hot news blog

Local Chrysler Dealerships Closing:Almost 800 !

2009-05-15T05:26:00.000-07:00

Thursday, Chrysler indicated it would shut down nearly 800 U.S. dealerships by June 9 of this year.

Some of those dealerships have already indicated they will fight the proposal

Chrysler spokeswoman Kathy Graham would not comment other than to say the company will notify dealers before speaking publicly. A hearing is scheduled for June 3 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York to determine whether to approve Chrysler's motion.

complete list of the Chrysler dealerships closing

IN PDF format

Chrysler dealerships aren't the only ones scheduled to get bad news this week. General Motors Corp. says it is notifying 1,100 dealers that it will not renew their franchise agreements when they expire at the end of September of 2010.

Chrysler said in its filing that dealers are not competitive enough with foreign brands. Chrysler sold an average of 303 vehicles per dealer in 2008, according to its filing. By contrast, Honda Motor Co. sold about 1,200 vehicles per dealer, while Toyota Motor Corp. sold nearly 1,300 per dealer.

Chrysler has received $4 billion in federal loans and has been operating in bankruptcy protection since April 30. Its sales this year are down 46 percent compared with the first four months of last year and it reported a $16.8 billion net loss for 2008.

Heel Stick ? it's a genetic analysis performed on newborn babies

2009-05-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Heel Stick is actually a procedure in which newborn baby's heel is pricked to get enough blood to be used in newborn screening and newborn screening is a process of testing newborn babies to detect treatable genetic, endocrinologic, metabolic and hematologic diseases.

A small amount of the blood is collected, usually with a narrow-gauge ("capillary") glass tube or a filter paper.

The heel stick is now the most common way to draw blood from newborns.

If the blood tests are performed earlier than 24 hours after the baby is born, a repeat test is recommended at 1 to 2 weeks of age.

The most common newborn screening tests in the U.S. include those for hypothyroidism (underactivity of the thyroid gland) , PKU (phenylketonuria), galactosemia, and sickle cell disease.

The test can prevent permanent disability, mental retardation and in some cases death

If your baby tests positive during the Heel Stick screening you will need to bring your child in for additional testing. The tests are very sensitive so false positives are a common occurrence. You may need to consult a genetic specialist or pediatrician to entirely diagnose your child.

This video shows you the technique :

Google Squared ; a new search results in spreadsheet format

2009-05-13T04:35:00.000-07:00

Google Inc. unveiled new tools Tuesday for Internet users to narrow and organize their search results as the company tries to maintain its dominance against a sea of challengers.

Google Squared, an experimental service, automatically compiles details from several Web pages and organizes them into a table on a single page, with multiple columns like a spread sheet

Google is creating pages of its own from information culled from several sources and then displaying it in a grid.

"It really pushes search in an entirely different direction," said Marissa Mayer, vice president of search and user experience at Google

Users who don't get the information they want from Squared can add criteria, which will appear in additional columns. Searches can be saved and accessed later for users who have Google accounts.

In the video demo below, a search for “camera” sorts the results in different columns by images, description, and manufacturer, resolution, etc.. You can refine results by clicking on a particular column such as manufacturer.

Google Squared is launching later this month in labs. Google Squared returns search results in a spreadsheet format. It structures the unstructured data on web pages. So a search for Small Dogs returns results with names, description, size, weight, origin, etc., in columns and rows.

Google Squared is an early attempt to take the messy data which exists on the Web and place it into simple tables. It is still very experimental and isn’t always on target, but you can see where this is going. Turning the Web into a giant database will crush any attempt to segregate the “best” information into a separate database so that it can be processed and searched more deeply.

As part of its preview of Squared, Google showed that the product is imperfect,but Google is far from perfecting its search results, and the enhancements introduced Tuesday show how far there is to go.

Citizens Consulting, Inc. What is it ?

2009-05-12T03:19:00.000-07:00

... and how is it connected to ACORN?

Citizens Consulting, Inc. is an outsourcing company which mainly focuses on Accounting services. Companies who are cutting costs are looking to save on manpower and just getting services from outsourced companies. This is very cost efficient and hassle free.

When you visited the Citizens Consulting, Inc.website. It's a static page displaying only their contact info.??

Here are the services that Citizens Consulting, Inc. offer:
- General Accounting
- Bookkeeping
- Payroll
- Billing
- Inventory accounting
- Cost accounting
- Financial accounting
- Tax accounting
- Auditing
- Corporate finance

Citizens Consulting Inc.:Www.citizenscosulting.org - Citizens Consulting, INC is a company that holds financial records and is located in Louisiana.Www.citizenscosulting.org was mentioned by Glenn Beck today because the company is being sued by ACORN for embezzlement.

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform also known as ACORN is the subject of numerous lawsuits in many states with the latest in Nevada.

Accusations of voter fraud have revolved around the organization, even months before the last presidential election

Several ousted former Acorn board members are calling for an investigation of $1 million they say disappeared.

An investigation revealed on Glenn Beck’s television program today found all Acorn funds go through one group called Citizens Consulting, Inc. CCI charges an undisclosed fee to distribute the money through one address in New Orleans.

Happy mother's day ! Thanks to all moms!

2009-05-10T03:20:00.000-07:00

this is one of the most special days for the most deserving ones, our Mothers!

We must salute all mothers for their hard work.

BIG KISS MOM

Rihanna 's Nude photos scandal ? Is it the naked truth ?

2009-05-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

Rihanna has become involved in a naked photo scandal after a series of raunchy shots allegedly showing the singer were posted on the internet.

The new photos come just days after Rihanna made her first public appearance following an alleged fight with Brown in Los Angeles on the eve of the Grammy Awards in February (09).

Rihanna, 21, can only be clearly seen in two of the photos, in which she is fully clothed

One Photo shows Rihanna’s reflection in the mirror which appears to be “I love you Robyn,” which is Rihanna’s legal first name.

However the woman’s face is not visible in the naked pictures, leading to doubt over the authenticity of the pictures.

Since you never see her face in any of the photos, someone just took pictures of a woman that nearly looks like Rihanna . In any of the pictures, you can not see any of Rihanna's tattoos !

These photos have been leaked by someone with the name “Young Turk” on Imageheaven.net.

Gregory Skomal solve mystery of basking sharks

2009-05-08T01:40:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

The basking shark is the second largest living shark, after the whale shark

it is found in all the world's temperate oceans.

This shark is called the basking shark because it is most often observed when feeding at the surface and appears to be basking.

he basking shark is a passive filter feeder, filtering zooplankton, small fish and invertebrates from up to 2,000 tons of water per hour.

Every winter the second biggest fish in the oceans disappear!

After decades of searching, scientists have finally discovered where basking sharks go in the wintertime.

In winter, basking sharks move to deeper warm -water (depths of up to 900 m) feeding on deep water plankton

To learn more, Greg Skomal ,a marine biologist, and his team attached complicated tracking devices and satellite technology to 25 basking sharks off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

When the tags began transmitting their data back to Greg, their locations came as something of a surprise.

Basking sharks are social animals and form schools segregated by sex, usually in small numbers (3 or 4) but reportedly up to 100 individuals.

These sharks have few predators, but orcas and tiger sharks are known to feed on them,

Basking sharks are ovoviviparous and gestation is thought to span over a year (but perhaps 2 or 3 years).

The basking shark has been protected and trade in its products restricted in many countries. It is fully protected in the UK, Malta, Florida and US Gulf and Atlantic waters .

High performance of Gwen Stefani last night on American Idol 8

2009-05-07T05:09:00.000-07:00

Gwen Stefani and the boys of No Doubt rocking out on Wednesday night’s American Idol Results Show.

They perform “I’m Just a Girl,” and Gwen’s voice seems to have matured from the early years.

I think her vocals might have sounded better.Even after bearing two kids, Gwen still maintains a good figure and looks great.

I’m excited that No Doubt is going on tour.After No Doubt’s lead singer Gwen Stefani took a solo career, the band is now reunited.

For detailed information, check No Doubt’s Official Website

Connie Culp is a survivor : Face transplant !

2009-05-06T02:24:00.000-07:00

Story of Connie CULP

Four years ago, the Hopedale, Ohio, resident was shot in the face by her husband.

For four years, she had no nose. The bony structure that once supported her face was gone, as was most of her face. She could not breathe other than through a tracheotomy, could not smell, could not even drink or eat normally.

This past December, Connie became the first person in the world to receive a full face transplant

Surgeons removed not just the skin, but the bony structures underneath, the nerves, facial muscles, lower eyelids, the palate from a local donor and in a 22 hour surgery attached the donor face to Connie

The facial nerves that they reattached will slowly regenerate, giving her the ability to show emotion. Connie is able to smell and taste again, she can drink coffee from a cup, and breathe from her new nose. Specialists say her pain, which was constant before is nearly gone.

On Tuesday(5 may) she was helped to a podium at the Cleveland Clinic to show the world that the operation was a success.

Watch the video :

Congratulations Connie! shining example of what courage you give us and congratulations to the entire medical team.

Windows 7RC : download from Microsoft Now !

2009-05-05T02:25:00.000-07:00

Windows 7 RC will finally be publicly released by Microsoft .

The good news is that you'll have plenty of time after the initial rush to get your hands on the official DVD ISOs. Microsoft announced yesterday that download links will be available through July 2009.

Microsoft's official download links

You'll need to sign in with your Windows Live ID and fill out a brief form first, unless you already did so for the Beta.

Both the 32 and 64-bit version are available now in five languages: English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese.

There's no need to burn a DVD if you've got USB hard drive handy.

see this link

But You’re probably not going to get it on May 5th ,Wait a day or two until the server errors are over !

You can Download the image from P2P networks.

create a separate partition for your Windows 7 Beta installation.

If you are running Windows XP or you’re having problems dealing with parititions in Windows Vista, you can download the EASEUS Partition Manager.

Windows 7 Release Candidate will expire on June 1st, 2010. Do note however, that you really only want to use it until March 1, 2010, since Windows 7 will start shutting down on you every two hours from that date.

Good luck !

What's Rett syndrome?

2009-05-04T02:35:00.000-07:00

Rett syndrome (also called Retts disorder) is a neurodevelopmental disorder.

The clinical features include a deceleration of the rate of head growth (including microcephaly in some) and small hands and feet.

Repetitive hand movements such as mouthing or wringing are also noted.
Symptoms of the disorder include cognitive impairment and problems with socialization,
Socialization typically improves by the time they enter school.Symptoms of Rett syndrome that are similar to autism
Scoliosis, growth failure, and constipation are very common and can be problematic.

Rett syndrome (symbolized RTT) is caused by mutations in the gene MECP2 located on the X chromosome

It almost exclusively affects girls

Currently there is no cure for Rett syndrome, but studies have shown that restoring MECP2 function may lead to a cure.
-management of gastrointestinal (reflux, constipation) and nutritional (poor weight gain) issues
-surveillance of scoliosis
-increasing the patient's communication skills
-parental counseling
-anti-psychotics (for self-harming behaviors)

Mortality

a) Males with pathogenic MECP2 mutations usually die within the first 2 years from severe encephalopathy.

b)Females can live up to 40 years or more.

A high proportion of deaths are abrupt, but most have no identifiable cause

Pacquiao scores knockout win over Hatton

2009-05-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

Pacquiao cemented his claim to being the best pound-for-pound boxer tonight with a spectacular performance that ended with Hatton sprawled helplessly on the canvas after a devastating left hand to the head late in the second round.

Hatton had lost only once in his career, but he was no match for Pacquiao, who knocked him down midway through the first round and again towards the end of the round.

Pacquiao was always supposed to be quicker than Hatton, but he was also a lot stronger — and a lot more accurate.

watch the video from all the boxing match:

today : Manny Pacquiao takes on Ricky Hatton.!

2009-05-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao hails from General Santos City - Mindanao Philippines and Hatton from Manchester UK.

Last December Manny Pacquiao force Oscar De La Hoya out of the fight after eight rounds.

That fight prompted oddsmakers to make Pacquiao a 2-1 favorite when he and Hatton meet tonight in a 140-pound fight that is the first big bout of the post-De La Hoya era.

Who will be the best pound 4 pound champ?

Tonight we will see who will be crowned champ.

Free Live Streaming Schedule

US - 6:00 PM - May 2, 2009 (Sat)

UK - 2:00 AM - May 3, 2009 (Sun)

Phil - 9:00 AM - May 3, 2009 (Sun

Watch Pacquiao - Hatton live stream

Local Rockville High School will be closed after student tested for

2009-05-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Rockville High School will be closed Friday (1st MAY )because of a probable swine flu case involving a student.

Dr. Ulder J. Tillman, Montgomery County's health director, says the student is a probable direct carrier of the H1N1 virus.

"In the last 24 hours, Montgomery County has received notification of two probable cases of the H1NI virus, commonly known as swine flu," Tillman says.

Tillman says there were "definite differences and reasons" for closing Rockville High and not closing other Montgomery County schools.

The decision to close Rockville High took some staff members by surprise as they arrived for work Friday morning.

Swine Flu Hits in U.S.; Now in 11 States !

2009-04-30T02:51:00.000-07:00

Public health officials announced tonight that they have identified six probable cases of swine flu in Washington state: three in Seattle.

Dr. David Fleming, director and health officer for Public Health-Seattle & King County, said he expects the region will see more infections of the swine flu H1N1 virus, which has been confirmed or suspected in dozens of patients in at least a dozen other states and several foreign countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) just announced it is changing its original alert of the rapidly spreading swine flu to a higher phase.(level 5)

This new level has been raised in the hopes that the appropriate agencies, industries and communities should now be taking action with with increased urgency and vigilance.

Wash your hands with soap and water. Cover your mouth and nose with the crook of your elbow (not your hand!) when you sneeze. If you’re sick, STAY HOME. If you really feel rotten, SEE A DOCTOR.Wear a mask only when advised!

death of a 23-month-old child in Texas from the swine flu

2009-04-29T05:35:00.000-07:00

Acting CDC Director Dr. Richard Besser confirms the first U.S. swine flu death.

Swine flu is suspected of killing more than 150 people in Mexico and sickening over 2,400 there.

WHO has confirmed at least 105 cases in seven countries. Over half of those — 66 — are in the United States !

In Geneva, WHO was convening its emergency committee Wednesday to discuss, among other things, the current pandemic alert level. It now stands at phase 4, two levels below the threshold for a full pandemic outbreak.

Mexico was taking drastic measures to fight the outbreak. It closed all archaeological sites Tuesday and allowed restaurants in the capital to only serve take-out food in an aggressive bid to stop gatherings where the virus can spread. Schools remained closed until at least May 6.

France : swine flu

2009-04-28T03:03:00.000-07:00

France prepares for H1N1 Swine flu pandemic alert :

Swine Flu in U.S.:!

2009-04-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in the United States.

Video (situation 27 april 2009) :

President Barack Obama said Monday that the threat of spreading swine flu infections is a cause for concern but "not a cause for alarm" as the United States undertook close border monitoring to contain it.

The acting head of the Centers for Disease Control said Monday that people can best protect themselves against the swine flu threat by taking precautions they were taught as kids, like frequently washing their hands.
No vaccine guards against swine flu, but common antiviral drugs like Tamiflu can treat the illness.

"American Airlines, Continental Airlines Inc. and other carriers are on 'heightened awareness' for travelers with possible swine flu symptoms while maintaining flight schedules to Mexico, where the outbreak is worst,"

Between 2005 and January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the United States, with no deaths occurring here, according to health officials.

Death of film director Ken Annakin

2009-04-24T05:38:00.000-07:00

Ken Annakin - born in Beverley, Yorkshire in 1914 - died on Wednesday night at his Beverly Hills home, US. He was 94.

His health had been failing since he had a heart attack and stroke within a day of each other in February.

Ken Annakin directed:
1) “The Call of the Wild,” a 1972 adaptation of Jack London’s adventure
2)Disney live-action films “The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men” (1952),
3)“The Sword and the Rose” (1953)
4)“Swiss Family Robinson” (1960)
5) “The Longest Day” (1962)
6)The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking” (1986)

He had a tremendous curiosity and up until the end of his life, he was still involved with the intrigue and the romance of making movies ! god bless ken !

The Longest Day Trailer (1962) video:

Apple removes" baby shaker" !

2009-04-23T06:31:00.000-07:00

Another missed from teams of approval of the AppleStore, and it's about a software tasteless, "Baby Shaker".

What's the game? Shake a baby and The player wins the game after both the baby's eyes are marked with a red????

Everyone knows that shaking a baby can cause irreversible damage to the brain of the child ... Everyone, except for Apple, therefore, which authorized the launch of the application on Monday.

Jennifer Dickens, founder of an association for the prevention of "shaken baby syndrome" was outraged by this software .

Since then, Apple has removed the offending application without further explanation !!