Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Atif Admits He Recorded a Punjabi Track with G n’ R

Atif has made available more information to the fans about his upcoming project “The Dreamer Awakes“. As mentioned earlier, he already has recorded one track which is a punjabi single and his own composition.
This will not be an English-only but multi-lingual fusion project featuring tracks in Urdu, Punjabi and English.
This will add more to both cultures and bring the nations closer. Atif’s collaboration with G n’ R had made Pakistanis proud but considering now that tracks will include our mother language shall make us prouder.

It’s Official: Facebook Passes 500 Million Users


As widely expected, Facebook has announced that it has passed the 500 million member mark.
In a blog post, CEO Mark Zuckerberg writes that, “I could have never imagined all of the ways people would use Facebook (Facebook) when we were getting started 6 years ago. I want to thank you for being part of making Facebook what it is today and for spreading it around the world.”
Zuckerberg has also announced the launch of Facebook Stories, showcasing interesting ways that people have used the social network around the world. News () of the feature leaked over the weekend.
Later today, Zuckerberg is expected to make a rare television appearance on ABC’s World News, where he’ll be interviewed by Diane Sawyer. Presumably, the interview will focus on what the 500 million milestone means for the company, but we also expect a number of questions about recent privacy gaffes and other controversial subjects, including the soon to be released movie based on Facebook’s beginnings.
The question a lot of people also want to know is how big Zuckerberg thinks Facebook can get. Is one billion users possible? With revenue approaching $1 billion and extensive efforts underway in mobile that can help Facebook extend its reach in the developing world, it certainly can’t be ruled out.


Zuckerberg Makes It Official: Facebook Hits 500 Million Members


This is no surprise to anyone even remotely following the company, but Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg just made things official on the company’s blog: the social network is now 500 million members strong.
According to Zuckerberg, the milestone was hit this morning, which I suspect may be disregarding the exact time just a little.
Either way, Facebook has put together a collection of stories (that page / app is down for me, but is likely being slammed right now) that users have shared with the company, detailing the impact the social network has had on their lives.
In addition, Facebook has put together a photo album with messages of thanks.
Zuckerberg will be making an appearance tonight on ABC’s “World News” in an interview with anchor Diane Sawyer to talk more about the impressive milestone. What, you don’t think going from a couple to half a billion active users in six years counts as an impressive feat?
To put it in perspective: it was only five and a half months ago when Facebook celebrated its sixth birthday and hit 400 million active users – about as long as it took them to go from 300 million to 400 million. Does that mean Facebook will grow to 600 million members by the end of the year, or could it possibly be peaking?
Zuckerberg is actually quite confident they’ll hit 1 billion active users at some point – just last month, at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, he argued that it is “almost a guarantee that it will happen”.
But wait, don’t you all hate Facebook so much you were quitting soon?
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Location:Palo Alto, California, United States
Founded: February 1, 2004
Funding: $836M
Facebook is the world’s largest social network, with over 500 million users.
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Facebook Stories: What’s Your Story?

  • by Elliot Schrage on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 10:16am
    A woman's Facebook status updates from her mobile phone become a lifeline for her and a group of 36 people traveling in Haiti during the earthquake. A recently laid-off man lands a new job by reaching out to his friends on Facebook. After 15 years apart, a father reconnects with his daughter through Facebook.

    These are just a few of the hundreds of stories people like you have shared about their experiences on Facebook. Each of the 500 million people using Facebook, though, has a story. We want to hear your story, too, so it can inspire others to reconnect with long-lost friends, get closer to their friends and family, support those in need, or even start a political movement.

    We launched the Facebook Stories application today to celebrate all these types of stories and to help you share your story with people around the world. You can explore stories on a world map, or sort the stories by dozens of themes like "Love," "Family," Reunions," "Sports" and "College." Fill out the short form at the bottom and select a theme, and you're able to share your story in the application and with your friends through News Feed.



    As you read the stories of others, be sure to "Like" your favorites—the ones that make you laugh, smile or cry, for example—and also share them with your Facebook friends. The more "Likes" a story receives, the more likely it is to be featured in an upcoming "Most Popular" section for more people to see.


    Stories Everywhere


    As well as being available at http://stories.facebook.com/, Facebook Stories is also highlighted as a tab on the Facebook Pages of 31 partners. The partner Pages chose the default theme to show on their Facebook Stories tab based on the types of stories they want to highlight for their audience. At launch, the following Pages have added tabs with these themes highlighted:

    Facebook Stories was developed using the tools and resources of Facebook Platform, which are available to any developer. Our team worked with developers JESS3, of Washington, D.C., and Involver, of San Francisco, to create the application. JESS3 handled the visual design, while the application was built on Involver's platform. We also integrated Bing Maps to power the location view for stories.


    On the Road


    While Facebook Stories helps anyone tell their story and see the stories of others, it doesn't replace meeting people in person. Later this summer, we're going to do just that.

    A team from Facebook will be hitting the open road in the U.S. to meet the people, towns and organizations behind these stories in our first Facebook Stories road trip. We'll be sharing more details of the trip and initial stops in future posts on this blog and the Facebook Page.

    Do you think we should visit your town? Tell us why by sharing your story on Facebook Stories. Submissions are limited to 420 characters, so think about what makes your story unique and about the impact you or a group of people made by using Facebook.



    We're looking forward to hearing all of your stories—and being surprised by the ways people are connecting that we've never imagined.


    Elliot, Facebook's vice president of communications and public policy, rediscovered many of his high school friends on Facebook.

Wrap your iPhone 4 in Swarovski crystals


Now that Apple has all but confirmed that the iPhone 4 needs a case to work correctly, you might as well go as over-the-top as possible, right? Enter this Swarovski crystal case from Caze -- over 1500 Swarovski glass crystals covering every part of the iPhone's sides and back, encircling your handset in garish, diamond-like ... erm ... luxury? Just in case the classic silver version above isn't flashy enough for you, the case is also available in Gold, Blue, or Pink. And if you so choose, you can even get a free crystal Apple logo along with your purchase.

Sheesh. I can't say I'd want my iPhone looking like that, but each to his or her own, I guess. And wait for the price: the case will set you back a full $199 plus shipping and tax. In other words, probably the same thing you paid for the 16gb iPhone underneath it. If you've got an extra $200 sitting around and want to make your iPhone extra shiny, I'm sure Caze will happily help you out.

Kinect price is $150; new 360 hardware coming August 3

Microsoft has finally made it official: the Kinect hardware will retail for $150 when it's released on November 4, and will come with a copy of Kinect Adventures included. That's not the only news today, however, as Redmond revealed a new version of the Xbox 360 that will hit stores on August 3 for $200.
The new Xbox 360 will feature 4GB of flash storage, and will follow the recently released Slim's styling, albeit with a matte finish. With the ability to store and save games on USB sticks, this is perhaps the most able entry-level 360 ever released, and the $200 price point is certainly attractive. Just like its big brother, it has WiFi via the 802.11N standard.
Here's the bundle
Just in case that wasn't enough to get new gamers on board, later this year a bundle consisting of the new 4GB 360 hardware, the Kinect hardware, and a copy of Kinect Adventures will be available for $300. Just to make sure the announcement gives the company some sales momentum, if you preorder any of these bundles today and you'll receive "a token to download three exclusive game levels for Kinect Adventures, the game included with Kinect," at launch.
Kinectimals, Kinect Sports and Kinect Joy Ride will retail for $49.99 when they're launched alongside the hardware, so at least the first-party games should be slightly cheaper than standard Xbox 360 games. Will third parties follow this pricing structure? We hope so.
While the $300 bundle is a great deal for gamers who haven't already invested in the 360 platform, the Kinect's $150 price tag may be a hard sell for those of us who already own a 360. What Microsoft has done with these bundles and new hardware is to give casual gamers a very attractive way to buy in, while hoping the enthusiasm of existing customers will get them to cough up the $150 for the motion controller.

Two New Facebook Scams Make the Rounds [WARNING]

Hot on the heels of the Coca-Cola Facebook scam, which promised to reveal the “truth” about Coca-Cola (but in reality simply aimed to get a hold of your personal info), are two more spreading via Facebook status updates.
The first one contains the message: “OMG!! Guys, you have to see this: This mother went to jail for taking this pic of her son,” with a link to a page that tricks you into sharing the story with your Facebook () buddies. Once you’ve done that, the page will take you to a survey designed to take your personal info.
The other scam is also spreading through Facebook status updates. This time the message says, “OMG!! McDonalds might soon shut down because of this, you have to see this,” followed by a link that roughly duplicates the process above.

Our advice, as always, is not to click on links like these. If a Facebook page or any site insists that you share a piece of content or do a survey before reaching the promised destination, it’s likely a scam. Never give away your personal info. Finally, if you’ve fallen for these (or similar) scams, remove the message from your status, newsfeed, and your Likes and Interests in the “Edit my Profile” menu.

Airhostess who robbed sleeping passengers held



London: An airhostess is facing 10 years in prison in France after admitting stealing money, credit cards and jewellery from business class passengers as they slept on long-haul flights.

The 47-year-old Air France employee dubbed the "Mile High Pickpocket" was caught following complaints about missing money, credit cards and designer jewellery. The woman, identified as Lucie R, was arrested when she got off a Tokyo to Paris flight last Friday.

She would rifle through pockets and handbags, helping herself up to 3,700 pounds on one single flight, Daily Mail reported.

"It would all go missing on the routes she was working on," said a source close to investigators, who looked at 142 flights attended by the woman, who is married with children.

"She knew that many of the passengers would fall asleep following a large meal and lots of alcohol. This is the time that she would start rifling through their property, helping herself to whatever she could find."

When confronted with the evidence against her, she confessed to 26 different thefts, during which everything from antique watches to cheque books were taken.

Most took place on long-haul flights from France to the Far East. On one flight to Japan alone, five passengers complained about losing up to 3,700 pounds in cash.

Police charged her with 26 offences while suggesting that numerous other thefts "undoubtedly took place".

According to investigators, colleagues had become suspicious of Lucie R's lavish lifestyle. Despite officially earning less than 40,000 pounds a year, she regularly turned up for work in a top-of-the-range sports car and was buying plush apartments close to the airports where she worked.

Police also raided a bank deposit box in her home town of Rouen, western France, where Lucie R had hidden stolen property, including Cartier jewellery.

The woman is currently in custody in Paris and is expected to appear before court this week.

IBN

First ice-cream van introduced for dogs in London



First 
ice-cream van introduced for dogs in London LONDON: A new ice cream van with tasty treats specifically for canines will have man's best friend howling with delight.

Instead of offering the traditional vanilla whip cones topped with a flake, these frozen feasts contain gammon and chicken ice cream - complete with a crunchy canine biscuit bone.

A team of scientists investigated the perfect combination of temperature, texture and taste, ensuring the treats would be delicious to dogs and completely safe.

They came up with two flavours - 'dog eat hog world' - a gammon and chicken sorbet topped with a biscuit and served in a cone - and 'canine cookie crunch' - a combination of mixed dog biscuits and ice cream.

The K99 van can be found in parks this summer and, rather than the traditional chimes, the van will be playing the theme tune to Scooby Doo.

It makes its debut appearance at The Boomerang Pets Party in Regents Park, London, on Saturday.

Spokesperson for The Boomerang Pets Party Sally Bezant said: 'Every year Brits consume an average of around 50 ice creams per person, with the majority of these eaten in the summer months.

'All the while, man's best friend has to make do with a bowl of water to cool down. And, with 10.5 million dogs in the UK, that's a lot of pets missing out.'

'With this is mind, The Boomerang Pets Party decided to take action and bring an ice cream to the dogs of Britain.'

Head chef behind the K99's recipes Ceric Nale said: 'When it came to designing the recipes for the K99s, we wanted to make sure we had the most exciting flavour and texture combinations.

'After a lot of research, a gammon and chicken ice cream and a mixed dog biscuit ice cream were the clear winners, and we hope they'll be flavours dogs simply can't refuse.'
Early results show that dogs have a big appetite for the novelty treats.

The ice creams are available for a 99p donation to Berkshire Search and Rescue Dogs.

Abdominal fat raises heart disease risk



Abdominal fat raises heart disease risk OTTAWA: First came BMI. Now comes hypertriglyceridemic waist -- a cheap and simple way to identify people at increased risk of heart attack due to excess abdominal fat, even if they do not look obese.

In a study published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, researchers from Quebec City's Laval University are reporting that a large waistline and high triglycerides -- a type of blood fat -- substantially increase the risk of coronary artery disease in both men and women.

Obesity has long been linked with a litany of health problems, but not every obese person has the same "metabolic abnormalities" associated with excess body fat, according to the research team -- a collaboration between investigators from Laval and scientists from the Netherlands and the U.K.

When it comes to diabetes and cardiovascular disease, what matters most is abdominal fat. Abdominal, or "visceral" fat, is a deep layer of fat that wraps around internal organs, distinct from the subcutaneous fat just beneath the skin that you can pinch with your fingers.

"In some people, the abdominal cavity is loaded with this visceral fat. But very obese patients could have a lot of total body fat without necessarily being abdominally obese," says Jean-Pierre Despres, director of research in cardiology at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute and professor in the faculty of medicine at Laval.

Even waist circumference alone doesn't tell the entire story, because it doesn't distinguish between how much of the fat is visceral and how much is subcutaneous.

Despres and his colleagues discovered a decade ago that people with excess visceral fat have elevated blood levels of triglyceride. The term "hypertriglyceridemic-waist phenotype" was born. The researchers thought it could be a useful and inexpensive way to screen people at risk of coronary artery disease and Type 2 diabetes.

They looked at a group of 21,787 men and women, age 45 to 79, living in Norfolk, U.K., who are participating in a large study investigating cancer and nutrition.

After an average of nearly 10 years of followup, 2,109 developed coronary artery disease.

The rather unwieldy "hypertriglyceridemic-waist phenotype" is defined as a waist circumference of 90 centimetres or more, and a triglyceride level of 2.0 millimoles per litre of blood or more in men, and a waist circumference of 85 centimetres or more, and a triglyceride level of 1.5 mmol/L or more in women.

In both men and women, a large waist circumference or elevated triglycerides increased the risk of developing heart disease. But the combination of the two was associated with the highest risk for both sexes.

Among men, those with a hypertriglyceridemic waist had a 2.4-fold increased risk of developing coronary artery disease over the followup period, compared with men without the "phenotype." For women with the unhealthy high-waist-high-blood-fat combination, their risks for heart disease increased nearly fourfold.

When the researchers controlled for smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other more traditional risk factors, the risks for men increased by 28 per cent, and by 67 per cent for women.

Despres said it doesn't take expensive testing to identify those at risk -- just a tape measure and a standard lipid test. A lipid test measures total cholesterol. It also measures the amount of fat in the blood -- triglycerides -- but Despres says doctors aren't trained to pay attention to triglyceride levels unless they're quite high.

"We suggest that moderately elevated triglyceride levels, when combined with an elevated waistline, predicts excess visceral fat and heart disease," he said.

Visceral fat cells flood the bloodstream with free fatty acids, which travel to the liver. "Impaired liver function due to liver fat accumulation is becoming a big, big issue in North America. And the liver is key here," Despres said.

A liver loaded with fat is a "dysfunctional liver," he said, "releasing a lot of glucose in the blood -- increasing your risk of diabetes -- and a lot of triglycerides, leading to a lipid profile that will increase the risk of heart disease."

Excess visceral fat also increases substances that contribute to inflammation in the body, increasing the risk of heart disease, he said.

Chopra researches for 'Silence' role

Chopra researches for 'Silence' role

Chopra 
researches for  MUMBAI: Priyanka Chopra has reportedly planned to spend some time in a mental hospital while researching for a movie role.

The actress, who is to play a mentally ill woman in Silence, is apparently visiting a number of institutions so that she can learn more about the disability she is portraying.

"The film has already signed another leading heroine Katrina Kaif hence Priyanka was hesitant to take up the movie. However, after going through the script, Priyanka realised the importance of her character in the film and signed it.

"She has preparing been for the role and is planning to visit some institutions," a source revealed.

Chopra added: "I will start shooting for Anurag [Basu]'s Silence in January 2011 after completing Don 2. I am preparing for my role. I need to undergo training to perform the role perfectly. I am happy to get such a challenging role, which many of my age do not get."

No sugar shortage in next three months: Iskander Khan


 No 
sugar shortage in next three months: Iskander Khan KARACHI: There will be not shortage of sugar in the country in next three months, Chairman Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) Iskander Khan said.

Talking to Geo News, Iskander Khan said sugar mills have seven to eight lac tonnes of sugar in stock. However, government should take timely measures for uninterrupted supply of sugar after three months. Sugar mill owners will help government in this connection.

He said the import price of sugar is more than Rs.70/kg whereas sale of sugar at Rs.61/kg is not possible in ramzan. He denied the reports that sugar price will be reach to Rs.100/kg in ramzan.

Wars raised terror threat to UK: Ex-MI5 chief



Wars 
raised terror threat to UK: Ex-MI5 chief LONDON: The invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan led to a huge surge in the terrorist threat to the United Kingdom, the former head of MI5 said.

Giving evidence to the official inquiry into the war, Baroness Manningham-Buller said the service struggled to cope with the number of plots in the aftermath of the invasion in 2003.

She added: “Our involvement in Iraq radicalised a whole generation of young people not a whole generation, a few among a generation who saw our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as being an attack on Islam.”

She said many UK-born individuals were attracted to the ideology of al Qaeda after the invasion and added that the number of Britons who became involved in terrorist plots took MI5 by surprise.

Manningham-Buller said the toppling of Saddam Hussein had enabled al Qaeda to establish a foothold in Iraq which it had never managed before.

Manningham-Buller said there was clear evidence that Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war was a motivating factor in terrorist attacks on the UK.

Manningham-Buller said MI5 was given a budget increase after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US and again in 2002, but still needed far greater resources as a result of the Iraq invasion.

She suggested that the threat to the UK might have been reduced if there had been better plans for post-invasion Iraq.

Lashing rains kill 19 in various areas

 Lashing rains kill 19 in various areas Updated at: 1427 PST,  Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Lashing
 rains kill 19 in various areas LAHORE: At least 19 people lost their lives in rain-related accidents, as driving rains are in progress in various parts of the country, Geo News reported Wednesday.

The stormy downpours intermittently continued since last night in Dera Ismail Khan and the adjoining areas.

At least three children and a woman were killed as their house caved in in Aba Shaheed. The rainwater is still present in low-lying areas, rendering the life virtually suspended.

The rainwater after it rained overnight, accumulated in low-lying and interior areas of Sargodha, injuring at least six people, as the walls of houses crumbled down in katchi abadis.

Also, a man died of electrocution in Sargodha area of Phalarwan.

The spell of heavy showers are intermittently in progress in Gujranwala and its suburbs.

A man was killed when roof of his house collapsed in Madina Colony. Faisalabad also hit by rains on Wednesday morning that brought mercury down. However, several low-lying areas submerged due to heavy rains.

Torrential rains also hit Bannu, Noswshera and other adjoining areas. A child electrocuted in Aman Garh. Tourists in Muree enjoying rain spell since two days. Strong gales forced electric wires fell down that suspends power supply in the area. Meanwhile, a child killed after falling into rain drain in Terate near Murree. Rain spell also lashed Azad Kashmir and Muzzafarabad.

Karachi: Cloudy weather predicted in next 24 hours


Karachi: Cloudy weather predicted in next 24 hours
 Updated at: 1446 PST,  Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Karachi: Cloudy weather predicted in next 24 hours KARACHI: The Meteorological office predicted cloudy weather for metropolis during next 24 hours whereas temperature lies between 33 C to 35 C.

Met office also predicted scattered rain with thundershower over Punjab, Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa and Kashmir during next 24 hours.

Rainfall recorded during last 24 hours: Bannu 101 mm, Lahore’s upper Mall 191, Baghbanpura 185, Shahidra 117, Shahi Qila 102, airport and Jail road 98, Nurpur Thal 93, Dera Ismail Khan 80, Faisalabad 60 mm, Peshawar 47, Peshawar city 44 mm

Deepika Padukone gets a new tattoo


Deepika Padukone has inscribed a new tattoo on her ankle. It is the most painful place to ink a tattoo but Deepika is very happy to go through this painful experience. The idea of having a tattoo on the ankle clicked in Dips’s mind while she was shooting in London.

This is Deepika’s second tattoo. In the past she had one on her nape which reads RK meaning Ranbir Kapoor. The actress inked Ranbir’s name on her nape when their love story was at the peak. But now that they are no more together, Dips is not ready to get the name off from her nape. Deepika’s first tattoo is quite evident.

When asked, Deepika Padukone was hesitant to divulge the details of her new tattoo. She just confirmed the news that she had one new tattoo inked on her ankle.

What her new tattoo symbolizes is yet to be confirmed but Deepika kept her first tattoo intact which throws a clear indication that Ranbir is still ruling her heart and mind.

Teen Trades up on Craigslist from Phone to Porsche in 2 Years


Glendora teen image
In a world where many teens seem to lack both patience and common sense, one teen in Glendora, CA, demonstrated both masterfully.
Steven Ortiz, 17, used Craigslist to trade his way up from an old cell phone to a Porsche.  It took him 2 years of bartering like mad, but it appears that the effort was worth it. He’s the only student at Charter Oak High School who drives a Porsche to school.
His path from old cell phone to Porsche included working his way up to an iPod, then a MacBook Pro laptop. Eventually, Ortiz traded up from electronics to dirt bikes, then cars and trucks, and an SUV.
“A lot of my friends are jealous,” Ortiz said. “A lot of my friends come up to me and tell me, ‘You want to trade my phone for a car? Try to get me a Ferrari.’ I tell them it’s not that easy. It takes time and patience, definitely.”
Ortiz’s skill at identifying a good deal started years ago when he would buy cell phones off of his friends. At $30 each, he would turn around and sell the used cell phones online for three times the amount he paid. He also picked up a knack for repairing electronics, which enabled him to take something that was almost worthless and get it functioning again.
Eventually, Ortiz discovered bartering. Many people online are looking for ways to exchange something they don’t need in order to get something they do need. These same people often realize that they can get more through bartering than through selling the item for cash.
“A lot of people don’t have money right now, in this economy. So they think, `I really need a new phone, but I don’t have the money. Here I have this CD player lying around that I don’t use anymore, maybe I can trade,”‘ Steven’s father Esteban explained.
Like many Americans, the Ortiz family has been hit hard by the economy. But with his uncanny ability to scour the Web for incredible deals, Steven Ortiz has still managed to get whatever he wants, despite facing economic hardship.

Lesbian gets $35K settlement over canceled prom

A rural school district that canceled its prom rather than allow a lesbian student to attend with her girlfriend has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit the ACLU filed on her behalf.
The district also agreed to follow a non-discrimination policy as part of the settlement, though it argues such a policy was already in place.
Constance McMillen, 18, said the victory came at the price of her being shunned in her small hometown of Fulton.
"I knew it was a good cause, but sometimes it really got to me. I knew it would change things for others in the future and I kept going and I kept pushing," McMillen said in an interview Tuesday.
The flap started in March when McMillen challenged the Itawamba County School District's rules banning prom dates of the same gender and allowing only male students to wear tuxedos. The district responded by canceling its prom, prompting the ACLU to file suit claiming the teen's rights had been violated and demanding the prom be reinstated.
U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson refused to make school officials hold the prom, but he said in a March 23 ruling that the district had violated McMillen's rights.
The district later announced parents would sponsor another prom chaperoned by school officials. But ACLU lawyers claimed the event was a "sham prom" attended by only about 10 students, while most of McMillen's classmates partied at a private event elsewhere, a claim the school denied. McMillen's suit also says she's been harassed for her stand against the school's policy.
McMillen's lawyers filed notice Monday in U.S. District Court to accept a judgment offer from the Itawamba County School District that will pay $35,000, plus attorney's fees. As part of the agreement, the school district also said it would follow a policy not to discriminate based on sexual orientation in any educational or extracurricular activities or allow harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
School officials contend that their agreement to follow the non-discrimination policy merely reaffirms inclusiveness rules the district already had, said school board attorney Michele Floyd. She said the district's insurance company will pay McMillen.
District officials said in the settlement offer that they didn't believe they violated McMillen's rights.
The ACLU, however, contends that if the district really had such an inclusiveness policy all along, it wouldn't have banned same-sex prom dates. It also said the district is the first in Mississippi to implement a policy banning discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Is Tiger Woods finished?

Tiger Woods: Finished?
Tiger Woods: Finished? Photo: Getty SEE ALL 5 PHOTOS
Best Opinion:  Sports Illustrated, Mercury News, Waggle Room...
As Tiger Woods struggles to regain his stride on the golf course and put his sex scandal behind him, sportswriters are starting to wonder whether his days of dominating the sport are over. Sports Illustrated columnist Joe Posnanski stirred up the debate this week by declaring that Woods is probably finished. Woods, Posnanski says, is no longer the seemingly immortal king of his sport — he's just a "balding, 34-year-old man fighting his swing, his putter, his confidence, his past and his history." He has "played stunningly mediocre golf this year after taking off a few months to deal with his personal issues," failing even to come close to winning a tournament. Is it time to "write off" Tiger Woods? (Watch Woods' British Open meltdown)

Woods will never dominate golf again: It's not just the time Tiger Woods has lost to injuries and his personal troubles, says Tim Kawakami in the San Jose Mercury News. Time is just catching up to him. At 34, he "already is older than the average major-winner over the past few decades," and very few golfers have continued winning major tournaments into their late 30s. Woods may win a few more, but at this point he's "just another very good player."
"Tiger Woods, at 34, now is merely a good golfer"

It's foolish to count him out so quickly: "2010 is officially a throwaway for Tiger Woods," says Ryan Ballangee at Waggle Room. But that doesn't mean his game — especially his putting — will be in "disarray" forever. As he chases the legendary Jack Nicklaus' record for the most major victories, Woods has at least five good years left (Nicklaus "stopped really winning majors" at 40). "Woods will have to change" his game and "become more aggressive," but that doesn't mean it's "time to donate [his] career to Goodwill."
"What stops me from writing off Tiger Woods"

Woods may win again, but he's no longer an "unstoppable force": "Too early to stick a fork in him? Maybe," says Cyd Zeigler Jr. at Outsports.com. But Woods is "not swinging the club well," or putting well, and the guys winning championships these days — Louis Oosthuizen, Graeme McDowell, Lucas Glover — are younger than he is. With 14 majors already under his belt, Woods might still break Jack Nicklaus' majors record (18). But he's not the "unstoppable force" he once was.
"Is Tiger Woods’ dominance over?"

Who’s the Best “That Guy” in Movies?

In Hollywood, not everyone can be a handsome, charismatic leading man like Brad Pitt, Will Smith or Jonathan Lipnicki. That’s where the character actor comes in. You may not immediately recognize character actors by name, but every time they pop up on screen, your first thought is “Hey, it’s THAT GUY!”
While it’s probably not what those guys set out for when they got into acting, the movie world just couldn’t exist without THAT GUY. He’s the guy who plays the nerdy scientist who helps out James Bond, or the sleazy lieutenant to a crime boss, or a dickhead prison guard. And most importantly, he’ll never get the girl. Some THAT GUYs have gone on to bigger and better things, like Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman, but those cases are few and far between.
So the question is, who is the best THAT GUY in movies? Here are the nominees…
Matt Frewer

You’ve seen Matt Frewer pretty much everywhere, from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids to the TV adaptation of The Stand and, more recently, in the updated Dawn of the Dead, Watchmen and in guest roles on pretty much every nerd-oriented show on cable.
Vincent Schiavelli

Let’s face it, there’s not a creepier looking guy on this list or, hell, basically anywhere than classic “that guy” Vincent Schiavelli, who became a “that guy” precisely for being so damn weird looking and off putting. He’s been in tons of stuff, but you probably best remember him from things like Ghost and Better Off Dead.
JK Simmons

JK Simmons has always been on the verge of going from “that guy” to full fledged B-list star, thanks to turns in movies like Spider-Man and Juno, wherein he plays a crotchety newspaper editor and a guy who pretends not to get annoyed by obnoxious teenage hipsters, respectively. Now that’s talent.
Michael Ironside

Now there are a couple of reasons why Michael Ironside is one of those “that guys” whose name you actually know; the foremost reason being the fact that his name is Michael freakin’ Ironside, which scientists agree is one of the most badass names in history. He’s also got a badass voice, and he’s appeared in movies like Top Gun and Starship Troopers, meaning he’s a hero to men everywhere.
David Morse

David Morse is another “that guy” who has always seemed to be on the verge of breaking out with roles in movies like The Green Mile and Disturbia, and he was a standout on the HBO miniseries John Adams, in which he played George Washington. The big, imposing Morse has even gotten a few shots at headlining TV shows, but for the most part has been relegated to the star’s buddy. It’s okay, David Morse, you can be our buddy anytime. Just look at those sad puppy dog eyes.
William Fichtner

On a list of recognizable guys, William Fichtner might just be as recognizable as any. He’s been in movies like Black Hawk Down, Crash, Armageddon, The Perfect Storm, Blades of Glory and even had a memorable – albeit brief – appearance in The Dark Knight. For whatever reason though, he’s just never really been able to escape “that guy” status, probably because people think of him as “that guy who looks like a horse.”
Stephen Tobolowsky

Chances are you’ve seen Gunaxin favorite Stephen Tobolowsky in dozens of movies and TV shows, but we’re willing to bet that when you see his face the first thing that pops into your head is “Needlenose Ned Ryerson.” BING! In fact, even now Tobolowsky can’t seem to escape the role made famous in Groundhog Day, as his character on the show Glee is even named Mr. Ryerson. Well, it’s better than being remembered for appearing in Freddy Got Fingered, we suppose.
Peter Stormare

And the award for “that guy” you’d least want to run into down a dark alley goes to…Peter Stormare! Or as we like to call him, the dude who shoved Steve Buscemi into a wood chipper in Fargo. A Coen brothers favorite, Stormare is also the second person on this list to have appeared in the show Prison Break (along with Fichtner). The Swedish actor is one of our favorites for playing the Nihilist in The Big Lebowski, of course, and apparently is contractually obligated to be in every movie ever. Don’t believe us? Go look at his IMDb page and note that he’s got 10 projects slated for this year and already four for 2011. We’re exhausted just reading that.
Michael Rooker


Michael Rooker is one of our favorites not just for his appearances in Mallrats and Tombstone, but also for being “that guy” in Cliffhanger who spent most of the movie being pissed at Sylvester Stallone for trying to save his girlfriend, while he just sat there and watched. Seriously, it was some of the most ridiculous anger and bitterness we’ve ever seen and would have been the most absurd thing in the movie were it not for John Lithgow’s performance as the villain.
Fred Ward

Probably best known as “that guy who wasn’t Kevin Bacon in Tremors” and “that guy who was also in the sequel but wasn’t the dad from Family Ties,” Fred Ward has been kicking around Hollywood for quite a while. He’s been in movies like Escape from Alcatraz, The Right Stuff, Road Trip and The Player and more recently has apparently become an expert at playing guys named Frank. Such an expert, in fact, that his character name has been Frank in three of his last four projects.
Mike Hagerty

Personally, we like to think of Mike Hagerty as the illegitimate lovechild of John Candy and George Wendt, with John Ratzenberger’s mustache thrown in for good measure. Just to hammer that home, he appeared in both Brewster’s Millions with Candy and Cheers with Wendt and Ratzenberger. This guy started acting in the mid ’80’s and has better than 80 credits to his name, which is amazing considering how few photos of him are available online. Of course, maybe that’s for the best. Anyway, you might know him from Overboard, Wayne’s World or that one episode of Seinfeld where he buys a bunch of coats from Kramer. Yep, that’s about as good as his resume gets, folks.
Clancy Brown

You wanna know how awesome Starship Troopers was? Well in addition to reportedly being the favorite movie of one Tom Hanks, it also featured not only Michael Ironside but Clancy Brown, one of our other favorite “that guys.” Brown has 171 projects listed on IMDb. You read that right — 171 projects, including The Shawshank Redemption, Highlander, Lost, as well as the upcoming Cowboys & Aliens, and he’s voiced many a character in both cartoons and video games. Most notably, of course, is his role as Lex Luthor in Superman: The Animated Series.
William Sadler


Hey, how about another Shawshank alum for you? You might also remember him from Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, wherein he played the Grim Reaper and was about the only good part of the movie, or Die Hard 2, wherein he played the villain and in an early scene we were subjected to viewing his naked backside. Actually, let’s try not to remember him from that. Sadler has recently been in the spotlight in some high profile TV projects, including a guest spot on Fringe and a sizable role in The Pacific.
Curtis Armstrong

If you’re like us, you’ve probably noticed “that guys” tend to flock together in movies. Well, Curtis “Booger” Armstrong is no exception, having appeared with Vincent Schiavelli in Better off Dead. Of course while that was an absolutely classic performance from Armstrong (“This is pure snow! Do you have any idea what the street value of this is?!”), you no doubt know him as Booger from the Revenge of the Nerds series. We’re still basking in the glory that is Booger’s ability to belch, and the skill with which Armstrong makes us love the little creep.
Clint Howard

And we round out the list with a “that guy” whose brother has been on the A-List pretty much since birth. And it’s because of that brother that Clint Howard has appeared in so many high quality films, as big brother Ron apparently feels the need to insert him in every movie he makes. Not that we’re complaining of course, because despite his cheesy horror movie pedigree he’s actually not a bad actor. He’s also the reason the MTV Movie Awards no longer give out a Lifetime Achievement Award. The award, of course, was supposed to be a joke, but Clint took it so seriously and was so appreciative that after his acceptance, MTV decided they could never top that and decided to retire the award.
So that’s our list of the top “That Guys” in Hollywood, so we want to know from you: Who is the best of the best…of these other guys?

15 of the Most Ridiculous Lawsuits Ever Filed



It’s no secret that we live in a litigious country, but we often forget just how ridiculous people can be in a society that permits anybody to sue anybody. These are 15 of the most frivolous lawsuits we could find, and even worse — some of them actually won.



Guilty Until Proven Dead

The RIAA has been behind some disgustingly nefarious litigation in the past few years, but one of their crowning achievements in dirtbagdom came when they tried to sue 84-year-old Gertrude Walton. The suit wasn’t ridiculous because of the old woman’s extreme age, but because Gertrude had died when she was 83, a full year earlier. Of course, being a corpse didn’t stop the RIAA from saying that she “illegally downloaded” over 700 music tracks.



Why Didn’t You Stop Me?

We’ve seen a lot of crazy excuses given by seriously wrong people, but this one may just take the cake. Edward Brewer was working in a hospital in Ohio, when he raped a woman afflicted with cerebral palsy in 1998. In 2002, while still in prison, Brewer sued the hospital for a sum of $2 million — because the hospital staff and security failed to stop him. According to him, the ordeal caused him pain and suffering. The case was thrown out of court.



Sexual Whiplash

Whiplash is already widely seen as a completely fabricated injury in many cases, but this is just taking things too far. A 27-year-old man from Michigan was driving his car one day when another car hit him from behind in an extremely minor rear-end collision. Four years later, the man sued the driver of the other car for changing his sexuality. Apparently he had turned gay over those four years and left his wife, and he felt that the only cause could be the accident. The disgusting part about this is that he actually won the case, and $200,000 from the other driver.



Violent Games Made Them Murderers

We’ve all heard the arguments before; video games and movies “desensitize” children toward violence. Linda Sanders and her band of grieving family members of the deceased Columbine High School shooting victims took those arguments to the extreme. These people, who had previously received sympathy for their losses, tried to get their hands on $5 billion in “damages” from the entertainment industry — for creating violent movies, and games like Mortal Kombat and Doom. Not only was the case thrown out, but the money-grubbers were ordered to pay for the industry’s legal fees.



The Case of the $54 Million Pants

A DC Administrative Law Judge got more than a bit upset when a local dry-cleaner misplaced his pants. He sued them for $54 million in damages, kicking off what is now the infamous Pearson v. Chung and the Great American Pants Suit. The case went all the way to trial, in which Judge Pearson represented himself, and lost. He then lost his seat as a judge, along with any credibility he had left in the legal ranks. The Chungs, on the other hand, shut down the shop where it all took place.



Suing God

Being able to sue just about anybody is something that Ernie Chambers, a Nebraska State Senator, took to his advantage back in 2007 when he sued God for making terroristic threats against the citizens of his constituency. Chambers was out to make a point; he wanted to demonstrate that the laws of his state were too lax when it comes to enabling people to sue anybody for anything, frivolously or not. To make the case truly hilarious, Chambers said that since God was omnipresent, he was within the court’s jurisdiction, and that since he was omniscient, he didn’t need to be served (since he already knew he was being sued). 



Man Kills Dog (then Sues Owners)

Remember this guy? Andrew Burnett had a fit of road rage on a San Jose freeway in 2001, and threw Sara McBurnett’s lap-dog into oncoming traffic. He was arrested and convicted of the crime, but later decided to try and sue both Mrs. McBurnett, along with the local newspaper, for causing him to suffer PTSD and mental anguish. The case was thrown out.



The Case of Jack Ass v. Jackass

Viacom found themselves slapped with an unusual lawsuit in 2002, when a man formerly named Bob Craft cited infringement and defamation. His reasoning? He had legally changed his name to Jack Ass in 1997 (seriously), which predated the Jackass franchise, and obviously meant that Viacom “plagiarized” and made foul use of his good name. His case, not that it had any merit to begin with, died when he did in 2003 — of suicide.



The Allegedly Ageist Sexpot

In Germany, an aging playboy got upset when the girl he had taken out for a night on the town refused to sleep with him. Apparently, Rolf Eden had been quite the ladies’ man back in the 50s and 60s, so he felt entitled to everything the 19-year-old had to offer. When she said that he was simply too old for her, he took her to court citing “ageism” as a form of discrimination. Obviously, his case didn’t last.



The Distressed Doppelganger

Most people find it amusing, or even beneficial, to bear a striking resemblance to somebody famous. Alan Heckard, on the other hand, found it to be a horrible experience, and decided to sue both Michael Jordan, his look-alike, as well as Nike’s top man Phil Knight for a tidy sum of $832 million. He felt that he was entitled to the amount since he had suffered “permanent injury, defamation, and emotional pain.” He dropped the suit just months later.



The Case of the “Eye-Catching” Thong

Macrida Patterson is a special kind of pathetic. In 2008, the highly unattractive 52-year-old Los Angeles woman sued Victoria’s Secret after claiming that a metal clip flew off her thong and hit her in the eye, causing excruciating pain. Let’s be honest here; the lady had no business wearing a thong to begin with — but even if she were a bikini model, this suit would still be frivolous.



Weak Stomach, Weaker Case

Austin Aitken decided to sue NBC back in 2005 for $2.5 million in damages after losing his lunch while watching Fear Factor. He said that the sight of people being forced to eat rats caused him “suffering, injury, and great pain” — along with dizziness, apparently. He says that upon seeing this, he vomited and then ran into a doorframe. The judge threw him out of the courtroom.



Defective Beer Goggles

Beer makes a lot of people do stupid things, but none of them has ever been so grandiose as this. Richard Overton sued Anheuser-Busch in 1991 for false advertisement. He claimed that commercials depicting men who drink Budweiser beers had made him believe that drinking the beer would surely get him beautiful women in mass quantities, and that this belief had driven him to buy and drink more than he would have otherwise. This of course resulted in emotional distress, mental injury, and financial loss — in his own mind. The case was thrown out.



Batman v. Batman?

Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros woke up to quite a surprise one morning back in 2008 when the mayor of Batman, Turkey sued them for name infringement. The mayor, who had apparently just seen The Dark Knight, was incensed that the name of his fair oil-town had been usurped by those wily Americans. When questioned, nobody from the town of Batman could explain why it took them so long to come up with this one, since the comic had been out since 1939.



Man sues Bank of America for “1,784 Billion, Trillion Dollars” (Yes, Really)

This one is the most recent of the suits on this list, and definitely our favorite. Late last year, a man by the name of Dalton Chiscolm decided he had had enough of Bank of America’s terrible customer service, and sued the company for “1,784 billion, trillion dollars.” As if that weren’t enough, he also demanded an additional $200,164,000 on top of it, probably for what he perceived to be the likely court fees. A US District Court judge called the suit “incomprehensible,” and a professor at the Courant Institute for Mathematical Sciences said that numbers like that are only dealt with “on a cosmic scale.” A judge gave Mr. Chiscolm a couple of weeks to come up with some explanation for his outlandish claims, but since he was just off his rocker the suit was quickly dismissed.