Tag Archives: work

US geneticist creates first synthetic life

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| 1 Comment

Scientists have created the world's first synthetic life form in a landmark experiment that paves the way for designer organisms that are built rather than evolved. The controversial feat, which has occupied 20 scientists for more than 10 years at an estimated cost of $40m, was described by one researcher as “a defining moment in biology”. Craig Venter, the pioneering US geneticist behind the experiment, said the achievement heralds the dawn of a new era in which new life is made to benefit humanity, starting with bacteria that churn out biofuels, soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and even manufacture vaccines. However critics, including some religious groups, condemned the work, with one organisation warning that artificial organisms could escape into the wild and cause environmental havoc or be turned into biological weapons. Others said Venter was playing God. “This is an important step both scientifically and philosophically,” Dr Venter told the journal. “It has certainly changed my views of definitions of life and how life works.” added by: slagface

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Ronnie James Dio Public Memorial Set For May 30

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Metal icon died on May 16 of stomach cancer. By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by Kyle Anderson Ronnie James Dio Photo: Paul Natkin/WireImage Metal fans from around the globe will get a chance to throw up the devil horns one last time for heavy metal icon Ronnie James Dio at a public memorial slated to take place on May 30 in Los Angeles. According to details posted on the late singer’s official Facebook fan page , the service will take place at 2 p.m. at the Hall of Liberty in the Forest Lawn cemetery in Hollywood Hills. “This will be a celebration of the life and music of Ronnie James Dio and is open to all of his friends and fans from around the world,” reads the announcement. Dio, remembered as one of metal’s all-time greatest singers, died early Sunday morning after a yearlong battle with stomach cancer. The singer, credited with inventing the ubiquitous two-fingered “devil horns” metal salute, was best known for his work with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell, and his own band, Dio, and lauded by friends and musical admirers as a metal icon. Speaking to MTV News on Wednesday, former Guns ‘N Roses guitarist Slash said Dio was one of a kind. “There’s not a lot of people like Ronnie,” he said. “You start to recognize [his] amazing contribution to rock and roll, or to music, however you want to look at it. People have taken it for granted because he’s so good and he’s always been there. He’s so consistent, he’s always putting out albums, he’s been in four different bands, and he’s always been around. And all of a sudden, the reality of him not being there anymore really makes you recognize what an iconic and amazing individual he was.” A few days after Dio’s death, Slash said the reality that the world will be without the singer’s signature operatic wail is beginning to set in. “Ronnie is one of a kind,” he said. “He was phenomenal. We met many times in passing. Not too long ago, we put our hand imprints at the Rock Walk at Guitar Center in Los Angeles together. He was a consummate gentleman — the kind of rock star people should aspire to be, as opposed to being sort of arrogant pricks. Ronnie was very genuine and very considerate and just really nice to everybody.” For those unable to attend the memorial, Dio’s wife, Wendy, has asked that instead of flowers, fans make contributions to the Ronnie James Dio “Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund,” c/o Niji Entertainment Group, 12400 Ventura Blvd. #624, Studio City, CA, 91604. Related Photos Ronnie James Dio: A Life In Photos Related Artists Ronnie James Dio Black Sabbath

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Goldman Sachs investing in factory farms: exporting environmental catastrophe to China

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Listening to members of the Senate subcommittee on investigations interrogate Goldman Sachs executives, I couldn't help but think, “chicken.” And then, “where's the beef?” Not because the executives parried, ducked, and even drew out their syllables (much to Sen. Susan Collins's frustration) during their ten-hour grilling. But because the white shoe investment bank and securities firm has, in recent years, entered the messy world of global agribusiness. That's right: Goldman Sachs is in the business of factory farming. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised: in the late 18th century, the area around Wall Street housed slaughterhouses and tanneries. The word capitalism itself is rooted in the trade of (live)stock measured by head (Latin: capita) of cattle. Nonetheless, the parallels between the killings made on Wall Street then and now are not only eerie, but consequential. Just as the securitized debt deals Goldman was hawking may be, in Warren Buffett's words, “financial weapons of mass destruction,” putting the whole economic system at risk of collapse, factory farming carries a parallel risk — of environmental destruction and exploitation of resources, prospects for food security, and animals, all on a mass scale. Unfortunately, the Senate inquiry into Goldman's alleged malfeasance is unlikely to question why the company in 2008 decided to acquire ten intensive poultry farms in China's Hunan and Fujian provinces for $300 million. While Goldman isn't running the farms itself (that's outsourced) it retains control over the prices. “So for the record, that's: U.S. mortgages = bad . . . Asian livestock = good,” is how the website Business Insider described the deal. This isn't the firm's first foray into this arena. Goldman is also principal owner of Burger King, joining Bain and Texas Pacific in 2002 in a $2.26 billion takeover of the fast food giant. Labor activists have criticized Goldman for the poverty wages earned by full-time Burger King workers, even as the firm continues to pay out billions in bonuses, including during the great recession. China Syndrome In China, Goldman may well be producing chicken for its own restaurants, since Burger King has 25 Chinese outlets. In recent decades, both fast food and U.S.-style factory farms that house thousands of animals in tiny cages or stalls in indoor sheds have become increasingly common in China. But such facilities, like the ones Goldman now owns, forfeit any semblance of animal welfare and have immense environmental and social costs. Why would Goldman want to own factory farms? Obviously, it sees an opportunity to make money, no matter the consequences. Meat consumption in China is rising rapidly; since 1980, it's quadrupled. Tyson, Smithfield, and other leading “protein producers” are active in the country, seeking new sources of profit by putting the proverbial chicken in 1.3 billion Chinese pots. Goldman must have wanted a piece of that pot, too. Goldman's poultry purchase could be labeled with the epithet Sen. Carl Levin used repeatedly at the hearings riffing on a Goldman employee's email description of one of the firm's securities schemes (a “shitty deal”). Filthy Lucre According to Wu Weixiang, an associate professor at China's Zhejiang University's Agriculture College, “Domestic animal and poultry waste has become a major source of environmental pollution.” Indeed, China's billions of farmed animals produce an estimated 2.7 billion tons of manure a year–three-and-a-half times industrial solid waste levels–and runoff from livestock facilities has led to a significant “dead zone” in the South China Sea, akin to that in the Gulf of Mexico, which is also the result of agriculture. The poultry deal also contradicts a Goldman business principle. “Our responsibility for environmental stewardship does not fluctuate with changing economic conditions,” the firm's 2008 Environmental Report states. “We hope our work continues to inspire action and creative market-based solutions that can help our environment endure and thrive. Only three percent of China's large and medium-sized livestock operations have facilities to treat animal wastes, according to Xu Cheng, a professor at China Agricultural University. Do Goldman's? Just a year and a half ago, Goldman was kept afloat by billions of dollars in U.S. government funds. Does that mean U.S. taxpayer dollars subsidized cruel, polluting, climate-heating factory farms in China? Even if the connection isn't direct, what are we to make of an elite private equity firm like Goldman helping expand industrial-scale animal facilities? cont. added by: JanforGore

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Kate Moss’ Pictures Are Worth £30,000

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Benny Hollywood

British supermodel Kate Moss nude pictures value could reach as much as £30,000 when they are auctioned off on Friday. The black and white photographs taken in 1993, in Marrakech, Morocco. It was the time when Moss was shooting to fame as a 19-year-old. Scottish fashion photographer Albert Watson took the pictures which are now being sold as a “contact sheet” mounted on aluminium at Christies. A photography expert from the auction house, Alexander Montague-Sparey, said: “Albert Watson is a famed photographer. “He is known for his work in black and white and these photographs have a golden quality to them which makes them very attractive. “There is a contact sheet with 14 photographs and they are very large for contact sheet photos. “There was another print from this shoot which was enlarged and sold for £50,000. “The photographs are like looking through a keyhole into an intimate moment and they draw you in. “There is an intimacy between the photographer and his muse. She is crouching trying to hide as much of her body as possible.” Kate Moss’ Pictures Are Worth £30,000 is a post from: Daily World Buzz Continue reading →

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Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner Aimed For Best Kiss Award In ‘Valentine’s Day,’ Director Says

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Garry Marshall describes shooting the former couple’s Best Kiss-nominated smooch. By Jocelyn Vena Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift in “Valentine’s Day” Photo: Warner Bros. “Valentine’s Day” director Garry Marshall says that Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner showed that they were willing to try anything while shooting the flick, and that eagerness may be what got the onetime couple a Best Kiss nomination at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards . “Taylor [Swift] was quite good in the movie and Taylor Lautner too,” he told MTV News about the kiss in the movie , which is out on DVD and Blu-Ray this Tuesday. “Taylor Swift is quite competitive. I said, ‘You know there’s a prize for best kiss? … So we might as well try for it.’ And Taylor Lautner kind of hid at the craft-service place. He didn’t want to get involved. Anyway, he went along with it. We did one in the movie, which was pretty good, but then we did a whole shot of a best kiss that was pretty good.” As for the Taylors’ romance last year , Marshall noted that on-set hookups are nothing new. “That happens with young people,” he said. “I usually always start with kissing or they worry about it the whole time. We did like five, six takes. And the first take was a little uncomfortable. By the sixth take, they were dating! Life happens like that.” Considering the fact that their parts were added to “Valentine’s Day” at the last minute, the duo’s willingness to dive into their work was a big bonus, the director said. “When they got there, there was nothing really written,” Marshall explained. “They weren’t in the original script, so we did a whole thing with them and worked with them. They did a good job. They’re both brave, they’ll try anything. He did high hurtles [to play a track star], which is not easy, and he insisted on doing his own stunts. I said, ‘If you get hurt, somebody from “Twilight” is gonna call me up, but I’m a gambler. We’ll probably only do this once.’ And he did it good. “They both have good star power,” added Marshall, who is working on the movie’s sequel, “New Year’s Eve,” due out December 9, 2011. “And they did get along for whatever the reason. It came out very well. I was very pleased.” Don’t miss the MTV Movie Awards , airing Sunday, June 6 at 9 p.m. ET on MTV! Check out everything we’ve got on “Valentine’s Day.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos ‘Avatar,’ ‘New Moon’ Lead 2010 MTV Movie Awards Nominations Related Photos ‘New Moon,’ ‘Avatar,’ ‘Hangover,’ More Duke It Out As 2010 Movie Awards Nominees

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Ronnie James Dio Dead At 67

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Legendary metal singer succumbed to cancer on Sunday. By Ryan J. Downey Ronnie James Dio Photo: Sanctuary Records Ronnie James Dio, one of heavy metal’s all-time greatest singers and a five-decade rock veteran, died early Sunday morning, according to a statement posted on his website by his wife and longtime manager, Wendy Dio. The singer, known for his work with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell and his own band, Dio, died less than a year after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. He was 67. “Today my heart is broken. Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m.,” her statement reads. “Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away. “Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.” With his powerful signature vocals and doom-laden lyrics, Dio fronted several iconic bands during his career: Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and, of course, Dio. In 2009, he released The Devil You Know LP with the outfit Heaven and Hell, which featured the same lineup as the post-Ozzy Osbourne incarnation of Sabbath that he fronted in the early 1980s. Possessed with one of the most recognizable voices in rock music, Dio’s onstage theatrics (swords, mock dragon slaying), medieval themes and cool stage presence helped win the adulation of generations of metal fans and musicians, including mainstream figures like Jack Black and Dave Grohl. Contemporary “metalcore” band Killswitch Engage regularly covers Dio’s “Holy Diver” in their live set, even going so far as to release a lovingly campy music video in homage. Dio is credited with popularizing (if not inventing) the “devil horns” hand gesture used by everyone from the darkest of death and black metal acts to pop stars, athletes and professional wrestlers. Dio often said he got the symbol — the “Malocchio” or “Evil Eye” — from his Italian grandmother. Born Ronald James Padavona in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Dio released his first record in 1958 with the group Ronnie & the Red Caps. It wasn’t until a few years after that single’s release that he adopted his stage name, inspired by New York mafia figure Johnny Dio. A later band, the Electric Elves, evolved into Elf. Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore recruited Dio and some of his Elf bandmates when he formed Rainbow in 1975; Dio released three landmark studio albums and a live LP with the band. Personal differences drove Dio from Rainbow and in 1979, he replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath. His first album with the group, 1980’s Heaven and Hell, ended the heavy metal originators’ creative slump with gusto and effectively reinvented the band, a streak continued with Mob Rules the following year. However, divisions within the group came to a head during the mixing of 1982’s Live Evil. Taking drummer Vinny Appice with him, Ronnie formed his own band, called simply Dio. The title track from 1983’s Holy Diver would become one of his most recognized and definitive songs. The Last In Line (1984), like the album before it, went platinum in the US. Over the following 20 years, Dio continued to record and tour, releasing the band’s 10th studio album, Master of the Moon, in 2004. A short-lived reunion with Black Sabbath in the early ’90s produced the album Dehumanizer in 1992, before Ozzy’s eventual return to the band. In 2006, Dio reunited with his former Sabbath-mates to write and record a handful of new tracks for inclusion on the Black Sabbath: The Dio Years collection. The chemistry between Dio, Appice, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler resulted in the formation of Heaven and Hell (so titled for a number of reasons, not least to avoid confusion with the more recent Osbourne-fronted versions of Black Sabbath). Heaven and Hell released Live from Radio City Music Hall, a celebration of the Dio era Sabbath songbook, in 2007. The Devil You Know, their first studio album under the new monicker, followed last year. In November of 2009, Dio’s wife and manager Wendy announced that Ronnie had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. Several rounds of chemotherapy and other treatments followed. Earlier this month, Heaven and Hell announced the cancellation of a planned summer tour of Europe owing to Dio’s condition. In April, Dio appeared at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles to accept the award for Best Vocalist. As members of Alice in Chains presented the award to him, the crowd chanted, “Dio! Dio! Dio! Dio!” What are your memories of Ronnie James Dio and his musical legacy? Let us know in the comments below. Related Artists Ronnie James Dio

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Adriana Lima Have a message for her fans

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Adriana lima, our Diva is back. Beautiful as always. She returned to the work of Victoria’s Secret. I’m so happy to see her again!!! I can not wait to see it on the catwalks, magazines and editorials!!! This a message for all her fans!!!

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Swizz Beatz Wants To ‘Get Really Involved’ In Arts Education

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I just feel that it’s so important to really be a part of something that’s so amazing and helpful,’ the producer says. By Shaheem Reid Swizz Beatz Talks With Students Photo: MTV News Swizz Beatz met with some of his younger fans Thursday (May 13) in his hometown of the Bronx, New York. The super-producer is not just giving his time and energy to help mold youthful minds, but he’s teaching them some of his skills and donating his money. Swizz has adopted the Bronx Charter School for the Arts, which incorporates arts education with social skills and other academics for its elementary-age students. “I been doing things in that world [of art], but I wanted to take it up another notch and get really involved,” Swizz said. “A lot of people can go to charities and donate certain things and go back to their life — that doesn’t mean the problem is over or the demand of need for a youth is over. I just feel that it’s so important to really be a part of something that’s so amazing and helpful full-time.” Swizz says hopes that when influential and successful individuals get involved in charities they sincerely care about the work. “[I hope they mean it], as opposed to, ‘I’mma go to this charity so I could feel better’ — that’s how people look at it. ‘It’s a good look if I do this.’ But I think it’s a good look if you do it for real and maintain for real. I’m from the South Bronx and the school is not too far from Jackson Avenue, where I used to live — St. Mary’s projects. It’s just super amazing to see kids that come from the ‘hood with so much positive energy in this negative world. “It’s always something amazing going on,” he added about the school. “Yesterday I was there and they got this play called ‘Seussical.’ It’s like a Broadway play for real. They got their stuff together. They got an art auction. I’m gonna get all the celebrities and people I know to make adopting charter schools the thing to do, especially for art. Those are the programs being taken away and those are the programs that help our kids. We can’t take that away. That’s the thing right there that keeps the kids there motivated with hope. When you’ re talking arts and music and different things like [that], which is still a learning [tool] from these things — no disrespect to any other subject. They’re able to teach the kids all the fundamental things in the world through art and music.” Swizz said he’s working out a deal now where he can donate some of the proceeds of his next album to the Bronx Charter School for the Arts as well as other children in need of arts education. There’s no release date, but Swizz — who’s featured in the new video for Diddy’s “Hello, Good Morning” — has been staying busy in the lab working on tracks for Diddy, Rick Ross and Busta Rhymes and has also submitted records for Dr. Dre’s Detox LP. What do you think of Swizz Beatz charitable efforts? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Swizz Beatz

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Guy Buys Google Ads, Scores Four Job Interviews (Video)

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood

Filed under: Videos , Tech In today’s “Why didn’t I think of that?” news, a man called Alec Brownstein buys a series of Google ads using prospective employers’ names as keywords. The idea was that when these guys google their own names, they would be confronted with a clever job application in the form of a Google ad. And it worked! The guy got a bunch of interviews at leading design agencies, eventually receiving two offers, one of which he took. Share Continue reading →

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Big Boi’s ‘Action-Packed’ Solo Album Features T.I., B.o.B, Andre 3000

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty is due July 6. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by James “FLX” Smith Big Boi Photo: MTV News Big Boi has no shortage of friends, so it’s only right that on his forthcoming solo album, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, the Outkast MC will be joined by a slew of guests. “The album is action-packed,” Big Boi told MTV News from the Atlanta set of his video for “Shutterbug.” “On the album, I got Andre 3000, B.o.B, T.I., Jamie Foxx.” On the production side, Scott Storch (who helmed “Shutterbug”), Salaam Remi (Nas, Fugees), Organize Noise, the rapper’s own Boom Boom Room producers and Boi-1da (perhaps best known for his work on Drake’s “Best I Ever Had”) will contribute to the set. Last month, Big Boi revealed that his Outkast rhyming partner, Andre 3000, would appear on three tracks , including one Andre produced. “It’s me and Stacks, two verses apiece, back to back, lyrical manslaughter,” Big Boi said of the latter collaboration. “Who’s better than the ‘Kast? Nobody.” Big Boi has kept quiet about most of 3000’s contributions, save for “Royal Flush,” which hit the Net in 2008. “I can’t speak on a whole lot of Outkast stuff, ’cause me and Dre got a top-secret agreement going on,” he said. “We won’t tell you nothing until it’s time to know. Y’all go get these solo albums first, how about that?” Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty is tentatively scheduled for a July 6 release on Def Jam Records. Are you excited to hear Big Boi’s solo album? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Big Boi

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