Jon Hamm: 'I Don't Have The Marriage Chip'
July 31st, 2010 by Chloe
Jon Hamm covers this weekend's Parade magazine, and in the interview he talks about his parents, his childhood and how he doesn't plan to marry Jennifer Westfeldt, his longtime girlfriend and the "love of his life." Here are some excerpts, read a longer preview here.
At a party in 1997, he met Westfeldt, best known for co-writing and starring in the 2001 comedy Kissing Jessica Stein. Later he helped her rehearse lines for an audition.
"She didn't get the part, which may be my fault, but she got the guy."
Why they're not in a hurry to get married.
"I don't have the marriage chip, and neither of us have the greatest examples of marriages in our families. But Jen is the love of my life, and we've already been together four times longer than my parents were married."
Nor is he rushing to have children.
"I like kids but I also like the option to close the door. Becoming a parent is a whole other life, and it doesn't stop."
How he and Westfeldt deal with the attention he gets as a sex symbol.
"That kind of stuff is only present if you give it attention. If it's not reflected back, it goes away. It's not like I'm Justin Bieber or anything."
Driver from www.huffingtonpost.com
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Mark Wahlberg gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
July 30th, 2010 by Chloe
LOS ANGELES – Rapper-turned-underwear model-turned-Oscar-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg has been enshrined in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The 39-year-old actor was presented with a star Thursday on Hollywood Boulevard's famed sidewalk monument.
Will Ferrell, who stars with Wahlberg in the action-comedy "The Other Guys" being released next week, was on hand for the ceremony. The comedian got in a couple of digs.
"I'm glad to be here," Ferrell said. "I first became a fan of Mark's when I bought his workout video. And I love all your 'Bourne' movies."
The "Bourne" films star Matt Damon, not Wahlberg.
Wahlberg first gained fame in the early 1990s, recording with the hip-hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
That was followed by a ubiquitous ad campaign featuring him in Calvin Klein underwear.
He then turned to acting and got attention with his breakout role as Dirk Diggler in 1997's "Boogie Nights." Wahlberg got a supporting actor Academy Award nomination in 2006 for "The Departed."
His wife and four young children were on hand for the sidewalk ceremony.
"I'm so happy my kids are sitting through this," Wahlberg said. "When I heard I was getting this star, I felt like it was a practical joke."
His other movie credits include "Four Brothers," "Three Kings," "The Perfect Storm," "The Italian Job," "Invincible," "The Basketball Diaries," "Fear," "Shooter," "Max Payne," "The Lovely Bones," "Planet of the Apes," "The Happening," "We Own the Night" and "Date Night."
Wahlberg has also added a behind-the-scenes role to his resume: He's an executive producer of the HBO series "Entourage," "In Treatment," "How to Make It In America" and "Boardwalk Empire."
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Olympia Snowe To Vote For Elena Kagan, Raising GOP Senator Count To Four
July 29th, 2010 by Chloe
WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe says she plans to vote to confirm Elena Kagan as a Supreme Court justice.
The Maine lawmaker's announcement makes her the fourth Republican to break with her party to back President Barack Obama's high court nominee.
In a statement, Snowe says Kagan has met her standards for a justice with her strong intellect, respect for the rule of law and understanding of the Supreme Court's important but limited role.
She also says endorsements from conservative lawyers show that Kagan has a reputation for a sound judicial temperament.
Democrats have more than enough votes to confirm Kagan in a vote expected next week. Most Republicans oppose her, arguing she would bring a liberal bias to the bench.
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Charlie Rangel Makes Last Ditch Effort To Prevent Ethics Trial
July 28th, 2010 by Chloe
WASHINGTON — New York Democrat Charles Rangel made a last-minute effort Tuesday to settle his ethics case and prevent a House trial that could embarrass him and damage the Democratic Party.
The talks between Rangel's lawyer and the House ethics committee's nonpartisan attorneys were confirmed by ethics Chairman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. Lofgren said she is not involved in the talks, and added that the committee's lawmakers have always accepted the professional staff's recommendations in previous plea bargains.
Rangel, a 40-year House veteran who is 80 years old, would have to admit to multiple, substantial ethics violations for any plea bargain to be accepted. Earlier negotiations broke down when Rangel would only admit to some allegations – not enough to satisfy the committee lawyers, according to people familiar with those talks who were not authorized to be quoted by name.
If the talks are not successful, trial proceedings for the Harlem congressman would begin Thursday with a reading of alleged ethics violations that are still confidential.
An equally divided, eight-member subcommittee led by Lofgren would then conduct the actual trial later and decide whether the charges are proved by clear and convincing evidence.
The members are separate from the four-member investigative panel that charged Rangel, the former Ways and Means Committee chairman, with multiple violations connected to his fundraising, financial disclosure and failure to pay taxes on income from a resort unit.
If the case ends with either a plea bargain or a finding of guilt, the ethics committee would make a decision on punishment that could range from a critical report, to a censure by the House or an expulsion vote.
In previous cases, the only matter to go through a trial was the case of former Rep. Jim Traficant of Ohio, who was expelled by a 420-1 vote in 2002. He went to prison after his conviction for racketeering and bribery.
Some Democrats have called for Rangel to resign. Others have returned money he raised for them. Many Democrats are worried that they'll be responding to negative campaign ads about Rangel if a trial gets under way in September.
An ethics case against former Republican Rep. Mark Foley of Florida, involving his suggestive e-mails to former male pages, coincided with the 2006 campaign and was among the reasons the GOP lost control of the House.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who was not confirming any negotiations, told reporters Tuesday, "I think everybody would like to have it go away in the sense that this is not a pleasant process."
The Maryland Democrat said he didn't know what Rangel's decision would be.
"Mr. Rangel has to do what Mr. Rangel believes is appropriate and proper," he said.
Lofgren said she's been peppered with questions by lawmakers about the negotiations.
"People want to know, am I doing a deal? The answer is no," Lofgren said. "I don't know whether it's possible or not. The professional staff can arrange a settlement."
A House investigative committee last week approved multiple alleged violations against Rangel. People familiar with charges, who were not authorized to be quoted, said they related in part, to:
_Rangel's use of official stationery to raise money for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College of New York.
_His use of four rent-subsidized apartment units in New York City.
_Rangel's failure to report income as required on his annual financial disclosure forms. The committee had investigated his failure to report income from the lawmaker's rental unit at the Punta Cana Yacht Club in the Dominican Republic. Rangel also belatedly disclosed between $239,000 and $831,000 in investment assets.
_His failure to pay taxes on all his income from the resort unit.
_A possible role in preserving a tax shelter for an oil drilling company, Nabors Industries, whose chief executive donated money to the Rangel Center while Ways and Means considered the loophole legislation.
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Snooki Profiled (And Insulted?) By New York Times
July 27th, 2010 by Chloe
The New York Times Sunday Style section this weekend leads with a 2,000-word feature of 'Jersey Shore' personality Snooki, 'Snooki's Time,' written by Cathy Horyn.
Snooki was interviewed multiple times and photographed at home with her dad for the profile, in which she is mocked by the author and a pop culture expert. Read the excerpts below, click through to read the whole thing, and vote in the poll below.
Sample lines from Horyn:
-She is busty and short-waisted with small legs; sort of like a turnip turned on its tip.
-But trying to hold a conversation with Snooki is a little like getting down on your hands and knees with a child. You have to come down to her level, and sometimes you almost think you need to bribe her with a piece of candy to coax her to be more responsive
-She simply isn't capable of serious introspection. She told me she has read only two books in her life, "Twilight" and "Dear John."
From Horyn's interview with self-promoting pop culture professor Robert Thompson:
As much as Professor Thompson is a fan of the show, "I certainly wouldn't want to be stuck in an elevator with her"... He thinks she has a "delicious artlessness."
And a snippet from Snooki's father:
She'll be up there hooting and hollering, and I'll say to someone, 'What is it that draws you to my daughter? Be honest.' Because it's very hard for me to see what it is. She don't sing. She don't dance. I don't want to say she don't have talent ..." He seemed to have his doubts. Then he shrugged. "Everyone basically says they can relate to her. I think Nicole's just a likeable person."
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Auctions are public sales of goods, conducted by an officially approved auctioneer
July 26th, 2010 by Chloe
He asks the crowd assembled in the auction-room to make offers, or "bid" , for the various items on sale.He encourages buyers to bid higher figures, and finally names the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods.This is called " knocking down" the goods, for the bidding ends when the auctioneer bangs a small hammer on a table at which he stands.
An auction is usually advertised beforehand with full particulars of the articles to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by prospective buyers.If the advertisement cannot give full details, catalogues are printed, and each group of goods to be sold together, called a "lot" , is usually given a number.The auctioneer need not begin with Lot 1 and continue in numerical order; he may wait until he registers the fact that certain dealers are in the room and then produce the lots they are likely to be interested in. The auctioneer's services are paid for in the form of a percentage of the price the goods are sold for.The auctioneer therefore has a direct interest in pushing up the bidding as high as possible.
The auctioneer must know fairly accurately the current market values of the goods he is selling, and he should be acquainted with regular buyers of such goods.He will not waste time by starting the bidding too low.He will also play on the rivalries among his buyers and succeed in getting a high price by encouraging two business competitors to bid against each other.lt is largely on his advice that a seller will fix a "reserve" price, that is, a price below which the goods cannot be sold.Even the best auctioneers, however, find it difficult to stop a "knock-out", whereby dealers illegally arrange beforehand not to bid against each other, but nominate one of themselves as the only bidder, in the hope of buying goods at extremely low prices.If such a "knock-out" comes off, the real auction takes place privately afterwards among the dealers.
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This is the pint-sized Afghan warlord who at just 15 is in command of j an army of 300 anti-Taliban militiamen
July 23rd, 2010 by Chloe
While British youngsters of the same age have long since dispensed with their toy tanks,married Mo¬hammed Humayun boasts six of the real thing. His favourite gadget is a Russian-made rocket launcher which holds 40 three metre-long missilles. The truck-mounted BM21 is the equivalent in Afghanistan of owning a Lear jet.
Humanyun and his story is the living embodiment of the feudal nature of the many factions which make up the Northern Alliance. It is to this group of rag bag militia to which the West is increasingly turning as it sets about wreatling control of Afghanistan from the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden's terror network. Humayun took charge of his mini empire of Uzbek soldiers,who claim descent from Genghis Khan,three months ago. His father Aghagan,40,was killed in a Taliban rocket attack and his son was the uni¬versal choice to succeed him.
"It is a big responsibility but I am used to it, "he said. "I was my fa¬ther's deputy. I was in charge of things while he was away. When he died,I was very sad. Very sad. But then I understood I am a man. "He insists his elevation to boy warlord was not simply due to a medieval-style hereditary right. "There was a great council meeting. They decided to give it to me," he said.
, Aid officials say child soldiering is a product of a society which places clan loyalty above anything else. "This case reflects the reality of Afghanistan's problems, "said Red Cross official Eloi Fillion. "You have the leading family where a man died only to be replaced by his oldest son it's like a successin for a king. "Humayun believes that "children make great soldiers "and he chose his 16-year-old cousin, Juma Khan, as his personal bodyguard. "In the West,you have the wrong idea about this,"said Hu¬mayun. "Children are strong and fast and very brave."
He is equally scathing of anyone who dismisses his own role. "Some¬times people do think I am just a child, "he said. "I went visiting the for¬eign ministry. At the gate,the guard would not let me in. He told me I was a child. I was angry. Later,of course,the man realised his mistake. "Hu-mayan met his wife Jamila at school and many of his child soldiers are for¬mer fellow pupils who rarely leave his side.
His parting shot does not bode ($1/5) well for all the talk in the West of a future built on international partnerships. He said: "The problem for Afghanistan has always been the foreigners. It is their meddling that creates these wars. If all the forces leave there will be peace here."
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It is hard to track the blue whale, the ocean's largest creature, which has almost been killed off by commercial whaling and is now listed as an endangered species
July 22nd, 2010 by Chloe
Attaching radio devices to it is difficult, and visual sightings are too unreliable to give real insight into its behavior.
So biologists were delighted early this year when, with the help of the Navy, they were able to track a particular blue whale for 43 days, monitoring its sounds. This was possible because of the Navy's formerly top-secret system of underwater listening devices spanning the oceans.
Tracking whales is but one example of an exciting new world just opening to civilian scientists after the cold war as the Navy starts to share and partly uncover its global network of underwater listening system built over the decades to track the ships of potential enemies.
Earth scientists announced at a news conference recently that they had used the system for closely monitoring a deep-sea volcanic eruption (*$.;£.) for the first time and that they plan similar studies.
Other scientists have proposed to use the network for tracking ocean currents and measuring changes in ocean and global temperatures.
The speed of sound in water is roughly one mile a second — slower than through land but faster than through air. What is most important, different layers of ocean water can act as channels for sounds, focusing them in the same way a stethoscope ("Jf-t^fl-) does when it carries faint noises from a patient's chest to a doctor's ear. This focusing is the main reason that even relatively weak sounds in the ocean, especially low-frequency ones, can often travel thousands of miles.
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Can you imagine ice that does not melt and is not wet?
July 21st, 2010 by Chloe
Have you ever heard of dry ice? Dry ice is made by freezing a gas. It is quite different from ordinary ice, which is simply frozen water. Dry ice was first manufactured in 1925. It has since fulfilled the hopes of its inventor. It can be used for making artificial fog in the movies. When steam is passed over dry ice, a very dense vapor rises. It can also be used for destroying insects in grain supplies. It is more practical than ordinary ice because it takes up less space and is 142 degrees colder. Since it turns into steam instead of melting into water, it is cleaner to use. For these reasons it is extremely popular and many people prefer it to ordinary ice. Dry ice is so cold that, if you touch it with your bare fingers, it will burn you.
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Global public relations
July 20th, 2010 by Chloe
The rise of multinational corporations， global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR.
Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, the U.S. leader ship in public relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the world's top five public relations agencies were American-owned. In 1991, only one was. The British in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative. A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate C&^I |$) planning activities, compared to about one third of U.S. companies, It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR.
Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? First, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly, Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts (^iJ^jSi-ft A)in knowing a second language. Less than 5 percent of Burson- Marshall's U.S. employees know two languages. Ogilvy and Mather has about the same percentage Conversely, some European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language. Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs. In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal. Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, Publications not often read in this country.
Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN (Cable News Network). Turner recently announced that the work "foreign" would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependent that there is no longer any such thing as foreign.
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