SAM Daily Times - THE VOICE OF THE VOICELESS

12/22/2011

Liverpool had lied, says Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres says that Liverpool fans do not know the truth about his move to Chelsea, claiming that the club lied to him before he completed the £50m move.

"The Liverpool fans don't know the truth about why I signed for Chelsea. The fans don't even know half of what happened. They don't know what the people in charge at Liverpool are like – they have a completely different perception of what they are like," said Torres, talking to Spanish TV station Canal+ Liga.

"They made promises that they didn't keep and I left because I realised I didn't have time to be part of a project that would take years. I have nothing against the Liverpool fans. I didn't want to leave Liverpool the way I did but the club lied. I was let down and I don't understand why the fans hate me."

The 27-year-old Spaniard had scored 56 goals in his first three Premier League seasons and believes that he could rediscover his form at Chelsea.

"I am going to try to be very humble and get back into the Chelsea starting line-up," he added. "My form has not been good but I am world and European champion and I deserve more respect. It's hard being on the bench but I respect the players who are playing. I'm going to support the team and get back in.

"It's true that [the Spain head coach] Vicente del Bosque is worried about me and my form for Chelsea. It's up to me to go back to being the striker I was before. If I go back to how I was a few years ago, I will again play an important role in the Spanish national team."

Malaysia Records Growth in Domestic Tourism

Changes in the lifestyle of many Malaysian citizens have led to changes in attitudes towards tourism, which have influenced their habits within the world of travel.

1999 was a significant year in Malaysian history as it introduced the 5-day working week. This has meant that Malaysians, due to a number of ensuing circumstances, are likely to travel more, both internally and internationally, and recent figures have shown this trend to be in full swing. For example, Malaysia has a new average of 75.9 million day-tripping locals, which far exceeds previous records.

The aim for this year is to bring 24 million tourists to Malaysia, which would be a slight decrease on 2010. However, the decrease would not be a disaster as floods, economic disasters and other natural nuisances have led to complications in Malaysian tourism and to complications in working together with other nations to overcome stumbling blocks. For example, discussions about flights to and from Russia had to be put on hold due to the unforeseen circumstances.

The obvious target for the Malaysian tourist board is nearby China. If the Chinese start coming to Malaysia as they have started to go to other countries then the target figure of 24 million may well rise.

The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

From the bestselling author of The Double Bind, Skeletons at the Feast, and Secrets of Eden, comes a riveting and dramatic ghost story, "The Night Strangers", which is the story of a family that moves to an old house to try and rebuild their lives after the husband, a pilot, had to crash a plane with double engine failure. Unfortunately, the house, like the family, is haunted.

In a dusty corner of a basement in a rambling Victorian house in northern New Hampshire, a door has long been sealed shut with 39 six-inch-long carriage bolts.

The home's new owners are Chip and Emily Linton and their twin ten-year-old daughters. Together they hope to rebuild their lives there after Chip, an airline pilot, has to ditch his 70-seat regional jet in Lake Champlain after double engine failure. Unlike the Miracle on the Hudson, however, most of the passengers aboard Flight 1611 die on impact or drown. The body count? Thirty nine -- a coincidence not lost on Chip when he discovers the number of bolts in that basement door.

The Grey - 2012

An upcoming thriller horror film, that centers on group of oil-rig roughnecks, who are left stranded on the sub-arctic tundra after their plane experiences a complete mechanical failure and crashes into the remote Alaskan wilderness. The survivors, battling mortal injuries, biting cold and ravenous hunger, are relentlessly hunted and pursued by a vicious pack of rogue wolves, who see them as intruders.

Though set in Alaska but the film was shot in British Columbia and Canada. The film is directed by Joe Carnahan with producers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott as well as actor Liam Neeson, who collaborated on the 2010 action film The A-Team.

The Grey is scheduled to be released on January 27, 2012 by Open Road Films.

Princess Diana Back-Up Wedding Dress Sells For Thousands

When you’re getting married in front of millions, you ought to have a back up plan, or a back-up dress, to be more precise. Exact replicas of Princess Diana’s wedding dress and shoes were auctioned off at London's Kerry Taylor auction house for approximately $132,000.

The David Emanuel gown and Clive Shilton shoes were made for the princess in case anything went wrong with her original outfit prior to the ceremony.

A fashion museum in Chile bought the dress and a private buyer took home the shoes (which, according to the Daily Mail, have the initials C and D joined together with a heart on the soles).

Barclay's Premier League: City, United remain on the course, 20,000th Premier League goal scored

Marc Albrighton slots past Sczcesny to score his side' equaliser, and the
20,000th ever Premier League goal

Manchester City will now be celebrating the christmas as Premier League leaders as they beat Stoke City 3-0.

On 29 minutes Sergio Augero scored the opening goal from close range after the keeper saved Vincent Kompany's shot. Just seven minutes later Adam Johnson shoted from out side the box to the bottom left corner of the goal.

After 54 minutes Samir Nasri crossed to Sergio Agüero whose right footed shot from the centre of the box went into the net.

Manchester United light up Craven Cottage with two late wonder strikes they beat Fulham 5-0.

After 5 minutes Dany Welbeck put Manchester United ahead, striking on the bottom left corner of the goal on Nani's cross.

On 27 minutes Ryan Giggs swung the ball to Nani, who headed home from close range. And a few minutes before the break, Giggs' left footed shot from the centre of the box went to the high centre of the goal.

In the last minutes of the game Wayne Rooney scored from a long range before Dimitar Berbatov shoted from the centre of hte box on Valencia's cross to seal the victory.

Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-1 in a match that set a new record and a new landmark. Robin van Persie draw level with Thierry Henry’s all-time Arsenal record of 34 league goals in a calendar year and Marc Albrighton became the scorer of the 20,000th Premier League goal.

On 17 minutes Robin van Persie scored the opener from a penalty drewn by Theo Walcott.

Marc Albrighton equalised on 54 minutes, shoting from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal, to become the scorer of the 20,000th Premier League goal.

Just 3 minutes before the stoppage time Arsenal again took the lead. Yossi Benayoun headed from very close range to the centre of the goal after by Robin van Persie assisted with a cross following a corner.

The match between Liverpool and Wigan Athletic ended in a goal less draw. Wigan's goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi made a series of exceptional saves, the most significant of which pushed away Charlie Adam’s second half penalty.

Rapper Slim Dunkin Reportedly Murdered

Slim Dunkin, 20-year-old up and coming rapper whose real name was "Mario Hamilton", gunned down Friday evening in a city music studio, in Atlanta, where he was preparing to record a video. According to Atlanta police, the rapper was fatally shot in the chest after getting into an altercation prior to a video shoot.

Slim Dunkin was on of the most talented emerging rappers and was the newest member of 1017 Brick Squad, a hip hop group led by Gucci Mane that also includes Waka Flocka Flame, OJ Da Juiceman, Frenchie, YG Hootie, P Smurf and Ice Burgandy.

Aside from key appearances alongside Flocka on his 2010 debut album, Flockaveli, and on Gucci Mane and V-Nasty's BAYTL LP, Slim was also beginning to make waves as a soloist. This past Halloween the street-bred MC released Menace II Society, a 20-track mixtape that featured Gucci Mane, Roscoe Dash and Pastor Troy.

His death has sent waves through the rap community; his close collaborators were undoubtedly hit hard. The day after he was murdered Waka took to Twitter to express his grief. "WISH IT WAS ME ... MY F---ING RIGHT HAND IS GONE," Flocka wrote the day after the murder.

Headline Dec 22,2011//THE PROUD PASHTUNS

THE

PROUD PASHTUNS

PAKISTAN

They live in majority in the North West Frontier of Pakistan but traverse a thin belt to Baluchistan also, and have growing number in adjoining areas of Afghanistan. The exact estimates may not be possible but 27 million live in Pakistan, of these some 3.5 million live in the federally administered Tribal belt, and over 12 million Pashtuns live in Afghanistan (42% of the total population).

In Pakistan their province is called Pakhtunkhwa and their code of honour is called Pashtunwali.

Notable within Pashtunwali are their individual and collective obligations.

1. Badal -> Avenge blood

2. Nawawati -> To fight to the death for a person who has taken refuge with you.

3. Melmastia -> To provide hospitality and safety to your guest.

But running thru these and other aspects of the code are nations of honour, bravery, manliness, chivalry, steadfastness and righteousness.

Consistent with their calling as warriors, they maintain arsenals of arms and ammunition. They are taught to carry arms from childhood. It is these characteristics that have pitted them against every foreign invader who set foot on their soil and way of life.

Louis Dupree the famous American Anthropologist and Afghanistan specialist summed up best

"PHYSICAL COURAGE IS CENTRAL TO THE PASHTUN CHARACTER"

So no one who has served in front line operations in Afghanistan will need reminder of the legendary toughness of the Pashtuns.

SAM Daily Times - "The Voice of the Voiceless"

James Cameron Sued Again Over 'Avatar'

James Cameron was being sued two weeks ago for stealing the ideas behind his 3D blockbusters "Avatar". Now a second lawsuit has been filed against the writer/director over the "Avatar" ideas and, this time, the lawsuit is asking for a much heftier sum of cash, $1.5 billion in actual damages, plus another $1 billion in punitive damages, while "Avatar" raked in $2.78 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing film of all time.

The lawsuit comes from Bryant Moore, a science fiction screenwriter who claims that the legendary filmmaker based Avatar on his scripts for two projects called "Aquatica" and "Descendants: The Pollination", adding that there are too many plot similarities between his ideas and Cameron's movie.

Cameron's attorney, Bert Fields, and Fox both slammed the latest suit by science fiction writer Bryant Moore as without merit.

"Mr. Cameron was demonstrably the author of 'Avatar'. We can prove that, and we intend to prove that in court. Moore's claim - and, for that matter, any claim alleging that someone other than Cameron had authored the movie - is entirely without merit," said Fields.

UK to Expect 30.7 million overseas visitors in 2012

As Britain turns its attention to hosting a number of major events next year, national tourism agency VisitBritain has released its 2012 visitor forecast, revealing that the UK should attract 30.7 million visitors in 2012, spending £17.6 billion in the process.

Commenting on the forecast, Sandie Dawe, VisitBritain’s Chief Executive said: “While these figures are in line with expected numbers in 2011, maintaining current visitor levels would be a good outcome in a year that is proving difficult to predict due to the current global economic climate and the impact this may have in many of our key markets.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

An upcoming two-part epic fantasy film, which is adaptation of the 1937 novel of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien. The film is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

The Hobbit films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The adventure follows the journey of hobbit Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into the quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.

The film is directed by Peter Jackson starring Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield and Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug. Several actors from Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy will reprise their roles, including Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom. It is scheduled to be released on December 14, 2012 by Warner Bros.

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

The No.1 internationally bestselling author Jodi Picoult tells an unforgettable story about a life hanging in the balance... a family torn apart, story of love and letting go.

Edward Warren, twenty-four, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara.

With her father’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?

Lone Wolf explores the notion of family, and the love, protection and strength it’s meant to offer. But what if the hope that should sustain it, is the very thing that pulls it apart? Another tour de force from Jodi Picoult, Lone Wolf examines the wild and lonely terrain upon which love battles reason.

Wang and Mizrahi Announces Menswear Lines

Two new fashion collections for men, have been announced by designers Vera Wang and Isaac Mizrahi.

The New York-based designer Vera Wang, best known for her bridal collections, has announced to launch a tuxedo collection called Black by Vera Wang. Her formal-wear line for men will reach all Men's wearhouse stores in late Spring 2012, as well as being available at the company's Moores Clothing for Men units in Canada. The debut collection will be available for rental in two fits and two colors (black and gray). Prices begin at $219.99 for a complete rental outfit

American creator Isaac Mizrahi also announced December 15 that he will launch a collection of dress shirts and neck attire at American department and specialty stores for Fall 2012. The designer signed a licensing agreement with clothing company Burma Bibas, but prices have not yet been determined.

Meanwhile, Parisian-based luxury men's footwear brand Berluti will reveal its first menswear line at Paris menswear fashion week in January. The collection has been designed by Alessandro Sartori, the man behind leading Italian menswear specialists Ermenegildo Zegna's Z Zegna line.

Dear Seabirds, Welcome Back After A Century

Scientists have discovered a nest of seabird chicks on Channel Islands off California's coast. These birds are seen first time since 1912.
These football-size seabirds are members of the auk family (Alcidae) and resemble penguins. These birds use thier wings to fly deep underwater anf also fly in air.

These birds earlier nested on Prince Island, a small islet off San Miguel Island within Channel Islands National Park. But they disappeared likely as a result of human disturbance.

Their return is quite exciting for scientists. "This is an exciting finding — certainly a historic one," said Josh Adams, a seabird ecologist with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center. "The murres appear to have reestablished their former southern range, perhaps benefitting from present ocean conditions."

With this murre colony, Prince Island now hosts 13 nesting seabird species, making it one of the most important and biologically diverse nesting habitats on the West Coast of North America, according to a USGS statement.

Irish Commissioner Calls For Better Facebook Privacy

Irish commissioner for data protection has called for wide-spread improvements in Facebook privacy.

Facebook has three months to implement the changes, which include making the site's terms and conditions clearer as well as allowing users to have greater control over the usage their data is put to. Commissioner Billy Hawkes will review the progress in July next year.

The suggested changes are as follows (the BBC reports):

a mechanism for users to make an informed choice for how their information is used and shared on the site, including in relation to third party apps
an update to its data use policy/privacy policy to take account of recommendations as to where the information provided to users could be further improved
transparency and control for users via the provision of all personal data held to them on request and as part of their everyday interaction with the site
the deletion of information held on users and non-users via what are known as social plug-ins, and more generally the deletion of data held from user interactions with the site much sooner than presently
increased transparency and controls for the use of personal data for advertising purposes
an additional form of notification for users in relation to facial recognition/"tag suggest" that, it is considered, will ensure Facebook Ireland is meeting best practice in this area from an Irish law perspective
an enhanced ability for users to control tagging and posting on other user profiles
an enhanced ability for users to control their addition to groups by friends

MERCEDES SET TO LAUNCH NEW ELECTRIC CAR IN CHINA

As revealed in an earlier post of SAM Daily Times, luxury cars market is expanding in China. Most of wealthy own between a minimum of two to five luxury cars.

It was unexpected for Mercedes to miss this business opportunity. See how Mercedes works.

The first ever Sino-German car is being launched in China by Daimler, but won't be a Mercedes brand (Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG - whose top vehicle brand is Mercedes) .
As a foreign business, Daimler had to pick Chinese partner. BYD (Build Your Dreams) one of China’s fastest growing companies and the world’s largest producer of batteries became their first choice.

Car itself would have Chinese suitable structure being relatively narrow, and high, so as to be able to navigate narrow city streets with ease. Car will be operating exclusively on electricity. The joint venture of electric car is named "Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co. Ltd.”

For a sales price of just over 20,000 euros it will be ready for presentation at the Beijing Motor Show in the spring of 2012.

Airless Tyre

Bridgestone Corporation has announced it has developed a non-pneumatic (airless) concept tire. This tyre is different from similar concepts presented in the past as it could be easily adapted for mass production.
The Non-Pneumatic (Airless) Tire Technology – on display at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show – uses an unique structure of spokes stretching along the inner sides of the tires supporting the weight of the vehicle.

Leonardo Da Vinci's Mind Match

Lenardo da Vinci seemed to pay lot of attention to nature and God's work. He was not only a painter but also a great scientist.
Along with many other theories, he also formulated a theory about relationship between size of tree's truck and the combined measure of its branches.
According to da Vinci's theory "the squared diameter of a tree’s trunk is equal to the squared sum of the diameters of its branches. Moreover, if a trunk is split into two sections, the sum of the thickness of all the branches coming off of one of the section is equal to the thickness of that section of trunk."

A French researcher Christophe Eloy, a visiting professor at the University of California at San Diego and a specialist in fluid mechanics, now claims to have proven this theory mathematically.
Scientist hopes that his findings would have several applications including better understanding of the mechanism of how plants grow and resist outside elements.

Parenting or Spying?? (Old trend but newer technology)

PARENTS are installing hidden spyware on their children's phones to secretly track their movements, read their text messages and look through their photos
The latest smart phone technology, which can be downloaded online, allows worried parents to keep tabs on their children and unlike previous iPhone or Android programs sold in official app stores, such as Family Tracker, it remains completely hidden.
The latest programs to hit the market, Spyera Software and Mobile Spy, offer stealth GPS tracking and the abilities to read text messages, read emails and view photos
Spyera even promises to turn the phone into a "remote bugging device" so parents can listen to conversations wherever the phone is left.
"I find it quite appalling, to be honest, that parents would be thinking of using surreptitious technology," Mr Burdon, lecturer in University of Queensland School of Law, said.

"These technologies are law enforcement surveillance tools, and they really shouldn't, at least to my mind, be used for parenting purposes.

"What they're essentially doing is creating a relationship of mistrust between a parent and a child.

"It's creating an environment in which surveillance is a normal part of life; children need space to experiment and be themselves."
Mr Burdon said Queensland parents could face criminal charges for using the programs but the legislation was originally designed to set boundaries for law enforcement officials, not family relationships.

What's Your Average Sleep??

Have you ever wondered why are the sleeping habits so important and widely discussed. Do you know that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, needed just four hours of sleep per night. Where Albert Einstein enjoyed lengthy 11-hour snoozes before returning each morning to rewriting the laws of physics. Was Einstein too lazy?
Well its not really the case, your sleep patterns depend on your ABCC9 gene as explained by team of University of Munich.

Novel Transition For Earth Core Metal

Iron oxide, when subjected to extreme conditions of temperature and pressure, undergoes a novel transition.

With temperatures up to 2200C and pressures up to 1.4 million times that of sea-level, the metal changed to a state where it could conduct electricity without undergoing any change in structure.

The finding could have implications in the study of how the Earth's interior contributes to the planet's magnetic field.

The group of scientists running the experiment claim to have found a new type of metallisation.

GCSE Paper In ICT Withdrawn In UK

A GCSE paper in ICT that was to be sat by 450 pupils in January will be withdrawn because the examiners had tipped off teacher with information on the paper.
Teachers were routinely being given information about what questions students should expect in paper.

To protect the integrity and security of the degree, the Information and Communication Technology paper(set by WJEC exam board) will be withdrawn. Now the exam will be sat at a later date.

Michael Gove, the education secretary said : "I am clear, and the public reaction proves, that they have overstepped the mark on what is felt to be an acceptable level of advance information.

"Providing teachers and students with too much certainty over which elements of the curriculum will be tested, or which questions will be asked, only serves to narrow the curriculum, lower standards and promote teaching to the test."

World's Highest Swing

Nevis Swing,the world’s highest ,goes across the Nevis Canyon in New Zealand has a 980-foot arc.To start it, you need to step off into space and take 200-plus feet of free fall.Watch the video..it's truely amazing!!

Ireland Economy Continues To Shrink

The Republic of Ireland's economy continues to shrink as the country's Central Statistics Office publishes GDP figures.

Compared with a growth of 1.4% in the second quarter of 2011, the economy saw a shrink by almost 2% in the third quarter.

The BBC reports:

"GNP, which represents the amount of output excluding multinational profits, is down 2.2% on the quarter and down 4.2% on the year.

That reflects the country's austerity policies which have hit consumer spending power and confidence.

The figures also show that the export facing parts of the Irish economy are doing well - agricultural output is up 15% on the year.

Net exports - exports minus imports - overall grew by 21.8% at constant 2009 prices, compared with the same quarter of last year.

Meanwhile, the construction industry is stuck in a depression with output down 20% on the year."

Pensive: Being Organized

By Sarah Mahmood

I know some people are really accustomed to having messy rooms and then groping about (amongst the quilts and pillows and empty coffee mugs and what-nots) for a pencil! They sit down, start doing some work, remember that they have forgotten a vital 'component' and waste another couple of seconds (or minutes or hours) just looking for it.

Well folks, it really helps being organized. And not just in the material sense! Pre-planning contributes a lot towards saving your precious minutes as well as calories (now that might just have the opposite effect on some!) Additionally, it provides the comfort zone that is vital for effective learning and delivering.

So, the next time you sit down to study (read do anything), make sure you have all the stationery (read necessary stuff) ready by your side.

Science Facts

The most dangerous animal in the world is the common housefly. Because of their habits of visiting animal waste, they transmit more diseases than any other animal.
The longest living cells in the body are brain cells which can live an entire lifetime.
The fastest computer in the world is the CRAY Y-MP C90 supercomputer. It has two gigabytes of central memory and 16 parallel central processor units.
The heaviest human brain ever recorded weighed 5 lb. 1.1 oz. (2.3 kg.).
The only letter not appearing on the Periodic Table is the letter “J”.

MINE Can Analyse Your Datasets In A Great Way!

New statistical software tool called MINE developed by researchers of Broad Institute and Harvard University can analyse large data sets in a unique way that no other software program can do.

This software program, can search the data sets with great speed and detect different kinds of patterns in large data collections.

Broad Institute associate member Pardis Sabeti, senior author of the paper and an assistant professor at the Center for Systems Biology at Harvard University said:
"There are massive data sets that we want to explore, and within them, there may be many relationships that we want to understand. The human eye is the best way to find these relationships, but these data sets are so vast that we can't do that. This toolkit gives us a way of mining the data to look for relationships."

MINE can detect hidden patterns in health information from around the globe. This analytical toolkit was tested on many data sets by the researchers.

Michael Mitzenmacher, a senior author of the paper and professor of computer science at Harvard University said:
"The goal of this statistic is to take data with a lot of different dimensions and many possible correlations and pick out the top ones," "We view this as an exploration tool -- it can find patterns and rank them in an equitable way."

Researchers are excited on what can be done with the tool while analyzing real life data sets.

Read original study here.

Peru Allows Berenson A Parole Visit

Lori Berenson, the American woman who has served 15 years in prison in Peru, has been allowed to pay a parole visit to the US.

Berenson 42, was arrested by Peruvian authorities in 1995 for aiding left-wing rebels, the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, involved in robbing banks as well as kidnapping and killing people during the 80's and the 90's.

She has since been detained on Peruvian soil serving a 20-year sentence in prison. This is the first time the Peruvian authorities have allowed her to to return to the US.