darkness template

2009-11-02T09:59:00.001-08:00

Download Tipard iPhone Transfer 3.3.12 Free trial - backup iPhone music and videos to computer
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Tipard iPhone Tra

2009-11-02T09:09:00.001-08:00

Jasper Juul na łamach swojego bloga, wczoraj zaanonsował nowe artykuły ludologicznego pisma Eludamus Vol 3, No 2 (2009)(HTML i PDF).
Spis treści:

Positions

Doubly Real: Game Studies and Literary Anthropology; or, Why We Play Games	Abstract HTML PDF
Philipp Schweighauser	115-132

Perspectives

Generations and Game Localization	Abstract HTML PDF
Darshana Jayemanne	135-147

Video Game Genre, Evolution and Innovation	Abstract HTML PDF
Dominic Arsenault	149-176

Generations of Game Analytics, Achievements and High Scores	Abstract HTML PDF
Ben Medler	177-194

Fahrenheit and the premature burial of interactive movies	Abstract HTML PDF
Jonathan Lessard	195-205

Articles

Chopin’s Dream as Reality: A Critical Reading of Eternal Sonata	Abstract HTML PDF
Johansen Quijano-Cruz	209-218

Letter from the Wilderness	Abstract HTML PDF
Mark Mullen	219-244

Just Gaming: On Being Differently Literate	Abstract HTML PDF
Alex Kendall, Julian McDougall	245-260

An Analysis of Persistent Non-Player Characters in the First-Person Gaming genre 1998-2007: a case for the fusion of mechanics and diegetics	Abstract HTML PDF
Dan Pinchbeck	261-279

Playing with one’s self: notions of subjectivity and agency in digital games	Abstract HTML PDF
Alec Charles	281-294

Repelling the Invasion of the “Other”: Post-Apocalyptic Alien Shooter Videogames Addressing Contemporary Cultural Attitudes	Abstract HTML PDF
Ryan Lizardi	295-308

Ten years later	Abstract HTML PDF
Gerit Götzenbrucker, Margarita Köhl	309-324

Use toilet before boarding, Japan airline asks

2009-11-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

(CNN) -- To offset carbon dioxide, a Japanese airline is asking its passengers to go to the toilet before boarding.

All Nippon Airways is asking passengers to use the restroom before flying to reduce weight.

The unusual request by All Nippon Airways (ANA) is part of its "e-Flight" promotional program to reduce the amount of carbon expelled on 38 domestic routes and its twice daily international flights to Singapore.

"Asking passengers to go to the toilet (before boarding) is just a small part of the program," said spokeswoman Megumi Tezuka, which includes using recycled paper cups and plastic bottles instead of glass.

"We are making these items lighter -- and making the passengers lighter, a little bit," Tezuka said.

The airline estimates that if 50 percent of passengers relieved themselves before boarding, it would reduce carbon dioxide by 4.2 tons a month.

Flights will also show educational films on the environment.

The month-long trial program, which began October 1, will be evaluated and may be extended if successful, Tezuka said.

In true Japanese fashion, the encouragement to eliminate is more suggested than explicit. This is what is announced before boarding the flights: "This flight is a so-called 'eFlight.' The idea behind the operation is to think about the Earth in the sky above. Fuel reduction by lightening the weight of the aircraft will lead to restrain the carbon dioxide emission, which is one of the causes of global warming. Thank you for your understa

Kettler Car - $80 (Wappingers Falls)

2009-10-15T08:45:00.002-07:00

This is for a yellow Kettler peddle car . Made in germany great quality . These kid cars sell for a couple of hundred dollars. This is for a 3 to 7 year old . Call if interested Sue 845-380-2894

Location: Wappingers Falls
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Men's Road Bicycle - $90 (Coldspring/fishkill ny)

2009-10-15T08:45:00.001-07:00

I bought this bike at the beginning of summer for 125 bucks, have greased it up, put on new bar tape. Breaks work great, shifts like a dream. Missing some paint, very little rust and none on chain or cogs. Good bike for someone 5 foot 10 or taller. Seat post is a tad thin for bike frame, have corrected this by adding aluminum around post. Leaving soon for Peace Corps so I need to sell it. 90 bucks is a steal for such a quick bike. Need to sell by monday..please hit me up.

Specs:
700cc wheels
Shimano bar end shifters
32 and half inches from ground to top of crossbar

Location: Coldspring/fishkill ny
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Bike for sale

2009-10-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Stelber, restore or garden decoration info on google says mens stelbers are rare.

845 446 5258 wheels are 26"

Location: highland falls
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

More than 85,000 Iraqis killed in war violence, ministry says

2009-10-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The bombings, shootings and fighting across Iraq in nearly five years of war have left more than 85,000 Iraqis dead, a government ministry said in a report.

Iraqis carry a coffin in 2006. A Human Rights Ministry report says 85,694 people were killed in war violence.

The Iraqi Human Rights Ministry said 85,694 people were killed from 2004 to October 31, 2008, in the violence across the country. There were 147,195 people wounded during the same period. The figures include civilians and Iraqi security forces but not insurgents and militias.

The review is considered the first official report of its kind by the Iraqi government since the war began. The ministry released the report Tuesday, and it has been posted on its Web site.

The death toll is Iraq has been a hot-button issue. Officials and other reports have said the toll is higher, and there has been disagreement about the scope of the casualties.

A ministry official told CNN that those numbers might be conservative, but they are the confirmed and documented numbers.

"Keep in your mind that there are a lot of missing people who we believe that they are dead, but can not confirm it. There are many people who have died and their families buried them without reporting it," the official said.

The war began in March 2003 with the U.S.-led invasion. But the official said that the causalities from 2003 are not documented because the governmental institutes were not fully operating, so there were no records from that period.

The independent Iraq Body Count project reports as many as 102,071 civilian deaths from the war's beginning through August 13, 2009. The IBC's Web site says its count includes only documented deaths and the actual number is probably higher.

According to the government report, there were 34,019 bodies recovered in streets, a reminder of the Sunni-Shiite fighting in Baghdad and elsewhere. The report also said the toll includes 15,000 unidentified and unclaimed bodies now buried in special cemeteries.

The death toll also includes 269 journalists, 263 professors, 95 lawyers and 21 judges. Insurgents attacked 219 Shiite mosques, 94 Sunni mosques and 41 churches.

The There is still violence in places including Baghdad and Nineveh province, but during the past year the attacks have dropped and the country is making strides to regain stability.

Luxuries dazzled gangster's girlfriend

2009-10-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

Editor's note: This article contains graphic images and video that some may find offensive. It's the last of a three-part series showing different aspects of life inside Colombia's drug gangs.

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- All that glitters may not be gold, but for Colombia's narco-molls the most important thing is that it glitters.

Yovanna Guzman was 19 when she met drug boss Wilber Varela, and she says he showered her with luxuries.

Beauty queens, fashion models, actresses or regular girls made good are lovers of drug capos and above all lovers of the finest luxuries that cocaine money can buy.

Few are prepared to speak publicly and even less to appear on camera.

Those who date mob bosses don't want to blow their cover. It could expose their boyfriends to arrest and themselves to retaliation. In addition, it could bring anti-drug police sniffing, ready to seize ill-gotten gains.

One exception is Yovanna Guzman, a former beauty queen and model, with a mane of blond hair and a pneumatic figure -- a sure passport into the narco underworld where cup size is more important than IQ.

For eight years, she was the lover of one of Colombia's most ruthless cocaine traffickers, Wilber Varela. He was head of the North Valle Cartel.

"He had two faces. I saw him so tender with the ones he loved, then you see the cartel killings. He always said he was the best of friends and the worst of enemies," Guzman said during an interview in Bogota. Watch Guzman describe Varela and how she met him »

The Colombian government accused Varela of running tons of cocaine to the United States via Central America in go-fast speedboats and to Europe in small jets.

Authorities put a $5 million bounty on his head. He gained a reputation for brutality during a yearslong dispute with a splinter faction of the same cartel, led by Diego Montoya, who until his capture in 2007 was listed alongside Osama bin Laden on the FBI's list of the 10 most-wanted fugitives.

Guzman was 19 when she met Varela. He told her he was a cattle rancher. She didn't ask questions and said she only found out the truth when she saw a Wanted poster with her boyfriend's mug shot.

He wooed her with expensive gifts and sponsored her through Chica Med, a second-rate beauty pageant organizers concede was viewed as a cattle market by gangsters looking for new girls. Some mob bosses bought the beauty title as a gift for their molls, though it's not clear whether Varela paid for Guzman's title.

"There were the vacations, the cars and the luxury SUVs and, of course, jewelry. There was always jewelry. But there were small details too like flowers," she said.

"Of course, the luxuries don't make you fall in love, but they do dazzle you. When you get dazzled, you get carried away, but then you ask yourself where is the love and my principles?"

Guzman said Varela's first gift to her was a Rolex watch, followed by a Cartier watch, diamonds, jewelry, top-of-the-range sport utility vehicles and luxury apartments. She said she now realizes she was being bought and admits she sold herself.

"I feel all of us have a price up to a point. Sometimes you feel luxuries like the designer clothes, shoes and handbags are important. But afterward you realize you're empty inside," she said.

Very quickly her drug lord boyfriend locked Guzman in a golden cage. He forbade her to do photo shoots or party with male friends, even though he had a stable of other top model girlfriends.

"He was very jealous, and what's his is his and belongs to nobody else and nobody can touch it, look at it or mess with it," she said.

As Colombia's law enforcers stepped up the hunt for Varela, Guzman's time with him became less frequent. But she said he always seemed to know where she was or to whom she had talked.

At one point, she said, a jealous Varela sent one of his lieutenants to shoot her in the leg.

"When I got shot, I was supposedly never going to walk properly again. The bullet could easily have hit me somewhere else and killed me. But I pulled myself together and I said I'm not going to be crippled," she said.

What Guzman wouldn't explain was the reason for the punishment shooting. She giggled and promised to reveal the full details in a book she's writing.

She said she hopes her experiences will serve as a cautionary tale for other young women on the trail of easy money.

Whether or not they will take a leaf out of that book is another matter. Ordinary Colombians seem to have an unshakable attraction to glamorous narco-lifestyles judging by the sky-high ratings of two TV soap operas.

The "Cartel" tells the story of the rise of the North Valle mob that Varela headed. The sequel, called "Mafia Dolls," portrays women such as Guzman.

One of the silicone-enhanced actresses who played a supporting role in both soaps said that since her TV appearances she has received offers from real-life drug dealers, both in Medellin and Cali.

"Those narcos watch TV and are always on the lookout for fresh meat. So I began getting the calls when I appeared in 'The Cartel,' " she said. "I got a phone call from a guy who is a showbiz publicist, and he told me a guy from Medellin was offering $7,500 for me to spend the evening with him."

She said she refused that overture. Days later, a new BMW X5 SUV, with a bow on top, was left outside her home by the same drug trafficker who was trying to woo her.

She said she returned the gift but gave no explanation how she found out the return address, given how secretive Colombian mob bosses are.

"All those narcos care about is how big your breasts are. If they want you, the first thing they do is send you to their plastic surgeons to have silicone implants. But it's them who decide how big you should be, not you," she went on.

Guzman dares tell her story now for a simple reason -- Varela is dead. e was slain last year by one of his power-hungry lieutenants eager to take over the business. It marked the end of a nightmare she walked into with her eyes wide open.

"[When I heard the news], I didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Varela had his good side, but my freedom doesn't have a price," she said. "I felt the golden cage had been flung open, and I could fly again."

American father in custody case released from Japanese jail

2009-10-15T08:19:00.002-07:00

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Japanese authorities have released an American man who was jailed for allegedly trying to snatch back his children from his estranged wife.

Christopher Savoie was jailed in Japan after trying to get kids back from their mother.

Police in the rural southern town of Yanagawa let Christopher Savoie go Thursday without indicting him on charges of child kidnapping.

Officials said the indictment was "on hold," but did not elaborate.

The prosecutor's office in nearby Fukuoka said Savoie was released after he promised not to take his children back to the United States "in this manner," implying he could not have any contact with the children.

Savoie, 38, a Tennessee native and naturalized Japanese citizen, allegedly grabbed his children -- 8-year-old Isaac and 6-year-old Rebecca -- as his estranged wife walked them to school on September 28 in Yanagawa.

With the children, Savoie headed for the nearest U.S. consulate, in the city of Fukuoka, to try to obtain passports for them. Screaming at guards to let him in the compound, Savoie was steps from the front gate but still standing on Japanese soil when he was arrested. Watch how Savoie's release was worked out »

Consulate spokeswoman Tracy Taylor said her office had been notified that Savoie would be released Thursday afternoon.

"We are pleased to learn he was to be released," she said. "The U.S. government, together with the Japanese government, will try to find a long-term solution to the joint custody and parenting issues."

Savoie and his first wife, Noriko Savoie, were married for 14 years before a bitter divorce in January. The couple lived in Japan but had moved to the United States before the divorce.

Christopher Savoie remarried in February. Watch what Christopher Savoie's second wife says about the case »

Noriko Savoie was given custody of the children and agreed to remain in the United States. Christopher Savoie had visitation rights.

On the day that the children were to start school in August, Savoie learned that Noriko Savoie had fled with them to Japan.

After they went to Japan, Christopher Savoie filed for and received full custody of the children. Police in Franklin, Tennessee, issued an arrest warrant for Noriko Savoie. However, Japan is not a party to a 1980 Hague Convention law on international child abduction.

Japanese law also follows a tradition of sole-custody divorces. When a couple splits, one parent typically makes a complete and lifelong break from the children.

Complicating the matter is the fact that the couple is still considered married in Japan because they never divorced here, police said. In addition, Japanese authorities say, the children hold Japanese passports.

Foreign parents have had little luck in regaining custody, the U.S. State Department said.

Noriko Savoie's mother did not want to talk about Christopher Savoie's release on Thursday.

"I cannot make any comment on this, for the sake of my grandchildren," she said.

Yasuhisa Kawamura, a spokesman with the Foreign Ministry, said the government may reconsider signing on to the Hague treaty.

"Japanese government is also considering seriously to conclude this treaty on the grounds that this treaty would provide one of the most effective measures to protect the children after their parents divorced,"

Arctic ice to vanish in summer, report says

2009-10-15T08:19:00.001-07:00

LONDON, England (CNN) -- New data released Thursday suggests that the Arctic Ocean will be "largely ice free" during summer within a decade.

As the Arctic sea ice melts, polar bears face extinction.

The report, complied by the UK-based Catlin Arctic Survey and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is the latest research into ice thickness in the Arctic.

Researchers predict that within 20 years ice cover will be completely gone during the warmer months.

The expedition, which was completed in May, was led by UK explorer Pen Hadow.

He and his team collected data by manually drilling into the ice and noting its thickness along a 450-kilometer route across the northern part of the Beaufort Sea.

They found that the area surveyed was comprised almost exclusively of first year ice.

Scientists think this is significant because traditionally the region has been made up of much older, thicker ice.

"Discovering this area of younger ice provides another body of information that supports the rapidly emerging scientific consensus that it's going to be nearer 10 years from now that we will see roughly 80-85 percent free waters in the Arctic Ocean," Hadow told CNN.

Measurements taken by Hadow and his team report that the ice-floes were on average 1.8 meters thick -- which, according to scientists, is too thin to survive next summer's ice melt.

Professor Peter Wadhams, head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group at the UK's University of Cambridge said: "With a large part of the region now first year ice, it is clearly more vulnerable. The area is now more likely to become open water each summer, bringing forward the potential date when the summer sea ice will be completely gone."

Professor Wadhams, who has analyzed the expedition data, added: "The Catlin Arctic Survey data supports the new consensus view that the Arctic will be ice-free in summer within about 20 years, and much of that decrease will be happening within 10 years." Click here to see pictures of the expedition »

Martin Sommerkorn from the WWF International Arctic Program believes that the changes in sea-ice cover in the region are likely to increase global temperatures further.

"Such a loss of Arctic sea ice has recently been assessed to set in motion powerful climate feedbacks which will have an impact far beyond the Arctic itself," Sommerkorn said.

"Arctic sea ice holds a central position in our Earth's climate system. Take it out of the equation and we are left with a dramatically warmer world," he added.

Shadow fears that the current climate models developed by scientists may not be extreme enough. But he is hopeful that this new data will spur world leaders into action.

"We are now in a loss period," Hadow told CNN. "Maybe losing this sea ice, this roof on the top of our planet in going to be an important moment, a big visual aid to the science that in combination can bring about some sort of global agreement on emissions."

Italy denies report it 'paid off' Taliban to protect its troops

2009-10-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi denied Thursday that payments to the Taliban in Afghanistan were authorized to protect Italian soldiers deployed there.

Silvio Berlusconi has refuted the claims made by the Times newspaper as baseless.

The accusation, published by the London Times, is "baseless," his office said in a written statement.

"Berlusconi's government has never authorized nor allowed any form of money payment in favor of members of the Taliban insurgency, nor does it have any knowledge of these types of initiatives enacted by the previous government.

"As a way of proving this, it is enough to remember that in the first half of the year 2008, the Italian contingency in Afghanistan have received numerous attacks, and specifically in the area of Sarobi. On February 13th, 2008, the second lieutenant Francesco Pezzulo was killed in one of those attacks," the statement continued.

According to the Times, when French troops replaced the Italians in the Sarobi area east of Kabul in mid-2008, they were not told about the practice.

"Within a month, ten French soldiers had been killed in an ambush by the insurgents. It was one of the biggest single losses of life by NATO forces in Afghanistan," the Times said.

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The French public was horrified, because the men had been mutilated, it added. "They were not informed that the departing Italians had kept the region relatively peaceful by paying local Taliban fighters to remain inactive."

The Times interpreted Berlusconi's denial as an attempt to distance himself from any secret deals of the previous Italian administration. Berlusconi defeated Romano Prodi in the April 2008 elections, and the Times said he had been in power for about three months when the handover of Sarobi to the French was completed.

According to the Times, U.S. intelligence officials discovered through intercepted conversations that the Italians had been buying off militants in other areas, "notably in Herat province in the far west."

It added that "in June 2008, several weeks before the ambush, the U.S. ambassador in Rome made a demarche, or diplomatic protest, to the Berlusconi government over allegations concerning the tactic."

Use toilet before boarding, Japan airline asks

2009-10-15T08:16:00.001-07:00

(CNN) -- To offset carbon dioxide, a Japanese airline is asking its passengers to go to the toilet before boarding.

All Nippon Airways is asking passengers to use the restroom before flying to reduce weight.

"We are making these items lighter -- and making the passengers lighter, a little bit," Tezuka said.

The airline estimates that if 50 percent of passengers relieved themselves before boarding, it would reduce carbon dioxide by 4.2 tons a month.

Flights will also show educational films on the environment.

The month-long trial program, which began October 1, will be evaluated and may be extended if successful, Tezuka said.

So no mother-like admonishments to use the toilet before leaving? "No, it's more subtle than that," Tezuka said. People are also encouraged to pack lighter for the flights, although no additional weight restrictions apply.

The program comes as the airline industry in Japan is struggling. The nation's largest carrier, Japan Airlines, is seeking a government bailout and forecasts $700 million in losses this year. This week, ANA's stock price hit a 52-week low in trading Wednesday

Go beyond the beach in the Dominican Republic

2009-10-15T08:15:00.001-07:00

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CNN) -- You've got your spot on a lounge chair angled into the hot Caribbean sun, with tall, slender palm trees jutting out over your head. As you gaze at the calm turquoise waters and sip that refreshing rum drink, you may ask yourself, "What more could I possibly want?"

Visitors can climb the tower at Fortaleza Ozama for a view over the rooftops and out to sea.

1 of 2

more photos »

For many travelers to the Dominican Republic, that chair -- usually secluded inside a mega all-inclusive resort complex -- is the sole destination.

And don't get me wrong, it's a great one. The Dominican Republic's stretches of sand are some of the best on the planet. But if you never leave the high walls of your tourist compound, you're missing out on a gem of a capital city.

Santo Domingo is the New World's first city, with 16th-century buildings, quaint colonial streets, romantic ruins and a lively atmosphere. All you need is a full day to experience the city's architecture, culture and food. Plus, it's only a $9 coach bus ride from Punta Cana.

So when you begin to tire of the antics of the "animation team" at the resort, and the color of your skin starts to resemble the papaya or watermelon you're eating, consider a short trip to Santo Domingo.

Founded soon after Christopher Columbus set foot in the New World, and run by his son Diego, the city became the colonial capital of the Americas and launch pad for further Spanish expeditions. Despite several raids by pirates, the oldest section of town remains largely intact. Known as the Zona Colonial, it contains many European "firsts" in the Western Hemisphere including the first street, cathedral, hospital and university.

How to see it all in a day

Start at the heart of the zone, Parque Colón, a square that borders the cathedral and is always full of life. You can sit and watch children chase pigeons as you gaze up at the simple beauty of the oldest cathedral in the Americas. Next, head over to the oldest fortress in the New World, Fortaleza Ozama, built in the early 1500s. There you can climb the tower for a view over the rooftops and out to sea.

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Back on street level, walk up a couple blocks to the expansive Plaza España, site of two museums and a hangout for locals, especially in the evening, when kids crisscross the square on scooters or fly kites, and couples sit quietly together. The Museo de las Casas Reales and the Alcázar de Colón -- Diego Columbus' palace -- show you how the wealthy Spanish lived when they came to the early colonies and provide some history of the island's colonization -- all for a buck or two.

Next, head over to a pair of impressive ruins. Gaze up at the towering walls and arches of the Americas' first hospital, Hospital de San Nicolás de Bari. Then, just up a picturesque bend in the road lined with colorful houses, you'll find the large ruins of Monasterio de San Francisco. Pirate attacks and earthquakes brought down the monastery. The hospital was merely abandoned in the 18th century, and later dismantled for safety.

Now let yourself wander a bit through the streets, checking out the colorful surprises around every colonial corner. You'll discover the varied architecture of people's homes, and get a view into Dominican city life. In just a few blocks, I ran across a pickup game of baseball, the national sport and passion, in the middle of the street, with adults using just a broom handle and roll of tape; several "kiddie" pools in the streets, where both children and adults were cooling off in the afternoon heat; and a handful of corner parks alive with activity.

After exploring, your final destination is the zone's main drag, Calle El Conde. This pedestrian-only street is the place to shop. You'll find street sellers hawking colorful artwork; music stores to pick up that merengue and bachata music you've heard blaring out of everyone's stereos; and jewelry shops featuring native amber and the sky-blue stone larimar found only in the Dominican Republic.

By now, you've certainly worked up an appetite walking in the hot sun. Parque Colón and Plaza España each have a row of chic sidewalk cafés, although they're a bit pricey and touristy. Consider wandering a bit through some side streets to find a more local establishment, where you can feast on typical cuisine such as la bandera dominicana (a red beans and rice dish), several stews, fried plantains or yucca and delicious tropical fruits.

And if you still feel like dancing the night away, hop in a taxi to the Malecón, Santo Domingo's seafront boulevard, where the large hotels have popular dance clubs pumping merengue until the wee hours of the morning.

The bus ride

Getting to the capital city from the beach areas is cheap and relatively easy. Expreso Bávaro runs from the Punta Cana area for $9 in an air-conditioned and comfy coach bus. On your four-hour ride, you'll get a glimpse of some smaller Dominican towns, a towering modern cathedral, distant mountains and vast sugarcane fields. Metro and Caribe Tours provide similar services from the beaches on the north coast around Puerto Plata.

The buses to/from Punta Cana don't run long into the evening (they leave each side at 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.), so you'll want to make this an overnight trip. The Zona Colonial has several boutique hotels that are quaint, clean and reasonably priced. You could even arrange to fly out of Santo Domingo's Las Americas airport, rather than Punta Cana.

Curry festival spices up London

2009-10-15T08:13:00.002-07:00

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britons are famed for their love of curry and, over the years, the country's taste for South Asian food has evolved into a unique blend of cuisine specially created for British palates.

Brick Lane Curry Festival offers hot traditional food as well as milder Anglo-Indian classics.

more photos »

Nowhere is this more apparent than at the so-called 'curry mile' in London's Brick Lane, which this week celebrates what is billed as "the only curry festival in Europe."

The two week-long festival takes place in the street which received its name during the rebuilding period after the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Today, the area around Brick Lane is known as 'Banglatown,' referring to the large Bangladeshi community which arrived in Britain during the second half of the twentieth century.

The community and especially the new businesses have transformed London's East End, which was traditionally the heart of Britain's working class, whose cuisine of jellied eels and cockles, is far removed from the spicy dishes that are popular in the area today. See images from the festival »

"These restaurants have made a huge contribution to the UK economy and been largely responsible for bringing tourism and visitors from far and wide to the area. They have also transformed Brick Lane into one of UK's most popular and vibrant destinations," Amir Hussain,

The melting pot has also helped define the Indo-British cuisine, as some unique dishes have been created which adapt traditional Bangladeshi cuisine to Britain's passion for spices.

Mohammed Shamim, co-owner of City Spice in Brick Lane, says two of his most popular culinary fusions are the Balti -- a type of curry served in a traditional stainless steel dish, and the Chicken Tikka Masala, which some consider to be the true national dish.

"Those dishes were created in Britain. Some say they originated in Birmingham, others say they were created in London," he says.

Khaled Ahmed, manager of Shampan, one of the 50-plus restaurants in the area, says these dishes have been created because the cuisine from South Asia might be a bit too strong for Britons.

"People here prefer mild curry to strong curry. This is different in Asia," he says and added that there will be stronger curry dishes during the two weeks of the festival.

Diversified menus, music, dance and street performances could attract more curry lovers, something both Shamim and Ahmed's hope for, as their restaurants have been affected by the economic crisis.

Restaurant owners hope the festival will help them overcome the effects of the recession, which has seen cash-strapped customers tighten their belts.

"There are fewer guests in Brick Lane. The crisis has affected us much," Shamin told CNN.

However, Ahmed is positive about the future. "The situation will improve," he says, because "Britons are addicted to curry."

Nadal, Djokovic sweep into Shanghai quarterfinals

2009-10-15T08:13:00.001-07:00

(CNN) -- Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic remain on course for a final showdown at the Shanghai Masters as both cruised into the quarterfinals with convincing victories in China on Thursday.

Rafael Nadal proved too strong for his compatriot Tommy Robredo in the Chinese event.

World No. 2 Nadal, top seed in the absence of the resting Roger Federer, crushed fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-1 6-4 to set up a clash with Ivan Ljubicic on Friday.

Ljubicic progressed when French 11th seed Gael Monfils retired with a back problem while trailing the unseeded Croatian 6-2 3-0.

Nadal romped through the first set but went 2-0 down in the second before quickly breaking back, then leveling at 4-4.

He broke Robredo to love in the ninth game and then went 40-0 up on his own serve before his 14th-seeded opponent saved a match-point.

Nadal then faulted with his next serve, but his wickedly-spinning second attempt forced Robredo to hit his return high and wide.

Second seed Djokovic similarly dispatched German qualifier Rainer Schuettler, winning 6-4 6-2, and will next face eighth seed Gilles Simon.

"I didn't play the last couple of games of the first set that well, but the important thing is that I played as much as I needed, to win," the Serbian told the ATP Tour's official Web site.

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"I've been working on physical strength and fitness a lot in last couple of months, and it's been paying off. When you are playing week after week, it's important to be physically strong, and that gives you advantage over your opponents.

"[Simon] is one of those tricky players on the tour who you don't want to really play. And it's not fun to play him, because he gets a lot of balls back, and he moves very lightly on the court. I'm well aware that's going to be a long match."

Frenchman Simon defeated unseeded Czech Tomas Berdych 6-3 6-4 to keep up his bid to claim one of the three remaining ATP World Tour Finals places.

Sixth seed Nikolay Daydenko is also on track for a spot at the eight-man season-ending event in London after beating fellow contender Fernando Gonzalez 6-3 7-5.

The Russian needed just 82 minutes to defeat the 10th-seeded Chilean and set up a quarterfinal clash with Radek Stepanek on Friday.

The Czech 13th seed progressed when unseeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka retired with an abdominal injury, with Stepanek leading 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 4-2 in a match that had already lasted two hours and 22 minutes.

French Open finalist Robin Soderling moved into eighth place in the ATP Tour standings as he beat fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6-3 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals.

The ninth-seeded Swede went ahead of Gonzalez in the race for a place in London next month as he won 74 percent of points on his serve.

The 25-year-old will next play Spain's Feliciano Lopez, who beat Austrian Jurgen Melzer 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 in a battle of two unseeded players

Late winner puts Argentina in World Cup finals

2009-10-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- Substitute Mario Bolatti scored in the 85th minute to give Argentina a 1-0 victory against 10-man Uruguay on Wednesday night and send the struggling South American football heavyweights through to next year's World Cup finals.

Mario Bolatti rejoices after scoring the decisive goal that sent Argentina into next year's World Cup.

more photos »

Two-time winners of the World Cup, Argentina joined Brazil, Chile and Paraguay as automatic qualifiers from South America.

Uruguay finished fifth in the group and now face a playoff in November against Costa Rica to secure a place in the South African showpiece.

Argentina's bid to qualify went to the final game of group-stage qualification, raising the prospect that one of the game's best players, Lionel Messi, would not play in football's greatest event and that coach Diego Maradona would end his brief tenure.
See Maradona's big day in pictures. »

The decisive moment came late in the match in Montevideo, as home defender Jose Martin Caceres was sent off for a foul against Argentina winger Jonas Gutierrez, reducing Uruguay to 10 men.

From the ensuing free-kick, Messi shifted the ball left to Juan Sebastian Veron, whose long-range shot ended up falling to Bolatti -- on the field for just four minutes -- who reacted quickest and fired past goalkeeper Nestor Muslera for the winner.

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Maradona was delighted after the victory, Argentina's first in the Uruguayan capital in 33 years, and celebrated wildly on the pitch after the match.
Argentina fans revel in qualifying win.

"I can't say I enjoyed the game because I was aware throughout of how strong Uruguay were," he told FIFA's official Web site.

"I'd like to thank the players from the bottom of my heart because today was the day they made me a coach. I'd also like to dedicate our qualification to the people of Argentina, my family and to nobody else."

Uruguay go into the playoffs for the third successive time, having failed to qualify for Germany in 2006 after reaching the 2002 finals in Japan and South Korea, where they failed to go past the first-round group stage.

In Wednesday's other games, five-time World Cup champions Brazil ended Venezuela's hopes of a playoff place following a 0-0 draw in Campo Grande.

It was Venezuela's first-ever point on Brazilian soil, and the fourth time the group winners -- who had Miranda sent off for an elbow on Giancarlo Maldonado in the 56th minute -- were held to a goalless draw at home in this campaign.

Ecuador's bid to qualify ended in a 1-0 defeat in Santiago by Chile, who pipped Paraguay for second place on goal difference as Humberto Suazo netted his 10th goal of the qualifiers to be the zone's top scorer.

Paraguay could have topped the group but lost 2-0 at home to Colombia, with Gustavo Ramos and Hugo Rodallega scoring in the second half.

Peru finished bottom despite beating fellow strugglers Bolivia 1-0 in Lima, thanks to a 53rd-minute winner from Johan Fano, who was given a straight red card soon after.

Bolivia had already been reduced to 10 men, with Rosauro Rivero sent off for a second yellow card in the 39th minute.

Massa risks row with new teammate Alonso

2009-10-15T08:11:00.002-07:00

(CNN) -- Felipe Massa has been forced to backtrack on comments he made claiming that new Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso was aware of Renault's plans to deliberately crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Felipe Massa is still showing the scars of his horror crash at the Hungarian GP in July.

Alonso won that race after the safety car was brought out when Renault's No. 2 driver Nelson Piquet Jr spun out on lap 14, and Massa subsequently claimed it cost him that year's world title as he finished one point behind champion Lewis Hamilton.

Motorsport's ruling body the FIA cleared Alonso of any wrongdoing as it banned Renault boss Flavio Briatore, who quit his role before the ruling, while Piquet was immune from prosecution in return for giving evidence.

Massa told reporters in his native Brazil on Wednesday that he believed two-time world champion Alonso -- who is replacing Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari next year -- must have known about Renault's race plan.

"It was the team and Nelson -- but Alonso was part of the problem. He knew. We cannot know it, but of course he knew. It's an absolute certainty," he said ahead of this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.

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However, the 28-year-old later released a statement on the official Ferrari Web site in a bid to avoid conflict with his future teammate.

"What I've said is the outcome of a hunch I've had and is not based on any concrete evidence," Felipe said.

"The FIA World Council announced that there was no indication that Fernando may have been informed of what had happened and I respect this outcome.

"Obviously I'm very disappointed about what transpired last year in Singapore: I have already said several times what I thought about it and now it's time to close that chapter and to look to the future.

"What is certain is that this episode will not mar in any way the relationship I'll have with Fernando when we will be teammates."

Massa will not be racing at his beloved Interlagos circuit this weekend as he is still recovering from serious head injuries suffered in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.

He has been allowed to test a 2007 Ferrari this week, but the team announced that he will not be ready to return to competitive action until next season

Paramedic: Jett Travolta dead before ambulance called

2009-10-15T08:11:00.001-07:00

(CNN) -- A paramedic accused of plotting to extort $25 million from actor John Travolta after his 16-year-old son died in the Bahamas told a jury Wednesday the boy had been dead for some time before the ambulance service was called.

John Travolta's 16-year-old son, Jett, died in the Bahamas in January after having a seizure.

Tarino Lightbourn said in his statement to the Nassau, Bahamas, jury that a doctor told medics to keep administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Jett Travolta despite knowing the teen was dead, and that the ambulance company was told to transport him to the hospital -- something not usually done if a person was already dead.

Lightbourn and former Bahamian Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater are on trial on charges they attempted to extort money from Travolta after his son's January 2 death from a seizure.

In Bahamian courts, defendants are allowed to make a statement without being placed under oath and will not face cross-examination.

Earlier in the trial, Travolta testified that his son was found unresponsive by a nanny at the home on the island of Grand Bahama, where the family was spending the New Year's holiday.

Lightbourn said Jett Travolta's veins had collapsed and his body was stiff as he lay on the bathroom floor. Someone in the room suggested that those present would receive a lot of money if they stayed quiet, he said, adding he thought this was part of a cover-up. Lightbourn did not say to whom he was referring.

Travolta testified he initially told the ambulance driver to rush them to an airport where his private jet was parked and where Travolta, who is a pilot, planned to fly his son to a West Palm Beach, Florida, hospital instead of driving him to one in nearby Freeport.

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The paramedic, however, asked Travolta to sign a statement releasing the ambulance company from liability.

"I received a liability of release document. I signed it. I did not read it. Time was of the essence," Travolta testified earlier in the trial. While he and his wife were riding in the ambulance with their son, they decided to divert to the hospital. At the hospital, the actor was told his son "wasn't alive," he said.

In her statement, Bridgewater said she advised Lightbourn not to sell the document because she was trying to protect the Travoltas and the Bahamas. She said she was concerned Travolta would tell his friends not to travel to the Bahamas because of the lack of privacy.

Lightbourn said Wednesday that he asked attorney Bridgewater to assist him in negotiations with Travolta's attorneys.

Travolta earlier testified he learned of a demand for $25 million, or "stories connected to that document would be sold to the press ... The stories would imply the death of my son was intentional and I was culpable somehow."

Travolta attorney Michael McDermott testified that he assisted police in a sting by secretly recording meeting with the defendants in a Nassau hotel room. Bahamian police had placed wireless microphones on McDermott and hidden two cameras in his room, McDermott said.

Lightbourn said his eyes popped when Travolta's attorney offered him $15 million for the document Travolta signed. Travolta's attorney testified the negotiations between Lightbourn and himself were all part of the Bahamian police sting.

On Wednesday, Travolta attorney Michael Ossi told CNN he could not comment on specifics in the case. "The statements made today are not evidence, but what has already been placed into evidence speaks for itself," he said.

Defense attorneys have attempted to convince the jury that Travolta's attorney came to the Bahamas to "set up" their clients. Murrio Ducille, who represents Bridgewater, said to Travolta's attorney, "you came to the island with evil in your heart."

The trial is expected to wrap up early next week when the jury will begin its deliberations. Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, are not expected back in court.

Cryptic tweet signals date for new Rihanna release

2009-10-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- The best way to get tongues wagging is to say nothing at all, and it's a skill Rihanna has down to a science.

Rihanna apparently revealed the release date for her new album over Twitter.

The Barbadian songstress arrived a bit late to the Twitter party when she -- or her people -- created a "rihanna" tag yesterday and sent out a single, sparse tweet: "The Wait Is Ova. Nov. 23 09."

Whether that's the name of a new single, the beginning of a viral marketing campaign -- or both -- is unknown, but a representative for Rihanna told Entertainment Weekly that though the date "looks accurate" for her album release, "The Wait Is Ova" is not the album title.

The only other object fans can mine for clues about the singer's upcoming release is the logo, a metallic nail fashioned into a crudely shaped "R" that has swarmed the Internet.

The new record would be her fourth since her debut at 17. In the four years since, she's evolved from an unknown, breezy pop singer to a sonically and fashionably more distinct persona. One can only expect that her latest effort would continue to show that growth.

Yet there are extra layers of anticipation surrounding the unnamed work: Not only is this Rihanna's follow-up to "Good Girl Gone Bad," the album that made her an international superstar, it's also the first time she is piping up as a solo artist since the infamous fight with her ex-boyfriend, Chris Brown, in February.

Those who've worked with the star on the record have said to expect something with more ferocity. "Expect an edgier, almost angrier Rihanna on this one," Ne-Yo told E! Online. "Rihanna says some things on this album that you've never heard her say before."

But, said Mariel Concepcion, associate editor for Billboard.com, that statement shouldn't be taken too literally.

"She has changed a bit, but I think she's simply grown. Fans are expecting her to reveal some details, but I think she's going to subliminally let it be known that 'Yes, [Chris] hurt me, but I'm moving forward with life.' This issue was such a serious issue, it calls for more than putting out an angry song about it."

Tracey Johnson, who said she's been a fan of the singer since the beginning, has high expectations for the upcoming release, but not because she expects to hear about Rihanna's personal life.

"[Some fans] feel like it would be good for her to represent abused women in some sort of way and say something, but in my perspective, she doesn't owe us anything," Johnson said. "She's always been pretty private about the relationship, and she's never opened a lot in her music anyway."

If Rihanna maintains her silence, Johnson said, it will be "kind of a hit back at the critics who said she disappeared after not becoming the spokesperson for domestic abuse. She's saying this is what you should be paying attention to: I'm a fashion icon, and I make great music."

Johnson, co-founder and editor of celebrity Web site NeonLimelight.com, has paid close attention to Rihanna's reported studio time over the past few months, but said he didn't expect to see the album appear so soon -- and with a tweet, no less.

"I'm definitely expecting more for this album," she said. "Rihanna has a platform now that she didn't have before 'Good Girl Gone Bad.' She's gone a step forward with each album, and I think it's going to be a little more of what we heard on 'Good Girl Gone Bad,' but to the next level."

That's a prediction that Concepcion agrees with, considering that the people who have been pulled in on this album resemble the team who worked on "Good Girl": Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo and Tricky Stewart, who was behind the single "Umbrella" that launched Rihanna to a new level of pop stardom.

Devin Lazerine, editor of Rap-Up.com, said Stewart isn't trying to top the success of "Umbrella," but rather create a sound that would live up to its success.

"Just from hearing 'Run This Town' we can see the direction she's heading in," Lazerine said. "It's going to be darker and more edgy. She was actually going to put that song on this album, and then Jay-Z heard it and they traded songs."

Still, Lazerine said, "dark" and "edgy" don't always equal "personal."

"She's all about the music and the sound -- I think we're going to get something that embodies her fashion sense," he said. "I don't think there's going to be much about the Chris Brown situation; I don't even think her fans expect that. They just want something that pushes the boundaries."

Rihanna's former other half, Chris Brown, has been busying in the studio as well. The singer, who was sentenced to five years' probation and more than 1,400 hours of community service in August, released the single "I Can Transform Ya" with Swizz Beatz and Lil Wayne a few weeks ago, but it's not the only one circulating the Internet.

"So Cold," a ballad with lyrics that sound suspiciously autobiographical, was leaked onto the Internet yesterday, as Brown's Twitter page confirms. Nonetheless, the artist does plan to keep it on the upcoming album "Graffiti," which has an undetermined release date

Divorce, Gosselin style, for 'Jon & Kate'

2009-10-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- They say that breaking up is hard to do, especially when millions of eyes are there to witness every caustic comment and verbal volley.

Kate and Jon Gosselin are going through a very public and contentious divorce.

No one knows that better than Jon and Kate Gosselin, whose divorce is playing out on a world stage, complete with tabloid covers, he-said-she-said television appearances and court orders.

Such public spats can do a great deal of harm, said divorce attorney Randall M. Kessler, who's handled several celebrity cases.

"I just gave a presentation where I said, 'When can press hurt you? It's when clients start talking,'" Kessler said. "The hard thing for [famous people] to do is to not speak out, because they are so used to everything they say being quoted and helping them, but this is the opposite. Talking about a divorce is never good."

The Gosselins join a growing list of celebrities whose marital woes have been well-documented by the media and paparazzi. See a gallery of celebrity custody battles »

Kessler has represented quite a few clients involved in celebrity divorce cases, including Tameka Foster Raymond (who is in the midst of a divorce with superstar singer Usher) and rapper Mack 10 (ex-husband of TLC member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins), as well as some high-profile paternity and child support lawsuits.

Celebrities often want to protect their reputations and the wrong sound bite can ruin that, Kessler said. Yet, at the same time, it can be difficult for the famous to take direction, he said.

"They are so used to being in charge of their own destiny and being able to decide what's best for them that it's very hard for them to listen to attorneys, accountants or anyone that is trying to advise them," Kessler said.

Viewers have questioned who, if anyone, Jon and Kate Gosselin are taking cues from in their very public marital battle.

In May, Kate defended her husband against rumors that he had been cheating on her and stepping out while she stayed home with their twins and sextuplets.

Weeks later they used their enormously popular TLC reality show, "Jon & Kate Plus 8", to admit what fans had begun to suspect: Their marriage was on the rocks.

Soon they announced that they were divorcing, but would continue filming -- albeit separately -- their series, which for four seasons had chronicled the highs and lows of their family life.

It all appeared to be relatively civil until Jon began stepping out with his new girlfriend, moved to a bachelor pad in New York and appeared to be living the high life with shopping sprees and designer duds.

Jon took to the airwaves to reveal that he "despised Kate." Kate lamented that she missed "the Jon I knew."

TLC announced in October that the reality show would continue as "Kate Plus 8" and Jon immediately called a halt to filming, claiming the series was doing damage to their children.

Within days, Kate accused Jon of making off with more than $200,000 from their joint bank account. A judge ordered him to return $180,000 to the account. Watch a discussion about the Gosselin's money madness »

Through it all, both have maintained they each have the best interests of their children at heart. Child psychologist Joanne Pedro-Carroll said the Gosselins are in a precarious position.

"It's very concerning, especially given how public this is and the children's young ages, which makes them especially vulnerable," Pedro-Carroll said. "One of the things we know with really young children is that they are prone to misconceptions about the reasons for the breakup."

While Jon and Kate haven't so far added a bitter custody dispute to their matrimonial melee, Pedro-Carroll said she worries about the long-term effect on the young Gosselins.

"Sadly, the things that are happening now, with all of this conflict and having it be so public, puts these children very much at risk for having problems," said Pedro-Carroll, author of the forthcoming book "Putting Children First: Proven Parenting Strategies for Helping Children Thrive After Divorce." "I worry about the children being pulled into loyalty conflicts, thinking about who the good person here is and who's the bad person, when children very much need two loving, responsible parents in their lives."

Kessler said he advises his celebrity clients to, when possible, keep the children out of the media and receive training in cooperative parenting.

Lisa Pecot-Hebert, an assistant professor at the College of Communication at DePaul University, said she believes many viewers can relate to the Gosselins' divorce drama. can also view the family's situation as a cautionary tale, she said.

"I think viewers can learn that sometimes when people let cameras into their personal lives for our entertainment, oftentimes it ruins what was theirs to begin with," Pecot-Hebert said.

Will e-bikes be the new 'commuter cool'?

2009-10-15T08:08:00.002-07:00

(CNN) -- Keith Felch is admittedly a big guy, but more than a few super-fit cyclists in Southern California have been left wondering how that dude just went flying by.

Keith Felch calls his electric bike a "hill eraser" because he can ride it to work without breaking a sweat.

And then his wife, Mary, comes motoring past.

"They stare, like how can a girl go past me," she says, laughing. It takes the other riders a few seconds but then they figure it out.

They have electric motors.

The Felches, who live in Aliso Viejo, California, used to drive everywhere, except when they used their bikes for recreation.

That changed when they got their new e-bikes, made by a company called Optibike. Now, they ride to go shopping and to go to breakfast -- but mostly they ride to work.

Keith Felch says the couple has cut 50 percent of their car-use since they started electric biking.

And there are other benefits. Keith Felch dropped 30 pounds and his blood pressure fell 10 points in the first six months he owned the bike, he says.

The Felches don't exactly classify themselves as "environmentalists," although Mary said it is important to have a positive effect on the planet.

"I learned that the worst amount of smog that you put out [in an automobile] is in the first mile, so if we can make even some of those shorter trips on our bicycles, it makes a big difference," she says.

Who wants one?

Brent Meyers, director of sales for Ultra Motor US, says electric bikes attract different types of buyers.

Many are looking to make a green imprint.

Some are "active adults" who have ridden bicycles for years who -- as they get older -- are unable to do the same kind of riding they did when they were young.

Other buyers want to ride their bikes to work quickly -- and avoid a sweaty entrance into the office.

Oddly -- or perhaps not -- Ultra Motor US sees its strongest sales when the price of oil skyrockets, says Meyers.

Two wheels, a motor and 100 million riders

Electric bikes are still somewhat of a novelty in the United States, but in China they're everywhere.

In fact, Chinese electric bikes number more than 100 million -- which is about four times the number of Chinese private cars, according to Electric Bikes Worldwide Reports. The bikes are popular in Europe as well.

Sales figures for the United States are hard to pinpoint.

In the United States, about 200,000 electric bicycles were sold last year, said Ed Benjamin of the Light Electric Vehicle Association -- about twice the number sold in 2005.

But the industry has hit a bump in the road from the recession, as sales were down about 10 percent in 2009, he said.

E-bikes are mostly made by specialty companies, but the growing sales trend has been noticed by the big boys.

Trek, a worldwide leader in bike sales, has been making electric bikes for three years, but only introduced them in the United States in the past year.

Other well-known companies like Schwinn and Giant are increasing their presence in the e-bike field.

At Interbike, the biggest bicycle industry convention in the United States, there were more than 20 companies displaying e-bikes this year. Meyers said only a few years ago, it was about five.

Prices range from a few hundred dollars -- the E-Zip Trailz Hybrid costs $398 at Wal-Mart -- to more than $13,000 for OptiBike's top-end model.

Prices increase as battery technology and components get better.

Steve Roseman of The Electric Bike Network in San Francisco, California, said most buyers he sees don't balk at the price, which can be as much as a good road or mountain bike. They are mostly concerned with how far they can go on a battery charge and how fast.

What's an 'e-bike'?

By law, electric bikes must have no more than 1 horsepower and go no faster than 20 mph (on motor power alone).

Basically they are much like traditional bicycles with small motors that power the bike or assist a rider with pedaling. Many have gears like a regular bike.

"It's just adding the throttle aspect, other than that it handles like a regular bicycle," Keith Felch said. He says he uses the throttle all the time, choosing one of two modes -- eco [half power] or fast [full power].

He says he once tried a regular bike for his 4 ½-mile ride to one of his music studios where he teaches jazz improvisation.

But the hills nearly got him.

He calls his electric bike a "hill eraser."

It also makes the ride to his farthest studio -- 22 miles away -- seem much closer. He says he gets about 35 miles on his primary battery and has an additional one for long rides.

Shifting views

But as they tout the virtues of electric bikes, advocates also realize that there will have to be a shift in the way Americans view them before they become as popular as they are in Europe or China.

"There are two possible sides to the equation," Roseman said. "One would be a change in the way people view transportation. There are still a lot of SUVs out there. ... People still have a hard time thinking about riding a bicycle unless they are 10 years old, it seems. So there needs to be a little shift in mentality."

"But having said that, I think there is a growing awareness about health and transportation and environmental issues so it could be that we are just reaching a juncture where things will change [for e-bikes]."

Meyers says people also have a preconceived notion about electric bikes.

Some view them as expensive or poor quality or uncomfortable. And Meyers admits, e-bikes are not for everybody.

As Roseman says, people who live in Spandex will probably always prefer a really good road bike and hard-core city cyclists may will stick to their fixed-gear bikes.

Meyers says Ultra, which sells its bike for $2,700, isn't for those kinds of people.

"That's not our customer," he says. "Our customer is someone who wants some form of electric transportation, green transportation, that can get them from Point A to Point B comfortably."

The Felches say taking a test drive will change a skeptic's attitude.

"If you ride one, it will blow your mind," Keith Felch says. "When you get on one it's like being in a flying dream you've had. It's like everything you've dreamed your bicycle should do in your wildest dreams -- it's doing it.

Latest rumors point to new Macs in stores soon

2009-10-15T08:08:00.001-07:00

(WIRED) -- Product rumors have been fairly quiet on the Apple front recently, but the tech community has begun exchanging whispers about new Macs due in stores soon.

Apple geeks and the tech community have begun exchanging whispers about new Macs due in stores soon.

While the world waits for Apple to deliver its highly anticipated touchscreen tablet in early 2010, the nearer future most likely holds upgraded iMacs, Mac Minis, MacBooks and perhaps a new multitouch mouse.

Here, we round up all the Mac-related rumors that have surfaced in the past month and rate their probability. Eager to buy a new Mac? Wait a little longer: Any Tuesday now (Apple traditionally rolls out product upgrades on Tuesdays), you'll most likely see a slew of brand new Macs in the Apple Store.

Thinner, groovier iMacs

On average, Apple refreshes its iMacs every seven months, and the last batch of iMacs were released in March. History suggests that new iMacs should arrive any day now.

What's new about them? Financial publication Barron's cites research firm Wedge Partners, who claims the new iMacs will sport a "thinner, organic design, likely with smoothed or rounded edges."

That's reasonable to believe: The current aluminum form factor hasn't been changed for about two years. The previous white iMac lasted two years before receiving the aluminum makeover. So a new design for the next iMac would make sense. Also, a thinner, rounder design upgrade would be consistent with the look of the new aluminum MacBook Pros.

Corroborating the claim of thinner iMacs, a purported foreign Apple advertisement for a new iMac emerged on Google.nl, stating "iMac: Ultra Thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only €1099. Apple Store."

As for the new iMac's innards, there have been conflicting reports claiming the iMacs will feature a quad-core processor, an upgrade from their current dual-core brains, while other publications claim the iMac will continue using dual-cores.

We're undecided on who's right, but what's obvious is the new iMacs should be speedier in performance. French blog Mac4Ever claims the new iMacs will include SD card readers, just like those featured in the MacBook Pros. Apple does enjoy consistency across its product lines, so that sounds plausible.

Multitouch mouse

The iMac is rumored to be shipping with an extra bonus: a new multitouch mouse, which will presumably sport a touch-sensitive housing to do away with the roller ball on the current Mighty Mouse. Sources told AppleInsider that the new mouse would apply the multipoint touch detection technology seen in the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

A new iMac is the perfect opportunity for Apple to roll out a new mouse. Wired.com believes a multitouch mouse should function similarly to the unibody MacBook trackpads, which detect multitouch gestures. On new MacBooks, tapping the trackpad with two fingers triggers a right-click function, for example; this rumored multitouch mouse might copy this behavior.

Also, for a mouse, we would expect a multitouch gesture to replace scrolling in different directions, and perhaps there will be special gestures that trigger Exposé commands as well.

New White MacBooks

Remember the MacBook? You know, that lone white notebook in the Mac family? Rumors say the MacBook will soon receive a design overhaul and be joined by additional models. Not much is known, other than that the new MacBooks will reportedly be thinner and lighter, and the internal architecture will be reworked.

Financial blog Barron's cites research firm Wedge Partners, who claims the MacBook redesign "is likely to be limited." That's vague, but we think many of us would consider thinner and lighter to be a "limited" redesign (i.e., not mindblowingly exciting).

Several reports say the new MacBook will be released simultaneously with the new iMac. The MacBook was also alluded to in the purported Apple advertisement that may have been accidentally leaked: "MacBook: Thinner, lighter and faster! Free delivery. Order today."

Of course we believe new MacBooks are imminent: Apple would not neglect its most affordable notebook, which has been a hot seller, especially among students.

Mac Mini

Last and definitely least, there have been scarce rumors about a new Mac Mini also launching with the iMac and MacBook. Apple's treatment toward the Mac Mini has been inconsistent with its other products: The company waited 600 days before releasing the current Mac Mini, and the upgrade was only minor; it introduced no changes to form factor.

Mac Mini customer feedback suggests the device is being used for niche applications including cheap server setups, digital music servers for audiophiles and replacements for Windows PCs.

We'd guess Apple will deliver another mini upgrade for the Mac Mini, perhaps increasing its storage and adding a slight bump to performance. The purported Apple ad also includes the Mac Mini, suggesting it will drop in price: "Faster and more affordable than ever. From only €499. Order immediately."

A price drop is believable: It suggests the Mac Mini isn't a big seller, which we would expect, and if that's the case, we wouldn't expect a significant upgrade

The hot new musical instrument: Your smartphone

2009-10-15T08:06:00.002-07:00

(CNN) -- Often in the middle of the night, while his wife sleeps beside him, John Sheridan picks up his iPhone from the nightstand and shakes the device like it was a conductor's wand on fire.

John Sheridan of Florida creates music on his iPhone while his wife sleeps beside him.

Sometimes he goes on like this for more than an hour at a time. There's a point to this midnight madness, though.

By day, Sheridan is a 53-year-old real-estate agent in Florida. But by night, he's an iPhone musician.

In the past few months, he has used his phone to record and upload at least 30 songs to the Web using an iPhone application called ZOOZbeat, which helps anyone -- regardless of musical talent or lack thereof -- create songs by selecting instruments from a list and then waving his or her phone around. Learn how ZOOZbeat works »

"You don't have to know anything. You go in there and click on it, and it's playing guitar chords," Sheridan said. "It's pretty neat, actually."

A quick flick of the wrist produces a high note. A gentler movement belches out a lower tone. The app loops the sounds and lets users edit their tracks on the fly or afterwards.

Sheridan said he wears headphones while he's jamming, so as not to wake his wife.

His recording sessions are part of a pocket-sized revolution in the music world: Smartphone apps and programs for handheld gaming consoles now let all kinds of people create and remix tunes on-the-go.

The mobile-music movement is particularly pronounced in the Apple's iPhone app store, where more than a dozen downloadable applications, many of which are free or cost less than $3, let would-be musicians turn their smartphones into keyboards, drums, guitars and all kinds of futuristic synthesizers.

One bizarre application, called Ocarina, even lets people create flute sounds by blowing into their phone's built-in microphone while touching the screen to select various notes.

"There's been an absolute explosion in [music] production on mobile devices across all kinds of different platforms," said Peter Kern, editor-in-chief of createdigitalmusic.com.

Some mobile musicians are finding online fame on video-sharing sites like YouTube. More than 82,000 people have viewed this video of a woman using the Ocarina app to play the theme to "Jurassic Park" with her nose, for example.

The band the Mentalists racked up nearly 900,000 views by performing the MGMT song "Kids" using four iPhones, each loaded with a different musical app.

Professional musicians are taking smartphones on tour with them for their musical capabilities, too. A video of the band Gomez shows the group using an iPhone as an instrument. The Gregory Brothers, the band formed by the siblings who make the "Auto-Tune the News" video series, have used the I Am T-Pain application to add robot-style vocal effects to their live shows.

Phoenix has performed with an iPhone, and Jordan Rudess of the band Dream Theater has a slate of online videos explaining the musical apps he uses on tour.

The smartphones have their technical limits, of course, and the idea isn't to fully replace real-world guitars and drum kits. But the phones do offer a lightweight alternative to heavy tour gear, and they have a novelty appeal for some musicians and music fans.

Jeremy Landry, a musician who said he has recorded an entire album on the Sony PSP gaming device, said it's a fun challenge to "see how much sound you can push out with your hands tied behind your back" by a mobile device.

"I feel like I have more creativity if I have limits set on me," he said.

Kern, the Web site editor, said the trend toward mobile music started with Nintendo's Game Boy and continued on other hand-held gaming devices.

But smartphones are giving the trend more mainstream appeal.

The iPhone's accelerometer, which allows users to control apps by tilting the phone, makes the ZOOZbeat app possible, said Gil Weinberg, director of the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology and founder of ZOOZbeat.

Weinberg hopes the app will help save the struggling music industry by getting people more engaged in the music they love.

"You don't have to have a lot of money, and you also don't have to have a lot of experience in music" to be an iPhone musician, he said. "We will help you experience whatever level of creativity you would like."

ZOOZbeat recently released a new version of its app that will make this experience more social. The new app lets people "toss" recordings from one phone to another, helping them collaborate on track engineering.

It also lets people download professional music samples for remixing and recreation, adding their own lyrics if they choose.

People can't sell their ZOOZbeat creations, Weinberg said, but the company plans to hold contests with rewards like backstage passes to concerts.

Andrew Beck, a masters student in music technology at Georgia Tech who works at ZOOZbeat, envisions a future when apps like ZOOZbeat will let concert audiences participate in live shows.

"It'd be cool if people were somehow involved in the concert," he said, "but we're not sure exactly how that would work yet."

Beck, who also is a musician, said he tried giving an audience Wii remotes so they could play along with one of his shows. But the experiment just ended up creating a lot of noise, he said.

Sheridan, the nocturnal iPhone musician who goes by the screen name strato999 on the ZOOZbeat site, says that making mobile-phone music is addictive.

Sheridan earned money in college by playing guitar in a country band. Playing his phone isn't better than playing the guitar, just different, he said.

His first iPhone song, called "My name is John," is set to a hip-hop beat -- a stretch for a former country musician. The song's only lyrics are its title, which he repeats nine times in a slithery voice. Synthesizers squeal and records scratch in the background.

In a follow-up effort called "The Juan Song," Sheridan applies similar principles to a salsa beat. The lyrics, which were recorded in Spanish with the help of a translation app, go like this:

My name is John
Do you like my song?
If not, it doesn't matter
(repeat)

In other tunes, Sheridan just seems to say whatever comes to him in the moment he awakes. He laments about the real-estate crisis in a track called "Inside Out" and bemoans the fact that he's on a diet in "Salad -- The Horror of Salad," whose instrumentals sound fit for an '80s TV drama. The song starts off like a spoken-word poem:

Cucumbers. Tomatoes. Carrots. Oil. Vinegar. Lemon ...
SALAD!
Carrots, tomatoes are salad ... are salad.
I'M SO SICK OF SALAD!!!

Sheridan knows his songs are silly. When he posts them on Facebook, his friends tell him to hire a lyricist. But he hopes oddball tunes make people smile -- and bring a bit of a creative spark into his life in the process

Hong Kong apartment sets new record price

2009-10-15T08:06:00.001-07:00

A Hong Kong property developer has sold a duplex apartment for a world record price, less than three months after the territory technically emerged from recession.

Prices in Hong Kong's so-called luxury sector are up an estimated 30 percent this year.

Henderson Land, controlled by tycoon Lee Shau-kee, said it had sold the property on Hong Kong island for HK$71,280 (US$9,200) per square foot, or HK$439 million, to a buyer from mainland China.

News of Wednesday's sale came just hours after Donald Tsang, Hong Kong's chief executive, echoed concerns "about the supply of flats, difficulty in purchasing a home and the possibility of a property bubble" in his annual policy address to legislators.

"The government will closely monitor market changes in the coming months," Tsang said. "When necessary, we will fine-tune the land supply arrangements ... with a view to quickening the pace of bringing readily available residential sites to the market."

The government owns all the land in Hong Kong, the territory's most precious resource, and releases plots for auction from a pre-approved "application list" only after a developer's offer triggers a closely guarded reserve price.

"If you want to maximize the value of land you don't sell any -- or at least very little," says one local property executive.

The Hong Kong government, which strenuously denies it enforces a "high land-price policy", can also influence supply through its Urban Renewal Authority and MTR Corporation, the mass-transit rail operator that builds flats above its subway stations.

Hong Kong technically exited recession in the second quarter, during which gross domestic product grew 3.3 percent over the preceding three months. The property market has also rebounded strongly, with prices in the so-called luxury sector up an estimated 30 percent this year.

The market has been supported by the territory's unique currency peg. The peg is maintained at HK$7.8 to US$1 and forces the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to track currently low U.S. interest rates, encouraging speculative flows into the property and stock markets.

The benchmark Hang Seng index has risen 50 percent this year, and 95 percent from its low in March.

Henderson Land's record-setting property is on the 68th floor of a 40-storey building in the Mid-levels district -- a marketing trick made possible by the developer's decision to omit 47 floor numbers.

Traditionally, only floor numbers considered extremely unlucky in Cantonese culture, such as "4" and "14", are skipped

Fast Internet access becomes a legal right in Finland

2009-10-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- Finland has become the first country in the world to declare broadband Internet access a legal right.

The move by Finland is aimed at bringing Web access to rural areas, where access has been limited.

Starting in July, telecommunication companies in the northern European nation will be required to provide all 5.2 million citizens with Internet connection that runs at speeds of at least 1 megabit per second.

The one-megabit mandate, however, is simply an intermediary step, said Laura Vilkkonen, the legislative counselor for the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The country is aiming for speeds that are 100 times faster -- 100 megabit per second -- for all by 2015.

"We think it's something you cannot live without in modern society. Like banking services or water or electricity, you need Internet connection," Vilkkonen said.

Finland is one of the most wired in the world; about 95 percent of the population have some sort of Internet access, she said. But the law is designed to bring the Web to rural areas, where geographic challenges have limited access until now.

"Universal service is every citizen's subjective right," Vilkkonen said.

Should fast Internet access be everyone's legal right?

It is a view shared by the United Nations, which is making a big push to deem Internet access a human right.

In June, France's highest court declared such access a human right. But Finland goes a step further by legally mandating speed.

On the other hand, the United States is the only industrialized nation without a national policy to promote high-speed broadband, according to a study released in August by the Communications Workers of America, the country's largest media union.

Forty-six percent of rural households do not subscribe to broadband, and usage varies based on income, the study found.

In February, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to submit a national plan to Congress. The FCC says that expanding service will require subsidies and investment of as much as $350 billion -- much higher than the $7.2 billion President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package has set aside for the task

Goldman Sachs profits crush estimates

2009-10-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK -- Goldman Sachs reported on Thursday that it had nearly quadrupled its profits in the third quarter compared with a year ago, driven by a jump in trading revenues and strong returns on its own corporate investments.

Goldman Sachs reports its profits have nearly quadrupled.

Meanwhile, Citigroup defied expectations of a third-quarter loss, reporting profits of $101m on the strength of its customer deposits.

Goldman's results beat the expectations of Wall Street analysts, who had anticipated a surge in fixed-income underwriting opportunities, and followed its record performance in the second quarter when the U.S. bank reported earnings of $3.44bn. However, Goldman's shares fell by 3.12 percent to $186.28 in pre-market trading.

Net income was $3.19bn, or $5.25 a share, compared with $845m, or $1.81, in the same quarter a year ago. Analysts were anticipating profits of $4.24.

Revenues surged by 105 percent to $12.37bn, also exceeding estimates, fuelled by a 90 percent gain in trading and principal investments. The investment banking business saw revenues fall by 24 percent to $3.2bn

"Although the world continues to face serious economic challenges, we are seeing improving conditions and evidence of stabilisation, even growth, across a number of sectors," Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs' chief executive, said in a statement.

"Because the job market, and growth more generally, remain under stress, we continue to be focused on actively helping our clients in order to promote greater economic activity."

The bank, which paid back $10bn in taxpayer funds to the US government in June, has been one of the strongest on Wall Street. However, it has earned increasing criticism for its generous pay packages and close government ties.

Goldman said on Thursday it had set aside $5.35bn for compensation in the third quarter, which was higher than a year ago, thanks to stronger revenues.

Last month Mr Blankfein, speaking at a conference in Germany, acknowledged that the furore over bankers' pay was "understandable and appropriate". He was also critical of the complex financial instruments which helped foment the financial crisis, arguing that they had "outstripped" their utility.

Goldman continued to shore up its financial position in the third quarter, raising its tier 1 capital ratio -- a key measure of balance sheet strength - to 14.5 percent from 13.8 percent in the second quarter.

At Citigroup, net income of $101m translated into a loss of 27 cents a share. That beat estimates of a loss of 38 cents and compared favourably with its $2.8bn loss from the third quarter of 2008.

The earnings per share loss, in spite of the positive net income, was largely due to previously announced exchange offers which knocked $3.1bn from income available to common shareholders.

"With strong capital, strong liquidity and a strong franchise, we are looking forward.," Vikram Pandit, Citi's chief executive, said in a statement.

"We continue to execute steadily against our plan, and sustainable profitability remains our primary goal in the near term. While consumer credit trends are improving in international markets, the U.S. consumer credit environment remains challenging."

Citigroup's revenues of $20.4bn also exceeded expectations and represented a 25 per cent increase from a year ago when the bank generated $16.3bn in revenues.

The bank continued to suffer from high credit losses, which it said remained "elevated" at $8bn. Its loan loss reserve was also depleted, falling to $802m from $3.9bn in the second quarter.

The bank, which during the worst of the financial crisis was forced to hand a 34 per cent stake over to the US government and take $45bn in federal aid, continues to remake itself.

Last week, facing pressure over the compensation of its star trader Andrew Hall, Citigroup sold its controversial commodity unit Phibro to Occidental Petroleum for a cut price.

"Looking forward, we will continue to focus on sustainable profitability and growth, repaying Tarp and helping support America's economic recovery," Mr Pandit said.

Citigroup has also moved to diversify its business by making a stronger push overseas.

On Monday the bank named two long-term insiders as co-heads of banking for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, to replace a veteran dealmaker who stepped down last month.

The following day Citi said it would become the first US financial institution to open a retail operation in Vietnam in a move to target consumers in one of Asia's fastest growing economies.

Citigroup's stock price was off by 3.4 per cent to $4.83 in pre-market trading on Thursday.

The Goldman Sachs and Citigroup results followed a strong performance from rival JPMorgan, which on Wednesday beat the most bullish expectations when it reported its biggest profit in more than two years, helping to lift the Dow above the 10,000 mark

Militant attacks kill at least 37 in Pakistan

2009-10-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Militants launched a string of bold strikes in Pakistan on Thursday, leaving at least 37 police officers and civilians dead, authorities said.

A bomb disposal squad member removes a suicide jacket from a body at the FIA in Lahore on Thursday.

At least 11 militants also died in the fighting, while others were missing.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the Pakistani Taliban accepted blame for three of the attacks. At least 25 people died in those attacks, which struck police compounds in Lahore. Malik was interviewed by Pakistani television stations.

In the three nearly simultaneous mid-morning assaults, police spokesman Rai Nazar Hayat said, militants stormed Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency along with two police training centers. After entering each facility, the attackers set off explosives and, in some cases, took hostages. Watch a rundown of the day's attacks »

In northwestern Pakistan, a suicide car bomber hit a police station in the Kohat district, killing at least 11 people -- eight civilians and three police, said Kohat Police Chief Dilawr Bangish. A dozen people were wounded.

The offices of several senior police and government officials and several military installations also are nearby.

In Peshawar, a remote control bomb exploded inside a car parked in front of an apartment building.

A hospital official said an 8-year-old boy was killed and eight people -- four women, two men and two children -- were wounded. One of the children, a girl, is in critical condition. The blast took place in a residential area for government officials and employees.

Militant attacks have become increasingly bold in recent days.

At least 41 people were killed and 45 wounded in a blast Monday at a security forces checkpoint in northwest Pakistan. The explosion occurred in the Shangla district in the volatile Swat Valley.

On Saturday, militants attacked the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, killing 11 military personnel and three civilians, according to the Pakistani military. Nine militants died. A total of 39 hostages were freed Sunday morning after being held by five militants at the army headquarters.

Amanpour Clinton: U.S., Russia must go beyond Cold War

2009-10-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- An impassioned U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking to students at Moscow State University on Wednesday, admonished those in the U.S. and Russian governments who haven't moved beyond a Cold War mentality.

Hillary Clinton criticized people "living in the past" over the Cold War.

Clinton said such people are "living in the past" and aren't able to cooperate on issues such as missile defense because they "don't trust each other." She also called on the nations to find common ground, saying they "shouldn't end all cooperation" just because they can't agree on everything.

"Let's be smarter than our past," Clinton said, offering to bring a "new attitude bring to the relationship."

The town-hall meeting followed sessions Tuesday with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that yielded no breakthroughs on arms control, Afghanistan or possible sanctions against Iran as it pursues a controversial nuclear program.

Following those meetings, Clinton spoke about surmounting historical difficulties in U.S.-Russian relations, changing a relationship "once defined by the shadow of mutually assured destruction into what is based on mutual respect and, over time, increasingly mutual trust." Watch Clinton discuss U.S.-Russian relations »

"We are different countries; we have different historical experiences, different perspectives," she said. "But we are planting those disagreements in a much broader field of cooperation, and hopefully we are enriching the earth in which this cooperation can take root."

Clinton wraps up her trip to Russia on Wednesday.

More than 1 billion going hungry, U.N. says

2009-10-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

The global economic crisis has caused a spike in world hunger that has left more than a billion undernourished, United Nations agencies said in a new report.

The report says the stabilization of financial markets has meant less investment in agriculture, food distribution.

"It is unacceptable in the 21st century that almost one in six of the world's population is now going hungry," said Josette Sheeran, executive director of the World Food Programme.

"At a time when there are more hungry people in the world than ever before, there is less food aid than we have seen in living memory."

The report by the WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organization was released Wednesday, ahead of World Food Day on Friday.

Nearly all the world's undernourished live in developing countries, according to the report.

An estimated 642 million people are suffering from chronic hunger in Asia and the Pacific. An additional 265 million live in sub-Saharan Africa while 95 million come from Latin America, the Caribbean, the Near East and North Africa. The final 15 million live in developed nations. Should developed economies be doing more to eradicate hunger, poverty?

The number of hungry spiked as the global economic crisis took hold and governments pumped resources into stabilizing financial markets. The move meant smaller investments in agriculture and food distribution.

"World leaders have reacted forcefully to the financial and economic crisis, and succeeded in mobilizing billions of dollars in a short time period. The same strong action is needed now to combat hunger and poverty," said Jacques Diouf, director-general of the FAO.

"The rising number of hungry people is intolerable."

The report calls for greater investment in agriculture to tackle long and short-term hunger by making farmers productive and more resilient to crises.

"We know what is needed to meet urgent hunger needs -- we just need the resources and the international commitment to do the job," Sheeran said.

How to Install and Set Up Blogger template Simplex Darkness

2009-10-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

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About

2008-10-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

Hello
My name is Dinh Quang Huy or NhamNgaHanh as alias .
When you seeing this page ,it mean you are browsing my latest template Simplex-Darkness . I tried so hard for coding this template and make it look professional . Blogger is a powerful platform and I think it can do the same functions as Wordpress , Drupal or any others .
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If you get any ideas want to share or want to report an error when using this template ,pls go
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