Cash4Gold in Super Bowl Debut With MC Hammer and MCmahon

According to USA Today, NBC is still trying to get ads for the Super Bowl. In what is seen as a sign of NBC's desperation, this year's Bowl will include a direct-response spot for Cash4Gold, the company you may have seen while flipping through the less popular cable stations: desperate customers are told to send in their grandparents' jewelry via a "secured envelope," and Cash4Gold will put small amounts of money in their bank accounts, if they have them.(1)

The 30 second spot involves MC Hammer and octogenarian Ed McMahon -- the latter shown seated behind a desk throughout the spot -- basically provide a tongue-in-cheek list of the ordinary and oddball gold items one could sell for cash. Hammer, for example, notes that he could sell a golden pair of his trademark puffy parachute pants, while McMahon considers selling a solid-gold commode.

Both McMahon and Hammer have experienced financial hardships in the past, Hammer, having gone through his millions in Hammer time and Mcmahon having battled foreclosure. This bond that makes them a good team for the commercial, according to the client.

"It's an American tradition to find entrepreneurial solutions to the most pressing challenges," said Howard Mofshin, president of Cash4Gold, in a statement. "[We] invented a new way to unlock the value of the stuff that we all have laying around the house, making it easier for hundreds of thousands of people to get by. That's the key message our spot brings to the Super Bowl audience."

2009 Oscar Nominations (video)

The 2009 Oscar Nominations are:

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Gus Van Sant, Milk

BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, Milk
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Frozen River, Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth
Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
The Reader, David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory — Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

BEST ART DIRECTION
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306

BEST EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

BEST MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
Defiance, James Newton Howard
Milk, Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
WALL-E, Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
”Down to Earth,” WALL-E
”Jai Ho,” Slumdog Millionaire
”O Saya,” Slumdog Millionaire

BEST SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Virginia Tech murderer Haiyang Zhu

Graduate student, Xin Yang, a 22-year-old graduate student from Beijing, China was found murdered yesterday evening in the university’s Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown.

She had only just arrived at Virginia Tech on Jan. 8 to begin her studies in accounting in the Pamplin College of Business. She was a resident of the Graduate Life Center.

Yang was killed at the Au Bon Pain restaurant on the first floor of the Graduate Life Center at approximately 7 p.m. Wednesday evening. Haiyang Zhu, age 25, from Ningbo, China, was charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond at Montgomery County jail. He was a Ph.D. graduate student majoring in agricultural and applied economics. He began his studies at Virginia Tech at the start of the 2008 fall semester. Based on emergency contact records maintained by the university, it is known that Zhu and Yang knew each other.

They were in the Au Bon Pain restaurant when he attacked her. Witnesses indicated no signs of argument and that Zhu attacked her with a knife.

Zhu had not been under review or had come before the workings of the Virginia Tech Police Department, or the Town of Blacksburg Police Department, or the university’s Threat Assessment Team or CARE Team.

The victim’s mother, who is in China, was notified last night via telephone.

University leadership remains concerned about the welfare of the university student community, and particularly the community of Chinese Scholars. The university has counselors on the scene at the Graduate Life Center to assist students, staff, faculty, or others who seek assistance.

The crime scene is secured, but Graduate Life Center residents are free to come and go. Police interviewed several witnesses and are providing counseling support and assistance.

Tech Police says the suspect, Hiyang Zhu used a large kitchen knife and may have tried to decapitate his victim.

sources:
http://www.wsls.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com

US Airways Crash Caught on Video Flight 1549 Hudson River US Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service Video

CHESLEY SULLENBERGER, US AIRWAYS PILOT, HERO OF HUDSON PLANE CRASH

from huffingtonpost.com

Chesley Sullenberger, known as "Sully," the pilot of the US Airways plane that crashed into the Hudson River is being hailed as a hero for successfully landing the plane without any major injuries or fatalities.

New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg, who described the former fighter pilot's actions as "masterful," reports The Daily Telegraph:

But he heaped praise on the plane's captain, pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger - a 29-year veteran known as "Sully" to his colleagues - for landing the plane flat on the water and avoiding nearby Manhattan.

Mayor Bloomberg said he had spoken to Mr Sullenberger at length, and said he did a "masterful job".

Sullenberger even walked through the plane twice to ensure that everyone got out safely reports ABCNews.com:

The hero of Flight 1549, pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger III, walked the aisle of the downed US Airways jet twice looking for passengers before exiting the plane he safely ditched in the Hudson River, saving the lives of more than 150 people onboard.

The successful landing on water was a rarity, reports the NY Daily News:

It appeared to be the first time in 45 years that a major aircraft crash-landed in the water - and every passenger on board made it out alive.

CNN spoke to Sullenberger's wife, Lori, who was stunned by her husband's ordeal:

Sullenberger's wife told CNN she spoke to her husband and is reeling from the incident.

"I was stunned. I hadn't been watching the news. I've heard Sully say to people, 'It's rare for an airline pilot to have an incident in their career,' " Lori Sullenberger said.

"When he called me he said, 'There's been an accident.' At first I thought it was something minor, but then he told me the circumstances and my body started shaking and I rushed to get our daughters out of school."

Here is Sully's bio, as it appears on the homepage of his company, Safety Reliability Methods, Inc.

Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III is a captain for a major U.S. airline with over 40 years of flying experience. A former U.S. Air Force (USAF) fighter pilot, he has served as an instructor and Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) safety chairman, accident investigator and national technical committee member. He has participated in several USAF and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident investigations. His ALPA safety work led to the development of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular. Working with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists, he coauthored a paper on error inducing contexts in aviation. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Crew Resource Management (CRM) course used at his airline and has taught the course to hundreds of his colleagues. Sully is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy (B.S.), Purdue University (M.S.) and the University of Northern Colorado (M.A.). He was a speaker on two panels at the High Reliability Organizations (HRO) 2007 International Conference in Deauville, France May 29-31, 2007. He has just been named a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.

His Linkedin page:

C. B. "Sully" Sullenberger’s Experience

• President & CEO

  Safety Reliability Methods, Inc.

  (Privately Held; Airlines/Aviation industry)

  January 2007 — Present (2 years 1 month)

  Providing technical expertise and strategic vision and direction to improve safety and reliability in a variety of high risk industries.

• Captain

  USAirways

  (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; LCC; Airlines/Aviation industry)

  February 1980 — Present (29 years)

  Captain for major U. S. passenger airline, serving North America, Europe, Latin America, Caribbean and Hawaii with large jet equipment. Responsible for all aspects of safety and security pertaining to flight, including planning, preparation and aircraft servicing. Leader of crew and responsible for passengers and aircraft. Involved in development and implementation of the first Crew Resource Management (CRM) training course used at the airline. As a Check Airman, was responsible for the training and supervision of other airline pilots transitioning to another aircraft type or upgrading to Captain. Served as an Air Line Pilots Association Local Air Safety Chairman and Accident Investigator and national technical committee member.

• Fighter Pilot/Captain

  United States Air Force

  (Government Agency; 10,001 or more employees; Military industry)

  June 1973 — February 1980 (6 years 9 months)

  USAF officer and fighter pilot on F-4 aircraft. Experience in Europe, Asia and at Nellis AFB, Nevada, where I served as Blue Force Mission Commander in Red Flag joint exercises. Was a member of a USAF aircraft accident investigation board. Served as a flight training officer and unit deployment and war plans officer. Commended for writing wing after action report.

---

C. B. "Sully" Sullenberger’s Education

• University of Northern Colorado

  M. P. A., Public Administration, 1978 — 1979

• Purdue University

  M. S., Psychology (Human Factors), 1973 — 1973

  Activities and Societies:

  Studied human/machine interface and human performance issues under Dr. Ernest J. McCormick.

• United States Air Force Academy

  B. S., Psychology and Basic Sciences, 1969 — 1973

  Activities and Societies:

  Dean's List, Recipient of the Outstanding Cadet in Airmanship award for 1973, selected for Cooperative Masters Program for academic excellence and completed M. S. at Purdue University 1973, selected for independent research program at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, USAF Systems Command Research Center

U.S. Airways Flight 1549 Crashes into Hudson River

Reports are coming in that a plane has crashed in the Hudson River, between Piers 88 and 92 (West 48th-West 52nd Streets; U.S.S. Intrepid is at Pier 86). The newscasts are reporting that it's a US Airways (twin-engine) flight.

Divers are picking up passengers, who are in life rafts. A New York Waterway ferries are on the scene, also trying to help. The plane was reportedly heading from LaGuardia Airport; the plane is floating south. Injuries are unknown at this time; there were over 70 passengers. The flight was US Airways 1549 (from NYC to Charlotte, NC), an Airbus A320, that took off from LGA at 3:11 p.m.

Some reports suggest that a flock of geese hit the plane.(1)

The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue crews had opened the door and were pulling passengers in yellow life vests from the plane. Several boats surrounded the plane, which appeared to be slowly sinking.

New York City firefighters are responding to the crash. It was not immediately clear if there were injuries.

"I saw what appeared to be a tail fin of a plane sticking out of the water," said Erica Schietinger, whose office windows at Chelsea Piers look out over the Hudson. "All the boats have sort of circled the area. ... I can't tell what's what at this point." (AP)

Several tourist boats and ferries quickly came to the aid of the downed jet, rescuing stranded passengers who had managed to get out onto the wings of the aircraft. U.S. Coast Guard ships and helicopters also responded.

No deaths or serious injuries have been reported.

Jeff Kolodjay, a rescued passenger from Norwalk, Connecticut was headed to North Carolina on a golf trip when the plane went down.

"The engine blew out about three minutes into the flight," he said. "We circled around and saw we were in line with the Hudson [River]. The captain came on [the plane's public address system] and said, 'Look, we're going down, brace for impact.' And everyone kind of looked at each other and said some prayers. I said about five 'Our Fathers' and five 'Hail Marys' and we hit the water."

U.S. Airways Chairman Doug Parker said preliminary information indicates that everyone is off the plane and accounted for and that the airline would cooperate with authorities in their investigation.

"It is premature to speculate about the cause of this accident," he said. "The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the probable cause with our complete support and the support of many others."

Federal Aviation Authorities say they are looking to retrieve the plane's "black box" recorder for more information on the cause of the crash. (2)

sources:

(1) http://gothamist.com

(2) http://www.voanews.com

(3)http://blogs.reuters.com

from http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Her mum would have loved her so much: Tearful words of man whose baby was born TWO DAYS after wife died

Two days after Jayne Soliman was declared brain-dead, her grieving husband saw her life-support machine turned off.

In a moment of unbelievable poignancy, he was then given their baby daughter to hold for the first time.

Doctors had kept 41-year-old Mrs Soliman's heart beating after she suffered a brain haemorrhage.

For 48 hours they pumped large doses of steroids into her body to help the baby's lungs develop.

Her mother had been declared brain dead two days before she was born. Now baby Aya Jayne, weighing little over 2lb, is in intensive care

In life, Jayne Campbell Soliman was a British champion ice skater. But two days after being declared brain dead, she became something greater. She became a mother. Soliman suffered a brain hemorrhage but was kept alive by machines before doctors were able to deliver her daughter, Aya Jayne, by Caesarean section, according to The Times of London. Aya is the Muslim word for “miracle.”

“She is so tiny, but she is a little fighter just like her mother,” Mahmoud Soliman, the girl’s father, told The Times

Mrs. Soliman was only 25 weeks pregnant when she complained of a headache and collapsed in her bedroom on Wednesday. Doctors said that she had suffered a haemorrhage caused by an aggressive tumour. After arriving by air to a hospital in Oxford, England, she was declared brain dead. Soliman was given huge doses of steroids to help the unborn child’s lungs to develop. Two days later, Doctors then performed the emergency C-section in hopes of giving her child life. Aya was born weighing less than 2 lb 2 oz. She was transferred to the intensive care unit at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Soliman was originally told his daughter would have to be there for two weeks but was then doing so well that she was transferred to a local hospital on Saturday — the day of her mother’s funeral.

“A midwife picked tiny Aya up and put her little face up to Jayne’s,” family friend Lucine Phillips told The Times. “It was just like welcoming any new baby into the world … but we also had to say goodbye to Jayne.”

Under her maiden name, Jayne Campbell, Soliman competed in numerous international skating galas during the 1980s. In 1989 she was the British professional champion as well as the No 7 in the world for professional free skating. She also appeared in several international competitions in the 1980’s. She remained involved in the sport, moving to teach figure skating in Dubai, where she met her husband.

read more

sources:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

http://actualdot.com/