Photo Credit: Getty Images
(CNN) — The much anticipated "Beer Summit" took place in the White House Rose Garden Thursday evening.
The participants — President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Sergeant James Crowley, and Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. did not speak to reporters during the event.
After much discussion about which beer would be served, Obama chose a Bud Light, Biden went with Buckler, Gates had a Sam Adams Light, and Crowley chose a Blue Moon.
iPhone Virus News: possible iPhone Virus is to be unleashed Thursday. Two researchers,Charles Miller and fellow cybersecurity researcher, Collin Mulliner, have found an iPhone bug that could infect phones virally through SMS. The have plans to reveal the still unpatchediPhone bug at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas today. If you receive a text message with a single square character, you are advised to immediately turn off youriPhone, as they warn it means that someone has used the bug to take over your iPhone.
“This is serious. The only thing you can do to prevent it is turn off your phone,” said cybersecurity researcher Charles Miller. “Someone could pretty quickly take over everyiPhone in the world with this.”
The two found the bug in the way the iPhone handles text messages. Once in control, the hacker has complete control over your iPhone, allowing them to make calls, visit websites, turn on the camera and more importantly they can keep sending the bug via SMS.
They have reached out to Apple, well over a month ago about this vulnerability but have not heard back. Back in 2007, Charles Miller also found a bug that allowed someone to remotely hijack the iPhone using the browser.
It’s not clear if Apple has included a fix in iPhone OS 3.1, which recently entered beta 3 stage, so will not be ready by Thursday. Be careful out there and maybe we’ll have more information this afternoon on a possible fix from Apple.
It’s not an iPhone virus, it’s just a security hole. Although Apple was notified by the iPhoneSMS hack about 6 weeks ago, the company didn’t address this glitch and at the moment there is no patch that could fix it. According to the researchers, the iPhone SMS hack is possible thanks to a “serious memory corruption bug” caused by the way the iPhone handles an SMS.
Mulliner said that an similar SMS hack was found in the Android OS last week, and after only one day Google patched the security hole. Take that Apple! Why wouldn’t Apple patch theiPhone if the company knows about the security hole? What are these guys waiting? To hack every iPhone in the world? We’re waiting, but we’re not patient anymore.
ROCKY HILL, Conn. (AP) -- A Newington, Conn., man has claimed his $25-millionPowerball Jackpot prize after picking the winning numbers in the June 27th drawing.
Rahul Patel was the single winner that night, matching all six numbers: 18-22-26-39-48 and the Powerball number of 17.
He had purchased his $1 Powerball Quick Pick at Sam's Food Store in West Hartford.
Connecticut lottery officials say Patel opted to take the prize as a one-time cash lump sum of $12.5 million. After state and federal taxes, he received a check for $8.7 million.
This marks the sixth Powerball jackpot won on a ticket sold in Connecticut since the state joined the multistate game, which includes Rhode Island, in 1995. The last jackpot prize occurred in October 2007 when an Eastford resident won $15 million.
The odds of matching the jackpot prize are one in 195,249,054.
The recent Merrimack River Boat Cruise sponsored by the Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank was a delightful experience. Richie Eaton, in his usual friendly manner, greeted each and every person as we boarded, and again as we left. We were treated to ice cream, and other snacks were available, and the weather was perfect.
I know of no other bank or business that does anything like this to show appreciation to its customers.
My son-in-law, who, with my daughter, was visiting, was so impressed by this courtesy that he was going to tell the bank officials in the town they will be moving to what a wonderful gesture this was.
We all express our sincere thanks for this pleasant experience.
How cool is a new wine competition that features only sommeliers judging wines?
The Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition is another option for a credible third party endorsement. Yes, more and more people are depending on their peers for wine reviews; however, once they hit that supermarket shelf, they’re still wowed by numbers and medals. Another endorsement, beyond their own friends, still has a way of sealing the deal. Most people still don’t want to purchase something as a gamble, most especially on higher priced ticket items.
Top Sommeliers Focus of New Wine Competition
San Diego, Calif. – Having wines tasted by some of the nation’s top restaurant sommeliers is the wine salesperson’s hope. Receiving a Platinum, Gold or Silver award from this same elite group is the marketer’s dream. Both opportunities are presented in a new international wine competition – the Sommelier Challenge, debuting the weekend of September 26-27, 2009.
Created by respected competition director and syndicated wine writer Robert Whitley, the Sommelier Challenge is the second in his “challenge” series of wine competitions. Whitley created the Critics Challenge six years ago, featuring noted wine journalist judges who issue quotable comments to award-winning wines. Whitley also directs the San Diego and Monterey international wine competitions, and is publisher of Wine Review Online, the Internet’s respected wine journal.
“Sommeliers are on the front line with consumers. They are the wine mavens who influence what wines you try and what wines end up on a restaurant list. The Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition gives wineries a chance to put their wines in front of these influencers and receive an award they can market,” says Whitley.
Twelve sommeliers will judge this year’s competition representing restaurants such as The French Laundry (Yountville), Per Se ( New York City ), Charlie Trotter’s ( Las Vegas ), and Sona ( Los Angeles ), among others. The competition deadline is August 31, 2009. A complete list of judges, entry information and form can be found at www.sommelierchallenge.com.
DETAILS:
Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition
September 26 and 27, 2009
www.SommelierChallenge.com
Entry forms and fees: 302 Washington St #139, San Diego, CA 92103 USAFax to 619-294-4878, Email to SommelierChallenge@yahoo.com
23-year-old Daniel Bark has been arrested and charged with the hit-and-run death of former American Idol contestant Alexis Cohen.
Bark, from Toms River, NJ, ran over Cohen with a 2005 Mitsubishi Gallant in Seaside Heights, NJ, and fled the scene. Cohen’s body was discovered by two passersby about 300 yards from her car.
Cohen, who was reportedly enrolled at Montgomery County Community College studying veterinarian medicine, was visiting the Jersey shore beach town.
Dubbed ‘Glitter Girl’ by the media after her American Idol season 7 audition, Cohen uploaded a video to Funny or Die the day before her death.
Daniel Bark is being held in Ocean City. His bail has been set at $35,000.
Malibu Shark Attack, Fango spoke to longtime New Zealand producer Dale Bradley, who tackled his first job in Australia with MALIBU SHARK ATTACK, a killer-fish film that lensed in Queensland under the title GOBLIN SHARK ATTACK and premieres on the Sci Fi Channel (which co-produced the movie, and is soon to be known as Syfy) this summer. Bradley passed on a couple of production pics (see them below), and explains the flick’s odd original moniker
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The onscreen predators “are based on a species called goblin sharks [see art at bottom], which don’t look like your normal great white,” Bradley tells us. “They’re very fearsome-looking creatures. Ours are actually larger than the real thing, but modeled on them for the look that the CG company created. People do catch these things, but ours are monsters that get released from a big underground cavern during a seaquake. The resulting tsunami washes them ashore. Not only do car parks and basements get flooded, but we have sharks inside the buildings as well. There’s a recipe for something cool there.”
This production, whose plot is quite similar to that of the subsequently announced Russell Mulcahy project BAIT (see item here) stars local-born LA FEMME NIKITA star Peta Wilson as lifeguard heroine Heather. Her fellow cast members include Warren Christie, FINAL DESTINATION 3’s Chelan Simmons, BLOOD ANGELS’ Sonya Salomaa, Rachel Barton, Remi Broadway, Jeff Gannon and UNDEAD’s Mungo McKay. The director is BLOOD OF BEASTS’ David Lister, with previously announced helmer Brian Trenchard-Smith remaining on board as a producer.
“The central characters are lifeguards on Malibu Beach,” Bradley explains, “who survive the wave but get trapped under their building. The sharks know they are there and break in. There’s another great location—a construction site that’s also flooded—and the survivors manage to escape there, thinking it’s safe. But next thing, the sharks bash down the roller doors and swim inside, so they’re trapped in the basement. We’ve got a bit of ALIEN in there, and some good mayhem: amputations, people chopped in half. We shot one today featuring some lovely prosthetic work by makeup artist Sharon Robberts where a guy has lost both his legs. We’ve got another scene that’s a bit of a homage to JAWS 3-D, where a parasailor gets into all sorts of trouble and ends up being half the man he used to be.
E. Lynn Harris, whose self-published 1991 debut novel "Invisible Life" endeared him to millions of readers, died on July 24, 2009. He was 54 years old. According to the Arkansas Times, Harris suffered a "serious health setback" while on a West Coast book tour for his recent novel "Basketball Jones." In subsequent novels such as "Just As I Am," "If This World Were Mine" and "Any Way The Wind Blows," featuring the glamorous and gritty lives of Black strivers, closeted and openly gay men, the former IBM executive became one of the country's most popular writers, whose book signings were often standing-room-only events.
In a glossy style that combined elements of posh 1950s melodramas, daytime soap operas and homespun morality tales, Harris detailed the fictitious lives of young and stunningly attractive African-Americans, navigating their way through the NFL and NBA; Hollywood and Broadway; magazines and the music industry. Readers eagerly anticipated the return of Harris's fictitious fixtures such as closeted attorney Raymond Tyler, Jr., Johns "Basil" Henderson, and Yancey Harrinngton, and propelled nearly all of his novels onto the New York Times Best-Sellers List. Harris, who had more than 2 million copies of his novels in print, ranks as one of the most popular African-American novelists of all time.
Everette Lynn Harris, who often spoke in a soft, Southern drawl courtesy of his Arkansas upbringing, always dreamed of becoming an author. His road to his true calling wouldn't come easy, yet would inspire countless writers to tell their stories. Born in Flint, Michigan, Harris grew up in Little Rock. "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted," his 2003 memoir, documented his painful childhood, including abuse by his stepfather and a 1990 attempted suicide. For nearly a decade, before he tried to end it all, Harris lived a double life: He was a closeted, successful executive by day. After hours, he slept with men on the down-low and fell into a depression. A close friend asked Harris to write his story. In 1991, Harris wrote "Invisible Life," which received countless rejection letters from mainstream publishers.
In a now legendary story, Harris, who had relocated to Atlanta, sold the novel out of the trunk of his car at local beauty parlors. The novel soon landed in the hands of Martha Levin at Doubleday, Harris's long-time publisher. Harris's story inspired dozens of authors to self-publish their novels. ESSENCE was one of the first publications to feature Harris's work and he began a long affiliation with the publication.
He visited our officies last year, met with interns and signed copies of "Basketball Jones," and gave us a sneak peek of his latest novel featuring Yancey, including the first working lines of the novel: "How did this b---- get my life?"
Harris single handedly carved out a space for contemporary African-American male novelists such as Eric Jerome Dickey, Colin Channer, RM Johnson, Carl Weber, Van Whitfield, and Omar Tyree. He was a tireless champion for the Hurston/Wright Foundation and had his own foundation. Harris was known in the literary community for his generosity to his fans (often remembering birthdays and holidays); his love of the Arkansas Razorbacks (he was the first Black male cheerleader for the school), and his support for burgeoning writers. He combined his passion for both of the latter by returning to his alma mater as an adjunct professor, where he taught as recently as last fall. He divided his time between Atlanta and Arkansas, but ultimately, always made the time for his readers, who he credited with saving and changing his life.
Mount Hood, called Wy’east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon, it was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of Portland, on the border between Clackamas and Hood River counties.
Mount Hood’s snow-covered peak rises 11,249 feet (3,429 m)
Timberline Lodge is a National Historic Landmark located on the southern flank of Mount Hood just below Palmer Glacier.
The mountain has six ski areas: Timberline, Mount Hood Meadows, Ski Bowl, Cooper Spur, Snow Bunny and Summit. They total over 4,600 acres (7.
Source: Wikipedia
The biggest criticism of ESPN, the self-proclaimed “Worldwide Leader in Sports,” has been that it engages in shameless self-promotion that often makes it seem as if the network is bigger than the stories it covers. But in a strange twist, two stories have developed in recent days that have thrust ESPN into the national spotlight and made the network the story. Here’s a look at those two stories one that made the network the focus through no fault of ESPN’s and one that did through ESPN’s doing and how they have been viewed.
The Erin Andrews videotape
What happened
A videotape surfaced on the Internet of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, who was filmed naked through a peephole in a hotel room. Andrews’ representatives and ESPN acknowledged the grainy video was of Andrews and that they would seek civil and criminal action against those behind the video if they are caught.
Exploiting the story
While all agree that Andrews was the victim of an abhorrent act, that didn’t stop several media outlets, including Fox News and CBS, from airing either photos from the video or the video (with parts of Andrews’ body blurred). The New York Post also ran several still photos, and ESPN has responded by banning Post reporters from appearing on its shows.
In an e-mail to the St. Petersburg Times, ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer said, “Erin was grievously wronged here, and while we understand the Post’s decision to cover this as a news story, their running photos obtained in such a fashion went well beyond the boundaries of common decency in the interest of sensationalism. This is not a decision we undertook lightly, but we feel it is an appropriate one.”
Backlash
In the story’s wake has come backlash against ESPN and Andrews. The Post’s Page Six gossip page ran at item Thursday that blamed ESPN. The Post wrote, “No one would have known that a sick voyeur had secretly videotaped ESPN reporter Erin Andrews nude in her hotel room if the Mickey Mouse sports network hadn’t sent a letter to an obscure Web site demanding that it take down its link to a fuzzy video of an unidentified blonde.”
Meantime, USA Today columnist Christine Brennan seemed to criticize Andrews in a Twitter post, writing, “Women sports journalists need to be smart and not play to the frat house. There are tons of nuts out there. Erin Andrews incident is bad, but to add perspective: there are 100s of women sports journalists who have never had this happen to them.”
Brennan clarified her comments Thursday, saying her “frat house” comment, “was not meant to be pointed specifically at Erin, and I’m sorry if it was taken that way.” She added, “What happened to her is terrible, and she will always have my full support.”
Interestingly, “Erin Andrews peephole tape” was the top Google search Tuesday and Wednesday this week and No. 3 on Thursday. As AOL Fanhouse’s David Whitley wrote, “The fact is only one person committed the crime, but almost all of us have contributed to this revealing peep at our culture. That includes ESPN.”
Bottom line
Andrews was the victim of a pervert who crossed all lines of decency. To somehow question her style as a reporter or ESPN’s role in creating a media sensation such as Andrews in the context of this scandal is not only unfair, it’s indecent. Certainly there is never an inappropriate time to have intelligent conversations about networks’ hiring practices, the networks’ role in developing popular personalities and why certain personalities become popular. But it is apples and oranges. In this case, the blame starts and stops with those responsible for drilling a hole in a wall, taping an unsuspecting naked woman and posting that video on the Internet.
The Ben Roethlisberger case
What happened
This week a woman in Nevada filed a civil lawsuit accusing Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her last summer. The story appeared in newspapers throughout the country (including this one), on other media outlets and on major sports Web sites with one notable exception: ESPN. The network did not report it on any of its broadcast outlets or its Web site. It said that it has a policy of not running stories based on civil suits without a criminal investigation or without conducting its own reporting.
The initial reaction
ESPN claimed to be taking the high road by not reporting the lawsuit, and there is precedent for its decision. In 2005 it did not report a story about a woman who accused then-Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in a civil suit of infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease. On the other hand, ESPN did report last month that a woman had planned to file a civil suit against Lakers guard Shannon Brown on sex-related accusations.
With Roethlisberger, many wondered if ESPN was refusing to address the story in order to stay in good standing with one of the country’s most high-profile athletes.
Backlash
Late Wednesday, ESPN first reported the Roethlisberger story when authorities announced there would be no criminal investigation. Why did ESPN shift gears? ESPN says it simply was waiting for either Roethlisberger or law enforcement to make a statement. On Dan Patrick’s national radio show Thursday, ESPN senior VP and executive editor John Walsh was asked if ESPN should have reported the story sooner.
“I don’t think that question should be answered until we see how the news story unfolds,” Walsh said. “In the blogosphere and sports talk radio, too many judgments are rushed to be made before we know what we should know about a case. You want to get to the bottom of it and honor and respect all the people who are involved, including the victims.”
Bottom line
Any news organization has the right to set the standards by which it will report a story. But because this case involved a civil suit and a high-profile athlete and because reputable news organizations, including the New York Times, reported the story, it did seem odd that ESPN chose to ignore it, especially when it calls itself the “Worldwide Leader in Sports.” If nothing else, ESPN’s future practices on reporting such stories will be under heavy scrutiny.
The Erin Andrews videotape
What happened
A videotape surfaced on the Internet of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, who was filmed naked through a peephole in a hotel room. Andrews’ representatives and ESPN acknowledged the grainy video was of Andrews and that they would seek civil and criminal action against those behind the video if they are caught.
Exploiting the story
While all agree that Andrews was the victim of an abhorrent act, that didn’t stop several media outlets, including Fox News and CBS, from airing either photos from the video or the video (with parts of Andrews’ body blurred). The New York Post also ran several still photos, and ESPN has responded by banning Post reporters from appearing on its shows.
In an e-mail to the St. Petersburg Times, ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer said, “Erin was grievously wronged here, and while we understand the Post’s decision to cover this as a news story, their running photos obtained in such a fashion went well beyond the boundaries of common decency in the interest of sensationalism. This is not a decision we undertook lightly, but we feel it is an appropriate one.”
Backlash
In the story’s wake has come backlash against ESPN and Andrews. The Post’s Page Six gossip page ran at item Thursday that blamed ESPN. The Post wrote, “No one would have known that a sick voyeur had secretly videotaped ESPN reporter Erin Andrews nude in her hotel room if the Mickey Mouse sports network hadn’t sent a letter to an obscure Web site demanding that it take down its link to a fuzzy video of an unidentified blonde.”
Meantime, USA Today columnist Christine Brennan seemed to criticize Andrews in a Twitter post, writing, “Women sports journalists need to be smart and not play to the frat house. There are tons of nuts out there. Erin Andrews incident is bad, but to add perspective: there are 100s of women sports journalists who have never had this happen to them.”
Brennan clarified her comments Thursday, saying her “frat house” comment, “was not meant to be pointed specifically at Erin, and I’m sorry if it was taken that way.” She added, “What happened to her is terrible, and she will always have my full support.”
Interestingly, “Erin Andrews peephole tape” was the top Google search Tuesday and Wednesday this week and No. 3 on Thursday. As AOL Fanhouse’s David Whitley wrote, “The fact is only one person committed the crime, but almost all of us have contributed to this revealing peep at our culture. That includes ESPN.”
Bottom line
Andrews was the victim of a pervert who crossed all lines of decency. To somehow question her style as a reporter or ESPN’s role in creating a media sensation such as Andrews in the context of this scandal is not only unfair, it’s indecent. Certainly there is never an inappropriate time to have intelligent conversations about networks’ hiring practices, the networks’ role in developing popular personalities and why certain personalities become popular. But it is apples and oranges. In this case, the blame starts and stops with those responsible for drilling a hole in a wall, taping an unsuspecting naked woman and posting that video on the Internet.
The Ben Roethlisberger case
What happened
This week a woman in Nevada filed a civil lawsuit accusing Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her last summer. The story appeared in newspapers throughout the country (including this one), on other media outlets and on major sports Web sites with one notable exception: ESPN. The network did not report it on any of its broadcast outlets or its Web site. It said that it has a policy of not running stories based on civil suits without a criminal investigation or without conducting its own reporting.
The initial reaction
ESPN claimed to be taking the high road by not reporting the lawsuit, and there is precedent for its decision. In 2005 it did not report a story about a woman who accused then-Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in a civil suit of infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease. On the other hand, ESPN did report last month that a woman had planned to file a civil suit against Lakers guard Shannon Brown on sex-related accusations.
With Roethlisberger, many wondered if ESPN was refusing to address the story in order to stay in good standing with one of the country’s most high-profile athletes.
Backlash
Late Wednesday, ESPN first reported the Roethlisberger story when authorities announced there would be no criminal investigation. Why did ESPN shift gears? ESPN says it simply was waiting for either Roethlisberger or law enforcement to make a statement. On Dan Patrick’s national radio show Thursday, ESPN senior VP and executive editor John Walsh was asked if ESPN should have reported the story sooner.
“I don’t think that question should be answered until we see how the news story unfolds,” Walsh said. “In the blogosphere and sports talk radio, too many judgments are rushed to be made before we know what we should know about a case. You want to get to the bottom of it and honor and respect all the people who are involved, including the victims.”
Bottom line
Any news organization has the right to set the standards by which it will report a story. But because this case involved a civil suit and a high-profile athlete and because reputable news organizations, including the New York Times, reported the story, it did seem odd that ESPN chose to ignore it, especially when it calls itself the “Worldwide Leader in Sports.” If nothing else, ESPN’s future practices on reporting such stories will be under heavy scrutiny.
Mark Buehrle pitched a perfect game Thursday afternoon in the White Sox’ 5-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Chicago, the first perfect game in the major leagues in five years.
In the ninth inning, White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise preserved the perfect game by reaching above the top of the outfield wall to take a home run away from Gabe Kapler for the first out. [Watch Video] Buehrle then struck out Michel Hernandez and got Jason Bartlett to ground out to shortstop Alexei Ramirez for the final out. [Watch Video]
Wise had entered the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth.
“I was hoping it was staying in there, give him enough room to catch it,”Buehrle said of Wise’s catch in a televised postgame interview. “I know the guys were doing everything they could to save the no-hitter, the perfect game, whatever it might be.”
Update | 4:10 p.m. Jason Bartlett grounds out to the shortstop and Buehrle has done it.
Update | 4:08 p.m. There are now two outs after Buehrle struck out Michel Hernandez.
Update | 4:05 p.m. Top of the Ninth: Buehrle, facing Gabe Kapler to start the ninth inning, just had his perfect game saved by DeWayne Wise, who leaped over the wall to rob Kapler of a home run.
——-
Chicago White Sox starter Mark Buehrle is three outs away from pitching a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
This has caused a major surge of traffic to Hoboken official news site, that is why it is currently down!
Hoboken mayor, Peter Cammarano, is 31 years old and he will have to be on a federal court in New Jersey. Other detainees include Secaucus mayor Dennis Elwell, and Jersey City Council President Mariano Vega Jr.
It looks like Erin Andrews Peephole pictures are being surfaced from a peeping Tom. It actually comes from a Erin Andrews Peephole video but since a lot of people who are downloading the video and ending up with trojans and stuff, they are going a safer route. They are simply looking for the pictures of it instead.
Erin Andrews, who is a ESPN sideline reporter and former University of Florida cheerleader, was a victim of some pervert taping her through a peephole at a hotel room and trying to sell it on the internet. Of course, she is trying to prosecute.
For those of you guys that have downloaded the Erin Andrews Peephole video, be warn, most of them have viruses, trojans or some sort of malware.
But I took the safe route and didn’t do anything but I guess this probably isn’t going away for a while so the Erin Andrews peephole pics will turn up on a lot of sites sooner than later.
