Sunday 31 July 2011
USA News: Caribbean Airlines
USA News: Caribbean Airlines: "The Caribbean Airlines Boeing 737-800 flight BW-523 from New York had 163 people aboard.The plane apparently overshot the runway at Cheddi J..."
Caribbean Airlines
Below is the press release issued by the Hospital.“Within the course of three (3) hours this morning, the staff at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation diligently treated thirty-five (35) persons who were brought to the Unit following a plane crash at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, these were:
*A 56 year old female, of Wakenaam; she sustained injuries to her head, chin and mouth (tongue).
*A 33 year old female, of 41 Village, West Coast Berbice; she sustained trauma to the head.
* The 52 year old pilot, of Edinburgh Garden, Trinidad; he sustained an injury to his lower back.
* A 23 year old male, of no. 9 The Point Villas, Trinidad; he sustained injuries to his back and hands. *A 33 year old female, of no.5 Bowen St. Marabal, Port of Spain, Trinidad; she sustained injuries to her neck and shoulders.
* A 7 year old female, of 63 2nd St., Little Diamond; she sustained injuries to the right side of her neck. *A 34 year old female, of 63 2nd St., Little Diamond; she sustained an injury to her forehead.
* A 62 year old female, of Cane Grove; she sustained injuries to her head, left hand and knee.
* A 50 year old female, of 75 Adelaide St., Charlestown; she sustained injuries to her neck, lower back and finger.
*A 47 year old female, of 22 Park View, Orange Grove, Trinidad; she suffered pains to the hip and leg.
* A 21 year old male, of no.6 Imorteile Development Main Road, Trinidad; he suffered pains to the right hand and leg.
*A 62 year old male, of Crane, West Coast Demerara; he sustained an injury to his left leg. *A 76 year old male, of 75 Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara; he sustained injuries to his neck and lower back.
* A 41 year old female, of 895 B’ Field Turkeyen; she sustained injuries to her nose, neck, back and forehead. *A 46 year old female, of no. 41 Village, West Coast Berbice; she sustained injuries to her face and neck. *A 46 year old male, of 38 Shell Road, Kitty; he sustained an injury to his right leg and was admitted to the High Dependency Unit. *A 28 year old female, of New York; she sustained injuries to her head and nose.
*A 55 year old male, of no.50 Village, Corentyne; he sustained injuries to his back, neck, head and right leg.
*A 56 year of female, of 64 Zeeburg, West Coast Demerara; she sustained injuries to her back and neck.
* A 37 year old female, of 79 Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara; she sustained an injury to her left foot.
*A 34. head, left shoulder and right leg. *A 26 year old female, of Ocean View; she sustained injuries her head, neck and lower back.
* A 53 year old female, of Nashville, Tennessee, USA; she sustained an injury to her right leg.
* A 10 year old female, of Queensville, New York; she sustained an injury to left leg.
*A 45 year old female, of Lot 2 Soesdyke; she sustained an injury to her right thumb.
* A 13 year old male, of 26 Ogle, East Coast Demerara; he suffered trauma to the stomach.
* A 69 year old female, of Whim Village, Corentyne; she sustained an injury to her forehead and was admitted to the Female Surgical Ward.
*A 52 year old male, of Brooklyn, New York; he sustained injuries to the right side of his body and right knee.
*A 41 year old female of Whim Village, Corentyne; she sustained a laceration to her head.
*A 20 Year old female, of 110 Second St. Hopetown; she suffered a cerebral concussion and trauma to the abdomen. She was admitted to the Female surgical Ward.
*A 50 year old female, of 119 Block Y’ Cornelia Ida; she sustained injury to the neck and back.
*A 50 year old male, of 119 Block Y’ Cornelia Ida; he sustained injury to the left leg.
*A 49 year old female, of 7 Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara; she sustained an injury to her left leg and is receiving treatment at the A&E.
*A 64 year old male, of 12 Norton St., Worth-Man-Ville; he sustained injury to his back and is receiving treatment at the A&E.
* A 15 year old female, of no.41 Village, West Coast Berbice; she sustained head injury.”
Manchester United Vs Barcelona 2011
UEFA Champions League FC Barcelona vs Manchester United Final Live Streaming 28 May 2011 Wembley Stadium. watch man utd vs barcelona hd streaming here. Barcelona vs Manchester united champions league final live stream match telecast online. Watch Barca v Manutd live stream match online on internet tv. Neo Sports Online give you 100% HD quality live streaming football tv channel. where you can easily watch live this exclusive match online. It is the biggest fighting match of uefa 2011 with Spanish and England football club. FC Barcelona and Manchester United FC will visit Wembley on Saturday 28 May out to write another chapter in their rich history – the past suggests there will be little to choose between them. The UEFA Champions League Trophy met up with some old friends at Craven Cottage on the latest leg of its tour of London, with visiting Liverpool FC fans delighted to see ‘Ol' Big Ears' again. The 2011 UEFA Champions League Final, to be played on Saturday 28 May at 19:45 local time at Wembley Stadium, London. FC Barcelona vs Manchester United UEFA Champions League FC Barcelona vs Manchester United Final Live Streaming 28 May 2011 Wembley Stadium Match Details: Team: FC Barcelona vs Manchester United Time: ime: 19:45 CET (Local), 19:45 UK, 2.45pm EST, 2:45am China Tournament name: UEFA Champions League match: Final Location: Wembley Stadium, London. UEFA Champions League FC Barcelona vs Manchester United Final Live Streaming 28 May 2011 Wembley Stadium.To see the complete video.
USA News: ShowTime
USA News: ShowTime: " Showtime CBS and Netflix have signed a two-year contract that will make certain CBS and Showtime shows, including past episodes of Califor..."
ShowTime
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
1 Finding the Value in Social Media Data
2 Why HBO’s TV Everywhere Economics Don’t Make Sense
3 Connected Consumer Q4: New Platforms and OTT’s Dynamic Duo Dominated
Film and television Showtime:
1 Showtime (TV channel), a premium subscription television brand
2 Showtime Networks, a division of CBS which owns the Showtime brand
3 Showtime (brand), worldwide stations using this brand, including:
4 Showtime Arabia, formerly the dominant subscription television service in the Middle East and North Africa
5 Showtime movie channels, a suite of Australian premium networks owned under a studio consortium which licenses the Showtime name Showtime Scandinavia, a television channel broadcasting action movies to the Nordic countries
1 Showtime (film)a 2002 American action/comedy film
2 Showtime (TV series) a Philippine talent show
3 Showtime (Croatia) a Croatian show similar to Pop Idol
4 Showtime at the Apollo, a syndicated music program
5 Showtime (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
6 Showtime (M.A.S.H) an episode of M.A.S.H
7 Showtime an episode of Law and Order
Saturday 30 July 2011
USA News: Ryan Gosling
USA News: Ryan Gosling: "Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12, 1980 ) is a Canadian actor and musician.Having first gained notice at the age of 12 as a mouseketeer..."
Ryan Gosling
Friday 29 July 2011
Cowboys And Aliens
Wilde told E!Online, "It would be a tremendous honor. It's such a cool role. She was a fascinating woman – with where she came from to Deep Throat to then working with Gloria Steinem and Nora Ephron. It's really fascinating."Still, she added, "I'm being very careful about my next project since I'm now in a position where I can be really picky – thank God, finally."
USA News: Dino D Day
USA News: Dino D Day: "Dino D-Day is a multiplayer team-based first-person action video game, developed as a total conversion modification on the Valve Corporation..."
Dino D Day
USA News: Tea Party
USA News: Tea Party: "The Tea Party movement (TPM) is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and ha..."
Tea Party
Friday 15 July 2011
newstime.com: Green Card Lottery
newstime.com: Green Card Lottery: "A group of immigrants from more than 20 countries recently filed a class-action lawsuit against the US State Department for mishandling the..."
Green Card Lottery
A group of immigrants from more than 20 countries recently filed a class-action lawsuit against the US State Department for mishandling the 2012 green card lottery.The suit involves the State Department’s recent slip-up in which it mistakenly notified more than 20,000 foreigners that they won green cards but subsequently voided them, claiming that the results were invalid due to a computer glitch. According to the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, a new diversity drawing will take place in the next few weeks.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, or green card lottery, provides up to 55,000 diversity visas annually from a pool of entrants through a random selection process. All entries must be nationals of countries with low rates of immigration to the US. The State Department does not notify successful applicants by email. Rather, entrants are encouraged to check the status of their entries through a website posting.In the past, the diversity visa program has been obstructed by scammers posing as the US government and “notifying” applicants via fraudulent emails and letters in an attempt to extract fees from applicants. But the most recent debacle was a result of posting incorrect results on the website.To ensure that all available visa slots are filled for each fiscal year, more winners are selected in the lottery than there are visas available. This means that winners must be selected and processed before all diversity green cards are distributed.
The Lottery’s Application Process
Lottery applicants must apply during a 30-day registration period, which usually runs from October through December of each year. Applicants who are selected are given instructions to demonstrate eligibility for the visa.
Once they have been selected in the lottery, successful applicants must complete the immigrant visa application on Form I-485, pay required fees, complete a medical examination and be interviewed by a consular officer at the US embassy to demonstrate eligibility. In order to qualify for the visa, the applicant must have at least a high school education or two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience.The visas are distributed among six geographic regions, with a greater number of visas going to regions with historically lower rates of immigration. Applicants from certain countries with high historical immigration rates to the US, such as nationals of China and India, are ineligible to apply for a diversity visa.
There will hopefully be some positives resulting from the unfortunate computer glitch that dashed the hopes of 20,000 applicants. Perhaps some of these applicants will be find out that they have (once again) been selected. For those who will not continue on, the green card lottery process begins anew.
Winning, and losing, the green card lottery.
Of the 15 million people around the world who entered their names in the U.S. green card lottery this year, Tarik Ansari was one of the lucky minority, fewer than 1 percent, who made it to the final stage.The 24-year-old French computer engineer was in his San Francisco apartment May 1 when the State Department announced the results of its annual giveaway of 50,000 diversity visas, awarded to people from countries with relatively low levels of immigration to the United States. The notice informed Ansari that he was randomly selected to apply for one of the coveted slots. He could barely contain his excitement."Someone pinch me so I know it's not a dream?" he wrote on his Twitter account moments later.The pinch -- more like a punch -- came almost two weeks later when the U.S. government told Ansari and about 22,000 others that it made a mistake. A computer glitch warped the selection process into something less random than required, apparently favoring those who applied on certain dates. The State Department voided the lottery results and promised a redraw in the summer.
Thousands were devastated by the turnaround. As the State Department prepares to announce the results of its redraw Friday, some of those angered by the bungled lottery have sued to demand that the government reconsider its original results. A hearing on their class-action case began Tuesday in a federal court in Washington, D.C. After an hours-long hearing, Judge Amy Jackson asked for more technical information from the State Department and continued the case to Wednesday. Ansari, though not a plaintiff, took a red-eye flight to witness the hearing.Dublin resident Anton Kuraev, 28, is one of the 36 plaintiffs suing over the botched lottery. The Russian software engineer moved to the Bay Area on a temporary work visa four years ago, but getting permanent residency -- a green card -- has been difficult, he said. This year was his third applying for the diversity visa.The chances of being randomly selected for the diversity visa are slim, so Kuraev was overjoyed to find out that he was picked to apply. The notice did not guarantee a visa, but it did mean he beat millions of other entrants to reach the final stage. He spent hundreds of dollars to file the necessary paperwork.Unlike most of the lottery entrants, applicants such as Kuraev and Ansari already live in the U.S., but their stay here is temporary. They may have to return home if they cannot obtain green cards"I will be OK with any (court) decision," Kuraev said in an email. "If there was really a problem with that software and it violated the law and there were no other ways to fix it -- except voiding the selection -- so be it. What I don't understand, however, is why nobody is disciplined for all that mess."Some lawmakers are pointing to the lottery glitch as a reason to abolish the program entirely, arguing that it does not make sense to give people green cards purely on the luck of the draw."You don't even have to have a compelling reason. You just want to come," said Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, who chairs the immigration subcommittee in the House of Representatives. "You put your names in a hat, and the names come."Gallegly this week is marking up a Virginia Republican's bill that would eliminate diversity visas.
The diversity visa lottery is one of the few methods for people without existing connections in the United States to settle here. The visa is for those from countries that have not already sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the last five years. That leaves most European and African countries eligible, but it disqualifies anyone from Mexico, China, India, the Philippines and 15 other nations
The top countries for diversity visa applicants include Nigeria, Bangladesh, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Receiving so many green card applicants from those countries is not a priority for Gallegly, who said the U.S. already welcomes far too many immigrants annually .This lottery thing is -- they're saying it's for the purpose of ethnic diversity," he said. "But clearly we are one of the most diverse countries on the face of the earth."Gallegly said the lottery is also ripe for abuse by terrorists and foreign spies. He pointed to a 2002 fatal shooting at Los Angeles International Airport committed by an Egyptian man who was able to migrate to the U.S. because his wife won a diversity visa several years earlier.
Thursday 14 July 2011
newstime.com: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
newstime.com: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: "It’s been coming for ten years, but now at last it’s here: The final adventure of Harry Potter. We’ve seen Harry, Ron, and Hermione go throu..."
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
-- Washington Post: Feeling at once like an anti-climax and a spot-on send-off, the ultimate Harry Potter movie embodies all the elements that have made the franchise such a sturdy enterprise, from its cream-of-the-crop British cast to its lavish but unfussy illustration of a story that will always be captured best in readers' imaginations.
Wednesday 13 July 2011
newstime.com: Christopher Columbus
newstime.com: Christopher Columbus: "Christopher Columbus 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northweste..."
Christopher Columbus
Columbus was not the first European to reach the Americas—Vikings from Scandinavia had briefly settled on the North American coast, in what is now Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, in the late 10th or early 11th century. However, Columbus’s explorations had a profound impact on the world. They led directly to the opening of the western hemisphere to European colonization; to large-scale exchanges of plants, animals, cultures, and ideas between the two worlds; and, on a darker note, to the deaths of millions of indigenous American peoples from war, forced labor, and disease.Understanding Christopher Columbus is difficult without understanding the world into which he was born. The 15th century was a century of change, and many events that occurred during that time profoundly affected European society. Many of these events were driven by the centuries-long conflict between Christians and Muslims, followers of the religion known as Islam.
On August 13, 1476, a Genoese commercial expedition of five ships bound for England gave Columbus his first opportunity to leave the Mediterranean Sea and sail into the Atlantic Ocean. But it was an inauspicious beginning for Columbus: According to tradition, the entire fleet was attacked by French privateers off Cape Saint Vincent on the southwestern tip of Portugal. Both sides lost ships; Columbus, one of the unfortunate ones whose ship was burned, had no escape other than to swim for the Portuguese coast. He made it the 10 km (6 mi) to shore by clinging to wreckage. After regaining his strength in the port of Lagos, Columbus made his way to Lisbon and its large community of Genoese merchants and shipbuilders. He was 25 years old.
Geographical considerations.
Washington Irving's 1828 biography of Columbus popularized the idea that Columbus had difficulty obtaining support for his plan because many Catholic theologians insisted that the Earth was flat.[20] In fact, most educated Westerners had understood that the Earth was spherical at least since the time of Aristotle, who lived in the 4th century BC and whose works were widely studied and revered in Medieval Europe.[21] The sphericity of the Earth is also accounted for in the work of Ptolemy, on which ancient astronomy was largely based. Christian writers whose works clearly reflect the conviction that the Earth is spherical include Saint Bede the Venerable in his Reckoning of Time, written around AD 723. In Columbus' time, the techniques of celestial navigation, which use the position of the Sun and the Stars in the sky, together with the understanding that the Earth is a sphere, were beginning to be widely used by mariners.Where Columbus did differ from the view accepted by scholars in his day was in his estimate of the westward distance from Europe to Asia. Columbus' ideas in this regard were based on three factors: his low estimate of the size of the Earth, his high estimate of the size of the Eurasian landmass, and his belief that Japan and other inhabited islands lay far to the east of the coast of China. In all three of these issues Columbus was both wrong and at odds with the scholarly consensus of his day.
Nautical considerations.
Though Columbus was wrong about the number of degrees of longitude that separated Europe from the Far East and about the distance that each degree represented, he did possess valuable knowledge about the trade winds, which would prove to be the key to his successful navigation of the Atlantic Ocean. During his first voyage in 1492, the brisk trade winds from the east, commonly called "easterlies", propelled Columbus' fleet for five weeks, from the Canary Islands to The Bahamas. To return to Spain against this prevailing wind would have required several months of an arduous sailing technique, called beating, during which food and drinkable water would probably have been exhausted.Instead, Columbus returned home by following the curving trade winds northeastward to the middle latitudes of the North Atlantic, where he was able to catch the "westerlies" that blow eastward to the coast of Western Europe. There, in turn, the winds curve southward towards the Iberian Peninsula.
Funding campaign.
In 1485, Columbus presented his plans to John II, King of Portugal. He proposed the king equip three sturdy ships and grant Columbus one year's time to sail out into the Atlantic, search for a western route to the Orient, and return.Columbus and Queen Isabella. Detail of the Columbus monument in Madrid (1885).Columbus also requested he be made "Great Admiral of the Ocean", appointed governor of any and all lands he discovered, and given one-tenth of all revenue from those lands.The king submitted Columbus' proposal to his experts, who rejected it. It was their considered opinion that Columbus' estimation of a travel distance of 2,400 miles (3,860 km) was, in fact, far too short.[24]In 1488 Columbus appealed to the court of Portugal once again, and once again John II invited him to an audience. It also proved unsuccessful, in part because not long afterwards Bartolomeu Dias returned to Portugal following a successful rounding of the southern tip of Africa. Now that it looked like Portugal could soon have the eastern sea route to Asia under its control, King John was no longer interested in Columbus' project.
Voyages.
Between 1492 and 1503, Columbus completed four round-trip voyages between Spain and the Americas, all of them under the sponsorship of the Crown of Castile. These voyages marked the beginning of the European exploration and colonization of the American continents, and are thus of enormous significance in Western history. Columbus himself always insisted, in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary, that the lands that he visited during those voyages were part of the Asian continent, as previously described by Marco Polo and other European travelers.[10] Columbus' refusal to accept that the lands he had visited and claimed for Spain were not part of Asia might explain, in part, why the American continent was named after the Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci and not after Columbus.
First voyage.
On the evening of 3 August 1492, Columbus departed from Palos de la Frontera with three ships; one larger carrack, Santa MarÃa, nicknamed Gallega (the Galician), and two smaller caravels, Pinta (the Painted) and Santa Clara, nicknamed Niña after her owner Juan Niño of Moguer.[35] They were property of Juan de la Cosa and the Pinzón brothers (MartÃn Alonso and Vicente Yáñez), but the monarchs forced the Palos inhabitants to contribute to the expedition. Columbus first sailed to the Canary Islands, which were owned by Castile, where he restocked the provisions and made repairs. On 6 September he departed San Sebastián de La Gomera for what turned out to be a five-week voyage across the ocean.
Second voyage.
Columbus left Cadiz on 24 September 1493 to find new territories, with 17 ships carrying supplies, and about 1,200 men to colonize the region. The colonists included priests, farmers, and soldiers. This was part of a new policy — not just "colonies of exploitation", but "colonies of settlement" and conversion of the natives to Christianity.[44] The crew members may have included free black Africans who arrived in the New World about a decade before the slave trade began.[45] On 13 October the ships left the Canary Islands as they had on the first voyage, following a more southerly course.On 3 November 1493, Columbus sighted a rugged island that he named Dominica (Latin for Sunday); later that day, he landed at Marie-Galante, which he named Santa Maria la Galante. After sailing past Les Saintes (Los Santos, The Saints), he arrived at Guadeloupe Santa MarÃa de Guadalupe de Extremadura, after the image of the Virgin Mary venerated at the Spanish monastery of Villuercas, in Guadalupe (Spain), which he explored between 4 November and 10 November 1493.
Third voyage.
On 30 May 1498, Columbus left with six ships from Sanlúcar, Spain, for his third trip to the New World.Columbus led the fleet to the Portuguese island of Porto Santo, his wife's native land. He then sailed to Madeira and spent some time there with the Portuguese captain João Gonçalves da Camara before sailing to the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. Columbus landed on the south coast of the island of Trinidad on 31 July. From 4 August through 12 August he explored the Gulf of Paria which separates Trinidad from Venezuela. He explored the mainland of South America, including the Orinoco River. He also sailed to the islands of Chacachacare and Margarita Island and sighted and named Tobago (Bella Forma) and Grenada (Concepcion).
Fourth voyage.
Before leaving for his fourth voyage, Columbus wrote a letter to the Governors of the Bank of St. George, Genoa, dated at Seville, 2 April 1502.[53] He wrote "Although my body is here my heart is always near you."[54]Columbus made a fourth voyage nominally in search of the Strait of Malacca to the Indian Ocean. Accompanied by his brother Bartolomeo and his 13-year-old son Fernando, he left Cadiz, (modern Spain), on 11 May 1502, with the ships Capitana, Gallega, VizcaÃna and Santiago de Palos. He sailed to Arzila on the Moroccan coast to rescue Portuguese soldiers whom he had heard were under siege by the Moors. On 15 June they landed at Carbet on the island of Martinique (Martinica). A hurricane was brewing, so he continued on, hoping to find shelter on Hispaniola.
Governorship and arrest.
Under the terms of the Capitulations of Santa Fe, after his first voyage Columbus was appointed Viceroy and Governor of the Indies, which in practice entailed primarily the administration of the colonies in the island of Hispaniola, whose capital was established in Santo Domingo. By the end of his third voyage, Columbus was physically and mentally exhausted: his body was wracked by arthritis and his eyes by ophthalmia. In October 1499, he sent two ships to Spain, asking the Court of Spain to appoint a royal commissioner to help him govern. By then, accusations of tyranny and incompetence on the part of Columbus had also reached the Court.The Court appointed Francisco de Bobadilla, a member of the Order of Calatrava, but not as the aide that Columbus had requested. Instead, Bobadilla was given complete control as governor from 1500 until his death in 1502. Arriving in Santo Domingo while Columbus was away, Bobadilla was immediately peppered with complaints about all three Columbus brothers: Christopher, Bartolomé, and Diego. Consuelo Varela, a Spanish historian, states: "Even those who loved him [Columbus] had to admit the atrocities that had taken place."[58][59]Columbus before the Queen, imagined[60] by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, 1843As a result of these testimonies and without being allowed a word in his own defense, Columbus, upon his return, had manacles placed on his arms and chains on his feet and was cast into prison to await return to Spain. He was 48 years old.On 1 October 1500, Columbus and his two brothers, likewise in chains, were sent back to Spain. Once in Cadiz, a grieving Columbus wrote to a friend at court:
newstime.com: Americas Got Talent
newstime.com: Americas Got Talent: "America's Got Talent (also known as AGT) is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global Brit..."
Americas Got Talent
Selection Process.
The general selection process of the show begins with separate untelevised producers' auditions, which come to various cities across the United States, some which will host the auditions held in theaters, and some which usually only host the producers' auditions. This round is held several months before the judges' audition in cities that would also host the televised second round. Acts that have made it through the producers' audition will then audition in front of the judges and a live audience.Following the producers' auditions, acts will audition in front of three celebrity judges. The judges may terminate an act's performance early by pressing their red buzzer, which lights up their corresponding X on stage. If an act receives three X's, they must stop their performance. Since Season 3, large audiences have also been a factor in the judging process, as their reaction to an act's performance may swing or influence a judge's vote. If an act receives two or more "yes" votes, they will move on to the next round.
Since Season 2, there has been an intermediary round between the auditions and live shows named "Las Vegas Week". Prior to the inclusion of this round, judges picked ten acts from a list of those who advanced past the auditions during each live show, with several acts not getting to perform in the end. The Las Vegas round generally consists of acts performing a second time for the judges (with the exception of Season 4), who then pick select acts to move on the live shows.
Season 1 (2006).
Main article: America's Got Talent (season 1)
In June 2006, NBC announced the new show. The audition tour took place in June. Auditions were held in the following locations: Los Angeles, California, New York City, New York, Chicago, Illinois, and Atlanta, Georgia. Some early ads for the show implied that the winning act would also headline a show at a casino, possibly in Las Vegas; however, this was replaced with $1,000,000 due to concerns of minors playing in Las Vegas, should one become a champion. More than 12 million viewers watched the season premiere (which is more than American Idol got during its premiere back in 2002). The two-hour broadcast was the night's most-watched program on U.S. television and the highest-rated among viewers aged 18 to 49 (the prime-time audience that matters most to advertisers), Nielsen Media Research reported.[2] On the season finale, there was an unaired segment that was scheduled to appear after Aly and AJ. The segment featured Tom Green dressing in a parrot costume, and squawking with a live parrot, to communicate telepathically. Green then proceeded to fly up above the audience, shooting confetti streamers out of his costume onto the crowd below.
Winner
Bianca Ryan (Viewers' choice): 11-year-old Singer
Season 2 (2007).
Main article: America's Got Talent (season 2)
Logo of America's Got Talent used during Seasons 2 and 3
After initially announcing in May 2006 that the second season of America's Got Talent would debut in January 2007 at 8 PM on Sunday nights, with no separate results show, the network changed its mind and pushed the show back to the summer, where the first season had great success. This move kept the show out of direct competition with American Idol.
Winner
* Terry Fator – Ventriloquist/Impressionist/Singer from Mesquite, Texas
Season 3 (2008).
Main article: America's Got Talent (season 3)
NBC announced in August 2007 that the network had renewed the show for a third season. Auditions took place in Charlotte, Nashville, Orlando, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago from January to April. A televised MySpace audition also took place. Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff returned as judges. Jerry Springer also returned as host. The show premiered on June 17, 2008.
Winner
* Neal E. Boyd – Opera singer who sells insurance for a living in Sikeston, Missouri, discovering opera music in his senior year of high school.
Season 4 (2009).
NBC announced that America's Got Talent was renewed for a fourth season. Auditions for season 4 were held in more than 9 major cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta, Miami, Tacoma, Boston and Houston. Los Angeles Auditions kicked off the tour January 29–31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, followed by Atlanta Auditions February 7–8. New York and Miami Auditions were held during March. Tacoma Auditions were held April 25 and 26. In addition to live auditions and the ability to send in a home audition tape, Season 4 offered the opportunity for acts to upload their video direct at NBC.com/agt with their registration. This year's host is Nick Cannon, who replaced Jerry Springer. Springer said that he could not host due to other commitments.[6] All Season 3 jud.
Winner
On September 16, 2009, Kevin Skinner was named the winner of America's Got Talent for season 4. His grand prize was one million dollars and a headline show at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Stripges returned for the fourth season.[7] The fourth
season premiered on Tuesday, June 23.
Season 5 (2010).
NBC announced that the show was renewed for its fifth season. The network had considered moving the show to the fall, after rival series So You Think You Can Dance transferred from the summer to fall season in 2009.[8] However, NBC ultimately decided to keep Talent a summer show, which was also the fate of rival Dance.
Open auditions were held in the winter to early spring of 2010 in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City, Orlando, and Portland. Untelevised producers' auditions were also held in Atlanta and Philadelphia. For the first time, online auditions were also held via YouTube.
Winner
On September 15, 2010, Michael Grimm was named the winner of the fifth season of America's Got Talent. He won a $1,000,000 prize and will headline the America's Got Talent Live Tour, as well as a chance to perform at the Caesar's Palace Casino and Resort on the Las Vegas Strip along with Jackie Evancho, Fighting Gravity, Prince Poppycock, and the other top ten finalists will also perform a 25-city tour in Las Vegas.
Season 6 (2011).
NBC announced that the show has been renewed for a sixth season and premiered on Tuesday, May 31, 2011 for a two-hour special. Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne continued as judges after taking jobs on Piers Morgan Tonight and The Talk, respectively. On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on July 27, 2010, Morgan officially stated that he has signed a three year contract to stay on Talent.[14] In addition, Howie Mandel returned as a judge, and Nick Cannon returned as host.[15] The show held televised auditions in Los Angeles, New York City, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Seattle, and Houston. Untelevised producers' auditions were also held in Denver and Chicago. Previews of auditions were shown during NBC's The Voice premiere on April 26, 2011.
America's Got Talent Live.
America's Got Talent Live is a show on the Las Vegas Strip that features the winner of each season of Talent as the main performance.
In 2009, America's Got Talent Live appeared on the Las Vegas Strip appearing Wednesday through Sunday at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, in a limited 10-week run starting in October, 2009 through January of the next year. It featured the final ten acts which made it to the Season 4 Finale. Former host of Talent, Jerry Springer, emceed,[16] commuting weekly between Stamford, Connecticut tapings of his self-named show and Las Vegas.
Tuesday 12 July 2011
newstime.com: Taj Mahal
newstime.com: Taj Mahal: "The Taj Mahal is a Hindi Persian/Urdu: تاج Ù…ØÙ„ 'crown of buildings', pronounced the also 'the Taj'is a mausoleum located in Agra, India. It..."
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a Hindi Persian/Urdu: تاج Ù…ØÙ„ "crown of buildings", pronounced the also "the Taj"is a mausoleum located in Agra, India. It is one of the most recognisable structures in the world.[3] It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is widely considered as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and stands as a symbol of eternal love.Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural styles.In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures. The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen.The construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision, including Abd ul-Karim Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Lahauri is generally considered to be the principal designer.Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world, and some Western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed. The Taj is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India. Taj Mahal is built entirely of white marble. Its stunning architectural beauty is beyond adequate description, particularly at dawn and sunset. The Taj seems to glow in the light of the full moon. On a foggy morning, the visitors experience the Taj as if suspended when viewed from across the Jamuna river.Taj Mahal was built by a Muslim, Emperor Shah Jahan (died 1666 C.E.) in the memory of his dear wife and queen Mumtaz Mahal at Agra, India. It is an "elegy in marble" or some say an expression of a "dream." Taj Mahal (meaning Crown Palace) is a Mausoleum that houses the grave of queen Mumtaz Mahal at the lower chamber. The grave of Shah Jahan was added to it later. The queen’s real name was Arjumand Banu. In the tradition of the Mughals, important ladies of the royal family were given another name at their marriage or at some other significant event in their lives, and that new name was commonly used by the public. Shah Jahan's real name was Shahab-ud-din, and he was known as Prince Khurram before ascending to the throne.Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648 C.E. at a cost of 32 Million Rupees. The construction documents show that its master architect was Ustad ‘Isa, the renowned Islamic architect of his time. The documents contain names of those employed and the inventory of construction materials and their origin. Expert craftsmen from Delhi, Qannauj, Lahore, and Multan were employed. In addition, many renowned Muslim craftsmen from Baghdad, Shiraz and Bukhara worked on many specialized tasks.Origin and inspiration.
In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during the Mughal empire's period of greatest prosperity, was grief-stricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died during the birth of their 14th child, Gauhara Begum. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632.[12] The court chronicles of Shah Jahan's grief illustrate the love story traditionally held as an inspiration for Taj Mahal. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. Emperor Shah Jahan himself described the Taj in these words.
The tomb.The tomb is the central focus of the entire complex of the Taj Mahal. This large, white marble structure stands on a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with an iwan (an arch-shaped doorway) topped by a large dome and finial. Like most Mughal tombs, the basic elements are Persian in origin.The base structure is essentially a large, multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners, forming an unequal octagon that is approximately 55 metres (180 ft) on each of the four long sides. On each of these sides, a huge pishtaq, or vaulted archway, frames the iwan with two similarly shaped, arched balconies stacked on either side. This motif of stacked pishtaqs is replicated on the chamfered corner areas, making the design completely symmetrical on all sides of the building. Four minarets frame the tomb, one at each corner of the plinth facing the chamfered corners. The main chamber houses the false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan; the actual graves are at a lower level.
Exterior decoration.The exterior decorations of the Taj Mahal are among the finest in Mughal architecture.[citation needed] As the surface area changes the decorations are refined proportionally. The decorative elements were created by applying paint, stucco, stone inlays, or carvings. In line with the Islamic prohibition against the use of anthropomorphic forms, the decorative elements can be grouped into either calligraphy, abstract forms or vegetative motifs.Throughout the complex, passages from the Qur'an are used as decorative elements. Recent scholarship suggests that the passages were chosen by Amanat Khan. The texts refer to themes of judgment and include.
Interior decoration.The interior chamber of the Taj Mahal steps far beyond traditional decorative elements. Here, the inlay work is not pietra dura, but a lapidary of precious and semiprecious gemstones. The inner chamber is an octagon with the design allowing for entry from each face, although only the door facing the garden to the south is used.The interior walls are about 25 metres (82 ft) high and are topped by a "false" interior dome decorated with a sun motif. Eight pishtaq arches define the space at ground level and, as with the exterior, each lower pishtaq is crowned by a second pishtaq about midway up the wall. The four central upper arches form balconies or viewing areas, and each balcony's exterior window has an intricate screen or jali cut from marble. In addition to the light from the balcony screens, light enters through roof openings covered by chattris at the corners. Each chamber wall has been highly decorated with dado bas-relief, intricate lapidary inlay and refined calligraphy panels, reflecting in miniature detail the design elements seen throughout the exterior of the complex.The octagonal marble screen or jali which borders the cenotaphs is made from eight marble panels which have been carved through with intricate pierce work. The remaining surfaces have been inlaid in extremely delicate detail with semi-precious stones forming twining vines, fruits and flowers.
The complex is set around a large 300-metre (980 ft) square charbagh or Mughal garden. The garden uses raised pathways that divide each of the four quarters of the garden into 16 sunken parterres or flowerbeds. A raised marble water tank at the center of the garden, halfway between the tomb and gateway with a reflecting pool on a north-south axis, reflects the image of the mausoleum. The raised marble water tank is called al Hawd al-Kawthar, in reference to the "Tank of Abundance" promised to Muhammad.[21] Elsewhere, the garden is laid out with avenues of trees and fountains.[22] The charbagh garden, a design inspired by Persian gardens, was introduced to India by the first Mughal emperor, Babur. It symbolises the four flowing rivers of Jannah (Paradise) and reflects the Paradise garden derived from the Persian paridaeza, meaning 'walled garden'. In mystic Islamic texts of Mughal period, Paradise is described as an ideal garden of abundance with four rivers flowing from a central spring or mountain, separating the garden into north, west, south and east.
Outlying buildings.
newstime.com: Gordon Brown
newstime.com: Gordon Brown: "James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1983, curren..."
Gordon Brown
Election to parliament and opposition.
Gordon Brown was elected to Parliament on his second attempt as a Labour MP for Dunfermline East in 1983 general election. His first Westminster office mate was a newly elected MP from the Sedgefield constituency by the name of Tony Blair. Brown became opposition spokesman on Trade and Industry in 1985. In 1986, he published a biography of the Independent Labour Party politician James Maxton, the subject of his PhD thesis. Brown was Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 1987 to 1989 and then Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, before becoming Shadow Chancellor in 1992.Having led the Labour Movement Yes campaign, refusing to join the cross-party Yes for Scotland campaign, during the 1979 Scottish devolution referendum, while other senior Labour politicians — including Robin Cook, Tam Dalyell and Brian Wilson – campaigned for a No vote, Brown was subsequently a key participant in the Scottish Constitutional Convention, signing the Claim of Right for Scotland in 1989.
After the sudden death of Labour leader John Smith in May 1994, Brown did not contest the leadership after Tony Blair became favourite. It has long been rumoured a deal was struck between Blair and Brown at the former Granita restaurant in Islington, in which Blair promised to give Brown control of economic policy in return for Brown not standing against him in the leadership election.[ Whether this is true or not, the relationship between Blair and Brown has been central to the fortunes of "New Labour", and they have mostly remained united in public, despite reported serious private rifts.
Brown ceased to be Chancellor and became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 27 June 2007.Like all modern Prime Ministers, Brown concurrently served as the First Lord of the Treasury and the Minister for the Civil Service, and was a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Until his resignation from the post in May 2010 he was Leader of the Labour Party. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. He is the sixth post-war prime minister, of a total of 12, to assume the role without having won a general election. Brown was the first prime minister from a Scottish constituency since the Conservative Sir Alec Douglas-Home in 1964. Not all British prime ministers have attended university, but of the ones that did Brown was one of only five that did not attend either Oxford or Cambridge, the others were, the Earl of Bute (Leiden), Lord John Russell (Edinburgh), Andrew Bonar Law (University of Glasgow), and Neville Chamberlain (Mason Science College, later Birmingham).[68] Brown proposed moving some traditional prime ministerial powers conferred by royal prerogative to the realm of Parliament, such as the power to declare war and approve appointments to senior positions. Brown wanted Parliament to gain the right to ratify treaties and have more oversight into the intelligence services. He also proposed moving some powers from Parliament to citizens, including the right to form "citizens' juries", easily petition Parliament for new laws, and rally outside Westminster. He asserted that the attorney general should not have the right to decide whether to prosecute in individual cases, such as in the loans for peerages scandal.[
newstime.com: Mike Vrabel
newstime.com: Mike Vrabel: "Michael George 'Mike' Vrabel Was born August 14, 1975 in Akron, Ohio) is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a former American football..."
Mike Vrabel
Monday 11 July 2011
newstime.com: All Star Game
newstime.com: All Star Game: " All Star Game : The 82nd Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played on July 12 at Chase Field in Phoenix.basicaly The Major League ..."
All Star Game
Venues.
The 2010 All-Star Game was played at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; the 2011 All-Star Game will be played at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks; the 2012 All-Star Game will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, home of the Kansas City Royals; the 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field in Flushing, New York, home of the New York Mets.The venue for each All-Star Game is chosen by a MLB selection committee. The chosen venue may be based on the opening of a new field, a historical occasion, or to commemorate a significant year. The New York Mets hope to host the 2013 All-Star Game in their new ballpark, Citi Field, which was opened in 2009; the Mets have not hosted the All-Star Game since 1964, the longest drought in All-Star history. In 2014, the Minnesota Twins hope to welcome back the game for the first time since 1985 by hosting the 2014 All-Star Game at their new ballpark, Target Field .[2] The Chicago Cubs also plan to ask for the game in 2014 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field. The Florida Marlins have requested the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game to be played at their new retractable roof ballpark, which is opening in 2012. The Washington Nationals have also requested the 2015 All-Star Game at their new ballpark, Nationals Park.
start game.
It will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and Le Reseau des Sports, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Game coverage.So there you have it boys and girls, if you don’t have a ticket to the mid-summer classic and you live in the US or Canada, you should have no problem seeing or hearing the game. Many of the participants actually playing in the game however are All-Star replacements (23.5%), not All-Stars. Unfortunately, the way MLB has operated things here has turned what was supposed to be a spectacle into a farce. At this point, this event is nothing more than going out with the hot girl’s neighbor.First let’s get to the injuries. For players like Alex Rodriguez or anyone else who is on the DL for any reason, not playing in the game is totally acceptable. There’s no justifiable reason an injured player should be forced to attempt to play. But then there is Mariano Rivera, David Price and Derek Jeter who have (let’s call it what it is) contrived injuries. Exactly what injury does Jeter have anyway? 3,000 hit fatigue? Sure he was on the DL recently with a calf injury, but he was cleared to play, has been playing for a week already and healthy enough to go 5-5 in a Major League Baseball game with a home run for number 3,000 to boot! He’s not healthy? The man has now played all nine innings in the field at the shortstop position in six straight games since coming off the DL and during those six games he's brought his batting average 14 points up from .256 to .270. It would seem to me that the guy is as healthy as he’s been all year!As if players with both legitimate and fictitious injuries weren’t bad enough to taint the quality of the All-Star line-ups, a new wrinkle in MLB’s rules governing eligibility for the All-Star game have had a drastic impact on the game. Any starting pitcher who pitched on Sunday has been ruled ineligible to play in the game. Genius!Some of the very best pitchers in the sport, CC Sabathia, James Shields, Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez, Cole Hamels and Matt Cain have all been ruled ineligible to play since they pitched on Sunday. Forget the fact that many of these guys would have thrown on Tuesday anyway to get their side work in, they aren’t even allowed to come in and face a batter. I’m assuming that MLB has covered all the bases here in attempting to protect the arms of these pitchers strictly prohibiting anyone who pitched on Sunday from playing catch with their children during the three day All-Star break too.And then there’s what we’ll call the CC Sabathia fiasco. Here MLB took a pitcher who is leading MLB in wins at 13-4 with a 2.79 ERA pitching in arguably the toughest division in baseball and left him off the original All-Star roster. Then after a classic pitcher’s duel between two of this season’s truly finest Major League pitchers on Sunday with James Shields, MLB the sends Sabathia a “B-List wedding invitation” placing him as a last minute replacement to this year’s AL roster. Sabathia replaced James Shields who he just pitched against because Shields was ineligible because he pitched on Sunday. And since Sabathia pitched in that same game, he then was ineligible too and had to be replaced by Alexi Ogando.
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