The Oak Ridge Boys Improve Spirits–And Apparently Health!–Of Ailing Former President Bush Sr.

They say music has the power to heal--and in the case of George H. W. Bush, the adage seems to hold water. The former president, who has been hospitalized since November for bronchitis and related issues, was moved out of intensive care after being serenaded by country legends the Oak Ridge Boys on Friday.

The idea for the intimate concert came from former First Lady Barbara Bush, who called the band--one of her husband's favorites--and asked if they'd mind doing a special performance to cheer him up.

The Boys, who have been friends with the Bush family for years, were happy to oblige.  Although they were all on vacation at the time, they gathered in their office to sing together over the phone. "We asked what song he would like to hear," stated band member Joe Bonsall. "He said 'Elvira,'  so we blasted some oom pop a mau maus in the direction of Houston, Texas."Apparently, the gesture lifted Bush's spirits enough to actually improve his health. He was transferred to a regular patient room at Houston's Methodist Hospital the following day, and his camp released a statement saying the Boys' singing was a greatly appreciated "shot in the arm."

Bush, 88, was admitted to intensive care on December 23, suffering a lingering fever and other complications. As of Saturday, his spokesperson reported the positive news that he is continuing to do better.

If you don't remember Bush's requested tune, the Oak Ridge Boys' 1981 hit "Elvira," here's a video of the group performing it back in the day, complete with its well-loved "oom pop a mau mau"chorus.

Did referees miss Kentucky pulling a switcheroo at the free throw line?

A Kentucky spokesman denied that the Wildcats intentionally tricked referees and offered the following explanation via Twitter on Sunday afternoon.

"Our bench argued that Poythress was the shooter & the official notified the official scorer that #22 was the shooter," Kentucky executive associate athletic director for external operations DeWayne Peevy tweeted. "After seeing the tape, it might have been the wrong call but it wasn't a switch-a-roo. It was confirmed to the official scorer."

Even though Kentucky lost by three points at rival Louisville on Saturday, nobody can say the Wildcats didn't do everything possible to pull off the upset.

They even appear to have tried to reverse their poor free throw fortunes by switching foul shooters without referees noticing.When referees whistled Louisville's Russ Smith for a foul with 1:05 to go before halftime for hooking the arm of Nerlens Noel on an attempted steal, the Kentucky center initially goes to the foul line as expected. Noel then wanders off the line to get instruction from the Kentucky bench, allowing wing Alex Poythress to slip in unnoticed and replace him.Even though Poythress was only a mediocre 68.1 percent free throw shooter entering play on Saturday, that's still significantly better than Noel's 53.3 percent prior to the Louisville game. Poythress made the first and missed the second, a point that ultimately made no difference as the Cardinals held off a late Kentucky rally and won 80-77.

It's possible Poythress took the foul shots because he thought he drew a blocking foul on Montrezl Harrell as he drove baseline before dishing to Noel, but the majority of the evidence suggests that wasn't the call that was made. The referee who blew his whistle did so after Smith's foul and pointed directly at Smith. Plus, the play-by-play in the box score attributes the foul to Smith.If the switcheroo was intentional, perhaps karma ended up biting Kentucky. Poor foul shooting was one of the main reasons the Wildcats lost as they made just 11 of 23 free throws Saturday, with Poythress uncharacteristically clanking four of his six.

New Year's Eve celebrations around the world

The Most Anticipated Games of 2013

TOP PICK -- Grand Theft Auto V
Xbox 360, PS3
Release date: Spring 2013

A trio of playable criminals stars in Rockstar's next magnum opus, this time set in the sprawl of Los Santos. Said to be bigger than GTA San Andreas, Red Dead Redemption and GTA IV combined, it's already at the top of most gamer wish lists – including ours.

TOP PICK -- The Last of Us
PS3 
Release date: May 7

Sorry, Mayans -- the world actually ends in May, when this dark, humanistic take on the apocalypse from the developers of the critically-acclaimed Uncharted series arrives. Will the winner of countless Best of E3 awards live up to the hype? We can’t wait to find out.

Dead Space 3
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: February 5 (Feb 8 EU)

Isaac Clarke takes the fight to the Necromorphs on a frozen planet in Dead Space 3. Expect plenty of scares, but a new co-op feature means a buddy’s got your back this time.

Crysis 3
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: February 19 (Feb 22 EU)

The concrete jungle of New York city is more jungle than concrete in this first-person shooter sequel. Explore a Manhattan rainforest teeming with aliens as you blast foes with all sorts of heavy duty alien tech -- and one very wicked bow and arrow.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Xbox 360, PS3
Release date: February 19 (Feb 22 EU)

Leave the guns at the shop, because the next game in the Metal Gear saga is all about swordplay. Gamers will slice and dice as the cyborg ninja Raiden, using innovative sword controls to turn enemies into mincemeat.

Tomb Raider
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release Date: March 5

Lara Croft gets rebooted in this dark, intense action game. Players will watch the iconic star grow from a scared girl to a hardened adventurer while trying to survive on a dangerous island.

SimCity
PC 
Release date: March 5 (March 8 EU)

The franchise that put simulation gaming on the map returns in this impressive reboot. A beautiful new gameplay engine powers your city, which can be outfitted with all kinds of buildings, businesses, and, at last, curvy roads.

God of War: Ascension
PS3
Release date: March 12 (March 13 EU)

The angriest character in video games goes back to the beginning. Ascension takes place ten years before the original God of War, pitting Kratos against the three Furies. It's also packing a robust multiplayer mode, a first for the franchise.

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
PC
Release date: March 12 

Anxious for more StarCraft II? Blizzard is finally giving it to you with the anticipated second installment. Picking up where Wings of Liberty left off, it doles out over 20 campaign missions starring the insectoid Zerg as well as new multiplayer units and countless balancing tweaks.

Gears of War: Judgment
Xbox 360 
Release date: March 19

Thought Gears was finished? Hardly. Starring a handful of familiar Gears faces, the next installment in Epic's explosive series features a new campaign and several new multiplayer modes.

BioShock Infinite
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: March 26

The third entry in the critically-acclaimed BioShock series trades the undersea world of Rapture for the floating metropolis of Colombia, and it's looking like another amazing adventure. As Booker DeWitt, you'll rescue a girl with mysterious power over time and space while contending with a politically-charged conflict threatening to tear the city apart.

Injustice: Gods Among Us
Xbox 360, PS3
Release date: April 2013

Who'd win in a fight: Batman or Wonder Woman? You'll find out firsthand in this gorgeous DC Comics fighting game created by the minds behind Mortal Kombat.

Pikmin 3
Wii U
Release date: Spring 2013

It's been nearly a decade since Nintendo last released a full-fledged Pikmin game, but the obedient little plants will finally sprout again in 2013. New Pikmin types and GamePad touch control should make it a bountiful harvest for Wii U owners.

South Park: The Stick of Truth
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: Spring 2013

The foul-mouthed foursome are big fans of video games, but they've never starred in one quite like The Stick of Truth. Merging the art, humor and style of the show with a deep role-playing game system (it's created by RPG experts Obsidian alongside South Park masterminds Trey Parker and Matt Stone), it looks like a blast.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: Spring 2013

Intrepid secret operative Sam Fisher returns to action in the sequel to the excellent Splinter Cell: Conviction. Improved movement mechanics should give the tried-and-true stealth gameplay a new twist.

Watch Dogs
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: TBA 2013

After making a huge splash at last year's E3 expo, this open-world action game has gone underground. Its focus on hacking and surveillance -- along with its jaw-dropping graphics -- has kept it top of mind, however. While it's yet to get a firm release date, it's still scheduled for 2013.

Beyond: Two Souls
PS3
Release date: TBA 2013

Oscar-nominee Ellen Page brings her talents to this psychological thriller, which lets gamers guide an emotionally disturbed girl -- and the ghost-like entity accompanying her -- through 15 years of her life.

Boy writes letter to LEGO after losing minifigure, gets awesome response

Seven-year-old Luka Apps spent his Christmas money on the LEGO Ninjago Ultra Sonic Raider set. A sound investment, if you ask us. But the thing about LEGOs -- those small pieces are easy to lose. They don't call 'em minifigures for nothing.

Against his father's recommendation, young Luka took his newly procured Jay ZX shopping. And then, wouldn't you know it, the figure went missing, never to be seen again.

Luka, not one to admit defeat, decided to write a letter to the good people at LEGO seeking a replacement.

ITV News has Luka's letter:

Hello.

My name is Luka Apps and I am seven years old.

With all my money I got for Christmas I bought the Ninjago kit of the Ultrasonic Raider. The number is 9449. It is really good.

My Daddy just took me to Sainsburys and told me to leave the people at home but I took them and I lost Jay ZX at the shop as it fell out of my coat.

I am really upset I have lost him. Daddy said to send you a email to see if you will send me another one.

I promise I won't take him to the shop again if you can.

– Luka

A short time later, Luka received a reply from Richard, a LEGO customer service representative. Richard wrote that he had spoken to Sensei Wu, a master from the  Ninjago line.

Luka, I told Sensei Wu that losing your Jay minifigure was purely an accident and that you would never ever ever let it happen ever again.

He told me to tell you, "Luka, your father seems like a very wise man. You must always protect your Ninjago minifigures like the dragons protect the Weapons of Spinjitzu!"

Sensei Wu also told me it was okay if I sent you a new Jay and told me it would be okay if I included something extra for you because anyone that saves their Christmas money to buy the Ultrasonic Raider must be a really big Ninjago fan.

So, I hope you enjoy your Jay minifigure with all his weapons. You will actually have the only Jay minifigure that combines 3 different Jays into one! I am also going to send you a bad guy for him to fight!

Just remember, what Sensei Wu said: keep your minifigures protected like the Weapons of Spinjitzu! And of course, always listen to your dad.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how companies score lifelong customers.

Texas gamers build real-life Mario Kart

It’s one of the best-selling video game franchises in the world, but what if you could play Mario Kart for real?

A group of Texas gamers/engineers from Waterloo Labs decided to give it a go, and the results are pretty amazing. This real-life Mario Kart racing track features actual power-ups, including mushrooms, lightning bolts and even those pesky turtle shells.

Let’s back up a little. The power-ups are a bit different than what you’ll find in the video game: racers pick up RFID tags, which communicate with the kart’s onboard computer and an array of servos and pneumatics.

That computer has control over the kart’s speed and brakes, so when racers choose to activate the power-ups, they either gain the appropriate advantage themselves or their opponents suffer a disadvantage. For example, racers who pick up a mushroom power-up get a real speed boost, while those who are lucky enough to drive snag a lightning bolt can engage the brakes on their opponent’s kart.

And since Mario Kart just isn’t Mario Kart without turtle shells, each kart comes equipped with a 120 psi cannon that can launch green turtle shells at other racers, causing them to wipe out.

As if this technological marvel wasn’t cool enough, the creators have posted a detailed look at how it was done and made the software that runs the system open-source, meaning anyone with a little engineering knowledge (and a few spare kart racers) can make their own home grown version of the game.

Mario Kart isn’t the first video game people have turned into a real world event. Pac-Man, most famously, was converted into a virtual-reality event in Singapore many years ago. New Yorkers recreated their own version of the game a few years later, calling it Pac-Manhattan.

Dont ever forget to join me at HAPPY WHEELS! Well ill give you some best maps just enter the username bibilon1  see ya later!

PS/ Im Anonymous

Clinton admitted to hospital with blood clot

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been admitted to a New York hospital for treatment of a blood clot, her spokesman said Sunday.

State Department Spokesman Philippe Reines said Clinton had entered the hospital following a medical examination for a concussion she sustained earlier this month.
"In the course of a follow-up exam today, Secretary Clinton's doctors discovered a blood clot had formed, stemming from the concussion she sustained several weeks ago," Reines said in a statement.  "She is being treated with anti-coagulants and is at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital so that they can monitor the medication over the next 48 hours."

Reines added, "Her doctors will continue to assess her condition, including other issues associated with her concussion. They will determine if any further action is required."

Clinton was scheduled to return to work this week after treatment for the concussion. She is set to step down from her post shortly after President Barack Obama's inauguration on January 21. Last week, Obama announced he had chosen Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry to replace Clinton as the nation's top diplomat.

Obama wants gun violence measures passed in 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Recalling the shooting rampage that killed 20 first graders as the worst day of his presidency, President Barack Obama pledged to put his "full weight" behind legislation aimed at preventing gun violence.

Obama voiced skepticism about the National Rifle Association's proposal to put armed guards in schools following the Dec. 14 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The president made his comments Saturday in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Instead, the president vowed to rally the American people around an agenda to limit gun violence, adding that he still supports increased background checks and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity bullet magazines. He left no doubt it will be one of his top priorities next year.

"It is not enough for us to say, 'This is too hard so we're not going to try,'" Obama said.

"I think there are a vast majority of responsible gun owners out there who recognize that we can't have a situation in which somebody with severe psychological problems is able to get the kind of high capacity weapons that this individual in Newtown obtained and gun down our kids," he added. "And, yes, it's going to be hard."

The president added that he's ready to meet with Republicans and Democrats, anyone with a stake in the issue.

The schoolhouse shootings, coming as families prepared for the holidays, have elevated the issue of gun violence to the forefront of public attention. Six adult staff members were also killed at the elementary school. Shooter Adam Lanza committed suicide, apparently as police closed in. Earlier, he had killed his mother at the home they shared.

The tragedy immediately prompted calls for greater gun controls. But the NRA is strongly resisting those efforts, arguing instead that schools should have armed guards for protection. Some gun enthusiasts have rushed to buy semiautomatic rifles of the type used by Lanza, fearing sales may soon be restricted.

Obama seemed unimpressed by the NRA proposal. "I am skeptical that the only answer is putting more guns in schools," he said. "And I think the vast majority of the American people are skeptical that that somehow is going to solve our problem."

The president said he intends to press the issue with the public.

"The question then becomes whether we are actually shook up enough by what happened here that it does not just become another one of these routine episodes where it gets a lot of attention for a couple of weeks and then it drifts away," Obama said. "It certainly won't feel like that to me. This is something that - you know, that was the worst day of my presidency. And it's not something that I want to see repeated."

Separately, a member of the president's cabinet said Sunday that rural America may be ready to join a national conversation about gun control. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the debate has to start with respect for the Second Amendment right to bear arms and recognition that hunting is a way of life for millions of Americans.

But Vilsack said Newtown has changed the way people see the issue. "I really believe that this is a different circumstance and a different situation," Vilsack said on CNN.

Vilsack said he thinks it's possible for Americans to come together. "It's potentially a unifying conversation," he said. "The problem is that these conversations are always couched in the terms of dividing us. This could be a unifying conversation, and Lord knows we need to be unified."

Besides passing gun violence legislation, Obama also listed deficit reduction and immigration as top priorities for 2013. A big deficit reduction deal with Republicans proved elusive this month, and Obama is now hoping Senate Democratic and Republican leaders salvage a scaled-back plan that avoids tax increases for virtually all Americans.

In addition, he issued a defense of former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who has been mentioned as one of the leading candidates to replace Leon Panetta as defense secretary.

Hagel supported the 2002 resolution approving U.S. military action in Iraq, but later became a critic of the war. He has been denounced by some conservatives for not being a strong enough ally of Israel. Also, many liberals and gay activists have banded against him for comments he made in 1998 about an openly gay nominee for an ambassadorship.

Obama, who briefly served with Hagel in the Senate, stressed that he had yet to make a decision but called Hagel a "patriot."

Hagel "served this country with valor in Vietnam," the president said. "And (he) is somebody who's currently serving on my intelligence advisory board and doing an outstanding job."

Obama noted that Hagel had apologized for his 14-year-old remark on gays.

Hidden Powers of Your Mouse

You use your mouse for just about everything: you drag, you drop, you highlight, you scroll. But even if you click your mouse a thousand times a day, I bet I've got a few secret mouse tricks you've never heard of.

Click Tricks
You surely know that double clicking highlights a word, and you might even know that triple clicking highlights a paragraph. But have you ever wanted to select a column of text in a Word document, without getting all the text to the left and right of it? Here's how you can: Hold down the alt and left mouse button (on a Mac, option-left mouse), and drag the cursor over the section you want to select. The coolest thing about this trick is that the text you are selecting does not even need to be formatted as a column for this to work.

Scroll Tricks
Most mice have a scroll wheel. Sure, it takes you up and down on a page, but in combination with other keys, it can do much more:

• Scroll sideways: In many versions of Excel, holding down the shift key while scrolling will take you sideways. That's super helpful in a big spreadsheet.
• Scroll wheel as back button: In most web browsers, if you hold the shift key while using the scroll wheel, it works like the back button: You can fly through all the sites you've recently visited. (Some mice have side buttons that work like back and forward buttons in your browser, too.)
• Scroll to zoom: Holding ctrl and scrolling lets you zoom in or out of the page you're viewing. Ctrl-scroll up zooms you in; ctrl-scroll down zooms you back out. On a Mac, this trick will zoom in and out your whole screen, not just the document you're in.

Windows-Specific Tricks
While most of the tricks I've listed so far work in either Windows or Mac OS, here are a few that are specific to Windows machines:

• To maximize a window: drag the title bar to the top.
• To minimize all windows except the active window: "Shake" the title bar. Then if you want to restore all the windows you just minimized with this shortcut, just click again on the title bar of the window in view.
• To view two windows in a 50-50 split: Drag the title bar of one document to the left edge of your screen, then drag a second document to the right edge; they will snap into position in a nifty side-by-side view.

Bonus Sneaky Trick
Suppose you want to walk away from your hyper-secure work computer for a few minutes and not have to re-log in when you get back. Sure, you could change the sleep settings, but this idea is much more clever: Set your mouse on top of your analog watch or a clock. The mouse tracks the second hand's movement and it tricks your computer into thinking you're still busy working. Of course, there are valid security reasons for NOT using this trick, but I still think it's cool that it works.

8 Microsoft Word Shortcuts You Probably Don’t Know

Microsoft Word: Love it or hate it, practically everyone uses it. I've been using it so long, I thought I knew everything about it. But I stumbled across some super helpful shortcuts — hidden tricks and timesavers that make Microsoft Word easier and faster.

One caveat for these tips: different versions of Word may have different commands, so some of these may not work in your version. That said, here are my top eight shortcuts:

1. Double Click And Drag
If you're like most people, when you want to move a section of text from one place to another, you use Control-C to copy and Control-V to paste. That's fine. It works. But there's a faster way: Double click or highlight what you want to move, then simply drag what you've highlighted to where you want it to land.

2. Double Underline
You know you can affect text by hitting Control-B to make it bold or Control-U to underline. But if one line of underlining just isn't emphatic enough, Control-Shift-D will double underline. (On a Mac, use Command-Shift-D.)

If that doesn't make your point, you may have to go to ALL CAPS, and I've got a shortcut for that too…

3. Change CaseChange Case button
Instead of retyping everything to change from lower case to Title Case or to UPPERCASE, just highlight the text you want to change, click the case button, and then choose which case you want.

4. Adding Buttons to Your Toolbar
Suppose you just tried using shortcut #3, but the case button isn't on your toolbar, no worries; you can add it (and almost any other command). Go to View, Toolbars, Customize Toolbars, Commands, then scroll to find the command you want — and drag it to where on the toolbar you want it.

4. Adding Buttons to Your Toolbar
Suppose you just tried using shortcut #3, but the case button isn't on your toolbar, no worries; you can add it (and almost any other command). Go to View, Toolbars, Customize Toolbars, Commands, then scroll to find the command you want — and drag it to where on the toolbar you want it.

5. Add the Date
How many times a day do you type the date? If you do it even once, that's too much. Next time, just hit Alt-Shift-D (or Control-Shift -D on a Mac) to add the date automatically.

6. Quick Parts
This next tip builds on what the Autotext function did in older versions of Word: If you have a certain paragraph of text you regularly need to add to a document — like a boilerplate disclaimer, or maybe directions to your office — turn it into a Quick Part. Here's how:Quick Parts

1. Highlight the text you regularly use
2. Click the insert tab
3. Hit Quick Parts, and choose "Save Selection To The Quick Part Gallery"

Now any time you want to insert that chunk of text into a document, either a new one or and old one you're editing, just hit that Quick Parts button. Just one more click will select which saved Quick Part to insert. This trick will even work as a shortcut for adding a logo or letterhead.

7. Conform Fonts
This one used to drive me crazy: I'd copy and paste some bit of text from another document or from the Web, and then I'd have to click all over the place to get the font size and style to match the surrounding text of my existing document. No longer. Here's all you need to do: Highlight the non-conforming text, then hit Control-Spacebar. Done.

8. Customize Quick Access Toolbar

There is one way to get your most commonly used commands in the same place- that's to customize the Quick Access Toolbar.  It's like the center drawer in your desk that has all the stuff you use most in one easy-to-access place. No organization, just (as the name implies) quick access. So take the things you like most and add them to the Quick Access toolbar. Click the little down arrow tab to get to the Customize Quick Access Toolbar drop down menu.

Hit "more commands" and add whatever you use most. You can also position this toolbar below the ribbon if you prefer it to be closer to your document text.

Whale of a tale: Pakistani fishmonger now pop star

Associated Press/Hamza Ali - In this picture taken on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, Pakistani fans receive Muhammad Shahid Nazir, center, who sings "One Pound Fish," upon his arrival from London at Lahore airport in Pakistan. The 31-year-old Pakistani fishmonger catapulted to fame in recent weeks in the unlikeliest of circumstances: while hawking frozen snapper and mackerel for one British pound ($1.61) at Queens Market in London. “One Pound Fish changed my whole life,” said Nazir, who returned to Pakistan to a hero’s welcome and has been inundated with requests to perform and do advertisements. “I am so happy now.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Muhammad Shahid Nazir is a testament to the age-old adage that if you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day, but if you teach a man to sing about fish, his song will shoot up the British pop chart.

The 31-year-old Pakistani fishmonger catapulted to fame in recent weeks in the unlikeliest of circumstances: while hawking frozen snapper and mackerel for one British pound ($1.61) at Queens Market in London.

Not comfortable with shouting about his merchandise to attract customers, as many vendors do, he came up with a simple ditty that someone caught on video and posted on YouTube earlier this year. It became a viral sensation and has been viewed over 7 million times.

"One Pound Fish changed my whole life," said Nazir, who returned to Pakistan on Thursday to a hero's welcome and has been inundated with requests to perform and do advertisements. "I am so happy now."

To describe the song as catchy would be a gross understatement. It drills deep into your brain and sits like a lyrical jack-in-the box that goes off every few minutes, causing one to break into song involuntarily to the amusement, or perhaps growing despair, of those nearby.

"Come on ladies, come on ladies, one pound fish! Have a, have a look, one pound fish!" sings Nazir, as he points to his wares behind him. "Very, very good, one pound fish! Very, very cheap, one pound fish!"

In an era in which the Internet seems to bestow almost everyone with 15 minutes of fame, Nazir's YouTube video could have been the end of the story. But Warner Music offered Nazir a deal to record a techno-infused version of "One Pound Fish," he said. In a Bollywood-style video, he performs in a snazzy suit alongside scantily-clad dancers to a South Asian-influenced pop beat.

The music video has been viewed nearly 9 million times since it was posted on YouTube about three weeks ago. As the song gained momentum, people began talking about it as a serious contender for the fabled No. 1 Christmas single in the United Kingdom — the song that tops the chart in the week the holiday falls. Past chart-toppers include The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You."

In the end, "One Pound Fish" made it to No. 29 on the top-40 chart. It was beaten by another Internet sensation, PSY's "Gangnam Style," which clocked in at No. 6. The No. 1 spot was clinched by a version of the Hollies' "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Justice Collective, a group of star musicians who recorded the charity single for victims of a stampede at a soccer stadium in 1989 that killed 96 people.

Nazir definitely doesn't view missing out on the No. 1 Christmas single as a setback. He has returned to his home country to get a visa for France for the release of his hit song there and also has plans to take "One Pound Fish" to the United States, where he hopes it will make a big splash.

It has been quite a ride. He grew up in the little-known town of Pattoki near the eastern city of Lahore. His father owned a transport company, but his passion was always music, and he spent his youth singing both religious songs and pop hits by stars like Michael Jackson.

He traveled to Britain to study but eventually got a work permit and started working as a fishmonger in London nine months ago, he said. He now wants to pursue a career in music, but the fish stall inLondon will always hold a special place in his heart.

"I can't forget England, Queens Market, my fish stall because that place changed my whole life," said Nazir.

Inside Justin, Selena, Taylor, and Harry’s Ski Getaway

It was a pop music fan’s dream when Justin Bieber and on-again girlfriend Selena Gomez, along with her BFF Taylor Swift and her boyfriend Harry Styles, went on a ski vacation in Park City, Utah, this past weekend. According to People, the four stayed in separate rental houses at the resort town's The Colony.

Naturally, during the day they took to the powdery slopes. Swift, 23, and her One Direction BF, who's just 18, were veteran skiers, and reportedly lunched at the Red Pine Lodge. Meanwhile, Gomez, 20, took a ski lesson, and Bieber, 18, took his bodyguards along while he snowboarded.

Gomez and Swift are such close friends that Swift even gushed about her gal pal in an interview with"Extra" last month. "She's like my sister," Swift said. "We've been in each other's lives for so much and for so long that it's amazing when we're both in the same place to get to catch up."

Wonder how their heartthrob beaus, Bieber and Styles, get along….

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Here comes the news!

Dramatic Ice Rescue Caught on Tape

A sledding excursion turned into a rescue operation after a man fell into a frozen lake in Wrightwood, Calif.

The incident was caught on tape as one person after another tried to save the man only to slip on the ice themselves.

A crowd gathered on shore, frantically screaming for help.

After five minutes, nearly a dozen people were in the water while others throw ropes and inner tubes to no avail.

Mickey Herman pulled double duty. You can hear him calling for a rope to help in the rescue efforts all the while capturing the ordeal on camera.

"When the people started going through the ice, it was just total panic. You saw people taking their belts off. It was just total chaos and out of control. We saw that poor guy, the first one to go in, it was obvious he didn't know how to swim," he said. "We thought that might be it. We wouldn't see him again. Fortunately he came back up."

Nine minutes later, the man who first fell in along with all of his would-be rescuers managed to make it out of the water.

All of them are doing just fine.

Real-life Fruit Ninja is a messy masterpiece

What do you get when you combine a razor sharp sword, a husky samurai wannabe, a farmer’s market worth of fruit and a slamming dubstep jam? Viral video gold, of course.

It’s real-life Fruit Ninja, and it’s awesome.

Created by Youtube maestro Scott Winn (one half of dubstep duo Scott and Brendo), the video brings the Fruit Ninja fantasy -- slicing and dicing flying pieces of fruit before they hit the ground  -- to life in glorious slo-mo. It gets bonus points for accuracy, too, as the swordsman is dressed exactly like Fruit Ninja’s merchant character Gutsu. He even avoids bombs. Eat your heart out, Gallagher.

Launched back in 2010, Fruit Ninja is one of the biggest mobile hits of all time. Over 300 million copies have been downloaded across iOS and Android devices, and versions can be played everywhere from Facebook to Xbox 360’s Kinect.

Winn’s clearly got a love for slo-mo videos, as his past work includes gems like Cute Kittens Fly in Slow Motion to Hip Hop Dubstep and Slip n’ Slide Launches People Into Kiddie Pools.

Conflicting views muddle violent games debate

Grand Theft Auto IV (Credit: Rockstar Games)

The horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut have re-ignited the debate about video game violence in the media.

Friday morning, the National Rifle Association was the latest to chime in, pointing the finger of blame at many forms of media and entertainment with a specific focus on video games.

NRA head Wayne LaPierre cited games like Grand Theft Auto and Bulletstorm (as well as the previously unheard of web-based game Kindergarten Killer) as examples of "a callous, corrupt and corrupting industry that sells and sows violence against its own people, through vicious, violent video games."

It's hardly that straightforward, though other notable lawmakers agree with LaPierre's sentiment. While the NRA chief may not have an ally in Senator Jay Rockefeller, the Democrat from West Virginia certainly joins him in his criticism of the game industry.

"Major corporations, including the video game industry, make billions on marketing and selling violent content to children," he said in a statement. "They have a responsibility to protect our children. If they do not, you can count on the Congress to take a more aggressive role."

Experts, though, disagree there is a correlation between video game violence and real world aggression.

Chris Ferguson, a professor of psychology and criminal justice at Texas A&M who has studied the effects of game violence for years, isn't buying what the NRA and others are selling.

"As a video game violence researcher and someone who has done scholarship on mass homicides, let me state very emphatically: There is no good evidence that video games or other media contributes, even in a small way, to mass homicides or any other violence among youth," he told Time Magazine.

There are competing studies, of course, that claim otherwise, but they haven't convinced too many officials. The Surgeon General, the Federal Trade Commission, and the FCC have all rejected arguments attempting to draw a definitive line between violent games and violent behavior.

Most importantly, the U.S. Supreme Court scolded California last year for trying to draw a line between violent games and violent behavior as it struck down a law that would have restricted the sale of violent games to minors.

"California relies primarily on the research of Dr. Craig Anderson and a few other research psychologists whose studies purport to show a connection between exposure to violent video games and harmful effects on children," wrote Justice Antonin Scalia. "These studies have been rejected by every court to consider them, and with good reason: They do not prove that violent video games cause minors to act aggressively."

At the time, the author of the California bill, State Senator Leeland Yee, was miffed that his law was denied. But in a turnabout on Friday, Yee took the NRA to task for attacking violent games. And parents should be responsible to their kids while buying their games.Parents need to check the ratings BEFORE buying the game.And parents should check  those consoles before playing.If you dont,these could be happen.

A father in Lakewood, Colorado was shocked when his five-year-old child discovered pornographic images in his Christmas gift: a Nintendo 3DS.

Mark Giles told Colorado’s KUSA-TV that Braydon spent Christmas day playing around with his new toy, only to find some pictures on it. He handed the 3DS to his older brother Bryton to delete the pictures, but Bryton noticed that they were wildly inappropriate.

“I said, ‘Dad, this DS has porn on it,’ and I gave him the DS and he just walked right over to the phone,” he told the station.

The boys found nine graphic images on their handheld, which comes equipped with two built-in cameras.

Giles bought the device used at the local GameStop. After explaining what happened, the store apologized and told them the images came from a previous owner and were unfortunately not erased before it was re-sold.

"GameStop is currently researching this situation,” the company said in a statement. “We have a rigorous quality control process in place to ensure that existing content is removed from all devices before they are re-sold. Out of millions of transactions each year, ones like this happen very rarely. Our number one priority is to make this right for our customer."

They also gave Braydon a brand new 3DS along with a few games, but the elder Giles is still frustrated.

"You can't unsee this. He's 5 years old. Maybe when he's 18 or 20, maybe he won't know anything about it but he's not going to forget about this tomorrow," he said.

Used game retailers have gotten in hot water over pornography before. Last year, a 6-year-old Georgia boy found graphic images drawn on the box of a used Mario game he bought at GameStop, while in 2009 another 6-year-old found porn on a PSP purchased at Wal-Mart.

After the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut,Ea removes links to weapon makers from Medal Of Honor site.

Medal of Honor: Warfighter (Credit: EA)

In the aftermath of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Electronic Arts has removed links to a collection of weapons manufacturers from the official website of Medal of Honor: Warfighter.

The links, which were pointed out in a New York Times story that ran on Christmas Eve, appeared on a "Partners" page for the game and showcased many of the real-world weapons featured in Warfighter.

"We felt it was inappropriate and took the links down," EA spokesperson Jeff Brown told Polygon.

Weapons and Warfighter have been a long-standing headache for EA. In August, the company found itself under fire for promoting sales of several real-world weapons (including a tomahawk and sniper rifle) that carried Medal of Honor branding and posted a series of blog posts touting the products.

At the time, EA defended the products, but was careful to point out it was not making any money from the sales of the weapons and planned to donate its proceeds to Project Honor, an EA program supporting the Navy Seal Foundation and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

The tragedy in Newtown, CT has reignited the debate about violence in video games, though, with a lot of attention focusing on games like Medal of Honor and Activision's Call of Duty franchise. Activision has not commented on the matter, but that has opened the company up for further criticism by both critics and the gun lobby.

Though EA's partnership with weapons makers is prominent, one company has taken the opportunity to distance itself from games, even though its products are featured in them.

"The gaming and entertainment industry routinely use likenesses of our products without our permission," Ted Novin of the Freedom Group, a Call of Duty franchise marketing partner, told the Times.

The company, he added, was not paid and did not pay for its weapons' representations in the games. Activision did approach it for permission to use the product likenesses, he said, but maintains that Freedom did not reply to that inquiry.

TOP 12 GAMES STAFF PICK

Gamers, these are staff pick games that drive you crazy,parkour assassin and lot more!

1.Blur
2.Dead Island
3.Naruto Generations
4.COD Black Ops 2
5.Assassin Creed 3
6.NFS MW 2012
7.Sims 3
8.Battlefield 3
9.GTA V
10.Saint Row 3
11.NFS Hot Pursuit
12.COD MW 3

Blur Preview

Blur is a racing game which is available for PC,Xbox 360 and PS 3.You need to finish the whole chapter to get whole car.You need to raise up the fan status AND finish all one on one to get mods.Watch out for racers who is trying to get 1st place and beat you up.Sound easy but there is challenge ahead.They will grab power ups like nitro,barge,repair,shield,mines,bolt,shock and shield.

Mine

The mine power-up can be dropped behind the racer, or shot as a projectile for a short distance in front of the racer. When dropped behind or shot ahead, if left untouched the Mine will stay in place for the entirety of the race. Additionally, when shot ahead the Mine can impact a wall and not disappear -- it will simply stop and rest against the wall. And moreover, the Mine can be used defensively and be shot ahead to impact other mines laying on the track, or dropped behind to avoid being hit by a shunt that is homing in on the racer. Upon a successful hit, it causes the car to spin out. With the Mastermine mod equipped, near-missing a Mine will cause it to explode into multiple, smaller Mine fragments which when hit 'cause tire blowouts.

Shunt

The shunt power-up is a slow-moving homing orb projectile that upon a successful hit causes the car the spin out. It will seek out the racer one place ahead of the player. In addition, it can be shot behind -- but the Shunt will lose its homing capability. The Shunt can be evaded by making very unpredictable moves -- drifting wildly and simply side swiping a wall can often cause the Shunt to hit the wall instead of the player. Additionally, the Shunt can hit other racers it isn't locked onto if they get into its path. 

Nitro

The nitro power-up is a speed boost. It can also be used as an 'air-brake' (by holding down the thumbstick), that when activated almost completely stops the players car and allows for precise steering before the speed boosts starts. It is handy when used just before a sharp hair-pin turn. 

Repair

The repair power-up when activated restores 4 of your damaged vehicles' health bars.

Barge

The barge power-up when activated releases a powerful energy burst around the car, and is as much a defensive weapon as an offensive one. Offensively, it's used to hit close-by racers with a blast of energy which slows them down considerably, and can even be used to knock them off the sides of cliffs. Defensively, it can be used to shield yourself against a variety of other weapons. The Shunt, Bolts, and Mines can all be evaded successfully by using the Barge just before impact of the offending weapons.

Shock

The shock power-up rains down 3 balls of energy in close proximity to each other, in front of the racer in first place, that stay on the ground short amount of time before disappearing. This power-up can be stacked -- meaning the more racers that pick up this power-up and activate it, the more balls of energy will appear in front of the first place racer. When hit, the racer the will slow down considerably.

Bolt

The Bolt power-up allows the player to shoot 3 small,extremely fast moving, non-homing projectiles in a straight path ahead, or behind the player. They can also be used defensively, and can destroy an incoming Shunt or Mine (2 of the 3 Bolts have to hit the incoming threat for this to be successful.) When shot, the Bolts will not disappear until they hit a wall, a racer or another weapon -- and upon a successful hit will cause the racers car to veer around wildly. And additionally, if a Bolt successfully hits a vehicle that is mid-flight the vehicle will overturn.

Shield

The Shield power-up is strictly defensive. When activated it makes the players' car impervious to damage for a short time. When hit with a weapon while the Shield is active, the Shield will disappear. Additionally, when active it will also make the racer extremely resistant to taking damage and slowing down when slamming into a wall at high speed. 

Cars

SP= Single Player
MP=Multiplayer


 Audi S3

• Reach rank 15 (SP)
• Reach rank 1 (MP)

 Audi TTS Coupe

• Reach rank 1 (SP)
• Reach rank 2 (MP)

 BMW Concept 1 Series tii (Race)

• Reach rank 1 (SP)

 Opel Astra Extreme

• Reach rank 1 (SP/MP)

 Volkswagon Beetle (Rat)

• Reach rank 4 (SP)
• Reach rank 2 (MP)

 Volkswagon Beetle (Off-Road)

• Reach rank 22 (SP)
• Reach rank 2 (MP)

 BMW Concept 1 Series tii (Race) (Natalya's)
 Meet Natalya's fan demands
 Opel Astra Extreme (Shannon's)
 Meet Shannon's fan demands
 Renault R230 F1 Team R26

• Reach rank 4 (MP)

 Chevrolet Camaro SS

• Reach rank 4 (MP)

 Ford F-100 (Off-Road)

• Reach rank 11 (SP)
• Reach rank 11 (MP)

 Audi R8 4.2 FSI quattro

• Reach rank 15 (SP)
• Reach rank 5 (MP)

 Renault R230 F1 Team R26 (Shannon's)
Meet Shannon's fan demands
 Chevrolet Camaro SS (Rhymer's)
Meet Rhymer's fan demands
 Ford Focus RS (Race)

• Reach rank 23 (SP)
• Reach rank 4 (MP)

 Ford FR-100

• Reach rank 18 (SP)
• Reach rank 9 (MP)

 Land Rover Defender SVX

• Reach rank 1 (SP)
• Reach rank 7 (MP)

 Ford Bronco (Off-Road)

• Reach rank 11 (SP)
• Reach rank 7 (MP)

 Bowler Nemesis

• Reach rank  6 (SP)
• Reach rank 7 (MP)

 Corvette C3 (Drag)

• Reach rank 13 (SP)
• Reach rank 18 (MP)

 Rat Rod

• Reach rank 21 (SP)
• Reach rank 11 (MP)

 Hummer H2 (Rat)

• Reach rank 8 (MP)

 Lotus Exige Cup 260

• Reach rank 19 (SP)
• Reach rank 10 (MP)

 Chevrolet Camaro SS (Drag)

• Reach rank 12 (SP)
• Reach rank 21 (MP)

 Foose Design Stallion Ford Mustang

• Reach rank 14 (MP)

 Ford F-100 (Rat)

• Reach rank 12 (SP)

 Volkswagon Scirocco 24

• Reach rank 4 (SP)
• Reach rank 16 (MP)

 Ford Mustang GT-R Concept

• Reach rank 18 (SP)
• Reach rank 25 (MP)

 Foose Design Stallion Ford Mustang (Khan's)
 Meet Khan's fan demans
 Ford Shelby GT500

• Reach rank 16 (SP)
• Reach rank 16 (MP)

 Dodge Challenger SRT8 (Tuner)

• Reach rank 9 (SP)
• Reach rank 20 (MP)

 Vauxhall Monaro VXR (Drift)

• Reach rank 20 (SP)
• Reach rank 27 (MP)

 BMW Concept 1 Series tii

• Reach rank 1 (SP)
• Reach rank 17 (MP)

 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor R (Off-Road)

• Reach rank 5 (SP)
• Reach rank 21 (MP)

 Ford GT

• Reach rank 16 (SP)
• Reach rank 23 (MP)

 Dodge Viper GTS

• Reach rank 30 (MP)

 Nissan 350Z NISMO S-tune

• Reach rank 5 (SP)
• Reach rank 19 (MP)

 Nissan 350Z (Drift)

• Reach rank 3 (SP)
• Reach rank 24 (MP)

 Dodge Viper ACR

• Reach rank 10 (SP)
• Reach rank 27 (MP)

 Dodge Viper GTSR (Carver's)
 Meet Carver's fan demands
 Ford Focus RS

• Reach rank 1 (SP)
• Reach rank 23 (MP)

 Land Rover LRX

• Reach rank 1 (SP)
• Reach rank 26 (MP)

 Corvette C3 (Rat)

• Reach rank 7 (SP)
• Reach rank 33 (MP)

 Renault Megane Trophy

• Reach rank 7 (SP)
• Reach rank 32 (MP)

 Chevrolet Camaro

• Reach rank 1 (SP)
• Reach rank 25 (MP)

 Hummer H2 (Off-Road)

• Reach rank 8 (SP)
• Reach rank 29 (MP)

 Chevrolet HHR (Race)

• Reach rank 17 (SP)
• Reach rank 36 (MP)

 Nissan Skyline GT-R NISMO Z-tune

• Reach rank 35 (MP)

 Nissan Navara (Off-Road)

• Reach rank 3 (SP)
• Reach rank 28 (MP)

 Hummer H2 (Drayke's)
 Meet Drayke's fan demands
 Corvette ZR1

• Reach rank 39 (MP)

 Nissan Skyline GT-R NISMO Z-tune (Harumi's)
Defeat Harumi
 Dodge Challenger SRT8

• Reach rank 2 (SP)
• Reach rank 31 (MP)

 Toyota Supra (Smooth)

• Reach rank 8 (SP)
• Reach rank 33 (MP)

 Corvette ZR1 (Talon's)
 Meet Talon's fans demands
 Nissan Skyline GT-R NISMO Z-tune (Ayumi's)
Defeat Ayumi
 Chevrolet Camaro (Rat)

• Reach rank 14 (SP)
• Reach rank 34)

 Foose Design '69 Camaro

• Reach rank 24 (SP)
• Reach rank 37 (MP)

 BMW X5 xDriver48i M Sport

• Reach rank 21 (SP)
• Reach rank (42)

 Ford Transit Supervan3

• Reach rank 14 (SP)
• Reach rank 40 (MP)

 Toyota Supra

• Reach rank 17 (SP)
• Reach rank 39 (MP) 

 Nissan Navara (Rat)

• Reach rank 20 (SP)
• Reach rank 41 (MP)

 Volkswagon Golf W12 650

• Reach rank 22 (SP)
• Reach rank 49 (MP)

 Corvette C3 (Race)

• Reach rank 24 (SP)
• Reach rank 43 (MP)

 AC Schnitzer ACS1 Coupe

• Reach rank 19 (SP)
• Reach rank 44 (MP)

 BMW M3 E92 (Tuner)

• Reach rank 12 (SP)
• Reach rank 50 (MP)

 BMW M3 E92 (Drift)

• Reach rank 13 (SP)
• Reach rank 50 (MP) 

 Dodge Challenger SRT8 (Race)

• Reach rank 9 (SP)
• Reach rank 46 (MP)

 Dodge Viper Venom 1000

• Reach rank 23 (SP)
• Reach rank 48 (MP)

 Koenigsegg CCX-R

• Reach rank 25 (SP)
• Reach rank 50 (MP)

 Car Upgrades

When you race a certain car you can gain upgrades for that specific car.  These upgrades include: 
Fan Boost: Earn extra Fans when racing in that car.
Health Boost: Gain an extra block of health for that car.
Performance: Unlocks a boost in speed for that vehicle. 
Paint Jobs: Coming in first in a race unlocks a series of paint effects to make your rides even more unique. The styles are Metallic, Opalescent, then Candy.    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqOV9sBr0lo