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Microsoft chucks vomit ad

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Microsoft chucks vomit ad

Update at 8:50 a.m. PDT: The video has now disappeared from the ad agency's site as well.

Earlier this week, we were all rather intrigued by the appearance of a Microsoft ad, in which a wife borrows her husband's laptop and suffers a technicolor nightmare when she espies a site that he has been, um, enjoying.

By Wednesday night, however, Microsoft had second thoughts about the pulling power of puke.

The ad has been pulled from the IE8videos channel on YouTube. It's also has been removed from the BrowsefortheBetter.com site, which is part of the ad campaign. The vomit ad's slot has been replaced by a tag that says "coming soon."

This could have meant that a new ad is coming soon, or that the upchuck was uploaded too soon.

Read the rest of the story and see the video here.

I saw that particular ad for IE8 on the site before Microsoft took it down. Microsoft now distributes IE8 as a "critical" patch on the Widows Update site. IE8 is a resource hog; if you have multiple tabs open, it will slow your computer to a crawl forcing you to reboot your system. I don't have that problem with other browswers. PCWorld wonders why Microsoft keeps beating a dead browser. Some people have even uninstalled IE8 in favor of IE7. I don't blame them, but I prefer to use browsers like Opera, Firefox and even Safari, than use IE8.


On a different note, for some time I have been unable to access my News page here on MyOpera. I can't get to my subsrciptions on there for whatever reason. It currently has over 240 items in it and I'm unable to check it. :irked: I've even done a forum post on it, but alas, to no avail. Is there somebody who can help me with this?

UPDATE: Thank you Kim. Your advice worked and my news page is back up and running again. :happy:



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Microsoft fans call for Opera boycott

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Microsoft fans call for Opera boycott
Don't pick on little ol' Redmond


Windows enthusiast site JCXP.net is asking fellow fans to delete the Opera web browser from PCs and devices in an act of solidarity against European antitrust action.

"Today we are proposing a complete boycott of all Opera software," David Taraso, editor of the JCXP group, wrote in a blog post late on Friday. Taraso blames Opera Software for goading European regulators into a regulatory showdown with Microsoft.

The European Commission filed antitrust charges in January alleging Microsoft unfairly stifles competition by bundling Internet Explorer with Windows. The investigation was spurred by a 2007 complaint from Opera Software, maker of a rival web browser and long-time outspoken critic of Microsoft's dominance. Although the lawsuit was later joined by Google and Mozilla, Taraso blames Opera as the instigator.

The plot thickened in the EU case on Thursday, when Microsoft said it would ship the upcoming Windows 7 operating system in Europe without Internet Explorer, in an apparent attempt to preempt antitrust measures. The EU hastily rejected Microsoft's response as inadequate, with Opera jeering at the sidelines.

"This is absolutely nothing more than a company who can't legitimately gain market share trying to squeeze their unpopular browser onto Windows systems," Taraso wrote. "Opera is simply upset because their browser is dead last in market share, and has already been surpassed by the recent released Google Chrome browser and Apple's Safari browser for Windows."

Read the rest of the article here.

I, for one, will not be boycotting Opera! :rolleyes: As many of you know, Opera Software is working to take the web back to the old days. I might try that feature out when Opera 10 comes out. Back to the EU/Microsoft case; Lanc Ulanoff wishes that the EU will just leave Microsoft alone already.




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Compelling Obama/Soetoro articles

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I found these following articles interesting, so here they are:

Ted Rall: It’s increasingly evident that Obama should resign

MIAMI — We expected broken promises. But the gap between the soaring expectations that accompanied Barack Obama’s inauguration and his wretched performance is the broadest such chasm in recent historical memory. This guy makes Bill Clinton look like a paragon of integrity and follow-through.

From health care to torture to the economy to war, Obama has reneged on pledges real and implied. So timid and so owned is he that he trembles in fear of offending, of all things, the government of Turkey. Obama has officially reneged on his campaign promise to acknowledge the Armenian genocide. When a president doesn’t have the nerve to annoy the Turks, why does he bother to show up for work in the morning?

Obama is useless. Worse than that, he’s dangerous. Which is why, if he has any patriotism left after the thousands of meetings he has sat through with corporate contributors, blood-sucking lobbyists and corrupt politicians, he ought to step down now — before he drags us further into the abyss.

I refer here to Obama’s plan for “preventive detentions.” If a cop or other government official thinks you might want to commit a crime someday, you could be held in “prolonged detention.” Reports in U.S. state-controlled media imply that Obama’s shocking new policy would only apply to Islamic terrorists (or, in this case, wannabe Islamic terrorists, and also kinda-sorta-maybe-thinking-about-terrorism dudes). As if that made it OK.

In practice, Obama wants to let government goons snatch you, me and anyone else they deem annoying off the street.

Preventive detention is the classic defining characteristic of a military dictatorship. Because dictatorial regimes rely on fear rather than consensus, their priority is self-preservation rather than improving their people’s lives. They worry obsessively over the one thing they can’t control, what George Orwell called “thoughtcrime” — contempt for rulers that might someday translate to direct action.

Locking up people who haven’t done anything wrong is worse than un-American and a violent attack on the most basic principles of Western jurisprudence. It is contrary to the most essential notion of human decency. That anyone has ever been subjected to “preventive detention” is an outrage. That the president of the United States, a man who won an election because he promised to elevate our moral and political discourse, would even entertain such a revolting idea offends the idea of civilization itself.

Read the rest of the article here.
These "preventive detentions" proposed by Obama were also rightfully blasted by Rachel Maddow.

White House 'dialogue' site scrubbed of eligibility posts
Many Obama birth certificate queries yanked from 'transparency' debate


With more than 200 individual threads and thousands of comments on the eligibility issue alone, moderators of the White House website on "open government dialogue" have been working tirelessly to edit the dialogue about Barack Obama's elusive "long-form" birth certificate.

Many of the top-rated threads are from citizens calling on Obama to release his birth certificate. The postings in the "top rated" category have received the most "looks promising" votes from users. New threads on the topic of Obama's constitutional eligibility to serve as president are appearing by the minute.

WND observed the "Making Data More Accessible" section for several hours as more suggestions appeared and at least 60 were subsequently deleted on the first page alone – all requests for the president to submit proof of citizenship.

One deleted post echoed many others in asking President Obama to "Prove that you are a U.S. citizen and valid president."

The post asks why Obama doesn't simply release his "real birth certificate and end all of this controversy."

"Are you a fraud?" it asks. "Is your election to the highest office in the land the largest scam ever pulled on the American people? Are you really not eligible for office? End the speculation and prove who you are."

Read the rest of the article here.

Dr. Orly Taitz wants people to comment on a post on the Open Government Dialogue site called, Obama MUST step down he is NOT-eligible per his own admission! NO Birth Certificate Required! NOT eligible even IF born in HA. She was born in the former Soviet Union and believes that Obama/Soetoro is ineligible to serve as POTUS. Wonder if that post about Obama/Soetoro's eligibility will be deleted soon along with all the others. I had previously done a post on this issue of Barack Obama's (aka Barry Soetoro, which was his name when he grew up in Indonesia) eligibility, or lack thereof, for the office that he currently holds. This issue has not gone away, but continues to pester Mr. Obama/Soetoro because he refuses to release his "long form" birth certificate and he also sealed his school records at American schools he attended. Those records would show whether he attended the schools as an American citizen or as a foreign student. Here is an article that has 26 Facts about Mr. Obama/Soetoro. During the campaign, John McCain released all his records when asked. Senator McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone. He did release his records, so why hasn't Obama/Soetoro done the same? He has been repeatedly asked in the months since he had announced his candidacy. Is he hiding something that he doesn't want the American public & the world at large to know? Let's say that he was born in Kenya, thus making himself ineligible for POTUS, he has made himself open to blackmail by others who know and will use it against him & America. The Mike in the Morning show interviewed the Kenyan ambassador shortly after the election and asked him if they were planning to make Obama's birthplace in Kenya into a memorial. The ambassador admitted that those plans are already underway! You also go to his website where you can listen to the full almost 20 minutes long call for yourself. There are some people that say that Obama/Soetoro posted his "birth certificate" online, but there are allegations that the document is a forgery. You can also see a video on this subject posted by Dr. Ron Polarik here.



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"Star Trek: The IMAX Experience" movie review

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Last night (Friday) I went to the 2315 (11:15pm) showing of Star Trek at the local IMAX theatre. It has been a while since I last saw a movie at that theatre. A movie buff I know recommended seeing Star Trek at the IMAX, so I took his advice.

Star Trek stars Leonard Nimoy (the original Spock) as Spock Prime, Chris Pine as James Kirk, Zachary Quinto (from TV's Heroes) as Spock, Karl Urban as Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura, John Cho as Hikaru Sulu, Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov, Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott, and Eric Bana as Nero.

This is the first Trek movie since 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis, a drought of 7 years. The average time between movies had been around 3 years before. This movie heads back to the 23rd century that we know from the original TV series. In this movie though, things get changed around a lot from what many Trekkies are familiar with. In the late 24th century, the Romulans aboard the Narada go back in time to exact revenge on Spock for something that he does in the 24th century. Spock Prime also gets pulled back in time with them to 23rd century. The movie begins with the Narada emerging in a space lighning storm near the USS Kelvin, which the Romulans quickly attack. They order the captain to come aboard their ship. He puts his first officer, George Kirk, in command while he is gone. George and his pregnant wife, Winona are onboard the Kelvin and she is in labor. The Romulans kill the captain and continue their attack on the USS Kelvin. George fights back while he orders everyone to abandon ship. The Kelvin is destroyed, but not before Winona and newborn James survive. This creates an alternate universe since orginally James Kirk grows up with both parents. James grows up into a rebellious youth since only his mother raises him. Meanwhile, as Spock grows up on the planet Vulcan, he is teased because he is the product of a Vulcan father, Sarek, and a human mother, Amanda. This is considered a disability since he's not considered a true Vulcan. Eventually their lives will intersect and the Federation is attacked by Nero.

I've been a Trekkie for a long time and was looking forward to seeing this movie. Usually the odd-numbered Trek films are not as good as the even-numbered ones. Since this is the 11th film in the franchise, I was worried about this happening again. Those fears were put to rest with this movie. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was my favorite Trek film until this one. This movie rocks. The characters are well developed here and the action sequences are good. The new cast portraying the familiar characters are well cast. For instance, Zachary Quinto is excellent as young Spock. Seeing this movie on an IMAX screen really enhances the experience. Especially during the space battle scenes, they really look awesome in IMAX. This is the last weekend that they are showing Star Trek in IMAX here, so I am really happy that I saw it before it was too late. If you get to see it in an IMAX theatre, then take it before it is too late. Even if you don't see it on IMAX, then I highly recommend that you go see this movie on the big screen. It will be well worth your ticket price. Below are some clips from the Star Trek movie:


What Gives You the Right?


Enlist in Starfleet


Space Jump




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Atlanta

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Last week I was on vacation in Atlanta, Georgia to visit one of my cousins who had moved there. We had lost touch for years but thanks to both our moms, we were able to get back in touch. It was great to see my cousin, Linda (not her real name) again and spend some time with her.

The weather was mostly rainy last week. It rained almost everyday that I was in Atlanta, but we did have some sunny days. When it wasn't raining the weather was very nice. We did go to some of the malls while we were there. The Atlanta metro area does have quite a bit of empty shopping centers. A sign of the economic times I'm sure. Despite that, there are still a majority of open stores for you to window shop at.

On Saturday, we went to the Georgia Aquarium. It is billed as the largest indoor aquarium in the world. Saturday morning was a beautiful morning as we drove to the aquarium. Coca-Cola was started in Atlanta so that museum is there too, as you will see in some of the pictures. We didn't go to that museum but maybe I will go next time I'm in Atlanta. The Georgia Aquarium has over 8 million gallons of water indoors. It's really nice inside. When you walk in, you see fish swimming on both walls heading to the main atruim. The atrium has the entrance to all the different exhibits in the aquarium which are divided into diferent areas. The Ocean Voyager exhibit is probably one of, if not the, best ones in the aquarium. This is a huge tank that includes whale sharks, manta rays, sand tiger sharks, groupers and many other fish. You walk under the tank into a tunnel where you get great views of the fish swimming by. Some of the fish swim slowly by checking you out at the same time you are checking them out too. You turn around the corner and eventually run into the theatre in which the "screen" is a huge window into that tank. Aquarium staff host shows where they talk about some of the fish in the huge tank and how some were aquired. There were some other areas with beluga whales, alligators and river otters in them. People kept crowding around the otter that would come up to the class while it was playing with a toy cup, so I couldn't get any good pictures of it splashing around. When you look at the pictures, you can see some of the many different species of aquatic life that is contained in that aquarium.

On Sunday, we went to the Atlantic Civic Center for the King Tutankhamum exhibit. This month is the last month for it in Atlanta, so I was glad to go see it. There were thousands of artifacts from all over ancient Egypt. I was amazed to see some that were made of wood that was at least 3,000 years old! Quite a few of the objects still had traces of paint on them, while some still had most of the paint on them. One of the objects from King Tut's tomb was his wooden bed that was painted white with reed matting that was still intact after over 3,000 years! I would love to visit the ancient sites in Egypt one day! Unfortunately, I couldn't take any pictures inside, but it was still enjoyable, none the less.

Despite the rain, I still had a good time with my cousin and will go back to Atlanta to visit her again another time. Check out the pictures in my new Atlanta album, too.



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Department of Homeland Security to destroy swine flu victims

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:eyes:

Department of Homeland Security to destroy swine flu victims
Harsh measures to combat pig plague


It's evident that the US of A's Department of Homeland Security is taking the H1N1 threat very seriously indeed, and we reckon that Secretary Janet Napolitano may have been taking some advice from Condoleeeeza "Waterboarding" Rice as to how to apply a "Guantánamo Bay" solution to the menace posed by swine flu.

Here's an extract from Napolitano's statement yesterday on the current state of pig plague play:

We're also actively monitoring travellers at our land, sea, and air ports. We're watching them for signs of illness, and we have appropriate protocols in place to deal with those who are sick. Precautions are being taken to protect travellers and border personnel. Anyone exhibiting symptoms is being referred to an isolation room where they can be evaluated by a public health official before proceeding to their destruction.

Fair enough, and if that fails, here's Ms Rice's next piece of advice to Napolitano: "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure." ®

This story was found here.


Unless you have been living under a rock lately, you have been hearing about the swine flu a lot in the news recently. People should not panic about this stuff. Even online scammers are getting in on the swine flu act hoping to cash in on people's fears. It has also been reported in the news, that 36,000 people each year die from "regular flu" though this has not been confirmed. There are also pictures of people wearing N95 masks to protect themselves from this virus, but they may be useless at protecting the wearers from the swine flu virus. There is also a possibility that there is known a smoking gun about the origins of this virus. I believe that if you take appropriate precautions, you don't have to worry about suffering from this or any other virus. Here are some suggestions at building natural immunity against the swine flu.



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P.S. I will be going on vacation for about a week starting tomorrow. Have a great weekend & coming week! See you all soon!

6 Notable Quotes

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I am more deadly than the screaming shell from the howitzer. I win without killing. I tear down homes, break hearts, and wreck lives. I travel on the wings of the wind. No innocence is strong enough to intimidate me, no purity pure enough to daunt me. I have no regard for truth, no respect for justice, no mercy for the defenseless. My vitims are as numerous as the sands of the sea, and often as innocent. I never forget and seldom forgive. My name is Gossip.

- Morgan Blake

There is no art which one government sooner learns of another, than that of draining money from the pockets of the people.

- Adam Smith (1776), Wealth of Nations

A wise and prudent government does not take bread from the mouths of labor.

- Thomas Jefferson

The most pernicious form of tyranny is that which disguises itself as a benefactor to its victims.

- Robert L. Schultz

The ideal tyranny is that which is ignorantly self-administered by its victims. The most perfect slaves are, therefore, those which blissfully and unawaredly enslave themselves.

A truth's initial commotion is directly proportional to how deeply the lie was believed. It wasn't the world being round that agitated people, but that the world wasn't flat.When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic.

- Dresden James, Author



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Guess what U.S. did to 'drop-dead tortured beauty'

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This is a followup to my previous post on this story.

Read more...

'Tortured beauty'

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U.S. gives drop-dead treatment to tortured beauty
Woman, 23, persecuted for political views, but may be denied protection


(Editor's note: This interview was conducted with assistance of a translator)

CAMARILLO, Calif. – She was terrified, clinging to God, when a brutal street gang spied her escaping down the streets of Nicaragua.

"Let's kill her!" one shouted.

Two strange men suddenly clenched her arms and ripped her blouse as she struggled to free herself. They warned her not to scream while they prepared to rape her.

She spotted woods nearby – and had a vision of her lifeless body being dumped just yards away after enduring torment of a brutal sexual attack.

Auxiliadora Martinez, 23, a Nicaraguan political refugee, was beaten with sticks, shot at, nearly raped and almost murdered – all because she fought for free elections.

Now, the U.S. is prepared to deny her asylum in the land of the free.

Martinez, a campaign organizer for Eduardo Montealegre, former Constitutionalist Party candidate for Managua mayor, has been tortured by Nicaragua's Sandinista regime and is pleading with the United States for asylum, but American immigration officials have shown her little sympathy.

Read the rest of the 1st story here.

'Tortured beauty' flooded with marriage proposals
Citizens plead with authorities to prevent likely rape, murder


(Editor's note: This interview was conducted with assistance of a translator)

After hundreds of phone calls and letters to the Los Angeles asylum office, numerous prayers and dozens of marriage proposals from readers, Auxiliadora Martinez, a Nicaraguan political refugee, is expressing her gratitude today to thousands of concerned citizens for their support.

"Thank you very much to WorldNetDaily," she said. "Thank you very much to the USA. Thank you very much to all of you that want to help me establish the truth of what I said in my application to the authorities in USA."

Martinez, 23, was beaten with sticks, shot at, nearly raped and almost murdered – all because she fought for free elections.

Now, the U.S. is prepared to deny her asylum in the land of the free.

Martinez, a campaign organizer for Eduardo Montealegre, former Constitutionalist Party candidate for Managua mayor, has been tortured by Nicaragua's Sandinista regime and is pleading with the United States for asylum.

Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega has employed neighborhood committees called Citizens Power Councils, or CPCs, used by his corrupt Sandinista party to spy on citizens, intimidate and torture them.

Martinez told WND the CPCs attacked her with large rocks, sticks, mortars and sprays of gunfire. A gang of Sandinista CPCs tried to rape and kill her because she was part of a group protesting the legitimacy of the 2008 municipal elections.

Read the rest of the 2nd story here.



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