julianne hough is that so wrong video& lyrics,about julianne hough

here is the hotest video of ulianne hough...just enjoy it...



I’ve been thinking about, thinking about, thinking about, giving you a call
I’ve been holding it in, holding it in, holding it in, for so long
I’ve been running it through, running it through, in my mind
Well I don’t care anymore, I just don’t care anymore.

Doesn’t everybody just want to feel somebody
Just want to hold someone to fill that empty space
When your missing that rush and a friends not enough
I just can’t deal
No tonight I just don’t want to be alone, tell me, Is that so wrong?

Baby, close your lips, only a kiss, only a kiss don’t say a word
You can let it go, loose control, and I promise it wont hurt
I just want to get lost, wanna get lost in your arms
So throw on the floor, I just can’t wait anymore

Doesn’t everybody just want to feel somebody
Just want to hold someone to fill that empty space
When your missing that rush and a friends not enough
I just can’t deal
No tonight I just don’t wanna be alone, tell me, is that wrong?

Is that so wrong?
Is that so bad?
Am I only the one who feels like that?
Is it so much, to just want love?
To just want love?

Doesn’t everybody just want to feel somebody
Just wanna hold someone to fill that empty space
When your missing that rush and a friends not enough
I just cant deal
No, tonight I just don’t want to be alone, tell me, Is that so wrong?

It cant be that wrong?


About julianne hough

Julianne Hough was born in July 20, 1988, in Provo, Utah. Her parents, as well as her grandparents were dancers. Thus, young Julianne started taking lessons in dancing from the age of 3. She participated in her first dancing competition at the age of 9.


At the age of 10, she moved to London. Along with Mark Ballas, she won Junior and Youth championships. At that time Julianne was enrolled in Italia Conti Performing Arts School.
Two years later, Julianne and her brother Derek formed a group with Mark Ballas. They named it as 2B1G, meaning - two boys, one girl. 2B1G experimented with a variety of dancing styles including samba, jazz, and many more. Julianne's group was soon seen performing cross British television.


In 2003, Julianne became the youngest dancer to win the Junior Blackpo
ol World Latin Championship and the International Latin Youth Championship. She moved to Las Vegas and enrolled at the Las Vegas Academy Performing Arts High School.


Julianne choreographed the "Wind it Up" video by Gewn Stefani. She also danced in "Dancing with the Stars" .She won the fourth season of the reality dance show with Olympiad Apolo Anton Onho. She also won the next season of the show with racer Helio Castroneves. The sixth season wasn't that satisfactory as she was eliminated. Julianne's partner for the sixth season was Adam Carolla.
She was also seen on the show "Show Me The Money" presented by William Shatner.

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Airtel Call Home :Airtel Callhome launches plans for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Philippines

Airtel is going global. With its calling card service Airtel Callhome, NRIs residing in the US, UK, Canada and many other countries are already calling their friends and family back in India. Airtel Callhome has now expanded its services for citizens of four new countries – Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Philippines.

The citizens of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Philippines living in the US can connect with their near and dear ones at very reasonable rates, courtesy Airtel Callhome.Airtel Callhome has launched 4 new plans that cater to the citizens of these countries living in the US. The plans are:
We offer you hassle free, cost effective and reliable service even if your phone doesn't have international calling facility. We are committed to transparency and quality as a result of which we offer you exceptional call clarity and hence a great way to connect to your friends and family.

We are the best in serving you because of:

Our Partnerships
We partner with some of the world's finest companies including Vodafone, Singtel, Ericsson, Nokia, IBM and many more. We provide global connectivity through our undersea international submarine cable network.

Our Innovations
We are changing the way the world communicates by offering innovations that not only add value to people's lives but also deliver an unmatched customer experience.

Our Seamless Global Network
Our Global Network : We offer you an unmatched calling experience with our advanced Fiber Optic network SMW-4 and i2i around the entire globe with and one of the most reliable networks in India, covering more than 4000 towns . This seamless global network assures you instant connectivity to anywhere in India, anytime.
· Bangladesh Plan
Calling Bangladesh from US is cheaper now with Bangladesh Plan. With the Bangladesh Plan, call rates drop to 2.99 cent/ min. The $4.99 plan has an administration fee of 99 cents. Your talktime is 134 mins. Enjoy validity of 30 days. Call rate to mobile and landline in Bangladesh using toll free is 4.99 cents/min.

· Sri Lanka Plan
Now enjoy a special rate to call Sri Lanka from US with Airtel CallHome at 6.49 cents/min. The $4.99 plan has an administration fee of 99 cents, on the balance $4 you get the rate of 6.49 cent/ min on local access and a talktime of 62 mins. The validity of Sri Lanka Plan is 30 days.
Airtel CallHome is our calling card service which helps you connect to your friends outside your country and to your loved ones in India . Now you don't need to foot those hefty bills for international calls.

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About Antonella Barba,Antonella Barba image & video.

Antonella BarbaBirthday: June 1, 1986
Hometown: Point Pleasant, NJ
Audition City: New York
American Idol Season 6 - 15th place
Antonella Barba was born on November 26, 1986 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Raised largely in that same place, Barba was born to parents Vincenzo and Valerie, and has three younger siblings, two of whom are sisters and one of whom is a brother. Prior to achieving fame via her voice Barba was attending The Catholic University of America in Washington, taking courses in Architecture.


Barba’s main source of fame came in 2007 when, having been urged to participate thanks to her voice, she appeared during the American Idol  New York auditions of that year. She went on alongside her friend Amanda Collucio, singing “Free” by Deniece Williams after her friend was finished singing “Crazy” by Patsy Cline. Barba was praised by Randy, Paula and Simon and equal measures and dubbed superior vocally than her friend, who claimed to have received vocal lessons prior to auditioning. Both girls managed to grab golden tickets to Hollywood.

Barba managed to outlive friend Collucio, however – the latter was cut before she ever got to the top 40 contestants, while Barba managed to make it into the top 24 after several weeks of testing.

Unfortunately while Barba was in the contest a series of compromising photographs of her appeared online and in newspapers, including photographs of Barba in a wet t-shirt contest and others of her topless on a beach. The pictures received mainstream attention very quickly and seemed to overshadow Barba’s work for some time. Collucio has since spoken out against the photos, saying that the sexually explicit amongst them are digital fakes. Most of these pictures are still readily available online.

Though Barba managed to make it to the top 24 her American Idol odyssey ended soon after, as she was not chosen as one of the top twelve contestants to continue on into the final weeks of the show. She was not dismissed from the show as a result of the compromising photos, which was a controversy in and of itself: in the second season another contestant, Frenchie Davis, was kicked out of the contest because a topless photo of her emerged among the media and online. Davis has since expressed relief that Barba didn’t go through the same debacle as herself but also hoped that something would be done to make up for the humiliation she went through. Protestors have since argued that the dismissal came along racial lines, and that Davis was booted because she was black while Davis was allowed to stay on because she was white.

At any rate Barba didn’t make it past the top 16, though she didn’t get a few chances to showcase her skills in a more independent forum than in earlier rounds of the show – when in the top 24 she got the chance to sing “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”, in the top 20 she sang “Because You Loved Me” and her final performance was that of “Put Your Records On” in the top 16.

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Christ Koulis Cause Of Death:Christ Koulis dies at 42 of apparent heart attack

A statement from the Franklin Police Department declares that Dr. Christ Koulis has died in Chicago. It is pertinent to note that Dr. Christ Koulis was charged of unlawful negligence in the murder of his girlfriend Lesa Buchanan in 2007. Meanwhile, Christ Koulis’s cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Christ Koulis was 42 years old. Christ Koulis was marked dead at Northwestern Hospital, Chicago today morning at 5:45 a.m. An autopsy is yet to be performed to determine Christ Koulis’s cause of death.

Christ Koulis’s cause of death has not been discovered though, yet commenting on Chirst Koulis’s cause of death his lawyer, David Raybin said, “He had an apparent heart attack and although we do not know the exact cause of death. I am just very sad personally for him and his family. He was 42 years old. He was very optimistic we would win in this appeal and I was as well. I am sorry as an attorney that I cannot vindicate him because the appeal will have to be dismissed due to his death.”

It is noteworthy that Christ Koulis had been crooked of illegally providing Buchanan with drugs three years back. Christ Koulis was on trial at the time of Bucahanan’s demise in July 2005.

Christ Koulis was set free on a plea bond soon after his charges. Christ Koulis had hanged about free, awaiting that plea, devoid of serving two-year verdict ordered by the court.

Adding to his comments of Christ Koulis’s cause of death, Raybin added “Convinced the stress of accusations contributed to his death.” “From a personal standpoint, it is just so, so sad,” Raybin stated.
Christ Koulis was set free on a plea bond soon after his charges. Christ Koulis had hanged about free, awaiting that plea, devoid of serving two-year verdict ordered by the court.
Christ Koulist’s lawyer in the past, David Raybin has stated that his cause of death might be because of a heart attack. He also speculated that the trigger might be because of the stress and heavy pressure that Koulist had to take regarding the case although he was confidence that he might win his appeal.

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Abuot Troy University:Troy University image & video,troy university map

Troy University’s Montgomery Campus is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Montgomery, Alabama, and includes unique facilities like the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, the Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts and the W.A. Gayle Planetarium. Our outstanding Montgomery faculty and staff are dedicated primarily to serving the “nontraditional” student, who is often a working adult. We do this by providing the widest variety of learning options, including an incredible number of degree programs—29 in all—that can be completed by attending evening classes. Weekend, TV, online and blended classes are also available, allowing our students to learn when and how it’s best for them.

The average age of students at our Montgomery Campus is 28. Most are employed at the nearby Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base or in the civilian workforce throughout the tri-county area. They have families and numerous other commitments. One thing they all share is the desire to earn a better life for themselves and their families through higher education. We make it possible with degree programs and learning options that have been consistently recognized as being among the best available. Perhaps that's why TROY was named the number one public university in Alabama by Forbes magazine in 2009 and has been a Princeton Review “Best in the Southeast” for five consecutive years.
 Why eCampus?



In today’s fast paced world, it’s become vital to offer students more options for taking courses that make it easier for them to do what they want-when they want. As a part of an important and growing Troy University mission, we meet those to offer you variety of courses and curriculums that allow you to complete your accredited degree entirely online through our eCampus program.

Our Web-based courses are developed through Blackboard, a courseware management system that makes it convenient to complete your course work at any time-day or night-from anywhere in the world.

Our team is dedicated to providing distance learners with direct assistance by promoting and constantly evaluating our courses and programs so that you get the most out of earning your online degree from Troy University.

With TROY, you’ll obtain a degree from an institution that is regionally accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
blackboard support
Image files may be embedded in Items. The following steps explain how to embed an image file (for example, a .jpg file) in a Content Area.

   1. In the Control Panel, open a Content Area such as Course Documents.
   2. Select Add Item on the Content Area page. The Add Item page appears.
   3. Enter a title for the content item and add a description or introduction to the image in the text box.
   4. Click Browse next to Attach local file and locate the image to add.
   5. The Name of Link to File field may be left blank. The image is being displayed on the page.
   6. Select Display media file within the page in the Special Action drop-down list.
   7. Select the appropriate options for the item.
   8. Click Submit and then OK. The Content Actions page appears.

   9. Select the position of the image in the Alignment and Placement fields.
  10. In the Set Width and Set Height field enter the width and height of the image in pixels.
  11. To create a link to a file outside of the local system, enter the URL in Image Target URL.
           For example, if the image exists in a central repository, the URL may be
            http://blackboard/images/picture1.jpeg.
  12. Use the drop-down list in Border to choose a border for the image. This option determines the thickness of the border around the image. If ‘0’ is chosen there will be no border around the image.
  13. Enter a description for the image in Alt Text. Alternate text is important for visually impaired users. Alternate text tells users what should appear if the image does not display.
  14. Select Yes in Launch in New Window so the image will appear in a separate browser window. This is especially important if a URL has been entered in Image Target URL.
  15. Click Submit.

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Heather Morris Gushes Over Gwyneth On ‘Glee’; Talks ‘Buffy’ Reboot

McKinley High’s favorite Cheerio has reportedly caught the eye of Hollywood execs – the 23-year-old actress/dancer is being considered for a theatrical reboot of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

“They’re considering me!” Heather told Access, at an event for FLIRT cosmetics (for which Heather is a paid spokesperson) in Los Angeles on Thursday. “I found out and I almost peed my pants ‘cause I was so excited!”

The bubbly blonde is such a fan of the stake-wielding heroine that she doesn’t care how large her role is – as long as she gets to be involved.

“If they make [‘Buffy’] when [‘Glee’] is on hiatus, I don’t even care what I do,” Heather laughed. “I can just run through the shot and do nothing – even if I’m not Buffy!”

Heather also dished details on her two tiny new friends, Apple and Moses (Gwyneth Paltrow’s children with husband Chris Martin). The actress bonded with the kids while their Academy Award-winning mom shot her guest appearance on the hit FOX show.

“I just love hanging out with little kids ‘cause they’re just so innocent and fun,” Heather told Access. “[Apple] came in [to my trailer] with her iPad and was showing me this fish tank she had, and [she and Moses] were just showing me all of these things on their iPad. It was fun.

“I think just ‘cause I’m a dancer and I was, you know, doing silly things they probably were drawn to it ‘cause I’m a quirk,” she added. “I’m a silly girl.”

Heather also gave major props to the adorable kids’ mom, the glorious Gwyneth.

“She was amazing, and she was so nice and so real,” Heather raved. “She was a really hard worker, which was like, the most inspiring because she’s been doing it forever and there was not a hint of diva. She was just hangin’ out and doing a hard job… she was with her kids the whole time, being a real mom. There wasn’t a babysitter on set.”

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Gwyneth will soon return to “Glee” to reprise her role as substitute teacher Holly Holliday.

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Racy Demi Lovato Photos Leak Online

In photos of Demi Lovato that hit the Net, the Disney star is seen pulling her shirt down to reveal her cleavage, surrounded by a group of her friends, and also posing in just a bra.

While the photos were published on the blog Anything Disney on Wednesday, other websites just picked them up Friday (December 17). Anything Disney posted an additional photo of Lovato, reportedly from the same night, where she is wearing a belly-baring top, pulling down her shirt and licking a female's face.

One of the women in the photos, donning orange/red hair and kissing Lovato's shoulder, appears to be Alex Welch, the dancer Lovato allegedly punched before the singer/actress entered a treatment facility last month.Recently, Welch opened up about her incident with the teen star, noting that she was surprised when Lovato allegedly struck her. "I felt, honestly, I didn't say anything and didn't think twice about it," Welch recalled. "We were on the plane with the Jonases having this awesome time, and I didn't get a call or text from Demi or a 'Hey, you got a problem with me,' nothing. And she walks up and punches me and, literally, walked away and got in her seat. No one should walk up and do that and brush it over, it's not right."
Kevin Jonas recently told MTV's "The Seven" that he hasn't spoken with his former tourmate recently. "I really haven't had any contact [with her]," Kevin said. "Of course, we wish her well in her recovery."

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Neil Patrick Harris Regrets Blasting Soap Star On Twitter

"How I Met Your Mother" star Neil Patrick Harris recently stirred up some offscreen drama related to the show, but later regretted starting the flap.

The controversy began when Harris tweeted some unsavory comments about soap star Eric Braeden, who was slated to tape a cameo as character Robin Scherbatsky's father. However, Harris took offense after "The Young and the Restless" actor dropped out of the appearance.

"Eric Braeden is a D-Bag. the actor, (Robin's dad) agreed to a cameo, then last night bailed, saying the part wasn't 'substantial' enough," Harris tweeted on Friday.

Braeden shot back in an interview with Entertainment Weekly later that day, shrugging off Harris' gripe and explaining he ditched the cameo due to an increased workload.

"I really don't know who that fellow is. He's a guy who stars in that series," Braeden laughed to EW. "It's very unfortunate. First of all, I came back from hip surgery. I was off for three weeks. I've doubled my work, 30 to 50 pages a day for me, alone. Everyone knows that I'm exhausted. I was not about to appear on a show for two lines, because that's what it amounted to."

Braeden added that he returned to the show because he enjoyed his first cameo in 2008 and "the cast and crew and producers couldn't have been nicer." However, the veteran actor appeared to view Harris' comments as arrogance.

"His choice of words bothered me," Braeden added. "It seems to me like a young whippersnapper, having seen himself on a few covers, who's received a few awards, is now suddenly suffering from the first signs of hubris. I've been in the business for 50 years. I've seen people come and go and I'm still here."

Ultimately, Braeden maintained that he had no plans to escalate the drama, saying,"If he is a worthy adversary, he'd better not cross my path. I will let bygones be bygones."

Later, Harris returned to Twitter to explain he just had a visceral reaction to someone bashing his beloved "Mother."

"Now I feel bad for the D-bag comment," he wrote. "Don't know the guy personally. I'm just fiercely protective of our show."

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Disney's 'Tron' Remains Pinnacle of Hollywood Convergence

When it comes to the convergence of video games and Hollywood, Tron was the first example of Hollywood getting it right. And in many ways, Hollywood hasn’t learned from this perfect marriage of game and film. At least, most of Hollywood.
Although the original Tron movie didn’t have a blockbuster theatrical run, the arcade game that was designed by Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn in the movie became a hit in the real world. That game makes a return in the 3D sequel, Tron: Legacy.

The Walt Disney Company, which has explored previous Tron sequels in the video game space with titles like Tron 2.0: Killer App, has invested heavily in its latest convergence project. Disney Interactive Studios enlisted two developers to create a pair of video games that do more than just allow mainstream audiences and fanboys to jump on a light cycle or pilot a light jet.

Tron: Legacy director Joe Kosinski and producers Steve Lisberger and Sean Bailey worked closely with Disney and developers Propaganda Games (Tron: Evolution) and N-Space (Tron: Evolution – Battle Grids) to create these games that bridge the 28 years between the two films and delve deeper into the mythology that’s only touched upon in the new 3D film.

“I like the fact that the games in some ways are a visual and a narrative test bed for Hollywood, where some of the more far-out ideas can be experimented with on a somewhat smaller scale than having to ratchet them all the way up to a film like Tron: Legacy,” said Lisberger. “I think that’s a good relationship between games and films.”

Tron: Evolution -- Battle Grids for Wii offers a different story line that is set closer to the Tron of 1982, which is a more colorful world than the darker universe of Tron: Evolution and Tron: Legacy. The gameplay focuses on the action that takes place on the Grid with light cycles, tanks, and other vehicles and is aimed at the more mainstream Nintendo audience.

Tron: Evolution, which is available for all other game platforms, features the voice acting and likeness of Olivia Wilde as Quorra, James Frain as Jarvis, and Bruce Boxleitner as Tron. The game begins in 1990 and chronicles the progression of the computer world from the utopia that Jeff Bridges' Kevin Flynn envisioned to the dystopia that is the setting of Tron: Legacy.

“When you watch the movie you will see flashbacks of a young Sam Flynn around this time and the game shares a couple of those scenes,” said Jeremy Miller, character art director at Propaganda Games on Tron: Evolution. “By playing the games, fans will learn out a lot of interesting back story, including the fall of the ISOs—a race of programs that play a major role in the Tron mythology.”

Players take on the role of a program created by Flynn, operating just under Tron, assigned to resolve a problem that’s occurring in the system. Gameplay involves both on-foot exploration and light cycle action. Bailey said that gamers will be able to get quality time playing with all of the vehicles that are shown in the new film, as well as learn more about the back story of the key characters.

“I had done all this work on Quorra’s back story while we were shooting Tron: Legacy, and when they said the videogame would take place in between the first Tron film and Legacy, I realized I was going to be able to use so much of the research I did on her past to create this younger version of her.”

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New Iranian FM: Improving Ties to Islamic Countries a Priority

Iran's new interim foreign minister says one of his top priorities will be improving ties with Tehran's Islamic neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia.

At his inauguration ceremony Saturday, Ali Akbar Salehi said Saudi Arabia deserves special political relations with Iran.   He said Iran and Saudi Arabia are influential countries in the region that can resolve many problems through bilateral cooperation.

A U.S. diplomatic cable released recently by WikiLeaks said Saudi Arabia is worried about Iran's nuclear program.

Salehi also called for building strong ties with the European Union, in a break from Iran's normally hostile rhetoric toward the West.

He said despite the bloc's "illogical, unprincipled and unjust behavior," EU members are still seeking good relations with Iran for reasons including energy cooperation.

The European Union, the United States and the United Nations have imposed sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to stop enriching uranium.

Salehi also stressed the importance of expanding ties with Turkey, Russia and China, among other countries.
Salehi, Iran's top nuclear official, replaced Manouchehr Mottaki, who was dismissed on Monday.  Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave no explanation for the firing, though many experts have speculated it was due to political differences.

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Merkel, Sarkozy, Cameron Tell EU’s Barroso to Rein In Spending

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron told the European Commission to rein in spending as debt-laden member states face market pressure to cut deficits.

“European public spending cannot be exempt from the considerable efforts made by the member states to bring their public spending under control,” the three leaders, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Finnish Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi wrote in a letter to EU Commission President Jose Barroso.

“The action taken in 2011 to curb annual growth in European payment appropriations should therefore be stepped up progressively,” according to the letter released today. “Payment appropriations should increase, at most, by no more than inflation” over the next several years.

European governments are forced to keep a lid on spending to curb budget deficits that were inflated by the financial crisis and subsequent stimulus packages. They also face rising borrowing costs as they fund rescue plans for Greece and Ireland.

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China, Pakistan ink 10-bln-U.S. dollar deals during Premier Wen's visit

China and Pakistan signed a number of trade deals worth about 10 billion U.S. dollars, visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here Saturday.

Addressing the China-Pakistan Business Cooperation Summit in Islamabad, Wen said the deals reflected the huge potential for expanding bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

The two sides inked some 20 trade deals during Wen's visit covering projects in the sectors of new energy, agriculture, cotton yarn and non-ferrous metal imports.

A major deal is aimed at developing wind and solar power. Another one is on remote sensing satellite between the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission and the China Great Wall Industry Corporation.

"Currently, the existing difficulties in our trade cooperation are temporary problems, which we could completely overcome with joint efforts," Wen said.

The Chinese premier, who arrived here Friday, urged a boost in the scale of bilateral trade and investment. The China-Pakistan trade volume only accounted for one-tenth of Pakistan's overall foreign trade, he said, voicing his hope that the two-way trade could top 10 billion dollars as soon as possible.

With regard to trade imbalance, Wen said China understood the concern of Pakistan on the imbalance, and has taken measures to address the issue.

"China is ready to work closely with Pakistan to push forward the building of a bilateral free trade area in an all-round way, and gradually grant zero-tariff status to more Pakistani products," he said.

He vowed to send a trade and investment promotion delegation to Pakistan for purchase purposes at an appropriate time, hold commodity fairs for South Asian countries, and offer favorable terms for Pakistani products.

Calling trade cooperation a link for the China-Pakistan cooperation, Wen said the bilateral trade has witnessed remarkable growth and benefited both peoples.

Bilateral trade volume increased to 6.8 billion dollars in 2009 from 1 billion dollars in 2000.

Though affected by the global financial crisis and natural disasters, the two-way trade in the first 10 months of 2010 reached the total volume of 2009, an increase of 27 percent over the same period of last year, Wen said.

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Parliament Vote Puts Iraq Closer to a New Government

Iraq moved one step closer to finally forming a government on Saturday as lawmakers overturned a contentious decision barring three prominent Sunni Arabs from national politics.

The vote in Parliament helped to resolve a furor that erupted nearly a year ago, after an Iraqi panel sought to disqualify hundreds of Sunni candidates from elections because of their alleged ties to Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party.

The disqualifications set off angry demonstrations and accusations that threatened to further marginalize Iraq’s Sunni minority and undermine efforts to form a government that folded in all of Iraq’s ethnic and sectarian factions.

Lifting the ban will allow the three Sunni politicians to hold office, and should help to cement the participation of a large Sunni-backed political alliance in Iraq’s fragile unity government.

It also clears the way for Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to name his cabinet, potentially ending nine months of feuding and political drift that has followed inconclusive national elections in March.

Mr. Maliki’s allies said he could announce a new government as early as Monday, five days before he is required to do so under a constitutionally mandated deadline.

But on Saturday evening, lawmakers still appeared to be jockeying for control over important ministries that control Iraq’s security forces, oil and public services, as well as other high-ranking positions. It was unclear whether they could iron out their disputes in the next two days.

Members of the multisectarian coalition Iraqiya celebrated Saturday’s vote, shaking hands and grinning broadly in the halls of Parliament. It was a sharply different mood from a month ago, when many of the group’s members walked out of a raucous parliamentary session to protest inaction on several of their demands, including the reversal of the disqualifications.

Iraqiya, led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, narrowly won the most votes in the elections, but was outmaneuvered in the long impasse that followed. Mr. Maliki won another term as prime minister, and the Kurdish politician Jalal Talabani was re-elected as one of the country’s presidents.

Mr. Allawi signaled this week that he would end his threats to bolt from the government and accept a position as head of a newly created council on national and strategic issues.

On Saturday, members of Mr. Allawi’s bloc said that they were pushing for one of their formerly disqualified leaders, Saleh al-Mutlaq, to become one of Iraq’s two vice presidents. Winning the post would be an impressive turnaround for Mr. Mutlaq, a former agronomist whose fortunes have risen and tumbled several times since the United States invaded in 2003.

“What happened today is a point toward launching more reconciliation,” said Haydar al-Mullah, a spokesman for the group.

But what pleased one faction certainly angered another.

Politicians from a heavily Shiite political alliance boycotted the session, leaving a bare majority of Parliament’s 325 members there to form a quorum. Those attending joked that they had to take quick action on reinstating their candidates, or else members of opposing parties would show up and derail the vote.

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Zimbabwe's Mugabe: Party ready to regain dominance

Zimbabwe's president said Saturday his party is ready to regain its political dominance, likening it to a fast-moving train that would crush those who stood in its way.

Winding up the annual convention of his ZANU-PF party, President Robert Mugabe said the party was "rejuvenated" after losing its parliamentary majority in the last elections. He described it as a "fired, fueled, fast-moving train."

Mugabe has called for national elections next year to bring an end to the shaky two-year coalition with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a former longtime opposition leader.

But in his closing address to 4,500 party loyalists, Mugabe stopped short of declaring a timetable for future elections. He has been in power in Zimbabwe for 30 years.

Tsvangirai's party argues the nation is not ready for elections next year, citing economic woes and long delays in rewriting the nation's outdated constitution.

The coalition was formed after violence-marred elections in 2008 that lost Mugabe his three-decade parliamentary majority. Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change party boycotted a presidential runoff poll, citing torture, intimidation and illegal arrests of his supporters.

Mugabe described the convention in the eastern city of Mutare as two historical days that would chart the party's work in future months.

"We are back on the revolutionary rails," Mugabe said.

He said delegates gave momentum to black empowerment programs. Tsvangirai's party insists that business takeovers are scaring away much needed investors in the embattled economy.

Mugabe said foreign banks and financial institutions will be scrutinized under the empowerment drive.

"Don't expect your banks here to remain the same as they have been," he said.

Foreign mining interests were removing gold and minerals from the country and making money from them. "This must now stop," Mugabe said.

Foreign companies whose nations imposed targeted sanctions involving travel and banking bans on Mugabe and his party leaders also faced measures against them.

"We will be very, very strict to the extent of even refusing investment from their countries", said Mugabe.

On Friday, Mugabe warned that unless sanctions are removed his party will take 100 percent of Western firms. Under the current empowerment laws, black Zimbabweans can acquire a 51 percent stake in main businesses.

Britain, the former colonial power, the U.S. and the European Union enforced restrictions on Mugabe and his party elite to protest democratic and human rights violations in a decade of political and economic turmoil.

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Ivory Coast President Gbagbo Shows No Signs of Bowing to Pressure to Step Down

A spokeswoman for incumbent Ivorian president, Laurent Gbagbo, says Mr. Gbagbo will not step down, despite violent street protests and mounting international pressure for him to cede power to U.N.-endorsed election winner, Alassane Ouattara.  The spokeswoman also read a statement demanding French and United Nations troops leave the country.

The situation in Ivory Coast continues to deteriorate following last month's disputed presidential election. Incumbent President, Laurent Gbagbo, refuses to cede power to Alassane Ouattara who was recognized by the United Nations and much of the international community as the winner of the Nov. 28 presidential run-off.

Gbagbo spokeswoman, Jacqueline Oble, read a government statement on Ivorian state television Saturday demanding that U.N. and French peacekeepers leave the country.

The political showdown looks dangerously close to reigniting a 2002-2003 civil war that split the country between a rebel-held north and a government-held south.

Both men have set up rival governments and have the support of rival armed forces.

On Thursday in Abidjan, rebel fighters loyal to Mr. Ouattara exchanged fire with the army and protests against Mr. Gbagbo led to street clashes where at least 20 people were killed.

A senior U.S. official said Friday at least one African nation has promised Mr. Gbagbo, what is called "a safe landing" in exile if he cedes power. Mr. Gbagbo and his supporters, however, are digging in their heels.

Speaking to the press Friday, Gbagbo spokesman, Alain Toussaint, says Mr. Gbagbo's departure is not the order of the day. He says Mr. Gbagbo was elected for five years and Ivory Coast's institutions have to be respected. He says France, the United States and the European Union are pressuring Mr. Gbagbo and that does not bode well for a solution to this situation.

The European Union called Friday on the Ivorian army to defect from Mr. Gbagbo to Mr. Ouattara, a move that  sparked anger among Gbagbo supporters who accuse foreigners of interfering in Ivory Coast's affairs and threatening its sovereignty.

On Friday, United Nation's Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Thursday's violence and said the situation in Ivory Coast had taken a "dangerous turn."

"There was a clear winner. Power-sharing is not an option," he said. "The efforts of Laurent Gbagbo and his supporters to retain power and flout the public will cannot be allowed to stand. I call on him to step down and allow his elected successor to assume office without further hindrance. The international community must send this message - loud and clear. Any other outcome would make a mockery of democracy and the rule of law."

Original electoral commission results said Mr. Ouattara won the Nov. 28th run-off election with 54 percent of votes, but the constitutional court, which is led by a Gbagbo ally, annulled 10 percent of ballots as fraudulent and proclaimed Mr. Gbagbo the winner with 51 percent of votes.

France and the United States have threatened sanctions against Mr. Gbagbo if he does not cede power. ECOWAS and the African Union have suspended Ivory Coast.

In Nairobi Friday, Kenya's Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, urged the African Union and the international community to step in, arguing that force may be only way to remove Mr. Gbagbo.

"The world cannot expect Mr. Gbagbo to act in the interest of democracy or to make the decision that favors his people. A decision must be made for him," he said.

The U.N. High Commission on Refugees says fears of civil war in Ivory Coast have already prompted more than 4,000 Ivorians to flee to neighboring Liberia.

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South Korea to Go Ahead with Live-Fire Drills

South Korean military officials say they will proceed with planned live-fire artillery drills from an island the North shelled last month, despite threats of retaliation from Pyongyang.

An official with South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Saturday the South's military is ready to respond to any possible provocation.  He said the drills will not be carried out Saturday because of bad weather.  But he said they will be conducted by Tuesday.

The official Korean Central News Agency  quoted the North's military Friday as saying that if the drills are held, the "intensity and range" of its firepower will be more serious than when it shelled Yeonpyeong Island last month.  Four people were killed in that attack.

The governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, described the situation while visiting Pyongyang Friday as a "tinderbox."  The veteran negotiator and former ambassador to the United Nations told CNN in a telephone interview that he urged North Korea to exercise extreme restraint.  He said he appealed to the North to allow the South to go ahead with military exercises.

Richardson is in North Korea on a private mission to try to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula.

A U.S. State Department spokesman, P.J. Crowley, said Friday that there would be no justification for North Korea to take military action.  He also said the United States is concerned about the situation and "trusts" that South Korea "will be very cautious" in what it does.

In Moscow, Russia summoned the South Korean and U.S. ambassadors to express "extreme concern" about the planned live-fire drills.  During the meeting, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin urged South Korea and the United States to refrain from the drills to prevent an escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged North Korea to show restraint and called on both Koreas to reduce tensions on the peninsula.

On Thursday, a top U.S. general, Vice Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright, said  there is concern in Washington of a possible "chain reaction" on the Korean peninsula if North Korea responds aggressively to the South's new exercises.

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Dream Act fails to advance in Senate

President Obama says 'common sense did not prevail' after the 55-41 vote on the contentious immigration measure. Three Republicans voted for cloture while five Democrats voted no.
The Senate rejected a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants on Saturday, a defeat that pushes any effort to reform immigration into the next Congress where conservatives will have even more influence.

In a 55-41 vote, senators failed to advance the Dream Act, which would have provided a way to legalize those immigrants who arrived in the United States illegally as children and who attend college or serve in the military. Three Republican senators voted for cloture, but 60 votes were need to advance the measure. Five Democrats voted no.

"It is disappointing that common sense did not prevail today," President Obama said in a prepared statement released after the vote. "But my administration will not give up on the Dream Act, or on the important business of fixing our broken immigration system. The American people deserve a serious debate on immigration, and it's time to take the polarizing rhetoric off our national stage."

Proponents of the Dream Act, formally known as the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, argued the measure was important because it would legalize people who have been educated in the United States where they have lived most of their lives. It was also a way of recognizing those who have served in the military.

"I've supported Dream since it was first introduced and each year the support has grown," Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said during the debate. "They are hard-working young people or serving in the military. They have stayed out of trouble."

Feinstein argued that without the Dream Act, the illegal immigrants who have spent their lives in the United States are unable to use their talents. "They are relegated to the shadows by their status," she said, urging her colleagues to back the measure which she said "provides an opportunity and incentive for them to prove themselves."

But opponents saw the measure as the first step in the battle over broader immigration reform, a politically contentious issue and one that conservatives have fiercely opposed.

In his comments on the floor, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) denounced what he called an amnesty bill for those who entered the country illegally.

"The bill at its core is a reward for illegal activities," said Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee. He also said the current bill is the fifth version of the measure and that none had gone through the committee hearing process.

"For two years Democrat leaders have ignored the public and rammed through unpopular legislation," Sessions said. "And now they are at it again, trying to force through another unacceptable bill in the last days of a lame-duck congress."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who was reelected in Nevada with strong backing from the Latino community, also spoke forcefully for the bill. One of his campaign promises was to push the measure in this session.

"I am deeply disappointed that once again Republicans have blocked a bill that would strengthen our national security. In addition, the Dream Act would have grown our economy and given children brought to this country at no fault of their own by their parents an opportunity to defend our nation. Many of my Republican colleagues supported this measure in the past, but today their absence dashed the dreams of hundreds of thousands," Democrat Reid said in a prepared statement.

"Only three principled Republicans stood up to pressure from their leadership. The courage of Senators Robert Bennett, Richard Lugar and Lisa Murkowski is exemplary, and I wish more of their fellow members would have followed them," Reid said.

"Today we mourn, but tomorrow we shift back into gear to fight for justice and inclusion in America," said Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.), chairman of the Task Force on Immigration of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. "We must not only fight to protect our Dream Act brothers and sisters, but also their mothers and fathers from the mass deportation policies that are staining and tearing our moral fabric."

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Senate takes step to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell'

The Senate was poised on Saturday to allow gays to openly serve in the military after supporters overcame a procedural hurdle to bring the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" to the Senate floor.

In a 63-33 vote, the Senate passed the cloture motion. A formal repeal vote still lies ahead, but the outcome seemed assured after six Republicans joined with Democrats to advance the bill, which required 60 votes.

The six Republican senators who voted with the majority were: Scott Brown, of Massachusetts; Susan M. Collins and Olympia J. Snowe, both of Maine; Mark Kirk of Illinois; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and George Voinovich of Ohio. Sen. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, the only Democrat to oppose repeal, did not vote.

President Obama has made the repeal of the 1993 law one of his priorities in the lame-duck congressional session. The House passed the bill this week 250 to 174.

"The Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend," President Obama said in a prepared statement." By ending 'don't ask, don't tell," no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.

"It is time to close this chapter in our history," he stated."It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed. It is time to allow gay and lesbian Americans to serve their country openly. I urge the Senate to send this bill to my desk so that I can sign it into law."

When passed by the Senate and signed by the president, the repeal would allow gays and lesbians to serve in the military without fear of prosecution for their sexual orientation. More than 13,500 people have been dismissed from the military under the law.

"Don't ask, don't tell is wrong," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in his opening remarks Saturday morning. "I don't care who you love. If you love this country enough to risk your life for it, you shouldn't have to hide who you are. You ought to be able to serve."

Many Republicans, led by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), opposed the repeal, arguing it should not be considered during the current time of war. That position is backed by chiefs of the Army and Marine Corps who have warned Congress that repeal could pose problems if the law is overturned.

Speaking on the floor before the procedural vote, McCain, the GOP's presidential candidate in 2008, acknowledged that Republicans didn't have the vote to block repeal. He derisively noted that liberals, who lacked military experience, would "high five" across America.

McCain and other Republicans argued that the repeal should not be pushed on troops during a time of war. "They will do what is asked of them," McCain said of the military, "but don't think there won't be a great cost."

Republicans also cited questions among some military leaders, particularly, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos, who argued that repeal could cost lives.

"I don't want to lose any Marines to the distraction," he told reporters this week.

But other military officials including, Adm. Mike Mullen and Marine Gen. James Cartwright, the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the fear of disruption is overblown.

Proponents of the repeal made two basic arguments, one involving civil rights and the other military preparedness.

"This is a historic vote for equality, civil rights and a stronger America," said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). "This is a continuation of our nation's march toward full equality for all."

Democrats also cited a recently released Pentagon study that found that two-thirds of the military didn't think changing the law would have much of an effect.

Once the measure becomes law, Obama and military chiefs will have to certify that the change wouldn't hurt the ability of troops to fight and there would also be a 60-day waiting period. The actual elimination of "don't ask, don't tell," which dates back to the Clinton administration, could take as long as a year.

Still there was happiness among supporters, some of whom were in the Senate gallery to watch the vote.

"This has been a long fought battle, but this failed and discriminatory law will now be history," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign.

The Senate began its rare weekend session Saturday morning poised to battle over two of the most contentious social issues in this lame-duck session, "don't ask, don't tell" and immigration. Earlier, the Senate voted down an effort to bring the Dream Act to the floor.

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Gilbert Arenas Trade to Magic Likely, Expected to Be in Orlando Soon

Magic general manager Otis Smith began this season thinking he had all the pieces to contend seriously for an NBA title.

He lost that belief two weeks ago, prompting trade talks to intensify with several teams, including the Washington Wizards for Gilbert Arenas.

Although Smith insisted that no deal was eminent Saturday morning, the trade of Arenas could come even before the Magic play the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night and the Wizards play the Heat in Washington.

"Yes, we're having conversations with a few teams right now,'' Smith said Saturday morning after a Magic workout at the Amway Center. "We're having conversations about Gilbert with Washington. On a scale of 1-10, I'd say it's an eight.''

Smith would not comment on speculation that either Rashard Lewis or Vince Carter would be included in a trade for Arenas. Both practiced with the team Saturday morning. Arenas also was at the morning workout Saturday in Washington with the Wizards. Smith said he also had not talked with either of his players about a possible departure.

The Magic (16-9) started the season with a 15-4 record, but they have slumped recently, losing five of their last six. They lost three of four on their recent Western swing.

Smith also confirmed that he was having trade talks with the Phoenix about the potential return of Hedo Turkoglu, who played five seasons with the Magic, the best years of his career.

"I circled that West Coast trip long ago, to evaluate this team and where we are, and we have not played well,'' Smith said. "We have to decide whether to fix our woes, or continue down the same path. We're looking to get better.''

The Magic have struggled recently, primarily because their defense has worsened, and both Carter and Lewis have been disappointing, catching most of the blame.

Carter and Lewis, the team's two highest-paid players, are averaging 15.1 and 12.2 points, respectively. For Carter, it's the lowest average of his career. For Lewis, it's the lowest in the last 11 seasons. They will make a combined $37 million this season.

"Whatever happens, happens,'' Carter said after practice Saturday morning. "After 13 years in the league, I've heard all this talk before. It doesn't bother me. I don't let it bother me. I have a job to do, and that's play basketball. I don't know what's going to happen.''

Another the reason the Magic have struggled is that both of the off-season additions, point guard Chris Duhon and small forward Quentin Richardson, have struggled this season.

Arenas, averaging 17.3 points and unhappy in Washington, is making $17.7 million this season. He has three years and $60 million remaining on his contract. He and Smith are longtime friends, dating back to when both were in Golden State. He said he was not worried about some of his bizarre behavior in the past.

"I think I know him a little bit better than most,'' Smith said. "I know what he's about. I've always said that good people can make dumb decisions.''

A big reason the Magic are expected to make a trade soon is to make sure that center Dwight Howard stays happy. Howard can opt out of his contract after next season, and the Magic are adamant about being contenders immediately.

Howard, though, said he knows nothing about any possible trades.

"I'd like to see us trade some of our 'L's for some 'W's,' Howard said Saturday. "In the locker room, we haven't talked about it at all.''

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, who was livid after their most recent loss in Denver, declined to comment on any trade speculation, although he did not think it had become a distraction to his players.

"If we had young guys, it would be a different story,'' Van Gundy said. "Most of our guys have been mentioned like this before. I don't think it has affected us. I don't think we have to do anything. Right now, we're not playing well enough, but that could change.''

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Obama Signs Three-Day Spending Bill to Avert Government Shutdown

President Obama on Saturday signed a three-day stopgap measure to fund the government through Tuesday, preventing a shutdown this weekend after the Senate ditched a controversial 2,000-page catchall spending bill.

The government was careening toward a temporary shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Sunday but the Senate followed the House Friday night in passing the short-term funding bill.

Congressional Democrats are also rushing to finish by Christmas work on a Senate ratification of a new arms control treaty, an end to the military's ban on openly gay service members and a pathway to legal status for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants brought to the country before the age of 16 who have attended college or served in the military.

But the most urgent issue on Friday was avoiding a government shutdown.

The House on Friday quickly approved a spending bill to fund the government through Tuesday, sending the measure over to the Senate. The House will now be out of session until Tuesday.
Some House members wanted to vote on a spending bill that would keep the government afloat until February in part because 63 defeated Democrats have no offices and no place to go. They would like to go home, House leadership sources told Fox News.

In the upper chamber, senators were sent scrambling after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gave up Thursday on a $1.27 trillion bill loaded with more than $8 billion in home-state projects known as earmarks in Washington. Several Republicans who had been thinking of voting for it pulled back their support.

The package wrapped together 12 bills -- blending $1.1 trillion for the operating budgets of every federal agency with an infusion of $158 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan -- into a single foot-tall stack of legislation that Democrats had hoped to pass with just a couple of days' worth of debate.

But release of the bill on Tuesday sparked an outcry among the GOP's conservative political base. Senate Republicans held two combative closed-door meetings in which the rank-and-file turned up the heat on those few Republicans who were considering voting for the bill.

Republicans were also irate that the measure contained money to begin implementation of Obama's controversial health care law and a financial overhaul measure that all but a handful of Republicans opposed.

"The voters don't want us to wait to cut spending and debt and fight the health care bill next October – they want us to do these things immediately," Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a statement Friday.

He proposed Thursday to keep the government running at current funding levels through Feb. 18. By then, Republicans will have taken over the House and bolstered their strength in the Senate, giving them greater leverage to force spending cuts.

But efforts next year to wrap up the unfinished budget work aren't likely to go smoothly, and there's the potential for a government shutdown if the process breaks down. A shutdown would mean furloughing all but essential federal workers and temporarily closing national parks and most agencies.

The sinking of the bill was a setback for Obama, who supported it despite provisions to block the Pentagon from transferring Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the United States and to fund a program to develop a second engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which the administration says is a waste of money. Obama came under fire from Republicans for supporting the bill after promising after the election to take a harder line on earmarks.

The White House belatedly weighed in Friday behind a yearlong funding bill that's mostly frozen at current levels – a bill that passed the House last week.

Just Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates came out against the House measure because it would cut the Pentagon $19 billion below levels in the failed Senate omnibus bill. Now, press secretary Robert Gibbs says the House bill would provide "certainty and continuity" that's preferable to kicking the unfinished budget work into next year.

The House and Senate typically spend months on the 12 annual spending bills, but Democrats didn't bring even a single one to the Senate floor this year, an unprecedented collapse of the appropriations process. The House only passed two of the 12 bills and didn't make any of the others 10 public.

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RARE PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

For 31-year-old Alessia, who wouldn't give her surname because she works at Lida's city hall, a change is exactly what the country needs.

"I would finally find out what democracy means," she said, buying a pink plastic doll for her 5-year old for Christmas. "I was still very young when he (Lukashenko) came to power and now I'm not that young, but I still don't know what it means to live in a democracy."

She said she planned to vote for dissident politician Nikolai Statkevich, a retired colonel who heads a social democrat party.

Others think differently -- even in Lida.

Andrey Semyonovich, 40, runs his own retail shop, a rarity in Belarus where more than 80 percent of the economy is in state hands. He said rules for those outside the government sector were clear under Lukashenko and he didn't want to risk change.

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Lukashenko stirs mixed emotions in Belarus village

As he always has in the past, Antoni Kurowski will vote against President Alexander Lukashenko when Belarus holds an election on Sunday.

But the 48-year old hospital driver knows his vote and those of his family members will make little difference to the outcome. Lukashenko, the strongman who has ruled the former Soviet republic for the past 16 years, is certain to secure another five-year term.

"I do, do hope one day we'll succeed, that we will get rid of him and it will be a huge victory," said Kurowski, who comes from a village near Lida, as he shopped for Christmas gifts with money saved from his monthly salary of $700.

Western powers accuse Lukashenko, 56, of maintaining an iron grip on power through fraudulent elections, crackdowns on opponents and muzzling of independent media.

In the vote on Sunday, he faces a disorganized assortment of political opponents, who lack access to state-controlled media channels and must wage their campaigns without a proper party structure behind them.

In the capital Minsk, Lukashenko's popularity is overwhelming. He has spent years cultivating a paternalistic image and many supporters see him as a safe pair of hands in uncertain times.

But in Lida, an old city of 100,000 located in western Belarus where many people, including Kurowski, have Polish roots, support for the Belarus leader is weaker.

"I know that some 60 percent of my village is not going to vote for him, he hasn't done much good for us," Kurowski said with a smile that revealed a row of gold-plated teeth.

He said he would vote for Vladimir Neklyayev, a 64-year-old poet who one of the main opposition candidates.

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Moreno: Halos made 'significant' offer to Beltre

Angels owner Arte Moreno said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times that the club has made a "significant" offer to Adrian Beltre, but he doesn't intend to get in a bidding war for the third baseman, or any other player.

The Times speculated that the offer is for five years, $70 million and would not be increased. Beltre is believed to be seeking a six-year, $90 million deal, coming off a comeback season with the Boston Red Sox.

Moreno also told The Times that, despite rumors to the contrary, the club had interest in Carl Crawford, but never made an offer to free-agent outfielder, who signed a seven-year, $142 million contract with the Red Sox. Moreno, who paid $183 million for the club in 2003, said to sign a player to a nine-figure contract would result in either losing money or raising ticket prices, and he wants to do neither.

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UK snow: Britain in gridlock as big freeze brings Christmas travel misery

The travel plans of millions of people were disrupted when planes were grounded, rail services cancelled and roads rendered impassable by heavy snow. The busiest weekend before Christmas turned into a nightmare for much of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

British Airways cancelled all short-haul flights, shopping centres were forced to close and many motorways were blocked by heavy drifts of snow.

At Heathrow, scuffles broke out as staff tried to deal with thousands of stranded passengers. "People were scrambling to get on other carriers, people were panicking," one passenger told the Observer. "This is the Christmas from hell."

Last night the Met Office warned that disruption was likely to continue, with freezing weather leaving roads in an icy, treacherous state for the next few days. In many areas, night-time temperatures will plunge to minus 10C or below. The conditions are likely to make this the coldest December on record, with a current average temperature of minus 0.7C, five degrees under the long-term average.

The disruption that has ensued – the second serious episode of weather chaos to hit travel in Britain this month – led to calls from senior politicians yesterday for the government to make radical improvements in its ability to deal with cold weather. Louise Ellman, Labour chair of the Commons transport select committee, said it was no longer sufficient for ministers to brush away criticism by saying the severe conditions were exceptional.

"This is now the third bad winter in a row. We need to establish whether we think there may be a change of weather patterns and if so respond accordingly," she said. "We should be able to respond to these events better." Ellman said her committee would investigate what had gone wrong. "Clearly it is something we will have to look into."

Amid chaos on the roads, a man was killed after the ambulance in which he was being treated skidded off the road near Eastbourne, East Sussex. The man, who was last night named by police as Daniel Martin, 31, had suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash between his Mini and a flatbed truck.

The driver of the lorry – a 36-year-old man from St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, who was working for a contractor operating on behalf of East Sussex county council – was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and held in custody overnight on Friday.

In another incident, a 19-year-old man was stabbed in the neck in Sheffield after asking a group of teenagers to stop throwing snowballs.

Snow caused havoc at airports. Heathrow and Gatwick were both closed while flights at Aberdeen, Belfast City, Cardiff, London City and Southampton airports were also disrupted.

In Northern Ireland, freezing conditions continued to make travel hazardous following some of the heaviest snowfall for 25 years – with more forecast. The Northern Ireland Roads Service said slush from Friday had frozen overnight and Christmas shoppers should think carefully before setting out by car.

Jon Caudwell, from the Highways Agency, said it was doing its best to keep major roads in England clear but needed help from motorists who should "really seriously consider" whether they needed to go out this weekend.

In the rest of Europe some 2,500 passengers were stranded overnight at Frankfurt airport in Germany after flights were cancelled; Florence airport, in northern Italy, was closed and hundreds of cars were stuck on highways in Tuscany; in France, snow has affected road and rail travel in the west and north and Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport is reporting delays; in the Netherlands, many flights have been cancelled at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

Coastguard rescue teams were called in to assist the NHS to ensure doctors, that nurses and midwives reached hospitals. Volunteers helped with kidney patient transfers and with the delivery of essential drugs.

Shoppers also suffered as snow forced many to abandon their trips. Brent Cross shopping centre in north London was forced to close. By contrast, shops in the West End remained open and reported reasonable business.

"Although footfall was slightly down on forecasts, many retailers have reported sales up on last year with jewellery selling fast and technology strong including 3D TVs and the Apple iPads," said a spokesman.

In the Trafford Centre in Manchester, staff have used more than 20 tons of grit across the 150-acre site over 24 hours. They worked through the night to ensure that roads were safe and car parks ready to open.

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Novel Drug Aids CF Kids' Lungs

The experimental ion channel-regulating drug denufosol improves children's lung function early in the course of cystic fibrosis, according to results of the first large phase III trial of the agent.

The randomized trial of more than 350 CF patients age five and older found that the mean forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1) rose 0.048 L -- approximately 2% over baseline -- during 24 weeks on denufosol compared with 0.003 L on placebo, (P=0.047), Frank J. Accurso, MD, of the University of Colorado Denver, and colleagues reported online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The novel agent also appeared to be safe without elevated adverse events or impaired growth in the young CF patients, who had normal to mildly impaired lung function -- suggesting it could be suitable as an early intervention to potentially modify the course of the disease, Accurso and co-authors wrote.

The current data follow promising phase II results from another investigational ion channel agent by the same group.

Impaired chloride ion transport and poor ciliary clearance cause the thick, sticky mucus build up in the lungs -- a central feature of CF.

While treatments are available to address these symptoms, denufosol targets the underlying defects through separate ion channels to stimulate chloride secretion, inhibit sodium absorption, and get cilia moving.

Early intervention may be critical since structural damage to the lungs and reduced lung function occur in the first few years of life for children with cystic fibrosis -- even in the absence of symptoms, Accurso's group noted.

The Transport of Ions to Generate Epithelial Rehydration (TIGER-1) trial included 352 cystic fibrosis patients age five and older (mean age 14.6) with a FEV1 at least 75% of normal (mean 92%), indicating normal to mildly impaired lung function characteristic of early cystic fibrosis.

The patients were randomized to double-blind treatment with 60 mg of inhaled denufosol three times daily or a matching placebo for 24 weeks, followed by another 24-week open-label extension phase.

In addition to the primary endpoint advantage for FEV1 in the double-blind phase, the researchers found further lung function improvement with denufosol by 0.115 L by the end of the open-label phase. Accurso and colleagues called this "a notable finding given that this improvement occurred in patients with little or no pulmonary function impairment who were treated with many concomitant medications."

Placebo group patients switched to denofusol during the open-label phase also improved by a mean 0.078 L in FEV1 by the end of the study.

Big improvements weren't expected, since denufosol was designed to prevent or delay loss of lung function, preserving the increases in FEV1 expected in a healthy growing population -- rather than to act as a rescue therapy, Accurso's group noted.

The secondary endpoints showed no significant effect on pulmonary exacerbations (P=0.088 and P=0.574 by two different definitions), although patients with exacerbations tended to have less loss of lung function if taking denufosol.

Adverse events occurred among nearly all the patients at some point in the double-blind phase with no significant differences in the most commonly reported events, aside from lower incidence of sinusitis, rhinorrhea, and headache with denufosol (P<0.05).

The researchers also found no differences in changes in height, weight, or body mass index or evidence of systemic effects on any safety parameter between the groups.

"Low potential for systemic side effects is an important consideration for early intervention therapy for cystic fibrosis, which could be administered chronically over decades beginning during the first months of life," Accurso's group concluded.

And they suggested that an investigation of the novel ion channel regulator is warranted in children younger than five.

A second, similar phase III trial, incorporating a longer placebo-controlled treatment phase, is ongoing to further investigate the effectiveness of denufosol in CF patients, Accurso added in a statement.

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Flynn to start, Packers rule Rodgers out for Pats,

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers did not receive medical clearance after sustaining his second concussion of the season and was ruled out for Sunday night's game at New England.

Matt Flynn, a seventh-round draft pick out of LSU in 2008, is expected to make his first career start for the Packers.

As of Saturday, Rodgers had not progressed through the NFL's full protocol of testing needed before a player returns to the field after sustaining a head injury. Packers coach Mike McCarthy said earlier in the week that the team would err on the side of caution in determining his status for Sunday's game.

The Packers also signed quarterback Graham Harrell from their practice squad and placed safety Anthony Smith on injured reserve.

Rodgers sustained a concussion in last Sunday's loss at Detroit, his second of the season. He did not practice with the team this week and sat out team meetings for most of the week as he recovered.

Rodgers was doubtful for the game as of Friday, although McCarthy said there was an outside chance he would be able to play.

"He's working his way through the process," McCarthy said Friday. "There are stages that you work through. But he's making progress, and I talked to him today. He looks good [and] would like to play."

Rodgers will be wearing a new helmet that offers better head protection when he returns to the field.

Rodgers made an appearance in the Packers' locker room Friday. He did not take questions from reporters, but appeared alert and upbeat.

Rodgers sustained his first concussion in an overtime loss at Washington on Oct. 10 and played the following week.

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Marisa Tomei 2010 Pictures, Latest Pics, Photos, Images

Marisa Tomei
Born:
December 4, 1964 in Brooklyn, New York, USA
5' 4½" (1.64 m)
After nine years online providing Marisa Tomei fans the latest news and photos, Exclusively Marisa is closing. The site will remain as an archive for as long as the domain is registered. You can view the news archive here and the photo archive here. No further updates will be made to either.

Exclusively Marisa has been the premiere source for Marisa Tomei since it debuted in 2000. I want to thank everyone who visited throughout the years and a very special thank you goes to the people who have donated photos, news, and more. Without you, the site would not have been online as long as it was. Marisa Tomei was born on December 4, 1964, in Brooklyn, New York to mother Patricia "Addie" Tomei, an English teacher and father Gary Tomei, a lawyer. Marisa also has a brother, actor Adam Tomei. As a child, Marisa's mother frequently corrected her speech as to eliminate her heavy Brooklyn accent. As a teen, Marisa attended Edward R. Murrow High School and graduated in the class of 1982. She was one year into her college education at Boston University when she dropped out for a co-starring role on the CBS daytime drama "As the World Turns" (1956). Her role on that show paved the way for her entrance into film: in 1984, she made her film debut with a bit part in The Flamingo Kid (1984). Three years later, Marisa became known for her role as Maggie Lawton, Lisa Bonet's college roommate, on the sitcom "A Different World" (1987). Her real breakthrough came in 1992, when she co-starred as Joe Pesci's hilariously foul-mouthed, scene-stealing girlfriend in My Cousin Vinny (1992), a performance that won her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Later that year, she turned up briefly as a snippy Mabel Normand in director Richard Attenborough's biopic Chaplin (1992), and was soon given her first starring role in Untamed Heart (1993). A subsequent starring role -- and attempted makeover into Audrey Hepburn -- in the romantic comedy Only You (1994) with Robert Downey Jr. proved only moderately successful. Marisa's other 1994 role as Michael Keaton's hugely pregnant wife in The Paper (1994) was well-received, although the film as a whole was not. Fortunately for Tomei, she was able to rebound the following year with a solid performance as a troubled single mother in Nick Cassavetes Unhook the Stars (1996) which earned her a Screen Actors Guild nomination. Also in 1996, she made a famous guest appearance on the popular sitcom "Seinfeld" (1990) as herself. She turned in a similarly strong work in Welcome to Sarajevo (1997), and in 1998 did some of her best work in years as a sexually liberated, unhinged woman in Slums of Beverly Hills (1998). Marisa co-starred with Mel Gibson in the hugely successful romantic comedy What Women Want (2000) and during the 2002 movie award season, she proved her first Oscar win was no fluke when she was nominated a second time for the critically acclaimed dark drama, In the Bedroom (2001)
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Fresh off her second Oscar nomination, Marisa began acting in more mainstream films, but only a couple of them stuck out. She appeared in the ensemble romantic comedy Someone Like You... (2001) with Ashley Judd, Hugh Jackman, and Greg Kinnear, then in The Guru (2002) and the animated feature The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002). She returned to prominence in the hit comedy Anger Management (2003) with Adam Sandler alongside Jack Nicholson and performed "The Vagina Monologues" onstage in 2004. That same year she appeared opposite Jude Law in a remake of Alfie (2004). Also in 2004, she also made a guest appearance on the animated TV phenomenon "The Simpsons" (1989) as Sara Sloane, a movie star who falls in love with Ned Flanders. In 2006, she went on to do 4 episodes for "Rescue Me" (2004). She played Angie, the ex-wife of Tommy Calvin (Denis Leary)'s brother Johnny (Dean Winters). The following year she starred as a sexy bar owner in the comedy Wild Hogs (2007) alongside John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy. The film was a huge box-office hit, and later that year, at age 42, Marisa took on a provocative role in legendary filmmaker Sidney Lumet's melodramatic picture Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007). Usually modest, Marisa did several nude scenes with her costars Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman, including a racy sex scene with Hoffman. After working on War, Inc. (2008) with John Cusack, Marisa then took on another provocative role as an aging stripper in the highly acclaimed film The Wrestler (2008) opposite Mickey Rourke. Her great performance earned her many awards from numerous film societies for Best Supporting Actress, a third Academy Award nomination, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. Many critics heralded this performance as a standout in her career.

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Captain Beefheart Dead !!

  

Captain Beefheart DeadDate of Birth:    01/15/1941

Date of Death:    12/17/2010

Age at Death:  

                              Cause of Death:Multiple sclerosis
Captain Beefheart at 01.01.2010...

no, i'm not dead....
but i had some megaproblems with my health, totally disordering my body and soul. when it appeared that it was caused by a rather serious burn-out, my world already had turned into a big mess. i was forced to take a long rest and slowly had to set up a completely different life. unfortunately, the whole process of recovering lasted much longer than i had expected.

now, more than three years later, i think i’ve reached a certain hopeful point of balance again. and although i’m not yet satisfied with the new situation, it might be a good idea to find some relaxation in my old captain beefheart electricity again. of course, to take no stupid risks, not immediately at full speed but at an adapted pace. hope you don't mind.
American musician and painter Don Van Vliet, best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart, has died aged 69.

Van Vliet's death in California, from complications from multiple sclerosis, was announced by the Michael Werner Gallery in New York.

Van Vliet was "one of the most original recording artists of his time", the gallery said in a statement.

He rose to fame in the 1960s with a unique style of blues-inspired rock & roll, later devoting himself to art.

Artists including Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Franz Ferdinand, Oasis, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and The White Stripes are among those who have cited him as an influence.
"He is perhaps best known as the incomparable Captain Beefheart who, together with his Magic Band, rose to prominence in the 1960s with a totally unique style of blues-inspired, experimental rock & roll."

"This would ultimately secure Van Vliet's place in music history as one of the most original recording artists of his time. After two decades in the spotlight as an avant-garde composer and performer, Van Vliet retired from performing to devote himself wholeheartedly to painting and drawing."In recent years, Van Vliet devoted himself to painting and drawing.

A painting by the musician was on sale at the Michael Werner Gallery earlier this month at a price of $40,000 (£26,000).While the bizarre double album was not a major commercial success, it quickly became a cultural landmark. Van Vliet effectively redefined the frontiers of popular music, singing snatches of surreal imagery in disturbing tones over music that drew on blues, jazz, psychedelia, and a thousand other subgenres. Trout Mask Replica is still cited today as an essential art-rock document.

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oohh..great hot :Beau Garrett with image

Beau Garrett
Beau Garrett hits the blue carpet at the premiere of her new movie, Tron: Legacy, held at the El Capitan Theatre on Saturday (December 12) in Hollywood.

The 27-year-old actress wore a gorgeous gown by Giambattista Valli to the premiere.

She finished her look with House of Lavande earrings and a diamond baguette ring by Ineke Peskin for Gray Gallery.

Also pictured inside from the celebration is Summer Glau, who will star in NBC’s The Cape when the show begins next month!


If you watched Criminal Minds this past Humpday Yumpday you saw today’s Yump in a guest role as Gina LaSalle, one she will continue to appear as the female lead in Minds 2.0, a spin-off series alongside Forest Whitaker premeiring in September. She landed her first modeling gig for GUESS in the late 90s and is currently a spokesmodel for Revlon cosmetics. In 2006 she made her movie debut in the horror flick Turistas. She has since been in Unearthed, The Fantastic Four sequel, and episodes of Entourage and House. Beau Garrett, Uh YUMP!!

Hired by GUESS! in the late 90s as one of their new, fresh faces, Beau Garrett comes from Topanga Canyon, in Santa Monica. She was discovered, as many are, by a scout who saw her in a local shopping mall. She has one sister. Recently, she has played a quite sensual character in the HBO series "Entourage," and had a role in FOX's "North Shore." She has also shot a pilot for the WB for a series called "Rocky Point," starring model Travis Fimmel, Lauren Holly John Patrick Amedori, Moon Bloodgood, Billy Campbell, and Chyler Leigh. The WB's series, by the way, takes place in Hawaii's...North Shore!

 

 

 

 

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