United States President Barack Obama replaces Gen. Stanley McChrystal as commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan 

June 28 issue

Disney has optioned rights to "Fallen”

E.E. Cummings

Gyan fires Ghana into the last eight

#4

In theaters this Wednesday

Army Of Two 40th Day

ECLIPSE FILM REVIEW

It took three films, but "The Twilight Saga" finally nails just the right tone in "Eclipse," a film that neatly balances the teenage operatic passions from Stephenie Meyer's novels with the movies' supernatural trappings. 

Where the first film leaned heavily on camp and the second faltered through caution and slickness, "Eclipse" moves confidently into the heart of the matter -- a love triangle that causes a young woman to realize choices lead to consequences that cannot be reversed. 

With the momentum of a movie series that sees installments arriving like clockwork every year, "Eclipse" looks primed to be the most successful film yet in Summit Entertainment's franchise. The action is pretty much relegated to the climax, but it's nifty enough that young men may get into the series too even if "Eclipse" isn't their first choice on a Friday night. 

The film starts a little slowly with its classic reintroduction of its main characters, heroine Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), more determined than ever to go vampire for her undead boyfriend; the gloomy dreamboat Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), an ancient being who still hasn't graduated high school; and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a perennially bare-chested Native American who shape-shifts into a wolf at a moment's notice. 

Even here the film doesn't mind kidding itself. Edward takes one look at Jacob and complains to Bella, "Doesn't he own a shirt?" The script by Melissa Rosenberg offers a few more opportunities like this that wink at its own silliness. 

Things pick up rapidly once intros are done, with the ramifications of the girl/vampire/werewolf triangle becoming increasingly intense for all parties while an outside threat looms over them all. 

A crime wave has hit Seattle, a few leagues from the bucolic Washington town that shelters so many supernatural creatures apparently without any townspeople catching on. A series of vicious killings and disappearances tip off the Cullen clan that a vampire is creating an army of newborns -- newly turned vampires whose ravenous thirst makes them stronger and more deadly than "old" vampires. 

This army recruiter is red-headed Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard, the epitome of sensual, feline cunning), who, in seeking revenge against the Cullens and Edward in particular, means to destroy Bella. This causes Edward and Jacob to contemplate the unthinkable, a temporary alliance to protect the girl they both love. 

It's like the uneasy partnership between lawman Wyatt Earp and outlaw Doc Holliday against the Clanton clan at the O.K. Corral in "My Darling Clementine." Well, why not a Western? "The Twilight Saga" already mixes together high school melodrama, outsider fiction and teen romance into a mishmash of sci-fi and horror genres. 

Since Rosenberg's writing has never been the problem in the series, much of the credit for the success of "Eclipse" probably belongs to the series' third director, David Slade ("Hard Candy," "30 Days of Night"). He quickly establishes a rapid yet unhurried pace, a willingness to let tongue perch in cheek and an unapologetic indulgence in this basic fantasy of every teenage girl -- that two high school hunks are in love with her and willing to die for her, except, of course, that one is already undead. 

 

 

United States President Barack Obama replaces Gen. Stanley McChrystal as commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan

On Wednesday United States President Barack Obama replaced Gen. Stanley McChrystal as commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan and nominated Gen. David Petraeus to replace him while affirming support for a counterinsurgency strategy encountering problems. 

Gen. Stanley McChrystal was replaced just one after McChrystal's disparaging comments about America's civilian leadership surfaced, and reignited the national debate on the war in Afghanistan now in its eighth year with a June death toll of coalition forces that is close to becoming the highest of the war. President Obama accepted McChrystal's resignation "with considerable regret" and named Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, to take over pending Senate confirmation. 

"It is the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan, for our military and for our country," Obama said outside the White House with top civilian and military leaders including Vice President Joe Biden; Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Petraeus by his side. 

McChrystal's remarks in a Rolling Stone article undermined the civilian control of the military "at the core of our democratic system," Obama said, noting the decision to replace the general did not involve any disagreement over strategy or personal issues. 

"I believe that it is the right decision for our national security," Obama said. "The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general." 

Obama said that as hard as it is to lose the general, the "war is bigger than any one man or woman." More importantly, he said, the war requires a unified effort from civilian and military leaders, warning that he won't tolerate division within his team. 

"I believe that this mission demands unity of effort across our alliance and across my national security team," Obama said. "And I don't think that we can sustain that unity of effort and achieve our objectives in Afghanistan without making this change." 

The president urged the Senate to swiftly confirm Petraeus, who would leave his Central Command position. Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Carl Levin, D-Michigan, later said a confirmation hearing would begin no later than Tuesday, and he expected it to take one day. 

"We know Gen. Petraeus," Levin said. "I don't think there will be anybody who will say we need more time." 

McChrystal issued a statement Wednesday saying that he strongly supports Obama's strategy in Afghanistan and is "deeply committed" to the coalition forces and the Afghan people. "It was out of respect for this commitment and a desire to see the mission succeed that I tendered my resignation," McChrystal's statement said. "It has been my privilege and honor to lead our nation's finest." 

VIDEO GAMES AND TECH.!

Tech.

Infinite solar charger backpack 

If you are big on the eco-friendly and love to go green! Then this is the back pack for you! The first thing you notice in the Eco-Friendly back pack is that there are a lot more slots or departments then in a regular back pack. The meaning of this back pack is to charge any of your items, laptop, Iphone, Ipod, now they coem with cables for most of your items besides the Iphone and Ipod for obvious reasons. 

Video Games

I recently just bought Army Of Two 40th Day this game got mixed reviews on the charts and got a all around 74%. I think this game is really good it is for PS3 PSP and XBOX 360! This games is extremely fun and has a lot of group work. The game has 'Morality moments' When you and your partner choose to either help a person or hurt a person, Take the weapon leave the weapon, Save the kid or stick with the plan, etc. they rely on the X or O Button or A and B more the Morality moments. Another thing in this games that i like is that your able to act dead or tell your partner commands you can even take the other armies captain hostage and make them surrender its pretty cool. The game is about your two former Military men and your retired I believe then your new goal is to explore the world or something like that. You go to China and then these men who aren't in any army are trying to kill you. But overall this game is good in my book it got the blessing of the Kai! 

Disney has optioned rights to "Fallen" Disney has optioned rights to "Fallen," a young-adult novel by

Lauren Kate that features angels. Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray will produce the film adaptation through their Mayhem Prods. banner. 

The book, released this week by Delacorte Books for Young Readers, is part of a four-tome series, all of which were included in the deal. The contemporary story centers on an alienated girl torn between two charismatic young men, unaware that they are fallen angels who have battled over her for centuries. 

The book series was packaged by rights holders Nadia Cornier, Ted Malawer and Michael Stearns. 

"Twilight" comparisons are inevitable, and angels have been identified as the next trend in young-adult fiction with vampire and werewolf tales having inundated the market. "Fallen" and titles like Becca Fitzpatrick's "Hush, Hush," which was moved from a 2010 publication date to this past October, present angels as otherworldly hotties who are immortal and possess bad-boy charm. "Fallen" is the first cherubic title to receive major Hollywood attention. 

Oren Aviv and Todd Murata will oversee the supernatural romantic thriller for Disney, and Victor Constantino will shepherd for Mayhem. 

Mayhem is in production on Disney's "Secretariat," a Diane Lane-starring movie about the famed racehorse, and has Dwayne Johnson - toplined family comedy "The Tooth Fairy" awaiting a Jan. 22 domestic release by Fox. 

E.E. Cummings

 Edward Estlin Cummings (October 14, 1894 – September 3, 1962), popularly known as E. E. Cummings, with the abbreviated form of his name often written by others in lowercase letters as E.E. Cummings (in the style of some of his poems), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright. His body of work encompasses approximately 2,900 poems, two autobiographical novels, four plays and several essays, as well as numerous drawings and paintings. He is remembered as a preeminent voice of 20th century poetry, as well as one of the most popular. Poetry Despite Cummings's consanguinity with avant-garde styles, much of his work is quite traditional. Many of his poems are sonnets, albeit often with a modern twist, and he occasionally made use of the blues form and acrostics. Cummings's poetry often deals with themes of love and nature, as well as the relationship of the individual to the masses and to the world. His poems are also often rife with satire. 

Gyan fires Ghana into the last eight

Ghana marched on to the quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ after emerging 2-1 victors over USA following 120 minutes of drama in Rustenburg. Asamoah Gyan scored the winner in the 93rd minute after Landon Donovan's penalty had cancelled out Kevin Prince Boateng's early opener. 

The Black Stars, who are the sole African representative left in the continent's first FIFA World Cup, will now meet Uruguay in Johannesburg on 2 July. They become the third African nation to advance to the last eight of a FIFA World Cup, after Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002.

The west Africans stunned the US in just the fifth minute after Ricardo Clark had given possession away in midfield. Boateng ran at the defence and, having shifted the ball to the left, beat goalkeeper Tim Howard at his near post with a left-footed shot from the edge of the area. Left reeling, the US were second best until the break. 

Their best in the opening period came in the 35th minute, when Jonathan Mensah gave the ball away in his own third to Clint Dempsey. The Fulham man slid the ball to Robbie Findley, who raced clean through on Richard Kingson, but the goalkeeper reacted well to save with this left foot. Coach Bob Bradley's reaction to a lackluster first-half performance was to bring on attacking midfielder Benny Feilhaber at half-time, and the move almost paid immediate dividends. 

Donovan's pace made the chance down the right, and Jozy Altidore did well with the LA Galaxy player's cross to feed the on-rushing Feilhaber. But Kingson came out aggressively and pulled off a fabulous reaction save. Ghana were being pegged back at this stage, and on the hour mark Dempsey skinned Gyan at the edge of the area and broke free into the box. Mensah clattered into him to concede the penalty, and Donovan calmly slotted in his kick off the inside of the post. 

As the second half wore on, the US continued to ask questions of the Ghana defence, but Kingson saved the Black Stars twice in succession. In the 68th minute, he raced 15 yards off his line to clear the ball at Altidore's feet, and eight minutes later he got down well to smother Michael Bradley's shot after the coach's son had beaten the offside trap. Altidore had another chance in the 81st minute, but the defence did just enough to put him off and he fired wide from ten yards. 

However, just as they did at the start of the match, Ghana opened the extra time with a goal. The impressive Ayew, son of Ghanaian legend Abedi Pele, spun a long ball with the outside of his left foot into the path of Gyan. The Rennes man held off two defenders and smashed the ball past Howard for his third goal of the tournament and his seventh for his country in 2010. 

The US, who scored a dramatic last-gasp winner against Algeria to qualify for the second round, seemed to tire after the goal, and though they sent ball after ball into the Ghana box in the final minutes, they could find no late heroics at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium. All of Africa seemed to explode at the final whistle, and the youngest team in the tournament will continue to fly the continent's colours for one more round. 

Ghana marched on to the quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ after emerging 2-1 victors over USA following 120 minutes of drama in Rustenburg. Asamoah Gyan scored the winner in the 93rd minute after Landon Donovan's penalty had cancelled out Kevin Prince Boateng's early opener. 

The Black Stars, who are the sole African representative left in the continent's first FIFA World Cup, will now meet Uruguay in Johannesburg on 2 July. They become the third African nation to advance to the last eight of a FIFA World Cup, after Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002. 

The west Africans stunned the US in just the fifth minute after Ricardo Clark had given possession away in midfield. Boateng ran at the defence and, having shifted the ball to the left, beat goalkeeper Tim Howard at his near post with a left-footed shot from the edge of the area. Left reeling, the US were second best until the break. 

Their best in the opening period came in the 35th minute, when Jonathan Mensah gave the ball away in his own third to Clint Dempsey. The Fulham man slid the ball to Robbie Findley, who raced clean through on Richard Kingson, but the goalkeeper reacted well to save with this left foot. Coach Bob Bradley's reaction to a lacklustre first-half performance was to bring on attacking midfielder Benny Feilhaber at half-time, and the move almost paid immediate dividends. 

Donovan's pace made the chance down the right, and Jozy Altidore did well with the LA Galaxy player's cross to feed the on-rushing Feilhaber. But Kingson came out aggressively and pulled off a fabulous reaction save. Ghana were being pegged back at this stage, and on the hour mark Dempsey skinned Gyan at the edge of the area and broke free into the box. Mensah clattered into him to concede the penalty, and Donovan calmly slotted in his kick off the inside of the post. 

As the second half wore on, the US continued to ask questions of the Ghana defence, but Kingson saved the Black Stars twice in succession. In the 68th minute, he raced 15 yards off his line to clear the ball at Altidore's feet, and eight minutes later he got down well to smother Michael Bradley's shot after the coach's son had beaten the offside trap. Altidore had another chance in the 81st minute, but the defence did just enough to put him off and he fired wide from ten yards.

However, just as they did at the start of the match, Ghana opened the extra time with a goal. The impressive Ayew, son of Ghanaian legend Abedi Pele, spun a long ball with the outside of his left foot into the path of Gyan. The Rennes man held off two defenders and smashed the ball past Howard for his third goal of the tournament and his seventh for his country in 2010 

The US, who scored a dramatic last-gasp winner against Algeria to qualify for the second round, seemed to tire after the goal, and though they sent ball after ball into the Ghana box in the final minutes, they could find no late heroics at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium. All of Africa seemed to explode at the final whistle, and the youngest team in the tournament will continue to fly the continent's colors for one more round. Ghana marched on to the quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ after emerging 2-1 victors over USA following 120 minutes of drama in Rustenburg. Asamoah Gyan scored the winner in the 93rd minute after Landon Donovan's penalty had cancelled out Kevin Prince Boateng's early opener. 

The Black Stars, who are the sole African representative left in the continent's first FIFA World Cup, will now meet Uruguay in Johannesburg on 2 July. They become the third African nation to advance to the last eight of a FIFA World Cup, after Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002. 

The west Africans stunned the US in just the fifth minute after Ricardo Clark had given possession away in midfield. Boateng ran at the defence and, having shifted the ball to the left, beat goalkeeper Tim Howard at his near post with a left-footed shot from the edge of the area. Left reeling, the US were second best until the break. 

Their best in the opening period came in the 35th minute, when Jonathan Mensah gave the ball away in his own third to Clint Dempsey. The Fulham man slid the ball to Robbie Findley, who raced clean through on Richard Kingson, but the goalkeeper reacted well to save with this left foot. Coach Bob Bradley's reaction to a lackluster first-half performance was to bring on attacking midfielder Benny Feilhaber at half-time, and the move almost paid immediate dividends.