AP

AP


The Associated Press (“AP”) is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees news from the AP. Founded in 1846, the AP today is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering. The AP considers itself to be the backbone of the world’s information system, serving thousands of daily newspaper, radio, television, and online customers with coverage in text, photos, graphics, audio and video.


Article Source: http://www.ap.org/pages/about/about.html

Paris Hilton Busted For Cocaine!

Paris Hilton Busted For Cocaine!

The heiress was arrested for possession of cocaine on Friday night in Vegas. Old habits die hard!

TMZ is reporting that Paris was a passenger in a car that was pulled over by cops outside the Wynn Hotel.

The person driving the car was arrested for drug related DUI and at that point cops started searching Hilton and found that she was in possession of the white stuff.

She has since been released.

We're not sure when she had time to watch Family Guy and get arrested but apparently she can do two things at once. Just four hours ago, Paris tweeted that she was watching Family Guy, followed by a tweet saying she was going to bed. Guess we shouldn't believe her on Twitter either!

This is the third time in the last few months that Paris Hilton has been held by cops for drug related cases. Rehab anyone?

Article Source: http://www.hollyscoop.com/paris-hilton/paris-hilton-busted-for-cocaine_24950.aspx


My comment: This is the worst example for everyone. Sigh! I can't understand why she might do this.

Avatar to be Re-Released this Fall

Avatar to be Re-Released this Fall

Being number one at the box office for weeks on end wasn’t enough for Fox, so they want to re-release Avatar this fall! Read more: http://www.hollyscoop.com/movies/avatar/avatar-to-be-re-released-this-fall_1936.aspx#ixzz0igFZLmTc Become a Hollyscoop A-Lister for a chance to WIN Cash & Prizes

According to The Hollywood Reporter, James Cameron is in talks with the studio to bring his Oscar nom back to 3D theaters, and with some extra scenes! Read more: http://www.hollyscoop.com/movies/avatar/avatar-to-be-re-released-this-fall_1936.aspx#ixzz0igFceaCZ Become a Hollyscoop A-Lister for a chance to WIN Cash & Prizes

The reason behind the second release is that, despite being the highest-grossing movie of all time, studio heads believe money was lost when Alice in Wonderland came to theaters last weekend in 3D and Imax. Read more: http://www.hollyscoop.com/movies/avatar/avatar-to-be-re-released-this-fall_1936.aspx#ixzz0igFf118K Become a Hollyscoop A-Lister for a chance to WIN Cash & Prizes

Cameron reportedly has 40 minutes of extra footage that didn’t make the theatrical release. Unfortunately, because of regulations, he can only tack on and extra ten, because 170 minutes is the Read more: http://www.hollyscoop.com/movies/avatar/avatar-to-be-re-released-this-fall_1936.aspx#ixzz0igFi6kHZ Become a Hollyscoop A-Lister for a chance to WIN Cash & Prizesmaximum length movies can be in Imax.

Article Source: http://www.hollyscoop.com/movies/avatar/avatar-to-be-re-released-this-fall_1936.aspx#axzz0igF0k1PK

University entrance exam results announced, less than 3% fail to gain entry

University entrance exam results announced, less than 3% fail to gain entry (2009/08/07)

More than 97% of entrance examination candidates will enter university this year. The results of last month’s entrance exams were announced Friday and those who wish to study at National Taiwan University’s department of medicine needed a score of 523 points. Meanwhile, the lowest possible score to gain a place at college was 68.19 points, well up on the historic low score of 7 that caused a furor last year.

The results of last month’s university entrance exams were announced Friday.

The recruitment rate rose 0.04 percentage points to a new high of 97.14%.

National Taiwan University had the highest requirements in every course this year. To get into medicine at NTU a score of 523.16 is necessary.

Article Source: http://englishnews.ftv.com.tw/Read.aspx?sno=7BFF0E718AEB6540AE786DBD8E653872

Public in two minds over health.

Public in two minds over health

The great British public is currently being consulted about what should be done to improve public health.

But if government ministers were hoping the results would deliver solutions they will be frustrated.

One moment we want the government to ban anything which is bad for us, the next we say we do not think government should interfere in such matters.

For example, how does one reconcile these two findings in a poll commissioned by the BBC?

Almost 70% of those questioned think the government should try to wean people off the fags.

...

Article Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3622444.stm


Make a sentence: At this moment, I am in tow minds of choosing where to work after I know I pass the national exam and I have some choices to pick. (Please check this sentence for me if available. Thanks so much.)

new informaiton

http://www.nownews.com/

Curtis Stone comes to Taiwan recently.

http://www.curtisstone.com/

Jon plus ANOTHER Kate

Just when it seemed like Jon Gosselin’s love life couldn’t get any more complicated, the reality star was caught out and about with a new blond over the weekend.
The “Jon & Kate Plus 8” star had dinner with ANOTHER Kate — Star magazine reporter Kate Major — at upper East Side eatery Accademia di Vino on Saturday night, and sources say that Major believes the two are becoming more than “just friends.”
“Kate has a tendency to blur the lines between ‘work’ and ‘friendship,’” says one source.
“This isn’t the first time she’s gotten close to someone she’s reporting on.”

The pal says that the senior reporter has gotten a little too involved when working on stories involving Lindsay Lohan and Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker.

Adds a second friend, “Kate was sent to Jon’s Pennsylvania home on Thursday to report for her magazine, which is when she and Jon set up the Saturday meeting [while he was in town to do promos for his show with his soon-to-be ex-wife and kids].

“If it was simply a work thing, couldn’t they have just spoken on the phone or met for coffee?

“Meeting a subject for dinner — on a Saturday night, no less — is a pretty bold move.”

One eyewitness to Saturday night’s date reports, “They looked very friendly. When they were leaving the restaurant, the paparazzi wanted to take photos of Jon alone — they didn’t know who she was, but she got into the shot anyway.”


Added a second restaurant patron, “Jon and Kate were there in a group of six people, but they came and left together, and sat beside one another all night.”

Reps for both Gosselin and Star did not respond to calls for comment by deadline, but when we contacted Major, she did very little to kill any rumors.

“I have no comment,” she commented.

"There was no date. Jon and I are just friends.”
Friends? Hmm.

Shouldn’t that be interviewer and subject?

Question: they didn’t know who she was, but she got into the shot anyway.”

What's the meaning of "shot" in this sentence? As far as I know, shot has many meanings matching different situations.





Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/07/20/2009-07-20_jon_plus_another_kate.html#ixzz0Lmysyzah

Sotomayor Pledges Decisions Without Racial Bias

President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, faces a third day of questioning Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee considering her nomination. Judge Sotomayor told lawmakers on Tuesday that she would not allow personal views, sympathies or her ethnic background to influence her decisions if she is confirmed to the high court.

It will be another grueling day for Sotomayor as the committee considers her nomination by President Barack Obama to serve on the Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, she responded in detail to criticisms by Republicans that some of her past statements indicate she would allow her ethnic background or personal views to influence decisions she would make on the Supreme Court.

Committee chairman Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy opened the door on that issue, asking Sotomayor to explain remarks in 2001 when she said "a wise Latina" might reach a better conclusion [when judging a case] than a white man without the same life experiences.

Article Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-14-voa18.cfm?rss=topstories

Note: Supreme means hightest.

Michael Jackson is dead.

Michael Joseph Jackson died at age 50 in Los Angeles on June 25, 2009. He spent a lifetime surprising people, in recent years largely because of a surreal personal life, lurid legal scandals, serial plastic surgeries and erratic public behavior that have turned him -- on his very best days -- into the butt of late-night talk-show jokes and tabloid headlines. But when his career began to take off nearly four decades ago as a member of the pop group the Jackson 5, fans and entertainment industry veterans recognized something else about the pint-size musical dynamo that was unusual: He was in possession of an outsize, mesmerizing talent.
The introduction to his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame entry seemed apt as a global audience followed reports of his hospitalization and then death:

"Michael Jackson is a singer, songwriter, dancer and celebrity icon with a vast catalog of hit records and countless awards to his credit. Beyond that, he has transfixed the world like few entertainers before or since. As a solo performer, he has enjoyed a level of superstardom previously known only to Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra."


Article Source: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/j/michael_jackson/index.html


My comment:

Actually, I don't know Michael Jackson very well. I simply know that he is a disputed person that some people love him but some people dislike him. Also, he has some negative news such as child molestation though I have no idea weather it's true or not. However, I think the most important thing is that if he really is good at his profession-music.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Says 7 Killed in Metro Train Crash

Authorities in Washington, D.C., say seven people are confirmed dead in Monday's crash of a subway train into another train. Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty said authorities are still treating the scene as a rescue operation that will go on all day, and that officials will have an update later in the day.

What Happened?

The crash took place near an above-ground train station in northeast Washington. City and transit officials say a train rear-ended another train that had stopped on the tracks. The impact was so hard the lead car of the moving train was sliced open, vaulted into the air and landed on top of the rear car of the other train. The female operator of the moving train is among the dead. Officials say at least 70 passengers were injured, including at least six in critical condition. Mayor Fenty called the crash the worst in the system's 33-year history.

Obama Offers Condolences

U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, issued a statement Monday night expressing their condolences to the victims. Obama praised the hundreds of police, firefighters and emergency medical teams who responded immediately to the crash to save lives. They were forced to cut through the twisted metal of the subway cars to reach passengers who had been trapped in the wreckage.

The federal government's National Transportation Safety Board and teams of FBI agents also were on hand, searching for clues about the cause of the crash. Crews are searching for devices on both trains that record their speed and other operating details.

Article Source: http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/06/23/2009062301812.html

My opinion:
It's really too terrible. I can't believe it.

6 Reasons Why Oil Could Plunge

Oil is up 30 percent in three months after peaking above $135 today following this week's ho-hum report on U.S. supplies. The general sentiment among investors, even in commodity pits, is that there may still be room to rise, with analysts predicting oil could top $200 a barrel over the next couple of years—if not earlier. But just as there is a seller for every buyer, there is a bear case for every bull case. So here are a few scenarios that could push prices back down:

1. Investors pull back.

Institutional investors—pension funds, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds—could decide commodities are a less attractive proposition and take profits after a year of record-breaking price increases. "The market could fall under its own weight in the near term. You've got to question how much more money can come into these markets at this point in time," says Eric Wittenauer, an energy futures analyst at A.G. Edwards.

2. The dollar gains

The greenback recovery is far from assured, but for now it has managed to bounce off mid-March lows. The U.S. Dollar Index hit a yearly low of 70.96 on March 14 and has since recovered to a bit above 72. But that improvement hasn't been enough to stop crude's rise, even as hopes for a bottom to the dollar's decline improve as the Federal Reserve decides to end two years of rate cutting. It might take a move by the G-7 countries to support the dollar. G-7 officials "talked up" the currency a bit after their April 11 meeting following the blowup of Bear Stearns. It's not clear they'll do more talking soon. "We're going to have to see some strength in the dollar to pull some of this investment money out of oil," says Darin Newsom, a commodity analyst at DTN.

Article Source: http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/economy/2008/05/21/6-reasons-why-oil-could-plunge.html

You are Never Too Old to learn

Wednesday, 6 May 2009

Less salt, less sugar, more movement! That was the catchcry of Bankstown Council’s Never Too Old (NTO) campaign, launched at Home Bass, Bankstown today.

The NTO program aims to prevent the onset of such chronic diseases as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, by promoting healthy living initiatives amoung Bankstown’s senior Greek, Italian and Portuguese communities.

This early intervention health program promotes the reduction of salt and sugar in diets and more exercise as the key to living better.

Article Source: http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/default.aspx?FolderID=1232&ArticleID=4473

Obama to revive Guantanamo military trials

President Barack Obama is due to announce this week that he is reviving controversial military trials for suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, US officials said.

But Obama, who sharply criticized the use of military commissions to try extremists under his predecessor George W. Bush, may ask lawmakers to expand legal protections for detainees, the officials said Tuesday, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Obama is scheduled to meet in the Oval Office Wednesday with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the panel, in addition to congressional leadership.

The president could push Congress, which created the military commissions in 2006, to curb the use of hearsay evidence, ban coerced testimony and allow suspects to choose their defense counsel, one source said.

Living On-Campus vs. Off-Campus

It's the question that every college student must answer: should you live on-campus or off-campus? Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, so it is crucial for you to weigh your choices before you make a final decision. To help you choose between the two, here are some pros and cons of living on-campus and off-campus.

On-Campus

Pros

• Accessibility to the school. If you live on-campus, you can easily walk to classes, libraries, computer labs, cafeterias, etc. You don't have to waste time and money on driving to school, finding a parking space, and so forth.

• Increased social life. Living on-campus will allow you to meet more people and establish more friendships than if you live off-campus. Living in a dorm means that there will always be someone around to hang out with. You will also usually be aware of any campus activities and how to be involved in them.

• Simplicity. If you live on-campus, you don't have to worry about monthly rent payments, utility bills, and grocery shopping. Most students who live in a dorm get a meal plan in order to make eating easy and convenient.

Article Source: http://www.ecampustours.com/campuslife/livingonandoffcampus/livingoncampusvsoffcampus.htm

AIG Warned of 'Catastrophic' Failure

On the eve of its latest bailout, American International Group warned U.S. government officials that it needed more help from the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve to prevent "potentially catastrophic unforeseen consequences."

In a 21-page draft presentation, dated Feb. 26 and labeled "strictly confidential," company officials painted a grim set of possible scenarios, cautioning that its failure would cause a "chain reaction of enormous proportion."

The collapse, for instance, would strain the global insurance industry, hurt the value of the dollar and damage money-market funds, AIG warned. The company's failure, it added, would also erase taxpayers' existing investment in the firm and foster "doubts about the ability of the U.S. to support its banking system."

On March 2, the government announced that it would ease the terms of its existing loans to AIG and give the struggling company access to an additional $30 billion, raising the total rescue package to an estimated $170 billion. That same day, AIG posted a $61.7 billion loss for the fourth quarter of 2008, the largest such loss in U.S. corporate history.

The presentation "reflects months of dialogue between the company and various people in the government, really trying to understand the systemic risk," said an AIG official, who was not authorized to speak on the record.

Article Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/09/AR2009030902806.html

How to Handle Hypocrites at Work?

At some point or another, we all go back on something we've said. Does that makes us "bad" people? No. But it does make us hypocrites. A hypocrite, according to Webster's Dictionary, is a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.


I've always had a hard time with hypocrites. Perhaps it's because I hold myself to a ridiculously unachievable standard. Whatever the case, I know I'm not the only one gets ticked off when people go back on their word and step all over a previous sentiment. Just glance around the office and I'm sure you'll see plenty of offenders.

Take Joan, for example. She always got along with her cubemate Tammy. But last month they started to experience a lot of tension. Joan ended up distancing herself a bit and started having lunch with Margaret. One random day, Joan and Tammy met up accidentally in the office cafeteria and exchanged a few laughs. At the time, Margaret happened to be strolling by.

She was mad! After all of the smack Joan had talked about Tammy, how could she laugh with her and just "let it all slide?"


Article Source: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2009/3/16/how-to-handle-hypocrites-at-work.html

Sen. Chuck Grassley to Senate Republicans: Use Props

They form a smaller, less influential group, thanks to the elections. And when Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th president, the club of remaining Republican senators might find it hard to get a restaurant reservation or tee time, no less attention for their arguments on the Senate floor. So what's the minority to do?

Get jiggy, says folksy longtime Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa. "The Senate's a pretty staid place, and it needs to loosen up a little bit," he says. Grassley's idea: Use props, specifically cartoon and fairy tale characters and popular movies. "What it's all about," he says, "is to get people to pay attention. It's kind of shock therapy with a smile. It's an attempt to get people who otherwise wouldn't pay attention to what you are saying to listen."

He should know, as his sometimes goofy props have worked. Like the times he's arrived on the Senate floor with a poster from Groundhog Day. "I think the groundhog is pretty legitimate," he says. "How many times do we go over arguments over and over and over and over again?" he asks, suggesting that it's just like the movie that repeats the same day until star Bill Murray finally gets the girl. "And then there are the threats that you get from the other side," he explains, "so I've got the Big Bad Wolf blowing down the house." Sometimes it's the enlarged picture of a thermometer at his side showing the heat of threatened Democratic tax hikes.

Other favorites include Huckleberry Hound, Rip van Winkle, and Trigger, Roy Rogers's horse. He used Rip van Winkle during the presidential campaign, warning Americans that Obama's tax cut promises sounded like those made by Bill Clinton but deferred. "I wanted to use the speeches and graphics for people to wake up that maybe Obama is not going to keep his promise any more than Clinton," says Grassley.

New York Times Op-Ed Emphasizes War's Invisible Wounds

Wounds You Can’t See

The U.S. has been at war for years now, but ordinary Americans have never been asked to step up and make the kind of sacrifices that wars have historically required.

There is no draft. There are no shortages of food, consumer items or gasoline. We’re not even paying for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That multitrillion-dollar obligation has been shoved off to future generations. Incredibly, taxes have been lowered, not raised, since the wars began.

On the home front, this is as pleasant a wartime environment as one could imagine.

That’s actually an added danger for the young men and women who have volunteered to fight in those far-off lands. It’s too easy for the larger society to put them out of sight and out of mind. I asked a college student in Bridgeport, Conn., the other night if she or her friends ever talked about the war in Iraq. She said no.

Among the least-noted aspects of these two seemingly endless wars is the psychological toll they are taking on those who have volunteered to fight them. Increasingly, they are being medicated on the battlefield, and many thousands are returning with brain damage and psychological wounds that cause tremendous suffering and have the potential to alter their lives forever.

A recent article that I thought would have gotten much more attention was the cover piece in Time magazine, “The Military’s Secret Weapon,” which disclosed that “for the first time in history, a sizable and growing number of U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained by repeated and lengthy tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Soldiers and marines are being sent into the war zones again and again because the pool of young people willing to join up and fight is so small. In addition to the obvious physical danger, repeated tours in combat are blueprints for psychological disaster.

A study by the RAND Corporation found that the psychological toll of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan may in fact be “disproportionately high compared to the physical injuries of combat.”

Post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, major depression and suicide are exacting a fearful price from combat soldiers and marines. These matters are not even being talked about enough, much less dealt with adequately.

Never before has such a strain been placed on the all-volunteer military. As the RAND study noted:

“Not only is a higher proportion of the armed forces being deployed, but deployments have been longer, redeployment to combat has been common, and breaks between deployments have been infrequent.”

While most service members readjust to civilian life successfully after combat, the number who come home in some kind of psychological trouble is huge. The study found that approximately 300,000 individuals who served in Iraq or Afghanistan are currently suffering from P.T.S.D. or depression, and that 320,000 have most likely experienced a traumatic brain injury.

These wounds, as the title of the report points out, are often the “Invisible Wounds of War.” They’re as real as a bullet or a shrapnel wound, but they’re not always as obvious. And for a variety of reasons, including the fear that exposure may harm their careers, many of these psychologically wounded warriors do not seek mental-health treatment.

Studies have shown that fewer than half of the G.I.’s with psychological wounds of one sort or another are receiving treatment. And according to the RAND study, “Even when individuals receive care, too few receive quality care.”

Support the troops? Too often that’s an empty slogan. Flag waving and bumper-sticker patriotism don’t add up to much when there are many thousands of G.I.’s in need of first-class care who are not getting it.

“This should be a top issue in the presidential race, and it should be a top issue in the news,” said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “When you come home from Iraq, you feel like you’re lost in the wilderness sometimes. You feel like you don’t fit in.”

Add to that burden the mental torture of depression or P.T.S.D. or the debilitating effects of traumatic brain injury, and you have the stuff that leads to alcoholism, drug abuse, family dissolution, homelessness, trouble with the law and sometimes suicide.

“The hardest part is getting the veterans in,” said Mr. Rieckhoff. “We have to make it much easier for them to access mental health services.”

However one feels about the nation’s war policies, we have an ironclad obligation to look out for the short- and long-term needs of the troops we send off to combat. In the absence of any general call for sacrifice, it’s the least we can do.

Right now we’re not even doing that.

Article Source: http://www.giveanhour.org/skins/gah/display.aspx?ModuleID=f6c229ca-03ae-4c81-8d0a-81a5a0c208f9&Action=display_user_object&CategoryID=6da48fe9-1751-419e-a24f-ba21c6be1750&ObjectID=09ac2e1d-899e-4993-9329-96f08bc69ce5

Rest in Peace David White

PEJ News - It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the sudden death of David Scott White, in Victoria on July 16, 2006. Dave was the father of Jesseca and Sol and the grandfather of Bowen and Delphine. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. George and Delphine White, live in Ottawa. Dave was predeceased by his sister Judy. He is also survived by his loving partner, Joan Russow and her children and grandchildren: Maya, Lorick, Theona, Soren, Lily, Amelia, Sophia and Anise.

Dave was born on January 20, 1947 in Winnipeg. He was truly an original and lived a full, adventurous life as an educator, artist, environmentalist, peace activist, humanitarian, musician, horitculturalist, writer and film maker. He and Joan loved the outdoors and traveled extensively throughout the world. He will be greatly missed by all.

Dave's family and good friends are asked to join us for a memorial gathering, beach walk and pot luck dinnneron Sunday, July 23, 2006 at 1230 St. Patrick Street, Victoria at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, a contribution to the Gallery of Heroes and Martyrs in Esteli, Nicaragua or a social justice cause of your choice is suggested.

Rest in peace, David White.

David White was a member of Prometheus Institute (PEJ News) and his partner, Joan Russow, is PEJ News' Common Security Correspondent.


Article Source: http://www.pej.org/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=5076&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0