- Hey world, North Korea is ready to sit down and chat again about its disputed nuclear program - just as long as the rest of the six-nation negotiations understand that the process is basically going to involve Pyongyang denying every accusation and allegation and giving a giant middle finger to everyone else seated around the mahogany conference table where they sit. Actually, maybe this round of talks will be different. After all, North Korea did say Monday in a statement issued by its foreign ministry that it was ready and eager to resume the currently stalled six-nation negotiations as soon as possible. The statement said Pyongyang "remains unchanged in its stand to resume the six-party talks without preconditions at an early date." As an extra incentive to re-start the talks, the statement added that North Korea was willing to implement a de-nuclearization deal reached in September 2005 in exchange for aid. Hmm…..sounds like someone’s communist utopia isn't functioning quite as well as expected. Perhaps a meeting with South Korean officials on the sidelines of a security conference held in Indonesia last month and conversations with U.S. officials in New York on the issue last week had more of an effect that originally thought. Both the U.S. and North Korea characterized last month’s talks as constructive and businesslike. Still, the other parties in the six-nation negotiations -- involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan, can be forgiven if they have reservations about the North Koreans’ level of commitment to the process. It was Pyongyang that pulled out of the last round of talks in April 2009 despite agreeing in 2007 to roll back its nuclear program in exchange for aid during an earlier round of negotiations in Beijing. North Korea hit the eject button on the initial round of talks in an apparent hissy fit after the U.N. Security Council chastised it for launching a rocket and imposed sanctions on several North Korean firms. The official story from Pyongyang was that it had only launched only a communications satellite. Everyone not residing within North Korean borders and on the wrong side of the sane/crazy line claimed that Pyongyang had test-fired a long-range missile under the pretext of launching a satellite into space. Matters became more complicated and tense in April 209, when North Korea expelled U.S. nuclear experts and International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors monitoring the Yongbyon nuclear complex, conducted a nuclear test in May 2009 and test-fired several ballistic missiles. Restarting the talks may not be as simple as the North Koreans hope, as Japan, South Korea and the U.S. have all insisted they would be willing to do so only after North Korea honors its previous commitments to roll back its disputed missile and nuclear programs, and guarantee it will not engage in any further provocative actions. In other words, half past never…………
- If anyone actually cared at all about women’s professional golf, Yani Tseng would be a freaking rock star. as is, the LPGA Tour is not even an also-ran in sports conversation and its events are so far past ignored and irrelevant that no GPS could successfully navigate the route. And so Tseng toils on in obscurity and on Sunday, she accomplished something in total obscurity that no other golfer - male or female - has ever accomplished. In winning the Women's British Open for the second straight year, Tseng became the youngest golfer ever to win five majors at the age of 22. Even Tiger Woods (back when he used to be good and win tournaments) did not win five majors by the same age. For her milestone victory, Tseng easily bested runner-up Brittany Lang by four strokes. She shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 16-under 272 and finished the round off with a birdie to complete a masterful final round which she entered trailing third-round leader Caroline Masson of Germany by two strokes. "It's very special to win here at Carnoustie where so many great players have made history," said Tseng. "I was a little nervous before the start, but then I hit a good tee shot and I felt good. I feel that, having been in this position in a major a few times before, I am getting more mature and can handle the pressure better." Making her feat even more impressive, Tseng actually dropped a shot with a three-putt on the first hole of the final round and missed a 3-footer for par. From there on, she was rock steady while Masson fell apart and shot a choke-tastic 78 to finish seven shots off the lead. "It's so great making history on this golf course and I feel wonderful right now," Tseng said of her feat of winning five majors at such a young age. "It feels really good and I hope to keep winning. Next year there are another four majors and I will try and organize and keep working hard." Now, if only she played a sport that people outside of LPGA players’ family members and tour employees paid any attention to……………
- Every important social movement must begin somewhere and must also find a way to capture the attention of the general public in order to generate support and interest. The SlutWalk movement has both of those items checked off its “to do” list and its name alone has generated an immense amount of buzz and controversy for the group. The SlutWalk movement has its origins in an ugly incident in Toronto in April in which a police officer suggested to a sexual assault victim that women should stop dressing like sluts if they don’t want to be attacked. The meat-headed, imbecilic , knuckle-dragging simpleton who uttered those words can't be derided or ripped enough, but his asinine comments did give rise to a grassroots movement that has reached out not only across Canada, but North America and even Asia. A SlutWalk even took place Saturday at Portland’s Terry Schrunk Plaza and dozens of individuals - not just women - gathered to take a stand against sexual violence and the misconceptions surrounding it. Participants gathered at the plaza and walked a predetermined route through town to raise awareness of the issue, many dressing in the very sort of attire that apparently makes certain women a target for sexual assault. Local organizer Sophia St. James said the group wants the message to reach all groups and communities. "It's just not women that get raped or assaulted: it's men too,” St. James said, adding that the group wants to embrace all sexual assault victims regardless of their lifestyle or gender. Further illustrating the movement’s global appeal, a similar event was held Sunday in New Delhi, India and hundreds of Indians gathered to hold their own SlutWalk. Such an event was definitely needed (and more likely are as well) with crime statistics in India showing a dramatic rise in the number of rape case and authorities saying most cases still go unreported because the victims are afraid of being blamed. Getting the point out that those who rape and violently assault will do so regardless of what a potential victim is wearing is important even if it is just one step in combating a much larger problem…………
- Has there been a solid, believable and honest explanation yet as to why Kings of Leon ejected from their gig in Dallas on Friday or is the bullsh*t spin cycle still being employed to diffuse the messy situation? What is known at this point is the band pulled the plug on its concert after lead singer Caleb Followill left the stage midway through the band's set last week, telling a confused audience, "I'm trying to sing but I haven't got a voice, I've got nothing." The crowd was understandably upset over not getting the concert they paid and waited in line for, leading bassist Jared Followill to tell the angry concertgoers, "I don't know what to say. It's not our fault. It's Caleb. He can't play.” Way to pick your brother up when he’s hurting, J. The entire band then disappeared from the stage at the Gexa Energy Pavilion. Other accounts of the situation had Caleb Followill telling the audience, "I'm gonna go backstage and I'm gonna vomit, I'm gonna drink a beer and I'm gonna come back out and play three more songs." Regardless of what was said, the show did not go on and the official reason given for the cancellation was that Caleb was suffering from "heat exhaustion and dehydration." The band must not be on the same page as management, though, because Jared Followill later told Twitter followers, "There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed,” before adding, "I know you guys aren't stupid. I can't lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade." Immediately after the Dallas debacle, the band also cancelled a gig at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, Texas, the following evening and Monday canceled the rest of their U.S. tour, scheduled to run through Sept. 12 before shows in Canada and abroad. Considering the far-too-mainstream, even pop-sounding effort on their fifth studio album 'Come Around Sundown,’ released in 2010, perhaps some time away from their adoring fans and the music world will do some good for the Kings…………
- Few tech companies do battle with Apple and live to tell the tale (that tends to happen when a company has more money than the dysfunctional U.S. government), but Adobe is attempting to do exactly that and so far, may have adapted enough to hold onto its market share or at least stay afloat. The showdown between Adobe and Apple was over Adobe’s Flash program (used to create and display animations for the most part), which Apple banned from inclusion in its operation systems), although Adobe still makes Flash for those OS on its own. Adobe has stood by Flash, but seems to be working on a Plan B for the future with the development of a new tool that developers can use with HTML5--Adobe Edge. Flash was labeled by Apple CEO Steve Jobs as an outdated dinosaur that will soon become extinct, but it has remained the spark of a larger battle between the proprietary Adobe platform and the emerging HTML5 standard. Tech dorks have taken up positions on both sides of the issue and while the reality of the situation is clear, no one is budging - except perhaps Adobe. HTML5 is a Web standard and Adobe Flash is a proprietary development platform and that alone should eventually dictate that HTML5 will bypass Adobe Flash and reign as the dominant platform for Web-based animation and interactive content. Flash will never be used on iPad or iPhone models and with both becoming increasingly popular, Adobe would miss out on a huge segment of the market if it didn’t come up with an alternate solution. A statement from Adobe explained the development of Adobe Edge, its answer to Apple’s challenge: "Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced the first public preview release of Adobe Edge, a new HTML5 web motion and interaction design tool that allows web designers to bring animation, similar to that created in Flash Professional, to websites using standards likes HTML, JavaScript and CSS." Oddly enough, Adobe is following the example of Apple’s chief rival in rolling out Edge. Like Microsoft and its über-crappy Internet Explorer browser’s latest editions, Adobe is releasing Edge as a pre-beta platform preview. "While in public preview, Adobe Edge will be a no-charge download that Web designers are encouraged to explore and provide feedback on, to help shape future preview releases," the Adobe statement reads. Engaging developers in the process should lead to an finished product that is more well-received by the tech dorks who will be using it regularly. As for Flash, it soldiers on for the time being, unwanted by some but still beloved by many…………
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