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<title>Most Popular Business, Sport, Internet News / atanas1054 / Voted News</title>
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<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:27:46 +0300</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[| Football | FA Cup | Davey celebrates 'fairytale' win]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/_Football__FA_Cup__Davey_celebrates_fairytale_win/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/_Football__FA_Cup__Davey_celebrates_fairytale_win/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:27:46 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>Sports</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/_Football__FA_Cup__Davey_celebrates_fairytale_win/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Barnsley manager Simon Davey was jubilant after Brian Howard's last-gasp winner gave his side a famous FA Cup fifth-round victory over Liverpool.Davey said: &quot;It's a fairytale, it's what dreams are made of - he has scored the winner in a Cup tie at the Kop end.&quot;Credit to the players, they've been fantastic from the first minute and now they have got their reward.&quot;Our goalkeeper Luke Steele has come to Anfield for his debut and pulled off some world-class saves.&quot;Interview: Barnsley boss Simon DaveyInterview: Barnsley striker Brian HowardInterview: On-loan Barnsley goalkeeper Luke SteeleThe Tykes trailed to Dirk Kuyt's first-half goal but some superb Steele stops kept them in it before Stephen Foster's equaliser.Steele, who was signed on an emergency loan deal from West Brom on Thursday, continued to thwart Liverpool before Howard struck to sink the Reds in the dying seconds.606: DEBATEAre you watching Liverpool?, are you watching Yorkshire?, are you watching England?, are you watching THE WORLD?nardiello'sonionbagThe former Manchester United keeper, who has only played two games for the Baggies this season, said: &quot;It's a magnificent feeling - it just hasn't sunk in properly yet.&quot;I was so happy to be out there and it's great I've got my chance.&quot;When we were 1-0 down it's not like we were down and out but even when we equalised we were under so much pressure.&quot;But the lads defended brilliantly and the amounts of blocks and clearances off the line was amazing.&quot;You could see the number of chances we had and the number of saves the keeper made and that was the only differenceLiverpool manager Rafa BenitezLiverpool manager Rafa Benitez, who must pick his side up for their Champions League last-16 tie against Inter Milan on Tuesday, was left to rue his side's inability to beat Steele.&quot;It was a very strange game,&quot; Benitez said.&quot;We had a lot of chances and their keeper was the man-of-the-match. Then we conceded in the last minute so it's very difficult to explain.&quot;I'm really disappointed but I can't fault the work-rate and performance of my players. We dominated in the first and second half but we couldn't kill the game off.&quot;You could see the number of chances we had and the number of saves the keeper made and that was the only difference.&quot;It's frustrating but we must keep our heads up and start thinking about Inter. We start getting ready for that game on Sunday in training and we must focus on that.&quot;<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[| South Asia | 'Deadliest' attack in Afghanistan]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/_South_Asia__Deadliest_attack_in_Afghanistan/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/_South_Asia__Deadliest_attack_in_Afghanistan/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:26:19 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>World &amp; Business</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/_South_Asia__Deadliest_attack_in_Afghanistan/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[At least 80 people have been killed in a suicide bombing outside the Afghan city of Kandahar - in what appears to be the deadliest attack since 2001.The massive blast hit a crowd of people watching a dog-fighting contest.&quot;This suicide attack was the work of the Taleban,&quot; said Governor Assadullah Khalid, adding the death toll may rise.Southern Afghanistan is a Taleban stronghold and last week the Kandahar governor himself was the target of an attempt on his life.The Taleban have not claimed responsibility for the blast, but it bears all their hallmarks, says the BBC's Jon Brain in the Afghan capital.Among those killed was Abdul Hakim, a local police chief fiercely opposed to the Taleban who is thought to have been the target of the attack.Body partsExcitement was mounting among the 500-strong, male-only crowd when the huge blast struck.I counted over 40 people on the ground deadAbdul Karim,Dog-fight spectatorDog-fighting competitions, which were banned under the Taleban regime, are a popular pastime in Afghanistan.&quot;Fighting had just started between two dogs,&quot; said one spectator, Abdul Karim.&quot;Suddenly I heard a huge explosion next to a police vehicle. Then I saw lots of people dead and wounded.&quot;I counted over 40 people on the ground dead,&quot; Mr Karim, 53, told the AFP news agency.Twisted car and bicycle parts littered the ground as shawls and shoes lay scattered among the bodies of the dead and wounded.Injured spectators staggered through the carnage searching for relatives.Scores of wounded were packed into civilian cars and rushed to hospitals in the city centre, some 15km (nine miles) away.Taleban influenceAside from Abdul Hakim, several other policemen were reported to be among the victims of Sunday's blast.MAJOR TALEBAN ATTACKS29 Dec 2007: 16 policemen killed in Kandahar6 Nov 2007: At least 70 die in attack on sugar factory in Baghlan province29 Sep 2007: At least 30 soldiers killed in bus attack in Kabul16 Jan 2006: At least 24 people killed in two attacks in KandaharDeadliest Afghan attacksIn pictures: Afghan blastThe Taleban claim to have influence across most of the country and have extended their area of control from their traditional heartland in the south.They have a significant presence around Kandahar from where they carry out suicide attacks and roadside bomb blasts.The militants are even able to operate freely in Wardak province, neighbouring the capital Kabul.Last year, violence in Afghanistan reached its highest levels since the Taleban were forced from power in 2001, analysts say.<br/><br/>2 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[BBC SPORT | Football | FA Cup | Sheff Utd 0-0 Middlesbrough]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/BBC_SPORT__Football__FA_Cup__Sheff_Utd_0-0_Middlesbrough/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/BBC_SPORT__Football__FA_Cup__Sheff_Utd_0-0_Middlesbrough/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:25:12 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>Sports</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/BBC_SPORT__Football__FA_Cup__Sheff_Utd_0-0_Middlesbrough/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Blades striker James Beattie hit the post in first-half stoppage time from a free-kick, but the home side failed to turn their dominance into goals.Boro came back into it in the second period and Mido's overhead kick was brilliantly saved by Paddy Kenny.Emmanuel Pogatetz could have won it late on for the visitors but his header was cleared off the line.Interview: Sheffield United boss Kevin BlackwellInterview: Middlesbrough boss Gareth SouthgateNew Blades boss Kevin Blackwell, who replaced Bryan Robson last week, received a standing ovation from the Bramall Lane crowd before kick-off as the home side went in search of a hat-trick of Premier League scalps in this year's competition.Middlesbrough were aiming to reach a third successive FA Cup quarter-final and started with Mido, who has been out for the last three weeks, alongside Jeremie Aliadiere in attack with record signing Afonso Alves on the bench.606: DEBATEYour thoughts on the goalless draw at Bramall LaneIt was a typical cup tie right from kick-off with both sides fully committed and the game played at a frenetic pace.The visitors struggled to settle and Matt Kilgallon's smartly struck shot was well saved by Mark Schwarzer.Billy Sharp failed to connect with Derek Geary's cross and Jonathan Stead sent his downward header just wide as the home side continued to press, while at the other end efforts from Stewart Downing and Aliadiere were easily saved by Kenny.As the half drew to a close, David Wheater was lucky to escape with just a booking after dragging back Sharp when the striker raced through and in stoppage time Beattie struck the post from a well-rehearsed set-play.Beattie and Michael Tonge pretended to run into each as they shaped to hit the free-kick, but the former Southampton and Everton striker saw his curling shot crash against the post.The visitors came to life in the second period, but only after Stead had tested Schwarzer from outside the box.Mido was denied by Kenny when he tipped the Egyptian's acrobatic overhead kick over the bar and from the resulting corner Wheater's powerful header was turned over by the Blades goalkeeperDowning then flashed a brilliantly struck volley wide from Mido's pinpoint pass and Fabio Rochemback also went close with an effort from outside the box as Boro took control.Just like their hosts in the first period, the visitors failed to take their chances and Blades substitute Chris Armstrong flashed the ball over the bar after another well-worked free-kick.United had appeals for a penalty turned down late on as George Boateng struck the ball against his own arm, but referee Chris Foy waved away the protests.And with two minutes remaining Pogatetz could have snatched it for Boro but his header was cleared off the line.<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[BBC NEWS | Europe | Kosovo MPs proclaim independence]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/BBC_NEWS__Europe__Kosovo_MPs_proclaim_independence/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/BBC_NEWS__Europe__Kosovo_MPs_proclaim_independence/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:23:30 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>World &amp; Business</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/BBC_NEWS__Europe__Kosovo_MPs_proclaim_independence/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The declaration, read by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, said Kosovo would be a democratic country that respected the rights of all ethnic communities.The US and a number of EU countries are expected to recognise Kosovo on Monday.Serbia's PM denounced the US for helping create a &quot;false state&quot;. Serbia's ally, Russia, called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting.It is scheduled for Sunday evening.See a map of Kosovo's ethnic breakdownTens of thousands of people had thronged the streets of Kosovo's capital, Pristina, since the morning.We have waited for this day for a very long time... from today, we are proud, independent and free&quot;Hashim ThaciKosovo Prime MinisterVoters' voicesWhen news came of the declaration in parliament, the centre of the city erupted with fireworks, firecrackers and celebratory gunfire.Hundreds of ethnic Albanians staged noisy celebrations in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, and in Brussels, outside the headquarters of Nato and the European Union.Hand grenadesThe first sign of trouble in Kosovo came in the ethnic Serbian area of the flashpoint town of Mitrovica, where two hand grenades were thrown at international community buildings.One exploded at a UN court building while the other failed to go off outside offices expected to house the new EU mission.KOSOVO PROFILEPopulation about two millionMajority ethnic Albanian; 10% SerbUnder UN control since Nato drove out Serb forces in 19992,000-strong EU staff to take over from UN after independenceNato to stay to provide securityIn pictures: CelebrationsEast-West split over KosovoIn quotes: World reactionIn Belgrade, the US embassy was pelted with stones as up to 2,000 demonstrators clashed with hundreds of riot police. &quot;Kosovo is the heart of Serbia,&quot; the protesters shouted.Several Serbian ministers travelled to Kosovo to show their support for the ethnic Serbian minority.Kosovo's 10 Serbian MPs boycotted the assembly session in protest at the declaration.Serbia's Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica blamed the US which he said was &quot;ready to violate the international order for its own military interests&quot;.&quot;Today, this policy of force thinks that it has triumphed by establishing a false state,&quot; Mr Kostunica said.Search for equalityThe declaration was approved with a show of hands. No-one opposed it.HAVE YOUR SAY    Unfortunately today Kosovo and Serbia are to become two dispensable chess-pieces of EU/NATO and RussiaMat, Ljubljana, SloveniaSend us your comments&quot;We have waited for this day for a very long time,&quot; Mr Thaci told parliament before reading the text, paying tribute to those who had died on the road to independence.From today, he said, Kosovo was &quot;proud, independent and free&quot;.&quot;The independence of Kosovo marks the end of the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia,&quot; the prime minister said.He said Kosovo would be built in accordance with the UN plan drawn up by former Finnish President, Martti Ahtisaari.The international military and civilian presence - also envisaged by the Ahtisaari plan - was welcome, the PM said.There should be no fear of discrimination in new Kosovo, he said, vowing to eradicate any such practices.The declaration was signed by all the MPs present.Ode to JoyKosovo's top leaders are due to go to a sports hall later where the Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra is expected to play Beethoven's Ode to Joy.They are also due to sign their names on giant iron letters spelling out the word &quot;newborn&quot; which was to be displayed in Pristina.Albanian musicians in Pristina on 17 February 2008Legal furore over recognitionAnalysis: Anxious BalkansFull text: Kosovo declarationSome ethnic Albanians, who make up the majority of Kosovo's population, earlier laid flowers on the graves of family members killed by Serbian security forces during years of conflict and division.The BBC's Nick Thorpe in Mitrovica says local and UN police, as well as the Nato troops, are maintaining a high profile to reassure all the citizens of Kosovo that they have nothing to fear.LimitationsThe declaration approved by Kosovo's parliament contains limitations on Kosovan independence as outlined in Mr Ahtisaari's plan.Kosovo, or part of it, cannot join any other country. It will be supervised by an international presence. Its armed forces will be limited and it will make strong provisions for Serb minority protection.Recognition by a number of EU states, including the UK and other major countries, will come on Monday after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, says the BBC's Paul Reynolds.The US is also expected to announce its recognition on Monday.Three EU states - Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia - have told other EU governments that they will not recognise Kosovo, says our correspondent.Russia's foreign ministry has indicated that Western recognition of an independent Kosovo could have implications for the Georgian breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.The UN has administered Kosovo since a Nato bombing campaign in 1999 drove out Serb forces.<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Exploiting QuickTime flaws in 'Second Life' | Defense in Depth - computer security, hacking, crime, viruses -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Exploiting_QuickTime_flaws_in_Second_Life__Defense_in_Depth_-_computer_security_hacking_crime_viruses_-/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Exploiting_QuickTime_flaws_in_Second_Life__Defense_in_Depth_-_computer_security_hacking_crime_viruses_-/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:21:28 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Exploiting_QuickTime_flaws_in_Second_Life__Defense_in_Depth_-_computer_security_hacking_crime_viruses_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON--Researchers Charlie Miller of Independent Security Evaluators, and Dino Dai Zovi, turned their attention to Second Life during a Saturday morning presentation at ShmooCon, an East Coast computer hacking conference. The researchers didn't exploit a flaw within Linden Labs' Second Life, but within QuickTime. They showed how an attacker could make money stealing from innocent Second Life victims.Miller and Zovi are both experienced with flaws within Apple products. Miller published the first Apple iPhone flaw shortly after its release. At last year's CanSecWest security conference, Zovi exploited a QuickTime flaw to win a &quot;PWN to Own&quot; hack-a-Mac contest. While Second Life does not install QuickTime, it invites users to install the player if they want to see multimedia files within Second Life.What Miller and Zovi realized is that while direct communication between an attacker and a victim within Second Life passes through the servers at Linden Labs, multimedia objects are actually stored somewhere else. Hence, an object with a multimedia link could inject malicious code. In this case, researchers exploited a recent flaw within RTSP tunneling.For their demonstration, they created &quot;the most evil pink box you will ever see.&quot; They could have linked their malicious code to attributes of an avatar's hair, clothes, or anything else. They also could have buried the pink box underground or otherwise hidden it, but both researchers admitted they weren't very good players within Second Life.Within Second Life they used a property that they own to demonstrate the exploit. Linden Labs sent a representative at the conference and a robot to the virtual demonstration site. The robot held a sign saying Hello to ShmooCon attendees watching the live demo.In the demo, the researchers were able to show that their avatar became infected when it came too near the pink box. The code they used raided the avatar's Linden dollars and emptied the bank account. On the Internet, an attacker can get one dollar for every 275 Linden dollars stolen, so there is a financial incentive to these attacks and other future attacks. The attack demonstrated today works only on the property they own, and for the safety of others they put up signs perimeter that clearly stated a demo of an exploit was in progress.To protect yourself while in Second Life, the researchers suggested either turning off multimedia altogether, or setting the multimedia preference within Second Life not to play streaming video when available, but to ask the user first.<br/><br/>2 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Exclusive: video games meet the China Olympics - Feb. 15, 2008]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Gaming/Exclusive_video_games_meet_the_China_Olympics_-_Feb-_15_2008/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Gaming/Exclusive_video_games_meet_the_China_Olympics_-_Feb-_15_2008/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:19:24 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Gaming/Exclusive_video_games_meet_the_China_Olympics_-_Feb-_15_2008/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Ted Owen, CEO of Santa Monica-based GGL Global Gaming (GGL), has told Fortune he has signed a deal to make video gaming an official welcome event of this summer's Beijing Olympics. A Chinese official confirms it.Chinese organizers are allowing GGL to use a logo that includes the official Olympic rings for branding and promoting a big gaming tournament that coincides with the first four days of next summer's Olympics, to be called The Digital Games. The Games will not be in Beijing but in Shanghai, where Olympic soccer events will be held. As part of the events, GGL will employ a kind of World Cup format in the months leading up to the Olympics, with national playoffs leading to global competition in Shanghai.GGL is a five-year-old Santa Monica-based startup that provides a variety of online services for gaming afficionados, but also organizes a growing array of live gaming events. The Digital Games will be the biggest yet.While the Digital Games won't be a true Olympic event nor will they command anywhere near so much gravity, video gaming recently was declared an official sport by the Chinese government, alongside more physically demanding sports like soccer, pole-vaulting and water polo.The Digital Games will be a promotion for gaming and pure entertainment, in addition to some real competition. Players will include sports and music celebrities like Snoop Dogg as well as both professional and amateur gamers competing in a variety of tournaments. Owen is even trying to recruit Olympic athletes to participate.But for GGL, and apparently for China, video gaming is serious business. &quot;This event will be heavily covered by the media,&quot; says Fong Hong, who is honorary general secretary of the China Internet Gaming Organizing Committee, editor of a large-circulation national technology newspaper called Netizen and an employee of the Chinese Ministry of Information Industries. If he says so, it is likely to be so.Says a very optimistic Owen: &quot;We believe the crowds we'll get will be far larger than for the Olympic games themselves.&quot; The venues, still to be chosen, are likely to be big soccer stadiums - not unusual for gaming competitions in China and elsewhere in Asia. Video gaming is rapidly becoming one of the world's most popular spectator sports, with audiences, especially in Asia, numbering many millions both live and on TV.Owen says portentously that the Digital Games will be &quot;the ultimate elevation of gaming and the culture of gaming to the world stage. We're associating ourselves with the largest mainstream brand in the world, which is the Olympics.&quot; Fong Hong doesn't disagree. &quot;This is historic because it is the first time that video gaming becomes part of the whole Olympic celebration,&quot; he says in a telephone interview from Beijing. &quot;In the long run, we hope that video gaming becomes a formal sport throughout the world. That is the long-term vision.&quot; Mr. Fong says that the government officially counts over 50 million serious video gamers in China alone.This is a breakthrough for little GGL, which has about 100 employees. Though it is dwarfed by IGN, a big gaming and entertainment Web business owned by News Corp. (NWS, Fortune 500), Owen says GGL gets about 12 million unique visitors per month to its Web site. Owen says while IGN reviews games and hardware, GGL is &quot;ESPN meets MySpace for video games.&quot; It connects players in social networks based on what games they play; it sets them up to play together; it delivers content to them in a variety of forms, supported by advertising; and it hosts live gaming events like the one in Shanghai. Members use all the major gaming consoles as well as PC.GGL has been creative in developing online and live gaming properties. For example, it hosts the Hiphop Gaming League, with Snoop Dogg serving as &quot;commissioner.&quot; MTV and BET have broadcast the finals the last two years. GGL has also organized a professional baseball gaming league in a joint venture with Major League Baseball. The Yankees' Johnny Damon is commissioner of that one. (Last year Dogg beat Damon in an online &quot;battle of the commissioners&quot;.) This year GGL will host a virtual baseball season beginning in April, which will lead up to a virtual world series.<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft shuffle leads to many promotions | Beyond Binary - A blog by Ina Fried - CNET News.com]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Microsoft_shuffle_leads_to_many_promotions__Beyond_Binary_-_A_blog_by_Ina_Fried_-_CNET_News-com/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Microsoft_shuffle_leads_to_many_promotions__Beyond_Binary_-_A_blog_by_Ina_Fried_-_CNET_News-com/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:18:19 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Microsoft_shuffle_leads_to_many_promotions__Beyond_Binary_-_A_blog_by_Ina_Fried_-_CNET_News-com/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft made its leadership changes official on Thursday, promoting more than a dozen executives and confirming the departure or pending departure of three top executives.As expected, Windows VP Mike Sievert, online services senior VP Steven Berkowitz, and Windows Mobile head Pieter Knook are all leaving the company. Knook is heading to a new post at Vodafone, Sievert plans to start his own company, and Berkowitz will stay at Microsoft through August, as his duties transition to other executives.Microsoft promoted several executives to fill the departures. Bill Veghte moves from VP to senior vice president and adds responsibility for the business strategy for Windows, Windows Live, MSN, and search. Satya Nadella gets a similar title bump and adds programming and engineering oversight for MSN to his search-related responsibilities. Collectively, Vegthe, Nadella and former Aquantive CEO Brian McAndrews will take over Berkowitz's duties.Filling Knook's role is Andy Lees, who becomes senior vice president of the mobile communications business. The move represents Lees' first mobile-related duties during his long tenure at Microsoft.Brad Brooks, formerly a general manager in the Windows unit, will take over as head of consumer marketing for the operating system, assuming Sievert's responsibilities.Roz Ho, former head of Microsoft's Mac unit, will become a corporate VP and lead the Danger team once Microsoft completes that acquisition. Microsoft's press release also notes that Ho will continue in her stealth role leading &quot;various consumer-focused premium mobile offerings in mobile communications.&quot;A Microsoft representative would not offer any further details, but ZDNet blogger Mary Jo Foley notes that Ho has been leading a project known as Pink and Purple aimed at bringing Zune experiences over to Windows Mobile.Steve Guggenheimer, who had been in application platform marketing, becomes a corporate VP, heading Microsoft's relationships with computer makers.Developer unit head S. Somasegar and Office executives Chris Capossela, Kurt DelBene, and Antoine Leblond each become senior VPs, but maintain largely their same responsibilities, with four other executives adding the VP title.<br/><br/>2 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Apple upgrades Aperture ambitions to 2.0 | Underexposed -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Apple_upgrades_Aperture_ambitions_to_2-0__Underexposed_-/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Apple_upgrades_Aperture_ambitions_to_2-0__Underexposed_-/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:17:04 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Apple_upgrades_Aperture_ambitions_to_2-0__Underexposed_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[That, loosely paraphrased, is what some Aperture customers had been asking after Apple went too long without updating its higher-end photo editing and cataloging software. It got to the point where some were plotting strategies on Apple forums about how to flee to Adobe Systems' rival Photoshop Lightroom software with their photo metadata intact.On Tuesday, though, Apple came back with the new Aperture 2.0, a version that addressed many common gripes, caught up with Lightroom in several important respects, and signaled that the company hasn't lost interest in the market. On the contrary, a price cut to $199 from $299--also Lightroom's current price--shows Apple wants to expand Aperture's use.Apple's Aperture is used to edit and catalog photos.(Credit: Apple)&quot;There's huge interest from the hobbyist market,&quot; said Joe Schorr, Apple's senior product manager of photo applications. &quot;It was clear this was the right price to make that more palatable to them.&quot;He said Apple's October 2007 market research showed 54 percent of iPhoto users thought of themselves not as mere snapshooters but rather as photo hobbyists, some serious enough to aspire to sell photos. Apple is trying to bring those customers into the fold while also catering to the professionals whom the company initially targeted with Aperture.Schorr bridled a bit when I asked him Wednesday about some people's fears that Apple isn't committed to Aperture. &quot;Releasing a new version is as big a commitment as you can demonstrate,&quot; he said. &quot;This is not a maintenance release. It takes quite a bit of engineering resources. Apple's commitment is unmistakable.&quot;Aperture is designed to edit the detailed and flexible but unwieldy and proprietary &quot;raw&quot; image files taken unprocessed from higher-end cameras' image sensors. Apple was first to market with software that not only handles this computing-intensive editing task but also lets photographers sort images into catalogs and add metadata such as captions, tags, and titles.However, since then, Adobe came on strong with Lightroom in 2007, outpacing Aperture's adoption among professionals in a matter of months, even after factoring out the fact Lightroom also runs on Windows. Apple has clout with creative professionals, but that's the center of Adobe's business.Whipping Aperture into shapeSchnorr knows the company hit a rough patch with Aperture 1.5, which wasn't able to support many high-profile new cameras such as Nikon's D3 and D300 and Canon's 1Ds Mark III and PowerShot G9. Apple's new raw support only arrived this week, months after Lightroom could handle those cameras' raw files.The problem: Apple's product cycle was out of sync with the camera companies. The new cameras &quot;happened to hit when we were in the thick of replacing the entire raw engine...It was a perfect storm,&quot; Schnorr said.Another big problem was performance. Processing raw-image files is a computationally onerous job, but Lightroom outperformed Aperture, and speed is essential for either to meet their potentially.With the ability to manage images, edit them in large batches, and export them as Web galleries, Aperture and Lightroom have liberated raw images from the one-by-one plodding interface of regular Photoshop and other raw-processing tools. The vision was ahead of the technology, though: a free-wheeling editing style, jumping from one photo to another, only works if you don't have to spend a lot of time waiting for the computer to laboriously construct and update images from the raw originals.Apple has done well with Aperture 2.0, based on my test of ingesting and editing a batch of my own photos on a dual-core iMac. On top of a general performance boost, it's got a new preview mode that specifically emphasizes speed by using only fast-rendering JPEGs instead of the full-on raw images. Lightroom and Aperture are geared to map a photographer's image workflow, but I generally take an extra step to review images with BreezeBrowser to cull out the duds before I import the rest into Lightroom.I also liked the single-keystroke ability to switch editing controls swiftly into metadata controls. I find that adding tags and captions is a process that's not as far removed from editing as Lightroom's separate library and develop modes would have you think.I'm not alone in noticing Aperture's kick in the pants. &quot;I feel like someone snuck a new CPU into my machine,&quot; gushed photographer Josh Anon in a Wednesday blog posting about Aperture 2.0.Plug-ins ahoyOne of the unknown factors for Lightroom and Aperture is what the future holds for third-party editing plug-ins. Photoshop has a rich supply, but the nondestructive editing requirements of Lightroom and Aperture throw a wrench into the works of an algorithm that permanently alters an image's pixels.Lightroom's future here is fuzzy, though Adobe has released a beta version of a software development kit (SDK) for plug-ins limited to actions during the photo-export phase.<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: PlayStation 3 could be top-selling next-gen console by 2011 | Geek Gestalt - A blog by Daniel Terdiman -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Gaming/Report_PlayStation_3_could_be_top-selling_next-gen_console_by_2011__Geek_Gestalt_-_A_blog_by_Daniel_Terdiman_-/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Gaming/Report_PlayStation_3_could_be_top-selling_next-gen_console_by_2011__Geek_Gestalt_-_A_blog_by_Daniel_Terdiman_-/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:15:14 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Gaming/Report_PlayStation_3_could_be_top-selling_next-gen_console_by_2011__Geek_Gestalt_-_A_blog_by_Daniel_Terdiman_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[For more than a year, the whole world has seen Sony's PlayStation 3 get its rear handed to it by Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360.But if a three-year forecast from market research firm iSuppli is to be believed, the PS3 could out pace both the Wii and the Xbox by 2011.Since its release in November 2006, the Wii has been the most successful of the next-gen consoles, far eclipsing Microsoft's Xbox 360 and leaving the PS3 in the dust.But because the Xbox had a full year's head start on both the Wii or the PS3, it still had the overall sales lead.Now, however, that lead looks imperiled, and according to a report in Information Week, the Wii could soon become the overall sales leader among the three consoles.The article cited market research firm iSuppli as determining that by the end of 2008, the Wii will have sold a total of 30.2 million units, 17.5 percent higher than the projected 25.7 million Xboxes Microsoft will have sold.But the really interesting news in the iSuppli report is a forecast that by 2011, the PS3 could be the top console. The research firm predicted that by the end of 2011, the PS3 could have sold 38.4 million units, while the Wii might be in second place at 37.7 million.Of course, three-year forecasts have about as much chance of being right in electronics as predictions of who will win the World Series in three years.Still, for anyone to put their name to a forecast that the PS3 could emerge from its doldrums is actually quite noteworthy. And for me, it's a hint of future validation since in the fall of 2006, I wrote a story suggesting that the PS3 would be the eventual winner of the next-gen console wars.Shortly thereafter, of course, that suggestion made me look rather foolish when Sony's much-publicized problems with production and overpricing got the PS3 off to an extremely poor start. And with the surprise success of the Wii, my prediction looked even more foolish, even though Sony said from day one that it views its consoles as 10-year plays.And of course, iSuppli's forecast could be just as far off base as mine was. But the fact that it is willing to make such a prognostication here, in 2008, is gratifying. Even if it's a bit mystifying.<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Flash drives ready to jump in capacity | Nanotech: The Circuits Blog -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Flash_drives_ready_to_jump_in_capacity__Nanotech_The_Circuits_Blog_-/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Flash_drives_ready_to_jump_in_capacity__Nanotech_The_Circuits_Blog_-/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:14:14 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Flash_drives_ready_to_jump_in_capacity__Nanotech_The_Circuits_Blog_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In the wake of a series of technical announcements from flash memory supplier SanDisk, larger-capacity solid-state drives are on the way.SanDisk 72GB solid state driveSanDisk 72GB solid state drive(Credit: SanDisk)Flash memory is gaining as a replacement for hard drives in ultra-thin, ultra-small notebooks such as the MacBook Air and Asus Eee PC. Why? Flash uses less power, generates less heat, and has faster access times than hard drives. The Air, for example, offers a 64GB flash-based SSD as an option while the Eee PC is sold standard with flash storage.There is a big catch, though. High-capacity SSDs are expensive. Prohibitively so. The flash drive in the pricier $3,098 Air is the main culprit in the gaping $1,300 price difference with the lower-cost hard-drive model ($1,799).Update: Historically, flash memory has had limited write cycles. That is, flash can eventually &quot;wear out&quot; after hundreds of thousands of write cycles--though firmware that spreads the write over different sectors can extend the write cycles. It remains to be seen if this is an issue with SSDs used in the newest notebooks such as the Air.The low power and high speed, however, make a flash drive almost irresistible for some users. A SanDisk SSD 1.8-inch drive achieves a sustained read rate of 66MB/sec and a random read rate of over 7,000 inputs/outputs per second for a 512-byte transfer, many times the speed of a hard drive--which must move an arm across a spinning platter to find data, the so-called seek time of a hard drive.SanDisk will not discuss future pricing but as larger-capacity SSDs hit the market, prices are certain to fall. And eventually these will be steep price drops. For example, an 8GB SanDisk flash card now sells for about $80 at resellers. A few years ago consumers would have paid this much (or more) for a 1GB drive. (And a 1GB card was originally priced at $500 in 2004!)SanDisk and Toshiba will start making flash memory on a new 43-nanometer manufacturing process that will result in SSDs later this year with capacities that should approach those of today's mainstream 2.5-inch hard drives, ranging between 120GB and 160GB.The two companies recently achieved 32-gigabit (Gb) density, according to Khandker N. Quader, SanDisk's senior vice president of flash memory design and product development. The 32Gb die combined with multilevel cell (MLC) technology--which uses multiple levels per cell to allow more bits to be stored--&quot;doubles the SSD capacity points,&quot; Quader said in a written response to questions.Flash based on &quot;X3&quot; technology is another new development, Quader said. &quot;This is an important milestone (and) allows us to do 3bits/cell as opposed to 2bits/cell thereby providing improved manufacturing efficiency,&quot; he said. &quot;So a combination of technology scaling (i.e., 56nm to 43nm) and the bit scaling (i.e. 2bits/cell to 3bits/cell) is extremely powerful for manufacturing efficiency and for increasing capacities of flash memories.&quot;But there are challenges. Moving to X3 can affect performance. &quot;One very important point to take into consideration is that X3 is not a simple memory to manage,&quot; Quader said. &quot;This is the first generation X3. We expect this to evolve in 2008.&quot;SanDisk has also developed a 43nm 16Gb MLC for MicroSD, according to Quader. MicroSD is a tiny flash chip used in mobile phones. The new technology will double the capacity of current 8GB MicroSD, he said.<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Secret recipe inside Intel's latest competitor |]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Secret_recipe_inside_Intels_latest_competitor_/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Secret_recipe_inside_Intels_latest_competitor_/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:12:55 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Technology/Secret_recipe_inside_Intels_latest_competitor_/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It works like an Intel chip, but looks like the Cell processor.That's one way of describing the energy-efficient multiple core processors being devised by secretive Montalvo Systems. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company has come up with a design for a chip for portable computers and devices that--when finished and manufactured--will theoretically be capable of running the same software as chips from Intel or Advanced Micro Devices.Montalvo's chips, however, will fundamentally differ from the latest Core or Opteron processors from Intel and AMD in that the cores on its chip won't be symmetrical, i.e. identical to each other. Instead, Montalvo's chips will sport a mix of high-performance cores and lower-performance cores on the same piece of silicon, similar to the Cell chip devised by IBM, Toshiba, and Sony, according to sources close to the company.By merging asymmetrical cores onto the same piece of silicon, Montalvo can cut power consumption by dishing applications that don't require a lot of computing firepower onto less-powerful, more energy-efficient cores. Applications could conceivably also be shuttled to low-power cores after their need for high-performance elapses: Microsoft Outlook, for instance, requires a burst of performance during the launch phase but far less once it's running.Asymmetrical cores can also provide better performance on applications such as video if programmed for that purpose, say proponents of the architecture. The Cell processor became the first chip to successfully champion this idea. The Cell consists of a primary microprocessor core and an array of &quot;synergistic processing elements&quot; that can be programmed to perform discrete tasks like managing networking or video streaming.Cell chips have primarily been used inside Sony's PlayStation 3, but IBM has inserted Cell chips in some server blades. Toshiba plans to put the chip inside TVs and may put it inside PCs. (While the initial Cell comes with eight synergistic cores, chips can be made with fewer.) Mercury Computer Systems has also adopted Cell for some computers.Montalvo has not stated whether it has adopted an asymmetrical core to save power, boost performance on media applications, or both. In fact, the company doesn't say anything at all. The closest it has come to a public statement are shirts handed out to employees saying that the company can't say what it is up to. Montalvo declined to comment for this story.The somewhat different, asymmetrical nature of Montalvo's chip in part helps explain why investors have put more than $73 million into the Sisyphean task of taking on Intel. Montalvo wants to land its chips into all sorts of portable computers: notebooks, handheld devices such as the OQO, and ornate smartphones. Several companies, however, have tried this and failed because of the daunting nature of trying to compete against Intel. Cyrix, Transmeta, Rise--none of them ever lived up to its advance billing. Only AMD has survived, and AMD has lost more money that it has made in its 30-year plus existence.Now on News.comWeek in review: Yahoo snubs Microsoft Newsmaker: Rockets, sports cars, and solar power Crave: It's the gear you've gotta see Extra: Nanoscanning: We can see atoms nowMontalvo is funded by people who've tangled or been entangled with Intel before too. NEA-IndoUS's Vinod Dham, who sits on Montalvo's board, was one of Intel's chief chip architects during the Pentium era. He then went to NexGen, which designed an Intel-compatible chip, and then AMD when it bought NexGen.Montalvo's CEO is Matt Perry, who also served as chief executive of Transmeta, which once tried to take on Intel in notebooks but now largely concentrates on technology licensing. Peter Song, Montalvo's chief architect, earlier founded a company called MemoryLogix, which tried to build low-power Intel-compatible chips. Other current and former employees include Greg Favor (formerly of NexGen and AMD) and Mike Yamamura. (CNET Networks blogger Peter Glaskowsky is chief systems architect for Montalvo and is listed as a co-inventor on two published Montalvo patent applications, but he was not involved in any way in this story. CNET is the publisher of News.com.)<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Left on the Plane: My Palm Treo 700p : Ben Patterson :]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Lifestyle/Left_on_the_Plane_My_Palm_Treo_700p__Ben_Patterson_/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Lifestyle/Left_on_the_Plane_My_Palm_Treo_700p__Ben_Patterson_/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:11:03 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>Lifestyle</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Lifestyle/Left_on_the_Plane_My_Palm_Treo_700p__Ben_Patterson_/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I'd just landed at New York's LaGuardia Airport after a long week at CESI was tired, cranky, and anxious to get home. If only I'd taken a last look at the seat-back pocket before I walked off the plane...It actually took me a few days to realize my Treo 700p was missing; my iPhone is my everyday phone, and I only use my Treo for business calls and as a wireless modem on my MacBook Pro. Looking back, I remember futzing with it before takeoff on the plane back to New York, and I probably stuck it in the seat-back pocket in front of me...and left it there.Leaving a gadget on the plane is getting to be a pretty common occurrence, especially as more and more of us juggle multiple devices while we travel. The New York Times had an interesting story about lost (and, as the story notes, rarely found) gadgets in planes, taxis, and hotel rooms, and I've even blogged about the plight of a Shiny Shiny editor who left her iPod, complete with 3,000 songs, on a plane in (you guessed it) the seat-back pocket. Unfortunately, the chances of getting my Treo back look pretty slim. I visited Continental.com and filled out a form with my flight number, seat assignment, and a description of my phone. The site says that Continental baggage agents will keep on the lookout for 30 days; if they find it, I'll get a call, but if not, I probably won't hear back.Of course, I was also worried that someone might happen upon my Treo and start burning through minutes and plowing through my e-mail accounts (luckily, I don't have much in the way of personal documents on my phone). A quick call to Sprint eased my mind; the representative turned off my Treo's voice and Internet access, and I also learned that the phone hadn't been used since I'd lost it. Phew. That said, I'll have to continue paying my Sprint bill.So, what's the moral of the story? Make sure to check that seat-back pocket (or back seat of the cab, or the drawers in your hotel room) for loose gadgets before you go on your way. If you've already walked off the plane and realize you've left a gadget behind, you'll have better luck if you're still in the security area, the Times notes; once you go past the security checkpoint, good luck getting back in. If you've definitely lost your phone, call your carrier and ask them to shut off your phone's voice and Internet service, pronto. And if you haven't lost your smartphone yet, engage the password lock (look under your security settings); that way, if you lose your phone, your private info will be (somewhat) protected.Finally, there's the question of cell phone insuranceis it worth it? Depends; a $500 Treo might be worth the $5/month insurance fee, although as this MSNBC.com story notes, there may be a deductible ($50), and in the case of a lost phone, you might be facing a long wait between filing a claim and getting a replacement (which may be used or a different model altogether).Anyone else out there lose a cell phone (or another gadget) on a plane? Tell us your story.<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Vanity plate sold for $14 million in UAE -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Vanity_plate_sold_for_14_million_in_UAE_-/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Vanity_plate_sold_for_14_million_in_UAE_-/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:09:06 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>World &amp; Business</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Vanity_plate_sold_for_14_million_in_UAE_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - A license plate with nothing but the number &quot;1&quot; on it went for a record $14 million at a charity auction Saturday.ADVERTISEMENTSaeed Khouri, a member of a wealthy Abu Dhabi family, wouldn't say how many automobiles he owned or which of them might carry the record-breaking single-digit plate.&quot;I bought it because it's the best number,&quot; said Khouri, whose family made its fortune in real estate. &quot;I bought it because I want to be the best in the world.&quot;The oil-rich UAE began auctioning off vanity license plates last May.Ordinary automobile license plates issued to drivers here  and even most other vanity series plates  carry both Arabic and Western numerals and script, defining the issuing city and country.Khouri's plate, however, has only the Western numeral and no letters.The record sale surpassed the $6.8 million that was paid for an Emirati license plate at an earlier auction with the Western number 5 on it  also without Arabic numerals or letters.Proceeds from the auctions, which are held in a lavish hotel here, go to a rehabilitation center for victims of traffic accidents.On Saturday, 90 license plates were auctioned off in all, raising a total of $24 million. The previous five such events raised more than $50 million.<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Britain Nationalizes Northern Rock: Financial]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Britain_Nationalizes_Northern_Rock_Financial/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Britain_Nationalizes_Northern_Rock_Financial/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:06:56 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>World &amp; Business</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Britain_Nationalizes_Northern_Rock_Financial/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LONDON (AP) -- Treasury chief Alistair Darling said Sunday struggling bank Northern Rock PLC will be nationalized, after the government rejected two private takeover bids.Darling told a news conference that the ailing mortgage lender would be placed under temporary public ownership because both bids had failed to meet the government's criteria for protecting taxpayers.ADVERTISEMENT&quot;The new board and the company will operate at arm's length from the government, with complete commercial autonomy for their decisions,&quot; Darling said.He said Prime Minister Gordon Brown had agreed nationalization was the best solution available.&quot;Under the approach we are taking, the taxpayer will see its outstanding loans to Northern Rock repaid in full, with interest -- and that the business can be returned to the private sector as financial markets stabilize,&quot; he told the news conference.He said neither of two private proposals -- from Richard Branson's Virgin Group and an in-house bid from the bank's management team -- &quot;delivered sufficient value for money to the taxpayer.&quot;The government had said more than 25 billion pounds ($49 billion) in government loans must be paid back within three years.Darling said the two private proposals involved risks for taxpayers and very significant government subsidy. Both also involved bidders paying below the market rate while the government continued to provide guarantees and financing.Branson criticized the government's decision to nationalize the bank.&quot;We believe nationalization is not the right answer and that a commercial solution would have been the best way forward,&quot; Branson said in a statement.Northern Rock ran into trouble in September because it relied too heavily on short-term money markets instead of deposits for funding. A subsequent profit warning and appeal to the Bank of England for an emergency loan led to the first run on a British bank since 1866.The government had been in the middle of an auction process to find a private buyer for Northern Rock, with revised bids submitted this weekend by Virgin and the in-house management team.Darling had a deadline of March 17 to choose between the bids and nationalization. That is the date when he must submit a restructuring plan to the European Union for state aid approval.Before markets open on Monday, authorities were expected to announce the company's shares will be suspended, Darling said.Darling said he will announce to Parliament on Monday afternoon legislation enabling the government to acquire the bank's shares and assets. An independent valuer will determine what the government must pay for the company.Darling said the legislation was drafted to ensure a bank can only be acquired in certain tightly defined circumstances -- and that power will only last for 12 months.Corporate troubleshooter Ron Sandler has been appointed executive chairman of the newly nationalized bank, Darling said. He was due to travel to the bank's headquarters in Newcastle, northern England, on Monday to meet with the bank's employees and management.An ex-head of Lloyd's of London insurers, Sandler is regarded as close to Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He also has previously helped the Treasury on pension policies.Sandler told reporters that he expected the bank to be slimmed down to a &quot;more sustainable size,&quot; but declined to comment on possible job cuts.AP reporter D'Arcy Doran in London contributed to this report.<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Russia denounces Kosovo independence bid -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Russia_denounces_Kosovo_independence_bid_-/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Russia_denounces_Kosovo_independence_bid_-/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:05:27 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>atanas1054</dc:creator>
<category>World &amp; Business</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Russia_denounces_Kosovo_independence_bid_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[MOSCOW - Russia denounced Kosovo's declaration of independence from its ally Serbia on Sunday and called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.ADVERTISEMENTKosovo's parliament approved a declaration of independence from Serbia, backed by the U.S. and European allies but bitterly contested by Serbia and Russia.The Foreign Ministry said Russia supports Serbia's &quot;just demands to restore the country's territorial integrity&quot; and wants the Security Council to renew efforts to reach a settlement on the issue of Kosovo's status.Kosovo's independence declaration violates Serbia's sovereignty and the U.N. Charter and threatens &quot;the escalation of tension and ethnic violence in the region, a new conflict in the Balkans,&quot; the ministry said in a statement. It warned other nations against &quot;supporting separatism&quot; by recognizing Kosovo.Kosovo has formally remained a part of Serbia even though it has been administered by the U.N. and NATO since 1999, when NATO airstrikes ended former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists.Russia has stressed its opposition to any decision on Kosovo's status that is not accepted by Serbia. It has warned that recognition of Kosovo by the United States and other nations would encourage separatists in the former Soviet Union, across Europe and around the world.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov echoed the ministry statement in comments on state-run Vesti-24 television. He called Kosovo's declaration an &quot;illegitimate act&quot; and said Russia supports what he called Serbia's pledges to struggle in a constructive way to keep its borders intact.&quot;All possible international mechanisms, first of all the United Nations and its Security Council&quot; would be called upon to address the issue,&quot; Peskov said.He said Russia would closely monitor the response of other countries to the declaration.<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Lefty withstands an ace to keep the lead at Riviera - Golf]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Lefty_withstands_an_ace_to_keep_the_lead_at_Riviera_-_Golf/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Lefty_withstands_an_ace_to_keep_the_lead_at_Riviera_-_Golf/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:45:07 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>miat</dc:creator>
<category>Sports</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Lefty_withstands_an_ace_to_keep_the_lead_at_Riviera_-_Golf/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Phil Mickelson learned as junior golfer to never underestimate anyone, no matter the size of his lead or the pedigree of his opponent.And while the odds of Lefty finally winning in L.A. looked good as ever Saturday at the Northern Trust, where he shot a 1-under 70 for a one-shot lead over Jeff Quinney, two holes showed how much work remains to add Riviera to his West Coast collection of trophies.One came at the fabled par-3 sixth, where Quinney hit a 7-iron that he thought was headed for the bunker in the middle of the green, only to land just to the right and roll back into the cup for an ace. The other came at the end of the third round when Quinney holed a 35-foot birdie putt to close the margin to one stroke.&quot;If the guy is good enough to be in the last group, he's obviously playing well enough to win,&quot; Mickelson said. &quot;I know that I won't be handed anything tomorrow. I know how well Jeff is playing. And I know that there are guys that are right there and can shoot a low round tomorrow. It's my job to go out and hit solid shots.&quot;Mickelson was at 11-under 202, and Quinney might be the only guy he has to worry about.John Rollins lost momentum with consecutive bogeys and shot 69, leaving him five shots behind. Scott Verplank overcame a four-putt from 30 feet on the fringe at the par-5 first for a 71 that put him at 208, along with Stuart Appleby (69) and Vaughn Taylor (71).<br/><br/>2 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[NCAA Basketball - Memphis Tigers/UAB Blazers Recap Saturday February 16, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/NCAA_Basketball_-_Memphis_TigersUAB_Blazers_Recap_Saturday_February_16_2008_-_Yahoo_Sports/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/NCAA_Basketball_-_Memphis_TigersUAB_Blazers_Recap_Saturday_February_16_2008_-_Yahoo_Sports/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:44:23 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>miat</dc:creator>
<category>Sports</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/NCAA_Basketball_-_Memphis_TigersUAB_Blazers_Recap_Saturday_February_16_2008_-_Yahoo_Sports/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Chris Douglas-Roberts and No. 1 Memphis made the shot that counted, then watched UAB hit the one that didn't.The result was a down-to-the-wire scare and a still-perfect record.Douglas-Roberts converted a three-point play with 6.5 seconds left and the Blazers' final basket was a split-second too late, giving the Tigers a 79-78 win Saturday night.ADVERTISEMENTMemphis left with its 44-game regular-season and 34-game league winning streaks barely intact, and with Douglas-Roberts' main focal point: A win.&quot;The winning streak wasn't in my mind at all,&quot; said Douglas-Roberts, who scored 32 points. &quot;It was just winning the game. That's all I was thinking about.&quot;After Douglas-Roberts made his shot, the Blazers' Robert Vaden missed badly on an off-balance 3-point attempt and Lawrence Kinnard grabbed the long rebound. He heaved up a shot in the paint that went in, and officials promptly headed to the scorer's table to watch replays.They ruled with only a brief double-check that Kinnard didn't get the shot off in time. He already knew it.&quot;When I got the rebound, I looked up and saw that the (shot clock) light was red,&quot; Kinnard said. &quot;I was hoping and praying they might give it to us, but I knew it was too late.&quot;It wasn't the last scary scene for Memphis players. Several had angry exchanges with UAB fans who rushed the court celebrating what they thought was a win. Then the Tigers (25-0, 11-0 Conference USA) were quickly herded to their locker room.&quot;They thought the shot had counted so they wanted to get on the court,&quot; said Memphis' Robert Dozier, who had eight rebounds. &quot;They stormed on the court and they realized the time had expired and they got kind of mad. They started spitting at us and stuff. Guys got kind of heated. We got out of there.&quot;UAB (17-8, 7-3) is the last CUSA team to beat Memphis, 715 days earlier.Joey Dorsey, the league's top rebounder, had just one point and two rebounds. Antonio Anderson added 27 points and four 3-pointers for the Tigers. He and Douglas-Roberts combined to make 22 shots, the rest of the team just six.The tune was the same at the end.The Tigers missed nine consecutive shots before Anderson's 3-pointer from the corner cut the deficit 77-73 with 1:22 left. After a UAB miss, Douglas-Roberts drilled a 3 with 38 seconds remaining to trim the deficit to one point.With 15 seconds left, Vaden then made one of two free throws to set up the final sequences. Douglas-Roberts spun and hit an 8-footer over Vaden, who fouled him.&quot;I got as deep as I could in the lane, made a spin move and just hit it off the glass,&quot; Douglas-Roberts said. &quot;He was in my face, but I pretty much knew I could make the shot.&quot;Vaden, who scored 27 points and hit four 3s, wasn't so sure.&quot;I felt he traveled,&quot; said Vaden, who missed the previous game with a groin injury. &quot;I got off-balance, but I didn't think I touched him.&quot;His coach wasn't interested in debating the officiating.&quot;We can't complain about calls,&quot; Mike Davis said. &quot;If we did, I'd be 90 years old. Once it's over it's over and we can't get it back.&quot;Memphis coach John Calipari said he had initially called for the ball to go to Derrick Rose, who was struggling to a 2-of-13, six-point performance. He said assistant coach John Robic suggested running the &quot;pistol&quot; play to Douglas-Roberts instead.&quot;We ran it to let Chris turn that corner with the middle pick and roll and he just kept going,&quot; Calipari said. &quot;That's his game. He wants that basketball.&quot;Douglas-Roberts knew Vaden would also want UAB's last shot.&quot;We double-teamed him at the end, and I didn't think he really wanted to pass the ball at the end of the game,&quot; he said. &quot;I don't blame him with the type of game he had.&quot;Memphis native Kinnard added 19 points and 11 boards for the Blazers, who shot 57 percent and made 20-of-22 free throws.The Tigers tied Texas' 1913-17 teams for the eighth-best regular-season winning streak at 44 games. They did it in style, too.&quot;Anybody watching that, either here or on television, had to say what a great game that was,&quot; Calipari said. &quot;Every team we play comes out with a special level of inspiration. The close games we've had we've held the other team to 36 or 37 percent shooting. UAB pretty much had its way with us offensively.&quot;Memphis had hit just 3-of-12 free throws over the final 8:51 before Douglas-Roberts' make at the end.The Tigers had trailed by two points at the half for the second straight game, and responded again.<br/><br/>2 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Tony Stewart wins season-opening Nationwide race at Daytona as Gibbs Racing finishes 1-2 - NASCAR -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Tony_Stewart_wins_season-opening_Nationwide_race_at_Daytona_as_Gibbs_Racing_finishes_1-2_-_NASCAR_-/</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:43:40 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>miat</dc:creator>
<category>Sports</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Tony_Stewart_wins_season-opening_Nationwide_race_at_Daytona_as_Gibbs_Racing_finishes_1-2_-_NASCAR_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[AYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- The payback was perfect. Tony Stewart turned the tables on Hendrick Motorsports to win the Nationwide Series opener.Now, if only he can do it again Sunday.Stewart and teammate Kyle Busch finished 1-2 Saturday, combining to hold off Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished third.The Joe Gibbs Racing teammates showed they have learned some important lessons about cooperation from the drivers at Hendrick, the team that fired Busch to make room for Earnhardt Jr.``We worked with each other the whole race. That's something that, you know, we've learned that from (those) guys,'' Stewart said. ``And it just shows if you get two of these guys to work with each other, Kyle and I can. I think Kyle and I could have stayed up front all day no matter how many guys challenged.''That will be tested in the 500 and the expected showdown between Hendrick and Gibbs.ADVERTISEMENTIt will be Stewart, Busch and Denny Hamlin, who won his Daytona qualifying race Thursday, against Hendrick's all-star cast of Earnhardt, two-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears.Earnhardt, Daytona pole-winner Johnson and Gordon are all former 500 winners. Gibbs' drivers still are looking for that first win in NASCAR's biggest event.But Earnhardt Jr.'s convinced Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing are for real.``The Toyota has been fast,'' said Junior, who had his string of Speedweeks victories ended at two. ``Those guys, you know, got knowledge to get cars around the track, know how to get to Victory Lane. They're going to be tough, I think, all year.''Joe Gibbs Racing switched from Chevrolets to Toyotas over the winter, giving the Japanese automaker a marquee team for its second season on the Sprint Cup and Nationwide circuits.Stewart and Busch put on a good show Saturday, leading 93 of the 120 laps.``This car was just fast,'' said Stewart, who finished second in both the Budweiser Shootout and his 150-mile qualifying race earlier in Daytona's Speedweeks. ``It just had so much speed.''The field got strung out early in the race, but the last 20 laps were a wild, two- and three-wide melee that included a nine-car crash on lap 111 that took out Cup stars Kasey Kahne and Kevin Harvick.Brian Vickers, in another Toyota, took the lead from the two Gibbs cars with five laps to go, but Stewart shuffled back into the top spot on the next lap, with Earnhardt shooting out of the pack in close pursuit.Tony Stewart, left, celebrates in Victory Lane with teammate Kyle Busch after Stewart's win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series' Camping World 300 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008.AP - Feb 16, 4:20 pm ESTMore Photos``It was fun,'' said Earnhardt, whose No. 5 Nationwide team likely will be penalized next week after NASCAR confiscated its rear spoiler Thursday for illegal modifications. ``We did what we had to do. We got a great finish. Those two guys -- they were tight all weekend, really fast, and worked great together in the draft as teammates.''Busch moved back to second on lap 119, with a push from Martin Truex Jr., and Stewart, with his flank well protected, raced on to a three car-length victory.Busch dismissed a report that Truex had complained that he was blocked.``What else you going to do, man? Shoot, he's pushing me through the tri-oval wanting to spin me out,'' Busch said. ``So I'm sorry I saved it and kept it in front of him. Grow up, bud. What do you want me to do, pull over?''Busch, who also finished second in the trucks race, is hoping to improve his finish Sunday.``If I win tomorrow, I'm going to be the happiest man alive, that's for sure,'' Busch said. ``That's what I've been saving my wind for this week.''Said Earnhardt: ``Good luck.''<br/><br/>2 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hawks send 4 players to Kings for point guard Bibby - NBA -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Hawks_send_4_players_to_Kings_for_point_guard_Bibby_-_NBA_-/</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:43:03 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>miat</dc:creator>
<category>Sports</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Hawks_send_4_players_to_Kings_for_point_guard_Bibby_-_NBA_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[TLANTA (AP) -- The Atlanta Hawks are trying balance out their backcourt and make a playoff push by bringing in Mike Bibby.Hawks coach Mike Woodson said Bibby, acquired from the Sacramento Kings for four players on Saturday, will provide scoring help for Joe Johnson. Atlanta's All-Star shooting guard often faces gimmick defenses because he's the team's only outside shooting threat.&quot;There's another option now,&quot; Woodson said. &quot;It'll be like a one-two punch in the backcourt.&quot;Bibby has averaged 16.7 points for his career and is making more than 36 percent of his 3-point shots for the ninth straight year.The Hawks sent starting point guard Anthony Johnson, 2007 first-round pick Shelden Williams, backup point guard Tyronn Lue, veteran forward Lorenzen Wright and a 2008 second-round pick to the Kings.The Hawks, in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and percentage points behind the eighth and final playoff spot, are trying to make the postseason for the first time since 1999.ADVERTISEMENTWoodson and Michael Gearon Jr., one of the team's owners, were pleased the team did not have to touch its core of promising young players to acquire Bibby.&quot;We've still got Marvin (Williams) and Josh Smith and Josh Childress; we were able to keep the core group together, along with Al Horford and Zaza (Pachulia),&quot; Woodson said.The trade is pending league approval and physicals.Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche said Bibby is expected to join the team in Los Angeles on Monday, where he will have his physical. The Hawks play at the Lakers on Tuesday night and play at the Kings on Wednesday night.Bibby, a 10-year veteran, missed the start of the season with a thumb injury but is averaging 13.5 points and 5.0 assists in 15 games.&quot;I want to thank Mike for his terrific all-around play,&quot; Kings president Geoff Petrie said in a statement. &quot;He's had a great run here as a King and has participated in and contributed to some great moments on the court and I wish him all the best.&quot;With Bibby gone, the Kings have cut almost all ties to their highly successful teams of the early part of this decade.Bibby came to the Kings from the Vancouver Grizzlies in a trade before the 2001-02 season and helped Sacramento reach the Western Conference finals that season, establishing himself as a go-to-guy late in games.With Bibby, Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac, coach Rick Adelman's Kings were one of the best and most entertaining teams in the NBA for five seasons, but they never reached the .Sacramento Kings guard Mike Bibby stands on the court as time runs out in the Denver Nuggets' 120-115 victory over the Kings in an NBA basketball game in Denver in this April 4, 2007 file photo. Atlanta Hawks owner Michael Gearon Jr. said Saturday. Feb. 16, 2008 that the Hawks will send four players to the Kings in exchange for Bibby.AP - Feb 16, 4:38 pm ESTMore PhotosNow the Kings are in the midst of a major rebuilding project. They're 23-28 at the All-Star break and have no need for a 29-year-old point guard.Gearon said his team's new backcourt of Bibby and Joe Johnson &quot;will be as good as any in the East.&quot;&quot;I think Bibby will be one of the top three point guards in the East,&quot; Gearon said.&quot;He's capable of going one-on-one, hitting clutch shots, breaking defenses and leading this team.&quot;Bibby is making about $13.5 million this season and will earn $14 million in 2008-09.&quot;From our standpoint it's a big commitment financially and one we feel good about,&quot; Gearon said. &quot;We've got a guy to take a lot of pressure off Joe, and he's a leader. We're excited about getting him in a Hawks uniform.&quot;By trading Anthony Johnson and Lue, the Hawks also are committing to rookie point guard Acie Law, who should receive more consistent playing time as Bibby's backup.&quot;I think it's a good move or us to get a guy who's run a team for many years,&quot; said Woodson of Bibby. &quot;It's an opportunity to start fresh in Atlanta, for a different team, and put a stamp on our team.&quot;Also on Saturday, the Kings requested waivers on forward Justin Williams and guard Dahntay Jones.Shelden Williams averaged 5.5 points and 5.4 rebounds, with eight double-doubles, as a rookie, when he started 31 games. He has no starts while averaging only 2.9 points and 2.9 rebounds this season.Williams has another year remaining on his rookie deal that is paying him $3.3 million per year. The contracts for Anthony Johnson, Lue and Wright expire at the end of the season.&quot;We're excited about adding another young frontcourt player who was the fifth pick of the 2006 draft in Williams, along with some experienced veterans to the team,&quot; Petrie said. &quot;We're looking forward to seeing how they integrate in with the rest of our roster.&quot;<br/><br/>2 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Pavlik stays unbeaten, wins unanimous decision in rematch with Taylor - Boxing -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Pavlik_stays_unbeaten_wins_unanimous_decision_in_rematch_with_Taylor_-_Boxing_-/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Pavlik_stays_unbeaten_wins_unanimous_decision_in_rematch_with_Taylor_-_Boxing_-/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:42:13 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>miat</dc:creator>
<category>Sports</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Pavlik_stays_unbeaten_wins_unanimous_decision_in_rematch_with_Taylor_-_Boxing_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Although you wouldn't know it from Kelly Pavlik's history of dynamite knockouts, patience is among the middleweight champion's greatest virtues.Pavlik waited seven years for his first title shot against Jermain Taylor last year, and didn't waste it. In the rematch Saturday night, Pavlik persisted until the late rounds, when he finally landed the big punches that kept him perfect.With a strong finish to a bout with more tactics than theatrics, the pride of Youngstown, Ohio, beat Taylor on Saturday night for the second time in 4 1/2 months, winning a unanimous decision.Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs) failed to knock out his opponent for the first time in his last 10 fights, but he threw far more punches and landed more memorable exchanges. Taylor (27-2-1) came up just short on all three judges' scorecards despite a markedly improved performance after getting his first career loss in their initial bout.The fight could have gone either way until the 10th round, with both fighters using canny strategy to minimize their opponents' strengths. Pavlik finished tremendously, staggering Taylor in the 11th with the power that makes him a knockout artist -- but also the skill that could keep him on top for years to come.&quot;He was better tonight than the first fight, (but) I was better, too,&quot; Pavlik said. &quot;It was a more tactical fight. ... From rounds 10 through 12, I was finally landing body shots,&quot; Pavlik said. &quot;He was tired. I could hear him exhaling.&quot;ADVERTISEMENTPavlik stunned Taylor with a seventh-round knockout victory in Atlantic City last year, claiming Taylor's WBC title in one of the most scintillating bouts in recent middleweight history. Pavlik's belt wasn't at stake this time, with both fighters agreeing to a rematch at a catch weight of 166 pounds -- 6 pounds above the middleweight limit.&quot;We both did a better job tonight than the first fight,&quot; Pavlik said. &quot;The key was inside pressure. My fight strategy was to put the pressure on him, back him up. My jab and punches landed more this time. Nothing will top the first victory over Jermain, but it was a great win tonight.&quot;Judge Dave Moretti favored Pavlik 117-111 in the rematch, while Patricia Morse Jarman had it 115-113 and Glenn Trowbridge scored it 116-112. The Associated Press also scored it narrowly for Pavlik, 115-113.Pavlik dominated the punch stats, throwing 845 total blows to Taylor's 456, with both landing a roughly equal percentage. Pavlik's jab was the difference, with 484 of them keeping Taylor at bay despite the Arkansas native's edge in power punches.&quot;I thought he was doing a pretty good job,&quot; Taylor said, after repeating &quot;I lost, I lost,&quot; several times when well-wishers consoled him in the ring.&quot;I knew it was a close fight, but I guess he won the last couple of rounds,&quot; Taylor added. &quot;He's a strong fighter, and I give him a lot of credit.&quot;In their first meeting, Taylor knocked down Pavlik in the second round and was leading on all scorecards before Pavlik caught him with the first of several devastating right hands, eventually leaving Taylor defenseless against the corner ropes.Both fought more deliberately in the rematch, staying away from the sensational exchanges near the ropes that made their first meeting so exciting. Taylor kept the early rounds in the middle of the ring, using his jab to prevent Pavlik from backing him into a corner and trading power shots.Pavlik needed a few rounds to figure out how to counter Taylor's discipline, which hasn't always been Taylor's strongest attribute.Kelly Pavlik celebrates his victory over Jermain Taylor following their middleweight boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008.AP - Feb 17, 12:55 am ESTMore PhotosThough Pavlik was more active in nearly every round, Taylor conserved his energy and only got in trouble in the 11th. Taylor wrapped Pavlik in clinches until the round ended, snuffing either fighter's best chance at a knockout, but Pavlik won the 12th round on all three judges' scorecards to clinch the victory.Taylor and Pavlik probably won't fight again at middleweight. Taylor plans to pursue a career at super middleweight while Pavlik defends his belt this summer against anyone from John Duddy or IBF champ Arthur Abraham to Felix Trinidad.Fans of both fighters packed into the casino arena, with Pavlik's Ohio supporters roundly outnumbering Taylor's faithful from Arkansas, whose chants of &quot;Whoo, pig! Sooie!&quot; were drowned out by Pavlik cheers.Pavlik's impressive back-to-back wins over Edison Miranda and Taylor made him a rising star and a hero in his native Youngstown. Fans embraced him as the heir to an outstanding boxing tradition including Ray &quot;Boom Boom&quot; Mancini, who attended Pavlik's fight in support.Pavlik made dozens of public appearances culminating in a pregame pep talk to the Ohio State football team before its game against Michigan, but he cut off the victory tour eight weeks ago -- about two weeks earlier than expected for his trainer, Jack Loew.Though Pavlik was the 2-1 favorite in the rematch, he retained the humble habits that endear him to fans almost as much as his punishing punches. Pavlik slept on the couch in his palatial suite at the MGM Grand, and he joined his fans in the buffet line one night.<br/><br/>2 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Super Slam: Orlando's Dwight Howard flies to title in spectacular All-Star dunk contest - NBA -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Super_Slam_Orlandos_Dwight_Howard_flies_to_title_in_spectacular_All-Star_dunk_contest_-_NBA_-/</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:41:32 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>miat</dc:creator>
<category>Sports</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Super_Slam_Orlandos_Dwight_Howard_flies_to_title_in_spectacular_All-Star_dunk_contest_-_NBA_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Look, up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Dwight Howard -- super slam dunk champion.A red cape trailing behind him, Orlando's man of steel made like Superman and won perhaps the best dunk contest, definitely the most creative, in NBA history to close a memorable All-Star Saturday.Using a variety of props as well as teammate Jameer Nelson, Howard scored perfect 50s from judges on his first two dunks before the contest was turned over to fan voting for the first time in the final round.ADVERTISEMENTFans, too, picked the 6-foot-11 Howard, who dispelled an old dunking myth: Big men can fly high.&quot;It's really for the big men,&quot; Howard said. &quot;Everybody always says, big men can't jump and big men don't look good dunking. I just tried to add a little bit of my personality. With me being so tall, I knew it was going to be tough. I tried to play to the crowd and have fun.&quot;In any other year, Minnesota's Gerald Green would have easily walked away with his second straight dunking crown, but he was upstaged by the amazingly athletic Howard, whose performance has to rank up there with anything Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter or even tiny Spud Webb ever did above the basket.The dunk contest, bland for so many years as the game's high risers seemed to run out of ideas, was freshened up by some of the most creative aerial assaults in memory.Howard, Green, Toronto's Jamario Moon and Memphis' Rudy Gay all used tape, ladders, teammates and even a tasty dessert to show their stuff.&quot;I think the dunk contest is back,&quot; said Howard, who was disappointed when he failed to make it out of the first round last year. &quot;I don't think people want to see the same old dunks. They want to see something else, see some spice.&quot;Howard started things off with a dunk he has been practicing for two years. Standing on the baseline, he tossed the ball off the reverse side of the backboard, caught it with both hands, and after peering through the glass at the rim, dunked left-handed.The crowd roared and a celebrity panel of judges including Magic Johnson, Karl Malone as well as Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving and Darryl Dawkins -- three of the game's most famed dunkers -- all gave him perfect 10s.Not to be outdone, Green tried to blow the field away. Literally.After Timberwolves teammate Rashad McCants climbed up and placed a cupcake with a single candle in it on the back of the rim, Green soared in and puffed out the flame before throwing down a nasty left-hander.&quot;At first I thought he was going to take the cupcake, eat it and then dunk it,&quot; Howard said. &quot;I thought he would have won with that.&quot;In the second round, McCants sat on the top step of the ladder and handed the ball off to a rising Green, who crushed another dunk.That's when Howard stripped off his blue Magic jersey to reveal an &quot;S&quot; on his chest. As the crowd stood, he tied the cape around his massive shoulders.&quot;I didn't have time to get the telephone booth,&quot; he quipped.Nelson placed a piece of tape to mark Howard's take-off spot, and after a running start from near mid-court, the Magic's main man took off just inside the free-throw line and fired down the ball with authority.In the final round, Green performed two acrobatic dunks, one in only green socks after removing his sneakers. But neither of those could top Howard's last two efforts.First, Howard bounced the ball off the floor, tapped it left-handed off the backboard and dunked with his right hand. For Howard's finale, Nelson affixed a miniature Orlando backboard next to the rim and balanced a ball on it.Howard flew in from the right side, picked the ball off cleanly and slammed it in. He then only had to wait for fans to text message a result that seemed to be a no-brainer. Howard won in a landslide, receiving 78 percent of the vote.Earlier, Jason Kapono showed nobody's close to him from long distance.The NBA's best 3-point shooter this season, the Toronto forward with the silky touch won his second straight 3-point Shootout, tying a 22-year-old record with a final round of 25.Kapono missed his first two shots in the last round before dropping 10 straight. By the time he approached the last rack of balls, Kapono had already clinched the win and didn't have to fire up another shot.But he knocked down a few more anyway, matching three-time winner Craig Hodges' mark of 25 set in 1986. When his final shot swished through, Kapono, who made all five money balls -- worth two points apiece -- and went 20-for-25 in the last round, slapped high-fives with other All-Stars and hugged Raptors teammate Chris Bosh.Kapono wasn't sure what he'll do with his second shiny trophy.&quot;I'm thinking in the bathroom or something,&quot; he said. &quot;Maybe every time I take a shower or I go in and brush my teeth I'll start my day out staring at this beautiful trophy.&quot;Cleveland's Daniel Gibson, who made 11 3-pointers in Friday night's rookie challenge finished second. He scored 17 points in the final round, finishing three points ahead of Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, who replaced the injured Bryant.Kapono almost didn't get out of the first round. He was in danger of elimination as he approached the last rack but came through in the clutch by sinking five straight shots to advance.In the Skills Challenge, Utah's Deron Williams was flawless and fast.With a nearly perfect run through an obstacle course of dribbling, passing and shooting, the Jazz point guard defeated New Orleans playmaker Chris Paul in the final round.Williams blazed up, down and around the floor of the New Orleans Arena in 25.5 seconds, a new record for the six-year-old event. Cheered on by his home crowd, Paul, who completed the circuit in 29.9 seconds in the first round, finished in 31.2 seconds for second place.In the night's first event, San Antonio's Becky Hammon, David Robinson and Tim Duncan won the Shooting Stars competition. It featured three-person teams consisting of an NBA player, a WNBA player and a former NBA great from the same city. Contestants had to make six shots with the final one a heave from mid-court.<br/><br/>2 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[NCAA Basketball - Michigan State Spartans/Indiana Hoosiers Recap Saturday February 16, 2008 -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/NCAA_Basketball_-_Michigan_State_SpartansIndiana_Hoosiers_Recap_Saturday_February_16_2008_-/</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:40:37 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>miat</dc:creator>
<category>Sports</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/NCAA_Basketball_-_Michigan_State_SpartansIndiana_Hoosiers_Recap_Saturday_February_16_2008_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Embattled coach Kelvin Sampson may always cherish Saturday night's victory over No. 10 Michigan State.It meant even more to Indiana basketball.Eric Gordon scored 28 points and broke Mike Woodson's school scoring record for freshman, keeping the 13th-ranked Hoosiers in the Big Ten title chase with an 80-61 victory over the Spartans.ADVERTISEMENT&quot;Yes, I think so,&quot; Sampson said when if this win meant more to him than others. &quot;But you know, these games are about these kids. Basketball is so much bigger than any one person, and the game is always about the players.&quot;It would have been hard to tell this week when Sampson's NCAA troubles overshadowed basketball.On Wednesday, the NCAA accused the Hoosiers coach of five major rules violations, including providing false and misleading information to investigators. On Friday, university officials announced it would conduct a second internal investigation, which is supposed to be completed by next Friday.Fans refused to wait that long to voice their opinions.Supporters waved signs that read &quot;Save Sampson&quot; and &quot;If O.J. is innocent, so is Sampson.&quot; Proponents of firing Sampson countered with placards reading &quot;Sampson get off the phone&quot; and &quot;Every IU student prefers Knight, see ya Sampson,&quot; a reference to former Indiana coach Bob Knight.Others could be overheard talking about the risky move Indiana made when it hired the former Oklahoma coach two years ago. And for the second straight home game, Sampson drew more boos than cheers during pregame introductions.&quot;There's no doubt what he's done has tainted the program and we don't want him to be part of it,&quot; said Lisa Adams, an Indiana sophomore from Northbrook, Ill.Yet the same people disgusted by the allegations, offered unified support for the Hoosiers on a night they desperately needed it.With a shot at winning their first Big Ten title since 1993, still missing a signature victory on their resume and having endured four days of tortuous speculation about Sampson's future at Indiana, the Hoosiers finally turned it around.Gordon provided the lift after senior forward D.J. White landed awkwardly on his left leg and rolled out of bounds with 4:55 left in the first half. White, the Big Ten's top rebounder and No. 2 scorer, eventually was helped to the locker room and didn't return to the sidelines until late in the second half.Sampson said he would undergo an MRI on Sunday, but team doctors did not believe White sustained ligament damage.&quot;I think when a kid gets his knee injured, he's a little afraid, and he was a little afraid at halftime,&quot; Sampson said. &quot;He said 'Coach, it doesn't feel right.' The doctor said 'I don't think we should play him,' and I said, 'I agree. If it doesn't feel right we should hold him out. He's too valuable to us.&quot;Gordon and DeAndre Thomas picked up the slack.The freshman guard took over on offense, finishing 9-of-15 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. He also broke Woodson's mark of 500 points, which had stood since 1976-77, and came within a basket of becoming the first Indiana freshman with four 30-point games in a season. Gordon has now scored 520 points.Thomas produced his best game of the year, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds and gave Indiana (21-4, 9-2) enough muscle inside to contend with the Spartans' tough rebounders.It was the perfect prescription for the ailing Hoosiers.&quot;I went, 'Aw, man,' &quot; Thomas said of White's injury. &quot;But you've got to play. If something happens to him, we all have to pick our game up.&quot;Michigan State was led by Drew Neitzel with 21 points, but Chris Allen was the only other Spartan to reach double figures. He finished with 10.What upset coach Tom Izzo most, though, was the Spartans continuing trouble with turnovers. This time, it helped Indiana rally from an early 15-4 deficit to charge ahead 37-26 late in the first half. After that, the Spartans were never close enough to give Indiana a serious scare.The Spartans have lost two straight.&quot;We shot 60 percent in the first half and gave up four baskets on breakaway dunks because of the 12 turnovers,&quot; Izzo said. &quot;We were not going to turn it over in the second half and we started out with three turnovers in a row. It is inexcusable, and if I were a Michigan State fan, I would be very disappointed in the coach because I keep saying the same thing and it doesn't change.&quot;The Hoosiers wasted no time in extending their 41-33 halftime lead.A 12-4 run gave Indiana a 57-41 lead with 13:43 left, and while the Hoosiers led by as much as 19, the Spartans never got closer than 12.By game's end, the biggest question again surrounded Sampson.The early boos, led by the student section, were drowned out by cheers as they repeatedly chanted his name.And while Sampson tried to deflect the attention from himself, again declining to answer questions about the allegations after the victory, Indiana's players were clearly on his side.&quot;We play for coach every game,&quot; Gordon said. &quot;I think that's why we're all here. We came here to play for coach.&quot;<br/><br/>2 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Bomber strikes in Baghdad, killing 3]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Bomber_strikes_in_Baghdad_killing_3/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Bomber_strikes_in_Baghdad_killing_3/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:09:41 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>didonko</dc:creator>
<category>World &amp; Business</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Bomber_strikes_in_Baghdad_killing_3/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[BAGHDAD - A female suicide bomber struck Sunday in a predominantly Shiite area of central Baghdad, killing at least three people in an attack that occurred as Iraqi officials have been stressing the capital's increased security.ADVERTISEMENTPolice in the Masbah commercial area said they thought the woman was suspicious and asked her to stop. The woman, who wore a black Islamic robe, fled to a nearby building and the explosives detonated, said an officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.With the anniversary this week of the so-called surge of U.S. troops that aimed to clear insurgent forces from Baghdad and surrounding areas, Iraqi authorities have been emphasizing the security gains achieved since then.After a sharp initial spike in military and civilian casualties, overall violence has declined dramatically, particularly in Baghdad, although U.S. military commanders have been careful to stress that al-Qaida remains a serious threat.Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hailed the &quot;victory in Baghdad&quot; Friday, while the top Iraqi commander for the capital, Lt. Gen. Abboud Qanbar, said Saturday that the daily toll of bullet-ridden bodies found in the city has dropped to about four  down from at least 43  under the crackdown.Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi said that the buildup of U.S. troops has helped secure most of Baghdad. But challenges remain from al-Qaida in northern Iraq, and what he called &quot;criminals, gangs and smugglers&quot; in the south, where Shiite militias are struggling for control of the oil-rich area.&quot;There is 90 percent security in the capital,&quot; al-Obeidi told The Associated Press on the sidelines of a meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.The top U.N. authority for refugees gave Baghdad a vote of confidence Saturday by announcing that he would send a new representative to work in the city, and would increase his staff here from two people to five.The U.N. and many other aid agencies moved from Baghdad to Amman, Jordan, after devastating attacks, including the truck bombing of the world body's Iraq headquarters in August 2003 that killed 22 people including the top U.N. envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.&quot;We have confidence in the future of Iraq,&quot; U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said at a joint news conference with Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.Guterres said the new U.N. representative on the refugee crisis &quot;will be in Baghdad and no longer in Amman as it has been the case. We believe it is here that the essential work needs to be done.&quot;In the northern city of Mosul, a police officer and two civilians were killed when a bomb in a parked car detonated, police said. The officer was examining the car when it was exploded remotely.Mosul is the last major urban stronghold of insurgent forces and a focus of the U.S. and Iraqi military efforts.<br/><br/>4 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Being overweight may raise cancer risk]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Lifestyle/Being_overweight_may_raise_cancer_risk/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Lifestyle/Being_overweight_may_raise_cancer_risk/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:07:08 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>didonko</dc:creator>
<category>Lifestyle</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Lifestyle/Being_overweight_may_raise_cancer_risk/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LONDON - Being obese or even overweight may increase a person's risk of developing up to a dozen different types of cancer, European researchers report in a new study.ADVERTISEMENTDoctors have long suspected a link between weight gain and certain cancers, including colon and breast cancers. But the new study, published Friday in the journal Lancet, suggests it could also increase chances for cancer of the esophagus, thyroid, kidney, uterus and gall bladder, among others.While the study suggests a link, there is no definitive proof that being fat in itself causes cancer.&quot;To make the link between cause and effect, we need to tick several boxes,&quot; said Dr. Andrew Renehan, the study's lead author and senior lecturer at the School of Cancer Studies at the University of Manchester. &quot;This study begins to tick the first two or three boxes, but more research is needed to confirm it.&quot;The researchers compiled data from 141 studies and considered more types of cancers and more diverse populations than had been done previously. The research covered more than 280,000 cases from North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.The subjects, both overweight and normal weight, were followed for about nine to 15 years, with researchers tracking their body mass index, or BMI  a calculation based on weight and height  and correlating it with incidents of cancer.In men, an average weight gain of 33 pounds increased the risk of esophageal cancer by 52 percent, thyroid cancer by 33 percent, and colon and kidney cancers each by 24 percent, the research found.In women, a weight gain of 29 pounds increased the risk of cancer in the uterus and gall bladder by nearly 60 percent, esophagus by 51 percent and kidney by 34 percent, the study said.The link was weaker for bone and blood cancers, for both men and women.In Asian populations, there appeared to be a stronger link between increased BMI and breast cancer, the study said.&quot;This study provides a lot of circumstantial evidence about the dangers of obesity,&quot; said Dr. David Robbins, a gastroenterologist at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, who was not involved in the study. &quot;It also highlights the cancer crisis we face as obesity rates increase worldwide.&quot;Scientists are unsure how being overweight could make people more susceptible to cancer.&quot;One of the hypotheses is that the presence of excess fat cells could affect the levels of hormones in your body,&quot; Renehan said. &quot;At a cellular level, that may favor the development of tumors in humans.&quot;Because many studies have found that fatter people are more likely to get cancer, experts often recommend losing weight to reduce cancer risk.&quot;The simple message is that, if you manage to keep a healthy body weight, you will have a lower risk of developing cancer,&quot; said Ed Yong, of Cancer Research United Kingdom.The Lancet study was paid for by British Medical Association, the University of Manchester and the University of Bern, Switzerland. Renehan has consulted for several pharmaceutical companies that make hormone replacements.<br/><br/>3 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[US scientists pinpoint 14 top technological challenges -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Science/US_scientists_pinpoint_14_top_technological_challenges_-/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Science/US_scientists_pinpoint_14_top_technological_challenges_-/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:05:50 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>didonko</dc:creator>
<category>Science</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Science/US_scientists_pinpoint_14_top_technological_challenges_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[BOSTON, Massachusetts (AFP) - The US National Academy of Engineering has announced the grand challenges for engineering in the 21st century that, if met, would improve people's lives.ADVERTISEMENTThe list of 14 tasks was unveiled Friday by a diverse committee of experts from around the world, convened at the request of the US National Science Foundation.&quot;Tremendous advances in quality of life have come from improved technology in areas such as farming and manufacturing,&quot; said committee member and Google co-founder Larry Page. &quot;If we focus our effort on the important grand challenges of our age, we can hugely improve the future.&quot;The panel, some of the most accomplished engineers and scientists of their generation, was established in 2006 and met several times to discuss and develop the list of challenges.Through an interactive Web site, the effort received worldwide input from prominent engineers and scientists, as well as from the general public, over a one-year period.The panel's conclusions were reviewed by more than 50 subject-matter experts.The final choices fall into four themes that are essential for humanity to flourish: sustainability, health, reducing vulnerability, and joy of living.The committee did not attempt to include every important challenge, members said, nor did it endorse particular approaches to meeting those selected. Rather than focusing on predictions or gadgets, the goal was to identify what needs to be done to help people and the planet thrive.&quot;We chose engineering challenges that we feel can, through creativity and commitment, be realistically met, most of them early in this century,&quot; said committee chair and former US secretary of defense William Perry.&quot;Some can be, and should be, achieved as soon as possible,&quot; he added.The committee decided not to rank the challenges. But their list includes making solar energy affordable, providing energy from fusion, managing the nitrogen cycle, providing access to clean water around the world, reverse-engineering the human brain, preventing nuclear terror and securing cyberspace among others.NAE is offering the public an opportunity to vote on which one they think is most important and to provide comments at the project Web site: www.engineeringchallenges.org.&quot;Meeting these challenges would be 'game changing,'&quot; said NAE president Charles Vest. &quot;Success with any one of them could dramatically improve life for everyone.&quot;<br/><br/>4 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Australia's Eamon Sullivan breaks 50m record - Olympics -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Australias_Eamon_Sullivan_breaks_50m_record_-_Olympics_-/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Australias_Eamon_Sullivan_breaks_50m_record_-_Olympics_-/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:04:26 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>didonko</dc:creator>
<category>Sports</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Sports/Australias_Eamon_Sullivan_breaks_50m_record_-_Olympics_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Eamon Sullivan broke Alexander Popov's eight-year-old world record for 50 meters freestyle on Sunday, instantly inheriting the title as the fastest swimmer in history.The 22-year-old powered his way down Sydney's Olympic pool in 21.56 seconds to shave 0.08 off the mark Popov set at Moscow in June, 2000.Sullivan has emerged as one of the rising stars of men's freestyle sprinting in the past two years but Sunday's performance will catapult him into favoritism for gold at this year's Beijing Olympics.ADVERTISEMENT&quot;I was just getting used to being the fastest man in Australia and now I am the fastest in the world,&quot; he told reporters.&quot;I will have to have a chat with a lot of people and work out my game plan because instead of me targeting people, other people will be targeting me.&quot;Sullivan's coach Grant Stoelwinder said he knew he could go close to breaking the record but had told him to save himself for next month's Australian Olympic trials.&quot;He has blown his cover big time!&quot; Stoelwinder said.&quot;There are really, really good athletes and then there are those ones who have that something just a little bit special.&quot;Sullivan had never broken 22 seconds for the one-lap dash before Sunday's race at the New South Wales Open championship and was initially unaware that he had broken the world record when he glanced at the scoreboard.&quot;I looked up and saw the point 56 at the end and thought it was 22.56 before I realized it was a one instead of a two at the start,&quot; he said.&quot;Then I saw the line and was in shock.&quot;&quot;We have made some big gains in the gym and I knew if I put bits of my best race together we would be in for a shot at the 22 (seconds). To take that much off my PB (personal best) is amazing.&quot;Australia's head swimming coach Alan Thompson said Sullivan had achieved something special by breaking a record belonging to Popov, the Russian who won the freestyle sprint double at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympics.&quot;That was great, to break a world record of one of the legends of the sport and a long-term world record,&quot; Thompson said.<br/><br/>3 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Kosovo declares independence from Serbia -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Kosovo_declares_independence_from_Serbia_-/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Kosovo_declares_independence_from_Serbia_-/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:03:15 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>didonko</dc:creator>
<category>World &amp; Business</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Kosovo_declares_independence_from_Serbia_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[PRISTINA, Kosovo - Kosovo declared itself a nation on Sunday, mounting a historic bid to become an &quot;independent and democratic state&quot; backed by the U.S. and key European allies but bitterly contested by Serbia and Russia.ADVERTISEMENT&quot;Kosovo is a republic  an independent, democratic and sovereign state,&quot; parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi said as the chamber burst into applause. Krasniqi, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and President Fatmir Sejdiu signed the declaration, which was scripted on parchment.Across the capital, Pristina, revelers danced in the streets, fired guns into the air and waved red and black Albanian flags in jubilation at the birth of the world's newest country.Serbian President Boris Tadic immediately rejected the independence bid, saying his country will never accept Kosovo's &quot;unilateral and illegal&quot; declaration.Sunday's declaration was carefully orchestrated with the U.S. and key European powers, and Kosovo was counting on swift international recognition that could come as early as Monday, when EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels, Belgium.&quot;From today onwards, Kosovo is proud, independent and free,&quot; said Thaci, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which battled Serbian troops in a 1998-99 separatist war that claimed 10,000 lives. &quot;We never lost faith in the dream that one day we would stand among the free nations of the world, and today we do.&quot;&quot;Our hopes have never been higher,&quot; he told the assembly. &quot;Dreams are infinite, our challenges loom large, but nothing can deter us from moving forward to the greatness that history has reserved for us.&quot;Thaci pledged that the new nation would be &quot;a democratic, multiethnic state&quot;  an attempt to reach out to Serbs who consider Kosovo the cradle of their medieval culture and religion.But he also had stern words for the Serbian government, which last week declared secession illegal and invalid, saying in the Serbian language: &quot;Kosovo will never be ruled by Belgrade again.&quot;Reacting to the declaration, Serbian President Tadic urged international organizations &quot;to immediately annul this act, which violates the basic principles of international law.&quot;<br/><br/>4 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Suicide bomber kills 80 in Afghanistan -]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Suicide_bomber_kills_80_in_Afghanistan_-/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Suicide_bomber_kills_80_in_Afghanistan_-/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:01:53 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>didonko</dc:creator>
<category>World &amp; Business</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/Suicide_bomber_kills_80_in_Afghanistan_-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A suicide bombing at an outdoor dog fighting competition killed 80 people and wounded scores more Sunday, a governor said, in what appeared to be the deadliest terror attack in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.ADVERTISEMENTOfficials said the attack apparently targeted a prominent militia commander who had stood up against the Taliban. He died in the attack.Several hundred people  including Afghan militia leaders  had gathered to watch the event on the western edge of the southern city of Kandahar. Witnesses reported gunfire from bodyguards after the blast; it was not immediately clear if the bullets killed anyone.Kandahar Gov. Asadullah Khalid said 80 people died in the attack. Abdullah Fahim, a Health Ministry spokesman, said 70 were wounded.Khalid blamed the bombing on the &quot;enemy of Afghanistan&quot;  an apparent reference to the Taliban. A Taliban spokesman said he didn't immediately know if the militants were responsible. The Taliban often claim responsibility immediately after major attacks against police and army forces  often naming the bombers  but shy away from claiming attacks with high civilian casualties.Kandahar  the Taliban's former stronghold and Afghanistan's second largest city  is one of the country's largest opium poppy producing areas. The province has been the scene of fierce battles between NATO forces, primarily from Canada and the United States, and Taliban fighters over the last two years.Dog fighting competitions are a popular form of entertainment around Afghanistan. The fights can attract hundreds of spectators who cram into a tight circle around the spectacle. The sport was banned during the Taliban rule.The blast crumpled several Afghan police trucks and left bloodstains around the barren dirt field. Afghan soldiers donated blood at Kandahar's main hospital after the attack, said Dr. Durani, who goes by only one name.&quot;There are too many patients here,&quot; he said. &quot;Some of them are in very serious condition.&quot;Wali Karzai, brother of President Hamid Karzai and the president of Kandahar's provincial council, said the target of the attack was Abdul Hakim Jan, the leader of a local militia whom Karzai said was killed in the attack.Jan was the provincial police chief in Kandahar in the early 1990s and was the only commander in the province to stand up against the Taliban during its rule, said Khalid Pashtun, a parliamentarian who represents Kandahar.&quot;Hakim Jan is one of the important, prominent jihadi commanders in Kandahar,&quot; Pashtun said. &quot;There were so many people gathered and of course the Taliban and al-Qaida usually target this kind of important people.&quot;Jan was most recently appointed the commander of an auxiliary police force  often shorthand for a local militia operating with government approval  to protect the Arghandab, a strategic area north of Kandahar. The area was overrun briefly by the Taliban late last year after the local leader, Mullah Naqibullah, died of heart attack.A joint Afghan, NATO and U.S. force pushed the militants out of Arghandab. Shortly after, NATO's top commander in Afghanistan, U.S. Gen. Dan McNeill, visited Arghandab to reassure local leaders of the alliance's commitment to help President Hamid Karzai's government keep the area under their control.Suicide attacks have been on the rise in Afghanistan, but rarely have they killed so many people. Militants carried out more than 140 suicide attacks in 2007, a record number.Faizullah Qari Gar, a resident of Kandahar who was at the dog fight, said militant commanders' bodyguards opened fire on the crowd after the bombing.&quot;In my mind there were no Taliban to attack after the blast but the bodyguards were shooting anyway,&quot; he said.The previous deadliest bomb attack came in November in the northern city of Baghlan, when a suicide bombing and subsequent gunfire from bodyguards killed about 70 people including six parliamentarians and 58 students and teachers. Investigators never determined how many of the deaths were caused by the blast and how many by the gunfire.<br/><br/>4 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Free WordPress theme - Midnight Wonder]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Internet/Free_WordPress_theme_-_Midnight_Wonder/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Internet/Free_WordPress_theme_-_Midnight_Wonder/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 18:45:43 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Cyber</dc:creator>
<category>Internet</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Internet/Free_WordPress_theme_-_Midnight_Wonder/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Theme Name: 'Midnight Wonder'Features:- Widget Ready- Valid XHTML/CSS- Compatible with the latest version of Wordpress- Tested in major browsers (IE, FF, Opera, Safari)Screenshot:Download - http://www.trbr.net/up/Midnight_Wonder.zip<br/><br/>4 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[NeverBurnOut Alternative Address - XenonLights]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/NeverBurnOut_Alternative_Address_-_XenonLights/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/NeverBurnOut_Alternative_Address_-_XenonLights/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:35:47 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Finansoff</dc:creator>
<category>World &amp; Business</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/NeverBurnOut_Alternative_Address_-_XenonLights/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[There are good alternatives to Neverburnout like xenonlights. Neverburnout warranty only takes care of defects from manufacturer AND is is limited by the company's life.  So if neverburnout closes down or goes out of business, that limits the warranty.  Let Xenonlights be the ones to address your automotive lighting and hid kit needs. Neverburnout is an okay company with alot of limits in their warranty, but I'd recommend Xenonlights for all your warranty needs. Neverburnout warranty is limi more...<br/><br/>22 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Prom Themes Ideas]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Entertainment/Prom_Themes_Ideas/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Entertainment/Prom_Themes_Ideas/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:35:47 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Raygan</dc:creator>
<category>Entertainment</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Entertainment/Prom_Themes_Ideas/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[There are many prom themes ideas for your committee to choose. Deciding on a theme is one of the more important decisions your High School planning committee will make. Just keep in mind with prom themes there is room to add or subtract details. If you remember this, then you should easily be able to pick out prom themes ideas that a majority of the Junior Class students can agree on.Prom IdeasAre you trying to go for something out of the ordinary or keep it more relaxed? Your budget, re more...<br/><br/>42 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[18% of Americans Think Sun Revovles Around Earth]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/Science/18_of_Americans_Think_Sun_Revovles_Around_Earth/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/Science/18_of_Americans_Think_Sun_Revovles_Around_Earth/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:35:45 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Devian</dc:creator>
<category>Science</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/Science/18_of_Americans_Think_Sun_Revovles_Around_Earth/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I wonder if this is the same 18% that strongly supports Bush? ;)<br/><br/>7 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[New poll-rigging row in Pakistan]]></title>
<link>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/New_poll-rigging_row_in_Pakistan/</link>
<comments>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/New_poll-rigging_row_in_Pakistan/</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:57:54 +0300</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Scott</dc:creator>
<category>World &amp; Business</category>
<guid>http://www.trbr.net/World_Business/New_poll-rigging_row_in_Pakistan/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Pakistan's attorney general denies saying there will be massive rigging in Monday's election.<br/><br/>7 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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