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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

M.I.A.’s New Video Too Much For YouTube

By: Edmund Mullins 

M.I.A.’s New Video Too Much For YouTube The New York Times is reporting that YouTube has pulled the video for M.I.A.’s new single, Born Free, presumably owing to nudity and graphic violence. Directed by Romain Gavras (son of filmmaker Costa-Gavras), it depicts an unidentified American military unit rounding up red-headed males from an apartment complex, then busing them to the desert where they are tortured and killed. It is hard-edged, graphic stuff and extremely NSFW.

Watch it after the jump.
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Since it popped up yesterday, there’s been a lot of web chatter about the video’s political message which, at its heart, is fairly rote. I’m inclined to think the kerfluffle has a lot more to say about how dull, thoughtless and inconsequential most music videos are. A little seriousness goes a long way, and a lot, it would seem, gets people uptight. Enjoy this link while it lasts.

TorrentFreak To Buy Pirate Bay For $11 Million

Written by enigmax
From: http://torrentfreak.com/
 
Following the announcement that Hans Pandeya is having a second shot at buying The Pirate Bay after last year’s failed attempt, it appears he has a rival bid. Media reports state that the GGF boss will now buy the site for $10 million, but TorrentFreak has managed to get $11 million together and will buy the site tomorrow afternoon at 3pm.

pirate bayAccording to a press release yesterday, Business Marketing Services Inc. has agreed to pay $10 million for the name and assets of BitTorrent monster The Pirate Bay.

CEO Hans Pandeya, who most people know from his Global Gaming Factory fame, will relaunch the the site on June 30th this year as a “paid legal content site”.

“The technology out there to deliver entertainment is from the stone age,” Pandeya said.

Pandeya says that the new site will be just like the old site except that it will only offer content that has been licensed by Business Marketing Services Inc.

In an amazing similarity to last year’s announcement that GGF would buy The Pirate Bay, Pandeya says that the site will run on some new hot file-sharing technology.

Apparently, BMSV have assurances from a party that they will receive $10m to make the purchase, so that means that they absolutely have the money and everything is going legal at The Pirate Bay in 2 months time.
So, to make sure this doesn’t happen, TorrentFreak has spoken to the admins of a few torrent sites who, while assuring us they were absolutely serious and not at all drunk or having fun at our expense, promised they would give us $11 million so we can buy The Pirate Bay instead.

To come up with some cool new technology, the writers on TF have been studying Visual Basic since last night and can now assure our readers that we have some awesome things lined up for the site.
Of course, absolutely nothing you’ve read so far in this article has a single grain of truth in it.

A Pirate Bay insider told TorrentFreak that there is no deal with Pandeya and that the whole thing is a complete fabrication.

Frustrated Owner Bulldozes Home Ahead Of Foreclosure

From: http://www.wlwt.com/

February 19, 2010

Man Says Actions Intended To Send Message To Banks


Like many people, Terry Hoskins has had troubles with his bank. But his solution to foreclosure might be unique.

Hoskins said he's been in a struggle with RiverHills Bank over his Clermont County home for nearly a decade, a struggle that was coming to an end as the bank began foreclosure proceedings on his $350,000 home."

When I see I owe $160,000 on a home valued at $350,000, and someone decides they want to take it – no, I wasn't going to stand for that, so I took it down," Hoskins said.  


View Slideshow

Hoskins said the Internal Revenue Service placed liens on his carpet store and commercial property on state Route 125 after his brother, a one-time business partner, sued him.



The bank claimed his home as collateral, Hoskins said, and went after both his residential and commercial properties."

The average homeowner that can't afford an attorney or can fight as long as we have, they don't stand a chance," he said.

Hoskins said he'd gotten a $170,000 offer from someone to pay off the house, but the bank refused, saying they could get more from selling it in foreclosure.

Hoskins told News 5's Courtis Fuller that he issued the bank an ultimatum.

"I'll tear it down before I let you take it," Hoskins told them.

And that's exactly what Hoskins did.

Man Says Actions Intended To Send Message To Banks

The Moscow man used a bulldozer two weeks ago to level the home he'd built, and the sprawling country home is now rubble, buried under a coating of snow.

"As far as what the bank is going to get, I plan on giving them back what was on this hill exactly (as) it was," Hoskins said. "I brought it out of the ground and I plan on putting it back in the ground."

Hoskins' business in Amelia is scheduled to go up for auction on March 2, and he told Fuller he's considering leveling that building, too.

RiverHills Bank declined to comment on the situation, but Hoskins said his actions were intended to send a message.

"Well, to probably make banks think twice before they try to take someone's home, and if they are going to take it wrongly, the end result will be them tearing their house down like I did mine," Hoskins said.

Man Has No Regrets Over Bulldozing House

Hoskins said he's heard from people all over the country since his story first aired Thursday, and he said most have been supportive.

He said he sought legal counsel before tearing down his home and understands the possible consequences, but he has never doubted his decision once he made it.

"When I knew I was going to lose it, I decided to take it down," Hoskins said.

How to Destroy Angels = Trent Reznor + Wife?

Rumors have been swirling today that a new project called How to Destroy Angels is perhaps the collaboration between Trent Reznor and his wife, Mariqueen Maandig of West Indian Girl. Consequence of Sound received a cryptic email from a publicist that says a 6-track EP will be out this summer and it includes the URL for the "band" website. Though the site features little else but what could be the album art and an equally mysterious 40-second video (below), the lady on the cover does resemble Mariqueen and the music bears all the sonic similarities to NIN's Year Zero. If anything, Reznor's stated in the past that he is a fan of Coil and How to Destroy Angels is one of said band's earliest, best releases.



Estates and Cribs: The $150 Million Home and More

How Richard Pryor Gave Pam Grier a Cocaine-Encrusted Vagina

Look, I’m going to put as little distance between that headline and the actual anecdote as possible. In Pam Grier’s new memoir Foxy: My Life in Three Acts (which is now a must-buy), she recounts how a conversation with her doctor led to her breakup with Richard Pryor. Stars, they are not just like us:
He said, “Pam, I want to tell you about an epidemic that’s prevalent in Beverly Hills right now. It’s a buildup of cocaine residue around the cervix and in the vagina. You have it. Are you doing drugs?”
“No,” I said, astonished.
“Well, it’s really dangerous,” he went on. “Is your partner putting cocaine on his penis to sustain his erection?”
“No,” I said, “not that I know of. It’s not like he has a pile of cocaine next to the bed and he dips his penis in it before we have sex.” I had a nauseating flash of one of Richard’s famous lines: Even my dick has a cocaine jones.
“Are you sure he isn’t doing it in the bathroom before he comes to bed?” the doctor asked.
“That’s a possibility,” I said. “You know, I am dating Richard Pryor.”
“Oh, my God,” he said. “We have a serious problem here. If he’s not putting it on his skin directly, then it’s worse because the coke is in his seminal fluid.”
Also recounted in the anecdote, says Jezebel, is that “the doctor then asks her if her mouth went numb while performing oral sex on Pryor, which she says it did, and which he links to the Novocaine-like effects of cocaine.”
The writers of Nurse Jackie, Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice all just bolted upright, screaming, “How have we missed this?”
The Truth About Cocaine Vaginas [Jezebel]

The Evolution of Raquel Welch: What a Woman (PICS)


Raquel Welch
unrealitymag.com Which year is your favorite?Click here for the full article and gallery: The Evolution of Raquel Welch: What a Woman
 

9 Companies with the Best Perks

For some employees, amazing benefits are just part of the job

By Amanda Greene 

from WomansDay.com

In today’s economy, employees have gotten used to the bare minimum at work. With widespread pay cuts and rampant layoffs, it’s not unusual to consider free coffee a great perk. But some companies are still working hard to keep their employees happy, going above and beyond the standard benefits and rewarding them with everything from on-site massages to unlimited paid vacation time. Jealous yet? Read on to learn about corporations that are not all work—and plenty of play.
S.C. Johnson
If you work at this cleaning product giant and are short on time, you don’t need to worry: There’s an on-site concierge service that offers discounted services, like mailing your packages, sending flowers, picking up and delivering groceries, researching car insurance deals, changing the oil in your car and even standing in line for concert tickets. And the benefits don’t stop once you retire: Former employees get a lifetime membership at the company fitness center. Photo courtesy of SCJohnson.com.

Amgen, Inc.
Employees of this California biotech company have 17 paid holidays a year (on top of three weeks of vacation), which is nearly two times the average. Parents can drop their kids off at the on-site day care center, pick up bouquets at the in-house gift shops and grab a takeout breakfast or lunch at the cafeteria, which prepares healthy meals to go. New moms enjoy a variety of perks at Amgen, like on-site Lamaze and breastfeeding classes, lactation rooms and a nutritional program with one-on-one counseling. Photo courtesy of Amgen.com.

Google, Inc.
You’ve probably heard Google is a great company to work for. Here’s why: lunch, dinner and snacks from a choice of 16 gourmet cafes are free. Plus, employees can bring their dogs to work, stressed-out workers can get subsidized massages, there are free laundry machines, four gyms, on-site doctors and much, much more. Google even lets new moms and dads expense up to $500 for takeout meals during the first three months they’re home with their new baby. Photo courtesy of Google.com.

Netflix, Inc.
Employees of this movie-delivery company don’t need to request vacation days because there’s no set number of them. "If you hire adults who practice adult behaviors, you don't need requirements like dress codes and vacation policies," says Steve Swasey, vice president of corporate communications. CEO Reed Hastings has so much trust in his employees that nobody even keeps track of how many days they're out of the office. Photo courtesy of Netflix.com.

Genentech, Inc.
Child (and doggie!) day care are available to employees at this San Francisco biotech company. Also on the benefits menu: six-week paid sabbaticals to prevent burnout, drop-off laundry service, seasonal produce stands in company cafeterias, made-to-order sushi, free cappuccinos and two 24-hour libraries. And at the end of a stressful workweek, employees can let loose on Fridays at the weekly socials, or “Ho-Hos.” Photo courtesy of Gene.com.

MillerCoors, LLC.
When employees of Miller Brewing head to the nearest bar for happy hour, they don’t have to go very far. In 2004, Miller CEO Norman Adami opened Fred's Pub, an on-site pub for Milwaukee employees to gather and relax in after-hours. Even better: The beer––seven kinds on tap and 13 varieties of bottled brew––is free. And, MillerCoors just opened a new headquarters in Chicago which features a 16th floor rooftop bar and outdoor terrace that overlooks the Chicago River. The beer is, of course, free. The pub is called Fred & Adolph's, after the founders of Miller and Coors Brewing Companies. Photo courtesy of MillerCoors.com.

SAS Institute, Inc.
If employees at this business software company are feeling stressed out, they can head to the campus recreation and fitness center for a massage, at a subsidized cost, according to the company’s website. Or they can utilize the gym, weight room, billiards hall and Olympic-size pool. An article from 2010 reports that SAS also offers high-quality, low-cost child care, unlimited sick days and a free medical center staffed by four physicians and 10 nurse practitioners. Plus, the two in-residence artists have been known to offer artwork and framing supplies to employees at a discount. Photo courtesy of SAS.com.

F5 Networks, Inc.
According to their website, at the end of each week, this networking application company relaxes with Beer Friday, a party that features microbrews, wine and snacks in the company game room. While they imbibe, employees can play foosball, pinball, air hockey and Ping-Pong. They also get a $100 monthly stipend to try alternative transportation options. They can get massages at work two times a week or break a sweat on the nearby running trails. Employees are encouraged to excel with the company’s quarterly “High Five” awards. Photo courtesy of F5.com.

Chesapeake Energy Corp.
An on-site day care center, generous benefits package and discounted scuba certification classes at nearby lakes are all part of the job for employees of natural gas company Chesapeake Energy. Once they’re certified, employees can sign up for one of company’s scuba trips to Cozumel, Mexico. They can also take advantage of some perks on dry land: the campus’s new employee garden takes up a full city block, and will have a garden pavilion for everything from cooking demonstrations to yoga classes. Photo courtesy of CHK.com.

Night Vision Coming Soon To Cell Phones, Eyeglasses

The illuminating power of bulky night vision goggles could soon be widely available thanks to a new, paper thin device.

Night Vision An image taken through night vision glasses shows soldiers in northern Afghanistan. New technology could make night vision more widely available.
AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus




Adapting technology found in flat screen television sets, scientists have created a thin film that converts infrared light into visible light. The technology could give cell phones, eyeglasses and car windshields cheap, lightweight night vision.

"This device can convert any infrared image into a visible image and would weigh no more than a pair of eyeglasses," said Franky So, a scientist at the University of Florida who describes his new night vision technology in a recent article in the journal Advanced Materials that was funded in part by advanced technology powerhouse DARPA.

Most night vision devices today use massive amounts of electricity -- often several thousand volts, according to So -- and heavy, glass lenses that maintain a vacuum to make the night come alive. So's device takes a radically different turn, replacing glass with thin plastic, eliminating the vacuum and using energy-efficient, organic LEDs.

So does this by using technology borrowed from flat screen TVs. Infrared light enters the film and is detected by the first of seven separate layers, which generates a slight electrical charge. Additional electrical energy -- about three to five volts -- amplifies that signal, which is then converted back into visible light.



Like most of today's night vision cameras, So's device emits an eerie green light. Unlike most night vision technology today, however, So's design would weigh less than 100 grams (less than a quarter of a pound). Part of that weight is the proof of concept small size -- about one square centimeter -- but So says that even a full scale device could weigh as little as 10 grams and be only a few microns thick.
In other words, heavy and bulky night vision goggles could be replaced with a thin, lightweight coating weighing less than half a deck of playing cards.

It will take about 18 months to scale up the device for practical applications, such as car windshields, lightweight night vision eyeglasses and cell phones cameras.

"Ten years ago when people talked about putting cameras in cell phones, people asked why would you want to do that," said So. "Now you cannot find a cell phone without a camera. In the future, you might not be able to find a cell phone without night vision."

Night vision cell phones could be just the start. So said his team also plans to create cell phones that can see, and more importantly, measure heat as well. A cell phone equipped with heat vision could instantly take a patient's body temperature to see if they had a fever. A car windshield could make pedestrians crossing the street much easier to see and avoid.

Other scientists are enthusiastic about the new research. "This has a high potential to revolutionize night vision," said Yongli Gao, a professor at the University of Rochester. "It could be very useful in detecting heat loss from homes to reduce energy consumption, and for military applications as well."

Shanghai World Expo set to open

sacbee.com Visitors to Shanghai's World Expo say organizers have plenty of kinks to iron out before the event -- the biggest-ever World's Fair -- formally opens on May Day. Some 70 million people are expected to visit. The Expo runs May 1-Oct. 31. Elevated highways are illuminated by LED lights on April 18, in Shanghai, China.
 

 In this photo taken Sunday, March 28, and released by the Shanghai Pacific Institute for International Strategy, the World Expo site is illuminated in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/ Shanghai Pacific Institute for International Strategy) AP

Elevated highways are illuminated by LED lights on April 18, in Shanghai, China. Shanghai World Expo will be held from May 1 to Oct 31, expecting 70 million visitors. Getty Images / Feng Li


Please click here for the gallery: The Biggest-Ever World's Fair in Shanghai
 

Ultimate guide to Nightmare on Elm Street

From: http://scifiwire.com/









Our ultimate guide to 
\<i\>Nightmare on Elm Street\<\/i\>
This Friday a new version of the classic horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street slashes its way into theaters, proving once again the enduring power of the franchise that filmmaker Wes Craven created 26 years ago.
As a new actor, Jackie Earle Haley, prepares to take up Freddy Krueger's razor glove and fedora, we take a look back at the best and worst of the eight previous films that gave new meaning to the term "recurring nightmare."

What is it about these movies that we all love? What do we hate? (You may be surprised by some of the behind-the-scenes talent as well: Frank Darabont??)


Take a look. But don't fall asleep ...

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A mysterious man in a red-and-green sweater targets Springwood's teenagers in their dreams. Written and directed by Wes Craven, starring Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, John Saxon.
Why It Works: Craven targets teen insecurities and combines them with familiar dream scenarios to create a compelling, creepy film.
Why It Sucks: Craven doesn't quite define Freddy's mythology, creating enough ambiguity in the final scenes to allow lesser filmmakers the chance to change it over and over again in the sequels.
Why It Matters: Created one of the '80s most iconic movie monsters and took slasher films into a new realm—the subconscious. Also established Englund as the definitive Freddy Krueger.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

Freddy returns to haunt the next family that moves into the house from the original film. Written by David Chaskin, directed by Jack Sholder, starring Jesse Walsh, Clu Gulager, Englund.
Why It Works: In addition to crafting one of the most homoerotic horror movies of all time, the film showed how Freddy could extend his influence outside the world of dreams.
Why It Sucks: Other than the location, it has nothing to do with any of the other installments in the series.
Why It Matters: It proved that Freddy was a viable franchise, no matter the quality of the film, and encouraged distributor New Line to pour more resources into resurrecting the character for additional episodes.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

Nancy returns to tussle with Freddy after he aims to expire the last children of the Elm Street parents, all of whom have been institutionalized. Written by Craven, Bruce Wagner, Frank Darabont and Chuck Russell from a story by Craven and Wagner, directed by Russell, starring Langenkamp, Craig Wasson, Patricia Arquette, Englund.
Why It Works: Connecting parts 1 and 3, the film offers a cathartic payoff for Nancy while creating a larger world for Freddy to play in.
Why It Sucks: In killing Nancy off in this film, it allowed future films to throw new, random people into the mix, requiring constant retroactive continuity from here on out.
Why It Matters: It set the stage for Freddy's eventual transformation into more of a jokester than a deadly killer, which created some interesting kills but made him more of a metaphorical than literal cut-up.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

Alice becomes the guardian of "good dreams" after Freddy is resurrected for more dreamtime mayhem. Written by Brian Helgeland, Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat, directed by Renny Harlin, starring Lisa Wilcox, Englund.
Why It Works: There's an interesting coming-of-age story in Alice's trajectory as she adopts the powers of her fallen friends, and the finale features a dream-reality loop that hints at the series' possible deeper exploration of its themes.
Why It Sucks: It only hints at those deeper themes, instead opting for a more glib and gross series of deaths that have less than ever to do with the original ideas behind the films.
Why It Matters: Although it received only mixed reviews, this was the second-highest-grossing film in the series after Freddy vs. Jason and ensured that Freddy would live on for several more years.

A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989)

Alice's baby becomes the vessel for Freddy to resurrect himself one more time. Written by Leslie Bohem from a story by John Skipp, Craig Spector and Bohem, directed by Stephen Hopkins, starring Wilcox and Englund.
Why It Works: There's an actual interesting conversation about abortion (of all things) in the film; meanwhile, Freddy enjoys some of the series' most memorable kills.
Why It Sucks: What the film spent in set design it saved in acting salaries, producing unconvincing performances in a story that essentially existed for the gore.
Why It Matters: This was the official point at which the films gave up on the idea of Freddy's victims needing to sleep, producing installments that were all about the aggressive set pieces and Freddy's "imagination" rather than anything resembling a real movie.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

Freddy returns for seemingly no reason to wreak havoc and reunite with his long-lost daughter. Written by Michael De Luca from a story by Rachel Talalay, directed by Talalay, starring Lisa Zane and Englund.
Why It Works: Exploring Freddy's motivation is an interesting idea—the concept that he's taking revenge on the people who took away his own child.
Why It Sucks: The film's hamfisted acting, directing and storytelling create sympathy for Freddy's plight and then undermine it, over and over again; also, the finale is literally a scuffle where Freddy and a potential victim roll around on the floor arguing over the fate of his glove.
Why It Matters: The film provided the final nail in Freddy's coffin, at least in terms of the jokey, unscary iteration that strayed so far from the character in the original film.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

The original cast and crew return after Freddy's spirit revives itself in the real world. Written and directed by Craven, starring Englund, Langenkamp, Miko Hughes, Tracy Middendorf.
Why It Works: A meta-movie predecessor to the Scream series, it merges mythmaking and monster movies with startling effectiveness.
Why It Sucks: How are you going to have a movie like this where Robert Englund and Freddy never come face to face?
Why It Matters: A fitting and fascinating completion to Wes Craven's collaborations on the franchise and a satisfying refinement to the mythology that essentially allowed for future interpretations to exist.

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

Freddy Krueger brings Jason back from hell to wreak havoc on the teenagers of Elm Street. Written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, directed by Ronny Yu, starring Englund, Ken Kirzinger, Monica Keena, Jason Ritter.
Why It Works: Yu turns the title bout into a MMA spectacular thanks to wire work and a terrifically agile sense of humor.
Why It Sucks: Too much of both monsters together, but not enough of either one alone.
Why It Matters: Using a few small cues from previous films, including the sleep-drug Hypnocil, the filmmakers tenuously connect this to the rest of the installments and establish—if nothing else—that people still want to see Freddy haunt their dreams.
What's your favorite?