Just a fantastic minecraft song!

New Portal 2 content

Valve will be announcing some new downloable content for portal 2 next week, but they have not given any hints yet. I'm hoping, and probably all of you guys, for new single player or multiplayer missions. I will of course get back to it as soon as anything new is announced!

Mixed Bag Of Fun

I have been putting the final touches on Avadon: The Black Fortress for Windows in the hope of releasing it next week. I have also been shepherding the game through beta-testing on the iPad. The rest of my time has been spent trying to convince myself that I'm not having a heart attack. Also, wishing they made office desks with hutches with space in the middle for a large iMac.

(Boy. It would be funny if I really did have a heart attack now. People would link to this blog post and go, "Wow! Irony!" in the same way everyone gets totally tickled to find the Facebook page of a recent mass-murderer. And remember, if I do die, and you pirate Avadon, I will then be able to totally haunt you and I'll be floating by the ceiling when you use the bathroom, making spooky noises.)


(I'm just sayin'.)

In the meantime, if you want to satisfy your cravings for hearing me discuss finer points of computer design in my weird voice, you should go here. It's a Podcast Interview for The Veteran Gamers, and it turned out OK. It should be worth your time, as I talk very quickly.

Finally, as I write this, the Playstation Network has been down for eight days. What's up with that? Networks go down. That's what they do. But eight days? Wow. Can you imagine the apocalypse of sleep-deprived horror going on at Sony now? Something crazy much be wrong.

Normally I wouldn't care, because most of my gaming is single-player, but my PS3 is my Netflix device. I can't watch Netflix on my XBox because the fans in that thing sound like a jet engine powering up. And Netflix on the Playstation requires PSN to work. Because everything about PSN has always been designed from a place of deep hate.

Big big Sony news

On Wednesday, April 20, 2011, the PlayStation Network was turned off. Sony said the move was for maintenance and that the outage would only last a day or two. Nearly a week later, the company announced that the closure was due to a hacker infiltrating the system and stealing PlayStation 3 and PSP players' personal information. Sony has confirmed that all credit card data was encrypted on their system. There is also no evidence that credit card data was taken, but Sony is just being cautious when asking us to keep an eye on our bank accounts. Another positive is Sony has never stored the card security code (CVC or CSC) so no hacker could ever have had access to.


Also it is officially confirmed that the PsP Go is dead. But there is a psp2 on the way, exciting! Hoping for more information on this years E3 in June. 

Jurassic park game delayed.

I was just about to put this up on my list of upcoming games in april when this news came out, the game is now schedueled to be released in the fall. Everyone that has pre-ordered the game is getting a refund and another telltale game of your choice for free.

The co-founder of telltale games, Dan Connors stated "The game's mechanics and storytelling have come together in such a way that we see great potential, so much so that we feel we can push these elements to the next level if we spend some extra time working on them,"   This sounds promising, lets just hope they can deliver!  

why hello thar

Minecraft patch 1.5: Funny weather

Right before the release og Portal 2 last week, patch 1.5 was released in Minecraft. Notch, the maker of minecraft said they had to rush the release before Portal came out, and that the rest of it would be out soon after he had played through Portal 2. Now, I have only read/heard some responses from the minecraft fans, and he seems to have gotten an even better reputation because of this. He is actually more loved because he delayed half of an awaited patch. I just thought that deserved to be told! Now for the weather. thunder, rain, snow and lightning was added in this patch, and I have noticed that it is acting quite weird. When the weather comes, est. every 5 minecraft days, it is both snowing and raining at the same time, not mixed but next to each other, and outside my house it is a tunnel of rain inside the snow. It's lovely :D So now that the winter has finally passed here in Norway, and we have been inside playing our games in hiding for so long, we get winter inside! Can we ever catch a break? :P The weather effects is a great addition though, I'm just glad the winter in minecraft doesn't last as long as in scandinavia.

Totally normal.

[Poll] What is your choice of gaming platform?

I've added a poll to the home paige, just for the fun of it. And if I see that you guys like it I will keep it going. It might also be a great way to find out more about you, and what you would like to read about. Hope you like it :)

Nintendo 3DS sales are dropping like flies

Yes, more Nintendo news, this time not so good, but exactly what I had expected. Since the first time I heard of it, I immediately thought "Oh boy, another failure for Nintendo". Actually I dont believe in 3D period. It's sad to see Nintendo fail, who didn't have a childhood nintendo-crush?! So lets hope the 2012 console will kick ass.
The 3Ds was released february/march this year and the last week the sales dropped quite badly. Nintendo says they are going to step up their game so that it can live a long and rich life.

But one thing is for sure, when the release of Ocarina of time 3D is nearing (June 17), the sales will sky rocket. I'm willing to bet on it! (lil' bit..)

Wow patch 4.1

Night to wednesday (tonight) the new patch is out, you can check MMO-champion for all the goodie news and info. My main is a warlock, and I am definitely not looking forward to the soulshard ress ability, it is going to be a pain in the ass in battleground having EVERYONE constantly yelling for a ress :P If you havent already you should definitely check mmo-champ before i it released!

Anyway here is the trailer for the patch:

Nintendo rumors were true

The rumors and secret talk about the new nintendo console has been confirmed today, and Nintendo says it will ble a playable model at this years E3 in June. It is also stated that it will be faster and stronger than any other console on the market, and it will be backwards compatible but it is clear that this is not going to be a wii2, but something completely new. The controller will have a touch screen, dual analog sticks, and will be able to stream content straight from the console. 3D has also been mentioned, but Nintendo is still very secretive. Project cafe, as they are still calling it will release some time in 2012, and migth end up with the name "Nintendo stream".

PlayStation Network still down, Sony admits it was hacked

Nearly three days after Sony's Playstation Network online gaming service went offline, Sony has finally admitted that the service was compromised by hackers. As a result, the company disabled the service Wednesday evening to investigate the matter, an official statement indicated.
"An external intrusion on our system has affected our PlayStation Network and Qriocity services," spokesperson Patrick Seybold said. The service outage was done "to conduct a thorough investigation and to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services going forward," he continued.

Seybold's comments are not the first time Sony had blamed the issue on outside forces: a post appeared on the European version of the PlayStation blog saying it was investigating the possbility, but the post was removed.
Other hints that it could have been an outside job could be sourced to hacktivist group Anonymous, which was quick on Thursday to deny any involvement in the matter. The group is said to not be happy with the company over its treatment of hacker George Hotz.
Sony is still giving no update as to the timeframe for a possible resolution of the problem. Originally it had said after the problems surfaced that it would be a matter of a "day or two," but with that time frame now passing and no clear idea of when PSN may return from Sony, it could potentially be much longer.
The outage is especially maddening to those PS3 users who may depend on the network to play online-enhanced gaming titles, such as the recent release Mortal Kombat or SOCOM 4, for example. Their anger and frustration was apparent in the original story on the outage Betanews published on Friday.
"I would like it though if they'd be a bit more forthcoming about how things are going," commenter 'ownbothsystems' posted. "It's not fair to all the online players to just leave us hanging."

Portal 2 release mania

The big release I was talking about was of course Portal 2. And the way it was released blew everyones minds. It all started as an potato-based april fools joke, where Valve released a game bundle on steam, In the days since, updates and cryptic messages have appeared both across the Internet and in the Potato sack games (the game bundle). At first it was merely simple messages or cryptic clues, such as strings of numbers or in-game glyphs, but soon more and more clues surfaced, eventually leading to potatoes invading the games en force.  A week before schedueled release a mysterious page went up, on it was only a timer. It was counting down to something, and nobody knew anything exept that it had something to do with the portal 2 release. Everyone was of course hoping for an early release, but we know Valve (the company behind portal), and no way in hell would these wishes come true. They are not exactly known for early releases. A couple of hours before the timer would reach zero, a message from GLaDOS appeared which ended with this: 

"The time is near, humans. But it is not here yet. Tomorrow you will be given

 the final test. Then it will be entirely in your hands when I am freed."

Then at est. 19:00 GMT+1 friday night the timer ran out and a new site came up, with just that, the final test. Valve had collected 13 indie games that we could play, and collect potatoes in to power up GLaDOS so that the game could release early. (If you think the potatoes sound weird, i guess you havent played portal). So over the weekend there were tens of thousands people playing these games and collecting potatoes, and we got the game out around 12 hours earlier than chedueled time. That doesn't sound like alot, but the event was absolutely crazy and a lot of fun. I am so glad Valve made this release into such a big event, it was more than i had hoped for, even though it was almost unbearably nerve wrecking at some points. Frankly Valve is my absolute favorite game company of all time. 

The site is still up here where you can see the games, GLaDOS' messages etc.
Also a wiki site was made just for this special occasion, where you can view all the announsements and news that was posted during the event.

New (gaming) blog.

Ok, so I have moved on from my old blog (ingabi.blogg.no). And this one is going to be alot different. This will be a blog about Gaming, and things related to gaming. News, reviews, events, facts, cool merch, tips etc. 2011 is going to be a great and exiting year in the world of gaming, and I am really looking forward to it. In fact it has already been a good deal of interessting things going on, both good and not so good, but still interessting! I mostly play on pc, that is my choice of platform. Frankly there is only a few types of genres I can stand to play on consoles, and they are mostly Nintendo games. This is definitely the nostalgia kicking in.

The best Mario design in my opinion!

There has very recently been an humongusly awaited game release, and the gaming community and industry went totally nuts. There was a big online event and this is of corse something I am going to cover. I predict some of you already know what I am talking about. If not, you need to fucking pay attention! Also this week there has been a big event going on in Norway. Yup you guessed correct: The Gathering, which I sadly was not able to attend this year. But I still want to write a little post about it, and maybe write about my experienses there to give you an idea of how it is like, if that is something you would find interessting that is? Maybe I could pursuade some of you to attend next year ( I suppose not those of you who attend Inferno, those two events in a week might just be deadly).

Now for the blog I am still a noob at blogspot, and it is going to take a little while before it will be looking awesome, and organized. I really would love if you have any suggestions on what you want to read about (don't worry I have alot of things in mind), if it is a game you would like me to write about, if you want tips on good places to get more socialised in this big big community, and generally every feedback is very very welcome.

Diggins puts on show for Indy crowd

Image : espn

SM*SH -The NCAA Tournament has turned Skylar Diggins from a South Bend superstar into a national superstar. Angelo: You've blown up on twitter. Skylar: Oh man.

Everyone's watching.

Angelo: You've been the South Bend Superstar.... this tournament has made you a national superstar. Skylar: It just humbles me. Skylar: It would mean a lot. Skylar and Notre Dame face Texas A&M in the national championship game tonight at 8:30 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indy. Now Lil Wayne’s adoration of Skylar Diggins has, by all accounts, thrust women’s basketball into the forefront and made Diggins a household celebrity name. The Notre Dame star garnered Weezy’s affection before beating two time champion UConn with a stunning twenty-eight point game performance. But despite her team’s loss to Texas A&M last night 76-70, Diggins still scored twenty-three points. Off the court, however, Diggins is still scoring thousands of fans and international news attention today.

Before Tuesday’s game, Diggins boasted nearly sixty thousand followers. << Women's Basketball News

Title:

Video Subheadline: After idolizing her as a child, Diggins gets coaching from Ivey

INDIANAPOLIS - A decade ago, a 10-year-old Skylar Diggins was sitting with her parents in their South Bend home glued to the television watching point guard Niele Ivey’s every move as Notre Dame defeated Purdue, 68-66, to win the 2001 NCAA Championship.

Diggins said, when asked about the 2001 NCAA title game. I was a huge Niele Ivey fan.”

“There is something so eerie about the connection about her team and our team,” Diggins said. Diggins had led her team to four consecutive Indiana state championship game appearances (2006-09), including three title games played in Conseco Fieldhouse. Her team won a Class 4A state championship in 2007. “Niele Ivey was instrumental [in recruiting Diggins] when I hired her,” McGraw said. Diggins also credits Ivey with easing her adjustment from the two-guard to the one-guard as a sophomore this season.

Ivey definitely sees the parallels between her and Diggins, and not just the fact they have both played point guard for the Irish.

Diggins was recently named to the 2011 State Farm Coaches' All-America Team by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Ivey is honored that Diggins considers her such an influential person in her life.

“I just wanted to play the game and whatever game it was, I wanted to win. Ivey is not the only member of the 2001 National Championship that has mentored and motivated Diggins and her teammates.

frank mccourt

SM*SH -Frank McCourt’s Dodger blues: Major League Baseball has taken over the team’s financial operations from its embattled owner, with the Times’ Bill Plaschke calling the move “wonderful.” [L.A. Times]

Mandy Moore goes red: Mrs. Ryan Adams has brightened up her hair for spring. A good look? [People]

Malayan tiger cubs open their eyes: The two-week-old cubs aren’t quite ready for display — the San Diego Zoo will wait until they’re three months old — but the adorable, endangered animals have taken one step toward growing into ferocious jungle cats. [SanDiego.com]

TV on the Radio bassist Gerard Smith dies: The indie musician was 36, and passed from a battle with lung cancer. The group has cancelled several tour dates. Its latest album (which features Smith’s playing), “Nine Types of Light,” was released earlier this month.

Spring store openings: L.A. is getting a number of new boutiques, including Alternative Apparel, a shirt-oriented brand that should serve as a, well, alternative to Dov Charney’s better-known company. [Racked]

–David Greenwald

Photo: Mandy Moore attends the animal healthcare awareness program launch at ASPCA Headquarters on April 20, 2011 in New York City. Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images


Related searches:
los angeles dodgers, dodgers, la dodgers, espe, chicago bulls
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David Cook returns to 'American Idol,' performs 'The Last Goodbye'

David Cook returns to 'American Idol,' performs 'The Last Goodbye'

SM*SH -"American Idol's" Season 7 champ David Cook finally returned home on Thursday, Apr. 21, for the Top 7 results show. The appearance kick-started promotion for his sophmore album "This Loud Morning," which will be released on June 28.

Cook performed the first single off the new album "The Last Goodbye," which we think is going to be a huge hit on the radio. The single is now available for download on iTunes and Amazon. Cook looked great in his all-back suit and perfectly coiffed hair (yes, we're that vain) and he sounded great.

"It's great to be back!," Cook said after his performance, but was kind of drowned out by the crazy loud audience, which rivals the audience reaction Adam Lambert received when he returned to "Idol." Cook's mom also came... but just because she wanted to meet Steven Tyler. Too. Cute.

May 1, Cook will be participating in the 14th annual Race For Hope in Washington, D.C., which is a 5K run/walk that helps fund a cure for brain tumors and brain cancer. This is Cook's third year participating in the event and you can find more information on how you can participate and help on his official website.

It's good to have David Cook back, no? Were you excited about Cook's return to the "Idol" stage? What did you think of his new single "The Last Goodbye"?
Related searches:
david archuleta, james durbin 
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Hanes Launches Incredible 40% Off Sale To Help Oprah

SM*SH -Hanes' net income rose 32 percent to $48.1 million, or 49 cents per share for the quarter that ended April 2, up from $36.5 million, or 37 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.

Hanes improved margins by 60 basis points over last year, an impressive feat given the increase in its input costs. The company owes this success to initiatives made from 2006 to 2009, following its spinoff from Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE )

Hanes was featured on the special 'Oprah & Gayle's All-Time Best Adventures' in today's show dedicated to celebrating best friends. As a special offer, Hanes launched an incredible deal for the next two days.

But, Amber Hanes' time of 3 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds was fast enough to place the Belpre resident among the top 290 women to compete in the Boston Marathon on Monday. "I was excited," said Hanes. "The whole experience was amazing

Check out the Hanes T-shirts sale going on now at Sierra Trading Post! Get T-shirt as low as $1.75 (Toddler size) and they all have Free shipping with the code HDS11 used at checkout.

Jordansheen_copy Thanks to daytime TV, I get to see Sarah Chalke shake her ass about 12 times an hour to prove that Hanes won't ride up my crack.

Related tag :
oprah, monkey bread

playstation network down

SM*SH -

playstation network down

The PlayStation Network is down because of an outage. There is no scheduled time for the next update from PlayStation on their progress, but you can check for by staying tuned to the PlayStation blog.

Los Angeles area Playstation 3 owners are frustrated today. The issue with Anonymous began with Sony’s court case against George Hotz, which has since been settled out of court. In comparison to Microsoft’s Xbox Live service, Sony has a poor record of keeping their network operational. Xbox Live does cost about $60 a year, unlike the Playstation network which is touted as free. The truth is, both networks have free and paid content and services however, a paid subscription is not required on the Playstation network to play online games
your search:playstation network, playstation network error, playstation network problems, playstation network status, playstation

McDonald's warns of higher food inflation

SM*SH -LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK, April 21 (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp (MCD.N) forecast higher prices for beef, dairy and other items and said it would cautiously raise prices to keep attracting diners, who are grappling with higher grocery and gas bills.

Shares fell 1.5 percent after the world's biggest hamburger chain said it planned to offset some, but not all, of its higher food costs, with small price increases throughout the year.

McDonald's results landed a day after rival Yum Brands Inc (YUM.N) reported strong China results that masked rising food and labor costs. Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG.N), which has nearly all of its 1,100 restaurants in the United States, saw higher food costs eat into margins.

McDonald's and other restaurant operators are getting squeezed by accelerating food costs and must figure out how to raise prices without scaring away already skittish diners.

"It's very hard to pass through price increase right now," said Stifel Nicolaus analyst Steve West.

McDonald's Chief Executive Jim Skinner said customers are getting "pinched everywhere. They should not suffer the same fate at McDonald's."

Chief Financial Officer Pete Bensen said the company would sacrifice some short-term margin to protect long-term growth. He added that McDonald's has experience finding the right recipe for price increases in fragile economic times.

McDonald's now expects food costs to rise between 4 percent and 4.5 percent in the United States and Europe this year. That is up from its prior call for a rise of 2 percent to 2.5 percent in the United States and an increase of 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent in Europe. [ID:nN24223102].

McDonald's in March put through a 1 percent menu price rise in the United States, where it plans additional increases. Prices in Europe are up by the same amount and the company plans to raise prices in China.

When it comes to raising prices, West said McDonald's has an edge because it attracts a higher-income diner than other fast-food chains. It could have the best luck raising prices on things like premium burgers and McCafe drinks that appeal to those customers, he said.

STEALING SHARE

After struggling during the recession, McDonald's has outperformed its fast-food peers by updating its menu to broaden its appeal beyond the young males that account for the biggest share of sales at most other fast-food chains.

"The bottom line is they're still doing a great job of growing revenue," said Peter Jankovskis, co-chief investment officer at Oakbrook Investments.

Analysts remain worried that high gas prices could force fast-food restaurant patrons to cut back. But Jankovskis said McDonald's was better equipped than others to cope.

McDonald's has roughly 32,700 restaurants around the world. The United States alone has 14,000 units, which means customers do not have to travel far to get to one.

"The big test will come in the summer months with gasoline remaining in the neighborhood of $4.00 (a gallon) -- that's when the strength of McDonald's will come through," he said. (here)

March sales at restaurants open at least 13 months were up 3 percent in the United States, up 4.9 percent in Europe and gained 0.5 percent in McDonald's Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa unit. Asia results were adversely affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, but that the impact on overall income was "minor," Skinner said.

First-quarter net income rose 10.9 percent to $1.21 billion, or $1.15 per share, topping analysts' profit view by a penny, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Total first-quarter revenue at the Golden Arches rose 9 percent to $6.1 billion, with sales in Europe leading the way.

Still, operating margin fell to 17.7 percent from 18.2 percent as costs for food and paper rose. Food and paper costs were 33.6 percent of sales in the quarter, compared with 32.9 percent a year earlier.

McDonald's shares fell 1.5 percent, or $1.17, to $76.23 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange. (Editing by Maureen Bavdek and Gunna Dickson)
source : reuters.com

McDonald's worried by rising commodity prices‎

McDonald's worried by rising commodity prices‎

SM*SH -MCDONALD'S, which posted an 11 per cent rise in first-quarter earnings thanks to strong global sales, warned commodity costs continue to be a growing concern, so much a concern that the fast-food giant doubled the expected jump in its US commodity costs for the year.
Even with its massive pricing power, McDonald's now projects it will spend 4 per cent to 4.5 per cent more in the US and in Europe for commodities, compared with previous estimates of a 2 per cent to 2.5 per cent increase in the US and 3.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent rise in Europe.
Investors honed in on the commodity news, pushing shares down 2 per cent to $US76.86 in recent trading despite second-quarter global same-store sales on track to meet or beat the first quarter's 4.2 per cent rise.
McDonald's isn't alone in fighting higher commodity costs. This week several other restaurant chains like Yum Brands and Chipotle Mexican Grill noted rising commodity pressures during their earnings reports.

"We believe our supply chain continues to be a competitive advantage for the McDonald's system," said McDonald's chief financial officer Peter Bensen on a conference call. "We have successfully managed this in the past and are confident we can do so again."
McDonald's is raising prices to help margins. The company typically opts for implementing smaller menu price increases over the course of the year, rather than a large increase in one fell swoop, to avoid sticker shock for customers. In the US and Europe, it raised menu prices 1 per cent in the first quarter, not including value-added-tax-related increases.
"Our pricing elasticity in the brand moves up and down based on inflation, consumer spending and consumer confidence," said chief executive Jim Skinner.
"And we're not worried. We have the capability to take price over this next number of months in the US...It's a matter of timing and when it makes sense for us."
The company hopes to avoid passing on the entirety of its costs increases to consumers directly. During the downturn, McDonald's competitive pricing was part of what helped it outperform much of the industry.
Internationally, McDonald's and Yum have been in a battle for fast food business in China. McDonald's same-store sales there, up 6.5 per cent in the first quarter, pale in comparison to Yum's impressive 13 per cent gain.
McDonald's says its sales increase is meaningful in that it's not just from raising menu prices, but "tremendous guest count growth," driven by breakfast and lunch value promotions, said chief operating officer Don Thompson.
McDonald's US same-store sales for the first quarter were up 2.9 per cent, outshining its competitor Yum's 1 per cent domestic decrease.
In the product pipeline, it has new smoothie flavours, chicken promotions and salads on the short-term horizon. It's in early testing phases to potentially bring spicy chicken sandwiches and McBites snacking items from overseas to the US.
Same-store sales increased 5.7 per cent in Europe as it focused on everyday value and classic core menu offerings.
Growth in Australia and China drove a 3.2 per cent increase in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa division with limited-time offers, delivery and extended hours contributing to the growth.
McDonald's posted a profit of $US1.21 billion ($1.13bn), or $US1.15 a share, from $US1.09bn, or $US1 a share, a year earlier. In the latest period, the results had a US3-cent boost per share from foreign exchange and bottom-line growth was increased by 3 percentage points because of costs last year related to Japan restaurant closings.
Revenue increased 8.9 per cent to $US6.11bn. Excluding currency fluctuations, the increase was 7 per cent.
Additional reporting: Joan E. Solsman
source

'Game of Thrones' first impressions

'Game of Thrones' first impressions

SM*SH -PASADENA, Calif. -- HBO's "Game of Thrones" debuted Sunday to glowing reviews and millions of viewers, including fanboys dedicated to the George R.R. Martin books upon which the series is based.

Martin himself is as surprised as anyone to see the series get made.

"I was thinking they would never make this into a movie or television," he said at a January HBO press conference. Martin worked in television in the '80s and '90s, including on the new "Twilight Zone," the new "Outer Limits" and CBS's "Beauty and the Beast."

During that time he pitched the networks on original series, but he was always told his shows had too many characters and the budget for what he imagined would be too great. So he started writing books and began thinking, "I'm going to have hundreds of characters in giant battles and magnificent castles and they'll never make this in television or film but I don't have to worry about it. I'm just working in prose."


Gesturing to "Game of Thrones" executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Martin said, "Now David and Dan have to solve those problems that I created, and I'm glad it's them and not me."

Read more after the jump. ...

For their part, the "Game of Thrones" TV series producers are happy to be working with someone else's creation. While large-cast, myth-laden series often spring up on TV, with a few exceptions ("Lost"), they rarely work well or survive (see: "The Event").

"One incredible luxury that Dan and I have had working on this is that we're not making it up as we go along," Benioff said. "We're going into it knowing that we have an incredibly well mapped-out, well-plotted storyline that's going to continue for, if we're lucky, season after season. George has already done so much of the work for us."
source

Pima County Fair food

Pima County Fair food

SM*SH - The Pima County Fair is in its 100th year of rides, games, animal shows, and musical entertainment.  But, perhaps the biggest draw for some isn't what you can see and hear, it's what you can eat.
Fair-goers check their diets at the door, entering a place where no food is safe from the deep-fryer.  In one stand a person can purchase fried twinkies, oreos, brownies, candy bars and whole slices of cheesecake.
In addition to all things battered in deep-fried dough, another fair guideline rules the food stands--bigger is better.
Dominic Palmieri, owner of the Burger Joint stand, has been serving up food at the fair for 13 years.  He says it grows every year, and he's got a burger that fits.
"The belly buster burger," said Palmieri while throwing a large patty on the grill. "This is a 13-inch burger, custom made bun.  The thing's going to weigh about four pounds it's going to have half a head of lettuce on it."
The belly buster burger sells from five times a day to thirty depending on the crowd and their appetite.  While some have tried to take it on by themselves, none have succeeded.  Others, like Angie Cramblit take the economic route and use it to feed their whole families.
"It looked good, we could all share it," she said.  "It's really good.  It tastes really good."
Whether it's sharing fair food or braving the rides, Pima County's fair has been bringing families together for 100 years.
source

Katie Nicholl Reveals Royal Honeymoon Details

Katie Nicholl Reveals Royal Honeymoon Details

image : etonline.com

SM*SH - Journalist Katie Nicholl (author of William and Harry: Behind the Palace Walls) uncovered where Prince William and Kate Middleton plan to spend their first night together as husband and wife, spilling the news to ET's Chis Jacobs.

Katie says that the royal couple won't travel too far after their wedding, planning to start their honeymoon inside Buckingham Palace.

The parents of the bride-to-be were just introduced to one of the residents of the palace, Queen Elizabeth, on Wednesday. The gathering is said to have had a "warm atmosphere" and was also attended by members of the royal household. Keep checking back to ETonline for more details on the royal wedding which will take place Friday, April 29.

source 

George Michael reveals song for Will and Kate

SM*SH -George Michael's song for Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton is a cover of Stevie Wonder's 'You and I'.

The 47-year-old singer — who was a close friend of William's late mother Princess Diana — thinks the song is the "perfect" choice and has encouraged his fans to download the free track.

He revealed on CNN's 'Piers Morgan Tonight': "The song is called ‘You and I.’ It was recorded in 1972 and written in 1972 by the wonderful Mr. Stevie Wonder, who has just this evening waived the rights until way after the wedding. So that's great news. It's all free. So you can download it to your heart's content. I think this one was the perfect one."

George — who last year four weeks in prison as a result of driving under the influence of drugs — managed to come up with the idea and record the song in a week, and was inspired by the good weather in London recently and the desire to express his happiness at their forthcoming union.

He said: "The idea came to me last week, actually, about a week ago, that I should — that I should, perhaps, kind of express my happiness at this marriage in a way.

"You know, it was a very beautiful summer — it wasn't summer's day. But it was an April day that happened to be like summer here in London."

George added he thinks Princess Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997, was a "fantastic" parent to William and his younger brother Prince Harry.

He said: "She was absolutely, I think, a fantastic mother. How else would those two boys have survived so amazingly well?"





source

Kate Middleton has unveiled her new Coat of Arms

image source : reuters

SM*SH -The design features three acorns, representing Kate and her two siblings. The oak tree is also a traditional symbol of England and strength and is a feature of west Berkshire, where the Middletons have lived for 30 years.

The gold chevron in the centre of the coat of arms signifies Kate's mother, Carole, whose maiden name was Goldsmith and is who is at the heart of the family.

The white chevronels symbolise peaks and mountains, and the Middleton family's love of the Lake District and skiing.

The background colours of red and blue were chosen as they are the principle colours from the flag of the United Kingdom and match Prince William’s recently revised coat of arms.

The College of Arms likes to include a pun wherever possible and has made the two colours meet squarely in the centre as a play on the words ‘middle tone’.

Tony Woodcock, Garter Principal King of Arms and Senior Herald in England, helped the Middletons with their design.

He said: "It's not compulsory, but as their daughter is marrying into the Royal Family she will have a need probably to use a coat of arms."

The Royal Wedding takes place on Friday next week.
source

Royal wedding parties on BBC Radio Shropshire

Royal wedding parties on BBC Radio Shropshire

SM*SH -As Prince William and Kate Middleton get married at Westminster Abbey, thousands of parties will be taking place across the country.

If you are going to a Shropshire street party or a celebration at a local community centre or village hall we want to hear about it.

On 29 April, BBC Radio Shropshire's Paul Shuttleworth will be reporting live from events across the county.

Send details of your event to shropshire@bbc.co.uk

Let us know how your celebrations are going on the day by calling the studio on 01743 248321.

Or text 81333 and start your message with shrop (you will be charged at your standard message rate).

Get a flavour of the Royal wedding atmosphere across the county on BBC Radio Shropshire.

From 25-29 April, Eric and Clare's breakfast programme will look at the wedding vows and what they mean to local people

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image source : bbc.co.uk

Kate Middleton is a high-ness street honey

Kate Middleton is a high-ness street honey

SM*SH -For the second day in a row, Kate Middleton has hit the high street for some retail therapy, ahead of her wedding on April 29.

Fresh from stocking up on summer frocks from Warehouse yesterday, today Kate’s store of choice was Whistles.

She may be a fan of high-street brands but she looked every inch the designer diva as she turned heads in an elegant, £480, black, crossover Issa dress teamed with tan kitten heels.

The bride-to-be looked happy to be out, basking in the London sunshine, stocking up on items for her honeymoon wardrobe.

As passers-by looked on in amazement, Kate seemed relaxed as she wandered through the busy streets with just her bodyguard by her side.

She even seemed unfazed as she passed by window displays selling merchandise to celebrate for forthcoming marriage to Prince William.

With no sign of pre-wedding jitters, it seems Kate is relaxing into her Royal role, ready to become one of the most iconic women of our time.
source
image source : entertainment.stv.tv

Kate Middleton spotted in Banana Republic

Kate Middleton spotted in Banana Republic

SM*SH -Along with a jolly to Warehouse, she also stopped by Banana Republic yesterday on the King's Road.

Kate Middleton buys outfits from Warehouse for her honeymoon?

Speculation is that Middleton is stocking up on essentials for her forthcoming honeymoon; the four pieces she picked up in Warehouse, including a poppy-print strapless dress, £60 and a short tropical bird-print dress, £65, are rather "holiday" in spirit. She also bought several items from Banana Republic's summer collection, although the store refused to divulge specifics.

The US-based brand is known as the "more grown-up sister of Gap", its parent company, offering the kind of sleek, unfussily elegant, shock-free wardrobe staples loved by Middleton. Indeed, according to an eyewitness, the imminent bride chatted to staff about how she "loves Banana Republic," and how she "will be shopping with them in future." Prices veer on the more upper end of the high street, with blouses coming in at around the £55 mark, and dresses at £75.

Kate Middleton: her choice of going-away outfit will reflect her new status

Middleton's trips further highlight her much-lauded frugality. She often shops at TK Maxx for heavily-discounted designer brands, as well as at high-street favourites LK Bennett and Whistles, and regularly recycles her favourite pair of suede knee-high boots for public outings.
source

Queen meets Kate Middleton's parents

Queen meets Kate Middleton's parents

SM*SH -AS any experienced shopper knows, it is a good idea to have a careful look at what you are letting yourself in for before making a commitment.

So, while Kate Middleton spent the day shopping for honeymoon outfits in Chelsea, her parents were 32km away in Windsor, having lunch with the Queen.

The meeting did not come a moment too soon. Even though Prince William has been dating Miss Middleton for more than eight years, it was the first time that her parents had met the Queen.

For a meeting laden with such significance, it came as a surprise to both royal watchers and Palace insiders alike. Just over 24 hours ago royal sources declared that the Queen had not met Miss Middleton's parents, and had no plans to do so before the royal wedding.

Mike and Carole Middleton drove to Windsor Castle, where, for an hour and a half, they enjoyed what was described as a "very convivial" lunch with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

Despite the apparent abrupt turn-around in the Queen's attitude to her grandson's future parents-in-law, the event is understood to have been a longstanding diary engagement.

When it first emerged in January that the Queen had not met Mrs Middleton and did not intend to do so before the wedding, the seeming snub was taken as symptomatic of the apparent lack of welcome extended by the Royal Family to outsiders joining them by marriage.

The lunch went some way to correct that impression. "It was very informal, very relaxed," a source said. "There was lots of laughter."

The small lunch party included one of the Queen's private secretaries and an equerry. Although it is not known what was served, let alone what they talked about, it can be taken as read that the topics of conversation included the wedding and horses. As a source said: "It would have been unthinkable not to talk about the wedding."

It would have been almost as unlikely for them not to talk about horse racing, one of the Queen's abiding interests. The Queen is an owner and breeder of thoroughbreds, and Mr and Mrs Middleton are said to be part-owners of a race horse, Sohraab.

The Middletons also live in the same county as the Queen and have a large home in the hamlet of Chapel Row in the parish of Bucklebury, near Reading.

The meeting would have been a relatively short drive for the couple, whose mail order business, Party Pieces, which sells party paraphernalia, is based close to their home.

There have been a number of occasions when the Middletons came close to meeting the Queen during William's courtship of their daughter. They were present when the Queen and Prince Philip attended William and Kate's graduation at St Andrews University in 2005, but did not actually meet. Another near-miss occurred when when they went to Sandhurst for the Prince's passing-out parade in 2006.

They are believed to have met William's father, the Prince of Wales, a number of times and spent a weekend at Birkhall, Charles's Scottish home, although the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall were not there.

As part of her gradual initiation into the royal circle, Miss Middleton has met the Queen several times. In December she joined her for a pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.

Meanwhile, with just over a week to the wedding, the bride-to-be whiled away her time between rehearsals by shopping on the Kings Road for the second day running. On Tuesday she spent $345 on outfits from Warehouse: yesterday she shopped in Whistles.

source

All-aboriginal King Lear in NAC season

SM*SH - Quebec actor August Schellenberg is to play King Lear in an all-aboriginal production of the Shakespeare classic as part of the 2011-12 season at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
The King Lear set in Canada during the Iroquois/Huronia Wars was one of nine productions announced for the coming season on Tuesday by NAC artistic director Peter Hinton.
Schellenberg, who was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of Sitting Bull in the mini-series Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, has appeared at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and at the Dallas Shakespeare Festival. He has had a wide range of stage roles including Oscar in The Odd Couple, Prince Charming in Cinderella and Jamie Paul in George Ryga’s The Ecstasy of Rita Joe.
Hinton has also lined up the newest work by innovative Canadian writers Daniel MacIvor and Ronnie Burkett.
Alberta marionette master Burkett brings his latest creation, Penny Plain, a gothic thriller about an environmental apocalypse starring a blind puppet and her dog.
MacIvor's newest play is Communion, part of his trilogy centering on women's lives that began with Was Spring.
Other fare for the upcoming season:

• Salt-Water Moon, the most popular of David French's Mercer family series.
• 2 Pianos 4 Hands, with Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt.
• And Slowly Beauty, by Michel Nadeau in a translation by Maureen Labonté.
• Creation, a comedy by Peter Anderson.
• Oliver!, a musical based on the Charles Dickens story.
• Monster Makers, a children work from Toronto's Mammalian Diving Reflex.

The NAC's resident acting company will star in five of the productions.
source :
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2011/04/19/nac-season.html

How to Get Your Harley Running for the Spring

How to Get Your Harley Running for the Spring

SM*SH -The snow is finally melting here in the Northeast, and you know what that means. That’s right: It's time to take your Harley-Davidson® for a ride. Of course, you'll want to protect your Harley from any harm when it first awakens from its winter hibernation.

Here's a look at how to get your Harley-Davidson® running for the spring time.

Fluids

Just like a car, it's a good idea to make sure your Harley-Davidson® is fully stocked with the fluids it needs to operate effectively and safely. If you are unsure of the specific type of fluids you need to use, then consult your Harley-Davidson® dealer or Harley-Davidson® owner's manual to get accurate information.

The fluids that need to be checked include your oil, brake fluids, radiator coolant, and gasoline, which can become depleted over the long winter. Even if you have oil remaining, it's a good idea to change it before the busy season ahead.

Tire Pressure

Always check your tire pressure. This will help you maximize control of your Harley and increase your gas mileage this year. This is especially important after the bike has been sitting idle for a few months.

Recharge Battery

Batteries have a tendency to die out if they sit for a long time in cold weather. If this has happened to you, you'll need to recharge it before you take a cruise through Philadelphia.

Fuel Additives

Some motorcycle owners encourage you add fuel additives before the spring season. Of course, before putting anything in your motorcycle, you should consult with your Harley-Davidson® dealer or manual.



At Harley-Davidson® of Ocean County, we can answer any questions you might have about getting your bike ready for the roads and the surrounding areas this spring. For more information about our New Jersey Harley-Davidson® dealership, visit our website today.
harley davidson dealers New Jersey harley davi

source :
http://www.harleydavidsonoceancounty.com/104374/2011/04/19/start-the-season-right-how-to-get-your-harley-running-for-the-spring.html

Kansas leads wheat higher, while corn fades

Kansas leads wheat higher, while corn fades

SM*SH -Wheat didn't just have weather scares behind it on Tuesday, of the type which lifted it so far in the last session.

This time, it had fair weather from external markets too, with investors appearing to get over their concerns about US sovereign debt, allowing shares a bit of a recovery, and the dollar to slide 0.6%.

A weaker dollar helps prices of US-traded agricultural commodities, and other dollar-denominated assets, making them more affordable to buyers in other currencies.

Wheat took the opportunity for further gains, notably in Kansas, which trades the hard red winter wheat crop at the centre of US drought concerns, but also on the other side of the Atlantic too. London wheat gained 2.1% to a record close of £217.00 a tonne, £0.50 below its intraday high.

The strength in global wheat "is all about the weather as the rains promised to the US southern Plains this week have fizzled", Darrell Holaday at Country Futures said.

"In addition, the forecast for Western Europe and China remains dry."

'Point of no return'

Kansas's May contract ended with a rise of 3.4% to $9.26 a bushel, gaining support from official data overnight showing continuing deteriorating in the US crop, and the forecasts for little relief, in America or elsewhere.

US Commodities added that China's dry spell, affecting 25% of wheat area in the world's top producing country, was expected to last at least a further two weeks.

For the US crop, it highlighted that "heading is occurring in Texas and Oklahoma, so we are reaching the point of no return".

And while some weather models do foresee some moisture in these states and other hard red winter wheat areas, many observers have pointed out the growing scepticism of investors at forecasts for rain which have turned out to be inaccurate.

'Too wet'

In Paris, wheat for May closed up 2.1% at E251.25 a tonne, on Europe's dryness concerns, while, back in the US, it was wet which sent Minneapolis wheat up 3.2% to $9.43 a bushel.

"It is too wet in the Corn Belt and the northern Plains," Mr Holladay said.

And in Canada too, where the Canadian Wheat Board forecast sowing delays of up to three weeks as the country gets through a mixture of rain and snowmelt.

Chicago wheat, of the soft red winter variety which is actually in good health, rose 1.4% to $7.85 ¾ a bushel for May, lifted by its peers.

Demand fears

It was the same much of the day for corn and soybeans too, which gained despite talk that perhaps demand for the two crops was showing signs of being rationed by high prices.

As Luke Mathews at Commonwealth Bank of Australia noted earlier, data on Monday showing weekly US corn export inspections at 32.2m bushels, "down 21% from the week prior and down 20% from the same period last year... are, perhaps, a sign of demand destruction".

Corn ended down 0.4% at $7.49 a bushel for May. So much for the premium it gained over Chicago wheat last week, which has reverted to a discount of more than $0.35 a bushel.

The new-crop December lot did better on spring sowing fears, adding 1.2% to $6.76 a bushel

Cargoes cancelled

Soybeans, meanwhile, had their daily dose of sell reasons, this time stemming from China, whose CNGOIC crop bureau confirmed the cancellation of six-to-eight cargoes of the oilseed from South America and the deferral of some 20 shipments.

China is instead selling down state reserves to meet demand.

And these order rejigs might not be China's last, in the face of negative crush margins, analysis group Oil World warned.

"It is considered likely that additional cancellations or postponement of shipments will be made," Oil World said.

"Given China's importance for global soybean trade, this issue bears the potential for additional downward pressure on soybean prices in the near term."

Chicago soybeans for May closed down 0.2% at $13.42 a bushel.

More losses to come?

How about soft commodities? Could they make better use of the better outside market conditions?

Coffee did, adding 2.4% to 294.25 cents a pound in New York for July delivery, against a background of continued strong fundamentals, with demand strong and supplies unable to keep up.

However, sugar continued to be in bears' control, shedding 0.5% to 24.27 cents a pound in New York for May, a fresh six-month low, while losing 0.8% to 22.62 cents a pound for the better-traded July lot - and with it potentially setting the scene for yet further losses.

"Another close - three in a row - below this level will suggest further follow through lower," Thomas Kujawa at Sucden Financial said earlier.

source :
http://www.agrimoney.com/marketreport/evening-markets-kansas-leads-wheat-higher-while-corn-fades--1057.html

Apple asks judge to toss iPod lawsuit

asked a federal judge Monday to throw out an antitrust lawsuit brought on behalf of consumers concerning discontinued restrictions on digital music.

The suit is involves FairPlay, encoding software that Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) used to restrict songs bought on iTunes to only play on iPods while silencing songs from competing digital music stores.

The lawsuit was filed in 2005 after Apple RealNetworks introduced software that allowed consumers to get around FairPlay only to have Apple issue an iTunes update that restored the restrictions. Apple stopped using FairPlay in 2009 but the lawsuit over whether it violated antitrust laws continued.

Robert Mittelstaedt, an Apple attorney told U.S. District Court Judge James Ware in San Jose, Calif. that the software was intended to improve the iTunes listening experience, according to a Bloomberg report.

Apple cited consumer complaints about problems playing downloads from other companies as a reason for its actions, but told the judge that it hadn't done any independent testing to verify the problem. The company employs about 1,000 people in Austin.

Ware said he will rule on Apple's dismissal request next month.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs met with plaintiff attorneys in a deposition for the case on April 12.

Apple requests iTunes monopoly lawsuit be dropped

SM*SH -Apple has made a request to a federal judge to drop a lawsuit that claims restrictions previously made to music downloaded through iTunes were anticompetitive.

Apple has requested that a federal judge dismiss an anticompetition lawsuit against the Cupertino, California-based company, which seeks to prove that Apple limited consumers’ choice with the use of proprietary software placed on its downloads, reports Bloomberg.

The lawsuit, started in 2005, claims that Apple stifled competition with an update made to its FairPlay DRM, a proprietary software, in July 2004, which prevented music downloaded through other services from working on its iPod devices. The update was launched just days after RealNetworks Inc boasted that songs from its Harmony online store could be played on iPods.

Apple’s legal counsel, Robert Mittelstaedt, argues that the restrictions on which music worked with iPods are not anticompetitive, but were imposed as a quality-control measure.

“Apple’s view is that iPods work better when consumers use the iTunes jukebox rather than third party software that can cause corruption or other problems,” Mittelstaedt said during a court hearing.

To backup its claims, Apple cited 58 consumer complaints as the reason for its decision to update iPods to not work with other companies’ downloads. US District Judge James Ware, to whom Apple made its dismissal request, asked whether Apple had conducted any scientific tests to confirm the dangers of allowing downloads from other sources. Apple said it had not.

Last month, a separate judge, Magistrate Judge Howard R. Lloyd, ordered that Apple CEO Steve Jobs submit to questioning in the case. Apple eventually agreed, with the stipulations that Jobs not be asked about any matters outside of the 2004 iPod update, and not exceed more than two hours. Jobs came in for questioning on April 12.

As of March 2009, music sold on iTunes no longer comes loaded with restrictive proprietary software.

Judge Ware said he would decide whether or not to dismiss the case by May.
source :
http://www.digitaltrends.com/gadgets/apple-requests-itunes-monopoly-lawsuit-be-dropped/

A Pulitzer & an easy read

A Pulitzer & an easy read

SM*SH -There is a new addition to Dr Akshay Anand's collection of medical journals and books ' the Pulitzer Prize winning 'The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer,' by Delhi-born Siddhartha Mukherjee. And some of the colleagues of this neuroscientist at PGI are also curious about this book that has bagged the coveted Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction for 2011, but Dr Akshay is not keen on lending it ' not until he has had his fill of it. 'I want to read each chapter again and again, just like poetry,' said the proud owner of the book.

Unlike other medical books with a lot of technical jargon, it is an interesting and easily comprehensible read.

And Dr Akshay has almost internalised this book as it is close to his heart. Though this doctor is not an oncologist, going through the book has left left him feeling what he has often felt as a scientist, being so close and yet far from that elusive cure, as medical science is still without an answer to the dreaded disease, cancer.

'The book is so engrossing that I finished it in a day. Cancer has been presented as a character in it. It's more a blend of literature and science. My take on this work is that it explores the need to link sciencelab with clinical work and popularize science through narratives,' said Dr Akshay, who also edits the 'Annals of Neurosciences.'

To take a break from the usual reading stuff like patients' case histories and compilation of data on them, this award-winning book has brought a different genre of reading for PGI doctors. And some of them who like reading books that are out of syllabus, placed an order soon after the Pulitzer was announced. 'I had heard about this book from a friend. But did not find time to read it. Now that it

is a Pulitzer winner I have placed an order,' said Dr Meenu Singh, paediatrician at the PGI.

She said, 'The latest book on medical fiction I read was 'My Own Medicine,' which is a personal account of a doctor, who suffers from cancer. These writings are interesting and reflective. We come face to face with life and death often and reading these works helps find a space for such feelings,' she said.
source :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Many-pluses-A-Pulitzer-an-easy-read/articleshow/8031748.cms