KARACHI – Twin bomb attacks against Pakistani navy buses that were talking employees to work Tuesday killed four people and wounded more than 50 others.
The blasts took place roughly 15 minutes apart in different areas of Karachi, the country's biggest city, said Navy Commander Salman Ali.
Islamist militants have staged repeated attacks on security forces and other state targets in recent years. Allied with or inspired by al-Qaida, they are seeking to overthrow Pakistan's U.S.-allied government or force a halt in army offensives against their safe havens in the northwest close to Afghanistan.
Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province and the economic heart of the nation, has not been spared.
The buses were taking naval employees to work in the coastal city, the home of the Pakistani navy, when the bombs hit.
At least one of the victims was female doctor, said Ali.
It was unclear whether the bombs were planted devices or suicide attacks.
Islamist terrorism in Pakistan began in earnest after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, which caused widespread anger in Pakistan and destabilized its border regions. The extremists began targeting the Pakistani state after it allied with Washington in its campaign against extremism.
Meanwhile, 14 people, among them women and children, were killed when fire ripped through a bus in southwestern Pakistan late Monday. Witness Abdul Hai said the bus in Baluchistan was attacked by gunmen who later set it on fire. Other officials were quoted in Pakistani media giving a similar account of the incident.
But police officer Sayeed Farid Shah said the bus caught fire due to an engine fault.
Hai said the bus was parked at a roadside restaurant where he worked and he saw the attack
Baluchistan is wracked by separatist violence and civilians are often targeted, especially settlers from elsewhere in Pakistan. Information from the region is very to hard confirm, and transparent investigations are rarely carried out into violent incidents.
Sumber: id.travel
Monday, April 25, 2011
500-year-old book surfaces in Utah
SALT LAKE CITY – Book dealer Ken Sanders has seen a lot of nothing in his decades appraising "rare" finds pulled from attics and basements, storage sheds and closets.
Sanders, who occasionally appraises items for PBS's Antiques Roadshow, often employs the "fine art of letting people down gently."
But on a recent Saturday while volunteering at a fundraiser for the small town museum in Sandy, Utah, just south of Salt Lake, Sanders got the surprise of a lifetime.
"Late in the afternoon, a man sat down and started unwrapping a book from a big plastic sack, informing me he had a really, really old book and he thought it might be worth some money," he said. "I kinda start, oh boy, I've heard this before."
Then he produced a tattered, partial copy of the 500-year-old Nuremberg Chronicle.
The German language edition printed by Anton Koberger and published in 1493 is a world history beginning in biblical times. It's considered one of the earliest and most lavishly illustrated books of the 15th century.
Sumber: id.travel
Sanders, who occasionally appraises items for PBS's Antiques Roadshow, often employs the "fine art of letting people down gently."
But on a recent Saturday while volunteering at a fundraiser for the small town museum in Sandy, Utah, just south of Salt Lake, Sanders got the surprise of a lifetime.
"Late in the afternoon, a man sat down and started unwrapping a book from a big plastic sack, informing me he had a really, really old book and he thought it might be worth some money," he said. "I kinda start, oh boy, I've heard this before."
Then he produced a tattered, partial copy of the 500-year-old Nuremberg Chronicle.
The German language edition printed by Anton Koberger and published in 1493 is a world history beginning in biblical times. It's considered one of the earliest and most lavishly illustrated books of the 15th century.
Sumber: id.travel
Judge's gay partner raised in Proposition 8 case
SAN FRANCISCO – Proponents of California's same-sex marriage ban filed a motion Monday seeking to vacate the historic ruling that overturned Proposition 8 because the federal judge who wrote it is in a long-term relationship with another man.
Lawyers for the ban's backers said that Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker should have removed himself from the case, or at least disclosed his relationship status, to avoid a real or perceived conflict of interest.
"Only if Chief Judge Walker had unequivocally disavowed any interest in marrying his partner could the parties and the public be confident that he did not have a direct personal interest in the outcome of the case," attorneys for the coalition of religious and conservative groups that put Proposition 8 on the November 2008 ballot wrote.
They are now asking the judge who inherited the case when Walker retired at the end of February to toss out Walker's August 2010 decision. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals already is reviewing its legal merits at the request of the voter-approved measure's sponsors.
Walker has said that he did not consider his sexual orientation to be any more a reason for recusal than another judge's race or gender normally would be. A spokeswoman said Monday that the judge wouldn't comment on the motion.
American Foundation for Equal Rights President Chad Griffin, whose group has funded the legal effort to strike down Proposition 8, scoffed at the notion that the judge's personal life could imperil his ruling.
Griffin noted that the Obama administration recently had decided to stop defending the federal law that bans recognition of same-sex marriage after determining that it, too, was unconstitutional.
"This motion is another in a string of desperate and absurd motions by the proponents of Proposition 8, who refuse to accept that the freedom to marry is a Constitutional right," he said.
Walker, a 67-year-old Republican appointee, declared Proposition 8 to be an unconstitutional violation of gay Californian's civil rights last summer.
Rumors that the judge was gay circulated during the 13-day trial that preceded his decision and after he handed down his ruling.
Lawyers for Protect Marriage, the coalition that sponsored Proposition 8, however, had purposely refrained from raising his sexual orientation as a legal issue until Monday.
But they decided it gave them grounds for getting Walker's decision struck down after the judge disclosed his 10-year relationship this month to a group of courthouse reporters, Protect Marriage general counsel Andy Pugno.
The issue is not that Walker is gay, but that his relationship status made him too similar to the same-sex couples who sued for the right to marry, Pugno said.
"We deeply regret the necessity of this motion. But if the courts are to require others to follow the law, the courts themselves must do so as well," Pugno added.
Indiana University Law School professor Charles Geyh, an expert on judicial ethics, said he was strongly inclined to agree with Walker that a judge's sexual orientation is irrelevant to his ability to render a fair decision.
Without more evidence that Walker stood to personally benefit if same-sex marriages were legal in California, the Proposition 8 defense team's raising of his relationship is likely to fail or could even backfire, Geyh said.
"It really implies it would be fine if he were essentially surfing at bars and had a new partner every night because he wouldn't want to be married," he said. "I don't see that as advancing their cause."
Proposition 8's sponsors also have been trying to get the federal appeals court to order Walker to return his personal video copy of the trial. The judge has been using a three-minute segment of a defense witness being cross-examined for a lecture he's been giving on cameras in the courtroom.
Sumber: id.travel
Lawyers for the ban's backers said that Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker should have removed himself from the case, or at least disclosed his relationship status, to avoid a real or perceived conflict of interest.
"Only if Chief Judge Walker had unequivocally disavowed any interest in marrying his partner could the parties and the public be confident that he did not have a direct personal interest in the outcome of the case," attorneys for the coalition of religious and conservative groups that put Proposition 8 on the November 2008 ballot wrote.
They are now asking the judge who inherited the case when Walker retired at the end of February to toss out Walker's August 2010 decision. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals already is reviewing its legal merits at the request of the voter-approved measure's sponsors.
Walker has said that he did not consider his sexual orientation to be any more a reason for recusal than another judge's race or gender normally would be. A spokeswoman said Monday that the judge wouldn't comment on the motion.
American Foundation for Equal Rights President Chad Griffin, whose group has funded the legal effort to strike down Proposition 8, scoffed at the notion that the judge's personal life could imperil his ruling.
Griffin noted that the Obama administration recently had decided to stop defending the federal law that bans recognition of same-sex marriage after determining that it, too, was unconstitutional.
"This motion is another in a string of desperate and absurd motions by the proponents of Proposition 8, who refuse to accept that the freedom to marry is a Constitutional right," he said.
Walker, a 67-year-old Republican appointee, declared Proposition 8 to be an unconstitutional violation of gay Californian's civil rights last summer.
Rumors that the judge was gay circulated during the 13-day trial that preceded his decision and after he handed down his ruling.
Lawyers for Protect Marriage, the coalition that sponsored Proposition 8, however, had purposely refrained from raising his sexual orientation as a legal issue until Monday.
But they decided it gave them grounds for getting Walker's decision struck down after the judge disclosed his 10-year relationship this month to a group of courthouse reporters, Protect Marriage general counsel Andy Pugno.
The issue is not that Walker is gay, but that his relationship status made him too similar to the same-sex couples who sued for the right to marry, Pugno said.
"We deeply regret the necessity of this motion. But if the courts are to require others to follow the law, the courts themselves must do so as well," Pugno added.
Indiana University Law School professor Charles Geyh, an expert on judicial ethics, said he was strongly inclined to agree with Walker that a judge's sexual orientation is irrelevant to his ability to render a fair decision.
Without more evidence that Walker stood to personally benefit if same-sex marriages were legal in California, the Proposition 8 defense team's raising of his relationship is likely to fail or could even backfire, Geyh said.
"It really implies it would be fine if he were essentially surfing at bars and had a new partner every night because he wouldn't want to be married," he said. "I don't see that as advancing their cause."
Proposition 8's sponsors also have been trying to get the federal appeals court to order Walker to return his personal video copy of the trial. The judge has been using a three-minute segment of a defense witness being cross-examined for a lecture he's been giving on cameras in the courtroom.
Sumber: id.travel
Residents flee amid Mo. flooding; 2 killed in Ark.
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. – Thunder roared and tornado warning sirens blared, and all emergency workers in the southeast Missouri town of Poplar Bluff could do Monday was hope the saturated levee holding back the Black River would survive yet another downpour.
Murky water flowed over the levee at more than three dozen spots and crept toward homes in the flood plain. Some had already flooded. If the levee broke — and forecasters said it was in imminent danger of doing so — some 7,000 residents in and around Poplar Bluff would be displaced.
One thousand homes were evacuated earlier in the day. Sandbagging wasn't an option, Police Chief Danny Whitely said. There were too many trouble spots, and it was too dangerous to put people on the levee. Police went door-to-door encouraging people to get out. Some scurried to collect belongings, others chose to stay. Two men had to be rescued by boat.
"Basically all we can do now is wait, just wait," Whitely said.
It could be a long week of waiting for the rain to stop in Poplar Bluff and other river towns in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys. Storms have ripped through parts of middle America for weeks, and they were followed Monday by heavy rain and possible tornadoes that pelted an area from northeast Texas to Kentucky. At least two people were killed in Arkansas, authorities said.
One person was killed when floodwaters swept her minivan off a roadway and into the Illinois River in the Fayetteville area, authorities said. Faulkner County spokesman Stephan Hawks said one person died in the central Arkansas town of Vilonia, where a path of damage stretched three miles wide and 15 miles long. It wasn't yet clear how that person died, but the National Weather Service said it was extremely likely a tornado touched down in the area.
Residents of Vilonia told The Associated Press that storms destroyed much of the town of about 3,800 people about 25 miles north of Little Rock. Authorities had closed off the roadways leading into the city.
"The town's gone," said Vilonia resident Sheldon Brock, although he said his house was spared.
More than a dozen tornadoes were reported in Texas and Arkansas on Monday night. Widespread damage was reported in largely rural Houston County in East Texas, but the severity wasn't clear because much of the area was without power, Fire Marshal David Lamb.
The storm system that blew through northeast Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas on Monday was expected to move into Illinois and Wisconsin on Tuesday, said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist with the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. At the same time, a second storm system will start along the same path, meaning several more days of rain. That system will continue east through Thursday, he said.
"I think we'll see substantial flooding," Carbin predicted, adding later, "Arkansas to Illinois, that corridor, they've already have incredible rainfall and this is going to aggravate the situation."
The region will get at least 6 inches of rain over the next three days, he said. An area east of Little Rock, Ark., stretching across Memphis and up to eastern Tennessee will be hardest hit with 8 to 9 inches.
Dozens of roads in multiple states have already closed because of flooding, leading several school districts to cancel class. Communities such as Paducah, Ky., in the Ohio River valley were building flood walls to hold back the water and adding rocks to the top of earthen levees. Others began sandbagging.
Indiana resident John Deplata, 43, rented a moving truck Monday and began packing his belongings from his home in Utica Township along the Ohio River, just across from Louisville, Ky. His house was filled with about 4 feet of water during the 1997 floods that hit that part of the state.
"If the rain comes in like they're talking ... then it'll get us," Deplata said.
This winter's heavy snowfall raised fears of spring flooding across the Upper Midwest, but North Dakota and Minnesota rode out a late thaw without major damage. The Fargo, N.D., area held off the Red River's fourth-highest crest with the aid of temporary flood walls and sandbags, and overland flooding that cut off major roads turned out to be the most significant disruption. Elsewhere, mostly dry conditions helped keep rivers in check during the melt.
But the spate of storms has created problems further south. Two weeks ago, tornadoes in six states killed 45 people.
In Missouri, the National Guard dispatched dozens of soldiers and rescue equipment to the Poplar Bluff area. Emergency crews rescued a man Monday morning after his pickup truck was swept into a water-filled ditch about 10 miles southeast of Poplar Bluff, while state troopers used boats to rescue other people trapped in their homes.
Jamie McIntosh, 28, said police knocked at her house in Poplar Bluff, where she lives with eight relatives, and encouraged them to leave. The evacuation wasn't mandatory, but they left anyway. The home flooded in 2008 and three rooms were destroyed, and "this one looks a lot worse," McIntosh said.
At least 150 people sought shelter at the town's Black River Coliseum, a 5,000-seat concert and meeting venue that overlooks the swollen river and a park that's already under water. Others moved in with friends and relatives.
Many chose to stay in their homes. Dale Fry and a friend sat on the porch of his mobile home just south of town, near one of the most vulnerable spots on the levee. Water pushed up against the mobile home's base, and toys floated in the yard. Fry seemed to enjoy the show.
"He came here to check out the waterfront property," Fry said of his friend.
When the levee broke during a 2008 flood, water reached the steps of Fry's trailer, but didn't get inside. He hopes this year will be the same.
"If not, I'll go up on top of the trailer," he said. "I've got a boat. If it floods, I'll just rebuild here."
Then he thought for a moment. "Maybe not here," he said. "Two floods in three years might be enough."
Sumber: id.travel
Murky water flowed over the levee at more than three dozen spots and crept toward homes in the flood plain. Some had already flooded. If the levee broke — and forecasters said it was in imminent danger of doing so — some 7,000 residents in and around Poplar Bluff would be displaced.
One thousand homes were evacuated earlier in the day. Sandbagging wasn't an option, Police Chief Danny Whitely said. There were too many trouble spots, and it was too dangerous to put people on the levee. Police went door-to-door encouraging people to get out. Some scurried to collect belongings, others chose to stay. Two men had to be rescued by boat.
"Basically all we can do now is wait, just wait," Whitely said.
It could be a long week of waiting for the rain to stop in Poplar Bluff and other river towns in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys. Storms have ripped through parts of middle America for weeks, and they were followed Monday by heavy rain and possible tornadoes that pelted an area from northeast Texas to Kentucky. At least two people were killed in Arkansas, authorities said.
One person was killed when floodwaters swept her minivan off a roadway and into the Illinois River in the Fayetteville area, authorities said. Faulkner County spokesman Stephan Hawks said one person died in the central Arkansas town of Vilonia, where a path of damage stretched three miles wide and 15 miles long. It wasn't yet clear how that person died, but the National Weather Service said it was extremely likely a tornado touched down in the area.
Residents of Vilonia told The Associated Press that storms destroyed much of the town of about 3,800 people about 25 miles north of Little Rock. Authorities had closed off the roadways leading into the city.
"The town's gone," said Vilonia resident Sheldon Brock, although he said his house was spared.
More than a dozen tornadoes were reported in Texas and Arkansas on Monday night. Widespread damage was reported in largely rural Houston County in East Texas, but the severity wasn't clear because much of the area was without power, Fire Marshal David Lamb.
The storm system that blew through northeast Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas on Monday was expected to move into Illinois and Wisconsin on Tuesday, said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist with the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. At the same time, a second storm system will start along the same path, meaning several more days of rain. That system will continue east through Thursday, he said.
"I think we'll see substantial flooding," Carbin predicted, adding later, "Arkansas to Illinois, that corridor, they've already have incredible rainfall and this is going to aggravate the situation."
The region will get at least 6 inches of rain over the next three days, he said. An area east of Little Rock, Ark., stretching across Memphis and up to eastern Tennessee will be hardest hit with 8 to 9 inches.
Dozens of roads in multiple states have already closed because of flooding, leading several school districts to cancel class. Communities such as Paducah, Ky., in the Ohio River valley were building flood walls to hold back the water and adding rocks to the top of earthen levees. Others began sandbagging.
Indiana resident John Deplata, 43, rented a moving truck Monday and began packing his belongings from his home in Utica Township along the Ohio River, just across from Louisville, Ky. His house was filled with about 4 feet of water during the 1997 floods that hit that part of the state.
"If the rain comes in like they're talking ... then it'll get us," Deplata said.
This winter's heavy snowfall raised fears of spring flooding across the Upper Midwest, but North Dakota and Minnesota rode out a late thaw without major damage. The Fargo, N.D., area held off the Red River's fourth-highest crest with the aid of temporary flood walls and sandbags, and overland flooding that cut off major roads turned out to be the most significant disruption. Elsewhere, mostly dry conditions helped keep rivers in check during the melt.
But the spate of storms has created problems further south. Two weeks ago, tornadoes in six states killed 45 people.
In Missouri, the National Guard dispatched dozens of soldiers and rescue equipment to the Poplar Bluff area. Emergency crews rescued a man Monday morning after his pickup truck was swept into a water-filled ditch about 10 miles southeast of Poplar Bluff, while state troopers used boats to rescue other people trapped in their homes.
Jamie McIntosh, 28, said police knocked at her house in Poplar Bluff, where she lives with eight relatives, and encouraged them to leave. The evacuation wasn't mandatory, but they left anyway. The home flooded in 2008 and three rooms were destroyed, and "this one looks a lot worse," McIntosh said.
At least 150 people sought shelter at the town's Black River Coliseum, a 5,000-seat concert and meeting venue that overlooks the swollen river and a park that's already under water. Others moved in with friends and relatives.
Many chose to stay in their homes. Dale Fry and a friend sat on the porch of his mobile home just south of town, near one of the most vulnerable spots on the levee. Water pushed up against the mobile home's base, and toys floated in the yard. Fry seemed to enjoy the show.
"He came here to check out the waterfront property," Fry said of his friend.
When the levee broke during a 2008 flood, water reached the steps of Fry's trailer, but didn't get inside. He hopes this year will be the same.
"If not, I'll go up on top of the trailer," he said. "I've got a boat. If it floods, I'll just rebuild here."
Then he thought for a moment. "Maybe not here," he said. "Two floods in three years might be enough."
Sumber: id.travel
Thousands of Syrian troops raid rebellious city
BEIRUT – Thousands of soldiers backed by tanks and snipers moved in before dawn to the city where Syria's anti-government uprising began, causing panic in the streets when they opened fire indiscriminately on civilians and went house-to-house rounding up suspected protesters. At least 11 people were killed and 14 others lay in the streets — either dead or gravely wounded, witnesses said.
The military raids on the southern city of Daraa and at least two other areas suggested Syria is trying to impose military control on the centers of protests against President Bashar Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for four decades. Residents and human rights activists said the regime wants to terrify opponents and intimidate them from staging any more demonstrations.
The offensive was meticulously planned: Electricity, water and mobile phone services were cut. Security agents armed with guns and knives conducted house-to-house sweeps, neighborhoods were sectioned off and checkpoints were erected before the sun rose.
"They have snipers firing on everybody who is moving," a witness told The Associated Press by telephone. "They aren't discriminating. There are snipers on the mosque. They are firing at everybody," he added, asking that his name not be used for fear of retribution.
The massive assault on Daraa appeared to be part of new strategy of crippling, pre-emptive strikes against any opposition to Assad, rather than reacting to demonstrations. Other crackdowns and arrest sweeps were reported on the outskirts of Damascus and the coastal town of Jableh — bringing more international condemnation and threats of targeted sanctions by Washington.
Razan Zeitounia, a human rights activist in Damascus, said the widespread arrests — including of men along with their families — appear to be an attempt to scare protesters and set an example for the rest of the country.
As the Syrian government stepped up its crackdown, the U.S. State Department urged Americans to defer all travel to Syria and advised those already in the country to leave while commerical transportation is still available. It also ordered some nonessential U.S. embassy staff and the families of all embassy personnel to leave Syria. It said the embassy would remain open for limited services.
The attack on Daraa, an impoverished city on the Jordanian border, was by far the biggest in scope and firepower. Video purportedly shot by activists showed tanks rolling through streets and grassy fields with soldiers on foot jogging behind them.
Witnesses said busloads of troops poured in before dawn and snipers took up positions on the roofs of houses and high buildings while other security agents searched houses for suspected protesters.
"They are entering houses. They are searching the houses," said one witness. "They are carrying knives and guns."
He said people were crying out over mosque loudspeakers for doctors to help the wounded and there was panic in the streets.
"We need international intervention. We need countries to help us," shouted another witness in Daraa, who said he saw five corpses after security forces opened fire on a car. He spoke to the AP by telephone.
The forces occupied two mosques and a graveyard.
"Let Obama come and take Syria. Let Israel come and take Syria. Let the Jews come," shouted one Daraa resident over the phone. "Anything is better than Bashar Assad," he said, playing on Syria's hatred for Israel to highlight how much town residents despise their leader.
All witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Daraa, a drought-parched region of 300,000 in the south, has seen some of the worst bloodshed over the past five weeks as the uprising gained momentum. The area was ripe for unrest: The grip of Syria's security forces is weaker on the border areas than around the capital, Damascus, and Daraa hasn't benefited from recent years of economic growth. Meanwhile, Daraa has absorbed many rural migrants who can no longer farm after years of drought.
The city of Daraa was where Syria's uprising began in mid-March, touched off by the arrest of teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a wall.
A relentless crackdown since mid-March has killed more than 350 people throughout the country, with 120 alone dying over the weekend. But that has only emboldened protesters, who started with calls for modest reforms but are now increasingly demanding Assad's downfall.
State-run television quoted a military source as saying army units entered the city to bring security "answering the pleas for help by residents of Daraa."
Another military raid targeted the Damascus suburb of Douma, where rattling, heavy gunfire could still be heard late Monday. Soldiers, masked men in black uniforms and plainclothes security forces were manning checkpoints made from mounds of dirt throughout the area, a resident said.
In Jableh, men who tried to leave their houses were shot at by soldiers and thugs, three residents said, and only women were allowed onto the streets to buy food. Some quietly managed to bury seven men and a woman who were killed by security forces the day before, witnesses said. Security forces banned them from conducting funeral marches that frequently morph into protests.
Syria has banned nearly all foreign media and restricted access to trouble spots since the uprising began, making it almost impossible to verify the dramatic events shaking one of the most authoritarian, anti-Western regimes in the Arab world.
Syria is a close ally of Iran and a backer of the militant groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
There were conflicting reports about whether authorities sealed the Syrian border with Jordan, although the head of Syria's Customs Department said crossings at the frontier were open as normal.
A Jordanian taxi driver said the border was open, but the main highway linking Syria with Jordan was blocked.
"The situation on the highway is scary," he said. "Protesters are burning tires and hurling stones at the army, which is responding with live fire, shooting randomly at civilians."
Assad has blamed most of the unrest on a "foreign conspiracy" and armed thugs, and has used state media to push his accusations.
The violence has exacerbated sectarian tensions that had largely been kept in check under Assad's iron rule and secular ideology. The majority of the population is Sunni Muslim, but Assad and the ruling elite belong to the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Islam's Shiite branch that dominates in Iran, Iraq and Bahrain.
On Monday, Syrian TV repeatedly ran lingering, gruesome close-ups of dead soldiers, their eyes blown out and parts of their limbs missing, to back up their claims that they were under attack. The channel then turned to showing soldiers' funeral marches, with men waving red, black and white Syrian flags and hoisting photos of Assad.
Unrest in Syria has repercussions well beyond its borders.
Syria has a pivotal role in most of the flashpoint issues of the Middle East — from the Arab-Israeli peace process to Iran's widening influence. Instability has thrown into disarray the U.S. push for engagement with Damascus, part of Washington's hopes to peel the country away from Hamas, Hezbollah and Tehran.
The White House said Monday it was considering sanctions against the Syrian government in response to the brutal crackdown. The statement from National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor was the first time officials had said publicly that sanctions were possible.
Syria already is subject to numerous penalties as it is deemed a "state sponsor of terrorism" by the State Department, but it maintains diplomatic relations with Washington.
In recent days, there had been signs that the regime was planning to launch a massive push against the opposition.
Last week, Assad fulfilled a key demand of the protest movement by abolishing nearly 50-year-old emergency laws that had given the regime a free hand to arrest people without cause. But he coupled the concession with a stern warning that protesters would no longer have an excuse to hold mass protests, and any further unrest would be considered "sabotage."
When protesters defied his order and held demonstrations Friday — the main day for protests around the Arab world — they were met with a gunfire, tear gas and stun guns.
At the United Nations, France, Britain, Germany and Portugal were urging the U.N. Security Council to strongly condemn the violence against peaceful demonstrators. The four European nations circulated a draft media statement to other council members that will be discussed at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
The United States is supporting the statement of condemnation, a Security Council diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. But whether the Security Council makes any statement is likely to depend on Russia and China, both veto-wielding council members with close ties to Syria.
In Geneva, the U.N. human rights chief, Navi Pillay, said Syria has turned its back on international calls to "stop killing its own people."
Sumber: id.travel
The military raids on the southern city of Daraa and at least two other areas suggested Syria is trying to impose military control on the centers of protests against President Bashar Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for four decades. Residents and human rights activists said the regime wants to terrify opponents and intimidate them from staging any more demonstrations.
The offensive was meticulously planned: Electricity, water and mobile phone services were cut. Security agents armed with guns and knives conducted house-to-house sweeps, neighborhoods were sectioned off and checkpoints were erected before the sun rose.
"They have snipers firing on everybody who is moving," a witness told The Associated Press by telephone. "They aren't discriminating. There are snipers on the mosque. They are firing at everybody," he added, asking that his name not be used for fear of retribution.
The massive assault on Daraa appeared to be part of new strategy of crippling, pre-emptive strikes against any opposition to Assad, rather than reacting to demonstrations. Other crackdowns and arrest sweeps were reported on the outskirts of Damascus and the coastal town of Jableh — bringing more international condemnation and threats of targeted sanctions by Washington.
Razan Zeitounia, a human rights activist in Damascus, said the widespread arrests — including of men along with their families — appear to be an attempt to scare protesters and set an example for the rest of the country.
As the Syrian government stepped up its crackdown, the U.S. State Department urged Americans to defer all travel to Syria and advised those already in the country to leave while commerical transportation is still available. It also ordered some nonessential U.S. embassy staff and the families of all embassy personnel to leave Syria. It said the embassy would remain open for limited services.
The attack on Daraa, an impoverished city on the Jordanian border, was by far the biggest in scope and firepower. Video purportedly shot by activists showed tanks rolling through streets and grassy fields with soldiers on foot jogging behind them.
Witnesses said busloads of troops poured in before dawn and snipers took up positions on the roofs of houses and high buildings while other security agents searched houses for suspected protesters.
"They are entering houses. They are searching the houses," said one witness. "They are carrying knives and guns."
He said people were crying out over mosque loudspeakers for doctors to help the wounded and there was panic in the streets.
"We need international intervention. We need countries to help us," shouted another witness in Daraa, who said he saw five corpses after security forces opened fire on a car. He spoke to the AP by telephone.
The forces occupied two mosques and a graveyard.
"Let Obama come and take Syria. Let Israel come and take Syria. Let the Jews come," shouted one Daraa resident over the phone. "Anything is better than Bashar Assad," he said, playing on Syria's hatred for Israel to highlight how much town residents despise their leader.
All witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Daraa, a drought-parched region of 300,000 in the south, has seen some of the worst bloodshed over the past five weeks as the uprising gained momentum. The area was ripe for unrest: The grip of Syria's security forces is weaker on the border areas than around the capital, Damascus, and Daraa hasn't benefited from recent years of economic growth. Meanwhile, Daraa has absorbed many rural migrants who can no longer farm after years of drought.
The city of Daraa was where Syria's uprising began in mid-March, touched off by the arrest of teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a wall.
A relentless crackdown since mid-March has killed more than 350 people throughout the country, with 120 alone dying over the weekend. But that has only emboldened protesters, who started with calls for modest reforms but are now increasingly demanding Assad's downfall.
State-run television quoted a military source as saying army units entered the city to bring security "answering the pleas for help by residents of Daraa."
Another military raid targeted the Damascus suburb of Douma, where rattling, heavy gunfire could still be heard late Monday. Soldiers, masked men in black uniforms and plainclothes security forces were manning checkpoints made from mounds of dirt throughout the area, a resident said.
In Jableh, men who tried to leave their houses were shot at by soldiers and thugs, three residents said, and only women were allowed onto the streets to buy food. Some quietly managed to bury seven men and a woman who were killed by security forces the day before, witnesses said. Security forces banned them from conducting funeral marches that frequently morph into protests.
Syria has banned nearly all foreign media and restricted access to trouble spots since the uprising began, making it almost impossible to verify the dramatic events shaking one of the most authoritarian, anti-Western regimes in the Arab world.
Syria is a close ally of Iran and a backer of the militant groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
There were conflicting reports about whether authorities sealed the Syrian border with Jordan, although the head of Syria's Customs Department said crossings at the frontier were open as normal.
A Jordanian taxi driver said the border was open, but the main highway linking Syria with Jordan was blocked.
"The situation on the highway is scary," he said. "Protesters are burning tires and hurling stones at the army, which is responding with live fire, shooting randomly at civilians."
Assad has blamed most of the unrest on a "foreign conspiracy" and armed thugs, and has used state media to push his accusations.
The violence has exacerbated sectarian tensions that had largely been kept in check under Assad's iron rule and secular ideology. The majority of the population is Sunni Muslim, but Assad and the ruling elite belong to the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Islam's Shiite branch that dominates in Iran, Iraq and Bahrain.
On Monday, Syrian TV repeatedly ran lingering, gruesome close-ups of dead soldiers, their eyes blown out and parts of their limbs missing, to back up their claims that they were under attack. The channel then turned to showing soldiers' funeral marches, with men waving red, black and white Syrian flags and hoisting photos of Assad.
Unrest in Syria has repercussions well beyond its borders.
Syria has a pivotal role in most of the flashpoint issues of the Middle East — from the Arab-Israeli peace process to Iran's widening influence. Instability has thrown into disarray the U.S. push for engagement with Damascus, part of Washington's hopes to peel the country away from Hamas, Hezbollah and Tehran.
The White House said Monday it was considering sanctions against the Syrian government in response to the brutal crackdown. The statement from National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor was the first time officials had said publicly that sanctions were possible.
Syria already is subject to numerous penalties as it is deemed a "state sponsor of terrorism" by the State Department, but it maintains diplomatic relations with Washington.
In recent days, there had been signs that the regime was planning to launch a massive push against the opposition.
Last week, Assad fulfilled a key demand of the protest movement by abolishing nearly 50-year-old emergency laws that had given the regime a free hand to arrest people without cause. But he coupled the concession with a stern warning that protesters would no longer have an excuse to hold mass protests, and any further unrest would be considered "sabotage."
When protesters defied his order and held demonstrations Friday — the main day for protests around the Arab world — they were met with a gunfire, tear gas and stun guns.
At the United Nations, France, Britain, Germany and Portugal were urging the U.N. Security Council to strongly condemn the violence against peaceful demonstrators. The four European nations circulated a draft media statement to other council members that will be discussed at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
The United States is supporting the statement of condemnation, a Security Council diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. But whether the Security Council makes any statement is likely to depend on Russia and China, both veto-wielding council members with close ties to Syria.
In Geneva, the U.N. human rights chief, Navi Pillay, said Syria has turned its back on international calls to "stop killing its own people."
Sumber: id.travel
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish pop group formed on 3 July 1998. The group's original lineup comprised Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan and Brian McFadden (departed from the band in 2004). The group is the only act in British or Irish history to have their first seven singles go straight to Number 1, and they have gone on to sell over 44 million records worldwide which includes their studio, single, video, and compilation albums. Despite the group's worldwide success, they've only had one U.S. hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts: "Swear It Again", which made it to 20 in 2000.
Westlife were originally signed by Simon Cowell and are currently managed by Louis Walsh. They garnered 14 number one singles in the United Kingdom, the third-highest in UK history, tying with Cliff Richard and trailing behind only Elvis Presley and The Beatles. The group has also broken a few top records, including "Music artist with most consecutive number 1's in the UK". It was officially announced by the Official Charts Company that they are the "2nd biggest selling artist" (trailing behind Robbie Williams) and "Biggest selling band of the decade" (beating Coldplay) in UK with 11 million album sales.
On 1 June 2008, Westlife marked their 10th anniversary with a concert in Croke Park, Dublin which had more than 83,000 fans attending the special occasion. Music Week revealed on their website that Westlife is the official third top touring act within the years 2005–2008, while they were 7th top touring act of 2008.Also in 2008, they were declared as Ireland's ninth-richest celebrities under 30 years old and 13th in general with 36 million euros as a group. In 2009, they dropped as 16th richest Irish with estimated 8 million euros each. They are named as the fourth most hard-working music artist in UK by PRS in 2010.
History
Formation (1998–1999)
Prior to becoming successful, Egan, Feehily and Filan along with fellow Sligo men Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron and Michael Garrett, were part of a six-member pop vocal group called Six as One and was later changed to IOYOU. Managed by choreographer Mary McDonagh along with two other informal managers, they released a single titled "Together Girl Forever". Walsh, the manager of the 1990s boy-band Boyzone, was contacted by Filan's mother and came to know about the group. However, IOYOU did not meet Cowell's approval for a record deal with BMG, and thus changes were needed. Cowell told Walsh, "You are going to have to fire at least three of them. They have great voices, but they are the ugliest band I have ever seen in my life.Three members of IOYOU were told they would not be part of the new group, and auditions were held in Dublin where Byrne and McFadden were recruited. The new group, formed on 3 July 1998, was re-named Westside but as the name was already taken by another band, it was later changed to Westlife. In Westlife - Our Story, Byrne revealed he was keen to change the name to West High but the others wanted Westlife. Brian also changed the spelling of his name to Bryan to make it easier to sign autographs. Boyzone singer Ronan Keating was brought in to co-manage the group with Walsh. The band then released an EP titled Swear It AgainDreams Come True - World Of Our Own (1999–2002)
Westlife's first big break came in 1998 when they opened for the Boyzone and Backstreet Boys' concerts in Dublin. Later Act' award at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party. In March 1999, the group released their first single, "Swear It Again".which immediately topped the charts in Ireland and in UK for two weeks. Their second single, "If I Let You Go", released in August 1999 .Sumber: Wikipedia
BRUNO MARS
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and music producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age. After performing in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood, he decided to pursue a musical career and moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school. Mars began producing songs for other artists, joining production team The Smeezingtons.
After an unsuccessful stint with Motown Records, Mars signed with Atlantic Records in 2009. He became recognized as a solo artist after lending his vocals and co-writing the hooks for the songs "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B, and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. He also co-wrote the hits "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Kesha, "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan, and "Fuck You!" by Cee Lo Green. In October 2010, he released his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Anchored by the worldwide number one singles "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade", the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.[2] He was nominated for seven Grammys at the 53rd Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are".
Mars' music is noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, and contains elements of many different musical genres. He has worked with an assortment of artists from different genres; Mars acknowledges the influences that his collaborations have had on his own music. As a child, he was highly influenced by artists such as Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson and would often impersonate these artists from a young age. Mars also incorporates reggae and Motown inspired sounds into his work. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times referred to Mars as "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop."
Sumber: wikipedia
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA (CPUSA) is a Marxist-Leninist political party in the United States, established in 1919. As the chief official communist party in the USA for most of the 20th century, it has a long, complex history that is often inter-layered with the simultaneous histories of similar communist parties worldwide, as well as with the U.S. labor movement generally.
For the first half of the 20th century, the CPUSA was the largest and most influential communist party in its country. It played a very prominent role in the U.S. labor movement from the 1920s through the 1940s, having a major hand in founding most of the country's first industrial unions (which would later expel communists by adopting the Smith Act) while also becoming known for opposing racism and fighting for integration in workplaces and communities during the height of the Jim Crow period of U.S. racial segregation. Historian Ellen Schrecker concludes that decades of recent scholarship[1] offers a "nuanced portrayal of the party as both a Stalinist sect tied to a vicious regime and the most dynamic organization within the American Left during the 1930s and '40s".[2] In regards to the former charge, the CPUSA, claiming proletarian internationalism (while the U.S. Government called it espionage), sponsored an elaborate intelligence network on behalf of the Soviet Union, involving over 500 members acting as agents. The most prominent example dealt with the Manhattan Project in which the network was accused in giving the blueprints of the atomic bomb to the Soviets; Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were thereafter convicted and jailed as the chief architects of this plan. Later evidence proved that the Rosenbergs did not have the plans but the use of fear of Communism and its spread, helped to render a guilty verdict.{{http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/15/weekinreview/nation-rosenbergs-50-years-later-yes-they-were-guilty-but-what-exactly.html?ref=juliusrosenberg}
By August 1919, only months after its founding, the CPUSA had 60,000 members, including anarchists and other radical leftists, while the more moderate Socialist Party of America had only 40,000 members. The sections of the CP's International Workers Order meanwhile organized for communism around linguistic and ethnic lines, providing mutual aid and tailored cultural activities to an IWO membership that peaked at 200,000 at its height.
Sumber: Wikipedia
For the first half of the 20th century, the CPUSA was the largest and most influential communist party in its country. It played a very prominent role in the U.S. labor movement from the 1920s through the 1940s, having a major hand in founding most of the country's first industrial unions (which would later expel communists by adopting the Smith Act) while also becoming known for opposing racism and fighting for integration in workplaces and communities during the height of the Jim Crow period of U.S. racial segregation. Historian Ellen Schrecker concludes that decades of recent scholarship[1] offers a "nuanced portrayal of the party as both a Stalinist sect tied to a vicious regime and the most dynamic organization within the American Left during the 1930s and '40s".[2] In regards to the former charge, the CPUSA, claiming proletarian internationalism (while the U.S. Government called it espionage), sponsored an elaborate intelligence network on behalf of the Soviet Union, involving over 500 members acting as agents. The most prominent example dealt with the Manhattan Project in which the network was accused in giving the blueprints of the atomic bomb to the Soviets; Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were thereafter convicted and jailed as the chief architects of this plan. Later evidence proved that the Rosenbergs did not have the plans but the use of fear of Communism and its spread, helped to render a guilty verdict.{{http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/15/weekinreview/nation-rosenbergs-50-years-later-yes-they-were-guilty-but-what-exactly.html?ref=juliusrosenberg}
By August 1919, only months after its founding, the CPUSA had 60,000 members, including anarchists and other radical leftists, while the more moderate Socialist Party of America had only 40,000 members. The sections of the CP's International Workers Order meanwhile organized for communism around linguistic and ethnic lines, providing mutual aid and tailored cultural activities to an IWO membership that peaked at 200,000 at its height.
Sumber: Wikipedia
A Whole New World
A Whole New World
is the featured pop single from the soundtrack to the 1992 Disney film Aladdin. It was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song is a ballad between the primary characters Aladdin and Jasmine about the new world they are going to discover together. The original version was sung by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga during the film. They also performed the song in their characters at the 65th Academy Awards, where it won Best Song.A single version of the song was later released that year and was performed by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle. As the biggest pop hit for each artist, this version peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 6, 1993, knocking off Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You, which had spent a then-record fourteen weeks at the top.
Cover versions
- Girl group Eternal released the song as the B-side to their 1996 single, "Someday", recorded for the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
- Hank Marvin did an instrumental version of the song in 1997 on his album Hank Plays the Music of Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- LMNT covered the song for DisneyMania 2, released in 2004.
- Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey covered the song for DisneyMania 3 released in 2005, and on the two-disc Platinum Edition DVD for the Aladdin film.
- The song was covered in 2006 by British glamour model Katie Price (also known as Jordan) and her now ex-husband, Peter Andre. The track is included on their 2006 album of duets A Whole New World.
- J-pop artist Kumi Koda and Peabo Bryson included a cover for Koda's 2006 album Best: Second Session.
- K-Pop boy-band TVXQ recorded the song for their 2007 Japanese album, Five in the Black, as a special track.
- Saxophonist Dave Koz covered the song on his album At The Movies. The song features Donna Summer on vocals.[3][4]
- On the 2009 album, Disney's Dream Pop: Tribute to Tokyo, J-pop artist Fukui Mai covers the song.
Tangga Lagu Barat Billboard 2 Januari 2011
Tangga Lagu Barat Billboard 2 Januari 2011
Lagi, Bruno Mars unjuk gigi. Kini lagunya yang berjudul Grenade jadi pemuncak tangga lagu / charts musik barat versi Majalah Billboard. Berarti ini menjadi lagu kedua yang dinyanyikannya sendiri yang sukses meraih nomor 1. Atau lagu ketiga jikalau Billionaire yang dinyanyikan bareng Travie McCoy ikut dihitung.
Tapi yang paling sensasional adalah meloncatnya lagu Higher yang dibawakan Taio Cruz, Kylie Minogue danTravie Mccoy, loncat dari posisi 80 ke posisi 41
Sumber: Bebas gaya
Tapi yang paling sensasional adalah meloncatnya lagu Higher yang dibawakan Taio Cruz, Kylie Minogue danTravie Mccoy, loncat dari posisi 80 ke posisi 41
Minggu Ini | Minggu Lalu | Penyanyi/Lagu |
---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Bruno Mars Grenade |
2 | 1 | Katy Perry Firework |
3 | 5 | Ke$Ha We R Who We R |
4 | 3 | Rihanna and Drake What's My Name |
5 | 4 | P!nk Raise Your Glass |
6 | 12 | Wiz Khalifa Black And Yellow |
7 | 13 | Enrique Iglesias and Ludacris Tonight (I'm lovin' you) |
8 | 11 | Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj Bottoms Up |
9 | 8 | The Black Eyed Peas The Time (the Dirty Bit) |
10 | 6 | Bruno Mars Just The Way You Are |
11 | 9 | Lil Wayne and Cory Gunz 6 Foot 7 Foot |
12 | 10 | Nelly Just A Dream |
13 | 7 | Rihanna Only Girl (in The World) |
14 | 18 | Waka Flocka Flame featuring Roscoe Dash and Wale No Hands |
15 | 14 | Far*east Movement featuring Cataracs and Dev Like A G6 |
16 | 17 | Taio Cruz Dynamite |
17 | 15 | Usher and Pitbull DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love |
18 | 19 | Diddy - Dirty Money and Skylar Grey Coming Home |
19 | 20 | Chris Brown Yeah 3x |
20 | 21 | Mike Posner Please Don't Go |
21 | 22 | Katy Perry Teenage Dream |
22 | 16 | Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love |
23 | 35 | Willow Smith Whip My Hair |
24 | 23 | Neon Trees Animal |
25 | 28 | Lil Wayne and Drake Right Above It |
26 | 24 | Cee-lo Green F**k You! |
27 | 26 | Taylor Swift Back To December |
28 | 25 | OneRepublic Secrets |
29 | 37 | Eminem and Lil Wayne No Love |
30 | NEW | The Lonely Island and Akon I Just Had Sex Highest Debut |
31 | 42 | Keri Hilson Pretty Girl Rock |
32 | 27 | Pitbull and T-Pain Hey Baby (drop It To The Floor) |
33 | 34 | The Band Perry If I Die Young |
34 | 48 | The Ready Set Love Like Woe |
35 | 44 | Eminem and Rihanna Love The Way You Lie |
36 | 32 | Flo Rida and David Guetta Club Can't Handle Me |
37 | 29 | Nicki Minaj Right Thru Me |
38 | 33 | Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull I Like It Longest Chart Sitter |
39 | 41 | Far east Movement and Ryan Tedder Rocketeer |
40 | 47 | Sugarland Stuck Like Glue |
41 | 80 | Taio Cruz featuring Kylie Minogue and Travie Mccoy Higher Greatest Gainer |
42 | 52 | Taylor Swift Mine |
43 | 46 | Christina Perri Jar Of Hearts |
44 | 38 | Chris Brown featuring Tyga and Kevin McCall Deuces |
45 | 30 | Rick Ross featuring Drake and Chrisette Michele Aston Martin Music |
46 | 43 | Jason Aldean My Kinda Party |
Haruhi Suzumiya (涼宮ハルヒ Suzumiya Haruhi) is the founding member of the SOS Brigade with the purpose of finding aliens, time travelers and espers. Although she doesn't know it, all the members of the SOS Brigade she recruits, besides Kyon, happen to fit into these groups (Yuki Nagato, Mikuru Asahina, and Itsuki Koizumi respectively). She is incredibly eccentric and anti-social, with no interest in "ordinary" humans. She also, unknown to her, has the god-like abilities to change, destroy, and reshape reality. It is said that if she were to become bored enough with the world, she could simply erase it and start a new one. After revealing themselves to Kyon, the trio of Yuki, Mikuru and Koizumi all state they were sent by their respective higher-ups to watch over her, and Koizumi specifically mentions they must keep her entertained so she doesn't become too bored.
Biography
When Haruhi was in sixth grade, she went to see a baseball game with her parents and was shocked by the sheer amount of people attending. After finding out that the large amount was only a small piece of the entire world, and realized that she was only a small part of it, Haruhi believed herself to be ordinary, and deduced that if there is someone out there with an interesting life that it should be her. This results in Haruhi's desire to find strange things.In middle school, East Junior High, Haruhi becomes known for several things, such as putting talismans up around school, dating and often immediately dumping every guy who asks her out, and, most notably, drawing a huge graffiti mural on the field on the night of Tanabata. Kyon was actually the one who drew this under Haruhi's orders after he and Mikuru traveled back in time. Thanks to the dark, Haruhi could not make out his face, and so Kyon used the alias "John Smith" to further keep himself secret. "John Smith" implied to Haruhi that there were strange things out there and that there might be interesting people at North High, inspiring her to attend the school.
When Haruhi attends North High, she meets Kyon, the first person there to openly talk to her. She takes an interest in him because he reminds her of John Smith, and eventually drags him into creating her new club, the SOS Brigade. By seizing a room used by Yuki Nagato to use as their club room and abducting Mikuru Asahina and Itsuki Koizumi to join her club, Haruhi unknowingly drags the exact types of people she wants into her life.
When Haruhi sees Kyon wrestling with Mikuru over a computer mouse, she becomes jealous and creates an alternate reality (closed space) in which she and Kyon are the only inhabitants. This becomes a threat, as the new world would possibly replace the old world. By kissing her, using clues from Yuki and a future Mikuru, Kyon convinces Haruhi to bring the old world back.
Haruhi thus becomes a participant in many activities surrounding her that she does not understand: the SOS Brigade wins a competition by modifying a bat; a logo for the SOS Brigade that she creates awakens an ancient data lifeform; she causes time to loop over and over because she does not want summer to end; she confuses the fictional world with the real world while filming a movie, causing the movie's events to come true; Yuki must hack into a computer game in order to satisfy her desire to win it; the world is altered, creating an alternate version of her with no powers; a mysterious alien entity traps her and the SOS Brigade in a strange mansion; a Mikuru from eight days later appears behind her back; a new potential god is revealed as Kyon's friend Sasaki.
In her second year, Haruhi starts to accept new first-year recruits into her Brigade, but is picky about who enters; she kicks out who she wants and challenges those who have the guts to return to the brigade room. When Yuki mysteriously falls ill, Haruhi organizes the rest of the brigade to go rescue her. In The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya, she shows a much more human and even motherly side when she cooks and makes remedies for the ailing Yuki. Her intuition skills also show that she possibly thinks/knows that Yuki does not have a simple cold.
Sumber: Haruhi wikia
Rock Lee Shippuden
Rock Lee (ロック・リー, Rokku Rī) is one of the main supporting characters of the series. He is a chūnin-level shinobi of Konohagakure and a member of Team Guy.
Background
During his time as a student in the Ninja Academy, Lee proved to have no talent for ninjutsu and genjutsu. He was mocked by his peers because of this. Lee persevered, focusing on taijutsu.
When Lee eventually graduated he was added to Team Guy. During the team's first meeting he vowed to become a splendid ninja that specialized in taijutsu. Neji Hyūga laughed at him, but their sensei, Might Guy, took a special interest in Lee. He encouraged Lee to keep at it and, in time, began teaching him powerful forms of taijutsu.
Personality
Lee is extremely energetic, single-minded, and over-enthusiastic. He is characterized as being the epitome of a "nice guy", having assumed many of Guy's personality quirks. One such trait is his apparent lack of common sense, believing at times that he can get what he wants by not wanting it. At other times, he takes copious notes, but forgets that he cannot check them during a fight. He also has a keen sense of honor, and respects his opponents, refusing to hold grudges against those who have defeated him, and returning favors to those that have helped him. This was shown by his readily befriending Gaara and forgiving him for crushing his arm and leg, which led to his hospitalization and nearly ended his career as a ninja. Lee feels others should show the same respect towards their opponents, and is disgusted whenever someone is unnecessarily cruel to their enemies.
Lee is known for speaking respectfully to others, being very proper in both English and Japanese language versions, and never using contractions or swearwords. He also uses formal Japanese, applying proper titles ("-san", "-kun", etc.) to anyone he meets. However, Lee refers his team-mates Neji Hyūga and Tenten just by their given names, implying that he is close enough to them to use such an informal way to speak to them. His relationship with Guy has also caused him to acquire many of Guy's traits; in addition to his personality, his dedication to his promises, as well as his belief that one cannot dislike food, are characteristics of Guy.
Lee's attempts to prove and better himself are recurring themes for his actions throughout the series. He is generally optimistic, and believes that, with hard work and passion, he can surpass a natural genius, but can be prone to depression when faced with setbacks. His drive to succeed was initially most evident with his rivalry with Neji, having learned from Guy that having a rival will provide incentive to succeed. Neji, a "genius" ninja, found Lee's efforts of bettering himself to be in vain, believing Lee would be stuck as a "failure" for the rest of his life. As such, Lee resolved to prove Neji wrong, and confronted another "genius", Sasuke Uchiha, in an attempt to test his worth. While Lee maintained the desire to defeat Neji in a fight throughout the Chūnin Exam Arc, after Neji's eventual defeat by Naruto Uzumaki, another so-called "failure", Lee became less interested in this goal. Neji's rejection of his previous belief in fate might also have contributed to this, as he now respects Lee, believing that he will surpass the gifted with enough work.
Shortly after his introduction to Team 7, Lee revealed that he liked Sakura Haruno, asking her to be his girlfriend and vowing to protect her immediately after they met. While she did not seem to share these feelings for him, and considered him weird, Lee maintained these feelings, and went out of his way to help her throughout the Chūnin Exams. Sakura becomes more appreciative after this, and punches Naruto whenever he insults Lee.
Despite this, Sakura does not seem to return any romantic feelings for Lee, as she refers to him with the more formal "Lee-san", as opposed to "Lee-kun". After the Exams' conclusion, Lee's interest in Sakura goes largely unaddressed in the manga. It is occasionally referenced in the anime, such as when Naruto fought Lee in the Lee's Dojo arc; Naruto transformed into Sakura, causing Lee to forget about the fight long enough for Naruto to attack him. Sumber: Narutopedia
Yu Yu Hakusho
YuYu Hakusho (幽☆遊☆白書, Yū Yū Hakusho?, lit. "Ghost Files" or "Poltergeist Report"[1]) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The name of the series is spelled YuYu Hakusho in the Viz Media manga and Yu Yu Hakusho in other English distributions of the franchise. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and killed by a car while attempting to save a child's life. After a number of tests presented to him by Koenma, the son of the ruler of the afterlife Underworld, Yusuke is revived and appointed the title of "Underworld Detective", with which he must investigate various cases involving demons and apparitions in the human world. The manga becomes more focused on martial arts battles and tournaments as it progresses. Togashi began creating YuYu Hakusho around November 1990, basing the series on his interests in the occult and horror films and an influence of Buddhist mythology.
The manga was originally serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 1990 to July 1994. The series consists of 175 chapters collected in 19 tankōbon volumes. In North America, the manga ran completely in Viz's Shonen Jump from January 2003 to January 2010. An anime adaptation consisting of 112 television episodes was directed by Akiyuki Arafusa and Noriyuki Abe and co-produced by Fuji Television, Yomiko Advertising, and Studio Pierrot. The television series originally aired on Japan's Fuji Television network from October 10, 1992 to January 7, 1995. It was later licensed in North America by Funimation Entertainment in 2001, where it aired on popular Cartoon Network blocks including Adult Swim and Toonami. The television series has also been broadcast in various countries around the world. It is currently being aired across Japan, other parts of Asia, and Eastern Europe by the anime satellite television network Animax. The YuYu Hakusho franchise has spawned two animated films, a series of original video animations (OVAs), audio albums, video games, and other merchandise.
YuYu Hakusho has been well received since its debut, with the manga selling over 40 million copies in Japan alone and winning the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga in 1993. The animated series won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize for best anime in 1994 and 1995. YuYu Hakusho has been watched by a large number of television viewers in Japan and wide range of age groups in the United States. The anime has been given mostly positive reviews by critics in North America, which compliment its writing, characters, and amount of action. Some reviewers have judged the series as being too repetitive.
Sumber: Wikipedia
Ice Age 3
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs adalah sebuah film animasi CGI yag dibuat oleh Blue Sky Studios dan dirilis oleh 20th Century Fox pada tahun 2009. Film ini merupakan sekuel dari film Ice Age dan Ice Age: The Meltdown produksi tahun 2002 dan 2006. Film ini disutradarai oleh Carlos Saldanha. Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg, dan Chris Wedge berperan dalam pengisian suara di film ini.
Sinopsis
Ellie (Queen Latifah) dan Manny (Ray Romano) sedang menunggu kelahiran anak pertama mereka, dan Manny membuat hidup yang terobsesi dengan sempurna dan aman untuk keluarga, karena pengalaman pertama sebagai seorang suami dan ayah menjadi buruk ketika keluarganya dibunuh oleh pemburu. Pada saat yang sama, Diego (Denis Leary) tidak mampu menangkap seekor kijang sombong (Bill Hader) ia telah memburu dan memutuskan untuk meninggalkan kawanan, percaya bahwa ia kehilangan predator alam sebagai harimau. Sid (John Leguizamo) iri pada Manny dan Ellie dan "mengadopsi" tiga telur yang dia temukan di dalam gua bawah tanah yang dingin dan memanggil mereka Eggbert, Shelly, dan Yoko. Manny memberitahu dia untuk mengembalikannya, tapi Sid tidak mau melakukannya dan dari telur itu muncullah dinosaurus.Meskipun Sid mencoba sebaik-baiknya untuk meningkatkan tiga dinosaurus, perilaku kasar mereka tidak pergi dan melukai semua binatang lain yang masih muda dan meruntuhkan taman bermain Manny dan Ellie yang dibangun untuk bayi. Seorang perempuan Tyrannosaurus, Momma, yang dicuri telurnya oleh Sid, segera kembali dan membawa Sid dan anak-anaknya ke bawah tanah, dengan Diego dalam pengejaran. Manny, Ellie, Crash, dan Eddie (Seann William Scott, Josh Peck) juga mengikuti dan menemukan bahwa es gua mengarah ke hutan besar yang dihuni oleh dinosaurus yang punah. Di sini, sebuah Ankylosaurus mengancam mereka dan Diego; mereka diselamatkan dari kerumunan reptil lagi oleh musang bermata satu bernama Buckminster, atau Buck (Simon Pegg).
Buck telah tinggal di hutan ini selama beberapa waktu dan mengejar Rudy, Baryonyx albino yang besar, dengan maksud membalas kehilangan mata kirinya di tangan Rudy. Dia setuju untuk memimpin kawanan melalui hutan itu bahaya ke Air Terjun Lava, di mana Momma, Sid dan bayi-bayinya. Pada satu titik, mereka harus menyeberangi "jurang maut" yang penuh dengan asap gas (campuran helium dan gas ketawa, sehingga siapa pun yang bernapas di dalamnya akan tertawa tak terkendali ketika berbicara dalam sebuah suara bernada tinggi). Sementara itu, Sid dan Mama mencoba untuk mengalahkan satu sama lain dalam memberi makan keturunannya, ia kalah kontes ini, tapi dia segera diterima ke dalam keluarga mereka. Keesokan harinya, bagaimanapun, Sid terpisah dari keluarga dan diserang oleh Rudy. Sid bertahan di lempengan batu yang lepas yang mengambang di sungai lava dan akan menurun di atas air terjun.
Ketika kawanan bergerak menuju Air terjun Lava, Ellie mulai melahirkan dan tanpa sengaja menyebabkan longsoran batu yang memisahkan dirinya dari Manny, Buck, Crash, Eddie, dan Diego. Manny melindungi dari tempat penyerang keluar dan Diego melindungi dari tempat Ellie, sementara Buck mengambil Crash dan Eddie untuk menyelamatkan Sid. Sama seperti ia berjalan di atas air terjun, ketiganya dengan mengendarai Pteranodon dan dikejar-kejar oleh kawanan Quetzalcoatlus di tengah jalan dan menyelamatkan hidupnya. Manny mencapai Ellie, dan tiba-tiba ada reaksi, teriakan bayi yang baru lahir, kemudian ia melihat bahwa itu adalah seorang gadis. Dia ingin menamainya Ellie, atau Little Ellie, tapi yang dipilih adalah Ellie Persik-nya setelah buah (dan kode yang mereka pilih jika Ellie mau melahirkan selama perjalanan). Sid menyerah kepada kenyataan bahwa dia tidak pernah punya kesempatan untuk mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada anak-anak"nya" saat ia kembali ke kawanan dan belajar dari kelahiran Persik.
Ketika mereka kembali ke terowongan, mereka terkejut melihat Rudy ada di pintu masuk. Rudy keluar dari terowongan dan menyerang dengan kekuatan penuh; Buck mengumpan Rudy agar menjauh dari kelompok dan hampir dimakan, sebelum Diego menyelamatkan dia pada detik terakhir. Manny, Sid, Diego, dan Buck mengatur rencana untuk menjerat Rudy dan membuat dia tidak sadar, tetapi ketika mereka mulai pergi, Sid tersandung salah satu tali dan tali itu terpotong. Rudy langsung pulih dan lolos, dan akan menyerang Sid ketika Mama tiba di tempat kejadian, mendorong Rudy dan menjatuhkannya dari tebing sebelum kemenangannya. Ketika dia dan anak-anaknya berharap Sid baik, Buck - sekarang tanpa tujuan dalam hidup, karena Rudy sudah pergi - memutuskan untuk bergabung dengan kawanan dan hidup di permukaan. Namun, sebuah raungan mengatakan kepadanya bahwa Rudy masih hidup, ia berubah pikiran dan mengirimkan kawanan ke rumah, menghalangi dari jalan ke bawah tanah hutan pada saat yang sama sehingga tidak ada orang lain dapat pergi ke sana. Manny dan Ellie memberi Persik selamat datang ke dalam dunia beku dan mengakui bahwa Sid melakukan pekerjaan yang baik mengurus anak-anak Momma (meskipun Manny dan Diego mengatakan bahwa dia tidak akan pernah membiarkan Sid menjaga Persik). Diego memutuskan untuk tetap dengan kawanan, sementara Buck tinggal di mana dia ingin menjadi: bawah tanah, berjuang menghadapi Rudy.
Sumber: wikipedia
Final Fantasy XIII (ファイナルファンタジーXIII, Fainaru Fantajī Sātīn?) adalah judul sebuah permainan dalam seri permainan video Final Fantasy, dan merupakan yang pertama dalam seri ini yang dirilis untuk PlayStation 3. Terungkap dalam E³ 2006, permainan ini menampilkan sebuah dunia futuristik berteknologi tinggi, dan seorang pahlawan-wanita yang menggunakan senjata sejenis gunblade. Permainan ini dipimpin oleh Motomu Toriyama.[1] Menurut Presiden Square Enix Yoichi Wada, jalan cerita akan berfokus pada "mereka yang menentang dunia".[2]
Final Fantasy XIII akan dijalankan pada "Crystal Tools", sebuah engine multiplatform paten yang dikembangkan untuk permainan-permainan video generasi berikutnya milik Square Enix. Permainan ini pada awalnya direncanakan untuk PlayStation 2 tapi kemudian dipindahkan ke PlayStation 3 dan Xbox 360 setelah tim pengembang menemukan "kekuatan" platform tersebut.
Tanggal perilisan
Final Fantasy XIII dirilis pada 17 Desember 2009 untuk Jepang dan 9 Maret 2010 untuk Amerika dan Eropa.
Staf
- Pimpinan: Motomu Toriyama
- Desain Karakter: Tetsuya Nomura
- Penata Artistik: Isamu Kamikokuryo
- Programmer Utama: Kazumi Kobayashi
- Sutradara Film: Eiji Fujii
- Musik Utama: Masashi Hamauzu
- Komposer: Masashi Hamauzu
- Produser: Yoshinori Kitase
- Desain Logo: Yoshitaka Amano
- Desain Senjata dan Peralatan: Tetsu Tsukamoto
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