippled after its address was revoked and then its contents were deleted from the server that hosted it in Malaysia. Its operators reported "technical difficulties" via other jihadi forums.

“First, the address stopped working, but the forum was still available via its direct IP address,” said Evan Kohlmann of Flashpoint Partners, a security consultancy that works with British and American counter-terrorism agencies.

“Then, about 12 hours later, the entire site got wiped clean at the level of the data hosting server. Those were two separate and distinct events that occurred in rather close proximity to each other.”

Last year al-Shamukh replaced an earlier forum, al-Faloja, which was also used to distribute propaganda and martyrdom videos. This week’s apparent attack leaves al-Qaeda without an official communications channel online. acking attack by a Western intelligence agency.Since about last August, every single thing you've seen from al-Qaeda, the videos of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Bin Laden death statement, has originated from this lone channel,” said Mr Kohlmann.
The shut down also comes soon after al-Shamukh published a roster of senior government, industry and media figures to be targeted for assassination by lone terrorists. Earlier this month the FBI warned 40 prominent individuals that they were named on the hit list.
The apparent sophistication of the attack on al-Shamukh prompted claims that hackers working for Western intelligence agencies were responsible.
“When you run an al-Qaeda website, you should expect to receive a regular delivery of half-witted hacking attacks by hecklers, and efforts by crusading activists on the web to shut the site down, but most of those efforts end up coming to little fruition,” said Mr Kohlmann.
“This is the most significant outage in at least a year, so quite obviously something was a little different this time.”
Earlier this month it emerged that MI6 and GCHQ hackers hijacked the an issue of al-Qaeda’s propaganda magazine, Inspire, and inserted baking recipes in an action dubbed “Operation Cupcake”.
British intelligence took action after the CIA blocked the plan in the US, arguing that disrupting the launch would cut off the flow of valuable intelligence. Similar debates surround jihadi forums such as al-Shamukh, which serve as a magnet for young extremists.
If intelligence agencies were not behind the shut down, it is possible that the many digital vigilantes who pursue al-Qaeda online were responsible. A security source who investigated the forum for several months said its software was relatively insecure and leaked administrator passwords.
Despite the crippling of al-Shamukh, copies of the jihadi material it hosted remain online. Mr Kohlmann said its loss was nevertheless a blow to al-Qaeda, which is already under pressure following bin Laden’s death.
“It either has to wait until the forum is resurrected, or else it must establish a new relationship with another jihadi forum, which it has been somewhat reluctant to do in recent years, likely out of security concerns

Peacocks to release a royal wedding dress copy

Peacocks, the high street cheap-chic chain, is launching a budget-bride version of THAT royal wedding dress, for just £60.
The dress, which will be the value fashion retailer's first-ever attempt at a bridal gown, will go on sale in August.
The limited edition, white 'prom' wedding dress is very much an abbreviated, cut-price version of the Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen gown worn by the Duchess of Cambridge, but retains enough 'details' to make its inspiration obvious. The dress features a white lace bodice with 'sweetheart' neckline and elbow-length sleeves over a white strapless 'corset'. The cotton-sateen skirt has no train and has been pruned to midi-length, but is designed with a full, circular sweep. The dress is finished with a satin-trim, bow-belt
The wedding dress, which is expected to be an instant sell-out, will launch exclusively on Peacocks' website, on August 7, in sizes 8-18.
Antonella Bettley, Peacocks' head of ladieswear, said: "Catherine's dress had elements that translated well for our customers, the classic neckline with the overlay of lace, and full skirt, were not only classically beautiful but also flattering for a womanly figure. We hope the dress makes customers feel every inch a princess whether they choose to wear for their own wedding or a summer party."
Kate Middleton: A very royal style icon in pictures
Peacocks has consistently scored with its interpretations of 'Catherine-chic', ever since the couple's engagement was announced in November. Its 'royal blue dress', inspired by the Issa dress she wore for the announcement, was a high street hit, priced at just £14. Its 'Royal' jewellery collection, inspired by the iconic blue sapphire ring which was originally worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, sold out in its first week. The collection costs £4.50 per piece and comprises blue crystal and diamante earrings, pendent and cocktail ring.
Peacocks has also posted a 300 per cent increase in sales of £4.50 feather fascinators.

Victoria Beckham launches new dress collection

Blame it on the hormones, the fact that she's expecting a girl, or simply that she's tired of wearing dresses that require six inch stilettos and a fierce attitude to pull off, but Victoria Beckham is finally embracing her girly side, announcing the launch of a new range of ultra-feminine dresses.Drawing inspiration from edgy teenage cartoon character 'Emily the Strange' - who's so stylish she already has her own clothing line - Victoria's new range called 'Victoria by Victoria Beckham', focuses on a looser silhouette, and characterises the alter ego of her super-glamorous main line customer.These are the kind of dresses I've been searching for," Beckham told WWD , "The perfect little summer dress, something that was fun, something that was girly, something that was easy to wear, something that would take you from day through the night."
Beckham aims to reach a broader audience with this range, which not only features significantly lower price points than her main line, with dresses set to retail primarily around the £350 - £560 mark, but also caters for women not possessed of a size 6 figure.
"I'm opening these designs to women and girls of all different shapes and sizes, people who maybe want something less tight and clingy and structured. It also makes it more comfortable for during the day. You can wear them with a pair of flats or a pair of heels and they look great."
Flat shoes? Definitely the hormones.

Where to Celebrate Independence Day Around Bergen County

Independence Day is fast approaching. The holiday, which marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, is most commonly associated with fireworks. But other celebrations, including parades and barbecues, are also common. By now you should know all about the happenings in Ridgewood on the 4th,but here is a list of some of the area events you can also celebrate.

Paramus July 4 Weekend

• A fireworks show with free admission is scheduled for Sunday, July 3 at 8 p.m. at the Cliff Gennarelli Sports Complex, next to Garden State Plaza. The gates will open to the public at 7:30 p.m. Mayor Richard A. LaBarbiera will give the welcome address, Master of Ceremonies will be Ace A. Antonio, the National Anthem will be performed by Alexis Wolfer and Rachel Marichal will perform "God Bless America." Following the fireworks display will be a live musical performance by the Paramus Players. The rain date for the event is July 10.
• Paramus will hold an Independence Day parade Monday, July 4 at 9 a.m. The parade begins at the intersection of Century Road and Farview Avenue, heads north on Farview Avenue and ends at Memorial Elementary School followed by a ceremony. Mayor Richard A. Labarbiera will provide the welcome address, Master of Ceremonies will be Ace A. Antonio, Alexa Calandrillo will perform the National Anthem and Rev. James Teti will give the invocation.

Glen Rock July 4 Events

• The Glen Rock Pops will perform Sunday, July 3 at 7:30 p.m. to open an Independence Day celebration on the lawn of Borough Hall, 1 Harding Plaza, Glen Rock. The concert is free and attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets. If it rains, the performance will take place in the Borough Hall Council Chambers.
• The Glen Rock Fourth of July parade is scheduled to begin Monday, July 4 at 9:30 a.m. at the high school on Harristown Road. The route continues, turning at Highland Avenue, making a left on Rock Road and proceeding through town, ending at the Municipal Pool on Doremus Avenue.

Fair Lawn Fireworks

• The Fair Lawn fireworks show is set for Wednesday, June 29 at Memorial Park, Berdan Ave and 1st St. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. The rain dates are June 30 or July 6. Pre-sale tickets are $5 for child under 12/senior citizens, $7 for adults and $25 for a family of five, available at the following locations: Yogurt Plus, the municipal building's tax office, Fair Lawn Foto Professor,
  Memorial Park bathhouse, Daniella's Track Side Grille, Benny's Luncheonette, and Fair Lawn Pharmacy. At the gates tickets are $7 for children and seniors, $9 for adults and $30 for a family of five. Children under 2 are free. Gate locations include Lambert Road, Lyons Avenue, Berdan Avenue, Essex Street, and Dewey Place. The handicap entrance is in Bush Place. Call the Recreation Department at 201-794-5370 for more information.

Teaneck Parade and Community Celebration

• The annual Fourth of July parade in Teaneck begins at 9:30 a.m. Monday, July 4, traveling north on Queen Anne Road and ending in Votee Park.
• Immediately following the parade, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the township will hold the 20th annual July 4th community celebration of festivities and family activities in Votee Park. The event will include free pony rides, inflatables, Fire Truck slide, Baseball Speed Pitch, a stilt walker, clown/balloonists, face painters, music, Mr. Giggles Show, temporary tattoo artists, Teaneck Fire Department trucks, Teaneck Police Department vehicles, discounted food and more.

Hasbrouck Heights Fireworks

• The Lions Club will host the 27th annual fireworks event tentatively scheduled for Thursday, June 30 at Depken Field, Route 17 and Franklin Avenue. The rain date is Friday, July 1 and extended rain date is Saturday, July 2. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Children under age 5 are admitted free. Only blankets will be allowed on the field, not chairs. Attendees can bring water but not food.

Oradell Independence Day

• The Oradell Special Events Committee has sponsored a fireworks display Friday, July 1 at 9:15 p.m. at Memorial Field, Church Street and Prospect Avenue, Oradell. In addition to the fireworks, hot dogs, pizza, ice cream, kettle-corn and beverages will be available for purchase. The rain date for the event is Saturday, July 2.
• The borough has an Independence Day program scheduled for Monday, July 4 at 9 a.m. on Oradell Avenue and Third Street. After the ceremony, there will be games and pony rides for children and additional entertainment at Memorial Field. Troop 36 will be selling hot dogs and beverages.

River Edge July 4 Festivities

• An Independence Day event begins with food and drink Sunday, July 3 at 6:30 p.m. in Veteran’s Memorial Park, River Edge. Entertainment by "Soul Finger" featuring River Edge resident Jeanie Marri begins at 7:30 p.m. under the pavilion.
• The July 4 parade begins Monday, July 4 at 11 a.m. on Bogart Road and continues toward Continental Avenue. The route ends at Veteran's Memorial Park.

Top five Twitter tips for Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI sent his first ever tweet today to introduce a new Vatican news and information portal.

Using an iPad he wrote:

Dear Friends, I just launched http://t.co/fVHpS9y Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVIless than a minute ago via Twitter for iPad Favorite Retweet ReplyVatican - news
news_va_en

The Twitter account @news_va_en, has been active since March 9, 2010, but this is the first time that The Pope has sent a Tweet. The Vatican has embraced the use of social media platforms to spread the Church’s message and has been encouraging priests to blog and engage with their communities online.

The Pope’s online introduction has been generally well received by the Twitter community - one user @emilcar‎ tweeted:

@news_va_en Good bless you, dear Father, especially in this day.less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyEmilio Cano Molina
emilcar

However a few users have criticised the Pope for his Twitter technique.

Pope sends his first tweet, but needs a better handle than @news_va_en. http://bit.ly/k6DYqoless than a minute ago via Tweetie for Mac Favorite Retweet ReplyAdweek
Adweek

and

@GinaPhillipsSNN @news_va_en How come the Pope isn't following anyone? Doesn't seem very Pope-like to me.less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyMatthew Cauz
mcauz56

Our five top tips to improve The Pope’s tweeting:

1) Name change: the Vatican’s username is a little obscure (@vatican_va_en). Someone already owns ‘@thepope’ but we think Twitter would be prepared to hand it over. The Dalilama is a good example to follow - @DalaiLama
2) Profile picture: an update is needed, at the moment it’s not an actual picture of Pope Benedict XVI - a proper picture would be more friendly
3) Follow people: currently the account follows a total of 0 people - if the Church is serious about engaging then it should follow people back.
4) But be careful who you follow: you don’t want to get caught out by spoof accounts such as @jesus
5) Be a little less formal: the Pope’s first (only?) tweet began “dear friends” and was signed with his name - on twitter he can afford to be less formal and more conversational

Building a Web Business Brick by Brick

Someone strolling the Lower East Side of Manhattan is liable to spot a flier plastered with the face of a pugnacious Boston Terrier. That’s Monkey, the nominal guard dog of Any Old Iron, a year-old men’s clothing store that has quickly become a destination for shoppers, as well as a fixture on the local party scene. But what even most fans of the store don’t realize is that Any Old Iron is, in a sense, a gateway to a Web site.
A lot of companies these days are founded as Web businesses, and many physical stores end up growing substantial Web sales over time. What’s a bit unusual about Any Old Iron is that the company’s Web site has been intended as the main engine of the business from day one — even though almost all of the investment and attention has been focused on the store. “Our strategy is to build credibility and cachet through the store,” said Christopher Melton, an arts-oriented entrepreneur who helped found the company last year along with Andrew Clancey, a celebrity stylist. “We plan to open a second store in L.A. and then two more stores in other locations. And then from there it’s all Web.” Indeed, the Manhattan store isn’t even expected to be profitable on its own. In a sense, it’s a loss-leader — the rent money is really an investment in Web advertising, said Mr. Melton.
He had observed that some of the big, high-fashion retailers operated small stores in SoHo, a chic shopping area where sky-high rents make it difficult to turn a profit. So why bother? Because the SoHo presence serves to build the brand in the eyes of the fashion-conscious and pays off for the companies in increased sales at other locations and on the Web. “A store may lose a lot of money,” said Mr. Melton, “but it helps make the brand’s whole system profitable.”
Why couldn’t a tiny start-up think the same way? As it turns out, Mr. Melton and Mr. Clancey had a role model. Friends of theirs in Britain started a couple of small clothing stores in fashionable areas outside London and parlayed the attention they got into success on the Web. So Mr. Melton and Mr. Clancey opened up Any Old Iron to offer men’s clothes from British fashion labels that connote a “distinctly English sartorial dandyism,” as the company’s promotional literature puts it (the store’s name comes from an old English song). It’s a niche they have pretty much to themselves.
Step one in their scheme was building up the cachet of the store. To do that, the entrepreneurs used their fashion-celebrity contacts and party-throwing capabilities to establish the shop as a place to be seen on weekend evenings. They’ve struck up relationships with other shops and restaurants in the area to steer customers each other’s way and have won precious spots on the places-to-shop lists wielded by influential concierges at nearby hotels like the Thompson Lower East Side, boosting out-of-town shoppers to 40 percent of their walk-in business.
Part of the store’s appeal is the flair of the four employees. To keep them feeling the spirit without busting the bank, Mr. Melton trolls the online service MarketSharing — a Groupon clone that sells stuff for small-businesses — to find discounted group-bonding activities like dodge ball and local cruises. “The cheesier the better,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Melton and Mr. Clancey are slowly moving toward building their Web business. But after putting up an edgy first iteration of their own site, Mr. Melton and Mr. Clancey were approached by Farfetch, an online retailer that showcases the goods of various high-fashion boutiques. They jumped at the chance to be one of the featured retailers — the store strategy was paying off! — and revenue from Farfetch quickly dwarfed those from their own site, even bringing in sales from places like Qatar. But Farfetch takes a hefty cut, and now Mr. Melton, after letting his own site languish, is eager to improve it and drive more traffic to it. “We don’t have to let Farfetch offer everything we offer,” he said. He and Mr. Clancey have budgeted $15,000, tops, for a site redesign. And they want to bring in a consultant to help explore search-engine-optimization strategies to improve their placement in searches. “We’re just limited in how much we can spend on this right now,” said Mr. Melton.
Besides bringing in more traffic, Mr. Melton wants to bump up the sales conversion rate for the site from the roughly 5 percent it averages now. One way to do that, he thinks, is to work in more images of and references to the store, so that people who come to the site after visiting the store will recall the experience and slip more easily into buying mode. He also plans to integrate information about the labels and designers throughout the site so that the products are tied to stories and the site feels more personal.
Finally, he wants to keep the site feeling fresher by showcasing new merchandise. To that end, he and Mr. Clancey are switching to iPhones to take advantage of apps like Kyte that will let them snap a picture of a new shirt or shoe when it comes in the door and post it to the site with a tap on the screen. “It doesn’t get easier than that,” said Mr. Melton.

Aaron Carter Claims Michael Jackson Gave Him Drugs

Pop star and Dancing with the Stars contestant Aaron Carter has revealed some shocking news about the late Michael Jackson: The King of Pop gave him drugs when Aaron was just 15. Aaron, now 23, told OK! Magazine Australia: “I never talked about it… This is the first time. I do… I miss Michael… I have spent such incredible times with him. I did things with him that nobody else did… But I was also troubled about what he did to me.”
What about alcohol? “Yes, he gave me wine,” Aaron said. “I mean, I could have refused, but I was 15.” As for drugs? “He gave me cocaine. I felt weird about that and other stuff… We spoke afterwards, hours and hours, on the phone. I admired Michael, but his behaviour bothered me a lot. Then my mother called the police…”
It’s troubling for MJ fans, who want to believe that the media has completely fabricated all the allegations against him. But what reason would Aaron have to lie? Clearly he’s conflicted about the news. What do you think? True story or tabloid tall tale?
Michael passed away just over two years ago.

Canada Day: William and Kate make their international married debut

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, popularly known as William and Kate, arrive in Canada on their first international visit today with two goals: to ease the prince and his commoner bride into their public lives as a married couple and to convince their subjects the monarchy is relevant and worth saving.
The first should be easy. Canada has strong ties to the British monarchy and is considered a friendly place for the royal family to visit.
The second will be harder, but not nearly as difficult as it would have been a year ago. The latest polls show the royals have surged in popularity in Canada compared with a year ago, largely because people are just as smitten with William and Kate as the two seem to be with each other.
“The popularity of this couple is global,” says Sean Simpson, author of a new Ipsos Public Affairs poll on Canadian attitudes toward the royals. “They are clearly in love and people can see that and that is telling them there is a secure future for the monarchy down the road.”
The poll results do not show overwhelming support. Forty-eight percent of Canadians still think the monarchy should be abolished. But that is 10 percent fewer than a year ago, when William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, visited Canada. Mr. Simpson says it is a significant change in a country where the royal family’s popularity has been steadily waning.
“Canadians have been pretty fickle on the monarchy,” he says. “Basically, we’ve got other things to think about.”
Is there a place for fairy tales today?

The royal family’s popularity has waned in Canada since the massive immigration from outside Europe started in the 1960s. Although references to the monarchy are woven into every aspect of Canadian life – from rose gardens and freeways named after Queen Elizabeth II to the fact that new legislation must get royal assent before it becomes law – it has little real influence on everyday lives.
Most Canadians are not sure what role the monarch or her representative, the governor general, play in Canada. Younger people and a growing population of immigrants simply cannot relate, says royal expert Carolyn Harris.
Concerns about whether Prince Charles, who is considered too outspoken and old-fashioned, is fit to be king have also eroded the monarchy’s popularity, says Ms. Harris.
Like many Canadians, James Levergood, a tattoo artist from Toronto, says he thinks the royals are quaint but unnecessary.
“I think having a king and queen is the stuff of fairy tales, so it’s kind of cool. It’s like a blast from the past. But I don’t see how they are relevant,” he says.
Trying to appear 'normal'

 

It’s people like Levergood that William and Kate will try to win over during their nine-day tour. Their itinerary is heavily focused on youth and emphasizes some of the couple’s personal interests. It includes a stop in Prince Edward Island, to visit the location where one of Kate's favorite books, Anne of Green Gables, is set. They will also visit a facility for young cancer patients and a cooking school in Quebec, attend dragon boat races and other “beach activities” in Prince Edward Island, and meet with aboriginal youth in the Northwest Territories. There is speculation that William, known for his spontaneity, may play street hockey.
The couple also hopes to appear as “normal” as possible. They are known to do their own shopping, cooking, and washing up when they are at home. They are bringing a reduced staff of seven people on their Canadian tour. Unlike other royal women, including her famous mother-in-law, Princess Diana, Kate has declined to bring along a dresser to look after her wardrobe.
Harris says the pair will inevitably be compared to William’s parents. Prince Charles and Diana visited Canada four times, and during their first visit two years after their marriage, Diana’s glamour and warmth attracted frenzied attention.
“It will be interesting to see if William and Kate operate like the queen and Prince Philip, where both bring their own strengths to a tour, or more like Charles and Diana, where Diana and her fashion choices tended to upstage Charles no matter what he did,” she says.
But ultimately, Harris says, their task will be to show that they are “in touch with modern society and the way ordinary people live.”

Heat index could hit ‘dangerous levels’ for 4th of July weekend

As the Fourth of July weekend approaches, weather forecasters are predicting that hot weather will hit the Southern California, with the heat index possibly approaching "dangerous levels," according to a statement from the National Weather Service.
Although temperatures along the coast are expected to be a few degrees above normal, inland temperatures will see the greatest increase, warming five to 15 degrees above normal, weather service officials said.
Temperatures for some locations in the Antelope Valley and San Fernando Valley were expected to hit or top the 100-degree mark, with daytime highs ranging between 100 and 110 degrees, according to weather service predictions. Some interior coastal foothill locations, such as the Hollywood Hills, might see temperatures top out in the 90s, forecasters said.
Weather officials said the coolest temperatures during the heat wave would occur at the beaches and areas closest to the coast "where onshore breezes will cool the land mass most efficiently each afternoon and evening."

For the latter part of the weekend, forecasters predicted that subtropical moisture would start to move into Southern California "making it feel even more hot and muggy for Sunday and Monday." During this time, afternoon and evening showers could possibly develop over the mountains and deserts, officials said.
They advised people planning to be outdoors over the weekend to conduct activities during the early-morning hours before temperatures reach their daytime highs, and to drink plenty of water. They also warned against leaving children or pets unattended in a locked vehicle, where temperatures "can climb to hazardous levels and can prove fatal."
Meanwhile, as Southern California's rainy season officially draws to a close Thursday evening, the Los Angeles area was expected to record above-average rainfall levels, according to the weather service.
Preliminary figures show that Los Angeles will have received an average of about 20.20 inches of rain for the period from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. That's about five inches above the normal rainfall level of 15.14 inches, said Bill Hoffer, a spokesman for the weather service. Measurements are taken at the Los Angeles Civic Center, and the previous 12-month period averaged 16.36 inches of rainfall, Hoffer said.

Justin Bieber Celebrates Javier Colon’s Win & His Google Chrome Commercial on ‘The Voice’

Justin Bieber was a big fan of The Voice last night for two reasons — his good friend Adam Levine‘s contestant Javier Colon won and his new Google Chrome commercial premiered during the show!
“check out @NBCTheVoice tonight at 8PM EST to see our new #KIDRAUHL commercial with @googlechrome – and maybe support @adamlevine …maybe,” Justin Tweeted yesterday.
Well, Justin’s commercial premiered with a bang and explains how Justin used the Web to share his musical with the world. Google Chrome is described as a simple browser that is fast and allows you to “make the most” of the web.
And Justin is busy Tweeting promotions for it using the hashtag #thewebiswhatyoumakeofit.
But while Justin was excited for his new commercial to premiere on The Voice he was also a fan watching and trying to help Adam’s pick Javier win the show!
“good luck 2nite to @Javstwtr and my basketball rival @AdamLevine on The Voice. everybody support. thanks. @Javstwtr can sing!” Justin previously Tweeted and after the win wrote, “ok..kinda hyped but told im not allowed to spoil it..but @adamlevine WHAZZZUPPP. #BeastMODE”
Did Javier’s Tweeting supporters help him win? Well, Javier seems to think so!
“He very well may have,” he told reporters after his win of how his brother Tweeted for him. “He sent out a tweet to all of his people, and we won by two percent. I don’t know how many of them voted or how many of them just maybe followed me on Twitter. But I’m thankful to everyone who lent their support, who told their folks to give me a chance.”
“A good friend of mine, Ernie Halter, who sent out a bunch of Tweets on my behalf in the last 48 hours to try and help me succeed who’s just also an amazing amazing artist,” he added. “And my brother who was on the phone constantly over the last 24 hours to try to just drum up support from all his friends and everybody who ever owed him a favor. You know, I have a lot of people to thank.”

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Hospitalized in London

Jonathan Rhys Meyers was rushed to a London hospital Tuesday after he was found slumped on the floor of his home.
Paramedics responded to an emergency call at the Tudors star's pad claiming the actor needed help, but he reportedly refused treatment for more than 30 minutes and police were called in to escort him to the hospital, Scotland Yard confirms to E! News.
Meyers, who has battled drinking problems in the past, was believed to have downed pills, reports The Sun, although a source close to the star tells us it was "not a suicide attempt.

 

Play"Glee" Star Reveals Rehab Past

The 33-year-old thesp was released Wednesday morning from a Central London hospital, and had "no comment" when the Sun inquired about his well-being.
A source told the U.K. paper that the possible pill overdose was "very sad" and that those close to him were questioning whether the actor had tried to take his own life.
But a source close to the star said that although the actor relapsed (it was not immediately clear if that meant alcohol or drugs) he was not attempting suicide.
"It was not a suicide attempt. He did relapse and was hospitalized briefly for that, but was released," said the source.
Meyers has long had a history with booze-fueled troubles. In 2007, just fresh out of rehab for the second time, the Irish actor was busted for public drunkenness and breach of peace for threatening and abusive conduct against airport workers while waiting for a flight back to London from Dublin. The charges were ultimately dropped.
Two years later the Match Point star was in trouble again at the airport, when he allegedly punched a waiter at a bar in Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport and was charged with "willful violence, outrage, hitting and threatening death."
In 2010, he entered rehab yet again in London for an alcohol addiction after another airport altercation. The actor had been banned from flying United Airlines after a drunken scuffle at JFK airport.


 

Can Creative Commons solve the digital rights problem?

The internet has made the sharing and remixing of content into a common pastime but copyright laws, first designed more than 400 years ago, have not kept up. Creative Commons attempts to change that and this week the organisation published a guide, The Power of Open, that shows exactly how the system works.

Joi Ito, the chair of Creative Commons, told the Telegraph: “If you think about the success of the internet, it allows people to innovate without asking permission.” He said that existing copyright was an obstacle to that and so Creative Commons provided a way to let creators control their rights without stifling innovation.

Creative Commons works by providing a framework for people to specify how their work can be used. Creators can use the Creative Commons website to choose the licence they want and generate the HTML code to include on their own website.

The licences can allow people to copy it, remix it and share it and set various conditions under which those things can be done, for example allowing only non-commercial use of their work or allowing use only if they are credited as the source.

Ito said that a more open system would drive innovation. He said: “Closed is a good way to focus [on a new idea]. When you’re open you’ve got a lot of cooks in the kitchen.” But he added: “I think open wins in the end.”The Power of Free focuses on a range of people and organisations who have used Creative Commons to build their businesses and spread their work. They include publishers such as Bloomsbury Academic, musicians such as Curt Smith and authors such as James Patrick Kelly.
Jonathan Worth, a photographer, told the Telegraph how he had used Creative Commons successfully. He has found that people have continued to buy images from him even when they are available free online.
He said: “Free, in and of itself, is not a business model. It’s a part of a business model.”
Lisa Green, chief of staff for Creative Commons, said that the licensing made possible new business models. She told the Telegraph that the existing system had failed because people saw the world as “either the chaos of piracy or the lockdown”. She added: “But the lockdown doesn’t work and it wouldn’t work even if it was ideal.”
She said the more open approach of Creative Commons “may be changing the economy but it’s not destroying the economy”.
In the pharmaceuticals industry, for example, Green said that many companies were working together on clinical trials because it spread the cost of failure and that’s more desirable than jealously guarding your intellectual property. Once the trials are complete, however, the companies would go back to work on their separate products.
Ito makes the point that as products become more complex, more people need to share the intellectual property. That sharing happens first within companies and then between companies. As the net makes more connections possible, it’s possible to innovate even more by sharing the intellectual property more widely.
Creative Commons was founded 10 years ago by American academics Lawrence Lessig and Hal Abelson and publisher Eric Eldred. Since then it has gradually grown its profile. It’s used by major websites such as Wikipedia and Flickr, for example. However, even outside those circles there is a growing awareness that the current system isn’t working.
In November last year, David Cameron announced a review of Britain’s intellectual property laws to “make them fit for the internet age”. The resulting Hargreaves Review recommended significant changes but stopped short of calling for the ‘fair use’ provisions that American copyright law offers.
Whether or not British copyright law is re-written, the flexibility of Creative Commons is likely to ensure its usefulness. And Lisa Green stresses that the importance of Creative Commons is as an add-on to copyright and not a replacement for it. In fact, it’s the existence of copyright law that makes Creative Commons enforceable. “It relies on the teeth of copyright,” says Green.

MySpace's new owner: We know it’s not a sure thing

Colin Petrie-Norris, the international director of Specific Media - the advertising agency which has just purchased MySpace in conjunction with Justin Timberlake from News Corporation, told The Telegraph that the deal was “no slam dunk”.

“We recognise that [buying MySpace] is no sure thing and not a slam dunk deal. It will be a considerable task [to grow the business and turn the brand around] but we are quietly confident that we can do so.

Last night the news broke that the music star and actor Timberlake had teamed up with the US advertising agency to buy MySpace for $35 million (£22 million) – just six per cent of the amount Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp paid for the business.

The deal sees Timberlake take an unknown stake in the social networking site and shape its strategy alongside Specific Media. News Corporation has also retained an undisclosed stake in the business but will not be involved in the day to day running of the business.

Petrie-Norris said that Timberlake was looking into getting other “high profile” musicians on board to lead the latest attempt to reverse the site’s ailing fortunes. We know we need to take MySpace back to its music roots and make it site run by run for people who love music and new songs.”
He also revealed that the 500-strong Specific Media, which operates an online advertising platform, buying up advert slots on sites in most countries and then selling them on to brands (none of which Petrie-Norris was permitted to name), would use some of this space moving forward to advertise the re-focused MySpace and any new music launching on the site.
Petrie-Norris said there were no plans to reduce MySpace’s workforce, which is believed to be around 500, and that the company would be relocating certain parts of the organisation to new none-News Corporation owned buildings.
“We are performing a close a review of the business over the next 60 days, with Justin Timberlake, and in two months time we will hold an event at which we will reveal our plans for the business,” he said.
The price Specific Media paid for MySpace falls short of the $100 million News Corp is believed to have wanted and is a fraction of the $580 million that Mr Murdoch handed over for the then dominant site in 2005.
The sale also crystallises the dramatic decline in a company that was founded in California in 2003 and just three years ago was still the world’s biggest social networking site.
MySpace, which started as a site on which users could share their interest in pop and rock bands, has in the last three years been eclipsed by the explosive growth of competitor Facebook.
“This was a good example of how to turn $580 million into a lot less virtually overnight,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Gartner, a technology research firm. “In many ways, it was a failed merger.”
MySpace has been bedevilled in recent years by confusion over its strategy and, according to analysts, failed to innovate at the pace required. Its user numbers peaked at 73.6 million in October 2008 and has since shrunk to 35 million, according to the latest figures from ComScore, which tracks the market.
Despite its troubled history, analyst said that the decision by Timberlake and Specific Media to focus its efforts on music is a sensible one. “There’s still a lot of brand equity in MySpace,” said Mr Gartenberg of Gartner. “That strength if focused on music and music discovery.”

After disappointing 2010, James Shields has been dominant for Tampa Bay Rays

Any way you slice it, James Shields was the Tampa Bay Rays’ worst starting pitcher in 2010.
His 5.18 ERA was nearly a run higher than any of Tampa Bay’s other four regular starters, his 1.46 WHIP was also a rotation worst, and his staggeringly poor -1.3 WAR number was the worst of any Rays player – pitcher or otherwise.
League-wide, Shields allowed the most earned runs (117) and total bases (410) in the majors, tied for the most hits allowed (246), and allowed the second-most home runs (34).
If there was a weak link on a Tampa Bay staff that finished second in the American League with a 3.78 ERA en route to its second division title in three years, it was Shields.
This year, though, Shields has been the Rays’ Most Valuable Player.



As Tampa Bay fights to stay competitive with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in its post-Carl Crawford era in the American League East, Shields has suddenly become one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers.
Entering Tuesday, Shields leads Rays starters in ERA (2.29), WHIP (0.96), strikeouts (117), strikeouts per nine innings (8.65) and innings pitched (121.2).
He is in the top five in the American League in each of those categories.
In four starts since June 6 — when the Rays went 14-6 over their last 20 games — Shields has gone 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA.
When he takes the mound Wednesday afternoon for a 12:10 p.m. start against Cincinnati, Shields will be riding a streak of three straight complete games, and will be going for his third shutout in his last four starts.
Besides Shields, only Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Justin Verlander have more than three complete games the entire season.
Since its initial postseason run in 2008, Tampa Bay’s success has been built on homegrown stars overachieving to counteract their big market division rivals’ high-powered free agents.
As the midway point of the season nears, Tampa Bay finds itself only 2.5 games behind New York and 2 games behind Boston entering Tuesday night’s action.
The Rays don’t have the spending power of those clubs, and they certainly can’t match either of those teams’ offensive firepower.
But if Shields can continue pitching like an ace, Tampa Bay will make a run at defending its division title

Buckhorn again raises eyebrows with talk about Tampa Bay Rays' future

TAMPA — Seems like every week Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is thinking out loud about the future of the Tampa Bay Rays in ways that raise people's eyebrows.
Buckhorn said in a radio interview Tuesday that he believes the team will leave St. Petersburg.
"The Rays and the city of St. Petersburg are going to have to resolve their issues," Buckhorn told J.P. Peterson on WQYK-AM 1010. "There is a contract. And there are ways out of contracts. And there are prices to be paid for breaking contracts.
"But that's got to be between the city of St. Pete and the Rays," he added. "My personal opinion is that they will come. I think the Rays have made it clear that that is not a stadium they want to continue to play in."
If the Rays do leave St. Petersburg, Buckhorn said, and not for the first time, he thinks the best place for them to land would be downtown Tampa.
But asked whether he thinks the Rays will move to Tampa, Buckhorn said, "No. It's my belief that at some point the Rays will leave St. Petersburg … and I absolutely want to be ready when that happens."
On Wednesday, Buckhorn said it's clear that playing at Tropicana Field doesn't work for the team.
What about St. Petersburg itself?
"There may be other locations in Pinellas that work for them," Buckhorn said. "I don't know."
He said he bases his comments on what he has read in the paper and the numbers, not anything from the Rays
To the contrary, Buckhorn said he only met Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg for the first time before throwing out the first pitch at the Rays game Monday night.
"We had a great chat, but it was nothing specific," he said on the radio.
Earlier this week, Buckhorn told the Times he is not talking about the team's future with the Rays, nor with anyone in either the Tampa or St. Petersburg chambers of commerce, nor with any third parties.
"I'm not getting involved," he said.
But he is talking.
This spring, he told St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster, "I'm not going to be the boyfriend in your divorce."
Then last week, he noted that the Rays were sponsoring a big business lunch in downtown Tampa. He told a crowd of 500, "I see the Tampa Bay Rays. Welcome to, uh," then in a whisper, "downtown Tampa."
Now there's this stuff on the radio.
Asked whether making flirty comments doesn't complicate things, Buckhorn said, it shouldn't.
"If you can't have fun with some of these arguably serious situations, you would melt," he said. "Humor is a great way to break the ice and hopefully move the discussion along."
Foster doesn't see it that way.
"Do I think he's helping?" Foster said. "No, I don't, but I understand his role as the mayor of Tampa. And I would appreciate people respecting my role as the mayor of the city of St. Petersburg."
Foster said he believes the economy plays more of a role in determining fan support for the Rays than the Trop or its location. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't blame the city, the stadium, the fans or the bridges when they didn't sell out games last season, he noted.
If anything, Tampa leaders should bring fans over to home games by the busload to demonstrate that the Howard Frankland and Gandy bridges are no big deal, he said.
"That's how we save the team for the region," Foster said.

Pippa Middleton cheers Andy Murray to victory

Rumours that Miss Middleton's relationship with the Old Etonian cricketer might have been over were fuelled when she was pictured out in the company of other men.

Since the Royal Wedding, where her figure-hugging bridesmaid dress won her legions of new admirers, The Duchess of Cambridge's 27-year-old sister has enjoyed a high public profile but Mr Loudon, 30, has barely been seen.

Last month Miss Middleton travelled to Madrid in the company of friends and her ex-boyfriend George Percy, 26, the son of the Duke of Northumberland. She was pictured with Mr Percy again at the Queen's Club tennis tournament in London earlier this month.

Miss Middleton was also seen competing in the Blenheim Triathlon with a male friend, sparking further rumours - though friends of Miss Middleton insisted that her relationship with Mr Loudon remained solid.

Yesterday, she beamed as she arrived at the All England Club hand-in-hand with Mr Loudon to watch the action on Centre Court. Miss Middleton wore a bright orange-red dress and sunglasses. Mr Loudon once played cricket for England but retired from Warwickshire in 2007 and now works as a financial analyst.

Public sector strike hits across Britain

Port and airports are being affected, causing travel chaos for holidaymakers trying to head abroad. Anyone arriving in the UK today is likely to be among those facing long queues.

The impact of the strike began to be felt as early as last night as border control staff refused to turn up for work.

Early indications this morning were that the estimate of 750,000 strikers could prove to be accurate and some union officials said they expected "the best supported strike we have ever seen".

The Government believes public sector pensions need to be altered because the cost to the taxpayer is too high as life spans increase.
However, unions believe the "devastating" changes to be unjustified and claim they will lead to poverty after retirement for too many people.
Those on the 24-hour walkout are the National Union of Teachers, Association of Teachers and Lecturers, University and College Union and Public and Commercial Services union.
The strikes are set to affect:
Schools: At least 7,800 schools, nurseries and education centres in 143 areas in England alone are expected to be affected, although the numbers are likely to be higher. The NUT has estimated that around 85% of schools will be hit, which equates to around 17,000 schools in England.
Colleges: The UCU said 350 colleges and 75 universities in England face "significant disruption" as lecturers join the stoppage.
Job centres: The PCS said jobcentres across the UK will close or only offer limited services, while people ringing call centres for advice could be met by recorded messages.
Driving tests: The Driving Standards Agency urged all driving test candidates booked to take a test today to attend as usual, saying they will be given a new date if there is a cancellation because of the strike.
Courts: Thousands of courts staff as well as those who transport prisoners are involved in the action, threatening cancellation of cases or delays to trials.
Ports and airports: Immigration and customs staff will strike, leading to the prospect of lengthy queues and delays for travellers.
Prisons: Members of the Prison Officers Association will stage protest meetings in a show of support to the teachers and civil servants.
Coastguards: Maritime and Coastguard Agency staff belong to the PCS union but it is not clear how widespread any disruption will be.
Houses of Parliament: Security staff will be on strike and picket lines will be mounted outside, possibly leading to some left-wing MPs refusing to cross them.
Tax and customs: Offices across the country are set to be hit by walkouts, which the PCS said will disrupt tax processing and other services.
Rallies and marches are being held across the country, including Aberystwyth, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Colchester, Derby, Dover, Exeter, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, Swansea, Wigan, Wrexham and York.
Leaders of the four unions involved in the strike will attend a march and rally in central London, which is expected to be attended by thousands of union activists.
Students, anti tax avoidance group UK Uncut and other campaigners will also stage demonstrations in the biggest outbreak of industrial unrest since the coalition Government was formed over a year ago.
Official calculations yesterday showed that a typical teacher can expect to retire with a taxpayer-funded scheme worth more than £500,000.
Treasury figures released today expose how public sector retirement funds dwarf their private sector counterparts.
The calculations show that a mid-ranking teacher on £32,000 a year will receive a final salary pension that is the equivalent of having built up a £500,000 pension pot.
This is 20 times higher than the average private sector scheme, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Private sector workers would have to save more than 20 per cent of their salaries for 40 years – more than £500 a month for a similarly paid person — to amass the same amount in a defined contribution pension.
A well-paid London headmaster will retire with a pension scheme worth £1.5million, the Treasury figures show. A chief constable retiring at the standard age of 55 would have a scheme worth more than £3m.
Every British family faces a total bill of £13,500 to pay pensions for teachers – up to 300,000 of whom are expected to join the strike. David Cameron has said the disparity between the public and private sectors is “unfair”.
The Government hopes that the figures will prove that the strikes are unnecessary.
A government source said: “We believe that if the situation regarding pensions is explained to people, the rationale for strike action disappears. Reform is essential.”
Last night, business leaders attacked the “apartheid” between public and private sector pension schemes and urged unions to call off their strikes.
Miles Templeman, the director-general of the Institute of Directors, said: “Immediate public sector pension reform is absolutely necessary if Britain is to have sustainable public finances in both the short and long run. This is not a race to the bottom, as public sector unions claim – it is a race to reality.”
The figures were released after unions warned that 4m public sector workers were planning to strike this autumn unless the Government backed down.
The Prime Minister urged employers to let people “take their children to work” to face down the trade unions who are threatening to undermine the economy.
Fears mounted that the protests, including picket lines across Whitehall, could be hijacked by anarchists. Police leave has been cancelled as an expected 10,000 striking workers march through London.
At a Westminster meeting yesterday, the head of the civil servants’ union warned of “apocalypse” in the autumn with millions of public sector workers walking out.
Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, said 750,000 workers would be on strike today.
But he warned the Government: “If you won’t talk to us we will ensure the next national strike has three to four million of us.”
The industrial action is expected to cost the economy more than £600m as hundreds of thousands of parents take time off work to care for their children at home.
A survey by The Daily Telegraph of local education authorities in England found 45 per cent of schools under their control would be at least partially closed for the day.
Almost 30 per cent of schools will be shut but in some areas nine out of 10 state schools will suffer major disruption.
The Department for Education said the latest figures showed that more than 5,400 schools in England would be fully or partly closed – about 25 per cent.
Mr Cameron told MPs yesterday that the strikes were not justified, as negotiations over the pension reforms were still continuing.
He said: “What we are proposing is fair — it is fair to taxpayers but it is also fair to the public sector.”

Glenn Beck Mistakes Michele Bachmann for a Smart Person

Glenn Beck doesn't like a lot of things. You're probably one of those things, and so is Michele Bachmann's Good Morning America performance yesterday. But it wasn't her fault. It was the "hack" journalist's -- George Stephanopoulos.
Stephanopoulos, or as Beck calls him, "Mr. Snuffleupagus," asked Bachmann the question: "You said ‘my voice is part of a movement to take back our country.’ From whom?" To which Bachmann replied: "Well from the people all across the nation."

Seems pretty black and white to me.

Beck insists Stephanopoulos "did not follow up because he’s a dishonest journalist” and he "aired this to make her look stupid." Oh, and he also thinks, "Stephanopoulos and ABC television is such a hack."

First thing's first, Beckapagus, Michele Bachmann doesn't need anybody -- not George Stephanopoulos nor Bozo the clown -- to make her look stupid. If she's been wildly successful at anything, it's looking stupid. From her John Wayne Gacy flub to her inappropriate usage of a Katy Perry song, Bachmann has been batting a thousand in the idiocy department from the get-go.

And secondly, what if Stephanopoulos was trying to make her look stupid (he wasn't)? What if he did have an agenda? Surely, you, Mr. Beck, know a thing or two about that. Let's play the what-if game quick.

What if you were to interview a Planned Parenthood "hooker," or person for gun control, or a regular ol' gay person, or even rampant racist Barack Obama? Would you not try to paint them into a corner? Surely, you would do everything in your power to make him or her look stupid. And you would air it how you pleased after combing over every last editing detail. You are not a come-as-you-are journalist with an open mind, Mr. Beck. You want the world at large to adopt your archaic, cockamamie views, all while endorsing any little thing you can get your hands on. Shilling Goldline? Really, Mr. Beck? It's really the "only gold company you use"? If that's not hacky, I don't know what is.

So, here's an idea. Why don't you just continue pushing your off-the-wall agenda on Americans, but stay out of other people's? I'm sure you can do that, right? At least until Michele Bachmann makes an ass out of herself again.

Cyndi & Lady Gaga: fast friends.

Though decades apart, Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga have both ruled the pop music world. The pair, who share a passion for charity and an artistic view on life, have become close friends.

Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga are two musical blondes with big hearts. The pair became fast friends while working together on the Viva Glam campaign for the MAC AIDS Fund.

Speaking of the young singer, Cyndi Lauper told Wendy Williams, "She's very committed. She's going on to do it herself this year, though I'll always help the MAC AIDS Fund."
While Cyndi Lauper didn't comment on Lady Gaga's recent Japan earthquake bracelet charity woes, she did elaborate on what it's like to know the Mother Monster.
When asked what she knows about Lady Gaga that the rest of us don't already, the 58-year-old shared, "You know, she's a gal from Jersey, so she's one of us."
Cyndi Lauper continued, "She likes things like a sculpture. She's a performance artist -- like everything you see is a sculpture and it's living art. I used to do things like paintings, everything for me was color. Color to invoke all kinds of things."
"You know the whole thing with the Girls Just Want to Have Fun video?" she asked Wendy. "I went and made sure that it was multi-racial because I wanted it to speak to everyone."
Wendy added, "And Gaga definitely does that too. You know what? She's lucky that she has you on the speed dial, to be able to talk to you."
Lucky girl indeed. Check out a clip of The Wendy Williams Show with guest Cyndi Lauper here!

North Korea shuts down universities for 10 months

Pyongyang has told the North Korean people that the nation will have achieved its aim of becoming "a great, prosperous and powerful nation" in 2012, which marks the 100th anniversary of the founder of the reclusive state, Kim Il-sung.

In addition, Kim Jong-il will turn 70 in February and the "Dear Leader" hopes to be able to transfer his power and an economically stronger nation to his son and heir-apparent, Kim Jong-Un.

Reports in South Korea indicated that the government in Pyongyang on Monday ordered all universities to cancel classes until April of next year. The only exemptions are for students who will be graduating in the next few months and foreign students.

The reports suggested that the students will be put to work on construction projects in major cities while there are also indications that repair work may be needed in agricultural regions that were affected by a major typhoon recently.

Analysts in Japan claim there may be other reasons behind the decision to disperse the students across the country.One reason is that there is a possibility of demonstrations at university campuses," said Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo's Waseda University and author of a number of books on the North Korean leadership.
"The leadership has seen the 'Jasmine Revolution' in Africa and it is very frightened that the same thing could happen in North Korea," he said. "They fear it could start in the universities."
Professor Shigemura also said that North Korea has purchased anti-riot equipment from China in recent months, including tear gas and batons, while there has been an increased police presence at key points in Pyongyang in recent months.

Duchess of Cambridge china figurine is 'absolutely dreadful'

The miniature statue was created by the sculptor Carolyn Morton, who is currently on a trip to New York due to the interest the figurine has generated.

However, the grey figure is far from the finished article and is unpainted and unvarnished. When complete, it is understood it will retail for £199 plus a £20 reservation fee.

However, Dickie Arbiter, a former aide to the Queen, reportedly told the Daily Mail: “It is horrible, absolutely dreadful.

“Anyone who spends that kind of money on it needs their head examined. It is cashing in without any taste. It is the sort of thing that belongs on a naff mantelpiece of a soap opera.”

The figurine depicts the Duchess on her exit from Westminster Abbey on her wedding day, waving to the crowd.
Mrs Morton said she released the photograph of the partially finished item because she wanted her fans to get an early idea of how it might look.
She admitted that, at this stage, the figurine appeared far less appealing in photographs than it will be eventually, adding: "The light's awful and it's a close up.
"The thing that really saddens me about the criticism is that this is something which is made in England and we have no manufacturing left. We are not making this in the Far East.
"The Stoke-on-Trent area [where most of Britain's pottery was traditionally made] is depressed but because of this figurine the [china] flower-makers can make flowers again.
"Kate had her dress made in the UK.
"It's a bit sad that someone has criticised it. Some people like bone china."
Mrs Morton says her art’s motivation is to “unveil character through form”.
Most of her work is in bronze and she was once commissioned to produce a life-sized bust of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Makthoum, the ruler of Dubai.
The figure of the Duchess is one of many items of memorabilia which emerged after the wedding.
Among them was a “Lucky Kate” doll, produced by the American firm The Franklin Mint, which cost £120.
The new figurine will be sold by the collectables firm Compton and Woodhouse.

Wilco Solid Sound Festival: Weekend rich with pleasures

When Wilco took the stage amid a downpour at its Solid Sound Festival on Friday night, rain was steadily splashing about a foot in the air off the surface of the stage, and 5,000 to 6,000 concertgoers had pretty much pushed beyond any hope of staying dry, a sea of umbrellas and ponchos notwithstanding.
But except for a delay in start-time -- softened by some banter between the weekend's comedy curator John Hodgeman and actor Justin Long -- the band stuck to its plan, opening its much-anticipated set with a new song, "I Might."
The sprightly tune, spooled around an unwinding guitar figure, may become a regular opening number for the Chicago-based rock heavyweights. But its debut was a nod to the occasion, with the track (to appear later in the year on a new studio album) released that very day exclusively at the festival, via a pop-up Euclid Records shop.
By the time the band opened its drier Saturday night set with the bemused swagger of "I Love My Label," the Nick Lowe cover that serves as the single's B-side, it felt like a giddy toast, a celebration of the second incarnation of the festival that solidified this increasingly independent band's home-away-from-home in Western Massachusetts. (The joke, as it were, is that Wilco just founded its own independent label -- based, with the band's management, out of Easthampton -- to release future albums.)
Feedback from last year's inaugural version was
of an exceedingly well-run festival, with the patron experience clearly considered at the heart of the event planning. About 1,000 attendees were added to last year's tally of 4,000-5,000, and the whole thing swung into action quicker (with campgrounds becoming settled and the parking lots closest to the venue reaching capacity for the night by about 5 p.m. on Friday), but the predominant theme once again was a very pleasant, convenient, well-considered experience for attendees.
There was a great sense of group catharsis at the main concert field -- as Wilco powered through its Friday-night set with a darkly crackling sequence of "Poor Places," "Reservations" and "Spiders (Kidsmoke)," or capped its Saturday show with an eight-song encore including Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion onstage for Wilco's adaptation of Woody Guthrie's "California Stars." And the festival-ending sing-along, with most of Wilco joining Levon Helm's band for "I Shall Be Released" and "The Weight," was a big rock moment. But the weekend was rich with subtler pleasures as well.
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Harkening back to his in-gallery demonstration of prepared drum heads last year, Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche freely romped through the museum's Sol LeWitt exhibition on Saturday afternoon, leading an all-improv jam on a series of oversized instruments built by the late Bennington College professor Gunnar Schonbeck. Among his cohorts were Darin Gray, from Kotche's On Fillmore side project, and Wilco guitarist (and avant-guitar hero) Nels Cline.
Guthrie and Irion had a good festival, as their big moment with Wilco punctuated a day featuring a regularly scheduled, early afternoon set as well as an in-gallery pop-up show from atop a raised platform. The gallery set was vociferously received by an audience happily craning its necks to see the unusually staged performance, and who sent the four-piece band off with a large ovation.
New Zealand songwriter and guitar-gearhead Neil Finn followed-up his "proper" Saturday set with a performance amid Nari Ward's sculpture on Sunday. Elsewhere, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy and sun took a turn encouraging a falcon to take flight during a Sunday afternoon demonstration, and kid-friendly performers Story Pirates wandered around, creating little moments and laughter and spectacle.
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Not to say the action wasn't hot on the primary festival stages as well. From a Wilco-centric perspective, the story of the weekend was the debut of a half-dozen new songs. Dave Douglas and Brass Ecstasy pleased a soggy audience with big, horn-laden arrangements of songs including the Tweedy-penned "You Are Not Alone." Another highlight came when legendary Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore donned an acoustic to lead a five-piece band including Samara Lubelski on violin, Mary Lattimore on harp, John Maloney on drums and Keith Wood on another acoustic guitar. Drifting in and out of a more traditional, linear composition style, the group showed in measured doses that feedback and effects boxes are not needed to evoke engrossingly chaotic textures.
Those two features were in abundance, however, when Moore joined Cline on Sunday for the duo's first set in 13 years under the name Pillow Wand. Both musicians stayed seated as they coaxed cascading waves of noise from their electric guitars and accoutrements, Cline at one point playing with his teeth and Moore hammering his instrument with open palms when not employing a drum stick. The most hooked-up sequences, though, featured Cline fuzzing his way through a hard-struck rhythm part as his partner splayed fragments of splintered sound into the air.
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Even more of a feast than last year's version, the 2011 Solid Sound featured more performances, special art installations, and independent food vendors than any one person could sample in full. Perhaps the key was to just let it flow, with the understanding that, like the weather, the course of a day at a festival this eclectic is bound to be unpredictable.

How to find the perfect job

Over a third of British adults have not yet found the right career, according to research from our training partner Home Learning College.

Help, however, is at hand. There are several things you can do to gain valuable insight that will help you make informed decisions when planning a career change.

It’s all about you

First and foremost, create a wish list, writing down all the things you want from a job and things you don't.

The sort of things you should consider are: whether you prefer working in a team or on your own; working outdoors or in an office; shift work or regular nine til five office hours.

It's also important to consider your talents and appreciate that success is usually borne out of a real passion for what you do.

Speak to close friends and family. Some times they know you better than yourself and can help with identifying your real strengths.

This kind of self-analysis will help you understand what that right career will look like, so when opportunities come along you will be able to make the right choices.

Make contact with people who already work in the industry you are hoping to enter. It is perhaps the best way to dispel myths and truly understand what the job entails. Don't be shy to pick people's brains, to ask them how they got their jobs and what you should do to give yourself the best chance of finding a similar job.

Use online resources

There are various free online information sources that can help with career guidance. One such website is Next Step https://nextstep.direct.gov.uk - a government initiative designed to help adults progress in their professional lives. The site includes advice on development planning and improving your career through learning.

The website Careershifters www.careershifters.org contains lots of free and useful articles from a range of expert career coaches, along with practical exercises, that will help you draw up a plan of action.

Other resources are available for a small investment. Home Learning College students, for example, have exclusive access to a comprehensive career advice service for £30 a year. This includes guidance on interview techniques and understanding how to work with recruiters.

Consider a career coaching session

If you want to take things a step further then might want to consider using a private career coach. Coaching focuses on the positive steps you can take to move forward in the direction you want. The coach is there to facilitate progress and suggest alternatives that you may not have considered. They are also acts as a source of inspiration and can keep you motivated until you find the right track

Take vocational training

Do not let the fact that you lack certain qualifications or skills put you off that dream job, there is no reason why you can't find out exactly what is required and train for the role.

Gaining a new vocational qualification can be one of the best ways to stimulate change, whether by increasing your chances of promotion or by helping you to move into an entirely new line of work.

In contrast to academic courses – such as A Levels or degrees – which tend to cover theoretical concepts, vocational courses generally teach practical skills relating to a specific profession. As a result, a vocational qualification is likely to have a more immediate effect on your job prospects.

Advances in further education mean that more options are available to anyone looking to learn new skills or take the first step on a different career path. New distance learning techniques mean that you can study at home and gain a professionally accredited qualification.

It's down to you

Making a positive change in life requires time and effort. If you’re prepared to take action then the resources are available to assist you in finding that perfect job.

tranformer

Transformers: Dark of the Moon was just released for all major consoles and portable systems. In the PS3/Xbox 360 release we jump into a story that take place immediately before the start of the third film. Today we'll be reviewing the first chapter of the game. So, be sure to check back tomorrow for more Transformers goodness.

Dark of the Moon begins with a prologue. In voice over, Optimus Prime relays the state of affairs over a scene where we're shown Soundwave has been intercepting communications coming into a satellite that has been orbiting the Earth. The Decepticons have been busy since the last film

Bumblebee's mission is the focus of the first chapter. He's been issued orders to seek out and disrupt equipment the Decepticons have been housing in a run-down, deserted town. The plot is furthered when Optimus Prime communications instructions and new target locations via comlink. 

We're introduced to the controls during this first mission through brief on screen indicators. The controls are accessible enough that a full tutorial is unnecessary to gain a full grasp of the controls. Your character is able to transform between a robot, a vehicle, and a weaponized version of the vehicle (Stealth Force mode). This allows you to engage the enemy and environment in different ways. Vehicle mode will allow you to get from point A to point B faster. Stealth Force mode opens you up to your most powerful attacks and your robot form, in the case of Bumblebee allows you access to all of your melee attacks.

The game has been fun so far. The animation has been tight enough that I haven't found anything to nitpick. One of the few gripes I have is that I had difficulty positioning the camera while I was attempting to target helicopters flying overhead. But other than that, I didn't run into any camera weirdness and targeting the enemies was pretty reliable. The controls were responsive. That action of the level was paced well. I never got lost and I completed the mission. 

The next mission involves playing as Ironhide in a cityscape as he takes on Decepticons while Rachet gets the humans to safety. Hopefully, you'll join me as we dig further into the game and come back to you with another report. So, be sure to check in. Transformers: Dark of the Moon is available on the PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, 3DS and DS right now.

HP TouchPad tablet review

Wireless charging. Audio from Dr Dre. An operating system unlike that made by either Apple or Google. HP’s new tablet, the TouchPad, ought to have a lot going for it. It’s even got a magazine to tell you all about the best apps to buy.

It feels solid, albeit slightly plasticky in the hand. At 740g, it’s slightly heavier than an Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab, although perfectly portable enough. But turn on the TouchPad and it’s all about registering for an HP account, agreeing to terms and conditions and generally going through a painfully corporate palaver. Is this as bad as plugging a new iPad into iTunes? Probably not, but it certainly doesn’t feel magical.

Perhaps it would be perfectly forgivable if WebOS, the operating system that HP bought from Palm, lived up to the hype. And indeed there is a lot to like. In many ways the TouchPad rewrites – reinscribes? – the tablet handbook. Gone is the homescreen with icons and widgets indicating programmes or services. Instead, there’s a desktop that is basically just a staging post each of the apps the TouchPad runs. So press the home button and each ‘card’ is arrayed in a line. Swipe up to close or tap to select. If you’re writing an email message, the message gets a new ‘card’ so you can also refer back to your inbox. This is progress, compared to other tablets.

But is it enough when the email app itself takes five seconds or so to grind into action every time you fire it up? When other apps take more like 10 seconds? This doesn’t sound like long, but other tablets don’t keep you hanging around. And is it enough when, inexplicably, the TouchPad decided to duplicate my inbox nine times, offering a range of different unread message counts? These may all be teething troubles. When the TouchPad works, it does work very well.

Indeed, the wireless charging option – simply stand the TouchPad on its stand and it charges quickly and simply – is really impressive. The idea, coming soon, of printing from the TouchPad simply by touching it on a printer is attractive too. This underlines HP’s power to get some things spectacularly right. Take Pivot, the ‘magazine’ that HP says will guide you around its ‘App Catalog’. With real articles and lovely photography, this is an improved way of discovering apps that beats searching through any app store. It’s not ideal for every circumstances but it’s real innovation, clearly inspired by the successful magazines and websites that third parties have produced.
Unfortunately, however, I’ve only seen Pivot on a demonstration device. The TouchPad I’ve been using for almost a week said only that, “We’re downloading your first issue of Pivot”. It never appeared. Even searching via the conventional method, flagship app Amazon Kindle never showed up either. While there’s much to like, there’s too much at this stage that needs forgiving. Even in photos, which synced beautifully with Facebook, scrolling across cut photographs in half until they loaded a little later in the process. It’s not a major issue, but it’s not as good as rivals. Across all apps, the TouchPad needs more choice. The current number - around 300 - is not enough to compare to iOS, but it's more than Google has specifically for tablets.
Indeed, to lure people away from Apple or Android, the TouchPad has to be better. So far, it isn’t, but it has a huge amount going for it. Whether it’s the charging, the VPN access, the easy ability to discover wifi printers – all of this is stuff that beats the BlackBerry PlayBook by a good distance. Yes, the TouchPad feels like there’s something of the corporation about it, but it’s also, in its way, a real breath of fresh air. I certainly want to keep using it, at least until the wrinkles have been ironed out. Only then will it really be fair to compare it to other devices.
Rating: 3/5
From £399

Ryan Tedder eyes new OneRepublic song for 2012

NEW YORK (Billboard) - After he finishes up a loaded songwriting slate that includes work with B.o.B, Carrie Underwood and Cobra Starship, Ryan Tedder plans on focusing solely on his band OneRepublic's follow-up to 2009 sophomore album "Waking Up."

"We have probably eight or nine ideas, but we start the writing process for OneRepublic in about two weeks, and that's when I really dive in and start doing it and go until it's done," Tedder told Billboard.com. "Our goal is to have the first single on the next album out by the beginning of 2012, or sometime in the early portion of 2012."

Tedder has seen a few recent collaborations become pop singles, including "Not Over You," the lead single from Gavin DeGraw's forthcoming album, and Colbie Caillat's latest hit, "Brighter Than the Sun."

Meanwhile, Tedder was approached in May to help flesh out a new Beyonce song, "I Was Here," barely a month before her new album "4" came out.

"There was one song came in at the last minute that was a Diane Warren-written song," says Tedder. "It was just a vocal, just Diane singing basically, and didn't have any real music behind it. We did the entire thing on two airplanes, from Vegas to Boston and then returning from Boston to Vegas two days later. It was absolutely bizarre, but the song sounds great."

Tedder says that he's wrapping up work on Cobra Starship's next album, and that he worked on five songs for K'naan's sophomore effort, which will feature producers like Will.i.am, Benny Blanco and RedOne. He also collaborated on three new songs with Carrie Underwood, whom he calls "one of the top three vocalists I've ever worked with."

However, Tedder seems most excited about his contributions to B.o.B's new album: the rapper worked with producers like Stargate and Benny Blanco on the follow-up to 2010 debut "The Adventures of Bobby Ray," and Tedder says that "there are some monsters" on the forthcoming disc.

"The last song I did with Bob sounds like nothing he's ever done," says Tedder. "It's almost like if Bob got in the room with Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons, or something like that. It's a total trip, and musically divergent from anything I've ever done."