Most Awesome New iPhone App

This app rocks. It translates languages automatically without an internet connection. So for instance you and your honey are on the beach in Spain and you happen to see this sign. Yeah OK like you would be looking at this sign, but you get the picture. It’s called the World Lens. So no need to spend all that money on learning how to speak Spanish or French. Now we wonder if we can get our money back from Rosetta Stone?

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Biggest Political Lies of 2010

Obama's Promises

Presidents and promises have been comrades since the birth of our nation. Sometimes, the vows have been bold: Lyndon B. Johnson pledged to eliminate poverty in his 1964 State of the Union Address. Obviously, that didn't happen. Other times, the promises have been mostly fulfilled, as when Roosevelt announced his historic New Deal. Throughout his campaign, President Obama made more than 500 promises to our nation, according to PolitiFact, a service from the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times that assesses the truth behind politicians' statements. Here is how PoliFact says the president is doing.

Foreclosure prevention fund
'The Fund will not help speculators, people who bought vacation homes or people who falsely represented their incomes.'
PolitiFact rating: Compromise

Repeal the Bush-era tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 (couple) or $200,000 (single)
'At a time when Americans are working harder than ever, we are taxing income from work at nearly twice the level that we're taxing gains for investors,' Obama said. 'We've lost the balance between work and wealth.'
PolitiFact rating: Stalled

Require health-insurance
coverage for all children
'Barack Obama and Joe Biden will require that all children have health-care coverage … [and] expand the number of options for young adults to get coverage by allowing young people up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents' plans.'
PolitiFact rating: Promise Kept

Build an electronic health
information system
'Barack Obama and Joe Biden will invest $10 billion a year over the next five years to move the U.S. health-care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health-information systems, including electronic health records. They will also phase in requirements for full implementation of health IT and commit the necessary federal resources to make it happen.'
PolitiFact rating: In the Works

Assure that the Veterans Administration budget is prepared as 'must-pass' legislation
'Obama will meet early in the budgeting process each year with congressional leaders and the nation's leading Veterans' Service Organizations (VSOs) to ensure the VA budget is always given 'must-pass' status.'
PolitiFact Rating: Promise Kept

Begin drawing down combat
troops from Iraq
'Barack Obama will work with military commanders on the ground in Iraq and in consultation with the Iraqi government to end the war safely and responsibly within six months.'
PolitiFact Rating: Promise Kept

Deploy additional troops to Afghanistan
'As Obama removes our combat brigades from Iraq, he will send at least two additional brigades to Afghanistan, where the Taliban is resurgent. He will also provide our armed forces with the reset capability that they need. He will replace essential equipment, and he will ensure that our men and women in uniform get the care and support they have earned.'
PolitiFact Rating: Promise Kept

Close Guantanamo Bay
'As president, Barack Obama will close the detention facility at Guantanamo. He will reject the Military Commissions Act, which allowed the U.S. to circumvent Geneva Conventions in the handling of detainees. He will develop a fair and thorough process based on the Uniform Code of Military Justice to distinguish between those prisoners who should be prosecuted for their crimes, those who can't be prosecuted but who can be held in a manner consistent with the laws of war and those who should be released or transferred to their home countries.'
PolitiFact Rating: Stalled

End the use of torture
'Barack Obama will end the use torture without exception. He also will eliminate the practice of extreme rendition, where we outsource our torture to other countries.'
PolitiFact Rating: In the Works

New rules barring paid lobbyists from serving as administration officials
'No political appointees in an Obama-Biden administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration.'
PolitiFact Rating: Promise Broken

Require full disclosure and a waiting period for budget earmarks
'The Transparency and Integrity in Earmarks Act will shed light on all earmarks, disclosing the name of the legislator who asked for each earmark, along with written justification, 72 hours before they can be approved by the full Senate.'
PolitiFact Rating: Compromise

Create tough new financial regulations
'I'll put in place the common-sense regulations and rules of the road I've been calling for since March--rules that will keep our market free, fair and honest; rules that will restore accountability and responsibility in our corporate boardrooms.'
PolitiFact Rating: Promise Kept

Provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants
'Obama and Biden support a system that requires undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.'
PolitiFact Rating: Stalled

Create 5 million new 'green industry' jobs
'Obama and Biden will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial-scale renewable energy, invest in low-emissions coal plants and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid. A principal focus of this fund will be devoted to ensuring that technologies that are developed in the U.S. are rapidly commercialized in the U.S. and deployed around the globe.'
Politifact Rating: In the Works

Create a cap-and-trade system to control global-warming emissions
'As president, I will set a hard cap on all carbon emissions at a level that scientists say is necessary to curb global warming--an 80 percent reduction by 2050 … These reductions will start immediately, and we'll continue to follow the recommendations of top scientists to ensure that our targets are strong enough to meet the challenge we face.'
PolitiFact Rating: Promise Broken

Increase funding for national parks
and forests
'As president, he and Joe Biden will repair the damage done to our national parks by inadequate funding and emphasize the protection and restoration of our National Forests.'
PolitiFact Rating: Promise Kept

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Drunk People In Yoga Positions

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The World's Most Famous Celebrity Grave Sites

The World's Most Famous Celebrity Grave Sites

Here are some other beloved stars' final burial spots.

Finally, after much ado about location, Michael Jackson's body was laid to rest at the star-studded Forest Lawn Glendale in Los Angeles. His final residence is now in the Great Mausoleum, a gallant structure on the grounds of the cemetery, and home to legendary stars like Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. Also buried in the cemetery are two of his lifelong heroes, Walt Disney and Larry Fine, one of the Three Stooges. We imagine this site will garner much attention and reverence from fans for many years to come.

Jim Morrison was a hard-living rock star whose candle burned from both ends up until his death in Paris at the age of 27. Like many deceased stars, there are numerous conspiracy theories surrounding Morrison's demise. Some say he died of a drug overdose in his apartment, while others suspect foul play. But due to French law, no autopsy was performed, so no one will ever know the truth behind the Doors singer's untimely death.His current resting place is in the ancient and world-famous Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. His gravesite is never without an abundance of flowers and mementos, and people everywhere consider visiting his grave as a kind of rock 'n' roll pilgrimage

Marilyn Monroe is another star who should have lived and worked until old age. Instead, in 1962, the iconic actress was found dead in her Brentwood home at the age of 36. The cause of death, according to the autopsy report, was "acute barbiturate poisoning," resulting from a "probable suicide." Of course conspiracy abounds in this case, too.Marilyn is buried in a crypt at the Corridor of Memories at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, and, man, is it valuable real estate. The crypt above hers recently sold for $4.6 million

Like Marilyn, Princess Diana should have lived to a ripe, royal age. She was loved by pretty much everyone, so when she died in a car accident in August 1997, almost 2.7 billion people tuned in for her televised funeral. She was only 36 and had two small sons (who aren't so small anymore) and people blamed everyone from the paparazzi to the Queen of England for her death. It was

finally ruled in 2008 that the negligent driving of both parties (her driver and the cars following them) were to blame for the accident. Di's grave now sits on an island within the grounds of Althorp Park, the Spencer family home

Teenyboppers the world over seriously mourned Elvis Presley's death in 1977, even though the King of Rock 'N' Roll was just a shell of his former self right before his passing. There continues to be some argument about how Presley died. Some believe he died of ingesting a lethal combination of prescription pills, while others argue he died of a heart attack.Today, Elvis is buried at (you guessed it) Graceland, in an area known as the Meditation Garden.

Anna Nicole Smith (born Vickie Lynn Marshall) was larger than life in many ways. And though she was no stranger to the gossip rags and tabloids, nobody expected her sudden death just five months after the birth of her daughter Dannielynn. Like Elvis, her death was blamed on an overdose from prescription drugs and was fraught with controversy. The former Playboy model and reality star rests in Lakeview Memorial Gardens in Nassau, Bahamas. A tropical paradise isn't a bad place to spend eternity

Natalie Wood died in 1981 at the age of 43 from a seemingly minor boating accident that went horribly wrong. After drinking several glasses of wine, she fell overboard one night and accidentally drowned while on vacation with husband Robert Wagner.The actress's body is buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.

Talk about tragedy. James Dean's rocket of fame was just blasting off when Cal Poly college student Donald Turnupseed slammed head-on into the star's 1955 Porsche Spyder. Hours later, Dean died at the hospital at the age of 24. Famously, his last words (to his mechanic friend in the car with him) were rumored to be, "That guy's gotta stop ... He'll see us."Dean's body is buried in Park Cemetery in Fairmount, Ind., where he had spent his high school years

Old Blue Eyes lived a long, fast-paced movie star life up until he died of a heart attack in 1998 at the age of 82. Frank Sinatra's last words as the doctors attempted to stabilize him were, "I'm losing." What a sadly existential realization. He's buried in Desert Memorial Park in the California desert town of Cathedral City, near Palm Springs.

Like Frank Sinatra, classic Hollywood beauty Bette Davis lived a long life. After battling a number of ailments, she succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 81 in 1989. Her final resting place is at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, along with the epitaph "She did it the hard way."

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Most Wanted Tech Gifts

These items will surely brighten any gadget lover's Christmas this season.

CNET editors, among others, have picked the top tech for this year's holiday season. From laptops and tablets to cameras, TVs and more, here are some ideas that might please your favorite geek.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-portable

Editors’ take: Even with its slightly low USB 3.0 performance, the GoFlex Ultra makes an excellent portable external hard drive for people who need more storage.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W350

Editors’ take: A sweet, little wide-angle compact, the Sony Cyber-shot should make a lot of snapshooters happy.

Xbox Kinect 360

Editors’ take: With its impressive body tracking and unusual, controller-free experience, Kinect is great for casual gaming parties and workouts -- assuming you have enough room to play it.


Panasonic HDC-SD60s

Editors’ take: Panasonic's entry-level HD camcorders -- the HDC-HS60, TM60, TM55 and SD60 -- deliver a nice manual feature set and good performance, plus solid video quality for their class.

Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (160GB)

Editors’ take: With a smaller design, more energy-efficient operation, lower price tag and built-in Blu-ray and multimedia capabilities, the PS3 Slim delivers a compelling package for a reasonable price.

Roku XDS

Editors’ take: If you don't need compatibility with iTunes, you’ll likely find Roku's trio of affordable video boxes offers a wider range of streaming video and audio providers than Apple TV does.

Xbox 360 Slim (black, 250GB)

Editors’ take: If you don’t own an Xbox 360 with an HDMI-out port and hard drive, you might consider the new Xbox 360 because it addresses most of the concerns editors have had with previous versions.

Panasonic Viera TC-P50VT20

Editors’ take: With 2D and 3D sources, Panasonic's flagship TC-PVT20/25 series delivers outstanding overall picture quality.

iPod Touch 2010

Editors’ take: The iPod Touch is the best iPod yet, offering all the fun of the iPhone experience without a carrier contract or monthly bill.

T-Mobile G2

Editors’ take: Some minor issues aside, the T-Mobile G2 is one of the carrier's top Android smart phones, offering an excellent QWERTY keyboard, speed and plenty of features.


Amazon Kindle

Editors’ take: The third-generation Kindle's upgrades ― including an improved screen, better battery life, lighter weight and lower price ― send it to the top of the e-book reader category.

Apple MacBook Air

Editors’ take: The MacBook Air is smaller and less expensive, creating an excellent ultraportable but leaving out a few features along the way.

Apple iMac

Editors’ take: The new iMac comes with a faster CPU and a new graphics card, helping this 27-inch all-in-one desktop stay as competitive in performance as it was in screen size.

Garmin Nuvi 3790T

Editors’ take: The Garmin Nuvi 3790T combines a super-slim form, a smart phone-worthy touch screen and Garmin's GPS software into one fine navigator.

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