New Zunes due November 13

Earlier this month, Microsoft made headlines with the announcement of a new generation of Zune portable media players sporting a new design, new features—including worthwhile Wi-Fi functionality—and new software. The company also promised to deliver a million DRM-free MP3 tracks on the Zune Marketplace and to back-port new software features to first-generation Zunes. However, despite the hype, the company only mentioned a vague "November" release time frame for the new devices, software, and music.

Luckily for Zune fans longing to upgrade either their software or their devices, the folks at Engadget have learned of a specific date for the new Zunes' retail introduction. Engadget's information doesn't come from shady insiders or moles, but from an old-fashioned print ad for the new Zunes. The ad clearly states, "new 4, 8, 30, 80 GB zune. begining [sic] 11.13.07."

The new 4GB and 8GB flash-based Zunes will cost $149.99 and $199.99, respectively, while the new 80GB hard drive-based Zune will be priced at $249.99. The old 30GB player had its price cut to $199 last month, but places like Woot.com are already offering heavily discounted versions of the player.

another way to consume information in a simple and easily navigable manner

Dave Winer, whom I have dubbed “The Constant Tinkerer,” has come up with yet another way to consume information in a simple and easily navigable manner. Well known for his work on RSS and OPML, he is now shifting his attention to finding new ways to consume news from large information sources such as the New York Times — in a style that is common to blogs.

Blogs almost always display the latest posts at the top, making it easy to get a quick bite of the latest information, and is one of the reasons they have gained in popularity. Using that framework, he has come up with an outline view of news.

A flat completely chronologic view of news probably isn’t enough. And earlier this month at a meeting in NY, two engineers at the NY Times set me off in a new direction, with a very simple bit of advice…[T]hey had applied a taxonomy to their news flow, and this opened the door to what I would like to show you today — an outline view of the news.

Winer likes to call his new experiment a “river,” but I prefer to call it real simple navigation. Using The New York Times’ taxonomy, he has come up with an example that allows you to easily find the latest news from the Times’ vast media machine. I think it is a format that should be adopted by other media companies — it is simple, and more importantly it translates into easy discovery of what’s new and hot. It helps you find related information rather easily, too.

AOL fingers Thumbplay

The company has been selected to deliver ringtones and wallpapers across the AOL network, which reaches 114 million unique visitors a month in the US. It includes internet destinations such as AOL.com, AOL Music, AOL Games, the AIM instant messaging service, Winamp, and Spinner.

Thumbplay content will also be integrated within the new AOL Mobile online destination, which provides consumers with information on handset-specific content and services.

“This deal is defining for Thumbplay,” said Are Traasdahl, Thumbplay’s CEO. “I’m pleased to say that this reinforces Thumbplay’s position as the leading US provider of mobile content to consumers who are looking to discover mobile content, manage it, and share their personalized mobile entertainment experience with others.”

Morality behind software development

software development--let's loosely mark the starting point around the time of the ENIAC--code writers have dealt with a myriad of technical and business challenges. It's fair to say they've also not had to confront questions of morality or ethics about how governments later deploy their finished work.
Until now.

Grady Booch, the inventor of the Unified Modeling Language, says those days of splendid isolation are--and should be--coming to an end.Booch was the first chief scientist at Rational Software when it began in 1981. He kept the job after IBM bought the company in 2003 when he was also elevated to the rank of IBM fellow.

Free TV Downloads

SanDisk's rollout of TakeTV, its new no-frills video download hardware, is interesting; so is its launch of FanFare, an online video service that supports the gadget. But most intriguing is the business model that SanDisk is proposing: While the device and software will let consumers pay for video downloads, SanDisk seems to be most interested in serving up free, ad-supported videos instead.

Right now online video distribution gambits generally falls into one of two camps: Paid, commercial-free downloads (Apple's iTunes, Amazon's Unbox) and ad-supported streams hosted by broadcast networks' own sites or third parties (ABC, YouTube, Hulu, etc).

But both ideas have significant drawbacks: Streaming video tethers viewers to a PC, when what they really want is the ability to watch it on their TV or take it with them; paid downloads require, um, payment. Splitting the difference might work. Last month, in the midst of its public spat with Apple, NBC announced plans to provide free ad-supported downloads of some of its shows, but we haven't seen any sign of "NBC Direct" since then. Now CBS, which is stocking FanFare with some of its content at launch, is talking about making some of its shows available for free in the near future. From Businessweek:

TV show episodes and movies will sell at prices similar to what's found on iTunes: $1.99 per episode for TV shows, and $4.99 for movies, but the service won't be bound by any strict pricing models. That opens the door to free ad-supported downloads, which [CBS exec David] Poltrack says is hugely attractive to content companies like CBS. "The consumer prefers the ad-supported model," he says. "They would rather accept ads than pay for content. There is a minority that would rather pay, but the majority wants the content for free."

This shouldn't be a complete surprise: CBS' Les Moonves has been particularly outspoken about this interest in getting his video distributed as widely as possible, as long as he can sell ads against it -- he's also said repeatedly that paid downloads via iTunes don't generate much cash for CBS. There are big technical challenges to making this work -- DRM, the ability to target and/or change ads, making sure it works on multiple platforms, including Apple -- but conceptually, it makes a lot of sense.

Something new in News

News is not exactly new technology, but when personal computers came along, and then widespread networking, it created a whole new playing field for news, that has shaken things up for most of my life. Change comes in fits at starts. First there was the web, then RSS, and now I think we're on the cusp of another bit of change.

If you want to see what I think it looks like, check out the home page of nytimesriver.com. But that's not the end of the story. A flat completely chronologic view of news probably isn't enough. And earlier this month at a meeting in NY, two engineers at the NY Times set me off in a new direction, with a very simple bit of advice. They told me to look in the HTML source code of their stories. When I did I saw they had applied a taxonomy to their news flow, and this opened the door to what I would like to show you today -- an outline view of the news.

http://nytimesriver.com/outline/
I believe it's fairly self-explanatory.

The topics are arranged in order of frequency in today's news.

In a previous rendering, the stories were shown in a histogram, but this view I think is much better. You can still see how many pieces relate to the indicated topic, but by clicking on the plus next to each topic, you can actually see the headlines and descriptions, and if you want more you can click through to the full stories. (Initially, the outline was sorted by frequency, with the most frequently occurring keyword appearing first. I changed it, based on feedback, to be alphabetic.) Permalink to this paragraph

Now, there's still more to do, I showed this to a number of people during the weekend and got some excellent clues on ideas to pursue next, and I will do that. Further, in the process of exploring this, I've been shown the work of other developers who discovered the keywords on their own, and one in particular is very interesting. I'm hoping that these projects will come public so I can show them to you and tell you what I think they mean.

This is what I live for, professionally -- the sense of being somewhere with great unexplored potential, a virgin landscape of the intellect. I'm never happier than when I get to play in such a place.

Dan Gillmor: "Dave Winer has been exploring a superb news resource, exploring the depth and breadth of the New York Times‘ data-stream."

Maxed Out Movie Review

James Scurlock's book Maxed Out, which was written based on the upcoming documentary of the same name. I then promptly forgot about the movie and just got around to watching it now. So here is my much-belated review of Maxed Out, a movie that every American who wants to understand the subprime and consumer credit industry absolutely must watch.

Scurlock looks at the issue of maxed out Americans on the brink of bankruptcy with a mix of compassion and tough love. Interviews with the owner of a pawn shop show the conspicuous consumption that has been a major contributor the current mess. Dave Ramsey offers advice on a tough, rugged-individualist way to turn your life around: Cut up your credit cards, live like a pauper, and get yourself out of debt.

But there's another side to the story and Maxed Out tells it well: the credit card companies that shamelessly exploit college students and even the mentally disabled, and bankruptcy reform bill written by the credit card industry.

Tales of Innocence: Battle Movie #1

Cause that sure looked like Trunks. I bet it was Trunks.

All kidding aside, he did look like Trunks. And I'm so getting this.

But not because he looks like Trunks.
Which he does.......

Napster inked a deal with AT&T for Mobile Music Downloads

Napster has inked a deal with AT&T offering access to over 5 million tracks from the digital music store's library to the wireless provider's customers. Although late entrants to the over-the-air (OTA) music game, the deal is poised to get both companies back into the mobile music fight against rivals Verizon and Sprint.

Unfortunately, the pricing is a bit of a hitch. At $1.99 a song, or $7.49 for five songs, it's comparable to Verizon's pricing, but far off-kilter from Sprint's .99 a track. Issues with the price point are only compounded by computer based digital music stores like iTunes and Amazon distributing DRM-free tracks at .99. There is a little more work involved with those solutions since they don't provide the convenience of over-the-air downloads (yet), but in terms of price and selection they may prove to be strong contenders.

It's good to see both companies rise to the occasion, but it's doubtful that today's news will put either at the front of the pack. Napster's popularity has been waning for a while due to its convoluted pricing and awkward subscription model, and AT&T's sexiest handset (yes...the iPhone) is supplied by one of Napster's biggest competitors. We'll see if things change when the service launches mid-November.

news source

Hot Country Girl Rissi Palmer (Photos and Video)

Rissi Palmer knew at an early age that she wanted to sing. She would stand on a milk crate as she sang with teens and adults in her church choir and grew up listening to country music. At 13, she and her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri where she was exposed to a wide variety of music. While in St. Louis, she took part in talent pageants, which led to her joining Team 11, an entertainment troupe who performed for audiences. It was there that her country influence started to surface. When she was 19 years old, she was offered a deal by R & B producers James Harris and Terry Lewis (who had worked with the likes of Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey) but she declined. Her heart was in country music.

Eventually she would become a finalist for the CBS show “Star Search” where judge Naomi Judd took her under her wing. Naomi introduced her to the creators of “Waiting In The Wings”, a documentary which focused on African-Americans in the country music business. Soon after, she would land a record deal with 17,20 Entertainment.

It hasn’t been an easy road for Rissi. She spoke about a time when Nashville music execs raved about her demos, but would back off when they discovered that she was Black. She said she doesn’t call it racism, but just the reality of the country music market.

Rissi’s self titled debut album will be released Tuesday, October 23rd.

Rissi Palmer - “Country Girl” Video

Canyon Country Buckweed Fire

The Buckweed Fire began in Agua Dulce, north of Santa Clarita.

The fire has already burned 10,000 acres and early reports indicate 3,800 homes are threatened.

This one has ugly written all over it. This one could burn to Interstate 5 by morning.

Streaming video of the incident via MyFoxLA.com.

Dustin Pedroia leveled against Rafael Betancourt

Dustin Pedroia leveled against a Rafael Betancourt fastball on Sunday night.

With one out in the seventh inning and Jacoby Ellsbury standing on third, Betancourt rocked and delivered. Pedroia sank and centered on the ball, dipping below his 5-foot-9 eye level, then swinging with a vicious uppercut.

"He got a hold of it," Ellsbury said.

Pedroia's shot ricocheted into the first row of the Green Monster Seats, and it immediately had fans bouncing to the pulse-pounding rhythm of the Fenway Park public address system. Suddenly, the Red Sox were dancing with a 5-2 lead, on their way to an 11-2 Game 7 victory over the Indians in the American League Championship Series.

"Once it went out, man," Pedroia said, "I was so excited and had so much adrenaline going on. I don't even remember running around the bases, to tell you the truth. I just got around there.

"It was the biggest at-bat of my life, and I'll never forget it."

Kevin Youkilis was the first player to greet Pedroia after his dizzying trip around the bases. And he was the last to strike a devastating blow to the Indians' World Series chances.

Youkilis capped his hot series by turning a 1-1 Jensen Lewis breaking ball into a three-second advertisement for Coca-Cola. His fourth home run of the ALCS bounced squarely off the center of the giant Coke bottle above the Green Monster, adding two runs to the Sox's lead and effectively putting the AL championship on ice.

Two players, two Monster shots and two record-breakers. Youkilis hit an even (14-for-28) during the series, besting Bob Boone's seven-game ALCS record of .455 in 1986. He scored 10 runs, breaking a three-year-old ALCS record held by the Yankees' Hideki Matsui.

With 14 hits, including at least one in each game, Youkilis tied the LCS record jointly held by Matsui and Albert Pujols since '04. And each seemed bigger than the last.

"His bat has really come alive," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of Youkilis. "He just doesn't always hit singles. If you make a mistake, he can drive the ball out of the ballpark. ... You put that bat in front of David [Ortiz] and Manny [Ramirez], it gets interesting."

Pedroia's first career postseason home run, meanwhile, made him the first rookie to go deep in an ALCS Game 7. He joined National Leaguers Andruw Jones (1996) and Miguel Cabrera ('03) as the third rookie to hit an LCS Game 7 homer.

But Pedroia didn't stop there. He laced the next Betancourt fastball he saw for a bases-clearing double in the eighth, thus becoming the first rookie to amass five RBIs in an LCS game. He scored three runs, finishing the series with eight runs scored, a new ALCS rookie record.

This, after managing just three singles in his first 16 ALCS at-bats, a stretch that had some in the local media speculating about whether Pedroia was overwhelmed as a rookie in the playoffs.

"I think we all thought he would be just fine," Francona said of Pedroia. "Again, sometimes when you don't get hits, don't think you run away from the guys that got you here. ... Either you're good enough or you're not."

Nazca lines, lengthy and a bit spotty

Nazca Lines' Cremation/Cruises, while lengthy and a bit spotty, is an overall solid debut that brings to mind luminaries like Jawbox and Burning Airlines.

The Seattle outfit sport the same set of guitar techniques as their post-punk predecessors, whether it's jagged riffing, distorted atmospheres or general wandering. "The Raven Remembers" is a good example, as it contains all of this with some aggressive frat-boy condemning in its first line or so ("back off, you motherfuckers with your white hats and your date-rape keggers"). "Cannibals Feed Often" is a five-minute, spazzy number with a weird, stomping bass line. "The Ticket" starts off deceptively quiet with drumstick clicks and soft riffs, a trick they should use more often. "Four-Star Plagiarism" is a cool little number with a lot of time changes, some handclaps, and instrument drop-outs, making it a standout.

Cremation/Cruises has a lot of sound ideas, but they merely stay curiously interesting for most of the album's 45-minute running time, as opposed to fully engaging. It's a little bit of a chore to spend three-quarters of an hour waiting for a truly gripping moment every so often, after all.

Chiari Malformation (Kiari Malformation) Disease

Chiari disease is a complex group of disorders that are characterized by a herniation of the cerebellum through the large opening in the base of the skull (foramen magnum) into the spinal canal.

Chiari is often misspelt as Kiari, phonetically both sounds the same.

There are three main types of Chiari Malformation. CM1, the simplest and most prevalent form, is generally considered to be a congenital malformation. CM2 and CM3 are more severe congenital malformations that are apparent at birth and associated with complex defects of the brain and spinal cord.

The majority of patients complain of severe headache and neck pain. Other common symptoms are dizziness, vertigo, disequilibrium, visual disturbances, ringing in the ears, difficulty swallowing, palpitations, sleep apnea, muscle weakness, impaired fine motor skills, chronic fatigue and painful tingling of the hands and feet.

Sputnik anniversary, to unveil Clinton science agenda

Hillary Rodham Clinton used today’s the 50th anniversary of the Soviets launch of the Sputnik satellite to unveil a science agenda that would include a presidential executive order allowing “ethical stem cell research’’ and banning political appointees from altering the scientific conclusions in government publications.

Clinton also called on a focus on alternative energy – “We can call it energy 2.0’’ – that would end the United State’s dependence on foreign oil.

Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president, pledged that if elected she would have a science advisor in the White House who will report directly to the president.

Even before Clinton uttered a word of her speech, she came under attack from the Republican National Committee which pointed out she “is lecturing about math, even though she’s having trouble adding up the figures to pay for her own health care plan.’’

Clinton did not put a dollar figure on her entire package, but she has pledged to spend $50 billion on a Strategic Energy Fund to promote energy conservation and combat global warming.
The 59-year-old presidential candidate noted that the Soviet satellite that beat the United States in the first leg of the space race fascinated her as a little girl. She recalled doing her eighth science project on space medicine and in junior high applied to NASA on how to become an astronaut.

Kimberly Bell, Barry Bonds in Playboy Magazine

The Playboy issue featuring Kimberly Bell will be released Friday.

Kimberly Bell openly discusses her life with homerun king Barry Bonds in a Playboy issue set to hit newsstands Friday.
In her pictorial/article Bell details her decade long affair she had with the San Francisco Giants slugger and makes claims that Bonds admitted to using steroids during his pursuit of Hank Aaron’s all-time homerun record, a mark he eclipsed earlier this year.

Bell also revealed that while the steroid abuse may have helped his performance in the field it had a detrimental effect in the bedroom as Bonds wasn’t able to perform on occasion.

The 37-year-old, a former graphic designer in San Francisco, said that Bonds initially began taking steroids after an elbow injury but continued despite the ill effects. Bell had testified before a grand jury related to Bonds denial of steroid abuse. Bonds has been the subject of an intense Major League Baseball investigation into steroid abuse among its players. Despite all the allegations surrounding the investigation Bonds has adamantly denied ever knowingly taking the substance.

Funky Winkerbean passed away today

The 36-year-old beloved attorney, mother and wife passed away today following a bout with breast cancer. She is survived by her husband, Les, and daughter, Summer.

These aren’t real people; they’re characters in the daily comic strip “Funky Winkerbean.”

But that hasn’t kept Lisa’s illness and death from upsetting a lot of readers.

“I cannot look at the strip. It is that depressing,” said Elaine Baumbach, 60, of New Cumberland. “If it catches my eye, right away I feel bad. I fold the paper over as soon as I get to that page.”

The strip, written and drawn by Tom Batiuk of Medina, Ohio, has been around since 1972 and runs in about 400 newspapers, including the Patriot-News.

And Baumbach is just one of a number of local readers who have complained in recent months about the current cancer storyline, calling it too much of a downer for the proverbial “funny pages.”

“There’s nothing funny about [cancer],” said Keith Roth, 79, of Newberry Twp. “It’s sad and serious and a terrible thing and we have too much of it today anyhow in the real life without looking at it in the paper.

“It’s not that I don’t think it shouldn’t be in the paper, but it’s in the wrong place,” he said.

Joshua Fruhlinger, whose Web site, The Comics Curmudgeon (joshreads.com), regularly pokes fun at contemporary comic strips, sees something else in readers’ reactions.

“I think one of the things that’s interesting [about people’s reactions] is it says something about their attitudes about sickness in general,” said “A lot of people were really mad about the character’s decision to stop doing chemo, which I think they saw as giving up.”

Cartoonist Batiuk, 60, has heard the complaints.

“They [readers] feel that I’m violating an unwritten comics code by not providing a punch line for them every day. I sort of feel that what I owe them is the very best work that I can do,” he said during a recent phone interview.

“I love being funny. But I think there are times when we need to try to build something a little bit more than that.”

Dan Stencovage, 47, of East Pennsboro Twp., agrees.

“It’s a good tool. There may be people out there battling cancer or any other disease who may not take care of their own health needs. Maybe by reading that they’ll go ‘I better take care of myself. Maybe I better have that mammogram.’¤”

That’s partly why the storyline concludes at the start of October, which just happens to be National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (though Batiuk suggest that luck played a part in that bit of timing).

According to Heather Hibshman, executive director of the PA Breast Cancer Coalition, Lisa’s death isn’t that far from the reality .

“About 2,200 women in Pennsylvania lose the battle each year. It’s relevant to a lot of people. we all know someone with breast cancer,” she said from her office in Ephrata. “This will bring awareness to thousands of people reading this strip about how prevalent this disease is.”

Batiuk originally had Lisa battle breast cancer back in 1999. Once she recovered, he thought that was the end of that particular storyline. Then he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003.

“It was when I was diagnosed myself when I realized there was a huge void between empathy and personal experience,” he said. “I knew as I was going into that process that I was going to be writing about it again.”

Following Lisa’s death today, the strip will jump ahead 10 years, with a goateed and much older Les reflecting on Lisa’s funeral and his subsequent mourning.

From there the strip will focus on the sons and daughters of the strip’s original core characters.

“I wanted to bring the characters closer to my age,” Batiuk said about the time jump.

Interest in the story has also led to Lisa’s Legacy Fund, created by the University Hospital’s Ireland Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the premier cancer treatment centers in the country.

One hundred percent of the donations made to the fund will go towards research and education at the center. For his part, Batiuk has pledged to donate all royalties from his upcoming book, “Lisa’s Story: The Other Shoe” to the fund.

Despite the criticism, Batiuk remains confident in his work.

“I feel it’s some of the best work I’m ever going to do,” he said while signing copies of “Lisa’s Story” at the center. “It’s certainly some of the most hard won.”

Johnny Fairplay knocks out Video

Danny Bonaduce Owns Johnny Fairplay - Watch more free videos

Fox Reality awards where Danny Bonaduce knocks out Johnny Fairplays front teeth by throwing him over his back. Good for him!

Danny Bonaduce slammed Jonny Fairplay on his face

Danny Bonaduce took it to the next level last night. Are you surprised? According to TMZ, the Breaking Bonaduce star hopped on-stage at the FOX Reality Channel Really Awards, picked up notorious Survivor contestant Jonny Fairplay (who is having a baby with America’s Next Top Model reject Michelle, natch) and slammed the guy on his face, leaving him bloodied and toothless.

Fairplay was hauled off to the hospital in an ambulance, while Bonaduce went on Adam Carolla’s radio show this morning to explain that he’s always been bugged by Fairplay (who lied on Survivor to win sympathy), so he had no problem stepping on-stage to inform Fairplay that the crowd was booing him.

Fairplay jumped into Bonaduce’s arms and then the Bonaduce beatdown occured. Danny should probably save his “testimony” for a judge, seeing as he’s now the suspect in a “felony battery report.” Reality sure is sweet!

10 Free E-books For Bloggers

Authority Black Book

Authority Black Book - What is an authority presence on the web? Why is it important to have an authority and how can you attain authority? What are the web 2.0 tools that you can use? Authority Black Book is a 64-page ebook by Jake Humphrey explaining how to get the best out of web 2.0 technology including blogging, RSS marketing, social bookmarking sites, social media marketing sites, and video marketing in order to attract more traffic to your site. There is also a list of web 2.0 resource sites.

You would already be aware of what is written about in the ebook if you have been blogging for quite some time. But the ebook is a good resource with plenty of links of the top sites and services in different categories related to blogging, and you can take it as a starting point if you are newly starting out in the blogosphere.

Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization

Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization - For many a blogger, search engine optimization is the next thing they want to understand once they set up their blog and are couple of weeks into blogging. If that’s the case, this is the ebook that they should get their hands on. Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization is a good newbie’s guide to SEO practices from SEOmoz explaining how search engines operate, how to conduct keyword research, building a traffic-worthy site, and growing a site’s popularity.

The ebook can be downloaded in MS Word or Open Office Text Document format. There are single page and 9-page versions of the ebook as well that you can read online.

BlogBash: Deep Secrets of Successful Blogging - learn from 30 experts

BlogBash: Deep Secrets of Successful Blogging - learn from 30 experts - What can you say when you get 30 of the top bloggers from across the globe writing down their secrets in one free ebook? This ebook is a must-read for every blogger.

Some of the articles include - Synergy between SEO and traditional marketing by Aaron Wall of SEOBook, Driving traffic using Delicious by Neil Patel of ProNetAdvertising, 7 ways to make your content search engine friendly by Daniel Scocco of Daily Blog Tips, Staying Connected-the secret to keeping those loyal readers by Liz Strauss of Successful-Blog, Help me - my mom is my blog’s only reader by Darren Rowse of Problogger, Advertising in the blogosphere by Chris Batty of Gizmodo, among others. This ebook is a product of BlogBash - the 30 day event featuring expert bloggers from across the blogosphere.

Blog Profits Blueprint

Blog Profits Blueprint - Starting off with how he discovered blogging, Yaro Starak of Entrepreneur’s Journey explains in this 54 page ebook the strategies and tactics you require to start blogging successfully. Some of the subjects he talks about include key ingredients of attracting attraction to your blog, how to choose your blog traffic - passions vs profits, creating pillar posts, marketing your blog, etc.

Yaro also details blog monetization methods including Google AdSense and other alternatives. There is a section on RSS and blog advertising too. The writing is easy to comprehend and Yaro has included some genuine experiences that you can learn from.

Dive Into Web 2.0

Dive Into Web 2.0 - This is a comprehensive guide to Web 2.0 sites and technologies including search engines, SEO, wikis, blogging, social networking, social bookmarking, social media, tagging, web monetization, APIs, mashups, widgets, gadgets, RSS, web 2.0 business models, and rich media applications like AJAX, Silverlight, Google Gears, and many more.

Maybe you can say Wikipedia is there for all these terminologies. But what this ebook brings you is the entire set of web 2.0 technologies in one go, exposing many tools that you might not have heard about before.

Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber Dissidents

Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber Dissidents - Reporters Without Borders is an international organization that works for press freedom. In this ebook, the organization provides tips to blog anonymously and get round censorship for free expression in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure. In their own words, bloggers are often the only real journalists in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure. Sometimes, only bloggers provide independent news, at the risk of displeasing the government and sometimes courting arrest. Plenty of bloggers have been thrown in prison for their writing.
One unique tidbit that you won’t find anywhere else is the chapter on Blogging ethics that talks about thoroughness, accuracy, fairness, transparency, and independence. There are also personal accounts of bloggers who have been writing from Internet-censored countries.

The ebook also dedicates the final chapter to the countries that censor the Internet including China, Vietnam, Tunisia, Iran, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia. This is truly one read that reminds us that blogging is not all about keeping a personal diary or being just a business tool. It can play serious socio-political roles in different parts of the world.

Make Money Online with John Chow dot Com

Make Money Online with John Chow dot Com is a comprehensive ebook on everything you need to start a blog and maintain it successfully. Written by John Chow, one of the most outspoken bloggers on blogging, the ebook explains blogging tips for beginners and then goes into blog monetization tips with examples of various affiliate links, blog promotion tips, and Google Optimization. There is a chapter on Wordpress as well.

The ebook has 9 chapters spread across 59 pages. A must read for beginners and something that even a veteran blogger might find useful.

Unleashing the Idea Virus

Unleashing the Idea Virus - This is a mega 197-page viral marketing ebook by marketing guru Seth Godin. He explains why ideas matter, and reveals the secrets on how to unleash an ideavirus. He also presented many case studies to prove his point.

The book answers tricky questions like why is it foolish to launch a new business with millions of dollars in TV ads, why the market leaders in every industry are more vulnerable to sudden successes by the competition than ever before, what’s the single most important asset a company can create—and what is the simple thing that can kill it, does the Net create a dynamic that fundamentally changes the way everything is marketed, and how can any big or small business use ideavirus marketing to succeed, among others.

Although the book is aimed at marketing professionals, it is also a must-read for professional bloggers, webmasters, and those who are out in the blogospshere to create a successful brand/product for themselves.

Web Style Guide

Web Style Guide - This is a newbie webmaster’s guide to page design, typography, editorial style, graphics, and multimedia. There are sections on web site accessibility, CSS, and flexible page design, information architecture, and site maintenance, coupled with illustrations and examples.

Who’s There

Who’s there - Seth Godin again in his unconventional style reveals a few truths about blogging, and defines three types of blogs - cat blogs, boss blogs, and viral blogs. He also lists down the four laws of blogs and the five components of a great blog.

This is one of those books that’ll make you stop and think. A must-read.

news source

Steve Hewitt has left Placebo after over 10 years.

Steve Hewitt has left Placebo after playing with band for over 10 years.

Steve played on four of the albums with the ‘Nancy Boy’ rockers since replacing Robert Schultzberg on drums in 1996.

Placebo singer Brian Molko broke the news on the band’s website, saying: “Being in a band is very much like being in a marriage and in couples - in this case a triple. People can grow apart over the years. To say you don’t love your partner anymore is inaccurate considering all that you’ve been through and achieved together.

Agyness Deyn, the new face of Burberry and Armani

Agyness Deyn, who’s real name is Laura Hollins, is from Littleborough in Lancashire.
Agyness was discovered in a fish and chips shop in Stubbins, where she began working at age 14.

One of her customers was designer Henry Holland, creator of the House of Holland rhyming slogan T-shirts. She became the face of the company.

In 1999 Agyness won the Face of Rossendale modeling contest while she was studying math, business and theater at All-Saints Catholic Language College.

Ronnie Hazlehurst Has Dies

Ronnie Hazlehurst, the man who created the theme tune to Blankety Blank, has passed away aged 79.

Ronnie was also the composer of the theme to the long-running BBC comedy series Last of the Summer Wine, The Two Ronnies and Some Mothers Do ‘Ave Em.

John Plowman, BBC’s head of comedy, said: “He was the composer of many of the best-loved signature tunes of the last 40 years of television - and some of his work is still heard today. He’s associated with some of the best-loved shows of our lives.”

Cameron Diaz dating Bradley Cooper

Cameron Diaz is said to be dating Bradley Cooper.Cameron is said to have enjoyed a romantic weekend in New York with Bradley sparking rumours they are an item.

It was recently reported that Cameron was dating Jessica Simpson’s ex singer John Mayer but it does seem that maybe that was a rumour because these two seem very loved up at the moment.

Cameron split from Justin Timberlake in January after a four-year relationship - was seen getting cosy with Jessica Simpson’s ex-boyfriend in New York in August.

Blur New Album - Could Be Their Best Yet

Alex James has suggested that a new Blur album could be their best yet.

Alex said that he is confident any further recordings by the ‘Parklife’ rockers would surpass their previous material.

James told Gigwise: “I’m still conceited enough to think that we can make our best record. You know, we’ll have to have lunch first, see what happens.”

Stephon Marbury Intern Video

NoBloodNoFoul.com re-enacted the sexual encounter between Stephon Marbury and former NY Knicks intern Kathleen Decker. No skin or anything but you get to see some pictures of the intern.

Browne Sanders suing Isiah Thomas for sexual harassment.

Former basketball player Isiah Thomas (I used to love him when I was a kid, I mean LOVE!) is being sued by the former Vice President of marketing and business operations for the Knicks, Anucha Browne Sanders. Shortly after she filed the complaint, she was fired and is suing and one of her complaints is that she was fired because she brought up potentially being sexually harassed by Thomas.

A jury indicated yesterday that it had decided that Madison Square Garden and Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas sexually harassed a former marketing executive, but that it had not yet reached a verdict on all nine points of the lawsuit.

In a note to United States District Court Judge Gerard E. Lynch, who read it in open court late yesterday afternoon, jurors said that they had decided eight of the points but could not reach agreement on whether Thomas should pay damages to the former executive, Anucha Browne Sanders.

According to a legal scholar, there is a potential for there to be a mistrial if all nine points aren't decided in the case, or if the judge throws out one charge, he could potentially throw out all of them.

Harassment cases are so aggravating, between the difficulty of proving it in the 'he said, she said' wars and the burden of proof lying on the woman to always prove that she was harassed and worthy of trial and reparations.

Andrew Firestone proposed longtime girlfriend, Ivana Bozilovic

Andrew Firestone, the former star of ABC's "20 women fighting over a handsome rich dude" reality show The Bachelor, not to mention heir to the Firestone tire fortune, who proposed to finalist Jen Scheft on the show's 2003 season finale (only to call it quits a few months later), is once again saying he's ready to walk the aisle.

This time, the lovely lady wearing Bachelor bling is Ivana Bozilovic, who is apparently a model and an actress (who isn't these days?) with credits in such screen greats as Van Wilder. The blonde beauty also just celebrated her 30th birthday last week.

Mirthala Salinas knew how to sleep her way to the top

The former Telemundo evening newscasting had a thing for LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and landed to most coveted broadcasting job ever. Then, the sh*t hit the fan and Mirthala Salinas, former mistress, current girlfriend and disgraced Telemundo newscaster, got outed for her affair.

Her two month suspension for having an affair with the Mayor while reporting on his marriage’s demise is up. Telemundo has offered Salinas a reassignment at Inland Empire bureau in Riverside, a serious demotion from her previous role as fill-in evening newscaster. She decided not to show up for work. Sometimes sleeping your way to the top doesn’t work.

Commerce Bancorp for $8.5-billion

Canada's two largest banks announced early Tuesday they are spending almost $11-billion (U.S.) to expand in the United States and the Caribbean, riding on the wings of the soaring Canadian dollar.

With the loonie now at or above par with the greenback for the first time in more than 30 years, No. 2-ranked Toronto-Dominion Bank stole the show by announcing its biggest acquisition to date: a deal to double its U.S. retail banking presence by taking over Commerce Bancorp Inc. for $8.5-billion in cash and stock — a transaction made possible in part by regulatory problems that led to the ouster of the New Jersey bank's founder at the end of July.

The news of TD's planned acquisition overshadowed confirmation from No. 1-ranked Royal Bank of Canada that it is buying Trinidad & Tobago's RBTT Financial Holdings Ltd. for $2.2-billion, in one of the largest recent acquisitions in the Caribbean.

But observers say there is little question that the high-flying loonie will make both deals easier for the acquiring banks to swallow.

“I'm quite sure that had a lot to do with the transactions,” said Neil Andrew, associated portfolio manager at Leeward Hedge Funds in Toronto. “It's certainly very timely.”

“TD has very aggressively taken advantage of the low U.S. dollar, and the valuation discounts that the U.S. financials have been trading on,” analyst John Aiken at Dundee Securities in Toronto told clients in a note, adding in all capital letters for emphasis that he “would not be surprised to see other Canadian financial institutions make large acquisitions in the U.S. in the near term.”

As well, unlike many of their U.S. counterparts, Canadian banks have so far suffered little in the way of collateral damage from the global credit squeeze triggered by the meltdown of the U.S. subprime mortgage market, and analyst Brad Smith at Blackmont Capital in Toronto said it was only a matter of time before they moved to take advantage of the situation.

“The [TD] deal is consistent with our belief that domestic banks would be tempted to use the current credit market disruption to extend their U.S.-centric retail banking strategies,” he said in a note to clients Tuesday.

Based in Cherry Hill, N.J., Commerce Bank has about 2.4 million customers, 460 branches and 700 automated banking machines throughout New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland and Southeast Florida, TD said Tuesday morning. It also has about $48-billion in assets, $44-billion in deposits and 15,000 employees.

“Acquiring Commerce Bank offers a singularly unique and compelling opportunity for our shareholders — one that is both a strategic fit and a superior value creation opportunity through accelerated organic growth,” TD Chief Executive Officer Ed Clark said in a news release, calling the acquisition a “singularly unique and compelling opportunity” for TD shareholders.

“The combination of Commerce with TD Banknorth doubles the scale of our U.S. banking business and accelerates our transformation to a leading North American financial institution.”

Assuming a sweeter competing bid for the U.S. bank does not knock TD out of the game, the deal still must be approved by regulators and Commerce Bank's shareholders.

The proposed acquisition comes about three years after TD broke into U.S. retail banking with the $3.8-billion acquisition of Banknorth Group Inc. of Portland, Me. Since renamed TD Banknorth, it now has more than $40-billion in assets and about 600 branches and 700-plus ABMs in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. TD also owns 40 per cent of U.S. online brokerage TD Ameritrade.

The Commerce Bancorp deal also comes about two months after CEO Vernon Hill II, a powerful figure in New Jersey business and politics, was forced to step down by the board of directors. This came after he fell afoul of bank regulators for awarding tens of millions of dollars in contracts, including $50-million to his wife to redecorate the bank's branches.

Gerard Cassidy, a U.S. bank analyst in Portland with RBC Capital Markets, said Commerce Bank would not have been sold without Mr. Hill's departure.

“Absolutely not,” he said in a telephone interview. “Vernon Hill was going to be with this bank for a very long time if it wasn't for his untimely exit this past summer when the regulators pushed him out. This man lived and breathed Commerce Bancorp.”

TD said the purchase price for translates to $42 a share for the U.S. bank. Payment will consist of $10.50 in cash and 0.4142 of a TD share for each Commerce Bancorp share.

That's a premium of just 5.7 per cent to the $39.74 at which Commerce Bank's shares closed Monday — up 96 cents or 2.5 per cent — on the New York Stock Exchange, having hit a 52-week high of $39.97 during the session.

However, Mr. Cassidy said a takeover premium has been built into the U.S. bank's shares since shortly Mr. Hill's departure, as analysts and investors speculated it would not remain independent for long. The price has risen to current levels from just over $33 in early August.

He also said the small additional premium in the TD deal reflects the difficult the Canadian bank likely faces in integrating Commerce Bank's operations into those of TD Banknorth, whose own integration has been problematic.

“The integration is going to be difficult because of the culture of Commerce,” he said. “It is a culture of enthusiasm and sales, with the customer always being right. Plus, they provided a level of customer service that was very costly.”

Characterized by such things as seven-day-a-week service, and paying top dollar for the best and most convenient locations, the service level has left Commerce Bank with a level of profitability among the lowest of the top 50 U.S. banks, Mr. Cassidy said.

Still, like Mr. Andrew at Leeward, he agreed the Canadian dollar's strength will help lighten TD's load. “That certainly helps the transaction, there's no doubt about it,” he said.

TD shares, meanwhile, were down $2.88 (Canadian) to $73.50 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The bank, Canada's second largest by stock market capitalization ($52.7-billion) and assets ($404-billion) said that adding Commerce Bank to its empire would give it a total of more than 2,000 branches in the United States and Canada and approximately one-quarter of a trillion dollars in deposits. This, it added, would make it the seventh-largest bank in North America as measured by branch locations.

Commerce Bank chairman Dennis DiFlorio said in the news release that “joining forces with TD ... opens the door to tremendous new growth opportunities.”

TD Banknorth CEO Bharat Masrani, meanwhile, said the acquisition will “give us scale in the Mid-Atlantic and will allow us to turbo-charge our organize growth strategy.”

TD said Mr. DiFlorio, along with Commerce Bank's new CEO Bob Falese will continue to run the U.S. bank and report to Mr. Masrani.

Assuming it receives all the necessary approvals, TD expects the deal to close next March or April. It said that once the purchase is completed, it will take a one-time restructuring charge of about $490-million (U.S.) before taxes.

TD also indicated that the acquisition will not be profitable immediately, saying it will likely reduce profit by 28 cents a share in fiscal 2008 and by 22 cents in 2009 on the basis of generally accepted accounting principles. On an “adjusted” basis, this will translated into a 10 cent reduction in 2008 and break-even the next year, the bank said.

Commerce Bank, meanwhile, expects to take an after-tax charge of $150-million (U.S.) related to the planned sale of a portion of its fixed-rate investment securities portfolio, which it is undertaking to reduce its exposure to interest rate changes.

It also said it has agreed, following closing, to negotiate the sale of its Commerce Banc Insurance Services Inc. to the unit's chairman and CEO George Norcross III.

Commerce Bank reported a profit of $154.8-million or 79 cents a share on revenue of $1.01-billion in the six months ended June 30. This compared with a year-earlier profit of $156.8-million or 82 cents a share on revenue of $900.8-million.

source

Erik Prince goes to Capitol Hill to testify before Rep

Blackwater CEO Erik Prince goes to Capitol Hill to testify before Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-CA) House Government Reform and Oversight committee. One issue that's got our attention about Blackwater is the firm's ability to leapfrog a number of much older and well-established US firms in Iraq. And that's got us interested in Prince's Republican political credentials.

Along those lines, a few details about Prince to help frame tomorrow's hearing.

Erik Prince is 37 years old. He founded Blackwater in 1997 with money he inherited from his father, Edgar Prince, the head of Prince Automative. The elder Prince and his wife were major Republican and conservative activists and funders. And Prince himself co-founded The Family Research Council with Gary Bauer and apparently provided the key early funding for the group.

According to Bauer, "I can say without hesitation that, without Ed and Elsa and their wonderful children, there simply would not be a Family Research Council."

Prince's sister, Betsy DeVos, is married is the former Chair of the Michigan Republican Party and her husband is Dick DeVos, failed candidate for governor of Michigan and scion of the DeVos family, founders of Amway and major funders of Republican and conservative causes.

Amway is privately owned by the DeVos and van Andel families. And to give some sense of the scale of their political giving, according to a 2005 Center for Public Integrity study, Dick & Betsy DeVos were the fifth largest political givers in the country during the 2004 election cycle. Richard DeVos Sr. & his wife were ranked third. And Jay Van Andel was ranked second.

Let's just say they give some real money to the Republican party and its candidates. And of course there are the DeVos Family Foundations which give money to conservative causes.

Back back to Betsy's brother Erik Prince, founder and CEO of Blackwater. Back in 1990 Prince interned for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA). Blackwater's lobbyist in DC is Paul Behrends, a former Rohrabacher aide who he met when the two worked for the congressman. Later he interned in the first Bush White House. But after doing so, he and his father broke with President Bush and supported the insurgent candidacy of Patrick J. Buchanan.

The then-22 year old Prince told the Grand Rapids Press, "I interned with the Bush administration for six months. I saw a lot of things I didn't agree with -- homosexual groups being invited in, the budget agreement, the Clean Air Act, those kind of bills. I think the administration has been indifferent to a lot of conservative concerns."

Abu al-Tunisi declared dead in airstrike

United States announced today that an airstrike against a house in Yusufiyah, Iraq on Tuesday completed its mission, killing insurgent commander Abu Usama al-Tunisi and two others. The airstrike, by an F-16 carrying two 500lb bombs, came hours after a tip that al-Tunisi would be holding a meeting that day.

There's just one problem. al-Tunisi was reported dead more than a year ago.

The Tunisian militant had come to American attention during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004, and had overseen anti-aircraft missions and participated in the 2005 attack against Abu Ghraib. His death was reported by Abu al-Zarqawi's army on May 20, 2006 in an al-Hesbah communique later translated and released by FBI Terrorism consultant Evan Kohlmann. He was reportedly killed after a US helicopter attack in Yusufiyah killed him and four other insurgents.

Following this week's bombing, Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson addressed a press conference at the Pentagon stating that the death of al-Tunisi would "fracture" the Sunni insurgency within the country - claiming that the man was "one of the most senior leaders" and "part of the inner leadership circle". His name did not appear on the Iraqi Goverment's list of 41 Most Wanted.

Anderson also stated that al-Tunisi's group, the Aisha Battalion of anti-aircraft operations, was responsible for the kidnappings and deaths of US soldiers in June of 2006, a month after he was reported killed. While the Army could not confirm which soldiers Anderson was referencing, a June 16 kidnapping led to the death of Spc. David J. Babineau, Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas Tucker who were guarding a bridge into Baghdad.

al-Tunisi was said to be a potential replacement for al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Hamza al-Muhajir who was killed by tribesmen in May of this year. Multinational Force Iraq spokesman Maj. Winfield Danielson stated that “This is one more al-Qaeda in Iraq criminal who will never kill another innocent civilian,” although all of al-Tunisi's known targets were American soldiers, not Iraqi civilians.

While the military stated that they had "definitively identified" the body as being al-Tunisi, they refused to elaborate on their methods of verification - stating only that two captured Iraqis told them that it was al-Tunisi. Although a letter found inside the house referred to being "desperate" and being unable to travel outside the city - it was unsigned, and the only evidence that it was written by al-Tunisi was that it "was with his belongings".

The tip was confirmed by a local Iraqi arrested near the site of the house just before the bombing, which killed three. Military press releases reported that al-Tunisi's body had been "definitively" identified and that his handwriting was evident on papers inside the bombed house.

Kohlmann said the contradiction raised "some pretty serious questions", and that any claims that al-Tunisi could have faked his own death to deceive US military intelligence would be "virtually unprecedented" behaviour for the insurgents.

In May, the US military was forced to admit that Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner's announcement declaring the death of al-Qaeda in Iraq lieutenant Kamal Jalil Uthman was incorrect after the San Francisco Examiner pointed out that the army had already reported Uthman killed a year earlier, in a document entitled "Tearing Down al Qaeda".

Senegal withdrawal troops from Darfur

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade pushed for an immediate investigation into the deaths of 12 African Union(AU) troops who were killed in a raid on a peacekeeping base in the Darfur region of Sudan. He stated that he would remove Senegalese troops from the AU force if the investigation found the pacificators were unequipped to defend themselves.

In what was called "...the heaviest loss of life and biggest attack on the African Mission," by AU spokesperson Noureddine Mezni, 30 vehicles and a force of 1,000 armed rebels raided the AU base in the town of Haskanita just after sunset on Saturday. The base was completely destroyed. One of the soldiers killed in the attack was Senegalese, while the majority were Nigerian. One Malian soldier, and one soldier from Botswana were also killed in the raid, according to AU spokesman Assane Ba.

"If they died because they didn't have the arms to defend themselves, I will withdraw all the Senegalese ... I am not going to send people to be slaughtered," said President Wade. This would strike a heavy blow to the AU mission in Darfur, as Senegalese troops make up one of the largest sections of the peacekeeping force.

The United Nations also spoke out vehemently against the attack on Monday. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the rebels in the "...strongest possible terms,", while simultaneously urging a renewed commitment to peace in preparation for the scheduled October peace talks in Libya.

The AU has been bemoaning their lack of sufficient funds in Darfur for years, citing a lack of miltary helicopters, rapid response vehicles, and an inadequate number of troops which hinder the force in their mission to improve the stability of the region.

"People did deployment on the premise that there was an (peace) agreement and they were coming to inspect and act as observers -- there was no planning for people to be able to defend themselves," AU force commander Martin Agwai said. In addition, he said that while the AU was in the process of creating new emergency security plans, not much more could be done without an increase to the funds and troop levels of the bases in Darfur. This will hopefully come with the deployment of the hybrid United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) force by the end of the year, which will raise the troop levels from 7,000 to 26,000 soldiers.

As for the interim time period, Agwai added that, "We peacekeepers are determined to continue,".

Taylor Bradford died after being the victim

University of Memphis athlete shot to death; classes canceled, University of Memphis football player Taylor Bradford died after being the victim of what police are calling a targeted attack. The shooting occurred near a campus housing complex Sunday night at 9:45 p.m. (10:45 EST)

Bradford hailed from Nashville, Tennessee and transfered to Memphis in 2006.

Following the shooting, Bradford got into his car and attempted to drive away before crashing a short distance away. Regional Medical Center Memphis spokeswoman Sandy Snell said Bradford was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead shortly after 10:15 p.m. University President Shirley Raines said the student body was notified at 3:44 a.m. via a mass text message. Raines also said, "This was an act directed specifically toward the victim and it was not a random act of violence."

No suspects have been named in the shooting.

The campus was locked down for a short time following the shooting of the 21-year-old junior defensive lineman. University spokesman Curt Gunther said classes were canceled as a precaution. The University's football team, The Memphis Tigers, will play tomorrow night at home against Marshall University, as scheduled. The team's head coach Tommy West said, "Our entire football team is deeply saddened by the loss of Taylor...He was well respected and a popular member of our team."

Classes are expected to resume on Tuesday, and police say that the investigation will continue.

Natasha Khan, Bat for Lashes plays the Bowery Ballroom

Bat for Lashes is the doppelgänger band ego of one of the leading millennial lights in British music, Natasha Khan. Caroline Weeks, Abi Fry and Lizzy Carey comprise the aurora borealis that backs this haunting, shimmering zither and glockenspiel peacock, and the only complaint coming from the audience at the Bowery Ballroom last Tuesday was that they could not camp out all night underneath these celestial bodies.

We live in the age of the lazy tendency to categorize the work of one artist against another, and Khan has had endless exultations as the next Björk and Kate Bush; Sixousie Sioux, Stevie Nicks, Sinead O'Connor, the list goes on until it is almost meaningless as comparison does little justice to the sound and vision of the band. "I think Bat For Lashes are beyond a trend or fashion band," said Jefferson Hack, publisher of Dazed & Confused magazine. "[Khan] has an ancient power...she is in part shamanic." She describes her aesthetic as "powerful women with a cosmic edge" as seen in Jane Birkin, Nico and Cleopatra. And these women are being heard. "I love the harpsichord and the sexual ghost voices and bowed saws," said Radiohead's Thom York of the track Horse and I. "This song seems to come from the world of Grimm's fairytales."

Bat's debut album, Fur And Gold, was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize, and they were seen as the dark horse favorite until it was announced Klaxons had won. Even Ladbrokes, the largest gambling company in the United Kingdom, had put their money on Bat for Lashes. "It was a surprise that Klaxons won," said Khan, "but I think everyone up for the award is brilliant and would have deserved to win."

Natasha recently spoke with David Shankbone about art, transvestism and drug use in the music business.

AFL footballer Chris Mainwaring dies

Former West Coast Eagles champion and television presenter Chris Mainwaring (Mainy) died in the early hours of 1st October aged 41. The cause of death is believed to be a seizure, St John Ambulance was called to Mainwarings home just after midnight and found him unconscious. Mainwaring was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.

Earlier in the evening police had been called to a disturbance at the same address, when they arrived he was calm and refused assistance. He was placed in the care of a neighbour and returned home.

Police are investigating his death and will report their findings to the Coroner, this is standard procedure for unexplained deaths. The street has been closed off and police are interviewing neighbours.

Seven News released a statement just before midday about the tragic loss, managing director Chris Wharton said, "Mainy was part of the heart and soul of Channel Seven Perth, and we will all miss him very, very dearly..."

"Our thoughts must go to Chris' family, especially Rani and the children for their sad loss."

Chris Mainwaring played in East Fremantle's premiership in 1985, and was selected in the first Eagles squad in 1986. He played in the Eagles first Grand final in 1991 as well as in both their 1992 and '94 AFL premierships. Mainwaring was named All-Australian 1991 and '96 , retiring from AFL at the end of 1999 season.

Mainwaring played one more season for East Fremantle before hanging up his boots and becoming a journalist. He worked in sports reporting for local radio stations before becoming a successful sports presenter with Channel Seven Perth.

He is survived by his wife and two children.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali returned to the Netherlands

Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali returned to the Netherlands, from the United States because she can no longer be protected in that country.

The Dutch government has stopped paying for her protection in the U.S. as of October 1, and the American government is not willing to pay for her security any longer.

Hirsi Ali left for the United States in 2006 in order to work for the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.. Now she has returned back to the Netherlands and she will continue for the American think tank. The Dutch government has agreed to continue paying for her protection, now that she is back on Dutch soil.

Hirsi Ali has needed protection because she has been uttering critical remarks on Islam for which she received several threats. Ali wrote the script for Submission, a movie about the Muslim culture and its treatment of women in 2004. Shortly after, Theo Van Gogh, the creator of the film was assassinated by Muslim extremists who also threatened to kill Ali.

UK withdrawing troops from Iraq

Gordon Brown announced during his trip to Baghdad, Iraq, that his government will be withdrawing at least one thousand British troops from Iraq by the end of 2007. Brown also plans to gradually hand over control of Basra to Iraq security forces in accordance with the withdrawal.

"What we propose to do over these next few months is to move from a situation where we have a combat role to an over-watch role. Hopefully they will be home by Christmas," said Brown.

There are approximately 5,500 British troops in Iraq, with most of them located in and around Basra.

The reduction agreement was reached between Brown, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq Barham Saleh and General David Petraeus of the U.S. Army in Iraq with the troop withdraw expected to begin in Basra.

Brown is expected to travel to Basra later today. British troops recently withdrew from the city to a nearby base, leaving security in the hands of Iraqi forces.

Roh Moo Hyun to meet with Kim Jong Il

South Korea's President Roh Moo Hyun left Seoul yesterday to meet with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il to discuss the future of the divided peninsula. Although the 1950-1953 Korean War between the two sides has never formally ended, the meeting may prepare the ground for a permanent truce. The meeting is only the second summit between the two sides. The first summit took place in 2000, and led to former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his Sunshine Policy of reconciliation with the North.

"How to make peace take root on the Korean Peninsula will be the top-priority agenda item for the summit," Roh said in a speech on Monday. He added that "It will not be an uneventful course, but once discussions on a peace regime get under way in earnest, we can take up building military confidence and a peace treaty, and furthermore the issue of arms reduction." Roh said that the top item on his agenda was establishing greater peace along the border between the two countries.

South Korea has only limited ability to seek a peace treaty because it was not a signatory to the ceasefire that ended the Korean War, which was signed by U.S.-led forces. "I do not believe that the peace regime could be actually resolved through the two parties alone," South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said at a news conference in Seoul. United States President George W. Bush has said that he would be willing to discuss a peace treaty if North Korea were to give up its atomic arms.

One issue that is not part of the summit's agenda is North Korea's nuclear program, which is the subject of ongoing talks between multiple nations. South Korean officials also do not intend to discuss North Korea's widely-criticized human rights record.

Nokia acquires Navteq for US$8.1 billion

Nokia, the mobile phone manufacturer based in Nokia, Finland, has negotiated the takeover of Chicago, United States Geographic Information Systems software development company Navteq for US$8.1 billion.

Nokia are paying $78 per share in Navteq, who employs 3,000 people and operates 168 offices spread across 20 countries. Nokia, meanwhile, is the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer.

The price comes in at only three cents a share more than current stock market prices, but these prices have recently risen steeply after rumours surfaced that the company may be subject to a takeover deal. However, share prices fell 1.7% after the deal was confirmed as fact.

“Location based services are one of the cornerstones of Nokia's Internet services strategy. By joining forces with Navteq, we will be able to bring context and geographical information to a number of our Internet services with accelerated time to market,” said a statement by Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia's chief executive. Meanwhile, MarketWatch had a slightly different take on events, using the headline “Nokia bets men will spend anything to avoid asking directions.”

Tony Abbott today called for the independent boards to govern hospitals

Australian Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott today called for the establishment of independent boards to govern hospitals. The changes will be part of the next five-year Commonwealth-state health agreement Federal funding would be withdrawn from hospitals that did not agree to the boards.

Abbott says the purpose of the independent boards is to reduce bureaucracy and make public hospitals more efficient and responsive. "The board and [the] CEO will have control over budgets and make decisions about what happens in hospitals," he said.

Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd said that the plan would create more, not less bureaucracy. "Not only are we going to have thousands of federal bureaucrats, thousands of state health bureaucrats, but now a new layer of bureaucracy as well," he said.

Britney Spears loses custody battle

Britney Spears will have to give up custody of her children following a court's ruling today.

Spears' ex-husband, Kevin Federline, is to have custody of their children by noon Wednesday.

According to Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Scott M. Gordon's ruling, Federline will retain custody of the children "until further order of the court."

The ruling came in part by the testimony of Spears' former body guard, Tony Barretto, who said that Spears had a substance abuse problem.

Barretto recalled this memory hours before a concert, "She appeared to be under the influence, she was kind of incoherent, she was looking for her cell phone ... she was biting her nails, her pupils were dilated, didn't conversate well, sweating, acting nervously."

Barretto said he knew Spears did drugs at least two times in Hollywood nightclubs.

25-year-old Spears and 29-year-old Federline were married in October of 2004 and have two children: Sean Preston, 2 and Jayden James, 1.

Starting September 18, 2007, Spears was ordered to submit random drug tests following her engagement in what the court called "habitual, frequent, and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol."

Spears has also been ordered to spend eight hours a week working with a parenting counselor.

Also, this ruling came 10 days after Spears was charged in a hit and run and for driving without a license.

US embassy in Austria, Man with grenades arrested

A man carrying a bag containing in what reports call hand grenades, nails and "Islamic literature" was arrested outside the United States embassy in Vienna, Austria.

The unnamed Bosnian man, who is reported to be 42 years-old, tried to enter the embassy, triggering metal detector alarms. As a result, he placed the bag in front of the embassy and began to run from authorities.

"There were a lot of nails in that bag. Had it exploded, it would have had an enormous shrapnel effect," said a counter terrorism spokeswoman for Austria's government.

Subway trains and buses have been rerouted while officials use bomb-sniffing dogs to search the areas surrounding the embassy.

There are no reports of any injuries and authorities have "secured" the bag.

Fred Thompson raised over $8 million White House bid

US Presidential canidate Fred Thompson will report he raised just over $8 million for his 2008 White House bid. However, this falls short of expectations when compared to rival Mitt Romney’s $21.2 million or Rudy Giuliani’s $16.6 million first quarter funds. Second tier candidate, Texas Representative Ron Paul, raised $1 million online in the last week after initially setting a goal of $500,000.

In contrast, Democratic frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's respective campaigns received $53 million and $59 million in the first half of the year. Both canidates are expected to have brought in "at least $17 million each in the third quarter."

Stockmann bids for fashion chain Lindex

Sweden-based Nordic fashion chain Lindex AB has been offered 7.9 billion kronor (€861 million; US$1.2 billion) in a takeover bid by Stockmann Oyj Abp, a Finnish department store chain based in Helsinki.

The board of Lindex is said to have recommended acceptance of the deal, which significantly outdid a 7 billion kronor (€763 million; US$1.08 billion) offer by rival KappAhl Holding AB, another clothing vendor, in August. The board had recommended shareholders reject that offer as too low.

Stockmann's increase to 116 Kroner from KappAhl's 102 Kroner per share was said by Lindex to be a reasonable price. KappAhl have withdrawn their offer as a result.

Lindex Chairman Conny Karlsson said "We believe that Stockmann actively can contribute with their experience and know-how in order to accelerate our expansion in Eastern and Central Europe.," The chain is one of Europe's biggest fashion chains, operating 350 stores in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Dow Jones closed at a new all-time record high

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a new all-time record high at 14,087.55 or up 191.92 points (+%1.38).

Other markets closed up as well. the Nasdaq Composite closed at 2,740.99 which is +39.49 points (+%1.46), the highest close in almost seven years. The S&P 500 index also closed up +20.29 points (+%1.33) to close at 1,547.03.

The last all-time high record for the DOW was 14,000.41 which was achieved on July 19. This is the second time the DJIA has ever closed above 14,000 since its debut on May 26, 1896.

Project Gotham Racing 4 pre-launch in Taiwan

After the launch of "Halo 3" on Tuesday (September 25), Microsoft promoted a brand new Xbox360 racing game "Project Gotham Racing 4" (PGR4) with a friendship match as a "TOP on TOP" competition between Taiwanese World Cyber Games (WCG) PGR3 Delegate You-cheng Liu and "Drift Master of Taiwan" Po-hsiung Chou at YAMAHA MotorTown in Taipei City, Taiwan.

Before the friendship match, Cary Chen (Senior Product Marketing Manager of Entertainment and Device Division, Microsoft Taiwan) show the new features on PGR4 to the press, VIPs, and guests and praised the "PGR" game series with the "Kudos" skill points. He remarked that in the "PGR4", not only joined new car type and racing motorcycles, but also add Dynamic Weather System feature for the performance of new different type experiences on weathers, driving, and racing lane.

Chen also remarked that PGR series is surely respected because of the racing game competition factor on WCG from 2006. This "PGR" series can realize lots of dreams of players on making some special skills which can't be done on reality. With the Xbox Live linking, PGR series has successfully made a great achievement.
Cary Chen (left) awarded Y. C. Liu (right) and hope him winning the PGR3 championship back at WCG Finals in Italy.Image: Rico Shen
Cary Chen (left) awarded Y. C. Liu (right) and hope him winning the PGR3 championship back at WCG Finals in Italy.

After the presentation and demos, Microsoft Taiwan held a friendship match. Before the match, Y. C. Liu welcomed P. H. Chou with Chou drove a BMW car to the main entrance. After the entrance, the match started. With the witnesses of VIPs, press, and players, Liu won the friendship match by the turning fault of Chou. Even though Chou wanted to invite Live as a racer in reality after the match, but Liu temporarily declined with his consideration.

Microsoft Taiwan announced that the Chinese Version of "PGR4" will be available on October 5, and welcomed players competing with "I want 'PGR4' Helmet!" photo competition. And also, "Yamaha PGR4 Cup - Taiwan Driving Master Championship" will be held and set qualification section in October and final section in December of Information Month in Taipei.

The Assassination of Jesse James Movie leaked on the internet

Movieforumz.com, a website that allows users to display links to movies you "can watch for free online" has leaked The Assassination of Jesse James, an upcoming movie to be released in theaters on October 10. The movie can be seen in six parts, all of which link to an online video hosting website called Veoh, similar to YouTube. Both websites run on videos uploaded by their users, and do not condone the uploading of copyrighted material.

The movie was recorded by someone attending what appears to be a special screening of the film and can be downloaded free of charge, twelve days before its release into theaters.

Directed by Andrew Dominik, the movie is about an outlaw named Robert Ford, a man who decided to join the James-Younger Gang which was the gang of Jesse James, an American outlaw, in the 1800s. The movie is based on the novel of the same name, written by the novelist Ron Hansen.

Brad Pitt stars as James, and Casey Affleck co-stars as Ford.

Andrey Scherbakov, survives flight in wheel well of Boeing 737

A Russian teenager has accomplished an unprecedented feat in the history of world aviation. He flew a distance of 1,300 kilometres in a wheel well of a Boeing 737 and lived. The fifteen year old Andrey Scherbakov spent two hours in the wheel well of the airplane at extreme temperature of −50° centigrade. The rear wheels do not go all the way into the plane; the wheel merely retracts into an opening and remains exposed. The boy managed to bypass security at the Perm city airport to hide in the plane as it took off. Airport workers found the boy after the plane had landed at Moscow. He had collapsed on the tarmac.

The boy was delivered to the hospital by the airport staff and is said to be in a critical condition. His arms and legs were so severely frozen and swollen that the rescuers were not able to remove his coat and shoes. There is a probability that his hands may have to be amputated. However, according to the medical staff at the hospital, it is nothing short of a miracle that the boy survived the ordeal. The Boeing 737 has a cruising speed of 900 kilometres per hour and was flying constantly at an altitude of 10,000 metres for two hours. As a result, the boy suffered severe frostbite in both of his hands. Doctors in Ural city would have to remove his fingertips, which contracted gangrene after they had frozen, but they were committed to do everything within their power to stop it from spreading.

When Scherbakov finally came to his senses, he told the police that he had run away from his family so as to escape his alcoholic father. He said that he was wandering around the territory of the airport and noticed a hole in the fence. He fell asleep during his examination of the stowaway of the plane. He woke up when the plane was already flying. It is curious how the inspection staff and the technicians found nothing on their inspection of the aircraft just before the flight. The boy claims that he fainted soon after and came around only when the plane had landed in Moscow after traveling hundreds of kilometres from Perm.

The airport did not confirm the report. However, Moscow's air and water transport control department said that the claim was true. A department spokesperson said that the incident happened on Friday, and the boy's parents were immediately informed and flew into the capital on the same day.

Stowaways in wheel wells risk freezing to death after take-off or being crushed when the wheels retract. This year, a body was found in the wheel well of a jet in San Francisco after a flight from Shanghai and another body was found in Atlanta after a flight from Dakar, Senegal.

Headlines

Top Headline

* At least four are killed by the unexpected eruption of the previously dormant volcano on the Yemeni Red Sea island of Jabal al-Tair.

* Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie (pictured) sets a new marathon world record in Berlin with a time of 2:04:26.

* Indian chess player Viswanathan Anand wins the World Chess Championship.

* Germany defeats Brazil at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup to win its second consecutive world title.

* The NASA spacecraft Dawn is launched on a mission to explore mainbelt asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres.

* Princess Märtha Louise becomes the first member of the Norwegian Royal Family to ever appear in a court of law as she wants to halt sales of a book entitled Martha's angels. (Aftenposten)

* Israel confirms it conducted an attack on Syria. (Ynet)

* Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007: A projection by the authoritative Ukrayinska Pravda said the results would produce 229 seats in parliament for an "Orange" coalition, a majority of three. (Reuters)

* The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown arrives in Baghdad for his first visit to Iraq. (BBC)

* A powerful earthquake hits the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia prompting a tsunami warning. (AP)

* War in Afghanistan: A suicide bomber blows himself up near a bus carrying policemen killing at least 11 in Kabul. (BBC) (AndhraNews.net)

* The President of South Korea Roh Moo-hyun walks across the Demilitarized Zone of the Korean peninsula in travelling to Pyongyang for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. (BBC) (CNN)

* 2007 Burmese anti-government protests: Ibrahim Gambari, the United Nations special envoy to Burma, meets with Burmese General Than Shwe to tell him to stop the killing of dissidents. (The Guardian)

* President of Russia Vladimir Putin announces he will run on his party's list in the parliamentary elections in December and that he does not exclude the option of becoming Prime Minister of Russia after the election. (Bloomberg)

* Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007: With 70 percent counted, Timoshenko's bloc and Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party had 48 percent of the vote. Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's party and his Communist and Socialist allies had 36.8 percent. (Bloomberg)

* At least 15 people are killed and 19 others injured in a suspected suicide bomb blast in Bannu in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province. (BBC)

* General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who helped depose Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the 2006 Thai coup d'état, resigned as head of the Council for National Security. (BBC)

* Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov is selected Presidential Candidate for the Russian Elections to be held in March 2008. (AndhraNews.net)

* Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007:
o Ukrainians went to the polls for the third time in three years to vote in parliamentary election. (AFP)
o According to data of National Exit Poll: Party of Regions 35.2%; Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc 31.5%; Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc 13.4%; Communist Party of Ukraine 5.1%; Lytvyn's People's Bloc 3.7%; Socialist Party of Ukraine 2.5%. (ForUm)

* The Topps Meat Company recalls 21.7 million pounds (9,800 tonnes) of frozen beef patties because of potential contamination with E. coli. Twenty-five cases of illness due to E. coli have been reported in the Northeastern United States. (NYT)

* 2007 Burmese anti-government protests:
o A central member of the military junta in Myanmar is reportedly interested in seeking political asylum in Norway. The colonel is said to have defected recently, and he is now hiding in the jungle among the Karen people. (The Norway Post)
o John Bolton, the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, says the government of China is the key to political change in Myanmar, not United Nations envoy Ibrahim Gambari who has met the military junta. (Forbes)

* Indian player Viswanathan Anand wins the World Chess Championship 2007 at Mexico City to become the new world champion. (NYT)

* Lewis Hamilton wins the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix to take a 12 point lead in the 2007 Formula One season World Championship with 2 races remaining. (BBC)

* U.S. college football: The new AP Poll results are released, with nine of the ten ranked teams that lost this past weekend either dropping further down the list or out of the poll completely. LSU rose to #1 for the first time since 1959, Kentucky and Boston College rise into the Top Ten for the first time since 1977 and 1992, respectively, and South Florida ascends into the Top Ten for the first time ever. (AP via Yahoo! Sports)

* A dormant volcano erupts on Jabal al-Tair, a Yemeni island in the Red Sea. (BBC)
* A bomb explodes in Malé, the capital of the Maldives, injuring 12 tourists. (BBC News)

* President of Pakistan Muslim League (N) says former Pakistan President Nawaz Sharif will make a comeback to Pakistan after Ramadan. (AndhraNews.net)

* 2007 Burmese anti-government protests:
o Shortly after his scheduled arrival at Yangon, it was reported that Ibrahim Gambari, the UN Secretary-General's special adviser on Burma, had arrived in Naypyidaw to talk with the junta leaders. (Mizzina News)

o There are reports that Htoo trading company, owned by junta loyalist business tycoon Tay Za, has shut-down its operations after giving two months salaries to its staff. (Mizzima News)

* Iran declares the US Army and CIA, "terrorist organisations", countering claims by America about their own armed forces. (BreakingNews.ie)

* Australian football: The Geelong Cats end a 44 year drought to win their 7th AFL Premiership, defeating the Port Adelaide Power by a record 119 points in the 2007 AFL Grand Final, and completing an unprecedented season of dominance.(AP via Yahoo! Sports)

* U.S. college football: In an unprecedented shakeup, ten of the twenty-five top-ranked teams in the AP Poll lose to either lower-ranked or unranked rivals Friday night and throughout Saturday, marking this weekend as one of the most volatile in NCAA sporting history. (AP via Yahoo! Sports)

Some Tips for Archery Fishing

Bow fishing, this is a sport wherein a fisherman uses archery equipment to fish.

A regular hunting bow can be used for fishing by simply attaching a reel to the front of the bow grip.

Archery fishing is especially favored by regular hunters when regular game like deer are off season. This way they can continuously hone their skills for whatever season it may be.

Before engaging in archery fishing, one must first take into consideration the following:

1. A fisherman must be duly licensed. Some states require that an individual have a state license to fish.

2. Equipment. Most states have a predetermined set of approved equipment for archery fishing.

3. Archery Safety Course. Still, some states require that an individual go through an approved safety course for archery fishing to ensure that the individual is well versed with the proper safety precautions and information regarding applicable laws in fishing.

4. Seasons. Bow fishing in some states can only be done in certain seasons. This is to allow the fish to spawn.

5. Species of fish. Some states have rules forbidding archery fishing for some species of fish.

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The following skills are necessary for an individual to obtain and practice:

Knot tying. Though it may seem like a simple task, tying knots that will not slip (line for the arrow) are crucial in bow fishing.

Tuning. Tuning is making sure that the bow is at its best working condition. To ensure this, one has to continuously adjust the rest and calibrate the nock.

For a faster tuning process, one may shoot a regular bow-fishing arrow (without the tip) onto a target made of cardboard.

Marksmanship or targeting. Bow fishing and bow hunting, though similar on some aspects, really do differ on many things. Arrows for bow fishing are heavier, have larger arrow tips and, the most obvious one, has a string attached to the arrow.

And since fish are shot in the water, resistance differs as when compared to shooting in the air (for bow hunting of games)

There are various methods or ways of archery fishing. This includes the following:

1. Still hunting. A fisherman selects a place by the lake in which he would wait for passing fish to shoot its bow at.

2. Stalking. This can be done on foot or while on a boat. One is in constant motion in an attempt to locate fish.

3. Ambush. Fish that are best ambushed are the ones that are spawning since they tend to crowd thus increasing chances of target.

Aaron Richard Ouelette and Michael Angelo Sanudo

Aaron Richard Ouelette and Michael Angelo Sanudo both Hispanic are in custody and were investigating whether race was a factor in the death of the victim, who was black.

The cops say that Aaron Richard Ouelette and Michael Angelo Sanudo attacked in an alley, then run over at least twice in a pickup early Saturday. He became caught under the truck and was “dragged for a considerable distance” before Aaron Richard Ouelette and Michael Angelo Sanudo in the vehicle stopped and abandoned the truck.

Aaron Richard Ouelette, 21, and Michael Angelo Sanudo, 20, both of Yuba City, were each held Monday on $1 million bond on suspicion of murder, robbery, gang affiliation and parole violation.

“They are both Hispanic,” police spokeswoman Shawna Pavey said.She declined to say why the victim was in the alley, or why he was so brutally assaulted by Aaron Richard Ouelette and Michael Angelo Sanudo.

Princess Diana inquest starts today

Princess Diana inquest will be started today by Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker in front of a huge media and legal teams in the High Court in London. In the court today will be 11 jurors who have been picked from a list of 25 and they will be sworn in today.

All of the eleven jurors have been probed so that they have no connections to the Secret Service, Mohamed Al Fayed and also The Royal Family. Mohamed Al Fayed will be there with his barrister Michael Mansfield QC, as this is a joint inquest into the death of his son Dodi.

How Should You Dress for Them?

That is why you are advised to proceed with caution and refrain from walking into a job interview without having done even the simplest amount of preparation.

When it comes to job interviews, one of the biggest mistakes that a job seeker, possibly just like you, makes involves their appearance, namely the clothing that they choose to wear. When it comes to a job interview, it is important to remember professionalism, professionalism, and professionalism again. In fact, professionalism cannot be said enough when it comes to job interviews. Your appearance, namely the clothes that you choose to wear, says a lot about you, your seriousness, and your professionalism. The worse mistake that you can make is showing up for a job interview like you were simply taking a trip to the mall. Not carefully planning out your appearance, especially your clothes, can have you eliminated from the job running instantly.

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Although it is important to hear that you need to dress professionally for a job interview, you may be curious as to why it is so important to do so. As previously stated, your appearance, namely the clothes that you wear, can say a lot about yourself and your personality. Professional clothes, such as a dress or a paints suit, shows that you are serious about the job and making a good impression. Your professionalism and responsibility will also be brought into light as well. You may be surprised to know that many job interviewers remember the appearance of their applicants, namely the clothes, before all else.

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If you are serious about finding a job or landing the job of your dreams, you will want to dress professional in nature. With that in mind, different individuals have different definitions of professionalism. When trying to determine what you should wear to a job interview, there are a number of factors that should be taken into consideration. For instance, it is advised that men try and wear dress pant suit sets. This is ideal; however, if the temperature is ninety degrees outside, it may be difficult or impossible for you to do so. In that instance, you may want to opt for a light pair of tan pants and a golf shirt. In the same instance, women should consider wearing knee length skirts instead of full length skirts and so forth.

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In addition to dressing professionally for a job interview, you may want to consider doing the same for you submission process. If you will be submitting your job applications or resumes in person, it is advised that you dress in a professional matter. This is because you may get the opportunity to quickly meet with the supervisor who will be handling all job interviews. This is your best opportunity to make a good first impression of yourself. It is also important to mention that many supervisors, especially those in retail, choose to give job interviews right on the spot. That is why you may want to dress as if you were attending a job interview, even when just submitting your job applications and resumes.

Although you may have a suitable outfit in your closet already, you may want to consider going shopping. In fact, you may also want to consider making an appointment at your local barber shop or hair salon. If you have the funds needed to do so, you may want to purchase a new job interview outfit or have your hair trimmed. You may be surprised, but these simple steps can uplift your confidence like you would never believe.

Tips to Help You Make a Good Impression

If you have been out of work for sometime now or if your last employment was long-term, you may be a little bit nervous about soon-to-be upcoming job interviews. If you are, you are definitely not alone. The good news, however, is that there are a number of steps that you can take to prepare yourself for success.

If you have the financial means needed to do so, you may want to consider buying yourself a new job interview outfit or getting your hair done, even with just a simple trim. Many have claimed that a quick hair style or a new outfit has increased their confidence. This increased confidence may be just what you need to breeze through your upcoming job interviews with success. Even if you do not have the financial means needed to purchase a new outfit or have your hair styled, you may want to turn to a close friend or family member for assistance, possibly for the borrowing of professional attire.

Click. Work. Collect.

Another one of the many steps that you can take to make a good impression at your next interview involves researching common job interview questions. There are a number of books on the market that are designed to assist those with finding new jobs. Many of these books include job interview tips, including questions that may be asked. Familiarizing yourself with questions that you may be asked, such as questions surrounding your strengths, weaknesses, goals, and so forth, can help to improve your response time, as well as ease any nervousness that you may have.

In addition to researching or familiarizing yourself with questions that you may be asked during a job interview, you may want to hold a few practice or mock interviews. These practice sessions can be done in front of a mirror or they can be done with the assistance of a close friend or family member. You will want to treat all job interview practice sessions like they are the real thing. Be sure to answer all questions in a professional matter, as if you were in a real job interview.

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Another steps that you can take, when looking to prepare for an upcoming interview that you may have scheduled, involves printing off an extra copy of your resume. This makes you look prepared, in more ways than one. Although the interviewer should already have a copy of your resume on hand, it wouldn’t hurt to ask them if they would like to see a new copy. You may also want to bring along a pen and a notebook. These items can be used to write down information about the employer or job position in question. Once again, this proves that you are serious about finding a secure job and it should show that you will go through great lengths to find that job.

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You will also want to take the time to research the company in question. This is ideal if they have an online website. You can impress your interviewer if you know about the company, even just a little bit. Researching each company that you have an interview with should only take a few minutes of your time, a few hours at the most. The basic information, such as the goals of the company and where their main headquarters are located is often enough to grab the attention of your interviewer.

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The above mentioned steps are just a few of the many steps that you can take to prepare for an upcoming interview or a job interview that you will likely have scheduled soon.