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Jan 31, 2009

CASIOPEA


Casiopea was a Japanese jazz fusion band that was formed in 1976 by guitarist Issei Noro and bassist Tetsuo Sakurai. In 1977, keyboardist Minoru Mukaiya and drummer Takashi Sasaki joined the group. The group debuted with the album Casiopea in 1979, and 30 albums or more have since been released. In 1980, the drummer seat is replaced by Akira Jimbo.

The album Eyes of the Mind was released in the United States in 1981. They then released the album Mint Jams in 1982, followed by Four by Four in the same year, which is a collaborative album with some of Fourplay members including Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason, Nathan East and Don Grusin. Their first foreign concert was held in the United Kingdom in 1983. The group has toured Europe, South America, Australia, and Southeast Asia.

CASIOPEA - FREAK JACK





In 1989, Akira Jimbo and Tetsuo Sakurai left the band following several years of musical differences. They named their own band, Jimsaku. For the replacement, the group chose Yoshihiro Naruse (bass) and Masaaki Hiyama (drums).

In 1993, the group once again change its members. Noriaki Kumagai came to replace Masaaki. Then from 1997 Akira Jimbo returned to Casiopea, this time as a part-time member, recording more albums and again contributing some of the compositions.

In 2006, Issei Noro, the group’s leader, decided to freeze all activities of the band until further notice.
Edited by Nedmund

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Domain Gratis di CO.CC


Kalau Anda ingin punya domain gratis Anda bisa mendaftar dengan mudah di CO.CC. Domain ini nantinya dapat digunakan untuk banyak hal. Antara lain, (1) untuk menjadi domain blog Anda di blogspot, (2) menjadi domain Anda di wordpress.com; (3) menjadi domain Anda dengan hosting gratis di 000webhost.com. Fungsi nomor (3) ini khusus bagi Anda yang ingin berlatih memiliki situs dengan domain dan hosting sendiri.


Cara daftar di CO.CC

1. Kunjungi CO.CC

2. Di kotak yang tersedia (lihat gambar 1), isi alamat yang diinginkan. Contoh. namasaya.co.cc. Klik “Check Availability”. Kalau “Available” (belum ada yang punya), teruskan prosesnya. Kalau sudah ada yang pakai, ulangi lagi dengan mengisi nama yang lain.


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Jan 30, 2009

How to make Tag CLouds on Your Blog


How to install Blogumus in your Blogger layout
Installing Blogumus in your Blogger layout is surprisingly simple! You should only need to copy and paste a section of code to your Blogger template, though any tweaks for the style of display will require some manual editing. Here are the steps required to install Blogumus in your Blogger layout: Go to Layout>Edit HTML in your Blogger dashboard, and search for the following line code (find this code or similar):
Click Edit - Find ( ctrl+f )


<b:section class='sidebar' id='sidebar' preferred='yes'>

Immediatly after this line,copy and paste the following section of code below :


<b:widget id='Label99' locked='false' title='Labels' type='Label'>
<b:includable id='main'>
<b:if cond='data:title'>
<h2><data:title/></h2>
</b:if>
<div class='widget-content'>
<script src='http://halotemplates.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-cumulus-example/swfobject.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<div id='flashcontent'>Blogumulus by <a href='http://www.roytanck.com/'>Roy Tanck</a> and <a href='http://www.bloggerbuster.com'>Amanda Fazani</a></div>
<script type='text/javascript'>
var so = new SWFObject(&quot;http://halotemplates.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-cumulus-example/tagcloud.swf&quot;, &quot;tagcloud&quot;, &quot;140&quot;, &quot;150&quot;, &quot;7&quot;, &quot;#ffffff&quot;);
// uncomment next line to enable transparency
//so.addParam(&quot;wmode&quot;, &quot;transparent&quot;);
so.addVariable(&quot;tcolor&quot;, &quot;0x333333&quot;);
so.addVariable(&quot;mode&quot;, &quot;tags&quot;);
so.addVariable(&quot;distr&quot;, &quot;true&quot;);
so.addVariable(&quot;tspeed&quot;, &quot;100&quot;);
so.addVariable(&quot;tagcloud&quot;, &quot;<tags><b:loop values='data:labels' var='label'><a expr:href='data:label.url' style='12'><data:label.name/></a></b:loop></tags>&quot;);
so.addParam(&quot;allowScriptAccess&quot;, &quot;always&quot;);
so.write(&quot;flashcontent&quot;);
</script>
<b:include name='quickedit'/>
</div>
</b:includable>
</b:widget>


Then preview your template. If installed correctly, you should see the tag cloud appear in your sidebar. Then you are free to save your template, edit the colors and dimensions as required, or move it to a different location. That's all!

Customizing Blogumus
In this default installation, Blogumus includes the following preset variables:
You can find " Text HEXADECIMAL CODE ON INTERNET " go to google search.

* Width is set to 140px
* Height is set to 150px;
* Background color is white
* Test color is grey
* Font size is "12"


If you would prefer to make your widget wider, shorter, change the color scheme, etc, you will need to do this by editing various parts of the code. I'll go through these options in the order they appear in the widget code. Editing width and height The variables for width and height are found in this line of the script:

var so = new SWFObject("http://halotemplates.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-cumulus-example/tagcloud.swf", "tagcloud", "240", "300", "7", "#ffffff");

The width (currently 240) is highlighted in Blue, while the height (300px default) is highlighted in blue. These numerical values specify the width and height in pixels, so you can alter these of you prefer. Editing background color You can change the background color from white to any other color by altering the hex value in the same line:

var so = new SWFObject("http://halotemplates.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-cumulus-example/tagcloud.swf", "tagcloud", "240", "300", "7", "#ffffff");

For example, if you prefer a bright red background, you may replace #ffffff with #ff0000. Take a look at this page for a list of commonly used hex color codes. Alter the color of text By default, the text is set to display as dark grey ( hex value #333333). You can alter this variable in the following line:

so.addVariable("tcolor", "0x333333");

Be aware that "tcolor" is a Flash variable and doesn't include the usual hash symbol of hex color codes. Be sure to only replace the numbers! Adjust the font size The maximum font size of tags is specified in this line:

so.addVariable("tagcloud", "<tags><b:loop values='data:labels' var='label'><a expr:href='data:label.url' style='12'><data:label.name/></a></b:loop></tags>");

You can alter this to ensure tags are displayed in a bigger or smaller font if you prefer by changing "12" to a larger or smaller number. While making any of these changes, you should be able to preview your widget and be certain that your new choice of color, dimensions and background are suitable for your needs.

Happy Blogging Guys

Thank's to Roy Tanck

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Jan 28, 2009

Virus Conficker

Sumber: Vaksincom
Tri Wahono
JAKARTA, Kompas - Belum selesai menghadapi virus-virus lokal yang ada, varian virus Conficker menjadi momok sudah menjadi ancaman baru bagi pengguna komputer. Virus ini mampu membuat akses pada website security dan update antivirus menjadi tertutup, membuat scheduled task sendiri dan menjadi mudah berkembang serta membuat jaringan menjadi lambat. Bahkan virus ini juga menyerang Windows Vista dan Windows 2008.
Tak semua antivirus dapat mendeteksinya dan belum satupun antivirus dapat mematahkan kekuatannya. Apa yang dapat Anda lakukan jika komputer Anda terjangkit Conficker? Simak tips dan trik pembasmian virus Conficker dari vaksinis Vaksin.com, Adi Saputra.


Tak semua antivirus dapat mendeteksinya dan belum satupun antivirus dapat mematahkan kekuatannya. Apa yang dapat Anda lakukan jika komputer Anda terjangkit Conficker? Simak tips dan trik pembasmian virus Conficker dari vaksinis Vaksin.com, Adi Saputra.
1. Scan PC yang terinfeksi dengan menggunakan tools Network Monitor, seperti Wireshark, Ethersal,
atau Maa Tech Security. Dengan tools ini kita bisa melihat biang dari penularan virus ini.

2. Kemudian, scan PC yang vulnerable dengan tools analysis security seperti LanGuard Security Scanner, Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, dan Nessus untuk mengetahui komputer vulnerable.

3. Lalu putuskan koneksi komputer dari jaringan lokal maupun internet.

4. Matikan proses virus yang aktif pada services dan mendompleng "svchost.exe" dengan menggunakan Norman atau Unlocker untuk membersihkan virus.

5. Hapus string services yang mendompleng pada svchost.exe dengan menggunakan Registry Cleaner seperti Gmer untuk menghapus file virus ini.

6. Hapus pula string registry yang dibuat oleh virus.

7. Hapus string virus yang aktif pada start-up menggunakan ms-config.

8. Kemudian, bersihkan folder Temporary Internet dengan menggunakan tools cleaner, seperti Norman
Malware Cleaner dan Unlocker.


Jangan Lengah, Kenali Ciri-ciri Serangan Conficker

jika terinfeksi virus Conficker, komputer benar-benar seperti zombie yang diambil alih pihak lain. Pengguna tak berkutik terutama saat terhubung dengan jaringan Internet. Serangan Conficker akan sangat mengganggu karena tidak hanya mengambil alih sebagian kerja komputer, namun juga menelanjangi fungsi keamanan yang seharusnya melindungi komputer dari ancaman virus dan sejenisnya.
Namun, karena tidak merusak langsung seringkali serangan tersebut tak disadari. Nah, apakah komputer sudah terinfeksi Conficker atau belum dapat dikenali dari ciri-cirinya. Gejala Conficker yang paling umum adalah munculnya pesan Generic Host Process Error setiap kali pengguna komputer menghubungkan dirinya dengan internet.
Selain itu, Conficker juga diketahui menyebabkan login username Active Directory dikunci karena ia melakukan aksi Bruteforce. Dalam banyak kasus malahan serangan menyebabkan terganggunya koneksi internet komputer/jaringan korbannya.  
Jika anda mengalami satu atau beberapa gejala dibawah ini, berarti Conficker telah menginfeksi:

1. Username Login di Active Directory (AD) Windows terkunci berulang-ulang. Jadi meskipun sudah terkunci (lock) dan dibuka oleh Admin, tetapi terkunci lagi.

2.Komputer mendapatkan pesan error Generic Host Process.

3.Komputer tidak bisa mengakses situs-situs tertentu seperti www.microsoft.com, www.symantec.com, www.norman.com, www.clamav.com, www.grisoft.com, www.avast.com dan www.eset.com dengan pesan "Address not Found" tetapi jika situs-situs tersebut di akses dari alamat IPnya akan bisa diakses. Dan situs-situs lain tidak ada gangguan berarti.

4.Update definisi antivirus terganggu karena akses ke situs antivirus diblok.

5. Banyak aplikasi tidak berfungsi dengan baik. Khususnya aplikasi yang memanfaatkan jaringan dan menggunakan port 1024 s/d port 10.000  

Ciri File Virus  
Virus Conficker.DV memiliki file yang di kompress melalui UPX. File virus berukuran 162 kb. File virus yang masuk bert ipe gambar (gif, jpeg, bmp, png). Sedangkan file yang aktif umumnya bertype "dll" (dynamic link library).
File virus yang berusaha masuk akan berada pada lokasi temporary internet:  

1. %Documents and Settings-Settings-Internet Files-acak%].[%gif,jpeg,bmp,png%]

2. %Documents and Settings-Settings-Temporary Internet Files-  
Jika file virus yang masuk berhasil dijalankan, virus akan mengcopy dirinya pada salah satu lokasi folder berikut :  

3. %Documents and Settings%-Data-acak%].dll

4. %Program Files%-Explorer-acak%].dll

5. %Program Files%-Maker-acak%].dll

6. %WINDOWS%-acak%].dll

7. %WINDOWS%-acak%].dll  
 
File "dll" inilah yang aktif dan "mendompleng" file svchost.exe (Windows Server Service) untuk melakukan penyebaran virus kembali. Vi rus juga akan mengcopy file "[%nama acak%].tmp" pada folder %WINDOWS%-(contohnya : 01.tmp atau 06.tmp). Setelah menggunakan file tersebut, kemudian virus mendelete file tersebut.  

]Gejala/Efek Virus  
Jika sudah terinfeksi W32/Conficker.DV, virus akan menimbulkan gejala / efek berikut :  
1. Jika varian sebelumnya mematikan service "Workstation, Server dan Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)". Maka kali ini virus berusaha untuk mematikan dan men-disable beberapa service, yaitu:
- wscsvc : Security Center
- wuauserv : Automatic Updates
- BITS : Background Intellegent Transfer Service
- ERSvc : Error Reporting Service
- WerSvc : Windows Error Reporting Service (Vista, Server 2008)
- WinDefend : Windows Defender (Vista, Server 2008)  

2.Virus m ampu melakukan blok terhadap program aplikasi yang berjalan saat mengakses website yang mengandung string berikut. Hal ini dilakukan tanpa melakukan perubahan pada host file yang ada. Dengan melakukan blok, dapat mencegah program anti-malware untuk melakukan update antivirus dan mencegah user saat mencoba akses ke website keamanan.  

3. Virus berusaha melakukan perubahan pada system Windows Vista / Server 2008 dengan menggunakan perintah :
" netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=disabled"  
Dengan perintah ini, maka windows auto tuning akan di-disable. Windows Auto-Tuning merupakan salah satu fitur dari Windows Vista dan Server 2008 yang berguna untuk meningkatkan performa ketika mencoba aks es jaringan. Info selengkapnya pada http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947239  


4.Virus berusaha mendownload dan mengeksekusi file (bmp, gif, jpeg, png) yang kemudian masuk pada temporary internet.  


5.Virus akan mengecek koneksi internet dan men-download file dengan menyesuaikan tanggal setelah 1 Januari 2009. Untuk itu virus mengecek pada beberapa wesite berikut :  

baidu.com, google.com, Yahoo.com, msn.com, ask.com, w3.org, aol.com, cnn.com
ebay.com, myspace.com  

6. Virus akan membuat rule firewall pada gateway jaringan local yang membuat serangan dari luar terkoneksi dan mendapatkan alamat external IP Address yang terinfeksi melalui berbagai macam port (1024 hingga 10000).

7. Virus akan membuat services dengan karakteristik berikut, agar dapat berjalan otomatis saat start-up windows :
Service name: "[%nama acak%].dll"
Path to executable: %System32%--k netsvcs
Serta dengan menggunakan kombinasi dari beberapa string berikut yang muncul pada deskripsi service (biasanya gabungan 2 string semisal "Security Windows") :  
Boot, Center, Config, Driver, Helper, Image, Installer, Manager, Microsoft, Monitor, Network, Security, Server, Shell, Support, System, Task, Time, Universal, Update, Windows  

8. Virus membuat HTTP Server pada port yang acak :
Http://%ExternalIPAddress%:%PortAcak(1024-10000)%  
Virus melakukan koneksi ke beberapa website untuk mendapatkan alamat IP Address external yang sudah diinfeksi :  
- http://www.getmyip.org
-http://www.whatsmyipaddress.com
- http://getmyip.co.uk
-http://checkip.dyndns.org
- Virus membuat scheduled task untuk menjalankan file virus yang sudah di copy dengan perintah :  
"rundll32.exe .[%eks tensi acak%], [%acak]"

Waspada, 9 Juta Komputer Sudah Terinfeksi Conficker

eperti virus penyakit, virus komputer juga menyebar dengan cepat dari satu komputer ke komputer lain. Wabah yang tengah mengancam jutaan komputer di seluruh dunia sekarang adalah serangan yang disebut conficker.
Program berbahaya ini telah menginfeksi 6 juta-9 juta komputer di seluruh dunia hanya dalam waktu 2 minggu. Kawasan yang terkena serangan paling tinggi adalah Asia dan Amerika Latin.
Berdasarkan data Symantec, China dan Argentina merupakan negara yang paling parah terkena serangan jenis worm ini. Conficker baru menyebar sekitar dua bulan lalu, tapi telah menimbulkan kepanikan yang begitu masif.
Hampir 29 persen komputer di China terinfeksi conficker. Sementara Argentina telah mencapai 11 persen. Selain itu, serangan ini juga cepat menyebar di Brasil dan Rusia. "Kami tak melihat jumlah terinfeksi yang sebesar itu di tempat lainnya," ujar Alfred Huger, Wakil Presiden Symantec Security Response. Di AS, misalnya, komputer yang terinfeksi baru sekitar 1 persen.
Huger mengatakan, worm ini memang didesain pembuatnya untuk menuliskan kode yang bekerja pada jaringan China dan Brasil sehingga kedua negara itulah yang sepertinya menjadi target serangan. Namun, versi terbarunya menyerang ke jaringan lebih luas.
"Saya kira pembajakan punya peran meski saya tidak tahu bagaimana pengaruhnya," ujar Huger. Negara di Asia dan Amerika Latin selama ini dikenal dengan tingkat pembajakan software yang sangat tinggi.
Para pengamat keamanan komputer saat ini masih meraba-raba apa yang akan dilakukan pembuat conficker setelah menginfeksi jutaan komputer di seluruh dunia. Yang pasti, komputer yang terinfeksi dapat diambil alih pembuat virus dari jarak jauh layaknya zombie. Jutaan komputer tersebut bakal menjadi jaringan botnet terbesar di dunia yang rawan dimanfaatkan untuk melakukan tindakan kriminal seperti pencurian data rahasia atau bahkan rekening bank. Dalam beberapa kasus, komputer yang terserang akan mengalami gangguan koneksi setiap kali terhubung ke internet.
Conficker yang juga disebut Downandup atau Kido menyerang dengan cara memanfaatkan celah kelemahan pada fitur Windows Service yang telah ditambal Microsoft bulan Oktober lalu. Namun, beberapa laporan mengatakan, virus tersebut tidak mati meski patch telah dipasang. Conficker menginfeksi dengan cara menebak password admin di jaringan atau melalui USB flash.
Jadi, hati-hati terhadap serangan ini dan lebih waspada setiap kali melakukan tukar-menukar file. Update antivirus mutlak untuk mengantisipasi kemungkinan serangan.

Sumber Kompas.com

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Jan 24, 2009

Drew Barrymore: More Charlie's Angels, Please!


Los Angeles (E! Online) – Drew Barrymore is ready to kick some ass again.

Ms. Barrymore just told me she's hot to make a third installment of her supersuccessful Charlie's Angels movie franchise.

"I'm so into it," Barrymore said while promoting her new star-filled romantic comedy, He's Just Not That Into You. "I'm so into it—Charlie's Angels III!"

Barrymore kicked off an updated retelling of the 1970s television series nine years ago with Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu. Three years later, they returned with Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.


It's percolating up," said Nancy Juvonen, Barrymore's Flower Films producing partner. "It's rising to the surface."

Barrymore added, "They're hard movies to make, but they're fun." And lucrative! The franchise grossed $544 million worldwide, according to boxofficemojo.com.

Ideas are being kicked around, including the possible introduction of a fourth Angel. It happened in the original Aaron Spelling series when Cheryl Ladd joined the cast in 1977 as Kris Munroe, sister of Farrah Fawcett's iconic Jill.

Let's not forget about a villain. Sam Rockwell and Crispin Glover were among the baddies the first time around. Demi Moore appeared in Full Throttle as Madison Lee, a former Angel turned vamped-up villainess. For the next flick, they say they'll probably go with another guy.

So they're looking for a fourth angel and a bad boy...Let the casting suggestions begin.

··· THEY SAID WHAT? Get today's most commented stories now at www.eonline.com

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Ring of fire: Indian Ocean to see solar eclipse


PARIS (AFP) – A few lucky people in the Indian Ocean will be treated to a rare event on Monday when an annular solar eclipse will transform the Sun into a dark disc with a blazing ring-shaped corona around its rim.
In solar eclipses, the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, casting its shadow on the terrestrial surface.
In an annular eclipse, a tiny shift in distance that results from celestial mechanics means the Moon does not completely cover the Sun's face, as it does in a total eclipse.

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Jan 21, 2009

Masalah Posting Artikel di blog


Bagaimana mengatasi masalah postingan artikel pertama-tama saya sarankan jika setelah mengetik artikel di mode COMPOSE,sebelum di publish, sebaiknya pindah dulu ke mode Edit HTML. Nah pada sela-sela paragrap yang ingin di beri jarak kita sisipkan kode --> <br/>
satu kode <br/> berarti satu line break ke bawah, jadi kalau jarak yang di inginkan jauh ke bawah kita tinggal tambahkan kode <br/> beberapa kali.

Contoh :


Di kabarkan padai awal tahun 2007 kemarin telah di luncurkan suatu produk alarm mobil yang mengklaim dirinya sebagai alarm tercanggih di dunia. Produk tersebut terdiri dari dua item produk dengan kecanggihan yang berbeda.
<br/><br/>
Produk pertama :
<br/><br/>
Alarm dengan menggunakan sim card, yakni alarm yang bisa me report kepada pemilik melalui teknologi GSM. Semisal mobil kita di ganggu orang sehingga bunyi, maka mobil ini akan secara otomatis menelpon kita untuk me report bahwa mobil kita di ganggu, Jangkauannya sampai dengan jangkauan provider dari GSM selularnya.

Maka yang akan muncul di blog kita akan seperti ini :

Di kabarkan padai awal tahun 2007 kemarin telah di luncurkan suatu produk alarm mobil yang mengklaim dirinya sebagai alarm tercanggih di dunia. Produk tersebut terdiri dari dua item produk dengan kecanggihan yang berbeda.

Produk pertama :

Alarm dengan menggunakan sim card, yakni alarm yang bisa me report kepada pemilik melalui teknologi GSM. Semisal mobil kita di ganggu orang sehingga bunyi, maka mobil ini akan secara otomatis menelpon kita untuk me report bahwa mobil kita di ganggu, Jangkauannya sampai dengan jangkauan provider dari GSM selularnya.


atau bisa juga kita menggunakan tag <p> ... </p>, tapi saya lebih menyukai tag <br/> tadi.

Untuk permasalahan tadi saya rasa sudah cukup jelas, nah saya sarankan bila kawan-kawan ingin terbiasa dengan kode HTML, maka ketika posting artikel sebaiknya pada posisi Edit HTML jangan pada posisi Compose, sebab ada peribahasa alah bisa karena biasa.

Mudah-mudahan bermanfaat.

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Cara membuat READ MORE di blogger


Biasanya postingan terbaru akan ditampilkan dihalaman utama blog. Namun jika postingan kamu terlalu panjang maka hal tersebut akan membuat penuh halaman utama. Jika kamu ingin supaya postingan kamu yang ditampilkan dihalaman utama cuma abstraksinya saja kemudian ada sebuah link Read More ( istilah lain" Baca Selengkapnya " untuk melihat selengkapnya maka ikutilah langkah-langkah berikut :

1. Buka menu Layout kemudian pilih Edit HTML.
2. Kasih tanda cek (centang) pada cekbox "expand widget template"
3. Cari kode berikut di Template blog kamu (tempatnya kira-kira pada 1/4 bagian bawah kode hmtl) :



<div class='post-body entry-content'>kalo dah ketemu maka dibawahnya ada kode ini :

<p><data:post.body/></p>


4. Kalau sudah ketemu, Ganti kode yang ini

<p><data:post.body/></p>

menjadi seperti ini :

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>
<style>.fullpost{display:inline;}</style>
<p><data:post.body/></p>
<b:else/>
<style>.fullpost{display:none;}</style>

<p><data:post.body/></p>

<a expr:href='data:post.url'>Read More......</a>
</b:if>

Tulisan "Read More....." itu bisa kamu rubah, misalnya jadi "Baca Selengkapnya".


5. Simpan hasil pengeditan.
6. Kemudian pilih menu Setting lalu pilih Formatting
7. Pada kotak Post Template isikan kode berikut:

<span class="fullpost">


</span>


8. Kemudian Simpan.
9. Ketika memposting, kan disana ada 2 tab pilihan tuh, yang "Compose" dan "Edit Html", Nha km pilih Yang "Edit HTML", Maka secara otomatis akan tampak kode seperti berikut :

<span class="fullpost">


</span>

10. Letakkan abstraksi posting atau artikel yang akan ditampilkan dihalama utama (sebelum tulisan "Redmore") diatas kode ini : <span class="fullpost"> sementara sisanya yaitu keseluruhan posting letakkan di antara kode <span class="fullpost"> dan </span>
11. selesai .

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Man Utd 4-2 Derby (4-3 agg) By Chris Bevan

John O'Shea celebrates after scoring his first goal of the season

Manchester United booked their place in the Carling Cup final despite being given a late scare by Derby County.

The Rams led 1-0 from the first leg but a fierce Nani strike levelled the tie and defensive errors let John O'Shea and Carlos Tevez put United in charge.

Derby improved after the break and Giles Barnes replied from the spot when Paul Green was fouled in the area.

Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty seemed to have sealed United's win but Barnes' superb free-kick set up a tense finale.

It is United who have reached Wembley, where they will take on Burnley or Tottenham, but the Championship strugglers still deserve praise for the spirit they showed at Old Trafford when the game looked dead and buried.


It also emphasised how there could have been a very different outcome had Derby made the most of their opportunities in the first leg.

The Rams had won that game courtesy of Kris Commons' strike but they wasted several other chances and their failure to take more than a one-goal cushion to Old Trafford was always going to make their task in the second leg a difficult one.

Things began promisingly enough for Derby when Commons hustled Darron Gibson off the ball and fired in a rasping shot that United keeper Ben Foster was grateful to see fly wide.

But, once United settled and began to probe the Rams defence, they found gaping holes and took full advantage.

On 16 minutes, Nani was allowed to pick up the ball on the half-way line and advance unchallenged towards the penalty area before letting fly with a ferocious shot that Roy Carroll got a hand to but could not keep out of his net.

Things got worse for Derby six minutes later when Gary Teale stepped up to try to catch O'Shea offside but only succeeded in giving the Republic of Ireland defender time to pick his spot for his first goal this season.

And their defence disintegrated altogether on 34 minutes when Giggs fed Rafael with a quick corner and the Brazilian whipped in a curling cross that gave the unmarked Tevez the easy task of heading home from close range.

The tie looked done and dusted at that point and United, understandably, took their foot off the pedal after the break.

Carroll had to claw away a free-kick by Giggs, who had been in vintage form early on, immediately after the restart but from that point onwards it was all about Derby.

The Premier League leaders were not exactly under pressure but they were no longer threatening, while the Rams went close with Rob Hulse heading over and Green missing the target with a volley.

Things got even more interesting when defender Jonny Evans picked up an injury with 15 minutes left but was forced to play on as United had used up all three of their substitutes.

Evans was clearly struggling and that was a factor when he clipped Green in the box with 10 minutes left, allowing Barnes to drill home from the spot.

United responded well and Ronaldo, who had come off the bench, appeared to wrap things up with a penalty of his own after Tevez was brought down by Carroll.

But Barnes had other ideas and his superb free-kick in injury-time brought Derby within one goal of forcing extra-time.

It was not to be but the night was still far less straightforward than United might have anticipated at the interval.

To add to United's problems, Rafael and Anderson also picked up injuries and could face long lay-offs at a crucial stage of the season.

Man Utd: Foster, Rafael Da Silva (Fletcher 42), Neville (Chester 67), Evans, O'Shea, Nani, Gibson, Anderson, Giggs (Ronaldo 58), Welbeck, Tevez.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Tosic, Scholes, Possebon.

Booked: Rafael Da Silva, Fletcher.

Goals: Nani 16, O'Shea 22, Tevez 34, Ronaldo 89 pen.

Derby: Carroll, Connolly, Albrechtsen, Todd (Barazite 62), Stewart, Teale, Addison, Green, Davies (Savage 46), Commons (Barnes 68), Hulse.
Subs Not Used: Bywater, Villa, Nyatanga, Hines.

Booked: Addison, Green, Carroll.

Goals: Barnes 80 pen, 90.

Agg (4-3)

Att: 73,374

Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral).

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So who will Obama meet first?


LONDON, England (CNN) -- Everyone wants to be the friend of newly inaugurated U.S. President Barack Obama -- none more so than leaders in Europe.

Many claim he has already had his first meeting with a foreign head of state.
Obama met Mexican President Felipe Calderon last week, afterwards telling media that there was an "extraordinary relationship."

"My message today is that my administration is going to be ready on Day One to build a stronger relationship with Mexico," President Obama added.

But the meeting had less to do with Obama's intentions -- although he is keen for a strong relationship with Mexico -- and more to do with tradition.


Every incoming U.S. president since Ronald Reagan in 1980 has made a point of holding talks with his counterpart across the border before taking his place in the Oval Office.

So, who will Obama meet first?

Any move is likely to hinge on Obama's keenness to repair some of the damage caused by U.S. foreign policy during George W. Bush's administration, and in particular the split with continental Europe over the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

That military action was backed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, but such support could count against his successor Gordon Brown in his relationship with Obama.
Brown's spokesman played down the relevance of being the first leader to meet Obama in comments reported by the British Press Association Tuesday.

"We wouldn't attach too much importance to who has what meetings when," said the spokesman.

"The important thing is whether or not you share the same values and have similar approaches and are able to work together on challenges."
Britain's traditional rivals, Germany and France, both opposed the invasion.
Nicolas Sarkozy gave Obama a warm welcome at the Elysee Palace, the official Parisian residence of the French presidents, when he visited in July -- and afforded him a much higher profile press conference than that given to Republican rival John McCain (in contrast Brown gave both leaders equal treatment).

Then French President Jacques Chirac was also the first European leader to visit President George W. Bush, the previous holder of the Oval Office, in 2001.

And then there is Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany, which Obama visited in July, drawing a crowd of some 200,000 people to a speech at the Victory Column in a central Berlin park.

Commentators said the event evoked the historic "I am a Berliner" delivery in 1963 by then U.S. President John F Kennedy, who Obama has been compared to.

Of course Obama could look beyond Europe and perhaps make his first meeting with a leader from the Middle East, Asia -- or even Mwai Kibaki, president of Kenya, the new U.S. president's ancestral homeland. After all, Obama's presidency has long heralded its fresh approach to the rest of the world.

But perhaps his priorities have been hinted at in comments made by Hillary Clinton, the designated U.S. secretary of state, earlier this week.

"The new administration will reach out across the Atlantic to leaders in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and others including and especially, the new democracies."

After words like that, who would bet against the nation that gave America the Statue of Liberty being the first to take a phonecall from the 44th U.S. president?

Readmore »»

Jan 17, 2009

2 million to show up to see Obama being sworn in


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Based on their latest estimates, congressional officials organizing next week's presidential inaugural expect 2 million people to brave extra-long security lines in the bitter cold to witness Barack Obama being sworn in as the first African-American U.S. president.

"Hopefully, people will be of good temper and willing to go through the lines it will take," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, who chairs the congressional committee organizing inaugural events on Capitol Hill. "Because they are going to have to go through magnetometers and they are going to be wanded. Unfortunately, that's the nature of the time."


orecasts show the high temperature on Inauguration Day will be 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 Celsius).

Speaking with other officials at a news conference Friday previewing the inaugural festivities, Feinstein warned that people will have to walk long distances to get to the event and should plan to arrive early.

"Most people will be standing for a substantial period of time, and be sure you can do it," she said. "People have to be prepared to handle very cold weather, especially if the wind comes up."

She suggested people not bring infants or children unless they are of an "age and durability" to withstand the cold over a long period of time.

"Be very careful if you're planning to bring your children, cause it's not going to be easy," she said, speaking as a mother and grandmother.

Contingency plans exist to move the swearing-in inside the Capitol if the cold becomes "life-endangering," according to Howard Gantman, who works for Feinstein. "But in view of the large number of people, there's a strong intent to do this outside," he said.

Crowd estimates are down from an original prediction from District of Columbia officials that as many as 4 million people would crowd the Capitol grounds and the National Mall to see the event. The new figures, based on fresh surveys of charter bus companies, show far fewer are coming than initially thought.

Feinstein ticked through other facts and figures about the event:

# More than two dozen construction workers hammered together 22,000 sheets of plywood to build the dramatic inaugural platform on the West Front of the Capitol where Obama will take the oath of office.

# While 2 million people will attend the event, many will see it best on one of two dozen jumbo televisions placed along the Mall. Only 240,000 people will get official inaugural tickets, and most of them will have to stand. A mere 28,000 seats are available on the Capitol grounds.

# Five thousand portable bathrooms will be set up for ticketed guests on the Capitol grounds. Feinstein didn't know how many toilets would be available along the Mall for people without tickets.

# It cost $3.5 million to build the inaugural platform and rent the chairs and fencing on the Capitol grounds, according to Stephan Ayers, the acting architect of the Capitol.

# Almost 2 million people have visited the inaugural.senate.gov Web site, with most of the attention going to the page featuring the menu for the inaugural luncheon that will immediately follow the swearing-in in the Capitol's Statuary Hall.

The elite few who are invited to that lunch will enjoy a three-course meal featuring wines from Feinstein's home state of California, she said.

The first course will be "seafood stew served with Duckhorn Vineyards, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley." That will be followed by "a brace of American birds (pheasant and duck), served with sour cherry chutney and molasses sweet potatoes; served with Goldeneye, 2005 Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley."

And finally, "apple cinnamon sponge cake and sweet cream glace served with Korbel Natural 'Special Inaugural Cuvee,' California Champagne."

Feinstein said she and a small group of senators' wives, and Nancy Erickson, the secretary of the Senate, chose the menu after a competition of the "very best that the Washington catering establishment has to offer."

Over the head table at the lunch will hang an 1865 painting, "View of the Yosemite Valley," by American artist Thomas Hill. The picture is on loan from the New York Historical Society.

The swearing-in ceremony itself won't change from previous inaugurals, Feinstein said. She and her staff studied DVDs of past ceremonies "so everything is according to historical procedure."

She said the ceremony is "scripted, and it is concise and it moves quickly."

Feinstein's Senate office received more than 60,000 requests for inaugural tickets. But, as a senator, she was allotted just under 300 to give out. House members get just under 200.

She said everyone she is giving a ticket to must pledge not to sell the ticket for a profit.

As chairman of the inaugural committee, Feinstein will make "very formal and very brief" introductions for all the speakers at the inauguration.

Asked if she would have trouble introducing Pastor Rick Warren -- who will deliver the invocation -- with whom she disagrees politically on some issues such as gay rights, she said no.

"This is not a political event," she said.

Feinstein was also asked to sum up her feelings about the first African-American being sworn in as president.

"For me, that's going to be the most amazing part," she said. "I'm going to look out at the Lincoln Memorial as Barack Obama takes the oath of office. I'm going to think back into our history 200 years and what America was like at that time, especially for African-Americans. And then to realize that we've gone from the monument to the White House in that 200 years. And the doors are open. And we have a bright, young, energetic president who happens to be African-American, and the American people are rejoicing."

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Jan 15, 2009

Man Utd heading to Asia for pre-season tour


MACAU (AFP) – Manchester United are heading to Asia in July for a pre-season tour with games in China, South Korea, Malaysia, and, for the first time, Indonesia, chief executive David Gill said Wednesday.

The Reds' provisional schedule will see the team depart from Britain on July 16 for China where they will play in a yet-to-be-decided city.

From there, they move to Seoul for a match on July 20 and then down to Jakarta for the first time, where they will take on an Indonesia Super League Select at the massive Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on July 24.


The European and Premier League champions wrap up the tour against a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur July 26.

But Vietnam, which last month said it was prepared to pay up to 2.47 million US dollars to entice United for a one-off game, missed out.

"Our tours to Asia are always special," Gill said in Macau.

"The atmosphere generated by the supporters is amazing. The club enjoys unrivalled support across the continent and it is great to give those fans the opportunity to see their heroes in action in their own country.

"This tour takes in some new areas with a game in Malaysia, where we haven't played since 2001, and one in Indonesia, so it promises to provide some exciting new experiences."

United are hugely popular in the region and television revenues from Premier League games shown in Asia are big, but Gill insisted they wouldn't be making significant money from the tour.

"But our presence allows us to deal and have relationships with multinational companies," he said.

"That presence enables us to have that extra income which is then invested back into the club. Also it allows us to get closer to the fans."

United last toured Asia in 2007 when they visited China, South Korea, Japan and Macau.

But a date in Kuala Lumpur was scrapped after they found themselves embroiled in a spat with the Asian Football Confederation, which insisted no foreign team should be playing when the Asian Cup was being held in Malaysia.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson told the club website the players were already looking forward to Asia after their hugely successful trip to Japan in December when they won the Club World Cup and were treated like kings.

"The players are really looking forward to our Asia tour. For some, the Club World Cup in Japan was the first time they had experienced the passion generated by the club in Asia and they enjoyed it immensely," he said.

"We know we will get terrific support in each of the locations and we will be going to put on a show for our millions of fans over there. Indonesia will be a new experience for us and one I'm especially looking forward to."

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Whoopi Goldberg boldly goes back to sci-fi acting


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Whoopi Goldberg is returning from a brief retirement as an actress to boldly go to where few stars have gone before -- online science fiction.

Two decades after first appearing on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the Oscar-winning actress is producing and starring in a new sci-fi series called "Stream" that premieres on January 15 on the horror website and video-on-demand network FEARnet.

The series comes just over a year after Goldberg, 53, said she was retiring from acting to concentrate on hosting the daytime chat show "The View," a gig she took over from Rosie O'Donnell in September 2007.


Goldberg said the idea of performing in a new medium really appealed to her, as did the chance to act in sci-fi and horror -- two of her favorite genres.

"I did retire. I hadn't made a movie in quite a while, and I lost my way with the things I was doing. It became entertainment by rote, and there wasn't a lot being done that I was interested in doing," Goldberg told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"But the idea that you can be at work and check out a webisode tickles me because that is the future. ... I can reinvent my way of acting so that I challenge myself and see where it takes me for the second half of my life."

Goldberg built a strong following in sci-fi circles through her work in the late 1980s and early '90s on "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

She said she had been a "Star Trek" fan, or Trekkie, since childhood, when creator Gene Roddenberry had the wherewithal to put black people in the future as characters in the original 1960s series.

"Other science fiction movies you saw had no black people in them anywhere. Isn't that something? I wanted to carry on that tradition," she said.

"If I could be doing sci-fi and horror all the time I would be doing it. I have loved it since I was little. A good scare is great and I love the idea you can get people to feel things without having to show it to them."

In "Stream," which will be rolled out in six episodes of five minute each, Goldberg stars as Jodi Quinn, a character battling personal demons in a sci-fi thriller that moves between three phases of her life.


Goldberg, who has made more than 40 movies and won an Oscar for her 1990 supporting role in the romantic drama "Ghost," said she ended up mainly in comedy as no one ever asked her to play sci-fi or horror roles.

"It wasn't until I did 'Star Trek' that people thought I could do sci-fi, and I have yet to do a horror film," she said. "I'd love to be a monster."

"Stream" is the sixth original series from FEARnet, an advertising-supported joint venture between Comcast Corp, Sony Pictures Television and Lionsgate.

(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Steve Gorman)

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Jan 12, 2009

Ferguson unsure over Tevez deal

BBC News


Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed Carlos Tevez future at Manchester United is still uncertain.

Tevez joined United on a two-year loan that is due to expire in the summer.

It is thought the contract stipulates the sum United must pay the Argentina forward's advisers to buy him outright but so far, there has been no agreement on personal terms with speculation also surfacing that the Red Devils have tried to renegotiate the fee given Tevez has not been a first-team regular this term.



Ferguson confirmed United have attempted to instigate negotiations aimed at bringing forward a self-imposed deadline of next May. But so far it seems the Red Devils have met with little success.

"I have no idea about Tevez," said Ferguson. "The contract is due to be the end of the season anyway but obviously we tried to bring it forward and we will keep trying to do that.

"But it is difficult with agents sometimes. All the managers signing players this January will experience that."

Meanwhile, Gary Neville and Ji-Sung Park are both in line for new contracts at Old Trafford.

Really Good

lifelong United fan, Neville will celebrate his 34th birthday next month and despite almost 18 months on the sidelines with a broken ankle and various muscular ailments, Ferguson feels the England international has returned to something like his best form.

The emergence of teenage Brazilian starlet Rafael means Neville can no longer be regarded as automatic first-choice right-back, but he remains integral to the Scot's plans, even though he was surprisingly uninformed about the player's contract, which expires this summer.

"I have not spoken to David (Gill) about it but I am sure there will be another contract because Gary has been back to his best," said Ferguson.

"He is looking really good now and he did a crucial job for us when we brought him on against Middlesbrough last Monday.

"The experience he has is so important to us."

Similarly, Ferguson was unaware of the concern recently expressed by Park over his Old Trafford future.

The popular South Korean has overcome the disappointment of not even getting a place in the United squad for last season's Champions League final win over Chelsea to force his way into Ferguson's side on a regular basis this term.

Yet Park has claimed no-one from United has approached him about a contract that expires in 18 months, but his manager insists the former PSV Eindhoven player will get a new deal when the time is right.

Consistent Player

"It is not on the radar screen but he will be offered a contract," said Ferguson. "Ji has been fantastic for us and is one of our most consistent players."

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Jan 11, 2009

Torres backs Man Utd for league


Liverpool striker Fernando Torres believes that Manchester United are favourites to win the Premier League title after their 3-0 win over Chelsea.
Leaders Liverpool have a five point lead over third-placed United, but the Manchester side have two games in hand.

"They are the favourites and the champions right now and have shown over the years they are a very powerful team," said the 24-year-old Spaniard.

"They have two more games to play. If they catch up they will be top."


Torres, who was one of the nominees for the Fifa Player of the Year title, won by United's Cristiano Ronaldo, said his side's match at Old Trafford on 14 March could decide the destination of the title.

"We know we have Old Trafford waiting for us and then Arsenal and Chelsea at home - we have to fight until the very end," added the forward.

"The match at Old Trafford could turn out to be the decider and we hope we can be on an equal footing when we go there and try to win the match at a place that has not been advantageous for us in the past."

United are at home to Wigan on Wednesday before travelling to Bolton next Saturday.

Wins would see Sir Alex Ferguson's side gain the advantage in the title race with Liverpool not playing their next match until Monday 19 January when they host the derby against Everton.

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Jan 10, 2009

Ronaldo collects Fifa world title


Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the Fifa World Player of the Year for 2008.
The Portugal and Manchester United midfielder becomes the first Premier League player to win the award.
Ronaldo, 23, beat AC Milan's Kaka, Liverpool's Fernando Torres and Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Xavi to the prestigious title.
"It's an overwhelming moment in my career and I'd like to dedicate this award to my family, friends and colleagues," said the winger.

Ronaldo's 42 goals for Manchester United last season helped the Old Trafford club to the Premier League and Champions League double.


The Portugal international, who also picked up the European Player of the Year crown in December and the FifPro World Footballer of the Year honour in October, paid special tribute to United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

"It's also true that the manager always has an important role to play. It was a great season for me and for my club, and the coach was important for me because I learned a lot for him.

"His experience over so many years is of paramount importance - it's a privilege to have such a great club manager.

"This is the climax of a fantastic era for me. I'm happy and proud about what has been done by my team and what we have won.

"I am lucky to be part of the history of a club like Manchester United."

The coaches and captains of 155 national teams took part in the voting for the award with Messi finishing second ahead of Torres, Kaka and Xavi.

Ronaldo's triumph sees him become only the second Portuguese player to pick up the Fifa title, following Luis Figo who won the award in 2001.

Meanwhile, Brazil forward Marta collected her third successive women's award.

"This is an amazing achievement for me," said the 22-year-old.

"This game has given me so many great moments of joy. This award is fantastic and I'd like to thank you all very much."

England and Arsenal Ladies striker Kelly Smith was one of the five nominees for the title.

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Jan 7, 2009

Jennifer Aniston Dog Tale Nabs Another B.O. Win


Joal Ryan

Los Angeles (E! Online) – The dog days of winter are here to stay, apparently.

For the second time, Marley & Me, the Jennifer Aniston-Owen Wilson-Lab love story, finished atop the weekend box office, with a $24.1 million Friday-Sunday gross, per studio estimates compiled today by Exhibitor Relations.

On Saturday, the movie became the 25th 2008 release to cross the $100 million mark overall, and sometime soon it should become Aniston's highest-grossing Jennifer Aniston movie, not counting Bruce Almighty, which was, after all, a Jim Carrey movie.

Tom Cruise's Valkyrie, meanwhile, was one of several star vehicles that held up well as Christmas weekend turned to New Year's weekend.


The wartime thriller ($14 million), Adam Sandler's Bedtime Stories ($20.3 million) and Brad Pitt's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ($18.4 million) each saw ticket sales drop by less than 35 percent.

In their third weekends, Carrey's Yes Man ($13.9 million) and Will Smith's Seven Pounds ($10 million) held up even better.

Drilling down into the numbers:

• As pointed out by Box Office Mojo, Yes Man is running slightly ahead of the pace of Carrey's last comedy, Fun with Dick and Jane, which cost about $30 million more to produce. • As likewise pointed out by Box Office Mojo, Seven Pounds is running nearly $40 million behind the pace of Smith's last drama, The Pursuit of Happyness. (Both movies' reported budgets were the same: $55 million). • Vultures will not be circling Cruise after Valkyrie, after all. The movie, which cost a reported $75-$85 million to produce, has grossed about $61 million to date, and should cover its budget from its domestic gross alone, Exhibitor Relations' Jeff Bock predicted. "It's going to be a mid-sized hit," Bock said today. Domestically speaking, Cruise hasn't had a movie finish in the black since 2005's War of the Worlds. • Here lies The Spirit ($3.3 million), down and out of the Top 10 after just one disappointing weekend. Even worse, the movie averaged only $1,303 at each of its 2,509 theaters. Even the deader-than-dead Australia ($1.2 million) managed $1,503 per theater. • Debuting at two theaters, Daniel Craig's Defiance ($121,000) was a bigger blockbuster in limited release than his Quantum of Solace was in super-wide release. The World War II drama's $60,500 per-screen average was, by far, the weekend's biggest. • Other limited-release stars: Revolutionary Road ($979,000 at 38 theaters), Last Chance Harvey ($107,000 at six theaters), Gran Torino ($2.8 million at 84 theaters) and The Wrestler ($431,884 at 18 theaters). • The cooling Frost/Nixon ($1.4 million at 205 theaters), Milk ($1.9 million at 309 theaters) and The Reader ($1.6 million at 398 theaters) each could use an Oscar-nomination boost about now. Here's a recap of the top-grossing weekend films based on estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:


• Marley & Me, $24.1 million • Bedtime Stories, $20.3 million • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, $18.4 million • Valkyrie, $14 million • Yes Man, $13.9 million • Seven Pounds, $10 million • The Tale of Despereaux, $7 million • Doubt, $5 million • The Day the Earth Stood Still, $4.9 million • Slumdog Millionaire, $4.8 million






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HK to restore Bruce Lee's old home



HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government has agreed to preserve a former home of late martial arts legend Bruce Lee and turn it into a tourist attraction, an official said Wednesday.

The house where Lee lived from 1972 to 1973 is currently used as a "love motel," where rooms are rented by the hour and people often carry on affairs. The owner has lobbied to covert it into a museum.

Hong Kong's commerce and economic development minister met with the owner Tuesday and agreed to the project that would restore the two-story house back to its "original outlook and features," said government spokeswoman Winnie To in an e-mail statement.

It did not elaborate on the timeframe or how the project would be funded but said the government hoped the project would enable Lee's supporters to commemorate his achievements.

Lee, who died in Hong Kong in 1973 at age 32 from swelling of the brain, was born in San Francisco but grew up in Hong Kong.



Bruce Lee Hong Kong home to be saved as tourist site

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A philanthropic bid by a Hong Kong tycoon to preserve the one-time residence of kung fu legend Bruce Lee and transform it into a major tourist attraction honoring the film icon was approved Tuesday.

The green light comes after a long-running struggle by fans to save the 5,700 square-foot, two-storey town house from an inglorious fate as a seedy love motel in a leafy Kowloon suburb.

The fate of Lee's last home had hung in the balance for years, until its owner, real estate and hotel tycoon Yu Pang-lin, made a surprise decision last year to donate it to the city where the martial arts master first shot to fame.

"Both sides have now reached a consensus to go ahead and essentially proceed with this good plan," Yu told reporters after a meeting with government officials.

"I'm 88 years old now and hope that while I'm still alive I'll be able to see this Bruce Lee museum completed," he added.

Hong Kong's Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said it agreed to preserve the "original outlook of the building and its features" with an aim to revitalize it for long-term sustainable operation as a tourism attraction.

Parts of the home will be recreated, including Lee's study and training hall stacked with martial arts weaponry and other paraphernalia of his discipline.


While further details have yet to be hammered out, Yu wants the site, which has served as a love motel with rooms rented out by the hour -- to include a library, martial arts center and a movie theater to fully commemorate Lee's life and philosophy.

A government spokeswoman gave no time frame but hoped to get the project up and running as soon as possible.

Lee, who died under mysterious circumstances in 1973 aged 32, starred in such kung fu classics as "Fist of Fury," "Game of Death" and "Enter the Dragon."

Revered both by martial arts adherents and movie buffs the world over for popularizing the kung fu cinematic genre, Lee also helped usher in a golden age of Hong Kong film in the 1960s.

Before Yu's charitable gesture however, the government seemed reluctant to invest public money in a major site to commemorate the legacy of one of Hong Kong's most famous names.

While born in San Francisco, the brash though sinewy fighter was raised and made his name in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's Bruce Lee fan club welcomed the breakthrough, and expressed hopes the residence could prove as big a draw as other global memorial sites such as the Beatles Story in Liverpool and Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in Tennessee.

(Editing by Jerry Norton)


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Jan 6, 2009

John Travolta's teenage son dies


updated 2:14 p.m. ET Jan. 4, 2009

NASSAU, Bahamas - The Bahamas will use two pathologists to ensure a careful autopsy on John Travolta's son, who died at the actor's vacation home in Grand Bahama, the territory's health minister said Saturday.

Dr. Hubert Minnis told The Associated Press that he decided to use a second specialist to guarantee a thorough assessment of what might have caused Jett Travolta's death.

The 16-year-old was found collapsed in a bathroom on Friday after having a seizure and hitting his head on the bathtub, said a police officer who declined to be named because she was not authorized to speak on the matter.


He was taken by ambulance to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police Superintendent Basil Rahming said in a statement.

A U.S.-certified clinical and forensic pathologist from Nassau will fly into Grand Bahama on Monday to help perform the autopsy, Minnis said. A possible cause of death likely will be known by the end of the day, he said.

The Bahamas is a haven for celebrities and Minnis himself was an obstetrician for Anna Nicole Smith, the former Playboy playmate who died from an accidental drug overdose and is buried in the Bahamas alongside her son.

Family making funeral arrangements
John Travolta is trying to finish funeral arrangements and hopes to fly his son's body to Florida by midweek, said Michael McDermott, the actor's corporate and commercial attorney.

Travolta, 54, and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, 46, have a house in Ocala, Fla.

"It's heart-wrenching," McDermott said. "If you knew how much he loved that boy ... It was almost palpable. It was that strong."

Security was tight Saturday at the lavish Old Bahama Bay resort community, where Travolta owns a home.

"We are taking great steps to protect Travolta's privacy," resort spokesman Ryan Julison said. "Security is heightened because media is attempting to access the property."

The family arrived on a private plane Tuesday and apparently had invited 60 friends for the New Year's holiday weekend, including McDermott. It is unclear whether Travolta, a pilot, had flown his family in.

Jett was the couple's oldest child. They also have an 8-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu.

Teen loved the outdoors

Preston and Travolta have said that Jett became very sick when he was 2 years old and was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, an illness that leads to inflamed blood vessels in young children. Preston blamed household cleaners and fertilizers, and said that a detoxification program based on teachings from the Church of Scientology helped improve his health, according to People magazine

I was obsessive about his space being cleaned. We constantly had the carpets cleaned," Travolta said in a 2001 interview with CNN's Larry King, a portion of which was rebroadcast on the "Larry King Live" show Friday night. During that interview, Travolta spoke of how his son nearly died when he was 2.

It is unclear whether Jett was taking any medications for his seizures.

Travolta gained fame as Vinnie Barbarino on the 1970s television show "Welcome Back, Kotter" and the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever" and went on to become one of Hollywood's biggest names. He married Preston in 1991.

Preston appeared with Travolta in the 2000 film "Battlefield Earth," based on a novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. She also has featured in numerous television series and in films such as "Jerry Maguire," "What a Girl Wants," "For Love of the Game," "Eulogy" and, as the voice of the mother, in "Cat in the Hat."

McDermott said that following the death, "Kelly's kind of withdrawn to herself. She's dealing with it in her own way."

Jeremy Thayer, developer of the Ocala subdivision where Travolta owns a home, told the Ocala Star-Banner that Jett was a friendly teen who loved the outdoors and was often seen riding his bike or a golf cart.

AP - MSNBC

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Jan 3, 2009

ELLA FITZGERALD Jazz Singer


Born: April 25, 1918
Newport News, Virginia
Died: June 15, 1996
Beverly Hills, California
African American singer

Ella Fitzgerald is known as "The Perfect Jazz Singer". She auditioned at the Apollo as a dancer but won as a singer 21. She took over as bandleader after Chick Webb's death, leading the band of 16 to 21 men for 2 years. She entered the Bop Era and popularized scatting. She sang the music of Cole Porter, Gershwin, Ellington and Jobim. Ella recorded on Decca Records, switched to Verve. No singer ever could replace "The Lady of Song". She died June 15, 1996.


Ella Fitzgerald was one of the most exciting jazz singers of her time and, because of the naturalness of her style, had a popular appeal that extended far beyond the borders of jazz.
A rising star
Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1918, in Newport News, Virginia, but she spent her youth just outside New York City in Yonkers, New York, and received her musical education in public schools. During elementary school she began singing at her local church, the Bethany African Methodist Episcopal Church. At fifteen her mother died and she was cared for by her aunt in Harlem, a black neighborhood in New York that was rich with jazz music.

When only sixteen, she received her first big break at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, when she won an amateur-night contest and impressed saxophonist-bandleader Benny Carter (1907–). He recommended her to drummer-bandleader Chick Webb (c. 1900–1939), who hired her in 1935. She soon became a recording star with the band, and her own composition "A-tisket, A-tasket" (1938) was such a smash hit that the song became her trademark for many years thereafter. When Webb died in 1939, Fitzgerald assumed leadership of the band for the next year.

"The First Lady of Song"

By 1940 Fitzgerald was recognized throughout the music world as a vocal wonder—a singer with clarity of tone, flexibility of range, fluency of rhythm, and, above all, a talent for improvisation (to make up without practice) that was equally effective on ballads and faster tunes. Although for a long time she had a better reputation among fellow musicians than with the general public, this changed soon after she joined Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) in 1946. She made annual tours with the group and was always the concert favorite. Three of her unfailing show-stoppers were "Oh, Lady Be Good," "Stomping at the Savoy," and "How High the Moon." Each would begin at a medium tempo and then speed up as Fitzgerald moved up-tempo and "scatted" (that is, sang harmonic variations of the melody in nonsense syllables). The huge JATP crowds always responded well.

By the early 1950s Fitzgerald's domination of fans's and critics's polls was absolute. In fact, she won the Down Beat readers' poll every year from 1953 to 1970 and became known as "The First Lady of Song." In 1955 she ended her twenty-year recording relationship with Decca in order to record for Norman Granz's Verve label. She proceeded to produce a series of legendary "Songbook" albums, each devoted to the compositions of a great songwriter or songwriting team, such as the Gershwins (George, 1898–1937; Ira, 1896–1983), Cole Porter (1891–1964), Irving Berlin (1888–1989), and Duke Ellington (1899–1974). The lush orchestrations allowed Fitzgerald to display the classy popsinger side of herself. In the two-volume Ellington set, her jazzier self moved aside for the melodist in her.

Touring the world

Under Granz's personal management Fitzgerald also began to play choice hotel jobs and made her first feature film appearance in Pete Kelly's Blues (1955). In 1957 she worked at the Copacabana in New York City and gave concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. In 1958, in the company of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, she gave a concert at Carnegie Hall as part of an extended European and United States tour with the band. In the early 1960s she continued to work the big hotel circuit—the Flamingo in Las Vegas, the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, and the Americana in New York City. She also continued to tour Europe, Latin America, and Japan with the Oscar Peterson (1925–) trio, which was three-fourths of Granz's JATP house rhythm section. In 1965 and 1966 she was reunited with Ellington for another tour and record date.


Fitzgerald was always blessed with superb musicians accompanying her, from the full orchestral support of Chick Webb and Duke Ellington to the smaller JATP ensembles. In 1968 she teamed up with yet another, the magnificent pianist Tommy Flanagan, who headed a trio that served her into the mid-1970s. In 1971 Fitzgerald had serious eye surgery, but within a year she was performing again. Her singing, however, began to show evidence of decline: the voice that was once an instrument of natural beauty and effortless grace became a bit thin and strained. Nevertheless, so great was her talent that she continued to excite concert audiences and to record effectively. She appeared after the mid-1960s with over fifty symphonic orchestras in the United States.

A large, pleasant-looking woman with a surprisingly girlish speaking voice, Ella Fitzgerald sometimes forgot lyrics. But the audiences loved it and delighted in her ability to work her way out of these potentially embarrassing moments on stage. Unlike some other great jazz singers, like Billie Holiday (1915–1959) and Anita O'Day, Fitzgerald avoided falling into drug addiction. She was married twice. The first marriage, to Bernie Kornegay in 1941, was annulled

(made invalid) two years later. The second, to bassist Ray Brown (1926–) in 1948, ended in divorce in 1952 (they had one son).

The legacy of Ella

Was Ella Fitzgerald essentially a jazz singer or a pop singer? Jazz purists say that she was often glossy and predictable and that she lacked the emotional depth of Billie Holiday, the imagination of Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990) or Anita O'Day, and the blues-based power of Dinah Washington (1924–1963). The criticisms sprang partly from her "crossover" popularity and ignored her obvious strengths and contributions: Fitzgerald was not only one of the pioneers of scat singing, but, beyond that, she was a down-to-earth singer whose harmonic variations were always unforced. Plus, she was a supreme melodist who never let herself get in the way of any song she sang.

Fitzgerald died on June 15, 1996, at the age of seventy-eight. She left a legacy that will not soon be forgotten. In her lifetime she was honored with fourteen Grammys, the Kennedy Center Award, as well as an honorary doctorate in music from Yale University. In 1992 President George Bush (1924–) honored her with the National Medal of Freedom. Fitzgerald's impressive financial estate was left in a trust, including the $2.5 million in proceeds from the sale of her Beverly Hills home.

Misty 1963



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