Monday, February 28, 2011

Mid Day International News

Mid Day International News

Earth's value: 3,000 trillion pounds

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A scientist has thought up of a formula to calculate the worth of planet Earth and has valued it at 3,000 trillion pounds.

Astrophysicist Greg Laughlin came up with the figure by calculating the sum of the planet's age, size, temperature, mass and other vital statistics -- and Earth came out as the most expensive.

Mars was only valued at 10,000 pounds, while Venus is said to be worth less than a penny. There are about 1,235 other planets in existence, whose inhospitable climes ruled out a higher price tag.

Laughlin from the University of California in the US used his equation to evaluate the discoveries made by NASA's 600 million pounds Kepler spacecraft, the Daily Mail reported.

The planet-hunting spacecraft went into orbit two years ago and a year later Laughlin decided to create price tags for the terrestrial planets that Kepler was set to discover, according to a California University statement.

At the time, the exoplanet Gilese 581 c was considered the most Earth-like world known to scientists, but the equation only valued it at 100 pounds, while KOI 326.01 is said to be worth 150,000 pounds.

Notify your crush on Facebook

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Hey, all is fair in love and Facebook, right?

A new Facebook app has hit the market, and it takes creepy stalking to a whole new level.

Dan Loewenhurz, who co-founded the file sharing website Crate and wrote the hugely popular, "Breakup Notifier" app, has written another application, called "Crush Notifier", that puts a more positive spin on the online dating game.

Regarding the popularity of the Breakup Notifier app, Loewenhurz said this shows that "human beings, above all else, value relationships.

I never knew how many people would end up using Breakup Notifier".

He said, "For this reason he decided to release another application that is 100 per cent positive and helps create relationships."

The Breakup Notifier app sent an e-mail if selected friends had changed their relationship status but the Crush Notifier sends selected friends an anonymous note notifying the Facebook member of the crush, along with a love inspired quotation like John Lennon and Paul McCartney's famous "All you need is love".

If the person receiving the crush has also crushed the sender, then both will be notified of the match. But if there is no match neither user will learn the other's identity.

Loewenhurz expressed his satisfaction with the new Crush app, saying, "I'm a fan of creating relationships more than I am of ending them".


The Last Airbender sweeps the Razzies

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M Night Shyamalan took top dishonours at the Golden Raspberry Awards in Los Angeles last night.

The director's critically-mauled fantasy The Last Airbender swept the board at the shaming ceremony that hands out 'prizes' to the worst of the year's films.

It picked up four gongs Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, Worst Eye-Gouging Use of 3D and Worst director for Shyamalan.

Unsurpsingly, the Sixth Sense moviemaker wasn't at the pre-Oscars event to collect his haul.

The film famously featured such unintentionally hilarious dialogue as "The Fire Nation's plan is to suppress all bending".

Sex And The City 2 was also battered by the board, with the four female leads Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Catrall and Kristin Davis scooping the Worst Actress and Worst Ensemble accolades.

The film won Worst Prequel, Sequel, Remake or Ripoff.

Commenting on it, Razzies founder John Wilson said, "It was released in the middle of a period of American history when everyone's scrounging not to lose their homes.

"And these women are riding around in Rolls-Royces, buying expensive shoes and just throwing money around like they're drunk."

Elsewhere, Ashton Kutcher was named Worst Actor for his roles in Killers and Valentine's Day.

Jessica Alba took Worst Supporting Actress for a quartet of offences in Little Fockers, Machete, Valentine's Day and The Killer Inside Me.


Kate Middleton invites butcher, shopkeeper for wedding

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Kate Middleton has invited the butcher, the baker and the pub landlord from her village in Berkshire to her wedding to Prince William in April.


Kate and Prince William sign a Book of Condolence in memory of all those who died in the New Zealand earthquake, at the New Zealand High Commission, in London on February 25

A select handful of Bucklebury residents will rub shoulders with royalty and celebrities such as David and Victoria Beckham after receiving a gold-embossed invitation from the couple.

Middleton is understood to be keen for the wedding to be a village affair, and sent initiations to several local businesses.

Martin Fidler, the butcher, and his wife Sue said they were delighted to be on the guest list.

"We're really looking forward to the day," said Fidler. "We've known Kate's mother Carole for years, before she met Kate's father Mike.

They've got on with their lives, built up a good business and all their children are a credit to them."

Ryan Naylor, the village postman, is also on the list, along with John Haley, landlord of the Old Boot Inn where the couple sometimes enjoys a quiet drink.

Chan Shingadia and her husband Hash, who run the local convenience store, have already accepted their invitation.

The Indian-born couple said Middleton "pops in two or three times a week" when she is in Bucklebury, sometimes accompanied by the Prince.


DJ Gaddafi, an internet hit!

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Song based on speech delivered by Libyan leader goes viral on YouTube

Libyan leader Moammer Gaddafi may be reviled by many of his own people and the international community, but he's enjoying an unexpected surge of popularity as a music video star.


Lebanese youths demonstrate yesterday against Gaddafi in a show of support to the people of Libya

A remix of a rambling 75-minute speech Gaddafi delivered last Tuesday, set to dance music and featuring the strongman alongside footage of two gyrating girls, has gone viral on the Internet.

It has racked up almost half a million views on the video-sharing website YouTube since it was posted three days ago.

Called Zenga Zenga, the music video mixes Gaddafi's quotes with club beats, using lines in which he vows to fight "inch by inch, home by home, alley by alley" as the chorus for the song.

The clip was created by Israeli musician and DJ Noy Alooshe and appears to be wildly popular in the Arab world despite its origins in the Jewish state.

"Can I get it on DVD so I can play it at a wedding for the bride and groom to dance to?" one commentator wrote in Arabic.

Alooshe (31) said he was inspired after seeing the speech in which Gaddafi made various wild gestures and banged on the podium.

"It seemed to be very comic visually. Before I even touched it, it was funny, like a parody," said Alooshe.
"The Zenga Zenga bit had a great beat and I knew it had real potential to be a dance clip."

Alooshe said he was amazed by the reactions, which have been mostly positive, from the Arab audience even though, the video clip was created by an Israeli.

He has also posted online a version of the spoof hit without the scantily clad dancing girls to take into account sensibilities of the Muslim world.

That version has some catching up to do in terms of popularity, with about 50,000 hits so far.
"There were some curses, but still most said it was a great remix," Alooshe said.

"One guy even said that when Gaddafi falls we will dance to this remix in the streets of Tripoli that would really be something."

Spiralling violence
Hundreds of armed anti-government forces, backed by rebel troops who control the city closest to the capital Tripoli prepared yesterday to repel an expected offensive by forces loyal to Moammer Gaddafi surrounding Zawiya. Also, Britain has revoked Gaddafi's diplomatic immunity.


Posted by Harshad at 7:14 AM

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