Rancho Palos Verdes Fire 2009

Rancho Palos Verdes Fire 2009-Rancho Palos Verdes is famous for expansive views of the Pacific Ocean. It is  a quiet, affluent suburb of Los Angeles. Sitting atop the bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, it is known for expansive views of the Pacific Ocean.

Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV) is a city in Los Angeles County, California that was incorporated on September 7, 1973. The population was 41,145 at the 2000 census.

At least six homes have been destroyed by a fast-moving brush fire in Rancho Palos Verdes that has forced more than 1,000 residents to evacuate.

The fire broke out shortly after 8:00 p.m. Thursday and is burning near Ocean Trails Drive and Palos Verdes Drive, near the Trump National Golf Club, according to Captain Mike Brown of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Evacuation orders have been issued for the streets of Portuguese Bend, Amber Sky, and Crest Road in Rancho Palos Verdes, Captain Sam Padilla of the Los Angeles County Fire Department told KTLA.

According to Padilla, five water-dropping helicopters are working to put out the flames.

Six structures were spotted burning in the fire, though fire officials have not released an official count.

Several other homes in the area of Cintring and Spur Lanes are threatened and are in the direct path of the fire, according to officials.

Wind conditions in the area are said to be light, and blowing from the south. The area is said to be very dry.

More than 400 firefighters are fighting the flames.

A command center, set up to provide information on the blaze to the media at the Trump National Golf Course, was forced to move due to the fast-moving flames.
Avoid the killer flame evacuations are underway in an emergency basis. At present 5 water-dropping helicopters are in the air and more than 250 firefighters in the land are fighting rigorously to put out the flames.

Emergency evacuation orders have been issued for the following spots

*   streets of Portuguese Bend,
*   Amber Sky,
*   and Crest Road in Rancho Palos Verdes,

Evacuation centre:

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School at Hawthorne and Silver Spur.

For Animals : Howlett Park at 25852 Hawthorne Boulevard.

Make It Or Break It Beason 2

Make It Or Break It Beason 2-Make it or Break it seasson 2 finale was first premiered on ABC Family on June 22, 2009 with 2.5 million viewers. Make It or Break It is a drama focusing on the lives of teen gymnasts who strive to make it to the Olympic Games.

The series also scored a 2.3 rating among females 12-34, which makes it the top cable series for that demographic. Make It or Break It is a drama focusing on the lives of teen gymnasts who strive to make it to the Olympic Games.

ABC Family has ordered 10 additional episodes of the series to be aired in the first quarter of 2010, bringing the number of episodes in the first season to 20.

The series follows a group of elite teenage gymnasts training at top-notch gym Rocky Mountain, known as The Rock. While their individual skills make each of the four girls serious contenders at the upcoming U.S. Nationals, and the Olympics, the group is continuously fraught with internal conflict that threatens to distract them from their goal. With the help of their reluctant coach, Sasha Belov, an Olympic champion, the gymnasts must overcome rivalry, betrayal, familial crises, and financial difficulties to advance to Nationals.

CHARACTERS

Emily Kmetko (Chelsea Hobbs)

Kaylie Cruz (Josie Loren)

Payson Keeler (Ayla Kell)
Lauren Tanner (Cassie Scerbo)
Summer Van Horn (Candace Cameron Bure)
Carter Anderson (Zachary Burr Abel)
Damon Young (Johnny Pacar)
Razor (Nico Tortorella)
Sasha Belov (Neil Jackson}

Main cast
Actor                  ?           Character                     ?           Duration  ?

Chelsea Hobbs                       Emily Kmetko                     Season 1 – Present
Ayla Kell                                  Payson Keeler                     Season 1 – Present
Josie Loren                             Kaylie Cruz                            Season 1 – Present
Cassie Scerbo                        Lauren Tanner                     Season 1 – Present
Zachary Burr Abel               Carter Anderson                Season 1 – Present
Candace Cameron Bure     Summer Van Horn            Season 1 – Present
Peri Gilpin                                 Kim Keeler                          Season 1 – Present
Susan Ward                              Chloe Kmetko                      Season 1 – Present

Inglourious Basterds Quotes

Inglourious Basterds Quotes-Inglourious Basterds is a 2009 war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and released in August 2009 by The Weinstein Company and Universal Pictures. It was filmed in several locations, among them Germany and France, beginning in October 2008. The title of the film was inspired by Italian director Enzo Castellari’s 1978 film The Inglorious Bastards, but it is not a remake of that film, being set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, and depicting a plan to assassinate the Nazi leadership.

One of Tarantino’s favorite devices to tell a story by creating a series of timelines that proceed at different paces and in different tones – each beginning at a different time – and then coming together at just the right moment to provide the biggest impact. This is true of Basterds, though the movements through time aren’t nearly as obvious, or puzzling as, say, Pulp Fiction, which almost literally explodes when that moment arrives.

The film opens with an interrogation, though the interrogator, SS Col. Hans Landa [Christophe Walz – remember that name] is the absolute epitome of decorum who makes even the politest request of a glass of milk, or asking permission to smoke, the height of menace. From there, we are introduced to Lt. Aldo Raine [Brad Pitt] as he drafts eight “Jewish-American” soldiers to kill Nazis in manners that will strike terrific terror into the hearts of every remaining German soldier.

In Tarantino’s fabulist/revisionist/alternate history take on WWII, things come to a head when it is learned that a German film featuring a German sniper, Frederick Zoller [David Bruhl], who plays himself in the movie [think a German version of Sgt. York] will premiere in a Parisian theater. The finale is not only grand, violent fun, it also ties together plot arcs involving the movie theater owner [Melanie Laurant] who has reason to hate Landa; the infatuated Zoller, who is smitten by the theater owner; Joseph Goebbels [Sylvester Groth], the Reich’s Minister of Propaganda and producer of the film; a new mission for the Basterds – in co-operation with the British, that gains an unexpected bonus when it is learned that Hitler, himself, will be in attendance.

Tarantino quotes/homages a number of his favorite movies – the music alone brings together enough quotes to give Basterds a feel that can only be described as “spaghetti war movie.” He uses his knowledge of film to great effect whether his camera is caressing the evil Landa during the opening interrogation, or zooming in to catch the violence of a German sergeant meeting the business end of a baseball bat at the hands of “the Bear Jew,” Sgt. Donnie Donowitz [Hostel director, Eli Roth].

And then there’s the surprise double agent, Bridget Von Hammersmark [Diane Kruger], who is as tough as she is beautiful and capable of improvisation when necessary – and the bar full of German soldiers that creates problems for a rendezvous with the German-speaking Basterds, and an unusual use of a library of films that’s kept in the theater.

Throughout, Tarantino’s glee is evident. He delights in creating almost Hitchcockian suspense as much as he delights in extravagant outbursts of violence – or equally extravagant outbursts of sharply honed dialogue. He gives us details that suggest the unknowable depths of his characters – the most obvious example being the scar around Raine’s neck. He and Brad Pitt know what it means, so even though we never find out what happened, it gives Pitt’s performance another layer.

In a sense, because of the timing of its release, Inglourious Basterds could almost be considered goofy summer fun [albeit a supremely evolved example]. After all, no matter the genre, the cast, or the style, if it’s by Tarantino, its primary function is to entertain. Basterds does – and not just because of its audacity.

Juan Diaz VS Paulie Malignaggi/HBO Boxing

Juan Diaz VS Paulie Malignaggi/HBO Boxing.There are big  battle between two former champions, Juan Diaz scored a somewhat controversial unanimous decision over Paulie Malignaggi. It was an action-packed battle between two fighters who put it all on the line in front of a raucous crowd at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Although it appeard as though Malignaggi effectively handled the non-stop pressure of Diaz, in the end, the hometown judges felt that the Baby Bull had done enough to be awarded the victory. While there’s no argument that the fight wasn’t close, the 118-110 scorecard of judge Gale Van Hoye was atrocious and hardly indicative of the action that took place. Check out the entire round-by-round to relive the action and judge for yourself.

The fight is not in any way a done deal yet, but there is a good chance, reportedly, that former world champions Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi will clash in the summer. “The Baby Bull,” who is coming off a courageously exciting stoppage loss to the superb Juan Manuel Marquez, is scheduled to fight on August 22nd, in his hometown of Houston, Texas; and there is a good chance his dance partner will be “The Magic Man.”

Diaz, the former WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight champion, can’t be expected to go up to 140-pounds, but a catch-weight bout is very much on the cards. Former IBF light-welterweight champion Malignaggi, himself looking to get his second win since his forced retirement loss to Ricky Hatton, is no big light-welterweight, and as such he could perhaps drop a few pounds and meet the 25-year-old in what would surely be a most interesting and compelling fight..

Malignaggi, now aged 28 and 26-2(5) as a pro, is approx two inches taller than Diaz, but he is no huge puncher, to say the least. If the fight is made, the all-action and aggressive Diaz will no doubt feel he can win – perhaps he will even go out looking to become the first man to legitimately KO the New Yorker? Putting the still slick and speedy Malignaggi away really would be a statement by Diaz, 34-2(17). Catch-weight fights seem to be all the rage as of late, and if this one comes off it will be a good addition to the series. Who would win, though?

Both men took more than enough punishment in their recent defeats – even though Diaz gave a better account of himself against Marquez than Malignaggi did against Hatton. “The Magic Man” was demoralised after trainer Buddy McGirt pulled him out late last year, and though he has won one fight since (out-pointing Christopher Fernandez over 8 rounds in April of this year) it remains to be seen how much ambition and sheer desire he has left inside. Diaz, who had good moments against Marquez before being nailed and TKO’d in the 9th round back in February, may not be the same fighter either, after suffering his own first stoppage loss.

Basically, the loser of this fight would have nowhere to go; whereas the winner would be right back in the title picture – especially if he won in style. Though we will know more if and when an exact weight for the bout is announced, Diaz would have a shot at stopping Malignaggi. A stoppage win for the man who has just 5 KO’s on his record, however, would really be a shocker. No, Paulie’s best chance, clearly, would be to out-box and out-speed the younger man. But with his incredible work-rate, would Juan let him win that way?

Obama’s Birthday Cards

Obama’s Birthday Cards -President’s birthday better way to celebrate to give the birther movement even more media attention. Of course, we don’t really know that Obama was born on August 4th, because he refuses to show his birth certificate to anyone but factcheck.org and dozens of other politicians and reporters. The scoundrel! We thought to celebrate Barack’s big day, we’d show you how the birthers are celebrating. First comes Sean Kelly, an award-winning illustrator for the “New York Times” and the “Washington Post.” He has created a card for the President from our favorite conspiracy theorists.

3 Year Old Drowns At kalahari Resorts Water park

SANDUSKY, Ohio-3 Year Old Drowns At kalahari Resorts Water park — A 3-year-old Michigan boy who drowned at a northern Ohio water park was found face down in a children’s pool.

Hassan Itani, of Dearborn, was pulled from the outdoor pool at Kalahari Resorts water park in Sandusky and taken Sunday afternoon to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Capt. Paul Sigsworth of the Erie County Sheriff’s office called the death a “tragic accident.” Coroner Brian Baxter said the mother momentarily lost sight of her son, who didn’t know how to swim and was playing with an older brother around the pool, which ranges from 3- to 4-feet in depth.

Kalahari spokeswoman Carrie Leum said in a statement that park employees were “deeply saddened” by the toddler’s death. She says the park is cooperating with law enforcement.

Deuce Bigalow European Gigolo

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005) is the sequel to the 1999 film Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, from Happy Madison Productions. Rob Schneider returns in the role of the reluctant male prostitute Deuce Bigalow who visits his former pimp T.J. (Eddie Griffin) in Amsterdam, and then finds himself looking for a murderer who is killing the greatest “man-whores” of Europe.

Film critic Roger Ebert includes the movie in his “most hated films” list.

Deuce Bigalow European Gigolo Cast

* Deuce Bigalow – Rob Schneider
* T.J. Hicks – Eddie Griffin
* Eva – Hanna Verboom
* Gaspar Voorsboch – Jeroen Krabbé
* Chadsworth Buckingham, III – Douglas Sills
* Assapopoulos Mariolis – Kostas Sommer
* Svetlana – Miranda Raison
* Louisa, the Dirty Girl – Rachel Stevens
* Heinz Hummer – Til Schweiger
* Antoine Laconte – Oded Fehr
* Kate Bigalow – Arija Bareikis
* Lily – Zoe Telford
* Greta, the Hunchback Girl – Dana Goodman
* Marlene Alsmere – Skytriss
* The Big-Eared Girl – Julia Lea Wolov

Drake Falls On Stage Video

Drake Falls On Stage VideoDamn for all the good luck Drake was having, he seems to have hit a dry spell, what with the Best I Ever Had video flopping and now re-injuring his ACL. I hope he doesn’t turn this into a Kanye moment in how Kanye capitalized of his car accident.

Ex Leader Philpine Corazon Aquino Dead at 76

Corazon Aquino Dead at 76-Corazon Aquino was the first female president of the Philippines by ending Ferdinand Marcos’s two-decade rule in the “People Power” uprising of 1986, has died. She was 76.

Aquino, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2008, died of cardiac arrest this morning at a hospital in Manila, according to her son, Benigno III, a member of the Philippine Senate.

Known as “Cory,” Aquino was vaulted into politics by the 1983 assassination of her husband as he tried to challenge the Marcos regime. She became the rallying point for opponents of Marcos, who was dogged by allegations of corruption and human- rights violations.

As the economy shrank, by 7.3 percent in 1985, she helped lead demonstrations that forced Marcos to call an election in 1986. Aquino joined a council organized to select the opposition’s presidential nominee, then became the council’s choice.

She ran against Marcos, who was declared the winner amid widespread claims of fraud. Aquino alleged that Marcos had rigged the election and her supporters stepped up peaceful protests, which led to the civilian-military revolt that forced him out of office. Aquino was Time magazine’s Woman of the Year in 1986.

“She led the forces that toppled a dictatorship,” said Rey Trillana, a consultant at Manila-based Philippine Center for Civic Education and Democracy. She was “a historical figure that symbolized the frustration and anguish that led to People Power.”

Early Years

Corazon Cojuangco was born on Jan. 25, 1933, in Manila. Her father was a former congressman whose ancestors had created a family fortune from a small rice mill and sugar mill. Her mother was a pharmacist.

The sixth of eight children, Aquino was strongly influenced by her grandfather, a nationalist. He encouraged her to master the local Tagalog language before learning English, at a time when the U.S. still held sovereignty over the Asian nation.

She attended St. Scholastica’s College, a Roman Catholic elementary school run by German nuns, before moving to the French-run Assumption College for her high-school years. After Japan occupied the Philippines during World War II, she was forced to learn Japanese and won a small prize of sugared peanuts for reciting a poem to invading soldiers. Several of her relatives and her nanny were killed by retreating Japanese soldiers at the end of the war.
source:www.bloomberg.com

After the war, Aquino and two of her sisters were sent to the U.S. to study at a private boarding school in Philadelphia, Ravenhill Academy, whose alumni included movie star Grace Kelly. The three girls completed high school at Notre Dame Convent School in New York. Aquino then majored in French and mathematics at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York.

Marriage to Aquino

Returning to Manila in 1953, she enrolled in law at the Far Eastern University, where her father was chairman of the board of trustees. She married aspiring politician Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino the following year. Her husband rose to the Senate and was a leading candidate for president when Marcos declared martial law in 1972, imprisoning him and other politicians and activists.

In 1980, Marcos released Benigno Aquino from jail so he could travel to the U.S. for heart surgery. Corazon Aquino said the next three years, when the family lived in Boston, were the happiest of her life.

Her husband returned to Manila in 1983 and was assassinated as soldiers escorted him from his plane.

Military Uprisings

After Corazon Aquino came to power, a farmers group protesting the government’s land-reform program clashed with police in Manila, leaving about a dozen people dead. Aquino also had to deal with a series of military uprisings, which she put down with the help of General Fidel Ramos, her military chief of staff and later her defense secretary and handpicked successor.

U.S. military presence in its former colony ended in 1991 after Aquino failed to persuade the Senate to extend American rights to Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base. Economic growth, which peaked at 6.8 percent in 1988, shrank anew in 1991, a year before she left office.

“She was not prepared for the presidency,” according to Benito Lim, a political science professor at Ateneo de Manila University. “She did what she could with almost no experience but was guided by political and economic vested interests, including the Catholic Church. Because she was put in power by the military, that’s why there were so many coup attempts.”

In retirement, Aquino helped lead demonstrations against her three successors, two of whom she helped gain office.

Supported Term Limits

She helped defeat a plan to lift term limits and allow Ramos to seek re-election in 1998. Three years later, she helped oust Joseph Estrada on corruption allegations and install Gloria Arroyo. Starting in 2005, she called for Arroyo to step down on vote-rigging and corruption allegations.

“She picked up the standard and helped lead our nation to a brighter day,” Arroyo said in a statement, declaring a 10-day mourning period.

“She played a valuable role in the anti-Marcos forces and the return to democracy,” Trillana said.

As president, “she was bound to fail, when you look at the tremendous problems bequeathed on her,” Trillana said. After her presidency, “the moral person in her found the urge to speak out against the evils of governments.”

The Aquinos had five children. Benigno, the senator, is their only son. Their youngest daughter is one of the nation’s most popular television hosts.

Walking On Water,Event Favorite Shana Martin

Walking On Water,Event Favorite Shana Martin.Penn State’s athletic history boasts national champions, iconic coaches, Olympians, a Heisman trophy winner, first round draft picks and now a boom running world champion.

Alyse Schroeder, a toxicology major and full time student, captured the world’s top ranking in a thrilling race on June 25th. The junior finished in 11.14 seconds, just edging opponent and event favorite Shana Martin, who ran in 11.28 seconds.

“I had been working my butt off to become champion, it was a relief,” Schroeder said. “It was a satisfaction knowing that all of my hard work had paid off.”

This weekend, she will defend her title.

Boom running is part of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS series and the Lumberjack World Championship. In the event, two competitors race down a series of logs connected by rope to a small dock. Once they reach the dock, the athletes have to go around a marker, usually a large barrel then race back down the logs for the finish.

Schroeder began her professional career last year at the Lumberjack World Championship, held annually in her hometown of Hayward, Wisc., and placed third. At the 2009 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS series, which is televised as part of ESPN’s outdoor games, the junior won the title in front of a national audience.

“Honestly, its an unreal experience — especially winning,” Schroeder said. “Everybody is smothering you, and it’s amazing. Seeing myself on TV is a surreal experience.”

Wendy Schroeder, Alyse’s mother, got her daughter into the sport when the family moved to Hayward from Minneapolis. After the Schroeders settled in, an acquaintance asked if the girls wanted to try log rolling.

Alyse and her sister Lauryn went out to try, and the two have been competing ever since. Schroeder has been involved in amateur and pro level competitions in both log rolling and boom running since age 7, and her sister has been following her the whole time.

“I had never heard of a thing like log running, so I said ‘sure,’ ” Wendy said.

Living in Hayward allows Schroeder to train on the Lumberjack series track, which is located in a lake by her home. The sisters spend two hours a day running the course when they are home.

When classes are in session and without access to an actual course, Schroeder uses a multitude of other training methods. While at Penn State, Schroeder’s focus is to just stay in shape, and she goes to the gym every day while running distance and a multitude of sprints.

“We obviously don’t have a log at school, so I do a lot of running and strength training in my legs,” Schroeder said. “It is hard, but none of the competitions are during the winter, so I’m not losing that much.”

While the girls don’t have an actual coach, they have a unique support group to help them prepare for competitions. Alyse was taught by former men’s world champion J. R. Slazman and currently trains with 2008 women’s champ Taylor Duffy.

The closest the sisters have to a coach is their father, Brian, who wrestled for the University of Minnesota. Despite not having any experience actually competing, Brian brings his own touch to the training.

“They call me their coach, but I really can’t give them any pointers in the actual event,” Brian Schroeder said. “But I do know what kind of dedication it takes to achieve the kind of success they’ve had. If anything, I’m a little hard on them actually.”

The training for boom running is demanding, and the girls’ father has taken to the role of patching up their frequent injuries. Brian said he sees his job as keeping his daughters going through the pain and giving them the push to succeed.

While the lumberjack series of games has a professional and amateur level, the premier events like this weekend’s are professional invite-only outings. Therefore, Alyse only has to defend her title at invitational events sponsored by STIHL or the Lumberjack Championship.

Schroeder’s success at such a young age took many on the circuit by surprise, she said. She placed third in just her first invitational event, and captured the title less than a year later.

“It was quite an upset for Alyse to win the STIHL national competition,” Brian Schroeder said. “She beat an unbelievable athlete by a fraction of a second. It was an upset to most people. Alyse came out of nowhere in the last two years to be at that level.”

When she is at Penn State, Schroeder is also a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. The ability to manage her classwork, training and social life is not lost on her mother.

“Alyse is extremely organized. She’s taken some summer courses so she could get ahead,” Wendy Schroeder said. “She does a really good job of making sure she can get everything in, and she’s a pretty balanced individual.”

Lauryn followed her sister into the pro circuit last year, and her father said she has become the youngest professional competitor ever at age 13.

While Schroeder’s success came early, this weekend’s competition will prove to be the biggest challenge in her still growing career. Several competitors who missed June’s event will be returning to take their shot at the title.

Though the level of difficulty will go up, Brian believes his daughter will keep her position among the best in the world. Realistically, he thinks Alyse will be in the top three, but defending is not a certainty.

“It is going to be close. It will be fractions of seconds between the top three,” Brian Schroeder said. “No question about it, she’ll be in the top three, but it’s too close to call. It’s going to be extremely difficult.”

Regardless of this weekend’s outcome, Schroeder’s career in boom running is off to an unprecedented start, and she will only get better with more experience, Brian said. The energy, effort and dedication she puts into every aspect of her life has earned the adulation of her parents.

“I’m proud of her. She’s a good kid and a good athlete,” Brian said. ” I’m proud of the fact both of them put that kind of energy into an activity, though they really bring that energy into everything they do.
Source:www.collegian.psu.edu

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