HAITI-earthquake (BREAKING NEWS)

One of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, Haiti in recent years has struggled with problems ranging from near-constant political upheaval, health crises, severe environmental degradation and an annual barrage of hurricanes.On Jan. 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, reducing much of its capital to rubble. It was the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years. A preliminary assessment from Haiti's government put the body count at 150,000 on Jan. 23. The devastation created serious obstacles to those attempting to deliver promised foreign aid.Huge swaths of the capital, Port-au-Prince, lay in ruins, and thousands of people were trapped in the rubble of government buildings, foreign aid offices and shantytowns. Schools, hospitals and a prison collapsed.Haiti occupies an area roughly the size of Maryland on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Nearly all of the 8.7 million residents are of African descent and speak Creole and French. The capital is Port-au-Prince.The country is, by a significant margin, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, with four out of five people living in poverty and more than half in abject poverty. Deforestation and over-farming have left much of Haiti eroded and barren, undermining subsistence farming efforts, driving up food prices and leaving the country even more vulnerable to natural disasters. Its long history of political instability and corruption has added to the turmoil.During the 18th century the western portion of Hispaniola, called Saint-Domingue, was one of the richest colonies in the French empire, known for its lucrative sugarcane and coffee plantations. (The rest of the island was controlled by Spain.) In 1791 the African slave population revolted, eventually winning independence from Napoleon Bonaparte's France and becoming the second country in the Americas to free itself from colonial rule and the world's first black republic. The country was renamed Haiti.Haiti's history has been marked by many periods of profound political disarray, including frequent changes of governments, military coups and, beginning in 1915, a two-decade occupation by the United States. The most infamous of Haiti's leaders was François Duvalier, known as Papa Doc, who was elected president in 1957, beginning a long rule known for corruption and human rights abuses that left Haiti increasingly isolated. His son Jean-Claude Duvalier controlled the country from 1971 until he fled in 1986, leading to another period of alternating civilian and military rule.Despite bouts of optimism in recent years brought on by the implementation of a new constitution and the first peaceful transfer of power between two elected presidents in the nation's history, Haiti's politics remain as tumultuous as ever.In 1991, Jean-Bertrand Aristide took power after winning 67 percent of the vote in a presidential election, but was overthrown shortly after taking office in a violent coup leading to a three year period of military rule that ended only after the intervention of a United Nations force led by the United States. While the 1995 election of Rene Preval, a prominent political ally of Mr. Aristide, was widely praised, subsequent elections were plagued with allegations of fraud, including the 2000 restoration of Mr. Aristide to his old post.Over the following years violence spread throughout the country as the government cracked down on opposition party leaders, holding power in part with the aid of extra-legal gangs. In February 2004, after groups opposed to the Aristide government seized control of cities and towns throughout Haiti and closed in on the capital, Mr. Aristide resigned and fled to South Africa. U.S.-led armed forces under the authority of the United Nations Security Council were sent to Port-au-Prince to stabilize the situation and to oversee the installation of an interim government. The United Nations has spent some $5 billion on peacekeeping operations since 2004.In 2006, Mr. Preval was again elected president amidst allegations of impropriety.Since 2008, the situation has worsened dramatically, with the nation staggering beneath the double whammy of food riots, government instability and a series of hurricanes that killed hundreds and battered the economy.Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike and Tropical Storm Fay landed within the space of a month in August and September 2008. Nationally, damages came to a total of $900 million, or nearly 15 percent of the gross domestic product. The national toll was 800 dead, down from 2004 when 3,000 perished.Haiti needs jobs, a particular challenge in the current economic climate. Haitians often seek work in the United States, but that safety valve has been squeezed given the recession. With some 900,000 youths expected to come into the job market in the next five years, dismal prospects are the main threat to stability.

Oldest Living Tree Found in Sweden

The world's oldest known living tree, a conifer that first took root at the end of the last Ice Age, has been discovered in Sweden, researchers say.The visible portion of the 13-foot-tall (4-meter-tall) "Christmas tree" isn't ancient, but its root system has been growing for 9,550 years, according to a team led by Leif Kullman, professor at Umeå University's department of ecology and environmental science in Sweden.

Discovered in 2004, the lone Norway spruce—of the species traditionally used to decorate European homes during Christmas—represents the planet's longest-lived identified plant, Kullman said.The researchers found the shrubby mountain survivor at an altitude of 2,985 feet (910 meters) in Dalarna Province.The tree's incredible longevity is largely due to its ability to clone itself, Kullman said.The spruce's stems or trunks have a lifespan of around 600 years, "but as soon as a stem dies, a new one emerges from the same root stock," Kullman explained. "So the tree has a very long life expectancy."

Radiocarbon Dating

Bristlecone pines in the western United States are generally recognized as the world's oldest continuously standing trees.The most ancient recorded, from California's White Mountains, is dated to around 5,000 years ago.Bristlecone pines are aged by counting tree rings, which form annually within their trunks.But in the case of the Norway spruce, ancient remnants of its roots were radiocarbon dated.The study team also identified other ancient spruces in Sweden that were between 5,000 and 6,000 years old.

March of the Trees

The research forms part of an ongoing study into how and when trees colonized Scandinavia after it had thawed."Prior to our studies the general conception was that spruce migrated to this area about 2,000 years ago, so now you will have to rewrite the textbooks," Kullman said."Deglaciation seems to have occurred much earlier than generally thought," he added. "Perhaps the ice sheet during the Ice Age was much thinner than previously believed."The tree study may also help shed light on how plants will respond to current climate change, Kullman said."We can see trees have an ability to migrate much faster than people had believed," he said.(Related: "Arctic Redwood Fossils Are Clues to Ancient Climates" [March 26, 2002].)In fact, global warming made the ancient mountain conifers easier for the study team to find."For many millennia they survived in the mountain tundra as low-growing shrubs perhaps less than a meter high," Kullman said. "Now they are growing up like mushrooms—you can see them quite readily."

Rising Timberline

But climate change could also swamp these living Ice Age relics, he warned.

The treeline has climbed up to 655 feet (200 meters) in altitude during the past century in the central Sweden study area, the team found.

"A great change in the landscape is going on," Kullman said. "Some lower mountains which were bare tundra less than a hundred years ago are totally covered by forest today."

Mountains tend to provide a refuge for the planet's most venerable trees because of reduced competition from neighbors and other plants and because the sparser vegetation around the timberline is less vulnerable to forest fires, Kullman said.

Another factor is reduced human impacts such as logging, said Tom Harlan of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona.

"Human activity lower down has demolished all sorts of things that could have been extremely old," he said.

Harlan says the newly dated Swedish spruce trees have "quite an extraordinary age."

"I have no great problems with them having a tree which has been growing there for more than 8,000 years," he said. "The date seems a little early but not out of line with other things we have seen."

For instance, Harlan noted, dead remains of Californian bristlecone pines dating to about 7,500 years ago have been found up to 500 feet (150 meters) higher in altitude than any living bristlecones.

"So there was a time period then when trees were pushing aggressively into areas they had not been in before," he said.

Other tree clones may have an even more ancient lineage than the Swedish spruces, he added.

Research suggests that stands of Huon pines on the Australian island of Tasmania possibly date back more than 10,000 years.

hello kitty

Hello Kitty (ハローキティ Harō Kiti?), is a fictional character produced by the Japanesecompany Sanrio, first designed by Ikuko Shimizu.[2] Her first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States in 1976.The character is portrayed as a female white cat with a red bow and no drawn mouth. She lives in London, England with her parents and twin sister, Mimmy.The Hello Kitty line has since developed licensing arrangements worth more than $1 billion a year in sales. Examples of products depicting the character include dolls, stickers, greeting cards, clothes, accessories, school supplies, dishes and home appliances.Hello Kitty has an official theme park, Sanrio Puroland, which opened in 1990.

The Japanese anime series Hello Kitty and Friends aired on TV Tokyo in Japan, and CBS in theUnited States in 1991. It also ran in reruns on Toon Disney. On the show, Kitty is a little girl living with her mother, father, and twin sister Mimmy, who is identical to Kitty but has different colored clothes and wears her bow under the opposite ear. 13 episodes were produced, using animation produced as early as 1991.On Japanese television, Hello Kitty (and her pals) have starred in an anime series. Hello Kitty's Paradise ran for 16 episodes between 1993 and 1994. This version was released in English in 2000, and like "Hello Kitty and Friends". Hello Kitty and friends also appeared in Hello Kitty's Animation Theatre, which had Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters appearing in their versions of different fairy tales. Available in the U.S. from ADV Films (who also own the video/DVD rights toHello Kitty and Friends & Hello Kitty's Paradise)Hello Kitty appeared in a new Japanese clay-animated series called Hello Kitty's Stump Village in 2005. At Anime Expo 2006, Geneon Universal Entertainment announced that Hello Kitty's Stump Village was one of the series it licensed for U.S. release. Volume 1 was released in October, and Volume 2 was released in January and in 2008.

After Geneon withdrew from the US market at the end of 2007, it was later re-licensed by Funimation Entertainment, who will continue to release it inNorth America. Hello Kitty appeared for the first time in a full 3D animation The Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends developed by Sanrio's digital entertainment entity Sanrio Digital.By 1996, Hello Kitty had already grossed over 20 million dollars throughout Japan. As time progressed, many more Japanese artists exploited this arsenal of business by creating a second second type of Hello Kitty featured in Clay. This version was released in English in 2000, and like many episodes in "Hello Kitty and Friends". Hello Kitty and friends also appeared in Hello Kitty's Animation Theatre, which had Hello Kitty buying other Sanrio characters appearing in their versions of different fairy tales. Over all, the Hello Kitty franchise has influenced many individuals to make similar productions.

2ne1

2NE1 (Korean: 투 애니원; pronounced "to anyone" or "twenty-one" is a South Korean girl group created by YG Entertainment, the first by the company. First appearing in a Cyon commercial campaign with Big Bang for LG Telecom, their debut single "Fire" was released on May 6, 2009. On May 17, 2009 the group debut with their first single "Fire" on SBS's Inkigayo. The group's name 2NE1 stands for "New Evolution of the 21st Century". Having won a lot of awards and topping charts, 2NE1 now goes by the title ‘ Super Rookies of 2009‘.

The group was first mentioned by the press in late 2008, when rumours were spreading that YG was creating a female version of Big Bang named Sista. In response to those rumours, YG Entertainment President Yang Hyun Suk stated that the name was not chosen yet. In January 2009, it was announced that the "Female Big Bang" would debut around July 2009 with three members ; CL, Park Bom, and Minzy.Later that month, YG stated that Sandara joined the group, with one more member to follow. In the end, YG Entertainment announced that the group would consist of four members and debut sometime in May 2009. The company stated that the group had trained for 4 years, and that their debut album would contain songs produced by Teddy Park. The group's name was initially announced as "21"; however, due to the discovery of a singer with the same name, the group was quickly renamed "2NE1".

members:

CL

Name: Lee Chae Rin (이채린)
Birthdate: February 26, 1991 (age 18)
Position: Leader, Vocalist, Main Rapper

Bom

Name: Park Bom (박봄)
Birthdate: March 24, 1984 (age 25)
Position: Main Vocalist

Dara

Name: Park Sandara (박산다라)
Birthdate: November 12, 1984 (age 25)
Position: Vocalist

Minzy

Name: Gong Minji (공민지)
Birthday: January 18, 1994 (age 16)
Position: Lead Vocalist, Rapper

The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of astuffed animal across the United States, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. It is quite common for American children to have one among their possessions. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items. Now, teddy bears come in various styles and people can dress them up in many different styles and articles of clothing. Teddy bears are also among the most popular gifts for children and significant others on Valentines' day and other holidays.

The name Teddy Bear comes from former United States President Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was "Teddy". The name originated from an incident on a bear-hunting trip in Mississippi in November 1902, to which Roosevelt was invited by Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino. There were several other hunters competing, and most of them had already killed an animal. A suite of Roosevelt's attendants, led by Holt Collier,cornered, clubbed, and tied an American Black Bear to a willow tree after a long exhausting chase with hounds. They called Roosevelt to the site and suggested that he should shoot it. He refused to shoot the bear himself, deeming this unsportsmanlike, but instructed that the bear be killed to put it out of its misery, and it became the topic of a political cartoon by Clifford Berryman in The Washington Post on November 16, 1902.While the initial cartoon of an adult black bear lassoed by a white handler and a disgusted Roosevelt had symbolic overtones, later issues of that and other Berryman cartoons made the bear smaller and cuter.Morris Michtom saw the drawing of Roosevelt and the bear cub and was inspired to create a new toy. He created a little stuffed bear cub and put it in his shop window with a sign that read "Teddy's bear," after sending the bear to Roosevelt and receiving permission to sell the bears. The toys were an immediate success and Michtom founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co., which still exists today.At the same time, in Germany the Steiff firm, unaware of Michtom's bear, produced a stuffed bear from Richard Steiff's designs. They exhibited the toy at the Leipzig Toy Fair in March 1903 and exported 3000 to the United States.By 1906 manufacturers other than Michtom and Steiff had joined in and the craze for Teddy Bears was such that ladies carried them everywhere, children were photographed with them, and Roosevelt used one as a mascot in his bid for re-election.American educator Seymour Eaton wrote the children's book series The Roosevelt Bears, while composer John Bratton wrote "The Teddy Bear Two Step" which, with the addition ofJimmy Kennedy's lyrics, became the song "The Teddy Bears' Picnic".Early teddy bears were made to look like real bears, with extended snouts and beady eyes. Today's teddy bears tend to have larger eyes and foreheads and smaller noses, babylikefeatures that make them more attractive to buyers because they enhance the toy's cuteness. Also, now some bears come pre-dressed, somtimes for winter, spring, summer, or fall.

eclipse trailer

Here’s a movie trailer for the the third film in the Twilight Saga, Eclipse. It was created by YouTube user Tiffanyd666, who has previously created wonderful trailers for other films in the Twilight series as well..

MileY CyruS

Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actress who rose to fame after starring as the title character in the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. Following the success of Hannah Montana, a soundtrack CD was released in October 2006 featuring Cyrus on eight songs from the show. Cyrus's solo music career began with the release of her debut album, Meet Miley Cyrus on June 23, 2007, which included her first top ten single, "See You Again". Cyrus's second album, Breakout, released on July 22, 2008, was her first album independent of the Hannah Montana franchise. Both albums debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Cyrus's first extended play, The Time of Our Lives, was released on August 28, 2009. The lead single from the EP, "Party in the U.S.A.", became Cyrus's highest charting and Hollywood Records's fastest selling single, reaching number two in the Billboard Hot 100 and the top ten in various nations.

In 2008, Cyrus appeared in the Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert film. Cyrus also starred in Bolt in 2008, and recorded "I Thought I Lost You" for the soundtrack, earning her a Golden Globe nomination. She starred in the film spin-off of Hannah Montana, titled Hannah Montana: The Movie, which was released on April 10, 2009. In 2008, Cyrus was listed in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World Forbes magazine ranked her #35 on the "Celebrity 100" list for earning $25 million in 2008. Her rank improved to #29 in 2009.

Cyrus was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on November 23, 1992to Leticia "Tish" (née Finley) and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. Cyrus has five siblings. Her elder siblings Trace and Brandi Cyrus are Tish's children from a previous relationship, whom Billy Ray adopted when they were very young. Trace is a vocalist and guitarist for the electronic pop band Metro Station,while Brandi has played guitar for Cyrus's concerts and formed a band with The Secret Life of the American Teenager star Megan Park. Cyrus also has an older half-brother, Christopher Cody, from her father's previous relationship, as well as a younger brother, Braison, and a younger sister, Noah, who is also an actress. She is the granddaughter of Democratic politician Ron Cyrus. Cyrus chose the name "Ronnie" for her character in the 2010 film The Last Song in honor of her grandfather.

Cyrus's parents named her Destiny Hope because they believed that she would accomplish great things. She was nicknamed "Smiley", later shortened to "Miley", because she kept smiling as a baby. She is of part Cherokee descent. Cyrus attended Heritage Middle School, where she was a cheerleader. She currently attends school at Options For Youth Charter Schools and studies with a private tutor on the set of her TV show. Cyrus grew up on her parents' farm outside of Nashville where she regularly attended The People's Church.