Thursday, July 31, 2014

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Trailer

U.S. Seeks Asian Backing for Sanctions on Russia

U.S. diplomats are urging major Asian powers - China, South Korea, Singapore and Japan to back new Western economic sanctions imposed on against Russia this week as part of efforts to broaden international pressure against Moscow's stance in the Ukraine conflict, a senior State Department official.



The coordinated sanctions by the U.S. and European Union were aimed at increasing pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his country's support for separatists in eastern Ukraine whom the West blames for taking down a Malaysian airliner nearly two weeks ago. Obama and U.S. allies also warned that Russia was building up troops and weaponry along its border with Ukraine.


In announcing coordinated sanctions, American and European leaders went beyond previous moves against banking and defense industries in an effort to curtail Russia’s access to Western technology as it seeks to tap new Arctic, deep sea and shale oil reserves. The goal was not to inhibit current oil production but to cloud Russia’s energy future.


Economic sanctions can vary from imposing import duties on goods from, or blocking the export of certain goods to the target country, to a full naval blockade of its ports in an effort to verify, and curb or block specified imported goods.
Economic Sanctions

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Israeli artillery fired on U.N. School in Gaza

JEBALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip—Israeli artillery hit a United Nations school sheltering more than 3,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, U.N. officials said, and at least 15 were reported killed and wounding 90—the second fatal attack on a shelter during Israel's 3-week offensive against Hamas.




Abu Hasna, the U.N. agency spokesman, said the international community must step in. "It's the responsibility of the world to tell us what we shall do with more than 200,000 people who are inside our schools, thinking that the U.N. flag will protect them," he said. "This incident today proves that no place is safe in Gaza."


The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said it told Israel "17 times" the building was being used by refugees, although it also confirmed other schools had been used to store weapons.


Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) - Trailer

The Expendables 3 - Trailer

Two New Crater Discovered in Siberia

Theories range from meteorites, stray missiles, a man-made prank, and aliens, to an explosive cocktail of methane or shale gas suddenly exploding. The version about melting permafrost due to climate change, causing a release of methane gas, which then forces an eruption is the current favorite, though scientists are reluctant to offer a firm conclusion without more study.

The second is in the Yamal Peninsula - known to locals as 'the end of the world' - like the first. It is some hundreds kilometres from the first, which is close to a huge gas extraction plant at Bovanenkovo. This new crater in the Taz district, near the village of Antipayuta, has a diameter of about 15 metres.

The third crater and hole is in the Taymyr Peninsula, to the east of Yamal, in Kransoyark region. It was accidentally discovered by local herders, inhabitants of the northern village of Nosok.



Jul 17 2014 - First Crater: They found the crater on the Yamal Peninsula - around up to 70 metres deep - has an icy lake at its bottom, and water is cascading down its eroding permafrost walls. Yamal - a name which means 'end of the world' in the local tongue.



Monday, July 28, 2014

Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower: Make a Wish ~

On the night of July 28th, Slooh will broadcast live the Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower from the Institute of Astrophysics, Canary Islands (IAC) and Prescott Observatory, Arizona. Coverage will begin on Monday, July 28th starting at 7PM PDT / 10PM EDT / 02:00 UTC (7/29) - International Times: goo.gl/f0FoT6



"It gets that name because the meteors seem to radiate from the constellation Aquarius," explains Kelly Beatty, a senior contributing editor for Sky & Telescope magazine.


Up to 20 meteors per hour are expected to be seen during the Delta Aquarids meteor shower peak before dawn on Tuesday, July 29, coming from the Aquarius constellation.


Most of the world can see the Delta Aquarids, with best viewing in the southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere tropics. With clear, dark skies away from city lights, you can see meteors any time after full dark, with peak viewing times in the two hours before dawn (your local time).


In contrast, the much more active Perseids will suffer during the peak time of Aug. 11-13 due to the full moon's glare. Even though the timing isn't ideal, it's still worth keeping an eye out over the next couple of weeks for meteors emanating from the constellation Perseus in northern skies.


Sunday, July 27, 2014

Ebola Outbreak

Nigerian health authorities are racing to stop the spread of Ebola after a Liberian man brought the deadly and highly contagious disease by plane to Lagos, Africa's largest city with 21 million people.



The disease is transmitted to people through the blood and other secretions of wild animals, such as chimpanzees, gorillas and bats, according to the WHO. Humans spread it to each other through contact with bodily fluids of infected people. It causes fever, diarrhea and vomiting, and can lead to bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose.





Ebola virus disease (formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever) is a severe, often fatal illness, with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. It is one of the world’s most virulent diseases.The infection is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people. Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. During an outbreak, those at higher risk of infection are health workers, family members and others in close contact with sick people and deceased patients.


Lucy - Trailer

Hercules (2014) - Trailer

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman

We're used to seeing her in the patriotic red, white and blue costume that became a dressing-up favourite of every little girl. But the modern day Wonder Woman has a darker side as revealed in this first picture of the superhero in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice.



The former Miss Israeli beauty queen and successful model served mandatory military service in the country for for two years. Superfit Gal did her own stunt work when she appeared in the three latest Fast and Furious movies.



Friday, July 25, 2014

Sabina Altynbekova

Sabina Altynbekova was just another 18-year-old girl before she turned up in the Taiwanese capital Taipei to compete for Kazakhstan in the Asian Under-19 Championships. Now local media that would normally only write a couple of lines about the competition are devoting 10 page picture features about her and artists are turning out anime fantasies about her.

Kazakh teen volleyball player is turned on by her own teammates because she is so attractive nobody watches the sport anymore





Thursday, July 24, 2014

Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014

The Queen declared the Games open by reading her own message from inside the Commonwealth baton.

"The baton relay represents a calling together of people from every part of the Commonwealth and serves as a reminder of our shared ideals and ambitions as a diverse, resourceful and cohesive family.

"And now, that baton has arrived here in Glasgow, a city renowned for its dynamic cultural and sporting achievements and for the warmth of its people, for this opening ceremony of the Friendly Games."





Awkward with the Queen and a Baton





The Queen photobombs a selfie taken by Australian hockey player Jayde Taylor



Dwayne Johnson and Jimmy Fallon Aerobics

When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson came onstage on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC, he was greeted to chants of “Hercules! Hercules!” That is because, of course, he is starring as Hercules in an upcoming movie of the same name. On Fallon’s show, he was all fun and games, doing three hilarious skits with the host about two brothers, the Fungo brothers, Jack (Jimmy Fallon) and Chad (Dwayne Johnson).

A Rock solid duo! Dwayne Johnson teams up with Jimmy Fallon for fitness skit on The Tonight Show







Air Algerie AH5017 missing

Flight AH5017 lost radar contact 50 minutes after takeoff from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, early Thursday. It was supposed to have arrived at Algiers' Houari Boumediene Airport about four hours later.




Swiftair, a private Spanish airline, said the plane carrying 110 passengers and six crew left Burkina Faso for Algiers at 1.17am GMT on Thursday but had not arrived at the scheduled time of 5.10am GMT.






Wednesday, July 23, 2014

League of Legends Cinematic: A New Dawn

Giant Rubber Duck Missing

A 54-foot tall inflated duck, the trademark creation of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, is on the run after disappearing from a river in China’s southwestern Guiyang city, where it was being displayed for locals.



But there have been no signs of the yellow behemoth to date. Officials placed a "back-up duck order" from Taiwan that was set to arrive on Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reports, but so far there's been no word if the replacement duck has arrived.


Dec 31 2013 Taiwan: The 18 metre (50 foot) inflatable duck suddenly collapsed on Tuesday, only 11 days after it had been put on display in the port at Keelung. Organisers are unsure as to the cause of its demise, but one theory is that it was attacked by eagles.


The mysterious new installation showed up yesterday in Beijing after the famous inflatable rubber duck went missing in Guizhou, Guiyang Province, on Wednesday following a storm. The ‘golden toad’, which represents wealth and good fortune in traditional Chinese culture, is 22 metres (72.2 ft) tall and was floating on a lake at the Yuyuantan Park.



TransAsia GE222 plane crash lands in Taiwan killed at least 40


A passenger plane has crashed after a failed emergency landing in Taiwan, killing more than 40 people, local officials say.

The domestic flight crashed near Magong airport on the outlying Penghu island, reports said.



A plane attempting to land in stormy weather crashed on a small Taiwanese island late Wednesday, killing 48 people and wrecking houses and cars on the ground.



The plane caught fire “at the end of the runway” and eleven people sustained injuries, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reports.






Sistar: Touch My Body

Four-member K-pop girl group Sistar soared up to the top of 10 local music charts shortly after releasing the EP “Touch & Move.”


SISTAR has done it again! Their new summer track "Touch My Body" achieved an all-kill by topping ten music charts within two hours of its release.





Tuesday, July 22, 2014

China food scandal hits McDonald's, KFC

An American-owned meat factory, Shanghai Husi Food, a subsidiary of Illinois-based OSI Group operating in China has been accused of selling out-of-date and tainted meat to clients including McDonald's, Starbucks and Yum Brands, which owns the KFC and Pizza Hut chains.

Local broadcaster Dragon TV aired footage Monday that showed workers using their bare hands at the food plant to process expired meat, and even food that had fallen on the floor.



Both McDonald’s and Yum have apologized to customers and ordered their outlets to stop serving products from the Shanghai supplier. McDonald’s has some 2,000 restaurants in China, while Yum has more than 4,600 KFC outlets in over 950 cities, and 1,100 Pizza Hut restaurants in about 300 cities.




15 Types of Clients and How to Handle Them Properly [Infographic]


Monday, July 21, 2014

Discontinued Nokia X series

Nokia X series aimed at re-establishing Nokia’s foothold in the developing world, where low-cost Android devices (such as Google's Android One phones) threaten to take an even larger slice of the pie, while offering a sort of backdoor entry into the Windows Phone ecosystem for a rapidly growing market.



Sep 3 2013: Microsoft has decided to buy out hardware partner Nokia’s device and services business, and get access to a rich portfolio of wireless patents, in a deal worth billions of dollars. With the move, Microsoft plans to ensure its mobile software will always have phones to run on, and in turn, make sure all of its Windows software stays relevant.



Feb 4 2014: Microsoft Corp. today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Satya Nadella as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors effective immediately. Nadella previously held the position of Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group.

Since joining the company in 1992, Nadella has spearheaded major strategy and technical shifts across the company’s portfolio of products and services, most notably the company’s move to the cloud and the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world supporting Bing, Xbox, Office and other services. During his tenure overseeing Microsoft’s Server and Tools Business, the division outperformed the market and took share from competitors.



Feb 24 2014: The Nokia X, launching today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, isn't just your run-of-the-mill Android handset. The device, the first of several Android products from Nokia, is a budget model (just 89 euros or about $120) that runs a highly modified version of Android.


Apr 25 2014: “Today we welcome the Nokia Devices and Services business to our family. The mobile capabilities and assets they bring will advance our transformation,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “Together with our partners, we remain focused on delivering innovation more rapidly in our mobile-first, cloud-first world.”



Jun 17 2014: Microsoft is planning to scrap its Nokia X Android efforts and replace them with Windows Phone in the future. The news comes as part of today's announcement that Microsoft is cutting 18,000 jobs in the next year.


Sunday, July 20, 2014

Microsoft to cut up to 18,000 jobs

The recently named Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella is cutting up to 18,000 jobs in the next year, or about 14% of the company's workforce, the largest layoffs in its history. About two-thirds of the cuts would come from its phone and tablet staff, which bulged after former CEO Steve Ballmer agreed to buy Nokia Corp.'s handset business last fall.



Chief executive officer Satya Nadella, who took the helm in February, wants the firm to shift its focus away from software to online services, apps and devices.


Microsoft Email to Employee: We are moving now to start reducing the first 13,000 positions, and the vast majority of employees whose jobs will be eliminated will be notified over the next six months.


EL EMPLEO / THE EMPLOYMENT

Family Robot: Jibo

While Siri and its ilk have gotten most of us used to the idea of talking to our devices, the current selection of smart assistants still feel more like tools than something with a personality. Jibo, a new robot from MIT roboticist Cynthia Breazeal, might be the gadget that finally changes that.


Hands On With Jibo, The Family Robot


Typhoon Matmo

The eastern coast of Taiwan will see impacts from Matmo begin Tuesday with outer bands of squally showers and thunderstorms moving into eastern parts of the island. However, the greater impacts will not arrive until Tuesday night and Wednesday while the typhoon moves across or near the country.



Typhoon Matmo could be a Category 3 or stronger equivalent tropical cyclone as it approaches Taiwan, bringing with it the threat of damaging winds and extremely heavy rainfall leading to landslides on this mountainous island.



Thursday, July 17, 2014

MH17 RIP

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was flying just 1,000 feet (300 metres) above restricted airspace when it was shot down, according to the European air traffic control body.



The passengers on the flight included 154 Dutch, 27 Australians, 38 Malaysians - including 15 crew, 11 people from Indonesia, four Germans, four Belgians, three from the Philippines and one Canadian, BBC News reported an airport official as having said.


"The International AIDS Society (IAS) today expresses its sincere sadness at receiving news that a number of colleagues and friends en route to attend the 20thInternational AIDS Conference taking place in Melbourne, Australia, were on board the Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight that has crashed over Ukraine earlier today," the organisation said in a statement.




One of the voices is believed to be militia commander Igor Strelkov, who then penned a triumphant war cry on Twitter, saying: ‘We warned you – do not fly in “our sky”.’



Thor as Woman

“It’s a huge day in the Marvel Universe. Thor, the God of Thunder, he messed up, and he’s no longer worthy to hold that damn hammer of his. For the first time in history, that hammer is being held by a woman. That’s right. Thor is a woman!” Goldberg said.




Series writer Jason Aaron emphasizes, “This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR. This is the THOR of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we’ve ever seen before.”




Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Financial Crisis 2014

In its annual report, the Swiss-based Bank for International Settlements (BIS) expressed serious concern that global share markets had reached new highs and the interest rate premium for many risky loans had fallen.

Of even more concern to the BIS than the total size of the debt is where it has gone, with many signs that risk is again being under-priced and finances being misdirected to speculative asset booms - just as it was in the run up to what the bank calls the Great Financial Crisis (GFC).



18 Signs Global Economic Crisis

#1 The Bank for International Settlements has issued a new report which warns that “dangerous new asset bubbles” are forming which could potentially lead to another major financial crisis. Do the central bankers know something that we don’t, or are they just trying to place the blame on someone else for the giant mess that they have created?

#2 Argentina has missed a $539 million debt payment and is on the verge of its second major debt default in 13 years.

#3 Bulgaria is desperately trying to calm down a massive run on the banks that threatens of spiral out of control.

#4 Last month, household loans in the eurozone declined at the fastest rate ever recorded. Why are European banks holding on to their money so tightly right now?

#5 The number of unemployed jobseekers in France has just soared to another brand new record high.

#6 Economies all over Europe are either showing no growth or are shrinking. Just check out what a recent Forbes article had to say about the matter… Italy’s economy shrank by 0.1% in the first three months of 2014, matching the average of the three previous quarters. After expanding 0.6% in Q2 2013, France recorded zero growth. Portugal shrank 0.7%, following positive numbers in the preceding nine months. While figures weren’t available for Greece and Ireland in Q1, neither country is showing progress. Greek GDP dropped 2.5% in the final three months of last year, and Ireland limped ahead at 0.2%.

#7 A few days ago it was reported that consumer prices in Japan are rising at the fastest pace in 32 years.

#8 Household expenditures in Japan are down 8 percent compared to one year ago.

#9 U.S. companies are drowning in massive amounts of debt, but the corporate debt bubble in China is so bad that the amount of corporate debt in China has actually now surpassed the amount of corporate debt in the United States.

#10 One Chinese auditor is warning that up to 80 billion dollars worth of loans in China are backed by falsified gold transactions. What will that do to the price of gold and the stability of Chinese financial markets as that mess unwinds?

#11 The unemployment rate in Greece is currently sitting at 26.7 percent and the youth unemployment rate is 56.8 percent.

#12 67.5 percent of the people that are unemployed in Greece have been unemployed for over a year.

#13 The unemployment rate in the eurozone as a whole is 11.8 percent – just a little bit shy of the all-time record of 12.0 percent.

#14 The European Central Bank is so desperate to get money moving through the system that it has actually introduced negative interest rates.

#15 The IMF is projecting that there is a 25 percent chance that the eurozone will slip into deflation by the end of next year.

#16 The World Bank is warning that “now is the time to prepare” for the next crisis.

#17 The economic conflict between the United States and Russia continues to deepen. This has caused Russia to make a series of moves away from the U.S. dollar and toward other major currencies. This will have serious ramifications for the global financial system as time rolls along.

#18 Of course the U.S. economy is struggling right now as well. It shrank at a 2.9 percent annual rate during the first quarter of 2014, which was much worse than anyone had anticipated. 


Faber’s pessimism is matched by well-respected economist and investor Peter Schiff, the CEO of Euro Pacific Capital. Schiff remarks that the stock market collapse we experienced in 2008 “wasn’t the real crash. The real crash is coming.” 


According to Trump, the United States is no longer a rich country. “When you’re not rich, you have to go out and borrow money. We’re borrowing from the Chinese and others. We’re up to $16 trillion in debt.”


The debt held by American households is rising ominously. And unless our economic policies change, that debt balloon, powered by radical income inequality, is going to become the next bust.


The Message from Water

What has put Dr. Emoto at the forefront of the study of water is his proof that thoughts and feelings affect physical reality. By producing different focused intentions through written and spoken words and music and literally presenting it to the same water samples, the water appears to “change its expression”.






"If thoughts can do that to water, imagine what our thoughts can do to us" observed a fan of Dr Masaru Emoto in the movie.



Shakira - La La La (Brazil 2014) ft. Carlinhos Brown

Transformers: Age of Extinction - Trailer


'Age Of Extinction' has now taken in over $752million across the world in just three weeks, which means that it has now surpassed 'X-Men: Days Of Future Past's' $731million.




Typhoon Rammasun


Typhoon Rammasun, whose name means "thunder god" in Thai, plowed into the Philippines significantly stronger than the forecast had called for just 12 hours prior, which could have led residents to under-prepare for the storm.



Hong Kong Observatory said last night there was a chance the typhoon could be centred within 800km of Hong Kong on Thursday. 


Sunday, July 13, 2014

World Cup: Germany 1 vs Argentina 0

Goetze scored the winning goal in extra time to give Germany a 1-0 victory over Argentina on Sunday in a tight and tense World Cup final that came down to one piece of individual skill.



“At this moment I don’t care about this prize,” Messi said. “Only lifting the trophy matters. We deserved better after the game we played. I’m hurt for losing the way we did. We were close to penalties but that’s history.”




Super Moon

The distance between the Earth and moon is, on average, about 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers). But at perigee, the moon creeps about 31,000 miles (50,000 km) closer to Earth than at the highest point of its orbit, called "apogee."



If you thought one supermoon was bright, how about three….? The full Moons of summer 2014—July 12th, August 10th, and Sept. 9th--will all be supermoons.





Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Typhoon Neoguri

Neoguri was west of Kyushu with top winds reaching 148 kilometers (92 miles) per hour, down from yesterday’s 252 kph, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The storm, which was heading east as of 7:50 pm local time, left 20 injured in Okinawa yesterday, where it grounded flights and prompted evacuations.



There are no nuclear power plants on Okinawa, but Kyushu, which is expected to experience violent winds and torrential rain on Thursday, is home to two atomic facilities. There is another on nearby Shikoku island.

World Cup: Brazil 1 - Germany 7



"This was not a typical match. We have to show we can take this defeat, the worst defeat Brazil has ever had, even in friendlies. But it happened. Their lives will go on. My life will go on. Everyone has to try and get what's best for us now. What can we do differently?"


No real surprises in the Germany team. Veteran striker Miroslav Klose will get another chance to move ahead Ronaldo at the top of the all-time scorers list in the World Cup.