The video apparently shows protesters being beaten with sticks, and kicked and choked by China’s security forces.

The Tibetan government-in-exile says the footage shows China’s “brutality”.

But a Chinese government official said many of the images and voices in the video had been pieced together from different sources.

The video-sharing site YouTube has recently been blocked in China, which could be because the site had been carrying the contentious video.

In its first response to the video’s release, an unnamed government official from China’s Tibetan Autonomous Region said it was a lie.

He was speaking to the official Xinhua News Agency in a report that was released late on Tuesday.

“Technology experts found that video and audio was edited to piece together different places, times and people,” Xinhua said, quoting the official.

China also rejected the claims about Tendar.

“Tendar died from a disease at home awaiting court trial,” the official said, adding that he had used a knife to “slash” a policeman.

The official added that the injured person in the video was not Tendar and the wounds were fake.

“The Dalai Lama group is used to fabricating lies to deceive the international community, and the aim of this video is to hide the truth of the 14 March riot,” Xinhua quoted the official as saying.

The Tibetan government-in-exile says that about 220 Tibetans were killed and nearly 1,300 seriously injured following the unrest last year.

The Chinese government says at least 18 civilians and one policeman were killed, mostly in riots in Lhasa on 14 March.

Source:BBC

The U.N. estimates that 1.5 million people in Darfur are dependent on healthcare support, 1.1 million need regular food aid, and another 1 million are in need of clean drinking water.

The summary released Tuesday said the World Food Programme, which is still allowed to operate in Sudan, is carrying out a one-time-only distribution program in March and April, but that new partners will be needed to continue delivering food after April. CNN

“However, by the beginning of May, as the hunger gap approaches, and unless the World Food Programme has found partners able to take on the mammoth distribution task, these people will not receive their rations,” she said.

The assessment also warned that “major water shortages could develop within two to four weeks, as from March 18, if fuel, incentives and spare parts are not continuously provided.”

Since the expulsion of aid agencies, Sudan has said Sudanese groups have been filling the gaps, denying that there is any problem with the distribution of aid.

But UN humanitarian head John Holmes said the Sudanese government had not done enough, and that it had agreed in the report that gaps existed.

“We and the NGOs that are left, and the government, can do band-aid solutions, can make sure there is fuel available this week, maybe provide a consignment of chlorine tablets to purify water in some places,” he said.

“But to replace the capacity that’s gone properly will take time, is difficult, the capacity doesn’t exist on the ground at the moment.”

The ICC accuses Mr Bashir of orchestrating atrocities against civilians in Darfur, where his Arab-led government has been battling black African rebels since 2003.

Up to 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million have been driven from their homes.

Sudan denies the charges and says the figures are exaggerated.

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British environmentalist David de Rothschild, author of Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, met with the San Francisco Conservation Corps on Wednesday to talk about “Plastiki,” a 60-foot catamaran made from recycled plastic (except for the masts), which he’ll use to sail from San Francisco to Australia: an 11,000 mile voyage!

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The boat is made up of about 16,000 plastic bottles and is an “effort to raise awareness of the recycling of plastic bottles, which he says are a symbol of global waste.” says Rothschild. Skin-like panels made from recycled PET, a woven plastic fabric, will cover the hulls and a watertight cabin, which sleeps four. Only about 10 percent of the Plastiki will be made from new materials.

According to Adventure Ecology, Fifteen billion pounds of plastic are produced annually in the U.S., but only 1 billion pounds are recycled. A lot of the bottles that aren’t repurposed end up end floating out to sea. The Great Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch, where ocean currents shepherd much of this debris, is twice the size of Texas.

The spotted shrimp has an unusual crest like a mohawk, and is about 5 cm. long.

The first part of the name has already been determined to be Lebbeus, because that is the family of shrimp the new one fits into taxonomically. The second part of the name will be determined by the winner of the auction. The convention is the second word in the name ends in the letter “i” for a male name and “ae” for a female name.

For example, if Keith Urban won the auction and wanted to honor his wife, Nicole Kidman, the shrimp’s name would be Lebbeus Nicolae. If Kevin Rose wins the auction he could choose Lebbeus Kevini. The name of the shrimp can not be that of a business entity, such as Lebbeus Diggi. Businesses, however, can participate in the auction.

The auction’s winner will also receive a painting by the artist Mali Moir.

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Easter is calling right here and it is the best time to shower your someone special gift. Special occasions are always welcome for showing and expressing that special love and feelings. You can express your feelings via so many mediums such as phone calls or emails or social networking route as science and technology has made it so convenient for us. However, the perfect way of expressing would be just giving a surprise gift. You can go for handicrafts and or ready made gifts.

Easter comes with the hope and blessing from the lord and it is considered as special and auspicious occasion. There are lots of gifts ranging from tiny little Todd to giants gifts available in the local showrooms and some local boutiques. The choices are yours.

If you want to make your some one special just go to his or her place and don’t tell him before hand that you are going to get something for him or her as it is a surprise gift. To show love you don’t need costly gift, you can give little one what matters is the love and affection that you have poured in it. Easter is the time when we seek blessing from the lord. You can also gift to your parents or friends or anybody it doesn’t mean you should give only to some one special.

A simple card would do the wonders for you. Why on Easter? Because this is the best occasion to seek blessings and also you must have noticed that it has always worked since ages that whenever you want to express love and affection you always wait for the special time and Easter is the right time to do. Don’t let your chance slip away from your hand. Grab the occasion and shower your love ones with gifts.

via gizmodo

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Contribute to a Traditional IRA
For those making last minute attempts to reduce their tax payment, or get a bigger refund, you can contribute to your traditional IRA up until April 15th. You can contribute to a Roth IRA as well, but it won’t impact your tax return. Additionally, if you have an SEP or a Keogh IRA, you will get a filing extension to October 15th. To qualify for the full annual IRA deduction this year you must either:
a. not be eligible to participate in a company retirement plan
b. have adjusted gross income of less than $53,000 if you are single, or $85,000 or less for married couples filing jointly.
E-File your Taxes
E-File your tax now!
If you e-file your federal return and request direct deposit, you can expect to receive your return within 10 business days. Additionally, e-filed returns are much less likely to contain errors. E-files are accepted or rejected within 48 hours and have an error rate of 1 percent versus an error rate of 20 percent for paper returns. You won’t get more money, but you’ll get it sooner so that you can invest it however you prefer.
Hold on to your Cash
Owe money on your return? File now and hold onto your cash. You can now have your payment drawn electronically on April 15. You can also use a debit or credit card (may result in a transaction fee) if you prefer. Don’t make this a strategy in future years, as those who owe over $1,000 generally have to pay a tax underpayment penalty.
Get a Second Chance at Last Year’s Stimulus
If you didn’t receive a full $1,200 (married joint filers) or $600 (individual filers) – plus $300 per child, then you may have a second chance to claim last year’s stimulus rebate. Calculate the credit using the worksheet on page 62 of your 1040 instruction package. You can then enter the amount on line 70 of your tax return.
Itemize your Taxes
The standard deduction in 2008 is $5,450 for singles and $10,900 for married couples filing jointly. But you’re not ’standard’, you’re above standard. Itemizing your tax deductions can have a huge impact on your tax return. If you are self-employed, have a home or mortgage, or have a lot of out-of-pocket medical expenses, you may have a good shot at saving more through itemized deductions than taking the standard deduction.

Time Invested In Gains and Loss Timing can have a dramatic impact on the tax consequences of your investment activities. A 15% long-term capital gain rate is 20 percentage points lower than the highest regular income tax rate of 35%. Divesting your portfolio of a poorly performing security but don’t have enough gains to absorb the loss you’ll realize, remember that capital gains distributions from mutual funds can also be offset with losses. If you end up with a net capital loss, you can claim up to $3,000 of the loss against ordinary income this year and carry forward any excess to future years.

Give to Charity to Save solon on Taxes Donations to qualified charities are mostly fully set deductible. For large donations, handle with your set authority both the types of assets to give and the best structure to give them. Charity assets include appreciated assets and CRTs.

Save With Education Expenses If you’ve paid for your or someone else’s education this past year (such as children or grandchildren), you may be able to apply for the following tax breaks: 529 Plans, ESAs, and Education Credits. Taxes advisor can help you select the most advantageous credit mix, depending on the amount of tuition paid and the number of students in your family. Student loan interest deduction. If you’re paying off student loans, you may be able to deduct up to $2,500 of interest.

Taken from wikipedia.org:
MENSA International is the largest, oldest, and best known high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardized, supervised intelligence test.
Mensa is formally composed of national groups and the umbrella organization Mensa International.

Do you want to try to solve the puzzle? (Good luck!)

What do the letters mean?

Example: “24 H in a D” = “24 Hours in a Day”.

1. 26 L of the A
2. 7 D of the W
3. 7 W of the W
4. 12 S of the Z
5. 66 B of the B
6. 52 C in a P (WJs)
7. 13 S in the USF
8. 18 H on a G C
9. 39 B of the O T
10. 5 T on a F
11. 90 D in a R A
12. 3 B M (S H T R)
13. 32 is the T in D F at which W F
14. 15 P in a R T
15. 3 W on a T
16. 100 C in a R
17. 11 P in a F (S) T
18. 12 M in a Y
19. 13=UFS
20. 8 T on a O
21. 29 D in F in a L Y
22. 27 B in the N T
23. 365 D in a Y
24. 13 L in a B D
25. 52 W in a Y
26. 9 L of a C
27. 60 M in a H
28. 23 P of C in the H B
29. 64 S on a C B
30. 9 P in S A
31. 6 B to an O in C
32. 1000 Y in a M
33. 15 M on a D M C

(click here to download the excel file)

Here’s the answer to the puzzle:
click here to download the answer

Numbers of unemployed people are gathering every night under the elevated 7 train at around 9.30 p.m. A guy named Jorge Munoz’s, a school bus driver by day in his white pickup truck, filled with hot food, coffee and hot chocolate serve these people food, full of love.

Munoz was born in Colombia and his father died in an accident when he was young. When his mother found it difficult to support Munoz and his sister, she made her way to New York, finding work in Brooklyn as a nanny. At her urging, Munoz followed in her footsteps, coming to the United States in the 1980s.

“She said this was a better future for us,” he says.

read here for further story

When it comes to partying there are really only a few characters you can come across; weird music guy, wallflower, always drunk person, early leaver, drinking game know-it-all, and the fun guy/gal. Ray shows you how to party like a rock star, become the fun guy/gal character that everyone notices, and get the most out of your time and energy.

Things You’ll Need:

• Cologne (not a must, but everyone likes someone who smells good right?)
• A way home (you know, in case you get drunk)
• A personality (just be sure to be yourself and not impersonate someone else. i met a guy one time who did a Dr. Cox, from Scrubs, impersonation pretty much the entire night)
• Your best smile (be sure to brush your teeth, cuz that’d be gross)

- Be Charismatic and Charming -

Certain people can walk into a room and immediately be the center of attention and captivate everyone they talk to. Why can’t that be you? You don’t have to be rich, famous, or have the looks of, say… George Clooney or Jessica Biel to pull this off. If you don’t believe it then think about this: Mystery (this bloke), a guy who wears goggles on his head for no reason and is almost always seen wearing a large fur top hat, can walk into a room and suck up almost all of the attention.

It’s not that hard, and when you doubt yourself just think to yourself, “If Mystery, the strange man wearing goggles, can do it, so can I.”

1. Stand straight & relax. If you’re hunched over you will not only look weird, but you look like you are having a miserable time and people can pick up on that. It’s not good. Also, relax. You’re going to a party, not jail. You break this rule then you are on your way to becoming the wallflower character who sits on the couch the whole time hoping someone talks to them.
2. Be outgoing. Go out of your way to introduce yourself to people, you never know who you’re going to meet. The last time I introduced myself, I found out this person was working at Disney World as a chipmunk at the same time I was there for Thanksgiving. This means I saw her on stage shakin’ her tail in late November and a few months later I was having a conversation with her, having no clue she was the dancing chipmunk. Needless to say, it was awesome.
3. Laugh & Smile. I like when people laugh at my jokes, I’m sure everyone else does too.
4. Be interested & keep eye contact. Talking to people and hearing what they have to say is the way to go, and you’ll almost always have something absurd in common. Try it. Remember, eye contact is good, unless she’s blind, then it’s pointless. The more you know…
5. Compliment them. If you like something they’re wearing, tell them. Especially if it’s a nautical themed pashima afghan.
6. Dress for the occasion. Look good, but not like you’re going to the prom – you don’t want to be that guy. If you take the time to get ready then you will feel a lot more confident about the night.

Who is Ray?
http://whoisray.blogspot.com
Claim to fame: “I shook Charles Barkley’s hand one time and he called me a cool guy. Can’t top that.”