Its All About Entertainment: July 2013

Wednesday 31 July 2013

Congressmen with business interests blocking Telangana state: M Kodandaram, TJAC Convenor

M Kodandaram, convenor of Telangana Joint Action Committee talks to ET about the Telangana statehood and delays in it's path. Edited Excerpts.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The trick was to make the fans happy, keep the drivers safe, level the playing field, and implement state-of-the-art technology. Did Nascar do it? Only time will tell.

This year, Nascar, a sport that surpasses every sport but the NFL in popularity among Americans, went for the gold, rolling out an all-new generation of its race cars that ditched the common look among manufacturers that fans hated in the previous generation and cut weight. The result? Faster speeds and track records falling by the wayside week after week.

Protesters July 28 rallied in Peshawar, Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Quetta, and Parachinar trade centres and businesses closed for three days as locals mourned the tragedy.
The attack consisted of two blasts. A bomb attached to a motorcycle went off in the Parachinar Bazaar, then another detonated a few hundred metres away near a bus stand on School Road.
Ansar-ul-Mujahideen – a little-known Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)-affiliated militant organisation – claimed responsibility, according to the group's spokesman, Abu Baseer.

NCRI - The Iranian regime's parliament has held a special session to tackle the growing problem of attacks on female anti-vice police by women resisting the regime's repressive laws.
The National Security and Foreign Affairs Commission and Cultural Commission as well as Tehran's police and Basij paramilitary held the urgent meeting after three recent incidents of women defying female officers in public.

NCRI - The U.S. House of Representative approved tough new sections targeting the Iranian regime oil sector and other industries.
The bill that blacklists any business related to the Iranian regime's construction and mining sectors commits the U.S. to the goal of ending the Iranian regime oil sales worldwide by 2015.
The bill easily adopted in 400-20 vote would cut the Iranian regime's oil exports by another 1 million barrels per day over a year.

Getting surgery at a big name hospital does not necessarily mean you will receive better care; patients should be more about how long people stay at the hospital post-op and how likely they will come out alive, Reuters reports.

According to Reuters, the publisher measured two aspects of care: "the percentage of Medicare patients who died in the hospital during or after

As Zimbabweans vote, some 4 million expats are excluded

Zimbabweans wait to cast their votes in presidential and parliamentary elections in Harare, Wednesday, July, 31. One enormous and largely invisible voter cohort that will not be represented are the some 4 million Zimbabwe expats that have left for political or economic reasons in recent decades.
Mr. Mugabe made light of protests by Morgan Tsvangirai, the main challenger, who says the elections are rigged by Mugabe henchmen and that he is running for office "with a heavy heart," given evidence of fraud.
Mr. Tsangirai's claims were echoed in a new report by the International Crisis Group on the eve of voting that stated bluntly, "Conditions for a free and fair vote do not exist" in Zimbabwe

Egypt Decrees That Pro-Morsi Sit-Ins Be Dispersed

CAIRO — Egypt’s military-led government instructed its security forces on Wednesday to end two large sit-ins in the capital by supporters of the deposed Islamist president, a decree that risked a new round of violent convulsions in the country’s political crisis.

The U.S. has declassified secret orders that allowed it to engage in massive surveillance of the phone calls and Internet usage of Americans, information about two clandestine programs that former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden leaked last month.
The government released the orders Wednesday, but blacked out key information, such as the names of the telephone companies it sought the records from. The release of the documents appeared to be a new

I'm always on the lookout for great cheap headphones, so when CNET's Matthew Moskovciak suggested I try Sony's MDR-ZX100 I jumped at the chance. We were both knocked out by Sony's MDR-V6 and MDR-7506 headphones, so I bought a pair of MDR-ZX100s on Amazon for $15. I had no expectations it would threaten those two amazing Sonys, but at less than 20 percent of those headphones' current prices I was curious to see how much of the magic trickled down to the MDR-ZX100. The MDR-V6 and

Apple continues to refine certain elements in iOS 7 as seen in the fourth beta released on Monday.
The phone buttons that appear in response to an incoming call are now less text-heavy, as noted by AppleInsider. The buttons for "remind me later" and "respond with text" have been renamed to simply "remind me" and "message" with icons to represent their roles.
All the call buttons, including those for decline and answer, also have received a small aesthetic change. Their transparency has been reduced

Hardware startups have long taken a backseat to the glitz and fast track of software, which has been the path to success in Silicon Valley and tech circles elsewhere.
Yet today, it seems that everybody is talking about the so-called "Maker Movement." The top two Y Combinator winter 2013 startups voted most likely to succeed were both hardware companies. Dropcam, a San-Francisco startup that makes a camera that streams and records to the cloud, just announced it raised another $30 million in funding. A

After years of private tech investors favoring software startups, new hardware companies are attracting keen attention. Witness Wednesday's $30 million investment in Webcam startup DropCam. Software still gets more buzz -- and yes, more money -- but in the last couple of years, more than $711 million was poured into hardware startups, according to a recent blog post by Renee Di DiResta

Facebook shares soared 25% Thursday, the morning after it posted strong results and said its mobile ad business continues to gain traction.

Los Angeles (CNN) -- A London tabloid declared Sunday that "secret FBI files" reveal Michael Jackson paid millions to silence dozens of boys he abused.

The story quickly echoed throughout global media, perhaps in part because of the trial of the Jackson family's wrongful death lawsuit against a concert promoter and the recent suicide attempt by Jackson's teenage daughter.

(CNN) -- Wander into any gaming forum thread, chat room or multiplayer-action communications, and you quickly discover that gamers can be an insensitive lot. But there are also instances where the hardcore, win-at-all-costs trash talking goes silent and they band together to do good.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Google releases a revamped Zagat site and apps on Monday
This is the first time Zagat reviews can be accessed free and without registration
Zagat scores restaurants, nightlife, stores and points of interest on a scale of one to 30
The apps and site will only cover nine cities to start but more are coming soon

At first blush, Google's self-manufactured Chromecast streaming device sounds irresistible. It will let you use your smartphone, tablet or computer to stream music and video to your television ... and it costs just $35.

On July 29, 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law, officially creating NASA. Fifty-five years later, NASA may finally be eligible for those plum senior discounts, but the agency show no signs of slowing down after a very productive first five and a half decades of existence

His life may be on display on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," but embarrassing details are being revealed about Rob Kardashian lately by ex-girlfriend Adrienne Bailon.
As co-host of "The Real," the former Cheetah Girl shared that she made up a boyfriend to get the reality star to stop calling her.

Back in 2010, an episode of "KUWTK" showed Rob reading an email from her supposed new beau telling him to stop contacting her.

Keeping focus on her fitness to be at her best, Lucy Hale left a gym in West Hollywood on Tuesday (July 30).
The "Pretty Little Liars" star chatted on her phone in a dark v-neck T-shirt, running shorts, pink sneakers, and a black baseball cap as she headed back to her vehicle.

As previously reported by GossipCenter, the 24-year-old actress will join "Glee" star Darren Criss as co-host of the 2013 Teen Choice Awards.

Getting ready to show off some of the upcoming season's hottest duds, Ashlee Simpson hosted the Jessica Simpson fall 2013 campaign launch in New York City on Tuesday (July 30).
Looking stunning, the 28-year-old singer sported a floor-length blue dress from the line while posing with her rumored new man Evan Ross and her mom, Tina Simpson.

Gearing up for a release early next month, the stars of "Lovelace" attended a screening at MoMA in New York City on Tuesday (July 30).
Star of the film Amanda Seyfried soaked up the attention in the media line as the title character while mingling with her fellow co-stars including Sharon Stone.

It's always a tragedy when young talent is lost and Cory Monteith is no exception and he'll be remembered at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards.
Executive producer of the 2013 event, Ken Erlich, told Deadline that the ceremony will feature "something that reflects an homage," however, "what the extent of that is, or how we're going to approach it...well, it's too early to tell."

Though widely regarded as a summer movie flop, "The Lone Ranger" is getting some high praise from its producer, Jerry Bruckheimer.
At the Summer Television Critics' Association tour on Monday (July 29), the longtime film and television producer compared the Disney flick to another late bloomer.

Defending the movie, Jerry said, "It reminds me of a critic who called 'Flashdance' a 'toxic dump.' Ten years later (the critic) said, ‘This is really a good movie. I missed it.' I think (‘Lone Ranger’) going to be looked back on as a brave, wonderful film."

Stepping out to show off some of her latest work, Rose Byrne attended a screening for "I Give It A Year" in New York City on Tuesday (July 30).
Looking perfect for the warm weather, the 34-year-old actress rocked a floral print dress and classic heels as she hammed it up for the cameras ahead of the main event.

The romantic comedy takes a look at the trials and tribulations of a newlywed couple during their first year of marriage.

Fed up with the unwanted attention, Kristen Stewart unleashed on a paparazzo in Long Beach, California on Monday (July 29).
After the photographer asks her "Why are you saying f**k off?," the "Twilight" star fires back, "Because you're a piece of s**t and don't deserve to breathe the same air that I do."

When the unfettered photog asks, "Who's a piece of s**t?," Kristen

Culture of the United States

The culture of the United States is primarily a Western culture, but is also influenced by Native American, African, Asian, Polynesian, and Latin American cultures. A strand of what may be described as American culture started its formation over 10,000 years ago with the migration of Paleo-Indians from Asia, as well as from Oceania and Europe, into the region that is today the continental United States. The United States of America has its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore. The United States of America is an ethnically and racially diverse country as a result of large-scale migration from many ethnically and racially different countries throughout its history as well as differing birth and death rates among natives, settlers, and immigrants.^[1]

Mumbai: Ranbir Kapoor`s ‘Besharam’ trailer was launched Tuesday. Directed by Abhinav Kashyap, the film introduces Pallavi Sharda and also stars veteran actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh.

In ‘Besharam’, set to release Oct 2, Ranbir will be seen as a

Speed devotees flock to the Bonneville Salt Flats in western Utah, a blindingly white plain that is one of the flattest, most obstacle-free places on Earth. They gather there several times a year, to chase the land speed record along a 10-mile (16-kilometer) strip called the Bonneville Speedway. In 2009, the American Festivals Project came to the salt flats

On first inspection, Amir H Fallah's Circling the World to Return is as attractive as its influences; the layered textures of spring fruits and flowers leaping out from a black background take obvious inspiration from the Dutch and Flemish still life painting that flourished in the 17th century. However, on closer inspection and almost concealed by its darkened tones, a plump rat is scampering through the foliage.

The trains collided on a track between Payerne and Lausanne. Driver of one train still missing.

Swiss police said at least 35 people were injured Monday evening after two commuter trains collided head-on outside a station in western Switzerland.
The driver of one train was still missing and believed to be inside the wreckage, police spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel told the BBC. Five of the injured were listed in serious condition.

Researchers say that the Great Lakes, long affected by toxic algae, parasites and invasive species, are now faced with their another potential ecological threat: plastic.

Mayoral Candidate

Anthony Weiner has dropped to fourth place among Democrats seeking to be New York City mayor after admitting he continued to exchange sexually explicit online messages and photos following his 2011 resignation from Congress, with 53% of likely voters ..

National Parks Articles

Pinnacles National Park is the newest of the 59 national parks in the United States and earned its status as a national park earlier this year. The park was … More »
Three Great Mid-Atlantic National Park … Yahoo! Contributor Network - Thu, Jul 25, 2013 3:11 PM EDT

The summer months are made for getting outdoors, and the

It's a fact that all-inclusive resorts can be expensive, with the average nightly rate at some of the bigger chains running $450—per person. We love a challenge and—though it wasn't easy—we found eight beachfront all-inclusive resorts starting at around $100 per person, per night. And they really are all-inclusive: a double room, three meals a day, drinks (from soda to cocktails), and lots of activities. | By Chanize Thorpe, Budget Travel.

Police: $53 million in jewels stolen in Cannes

PARIS (AP) -- A staggering 40 million euro ($53 million) worth of diamonds and other jewels was stolen Sunday from the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel in Cannes, in one of Europe's biggest jewelry heists in recent years, police said. One expert noted the crime follows recent jail escapes by members of the notorious "Pink Panther" jewel thief gang.

If you want to increase your gains, consider training from a different angle -- literally. "Running with your body on a slant forces your core muscles and your lateral line -- the tough connective tissue called fascia that runs along your sides -- to work harder than if you were straight up and down," says David Jack, owner of ActivPrayer in Phoenix, Arizona, and creator of 30 Days to Ripped. A rock-solid midsection helps you react faster and stronger, and lets your body absorb shock effectively. The result: better balance, coordination, and flexibility. Plus, a strong core and lateral line protects your spine against unwanted twists and

Justin Bieber Attends Selena Gomez's Birthday Party, Brings Singer Single Red Rose

It's so hard to say goodbye. Selena Gomez held yet another birthday celebration to ring in her big 2-1 with family and friends at Revolve Clothing beach house in Malibu on Saturday, July 27, with one famous (and unannounced) face making a late appearance: on-again, off-again boyfriend Justin Bieber.

The "Heartbreaker" singer, 19, arrived at the gypsy-themed house party around 9 p.m., an eyewitness tells Us,

Wednesday 31 July 2013

Facebook shares soared 25% Thursday, the morning after it posted strong results and said its mobile ad business continues to gain traction.

At first blush, Google's self-manufactured Chromecast streaming device sounds irresistible. It will let you use your smartphone, tablet or computer to stream music and video to your television ... and it costs just $35.

Tuesday 30 July 2013

The trains collided on a track between Payerne and Lausanne. Driver of one train still missing.

Researchers say that the Great Lakes, long affected by toxic algae, parasites and invasive species, are now faced with their another potential ecological threat: plastic.

Monday 29 July 2013

Sunday 28 July 2013