Idaho Lottery Creates New Millionaire

Idaho Lottery Creates New Millionaire Share

The Idaho Lottery created a new millionaire on their annual $1 million Raffle draw on Wednesday evening.

Aside from the $1 million top prize, the lottery also gave $25,000 to four winners, 250 winners of $250, 500 winners of $100 and 1,750 winners of $50. All the prizes were lump-sum cash payments. The results or the winning numbers can be viewed at Lottery Post's Idaho Lottery Results page.

According to reports, more than 250,000 tickets were available for the raffle with a price of $10 a piece. The selling of the raffle tickets started last

China shuts down porn websites

Chinese authorities have cracked down on pornographic websites. Source: Supplied

CHINESE authorities have shut down more than 60,000 pornographic websites as part of a year-long crackdown on lewd online content, as Beijing moves to tighten control over the internet.

"By the end of November, we had inspected 1.8 million websites, and closed down more than 60,000 unsound websites that spread porn," Wang Chen, minister for the press office of the State Council, China's cabinet, told reporters.

He added that authorities had jailed 58 people for at least five years in the crackdown on lewd online and mobile phone content that was launched in December last year.

China, which has the world's largest online population with 450 million users, operates a vast web censorship system sometimes known as

2011 Jobs Outlook: Better, But Not As Good As It Was

The Employment Landscape In 2010: Growth & Decline

Employment in 2010 had some substantial ups and downs, including a loss of more than 200,000 government jobs. Meanwhile, jobs in the private sector grew substantially, though not enough to bring down the unemployment rate.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Credit: NPR

In January 2010, the unemployment rate was 9.7 percent. If you had asked most people then to look forward to the end of the year, few would have guessed the rate would be even higher now.

But it is. Today, the number of people out of work is a little more than 15 million.

Yet the economy did start creating jobs again this year. Many economists believe next year the unemployment rate will drop to around 9 percent, or about double what it was before the recession began.

'Standing Still Isn't All That Great'

Each month, the labor department releases new data about the nation's employment situation. That includes the unemployment rate and whether the number of jobs on payrolls went up or down.

On average, the private sector created 100,000 jobs a month this year. But as President Obama said, almost every month: It wasn't nearly good enough.

"As I've said before, the only piece of economic news that people still looking for work want to hear is, 'You're hired,' " Obama said.

Cliff Zukin, a professor of public policy at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, describes the labor market in 2010 as "dismal, and pathetic and dire."

"The job creation compared to the amount of people out of work, is a drop in the bucket," he says.

There were about 1 million jobs created — but the unemployment rate rose

Biographer: Obama Used To Compromising

One of President Obama's New Year's resolutions is to keep looking for common ground between Democrats and Republicans. His search for compromise produced a flurry of legislative victories in the lame-duck session that wrapped up last week. But the approach is not a new one for Obama, according to a new biography.

Source: NPR : National Public Radio

Texas Rangers Hires Brandon Webb, Source Says

Texas Rangers Hires Brandon Webb, Source Says Share

According to a source Sunday, free-agent right hander Brandon Webb signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers.

Report said that by February, the 31-year old Cy Young Award winner Webb will be playing with the Rangers on its open spring training before it competes for a spot in a wide-open rotation.

Webb, was removed from the game for four straight years because of a fractured shoulder after winning the Cy Young Award and becoming one of the top starters in the NL for a four-year period with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Webb only

Why the ‘perfectionist' theory of dillydallying is far from perfect

Procrastinators come from every letter of the occupational alphabet, from astronauts to Episcopalian priests and from X-ray technicians to zookeepers. Whatever the job, procrastinators are more likely to be unemployed or working part-time compared to their non-procrastinating counterparts.

Procrastinators can be of either sex, though the Y chromosome has a slight edge. A group of 100 would likely be composed of 54 men and 46 women, leaving eight unmatched males vying for a female dalliance. You see, procrastinators tend to be available … sort of. They are more likely to be single than married but also more likely to be separated than divorced. They put off ending as well as beginning commitment.

Age also determines procrastination. … The closer we come to life's final deadline, the less we put off.

This demographic

Amnesty International urges Romania to provide evicted Roma housing

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Amnesty International urged Romanian authorities on Wednesday (December 22nd) to provide urgent housing assistance to 56 Roma families who were forcibly evicted from their homes in the northwest city of Cluj last week. The families, living in improvised barracks and shacks, were given two days' notice their homes would be destroyed. There was no consultation with the affected community and no feasible alternative to eviction was explored. Some of the families have been moved to inadequate housing facilities, while others remain homeless, the human rights watchdog noted, warning that other families face risk of eviction. (Amnesty

Serbia gets rid of dangerous nuclear material

To keep it from falling into the wrong hands, tonnes of spent fuel has left Belgrade

(Bloomberg - 23/12/10; Reuters, AFP, AP, BBC, RFE/RL, UN News Centre, International Atomic Energy Agency, US National Nuclear Security Administration - 22/12/10)

The IAEA said 2.5 metric tonnes of nuclear waste were delivered from Serbia to Russia on Wednesday (December, 22nd). [Reuters]

Tonnes of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel from a defunct Serbian research reactor arrived safely in Russia on Wednesday (December 22nd), marking the completion of a major eight-year multinational project co-ordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The top-secret operation to transport about 2.5 metric tonnes of nuclear waste, including 13kg of highly enriched uranium (HEU), from the Vinca Institute

Kosovo Christmas: festivity and faith

One Kosovo family makes the most out of Christmas.

By Linda Karadaku for Southeast European Times in Pristina –23/12/10

Anton Selimaj and family celebrate Christmas in Kosovo. [Linda Karadaku/SETimes]

"Christmas is the best of holidays," Anton Selimaj says as he shops for various ornaments and decorations, including a star for the top of the Christmas tree.

He spends about 30 euros. Later, his sister and children help him put up the decorations.

"The holiday atmosphere starts to build up when we put light bulbs on one of the fruit trees in our garden, balconies and the pines we

Russian Communists commemorate Josef Stalin’s birthday

Russian Communists commemorate Josef Stalin's birthday Share

Supporters of Russian Communists commemorated the 131st birthday of Josef Stalin, the ex-dictator of the Soviet Union.

They also offered flowers to the grave of Stalin beside the Kremlin Walls. The supporters, who reached almost 500 elderly citizens, waved their red hammer-and-sickle flags and applauded as the speakers condemned Kremlin acts to balance the hero status of Stalin.

According to Gennady Zyuganov, the leader of the Communist party, that they reaffirmed again that the epoch of Stalin was the most exceptional, successful and fruitful in the history of their state. On the other hand,

Blue Jays sign Patterson to minor-league deal

The Toronto Blue Jays signed speedy outfielder Corey Patterson and five other players to minor-league contracts with invitations to spring training Tuesday.

Patterson, 31, batted .269 with eight home runs, 32 RBIs and 21 stolen bases in 90 games for the Baltimore Orioles last season. The Atlanta, Georgia has hit .253 with 112 homers, 395 RBIs and 205 stolen bases in 1,097 career games over 11 seasons.

He'll likely compete for a backup role in the outfield.

Right-handers Winston Abreu and Brian Stokes, lefties Sean Henn and Mike Hinckley, and catcher Ryan Budde were also signed to compete for jobs

Bucks' Jennings out 4-6 weeks

Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings will miss four to six weeks as he recovers from surgery to repair a fracture in his left foot.

General manager John Hammond said Monday that the 21-year-old Jennings was examined after Saturday's 95-86 loss to Utah.

Jennings broke the long bone on the outside of his left foot that connects to the little toe, one of the most common bones to break in the foot. He earlier said he first felt pain in a loss to San Antonio, but kept playing and also played 30 minutes against the Jazz.

Jennings had started every game

Dodik says RS to mark its entity lines

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik said on Thursday (December 16th) that RS will mark its entity lines despite the opinion of the Office of the High Representative (OHR), which says the procedure is unnecessary. Speaking to reporters in Sarajevo, Dodik said that with its stance, the OHR only proves the pointlessness of its existence. "Marking the line is necessary from a purely pragmatic point of view. It has been established and is not controversial, but it should be transferred on the ground," Dodik said. (Radio Free Europe, Tanjug - 16/12/10)

Source: SETimes.com

Husband caged for ex-wife hammer attack

A MAN who attacked his ex-wife with a hammer as her horrified children watched on has been jailed.

Mohammed Liton, from Stoke on Trent, broke into his ex-wife’s home and attacked her with a claw hammer.

His victim was saved from serious injuries by her neighbours who, after hearing her screams, restrained Liton before police arrived.

Liton, 30, was jailed for six years at Liverpool Crown Court. Once released, he will be on an extended licence for two years.
The court was told Liton lay in wait for his ex-wife after breaking into her Wythenshawe home. When she returned home with her children the 30-year-old was grabbed by the hair and hit on the head with a claw

Police release 'Grim Sleeper' pictures

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (left) and Los Angeles City councilman Bernard Parks react while looking at photographs found in the possession of Lonnie David Franklin Jr. Picture: AP Source: Herald Sun

POLICE are trying to identify 160 women found in photos and home videos, who they believe may be victims of a serial killer dubbed the "Grim Sleeper".

Police found the material when they searched the Los Angeles home of suspect Lonnie Franklin Jr, a mechanic arrested in July.

Detectives released images and hoped the public would recognise them.

"Now that we know who he is and what type of activity he is involved in with women, we are very concerned for everyone in these photographs,"

Injury-ravaged AC Milan ends year against Roma

Already guaranteed of finishing 2010 at the top of the Serie A standings, injury-ravaged AC Milan faces a tough challenge at home against Roma on Saturday.

Milan leads the league with 36 points, six more than Juventus, Napoli and Lazio.

However, Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso and defender Gianluca Zambrotta joined Thiago Silva, Filippo Inzaghi, Alexandre Pato and Mathieu Flamini on the injury list.

Milan coach Massimo Allegri is confident that other players will use the opportunity to make their mark though. Ghana midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng has already broken into the team and has hit two goals in the last

Detroit Pistons Wins against Atlanta Hawks

Detroit Pistons Wins against Atlanta Hawks Share

Detroit Pistons won over Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night at the Palace with 103-80 victory, ending a four-game losing streak.

Still fresh from a Saturday's loss, Pistons decided not to take chances and made its way to victory through the first half and pushed the lead to 12 with a strong finish, thanks to Richard Hamilton, who scored 15 in the first half.

The 32-year old shooting guard scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the first half, while power forward Charlie Villanueva shared 23 points and 11 rebounds. Villanueva, together with small forward

All eyes on Phaneuf

EDMONTON -- Even the Edmonton Oilers are Dion Phaneuf watchers, but for an entirely different reason.

While fans and media are glued to Phaneuf’s return to Alberta (first, to his hometown of Edmonton then to Calgary where he played for the Flames), the Oilers have a far more rooted interest in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ captain.

On Dec. 2, the Oilers played in Toronto and shellacked the Leafs 5-0. Phaneuf wasn’t in the lineup because of a leg gash he suffered the month before against Ottawa. Tuesday night at Rexall Place, the two teams meet again and this team Phaneuf

Wife urges release of detained husband

THE wife of a British man held without charge in Iraq for a year is calling on the UK government to step up its efforts to secure the release of her husband.
Ramze Shihab Ahmed, a 68-year-old dual Iraqi-UK national who has lived in the UK since 2002, was arrested by security officials in a relative’s house in the city of Mosul on 7 December 2009.
Mr Ahmed, who had travelled to Iraq to try to secure the release of his detained son ‘Omar, was first held in total secrecy for nearly four months before being able to phone his wife in London. He has told his wife of how he was tortured - including with electric shocks to his genitals and suffocation by plastic bags.
Amnesty International has launched a

Audi Unveils Audi R18

Audi Unveils Audi R18 Share

Audi introduced its latest sports car Audi R18 at the Audi Sportpark in Ingolstadt, Germany, Friday.

Audi's latest sports-prototype features a brand new 3.7-liter V6 TDI turbocharged diesel engine and marks the first time a closed cockpit sports car has been put into race by the factory Audi Sport Team Joest outfit.

Dr. Wolfgang Ulrich, head of Audi, said that Audi R18 was designed for progressive electrification which the company is planning forward step by step. He said that efficiency is always a crucial factor for Audi. Moreover, Ulrich said that aerodynamic efficiency will be even

Henin beaten on return

Justine Henin's first match in six months saw her edged out by fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters.

The former world number one, who missed the second half of the WTA Tour season due to an elbow injury, was beaten 6-1 3-6 10-5 by her compatriot at the GDF SUEZ Diamond Games exhibition event in Antwerp.

US Open champion Clijsters started like a train but Henin hit back to force the contest, watched by a crowd of around 14,000, into a super tie-break.

Henin's previous match had also ended in defeat to Clijsters - at Wimbledon in June.

The Belgians, who before

Patrick Chan in medal contention at Grand Prix final

Toronto's Patrick Chan skated his best short program of the season Friday to finish second and keep himself in gold medal contention at the ISU Grand Prix Final.

Nobunari Oda of Japan took the lead earning 86.59 points while Chan is only a point behind after a season-best 85.59. World champion Daisuke Takahashi of Japan stands third at 82.57.

“I'm very happy to be in first place while landing my quad,” Oda said. “I decided to incorporate the quad into my short program because I had been landing it during practice.”

Chan and Oda were 1-2 respectively earlier this season at Skate Canada.

“I'm really pleased because I haven't had the greatest short programs this season,” said Chan, the world championship silver medallist. “There's been some self-doubt because it

Uruguay, Mexico and Chile have the most numerous middle-class in Latam

Angel Gurria, OECD Secretary General Zoom Image

The report estimated that 49.14% of the Chilean population belongs to the middle class. Only Uruguay (55.51%) and Mexico (52.88%) have higher percentages of middle-class citizens. Countries with the lowest proportion are Bolivia and Colombia.

“The middle class in Latin America doesn’t correspond to the typical stereotype notions of what the middle-class should be,” explained Jeff Dayton-Johnson, Head of America’s Desk at OECD.

“Many have jobs in the informal sector, don’t

Katrina Kaif, totally devoted to ‘Tees Maar Khan’

BOLLYWOOD beauty, Katrina Kaif, has worked her fingers to the bone for upcoming blockbuster release, ‘Tees Maar Khan.’

The former model took her role in the film very seriously from the very beginning says director Farah Khan.

One of Katrina’s biggest efforts was filming ‘Sheela Ki Jawani’, which is fast becoming one of the Bollywood anthems of 2010.

“Katrina spent entire days and nights rehearsing for this song. I had to shout at her and insist she take some rest. I hardly ever saw her chilling on the sets,” said Farah.

In preparation for the filming, Katrina visited the gym on a daily basis, as well as following a healthy diet and abstaining from pleasures such as sweets

Katrina Kaif, totally devoted to ‘Tees Maar Khan’

BOLLYWOOD beauty, Katrina Kaif, has worked her fingers to the bone for upcoming blockbuster release, ‘Tees Maar Khan.’

The former model took her role in the film very seriously from the very beginning says director Farah Khan.

One of Katrina’s biggest efforts was filming ‘Sheela Ki Jawani’, which is fast becoming one of the Bollywood anthems of 2010.

“Katrina spent entire days and nights rehearsing for this song. I had to shout at her and insist she take some rest. I hardly ever saw her chilling on the sets,” said Farah.

In preparation for the filming, Katrina visited the gym on a daily basis, as well as following a healthy diet and abstaining from pleasures such as sweets

The easiest way to save: automatically

Given the choice between immediate gratification and saving for the future, many people opt for acquiring a flat screen TV or buying a new wardrobe, leaving savings for tomorrow. Often tomorrow never comes. Consumers who are having difficulty saving may find relief in an often overlooked financial product: the automatic savings plan. (For related reading, also check out 5 Ways To Trick Yourself Into Saving Money.)

What Is an Automatic Savings Plan?

Automatic savings plans are easy to arrange and can be opened at the major money-centre banks, community and regional banks, credit unions, and via mutual funds. Consumers can typically save as little as $10 or more a month or a percentage of their salary and have that money automatically deposited into a savings, chequing, money market account or mutual fund, among several investments.

The Benefits

Financial

Oilers win fourth straight

Taylor Hall scored the winner just 23 seconds in overtime as the Edmonton Oilers extended their winning streak to four in a row, knocking off the St. Louis Blues 2-1 on Saturday.

Hall, the first overall pick in last summer's NHL entry draft, was sent in on a breakaway by Ryan Whitney and buried his ninth of the season and third goal in the last two games.

Ryan Jones also scored for the Oilers (10-12-4) who have won five of their last six.

Eric Brewer replied for the Blues (12-9-4) who have now lost five in a row, the first

For the Good of the Gut: Can Parasitic Worms Treat Autoimmune Diseases?

PROPITIOUS PARASITE: Human whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) eggs from a patient who deliberately infected himself with parasitic worms to treat his ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. The worms may have sent his sent his disease into remission. Image: Kimberley Evason, UCSF

In 2007, parasite immunologist P'ng Loke sat down for lunch at a University of California, San Francisco, cafeteria with an inquisitive man who had called him earlier that week. Their chosen topic of conversation would deprive many people of an appetite, but the scientist and his guest shared an intellectual hunger for a stomach-churning subject: gut worms—specifically, tiny worm-like parasitic organisms called helminths that live nestled in the gastrointestinal tracts of their hosts.

Loke was fully prepared to answer the man's questions about the parasites he knew so well, but what he did not realize was that his companion had more than just questions—he had worms burrowed in his intestinal walls, worms he had deliberately swallowed. Together, Loke and the worm-wrangler embarked on a research project, the results of which appear today in the December 2010 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

The 35-year-old man who had lunch with Loke was quite healthy in 2007. But only a few years earlier he was in the throes of an inflammatory bowel disease known as ulcerative colitis. An autoimmune disease, ulcerative colitis inflames the colon and leaves it rife with open sores; patients experience intense abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, rectal bleeding and weight loss. While searching for treatments, the man discovered the work of Joel Weinstock, a gastroenterologist, parasitologist and immunologist at Tufts University who has pioneered research on

Abhishek Bachchan talks ‘Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey’

AFTER his de-glam role in Raavan, Abhishek Bachchan returns to the screen with another performance-based character in Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey.

In his second release of 2010, Bachchan has collaborated with Ashutosh Gowariker on a period film set during the time of the Chittagong Uprising. Steven Baker spoke to the actor about playing a freedom fighter, working with Deepika Padukone for the first time and why he is not in competition with Aishwarya…

 

How did you prepare for your role as freedom fighter Surya Sen?

This is the third or fourth period film that I have done, but the first time I have played a freedom fighter. In terms of a performance, what is really easy with a historical character is that there is a lot of information available. You have a very definite framework and a skeleton to flesh out, compared to a fictional character which you really need to fabricate. When you have a character that you know what they did and how they did it, and what their characteristics might have been, it makes the job a lot easier. When you have all your research and information it makes it simpler to create the character.

 

This is your second de-glam role this year. Do you prefer more glamorous roles or something performance-based?

I am actually equally comfortable with both. It just so happens that you get these sort of characters back to back because of the way your schedule works out. I enjoy doing both, whether it is glamorous or de-glam, as long as it pushes me creatively to try and do a job that is more challenging than my last one. I happen to be half Bengali as well so I think that all helps.

 

What did you know about the story before signing the film?

One has been brought up on stories of

Walsall man jailed for electoral fraud

A WALSALL man has been jailed for electoral fraud.

Ali Hayder Munir, 30, was jailed for 12 weeks at Birmingham Crown Court.

He pleaded guilty to two offences relating to making false applications for proxy votes to Walsall Council's elections office.

Munir was handed a six week prison sentence for each offence, which will run consecutively.

Detective Sergeant Paddy Gillece of West Midlands Police, Force CID said: "In his summing up Judge INMAM QC mentioned that the most important feature of our democratic process is that it must be free from corruption.

"He continued to say the court has a duty to protect it and that any individual involved

Corrupt cop who helped ‘drug lord’ brother jailed

A CORRUPT Lancashire police sergeant helped his drug gang "enforcer" brother by hiding a cache of weapons and intimidating witnesses has been jailed for eleven and a half years.

Salim Razaq, 33, pleaded guilty to misconduct, perverting the course of justice, possession of ammunition and firearms, and money laundering before the start of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court last month.

A raid on the former Lancashire Police sergeant’s home found three machine guns hidden under the stairs, bundles of ammunition stored under the garden shed and more than £70,000 of laundered cash in his bedroom.

Details of the case were made public after a judge at Liverpool Crown Court lifted reporting restrictions on a separate charge of deception relating to a mortgage application and today Razaq was jailed