Christina Aguilera Leads Pack of Notorious National Anthem Singers  

Posted by news , hot uk offers , google reader


Christina Aguilera cemented herself in the annals of national anthem atrocities on Sunday night. Singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" to kick off the Super Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aguilera messed up the line, "O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming," repeating an earlier line of the song that she also botched.
Aguilera sang "What so proudly we watched at the twilight's last gleaming" instead of the correct lyric, which begins "What so proudly we hailed."
The Internet pounced. Criticism of Aguilera's performance flooded Twitter, Facebook and blogs. She was almost as quick to apologize, releasing a statement Sunday night that said "I got so caught up in the moment of the song that I lost my place. I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through."
Fret not, Aguilera: you're far from the first star to lose herself in America's anthem.
In 2009, pop singer Jesse McCartney skipped multiple verses of "The Star Spangled Banner" while performing at a NASCAR event in California. He took to Twitter to apologize: "Here At the Nascar race! So much fun! Can't believe I forgot the words to the Anthem! I've performed it 100 times. Bad Nerves today I guess."
Michael Bolton crooned a cringe-worthy version of the anthem at Boston's Fenway Park in 2003. At one point, he broke from his overly passionate performance to look at crib notes scrawled on his hand.
In 1993, Olympic champion Carl Lewis caused a chorus of boos when his voice broke in the middle of his "Star Spangled Banner" performance. He told the crowd he'd "make up for it" but went on to butcher the remainder of the song.
But the title of most offensive anthem singer ever -- earned intentionally, not accidentally -- probably goes to Roseanne Barr. At a 1990 San Diego Padres game, the comedienne sang a squawky, off-key version of "The Star Spangled Banner" and peppered her performance by grabbing her crotch and pretending to spit.n

Filed under 0 comments

Ex-AFP chief shoots self amid graft charges  

Posted by news , hot uk offers , google reader


MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 4) Former Armed Forces Chief and Defense Secretary Angelo Tomas Reyes on Tuesday morning committed suicide by shooting himself in front of the grave of his mother at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City.
He was 65.
A close friend of Reyes called the Philippine Daily Inquirer to break the news, while Colonel Boogie De Leon, a former administrative officer of Reyes when he was AFP chief, said Reyes was rushed to the Quirino Hospital at about 7:45 a.m. to revive him. Members of his family could not be reached for comment.
De Leon said that Reyes’s son Jett called him up to inform him of the incident.
Reyes, who earlier suffered a mild stroke before the congressional investigations on the alleged AFP financial irregularities, said he could not take anymore the smear campaign against his name and his family.
“Not my family,” he said.
Reyes, who loved his mother very much when she was still alive, earlier told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview that he would never do anything that would besmirch the name of “my good mother.”
In a press conference aired on radio and television, Health Secretary Enrique Ona confirmed Reyes has died from gunshot wound to the heart. He said Reyes was proclaimed dead on arrival at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City.
Ona said the doctors tried to resuscitate Reyes who was brought to the hospital at 7:30 a.m. from Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City where he visited the grave of his mother.
Ona refused to say what caused the gunshot wounds and could not determine the kind of gun used, saying all these were under investigation.
He “was brought here to the emergency room, wala nang pulso at di na humihinga. Nilagyan ng tubo at nag-resuscitation, swero, binigyan ng gamot. But after 45 minutes, which means that at 8:32 a.m., talagang wala na (without pulse and not breathing. He was tubated and resuscitated, put on IV. But after 45 minutes, which means that at 8:32 a.m., he’s really gone)."
He had a gunshot wound to the heart and an external wound to the back. However, doctors cannot determine yet if the bullet wound was self-inflicted.
Ona said that an autopsy of the body of the retired general will be conducted to determine if he had committed suicide.
A bullet wound on the left side of the chest near the heart was the cause of death.
"Malamang may tama sa puso (The heart was probably hit)," Ona told reporters.
In a separate press briefing, Dr. Fernando Lopez, a spokesman for the Quirino Memorial Medical Center, said Reyes was brought to their hospital at 7:45 a.m. Tuesday.
Reyes had no blood pressure, heart beat, and respiratory rate, his pupils were dilated, he was not breathing and had cold, clammy skin, Lopez said.
A gunshot wound, with entry point at the 5th intercostal space on the left side of the chest and with one centimeter in diameter was seen. The exit wound was on the left side of the back, also 1 centimeter in diamater.
Reyes, a graduate of Philippine Military Academy Class ’66, was AFP chief under President Joseph Estrada, and secretary of defense, interior and local government, and energy during the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from 2001 to 2003. He graduated as the class valedictorian in high school and was among the top ten graduates of the PMA.
He went on to obtain two masteral degrees, namely: Masters in Business Administration from Asian Institute of Management in 1973 and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1991. He also took up International Defense Management Course in Monterey, California in 1983.
In 1987, he graduated No. 1 in Trust Operations Management Course conducted by the Trust Institutes Foundation of the Philippines at the Ateneo Business School which eventually earned him a scholarship to the Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois.

Filed under 0 comments

Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood plans to end peace deal with Israel  

Posted by news , hot uk offers , google reader


 In an interview with Japanese NHK TV, Egypt’s banned Muslim Brotherhood movement unveiled its plans to scrap the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel if it comes to power.
The group’s deputy leader Rashad al-Bayoumi said that they will abolish the peace treaty with Israel after a provisional government is formed.
“After President Mubarak steps down and a provisional government is formed, there is a need to dissolve the peace treaty with Israel,” said al-Bayoumi.
Egypt was the first Arab country which officially recognize Israel. It has signed a peace agreement with the Israeli government since 1979 and since then has also played its role as a mediator of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The radical Muslim Brotherhood group has recently come under spotlight amid mass anti-government protests in Egypt. Some figures have voiced their concerns that the radical Islamic movement could eventually take power in Egypt.
The radical Islamic movement wants Egypt to leave secularism and return to the rules of the Quran. But they failed to win a single seat in the 2010 Egyptian parliamentary election.
The Muslim Brotherhood joined the anti-government protests in Egypt last week in an attempt to gain influence over the people. Over 300 protesters have died during the unrest with thousand others injured.

Filed under 0 comments

Queen Noor of Jordan about the Muslim Brotherhood  

Posted by news , hot uk offers , google reader


In an exclusive interview with Piers Morgan last night, Queen Rania of Jordan said that while most Arabs are moderate peaceful centrist, the Muslim Brotherhood are one of the many groups throughout the region that have points of view that need to come to the table.
Her remarks were in response to Morgan’s question about Newt Gingrich’s statement earlier before saying that “the Muslim Brotherhood is a mortal enemy” of Western civilization.
In his critics to Obama’s administration approach to political crisis in Egypt, Gingrich expressed his concerns that the United States might reach out to the Muslim Brotherhood.
“I think this is absolute total misreading of history. The Muslim Brotherhood is a mortal enemy of our civilization, they say so openly,” Gingrich said.
Answering Morgan’s question whether she agrees with what Gingrich said about the Muslim Brotherhood, Queen Rania said, “I think that is a very polarizing approach to what is taking place in the Middle East that has dominated for a very long time. It assumes that any religious group is somehow dangerous and extreme while in fact most Arabs – religion is important to most Arabs – actually are moderate peaceful centrists,” and that “The Muslim Brotherhood are one of the many groups throughout the region that have points of view that need to come to the table”.

Filed under , , 0 comments

Hunt for missing Swiss twins intensifies  

Posted by news , hot uk offers , google reader


An international police search is continuing for two Swiss six-year-old twin girls, missing since their father killed himself on Thursday.
Alessia and Livia were taken by Canadian-born Matthias Schepp from his wife's home on 30 January.
Schepp travelled to France and then Italy, throwing himself under a train in the south of the country.
Swiss police have said there is no record of Schepp ever being violent towards the girls or his wife.
The girls' uncle said the little girls spoke both Italian and French fluently and would be capable of seeking help if left in their own.
Some 40 Swiss police investigators, along with French and Italian police, are taking part in the hunt.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the last verified sighting of the three was at the French port of Marseille.
Italian newspapers report that Mr Schepp purchased three tickets for a ferry travelling from the port city to Propriano, in Corsica.
However, Swiss police have said the last and only confirmed sighting of the trio was on 30 January near St Suplice, Switzerland, where both the father and mother had their homes.
Alessia was dressed in a striped white, pink and red tee shirt, blue jeans, black boots and a white quilted anorak, while Livia was wearing a purple ski anorak, and white and pink running shoes.
Missing money
Speaking in Lausanne, Swiss police spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel said there was no evidence that the girls had been in Switzerland, France or Italy since the last sighting near St Suplice.
Police handout of Alessia and Livia ScheppRescuers are investigating wells and water tanks as well as searching the area by air
"They were seen that Sunday afternoon, around 1300 (1200 GMT), when they were playing with the children of a neighbour, and that's when the father picked up his daughters," he said.
"According to all elements gathered up to now, the father was never violent with his wife or with his daughters, so this is a very particular situation," the spokesman added.
There are reports that a last will and testament was found at the St Suplice house where Mr Schepp had been living since his estrangement from his wife. According to Italian newspapers, he left everything to her and his daughters.
Swiss police have been searching Lake Geneva while Italian police examined wells and water tanks in and around Cerignola Campagna, in Puglia, where the body of Matthias Schepp was found on train tracks.
An Audi car Schepp had been driving was found on Thursday at Cerignola.
Schepp sent his wife a postcard from Marseille, saying he was desperate and could not live without her. It is unclear whether or not he subsequently boarded the ferry with his daughters.
While in Marseille, he reportedly withdrew a total of 7,500 euros (£6,300; $10,200) from cash-points but was found dead with just a few hundred on his person.
Valerio Lucidi, the little girls' uncle, told reporters on Monday that they were "very lively" and "not shy".
He added that their father had known the south of France and Corsica very well from sailing trips.
He said he could not imagine Schepp hurting his daughters, adding that the dead man had had a twin brother himself, Swiss newspaper La Tribune de Geneve reports.

0 comments

Nationwide Building Society suffers computer problems  

Posted by news , hot uk offers , google reader


Customers of Nationwide are unable to access the building society's website - the gateway to its online banking operation.
Customers have been met with a message on the website's front page that says the "server is too busy".
The problem, which started at about 1115 GMT, means customers must go directly to the online banking page to make transactions.
A link to the online banking page was added to Nationwide's homepage later.
Those who bookmarked the page on their computers can also access it.
Nationwide said staff were working to fix the glitch as quickly as possible.
Problems
The UK's largest building society - like many financial institutions - has suffered problems before with its computer system.
In June 2009, the online banking facility was inaccessible for most of one day.
The previous December, a "processing problem" meant some accounts were not updated with automatic end-of month credit and debit payments, such as salary payments.
Other banks and building societies have seen temporary faults with online banking since millions of customers started using it day-to-day. Other automated problems have left some banks printing other customers' details on statements.

0 comments

Danaher to Purchase Beckman Coulter for $6.8 Billion  

Posted by news , hot uk offers , google reader



Danaher Corp. agreed to buy laboratory-equipment makerBeckman Coulter Inc. for $6.8 billion to add to its diagnostic products.
Danaher will start a tender offer of $83.50 a share for Beckman Coulter’s outstanding shares within seven days, the company said today in a statement. The total valuation includes available cash and net debt, Danaher said.
Danaher Chief Executive Officer Lawrence Culp said in December that the company would have about $4 billion for acquisitions during the next four to six quarters. So far in 2011, Danaher announced one purchase agreement, of Belgian software maker EskoArtwork for about $470 million.
The offer represents a premium of about 45 percent to Beckman Coulter’s closing price on Dec. 9, the day before speculation of a sale began, Danaher said. The average premium paid for more than 160 U.S. medical instrument companies in the past five years, based on the average share price in the 20 days before an announcement, was 40 percent. On that basis, Danaher’s premium for Beckman would be 15 percent.
The deal’s multiple of 7.1 times Beckman’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization compares with a median multiple of 26 in more than a dozen acquisitions, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Beckman Coulter, the Brea, California-based maker of diagnostic lab testing equipment, has been exploring a sale after being approached by buyout firms interested in taking it private, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg in December.
Beckman Coulter Revenue
Danaher will weave Beckman Coulter into its Life Sciences division, which makes diagnostic equipment. The unit posted 2010 revenue of $2.3 billion, about 17 percent of the company’s total sales.
Beckman Coulter’s products are used to diagnose diseases and in the development of new drugs, and include centrifuges, hematology analyzers and cell sorters. The company had about 11,800 employees at the end of 2009, when it posted about $3.26 billion in sales.
Beckman climbed $7.40, or 9.8 percent, to $82.57 at 8:18 a.m., before the start of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Danaher, based in Washington, climbed $1.31, or 2.7 percent, to $49.29.none

0 comments

valentines day gifts  

Posted by news , hot uk offers , google reader

In the back room at Sweetland Candies in Plainfield Township, employees are wrapping boxes of chocolates in red paper and preparing batches of truffles and other sweet treats in anticipation of the big romance holiday.
Valentine’s Day is around the corner and area candy stores, specialty food shops and chocolate-makers are stocking up for a “significant chocolate holiday,” said John Naum Jr., Sweetland co-owner.
“It’s the craziest, most intense selling period we have in a compressed amount of time,” he said.
Spending is expected to be up this year, according to a recent American Express Spending survey. Most people will drop about $200 on Valentine’s Day this year.
Flowers remain the most popular gift, but rectangular and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates have long been a mid-February staple. Store owners say most of them are bought at — or near — the last minute.
“It’s one of those ‘week-of’ holidays,” said Jennifer Kallil, who co-owns Mary Ann’s Chocolates at 2226 Wealthy St. SE in East Grand Rapids with her husband, Don. “It’s not something people purchase weeks in advance.”
Schedulers are good to you this year
Because Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday this year, it allows time over the weekend to take care of the last-minute shopping, and guys can still grab a box or a bouquet on the way home from work the day of the holiday. Some shops are extending hours on Sunday.
“I expect it to start this weekend and continue through next,” said Amy Ruis, co-owner of Art of the Table specialty food shop at 606 Wealthy St. SE in Grand Rapids.
Ruis emphasizes local products and sells 27 varieties of hand-made chocolates by Patricia Christopher of Grand Haven. She typically keeps about 500 pieces on hand and said they sell quite well year-round at $2.60 apiece.
Christopher will be at Ruis’ store all day on Feb. 12 offering samples of her ganache and caramel chocolates.
“The chocolate is extremely fresh this time of year,” said Anthony Abraham, chocolatier for Mary Ann’s.
Truffles and other goodies are being hand-rolled and shipped right to the company storefront and wholesale customers.
Abraham makes the company chocolates in a 25,000-square-foot kitchen in Grandville and said the business’ featured item is long-stemmed strawberries dipped in milk, white or dark chocolate. They will make 800 to 1,200.
Kenna Wagenvelt, manager in charge of grocery at Martha’s Vineyard Ltd., on Union Avenue NE, ordered about 50 boxes of chocolates and other assorted truffles from Mary Ann’s and about 200 assorted individual truffles from The Catering Company of Grand Rapids. The store will place them in a large display with roses.
Because the sales volume spikes for Valentine’s, production is ramped up in the candy kitchens. Raw materials such as cocoa, sugar, nuts and other essentials are coming in bigger shipments, and staff are working more hours.
Men do the shopping
Abraham said 70 percent of Mary Ann’s annual sales come from Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day.
He estimated about 75 percent of retail customers throughout the year are women. But, in February, the trend flips: About 80 percent to 90 percent of Valentine’s customers are men.
“The guys come out of the woodwork and wait until the last minute,” Abraham said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how busy Saturday and Sunday will be.”
Naum estimated Sweetland gets 500 to 600 customers in the two or three days before Valentine’s, which doesn’t account for its biggest sales volume but easily is its largest customer-count. Scheduling counter staff can be a headache.
Naum said the big three sellers are truffles, caramel pecan turtles and a regional specialty called sea foam, which is a crunchy, sponge-like old-fashioned favorite.
Naum, a third-generation candymaker, said he mostly relies on repeat business and word-of-mouth to bring people into his two Plainfield Avenue NE locations this time of year.
“If they’ve done it before, they tend to come back,” he said.
Customers will often notice familiar faces from standing in line the previous year.
“It’s kind of a reunion thing,” Naum said.
Chocolate ‘art’
Even smaller operations are experiencing the holiday rush.
Vita Dolce Chocolates sells only through online ordering and is featuring individual “artisan” chocolates embellished with an array of eye-catching designs and colors.
Chocolatier Jessica Stroven estimated a 75 percent sales increase around Valentine’s Day.
“Each piece of chocolate is like a piece of art,” said Stroven, who makes the candies in her home kitchen in Whispering Pines, N.C.
Her business partner, Dana Parent, runs the sales end from Grand Rapids.
Vita Dolce is offering a special discount to fans of its Facebook page and said customers should place orders by Wednesday for guaranteed delivery by Valentine’s Day.

Filed under 0 comments
Newer Posts Older Posts