Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Gaza civilian toll rises; diplomats seek truce

GAZA CITY, Gaza – Israel ignored mounting international calls for a cease-fire and said it won't stop its crippling 10-day assault until "peace and tranquility" are achieved in southern Israeli towns in the line of Palestinian rocket fire.

Israeli forces seized control of high-rise buildings Monday and attacked smuggling tunnels and several mosques in a relentless campaign against Hamas militants that took an increasing toll on civilians. The United Nations said at least 500 people have died in the Gaza fighting, about a quarter of them civilians.

In fighting that raged early Tuesday morning, at least 18 people were killed in shelling up and down the strip, local hospital officials said. Only two could be immediately confirmed as militants.

Israel also suffered casualties. Late Monday, three Israeli soldiers were killed by what Israeli officials said was an errant tank round from one of its own guns.

Shortly after sunrise Tuesday, three rockets fired from Gaza fell in southern Israel, but there were no reported casualties.

Arab delegates met with the U.N. Security Council in New York, urging members to adopt a resolution calling for an immediate end to the attacks and a permanent cease-fire. At the same time, diplomats and European leaders traveled the region in an effort to stop Israel's expanding ground and air offensive.

In a serious urban clash, Israeli troops and Hamas militants fought a gunbattle on the outskirts of the crowded Gaza City neighborhood of Shajaiyeh, Israeli defense officials said. Details also emerged of an unsuccessful attempt by Hamas fighters to capture Israeli soldiers hours after the ground operation began Saturday with a withering round of artillery fire.

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu told Israeli TV the assault was going according to plan with forces sweeping through Palestinian rocket launching locations near the border.

Despite Israeli claims that casualties have been heavy among militants, no injured Hamas fighters were seen Monday by an Associated Press reporter at Shifa Hospital, the Gaza Strip's largest. Instead, the hospital was overwhelmed with civilians. Bodies were two to a morgue drawer, and the wounded were being treated in hallways because beds were full.

At least 20 Palestinian children were killed during the day Monday, said Dr. Moaiya Hassanain, a health official. Most confirmed deaths have been civilians.

Three brothers died in an attack on a town outside Gaza City, a Gaza health official said. They were carried to a cemetery in an emotional funeral. One of them, Issa Samouni, 3, was wrapped in a white cloth, showing only his pale, yellow face. A man delicately placed him in a dark grave cut into the earth.

Overnight, six civilians were killed when a shell fired by an Israeli ship hit their house on the Gaza shore, hospital officials said. Local residents said the gunboat apparently fired at a group of Islamic Jihad militants next to the house who were preparing to ambush advancing Israeli troops. Two of the militants were killed in the blast.

Palestinians said Israeli attacks intensified before dawn Tuesday and at least 10 more civilians were killed when shells hit houses on the edge of Gaza City and in the Jebaliya refugee camp, north of the city.

Later, five civilians were killed when a shell fired by an Israeli ship hit their house on the Gaza shore, hospital officials said. Palestinians said Israeli attacks intensified before dawn Tuesday.

Gaza health officials reported that since the campaign began on Dec. 27 more than 550 Palestinians have been killed and 2,500 wounded, including 200 civilians. U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes put the Palestinian toll at 500, with about 125 of them civilians.

Holmes called the Gaza strife an "increasingly alarming" humanitarian crisis, directly contradicting Israeli denials that its offensive caused the growing problem. He said Gaza is running low on clean water, power, food, medicine and other supplies since Israel began its offensive. Israeli leaders have maintained there is no humanitarian crisis, and that they have been delivering vital supplies.

Late Monday, the Israeli military said three soldiers were killed and 24 others wounded by friendly fire when a tank shell hit their position outside Gaza City. The military said a colonel who commanded an infantry brigade was among the injured.

Israeli defense officials said earlier that one soldier was killed when soldiers fought off an attempt by Hamas fighters to capture Israeli soldiers hours after the ground operation began. They said the infantrymen were advancing up a strategic hill before dawn Sunday when militants emerged from a tunnel and tried to drag two Israeli infantrymen inside.

Hamas already holds one Israeli soldier, captured in June 2006, and another would be an important bargaining chip.

That death and the three soldiers killed by friendly fire brought to eight the number of Israelis killed since the offensive began. One other soldier and three civilians were killed during the initial air phase of the offensive. Israeli officials are concerned that heavy casualties amoung its troops could undermine what has so far been overwhelming public support for the operation.

In Shajaiyeh, troops seized control of three six-story buildings on the outskirts, climbing to rooftop gun and observation positions, Israeli defense officials said. Residents were locked in their rooms and soldiers took away their cell phones, a neighbor said, quoting a relative who called before his phone was seized.

"The army is there, firing in all directions," said Mohammed Salmai, a 29-year-old truck driver. "All we can do is take clothes to each other to keep ourselves warm and pray to God that if we die, someone will find our bodies under the rubble."

Fighter jets attacked houses, weapons storage sites, a pair of mosques and smuggling tunnels, as they have since the start of the offensive. Israel has attacked several mosques during the campaign, saying they were used to store weapons.

In another strategic move, Israeli forces seized a main highway in Gaza, slicing the territory in two.

Israeli forces detained 80 Palestinians — some of them suspected Hamas members — and transferred several to Israel for questioning, said military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to release the information.

The Gaza City area was rocked by shelling from both sides as gunboats in the sea and artillery and tanks closing in from the east unloaded thunderous fire.

After dark, the shelling reached deeper into residential areas. Fireballs lit up the horizon to the east, setting off blazes on the ground and silhouetting Gaza's tall buildings. Tracer fire ripped across the skyline.

The State Department said the U.S. was pressing for a cease-fire that would include a halt to rocket attacks and an arrangement for reopening crossing points on the border with Israel, said spokesman Sean McCormack. A third element would address the tunnels into Gaza from Egypt through which Hamas has smuggled materials and arms.

President George W. Bush emphasized "Israel's desire to protect itself."

"The situation now taking place in Gaza was caused by Hamas," he said.

The deputy head of Hamas' politburo in Syria, Moussa Abu Marzouk, rejected the U.S. proposal, telling the AP the U.S. plan seeks to impose "a de facto situation" and encourages Israel to continue its attacks on Gaza.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who unsuccessfully proposed a two-day truce last week, met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who lost control of Gaza to Hamas in June 2007.

Europe "wants a cease-fire as quickly as possible," Sarkozy said after meeting Abbas, urging Israel to halt the offensive, while blaming Hamas for acting "irresponsibly and unpardonably."

A European Union delegation met with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

"The EU insists on a cease-fire at the earliest possible moment," said Karel Schwarzenberg, the foreign minister of the Czech Republic, which took over the EU's presidency last week from France. Rocket attacks on Israel also must stop, Schwarzenberg told a news conference with Livni.

The EU brought no truce proposals of its own because the cease-fire "must be concluded by the involved parties," he added.

As the bruising campaign entered its 10th day Monday, Hamas pummeled southern Israel with more than 30 rockets and promised to wait for Israeli soldiers "in every street and every alleyway."

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the offensive would go on until Israel achieved "peace and tranquility" for residents of southern Israel.

One of the rockets struck a large outdoor market that was closed at the time in the town of Sderot, just across Gaza's northeastern border. Another hit a kindergarten in the coastal city of Ashdod, north of the strip. The kindergarten, like schools across southern Israel, was closed and empty because of the rocket threat.

Israel has three main demands: an end to Palestinian attacks, international supervision of any truce, and a halt to Hamas rearming. Hamas demands an end to Israeli attacks and the opening of border crossings to vital cargo.

Livni said the operation was designed to change the rules of Israel's struggle against Hamas after years of firing rockets at Israel. From now on, she said, "when Israel is targeted, Israel is going to retaliate."

Israeli military spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibovich said Hamas was to blame for civilian casualties because it operates in densely populated areas.

"If Hamas chose cynically to use those civilians as human shields, then Hamas should be accountable," she said.

Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar exhorted Palestinians to fight the Israeli forces and target Israeli civilians and Jews abroad.

"The Zionists have legitimized the killing of their children by killing our children. They have legitimized the killing of their people all over the world by killing our people," Zahar said in a grainy video broadcast on Hamas TV.

Israel's operation has sparked anger across the Arab world and has drawn criticism from countries such as Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, which have ties with Israel and have been intimately involved in Mideast peacemaking.

In Beirut, Lebanon, protesters tried to pull away barbed wire blocking their path to the U.S. Embassy. They were driven back with heavy blasts of water.

___

Barzak reported from Gaza City, Keyser from Jerusalem.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Barack Obama

Biography: Barack Hussein Obama was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was born of Luo ethnicity in Nyanza Province, Kenya. He grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British. Although reared among Muslims, Obama, Sr., became an atheist at some point.

Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in Wichita, Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs during the Depression. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he signed up for service in World War II and marched across Europe in Patton’s army. Dunham’s mother went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G. I. Bill, bought a house through the Federal Housing Program, and moved to Hawaii.

Meantime, Barack’s father had won a scholarship that allowed him to leave Kenya pursue his dreams in Hawaii. At the time of his birth, Obama’s parents were students at the East–West Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Obama’s parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced. Obama’s father went to Harvard to pursue Ph. D. studies and then returned to Kenya.

His mother married Lolo Soetoro, another East–West Center student from Indonesia. In 1967, the family moved to Jakarta, where Obama’s half-sister Maya Soetoro–Ng was born. Obama attended schools in Jakarta, where classes were taught in the Indonesian language.

Four years later when Barack (commonly known throughout his early years as "Barry") was ten, he returned to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham, and later his mother (who died of ovarian cancer in 1995).

He was enrolled in the fifth grade at the esteemed Punahou Academy, graduating with honors in 1979. He was only one of three black students at the school. This is where Obama first became conscious of racism and what it meant to be an African–American.

In his memoir, Obama described how he struggled to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage. He saw his biological father (who died in a 1982 car accident) only once (in 1971) after his parents divorced. And he admitted using alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years.

After high school, Obama studied at Occidental College in Los Angeles for two years. He then transferred to Columbia University in New York, graduating in 1983 with a degree in political science.

After working at Business International Corporation (a company that provided international business information to corporate clients) and NYPIRG, Obama moved to Chicago in 1985. There, he worked as a community organizer with low-income residents in Chicago’s Roseland community and the Altgeld Gardens public housing development on the city’s South Side.
It was during this time that Obama, who said he "was not raised in a religious household," joined the Trinity United Church of Christ. He also visited relatives in Kenya, which included an emotional visit to the graves of his father and paternal grandfather.

Obama entered Harvard Law School in 1988. In February 1990, he was elected the first African–American editor of the Harvard Law Review. Obama graduated magna cum laude in 1991.

After law school, Obama returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer, joining the firm of Miner, Barnhill & Galland. He also taught at the University of Chicago Law School. And he helped organize voter registration drives during Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.

Obama published an autobiography in 1995 Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. And he won a Grammy for the audio version of the book.

Obama’s advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate as a Democrat. He was elected in 1996 from the south side neighborhood of Hyde Park.

During these years, Obama worked with both Democrats and Republicans in drafting legislation on ethics, expanded health care services and early childhood education programs for the poor. He also created a state earned-income tax credit for the working poor. And after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

In 2000, Obama made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the U. S. House of Representatives seat held by four-term incumbent candidate Bobby Rush.

Following the 9/11 attacks, Obama was an early opponent of President George W. Bush’s push to war with Iraq. Obama was still a state senator when he spoke against a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq during a rally at Chicago’s Federal Plaza in October 2002.

"I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars," he said. "What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other arm-chair, weekend warriors in this Administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne."

"He's a bad guy," Obama said, referring to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. "The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him. But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history."

"I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U. S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences," Obama continued. "I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda."
The war with Iraq began in 2003 and Obama decided to run for the U.S. Senate open seat vacated by Republican Peter Fitzgerald. In the 2004 Democratic primary, he won 52 percent of the vote, defeating multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes.

That summer, he was invited to deliver the keynote speech in support of John Kerry at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Obama emphasized the importance of unity, and made veiled jabs at the Bush administration and the diversionary use of wedge issues.

"We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states," he said. "We coach Little League in the blue states, and yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq, and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."

After the convention, Obama returned to his U.S. Senate bid in Illinois. His opponent in the general election was suppose to be Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, a wealthy former investment banker. However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June 2004, following public disclosure of unsubstantiated sexual allegations by Ryan's ex wife, actress Jeri Ryan.

In August 2004, diplomat and former presidential candidate Alan Keyes, who was also an African American, accepted the Republican nomination to replace Ryan. In three televised debates, Obama and Keyes expressed opposing views on stem cell research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers and tax cuts.

In the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to Keyes's 27%, the largest electoral victory in Illinois history. Obama became only the third African American elected to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction.

Sworn into office January 4, 2005, Obama partnered with Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana on a bill that expanded efforts to destroy weapons of mass destruction in Eastern Europe and Russia. Then with Republican Sen. Tom Corburn of Oklahoma, he created a website that tracks all federal spending.

Obama was also the first to raise the threat of avian flu on the Senate floor, spoke out for victims of Hurricane Katrina, pushed for alternative energy development and championed improved veterans´ benefits. He also worked with Democrat Russ Feingold of Wisconsin to eliminate gifts of travel on corporate jets by lobbyists to members of Congress.

His second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, was published in October 2006.

In February 2007, Obama made headlines when he announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. He was locked in a tight battle with former first lady and current U.S. Senator from New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton until he became the presumptive nominee on June 3, 2008.

Obama met his wife, Michelle, in 1988 when he was a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley & Austin. They were married in October 1992 and live in Kenwood on Chicago's South Side with their daughters, Malia (born 1998) and Sasha (born 2001).

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Celebrity:zhiyachu Resume

Age: 20
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Aries
Zodiac Year: Dragon
Occupation: Student
Location: New Jersey : United States
About Me
I am who I am. I'm just learning to accept that.

What did you dream when you ate a spider while sleeping?
Well, if you are asleep when you eat a spider, how do you know you ate one? Hence, how can you know what you dreamt? Duh. ;)

Interests
music singing performing reading trombone watching movies attempting piano swimming diners sleeping (when I can) friends family shows of affection Broadway taking lots of pictures NYC Colorado Cafe
Favorite Movies
Love Actually The American President
Favorite Music
showtunes country alternative rock pop indie a little bit of everything
Favorite Books
My Sister's Keeper Harry Potter series Twilight series

Celebrity:nongyachu Resume

Age: 20
Astrological Sign: Scorpio
Zodiac Year: Horse
Industry: Marketing
Location: United States
What reason do you have to believe the earth is flat?
Is it? so that's why i kept fallin'..it got edge..lol!

Favorite Movies
drew barrymore's movies how to lose a guy in 10days the notebook harry potter the lord of the rings final fantasy
Favorite Music
any kinda music as long as i can sing along!
Favorite Books
Five people you will meet in heaven the little prince the alchemist the witch of portobello the flowing river eleven minutes breakfast at tiffany's the path to love

Celebrity:keshudeng Resume

Age: 24
Gender: Female
Location: Kapolei : Hawaii : United States
About Me
This is the story of a girl from Oklahoma, her Yankee husband and their moody dog. Follow them as they make their way through the world, one Army post at a time.

Interests
Politics reading my husband our pooch Baxter hanging with the fam my friends knitting knotting and slowly overcoming my domestic uselessness.
Favorite Music
Pretty much whatever I know the words to.
Favorite Books
She's Come Undone. Hands down.

Celebrity:jiapindu Resume

Age: 22
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Aries
Zodiac Year: Dragon
Industry: Arts
Occupation: Novelist, Entertainment Writer, Dreamer...
Location: home sweet home : US : United States
About Me
Tales, thoughts and observations from the mind of 30-something mom who anally attempts to juggle being a wife, friend and full time writer too!

Interests
Writing; Traveling; Imagining; Art; Cooking; The lost art of letter writing; Being a wife and mother; Music; Films; Interior Design; long fascinating conversations.
Favorite Movies
I love movies... Beautiful foreign films like The Bicycle Thief & Amelie... I love thought provoking films like Fight Club & A Love Song For Bobby Long... I adore musicals tolerate minimal Science Fiction have a love/hate relationship with Epic's and still somehow love the dumbed down comedies like Wedding Crashers & Anchorman.
Favorite Music
30 seconds to mars the beatles Dallas Green Joshua Radin Corrine Bailey Rae Dave Matthews Staind The Fray Death Cab for Cutie The Shins The Cary Brothers Red Alexisonfire Panic! at the Disco Redmark Ellery Jack's Mannequin Aqualung David Ford Coldplay Norah Jones Elvis Presley U2 Three Days Grace Gary Jules the Killers The Scene Aesthetic Plain White T's Oasis The Decemberists Anberlin 30 seconds to Mars Common Children Everclear Seventh Day Slumber The Postal Service Falling up Sanktus Real Inken Park Three Doors Down Red Hot Chili Peppers TFK Jimmy Eat World Beastie Boys Lisa Loeb Ben Lee Counting Crows Howie Day The Julianna Theory Depeche Mode
Favorite Books
She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb); The Shopaholic Series (Sophie Kinsella); The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger); A Thousand Days in Venice (Marlena De Blasi); Something Borrowed Something Blue (Both by Emily Griffin); The Screwtape Letters (C.s. Lewis); Bridget Jones Diary (Helen Fielding); The Book of Dead Birds (Gayle Brandeis); Drowning Ruth (Christina Schwarz); A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)

Celebrity:zhennabe Resume

Age: 37
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Aries
Zodiac Year: Boar
Occupation: Living life off leash
Location: "Travel with Trailie" : United States
About Me
I quit my job in corporate America to drive across the USA. I am discovering hidden gems in this country and meeting some amazing people. I will write about my journey, life lessons and experiences along the way.

Interests
Camping Traveling Life Experiences Wine Sushi Time with Friends sleep observing people animals texting blogging adventure travel mexico baths meeting interesting people learning new things campfires writing swiming in ocean road trips fellow full time travelers adventure seekers seafood being alone meeting new friends connecting with old friends culture putting toes in sand beaches being challenged positive thinkers teardrop trailer American Life people stories elders learning profiles average americans questions answers discussions debates love happy people influencers leaders followers dreamers lovers losers comics musicans writers waitress lawyers doctors trash man computers pets cats jokes

Celebrity:xixuepu Resume

Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Pisces
Industry: Arts
Occupation: Interior Decorator
Location: Central Oregon : United States
About Me
Antique seller and Interior Decorator living in the High Desert of Central Oregon. Architect Eva Maddox once said, "Design shapes the way we live." I feel the same...the purpose of my blog is to capture some of these defining moments.

Interests
Design art antiques sustainability reading and the beach
Favorite Movies
Arsenic & Old Lace To Kill a Mockingbird Rear Window One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest All of Me Billy Elliot Silence of the Lambs The English Patient Waking Ned Devine Fargo all the Harry Potter movies Little Miss Sunshine
Favorite Music
Mozart 80's (I know) Chris Isaak U2 Annie Lennox
Favorite Books
All of Barbara Kingsolver and Jane Austen and too many others to list

Celebrity:pingtingbao Resume

Gender: Female
Industry: Non-Profit
Location: United States
Audio Clip
About Me
Medical residency roadbumped

The love potion you made tastes terrible. How will you drink it?
If you're blotto, what will a few drops more matter?

Interests
Books Film Soccer Opening conversational gambits I loathe Politics
Favorite Movies
Ivan the Terrible Le Notte di Cabiria Umberto D. Memories of Underdevelopment Les 400 Coups Last Laugh The Thin Man
Favorite Music
Django Reinhardt Mahalia Jackson Wagner The Ramones
Favorite Books
Life of Samuel Johnson Le Petit Prince Death in Venice

Celebrity:shimengba Resume

Gender: Female
Industry: Accounting
Occupation: Nanny/Student
Location: United States
About Me
I've changed my last poopy diaper for the time being (though there's plenty of poop in my archives, if that's what you're after) and moved almost 2,000 miles and a climate change away for college. Whew!

Interests
Life books friends the Office Scrubs music my bird

Celebrity:yinrongchu Resume

Gender: Female
Occupation: Mommy!
Location: United States
About Me
In February 2001 I married a wonderful man (DH) who only desires the best for his family. He is currently working at building his career in the film business/writing. I am so lucky to be a stay at home mommy to our little daughter (DD) who joined our family on June 14th and is the light of our lives.

Interests
Knitting scrapbooking talking spending time with my nieces and nephews playing games and (I use to run play basketball and racquetball before my car accident in January).
Favorite Movies
"While You Were Sleeping" "Anne of Green Gables". "A little Princess" (the feature films for family version) and many others!
Favorite Music
I like alternative classical and country.
Favorite Books
Children of the Promise & Hearts of the Children series Shop on Blossom Street & A Good Yarn

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Celebrity:hashuchu Resume

Age: 26
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Cancer
Zodiac Year: Dog
Industry: Student
Location: United States
Wishlist
About Me
Que se puede decir de uno más que lean, analicen, critiquen, pero nunca, nunca, juzguen. Nadie sabe lo de nadie, no comparen dolores, que nadie sufre mas de lo uno puede soportar.

Interests
Music Guitar Television Computers Photography Football graphic design.
Favorite Movies
Marie Antoinette Babel The Saint Deep Impact Sixteen Candles anything John Hughes really Monthy Python anything with Gael Garcia Bernal anything directed by Soffia Coppola weird indie films like Ghost World and Swimming... Nothing too disturbing nothing too stupid and plotless and I do love me a good action/drama/military film like Behind Enemy Lines.
Favorite Music
Alternative Brit Pop Rock Latin Rock
Favorite Books
Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis Animal Farm by George Orwell

Celebrity:xuetencheng Resume

Age: 21
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Leo
Zodiac Year: Sheep
Industry: Museums or Libraries
Occupation: Senior Library Assistant
Location: United States
About Me
I am a computer and anime geek, and a book geek as well. In fact, you could say I'm an otaku. To support my many expensive habits (books... crack would be cheaper!), I work as a Senior Library Assistant in a Southern New Jersey Library.

Radio wire is often used to make bird nests. What station do they listen to?
WORM... all chirping, all the time! Early bird gets to hear the best programs!

Interests
Japanese Anime Cats Books Reading Music Science Technology Writing Science Fiction
Favorite Movies
Constantine Fantastic Four The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
Favorite Music
"Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" by Queen "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen "New Year's Day" by U2 "That Don't Impress Me (Much)" by Shania Twain
Favorite Books
Anything by Andre Norton Anything by Mercedes Lackey Historical and Futuristic Mysteries

Celebrity:dongbithe Resume

Age: 28
Occupation: RN
Location: Olympia : WA : United States
About Me
Hello! I'm Christy Webster (Amondson). I grew up in Centralia, WA & then attended Pacific Lutheran University where I met my husband, Randy Webster. We've been married 4 years, the day after our 4th anniversary we welcomed into the world our daughter, Lucia Grace Webster. (Born 8.29.08, 7lbs 3.8oz, 20 1/4 inches, lots of hair!) Little Lucy instantly became our everything. She's extra special, we found out when she was 6 days old that she has Cystic Fibrosis (CF).CF mainly affects two parts of your body, the lungs and the digestive system. It involves a buildup of thick sticky mucus in both areas. She's at a high risk of respiratory infection, so we make sure visitors aren’t sick & do not take Lucy into public places for a while. In the digestive system, it causes malabsorption where the body doesn't absorb the nutrients in food & the kids are often small and underweight. We are giving her pancreatic enzymes to help her body absorb the nutrients in the milk she drinks - so far, it's working well. She is gaining weight nicely & getting cuter by the minute. If you'd like more info on CF, the best resource is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - www.cff.org

Celebrity:yunmicai Resume

Age: 19
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Gemini
Zodiac Year: Ox
Industry: Arts
Occupation: internet scourging
Location: Round Rock : Texas : United States
About Me
My list of bad names appears to be growing. Now, I'm not only "The Scourge of the Internet," and a "whiney-baby-peepee-pants," I am also "The Old Witch." This last, I consider to be an insult to witches everywhere, but that's just me. Who would have thought that a fifty-mumble grandma could rise to such heights! All material is copyrighted.

You can punch a hole in an apple using a straw. How do you think that makes your milkshake feel?
Scourged. And "winy" (heh)

Interests
Theater murder cats and internet scourging
Favorite Movies
The Quiet Man The Man Who Would Be King Bringing Up Baby The Thin Man How To Murder Your Wife The Lion In Winter Sling Blade Leap of Faith The Prince and the Showgirl The Silence of the Lambs Casablanca The African Queen Moonstruck
Favorite Music
Classic Rock Folk Blue Grass Big Band blues
Favorite Books
The Lord of the Rings Stone Cold Guilty Stranger in a Strange Land Heidi The Haunting of Hill House Le Mort D'Arthur A Christmas Carol Little Women Power of a Woman

Celebrity:timnecai Resume

Gender: Female
Industry: Human Resources
Location: southwestern : United States
About Me
Life in a family with 26 birth and adopted kids (20 girls, 6 boys; ages 26,25,24,19,18,18,17,17,17,17,16,16,16,15,14,14,13,13,13,11,11,11,11,8,6,5). Most of our children are adopted from disrupted adoptions, working hard to overcome a lifetime of hardship - in spite of difficulties and backslides, they are amazing and courageous. We represent the U.S., Mexico, Ethiopia and Russia. We are diverse and not very politically correct. We amuse ourselves quite a bit! Email us: stshowell@hotmail.com

Your superpower is that you smell like dandelions whenever someone lies. How will you maintain your secret identity?
From what one of my "less smart" teenagers tried to teach me today, if you simply deny the smell, then it does not exist. Therefore, her denial of the smell of cigarette smoke in her room meant that it simply did not exist. Therefore, there was no point in discussing or consequencing?? So, I'm gonna stick with that...denial.

Interests
Adoption foster care birth family issues disrupted adoption mental illness topics and support all "that sorta stuff". Also scrapbooking talking with my teenagers and singing. (I can't sing well can't even carry a tune really. But I love to put on favorite music and sing LOUDLY -- much to my children's enjoyment haha).
Favorite Music
Sarah McLachlan my son's Red Hot Chili Peppers Gin Blossoms Rob Thomas Cat Stevens Allison Kraus BareNaked Ladies Les Mis soundtrack Natalie Merchant
Favorite Books
There is No Me Without You Night by Elie Wiesel The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom Shel Silverstein poems A Mother for Choco...sooo many others

Celebrity:jundiqin Resume

Age: 19
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Pisces
Zodiac Year: Snake
Industry: Education
Occupation: Student
Location: United States
About Me
My name is Mazuba but everyone calls me Maz .I've always wanted to start a blog because I have "verbal diarrhoea" and I want this blog to be a place for Africans in the diaspora to be able to keep up with the latest in African entertainment.(Music,Movies,sports,etc).

Interests
Dancing Writing stories and poetry participating in Model United Nations conferences shopping
Favorite Movies
Girls Just wanna Have fun Bride and Prejudice Man on Fire
Favorite Music
Dancehall R and B Hiphop Kwaito "Coupe Decale " Reggaeton
Favorite Books
Noughts and Crosses The Harry Potter series Gossip Girl

Celebrity:fanglutu Resume

Gender: Female
Industry: Communications or Media
Occupation: Researcher
Location: Cambridge : Boston : United States
About Me
I am a human rights activist, freelance journalist, and researcher spending a year at Harvard University.I hold an MBA, and MA in political science from the American University of Beirut. I acquired human rights education and training at Oxford. I created this blog to give media critics the opportunity to make their voices heard; highlight similarities between the US and Arab world; and provide a much needed humanitarian lens to address important issues in the region, with the intent of playing a part (however small in the bigger picture) of bridging social cultural and political divides between the US and Arab world. I intend to use the content of this website to write a constructive critique of Western media's coverage of Arab society and culture, and aspire to turn this initiative into a platform for influencing the agenda of Western media coverage of the Arab world. You are most welcome to take the initiative to suggest new items to post and your feedback makes all the difference!

Celebrity:peiyaoting Resume

Age: 20
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Aries
Zodiac Year: Dragon
Location: Winter River : CO : United States
About Me
...i dont feel much like explaining right now...

In what year were super soakers first made?

Interests
checkin shit out and doin stuff
Favorite Movies
the instuctions say to separate each movie with a comma. I just wont list any movies take tha- oh i used a comma...fuck
Favorite Music
Anything
Favorite Books
Comics

Celebrity:hangfating Resume

Age: 32
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Capricorn
Zodiac Year: Dragon
Industry: Communications or Media
Occupation: Pastry Chef
Location: St. Louis : MO : United States
About Me
When it comes to men, I’m like a kid in a candy store. I want to sample everything. So that's what I decided to do. Eat my way through the candy store in order to find that which sates my romantic sweet tooth. Consider this blog one giant notebook of my findings. I'll tell you about the sticky ones; those who've built a chocolate shell around their hearts and those who were just right – soft and creamy on the inside and perfectly balanced on the outside - but whose flavors didn't complement mine. The tasting has been rough at times. Lots of cavities and extra weight on my hips (and heart), but all in all, one sweet adventure!

You have to dig a hole to China. Where do you start?
Poughkeepsie

Interests
Dating tea homemade bread London Paris anywhere in Germany nice people a good bowl of Pho friendship spring rolls and happiness.
Favorite Movies
Somewhere in Time; 50 First Dates; Shawshank Redemption
Favorite Music
Justin Timberlake; Tori Amos; Brandi Carlile; Sia
Favorite Books
Five Men Who Broke My Heart; Garlic and Sapphires

Celebrity:youqiden Resume

Gender: Female
Industry: Business Services
Occupation: helper
Location: Brandenburg : Kentucky : United States
Wishlist
About Me
i help in many ways by using win-abled solutions (win-win-win). My greatest talent is listening to determine the most appropriate ways i can help ... iF you'd like to be involved with a unique plan, sign up and review a FrEE plan ... I will help you in various ways, PLUS, I promote for you ! Subscribe to this blog

You've broken up with your old band and are about to release your first solo album. Please write the liner notes:
Whatever YoU Desire - you must let others know ... or NoT ?

Interests
Fun & Games Guys (more soon) intellectual property theft solutions ideas marketing sports honesty value tweaking dating hot stuff building prediction markets investing investments forex hyip bonds social policy hotties local hotties money web applications spam solutions cheater solutions music talent flipping brokering advertising blogging research

Celebrity:renyanden Resume

Gender: Female
Industry: Business Services
Occupation: helper
Location: Brandenburg : Kentucky : United States
Wishlist
About Me
i help in many ways by using win-abled solutions (win-win-win). My greatest talent is listening to determine the most appropriate ways i can help ... iF you'd like to be involved with a unique plan, sign up and review a FrEE plan ... I will help you in various ways, PLUS, I promote for you ! Subscribe to this blog

You've broken up with your old band and are about to release your first solo album. Please write the liner notes:
Whatever YoU Desire - you must let others know ... or NoT ?

Interests
Fun & Games Guys (more soon) intellectual property theft solutions ideas marketing sports honesty value tweaking dating hot stuff building prediction markets investing investments forex hyip bonds social policy hotties local hotties money web applications spam solutions cheater solutions music talent flipping brokering advertising blogging research

Celebrity:duanezfei Resume

Age: 29
Gender: Female
Industry: Student
Occupation: Masters in Occupational Therapy
Location: St. Augustine : Florida : United States
About Me
stacy is a single less than 30 old filipina- chinese-american on her way to greatness. she enjoys long walks on the beach, writing, reading, laughing, fine dining, casual dining, breakfast diner dining, and being with her fabulous friends. jersey born and raised, dc undergrad schooled and presently st. augustine grad schooling. she also loves to speak in third person.

Paper or briefs?
uhh, isn't that supposed to be boxer or briefs? i can't answer this question.

Celebrity:shanqinao Resume

Age: 25
Astrological Sign: Leo
Zodiac Year: Boar
Location: Dallas : Texas : United States
About Me
I'm just a big kid at heart. I love life. Everyday is an adventure it seems. I love to cook, bake, and dine out to satisfy my inner fat kid. Fat Kid Favorites - anything South American and cupcakes!

Interests
LOVE: Dancing going out cooking making memories with my amazing friends hugs naps on cloudy days back scratchies Austin traveling beaches hot tea indoor rock climbing Cuban Food wine and bubble baths Godiva chocolate build-a-bears laughing Sunday brunch at the Iron Cactus pink and brown ice skating fuzzy socks my favorite ladies Texas wine Tequila! South American food gerbrera daisies road trips the silly things kids say fireworks my over dramatic cat penguins snow flurries Mexican Martinis Colombian Food baking cookies vanilla candles making to-do lists naps in hammocks on the beach organizing funnel cakes Capri Sun making people smile taking pictures never ending hugs fleece pants flip flops red sour patch kids collecting quotes and just being me! (just to name a few =)

Celebrity:cyllinane Resume

Location: Utah : United States
About Me
Hey everyone! well just to tell you a little bit about me... I am 15 years old, and well I live somewhere...ha ha [I know better then to tell people where I live]. I am currently going through a rough time, but in the end I think I will make it through

What is the color of your toothbrush?

Interests
I love to read music is my life tv is okay... I don't watch it much excpet for Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill I LOVE to hang out with my friends I love to write my own songs and tell all about my feelings in my own way... I love to go to my high school football games every Friday and most of all... I LOVE BOYS!!!!!!!
Favorite Movies
I have way too many movies that are my favorites... but some of them include She's The Man Phantom of the Opera Becoming Jane Titanic Pride and Prejudice The Devil Wears Prada John Tucker Must Die Batman Begins The Dark Night Tristan and Isolde Anastasia The Little Mermaid High School Musical 1 and 2[I know I'm lame for liking these but what can I say>??...] and so many more that I can't think of right now!!!
Favorite Music
Really your asking me this question....? Music is my life I have so many favorites... but some include Rap Hip-Hop Pop Rock Punk but definetley not COUNTRY!!!< I hate country music.
Favorite Books
Really??? I'm a normal teenage girl.... THE TWILIGHT SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Celebrity:cenmilee Resume

Age: 28
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Gemini
Zodiac Year: Monkey
Industry: Chemicals
Location: Knoxville : Tennessee : United States
Audio Clip
Wishlist
About Me
I am a musician who wants to be an architect.

If you could peer far enough into the night sky, you'd see a star in any direction you looked. When would you sleep?
When you work graveyard, you sleep any time you can.

Interests
architecture guitars cats The Legend of Zelda series coffee
Favorite Movies
Interstella 5555 The Passion of Joan of Arc Mystery Train Andrei Rublev
Favorite Music
Underworld JD/NO Clash Burzum
Favorite Books
Pale Fire Invitation to a Beheading London Fields Day of the Locust Kindred Dawn

Celebrity:bjovy Resume

Industry: Arts
Occupation: Gallery Director, Alter Ego: Artist
Location: Salt Lake City : UT : United States
About Me
I am the gallery director of Iao PROJECTS and Iao: Acme Burger Company. In my usual life, I am a normal, romantic-minded average Joe. (I also serve up my alter ego called qi peng, conceptual artist who acts as a completely fictional painter who invades the contemporary art markets with any brick of bipolarity he can find... so qi peng was born in Queens, New York in 1976. He received his masters degree at Yale University. He is a conceptual painter and photographer who works with various media ranging from digitally created drawings to complex abstract spray paint works to experimental photography. The artist lives and works near downtown Salt Lake City and New York City for special projects.)

Interests
art art market jazz and classical and rock music culture church stuff Salt Lake City New York City working on getting back with an ex-girlfriend etc.
Favorite Movies
Criterion Collection popular and independent movies Pollock Rivers and Tides I enjoy romantic movies
Favorite Music
jazz hiphop classical and rock music. I really don't listen to heavy metal or extremely loud music.
Favorite Books
art books catalogue raisonnes religious literature fiction essays blogs

Celebrity:blysene Resume

Age: 28
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Virgo
Zodiac Year: Monkey
Industry: Arts
Occupation: Musician and Mommy
Location: Nashville : TN : United States
About Me
We are Josh and Flo. We were best friends one day, and engaged the next, and 9 months later, on June 9th, 2001 were married. We have a 4 1/2 year old daughter named Sera Sage and a 2 year old little girl, Amelie Ashe, who was born in a tub in our dining room. Josh is obsessed with Mac computers, Star Wars, Ninjas, photography, and cheese. Flo is obsessed with Anne of Green Gables, Canada, pregnancy, natural childbirth, music, and fruit rolls. Currently, Sera Sage likes space, "writing" songs, playing with stuffed animals, and praying for a baby brother (yikes), and Cinderella. Amelie currently likes everything to be in perfect order, doors closed, lids on cartons, that sort of thing. She also likes Dora. Josh and I like to watch the Office, Arrested Development and Scrubs. Both of us get fired up when talking about politics (because we HATE the 2 party system). We love teaching our girls how much Jesus loves them and we love how having them shows us how much Jesus loves us.

Interests
Mothering Singing Playing Writing Sewing Decorating Traveling Birthing Loving... I'm especially interested in all things childbirth related (childbirth education homebirth cloth diapering etc.) and music of course.
Favorite Movies
Anne of Green Gables Rome and Juliet (1996) Garden State Royal Tenenbaums The Lord of the Rings Beaches Anything with: Ben Stiller or Johnny Depp Documentaries
Favorite Music
Iron and Wine Sarah McLachlan Nanci Griffith James Taylor Brandon Paris Marty Paris Seth and Skylana Roberts Mike Doughty Audiosalve 90's Music Andrew Peterson Derek Webb Waterdeep David Wilcox Colin Hay Ben Folds Counting Crows Rosie Thomas Journey Weird Al Most everything that Zach Braff recommends or is played on Scrubs U2 Sting All Bluegrass and at one time of my life or another I listened to the following artists: Debbie Gibson Amy Grant Reba McEntire Mariah Carey and Crystal Lewis..oh and the soundtrack to Annie.
Favorite Books
Anne of Green Gables The Lord of the Rings Narnia A Grief Observed

Celebrity :blocetim Resume

Age: 21
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Gemini
Zodiac Year: Rabbit
Industry: Student
Location: Columbia : Missouri : United States
About Me
Well, I'm 21, going to the University of Missouri in Columbia, hoping to get my doctorate in Psychology. I'm originally from Houston, Texas. I dabble in a million different things--psychology, dance, theatre, graphic design...

Interests
Psychology Tap Dance Editing Magazine Writing Design Music
Favorite Movies
Patch Adams White Nights Tap Hitch Miss Congeniality Meet the Parents Meet the Fockers 13 Going on 30 How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Favorite Music
Maroon5 3 Doors Down Natasha Bedingfield Nickelback Michael Jackson Janet Jackson Broadway musicals Switchfoot Aerosmith Jason Mraz James Morrison Matt Wertz
Favorite Books
1984 Brave New World The Designer's Index The Lovely Bones One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest The Da Vinci Code Angels and Demons The Bourne books

Celebrity :bkyana Resume

Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Leo
Industry: Student
Location: Cleveland : Ohio : United States
About Me
I'm a full-time college student at CSU, and a server at Bob Evans. I should be graduating this summer and I can't wait.

Interests
Writing New Mexico and Nevada Books Russian History and Literature Travel Food & Baking Painting Photography Music History Makeup Failed Attempts at Humor Sociology Anthropology Philosophy Art... I'm interested mostly in people. The study of people their societies and how they developed how people interact their history and their art... written visual and musical. People are sweet.
Favorite Movies
Here is a short list: Donnie Darko ...Eternal Sunshine... Forrest Gump Garden State Au Revoir Les Enfants Lost in Translation The Adventures of Sebastian Cole Nightmare Before Christmas Almost Famous Trainspotting True Romance Amelie Pulp Fiction Kill Bill (both of them) Harold and Kumar go to White Castle Natural Born Killers Star Wars No Country for Old Men Cabin Fever Bad Santa Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Wet Hot American Summer Mean Girls Zoolander King Kong Sin City Requiem For a Dream...more...
Favorite Music
Anything that makes me sound pretentious and awesome. I don't like rap pop country... most things on the radio. Everything else is A-OK.
Favorite Books
C&P The Prophet The Sun Also Rises A Farewell to Arms All Quiet on the Western Front Brave New World Catch-22 The Missing Piece Meets the Big O Man Crazy anything by Joyce Carol Oates The Great Gatsby Flowers For Algernon On the Road Choke Invisible Monsters Diary Survivor Rant anything by Issac Babel I LOVE RUSSIAN LIT!!! "Stories from a Siberian Village" by Vasily Shukshin. I'm currently reading "Starr Bright Will Be With You Soon" by Rosamond Smith (aka Joyce Carol Oates) its awesome. Christopher Moore. Who Will Run the Frog Hospital by Lorrie Moore. And I love the Anita Blake novels. And (only one of his I swear) Steven King's The Stand. Sue me. ..

Celebrity :alitimy Resume

Age: 22
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Capricorn
Zodiac Year: Tiger
Industry: Student
Occupation: Fantastic Deli Meat Slicer!
Location: Spokane : WA : United States
About Me
My name is Kaysie and I am 22 years old.

Why do we have eye teeth when they can't see?

Interests
I like enjoy nice long walks on the beach (just kidding) but I do enjoy the beach and surfing I like to run or walk and to read.
Favorite Movies
I like Mary Poppins and My girl.
Favorite Music
Sonicflood Frank Sinatra Micheal Jackson Mark Shultz Tobymac.
Favorite Books
Mere Christianity The Hot Zone

Friday, January 2, 2009

Celebrity :akicyy Resume

Age: 24
Gender: Female
Astrological Sign: Taurus
Zodiac Year: Sheep
Occupation: Domestic Engineer, Craft Business
Location: Alaska : United States
About:
she is a stay at home mom who has been married to my best friend for 10 years. We have 3 beautiful, fun loving children who make us laugh daily. Besides being a SAHM, I also have owned a small craft and vinyl lettering business since '04, it has kept me plenty busy but I have decided to take a step back for a little while. My husband is an investigator in the major crimes unit for the Alaska Bureau Of Investigations. He LOVES his job! We are happy here in the Ginormous state of Alaska. However, we do miss our family and friends in Utah. But this is why we started this blog..to let them keep tabs on us while we are here!
Interests:
Hanging out with my little family going on dates with my HOT husband vinyl lettering Cooking Collecting Cookbooks Scrapbooking Digital Scrapbooking ALL CRAFTS Playing the piano Singing making home movies that make you cry photography computers and technology blogging outdoors stuff and did I mention HANGING OUT WITH MY FAMILY?
Favorite Movies:
I mostly like all chick flicks actually I like anything! EXCEPT HORROR!
Favorite Music:
Anything & Everything!
My Blogs Team Members:
Alaska's Family Fun Addicted & Lovin It Aimee Sommer Angeline and Matt Gina and Ryan GANG GREEN Jadi tash leaca munyer jerk chicken ***The Guymons Gossip*** The Gunnerson Group Kenai Ward Photography Group Sharon Gina and Ryan Peless Family -Rachel Alaska Law munyer jerk chicken AKBUG Tiffany Marrie The Kent Family in Kenai Angeline and Matt Isaac and Adelle leaca Kenai Ward Photography Group Alaska Massey Nelson Family Love "Briggs" Us Together Traci & Skylar lovebriggsustogether briggsbunch Bob & Sue's Blog Through Trial And Error