While Zac Efron is thankful for his star-making role in the High School Musical franchise, he's also excited to expand his movie resume and enter the realm of true Hollywood A-lister.
The young stud takes a step in that direction with Me and Orson Welles, a drama that opens next month. He spoke to Parade about the film - and his hair, of course - in a new interview. Excepts from it are below...
On choosing the movie: "I had never done anything like this before... I thought, 'Maybe this time I've bitten off more than I can chew because I'm not singing and dancing. It's all about acting.' I knew people wouldn't see it as a predictable next move in my career, but I'd like to be known for more than predictability."
On his character: "I really connected with Rick - the way he kind of lucked into an opportunity to act, and thanks to Orson Welles, doors were opening for him. It kind of resembled my life experience growing up in the theater. In school, my whole life was focused on theater, especially musicals, which were a creative outlet. I had no clue that I'd end up in Hollywood. I'm still on the craziest ride of my life."
On his hobbies: "I like very normal things, like hiking and camping. When it comes to sports I go skiing, surf boarding, snowboarding, and skateboarding. I guess at this point a perfect day for me is probably just relaxing and hanging out with friends. It's not always easy to be left alone, but I try not to think about it. You can't let fear control you."
On his hair: "It's pretty low maintenance, so it's appealing for lazy individuals like me. You don't have to do anything really, it just goes that way. You don't even have to put gel in it or anything. There is one thing: If you wash it at night and leave it damp, just towel dry it, you wake up in the morning and you're all set."
LOS ANGELES — Vampires and werewolves continued to howl at the box office with a $42.5 million weekend for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."
"The Blind Side" had a great second weekend with $40.1 million coming in at No. 2 just behind "New Moon." Released by Warner Bros., the inspirational story of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher stars Sandra Bullock as a woman whose wealthy family takes in the homeless teen and enrolls him in private school.
The two movies propelled Hollywood to record revenues over the five-day Thanksgiving period. Wednesday-to-Sunday receipts came in at an estimated $275 million, according to Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
That surpassed the previous Thanksgiving record of $244.4 million set in 2000, when "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Unbreakable" topped the box office.
With 2009 domestic revenues at $9.5 billion, Hollywood is on the verge of breaking the record of $9.7 billion set in 2007. Studios have a month of prime holiday business ahead, so the industry should easily top the $10 billion mark domestically for the first time.
"We're going to buzz past it," Dergarabedian said.
New wide releases had so-so results this weekend. Disney's family comedy "Old Dogs," starring Robin Williams and John Travolta as single guys forced to mind 7-year-old twins one of them never knew he had fathered, came in at No. 4 with $16.8 million for the three-day weekend and $24.1 million since opening Wednesday.
The Warner Bros. action tale "Ninja Assassin" opened at No. 6 with $13.1 million over the weekend and $21 million since Wednesday. The movie features Korean pop star Rain and Naomie Harris in a thriller about a hit man on the run from his assassination clan.
"Fantastic Mr. Fox," the 20th Century Fox animated comedy with a voice cast led by George Clooney, expanded to nationwide release and pulled in $7 million to finish at No. 9.
"New Moon" raised its domestic total to $230.7 million after just 10 days. That's nearly $40 million more than the first movie, last year's "Twilight," took in during its entire 20-week run. The movie's worldwide gross stands at $473.7 million.
The "Twilight" movies star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner in an adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's books about teen heartache among a school girl, a vampire and a werewolf.
"New Moon" is approaching numbers achieved by another teen fantasy sensation, the "Harry Potter" films, which had domestic totals ranging from $250 million to $317 million.
"We always hesitated to compare ourselves to `Harry Potter,' but the numbers do speak for themselves," said Richie Fay, head of distribution for Summit.
While the weekend haul for "New Moon" dropped a steep 70 percent from the movie's $142.8 million opening, "The Blind Side" actually went up 18 percent from its $34.1 million first weekend. Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., said the movie is on track to top $200 million.
"The Blind Side" is drawing equal audiences among men and women and finding fans from ages 8 to 80, said Andrew Kosove, co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Alcon Entertainment, which produced the film.
"Even though Michael Oher is a football player, and football is a part of the story, the movie is really not a sports movie. It's a family movie," Kosove said.
"The Blind Side" lifted its 10-day total to $100.3 million and has generated Academy Awards buzz for Bullock.
In limited release, the Weinstein Co. apocalyptic drama "The Road" opened strongly with a $1.5 million weekend and $2 million since opening Wednesday. Adapted from Cormac McCarthy's novel, the film stars Viggo Mortensen as a father struggling to survive with his young son in the wasteland of America after an unspecified catastrophe.
Disney's animated musical "The Princess and the Frog" did huge business, debuting in two theaters with $712,000 over the weekend and $1.1 million since Wednesday. Updating the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "The Frog Prince" to jazzy New Orleans in the 1920s, the film expands nationwide Dec. 11.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," $42.5 million.
2. "The Blind Side," $40.1 million.
3. "2012," $18 million.
4. "Old Dogs," $16.8 million.
5. "Disney's A Christmas Carol," $16 million.
6. "Ninja Assassin," $13.1 million.
7. "Planet 51," $10.2 million.
8. "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' By Sapphire," $7.1 million.
He’s your neighbor, your classmate, your average civil engineering student. He speaks of his calculus class with an air of slight disgust, and he thinks one of the weirdest things about himself is his utter dislike of steak. But the Food and Drug Administration thinks this 18-year-old, piano-playing, pasta-eating, UF engineering student is a potential threat to blood banks everywhere. Chaviano is just one of the sexually active, gay American men who have been turned away from donating blood since 1983 when, in the light of the AIDS scare, the FDA enacted an umbrella ban on any man who has had sexual contact with another man since 1977.
“I couldn’t do something for someone just because of my sexuality,” Chaviano said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
And he’s not the only one who doesn’t understand or agree with the 26-year-old ban. Jeremy Whitaker, now a 19-year-old UF student, was the vice president of his high school’s semiannual blood drive when he was turned away from donating blood. Although he helped sponsor the event that accrued about 60 quarts of blood, he was deemed ineligible for the same reason Chaviano was: He is a sexually active gay man.
“I was supposed to be a leader in something, and I couldn’t even contribute,” Whitaker said.
The ban, which also includes any woman who has had sexual contact with a man who might have had sexual contact with another man during the past 12 months, was designed two years after the first cases of AIDS in five gay Los Angeles men were reported to prevent the transfer of HIV or AIDS from “high-risk communities” through blood transfusions. And as people recognize the 21st World AIDS Day tomorrow, some blood bank officials are wondering why the FDA has not changed the policy when, according to the American Red Cross, someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds.
“It’s one of those policies that makes you scratch your head,” said Galen Unold, director of recruitment and retention at LifeSouth Community Blood Centers Inc. “But you have to understand why the policy was put in effect. At that time, this group was at the highest risk.”
The FDA insists the current policy that “defers” any sexually active gay man from donating blood is based on policies that assure the protection of the nation’s literal lifeline.
“Although this policy may disqualify some healthy individuals from donating blood, it has proven effective in protecting the nation’s blood supply,” the FDA states on its Web site.
And not everyone disagrees with the FDA.
“I agree with this policy [be]cause HIV or AIDS is high risk for that group, it has nothing to do with discrimination,” Melody Sansbury, a former American Red Cross employee, wrote in an e-mail. Jenni Schelble’s mouth gaped open, exposing the forkful of Hare Krishna lunch she was eating under the looming shadow of one of LifeSouth’s bloodmobiles on Turlington Plaza, when she found out the ban was still in effect.
“It’s blatant, horrible discrimination,” she said.
“By their logic, are they going to say black women can’t donate blood? Can you imagine if they started saying black women couldn’t donate blood?” Schelble’s comments allude to a 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that found about half of new AIDS diagnoses in the U.S. during that year were from the black community. Bobby Davis, HIV/AIDS program coordinator for the Alachua County Health Department, noted that although about half the new diagnoses in 2007 came from the black community, the black community is much larger than the gay community. As a result, the overall HIV/AIDS prevalence within the U.S. black community is still lower than that of the gay community.
After analyzing people by race, the CDC found the black community accounted for 46 percent of those infected in the U.S. with HIV or AIDS. The CDC also found that men who have sex with men account for 48 percent of those infected with HIV or AIDS in the U.S., according to the same 2006 study. The numbers in Alachua County seem to follow the same nationwide trend. Since the ACHD began keeping statistics in 1983, 56 percent of all reported AIDS infections have been from the black community and 41 percent of all reported AIDS transmissions have been through male-to-male sexual contact, according to a June 2009 report. “It’s really important to protect the nation’s blood supply,” said James Beaudreau, education and policy director for the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. “But we think the policy needs to be re-examined.”
Unold agreed with Beaudreau, as he stressed the importance of a time-based deferral system for men who have sex with men similar to the current policy that allows any person who has had sexual contact with a prostitute more than 12 months ago to donate blood. “I would feel completely comfortable if the FDA reversed that policy,” Unold said. “I think our blood supply would still be safe.” The American Red Cross has been pressing the FDA to do just that. In a 2006 statement with America’s Blood Centers and the American Association of Blood Banks, the American Red Cross stated the current FDA-regulated lifetime deferral for any man who has had sexual contact with another man “is no longer medically and scientifically warranted.”
“We have always supported the use of scientific and rational deferral programs,” American Red Cross spokeswoman April Phillips said. “Given the science we have and given the sophistication we have, the main thing right now is for the sexual deferral policy to be applied equally to everyone and not just certain communities.” Although blood banks across the country test all donations for infections, the window period for HIV or AIDS, the time after exposure to the infection before it can be detected, and “imperfect testing measures” continue to be the main reasons the FDA has refused to adjust its 1983 policy. The GLMA addressed the issue in a 2008 statement to the FDA. “[The window period] is not a meaningful basis to establish policy either for the population as a whole or for men who have sex with men,” the statement read.
The statement also requested the FDA adopt “social behavior screening rules” to modify the current lifetime deferral program to allow men who have sex with men at a lower risk of infection, including those in monogamous HIV-negative relationships, to donate blood. Although Unold and Phillips both said the current FDA policy should be reexamined, the pair also addressed other ways a person who is deemed ineligible to donate blood can help with America’s blood shortage, including volunteering at a local blood drive or recruiting donors. “I understand the frustration, but don’t take it out on a community’s blood supply and the patients that it serves,” Unold said. “If you’re going to boycott the policy, don’t boycott the Blood Mobile. Don’t prevent someone from donating blood. Don’t prevent someone from giving the gift of life.”
Those who wish to get tested for HIV/AIDS should call 352-392-1161 ext. 4281 to schedule a free appointment from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Florida Gym.
Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health. Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.
"This is the day I've been dreading for a long time," Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas' Pulaski County said tonight when informed that Clemmons was being sought for questioning in connection with the killings.
Clemmons' criminal history includes at least five felony convictions in Arkansas and at least eight felony charges in Washington. The record also stands out for the number of times he has been released from custody despite questions about the danger he posed.
Huckabee, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination last year, issued a statement tonight calling the slaying of the police officers "a horrible and tragic event."
If Clemmons is found responsible, "it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State," Huckabee said.
He added that Clemmons' release from prison had been reviewed and approved by the Arkansas parole board.He was released from custody just six days ago, even though he was wanted on a fugitive warrant out of Arkansas and was staring at eight felony charges in all out of Washington state.
Best known for Soul/Funk tracks like Tell Me Something Good and Sweet Thing as lead singer of the band Rufus. She later had solo success in the 80s, like with her 1984 cover of Prince’s I Feel for You R&B singer Chaka Khan enjoyed solo success as well as popularity as a member of the group Rufus.
Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23, 1953), is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter best known for such hit songs as "I'm Every Woman", "Ain't Nobody", "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire". She sang a modernized theme song for the popular children's TV show Reading Rainbow in the show's later years. Khan was featured vocalist in the funk band Rufus with hit songs, "Tell Me Something Good", "You Got The Love", "Once You Get Started", 'Sweet Thing", "Everlasting Love" and "Stay", before launching a solo career.
Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens in North Chicago, Illinois. Her sister is dance music artist Taka Boom, and her brother is Mark Stevens of the band Aurra. Khan was raised on Chicago's South Side, and at the age of eleven formed her first group, the Crystalettes. She went to Calumet High School and Kenwood Academy on the city's south side and while in high school, she joined the Afro-Arts Theater group, which toured with Motown great Mary Wells. She adopted the African name "Chaka" while working as a volunteer on the Black Panthers' Free Breakfast for Children program in Chicago. During a naming ceremony at the Afro-Arts Theater, a Yoruba priest christened her Chaka Adunne Aduffe Yemoja Hodarhi Karifi (as stated on her official website). After quitting high school in 1969, Chaka joined the group Lyfe, before leaving to join another soul band, The Babysitters, replacing former lead singer Baby Huey. Neither group enjoyed mainstream success, but her fortunes changed when she teamed with ex-American Breed member Kevin Murphy and Andre Fischer to form Rufus. Around this time she married bass guitarist Hassan Khan.
Love began her singing with her local church choir in Hawthorne, California. While still in high school (1959) she was invited to join a little-known girl group called The Blossoms, who in 1962 began working with producer Phil Spector. With her powerful voice she was soon a highly sought-after vocalist, and managed to work with many of the legends of 1950s and 1960s rock and soul, including Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones and Sonny and Cher; Darlene and the Blossoms sang back-up vocals on Shelley Fabares's hit, "Johnny Angel" as well as John Phillips' solo album John, Wolfking of L.A. recorded in 1969. They also appeared on Johnny Rivers' hits including "Poor Side of Town" and Motown covers "Baby I Need Your Loving" and "The Tracks of My Tears."(The Blossoms recorded singles, usually with little success, on Capitol 1957-58 [pre-Darlene Love], Challenge 1961-62, OKeh 1963, Reprise 1966-67, Ode 1967, MGM 1968, Bell 1969-70, and Lion 1972.)Amazingly, Darlene Love, a superb vocalist, hasn’t had much of a track record as a solo singer, at least not in terms of hits. Love was a founding member of The Blossoms in 1957. They did several sessions and were resident singers on the television show Shindig. Into the 1970s Love continued to work as a back-up singer, before taking a break in order to raise a family. In 1973, she recorded vocals as a cheerleader along with Michelle Phillips, for the Cheech & Chong single "Basketball Jones", which peaked at No.15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Born September 27, 1936, in Chicago, IL; married Delores Harrison, 1956; children: Anthony, Raymond. Education: Attended broadcasting school, 1966. Military/Wartime Service: U.S. Marines, c. 1954-55, served in Korea.
Career
Insurance salesman, Golden State Mutual Life, 1956-66; announcer, WVON, Chicago, IL, 1966; sports anchor, A Black View of the News, WCIU-TV, Chicago, beginning in 1968; creator, producer, and host of Soul Train, first aired on August 17, 1970, nationally syndicated, 1971--; founder, with Dick Griffey, of Soul Train Records, 1975; creator of Soul Train Music Awards, 1987, and Soul Train Comedy Awards (nationally-syndicated special honoring African-American comedy performers), first annual telecast, August 3, 1993.
With the news of the BET Awards 2009 making last minute alterations to pay tribute to the pop star Michael Jackson, it was expected to be a memorable show. Don Cornelius of the Soul Train fame remembered his experience with Jackson while talking about him onstage. Don who had Known Jackson since childhood but only as a young singer onstage mentioned about the huge talent thatthe pop star possessed since childhood. It was in the mid 1960s when Don encountered MJ from among the five brothers from Indiana who were performing to covers of the then established bands namely the Temptations. The then four feet tall young Jackson’s vocal skills and dance onstage caught the eyes of Cornelius as he reminisced.
Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger (10 October 1825 – 14 July 1904), better known as Paul Kruger and affectionately known as Uncle Paul (Afrikaans: "Oom Paul") was State President of the South African Republic (Transvaal). He gained international renown as the face of Boer resistance against the British during the South African or Second Boer War (1899-1902).
The trekkers crossed the Vaal River in 1838 and at first stayed in the area that is known today as Potchefstroom. Kruger's father later decided to settle in the district now known as Rustenburg. At the age of 16, Paul Kruger was entitled to choose a farm for himself at the foot of the Magaliesberg where he settled in 1841.
The following year he married Maria du Plessis and the young couple accompanied Casper Kruger to live in the Eastern Transvaal for a while. After the family had returned to Rustenburg, Kruger's wife and infant son died, probably from malaria. He then married Gezina du Plessis, who was his constant and devoted companion until her death in 1901. Seven daughters and nine sons were born of the marriage, some dying in infancy.
He was called the "old lion of Transvaal". This can be attributed to his general appearance - a mane of grey hair and an impressive beard framing an impassive and stubborn looking face. He was also the president of the Republic of South Africa for many years.
He was born Stephanus Johannes Paul Kruger on 10 October 1825 - for many years until South Africa's democratic elections in 1994, the 10th of October was celebrated as a public holiday in honour of Paul Kruger. He was born on Bulhoek, his family's farm situated near the town of Craddock in the Eastern Province of South Africa. Paul Kruger's forefathers were Prussians who arrived in South Africa in 1713.
Paul Kruger taught himself to read and write and at the tender age of sixteen, he owned his first farm, which he called Waterkloof, situated in the northern area of Transvaal near the town of Rustenburg. He married at the age of seventeen, but his wife Maria and their child died of Malaria in 1846. Paul Kruger was only twenty-one years old and remarried the year after. His second wife was Gezina du Plessis, his first wife's cousin. They had sixteen children. One of the suburbs in Pretoria, Gezina, was named after his second wife.
RuneScape will run cryptic Clue Fest Day 4 today, and there will be two more clues given. These clues started running on November 26, and those participating will be on the look for more today.
According to The Composed Gentleman, if you head over to runescape.wikia.com you should be able to see one of the clues that’s been revealed today. The clue points to Faruq, and says players must visit Faruq (read the details here).
For those of you who do not know what the “Cryptic Clue Fest” is, it’s basically a special clue-seeking event that is held during Thanksgiving 2009 weekend. The event is run in game and on RuneScape Forums.
Players will have more than the 4-days to complete the Cryptic Clue Fest, because it ends a little before next weeks update. Have you been taking part?
November 30th, 2009 is the oficial Cyber Monday day this year. In case you didn't know, Cyber Monday is the online version of Black Friday: lots of deals and price cuts on all sort of things, all available online. Everything you wanted to know about Cyber Monday. The history of Cyber Monday, what is Cyber Monday, when is Cyber Monday and much more. We will also have a section dedicated to Cyber Monday 2009 deals, ads and specials.
Best Cyber Monday Sites
Sites that have the best Cyber Monday 2009 deals and coupons.
Dealworker.com Cyber Monday Page - Cyber Monday page with a full listing of Cyber Monday sale ads, coupon codes and deals. Some released early.
Cyber Monday is the Monday following Black Friday and the unofficial kick off to online shopping for the holiday season. On this day many merchants will have some great deals and these deals are only good online. There are usually great deals throughout the holidays but some of the best can be found on this day, even moreso this year with the way our economy has been going lately.
When is Cyber Monday?
This year Cyber Monday will be on November 30, 2009 with Black Friday starting a few days earlier on Friday November 27.
Cyber Monday 2009 Deals And Ads
There is nothing here yet but come back the night before Cyber Monday and we will find some of the best deals and list them here. We will also link out to some of the top sites out there featuring Cyber Monday 2009 deals, specials, bargains and coupons.
Tiger Woods is busy recovering from injuries he sustained when his Cadillac Escalade made an unfortunate merger with a tree and a fire hydrant outside the athlete’s Florida home Friday morning. But the golfer may have an even tougher time reclaiming his squeaky-clean public image, thanks to rumors that he’s been hamming it up with alleged Buss It Baby Rachel Uchitel?
As news of the minor car accident involving Tiger Woods races around the Internet, people are beginning to ask questions about Rachel Uchitel. The leggy beauty -- who has previously claimed she had an affair with actor David Boreanaz -- is now being linked to Tiger Woods.
Nothing has even come close to being proven. But several websites have reported that Uchitel, who works in club promotions. This was followed up by allegations of something shady between the two in the pages of the National Enquirer.
We have no idea whether the rumors are true. The Enquirer gets it wrong a lot, but they've outed several major figures for peccadilloes in the past, including former presidential candidate John Edwards. Keep an eye on this one, we'd say.
World champion golfer and sports icon Tiger Woods is in serious condition after his car crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree near his home in Isleworth, Florida.
Tiger Woods was injured in a car accident early Friday when his car struck a tree near his mansion in a gated waterfront community, authorities said.
The Highway Patrol Florida said the 33-year-old PGA stars hit the hydrant and a tree after pulling out of his driveway in his 2009 Cadillac sport utility vehicle.
The patrol reported Woods as serious injuries, although the Bretton spokesman Glenn Greenspan said the player was treated at a hospital and released in good condition.
The patrol said alcohol was not involved, but the accident remains under investigation and charges could be filed. No one else in the car, patrol spokeswoman Kim Montes said.
2.4 million U.S. dollars Home Woods is part of the subdivision of the exclusive Isleworth near Orlando, a community located in an Arnold Palmer designed golf course and a chain of small lakes. The neighborhood, which is fortified with high walls of brick and has its own security force, is home to the executive directors and stars from other sports like NBA, Shaquille O’Neal.
The accident occurred at 2:25 am, although the PSF did not release the report of the accident until nearly 12 hours later.
ASUNCION, Paraguay -- Chile could be kicked out of the World Cup unless Chilean club Rangers drops a court case by Dec. 3 contesting its disputed demotion to the second division of the national soccer league.
CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American soccer, said Thursday it was notified by FIFA about the possible sanction.
Rangers were deducted three points for using six foreign players - the limit is five - in a league match on Nov. 8. The three points cost them relegation to the second division, and last week they appealed the case to a Chilean court.
Chile, which has not played in the World Cup since 1998, is one of five South American nations that have qualified for next year's tournament in South Africa.
"We beseech your association to call on your affiliated club... to withdraw the case it took to the Chilean courts of justice within the next 72 hours or... announce the pertinent sanctions against your affiliated club," a FIFA letter sent to Chile's Football Association (ANFP) said.
Brazil,Paraguay,Argentina and Uruguay have also qualified.
The appeal by Rangers has forced the Chilean league to suspend play in its postseason playoffs.
"If Rangers don't drop the case, then FIFA could expel (the national federation) because they can't expel a club," Harold Mayne-Nicholls, president of the Chilean federation, said on radio Agricultura. "This could bring consequences that would be deadly for Chilean football."
Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving and has earned the reputation of being the busiest shopping day of the year. The name was adopted from an accounting term - red ink denotes a negative profit margin, where as "in the black" denotes a positive profit margin. Many retailers make or break their sales goals between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with the season kicking off on the Friday after Thanksgiving, hence the name "Black Friday."
I don't need a new PC, but I want one anyway. All those Black Friday deals are mighty tempting. But, if you're going to give in to temptation here are some hints to keep in mind.
First, those deals that are too good to be true? Many of them are too good to be true. If you are the first person in line at 4 AM you may get the one ultra-low price laptop that a store will have in stock. But, if you're a 'late' riser, who doesn't make it to the store until 4:05, you can forget about the miracle-priced computer.
Other computers may also be on sale at insane prices, but take a careful look at exactly what it is that you're buying. I've seen several netbooks deals that sound great... until I looked closer and saw that they require pricey, two-year mobile phone contracts on top of the up-front price.
I'm not saying you can't get a good deal. You can. Just don't get too worked up about sub-$100 priced computers, or you may end up disappointed or with a PC that costs you far more in the long-run.
Before setting your alarm clock for 3 in the morning, you also should keep in mind that many vendors are offering the same deals at their online stores. Given a choice between standing in a crowd at your local Best Buy and sitting at my computer and shopping, I'm at home at my PC every time.
To find these deals, there are several good Web sites that serve as Black Friday sales guides. I prefer Black Friday Ads and Black Friday Info.
Before you start shopping though, here are some specifics to keep in mind.
If you're going to buy a new Windows 7 PC, be sure to get one with at least 2GBs of RAM, and if you can get more RAM so much the better. I've found adding RAM to a computer usually gets you the most bang for the buck from any upgrade. Avoid netbooks with Windows 7. Windows 7 Starter Edition may, in theory, run on 1 GB of RAM, but it's no fun and it lacks many of Windows 7's best features.
The version of Windows 7 that you'll want to buy for a home PC, by the by, is Windows 7 Home Premium. Windows 7 Ultimate is also worth buying if it won't cost you much more. On the other hand, you want to avoid Windows 7 Home Basic. It has more features than Starter Edition, but it lacks such basics as the ability to play DVDs. If you buy a 'deal' with Windows 7 Home Basic, it's a deal you'll regret.
If you've been lusting for a Mac, now, or rather tomorrow, November 27th, is the time to buy. Apple will offer modest, about 8% sales on Macs on that day only. Still, since Apple almost never discounts Macs, it's still better than nothing. Other vendors, like MacMall, will also offer lower Mac prices for longer periods of time. For what it's worth, I think the Mac Mini, which will also be on sale, has always offered a great Mac at a PC price.
As for Linux, there's not a lot to pick from, I had one deal I liked a lot, a Dell's Vostro A90 Netbook for $184. This is a nice netbook that comes with Ubuntu Linux, but it appears that they're already sold out. Sigh.
Still, any netbook you can find will run desktop Linux successfully, so if you're heart is set on Linux, shop around. Even the most minimal-equipped network will still do well with Linux running on it.
They don't call the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" for nothing. It's all about launching the mega stores “into the black” – into profitability. They profit not by offering goods at a loss, but by using ultra-low prices to lure you into their stores, where they can employ dirty tricks to make money.
Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, which is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season. The term dates back to at least 1966, although its usage was primarily on the East coast. The term has become more common in other parts of the country since 2000. Because Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States, Black Friday occurs between the 22nd and the 29th of November.
Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many employees have the day off (with the exceptions of those employed in retailing, health care, and banking), which increases the number of potential shoppers. Retailers often decorate for the Christmas and holiday season weeks beforehand. Many retailers open extremely early, with most of the retailers typically opening at 5AM or even earlier. Some of the larger retailers (depending on the location) such as Sears, Best Buy, Macy's, Toys "R" Us, and Walmart have been reported to open as early as midnight on the start of Black Friday in localized areas and remain open for 24 hours throughout the day until midnight the following Saturday. Upon opening, retailers offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. Although Black Friday, as the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season at least since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the 1960s.
The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day (see Origin of the name "Black Friday" below). More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers go from being in the red (i.e., posting a loss on the books) to being in the black (i.e., turning a profit).
Black Friday is closing with Cyber Monday to follow. The Ads for certain retailers, Sears and K-Mart along with Target stores show that the retail shops are using the tried and true method of doorbuster savings on certain items to get shoppers in the door. Prices are being slashed and Black Friday ads are being leaked on everything from electronics to children toys. The Sears ad has already been placed online and have some incredible deals on a washer/dryer combination and other items. Target Black Friday deals include a 32-inch Westinghouse HDTV for $246, and a 40-inch full HD Apex HDTV for $449. Target has a 32" Westinghouse 720p HDTV unit on sale for just $246. K-Mart is really pushing hard this season, bringing back good old fashioned layaway early in the season for those that can't handle credit cards well and also will be open on Thanksgiving.
To quell rising consumer worries from its largest ever recall, Toyota Motor Corp. will shorten the gas pedal and install a new brake system on some of 3.8 million vehicles recalled because of the risk they may accelerate without warning.
The problem, which allegedly has caused more than a dozen fatalities and resulted in more than 100 formal complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has presented the most serious challenge yet to Toyota’s reputation as the auto industry’s quality leader.
Wednesday’s announcement came one day after Toyota recalled 110,000 Tundra pickup trucks from model years 2000 through 2003 which have experienced underbody rust that in some cases may loosen spare tires mounted beneath the trucks.
For 2005 through 2010 model year Toyota Avalons, 2007 through 2010 Camry and Lexus ES350, the automaker will reconfigure the floor surface beneath the pedal to create more space between the pedal and the floor.
The action is designed to address the root cause of the unintended acceleration, which Toyota previously blamed on floor mats becoming trapped between drivers’ feet and the gas pedal.
The brake over-ride system that will be offered on the Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES and IS models should ensure the car stops if both the accelerator and brake pedals are applied at the same time. Many of the reported incidents involved sudden increases in speed when the cruise control system is engaged. Drivers have reported that their brakes could not stop their vehicles when they experienced the phenomenon.
Toyota intends to make the brake over-ride feature standard throughout the Toyota and Lexus product lines beginning in January 2010.
To quell rising consumer worries from its largest ever recall, Toyota Motor Corp. will shorten the gas pedal and install a new brake system on some of 3.8 million vehicles recalled because of the risk they may accelerate without warning.
The problem, which allegedly has caused more than a dozen fatalities and resulted in more than 100 formal complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has presented the most serious challenge yet to Toyota’s reputation as the auto industry’s quality leader.
Wednesday’s announcement came one day after Toyota recalled 110,000 Tundra pickup trucks from model years 2000 through 2003 which have experienced underbody rust that in some cases may loosen spare tires mounted beneath the trucks.
For 2005 through 2010 model year Toyota Avalons, 2007 through 2010 Camry and Lexus ES350, the automaker will reconfigure the floor surface beneath the pedal to create more space between the pedal and the floor.
The action is designed to address the root cause of the unintended acceleration, which Toyota previously blamed on floor mats becoming trapped between drivers’ feet and the gas pedal.
The brake over-ride system that will be offered on the Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES and IS models should ensure the car stops if both the accelerator and brake pedals are applied at the same time. Many of the reported incidents involved sudden increases in speed when the cruise control system is engaged. Drivers have reported that their brakes could not stop their vehicles when they experienced the phenomenon.
Toyota intends to make the brake over-ride feature standard throughout the Toyota and Lexus product lines beginning in January 2010.
Tiger Woods affair, Tiger Woods Affair?: Cheating On Wife Rumors Circulate Web:- It is a rumor unconfirmed and suspect at that, but word of a Tiger Woods affair is spreading quickly on the Web this morning.
Media Take Out writes, “MediaTakeOut.com just got its hands on this week’s National Enquirer and it is EXPLOSIVE!!! According to them, Tiger Woods is CHEATING with the below woman, named Rachel Uchitel.”
We've all wanted to strangle them before. There's nothing worse than some jerk blabbing away on their cell phone while you're trying to enjoy a movie, meal at a restaurant, or a nice quiet nap on the bus/train ride to work. Actually, only hearing only one side of a stupid conversation makes us pay more attention than normal. Our brain expects information from both sides of a conversation, and it will try to fill in the blanks. You can try to send the offending mobile blabbermouth a few evil looks or the old "courtesy cough" but those passive aggressive gestures rarely work.
If you really want to shut down a dopey chatter box, then you'll need to acquire a cell phone jammer.
WHAT IS A "JAMMER"? Cell phone jammers are devices that create a temporary "dead zone" to all cell phone traffic in their immediate proximity. Jammers are typically used by the police and military to control or disrupt communication during hostage situations and bomb threats. Traditionally, jammers were large antennas mounted on trailers that had to be pulled behind a truck. They now come in a variety of shapes and sizes including models that are about the size of a cell phone.
USING A JAMMER Because jammers now come in much smaller sizes, they are very easy to carry around. Portable personal jammers will fit into the palm of your hand or easily slip into your coat pocket. So the next time someone on your commuter bus refuses to shut up, you can just reach into your backpack and turn on a temporary "dead zone" with your jammer. Then get back to some nice peace and quiet.
RANGE & FREQUENCY Most jammers only have a range of about 50 to 80 feet and will only effectively jam your immediate surroundings. Mobile blabbermouths will just think they've hit a dead spot in their cell phone company's coverage until they leave your jammers immediate vicinity. Stronger jammers are available to cover larger structures like office buildings, movie theaters and churches. They look like a miscellaneous metal boxes with wires sticking out and are usually mounted on walls or ceilings (see image on right).
Most cell phone jammers come in 2 versions, one for Europe, North Africa and the Gulf states GSM networks (900 & 1800) and one for the Americas & Canada (800 & 1900 mhz) networks. Make sure you get the right version for your location.
Some of you might recognize the picture above. It's a picture of a crowd of Bani Sadr's Iraqi Shi'ite sympathizers and militiamen in Fallujah partying near a bridge over the Euphrates River. Oh, and those four blackened, burnt out husks hanging from the bridge? They used to be four of your fellow Americans, men who had wishes, dreams, families and futures just like you. At the time this particular photo was taken, they had just been murdered by al-Sadr's men, their mutilated bodies dragged through the streets of Fallujah and the corpses burned beyond recognition..after which the remains were hung on the bridge and turned into the party favors you see above.
The ringleader who oversaw this, Ahmed Hashim Abed code named "Objective Amber" by our military was recently captured at great risk by three of our Navy SEALS - who are now facing assault charges and a court martial because this lawyered up jihadi has accused them of what amounts to police brutality, claiming he was hit in the mouth.
And believe it or not, the Navy is bending over backwards to try to convict the SEALS:
Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.
The three, all members of the Navy's elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral's mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.
Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it. {....}
United States Central Command declined to discuss the detainee, but a legal source told FoxNews.com that the detainee was turned over to Iraqi authorities, to whom he made the abuse complaints. He was then returned to American custody. The SEAL leader reported the charge up the chain of command, and an investigation ensued.
Born on January 17, 1964, Michelle Robinson was raised in a one-bedroom apartment on Chicago's South Shore. Of note is that she shared a "bedroom" with her brother, but it wasn't much of a bedroom. It was actually the living room with a divider down the middle. Michelle's father died in 1990 two years before she married Barack, but her mother is still alive and living in the same one-bedroom apartment, protected by a burglar-proof wrought-iron door and secured windows.
After high school Michelle Robinson majored in sociology at Princeton University, graduating with cum laude honors in 1985. From there she attended Harvard where she earned her law degree in 1988, one year ahead of her husband-to-be, Barack, whom she hadn't met yet but attended the same law school.
Looking for inspiration to get into the Thanksgiving spirit? How about a few words to reflect on as the holiday season kicks off?
Thanksgiving quotes can help do the trick. Here's a collection:
"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily." -Gerald Good
"The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!" -Henry Ward Beecher
"Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action." - W.J. Cameron
"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice." -Meister Eckhart
"Praise God even when you don't understand what He is doing." -Henry Jacobsen
"An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day." -Irv Kupcinet
"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." W.T. Purkiser
"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." Melody Beattie
"Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character." Author Unknown, from Be Thankful
"We can always find something to be thankful for, and there may be reasons why we ought to be thankful for even those dispensations which appear dark and frowning." Albert Barnes
"If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get." Frank A. Clark
"When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup." Sam Lefkowitz
"Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action." W. J. Cameron
"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." Albert Schweitzer
"Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life." Northrup Christiane
Let's be honest here: I go to the gym to look good. Yes, being healthy is important to me but really what's even more important is that I look hot. It's why I drink Diet Coke and use Splenda - I *know* it's causing cancer, but you know what? At least I'll be thin when I die. And that's really where my priorities are.
If you are in love with your reflection, you will LOVE David Barton. The unusually-dim gym has strategically placed lighting on the machines and benches. The result is ridiculously flattering lighting that hits you in all the right places.
Monthly rates are around the $115-$125 range, with an $80 student rate. While this may seem a bit high for most people, you definitely get what you pay for. The gym is robustly staffed and the place is kept in great order and is IMMACULATE. Coming from poorly-kept Bally's this is a huge step up for me. The bathrooms are stocked well with Bumble and Bumble products, razors, Listerine, you name it. There is a nice list of classes that go on at all hours of the day and there is a separate yoga studio and spinning studio. The machines are top-of-the-line and maintained properly. The cardio equipment all have cable tv feeds on their mini screens and often there are live DJs spinning.
This DB location is iconically a gay gym - David Barton's wife Susanne Bartsch is even a gay nightlife promoter. There aren't that many women that go here so it's probably a GREAT gym for women. The one loss of a star here is for how jam-packed it gets during peak hours. You will wait for at least a few machines and at the free weight wall it's shoulder to shoulder.
When I go to David Barton, I feel posh, pampered and pretty. And you know what? I deserve it!
Alicia Sacramone was born 3 December 1987 and is a World Champion gymnast from Boston, Massachusetts. Sacramone was the 2005 World Champion on Floor Exercise and has won many titles with her powerful and spunky gynnastics style. Alicia struggles with the Uneven Bars and occasionally the Balance Beam, but is one of the world's strongest competitors on Floor and Vault.
Alicia first started gymnastics after she was discovered doing cartwheels in a local shopping mall in Massachusetts. Sacramone first qualified as an elite gymnast in 2000 and competed in various important competitions in America. While she drew attention for her engergetic style and promising vault and floor work, she was known for succumbing to pressure in major competitions and making mistakes as a result. Her best results prior to 2004 were a seventh place finish in the All Around at the 2002 US Classic and a Fourteenth place at Senior Nationals in 2003. While the latter qualified her for the Senior National team, Alicia was never in the picture to make the 2003 World Championships Team.
Gulf of Sidra is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya; it is also known as Gulf of Sirte. It is located by the city of Sirte. In Ancient Rome it was known as Syrtis Maior (compare: Syrtis Minor).
Tuna fishing is of economic importance in the Gulf.
On March 23, United States forces in the Eastern Mediterranean began a peaceful exercise as part of a global Freedom of Navigation program by which the United States preserves its rights to use international waters and air space. This exercise is being conducted entirely in and over areas of the high seas, in accordance with international law and following aviation safety notification procedures.
On March 24, our forces were attacked by Libya. In response, U.S. forces took limited measures of self-defense necessary to protect themselves from continued attack. In accordance with my desire that the Congress be informed on this matter, I am providing this report on the actions taken by United States Armed Forces during this incident.
Shortly before 8:00 a.m. (EST) on March 24, two SA-5 surface-to-air missiles were fired at U.S. aircraft flying over the high seas in the Gulf of Sidra from a Libyan missile installation in the vicinity of Sirte on the northern Libyan coast. During the course of the next few hours, several surface-to-air missiles were fired at U.S. aircraft operating over the high seas. At approximately 3:00 p.m. (EST) these missile installations again activated their target-acquisition radars with the evident objective of firing upon U.S. aircraft. Two HARM air-to-surface missiles were thereupon fired by a U.S. Navy A-7 aircraft, apparently resulting in the destruction of the radars controlling the missile battery. After a short outage, the radar returned to active status and still posed a threat to U.S. forces. At 6:47 p.m., A-7 aircraft again fired two HARM missiles at the SA-5 radar at Sirte. After another short outage, the radar has returned to active status.
Meanwhile, a Libyan missile patrol boat equipped with surface-to-surface missiles came within missile range of U.S. ships on the high seas well away from the Libyan coast. The U.S. commander determined, in light of the Libyan attacks on U.S. aircraft, that this vessel was hostile and therefore ordered U.S. aircraft to engage it. At approximately 2:00 p.m. (EST), U.S. Navy A-6 aircraft fired two Harpoon missiles, which struck and heavily damaged the Libyan vessel. At approximately 4:00 p.m. (EST), a second Libyan patrol boat approached U.S. forces, and was driven off by U.S. Navy aircraft. Shortly after 6:00 p.m. (EST), a third Libyan patrol boat approached the USS YORKTOWN at a high rate of speed; the YORKTOWN fired two Harpoon missiles, which hit the Libyan craft.
Shortly after 12:20 a.m. (EST) on March 25, U.S. Navy A-6 aircraft armed with Harpoon missiles attacked another Libyan craft, apparently resulting in the sinking of that vessel.
All U.S. aircraft returned safely to their carriers, and no casualties or damage were suffered by U.S. forces. The extent of Libyan casualties is not known.
