Date : March 11th, 2010Category : UncategorizedAuthor :
 Did you know that a pagan winter festival was traditionally the most popular festival of the year in many cultures long before Jesus ever came to this earth?
Did you know that December 25th was celebrated as the “birthday” of pagan gods such as Mithras and Sol long before it became Christianized?
Did you know that Jesus WAS NOT born on December 25th?
One of the pagan pre-Christian festivals was called Saturnalia.
It was a holiday when the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of their god Saturn, which was on the 17th of December and the festival would last for a whole week until the 23rd of December.
Later the Romans also started holding a festival on December 25 called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, which means “the birthday of the undefeated sun.”
Pagan Scandinavia also celebrated a winter festival called Yule, which was held from late December to early January. Yule logs were lit to honor the god “Thor”. The holiday would continue until the Yule log burned out, which could take as many as twelve days. Thus this is where we get the “12 days of Christmas”.
In the year 350 A.D., Pope Julius I declared that “Christ’s birth” would be celebrated on December 25th from then on.
His rationale was that he was trying to make it easier for pagan Romans to convert to Christianity.
But Jesus was not born on December 25th.
It would have been way too cold for shepherds to be out with their sheep at night during that time.
Jesus was actually born during the Feast of Tabernacles.
Are you ready for more stuff you didn’t know about Christmas?
Watch this video:
Christmas Was Not Originally A Christian Holiday
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Tags : christian festivals, saturn
Date : March 10th, 2010Category : UncategorizedAuthor :
Feature Article of Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Columnist: Bonsu, Akua
the formula for chaos is the same. Oil is discovered in a country that has, until then, been struggling to find its economic identity. a foreign company comes in pretending to have the country’s utmost interest at heart. Usually, if that company is genuine, it comes in to do business and minds its own business. It is the crooked ones that try to point a finger at other foreign companies in the same vicinity and other local factions so as to deflect scrutiny. by so doing, these companies pitch local interests against one another. the local interests begin to fight amongst themselves. And as they focus on one another, the greedy company quietly makes money while playing buddies with the warring local interests behind the scenes. in Ghana today, no company is playing that game as masterfully as Anadarko.
the Houston based company came to Ghana in 2006, two years after Kosmos and EO had signed a Petroleum Agreement with GNPC. Kosmos had employed its innovative technology to acquire 3D Siesmic data and needed a drilling rig to drill their prospects. Partly due to scarcity of deepwater drilling rig during the 2007 euphoric period when oil price was matching up to $200/bbl, Kosmos invited Anadarko who at the time had a drilling rig available to be used to partner with them. the move is also a standard industry practice to spread risk. Although Anadarko was initially reluctant, it was impressed by Kosmos’ record of oil discoveries in previously unknown fields. It wasn’t until Kosmos agreed to split its portion evenly with Anadarko that the latter agreed to sign onto the deal.
As evidence of Anadarko’s initial reluctance, not only did its officials not begin their customary due diligence before signing the agreement as mandated by United States laws, they even declined an offer by GNPC to make them the operating partner. in fact, Anadarko wanted drilling to be delayed for 5 years because of its commitment and concentration on other projects around the world, but Kosmos, having only its Ghana operation, and the government not interested in delays in potential oil finds, overruled Anadarko. furthermore, during the time Kosmos was drilling the first Mahogany well some members of Anadarko technical team were overheard during a Golden Tulip lunch expressing their dismay over senior executive’s decision to come to Ghana. So pessimistic was Anadarko that it met the Government and Kosmos’ announcement of oil find with denial, and like the NDC, publicly ridiculed the government for presumably throwing dust into the eyes of Ghanaians. When the Mahogany- 1 discovery became a reality, however, all hell broke loose.
Consistent with industry trend of major oil companies trying to squeeze out indigenous companies, Anadarko demonstrated an unquenchable greed without any morals, and begun its endless pursuit for the operatorship of the newly discovered field.one characteristic that is common among all oil companies which is the the first step was to team up with Tullow, another partner in the Jubilee field, to squeeze Kosmos and EO out. Tullow refused. Next, Anadarko tried to leverage nationalistic sentiments to join forces with Kosmos and EO to squeeze Britian’s Tullow out, but Kosmos returned Tullow’s favor and refused. Finding itself increasingly falling out of favor with its partners, Anadarko suddenly saw the need to do its due diligence on the two American companies involved in the partnership. the hope was to find an infringement of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practice Act (FCPC) by EO and Kosmos to use as leverage to force them to make Anadarko the operating Partner.
that last ditch effort was enhanced by the unexpected 2008 election results that brought in the NDC. It did not hurt Anadarko that it was the only foreign oil company that courted the NDC when it was in the opposition. It was an insurance move on the part of Anadarko to secretly court the opposition in the event that it comes to power because it was not getting its way with the NPP government.
Anadarko’s quest to find dirt on its partners involved 50 attorneys who looked through eight million documents including a million email messages, countless tax and bank records. the final report by its own hired attorneys indicated that although there were some “red flags, no smoking gun” could be found associated with Kosmos and EO’s dealing with Ghanaian officials.
meanwhile, some NDC officials have privately conceded that some officials are having “sleepless nights” over the possibility of EO coming into such huge amount of money. Thus the Anadarko investigation of Kosmos and EO was the perfect gift. use that investigation to make claims that the NPP government gave a sweetheart deal to Kosmos because members of the EO Group are “Kufuor’s Boys” – Ghanaians would buy that. So far it may be working. like fish on a hook, Ghanaians, especially sympathizers of the NDC have bought and paid for that concocted story. And while that has engaged the Ghanaian, no one is looking as Tsatsu Tsikata cashes in – and boy is he cashing in.
Barely three weeks into the NDC administration, Tsikata flew to Houston with his wife to meet with Anadarko. Unconfirmed reports indicate that his accommodation at the luxury Sheraton Galleria, his medical bills – and we know he was ill when he first came out of prison on President Kufuor’s pardon – his wife’s shopping spree at a famous Houston Galleria Shopping Mall where according to our investigation is reserved for very rich people and celebrities. It is believe that her shopping was all paid for by Anadarko. It would not be the first time that a Business Partner’s trip is covered by a company for tax purposes, and for the purposes of avoiding the Feds’ investigation into an FCPA violation. the romance between the NDC, particularly Tsatsu Tsikata and Anadarko is as undeniable as it is cunning. **
what makes Mr. Tsikata’s trip to Houston immediately after the handover of power from NPP to NDC so suspicious is that:
1. He went to Houston to present himself as the energy czar for the new administration without necessarily having any official title 2. according to our reliable investigative sources, not unlike him, his trip was made rather nicodemously without the knowledge of the president and the energy minister except for his stooge at GNPC 3. without any official title he and his acquired spouse met with Anadarko executives under very questionable circumstances after which the momentum to the investigation of E.O Group and Kosmos picked up a new life
a little backtrack here. Due to Ghana’s quest to be friendly with reputable oil companies to help develop her oil prospects, GNPC promised Anadarko that a portion of Vanco’s large block would soon become available for bidding and that if Anadarko wanted a block where it would be able to operate, it could do worse than bid for that. Unfortunately, Norway’s Aker had already placed a bid on that block when Anadarko finally did. Aker eventually got the block over Anadarko. You can imagine Anadarko’s frustration then. Thus when the NDC came to power, Tsikata promised to deliver that block to Anadarko. any surprise, therefore, that the government has kicked Aker out?
Anadarko and Tsikata are the perfect match. Anadarko wants a block very badly, especially now that Ghana’s oil prospect is beyond doubt. It has consequently tried to bulldoze its way and gotten nowhere. Fortunately for the Houston based company, a willing partner emerged – one that has a grudge with anything NPP and Kufuor since, from his perspective, they both are responsible for his imprisonment. As the adage goes, the enemy of your enemy is your friend. There lies the reasons why although Tsikata is hell bent on cashing in on an oil find that proved elusive to him for over 15 years, he simply cannot relinquish the notion that there must have been something wrong with a deals signed under the Kufuor administration. our only hope is that this overpowering vindictiveness does not plunge our dear nation into the same chaos that has characterized many an oil find in Africa.
And for my friends at Anadarko, they will be well served to get an interpreter to explain to them the all fulfilling Akan adage which goes “The same cane that is used on Takyi will also be used on Baah”. the earlier they recognize that they are in bed with the devil the better it will be for them. Ghanaians have patience and tolerance but it would be risky for anyone to misconstrue such a noble quality as foolishness. Ghanaians are watching with tacit interest.
Anadarko's Romance with Tsikata Exposed
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Tags : innovative technology, kosmos
Date : March 10th, 2010Category : UncategorizedAuthor :
The modern paparazzi are not dependent on shady deals and lurking informers anymore. He knows what it takes to get that exclusive photo that can get the whole celebrity gossip world into a tizzy. the advantage of modern equipments are making it easier for him to go for that snap that can have all the celeb gossip magazines running after him. in the good old days, the money spent in procuring a photograph was sometimes more than what entertainment news papers and tabloids were willing to pay. All those days came to an end with the coming of age of the modern equipment. Now there’s a proper method to everything that happens.
The basic idea of paparazzi scoops is still the same. the race is still for that one photo that will have the celebrity in a position where it gets uncomfortable. Keeping this crux in place, the race is now to bring it to the celebrity gossip sites faster than any other. the paparazzi these days have a well-connected network that can inform the photographer about the whereabouts of a star in the shortest possible time. sometimes these informers are working for celeb gossip sites as well. when they spot a celeb off the usual route, in a restaurant dining with another hot star or at the salon getting a new hairdo, they tip off the entertainment news photographers.
The paparazzi now depend on modern equipment like digital and modern cameras. these become useful when the celebrities need to be photographed on private property. Celebrity gossip sites pay a handsome amount for exclusive photos of the wedding or engagement of the celebrities. the celebrities know that they are susceptible to attacks from the paparazzi. That makes them aware of their situation and they take proper precautions. They erect security guards and the police to keep the entertainment site photographers at bay. more often than not, these celebrities strike deals with the celeb gossip sites themselves to give them those photos of weddings, engagements and child birth. It’s like a business deal that is borne out of the need to protect privacy. when they know they can’t do much, the celebrities try to make money out of this situation.
The coming of the modern paparazzi means that there is no spot on this planet where the celebrity is not vulnerable to photographs. Celebrity gossip sites are waking up to the importance of allowing these photographs to come on their pages. They understand that a photograph on a celeb gossip site speaks a lot about credibility. People would believe a hazy photograph than lines of written evidence. This factor works wonders in the entertainment news world. People find it easier to believe a story if there is an accompanying photograph. the moralists may complain about the legal rights and privacy ethics, but the paparazzi are definitely here to stay!
The Modern Paparazzi | PIRATE SKY
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Tags : entertainment news, informers, photo, scoops
Date : March 10th, 2010Category : UncategorizedAuthor :
Simon Cowell confirms engagement on TV 
Tony Clark/WENN.com
Simon Cowell has confirmed his engagement – during an appearance on a late-night TV show.
The “American Idol” judge was being interviewed for “The Tonight show with Jay Leno” on Monday when the host decided to grill him about recent rumors regarding his make-up artist girlfriend, Mezhgan Hussainy.
Leno asked, “Are rumors you’re engaged true?” to which Cowell replied, “Are they true? well, I do have somebody in my life now, Jay, yes. and I kinda made a decision this year to make somebody happy.”
and when Leno enquired about the engagement band, Cowell replied, “It’s quite a big one, yes.”
Cowell later admitted he was blushing, before Leno proceeded to ask where the couple got engaged.
The music mogul replied, “I find this very uncomfortable. I was asleep, I think. No, look, I bought her the ring in London.”
Hussainy was later invited from the audience to join Cowell on-stage.
The Brit later joked that Leno could be the flower girl at the wedding ceremony, before talking about the prospect of children.
He quipped, “I’m kind of torn because I’m a bit too old to have kids, but then again I think it would be important to have a lot of ‘mes’ around in the future.”
Lindsay Lohan suing for $100 million over E-Trade ‘milkaholic’ baby ad; Bodyguards reveal Michael Jackson’s romances …
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Date : March 10th, 2010Category : UncategorizedAuthor :
 Mary McNamara / Los Angeles Times
Watching Sarah Jessica Parker widen her eyes and discuss the unsettling discovery that one of her ancestors was accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials, it’s difficult not to giggle and wonder where all this gravity was when she was prancing around with Bette Midler in “Hocus Pocus.”
But then that’s the risk when you base a television show on the genealogical searches of our “most beloved stars” — it’s no longer enough that we know the brand of stroller that Parker and husband Matthew Broderick (who will be featured later) use; now we need to dig deep into their family trees.
It’s a risk NBC is willing to take with “Who do You think You Are?”
Hosted by Lisa Kudrow, this is a U.S. version of the popular British series where celebrities dig up their family trees, though you do have to wonder if Parker was the best choice for last Friday’s premiere. yes, she has ancestors involved in two major American events — a relative left the family’s Cincinnati home for California as part of the Gold rush — but during the many clips of Parker walking down various streets looking pensive, thoughts about the cunning hats, the ridiculous heels, that now-signature runway walk continually distract.
And though Parker does her best to appear moved and humbled by the difficult and even tragic lives of her ancestors, the show is all about her, after all, forcing the uncomfortable question: If everything happens for a reason, did all this American drama occur to ensure the existence of “Sex and the City,” or even worse, “Did You Hear about the Morgans?”
It’s not fair to blame Parker, of course — who wouldn’t jump at the chance to have someone else organize and pay for an authoritative search into your genealogy? But as is so often the case with “reality television,” there’s nothing TV producers hate so much as actual reality (bo-ring!), and so everything is tarted up with superfluous soundtracks and staging, with breathless voice-overs, mood lighting and lots of half-baked psychology.
Brooke Shields joined the show to learn more about her mother’s mother, a woman she never liked. When it turns out that Shields’ grandmother lost her own mother at 10, the actress quickly surmises that the girl became mother to her younger siblings. and when it is revealed that one of those siblings drowned at 13, Shields instantly concludes that her grandmother felt guilty, experiencing the loss of not just a brother but also a son, all of which explains why Grandma was so mean to Mama Teri.
Well, OK, if that makes you feel better, but those are mighty big leaps. and did Shields really have to stand beside the Passaic River, gazing soulfully into the sunset? Surely the simple notations on the death certificate and the newspaper story describing the drowning were much more effective.
Of course, how you feel about each journey is predetermined by how you feel about the star — not surprisingly, my favorite segment of the four I saw was the one in which Susan Sarandon searches for her mysterious grandmother, Anita. (That she takes a trip to Tuscany along the way doesn’t hurt either.)
Other celebrities to be featured on the show include athlete Emmitt Smith and film director Spike Lee.
The power of “Who do You think You Are?” does not lie in the celebrity but in the much more dramatic nature of “ordinary” life. Residents of 21st century America cannot be reminded often enough of how easy so many of us have it compared with previous generations.
But viewers are not allowed a moment to contemplate such things or even to wonder about the often disturbing lack of familial communication before being whisked away to the next “Oh, my gosh” moment. That so many of these celebrities appear to know so little of their almost immediate heritage is astonishing, proof that nothing is more democratic than the past.
‘Who do You think You Are?’
'Who Do You Think You Are?' traces celebs' ancestry
Tags : family trees, los angeles times, stroller
Date : March 10th, 2010Category : UncategorizedAuthor :
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There is something incredibly unseemly about an emergency room patient — in the final throes of life — being photographed by ER staff and others as he is dying on an operating table.
But then, kite surfer Stephen Schafer was a different kind of patient, even by ER standards: He’d been the victim of a shark attack in the Atlantic Ocean off Stuart and would soon become the focus of national and international media attention.
So, to preserve the moment and share the event with others — aren’t these two reasons why people take photographs? — an undisclosed number of personnel pulled out their cell-phone cameras and clicked away.
This outrageous scenario unfolded Feb. 3 in the Martin Memorial Medical Center Emergency Department.
To date, the hospital’s response to this violation of patient privacy laws and breach of professional ethics has been woefully inadequate.
Oh, hospital administrators immediately launched an investigation. three weeks later (Feb. 26), they released a statement and announced the results.
Cell phones “were used to take photographs of Mr. Schafer’s injuries by individuals who were in the emergency room at that time,” the statement said. Those who took photographs have been asked to “destroy or eliminate any remaining photos” out of respect for the Schafer family.
Additionally, the hospital has “disciplined a number of individuals commensurate with the extent of their actions.” Penalties range from “written warning, suspension and demotion to loss of position.”
Martin Memorial officials have said, in so many words, it won’t happen again. unfortunately, by failing to provide more detailed information, the public is left wondering: 1) Was this really a thorough investigation? And 2) does Martin Memorial truly appreciate the seriousness of this issue from the public’s perspective?
There are several questions hospital officials need to answer, including:
• How many individuals were involved in the photo-taking? “A number of individuals” could be four or 14. a specific number would clarify the extent — or limitation — of the ethics breach.
• How extensively were the photos distributed?
• Have photo-takers provided investigators with names of individuals to whom the pictures were distributed?
• what steps — beyond asking photo-takers to destroy the pictures — is the hospital taking to ensure the photos don’t appear in print or on the Internet?
• were any ER or hospital supervisors involved?
• what safeguards will be implemented to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again?
• does or should the hospital have a zero tolerance policy on personal photo taking? Or, would it be worthwhile for an employee to get a few days off in exchange for taking a picture of a celebrity that can be sold to the highest-bidding gossip publication?
• How can members of the public be assured embarrassing pictures won’t be taken for ogling?
In addition to providing more information, Martin Memorial should heed the suggestion of medical ethicist Jonathan Moreno, professor of philosophy and medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, and hire an independent, outside consultant to evaluate emergency room policies and procedures, and report his findings to the public.
Martin Memorial’s credibility is at stake here.
Editorial: Public needs, deserves more information from Martin Memorial on ER photo probe
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Tags : emergency department, kite surfer
Date : March 10th, 2010Category : UncategorizedAuthor :
Sandra Talks to Oprah as her Husband Gushes about her Win Mar 9th, 2010 – PopSugar
The big winners at Sunday’s Oscars had their schedules full between the Governor’s Ball, Elton John’s AIDS fundraiser, and the Vanity fair afterparty, and things haven’t slowed down yet.
'The Blind Side' Star Quinton Aaron Admits Onetime Crush On Sandra …
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Date : March 10th, 2010Category : UncategorizedAuthor :
Bachelor host Chris Harrison is firing back at ousted contestant Rozlyn Papa after she implied on Monday’s Women Tell All special that he is a cheater.
On the special, Harrison, 38, grilled Papa, a 29-year-old model/make-up artist who was kicked off the ABC reality show after several cast members claimed she had an “inappropriate” relationship with producer Ryan Callahan.
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Three different women claimed they each had proof: one said she saw Papa and Callahan making out; another said she saw her touch his thigh one time and a third said she heard Papa remark that she wanted Callahan to tuck her in bed.
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Despite the three eye witness accounts, Papa swore on her child’s life that nothing sexual happened between her and the producer. Harrison told her how many were sad that Callahan was fired because people on the show considered him a friend. Papa then snapped, “That’s news to him, especially when you were hitting on his wife in new Zealand. he thought that was crazy.”
See shirtless Bachelor stars
“I won’t dignify that with a response,” Harrison cooly replied before telling Papa, “I hope you will become a better person through this.”
Harrison tells Entertainment Weekly that the reason he didn’t immediately respond to Papa’s accusation was because “that’s exactly what she would have wanted from me. It was a desperate attempt by a very desperate woman to create a diversion and deflect the spotlight from herself….”
Find out which past Bachelor stars are still single!
Harrison – a married father of two – added that it was tacky of Papa (a single mother) to bring his innocent family into the matter.
“…Beyond the fact that it’s just flat out not true, that comment was well beyond the line of decency and speaks volumes to the kind of person Rozlyn is,” he said. “My wife, who I’ve been with since I was 18 and have been married to for over 16 years, was in the audience that night and got as big a laugh out of Rozlyn’s comment as I did.”
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Bachelor Host Calls Rozlyn “Desperate” After Fiery Accusation
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Tags : bachelor, cheater, chris harrison, eye witness accounts, proof
Date : March 10th, 2010Category : UncategorizedAuthor :
 Perezhilton, TMZ, and a lot of other sites are blocked here at school! I need my celebrity gossip of the day, do you know of any other sites? I know there are a lot unblocked, I just don’t remember the names.
Do you know any good celebrity gossip sites?
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Tags : celebrity gossip, perezhilton
Date : March 10th, 2010Category : UncategorizedAuthor :
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How to Market a Young Girl? Ask Disney and Vanity Fair!
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Did you know that a pagan winter festival was traditionally the most popular festival of the year in many cultures long before Jesus ever came to this earth?