Thursday, October 21, 2010

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Juan Williams' Dismissal

Every once in a while, I find myself on Fox News and have to admit that I'm glad I'm there. Fox is sort of like Arlington or Alexandria for me -- over the river -- when I spend most of my time in DC Central. It's a good thing to hear what others are thinking and how they are framing policy challenges, and I get a feel for this when I hang out in the Fox green room where I've met Gary Bauer, talked with Bill Kristol, David Frum, and yes, Juan Williams.

I don't know Williams very well -- but remember when he worked hard with the Hitachi Foundation and other Japanese firms I had partnered with in the 1980s to reverse growing anti-black bigotry that was rising in Japan. 

It would have been very easy to imagine Japanese business executives or regular Japanese expatriots who had moved to Southern California and were getting their first dose of street crime, petty theft, and gang violence to say something like:

I get worried and nervous when I see black people walking my direction, or in the supermarket or in my children's school...

This was the kind of bigotry, softly deployed, that Juan Williams went to Japan to try and reverse. In Los Angeles, he spoke for me at a major forum on race, identity and understanding sponsored by the Hitachi Foundation and Japan America Society of Southern California.
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Thursday, October 14, 2010

Earn Some Brownie Points On National Bosses Day 2010

Sometimes it feels like every day is a holiday. Usually we find out the day after that it was administrative professional’s day, or ice cream day, or pet day. But this time, we’re proud of ourselves for being ahead of the curve: Friday, October 15th is  National Bosses Day.
Half A Century Of Boss Appreciation.

Well, it might be Boss’ Day. Or Day of the Boss. It really depends who you ask. Begun in 1958 and made official in 1962 by Patricia Hayes to celebrate her father and boss, the holiday is observed in the U.S, Canada, England, Australia, and South Africa. Anyone (who has been trolling the internet for information on Bosses Day) would tell you that it’s traditionally celebrated on October 16th, but there’s a problem: This year, that’s a Saturday. Consequently, our calendar for tomorrow reads “National Boss’s Day.” Again, the spelling appears to be subjective.
It’s A Highly Personal Celebration.

You’ve probably noticed that it reeks of Hallmark holiday, invented to sell cards and dolphin-choking balloons, and that it’s not all that widely observed. In fact, workers observe this day in different ways. There’s the discreet brown-nosing option, involving thoughtful gifts and sentiments, as well as the good-natured pranks option (for examples, there’s a fun slide show HERE). Or, there’s the budget-friendly, everyone-sign-a-group-card-and-enjoy-some-empty-calories option. We’ll leave it up to you.

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Sarah Butler Opens Up About I Spit On Your Grave Remake

Sarah Butler, star of the upcoming I Spit On Your Grave remake, is speaking out on what it was like to step in to the lead role of such a maligned film as the 1978 cult-classic for a modern-day remake. The actress, who plays a rape victim that turns the tables on her attackers, tells Tampa Bay's WTSP, "It's a total honor as an actor."

The original film was a bane to the existence of film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert when it was originally released. Late night horror movie host has since come to the film's defense. "

"I could make a pretty strong argument for it being a feminist tract," writes Joe Bob Briggs in a 2002 column promoting the Millennium Edition DVD release. "In fact, when it was first released in 1978, the title was Day of the Woman. If you took Susan Brownmiller, Andrea Dworkin and Gloria Steinem, and asked them to come up with their worst-case version of the true nature of rape, it would probably look a lot like what happens to Jennifer Hill, the free-spirited New York magazine writer who rents a summer house in the country...and gets brutally attacked by the local pond scum."

Butler says the new film is "almost identical" to the original in terms of plot. "One of the biggest updates we've done to it is that instead of approaching her revenge by using her sexuality as a weapon, in our version I don't do that at all. I use my cunning and my brute force to capture and torture and kill these men. That's a big difference."

The original was criticized by Siskel and Ebert as identifying with the rapists. Briggs disagrees. "I've examined it shot-by-shot several times now, and (this charge) is just absolutely false. There's no question, from the opening shot of the movie through the closing shot, that the story is told from one point of view and one point of view only--the woman's. Not only that, but during the actual rape sequence, the point-of-view shots are VICTIM'S point-of-view shots."

The original director, Meir Zarchi, got the idea when he witnessed a battered nude woman emerging from a city park. He called for help and assisted her. The experience shook him and led to the 1978 film. His goal was to show how gruesome the experience is.

"At the film's end," wrote Roger Ebert, "I walked out of the theater quickly, feeling unclean, ashamed, and depressed."

Briggs claims that such a reaction could have only come from Ebert if he identified with the rapists. "This woman TRIUMPHS in the film," writes Briggs. "It's no different, really, than 'Death Wish' or 'Dirty Harry.'"

Butler insists that this new version scales back on gratuitous nudity, but is still very much in the cold and brutal tradition of the original. Upon viewing the new version for the first time, Butler says, "I definitely cried for a few minutes when I was being raped. I actually was able to disconnect from myself in the film and noticed that it really got to me."

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UFO Spotted Flying High Over Streets Of NYC?

NEW YORK (WPIX) —A video posted online shows a weird, shiny object flying high above the streets of New York City.

People claimed to have seem the unusual sight Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say around 1:30 p.m. they received calls from many people who saw the object hovering over Chelsea.

Many people took to Twitter to talk about the possible UFO sighting and posted pictures of the bizarre image.

It is believed the object is likely some sort of balloon, however, officials have not confirmed exactly what it is.

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Brindavanam – Movie Review

Background: Warner Brother Inc, one of the leading international film houses has joined hands with Dil Raju’s Sri Venkateshwara Creations to produce the film titled 'Brindaavanam' with a budget of Rs 45 crores and a band of prominent actors in Telugu film industry like NTR, Prakash Raj, Srihari, Kota Srinivas Rao, Brahmanandam, Ahuti Prasad and Raghu Babu. Dil Raju with his continuous flops after ‘Kotha Bangaru Lokham’ is now banking heavily on NTR and his die hard fans.

Story:  Prakash Raj and Srihari are step brothers. They are two big guys in a village and both of them are rivals. Samantha and Kajal are cousins from the Prakash Raj and Srihari families. Kajal stays in Village, but Samantha relocates to City for her studies. Junior NTR lives in the same City. In an incident, NTR helps Samantha and they both become friends.

Meanwhile, Kajal's marriage is settled with someone whom Kajal does not want to marry. So, she asks the help of Samantha. Samantha tells the whole story to NTR and asks his help. NTR enters into the village with the intention to stop the marriage using some clever tricks. While doing that, he fixes many issues in the village and finally he makes both Prakash Raj and Srihari to stop their rivalry and they all join together at the end. NTR marries Kajal or Samantha? Let us keep that part suspense for now.

Minus Point: The story doesn’t clearly establish why the step brothers actually fought. It also isn’t clear why in the climax Krishna has to choose between the two girls, while he never has any feelings towards the other girl at all! The director depends entirely on the comedy track in the second half, because most of the plot has is revealed in the first half. However, the comedy makes the difference to the film as we wait for a hurriedly treated climax.

Technical Background: Music by SS Thaman is pretty good, but re-recording is only good in parts. May be he could have done a better job. Camera work by Chota k Naidu is commendable and the locations were also appealing. The camerawork by Chota k Naidu was great during the action episodes. The CG and graphic works were reasonably good, but surely Marthand K Venkatesh, the editor might have had a tough time. Surely the second half needs more editing.

Analysis: The movie is filled with lots of Comedy and some good action scenes. NTR is targeting the family audiences may be for the first time. Kajal and Samanta’s glamour, good comedy, heart touching family emotions and sentiments, superb and timely direction of Vamshi, cool and refreshing music are unique positives while routine story, length of the movie.

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'South Park’ Takes on ‘Jersey Shore’ with ‘It’s a Jersey Thing’

“South Park” takes on “Jersey Shore”; Oscars keep air date…
South Park Takes on ‘Jersey Shore’: In an episode titled “It’s a Jersey Thing,” last night’s episode of South Park spoofed the TV show “Jersey Shore,” poked fun at “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” and made of reality TV and the entire Garden State at the same time. Somehow Osama bin Laden figured into the show too, as South Park faces the threat of becoming “West Jersey.” The catchphrase of the night “It’s a Jersey thing.” You can watch it here. [South Park]

Oscars Keep Air Date: The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences nixed an Oscar move from late February to early February or March. The academy released this statement: “The academy’s Board of Governors has determined that the date of the 84th Academy Awards in 2012 will not be significantly earlier than the now-traditional last Sunday in February. A different date still remains a possibility in subsequent years, and the academy’s staff and board will continue to evaluate the advantages and challenges associated with such a change.” The decision comes after the organization formed a task force to research a move in order to increase ratings and remain relevant. The program will air on Feb. 27. [LA Times]

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Muff Cabbage

Muff Cabbage - Love it or hate it, you have to give South Park credit for not holding back. The Comedy Central staple spoofed Jersey Shore last night, and didn't stop there.


The show actually took shots at The Real Housewives of New Jersey as well, along with Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, who ended up being a hero of sorts.

Yep, only on South Park.

n the episode, titled "New Jersey," Teresa Giudice from the RHONJ franchise is animated as the woman who likes to flip out when it comes to her family.

Snooki of Jersey Shore also got the cartoon treatment, but barely resembles a human being. Instead, she's a primitive, chain-smoking smoosh monster.

After coining the requisite new terms ("muff cabbage" ... wow), the gang decides to take a last stand against the Jerseyfication of the world. Giddy up.

Watch a clip of Snooki on South Park after the jump ...

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Congratulate Team India for completing their first ever clean sweep over Australia in a Test series

Congratulations to Team India on a famous win against a famous opponent. Dhoni put this in perspective by appreciating his bowlers for winning the two matches though acknowledging the batsmen.

Npw the time has come to seriously look at future. It is more by accident rather by design we have stumbled upon this composition and this composition of youngsters taking up the mantle of responsibility should continue. Sachin and Dravid would do well to refrain from playing the NZ series and encourage these youngsters Pujara and Vijay to play the full series. With Sehwag, VVS and Dhoni to guide the team this could be a strong and welcome move for the country, considering the future of the game. If they play the 3 matches, without a break, then their confidence and committment to the system would become unshakeable.

Definitely Sachin and Dravid can come and play the South African series in South Africa. This way we can have the best of both worlds, in the interim and we can avoid the vaccum which would definitely hit us in another two years. I am sure Dravid and Sachin would be first people to buy this and go with this whole heartedly. It is better if they are in the 14 but in non-playing capacity guiding and master minding the strategy, it would further help the youngters to watch them in the dressing room, understand their work ethics and how they motivate themselves mentally, day after day. While doing this, we should be seriously identifying and nursing another three pacers and 2 spinners to augment the current resources.

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CWG Hockey: Australia 7-0, No mercy on India Hockey, Crowd started to departure

DELHI, Oct 13India were down by four goals to nil at half time against world champions Australia in the finals of the men’s hockey of the Commonwealth Games here Thursday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was himself present in the packed Major Dhyan Chand Stadium to cheer India to bounce back to take a medal, which could be its first in the event introduced in the Games in 1998.

India got first penalty in 17th minutes but could not make it. Australia made first goal in 19th minutes. Indians started the match with defence still they could not able to stop Australia. Australia made 2nd goal when 13 minutes were left in first half.

 Soon After Australia made their 3rd goal to make grip in the match. Australia made 4-0 from penalty corner just before 1st half. In 2nd half Australia make 5th goal to make match one sided. Australia had no mercy on Indian hockey as they continued to make goals and finish the match by 7-0.

Australia will be looking to pick up its fourth Commonwealth Games Gold medal, from four outings. The Kookaburras have been formidable, proceeding through the preliminaries undefeated and getting the better of New Zealand 6-2 in the semifinal.



India have improved throughout the tournament and won a semifinal thriller on penalty strokes against England on Tuesday. They lost 5-2 to Australia when the sides met in their Pool A match. Luke DOERNER (AUS) leads the tournament scoring list, with six goals. Sandeep SINGH (IND) and Saravanjit SINGH (IND) have both been on target five times.

India reached final with a thrilling win over England.Goalkeeper Bharat Kumar Chhetri brought off a brilliant save in the tie-breaker to help India move into the final of the men's hockey competition in the Commonwealth Games with an aggregate 8-7 win against England here Tuesday.

India will take on World champions Australia in the final Thursday. Earlier in the day, the Australia beat New Zealand 6-2 in the first semifinal.

India, trailing 1-3 at one stage, and England went into extra-time tied 3-3 and the deadlock persisted leading to the tie-breaker, where Chhetri leapt to his right for a great save as India converted all their five strokes to England's four.

Read more: CWG Hockey: Australia 7-0, No mercy on India Hockey, Crowd started to departure
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Oklahoma Earthquake Felt in Nearby States

The Oklahoma earthquake on Wednesday was felt in not only the Sooner State but also as far away as Missouri, according to U.S. Geological Survey data.

The quake registered a 4.3-magnitude on the Richter scale at a depth of 4.9 miles. USGS said the quake hit at 9:06 a.m., around six miles east of the town of Norman, some 20 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.

Two people were injured by the quake, which was felt throughout central Oklahoma, parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and northern Texas.

Oklahoma City resident Kenneth Tankersley broke his ankle during the quake when he fell from a ladder outside of his home, according to The Oklahoman.

"I guess my ladder wasn't set very solid, and it just shook me off of it," Tankersley told the newspaper. "Somebody else is going to have to put up the Christmas lights. I'm not getting up there again."

The USGS noted that Wednesday’s earthquake is “not unprecedented” in Oklahoma. Since 1974, more than 200 earthquakes have been recorded in central Oklahoma alone. However, only 11 damaging earthquakes have been recorded since 1882.

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Creating Peace In War Zones: The Roman Catholic Community Of Sant'Egidio

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey commented that the Community of Sant'Egidio is what we want the modern church to be. Jim Wolfensohn, when he was President of the World Bank, never missed a chance to meet and learn from its leaders. Georgetown University's president, John DeGioia, is a loyal ally. Sant'Egidio's gatherings attract a flock of Catholic cardinals and prominent religious leaders from across the world, as well as heads of state. But many are baffled by a group that doesn't seem to fit into any familiar category. What's it all about?

It's a movement more than an organization. It is clearly Catholic but is committed to a broad spirituality and to including people from many religions (and none) and lay. It is not monastic. It counts about 70,000 members in some 60 countries.

What's brought Sant'Egidio most vividly to international attention is their creative and dogged pursuit of peace in far flung corners of the world. Best known is the lasting peace agreement they brokered for Mozambique in 1992 after 30 years of brutal war. If there is a hot spot in the world, Sant'Egidio is probably involved somehow. Members of the community are, at any given moment, involved in dozens of secret negotiations, explorations with warring parties, and formal mediation and reconciliation work.

But the conflict work is only a piece of the story. The Community is one of the world's most passionate advocates for poor people and for the absolute, unmistakable and inescapable obligation on each and every one of us to fight poverty and to act for anyone who is pushed aside, despised and denigrated. That includes prisoners, the Roma (or Gypsys), migrants in Europe's cities and people on death row. Sant'Egidio has taken up the cause of HIV/AIDS, working to save lives with quality medical care. It works to give people the practical tool of a birth certificate, befriends and supports the old and the young, and fires youth with a hope that working together for a better future is not a dream but a real possibility.

They run what some see as the most important annual interreligious gathering. In 1986, at a dark moment in history when the Cold War still cast a dark shadow on the world, Pope John Paul invited leaders from the world's religions to Assisi, the city in Italy where St. Francis lived and inspired a new idea of peace. There, recognizing their common interest while respecting their differences and facing the real dangers in the world, the leaders promised to work for peace. Since Each year since then -- there have been 24 meetings so far -- in a pilgrimage of peace, the Community of Sant'Egidio organizes a stunning meeting that they call a prayer for peace. This week, the meeting was in Barcelona, Spain. More than 2,000 volunteers from the Community welcomed more than 300 religious leaders: Cardinals, bishops, metropolitans, patriarchs, rabbis, imams, Sheikhs, monks and nuns. Coming from the world's largest religious traditions, all preach a message of peace. Many others attend: heads of state, journalists, public intellectuals and activists. Some puzzled tourists observe and are caught in the spirit.

The meeting combines ritual, pageant, intellectual discourse, dialogue on leading issues and secret meetings. It culminates in an extraordinary ceremony on the final day. The different religious groups pray separately, thus symbolizing the understanding that dialogue means deepening, not watering down or combining different religious traditions. Then the leaders process towards the central square, meeting each other with embraces, laughter and applause. It's like a river, with different branches coming together. The leaders gather on a platform, all in their regalia, to listen to witnesses to peace and to a moving appeal. The leaders hand copies of the appeal (with an olive branch) to children who then give them to diplomats in the audience. The leaders light candles and sign the appeal. You can watch the ceremony and read about the meeting here.

The beauty of the sight (this year with Barcelona's spectacular Cathedral as the backdrop), its deep symbolism, powerful rhetoric and emotional call are reinforced by the enthusiastic audience. In a world where meetings about peace rarely stir media enthusiasm to a fraction of the interest of pretty much any violent act, the formula works its magic. For the moment, cynicism is banished. People return year after year both because of the truly inspiring people and messages and because the pageantry stirs the soul.

The annual gathering moves from city to city, taking inspiration from each place. Last year it was in Cracow where the memory of the Holocaust and the nearby Nazi death camp at Auschwitz loomed large. The year before in Cyprus, the ancient crossroads of the Mediterranean was vividly set in a divided, still-bitter conflict. I first attended the 2002 meeting in Palermo, Sicily, where the challenge of the mafia was close at hand.

Read full article here
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Humpback Whale Swims 6,200 Miles, Longest Marine Mammal Migration Recorded

LONDON (AP) -- Scientists say a humpback whale's 6,200-mile (10,000-kilometer) trip is the longest single marine mammal migration ever recorded.

The experts say the female whale was first photographed off the coast of Brazil in August 1999. Just over two years later, someone aboard a whale watching vessel took a photograph of it off the east coast of Madagascar.

Experts who matched photos using the distinctive markings on the whale's tail were caught by surprise.

Humpback whales typically cover about 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) annually in their trips to and from the warmer waters in which they breed, but usually return to the same places.

Researchers said Wednesday this whale may have been bit more adventurous than its peers -- or may have just gotten lost.

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Is Gossip Good for You?

THE GIST Gossiping can be beneficial.

THE SOURCE “Is Gossip Good for You? Links Between Gossiping Behavior and Subjective Well-Being” — Jennifer Cole and Hannah Scrivener, presented Sept. 7 at a British Psychological Society conference.

“IF you can’t say something good about someone, sit right here by me,” Alice Roosevelt Longworth, a self-proclaimed “hedonist,” used to say. But it seems the greater pleasure comes from more temperate gossip.

New research finds that gossiping can be good for you — as long as you have something nice to say.

In a presentation in September, Jennifer Cole, a social psychologist, and Hannah Scrivener reported results from two related studies, both of which demonstrate that it’s in one’s self-interest to say “So-and-so’s second husband is adorable” rather than “She married that lout?”

In the first study, intended to measure a person’s short-term emotional reaction to gossiping, 140 men and women, primarily undergraduates, were asked to talk about a fictional person either positively or negatively.

The second study, which looked into the long-term effects of gossiping on well-being, had 160 participants, mostly female undergrads, fill out questionnaires about their tendency to gossip, their self-esteem and their perceived social support.

According to Dr. Cole, after speaking kindly of others, positive emotions were raised 3 percent, negative emotions were reduced 6 percent, and self-esteem rose 5 percent. These are not huge numbers, as Dr. Cole is the first to admit. But it’s nonetheless one of the few times researchers have attributed anything beneficial to the silly art of gossip.

And there was one decidedly positive result: whether kind or cruel, gossip was associated with a greater sense of social support for the perpetuator.

But does tittle-tattle really help attract more friends? “It could be that people who gossip a lot think they have social support, but they don’t actually,” Dr. Cole said, noting that previous research shows people tend to dislike and mistrust gossips.

“We’re all gossipers,” said Judith Martin, a k a Miss Manners. “We bond that way, and people who talk about other people are interesting.” But, she added, “People who spread malicious gossip are despicable.” Miss Manners would appreciate then, that the consequences of bad-mouthing others were pronounced — not just on the targets, something established by plenty of earlier research — but on the gossipers themselves.

After criticizing other people, gossipers’ positive emotions were reduced by 16 percent and negative emotions increased 34 percent. It may be a function of empathy; we feel badly for the objects of our derision. Or it could be selfishness; we realize people won’t like us for nattering on meanly about others.

But what of Mrs. Longworth, the celebrated Washington socialite?

“She was a law unto herself,” said Ms. Martin, who knew Mrs. Longworth during her later years. “A lot of people did sit next to her!”

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In New York, a Rivalry Shifts Into High Gear

FOUR years ago, three women opened a candlelit cycling studio called SoulCycle in the back of a lobby on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, charging $27 a class. At the time, stationary cycling was a ho-hum staple of traditional gyms, and this place had no showers, and no room to maneuver in its cramped hallway. What self-respecting Manhattanite would pay a premium to pedal 45 minutes to nowhere?

As it turned out, quite a few. SoulCycle has expanded to five locations (with six more planned), including one in Bridgehampton, N.Y., where Chelsea Clinton, a loyal client, held a fund-raiser for Haiti in August that collected $118,783. Other fans include Kelly Ripa and Brooke Shields, who come for the improbably energetic teachers: motivational speakers in Spandex who bellow things like “You are strong.” Acolytes weeping on the bike are not uncommon; nor are men yelping for joy mid-ride. Reservations are made online (sessions now are $36 in the Hamptons and $32 elsewhere), and front-row bikes with top instructors are claimed within minutes.

But SoulCycle also now has muscular competition in the form of Flywheel Sports — founded in February by Ruth Zukerman, one of SoulCycle’s original three founders and onetime star instructor, with Tiki Barber, a former professional football player who used to take her class with his wife (Mr. Barber’s affiliation with Flywheel has since ended after news of an extramarital affair surfaced). Two other Flywheel locations have opened, at the Jewish Community Center on the Upper West Side, and in Sag Harbor, N.Y., with five more in the works.

Ms. Zukerman, known for her emotionally charged teaching style, left SoulCycle in November under circumstances that she said she is legally restricted from discussing.

The remaining founders, Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice, seem intent on expunging their former partner from their past. The company story at SoulCycle’s Web site doesn’t even mention her. Last Thursday, in a joint interview with Ms. Rice, Ms. Cutler said simply, “Ruth worked with us for a time. We decided to part ways. We wish her the best.” Yet they seemed visibly uncomfortable: hands tucked between their toned thighs, as if bracing for impact.

Read more:In New York, a Rivalry Shifts Into High Gear
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