Badminton Central Discussion Forums - Chit-Chat http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/ Come here for all off-topic discussions! en Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:00:07 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/images/misc/rss.png Badminton Central Discussion Forums - Chit-Chat http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/ <![CDATA[What's your BBM pin?]]> http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?89024-What-s-your-BBM-pin&goto=newpost Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:01:42 GMT Guys im sure lots of you have Blackberries so...what's your pin?


Mine is 258E8079 ]]> Chit-Chat XLR88 http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?89024-What-s-your-BBM-pin Medical cannabis http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?89007-Medical-cannabis&goto=newpost Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:26:10 GMT *First Medical Marijuana Ad Airs in California* ... First Medical Marijuana Ad Airs in California

Northern California Commercial Hardly Causes Stir



By RAY SANCHEZ
Sept. 3, 2010

A decision by a Fox affiliate in California's capital to broadcast what is believed to be the first paid ad for a medical marijuana dispensary has caused hardly a stir, according to the station general manager and the advertiser.

"I answer my own phone, and I have received nothing directly," Mike Armstrong, acting general manager of KTXL in Sacramento, said of viewer complaints about the spot, which aired on Monday. "I expected more. I don't know. I just did."

The mellow reaction is perhaps attributable to the fact that cannabis use is widely accepted in Northern California.

In November, Californians will vote on whether to make their state the first to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Another law already on the books -- Proposition 215, or the Compassionate Use Act -- made the state the first to legalize medical marijuana.

The 30-second commercial is the brainchild of Lanette Davies, who owns Sacramento's CannaCare dispensary, which serves some 5,000 registered marijuana patients.

"It has been all positive," said Davies, who is opposed to the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes. "I have not had one negative response. I expected more people to say, 'I don't like that.' I'm really pleasantly surprised that people have acknowledged the difference between a patient and somebody that is an abuser."

But John Redman, executive director of the San Diego-based Californians for a Drug Free Youth, said he expected a stronger reaction as more people see the commercial, which first aired Monday and will appear for more than a month.

"I know the prevention community is very disappointed," he said. "I think they are going to hear about it. You're going to see the tide turning on them."

The black-and-white segment shows various people talking about the benefits of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The accompanying text states that marijuana can be used to relieve many illnesses, including diabetes, HIV, Hepatitis C and hypertension.

"We get 30 seconds to portray the face of medicinal marijuana," said Davies, whose own daughter suffers from a rare bone disease and appears in the commercial. "Every single one of those people is a true-life patient. It's a very benign ad." ]]> Chit-Chat RSLvictorSOTX http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?89007-Medical-cannabis Me and BadmintonCentral.com http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88989-Me-and-BadmintonCentral.com&goto=newpost Tue, 07 Sep 2010 06:11:47 GMT After more than a year being a member here at Badmintoncentral.com, my everyday life has become... After more than a year being a member here at Badmintoncentral.com, my everyday life has become more cheerful because:

1. If i can't go and play badminton, i still can engage myself with badminton at badmintoncentral.com.:D

2. If i go out and my wife ask me, 'where to?", I'll replied "to the cybercafe". Then she ask again "what for?", then i gladly replied," to play badminton with badmintoncentral.com:D"........and i can see that she is scratching her head after that with both of her hands maybe wondering how on earth could my husband end up playing badminton with a CPU at the first place.

3. So addictate to badmintoncentral.com i am that everything that my friend ask me about badminton, i will end up answering ( without realizing it ) with Badmintoncentral.com:
- "Which shop did you go and bought this racket?", i answered "Badmintoncentral.com:D"
- "Which court are we playing" - again answered "Badmintoncentral.com:D".....this one i got a whack from my friend....and the latest one
- "Where are we going for our dinner" - i answered to my wife confidently, "Badmintoncentral.com:D".......and again i got another whack

4. If i go to work, i will open "Badmintoncentral.com:D" page first to read my mail, do this, do that, read this, post that........... before opening my gmail, hotmail etc

Live! BadmintonCentral.com:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D ]]> Chit-Chat shooting stroke http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88989-Me-and-BadmintonCentral.com Is It Real ? Penanggal Get Caught!! http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88967-Is-It-Real-Penanggal-Get-Caught!!&goto=newpost Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:13:23 GMT Is it real a "Penanggal" Genie in Satan Catogary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWxDr...layer_embedded


About Penanggal (Just Satan)...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penanggalan ]]> Chit-Chat Temasek Green http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88967-Is-It-Real-Penanggal-Get-Caught!! Moto gp http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88941-Moto-gp&goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:47:11 GMT Image: http://ads.yimg.com/ev/eu/any/backupuk15.jpg ... Reuters - Sun, 05 Sep 15:18:00 2010

Tomizawa dies after Moto2 crash

Nineteen-year-old Japanese Moto2 rider Shoya Tomizawa has died after a crash during Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix, the second death in the sport in two events.


Doctor Claudio Costa, part of the motorcycling world championship's medical team, told reporters the news.

Riders in the premier MotoGP class were also informed after their race, won by Dani Pedrosa.

"I found out now, when things like this happen nothing else matters," world champion Valentino Rossi told Mediaset television. "He was a lovely guy, it was a horrible accident."

Suter's Tomizawa was travelling at full speed when he fell off before a corner and was hit violently by the bikes of Alex De Angelis and Scott Redding, who both also tumbled but looked relatively unhurt.

A 13-year-old also died in a minor race before the Indianapolis MotoGP in the sport's last grand prix in August.

Motorcycling has always been among motorsport's most dangerous pursuits given riders are often thrown from their bikes and run the risk of hitting objects or being struck by other riders.

"You forget sometimes how easily something like this can happen. Sometimes our sport is just too dangerous," MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso said.

Moto2, the new name for the former 250cc category below MotoGP, still generates huge speeds and officials said they decided to continue with the race after the crash because of the fear of other accidents if a red flag was suddenly shown.

They added that Tomizawa was alive when he was taken from the track and rushed to a local hospital on Italy's east coast. He was pronounced dead soon after.

The official news of his death had not filtered through before the start of the MotoGP race so the event went ahead.

Rossi, who suffered a broken leg in an accident before the Italian Grand Prix in June, led riders in a tribute to another dead Japanese colleague Daijiro Kato earlier in the week in a ceremony at Misano.

Kato, who lived in the Misano area, died after an accident at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2003.

Rossi has worked hard with other riders to try to make the sport safer but has said there is a limit to how much they can do.

Reuters ]]> Chit-Chat RSLvictorSOTX http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88941-Moto-gp <![CDATA["the Grand Design" and "Into the Universe" by Stephen Hawking]]> http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88931-quot-the-Grand-Design-quot-and-quot-Into-the-Universe-quot-by-Stephen-Hawking&goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 06:40:13 GMT Stephen Hawking's new book the "Grand Design" will be published on thursday September 9. Coinciding with the book's publication, Discover Channel will be showing a 2-part television series of Hawking's "Into the Universe", the first part on September at 9pm and the second part on September 26 at the same time.
Both the book and the TV series are a must read for humans who want to know where we came from and where is our future.
One of his most telling discovery is that in the presence of gravity, "the universe can and will create itself from nothing". If true, so can humans but in forms we may not consider living from our perspective and in our time dimension. ]]> Chit-Chat taneepak http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88931-quot-the-Grand-Design-quot-and-quot-Into-the-Universe-quot-by-Stephen-Hawking 1337 H4XoRz http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88884-1337-H4XoRz&goto=newpost Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:28:53 GMT Hey guys, I need more mineralsssss to conquer the Terran dominion. Hey guys, I need more mineralsssss to conquer the Terran dominion. ]]> Chit-Chat noobtron http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88884-1337-H4XoRz Was Lance Armstrong CHEATING? http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88850-Was-Lance-Armstrong-CHEATING&goto=newpost Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:14:08 GMT *Wife of former Armstrong teammate speaks to feds* By... Wife of former Armstrong teammate speaks to feds

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, – Wed Sep 1, 4:08 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – The wife of one of Lance Armstrong's former teammates said Wednesday she has spoken to a federal agent investigating the seven-time Tour de France winner and other cyclists.

Betsy Andreu, the wife of former Armstrong teammate Frankie Andreu, said she has talked with Food and Drug Administration agent Jeff Novitzky about Armstrong, but declined to discuss details. She said in a phone interview that her husband has also talked to the agent.

Novitzky did not give her any details about the investigation or who else had been contacted, she said. Other Armstrong teammates, including riders George Hincapie and Tyler Hamilton, have reportedly confirmed that they have been contacted by investigators, but they have also declined to give details.

Betsy Andreu has claimed that Armstrong admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in a hospital room in 1996 while battling cancer.

Armstrong vehemently denies doping, and he and his attorneys note that the cyclist has never failed a drug test though he's been tested hundreds of times. Armstrong has also denied Betsy Andreu's version of the hospital room discussion.

Andreu said she expects the federal inquiry to show that she has been truthful about the incident.

"Lance pays his PR firm hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote himself and to smear those who speak the truth about him," she said.

"I have something that they don't have and that's the truth," she said. "And I am overly confident that will come about. It will show all along I have said nothing but the truth."

Andreu's contact with federal investigators was first reported Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times.

Novitzky and a federal prosecutor have been handling an inquiry into allegations of organized doping in professional cycling, including whether Armstrong and members of his United States Postal Service team may have been involved. ]]> Chit-Chat RSLvictorSOTX http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88850-Was-Lance-Armstrong-CHEATING Laurent Fignon http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88835-Laurent-Fignon&goto=newpost Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:36:56 GMT **Cyclist Laurent Fignon dies at 50** Laurent Fignon, the Frenchman who won the Tour de France... Cyclist Laurent Fignon dies at 50

Laurent Fignon, the Frenchman who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984 and lost to Greg LeMond in 1989 in the race's closest finish, died Tuesday of cancer. He was 50.

His death was confirmed by the French government and the French cycling federation. Fignon said in June 2009 he had advanced cancer of the digestive system and was undergoing chemotherapy.

AFP/Getty ImagesLaurent Fignon, seen celebrating his 1983 Tour de France victory, won the race again in 1984.

Fignon had been a television commentator in France since 2006. He worked through this year's Tour, which ended barely a month ago, his voice gravelly from his illness and treatment.

"He was a great champion who used a combination of talent and will to win the Tour de France twice," French Cycling Federation president David Lappartient told The Associated Press. "He had an iron will, and was also a very intelligent man."

Seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor, called Fignon a "dear friend" and a "legendary cyclist."

"I will never forget the early 90s when I first turned pro, of course terrified of these 'older guys.' Laurent was always a friendly face with words of advice," Armstrong said in a statement. "He was a special man to me, to cycling, and to all of France."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a cycling fan, hailed Fignon as an "amazing and exceptional champion who left an indelible mark in the history of the Tour de France and French cycling."

In 1989, Fignon lost to LeMond by eight seconds. The two dogged each other for weeks, the leader's yellow jersey passing back and forth. Finally, with only the last-day time trial left, Fignon had a 50-second lead that appeared decisive.

But LeMond, riding with an aerodynamic helmet and new triathlon handlebars that Fignon maintained were illegal, set a blistering pace. It was the fastest full-length time-trial stage ever ridden at the time.

Fignon rode last, using traditional handlebars and with his ponytail blowing in the wind. He gave everything he had, collapsing to the ground after finishing. But it was not enough. LeMond took the Tour by the smallest margin of victory.
“He was a special man to me, to cycling, and to all of France. Laurent, we will all miss you. ” -- Lance Armstrong,
on the death of Laurent Fignon
"The cyclist who doesn't know how to lose cannot become a champion. ... But to lose like that, on the last day, with such a small gap, and principally because of handlebars that were banned under the rules, no, that was too much for one man," Fignon said in his autobiography, "We Were Young and Carefree," published last year.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme said Fignon's 1989 Tour defeat was steeped in cycling legend.

"This glorious defeat of 1989 is stronger than anything else in terms of media impact," Prudhomme told the AP. "I remember that lost look in his eyes on the finish line at the Champs-Elysees, which contrasted with Greg LeMond's indescribable joy."

"Fignon was a great person, true to himself," LeMond told French television. "We were competitors, but we were friends. ... He had a very, very big talent, much more than anyone recognized."

In the book, Fignon admitted to doping, describing drug-taking in the 1980s as widespread. He said it was recreational rather than performance-enhancing -- aided by the strong Colombian involvement in cycling at the time and accompanied by large quantities of cocaine.

He said doping in cycling was revolutionized by the arrival of the blood-booster EPO in the early '90s. Fignon said he refused to take it and retired from competition in 1993 when he realized that mediocre riders were now keeping up with him.

Fignon won the Tour on his first attempt in 1983 in just his second year as a professional.


"The guy was a real character, both on and off his bike," said Marc Madiot, a former Fignon teammate and Francaise des Jeux team manager. "Hats off to him."

Fignon took up cycling because his friends did -- initially against the wishes of his parents, who disliked the fact that amateur cycle races took place on Sundays, which they considered a day for family activities.

Despite his reputation for being well-read and his nickname "The Professor," Fignon dropped out of college. He competed in races while completing his army service before being signed up by respected sporting director Cyrille Guimard to the Renault team.

Fignon won the Tour on his first attempt in 1983 in just his second year as a professional, seizing the opportunity presented by the absence of injured four-time winner Bernard Hinault.

Fignon put on the yellow jersey for the first time at the top of the legendary Alpe d'Huez, and held it for the final five days, cementing his victory by winning the time trial on the next-to-last day. At 22, Fignon was the youngest postwar winner of the Tour.

If doubt still hung over Fignon's victory because of Hinault's absence, that was to be dispelled the following year when the two men went head to head. Fignon, already second in the Giro d'Italia earlier in the season, captured five stages and finished more than 10 minutes ahead of Hinault.

"He was a fighter and like me was always vying for victory. We always had fair battles," Hinault said. "He fought this disease, too, but lost the battle."

Despite his disappointment in 1989, Fignon finished the year as the world's top-ranked cyclist. But he never again came close to winning the Tour.

Fignon is survived by his wife, Valerie, and a son from a previous marriage.
Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press ]]> Chit-Chat RSLvictorSOTX http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88835-Laurent-Fignon Internet Argument Techniques http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88712-Internet-Argument-Techniques&goto=newpost Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:58:09 GMT *Internet Argument Techniques* A bit of fun with a funny old article from a humour site,... Internet Argument Techniques

A bit of fun with a funny old article from a humour site, Cracked.com, on the most commonly used argument techniques on the Internet. No no, didn't your momma say it's rude to point fingers at people... ;)

Rewrote some of the examples to remove the strong language as well as making them a lot more 'local', so to speak - marked with a ^

#12 is my own as I find this to be prevalent in all the forums I've been to.

Original article here.

  1. Winning By Losing
    However badly you have disproven or embarrassed this person, it turns out it was part of their master plan to get that reaction out of you, to prove some kind of point they can't seem to explain. They honesy think that despite flailing uselessly in making their original argument, they are smooth enough to convince people they are a master puppeteer pulling everyone's strings.
Quote:
HAHA what u dont seem to realise is that it was my plan all along to manipolate u all into photoping my head onto rosie o'donall and u palyed rite into my hands. u were all pawns in my little socal expierment.

2. The Pity Riposte
When someone starts throwing out words like "droll" and "pathetic" and "amused" and generally trying to talk like a wealthy Bond villain, he comes across less like the confident, cigar-smoking fellow he is imagining and more like a man who as been pantsed attempting to to convince clothed people that they are the ones that should feel foolish.
Quote:
^How pathetic that you people keep picking on my comments about the umpire being biased because he's from Europe, about how "sad" I am for trying to paint the officials in a bad light because my favourite player lost. I laugh at the irony of you sitting in your rooms 24/7 with nothing to do with your time but argue on the internet. Anyway, Umpire A clearly didn't allow my favourite player to rest for a drink as he did the other guy...
3. The Backtrack
If you can't unsay something you just realised is horribly wrong, the next best thing is to claim you never said it. This is an extremely ballsy manoeuver on a forum without an edit function, and usually forces reliance on the old, "Oh, you just misintepreted what I said" manoeuveur.

Quote:
.. anti-Gulf War message in Harry Potter by J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Harry Potter series, which he literally wrote, "by that of course I didn't mean that Tolkien LITERALLY wrote Harry Potter, because OF COURSE everyone knows J.K. Rowling wrote those books. I just used him to symbolise authors in general. And of course I know he died in 1973. I was speaking metaphorically about how his spirit must have been upset about the Guld War and gone back in time to tell him to encode messages in his books that would later inspire J.K. Rowling to write a book protesting it and then she must have forgot to do but it was on her to-do list. If you had just READ MY POSTS, you would have gotten all that.

4. Super Tunnel Vision
So they've dismantled your argument sand shredded all your points. Have they taken everything away from you? No! You still have your dig- no, wait, that's gone. There must be something though! Aha! Someone mentioned you made a grammar error. Attack it with all your might! Surely this is the foundation of all their arguments. Don't get distracted by the evidence or anything, man! Eyes on the prize!

Quote:
Quote:
Also, between your confusion of the Midwest and Middle East and your spelling errors, your post was a little difficult to read. In any...
see i new it, u people have no response to my evidance and resort to making fun of my gramer. how sad. maybe u should stop being a gramer nazi and start seeing if u have an anser to any of my 7 points.
5. Be Your Own Wingman
Creating a second account to agree with your first one is most often called "sockpuppetting", but "wingman" sounds sadder. The "reverse wingman" is a variation where the second account jumps on the bandwagon making fun of the first one, apparently in an attempt to help the second account to become "the popular one" that the posters will continue to use.

Quote:
Kettle: Stop making fun of me! Fine, you think my drawings are horrible, I get it. I'll just step away from the computer and not come back to it in five minutes.
Quote:
Pot: Wow, I just happened to stumble on this forum and then also stumpble upon Kettle's drawings and they are they are so bad I threw up. Haha what a fool. You are all totally right! PM me ifyou want to talk about drawing or just hang out.
6. Hotel California Guest
They keep checking out but they never leave. Sometimes they demand to be banned or have their account deleted because this is a way of talking like you are done with the site without actually having to stop posting and give up the last word. This also sets them up for item #1 above when they can claim their banning was just what they wanted and you played into their hands.

Quote:
kittycat1098:^I know I said I left but saw what you said about my favourite player and I had to set the record straight, HE BEAT YOUR FAVOURITE PLAYER IN 2008, why can't you just show some respect?! Anyway, I'm leaving now and you'll never see me again, I hope you're happy.
Quote:
kittycat1098:Checking my PM.
7. The Innocent Question
Classic passive-aggression technique with the easy fallback of "I was just asking questions!" which play critics off as suppressors of ideas and critical thinking. Questions include, "Can this 9/11 video I just stumbled upon be real???" or "Why is it taboo to just explore what makes different races smarter than others?" See, because they're not saying one race is better than another. They're ASKING.
Quote:
^HAY EVERYONE OMG THIS VIDEO IS UNBELEIVABLE
CLICK HERE
I was just websurfing adn saw this video about the Li Yongbo and it says things I CANT BELEIVE!!!. Coudl the BWF have done it? I was sceptical but the guy says he's part of the coaching team, it was supposed to talk about top seeded match but got cut off off at the edge of the screen bcuz of compression or something.
Btw, if anyone knows anything about video compression cn u plz pm me.


8. First Amendment Reintepretation
Activist judges have nothing on internet people, who reintepret an amendment guaranteeing freedom from government repression as a law protecting them from any criticism of their ideas and even requiring other people to spend money creating and maintaining a platform for them to get their ideas out. Strangely, this guardian angel of a law is only meant to protect them and not their critics.

Quote:
Maybe you've never heard of the little thing called the FIRST AMENDMENT? That's right, in this country we can say whatever we want and you have to be supportive and agree.

I'm am speaking to my lawyer right now. Thanks to freedom of speech, you are going to jail for the words you just said.

9. The Passive-Aggressive Apology
What better way of looking like a big man than by saying you're sorry? You don't actually have to be sorry, or admit you did anything wrong, or stop arguing or insulting people. As long as you use the word "sorry" it's clearly an apology, and anyone who complains that you haven't stopped doing what you're apologising for, and haven't even admitted it, is a bad person who can't let things go.
Quote:
I think things have gotten out of hand and I just wanted to apologise. It's my fault I didn't realise you were all so dumb you would misintepret my jokes as insulting and offensive. I honestly didn't know about all these unwritten rules you have about kissing up to the admins because I thought this was a place for free discussion and not a reincarnation of the Third Reich. From now on I will try to be a good little mindless follower and goose-step to the Fuhrer's orders.
10. Unbelievable Credentials
What proof do you have that this guy is not, as he claims, a physicist, a doctor, a Supreme Court Justice, a former Delta Force assassin, a Hollywood director, and Strunk of Strunk & White? It's the internet, you'll never be able to prove he isn't who he says! Well, except for the little matter of him not knowing the slightest thing about any of those subjects. Curses!
Quote:
^ My techniques are correct thank you, I used to beat LeeCW in straight sets at the Academy, and previously was school level and state junior champion - Li Mao told me I will represent M'sia but I decided it more important to go to Uni. I won't lose like him at the WC, so menyiasoikan.
11. The Edgy Card
This is a variant of Super Tunnel Vision above, but it's so prevalent it need special mention. Do you dislike one of this person's jokes or artworks? It's not because it's bad or poorly done or doesn't make any sense. It's because YOU DON'T GET IT, MAN. It's too ironic for you to understand, or possibly so offensive that your puritan sensibilities reject it. It must be one or the other.
Quote:
^ If you don't have the heart to handle the truth can you just move away, go to the threads where it won't hurt you. Nobody forced you to click on this link and to read these hurtful truths.
12. The Source of A Source
Want to make an opinion that no one can prove or disprove? Latch it to a source that no one would ever meet, see or hear. Link it with some authority that no one would bother to go verify and voila, you got the real deal! Add a dash of disclaimer to wash your hands off any possible outrage or controversy that might follow, blaming the source whom probably doesn't exist. Be as ambiguous as possible, maybe one of the claims might be true.
Quote:
My friend's brother who work at the BA say he TBH and OBS training whole afternoon, KKK not there. Last month also there is rumour that KKK fight with someone - maybe because of this Rexy suspend him, I think. Don't look at me, this is just what he said OK, don't know is true or not.
]]> Chit-Chat wilfredlgf http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88712-Internet-Argument-Techniques Hong Kong/China affairs and events http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88527-Hong-Kong-China-affairs-and-events&goto=newpost Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:44:20 GMT This is NOT MY thread. I open this because I want to make some inquiries. Anyone can post... This is NOT MY thread. I open this because I want to make some inquiries.

Anyone can post whatever related events they wish :


1) I have been trying to watch reruns of classic HK movies I grew up with but they are unavailable :

a) Father and Son (Fu Ji Ching)- Has this film been re-released?
b) Cream Soda and Milk- Only on Vcd any DVD release?

2) The great series of the 70s. THE CHAMELEON-PIN SIK LOONG-Not even any mention in the internet. What happened? The first series ran in 70s and there was a sequel in the 90s. There has been no re-production on DVD unlike others,what happened? Have all the tapes been lost? ]]> Chit-Chat Bbn http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88527-Hong-Kong-China-affairs-and-events New Record: A traffic jam of 100km (62 miles) long in China http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88499-New-Record-A-traffic-jam-of-100km-(62-miles)-long-in-China&goto=newpost Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:15:13 GMT .
I couldn't believe it, when I read it. :eek::eek::eek:

China has broken a new world record: A traffic jam of 100km (62 miles) long. :o:o:o

====== * ====== * ====== start article ====== * ====== * ======

23 August 2010

China traffic jam stretches 'nine days, 100km'

The drivers say locals are over-charging them for food and drink
A massive traffic jam in China has slowed vehicles to a crawl for a ninth day near Beijing, local media say.

Vehicles, mostly lorries bound for Beijing, are backed up for about 100km (62 miles) because of heavy traffic, road works and break-downs.

The drivers have complained that locals are over-charging them for food and drink while they are stuck.

There has been a boom in road building in China in recent years but vehicle use has soared at the same time.

The stalled traffic stretches between Jining in Inner Mongolia and Huai'an in Hebei province, north-west of Beijing, said the Global Times.

The road works which are obstructing traffic are necessary to repair damage caused by an increase in cargo lorries using the highway, the state-run newspaper said.

They are not expected to be finished until mid-September.

The motorway, part of the Beijing-Tibet expressway, is heavily used by lorries carrying coal from Inner Mongolia.

====== * ====== * ====== end article ====== * ====== * ======

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11062708
. ]]> Chit-Chat chris-ccc http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88499-New-Record-A-traffic-jam-of-100km-(62-miles)-long-in-China Music: Do You Know... http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88400-Music-Do-You-Know...&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:48:16 GMT ... who Axis of Awesome is? Funny stuff. Check it out... ... who Axis of Awesome is? Funny stuff. Check it out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co9mW_9hH2g&feature=fvst ]]> Chit-Chat madbad http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88400-Music-Do-You-Know... ADHD: Has this diagnostic fad run its course? http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88398-ADHD-Has-this-diagnostic-fad-run-its-course&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:46:43 GMT *ADHD: Has this diagnostic fad run its course?* Image:... ADHD: Has this diagnostic fad run its course?
By Stephen R. Herr Stephen R. Herr – Thu Aug 19, 4:34 pm ET

Murray, Ky. – The idea of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as a credible diagnostic term has passed and it is time that we accept that and move on. Fads and disappointments are not new to the field of psychology nor is the need for people to get beyond them.

Phrenology, hysteria, eugenics, compulsory sterilizations, shock therapy, and Thalidomide all at one time had some grounding in hope and reason. For awhile, each of them captured the imagination, but over time each led to more pain than good, and for that reason they all got left behind.

Like diagnostic fads before it, ADHD has been in many ways a disorder of its time.
Previous diagnostic fadsHysteria found expression in a Victorian-era society that vigorously attempted to constrain the lives of women. The eugenics movement addressed societal concerns of the early 20th century relating to burgeoning minority populations.

ADHD became a popular diagnosis in the 1980s as more parents went to work and the role of schools and teachers changed. If we look at the history of our culture and the ailments that have plagued it, is not difficult to see why people in positions of authority told women that they were weak, minorities that they were feeble-minded, and children that they had a psychological disorder: It was easier for them than addressing the difficult conditions that women, minorities, and children faced.

At one time, ADHD appeared to be a reasonable theory that might help people address genuine concerns. Raising children can be hard, especially when adults are tired, frustrated, overwhelmed, and riddled with self-doubt. Beyond that, children can be annoying; They fidget, they interrupt, they don’t pay attention, and they don’t always do what they are told.

The behaviors of children and the difficulties of adults often lead to guilt, worry, and a sense of wrong that concerned adults feel a responsibility to address. The creation of ADHD as a psychological disorder was in part an attempt to deal with some of the difficulties of raising children. Unfortunately, that attempt has fallen short and led to new problems in recent years.

On a diagnostic level, ADHD is problematic. After generations of research, there is still no test for ADHD, nor is there a standard diagnostic measure within the profession.

A huge – and lucrative – market. What started out as a theory articulated by professionals is now an urban legend. Parents, teachers, talk show hosts, friends, neighbors and even the person you’re standing next to in the grocery store each believe that they can diagnose and treat ADHD.

This superfluity of focused misinformation has helped fuel a pharmacological intervention that would have seemed absurd two generations ago. As of 2006, 4.5 million kids have been diagnosed with ADHD, with nearly half taking medication. In 2008, the ADHD pharmaceutical market was worth $4 billion.

Another problem with our fixation on ADHD is that it is not working. Again, even after generations of research there is no evidence that suggests placing children on Schedule II drugs such as Ritalin, Adderall, or Vyvanse improves their intellectual abilities over an extended period, or that these drugs affect children with ADHD any differently than they affect any other child. A stimulant is a stimulant is a stimulant. What we do know is that the use of these drugs can be debilitating, addictive, and deadly.

And just this week, a Michigan State University study found that nearly one million children in America are potentially misdiagnosed with ADHD – in large part because they were the youngest and least mature in their kindergarten classes.

Maybe the greatest problem regarding ADHD as a diagnostic label is that our faith in that label has distracted us and kept us from looking for the better understandings we should be seeking. Stress and sleeplessness lead to inattention. Frustration leads to anger and rebellion. Depression leads to indifference and a lack of enthusiasm.

Probably one of the best ways to make sense of children and the rise of ADHD is for adults to focus on some basic questions. Don’t most adults become distracted when they are tired? Don’t most adults become fidgety when they are bored? Don’t most adults lose interest in their work when they don’t see any significance in what they are doing? And when adults wrestle with concerns relating to stress, sleeplessness, frustration, and depression, aren’t the responses often “get some rest,” “exercise” “start eating better,” and “try finding something you’re interested in”?

As adults, aren’t some of our most meaningful discussions about how to live a meaningful life? If that’s the case for adults, why don’t we put more emphasis on these sorts of answers for children? Wouldn’t more rest, better meals, more exercise, and a greater focus on helping children understand their interests serve most children well?

What we've learned With ADHD, as with most failed efforts, even its failure is informative. In the case of ADHD we have learned that:

1) prescribing Schedule II drugs to children en masse can have serious negative consequences,

2) that highly subjective diagnostic criteria can lead to serious concerns relating to the validity of a diagnosis, and

3) that ignoring the environment in which a person lives and basing a diagnosis solely on symptoms can lead to misdiagnoses and inappropriate treatment responses.

While these shortcomings do not provide answers in-and-of themselves, our recognition of these shortcomings should help set us in a better direction as we move forward.

How do we, as a culture, get past the ADHD bubble and some of the mischief it is causing? Pretty much the same way we have gotten past bubbles and mischief in the past: We broaden our view.

On a scientific level, we get past ADHD the same way we got past phrenology and eugenics; we demand that the theories that are being expounded be based in fact and verified by research.

On a societal level, we take responsibility for the fact that the diagnostic labels we have accepted, and pharmacological interventions we have embraced, are harming children and that we have no right to ask children to bear those harms.

On a personal level, we place the difficulties of childhood within the context of the life of each child, and within the nature of childhood itself. We make a commitment to helping children be their best selves, and above all, we do the best we can to make sure that we never use our positions of authority to harm anyone. ]]> Chit-Chat RSLvictorSOTX http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88398-ADHD-Has-this-diagnostic-fad-run-its-course <![CDATA[Forbes: world's top 10 highest-paid female athletes]]> http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88380-Forbes-world-s-top-10-highest-paid-female-athletes&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:57:02 GMT Tennis players, led by Maria Sharapova, rule as the top-paid women in sports. The U.S. Open kicks... Tennis players, led by Maria Sharapova, rule as the top-paid women in sports.
The U.S. Open kicks off at the end of August, and the world's best female tennis players will compete for the final Grand Slam title of the year. But the real action is off the court, as these women jockey for lucrative endorsement deals with apparel, shoe and racket companies.

Serena Williams may be the No. 1-ranked player, but she can not match the earnings power of Maria Sharapova. Thanks to a bevy of endorsements with blue chip companies like Nike, Sony Ericsson and Tiffany, Sharapova pulled in $24.5 million over the past year, making her the highest-paid female athlete in the world. She earned $1 million from prize money, with the rest derived from endorsements and appearance fees.

Sharapova's breakthrough came in 2004, when she won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. Her agents at IMG quickly capitalized on her success and good looks by inking deals with Canon, Colgate-Palmolive and Motorola.

Sharapova has struggled in recent years on the court with injuries, but has bounced back in 2010 with two tourney wins. She also signed a massive eight-year deal with Nike at the beginning of the year that could be worth as much as $70 million. The deal provides royalties from her own tennis line, as well as a line of bags and shoes through Nike subsidiary Cole Haan.

Our income figures cover June 2009 through June 2010 and include prize money, endorsements, appearance fees and exhibitions. Tennis players dominate the top 10, making up half the list, while golfers nab three spots. Our list of the highest paid athletes in the world (male or female) included 30% born outside the U.S. This list of highest-paid women is even more international, with women from six different countries making the cut.

The economic downturn has forced companies to reevaluate their sponsorship agreements with athletes. Even mighty Nike reported last month that its future endorsement obligations had declined 10% from the previous year to $3.8 billion. When former No.1-ranked Serbian tennis player Jelena Jankovic was dropped by Reebok she turned to Chinese sportswear firm Anta. She signed a three-year deal at the start of 2009 that could be worth as much as $5 million total (most tennis deals have a bonus structure in place, based on tournament wins and end-of-year rankings). Jankovic earned $5.3 million over the past year, good for No. 8 on our list.

The Williams sisters grab the No. 2 and No. 3 slots on our earnings list. Serena made $20.2 million while Venus earned $15.4 million over the past year. Venus made her debut on the Tour in 1994, and 16 year later both sisters are going strong--currently ranked No. 1 (Serena) and No. 5 (Venus) on the WTA Tour. They are the all-time leaders in career prize money, with Serena at $32.7 million and Venus having made $27.3. The next highest is Lindsay Davenport at $22.2 million. They put some of that cash to use last August when they became minority owners of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins.

Our No. 4-ranked female athlete is racing's Danica Patrick, who pulled in $12 million. Patrick is the most popular driver in IndyCar. She has a lucrative deal with her team, Andretti Autosport, that allows her to share team revenues, a rarity in racing. Patrick's profile jumped this year when she started racing in Nascar's Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports, which is co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Patrick has struggled with the heavier stock cars with an average finish of 30.5 in her first six starts. Yet her sponsors--like GoDaddy.com, Peak Antifreeze and Tissot--have reaped the benefits of that added attention.

The one Olympian on our list is figure skater Kim Yu-Na, who made $9.7 million, ranking her fifth. The 2010 Olympic gold medalist has an impressive endorsement portfolio including Hyundai, Nike and Samsung Electronics. Her sponsor, Kookmin Bank, reportedly took out insurance on the $1 million bonus it promised to Kim if she broke her world record score at the Vancouver Olympics. Like her tennis-playing competition for top-paid female athlete, she smashed it.

The top ten:
1. Maria Sharapova (tennis)
2. Serena Williams (tennis)
3. Venus Williams (tennis)
4. Danica Patrick (tennis)
5. Kim Yu-Na (figure skating)
6. Annika Sorenstam (golf)
7. Ana Ivanovic (tennis)
8. Jelena Jankovic (tennis)
9. Paula Creamer (golf)
10. Lorena Ochoa (golf)

Sources:
1. http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/18/top...-athletes.html

2. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english201...c_13453762.htm ]]> Chit-Chat suetyan http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88380-Forbes-world-s-top-10-highest-paid-female-athletes