They had met before in the paint amid smiles and well wishes when Dwight Howard allowed Nate Robinson to leap over him to win the slam dunk title at last year’s All-Star Game. They found themselves there again Friday with a real title on the line — the Eastern Conference’s — Howard and Robinson, who share two of the N.B.A.’s highest verticals, but little else. The moment showed in Robinson’s intent and deliverance. Even though the encounter resulted in only a hard foul from Howard, it also reflected Robinson’s relentlessness.
Robinson served as a catalyst, pushing the Celtics to an 18-point early lead and the mainstays Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen delivered throughout for a series-settling 96-84 blasting of the Orlando Magic in Game 6 of the conference finals.
Boston won the series, 4-2, but not without some lost teeth, muscle spasms and concussions after winning the first three games and facilitating an Orlando resurgence.
The Celtics will play in the finals for the 21st time in the franchise’s decorated history against either the Los Angeles Lakers or Phoenix Suns. The Lakers can clinch the title on Saturday night.
If the Lakers win, the finals will represent a rematch of the 2008 finals that concluded with Boston hanging a 17th championship banner.
“Beat L.A.” chants erupted from the TD Garden crowd early in the fourth quarter.
Before the season, Celtics Coach Doc Rivers placed a blank championship banner at the team’s practice facility, representing the organization’s quest for another title. It seemed like a lofty goal during the regular season, in which Boston struggled for stretches before revving in gear for the playoffs, beating the Heat, Cavaliers and the defending conference champions.
The party started early and Robinson played master of ceremonies for a dizzying eight-minute sequence.
Robinson sent the T.D. Banknorth Garden into delirium in the first half. First came a pair of 3-pointers, then he outhustled Jameer Nelson for a loose ball, drawing a flagrant-1 foul when Nelson pushed him from behind. Next, Robinson dropped in a 23-foot jumper followed by a high-arcing one-legged floater.
With the game bouncing to his frenetic rhythm, Robinson attempted his dunk over Howard.
In between, Robinson flexed, chanted, danced and screamed. The scene only needed a bow for its completion. The display is mostly new here, but it had been done in New York before Knicks Coach Mike D’Antoni soured on Robinson and benched him for 14 games, prompting his February trade to Boston.
Rivers stressed as early as the regular season that Robinson would impact a playoff game. Until Friday, though, Robinson sat plunked near the end of the bench and contributed mostly by encouraging.
Robinson had played more than 10 minutes only once in the last 16 games and Rivers did not play him at all in seven of them.
When the blur of Robinson settled and he took a seat with 3 minutes and 27 seconds left in the second quarter, Boston led by 16 points and took a 55-42 halftime lead. Robinson had detonated for 13 points. His emergence even left Rajon Rondo, who provided Boston with a healthy start with 12 first-quarter points, on the floor at the end of the bench, nursing a sore back. The Celtics never looked back.
Allen nailed two 3-pointers early in the third quarter and finished with 20 points. Pierce secured a game-high 31 points and Garnett had 10 points and 5 rebounds. Robinson added 13 points.
The loss completes a reversal for Orlando after the Magic reached the finals last season and painlessly swept their first two playoff rounds against the Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks.
The Magic join the Cleveland Cavaliers as stranded passengers on Boston’s joy ride. Unlike Cleveland, Orlando’s core is under contract for the long term. Howard scored a team-high 28 points and earned the scorn of Boston fans for his hard fouls and the lingering sentiment for his inadvertent elbow that left Glen Davis with a concussion on Wednesday.
Davis checked in four minutes into the game for Garnett, who received his second foul by attempting to karate chop Howard’s arm free of him. On the first opportunity afforded him, Davis drove hard through the line where Howard fouled him. He followed with a layup on Boston’s next possession.
Rasheed Wallace, bothered by back spasms, entered for the first time with about a minute left in the first quarter, but was forced to leave the game in the fourth quarter.
The off-day talk also concerned the conditions of Davis and Marquis Daniels.
The Celtics’ medical staff cleared Davis to play after he warmed up and took jumpers on the court.
Daniels, Rivers said, briefly lost feeling in his hands after colliding with Orlando’s Marcin Gortat. He was also told he had a concussion and may be sidelined the rest of the postseason.
XOXO:
24 (Twenty-Four) Seasons 1-8 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Action Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
Name:24 (Twenty-Four)
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
TV Series Release Date:6 November 2001
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:55 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Carlos Bernard, Dennis Haysbert, James Morrison, Elisha CuthbertDirector: Robert Cochran, Joel Surnow
Plot Summary
In this concept drama, each season takes place within one 24 hour period. Jack Bauer is the head of an elite team of CIA agents who uncover an assassination plot targeting Presidential nominee David Palmer. Meanwhile, Jack's strained marriage to his wife, Teri, is pushed to the brink by the sudden disappearance of their troubled teenage daughter. What will the next 24 hours hold?
24 dvd, 24 dvd box set, 24 box set, 24 1-8 dvd, 24 seasons dvd, 24 complete series, 24 season 8, 24 dvd collection, 24 season 8 release
2010年5月28日星期五
2010年5月27日星期四
Obama Honors Jewish Americans at White House Reception
Did you hear the one about the African-American president and Jewish-American baseball legend who were in the East Room of the White House for a reception?
The president tells the audience that he and Sandy Koufax have something in common.
"We are both lefties. He can't pitch on Yom Kippur. I can't pitch."
Oy. Where's Jackie Mason when you need him?
It was a bit of Jewish humor from President Barack Obama in welcoming remarks at what he said was the first-ever White House reception observing Jewish American Heritage Month.
"This is a pretty fancy ... pretty distinguished group," he said of the invited guests, which included members of the House and Senate, two justices of the Supreme Court, Olympic athletes, entrepreneurs, Rabbinical scholars, "and Sandy Koufax." The mention of his name brought the biggest cheer at the event.
The president spoke of "the diversity of talents and accomplishments" that reflect the Jewish-American heritage dating back to pre-Revolutionary times.
"Even before we were a nation, we were a sanctuary for Jews seeking to live without the specter of violence or exile," said Mr. Obama citing "a band of 23 Jewish refugees to a place called New Amsterdam more than 350 years ago."
And in the 21st century, the president hailed the U.S. relationship with the Jewish State.
"Our bond with Israel is unbreakable," he told the reception, five days before he is to have a fence-mending round of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.
Mr. Obama likened the U.S. pursuit of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians to the Hebrew principle of Tikkun Olam, the obligation to repair the world.
There were no other stabs at or tributes to Jewish humor by Mr. Obama. Although his Congressional guest list at the event did include former Saturday Night Live comic - and now Senator, Al Franken.
XOXO:
Lost Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Adventure Drama Fantasy Mystery Thriller
Name:Lost
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6
TV Series Release Date:22 September 2004
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:43 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Daniel Dae Kim, Emilie de Ravin, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O'Quinn, Naveen Andrews, Matthew Fox, Dominic Monaghan, Harold Perrineau, Michael Emerson, Henry Ian Cusick, Elizabeth Mitchell, Madison, Maggie GraceDirector: J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, Damon Lindelof
Plot Summary
Lost is an American live-action television series. It follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. Each episode typically features a primary storyline on the island as well as a secondary storyline from another point in a character's life, though other time-related plot devices change this formula in later episodes. The pilot episode was first broadcast on September 22, 2004, and the series concluded with its 121st and final episode airing on May 23, 2010 at the end of its sixth season.
Lost dvd box set, Lost dvd collection, Lost seasons dvd, Lost dvd, Lost on dvds, Lost dvd set, buy Lost dvd, cheap Lost dvd, Lost complete series, Lost season 6 release date, Lost complete seasons, Lost dvd boxseted, box set Lost, dvd Lost, Lost
Lost Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset - Cheap DVD Box Set
The president tells the audience that he and Sandy Koufax have something in common.
"We are both lefties. He can't pitch on Yom Kippur. I can't pitch."
Oy. Where's Jackie Mason when you need him?
It was a bit of Jewish humor from President Barack Obama in welcoming remarks at what he said was the first-ever White House reception observing Jewish American Heritage Month.
"This is a pretty fancy ... pretty distinguished group," he said of the invited guests, which included members of the House and Senate, two justices of the Supreme Court, Olympic athletes, entrepreneurs, Rabbinical scholars, "and Sandy Koufax." The mention of his name brought the biggest cheer at the event.
The president spoke of "the diversity of talents and accomplishments" that reflect the Jewish-American heritage dating back to pre-Revolutionary times.
"Even before we were a nation, we were a sanctuary for Jews seeking to live without the specter of violence or exile," said Mr. Obama citing "a band of 23 Jewish refugees to a place called New Amsterdam more than 350 years ago."
And in the 21st century, the president hailed the U.S. relationship with the Jewish State.
"Our bond with Israel is unbreakable," he told the reception, five days before he is to have a fence-mending round of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.
Mr. Obama likened the U.S. pursuit of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians to the Hebrew principle of Tikkun Olam, the obligation to repair the world.
There were no other stabs at or tributes to Jewish humor by Mr. Obama. Although his Congressional guest list at the event did include former Saturday Night Live comic - and now Senator, Al Franken.
XOXO:
Lost Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Adventure Drama Fantasy Mystery Thriller
Name:Lost
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6
TV Series Release Date:22 September 2004
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:43 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Daniel Dae Kim, Emilie de Ravin, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O'Quinn, Naveen Andrews, Matthew Fox, Dominic Monaghan, Harold Perrineau, Michael Emerson, Henry Ian Cusick, Elizabeth Mitchell, Madison, Maggie GraceDirector: J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, Damon Lindelof
Plot Summary
Lost is an American live-action television series. It follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. Each episode typically features a primary storyline on the island as well as a secondary storyline from another point in a character's life, though other time-related plot devices change this formula in later episodes. The pilot episode was first broadcast on September 22, 2004, and the series concluded with its 121st and final episode airing on May 23, 2010 at the end of its sixth season.
Lost dvd box set, Lost dvd collection, Lost seasons dvd, Lost dvd, Lost on dvds, Lost dvd set, buy Lost dvd, cheap Lost dvd, Lost complete series, Lost season 6 release date, Lost complete seasons, Lost dvd boxseted, box set Lost, dvd Lost, Lost
Lost Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset - Cheap DVD Box Set
2010年5月26日星期三
Seattle solves offensive problems in 3-0 exhibition win over Boca Juniors
Roger Levesque cleaned up the ricochet of Fredy Montero's free kick late in the first half and Pat Noonan and Michael Seamon both scored midway through the second half as the Seattle Sounders FC beat Argentina's Boca Juniors 3-0 in an exhibition match Wednesday.
Having scored just two home goals since a 2-0 season opening win over expansion Philadelphia, the Sounders were hoping the exhibition with the one-time South American powers might be an opportunity to solve some of their offensive woes before returning to MLS play on Saturday at Colorado.
Playing a mixture of regular starters and youngsters needing playing time, Seattle dominated possession and scoring chances against a Boca Juniors squad filled with youth and minus three players preparing for the World Cup.
Martin Palermo, the club's all-time leading scorer, midfielder Claudio Morel and defender Gary Medel are training for the World Cup with Argentina, Paraguay and Chile, respectively.
Wearing their new highlighter-yellow uniforms, Seattle had numerous scoring chances in the first half before finally converting in the 42nd minute. Montero's free kick was tipped by goalkeeper Javier Garcia, deflected off the post and bounced in front of the open net. Lesveque gently guided the free ball into the net, breaking a home scoreless streak of 308 minutes.
Seattle's last home goal was against Columbus on May 1.
The Sounders kept the pressure up in the second half. Noonan beat Gaston Sauro for possession off a pass from David Estrada, let Leandro Marin go racing past and drilled a left-footed shot into the top of the netting. Seamon scored six minutes later on an attempt from 25 yards that Garcia appeared to misplay.
The only downside for Seattle was midfielder Osvaldo Alonso appearing to aggravate a quad injury that kept him out of Seattle's last two MLS games.
This was the third international friendly for Seattle, although without the star power of last year when the Sounders welcomed Chelsea and FC Barcelona, two of the strongest clubs in the world. Seattle was shut out in both of those matches, but was able to outclass a Boca Juniors squad that has tumbled in Argentina's Primera Division and finished last season 16th before 40,122.
Lucas Viatri had the best scoring chance for Boca but his first-half header was punched over the crossbar by Seattle keeper Kasey Keller.
Boca Juniors will wrap up its U.S. tour on Saturday with a match against the Portland Timbers
XOXO:
CSI Las Vegas Seasons 1-10 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
Name:CSI: Las Vegas
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TV Series Release Date:6 October 2000
Aspect Ratio:1.33: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:68 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger,Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Paul Guilfoyle, Eric Szmanda, Robert David Hall, Jorja FoxDirector: Anthony E. Zuiker
Plot Summary
In the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, its reputation for providing instant success for those willing to try their luck draws in the hopeful and the naive. This constant influx of visitors also provides ripe targets for criminals of all varieties, confident they will never be caught. Unfortunately for them, most are proven wrong by the Las Vegas Police Department's night shift Crime Scene Investigations unit led by Gill Grissom. With almost obsessive dedication towards his quest for the facts, he and his elite team of investigators work various perplexing cases using scientific skills and equipment that are capable of finding valuable clues from the most seemingly unlikely sources. In a city of empty dreams and false fronts, Gill Grissom leads the quest for the one thing that can cut through the lies to the truth and justice, the evidence...
CSI Lasvegas dvd, CSI Lasvegas box set, CSI Lasvegas dvd box set, CSI Lasvegas complete series, CSI Lasvegas seasons 1-9 dvd, CSI Lasvegas season 10 dvd,CSI Lasvegas seasons dvd, CSI Lasvegas season 10 on dvd, CSI Lasvegas dvd set, CSI Lasvegas dvd collection, CSI Lasvegas season 10 release date
Having scored just two home goals since a 2-0 season opening win over expansion Philadelphia, the Sounders were hoping the exhibition with the one-time South American powers might be an opportunity to solve some of their offensive woes before returning to MLS play on Saturday at Colorado.
Playing a mixture of regular starters and youngsters needing playing time, Seattle dominated possession and scoring chances against a Boca Juniors squad filled with youth and minus three players preparing for the World Cup.
Martin Palermo, the club's all-time leading scorer, midfielder Claudio Morel and defender Gary Medel are training for the World Cup with Argentina, Paraguay and Chile, respectively.
Wearing their new highlighter-yellow uniforms, Seattle had numerous scoring chances in the first half before finally converting in the 42nd minute. Montero's free kick was tipped by goalkeeper Javier Garcia, deflected off the post and bounced in front of the open net. Lesveque gently guided the free ball into the net, breaking a home scoreless streak of 308 minutes.
Seattle's last home goal was against Columbus on May 1.
The Sounders kept the pressure up in the second half. Noonan beat Gaston Sauro for possession off a pass from David Estrada, let Leandro Marin go racing past and drilled a left-footed shot into the top of the netting. Seamon scored six minutes later on an attempt from 25 yards that Garcia appeared to misplay.
The only downside for Seattle was midfielder Osvaldo Alonso appearing to aggravate a quad injury that kept him out of Seattle's last two MLS games.
This was the third international friendly for Seattle, although without the star power of last year when the Sounders welcomed Chelsea and FC Barcelona, two of the strongest clubs in the world. Seattle was shut out in both of those matches, but was able to outclass a Boca Juniors squad that has tumbled in Argentina's Primera Division and finished last season 16th before 40,122.
Lucas Viatri had the best scoring chance for Boca but his first-half header was punched over the crossbar by Seattle keeper Kasey Keller.
Boca Juniors will wrap up its U.S. tour on Saturday with a match against the Portland Timbers
XOXO:
CSI Las Vegas Seasons 1-10 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
Name:CSI: Las Vegas
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TV Series Release Date:6 October 2000
Aspect Ratio:1.33: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:68 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger,Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Paul Guilfoyle, Eric Szmanda, Robert David Hall, Jorja FoxDirector: Anthony E. Zuiker
Plot Summary
In the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, its reputation for providing instant success for those willing to try their luck draws in the hopeful and the naive. This constant influx of visitors also provides ripe targets for criminals of all varieties, confident they will never be caught. Unfortunately for them, most are proven wrong by the Las Vegas Police Department's night shift Crime Scene Investigations unit led by Gill Grissom. With almost obsessive dedication towards his quest for the facts, he and his elite team of investigators work various perplexing cases using scientific skills and equipment that are capable of finding valuable clues from the most seemingly unlikely sources. In a city of empty dreams and false fronts, Gill Grissom leads the quest for the one thing that can cut through the lies to the truth and justice, the evidence...
CSI Lasvegas dvd, CSI Lasvegas box set, CSI Lasvegas dvd box set, CSI Lasvegas complete series, CSI Lasvegas seasons 1-9 dvd, CSI Lasvegas season 10 dvd,CSI Lasvegas seasons dvd, CSI Lasvegas season 10 on dvd, CSI Lasvegas dvd set, CSI Lasvegas dvd collection, CSI Lasvegas season 10 release date
2010年5月25日星期二
Obama to send troops, bolster border security
President Barack Obama will seek $500 million for security and send up to 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border, an administration official said on Tuesday, after demands from both Republicans and Democrats for more federal resources along the frontier.
The announcement comes as the Democratic president seeks Republican support for a sweeping overhaul of U.S. immigration laws, and seeks to rally opposition to a tough new immigration law in Arizona that has caused tension in U.S. relations with Mexico, without seeming soft on illegal border crossings.
The troops will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, intelligence analysis, immediate support to counternarcotics enforcement and training capacity until the Customs and Border Patrol agency can recruit and train more border officers and agents, the official said.
The funds will be used to enhance technology at the border and share information and support between law enforcement agencies as they target illegal trafficking in people, drugs, weapons and money.
SPARRING WITH REPUBLICANS
Arizona's two U.S. senators, John McCain and Jon Kyl, and Governor Jan Brewer, all Republicans, have asked Obama for more federal support to secure the border.
McCain and Kyl introduced a Senate amendment to force Obama to deploy 6,000 National Guard troops to the border.
"Though this initial deployment is an important first step, the president is not sending enough troops," the senators said late Tuesday in a statement.
The administration rejected the request in a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin.
"It represents an unwarranted interference with the commander-in-chief's responsibilities," wrote national security adviser James Jones and counterterrorism chief John Brennan.
Illegal immigration across the border with Mexico has been in intense focus since Arizona last month passed the law to drive 460,000 illegal immigrants out of the desert state, which straddles one of the principal corridors for human and drug smugglers heading up from Mexico.
The law requires state and local police to investigate the immigration status of people they reasonably suspect are in the country illegally.
It was a central issue last week during a state visit to Washington by Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who said the law discriminated against foreign-born workers.
Mexican officials said on Tuesday they respected Obama's right to make the decision, but thought Washington should address problems originating on its side of the border.
"The Mexican government considers that the decision ... should translate into the channeling of additional resources to make efforts more effective to combat the trafficking of illegal arms and cash to Mexico," the Mexican foreign ministry said in a statement.
Mexico also urged "shared responsibility" on the fight against drug gangs along the border.
There are currently 344 U.S. National Guard troops working along the border.
U.S. officials are also concerned drug-related violence will cross the border from Mexico, where some 23,000 people have been killed since Calderon took office in late 2006 as drug gangs fight turf wars and battle federal agents and troops.
A prominent cattleman, Robert Krentz, was shot dead on his ranch in southeast Arizona in late March. Police followed tracks from the scene of the shooting to the Mexican border, but made no arrests.
Cochise County sheriff Larry Dever, whose office is investigating Krentz's death, said he doubted that many troops would make much difference, given the border's nearly 2,000-mile (3200-km) length.
"If you put 1,200 in perspective ... that's about one every two miles ... so we're woefully short of doing anything significant, unless they are all deployed in a very specific area," he told Reuters.
Obama met on Tuesday with Senate Republicans, none of whom has come out in support of his immigration plan. He pushed them to support an overhaul, which he said he wants passed this year, but did not bring up the National Guard plan.
XOXO:
Medium Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
Name:Medium
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6
TV Series Release Date:3 January 2005
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:34 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Patricia Arquette, Jake Weber, Miguel Sandoval, Sofia Vassilieva, Maria LarkDirector: Glenn Gordon Caron
Plot Summary
A former FBI profiler moves his family from Washington DC to Seattle, where he joins the Millenium Group, a mysterious organization of former law enforcement officers, committed to battling a crime wave which grows as the turn of the millenium approaches...Medium is an American supernatural and dramatic television series which premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005. Its focus is Allison DuBois (Patricia Arquette), who acts as a research medium for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office. The lead character is a wife to loving husband, Joe, and the mother of three daughters who all inherited her gift, apparently passed from generation to generation. The show is based on experiences from self-proclaimed spiritual medium Allison DuBois, who claims to have worked with law enforcement agencies across the country in criminal investigations.
Medium dvd, Medium box set, Medium dvd box set, Medium seasons dvd, Medium complete series dvd, Medium dvd collection, Medium seasons dvd, Medium series 1-6, Medium complete seasons. buy cheap Medium seasond dvd, Medium dvd set, Medium on dvds, Medium dvd boxseted, Medium tv series, Medium tv shows, Medium season 6 release
The announcement comes as the Democratic president seeks Republican support for a sweeping overhaul of U.S. immigration laws, and seeks to rally opposition to a tough new immigration law in Arizona that has caused tension in U.S. relations with Mexico, without seeming soft on illegal border crossings.
The troops will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, intelligence analysis, immediate support to counternarcotics enforcement and training capacity until the Customs and Border Patrol agency can recruit and train more border officers and agents, the official said.
The funds will be used to enhance technology at the border and share information and support between law enforcement agencies as they target illegal trafficking in people, drugs, weapons and money.
SPARRING WITH REPUBLICANS
Arizona's two U.S. senators, John McCain and Jon Kyl, and Governor Jan Brewer, all Republicans, have asked Obama for more federal support to secure the border.
McCain and Kyl introduced a Senate amendment to force Obama to deploy 6,000 National Guard troops to the border.
"Though this initial deployment is an important first step, the president is not sending enough troops," the senators said late Tuesday in a statement.
The administration rejected the request in a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin.
"It represents an unwarranted interference with the commander-in-chief's responsibilities," wrote national security adviser James Jones and counterterrorism chief John Brennan.
Illegal immigration across the border with Mexico has been in intense focus since Arizona last month passed the law to drive 460,000 illegal immigrants out of the desert state, which straddles one of the principal corridors for human and drug smugglers heading up from Mexico.
The law requires state and local police to investigate the immigration status of people they reasonably suspect are in the country illegally.
It was a central issue last week during a state visit to Washington by Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who said the law discriminated against foreign-born workers.
Mexican officials said on Tuesday they respected Obama's right to make the decision, but thought Washington should address problems originating on its side of the border.
"The Mexican government considers that the decision ... should translate into the channeling of additional resources to make efforts more effective to combat the trafficking of illegal arms and cash to Mexico," the Mexican foreign ministry said in a statement.
Mexico also urged "shared responsibility" on the fight against drug gangs along the border.
There are currently 344 U.S. National Guard troops working along the border.
U.S. officials are also concerned drug-related violence will cross the border from Mexico, where some 23,000 people have been killed since Calderon took office in late 2006 as drug gangs fight turf wars and battle federal agents and troops.
A prominent cattleman, Robert Krentz, was shot dead on his ranch in southeast Arizona in late March. Police followed tracks from the scene of the shooting to the Mexican border, but made no arrests.
Cochise County sheriff Larry Dever, whose office is investigating Krentz's death, said he doubted that many troops would make much difference, given the border's nearly 2,000-mile (3200-km) length.
"If you put 1,200 in perspective ... that's about one every two miles ... so we're woefully short of doing anything significant, unless they are all deployed in a very specific area," he told Reuters.
Obama met on Tuesday with Senate Republicans, none of whom has come out in support of his immigration plan. He pushed them to support an overhaul, which he said he wants passed this year, but did not bring up the National Guard plan.
XOXO:
Medium Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
Name:Medium
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6
TV Series Release Date:3 January 2005
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:34 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Patricia Arquette, Jake Weber, Miguel Sandoval, Sofia Vassilieva, Maria LarkDirector: Glenn Gordon Caron
Plot Summary
A former FBI profiler moves his family from Washington DC to Seattle, where he joins the Millenium Group, a mysterious organization of former law enforcement officers, committed to battling a crime wave which grows as the turn of the millenium approaches...Medium is an American supernatural and dramatic television series which premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005. Its focus is Allison DuBois (Patricia Arquette), who acts as a research medium for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office. The lead character is a wife to loving husband, Joe, and the mother of three daughters who all inherited her gift, apparently passed from generation to generation. The show is based on experiences from self-proclaimed spiritual medium Allison DuBois, who claims to have worked with law enforcement agencies across the country in criminal investigations.
Medium dvd, Medium box set, Medium dvd box set, Medium seasons dvd, Medium complete series dvd, Medium dvd collection, Medium seasons dvd, Medium series 1-6, Medium complete seasons. buy cheap Medium seasond dvd, Medium dvd set, Medium on dvds, Medium dvd boxseted, Medium tv series, Medium tv shows, Medium season 6 release
2010年5月24日星期一
Oil Hits Home, Spreading Arc of Frustration
For weeks, it was a disaster in abstraction, a threat floating somewhere out there.
Not anymore. In the last week, the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico has revealed itself to an angry and desperate public, smearing tourist beaches, washing onto the shorelines of sleepy coastal communities and oozing into marshy bays that fishermen have worked for generations. It has even announced its arrival on the Louisiana coast with a fittingly ugly symbol: brown pelicans, the state bird, dyed with crude.
More than a month has passed since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew up, spewing immeasurable quantities of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and frustrating all efforts to contain it. The billowing plume of undersea oil and water has thwarted the industry’s well-control efforts and driven government officials to impotent rage.
It has demonstrated the enduring laxity of federal regulation of offshore operations and has shown the government to be almost wholly at the mercy of BP, the company leasing the rig, to provide the technology, personnel and equipment to stop the bleeding well.
Senators and administration officials visiting the southern Louisiana town of Galliano lashed out again at BP on Monday, saying they were “beyond patience” with the company. The day before, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who early in the crisis vowed to “keep the boot on the neck” of BP, threatened to push the company out of the way.
But on Monday, Mr. Salazar backed off, conceding to the reality that BP and the oil companies have access to the best technology to attack the well, a mile below the surface, even though that technology has proved so far to have fallen short of its one purpose. The government’s role, he acknowledged, is largely supervisory and the primary responsibility for the spill, for legal and practical reasons, remains with the company.
“The administration has done everything we can possibly do to make sure that we push BP to stop the spill and to contain the impact,” Mr. Salazar said. “We have also been very clear that there are areas where BP and the private sector are the ones who must continue to lead the efforts with government oversight, such as the deployment of private sector technology 5,000 feet below the ocean’s surface to kill the well.”
Oil industry experts said they did not take seriously the sporadic threats by the administration that the federal government might have to wrest management of the effort to plug the well from BP. The experts said that the Interior and Energy Departments do not have engineers with more experience in deepwater drilling than those who work for BP and the array of companies that have been brought into the effort to stem the leak.
“It’s worse than politics,” said Larry Goldstein, a director of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, which is partly financed by the oil industry. “They have had the authority from Day 1. If they could have handled this situation better, they would have already.”
As the verbal warfare between officials and company executives escalated, the slick from the April 20 well blowout continued to spread in billowing rust-colored splotches in the gulf, raising urgent questions about what lay beneath.
On land, shrimpers were stuffing their catch into coolers in hopes of having some in store if the season ends altogether. Hotel owners all along the gulf were trying to persuade tourists to keep their vacation plans. But as they looked to BP and the authorities for help, or at least direction, there has only been frustration.
“I never thought it would come to this,” said Ryan Lambert, a charter boat operator in Buras, La., who spoke to the federal delegation on Monday. “My guys look to me and say ‘What do I do, boss?’ And I don’t have an answer.”
Several things have become clear over the past month. Neither BP nor the government was prepared for an oil release of this size or at this depth. The federal Minerals Management Service, charged with overseeing offshore oil development, has for too long served as a handmaiden of industry. Laws governing deepwater drilling have fallen far behind the technology and the attendant risks. And no one can estimate the extent of the economic and environmental damage, or how long it will last.
“Just under 70 miles of our coast have been hit by oil,” said Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, a Republican, who criticized the disjointed response effort that he said has allowed oil to come ashore unnecessarily. “Let’s make no mistake that what is at threat here is our way of life.”
The crude has been flowing at a rate still unknown nearly a mile below the surface, escaping in quantities far greater than the small amount of oil that has been burned off, collected with booms or sucked from the broken drill pipe lying on the ocean floor.
Using conservative government and BP estimates, more than seven million gallons of oil have been released from the crippled well, nearing the size of the spill from the Exxon Valdez in 1989. Independent estimates of the gulf spill place it many times higher than the official figure, rendering the statistics about how much oil has been collected thus far nearly useless in gauging the effectiveness of the response.
For weeks BP tried without success to reactivate the seal-off valves on the dead blowout preventer, the tower of pipes designed to shut the well. Then it lowered a 40-foot steel containment chamber in an effort to funnel escaping oil to a ship on the surface, but that failed when an icy slush of gas and water stopped up the device.
In recent days, BP attached a mile-long tube into the leaking well designed to divert oil to a drill ship before it leaked into the gulf. But the company said the rate it has been able to capture has varied from day to day, between 1,360 and 3,000 barrels, far below even the most conservative estimates of how much oil was leaking.
The recriminations over the performance of BP and the Obama administration could subside if the latest effort to kill the well, now scheduled for Wednesday morning, succeeds.
In a maneuver called a “top kill,” BP is planning to pump heavy drilling fluids twice the density of water through two narrow lines into the blowout preventer to essentially plug the runaway well.
“The top kill operation is not a guarantee of success,” warned Doug Suttles, BP’s chief operating officer, who added that it had never been tried before in deep water under high pressures.
“If the government felt there were other things to do it is clearly within the power of the government to do that,” Mr. Suttles said. “Everyone is very, very frustrated.”
Mr. Suttles said that if the top kill did work, the leak could be stopped as early as Wednesday night. Then engineers could either fill the well with cement or replace the failed blowout preventer.
Shortly after officials lambasted his company in Galliano, Tony Hayward, the chief executive of BP, invited reporters to follow as he walked along the beach at Port Fourchon, which was crowded with workers in yellow Hazmat suits picking up shovelfuls of chocolate-colored crude off the sand.
Asked about the top kill, Mr. Hayward acknowledged that it was far from a sure fix.
“We rate the probability of success between 60 percent and 70 percent,” he said. “Beyond that, there is a third and fourth and fifth option around both containment and elimination.”
Campbell Robertson reported from Louisiana, Clifford Krauss from Houston and John M. Broder from Washington.
XOXO
Gossip Girl Season 3 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Drama Comedy Romance
Name:Gossip Girl
Season: 3
TV Series Release Date:2006
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:7 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen, Ed Westwick, Kelly Rutherford, Matthew Settle, Kristen Bell, Jessica SzohrDirector: Stephanie Savage, Josh Schwartz
Plot Summary
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007. Each episode is narrated by the unseen blogger "Gossip Girl", voiced by Kristen Bell.
It begins with the return of Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) from a stay at a boarding school in Connecticut. Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), who creators describe as the queen at the center of their chess game, is a friend and rival of Serena's, and the Queen Bee of Constance Billard School. The story also follows Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), the bad boy of the Upper East Side, Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), Chuck's best friend, and other characters of the turbulent Manhattan scene, Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), Nate's friend and Serena's on-again, off-again ex; Vanessa Abrams (Jessica Szohr), Dan's best friend; and Dan's sister Jenny (Taylor Momsen).
Not anymore. In the last week, the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico has revealed itself to an angry and desperate public, smearing tourist beaches, washing onto the shorelines of sleepy coastal communities and oozing into marshy bays that fishermen have worked for generations. It has even announced its arrival on the Louisiana coast with a fittingly ugly symbol: brown pelicans, the state bird, dyed with crude.
More than a month has passed since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew up, spewing immeasurable quantities of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and frustrating all efforts to contain it. The billowing plume of undersea oil and water has thwarted the industry’s well-control efforts and driven government officials to impotent rage.
It has demonstrated the enduring laxity of federal regulation of offshore operations and has shown the government to be almost wholly at the mercy of BP, the company leasing the rig, to provide the technology, personnel and equipment to stop the bleeding well.
Senators and administration officials visiting the southern Louisiana town of Galliano lashed out again at BP on Monday, saying they were “beyond patience” with the company. The day before, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who early in the crisis vowed to “keep the boot on the neck” of BP, threatened to push the company out of the way.
But on Monday, Mr. Salazar backed off, conceding to the reality that BP and the oil companies have access to the best technology to attack the well, a mile below the surface, even though that technology has proved so far to have fallen short of its one purpose. The government’s role, he acknowledged, is largely supervisory and the primary responsibility for the spill, for legal and practical reasons, remains with the company.
“The administration has done everything we can possibly do to make sure that we push BP to stop the spill and to contain the impact,” Mr. Salazar said. “We have also been very clear that there are areas where BP and the private sector are the ones who must continue to lead the efforts with government oversight, such as the deployment of private sector technology 5,000 feet below the ocean’s surface to kill the well.”
Oil industry experts said they did not take seriously the sporadic threats by the administration that the federal government might have to wrest management of the effort to plug the well from BP. The experts said that the Interior and Energy Departments do not have engineers with more experience in deepwater drilling than those who work for BP and the array of companies that have been brought into the effort to stem the leak.
“It’s worse than politics,” said Larry Goldstein, a director of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, which is partly financed by the oil industry. “They have had the authority from Day 1. If they could have handled this situation better, they would have already.”
As the verbal warfare between officials and company executives escalated, the slick from the April 20 well blowout continued to spread in billowing rust-colored splotches in the gulf, raising urgent questions about what lay beneath.
On land, shrimpers were stuffing their catch into coolers in hopes of having some in store if the season ends altogether. Hotel owners all along the gulf were trying to persuade tourists to keep their vacation plans. But as they looked to BP and the authorities for help, or at least direction, there has only been frustration.
“I never thought it would come to this,” said Ryan Lambert, a charter boat operator in Buras, La., who spoke to the federal delegation on Monday. “My guys look to me and say ‘What do I do, boss?’ And I don’t have an answer.”
Several things have become clear over the past month. Neither BP nor the government was prepared for an oil release of this size or at this depth. The federal Minerals Management Service, charged with overseeing offshore oil development, has for too long served as a handmaiden of industry. Laws governing deepwater drilling have fallen far behind the technology and the attendant risks. And no one can estimate the extent of the economic and environmental damage, or how long it will last.
“Just under 70 miles of our coast have been hit by oil,” said Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, a Republican, who criticized the disjointed response effort that he said has allowed oil to come ashore unnecessarily. “Let’s make no mistake that what is at threat here is our way of life.”
The crude has been flowing at a rate still unknown nearly a mile below the surface, escaping in quantities far greater than the small amount of oil that has been burned off, collected with booms or sucked from the broken drill pipe lying on the ocean floor.
Using conservative government and BP estimates, more than seven million gallons of oil have been released from the crippled well, nearing the size of the spill from the Exxon Valdez in 1989. Independent estimates of the gulf spill place it many times higher than the official figure, rendering the statistics about how much oil has been collected thus far nearly useless in gauging the effectiveness of the response.
For weeks BP tried without success to reactivate the seal-off valves on the dead blowout preventer, the tower of pipes designed to shut the well. Then it lowered a 40-foot steel containment chamber in an effort to funnel escaping oil to a ship on the surface, but that failed when an icy slush of gas and water stopped up the device.
In recent days, BP attached a mile-long tube into the leaking well designed to divert oil to a drill ship before it leaked into the gulf. But the company said the rate it has been able to capture has varied from day to day, between 1,360 and 3,000 barrels, far below even the most conservative estimates of how much oil was leaking.
The recriminations over the performance of BP and the Obama administration could subside if the latest effort to kill the well, now scheduled for Wednesday morning, succeeds.
In a maneuver called a “top kill,” BP is planning to pump heavy drilling fluids twice the density of water through two narrow lines into the blowout preventer to essentially plug the runaway well.
“The top kill operation is not a guarantee of success,” warned Doug Suttles, BP’s chief operating officer, who added that it had never been tried before in deep water under high pressures.
“If the government felt there were other things to do it is clearly within the power of the government to do that,” Mr. Suttles said. “Everyone is very, very frustrated.”
Mr. Suttles said that if the top kill did work, the leak could be stopped as early as Wednesday night. Then engineers could either fill the well with cement or replace the failed blowout preventer.
Shortly after officials lambasted his company in Galliano, Tony Hayward, the chief executive of BP, invited reporters to follow as he walked along the beach at Port Fourchon, which was crowded with workers in yellow Hazmat suits picking up shovelfuls of chocolate-colored crude off the sand.
Asked about the top kill, Mr. Hayward acknowledged that it was far from a sure fix.
“We rate the probability of success between 60 percent and 70 percent,” he said. “Beyond that, there is a third and fourth and fifth option around both containment and elimination.”
Campbell Robertson reported from Louisiana, Clifford Krauss from Houston and John M. Broder from Washington.
XOXO
Gossip Girl Season 3 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Drama Comedy Romance
Name:Gossip Girl
Season: 3
TV Series Release Date:2006
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:7 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen, Ed Westwick, Kelly Rutherford, Matthew Settle, Kristen Bell, Jessica SzohrDirector: Stephanie Savage, Josh Schwartz
Plot Summary
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007. Each episode is narrated by the unseen blogger "Gossip Girl", voiced by Kristen Bell.
It begins with the return of Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) from a stay at a boarding school in Connecticut. Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), who creators describe as the queen at the center of their chess game, is a friend and rival of Serena's, and the Queen Bee of Constance Billard School. The story also follows Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), the bad boy of the Upper East Side, Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), Chuck's best friend, and other characters of the turbulent Manhattan scene, Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), Nate's friend and Serena's on-again, off-again ex; Vanessa Abrams (Jessica Szohr), Dan's best friend; and Dan's sister Jenny (Taylor Momsen).
2010年5月23日星期日
U.S. and China open talks to help steady economic ties
The United States and China open a high-level meeting on Monday intended to steady their vast and sometimes tense economic relationship, but North Korea threatened to emerge as a point of diplomatic contention. Any feuding over Chinese exchange rate policies, however, appeared likely to be kept out of the limelight.
China's main official newspaper, the People's Daily, stressed that any change was up to Beijing itself to decide based on national needs, and U.S. officials so far have not said publicly the yuan would be a top agenda item.
The two countries are holding a two-day Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) in Beijing, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said they would cover many of the commercial and foreign policy issues that have sometimes created rifts between the world's biggest and third biggest economies.
But she appeared eager to play down the tensions that unsettled ties in the first months of 2010, when Beijing denounced U.S. criticism of its Internet censorship, Washington's arms sales to Taiwan, and President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled leader.
"We want to take what is a positive relationship and make it more so. It's strong but it can be stronger," Clinton said in excerpts of an interview with Phoenix Television, a Hong Kong-based broadcaster, aired late on Sunday.
She said the issues up for discussion included bilateral economic ties, Iran and also North Korea, which faces international condemnation after South Korea said the North torpedoed its warship, the Cheonan, in late March.
South Korea said on Sunday it would take the case to the United Nations Security Council. Speaking in Tokyo on Friday, Clinton said the international community could not allow the Cheonan's sinking, which killed 46 sailors, to go "unanswered."
China is the sole major backer of North Korea, and has not publicly criticized Pyongyang over the sinking, instead issuing broad calls for restraint. Earlier this month, China hosted the North's leader, Kim Jong-il, on a visit.
Beijing's reluctance to censure its neighbor may become a point of division with Washington.
"We want China to know the seriousness of how we view the situation," said a U.S. official, who spoke on Sunday on condition he not be named. "We want them to take some steps in the international (arena) to underscore ... that."
The U.S.-China talks are also expected to cover Iran, which the United States accuses of pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran denies this.
Clinton on Sunday pressed senior Chinese officials to agree on a list of people and Iranian entities whose assets could be frozen in a fresh U.N. Security Council resolution against Iran.
QUIET DISCUSSION OF YUAN
For now, contention over China's yuan exchange rate policies appears unlikely to break out in public at the talks.
Beijing officials have said they want only "quiet discussion" of U.S. complaints the Chinese currency is held too low in value, giving Chinese manufacturers an unfair advantage.
The Obama administration so far appears willing to go along in the hope a quieter approach will give Beijing more political space to let its currency appreciate.
China's main official newspaper, the People's Daily, on Monday repeated the government's position that a rise in the yuan would not help the U.S. economy anyway.
"Appreciation of renminbi will not solve the imbalance in China-U.S. trade and it will not solve U.S. employment problems," said a commentary in the paper.
The renminbi is another name for the yuan.
"China is advancing reform of the renminbi exchange rate formation mechanism based on its own economic development needs."
The annual U.S. trade deficit with China fell to $226.8 billion in 2009, down from a record $268.0 billion in 2008. But the Obama administration is keen to lift exports, and the deficit remains a point of friction with Beijing.
U.S. officials have sought to concentrate attention on policies they claim may unfairly impede U.S. companies hunting for customers in China.
XOXO:
House M.D. Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Drama Mystery
Name:House M.D.
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6
TV Series Release Date:Sep 2004
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:40 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard, Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Spencer, Bobbin BergstromDirector: David Shore
Plot Summary
House, also known as House, M.D., is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004.
Dr. House often clashes with his boss, hospital administrator and Dean of Medicine Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), and his diagnostic team, because many of his hypotheses about patients' illnesses are based on subtle or controversial insights. House's only true friend is Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), head of the Department of Oncology. During the first three seasons, House's diagnostic team consists of Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer), Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), and Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps). At the end of the third season, this team disbands. Rejoined by Foreman, House gradually selects three new team members: Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley (Olivia Wilde), Dr. Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson), and Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn); the latter was written out of the series toward the end of season five. Chase and Cameron continue to appear in different roles at the hospital until early in season six. Cameron then leaves the show, and Chase returns to the diagnostic team.
House M.D. Complete Seasons 1-6 DVD Box Set is on sale. Buy cheap House M.D. DVD Box Set, Find quality DVD collections for hot TV Series and Movies
House M.D. dvd box set, House M.D. dvd collection, House M.D. seasons dvd, House M.D. on dvd, House M.D. dvds, House M.D. season 6 dvd release date, House M.D. dvd collection, House M.D. tv series, House M.D. tv shows, House M.D. complete series, House M.D. complete 1-6
China's main official newspaper, the People's Daily, stressed that any change was up to Beijing itself to decide based on national needs, and U.S. officials so far have not said publicly the yuan would be a top agenda item.
The two countries are holding a two-day Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) in Beijing, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said they would cover many of the commercial and foreign policy issues that have sometimes created rifts between the world's biggest and third biggest economies.
But she appeared eager to play down the tensions that unsettled ties in the first months of 2010, when Beijing denounced U.S. criticism of its Internet censorship, Washington's arms sales to Taiwan, and President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled leader.
"We want to take what is a positive relationship and make it more so. It's strong but it can be stronger," Clinton said in excerpts of an interview with Phoenix Television, a Hong Kong-based broadcaster, aired late on Sunday.
She said the issues up for discussion included bilateral economic ties, Iran and also North Korea, which faces international condemnation after South Korea said the North torpedoed its warship, the Cheonan, in late March.
South Korea said on Sunday it would take the case to the United Nations Security Council. Speaking in Tokyo on Friday, Clinton said the international community could not allow the Cheonan's sinking, which killed 46 sailors, to go "unanswered."
China is the sole major backer of North Korea, and has not publicly criticized Pyongyang over the sinking, instead issuing broad calls for restraint. Earlier this month, China hosted the North's leader, Kim Jong-il, on a visit.
Beijing's reluctance to censure its neighbor may become a point of division with Washington.
"We want China to know the seriousness of how we view the situation," said a U.S. official, who spoke on Sunday on condition he not be named. "We want them to take some steps in the international (arena) to underscore ... that."
The U.S.-China talks are also expected to cover Iran, which the United States accuses of pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran denies this.
Clinton on Sunday pressed senior Chinese officials to agree on a list of people and Iranian entities whose assets could be frozen in a fresh U.N. Security Council resolution against Iran.
QUIET DISCUSSION OF YUAN
For now, contention over China's yuan exchange rate policies appears unlikely to break out in public at the talks.
Beijing officials have said they want only "quiet discussion" of U.S. complaints the Chinese currency is held too low in value, giving Chinese manufacturers an unfair advantage.
The Obama administration so far appears willing to go along in the hope a quieter approach will give Beijing more political space to let its currency appreciate.
China's main official newspaper, the People's Daily, on Monday repeated the government's position that a rise in the yuan would not help the U.S. economy anyway.
"Appreciation of renminbi will not solve the imbalance in China-U.S. trade and it will not solve U.S. employment problems," said a commentary in the paper.
The renminbi is another name for the yuan.
"China is advancing reform of the renminbi exchange rate formation mechanism based on its own economic development needs."
The annual U.S. trade deficit with China fell to $226.8 billion in 2009, down from a record $268.0 billion in 2008. But the Obama administration is keen to lift exports, and the deficit remains a point of friction with Beijing.
U.S. officials have sought to concentrate attention on policies they claim may unfairly impede U.S. companies hunting for customers in China.
XOXO:
House M.D. Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Drama Mystery
Name:House M.D.
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6
TV Series Release Date:Sep 2004
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:40 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard, Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Spencer, Bobbin BergstromDirector: David Shore
Plot Summary
House, also known as House, M.D., is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004.
Dr. House often clashes with his boss, hospital administrator and Dean of Medicine Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), and his diagnostic team, because many of his hypotheses about patients' illnesses are based on subtle or controversial insights. House's only true friend is Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), head of the Department of Oncology. During the first three seasons, House's diagnostic team consists of Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer), Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), and Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps). At the end of the third season, this team disbands. Rejoined by Foreman, House gradually selects three new team members: Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley (Olivia Wilde), Dr. Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson), and Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn); the latter was written out of the series toward the end of season five. Chase and Cameron continue to appear in different roles at the hospital until early in season six. Cameron then leaves the show, and Chase returns to the diagnostic team.
House M.D. Complete Seasons 1-6 DVD Box Set is on sale. Buy cheap House M.D. DVD Box Set, Find quality DVD collections for hot TV Series and Movies
House M.D. dvd box set, House M.D. dvd collection, House M.D. seasons dvd, House M.D. on dvd, House M.D. dvds, House M.D. season 6 dvd release date, House M.D. dvd collection, House M.D. tv series, House M.D. tv shows, House M.D. complete series, House M.D. complete 1-6
2010年5月21日星期五
Lakers focused on Suns, not Celts
It didn't take long for Los Angeles Lakers fans to start anticipating a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals. A "We want Boston! We want Boston!" chant echoed throughout Staples Center late in the Lakers 128-107 Game 1 win over Phoenix, a day after the Celtics beat the Orlando Magic to go up 1-0 in the East finals.
"I have zero reaction to that," Kobe Bryant said Monday when asked about the chant.
More on the Lakers
For more news and notes on the Lakers, check out the Land O' Lakers blog from the Kamenetzky brothers. Blog
The chants got even louder Wednesday when L.A. was on its way to a 2-0 series lead, following in the footsteps of the Celtics who were already up 2-0 after completely stealing away Orlando's home-court advantage.
"I didn't understand it [at the time], I'm sorry, I'm not that good [at paying attention to cheers during the game] to understand it," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said on Friday after Lakers practice. "But after the game I was disappointed when I heard it was [going on]."
Jackson refused to speculate about how Phoenix's up-and-down style might not be the best preparation for Boston's grind-it-out game should the Lakers meet the Celtics in the Finals.
"We can't worry about anything besides this one right now," Jackson said. "We're just playing to see what happens here. Who knows whether we can survive this series or not?"
Bryant said that the team was "focusing on the moment" while Jackson quipped that the fans were just "hopeful" for more home games.
The Lakers have won three out of four regular season meetings against the Celtics since losing Game 6 of the Finals by 39 points in 2008, but historically have not fared well when matched up with the C's for the championship. The Celtics and Lakers have played each other in the Finals 11 times and Los Angeles has won just twice, in 1987 and 1985.
Six of the nine Finals losses for the Lakers came during an eight-year span from 1962-69 and out of those six, Boston beat L.A. in a Game 7 three times to win the series.
Brothers and Sisters Seasons 1-4 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Drama
Name:Brothers & Sisters
Season:1 2 3 4
TV Series Release Date:24 September 2006
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Stereo
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:25 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Dave Annable,Calista Flockhart,Balthazar Getty,Rachel Griffiths,Sarah Jane MorrisRon RifkinDirector: Jon Robin Baitz
Plot Summary
Brothers and Sisters premiered on ABC on September 24, 2006 after Desperate Housewives and airs Sundays. The current acting ensemble includes Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths, Calista Flockhart, Balthazar Getty, Matthew Rhys, Dave Annable, Ron Rifkin, Rob Lowe, Luke Macfarlane, Emily VanCamp and Patricia Wettig. Sally Field won the 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Nora Walker. Rachel Griffiths was also nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Brothers & Sisters Complete Seasons 1-4 DVD Box Set is on sale. Buy cheap Brothers & Sisters DVD Box Set, Find quality DVD collections for hot TV Series and Movies
Brothers & Sisters dvd, Brothers and Sisters box set, Brothers & Sisters dvd box set, Brothers & Sisters dvd collection, Brothers & Sisters seasons 1-4 dvd, Brothers & Sisters complete series dvd, Brothers & Sisters season 4 dvd release date, Brothers & Sisters dvds, Brothers & Sisters dvd set, buy cheap Brothers & Sisters dvd, Brothers & Sisters complete seasons dvd,Brothers & Sisters complete series, Brothers & Sisters season 4
"I have zero reaction to that," Kobe Bryant said Monday when asked about the chant.
More on the Lakers
For more news and notes on the Lakers, check out the Land O' Lakers blog from the Kamenetzky brothers. Blog
The chants got even louder Wednesday when L.A. was on its way to a 2-0 series lead, following in the footsteps of the Celtics who were already up 2-0 after completely stealing away Orlando's home-court advantage.
"I didn't understand it [at the time], I'm sorry, I'm not that good [at paying attention to cheers during the game] to understand it," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said on Friday after Lakers practice. "But after the game I was disappointed when I heard it was [going on]."
Jackson refused to speculate about how Phoenix's up-and-down style might not be the best preparation for Boston's grind-it-out game should the Lakers meet the Celtics in the Finals.
"We can't worry about anything besides this one right now," Jackson said. "We're just playing to see what happens here. Who knows whether we can survive this series or not?"
Bryant said that the team was "focusing on the moment" while Jackson quipped that the fans were just "hopeful" for more home games.
The Lakers have won three out of four regular season meetings against the Celtics since losing Game 6 of the Finals by 39 points in 2008, but historically have not fared well when matched up with the C's for the championship. The Celtics and Lakers have played each other in the Finals 11 times and Los Angeles has won just twice, in 1987 and 1985.
Six of the nine Finals losses for the Lakers came during an eight-year span from 1962-69 and out of those six, Boston beat L.A. in a Game 7 three times to win the series.
Brothers and Sisters Seasons 1-4 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Drama
Name:Brothers & Sisters
Season:1 2 3 4
TV Series Release Date:24 September 2006
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Stereo
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:25 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Dave Annable,Calista Flockhart,Balthazar Getty,Rachel Griffiths,Sarah Jane MorrisRon RifkinDirector: Jon Robin Baitz
Plot Summary
Brothers and Sisters premiered on ABC on September 24, 2006 after Desperate Housewives and airs Sundays. The current acting ensemble includes Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths, Calista Flockhart, Balthazar Getty, Matthew Rhys, Dave Annable, Ron Rifkin, Rob Lowe, Luke Macfarlane, Emily VanCamp and Patricia Wettig. Sally Field won the 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Nora Walker. Rachel Griffiths was also nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Brothers & Sisters Complete Seasons 1-4 DVD Box Set is on sale. Buy cheap Brothers & Sisters DVD Box Set, Find quality DVD collections for hot TV Series and Movies
Brothers & Sisters dvd, Brothers and Sisters box set, Brothers & Sisters dvd box set, Brothers & Sisters dvd collection, Brothers & Sisters seasons 1-4 dvd, Brothers & Sisters complete series dvd, Brothers & Sisters season 4 dvd release date, Brothers & Sisters dvds, Brothers & Sisters dvd set, buy cheap Brothers & Sisters dvd, Brothers & Sisters complete seasons dvd,Brothers & Sisters complete series, Brothers & Sisters season 4
2010年5月20日星期四
Facing a Rift, U.S. Spy Chief to Step Down
Dennis C. Blair, whose often tumultuous tenure as director of national intelligence was marked by frequent clashes with White House officials and other spy chiefs in America’s still fractured intelligence apparatus, announced Thursday that he was resigning.
His exit after little more than a year comes as the White House is facing thorny decisions about Iran’s nuclear program, the future of Afghanistan and the spread of militancy from Pakistan’s tribal areas. It also fuels new doubts about the success, and wisdom, of the major intelligence overhaul in 2004 that created the spymaster position.
The White House did not announce Thursday who would succeed Mr. Blair, but a senior administration official said the likely candidate was James R. Clapper Jr., a retired Air Force lieutenant general and the Pentagon’s top intelligence official. Mr. Blair’s replacement will be the fourth intelligence director in five years.
The departure of Mr. Blair, a retired admiral, had been rumored for months, but was made official when President Obama called him Thursday and asked him to step down.
Mr. Blair’s relationship with the White House was rocky since the start of the Obama administration, and he fought a rear-guard action against efforts by the Central Intelligence Agency to cut down the size and power of the national intelligence director’s staff. He is the first high-ranking member of the Obama national security team to depart.
Mr. Blair’s departure could strengthen the hand of the C.I.A operatives, who have bristled at directives from Mr. Blair’s office. In recent months, Mr. Blair has been outspoken about reining in the C.I.A.’s covert activities, citing their propensity to backfire and tarnish America’s image.
The administration has largely embraced the C.I.A. operations, especially the agency’s campaign to kill militants in Pakistan’s tribal areas with drone aircraft.
Born out of the intelligence debacle before the Iraq war, the intelligence director’s post was intended to force greater cooperation within a hidebound intelligence bureaucracy, and to ensure that America’s spies were better equipped to prevent a repeat of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Yet most intelligence experts agree that the job has been troubled from the start, having little actual power over the operations and budget of a sprawling intelligence infrastructure that the Pentagon and C.I.A. still dominate. The vast majority of America’s annual intelligence budget, nearly $50 billion, is spent on spy satellites and high-tech listening devices under Pentagon control.
In a statement released Thursday evening, Mr. Blair praised intelligence operatives for working “tirelessly to provide intelligence support for two wars and to prevent an attack on our homeland.”
In a statement Thursday, Mr. Obama praised Mr. Blair for “a remarkable record of service to the United States,” and said he had “served with great integrity, intellect, and commitment to our country and the values that we hold dear.”
Officials said that Mr. Obama called Mr. Blair on Thursday to ask for his resignation, but that the two men had several discussions in person about the subject this week. Their relationship has been characterized as professional but not close, and some administration officials said Mr. Blair often felt cut out of discussions about important security matters.
Tensions among the White House, the intelligence director and Congressional oversight committees escalated after a young Nigerian man nearly detonated a bomb on a trans-Atlantic flight on Dec. 25. White House officials openly criticized Mr. Blair and his staff for a litany of missed signals that could have prevented the man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, from boarding the plane.
They laid particular blame on the National Counterterrorism Center, one agency that Mr. Blair supervises. A report released this week by the Senate Intelligence Committee was particularly critical of the NCTC’s failures to piece together the information that could have put Mr. Abdulmutallab on a “no-fly” list.
American officials said that Mr. Blair had also angered the White House in recent months by pushing for closer intelligence ties to France, an arrangement opposed by Mr. Obama.
Some intelligence experts and Republican lawmakers say they believe that the White House has tried to micromanage America’s spy agencies, and there was a particularly tense relationship between Mr. Blair and John O. Brennan, the White House counterterrorism director.
But Mr. Blair also fought battles inside the intelligence ranks. Last summer, he clashed with Leon E. Panetta, the C.I.A. director, over the appointment of the senior American spies overseas. Mr. Panetta went so far as to issue a memorandum to C.I.A. operatives telling them to disregard a directive that Mr. Blair had sent a day earlier.
Mr. Blair, a Navy officer for decades, considered Mr. Panetta’s move an act of insubordination, intelligence officials said.
Smallville Seasons 1-9 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:
Action Adventure Drama Sci-Fi Thriller
Name:Smallville
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
TV Series Release Date:16 October 2001
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Stereo
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:58 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Tom Welling, Allison Mack, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Annette O'Toole, John Glover, John Schneider, Erica DuranceDirector: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Screenshot from Smallville DVD Box Set
Plot Summary
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB, premiering on October 16, 2001. After its fifth season, The WB and UPN merged to form The CW, which is the current broadcaster for the show in the United States.The longest-running comic book based series in television history, Smallville began its ninth season on September 25, 2009,and was renewed for its tenth and final season on March 4, 2010.The series follows the adventures of Clark Kent (Tom Welling), who resides in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. The first four seasons focused on Clark and his friends' high school years. Since season five, the show has ventured into more adult settings, eventually focusing on his career at the Daily Planet, as well as introducing other DC comic book superheroes and villains.
Smallville dvd box set, Smallville seasons dvd, Smallville dvd collection, Smallville dvds, Smallville on dvd, Smallville complete seasons, Smallville complete series, Smallville boxseted, Smallville season 9 release, Smallville seasons 1-9, buy cheap Smallville dvd, Smallville dvd set
His exit after little more than a year comes as the White House is facing thorny decisions about Iran’s nuclear program, the future of Afghanistan and the spread of militancy from Pakistan’s tribal areas. It also fuels new doubts about the success, and wisdom, of the major intelligence overhaul in 2004 that created the spymaster position.
The White House did not announce Thursday who would succeed Mr. Blair, but a senior administration official said the likely candidate was James R. Clapper Jr., a retired Air Force lieutenant general and the Pentagon’s top intelligence official. Mr. Blair’s replacement will be the fourth intelligence director in five years.
The departure of Mr. Blair, a retired admiral, had been rumored for months, but was made official when President Obama called him Thursday and asked him to step down.
Mr. Blair’s relationship with the White House was rocky since the start of the Obama administration, and he fought a rear-guard action against efforts by the Central Intelligence Agency to cut down the size and power of the national intelligence director’s staff. He is the first high-ranking member of the Obama national security team to depart.
Mr. Blair’s departure could strengthen the hand of the C.I.A operatives, who have bristled at directives from Mr. Blair’s office. In recent months, Mr. Blair has been outspoken about reining in the C.I.A.’s covert activities, citing their propensity to backfire and tarnish America’s image.
The administration has largely embraced the C.I.A. operations, especially the agency’s campaign to kill militants in Pakistan’s tribal areas with drone aircraft.
Born out of the intelligence debacle before the Iraq war, the intelligence director’s post was intended to force greater cooperation within a hidebound intelligence bureaucracy, and to ensure that America’s spies were better equipped to prevent a repeat of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Yet most intelligence experts agree that the job has been troubled from the start, having little actual power over the operations and budget of a sprawling intelligence infrastructure that the Pentagon and C.I.A. still dominate. The vast majority of America’s annual intelligence budget, nearly $50 billion, is spent on spy satellites and high-tech listening devices under Pentagon control.
In a statement released Thursday evening, Mr. Blair praised intelligence operatives for working “tirelessly to provide intelligence support for two wars and to prevent an attack on our homeland.”
In a statement Thursday, Mr. Obama praised Mr. Blair for “a remarkable record of service to the United States,” and said he had “served with great integrity, intellect, and commitment to our country and the values that we hold dear.”
Officials said that Mr. Obama called Mr. Blair on Thursday to ask for his resignation, but that the two men had several discussions in person about the subject this week. Their relationship has been characterized as professional but not close, and some administration officials said Mr. Blair often felt cut out of discussions about important security matters.
Tensions among the White House, the intelligence director and Congressional oversight committees escalated after a young Nigerian man nearly detonated a bomb on a trans-Atlantic flight on Dec. 25. White House officials openly criticized Mr. Blair and his staff for a litany of missed signals that could have prevented the man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, from boarding the plane.
They laid particular blame on the National Counterterrorism Center, one agency that Mr. Blair supervises. A report released this week by the Senate Intelligence Committee was particularly critical of the NCTC’s failures to piece together the information that could have put Mr. Abdulmutallab on a “no-fly” list.
American officials said that Mr. Blair had also angered the White House in recent months by pushing for closer intelligence ties to France, an arrangement opposed by Mr. Obama.
Some intelligence experts and Republican lawmakers say they believe that the White House has tried to micromanage America’s spy agencies, and there was a particularly tense relationship between Mr. Blair and John O. Brennan, the White House counterterrorism director.
But Mr. Blair also fought battles inside the intelligence ranks. Last summer, he clashed with Leon E. Panetta, the C.I.A. director, over the appointment of the senior American spies overseas. Mr. Panetta went so far as to issue a memorandum to C.I.A. operatives telling them to disregard a directive that Mr. Blair had sent a day earlier.
Mr. Blair, a Navy officer for decades, considered Mr. Panetta’s move an act of insubordination, intelligence officials said.
Smallville Seasons 1-9 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:
Action Adventure Drama Sci-Fi Thriller
Name:Smallville
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
TV Series Release Date:16 October 2001
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Stereo
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:58 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Tom Welling, Allison Mack, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Annette O'Toole, John Glover, John Schneider, Erica DuranceDirector: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Screenshot from Smallville DVD Box Set
Plot Summary
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB, premiering on October 16, 2001. After its fifth season, The WB and UPN merged to form The CW, which is the current broadcaster for the show in the United States.The longest-running comic book based series in television history, Smallville began its ninth season on September 25, 2009,and was renewed for its tenth and final season on March 4, 2010.The series follows the adventures of Clark Kent (Tom Welling), who resides in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. The first four seasons focused on Clark and his friends' high school years. Since season five, the show has ventured into more adult settings, eventually focusing on his career at the Daily Planet, as well as introducing other DC comic book superheroes and villains.
Smallville dvd box set, Smallville seasons dvd, Smallville dvd collection, Smallville dvds, Smallville on dvd, Smallville complete seasons, Smallville complete series, Smallville boxseted, Smallville season 9 release, Smallville seasons 1-9, buy cheap Smallville dvd, Smallville dvd set
2010年5月19日星期三
Sunken S. Korean warship overshadows Clinton Asia tour
North Korea's alleged sinking of a South Korean warship is set to dominate US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Asian tour after she leaves Washington on Thursday.
The culmination of the investigation into the corvette Cheonan's sinking has thrust its way to the top of Clinton's program, originally intended to center on the US-China economic and strategic dialogue in Beijing on May 24-25.
"The evidence points overwhelmingly to the conclusion that the torpedo was fired by a North Korean submarine," the team said in its report on the March 26 sinking that split the 1,200-tonne corvette in half near the two Koreas' disputed border.
"There is no other plausible explanation."
Kurt Campbell, the top US diplomat for Asia, said "a central issue of discussion" for Clinton's talks with Chinese officials will be "their assessments of developments in North Korea and their reaction to the report."
The ship's sinking is expected to be taken before the UN Security Council.
"One of the reasons Secretary Clinton is traveling to the region, to both Japan and South Korea, is to articulate and put in place a set of responses" to the investigation's findings, Campbell said of the chief US diplomat's fifth trip to Asia since taking office more than a year ago.
The responses could be presented on May 26 in Seoul, the last stop on Clinton's nearly week-long tour that will also take her to Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.
The United States "strongly supports" the investigation's conclusions and "has a deep, enduring and profound (interest) in the maintenance of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," he said.
According to South Korean media, South Korea could announce joint naval maneuvers in the Yellow Sea, where the ship was sunk.
When she arrives in Tokyo on Friday, Clinton will discuss the sunken ship and the future of the US base at Futenma during talks with her Japanese counterpart Katsuya Okada and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
In Shanghai, she will spend most of Saturday visiting the US and Chinese pavilions at the World Expo.
The US pavilion tops the list of national displays Chinese visitors want to see, according to market research by Millward Brown.
That represents a major turnaround from just a year ago, when the United States looked like it would be an Expo no-show.
When it signed up for the event in July, it was among the last of the 192 participating countries to do so -- and only raised enough funds last month to meet its 61-million-dollar operating budget.
Part of the problem was that US law prohibits Expo pavilions from being taxpayer-funded without a special act of Congress.
On Monday, Washington and Beijing will open their second session of the economic and strategic dialogue, an innovation reflecting the importance that US President Barack Obama's administration attaches to its relationship with China.
Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will head a delegation of nearly 200 people who will discuss for two and a half days subjects of mutual interest: the economy, Iran's nuclear ambitions, efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and Pakistan, climate change and energy.
The start of the year was marked by disputes between the two giants over US arms sales to Taiwan, a reception at the White House for Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and US pressure for China to strengthen its currency, the yuan.
Ma Zhaoxu, the Chinese foreign ministry's spokesman, said US-Chinese relations have improved recently thanks to efforts from both sides.
China overcame months of reluctance this week when it joined the United States and other major powers in supporting a draft resolution to impose tougher sanctions against Iran.
Without A Trace Seasons 1-7 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
Name:Without A Trace (D9)
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6 7
TV Series Release Date:26 September 2002
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:21 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Anthony LaPaglia, Poppy Montgomery, Enrique Murciano, Eric Close, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Roselyn SanchezDirector: Hank Steinberg
Screenshot from Without A Trace DVD Box Set
Plot Summary
Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series is set in New York City and is about a fictitious full-time FBI missing persons unit.As any detective can tell you, investigating missing property or deaths is comparatively easy compared to elusive missing people. However in New York City, there is a special unit of the FBI that is designed to find them. Using the vast resources of their bureau, the team, lead by Agent Jack Malone, race against time in the tight 72 hour window after a disappearance while hope for a recovery is still typically possible. www.dvdorderonline.com
The culmination of the investigation into the corvette Cheonan's sinking has thrust its way to the top of Clinton's program, originally intended to center on the US-China economic and strategic dialogue in Beijing on May 24-25.
"The evidence points overwhelmingly to the conclusion that the torpedo was fired by a North Korean submarine," the team said in its report on the March 26 sinking that split the 1,200-tonne corvette in half near the two Koreas' disputed border.
"There is no other plausible explanation."
Kurt Campbell, the top US diplomat for Asia, said "a central issue of discussion" for Clinton's talks with Chinese officials will be "their assessments of developments in North Korea and their reaction to the report."
The ship's sinking is expected to be taken before the UN Security Council.
"One of the reasons Secretary Clinton is traveling to the region, to both Japan and South Korea, is to articulate and put in place a set of responses" to the investigation's findings, Campbell said of the chief US diplomat's fifth trip to Asia since taking office more than a year ago.
The responses could be presented on May 26 in Seoul, the last stop on Clinton's nearly week-long tour that will also take her to Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.
The United States "strongly supports" the investigation's conclusions and "has a deep, enduring and profound (interest) in the maintenance of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," he said.
According to South Korean media, South Korea could announce joint naval maneuvers in the Yellow Sea, where the ship was sunk.
When she arrives in Tokyo on Friday, Clinton will discuss the sunken ship and the future of the US base at Futenma during talks with her Japanese counterpart Katsuya Okada and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
In Shanghai, she will spend most of Saturday visiting the US and Chinese pavilions at the World Expo.
The US pavilion tops the list of national displays Chinese visitors want to see, according to market research by Millward Brown.
That represents a major turnaround from just a year ago, when the United States looked like it would be an Expo no-show.
When it signed up for the event in July, it was among the last of the 192 participating countries to do so -- and only raised enough funds last month to meet its 61-million-dollar operating budget.
Part of the problem was that US law prohibits Expo pavilions from being taxpayer-funded without a special act of Congress.
On Monday, Washington and Beijing will open their second session of the economic and strategic dialogue, an innovation reflecting the importance that US President Barack Obama's administration attaches to its relationship with China.
Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will head a delegation of nearly 200 people who will discuss for two and a half days subjects of mutual interest: the economy, Iran's nuclear ambitions, efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and Pakistan, climate change and energy.
The start of the year was marked by disputes between the two giants over US arms sales to Taiwan, a reception at the White House for Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and US pressure for China to strengthen its currency, the yuan.
Ma Zhaoxu, the Chinese foreign ministry's spokesman, said US-Chinese relations have improved recently thanks to efforts from both sides.
China overcame months of reluctance this week when it joined the United States and other major powers in supporting a draft resolution to impose tougher sanctions against Iran.
Without A Trace Seasons 1-7 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
Name:Without A Trace (D9)
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6 7
TV Series Release Date:26 September 2002
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:21 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Anthony LaPaglia, Poppy Montgomery, Enrique Murciano, Eric Close, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Roselyn SanchezDirector: Hank Steinberg
Screenshot from Without A Trace DVD Box Set
Plot Summary
Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series is set in New York City and is about a fictitious full-time FBI missing persons unit.As any detective can tell you, investigating missing property or deaths is comparatively easy compared to elusive missing people. However in New York City, there is a special unit of the FBI that is designed to find them. Using the vast resources of their bureau, the team, lead by Agent Jack Malone, race against time in the tight 72 hour window after a disappearance while hope for a recovery is still typically possible. www.dvdorderonline.com
7 Militants Killed in NATO Base Attack in Afghanistan
NATO says seven militants were killed and five troops wounded in an attack by Taliban insurgents on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.A NATO spokesman says militants launched their attack early Wednesday using rockets, small arms and grenades. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with a spokesman alleging that 20 suicide bombers carried out the assault. Bagram is one of the largest bases in Afghanistan, lying just 50 kilometers north of Kabul.Wednesday's violence comes a day after the Taliban launched an attack on a NATO convoy in Kabul, killing at least 18 people, including six NATO soldiers -- five Americans and one Canadian.Taliban militants have increased attacks over the past 12 months as the U.S. prepares for a major operation to drive the group from their stronghold in southern Kandahar province. In Tuesday's attack, a suicide bomber detonated a van full of explosives near several government buildings during Tuesday's rush hour in the capital. The blast destroyed more than a dozen military and civilian vehicles, including a bus.Afghan officials say 12 civilians were killed and at least 47 others wounded in the blast, including women and children.The White House and NATO condemned Tuesday's attack. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance remains committed to its mission to protect the Afghan people and strengthen Afghanistan's ability to resist terrorism.Afghan President Hamid Karzai also condemned the attack, the deadliest against foreign troops in Kabul since six Italian soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing last September.
XOXO:
The Office Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Comedy Drama
Name:The Office
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6
TV Series Release Date:24 March 2005
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:22 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, Creed Bratton, Oscar Nuñez, Melora Hardin, Ed Helms, David Denman, Craig Robinson, Rashida JonesDirector: Greg Daniels, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
Screenshot from The Office DVD Box Set
Plot Summary
The Office is a mockumentary that documents the exploits of a paper supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Made up of head chief Michael Scott, a harmlessly deluded and ignorantly insensitive boss who cares about the welfare of his employees while trying to put his own spin on company policy. With an office including the likes of various peers who have their own hangups, The Office (2005) takes a look at the lives of its co-workers: bored but talented salesman Jim, his mildly sociopathic, butt kissing enemy Dwight, mildly righteous receptionist Pam, and indifferent temp Ryan...
The Office Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset -- Cheap DVD Box Set
The office. The office dvd, The office dvd boxset,The office , The office dvds, The office on dvd, The office dvd collection .The office season 6 release, The office seasons dvd, The office seasons 1-6, The office complete series 1-6, The office complete seasons, buy The office dvd, cheap The office dvds
XOXO:
The Office Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Comedy Drama
Name:The Office
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6
TV Series Release Date:24 March 2005
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:22 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, Creed Bratton, Oscar Nuñez, Melora Hardin, Ed Helms, David Denman, Craig Robinson, Rashida JonesDirector: Greg Daniels, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
Screenshot from The Office DVD Box Set
Plot Summary
The Office is a mockumentary that documents the exploits of a paper supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Made up of head chief Michael Scott, a harmlessly deluded and ignorantly insensitive boss who cares about the welfare of his employees while trying to put his own spin on company policy. With an office including the likes of various peers who have their own hangups, The Office (2005) takes a look at the lives of its co-workers: bored but talented salesman Jim, his mildly sociopathic, butt kissing enemy Dwight, mildly righteous receptionist Pam, and indifferent temp Ryan...
The Office Seasons 1-6 DVD Boxset -- Cheap DVD Box Set
The office. The office dvd, The office dvd boxset,The office , The office dvds, The office on dvd, The office dvd collection .The office season 6 release, The office seasons dvd, The office seasons 1-6, The office complete series 1-6, The office complete seasons, buy The office dvd, cheap The office dvds
2010年5月17日星期一
Deal Follows All-Nighters in Minnesota
As Sunday turned into Monday, lawmakers in Minnesota were still at their desks, rumpled and bleary-eyed, dozing off at times.
The cause of the all-nighter was all too familiar in state legislatures in a time of shrunken revenues: a budget deficit to fill to keep the state’s business going. But there was an added ingredient keeping this Democratic-led Legislature awake: a standoff with Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, who is in his final year as governor and is widely viewed as a presidential possibility.
On Saturday, Mr. Pawlenty departed early from the state’s traditional opening events of the fishing season up north (he first caught four fish) and returned to St. Paul, the capital, where negotiations went on and on and some lawmakers and aides said they had not slept in days.
Some Democrats had once hoped for a tax increase. Then, a few weeks ago, the projected budget gap worsened to about $3 billion, when the State Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Pawlenty had overstepped his bounds in making earlier, unilateral cuts (known in St. Paul as “unallotment”) to a nutrition program.
In the end, lawmakers missed an official deadline of Sunday midnight and talked on into a special session on Monday. When all was said and done, the Legislature approved most of Mr. Pawlenty’s earlier cuts and delayed a question of significant payments to school districts.
On one central and divisive question of health care coverage, lawmakers agreed to let Mr. Pawlenty — and later his successor — decide whether to extend Medicaid coverage to more poor Minnesotans, a notion that some Republicans have mocked as Obamacare and that Mr. Pawlenty has indicated he considers a bad idea.
So, in a way, despite all of the hours of talk, some of the largest questions were pushed off to next year, after Minnesotans choose a new governor and the politics simmer down.
Before anyone went home to bed, the candidates for governor, including some of the sleepy lawmakers, were issuing promises for and against the Medicaid plan. And some analysts were estimating that the deficit lawmakers might face when they began considering a new budget, come January 2011, would be about $5 billion.
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Crime Drama Mystery Romance
Name:Bones seasons 1-5 dvd box set
Season:1 2 3 4 5
TV Series Release Date:13 September 2005
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:30 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, Michaela Conlin, T.J. Thyne, Eric Millegan, Tamara TaylorDirector: Hart Hanson
Screenshot from Bones DVD Box Set
Plot Summary
Brilliant, but socially inept, forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperence Brennan works at the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington DC. After consulting for him on a FBI case, she is approached by cocky yet charming ex-Army Ranger turned Special Agent, Seeley Booth to help the Bureau solve crimes by identifying human remains that are too far gone for standard FBI forensic investigations. Brennan's empirical, literal view of the world causes friction with Booths emotive, instinctive attitude creating a volatile relationship. However as their case load increases the symbiotic partnership produces results and with the support of Brennan's Squint Squad, murderers, past and present should be on the look out.
2010年5月16日星期日
US says BP move to curb oil leak 'no solution'
The US has said the success of a move by oil giant BP to curb a leak in the Gulf of Mexico is "not clear" and the technique provides "no solution".
It was responding to BP's move to siphon oil from the leaking well head to a tanker on the surface.
A government statement said it would not rest until the leak was permanently sealed and the spill cleaned up.
BP executive Kent Wells earlier said the siphoning process was "working extremely well".
This was the third attempt it had made to insert a long narrow tube into the leaking pipe, using underwater robots.
It is thought that BP's 6in-wide (15cm) tube and stopper could capture more than three-quarters of the leak, although a smaller spill nearby also has to be contained.
Mr Wells said on Sunday at the firm's US headquarters in Houston, Texas, that over the next few days the company planned to slowly increase the amount of oil and gas flowing through the pipe to the tanker.
Commitments
But a joint statement by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said the latest technique was "not a solution to the problem and it is not yet clear how successful it may be". It added: "We will not rest until BP permanently seals the well head, the spill is cleaned up, and the communities and natural resources of the Gulf Coast are restored and made whole."
It was the second strong statement to BP by the government officials on the current crisis.
Earlier they sent a letter saying they wanted to be sure BP would honour commitments not to limit costs to a US statutory cap of $75m (£50m).
BP responded by saying it had already made clear its position on paying damages for the disaster.
It said last week the cap was irrelevant and it would settle all legitimate damages claims.
"What they are requesting in the letter is absolutely consistent with all our public statements on the matter," said BP spokesman David Nicholas on Sunday.
Lurking slicks
Earlier, scientists said they had found vast underwater plumes of oil, one 10 miles (16km) long and a mile wide.
XOXO: Newly Seasons DVD Box Set
Detailed DVD Info
Category:
Drama Horror Mystery Thriller
Name:Supernatural
Season:1 2 3 4 5
TV Series Release Date:13 Sep 2005
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:35 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jim Beaver, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Katie Cassidy, Lauren Cohan, Samantha Ferris, Nicki Aycox, Alona Tal, Samantha SmithDirector: Eric Kripke
Plot Summary
When Sam and Dean Winchester were just kids, their mother was horribly murdered in front of their father by something "supernatural". Their lives were never the same again. After their mother's murder, their father took an interest in the supernatural and the unexplained and raised the boys as warriors with skills to fight back against the unknown and protect the innocent. 22 years later, with Sam and Dean grown up, their father suddenly disappears on a suppose routine supernatural hunt. Sam and Dean search for their father and along the way help anyone with a supernatural problem with the help from their dad's journal that contains most of his knowledge about the supernatural that he had accumulated over his 22 years of none-stop obsessive hunting.
It was responding to BP's move to siphon oil from the leaking well head to a tanker on the surface.
A government statement said it would not rest until the leak was permanently sealed and the spill cleaned up.
BP executive Kent Wells earlier said the siphoning process was "working extremely well".
This was the third attempt it had made to insert a long narrow tube into the leaking pipe, using underwater robots.
It is thought that BP's 6in-wide (15cm) tube and stopper could capture more than three-quarters of the leak, although a smaller spill nearby also has to be contained.
Mr Wells said on Sunday at the firm's US headquarters in Houston, Texas, that over the next few days the company planned to slowly increase the amount of oil and gas flowing through the pipe to the tanker.
Commitments
But a joint statement by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said the latest technique was "not a solution to the problem and it is not yet clear how successful it may be". It added: "We will not rest until BP permanently seals the well head, the spill is cleaned up, and the communities and natural resources of the Gulf Coast are restored and made whole."
It was the second strong statement to BP by the government officials on the current crisis.
Earlier they sent a letter saying they wanted to be sure BP would honour commitments not to limit costs to a US statutory cap of $75m (£50m).
BP responded by saying it had already made clear its position on paying damages for the disaster.
It said last week the cap was irrelevant and it would settle all legitimate damages claims.
"What they are requesting in the letter is absolutely consistent with all our public statements on the matter," said BP spokesman David Nicholas on Sunday.
Lurking slicks
Earlier, scientists said they had found vast underwater plumes of oil, one 10 miles (16km) long and a mile wide.
XOXO: Newly Seasons DVD Box Set
Detailed DVD Info
Category:
Drama Horror Mystery Thriller
Name:Supernatural
Season:1 2 3 4 5
TV Series Release Date:13 Sep 2005
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:35 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jim Beaver, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Katie Cassidy, Lauren Cohan, Samantha Ferris, Nicki Aycox, Alona Tal, Samantha SmithDirector: Eric Kripke
Plot Summary
When Sam and Dean Winchester were just kids, their mother was horribly murdered in front of their father by something "supernatural". Their lives were never the same again. After their mother's murder, their father took an interest in the supernatural and the unexplained and raised the boys as warriors with skills to fight back against the unknown and protect the innocent. 22 years later, with Sam and Dean grown up, their father suddenly disappears on a suppose routine supernatural hunt. Sam and Dean search for their father and along the way help anyone with a supernatural problem with the help from their dad's journal that contains most of his knowledge about the supernatural that he had accumulated over his 22 years of none-stop obsessive hunting.
2010年5月14日星期五
Thai capital tense after clashes, 16 dead
Thailand's capital was tense on Saturday after a night of fighting that killed 16 people and wounded 141 as troops struggle to isolate a sprawling encampment of protesters seeking to topple the government. Thundering grenade explosions and sporadic gunfire echoed across central Bangkok until nearly dawn as the army battled to set up a perimeter around a 3.5 sq-km (1.2 sq-mile) protest site defiant red-shirted demonstrators refuse to leave.
The U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed concern over "the rapidly mounting tensions and violence."
"He strongly encourages them to urgently return to dialogue in order to de-escalate the situation and resolve matters peacefully," his spokesman said in a written statement.
The Canadian government urged a return to talks following the violence after a Bangkok-based Canadian journalist was shot three times, one of three journalists wounded in fighting on Friday that spiraled into chaotic urban warfare.
The government said on Friday it would restore order "in the next few days" as the city of 15 million people braced for a crackdown to end a six-week protest by thousands of "red shirts" packed into an area of high-end department stores, luxury hotels, embassies and expensive residential apartments.
The crisis has paralyzed parts of Bangkok, squeezed Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy and scared off tourists.
Troops fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds at defiant protesters who fought back with petrol bombs, stones and home-made rockets. They set vehicles on fire and rolled burning tires into checkpoints of troops.
The army said the protesters were firing handguns and M-79 grenades. Army spokesmen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said there were an estimated 500 armed "terrorists" among the thousands of protesters in the city.
A source close to army chief Anupong Paochinda said more troop reinforcements would be deployed, fearing more protesters would arrive to surround and attack soldiers.
"It's unlikely to end quickly. There will be several skirmishes in the coming days but we are still confident we will get the numbers down and seal the area," the source said.
PROTESTERS REMAIN DEFIANT
The protesters are showing no sign of leaving. The number of casualties is expected to keep rising, deepening a crisis that began with festive rallies on March 12 and descended into Thailand's deadliest political violence in 18 years.
Before fighting began on Thursday with the shooting of a renegade general allied with the protesters, the two-month crisis had already killed 29 people and wounded about 1,400 -- most of whom died during an April 10 gun battle in Bangkok's old quarter.
The protesters are barricaded behind walls of kerosene-soaked tires, sharpened bamboo staves, concrete blocks and razor wire.
The fighting is the latest flare-up in a polarizing five-year crisis between a royalist urban elite establishment, who back Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and the rural and urban poor who accuse conservative elites and the military's top brass of colluding to bring down two elected governments.
Those governments were led or backed by exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a graft-convicted populist billionaire ousted in a 2006 coup who is a figurehead of the protest movement.
The red shirts and their supporters say the politically powerful military influenced a 2008 parliamentary vote, which took place after a pro-Thaksin party was dissolved, to ensure the British-born, Oxford-educated Abhisit rose to power.
They have repeated their demand for Abhisit to call an immediate election and say he should take responsibility for violence that is also rattling investors.
Five-year Thai credit default swaps, used to hedge against debt default, widened by more than 30 basis points on Friday -- the biggest jump in 15 months -- to 142 basis points.
"With gun battles and grenades going off, investors will look elsewhere," said Danny Richards, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
"I don't think many see the end of this protest as the end of the crisis. When there's an election, either side will reject the legitimacy of the other and we'll be back to square one."
XOXO
Cold Case Seasons 1-7 dvd boxset is on sale now
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
Name:Cold Case
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6 7
TV Series Release Date:September 28. 2003
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:43 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Kathryn Morris, John Finn, Jeremy Ratchford, Thom Barry, Danny PinoDirector: Meredith Stiehm
Plot Summary
The Philadelphia homicide squad's lone female detective finds her calling when she's assigned "cold case" -- older crimes that have never been solved.
The U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed concern over "the rapidly mounting tensions and violence."
"He strongly encourages them to urgently return to dialogue in order to de-escalate the situation and resolve matters peacefully," his spokesman said in a written statement.
The Canadian government urged a return to talks following the violence after a Bangkok-based Canadian journalist was shot three times, one of three journalists wounded in fighting on Friday that spiraled into chaotic urban warfare.
The government said on Friday it would restore order "in the next few days" as the city of 15 million people braced for a crackdown to end a six-week protest by thousands of "red shirts" packed into an area of high-end department stores, luxury hotels, embassies and expensive residential apartments.
The crisis has paralyzed parts of Bangkok, squeezed Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy and scared off tourists.
Troops fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds at defiant protesters who fought back with petrol bombs, stones and home-made rockets. They set vehicles on fire and rolled burning tires into checkpoints of troops.
The army said the protesters were firing handguns and M-79 grenades. Army spokesmen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said there were an estimated 500 armed "terrorists" among the thousands of protesters in the city.
A source close to army chief Anupong Paochinda said more troop reinforcements would be deployed, fearing more protesters would arrive to surround and attack soldiers.
"It's unlikely to end quickly. There will be several skirmishes in the coming days but we are still confident we will get the numbers down and seal the area," the source said.
PROTESTERS REMAIN DEFIANT
The protesters are showing no sign of leaving. The number of casualties is expected to keep rising, deepening a crisis that began with festive rallies on March 12 and descended into Thailand's deadliest political violence in 18 years.
Before fighting began on Thursday with the shooting of a renegade general allied with the protesters, the two-month crisis had already killed 29 people and wounded about 1,400 -- most of whom died during an April 10 gun battle in Bangkok's old quarter.
The protesters are barricaded behind walls of kerosene-soaked tires, sharpened bamboo staves, concrete blocks and razor wire.
The fighting is the latest flare-up in a polarizing five-year crisis between a royalist urban elite establishment, who back Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and the rural and urban poor who accuse conservative elites and the military's top brass of colluding to bring down two elected governments.
Those governments were led or backed by exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a graft-convicted populist billionaire ousted in a 2006 coup who is a figurehead of the protest movement.
The red shirts and their supporters say the politically powerful military influenced a 2008 parliamentary vote, which took place after a pro-Thaksin party was dissolved, to ensure the British-born, Oxford-educated Abhisit rose to power.
They have repeated their demand for Abhisit to call an immediate election and say he should take responsibility for violence that is also rattling investors.
Five-year Thai credit default swaps, used to hedge against debt default, widened by more than 30 basis points on Friday -- the biggest jump in 15 months -- to 142 basis points.
"With gun battles and grenades going off, investors will look elsewhere," said Danny Richards, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
"I don't think many see the end of this protest as the end of the crisis. When there's an election, either side will reject the legitimacy of the other and we'll be back to square one."
XOXO
Cold Case Seasons 1-7 dvd boxset is on sale now
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
Name:Cold Case
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6 7
TV Series Release Date:September 28. 2003
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs:43 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Kathryn Morris, John Finn, Jeremy Ratchford, Thom Barry, Danny PinoDirector: Meredith Stiehm
Plot Summary
The Philadelphia homicide squad's lone female detective finds her calling when she's assigned "cold case" -- older crimes that have never been solved.
2010年5月13日星期四
In New York Trip, Obama Is Optimistic on Economy
President Obama delivered an upbeat economic forecast and a defense of his economic policies on Thursday, telling a crowd at a manufacturing plant here that job growth would continue and that “next year is going to be better than this year.” Mr. Obama came to this economically depressed city as part of his “White House to Main Street” tour. He dropped by a local restaurant, Duff’s, to sample a Buffalo delicacy — spicy chicken wings — and toured Industrial Support Inc., a specialty manufacturing company, where he gave himself credit for breaking the “economic freefall” the nation faced when he took office 16 months ago.
“We can say beyond a shadow of a doubt today we are headed in the right direction,” Mr. Obama told an audience of about 230 workers and local business leaders. “All those tough steps we took, they’re working, despite all the naysayers who were predicting failure a year ago.”
Mr. Obama has typically been fairly cautious about heralding economic good times. With the national unemployment rate nearing 10 percent, the president typically says that while the nation is emerging from the recession, he knows that many Americans are still hurting and that there is still a long way to go.
He repeated that message here — “I won’t stand here and say we’ve climbed all the way out of the hole,” Mr. Obama said — but his tone was decidedly optimistic.
With Congressional elections just six months away and Democrats expecting to lose seats, the president has good reason to strike an upbeat note. He needs to convince voters that he and his fellow Democrats have gotten the nation back on track.
“Last month we had the strongest job growth we had seen in year, and by the way, almost all of it was in the private sector, and a bunch of it was manufacturing,” the president said, referring to last week’s report that found that the economy added 290,000 jobs in April. “So this month was better than last month. Next month is going to be stronger than this month. And next year is going to be better than this year.”
The White House promised at the beginning of 2010 that the president would focus on “jobs, jobs, jobs,” but other priorities have repeatedly intervened — a health care bill, financial regulatory reform, an oil spill, an attempted terrorist attack in New York City.
Congress is considering several measures to spur job growth, and Mr. Obama urged quick action on Thursday. But he has not leaned on lawmakers the way he did when he wanted them to pass his health care bill. Polls show that the economy remains the No. 1 issue on the minds of most Americans.
The trip to Buffalo was an effort to revive the jobs message, but it was brief. After three hours here, Mr. Obama flew to Manhattan, where his focus shifted to money — specifically, campaign cash. He scooped up $1.3 million for the Democratic Campaign Committee at a fund-raiser where the cost of a single ticket was $15,000 and where V.I.P. couples paid $50,000 for a private reception with the president.
The president also visited the New York Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center, the technological information hub established in 2005 that was instrumental in the recent Times Square terror investigation. At the front of the command center at 1 Police Plaza, he stood before a wall filled with screens of data: a live video feed of New York City traffic; an aerial photo of Lower Manhattan; and a graphic depicting the terror investigation, including a photograph of the prime suspect, Faisal Shahzad.
Joined by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, Mr. Obama said, “Look, I know you folks are busy, but I just wanted to come by and say thank you.”
The president was given a jacket with the letters NYPD emblazoned on the back and Potus (president of the United States) on the front, along with a seal of the police commissioner’s office.
He put the jacket on. “Look at that, it says Potus here,” he said. “I’m official.”
XOXO GOSSIP GIRLS:
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Drama
Name:Grey's Anatomy
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6
TV Series Release Date:March 27, 2005
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs: 36 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, T.R. Knight, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Patrick Dempsey, Isaiah Washington, Kate Walsh, Sara Ramirez, Eric DanDirector: Shonda Rhimes
Plot Summary
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital (formerly Seattle Grace Hospital) in Seattle, Washington. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC. Since then, five seasons have aired, and the sixth season began on September 24, 2009. It's been confirmed through a tweet on the authentic Shonda Rhimes Twitter account that the cast of Grey's Anatomy has signed on through at least eight seasons, which would keep the show on the air until at least Spring 2012.
The show has attained commercial success and critical acclaim. Initially airing as a Midseason replacement for the legal drama Boston Legal it gained high viewership, with the first episode watched by 16.25 million viewers,and the first season finale attracting 22.22 million viewers. Winner of two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, the show is one of the most watched prime time television series.
Grey's Anatomy Seasons 1-6 dvd box set will be on air now.
“We can say beyond a shadow of a doubt today we are headed in the right direction,” Mr. Obama told an audience of about 230 workers and local business leaders. “All those tough steps we took, they’re working, despite all the naysayers who were predicting failure a year ago.”
Mr. Obama has typically been fairly cautious about heralding economic good times. With the national unemployment rate nearing 10 percent, the president typically says that while the nation is emerging from the recession, he knows that many Americans are still hurting and that there is still a long way to go.
He repeated that message here — “I won’t stand here and say we’ve climbed all the way out of the hole,” Mr. Obama said — but his tone was decidedly optimistic.
With Congressional elections just six months away and Democrats expecting to lose seats, the president has good reason to strike an upbeat note. He needs to convince voters that he and his fellow Democrats have gotten the nation back on track.
“Last month we had the strongest job growth we had seen in year, and by the way, almost all of it was in the private sector, and a bunch of it was manufacturing,” the president said, referring to last week’s report that found that the economy added 290,000 jobs in April. “So this month was better than last month. Next month is going to be stronger than this month. And next year is going to be better than this year.”
The White House promised at the beginning of 2010 that the president would focus on “jobs, jobs, jobs,” but other priorities have repeatedly intervened — a health care bill, financial regulatory reform, an oil spill, an attempted terrorist attack in New York City.
Congress is considering several measures to spur job growth, and Mr. Obama urged quick action on Thursday. But he has not leaned on lawmakers the way he did when he wanted them to pass his health care bill. Polls show that the economy remains the No. 1 issue on the minds of most Americans.
The trip to Buffalo was an effort to revive the jobs message, but it was brief. After three hours here, Mr. Obama flew to Manhattan, where his focus shifted to money — specifically, campaign cash. He scooped up $1.3 million for the Democratic Campaign Committee at a fund-raiser where the cost of a single ticket was $15,000 and where V.I.P. couples paid $50,000 for a private reception with the president.
The president also visited the New York Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center, the technological information hub established in 2005 that was instrumental in the recent Times Square terror investigation. At the front of the command center at 1 Police Plaza, he stood before a wall filled with screens of data: a live video feed of New York City traffic; an aerial photo of Lower Manhattan; and a graphic depicting the terror investigation, including a photograph of the prime suspect, Faisal Shahzad.
Joined by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, Mr. Obama said, “Look, I know you folks are busy, but I just wanted to come by and say thank you.”
The president was given a jacket with the letters NYPD emblazoned on the back and Potus (president of the United States) on the front, along with a seal of the police commissioner’s office.
He put the jacket on. “Look at that, it says Potus here,” he said. “I’m official.”
XOXO GOSSIP GIRLS:
Detailed DVD Info
Category:Drama
Name:Grey's Anatomy
Season:1 2 3 4 5 6
TV Series Release Date:March 27, 2005
Aspect Ratio:1.78: 1
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Language:English With Removable Subtitles
Format:Support Both NTSC and PAL
Discs: 36 pcs
TV Series Info
Leading Role: Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, T.R. Knight, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Patrick Dempsey, Isaiah Washington, Kate Walsh, Sara Ramirez, Eric DanDirector: Shonda Rhimes
Plot Summary
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital (formerly Seattle Grace Hospital) in Seattle, Washington. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC. Since then, five seasons have aired, and the sixth season began on September 24, 2009. It's been confirmed through a tweet on the authentic Shonda Rhimes Twitter account that the cast of Grey's Anatomy has signed on through at least eight seasons, which would keep the show on the air until at least Spring 2012.
The show has attained commercial success and critical acclaim. Initially airing as a Midseason replacement for the legal drama Boston Legal it gained high viewership, with the first episode watched by 16.25 million viewers,and the first season finale attracting 22.22 million viewers. Winner of two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, the show is one of the most watched prime time television series.
Grey's Anatomy Seasons 1-6 dvd box set will be on air now.
Waiting For World Cup
i haven't been here for a long time because i forgot it
today i decide to start it aigain to write down something about SouthAfrica World Cup
the latest news about the world cup
Verbeek: Kewell is worth the risk
Pim Verbeek is happy to concede he is taking a calculated risk on Harry Kewell's fitness ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, but believes the player's qualities ensure it is worth it. The Australia coach included the 31-year-old in his 30-man provisional squad for the tournament, despite the latter having been restricted to just two minutes of football this year because of injury.
Kewell broke down again last week with a groin complaint that will hinder his preparations for South Africa 2010, with the Socceroos' opening Group D game against Germany exactly a month away. Verbeek admitted he would not have gambled on the fitness of any other player in his squad if they were in the same position, but short on striking options, he believes he can not overlook the Galatasaray man's qualities.
"I've spoken about Harry Kewell and I'm willing to speak about Harry again," said Verbeek. "Harry is special, so you can always take a risk with one player like him.
another news to me:
My lovely The Vampire Daries Season 1 dvd box set will be over today. quite expecting the season 2 of the vampires.
wow
happying
today i decide to start it aigain to write down something about SouthAfrica World Cup
the latest news about the world cup
Verbeek: Kewell is worth the risk
Pim Verbeek is happy to concede he is taking a calculated risk on Harry Kewell's fitness ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, but believes the player's qualities ensure it is worth it. The Australia coach included the 31-year-old in his 30-man provisional squad for the tournament, despite the latter having been restricted to just two minutes of football this year because of injury.
Kewell broke down again last week with a groin complaint that will hinder his preparations for South Africa 2010, with the Socceroos' opening Group D game against Germany exactly a month away. Verbeek admitted he would not have gambled on the fitness of any other player in his squad if they were in the same position, but short on striking options, he believes he can not overlook the Galatasaray man's qualities.
"I've spoken about Harry Kewell and I'm willing to speak about Harry again," said Verbeek. "Harry is special, so you can always take a risk with one player like him.
another news to me:
My lovely The Vampire Daries Season 1 dvd box set will be over today. quite expecting the season 2 of the vampires.
wow
happying
订阅：
评论 (Atom)
