Hurricane Sandy gains strenght, may bring 'life threatening' storm surge towards East Coast

This is getting really serious, we hope you are safe where you are!

A superstorm threatening 50 million people in the most heavily populated corridor in the nation gained strength Monday, forecasters said.
The National Hurricane Center said early Monday that Hurricane Sandy increased its top sustained winds from 75 mph to 85 mph, with higher gusts, and was picking up speed.

The Category 1 hurricane is accelerating, moving north-northwest at 20 mph after moving northeast Sunday night. At 8:00 a.m. ET the storm was centered about 310 miles south-southeast of New York City. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 175 miles from the storm's center, with tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 485 miles.

Gale force winds were reported over coastal North Carolina, southeastern Virginia, the Delmarva Peninsula and coastal New Jersey.

Sandy is about 385 miles south-southeast of New York City and the center of the storm is expected to be near the mid-Atlantic coast on Monday night. It was expected to hook inland during the day, colliding with a wintry storm moving in from the west and cold air streaming down from the Arctic.

CBS News hurricane consultant David Bernard reports that wind gusts of 38 mph and 41 mph have already been reported in New York City and Boston, respectively.

Sandy is likely going to strengthen even more as it approaches the East Coast, Bernard reports, with hurricane-force winds reaching land by Monday afternoon. Flooding will be a huge threat, with many areas potentially seeing rainfall amounts between 5 and 8 inches over a 48-hour period.

From Washington to Boston, big cities and small towns were buttoned up against the onslaught of Sandy, with forecasters warning that the New York area could get the worst of it — an 11-foot wall of water.


"There's a lot of people that are going to be under the impacts of this," Federal Emergency Management Administrator Craig Fugate said on "CBS This Morning" Monday. "You know, we've got blizzard warnings as far west as West Virginia, Appalachian Mountains, but I think the biggest concern right now are the people in the evacuation areas. They're going to face the most immediate threats with the storm surge."

"The biggest challenge is going to be not knowing exactly where the heaviest-hit areas are going to be," said Fugate, "and the fact the storm's going to take several days to move through the area with heavy rain and wind, so that's going to slow down recovery activities like utility crews getting out and putting power back up."

Forecasters said the hurricane could blow ashore Monday night or early Tuesday along the New Jersey coast, then cut across into Pennsylvania and travel up through New York State on Wednesday.

Meanwhile Airlines has canceled more than 7,200 flights and Amtrak began suspending train service across the Northeast. New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore moved to shut down their subways, buses and trains and said schools would be closed on Monday. Boston also called off school. And all non-essential government offices closed in the nation's capital.


The New York Stock Exchange said it will be shut down Monday, including electronic trading. Nasdaq is shutting the Nasdaq Stock Market and other U.S. exchanges and markets it owns, although its exchanges outside the U.S. will operate as scheduled.

As rain from the leading edges of the monster hurricane began to fall over the Northeast, hundreds of thousands of people from Maryland to Connecticut were ordered to evacuate low-lying coastal areas, including 375,000 in lower Manhattan and other parts of New York City, 50,000 in Delaware and 30,000 in Atlantic City, N.J., where the city's 12 casinos were forced to shut down for only the fourth time ever.


"We were told to get the heck out. I was going to stay, but it's better to be safe than sorry," said Hugh Phillips, who was one of the first in line when a Red Cross shelter in Lewes, Del., opened at noon.

"I think this one's going to do us in," said Mark Palazzolo, who boarded up his bait-and-tackle shop in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., with the same wood he used in past storms, crossing out the names of Hurricanes Isaac and Irene and spray-painting "Sandy" next to them. "I got a call from a friend of mine from Florida last night who said, 'Mark, get out! If it's not the storm, it'll be the aftermath. People are going to be fighting in the streets over gasoline and food.'"

[Read more from CBS]

Read More

Marina Krim Tragedy: Nanny Yoselyn Ortega 'Snapped' - sister says

This is sad!

The life of Yoselyn Ortega, the 50-year-old nanny arrested Thursday for allegedly stabbing to death two young children with whom she was entrusted, had been unraveling of late, according to accounts from relatives and neighbors.
"Over the last couple of months was not herself," family members told detectives, reports The New York Times.

The home Ortega shared with a 17-year-old son, a sister and a niece in Upper Manhattan's Hamilton Heights was an overcrowded tenement, where she would roam the hallways selling cheap cosmetics and jewelry to neighbors who found her distant and moody, The Times also reports – noting that, as everyone tries to put the pieces together, officials remain mystified as to what could have prompted anyone to commit such a heinous act.

Equally baffled are those closest to the nanny. "She snapped," her tearful sister, Celia Ortega, told the New York Post. "We don’t understand what happened to her mind."

Celia told the paper she would tell her sister, "I'd give you my life," if it would bring back Lucia and Leo.

"She was, according to others, seeking some professional help," chief police spokesperson Paul J. Browne said of Yoselyn Ortega, adding, "There were financial concerns."

"She lost a lot of weight. She looked very unhealthy. It looked like she was going through some problems," Ortega's neighbor, Ruben Diaz, 49, told the Post. "She had aged a lot – like seven years in a few months.

Lucia Krim, 6, and her brother, Leo Krim, 2, were found stabbed and bleeding in a bathroom of their Upper West Side apartment by their mother, Marina Krim, 36, when she arrived home at their upscale residence, located near Central Park, with her third child, a 3-year-old daughter named Nessie, around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the NYPD said. Marina's screams caused neighbors to call 911.

The children's father, Kevin Krim, 37, a CNBC executive, was out of town on business at the time. Police informed him of the deaths when he landed at the airport.

"We believe now that the nanny began stabbing herself … as the mother entered the bathroom," New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly told reporters at a news conference Friday. Ortega, a naturalized American citizen from the Dominican Republic, has not been formally charged. In police custody, she remains hospitalized in a medically induced coma for her knife wounds, according to Kelly.

Kelly said Ortega worked for the Krims for two years, after a referral from a previous employer (rather than an agency, which customarily does background checks), and has "no history that we're aware of" with troubling incidents dealing with the family.

"No fighting with the mom, the family, the kids," an official told The Times. "Everybody is looking for a reason here. … We've got nothing bad other than the fact that she killed two children."
[People]

Read More

Halloween 2013 Light Show - Gangnam Style

"Gangnam Style" has gone spooky: Residents of Leesburg, Va., have tricked out their house with more than and 250 channels of computer animation and 8,500 lights for one very viral video set to Korean rapper, PSY's wildly popular hit "Gangnam Style."
Like a similar display that showed up on Neatorama, this pumping light show that is perfectly in time to the catchy beat has reportedly brought onlookers doing "the horse" outside the house. Of course. Oh, incase you don't know, "Gangnam Style" is the Korean pop star's hit song. The video turned the rapper named PSY into a global phenom. The video has been seen on YouTube almost 532 million times -- and counting. The song has gained attention with plenty of parodies, from the U.S. Naval Academy, "Saturday Night Live," and even North Korea. And now, a rockin' house in Virginia. The scary-fabulous show comes from Edwards Landing Lights. The community of Edwards Landing has produced synchronized light shows for the holidays over the last two years, and this 2013 Halloween spoof has gone far beyond Virginia with its buzzy video.

Great for Halloween
[Yahoo]

Read More

Ex-Italian PM Berlusconi sentenced to prison

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was sentenced Friday to four years in prison for tax evasion, but is very likely to appeal the Milan court's ruling.

His trial, which also involved executives from Berlusconi's Mediaset television group and the head of a Swiss bank, concerned the purchase of TV rights for films which were then resold within the group at inflated prices.

Prosecutors said the scheme, involving about 3,000 American films, allowed those involved to avoid a major tax bill. They may have to pay a fine of up to €10 million ($12.9 million), if the court's ruling is upheld.

Under the Italian legal system, Berlusconi and his fellow defendants have the right to appeal their sentence twice, in the appeal court and a higher court.

Also, because the case dates back to July 2006, the statute of limitations will expire next year, meaning there is a good chance that none of the defendants will serve any prison time.

Berlusconi, 76, resigned as prime minister last November amid his country's debt crisis, bringing to an apparent end an 18-year era in which he dominated Italian politics.

He had survived a series of political, corruption and sex scandals over the years, involving allegations of embezzlement, tax fraud and bribery.

He also currently faces trial on charges that he hired an underage prostitute and later tried to pull strings to get her out of jail when she was arrested for theft.

The woman involved in the long-running case is the Moroccan dancer Karima el Mahroug, nicknamed "Ruby the Heart-stealer."

American movie star George Clooney had been expected to appear Friday as a defense witness in that case but did not show up. The actor's representative said he would not now be serving as a witness for Berlusconi.

[CNN]

Read More

Apple Debuts 'iPad Mini'. How much will it cost?

Apple is expected to unveil a its iPad mini Tuesday, a concept bashed by Apple's late founder Steve Jobs, but the price tag remains a big question mark.

Apple hasn't said anything about the device, but the veil of secrecy that the company throws over unreleased products has been a see-through affair this year. Most of the details of the iPhone 5, for instance, were known well in advance of its launch a month ago.

In the case of the "iPad Mini" (the real name is not known), tech bloggers and analysts expect a device with a screen measuring 7.85 inches on the diagonal, making it about half the size of the regular iPad. It would be slightly larger than the 7-inch tablets it's presumably designed to compete with, including Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle Fire and Google Inc.'s Nexus 7.

The Kindle Fire starts at $159, and the Nexus 7 at $199. Meanwhile, Apple sells the iPad 2 for $399 and the 4-inch iPod Touch for $199. Company watchers are pegging the price of the smaller iPad somewhere in between.

Most of the guesses range from $249 to $299, but the blog 9to5Mac said Monday that the price would be $329. That would make the iPad Mini twice the price of the cheapest Kindle Fire and leave plenty of room for other manufacturers to snap up value shoppers this holiday season. The blog did not disclose its source and has had a mixed record in predicting details on unreleased Apple products.

Meanwhile Apple to continue to dominate the market for smaller tablets like it has done with the larger device size according to IHS iSuppli estimates .

"Just as Apple has dominated the market for 9.7-inch tablets with its iPad, iPad 2 and new iPad models, the company is poised to rule the market for 7.x-inch products, driving rapid growth of the segment in 2012 and 2013. The battle in the 7-inch space is highly spirited, with most of the other leading vendors already offering price-competitive products in this size range. IHS predicts Apple will successfully position the smaller iPad as a device that will be attractive and easy to adopt for both new and returning customers. This will spur rapid sales growth and provide tough competition for other companies contending in this size range."

 [CNET/FOXNEWS]

Read More

NASCAR: Kenseth wins sixth ‘Chase’ race

Kansas City - Matt Kenseth thought his day was done when he scraped the wall halfway though the Hollywood Casino 400, but he was actually on his way to winning the sixth round of NASCAR’s “Chase for the Sprint Cup” on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.
“I knew I hit it really hard,” Kenseth said after the race about his brush with the wall on Lap 173. “As soon as we got the fender where it was supposed to be, it was fine. I was happy, as hard as I hit it, that my steering wheel was still in the right place.” It was a record-setting day in Kansas. The Hollywood Casino 400 was a wild affair with a record of 14 caution flags contributing to 66 laps run under yellow-flag conditions. Chase for the Sprint Cup leader Brad Keselowski said he was happy to survive “a long day” and shook his head about all the caution flags. “Everybody has been asking all season long where the cautions have been,” he said. “Well, they flew to Kansas and they been hanging out here.” The checkered flag waving overhead came as a welcomed sight for Kenseth, who was relieved to see the race end especially after an earlier incident. Kenseth was behind Mark Martin and Aric Almirola as the field got the green flag on Lap 172 after a caution period. Almirola spun and Kenseth, “trying to make sure I didn’t hit them (Martin and Almirola)” ended up against the wall. “I thought it was over when I got in the fence,” Kenseth said about his racing incident. He commended his pit crew for the work in getting him back on the race track. “They fixed the body as good as it was when we started.” The top three finishers came from way back after beginning the race out of the top 10 positions on the starting grid. Kenseth, who started 12th, crossed the finish line less than half a second ahead of Martin Truex Jr., who began the Hollywood Casino 400 16th on the grid. Paul Menard came from 14th to finish third. Starting near the back of the field may have been an advantage for a few of the drivers. Regan Smith started 39th and finished seventh, while Tony Stewart made up 28 track positions, coming from 33 to finish fifth. Chase leader Brad Keselowski summed up the race saying, “I am glad to have survived the carnage and dodged a bullet of a race.” Keselowski finished the race in eight after starting the day in 25th. “I am ready to go home and have a couple of beers,” he said. The sixth of 10 Chase races had only marginal impact on the overall Sprint Cup standings. Keselowski maintains his seven-point lead on Jimmie Johnson and is 20 points ahead of Denny Hamlin. In fact, there was no change in top-five drivers. Kenseth made up the most positions on the leader board, climbing two spots into ninth place, but still trails Keselowski by 55 points. Truex Jr., Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon all gained one position in the standings and sit sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. Kevin Harvick rounds out the Top 10. The Tums Fast Relief 500 closes out the month of October for NASCAR. Round 7 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup goes at Martinsville Speedway, in Virginia, on Oct. 28. The 2012 NASCAR schedule comes to an end with races in Forth Worth (Texas), Phoenix (Arizona) and Homestead (Florida) in November.
[DigitalJournal]

Read More

Obama, Romney Face off on Foreign Policy In Final Debate.. Obama maintains lead in polls

The presidential candidates will meet Monday night for the final debate of this presidential election. President Barack Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney will be in Boca Raton, Fla. The event will focus exclusively on foreign policy - which was never expected to rival the economy as the  major issue in this presidential campaign. However foreign policy has played a bigger role than anticipated in recent weeks - especially the Libya killings. 

Meanwhile Obama has maintained lead in polls nationwide - even though down by 5 points.

President Obama leads by 5 points, 50 percent to 45 percent, in a Quinnipiac University/CBS News poll released Monday, but Republican Mitt Romney carved into President Obama's 10-point advantage in the all-important state of Ohio he held last month.

A gender gap seen throughout the election cycle persists in the new poll: Mr. Obama leads by 15 points among women, 55 percent to 40 percent, while Mr. Romney leads by 7 points among men, at 51 percent to 44 percent. Mr. Obama's advantage among women is down from a staggering 60 percent to 35 percent margin last month, however, while Mr. Romney's support among men has remained relatively constant.

A strong plurality of likely voters felt Mr. Obama won the second presidential debate held in New York last week, 48 percent to 27 percent. However, nearly two-thirds say the debate will have no effect on their vote.

Mr. Obama enjoys a 15-point advantage among the 20 percent of voters who have already cast their ballots, at 54 percent to 39 percent. For likely voters who have not yet cast their ballots, the lead for Mr. Obama is 2 points, at 49 percent to 47 percent.

More voters say Mr. Obama cares about their needs and problems — 60 percent to 37 percent — compared to Mr. Romney, where 45 percent of likely voters say he does and 50 percent of voters say he does not. Mr. Romney, however, holds a larger advantage on which candidate has strong qualities of leadership. Sixty-four percent of voters say he does, compared to 58 percent for Mr. Obama.

Mr. Obama holds a 50 percent to 43 percent lead on the issue of foreign policy — the topic of Monday night's debate — down from a 54 percent to 41 percent advantage in September. Mr. Romney has pulled even with Mr. Obama on the all-important question of who would do a better job handling the economy after trailing by 6 points last month.

However, 54 percent of voters say Mr. Obama would do a better job helping the middle class, compared to 41 percent for Mr. Romney.

The party breakdown for the poll is 26 percent Republican, 35 percent Democrat and 34 percent independent. The poll of 1,548 likely voters was conducted Oct. 17-20, and the margin of error is 3 percentage points.

[Washington Times]

Read More

Halloween Ideas 2013

Halloween 2013 is almost here. We all love Halloween. Its a time we get to play dress-up and eat loads of candy—ain't that good? We know you want to be that abstract person for Halloween; you are looking for a Jaw dropping Halloween costume this year . Here are some simple painting designs for Halloween. Make sure you are part of the fun..

Without formal training, it is still possible to create simple face painting designs that are also eye-catching and beautiful especially during Halloween. Cheek art is the best way to accomplish simple face painting.

One of the biggest benefits of developing simple face painting designs (or cheek art) is saving time. In a fraction of the time, you can paint a small design or character on a child’s cheek or arm and generate the same kind of “wow” that you would if you spent ten minutes painting an elaborate full face design.

Versatility is a big advantage with simple face painting. These small designs can be adapted and painted on the face/cheek, neck, shoulder, legs and arms. A simple snake looks fantastic slithering up the arm. A rose or other flower looks beautiful on the shoulder.

Here are some things you can do to create simple face painting designs for your kids or kids at heart during Halloween.

1. If you’re at a loss as to what designs to start painting, look no further than the television or movie theatre. What is the hottest kids’ movie playing right now? What about the funniest animated show? Classic children’s television programming is also a great place to start. Particularly for preschoolers, the characters are very simple in nature and therefore fairly easy to replicate.

2. A clown face is a very simple face painting design. And since clowns can be happy, sad, silly or goofy, this one simple design with a few adjustments around the mouth is a great face painting design to have in your arsenal. A bright red nose, a larger than life red mouth (paint around the outside of the lips), large white area surrounding the red mouth, oversized eyebrows and some eye lines that extend from the outside of the eye toward the temples altogether make a simple clown face painting design that will get rave reviews.

3. Turning a little girl into a fairy princess is as simple as a few feathery lines around the eyes, starbursts at the end of each line and a bit of glitter.

4. Painting a pretend bracelet or necklace is a simple design yet very unique. Start by painting pearl sized dots around the wrist or neck and “dangle” a painted heart, peace sign or other “charm” from the painted “jewelry.”

5. Try a simple rainbow face painting…a classic, but always popular. Paint red, yellow, green and blue ‘horseshoe’ shapes and add two little white puffs for clouds at the end of each side of the rainbow. Voila! A happy kid!

The possibilities for simple face painting designs are endless. Don’t get caught up with the elaborate work that professional face painters do. For a single birthday party, volunteer event or just having fun with your kids, simple face painting designs can be just the thing to put a smile on a kids’ face.

Easy Face Painting is the guide that over 1,000 first-time face painters have used to guide them through their very first face painting event. Whether it's a birthday party, charity fundraiser, school festival or community picnic, Face Painting is a popular activity with kids of all ages and Easy Face Painting makes it, well, Easy!

Read More

Big Bird Halloween costumes sold out

Sesame Street Sassy Big Bird  Adult Costume Big Bird lives in a large nest behind the  123 Sesame Street brownstone and his personality is larger than life.  He can roller-skate; count; sing; dance;  recite poetry and even ride a unicycle! Live

Looks like everyone and their mama like Mitt Romney will not just be liking Big Bird this Halloween but will  look like Big Bird too as Big Bird Halloween costumes are no longer available in stores - sold out. Meanwhile if you are still struggling with Halloween Ideas or can't find good costumes for the Halloween in your local stores you may want to search and get that perfect one you need from the biggest Halloween costume retailer online. Every costume you need: from Halloween costume for couples, women, kids, group, single. You'd be blown away.

Everyone wants to be Big Bird for Halloween. But if you are hoping to be a part of the fad, you're going to have to be creative.

Popular yellow bird costumes vary from big, puffy tops to sexy, skimpy mini dresses. No matter what the take on the iconic bird from "Sesame Street," the adult costumes have one thing in common: out of stock.

Big Bird costumes have been flying off the shelves since Mitt Romney's comment about cutting funding for PBS at the first presidential debate.

"I like PBS, I love Big Bird," Romney said in a quote that riled up the Twitterverse.

The costumes are so popular that stores can't keep them on the shelves, and the manufacturers don't have anything left to offer.

"I have one lonely Big Bird costume looking at me right now," says Marilynn Wick, president of the Costume World chain. "We have only got one left and all of our other stores are out."

Big Bird has been a top-selling item at Costume Worlds in Austin, Dallas, Pittsburgh and Deerfield, Fla.

"There is a sexy Big Bird now, too," Wick says, referring to a new Sassy Big Bird costume for women. "We are out of them. Completely out of them."

Retailers nationwide are saying the same thing, says Cheryl Kerzner, vice president for product design and marketing for Disguise, the official costume maker for "Sesame Workshop."

"It's been insanity. It's just crazy," she said. "We absolutely are sold out of Big Bird. We have had tons of requests from everyone, all of our retailers. We cannot give them more. We are sold out."

Although adult Big Bird costume sales have skyrocketed, Kerzner says Romney's comment didn't move the needle on kids' costumes.

Kerzner says buys for this season happened last January, so they won't be able to produce and ship any more costumes for this Halloween.

"We work about a year in advance, so we are starting to sell for 2013 right now," she says. "It's gonna be hard. People will be disappointed because they can't get the costume. You are going to find people selling them on eBay."

Big Bird hopefuls might have to make their costumes themselves because more readily available unlicensed costumes, produced by someone other than Disguise, could also be on their way out of reach.

"The only costumes authorized by "Sesame Workshop" are with our licensee, Disguise, and we are working with our legal team on having the others removed from the market," said Ellen Lewis, a spokeswoman for "Sesame Street."

Despite the dearth of costumes, people are still out shopping with big yellow hopes.

Halloween Adventure in New York City sold out of the costumes immediately after the first debate, but people continue to come in asking for Big Bird.

"We have all the other 'Sesame Street' characters, but everyone only wants Big Bird," cashier Tiffany Padua says. "We have just been telling people, 'Buy the Mitt Romney mask and put a beak on it.' "

[Freep]

Read More

Google celebrates Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick with doodle

So you saw this on your Google page today and you are wondering why. Today is the 161st anniversary of Moby Dick the novel by Herman Melville and Google is putting up its doodle for the celebrations as it has done in the past with other remarkable anniversaries. Now this novel may sound very old to you and you are wondering what its all about. The GuardianUK explains.

It might, as Google so kindly points out with another of its random-anniversary doodles this morning, be 161 years since Moby-Dick was published in the UK, but the novel still seems to be everywhere. If it isn't Lynne Ramsay plotting a film version set in outer space – "It's about this mad captain whose crazy need for revenge takes the crew to their death. I'm taking people into dark waters and you see some casualties on the way" – then it's China Miéville (I've just realised how similar their surnames are! Coincidence??) turning the whale into a giant white mole in Railsea, or – and I haven't seen this – last year's film adaptation, complete with dragons and Vinnie Jones.

At least it hasn't suffered the erotic fate so many of the classics seem to be undergoing these days … although we do have this Kate Beckinsale reading, which is faintly disturbing.

Philip Hoare, meanwhile, is currently embroiled in a bonkers-but-brilliant project to broadcast the whole of the book, with readers from David Cameron to Will Self taking part. Writing that story a couple of weeks ago, I realised it'd been years since I'd actually read Moby-Dick, so I began trawling through Gutenberg's version to remind myself, matching passages to famous names and basically getting totally engrossed and taking much longer to write the piece than I should have.

This morning's doodle gives me the spurious excuse to quote at greater length some of my favourite bits. There's The Cassock; it's hard not to delight in Melville's description of "a very strange, enigmatical object … that unaccountable cone – longer than a Kentuckian is tall, nigh a foot in diameter at the base, and jet-black as Yojo, the ebony idol of Queequeg". There's the chill of The Whiteness of the Whale: "Witness the white bear of the poles, and the white shark of the tropics; what but their smooth, flaky whiteness makes them the transcendent horrors they are? That ghastly whiteness it is which imparts such an abhorrent mildness, even more loathsome than terrific, to the dumb gloating of their aspect. So that not the fierce-fanged tiger in his heraldic coat can so stagger courage as the white-shrouded bear or shark."

I could go on, but I prefer not to – I'd rather know which your favourite bits are. It's time for a reread, I think.

 [TheGuardian]

Read More

Don't buy this Halloween costume for kids

You gotta be very careful the Halloween costume you buy for your kids this Halloween 2012. If you really love your child
Today reports that around 1,400 of these pirate costumes have been seized after high levels of lead were discovered in the buttons and the trim.

The costumes were diverted to a warehouse for testing in mid-September and the lead levels were confirmed about a week ago, Milne said.
The shipment was chosen for inspection because of a past violation, Milne said, without identifying the violator.

“We target shipments for a variety of reasons,” he said. “It could be the history of the shipper, the manufacturer, it could be the history of the importer or it could be the commodity itself that we’ve had prior violations with.”
The costumes were tested for lead by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Problems could have occurred if children had put the buttons or trim in their mouths, exposing them to the toxic substance.

Buttons are of principal concern to lead inspectors, as young children tend to like chewing on small objects. Lead poisoning in kids can cause vomiting, kidney failure and learning disabilities.

Read More

Meet Ramajit Raghav the 96 year old dad. World's oldest father

wow... we cant even imagine the 'baby making process'. That's some real stuff.

A 96-year-old man who claims to be the world's oldest dad has fathered a second child, it was claimed today.

Ramajit Raghav, who became a father for the first time in 2010 aged 94, has had a second son to wife Shankuntala Devi.

Their second child, a boy named Ranjit, was born on October 5 and joined older brother Vikramjit, born two years ago.

Ramajit put his remarkably virility down to his teetotal lifestyle and a diet rich in fruit and dairy.

The couple do not plan on having any more children and Shankuntala plans to be sterilised.
Ramajit said: "I have led a very simple life. I didn't marry for long and followed a strict diet. I've taken milk, butter and fruits everyday since my childhood. We are absolutely delighted to have another member in the family.

"It's a great feeling for both of us."

The 96-year-old added: "My wife will undergo a tubectomy operation this year. We aren't planning more children, two are more than enough and I have limited financial resources, which can only sustain their needs.

"I want to send them to school and wish to see them lead a respectable life."

Read More

Halloween costume ideas 2013

Halloween 2013 is almost here. Precisely October 31st 2013. We are at that time when everybody (and their mama) is searching for new and creative Halloween costumes and/or Halloween decorations for their homes in order to make this Halloween remarkable and memorable; there is no reason you shouldn't.
Halloween costumes and decorations are the reason why Halloweens are special nights of horror and fun. People get to change themselves into different characters like vampires (uh..), monsters witches or various animals like leopards (just how Kim Kardarshian is setting to look this year). Some of the popular options for 2012 include characters from the 'Spiderman' and 'Thor' and “Game of Thrones” TV. Others create their costumes based on their favorite celebrities or from their creative imaginations, depending on spending power.  
One thing is certain, everybody wants to outdo their costumes (or those of their friends) from the previous year and its all good because when it comes to Halloween costumes, the scarier the better, the more horrific, the more exciting - considering the reasons for the Halloween festival in the first place.

Cant find great Halloween costumes yet?


Are you trying so hard to come up with that stand-out Halloween costume. With the different varieties of Halloween costumes and decorations to choose from ranging from werewolf to Halloween Masks it really can be quite tiring trying to make up those sexy, funny or scary Halloween costumes by yourself or even searching in your local shops, stores or markets. However, this should no longer worry you as you can now get fierce Halloween ideas, costumes, decorations, food, creams etc online from the comfort of your home thanks to Spirit of Halloween.

The Spirit of Halloween online costume store offers you the opportunity to sample different Halloween ideas and also choose and order your Halloween costume from a range of varieties. Whether you are looking for top notch Halloween decorations for your homes, women's Halloween costumes,  hustler cheerleader adult women's costumes, couples and group costumes, men or kids. You will find everything material you need for your ultimate Halloween horror night for the Spirits Halloween.

The company has earned a reputation for providing mind blowing Halloween ideas, costumes and resources over the years and has continued reinventing itself each year. Heck they now have Angry Birds costume (styled after the popular Angry Birds Android game we all love) and also the popular Alice in Wonderland costumes  Spirits Halloween costumes comes at different price ranges and are very affordable depending on your choice and budget for the Halloween.

Halloween is really imbued with tradition and comes once in a year. Come on, we all love to dress and adding a bit of drama to it is pretty much entertaining. Whatever you decide to come out as, for the Halloween make sure its unique and will leave you laughing later when you get to look at yourself.

You have seen how you can generate the best Halloween costume 2013 ideas for yourself easily online without having to stress yourself. You have seen how you can get some great tips to surprise your friends this Halloween. Technology has made it easy for us to take our shopping experience to a new level. Just sit back and have fun over selections of Halloween costume ideas provided by Spirit of Halloween and then be able to make your choice. Whichever you end up choosing, make sure its are scary, gross (yeah)or gorgeous; and most importantly let it be attention craving. And less I forget make sure to Instagram those moments during Halloween. Its all fun, have it. 

Read More

Andrew Sullivan Renews support for President Obama after debate

What a way to appraise President obama after the debate he won from a long shot. We doubt Mitt Romney can ever make a comeback. Go register to vote

Andrew Sullivan, the liberal writer who declared President Barack Obama the first “gay president,” only to be devastated by his performance in the first presidential debate earlier this month, declared anew his admiration for Obama in an appearance on MSNBC’s post-debate wrap-up. “I saw the person I first saw in 2007,” Sullivan said. “I saw the guy I watched get health care reform passed. I saw the guy who lifted the ban on gays in the military. I saw the guy who turned the economy around tonight. I saw the president I thought I knew and I didn’t see last time. And I am bloody elated. Let me put it that way. I’m elated he’s back and has got the momentum. And he took it to him, in terms of substance and style. He was so calm. He leaned forward. He smiled. Romney seemed desperate and was called out in several obvious — not implicit, but obvious — lies.

[Dailycaller]

Read More

Halloween Costumes: How to get them cheap

Halloween is a fun day for both kids and adults. But with costumes, candy, and decorations to buy, the price for your celebration can creep up quickly. According to the National Retail Federation, the average American is expected to spend $80 on Halloween.

But the cost of Halloween doesn’t have make you panic. Like putting together a great costume, a little imagination and creativity may be all you need for big savings.
Stacy Johnson, founder of Money Talks News tells you how to look great on Halloween and still save a bundle in the process.

Now that you’ve got the idea, here’s more on how you can save on Halloween 2012.
  
Find your costume idea

Whether you’re looking for a fresh and timely costume or prefer a classic, there’s no shortage of places to look for fun and unique ideas.

The best place to find many of the popular costume ideas this year? Your local costume or Halloween store. Some popular options for 2012 include characters from the “Game of Thrones” TV show as well as “Spiderman” and “Thor” from the blockbuster movies. See what’s for sale, but don’t buy anything yet.

Creative ideas are available online as well. One of the best places to get visual ideas for Halloween in 2012: Pinterest. Check out hundreds of photos and ideas that others have pinned related to Halloween and scroll until you find inspiration for your own costume as well as creative examples for kids – like Dora the Explorer or Angry Birds.

Trendy costumes for adults are always a hit, and you’ll find hilarious topical costume ideas online. You could dress up as gold-medal-winning gymnast McKayla Maroney and her unimpressed expression, or the “Tanning Mom” accused of putting her daughter in a tanning booth earlier this year. Think about recent headlines and turn them into a unique costume.

Don’t forget simple yet thoughtful costumes that will still impress. If you love “punny” ideas, a cereal killer can be made in minutes with basic supplies.

Get your 2013 Halloween costumes from the biggest Halloween shop online now

Assemble a used or reused costume

Here’s where the real creativity comes in: assembling your costume. While you could buy one at the store, you can easily create your own, well-made costume at a fraction of the cost.

Start with old remnants from previous costumes to put something new together. Vests, tights, and other items you wore last year work great for a variety of costumes. Accessories like hats and wigs are often interchangeable too. Use a top hat to complete your costume as Abraham Lincoln.

Not enough to go on? Hit up your friends or the parents of your kid’s friends and swap. They’re likely looking for new options, so trade.

Materials found around your house can also be used to create a costume. Cardboard boxes, for example, can be cut up and made into a robot, Lego piece, or even a Rubik’s Cube.

If you’re looking for something ready-to-wear, check Craigslist or eBay for used costumes. Many traditional costumes don’t change year to year, so you may find a vampire or pumpkin at a deep discount. You might even find free costumes up for grabs on Freecycle.

You can check out these other options to save money on kids’ costumes.

Get a deal at the thrift store

Thrift stores are a great spot for deals. If you’re planning to shred up a shirt or drench yourself in fake blood, you won’t have to worry about ruining nice clothes you’d like to wear again.

You’ll also find wacky stuff in thrift stores, with a wide array of clothing in all sorts of designs and colors. Maybe you need red pants to complete your clown outfit or a vest to transform into a pirate. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll likely find a wide range of sizes and styles unrivaled by other clothing stores.

Just don’t be afraid to cross the aisle and shop both the men’s and women’s sections. Anything goes for costumes, and no one will notice the difference if you look great on Halloween night.

Don’t forget DIY special effects and decorations

Makeup and decorations can be made inexpensively at home using common ingredients and materials.

This recipe for fake blood just takes cocoa mix, corn syrup, and food coloring to make realistic-looking blood. Colored makeup for a witch or Frankenstein’s monster only requires a simple recipe like this one combining a base with food coloring – which may be safer than store-bought products that might contain harmful chemicals.

Homemade decorations require a little time to make and materials you may have around the house. Want a homemade spider web? This site has six different types made from common items like yarn, cheesecloth, and electrical tape. Or if you just want a cotton web, try cotton balls.

As with costumes, look to recycled materials for decoration possibilities. Instead of tossing out milk jugs, you can transform them into a ghost-lit walkway, and you can use glass jars and some common foods to create spooky eyeballs and fingers.

Find a bargain on bulk candy

Sugar candy is often cheaper than chocolate. You can grab a package of 360 Dum Dums from Sam’s Club for about $8. Or compare dollar-store deals. Dollar Tree offers 15 rolls of Smarties for a buck.

If you still choose to go with chocolate, buy the smaller sizes of candy sold in bulk. Walmart sells bags with 95 pieces of Hershey’s Halloween candy for $8.88. Skip the full-size candy bar packs, which go for $10.98 for only 18 pieces.

Don’t just let kids grab a giant handful and run. Spread the love around by giving each trick-or-treater one or two pieces. You don’t have to feel stingy – just remember how many more houses are on your block for kids to fill their candy sacks.

[MoneyTalksNews]

Read More

2nd Presidential Debate LIVE: Debate Time, Live Stream, Preview and Full Coverage

President Obama is set to face Mitt Romney - The Republican Presidential Candidate tonight at a town hall styled debate before some undecided voters. We are hoping a clear winner will be called this time after the debate, and hopefully the undecided voters will now have the chance to decide on the better candidate. Policymic will be streaming the debate live. Meanwhile make sure to read Policymic's Pre analysis of the 2nd presidential debate. Mitt Romney is really struggling. The supreme court just gave a judgement that is not favoring him. We expect some lies today so check out for them.Go register to vote.
Tonight 16th October 2012, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will do rhetorical battle in their second debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York at 9pm. The debate will be moderated by CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley, and will be a town hall-style format with the audience consisting of some 80 undecided voters from Nassau County. Audience members will ask the candidates questions throughout the debate, on both domestic and foreign policy issues. You read that correctly: this debate is going to hinge on a group of people who don't know whom they're voting for yet, and, as a hilarious added bonus, they're all from Long Island. In light of this situation, there's only one way to watch this debate, and that's while playing PolicyMic's brand new Presidential Debate Drinking Game (Second Edition). We'll be live-streaming the debate right here, as I provide live blog commentary.

This debate will involve as much BS as the first presidential debate did, which is saying something. But the close-quarters setting with an audience of "regular people" will likely give both candidates an air of sincerity that seems almost plausible. Obama should benefit more from this format, since he's not nearly as awkward as Romney when interacting with the unwashed masses. In the first debate, Obama turned in a lackluster performance, while Romney ran circles around the president, who seemed content to look down at his podium when he wasn't nonchalantly and dispassionately answering Jim Lehrer's questions. Tonight, Obama needs to project a little — just a little — Joe Biden. And he likely will, as it's not really possible to be any flatter than he was the first time around.

Naturally, if you're looking for substance, don't expect to find it here. All actual policy issues will be hopelessly buried under jargon as the candidates try to appeal to the broadest possible swath of voters. This is especially true of Romney, whose actual positions are so unpopular that he hasn't even attempted to explain how he's going to cut $5 trillion in taxes over the next ten years without blowing the budget deficit and national debt into deep space.

That's because there is no way Romney can cut $5 trillion in taxes in a decade without ballooning deficits unless he targets federal programs for some serious reductions or outright elimination. It's the old "starve the beast" approach: significantly reduce tax revenues, create an impending deficit disaster, and then out of sheer necessity, get Congress to implement serious cuts that harm anyone without a three-car garage. That way, $4 trillion of Romney's $5 trillion in tax cuts can go to families making more than $200,000 per year, while Ryan explains to all of us how we need to have "an adult conversation" about the tough choices we, as in all of us, need to make if we're going to balance the budget.

Read More

Beyonce for Super Bowl halftime performance

Get ready for an announcement later this week. Its about the Super Bowl halftime, its gonna be huge we can bet. King Bey is being 'speculated' to take over Super Bowl halftime. Its gonna be one of her biggest performance after having her baby - even though she's had one or two great performances supporting her husband Jay Z. Here is how The Associated Press is reporting the news.
 All the single ladies will be watching the upcoming Super Bowl along with football lovers. That's because Beyonce is the halftime show performer.

A source familiar with the Super Bowl told The Associated Press the Grammy-winning diva will take the stage at the halftime show on Feb. 3, 2013, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because that person wasn't authorized to publicly reveal the information.

The official announcement is expected Wednesday, the source said.

Beyonce, whose pop and R&B hits include "Crazy in Love," ''Irreplaceable" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," has won 16 Grammy Awards. The 31-year-old sang the national anthem at the 2004 Super Bowl in her hometown of Houston when the New England Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers.

Madonna performed at halftime at this year's Super Bowl in February with guests CeeLo Green, Nicki Minaj, LMFAO and M.I.A. The New York Giants beat the New England Patriotsin a thrilling rematch of the contest four years earlier. Her performance was seen by 114 million people, a higher average than the game itself, which was seen by an estimated 111.3 million people, according to the Nielsen Co.

If Beyonce's performance at the Pepsi NFL Halftime Show features collaborations, it could likely include husband-rapper Jay-Z and her Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

New Orleans last hosted a Super Bowlin 2002, making next year's game the first NFL championship in the city since Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the Louisiana Superdome in 2005. Pepsi is returning as the sponsor for the halftime show since doing so in 2007 when Prince performed.

[AP]

Read More

Microsoft rolls out Xbox 360 dashboard update today with improved features

The latest Xbox 360 dashboard update goes live from today, with features like Internet Explorer, Xbox Music, Xbox Video, new personalization options, improved search and more.

If you don't get the update yet, "Don't panic", Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has reassured. It will hit three million consoles worldwide today and everyone else within the next two weeks.

Perhaps the biggest new additions are the Internet Explorer app and Microsoft's new Xbox Music service, which offers free, ad-supported streaming on Windows 8 PCs. Xbox 360 owners must pay £8.99 a month for the Xbox Music Pass.

Xbox Video is also included in the update. There's nothing new to see here - this is just Zune Video Marketplace under a new moniker. The name change cements the long-awaited demise of Microsoft's failed entertainment brand.

There are several nips and tucks to the dashboard's overall layout. TV and Video tabs have been melded into one TV & Movies section. Folks in the US get a new Sports area, while Quick Play has been re-named Recent.

The home screen will now offer you an option to "Pin" your favourite content to the Home screen for easy access - be it a TV series, game, or a website link for Internet Explorer.

Also, Bing  gets more features, including the ability to search for video across the web, including YouTube. Voice search capabilities are also finally included for users in Ireland, Canada, France, Japan, Mexico, Italy, Spain and Austria.

[Eurogamer]

Read More

Skyfall, review

 Skyfall Soundtrack provided by Adele

We really hope this will be a great movie. Infact we already can say it is. Possibly the best of 2012. Meanwhile The Daily Telegraph provides a candid review of the movie. Skyfall opens in Theaters Nov. 9th.

Dir: Sam Mendes; Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Bérénice Marlohe, Albert Finney, Helen McCrory, Ola Rapace. 12A cert, 142 min.

When is a Bond film not a Bond film? It’s a question likely to prey on the minds of the very many cinema goers who will see this 23rd official 007 adventure. Skyfall shakes together familiar elements of the Ian Fleming canon – the cars, the guns, the exotic locales with the dames to match – into a blistering comic book escapade that the old Bond, and one suspects Fleming too, would find altogether alien.

Sam Mendes’s frequently dazzling, utterly audacious entry in the franchise has less in common with its much-loved predecessors than Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. After its release in 2008 (when it left Quantum of Solace, the 22nd Bond film, trailing in its wake), Nolan’s pathbreaking superhero picture almost single-handedly reconfigured the modern blockbuster template. Like a wise old dog, 007 has studied it carefully, and learned some new tricks.

Here, Bond (Daniel Craig) faces a foe almost as inscrutable as the Joker himself: Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), an ex-MI6 agent who worked with M (Judi Dench) in her pre-Handover Hong Kong days who has returned, unhinged by a perceived betrayal, as a master computer hacker bent on vengeance.

Bardem’s lip-lickingly camp turn makes him the oddest Bond villain since the Roger Moore era, and his nicotine hair flops queasily over his forehead in a way that calls to mind Julian Assange. By acknowledging the rise of cyberterrorism in the same way Nolan played on the West’s new vulnerability in the wake of 9/11, Skyfall is a Bond film for the Anonymous generation.

Mendes is unafraid to let the quieter dramatic moments breathe (a loaded conversation between Bond and Silva drew cheers at last night’s preview screening), and ace cinematographer Roger Deakins makes the wildly ambitious action sequences the most beautiful in Bond’s 50-year career. (The release of Skyfall marks the series’ half-centenary.)
The sensational Istanbul-set prologue is soon bettered by a early soujourn to Shanghai, in which Bond pursues an assassin through a glass skyscraper lit up like a neon Aurora Borealis.

This is Skyfall’s popcorn-dropping moment, and an uneven third act that harks back to the Bond films of old (the Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5 makes an appearance) never quite coheres.

“We don’t go in for exploding pens any more,” quips young Q (Ben Whishaw). Nor do audiences, which is why I suspect Skyfall will be a stratospheric hit.

 [TelegraphUK]

Read More

Apple to unveil iPad Mini Oct. 23

 Apple was previously rumored to be distributing invitations to a second fall product event on October 10 which passed without a word from the tech company’s Cupertino, Calif., HQ. The silence from Apple left some to wonder if it still plans to debut a Mini iPad this fall; others speculated that production delays may have forced it to postpone the device’s unveiling until later in the year.
Neither is the case.

As AllThingsD previously reported, Apple will hold a special event this month, at which it will showcase a new, iPad Mini. People familiar with Apple’s plans tell us that the company will unveil the so-called “iPad mini” on Oct. 23 at an invitation-only event.

That’s a Tuesday, not a Wednesday, so this is a bit of a break with recent tradition. It also happens to be just three days prior to the street date for Microsoft’s new Surface tablet.

Sources declined to specify where the event is to be held, and I’ve not been able to confirm a location.
But it’s likely to be at Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium. The company has debuted a number of important products there in the past — OS X Lion, a next-generation MacBook Air and the iPhone 4S — so there’s plenty of precedent.

More important, Apple’s already held its big fall event — the unveiling of the iPhone 5 and the 2012 iPod line. The company pulled out all the stops for that one, holding it at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and recruiting Foo Fighters to close the show. It’s hard to imagine it mounting a second production of that caliber in such a short time. More likely that the iPad mini’s debut will be an intimate affair held close to home.
And beyond that? Well, details are slim. Sources say the iPad’s diminutive sibling will feature a 7.85-inch liquid-crystal display and a Lightning connector. It will also probably be thinner. And that’s about it.
But we’ll know more soon. On Oct. 23.

[AllThingsD]

Read More

Miley Cyrus' Fiance Liam Hemsworth Gets Tattoo to Match Miley Cyrus's

That's actually cool but we really await their wedding. Here is Miley Cyrus and her fiance Liam Hemsworth's matching tattoo below.

Miley Cyrus' Tattoo above, her fiance's below

Like his fiancee Miley Cyrus did earlier this year, Liam Hemsworth settled on something surprisingly cerebral for his new ink.

Back in July, Cyrus, 19, paid homage to the original Rough Rider (and the U.S.'s 26th president) with a tattoo of a quote from Theodore Roosevelt's legendary "Citizenship in a Republic" speech.

The former Disney star's tat reads, "So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

This week, Hemsworth, 22, shared a picture of a tattoo he recently got on Instagram. In script that matches Cyrus', his stamp says, "If he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly" -- the line immediately preceding the one Cyrus picked from that iconic oration, in which Roosevelt urged his listeners to live life to the fullest.

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better," President Roosevelt told an audience at the Sorbonne in Paris, France in 1910. "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood . . . who, at the best, knows . . . the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Cyrus and Hemsworth, who met on the set of 2010's The Last Song, got engaged in early June. At the VMAs in September, the "Can't Be Tamed" singer admitted to Us Weekly she's doesn't feel any pressure to begin planning the couple's nuptials right away.

"I'm really excited to obviously get married, but I kind of already feel married," Cyrus explained. "I know we are forever. I don't really need the paper right now."

 [USmagazine]

Read More

Who won the Biden/Ryan Vice Presidential debate

Vice President Joe Biden clearly won the debate by miles. Congressman Paul Ryan looked unprepared enough for the debates as Joe Biden continuously laughed/grinned on his many flops.

President Obama watched the debate on Air Force One while returning from a campaign trip and said of Joe Biden's  performance: "I thought Joe Biden was terrific tonight...I'm really proud of him."

Here are what some of the polls say of the Vice Presidential debate

CNN polls: Who won the debate?
Ryan 48%
Biden 44%

CNN polls. Who was more likable?
Ryan 53%
Biden 43%

CBS polls. Who won the debate?
Biden 50%
Ryan  31%

 If you missed the action, you can watch the full Vice presidential debate below and decide for yourself.

Read More

Rihanna Unapologetic Album Cover

Creative.. We likey. Hope the songs are as good as the cover. Unapologetic, (Rih's seventh studio album) drops November 19.

Read More

Server Host: Dedicated Servers

Best Dedicated Server Hosting?

Here are some of the best managed hosting provider in the hosting industry. Since dedicated servers run on  data centers, we list the best dedicated hosting solution providers according to locations of their data centers for better performance.

 Note that these companies also provide cheap and quality shared hosting and the opportunity to switch to a managed hosting or dedicated server should you opt for shared servers. We will continue to update this list as we get more positive reviews of providers.    

Dedicated Server Hosting USA/Worldwide

GoDaddy

Godaddy dedicated server provides  reliability, security and scalability of the cloud. The Godaddy dedicated servers comes with range of RAM to choose from, choose between CentOP, Ubuntu, Fedora or Windows operating systems, free set up, 24x7 support via email, phone or web, 3 dedicated IP address, FREE SSL and Facebook Advertising Credit, 24x7 monitoring and physical security, you get the ability to manage multiple websites. 

Godaddy dedicated server plans feature lightning-fast processors, up to 16 GB of RAM, 20 TB of bandwidth, and Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processors. Pricing plans are classed under economy ($99), deluxe ($199) and premium ($299) /month.

Godaddy also offers the cheapest domain name registration starting from as low as $3.9. 

Hostgator

 

Hostgator offers one of the best dedicated server services online. Their plans comes in  Linus dedicated servers and Windows decated servers. Some of the features include CentOS Linux with Full Root Access (64-bit with 32-bit available on request), cPanel with WHM Control Panel, Apache Web Server, MySQL, PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby (on Rails), FFMpeg Support and Secured Server with IPTables Firewall for Linux dedicated server. Windows Server 2008 R2 w/ Remote Desktop (64-bit w/ 32-bit compatibility), Parallels Plesk Control Panel 11.x, IIS Web Server, MSSQL, Mysql, FTP Server, DNS Server, SmarterMail Professional Mail Server and Secured Server with Windows Firewall & IPsec Policy for Windows dedicated server. Their services are also affordable with different price plans.

 
Web Hosting Pad
Web Hosting Pad offers one of the cheapest, affordable and reliable dedicated server hosting plans in the industry. Their services include full root access, private name servers, fully managed control panel, unlimited emails, free IPTables firewall, State of art Raid protect VPS, Backup Solution for your Website, 24x7 Server monitoring, 24x7 Admin Tech, Supports: MySQL, PHP, Perl, Python, FFMpeg. Prices start from as low as $9.95/month. Web hosting pad is rated for its quality low cost hosting.

What is a dedicated server? 

A dedicated server or managed hosting solution is a type of Internet web hosting where you lease an entire server for your website. That is you don't get to share servers with others.

You will certainly need a dedicated server web hosting for your website when web traffic to your website begin to increase and as such needs a greater capacity and server space to manage the traffic.

 You don't necessarily need to wait until you begin to see substantial hits to your website before switching to a dedicated host from a shared hosting.

If you want to run a serious online business, with your own web space (without facing regular problems as downtime's, website hacking and your website being at the risk of your hosting provider) your sure best server host is a dedicated server. 

This is because dedicated servers are more flexible than shared hosting, as you have full control over the server(s), including the choice of operating system and hardware amongst others. In some cases (even when they seem to be costlier than the shared server web hosting) a dedicated server can offer less overhead and a larger return on investment. 

Dedicated servers are mostly recommended for serious websites (like Ecommerce websites) because they offer high performance, security, email stability, Unique IP Address, reliability, and control. 

While some webmasters may decide to start with shared site hosting and later switch to a dedicated host since it is often allowed by some web hosting providers, this is generally not recommended. Its better you make your mind up from the beginning and stick to one Operating System as this will save you the stress and many hours of tedious software conversions and 'unexplained' downtimes.

Read More

Foreign Policy: Mitt Romney to pursue a more aggressive policy toward the Middle East if elected

Which would you rather? Peace or War? Go register to vote.

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will vow to pursue a more aggressive policy toward the Middle East on Monday if elected in an attempt to draw a sharp distinction with how President Barack Obama has handled Libya, Iran, Syria and the Arab-Israeli dispute.

Romney, in remarks at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, will make a case that his policy views reflect what advisers called the mainstream “peace through strength” doctrine they said had been pursued by prior presidents from Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton.

The address will help Romney set the stage for his second presidential debate with the Democratic incumbent on October 16. The next debate, at Hofstra University in New York state, will cover both domestic and foreign policy in a town hall format.

Romney was widely seen as having won the first debate last Wednesday in Denver, and his strong performance has halted a slide in the polls and appears to have given him new confidence for the last month of campaigning.

Romney will say that Obama has pursued a strategy of “passivity” instead of partnership with U.S. allies in the region.

“I know the president hopes for a safer, freer, and a more prosperous Middle East allied with the United States. I share this hope. But hope is not a strategy,” he will say, according to speech excerpts released by his campaign.

Romney will use to illustrate his views the September 11 assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, in which U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed.

Romney got himself into trouble in the immediate aftermath of the attack by accusing the Obama administration of an apologetic response to Muslims upset over a video made in the United States that lampooned the Prophet Mohammed. Romney was seen as injecting politics into a national tragedy.

But the criticism of late has turned to the Obama administration’s handling of the situation, with some lawmakers accusing the State Department of providing insufficient security for Americans there.

And the White House for days clung to its insistence that the attack was linked to the Mohammed video until finally conceding publicly that it was a terrorist action on the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

“No, as the administration has finally conceded, these attacks were the deliberate work of terrorists who use violence to impose their dark ideology on others, especially women and girls; who are fighting to control much of the Middle East today, and who seek to wage perpetual war on the West,” Romney will say.

Romney will promise that if elected November 6, he will vigorously pursue those responsible for the Libyan attacks, as Obama has vowed to do.

He will also pledge to tighten sanctions on Iran to give up its alleged nuclear weapons ambitions and deploy warships in the region to apply pressure on Tehran.

He would also increase military assistance and coordination to Israel, which has threatened a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.

Romney will pledge that his administration would work to find elements of the Syrian opposition who share U.S. values and ensure they obtain weapons needed to defeat Syrian leader Bashir al-Assad’s forces and end his brutal crackdown. Syrian rebels have accused the United States and Western allies of sitting on the sidelines of the conflict.

“Iran is sending arms to Assad because they know his downfall would be a strategic defeat for them. We should be working no less vigorously with our international partners to support the many Syrians who would deliver that defeat to Iran -rather than sitting on the sidelines,” Romney will say.

It’s weakness that is provocative, and there is a fundamental difference between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney

Romney will say electing a new U.S. president will offer a fresh opportunity to try once again to reach a peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians. Romney is a strong supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Advisers to Romney said the Republican’s foreign policy should be viewed through a mainstream context, that Democratic and Republican presidents have projected American muscle abroad and that Obama has departed from this tradition.

“I do think it’s a bipartisan tradition. It’s a recognition that strength is not provocative. It’s weakness that is provocative, and there is a fundamental difference between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney,” said a top Romney foreign policy adviser, Rich Williamson.

The Obama campaign issued a withering attack on Romney ahead of the speech, pointing out that the Republican committed several verbal gaffes that generated controversy during his July trip to London, Jerusalem and Poland.

“Just as a reminder, this is the same guy who, when he went overseas on his trip, the only person who has offended Europe more is probably Chevy Chase,” she told reporters in a reference to the actor who starred in the comedy “National Lampoon’s European Vacation.”

© Thomson Reuters 2012

Read More

Chris Brown adresses his Rihanna and Karrueche Tran situation in new video

You don't know Chris Brown yet. The now 'single' Chris Brown wants you to know him in this video. He has a couple things to let out his chest about his situation with Rihanna and poor Karrueche Tran. The Real Chris Brown.

Read More

New Music: ‘Skyfall’ by Adele (007 theme Song) [Listen]

Adele blesses us once more with her talent.  “Skyfall” opens in the U.S. on Nov. 9th.

The single was originally scheduled to be unleashed Thursday (Oct. 4) at 7:07 p.m. ET (or 0:07 a.m. in the U.K. ) but a French radio station jumped the gun, so to speak, and posted “Skyfall” earlier in the day.
The version posted to the Adele’s YouTube channel, below, features an animation based on the song’s cover art, and incorporates some of the song’s lyrics. “Skyfall” has been described in reviews as a 1960s throwback, “back when Bond themes like “Goldfinger” were smooth, seductive and larger than life,” notes the Hollywood Reporter. Adele wrote the song with Paul Epsworth — a top songwriter and producer who has also worked with Cee Lo Green and Florence and the Machine, among others — after the reading the script. “I was a little hesitant at first to be involved with the theme song for Skyfall,” she says in a statement. “There’s a lot of instant spotlight and pressure when it comes to a Bond song. But I fell in love with the script and Paul had some great ideas for the track and it ended up being a bit of a no-brainer to do it in the end.” Of recording with a 77-piece orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London, Adele admits, “When we recorded the strings, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. I’ll be back combing my hair when I’m 60 telling people I was a Bond girl back in the day, I’m sure!” Directed by Sam Mendes, “Skyfall” opens in the U.S. on Nov. 9th. 

[Eurweb] 

Read More

Obama gets much-needed boost from Jobs report

 Haters gon' hate.. Lol

[AP] President Barack Obama celebrated much-needed good economic news Friday as the unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level since he took office. "We are moving forward again," he boasted. Republican rival Mitt Romney retorted the president still hasn't done enough to help millions of people who are out of work.

The figures announced by the Labor Department — 114,000 new jobs last month to bring the unemployment rate to 7.8 percent — gave Obama fresh evidence on the heels of his disappointing debate performance to argue that his economic policies are working. Romney countered that the country can't afford four more years of the president's leadership and argued that the rate is low in part because some people have quit looking for work.

"This is not what a real recovery looks like," the former Massachusetts governor said in a statement shortly after the jobless figures were released. He pointed to millions of people still struggling to find work, living in poverty and using food stamps to feed their families. He also said he would lead a recovery with pro-growth policies for job creation and rising income.

Obama responded that Romney wants to roll back policies that are repairing the economic damage.

"Today's news certainly is not an excuse to try to talk down the economy to score a few political points," Obama said. "It is a reminder that the country has come too far to turn back now."

The unemployment rate fell from 8.1 percent in August, matching its level in January 2009 when Obama became president. There is one more monthly unemployment report before Election Day, so Friday's numbers could leave a lasting impact on Americans who are already casting ballots in states that allow early voting.

The candidates headed Friday to opposite ends of one of those early voting states, Virginia. Romney was campaigning for support in the state's far western coal country while Obama focused on recruiting women at an appearance in the Washington suburbs, where he argued that his health care policy has improved their health care choices.

Obama, seeking to rebound after Romney dominated their first debate Wednesday night, is accusing his rival of being dishonest about how his policies would affect the tax bills of middle-class families and the Medicare benefits of retirees. He told an audience at George Mason University that his rival "got an extreme makeover" in their face-off.

He also argued Romney can't bring change to the country when he's "willing to write off half the nation before you take office," a reference to Romney's disparaging remarks about the 47 percent of Americans who don't pay federal income taxes. Romney made the comments at a fundraiser in May that was secretly recorded, but the videotape did not emerge until last month. Romney went as far as he's ever gone to try to take back his words in an interview Thursday night with Fox News.

"Well, clearly in a campaign, with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question-and-answer sessions, now and then you're going to say something that doesn't come out right," Romney said Thursday. "In this case, I said something that's just completely wrong."

At the White House, senior adviser David Plouffe retorted: "I would take with a huge grain of salt trying to clean something up five months after you said it for the first time."

The next presidential debate is not until Oct. 16, a town hall-style meeting at Hofstra University in New York, giving both sides ample opportunities to blanket battleground states and raise money for the final weeks of television advertising.

Romney released three new ads on Friday, offering a window into his strategy for the coming week. One, called "Facts Are Clear," focuses on the national debt and accuses Obama of wasting trillions of dollars instead of creating jobs. A second spot features Greg Anthony, a former professional basketball player from Nevada, talking about his roots in the state and his switch from backing Obama in 2008 to Romney this year.

The third spot is titled, simply, "Ohio Jobs." It features Romney looking straight at the camera to talk to voters from the Midwestern battleground state seen as critical to his White House hopes. Obama also was campaigning in Ohio on Friday.

Obama's team countered with an ad targeting Romney's tax plan, accusing him of planning to raise taxes on the middle class. The ad was airing in seven battleground states.

Romney planned a rally later in the day in St. Petersburg, Fla., kicking off a weekend of campaigning in that state, the largest of the prized battlegrounds. Obama was holding a Friday rally in Cleveland before heading to California on Sunday for a fundraising spree that will include a concert in Los Angeles featuring Jon Bon Jovi, Katy Perry and Stevie Wonder.

Traveling aboard Air Force One, Plouffe foreshadowed an intense focus on Ohio in the coming weeks, where polls have shifted in Obama's favor. No Republican has won the presidency without winning Ohio, and Obama's campaign sees blocking Romney there as one of its best paths to victory.

Plouffe said the true measure of the first debate was whether it moved voters in the battleground states. Speaking of Romney, Plouffe said: "Is he going to take the lead in Ohio? If he doesn't, he's not going to be president," he said.

Read More

Overweight TV Anchor Jennifer Livingston Responds to Viewer 'Bully'

We don't know why the viewer is more worried about her weight than her show or its content thereof.

Jennifer Livingston, a morning anchor with WKBT-TV in La Crosse, Wis., is used to getting feedback from viewers.  But when a male viewer wrote her a letter chiding her for being overweight, the mother of three took action.

In an on-air editorial address Tuesday morning that lasted more than four minutes, Livingston acknowledged being overweight - even obese - then added, "To the person who wrote me that letter, do you think I don't know that?"

She followed up by thanking her colleagues, family friends and the others who have come to her defense.

"I will never be able to thank you enough for your words of support and for taking a stand against this bully," she said. "We are better than this email. We are better than the bullies that will try to take us down."
Livingston's bold statement in her own defense made headlines around the world and today she told "Good Morning America" why she decided to speak out.
"This was a personal attack," Livingston said.  "Calling me obese is one thing.  Calling me a bad role model for our community that I've worked at for 15 years and especially for young girls when I have three girls was a low blow and I thought it was uncalled for and I wanted to call him out on it."
In a story on its website, WKBT identified the letter writer as Kenneth W. Krause.
"I think, in his mind, he [Krause] views himself as being helpful which is what I think a little bit of the problem is," she said.  "He doesn't see that the way that he approached it was clearly hurtful to me. He's trying to shame me into losing weight.  That's not being helpful. That's being a bully."
Livingston's husband, Mike Thompson, who is an evening anchor on the same station, posted the viewer's letter on his Facebook page. As posted, the letter read:
"It's unusual that I see your morning show, but I did so for a very short time today. I was surprised indeed to witness that your physical condition hasn't improved for many years. Surely you don't consider yourself a suitable example for this community's young people, girls in particular. Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain. I leave you this note hoping that you'll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present and promote a healthy lifestyle."

Thompson defended his wife on "GMA," explaining that Krause, like others who comment anonymously, did so without knowing the facts.

"What really angered me more so than his attack on her not being a role model for the community is that he doesn't know Jennifer. He doesn't know me. He doesn't know our family," Thompson said.  "He doesn't know that Jennifer has ran triathlons. He doesn't know that she ran in a race last weekend, a 5-K race.  She works out two or three times a week.  She is going to run in a race this weekend.  He doesn't know that."
"He doesn't know that she has a condition, a thyroid condition, that makes it harder for her to lose weight. He doesn't know any of that," he said.  "He just decided to attack her for no reason."
In her on-air address, Livingston also pointed out that October was National Anti-Bullying Month, and advised parents to be careful how they conducted themselves around their children so they didn't pass on negative lessons.
"I do believe that for the majority of kids out there, this behavior is learned.  It's coming from somewhere else," Livingston said on "GMA."  "We all as adults need to take the time to have the discussion with our children about what's important, about whether kindness is the way that we want to be or do we want to be critical about the way someone looks."
Livingston also urged children who were victims of bullying not to allow themselves to be defined by those bullies, a lesson she said she and Thompson passed along to their own 10-year-old daughter.
"We basically told her that this might be something that she has to deal with in the future," she said.  "She needs to be strong and hopefully she can follow my example and now the example of people all over the world."
Commenters on Thompson's page engaged in a fierce discussion about topic. As of Tuesday night, more than 1,500 people had posted their opinions.
"This story is all over Facebook and your wife is amazing!!! Seriously can you imagine having to be the person who wrote the email, to have to live each day as a mean and rude person. I feel sorry for the person who wrote it. That person is a jerk and that is a miserable thing to be," one person wrote, echoing many emails of support.

But others felt differently, including one poster who took Livingston to task for her response and her weight:

"Since when is it a virtue to be obese?" the commenter wrote. "And where is the bullying in the e-mail? The tone of the e-mail does not offend. It is normal that a viewer would write about a public personality about her excess weight. The fact that you love her with her excess weight Mr. Thompson does not mean it is ok to be fat ... don't hide behind bullying, this man is not bullying you, he is just asking you to do something about your excess weight. GIVE UP A FEW BURGERS AND CUT THE CHEESE. START MOVING JENNIFER!"

WKTB said Krause submitted the following statement in response to Livingston's editorial:

"Given this country's present epidemic of obesity and the many truly horrible diseases related thereto, and considering Jennifer Livingston's fortuitous position in the community, I hope she will finally take advantage of a rare and golden opportunity to influence the health and psychological well-being of Coulee Region children by transforming herself for all of her viewers to see over the next year, and, to that end, I would be absolutely pleased to offer Jennifer any advice or support she would be willing to accept."

 [Yahoo]

Read More