Friday, July 19, 2013
Sunday, June 12, 2011
John Wayne Dies today in 1979
The actor was born Marion Morrison on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa, and moved as a child to Glendale, California. A football star at Glendale High School, he attended the University of Southern California on a scholarship but dropped out after two years. After finding work as a movie studio laborer, Wayne befriended director John Ford, then a rising talent. His first acting jobs were bit parts in which he was credited as Duke Morrison, a childhood nickname derived from the name of his beloved pet dog.
Wayne's first starring role came in 1930 with The Big Trail, a film directed by his college buddy Raoul Walsh. It was during this time that Marion Morrison became "John Wayne," when director Walsh didn't think Marion was a good name for an actor playing a tough western hero. Despite the lead actor's new name, however, the movie flopped. Throughout the 1930s, Wayne made dozens of mediocre westerns, sometimes churning out two movies a week. In them, he played various rough-and-tumble characters and occasionally appeared as "Singing Sandy," a musical cowpoke a la Roy Rogers.
In 1939, Wayne finally had his breakthrough when his old friend John Ford cast him as Ringo Kid in the Oscar-winning Stagecoach. Wayne went on to play larger-than-life heroes in dozens of movies and came to symbolize a type of rugged, strong, straight-shooting American man. John Ford directed Wayne in some of his best-known films, including Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (1962).
Off-screen, Wayne came to be known for his conservative political views. He produced, directed and starred in The Alamo (1960) and The Green Berets (1968), both of which reflected his patriotic, conservative leanings. In 1969, he won an Oscar for his role as a drunken, one-eyed federal marshal named Rooster Cogburn in True Grit. Wayne's last film was The Shootist (1976), in which he played a legendary gunslinger dying of cancer. The role had particular meaning, as the actor was fighting the disease in real life.
During four decades of acting, Wayne, with his trademark drawl and good looks, appeared in over 250 films. He was married three times and had seven children.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Osama Bin Laden killed in a raid by US Special Forces & CIA
Osama Bin Laden was killed in a raid by US special forces & CIA on a compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad in Bilal Town. He is at the top of US most wanted persons.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Jimmy Fallon - Charlie Sheen
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Dave Duerson Died
Former Bears safety Dave Duerson has died. He was 50.
Duerson was found dead in his Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. home near Miami on Thursday night, police said. A cause of death has not been determined. The case is under investigation by police.
The Bears made the Notre Dame All-American their third-round selection in the 1983 draft. He went on to become a key member of the team’s 1985 Super Bowl championship team before winning another Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants before retiring after an 11-year career.
“When we brought him in out of Notre Dame we knew what we were getting,” former Bears’ coach Mike Ditka said. When Todd [Bell] held out he stepped right in and took over the starter’s job. With Gary [Fencik] back there we had two of the best safeties in the league.”
Ditka also said Duerson attended the 25th anniversary celebration of the 1985 team late last year and had no apparent health problems.
Duerson ran a successful sausage company after his NFL career ended. He started his own company, Duerson Foods, in 2002 but it suffered financially and much of its assets were sold at auction in 2006.
He also served as a trustee at Notre Dame before losing that position after pleading guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery for pushing his wife, Alicia, in 2006. The two filed for divorce in 2007, the same year Duerson’s Highland Park home went into foreclosure.
Most recently he was hosting an Internet radio show and working as a consultant in Florida.
“Unfortunately, he has had some financial problems,” Ditka said. “I didn’t know he was having those kinds of problems. I’m sure that was probably the biggest thing. That can put a lot of pressure on you when things are going bad financially and you’re having family problems.”
The Bears issued the following statement: “We are stunned and saddened to hear the tragic news regarding Dave Duerson. He was a great contributor to our team and the Chicago community. Today is a difficult day for all of us who loved Dave. We’ll miss him. Our prayers are with his family.”
Duerson was a two-time All-American at Notre Dame.
“Our hearts go out to the Duerson family and to all those who knew Dave,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement. “In addition to being a great football player, Dave represented himself and the University in so many other ways as a team captain, as well as through his work with the Monogram Club and the Board of Trustees. You couldn’t help but be impressed by him when you met Dave Duerson, and I think that was the reaction from anyone who was ever around him.”
Duerson is survived by four children.
The family released this statement: “Our family asks that you please remember Dave as a good, kind and caring man. He loved and cherished his family and friends and was extremely proud of his beloved Notre Dame and Chicago Bears. Please keep Dave and our family in your prayers.”
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Genevieve Morton, Black Eyed Peas Set to Blow Roof Off Pre-Super Bowl Concert
The party people are taking over Dallas this week.
On Friday, the Black Eyed Peas, which is providing half-time entertainment at Super Bowl XLV on Sunday, will join with Sports Illustrated to host - get this - the "Sports Illustrated Presents: The Official Black Eyed Peas Friday NightB4 XLV Party."
That's not a misprint; that's the name of the event, which organizers say means music and models.
According to the Peas' website, there will be DJ sets from will.i.am and David Guetta along with a host of special guests including Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models Genevieve Morton, Christine Teigen, Julie Henderson and Anne V.
It's unusual to have such a high-spirited act play the Super Bowl. Since Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" in 2004, halftime entertainment has been provided by a string of older - but still popular - performers like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and a terrific, if subdued, Prince.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Omar Suleiman: New Egyptian Vice President
In Picture: Omer Suleiman on left.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak named a vice president Saturday for the first time since coming to power nearly 30 years ago. It was a clear step toward setting up a successor in the midst of the biggest challenge ever to his rule from tens of thousands of anti-government protesters.
Mubarak named his intelligence chief of nearly two decades and close confidant Omar Suleiman, state television reported.
The president had been seen as grooming his son Gamal to succeed him, possibly even as soon as in presidential elections planned for later this year. However, there was significant public opposition to the hereditary succession.
The appointment of Suleiman, 74, answers one of the most intriguing and enduring political questions in Egypt: Who will succeed 82-year-old Mubarak?
Another question is whether his appointment will calm the chaotic streets of Egypt's cities. In the capital Cairo, looting was rampant on Saturday and lawlessness was spreading fast. Residents of affluent neighborhoods in the capital were even boarding up their houses against gangs of thugs roaming the streets with knives and sticks.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Anchal Joseph: Dating with Jim Carrey
A model rebound, if true.
Jim Carrey, who broke up with Jenny McCarthy in April, was photographed Thursday night in New York holding hands with Anchal Joseph, a former 'America's Next Top Model' contestant.
Joseph is 24-years old -- Carrey is 49.
If they are dating, it will be Carrey's third public appearance with a woman -- he was photographed cuddling with an unidentified brunette in October and then with a blonde in New York just last week -- since the split with McCarthy, which she spoke out about months after it went down. In September, McCarthy told Oprah that their relationship "wasn't fun," and in October, said that she "was pretending" with the comedy legend.
There's been more action for McCarthy since the breakup. She dated Jason Tohey for four months before splitting with the bodybuilder in December; now, she's dating sports agent Paul Kerepelka.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
7.0 Magnitude Earthquake hits New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands
There were no immediate reports of damage from the quake, which hit at 3.16 am (1616 GMT Thursday).
In a revised statement the USGS said the quake hit at a shallow depth of 4.6 kilometres (2.9 miles), 125 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Tadine in the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, and 135 kilometres southwest of Vanuatu.
The USGS lowered the magnitude from 7.3 after seismologists reviewed the event.
A series of aftershocks, the most powerful measuring 5.9-magnitude, rumbled through the area after the quake.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no warnings or advisories in effect following the quake.
The area has been hit by a series of powerful earthquakes and aftershocks since December 26 last year when a 7.3-magnitude quake which struck near Vanuatu.
The Loyalty Islands, part of the French territory of New Calendonia, are in the "Pacific Ring of Fire" known for its seismic and volcanic activity caused by friction between moving plates in the Earth's crust.
Source
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Eric Mangini Is Fired
The Cleveland Browns announced on Monday that head coach Eric Mangini has been fired which didn't some as a huge surprise as speculation on Mangini's future had been rampant for several weeks. Now that he has been dismissed, the Browns turn to finding their next head coach -- a search that will not include Mike Holmgren.
Holmgren moved into a front office role with the Browns earlier this year and there was some speculation that he could hire himself as the head coach. He says that won't be happening -- at least not this year.
"I was hired to be the president of the Cleveland Browns. I think this year I've grown into the job. Having said that, I am also a coach and will always be a coach. To tell you right now that I would never coach again -- here or any place -- wouldn't be honest. But as of right now, my job is to find the best coach available for this job. That's what I'm trying to do. And that does not include me right now. I probably won't coach again. But I won't rule anything out."
It's interesting that Holmgren left the door open for a possible return to coaching at some point. Frankly, he's as qualified as anyone to lead the Browns but it doesn't sound like he'll be taking the job.
Early names on the Browns possible replacement for Mangini include John Fox, Jon Gruden and Marty Mornhinweg.
Kristi Cornwell: Remains Identified as Missing Georgian Woman
Investigators have positively identified bones found in a wooded area in northern Georgia as those of Kristi Cornwell, a woman who has been missing since 2009.
Cornwell's identity was confirmed through dental records, a spokesman with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said today, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The skeletal remains were discovered Saturday by a passer-by in Union County. The location is about nine miles from where Cornwell, 38, disappeared 18 months ago, police said.
Police believe Cornwell was abducted on Aug. 11, 2009, as she walked along a rural road in Blairsville, Ga., while talking to her boyfriend on her cell phone. He told authorities she said a car was pulling up, and then she screamed, "Don't take me!" and the phone went dead, police said.
Authorities later found Cornwell's personal effects along the side of the road. A weeklong search, conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies, failed to uncover any sign of the missing woman.
Roughly one week before Cornwell's disappearance, a man had tried to abduct a woman who was walking in nearby Ranger, N.C. Authorities suspect the two cases are connected and have released a vehicle description and a suspect sketch.
In January 2010, authorities received a letter, purported to be from "a concerned grandmother." The anonymous sender said the suspect looked like her grandson. The writer also said the vehicle description matched a vehicle owned by her grandson.
"I was horrified to see a newspaper photo of a man that looks like my 27-year-old grandson," the letter stated, according to the Gainesville Times. "He drives a white Nissan Xterra with black bars on the front."
The author of the letter did not identify her grandson and concluded by saying she wanted to "give my grandson the benefit of doubt until proven otherwise."
Authorities released copies of the letter to the media, but they have been unable to identify the sender. However, they have an unnamed person of interest in Cornwell's disappearance, CNN reported.
The GBI did not immediately return calls for comment from AOL News today. Cornwell's family members have been instructed not to speak with the media, according to published reports.
A news conference has been scheduled for 2 p.m. today, Atlanta's WSB-TV reported.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Heaviest December Snowfall in Six Decades
New York City’s major airports remained closed after the heaviest December snowfall in six decades left travelers in the Northeast struggling amid waist- high drifts and blinding winds.
Central Park had 20 inches (51 centimeters) of snow by 8 a.m., the most for the month since 1948, the National Weather Service said. Skies cleared by daybreak while the agency issued blizzard warnings for Boston and into Maine.
The storm forced airlines to cancel more than 6,000 flights since yesterday. John F. Kennedy International and New Jersey’s Newark Liberty will reopen at 6 p.m., and LaGuardia Airport’s resumption time is undetermined, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website.
“It is horrendous in the New York City area,” Tom Kines, a meteorologist at State College, Pennsylvania-based AccuWeather Inc., said by telephone. “This is about as bad as it gets. There may have been storms that equaled this, but it doesn’t get much worse than this. To get this much snow with the amount of wind that is accompanying it, that is devastating.”
The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market said they would keep normal hours today. The New York Mercantile Exchange delayed the opening of floor trading until 11 a.m., while electronic trading was unaffected.
Getting Around
“They pay me good money to be here,” said Vinny Stavola, an Oppenheimer & Co. convertible trader, who trekked from Staten Island to get to work in midtown Manhattan by 6:30 a.m. “It doesn’t take a heroic effort to get to work, just a little dedication.”
The storm, with winds gusting to 30 mph (48 kph), began in New York at midday yesterday. The 20 inches measured in Central Park was the most since late February, when a storm dropped 20.9 inches over a two-day period, Pete Wichrowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton, New York, said in a telephone interview.
The day after Christmas is one of the five busiest shopping days of the year, and it may take retailers two weeks to capture sales lost yesterday, said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at NPD Group Inc., a research firm based in Port Washington, New York.
Amtrak Operations
Amtrak resumed operations between New York and Boston today after canceling services late yesterday. Metro-North commuter trains resumed their runs at midday after being halted by wind- blown snow, as the Long Island Rail Road remained closed, according to a statement on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority website.
NJ Transit, which transports about 170,000 commuters to and from New York City daily, suspended bus service as of 8:30 p.m. yesterday, according to a statement. Rail service will run a modified holiday schedule on all routes today except the Atlantic City line, which will operate on a weekday schedule, and trains for the morning commute were experiencing 15 minute delays, the agency said.
Four hundred subway passengers were aboard an A train that was stuck in Queens for more than six hours, until it could be pushed to a station by another train. The Coney Island area was without subway service.
New Jersey Shutdowns
As much as 29 inches of snow was reported in Bergen County, New Jersey, while Union County had as much as 26, the Weather Service said. Winds gusted to almost 70 mph in some areas. Interstate 280 westbound, one of the main approaches to downtown Newark, was almost deserted at 8 a.m. and acting Governor Stephen Sweeney ordered state offices closed.
New York City will have 365 salt spreaders and 1,700 snowplows on the streets, and sanitation department employees will work 12-hour shifts, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday at a press conference. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.
Consolidated Edison Inc. reported there were 6,167 customers in Queens, New York, and 1,811 in Westchester County without power.
Boston and its suburbs may receive as much as 18 inches from the storm before it ends tomorrow, said Alan Dunham, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Taunton, Massachusetts. Part of central Massachusetts may receive as much as 22 inches.
National Grid Plc, which provides electricity in New York and Massachusetts, was reporting power outages at 14 sites throughout New York and Massachusetts affecting about 29,727 homes and businesses. The largest was in Norfolk, Massachusetts, where 10,902 customers were without power.
Flights Grounded
U.S. carriers have canceled at least 3,229 flights so far today, after cutting more than 3,334 yesterday, as they wait for airports to reopen in the Northeast, spokesmen said. Airlines in some cases grounded flights ahead of the storm to keep planes from getting stuck at closed facilities.
Delta Air Lines Inc. cut 875 flights systemwide today, said Trebor Banstetter, an airline spokesman.
“As the weather clears, we are aiming to resume normal operations late Monday and into Tuesday across the East Coast,” Banstetter said in an e-mail.
Continental Airlines and its regional partner carriers have canceled 800 flights for today, while United grounded 175, said Mike Trevino, a spokesman for United Continental Holdings Inc. The carrier expects to resume flights out of New York-area airports and Boston in the afternoon, he said.
More Cancellations
Southwest Airlines Co. cut 188 flights today, primarily in Norfolk and Boston, said Brad Hawkins, a spokesman for the Dallas-based carrier. It expects to resume flights in some northeastern U.S. airports about mid-day, he said.
US Airways Group Inc. canceled 550 flights today, mostly into and out of New York, Philadelphia and Boston, said Jim Olson, a spokesman. Flights into Boston are set to resume after 11 a.m. today, he said.
American Airlines and its commuter carrier, American Eagle, canceled 411 flights today, said Ed Martelle, a spokesman. The two airlines cut 427 flights yesterday.
JetBlue Airways Corp. scrubbed more than 300 flights today after cutting 270 yesterday, Mateo Lleras, a spokesman for the New York-based carrier, said in an e-mail.
“Today we’re also dealing with closed runways, roads that are barely passable and trains and buses that are not running,” JetBlue told customers today in a company blog. “In many cases, conditions are not safe for our crewmembers or our customers to get to the airports, where it’s even possible.”
Southern Snowfall
The storm also brought snow as far south as parts of Jacksonville, Florida, AccuWeather said on its website.
The storm system began in the South over the Christmas holiday. Four inches of snow fell in Chattanooga, Tennessee, while 8 inches was reported in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Environment Canada issued a blizzard warning yesterday for northeastern New Brunswick and warned of heavy snow or rain in the rest of the Maritime provinces today. Sixteen inches of snow may fall in New Brunswick, and rain may accompany the snow in Nova Scotia.
Winds may gust to 87 mph (140 kph) in eastern Nova Scotia and 80 mph in western Newfoundland, the agency said.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Adrienne N. Martin Found Dead in the Home of former Anheuser-Busch CEO
The death of a 27 year old woman was reported and confirmed shortly thereafter. Investigators are still not sure of the cause. The name of the deceased is Adrienne N. Martin. Sunday, December 19, 2010
Matt Cassel active for game
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel, who missed last week's game following an appendectomy, has been listed as active for Sunday's crucial game against the St. Louis Rams.
It was not immediately clear if Cassel, the Chiefs' regular starter, would begin the game under center or on the sidelines backing up Brodie Croyle.
The Chiefs' third quarterback Tyler Palko was listed as inactive. He can only play if Cassel and Croyle are both unavailable.
The Chiefs (8-5) must beat the Rams to remain alone in first place in the AFC West. Coach Todd Haley said a decision between Cassel and Croyle would probably not be made until just before the game.
Reporters who saw Cassel early in Friday's practice noted he was throwing the ball with more velocity and appeared to be doing more with the offense in practice.
Cassel sat out last week against the Chargers while the Chiefs, behind Croyle, had one of their worst offensive showings ever and lost 31-0 at San Diego.
Monday, October 11, 2010
5.1 magnitude Earthquake hits Pakistan
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits Islamabad today on 11 oct 2010 at 2:50 AM. The center of earthquake is 35 km far from Islamabad.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Dan Rostenkowski Former U.S. Congressman, dies at 82
Former U.S. Congressman Dan Rostenkowski speaks to members of the City Club of Chicago during a luncheon, in this April 16, 1998 file photo. Rostenkowski, who as Congress' chief tax-writer was one of most powerful U.S. politicians in the 1980s and early 1990s until brought down by a corruption conviction and a 17-month prison sentence, has died at age 82, according to media reports on August 11, 2010.
Illinois Democrat one of the most powerful politicians in the 80s
Dan Rostenkowski, who as Congress' chief tax-writer was one of most powerful U.S. politicians in the 1980s and early 1990s until brought down by a corruption conviction and a 17-month prison sentence, has died at age 82.
The office of an alderman in Rostenkowski's old congressional district in Chicago on Wednesday confirmed his death.
As chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee for 13 years starting in 1981, the Illinois Democrat had a hand in some of the most important legislation of that period.
But a federal grand jury indicted him on felony corruption charges in 1994, and he eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud.
Just last March, another Democrat who led the Ways and Means Committee, Charles Rangel, was forced to step down as chairman in the face of ethics charges.
Even as federal prosecutors closed in on him, Rostenkowski worked to get then-President Bill Clinton's healthcare plan though his committee, a mark of the political skills he learned as the son of a Chicago alderman.
Born on January 2, 1928 in Chicago, Rostenkowski attended Loyola University. He then entered the famed political machine of former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, and at 24 became the Illinois House's youngest member.
In 1958 he was elected to the House, where he became known as Daley's man in Congress. After Daley died in 1976, Rostenkowski gained a reputation for his ability to make deals, twist arms, call in debts and get things done.
He took over a badly fractured Ways and Means Committee, and after suffering defeats by newly elected Republican President Ronald Reagan, worked to rebuild its authority.
Rostenkowski derived some of his power by hand-picking loyal members secure enough in their own districts to cast votes that were sometimes unpopular back home.
The results included the landmark 1990 and 1993 deficit reduction plans and a 1986 tax reform bill.
But then federal investigators spent two years interviewing witnesses to build a case against the legend in Congress known as "Rosty." Among the charges against him were trading in stamps purchased for official business in return for money, keeping "ghost" employees on his payroll and buying gifts like expensive chairs for friends with House funds.
Rostenkowski remained respected and even feared throughout a two-year investigation. In his home district of Chicago, he proved his popularity by being easily renominated.
But after the indictments, he was defeated in 1994 by Republican Michael Flanagan. Flanagan in turn lost his seat in 1996 to Democrat Rod Blagojevich, who is currently awaiting a verdict in a corruption trial relating to his tenure as governor of Illinois.
In 1994 Republicans used Rostenkowski as the symbol for a House controlled by Democrats for a half century. Republicans took control of Congress that fall.
After his release from prison, Rostenkowski became a political consultant and commentator. Clinton pardoned him in 2000.
Source
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Browser-based iOS 'jailbreak' utilizes 'scary' PDF security hole
Sean Sullivan, security advisor with F-Secure Corporation, revealed on Tuesday the technical details of the jailbreak process, which is done entirely in the Mobile Safari browser. The jailbreakme.com site includes 20 separate PDFs for different combinations of hardware and firmware.
The same PDF files crash both Adobe Reader and Foxit on Windows platforms, relying on a corrupt font. On the iPhone, PDF viewing is built into the Safari browser, and the attack crashes the Compact Font Format handler.
Sullivan also linked to comments made via Twitter by security researcher Charlie Miller, who was also analyzing the code behind the browser-based jailbreak.
"Very beautiful work," Miller wrote. "Scary how it totally defeats Apple's security architecture."
While the jailbreakme.com URL itself is not intended for malicious purposes, the PDF exploit it uses could be utilized by hackers to more nefarious ends. Miller said that with this method, a hacker does not need physical access to an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad -- they just simply need to have the user visit a vulnerable website.
Last year, Miller exposed a dangerous SMS exploit that could allow a hacker to remotely control an iPhone. He notified Apple of the flaw, and the company quickly released a patch to plug the exploit.
Apple is likely to quickly act once again and plug the vulnerability that affects all iOS devices -- all models of the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. When that happens, hackers who want to jailbreak iOS devices to run unauthorized code and operating system modifications blocked by Apple will have to find another method.
The member of the iPhone Dev Team who goes by the handle "comex" said this week that he has other potential exploits he will look to when Apple inevitably patches the PDF flaw.
"Maybe I'll rely on USB based stuff for the next jailbreak so that Apple won't patch it so fast," he said.
Ironically, jailbreakers have already developed a workaround solution that can help users avoid being hacked through the PDF exploit. Developer Will Strafach on Tuesday released an application available on the jailbroken Cydia store that will warn users when a Mobile Safari page is loading a PDF file. The solution does not patch the hole, but helps to prevent users from visiting sites with all PDF files to avoid the exploit.