Seaweed may provide new malaria drugs

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology say that a type of tropical seaweed may hold the key to producing the next generation of treatments for malaria.

A group of chemical compounds used by a species of tropical seaweed to ward off fungus attacks may have promising anti-malarial properties for humans.

The compounds are part of a unique chemical signaling system that seaweeds use to battle enemies – and that may provide a wealth of potential new pharmaceutical compounds.

Using a novel analytical process, researchers found that the complex antifungal molecules are not distributed evenly across the seaweed surfaces, but instead appear to be concentrated at specific locations – possibly where an injury increases the risk of fungal infection.

The class of compounds is known as bromophycolides.

"These molecules are promising leads for the treatment of malaria, and they operate through an interesting mechanism that we are studying," said Julia Kubanek, an associate professor in Georgia Tech''s School of Biology and School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

"There are only a couple of drugs left that are effective against malaria in all areas of the world, so we are hopeful that these molecules will continue to show promise as we develop them further as pharmaceutical leads."

The new findings have been reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C.

Churchill.com Review

About us:
Churchill Insurance launched in 1989 as one of the UK's first direct motor insurers. In 1990, we started selling home insurance and, over the years, have extended our services, now offering car insurance, home insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, breakdown cover, van insurance and motorcycle insurance.

We are a UK based company with all our call centres in the UK and sell insurance policies by phone and on the Internet.

In 2003, Churchill was acquired by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and now forms part of the RBS Insurance division.

Your Money Awards 2007:
* Best Online Motor Insurance Provider
* Best Online Home and Contents Insurance Provider
* Best Motor Insurance Provider 2006
* Best Home and Contents Insurance Provider 2005
* Best Online Home and Contents Insurance Provider 2004

Our values:
*People focused
*Challenging
*Passionate
*Action orientated
*Straightforward

History:
Churchill Insurance was launched by founder Martin Long in June 1989 as a direct car insurance provider. Long was backed by Winterthur, then a Credit Suisse subsidiary. One of Long’s early team members, Henry Engelhardt, went on to found Admiral.[1]

Home insurance was added to the Churchill product range in 1990.

The company grew over the next few years and in October 1993 they signed a three year deal to sponsor the World Indoor Bowls Championship.

1994 saw the adoption of a bulldog as the company’s mascot.

In 1995 Churchill launched their first website, a credit card and also became the first UK insurer to offer motor insurance estimates via interactive media kiosks.

In 1996 Churchill was awarded Investors in People and ISO9002 accreditation. This was also the year that the nodding dog was introduced to their advertising. A new product was also launched in the shape of breakdown cover, provided in association with Green Flag.

Churchill Insurance was named in Britain’s Best Employers for the first time in 1997, the year the company moved to its current headquarters, Churchill Court. Travel insurance and pet insurance products were also introduced.

Motorcycle insurance broker Devitt was acquired in 1999. The company also launched its first e-commerce facility, enabling online car and home insurance quotes.

The following year they acquired the Churchill.com name for online activity and acquired NIG. 2000 also saw them win their first Your Money Awards and become shirt sponsors of Crystal Palace FC, the football team Martin Long supported and would eventually share the chairmanship of.[2]

Churchill bought Prudential’s insurance business in 2002 before they too were purchased. RBS paid Credit Suisse £1.1bn for the insurer in 2003, bringing Churchill into its insurance division alongside Direct Line – another company Long had been involved in launching. [3]

In 2006 the high profile "Challenge Churchill" campaign was launched, involving the people of Britain challenging the brand mascot to find them cheaper car and home insurance.

A new look website went live in October 2008. The following year the company adopted a new strapline: "Count on Churchill". Television adverts were launched featuring the Churchill dog alongside celebrities including Rolf Harris CBE and Roy Walker.

Churchill will find itself under new ownership by 2013.

No. 3 Stanford women win at No. 9 UCLA | College basketball

LOS ANGELES — Faced with a rare close Pac-10 game at the half, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer implored Chiney Ogwumike to take over.

The freshman responded, scoring 13 of her 18 points in the second half to help No. 3 Stanford beat ninth-ranked UCLA 67-53 Sunday for its 18th victory in a row.

"We made it clear at halftime to Chiney," VanDerveer said of the decision to get her the ball in the post. "This is what you have to do."

Ogwumike also had 15 rebounds.

Kayla Pedersen and Toni Kokenis scored 13 points each and Jeanette Pohlen added 10 for the Cardinal (24-2 overall, 15-0 Pac-10), which was missing Chiney's older sister, Nnemkadi, because of an ankle injury.

With a chance at ending Stanford's 52-game conference winning streak, the Bruins drew 6,725 people for the biggest women's regular-season game at Pauley Pavilion in 13 years. Unfortunately, UCLA (22-3, 12-2) couldn't put the ball in the basket too often.

"We've got to make shots," coach Nikki Caldwell said. "We must have missed 20 layups."

The Bruins shot 31 percent from the field and lost to Stanford for the 10th consecutive time.

"They came out with a different sense of urgency than we did the second half," Caldwell said of the Cardinal. "They did an unbelievable job of forcing us on our heels."

Caldwell said the message for her team was a simple one: "If you want to play with the big dogs, your big dogs have to show up. Stanford has done it over the years."

Darxia Morris scored 14 points to lead UCLA.

Female comics becoming a force to be reckoned with

"It is an aggressive, masculine business," says Linda Mizejewski, a professor of women's studies at Ohio State University.

About 80 percent of all comics are men, Mizejewski notes, but female comics are becoming more mainstream.

Mizejewski will talk about the rise of female comedians at the 2011 Friends of Women's Studies Annual Dinner at Old Dominion University on Feb. 28.

Mizejewski said that the industry long was resistant to funny women, but that belief has been turned upside down by the success of Joan Rivers, Tina Fey, Wanda Sykes, Ellen DeGeneres and others.

Mizejewski, who taught at ODU in the late 1970s, is writing a book about female comics. She argues that the ascent of women in comedy is a framework for understanding how ideas about women and their roles have changed in society.

Comedy is an arena where traditional ideas about how women should look, act and behave have been challenged.

While women in show business are expected to be attractive, Mizejewski said that good looks aren't always an advantage for those trying to make others laugh.

Over the years, women's stage material has changed, she said, so that dirty talk no longer is the sole domain of men.

"It is now more acceptable for women to be raunchy, to say edgy things just like the guys," she said. "The double standard has, on some level, been eclipsed."

Mizejewski has published several books, including "Hardboiled and High Heeled: The Woman Detective in Popular Culture" and "Divine Decadence: Fascism, Female Spectacle, and the Makings of Sally Bowles."

Old Dominion University's Women's Studies Program, founded in 1977, was the first in Virginia. The Friends of ODU Women's Studies was established in 1986 to support the department. Each year, the group sponsors a dinner.

Mizejewski said that although comedy may seem like a lighthearted topic, she wants her audience to think critically about comedy.

"We take popular culture for granted because it's everywhere," she said, "but it tells us a lot, shows us big trends and cycles."

Serge Ibaka: Was His Dunk The Most Underrated In Recent Memory?

No one expected Serge Ibaka to come out and throw down one of the most impressive dunks we've seen in a long, long time, but that's exactly what he did last night.

Ibaka came out and launched himself from the foul line. This was nothing like when Julius Erving and Michael Jordan did it and made questionable foul line dunks. The man was behind the line and he soared through the air and threw it down. Not only that, but the man is 6'10.

The crowd went nuts watching it on replay, but the judges only gave him a 45. There was some bad judging last night, but this was the worst of them all. When you throw down a legit foul line dunk, it should be a guaranteed 50.

Ibaka got robbed on that dunk and that, coupled with his overproduced second dunk, cost him a spot in the finals. However, I have a feeling we'll be talking about Ibaka's dunk for years to come and calling it one of the most underrated dunks of all time.

The man didn't get any respect coming into the contest and he certainly didn't get any once he took part in it either. it's a shame, but if he had done it in last year's contest, it might have stolen the show. It was just that bad last year.

Sandy Bentley’s jewels’ murder case under new investigation

The link between Playboy’s Sandy Bentley’s expensive jewellery and the murder of two men in L.A. had been made 9 years ago. Now investigators hope that a new show and a $75,000 reward will help them finally crack the case.

The CBS show “48 Hours Mystery: “Playing with Fire” was aired on Saturday night and has inspired fresh interest in the killing of part-time model and doorman Michael Tardio and his friend, Chris Monsoon. The pair was found in a Mercedes SUV shot at close range. The culprit had attempted to burn the car.

Detectives could not find any evidence they could use and no one in the neighborhood had heard shots fire, giving rise to the belief that the murder took place somewhere else and the bodies then driven to another location.

CBS cites retired L.A. homicide detective Bill Cox, who says he still can’t put the case out of his mind. “I think about it quite a bit more than I should,” Cox said. “In all my 20 years of working homicide, I have never run across a case like this one!”

Tardio and Monsoon are believed to have been trying to secretly sell $750,000 worth of jewellery on the night they were killed. These jewels belonged to Tardio’s then-girlfriend and former Playboy bunny Sandy Bentley, whom he met on the Hollywood club scene. The pin-up girl had acquired the valuable items from ex-boyfriend and Ponzi schemer Mark Yagalia before his $40 million Asbury Capital fund collapsed, who claims to have been “madly in love” with her. She, in turn was “madly in love with his money”.

Yagalia estimates that he spent between $6 or $7 million on Bentley during the 13 months they dated. The money went on a house, furs, cars, Rolex watches and jewellery, including an exact diamond and ruby replica of the necklace and earring set Richard Gere gives to Julia Roberts in the film Pretty Woman, costing around a quarter of a million dollars.

Before meeting Yagalia, Bentley was a live-in girlfriend of Hugh Hefner at his Playboy mansion, together with her twin Mandy. According to Hef’s other girlfriend Izabela St.James, who went on to write a book about her experiences at the mansion, Sandy did not treat the octogenarian well and cheated on him repeatedly. Eventually Yagalia found his “ultimate trophy” and Sandy left Hef for good.

The ill-gotten jewels that he was to give her would later cause the killing of two innocent men. Tardio and Monsoon were trying to unload the stash, which was illegally paid for by Yagalia clients’ money and not his own, as federal authorities were under orders to seize it.

R World is also designed to deliver high value and highly relevant content and applications on the mobile platform

Reliance Communications, India’s leading telecom service provider,announced its plans to roll-out a Next Generation Mobile Portal (R World) to deliver a host of futuristic Mobile Internet and Data Services to its over 125 mn customers.


Reliance will use Motricity’s m-Core platform to deliver these advanced capabilities to help in fulfilling its vision of providing cutting-edge services and applications on its 3G, GSM and CDMA mobile platforms.



“The initial customer response to R World has been exceptional. We believe the future of mobile experiences is going to be based on the delivery of highly personalized offerings which include localized content, delivered to our customers in their native language,” said Prashant Gokarn, Head – 3G Business, Reliance Communications.


“Reliance is pioneering a new way of delivering personalized information anytime, anyplace and through any device. Motricity’s mCore Platform provides us the scale and the capabilities we need to deliver on this vision.”



Breaking the language barrier, Reliance intends to offer a new multi-lingual R World that will offer personalization option in Hindi, followed by other popular regional languages. R World is also designed to deliver high value and highly relevant content and applications on the mobile platform.


Easy to access M-Commerce options and highly targeted M-Advertising capabilities are amongst the key futuristic features that Reliance intends to make available through the new R World. R World will continue to evolve with emerging customer requirements and preferences.



“Motricity is pleased to continue to work closely with Reliance to evolve R World” said Ryan Wuerch, chief executive officer of Motricity. “Through the delivery of highly relevant experiences, Reliance will be in position to delight and retain its customers, and further monetize these offerings through the marketing of targeted mobile value added services, as well as, targeted mobile marketing and advertising campaigns”.


Key features which Reliance intends to make available through R World:


* Highly-targeted mobile marketing and advertising campaigns, to further monetize the mobile Internet experience
* Localized regional content to serve individual consumer interests and tastes
* Multiple language support, starting with Hindi, the native language of over 250 mn Indians
* Location-based services to help ensure users get what matters most to them based on where they are at any given time

Inexperience undermining Patrick's potential

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- There was one electric moment early in Saturday's Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway when Danica Patrick's performance on the race track finally seemed to match the hype she's generated off it. Clint Bowyer latched onto the back of her green and orange race car and shoved it all the way up through the field, allowing Patrick to nose ahead of frontrunner Kyle Busch as the cars crossed the start/finish line to complete Lap 30.
It was the first Nationwide lap Patrick had ever led by racing her way to the front -- as opposed to the four she paced in last season's finale at Homestead by staying out of the pits -- and the buzz was palpable. It didn't last very long, though. Eventually Bowyer's car ran hot enough that he had to pull off to the side, and Patrick lost her drafting partner, and didn't seem able to pull off the delicate switching maneuver demanded by this new, tandem style of drafting at Daytona.

"If he wants me to get behind him and push, I can," she radioed to her crew. "Just tell me what I need to do with him, because I don't know. I'm just keeping it flat."

And therein lies the duality of Danica Patrick's NASCAR endeavor -- obvious talent behind the wheel, combined with a clear lack of experience that's holding her back. No question, she's grown more comfortable in the NASCAR arena since her debut at Daytona last season, and no question she's become more competitive. By the end of her 13-race freshman campaign in 2010, she was able to turn lap times in the same ballpark as the leaders, even if she couldn't stay on the same lap. Homestead brought her first top-20 and first lead-lap finish. She flirted with the pole this weekend at Daytona, ultimately settling for the fourth-place starting spot, and posted a career-best finish of 14th, one lap down, in the race.

But you wonder how much better it could be. Get beyond the physical appearance, and Patrick is a race car driver who is sharp, inquisitive, and gutty. There are times where she can appear too competitive for her own good, as anyone who witnessed her anger over her second career Nationwide start -- a three-laps-down effort at California last winter -- can attest. Her simmering aggression behind the wheel is tailor-made for stock-car racing. At Daytona on Saturday and on other tracks last year, she's shown enough occasional flashes to make you think that she could be a success at this NASCAR thing if she ever devoted her full energy to it.

But is she willing do to that? Patrick occasionally shows lapses that make you wonder -- does she pays attention to NASCAR outside of the handful of events she competes in? Is this stock-car endeavor is something she seriously considers as a career option, or simply a challenge she undertakes when the IndyCar Series has the week off? She mentioned that she only recently learned that "Junebug" was a nickname attached to her boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr.. Bristol Motor Speedway gave her a basket of products from Tennessee, making a big show of reminding everyone that Patrick recently admitted she wasn't sure what state the short track was in. Trivial matters, to be sure, but the kind that make NASCAR fans shake their heads nevertheless.
The bigger issues loom on the race track. Now, it's one thing to struggle to grasp the subtle art of tandem drafting, something even many top Sprint Cup drivers have wrestled with this weekend. But Patrick still requires a great deal of guidance over the radio on matters like where to line up on restarts and when to pit. After one slow pit stop, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. asked her to try and break her habit of turning her wheels slightly to the right as her car settled into the pit box. Patrick questioned the vehicle's power steering, which Eury informed her had been attenuated to a degree to facilitate better performance on the restrictor-plate track.

To her credit, she figured some things out on the fly, realizing that she and the other drivers mired a half-lap behind the leaders needed to team up to try and make up any ground, suggesting that she pit with someone so she'd have a partner on the way out. Afterward, she realized she needed to learn how to push in the two-car draft. But there's still a neophytic aspect to Patrick's NASCAR adventure that makes you wonder just how much has really changed since she first arrived at Daytona a year ago, and if she can ever truly master this discipline running only a dozen or so stock-car events a year.

"I think it's important to me to keep in perspective that this is not year two for me. This is race 13 for me," Patrick said prior to Saturday's event. "The Nationwide Series is how many races in the year, 34? I've done 12. So this is not my 35th race, this is my 13th. So I need to keep it easy on myself and understand that I still have a lot to learn. It would take three years almost to achieve the full schedule. It's important for me to keep that in mind, because I can get real down on myself when I'm not running up front or running fast, because that's what I'm used to and that's what I hope and expect. But these things take time, and there's lots of cars and lot of experience out there."

For all the talk of gaining experience, though, this season looms somewhat large for Patrick in terms of her future. Her two-year deal with JR Motorsports expires after this year, as does her current deal on the IndyCar side (although there is an option). She says there's no timeline for a decision, but she clearly still bleeds to win the Indianapolis 500, and as long as that carrot is out there it seems unfathomable that she might switch to NASCAR full-time. Sponsorship will clearly factor into the outcome, although it's difficult to believe she'd lack for it in either discipline. This weekend, though, Patrick offered no hints as to what she might do in 2012 and beyond.

"There are a lot of things dependent on my future and what I do and where I go," she said. "It depends on what I want to do, it depends on sponsorship, it depends on all those things. Luckily ... I have a lot of time to think about it and figure it out and let things unfold. I think it's going to be a matter of letting things run their course this year and making the most of every time I'm in a stock car as well as an IndyCar and see what opportunities arise. I think it will become obvious in the end, but it's important to wait for that and not force anything."

One thing, though, is certain -- the rampant Danicamania that gripped Daytona last year has ebbed. She's still popular, as evidenced by the crowd around her merchandise trailer Saturday morning, and the number of fans (women and children particularly) sporting No. 7 gear. But last year people were waiting in line just to have their photo taken next to Patrick's oversized image on the side of the merchandise truck. Last year there was a Danica ticker crawling along the bottom of the television screen during the Nationwide broadcast. Last year there was grumbling in the garage area over an unproven newcomer commanding all the attention. All of that is gone now. Patrick has become what she probably wants to be -- another NASCAR driver trying to make it.

And she very well might, if only she gives herself the opportunity. In retrospect, Patrick's inability to stay hooked up with Bowyer in the draft Saturday might have stemmed from her spotter's inability to find Bowyer's spotter and negotiate the switch. "[She] was fast enough to be up there," Bowyer said. "You look for fast cars. I'm telling you, when you're racing in that kind of atmosphere, you want to find a fast car and meet up with it. I knew she had a fast car and we'd get to the front. ... She did fine. When we switched, we ran into a little bit of a communication problem."

It's another hint of the potential that clearly lies within Danica Patrick. And yet, the seasoning she needs will be difficult to come by, given that she's doing the first four races and then disappearing from the Nationwide tour until June. In the immediate aftermath of Saturday's race, the focus will surely be on Patrick recording the best finish of her brief NASCAR career. But you wonder how much better it could have been. You wonder if Patrick will be back here in July and be able to stay up front, or if her limited schedule will relegate it to just another steep step on the learning curve.

Ronald Reagan: reminisce or regret?

Sunday, Feb. 6 marks what would have been Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday, had he not succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease in 2004. Many conservative Americans will treat Sunday as a special day, since Reagan was, and remains, the most dynamic Republican president since Dwight Eisenhower. Indeed, some neoconservatives want to put Reagan on the $50 bill. Others want to put him on Mount Rushmore and every current GOP politician gives lip service to being a “Ronald Reagan conservative.” As such, it’s worth asking — was Reagan a great president?

The usual case for Reagan’s greatness, according to conservatives, goes as follows: he lowered taxes, saving the economy from recession. He shrank the size of government. He defeated the Soviet Union and won the Cold War. He restored the prestige of the military and made people believe in America again. This hagiographed presidency sounds terrific, but his actual legacy is more nuanced.

Reagan’s desire to cut taxes was admirable, but his lowering taxes on the wealthy and deregulating big business led to egregious excesses on Wall Street, resulting in the near-recession of the early 1990s. Furthermore, Reagan’s resolute belief in keeping taxes low, even as he ramped up arms production, forced the government into deficit spending, even as his financial advisors begged him to change course. Even though many neo-cons swear Reagan never raised taxes, he finally needed to, though he hid the tax increase behind impenetrable “tax reform” rhetoric. To be fair, for all his wonky fiscal policies, Reagan did preside over economic recovery. It’s just that the economy plummeted again within a few years, implying that the wondrous 1980s boom had less to do with Reaganomics and more to do with cyclical economic patterns.

The Reagan years did not see a marked reduction in government size, but neither did it see a massive expansion of government. The bureaucracy remained constant, even as tax revenues plunged and spending soared. However, following his assassination attempt, Reagan gradually became less involved — and less interested — in the minutiae of the Executive Branch.

Consequently, his advisors grew almost too powerful. It is quite possible that Reagan did not or chose not to know about the Iran-Contra Scandal, even as his closest aides cut illegal deals.

Was Reagan already suffering from Alzheimer’s disease during his presidency? His biographers are split on it, and I am not informed enough to make a judgment. Regardless, Reagan’s inattention to detail and lack of control over his staff was irresponsible.

Still, Reagan achieved some great things. His arms program unbalanced the federal budget, and he stubbornly walked away from denuclearization talks with the Soviets, but his hard line against Communism helped bring down the autocratic USSR. By befriending Mikhail Gorbachev, Reagan even showed he was willing to moderate his anti-Communist feelings.

The president’s constant display of respect for Americans in uniform helped restore the military’s reputation in the wake of Vietnam. Finally, his eternal optimism and simple faith that America represents righteousness restored Americans’ hope for a better future, which had seemed impossible following the tumultuous ‘70s.

For his deeply conservative beliefs and victory in the Cold War, Reagan is clearly one of the most significant presidents of the last century. However, his economics platform was deeply flawed, and Iran-Contra and other administrative scandals leave disturbing questions about Reagan’s control of his own government.

The 1980s are usually described in nostalgic terms of American values and financial prosperity, but such idealized rhetoric unnecessarily obscures the faults of Reagan’s presidency.

Reagan may have done a relatively good job in office, but he is not equal in stature to the men already on Mount Rushmore.

Deadline passes for St. Louis' Albert Pujols; he plans to be free agent after season

Deadline passes for St. Louis' Albert Pujols; he plans to be free agent after season:

Albert Pujols set a deadline of noon Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011, for he and the Cardinals to finalize a contract extension. The deadline passed without a deal. Pujols' current contract ends after the 2011 season.

JUPITER — The St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols, arguably the best player in the game, could not come up with a deal for a new contract Wednesday, meaning the face of the Cardinals' franchise could be wearing a different uniform next season.

The Cardinals said they were satisfied they made their best attempt to extend Pujols' contract, while the player's side said a deal couldn't be reached because a "difference of opinion in determining Albert's value simply could not be resolved."

"We are greatly disappointed at the outcome of the negotiations," Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt said. "Albert is a great Cardinal, he's an iconic player and we've made every effort to extend this contract."

Pujols, 31, in the last year of his contract, set a noon Wednesday deadline to finalize a deal. He vowed to cut off contract talks once spring training started to avoid being a distraction to the team. Pujols, who was unavailable for comment, is expected to arrive at the Cardinals' spring training complex at Roger Dean Stadium Thursday, two days before the first full squad workout.

The three-time MVP is reportedly seeking a 10-year deal for around $30 million per year, which would surpass Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $275 million ($27.5 million per year) as the largest contract in baseball history. Although some reports had the Cardinals offering eight years for $200 million ($25 million per year), the Cardinals' and Pujols' camps have agreed not to discuss specifics of the negotiations.

Now the two sides will wait for close to nine months to see what the market is for the most dominating hitter in the game for the last decade.

"Once he's in the free agent market you can then weigh the market versus where we are," Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak said. "I think that's probably one thing he wants to see. It will give him the idea of what other teams are valuing him at."

Pujols' agent, Dan Lozano, released a statement Wednesday that read in part:

"At the beginning of this process, Albert decided a timetable needed to be established in which we would negotiate. We exchanged proposals with the Cardinals during that time. While both parties were hopeful that an agreement could be reached, a difference of opinion in determining Albert's value simply could not be resolved."

The Cardinals made one offer in early January before the two sides started countering. DeWitt said those counter-offers "contained other things" that could be part of the contract.

"There were exploratory discussions about modifying that (offer)," DeWitt said. "They were lengthy and they were in depth."

While the Cardinals said they will adhere to Pujols' wishes to avoid negotiations during the season, they said they are "open for business" if Pujols changes his mind and chooses to negotiate.

"I don't think any bridges were burned," Mozeliak said.

The Cardinals will have an exclusive window from the time their season ends until five days following the end of the World Series to negotiate with Pujols. If a deal is not reached then, Pujols becomes a free agent. Pujols has said in the past he wants to remain a Cardinal for the rest of his career.

Lozano said that the expiration deadline "does not eliminate the possibility of Albert returning to the Cardinals in 2012."

Pujols is in the final season of a seven-year, $100 million deal, a contract that, as it turned out, was a bargain for a player who is a .331 career hitter, has averaged 41 homers and 123 RBI and is the only player in major league history to hit 30 or more home runs in his first 10 seasons.

DeWitt was asked if he thought it were risky allowing Pujols to possibly enter free agency.

"It's hard to speculate what the open market is because there's 30 teams in major league baseball and it only takes one to do something that maybe is beyond what all the other clubs might be willing to do," he said.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, insist Pujols' status will not become a distraction.

"Albert's the best player in baseball," second baseman Skip Schumaker said. "I don't think there's a better guy for us to have on the team. He's the face of the franchise. You respect both sides of it. You respect what the Cardinals are doing, you respect the management and what Albert's agent is doing."

Santorum's Gay Sex Problem

Santorum's Gay Sex Problem:

Antigay former U.S. senator Rick Santorum, a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate, has found that the use of his name in connection with anal sex is a hyperlink that’s hard to break.
In 2003 sex-advice columnist Dan Savage was seeking to mock Santorum for his homophobic statements, such as remarks he made in an interview that year to the effect that legalization of gay sex could lead to recognition of “man on child” and “man on dog” relationships. Savage held a competition asking his readers to come up with a new definition for “Santorum,” and the winning entry referred to a by-product of anal intercourse. Now a Google search for “Santorum” will frequently turn up that meaning of the word.

Roll Call consulted technology experts, who said there was little Santorum could do to prevent Web searches from finding sites with that definition. The politician himself “sounded slightly defeated” when asked about his “Google problem” recently, the publication reported. “It’s one guy,” Santorum told Roll Call. “You know who it is. The Internet allows for this type of vulgarity to circulate. It’s unfortunate that we have someone who obviously has some issues. But he has an opportunity to speak.”

Santorum added, however, that the phenomenon is an indication of “incivility” in politics. “You want to talk about incivility,” he said. “I don’t know of anybody on the left who came to my defense for the incivility with respect to those things.”

In response to Santorum’s statements, Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund spokesman Dennis Dison told Roll Call, “I think that civility in politics is a fantastic goal. ... Speaking from the LGBT community, we wish he would practice it.”

Achy breaky heart: Billy Ray Cyrus scared for Miley

If you're looking for bizarre confessions in Billy Ray Cyrus' new GQ profile, take your pick. Did you know, for instance, that Daddy Montana was pals with Kurt Cobain? Or that "were it not for David Lynch, (daughter Miley Cyrus) would never have been Hannah Montana?" Or that he's honoured to have created the legendary mullet "the Kentucky Waterfall?"

Still, of all the things Cyrus says in his extensive interview with the magazine's Chris Heath, it's the country singer's (very worried) thoughts about superstar progeny Miley that come as the real revelation.

"(Hannah Montana) destroyed my family. I'll tell you right now - the damn show destroyed my family," Cyrus confessed to GQ, talking about the Disney kid-com that made his daughter a wealthy star.

That said, Cyrus, who co-starred on the show, told the mag: "I've never made a dime off of Miley."

The country singer's 17-year marriage to Miley's mom, Tish, ended last year. And as for Miley herself, the 18-year-old tween idol's oft-scandalous growing pains continue to be played out in the public eye.

When asked if he wished Hannah Montana had never happened, Cyrus replied: "I hate to say it, but yes, I do. Yeah. I'd take it back in a second. For my family to be here and just be everybody OK, safe and sound and happy and normal, would have been fantastic," he said. "Heck, yeah. I'd erase it all in a second if I could."

As for how Miley's been lately, a quick perusal of our Celebrity news section should offer a primer. Her own dad, though, isn't usually first to get the news. Cyrus reveals to GQ that he doesn't always hear from Miley - or her handlers - about what she's up to. In the GQ article, Cyrus talks about trying to reach Miley's handlers after getting wind of a November photo scandal (one that featured the then-17-year-old allegedly boozing in Madrid).

"They told me it was none of my business," Cyrus said. "I'm dealing with somebody that had only known my daughter for possibly four years," he continued, "and I'm her daddy. I was pretty damn insulted. And I took that as the ultimate alarm."

Cyrus, who even compares his daughter's situation to those of pop culture's most troubling cautionary tales - Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, Kurt Cobain - says that he's "scared" for Miley.

"She's got a lot of people around her that's putting her in a great deal of danger. I know she's 18, but I still feel like as her daddy I'd like to try to help. Take care of her just a little bit, to at least get her out of danger."

"I should have been a better parent," he told GQ. "I should have said, 'Enough is enough - it's getting dangerous and somebody's going to get hurt.' I should have, but I didn't ... Honestly, I didn't know the ball was out of bounds until it was way up in the stands somewhere."

Leadership changes at Eli Lilly, Pierre Fabre and China’s Simcere

Following the resignation of John Johnson last month, US drug major Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) has promoted Sue Mahony, currently senior vice president of human resources and diversity, to the post of senior vice president and president of Lilly Oncology.

In this new role she continues to report to John Lechleiter, Lilly chairman, president and chief executive, and she remains a member of the company's executive committee.

Being promoted into Ms Mahony's former role is Steve Fry, currently VP of human resources for two of Lilly's business areas, bio-medicines and emerging markets. Fry now joins Lilly's executive leadership team and reports to Dr Lechleiter. Both moves are effective immediately, the company announced on Friday.

Ms Mahony joined Lilly more than 10 years ago after a decade in sales and marketing roles in the UK and Europe in oncology/hematology and cardiovascular medicine for Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Schering-Plough. She was named general manager of Lilly Canada in 2008 after roles in global marketing and new product development.

Smith & Nephew poaches Fabre chief

Meantime, the UK’s medical device company Smith & Nephew has appointed French drugmaker Pierre Fabre’s chief executive Olivier Bohuon as its own CEO, to replace David Illingworth, who has unexpectedly stepped down from the post for personal reasons and a wish to return to the USA.

As yet, the independent French company has not announced a replacement for Mr Bohuon, who only took over as head of the company, including becoming its president, last September. He joined Fabre from Abbott Laboratories.

Simcere appoints Industry veteran to sales/marketing head

Separately, Simcere Pharmaceutical (NYSE: SCR), a company specializing in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of branded and proprietary drugs in China, has appointed of Hong Zhao as its executive vice president of sales and marketing, effective February 12, 2011.

"Mr Zhao is highly respected in the Chinese pharmaceutical industry," said Jinsheng Ren, chairman and CEO of Simcere, adding: "Mr Zhao has nearly 20 years' experience in the pharmaceutical industry with a proven track record of leadership and performance. We warmly welcome Mr Zhao who will help strengthen our leadership team and better position our business for sustainable growth."

Mr Zhao joined the industry in 1992. He started as a pharmaceutical sales representative and took on positions of increasing responsibilities in sales and marketing with Xian Janssen and Novartis China. He most recently held the position of senior VP of Novartis Greater China and general manager of Novartis Shanghai.

Lady Bears keep streak alive

Lady Bears keep streak alive:

WACO, Texas --- Brittney Griner scored 23 of her 26 points after halftime for top-ranked Baylor, including three consecutive baskets late to put the Lady Bears ahead for good as they survived another close call against No. 5 Texas A&M with a 67-58 victory Monday night.
The Lady Bears (24-1, 11-0 Big 12) have won 21 consecutive games. Only two of their victories this season have been by less than 11 points, and both have come in the past 16 days against the Aggies (21-3, 9-2).

Baylor, which trailed most of the game, finally went ahead to stay when Kimetria Hayden grabbed an A&M miss and got the ball to Griner for a layup and a 57-56 lead with three minutes left. After Big 12 scoring leader Danielle Adams missed for A&M, Griner scored again.

Texas A&M then had a turnover before Griner scored inside.

NO. 2 CONNECTICUT 86, NO. 14 OKLAHOMA 45

In Hartford, Conn., Maya Moore scored 27 points to become the Big East's career scoring leader in Connecticut's rout of Oklahoma.

Moore passed Angel McCoughtry, who scored 2,779 points for Louisville from 2006-09. Moore needed 11 points coming into the game and broke the mark on a one-handed scoop shot with her right hand with 7:52 left in the first half.

UConn (25-1) won its 14th consecutive game overall and 76th in a row at home.

Stefanie Dolson had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies. Tiffany Hayes added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Bria Hartley had 11 points.

Danielle Robinson led Oklahoma (18-7) with 14 points and Nicole Griffin added 10.

Moore scored 18 of her points in the first half, helping Connecticut build a 46-18 lead at halftime.

NO. 24 MARIST 72, CANISIUS 60

In Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Erica Allenspach scored 17 points and Corielle Yarde added 12 to help Marist win its 19th game in a row.

Leading 29-27 late in the first half, the Red Foxes (23-2, 14-0 MAAC) went on a 12-0 run spanning the half to take control. Yarde started the spurt with two free throws and a jumper.

Kelsey Beynnon's layup just before the half made it 35-27.

Kate Oliver capped the spurt with consecutive baskets to make it 41-27 early in the second half.

Canisius (8-17, 4-10) could only get within eight the rest of the game.

Courtney VandeBovenkamp led the Golden Griffins with 14 points, while Micayla Drysdale added 13 and Jamie Ruttle had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Shahid Bhagat Singh - Heros Of India:

Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh was a revolutionary and martyr, born on 27 September 1907 at the village of Banga, Lyallpur district (now in Pakistan) the second son of Kishan Singh and Vidya Vati. Bhagat Singh was imbued from childhood with the family's spirit of patriotism. At the time of his birth, his father was in jail for his connection with the Canal Colonization Bill agitation, in which his brother, Ajit Singh (Bhagat Singh's uncle), took a leading part. Through his father, who was a sympathizer and supporter of the Ghadr campaign of 1914-15, Bhagat Singh became an admirer of the leaders of the movement. The execution of Kartar Singh Sarabha made a deep impression on the mind of the young man who vowed to dedicate his life to the country.

Having passed the fifth class from his village school, Bhagat Singh joined Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School in Lahore. In response to the call of Mahatma Gandhl and other nationalist leaders, to boycott government aided institutions, he left his school and enrolled in the National College at Lahore. He was successful in passing a special examination preparatory to entering college. He was reading for his B.A. examination when his parents planned to have him married. He vehemently rejected the suggestion and said that, if his marriage was to take place in Slave-India, my bride shall be only death." Rather than allow his father to proceed any further with the proposal, Bhagat Singh left home and went to Kanpur where he took up a job in the Pratap Press. In his spare time, he studied revolutionary literature. He joined the Hindustan Republican Association, a radical group, later known as the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. When Bhagat Singh was assured that he would not be compelled to marry and violate his vows sworn to his motherland, he returned to his home in Lahore. This was in 1925 when a morcha had been going on at Jaito to protest against the deposition by the British of Maharaja Ripudaman Singh of Nabha because of his sympathy with the Akali agitation. A warrant for the arrest of Bhagat Singh was issued because he had accorded a welcome to one of the jathas, but he managed to elude the police and spent five months under the assumed name of Balvant Singh in Delhi, where he worked in a daily paper Vir Arjun.

As Akali activity subsided, Bhagat Singh returned to Lahore. He established contact with the Kirti Kisan Party and started contributing regularly to its magazine, the Kirti. He also remained in touch with the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. In March 1926 was formed the Naujawan Bharat Sabha. Bhagat Singh, one of the principal organizers became its secretary. As the Simon Commission arrived at Lahore on 30 October 1928, an all-parties procession, headed by Lala Lajpat Rai, marched towards the railway station to make a protest. Intercepting the procession, police made a laths charge and Lala Lajpat Rai received injuries. He died later. Although the British saw no connection between the lathi charge and Lala Lajpat Rai's death, Bhagat Singh and his associates did. They plotted the assassination of Mr Scott, the Superintendent of Police, believed to have been responsible for the laths blows given Lala Lajpat Rai, but instead J.P. Saunders, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, became the actual victim owing to mistake in identification. Bhagat Singh and Rajguru had done the actual shooting. They and those who had served as lookouts escaped through the D.A.V. College grounds. The next day a leaflet was circulated by the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association announcing that the death of Lala Lajpat Rai had been avenged.

Bhagat Singh escaped to Calcutta disguised as a wealthy personage. He remained quiet for several months, but became active again when Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill were being debated in Delhi. As his group resolved to explode a bomb to express disapproval of the bill, Bhagat Singh and B.K. Dutt volunteered to carry out the plan. They were seated in the gallery of the Central Assembly Hall awaiting the reading of the proclamation that would enact the bills. When the announcement was made, Bhagat Singh jumped up and threw a relatively harmless bomb behind one of the members' benches. There was an explosion, followed by still another from a second bomb. No one was seriously injured. Bhagat Singh and Dutt began shouting revolutionary slogans and threw leaflets explaining their in tent of making "the deaf hear" with the loud noise of explosion. Both were promptly taken into custody. As the trial proceeded, a statement, written in its entirety by Bhagat Singh, was read in defense of the two accused. Bhagat Singh said that "force used for a legitimate cause has its moral justification." He and B.K. Dutt were found guilty and sentenced to transportation for life. After the sentence had been pronounced in the Assembly Bomb case, Bhagat Singh was bound over for trial in the Saunders Murder case, approvers having identified his role in the killing. While awaiting trial in the Lahore Jail, Bhagat Singh started a hunger strike in behalf of political prisoners. The fast was continued even after the hearing of the case began on 10 July 1929, and was subsequently joined by many others. It was not until after the death of one of these, J.N. Das, on 13 September 1929, that facilities were promised to the prisoners and the hunger-strike abandoned.

At the time of trial, Bhagat Singh offered no defense, but utilized the occasion to propagate his ideal of freedom. He and his fellow accused kept delaying the proceedings by refusing to appear before the court, by ignoring what was going on, or by disrupting the work by shouting revolutionary slogans. He heard with defiant courage the death-sentence pronounced on 7 October 1930. In the same spirit, he kissed the hangman's noose on 23 March 1931, shouting for the last time his favorite cry, "Down with British imperialism." His body was secretly cremated at Husainivala by police and the remains thrown into the River Sutlej. The next day, however, his comrades collected the bodily remains from the cremation site and a procession was taken out in Lahore. Mourning for him was spontaneous and widespread and homage was paid to him for his sterling character and sacrifice.

In 1950, after Independence, the land where Bhagat Singh and his companions were cremated was procured from Pakistan and a memorial built. In March 1961, a Shahidi Mela was held there. Every year, on 23 March, the martyr's memory is similarly honoured. The old memorial, destroyed in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, has been rebuilt Bhagat Singh is remembered by the endearing title of Shahid-i-Azam, the greatest of martyrs.

Paying his tribute to him at a meeting of the Central Sikh League at Amritsar on 8 April 1931, Subhas Chandra Bose said, Bhagat Singh who set an example of character and patriotism by sacrificing himself for the sake of the country's freedom, was from the Sikh community. Today, he is known to be a brave Sikh hero throughout the world The Sikh community has to produce thousands of Bhagat Singhs for the cause of the country."

Rooney Bicycles His Way Into History:

With 12 minutes to go in Saturday's Manchester Derby between United and City, tied at 1-1, Nani crosses the ball into the penalty area. Wayne Rooney turns his back toward the goal, launches his body into mid-air, twists it so that it's parallel to the ground and unleashes a fierce right-footed overhead kick, which rockets into the back of the net. Mr. Rooney was practically upside down when he hit it.
The overhead kick is perhaps the most iconic image on the soccer pitch. When done properly, as in Mr. Rooney's case, it's a feat of precision, coordination, athleticism and power. And, like many things of beauty, we're not 100% sure of its genesis. Many soccer historians credit a Chilean named Ramón Unzaga for first unveiling it in 1914, which is why it is also known as a "Chilena." Folks in neighboring Peru also claim its paternity, telling tales of a dockworker in the port of Callao first pulling it off in an impromptu match against British sailors around the same time. (Nobel Prize laureate Mario Vargas Llosa is among the most noted proponents of this theory.)
While these may be the fathers of the overhead kick, it was the Brazilian Leonidas, in the 1930s, and, a decade later, the Italian defender Carlo Parola who truly popularized it and supplied the feat with its common nickname: bicycle kick. (Unlike the others, Mr. Parola routinely used it as a means of defending.) And it was none other than Pelé who became so identified with the move that some call it a "Pelé kick." Not coincidentally, when Pelé starred in the 1981 film "Victory," director John Huston had him score the decisive goal with an overhead kick.
That brings us back to Mr. Rooney. If context makes such athletic highlights more memorable, he picked the right day. His goal gave United a 2-1 victory, cementing it at the top of the Premier League table and effectively knocking crosstown rival City out of the title race. Mr. Rooney had been lackluster until then, just as he has been unimpressive all season long. It was only his sixth goal of the campaign—last year he had 33—and he's on pace for his worst scoring season since joining United as a teenager in 2004. Breaking the slump in such an emphatic way only made it sweeter.
The goal instantly prompted debate. Where does it rank among the all-time greats? Was it really as difficult as it appeared? The answer to the first question is, of course, purely subjective. But the second raises an interesting issue. If we're discussing difficulty of execution, then the ability to replicate the action is critical. Otherwise, it's the equivalent of a middle-aged accountant making a half-court shot between quarters in an NBA game: It's nice, maybe even spectacular, but more indicative of luck than skill.
"You practice it in training and nine times out of 10, the ball can go anywhere," Mr. Rooney said after the match. "This time I hit it sweetly, and it went into the top corner."

 

 

Two much? NASCAR seeks drafting limit:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR officials are talking to teams and running tests in North Carolina to determine what changes would best prevent the sustained two-car drafts that dominated Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.
Sprint Cup series director John Darby said some, but possibly not all, of the changes would be given to teams before Wednesday's first practice for the Daytona 500.
Several drivers, crew chiefs and team executives said NASCAR is looking first at controlling the pressure relief valve that controls the water temperature. Jamie McMurray, who finished second to Kurt Busch in the Shootout, understands the governing body will set the relief valve that allows teams to run the engine hotter at 255 degrees.
McMurray and many others drivers in the Shootout had valves that allowed the temperature up to 300 degrees before boiling over.
That allowed the second car in the two-car draft to push longer without overheating -- some for more than a dozen laps -- under Saturday's cooler outdoor temperatures. The weather is expected to be warmer for Thursday's qualifying races and Sunday's Daytona 500.
Another possible step is requiring the pushing car to back off after a lap or two, as is required at Talladega.
Darby said reducing the length of time drivers can maintain a two-car hookup is the goal moving forward.
"There's a tremendous amount of creative ideas floating around the garage," he said. "There are some limits in what we can do. If there's a real problem we'll work on fixing it because that's what we do. But at the same time you can't disturb the garage area to a degree it creates a bigger problem than what we've got."
Some have suggested reducing the size of the restrictor plate hole, in order to further slow the cars down. But that suggestion has met with mixed reviews.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin, who had the win taken away from him on Saturday because he passed below the yellow line going for the checkered flag, agree speeding up the cars is the answer.
Both said it would be harder to keep contact in the corners at higher speeds, which is why some didn't try it in a December tire test.
"You have to make them faster," Hamlin said. "It's the only way to stop it. We have to run like 200 [mph] by themselves. The cars are not going to handle good at 210, 215 with a push."
McMurray suggested cutting the spoilers to make cars tougher to handle.
"If you make it where you have a guy pushing you and the guy in front can't hang on, then the drivers know that and it will be tougher to do," he said. "The good part to me about last night was we could pass.
"I think NASCAR is trying to make it safe. It's not about reacting. The 200 mph [mark] seems to be the threshold of cars flying."
Darby said NASCAR hasn't closed the door on any option.
"The good thing is when you talk about restrictor plates we've got a pretty full library and a pretty good correlation of what it all equals to," he said. "Plate changes are the easiest to do. We're still looking and knowing what creates the lap that becomes a high mile an hour. ... Is that a sustained speed? How does that speed relate to what the actual pack of cars is running?
"The good thing is the way the Speedweeks schedule lays out we have some time to think more before we react."
All agree warmer temperatures will solve much of the problem.
"Absolutely," Darby said. "That'll make a huge difference. But at the same time, there is not a weather forecaster I trust well enough to put that much money in the bank. If the forecast is 80 degrees and it rains in the day and we end up running the duels at night ... It's not one you can bank on comfortably."
Reaction throughout the garage remained mixed on whether the two-car tandems created a good show. Kyle Busch watched the dramatic four-car finish on television after seeing his night end in a wreck.
"It sucked," he said. "You're watching four cars and then you have another two there and another two there. To me, it sucked."
"Interesting" and "weird" were words many drivers used.
"This is a whole different form of racing," Hamlin said. "We went from playing one type of game to an entire different game."
The finish resurrected the debate about whether the rule prohibiting passing below the yellow line rule should be waived when cars are coming to the finish line. Hamlin and Juan Pablo Montoya were adamant it should be.
"Absolutely," Montoya said. "And move the finish line to the tri-oval at Dega."
Hamlin said it should be anything goes when racing for the checkered flag, even if that means driving on the grass.
"You're racing for a line," he said.
McMurray disagreed, although he questioned why Hamlin didn't hold his line and stay above the yellow line on Saturday night.
"Hell no," he said when asked if the line should be eliminated for the finish. "That's a great rule. I watched the highlights of the races before they had that. That's a bad plan."
Nobody knows exactly what to expect in the 500. Montoya suggested drivers may line up and be conservative for 460 miles and then go all out in two-pack tandems the final 40.
Hamlin doesn't know what to expect, but says the playing field has been leveled by the two-car tandems.
"Tony Stewart and those guys really got good at Daytona and restrictor-plate racing; Jeff Gordon and all those guys," Hamlin said. "They have no advantage over me, Joey Logano, anyone. I think it's more of a level playing field."

Strikeforce Fedor vs Silva Results Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov :

Strikeforce Fedor vs Silva Results Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov:

Andrei Arlovski outscored Sergei Kharitonov in most of the exchanges in their one round bout. Unfortunately for the former UFC champ, Kharitonov won the final exchange. He caught Arlovski retreating with a hook then followed him down and battered him unconscious.
After the fight, announcer Frank Shamrock said "maybe it's time for Andrei Arlovski to retire." Arlovski has now lost four straight fights. All of Arlvoski's recent losses have come against other competitors in the tournament: Fedor Emelianenko, Brett Rogers, Antonio Silva and now Sergei Kharitonov. Three of those four losses came by way of knock out.
Kharitonov advances to the semi-final round of the Strikeforce eight man heavyweight tournament. The tournament also featues Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett, Brett Rogers, Antonio Silva and Fabricio Werdum.
Arlovski came in landing leg kicks and jabs. He quickly lunged in with crosses and upper cuts. Kharitonov worked to corner him and began to land when Arlovski landed a triple uppercut. Kharitonov ate some knees and more punches but kept working to trap Arlovski against the cage. Arlovski repeatedly beat Kharitonov to the punch. Arlovski established a collar tie and landed upper cuts. Kharitonov surged back and suddenly dropped Arlovski with a brutal series of punches, followed Arlovski down and finished him with some brutal strikes that left Arlovski stiff and motionless for several seconds.
Both men entered this bout seeking redemption. Arlovski came in on three fight losing streak. Kharitonov had not fought at the top levels since the fall of Pride Fighting Championships. in 2007. But it's back to the career upswing for Kharitonov while Arlovski has now lost four in a row.

Valentine's Day Gifts That Won't Break The Bank:

Last year, Americans spent an average of $100 to score points with their sweethearts on Valentine’s Day. But if today’s economy has you watching the bottom line, take heart.
Remember, it’s not all about "the Benjamins.” The thought behind a gift counts and something that shows originality is sure to be a hit.
Time is money
If both you and your special someone lead busy lives, spending quality time together can be a challenge. So preparing a candlelight dinner, strolling on the beach in the moonlight or planning a hike to your favorite destination definitely earn you bonus points.
If time to spend with your soul mate on Valentine’s Day is limited, think about giving a fun gift promising future “together time" - a map for that trip to a special place or a pair of champagne flutes for toasting romantic occasions yet to come. Frame your partner’s Valentine’s Day horoscope and plan an upcoming event around their astrological forecast.
Step outside your comfort zone to make your Valentine happy
Agree to those dance lessons or cooking classes. Accompany them to the opera or that football game. Spend a Saturday kayaking on the river.
Spice up the freebies 
Lots of activities are free or low cost, from wine tasting to comedy night at a neighborhood club and lectures at museums to opening night at a gallery show. 
Take advantage of these events, combining them with an inexpensive, but thoughtful gift.  Choose a special bottle of wine for a memorable picnic to top off an afternoon of wine tasting.  Buy cards by their favorite artist from the museum gift shop. 
Divide and conquer
If dinner at that upscale restaurant is too hard on your wallet, try going there for just drinks and appetizers or an over-the-top dessert.
Celebrate on a day other than Valentine’s Day. This lets you avoid the crowds and take advantage of coupons or entertainment book discounts that are not valid on holidays. Caution: consider this option only if you are absolutely in sync about it with your loved one.
Talk is cheap
Don’t get hung up on the fact that “word foreplay” may not be your strong suit. “At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet,” as the Greek philosopher Plato once said.
So take the plunge and write that poem or love letter. List the top 10 reasons “I love you.” Find a romantic quote and personalize it. Send a series of sizzling texts. Then, package it well, using an artfully designed journal or a distinctive, handmade card.
Social media has generated novel product lines, offering jewelry engraved with a memorable tweet or a comic book based your favorite emails.
Kick it up a notch
Introducing an element of surprise is a good way to do this. If you are ordering Chinese takeout for a romantic dinner at home, slip sexy, handwritten fortunes into the fortune cookies. Think that chocolates in a heart-shaped box are boring? Try personal messages on candy hearts or M&Ms instead.
Plan a treasure hunt with clues for your sweetie to follow or a scavenger hunt that takes them to their favorite places around town. One creative guy I know scattered pieces of a puzzle around the house. When assembled, it revealed a special surprise.
Rekindle memories
Assemble a scrapbook to remind your valentine of a special event you shared. Recreate the story of your relationship in photos. Recapture your first date.
If you’ve already tied the knot, what about renewing your vows on Valentine’s Day?
Give a gift that keeps on giving
Men and women alike prefer gifts that last. That remind them they are loved. Every day.
Consider giving a present they’ll see or use on a daily basis: a case for their cell phone, a coffee mug, a photo calendar or message-stamped golf balls.
Homemade coupons that can be redeemed throughout the year are traditional favorites: one for an impromptu massage from your partner, cleaning out the attic or garage or babysitting the kids so you can grab a cup of coffee and some alone time.
Online companies sell personalized crossword puzzles, steamy novels, and board games. Just answer their questions about you as a couple and voila.
 Valentine’s Day can also be a good time to give a pet. Just be sure your Valentine is up for the commitment before you choose this gift. 
Don’t ignore the obvious
Remember, it’s OK to do an "old school" Valentine’s Day, if you do it with style. So heart-shaped pancakes served for breakfast in bed can be cool and inexpensive. Candles, bubbles, both in the bath and the champagne, and a sexy movie are always a good choice.
It’s not just about the significant other
Have room in your heart for more than one Valentine? If grandma can’t be there in person, little ones might love a bedtime storybook read aloud with her pre-recorded voice.
Don’t forget your four-legged friends. Fit ‘N’ Furry in Petaluma is selling Pupcakes, healthy treats for your canine. Proceeds of sales from Feb 7^th  through Valentine’s Day will be donated to the Sonoma Humane Society.
If you want to share your feelings with a larger audience, submit a video to Good Morning America’s “Your Three Words” contest. It’s a unique way to “pop the question” or to send a Valentine’s Day message to a loved one serving overseas.
Finally, a few words of advice about gifts to avoid on Valentine’s Day
It might be unwise to have your sweetie’s name tattooed on your arm, especially if you are in a new relationship.
Declaring your love from the karaoke stage is almost never a good idea (and can be really embarrassing the morning after).
And, whatever you do, be sure to avoid the pitfall of agreeing to “do nothing” in order to save money on Valentine’s Day. That’s what really started the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Rainbow Roses Just in Time for Valentine’s Day 2011:

Are you looking for a fun and unique way to say “I love you” or “you mean the world to me” this Valentine’s Day? It seems like the growing trend in the floral industry are rainbow roses, and it is easy to see why!
Picking the right color rose for your lover can often be difficult for men. Red roses mean passion and romance, while yellow ones are better for the early stages of a romance or for friendship and pink is best when trying to express your thanks. You certainly don’t want to send your lady the wrong message, but what if she likes the color pink better that red? It is all so confusing!
Now you can send a little of each color--just to be sure, but it will cost you! These fantastically colorful bouquets surprisingly carry a pretty large price tag, typically double the price of a normal bouquet of roses.
Rainbow Roses are much more expensive because the process of coloring them takes so long, usually between 12 and 24 hours. They start life as cream roses, but the heads take on hues from various food dyes placed in their water one at a time and sucked up the stems, but the specific procedure remains a trade secret of their creator, Dutch florist Peter van de Werken.

Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson Split!

 

A few days ago Pete Wentz and wife Ashlee Simpson were seen out and about in Hollywood. Ashlee showing off a new bleached blond hairdo, while Pete was going for the natural look with a frizzy afro. The pair were laughing and looking like the perfect family with their two-year-old son Bronx.
So it’s come as a big surprise to hear that Ashlee has filed from divorce citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the reason. She is also asking for joint legal custody and primary physical custody of Bronx.
A statement from the couple says, ‘After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to file for divorce. We remain friends and deeply committed and loving parents to our son Bronx, whose happiness and wellbeing remains our number one priority. We ask that everyone honour our privacy as we navigate this next phase of our lives.’
There were rumours that the pair, who married in 2008, were having difficulties at the end of last year. In Touch reported that Ashlee was said to be jealous of Pete’s career and his new pretty band member Bebe Rexha. Furthermore it claimed that Ashlee wasn’t happy with her career, which was causing a strain on the marriage. However at the time a spokesperson said that the story was ‘completely inaccurate.’ They insisted that ‘Ashlee is happy writing songs and she is incredibly supportive of Pete, as he is of her. They’re in love and remain committed to one another and their son.’
At least recent photos suggest that it will be an amicable split.

Seedan audio launched in style:

Seedan audio launched in style:The audio launch of producer Mohan R's Seedan took place at AVM studio followed by a trailer launch at a star hotel. Latha Rajnikanth launched the audio in the presence of Kastoori Raja, Aishwarya Dhanush and Selvaraghavan.

 The trailer was launched by Lingsamy and Ameer and received by Vetrimaran and Suseendran.  "I am not the hero", stressed Dhanush who addressed the media at the trailer launch, before hurrying off to Karaikudi, were he is shooting for Hari's Venghai. "The hero is Krishna and the heroine is Ananya. In the original Malayalam version, the character I play had only a special appearance in the end. But in Seedan, director Subramaniam Siva increased the length and scope of the role and I appear in the second half for forty minutes."
The music is by Dhina and two songs were screened. One was a samayal song in which Dhanush is shown cooking for a family while the other was a devotional song sung by Chinna Ponna in which she has acted too on screen, as a singer in a thiruvizha.
The film has Vivek in an important role, playing a Poi samiyar ( false god man who cons people). But Vivek was quick to stress, "The character is purely fictional and has nothing to do with any instances relating to real life".
Dhina for whom Seedan is his 50th album, was all praise for Siva saying that he has a good ear for music and was the one who prophesied that the Manmadha Rasa song in Thiruda Thirudi would be a super hit, when he first heard the raw tune.
Ananya declared it a dream role since she has got excellent scope to perform. "Not a day's shoot was possible without me since the film revolves around my character. The climax scene was a tough and important one. I have also done my first romantic song in this film. Such roles are not easy to come by for heroines, and I am thrilled I got this opportunity."
For hero Krishna, this is his first film and the actor was excited to be working with Dhanush in his debut itself. Dhanush described it as a 'ladies film' while the producer ensured that the film had got a 'U' certificate and was a complete family film sans the usual fights and kuthu pattu.

 

Fest fiasco Is Kala Ghoda fest 2011 jinxed:

Fest fiasco Is Kala Ghoda fest 2011 jinxed:

 After almost being cancelled due to a court order over a complaint filed by resident Berges Malu regarding a violation of noise limit guidelines, this year's Kala Ghoda festival received another setback of Friday night, when Malu complained to the Colaba police station about construction work continuing at K Dubash Marg beyond the 10 pm deadline. The police reached the spot and stopped the work.

According to the Noise Pollution Act 2000, no construction work can be carried out between 10 pm and 6 am.

The police official on duty confirmed the complaint and action taken to this reporter. Malu says, "The volunteers told the police they had the required permission, but they couldn't produce documents.

If they have permissions, they can go ahead. They need to carry out the festival keeping the law in mind."

The police parked a wireless van at the spot, stopping trucks from unloading material. "Hats off to the Mumbai Police. I am not against the festival, but it should be conducted legally, without breaking norms," said Malu.
 
After acquiring conditional permission to hold this year's festival, the organisers had promised to monitor sound levels to ensure they remain within permissible limits.

They hadn't applied for permissions since they had planned not to use loudspeakers, but from the look of it, the police is keeping an eye on goings on anyway.

Vinod Sawant, Senior Police Inspector, Colaba police station said, "We stopped the organisers from unloading supplies at night. They resumed work in the day. They have promised not to break the law. They don't have permission to use loudspeakers or music systems."

Maneck Davar, secretary, Kala Ghoda Association, said, "We are not using loudspeakers. But it seems like one resident is intent on spoiling the festival. We won't let anything affect our non-profit initiative which has been going on for 13 years."

UFC 126 Results: Forrest Griffin Muscles Rich Franklin for a Decision :

UFC 126 Results: Forrest Griffin Muscles Rich Franklin for a Decision:

Forrest Griffin used his superior size to control former middle weight Rich Franklin and took a unanimous 29-28 decision at UFC 128.
Rich Franklin broke his left arm blocking a Griffin kick.
The two former champions touched gloves to start the fight. Griffin caught a kick and took Franklin down. Franklin got guard but Forrest landed strikes from the top. Griffin mixed up punches and elbows but Franklin fought to stifle Griffin's arms. Griffin finally got extension and landed some big punches from the top. Griffin utterly dominated the first round.
They traded early in the second until Griffin took his back standing and drove Franklin to the mat. Griffin threatened to sink both hooks in and take Franklin's back on the ground and Franklin stoop up. Griffin took him down again and Franklin got back up. Griffin then staggered Franklin with a hook.Franklin fought back and landed a lead right hand. Griffin ate a left as the announcers speculated that Franklin might have an injured left arm. Franklin ended the round landing punches.
Franklin's corner told him he had won the second round, questionable advice as Franklin was likely down two rounds at that point.
They traded until Griffin shot in and got stuffed about 30 seconds in. Franklin tried for a take down and Griffin reversed with a whizzer but Franklin fought back up. Franklin caught Griffin circling into a right hook. Then they traded evenly. Franklin landed a sharp left. Griffin shot in, fought off a guillotine chokes and landed shots from the top. Franklin reversed and took Griffin down. Griffin fought back to his feet and took Franklin down. Then a scramble freed Franklin and they went back to their fight. Griffin landed a straight kick to end the fight.
Former UFC champions Rich Franklin (28-5, 13-4 UFC) andForrest Griffin (17-6, 8-4 UFC) meet in the co-main event of UFC 126.

Cameron Criticizes ‘Multiculturalism’ in Britain:

Cameron Criticizes ‘Multiculturalism’ in Britain:LONDON — Faced with growing alarm about Islamic militants who have made Britain one of Europe’s most active bases for terrorist plots, Prime Minister David Cameron has mounted an attack on the country’s decades-old policy of “multiculturalism,” saying it has encouraged “segregated communities” where Islamic extremism can thrive. 

He said that the policy had allowed Islamic militants leeway to radicalize young Muslims, some of whom went on to “the next level” by becoming terrorists, and that Europe could not defeat terrorism “simply by the actions we take outside our borders,” with military actions like the war in Afghanistan.
“Europe needs to wake up to what is happening in our own countries,” he said. “We have to get to the root of the problem.”
In what aides described as one of the most important speeches in the nine months since he became prime minister, Mr. Cameron said the multiculturalism policy — one espoused by British governments since the 1960s, based on the principle of the right of all groups in Britain to live by their traditional values — had failed to promote a sense of common identity centered on values of human rights, democracy, social integration and equality before the law.
Similar warnings about multiculturalism have been sounded by Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France. But, if anything, Mr. Cameron went further. He called on European governments to practice “a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism,” and said Britain would no longer give official patronage to Muslim groups that had been “showered with public money despite doing little to combat terrorism.”
Perhaps most controversially, he called for an end to a double standard that he said had tolerated the propagation of radical views among nonwhite groups that would be suppressed if they involved radical groups among whites.
Muslim groups in Britain were quick to condemn the speech, among them the Muslim Council of Great Britain, a major recipient of government money for projects intended to combat extremism. Its assistant secretary general, Faisal Hanjra, said Mr. Cameron had treated Muslims “as part of the problem as opposed to part of the solution.”
A Muslim youth group, the Ramadhan Foundation, accused the prime minister of feeding “hysteria and paranoia.” Mohammed Shafiq, the group’s chief executive, said Mr. Cameron’s approach would harden the divide between Muslims and non-Muslims, “and we cannot allow that to happen.”
British leaders, particularly from the Conservative Party, which Mr. Cameron leads, have mostly been careful to avoid arguments that might expose them to charges of holding racially tinged views since a notorious speech in 1968 in which Enoch Powell, a leading Conservative, warned of “rivers of blood” if nothing was done to curb Caribbean immigration to Britain.
“We have failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong,” Mr. Cameron said, speaking of immigrant groups, dominated by Muslims, whose numbers have been estimated in some recent surveys at 2.5 million in Britain’s population of 60 million. Britain’s domestic intelligence service, MI5, has said that as many as 2,000 Muslims in Britain are involved in terrorist cells, and that it tracks dozens of potential terrorist plots at any one time.
Mr. Cameron continued: “We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values. So when a white person holds objectionable views — racism, for example — we rightly condemn them. But when equally unacceptable views or practices have come from someone who isn’t white, we’ve been too cautious, frankly even fearful, to stand up to them.”
The prime minister pointed to several steps the government planned that would tackle the rise of extremism. Among these, he said, would be barring “preachers of hate” from visiting Britain to speak in mosques and community centers; stopping Muslim groups that propagate views hostile to values of gender equality, democracy and human rights “from reaching people in publicly funded institutions like universities and prisons”; and cutting off government support for such groups.
The prime minister’s speech came at the end of a week in which Britain’s role as a base for Islamic terrorists as well as the behind-the-scenes pressure applied by the United States for actions that would deal more effectively with the threat have drawn fresh attention.
On Thursday, the government’s official watchdog on antiterrorist issues, Lord Alexander Carlile, issued a final report before retiring in which he said that Britain had become a “safe haven” for terrorists, primarily because of rulings by the European Court of Human Rights, that made it difficult to deport people considered terrorist risks, and other decisions that curbed the application of British antiterrorist laws.
For years, and particularly since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, American officials have been frustrated by what they see as an insufficiently robust crackdown on terrorist groups in Britain, which have been identified in Congressional testimony and elsewhere as a leading threat to American security.