- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by Amith-j

360 Kiosks Coming to Childrens Hospitals

Amith — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:45:20 +0000

Microsoft is teaming with the Companions in Courage Foundation to deliver Xbox 360 kiosks to children’s hospitals across the country, the company announced...

RIAA: Piracy fight more important than net neutrality bill

Amith — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:51:36 +0000

The bill would establish an official national broadband policy, one that prevents service providers from subjecting lawful content to “unreasonable interference” or “discrimination.” It also calls on the Federal Communications Commission to assess competition in and consumer access to broadband Internet access in light of this policy. The testimony at the hearing, however, suggested that these provisions, and net neutrality in general, means very different things to different groups.

CDC Ignores Scientific Evidence in Public Health Cases

Amith — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:08:17 +0000

In many states, citizens and scientists are accusing the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of failing to make the connection between public health problems and industrial sources of pollution — even in the...

Mother Shoots Daughter Over One-Dollar Bet

Amith — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:23:56 +0000

The boyfriend bet the mother $1 she wouldn’t shoot the girl. The mother responded by taking the gun and shooting the girl, who was wearing three pairs of pants. The BB deflected off her leg and struck her 7-year-old brother, who wasn’t...

Boris wins: Europe trembles

Amith — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:41:14 +0000

A beaming new Boris smiles out and salutes from many a European newspaper, but I don’t think they are giving his victory the space that they should.

Some of the international media have their own particular take, like this in the Azerbaijan press: “Boris Johnson is Turkish-origin British. He is great grandson of last interior minister of the Ottoman Empire Ali Kemal.”

But it’s not Boris’s origins but the omens that matter to Europe.

It’s not that the European press will be awaiting the unzipping of Boris’s lips or waiting on tenterhooks for future follies to see if he will feed what he calls the “Hyrcanian tigers” of the media with frank and forthright views.

Coming soon: Great Depression ll or how Hollywood hopes to profit from gloom

Amith — Sat, 03 May 2008 05:59:56 +0000

Hollywood loves a crisis. In particular, it loves an economic one. This isn’t because sub-prime mortgage meltdowns make for good screenplays - they don’t - but because cinema attendance booms typically during a recession.

The trend will be tested today with the opening of Iron Man , the latest Marvel Comics adaptation, starring Robert Downey Jr in the superhero role of the title. Analysts say that the film could take as much as $80 million (Â£40 million) over the weekend as Americans mob the cinemas in search of a distraction from all the talk of $120-a-barrel oil, unstoppable inflation, and the falling property market.

Even if American audiences avoid Iron Man, the economic crisis means that Hollywood will almost certainly get its money back from international sales. Thanks to the weak dollar, an Â£11.50 film ticket sold in London is worth $22.68 to a film studio in Los Angeles, compared with $18.40 five years ago.

Analysis: murderous Islamic leader will not be missed

Amith — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:32:13 +0000

Few apart from his small band of fanatical followers will mourn the passing of Aden Hashi Ayro, the leader of Somali’s Islamist insurrection.

As head of al-Shabaab – “the youth” – he is implicated in the murders of 16 foreigners including the BBC journalist Kate Peyton.

But it was during the reign of the Islamic Courts Union that he came to prominence. His few hundred fighters were credited with providing the courts with their military muscle as they took over much of central and southern Somalia the year before last.

Since their defeat in December 2006, at the hands of Ethiopia’s military machine, Ayro has gradually moved away from his former allies in the courts and waged his own Jihadist war against Somalia’s feeble government.
Related Links

* US air strikes kill top al-Qaeda terrorist

* Court win terror suspect is ‘top al-Qaeda agent’

His tactics echoed those pioneered by Iraqi insurgents. His fighters posted videos on the internet warning peacekeepers they would be targeted and claimed responsibility for suicide attacks. Roadside bombs became a daily occurrence in the capital Mogadishu.

Taking out Ayro, who analysts believe trained in Afghanistan with al Qaeda, has been a key objective of US military policy in the Horn.

iPhone is the most popular cameraphone

Amith — Fri, 02 May 2008 04:44:49 +0000

Not only is the Apple iPhone the most popular phone for browsing the Internet, it is also the most popular phone for uploading pictures.

50 Ways to Beat Walking Exercise Boredom:

Amith — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:37:55 +0000

Even the most committed walkers will admit that, sometimes, putting one foot in front of the other can get a little boring, especially if you’re covering the same old route or the same old piece of treadmill rubber day after day. Never fear...

38 Convictions But Still Free To Roam The Streets And Murder

Amith — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:23:27 +0000

A grandfather who stood up to a pair of young thugs who demanded his mobile phone paid for his defiance with his life. James Smith, 62, who was said by a judge to have been defending the values of his generation, was beaten about the head, dumped...