Technology Slice Blog

Nicolas Sarkozy Chased Rabbit - Nicolas Sarkozy was left chasing a rabbit while meeting the US ambassador before he became French president, leaked US diplomatic cables reveal. Mr Sarkozy invited Craig Stapleton to see him in 2006 to say how proud he was to meet President George W Bush. He later introduced his nine-year-old son, Louis, who had "a small dog at his feet and a large rabbit in his arms". When Louis put the rabbit down to shake hands, the dog started chasing it. Mr Sarkozy then had to run after the pets. The incident is described in one of the 251,287 classified cables the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks says it has obtained and shared with several newspapers. The "rare glimpse of a relaxed Sarkozy" came when Mr Stapleton visited the then interior minister at his office at Place Beauvau in Paris. "Sarkozy went to the line of floor-to-ceiling windows that open from the interior minister's office to the gardens of the interior minis...

Justin Bieber New Haircut - The Justin Bieber haircut has become part of his lore. Therefore, when a new Justin Bieber haircut appeared to be revealed days ago, his fans went nuts. Of course, it doesn't take much for his fans to go crazy, as they caught his fever a long time ago. Their devotion has made him and his hair famous, so any change to his style stands to make international news. However, there is no new haircut for them to talk about and imitate, as it was just brushed differently for a day. This past Friday, the tween idol seemed to show off a fresh look at a Barnes and Noble in New York. While promoting his book, fans noticed his bangs were in the opposite direction, and speculated that he had a hair product. The traditional haircut is both famous and infamous, as it goes all the way down to his eyebrows. Friday's style showed off a little bit more of his forehead, but it was enough to get fans riled up. However, it may not qualify as a haircut, since it appe...

Wikileaks Targets Bank Of America - Bank of America tersely dismissed speculation Tuesday that it is the "big U.S. bank" that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told Forbes magazine will be the website's next target. The left-leaning website Huffington Post published that conjecture, citing an October 2009 interview with Computer World magazine in which Assange said he had "5GB from Bank of America, one of the executive's hard drives." But bank spokesman Scott Silvestri said there was no more proof of that now than there was 14 months earlier. "More than a year ago WikiLeaks claimed to have the computer hard drive of a Bank of America executive," Silvestri said. "Aside from the claims themselves, we have no evidence that supports this assertion. We are unaware of any new claims by WikiLeaks that pertain specifically to Bank of America." Assange teased Forbes in the interview published Monday, saying the information he was preparing ...

Missing Michigan Boys - The father of three Michigan boys who have been missing since last week was arrested and charged with kidnapping on Tuesday. John Skelton, who had been receiving treatment for an attempted suicide at a mental health facility since Thanksgiving, was taken into custody by the FBI immediately following his release, Police Chief Larry Weeks told reporters. His children - Andrew, 9; Alexander, 6; and Tanner, 5 - have been missing since Thursday, when they were last seen in their father's backyard. Though investigators were initially hopeful, Weeks said police no longer believe the boys are alive. "Statements [Skelton] made to investigators indicate it's not going to be a positive outcome," he said in a press conference. Missing Michigan Boys

Wikileaks Website Attacked - Days after Julian Assange and the WikiLeaks team leaked U.S. State Department cables to several news media outlets, a DoS attack has shut the WikiLeaks Website down. A DoS attack occurs when hackers send numerous request for information from multiple computers to the intended server, thereby overwhelming and disabling it. It appears that the WikiLeaks Website has become the victim of such an attack in order to prevent the leaking of more than 250,000 sensitive documents. WikiLeaks has been hailed as an example of global freedom of speech by those who believe WikiLeaks exposes the criminal side of war. It is also highly criticized by those who believe the leaked documents not only jeopardize the lives of civilians, military and embassy officials, but also endangers our progress and attempts at negotiations on a global level. The controversy comes as Interpol named Julian Assange, WikiLeaks Founder, a wanted fugitive for rape, coercion and molestation char...

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2010 - Tonight,the 2010 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will debut on CBS and the Victoria's Secret Models have been out in full force to make sure you know about it. Adriana Lima did the morning talk show rounds and discussed getting back into a bikini after having a baby. "I feel more confident and sexier now. I feel complete somehow," she told The Early Show. Lily Aldridge spent the weekend talking football with the crew from The NFL Today and managed to distract everyone. “Dan’s looking at the notes. Shannon (Sharpe) is looking at other things," Boomer Esiason joked during the broadcast. One model who was visibly absent this year is Heidi Klum, who decided to hang up her wings "All good things have to come to an end. I will always love Victoria's Secret. It has been an absolutely amazing time," Klum said during Paris Fashion Week in late September. Transformers star Rosie Huntington Whiteley - who...

Keith Urban On Nicole Kidman - Keith Urban has opened up about the moment his marriage to Nicole Kidman almost collapsed - insisting he would have understood if the actress had walked out on him when he was admitted to rehab. The country superstar has long battled alcohol and drug addiction and he reached a breaking point four months after his marriage to the "Moulin Rouge!" star in 2006. Kidman helped stage an intervention and Urban checked into the Betty Ford Center in a bid to kick his bad habits for good. During an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Monday, Urban revealed he thought his addictions would "tear" the couple apart and "destroy" their marriage. And the singer insists he would have understood if Kidman had left him, telling the TV host, "Well that's the point right there where she should have just walked. Not should have, that's not the right word, but I (would have understood if she had). Of course... ...

Jim Kelley Dies - Longtime Buffalo hockey writer Jim Kelley died Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Kelley, a professional sports news columnist whose 30-year career has focused primarily on the Buffalo Sabres and the NHL, was set to be inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame this season. Most recently Kelley was a regular co-host on Prime Time Sports in Toronto and appeared regularly on WBEN as a hockey contributor. Kelley started covering the Sabres in 1981 for The Buffalo News. He also originated the weekly "Hockey Night in Buffalo," as well as "Sharpshooters" on WNSA FM with partner Mike Robitaille. From time to time he still contributed various hockey articles to ESPN.com and FOXSports.com. His experience and knowledge of hockey led The Hockey News to proclaim him in 2002-03 as one of the "100 People of Power and Influence in Hockey." Jim Kelley Dies

Don Cornelius TV Star - Don Cornelius is the person who was in charge to host the Soul Train Awards 2010. 74-year-old Don Cornelius produced "Soul Train". The show started in 1971 and continued till 2006. Many people consider that the show of Don Cornelius helped provide African Americans additional charisma in the amusement business.Don Cornelius did not forever stay attached to TV. Don Cornelius was an individual with an innate ability to be called a natural salesperson. Don Cornelius began his career in the insurance industry in 1950s. Don Cornelius also worked as a replacement disc jockey on a radio station. Afterward, Don Cornelius came to know that he has the ability and talent to mark his name in the entertainment industry.After entering the entertainment industry, Don Cornelius got started with the Soul Train in August 1970. The show became a big hit and Don Cornelius gathered a lot of fame as a result.Biography.com stated about Soul Train produced by Don Cornelius:P...

China PMI Rises - China's official manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 55.2 in November from 54.7 in October, according to reported data released Wednesday by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing. The increase marked the 21st straight month of expansion in manufacturing activity and came in ahead of economists' forecast for a 54.7 reading, according to Reuters. A reading above 50 shows expansion. China PMI Rises

Empire Strikes Back 30th Anniversary 2010 - May the Force be with Irvin Kershner. The director of 1980’s “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”, who died over the weekend at age 87 after a long illness, will be long remembered for helming what many consider to be the finest film in the “Star Wars” franchise. Beyond propelling George Lucas’ phenomenal space fantasy forward with darker edges and more complex shadings, Kershner elevated the artistry expected of blockbuster sequels. “Empire,” like “The Godfather 2” before it, proved that rather than existing as a mere money-making knock-off, a sequel could set the storytelling bar even higher than the original. “He was a wonderful person to work with,” Harrison Ford said of Kershner earlier this year at a 30th anniversary screening of Kershner’s most memorable film. “He’s very sympathetic to actors, and really a generous man, a lovely man.” When PopcornBiz asked Billy Dee Williams at the same event why he thought “Empire” end...

Yahoo Free Fantasy Football - Every week, we compile a list of players that may be worth targeting off the waiver wire. For players to appear on our list, they need to satisfy two factors: (1) they are owned in less than half of Yahoo! leagues and (2) they did not appear on our previous week's list of potential additions. Of course, the other criteria is that we believe they could be useful to fantasy teams based on the depth of the league. So I guess there are three factors. As an example, Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson is an especially good waiver-wire target if you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league. For the third time in four games, Burleson finished with exactly seven receptions. Since returning from injury six games ago, Burleson has 35 receptions for 410 yards and four touchdowns. Even though he is owned in only 19 percent of Yahoo! leagues, he is not listed below due to his appearance on last week's list Yahoo Free Fantasy Football

David Cassidy Pleads Not Guilty - Want to know what's going on with your favorite TV stars when the cameras aren't rolling? Check out the latest celebrity news from our friends at PopEater.com. • Former '70s heartthrob David Cassidy vowed to fight DUI charges from his arrest earlier this month, and kept his promise by pleading not guilty in a Florida court today. • Kim Kardashian is among a long list of celebs playing dead for a good cause -- a new campaign to raise awareness for World AIDS Day and Keep A Child Alive. Each will make a "Digital Life Sacrifice," wherein they stop using Twitter and Facebook in an effort to raise awareness and money for Keep A Child Alive. • Eva Longoria's divorce hasn't even been finalized yet and she already has men lining up. Rumor has it that ladies man John Mayer is very interested. • Jennifer Aniston and comedienne Chelsea Handler are new besties. The two spent Thanksgiving together in Cabo. • Amber Portwood w...

Kara DioGuardi Writing Memoir - She won’t be on your TV screens when American Idol returns for its tenth season in January, but Kara DioGuardi will be coming to bookstores everywhere shortly thereafter. A spokesperson for It Books (a division of HarperCollins) confirms with EW that the songwriter/TV personality’s memoir, A Helluva High Note, will hit shelves on April 26, 2011. (The news was first reported by Radar earlier today.) The tome won’t only cover DioGuardi’s two-season stint on Idol, but also “her life and career as a producer, songwriter and artist,” according to an It Books publicist. Fair enough. But as a relentless critic of DioGuardi’s performance during Idol‘s eighth season who grew to rather appreciate her during season 9, here are five topics I’m hoping she’ll address: * Her American Idol gaffes: DioGuardi’s first Idol season was punctuated with cringe-inducing zingers — referring to “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” as “early Aerosmith”; mislabeling Studio 54 as “Stud...

Comcast Will Block Netflix Fees - Comcast is threatening to block Netflix unless they get some new fees paid to them, causing their price to go up for the consumer. Comcast is doing this in hopes of being paid, otherwise people can use their video service instead. A partner of Comcast, Level 3 Communications’ chief legal officer, Thomas C. Stortz, said, “With this action, Comcast demonstrates the risk of a ‘closed’ Internet, where a retail broadband Internet access provider decides whether and how their subscribers interact with content.” The FCC needs to hear from consumers now, before the Chairman makes his announcement this week. Take action now so that Comcast isn’t able to make these changes. Sign our message to the FCC: “Don’t let Comcast block Netflix or other online innovators for their own profit! Support the strongest Net Neutrality protections possible — and keep Obama’s promise.” The petition has already received 30,000 signatures and you can add yours to it to...

Matt Lauer Rant - Matt Lauer giggled like a school girl during an interview with Jean Chatzky when she mentioned how companies shrink the size of their package to trick consumers. Because package is slang for penis, you see. Lauer asked if the size of the package is important and then when Jean started explaining how it is, Matt broke down laughing. Then he pushed his tongue against his cheek and moved his hand back and forth in front of his mouth and asked her out to dinner. This gentleman really knows how to treat a lady. Matt Lauer Rant

Cop 16 In Cancun - The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP16 kicked off yesterday in Cancun, Mexico. Delegates from 192 nations are attending through December 10 hoping to determine a collective, international approach to slowing and preparing their countries for an increase in global temperatures. Conference goals— laid out at an opening address by Christiana Figueres, the executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)— include the establishment of: commitments from countries to stop deforestation, a fund worth approximately $100 billion-a-year by 2013 to help poor people cope with climate change, and mechanisms that facilitate technology transfer between nations. Last year’s COP 15 conference in Copenhagen failed in its primary mission to draw countries into a legally binding agreement to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. After the event, however, seventy countries signed the Copenhagen Accord, a voluntary political agreement to add...

Stella McCartney Gives Birth - Stella McCartney has her own little miracle to rejoice in this Christmas season -- her newborn baby daughter Reiley. A rep for Stella McCartney confirmed the designer has indeed given birth to her and husband Alasdhair Willis' fourth child in a London hospital. The rep confirmed to UsMagazine.com that baby Reiley made her way into the world on November 23, weighing in at a solid 8 pounds. The hot mama designer can now trade in the maternity chic clothes she's been covering up in for a more suitable wardrobe -- pajamas. Stella McCartney won't be seeing much of a break anytime soon unless it's for a quick nap with her new addition to an already full house. London's famous daughter of Paul McCartney is welcoming Reiley into the brood that already includes son Miller, 5, daughter Bailey, 3, and little man Becket, 2. The couple, who have been married since 2003, will sure have their hands full, but in February Stella McCartney was ...

Shooting In Bonne Terre - A gunman open fired at an eastern Missouri apartment complex Tuesday, killing three people but leaving two children unharmed before turning the gun on himself, authorities said. Bonne Terre Police Chief Doug Calvert said he found a 37-year-old woman and her 32-year-old boyfriend dead inside a duplex at Boulder Creek Apartments in Bonne Terre, about 45 miles southwest of St. Louis. He also found a 3-year-old boy who didn't appear to be harmed. "I grabbed the child in my arms and handed him off to officers to drive to safety," Calvert said. Outside the duplex, Calvert found another woman shot in a sport utility vehicle. He said she appeared to have been trying to protect a second young child who was in the vehicle. The 18-month-old boy was taken away to safety while the 19-year-old woman was rushed to a hospital, where she died, he said. Calvert said he saw a man running away from the duplex toward a highway, but as police approached, the ...

Richard Branson New Magazine - Virgin founder Richard Branson rolled out his monthly culture magazine Project today by declaring: "The future of publishing lies in apps not on shelves." But the magazine for the iPad is actually the gadfly billionaire's second stab at magazine moguldom. Forty-four years ago, when Branson was 16, he and a school chum Johnny Gems, launched Student. Branson hoped it would be a Rolling Stone for youth culture. It wasn't. "The world has moved on in many, many ways since Johnny and myself launched Student," said Branson. But he has equally high hopes for Project. "It's the first truly digital magazine about creative people for creative people," Branson told reporters gathered at a press conference at Manhattan's Crosby Street Hotel on Tuesday morning. Created by Virgin Group and U.K. publisher Seven Squared, Project is available for $2.99 per issue. The executive team includes Branson's daughter Hol...

Jullian Assange Added To Interpol Wanted List - Two days after Internet whistleblower WikiLeaks released 251,287 U.S. diplomatic cables to major media organizations including the New York Times and Der Spiegel, international police organization Interpol has placed founder Julian Assange on its wanted list for “Sex Crimes,” in a warrant issued by the Public Prosecution Office in Gothenburg, Sweden. While Assange might be facing criminal charges if he returns to his native Australia and is under investigation in the US for espionage, the Interpol mediated charges here are in connection with rape allegations made by two different Swedish women back in August. While Interpol makes it clear that its infamous Red Notice list does not function as an international arrest warrant, it does serve the purpose of broadcasting internationally that the person in question is a fugitive and can aide in extradition process. Assange, who has previously denied the allegations, is rumored to current...

Civil Union Legislation - A crucial piece of legislation, that could bring same-sex civil unions closer to reality in Illinois, is now up for debate and a vote in the Illinois House of Representatives. Openly gay Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), who co-sponsored SB 1716, started his opening statement at 5:17 p.m on Tuesday. "Once in every generation," he said, "legislatures across the country have a chance to advance the cause of liberty and justice for all." SB 1716, the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act needs 60 votes to pass in the House. Supporters believe they have the necessary votes to pass the bill out of the House and on to the Senate, where quick passage is expected. Tuesday afternoon, an Illinois Senate committee advanced its version of the civil unions bill by a 6-2 margin. The upper chamber on the Senate would have to approve the legislation if it clears the House. State Representatives Sid Mathias (R-Arlington Heights), Ro...

Rockefeller Center Tree - The giant Christmas tree at New York's Rockefeller Center that will be lit on Tuesday was donated by a firefighter who was among the first responders to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, officials say. The 74-foot Norway Spruce is decorated with some 30,000 lights, stretching roughly five miles and powered by solar panels, Rockefeller Center officials said. The tree, which is about 75 years old, grew at the home of Pete Acton, who lives in Mahopac, New York, about 50 miles north of New York City. Rockefeller Center officials heard about Acton's spruce while driving to see another tree, a spokeswoman said. "Over the years, people would say to us that the tree belonged at Rockefeller Center, but we never really paid much attention," Acton said. "Even now, my wife is disbelieving that our tree is really going to be this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree." Acton was one of the firefighters first dispat...

Guidepoint Global Subpoenaed - Guidepoint Global, an "expert network" research firm, got a subpoena from William Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, according to a statement Tuesday from Galvin's office. Galvin said he subpoenaed Guidepoint in connection with its dealing with a Massachusetts registered hedge fund. The Massachusetts Securities Division learned of the contractual relationship between the hedge fund and Guidepoint during a routine examination of the fund in May. Recently, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder disclosed the widening federal investigation into the so-called expert consultants' role and the possibility of insider trading at big mutual and hedge funds, Galvin's office noted. The Massachusetts investigation focuses on a much smaller hedge fund, with less than $20 million under management. GuidePoint Global was recently referred to in a press account as the firm that employed Dr. Yves Benhamou a French doctor charged with ...

Cotton Bowl 2011 - The Texas A&M Aggies were offered -- and accepted -- an invite to the 2011 Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium, according to reports. This is good news for the Aggies because they will travel well to the game. According to the report, Texas A&M is expected to make an official announcement soon. This means that, no, the Missouri Tigers did not get an invite to the 2011 Cotton Bowl. You can't blame any but the system. It rewards teams like Texas A&M that will travel very well to the Cotton Bowl. But there's no doubt Missouri can make a strong argument they deserve it. Both teams finished 6-2 in the conference, Missouri finished one game better than Texas A&M on the year at 10-2 (vs. 9-3) and most of all the Tigers beat the Aggies convincingly in a head-to-head matchup. That said, Texas A&M is hot right now coming off six consecutive victories. It's not like they're not worthy. Again, it's not worth getting too upset over. Every...

South Charleston Restraining Order - Ohio County Circuit Judge Arthur Recht has issued a temporary restraining order, halting Saturday's West Virginia Class AAA state high school championship game, according to the Intelligencer in Wheeling. The Brooke County Board of Education filed a lawsuit against the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission Tuesday, requesting a temporary restraining order that would postpone Saturday's Class AAA high school football championship game between South Charleston High School and Martinsburg High. The suit also requested the court prohibit the WVSSAC from canceling the championship game altogether. Brooke Circuit Court conducted a hearing on the suit at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. South Charleston High beat Brooke High School 29-28 in Saturday's Class AAA semifinal game at University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field. A week before, South Charleston players were involved in a fight at the end of a quarterfinal game again...

Earthquake In New York - The biggest earthquake in 18 years hit the New York area at 10:46 AM Tuesday morning. The US Geological Survey says the epicenter of the 3.8 quake was in the Atlantic Ocean off the shore of New Jersey and New York, far away from anything else to do serious damage. However residents of Long Island reported feeling a low tremor. "It was a short rumble, a really low rumble," Smithtown resident Eric Weaver told the Long Island Press. Earthquake In New York

Big NASA Announcement - Excitement grows as NASA announces a news conference to discuss an astrobiology discovery December 2nd at 2p.m. A NASA press release claims that NASA the discussion will involve an “astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe.” The news conference will be held at the NASA Headquarters in Washington and will be broadcast on NASA Television and on the agency’s website at www.nasa.gov. Conference participants will include Mary Voytek, director of Astrobiology Program at NASA Headquarters, Felisa Wolfe-Simon a NASA astrobiology research fellow from U.S. Geological Survey, Pamela Conrad an astrobiologist from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Steven Benner a distinguished fellow from Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution and James Elser a professor from Arizona State University. Big NASA Announcement

Tom Brady The Face Of Uggs - National Enquirer reporters claim to have tracked Tom Brady visiting a hair-transplant clinic recently, sparking speculation that the long hair his wife Gisele is supposedly forcing him to grow is actually a means of covering a terribly embarrassing bald spot. A random 67-year-old man who the Daily News does not name, and who got hair plugs himself, advises Brady to just "get it done." But Brady's appearance is not something to take lightly, and not just because he's married to the hottest woman in the world and owes it to their adoring public to look her equal. Because when he's not hiding his beauty under his football helmet, he's using it to sell items of apparel, like Under Armour and, it was announced today, men's Ugg items. Brady, who says he loves and has been wearing Uggs for a long time, will collaborate with the brand on casual footwear and apparel for bros beginning with the fall 2011 season and appear in ads for ...

Reynald Temarii - FIFA reportedly wants suspended Oceania football chief Reynald Temarii to "fully accept" his sanctions in return for allowing the region to vote on the World Cup hosts. According to a letter addressed to the New Zealand-based Oceania Football Confederation, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke wrote that a replacement would be able to "attend the upcoming meetings of the FIFA executive committee without delay" if that condition were met. Temarii has stated his intention to appeal against his one year suspension for disloyalty following a British newspaper report on vote buying opportunities in the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, although he was cleared of bribery by the ethics committee. Advertisement: Story continues below His legal team have taken the request as an attempt to force him to give up his personal right to appeal, even though he had not even seen the full reasoning behind his sanction. With another member banned, j...

Freddie Jackson Back - Ronald Isley honored at Soul Train Awards: The Isley Brothers great was released from a jail stint over tax evasion earlier this year. Don't call it a comeback! [MTV] Speaking of comebacks: Nearly forgotten soul singer Freddie Jackson, who has 10 No. 1 hits but none we can remember, has released a new album, "For You," just in time for the holidays. [Amazon] Comcast taking aim at Netflix? The cable provider is reportedly charging extra fees to a Netflix intermediary over the service's bandwith consumption, drawing the ire of Net Neutrality supporters (not to mention Netflix supporters). [Bloomberg] Mandy Moore, burger eater: The "Tangled" star says if she wants a burger and fries, "I'm going to do that." (So are we. With a beer flight.) Note to People magazine: Stop asking adorable, interesting actresses what they had for dinner, please. [People] NASA announcement coming: Did they discover life on one of the moo...

Barcelona Manager Guardiola - The image which Pep Guardiola presented when he came to face the press in the Camp Nou media room after Monday night's vicious destruction of Real Madrid was absolutely astonishing. Several of the Catalan journalists he knows and likes best were moist of eye and still hyperactive with the kind of adrenalin that grips the body when something unexpectedly joyous happens. The Madrid-based journalists were shocked beyond belief. What we had all gathered for were Guardiola's words -- a way to make sense of the soccer miracle we'd just been privileged to witness. But Guardiola could barely speak. Not because of emotion or muddled thoughts after wild celebrations in the dressing room. No, Guardiola's voice was ragged like Tom Waits with a bout of bronchitis. Each sound Guardiola tried to make betrayed a vocal chord which had been stretched, battered and torn to near oblivion, so that when he spoke all that came out were a series of creaks a...

Unemployment Extension Bill Stuck - Unemployment benefits are set to run out by the end of December for millions of Americans unless Congress passes a bill by the end of Tuesday, which is the deadline to extend federal benefits. Reports have said that more than two million Americans on long-term unemployment would be affected if it were to run out. The standard unemployment extension covers 26 weeks but Congress has passed bills that allowed for extended benefits for as many as 99 weeks. In Nevada, which has the nation’s highest unemployment rate, 10,600 people will stop getting benefits, according to Fox. In New York State, more than 200,000 are slated to lose extended benefits, according to WNYC. In California, 454,000 could lose the benefits, according to Fox. Congress, who attempted to get a bill through the House two weeks ago but failed to get a Democratic supermajority, does not have a vote on unemployment benefits on Tuesday. Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow...

Audi A6 Sneak Peek - One change that owners of the current-generation Audi A6 can appreciate about the new car is the 2012 A6's revised door pulls allowing people to grab from both above and below the handle. Otherwise, from what we can tell from this out-of-focus video, the A6 will offer large twin five-spoke wheels and vaguely resemble the new A8. A big, chrome-lined grille and LED daytime running lights will be part of the package, as well. The new A7 Sportback's 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 making 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque will no doubt be offered as an option in the A6. Currently, the outgoing A6 offers a 3.2-liter V-6, a 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 (300 horsepower, 310 pound-feet of torque), and a 4.2-liter V-8. Fuel economy should improve from the current car, which starts at 21/30 mpg city/highway in front-wheel-drive 3.2-liter V-6 form and 18/26 mpg with the 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 and all-wheel drive. A bit later, a hybrid A6 is expected to lau...

Debt Commission Creates Plan - A bipartisan presidential commission has made changes to a plan to reduce America's deficits and rein in the national debt, and its members will vote on the "final product" Friday, the panel's co-chairmen announced Tuesday. The co-chairmen, former senator Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyo.) and former Clinton chief of staff Erskine Bowles, told a news conference that commission members would meet Wednesday to discuss the plan, which aims to cut the federal deficit in half by 2015 and stabilize the nation's soaring debt. Simpson and Bowles spoke after the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, as the panel is formally known, held a closed-door meeting to discuss changes to a draft plan that the co-chairmen released three weeks ago. "America, you have a serious problem," Simpson said in opening remarks at the news conference. "And time is short to address it." He said a main feature of the plan is th...

New Airbus A320 Engine - After months of consideration, European planemaker Airbus is expected to announce as soon as Wednesday that it will offer an updated version of its popular A320 single-aisle jet with more efficient, state-of-the-art engines supplied by General Electric Co. and Pratt & Whitney, according to people familiar with the plans. The decision will put additional pressure on rival Boeing Co. as it ponders the future of its competing 737. Boeing has said that it is unlikely to offer new engines on the plane, but may instead design an entirely new single-aisle jet that could enter service by the end of the decade. For Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., the decision to offer new engines on the current A320 means that an entirely new replacement is unlikely to come before 2025, company officials have said. Airbus hopes that by offering new engines and other small upgrades to the A320 it can boost sales and extend the life of its most po...

HIV Still An Epidemic - Despite recent HIV prevention efforts, current interventions are not effective enough to change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic in the United States, said Ronald Valdiserri, MD, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Infectious Diseases, in an address here at the 2010 National Summit on HIV Diagnosis, Prevention, and Access to Care. "The desire to 'scale-up' partner services, HIV screening, structural level interventions, and evaluations may be implemented, but do not have enough impact to effect change," Dr. Valdiserri told meeting attendees. In August 2010, the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention reported that the trajectory of the HIV epidemic is continuing its upward swing. To improve HIV prevention goals, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, conducted an analysis that projects what the...

Buildings Swayed In Tokyo Earthquake - An earthquake off the southern coast of Japan, registering at least 6.6 on the Richter scale, shook much of the country and caused large buildings in Tokyo to sway, the Associated Press reported. Japan's meteorological agency confirmed the quake, measuring the magnitude at 6.9, and said there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, and no sign of a tsunami. But, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, the magnitude was 6.6. The quake hit around 12:25 p.m. local time, and the epicentre was several hundred kilometers south of Tokyo near the Ogasawara or Bonin Islands, with a depth of 300 miles, according to AP. Ironically, Shintaro Ishihara, governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, was set to announce a new plan this morning, which will require owners of buildings along emergency routes to perform tests for earthquake-resistance. Buildings Swayed In Tokyo Earthquake

Johnny Depp Likens Angelina Jolie To Elizabeth Taylor - "Meeting her and getting to know her was a real pleasant surprise," Johnny Depp says of Angelina Jolie. "You don't know what she might be like — if she has any sense of humor at all. I was so pleased to find that she is incredibly normal, and has a wonderfully kind of dark, perverse sense of humor." See our Angelina Jolie photo gallery Depp chats with Patti Smith for a piece in Vanity Fair about the challenges he and his co-star in The Tourist faced with constant media scrutiny on set. "Poor thing, dogged by paparazzi, her and her husband, Brad. ... all their kids. There are times when you see how ridiculous is this life, how ludicrous it is, you know, leaving your house every morning and being followed by paparazzi." Depp tells Smith they sometimes had "to hide" to avoid unwarranted speculation—which included "sometimes not even being able to talk to each other in public beca...

Sony Playstation Move Hits 1.4 Million Sales - Sony's entry into the motion-gaming space is enjoying strong sales, the company announced today. Sony said it has sold 4.1 million PlayStation Move units worldwide since the controller's launch in September. In a statement announcing the sales, Sony said the figure "not only shows clear success of the launch of the new motion-sensing controller, but also indicates positive momentum going into the holiday season and to the year 2011." However, Sony confirmed to CNET in a separate e-mail today that the 4.1 million units were sold to retailers, and not to consumers. The company wouldn't disclose how many units were actually sold to customers. "While we don't disclose our exact sell-through number, the key is that our retailers continue to ask for more Move units and are taking every unit we can supply them with based on their sales," a Sony Computer Entertainment spokesperson told CNET. Sony's ...

Weight Watchers New Program - Weight Watchers is starting to count more than just calories, according to a recent change made by the popular weight loss program. Instead of counting calories, like the company has done in the past, Weight Watchers has started taking into account all of the components that make up calories, such as protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber, which allows people to eat more healthy foods. “When somebody is holding an apple in one hand and 100-calorie cookies in the other, thinking that the two are equal in points, it says everything isn’t working about counting calories,” said Weight Watchers President David Kirkhoff. Kirkhoff said the new program leans more toward healthier foods instead of unhealthy fats and refined sugar. Weight Watchers New Program

Dead Space 2 - John Riccitiello runs EA, the company that makes the Dead Space sci-fi horror games, so he's biased. Nevertheless, he just finished playing through Dead Space 2. I don't even have it yet. As Riccitiello wrapped up an interview with me this morning, he couldn't suppress his excitement as he said me he'd recently completed a playthrough of Dead Space 2. The game isn't out until January, but the head of EA enjoys his perks. Dead Space 2 is supposed to be one of the better upcoming games, a follow-up to the well-liked series of horror games set in outer-space. He said it was paced very well, with lots of good action. I mentioned that some readers of my Kotaku previews of the game had worried that the sequel, which we've known is supposed to be more action-packed, would be less scary than the slower original. "Scarier," Riccitiello said. Then he started raving about the boss battles, which he says are superior to the first game's —...

Mitchell Johnson Still In Ashes Mix - AUSTRALIAN coach Tim Nielsen said Mitchell Johnson could retain his tenuous position in the team if he impressed during a five-man pace shootout for the second Test. Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris have both rocketed into contention to play in Adelaide. Nielsen fell short of guaranteeing Johnson's selection shortly after Harris hit town yesterday afternoon. Bollinger, who took 3-32 on Monday for New South Wales in Perth, also rolled into the City of Churches yesterday, having pulled out of the Shield match against Western Australia. Nielsen reacted sarcastically to talk of England's moral victory at the Gabba. "We're going terribly. We're going awfully," he said. "I can't believe they said that and I'm not sure we're even going to turn up on Friday." Asked if he was gutted when he looked at the Gabba scoreboard and saw England's second innings total of 1-517, Nielsen replied: "I...

3 Boys Missing In Michigan - The Jacksonville grandmother of three Michigan brothers missing since Thursday told the Times-Union Monday she believes the boys are alive and that her son had nothing to do with their disappearance. Roxann Skelton, 60, of the Southside said she believes some unknown person has the boys and she is hopeful they will be returned. “My message to them is to bring the boys home or take them to a place of safety with a note that says, 'I'm a missing child, dial 911,’” Skelton said. “My heart tells me they’re OK.” Skelton said she last saw Tanner, 5, in Jacksonville in August and brothers, Alexander, 7, and Andrew, 9, a month later. She said her son, John, was with the boys and she sensed no trouble either time. Larry Weeks, the police chief of the southern Michigan town where the boys lived, said police doubt the story of unemployed truck driver John Skelton, 39, who told them he handed over his children to a Joann Taylor before attempting suicid...

EU Antitrust Probe Launced Against Google - The European Commission is investigating allegations that Google has abused its dominant position in online search to promote its other services, such as price comparators, the Commission announced Tuesday. The investigation will also look into alleged abuse of exclusivity clauses that discourage sites carrying advertisements served by Google from also carrying advertisements served by its rivals. PC manufacturers and software developers will also be questioned to see whether they were pressured by Google to make its search service the default in their products, the Commission said. Complaints from other search service providers sparked the investigation, it said. The companies told the Commission that Google treated their services unfavorably in its unpaid and sponsored search results. They also alleged that Google gave its own services preferential placement, the Commission said. The Commission is particularly concerned that Goog...

Microsoft Kinect Open Source - It's a story you don't hear too often: a large company taking a step back from pursuing those who might be using its technology in ways that were never intended, as well as admitting that the product was made to open up those avenues by design. That much is now true of Microsoft and its stance on going after those who were making third-party software drivers for its Kinect hardware accessory. The story of how we got there is now, for the most part, well known. The product came out and was taken to immediately, not just by gamers but also by tinkerers who wanted to have their way with the hardware and use it in places Microsoft was not yet offering--like on its Windows operating system. What's interesting about all this though, is that it's a distinct departure for Microsoft, given a history of increasingly closed hardware accessories that make up the Xbox ecosystem. Admittedly, Kinect is a very young product, having been on store sh...

Kim Kardashian Having Fun - Kim Kardashian acknowledged on The View Monday, November 29 that she was dating Halle Berry's ex Gabriel Aubry. With a photograph of Kim and Gabriel watching a recent Lakers game at Staples Center displaying in the backdrop, The View host Barbara Walters asked Kim point blank if she was dating Gabriel. Kim responded, "Um, I am single and I'm dating. I'm having fun." Pressed for a more categorical, yes or no answer, Kim protested, "I'm really trying to be a little more private about my dating life." "But it doesn't mean I don't meet gorgeous, amazing people," she teased. Kim was on the show with sisters Kourtney and Khloe to plug their reality shows, clothing line and new book Kardashian Konfidential. The sisters discussed their lives and how they remain grounded despite their fame. Khloe sensationally revealed that she lost her virginity when 14-year-old, to a boy who was 18. She said the...

How The Oxford English Dictionary Words Are Chosen - Each edition builds upon the epic and magisterial first edition, which was eventually published in 1928, though it had been worked upon since 1857. Now, like then, the editors rely heavily upon a large team of unpaid volunteers, who send in on either slips of paper – the traditional method, still used by some – or email examples of what they think are new words. Newspapers, specialist periodicals, manuals, novels and a whole host of publications are scoured. Now, less obvious language sources, such as television scripts, cookbooks and song lyrics are used as possible sources. The OED, unlike other dictionaries, is marked by its fairly conservative decisions about which words make it into its pages; slang or "buzzwords" that appear frequently but – over a short period – in popular culture often don't make the cut. "Staycation", for instance, the portmanteau term coined by travel companies during the re...

Marinette Hostages Freed - A 15-year-old Wisconsin high school student shot himself Monday night after authorities approached the classroom where he held a teacher and 23 of his classmates hostage for more than five hours. On Monday afternoon, police received a phone call from the principal of Marinette High School, in Marinette, Wisc., alerting authorities that a Western Civilization class were being held at gunpoint on the campus. The class was watching a film about Greek myths when a male student left the classroom. He returned moments later with a backpack. "I was watching the movie and he came in, I wasn't paying any attention to him and I just saw some of my classmates see the gun and then everything just got really serious," said student Austin Biehl in an interview on "Good Morning America" this morning. He pulled out a gun and shot the movie projector and ordered classmates to hand over their cell phones. He broke his own phone when it rang. ...

Vitamin D Needs To Be Increased - New guidelines for vitamin D call for increasing the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin D to 600 international units (IU) for everyone aged 1-70, and raising it to 800 IU for adults older than 70 to optimize bone health. The guidelines, released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), also raised daily calcium RDAs. The majority of Americans and Canadians are getting sufficient vitamin D and calcium, the new guidelines state. Some adolescent girls ages 9-18 may fall below the daily recommended level of calcium intake, and some elderly people may not have an inadequate intake of calcium and vitamin D. The older vitamin D guidelines call for a recommended dietary allowance of 200 IU a day for people up to age 50, 400 IU a day for those ages 51 to 70, and 600 IU a day for those older than age 70. Vitamin D helps the intestines better absorb calcium and plays an important role in bone health. It is often called the "sunshine vitamin...

LG Star Has Been Leaked - The Tegra 2 phone LG Star that we first caught wind of a couple of weeks ago has been photographed again. This time around, we get to see its custom user-interface, an HDMI-port, as well as what the LG Star currently scores in the benchmark app Quadrant: 1759. While that result by no means is bad, it’s still slightly below what I get on my HTC Desire running MIUI ROM. The LG Star in the photos is powered by Froyo, and an explanation to the comparatively low benchmark score might be that Android 2.2 simply isn’t designed to take advantage of Nvidia’s dual-core CPUs. However, when the device is launched early next year, it will likely run Gingerbread and produce considerably higher results. The Star was initially believed to run a virtually unaltered version of Android, but whether you like it or not, the prototype in the pictures is featuring LG’s custom UI which looks somewhat like Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. When one combines the rumored LG Star spec...

New Weight Watchers Plan - Dieters can eat all the fresh fruit and most of the vegetables they want, under a new point system unveiled Monday by Weight Watchers that gives fruits and most veggies zero points. The new PointsPlus System replaces Weight Watchers' Points plan, which has been used by tens of millions. The reason for the change? Weight Watchers wanted to reflect the latest nutrition science, according to Karen Miller-Kovach, the company's chief scientific officer and the mastermind behind both the original system and the new one. The formula to calculate the new PointsPlus values is based on the amounts of protein, fiber, carbs and fat in foods, Miller-Kovach says. The formula takes into account that protein and fiber are important for fullness and warding off hunger. It also factors in how hard the body has to work to process food into energy, she says. In the PointsPlus system, a medium croissant with a pat of butter gets a 7, while one poached egg, 3 ounces...

Imran Kaan Profit In Break Ke Baad - In the recent past there has been a trend of sorts where a lot of big Bollywood actors have been taking a share in the profits of the film they act rather than opting for a fixed remuneration. Now the latest to join this bandwagon is Imran Khan. The buzz is that Imran didn't charge a single penny for his recent release Break Ke Baad but instead is part of a profit-sharing agreement. For all his earlier releases, Imran has always gone in for a fixed remuneration and this is the first time that the young actor has preferred taking a share in the profits. However, it's debatable whether he made the right choice. When we contacted producer Kunal Kohli to confirm the same, he said, "I can't comment on actors' contracts. It's not right on my part to do so." Imran Kaan Profit In Break Ke Baad

Growth In Cleantech Jobs - The Sacramento region has led the state in job growth in the clean-tech sector over the past 13 years and is now home to more than 13,000 clean-tech jobs, according to a report released Monday by the Green Capital Alliance. Green Capital Alliance is a public-private partnership that works to attract clean-tech businesses to the six-county region and streamline government permitting. The study, “Advancing the Clean Energy Economy in California’s Capital Region,” offers a five-year progress report on efforts to transition the region toward a green economy. The report documents pivotal moments that have helped to move the region in that direction, from the formation of Partnership for Prosperity, a collaborative planning effort to create a regional economic development strategy, in 2005 to the region’s ability in recent years to secure more than $250 million in federal economic stimulus funds for clean technology and energy efficiency initiatives. The rep...

Obama Proposes Federal Pay Freeze - President Barack Obama called Monday for a two-year freeze on federal workers' pay, a largely symbolic act that kicked off a week of partisan debate over how to contain government spending while stabilizing the economy. ``Going forward, we're going to have to make some additional very tough decisions that this town has put off for a very long time, and that's what this upcoming week is really about,'' Obama said in announcing the freeze plan, which would save $5 billion over two years and affect civilian workers, not the military. Congress must approve the pay freeze for it to become effective. The federal budget deficit was about $1.3 trillion in the recently ended fiscal year, and the national debt is estimated at nearly $14 trillion. Paying interest on that debt alone gobbles 6 percent of all federal spending, and that's projected to rise to 17 percent by 2020. On Tuesday, the president is to meet with congressional ...

India GDP Increases Almost 9 Percent - India's economy expanded 8.9% in the July-to-September quarter from a year earlier, beating expectations and prompting the government to lift its growth forecast for the fiscal year. Finance Minster Pranab Mukherjee said Tuesday's figures round out two "favorable" quarters, noting that he upwardly revised his fiscal-year growth forecast to 8.75% from 8.5%. Analysts said the growth momentum suggests India's central bank has additional room to raise interest rates to help cool inflation after wholesale prices were 8.58% higher in October than a year earlier, following September's on-year rise of 8.62%. Economists had expected growth of 8.2% for the quarter, according to poll by Dow Jones Newswires. India's economy grew a revised 8.9% in the April-to-June quarter. India GDP Increases Almost 9 Percent

Ivory Coast President Will Contest Vote - Ivory Coast's president said Tuesday he plans to contest some results of a presidential poll already marred by opposition accusations of violence and voter fraud. Full results of Sunday's runoff poll have not been released, but a spokesman for President Laurent Gbagbo's campaign said he plans to contest votes in three regions of the country's rebel-held north. In those areas, he said, supporters of Gbagbo's opponent tried to steal ballot boxes and take Gbagbo supporters hostage. Gbagbo campaign chief Pascal Affi N'Guessan said he had discussed the situation with United Nations mission chief Young-Jin Choi and will request that results from Savanes, Denguele and Worodougou regions be invalidated "because they didn't respect the norms of transparency." Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, formerly the head of the rebel group that controls the north of the country, responded by saying that the government'...

EU Launches Google Probe - "The (European) Commission will investigate whether Google has abused a dominant market position in online search by allegedly lowering the ranking of unpaid search results of competing services," the EU executive said in a statement. World No.1 search engine Google said in February that British price comparison site Foundem and French legal search engine ejustice.fr had alleged that its search algorithm demoted their sites in Web search results because they were rivals. It said Microsoft-owned Ciao from Bing had complained about its standard terms and conditions. The Commission said it would also look into allegations that Google sets exclusivity obligations on advertising partners, preventing them from placing certain types of competing ads on their websites, as well as on computer and software vendors, with the aim of shutting out competing search tools. It would also investigate suspected restrictions on the portability of online advert...

Zulqarnain Haider To Tell All - The wife of Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider wants to join her husband in London as she fears for her children's safety after Haider said he would expose those taking bribes in Pakistan cricket. Iqra Haider, flanked by her two small children, said on Geo News that she was scared after getting threat calls from unknown callers. "Soon after my husband said on his Facebook page yesterday he would expose these people, I started getting calls from unknown numbers where they told me they knew where my children studied or went and they would not remain safe," she said. The wicketkeeper's wife, speaking on national television with her face and head covered by a veil and only her eyes visible, said she wanted to join her husband in London. "I don't feel safe any longer in Pakistan after these threats calls. I am afraid to even send my children out now, I want to be with my husband," she said. FIXING MATCHES Ha...

Porsche Cajun Confirmed - Porsche SE has officially confirmed the development of its best selling Porsche Cayenne’s baby sibling, the Porsche Cajun. Earlier today, Porsche’s supervisory board gave the company the green light to start development and production of the brand’s fifth model, which will slot itself right below the Porsche Cayenne in size and pricing. This news comes right as the Porsche is positioning itself to merge with Volkswagen AG. Porsche announced that the Cajun will open as an entry-level model that will “attract new and even younger customers to the premium brand.” They went on to add that the Cajun will be come with “typical Porsche features such as light weight, ease of handling and agility.” The Cajun name tag is still a ‘working title’, and the new SUV is expected to compete against the Audi Q5 and the expected X4 from the BMW staple. The Porsche Cajun is the second model to get the board approval, following the Porsche 918 Spyder which was showcased at th...

Sachin Tendulkar - Saluting the longevity of Sachin Tendulkar, West Indies great Brian Lara has described the Indian batting legend as the ‘Don Bradman’ of modern era but refused to the compare the icons of different eras. Lara, himself a legendary left-handed batsman from the Caribbean, said what astonishes him the most about Tendulkar is his longevity. “I don’t think there is any race. Both are great players. Tendulkar has shown the world what he is capable of and his longevity in the game is something to be really appreciated,” Lara said. “The time he will spend in the game, records are going to tumble. The fact that someone can be there from the age of 16 and still at the age of 37 perform brilliantly is something that I cherish more than anything else,” he said. The West Indies player is of the opinion that Australian great Don Bradman, who ended his career with an incredible Test average of 99.96, and Tendulkar should not be compared as they played and flourished in diff...

Wikileaks: China Moving Away From North Korea - China is distancing itself from North Korea and increasingly accepting the "new reality" of a reunited Korean peninsula, a cable released by Wikileaks says. The cable from US ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens describes a widening gap between the governments of China and North Korea. It signals China could not stop the collapse of the ailing dictatorship after the death of its leader Kim Jong-Il. Ms Stephen's cable is dated February 22, 2010 and given the second highest security classification Secret. It quotes South Korean Vice-Foreign Minister Chun Yung-woo saying China expects a political meltdown in North Korea within three years of Jong-Il's death. There is "no will" to increase Chinese economic investment and influence in the country to force a change in its policies, he is quoted saying. "China had far less influence on North Korea "than most people believe." Beijing had ...

Picasso Paintings Found In France - More than 270 previously unknown works by Pablo Picasso recently surfaced when 71 year-old Pierre Le Guennec, who worked as an electrician for the Spanish artist, sought to have them authenticated by the late artist's estate, the Picasso Estate said Monday. The previously unseen collection includes all the fan favorites: Cubist collages, sketches, and a watercolor, worth about $80 million total. Oh, maybe it wasn't such a good idea for this guy to suddenly admit he's hiding a huge stash of Picassos: "In a twist, Le Guennec found himself slapped with a lawsuit filed by Pablo Picasso's son, Claude Picasso, and five other heirs who say the works were stolen." A lawyer for the Picasso estate explained: "It doesn't make sense that Picasso would give away 271 works. There are no documents which prove that this man was Picasso's close friend. It is simply unbelievable." But Le Guennec insists: "It was madame...

Best Cyber Monday Deals 2010 - Were you able to buy the products that you’ve been dying for to buy at Black Friday 2010? It’s not too late because the Cyber Monday 2010 is a full blast on its last day today. It is considered as the biggest techno and online sales in United States as well as in some part of the world like in Canada, UK and Europe. What would you ask more if the giant and popular store Walmart has a lot of products to offer also thru online on the last day of Cyber Monday 2010. If you will try to access the Walmart.com, you will get there their wide range of Best Cyber Monday Deals 2010. Furthermore, Walmart is offering the following deals to grab by the active shoppers: Element 42? 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV Element 42? 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV – $499 , RCA 42? Plasma 720p 600Hz HDTV, 42PA30RQ – $419 , Playstation 3 Entertainment Value Bundle Playstation 3 Entertainment Value Bundle – $388 Whats the latest online and Best Cyber Monday Deals 2010 at Amazon.com? Amazon is know...

Cesc Fabregas Warns Barcelona - Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has warned Barcelona defender Gerard Pique that he will have to be on top of his game in order to stop Real Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo in tonight’s El Clasico. Ronaldo and Pique know each other well from their time at Manchester United, and although Fabregas claims their overlapping Old Trafford careers may help his compatriot contain the former Premier League star, the Arsenal midfielder suggests Ronaldo has the individual ability to destroy his boyhood club at the Nou Camp this evening. Fabregas is quoted by the Daily Mail, saying: “It must help Gerard that they played together at Old Trafford. “But he will know that, if you lose your concentration, then Ronaldo kills you.” Despite endorsing the world beating ability of Ronaldo, Fabregas has backed Barcelona to triumph in tonight’s top of the table clash, heralding Lionel Messi as the finest player on the planet. He continued: “Messi is a phenomenon. He is ...

Comcast And Netflix On Fees - Comcast Corp. has begun imposing a fee on Internet middleman Level 3 Communications Inc., one of the companies that Netflix Inc. has hired to deliver movies and TV shows to Web customers. Comcast, the largest U.S. cable TV company, has set up an Internet “toll booth,” charging Level 3 whenever customers request content, the Broomfield, Colorado-based company said in a statement yesterday. Level 3 plans to complain to U.S. regulators who may enact so-called net-neutrality rules next month. The Federal Communications Commission is seeking to bar phone and cable providers from interfering with legal traffic on their networks. The rules are backed by President Barack Obama and companies led by Google Inc., EBay Inc. and IAC/InterActiveCorp. Phone and cable companies say rules aren’t needed and may hurt investment. “This action by Comcast threatens the open Internet and is a clear abuse of the dominant control that Comcast exerts in broadband access,” Th...

IPL Teams Cost Cutting - It's the biggest shakeup of stars in the Indian Premier League Season 4. And the biggest names are running for cover. TIMES NOW can't say for sure whether it's cost cutting or something else, or maybe just performace, but nothing is certain for the biggest names and even ex-gods of cricket in the IPL anymore. Iconic players Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly are liekely to be dropped. In fact, as deadline for retaining players is getting closer, most of the teams have decided against retaining all four players. So far, Chennai Super Kings is the only team to have retained all 4 players. Mumbai Indians are set to retain Sachin Tendulkar along with other big stars. IPL Teams Cost Cutting

Intel Sandy Bridge Seen In Laptops - While the desktop versions of Intel' s upcoming Sandy Bridge processors are expected to be launched at CES show on January 5, 2011, some laptops are already showing off early samples of the laptop version, according to a report by Laptoping. Laptops from Lenovo and Gateway are apparently having Intel Core i7-2630QM aka Sandy Bridge inside. The laptops with 15.6-inch LED displays are Lenovo IdeaPad Y560P with AMD Mobility Radeon HD 6570M, while the Gateway model with discrete graphics is as yet unnamed. The Gateway is based on the upcoming HM65 aka Huron River laptop platform expected in the first quarter of 2011, while it is not mentioned what chipset the IdeaPad would use, but we think it should also be the HM65. Keep in mind that these processors based on 32 nm fabrication technology are not expected to be shipped in bulk volumes until the first quarter of 2011, so these laptops will probably be the first ones to let us get our hands on t...

Israel Jumps On Wikileaks Documents - Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed hope Monday that U.S. diplomatic cables revealing that several Arab states share his country's concern about Iran's nuclear weapons program could build momentum for tougher international action against the effort. "More and more states, governments and leaders in the Middle East and the wider region and the world believe this is the fundamental threat," Netanyahu said, referring to disclosures in cables released by the Web site WikiLeaks. According to the cables, some leaders, including Saudi King Abdullah, have advocated using military action to stop the Iranian nuclear program. "There's a gap between what they say privately and publicly," Netanyahu said at an annual gathering of the Tel Aviv Journalists' Association. Regional leaders read publicly from one "script" that says the "greatest threat is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Ne...

Gotham Awards Independent Film - Where will the final resting place be for Winter's Bone? The Academy Awards, perhaps. The critically adored drama about a hardheaded teen searching for her missing father topped more buzzed-about fare like Natalie Portman's delusional-ballerina thriller Black Swan to be named Best Feature at the 20th Annual Gotham Awards, a celebration of independent film that unofficially heralds the beginning of Award Season. Last year, in particular, the Gothams kicked things off with a bang, awarding The Hurt Locker, the eventual Best Picture Oscar winner, the night's top prize. But more often than not, and despite its estimable guest list, the Gothams' half a dozen or so trophies tend to go to the actors and directors who might spend most of the year otherwise overlooked. Along with Black Swan, Winter's Bone also bested the blush-worthy Blue Valentine, The Kids Are All Right and the retooled-for-America vampire scarefest Let Me In. Th...

Google To Buy Groupon - What happens when you throw a bunch of Chicago comedians into a complex of Silicon Valley engineers? Hilarity, maybe. Or one of the more unusual M&A gossip yarns of the past few years. There's loads of talk right now about whether group-buying coupon service Groupon will sell to a big buyer or will hold out as an independent company in the hopes that it may become the world's leading name in local-business advertising. The barrage of rumors over Groupon is an interesting one--Yahoo wants it! Yahoo loses it! Google may be willing to fork over $4 billion for it! Groupon doesn't want to sell! Wait, has Google bought it?--is an interesting one, if only for the reason that most of the acquisition targets these days are eyed for the hot technology they've built. Groupon isn't. What it boils down to, primarily, is the fact that Groupon's "secret sauce" is not its technology--as evidenced by the fact that the group-buying model...