Dallas Morning News Changes Its 100 Yr. Stance on Death Penalty

Today, the Dallas Morning News changed its position on the death penalty, and after 100 years the newspaper no longer supports capital punishment. Wow.

The entirety of the editorial is worth the read, but here are some excerpts in case you don't have the time:

"The year draws to a close with Texas in its familiar No. 1 place nationally in capital punishment statistics (18 of the nation's 37 executions in 2008). It has also been a year rich with examples of why this state should stop its error-prone machinery of death. ...

"For a change, discussion about flawed justice need not start in Dallas County, the nation's ground zero for DNA exonerations. Just to the north, Collin County illustrates how even a highly educated, affluent community can get it wildly wrong in the high-stakes gamble called capital punishment. ...

"There is no quick or neat fix for breakdowns in justice that range from poor technology to dishonesty among officers of the court. Dozens of DNA exonerations across the state – including the nation-leading 19 in Dallas County – have demonstrated how unreliable eyewitness testimony can be. Further, statistics indicate a disturbing arbitrariness of capital punishment, varying greatly by county. Data also show that a killer is far likelier to die for killing a white person. ...

"It's the view of this newspaper that the justice system will never be foolproof and, therefore, use of the death penalty is never justified. ...."

Read the full editorial here:

Editorial: Death penalty moratorium needed
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-death_29edi.State.Edition1.1eb1ec0.html

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Eric Mangini Fired From Head Coach Job

SNY has learned that Eric Mangini is out as the Head Coach of the Jets. Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum will meet with the press at 10AM.
My initial reaction to this? I don’t know if I like this move. Brian Schottenheimer and Bob Sutton’s playcalling is enough to see that Mangini has made and allowed bad decisions to continue, and might warrant his firing alone. Yes, I am a Mangini fan, but Woody and Tannenbaum were the ones who pushed for Favre, not Mangini. Favre was one of the biggest single reasons for the collapse of this team and although Mangini might not have responded properly to the season going down the drain, firing him is the symptom, not the cause. It’s a cheap save your bacon move by Tannenbaum. If this firing is coupled with the Jets’ retention of Brett Favre this offseason, buckle yourself in for a hellish next five years.

124 Responses to “Eric Mangini Fired From Head Coach Job”

TimNC, on December 29th, 2008 at 9:46 am Said:
I see where you’re coming from Bassett, but IMO, Tannenbaum’s overall body of work is greater than Mangini’s. It’s too easy to sit back after the fact and say that bringing in Favre was a mistake. There’s no crystal ball and the decision was made based on the previous seasons of Favre and Pennington. Sure, they wanted to justify the PSL’s too. At 8-3, absolutely nobody was complaining and nobody saw the Jets collapse coming.

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Group-2 Results APPSC December 2008

APPSC RESULTS GROUP2




APPSC Group II Results December 2008-apspsc-గ్రూప్-II

Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission-APPSC has released Group 2 Results on December 29,2008 at 5 PM.The Results of the Group-II Services Recruitment (Advt.No.32/2007) will be available simultaneously on the Notice Board of APPSC and in APPSC Website

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Zapak launches Corporate Gaming Tournament, Mobile Games eye socionets

ZAPAK

“In 2008, Zapak will create the gaming market in India - and that will benefit other players too ” - that’s what I mentioned in my 2008 predictions and am glad to see Zapak executing a well thought strategy - targeting the right segment for the gaming market - i.e. corporates.

Zapak is launching corporate gaming tournament (in association with Reliance Money) and is inviting 300 corporates from Mumbai, Delhi & Bangalore to test their gaming skills in individual & team gaming formats.

Why corporates are an apt target?
Lets look at few stats:

85% of online video consumption in India happens from offices. [source]
Work place continues to be the single largest place for accessing Internet - 78% access. [source]
Most of the corporate netizens can be termed ‘power users’ and potentially, the initial adopters.They play a very big role in seeding the viral campaigns (fwd all the youtube links in the name of workload!)

Essentially, workplace is where you have access to high speed Internet and if Zapak can make gaming official, they have a winner!

Indian Gaming Industry: Key statistics
2.8 million gamers in the country
72% gamers are from higher strata (i.e. sec A and B cities); 80% of gamers are from top 8 metros.
99% of gamers are from metros while small towns account for only 1%.
Indian gaming industry though still in a nascent phase, is evolving at a fast pace (@ 94% CAGR)
Mobile gaming contributes 58% of the total revenue.
Other news from Gaming Industry:

Mobile games industry eyes social networking sites
A boom in social networking and a new delivery platform from Nokia offer mobile video game publishers a boost after a slowdown in 2007.
Digital Chocolate, one of the few global game publishers, has put its hit game Tower Bloxx on several networking and gaming sites on the Internet. The game was installed more than 400,000 times in just four months on Facebook. Also note that Indyarocks recently launched gaming portal.

Reliance Entertainment valued @ $3bn
Zapak’s parent company, Reliance Entertainment recently received $100mn funding from George Soros. Also, Zapak launched Zapak Tiny, for 4-7 year olds.

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Balika Vadhu

BALIKA VADHU is the new show being telecast on Colors channel. We see Rajasthan as a state with havelis, sand and deserts, forts, lakes and the men with royal moustaches and women with ghagra cholis and matkas on their heads with jewellery bedecked bodies hear the Rajasthan dialect. We do not see it as a backward region or state.

Also the western world, the foreign tourist views Rajasthan as a place where there are palaces, rajas and maharajas and traditional events like camel racing and they also look forward to having Rajasthani cuisine.

The new idiot box entertainment channel Colors launched itself with few advertisements in daily newspapers and highlighted the serial ready to be telecast. Balika Vadhu started with a stark reality of our times, child marriage which is prevailing in the remote villages of Rajasthan where society lives on its own centuries old customs.

However the child marriage is opposed by a teacher, a woman herself and the matter is taken up to the District Collector but the glamorous child marriage has taken place and now the theme has shifted to the same old saas bahu type episodes.

Further the dialect spoken over again and again makes the serial a regional favourite and cannot be watched by national viewers who may not understand or follow the vocabulary. Also the child artists portrayal is not in conformity with the upbringing of children in our Indian joint families and also the naughty little bride is addressing her now child husband by his name which does not go down well with the viewers as in India the wives do not take the name of their husbands even in urban set up leave aside the rural village shown here Child marriage is now being glamourised and children who are studying in junior school are talking about having a wife and how they shall rule over their lovely young and nubile child wives. The young girls are also feeling that they should marry at any early age and feel that they also would get into romantic involvements with their would be husbands. All these episodes are shown at the end of the serial in form of a caption, which carries some kind of social message or warning which is not read by these children and the parents of small children have started to worry about their young girls entering teenage early in life and this is giving them sleepless nights. All these social messages were only good in the old and golden days of black and white television when these child marriage evil was telecast by the national broadcaster Doordarshan as a documentary. The serials like these should be shown as a short film over Doordarshan in the proper category where the social message is conveyed in a short span and the influence over young minds gets over once they move out from the cinema halls.

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VON TRAPP Family

When Mr. von Trapp finally returned to take over from his father, Johannes, he had had quite a decade: teaching skiing in Aspen, modeling for Ralph Lauren, surfing in Chile and even making People magazine’s America’s Top 50 Bachelors list in 2001. Recently, he sat in a dark office at the Trapp Family Lodge, the inn his grandmother started, trying to decide what to do with some old curtains.

It is hard for anyone to untangle family history and allegiances during the holidays. When your last name is von Trapp, and Americans claim you as part of their own legacy, that task is just that much harder.

That legacy weighs on Mr. von Trapp even as he considers something as mundane as curtains.

In “The Sound of Music,” the beloved 1965 movie, Maria, the governess played by Julie Andrews, turned old curtains into play clothes for the seven von Trapp children, just as the real Maria had done. Mr. von Trapp figured that if he sold von Trapp draperies on eBay, he might turn a nice little profit.

“Nobody has the level of commitment I do,” said Mr. von Trapp, now 36, but with the energy and earnestness of a teenager. “Nobody has as much to gain.”

Despite the nostalgic mist around “The Sound of Music," Mr. von Trapp is taking over a business for a family that has had its share of ups and downs and disagreements.

When the von Trapps arrived in the United States in 1938, they settled in Pennsylvania and made money by singing baroque and folk music. By 1942, the family had bought a farm in Stowe. Maria rented out rooms in the house when the von Trapps were on tour singing.

Still, Johannes von Trapp, the 10th and youngest child, remembers growing up relatively anonymously in a quiet, strict home. That began to shift after the 1959 Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” and when the movie opened, everything changed.

“You could no longer give your name anywhere without people saying ‘Oh, are you ... ?’ ” said the elder Mr. von Trapp, now 69. “The film, for better or for worse, made us a mass market commodity.”

The von Trapps have never directly profited from the film or Broadway musical: Maria, whose husband died in 1947, sold the rights to the family story to a German film company in the mid-1950s for just $9,000. Johannes and now his son run the cross-country skiing lodge that trades on the family’s fame with Austrian food, waitresses wearing dirndls and pictures of the family, but not a single poster from the movie.

“ ‘The Sound of Music’ was great, but it was an American version of my family’s life,” said Johannes, who no longer sings, although he still has a pleasant, reedy bass voice. “It wasn’t what we were. I just got tired of being cast as a ‘Sound of Music’ person.”

The family legacy has been particularly onerous for him.

People would ask about Liesl, and he would have to point out that his eldest sibling was not 16 going on 17, but 54 in 1965 — and male. They would ask whether he was Kurt or Friedrich, and he would have to explain that his father and mother had three children together that were not portrayed in the movie, and he was the youngest. His mother was presented as a near-saint in the movie; in real life, she was difficult and domineering, people who knew her said.

By 1969, he had graduated from Dartmouth, completed a master’s degree from the Yale school of forestry and was planning on an academic career in natural resources. He returned to Stowe to put the inn’s finances in order, and ended up running the place. He tried to leave, moving to a ranch in British Columbia in 1977 and staying a few years, then moving to a ranch in Montana. But the professional management in Stowe kept quitting. “Now I’m stuck here,” he said.

As long as Maria was alive, the von Trapp siblings grudgingly got along.

“She was a very strong minded, strong willed woman,” said Marshall Faye, a baker who has worked at the lodge for more than 30 years. “She ruled the family. Anything they did had to have her blessing.”


Sean Silcoff contributed reporting from Montreal.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: December 29, 2008
An article on Thursday about the latest generation to take over the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt., misstated the religious background of the family matriarch, Maria von Trapp. She was a candidate for the novitiate at a Benedictine convent in Salzburg, Austria, before she become a governess for the children of Baron Georg von Trapp, whom she later married. She was not a nun.

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NFL Schedule: Playoffs

About an hour ago, we were still talking about the collapse of the Cowboys, Jets, et al. But life moves fast in the NFL and we've already got the schedule and times for next weekend's wild-card round of the playoffs.

Check out the full slate of matchups below, and after the jump, make your predictions for which teams will bang out some big wins. I'm going with Falcons, Colts, Ravens and Vikings (though I was tempted pick all four road teams).

NFC WILD-CARD GAMES

Saturday Jan. 3, 4:30 pm EST (NBC) No. 5 Atlanta Falcons at No. 4 Arizona Cardinals
Sunday Jan. 4, 4:30 pm EST (FOX) No. 6 Philadelphia Eagles at No. 3 Minnesota Vikings

NFC DIVISIONAL ROUND

Saturday Jan. 10, 8:15 pm EST (FOX) TBD at No. 2 Carolina Panthers
Sunday Jan. 11, 1 pm EST(FOX) TBD at No. 1 New York Giants

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Sunday Jan. 18, 3 pm EST (FOX) TBD at TBD

AFC Playoff Picture

The AFC playoff picture is also clearing up. Here is a look at AFC playoff scenarios. A complete AFC Playoff schedule will be available after the Denver Broncos-San Diego Chargers game.

AFC WILD CARD GAMES

Saturday Jan. 3, 8 pm EST (NBC) No. 5 Indianapolis Colts at No. 4 San Diego Chargers
Sunday Jan. 4, 1 pm EST (CBS) No. 6 Baltimore Ravens at No. 3 Miami Dolphins

AFC DIVISIONAL ROUND

Saturday Jan. 10, 4:30 pm EST (CBS) TBD at No. 1 Tennessee Titans
Sunday Jan. 11, 4:45 pm (CBS) TBD at No. 2 Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Sunday Jan. 18, 6:30 pm EST (CBS) TBD at TBD

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Betty White Biography

BioGraph
Name : Betty White
Date of birth : 17 January 1922
Place of birth : Oak Park, Illinois, USA
Birth name : Betty Marion White
Height : 5' 4


Actress Betty White got her start in local Los Angeles television as the "telephone girl" for video emcee Al Jarvis. By early 1950 she was one of the stars of the daily, five-hour series Hollywood on Television. One of the highlights of this program was a husband and wife sketch titled "Life With Elizabeth," which when committed to film and syndicated nationally in 1953 became White's first starring TV sitcom. She went on to headline her own network variety series in 1954, then co-starred with Bill Williams in the weekly TV domestic comedy Date With the Angels (1957), which without Williams was retitled The Betty White Show in early 1958.
For the next 15 years she made guest appearances on various variety and quiz show efforts, and toured the straw-hat theatrical circuit in such plays as +Critics Choice and +Who Was That Lady, often appearing opposite her husband, TV personality Allen Ludden. Two years after hosting the 1971 syndicated informational series The Pet Set, she guest-starred as libidinous "Happy Homemaker" Sue Ann Nivens on the fourth season opener of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. This Emmy-winning episode led to White being cast as an MTM regular; she remained with the series until its final episode in 1977. She then starred on her own short-lived sitcom (again titled The Betty White Show) before returning to the guest-star circuit. In 1985, she joined the cast of TV's The Golden Girls as middle-aged grief counselor Rose Nyland. This top-rated program lasted seven seasons before metamorphosing into the rather less successful Golden Palace (1992). White was a regular on the 1995 series Maybe This Time, and in 1997 she won an Emmy for her one-shot appearance on The John Laroquette Show. Though she has starred and co-starred in several made-for-TV movies, Betty White had appeared on the big screen only once, as a Margaret Chase Smith-like senator in Otto Preminger's Advise and Consent (1962). Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Golden Girls: Lifetime Intimate Portraits Series ( 2005 )

Return To The Batcave: The Misadventures Of Adam And Burt ( 2005 )

Stealing Christmas ( 2004 )

Bringing Down the House ( 2003 )

Whispers: An Elephant's Tale ( 2000 )

The Story of Us ( 1999 )

Lake Placid ( 1999 )

Holy Man ( 1998 )

Hard Rain ( 1998 )

Dennis the Menace Strikes Again ( 1998 )

The Story of Santa Claus ( 1996 )

A Weekend in the Country ( 1996 )

AWARD'S

Emmy
Year : 2004
Category : Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
For : "The Practice"
Nominated

Emmy
Year : 2003
Category : Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
For : "Yes, Dear"
Nominated

American Comedy Award
Year : 2000
Category : Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a TV Series
For : "Ally McBeal"
Won

Emmy
Year : 1996
Category : Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
For : "The John Larroquette Show"
Won

Emmy
Year : 1992
Category : Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
For : "The Golden Girls"
Nominated

Emmy
Year : 1991
Category : Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
For : "The Golden Girls"
Nominated

Golden Globe
Year : 1989
Category : Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical
For : "The Golden Girls"
Nominated

Q Award
Year : 1988
Category : Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series
For : "The Golden Girls"
Won

American Comedy Award
Year : 1987
Category : Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication
For : "The Golden Girls"
Won

Emmy
Year : 1987
Category : Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
For : "The Golden Girls"
Nominated

Q Award
Year : 1987
Category : Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series
For : "The Golden Girls"
Won

Emmy
Year : 1986
Category : Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
For : "The Golden Girls"
Won

Golden Apple
Year : 1986
Category : Female Star of the Year
Won

Emmy
Year : 1976
Category : Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
For : "Mary Tyler Moore"
Won

Emmy
Year : 1975
Category : Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
For : "Mary Tyler Moore"
Won

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Omar Abdullah Omar Abdullah Prefers Alliance With Congress NC Chief Omar Abdullah

As Jammu and Kashmir headed for a hung assembly, the National Conference today said it would prefer to have an alliance with the Congress.
"Personally, I will prefer to have an alliance with the Congress," NC President Omar Abdullah said when asked whom his party would like to see as a coalition partner in the future government.

Ruling out any possibility of having a tie-up with BJP, Abdullah said his party would prefer to sit in the opposition rather than forming a government with the saffron party. NC was part of A B Vajpayee-led NDA government.

Abdullah said the NC would try to get the support of the independent MLAs first before mulling other options.

Asked who would be the next Chief Minister as the party had already projected Farooq Abdullah as Chief Ministerial candidate, he said a final decision would be taken later on.

Referring to the large voter turnout, Abdullah said people wanted to separate day-to-day problems from the Kashmir issue and that was why a large number of people came out to exercise their franchise.

"Importantly, this election was held without the fear of gun," he said.

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TTD IN FULL SWING

Vykuntha Ekadasi falls on the 7th of January. The occasion is a pious day for the Hindus, as it is believed that the gates of the heaven open up on this day and anyone who leaves this world on this pious day would make a direct entry into the heavens.


Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam is making elaborate arrangements for this day in Tirumala. There would be special devotional programs in Tirumala and the TTD is expecting unprecedented crowds on this day at the temple. Bhajans are also being organized by the TTD at various temples across the state. Special books are also planned to be released on this day.

It is nothing new for TTD to conduct such programs but there is a huge demand and flow of pilgrims for this event. Bookings are happening tremendously and it shows that the devotional fervor has grown big among the people.

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Israeli warplanes pursue Gaza weapons warehouses

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Gazans cowered in their homes Sunday as Israeli warplanes pressing one of Israel's deadliest assaults ever on Palestinian militants unleashed missiles on weapons warehouses, a police station, the homes of militant field commanders and dozens of other targets across the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
More than 270 Palestinians — most of them militants — have been killed and more than 600 people wounded since Israel's campaign to quash rocket barrages from Gaza began midday Saturday. Israeli military spokesman Avi Benayahu said some 250 attacks were carried out since the offensive began.

Militants, unbowed, kept up the pressure on Israel, firing dozens more rockets and mortars at Israeli border communities early Sunday.
One rocket struck close to the largest city in southern Israel, Ashdod, some 23 miles from Gaza. It reached almost twice as deep into Israeli territory as ever before and confirmed security officials' concerns that militants are capable of putting major cities within rocket range.
In New York, the U.N. Security Council expressed serious concern about the escalating situation in Gaza and called on Israel and the Palestinians to immediately halt all violence and military activities. The U.N.'s most powerful body called for a new cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and for the opening of border crossings into Gaza to enable humanitarian supplies to reach the territory.
Many of Israel's Western allies urged restraint on both sides, though the U.S. blamed Hamas for the fighting.
The offensive began eight days after a six-month truce between Israel and the militants expired. The Israeli army says Palestinian militants have fired more than 300 rockets and mortars at Israeli targets over the past week, and 10 times that number over the past year.

US urges Hamas to cease rocket attacks on Israel (AP)

CRAWFORD, Texas – The U.S. on Saturday blamed the militant group Hamas for breaking a cease-fire and attacking Israel, which retaliated with strikes of its own during what became the single bloodiest day of fighting in years.
The White House called for the cease-fire to be restored, yet there were few indications that the violence, which has left more than 200 people dead and nearly another 400 wounded, was waning. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that the operation in Gaza would widen if necessary.

It was "completely unacceptable" for Hamas, which controls Gaza, to launch attacks on Israel after a truce lasting several months, said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council.
"These people are nothing but thugs, so Israel is going to defend its people against terrorists like Hamas that indiscriminately kill their own people," Johndroe said in Texas as President George W. Bush was spending the week before New Year's at his ranch here. "They need to stop. We have said in the past that they have a choice to make. You can't have one foot in politics and one foot in terror."
President-elect Barack Obama was receiving an intelligence briefing on Saturday from various security agencies, Johndroe said. Bush has spoken to regional leaders and the administration will remain in close contact, he said.
Obama also spoke during the day with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was keeping Bush abreast of the situation.

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nmat 2008 analysis

NMIMS Entrance TEST NMAT for admission to MBA course will be held on Sunday, 30th December, 2007

Admissions for Full-Time MBA Batch (2008-2010)
NMAT for the MBA Programme (2008-2010) Batch will be conducted between 10.00 am to 12.00 noon on 30th December, 2007 in 20 centers across the country. The sale of forms will commence from 17th September, 2007. For further details please watch out for the advertisements in leading newspapers. Also visit our website closer to the above date.

NMAT 2008 | NMAT 2008 Admit Card | NMAT 2008 Results | NMAT Analysis | NMAT 2008 Answer key available at www.nmims.edu

NMIMS Admission Test 2007

Executive Summary

This year’s paper was more or less along the expected lines with easy sections on Language skills and Quantitative skills. The Quantitative section included quite a few questions on the application of Vedic mathematics, which were similar to those asked by IRMA earlier this year. Logical Reasoning, however, was a bit tricky with respect to 2 sets; otherwise, even this was a scoring section. Overall, it was an easy paper.
The basic structure of the paper was exactly similar to that mentioned in the institute’s brochure, with a bit of variety thrown in, in the concepts tested by the questions posed.

Total no. of questions: 150
No. of options per question: 5
Time: 120 minutes
Negative Marking: 0.25
Number of sections: 3

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The Lord’s Boot Camp!

CBS News 48 Hours has contacted us looking for an interview regarding their upcoming smear job, The Lord’s Boot Camp, to air during the Christmas season. You can see the trailer here.
That’s like Adolf Hitler calling to ask if you want to be featured in one of his latest “documentaries” on the Jewish issue. Opposing views are welcomed. Just don’t be surprised that when you finally screen the film you find that they have edited in lice crawling over your face.
Sorry CBS. We’re not going to help you in your vicious attack on Christians. We’ll also be waiting for your 48 Hours exposé on Islamic hate to be aired during Ramadan.
There’s a reason that old media is dying. My young adult children don’t even watch television of any kind. New Media, we welcome you.

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j k election results - 18th December 2008

One seat changed hands in yesterday's local by-elections around the country.

Thrapston Lakes, East Northants District Council
Con - 63% (+6)
Lab - 23% (+23)
UKIP - 15%( -28)
Con hold

Ibstock and Heather, North West Leicestershire District Council
Con - 32% (+9 on by-election in January)
BNP - 31% (+3)
Lab - 29% (-2)
LD - 8% (-10)
Con hold

Kells and Sandwith, Cumbria County Council
Lab - 42% (-24)
BNP - 40% (+40)
Con - 18% (+1)
Lab hold

Weston super Mare Claremont/Uphill, North Somerset Unitary Authority
Con - 27.5% (-36.5)
Ind - 27.5% (+27.5)
LD - 24% (-2)
Ind - 13% (+13)
Lab - 8% (-3)
(Both Inds were former Conservative councillors)
Con hold after toss of coin!

Newchurch, Isle of Wight Unitary Authority
Ind - 22% (-15).
LD - 40% (+40)
Con - 39% (-7)
(Previous councillor had been elected a Conservative but defected)
LD gain from Ind

Glyncoch, Rhondda Cynon Taff Unitary Authority
Lab - 50% (-18)
Ind - 33% (+33)
Plaid - 11% (-21)
Con - 3% (+3)

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UFC 92 RESULTS

The following are official UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 quick match results:

Patrick Barry def. Dan Evensen via TKO (injury) -- Round 1, 2:36.
Brad Blackburn def. Ryo Chonan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Matt Hamill def. Reese Andy via TKO (strikes) -- Round 2, 2:19.
Antoni Hardonk def. Mike Wessel via TKO (strikes) -- Round 2, 2:09.
Yushin Okami def. Dean Lister via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Cheick Kongo def. Mostapha Al-Turk via TKO (strikes) -- Round 1, 4:37.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson def. Wanderlei Silva via KO (punch) -- Round 1, 3:21.
C.B. Dollaway def. Mike Massenzio via TKO (strikes) -- Round 1, 3:01.
Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via TKO (punches) -- Round 2, 1:54.
Rashad Evans def. Forrest Griffin via TKO (punches) -- Round 3, 2:46

Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans wasn’t supposed to be here.
You know, in the main event of the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view of the year and one victory away from becoming the UFC’s light heavyweight champion.
An undersized heavyweight facing the once-highly regarded heavyweight prospect Brad Imes in the finals for the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, Evans was picked by many to lose. However, Evans showed heart and moxie and battled his way to a split decision victory and a six-figure UFC contract.
Evans then proceeded to go 4-0 following his official induction into the UFC, with a notable win over TUF 1 finalist Stephan Bonnar at UFC Fight Night 5.
Following a highlight reel high kick knockout over Sean Salmon at UFC Fight Night 8, the decision was made to push Evans up the ladder and into a headlining PPV bout against former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
Despite Ortiz having peaked several years earlier, many once again counted Evans out. Ortiz is a fighter not known for having self-esteem issues and appeared as confident and cocky as ever leading up to their UFC 73 showdown.

forrest griffin

Live blog, play-by-play, action of tonight’s UFC 92 MMA results between Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans from Las Vegas.


Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans Main Event

Round 1: The first round could have gone either way as both fighters were aggressive and landed a number of punches. Evans finished the round really strong after delivering a devastating kick to Griffin’s ribs. (10-9 Griffin) - Ringside judges scored it 29-28 for Griffin.

Round 2: Griffin started out strong in round number two with some swift Thai clinch and kicking. Evans takes numerous punches before blowing Griffin a kiss and grabbing his nuts. A lot of low kicks from Griffin that are doing some damage to Evans. Evans lands at least one strong punch near the end of the round. (10-9 Griffin) - Ringside judges scored it 30-27 for Griffin.

Round 3: Griffin totally had this match under control until the third when he slipped and started having to fight off Evans from his back. Evans truly pounced on the opportunity and punches away with both hands. Griffin recovers for a bit before Evans belts him to the head with numerous jab blows. Griffin finally concedes by tapping out at the 2:46 mark.

Result: Rashad Evans defeats Forrest Griffin (3rd round 2:46) to become the light heavyweight champion.

Undercard Results:

Patrick Berry defeats Dan Evensen (1st round 2:36 TKO)
Brad Blackburn defeats Ryo Chonan (Decision 29-28)
Matt Hamill defeats Reese Andy (2nd round 2:19)
Antoni Hardonk defeats Mike Wessell (2nd round 2:09)
Yushin Okami defeats Dean Lister (Decision 30-27)
Cheick Kongo defeats Mustapha al Turk (1st round 4:37)
Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackon defeats Wanderlei Silva (1st round 3:21)
CB Dollaway defeats Mike Massenzio (1st round 3:01)
Frank Mir defeats Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (2nd round 1:54)

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MBB 0840: Mavericks Return To Top-10

Kansas City, Mo. --- The Minnesota State men’s basketball team climbed two spots in the most recent edition of the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) Top-25 poll.
The jump in the poll comes after Minnesota State earned a pair of victories last week, downing MacMurray, 107-73, and Crown College 111-43.
Findlay remains the top-ranked team in the nation, receiving all eight first-place votes. South Carolina Aiken, Southwest Baptist, Gannon and Arkansas-Monticello close out the top-five.
Minnesota State is the highest of three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference teams ranked in the top-25. Northern State is #19, and Augustana entered the poll this week at #24.
A pair of MSU’s nonconference foes are also ranked in the top-25. Saint Martins is #15, while Southern Indiana is #18. The Mavericks defeated Saint Martins, 88-79, and Southern Indiana, 68-60, in the Disney East Coast Division II Tip-Off Classic to open the season.

Minnesota State is idle until Jan. 2, when it hosts Minnesota, Crookston in NSIC competition.NABC/Division II Coaches Poll (Dec. 23, 2008) Record Points Pvs 1. Findlay, Ohio (8 first place votes) 8-0 200 1 2. South Carolina Aiken 6-0 190 2 3. Southwest Baptist, Mo. 9-0 186 3 4. Gannon, Pa. 4-0 176 4 5. Arkansas-Monticello 9-0 164 8 6. LIU-C.W. Post, N.Y. 5-0 150 7 7. Augusta State, Ga. 5-1 149 10 8. Central Oklahoma 10-2 137 5 9. Minnesota State 11-2 132 11 10. Missouri Southern 12-0 127 14 11. Kentucky Wesleyan 8-1 107 13 12. BYU-Hawaii 5-1 103 6 13. Bellarmine, Ky. 9-0 95 18 14. Catawba, N.C. 8-2 92 9 15. Saint Martin’s, Wash. 12-2 82 19 16. Grand Valley State, Mich. 7-2 68 21 17. Northern Kentucky 6-2 62 17 18. Southern Indiana 11-2 59 22 19. Northern State, S.D. 9-1 49 23 20. Arkansas Tech 9-2 40 NR 21. Claflin, S.C. 9-0 38 NR 22. Pittsburgh-Johnstown, Pa. 6-2 32 15 23. Edinboro, Pa. 8-0 24 NR 24. Augustana, S.D. 8-2 19 NR 25. (tie) Clayton State, Ga. 8-0 18 NR (tie) Valdosta State, Ga. 11-2 18 20 Others receiving votes: Christian Brothers (Tenn.) 13, Central Washington 12, Benedict (S.C.) 10, Mars Hill (N.C.) 9, Saint Anselm (N.H.) 6, Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) 5, Lynn (Fla.) 5, Francis Marion (S.C.) 4, Cal State-Dominguez Hills 3, Central Missouri 3, Harding (Ark.) 3, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 3, Elizabeth City State (N.C.) 2, Merrimack (Mass.) 2, Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 2. Records are through games of Dec. 21, 2008.

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HIG Flats from Mhada to hit Market, View Mhada Housing Lottery Results

Breaking News! In a significant judgement, the Supreme Court cleared a mega housing project of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), paving the way for new Mhada HIG flats to hit the market soon. The legal battle continued for three years, finally came to and end. The Mhada housing project will come up at Lokhandwala complex in Versova.

The Mhada will hand over 25 acres land to Apna Ghar Co-operative Housing Society (CHS). As per the understanding between the parties, Mhada will retain 50 acres of no development zone (NDZ) land and will share 50% of the further subdivided 50 acres of land with Apna Ghar CHS. That means, out of the 100 acres of disputed land, Mhada will retain 75 acres, while Apna Ghar CHS will have 25 acres.
MAHDA [link]
LOTTERY RESULTS CLICK

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Bigflix.com to invest Rs 450 cr for expansion

BIGFLIX


Mumbai-based entertainment service provider Bigflix.com, a venture of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group, today said it would invest about Rs 450 crore for expansion of its operation across the country over the next four years.
"We have fixed up a target of opening 500 offline movie rental outlets across the country during the next four years.

Out of the total target, about 100 outlets would be established over a period of six months," Bigflix.com Chief Operation Officer Kamal Gianchandani told reporters.

He said that the company would invest a minimum of about Rs eight lakh per outlet. "Each showroom has access to various movie titles across different languages across genres with convenient subscription plans," he said.

On the company's foray into the south Indian market, he said about 30 per cent of the outlets of the total target fixed would be set up in south India.

Kamal said the company's video rentals division now has access to 20,000 titles across 13 languages across genres. The membership of our outlets works all over India, so one can use the membership across all Bigflix stores, he said.

Besides Hindi and English, the outlets would offer a variety or regional content in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi across multiple movie genres of all eras -- from old to the latest, he said.

Explaining the difficulty in setting up a strong base in South India, Kamal said the official DVD is released only after one year of the film release, whereas in North India, the gap between the release and home video was between 8 and 12 weeks. "This long gap is the major factor that we cannot have a strong foothold in South India", he said.

Kamal said his company was in talks with producers across South India to reduce the gap. "Because of this gap, piracy is also higher here when compared to North India".

On the digital market scenario, he said the total market size in India was about Rs 850 crore, of which 65 per cent accounts to DVD movie rentals.

He said the home video market was all set to see a boom with entry of more players to woo consumers by making cinema accessible like never before.

Besides offering innovative, convenient and cost effective entertainment solutions to Indian consumers, the key players were going the whole hog to tap the estimated 25 million strong non-resident Indian population and an equally large non-indian audience consuming Indian movies, TV shows, music and more on a regular basis, he said.

With the home video segment accounting for nearly 50 per cent of the filmed entertainment business in developed markets like US, Canada and UK, who constitute over 70 per cent of total global online movie revenues, the digital entertainment business through its video-on demand service was witnessing a new horizon in its growth path, he added.

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Taare Zameen Par

MUMBAI: Aamir Khan's directorial debut Taare Zameen Par has won the Gold Award for Best Film at the V Shantaram Awards.

Additionally, Neeraj Pandey's A Wednesday and Marathi film Tingya bagged the Silver and Bronze award in the Best Film category.

Pandey also won the Best Director Gold award as well as Best Debut Director award.

The Silver Best director award went to Aamir Khan for Taare Zameen Par while Ashutosh Gowariker received the Best Director Bronze award for Jodhaa Akbar.

Darsheel Safary and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan bagged the Best Actor and Actress for TZP and Jodhaa Akbar respectively.

On the other hand, Jimmy Shergill received the 'Best artiste in a supporting role' award for his performance in A Wednesday. The debut artiste award went to Farhan Akhtar for Rock On.

AR Rehman won the Best Music Director for Jodhaa Akbar while Kiran Deohans received the Best Cinematography Award.

Amol Gupte bagged the best writing award for Taare Zameen Par; best sound award went to late H Sridhar for the Tamil film Dashavataram. Shree Narayan Singh received the Best editing award for A Wednesday.

DISCUSSION CNN-IBN TO AAMIR

As Ghajini runs to packed houses in India and abroad, actor Aamir Khan talks about the marketing strategy behind the promotions of the film. Aamir also talks about the Mumbai terror attacks and the impact it's had on him.

CNN-IBN:What is the latest Box Office figures that you've received?

Aamir Khan:Well, the opening was a good four times bigger than any other film before this. That was really good news for all of us because of the advance bookings. And the numbers that are coming in now are quite astounding. On day one, which was just paid previews where we didn't even have a full day of screenings, it was about Rs 7 crore.

CNN-IBN:The year started with a high for you with Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na being a hit and you've ended the year again on a high. So you've cracked the marketing code?

Aamir Khan:All I can say is that when I'm marketing a film I like to be honest with it. So weather it was Taare Zameen Par, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na or Ghajini, I like to be honest with it. So Ghajini being an action thriller, that is how we marketed the film. And in my opinion a goof action film has a huge audience in India. Also with Jaane Tu... we opened on fewer screen sand with Ghajini we've opened with the highest number of screens ever. So the marketing needed to have depth and width, so we needed to be very aggressive with the marketing of the film.

CNN-IBN: What compliments would you want, the kind you received for Taare Zameen Par or for Ghajini?

Aamir Khan:The fact is that both are valid as Taare Zameen Par is very close to my heart. It's a film I really believe in and it's positively changed lives for many people. It's had such a strong social impact that it makes it the closest to my heart. Where as Ghajini is not a realistic film, it's meant to entertain you and see action that you've never seen before.

CNN-IBN: It's exactly a month since the terror attack, is there something that you'd like to say?

Aamir Khan:It's something that I haven't forgotten and think no one should forget about it, It's left a deep scar on all of us, which we can't forget. All the sacrifices the security forces have made will not be forgotten.

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State Bank of India’s urged to raise ceiling

President Mohamed Nasheed, who returned to Male’ after concluding a three day official visit to India, has said that he has urged the Indian government to raise the ceiling of bank loans provided to Maldivian business community by State Bank of India to US $ 500 Million.

Speaking to Maldivian media from New Delhi, President Nasheed said Indian government has given positive indications to his request.

President said State Bank of India currently provides up to US $ 200 Million. He revealed that following his request, the Indian government has said that it will discuss the issue with the State Bank of India’s management and see what can be done.

He further said during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh he has asked the Prime Minister to afford facilities from the Indian Axim Bank to Indian business community so that they can export goods to Maldives.

“Then there is the issue of our students obtaining higher education here, we are looking at receiving a thousand scholarships from India” said the President briefing the Maldives media from Taj Mahal Hotel.

President Nasheed who is currently on his maiden trip to India after being sworn in as president over a month ago, said discussion were also held on developing human resources in sectors, like nursing, tourism.

President revealed that among the things that has been agreed between both countries include, improving the road systems of some islands, developing and improving the services provided by Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) built by the assistance from Indian government , developing the Hotel School and providing assistance to establish suitable sewerage systems in the islands of Maldives.
State Bank of India

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Civil Services Examination 2009

Civil Services Examination 2009, Examination Notefication No:04/2009-CSP

IMPORTANT

1. CANDIDATES TO ENSURE THEIR ELIGIBILITY FOR THE EXAMINATION:

The Candidates applying for the examination should ensure that they fulfill all eligibility condition for admission to examination. Their admission at all the stages of the examination will be purely provisional subject to satisfying the prescribed eligibility conditions

Mere issue of admission certificate to the candidate will not imply that his candidature has been finally cleared by the Commission.

Commission take up verification of eligibility conditions with reference to original documents only after the candidate has qualified for interview/Personality Test.

2. APPLICATION FORM :

Candidates must apply in the Common Application Form devised by the Commission for its examination, which can be purchased from the Designated Head Post Offices/Post Offices (specified in Appendix III of the notice) throughout the country against cash payment of Rs. 20/- (Rupees Twenty only). Each such form can be used only once and only for one examination.
In case of any difficulty in obtaining Application Forms from the designated HPOs/POs, the candidates should immediately contact the concerned post Master or UPSC's "FORMS SUPPLY MONITORING CELL" over Telephone No. 011-23389366/FAX No. 011-23387310.
Candidates are advised to read carefully the "Instructions for filling up the Application Form" given in Appendix-II of this notice.

3. LAST DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS :

All applications must reach the "Secretary, Union Public Service Commission, Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi - 110069" either by hand or by Post/Speed Post or by Courier, on or before the 5th January, 2009.
The candidates should not that applications will be received by hand only one at a time at the desginated counter(s) and not in bulk, till 5 PM only.

However, in respect of candidates residing abroad or in certain remote localities specified in para 6 of this Notice the last date for receipt of application by Post/Speed Post only (not by Hand or by Courier) is 12th January, 2009.

4. Penalty for wrong answer (In objective type paper).

Candidates should note that their will be penalty (Negative Marking) answers marked by a candidate in the Objective Question Papers.

5. FACILITATION COUNTER FOR GUIDANCE OF CANDIDATES :

In case of any guidance/information/clarification regarding their applications, candidature etc. candidates can contact UPSC's Facilitation Counter near gate 'C' of its campus in person or over Telephone No. 011-23385271/011-23381125/011-23098543 on working days between 10.00 hrs and 17.00 hrs.

6. MOBILE PHONES BANNED :

(a) Mobile phones, pagers or any other communication devices are not allowed inside the premises where the examination is being conducted. Any infringement of these instructions shall entail disciplinary action including ban from future examinations.
(b) Candidates are advised in their own interest not be bring any of the banned items including mobile phones/pagers to the venue of the examination, as arrangement for safekeeping cannot be assured.


Civil Services Examination 2009

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UPSC Declares NDA NA Examination

On the basis of written examination conducted by the UPSC and interviews held by the Services Selection Board (SSB) earlier this year, 
456 candidates have qualified for admission to Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA for the 121st course and Naval Academy 10+2 (executive branch) for the 41st course commencing from December 30, 2008. 

According to a UPSC release, there are some common candidates in the three lists for Army, Navy, Air Force and Naval Academy. The total number of such candidates in the three lists are 183 and the number of vacancies as intimated by the government is 335. 
The results of the medical examination have not been taken into account in preparing these lists, the release said. The results of Roll Nos. 041824, 115290 and 171429 have been withheld. 

For further information, candidates can contact the facilitation counter of the Commission near 'C' gate in UPSC premises either in person or on telephone nos. 23385271, 23381125 and 23098543 between 1000 hrs and 1700 hrs on any working day.
 

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