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FILE - In this Aug. 25, 1993 file photo, American pop star Michael Jackson performs during his ‘Dangerous’ tour in Bangkok. (AP Photo/Jeff Widerner, file)Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop” who once moonwalked above the music world, died Thursday as he prepared for a comeback bid to vanquish nightmare years of sexual scandal and financial calamity. He was 50.

Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center after being stricken at his rented home in Holmby Hills. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him at his home for nearly three-quarters of an hour, then rushed him to the hospital, where doctors continued to work on him.

“It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known,” his brother Jermaine said. Police said they were investigating, standard procedure in high-profile cases.

Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.

His 1982 album “Thriller” — which included the blockbuster hits “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” — is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.

At the time of his death, Jackson was rehearsing hard for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13.

As word of his death spread, MTV switched its programming to play videos from Jackson’s heyday. Radio stations began playing marathons of his hits. Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital. In New York’s Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.

“No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow,” Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend had sent him. “It’s like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died.”

The public first knew him as a boy in the late 1960s, when he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the singing group he formed with his four older brothers out of Gary, Ind. Among their No. 1 hits were “I Want You Back,” “ABC” and “I’ll Be There.”

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his backward-gliding moonwalk, his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched singing, punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks, as was his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.

“For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words,” said Quincy Jones, who produced “Thriller.” “He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”

Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music’s biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie, and Jackson’s death immediately evoked comparisons to that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977.

As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure — a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He often wore a germ mask while traveling, kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions, and surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, a storybook playland filled with toys, rides and animals. The tabloids dubbed him “Wacko Jacko.”

“It seemed to me that his internal essence was at war with the norms of the world. It’s as if he was trying to defy gravity,” said Michael Levine, a Hollywood publicist who represented Jackson in the early 1990s. He called Jackson a “disciple of P.T. Barnum” and said the star appeared fragile at the time but was “much more cunning and shrewd about the industry than anyone knew.”

Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below.

In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behavior with other children.

The case followed years of rumors about Jackson and young boys. In a TV documentary, he acknowledged sharing his bed with children, a practice he described as sweet and not at all sexual.

Despite the acquittal, the lurid allegations that came out in court took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary. He was 4 years old when he began singing with his brothers — Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie and Tito — in the Jackson 5. After his early success with bubblegum soul, he struck out on his own, generating innovative, explosive, unstoppable music.

The album “Thriller” alone mixed the dark, serpentine bass and drums and synthesizer approach of “Billie Jean,” the grinding Eddie Van Halen solo on “Beat It,” and the hiccups and falsettos on “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin‘.”

The peak may have come in 1983, when Motown celebrated its 25th anniversary with an all-star televised concert and Jackson moonwalked off with the show, joining his brothers for a medley of old hits and then leaving them behind with a pointing, crouching, high-kicking, splay-footed, crotch-grabbing run through “Billie Jean.”

The audience stood and roared. Jackson raised his fist.

By then he had cemented his place in pop culture. He got the plum Scarecrow role in the 1978 movie musical “The Wiz,” a pop-R&B version of “The Wizard of Oz,” that starred Diana Ross as Dorothy.

During production of a 1984 Pepsi commercial, Jackson’s scalp sustains burns when an explosion sets his hair on fire.

He had strong follow-up albums with 1987’s “Bad” and 1991’s “Dangerous,” but his career began to collapse in 1993 after he was accused of molesting a boy who often stayed at his home. The singer denied any wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the boy’s family, reported to be $20 million, and criminal charges were never filed.

Jackson’s expressed anger over the allegations on the 1995 album “HIStory,” which sold more than 2.4 million copies, but by then, the popularity of Jackson’s music was clearly waning, even as public fascination with his increasingly erratic behavior was growing.

Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, and they divorced in 1996. Later that year, Jackson married Deborah Rowe, a former nurse for his dermatologist. They had two children together: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. Rowe filed for divorce in 1999.

Cardiac arrest is an abnormal heart rhythm that stops the heart from pumping blood to the body. It can occur after a heart attack or be caused by other heart problems.

Billboard magazine editorial director Bill Werde said Jackson’s star power was unmatched. “The world just lost the biggest pop star in history, no matter how you cut it,” Werde said. “He’s literally the king of pop.”

Jackson’s 13 No. 1 one hits on the Billboard charts put him behind only Presley, the Beatles and Mariah Carey, Werde said.

“He was on the eve of potentially redeeming his career a little bit,” he said. “People might have started to think of him again in a different light.”

Oh yes, I’m pumped.

, but made myself stop playing when I hit the level 20 experience cap, because I knew Broken Steel was coming and would lift the limit and I didn’t want to waste all those potential experience points.

In fact, I haven’t even finished the main quest yet, but I’ll be diving back in tomorrow night and can’t wait to reacquaint myself with my Gatling laser.

There’s all sorts of info on the new content over at Bethesda’s official blog.

I still haven’t seen a good explanation yet, though, for why this new stuff isn’t being made available for the PS3 version of Fallout 3. I assume the explanation involves large cash payments from Microsoft, but still, this is quite a burn for loyal PS3 buyers.

One of the fruits enjoyed, as a snack by children and adults is an apple. There are approximately seven thousand varieties of apples. The origin of the apples is in Kazakhstan. Many varieties of apples are available throughout the year. The ones that are seasonal can be frozen for later consumption.

Apples can be used in various delicious recipes such as apple crumble, apple pie and so on. Cider made from apples is very popular in the US and it is one the main drink that is served at Halloween parties and on Thanksgiving Day. Cider vinegar is made from apples.

It is a fact apple will remain good in a cool and dry area but over a period of time the water content will be lost and the skin will wrinkle. If you have an apple tree in you back yard or if you happen to purchase large quantities of apples from a nearby original Farmers Market, you can freeze the apples. By freezing, the taste of the apples is retained to a certain extent and these could be used for many apple recipes.

Steps to Freeze Apples at Home

Select the apples: Choose good quality apples, which are ripe and naturally sweet. Some of the varieties that you can use for freezing are Fuji, Red Delicious, Gala, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp and Pink Lady. You can either purchase them from the grocery store or from the Farmers Market.

Wash and peel: Wash the apples under a tap. The apple should be washed well and dried using a hand towel. The quickest way to peel the apples is by using an apple peeler. If the apples are over-ripe or mushy, the apple peelers may not work well. In such case use a hand peeler. Remove any brown spots on the apple.

Slicing the apples: The next step is to core and slice the apples. You can use either an apple corer/slicer or an ordinary knife. You have to remove the seeds, stems and the soft spots of the apples.

Decide the method of freezing: The method of freezing depends on how you intend to use the frozen apples later. There are basically three methods for freezing apples.

Sugar pack - Sugar pack is the method used if the apples are used to make apple pies. Sugar pack method prevents the apples from turning brown or having a freezer burn. Make a solution with ½ tsp ascorbic acid and 3 tsp water. Pour this over the sliced apples. You would require half cup sugar for every quarter cup of sliced apples. Sprinkle sugar and toss the apples so it is well coated.

Syrup pack - You have to make a syrup using sugar and ascorbic acid. For every 3 cups of water you would require 2 cups of sugar. In a thick-bottomed pan make the required quantity of syrup as per the quantity of sliced apples. Syrup pack prevents apples from browning.

Dry pack - In this method, wash, peel and core the apples. Mix them with a solution of ascorbic acid and water. Put them in freezer bags and immediately put the bags away in the freezer. Dry pack apples can be used for any type of cooking.

Packing and freezing: Once the sliced apples are processed, it is time to put them in freezer containers or bags. The apples should stay good if the freezer temperature is below 25 degrees F.

bush shoe game

Pop jam (sock and awe) has released a new bush shoe game. and is available for free to play. More hits you have, more score you will get. Enjoy the president shoe game. You can play game at http://fun.chohanz.com/bushgame.htm too.

Chohanz Templates is a popular online store which offers readymade website templates for webmasters and businesses. Other products from their large inventory includes pre-made Flash templates, Wordpress and other CMS themes, logos as well as osCommerce templates for online stores. It is affiliated with template monster so it have all collection of big monster.

Affiliates earn 20% commissions on all purchases made via their affiliate link or template shop. Templates generally range from $5 to $3500, which means that you do have a chance to make some substantial earnings.

I do like the fact that chohanz templates affiliate program uses permanent cookies, which means that when someone visits Template Monster via your affiliate link, a cookie is set on their browser which allows you to get commission from purchases even a few months later when the visitor revisits chohanz templates to make a purchase.

This is useful because the visitor may not buy something on impulse but may return to the site a while later to make a more thorough purchase.

What is the target market for chohanz templates products?

I assume that the majority of the potential buyers would be businesses or webmasters who are establishing new business projects or ventures.

While there are CMS and blog templates, I doubt most bloggers would purchase them as there is a large variety of free Wordpress themes readily available. You might just do slightly better with bulletin board crowd, although they have their fair share of free templates as well.

Other web designers might also be a possible target market. Your affiliate links for chohanz templates would perform well on websites largely dealing with webmaster, business or design orientated topics.

Similar to the affiliate program for Best of the Web, chohanz templates could also be used as an add-on referral if you are providing a professional service (SEO and Marketing etc.) for a client.

How do I make money with templates.chohanz.com?

There are three main ways to make money with chohanz templates:

1. Refer visitors through your affiliate link to the Template Monster website.

2. Set up your own online store with the ready made store templates and scripts from Template Monster

3. Refer other affiliates to Template Monster’s affiliate program. This is known as a Supervisor program and allows you to receive 25% of the sum they earn as commission.

Affiliate Dashboard & Stats Tracking

Template Monster includes a pretty detailed commissions statistics program that is built in all affiliate dashboards. You can track your own and your sub-affiliates earnings as well as monthly traffic statistics for your template shop.

There is also an ad campaign tracker which is an analytic tool that allows you to gauge the usefulness of your advertising channels.

How this works is relatively easy: you’ll just need to include a modified link in the banner or promo ads that you buy on other websites and the campaign tracker will monitor the number of clicks and conversions from each advertising campaign you run.

How much will I earn with Template?

While I’m unable to find any apparent faults with Template Monster’s affiliate program, do bear in mind that I’ve not used their affiliate program and promoted their products extensively and so I cannot comment on how well they convert as well as their potential for profit.

I will however be straight up with all of you who might be interested in signing up for their affiliate program so you’ll have no illusions about how much money you will make. According to the research I’ve done in their forums, the conversion rate for Template Monster seems to be around 1 sale per 1000 targeted visitors, with a lot more affiliates doing much worse.

By targeted visitors, I’m referring to visitors who arrive at your website through Pay Per Click ads or search engines through highly relevant search terms.This simply means that you shouldn’t expect a lot of sales unless you’re willing to spend time and money either targeting the right keywords and ranking for them.

PPC advertising will help but you’ll need to pick the right keywords and generally know how to manage your costs and campaigns.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are affiliates in the forum who reputedly sell 5 to 10+ templates in a day, with each individual template bringing in commissions of $30 to $600.

Like every other affiliate program out there, you’re likely to earn a lot more money if you are aggressive, persistent and skilled at the entire process of driving targeted traffic to your site.

Signing up with Template Monster

If you’re still interested in giving Template Monster a try, here’s the signup link. Note that this is a link for Template Monster’s affiliate referral program and you should be using a similar link (with your unique id) if you chose to refer other affiliates to Template Monster as well.

Do any of you have any experience promoting Template Monster’s products? For those of you who are web designers, are their products reasonably priced? I have considered purchasing some templates from their site and a second opinion would be very useful indeed.

Located in Southeastern Europe, Greece is one of the most famous destinations for those who are inclined towards nature as well as for those who love places of historical significance. The landscape of Greece is mountainous with an interesting mix of plains as well. Tourism in Greece is a large industry, which is why one can find extremely good amenities. The beautiful landscapes and interesting monuments continue to attract visitors particularly from China. To know more about this beautiful country, read about some famous places in Greece.

Famous Places in Greece:

Athens:
Being the capital as well as the largest city of Greece, Athens attracts hordes of visitors every year. Athens is also known as the center for arts and philosophy. Since the 2004 Olympic games, Athens has turned out to be even more famous as a tourist destination. The city has the most magnificent museums that display the best in Greek art (The National Archaeological Museum and the Benaki Museum.) The Greek temple, Parthenon located on the Acropolis was designed by Phidias and is a must visit for tourists.

Corfu:
For the lovers of the azure waters, Corfu is a perfect destination! This Greek island lies in the Ionian Sea. The beautiful coastline stretches to 217 kilometers. Corfu is known for its very unique history, which lends it a completely different look from other places in Greece. The Corfu town is also distinctive because of the unique architecture. There are many landmarks of historical significance such as the City Hall based on Venetian-Roman style architecture or the palace of Mon Repos.

Santorini:
Known more for its volcanic islands, this is a circular shaped archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Although, Santorini can be considered to be the result of volcanic eruptions, it still remains a major tourist destination in Greece. What one can expect to see out here is the beautiful lagoon located between three cliffs. The town of Santorini is located high up on the cliffs that offers a panoramic view of the coastline. The towns of Kamari and Perissa are notable for their black sandy beaches. Those who love quiet, serene places can visit Akrotiri. Basically, you can look forward to a wonderful time at Santorini.

Rhodes:
The Greek island of Rhodes, famously known for the Colossus of Rhodes, lies in the eastern area of the Aegean Sea. There are many places that are of historical importance such as the Acropolis of Lindos, the Temple of Apollo, Acropolis of Rhodes and the old town of Rhodes etc. The island of Rhodes has a very lively nightlife. You can have a great time visiting the Archaeological Museum or simply amble along the lanes of the Old City. The Rhodes City has some interesting landmarks such as the Grand Master’s Palace and the Medieval City of Rhodes. It is amongst the best international tourist destinations.

Apart from these, some other famous places in Greece are Kefalonia, Mykonos, Crete and Kos that are a must-visit for all people who are planning to visit this country. Truly, Greece holds some of the most spectacular sights that can transport you to a completely different world!

The term “shade” has many variations in gardening. A shade in gardening could possibly mean a dimly lit area beneath tall trees, a bright but a non-sunny spot or an area that gets sunlight for a few hours in the morning and shade for the remaining day.

There is a wide variety of plants that have been categorized as shade garden plants. A well-landscaped shade garden or a shaded garden has a charm of its own. Choose the flowering plants that grow well in the shade. The bloom color of the plants should complement each other to harmonize the appearance of the garden. The shade garden provides a cooling and soothing effect to one’s eyes in summer. Landscaping plays a prominent role while developing a shaded garden.

A few things that you need to take into account before planning a shaded garden are the type of shade and soil texture. There are two types of shades - partial shade and total shade. This is an important criterion to choose the plants according to degree of the shade.

The soil-texture of the area should also be considered. The soil-texture could be either damp or dry. You need to prepare the soil before planting. You can mix mulch with the soil to create a perfect soil texture.

Like the plants that grow in sunlight, the shade garden plants also require regular watering. If you are planning for a shade garden under the tall trees, remember, the trees would guzzle moisture leaving very little for the shade plants. Hence, it is wise to water the plant regularly or depending on the basis of the soil-texture.

A Few Shaded Plants

You need to understand the degree of shade of the site you have chosen for a shade garden. Remember, the shades vary from dense shade to partial shade. Choose your shade garden plants accordingly. It is always better to choose the plants that match the conditions of a proposed site, instead of changing the pre-existing conditions. Here are the examples of some of the shade garden plants.

Monkshood - This plant is ideal for partial or dapple shade. The blooms of the monkshood would last for a couple of months. This plant is pest and disease resistant.

Fern - Fern is one the plants that is widely used in shade gardening. It has a unique appearance and grows well in all degrees of shades.

Golden Dead Nettle - This plant is one of the plants that would make a wonderful ground cover. It would make an ideal border plant for the garden. Golden Dead nettle is one of the preferred plants for container gardening.

Japanese Yew - There is a wide variety of colors in Japanese yew. It is mostly used as a foundation plant and would also make an excellent border hedge. This plant is commonly used in rock gardens.

Turk’s Cap Hibiscus - This plant blooms in summer and autumn. It is a perennial plant and would make an ideal plant for shade gardens. The bright colored flowers attract butterflies and small birds such as hummingbirds.

Wood Anemones - This is one of the perennial plants that grow well in shady areas. The blooms are star-shaped and are known as sepals. There are two types of blooms - white-colored and blue-colored.

Shade gardening is one of the many types of gardening techniques that is in vogue. Some of the plants that are preferred by gardeners for shade gardening are lily of the valley, bunchberry, shooting star, forget-me-not and many more.

Different types of music help in soothing one’s disturbed soul, in the growth of concentration and also enliven us to live life to the fullest. There are varied genres of music as people have different tastes. For e.g., classical music, rock, jazz, metal, rap, folk etc. But the objective remains the same. The aim of all music is to touch the core of the heart and thus music can be called an expression of our heart’s saying. To understand and know about different genres of music, let us have a look at the following genres.

Different Music Genres

Classical Music: Classical music is a complex form of music as it requires high musical skills, like learning the ragas and ability to coordinate with other musicians. One has to maintain the complex relationship between its emotional flows. If you wish to learn this music, then you have to go through proper training.

Rock Music: This music genre originated in the rock and roll era of 1950s. The vocals are accompanied by guitar, drum and bass. (Read information on musical instruments.) Certain rock groups also use piano, synthesizer, saxophone, flute, mandolin and sitar for a deeper effect. This type of music has several sub genres, such as hard rock, progressive rock and metal rock. All these types of rock music are popular till date.

Metal Music: Metal music emerged after the Second World War. Here the melody of the song is heavily influenced by the structure of the songs. While in rock music, songwriting is based within a form; in metal music, the central melody decides the structure of the song. It is also known as ‘information music’.

Hip-hop Music: Hip-hop music always includes the use of instruments such as guitar, violin, fiddle, piano, bass and drums. In these types of music, the bass is the main instrument. This can be used in different intensities to emote feelings of anger, pride and others. This type of music is the result of hip-hop culture and is known as hip-hop music. This music shows a heavy influence of Jamaican music. The roots of the music are found in African American and West African music. It was first played by a group of traveling singers and poets of West Africa.

Wedding Ceremony Music: Wedding music is used in the ceremonies like wedding. These can be classical and modern, according the tastes of people. Some people prefer country melodies, while others opt for classical music as wedding music. Such music varies from every culture.

Trance Music: This type of music is usually played in club houses and discotheques. It originated in the 20th century. This music is characterized by fast tempo and repetitious beats of the percussion. It has a hypnotic effect on the souls of listeners.

Jazz: This type of music is featured by strong and complex rhythms. The main musical instruments used for jazz music are cornet, trumpet or violin, that help carry the melody. This is a rhythmic music and has a forward momentum called “swing”. However, in this music genre, the skilled performer interprets a tune in his own way. To know more about the musicians of this genre read on jazz musicians.

Folk Music: Folk music is a kind of traditional music that is handed down from generations in every culture. This type of music reflects the emotions of common laity. Popular music and tribal music are the two sub genres of folk music. This folk music shows the social upheaval that lies among various classes of people. This also portrays their struggle for survival and their culture.

Techno Music: Techno music is also known as fusion music. This became popular towards the middle part of of the 1980s. This is a form of electronic dance music and based on African American music styles like funk, electro and electric jazz. It features fast beats and this form was initiated by Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May.

Opera Music: Opera music first emerged in Italy in the 1600s. This genre has a remarkable combination of theatrical art and musical invention and is specifically played in the theaters. This has greater appeal for its delightful orchestral accompaniment. The preludes and interludes of this music set the tone for the action on-stage.

Beside these, there are Blues, new age music, Celtic music, religious music, Chamber music that have a soul touching effects.

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