Thursday, August 26, 2010

10 Tips for Using Twitter to boost Your blog

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9. Wide the morpheme is fun

Utter near nonsense new than yourself or your journal. If something engrossing or diverting is happening in your neighbourhood, babble active it. There are often group events which are worth noting to the group.

10. Hear from the unsurpassable

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Friday, November 20, 2009

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The moon may be new, and the director may be different (Chris Weitz takes over the reins from Catherine Hardwicke), but otherwise, the second installment of the "Twilight" saga remains, for better or worse, exceptionally faithful to its 2008 beginnings.

Understandably not wanting to mess with that $350 million worldwide success, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," is content to stay within those tonal parameters rather than venture out in potentially more intriguing or substantial directions, which should suit its ferocious adolescent female fan base just fine.

The uninitiated, meanwhile, might find that the film's deliberately unhurried 130-minute running time feels like a Cullen clan eternity.

Anticipation is sufficiently high that opening weekend box office for the Summit Entertainment release is guaranteed to be anything but anemic, most likely eclipsing the $70 million taken by "Twilight" this time last year. The film bows Friday (November 20).

Alluding more obviously to the "Romeo & Juliet" vibe of author Stephenie Meyer's books, "New Moon" finds heroine Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) caught in a tricky triangular relationship with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).

Not wanting to give away too much of the plot (though chances are most of the movie's audience will have already read the book), let's just say brooding Bella is having a tough time where both objectified males are concerned, and that it turns out Jacob's been keeping a little secret of his own -- and it's not just finding a personal trainer in the middle of Forks, Washington.

Given that he's directed both the more intimate, character-driven "About a Boy" and the fantastical "The Golden Compass," incoming director Weitz (who also helms the back-to-back third installment due this summer) is a smart choice for the material. He definitely gets to have things both ways here, using the CG effects sparingly but generally effectively, though even his restrained touch isn't enough to prevent the occasional smirk or two that's coaxed by some of screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg's more stoical dialogue.

Once again, the three young leads give committed performances, with Lautner's character allowed a larger share of the spotlight this time around.

Stewart's Bella remains a sturdy anchor, and if they were ever to give a best supporting nomination for hair gel, Pattinson's particular brand would be a shoo-in.

Among the newcomers to the "Twilight" saga, Michael Sheen, who played an enslaved werewolf in the "Underworld" pictures, is given the opportunity to vamp it up as Aro, the 2,000-year-old leader of the Volturi.

Production values are suitably dark and moody, with able assistance from production designer David Brisbin's pre-Raphaelite visual cues to Alexandre Desplat's opulently ominous score.

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WASHINGTON – A 20-foot-long crocodile with three sets of fangs — like wild boar tusks — roamed parts of northern Africa millions of years ago, researchers reported Thursday. While this fearsome creature hunted meat, not far away another newly found type of croc with a wide, flat snout like a pancake was fishing for food.

And a smaller, 3-foot-long relative with buckteeth was chomping plants and grubs in the same region.

The three new species, along with new examples of two previously known ancient crocodiles, were detailed Thursday by researchers Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago and Hans Larsson of McGill University in Montreal. They spoke at a news conference organized by the National Geographic Society, which sponsored the research.

"These species open a window on a croc world completely foreign to what was living on northern continents," Sereno said of the unusual animals that lived 100 million years ago on the southern continent known as Gondwana.

Hans Dieter Sues of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History said the discovery revises the ideas of what crocodile-type reptiles were like.

"It's a joy for anyone who is interested in ancient life to see," said Sues, an editor at ZooKeys, which published the findings.

The researchers suggest that these crocs could gallop across the landscape chasing prey and yet dive into water and swim.

"My African crocs appeared to have had both upright, agile legs for bounding overland and a versatile tail for paddling in water," Sereno wrote in an article for National Geographic magazine. "Their amphibious talents in the past may be the key to understanding how they flourished in, and ultimately survived, the dinosaur era."

They weren't racehorses, Sereno said, but they could move quickly. Freshwater crocs in Australia manage to eat a few people every year and these would have been able to do as well, he said. However, there were no people around at the time.

The newly discovered species are:

• Kaprosuchus saharicus, nicknamed "BoarCroc," found in Niger. BoarCroc was a 20-foot-long meat-eater with an armored snout for ramming and three sets of dagger-shaped fangs for slicing. The tusks stuck out above and below the jaw like a modern warthog, said Larsson. "This has never been seen before on any crocodile."

• Araripesuchus rattoides, which the researchers call "RatCroc," found in Morocco. This 3-foot-long croc was a plant- and grub-eater with a pair of buckteeth in the lower jaw it used to dig for food.

• Laganosuchus thaumastos, or "PancakeCroc," found in Niger and Morocco. Also 20 feet long, it was a squat fish-eater with a 3-foot pancake-flat head and spike-shaped teeth on slender jaws. Sereno said it probably remained motionless for hours, its jaws open and waiting for prey.

In addition the researchers found new fossils of two previously named species:

• Anatosuchus minor, "DuckCroc," found in Niger, a 3-foot-long fish-, frog- and grub-eater with a broad snout and Pinocchio-like nose. Special sensory areas on the snout end allowed it to root around on the shore and in shallow water for prey. Its closest relative is in Madagascar.

• Araripesuchus wegeneri, or "DogCroc," found in Niger, a 3-foot-long plant- and grub-eater with a soft, doglike nose pointing forward.

Sereno has focused since 2000 on fossils in the Sahara Desert, his first find being Sarcosuchus imperator, a 40-foot-long creature that would have weighed 8 tons and which he called "SuperCroc."

The new findings are detailed in the journal ZooKeys as well as National Geographic magazine and a documentary scheduled for Saturday on the National Geographic Channel.


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Friday, November 13, 2009

Networks Play the Cancellation Card

By Lizbeth Scordo | Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 4:44 PM


Rebecca Romijn, Kelsey Grammer, and Eliza Dushku
ABC, FOX

Another three shows bit the dust this week, and I'm betting you saw one or two of them coming.

"Eastwick"

Trouble brewed over for ABC's freshman drama "Eastwick," based on the John Updike novel "The Witches of Eastwick," which also inspired the hit film of the '80s. The series, starring Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price, and Jaime Ray Newman as New England women who discover they have magical abilities, had gotten mixed reviews. But the problem with a television adaption is, when you've got to live up to a film starring Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jack Nicholson, the deck is pretty much stacked against you from the start.

Loose Ends: Word is that execs kicked the show off the schedule so abruptly, there won't be time to wrap things up with a proper ending. Oh well. Fans can always rent the movie.

"Hank"

"Hank" is the new Kelsey Grammer sitcom about a big-shot executive who's forced to move his family back to the Midwestern small town where he grew up. The hokey "Hank" got bad reviews and even worse ratings right out of the gate and it quickly became clear it was only a matter of time before "Hank" would have to hit the road. As fans eat up sharp and sarcastic single-camera comedies like NBC's mockumentary-style "The Office" and ABC's "Modern Family," will more traditional sitcoms like "Hank" get squeezed out, eventually sending the laugh track the way of the VCR?

Loose Ends: Rumor has it the remaining five episodes that have been shot will never see the light of day.

"Dollhouse"

Sci-fi (and Eliza Dushku) fans were dealt a big blow when Fox announced it's canceling its sexy show "Dollhouse" after two seasons. The series, focused on a group of hotties working for a sketchy organization that repeatedly wipes their memories clean, had its share of cult followers, but the ratings never followed. Viewers were happy to hear Fox's recent announcement that it would air all 13 episodes ordered for the second season, but the fun will end there. Don't worry fans -- no matter what, Fox can never erase your memories of Dushku in a tank top.

Loose Ends: The remaining nine episodes will begin airing December 4.

Here's a list of more shows to say goodbye to:

"The Beautiful Life" (The CW): That Ashton Kutcher gets everything he wants, so it's no surprise viewers aren't shedding any tears for Mr. Demi Moore now that his latest TV projcect -- a show about models, no less -- failed. The series was the first casualty of the '09 fall schedule and left the catwalk after just two episodes in September.

"The Cleaner" (A&E): This gritty Benjamin Bratt drama was canceled during its second season and aired its last episode in September.

"Monk" (USA): This quirky comedy focused on a private detective (played brilliantly by Tony Shalhoub), had a good, solid run, and has given fans plenty of warning that this season, its eighth, is also its last. The series finale airs December 4.

"Southland" (NBC): Though NBC canceled this cop drama early in its second season last month, fans will get their happy ending now that cable network TNT announced plans to pick up the show and will begin airing the series from the beginning in January.

"Trauma" (NBC): This new NBC medical drama about jumpsuit-wearing paramedics flying around in helicopters needed a little life support of its own, but never got it. It's unclear whether the network will air the first season's remaining six episodes.


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Target's Black Friday Bet: $3 Appliances


This article is part of a series related to being Financially Fit

Retailer's 'doorbuster discounts' reportedly include a 32-inch LCD HDTV for $246 and a $10 free gift card when you spend $100 or more.

Target is hoping to lure this year's Black Friday shoppers with $3 toasters and coffeemakers, deep deals on high-definition televisions, and discounts of 50% on clothes and toys, according to a Web site that says it has received a leaked copy of the retailer's circular.

Brad Olson, founder of Gottadeal.com, a Web site that markets itself as one of many "official" Black Friday deal sites, said Wednesday that he received a copy of the discount retailer's ad.

For competitive reasons, most merchants typically keep a tight lid on their promotions for Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, until a week before.

Olson, who's been tracking annual Black Friday deals from Wal-Mart, Target, Sears and other chain stores for the past six years, said Target's deals look "pretty aggressive" this year.

That's not particularly surprising given that the past 10 months have been a sales nightmare for most merchants.

Given that trend, sellers need to start the holiday shopping season -- their most important sales period of a year -- with a bang.

target_black_friday.jpg

The November-December gift-buying period can account for 50% or more of sellers' annual profits and sales.

Olson said Target's Black Friday "doorbuster" deals, or the extra juicy sales given for a limited time to early shoppers, look very attractive.

These include a Westinghouse 32-inch LCD HDTV for $246. "The $246 HDTV is the lowest price that we've ever seen for that model," said Olsen.

Also in the ad: $3 Chefmate appliances such as toasters, coffeemakers and sandwich makers; a 40-inch Apex 1080p LCD HDTV for $449 with a $10 gift card; a TomTom GPS for $97; a Garmin GPS for $179; an RCA dual-screen portable DVD player for $88; a $39 Polaroid V 130 Camcorder; 50% off on select toys; and children's clothing for between $5 to $7.

The ad said the merchant is also offering a free gift card worth $10 if you spend $100 or more at its stores from 5 a.m. to noon on Black Friday.

According to Target's circular, some of the sales are valid only on Black Friday while others are good through Saturday.

Target spokeswoman Sarah Boehle said the company "is unable to confirm the accuracy of any [Black Friday] two-day ads or pricing information that is posted online."

"Each year we chronicle lots of excitement about our ads when we hear that they were prematurely leaked,' said Boehle. "We really appreciate all the interest. We encourage consumers to look for our official [Black Friday] ad."

Target is expected to release its weekly circular the week of Nov. 22.


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Friday the 13th phobia? You have plenty of company


CHICAGO – Henry Ford would have hated 2009, and not just because it's been a tough year to sell cars.

This July 1942 file photo shows automobile manufacturer Henry Ford. Ford, as the story goes, refused to do business on Friday the 13th, and this week marks the third time this year that the 13th will fall on a Friday, the most times it can happen in one year.


Ford, as the story goes, refused to do business on Friday the 13th, and this week marks the third time this year that the 13th will fall on a Friday — the most times it can happen in one year.

It's a day when people rearrange travel plans, delay surgery or just pull up the covers and stay in bed until Friday the 13th turns into Saturday the 14th, convinced that even stepping out of the house would cause bad luck to find them the way an anvil finds the head of Wile E. Coyote.

"They're afraid something tragic or ominous would happen," said Donald Dossey, a North Carolina behavioral scientist and author who said he named the fear — paraskavedekatriaphobia — proof that he does not suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, the fear of long words.

Some feel they're just being cautious the way Ford, Napoleon and President Franklin Roosevelt were said to have been.

Elizabeth Lampert, a consultant in Alamo, Calif., said she doesn't avoid everything on the 13th, but would "absolutely, absolutely" delay something like surgery.

"There are only a few Friday the 13ths, so why test fate?" Lampert said.

The phobia around the 13th is a cousin to triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13. Even today, the Otis Elevator Company knows better than to include a button with a 13 on it in elevators all over the world, said spokesman Dilip Rangnekar. The supposedly unlucky number, triskaidekaphobes say, is the reason behind the explosion of Apollo 13, which took off at exactly 1:13 p.m. (1313 military time) on 4/11/70 (digits that add up to 13, naturally).

It's also the number that prompted FDR to alter his own travel plans on any day of the week that landed on the 13th.

"FDR would not depart on a (train) trip on the 13th," said Thomas Fernsler, a University of Delaware mathematician who has studied the number enough to earn the moniker "Dr. 13." He recounted a story that originated with FDR's personal secretary, Grace Tully, who said the former president would order the train to leave the station before midnight on the 12th or after midnight on the morning of the 14th.

In a final act, FDR died in 1945 on April 12. Thursday, April 12.

"He avoided traveling to the beyond on the 13th," joked Bob Clark, head archivist at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

The origins of all this fear of the number 13 and Friday the 13th are open for debate.

Some say it has to do with a particular Friday the 13th in the 1300s, when some particularly unlucky knights were burned at the stake. Fernsler suspects it may have something to do with Jesus Christ, who was crucified on a Friday after a Last Supper attended by 13 people, one of whom was Judas Iscariot.

Dossey has his money on Norse mythology when Loki — referred to in the Encyclopaedia Britannica as a "cunning trickster" — crashed a party of 12 gods at Valhalla.

"That's really when the number 13 became unlucky," he explained.

It is impossible to tell just how many people out there are changing their plans.

But one person who has made a living getting inside people's heads — The Amazing Kreskin, who bills himself as "the world's foremost mentalist" — said he's seen for himself how seriously people from all walks of life take Friday the 13th.

"There are many, many people in the business world who do not fly on Friday the 13th," said Kreskin, who legally changed his name from George Kresge Jr.

But in Chicago, for example, neither O'Hare International Airport nor United Airlines has noticed any drop in the number of people flying on Friday the 13th.

"It's an old wives' tale," said United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski in an e-mail.

The same goes for two of the biggest hospitals in the city — Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the University of Chicago Medical Center — where it appears people are just as likely go to go under the knife that day as any other, and aren't rushing to the doctor, either.

"When it's Friday the 13th, you wonder if it is going to be busier ... but people aren't coming into the ER panicking, saying 'I just realized it's Friday the 13th, give me Xanax or Valium,'" said Dr. Pedro Dago, a Northwestern psychiatrist.

Not only that, but if Wall Street is any indication, Friday the 13th may actually be a lucky day. The stock market, it turns out, tends to do better on Friday the 13th, rising by an average of .04 percent on each of the past 185 Friday the 13ths, according to the Bespoke Investment Group, a Harrison, N.Y.-based investment research firm. That's double the average .02 percent gain, but a little worse than other Fridays, which are generally good days for stocks.

And Friday the 13th might be just the thing to prompt people to go ahead with their plans.

Lampert, the same consultant who said she would not have surgery on that day, said she originally had reservations about agreeing to a first date this Friday night, but now thinks calendar can work in her favor.

"I look at the calendar and say it's a 50-50 shot I'd like him and if I don't it's not my fault," she said.

As for Dr. 13, while he loves to point out things like how Fidel Castro and Butch Cassidy were both born on Friday the 13th and notices when he checks into a hotel if his room number adds up to 13, he doesn't want people to misunderstand.

"I don't buy any of this," Fernsler said. "I'm just a math guy."

(This version CORRECTS that Kreskin's name is legally The Amazing Kreskin)


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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Combat fat! Your allies in battling bulge? Foods that do the work for you. These edibles have proven lipid-melting powers that help you slim. That’s a win.

By Veronica Byrd

Almonds Almond joy! Dieters who ate 3 ounces of these nuts every day reduced their weight and body-mass index by a solid 18 percent compared with an 11 percent drop in the no-nut group, a study in the International Journal of Obesity found. Almonds are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can speed the metabolism of fats. Stick to 12 per serving.

Berries Vitamin C–loaded fruit such as strawberries and raspberries can help you sizzle up to 30 percent more fat during exercise, suggests research from Arizona State University at Mesa. Blend a vinaigrette of 1 cup berries and ¼ cup balsamic vinegar.

See our tips: 5 stress-fighting superfoods!


Cinnamon
This spice could make your waistline nice. Sprinkling ¼ teaspoon on your food may prevent a postmeal insulin spike—this increase normally occurs after you eat and “signals the body that it should store fat rather than burn it,” explains Lauren Slayton, R.D., of New York City. Add a dash to your oatmeal, yogurt or coffee.

Mustard Hello, yellow. The spice that gives mustard its color, turmeric, may slow the growth of fat tissues, a study in the journal Endocrinology notes. Eighty-six mayo in favor of any mustard; sprinkle turmeric on cauliflower and roast for a tangy side.

Oranges Prevent pound creep with this citrus star: It contains fat-torching compounds called flavones. Women who ate the most flavones had a significantly lower increase in body fat over a 14-year period, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds. Snack on slices or drink freshly squeezed OJ (with pulp!) for the biggest payback.

Related: 30 foods that fight fat!

Soybeans These green gems are rich in choline, a compound that blocks fat absorption and breaks down fatty deposits. Add ½ cup edamame to a salad.

Sweet potatoes
Trade up to sweet taters. They’re high in fiber, which means no drastic insulin jumps and thus less fat packed onto your hips. Bake a small sweet potato—think of two bars of soap as a portion size—and top with a dollop of lowfat or nonfat cottage cheese.

Swiss cheese Holy cow: “Calcium-rich foods reduce fat-producing enzymes and increase fat breakdown,” says Michael B. Zemel, Ph.D., director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Put toe to toe with some of its cheesy counterparts, Swiss is a heavy hitter in the calcium department; layer a slice on a lunchtime sandwich, or stack some on high-fiber crackers.

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