Crews were called to a bungalow in Tennyson Avenue, Thornton, at 2140 GMT on Friday.
The man, believed to be in his 60s, was found at the front of the house, a fire service spokesman said.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and Lancashire Police have started an investigation into the cause of the blaze.
A police spokesman said it was not believed to be suspicious.
There is some discussion in the media this week about Sebastian Vettel’s contractual status in 2012. To put things into perspective one should know that Vettel has been a Red Bull driver since he was in karting at the age of 12. There was a brief period after he won the Formula BMW Championship that [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/vettels-contract/
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Women have always been one of the major attractions of Formula 1. The glamour that women bring to this motor sport is wilder than most of the things that you can imagine.
credit: jiazi
When you go to watch any In. These sexy women make the sport popular and far more interesting than any other sport that [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/formula-f1/~3/JtNj8l_88d4/
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This week FOM, the Formula One Management company run by Bernie Ecclestone, has announced it will be providing native High Definition Formula One coverage for the very first time. This heralds the entrance of the sport into the super clear broadcast territory. High Definition television has been available for some time now in the United [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/formula-one-goes-high-definition/
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Toyota stays ahead of GM by a small margin – VW Group the world's third largest automaker and plans to be the biggest by 2018 with over 10 million unit sales a year.
Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/MrN3W4-mRkw/toyota-still-number-one-in-global-sales
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Davide Valsecchi and Luiz Razia look set to be announced as test drivers for Team Lotus, with both men expected to have a chance to drive on some Friday mornings ? as Fairuz Fauzy did last year. Razia was on … Continue reading ?
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/01/29/valsecchi-razia-set-for-lotus-test-drives/
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Anyone paint their car bodies with acrylics? I have heard good things about Tamiya and Gunze acrylics, they dry fast, they can be clear coated and buffed/polished just like enamel and lacquers. I am thinking of making the switch just for inside paint fumes, acrylics will not be as bad and harsh as enamels and lacquers.
I would assume there is not acrylic primers available, so that would still leave using enamel or lacquer primers right? How do acrylics stand up in durability and drying time compared to enamels/lacquers? Can you wet sand and polish acrylics? Clears coat options for acrylics…Tamiya X-22 clear? I am just concerned that acrylic paints and clear gloss coats would be too soft for sanding and polishing.
Would appreciate any feedback or advice from those who have used acrylics and what they think about the advantages and disadvantages of their use.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/938367.aspx
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An interesting question I thought, as in all honesty I think that the term King or Queen of pop is an over used, hollow and meaningless phrase used to depict someone that we cannot quite put into one box or another. Take for example Michael Jackson, a real icon of the pop industry. All too often we hear that significantly irritating term, “The all time King of Pop!” used by radio DJ’s, news readers and so many other people who take a talent far superior than royalty and coin a term that they feel puts the person they are describing on a pedestal of adequate comparison. I for one find this habit quite irritating as royalty are most certainly not individuals to admire. How many Kings and Queens through history have been criminals, tyrants, villains and complete failures as leaders and men and women of power? So why then compare the genius and talent of someone like John Lennon to a status in society that is not always necessarily looked up to as being of iconic regard?
Ok, ok I hear you ranting that we compare these unique individuals to monarchy in the aspect of their indisputable status as sole and divine leader over all others in that space and time. In this way, we have come to use the expression “Queen of Pop” as a direct parallel to that indisputable place in time where that person held the sole position of power over all others within the world of pop. Yes I understand too the argument behind this train of thought, however would point out that Kings and Queens are human and finite. There are limits to how long their power or position may last, dependant on so many variations of scenario, that you can begin to see cracks appear in the direct line of thought when it comes to naming an all time “Queen of Pop!”, because the person I name today will only stand to be knocked off that pedestal in time to come.
So for that reason, I decided to rethink the question slightly differently. Who, do I consider to be the most iconic, phenomenal and memorable contributor to the world of pop, taking into consideration everyone that I know of and have heard. That has become no easy question to answer and one I have spent some time considering now.
While I think that there have been a number of masters of the art of pop, and have certainly stood the test of time, and consistently produced popular, timely music, there are few that leap out from the crowd and stand out as true trend setters of their era.
Some of the names I have considered include many infamous icons of pop through the years. Take for example Norma Jeane Baker or otherwise known to the masses as Marilyn Monroe. In the 1960's when Marilyn Monroe was in the height of her fame, it can certainly be said that she had a massive impact on society and the world around her, but I do have to wonder if it was not the mystery behind her death that has lead over time to the iconic status with which Marilyn Monroe is now regarded. The public love nothing more than the idea of a conspiracy and the whole aura of mystery; uncertainty and intrigue have built an infamous status with which Marilyn Monroe has become regarded. Does this really set her aside as what we could possibly consider to be the all time matriarch of pop?
On the other side of the scale I did consider the multi talented pop icon that has become Lady Gaga. The 24 year old American pop sensation Stefani Germanotta has over a period of two years become on of the most powerful forces in modern pop music, having amassed herself a small fortune of US$62 million in that time, and has been listed by Forbes Magazine as the 7th most powerful celebrity in the world.
That is certainly an impressive feat to have accomplished within a two year time frame, but I have to ask myself if given time, memory of the current cultural sensation that has made Lady Gaga a phenomenon in the current chart will fair so favourably once the media hype and clever marketing that has been used to make her such a famous celebrity has exhausted its usefulness. I mean lets be realistic, it is Lady Gaga’s ability to break boundaries and consistently shock normal sane people that leaves much of the public in awe of her ability. When it comes down to pure talent, I certainly do not believe that it was by talent alone that Lady Gaga has become the sensation that she is today.
So while I allow credit to the likes of Stefani Germanotta of the pop world, and I do believe that there are a few, I believe that it is by their ability to be controversial and through powerful and clever marketing that they have become as popular as they are. A few examples of this would have to be the likes of Brittany Spears, Gwen Stephanie, Christina Aguilera, Cher and a multitude of other singers. While talented to a degree, and performers of notability, I’d not go as far as to say that they are the true description of an all time pop legend.
So let’s take a look at the power of facts and stats then. There are three big hitters that I think defiantly rule the roost when it comes to phenomenal accomplishments in terms of their contribution to pop. Shania Twain, Madonna and Celine Dion. Between these three ladies alone, they contribute to selling in excess of 500 million albums world wide. Now before you start shouting and screaming that there are other women who have sold incredible numbers of albums, I have discounted them as I do not feel that I regard them as pop icons. Credit where credit is due, this contest is just not for them.
So of the three I’ve listed, there are several key factors that come into play. Madonna has certainly sold the most number of records, contributing in excess of 300 million albums to that combined total on her own. Celine on the other hand has been singing and producing albums since she was 12, and many of her albums are in French and not taken into consideration when producing much of the available statistics. Shania remarkably has to be a firm contender having sold 45 million records across 5 albums and all within a decade, making her one of the most successful female recording artists in terms of the sheer number of sales in the shortest period of time.
But of the three there is one clear winner in terms of her ability to stand the test of time in her ability to reinvent herself, and have wide appeal across multiple generations of people. In terms of awards, the list of nominations and accreditations that Madonna has wracked up over her time in pop music, and recognition and respect in the pop world, Madonna stands out as a clear iconic symbol of pop power and achievement.
So is this me saying that in my opinion Madonna is the all time mistress of the pop world? In many ways I do consider Madonna to be the principal icon of pop power around the world, and considering that she is now 52 years of age and is still producing music that challenges peers in the industry that are still in the teens and early 20’s I think is very remarkable indeed.
From Rock to Dance, Pop to Country, Classical to Contemporary Madonna has crossed every genre of music and nailed it to perfection along the way. Her concerts have become a performance not to be missed and her music will long into the future still be trend setting the way we dance, party and relax. Certainly Madonna is an icon to consider for that ultimate title of Pop Goddess.
But…
Yes, I have to admit that when it comes to popularity and affection, I don’t think that Madonna quite has it. Yes in much the same way that Princess Dianna out shone the entire Royal Family in the UK, I believe that there is a pop ambassador that stands far out in front of many of today’s celebrity icons.
So in finally answering my question, my vote and honest belief is that Kylie Minogue is our modern day definition of pure positive impact on an industry, society and the people who call themselves fans.
I regard Kylie as a complete woman. A role model, a pure professional, a real success story and someone that I regard with admiration. Not many people can say they know about the personal life of Kylie Minogue, a mark of a true celebrity in my opinion. Someone who is loved and admired not for her lifestyle, controversial performances or ability to stir up a storm in a tea cup, but merely for her ability to consistently produce quality and great entertainment. Kylie has resolutely been a true ambassador for woman in both success and in the face of peril. Through trials like breast cancer, stormy relationships and periods of uncertainty, Kylie has always managed to bounce back, invigorated, energised, reinvented, sensual and seductive, yet thoroughly lovely and lady like. She knows how to push the limit without becoming crass or cheap, and has turned herself into a remarkable role model for generations of young women the world over.
Yes I truly believe that what ever term you choose, Kylie Minogue is in a league of her own. She is a remarkable lady and one of our finest female artists of all time. To you I salute you and give you my vote as the most iconic female artist of all time, Miss Kyle Ann Minogue OBE.
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I’m through with standin’ in lines to clubs I’ll never get in;
It’s like the bottom of the ninth and I’m never gonna win;
This life hasn’t turned out;
Quite the way I want it to be!
(Tell me what you want)
I want a brand new house on an episode of Cribs
And a bathroom I can play baseball in
And a king size tub
Big enough for ten plus me
(Yeah, so what you need?)
I need a a credit card that’s got no limit
And a big black jet with a bedroom in it
Gonna join the mile high club
At thirty-seven thousand feet
(Been there, done that)
I want a new tour bus full of old guitars
My own star on Hollywood Boulevard
Somewhere between Cher
And James Dean is fine for me
(So how you gonna do it?)
I’m gonna trade this life
For fortune and fame
I’d even cut my hair
And change my name
‘Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
And live in hilltop houses, drivin’ fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We’ll all stay skinny ’cause we just won’t eat
And we’ll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger’s gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleach blond hair
And well, hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar
Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar
I wanna be great like Elvis without the tassels
Hire eight body guards that love to beat up assholes
Sign a couple autographs
So I can eat my meals for free
(I’ll have the quesadilla, ha, ha)
I’m gonna dress my ass with the latest fashion
Get a front door key to the Playboy mansion
Gonna date a centerfold that loves
To blow my money for me
(So how you gonna do it?)
I’m gonna trade this life
For fortune and fame
I’d even cut my hair
And change my name
‘Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
And live in hilltop houses, drivin’ fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We’ll all stay skinny ’cause we just won’t eat
And we’ll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger’s gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleach blond hair
And we’ll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary of today’s who’s who
They’ll get you anything with that evil smile
Everybody’s got a drug dealer on speed dial
Well, hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar
I’m gonna sing those songs that offend the censors
Gonna pop my pills from a Pez dispenser
Get washed-up singers writin’ all my songs
Lipsynk ‘em every night so I don’t get ‘em wrong
Well, we all just wanna be big rockstars
And live in hilltop houses, drivin’ fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We’ll all stay skinny ’cause we just won’t eat
And we’ll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger’s gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleach blond hair
And we’ll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary of today’s who’s who
They’ll get you anything with that evil smile
Everybody’s got a drug dealer on speed dial
Well, hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar
Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar
I really love the words to this song. Nickleback hit the nail on the head when they took the lyrics and made it into a modern, trendy and ultra popular song, that’s been used on everything from advertising furniture, to educating children, but how often do you stop to consider that the words of this song are spot on to what most of our youth crave for in todays world?
The writers got it 100% correct when they said that its now a life style to be lazy, live a life of luxury doing as little as possible, and having a whole lot to splash around on the broad walks of Miami and New York. I speak to dozens of young people who are chasing the dream of fame, and the lifestyle that goes with it. When you ask them how they plan to get there, its always the same answer.
This years X Factor is a perfect example of the delusional reality that so many of our youth live under. If the figures we are told are anything to believe, some 200 thousand people audition for the X Factor each year, some of them I’m sure the judges shudder to consider seeing year in year out. It always amazes me how many people honestly believe that they have a chance at making it to a life of fame and fortune. But when you watch normal ordinary people come from ordinary lifestyles and become overnight stars, is it any wonder that we have a whole multitude of generations coveting their place in the lime light?
Its sad when you speak to a young boy or girl today, and ask them the age old question of “What are you going to be when you grow up?”, only to hear them say, “I want to be like Beyonce or Michael Jackson!” I shudder to think that my child may one day come home and tell me something similar. What happened to admiring the real jobs in society that make our lives meaningful and are far more realistic. For most boys when I was growing up, the dream was to learn to be a pilot, followed closely by some sort of role in one of the armed forces. Those were the jobs that appeared cool, respectable and sort after. But sadly today we just want to earn fame and fortunes as fast as possible in anyway we can.
Pride in learning a talent and becoming respected for being good at it is a thing of the past and I for one am saddened when I think of how much the world has changed and how little we have to look forward to as we grow up and mature into our golden years today. Ambition and desire are not what they once used to be. Cherish the lessons of the elder generation and cling to the ways of the old, as they were not completely wrong nor were they as out of touch with reality as we may once have believed. As I’ve grown older, I treasure the lessons I was taught by my parents. Its a good thing to learn to be well grounded and in touch with reality. If there is one thing that I can say to anyone reading this and thinking to themselves it’d be this. Take the time to dream, but live the reality and cherish the time you are given and make the most of it, for you can’t take it back, and its too late when you wake up one day and realised you were living with your head in the clouds.
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So Wednesday the 20th day of October in the year 2010, or 20-10-2010 in simple numbers was the day that the axe of Austerity swung on the British Economy and literally chopped every limb from our able bodied national existence.
Yes, it don’t really matter who you are, or who you work for, if you live, work or learn in the UK then you can pretty much guarantee that the next four years will suck big time. Hell its something we’ve all known has been coming since the election that saw Labour’s landslide victory of 1997 when the man I personally hold responsible for this calamity came marching into power with a quirky smile, a silver spoon in his gob and a wet handshake for every willing wimp to shake, be trashed on the side walk as a nation went to the polls not quite sure who the hell to choose.
Well here we have it folks, and it’s of our own making that we are in the boat we find ourselves in, so its no use complaining. When the British public had a chance to democratically put its foot down and demand more from its politicians, they simple sat back and got confused. Yes admittedly even I found myself in a quandary over who to choose, but in such times, a choice must be made and the consequences of those choices accepted.
For many selfish reasons, people close to me supported Labour and Gordon Brown in his fool hardy attempt to run for office once more. Truth be told for many of those, the support of Gordon Brown was folly as they believed that Labour would go easy on Zimbabwean Immigrants, and put a stop on deportations. How misguided that assumption must now look as we see the truth of how deeply Labour and its two chief goons lead us up the garden path.
Let’s be completely frank with each other. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown did not have the average man in the forefront of their minds as they spent for the sake of spending. Even towards the end of the game, when the truth was coming out from the leaking holes in the government infrastructure, Gordon Brown still remained steadfastly stuck on his spending mantra. As a result of this irresponsibility and complete lack of leadership, we now face one of the toughest periods in living memory in the UK.
This is not something that we face alone. The whole developed world has had to look long and hard at itself, and come to the realisation that greed and wilful neglect of duty do not make up for reality. You cannot borrow yourself out of debt. Japan tried that one and nearly failed on numerous occasions. Gordon Brown lead the nation to believe that our economy could recover enough to pay off the debt that he’d amassed in his quantative easing measures designed to stabilise the economy from sinking further into recession. Of all the billions of tax payers pounds that were sunk into the banking sector to stimulate lending and ease the intra bank lending rates, what benefit did the economy or any small business see?
It is common knowledge that industry in the UK is a dying art. The bulk of our economy revolves around service industries, call centres, banking and white collar trade models. We don’t have any world renowned steel mills anymore. Our automotive industry belongs to any other country but Britain. Our ability to build ships, undertake construction or even provide the very service structure our economy thrives on is slowly ebbed from our shores. Just about all forms of heavy industry is undertaken abroad. Call centre and service support industries have farmed out to developing nations where work forces do the job at half the cost. As more and more centres of excellence like Dubai in the UAE and Energy City in Qatar become more appealing as they gear up to become the banking Mecca’s as we move into the second decade of the twenty first century. Don’t tell me for a moment that companies the size of Barclays Bank or HSBC won’t think twice about relocation if suddenly faced with the prospect of massive levies applied by the British Government.
In every way we possibly can we have made it near impossible for our economy to rise up from the ashes of this devastating blow and recover itself. How then could we have possibly paid our way out of recession as Gordon Brown assured us we would? No people, the reality of it was simple. Gordon had realised that he’d never be re-elected to office in the UK. The reality was that Gordon had seen the light at the end of the tunnel was being extinguished by debt, and yet failing to have a spin and lead our proud nation as a man, he failed to call time on Labour’s folly, and instead pulled the plug, spending everything he could just to make sure that who ever took over would look even worse than he.
My anger is not aimed at the Coalition who has had to face a disaster and try to remain positive. No, I do not despise David Cameron for his government’s wide stretching raft of austerity measures. That feeling I harbour only towards the evil men that went before him. I can only hope that for every old person that dies a lonely, hungry, miserable death as a result of these cuts will play on the mind of our esteemed Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and they ponder the folly of their time in office. I can only pray that the blood of all the victims of the crime wave to come will drip loudly in their ears at night as they fight for sleep. I can only hope that the starving child, beaten and abused at the hands of parents driven to depression beyond their abilities will remain vivid in their minds eye each time they pause for thought.
Yes it is at your feet that responsibility lies. No, not completely, as it takes many men to create such mayhem and chaos in modern society. But it was on your watch that the wolf played havoc in the chicken run, and it is time for men to be men and stand up for their lack of leadership, it is time for men to be men and accept the burden of guilt, aye it is time for men to be men and prove that there are still fine gentlemen among us.
My heart cries out for every single genuine person, man, woman and child who’s life is going to be made hell over the next ten years as a result of these measures. I do honestly believe that our government have been bold and brave. Would any one of you liked to have won an election knowing you were going to become the most unpopular government in the last 70 years of British history at no fault of your own? Would any one of you have wanted to walk into government and take over knowing that Gordon Brown was your predecessor and having an inkling of what exactly was to come as you began to get to grips with the shambles you’d been left? Do any of us truly believe that anyone else could have or would have done the job any differently? Let’s be real people. Before today we were living every day in the UK to pay £120 million in interest to service our debt. What else could our government do?
In all honesty as I listen to economists from around the world, every major power is going to have to face a day like today. The US is servicing a debt of several Trillion dollars. Austerity will fall on the shoulders of every American in just the way today it did for British folk. Four years of pain and six years of recovery are far better than ten years of uncertainty and potential bankruptcy.
If you’ve read this and you’re a rich person, or somewhat well off in society, my only message or calling to you is to each day as you survive the effects of the cuts announced today, remember those below you struggling to make ends meet. We are all affected by these measures, others more so than others, and if we are to survive then many of us will never to lend a helping hand to those in desperate need. This is the measure of a true community. This is the mark of a real society, and these are the actions of real people.
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I was blessed today when I came across this video. In our life, death is one of those things that as humans we really hate to think of and fear almost all or lives. I’ve written a few times about the pain and effects that loosing someone so special causes, and how different life is after such a dramatic event as the death of a loved one.
Some years ago now, mom and I had a discussion about organ donation, and to be totally honest, I was probably merely being polite when I agreed to do it with her. I never really stopped to think about the impact of how giving away a part of my life might impact on and give another human being the chance to live a longer, pain free and independent life. Recently as various things have happened around me, I’ve begun to try and mentally prepare myself for some of the things that I know lie before me, one of those being able to have the strength to say good bye. And if I am totally honest, I’m not ready to do that yet. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to.
No one wants to loose a loved one. But maybe there was some wisdom in my mothers decision to donate any organ that the doctors may use in granting a reprieve to another person. Even if that person was to never know me, or even speak to me, I think there is so much truth in the words of the main actor of this short film when she says that in deciding to donate their son’s heart it allowed them to move on. Part of him lives on and gives life to another, what better gift could come out of such pain, than the gift of life to another. And so I now sit back and begin to realise that yes, there is very defiantly a reason in my mothers wisdom, and something that I now am more acceptable of as I learn to accept that in life, giving is far more powerful than holding on to something that you cannot hold onto any more.
For there is no greater love than to lay down your life for another. This may well not be the same concept in the essence of laying down your life, but you give of the life force you have enjoyed on this earth as the sun sets on your innings and grant freedom of life to another. Have you got yourself a donor card? If not follow this link and register today. The life you live in another may well be as rich and blessed as the life you lived in your own body.
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I grew up in a country where my school fees were paid by my parents. My father worked every single day he could to ensure that his children were educated, and given the best possible footing for launching themselves into the pool of applicants that had to seek university grants and scholarships that enabled them to complete our education. Had it not been for the fact that we were focused from a young age to work hard and do well at school it would not have been possible for any of us to have acquired the education we had, as in the real world, nothing is for free.
For a moment I feel sorry for the youngsters of tomorrow in the UK. Yes they have been born to a world, a nation that is fast changing, a nation caught in the midst of a world monetary crisis that was caused by no fault of theirs, yet it is they who have to suffer the greed and foolishness of so many who go before them. However, this is the reality that as a nation, everyone needs to wake up and confront head on, before any tangible and meaningful progress will be made. Yes everyone has the right to protest, and I believe that the youth should be protesting, however, I also believe that at some point along the way we have to realise that time have changed, and the policies that are being rolled out today will be the beginning of a very new very difficult lifestyle.
Society in the UK has some very difficult lessons to learn. For too long the British people have buried their head in the sand and allowed governments, ministers and elected leadership run amok with the nations coffers. We have quietly accepted the status quo, hoping that by not rocking the boat we can all carry on enjoying the joys of a plastic society, spending its way into the clutches of greedy bankers and men driven by zeros at the end of their personal bank statements. We expected that the glorious days of sunshine and happiness that New Labour brought with it after the doom and gloom that had preceded it, would last forever, yet we cannot say we were unaware of the warning signs that the hinges were falling off, and the walls were in need of paint. Time and again we heard professionals warning that our accrued level of debt was spiralling out of control.
When I first arrived in the UK, I trained as a IFA (Independent Financial Advisor) under the guidance of the Charted Institute of Insurers and the Financial Services Authority. It seemed to me back in early 2000 that it was an ideal job, and a sure way of making good money. I recall one fine day going to a lesson with an Advisor from a large London based Accounting firm, and sitting through lunch chatting with him, he proceeded to tell four of us that within five to seven years the bottom of the market would fall out, leaving thousands of people in negative equity. I vividly recall asking him how he could be so sure about such a prediction, and recall him smiling and saying this.
When your government is borrowing as much as your country is manufacturing every day we wake up, and the people in the nation in which we live are collectively in excess of a trillion pounds in debt, there is only one viable conclusion. Someone, somewhere along the way is going to fail to repay their loans for whatever reason, and this will start a chain reaction that will eventually effect everyone, from the richest in society to those who will suffer the effects the most, those who can’t afford to survive the fall.
I recall at that point in time deciding not to invest in property just yet, as it would seem illogical, having been given the warning to go striding into a whirl pool of disaster. Don’t get me wrong, it was a prediction, but one which the more I thought about the more I became certain made definite sense, and thankfully my gut kept me on the straight and narrow and always brought me back to this man’s warning whenever I began to wonder about setting down roots.
But if he could see that banks were already crippled with toxic debt, surely too goodness the likes of Gordon Brown knew this too? Mr Brown was heralded as being the most effective Chancellor of the Exchequer that the UK had ever had. How then is it possible that he could not have foreseen that market lending money to borrowers up to four and sometimes even six times what they earned could not be bad for business? The FSA the watch dog given more powers than even the police in the UK was born under his watch, and in power to oversee a system that actively encouraged banks to lend to people it was clear could not afford the level of debt they were getting themselves into. Even when we received a full blown warning explosion across our bow at the collapse of Northern Rock did he had any measures to reign in the dodgy practices that were leading us all down a path of wonton destruction.
Thing is that even if Gordon Brown wasn’t watching, we have to ask ourselves who was? The banks must have known the risks that they were taking were bound to rebound on them at some stage. The men managing the banks are employed and appointed for their ability to avoid adverse risk and toxic debt, so how is it that even they didn’t know it was happening? The reality of the situation is that from the Government on down, those who we trusted to be looking out for our best interests, were taking advantage of the sunshine and busy lining their nests with millions of pounds in payouts, bonuses and backhanders. The people of the nation were left to carry on blundering into a world of debt, pain and misery.
Let me ask you this, while we are all struggling to survive, do you see Tony Blair struggling to make ends meet? Have you seen John Prescott loosing out as he gains a peerage, after he blatantly earned mega money during his time in office? Which parliamentary minister has had their house repossessed? In a time where for the first time in British history a parliamentary minister has been charged and admitted his guilt of false accounting of the public purse, I am surprised to find that it is only the students that are out protesting the way in which we have allowed the government to manage our nation and get away with it. In a time I’d expect to see the British people demanding better, and standing up against the crime and corruption that is rife in the halls of commons.
Parents should be calling for tougher sentencing for celebrities that are caught abusing their status to commit crimes and walk away with a slap on the wrist as a judiciary seems apparently incapable and far too afraid to hold the criminal accountable for their crime. Take for example George Michael who smashed up a shop in London while high on drugs, or Paul Gascoigne who has been arrested multiple times for drink and drug offences, arrives on an active police stand off with a kebab and six pack of beers for the culprit the police are seeking to arrest, or Amy Winehouse who was arrested for smoking smack in a nightclub and got caught on CCTV or assaulted an employee of another establishment she was visiting. Take for example Steven Gerrard who physically assaulted an individual in a Liverpool nightclub, or Pete Doherty a singer who is more famous for his drug fuelled binges than his music. Why are we not as a society calling for those people that are in a position to influence our youth and act as role models for the kids of tomorrow, to be held responsible for their actions in the same way any one of us might be. Why are we not making a massive fuss about ministers who can steal from our own pocket and get away with it, when had it been any one of us we’d be looking at bars on the inside of a cell at Belmarsh Prison?
While I accept that the students have every right to take the government to task and ask the question, “Why should we suffer your incompetence?”, I do not accept that a legitimate protest should be hijacked by a small element of our society with anarchy in mind. I do not accept that swinging off a flag on the Cenotaph or defacing the statue of Sir Winston Churchill is acceptable nor constructive behaviour. Anger may well be targeted at the government of the day, but destruction and desecration of honourable men and women and their memory within out society is only symbolism of the small minded and ignorant members of the community in which we live.
Attacking the Royals in protest against the rise in tuition fees does not show maturity and progressive thinking. Smashing windows and doors of the treasury can only go against the message of the majority looking to hold those in power accountable for their actions. Attention if focused away from the central message of the protest and falls on the lunatics that disrupt society and those that tarnish the name of every student that brings their discontent to the table. The sad thing is that over the last few protests the message that the youth of tomorrow are trying to bring out has consistently been stolen as thugs who have no intention of ever going to university join the throngs of people with legitimate concerns and antagonise the police, cause dissent among the protestors and bring a perfectly sensible protest crashing down into a melee of crime and disorder.
No, my message to the students would be to think proactively. Use your right to protest wisely and be sensible about the type of protest that you choose. Don’t let a tarnished and damaged reputation such as the population regarding you as thugs of society become the resounding memory of these protests. Be responsible and careful with the decision to take to the streets. If you choose to protest seek ways that ensure that you exclude the anarchists that would seek to hijack your cause. I would also suggest that it is wise to understand that it is now a different world, and what ever the out come of your protests, ultimately education in the UK will be different going forward. This is not your fault, but while it is not caused by you, it is something which you will need to accept and seek to change proactively; as the reality is that our nation cannot afford to do all it has done in the past. Too many bad decisions mean that the privileged society that Britain’s could take for granted no longer exists and it is now up to you to seek to afford to live at the level of comfort of the generations gone past.
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When it comes to the four finalists, my money is firmly rooted on Rebecca whom I have championed and loved from the start of this series. What a graceful and lovely girl, and she is so deserved of her place in the halls of pop fame. However suspicion tempts me to predict that there very well could be an upset in tonight’s show.
Each one of the finalists deserves to win. Let’s be honest it is not very often that we can turn around and say that. For the first time ever, I think that the public will face a difficult quandary when it comes to choosing whom it is that they want to crown their X Factor winner for 2010. While I am sure we each have our favourite, each one of the other finalists will also have created a fondness in our psyche that will make it difficult for us to choose.
Take for example Matt Cardle. What a fine singer, and a complete champion of the spirit of the X Factor. He’s gone on, fought his way through everything, never having complained once, having been honest with the public and the judges when he’s had bad days and put in a not so convincing performance, and I honestly think that this honestly and humbleness has bread in the hearts of the watching public an affection that Matt has no idea he has conjured up in people. Even though in terms of class I do not believe that he comes close to the level of Rebecca, I would say he is a shining example of what the youth of today should be looking up to as a role model and ambassador of the British pop world.
One Direction are by far the most amazing band that the X Factor have ever produced. Stand back the duff twins, and JLS, your time is up as One Direction are in my opinion the dark horse of tonight’s final. While they have grown into a strong, well oiled young boy band right in front of us, we’ve had a chance to feel like a part of the moulding process and watched as five young men become the best of mates and a very good performing group. It is this sense of ownership and the fact that I believe each one of us feel we have a part of their success vested in us that could lead to a major upset in tonight’s show. Whatever way it goes, I feel that the X Factor should be proud of the fact that it can take five individuals who hardly know each other, mould them, prepare them, and produce a very credible and dynamic young Boy Band to take to the world stage of pop music in the years to come. Simon and team deserve credit where credit is due, and I feel that at last the critics that slated the “groups” category can finally shut up and take heed of what perseverance and hard work can really achieve.
I also believe that mini Cheryl, Cher Lloyd is a very talented and credible artist that is going to explode onto the music scene in a massive way in the years to come. I do feel that Cher’s limitation is that she is a rapper at heart and while she is fantastically talented at rap, I personally don’t believe that there is a big enough portion of the population that will carry her through to the final as a winner just for the sheer reason that more people will be voting for the likes of Matt or Rebecca or One Direction based on their musical choice rather than their talent. I hope that Cher can realise this and while she may not have a hope in hell of winning, I hope that she realises that in her genre of music she is already a winner. I mean come on how many mega successful stars have come out and already said they’d love to work with her?
So I would say that the real battle tonight lies between Matt and Rebecca, while One Direction have an outsiders chance at stealing the show. As the results come in, I think we will all be reflecting on one of the finest X Factor finals in the 8 years that the show has been running, and I think that Simon and his crew should feel proud of their achievement this year. While yes we have had a few unpleasant instances, we finally got down to the real talent and the semi final was contested on the highest level with the best of the lot.
If I am honest I can admit that I was sad to see Aiden Grimshaw leave the show so early on, as I loved his quirky approach to music, but I quickly realised that a lot of the British public just would not get his intensity and his weird little ways, and that ultimately would go against him. I think that Trayc Cohen was hard done by when the judges sidestepped making their decisions, but in the long run I think that for the show it worked out for the best. I would have liked to see Trayc go longer, but ultimately the show must go on and the public got rid of Katie in the end. The only other freak that I was glad to see go was the Brazilian misfit Wagner, who after having had the cheek to tell Simon he could not use Storm Lee’s real name, totally refused to call Wagner by his real name till the final blow when his act has been summarily dismissed by the judges vote. Ah Louis Louis Louis! Please remove the man from the building.
My only real disappointment this year has been in Dermit Oleary. Is it just me or has anyone else noticed how over friendly he gets with male contenders on stage, and how he totally blanks others. I was alarmed at how blatantly he flirted on stage with the likes of Aiden and Niall yet when Paige Richardson would be interviewed by him on stage he’d totally keep his distance. I also found his comments and comebacks to be rather irritating and in some cases rather inflammatory towards judges as if Dermit feels that judges should be answerable to him. I think personally that Dermit has sadly become far too big for the shoes he occupies on the show and hope the sleaze is replaced with some refreshing talent next year. Maybe that is one for the producers to have a think about. 
Personally I don’t think that we are failing in any way other than we are missing the fundamental point of life. Positivity breeds productivity. This is a fact we all know, see daily in our lives, yet forget about when it comes to applying it to our own complicated life styles.
Why do we make things so complicated? If you like someone then it’s a simple matter of attraction and without telling the other person, how are they meant to understand that we have these feelings. Yet, I speak with so many people who are unable to express their feelings, and assume that the other person must guess what it is that they are telepathically trying to express to them. Then when the other person fails to grasp what our fragile ego has failed to put into simple words, we become upset, and angry at the other persons lack of sensitivity. Strange, yes, but I bet that while your reading this you can think of at least three people whom you can apply this too.
Why do we procrastinate so? How often do you find yourself humming and ahhhhing about this or that, never quite sure what decision to make, never quite wanting to rock the boat, or be caught short in the lime light. How silly is it to stand watching the boat leaving the dock while the island we are standing on is slowly sinking? Life is a risk in almost everything we do, so why then is it that we are so averse to taking a risk or two?
How often do we let our feelings get in the way of our ability to function effectively? We become depressed and sad and have a very real lack of energy that makes us lethargic and irritable to be around. We strive for perfection in our appearance, in our friendships, in our work place. We work ourselves into the ground hoping to receive someone’s acknowledgement and recognition, when in most instances people are far too selfish to allow credit to pass them by and pass it down to the person that actually deserves it. And so we find that we are unrecognised, leading a much unfulfilled life.
This my friend is not what life is all about. How often do you start the day looking for a blessing? Ahem that seems a little presumptuous I hear you say! Why? Think about it, we are alive, breathing and awake, alert and moving. That in itself is a blessing, and so if the mere act of being alive each day that I awake is a blessing from god, then why shouldn’t I be looking for other blessings along the way?
When I find that my lunch has been made for me, and the sun is shining instead of it being cloudy and grey as I leave for work. The fact that my mom stands and waves me off each day, and I know that I have a job to go to, challenging as it may be. It may not be going according to plan, but I am working doing something that I love and slowly building experience, an existence and a reputation as a survivor. So why on earth should I not be positive about my life?
Each day I meet amazing people. Some are friends for life, others for just a season, but every one of them touches my life and has a positive impact on me, even those for whom I have no time for due to a difference of opinions. They may not be my favourite people anymore, but they have been a positive influence on my life.
The true source of happiness in life is learning to see the good in everything around us. Far too often in this world we focus in gloom at the dark and depressing elements of our world. Yes times are hard, but we are being taught to be wise and thrifty with our money and possessions. We may not be able to keep up with the Jones’, but suddenly I appreciate more the things that I do have, because I worked hard for them and they are mine.
Each day I learn a little more that I need to stop thinking about why things don’t work and understand why things do work. This is not an easy process believe you me. I have to very often remove myself from the environment I find myself and stop thinking in the ways that the world would have me think. And at time like these I find I am able to appreciate the finer things in life more.
Conversations with friends, a telephone call from a long lost acquaintance, an email from a member of the family or a smile from a stranger on the street. It is in times like this that I find myself smiling, feeling positive, and in that mental frame of mind I am able to confront any challenge and see something good in it. Rome wasn’t built in a day and I am learning every day that the more I focus on being Positive the more Productive I become.
Try it, I am sure that you will find that a simple exercise once a day to think of something good about your life will make you feel better about life in that moment in time. Now if that can make you feel good for that moment, imagine how good it’ll feel to be positive about everything we do. It’s a long road to get to that stage, but one I honestly believe is well worth travelling.
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I’ve learnt in many ways over the years that just being yourself is the best way to ensure happiness in life. Sometimes when you try too hard to please others you end up so miserable that life becomes intollerable. Lets be honest, not many of us take the time out in our lives to full appreciate who we are and the potential we have to achieve anything we choose to do.
Its a sad fact, and I’ve noticed in so many people that I either know personally or talk to regularly, that we spend far too much of our lives worried about what other people think about us. There is a simple truth in life that once you learn to accept, living in your own space becomes so much easier, and that is this. You are you. You cannot change who you are. You cannot change other people, so why spend so much time and effort trying to change yourself?
What is this man talking about I hear you saying. Let me explain. Consider how you feel when someone calls you fat. Consider how you feel when someone tells you that you have a nice tan. Consider how you feel when your in the shower and find a lump. Consider how you react when your in a restaurant and see a naughty kid getting away with blue murder. I could go on listing a multitude of things. Society has an acceptable level of behaviour that we all adhear to in some way or another, and this is a good thing, until it starts to rule your life. Think for a moment…every one of us knows someone who’s on a diet!
Why are they on a diet? I’ll tell you this for free, its not because they genuinely want to be starving themselves eating horrible tasting dry salad. No way. It’s because they perceive that society considers them to be over weight.
What you don’t realise is that all a diet is doing is teaching your body to crave fat cells. When you come off the diet your body is like whoa hoo, thank you, I’ll absorb even more this time so next time you do such a stupid thing I’ll have pleanty in reserve. Do it enough times and you’ll be fatter than when you ever started.
Its the same with a Tan. Someone compliments your tan, and we smile feeling good about life. Your skin on the other hand is cursing you blind. We don’t stop to consider the effects on our body, lives and those around us in making some of these crazy decisions that make us more acceptable to the world.
Now if you stop and have a good think, you’ll know that the honest truth is that much of what you can point a finger at in other people, you’ll find in yourself too. We are all human for heavens sakes. Capable of being horribly wrong, always on the make, being selfish in many respects, stupid to a degree and smart just to balance out the scales a bit.
I am always amazed at the youth. How stupidly naive they are. They live in a world where once your over that hill, you are past it and don’t matter to their walk of life anymore, yet the truth of the matter is that they are headed for that exact same hill at 90 to the dozen. There is a sad factor in todays society that means for many of our tech savey teenagers today, by the time they reach my age, they’ll be sad lonely individuals who only know how to communicate freely online. This world has taught a whole generation to hide behind a screen and be whom ever they want to be, but stop! Think!
There is only one way to really be able to say, yes I enjoy my life and get all out of it that I want to get out of it. Learn to be yourself. Don’t make excuses for who you are, the way you look, the way you talk, the campness of your personality or the nature of your laugh. I’m told that the world cannot begin to love you until you learn to love yourself. Now that is not suggesting that you become a vain creep, like you see so many people thinking. No you are not perfect. Very far from it just like me. But you are human and you are beautiful all the same. Funny, irritating, sociable, loveable, hateable. All those things that we experiance in life are part of who you are, so stop trying to fit into a mould. Your not Lady Gaga, and hell no your not Justin Beiber either. They are who they are, and became famous being who they are not copying you! So get a grip, live a little, stop worrying what the world thinks and be yourself.
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The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 3,800 times in 2010. That’s about 9 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 28 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 102 posts. There were 16 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 3mb. That’s about a picture per month.
The busiest day of the year was January 7th with 186 views. The most popular post that day was Pictures I Like.
The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, twitter.com, en.wordpress.com, collateraldamage.wordpress.com, and formulaone.blogs.nytimes.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for robert strobel, sg1, one direction x factor 2010, rob strobel, and don’t listen to what people say.
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Pictures I Like September 2009
2 comments
Don’t Listen to what Other People Say August 2009
1 comment
X Factor 2010 – The Final December 2010
A world without Risk is a Dangerous Place. September 2009
4 comments
A Disabled 21 Year Old Ndebele Girl Makes it to the Oscars. Zimbabwean Pride. February 2010
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Below is a nice info graph describing how video games are made and the process of making a video game. It is divided into 6 steps:
Step 1 Brainstorming A group gets together multiple time to create a blue print of the productStep 2 Game Breakdown The blue print for the product is create and assignments are created.Step 3 Graphics Team Artist sketch very simple sketches for the graphic artists to use to create the characters and backgrounds for the video game.Step 4 Development Team This team uses the latest technology to bring the Characters and environments to life.Step 5 Programming and Engineering This team put all the puzzle pieces together, this put the character into the environment, creates the movement and the mechanics of making the video game work.Step 6 Testing This phase makes sure everything is working properly and that there is no glitches or bugs in the program.
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I don’t have ADHD, I have ADOS… Attention Deficit Oooh SHINY!!
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Our previous poll conducted after Monza showed a three-way split between Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel for the Drivers’ Championship; whilst Red Bull were the run-away winners of the Constructors’ Championship. Following Singapore, has anything changed? Is there any hope for Mark Webber and Jenson Button? Can McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes or Renault put up a fight? Who do you tip for the title?
Saturday’s qualifying session was eagerly anticipated, as the four title contenders looked to put themselves in the best possible position ahead of the season finale.
Sebastian Vettel will be the happiest of the quartet, having stuck his Red Bull on pole, yet again. The question will be whether the fragile Red Bull will last the pace. Lewis Hamilton also has reason to be happy as his title rivals have faster cars based on recent form and the front row of the grid is, therefore, a good performance. Championship leader Fernando Alonso won’t be too unhappy with third, given his points lead over Vettel and Hamilton. Mark Webber, however, could only manage fifth place on the grid which, as Alonso’s closest rival, means he will face an uphill struggle to win this year’s World Drivers’ Championship.
Saturday, 13th November 2010. Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi.
This website has moved. For more up-to-date news and analysis, visit: www.pitstraight.co.uk
In an effort to hype the upcoming release of their motion-control system, Microsoft is making some bold predictions. As we know, showmanship is a big part of business, and Microsoft has proven that they know how to do business very well. Recent statements from the company have proven no exception.
Kudo Tsunoda, the General Manager of Microsoft Games Studios and the frontman for the Kinect, was recently quoted as saying that it will “blow away” sales of the iPad during its launch later this year:
The preorders have been really strong. As far as what we’re looking at for the Holiday, this is going to be stuff that’ll blow away any sales you’ve seen with the iPad. The Xbox 360 is already selling better than the…
Click to continue reading Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda Believes Kinect Will ‘Blow away’ Sales of iPad
The final round of the 2010 Formula One World Championship got underway with McLaren’s Jenson Button overtaking championship leader Fernando Alonso into the first corner. Later on in the lap, Michael Schumacher spun his Mercedes Grand Prix car at the chicane following an overtaking move by his team mate Nico Rosberg. Vitantonio Liuzzi ended up driving his Force India F1 car over the top. At the first glance, I thought Schumacher would cause an accident by rolling forwards, but replays showed this may have stopped Liuzzi making contact with the German’s head.
After 10 laps, Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber made contact with the wall, but continued without damage – although he was struggling with the softer tyres which had gone through a four-lap qualifying run yesterday.
Following pitstops for Webber and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard ran wide whilst trying to overtake Vitaly Petrov, but Webber was not close enough to take advantage. Alonso and Webber were then stuck behind cars that had already pitted under the earlier Safety Car period, meaning that Red Bull Racing’s Sabastian Vettel would take the title if positions stayed the same.
Lewis Hamilton was unfortunate to end up behind Robert Kubica and Kamui Kobayashi following his pit stop, although Sebastian Vettel was lucky to come out inches ahead of the kamikaze Kobayasi.
On lap 32 Lewis Hamilton reported that he needed another pitstop due to the wear on the front left tyre, however, his team refused this request. We later found out that Hamilton damaged his tyres through locked braking.
Lap 40 saw leader Jenson Button pit and return to the race in fourth behind Vettel, Kubica and Hamilton. McLaren’s gamble didn’t pay off.
Renault F1’s Robert Kubica finally pitted on lap 45. A quick stop saw the Pole re-join the race ahead of his team mate, meaning Alonso would need to overtake Petrov, Kubica and Hulkenberg to win the 2010 Wordl Championship.
A spectacular rear wing failure for the Lotus Racing of Jarno Trulli on lap 54 saw Lotus Racing’s season end prematurely.
But it was Sebastian Vettel who would come home in first place to take home the championship – and in the process become the youngest World Champion in Formula One history. The German was in tears as he celebrated over the radio with his team.
Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, gesticulated at Petrov for costing him the championship. The Russian did nothing wrong and was entitled to hold track position. It was for Alonso to overtake, which he failed to do.
This website has been moved. For more news and analysis visit www.pitstraight.co.uk.
via Xbox Live’s Major Nelson by Major Nelson on 10/19/10
Tomorrow, Xbox.com will be getting a massive facelift and I want to give you a preview of what you can expect. In addition to support for the 9 new Xbox LIVE regions that will happen next month, Xbox.com will get a brand new look as well as some new features.
Here are some highlights:
Browser based Avatar editor: Edit your avatar and preview avatar items before purchase
Combined views for messages, friend and game requests
Improved notification of your account subscription
Leverage Family Reports to understand what your family is doing and how they are using LIVE
Play web games with your Xbox LIVE friends on the web or on Windows Phone 7
Marketplace: More powerful search and more intuitive ways to browse and filter
Those are just a few of the changes, starting tomorrow you’ll be able to explore the entire thing yourself. Until then, I’ve uploaded a few screen shots to get hold you over until then.
Note:
In order to prepare for these changes, starting at 0500 ET/0200 PT/0900 GMT on October 20th (tomorrow) Xbox.com and the Xbox forums will be offline and unavailable for a short period of time. When it returns, you’ll see the new site.
The Xbox LIVE service is not affected by this upgrade and will remain available during this time.
Ferrari's Maranello BaseThe 2007 “spy-gate” scandal, which saw McLaren thrown out of the Formula One World Championship and fined $100m, following the collusion between Ferrari’s Nigel Stepney and McLaren’s Mike Coughlan.
Part of the scandal involved a mysterious white powder that was allegedly found in the fuel tank of Kimi Raikkonen‘s Ferrari. It has been alleged that Nigel Stepney planted it there as part of a sabotage attempt.
The court case over this issue has now taken place and Nigel Stepney has been given a 20 month sentence and £500 fine. Despite not pleading guilty, it is believed that Stepney entered a plea bargain, and that under Italian law he will not serve his jail term.
A model poses with Nintendo Co Ltd’s new 3DS handheld game console in Chiba, east of Tokyo September 29, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Toru Hanai
By Isabel Reynolds and Reiji Murai
CHIBA, Japan | Wed Sep 29, 2010 7:22am EDT
CHIBA, Japan (Reuters) – Nintendo Co Ltd said on Wednesday the launch of its 3D-capable DS handheld game player will miss the busy year-end holiday shopping season, forcing Japan’s leading game machine maker to slash its full-year profit forecast by one-third.
Nintendo will launch the new version of the DS on February 26 in Japan and in March in the United States, by far the biggest market for the game machine maker.
The company trimmed its projection for overall DS sales for the year to March 31 to 23.5 million units from 30 million and lowered its estimate for Wii consoles to 17.5 million machines from 18 million.
"At first we thought it would be desirable to launch the 3DS within the year, so we made our forecasts on that basis. At this point it is clear that if we launch within the year, we will not be able to supply enough units," Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told an analysts’ conference.
SMARTPHONE THREAT
With sales of its DS and Wii fading, Nintendo is relying on the new 3D model to revive profits and help it fend of renewed competition from Sony Corp and Microsoft, whose motion-gaming peripherals will be on the market in time for year-end shoppers to buy.
Nintendo also faces growing competition from smartphones and other devices that can be used to play games.
"Without doubt, it hurts to miss the year-end shopping season," said Kazutaka Oshima, president of Rakuten Investment Management and an avid gamer.
"Game-only consoles are facing an increasingly uphill battle against smartphones like iPhones and other gadgets, since more people are playing games on them. But I think the 3D DS can attract people," he added. "It should be fun to watch Mario run and jump on a 3D screen."
Nintendo’s Super Mario game franchise celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this month.
The new 3DS created buzz when it was revealed at the E3 game show in the United States earlier this year, bolstering expectations that it would be the new hit product Nintendo needs.
Iwata said at the launch event that the new games machine, which can also be used to take 3D photos and view them without special glasses, will cost 25,000 yen ($298) in Japan.
That compares with retail prices of about 12,000 to 16,000 yen for existing DS models.
The pricier model, however, will come too late to prop up this business year’s sagging profits.
Nintendo, also blaming a strong yen that has trimmed the value of its overseas earnings, cut its annual operating profit forecast by one-third to 210 billion yen ($2.51 billion). For the six months ending on September 30, the company now expects operating profit of 50 billion yen compared with an earlier estimate for 120 billion yen.
Shares of Nintendo dropped on the announcement of the DS release and ended trading down 3.7 percent at 23,010 yen.
Nintendo did not reveal the price or exact launch date for the 3D DS in the United States.
($1=83.80 Yen)
(Additional reporting by Tim Kelly and Taiga Uranaka; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
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I don’t have ADHD, I have ADOS… Attention Deficit Oooh SHINY!!
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FormulaOneBlog.wordpress.com has got a new home. It has been rebranded as The Pitstraight and can be found at http://www.pitstraight.co.uk/.
The decision was taken that wordpress.com can no longer provide for our needs as our readership grows and we look into providing new facilities, such as a live blog of Formula One sessions, and a magazine.
All posts and comments have been transferred over. I hope you’ll join us soon.
Formula One Blog is now The Pitstraight. You can find us at http://www.pitstraight.co.uk/.
This link will take you to our predictions.
[KOTAKU] Why Shouldn’t Your Console Get Its Own Tower? [Accessories]: Level… http://bit.ly/dajYzs
Dr. Vijay Mallya - Force India OwnerAutosport have published an interview with Force India’s CEO Otmar Szafnauer. In it, Szafnauer reveals that Force India have got a spare seat for the 2011 season:The rest of this story can be read at www.nealonf1.com
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Game: City of Heroes
Article Title: Breaking: Layoffs Hit Paragon Studios
Link to Article: http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/loadNews/18253/utm_campaign/MMORPG%20News%20Alert%20Email/utm_source/MMORPG/utm_medium/email
[Which is weird since they have a free 'come back' weekend... or maybe that's really not weird..]
—===///[The PogoWolf]\\\===—
I don’t have ADHD, I have ADOS… Attention Deficit Oooh SHINY!!
[GamersVue] [Computer911] [Xbox] [Nintendo] [MMOs]
The accident happened at about 0930 GMT at Pratten's Bowls Club in Midsomer Norton, near Bath.
Initial fears of a third fatality proved unfounded. No other aircraft and no-one on the ground were involved, investigators said.
An investigation was launched by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), with a team of experts making their way to the scene.
Det Insp Mike Williams, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: "An air crash investigation team are currently looking at the circumstances of this incident to establish the cause.
"We would like to speak to anyone who may have seen the balloon in the air before the incident, or witnessed the balloon come to the ground."
Witnesses said flames were seen coming from the basket.
Sarah Andrews said: "I could hear a flapping noise and looked up and there was a balloon. The canopy was collapsing in on itself; it was on fire on one side and the basket was on fire. It was coming down fairly quickly.
It was the first fatal balloon crash in the local area for 40 years "I thought it was about to come through the roof of the house, but it moved on a couple of hundreds yards and thankfully came down in a field away from houses."
She said it was terrifying to watch.
"As soon as it hit the ground, there was no way anyone was going to survive that. The fire was really intense and the gas canisters on the side started to go as well."
Robert Biggs, who was walking with friends, said: "It first sounded like a plane in trouble. It was more of a whistling sound. We looked up, there was a break in the cloud and this hot air balloon came hurtling down."
He said the basket was not intact when it crashed and the canopy was trailing up.
"It came straight down about 400 yards from us. It came down and there it was slap bang in the middle of the bowling green," Mr Biggs said.
Avon Fire Service said the balloon was being monitored by Bristol Air Traffic Control and was believed to have been attempting a high altitude flight at about 20,000ft.
There was a ground crew, containing some family members, who lost the balloon in cloud but arrived on scene soon after the crash.
Two off-duty firefighters from Bath were on a bike ride nearby and saw the balloon but the fire was well developed and they were unable to do anything.
The balloon also contained four liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders which were venting gas. Crews used three high pressure hose-reels to extinguish the fire.
Don Cameron, who owns Bristol-based Cameron Balloons, said it was difficult to speculate what could have gone wrong, but it was the first fatal balloon crash in the local area for 40 years.
Mr Cameron, who was the race director of last year's ill-fated Gordon Bennett Cup, in which two US competitors went missing and were later found dead off the coast of Italy, said the ballooning community would be in "total shock".
"Everyone who flies balloons in this area are known to each other. It's a dreadful business at the start of the New Year," he said.
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