Photographer Diary

Was Kim Kardashian's marriage a fraud? Kris Humphries to fight for an annulment - not divorce ??

2011-12-17T03:00:00.001+08:00

NBA star Kris Humphries is seeking to erase his marriage to Kim Kardashian from the record.The 26-year-old wants to annul his 72-day marriage to reality star Kim Kardashian, 31 , on the grounds of fraud, and filed the papers today.According to People, his Superior Court filing has the box reading 'nullity of voidable marriage' marked and checks as the basis the box saying 'fraud.' According to California law, a nullity is granted if the court finds that no valid marriage ever took place. Along with fraud, grounds for an annulment include bigamy, incest, force or if the couple are under the age of consent. Humphries's papers say that if he's not granted an annulment then he wants a legal separation and not a divorce under any circumstances. The basketball star agrees on the date of separation, however, which he also lists as October 31. Annulments can be difficult to obtain, with a legal expert telling the publication that he will likely have to prove that fraud was actually committed. But Kim is telling her friends that she absolutely loved Kris and the marriage just fell apart, according to TMZ, so she's unlikely to be agree with this assessment. LA family lawyer Scott Weston, who is not dealing with the celebrity couple, said Kardashian will probably fight the matter 'unless she's willing to agree that she defrauded him.'It could mean the pair will end up in a bitter court battle.[Kris] is sensitive to marriage both emotionally and religiously,' a source told the magazine, adding that the move is 'symbolic' rather than financially motivated. 'He went into it in good faith and never expected things to turn out this way,' says the source.Kardashian filed for divorce from Humphries on October 31, citing irreconcilable differencesIn an interview with US Glamour magazine, Kardashian said: 'I'll always be a hopeless romantic. It means that I believe and love and the dream of having a perfect relationship, but my idea of it has changed.'I think I need to not live in a fairytale like that. I think I maybe need to just snap out of it and be a little more realistic. What I want isn't possible.'While her sister Kourtney has just announced she is pregnant with her second child, the 31-year-old fears she may never become a mother.She said: 'I always wanted what my parents had. And at first I was like, I want six kids. Then I went down to four, then I was down to three, and now I'm just like, maybe I won't have any. Maybe I'll just be a good aunt.'At this moment in my life, I feel like maybe I'm not supposed to have kids and all that. That's how I feel. Maybe my fairytale has a different ending than I dreamed it would, but that's OK.'

Download EOS 5D Mark II firmware version 2.0.4

2010-06-25T15:33:00.002+08:00

This firmware update (Version 2.0.7) incorporates the following improvements and fixes.

1. Fixes a phenomenon in which the aperture exhibits abnormal movement when shooting movies in manual exposure mode and Aperture Priority AE (Av mode) using some Canon lenses (such as macro lenses).
2. Fixes a phenomenon in which the exposure level shown in the LCD panel differs from what is shown in the viewfinder when shooting still images in manual exposure mode.
3. Fixes a phenomenon in which the Wireless File Transmitter (WFT-E4 or WFT-E4 II) may not automatically power off when used for FTP transfers.

These phenomenon only occur with the Version 2.0.4 and Version 2.0.3 firmware.

The Version 2.0.7 firmware being released this time is for cameras with firmware up to Version 2.0.4. If the camera's firmware is already Version 2.0.7, it is not necessary to update the firmware.

Click Here to download

The latest Nikon equipment to be used in the Russian segment of the International Space Station New orders received for Nikon D3S and D3X digital-SLR

2010-06-20T15:29:00.000+08:00

Nikon Corporation (Michio Kariya, President) is pleased to announce that orders for one Nikon D3S and two Nikon D3X digital-SLR cameras, four interchangeable lenses including AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR, software and various accessories have been received from S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, the general contractor of the Russian Federal Space Agency on the program operating the International Space Station(ISS). This equipment will be transported to the ISS via the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft, to be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on June 16, 2010.

No special improvements or modifications will be made to these products. They will be the same products available to consumers, confirming the incredible reliability of the D3S, D3X and NIKKOR lenses. The new equipment will be used along with Nikon SLR cameras, such as the Nikon F5 film-SLR camera and D2X digital-SLR camera and a variety of NIKKOR lenses already used with on-board activities of Russian cosmonauts working in the Russian segment of ISS.

Nikolay Cherlenyak, director of operations for Energia's ISS program, has commented as follows regarding this order.
"The integration of Nikon photographic equipment in space exploration has a long history and goes back to the moment when there first arose the question of photographing research conducted in orbit. It was then when the first Nikon film cameras and NIKKOR lenses, notable for precision and reliability, were sent into space. They had been used even on the station "Mir". Since then, the range of photographic equipment has been frequently supplemented by new products and advanced developments of the Nikon Company. Now with the latest models of Nikon D3S and D3X digital cameras, photography in space will reach a new, previously unattainable level "

Nikon has spent many years contributing to the study of space through the development and manufacture of advanced and extremely durable cameras and interchangeable lenses. With total production exceeding 50 million, NIKKOR lenses make the most of Nikon’s optical technologies. In 2009, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ordered eleven D3S cameras and seven AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lenses for use in recording activities aboard the Space Shuttle and International Space Station.

In addition to the extreme environment of space, Nikon also provides official observation equipment used in exploring the Antarctic. Nikon equipment contributes to observation and research of these little explored regions with durability, reliability and technical capabilities that stand up to even the most severe environments.

Primary Nikon products in the current order

* D3X
* D3S
* AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR
* AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR
* SB-900
* AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III
* AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II
* AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E II
* Capture NX2
* Camera Control Pro 2

Nikon products already used in the ISS's Russian Segment

* D2X
* D200
* D3X
* Various NIKKOR lenses

Specifications and equipment are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer.

Canon EF 70-200mm 1:2.8 L IS II USM

2010-05-12T13:49:00.001+08:00

The EF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS II USM was announced in January 2010 as a replacement for Canon's fast image-stabilized telephoto zoom, the EF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM, which dates from 2001. With the rapid increase in SLR sensor pixel counts placing lenses' optical qualities under ever finer scrutiny, the company clearly felt it was time for an update for this professional workhorse, and has revamped the design accordingly. In the process, it claims to have improved almost every aspect of the lens, including the optics, autofocus, image stabilization, and the mechanical design.

The optical formula is suitably complex - 23 elements in 19 groups - and includes no fewer than five ultra-low dispersion (UD) glass elements, plus one made from fluorite, to minimize chromatic aberration. The minimum focus distance has been decreased giving improved maximum magnification, the IS system updated to give a claimed 4 stops of stabilization, and the autofocus system revised to meet the demands of Canon's latest fast, high-resolution DSLRs such as the EOS-1D Mark IV. The lens is also, as is usual for Canon's L series optics, fully sealed against dust and water.

Of course all this comes at a considerable price - as usual with a new release, the 'II' lens commands a hefty premium over the previous version of the lens, which also makes it around four times as expensive as its (non-image stabilized) third party rivals from the likes of Sigma and Tamron. Indeed with an introductory price well over the $2000 mark, many potential upgraders will surely be wondering whether the improvements can possibly be worth the money. Over the next few pages we'll do our best to find out.

Headline features

* 70-200mm focal length range; fast F2.8 constant maximum aperture
* Optical image stabilization – 4 stops
* Ring-type USM focusing with full-time manual override
* EF mount for Canon 35mm full-frame and APS-C DSLRS

“S” REPRESENTS STYLISH, SLIM DESIGN, SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE AND SUPER ZOOM WITH THE NEW NIKON COOLPIX S-SERIES DIGITAL CAMERAS

2010-02-02T06:29:00.002+08:00

MELVILLE, NY (Feb. 2, 2010) – Today, Nikon Inc. continues the tradition of blending innovation, design and performance in its line of COOLPIX compact cameras with the introduction of four new COOLPIX Style Series cameras. The S-series cameras provide users with innovative and fun features such as long zooms, speedy performance, advanced flash controls, touch-screen technology, and enhanced high resolution LCD screens in sleek, stylish camera bodies. In an impressive slim body, the new COOLPIX S8000 digital camera sports a long 10x optical zoom, 720p HD Video, and a 3.0-inch 921,000-dot LCD screen with bright Clear Color Display. Not to be outdone, the COOLPIX S4000 blends a user-friendly touch-screen interface with an elegant camera design, while the COOLPIX S6000 and COOLPIX S3000 digital cameras deliver the speed, accessibility and ease-of-use that have made the S-series the camera of choice among consumers who value style and performance.

"Building on the hallmarks of the COOLPIX line, the new S-Series cameras combine the features consumers want, along with high performance and innovative technology into elegant camera designs with colorful results," said Bo Kajiwara, director of marketing, Nikon Inc. "The digital camera has become an accessory to today’s consumer, and with the S-series camera, users can challenge their creativity, and complement their sense of fashion.”

All new COOLPIX S-series cameras incorporate Nikon’s world-class NIKKOR lenses, delivering accurate detail and brilliant color, as well as Nikon’s EXPEED™ digital image processing concept, which ensures high-quality pictures with stunning color and sharpness. Many of the new S-series models embrace the addition of High Definition (HD) video by adding an ideally located video record button on the back of the camera. Other COOLPIX features include Scene Auto Selector, which automatically recognizes the shooting situation and adjusts camera settings accordingly for great pictures anywhere. To make better portraits easier, the Smart Portrait System incorporates a series of automatic functions including In-Camera Red-Eye Fix ™, Improved Face-Priority AF, Face Priority AE, Smile Mode, Blink Warning and Skin Softening to flatter even the most camera-shy subject.

New COOLPIX S8000: Deceptively Slim Yet Hides a Surprise

Hidden inside the COOLPIX S8000’s slender body resides a powerful and versatile 10x Optical Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens that produces incredibly sharp, crisp images up close or far away. To banish the blur at any focal length, the S8000 features a 4-way Image Stabilization System and ISO settings to 3200. Additionally, the S8000 has the ability to record HD movies (720p) at 30 frames per second (fps) with stereo sound, and features an ultra high-resolution 921,000-dot Clear Color Display LCD for sharp, clear viewing of images.

The 14.2-megapixel COOLPIX S8000 digital camera also includes a new feature called the Creative Slider, which simplifies adjusting brightness, saturation and color tone in-camera by utilizing the Rotary Multi Selector. Another new feature, Advanced Flash Control, allows users to create more natural-looking flash shots by utilizing higher ISO settings and faster shutter speeds in low light as well as apply Multi-area Auto Backlight Compensation for even exposures. Additionally, the COOLPIX S8000 packs an improved Sport Continuous Mode, high-speed continuous shooting at up to approximately 4 fps for 45 frames (3 MP), plus a fast start-up time and a quick shutter-release time. To further ensure no moment is missed, the S8000 has the ability to acquire the subject and lock focus using Subject Tracking.

The COOLPIX S8000 will be available in February 2010 for $299.95* MSRP in a choice of colors including black, red, bronze and champagne silver.

The New COOLPIX S6000: High Performance Is Always In Style

The new COOLPIX S6000 digital camera blends performance into an elegant camera design to create the ideal accessory for wherever life leads. Though the S6000 measures only one-inch thick, it comes with a versatile 7x Optical Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens to zoom in on the action or fill the frame with your subject. The COOLPIX S6000 also has the ability to record HD movie clips (720p) at 30 fps to preserve memories in high quality video, which are easily played back later on an HDTV from the camera via HDMI connection.

The COOLPIX S6000 includes features like 14.2-megapixel resolution and a bright 2.7-inch 230,000-dot Clear Color Display LCD. Similar to the COOLPIX S8000, the COOLPIX S6000 boasts advanced features and controls like Sport Continuous Mode and Advanced Flash Control. The S6000 also sports a fast start-up time of approximately 0.75 seconds and a short shutter-release time of approximately 0.3 seconds to help ensure memories are recorded as soon as they happen.

To further help users snap stunning photos easily, the COOLPIX S6000 features ISO 3200; 4-way VR Image Stabilization System; Subject Tracking; Scene Auto Selector Mode; Nikon’s Smart Portrait System all packed into an ultra-stylish design.

The COOLPIX S6000 will be available in March 2010 for $249.95* MSRP in a choice of bold colors, including champagne silver, black, red, and bronze.

The New COOLPIX S4000: Touch-Screen Technology, Nikon Performance

Integrating elegant design and intuitive operation, the new COOLPIX S4000 digital camera comes equipped with a touch-screen interface that places the camera's controls at the users' fingertips. The COOLPIX S4000 incorporates a new 3.0-inch 460,000-dot touch-panel Clear Color Display LCD, which makes it easy to compose, review, edit and share pictures.

To fully utilize the touch-screen interface, the COOLPIX S4000 comes with several advanced shooting features. With Touch Shutter, users can select their subject by a single touch on the screen to adjust focus and exposure, and to automatically release the shutter. When selected, Subject Tracking can automatically follow and focus on a subject selected by touching the screen, such as a fast moving child or a pet throughout the frame.

At the touch of a finger, users can record HD movies (720p) to create and share. The S4000 also includes user-friendly modes like Scene Auto Selector, which automatically recognizes the scene in your picture and adjusts camera setting to take the best photo possible for the given conditions.

The 12-megapixel COOLPIX S4000 features a 4x wide-angle Zoom-NIKKOR lens, ISO sensitivity to 3200; 4-way VR Image Stabilization System; Subject Tracking; Scene Auto Selector Mode; Nikon’s Smart Portrait System and a compact stylish design.

The COOLPIX S4000 digital camera will be available in March 2010 for $199.95 MSRP in a choice of vibrant colors, including plum, champagne silver, pink, red and black.

New COOLPIX S3000: Make a Statement in Color

Sleek design, attractive colors and innovative technology truly set the new Nikon COOLPIX S3000 digital camera apart from the competition. The COOLPIX S3000 comfortably places advanced shooting controls in the hand for great fun and optimal results. User-friendly advanced features and ease-of-use, along with the camera's compact size make it a pleasure to carry around anywhere from the family reunion to a night on the town.

With the stylish looks and the vivid color choices of the S3000, the camera is the perfect tool to express one's personal style. The COOLPIX S3000 also includes a bright 2.7-inch 230,000-dot LCD screen designed to make it easy to compose, review and share pictures. The 12-megapixel COOLPIX S3000 features a 4x wide-angle Zoom-NIKKOR lens; ISO 3200; 4-way VR Image stabilization System; Subject Tracking; Scene Auto Selector Mode; Nikon’s Smart Portrait System and a colorful and compact design.

The COOLPIX S3000 will be available in March 2010 for $149.95 MSRP and in a choice of vibrant colors, including plum, champagne silver, black, orange, green and blue.

Canon celebrates production of 50 million EF lenses

2010-01-29T07:35:00.002+08:00

TOKYO, January 29, 2010—Canon Inc. and Canon Marketing Japan Inc. announced today the achievement of a new EF lens-manufacturing milestone with the production of the company's 50-millionth lens, an EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM.

Production of interchangeable EF lenses for Canon EOS-series AF (autofocus) single-lens reflex cameras began in 1987 at the company's Utsunomiya Plant, and has since expanded to a total of four production facilities including Canon Inc., Taiwan; Canon Opto (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.; and Oita Canon Inc. in Japan. EF lenses reached the 10-million-unit milestone after approximately eight and a half years in production, followed by the 40-million-unit mark in April of 2008. Owing to the popularity of the EOS Digital series, production then increased 10 million units to reach the current 50-million-unit milestone in December 2009 after a mere one year and eight months.

First introduced in March 1987, along with Canon's EOS SLR camera system, the EF lens has over the years featured a range of innovative proprietary technologies to lead the industry. These include such world's firsts*1 as the Ultrasonic Motor-powered lens (USM), Image Stabilizer (IS) to compensate for the effects of camera shake, Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) anti-reflection technology, and a super telephoto lens that employs a diffractive optical element. Last year, Canon successfully commercialized the Hybrid IS, a technology that effectively compensates for both angle-based camera shake and shift-based camera shake, utilized in the EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens.

Canon's current EF lens lineup compromises 65 models*2 ranging from super-wide-angle lenses to super-telephoto zoom lenses, catering to the varying needs of photographers from first-time users to advanced-amateurs and professionals. The company's diverse selection of lenses offers several features including a number of zoom options ranging from standard to super-telephoto, Image Stabilizer-equipped lenses, large-diameter lenses, macro-lenses and TS-E lenses featuring a special tilt-shift mechanism allowing manipulation of image perspective and distortion. In addition, the EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, featuring outstanding optical performance and Image Stabilization, is planned for market release in early March 2010.

Canon will continue to proactively introduce innovative technologies, striving to provide superlative image quality and reliability in lens production.

Canon aids earthquake relief efforts in Haiti

2010-01-15T13:23:00.000+08:00

On January 12, a powerful earthquake struck the Republic of Haiti, causing extensive destruction and loss of life. We at Canon extend our heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this disaster and our thoughts go out to those suffering in its aftermath.

While we realize that the road to recovery will be challenging and time-consuming, we hope that the region will soon be able to begin the rebuilding and healing process.

The Canon Group is contributing in the relief efforts for victims of the earthquake through donations to the Japanese Red Cross Society and other humanitarian aid organizations totaling 20 million yen (approximately US$220,000).

7D Firmware Update Version 1.1.0

2009-12-09T13:42:00.002+08:00

Click here for 7D Firmware Update Version 1.1.0

Nikon D3 Digital-SLR Camera Recipient of DFA Bronze Award

2009-12-09T13:36:00.002+08:00

Nikon Corporation (Michio Kariya, President) is pleased to announce that the D3 digital-SLR camera is the recipient of a 2009 Design for Asia (DFA) Bronze Award.

The DFA Awards are organized by the Hong Kong Design Centre with the purpose of raising awareness amongst businesses and the public about the value of good design as an essential component in business success, as well as for a sustainable, higher quality of life for all. This year’s winners were selected from approximately 500 commercial products released in one or more Asian markets by manufacturers from the world over during a period of roughly two years and seven months—from January 1, 2007 to July 31, 2009. From these, winners were selected based on superiority of design, degree of impact on the Asian lifestyle, and commercial success.

The DFA Bronze Award winning Nikon D3 (released November 2007) is a flagship model that was the first Nikon digital-SLR to utilize a Nikon FX-format CMOS image sensor (large image sensor that conforms to 35mm [135] film camera angle of view). The D3 is also equipped with an image processing engine based on Nikon’s exclusive image processing concept, EXPEED. It has been extremely well received, primarily by professional users, for its superior image quality, support for high ISO sensitivities, and high-speed performance. The D3’s body was designed under the supervision of world renowned designer, Mr. Giorgetto Giugiaro, based on the conviction that anyone who sees the camera will immediately appreciate its form and value. Nikon’s own design team then thoroughly examined each component to ensure an ergonomic and refined form that maintained ease of operation.

The excellent balance between design and functionality of the D3 has been recognized with a number of awards from prestigious international organizations, including an International Forum (iF) Product Design Award; the red dot Product Design 2009 award presented by the highly reputed German design institution, Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen; the Camera Grand Prix 2008 Camera of the Year Award presented by Japan’s Camera Journal Press Club; the Best D-SLR Professional in Europe 2008 award presented by Europe’s Technical Image Press Association (TIPA); and a European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) Photo Award.

Nikon FX-format digital-SLR cameras that continue the D3 pedigree

Since release of the D3, Nikon has expanded its line of flagship models with development and advanced performance that responds to the strict demands of professional and advanced amateur photographers.

•Nikon D3S
The D3S (released November 2009) is the latest flagship model to offer new functions as well as advances in basic performance and operation, beginning with the support for high sensitivities so well received with the D3. It is equipped with a new Nikon FX-format CMOS sensor (36.0 × 23.9 mm) with an effective pixel count of 12.1 million pixels. Support for even higher sensitivities than are possible with the D3 has been added for a wide range of standard sensitivity settings from ISO 200 to 12800. The influence of noise has been minimized to enable shooting at high sensitivities under even extremely dim lighting. In addition, the D3S is equipped with the D-Movie function that includes high-sensitivity movie mode for recording movies at sensitivities up to Hi 3 (ISO 102400 equivalent) and movie editing functions for trimming footage or saving selected frames as JPEG stills. The D3S responds to the strict demands of professional users and advanced amateurs in a number of fields, including the press, and sports and nature photography, with high-speed performance, support for high sensitivities, and superior image quality that respond to a variety of subjects and shooting conditions. It is an all-round model with professional specifications made possible by the latest technologies and reliability for which Nikon is known.

•Nikon D3X
The D3X (released December 2008) is a digital-SLR camera that offers the ultimate in definition and image quality with an effective pixel count of 24.5 million pixels. Since its release, it has been extremely well received by professional photographers and the entire camera industry and recognized with the same prestigious awards as the D3 from Europe's EISA and TIPA. The D3X makes images exhibiting the superior definition of medium-format digital cameras possible, responding to the needs of professional users, especially those requiring superior image quality for studio photography. This camera is the best choice for fashion or commercial studio photography that requires excellent definition and superior image quality, as well as for creation of large poster images of detailed, high-resolution landscapes and the like. In addition, as the D3X utilizes the same camera body as the D3, it is also suited to outdoor photography as it is very mobile and offers excellent operation.

Fast, powerful, high resolution performance for professional photographers

2009-12-07T11:10:00.000+08:00

Canon has announced the launch of the EOS 1D Mark IV – a high-speed, professional digital SLR (DSLR) camera designed to empower photographers to capture split-second moments in high resolution, under the most challenging of conditions.

Ideal for shooting action, sports, news events and wildlife photography, the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV delivers speed, power and high-resolution images, creating the perfect camera for photographers who require reliability in fast-paced, high-pressure situations.

Developed incorporating feedback from professional photographers, the EOS 1D Mark IV features a new Canon 16.1MP APS-H CMOS sensor and a brand new 45-point autofocus (AF) system with 39 f/2.8 sensitive cross-type points, providing a wide selection of precise focus areas across the frame. Dual DIGIC 4 processors provide the power to shoot continuous, high-resolution images at up to 10 frames per second (fps), as well as delivering the widest ISO range ever to feature in a Canon camera.

“Throughout the devekopment of the EOS 1D Mark IV we’ve carefully studied feedback from our photographers and developed a camera to meet their specific requirements,” said Mr. Shinbori, Senior General Manager of Camera Development Center, Canon Inc. “With a brand new, high-quality CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 processors, the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV allows photographers to be the first to get the highest quality images to picture desks in what is becoming an increasingly competitive market.”.

Highly sensitive, cross-type focusing – capture every detail at speed

The Canon EOS 1D Mark IV features a completely new 45-point AF system, with 39 f/2.8 sensitive cross-type points located across the frame, providing consistent AF on static or moving subjects, no matter which AF point is being used. All 45 AF points are user-selectable and now more sensitive, with the AF points towards the edge of the frame offering identical levels of performance to those in the centre.

The entire AF system is managed by a dedicated microprocessor, providing fast, accurate focusing – even when shooting continuously at 10fps. Canon’s newly-evolved AI Servo II AF offers more precision when tracking moving objects, utilising the power provided by the dedicated microprocessor to improve overall tracking accuracy and increasing focus reliability in low-contrast and extremely bright conditions.

To provide increased flexibility, a vast range of manual and automatic AF control options are available including - with lenses featuring an AF Stop button - Canon’s new Spot AF feature. Spot AF offers a more precise focus area to meet the needs of photographers that require pinpoint focusing. A 63-zone metering system enables the use of multiple metering modes, with the dedicated sensor linked to the 45 AF points, providing AF point-linked and multiple spot metering options.

The EOS 1D Mark IV also features orientation-linked AF points - an orientation sensor-controlled feature that enables photographers to store separate AF points for different camera positions. Covering both horizontal and vertical shooting positions (both grip up and grip down), orientation linked AF points offers the flexibility to change camera orientation quickly when shooting, with the AF settings switching to suit the subject. AF point registration enables the photographer to store an alternate AF point that can be used at the touch of a button.

The power and performance of Dual DIGIC 4 and CMOS

The combination of a custom-designed, high-resolution 16.1MP APS-H CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 processors ensures that detailed, crisp images are delivered at high speeds.

The inclusion of an APS-H sensor combines a high pixel-count with an effective field-of-view measuring 1.3x the focal length of the lens. This provides immediate benefits for sports, news and wildlife photojournalists, who operate on-the-move and need to get closer to their subjects whilst maintaining fast apertures without resorting to longer focal-length lenses – which are typically heavier.

Continuous shooting is facilitated by the sensor’s eight-channel data read out, which provides a rapid read sequence and makes full use of the Dual DIGIC 4 processors to enable high-speed 10fps shooting at full 16.1MP resolution, while maintaining image colours through 14-bit analogue to digital (A/D) conversion.

The ability to shoot images at 10fps, without any drop in resolution, means the EOS 1D Mark IV features the fastest continuous shooting with autofocus currently available from a Canon DSLR. The increased processing capacity of Dual DIGIC 4 processors manages the increased data created by the 60% rise in image resolution, while still enabling the EOS 1D Mark IV to deliver a continuous burst of up to 121 large JPEGS, or 28 RAW images using a UDMA 6 card – ideal for fast-moving sporting action or news events where scenes are unfolding quickly.

EOS 1D Mark IV also includes updated Picture Styles and the first ever integration of ALO (Auto Lighting Optimizer) in a professional EOS body, automatically correcting the contrast and brightness of images as they are recorded. These features combine to provide a faster workflow for those requiring press-ready images direct from the camera without the need for retouching, enabling photographers to concentrate solely on capturing that once-in-a-lifetime shot.

Full compatibility with the latest UDMA 6 standard Flash memory cards also ensures that image data is rapidly written to the memory card of the EOS 1D Mark IV. In addition, the flexibility to record to a Secure Digital/SDHC memory card allows photographers to keep shooting for longer until they get the shot they need.

Advanced performance in low-light

The EOS 1D Mark IV also delivers extreme low-light performance. Standard ISO on the EOS 1D Mark IV ranges from 100 to 12,800, while extended ISO ranges from a low of 50 to 102,400 – the highest ISO ever offered by a Canon SLR. This extreme low-light performance makes the EOS 1D Mark IV ideal for night shots or shooting at evening events, where the lack of light would normally make shooting impossible.

Intelligent noise reduction techniques keep chroma and luminance noise to a minimum, while maintaining colour balance, but never take control of the overall image quality away from the photographer. The architecture of the new 16.1MP APS-H CMOS sensor, featuring gapless microlenses with less surrounding circuitry and more sensitive, high-capacity photodiodes, also ensures that all available light is used as efficiently as possible to maximise ISO performance in low-light conditions.

Built for extreme use – robust, weatherproof and portable

Light for its category, the EOS 1D Mark IV features a full magnesium alloy body, providing protection against knocks and bumps. The EOS 1D Mark IV has also been the subject of some subtle ergonomic redesigns, with the buttons reshaped and given a more defined ‘click’ when pressed, to make life easier for photographers operating in more extreme weather conditions where gloves may be necessary.

The EOS 1D Mark IV is protected by a total of 76 rubber seals fitted around the controls and cover seams, making the camera dust and water resistant when used in tandem with Canon’s range of weather-resistant EF lenses and Speedlite EX flash units.

The 920,000 dot, VGA resolution, Clear View II LCD makes it easy to instantly review images and video in the most challenging conditions. By filling the gap between the LCD panel and the protective cover screen with a photo-elastic material, Canon has been able to reduce light reflection, resulting in the clear display of images. The previously acrylic cover has also been replaced by reinforced glass, providing strong, scratch-resistant protection for the screen.

The EOS 1D Mark IV also features the EOS integrated cleaning system, which automatically eliminates dust on the sensor – ensuring reliable image quality when shooting in testing outdoor environments.

Cinematic, High Definition video

In addition to providing high-quality still image performance, the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV features EOS Movie function, providing the ability to capture 1080p High Definition (HD) video at 30, 25 and 24fps and 720p footage at 60 and 50fps. As well as complete compatibility with PAL, NTSC and native 1080/24p cinematic frame rates, the EOS 1D Mark IV offers full manual exposure, providing film makers and photographers with control over depth-of-field.

The EOS 1D Mark IV features a programmable button to enable quick movie shooting, allowing photographers to record HD video instantly at the touch of a single button. The EOS 1D Mark IV also features a mini HDMI output, enabling video and images to be viewed directly on compatible HD-ready TVs.

Advanced customisation to suit you

Canon’s EOS 1D MARK IV is highly customisable, allowing photographers to take complete control of the camera’s features. Autoexposure (AE) and flash exposure (FE) micro-adjustments allow photographers to fine-tune the exposure for any given purpose, enabling them to perfectly match two separate cameras for consistent results or simply adjust the settings to meet specific personal requirements and tastes. Preferred user profiles can also be stored to memory card and subsequently transferred to other EOS 1D Mark IV bodies, so that photographers can seamlessly transfer their profile to another body if required.

Further customisable features include the ability to add copyright information directly in the camera. This enables photographers to embed their details within each shot as standard, removing the need for retrospective data insertion, and allowing news photographers to get shots to picture desks in the shortest time possible. An integrated microphone also allows the recording of audio notes to accompany each image, which will directly benefit photographers who wish to keep a record of the content of each image as they shoot.

EOS system compatibility

The EOS 1D Mark IV is compatible with all existing EOS 1D Mark III accessories, EF lenses (excluding EF-S lenses) and EX Series Speedlite flash units. Untethered shooting and image transfer are available with the optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E2 II. New EOS 1D Mark IV accessories will also be backwards compatible with EOS 1D Mark III bodies, subject to a firmware upgrade.

Pricing & Availability

The EOS 1D Mark IV is available from the end of December 2009 priced at £4499.00 / €5499.00 RRP inc. VAT.

New Sigma stabilizes 17-70mm fast normal zoom

2009-12-07T11:02:00.003+08:00

Sigma has added its Optical Stabilization system to its popular 17-70mm fast standard zoom lens. The 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM will be available in Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax and Sigma mounts. The latest version offers a slightly wider aperture at the long end of the zoom though gains weight and length and has a slightly reduced maximum magnification ratio. Adding image stabilization to a lens that already combines a comparatively fast maximum aperture range is likely to make it an even more tempting replacement for the kit lenses supplied with most DSLRs.

Large aperture standard zoom lens designed for digital SLR cameras.

* Minimum focusing distance of 22cm at all focal lengths
* Integrated Optical Stabilisation system
* Aspherical and ELD glass elements
* Large aperture of F2.8 at the wide angle setting
* Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensuring silent, high-speed AF*

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the new Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM.

This large aperture standard zoom lens offers an aperture of F2.8 at the 17mm focal length and is ideal for many situations such as portraits, sports, macro and general photography. The OS (Optical Stabiliser) function offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible. For Sony and Pentax mount, the built-in OS function of this lens can be used even if the camera body is equipped with an anti-shake function. As the compensation for camera shake is visible in the view finder, the photographer can easily check for accurate focus and ensure there is no subject movement. The maximum aperture of F2.8 produces an attractive background blur and improves autofocus speed.

This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 22cm (8.6 inches) throughout the entire zoom range and maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.7, making it ideal for close-up photography. It is possible to focus as close as approximately 4.7cm from the tip of the lens to the subject making this lens particularly useful for close-up photography.

Three aspherical lenses and one ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) glass element provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range. The Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting and provides high contrast images. The incorporation of HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures a quiet and high speed AF. This lens has a rounded 7 blade diaphragm which creates an attractive blur to the out of focus areas of the image. The inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, making the lens particularly suitable for using the supplied petal-type lens hood and circular polarising filters.

*Autofocus on Pentax version only available on K10D and newer bodies offering HSM/SDM support.

Pentax releases K-x firmware v1.01

2009-12-04T13:04:00.000+08:00

Pentax has issued updated firmware for its entry-level DSLR, the K-x. Firmware V1.01 adds to the camera's 'cross-processing' feature and allows it to be assigned to the camera's 'green' button. It also promises to improve the accuracy of the battery meter as well as 'improved stability and performance'. K-x owners can download the latest firmware from the Pentax website.

DxO Labs launches DxO Optics v5.3.6 for Mac

2009-12-04T13:01:00.001+08:00

DxO Labs has issued a Mac update for its DxO Optics raw converter with a Windows version to follow. The latest Mac version, V5.3.6, includes support for fifteen new cameras and provides support for the Snow Leopard operating system (OS 10.6). The update is based around the inclusion of the cameras covered in DxO Optics 6 for Windows, but without the version 6 interface, a Mac version of which will be introduced in early 2010. A Windows update including support for the Canon G11, EOS 7D and Nikon D3000 will follow by 'mid December.'

Click here for more information and to download the trail version

Press release:
New DxO Optics Pro v5.3.6 for Mac adds support for 15 new cameras

255 new DxO Optics Modules. Full compatibility with Snow Leopard.

DxO Optics Pro v5.3.6 for Macintosh brings full compatibility with Apple’s latest operating system Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard, and adds support for 15 new cameras:

* Canon 7D and G11;
* Nikon D300s and D3000;
* Olympus E-3 (Elite edition only), E-30, E-410, E-420, E-450, E-510, E-520 and E-620;
* Sony A230, A330 and A380.

Also available to DxO Optics Pro users are 255 new DxO Optics Modules, covering 46 cameras.

DxO Optics Pro v5.3.6 for Macintosh, both Standard and Elite editions, are immediately available at an exceptional 30 % discount until December 31, 2009.

All users who purchased DxO Optics Pro 5 (including v5.3.6) after June 1, 2009 are entitled to a free upgrade to DxO Optics Pro 6 Mac as soon as it becomes available during the first quarter of 2010.

DxO Labs will be releasing an update to DxO Optics Pro 6 for Windows users before mid-December 2009. This will add support for the Canon 7D (Standard or Elite Edition), Canon G11 (Standard or Elite Edition) and Nikon D3000 (Standard or Elite Edition), together with some improvements to the user interface.

Updates for Capture NX & Camera Control Pro

2009-12-01T15:17:00.001+08:00

Nikon calling all Capture NX & Camera Control Pro users to updates their software that compatible with D3S.

Click here to download Capture NX v2.2.3

Click here to download Camera Control Pro v2.7.0

Lensbaby call for image submissions

2009-11-24T13:13:00.001+08:00

Lensbaby has invited photographers to submit images taken with one of its products for a chance to be published in an upcoming book. Photographers have until December 31, 2009 to submit up to two images via the company's website. Successful entries will be announced on Lensbaby's website on January 15, 2010.

Press Release:

Lensbaby® Announces Call for Image Submissions

Portland, OR (November 23, 2009) – Lensbaby announces today an open call for photographers to submit their best images created using a Lensbaby lens for a chance to be published in the new book “Lensbaby: Bending Your Perspective” by Lensbaby Guru and author/photographer Corey Hilz. Due out from Focal Press in the summer of 2010, “Lensbaby: Bending Your Perspective” will feature lots of “how to” and inspirational content, along with galleries of Lensbaby photos by some of the foremost Lensbaby photographers in the world. More information on the book can be found at www.focalpress.com/lensbaby.
“There are so many great photographers from around the world using Lensbaby Creative Effects SLR lenses and accessories,” said Lensbaby President and Co-Founder Craig Strong. “We can’t wait to review all the photography from Lensbaby users that could be included in this wonderful new book.”
Photographers can submit two images for consideration via www.lensbaby.com/getpublished
and can change their photo selection at any time during the submission period. Submissions will be accepted until 6pm, PST, December 31, 2009.
At least 12 photos from all the images submitted will be featured in the Lensbaby book. Popular voting on the www.lensbaby.com/getpublished photo submission microsite of Lensbaby.com will be used to decide one of the selected images. Entrants as well as members of the Lensbaby Studio Photography Forum on Lensbaby.com are eligible to vote. Corey Hilz and Craig Strong will choose the remaining images. If a photographer’s image is selected, it will be featured in this beautiful new book credited with the photographer’s name and they’ll receive a copy of the book. Selected images will be announced and displayed on the www.lensbaby.com/getpublished website on January 15, 2010.

PocketWizard posts beta firmware for flash triggers

2009-11-20T13:11:00.000+08:00

PocketWizard has released beta firmware updates for its ControlTL, MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 radio flashgun triggers for Canon DSLRs. Firmware v4.374 enables fully automatic camera detection and fixes minor bugs. It also adds the Metz 58 AF-1 flashgun to the list of compitible flash units for MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 triggers.

13,000 guard Obama

2009-11-19T12:03:00.001+08:00

SEOUL - SOUTH Korea deployed some 13,000 police and soldiers to guard President Barack Obama during his visit but pro-US demonstrators heavily outnumbered protesters in central Seoul on Thursday.

'Welcome Obama!' chanted an estimated 3,000 activists lining the streets near the US embassy as his motorcade passed by en route to talks with President Lee Myung Bak.

Demonstrators held placards reading 'We support strong US-Korea alliance' and 'We love Obama'. The rally was led by veterans wearing military uniforms who denounced North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, an issue likely to dominate the summit talks.

Dozens of police buses surrounded the embassy and thousands of riot police were posted in central Seoul and around the Grand Hyatt hotel in Namsan district where the president stayed. Dozens of activists protesting at South Korea's decision to send troops to Afghanistan had rallied outside the embassy Wednesday before Mr Obama arrived on the last leg of his Asian tour.

Local rights advocates urged Mr Obama on Wednesday to speak out more strongly against North Korea's human rights abuses. New York-based Human Rights Watch has also called on him and Lee to take a strong stance on the issue.

It said in a statement on Wednesday the leaders 'should make a public commitment to address human rights concerns in North Korea as well as the plight of North Korean refugees (in China)'.

Retired Kodak Researcher Bryce Bayer Honored for Invention Enabling Color in Digital Imaging

2009-11-19T11:19:00.001+08:00

Royal Photographic Presents Prestigious Progress Award

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--Retired Kodak research scientist Bryce Bayer, whose invention of a color filter array enabled digital imaging sensors to capture color, is today being honored by the Royal Photographic Society with its Progress Award at a ceremony in London. The Royal Photographic Society, founded in 1853 “to promote the art and science of photography,” has chapters across the U.K. and ten regions around the world.

Bayer invented the color filter array that bears his name (the Bayer filter), which is incorporated into nearly every digital camera and camera phone on the market today. Described in U.S. Patent 3,971,065, “Color Imaging Array,” filed in 1975, color filters are arranged in a checkerboard pattern to best match how people perceive images, and provide a highly detailed color image.

The Bayer Filter enables a single CCD or CMOS image sensor to capture color images that otherwise would require three separate sensors attached to a color beam splitter – a solution that would be large and expensive. The red, green, and blue colors of the Bayer filter are fabricated on top of the light-sensitive pixels as the image sensor is manufactured, a process pioneered by Kodak.

“The elegant color technology invented by Bryce Bayer is behind nearly every digital image captured today,” said Dr. Terry Taber, Kodak Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. “Bryce Bayer is very deserving of this prestigious recognition and all of us at Kodak join the Royal Photographic Society in saluting him.”

In addition to his work on digital color imaging, Bayer developed widely cited algorithms for storing, improving, and printing digital images.

Bayer joins the growing list of Kodak researchers who have been honored by the imaging industry for their contributions to the technology and standards used in digital cameras.

CASIO RELEASES WORLD’S SLIMMEST SHOCK-RESISTANT DIGITAL CAMERA

2009-11-19T11:10:00.003+08:00

DOVER, NJ, November 18, 2009 – Casio America, Inc. and its parent company, Casio Computer Co., Ltd., announced today the release of the EX-G1 shock-resistant, waterproof, dustproof digital camera—the first in the company’s new EXILIM® G brand of digital cameras. With its smart design featuring functional beauty, the EX-G1 embodies Casio’s endurance-minded features and specifications in a sleek 0.78-inch** low-profile camera.

Casio first introduced the shock-resistant G-SHOCK® timepiece to the world in 1983. The G-SHOCK brand remains extremely popular among consumers and adventure enthusiasts around the globe thanks to its distinctive, unique design, rugged toughness and practicality, even under severe environmental conditions. In 2000, Casio launched the G’zOne™, a durable, water-resistant mobile phone.

Casio is positioning the EXILIM G brand in an “endurance” category, which demonstrates its determination to create digital cameras suitable for top athletes and adventurers. The endurance category caters to those who never quit challenging both extreme conditions and their own limits. The new model was developed to embody this brand concept, using Casio’s years of experience creating technologies for shock resistance, waterproofing and slim-line design.

The EX-G1 is designed with shock-resistant elements throughout the camera, both inside and out, creating a smart look in a slim-line camera with functional beauty. In addition to capturing high-resolution 12.1 effective megapixel images, the EX-G1 also features modes such as interval shooting and multi-image capture which utilize the camera’s endurance qualities. The interval shooting function can automatically take still photos or movies at fixed intervals, enabling users to capture great shots while engaged in active sports such as snowboarding or cycling***.

“Whether it is the lifestyle that you have chosen or your career path that requires you to carry a camera tough enough to endure life’s elements, the EXILIM G EX-G1 offers an endurance level that will withstand the demands of your daily routine,” says Toshi Iguchi, senior general manager of Casio’s Digital Imaging Division. “The EX-G1, Casio’s toughest camera to date, is a prime example of Casio’s constant devotion to creating cameras to accommodate all levels of photographers.”

Through rigorous testing, the EX-G1 has been designed and created with a shock-resistant shell which passes drop tests including multiple falls from seven feet.**** Featuring a two-layer construction with a stainless steel outer-casing, the EX-G1 inner body withstands shock and water damage. The camera’s intelligent design is constructed with a resin cover to protect the body side near the shutter and a resin lens ring to protect the lens.

The technologically-advanced design features waterproof performance and corresponds to IEC/JIS Protection Class 8 (IPX8) waterproofing. The EX-G1 can be used at depths at 10 feet for 60 continuous minutes*****. Water will not penetrate the camera even when directly sprayed with jets of water from every direction corresponding to Protection Class 6 (IPX6). Capable of withstanding temperatures as low as 14°F*****, Casio’s EX-G1 boldly captures images where any adventurer goes.

The EX-G1 will hit shelves in December 2009 with an MSRP of $299.99 and will be available in black and red.

* As of November 18, 2009, based on a Casio survey of shock resistant digital cameras (excluding protruding parts).
** Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) standards.
*** A commercially available mount is required to support the camera.
**** In accordance with Casio’s own standard with reference to the US MIL-STD-810F Method 516.5-Shock, the camera passed a test in which it was dropped from a height of 2.13 meters (7 feet) onto lauan plywood at 26 different angles. However, the camera is not guaranteed to withstand all shocks in terms of damage, malfunction and performance. Moreover, camera shock may result in inability to retain waterproof performance.
*****Based on testing conditions established by Casio.
******Battery life will be shorter than under normal temperature conditions.
Features

Slim-line Design with Toughness Construction

* Shock Resistance
The EXILIM G EX-G1 offers the world’s thinnest profile* of .78 inch (excluding protruding parts) in a shock-resistant digital camera. The camera passed multiple drop tests of seven feet based on Casio’s own standard**.
* Waterproof/Dustproof
The EX-G1 offers waterproof performance corresponding to IEC/JIS Protection Class 8 (IPX8) waterproofing, and can be used for 60 continuous minutes at a water depth of 10 feet***. It also withstands water jets corresponding to IEC/JIS Protection Class 6 “IPX6” waterproofing, and can be directly rinsed under running water. The EX-G1 is also impervious to dust, with performance corresponding to IEC/JIS Protection Class 6 “IP6X” dustproofing.
* Freezeproof
Withstanding ever the coldest of temperatures, the EX-G1 endures through temperatures as low as 14 °F****.

Shock resistant/waterproof construction and design

* Exterior
The outer body of the EX-G1 is made from stainless steel to withstand external shocks while a polycarbonate cover absorbs shocks to the body side near the shutter. The camera’s wrist-strap holder is made of die-cast zinc to withstand drops while a rotating lock secures the external memory slot cover. For additional protection, the EX-G1 comes with two types of detachable protectors to absorb shocks.
* Internal construction
The waterproof inner body of the camera is made from polycarbonate reinforced with fiberglass while a buckle-lock construction is added to absorb impact, using fewer screws to secure the inner body. Additionally, the camera’s frame comes equipped with speaker and microphone filters to prevent water from penetrating the camera.
* Lens
To prevent damage to the camera’s lens, a resin ring as been added around the glass casing to ease shocks to the lens area. With the addition of a reinforced, glass lens cover, the EX-G1 is tooled with a multi coating that is water-repellent and prevents light reflection from ruining pictures. To further protect the camera from impact, high-performance damping material has been added to protect the lens unit from external shocks.
* LCD panel
The acrylic plate to protect the LCD from water pressure and shocks is 1.5 times thicker than conventional point-and-shoot cameras. The LCD panel features a resin mount to ease shocks to the LCD panel area.

BEST SHOT® functions befitting a waterproof, shock-resistant camera

* Interval shooting
The interval shooting function allows users to automatically take still photos or movies at fixed intervals while engaged in action sports such as cycling, snowboarding, and wind surfing*5. With the EX-G1, users can take powerful photos from inside the action, the kind which are usually almost impossible to capture. The shooting interval can be set at 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 3 minutes, and the capture time for movies may be set at 3, 10, 20, or 30 minutes
* Great for a variety of outdoor photography scenes
The BEST SHOT function enables users to take beautiful photos just by selecting the desired subject scene. The EX-G1 includes additional BEST SHOT settings suitable for various outdoor situations, such as “snow” and “beach” scene settings, which automatically adjust to prevent subject underexposure due to the brightness of snow or sun. There is also an “underwater” setting to control the tendency of underwater photos to come out looking too blue.

12.1 effective megapixels
This thin stylish model features a large 2.5-inch monitor with 230,400 dots of high resolution and a non-extending 3X zoom lens ranging from 38-114mm (35 mm film camera equivalent).

Intelligent AF
When the camera is pointed at a desired shot, the Intelligent AF function automatically detects the photo subject even if it is not a human face and determines the focus and exposure area accordingly.

Advanced Dynamic Photo function
Casio’s original Dynamic Photo function, which creates composite moving images using the camera’s own high-speed image processing technology, now does even more. When a moving subject is cut out of a number of images and combined with a different still shot that forms the background, the size of the subject can be changed to suit the background image. Additionally, the Dynamic Photo video can easily be converted in-camera into a motion JPEG movie file. Moving graphics such as hearts and bouquets of flowers are included so that users can have fun decorating their still images using the Dynamic Photo function. Casio not only allows users to have fun taking and viewing photos, but also provides innovative new ways for them to create original images, right on the camera.

Wide Screen Movies
The camera also features a wide format (16:9) Movie function. Just press the dedicated Movie button to take beautiful movies at 848x480 pixels.

* As of November 18, 2009, based on a Casio survey
** Established with reference to the US standard, MIL-STD-810F Method 516.5-Shock
*** Based on test conditions set by Casio
**** Battery life will be shorter than under normal temperature conditions
*****A commercially available mount is required to support the camera.

Zeiss launches ZF.2 lenses with CPUs for Nikon

2009-11-17T16:12:00.001+08:00

Carl Zeiss is upgrading eight of its F-mount lenses by adding an electronic interface (CPU), allowing full support of automatic exposure modes and the inclusion of lens-related data to EXIF. Priced between €545 and €1,386, six of the new Nikon-mount ZF.2 series lenses will be available from the end of this month: 18mm/f3.5, 21mm/f2.8 , 35mm/f2, 50mm/f1.4, 50mm/f2 and 85mm/f1.4, while the Distagon T* 28mm/f2 and macro Planar T* 100mm/f2 will be introduced in Spring 2010. A reworked version of the Distagon T* 28mm/f2 will then follow in other mounts.

Press Release:

Maximum image quality meets the comfort of automatic control

OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 16.11.2009 : Optics specialist Carl Zeiss today announced its introduction of a new series of lenses for the semi-professional market: the ZF.2 with F bayonet for digital SLRs. Thanks to its electronic interface (CPU), these new ZEISS lenses support all- important operations such as the automatic mechanisms for time, aperture setting and program. The CPU also supports manual exposure settings, including those for camera casings that are not AI-compatible. Since the lens now transmits the EXIF data such as manufacturer, date, metering system and exposure to the camera, photographers no longer need to set the parameters manually. These quicker and faster handling capabilities of the ZF.2 lenses are especially useful under hectic shooting conditions.

ZEISS lenses truly come into their own in situations that demand extreme photographic creativity and maximum image quality. Carl Zeiss’ established fixed focal length lenses are known for their high light sensitivity and precise manual handling, leaving the photographer in full control. The new ZF.2 series will be especially interesting for photo enthusiasts who value creative, high-quality images combined with the comfort of automatic settings.

Martin Klottig, Marketing Manager of the Camera Lens Division at Carl Zeiss AG: “The ZF.2 lenses are ideal tools for photographers who want to concentrate more on the subject than on their camera equipment. Whether at a wedding, a toddler’s first steps or impressions from faraway countries, these lenses are perfect for photographers who want to capture once-only moments quickly and accurately. These situations demand first-class technology that captures spontaneous actions without too much effort and delivers fantastic images each time.”

The ZF.2 lenses are available in eight focal lengths, six of which will be available from the end of November: 3,5/18, 2,8/21, 2/35, 1,4/50, 2/50 and 1,4/85. The Distagon T* 2/28 ZF.2 and macro Planar T* 2/100 ZF.2 will be introduced in Spring 2010. “We are currently completely reworking and optimizing the Distagon T* 2.8/25 ZF. As a result, it will be available for other mounts somewhat later,“ says Klottig.

The prices for these new lenses will lie between EUR 545 and EUR 1.386 (excluding VAT). With the new ZF.2 series, Carl Zeiss extends its acclaimed ZF family of lenses, for which there is still high demand and possibly long waiting times.

“We will offer the ZF series as long as the demand lasts,” stresses Klottig.
Click here to find out more!

'New Moon's' Kristen Stewart on 'The Tonight Show,' 'I was once carried out of a bookstore'

2009-11-17T13:52:00.001+08:00

'New Moon's' Kristen Stewart on 'The Tonight Show,' 'I was once carried out of a bookstore." Kristen Stewart appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on Monday to promote the opening of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, also starring Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. O'Brien asked the actor several questions about dealing with fans as well as the foreign press. "I was once carried out of a bookstore," she said about one of her promotional tours in Italy which, she says, "has a passionate culture." (The bookstore experience probably occurred during the Rome tour for the first movie, Twilight).

When Mr. O'Brien asked her what the strangest piece of franchise-related merchandise is that she's seen, she answered, "I think it's weird that we have underwear with Taylor's face on it." He asked her if she'd seen the Bella doll and the Barbie doll with Bella's face on it, she said she'd seen the Bella doll but not the Barbie. "She's very well-endowed," she joked. "It's a trip."

Fans? Do they get out of hand, the talk-show host wanted to know. "It can be a little crazy," Stewart admitted. "They get a little nutsy. When they start crying, that's when you don't know what to do with yourself." She usually ends up giving them a little pat and tries to show them that she understands their excitement.

Ms. Stewart acknowledged her father, who is a stage manager and "very TV-oriented." She said many of the people working on The Tonight Show know him. "Hi, Dad," she said, waving at the camera. When asked about her family's support, she said they are "embarrassingly supportive."

Mr. O'Brien showed a clip from the movie which was the scene where Jacob Black turns into a werewolf. In another part of the interview, Stewart told O'Brien that her friend Nikki (Nikki Reed, who plays Rosalie Cullen) was on his show last year and asked to touch O'Brien's hair. Stewart said she has been jealous of Nikki's boldness about asking ever since and asked if she could do the same thing. O'Brien obliged.

Ms. Stewart plays Bella Swan, the "every girl" who falls in love with a brooding, sensitive vampire, Edward Cullen. In New Moon, Edward leaves Bella in order to protect her from the vampire's dangerous life, and her old friend, Jacob Black, played by Lautner, spends a lot of time with her to help her get over the loss of Edward, all the while hoping she will take an interest in him. What Bella doesn't know is that Jacob has recently developed into a werewolf who changes when vampires are near and threatening.

New Moon premiered Monday and opens in theaters nationwide November 20.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart Attended the New Moon Premiere in California!

2009-11-17T13:36:00.002+08:00

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart attended the California premiere of their film 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' at Mann's Village Theatre in Westwood, California on November 16th, 2009. Robert Pattinson looks fabulous and VERY handsome with his nice dark blue tux. Robert Pattinson's rumored girlfriend Kristen Stewart looks sweet and sexy with her nice gown.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart arrived at the event five minutes apart. The same interval when they arrived from Vancouver, Canada to Los Angeles, California after shooting the third film installment of their film, 'Eclipse'. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart talked to fans before entering the theatre. Obviously, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson tried their best to dispell the dating rumors, good job guys!

In her ambush speech, Kristen Stewart thanked the fans for supporting their film. Kristen also expressed her suprise after seeing thousands of fans waiting for her, and the rest of the 'New Moon' cast members. Robert Pattinson entered the area, while fans screamed 'Team Edward'.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart recently finished promoting their film in Europe. Countries included were France, Germany, Spain and United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Kristen Stewart's Conan O'Brien guesting will air tonight. Kristen visited the said television show to promote her movie 'New Moon'. Regular showing of 'New Moon' will start on November 20.

Canon releases EOS-1D Mark IV White Paper

2009-11-16T13:32:00.002+08:00

Canon has released a 'White Paper' of its recently released EOS-1D Mark IV pro DSLR containing in-depth details of the camera features. It additionally covers comparison to predecessors and an overview of compatible software and accessories. All Canon white papers, including the one for EOS-1D Mark IV, are available for free download from their website.

Click here to download the EOS-1D Mark IV White Paper

Ultra-Wide Angle Lenses

2009-11-15T13:10:00.000+08:00

Many ultra-wide-angle, or short-focal-length, lenses are known as fisheye lenses. These lenses have a focal length of less than about 17mm (for a 35mm camera). The ultra-wide-angle view of these lenses results in image distortion. Straight lines appear curved and curved Lines may appear straight. The use of fisheye lenses makes objects appear to diminish in size rapidly as the distance from the camera increases and objects which are close to the camera appear far apart. Depth of field with a fisheye lens is very great. ‘They often give depth of field that extends from only inches in front of the lens to infinity so that focusing is not necessary.

Rectilinear Lenses

A rectilinear lens, despite its wide angle, has normal rectilinear corrections so straight subject lines are straight in the image and there is no obvious distortion. The width of objects close to the camera appears emphasized because of the steep perspective produced by a rectilinear lens.

Wide-Angle Lenses

2009-11-15T10:04:00.000+08:00

Anything less than 40mm in focal length (for a 35mm camera) is considered a wide-angle lens. Again, we are speaking of the lens focal length as it applies to 35 mm cameras. A wide-angle (short focal length) lens is designed to take in a large view and is indispensable when working in confined spaces or when you want to cover a large area. Wide-angle lenses have their own qualities, causing apparent, repeat, apparent, distortion and foreshortening of perspective, so objects close to the lens appear large, while background objects diminish in size dramatically. Many photographers choose a 28mm lens for their 35mm camera wide-angle lens. This is partly because this focal length allows the typical wide-angle effects without introducing apparently distorted images, such as bent walls. As well as providing a wider field of view, wide-angle lenses also produce great depth of field at all apertures. Short-focal-length lenses do not, as is often believed, actually change perspective. The close view- points allowed by wide-angle lenses can cause perspective effects that appear distorted but are perfectly natural ways of seeing objects at close range. A wide-angle lens magnifies features nearest the camera To fill the frame when photographing people with a wide-angle lens, you must move in close. This causes a distorted view. But wide-angle lenses can be used when special effects are desired, such as deliberate distortion, when exaggeration of features or when surrounding areas add to the viewer’s understanding of the subject. A lens hood, or lens shade, is an important accessory for any lens. It is especially important with a wide-angle lens. Strong light can easily cause flare when reflected internally between the elements of the lens, and unless you take proper precautions by using a lens hood, your pictures may be spoiled. Sometimes you are able to see flare or ghosting in the viewfinder, but more often than not, it is not visible to the human eye, and it only shows up on the processed film. Another precaution to take with wide-angle lenses concerns filters and other accessories attached to the front of the lens. When you use more than one filter or a particularly thick filter, you may end up with vignetting. This results in the edges of the image being cut off, particularly at wide apertures. When using wide-angle lenses, you should use lens hoods and filters designed for the particular lens in question.

ARTIFICIAL LIGHT

2009-11-14T12:55:00.000+08:00

The types of artificial lighting you use in photography give you complete control over the direction, quality, and strength of the light. You can move these light sources around, diffuse them, or reflect them. You can alter their intensity to suit the situation. There are two types of artificial light sources: spotlights and floodlights. Spotlights provide a concentrated beam of light. Floodlights give diffused, softer, more even, spread out light. You can add to these two basic types of artificial light sources. By using lighting accessories, such as reflectors, barn doors, diffusers, and snoots, you can control the light to provide a variety of lighting effects. Unless special effects are wanted, artificial light sources that are different in color temperature or quality should not be mixed (used together). When you are viewing a scene, your eyes adapt so color differences between two or several light sources are minimized. Color film, however, cannot adapt and shows the color difference in parts of the scene illuminated by different light sources.

Tungsten-Filament Lamps

Tungsten light color films are made to be used with tungsten-filament light sources and are color balanced for 3200 K or 3400 K. Tungsten lamps, operated at their rated voltage, produce light of 3200 K and 3400 K. The color temperature of tungsten lamps changes with voltage fluctuations, decreasing with lower voltage and increasing with higher voltage. For example, the color temperature of a tungsten lamp rated for operation at 115 volts increases about 10 K for each 1 volt increase. Usually, a variation of less than 100 K has no adverse effect on the rendering of scene colors. However, a shift as low as 50 K can be noticeable on subjects with important neutral areas, such as white and light shades. When you are using tungsten lamps, the color temperature can shift, depending on the amount of power being drawn on the same circuit. When possible, you should avoid having other equipment on the same circuit. For these lamps to produce light of the correct color, they must be operated at exactly their rated voltage. When it is not possible to operate the lamps at their proper voltage appropriate filters can be used to correct the color of the light reaching the film.

Tungsten-Halogen Lamps

Tungsten-halogen lamps have a tungsten filament inside a quartz envelope. This type of lamp does not blacken the inside of the envelope and operates at an almost constant brightness and color temperature throughout its life. Tungsten-halogen lamps for photography operate at color temperatures of 3200 K and 3400 K. Filters can be used to convert them to daylight. For its size, a tungsten-halogen lamp generally delivers more light than a conventional 3200 K lamp. Tungsten-halogen lights are becoming more popular and are rapidly replacing regular tungsten lights for general photographic use.

Fluorescent Lamps

Pictures made on daylight type of color films under fluorescent lights without a filter may be acceptable; however, they usually have a greenish cast. When a tungsten type of color film is used with a fluorescent lamp without a filter, the pictures usually are too blue. Fluorescent light is not generated by heat, as are other types of light. It has special characteristics different from either daylight or tungsten light. Fluorescent lights have no true color temperature, but a value of approximate color temperature has been worked out.

-> Daylight fluorescent lamps: 6500 K Cool,
-> white fluorescent lamps: 4500 K Warm,
-> white fluorescent lamps: 3500 K

Electronic Flash Lamps

Electronic flash is an excellent light source for both outdoor and indoor photography, especially when the predominant lights are fluorescent. Electronic flash uses a discharge tube filled with xenon gas and is supplied with a powerful charge of electricity from a capacitor. The flash is triggered by means of an electrical current that ionizes the gas. The output, or intensity of the flash, is usually given in effective candlepower-seconds and depends on the voltage and size of the capacitor. The design of the reflector on an electronic flash has a direct relationship on the efficiency of the unit. Electronic flash resembles daylight in color quality and is excellent for exposing daylight type of color films. The duration of the flash is short, usually 1/500 second or less. With a computerized (automatic) unit used close to the subject, the flash duration can be as short as 1/50,000 second. Computerized electronic flash units have a sensor that switches off the flash when the subject (depending on its distance and tone) has received enough light for proper exposure.

Daylight in Photography

2009-11-14T12:44:00.001+08:00

Figure 1-10 Controlling polarized light

when a section of line is secured at one end and the free end is held in your hand and given a shake, a wave travels down the length of the line from the end that was shaken to the secured end just like an oscillator. A light source acts as an oscillator. The wave motion in the line, however, does not represent the true wave motion of light because light waves move in all possible directions at right angles to their direction of travel. A much clearer picture of light wave motion can be seen by having a number of parallel lines with each one being shaken in a different direction-one up and down, one sideways, and the others at various angles in between. Ordinarily, light waves vibrate in all directions at right angles to their direction of travel. However, when light waves strike a series of parallel microscopic slots,all the light that passes through vibrates in one direction. This is polarized light. Filters that polarize light, termed polarizing filters, have a practical use in photography (fig. 1-10). Specular reflected light, from a nonmetallic surface at any angle between 32° and 37°, is polarized in such a manner that the light rays vibrate in a direction parallel to the reflecting surface. Light reflected in this manner is said to be plane polarized and is seen as glare (fig. 1-11). There is no polarization whatsoever produced by reflections from metallic surfaces.

LIGHT SOURCES

In the beginning of photography, daylight, or sunlight, was the only light source suitable for exposing the slow film available at that time. Today, photographic film is not only vastly more sensitive to light, but a wide range of light sources have been developed for the needs of the photographer. These light sources include the following: tungsten lamps, tungsten-halogen lamps, fluorescent lamps, and electronic flash.

DAYLIGHT

Sunlight, of course, is the light photographers are most familiar with and for good reason. It is the light they use the most. Naturally, sunlight is the only practical light source for general outdoor photography. Artificial light sources, however, can provide useful supplementary lighting to sunlight as fill-in for shadows (to make them lighter) and take the place of sunlight entirely for photography of small areas and close-ups. Sunlight is often referred to as daylight. The term daylight, as used in photography, is meant to include all forms of light, direct or indirect, that originate from the sun. Of importance to the photographer is the effect of the atmosphere on sunlight and the amount of atmosphere through which sunlight passes (fig. 1-12). The shorter wavelengths of light (violet and blue) are scattered by the atmosphere much more than the longer wavelengths. The color composition of sunlight becomes increasingly deficient in blue the further the light has to travel through the atmosphere (early morning and late afternoon). As the sunlight becomes more deficient in blue, it appears more yellow. The amount of scattering also depends on the condition of the atmosphere. When the atmosphere is clean (has little moisture or fine dust in it), there is less scattering than when the atmosphere is hazy or dirty (having a good deal of moisture or tine dust and smoke). The variation in color of sunlight can be expressed as color temperature. Sunlight coming from overhead on a clear day has a color temperature of about 5400 K. Just after sunrise and just before sunset, the color temperature ranges between 2000 K and 4000 K. Not only is the color of sunlight different early in the morning and late in the afternoon, but the intensity is also less. These arc important considerations when taking pictures at these times of day. Light scattered by the atmosphere, or skylight as it is called, can be regarded as a second source of light. Skylight is different than sunlight because it is caused chiefly from the scattering of the shorter wavelengths. It therefore appears more blue than sunlight. Skylight on a clear day may be as high as 60000 K.

Figure 1-11 Light,plane polarized by reflection.

Figure 1-12 Effects of sunlight passing through the atmosphere.

Black Friday,What is Black Friday?

2009-11-13T15:06:00.003+08:00

Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of good or bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year. Any month's 13th day will fall on a Friday if the month starts on a Sunday. In 2009 this applies to the months of February, March, and November. The next instance of this appears on the calendar for the year 2015

Phobia

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia,a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή) (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς) (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (φοβία) (meaning fear). The term triskaidekaphobia derives from the Greek words "tris", meaning 'three', "kai", meaning 'and', and "deka", meaning 'ten'. the whole word means three and ten. The word was derived in 1911 and first appeared in a mainstream source in 1953.

History

According to folklorists, there is no written evidence for a "Friday the 13th" superstition before the 19th century.The earliest known documented reference in English occurs in an 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini:

[Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; and if it be true that, like so many other Italians, he regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday, the 13th of November, he died.

However, some folklore is passed on through oral traditions. In addition, "determining the origins of superstitions is an inexact science, at best. In fact, it's mostly guesswork." Consequently, several theories have been proposed about the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition.

One theory states that it is a modern amalgamation of two older superstitions: that thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day.

* In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve hours of the clock, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, twelve gods of Olympus, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.
* Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century's The Canterbury Tales, and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.It has also been suggested that Friday has been considered an unlucky day because, according to Christian scripture and tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

On the other hand, another theory by author Charles Panati, one of the leading authorities on the subject of "Origins" maintains that the superstition can be traced back to ancient myth:

The actual origin of the superstition, though, appears also to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil - a gathering of thirteen - and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as "Witches' Sabbath."

Another theory about the origin of the superstition traces the event to the arrest of the legendary Knights Templar. According to one expert:

The Knights Templar were a monastic military order founded in Jerusalem in 1118 C.E., whose mission was to protect Christian pilgrims during the Crusades. Over the next two centuries, the Knights Templar became extraordinarily powerful and wealthy. Threatened by that power and eager to acquire their wealth, King Philip secretly ordered the mass arrest of all the Knights Templar in France on Friday, October 13, 1307 - Friday the 13th.

The connection between the superstition and the Knights Templar was popularized in the 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code. However, some experts think that it is relatively recent and is a modern-day invention. For example, the superstition is rarely found before the 20th century, when it became extremely common. One author, noting that references are all but nonexistent before 1907 but frequently seen thereafter, has argued that its popularity derives from the publication that year of Thomas W. Lawson's popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth,[13] in which an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th.
A further theory goes back to a combination of Paganism, Christianity, and the Battle of Hastings. For many, the number 13 was considered a lucky number (such as 13 lunar cycles each year), but with the efforts of Christianity attempting to degrade all things Pagan, they promoted 13 as an unlucky number, with Friday thus also being considered a bad day of the week. However, on Friday the 13th of October 1066, the decision was made by King Harold II to go to battle on Saturday the 14th of October, rather than allow his troops a day of rest (despite his army having made a long and arduous march from a battle near York just 3 weeks earlier).

This decision in going to battle before the English troops were rested (the English lost and King Harold was killed), further established Friday the 13th as an unlucky day.

In some other countries, instead of Friday, Tuesday the 13th is considered bad luck.[citation needed] For example, the Fall of Constantinople, when the city fell to the Ottomans (a fact which marked the end of the Byzantine Empire), happened Tuesday, May 29, 1453, and is why Greeks consider Tuesday to be an unlucky day.

Carrie Prejean Sex Tape Video Free - All About a Free Sex Tape Video

2009-11-13T13:20:00.003+08:00

The Carrie Prejean sex tape video free download is hot. Download the Carrie Prejean sex tape video for entertainment. Fallen Queen Prejean made a hot and saucy sex tape video for a boyfriend when she was 17. This means that the "Free" sex tape video may not actually be free.

Carrie Prejean was 17 when the now controversial sex tape video was made. These days, her actions could have landed her child pornography charges. The "free" Carrie Prejean sex tape could have cost the young woman a lot. She would be a registered sex offender - which would be very
Carrie Prejean Sex Tape Video Free - All About a Free Sex Tape Video by Fallen Queen Prejean embarrassing.

Don't believe me? Three teenage girls took semi-nude photos of themselves and sent them to male students. According to MSNBC, "The female students at Greensburg Salem High School in Greensburg, Pa., all 14- or 15-years-old, face charges of manufacturing, disseminating or possessing child pornography while the boys, who are 16 and 17, face charges of possession"

If an adult downloads child pornography, they face steep charges too. Keep that in mind when searching out the Carrie Prejean sex tape video free, it may not actually be free. In addition, many malicious Internet users could be stuffing Web sites full of links that will do nothing other than spam, overload, or install viruses or spyware on your computer.

Still curious? Why not get a sex tape video for free of someone you know is of age? If you have seen one, you've seen them all. Although I have not seen the Carrie Prejean sextape video, I am sure there is nothing all that special about it.

Carrie Prejean kept her controversy ripe last night when appearing on "Larry King Live". She refused to give her personal reasons for settling the Miss California lawsuit, and refused to take a call from an openly gay caller that admittedly loves beauty pageants. She acted in a very ungraceful manner, calling Larry King "inappropriate".Carrie Prejean is a fallen beauty queen. Instead of being a woman and admitting to her shortcomings, she deflects blame and is very judgmental. So what, she had a sex tape video? If she wasn't always trying to paint herself as a picture-perfect Christian, the video wouldn't have gotten
Carrie Prejean Sex Tape Video Free - All About a Free Sex Tape Video by Fallen Queen Prejean that big of a hype.
Do you still want the Carrie Prejean sex tape video, free or not? I didn't think so. Sometimes even free things aren't worth the ultimate price.

Jennifer Lopez's Ex Ordered to Shut the Eff Up

2009-11-13T12:38:00.000+08:00

Jennifer Lopez has been granted a temporary restraining order, which bars that pesky ex-husband of hers, Ojani Noa, from selling the former couple's racy honeymoon videos. We're glad that a judge took care of this because picturing Marc Anthony attempting to kick some guy's ass was simply too depressing for words.

Noa appeared in court without a lawyer (a great sign), and explained that he hadn't intended to sell his sexy tape collection, he was simply trying to make a mockumentary about his life as a Cuban immigrant. Speaking to the NY Daily News outside of the courthouse, Noa said, "She is destroying my life. This is another proof of her power and money trying to stop me from moving on with my life."

We highly doubt that Jennifer Lopez doesn't want this guy to move on with his life. We're sure she wants him to move on, far, far, away from her - and without making money off of her by splicing footage of her doing things in private into his weird documentary.

Said Noa, "I'm not making any money from these videos. This is about having a closure. It's my story." According to Noa, he had never meant to sell the footage, he's simply been watching it with his creative team. Said Noa, "We were watching with writers and directors and producers because we were getting the script down. We were writing about the characters. They're trying to twist it, that everything is my fault. She's trying to step on my shoes and not let me move on with my life, and it's not fair."

A source who has seen the footage told the Daily News that it includes Lopez "fondling herself" and getting spanked. Oh also, Noa's movie was set to be called, "How I Married Jennifer Lopez: the J.Lo and Ojani Noa Story," so as you can see, this has nothing to do with exploiting Jennifer Lopez, this guy just wants to get on with his life.

Characteristics of Light

2009-11-13T12:37:00.002+08:00

Once light is produced (emitted), it is no longer dependent on its source, and only its speed is affected by the many mediums through which it can travel. Another example of the independence of light is that when light travels from air into a denser but transparent medium, such as glass, its speed is reduced. But when it leaves the glass, it returns to its original speed. This changing speed is important in refraction, a behavior of light that allows lenses to form images. Unless light is reflected or focused, it travels or radiates in all directions from the source. As light travels from the source, its energy of light spreads out. The greater the distance it travels, the more it spreads out (fig. 1-4). Therefore, the amount of light reaching a given area at a given distance is less than that reaching the same area closer to the source. In other words, the intensity of illumination on a surface varies when the distance between the light source and the surface, or subject, is changed. This becomes important when exposing film with artificial light.

COLOR OF LIGHT

Look at a bright, red apple on a dark, green tree. It is hard to believe that color is not an inherent property of these objects; in fact color is not even inherent to light. What you are seeing is a visual perception stimulated by light. The apple and tree are only visible because they reflect light from the sun, and the apple appears red and the tree appears green because they reflect certain wavelengths of light more than others. In this case, these particular wavelengths are seen by the human eye as red and green. When we see a color, we are simply seeing light of a particular wavelength. When a beam of light has a relatively even mixture of light of all visible wavelengths, it appears as white light. When this beam of white light is passed through a prism, its different wavelengths are spread apart and form a visible spectrum. This visible spectrum is seen as a band of colors, such as violet, blue, blue-green, green, yellow, and red (fig. 1-5).

COLOR TEMPERATURE

White light is made up of nearly equal intensities of all wavelengths within the visible spectrum. By passing white light through a prism, scientists have found that light sources have many qualities. They are as follows: Different wavelengths are present in the sources of radiant energy. The frequency and color of wavelengths vary.

Facebook 'coming to Sony PlayStation 3'

2009-11-13T11:21:00.001+08:00

The rumour emerged after photos purporting to show an updated PS3 interface were leaked on the web. The images showed a Facebook logo in the PlayStation's menu system, leading to speculation that Sony might have teamed up with the social-networking site to enable users to update their status or 'poke' friends as they play games or watch movies.

The screenshots of the new-look interface also showed an improved browser, and a tool that allows users to change the appearance of their PlayStation Network profile images. Microsoft recently announced that Facebook would be available through its Xbox 360 games console. Sony has refused to officially comment on the rumours, but video games website CVG reports that a Sony spokesman said the company would be making an announcement about Facebook integration "shortly".

"A Facebook app would be handy, though a constant stream of status updates from heavy players might lead to mutings by less gaming-orientated friends," wrote Devin Coldewey on technology website TechCrunch. "But it would be ridiculous to think that a all-in-one entertainment device like the PS3 wouldn't have Facebook on it eventually."

Sony is expected to roll-out its film and TV rental service, the PlayStation Network Delivery Service, in the next few weeks. The service will enable PS3 users to stream movies to their console or buy films to watch on their television or transfer to their PSP hand-held gaming device.

Victoria Beckham's new haircut is a hit

2009-11-13T11:10:00.002+08:00

Love her or can’t stand the sight of her? Victoria Beckham certainly incited extreme emotions from voters in last week’s fashion poll.

But ‘Posh’ once again triumphed with 58% of voters applauding her new, tousled, ‘La Dolce Vita’-look haircut. 27% regarded it as a disaster (with several suggesting a few extra pounds and a smile would be more appropriate); and 16% replied they couldn't care less what she did.

From frump to fabulous: Sarah Brown

2009-11-13T11:07:00.001+08:00

Wearing a silvery chiffon, embroidered ‘goddess’ gown, and revealing a remarkable cleavage, Sarah Brown dazzles at the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year awards gala in London on Wednesday night.

The dress, by the Irish-born, London-based designer, Catherine Deane, showed a new, softer, sensual side to the Prime Minister’s wife, and completed her transformation from frump to fabulous. Named ‘Godiva’, the shimmering gown was made from six metres of French silk tulle, trimmed with hand-stitched, appliquéd, metallic lace. Mrs Brown rented the dress for the evening.

She first ‘discovered’ Catherine Deane during a visit to London Fashion Week last year. She accessorised the gown with earrings from Accessorize, a cuff from Oliver Bonas, and L.K.Bennett shoes.

Once the despair of fashion critics, Sarah Brown has stepped out of the style shadows. Gone are the ill-fitting suits, the unflattering bi-colour combinations, the shiny, sheer tights which stamped her early appearances as the new chatelaine of No.10.

Instead we have ‘Super Sarah’, a confident, globe-trotting woman, who dresses well and wisely, obviously having absorbed some image inspiration from her French and American counterparts, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Michelle Obama.

Her hem lengths are now generally much more pleasing-to-the-eye, and cover the knee. Her hair is also longer and more shaped. Her tights are almost always a flattering black opaque. She is not afraid of jewel-bright colours.

Mrs Brown’s involvement in London Fashion Week, particularly during its 25th anniversary celebrations this year; her ever-growing charity work; her public appearances; her friendship and socialising with the likes of Queen Rania of Jordan, the supermodel, Naomi Campbell, the actress, Nicole Kidman, and even the socialite-heiress, Paris Hilton, have all helped to hone her new-found sense of personal style and self-assurance.

She is a fierce fan of British brands and is always proud to ‘wear British’ both at home and abroad. For day-to-day dressing she buys from high street chains such as New Look, Marks & Spencer, Topshop and Debenhams. For special occasions, she rents or buys from established and emerging designers, including Graeme Black, Amanda Wakeley, Betty Jackson and Eley Kishimoto.

She also shares a fondness, with Samantha Cameron and Michelle Obama, for designs by Erdem Moralioglu, 30, the Turkish-English, Canada-raised young talent, who won the Fashion Fringe award in 2005 and the £50,000 British Fashion Council Enterprise Award, sponsored by Swarovski, in 2007. In this, she also mirrors the American First Lady in taking advantage of her public profile to advance the cause of the next generation of British fashion stars.

Claudia Schiffer poses the designer question

2009-11-13T10:51:00.001+08:00

Not one to be left on the peg, Claudia Schiffer seems likely to follow in the footsteps of her fellow supermodels Elle Macpherson, Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss, and design her own fashion collection."I have been approached so many times over the last 20 years but it has never been the right time," the 39 year-old told me at a Harper's Bazaar party in Mayfair.

"Now, I would consider it but it would have to be the right thing. They would need to be clothes that I would want to wear."

Schiffer told me last month that she had no intention of ever returning to the catwalk.

Truckers' Darling

After this newspaper's disclosures about MPs' expenses, The Spectator's Parliamentarian of the Year Awards lacked a certain je ne sais quoi yesterday. Still, they seemed to please Alistair Darling, who applauded particularly enthusiastically when James Purnell, the former work and pensions secretary, was announced as the winner of the prize for Resignation of the Year.

The Chancellor was named Survivor of the Year. "The only other award I've ever won was Most Boring Person in Westminster, which the readers of Truckers' Weekly gave me two years running," he joked to guests at the ceremony at Claridge's in Mayfair.

Darling added that the economic crisis had done wonders for his standing among his comrades. "I now own four banks," he boasted. "Some of my old colleagues in the Labour Party would be proud of me."

Snow's surrender

Mandrake predicted on Oct 29 that this would be the year that Jon Snow abandoned his daft stand against wearing a poppy. Sure enough, on Armistice Day when he was the chairman of a debate about Afghanistan for Channel 4 News from the Guildhall in Coventry, he put one on.

The newscaster decided in 2006 that he would no longer wear one because he took exception to "poppy fascism". A spokesman for Channel 4 assured me that the Snow put it of his own volition. Good for him

Linking Islam to terrorism doesn't make you Geert Wilders

2009-11-13T10:47:00.001+08:00

I’m sick to death of Geert Wilders. His weird, Brylcreemed blond hair. His nasty video. And his pathetically hyped-up visits to London. Of course we should allow him into the country, and he should be free to say whatever he wants. But must we fawn and lay down the red carpet for the bloke just to get at Jacqui Smith? It’s true: forty Muslims held a horrible protest outside parliament when he was over last week. But let’s keep the extremists’ rage in perspective – earlier this year, almost a million Brits voted for the BNP (and the two groups, I suspect, are not entirely disconnected).

The real problem with Geert Wilders and his ilk, is that their hyperbole detracts from real arguments to be made about Islam and terrorism. “Fitna“, despite what Lord Pearson says, is not “a very important document” – it’s a simplistic and repulsive piece of Islamophobic propaganda. But it serves multiculturalists as well as it does those on the far Right.

A case in point has to be this Guardian article by Rizwaan Sabir, headlined “Linking Islam and terrorism is wrong”. Well, as Johann Hari wrote recently, no journalist ever writes their own headline, so I think we’ll ignore this one and concentrate on the content of the article. Sabir argues that the government’s strategy for Preventing Violent Extremism, known as “Prevent”, is counter-productive, particularly because information is being gathered about innocent Muslims. Fair enough. As Shami Chakrabati told The Guardian, to stockpile vast amounts of intimate information about innocent people is a recipe for injustice. But just take a look at Sabir’s argument.

Firstly, he criticises the government for thinking “that a correlation exists between acts of indiscriminate killing and the religion of Islam, even though it’s a well-known fact that indiscriminate killing is not condoned by Islam, but rather justified through a flawed, restrictive and manipulated understanding of Islam, unless you’re Geert Wilders”. Secondly, he accuses the government of disregarding “overzealous policing, disproportionate counterterrorism measures and a foreign policy” in favour of blaming the “mental condition of British Muslims”. Thirdly he deplores the fact that information on Muslims’ sex lives is being stored, before finally condemning the government’s “very sinister and dangerous game of guilt by association” which presumes that “if you are in contact with certain individuals, you have the potential to become a terrorist or have to the potential to adopt a violent methodology for change.”

I’m sorry, Rizwaan, but if this really was your “Eureka!” moment, I suggest you jump back into the bath. Yes, it is wrong to store to store intimate information about innocent people, particularly for more than a very short period of time. But to suggest there is no correlation between Islam and terrorism strikes me as a phenomenally disingenuous position to hold.

There’s about as much point looking for Muslim terrorists in non-Muslim communities as there would be looking for an IRA terrorist in a Protestant one. Of course the security services don’t view all Muslims as “innately prone to violence” (as one Guardian commenter puts it, “Straw man alert”). There is no deep-rooted mental condition in British Muslims, apart from the one which Rizwaan Sabir clearly suffers from himself – at least, that’s the impression given his predictable list of Muslim grievances. The government has a duty to protect its citizens. Since the predominant threat to our national security comes from extremists within the Muslim community, it makes sense that the police and Security Services look there first. It is, contrary to what Rizwaan Sabir seems to think, possible to do this without alienating the entire Muslim population of Britain.

Naked Ambition: Marriage and Politics

2009-11-12T13:52:00.001+08:00

Strands of pearls have long been the quintessential accessory for political wives, whether strung around the neck of Michelle Obama, Barbara Bush, or Jackie Kennedy. So how could it possibly hurt my husband's political aspirations if my pearls are pulled from silk stockings while I'm wearing tasseled pasties and shimmying onstage to Edith Piaf?

My husband, Dave, just finished his third term as chairman of our local New York City community board. He serves as cochair of the landmarks committee, and was recently awarded his own Appreciation Day by the borough president. His life revolves around volunteering as a subdeacon at an Episcopal church and listening to the public complain about subway construction, class size, and too-noisy bars. His dream is to make it to Congress one day, and to have an old-fashioned, street-level storefront office where constituents can stop by. After a long political career, he hopes to attend divinity school and become an Episcopal priest.

As an amateur burlesque dancer, I perform mostly at upscale restaurants and wine bars in New York City. My dream is to go on a burlesque tour through Europe, wearing ostrich feathers and velvet and bustiers, removing piece by strategic piece in lush, red-curtained, time-stained theaters. Usually, political scandals implicating half-dressed women involve everyone but the wife. In our case, the sex scandal is the wife. Though, for the record, I never get completely naked when I dance, and I use a pseudonym, Grace Gotham, to stay incognito. But still, you can see how my new hobby might put some drag on my husband's political trajectory.

It started innocently enough. A few months ago, a friend asked if I would fill in for a dancer who had to cancel her performance in their monthly burlesque show at a New York City brasserie. After all, I had a lifelong dance background and a flair for the dramatic and my favorite job to date had been shimmying in a cage (fully clothed) for an all-female mod band back in college.

I was also newly ready to say yes to anything. Earlier that year, I'd been in a devastating Vespa accident, which left me with a metal plate and 11 screws in my arm. Spending more than two months in bed, getting up only to hobble to the bathroom (that's once I graduated from the bedpan), left me feeling like a faded, mangled sliver of the effervescent person I'd always been. Now all I did was sleep, replay the accident in my head over and over, eat comfort foods, and bemoan all the able-bodied years I'd taken for granted. I promised myself that when I made it out of this, I would actually take time to appreciate being alive. And few things in life seemed as exhilarating to me as removing my clothes in front of a bunch of cheering strangers. I was so excited at the prospect of doing this crazy thing that I didn't really consider how Dave would feel. Of course, if he didn't want me to do it, I would acquiesce; I respect his decisions and desires just as much as he respects mine. But I knew he wouldn't ask me to hold back. That's just not who he is.

After my first performance, I admitted to Dave that I was hooked. I created a sultry website and booked several more gigs. I felt bolstered by Dave's support and his active hooting and hollering during my shows. But then he received a Google alert about "Sarah Liston, aka Grace Gotham, performing in a burlesque show," complete with pictures of me in my underthings. Uh-oh. My cover was blown, and in a big way — Dave knew that some of his colleagues on the community board had signed up to receive Google alerts about him ... and me. Shortly after the alert went out, Dave called me from work and said I had to pull my real name and photos from the website.

My heart sank. Was it really that big of a deal to shake my pasties-clad boobies in public? I'm no Dita Von Teese, but anonymous isn't my style, either. Plus, I couldn't stand the idea that politicians needed perfect cookie-cutter wives who'd sacrifice their own identities for their husbands' careers. The fact that Dave was buying into this — and wanted me to keep my new passion hidden away — made me go so far as to question our marriage.

In the end, we decided that I should keep dancing. Dave says that when he thought back to those months playing nurse to me — through the painful bandage changes, intense physical therapy, and even surgery to implant a cadaver bone in my arm — he remembered why I needed something to be passionate about. Only a few months earlier, he had washed my hair in an inflatable tub while I lay in bed, unable to move. He said it was a thrill to see me now, sashaying onstage with a can of whipped cream, living every moment.

Sometimes he still worries how my dancing might affect his career, that the image of his wife in ruffled panties, prancing around a giant coffee cup, might detract from all the hard work he's done for the community. But he says that my happiness is worth a certain amount of risk. We figure we're just an extreme example of what most couples grapple with — how to balance each person's quirks and passions.

Yes, life might have been a lot simpler if we'd chosen different spouses. Dave could have married the perfect twin-set-wearing PTA president. But then there would have been no feather ticklers sticking out of the champagne stand, no un-dress rehearsals in the living room. And if I had married a brooding, tattooed artist type who didn't own a suit, I wouldn't be with a man who can turn a contentious community meeting into a lovefest. I value the fact that Dave asks my opinion about the Bible passages he's going to read at church on Sunday while I try to attach a retractable leash to my kitty collar. Our life together is hilarious and unpredictable — the HBO version of I Love Lucy — except I don't have any 'splaining to do.

Get To Know Margarita Levieva

2009-11-12T13:38:00.001+08:00

Why she's on our radar: The 29-year-old former Russian Olympic gymnast is nothing if not flexible in the risqué flick Spread, as an elusive siren who tames Ashton Kutcher's hardened gigolo.

HER SHTICK: Playing the smarty-pants seductress.

AS SEEN IN: Adventureland, as tilt-a-whirl hottie Lisa P.

INDECENT EXPOSURE: "Spread is pretty explicit. There's a lot of sex. In Russia, people wouldn't think twice about it—commercials there have nudity."

BOY WONDER: "He's the eye candy," Levieva says of her costar Kutcher. "He's got a lot of charm and presence, and he's also quite boyish. Women don't feel threatened by him, they feel protected."

THE OTHER WOMAN: "At first I was like, 'Great, here's his wife,'" she says of Demi Moore, who hung out on set while Levieva and Kutcher filmed racy pool scenes. "But Demi wasn't sitting with her arms folded, guarding her man. She was there as a partner, watching the man she loves work."

SEPARATED AT BIRTH: "I don't usually have those 'twin experiences' that people talk about," Levieva says of her twin brother, Michael, a businessman in Moscow. "But last summer I was at a meditation retreat, and I completely felt my brother, as if his heart were inside of me. I called him later, and he said he'd had a rough weekend, and that was exactly how I felt."

HER TWO CENTS: What does the econ major think of the recession? "I grew up in communist Russia where we didn't have anything, so I'm not worried that I can't buy an extra pair of shoes."

Small But Mighty

2009-11-12T13:03:00.001+08:00

The 13in Macbook Pro may be the tiniest ever in Apple’s premium line of notebooks but there’s nothing small about its performance and price.

WHEN Apple announced that the Macbook Pro family would receive a new addition, little did anyone expect that the modest 13in Macbook would take its place alongside Apple’s premium class notebooks.

The upgraded 13in Macbook Pro takes on many characteristics of its bigger cousins — besides the added “Pro” moniker, the notebook has other notable enhancements including a fully backlit keyboard and Firewire support for video editing.

Straight out of the box, the new Macbook Pro sports the same recognisable aluminium unibody design that was introduced last year.

The Macbook Pro, like its predecessor, is a solidly-built notebook that weighs approximately 2kg. It is certainly more portable than its larger 15in and 17in cousins and its smaller screen makes it easy to slip it into a bag and carry around.

The multi-touch trackpad feels notably good with its myriad of useful touch gestures that make navigation a breeze. For example, just by sweeping three digits across the trackpad, you can navigate back and forth between webpages while making sweeping motions with four fingers upwards minimises all windows.

Even though the specs have been bumped up slightly with a faster processor, the notebook still holds 2GB RAM. The difference though is that it can be expanded up to 8GB if you want.

The glossy screen is also back and the resolution has not changed. It still feels surprisingly spacious to work on despite maintaining its 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution. Having said that, the glossy glass screen is overly reflective and is quite distracting when used outdoors or under bright lights.

As far as I could see and tell, the screen shows very deep contrasting colours and looks good all round. However, there is noticeable colour shifting when you look at it from side to side.

Ch-ch-changes

Along the sides you will find two USB ports, an Ethernet port and slot-in DVD drive. However, you’ll also notice a new SD card slot which replaces the old Express Card slot. It is a welcome, and not to mention, long overdue change considering SD cards are the most common format of storage for most media devices.

However we found that an SD card doesn’t fully sink into the slot. Instead it flushes out a little, so it is advisable to remove your memory card if you plan on storing the notebook or you’ll run the risk of damaging the card.

Still, having an SD card slot is certainly an added convenience that takes the hassle out of connecting an external card reader to view your media files.One drawback to the changes made on the side ports is the merging of the headphone and microphone jack into one single port. Essentially this may render some microphone headsets useless as you can only use one or the other.

The addition of Firewire support, a feature sorely missed on last year’s unibody Macbook, will undoubtedly be a big plus point for people who need to transfer large amounts of video data to work on the Macbook Pro.

Another major physical change is the inclusion of a fully backlit LED keyboard, a feature that was once reserved for the high-end unibody Macbook. It is definitely a nice touch that makes it a lot easier to type when proper lighting isn’t available. Going on and on

The other big change in the new Macbook Pro is the switch from a removeable battery to a built-in type that doesn’t allow users to remove it. Understandably this has become a point of contention for some because it strips them of the choice of having an extra battery pack on standby for more power.

That being said, the new Macbook Pro’s built-in battery offers significantly better battery performance than the last version.

I’ve managed to get close to five hours of use, all while surfing the Web, listening to music, having the screen brightness up at 70% and editing a text document on a single charge. The added number of hours certainly helped when I needed to be away from my desk and at no time did I ever feel that I needed to immediately recharge in fear of losing my work.

Of course, the limits of the battery are pushed when you undertake more intensive tasks like video-editing and rendering, which usually knocks it down to roughly two hours of usage with a fully charged battery.

That’s a pretty big improvement considering the older Macbooks and Macbook Pros could only hold out for about two to three hours depending on the settings.Performance

Sizing up the Macbook Pro’s performance, it’s no surprise that it is a fairly good multi-tasking machine. We ran several programs at once such as Firefox, iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, Aperture and Adium (an instant messaging client) to see how well it could take a little bit of stress.

As far as we could tell, the Macbook Pro handled everything we threw at it without even breaking a sweat. It didn’t show any signs of slowdown on other programs even as we exported a high definition video on iMovie.

It also runs very silently even when it is undertaking the heaviest of tasks — you won’t even hear the hard disk spin.

Using a notebook for hours on end usually can be uncomfortable due to the high heat output and Macbooks are no exception to this. I’ve been using an older generation Macbook Pro 15in and the bottom does get very hot after an hour of use.

Fortunately, the new Macbook Pro’s heat output is pretty low. I could easily surf for a few hours from my sofa without having to worry about it getting too hot to place on my lap.

The built-in speakers, which are hidden below the keyboard, have pretty decent volume and is pretty audible when turned up to the maximum.

Though the speakers lack any sort of bass to it, the sheer clarity more than makes up for its shortcomings. Still, the limited range does mean that getting a decent pair of speakers is still necessary for an optimum listening experience.

Conclusion

The 13in Macbook Pro is certainly a very solidly designed notebook that proves it has more than just looks. Small and portable, it makes for a great all around package for web surfing, video-editing and photo management.

The most notable overall improvement to the new Macbook Pro is its long-lasting battery life, which significantly increases its usability when you’re out travelling and saves you the trouble of having to charge every so often.

While minor, the inclusion of a backlit keyboard, SD card slot and Firewire are fine additions that make the overall experience more enjoyable.

The RM4,499 price tag is a little on the high side for a notebook but considering you are getting a full-featured Macbook Pro that’s both powerful as it is portable (not to mention classy), it is worth the price of admission.

Pros: Long battery life; backlit keyboard; great at multitasking.

Cons: Headphone and microphone ports are combined; glossy screen is too reflective for outdoor use.

Macbook Pro (Apple)

Portable notebook

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.26GHz)

Memory: 2GB DDR3 RAM

Graphics: nVidia GeForce 9400M with 256MB RAM

Display: 13.3in LED back-lit

Storage: 160GB

Connectivity: WiFi 802.11n, 10/100 Ethernet port, Bluetooth 2.1

Optical drive: 8x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

I/O ports: Two USB ports, SD card, Firewire 800, slot Mini Display port (extension for VGA and DVI sold separately), headphone/microphone combo jack

Other features: Built-in iSight webcam, backlit keyboard

Operating system: Mac OSX Leopard

Dimensions: 32.5 x 22.7 x 2.41cm (w x d x h)

Weight: 2.04kg

Frick workshop shows the ins, outs of great photography

2009-11-12T12:51:00.001+08:00

The Frick Art & Historical Center on Sunday is hosting a workshop that aims to introduce children to the art of photography, and teach them a few basic skills they can use.

"Picture This!" is part of the Frick's ongoing Family Workshop series. It will let kids ages 7 to 12 and their parents explore the works of many of America's great photographers. The work is displayed in the "Icons of American Photography" exhibit, where instructors will point out examples of many kinds of photos, including portraits, landscapes, cityscapes and abstract works. As visitors look at the photographs, they will hear about the elements of taking good pictures, like point of view, framing, focus and lighting.

"We'll be introducing kids and families ... to the language of photography," says Susan Bails, assistant curator of education for the Frick in Point Breeze. When kids take their own photos, "they'll have a little more information about what makes a good picture," she says.

During the 3 1/2-hour program, kids will get a sense of the history of photography, which began in the mid-19th century. The exhibit, which will be at the Frick through early January, even includes a few Civil War-era photographs by Matthew Brady.

"This show, I think, is a very appealing show because the images are fascinating," Bails says. "They really show a development -- not only advances in photography, but you can see changes in ... the American scene."

Kids can marvel at the sophistication of their modern-day photography, by comparison. Digital cameras allow the photographer to see a picture right after shooting it, whereas developing film in the olden days was a tedious and cumbersome process, she says.

After the tour of the photo exhibit, the young shutterbugs will go outside and take pictures of sights on the Frick's grounds. Participants can bring their own cameras or use one of the Frick's. After taking photos, participants will submit a few of their favorites, and instructors will display several of the photos on a screen in the auditorium.

Kids will love having the photos they took as a memory of their day at the Frick, Bails says.

Canon in partnership with Limkokwing

2009-11-12T12:48:00.002+08:00

CANON Marketing Malaysia (Canon) will share its expertise and technology in photography as an educational tool with students of the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT).
Canon imaging communication products division assistant director, Simon Wong, said the aim of the three-year partnership is to give students real-time experience of the industry and its requirements.

"New media and creative careers are growing tremendously and it is essential for our local talents to make a name for themselves as professionals in the field," he said at the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the university on Friday.

"Our intention of working with LUCT is to identify more emerging talents, nurture their growth and show them the right technology."

The university’s vice-president of international development, Datuk Dr Jayles Yeoh, said the partnership was timely.

"Talent development is important to us. We have universities in eight countries and about 30,000 creative minds from more than 150 countries. Our website has about 100 million visitors a year. I believe this partnership will further enrich our students," he said.

According to him, over 9,000 students enrolled in over 100 disciplines at the university’s Cyberjaya campus to take photography as a common module in their foundation years.

Under the partnership, Canon will organise talks and workshops on photography techniques, photography competitions for youth and an exhibition to display work by the university’s students.

The company will also provide technical support for their cameras and related photography tools.

"We will teach students how to fully utilise Canon cameras and help them understand techniques better," Wong said, adding that the first workshop had been scheduled for the end of the month.

Students will also get to try out Canon cameras in the higher range which will be available on loan under the programme, and enjoy special discounts on cameras via student packages.

Wong said about RM500,000 will be invested in the programme which also involves projects with other students.

Victoria Beckham to start modelling agency

2009-11-12T12:32:00.002+08:00

LONDON - Former Spice girl Victoria Beckham is going to start a modelling agency.

The singer-turned-designer who already has her own fashion label is reportedly in talks with her manager Simon Fuller to set up a new business venture in New York, reports gossip.ie.

“Simon knows that Victoria is very savvy when it comes to fashion. His first foray into fashion was to team up designer Roland Mouret and Victoria, which was a huge success. Victoria is a key asset to Simon and he wants her to take on a major role,” said a source.

Fuller who was the manger of Victoria’s former group the Spice Girls, already has a 51 percent controlling stake in London agency Storm Models and wants something similar in the US.

Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum pick up 2 CMA awards; Darius Rucker wins new artist

2009-11-12T12:26:00.002+08:00

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Darius Rucker became the first black singer to win new artist of the year at the Country Music Association Awards, joining Charley Pride as the only African-American to win a major individual award, while Taylor Swift won two awards, including album of the year.

Rucker, whose first country album, “Learn to Live,” sold more than 1 million copies, took the stage Wednesday night to wild cheers from the crowd and shouted, “What a year!”

“First of all, to the fans, thank y’all for accepting me,” the jubilant Rucker said. “And I think most importantly, to country radio, you took a chance on a pop singer from Charleston, S.C. Thank you so much for that!”

Swift’s thanked the fans for their support of “Fearless,” the top-selling album of the year. She also won video of the year for “Love Story.”

“You guys, this album is my diary and so to all the people who voted for me for this is a thank you for saying you love my diary because that’s the nicest compliment,” Swift said.

Lady Antebellum won two awards, for vocal group and single of the year. The win in vocal group ended Rascal Flatts’ six-year dominance in that category.

“Rascal Flatts, you’ve inspired us for such a long time,” Lady Antebellum singer Charles Kelly said. “Thank you so much for letting us be up here.”

Jamey Johnson, along with James Otto and Lee Thomas Miller, won song of the year for “In Color.”

“I never thought you guys would even let me come to things like this,” Johnson, the country outlaw with the scruffy beard, said jokingly as the audience at the Sommet Center laughed.

Swift was up for four CMA awards with Zac Brown, George Strait and Johnson. Brad Paisley, up for a leading seven awards, took male vocalist for the third straight year and won event of the year for the duet “Start a Band” with Keith Urban, nominated for five awards.

The entertainer of the year category has been fairly predictable the last five years, with Chesney winning four out of five times. But there seems to be plenty of chatter around nominee Swift, who can also end Carrie Underwood’s streak. Swift is competing with her for female vocalist of the year, an award that Underwood has won three straight years.

While there seemed to be a groundswell of support for Swift, longtime watchers wonder whether she’ll actually win entertainer of the year.

“Just watching the awards for so many years, I would be surprised if Taylor wins,” Vince Gill said as he made his way up the red carpet with Daughtry. “I know people are probably speculating it’s too early to win. But that’s the beauty of having the ability to vote. You can’t got wrong with any of them.”

Swift was a favorite with the fans, though, kicking off the show with a playful version of her song, “Forever & Again,” throwing a chair off a raised podium, sliding down a poll and dropping to her knees to the delighted cheers of the crowd.

It was the Zac Brown Band that set the room on fire, though, with their high-rev version of Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The fan favorite had the crowd screaming throughout the performance.

Co-hosts Paisley and Underwood opened the show with a few new songs of their own, skewering Kanye West for his interruption of Swift’s MTV Video Music Awards win — “Mama don’t let your babies grow up to be Kanye” — and lamenting the break up of Brooks & Dunn.

Later in the show, telecast on ABC, country novelty singer Little Jimmy Dickens interrupted Paisley after Underwood told him that “Welcome to the Future” was one her favorite videos.

“Excuse me sir, excuse me. I’ll let you finish later. Now, Brad Paisley, I know you had a nice video, but … Taylor Swift made the best video in her time. You go girl,” the diminutive Dickens said, goofing on West, who famously took the stage during Swift’s acceptance speech to say that Beyonce deserved Swift’s prize.

Brooks & Dunn, the best-selling duo who announced their split earlier this year, teamed with ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons on a scorching version of “Honky Tonk Stomp” in what was billed as their last performance at show.

But CMA voters weren’t moved by sentiment in the vocal duo of the year category, again awarding Sugarland with the honor over Brooks & Dunn.

“We don’t usually expect this but we obviously didn’t this year,” said Jennifer Nettles, half of the duo that extended an invitation to Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn to come up and speak to their fans, but they declined.

“Well, I will say thank you for what you’ve done for us, thank you for what you’ve done for country music,” Nettles said before leaving the stage.

Several tributes were paid to veterans with the show falling on Veterans Day. Underwood saluted service members and Randy Houser wore a POW/MIA hat among other nods.

Big-spending Malaysian is the mystery man of city club scene

2009-11-11T15:56:00.002+08:00

A fleet of black Cadillac Escalades hums outside Chelsea hot spot Avenue -- the A-list watering hole of such celebrities as Justin Timberlake and Lindsay Lohan.

As the car doors open, a dozen men emerge and a bouncer whisks them over the club's threshold, past a group of shivering models behind the velvet rope.

"Who is it?" one of them wonders out loud. "Is it P. Diddy?"

But the man at the center of the entourage isn't a celebrity. He isn't even a mogul. He's Taek Jho Low, a 20-something Wharton grad from Malaysia who has burned through hundreds of thousands of dollars at the city's hottest nightspots in the last three months -- and shows no signs of stopping.
The nightlife scene is abuzz with tales of this international man of mystery -- who goes by the name Jho Low and whose chubby, bespectacled appearance hardly meets the image of a wealthy gadabout.

In September, during Fashion Week, sources said, Low helped rack up a $160,000 bar tab at Avenue, including several $900 bottles of Cristal champagne.

One month later, Lindsay Lohan was belatedly celebrating her 23rd birthday at downtown drinking den 1OAK when 23 bottles of Cristal suddenly appeared. They were reportedly paid for by a "mystery Malaysian," who, sources claim, was Low.

At chic 27th Street hangout Pink Elephant, Low routinely spends $50,000 to $60,000, according to the club's owner, David Sarner. One night, at the Pink Elephant outpost in Southampton, Low enjoyed himself so much that he kept the revelry going -- all the way to Malaysia, Sarner said.

"He ended up flying eight of our [waitresses] to Malaysia for a party," he added.

Strangely, for a man attracting so much attention, very little is known about Low.

According to his official biography, he currently serves as a group adviser of several international corporations and was appointed to the board of UBG Berhad, a financial-services group in Kuala Lumpur, last year.

But when The Post interviewed Malaysian experts at such think tank as the Council on Foreign Relations, no one had ever heard of Low.

According to inside sources, Low lives at a $100,000-a-month apartment in the Park Imperial, on West 56th Street, home to James Bond actor Daniel Craig and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs -- and he won't go anywhere, not even on the elevator, without at least one bodyguard.

Some of Low's entourage of eight to 12 people also reside in two other apartments at the Park Imperial -- a $30,000-a-month pad and a 2,200-square-foot loft with Central Park views that costs $20,000 a month, according to real-estate investor Michael Hirtenstein, who used to live in the latter.
"Diddy lived right below me, and that's where his [Low's] security staff is now," Hirtenstein said. "I know because I tried getting a friend in there. My friend offered $17,000; Jho Low came in with $20,000."

But Low's flashy ways during a time of economic hardship have appalled Park Imperial residents, who complain that the building's entire staff acts like his personal servants. Every day, shopping bags get delivered from the city's biggest stores, such as Bergdorf Goodman.

And Low's caravan of Escalades constantly crowds the area outside the building, several sources said.
"It used to be that when you saw the Cadillac Escalades outside, you knew Sean [Combs] was in town. Now it's this guy," said one amused neighbor.

Speculation is brewing over where Low is getting his money from. One inside observer said, "Nobody spends their own money like that. It's just weird."

Low did not respond to e-mails for comment, and his spokesman David Tan refused to reveal his boss' birthday or background.

"Mr. Low is currently in the USA for holiday and has on several occasions stayed in New York City with his friend[s]," Tan said via e-mail. "He, however, has not rented any property or purchased any property in New York City. Mr. Low did not spend $160,000 at Avenue on one night during Fashion Week."

Indeed, Low's name is not attached to the real-estate deals sources say he is involved in.

A spokesperson for Avenue confirmed Low helped rack up a $160,000 bill in September but added: "The tab was picked up by a friend of [Low's] from Kuwait."

That friend is international man about town Hamad Alwazzan, who also lives at the Park Imperial, according to an e-mail he sent to The Post.

In the e-mail, Alwazzan claims it is he, not Low, who's the big spender in town.

"I have been on holiday in New York since August 2009 and grown quite fond of the city," Alwazzan wrote. "I am especially fond of investment opportunities in real estate, as well as the food, quality of life, and lifestyle."

As for the $160,000 bar tab, he wrote: "[It] was to celebrate the engagement of a close personal friend to his longtime girlfriend, which was jointly hosted by myself and 19 other close friends. I don't have an exact breakdown of the cost, but it was a mixture of entertainment, food and drinks -- and it happened to be during Fashion Week."

But while Low clearly prefers to stay under the radar, he is splurging at a rate that's getting noticed all over the city. According to an inside source, Low recently bought at least six exclusive memberships, for $300,000, at an upscale club in Midtown.

And just this month, sources said, Low celebrated his birthday at a lavish bash in Las Vegas -- where Megan Fox was reportedly flown in to party with him and his entourage. The actress' Fox's publicist could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Kim Kardashian

2009-11-11T15:28:00.002+08:00

Vitals
Full Name: Kimberly Noel Kardashian
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Age: 29
Birthday: October 21, 1980

Bio

Kim Kardashian is the ex-girlfriend of Nick Cannon and Ray J. She had intercourse on camera with the former, which is what made Kim a celebrity gossip favorite.

She stars in Keeping Up with the Kardashians. This ridiculous reality show has been on for two seasons and is centered around Kim and her attention-starved family, which includes former Olympian Bruce Jenner and an assortment of sisters with first names that begin with the letter K.

It's hard to say what makes Kim so popular, but you gotta admire how she's mastered the celebrity gossip game. Kardashian makes millions a year by simply appearing at clubs and blogging about random parties. She must love capitalism.

Kardashian has been seriously dating NFL star Reggie Bush for years. Following rumors of an engagement, the pair broke up in July 2009, only to get back together about a month later.

She appeared on season seven of Dancing with the Stars, partnered with Mark Ballas... and didn't do very well. In closing, Kim and her sisters own a clothing store. It's called "Dash."

Miss California USA Carrie Prejean @ CBN.com

2009-11-11T15:23:00.002+08:00

Miss California USA Carrie Prejean - CBN.com
by the700club

Revealed: Carrie Prejean Nude Photos!!!

2009-11-11T15:15:00.003+08:00

A handful of racy photos have been discovered of the reigning Miss California and Miss Anti-Opposite Marriage. Indeed, Carrie Prejean may not believe in gay nuptials, but she does believe in posing half-naked!

First, there's this lewd picture of Prejean in B!isss Magazine. Is it particularly offensive? No. But is it appropriate for a woman that claims to live her life according to the Bible? You tell us.

Far worse than the aforementioned photograph, however, is a topless image of Prejean that's circulating around the Internet. The setting/source of the picture is currently unknown - but that's definitely Prejean, and those are definitely her (fake) boobs being covered up:

Supporters admire Carrie Prejean's supposed inner beauty and courage. What do they have to say about her outer nudity?

According to Alicia Jacobs, an entertainment reporter at KVBC in Las Vegas, there are six scantily-clad shots of Prejean from this spread. Some are more revealing than the one shown above.

Naturally, we'll publish them all as they get released. (Hey, Carrie asked for this attention when she went on her post-Miss USA Pageant media tour.)

On a somewhat serious note, we hope Christians soon recognize the irrationality of hurrying to embrace anyone that makes one statement and/or appears to support their agenda. Wouldn't it serve their cause a lot better to distinguish between a principled position, based on theological understanding of scripture, rather than a knee-jerk endorsement of anyone that cites the Bible?

After all, if being gay is a sinful lifestyle choice, as Prejean has stated, what about flaunting one's body for money and attention?

Before we open this post up to comments and discussion - keep it clean and respectful, but we'd love to hear from Prejean supporters in light of this naked evidence - we'll leave you with the following passage from Timothy 2:9:

I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair [extensions] or gold [highlights] or pearl [necklaces] or expensive [lingerie] clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE'S JUMP TO READ PREJEAN'S STATEMENT, ADDRESSING THIS NUDE PHOTO SCANDAL.

Prejean writes:

"I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos. Recently, photos taken of me as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid Web site that openly mocks me for my Christian faith. I am not perfect, and I will never claim to be. But these attacks on me and others who speak in defense of traditional marriage are intolerant and offensive. While we may not agree on every issue, we should show respect for others' opinions and not try to silence them through vicious and mean-spirited attacks.

"With that in mind, I will continue to support and defend marriage as the honorable institution it is. I will continue to stand with the overwhelming majority of the American people and the voters of my home state of California. If this whole experience has taught me anything, it is our precious right to speak freely, and how we as Americans can never allow anyone or any group to intimidate or threaten us to keep silent."

Note to Carrie: didn't you just join the The National Organization for Marriage, which is a group whose entire mission is to keep the supporters of gay marriage silent?

We're all for speaking freely, we're just confused about Carrie's cause. No one is threatening to keep her silent, nor is anyone bashing Prejean for holding a set of beliefs.

We're just pointing out the contradiction in citing the Bible in one's stance against gay marriage, yet clearly ignoring numerous other teachings from it. It's an insult to true believers. The Bible isn't something to casually refer to when it appears to support your beliefs. You need to actually live your life in accordance with its values.

Keep flipping through that Bible, Carrie. Find the passage that supports fake boobs and topless pictures. Take as much time as you need...

** Update: Based on comments that misinterpret this article's point, we feel the need to sum up our take on Prejean:

She is absolutely entitled to her opinion. Nowhere on our site does it say otherwise. However, her actions outside of her statement on gay marriage cause us to wonder why she is placed on such a pedestal by conservative Christians. We'd simply like to know:

Why does coming out against gay marriage automatically make Carrie Prejean into a Christian role model? Does stating that one belief - which no one denies she has a right to hold - instantly excuse her from following biblical values/passages in other aspects of life?

Anya Marina

2009-11-10T13:56:00.001+08:00

Anya was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and grew up in the Silicon Valley area of California as a capricious child with Russian-Agnostic/Irish-Catholic professor parents (psychology and Russian literature/math) and a younger sister. After finishing high school, Anya moved to Los Angeles as an aspiring actress. With stints in the British American Drama Academy (taught by Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach) and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, Anya has also acted in television and film (in 2001, she starred in the feature film, 100 Girls). She eventually moved back home to earn a college degree in English and writing at Santa Clara University. She continued to work in acting, musical theatre, music, improvisation and comedy while working as a radio DJ on KSCU, Santa Clara University's college station.
After graduating, Anya took a radio station job in San Diego with Mike Halloran at XHRM-FM. After the station was bought out by another corporation, Halloran hired Anya at Y107 in Los Angeles before they both moved to Premium Radio in San Diego's North County. After leaving that station, both disc jockeys landed at FM 94/9.

It was in San Diego that Anya played her first open mic night and began to write her own songs. She developed a live stage act using what she learned as an actress, comic and impressionist. Her recorded debut was a five-song EP called Exercises in Racketeering, which eventually led to a full-length album, Miss Halfway, which was released January 25, 2005. Anya subsequently opened for such artists as Jason Mraz and Rhett Miller. She was named one of the "Best Unsigned" acts by San Diego CityBeat.

The songs on Miss Halfway talk about her upbringing, ex-boyfriends and all the after-effects. Anya's album was also produced by Scott Russo, the frontman for rockers Unwritten Law, along with Peter King from The Surfers. The record eventually earned a San Diego Music Award for Best Recording. The title track also landed on Grey's Anatomy and was featured as the fifth song on the second Grey's Anatomy (soundtrack) disc along with The Fray, KT Tunstall, Gomez and Snow Patrol.

On January 20, 2009, Anya released her second album, Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II.[1] The album was produced by Brian Karscig from Louis XIV and Britt Daniel from Spoon. The music video for the album's first single, "Move You", was directed by Scott Coffey. [1] On June 8, 2009 the video for "All The Same To Me", directed by Josh Forbes, premiered exclusively on Spinner.com.

In the summer of 2009 Anya was nominated for 3 San Diego Music Awards, including Artist Of The Year [2].

This summer Anya will be touring with Eric Hutchinson and Emiliana Torrini, and in the fall Paolo Nutini.

In 2009, it was announced that her song "Satellite Heart" will be featured on the New Moon soundtrack

Gemma Ward quits modelling

2009-11-10T13:30:00.001+08:00

SYDNEY - AUSTRALIAN supermodel Gemma Ward has quit the industry after a series of media reports ridiculing her for gaining weight, reported The Sunday Telegraph.

According to the report Ward, who celebrated her 22nd birthday last week, has revealed via her agent that she does not intend to return to modelling.

Ward has not been much in the lime-light since the death of Australian actor Heath Ledger, whom she dated briefly.

She was photographed last week in New York wearing a print jacket, shorts and biker boots and looking more like a healthy young woman and less like an emaciated wraith. Ward had previously been criticised for being too thin in the early part of her career.

The photos were posted by international fashion blogger Bryan Boy and received an number of vicious comments on her new size and shape.

Ward's modelling agency in New York, Viviens, announced that the Australian had no immediate plans to return to the industry. 'Gemma hasn't committed to returning to modelling at any time soon', a spokeman said, adding Ward had the agency's full support.

A.J. Sokalner, Celebrity Photographer Dies At Lady Gaga Event

2009-11-10T13:19:00.002+08:00

Updated November 4

Celebrity shooter A.J. Sokalner, admired by his colleagues for his quiet, passionate commitment to photography, collapsed Monday night outside an event in New York and died a short time later, according to his agency.

Sokalner was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital, said Philip Vaughan, owner of ACE Pictures. Vaughan said an emergency worker told him Sokalner had suffered a heart attack.

Sokalner collapsed minutes after entertainer Lady Gaga arrived at the ACE Awards, an event hosted by the Accessories Council at Cipriani, a restaurant on 42nd Street. He was part of a group of about 25 photographers working a rope line outside the event, according to photographers who were there.

Gaga was the big star of the night, and photographers waited inside and outside for her arrival at about 9 p.m. It was crowded. Photographer Brian Lamb says he was standing about five feet from Sokalner when he collapsed, but that he thought it was just a person fainting. "By the time I saw him, he was already blue and people were starting to give him CPR," Lamb says. Other photographers saw Sokalner strike his head on the ground as he fell, Lamb says.

Friend and fellow photographer Dennis Van Tine was inside Cipriani when he heard from another photographer that Sokalner had collapsed outside. Van Tine says he went out and saw paramedics attempt to revive Sokalner for several minutes, then load him into an ambulance. Another photographer notified Sokalner’s girlfriend. She and several photographers gathered at the hospital, where they learned Sokalner had died.

Sokalner was in his late 50s and lived in Manhattan. Vaughan says Sokalner was a hard worker who shot for ACE Pictures on a daily basis. “He was very well liked, he was very well respected,” Vaughan says. “He was a real photographer and he did it because he loved it.”

Van Tine says Sokalner studied the works of great photographers and tried to inject “pizazz” into his images, and was “one of those silent guys who goes out and shoots every day.”

“He was a cynic in the great New York tradition,” Van Tine says. “He knew what was right, he knew what was wrong, he knew who the crooks were.”

Lamb, who has known Sokalner for about 12 years, says he's had health problems before, but appeared fine earlier Monday.

Fellow celebrity photographer Brian Ach says he saw Sokalner pass out recently while working outside the Ed Sullivan Theater, where David Letterman's show is recorded. That time, according to Ach, Sokalner got back up and continue to work, brushing off the incident.

Ach calls Sokalner "a really good person." When Ach started shooting celebrity pictures four years ago, Sokalner was one of the first people in the close-knit, competitive group of New York celebrity photographers to talk to him. Ach later shot a picture of Sokalner as part of a series of portraits of celebrity photographers.

"You see these people every day, sometimes three times a day at different events," Ach says. "And you think they'll always be there."

Paris to sue over 'vacant' ad

2009-11-10T13:16:00.001+08:00

WELLINGTON (New Zealand) - CELEBRITY heiress Paris Hilton has reportedly threatened to sue over a New Zealand billboard advert that features her face and the word 'vacant'.

According to media reports, Hilton's manager Jamie Freed said from Los Angeles that Wellington-based Media5 had not gained permission to use an image of Hilton and could expect to hear from her lawyers.

Media5's Adam McGregor said the company was just having a 'bit of fun' with the billboard, for which a gaffe-prone former Kiwi foreign affairs minister was also a candidate.

'We were thinking about using Winston Peters, but Paris is much prettier and she has a proven ability to laugh at herself,' he told the Sunday Star Times newspaper.

McGregor said he assumed that an agency had 'taken care of the rights' to the image of Paris. But now her lawyers are breathing down his neck, he's vowed to 'ask the question', said a report in The Courier-Mail newspaper.

McGregor also said that if Hilton's lawyers asked, he would take down the image. 'We're not trying to offend anyone,' he said.

Marley heirs' trademark war

2009-11-10T13:11:00.003+08:00

KINGSTON (Jamaica) - COMING to a store near you: Bob Marley video games, shoes... snowboards? Heirs of the Jamaican reggae legend are plunging into the global trademark wars, seeking to enforce their exclusive rights to an image that has grown steadily in scope and appeal since the Jamaican superstar died of brain cancer in 1981 at age 36.

The Marley name, look and sound are estimated to generate an estimated US$600 million (S$831 million) a year in sales of unlicensed wares. Legal sales are much smaller - just US$4 million for his descendants in 2007, according to Forbes magazine. The Marleys refuse to give a figure.

Now the family has hired Toronto-based Hilco Consumer Capital to protect their rights to the brand. Hilco CEO Jamie Salter believes Marley products could be a US$1 billion business in a few years.

'The family managed all the rights before Hilco was brought on board,' said Marley's fourth son, Rohan. 'We didn't have a real good grasp on the international scope prior to Hilco, nor the proper management.'

The turn to big business has stirred some grousing from die-hard fans in Internet chat rooms, who say it goes against the grain of a singer who preached nonmaterialism and popularized the Rastafarian credo of oneness with nature and marijuana consumption as a sacrament.

But Lorna Wainwright, who manages a Kingston studio and music shop called Tuff Gong, Marley's nickname during his boyhood in a nearby slum, backed the move, saying 'the world needs the Bob Marley police.' -- AP

Apple releases Security Update 2009-006 for Leopard

2009-11-10T12:44:00.001+08:00

Monday was a busy day for Apple updates. Along with the release of Snow Leopard 10.6.2 comes a security update for users of OS X 10.5.8 and OS X Server 10.5.8.
This latest shield for your Mac includes dozens of fixes and patches, such as a series of new defenses against a wide-variety of malicious PDF files, H.264 movies, and disk images, all of which could potentially execute arbitrary code. There is also a repair for DirectoryService, which has a memory corruption issue that can allow entry for a remote attacker. OS X's Certificate Assistant gets a boost, preventing users from falling prey to domain attacks. Servers will benefit from a beefing up of the Adaptive Firewall, which previously might not have detected brute force attacks and login attempts using invalid user names.

As usual, you can download the update via OS X's Software Update mechanism. Mac users often pat themselves on the back for not having to deal with the viruses, trojans, and worms that plague their Windows friends. But it pays to be vigilant. Given the range of important updates in this round, even the lackadaisical among you should install the latest fortification from Apple.

Melanie Fiona's debut CD is solid

2009-11-10T10:19:00.002+08:00

Melanie Fiona, "The Bridge" (Universal Motown)

Melanie Fiona may be eccentric. Or maybe she's just madly in love. Either way, her debut CD is an impressive mix of tracks that presents the many sides of the woman.

"The Bridge" finds the 26-year-old newcomer begging her man to stay put on the uptempo "Please Don't Go (Cry Baby)," leaving her lover behind on the impeccable "Monday Morning," and demanding her partner treat her the right way between the sheets on the groovy first single, "Give It to Me Right."

Though eight of the 12 tracks use samples - Fiona borrows from The Zombies, Martha & the Vandellas, the Rhine Oaks, Johnnie Taylor, Janet Kay and the Softones - she proves she can hold her own on the songs that don't use interpolations.

"Bang, Bang" is an exceptional jam, as is "Johnny," a danceable, old school-sounding love song that finds Fiona kicked to the curb, senselessly walking around singing: "Johnny, the least you could have done was drive me home."

Fiona, like newcomer Anjulie, has provided one of the best debut albums this year. The two are also Canadian-raised, Guyanese-bred singers. Must be something in the water.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Fiona's husky, but soothing voice is top-notch on the drum-filled "You Stop My Heart." The passionate tune may stop your heart, too.

Bloggers are not the enemy, government told

2009-11-10T10:06:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Blogs can serve as a good platform for feedback from the people and should not be perceived as the “enemy” of the government, said blogger Syed Imran Al-Sagoff.

Although blogs on political issues were prone to contain lies and deceit as a method of character assassination, the same could not be said about political blogs written by former journalists.

“When I blog, I feel free to say anything without being restricted by the organisation that I work for,” said the former Bernama journalist who blogs at www.kudaranggi.blogspot.com

He was speaking at a dialogue in a hotel here yesterday organised by the Information Department.

The dialogue, entitled “Between Blogging and News Writing: A Lie or Reality?” was attended by 100 public relations officers from various government departments and ministries.

He added that bloggers should also be expo-sed to ethics and law to avoid writing lies.

“Almost all political parties have their own blogs. Those politicians who used to condemn bloggers have also started blogging because they have realised that it is a medium to reach out to the people especially during elections,” he said.

Another panel member, Information, Communications and Culture Ministry’s broadcasting department director-general Datuk Ibrahim Yahaya said bloggers should reveal their true identities for integrity sake.

Open Hack comes to Southeast Asia

2009-11-10T10:00:00.001+08:00

Open Hack events have become something of a phenomenon, with ten events under our Yahoo! belt so far. From London, to Taipei, Bangalore to Sao Paulo and of course the recent event in New York City. We are very excited to announce that for the first time, Open Hack is coming to Southeast Asia (SEA), to the city of Jakarta in Indonesia. The event will take place from over the weekend of the 21-22 November 2009.

We are opening up this event to developers across the whole region. We are also currently running developer competitions in The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore to identify top developers who we will fly to the Jakarta event. If you are in one of those countries, visit our competition website to find out more about the competition near you.

We are planning on some great talks on the first day around our newest technologies, including YQL, Yahoo! Application Platform, Blueprint and our Geo Technologies. Then it’s down to some serious hacking so you can show us what you can build in 24 hours using our APIs and with anything else you like. Of course there will be some fun and games during the two days, and we will keep you fed and hydrated throughout. Our Open Hacks days have got progressively better each time we do them, so the expectations for the SEA event are high, and we are planning a truly stand out event.

The venue only has space for 200 hackers, so the quicker you register, the more likely you are to be invited to the event. We'll confirm your attendance within a week of you registering.

So come on, sign up and be a part of the first ever Yahoo! Southeast Asian Open Hack event.

Adobe Debuts Photoshop.com Mobile for Android

2009-11-10T07:41:00.000+08:00

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Nov. 6, 2009 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today introduced the Photoshop.com Mobile for Android software, extending Adobe industry-leading digital imaging technology to users of the Google Mobile operating system. The release comes less than a month after the launch of Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone, which quickly established itself as one of the "Top Free" applications on the Apple mobile platform. The Android application equips consumers with quick and easy image-editing tools, color adjustments and instant photo-sharing capabilities. Photoshop.com Mobile optimizes the camera-phone experience by allowing users to browse for their photos online and on their phone, directly from the application. The application is free and available today at the Android Market.

"Adobe is excited to extend its digital imaging capabilities to Android phone users so they can take control of their growing collections of mobile photos," said Doug Mack, vice president and general manager of Consumer and Hosted Solutions at Adobe. "Photoshop.com Mobile is a great resource to edit, upload and share photos in a few short moments. It's the perfect complement to the mobile phone cameras found on Android devices."

Mobile Photo Sharing and Editing Features
Photoshop.com Mobile for Android offers essential, user-friendly photo-editing tools like crop, rotate and flip. The Soft Focus filter can be used to create a subtle blur effect, and for performing color adjustments such as exposure, saturation, tint changes and classic black-and-white. Since all edits and changes can be undone, users can be confident that their original photo will be safe. After making edits on their Android device, users can upload photos from their phone to their Photoshop.com account to view and retrieve their images at a later time from any Internet-connected computer.

In addition, Photoshop.com Mobile for Android offers features only available on Android phones. Users can automatically upload pictures to Photoshop.com albums in the background, even when the Photshop.com Mobile application is not running. Photoshop.com accounts provide 2GB of free online photo storage, which equates to over 1,500 photos. Made possible by the Android API, the new tab-based user interface enables users to view local and online content. Also, the Android Photo Browser makes maneuvering through photos fast and convenient, bringing users' complete photo collections right to their pockets.

Adobe Photoshop Family
Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended are at the heart of the Photoshop family, joined by solutions for users at every level who want to bring out the best in their digital images. Photoshop Lightroom addresses the workflow needs of professional and serious amateur photographers. Photoshop Elements provides exciting tools and sharing options for photo enthusiasts. Lastly, snap shooters can access Photoshop.com for free online photo editing to simply fix and enhance photos and quickly share those images on social-networking sites or through Photoshop.com online galleries.

Pricing and Availability
The Adobe Photoshop.com Mobile for Android application is available as a free download from the Android Market. More information on Photoshop.com Mobile for Android can be found at http://mobile.photoshop.com/android. The application is currently available in the U.S. and Canada only.

Working From Home 'A Therapy' For Stress At Work Place?

2009-11-09T16:49:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 (Bernama) -- Is working from home beneficial or the otherwise for civil servants?

That was a question posed by many in the wake of news reports that the Public Works Department planned to initiate a three-month Home Working Programme beginning Jan 1 next year.

Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor announced that the programme would involve 35 draughtsmen and the selected individuals will go through a three-month trial period before the government decides whether or not to continue the programme.

The programme will cease if productivity does not increase, Shaziman was reported as saying in the news reports.

This drew positive response from the umbrella body for Malaysian civil servants, Cuepacs.

The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Service welcomed the move and said it would ease congestion at the work place and reduce the burden on government employees in terms of petrol expenses and travel time.

It also allows the civil servants to spend more time with their families.

Cuepacs president Omar Osman said it was a wise move and has called for the programme to be extended to other ministries and government agencies.

A FORM OF THERAPY

Actually working from home has already existed in the country's civil service for quite some time but without much publicity and the result is very positive.

That is a testimony from this writer who is an employee of an agency under the Information Communication and Culture Ministry. He has been enjoying this facility since 2007.

This writer is a diabetic and had developed vascular problems in his right leg as a complication of this disease. He has to undergo heamodialysis three times a week due to the failure of his kidneys and he became exhausted after each dialysis session.

In 2007, he had his right leg amputated below the knee and this made him difficult to move around. Anyhow he still went to his office to work even on a wheelchair.

His superior officers took notice of this problem and used their discretion to allow him some degree of flexibility in terms of working hours. They were understanding and kind enough to allow him to work from home using the Internet as all of his work is computer-based.

They even lent him a laptop computer that is linked to his office's network system. Hence it is no surprise that despite the long hours that he needed for his dialysis sessions and other medical treatment, his productivity ever since he began working from home had doubled.

By working from home, he is able to sort out his work schedule as he has 24 hours at his disposal instead of the eight-hour working period in the office. This does not take into account the hours spent on time taken to travel and return from the office.

GOOD FOR 'DISABLED' CIVIL SERVANTS

"Working at home meant a lot for disabled civil servants. If they are tired they can take a rest. They have the opportunity to work even at night or the wee hours of the morning," said social activist Fatimah Mansur.

She said working from home would be like a therapy to reduce stress at the work place. Among those who are suitable for this concept are those who have disabilities due to accidents or are suffering from chronic diseases.

"But you need good information communication technology (ICT) to make this programme a success,", she said.

WORKING ALONE

To Fatimah Mansur, working from home can be isolating but sometimes isolation when working alone would do more good than harm.

"Isolation or working alone is good particularly when you have a deadline or a project that requires intense and specific concentration. By working at home, you can have this factor for conducive work environment," she said.

She said civil servants who have to take care of their little or sick children can apply to their respective employers to work from home.

"However not everybody can work from home. This programme is only suitable for those whose work is based on the computers and linked to the Internet as well as the office's computer network".

By allowing civil servants to work from home, the government would not lose those who are experts in their respective fields to premature retirement due to chronic diseases and other problems.

"If the experts in the respective fields are retained, then this definitely ensures efficiency in the public service," Fatimah said.

A similar move was initiated in Thailand last year, according to a report in 'The Nation' where the Thai government was looking into the possibility of having civil servants work from home under the 'e-office' concept.

PRIVATE SECTOR

To medical equipment supplier Robert Lee, working from home is ideal for him.

"I work from my house hence I do not need to pay for the monthly rental on office space apart from the extra water and electricity bills. I only need a fax line and telephone line apart from one or two computers that have Internet links," said Lee of Bukit Rahman Putra near here.

To this writer who is physically handicapped and found difficulty in mobility and locomotion, working from home definitely gives the boost in terms of productivity and he has the ICT facilities in the country to thank for.

"The beauty of working from home is that you have 24 hours a day and seven days a week to work where you have the flexibility of choosing your own working schedule. Working in the office is very rigid where one has only eight hours to perform and this is a limit to productivity".

So where do you prefer to work from??Share your opinion here guys

Iran Ranks 15th In Nanotech Articles

2009-11-09T16:45:00.000+08:00

TEHRAN, Nov 9 (Bernama) -- Iran ranked 15th in international contest in the field of nanotechnology in terms of presenting articles.

Director of Nanotechnology Festival, Hamed Afshari told Iranian national news agency (Irna) Sunday that based on the 20-Year Vision Plan, Iran should be among the top 15 countries in the field of nanotechnology. Fortunately, it has achieved the goal ahead of the schedule.

Stating that the number of visitors to the festival has increased compared to the figure of the past year, Afshari added that the number of pavilions has risen to 220 from last year's 120.

Nanotechnology is a new science in Iran and its development requires the officials' support, he said.

Ukraine, Russia, Malaysia and England are participating at the festival which was held on November 4- 8.

The festival was the best opportunity for exchange of views between the Iranian and foreign experts, he said.

Nanotechnology, shortened to 'nanotech', is the study of the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with structures of the size 100 nanometers or smaller, and involves developing materials or devices within that size.

Nanotechnology is very diverse, ranging from extensions of conventional device physics, to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, to developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale, even to speculation on whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale.

Actress Jessica Tandy

2009-11-09T13:32:00.001+08:00

Actress Jessica Tandy,Kathy Bates:A beloved, twinkly blue-eyed doyenne of stage and screen, actress Jessica Tandy’s career spanned nearly six and a half decades. In that course of time she enjoyed an amazing film renaissance at the age of 80, something unheard of in a town that worships youth and nubile beauty. She was born Jessie Alice Tandy in London in 1909, the daughter of Harry Tandy, a traveling salesman, and Jessie Helen Horspool. Her parents enrolled her as a teenager at the Ben Greet Academy of Acting where she showed immediate promise. She was 16 when she made her professional bow as Sara Manderson in the play “The Manderson Girls,” and was subsequently invited to join the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Within a couple of years Jessica was making a number of other debuts as well. Her first West End play was in “The Rumour” at the Court Theatre in 1929; her Gotham bow was in “The Matriarch” at the Longacre Theatre in 1930; and her initial film role was as a maid in The Indiscretions of Eve (1932).

Jessica married British actor Jack Hawkins in 1932 after the couple had met performing in the play “Autumn Crocus” the year before. They had one daughter, Susan, before parting ways after eight years of marriage. An unconventional beauty with slightly stern-eyed and sharp, hawkish features, she was passed over for leading lady roles in films, thereby focusing strongly on a transatlantic stage career throughout the 1930s and 1940s. She grew in stature while enacting a succession of Shakespeare’s premiere ladies (Titania, Viola, Ophelia, Cordelia). At the same time she enjoyed personal successes elsewhere in such plays as “French Without Tears,” “Honour Thy Father,” “Jupiter Laughs,” “Anne of England” and “Portrait of a Madonna.” And then she gave life to Blanche DuBois.

When Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece “A Streetcar Named Desire” opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, Jessica’s name became forever associated with this entrancing Southern belle character. One of the most complex, beautifully drawn, and still sought-after femme parts of all time, she went on to win the coveted Tony award. Aside from introducing Marlon Brando to the general viewing public, “Streetcar” shot Jessica’s marquee value up a thousandfold. But not in films.

While her esteemed co-stars Brando, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden were given the luxury of recreating their roles in Elia Kazan’s stark, black-and-white cinematic adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Jessica was devastatingly bypassed. Vivien Leigh, who played the role on stage in London and had already immortalized another coy, manipulative Southern belle on celluloid (Scarlett O’Hara), was a far more marketable film celebrity at the time and was signed on to play the delusional Blanche. To be fair, Leigh was nothing less than astounding in the role and went on to deservedly win the Academy Award (along with Malden and Hunter). Jessica would exact her revenge on Hollywood in later years.

In 1942 she entered into a second marriage with actor/producer/director Hume Cronyn, a 52-year union that produced two children, Christopher and Tandy, the latter an actor in her own right. The couple not only enjoyed great solo success, they relished performing in each other’s company. A few of their resounding theatre triumphs included the “The Fourposter” (1951), “Triple Play” (1959), “Big Fish, Little Fish (1962), “Hamlet” (he played Polonius; she played Gertrude) (1963), “The Three Sisters (1963) and “A Delicate Balance.” They supported together in films too, their first being The Seventh Cross (1944). In the film The Green Years (1946), Jessica, who was two years older than Cronyn, actually played his daughter! Throughout the 1950s they built up a sturdy reputation as “America’s First Couple of the Theatre.

Marlee Matlin,Deaf Actress Marlee Matlin

2009-11-09T13:27:00.001+08:00

Deaf Actress Marlee Matlin,Marlee Matlin:Family Guy Presents Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show was a pleasantly odd little half-hour sandwiched between episodes of Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy.

Working with Alex Borstein, who voices Lois Griffin, MacFarlane performed in a nightclub set that included an orchestra and an audience.

MacFarlane has a good singing voice and is remarkably dexterous in the way he can switch in and out of character voices such as Peter and Stewie Griffin. This had the effect of softening some of his trademark outrageousness. He sang a bit of “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music, and while Borstein acted as though she, being Jewish, was offended by the choice, I was just impressed at how well MacFarlane crooned.

A too-long gag in which Borstein made fun of Marlee Matlin’s speaking voice was also rendered considerably less than scandalous by the fact that Matlin was allowed to come onstage and rip into the hosts.

Another uneven segment featured “discarded screen tests,” such as Bea Arthur’s imagined audition for Showgirls and Kathy Griffin trying out for The Piano. Borstein essayed both of these impersonations weakly. MacFarlane, on the other hand, did a terrific Ed Wynn-Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.

Hedging his bets against viewers who might not stick around for 30 minutes of live actors making bleeped or just plain corny jokes, MacFarlane included some Family Guy clips and character appearances, such as having Stewie introduce commercials for Sherlock Holmes and Ninja Assassin. (Warner Bros. Pictures stepped in as the sole advertiser after Microsoft weaselled out of its commitment.)

All in all, not a great half-hour, but certainly fitfully amusing and unusually good-natured.

Oh, and I want to see Sherlock Holmes on Christmas Day.

Did you watch Seth & Alex? How did it stack up in comparison to your favorite cartoon, Family Guy fans?

Kim Kardashian Gets Black Eye

2009-11-05T12:12:00.002+08:00

OUCH!! The Kardashian family took part of a boxing charity match last night and there were some injuries. Kim walked away with a black eye while her brother ended up with a concussion!!

The event itself was absolutely insane!! None of us are professional fighters... we literally had three days of training to prepare for the event and thought it would be a little bit of fun to raise money for one of our favorite charities, The Dream Foundation. We didn't expect what happened...

When Rob stepped in the ring to fight, his opponent was at least 25 lbs heavier than him, even though the organization had assured us that they were screening the people we were fighting against and that they would be within 5 lbs of our weights! At one point Rob's mask fell off and when he put his hands down he got hit in the face and ended up in hospital with a concussion. Rob's a strong guy and can definitely hold his own, but he wasn't expecting to get hit after his mask had fallen off! This guy just got really down and dirty!

We were all really angry and upset about what had happened to Rob, but I hadn't even fought yet and I didn't want to let the charity down, so I decided to get in the ring. My girl
was a good sport, but she was tough! I knew I had to do it for charity, since that's what it was all about, but man, my girl could throw a punch! Look at my black eye!!!

At the end of the day, we did this for charity and that's what counts. Rob is doing fine now and my black eye will be gone soon... I hope. You can try to bring the Kardashians down... but we're a strong family. A concussion and a black eye can't hold us down!

Jessica Simpson

2009-11-05T09:23:00.002+08:00

As we recently reported, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz was given the pink slip by the CW's Melrose Place, joining the growing ranks of unemployed Americans.

In the wake of her sister's firing, Jessica Simpson says she is no longer a fan, taking to Twitter to defend Ash and bash Melrose Place for letting her go.

Here's what she wrote to the CW:

"Catching up on MP. who writes this crap? i have had some bad scripts to work with, but this? thank God my sister is amazing and got you some press."

Of course, the show feels it will improve with her gone.

According to various reports, Ashlee was canned because producers feel she can't act, and was therefore responsible for the aforementioned bad scripts.
"They hired her because they needed a good name to help create buzz," a set insider said. "But it backfired when she was so embarrassingly bad."

"Producers cut her down as much as possible."

Seconds another source, according to Us Weekly: “[Ashlee] is the worst actress, but nobody will tell her.” THG NOTE: We have certainly tried ...

Anyway, what's next for Ashlee? Possibly more acting. The girl is undeterred by the recent eviction from her day job, according to a source:

"She’s reading scripts. Acting is her focus now. If she had an album, she’d have to tour and be away from Bronx. She wants consistency.”

Understanding camera lenses

2009-11-04T14:35:00.002+08:00

Understanding camera lenses can help add more creative control to digital photography. Choosing the right lens for the task can become a complex trade-off between cost, size, weight, lens speed and image quality. This tutorial aims to improve understanding by providing an introductory overview of concepts relating to image quality, focal length, perspective, prime vs. zoom lenses and aperture or f-number.

LENS ELEMENTS & IMAGE QUALITY

All but the simplest cameras contain lenses which are actually comprised of several "lens elements." Each of these elements aims to direct the path of light rays such that they recreate the image as accurately as possible on the digital sensor. The goal is to minimize aberrations, while still utilizing the fewest and least expensive elements.

Optical aberrations occur when points of the image do not translate back onto single points after passing through the lens, causing image blurring, reduced contrast or misalignment of colors (chromatic aberration). Lenses may also suffer from uneven, radially decreasing image brightness (vignetting) or distortion. Try moving your mouse over each of the options below to see how these can impact image quality for extreme cases.

Any of the above problems is present to some degree with any lens. In the rest of this tutorial, when a lens is referred to as having lower optical quality than another lens, this is manifested as some combination of the above artifacts. Some of these lens artifacts may not be as objectionable as others, depending on the subject matter.

Chris Christie

2009-11-04T13:42:00.003+08:00

Christie was born on September 6, 1962 in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Bill and Sondra Christie.[3][4] He was raised in Livingston, graduating from Livingston High School. Christie graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1984 and Seton Hall University School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree in 1987. Christie was admitted to the Bar of the State of New Jersey and the Bar of the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, in December 1987.

In 1986, Christie married Mary Pat Foster, a fellow student at the University of Delaware. After marriage they shared a one-room apartment in Summit, New Jersey. Mary Pat Christie pursued a career in investment banking, eventually working at the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald.[4] They have since had four children. Christie and his family reside in Mendham Township.

Christie is of part British and part Italian descent.

Global Positioning System

2009-11-04T13:27:00.000+08:00

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a U.S. space-based radionavigation system that provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to civilian users on a continuous worldwide basis -- freely available to all. For anyone with a GPS receiver, the system will provide location and time. GPS provides accurate location and time information for an unlimited number of people in all weather, day and night, anywhere in the world.

The GPS is made up of three parts: satellites orbiting the Earth; control and monitoring stations on Earth; and the GPS receivers owned by users. GPS satellites broadcast signals from space that are picked up and identified by GPS receivers. Each GPS receiver then provides three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) plus the time.

Individuals may purchase GPS handsets that are readily available through commercial retailers. Equipped with these GPS receivers, users can accurately locate where they are and easily navigate to where they want to go, whether walking, driving, flying, or boating. GPS has become a mainstay of transportation systems worldwide, providing navigation for aviation, ground, and maritime operations. Disaster relief and emergency services depend upon GPS for location and timing capabilities in their life-saving missions. Everyday activities such as banking, mobile phone operations, and even the control of power grids, are facilitated by the accurate timing provided by GPS. Farmers, surveyors, geologists and countless others perform their work more efficiently, safely, economically, and accurately using the free and open GPS signals.

Toshiba develops back-illuminated sensor

2009-11-02T13:30:00.001+08:00

Toshiba Corporation launches highly sensitive
CMOS image sensor with BSI

TOKYO— Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) today announced the launch of a new CMOS image sensor that will bring 14.6 million pixels to digital still cameras and to mobile phones supporting video imaging. The sensor, the latest addition to Toshiba's "Dynastron™" line-up, is also the company's first to integrate the enhanced sensitivity offered by back-side illumination technology (BSI). Sampling of the new sensor will begin in December and mass production will follow from the third quarter of 2010 (July—September).

BSI brings new levels of responsiveness to CMOS imaging. Lenses are deployed on the rear of the sensor on the silicon substrate, not on the front, where wiring limits light absorption. This positioning boosts light sensitivity and absorption by 40% compared to existing Toshiba products, and allows formation of finer image pixels.

Toshiba has made full use of the advantages of BSI to realize image pixels with a pitch of 1.4 microns, and to pack 14.6 million of them into a 1/2.3-inch sensor that meets the high level imaging and processing requirement, and that will also bring a new level of image quality to mobile phones. Toshiba will use the new sensor to promote its full-scale entry to digital camera market, and will continue to develop BSI products as a mainstream technology.

The new sensor will be mass produced at Toshiba's Oita Operations, on industry leading 300mm wafer lines deploying 65nm process technology. Initial production will be at a volume of 500,000 sensors a month.

CMOS image sensors are a focus product of Toshiba's System LSI business. Until now, their main application has been in mobile phones, where Toshiba could leverage its high density integration and low power consumption technologies. With the introduction of BSI CMOS sensors, Toshiba will reinforce the sensor business by expanding application to include digital cameras.

Key features
Optical format: 1/ 2.3 inch
Number of pixels: 14.6 mega pixels
Size of pixels: 1.4 micro meter
Frame rate: 60 frame per sec. (Supports 1080p, 720p)

Nikon releases 'Learn & Explore' app for iPhone

2009-11-01T08:15:00.000+08:00

Nikon has introduced the 'Learn & Explore' app for Apple's iPhone in collaboration with the 'interactive agency' Molecular. Currently available only to US customers, the app gives photo enthusiasts access to images, video lectures and audio commentary from the company's website and enables them to read and bookmark articles from the Nikon World magazine. It is available for download from the Apple App Store.

PRESS RELEASE.

Nikon Joins Forces with Molecular to Introduce Nikon
Learn & Explore App for the iPhone

WATERTOWN, Mass.--Isobar interactive agency Molecular, Inc. announced today its collaboration with Nikon Inc. to create an innovative mobile app for the iPhone that provides people with quick, easy access to both educational and inspirational photo information right from their mobile device. The free app, called Nikon Learn & Explore, is now available.

Created for photo enthusiasts of all skill levels, the Learn & Explore app allows iPhone users to read and bookmark informative articles from the nikonusa.com website as well as articles from "Nikon World" magazine. iPhone users also get access to Nikon digital assets such as stunning images, video lectures1 and slideshows, and audio commentary. All of the content is managed through Nikon's TeamSite Content Management System and synchronized with the devices regularly to keep the content fresh.

“Increasingly, people are using their iPhones to explore everything and anything they might need ‘in the moment’, from GPS directions to nearby restaurant recommendations,” said Bryant Shea, Molecular's Director, Content Management and Mobile. “Recognizing that photography is a very ‘in-the-moment’ activity, the Learn & Explore app creates another opportunity for Nikon to engage with consumers, providing people with immediate access to Nikon's education resources right in the palm of their hand, no matter where they are.”

"We are excited to introduce the Learn & Explore app to the iPhone community," said Joe Ventura, Senior Manager of Corporate and Internet Communications at Nikon Inc. "Working with Molecular, we've created a mobile experience that allows us to provide our consumers with greater access to educational and editorial digital content; which ultimately supports our goal to let people explore photography on their own terms."

Molecular was responsible for design, implementation and QA of the Learn & Explore app, as well as all modifications to the Content Management System. Molecular has been working with Nikon USA since 2007 and is the agency responsible for creating Nikon’s current website at www.nikonusa.com.

Cops See Break in 1971 New Hampshire Murder Sisters of 13-Year-Old Rape-Murder Victim Hail Stunning Developments, 38 Years Later

2009-10-31T13:04:00.001+08:00

Autumn brings a chilling memory for many residents of Franklin, N.H. It's the time of year when Kathy Gloddy, 13 at the time, vanished in broad daylight almost 40 years ago.
Share
Kathy Gloddy, 13, was attacked in small New Hampshire town after ice cream stop.

Hopes for solving the case have dwindled over time. But new developments -- and the involvement of a private investigator -- could mean the mystery is finally on the verge of being cracked.

In late November 1971, Kathy left her home on a trip to a store for ice cream. In tow was her constant companion, a German shepherd named Tasha. When Tasha returned home and Kathy did not, family members grew concerned.

"The dog climbed up on the doors and was clawing at the door, just scratching at the door to get in," Karen Gloddy, one of Kathy's sisters, told ABC News. "The dog ran around the house, searching for her."

"That night we called the police, we called friends, we called the neighbors -- all night long we searched," said Janet Gloddy, another sister.

When Kathy's family called the police, they were told that they had to wait at least 24 hours to report Kathy missing. Without the benefit of current-day Amber Alerts, the Gloddys were left to search alone that first night.

The next day, the family learned that Kathy's lifeless and naked body had been dumped in a patch of woods just a mile-and-a-half away. She had been raped and killed. But police had no suspects or leads.

"To think that she was left there, you know?" said Karen Gloddy. "In the cold of a dark winter's night and with no clothes on. And what had happened to her just came crashing down. It was really hard.

"My mom was sobbing. My dad was crying. I just stood in the doorway and I said, 'What's wrong?' And they just blurted out they found Kathy and she's dead, she's been murdered."

Tom Shamshak is a private investigator whose pro bono work on the case has given the Gloddy family new hope.

"This was a savage killing," he told ABC News. "It's one of the most heinous crimes that I have encountered in my 31 years of professional experience."

A hunter passing through the forest spied Kathy's body, clothed only in a pair of knee socks, and thought, at first, it was a deer carcass.

"That's not what you expect in a little town, that she had been brutally raped and murdered," said Karen Gloddy.

As the years passed, the family learned more and more details from that tragic night.

Kathy had been strangled and suffered a deadly blow to the head. An automobile had run her over four times.

Teri Garr picture & profile

2009-10-31T12:54:00.002+08:00

Name: Teri Garr
Height: 5' 7" (1.70 m)
Sex: F
Birth Date: December 11, 1947
Birth Place: Lakewood, Ohio,

Teri Garr's Trivia:
Garr, who has kept her debilitating disease secret for the past 19 years, is being paid to sing the praises of multiple sclerosis wonderdrug Rebif -- the actress spoke out about multiple sclerosis on CNN talk show veteran Larry King's show on Tuesday night, and again at a press conference
staged by America's National MS Society yesterday. (October 142, 2002)

Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera Recipient of Gold DIWA Award

2009-10-29T16:57:00.001+08:00

Nikon Corporation (Michio Kariya, President) is pleased to announce that the Nikon D5000 digital SLR camera has been selected as recipient of the DIWA Gold Award. The Digital Imaging Websites Association (DIWA) is an international network of independent websites from Europe and the United States dedicated to comprehensive and neutral reviews of digital imaging products.

Recipients of DIWA awards are determined with testing by member experts at DIWA Labs. Products are also tested according to more than 200 specified details, functions and features for evaluation and scoring. Those receiving the highest scores are selected as recipients of DIWA awards. The D5000 was selected for the high scores it received in terms of built-in advanced technologies, wide variety of functions, and ease of use.

DIWA comments

DIWA comments: “The Nikon D5000 knows how to stand out from most compact DSLR cameras thanks to its innovative image technology and users ease. The convenient vari-angle LCD monitor allows users to shoot from any angle, and Live View mode gives digital photography an extra dimension. The Nikon D5000 managed to convince the DIWA jury simply by its superior image quality, innovative functionality and user-friendliness.”

DIWA awards

DIWA was established in June 2003. It is an independent international organization presently consisting of eleven digital imaging product testing and review website members from all over Europe and the U.S.A. Digital imaging products are tested by DIWA members at DIWA Labs. Products are also tested according to more than 200 specified details, functions and features for evaluation and scoring. Those receiving the highest scores are selected as recipients of DIWA awards.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II awarded top honors in Japan's premier photo industry awards

2009-05-15T13:15:00.000+08:00

TOKYO, May 15, 2009—Canon Inc. and Canon Marketing Japan Inc. today announced that the Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera, equipped with a 21.1-megapixel 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor and capable of recording full HD video, has been named "Camera of the Year" in the Camera Grand Prix 2009.

The Camera Grand Prix, the most prestigious award in Japan's photo industry, is sponsored by the Camera Journal Press Club Japan (CJPC), comprising thirteen photography and camera publications (as of May 2009). The Camera Grand Prix selection committee is made up of chief editors of CJPC member publications, academic experts, technical writers, professional photographers, and representatives from photo-related organizations. The coveted Camera of the Year 2009 was awarded to the most impressive camera released in Japan between April 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009.

The Camera Grand Prix, founded in 1984, marks its 26th anniversary this year. The 2009 Camera of the Year award marks the eighth time that a Canon camera has earned top honors at the Camera Grand Prix, and the first since the top prize went to the EOS-1Ds, the industry's first professional-model digital SLR camera to feature a 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor.

This year's title-winning EOS 5D Mark II was recognized for its range of high-performance features, including a newly developed full-size 21.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, the next-generation DIGIC 4 image processor and a sophisticated Live View function, along with its advanced image quality and ease of use. Additionally, the model earned high marks as the world's first SLR camera to enable the recording of full HD video as well as for its outstanding cost performance.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II was also recently named "Best Digital SLR Expert in 2009" in Europe by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), representing 29 photography and imaging magazines across 13 European countries.

Poker Face - Lady GaGa

2009-04-01T01:17:00.000+08:00

20 Ways to save on Petrol - Part 1

2009-03-19T08:45:00.000+08:00

"Carpool", "public transport", and "natural gas' - Never have we heard these words so often, until the price of petrol hit RM2.70 per litre. But these options may not always be feasible.If you are stuck with having to pay for petrol, then make sure each litre takes you as far as it can.Here are the ways to do it.

Note:Calculation are provided to give an estimate of the savings in one month (unless stated otherwise,this is a based on car with a mileage of 12.12km per litre, running 2000kn a month) Some of the tips and results of the studied quoted depend on the age, technology and aerodynamics of the car.

1. Stop going around in circle
2. Be easy on the car in tough times
3. Keep it cool
4. Keep it light
5. Reduce your trip to the station
6. Idle not
7. Economise with economy fuel
8. Fuel additives and gadget?
9. Track your mileage
10. Avoid hitting the brakes unnecessarily

1. Stop going around in circle

Unneccasarary travel wastes petrol - and Malaysian ore often guilty of this because they do not like to walk.Park in the first spot you find, and take a short walk, instead of circling the parking lot for 15 minutes.

SAVINGS: If you drive 5km a week to look for the perfect parking spot or to get to and from your neighbourhood shop. that"ll cost you RM4 a month.

2. Be easy on the car in tough times

More petrol is consumed under high-load situations, such as when accelerating hard to overtake another car and going uphill. "Think ahead when approaching hills. Do not accelerate as you tend to waste more fuel dragging your vehicle up the incline. Also, travelling with high rpm (revolution per minute) in low gear consumes more fuel," says Atsushi Fujimoto, managing director & CEO of Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Nikon 90th Anniversary

2009-02-14T01:26:00.001+08:00

Congratulation to Nikon for it's 90th Anniversary.

Happy 2009 Goodbye 2008

2009-01-01T00:01:00.001+08:00

Wish all of your have a Wonderful life.

Buat $ dengan blog

2008-12-14T14:11:00.001+08:00

Bukan mudah untuk mendapat wang dari penulisan,lebih-lebih lagi menulis di alam siber.Mungkin agak kelakar atau tidak masuk akal bagi sesetengah orang,mungkin anda akan disangka gila atau tidak waras.Dunia sudah berubah,manusia boleh menjalankan aktiviti atau kegiatan mereka dalam sehari iaitu 24jam atau setahun 365/366 hari.Dengan kemajuan teknologi yang mungkin agak baru kita kecapi hari ini kita bole menjalankan urusan perbankan 24 jam,membayar segala bil-bil 24 jam malahan menyemak baki akaun hanya dengan satu kiriman berbentuk arahan pesanan ringkas(SMS).Benar bukan?Maka tidaklah menjadi satu keanehan atau keganjilan bila manusia boleh menjana pendapatan dengan hanya menulis termasuklah diri saya.Saya tidaklah sehebat mereka-mereka yang telah betul-betul berjaya dalam penulisan blog seperti Darren Rowse iaitu pemilik problogger(dot)net atau blogger-blogger tempatan di negara kita ini.
Kejayaan mereka adalah dari hasil penulisan mereka bukan dari menjual e-book atau 'software' yang dikatakan telah mereka cipta.Jika kita selalu merayau di alam siber ini pasti kita akan terjumpa 'mereka-mereka' yang menjual 'software' atau 'e-book' yang mereka katakan bisa membuat anda memperolehi sehingga 100,200,300 atau 400 USD dalam sehari serta merta hanya dengan menggunakan 'software' atau 'sistem' ciptaan ' mahupun 'e-book' mereka'.Jangan mudah terperdaya,sebenarnya 'mereka' hanya membuat keuntungan dari jualan 'software' atau 'e-book' yang mereka canangkan sangat berkesan itu.Cuba kita fikir secara logik dengan akal yang waras,kenapa 'mereka' hanya menggunakan laman web'template' saja cuma memaparkan nombor telefon atau e-mail mereka beserta 'penyata pendapatan' yang telah di'photoshop'??Jika betul 'mereka' hebat kenapa tidak dipromosikan saja melalui laman web atau blog 'mereka' yang menjana sehingga USD400 sehari itu?Bila dunia semakin canggih & maju bermacam idea digunakan untuk menipu.

Jika anda ingin mencuba,tidak perlulah anda membeli 'software' atau 'e-book' yang 'mereka' sendiri katakan cukup berkesan itu.Harap saudara/saudari dapat memahami apa yang hendah saya kongsikan di atas itu tadi.Caranya mudah dengan hanya membina satu laman web/blog dan kemudian anda bole mendaftar di Google Adsense.Proses pendaftaran adalah percuma,dalam masa beberapa bulan,pihak Adsense akan menghantar nombor PIN kepada anda melalui surat.Ia adalah proses untuk mengesahkan akaun Adsense yang telah anda daftar dan seterusnya untuk pihak Adsense mengirimkan pembayaran kepada anda.Anda boleh menentukan bagaimana untuk menerima pembayaran.Pada penulisan yang akan datang saya akan menceritakan tentang topik-topik yang boleh dijadikan panduan untuk saya kongsikan bersama kalian semua.

Chong Wei And Yi Ting Receive Olympian Awards 2008

2008-12-13T07:10:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 (Bernama) -- World number one shuttler, Datuk Lee Chong Wei and national swimmer Sow Yi Ting were selected as the Male Olympian and Female Olympian 2008 respectively at the Olympian Night held at Wisma OCM, here Friday night.

Chong Wei, 26, was selected based on his achievement as the only Malaysian athlete to win a medal at the Beijing Olympic Games in August.

The Bukit Mertajam-born athlete won the silver medal in the men's singles after losing to China's Lin Dan in the badminton final at the 2008 Olympics.

The silver medal was the second won by Malaysian athletes at the Olympic Games with the first silver won by the badminton doubles pair of Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock at the Atlanta Olympic Games, United States in 1996.

This was the first Olympian award for Chong Wei who was the sole nominee in his category.

Chong Wei was not present to receive the award as he was in Alor Star, Kedah chasing a record seventh consecutive title in the National Badminton Grand Prix. He was represented by his brother-in-law, Tung Tok Seng.

Meanwhile, Yi Ting was selected for the award for having broken the national record, clocking 2 minutes 23.71 seconds in the qualifying rounds for the 200m breast stroke in Beijing, which placed her in 19th position overall in the event. Her previous record was 2 minutes 27.80 seconds.

The 24-year-old swimmer beat two other nominees, namely taekwando exponent Che Chew Chan who qualified for the quarterfinals in the women's above 67kg category, and women's shuttler Wong Mew Chew who qualified for the women's singles quarterfinals in Beijing.

Yi Ting was also not present for the award as she was attending to her studies in Arkansas, United States. She was represented by her father, Siow Kian Wah.

Both the award winners received a trophy and RM10,000 cash each from Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar.

-- BERNAMA

Selangor Denies Buying 14 Toyota Camrys

2008-12-13T07:05:00.001+08:00

SHAH ALAM, Dec 12 (Bernama) -- Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim on Friday denied that the state government had bought 14 Toyota Camry cars for state executive councillors as alleged on the website www.pembangkangselangor.com Thursday night.

He however said the state was studying several models of cars to replace the official state cars that were more than five years old.

"Next year we will begin looking at our five to six year old cars which have high maintenance costs.

"We have not done any booking but we have called car manufacturers like UMW Holdings and Proton Edar. They have sent us their brochures for us to choose," Abdul Khalid told reporters here.

The website alleged that the state government had wasted around RM600,000 when it decided to buy 14 Toyota Camrys whose total cost was about RM1.2 million as the cost a Proton Perdana V6 was only around RM120,000 compared to a Toyota Camry that costs RM168,000.

-- BERNAMA

Sebutan Semula Kes Liwat Anwar Ibrahim

2008-09-10T03:06:00.002+08:00

Kerajaan cuba batalkan ikat jamin: Anwar mungkin ditahan esok

KUALA LUMPUR, 9 SEPTEMBER (SK) -PAKATAN Rakyat menghadapi ujian paling getir di era kebangkitan rakyat apabila Ketua Pembangkang Anwar Ibrahim dihadapkan mahkamah pada 10 September bagi menghadapi dakwaan liwat.

Dengan tarikh tamat 16 September sekadar mengira hari, kerajaan BN dijangka akan mengembelingkan segala kekuatan berbaki dalam perbicaraan ini bagi menyekat kemaraan Pakatan Rakyat ke Putrajaya.

Anwar,61, dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Sesyen Jalan Duta 6 Ogos lalu untuk menghadapi bentuk tuduhan liwat dibawah Seksyen 337B Kanun Keseksaan, pertuduhan yang asma dihadapinya 10 tahun lalu.

Anwar mengaku tidak bersalah apabila pertuduhan meliwat Saiful Bukhari Azlan dibacakan Hakim S.M Komathy Suppiah dan dibebaskan dengan jaminan bon peribadi RM20,000 tanpa penjamin.

Dengan BN yang semakin gawat, pelbagai kemungkinan buruk menanti pemimpin reformasi itu pada 10 September nanti. Perbicaraan ini akan menentukan apakah kes ditetapkan ke suatu tarikh yang lain, atau apakah kes ini akan ditukarkan ke Mahlamah Tinggi.

Kemungkinan besar juga ikat jamin Anwar ditarik balik, seraya menyebabkan pemimpin reformasi itu dipencarakan.

“Pelbagai perkara boleh berlaku,” kata Tian Chua, “Mungkin kes ini akan dibawa ke Mahkamah Tinggi, atau mungkin akan ada usaha untuk membatalkan ikat jamin yang diberikan sebelum ini . Namun yang kita pasti adalah kes ini akan menjadi terlalu politikan,”tegas beliau.

Kepulangan Anwar Ibrahim ke arena politik tanahair - selepas pertuduhan liwat 1998 digugurkan oleh Mahkamah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur pada 2004 - menyaksikan tiga negeri terkaya di Malaysia dan dua negeri Melayu membentuk kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat.

Selain dari menafikan majoriti 2/3 parti pemerintah, Anwar turut menandakan kepulangan dengan kemenangan besar di Permatang Pauh - kerusi yang dirampas darinya selepas pemecatan 10 tahun dahulu.

Dengan tarikh tamat 16 September semakin hampir, BN semakin terdesak. Perbicaraan kali ini juga meresahkan Pakatan Rakyat yang menggerakan sumber yang ada bagi mempertahankan Anwar, melemahkan kes pendakwaraya, termasuk membuktikan tuduhan terhadap mantan Timbalan Perdana Menteri itu bermotifkan politik.

Jurucakap utama pasukan peguambela dan Naib Presiden KeADILan Sivarasa Rasiah berkaya kerajaan turun sehabis mungkin bagi menghalang penghijrahan besar-besaran, dan tarikh 16 September mungkin tersasar.

“Sukar untuk memberikan tarikh yang spesifik, kerana situasinya boleh berubah bila-bila masa sahaja. Kita tidak terlalu tertumpu kepada 16 September sebagai tarikh muktamad, namun kita tetap komited kepada jumlah-jumlah yang akan menyertai kita,” jelas Sivarasa.

Mengulas mengenai perbicaraan 10 September, Sivarasa Rasiah berkata kes ini sebagai ’sandiwara’, bahkan beliau optimis penubuhan kerajaan baru tidak dapat dielakkan walaupun tersasar dari tarikh 16 September nanti.

“Kita sedar BN meletakkan pelbagai halangan, namun peralihan kuasa ini adalah sesuatu yang tidak dapat dielakkan. Tidak ada apa yang dapat menghalangnya,” jelas Sivarasa.

Abdullah sebelum itu berikrar untuk menghancurkan sebarang usaha menjatuhkan pemerintahannya, dan sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga 16 September, kesemua Ahli Parlimen BN dibawa keluar dan disorokkan di Taiwan dari September 7 hingga 19.

Anwar dan Abdullah berulang-alik dari Semenanjung ke Sabah dan Sarawak yang dilihat berpontensi berhijrah ke Pakatan Rakyat. Disebalik rundingan-rundingan yang diadakan, Anwar dan pasukan peguambelanya menghadapi ancaman dari tuduhan liwat itu - yang sekiranya disabitkan kesalahan, menghadapi 20 tahun penjara.

Mengulas hal tersebut, peguam Sankara Nair dalam satu temubual tidak menafikan pasukan peguambela akan berhadapan dengan tekanan yang hebat dalam perbicaraan kali ini.

“Banyak kerja persiapan perlu dilakukan. Umumnya, harapan terhadap kes ini adalah sangat tinggi,” jawapan beliau.

Memimpin pasukan peguambela adalah Sulaiman Abdullah, bersama-sama Sivarasa Rasiah, Sankara Nair, Leela Jeyamani Jesuthasan, Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Saiful Izham Ramli, Amer Hamzah Arshad, Latheefa Beebi Koya dan Mohd Raszlan Jalaluddin.

Sepuluh tahun lalu, selain dari Sankara, pasukan peguam Anwar diketuai oleh Raja Aziz Addruse bersama-sama Christopher Fernando, Karpal Singh, Zainur Zakaria, Sulaiman Abdullah, Gurbachan Singh, Zulkifli Nordin, Pawancheek Merican dan Kamar Ainiah Kamarulzaman.

“Kami sentiasa mengambil kes ini dengan serius. Beban mengendalikan kes ini sentiasa berat walaupun pernah mengendalikannya 10 tahun lalu. Apa yang penting ialah kami perlu melakukan tugas yang diberikan dengan penuh dedikasi, dan secara berterusan sehingga kes selesai,”katanya.

Russian troops in Georgia advance

2008-08-12T04:42:00.005+08:00

Russian forces have entered Georgia from the breakaway region of Abkhazia, as the conflict between the two neighbours appears to be broadening.

Moscow said troops had raided the town of Senaki to destroy a military base. It later said they had left the town.

Russian troops also reportedly pushed into Georgia from South Ossetia, another breakaway region, and are now outside Gori, Georgian officials say.

As the fighting continued, foreign envoys were pressing for a ceasefire.

Violence erupted in South Ossetia late last week when Georgia launched an overnight assault on the territory.

Russia, which supports the province's bid for separation, then bombed targets throughout Georgia and moved troops into the region and into Abkhazia.

Russian denial

Russia confirmed for the first time on Monday it had advanced beyond the borders of Abkhazia, saying it had launched an operation in the town of Senaki.

Later, a Russian defence official told Russian news agencies that its forces had withdrawn from Senaki and that they had forced out a Georgian unit which could have shelled South Ossetia.

Georgian officials also accused Russian troops of moving into the town of Zugdidi, near Abkhazia.

The Russians had issued an ultimatum to Georgian forces to disarm or face attack, and proceeded to occupy government buildings there, the Georgians said.

The conflict over South Ossetia also appeared to have widened when Georgia accused Russia of capturing the town of Gori, just 76km (47 miles) from Tbilisi.

"This is a total onslaught," Georgia's National Security Council secretary Alexander Lomaia told the AFP news agency, adding that Georgian troops were pulling back to defend Tbilisi.

Russia's defence ministry quickly issued a statement rejecting the claim, saying there were none of its troops in Gori.

Later, a spokesman for the Georgian interior ministry told the BBC that there had never been Russian troops in Gori.

He said the Russian Army had taken up a position just outside the town after destroying a military base and admitted the Georgian army had fled the area without putting up a fight.

Meanwhile, officials in South Ossetia's secessionist government accused Georgia of bombing targets in the capital, Tskhinvali.

Nato plea

On Monday, EU envoys were attempting to broker a ceasefire agreement between Tbilisi and Moscow.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili agreed to the deal, but it was rejected by Russia, which said any negotiations could take place only after Georgian troops had pulled out of the disputed regions.

And leaders from both countries carried on a war of words, with Russia accusing Georgia of genocide, and President Saakashvili hitting back with claims of ethnic cleansing.

Mr Saakashvili accused Russia of trying to overthrow his government and claimed Russia was now in control of the majority of Georgian lands.

Russian officials denied they were seeking a regime change, and reiterated that they were responding to Georgian attacks and protecting Russian citizens - who make up the majority of the population of South Ossetia.

BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall says the further Russia penetrates into Georgian territory, the harder it is for Moscow to claim it occupies the high ground.

But, our correspondent adds, the worrying question is - does the Russian leadership care about its reputation abroad any more?

Meanwhile, the Red Cross said it has visited several hospitals in Georgia and on Russian territory and warned that the humanitarian situation "remains very serious".

"It's still too early to say how many people have been killed or injured by the fighting," said Dominik Stillhart, the organisation's deputy director of operations.

"But our visits to these hospitals confirm that local medical facilities are dealing with a large number of wounded and dead."

In other developments:

• The UN security council is to be briefed by its peacekeeping department on apparent incursions in to Georgian territory.

• Georgia's foreign minister is due to meet Nato officials on Tuesday. Russia has also requested an emergency meeting with Nato, saying the organisation should hear Moscow's side before making any decisions.

• The US and several European nations have begun to evacuate hundreds of their citizens from Georgia.

• Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland issue a joint statement saying that as "once-captive nations of Eastern Europe" they share a "deep concern" about Russia's actions towards Georgia.

• The G7 group of developed countries issues a strongly-worded statement calling on Russia to accept the EU-brokered ceasefire agreement.

----------------
Now playing: Search (Amy) - Panggung Khayalan
via FoxyTunes

PAS WARNS DAP

2008-08-07T07:11:00.001+08:00

Meanwhile, Perak Menteri Besar Perak Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said the DAP should not be worried about PAS' credibility as PAS had "normal discussions" with Umno.

Mohammad Nizar, who is Perak PAS deputy commissioner II, said PAS gave a commitment to cooperate with the PR both at state and national levels.

"Actually there is no 'muzakarah'. If we look back it is only normal meetings, an interview that is 'muqabalah'. So the question of 'muzakarah' does not arise.

"We have not joined with Umno. If we had maybe the question can arise but we are not," he told reporters after chairing a meeting of the Perak Water Board here today.

Mohammad Nizar also rejected Perak Umno's offer to cooperate with it to form the state government as it had given a committment to DAP and PKR to endure and together lead the state.

-- BERNAMA

Pendakwaan Anwar Ibrahim

2008-08-07T05:55:00.004+08:00

Hari ini,pada jam 10.oo pagi, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim akan didakwa di Mahkhamah Seksyen, Jalan Duta Kuala Lumpur.Beliau akan dikenakan pertuduhan liwat.Adakah percaturan Kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat menawan Putrajaya tidak kesampaian? Hanya Allah S.W.T. yang Maha-Mengetahui segala -galanya.
Adakah peristiwa tahun 1998 akan berulang kembali?Benarkah DSAI bersalah? Rakyat Malaysia semakin kurang mengambil tahu tentang berita pertuduhan ini.Adakan ini kospirasi yang dimainkan pihak-pihak tertentu yang mahu menyekat kemaraan Pakatan Rakyat tidaklah di ketahui.

Seluruh dunia pastinya akan mengikuti perkembangan kes yang dikenakan terhadap Mantan Timbalan Perdana menteri ini memandangkan beliau adalah diantara tokoh yang berpengaruh di dalam dan di luar negara.

WallahuAllam.

Anwar didakwa hari ini * Hadapi tuduhan meliwat *Dijangka diwakili 9 peguam bela

Oleh TAN MING WAI dan WAN NORHAYATI WAN ALIAS

KUALA LUMPUR 6 Ogos – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim akan didakwa atas tuduhan meliwat bekas pembantunya, Mohd. Saiful Bukhari Azlan di Mahkamah Sesyen, Jalan Duta di sini pagi esok.

Notis bertulis ke atasnya supaya hadir ke mahkamah pada pukul 10 pagi esok telah diserahkan oleh polis kepada Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) itu di rumahnya di Bukit Segambut di sini pukul 12.05 tengah hari ini.

Sapina itu diserahkan sendiri oleh Ketua Bahagian Siasatan Jenayah Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Brickfields, Deputi Supritendan Jude Parreira yang juga pegawai penyiasat kes tersebut.

Pereira menyerahkan sapina berkenaan dengan diiringi tiga anggota polis. Beliau berada di kediaman Anwar selama kira-kira 15 minit sebelum beredar.

Anwar, 61, dilihat menandatangani sendiri sapina yang diterimanya itu.

Pada sidang akhbarnya di ibu pejabat PKR di Damansara tiga jam kemudian, beliau mengesahkan akan hadir di mahkamah esok.

Anwar juga memberitahu, beliau akan diwakili pasukan sembilan peguam termasuk R. Sivarasa, Sankara Nair, Saiful Izham Ramli dan Sulaiman Abdullah.

Utusan Malaysia difahamkan, pasukan pendakwaan pula akan diketuai oleh Peguam Cara Negara, Datuk Idris Harun dan beberapa orang pendakwa raya termasuk Ketua Bahagian Pendakwaan Jabatan Peguam Negara, Datuk Mohd. Yusof Zainal Abiden.

Baca selanjutnya

One World One Dream

2008-08-07T05:28:00.003+08:00

One day to go.Every eyes in the world eyeing to Beijing, China for Olympic game.In my opinion this year Olympic is interesting with the appearance of the Brazilian 'FIFA Best Players' Ronaldinho and The Argentinian football stars and Barcelona Lionel Messi.They are helping their countries in football game.Malaysia Badminton team aiming gold in the tournament.

Dramatic to Quarter

2008-06-19T14:03:00.003+08:00

Italy are notoriously slow starters and UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying was no different. One point from their first two games was a poor return but Roberto Donadoni's message gradually got through – they went on to win a tough group and will arrive in Switzerland confident of adding the European crown to the world one claimed in Germany.

Fresh template
Just two months after beating France in the FIFA World Cup final, the Azzurri lost a qualifier 3-1 in Paris, following a 1-1 draw with Lithuania, to cap a poor beginning for Marcello Lippi's replacement. Yet this also marked a watershed as the squad started to adapt to the 4-3-3 system which would reap dividends by the end of the campaign. Aside from the retired Alessandro Nesta and Francesco Totti, much of the World Cup-winning party remain, albeit in slightly different roles.

Buffon No1
Gianluigi Buffon is immovable between the posts. With Fabio Cannavaro injured, Marco Materazzi should start alongside Andrea Barzagli in central defence, though Giorgio Chiellini could feature after a brilliant season with Juventus. Back in favour, Christian Panucci should start at right-back as well as offering cover for the centre-backs, while Gianluca Zambrotta should either start down the left or switch to the right if Fabio Grosso recaptures his electric World Cup form.

Milan contingent
A perennial substitute during the Lippi era, Massimo Ambrosini has found his stock increased. The guileful defensive midfielder is frequently joined by Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso in an all-AC Milan midfield, although Daniele De Rossi and Simone Perrotta have excelled for AS Roma. Mauro Camoranesi is another option alongside emerging talents Riccardo Montolivo and Alberto Aquilani.

Newcomers
Camoranesi has also been used in a more advanced position on the right of a three-pronged attack in which Luca Toni supplies the spearhead. Antonio Di Natale has been a revelation on the opposite flank, while the talented Alessandro Del Piero - Serie A's top-scorer with 21 goals - and Antonio Cassano hope to find space after convincing Donadoni to change his mind and bring them to Austria and Switzerland.

Tubuhkan IPCMC- Izzah Anwar

2008-06-18T10:00:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Jun - Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah Anwar menggesa agar kerajaan pusat mewujudkan Suruhanjaya Bebas Aduan dan Salahlaku Polis (IPCMC) bagi membuka ruang untuk kerjasama yang lebih antara pihak polis dan wakil-wakil dari masyarakat madani (civil society) dalam menyedari kelemahan yang ada dan mengenal pasti perubahan yang perlu dibuat untuk memperbaiki pasukan Polis Negara.

“Nisbah anggota polis kepada penduduk Malaysia sangat hampir kepada taraf yang disyorkan oleh INTERPOL. Ini bermakna, perlu adanya penilaian semula keberkesanan langkah-langkah yang digunakan pihak polis sekarang. Ini menunjukkan keperluan IPCMC,” katanya dalam kenyataan yang diterima Suara Keadilan Semalam.

Beliau melahirkan rasa bimbang dengan kenaikan jumlah kes-kes jenayah di Lembah Pantai terutama di Bangsar merasakan langkah-langkah yang sedia ada untuk mencegah atau menyelesaikan kes jenayah belum cukup berhasil.
“Insiden-insiden seperti rompakan berkumpulan, ragut dan pecah masuk yang kerap berlaku pada waktu siang hari menunjukkan bahawa kita sekarang bukan sahaja terpaksa menghadapi harga barang yang meningkat tetapi juga jenayah berleluasa dalam kehidupan harian,” katanya lagi.

Semalam beliau bersama seorang mangsa ragut, Preity Ganthani, dimana beliau diragut dan cedera di lengan apabila begnya diragut dan terpaksa dirawat di hospital selama empat hari.

“Justeru, dalam mengakui kelemahan-kelemahan dalam sistem keselamatan negara, adalah sangat mustahak bagi Kerajaan pusat mewujudkan IPCMC,” katanya.

Menurut Izzah, secara khusus, dalam membincangkan senario di Lembah Pantai, beliau bercadang untuk mengadakan rundingan khusus bersama badan-badan bukankerajaan, penduduk-penduduk dan tokoh-tokoh penting setempat dalam merangka program-program “action-oriented’ di lokasi-lokasi strategik.

“Kita akan mulakan dialog bersama Persatuan-persatuan penduduk, Pihak Polis, Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation dan juga Rukun Tetangga.Saya menyeru semua penduduk setempat untuk bersama kita mengambil bahagian dalam usaha ini,” katanya lagi.

Sumber : suarakeadilan

Abdullah dan Najib

2008-06-17T14:00:00.001+08:00

1. Kita di beritahu oleh Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi bahawa dia dan Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak telah bersetuju dengan peralihan kuasa. Tetapi tidak pula disebut bila tarikh itu.

2. Najib pula berkata dia mahu kuasa (Presiden UMNO dan Perdana Menteri) diserah kepadanya diwaktu parti dan Kerajaan berada dalam keadaan sihat walafiat sepertimana yang kononnya pengganti Presiden dan Perdana Menteri dahulu semuanya menerima peralihan kuasa apabila parti dan Kerajaan sudah dipulihkan dan berada dalam keadaan sihat.

3. Sebenarnya semasa saya mengambilalih daripada Tun Hussein Onn ekonomi negara sedang merosot. Sebab itu langkah pertama yang diambil oleh saya ialah memotong gaji Menteri, Timbalan Menteri dan pegawai tinggi sebanyak 10%.

4. Saya mengambil masa hampir tiga tahun untuk pulih semula ekonomi negara.

5. Keadaan UMNO pun lebih kurang sahaja. Tidak lama selepas itu Timbalan saya letak jawatan dan mencabar saya.

6. Tunku Abdul Rahman dan Tun Razak juga mengambilalih parti dan Kerajaan semasa keadaan tidak begitu sihat; Tunku selepas Dato Onn Jaafar keluar dari UMNO dan Tun Razak setelah rusuhan kaum berlaku dan Perikatan tidak bermaya.

7. Harapan Najib dia hanya akan terima jawatan Presiden dan Perdana Menteri di atas talam perak (silver platter) adalah alasan supaya dia tidak perlu bertanding pada Disember ini untuk jawatan Presiden. Mengetahui sifat suka senang Dato Seri Najib, Dato Seri Abdullah telah janji untuk melepas kuasa pada tarikh yang tidak ditentukan. Sekaligus Dato Seri Abdullah berjaya untuk melenyapkan kemungkinan dia akan dicabar oleh Dato Seri Najib. Dia (Abdullah) akan menang tanpa bertanding Disember ini. Dengan itu dia akan dakwa bahawa seluruh UMNO menyokong kepimpinannya. Oleh itu tidak ada sebab dia patut letak jawatan.

8. Jika setelah kalah teruk di lima buah negeri dan satu wilayah dia masih dakwa dia menang, mustahil apabila menang tanpa bertanding jawatan Presiden dia akan letak jawatan. Dia akan melegakan hati UMNO dengan berjanji dia akan kerja kuat untuk pulihkan semula UMNO dan Barisan Nasional dan selepas itu dia akan serah kuasa pada Dato Seri Najib.

9. Saya percaya diwaktu ini ramai orang Dato Seri Najib sedang menentukan berapa ramai bahagian yang akan mencalonkan Dato Seri Najib. Dengan kenyataan Dato Seri Abdullah orang Dato Seri Najib akan dapati banyak bahagian-bahagian yang tidak lagi akan calon Dato Seri Najib. Tanpa mendapat 60 pencalonan Dato Seri Najib tidak akan isytihar kesanggupannya untuk bertanding. Kalau dapat pun dia tidak akan berani mencabar kepimpinan Dato Seri Abdullah selepas janji yang dibuat oleh Abdullah.

10. Bilakah kita akan tahu hasil usaha pemulihan UMNO oleh Dato Seri Abdullah? Kita akan tahu dalam Pilihanraya Umum ke-13.

11. Saya percaya kali ini UMNO dan Barisan Nasional akan hancur langsung. Dato Seri Abdullah tidak akan jadi Perdana Menteri dan dianya tidak akan dapat serahkan jawatan Perdana Menteri kepada mantan Timbalannya, Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak.

12. Saya bukan nujum dan saya tidak dapat teka apa yang akan berlaku lima tahun dari sekarang. Tetapi saya boleh ramal memandangkan prestasi buruk UMNO dan Barisan Nasional dalam Pilihanraya Umum ke-12 dibawah pimpinan UMNO Dato Seri Abdullah Badawi yang di pengaruhi oleh anak dan menantunya. Selain daripada memberi gula-gula kepada Bahagian dan Cawangan, dan berbillion Ringgit kepada Sabah dan Sarawak tidak ada usaha yang menepati kehendak dan mesej pengundi dalam Pilihanraya Umum ke-12. Hanya dengan meletak jawatan barulah Dato Seri Abdullah dapat pulih UMNO dan prestasi Kerajaan Malaysia. Tetapi ini tidak sanggup dibuat oleh Dato Seri Abdullah. Oleh itu tidak ada harapan yang UMNO akan dipulihkan dan Dato Seri Najib menjadi Perdana Menteri.

13. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dan Dato Seri Rais Yatim akan terkapa-kapa tidak tahu nak buat apa. Apakah Tan Sri Muhyiddin akan bertanding Timbalan melawan Dato Seri Najib atau bertanding Presiden melawan Dato Seri Abdullah? Apakah jawatan yang hendak ditandingi oleh Dato Seri Rais?

14. Sesungguhnya dengan pengisytiharan persefahaman antara dirinya dengan Dato Seri Najib, Dato Seri Abdullah telah berjaya mematahkan segala cabaran terhadap dirinya. Disember ini Dato Seri Abdullah tetap menang tanpa bertanding.

Posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

Berhati-hati dengan Perompak Berlesen a.k.a Faratech.

2008-06-17T03:23:00.006+08:00

Salam Sejahtera.Tujuan saya mendedahkan pekung Faratech adalah supaya orang ramai,bakal-bakal mangsa tidak tertipu dengan permainan keji Faratech dan balaci-balaci yang hina dan keji ini.Saya sendiri nyaris-nyaris 'Dirompak' oleh Faratech dan syarikat-syarikat perompak mereka yang lain.Kalau dah memang penipu,macam-macam idea keji yang diilhamkan oleh perompak-perompak berlesen ini,mereka amat licik mengatur strategi untuk 'merompak' wang kita tanpa kita sedari.Faratech memang pandai bermain 'wayang' dengan bantuan 'pelakon-pelakon laknat' mereka.Faratech juga memiliki beberapa website dan perniagaan lain yang tujuannya adalah untuk 'merompak' kita.Antara website mereka ialah :

http://www.faratech.net (Website Utama Ketua Kunpulan Perompak Berlesen)
http://www.inteleca.com.my
http://www.thymelovell.com
http://www.usahawanict.com (Website Faratech bertopengkan Program Usahawan)
http://www.techteleca.com
http://www.pkut.net
http://www.ictdpmm.org
http://www.acdra.net/dinms3
http://wakchot.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html
http://resellertm.blogdrive.com
http://www.telnetstat.com/custom4Baru.html
http://www.usahawan-tm.blogspot.com
http://www.frontline-tmbp.blogspot.com
http://www.telekomtek.blogspot.com
http://www.intelkom.blogspot.com
http://www.zdit.biz/UsahawanICT-TM.htm
http://lamanusahawan.blog.com/1284451
http://www.angelfire.com/blog/sabarudin.com
http://www.fgsb.net/ictseminar.htm
http://www.gerakusahawan.com
http://pkut-malaysia.tripod.com

Website faratech yg macam kurang meyakinkan:

http://www.techteleca.com/index.php?...&article_id=20
http://www.inteleca.com.my
http://www.faratech2u.com/default.asp?id=1&mnu=1

Sebuah thread dari sebuah forum pengguna yg mengatakan faratech telah diblacklisted oleh TM sejak 2005.

http://www.consumer.com.my/message/i...hp?itemid=1537
http://www.melayu-trade.com/v2/modul...er=asc&start=0
http://tmbp-maklumbalas.tripod.com/D...?from=20080531

Malas rasenye nak letak direct link website-website 'Perompak' ni.,Insya'Allah jika ade kelapangan,kekuatan dan keizinan Allah S.W.T masa akan saya aktifkan link-link diatas.Jika anda mahu melihat website-website diatas,anda boleh taipkan terus di web address di komputer anda.Untuk melihat kehebatan Faratech,anda taipkan Faratech,TMBP,Inteleca atau ape-ape perkataan yang anda mahukan di Enjin carian seperti Google,Yahoo,Mozilla,Firefox,SeaMonkey dan anda akan apa yang anda mahukan.

Apa yang terdetik di hati kecil saya,bagaimana DPMM,MARA dan agensi-agensi yang terkenal bole bekerjasama atau bersubahat dengan Faratech.....Mungkin ade 'Payung' yang sentiasa memayungi Si Laknatullah ini.

Oh ye,satu lagi perniagaan Faratech yabg tidak berapa JUJUR & IKHLAS

EDOREY TECHNOLOGIES SDN BHD (770547-V)
Suite 11.17, 11th Floor, Wisma Zelan, No.1, Jalan Tasik Permaisuri 2, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur
TEL : +603.9172.5811 FAX : +603.9172.5822

Syarikat ini menawarkan perkhidmatan yang berasaskan perisian untuk web,sistem SMS dan lain-lain lagi.Awas pemilik syarikat ini adalah pemilik Faratech juga,orang yang sama,agenda tersembunyi yang sama iaitu 'merompak' hasil titik peluh kita yangt Halal.

Akan saya update kan lagi cerita ini,jika saya menerima perkembangan terbaru 'Projek Rompakan Berlesen Faratech'

Dibawah ini disertakan luahan rasa,nukilan hati seorang forumers di laman web CariGold

Wahai Masyarakat Melayu yang Dikasihi,

Marilah kita bersatu untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini dan mengambil tindakan bersama terhadap "Kuman FARATECH yang didalangi oleh PENGKHIANAT Encik AZLAN ROSMERA ABU ALIAS & Puan FARAH EDORA ABU ALIAS" yang cuba memperbodohkan Bangsa MELAYU Kita dengan janji-janji palsu yang mengaburi fikiran kita dengan peluang perniagaan TM BUSINESS PROGRAM bersama TELEKOM MALAYSIA walhalnya sebenarnya ini merupakan satu skim pyramid dimana distributor yang berjaya menarik serta menipu lebih banyak distributor/agent untuk melabur ke PROGRAM TMBP ANJURAN FARATECH & INTELECA , dialah yang akan mendapat komisyen terbanyak.Tanpa disedari Distributor tersebut, dia sebenarnya menolong PIHAK FARATECH & INTELECA menambahkan wang kedalam poket mereka dengan komisyen hanya RM3700 kalau dia mendapat distributor baru yang melabur RM17860.Cuba anda membuat perkiraan keuntungan Encik AZLAN ROSMERA ABU ALIAS & Puan FARAH EDORA ABU ALIAS dari setiap distributor RM17860 - RM3700 = RM14160. JUmlah RM14160 bukannya sedikit.BANYAK!!!!!

Cuba anda fikirkan berapa banyak entreprenuer MELAYU yang telah tertipu & berapa banyak wang telah mereka cekup dari Program TMBP ini.Berapa banyak Distributor Melayu menipu sesama Melayu dengan ajakan untuk menjadi Distributor tanpa menyedari hakikatnya Distributor Melayu itu hanya mengadaikan BANGSA SENDIRI serta menambahkan wang ke dalam poket FARATECH, Encik AZLAN ROSMERA ABU ALIAS & Puan FARAH EDORA ABU ALIAS supaya mereka boleh meneruskan usaha menipu lebih banyak orang Melayu kerana mereka pasti fikir mereka sangat pandai.INSAFLAH Encik AZLAN ROSMERA ABU ALIAS & Puan FARAH EDORA ABU ALIAS.

Tetapi, saya percaya sepandai-pandai tupai melompat akhirnya jatuh ke tanah juga.ALLAH SWT sentiasa melindungi orang yang teraniaya. Diharap pihak FARATECH,Encik AZLAN ROSMERA ABU ALIAS & Puan FARAH EDORA ABU ALIAS tidak lupa ALLAH SWT melihat segalanya serta BALASAN MAHA KUASA.

Bayangkanlah, wang usaha kerja kuat kita yang kita jimatkan dengan mengikat perut saban hari demi kebahagiaan hari esok yang dilaburkan atas kepercayaan pengunaan nama TELEKOM MALAYSIA dengan menamakan program 'TELEKOM MALYSIA BUSINESS PARTNER' serta penerangan FARATECH juga yang dibuat di dalam MENARA TELEKOM MALAYSIA pada setiap hari Sabtu 10am-1pm (Saya baru sahaja menghadiri sesi 10 MAY 2008 dan hampir tertipu dengan kata kata En HAMIDI & En AZLAN ROSMERA ABU ALIAS yang berucap) mengelabui lagi kepercayaan orang MELAYU yang PROGRAM PENIPUAN ANJURAN FARATECH ini mungkin memang inisiatif TELEKOM MALAYSIA untuk menolong ENTREPRENUER MELAYU.

TETAPI TMBP ANJURAN FARATECH - SEMUANYA SEBENARNYA PYRAMID SCHEME UNTUK MENIPU WANG MELAYU YANG DILAKUKAN OLEH FARATECH, Encik AZLAN ROSMERA ABU ALIAS & Puan FARAH EDORA ABU ALIAS

Mengenai Masalah FARATECH & PENIPUAN TERBESAR yang dilakukan mereka kepada Melayu Malaysia dengan menipu wang halal usaha kerja kuat masyarakat melayu yang semakin hari mencari cara menambahkan pendapatan dimasa MELAYU DIPINGGIRKAN DI NEGARA MALAYSIA dengan menjanjikan peluang untuk menjadi business partners kepada Telekom, pada pendapat saya, orang-orang yang telah tertipu serta tidak berpuas hati bolehlah menghantar email directly kepada media masa seperti suratkhabar MELAYU, Managers atau Vice President Telekom Malaysia serta agensi agensi kerajaan yang boleh menolong KEBAJIKAN ORANG MELAYU yang saban hari dipinggirkan serta sekarang ini ditipu bulat-bulat oleh FARATECH, Encik AZLAN ROSMERA ABU ALIAS & Puan FARAH EDORA ABU ALIAS.

Wallahuallam,Hanya Tuhan yang mengetahui segalanya.Setiap perbuatan ade balasannya samada akan diterima di dunia atau di akhirat.Tuhan tidak pernah gentar walaupun mereka mempunyai kroni,kabel,kanopi yang melindungi mereka di dunia yang fana ini.

PS:Kalau hebat bagilah 'Rasuah' pada Malaikat Izrail semasa Izrail hendak mengambil
nyawa kamu.

Wassalam.

Donadoni plots Azzurri rescue mission

2008-06-13T17:18:00.002+08:00

Photo:Getty Images

Desperate times call for desperate measures and Italy coach Roberto Donadoni will ring the changes as he looks to rescue the world champions' UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign against Romania at the Letzigrund Stadion in Zurich on Friday.

Changes
Italy crashed to their worst defeat in 25 years in their Group C opener against the Netherlands and face another stern test against a Romania team buoyed by a goalless draw against France that has boosted their hopes of qualifying from the toughest of sections. Only Gianluigi Buffon, Luca Toni and Andrea Pirlo are deemed safe in an Italy side that could feature up to five changes according to Donadoni. "There will be four or five players who will play tomorrow who did not play in Berne," said the Azzurri coach who has a full-strength squad at his disposal. "[Giorgio] Chiellini and [Alessandro] Del Piero will play, but I haven't mentioned any other names. If you hypothesise they will be your mistakes."

'Winning fundamental'
Even so, there has been a frenzy of speculation in the Italian media over the lineup with Fabio Grosso and Antonio Cassano likely to come in after impressing as substitutes against the Netherlands. Donadoni said his side were "still hurting" from that result and would do everything to put it right. "Winning is fundamental for us," he said. "We have worked towards that goal and will do everything to achieve it." Italy recovered to reach the final of the 1994 FIFA World Cup after losing their first match, and a draw here would not spell the end of their hopes. With a repeat of their 2006 World Cup final to come against France, points are at a premium as Donadoni seeks to find the balance between defence and attack. "We mustn't think if we have not scored by the fourth minute it is a disaster," he said. "The game lasts 90 minutes and we must be patient."

Pressure
Romania coach Victor Piţurcă feels both sides will be playing to win, but stressed that the pressure was on the Azzurri following their heaviest loss at a UEFA European Championship. "Italy need the victory more than we do," said Piţurcă who revealed that striker Ciprian Marica was "almost certainly" out after suffering a blow to his head in training on Tuesday. "Italy are the favourites, but we came here to put on a good display and our main aim is to qualify for the knockout stage."

More in attack
For the former FC Steaua Bucureşti striker, Friday's match offers an opportunity to gain a measure of revenge against Donadoni after losing 4-0 to AC Milan in the 1989 UEFA European Champions Clubs' Cup final. Having failed to create many openings in their first game, Piţurcă knows his side have to pose more of an attacking threat. "I haven't decided who will start yet, but I might make some changes from the game against France. We will have to be vigilant in defence but there will also be times when we press in the opponents' half. The team that's better organised and can produce moments of inspiration will have the best chance of winning."

Yahoo-Google agree online ad deal

2008-06-13T16:02:00.001+08:00

Yahoo has agreed a deal with Google which will see Yahoo use the search engine giant's advertising technology.

Under the agreement, Google ads will appear alongside some Yahoo search results in the US and Canada.

The announcement came after Yahoo said it had failed to persuade Microsoft to renew its bid to buy all of the internet company.

Recent talks concluded after Yahoo rejected a Microsoft proposal to buy just its online search business.

Potentially lucrative

Yahoo said the agreement with Google could be worth up to $800m (£410m) in additional revenue every year.

"This commercial agreement provides Yahoo with the opportunity to deliver more relevant ads to users and provide advertisers and publishers with better advertising technology," said Eric Schmidt, Google chairman and chief executive.

"We believe that the convergence of search and display is the next major development" in online advertising industry, said Yahoo chief executive Jerry Yang.

The partnership will initially last for three years, but could last up to 10 if Yahoo decides to renew.

Google said the deal did not need regulatory approval but that it would delay its implementation by up to three and a half months to give the US Department of Justice a chance to review it.

However, the deal is likely to attract attention from competition regulators in Washington, according to the BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones.

"Alarm bells were already ringing on Capitol Hill over Yahoo's 'limited' trial in April of Google's technology," he said.

Alternative deal

The markets closed before the Google deal was announced. Shares in Yahoo had closed down 10% after it said its attempts to revive Microsoft's $47.5bn (£24bn) offer for the whole of Yahoo had been unsuccessful.

The shares fell as low as $22.50 earlier in the trading session, their lowest level since the software giant first offered $31 a share for Yahoo in January.

Yahoo rejected a new proposal from Microsoft to buy just its online search operations.

“In the weeks since Microsoft withdrew its offer to acquire Yahoo, the two companies have continued to discuss an alternative transaction that Microsoft believes would have delivered in excess of $33 per share to the Yahoo shareholders," Microsoft said in a statement.

"This partnership would ensure healthy competition in the marketplace, providing greater choice and innovation for advertisers, publishers and consumers," the company said.

Yahoo, however, did not want to sell off only one part of the business.

It said such a deal "would not be consistent with the company's view of the converging search and display marketplaces".

Microsoft sources told the BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones that the company was no longer interested in a full takeover because Yahoo had been "underperforming" and was losing some of its key staff.

Yahoo's shares closed 10% lower at $23.52, while Microsoft finished 4.1% higher at $28.24.

The iPhone's Biggest (And Dumbest) Flaw

2008-06-13T14:01:00.001+08:00

So it's official: Apple has announced plans to release a new generation of the iPhone. It will run on AT&T's third-generation cell phone network, so web pages will download almost three times faster. It's got a built in GPS chip, more memory, and a lower price --just $199 for an 8GB version.

That's all great. I've been extremely happy with my first generation iPhone, and at these prices, I'm likely to upgrade to the new one. It's also likely that the phone will be a big hit -- Apple's going to sell a ton of these.

But here's my problem: why in the name of Woz has Apple not added mobile messaging (MMS)? Few non-iPhone users realize that it has a major missing feature; it can't send or receive photos like it would a text message. You know, that feature on every other phone on the planet where you can snap a pic with your camera phone and then beam it off to a friend? I can buy a $20 burner in a convenience store that's able to use MMS. So why can't a $200 state-of-the-art superphone handle it?

I'm sure there are Apple fanboys --and maybe Jobs himself-- who argue that you don't need MMS on the iPhone, because it's a fully capable email device, and you can use email to send and receive pictures. But that's stupid. I don't want MMS just so I can send stuff easily, I want it because most of the other phones on the planet have it, and when those people send me an MMS picture, I can't see it.

There's other simple features annoyingly missing from the new iPhone, including the ability to cut and paste text, or record video, or connect to a wide range of Bluetooth devices. But MMS is particularly galling because it's such a simple thing, and could have been added at any time over the last year with a simple software update.

I suspect this is an example of one of Steve Jobs' famous moments of stubbornness -- if the man decides you don't need a feature, you're not going to get it, ever. He's a genius, and his unforgiving sensibilities have made him great, since he forces change on his company and his industry. But man, that's really annoying sometimes.

Toni predicts Italian renaissance

2008-06-10T13:12:00.001+08:00

Photo Credit to Getty Images.

Italy's Luca Toni is confident the Azzurri will bounce back from their opening humbling by the Netherlands when they face Romania in their second Group C fixture on Friday. "We usually play our best in do-or-die games – now we'll have to do it again," said the FC Bayern München striker.

'Very disappointed'
It was 30 years since Italy had lost to the Dutch, and never by a 3-0 scoreline. Toni headed a 12th-minute chance wide, after which the Oranje took control and triumphed thanks to goals from Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder and Giovanni van Bronckhorst. "We were very disappointed after the game but we looked into each others' eyes and all of us know perfectly what there is at stake in our next game against Romania," said the 31-year-old.

'Think positive'
"We started badly and defended too deeply in the first half. Then they scored from their first chance and everything became more difficult for us because they have great pace on the counterattack. It wasn't our night. However, we have to forget this game quickly and start to think about the next two. With two good results we will go through - we have to think positive."

Greater threat
Italy looked more threatening following the second-half introductions of Alessandro Del Piero, Fabio Grosso and Antonio Cassano, with Toni culpable of missing one clear opportunity and Netherlands No1 Edwin van der Sar equal to the others. Toni added: "We created a few chances but couldn't take them to bring the match back to life. Cassano played a great ball for me but when I tried a lob it was a disaster. Now we have a few days to understand what went wrong and to try to play a great game against Romania."

Buffon sorry
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, handed the captaincy following the injury to Fabio Cannavaro, added: "We have to apologise to every Italian fan. We played very badly and deserved to lose. We can only congratulate the Netherlands on their performance. I hope we recover our usual pride for the next game."

Street Race..SuperGT 2008 Fever

2008-06-08T04:21:00.007+08:00

The heat is come back to town. Inspired by the success of the just-concluded Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang International Circuit (SIC) is aiming a similar impact for the upcoming Super GT International Series Malaysia, which will be held at the circuit from 20th to 22nd June.

Boosted by five prestigious support races, SIC General Manager Datuk Azmi Murad is giving the same message that he delivered to racing fans for the recent F1 race, that is the Super GT race in Sepang is an event not to be missed by racing fans.

"For the Formula One race, we have a huge turnout of racing fans, who were treated to a showcase of motor racing actions at its best. We hope the Super GT race will draw big crowds as well in Sepang and the action will be as spectacular," SIC General Manager Datuk Azmi Murad told a press conference to announce Equatorial Hotel Kuala Lumpur as the Official Hotel for the Super GT International Series Malaysia today.

While its attendance is not expected to match the 185,000-plus spectator attendance over the F1 weekend, Azmi said that the organizers would be happy with an attendance of 65,000 spectators for the 2008 Super GT International Series Malaysia.

"Clearly, these are two different kinds of events. But, both are world class motor racing events with their own kind of appeal and following. I know for a fact that the Super GT has huge following here in Malaysia and its neighbouring countries especially Singapore," said Azmi, who is also the Senior General Manager of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and event director for the 2008 Super GT International Series Malaysia.

Unlike Formula One, the Super GT race features road cars, which can be owned and seen travelling along the normal roads. As such, fans can relate themselves better to Super GT races as compared to Formula One, where the racing cars are not available for sale and personal ownership.

Though road cars in nature, the competing cars - comprising all the top sports car models available in the market from the popular Japanese brands of Toyota, Nissan, Honda to European household names of Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes and BMW - are all fully modified and make-up extensively.

First organized in 2000 as an experimental project by Japan GT Association, the event was an instant success and within the third year, the race in Sepang was officially installed as one of the championship rounds; offering vital points for the teams and drivers in their quest of winning the overall crown.

Apart from the main Super GT race, fans would be treated to the thrills and excitement from four support races - Asian Touring Car Series, the Asian Formula Renault, Asian GT Challenge, Formula V6 Asia Series and the Aston Martin Cup, which will be one of the support races for the inaugural Formula One Singaporean Grand Prix in September.

"Clearly, it's going to be a weekend packed with racing action, thrills and excitement for racing fans. And, like the recent Formula One race, fans would not want to miss this event as well," added Azmi.

Tickets are priced as low as RM80 and they can be purchased by calling TICKET HOTLINE at 603-87782222 or via internet at www.malaysiangp.com.my.

Euro 2008 - Panucci doubt for Italy

2008-06-07T14:18:00.006+08:00

Less than 12 hours Euro 2008 kick-off will start,Italy squad will lost more player in this tournament.

Italy suffered another defensive blow when defender Christian Panucci limped out of training with a knee injury.

The 2006 World Cup winners said that the veteran full back was taken off as a precaution after tweaking a tendon.

The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Internazionale defender was expected to play at right back for the world champions in their Euro 2008 Group C opener against Netherlands in Berne.

The 35-year-old received treatment to his right knee before gingerly walking back to the dressing room.

Fellow defender and Azzurri captain Fabio Cannavaro was previously ruled out of the tournament after tearing ankle ligaments during Italy's first training session in Austria.

Read more

So Fun To Be Malaysian

2008-05-31T12:39:00.005+08:00

NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR HAIR LOSS:
Maggi Mee.

NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR BEING LATE:
Traffic Jam.

NATIONAL CONDOM:
None. Most Malaysians still feel embarrassed buying condoms.
So they rush into a 7-11, hurriedly grab the nearest pack,
any pack, pay and leave before the cashier can even blink an eye.

NATIONAL FRUIT FOR INDUCING MENSTRUATION:
Pineapple

NATIONAL APHRODISIAC DRINK:
Stout. Many swear by it.
But after a few pints they start
swearing at everything.. .

NATIONAL FAKE ILLNESS FOR GETTING MC (MEN):
Food Poisoning.

NATIONAL FAKE ILLNESS FOR GETTING MC (WOMEN):
Menstrual Pain

NATIONAL EXCUSES GIVEN BY WOMEN WHEN REFUSING SEX:
Headache, kids not asleep, maid not asleep, mother-in-law around, early
appointment, period, haven't removed make-up, haven't had a shower, no water
supply, going to watch 'Desperate Housewives', depressed, no mood, etc...

NATIONAL EXCUSES GIVEN BY MEN WHEN REFUSING SEX:
None. Malaysian men never refuse sex. (oh ya??)

NATIONAL CURE FOR HEADACHES :
Panadol. The 'cure for all'. If it fails we have another secret weapon;
Tiger Balm.

NATIONAL CURE FOR DIZZINESS:
Minyak Angin Cap Kapak.

NATIONAL CAUSE OF DIZZINESS (FOR YUPPIES):
Happy Hours.

NATIONAL INSTANT CURE FOR DIZZINESS (FOR YUPPIES):
The sight of a police roadblock.

NATIONAL RUBBISH DUMP:
Anywhere. As long as it is not your house.

NATIONAL MOST MIS-PRONOUNCED NAME:
Carrefour. Sometimes even pronounced as Carry 4!
On second thought, why bother pronouncing stupid French brands like Peugeot, Renault or Citroen correctly. I think it sounds better,when the local mechanics say 'Pew Jeot'. When I was in school, Milo was always 'MeeLo', now that I'm sophisticated, I say 'My Lo'. So don't be embarassed saying 'Carry 4' when the ! Mat Sallehs shamelessly pronounce orang utan as 'rangootan'.

NATIONAL ROADSIDE DISTRACTION:
The Bra-less Tourist. See how heads turn and traffic slows down when a bra-less Mat Salleh backpacker goes 'bouncing' about on the streets.
haha...

I like all these facts but we are all so shy to admit!

Someone need your help...

2008-05-30T08:01:00.003+08:00

Dear All

Just read this message from my inbox.
Appreciate your kindhearted assistance…please fwd to others.May God bless you.

TQVM

Dr Mahathir Mohamad: Pengumuman Keluar Dari UMNO

2008-05-19T07:06:00.001+08:00

Hari ini, Mei 19, 2008 saya mengumumkan keputusan saya untuk keluar daripada UMNO. Isteri saya turut bersama.

Keputusan ini dibuat kerana UMNO yang ada sekarang bukan lagi UMNO yang ditubuh 62 tahun dahulu yang berjuang untuk bangsa Melayu, Agama Islam dan Negara Malaysia (Malaya); UMNO yang menggagalkan Malayan Union, memperjuangkan kemerdekaan Malaya dan Malaysia dan membangunkan Malaysia sehingga menjadi Negara yang termaju di antara Negara membangun di dunia.

UMNO yang ada sekarang hanya wujud untuk menyokong Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, keluarganya dan tindakan serta dasar yang tidak secocok dengan kepentingan bangsa, agama dan negara.

Kepimpinan Dato Seri Abdullah jelas membawa kekalahan dan bencana kepada Barisan Nasional, UMNO, MCA, MIC, Gerakan dan PPP. Kemenangan UMNO di Sabah dan BN di Sarawak bukan kerana kepimpinan Dato Seri Abdullah.

Saya akan jelas satu persatu dasar-dasar dan tindakan Dato Seri Abdullah yang menjadikan Kerajaan pimpinannya dan parti BN dibenci oleh ahli-ahli parti komponen sendiri.

Walaupun sebelum perisytiharan ini saya adalah ahli UMNO tetapi sebenarnya selepas saya letak jawatan sebagai Perdana Menteri saya tidak dilayan sebagai ahli UMNO.

Saya tidak dibenarkan berjumpa ahli UMNO dan ahli UMNO tidak dibenarkan hadir apa-apa perhimpunan di mana saya dijemput sebagai jurucakap atau penyampai ucapan.

Menteri-Menteri yang dahulu berada dalam Kabinet saya tidak dibenarkan atau tidak berani atau tidak mahu jumpa saya lagi.

Jemputan oleh UMNO dan bukan UMNO kepada saya diarah ditarik balik oleh Mneteri Besar dan Polis.

Ramai pemimpin UMNO melepaskan kata-kata kesat kepada saya dan ada yang menyuruh saya keluar daripada UMNO walaupun mereka baru sahaja masuk UMNO. Tidak ada pemimpin UMNO yang pertahankan saya secara terbuka.

Wakil ke Perhimpunan Agong tidak dibenarkan menyuara pendapat mereka. Mulut semua orang ditutup.

Yang didengar hanyalah media arus perdana yang memuji Dato Seri Abdullah sehingga dia percaya dia begitu popular dan akan sapu bersih parti lawan dalam pilihanraya umum ke-12.

Hasilnya ialah kekalahan yang teruk bagi Barisan Nasional. Malangnya mesej yang hendak disampaikan oleh pengundi dan penyokong BN tidak dapat difahami oleh Dato Seri Abdullah.

Dia masih berkata dia menang. Ini sukar diterima oleh orang Kedah, orang Pulau Pinang, orang Perak, Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan.

Selanjutnya.

Lingam Tape report to be made public from Tuesday

2008-05-17T07:06:00.002+08:00

PUTRAJAYA (May 16, 2008): The Cabinet today agreed that the contents of the report by the royal commission on the VK Lingam video clip be made public and copies of the report to be sold.

It has also taken into account the findings of the commission which has identified that the video clip recording is authentic and decided to recommend that appropriate action be taken against the individuals identified and said to have committed certain offences.

"Following these findings, there is a possibility that offences against the law have been committed as stipulated in the report. The Cabinet agrees for the Attorney-General (A-G)'s Chambers to institute immediate investigation on all allegations levelled against individuals identified in the report,” said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, adding the government is now in the process of preparing the necessary laws for the establishment of the Judicial Appointment Commission.

Asked for the names of the individuals identified in the report, he said, they are Datuk V.K. Lingam, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin, Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

When asked whether these people were implicated, he said: "No. No. I don’t want to say implicated. I said these are the findings of the report."

He said the various offences mentioned in the report included the Official Secret Act, Sedition Act, Penal Code and obstruction of justice.

"These are the issues that the A-G has to investigate. But I have to remind you, this report or recommendations are advisory in nature. So, you have to have another investigation," he added.

Zaid said the government is committed and serious about restoring the rule of law, returning confidence back to the judiciary and making sure that the selection process of judges and high officers are done in a transparent way.

"This is so that we ca minimise the shortcomings and weaknesses in the past,” he said, adding the Cabinet urged the public, including the media, to allow investigation process to proceed uninterrupted without undue pressure or any prejudice against any individuals identified in the report.

"It must be reiterated that in our legal system, an accused or a person implicated for an offence is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," he said, adding the public would be able to buy the report from the Legal Affairs Division from 2pm on Tuesday (May 20).

There are four volumes to the report by the Commission of Enquiry on the Video Clip Recording of the Images of a Person Purported to be an Advocate and Solicitor Speaking on the Telephone on Matters Regarding the Appointment of Judges, namely the main report (RM161.40), the notes of proceeding (RM123), statutory declaration (RM120) and exhibits (RM136.90).

Husna Yusop

The TIME 100 - The World's Most Influential People.

2008-05-02T11:00:00.002+08:00

Complete List

Leaders & Revolutionaries

* Dalai Lama
* Vladimir Putin
* Barack Obama
* Hillary Clinton
* John McCain
* Hu Jintao
* George W. Bush
* Jacob Zuma
* Anwar Ibrahim
* Kevin Rudd
* Bartholomew I
* Ben Bernanke
* Muqtada al-Sadr
* Robert Gates
* Michelle Bachelet
* Sonia Gandhi
* Baitullah Mehsud
* Evo Morales
* Ma Ying-jeou
* Ashfaq Kayani

Heroes & Pioneers

* Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie
* Oprah Winfrey
* Oscar Pistorius
* Mia Farrow
* Andre Agassi
* Lance Armstrong
* Bob and Suzanne Wright
* Peter Gabriel
* Kaká
* Sheik Mohammed al-Maktoum
* Yoani Sánchez
* Madeeha Hasan Odhaib
* Randy Pausch
* Lorena Ochoa
* Tony Blair
* Alexis Sinduhije
* Aung San Suu Kyi
* George Mitchell

Scientists & Thinkers

* Michael Bloomberg
* Craig Venter
* Jill Bolte Taylor
* Larry Brilliant
* Jeff Han
* Mehmet Oz
* Nancy Brinker
* Harold McGee
* Peter Pronovost
* Eric Chivian & Richard Cizik
* Mary Lou Jepsen
* Paul Allen
* Nicholas Schiff
* Mark Zuckerberg
* Wendy Kopp
* Shinya Yamanaka & James Thomson
* Michael Griffin
* Susan Solomon
* Isaac Berzin

Artists & Entertainers

* Lorne Michaels
* Miley Cyrus
* Robert Downey Jr.
* Herbie Hancock
* Joel & Ethan Coen
* Bruce Springsteen
* Peter Gelb
* Mariah Carey
* Khaled Hosseini
* Elizabeth Gilbert
* Rem Koolhaas
* Judd Apatow
* Alex Rigopulos & Eran Egozy
* George Clooney
* Tim Russert
* Suze Orman
* Stephenie Meyer
* Tyler Perry
* Tom Stoppard
* Chris Rock
* Takashi Murakami

Builders & Titans

* Indra Nooyi
* Ali al-Naimi
* Rupert Murdoch
* Steve Jobs
* Radiohead
* John Chambers
* Jeff Bezos
* Jay Adelson
* Steve Ballmer
* Jamie Dimon
* Prince Alwaleed bin Talal
* Lou Jiwei
* Neelie Kroes
* Jeffrey Immelt
* Karl Lagerfeld
* Lloyd Blankfein
* Carlos Slim
* Mo Ibrahim
* Ratan Tata
* Cynthia Carroll
* Carine Roitfeld
* Michael Arrington

TIME

Happy labour Day

2008-05-01T12:03:00.002+08:00

Happy Labour day to all.Enjoy your holiday.