World's fastest railway in frigid regions starts operation

A high-speed train leaves the Harbin West Railway
Station in Harbin

(Xinhua) -- The world's fastest railway in areas with extremely low temperatures, which runs through three provinces in northeastern China, started operation on Saturday as part of the country's efforts to revitalize this old industrial base.

Four trains departed from stations in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang; Changchun, capital of Jilin; Shenyang, capital of Liaoning; and Dalian, the port city in Liaoning, simultaneously at 9 a.m. on Saturday to mark the opening of the 921-km line.

The high-speed railway with designed speeds of up to 350 km per hour went into service after passing a two-month test during which the region saw blizzards and temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.

"The operation of the Harbin-Dalian high-speed railway signals great progress in the building of a high-speed rail network with four lines running vertically up the country and four lines running horizontally across the country," said Lu Chunfang, vice minister of railways.

So far, China has 8,600 km of operating high-speed railway, more than any other nation.

Buffalo Gives Birth To A Human-like Baby In Thailand

In Thailand, a Buffalo gave birth to a human-like baby.This is a photo of a buffalo very similar to human especially its face which is dominantly similar to human. However, its hands and feets are more like a buffalo. But overall the buffalo-boy has most organs of a cow having human shaped.

It has passed away immediately after it was born. Thais believe this is some sort of phenomenon that brings luck and everyone in that village were praying for blessings. The face of this mystery human-like baby buffalo was totally deformed that I can’t know whether it looks like a buffalo or human face...

Youth unemployment hits record 23.9% in eurozone

Youth march with a banner saying "We demand" during a
protest against unemployment and government austerity
 measures in Lisbon March 31, 2012.

Unemployment among young people in the eurozone hit a record 23.9% in October with Southern member countries among the worst affected.

Those under-25s out of work in the eurozone is up from 21.2% year-on-year, The Guardian reports. There are now 3.6 million Europeans under the age of 25 out of work in the region. These figures vary starkly between northern and southern European countries as Spain saw 56% of its young people out of work, while in Germany only 8.1% of the young are unemployed. 

Austria and the Netherlands also saw a lower youth unemployment rate of 8.5% and 9.8% respectively. For comparison, Greece reported 57% young people out of work in the third quarter of the year.

Last month the Eurofond research agency reported that young unemployed Europeans aged 15 to 29 who are not in employment, education or training – so-called NEETs – had reached a record level. The total costs associated with the rising numbers of NEETs are €10.8bn in public finance and €142.1bn in estimated loss of output, according to the research.

The number of young adults in work across the EU is the lowest on record with 30%, or 5.8 million young adults in the region in part-time employment, a 9% increase over a decade, according to the Eurofond report.

Meanwhile the total jobless rate in the eurozone reached a record high of 11.7%, from 11.6% in September, meaning 19 million people in the bloc were out of work. The gap between southern and northern member countries is wide too, ranging from 4.3% rate in Austria to in 26.2% in Spain. Meanwhile the average unemployment rate in the 27 member states of the EU was at 10.7%.

Daylight robbery: Delacroix painting stolen from Paris museum

A fragment of 'The Arabs of Oranby' by Eugene Delacroix

"The Arabs of Oranby", a masterpiece worth over $780,000 created by the leader of the French Romantic school Eugene Delacroix, has been reportedly stolen from an art gallery in central Paris.

The 19x11cm tour de force by the creator of "The Massacre at Chios" was painted in 1837.

Le Parisien reported that the work was stolen in broad daylight on Friday afternoon, between 2 and 2:30pm, in what has been described as a "robbery of incredible audacity."

The watercolor was reportedly stolen from the prestigious Schmit art gallery located in the 1st arrondissement on the chic rue Saint-Honore, parallel to the Louvre museum.

A gallery worker discovered the theft shortly after a man who looked about 50 years old was allegedly seen leaving the gallery exposing works by the leading French masters of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Leverkusen put pressure back on Bayern

Leverkusen's striker Stefan Kiessling (L),
 defender Daniel Carvajal and midfielder
 Lars Bender celebrate during match against
 Nuremberg.

AFP - Second-placed Bayer Leverkusen did just enough to beat Nuremberg 1-0 on Saturday and apply pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich ahead of their showdown against Borussia Dortmund.

Stefan Kiessling scored Leverkusen's winner in the 37th minute for the team's fourth straight victory, pushing his side to 30 points -- seven behind Bayern, who were playing at home later Saturday.

"We have to remain calm and happy that we have a little streak," said Kiessling, who has scored nine goals this season.

"It's a nice moment but we have a lot of important games ahead of us and we don't want to think about Bayern. We have to worry about ourselves, and that's it."


Schalke continued their struggles with a 1-1 at home against Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Timo Hildebrand replaced Lars Unnerstall as Schalke's keeper and looked less than impressive on Igor de Camargo's goal for Gladbach in the 62nd minute. Julian Draxler equalised for Schalke in the 85th minute.

Schalke, however, have not won in four games and improved to just 25 points while Gladbach have 21 points.

Stem cells being made from blood

A patient's own blood has been used to make personalised stem cells, which doctors hope will eventually be used to treat a range of diseases.

The team at the University of Cambridge says this could be one of the easiest and safest sources of stem cells.

In a study, published in the journal Stem Cells: Translational Medicine, the cells were used to build blood vessels.

However, experts cautioned that the safety of using such stem cells was still unclear.

Stem cells are one of the great hopes of medical research. They can transform into any other type of cell the body is built from - so they should be able to repair everything from the brain to the heart, and eyes to bone.


One source of stem cells is embryos, but this is ethically controversial and they would be rejected by the immune system in the same way as an organ transplant.

Researchers have shown that skin cells taken from an adult can be tricked into becoming stem cells, which the body should recognise as part of itself and would not reject.

The team at Cambridge looked in blood samples for a type of repair cell that whizzes through the bloodstream repairing any damage to the walls of blood vessels. These were then converted into stem cells.

Dr Amer Rana said this method was better than taking samples from skin.

"We are excited to have developed a practical and efficient method to create stem cells from a cell type found in blood," he said.

- BBC.co.uk

Australia smokers given plain packs

Grim health warnings like this are replacing the
branding on cigarette packets in Australia

Australia has become the first country in the world to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes.

From now, all tobacco company logos and colours will be banned from packets.

They have been replaced by a dreary, uniform, green/brown, colour accompanied by a raft of anti-smoking messages and photographs.

The only concession to the tobacco companies is their name and the name of the brand variant in small print at the bottom of the box.

"This is the last gasp of a dying industry," declared Australia's Health Minister Tanya Plibersek.

Anne Jones of the anti-smoking group Ash (Action on Smoking and Health) agrees.

"Plain packaging has taken the personality away from the pack", she says.

"Once you take away all the colour coding and imagery and everything is standardised with massive health warnings, you really do de-glamorise the product."

Cigarette packets were practically the last platform for tobacco companies to advertise themselves.

Commercials on Australian television and radio were banned in 1976. Newspapers followed in 1989.

Tobacco sponsorship of sport and cultural events was prohibited in 1992.

David Beckham targets Champions League return

David Beckham says he would like another chance to play in the Champions League before retiring.

The former England captain, 37, will be a free agent after making his final appearance for LA Galaxy in the Major League Soccer final on Saturday.

"I always loved it when I went back to AC Milan being back in the Champions League," he said.

"I still miss playing in it, they are the games you love playing in. Of course I'd want to play in it again."

Beckham, who has been linked with a move to French second division side AS Monaco, added: "We'll see where I go next. If it's a team that's in the Champions League then it will be nice to be back."

The midfielder won the Champions League with Manchester United in 1999 and took part in the competition with Real Madrid and Milan.

He said he has been inspired by the longevity of the careers of two of his former United team-mates - Paul Scholes, 38, and 39-year-old Ryan Giggs.

Miami Tours a hit among travelers this holiday season

This holiday season, travelers are heading towards sun soaked Miami to escape the chilly or freezing winters, thanks to Half Price Tour Tickets. The company is the undisputed leader in providing Miami to Key West tours, activities, and other travel options in the region.

Half Price Tour Tickets right now is offering an irresistible offer for a 13-hour tour from Miami to Key West. Patrons will be picked up from their respective hotels and will be provided a complimentary Key West map.

The hugely discounted Miami tour can be upgraded as per the convenience of tourists. Travelers can choose to snorkel the deep blue waters in Key West by adding on. For those who wish to stay back overnight and enjoy other fun activities in this Miami to Key West tour, by adding onto the package will enable them to do so and also take care of their overnight accommodation. Activities such as parasailing, jet-skiing, and glass bottom tours are extremely popular among tourists. Half Price Tour Tickets thus offers huge discounts to tourists who combine their Miami to Key West tour package with one or all of these packages.

Patrons of Half Price Tour Tickets are picked up from their hotels in the early morning and taken to Key West on a luxury bus. Though the travel distance is about 3.5 hours, the scenic route makes the travel zip past in no time. Ample time is provided to tourists to have food, enjoy the fun activities, and engage in some shopping on the beautiful Key West islands.

Large groups of travelers comprising of families on tour and groups of friends have already booked the discounted Miami to Key West package from Half Price Tour Tickets, Jean Francois said. He expects more bookings to be made in the coming days when the holiday season really kicks in and year end plans are made. As the tourist flow is quite large during this time of the year, he suggests making bookings well in advance to avoid last minute disappointments (so that means right now!). Some travel agents charge double the rates during this season to people who have not made their bookings advance, Jean Francois said.

Mission Hills World Celebrity Pro-Am Golf raises US$500,000 for Charitable Partners

Mission Hills Group, one of China’s leading golf and tourism operators, announced that the 2012 Mission Hills World Celebrity Pro-Am has raised a total of US$500,000 for the tournament’s charitable partners—Yao Ming and UNICEF.

The celebrity golf tournament saw players gracing the fairways by day and red carpets by night at the luxury Mission Hills resort, as some of the biggest names from Hollywood and the international sports scene descended on the tropical island of Hainan in southern China for the three day spectacular.

With a guest list that included some of Hollywood’s hottest talent, including Andy Garcia, Adrien Brody, Ryan Reynolds and Minka Kelly teeing off alongside sporting greats such as Yao Ming, Michael Phelps, Ronaldo, Stephen Hendry and Pat Cash, the event lived up to its billing as China’s top entertainment event of the year. Matt Kuchar, Darren Clarke, Michael Campbell, Simon Dyson, Ian Woosnan and Tony Jacklin were just some of the big name players from the professional golf circuit that included no less than four golf-major winners.

Commenting on the donation, former NBA star Yao Ming said, “I’m extremely grateful to Mission Hills and everybody involved with this fantastic event for making this donation. We’ll continue to improve the lives of children both in China and the US and these funds will go directly towards projects we’ve got underway in these countries.”

Judy Chen, Chairman of the Hong Kong Committee for the event’s other charitable partner, UNICEF, added, “We’re delighted to accept this donation from the Mission Hills World Celebrity Pro-Am. UNICEF Hong Kong has enjoyed a long-standing and successful relationship with both celebrities and the world of sport and we hope that through initiatives such as this, we can increase the reach of our work and continue to improve the lives of children in China and around the world.”very beautiful experience. The hospitality’s been great and we’ve had a great time.”

Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody added, “Here we are on one of the most beautiful golf courses with some of the best golfers in the world. It’s exciting and I’m very grateful to be involved in this charitable event.”

Chairman and CEO of Mission Hills Group, Dr. Ken Chu said, “It’s an honor to be able to make this donation to two such worthwhile charitable partners. It’s always been Mission Hills’ objective to use golf as a force for good and we’re extremely appreciative to the players, our commercial partners and all the fans that came to Mission Hills Haikou and made the 2012 World Celebrity Pro-Am such a great success.very beautiful experience. The hospitality’s been great and we’ve had a great time.”

Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody added, “Here we are on one of the most beautiful golf courses with some of the best golfers in the world. It’s exciting and I’m very grateful to be involved in this charitable event.”

Chairman and CEO of Mission Hills Group, Dr. Ken Chu said, “It’s an honor to be able to make this donation to two such worthwhile charitable partners. It’s always been Mission Hills’ objective to use golf as a force for good and we’re extremely appreciative to the players, our commercial partners and all the fans that came to Mission Hills Haikou and made the 2012 World Celebrity Pro-Am such a great success.

Dr. Dre, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift Top Forbes' Highest-Paid Musicians List

Who knew headphones were such a great investment?!

Dr. Dre has topped Forbes' 2012 list of highest-paid musicians, thanks largely to his Beats headphone company. Britny Spears, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber and were also in the top 10, based on income they generated between May 2011 to May 2012.

Rihanna brought in an estimated $53 million, followed by Lady Gaga, who earned $52 million. Sure, that's not quite as much as Dre's $110 million, Britney's $58 million, Taylor's $57 million or the Biebs' $55 million, but it's still a pretty penny.

Diddy raked in an estimated $45 million, followed by Katy Perry with $45 million. Power couple Beyoncé ($40 million) and Jay-Z ($38 million) will surely be able to spoil Blue Ivy with their combined earnings.

Other stars who earned big included Elton John, U2, Bon Jovi, Coldplay, Adele and Kanye West. For the full list of this year's highest-paid musicians, check out Forbes.com.

This Is 40 (2012)

A look at the lives of Pete and Debbie a few years after the events of Knocked Up.

Director and the writer of the movie is Judd Apatow. Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann and Jason Segel are starring in the movie with many other phenomenal actors with the genre of comedy.
SYNOPSIS: An original comedy that expands upon the story of Pete and Debbie from the blockbuster hit Knocked Up as we see first-hand how they are dealing with their current state of life. After years of marriage, Pete lives in a house of all females: wife Debbie and their two daughters, eight-year-old Charlotte and 13-year-old Sadie. As he struggles to keep his record label afloat, he and Debbie must figure out how to forgive, forget and enjoy the rest of their lives...before they kill each other.
Movie will be released on 21^st of December 2012.

Jessica Biel Reveals She Decapitated Barbie Dolls as a Kid, Decorates Christmas Tree With Them Today

Quirky is the new cool. 

Just ask Jessica Biel, who confessed to Conan O'Brien Wednesday that she decapitated her Barbie dolls as a little girl and—get this—still has the heads today.

"I had Barbies for a minute, but they didn't really stick around very long," Justin Timberlake's wife said. "I ended up mutilating them—pulling their heads off, cutting off all their hair, dying them with markers and sticking them on the Christmas-tree lights. And they'd light up like these demonic heads."

"My parents were very open," the Hitchcock star said laughingly. "I still have the heads. They still go on [the tree] every year at home."

Holidays with the Biel-Timberlake fam must really be a trip

Katy Perry Crowned Billboard's Woman of the Year

Billboard named Katy Perry is woman of the year, but the pop star thought her year was 2011.

"I felt like my year was last year ... I thought my moment had passed," Perry said in an interview with Jon Stewart at Billboard's Women in Music event Friday in New York City.

Perry released "Teenage Dream" in 2010, and the double platinum album sparked five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that spilled over to 2011. She tied the record Michael Jackson set with "Thriller" for most hits from a single album.

She re-released the album this year, which launched two more hits and a top-grossing 3-D film.

Perry thanked her fans, who stood outside of Capital hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

"I don't really like to call myself a role model for my fans, but I hope I'm an inspiration, especially for young women," she said when she accepted the honor.

Perry also thanked her mom at the event, which honored women who work in the music industry.

In like fashion, newcomer Carly Rae Jepsen also thanked her mom -- and stepmom -- when accepting the rising star honor. The "Call Me Maybe" singer said she's happy and surprised by her success.

"It was sort of the key to unlocking the rest of the world for me and was something that none of us were expecting," she said, in an interview, of her viral hit.

British singer Cher Lloyd performed Perry's "E.T." at the luncheon, which also featured a performance from rising country singer Hunter Hayes.

Perry, who wore a fitted pink dress, joked about recording a follow-up to "Teenage Dream."

"Have you heard it? I haven't," the smiling singer said on the red carpet.

Headline Dec2,2012/ Hello..Hello!

''HELLO..HELLO!.. 

WHO IS THIS?..PLEASE?''

Unbeknownst to the world, it's possible that we've already made contact, of sorts, with extraterrestrials! Let me explain an delight you all! On August 15, 1977,a Radio Telescope in Ohio State University recorded a signal from the Sagittarius constellation that was so startlingly unusual that the researcher there scrawled ''WOW'' beside it on the transcript margins.It is now known as the ''wow signal'', it was only a secondary burst of unidentifiable static, but it could very well have emanated from an unknown planet and it could, maybe, have been originated from an advanced extraterrestrial civilisation.


No one, of course, cn be sure. The signal was much too brief and has never been repeated; it remains an intriguing enigma. Still, there have been other unexplained signals, over 50 in all, and one October 10, 1986, also appeared to come from Sagittarius.The possibility that there are ''Aliens'' out there and they might be attempting to make contact with us holds such fascination that NASA, since 90s is putting hundreds of millions of dollars into Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). The survey, was planned to ultimately employ nine listening sites in Australia, Europe and North Anerica. Tracking the radio channels which it was thought extraterrestrials would employ to send messages to us.


SETI was also focused on on a more targeted search of the nearest thousand sunlike stars within 80 Light years of Earth it turned out to be the most systematic attempt ever to discover if anyone or anything is trying to get in touch with us.


A message from extraterrestrials, should one be detected, most likely sound like a pure single note above the cosmic hiss -that is once it has been converted and amplified. The Scientists running SET have presumed that anyone, say, the planet orbiting star Vega, some 26 light years from Earth, who wanted to contact us woul use the quieter portions of the radio spectrum -where the din from the universe is less- and broadcast a recognisable sound on a constant wavelength, though probably pulsing On and Off.
Pulsars can be detected more readily than continuing signals.


The signal, it is also expected, would be sent out on a predictable frequency: most likely the one at which hydrogen vibrates -just over 1.4 billion cycles per second- !WOW! !WOW! -if only because it is the simplest and most abundant atom in the universe.That normally sober and conservative Scientists are thinking -about how our Vegan cousins would contact us is some indication of how seriously all this being taken and addressed.
Or perhaps it's more a reflection of our own lovely hopes.


This craving post continues and is dedicated to all Scientists and Students of the world, and !WOW!


Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless

North Korea Announces Proof Of Unicorns

In an announcement Friday that seems better suited for a fairy tale, a North Korean state news agency reported that archaeologists recently reconfirmed the lair of a unicorn once ridden by an ancient Korean king.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, the lair the mythical creature is located 200 meters (about 219 yards) from the Yongmyong Temple in Pyongyang. A rock that sits in front of the lair contains carvings that some believe date back to the period of the Koryo Kingdom (918-1392), the outlet notes.

The director of the History Institute of the DPRK Academy of Social Sciences, which discovered the lair, cited Korean history books as proof. Jo Hui Sung explained the history to the paper:

The Sogyong (Pyongyang) chapter of the old book 'Koryo History' (geographical book), said: Ulmil Pavilion is on the top of Mt. Kumsu, with Yongmyong Temple, one of Pyongyang's eight scenic spots, beneath it. The temple served as a relief palace for King Tongmyong, in which there is the lair of his unicorn.
The old book 'Sinjungdonggukyojisungnam' (Revised Handbook of Korean Geography) complied in the 16th century wrote that there is a lair west of Pubyok Pavilion in Mt. Kumsu.
It should be noted that North Korea's propaganda machine is famous for churning out unusual stories, including the details of Kim Jon Il's "divine birth" and the "peculiar natural wonders" that occurred as the Earth mourned the death of the Dear Leader, the Global Post reports.

While still alive, Kim also reportedly invented the hamburger, wrote 1,500 books in college and shot 11 holes-in-one the first time he played golf, according to Time magazine.

On the other hand, unicorn sightings around the world crop up from time to time, including one last January In Canada that was eventually revealed to be a publicity stunt.

Samsung launches new Internet-connected camera

SEOUL —

Samsung Electronics launched a new Internet-connected camera in South Korea, as the electronics giant intensifies efforts to expand its dominance in the mobile phone market to other sectors.

The Galaxy camera, named after the Korean firm’s signature smartphone and tablet PC series, enables users to upload photos and videos directly to the Internet without having to hook it up to a computer. The camera, launched earlier this year in countries in Europe, North America and elsewhere in Asia, is not Samsung’s first Internet-connected camera.

But the latest device powered by Google’s Android software like many key Samsung gadgets including Galaxy S smartphones or Galaxy Tab tablets operates more like a smartphone. It allows users to download apps aimed at polishing photos or videos, automatically share images stored in the camera with certain mobile devices located nearby, or to have the images automatically stored in a cloud-computing server.

Users have to subscribe to wireless plans to use the gadget, featuring a 4.8-inch LCD touchscreen, a 21x optical lens and priced at about 750,000 won ($691) on the domestic market. The Galaxy Camera will open a new chapter of communications visual communications.

Samsung the world’s top maker of smartphones and memory chips has recently been trying to strengthen its relatively small presence in the global digital camera industry dominated by Japanese giants like Nikon and Canon.

Mobile phone can monitor skin condition

TOKYO —

A new mobile phone can monitor the user’s skin condition, checking for blemishes and color.

The Hada Memori (skin memory) program allows women to keep tabs on their complexion and track changes over time by storing records in the cloud. Users can also share their data through social networking sites, which plans to use the information to target advertising of beauty products.

A spokeswoman said the skin system comes with a small card that has a 15-millimeter hole, which must be pressed to the cheek. The smartphone’s camera then takes a picture of the skin and analyses the result.

The Hada Memori is the first of a series of devices that will measure users’ stress levels, exercise habits and quality of sleep, helping the company gather a significant pool of health data which it can then sell on.

Hayuru Ito, senior manager of Fujitsu’s strategic planning division said, We will be able to offer the data to service providers eventually. Fujitsu is aiming to have one million users of the system in the next two years.

Samsung extends lead in U.S. mobile market

WASHINGTON —

Samsung extended its lead as the top mobile phone maker in the U.S. market and Apple moved into second place. A survey by comScore showed that in the three-month period ending in October, South Korea’s Samsung was the top manufacturer with 26.3% market share, up from 25.6% in the prior period.

Apple, which sells only smartphones, moved into second place in the U.S. market for the first time, with a 17.8% market share, up 1.5 percentage points. South Korean maker LG was third at 17.6%, followed by Motorola at 11%. 

The survey showed Google’s Android system gained ground as the leading smartphone platform, with 53.6% of the market, up from 52.2%. Apple’s iOS platform for its iPhones remained in second place, and gained 0.9 points of market share to 34.3%. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion saw its share slip further from 9.5% to 7.8% in the period. And Microsoft, which released its Windows Phone 8 platform in late October, saw its share dip to 3.2% from 3.6%.

The survey found 121.3 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones, or 51.9% of the mobile market.

Man brings virtual girlfriend to own wedding

TOKYO —

Japanese men hold their virtual girlfriends in high regard. Even among those who eventually find a real girlfriend and get married, there are some men who struggle to abandon their digital partner.

Especially after the release of Love Plus, an addictive open-ended dating simulator for the Nintendo DS that went on to sell over 250,000 copies in Japan, stories of men who were busted by their girlfriends or wives while playing as well as stories of men whose wives played with them  became a common sight on the Internet.

While everyone has their own level of tolerance for 2D infidelity, you’d have to be one hell of a woman to allow your husband to bring his virtual girlfriend to your most important day as a couple: your wedding. Such a woman does exist, much to the surprise of other wedding guests, who uploaded photos of the groom’s virtual girlfriend, Nene Anegasaki of Love Plus, while she was seated at her specially reserved spot at a table during the reception  alongside Manaka Takane and Rinko Kobayakawa of the same game, nonetheless.

It’s safe to say the bride knew what she was getting into: her husband works for Comic Market, Japan’s largest comic book convention. But surely she must have been caught off guard when, while planning their wedding, her husband-to-be told her he wanted to save three seats for fictional attendees, one of whom he has a romantic relationship with. 

So why’d she allow it? Is she really that magnanimous of a woman, or was there something else at work? Undoubtedly the latter, as the poor groom would find out during the reception, which was held Nov 24.

In a surprise event that seems to mock the traditional cake-cutting ceremony, the groom’s Love Plus game cartridge was removed from his 3DS console and placed neatly above a…let’s call it a sacrificial altar. A large wooden mallet was then brought out and it was announced that the bride and groom would, hand in hand, physically destroy the game cartridge and all vestiges of the groom’s time together with Nene Anegasaki along with it.

According to an eyewitness, the groom was on the verge of tears as he brought the hammer down, and is planning on calling Love Plus developer Konami to see if “jealous wife” is covered in the warranty.

Google's Android is eating Apple's lunch

SAN FRANCISCO —

Smartphones and tablets powered by Google’s Android software are devouring the mobile gadget market, eating into Apple’s turf by feeding appetites for innovation and low prices, The Android operating system powered nearly three out of four smartphones shipped worldwide in the recently ended quarter as the mobile platform dominated the market, according to industry trackers at IDC.

IDC’s mobile phones research manager Ramon Llamas said, Android has been one of the primary growth engines of the smartphone market since it was launched in 2008, In every year since then, Android has effectively outpaced the market and taken market share from the competition. In tablets, Apple’s market share has fallen to just over 50% from 65% in the second quarter as Android devices gain ground.

According to research firm Strategy Analytics, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 overtook Apple’s iPhone 4S in the third quarter to give the South Korean firm the world’s best-selling smartphone model for the first time ever, Android is benefiting from being an open-source platform that gadget makers use free of charge and improve as they deem fit, providing Google with insights along the way. Apple tightly controls its products from the software to the hardware and even the online shop for music, books, games or other content.

Google gives Android away free, but the platform is crafted to make it easy for people to use the California Internet titan’s money-making services such as search and maps, and get content at its online Google Play shop.

Forrester analyst Charles Golvin said that forces powering Android momentum include changing demographics of smartphone buyers. Early adopters of smartphones focused more on new technology than on price, but the devices have gone mainstream with cost increasingly important to shoppers. People are more inclined toward the Android platform because there is more choice and most of that choice is low price, also said you have this lengthy chain of intermediaries who are delaying the delivery of that new software and its innovations to existing devices in the market.

Apple pushes annual updates of iOS mobile operating system out to its devices, while new versions of Android hit more often but must get through hardware makers and telecom services to get onto people’s handsets. Android gadget variety can also make it tough to design accessories or even apps that can be used across the array of devices. For its part, Google has done an excellent job of improving the ecosystem of music, films, apps, books and more available for Android-powered devices, according to analysts.

In the red-hot tablet market effectively created by the iPad, strong growth is being seen by Android rivals including Amazon’s popular Kindle Fire and Nook devices from Barnes & Noble, which run custom versions of the software. Analysts believe that the Google-backed operating system is likely to spread to typically dumb gizmos like appliances.

Dulaney said, These platforms are becoming the molecule elements for building all kinds of hybrid devices.

Sharp to introduce LCD monitor featuring industry's thinnest design in high-resolution display

OSAKA —

Sharp Corp will introduce into the Japanese market a new 32-inch-class LCD monitor, the PN-K321, a professional monitor featuring proprietary IGZO technology and delivering 4K × 2K resolution (3,840 × 2,160 pixels), four times that of full HD.

Demand for ultra-high-definition 4K2K displays is forecast to grow for numerous business and professional applications, including creating and editing graphics and video, financial-related operations requiring intensive use of graphs and small text, and CAD services for displaying detailed drawings. The PN-K321 is Sharp’s latest ultra-high-definition display and features smaller transistors (TFTs) in the LCD panel compared to conventional displays, thereby increasing the amount of transmitted light per pixel. Because 4K2K displays enable clear, crisp display of large amounts of information ranging from small text to detailed images on one screen, they boost operational efficiency by sparing users the need to scroll frequently.

In addition, Sharp’s IGZO technology makes it possible to adopt a specially designed edge-lit LED backlight system that enables the depth of the main body to be reduced to a mere 35 mm to achieve the industry’s thinnest design. Even though the PN-K321 features a large 32-inch-class screen, there is no sense of crowding when placed on an office desktop. In addition, this unit can also blend in when installed in public spaces. Further, input connectors are compatible with the latest DisplayPort and HDMI interface specifications, enabling the PN-K321 to be connected to a PC via a single cable for the display of large volumes of 4K2K data.