Obama Isn't Worried about Muslim Rumors

President Barack Obama says he isn't worried about a recent poll showing that nearly one-fifth of Americans believe he is a Muslim.

Obama, who is a Christian, says "the facts are the facts." In an interview broadcast Sunday on "NBC Nightly News," the president blamed the confusion over his religious beliefs on "a network of misinformation."

Obama says he wouldn't get much done if he spent all his time chasing after rumors, like persistent accusations that he wasn't born in the United States.

He says he can't go around with his "birth certificate plastered on (his) forehead." And he says he has faith in "the American people's capacity to get beyond all this nonsense."

Cristiano Ronaldo 'Caught Kissing KimKardashian'

First it was Paris Hilton. Now it seems Cristiano Ronaldo has turned his attention to another Hollywood socialite.The Real Madrid, 25, was caught kissing Kim Kardashian, 29, during her low-key trip to Spain this week, according to sources.

Sharing many hobbies in common - think sunbathing and posing - it must have been a real meeting of minds.

The pair are said to have enjoyed a romantic dinner together during her a three-day visit to Madrid.
'She and Ronaldo were kissing and very affectionate,' a source tells The Sun.

'They looked to be getting on really well, laughing the whole time.'

Another insider confirmed the sighting to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.

The newly single reality TV star is also believe to have visited the football player, who is worth an estimated £80million, at his luxury home in the Spanish capital.

She flew back Los Angeles yesterday for ascheduled photoshoot with her sisters Khloe and Kourteney.

Kim split from her on-again off again NFL boyfriend Reggie Bush in March.

Khloe recently said she was praying she stayed single after the split because she had a 'habit of going from man to man'.

Ronaldo has been making the most of his bachelor status following his split from Spanish
model Nereida Gallardo in 2008.

He went on to enjoy a brief liaison the same year with Kim's former friend Paris Hilton after meeting her at a Hollywood nightclub.

But the young Portuguese star is concerned for his reputation.
He is suing a Spanish TV programme which claimed he had thrown a party the night before
his team lost 2-0 at home to dreaded rivals Barcelona in Spain's biggest game of the year on Saturday.

There were also claims he had held a second party after the match.

However, Ronaldo said: 'I categorically refute such allegations, which are completely false. There is not one iota of truth in them.'
'With a game the next day it is more than obvious I spent Friday night resting and on Saturday night my spirit was anything but
festive..
'Considering the gravity of the charges, I have instructed my lawyers to use all legal means to
restore the truth of the matter and ensure that those responsible are punished to the fullest extent provided.'

How Elite Troops' Brains Work to Detect Threats

The brains of elite soldiers can respond faster to signs of anger than normal, which could help them detect threats and make the difference between life and death when under fire.

The differences in the brains of those who excel in extreme circumstances are poorly understood. Such research might help improve military performance, explained neuroscientist Alan Simmons at the University of California at San Diego.

To investigate the brains of elite soldiers who face extreme circumstances all the time, psychiatrist Martin Paulus with Simmons and their colleagues scanned the brains of 11 off-duty members of the elite Navy SEALs (SEa, Air, and Land special forces) and 23 ordinary healthy men while they viewed faces that displayed either angry, fearful or happy expressions. 

"Hopefully this research will help improve the understanding what makes SEALs so special," Simmons said. "They are highly resilient individuals, and if we could help other soldiers to become more resilient to the effects of stress, then that would be a very gratifying result."

The scientists found the insula, a region deep within the brain, activated more strongly in Navy SEALs when they saw angry faces than when compared to ordinary men.

"The insula is important for understanding your body sensations, or gut feelings," Simmons explained. "This suggests that when they see an angry face they do a 'gut check.' This may be because angry faces, but not fearful and happy faces, do require immediate attention for safety in combat."

When it came to happy or fearful faces, the brains of Navy SEALs reacted more slowly than non-SEALS.

"Slower reaction time can indicate reduced attention, increased contemplation, or distracted or multiple processing," Simmons said. "Given the SEALs' capacity to excel in performance-related tasks, it may be most probable that they decide not to exert much effort in responding to faces that are not giving as important information."

Regardless of the emotion they viewed, the SEALs had greater activation on the right side of the insula and reduced activation of its left side, the exact opposite seen in the ordinary men.

"Several researchers have proposed that the right insula is related to action while the left insula is related to maternal and calming responses," Simmons said. "The greater activation on the right side suggests selective attention to threat."

The SEALs the researchers worked with on this study "were amazing individuals," Simmons recalled. "Their capacity to excel mentally and physically is widely known. These findings suggest that this may be achieved not by greater effort but by reducing effort when not needed and increasing it in relevant conditions. They appear to be able to appropriately tune their behavior to the environment."

It remains unclear whether this ability SEALs demonstrate is something they acquired during training or if it existed beforehand. Future research could test soldiers before or after training.

The study, funded by the National Science Foundation and private institutions, is detailed online April 14 in the journal PLoS ONE.

 

 

Jim Carrey Claims Elin Must Have Known about Tiger Woods' Affairs

Sport's most famous philanderer, Tiger Woods, received support from an unlikely ally as he stepped onto the golf circuit for the first time since his notorious car crash.

Comedy actor Jim Carrey has raised eyebrows with his latest Tweets about Woods' infidelities claiming Elin must have been a 'willing participant' in the setup.

While the recently-single star, who split from Jenny McCarthy this week, may think he is helping the beleaguered golfer out, his shocking comment has only served to fuel the media circus around Woods' return to the sport.

His first Tweet yesterday was supportive of the star saying: 'Tiger Woods owes nothing 2 anyone but himself. 2 please his father he gave up his childhood and his freedom in the world. That's enough!'

But it was his second Tweet that was the most controversial and accusatory of Elin Nordegren who is widely considered the victim of recent events.

Sent just two hours after the first comment, Carrey said: 'No wife is blind enough to miss that much infidelity. Elin had 2 b a willing participant on the ride 4 whatever reason. kids/lifestyle'.

The comment is particularly surprising as during the public furore over Woods' fall from grace there has never been any criticism of Elin or any suggestion that she knew what was going on.

Woods' team will undoubtedly be annoyed at the comment which comes after the golfer's main sponsor tried to move on from the incident with a heartfelt advert featuring the voice of his father.

In it a black and white image of Woods looking into the camera is shown with a voice-over from his father who died in 2006, saying: 'I want to find out what your thinking was; I want to find out what your feelings are. Did you learn anything?'

 Although some have criticised the advert for being creepy, it was widely thought to be an attempt to lay the constant rumours surrounding Wood to rest for good.

Woods himself defended it saying: 'It's what my dad would say. It's amazing how my dad can speak to me in different ways even when he's long gone. Any son who lost a father who meant so much in their life, I think, would understand the spot.'

Despite all the publicity surrounding his return to the sport, Woods is doing well and had his best ever opening round at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National yesterday.

With his wife notably absent but his ever-supportive mother by his side, the golfer managed to finish the day four under par.

Sheltering under a large sunhat Kuldita Woods watched her son's comeback and despite a few jeers as he made his way to the first tee, overall the crowds were supportive.

Wood, playing in dark glasses for the first time reportedly to shield his eyes from pollen, finished the day upbeat.

'I felt good,' he said.

'It was really good just to get out there and get into my rhythm and go about my business.'

Although he is currently trailing the two leaders Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, it is only by two strokes and in the past he has not taken the lead until the third round of the competition before going on to win it.

Tips Sukses Mengikuti Pameran atau Bazaar

Tips Sukses Mengikuti Pameran atau Bazaar

Mengikuti pameran merupakan cara yang paling efektif untuk memperoleh tambahan jumlah pembeli. Bayangkan, pameran sekelas Inacraft bisa mendapat kunjungan tak kurang dari 125.000 pengunjung lokal dan 793buyers dari 74 negara (catatan tahun 2008). Sedangkan Jakarta Fair tahun 2007 dikunjungi 2.579.000 orang. Mustahil tak satu pun dari ribuan bahkan jutaan orang tersebut yang tidak mampir ke stan Anda bukan?

Karena itu, pilihlah pameran yang paling tepat untuk mengetahui peluang pasar untuk produk Anda. Untuk mengikuti pameran berskala besar di Jakarta Convention Centre atau di SMESCO, tentu Anda harus mengetahui kapasitas produksi Anda. Bila kapasitas produksi Anda belum cukup besar, Anda dapat mengikuti bazaar yang banyak digelar di gedung-gedung perkantoran atau di pusat dagang seperti ITC.

Mempersiapkan pameran
Mengingat banyaknya kompetitor di ajang pameran dagang, sudah seharusnya Anda mempersiapkan dengan baik partisipasi Anda. Carilah informasi mengenai bazaar atau pameran yang akan diadakan di suatu tempat jauh-jauh hari sebelumnya. Hubungi penyelenggara pameran untuk mengetahui persyaratan yang diperlukan.

Menurut Doddy Hidayat, Ketua ASEPHI (Asosiasi Eksportir dan Produsen Handicraft Indonesia) untuk wilayah DKI Jakarta, booking stan pada fair organizer biasanya sudah harus Anda lakukan 10-12 bulan sebelum pameran. Hal-hal yang perlu Anda perhatikan saat mem-booking stan antara lain:
•Memilih lokasi stan yang strategis, misalnya di hoek.
•Membuat desain stan yang menarik.
•Menyewa seorang professional decorator atau professional displayer. Anda bisa meminta foto-foto stan yang pernah mereka kerjakan untuk mengetahui hasil kerja mereka.
•Peluang potongan harga untuk stan dengan menjadi anggota asosiasi dagang tertentu yang sesuai produk Anda.

Sekitar 3-6 bulan sebelum pameran, siapkan bahan promosi dan publikasi, seperti kartu nama, katalog produk dan daftar harga, flyer, website, direct mailing, undangan, press kit, brosur, banner, stiker, termasuk cindera mata untuk pengunjung. Komunikasikan juga rencana kehadiran Anda di pameran.

"Anda harus punya website, karena ini penting untuk menambah image perusahaan Anda. Atau membuat account di situs-situs jejaring sosial. Facebook itu kan sekarang menjadi kekuatan baru di dunia pemasaran," ujar Doddy.

Pada tahap ini Anda juga perlu menjalin kerjasama dengan fair organizer, dengan cara mengirim data perusahaan,press release, dan trade press, serta mengirimkan profil perusahaan kepada kontraktor stan. Pelajari juga exhibitor manual, untuk mengetahui apa saja dokumen partisipasi yang perlu Anda lengkapi. Bila fair organizer melakukan kegiatan publikasi dan promosi, ikuti juga aktivitas ini.

Bagaimana agar pengunjung yang belum tahu mengenai produk kita itu mau berkunjung ke stan kita?

Menurut Doddy, pengunjung pameran harus diciptakan. Waktu yang lama saat persiapan pameran bisa digunakan untuk mengorganisasikan calon pengunjung.  Sekitar 2-3 bulan sebelum pameran, kirimkan press release ke media, dan visitor mailing untuk pelanggan. Hal ini harus diulangi pada 3-4 minggu sebelum pameran. Visitor mailing dan rencana partipasi perlu diinformasikan kembali ke media.

"Pada hari pertama pameran, paling tidak sudah ada 3 pengunjung yang sengaja Anda datangkan. Setelah itu pengunjung lainnya bisa go show aja," katanya.