Yemen’s Opposition Vows to Continue Protests
Opposition groups in Yemen have vowed to continue their protests, despite parliament's enactment of a state of emergency in the country.
Anti-government demonstrators have called for a march on Friday to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's palace in Sana'a. They say they will rally for his resignation.
The opposition activists announced the protest on Wednesday, the same day that parliament approved the state of emergency, which gives the security forces sweeping powers to prevent demonstrations and detain suspects.
The adoption of the emergency law was expected, as President Saleh's ruling party holds a majority in parliament. The president had announced a state of emergency after gunmen loyal to Mr. Saleh opened fire on anti-government protesters on Friday, killing 52 people.
A number of government officials, tribal leaders and diplomats joined the opposition side after the bloody crackdown. Yemen's top military figure, Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, also defected to “support the peaceful revolution.”
President Saleh on Tuesday warned military leaders that any attempt at a coup will lead to civil war.
A spokesman for Mr. Saleh said Tuesday the president was willing to hold early elections this year and leave office by January in the face of intensifying opposition protests against his 32-year-rule. Mr. Saleh had previously said he would stay in office until his term ended in 2013.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the political situation in Yemen remains “very unsettled” and it is too early to predict a possible outcome. He commented Wednesday from Cairo, where he is meeting with Egyptian officials.
Pakistan crush West Indies to reach World Cup semifinals
Pakistan are through to the semifinals of the Cricket World Cup after crushing West Indies by 10 wickets in a one-sided last eight clash in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Captain and leg-spinner Shahid Afridi inspired his Pakistan side to a superb fielding display, after the West Indies won the toss and elected to bat.
Afridi recorded figures of four wickets for 30 runs as the Windies crashed to just 112 all out in 44 overs -- their third-lowest score in World Cup history.
Off-spinners Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal also took two wickets apiece with only veteran batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul managing to hold firm against the Pakistan spin demons, making 44 not out from 106 deliveries.
In reply, Hameez (61) and Kamran Akmal (47) cruised to the target with more than 29 overs to spare -- guiding Pakistan to their first World Cup semifinal since 1999.
At one stage, West Indies were in danger of making their lowest-ever World Cup total, when struggling on 71-8.
However, a 40-run partnership between Kemar Roach and Chanderpaul helped them better their worse score of 93 against Kenya in 1996.
Meanwhile, Australian captain Ricky Ponting has denied media reports that he is set to quit international cricket.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) official website reported Ponting as saying: "I have never ever thought about retirement or where the finish line might be.
"I've been trying to prepare myself as best I can as a player and lead the team as well as possible. For some reason, these retirement things keep popping up all the time.
"We've got a big game coming up against India that I'm looking forward to, and more importantly I'm looking forward to getting out there and performing well as a player."
Australia will face India in an explosive-looking quarterfinal showdown in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Rose has 30, Bulls crush Hawks, 114-81
Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls turned a heartbreaking loss in Atlanta into more motivation for their surge to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Rose had 30 points and 10 assists, helping the Bulls move back in the East's top spot with a runaway 114-81 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.
The Bulls began the night tied with idle Boston for the conference's best record.
Chicago led by 19 points in the second quarter of their 83-80 loss in Atlanta on March 2. Since then, the Bulls have won 10 of 11, including two lopsided wins over Atlanta.
Rose said the Bulls made sure there would be no repeat of the loss to the Hawks earlier this month.
"Right when we got the lead we were just telling each other it's not going to happen again," Rose said. "After that game, we all felt bad. It hurts. We don't want that feeling anymore."
Rose closed the first half with three 3-pointers, including one just before the half ended. The Bulls led 72-43 at the break after outscoring the Hawks 41-22 in the second period. Chicago made 31 of 42 shots (73.8 percent) in the half and finished at 54.4 percent.
Fans chanted "MVP! MVP!" during Rose's spree of 3-pointers. He went 6 for 8 from long range for the game.
The Bulls are making it more difficult for coach Tom Thibodeau to find fault in their wins.
Thibodeau said he wasn't satisfied with Chicago's defense in its 132-92 home victory over Sacramento on Monday night. One night later, the Bulls tightened their defense as Rose and Luol Deng led a devastating first-half offensive performance.
Chicago's starters sat out the final period after the Bulls set season highs with 41 points in the second period and 72 points in the first half. Deng finished with 27 points.
"We have a lot of confidence," Deng said. "When our mindset is right on defense, we seem to work harder on offense. When we're not as focused on defense, it kind of leads to our offense. We just go through the motions. So it always starts with defense."
Added Deng: "We're trying to do great things in the playoffs."
Still, Thibodeau took a look at the Hawks' 45.3 field-goal percentage and said there is room to improve.
"Uh, yeah," Thibodeau said. "They shot too high of a percentage. So, defensively there's a lot of things we can clean up. But I like the fact that we got the big lead, and we played tough with the lead."
The Hawks were denied an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot and absorbed their first home loss to Chicago in four years.
Jeff Teague scored 17 of his 20 points in the fourth for Atlanta, which trailed 98-60 after three and also decided to rest its starters in the final period. Josh Smith and Al Horford had 14 points apiece, but Horford departed in the third with a strained hamstring.
Hawks coach Larry Drew said he expects Horford will be able to play Wednesday at Philadelphia.
The Hawks, who lost 100-59 to New Orleans at home on Jan. 21, came close to a second 40-point home loss. Chicago's big lead was 47 points.
"This is starting to get embarrassing," Smith said, adding the Hawks showed "no resistance" in their seventh loss in the last 10 games.
"We didn't help each other, and when you don't help each other it gets contagious," Smith said.
The Bulls were almost perfect in pulling away from the Hawks in the first half.
With 4:50 remaining in the second quarter, Drew called a timeout after Kyle Korver's 3-pointer gave the Bulls a 57-35 lead. Atlanta had made 52 percent of its shots from the field and still trailed by 22 because the Bulls were shooting at a season-best pace.
Chicago's best shooting game of the season came on Dec. 21, when they shot 64.5 percent from the field in a home win over Philadelphia. Against the Hawks, the Bulls were even better - for a half.
The Bulls continued to stretch the lead in the second half. Rose had 10 points in the third quarter while earning the early exit.
The Hawks' frustrations showed when backup center Zaza Pachulia and Drew exchanged sharp words on the bench late in the game. The 7-foot Pachulia left after missing a long jumper.
"I told him I didn't want him taking that shot," Drew said. "He shoots an 18-foot shot. That's not his shot. ... I told him 'You don't take that shot.' That was the end of that."
Source: sportsillustrated
Film legend Elizabeth Taylor dies at 79
Elizabeth Taylor, the violet-eyed film goddess whose sultry screen persona, stormy personal life and enduring fame and glamour made her one of the last of the old-fashioned movie stars and a template for the modern celebrity, died Wednesday at age 79.
She was surrounded by her four children when she died of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized for about six weeks, said publicist Sally Morrison.
"My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love," her son, Michael Wilding, said in a statement.
"We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts."
Taylor was the most blessed and cursed of actresses, the toughest and the most vulnerable. She had extraordinary grace, wealth and voluptuous beauty, and won three Academy Awards, including a special one for her humanitarian work. She was the most loyal of friends and a defender of gays in Hollywood when AIDS was still a stigma in the industry and beyond. But she was afflicted by ill health, failed romances (eight marriages, seven husbands) and personal tragedy.
"I think I'm becoming fatalistic," she said in 1989. "Too much has happened in my life for me not to be fatalistic."
Her more than 50 movies included unforgettable portraits of innocence and of decadence, from the children's classic "National Velvet" and the sentimental family comedy "Father of the Bride" to Oscar-winning transgressions in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "Butterfield 8." The historical epic "Cleopatra" is among Hollywood's greatest on-screen fiascos and a landmark of off-screen monkey business, the meeting ground of Taylor and Richard Burton, the "Brangelina" of their day.
Sympathy for Taylor's widowhood had turned to scorn when she took up with Fisher, who had supposedly been consoling her over the death of Todd. But before the 1961 ceremony, she was hospitalized from a nearly fatal bout with pneumonia and Taylor underwent a tracheotomy. The scar was bandaged when she appeared at the Oscars to accept her best actress trophy for "Butterfield 8."
To a standing ovation, she hobbled to the stage. "I don't really know how to express my great gratitude," she said in an emotional speech. "I guess I will just have to thank you with all my heart." It was one of the most dramatic moments in Academy Awards history.
"Hell, I even voted for her," Reynolds later said.
Greater drama awaited: "Cleopatra." Taylor met Burton while playing the title role in the 1963 epic, in which the brooding, womanizing Welsh actor co-starred as Mark Antony. Their chemistry was not immediate. Taylor found him boorish; Burton mocked her physique. But the love scenes on film continued away from the set and a scandal for the ages was born. Headlines shouted and screamed. Paparazzi snapped and swooned. Their romance created such a sensation that the Vatican denounced the happenings as the "caprices of adult children."
The film so exceeded its budget that the producers lost money even though "Cleopatra" was a box-office hit and won four Academy awards. (With its $44 million budget adjusted for inflation, "Cleopatra" remains the most expensive movie ever made.) Taylor's salary per film topped $1 million. "Liz and Dick" became a couple on a first name basis with millions who had never met them.
They were a prolific acting team, even if most of the movies aged no better than their relationship: "The VIPs" (1963), "The Sandpiper" (1965), "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966), "The Taming of the Shrew" (1967), "The Comedians" (1967), "Dr. Faustus" (1967), "Boom!" (1968), "Under Milk Wood" (1971) and "Hammersmith Is Out" (1972).
Art most effectively imitated life in the adaptation of Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" — in which Taylor and Burton played mates who fought viciously and drank heavily. She took the best actress Oscar for her performance as the venomous Martha in "Virginia Woolf" and again stole the awards show, this time by not showing up at the ceremony. She refused to thank the academy upon learning of her victory and chastised voters for not honoring Burton.
Taylor and Burton divorced in 1974, married again in 1975 and divorced again in 1976.
"We fight a great deal," Burton once said, "and we watch the people around us who don't quite know how to behave during these storms. We don't fight when we are alone."
In 1982, Taylor and Burton appeared in a touring production of the Noel Coward play "Private Lives," in which they starred as a divorced couple who meet on their respective honeymoons. They remained close at the time of Burton's death, in 1984.
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born in London on Feb. 27, 1932, the daughter of Francis Taylor, an art dealer, and the former Sara Sothern, an American stage actress. At age 3, with extensive ballet training already behind her, Taylor danced for British princesses Elizabeth (the future queen) and Margaret Rose at London's Hippodrome. At age 4, she was given a wild field horse that she learned to ride expertly.
At the onset of World War II, the Taylors came to the United States. Francis Taylor opened a gallery in Beverly Hills and, in 1942, his daughter made her screen debut with a bit part in the comedy "There's One Born Every Minute."
Her big break came soon thereafter. While serving as an air-raid warden with MGM producer Sam Marx, Taylor's father learned that the studio was struggling to find an English girl to play opposite Roddy McDowall in "Lassie Come Home." Taylor's screen test for the film won her both the part and a long-term contract. She grew up quickly after that.
Still in school at 16, she would dash from the classroom to the movie set where she played passionate love scenes with Robert Taylor in "Conspirator."
"I have the emotions of a child in the body of a woman," she once said. "I was rushed into womanhood for the movies. It caused me long moments of unhappiness and doubt."
Soon after her screen presence was established, she began a series of very public romances. Early loves included socialite Bill Pawley, home run slugger Ralph Kiner and football star Glenn Davis.
Then, a roll call of husbands:
— She married Conrad Hilton Jr., son of the hotel magnate, in May 1950 at age 18. The marriage ended in divorce that December.
— When she married British actor Michael Wilding in February 1952, he was 39 to her 19. They had two sons, Michael Jr. and Christopher Edward. That marriage lasted 4 years.
— She married cigar-chomping movie producer Michael Todd, also 20 years her senior, in 1957. They had a daughter, Elizabeth Francis. Todd was killed in a plane crash in 1958.
— The best man at the Taylor-Todd wedding was Fisher. He left his wife Debbie Reynolds to marry Taylor in 1959. She converted to Judaism before the wedding.
— Taylor and Fisher moved to London, where she was making "Cleopatra." She met Burton, who also was married. That union produced her fourth child, Maria.
— After her second marriage to Burton ended, she married John Warner, a former secretary of the Navy, in December 1976. Warner was elected a U.S. senator from Virginia in 1978. They divorced in 1982.
— In October 1991, she married Larry Fortensky, a truck driver and construction worker she met while both were undergoing treatment at the Betty Ford Center in 1988. He was 20 years her junior. The wedding, held at the ranch of Michael Jackson, was a media circus that included the din of helicopter blades, a journalist who parachuted to a spot near the couple and a gossip columnist as official scribe.
But in August 1995, she and Fortensky announced a trial separation; she filed for divorce six months later and the split became final in 1997.
"I was taught by my parents that if you fall in love, if you want to have a love affair, you get married," she once remarked. "I guess I'm very old-fashioned."
Her philanthropic interests included assistance for the Israeli War Victims Fund, the Variety Clubs International and the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
She received the Legion of Honor, France's most prestigious award, in 1987, for her efforts to support AIDS research. In May 2000, Queen Elizabeth II made Taylor a dame — the female equivalent of a knight — for her services to the entertainment industry and to charity.
In 1993, she won a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute; in 1999, an institute survey of screen legends ranked her No. 7 among actresses.
During much of her later career, Taylor's waistline, various diets, diet books and tangled romances were the butt of jokes by Joan Rivers and others. John Belushi mocked her on "Saturday Night Live," dressing up in drag and choking on a piece of chicken.
"It's a wonder I didn't explode," Taylor wrote of her 60-pound weight gain — and successful loss — in the 1988 book "Elizabeth Takes Off on Self-Esteem and Self-Image."
She was an iconic star, but her screen roles became increasingly rare in the 1980s and beyond. She appeared in several television movies, including "Poker Alice" and "Sweet Bird of Youth," and entered the Stone Age as Pearl Slaghoople in the movie version of "The Flintstones." She had a brief role on the popular soap opera "General Hospital."
Taylor was the subject of numerous unauthorized biographies and herself worked on a handful of books, including "Elizabeth Taylor: An Informal Memoir" and "Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry." In tune with the media to the end, she kept in touch through her Twitter account.
"I like the connection with fans and people who have been supportive of me," Taylor told Kim Kardashian in a 2011 interview for Harper's Bazaar. "And I love the idea of real feedback and a two-way street, which is very, very modern. But sometimes I think we know too much about our idols and that spoils the dream."
Survivors include her daughters Maria Burton-Carson and Liza Todd-Tivey, sons Christopher and Michael Wilding, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A private family funeral is planned later this week.
-AP
Bermuda To Take Part in Tsunami Drill
Bermuda will join other localities in the Caribbean as a participant in a tsunami response exercise tomorrow [Mar.23]
The purpose of this exercise is to evaluate local tsunami response plans, increase tsunami preparedness, and improve coordination throughout the region.
“The 2011 Japan earthquake and Pacific-wide tsunami have reminded the world again of the urgent need to be more prepared for such events,” said Dr. Mark Guishard, Director of the Bermuda Weather Service.
“This important exercise will test the current procedures of the Tsunami Warning System and help identify operational strengths and weaknesses in each community.”
The exercise, titled CARIBE WAVE 11/LANTEX 11, will simulate a widespread Tsunami Warning and Watch situation throughout the Caribbean which requires implementation of local tsunami response plans. It is the first such international exercise in the Caribbean region. The exercise will include public notification, via the dissemination channels routinely used for weather information.
The exercise will simulate a major earthquake and tsunami generated 25 miles southeast of Fajardo, Puerto Rico and 55 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico at 10:00am Atlantic Daylight Time on March 23, 2011. Tsunami messages will be issued to the relevant local agencies from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the interim Regional Tsunami Watch Provider for the non-US countries in the Caribbean Sea and Adjacent Regions.
Participants in this exercise include the Bermuda Weather Service [operated by BAS-Serco Ltd. on behalf of the Government of Bermuda], Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre, Bermuda Police Service, and the Department of Airport Operations.
The exercise is sponsored by the UNESCO/IOC Intergovernmental Coordination Group for Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions, the Caribbean Emergency Management Agency, the Centro de Coordinación para la Prevención de los Desastres Naturales en América Central, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and by the U.S. National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program.
AT&T to reconfigure T-Mobile network after acquisition
AT&T Inc said Monday that if its deal to buy T-Mobile USA goes through, T-Mobile subscribers with 3G phones will need to replace those to keep their wireless broadband service working.
But there will be plenty of time to do that.
Dallas-based AT&T said Sunday it had agreed to buy T-Mobile USA for US$39 billion. If approved by regulators, the deal would close in about a year.
AT&T would pay about US$25 billion in cash to Deutsche Telekom, Germany's largest phone company, and stock that is equivalent to an eight per cent stake in AT&T.
Deutsche Telekom would get one seat on AT&T's board.
AT&T said that some time after the closing, it plans to rearrange how T-Mobile's cell towers work.
The airwaves they use for third-generation services, or 3G, will be re-purposed for 4G, which is faster.
That would leave current T-Mobile phones without 3G. They would need to be replaced with phones that use AT&T's 3G frequencies.
Ralph de la Vega, AT&T's head of wireless and consumer services, said this will happen as part of the normal phone-upgrade process.
Nothing to worry about
"There's nothing for them to worry about ... it will be done over time, in a way that's good for customers and good for AT&T," de la Vega said in an interview.
The whole process will take several years, he said.
AT&T shares rose 27 cents to US$28.21 in midday trading Monday.
The deal would reduce the number of wireless carriers with national coverage from four to three, and is sure to face close regulatory scrutiny. It also removes a potential partner for Sprint Nextel Corp, the struggling No 3 carrier, which had been in talks to combine with T-Mobile USA, according to Wall Street Journal reports.
AT&T is now the country's second-largest wireless carrier and T-Mobile USA is the fourth largest. The acquisition would give AT&T 129 million subscribers, vaulting it past Verizon Wireless' 102 million. The combined company would serve about 43 per cent of US cellphones.
For T-Mobile USA's 33.7 million subscribers, the news doesn't immediately change anything. Because of the long regulatory process, AT&T expects the acquisition to take a year to close.
But when and if it closes, T-Mobile USA customers would get access to AT&T's phone line-up, including the iPhone.
The effect of reduced competition in the cellphone industry is harder to fathom.
Public interest group Public Knowledge said that eliminating one of the four national phone carriers would be "unthinkable".
"We know the results of arrangements like this - higher prices, fewer choices, less innovation," said Public Knowledge president Gigi Sohn, in a statement.
T-Mobile has relatively cheap service plans compared with AT&T, particularly when comparing the kind that don't come with a two-year contract.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said one of the goals of the acquisition would be to move T-Mobile customers to smart phones, which have higher monthly fees.
AT&T "will look hard" at keeping T-Mobile's no-contract plans, he said.
AT&T's general counsel, Wayne Watts, said the cellphone business is "an incredibly competitive market," with five or more carriers in most major cities.
He pointed out that prices have declined in the past decade, even as the industry has consolidated. In the most recent mega-deal, Verizon Wireless bought No 5 carrier Alltel for US$5.9 billion in 2009.
Deal to face tough review
Stifel Nicolaus analyst Rebecca Arbogast said the deal will face a tough review by the US Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department.
She expects them to look market-by-market at whether the deal will harm competition.
Even if regulators approve the acquisition, she added, they are likely to require AT&T to sell off parts of its business or T-Mobile's business.
Verizon had to sell off substantial service areas to get clearance for the Alltel acquisition.
To mollify regulators, AT&T said in a statement Sunday that it would spend an additional US$8 billion to expand ultrafast wireless broadband into rural areas.
Instead of covering about 80 per cent of the US population with its so-called Long Term Evolution, or LTE network, AT&T's new goal would be 95 per cent, it said.
That means blanketing an additional area 4.5 times the size of Texas. The network is scheduled to go live in a few areas this summer, but the full build-out will take years.
The deal has been approved by the boards of both companies. Dallas-based AT&T can increase its cash portion by up to US$4.2 billion, with a reduction in the stock component, as long as Deutsche Telekom receives at least a five per cent equity ownership interest in the buyer.
The agreement doesn't leave room for other buyers to jump in with a higher bid, AT&T said.
AT&T would finance the cash part of the deal with new debt and cash on its balance sheet and will assume no debt from T-Mobile.
- AP
Gayle, roach key to West indies victory
Pakistan take momentum and confidence into tomorrow's first World Cup quarter-final against a West Indies team that is lacking both.
Pakistan sprung a surprise by finishing atop Group A and relegating Australia to third place by ending the three-time defending champion's 34-match unbeaten run in the World Cup.
West Indies won their three matches against the lower-ranked sides in Group B, but were beaten by the three higher-ranked teams and threw away winning positions in their last two games.
Against England, the West Indies went from 222-6 to 225 all out chasing 245, and in Sunday's final group match against India, the last seven wickets fell for 34 runs.
the knockout stage
"The good thing is that it's not the knockout stage,'' captain Darren Sammy said of the group stage failures. "If that happens (from now) then we will be going home.
"It is a worrying thing for us but I still back the calibre of players we have. Once we put our heads down and play each ball on its merit we could come up with better shots - That's something we must correct and correct very quickly.''
West Indies haven't been helped by injuries, in particular to key batsman Chris Gayle who missed the game against Ireland with abdominal strain and was rested against India as a precaution.
"I know Chris and he won't pass up an opportunity to play in a World Cup quarter-final,'' Sammy said. "I don't think he has played in the World Cup quarter-finals. I know he will come out and give his all for the team.''
Fast bowler Kemar Roach also sat out the India match, but is expected to be fit to face Pakistan. That could leave the West Indies selectors with a tricky decision to make after Ravi Rampaul came in for his World Cup debut against India and collected his first five-wicket haul in one-day internationals.
Pakistan, on the other hand, seem unlikely to be tempted to tinker with their line-up after the four-wicket win over Australia on Saturday.
Afridi's team came into the tournament having lost three players to long-term bans following the spot-fixing scandal in England last year, but opened the World Cup with a thumping win over Kenya and followed it by beating co-host Sri Lanka.
"Despite all the problems, Pakistan are blessed with talent,'' captain Shahid Afridi said. "It's because of this talent that we are a dangerous team and can win against anyone. We now hope to carry on the momentum.''
The 1992 champions haven't quite shed their reputation for inconsistency, as a 110-run loss to New Zealand testifies, and that could offer West Indies some hope going into Wednesday's game at Dhaka's Sher-E-Bangla Stadium.
The Windies also have the benefit of having played at the ground before, in the nine-wicket thrashing of Bangladesh, although Pakistan played two warm-up games there before the tournament.
Victory for Pakistan could mean a semi-final against fierce rival India at Mohali, but Afridi insisted he hasn't thought that far ahead.
"Our focus is on the quarter-final,'' he said. "First we have a must-win match against a dangerous opponent.''
Match starts at 3:30 a.m.
Search For "Tupac" Actor Hits The Internet
The search for an actor to play the role of legendary rapper Tupac Shakur has gone viral, as production company Morgan Creek is harnessing the Internet to seek out top talent.
Morgan Creek is hosting an online casting call with popular L.A. personality DJ Skee and Karmaloop.TV for the upcoming motion picture "Tupac," which is based on the life of the legendary rapper Tupac Shakur.
"Tupac" will focus on the rapper's rise to superstardom, his imprisonment, his stint at Death Row Records and his untimely death at the hands of an unknown assassin in September of 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“We are excited to partner with Morgan Creek on this innovative casting call,” said Scott “DJ Skee” Keeney, founder of Skee.TV. “This audition process is a great example of utilizing today’s ever-evolving technology to reach fans and actors around the world to pay homage to a hip-hop legend.”
Serious actors who want a shot at playing "Tupac" in the major motion picture can also log on to InSearchOfTupac.com to upload their videos for reviews.
The website will also help to keep fans abreast about important announcements and other opportunities to take part in the flick, which is being directed by Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day," "Brooklyn's Finest").
"Tupac" is also being executive produced by Afeni Shakur, along with producers LT Hutton, James G. Robinson and David Robinson.
"We’re looking for someone with the right mix of raw charm and charisma for the role," added producer David Robinson. "At this point, we’re more concerned about finding someone with the ability to give their entire heart into the performance than just looks and personality.”
Universal Pictures will distribute "Tupac" in the United States, while Morgan Creek will co-distribute internationally overseas.
Source:Allhiphop
Pro-Gadhafi Forces Press Attacks Despite Airstrikes
Pro-government forces in Libya have escalated their attacks on two western towns, terrorizing civilians and killing dozens — even as the U.S.-led coalition continued its military operation in the skies over the North African nation.
In the latest fighting, forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi targeted the rebel-held cities of Misrata and Zintan, utilizing snipers, tanks and artillery.
Residents in Misrata, 200 kilometers east of Tripoli, say shelling and sniper attacks are unrelenting. Medical officials there told news agencies doctors are operating on people with bullet and shrapnel wounds in hospital corridors. Four children were among those killed Tuesday, while 40 people died in the fighting a day earlier.
In Zintan, near the Tunisian border, pro-government forces attacked with heavy weapons.
The coalition's tactical commander, U.S. Admiral Samuel Locklear, said Tuesday that intelligence reports confirm Mr. Gadhafi's forces are attacking civilians in Misrata in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution.
He said the international coalition is “considering all options” regarding the situation in Libya's third-largest city. U.S. President Barack Obama has demanded that pro-government forces pull back from Misrata and a number of other cities.
Admiral Locklear confirmed that two U.S. crewmembers have been recovered after ejecting safely from an F-15 fighter jet over Libya late Monday, when the aircraft encountered mechanical problems.
Locklear said the pilot had been found by a coalition rescue team and that the plane's weapons officer, who was recovered by the Libyan people, was “treated with dignity and respect” before being handed over to U.S. forces.
Speaking by telephone from a U.S. warship in the Mediterranean Sea, Admiral Locklear said 13 nations have joined or are on their way to help coalition forces. He said he expects planes from Qatar – the only Arab country to provide aircraft – to be flying in the next few days.
Meanwhile, Libyan officials took journalists to see a cluster of naval shipyards in Tripoli destroyed by allied bombings Monday night that had been used to store military hardware. Among the targets were hangars where missile launchers and missile transport carriers were being stored.
The international coalition initially established the no-fly zone over the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. As more support comes in, the force plans to expand the zone a thousand kilometers to the west, to the capital, Tripoli.
Rebels driven back by pro-Gadhafi forces before the air attacks have yet to capitalize on the campaign, raising concerns that the conflict could enter a stalemate.
Poorly-organized rebel fighters trying to retake the eastern town of Ajdabiya said they were driven back by rocket and tank fire from government loyalists still controlling entrances to the city.
Tsunami warning simulation called for this Wednesday
The Turks and Caicos Islands will be part of a regional Tsunami warning simulation called ’Exercise CARIBE WAVE 11’ this Wednesday March 23 2011.
The scenario is based on the November 18, 1867 earthquake and tsunami for which wave heights of up to 10 meters were reported in the Eastern Caribbean. Based on this scenario, arrival times and wave heights have been identified for each country.
Mr. Jamell Robinson, Director of the DDME told RTC News that the simulation will give the Turks and Caicos an opportunity to test and finalize the draft TCI Tsunami Warning Protocols that were recently developed through a consultative process with assistance from AusAid through the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency.
Testing will be the receipt and subsequent dissemination of Tsunami Warning Messages to Emergency Response Personnel and the general public. The general public will be notified via a Test Message through their cellular phone provider Mr. Robinson explained.
The Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies would like the public to provide feedback on when and how warning information was received to better upgrade the mass dissemination system.
CARIBE WAVE 11 was planned in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Coordination Group for Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (ICG/CARIBE-EWS), the Centro de Coordinación para la Prevención de los Desastres Naturales en América Central (CEPREDENAC), NOAA, and the U.S. National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP).