Girlay Blog

Even though we're basically on the eve of Sony's big launch of the PlayStation 3, we still had a few outstanding questions about some of the minutiae of the console. Yeah, we're dorky sticklers for detail like that. So here are a few interesting facts about the PlayStation 3 you may (or may not) be interested in knowing: After plenty of gameplay the console is cool -- or at worst warm -- to the touch on every surface. In a side by side test with the Xbox 360, the console is comparably virtually silent, and the Blu-ray drive is significantly quieter than the 360's DVD drive. USB keyboards and mice will be plug-n-play, no fuss at all. Who really wants to browse the web with a PlayStation controller anyway? Bluetooth mice and keyboards will not work with the system at launch. Any (A2DP) Bluetooth headset should theoretically work with the system, though Sony will have a recommended hardware list.  http://xsemulator.net The EyeToy is the only USB w...

When Zafar Achakzai, a journalist in the restive Pakistani province of Balochistan, heard a loud, insistent knocking on his door just before sunrise on June 25, he did not quite know what to expect. When he answered, he was met by about a dozen armed men, some in Pakistani paramilitary uniforms. "They ordered me to come with them," the 21-year-old reporter told Al Jazeera by telephone. "When we were some distance from my home, they blindfolded me, and then I was held at some unknown place." For hours, he remained in the dark. Eventually, men came to ask him questions, to confirm his identity and take down details about his work. It was then that he asked them why he had been taken. "I was told that I use Facebook quite a lot. That is all that they said." Achakzai was held without charge and interrogated repeatedly over the next three days. His interrogators, who refused to identify themselves, only said that they were concerned about several Fa...

Throughout my lifetime I have visited quite a few countries.  While serving in the Foreign Service for over two decades, I was lucky enough to travel to countries around the world that included one country which most of us might not have even thought about or if so was unable to visit due to various reasons. Other countries that I have been to are places which most of us have been and nothing much to say about them. Whenever I mention this country my friends give me a strange look wondering what kind of a person was I to visit this place. http://wherewelive.org  Some even inquired why did I go there or did I enjoy being to this country. My simple answer was I was a civil servant and wherever I was assigned I had to go as I had no choice. This country was Russia. I suppose most of us have no idea about this country or even dreamed of going there. However, I don’t mean all as there might be some fortunate guys like me. As soon as I knew I was assigned to the ...

The first thought that newly engaged brides-to-be have is starting their search for their perfect wedding dress. Most women have dreamed of their big day all their lives, and the pressure to find the wedding dress that matches those dreams is unreal. Although planning the wedding and finalising the design of the dress is a fun process, for many it can be extremely stressful and confusing. Relax! De-stress and enjoy the experience. The trick is to start planning very early so that you don’t have to run around at the very last minute. Decide on your budget for the dress and whether it will be a readymade one or customised to your taste. Your dress should suit the activities and style of your wedding. Ask yourself questions like, “Do I feel beautiful in this dress?”, “Can I dance and move around all night?”, or “Can I sit down?” http://weddinghairstyless.com Dresses with beautiful trains, and detailing across the hem are great, but don’t forget about the top of your dress as well as...

A Partner and Co-Chair of Olshan Frome Wolosky’s Activist & Equity Investment Group, Andrew Freedman is one of the leading attorneys in the U.S. practicing in the area of shareholder activism and advises some of the nation’s most prolific activist investors, including Starboard Value and Elliott. He has been ranked by Chambers USA as a “Leading Lawyer” in the inaugural Corporate/M&A: Shareholder Activism category. According to Chambers USA, Freedman “really understands what his client wants and is creative in figuring out ways to get there." Christopher P. Skroupa:  From the activist perspective, what were the major wins in engagement this past year?  http://wearecephalization.com Andrew Freedman:  After a relatively sleepy 2016 for large cap activism, the top-tier shareholder activists came back with a vengeance in 2017, mounting high-profile campaigns against well-known, large-cap target companies. Most recently, Bill Ackman fell short in his campaign against ...

Madrox has been in the comic spotlight on three separate occasions, and each time, things have been... weird. For those who aren't fans of the comic book exploits of Marvel's  X-Men , the news that James Franco and Simon Kinberg are developing a stand-alone feature based around Jamie Madrox might seem an unexpected choice. After all, who even knows who Madrox  is ? For comic book fans, however, it's a sign that Fox's plans for the larger  X-Men  franchise have likely just gotten weirder — and a lot more fun. Madrox debuted, of all places, in a 1975  Fantastic Four  comic ( Giant-Size Fantastic Four  No. 4, to be exact, by future  X-Men  writers Len Wein and Chris Claremont, with art by John Buscema) before fading into the background for a number of years. That's not to say he hasn't had his time in the comic book spotlight, however, and it's those brief shining moments that tease some strange, wonderful movie possibilities ahead.  http://wayneindustri...

A  Bloomberg  interview has revealed Old Mutual Gold & Silver Fund has set aside roughly 11 million USD from its holdings since spring of this year to purchase the world’s most popular cryptocurrency, bitcoin. It’s another feather in the decentralized currency’s cap, even as debate rages as to whether it will ever supplant gold’s tradition of being a hedge against tough economic times.    http://wabbo.org   Bitcoin Paving Way for Reintroduction of Gold as Global Money Ranjeetha Pakiam reports: “The Old Mutual Gold & Silver Fund, which manages $220 million of mostly precious metal equities, is jumping on the bitcoin wagon.” Fund manager Ned Naylor-Leyland explained to Ms. Pakiam how they’ve been gobbling up bitcoin since April “with a mandate to allocate as much as 5 percent to cryptocurrencies,” Ms. Pakiam writes. A response back in 2015 from the fund manager, to an individual who viewed bitcoin as too volatile. “Bitcoin is paving the way for the reintroduction of ...