Wallpaper: Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (Salallaho Alaihi Wasallam)

Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi

Celebrating Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (Salallaho Alaihi Wasallam)

There are many people among us who do not give much importance to Eid Milad-un-Nabi. They even have no faith in the importance of this day. Let me explain you the importance of Eid Milad-un-Nabi to you all.

Both of our Eids exist because of Eid Milad-un-Nabi (S.A.W.W). On that day All the Angels celebrate “Eid”. It was the day when the Satan (Iblees) was mourning and crying with grief. He was melancholic and gloomy that “today He born who will protect the creation of Allah from my Satanic temptations and tricks”.

In Iran there was a grand fire-place where the fire had been kept burning for the last one thousand years. They worshipped that fire. They have posted a troop of gurads who protected their god (fire) from storm and rain. They had a very strong system of protection of fire (god). So the fire had been burning since 1000 years continously. When Hazrat Muhmmad (S.A.W.W) born, the fire became cool down at the very moment despite of the whole protection and supervision. Kind got furious and ordered to punish the guards because due to this act the fire (god) became angry. But astrologists of the time came to him and told that according to their knowledge, a very sacred person came into the world, because of whom, not only the fire-place of Iran but also the fire of the whole world had been extinguished. Hadees tells us that when Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W) came into the world, the fire that is burning in the Hell was also cool down, for the next seven days, it had no heat and no warmth.

Imam Rabbani Mujaddid Alif Sani Sheik Sirhindi (Remhat Allah Alaih) narrates “when Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) came into the world, on that day there were only blessings and welfare everywhere”.

Tirmazi Sharif describes a Hadees that Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W) used to keep fasting on every Mondy. When the companions (R.A) asked its reason. He (P.B.U.H) said, “Because I born on that day”.

Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W) said, “I am the pray of Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S), Glad Tiding (Basharat) of Hazrat Esah (Jesus A.S) and the interpretation of the dreams that my mother saw.

Some days before the birth of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W), Hazrat Amna (R.A) dreamed a Holy Old Man who greeted Hazrat Amna (R.A). Hazrat Amna (R.A) surprisingly said to him, “O respected and Holy man who are you, its first time that I am meeting you”. He said, “I am Abb-ul-Bashar and Adam (A.S) and I came here to give you a happy news that I am Abb-ul-Bashar and you are going to be the mother of “Khair-ul-Bashar”.

Hazrat Amna again says that after some days another Holy man came into her dream and greeted her. She again asked him that who he was and he replied, “I am the ancestor of Prophets (Jadd-ul-Anbiyah) and Khalil Allah Ibrahim (A.S). and Allah will bless you a son who is “Habib Allah”.

Hazrat Abdul Mutlib (R.A) said that the night when Hazrat Muhammad came into the world, he spent in “Bait Allah” and whole night he stayed there and kept praying, “O Allah! bless me a grandson who be reason of respect for my family. When it was dawn, he saw that “Bait Allah” was slightly shivering and bowing its forehead in the direction where there was the house of Hazrat Amna (R.A). The walls were shivering slightly and all the idols those where hanging at the walls, fell face down.

Before the birth of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W), whenever a girl born to Arabs, she was buried alive. Family kept mourning at the birth of that girl and felt ashamed. But on the night when Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W) was coming to the world, it was the order of Allah that tonight no girl but only the boys will take birth, so that there would be no house with mourning and cries in Arab.

“Flag” shows the reign and soveriegnity of any person. On the night when Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W) came into the world, Allah Ta’ala blessed three flags to Hazrat Jibrael (A.S) and asked to fix one at the house of Hazrat Amna, second flag at the top of “Bait Allah” and the third flag at the heights of the Sky that shows the reign and soveriegnity of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W) that He (S.A.W.W) had been blessed with the soveriegnity from the Earth to the heights of the sky.

Sahih Bukhari describes a Hadees that when Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W) came into the world, the maid of Abu Lahab named Sobia (R.A) rushed to him happily and told him about the birht of his nephew. Abu Lahab was so pleased at the news of his nephew’s birth that he set free to his maid (Sobia R.A) with the movement of his forefinger. After the death of Abu Lahab, who died as a blasphamer, Hazrat Abbas (the real brother of Abu Lahab and the uncle of Hazrat Muhammad S.A.W.W) embraced Islam. He narrates, “After the few days of the death of Abu Lahab, I saw him in the dream and the face of Abu Lahab was hard to look at. It was too ugly and miserable. I asekd Abu Lahab, How is your life after death?, He replied, “I am in great sufferings even that facing a lot of pain and agony due to my blasphemy. I have been kept hungry and thirsty for the whole time. But since I set free a maid at the birth of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W) with a motion of my forefinger, so I get relief after some days and I get few drops of water from my forefinger and I quench my thirst.

So how we the muslims can deny from the importance of Eid Milad-un-Nabi. Its the most important and beloved day of the life of every muslim. If any of our friends invites us in her birthday party, we immediately confirm our participation in that party but when we have a discussion about the Importance of Eid Milad-un-Nabi, we need references to prove its importance. The most authentic thing that you can trust in, is your heart, your wisdom and your way of thought that tells you, “If you love someone, his day of birth would be the most important day in your life” and like wise If you love our Beloved Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W), you need to love the day when he came into this world for the forgiveness of his Ummah.


DOWNLOAD HOLY QURAN

'Shahrukh Khan to host 'Pakistani' Filmfare awards on Saturday'

A Hindi film based award show in theory, Filmfare is apparently looking to honor the 26/11 NSG guards and rest of Pakistan-loving Indian armed forces this year by having Shahrukh 'Pakistan' Khan as its host. Wonder if Manoj Kumar is doing a marshalla to this one. That's not all. Accompanying Shahrukh Khan supposedly would be the 'Pakistani terrorist' hero of Kurbaan, saif ali khan. Are you ready for some jihad or what?
Mr. Khan, Mr. Khan, Mr. Khan. Mr. Ali. Mr. Hashmi. Mr. Shukranallah, Salaam Walekum. Noorekhuda. Allah Hafiz, Hail jalaluddin akbar, baabar, osama, pajama, saddam, badruddin, chashmuddin etc etc. Folks, get ready for some of this bonanza this saturday as what might as well be known as the 'Pakistani' Filmfare awards from now on look to be hosted in your neighborhood in Mumbai once more by none other than 'Pakistan's' biggest supporter, Janaab e ali Shahrukh Khan, coming recently off his epic Dulha Mil Gaya and My Name Is Khan but nonetheless with support of the wonderful 'Pak' fraternity that is film industry there in Mumbai.
Looking forward to more of that Islamic humor eh? People say Pakistan doesn't have a film industry. That's not true. Because when you got Bollywood, do you really need a Pakistani film industry? You've got the entire enchalada right there. Does ISI really need to do propoganda when you got Karan Johar, to make movies like My Name is Khan and Qurbaan? And here's the best part, your tax rupees will be used in part to fund and subsidize the security for all this.
What a coincidence that somehow this guy (Shahrukh Khan) or some other Khan often finds himself hosting the award ceremonies that they call Bollywood film awards in India? A guy like Shekhar Suman who *should* be hosting these awards, who's probably wittier than Shahrukh Khan (and had a 6 pack too to boot at age 47) is nowhere to be seen. Or a Madhavan or a Nagarjun if you wanna be national and go south to find a decent host. Or if you think none of the existing ones fit, how about new faces altogether. And if they wanted to harp about being secular, how about a dalit host for supposedly an industry that is supposed to be all about inclusiveness? But no, year after year after year, you'll see Khan show up for no reason. What kind of secular, open network is this? Exactly. This chump (Shahrukh Khan) was even awarded actor award for a movie which released not even last year but 2 years ago in 2008 at a recent producers guild award. Can't make it up.
What you're looking at at these awards is an Islamist/Pakistani tamasha unfolding in name of bollywood award stage acts. Where they may have 'popular' awards for movies like Jodha Akbar or Qurbaan and not many for a Border or a Gadar, which was twice the popular blockbuster a Jodha Akbar and Qurbaan combined were. So you never know that apart from hosting, Khan maybe getting a filmfare award for this my name is khan already. Actually don't put it past them to give him a popular nomination for Dulha Mil Gaya also.
It's a different matter that in the past Filmfare awards themselves hosted by Khan have gotten owned and beaten thumpingly in TRPs/TV ratings by awards NOT hosted by Khan.
Maybe it will get good ratings in Islamabad. So apart from Shahrukh Khan, soon Pervez Musharraf could do the opening dialogue at Filmfare and the ISI chief could do the closing one.
And hey, may be we could get a representative from Al Qaeda while we are at it.
And since these shows have tendency to make up award categories at random anyway, how about a best Award in the role of a Islamic terrorist? Qurbaan lives on! "And to introduce our next award category....please welcome....Ajmaaal Qasaaab!"
Just keep an eye on the flag wherever these Bollywood people are assembled. Make sure it's the tricolor one with the Saffron on top and Maurya Chakra on it. Because with these people, you never know. One day, they might just replace it on you with the mughalai flag without notice and next thing you know, there you are, shaking your behinds to the Pakistan national anthem in downtown Mumbai.

Titan brings International Fashion Trend with Titan Purple

Titan Purple

Unveil the new horizon, an all-new dazzling brand for today's fashion fiesta!!

Titan Purple

Staying ahead of the innovation curve once again, Titan Industries demonstrated that it is at the forefront of the Indian wristwatch market, with the launch of its most stylish watch brand, Purple. Infused with style, attitude and charisma, Purple brings the latest international fashion trends in watch segment to India.
This new range of more than 50 models in bold fashionable designs is specially suited for the modern woman of style, verve and sophistication who likes to accessorize. Each watch is ultra chic and bears the perfect blend of defining elegance, eloquent interpretation of royalty and evolving taste of modernity. These sensational designs are at par with the latest international fashion trends.
Speaking on the launch, Mr. Ajoy Chawla, Sr. VP-Titan watches, said, "Titan Purple has been made to make heads turn. The tradition of precision and design brilliance- the hallmark of Titan watches has been reinvented in this new brand with brilliant asymmetric and contemporary forms, making it the most desirable yet affordable fashion accessory of the season."
The international contour of these new watches are embellished with swarovski crystals and are available in sparkling white or stunning black dial options in all steel, gold , rose gold and a combination of steel and leather look in straps. Each element of this crystal studded beauty is crafted individually and creates a vibration of harmony to give rise to a mesmerizing impression for those who are wearing it and those who are dazzled by it.
Priced between Rs. 2,500/- to Rs. 7,000/-, Titan Purple collection is available in a plethora of finishes, leather colors and bracelets in World of Titan showrooms, leading multi-brand outlets and department stores across the country.
Notes to Editor
About Titan Industries Ltd
Titan Industries Limited, a joint venture between the Tata Group and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) commenced operations in 1987 under the name Titan Watches Limited. In 1994, Titan Industries diversified into Jewellery and more recently into Prescription Eyewear with Titan Eye+.
Today Titan Industries is India's leading producer and retailer of watches and jewellery, and is credited with changing the face of the Indian watch as well as the jewellery industry. The watch division has a domestic market share of over 70% of the organized market. Titan Industries reported a turnover of Rs. 3847.72 crore for the year 2008 - 09. As a full range producer-marketer, Titan Industries offers the Indian and International customer a very large range of products to suit various consumer preferences. Its products are recognized for innovation in design, quality and reliability

Picasso of India turns his back on home

The huge painting Pieta by MF Hussain on display in Mumbai in 2004

India's most famous and celebrated artist, a white-bearded veteran forced into exile because of his love of painting nude versions of Hindu goddesses, has revealed he is renouncing his citizenship.

In what many will see as a blow to India's much vaunted claim to be a stronghold of secularism and tolerance, MF Hussain, otherwise known as the Picasso of India, said he had been "honoured [with] Qatar nationality".

The 94-year-old painter, considered by many to be the founder of Indian contemporary art, left South Asia in 2006 after invoking the anger of fundamentalist Hindus because of his work.

Amid legal challenges, arrest warrants and even death threats, Mr Hussain left India and moved to Dubai, dividing his time between the Middle Eastern emirate and London. At the time of his departure from India, he said: "Matters are so legally complicated that I have been advised not to return home."

Mr Hussain had been repeatedly targeted by members of fundamentalist groups including the Bajrang Dal. In 2006, they were angered by a painting by the artist which portrayed the country of India as a naked goddess. In the mid 1990s the same groups were involved in demonstrations and protests in Mumbai after Mr Hussain painted a series of works of nude Hindu deities. His exhibitions were attacked and gallery owners threatened.

Ironically, many of his works had been created many years earlier, in the 1970s. When images of the paintings were reprinted in a magazine underneath the headline "MF Hussain: A Painter or Butcher", his home and workshop were attacked.

Precisely why the painter remains in exile is unclear. Two years ago, India's Supreme Court threw out a series of charges against him, saying: "Does the sentiment of the petitioner get scandalised by the large number of photographs of erotic sculptures which are in circulation? It is an art like the sculptures. None get scandalised looking at the sculptures." At the time, Mr Hussain, said of the court's decision: "At last, the dignity of Indian contemporary art has been upheld by the Supreme Court as expected."

Yet the painter declined to return to home. Instead he threw his energies into two separate projects, one that focused on the history of Indian culture and a second that examined the history of Arab civilisation. The latter was commissioned by Qatar's powerful first lady – Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al Missned, wife of the emirate's ruler. The works are to be housed in a separate museum in Doha.

Whether the conferring of nationality by Qatar – something the artist reportedly did not ask for – is related to the commissions, is unclear.

However, some believe Mr Hussain is a master of self-publicity. Anubhav Nath, a leading member of Delhi's art world, said the painter was a hugely significant figure within the Indian art world and probably the country's best-known artist. "I don't know what he is trying to do," he said. "Even now he is fantastic at marketing. Of course lots of art is about marketing."

Mr Hussain's offer of citizenship was revealed by the editor of The Hindu newspaper, N Ram, who, in a front page article, wrote that the artist had scribbled the information in a black and white line drawing.

"Mr Hussain's impending change of nationality brings to a close one of the sorriest chapters in independent India's secular history," wrote Mr Ram, who has long known the artist and championed his right to live safely in India. "The conferment of Qatar nationality is an honour to his artistic genius and to the India-rooted civilisational values he represented. Nevertheless, it is a sad day for India."

How Do Solar Farms Impact the Environment?

While a touch ironic, it makes sense that renewable energy harvesting areas could have adverse effects on the ecosystem and wildlife nearby.  Given that there are two plans in Southern California on the docket that will take up 5,000 acres per project, the need for study is increasing.  The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has 31 projects in “fast track” review, and if they’re even a portion of the size of the two in California, they are still massive plots of land.  Also, three quarters of U.S. states have adopted some form of renewable energy standard, most of them with aggressive timelines, which means increased size and scope of landmass covered in solar panels in the ensuing years.

What Pollutes the Solar Site?

It is not uncommon for a new solar installation site to be graded, sprayed with chemical weed control (even organic weed control would be only so good) and then shaded.  Gravel is the alternative to weed control, but the trapped heat does shorten the life of the solar array, and since many solar farms are in hot, arid regions, it may not be the best way to go.  Arid solar arrays are the primary environmental concern due to the consensus that the plants are adapted to direct sunlight and already live in harsh conditions.
Research is being conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at its newest array in the National Wind Technology Center in Boulder, CO, where prairie is the main ecosystem being impacted.  Here, the primary concern is prairie dogs and prairie grasses, which are almost symbiotic in their life cycles.  Birds of prey, including eagles, could also be affected by the lost hunting grounds.  The NREL has left areas untouched near the solar array, which will hopefully help to reseed the ground, in addition to spreading a grass seed mixture beneath the array to help prevent erosion.  The NREL is also conducting wildlife studies in comparison with the control site, a similar ecosystem currently left untouched.
Says NREL Senior Biologist Brenda Beatty: “The experiments will begin to give us a handle on how PV installations and operations affect vegetation in our portion of the arid West, and the information obtained may be useful for other NREL projects, and for revegetation efforts at other solar installations.”   The NREL is also conducting research on how wind turbines and meteorological towers affect birds and bats.

WARNING OVER FUTURE OF LAND USE

Parts of the UK could face water shortages and threats to wildlife and landscapes

Parts of the UK could face water shortages, rapidly rising house prices and threats to wildlife and landscapes without major changes to how land is managed, a report has warned.

The chief scientific adviser, Professor John Beddington, said sticking with "business as usual" management of land was not an option in the face of pressures such as climate change and population increases over the next 50 years.

The Foresight report on the future of land use said addressing these major challenges would need a strategic and integrated approach, rather than the fragmented policies of the past.

Land is also likely to come under pressure from an increasingly wealthy population to provide more living space and recreation, and the need to produce food and green energy - from wind farms to fuels made from crops - to meet targets on renewables.

Pressure on land and the resources it provides is expected to be particularly acute in the South East, where population is expected to grow most but where water is most scarce and most of the best farmland is found.

In the coming years, changes to the climate including warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers will affect water supplies, increase the need to manage land for flood risk and could damage wildlife and habitats such as ancient woodland.

At the same time, the need to meet EU targets to boost renewable energy and fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through managing soils and forests will also require innovative ways of looking after the land.

Currently, contrary to popular belief, just 10% of land in England is developed - with half of that made up of gardens - while 12% of the UK is forest and woodland and three quarters is farmed.

The report found that, until now, measures to look after the land had managed to contain urban sprawl, ensure there was enough for food production, provided green spaces and preserved beautiful landscapes.

But in the future, a failure to manage land in a joined-up way could result in shortages of resources and "public goods" such as water, wildlife and urban green space, it warned.

MTV’s Jersey Shore Cast Made Funny Appearance On ABC’s ‘The View’ Clip

MTV’s Jersey Shore cast made funny appearance on ABC’s ‘The View’ clip. The full cast of MTV’s new,hit,reality show, “Jersey Shore” made a very entertaining and funny appearance on ABC’s “The View” morning talk show yesterday morning. They talked about nicknames,upcoming gigs,boobs,and more. In the clip (below), Mike “The Situation” started out by giving each the “The View” hosts a special nickname. He called Whoopi, “The Administration.” He called Joy Behar, “The Assumption.” He called Elisabeth Hasselbeck, “The Attraction,and then he called Sherri Shephard, “The Duplication” because her hairstyle was similar to Snooki’s that day.
Sherri described what the show was about. Snooki said she was born to be famous,and revealed that she’s more Chilean than actual Italian. Then Pauly D talked about his djing gigs,and how his rate has gone up. Mike talked about his “Situation” brand,and confirmed that he does use condoms on the show. They talked about what they want to do after “Jersey Shore.” They revealed that they are supposedly saving their money for a rainy day.
Jenni “J-WOWW” talked about how she was doing with her boyfriend who she had a problem with on the show. She also talked about getting silicon replacements for her huge boobs. To conclude, they talked a little bit about where they may film the second season of “Jersey Shore,”but didn’t say where. Whoopi was confused because they aren’t going to film “Jersey Shore” at the actual “Jersey Shore” anymore. It was funny. Check them out in the video (below).
Get your favorite TV Shows and Movies on dvd by Clicking Here.

Farhan’s KCK and Amitabh’s Teeni Patti in a stormy clash

Two much-waited Bollywood films ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’ and ‘Teen Patti’ are gearing up for action tomorrow, as they release at theatres nationwide.

There certainly is enough room for the high profile openings, but the producers and distributors usually avoid releasing two highly priced films on the same day.
But quiet interestingly, the film backers have already predicted that there is going to be the biggest box office bang, as the two films to be released tomorrow have the most bankable stars, which could create a surge at the box-office.
Teen Patti and KCK could spark a box-office record
Producers of ‘Teen Patti’ and ‘Karhik Calling Karthik’ have made every possible effort to market. Eventually it will turn out well only if the audience would like it.
It’s a stiff competition between ‘Teen Patti’ and ‘Karhik Calling Karthik’, and theatre owners are expecting a record setting weekend gross.
And responding to the question about the box-office clash, manager at Chitra theatre in Dadar, Mr Bhatia stated, “"People want to see films and they are always waiting for good movies. The promos of Karthik Calling Karthik have done their job. People are already talking about it. We are getting many inquires. I think people are eager to watch the couple's chemistry in the film.”
Two songs of KCK already a hit
The songs in Karhik calling Karthik, ‘Hey Ya’ and ‘Uff Teri Adaa’, have already creamed up charts for its appealing tunes, while Teen Patti's music too is immensely popular.
KCK and Teen Patti’s advance booking started yesterday morning, and responding to questions about the audience’s reactions to buying tickets, Santosh Bhatia of Premiere theatre informed, “People are not interested in watching Deepika Padukone. People like to watch Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta, Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra. Deepika is not a big star. Yes. Farhan has never disappointed his audience so people will come to watch Karthik Calling Karthik.”
He also responded about Teen Patti, stating, “Big B is the biggest star in this country and no doubt Teen Patti will sell only because of him.”
However, Virendra Agarwal of Metro Big Cinemas conveyed that audiences are excited to watch both the films, and that there have been equal inquiries for both.
KCK is a romantic thriller, a genre that is yet to be explored in Bollywood. An out an out commercial film, KCK is Vijay Lalwani’s directorial debut and starring in the leading role are Farhan Akhtar and Deepika Panduakone.
On the other hand, ‘Teeni Patti’ by advertising professional turned director Leena Yadav, has Amitabh playing a rejected mathematician Venkat Subramanium in the film.
Sir Ben Kingsley and R. Madhavan will be seen sharing the screen space with him. Incidentally, this is the first time that two great actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Sir Ben Kingsley have come together for a film.

Phoonk 2: Producer pays you to watch his Hindi horror film

But there are conditions -- to win five lakhs you must watch it alone, let the public outside the cinema monitor your heart rate and allow a night vision camera to make sure you don't blink

In elite Bolllywood circles it is agreed that Ram Gopal Varma used to be Bollywood's antithetically cool director till somewhere post "Company" and "Bhoot" in 2005 when he 'lost the plot' with his dark and disturbing brand of Hindi cinema.
Actors however believe that Varma can make them look serious and credible. Which is how RGV has survived and now he's poised for a 2010 comeback with the recently released Amitabh Bachchan starrer "Rann" and India's first 3D horror film to follow, to ensure he doesn't go down as the maker of great gangster films but average in everything else.
First though, "Phoonk 2" in April, the sequel to Phoonk, a bubblegum horror film which critics did not find scary. But because of a gimmicky SMS contest offering five lakh rupees to anyone who could sit through the film alone in an auditorium, it had houseful collections on its opening weekend.
And that, as far as the Bollywood business dynamics are concerned, is all that matters. Never mind that the media and movie goers accused the director of rigging the contest with one Bangalore fan claiming he fulfilled the challenge legitimately -- but in the end no one got the cash.
For the sequel, "Phoonk 2", Ram Gopal Varma plays producer and has put the original writer Milind Gadagkar, in front as director. Throwing out the exact same challenge to an audience less interested in Indian horror flicks -- there isn't a mainstream genre yet to speak of a following -- than the five hundred thousand rupee bounty.
But this time contestants will have their heartbeat and pulse rate monitored by an ECG machine and results "will be shown live on a screen outside the theatre to both the media and all concerned," said Varma at a Mumbai press con on Tuesday. "Also, a night vision camera will be placed in front of him if the challenger tries to act smart by keeping his eyes shut."
Ram Gopal Varma may want to make horror films but at heart his talent for morbidity is pure gangster.

The world's best art at TEFAF Maastricht

For ten days in March, TEFAF, the world's leading art and antiques fair offers you a unique chance to rub shoulders with art dealers, academics, art critics and collectors from across the planet in Maastricht, Holland.

Even it you aren't actually planning to acquire that Le Corbusier chair or the Willem de Kooning painting that would look so good back home in your living room, nobody can deny you the art collector's pleasure of strolling around admiring the objets d'art the dealers at TEFAF Maastricht have on display.
From the 12th to the 21st of March, the Convention and Exhibition Centre of the Dutch town will host the 23rd edition of this international event, which, despite the recession, is all set to break records with a list of 263 high-class exhibitors from 17 countries, each offering their very best pieces with authenticity confirmed by a veritable army of experts.
Over 30,000 works, from classical antiquity to the twenty-first century will be on display for visitors and potential buyers: paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, furniture, manuscripts, jewellery, textiles, porcelain, glass, silver and even the latest in design.
The list of pieces "with pedigree" that will be on sale includes such highlights as, The Courtenay Compendium, a long-lost collection of historical tracts that includes the first major manuscript about the travels of Marco Polo, an exquisite Gothic altarpiece by Giovanni Di Paolo, an 1822 Portrait of George Washington by the American artist Gilbert Stuart, an exceptional carved Chinese seal from the Kangxi period and a rare handcrafted seventeenth-century Indo-Portuguese casket from Goa of which only two other similar examples are known in the world.
Last year, when the world was already in the grip of economic gloom, the strong sales at the fair to both private collectors and museums showed that the market for great art continues to enjoy good health. So it is that the global economic situation has not prevented a new section being incorporated into the fair this year: TEFAF on Paper will be devoted entirely to the exhibition of watercolours, Japanese prints, antiquarian books and manuscripts, photography, limited edition prints, and Old Master and modern drawings.
A total of 19 dealers will be exhibiting in the TEFAF on Paper section, which marks the final expansion of the Fair. The exisiting Paintings, Drawings and Prints section is second only in size to the Antiques and Works of Art section, which brings together nearly a hundred of the best art galleries in the world.
Last year the Design section was introduced to the Fair and its success will be repeated this year with such well known names from the field as Frank Lloyd Wright, Gio Ponti, Otto Wagner and Le Corbusier. An older element of the Fair is the TEFAF Showcase, an initiative that offers the opportunity of one-off participation to recently established galleries. The Showcase gives young dealers the experience of taking part in a major international art event, as well as offering visitors the chance to peek into the most interesting emerging galleries in the world.
Tips & suggestions:
TEFAF will take place from March 12th to 21st at the MECC (www.mecc.nl), the Convention and Exhibition Centre on the outskirts of the city of Maastricht in southern Holland.
Opening hours are from 11 am to 7 pm except on the final Sunday, when it will close at 6 pm.
Entry is 55 € per person per day, which includes a catalogue or 90 € for two people also including a single catalogue; a ticket giving access for all days costs 110 €; young people aged 12 to 18 20 €. Accompanied children under 12 admitted free.
Tickets can be purchased on-line directly from TEFAF

Top 7 Fitness Myths

Maybe you already know that "no pain, no gain" is a fitness myth. You don't gain from pain; instead, if you workout until (or after) you have pain, you can injure yourself.
Fitness misconceptions such as "no pain, no gain" or "women who lift weights get bulky muscles" abound (that second belief is also not true—our biology makes it nearly impossible). Because of such erroneous ideas, many of us exercise incorrectly or avoid being physically active at all.
Even if you don't fall for the two fitness follies above, there are plenty more you might believe. Here are 7 common exercise misconceptions, with realistic suggestions for effective activity:
Fitness Folly #1: Ab Crunches Will Flatten Your Mid-Section
How many sit-ups or crunches does it take to turn tummy fat into tight muscle? The answer is: none—you can't turn fat tissue into muscle. Contracting your abdominal muscles in a crunch "will strengthen those fibers, but has nothing to do with the fat sitting on top" of those muscles, says Kathy Stevens, MA, a fitness consultant in Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA.
Stevens calls it "wishful thinking" to believe that exercising one spot on your body will take off fat in that location. "We want to hold onto that belief, even though we've been told time and time again that there's no such thing as spot reduction," she says. "Fat loss is systemic."
What to do: Be patient and do activities you enjoy that burn as many calories as possible, such as aerobics, swimming and brisk walking.
Fitness Folly #2: Regular Exercise Keeps Your Balance Strong
You work on your strength and on your endurance, but when was the last time you worked on your equilibrium? Vonda Wright, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, cautions against taking your balance for granted. "When women fall down and break a hip, 50 percent of them don't return to pre-fall function," says Dr. Wright, co-author of the upcoming book Fitness After 40: How to Stay Strong at Any Age.
Muscle strength helps you maintain your equilibrium, but it's not enough, she adds. If your balance is wobbly, you need to do activities that will build it. To test yourself, stand near a table and place your fingertips on the table top. Close your eyes and stand on one leg. You should be able to balance for 20 seconds.
What to do: To increase balance, Dr. Wright suggests getting into the habit of standing on one leg while washing dishes or brushing your teeth. If that becomes easy, close your eyes.
Fitness Folly #3: You Can Tighten Your Upper-Arm Flab with Weights
You may be familiar with "turkey arms"—the wobbling flap of flab that hangs below the upper area of an outstretched arm. These shaky sections are especially common if you're in midlife or older. Many women try to banish the unsightly flesh by lifting weights, only to discover that not much seems to change.
Sadly, that flab in the tricep area can't be targeted, according to Irv Rubenstein, PhD, an exercise physiologist, teacher and certified personal trainer in Nashville, TN. "Women tend to deposit fat there, and with the change in collagen over time (with age), the area loses tautness and texture. It's a nearly perfect storm," Dr. Rubenstein says. Gravity finishes off the job. "Like the skin that starts to sag over your knees, it's the same principle," he adds. Swell news, huh?
What to do: Forget about that one spot, but do resistance training with weights or bands to build strength and overall functioning.
Fitness Folly #4: My Arthritis/Weight/Diabetes, etc., Keeps Me from Being Active
When you have an ongoing health concern, your condition can be a great excuse for avoiding fitness activities. Yet, in most cases, being physically active will help reduce your health problems.
Arthritis pain lessens with exercise, as does high blood pressure and insulin resistance. Physical activity will help a weight-loss effort and reduce the cardiovascular and diabetes risks of metabolic syndrome. By choosing the right activities and using medications as prescribed, you can also exercise with asthma or allergies.
What to do: First, see the physician treating your chronic condition and talk about physical activity options. To avoid stress on joints, choose pool activities or bike riding. (For more ideas, click here. Those with asthma or allergies will be helped by exercising indoors, especially during hot or cold weather. Warm, moist air is best for asthma, so swimming is a good choice.
Fitness Folly #5: You Must Lose Weight to Be More Fit
If you're larger, imagine being let off the hook that demands you must lose 20, 30 or more pounds to achieve good fitness. Well, permission granted!
Research conducted with a group of overweight and obese (don't we hate those terms!) women aged 30 to 45, showed that those who accepted their bodies as they were, ate according to their natural signals for hunger and fullness (not dieting) and pursued enjoyable activities instead of regimented exercise had a sharp increase in moderate activity. What's more, they were able to sustain that activity level over time.
"Their overall health measures were amazing—reduced blood pressure and improved cholesterol and psychological factors," compared to a control group that dieted and followed exercise recommendations, says physiologist and nutritionist Linda Bacon, PhD, MA, a researcher at the City College of San Francisco. Dr. Bacon conducted the study and is author of a forthcoming book, Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight, based on her research findings.
In group meetings during the study, the non-dieters talked about ways to add movement they enjoyed, from shooting baskets with a child to walking to a farther bathroom at work. Although the control group initially lost weight by dieting, both groups were at their starting weights after two years. The non-dieters showed greater fitness, which they kept up with little effort. "You can improve your health dramatically without a change in weight," Dr. Bacon says.
What to do: Accept your body as it is right now. Add physical activity to your life that you find fun. Walking in a natural area is interesting and helps the time pass swiftly. If you like social interaction, play a game with others. Avoid workout classes that make you feel discouraged or self-conscious.
Fitness Folly #6: Drink Lots of Water during Long Workouts
When your spinning class leaves you soaked in sweat or you log a mile on the track, you might stop for a refreshing water break. That's fine—water is great. But drinking too much water during extended exertion can dilute the sodium in your blood, causing a condition called hyponatremia.
"It occurs more in women, especially women running long distances and taking a longer time," says Dr. Rubenstein. The result: you may feel nauseated, confused, lethargic, have cramps or worse. Sports drinks are better for long distances.
What to do: If you're exercising for an hour or less, water is fine, Dr. Rubenstein says. For efforts that last longer, drink 6 to 8 ounces of a sports drink every 15 minutes.
Fitness Folly #7: Exercise Takes Too Much Time and Effort
It's true that you can't be physically active unless you actually get up and move. Once you get past that hurdle, you don't have to push yourself hard. You'll gain fitness benefits from very light to moderate exercise. That benefit is even greater if you are overweight or have been sedentary. As for time, all you need is 30 minutes a day of activity, which you can accumulate in 10-minute chunks.
What to do: Start by using time you ordinarily waste sitting in front of the television. Stand up and do 10 minutes of brisk walking while you watch. You can move around the room or walk in place. Swing your arms to ramp up your results. Do that three times daily and you'll help banish the fitness follies.

Protecting Your Skin from the Sun

Remember when we thought slathering on baby oil to promote tanning was doing something good for our skin?
These days, a dizzying number of sunscreens and sunblocks cram stores' shelves, promising protection from the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. If you don't have a PhD in chemistry, reading and understanding the ingredients lists on those bottles is nearly impossible.
Yet shielding your body from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) light is vital, in any weather or season. Both types of UV rays—UVA and UVB—are invisible and damaging, causing sunburn, premature aging and skin cancer. Cloudy days are no protection, since UV rays penetrate clouds. And with the earth's ozone layer thinning, solar radiation is increasing. So are all types of skin cancer, including the most serious—malignant melanoma.
Still, many of us think about using sunscreen only when we're heading out to the beach or pool. Even then, the average U.S. adult uses less than one bottle a year. That's a mistake. UV rays do their damage anytime. They can pass through window glass or reflect off concrete and snow as well as sand and water. Artificial sources of UV light, as in tanning booths, are also dangerous.
"The more sun you get, the more likely you are to get damage and potentially increase the development of melanoma and skin cancer," says Diane S. Berson, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Cornell University Weill Medical College in New York City. "We recommend that people wear sun protection every day."
Do different people get more or less damage?
The lighter your skin, the more quickly you'll burn. But darker-skinned people, who tend to tan rather than burn, are still getting UV-caused damage.
You're likely to be more sensitive to UV rays if you:

• Have many moles or freckles on your skin
• Have a family history of skin cancer
• Live or vacation at high altitudes, where UV radiation increases
• Have autoimmune diseases such as lupus or have had an organ transplant
• Take oral contraceptives, some antibiotics, naproxen sodium or certain other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, diuretics or tricyclic antidepressants (This is only a partial list of drugs that can increase the sun sensitivity of your skin and eyes. Check out all your medications with your pharmacist or health care professional.)

Choosing the right sunscreen
While there are numerous sunscreen formulations, choose only those that are labeled "broad-spectrum." This means they block both UVA and UVB rays. Many sunscreens only block UVB. To get UVA protection as well, look for avobenzone (Parsol 1789) or oxybenzone as ingredients.
There's one catch, however, Dr. Berson points out: Avobenzone degrades in sunlight, so you have to re-apply it frequently. Some (but not all) Neutrogena brand sunscreens use a special technology called Helioplex™ to overcome this problem. Products containing mexoryl, a UVA filter that helps stabilize avobenzone, are sold in Canada, Europe and elsewhere, but the ingredient has not yet been approved for use in the U.S.
Don't rely solely on SPF (sun protection factor) numbers to guide you. SPF only measures UVB protection. Choose at least SPF 15, but higher is better, especially since most people don't use as much sunscreen as they should or re-apply it frequently enough. What's more, research shows that products often give less protection in sunlight than their SPF numbers suggest. Even if the SPF 30 or 45 costs a bit more, it's worth the extra expense.
You may prefer using a sunblock to a sunscreen. Sunblocks provide a physical barrier between your skin and both UVA and UVB rays, but may feel heavier. Dr. Berson recommends sunblocks containing zinc oxide or titanium oxide.
Shield your eyes from UV damage, too
Sunlight can hurt your eyes as well as your skin. It contributes to your risk for developing cataracts, macular degeneration and more.
For best eye protection, choose wraparound-style sunglasses labeled as blocking at least 99 percent of all UV light. Wear sunglasses anytime you're outdoors. (Adding a wide-brimmed hat shields your eyes even more.) Polarized lenses cut glare, but don't stop UV rays. If you want polarization, make sure the sunglasses are also labeled for maximum UV protection.
Some contact lenses have UV shielding. Ask your eye health care professional about your brand. Even with UV-blocking contact lenses, you should still wear sunglasses that prevent the maximum amount of UV rays.
More Tips for Sun Protection

• Be careful about sun exposure at all times, but especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Use a palmful of sunscreen (about one ounce) to cover your legs, arms, neck and face. Reapply after swimming, sweating or at least every two hours. And use lipblock, too.
• What you wear can help keep UV light away. Darker, tightly-woven fabrics are better than lighter, loose-knit or wet clothing. "A white t-shirt has an SPF of about 5; a wet, white t-shirt has an SPF of 1 or 2. That's not really protecting you," Dr. Berson says. Some clothing lines offer UV-protective fabrics in sportswear, bathing suits and hats.
• You may want to try a laundry additive that adds UVA and UVB protection to fibers in the wash load.
• Before going out, check the UV Index. This daily forecast included in many weather reports rates the intensity of UV rays expected each day when the sun is at its highest. Exposure ratings are scaled from 0 (minimal) to 10+ (very high). Use special caution anytime the UV Index is 5 or higher.
• Topical antioxidants applied to your skin can help prevent some sun damage, Dr. Berson says. Look for products containing antioxidants such as green tea, coenzyme Q10, vitamin C and retinol, a vitamin A derivative.
• Use face lotions (and makeup, if you wear it) containing sunscreens with at least SPF 15.
• When using insect repellents, apply sunscreen first. Do not use a combination product, because sunscreen needs to be applied more often than repellent.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that insect repellents containing the active ingredients DEET or picaridin are more effective than others. The higher the amount of DEET or picaridin in a product, the more hours of protection it provides. The CDC also found that oil of lemon eucalyptus, a plant-based repellent, provided longer-lasting protection than other plant-based ingredients—and keeps bugs away as well as repellents containing low levels of DEET.

Eating to Give Your Brain a Boost

Foods aren't just fuel for your body. True, they provide the energy you need, yet some have benefits that go well beyond simple nourishment.

Explore the recesses of your refrigerator and you may find foods that science is, increasingly, crediting with being especially supportive for brain health. These edibles may improve memory, clarify thinking, delay cognitive decline, and perhaps even ward off Alzheimer's disease.

Recent research shows that you may want to include the following on your shopping list more often for brain-strengthening nourishment:

• Apple juice and pomegranate juice
• Red grapes, cherries, apples, blueberries and strawberries
• Tea and cocoa
• Salmon and light tuna
• Soy foods
• Sunflower seeds, walnuts
• Vegetables, especially leafy greens
• Canola oil, olive oil
• Dark chocolate

When buying processed or packaged foods containing these ingredients, be sure to read the nutrition labels carefully. Some of these "good" foods may be prepared with high amounts of sugar, fat or salt added to them, resulting in too many calories or too much sodium in your diet. For healthful eating, choose fresh versions of these foods most often, or prepare them with low-fat ingredients. Eat processed types in moderation.

For example, you can still get the benefits of pomegranate juice (which has sugar added to offset its tart flavor) by mixing one or two ounces into sparkling water as a spritzer. Cocoa made with nonfat milk gives your brain a boost without adding extra fat. And letting a small piece of dark chocolate melt slowly in your mouth prolongs your enjoyment while keeping your daily intake healthful (one ounce or less).

For brain health as well as overall health, be sure to avoid foods containing saturated fats or trans fats (check those nutrition labels!). Diets that are high in such fats are specifically related to declining brain capabilities.

Lantern show held in inner Mongolia to celebrate the coming Lantern Festival

A big dragon-shaped lantern is seen during a lantern fair at the Wutasi Temple in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2010, as part of celebrations for the Chinese traditional Lantern Festival, which will fall on Feb. 28 this year. (Xinhua/Wang Zheng)

set of lanterns with the theme of a Chinese fairy tale is seen during a lantern fair at the Wutasi Temple in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,
Feb. 23, 2010, as part of celebrations for the Chinese traditional Lantern Festival, which will fall on Feb. 28 this year. (Xinhua/Wang Zheng)

A set of five tiger lanterns is seen during a lantern fair at the Wutasi Temple in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,

A peacock-shaped lantern is seen during a lantern fair at the Wutasi Temple in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,

A big tiger-shaped lantern is seen during the lantern fair at Wutasi Temple in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,

A set of lantern with the theme of a Chinese fairy tale is seen during a lantern fair at the Wutasi Temple in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,

New Year art's renaissance

New Year painting Good Luck from the Qing Dynasty.

 BEIJING, Feb. 24 -- With a large-scale exhibition of Chinese New Year paintings being held at the National Art Museum of China, interest in the Chinese folk art has been reignited as thousands of art lovers flock to enjoy the ancient art genre that has been slipping into relative obscurity for several decades.

The exhibition presents nearly 300 Chinese New Year paintings, among which more than 200 pieces are from bygone eras such as the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), while the rest were created after the founding of New China, altogether offering a panoramic view of the development of the folk art.

A wide range of pictures with diversified content such as stories from traditional operas, Chinese folktales and scenes expressing Chinese people's life after the founding of New China, are all being showcased, selected from a large collection of more than 3,000 pieces of New Year paintings.

As a folk art form with the functions of both decoration and expressing people's greetings for the New Year, the New Year paintings on show feature auspicious and joyous subjects, with concise lines, bright colors and happy atmospheres combined to reflect people's best wishes for the New Year.

The displayed pieces include almost all of China's most well-known production locations of New Year paintings, such as Yangliuqing of Tianjin, Taohuawu of Suzhou in Jiangsu, Yangjiabu of Weifang in Shandong and Wuqiang of Hebei, making the exhibition an exciting feast of the art genre.

"It is a very rare chance to see so many pieces of precious New Year paintings together," commented Han Pu, a researcher at the Beijing Research Institute of Culture and History. "Such an exhibition does not only add atmosphere for the New Year, but also helps people know more about the declining folk art."

Han said that except for hanging or pasting New Year paintings on their front doors and interior walls, Chinese people have various customs during the New Year, many of which are of crucial importance in observing and protecting traditional Chinese cultures.

"Such an exhibition would undoubtedly boost the audiences' understanding about this traditional art genre and is an effective way to help revive the folk art," Han added.

A unique art form in Chinese folk culture, New Year paintings are a type of picture that were often hung or pasted onto walls and doors during the Spring Festival both for decoration and to express people's greetings to the New Year. The custom is widely regarded as originating in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), with a folktale explaining that Emperor Taizong (599-649) asked art master Wu Daozi to paint the image of the ghost buster Zhong Kui and then hang it on the door to ward off evil.

With the advancement of printing technology in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), New Year painting developed significantly as the production of woodblock painting became easier, more contents were depicted in New Year paintings and they gained popularity among everyday people.

However, it was in the Qing Dynasty that New Year paintings reached their peak, as various subjects were included in the folk art.

Aside for the depiction of Chinese gods, such as the Gate God repelling ghosts and the God of Wealth helping attract wealth and prosperity (widely calledCai Shen Ye), the images of happy children were also largely depicted, as in traditional Chinese culture people believed that "happiness lies in having many children."

Also, scenes from folk tales, famous books such as Romance of Three Kingdoms and A Dream of Red Mansions and Chinese traditional operas, all enjoying great popularity among Chinese people, were also reflected in New Year paintings, thus to a very large extent enriching the art form.

However, despite New Year paintings' prosperity in the past, today there are few people paying attention to the art, according to Wang Yupeng, director of the New Year Painting Museum in Wuqiang, Hebei Province.

He said that today hanging a New Year painting is no longer a custom in many parts of China and the folk art with old contents seems outdated as people are embracing various kinds of new lifestyles during the New Year.

"In Wuqiang there were dozens of family workshops producing New Year painting in 1950s, but now only a few existed," Wang said.

"They have had to find other ways to make a living as the market is not as prosper-ous as before."

Traditional Performances on Full Moon Day

Bakjeommu” (Fluttering Butterfly Wings Dance), inspired by the elegant movements of the creature in the spring, which will go on stage at the National Center for the Korean Traditional Performing Arts on Feb. 28.

The National Center for the Korean Traditional Performing Arts (NCKTPA) will hold a special performance on "Jeongwol Daeboreum" ― Great Full Moon Day ― which falls on Sunday this year.

Jeongwol Daeboreum is a Korean traditional holiday that celebrates the first full moon of the new year, according to the lunar calendar. "Jeongwol" means first month and ``Daeboreum'' means big full moon. It comes around every fifteenth of the first lunar calendar month.

On the day, the center has put on special traditional performances for the last 10 years.

This year's performance will be divided into two sessions ― the first at Yeakdang (Main Hall) of the center and the second at its outdoor plaza.

The center will also hold court banquet performances, which were designed to pray for the well-being of the nation and individuals. Some 90 performers will take part in the court dances on stage.

Traditional court dances such as "Bongraeui"and "Bakjeommu" (Fluttering Butterfly Wings Dance) will be presented with a new twist by adding the element of storytelling.

``Bongraeui,'' the signature court music of the Joseon Kingdom, incorporates music, songs and dance, welcomes ``Bonghwang'' (an imaginary bird), which appears in a peaceful world. It is a representative performance of the 15th century's Joseon Kingdom. Since 1999, the NCKTPA has recreated ``Bongraeui'' by paying close attention to old literature and adapting it to a modern style.

Inspired by the beautiful gestures of a butterfly in the spring, "Bakjeommu" was performed at court banquets of the late Joseon Kingdom. The dancers wear costumes embroidered with splendid butterflies, and the dance movements imitate the gorgeous and light movements of the creature.

Also to be performed is a court-dance medeley comprised of three dances: the Crane Dance (``Hakchum"), Lotus Flower Dance (``Yeonhwadaemu") and Mask Dance of Cheoyong (``Cheoyongmu"). It has been performed since the Joseon Kingdom at court banquets. The dance begins with a dancer wearing a crane costume expressing the elegant movements of the crane. When the crane pecks the lotus flower placed on the stage, a young dancer emerges and starts dancing. Later, dancers wearing masks of five different colors appear.

The performances will be mixed with fantastic lights and other visual effects.

On Full Moon Day, Koreans traditionally crack nuts with their teeth, hoping this practice will help keep their teeth healthy for the year.

Also, people climb mountains to see the first rising of the moon in the belief that the first person to see the moon rise will have good luck throughout the year.

Also, Koreans used to play a game called ``jwibulnori'' the night before the full moon, during which they burned dry grass on the ridges between rice fields and children whirled around with cans full of holes, through which a charcoal fire blazed.

Many people believe that these cans help fertilize and protect the new crops.
Also, Koreans eat ``ogokbap,'' rice mixed with five different types of grain ― rice, black beans, millet, red beans and kidney beans, along with various seasoned dried herbs.

The performance will take place on Feb. 28 at the center's Yeakdang and outdoor plaza.

Tickets cost from 8,000 won to 10,000 won. For more information, call (02) 580-3300 or visit www.gugak.go.kr.

MySpace Getting A Makeover in Hopes of Making Site More Sticky

News Corp. (Nasdaq:NWS) looking at adding content discovery tools to  MySpace in order to increase interest in the social networking site and make it more sticky.
In the wake of the departure of former MySpace CEO Own Van Natta recently, News Corp. is in a full court press to get the site growing again and to create a sense of urgency that seems to have been lacking under the short tenure of Van Natta.
MySpace executives aren't looking for big home runs going forward, but rather a bunch of small moves which will enhance the overall whole of the company.
For example, with the content discovery tools the idea is to have MySpace offer a lot more relevant content they recommend to their customers or users. They want these tools available at every part of the site there is, giving them the maximum exposure available.
The company confirmed they're going to take a bunch of smaller steps rather than attempt the gigantic product launches which generate a lot of short-term interest, but in many cases don't add up to increased, sustainable usage of the network.
Whatever it is a person is doing at the time on MySpace, there will start to be a targeted recommendation or group or recommendations on something the user may also want to check out. They want to target all verticals and not just the video, which is already functioning in that manner.
The reason for all of this is executives at MySpace believe its core business is discovery, and they want to enhance that experience for its users to not only keep them on the site, but attract others with similar characteristics as well.
MySpace wants to make it as easy for their users as they can to interact and discover the things they're interested in, and continually express themselves while doing it, some of the things that made MySpace such a big hit in the first place.

AT&T's investments in its network are starting to get noticed with PCWorld rating the network the fastest in its latest 3G test.
The findings seem to echo another test conducted by Gizmodo, which also put AT&T's speeds at the top. PCWorld said AT&T enjoyed a huge boost since it conducted similar tests last spring. AT&T's average download speed went from 818 kilobytes per second last year to 1410 kpbs in January and December.
Now mind you, this doesn't affect coverage, something AT&T still needs to work on if you've noticed the Verizon Wireless commercials. But when it comes to speed, AT&T seems to be distancing itself from the pack.
Here's a quick snapshot taken from PCWorld's test of 13 cities:

PCWorld

What's interesting here is that AT&T's reliability is tied with Sprint at 94 percent ahead of T-Mobile and Verizon at 92 percent.
Here's a look at the breakdown of speeds on a smart phone for the 13 cities.
You can see that AT&T was fastest in all but two of the cities for downloads on a laptop and 9 of the 13 cities for downloads on a smart phone. And it was the hands down winner for uploads.The test were conducted in December.

PCWorld

Here's a look at speeds over a laptop.

PCWorld

You can see that AT&T was fastest in all but two of the cities for downloads on a laptop and 9 of the 13 cities for downloads on a smart phone. And it was the hands down winner for uploads.
The tests were conducted in December and January at 20 locations within the 13 cities. There were more than 51,000 separate tests covering 850 square miles or about 7 million subscribers.
AT&T has been investing heavily to boost its 3G performance and recently announced it was investing about $19 billion this year in its network, more than all of its competitors. Last year, it started to roll out its HSPA 7.2 technology which delivers higher speeds and they've also begun converting parts of the network to the 850MHz band, which frees up more capacity. AT&T is also investing in more cell towers and building up more backhaul or connections from the towers into the network.
AT&T will still get dinged for its service but perception usually takes a while to catch up to reality. We'll see if AT&T can sustain these results with more and more iPhone and smart phone subscribers jumping on to AT&T's network. It already has 40 percent of its subscribers on smart phones and is chasing more users with new Android devices. And it's also got the iPad coming soon, which will add more load to the network.
But for now, it's good news for AT&T. Now you AT&T users, are you seeing any of these faster speeds or are you scratching your head at these results?

Twitter Use Explodes, Hits 50 Million Tweets Per Day

Recent reports saying Twitter's popularity is declining might not be very accurate. Users of the micro-blogging social network are posting more messages than ever -- as many as 50 million 140 character-long messages every day, the company on Monday announced in a blog post.
Call it noise or information overload, but Twitter measured over 600 tweets per second from its users, Twitter's Kevin Weil blogged. The social network is just growing larger and larger, with more users joining every day, Twitter says.
The evolution of Twitter is phenomenal. When the service launched in 2007, there were only 5,000 tweets per day; by 2008, the number soared to 300,000, according to the stats released by the micro-blogging service.
By 2009, the number of tweets went up to 2.5 million per day, and then up to 35 million per day towards the end of the year -- a growth of 1,400 percent. In January 2010, Twitter again saw increased use of its service, with over 50 million tweets per day.
The statistics released by Twitter do not include spam accounts and there were no details on geographical spread. Twitter didn't say how many users it has either, though comScore estimates that in January the service attracted around 75 million unique visitors from around the world.
But despite the huge growth Twitter saw, the company is yet to come up with a revenue model for the service. Meanwhile, Facebook is still the largest social network, with its 400 million users updating their statuses 60 million times per day.

Queensland police urge Facebook to clean up sites

FACEBOOK has put up the shutters after coming under renewed pressure over the defacing of an online memorial for murdered schoolgirl Trinity Bates, the second such outrage in a week.

Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson yesterday led calls for the US-based social networker to clean up its act, after the tribute site for the eight-year-old was plastered with pornography and obscene postings.
So-called cyber vandals last week targeted a similar Facebook testimonial for 12-year-old Brisbane boy Elliott Fletcher, who died in an alleged knife attack at his school. Images of child pornography and other sickening material swamped the site before Facebook pulled it down at the instigation of Queensland police. "I think there is a broader debate here about Facebook sites generally and about the control and establishment of them and the obvious ability for them to be hijacked by people who really, quite frankly, have very sick values," Mr Atkinson told ABC radio.
Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy last week said Facebook held a position of trust in the community, and needed to explain what went wrong with its site security and how future acts of cyber vandalism could be averted.
His office yesterday referred The Australian to the Australian Federal Police, which said it was liaising with Queensland police over the latest incident.
Facebook, however, was not prepared to answer questions.
Through a public relations firm in Sydney, Facebook refused to make available the man touted as its "face" in Australia, regional vice-president Paul Borrud.
While Mr Borrud has been happy to discuss Facebook's local advertising prospects, the PR consultant insisted site security was not his area, and comment had to come from head office in the US.
The Australian has been waiting for a week for Facebook to make an executive available for interview. So far, the company's response has been limited to an emailed statement from director of communications and public policy Debbie Frost saying Facebook is "highly self-regulating", and encourages users to "report objectionable content so we can investigate and take action".

Facebook Gearing Up to Fight Google Buzz

With Google Buzz the hottest social network currently, it’s clear that Facebook must stay on their game to keep up. And that is what Facebook seems to be doing with their recent acquisition of Friendfeed, then later Octazen Solutions. Just as CMWire reports, Facebook has managed to assemble an impressive line of talent for their social networking efforts. But the question is whether or not they can take on Google Buzz?
On the surface, it looks as if the purchase of Octazen is to provide Facebook with the same kind of capability that Google Buzz has in automatically importing your contacts to their system. Clearly, Facebook has not been paying attention to Google Buzz privacy issues. Even if Facebook doesn’t run into the same privacy snafus as Google, will they be able to continue to remain on top with the Google Buzz threat looming over their head?

Twitter users are target of 'phishing' attacks

A phishing campaign is targeting Twitter users to steal their passwords and hijack accounts, according to security firm Sophos.
The hijacked accounts are being used to spread money-making spam campaigns. Phishing links started to appear in humorous postings that began with internet phrases like "lol, this is funny" and "lol this you??"
The links led to a fake Twitter login page that was traced to a website in China called BZPharma.net.
"The cybercriminals behind the attack are creating a zombie network, or botnet, of hacked accounts that they can then abuse to spread spam, distribute malware and steal identities," Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos told Computer Weekly.
He goes on to advise Twitter users to change their passwords as soon as they click on a bad link.
In other news, web giant Google has admitted that testing of its new social network Buzz was not sufficient.
According to the BBC, the service, which was launched on February 9, was tested only internally as the company chose to bypass more extensive trials with external testers

Smartphones that are hacked could be used to spy on you

As smartphones become more powerful, they become susceptible to even more sophisticated attacks from hackers. Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey recently used a special kind of malicious software, or ‘malware,’ called a rootkit to demonstrate just how vulnerable smartphones are.

Rootkits are not a new phenomenon. They have been used for two decades to infiltrate various kinds of computers. “The point of this work is not to demonstrate a new kind of rootkit but to show the greater damage they can cause on smart phones,” study team member Liviu Iftode, professor of computer science at Rutgers, told ‘TechNewsDaily’ .

Today’s smartphones are really just mobile computers. Many of them run the same class of operating systems as desktop and laptop computers, and as a result are just as vulnerable to malware attacks, the researches say. They add, vulnerabilities in smartphones are even more dangerous because people carry them around at all times, making it easier for attackers to eavesdrop, track locations or even collect personal information . Also, features such as Bluetooth receivers and text messaging make it easier to deliver rootkits to phones.

Iftode and his colleagues recently demonstrated different kinds of rootkit attacks. For instance, the microphone on a smartphone can be turned on remotely using rootkits, allowing someone to listen in on anything going on around the owner. Another attack uses a common smartphone feature: GPS receivers . A simple text message allowed researchers to track the location and activity of the owner.

Finally, the team used another exploit to turn on all power-hungry applications and features in order to run down the battery quickly, leaving the phone inoperable. The researchers say their intent is not to just scare people, but to inspire action. “What we’re doing is raising a warning flag,” Iftode said. “We’re showing that people with general computer proficiency can create rootkit malware for smart phones. The next step is to work on defenses.”

The team used an open-source smartphone called the ‘Openmoko FreeRunner ’ running Linux software, but they emphasised that with enough time and effort, any smartphone operating system can be attacked with malware.

The Rutgers team plans to use their results to inspire developers to create new ways to detect attacks on smartphones . “It turns out that solutions that can be used to detect rootkits on a computer environment require modifications to make them applicable to smart phones,” said Vinod Ganapathy, assistant professor at Rutgers. 

Photos of the future

Thought that going digital was the biggest breakthrough in photography? Think again. Scientists are working on away of taking pictures that could change the way we point and shoot forever. Mark Piesing investigates

View finder: the 'Frankencamera' has been designed as the next big thing in photography, taking us beyond traditional photography and companies like Microsoft are already developing software to take advantage of its functions

Deep in the bowels of Stanford University in California, a monster is being brought to life, not – for once – by a mad scientist playing God, but by a computer scientist, Professor Marc Levoy, and his team. Made from the spare parts of the photographic industry bolted on to a powerful computer, the Frankencamera may be incredibly ugly, but it will be the world's first open-source camera.

By giving researchers, programmers and the curious who buy the almost-£600 Frankencamera control for the first time over all the functions of a camera, Professor Levoy hopes those users will develop, as with the iPhone, the innovative ideas and applications necessary for the next revolution in photography: computational photography. That is the coming revolution that few people have heard of.

"Computational photography will change how we do photography," says the Professor of Computer Science. "It should allow you to fix things that you can't currently – whether by combining pictures in a different way, or by fiddling with optics so that more is recorded than on a normal camera; basically to do what photoshop can do, but the moment you take the photograph."

And so the only angry mob the Frankencamera will meet will be the photo fans desperate to get their hands on it.

Although the origins of computational photography lie in the Nineties, the term was first used by futurologists like Professor Steve Mann of the University of Toronto in 2004. Its big idea is to turn the camera into a powerful computer, that doesn't just digitise an image, but performs extensive computations on the image data as well. After all, despite the arrival of the digital camera, the camera itself has remained at its heart largely unchanged for over 100 years; all digital technology did was basically to replace the film with a sensor. Even the quality of a digital photograph is still largely judged by its closeness to its chemical ancestor.

So a future computational photography camera wouldn't take photos but rather compute them. Not only that, but innovations such as a micro array of multiple lenses would allow much more complex data to be collected than ever possible before; for example, every image captured would include data on its depth. This would enable future cameras to do things that until now have been considered impossible.

At its most tame, it means not only capturing shots of a visual richness unimagined before, but even changing the focus of a shot after it had been taken. At its most extreme, it could mean 3D photographs, and photographs that could be converted into a drawing, a diagram or even a watercolour at the press of a button. According to Shree Nayar, Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University, this isn't just changing how we do photography, it is actually a "new visual medium". "It allows photographers to manipulate photos after the fact. And yes, there is a boundary here beyond which one gets into the realm of art."

This may sound like a big boast just years after the digital revolution changed – and is still changing – how we take photographs, but big high-street names like Nokia, Adobe, Kodak and Hewlett Packard are betting with their dollars that Levoy is right.

However, Levoy and his team aren't alone.

In Silicon Valley, a company called Refocus Imaging has joined the race to turn theory into commercial reality; this time by looking an idea that is so revolutionary that it is hard for people to get their heads around it.

Founded in 2007 by Dr Ren Ng, the company has spent three years transforming Ng's Stanford Phd work on refocus imaging, which won the Association for Computing Machinery award in 2007, into a viable camera that we can buy on the high street.

According to Refocus Imaging's Alex Fishman, the refocus camera will, by replacing the single sensor behind the lens with microsensors, solve a number of problems that digital cameras present photographers with. "Currently, you are forced to take focus decisions (or depth-of-field decisions) before you take the picture", he says. "What's more, you can't change your mind after taking the picture. It also takes time for the autofocus to work as there is an inherent delay before exposure happens – anything from several hundreds milliseconds to a second. The result of this is that you miss your shot."

Although "For the end user the camera looks the same", he adds, "from an experience point of view you won't have to wait to take a photograph, as it will take a photo immediately, with no shutter lag, and you won't have to worry about focusing your shot as you can do it afterwards – as many times as you want. In fact the same exposure can yield multiple pictures after wards – each focused at a different object."

Not only that, but it will be cheaper, he believes, as refocus cameras will make lens design much cheaper, lighter and smaller, as the digital processor will do the work that the optics had to do.

"Its smartness will be loaded on to cheap digital processes rather than expensive optics – in which there have been no major breakthroughs in decades."

What's more, it's a transformational leap that we may not have to wait long for. According to Professor Ramesh Raskar, it may be only two years before technology such as this appears on our high streets, as camera manufacturers and software companies are working hard to deliver it; and he should know.

As Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and head of its camera culture research group, Raskar has been described as one of the most important individuals shaping the future of visual imaging today. He is also co-author of the book Computational Photography, due out this this year.

"The first wave of this revolution is already here", he says. "It is about trying to improve the performance of the existing cameras in the attempt to make the digital camera as good as a film camera." Features that broaden the dynamic range of a digital camera are examples of this. "The second wave should hit in the next couple of years, and it is about coded photos. Trying to make the camera into something else, like the refocus camera."

However, Raskar believes that this is not the end of the transformational process. "The third wave will take us beyond traditional photography, and companies like Microsoft are already developing software like PhotoSense and PhotoTourism to deliver 'sense photographs'", he adds.

'Sense' photographs are all about trying to take photographs that capture the sense of the real experience, not just what the camera and computer are capable of recording. "If you're on a rollercoaster, you can never get a good picture. If you're at a candle-lit dinner you can never take pictures that make the food look appetising."

Beyond that, who knows, but as computing power comes to matter more than optical power, one view is that what we know as "the camera" may disappear entirely, to be replaced by one piece of kit that meets all of our needs; whose screen is in fact also its lens. Or that the "future is bionic" – our eyes will be augmented to become the camera of the future.

Almost one billion mobile phones are sold globally every year with cameras of ever-increasing quality, and it is likely that computational photography may well first appear on a mobile. This is an outcome made more likely by research at MIT into how a small aperture on a mobile-phone camera can simulate that of a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, and by Levoy's work with Nokia to deliver the Frankencamera's software package for the Nokia 9000 Internet Tablet.

However, before this revolution can occur the problem of resolution has to be solved. So far, prototype computational cameras have at times struggled to produce a picture that has the same high resolution as the camera they use, and this is a big turn-off for consumers and thus manufacturers; even if researchers are less worried.

In the end, the exact length of time it will take to get computational photography out of the lab and onto the high street will, according to the professor, depend on a "negotiation between the wish list of the customers, such as speed, and that of the producers, such as cost", as well as "the possibility of Walkman like moments of inspiration."

For Levoy at Stanford, the future of computational photography and the Frankencamera depends on the manufacturers. "The megapixel war is winding down. So the Asian camera manufacturers can't compete on pixels any more, only on extra features. We would like them to offer the features that the research community is working on all at once, not just when they want to compete."

Photo finish: The experts' wish list

* The "iPhone camera" – which allows you to download apps.

* Micro arrays and coded apertures.

* Refocusing the shot after it has been taken.

* Elimination of blur and time delay.

* Wireless cameras to allow the instant sharing of photographs and comparison with photographs of a particular shot that already exist.

* The ability to take a photograph on your computer, using a camera that you are linked to wirelessly.

* Three-dimensional photography – taking photographs in 3D, and changing D photos into 3D.

* Studio-quality lighting on a mobile phone.