It’s been a rather busy week or so. I intended to update the website with some material, but couldn’t really find anything relevant to say. The Canadian election is heating up, in certain ways. The prime minister took a lot of heat from the other parties, notably the NDP and the Liberals. In turn, the [...]
The Democratic Convention is slated to begin this week in Denver and I’m already disappointed about Democratic Presidential Nominee Senator Barack Obama’s choice for his Vice Presidential Candidate - Senator Joseph (Joe) Biden from Delaware.
Delaware is the state of incorporation for most large corporations in the United States because of the perception (whether real or [...]
Malayan Banking Bhd’s (Maybank) ambition to expand its presence in Indonesia via the acquisition of PT Bank Internasional Indonesia TBK (BII) for RM8.8bil has suffered a setback following changes in Indonesia’s takeover rules.In a statement to Bursa Malaysia yesterday, Maybank said Bank Negara had revoked its approval for the proposed acquisition which was earlier given under Section 29 of the
Job seekers aspiring to pick a career in the construction industry are facing with a setback, after the mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) revealed the industry will suffer from major cuts in budget and expenditure.
The cancellation of a number of mega projects, including the Penang Monorail and Penang Outer Ring Road projects [...]
Microsoft are not a company that spends to long licking its wounds, not long after the whole Yahoo saga, the software giant is now looking towards a new deal to buy semantic search engine Powerset. Microsoft are doing all they can to try and close the gap between themselves and Google. It looks as though [...]
I advise pancake makeup! Always a winner!
The Associated Press: Gore endorses Obama and promises to help him
Al Gore announced his endorsement of Barack Obama Monday and promised to help the Democrat achieve what eluded him — the presidency.
“I present to you the next president of the United States, Barack Obama” Gore said in a brief [...]
Aditya Chopra who is back to the director’s seat after eight long years had to go through a heavy loss before the completion of his movie Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi . Chopra commenced shooting from May 16 at Filmcity. A huge set was constructed in film city where Chopra was shooting with Shah Rukh and his new actress recently. Unfortunately the set has been destroyed due to the heavy rains. It is beli
Yesterday night we went out to dinner with my soon-to-be mother-in-law. We were seated, we ordered drinks, we ordered food...enter baby from hell. Lucian started fussing once he realized that he wasn't at home. From that point on it was his personal mission to have every single person in the restaurant know he wasn't happy. So we got our food to go, but we weren't out of the water because we had t
A federal court has decided that AOL, Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO), and RealNetworks must pay higher licensing fees for music broadcast over the Web. The U.S. District Court in New York this week rejected the companies' request to base the amount of money paid to songwriters and music publishers on revenue directly attributable to music uses. Instead, the court said members of the American Society of
The latest House health budget proposal would leave the Byrd Alzheimer's Center outside of USF's control, and would provide zero new funding for 2008-09. Brandon Sen. Ronda Storms proposed the same in an amendment that failed on the floor last...
MoZella checked in with fans on her YouTube channel to reveal that her one album contract deal with Warner Bros. Records has ended. She said there was talk about doing another album with them, but it was decided that's not going to happen. Despite th
High oil prices could cause a temporary setback for the Indonesian economy though the impact will be more moderate than that suffered in 2005, according to Deyi Tan and Chetan Ahya, writing in Morgan Stanley's latest Global Economic Forum.In October 2005, oil prices crossing the US$65 a barrel mark led to a "mini-crisis" in Indonesia, with the government forced to raise fuel prices by 126% in October 2005 and to hike policy rate by 42bp in the second half of the year.What does the country face now with headline inflation at 7.4% and oil prices hitting beyond US$100 a barrel?"While we like Indonesia’s structural growth story, we believe that rising oil prices combined with higher food prices and increased global financial turbulence have increased the risk of a temporary pushback in the d
Teenage sensation Tamanna gets setback in Tollywood. The beauty has been ousted from director Sukumar's next film with hero Allu Arjun. She was first chosen for it and the producer Allu Aravind who has her dates signed on her for this forthcoming film.Buzz is that director Sukumar is not happy with her choice as she doesn’t well suit the character. Hence they are now discussing various options including Ileana, Kajal, etc.It remains to be seen who would step in. Tamanna has now only one film on her hands in Telugu - Sushant starrer Kalidasu but she is quite a busy star in Tamil. Courtesy:telugucinema
A California appeals court ruling clamping down on homeschooling by parents without teaching credentials sent shock waves across the state this week, leaving an estimated 166,000 children as possible truants and their parents at risk of prosecution.
The homeschooling movement never saw the case coming.
“At first, there was a sense of, ‘No way,’ ” said homeschool [...]
Soon after I wrote about my exercise and frugality hack last month it was sabotaged. I had turned off my hot water at home and took my showers at the school fitness center to motivate me to exercise and save a little money. The school has now closed the locker room at the fitness center [...]
The Time magazine article alledges, that Clinton advisors may be dropping out of the camp like flies so to speak. At one point they go on to say;".....leaves them facing problems on two levels. The first, and easier one to grapple with, is how to deal with Obama. Even as the results in Iowa were still coming in, the Clinton campaign was mobilizing onto an attack footing. But it's possible that the most difficult problem is not Obama; it could be Clinton. How can she retool her message — and her identity as a virtual incumbent — to resonate with an electorate that seems to yearn more for change than any other quality?"SUNDAY NEW HAMPSHIRE RASMUSSEN POLL:OBAMA: 39%CLINTON: 27%look at the:WAR-WEARY FACE OF HILLARY CLINTON IN N.H.
Venezeula has narrowly voted against a controversial referendum that could have seen Hugo Chavez President for life.The referendum, which proposed sweeping changes to the constitution, was narrowly voted against by a majority of 51%.Along with populist measures such as reducing the working day from 8 to 6 hours and extending social security benefits to infromal workers, the Venezuelan President had included clauses that would cement his grip on the nation. Chavez wanted to abolish the two-term limit for Presidents, and take control of the country's autonomous bank. This is a stunning setback for Chavez, who suffers his first polling setback since coming to power in 1999. He publicly congratulated his opponents, but asked his opponents 'to know how to handle thier victory'. Unsurprisingly,
John Bolton addresses the subject of the Annapolis conference and does it well:
A former Bush administration stalwart who has become a vocal critic told The Jerusalem Post this week that the planned meeting in Annapolis later this month to push for Israeli-Palestinian peace is "a mistake."
John Bolton, a leading neoconservative who served as the US ambassador to the UN before leaving the
The corruption indictment of Giuliani's former NY police commissioner could complicate Giuliani's White House run. The Giuliani campaign had hoped to focus instead on an earlier endorsement from TV evangelist Pat Robertson.
"I've been set-backed RM50 by your son..", Mom said to me just as she got out of the car. Uh-oh! What is it this time?? You see, ever since my hubby went back to KL, I'm just too tired to go out anywhere.. I'd rather stay at home.. and watch my *ehem* Bold and Beautiful. LOL!
Anyways, my mom, kid sister and my son went out to do some grocery shopping. Little did I know, they stopped by at KK
Another day at the NovaCare Complex, another setback for L.J. Smith.Smith, who returned to action Sunday against the Jets after undergoing his second operation on his sports hernia, didn't practice yesterday after experiencing significant soreness in his groin area following the Jets game.Paging Chad Lewis.“Right now, he's sore,” head coach Andy Reid said. “We have to let that thing calm down and see how he does here in the next couple days.”This season is turning into a nightmare for Smith, who caught 172 passes for 1,991 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first four NFL seasons but has been hobbled since April and has just five catches for 34 yards in limited action so far this fall...Continue reading at the Burlington Times>>
I finally got my new compter, and there’s a small problem. I created all artwork so far with The Gimp, and I can’t get it to work on Windows Vista. The installer doesn’t even work, I get a very cryptic error message. This means that I either have to fix this problem, or find another graphics program. Luckily, I had finished all graphics for the current version so I can still work on my code. I’ll keep everyone updated on the issue, and I hope it will be fixed soon.
It has been a treat to be a part of the free pool site in the past couple years, but unfortunately the NHLPA has come down on the administrator. To quote the site: "The use of player's names, images and other identifying characteristics in any manner that is commercially exploited requires a license. Using player's names in a fantasy pool is such an instance. Our standard fantasy licensing contract will require both a minimum guarantee and a royalty (the royalty being a percentage of advertising revenue brought in by the fantasy site as well as a set fee per unique user). Royalties are credited against the minimum guarantee; if you earn over the minimum guarantee you pay those royalties to the NHLPA, if you earn under the minimum guarantee you would just be liable for the minimum guarantee."- Adam Larry, NHLPA. The site is down temporarily, but the admin says it will be up again on September 29th. Odds are the pool won't be free this time, but we'll see what this guy is up to, bles
The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe made cabinet shuffles after disappointing results in the July Upper House elections.
Former Defense Agency head Fukushiro Nukaga will take over as finance minister and Nobutaka Machimura will be made foreign minister. Nobutaka Machimura has already been foreign minister previously in his career.
The cabinet reshuffle will also include appointing Masahiko Komura as defense minister, Yoichi Masuzoe as health, labor and welfare minister, and former Education Minister Kaoru Yosano as chief cabinet secretary.
In the morning Abe announced several changes to the Liberal Democratic Party leadership. Among them, outgoing Foreign Minister Taro Aso will take over as secretary general, the second most powerful position within the party.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akira Amari and Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Bummei Ibuki will keep their positions.
The LDP lost its majority in the House of Councilors elections on July
Hamilton was third when his suffered the puncture with 15 laps to go Lewis Hamilton says he will not panic despite seeing his F1 championship lead cut to five points after a puncture ruined his hopes at the Turkish GP. “Bits started falling off the tyre and it blew. I was lucky not to go into the gravel,” said the McLaren driver. “With that problem, I think getting fifth place is a good job. You always have setbacks. I am leading by five points - it is not over.” Hamilton’s team-mate more…
I deem it so, and so it shall be.The photo to the left was taken last spring while I was still in Austin. I was looking out the window and had noticed this girl, who was walking down the sidewalk, go down to the creek (out of frame to the left). It was slightly unusual, I thought.A few minutes later she reappeared on the other side, literally stumbling up the bank. That's when I decided to get the camera and get a shot of her. Perhaps it's not true, but I really think she smoked a joint under there. She smoked something, I know that, and you don't normally hide if you're walking down the street smoking a cigarette.So there you go.This afternoon I had an appointment at 4:30 near Fair Park. I was home just prior to that, so when I left I took my camera with me. Fair Park is full of awesome deco architecture. It's also the site of a bandshell (similar to the Hollywood Bowl but a lot smaller). There, in 1995, I went with my friend Donut to see a punk rock band called "Fireho
Today's photo is another from the wayback machine. I found it on a CD that was in the trunk of my car. I remember making this photo very well because it took a LONG damn time to make. It was in the summer of 2002, in the "dark days" a year or two before I left for Austin.The photo was made by what was then a fairly expensive digital camera (four whole megapixels). It actually took some good shots. The lens was a a Zeiss, so the bokeh and colors always looked good. The camera was not exactly a point and shoot, either. It had a fixed lens but had full manual capability, aperature priority, and shutter priority. The only bad thing was that you couldn't really turn the autofocus off, and the auto focus sucked. So that's why it took so long to make this photo.It was my favorite whiskey glass at the time, and the dishwasher managed to break it. The goal of the photo was to show my profound disappointment. That's me in the background there, of course. The original looked okay
That photo's resolution is all messed up because I took short cuts. You can't see it at this size, but if you were to click on it the thing wouldn't look so good. It's a static composition, anyway...not my best work by any stretch.Today I woke up feeling like shit for no apparent reason. I think the feeling would leave if I could get things underway, but I'm waiting for a printer to finish a job for me, so I can't really do anything yet. Stuck here, I've exercised, eaten, etc., but the crappy feeling refuses to go away.When I do get my printing done I have to go pick it up, bring it back here, do stuff to it, then leave for Plano, which is the most conservative "big" city in the United States (I read that somewhere). The way it's looking I'll be lucky to get on the road by noon, which is totally absurd.I think once I get moving I'll be fine. Often, the day starts out like this and after everything else has failed, the only thing that helps is just simply pressing on wit
In a test of popular support for Gordon Brown and David Cameron, voters opted for Labour in two by-elections Thursday.
The Tories were never going to win former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s constituency, but they had a legitimate chance in the Ealing-Southall seat.
Cameron put forth Tony Lit, a popular minority businessman, and several local council members defected, joining the Conservatives – raising speculation of an upset in a Labour stronghold.
However, the new-look opposition wasn’t able to pull out a win – it finished third behind the 8,230 votes cast for the Liberal Democrats. Labour’s retention came at a slimmer margin than normal, though a victory is a victory.
This was a key test for the new government of Prime Minister Brown and whether the Conservatives were in a position to win in the event a snap general election was called, as many expect, later this year.
One of the newly elected MPs said the by-election campaign had “been a disaster” for Cameron, who
Fri, Jul 13 2007 11:33 PM
THE Royal Bank of Scotland-led consortium bidding to take control of the Dutch bank ABN Amro has suffered a hefty body blow after a court in Holland…find out more…onThe Scotsman
ABN AMRO, Bank Of America, Barclays Bank, mortgage news, Royal Bank of Scotland
---Related Articles at Consumer Mortgage Reports:Bank Of America Wins Bid To By Lasalle BankABN AMRO Told 'No Need Stockholder Approval'ABN AMRO's Colossal RulingRoyal Bank of Scotland Goes Hostile For ABN AMROBarclays Gets Boost In ABN Amro TakeoverBank of America Gets Down And Dirty For LaSalle
I am slowly making the transition back to Durango, and my couch surfing and lack of internet access has made it close to impossible to update The Acoustic Blog. Internet service is somewhat limited in Durango, but hope to have a working connection rather soon. Thanks for checking in and will resume regular postings soon. Cheers.
I woke up with the email pointing at my work. More than half a year of my effort was almost wiped out. Maybe I would need to encounter many setbacks before success.Instead of saving myself, I went out and tired myself even more.
SiLlYDuMb @ http://sillydumb.com
Three days ago I was quietly answering auction questions and counting my gold...(kidding !) when I noticed my Bullmastiff pup doing something odd.She was quiet !I turned around and she was in a pool of blood and was happily licking her paw.On closer inspection it looked more like the Taxas Chainsaw Massacre so I got something to stop the bleeding.After about 15mins and the bleeding not stopping, I called the vet who just happened to be in town right then !He wrapped it, but I had to run her into the surgery (1/2 hour away) to get 5 stiches put in her foot, just above the pad.After having a good look around, I realised the little monster had tried to "dig" a broken bonsai pot. The glaze would have sliced right through her paw.It turned out to be a pretty deep cut and now we are just trying to keep her busy so she doesn't chew on the bandages.Poor Chloe.She, of course, milked it for all she's worth :DOn the plus side, I found 80c and sold another CD-ROM.I'll add a pic of Chloe looki
After the previous International Investigation Committee in the assassination of PM Rafik Hariri was published, Hezbollah's media team picked up a small point and spin it out of proportion to a point that it became a ready and easy answer used by any 8th march politicians when asked about the tribunal and the investigation. The Judge responsible of the investigation, Bramertz, stated in his previous report that ten countries were not helping the investigation. Hezbollah and its allies started fabricating stories claiming that the countries were France, the US and Saudi Arabia and absolved Syria of any blame , based on the fact that Bramertz said that the Syrian Republic was cooperating, accusing instead the ten unnamed countries (which the spin masters named nevertheless) and of course their perpetual culprit: Israel. The issue grew so much out of proportion that any discussion of the tribunal usually brought it up, accusing the 14 March of being biased against Syria, and wonde
nwrjAs I have posted before, moving from FTTEx + ADSL2+ to FTTN + VDSL requires a Full Alternative to LLU. This is exactly what is happening in the Netherlands, where KPN is building its All-IP network. OPTA, the local regulator, today published a brief note on how it will proceed.
Back in October, OPTA was generous in recognizing that it should support KPN in moving forward, i.e. it planned to
We are worrying about the high gas prices, and then comes along the food inflation. Food inflation = higher food prices. Robert B. Zoellick explains in this video clip why food prices' increment can be a very bad thing, and it equals to something as of seven years of setback.
Losing the Karnataka elections has been a huge blow to the Congress and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi himself knows its time for reality check. Rahul Gandhi said, "We lost the elections in Karnataka, so yes I see it as a setback for the Congress."Rahul Gandhi went on to add, "We ...
