Thor

‘Thor 2’: Chris Hemsworth says Patty Jenkins has done her homework

Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman in "Thor." (Zade Rosenthal / Marvel Studios)

“Thor” star Chris Hemsworth is sad to see director Kenneth Branagh leave Asgard, but he said the filmmaker’s rumored replacement, Patty Jenkins, is up to the cosmic task she would inherit.

“She has a great take on the story and a solid grasp on that kind of universe,” the Aussie actor said Wednesday on the set of “Snow White and the Huntsman” in eastern Wales.

Hemsworth, who plays the Huntsman in the ambitious fantasy film, was filming horseback scenes on a beach for a battle sequence against Ravenna, played by Charlize Theron — who just happened to win an Oscar in the Jenkins-directed 2003 film “Monster.” Jenkins (who also directed the acclaimed pilot episode of AMC’s “The Killing” )  isn’t completely locked in for the Marvel Studios sequel but has confirmed that she is in advanced talks to pick up where Branagh left off. The first “Thor” film pulled in more than $449 million in worldwide box office and the sequel is scheduled for July 2013.

Patty Jenkins (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“Snow White and the Huntsman,” directed by Rupert Sanders, wraps in December, and early next year Hemsworth will be working on Ron Howard’s “Rush.” The actor will also (finally) be seen next year in the revived and retooled “Red Dawn” remake as well as “The Avengers,” the Joss Whedon film that unites all the Hollywood heroes of the Marvel Universe.

The character of Thor was a childhood passion for Branagh; does Jenkins have a similar connection to the realm on the far side of the Rainbow Bridge? Hemsworth said in his meeting with Jenkins she seemed like a filmmaker worthy of picking up the franchise’s cinematic hammer.

“Branagh read every comic book he could get his hands on,” Hemsworth said. “She also looked like she had done her homework.”

Emma Watson Fashion

Emma Watson over the yearsFrom Harry Potter to high-fashion darling.

Emma Watson has hit the big league when it comes to style.

But have Chanel, Oscar de la Renta and Burberry always been her go-to labels of choice?

When she was catapulted on to our screens and into our lives as Hermoine Grainger in Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, Ms Watson was a shy and, dare we say, slightly awkward child star, all ruffles, hair bows and dainty little dresses befitting of a girl of her age and status.

Fast forward to 2011 and Emma, at just 21, is the name of choice in both film and fashion. With high profile campaigns for Burberry, Lancome and a collaboration with Alberta Ferretti to name but a few, she has been fast-tracked to the top of Tinseltown's A-list.

Whether she's wowing us on the red carpet in creations that most of us can only dream of or just taking it easy in her free time, Emma has built up a remarkable rep when it comes to her own personal style.

Let's track her fashion over time - it's a journey of epic proportions (and one that is sure to run and run).

Emma Watson's Style Evolution

Emma Watson has come a long way since she first appeared on our radar back in the early noughties.

Today at just 21 she's a groomed starlet with designers falling over themselves to dress her for every red-carpet occasion. Some girls have all the luck.

Here she is in 2011 rocking a plaid prom from Alexander McQueen's McQ range and a cropped leather jacket. Punky.

Let's track her style over time - let's just say it hasn't always been so designer-heavy.



Emma Watson's Style Evolution

When she's away from the glare of the red carpet, Emma goes for easy-breezy chic that channels her girly aesthetic with a funky edge.

NADRA Begins Revalidation of Computerized Arms Licences

NADRA Begins Revalidation of Computerized Arms Licences

The National Database & Registration Authority (Nadra) has started the revalidation process of arms licences issued by the Ministry of Interior.

Nadra Deputy Chairman Tariq Malik said that the process will provide transparency and authenticity of arms licence and proper data will be available with the Ministry of Interior. He said Nadra will process arms licences on behalf of Ministry of Interior; however the approval of each arms license application is the sole discretion of the ministry. Nadra will only process those applications which have the approval of the ministry.

He said original CNICs and original licences (along with photocopies) are pre-requisite for revalidation along with application form available at Nadra Centres and Ministry of Interior website. Nadra would verify the CNICs from its database to check the genuineness of an applicant while the applicant s credentials would also be checked by different law enforcement agencies. Card Renewal fee of Rs1100 for PB (Prohibited Bore) licence and Rs600 for NPB (Non Prohibited Bore) licence will be charged along with any payable in respect of Government license renewal fee dues. The original booklet will be retained by Nadra.

All original booklets will be forwarded by Nadra to the Ministry of Interior for post verification. He said that Nadra has designated 158 centres across the country where a separate counter in each designated centre has been established to receive the applications regarding the renewal of arms licences.

He shared the figures that 13 NADRA Registration Centres (NRCs) in Multan, 30 NRCs in Quetta, 14 NRCs in Lahore, 10 NRCs in Sargodha, 32 NRCs Peshawar, 24 NRCs in Islamabad, 11 NRCs in Hyderabad, 10 NRCs in Sukkur, 13 NRCs in Karachi and one centre at Sector G-10 Islamabad for Arms License Project Site will facilitate the applicants for the Arm Licences.

He said Govt. has extended deadline from August 31, 2011 to September 30, 2011, this deadline encompasses all Pakistan for renewal of arms licences specifically issued by the Ministry of Interior. However, this project does not cater for computerisation of manual Arms Licenses issued by the provincial governments. The above arrangements will facilitate all the arms license holders.

He said whole exercise of revalidation and issuance of arms licence would help government to check illegal weapons in the country while record of legal arms will be updated on district-wise which will be helpful for law enforcement agencies.

Shuaib Akhtar Bouncer

فاضل جمیلی ہنگاموں سے بھرپور انٹرنیشنل کیرئیر کے بعد بھی راولپنڈی ایکسپریس کے نام سے معروف دنیا کے تیز ترین پاکستانی بالر شعیب اخترنے ایک اور باؤنسر پھینکا ہے ۔ آؤ ٹ آف دی فیلڈ پھینکے جانے والے اس باؤنسر کا ہدف کوئی بیٹسمین نہیں بلکہ ان کے اپنے ہی ہم وطن سابق کپتان وسیم اکرم ہیں۔ شعیب اختر نے اپنی آپ بیتی میں لکھا ہے کہ وسیم اکرم نے ان کا کیرئیر تباہ کرنے کی کوشش کی ۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ اگر شعیب اختر کو ٹیم میں شامل کیا گیا تو وہ آدھی ٹیم لے کر الگ ہو جائیں گے۔ وسیم اکرم پر ساتھی کھلاڑیوں کا کیریئر تباہ کرنے کے حوالے سے اسی طرح کے الزام پہلے بھی لگتے رہے ہیں ۔ جاوید میانداد، عاقب جاوید ،عطاء الرحمن اور وقار یونس ان کی ریورس سوئنگ کا شکار ہو چکے ہیں ۔یقینی طور پر وسیم اکرم سابق فاسٹ بولر شعیب اختر کے الزامات کی صداقت سے انکار کریں گے لیکن ماضی کے مذکورہ بالا اہم کھلاڑی بھی چونکہ وسیم اکرم پر اسی طرح کے الزامات عائد کر چکے ہیں چنانچہ کہا جا سکتا ہے کہ دال میں کچھ کالا ضرور ہے ۔شعیب اختر کا کہنا ہے کہ انہیں وسیم اکرم کے مقابلے میں توقیر ضیاء نے بہت سپورٹ کیا۔ توقیر ضیاء نے تو اپنے بیٹے جنید ضیاء کو بھی بہت سپورٹ کیا لیکن وہ انٹرنیشنل کرکٹ تو درکنار کلب کرکٹ میں بھی اپنا نام بنانے میں کامیاب نہیں ہو سکے۔شعیب اختر نے اپنی کتاب میں بال ٹمپرنگ کا اعتراف کرتے ہوئے لکھا ہے کہ بال ٹمپرنگ کی اجازت ہونی چاہیے ۔شعیب اختر نے بھارتی کھلاڑیوں راہول ڈراوڈ اور سچن ٹنڈولکر کو میچ وننگ کھلاڑی تسلیم کرنے سے انکار کیا ہے۔ انہوں نے بھارتی اداکار شاہ رخ خان اور للت مودی پر دھوکہ دہی کا الزام بھی عائد کیا ہے ۔سابق اسپیڈ اسٹار کا جب انڈیا میں ایکسپوژر ہوا تھا تو انہوں کئی بار ٹنڈولکر کو تگنی کا ناچ نچاتے ہوئے کلین بولڈ کیا تھا۔سچن کے علاوہ دنیا کا کوئی ایسا بیٹسمین نہیں جو شعیب اختر کی برق رفتار گیندوں کا نشانہ نہ بنا ہو۔ بہت کم عرصے میں انہوں نے اپنے آپ کو دنیا کا تیز ترین بالر منوایا اور مختلف قسم کے نصابی اور غیرنصابی تنازعات میں الجھتے ہوئے اسی تیز رفتاری کے ساتھ اپنے چمکتے دمکتے کیرئیر کو بٹہ لگا لیا۔اب جبکہ وہ اپنی آپ بیتی کے ساتھ سامنے آئے ہیں یقینی طور پر اس میں کئی اور پردہ نشینوں کے نام بھی بے نقاب ہوں گے ۔ جیسے جیسے اس کتاب کے اکتسابات سامنے آتے جائیں گے دنیائے کرکٹ میں وہی سنسنی اور ہلچل پیدا ہوتی رہے گی جو شعیب اختر کی میدان میں موجودگی کے دوران مخالف ٹیم کے کھلاڑیوں اور تماشائیوں میں پائی جاتی تھی۔ آپ کے خیال میں شعیب اختر جس وقت سامنے آئی ہے ۔ اس کی کیا اہمیت اور افادیت ہو سکتی ہے ؟ کسی بھی کتاب میں سنسنی خیز انکشافات کیے جانا کہیں کتاب کو ہاتھوں ہاتھ بکوانے کا ہتھکنڈہ تو نہیں ؟ شعیب اختر نے بال ٹمپرنگ کا اعتراف کر کے پاکستان کرکٹ کو ایک نئے تنازعمیں تو نہیں لا کھڑا کیا ؟

Justin Theroux bid $450K on a painting & Jennifer Aniston bought it

As I mentioned last week, on Thursday night, Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston (JustJen) went to a charity auction of artwork donated to benefit Haiti. As it turns out, it was actually a double-date for JustJen, as they seemed to spend the evening with Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor. Ben and Jennifer know each other fromAlong Came Polly - and Ben and Justin know each other from Tropic Thunder. Basically, everybody has been friends for years. So, this is what went down at the auction: Justin Theroux “bought” Jennifer a piece of art that she wanted. Only he didn’t buy anything. He just made a huge bid on a (probably already over-valued) painting, and Jennifer had to pay. But here’s how that story gets twisted into “Justin is such a gentleman, he bid on a painting for his lady!”

He bids, she buys! Jennifer Aniston was the winning buyer at Christie’s glitzy “Artists for Haiti” auction in NYC on Thursday — where beau Justin Theroux did the bidding on her behalf.

Actor-screenwriter Theroux, 40, helped his love, 42, snag American artist Glenn Ligon’s “Stranger #44,” an abstract 2011 work of oil, charcoal and graphite on canvas that seems to match his downtown hipster tastes.

At the auction, “Stranger #44″ (pictured with artist Glenn Ligon and Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem) was estimated at $150,000 to $200,000.

But Aniston helped shatter the record for sales of Ligon’s work, spending a whopping $450,000 on the 72″ by 60″ painting, an Artists for Haiti rep confirms to Us.

Reports Artinfo.com: “Aniston, who was in the room, clapped enthusiastically after [Theroux's] winning bid.”

Benefiting health and education initiatives for Haiti, The “Artists for Haiti” auction — artists donated their works for the cause — was co-organized by Ben Stiller, and raised $13,662,000.

After the auction, Stiller, 40, and his wife Christine Taylor hung out with Theroux and Aniston for a late dinner at Il Cantinori. “They seemed to be having a lot of fun with Ben and his wife, like old friends,” a witness said. “Ben paid for everyone,” the witness adds.

Stiller co-starred in Along Came Polly with Aniston and co-wrote Tropic Thunder with Theroux.

[From Us Weekly]

I guess we should assume that Jennifer really wanted this piece of art, and that she was simply too much of a poor little VICTIM to bid on it herself? Because I imagine the fun of bidding on a piece of art is really stressful and victim-making, and that’s why Justin had to ride in on his stead and raise his hand over and over for the painting, like a gentleman? I don’t even know. Maybe she bought it for him, and she just let her boy-toy pick out the piece that he wanted and she got it for him like an attentive sugar-mama? I’m not trying to say Justin isn’t successful - he is. He does very well for himself as a character actor and screenwriter. But I doubt he has $450K to blow on a piece of art, which is why Aniston was there to purchase it. I guess what I’m saying is… he must be great in bed.

Boeing to deliver first 787 after years of delays

FILE - In this July 13, 2011 file photo, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner taxis on the runway at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Boeing will deliver its first 787 jet Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, to Japan's All Nippon Airways. The new plane, which was supposed to be flying passengers three years ago, has been hampered by embarrassing delays. But now that it's here, it will offer travelers much more comfort, open up new routes and provide airlines with significant fuel savings. (AP Photo, File)

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Joshua Freed, AP Business Writer, On Saturday September 24, 2011, 6:12 pm EDT

Boeing delivers its first 787 jet on Sunday. It's been a long time coming.

The new jet, which was supposed to be flying passengers three years ago, has been delayed by production and design problems. But now it's here, and airlines expect it to offer travelers much more comfort, open up new routes and provide significant fuel savings.

The first one goes to Japan's All Nippon Airways, which has been printing the 787 logo and "We Fly 1st" on its business cards for years.

Airlines love the jet, which Boeing calls the Dreamliner. They've ordered more than 800, well above levels for previous new jets.

"A lot of carriers are betting that this is going to be a winner," says George Hamlin, president of Hamlin Transportation Consulting in Fairfax, Va.

Instead of the usual aluminum skin, most of the 787 is covered in carbon fiber, basically a high-tech plastic that is strong but lightweight. Military planes and portions of other jetliners have used that material for years, but this is the first time so much has been used on an airliner.

The new material brings improvements that passengers should notice.

Its strength allows windows to be bigger and higher, so passengers don't have to hunch over to see the horizon. Electronic dimming replaces pull-down shades. That should mean you'll no longer be blinded when the guy next to you falls asleep with the shade up.

Finally, the cabin is pressurized to the equivalent of 6,000 feet, instead of the usual 8,000 feet. That means air pressure will be closer to what passengers are used to on the ground. And without corrosion-prone aluminum skin, the humidity can be kept higher. Those two changes should reduce dry noses and throats.

All Nippon plans to begin flying the 787 from Tokyo to Okayama-Hiroshima on Nov. 11. The first international route will be Tokyo to Frankfurt starting in January.

The first U.S. customer is United Continental Holdings Inc., which will get its first 787s next year and plans to fly them between Houston and Auckland, New Zealand, and Houston and Lagos, Nigeria.

Those are good examples of "thin routes" that airlines say the 787 will be good for -- routes for which there is regular demand that won't fill a larger plane. The 787's size, fuel efficiency and long range should allow airlines to turn a profit on those routes.

The jet will be as much as 20 percent more fuel-efficient than planes it replaces. Its efficiency was a nice perk when Boeing first proposed the 787 in its current form in 2003. Now it's essential for airlines dealing with high fuel costs.

Building an all-new plane like the 787 is a massive undertaking. Delays stacked up. Boeing was hit with an eight-week strike in 2008. It had to reinforce the spot where the 787's wings meet the fuselage. In November, the company had to delay the plane further after an electrical fire forced a landing during a test flight.

Boeing expects to deliver a combined 25 to 30 of the 787s and new 747-8 this year. To meet the high demand. Boeing has set an ambitious goal of building 10 per month by the end of 2013. No one has ever made a large plane that fast.

Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at the Teal Group, thinks Boeing will miss that goal because the company hasn't smoothed out its production process fully.

It's also not clear when the 787 will make money. Boeing already took a $2.5 billion charge in 2009 on the program, and it owes additional money to customers for the late deliveries. Boeing executives have said they will announce when the jet will be profitable after the first one is delivered.

The 787 list price runs between $185 million and $218 million. Discounts on new jets are common, though. Aboulafia says it's not clear how steep the discounts offered by Boeing were to lock in all the orders.

Boeing rival Airbus hopes to soon launch its new A350, also made with a significant amount of carbon composites. A successful 787 will put pressure on Airbus to meet its fuel-efficiency goals, and to deliver the plane on time.

Charming Models Promoting Ethnic Fashion

python snake

Python Snake 

Most members of this family are ambush predators, in that they typically remain motionless in a camouflaged position and then strike suddenly at passing prey. They will generally not attack humans unless startled or provoked, although females protecting their eggs can be aggressive. Reports of attacks on human beings were once more common in South and South-east Asia, but are now quite rare.

    Family Boidae 

Python is a common name for Nonpoisonous snakes of boa and python family. Pythons are large and muscular, and kill their prey by squeezing, or constricting, until it suffocates. Although most feed on small mammals, some large species can kill and swallow small pigs and goats. Rarely have they killed humans. 

Pythons range from 1 to 10 m (3 to 33 ft) long and weigh up to 140 kg (300 lb). The female lays 15 to 100 eggs, and broods them until they hatch. 

They are found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands. 

The reticulated python of Southeast Asia is among the largest snakes, reaching a length of 10 m (33 ft). Other well-known pythons are the Indian python, a favorite of snake handlers; African rock python; ball or royal python of equatorial Africa, which curls into a ball and can be rolled on the ground.

Diamond snake or Carpet snake, also diamond python, common name for a large constricting snake found in Australia and New Guinea. It is named for diamond-shaped markings of yellow and black on the back and abdomen.

Pythons are constrictors, and feed on birds and small mammals, killing them by literally squeezing them to death. They coil themselves up around their prey, tighten, but merely squeeze hard enough to stop the prey's breathing and/or blood circulation. Large pythons usually would eat something about the size of a house cat, but 100 pound wild boar are eaten as well. They swallow their prey whole, and take several days to fully digest it.

Prey is killed by a process known as constriction; after an animal has been grasped to restrain it, a number of coils are hastily wrapped around it. Then, by applying and maintaining sufficient pressure to prevent it from inhaling, the prey eventually succumbs due to asphyxiation. It has recently been suggested that the pressures produced during constriction cause cardiac arrest by interfering with blood flow,^[4] but this hypothesis has not yet been confirmed.

Larger specimens usually eat animals about the size of a house cat, but larger food items are known: some large Asian species have been known to take down adult deer, and the African rock python, Python sebae, has been known to eat antelope. Prey is swallowed whole, and may take anywhere from several days or even weeks to fully digest.

Contrary to popular belief, even the larger species, such as the reticulated python, P. reticulatus, do not crush their prey to death; in fact, prey is not even noticeably deformed before it is swallowed. The speed with which the coils are applied is impressive and the force they exert may be significant, but death is caused by suffocation, with the victim not being able to move its ribs to breathe while it is being constricted