Ben Stiller Beats Down Terminator Salvation

I have watch the movie and it was fun and adventure. Ben Stiller did a good job.

Taglines:

When the lights go off the battle is on.

The key to happiness is doing what you love with the one you love. :) -Larry Daley


Terminator Salvation isn't being terminated exactly. But it is being denied.

Ben Stiller's Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, not the latest Terminator film, as projected, was winning the Memorial Day weekend box office. And it wasn't all that close.

Smithsonian is estimated to gross $53.5 million from Friday-Sunday; Salvation is down for $43 million for the same stretch.

Here's a complete look at the weekend's top-grossing films based on Friday-Sunday estimates as compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, $53.5 million
2. Terminator Salvation, $43 million
3. Star Trek, $22 million
4. Angels & Demons, $21.4 million
5. Dance Flick, $11.1 million
6. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, $7.8 million
7. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, $3.7 million
8. Obsessed, $2 million
9. Monsters vs Aliens, $1.3 million
10. 17 Again, $1 million

American Idol Season 8 Winner

It's Kris Allen!

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Arkansas college student Kris Allen won the eighth season of "American Idol" on Wednesday, dealing an unexpected defeat to musical theater actor Adam Lambert on the most popular U.S. television show.

Allen, who won over audiences by putting his personal, acoustic spin on popular tunes, appeared shocked as rival Lambert embraced him following the announcement by host Ryan Seacrest.

"It feels good, but Adam deserves this," Allen said to Seacrest. "I don't even know what to feel right now. This is crazy."

New Moon Poster

What do you make of the new New Moon one-sheet poster? Kristen Stewart is still pouting, Robert Pattinson is still broody and hot, and Taylor Lautner is still fighting for his place. Sounds just like real life!

2009 MTV Movie Awards

The 2009 MTV Movie Awards is live Sunday, May 31 at 9PM ET. Hosted by SNL funnyman Andy Samberg.

2009 MTV Movie Awards Nominees

BEST MOVIE
The Dark Knight
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
Twilght

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
Christian Bale, The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man
Shia LaBeouf, Eagle Eye
Vin Diesel, Fast & Furious
Zac Efron, High School Musical 3: Senior Year

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Angelina Jolie, Wanted
Anne Hathaway, Bride Wars
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Kristen Stewart, Twilight
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST VILLAIN
Derek Mears, Friday the 13th
Dwayne Johnson, Get Smart
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Johnathon Schaech, Prom Night
Luke Goss, Hellboy II: The Golden Army

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Amy Poehler, Baby Mama
Anna Faris, The House Bunny
James Franco, Pineapple Express
Jim Carrey, Yes Man
Steve Carell, Get Smart

BEST FIGHT
Anne Hathaway vs. Kate Hudson, Bride Wars
Christian Bale vs. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Robert Pattinson vs. Cam Gigandet, Twilight
Ron Perlman vs. Luke Goss, Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Seth Rogen and James Franco vs. Danny McBride, Pineapple Express

BEST KISS
Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy, Wanted
Freida Pinto and Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
James Franco and Sean Penn, Milk
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, Twilight
Paul Rudd and Thomas Lennon, I Love You, Man
Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron, High School Musical 3: Senior Year

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Amanda Seyfried, Mamma Mia!
Ashley Tisdale, High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire
Kat Dennings, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana: The Movie
Vanessa Hudgens, High School Musical 3: Senior Year

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE, MALE
Ben Barnes, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Bobb'e J. Thompson, Role Models
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
Robert Pattinson, Twilight
Taylor Lautner, Twilight

BEST WTF MOMENT
Peeing In The Sink, Amy Poehler in Baby Mama
Curved Bullet Kill, Angelina Jolie in Wanted
Jumping In The Poop Shed, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar in Slumdog Millionaire
Tasting Decapitated Head, Ben Stiller in Tropic Thunder
Naked Break Up, Jason Segel and Kristen Bell in Forgetting Sarah Marshall

BEST SONG FROM A MOVIE
A.R. Raham "Jai Ho", Slumdog Millionaire
Bruce Springsteen "The Wrestler", The Wrestler
Miley Cyrus "The Climb", Hannah Montana: The Movie
Paramore "Decode", Twilight

Where Your Job Could Be Outsourced

It was written on yahoo news that I read. Just an Iloilo's pride.

Where Your Job Could Be Outsourced
by Mark Scott
Friday, May 8, 2009

New Outsourcing Hot Spots

Sending jobs overseas is controversial in the best of times—and even more so when the recession is forcing layoffs all around. Just look at the proposal floated May 3 by U.S. President Barack Obama to tighten tax loopholes he says encourage companies to ship work abroad.

Yet in the hunt to shrink overhead, outsourcing continues unabated, particularly in the IT sector. Problem is, classic destinations such as Bangalore aren't as cheap as they used to be. Competition there among foreign firms has pushed up local costs, and staff turnover is high as well-trained employees jump to rivals. That's forcing clients to consider other places for outsourcing. From overlooked American cities such as Boise, Idaho and Winnipeg to more exotic locales like Cluj-Napoca, Romania, or the Philippines' Iloilo City, dozens of areas around the world are trying to grab a slice of the outsourcing business.

Obama's controversial plan to collect more taxes on foreign profits made by U.S. companies could tip the balance back towards domestic outsourcing. But there will always be other factors at play, so up-and-coming outsourcing destinations around the world still have room to grow.

list of Outsourcing Hot Spots

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Population: 12.6 million
Ease of Doing Business Rank (Argentina): 113 (out of 181 countries)
Rigidity of Employment Index (Argentina): 35 (out of 100—the lower the figure, the more flexible the workforce)

Located in roughly the same time zone as the East Coast of the U.S. (it depends on the time of year), Argentina's huge capital offers a cheap alternative for companies looking to provide customer service for American consumers. IBM and Hewlett Packard already have IT operations in Buenos Aires, which also has a large talent pool of Spanish, English, and Portuguese speakers.


Winnipeg, Canada

Population: 719,000
Ease of Doing Business Rank (Canada): 8
Rigidity of Employment Index (Canada): 4

The Canadian city outstrips domestic rivals when it comes to overall business competitiveness. High-quality infrastructure, such as state-of-the-art office space and IT parks, helps offset the higher labor costs compared to rivals in the developing world.


Boise, Idaho

Population: 568,000
Ease of Doing Business Rank (U.S.): 3
Rigidity of Employment Index (U.S.): 0

Alongside a highly trained graduate pool from Boise State University, Idaho's capital also has a bustling startup scene, which has created a culture of entrepreneurship. The city's lower cost-of-living compared with other U.S. rivals doesn't mean it is a culture backwater. Boise routinely ranks near the top of best U.S. cities in which to live.



Indianapolis, Ind.

Population: 797,000
Ease of Doing Business Rank (U.S.): 3
Rigidity of Employment Index (U.S.): 0

Not only is Indianapolis located near a number of large U.S. cities, such as Chicago, but Indiana's capital offers several local centers of excellence. The city is well known for its life-science industry and is home to a large IT-trained talent pool of graduates from local colleges. Consultants KPMG also ranked Indianapolis third in a nationwide survey of cities with the most cost-effective tax structure.


Belfast, United Kingdom

Population: 267,000
Ease of Doing Business Rank (U.K.): 6
Rigidity of Employment Index (U.K.): 14

Putting aside its violent history, Belfast is quickly becoming an outsourcing hub for companies serving the British market. Firms like Microsoft and Citigroup are attracted by the city's youthful population (46% are under 30), large pool of IT graduates, and business costs are one-third lower than in the rest of Britain.



Cairo, Egypt

Population: 18 million
Ease of Doing Business Rank (Egypt): 114
Rigidity of Employment Index (Egypt): 27

With a population proficient in both English and Arabic, Cairo offers outsourcing possibilities for companies from both Western Europe and elsewhere in the Middle East. Local authorities have provided tax incentives for companies establishing bases in the Egyptian capital, which is home to a young, tech-trained population.



Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Population: 310,000
Ease of Doing Business Rank (Romania): 47
Rigidity of Employment Index (Romania): 62

Already home to the largest percentage of students per capita in Romania, Cluj-Napoca benefits from major university-based tech R&D centers and a growing multilingual graduate pool. Local officials also have provided generous tax incentives to entice foreign tech and manufacturing companies to relocate to the country's third-largest city.


Hangzhou, China

Population: 6.7 million
Ease of Doing Business Rank (China): 83
Rigidity of Employment Index (China): 27

With 18,000 IT graduates entering the workforce each year, Hangzhou is fast becoming a center for financial services outsourcing. In the first three quarters of 2008, the sector represented 43% of the city's total outsourcing business in dollar terms—a figure that is expected to rise despite the global recession.



Ahmedabad, India

Population: 5.8 million
Ease of Doing Business Rank (India): 122
Rigidity of Employment Index (India): 30

With a large population of finance and accounting professionals, Ahmedabad, on India's west coast, is set to become one of the country's major outsourcing centers. The population's English proficiency may not match more-established hubs, but Ahmedabad's business costs are roughly one-third less than cities like Mumbai and Bangalore.


Iloilo City, Philippines

Population: 419,000
Ease of Doing Business Rank (Philippines): 140
Rigidity of Employment Index (Philippines): 35

Already identified by Philippine authorities as one of the next wave of IT outsourcing centers, Iloilo City has received large government grants to upgrade its IT and transport infrastructure. The well-trained, English-speaking population makes the city an ideal option for companies looking for a cheap alternative for U.S. consumer support.

Boeing Unveils 40,000-Foot Emergency Slide

Are you ready to jump high? Boeing Unveils 40,000-Foot Emergency Slide!

Chinese Workers Smoke To Boost Economy

Chinese state employees have reportedly been told to smoke nearly a quarter million packs of cigarettes a year—to boost the economy.
Officials in central China’s Hubei province has ordered its staff — including teachers – to puff their way through 230,000 packs of locally made cigarettes, the Daily Telegraph reported on Monday.

And if they fail to meet the target, or are caught smoking cigarette brands produced from neighboring provinces, the employees could face fines, the British newspaper said.

Officials said the edict is aimed at increasing the province’s tax revenues and protecting local cigarette manufacturers from outside competition.

“The regulation will boost the local economy via the cigarette tax,” said Chen Nianzu, a member of the Gong’an cigarette market supervision team.

A local newspaper reported members of a “special task force” raided a local middle school and found three “non-compliant” cigarette butts. The school was not fined, but a teacher said it was subjected to “public criticism” for “undisciplined practices.”

Some 350 million Chinese currently smoke, with around a million dying from smoking-related diseases every year.

-----> dailycontributor.com