SAN FRANCISCO– Apple® today introduced the iPad, a revolutionary device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books and much more. iPad’s responsive high-resolution Multi-Touch™ display lets users physically interact with applications and content. iPad is just 0.5 in. thick and weighs just 1.5 lbs.— thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook. iPad includes 12 new innovative apps designed especially for the iPad, and will run almost all of the over 140,000 apps in the App Store. iPad will be available in late March starting at the breakthrough price of just $499.

“iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”

iPad features 12 next-generation Multi-Touch applications. Every app works in both portrait and landscape, automatically animating between views as the user rotates iPad in any direction. The precise Multi-Touch interface makes surfing the web on iPad an entirely new experience, dramatically more interactive and intimate than on a computer. Reading and sending email is fun and easy on iPad’s large screen and almost full-size “soft” keyboard. Import photos from a Mac®, PC or digital camera, see them organized as albums, and enjoy and share them using iPad’s elegant slideshows. Watch movies, TV shows and YouTube, all in HD or flip through pages of an e-book you downloaded from Apple’s new iBookstore while listening to your music collection.

iPad runs almost all of the over 140,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone® or iPod touch®. The iTunes® Store gives you access to the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 11 million songs, over 50,000 TV episodes and over 8,000 films including over 2,000 in stunning high definition video. Apple also announced the new iBooks app for iPad, which includes Apple’s new iBookstore, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device. The iBookstore will feature books from major and independent publishers.

Apple also introduced a new version of iWork® for iPad, the first desktop-class productivity suite designed specifically for Multi-Touch. With Pages®, Keynote® and Numbers® you can create beautifully formatted documents, stunning presentations with animations and transitions, and spreadsheets with charts, functions and formulas. The three apps will be available separately through the App Store for $9.99 each.

iPad syncs with iTunes just like the iPhone and iPod touch, using the standard Apple 30-pin to USB cable, so you can sync all of your contacts, photos, music, movies, TV shows, applications and more from your Mac or PC. All the apps and content you download on iPad from the App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore will be automatically synced to your iTunes library the next time you connect with your computer.

iPad’s brilliant 9.7-inch, LED-backlit display features IPS technology to deliver crisp, clear images and consistent color with an ultra-wide 178 degree viewing angle. The highly precise, capacitive Multi-Touch display is amazingly accurate and responsive whether scrolling web pages or playing games. The intelligent soft keyboard pioneered on iPhone takes advantage of iPad’s larger display to offer an almost full-size soft keyboard. iPad also connects to the new iPad Keyboard Dock with a full-size traditional keyboard.

iPad is powered by A4, Apple’s next-generation system-on-a-chip. Designed by Apple, the new A4 chip provides exceptional processor and graphics performance along with long battery life of up to 10 hours.* Apple’s advanced chemistry and Adaptive Charging technology deliver up to 1,000 charge cycles without a significant decrease in battery capacity over a typical five year lifespan.**

iPad comes in two versions—one with Wi-Fi and the other with both Wi-Fi and 3G. iPad includes the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi, and the 3G versions support speeds up to 7.2 Mbps on HSDPA networks. Apple and AT&T announced breakthrough 3G pre-paid data plans for iPad with easy, on-device activation and management.

Continuing Apple’s dedication to designing and creating environmentally responsible products, each iPad enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy-efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. iPad contains no brominated flame retardants and is completely PVC-free.

Apple today released a new Software Development Kit (SDK) for iPad, so developers can create amazing new applications designed to take advantage of iPad’s capabilities. The SDK includes a simulator that lets developers test and debug their iPad apps on a Mac, and also lets developers create Universal Applications that run on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

iPad will be available in late March worldwide for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, $699 (US) for the 64GB model. The Wi-Fi + 3G models of iPad will be available in April in the US and selected countries for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. International pricing and worldwide availability will be announced at a later date. iBookstore will be available in the US at launch.

*(Apple tested wireless battery life by browsing web pages and receiving email over an AirPort® network, never letting the system go to sleep during the test, and keeping the display at half brightness. This is a typical scenario of use on the go, resulting in a battery performance number that is very relevant to mobile users).

**(A properly maintained iPad battery is designed to retain 80 percent or more of its original capacity during a lifespan of up to 1,000 recharge cycles. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings).

www.apple.com/ipad/

by Apple, Inc.
Press Release / NEWSWIRE

There was the economy to fix, the war to deal with, gay rights, foreclosures, and Americans getting laid off, and plenty more! So imagine yourself in the President’s position. He’s kept the country together, which is a pretty huge accomplishment considering the United States wasn’t in “tip-top” shape. On top that he has done even more!

(Continues after graphic…)

President Obama has accomplished other things, such as:

• The senate has recently passed the healthcare reform, which means health care for almost everyone!
• The economy has gotten to a 1.9% growth rate! Sounds small but is better than our previous 0.9% growth rate.
• He’s banned torturing and inhumane treatments of prisoners.
• Our President has appointed the first Latina to the Supreme Court.
• He has cut taxes 95% to all working families.
• President Obama has dedicated more than 60 billion dollars for clean energy.

President Obama has also influenced many children. He has taken time out of his busy days of fixing this country to directly talk to the young people of this country. The president didn’t just say “stay in school!” but told kids why they should stay in school and what means for their future.

Are you ready for another awesome Obama-filled year?

by Saba Kinfe, 6th Grade
Associate Editor / THE LION LEDGER

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.

Five days after his birthday last year, Dr. King’s dream came true. On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama was inaugurated as the President of the United States of America– the first African-American in office. Over this past year President Barack Obama has received the Nobel Peace Prize in honor of his determination to have peace in Iraq. With President Barack Obama, Dr. King’s dream is very well alive!

by Javion R., 8th Grade
Managing Photo Editor / THE LION LEDGER

The film starts out with a soldier named Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington) being transported to a planet called Pandora. Sully is crippled in the legs, so he uses a wheelchair. But when he is transformed into an avatar he can use his legs. The main plot is basically that Earth invades Pandora and one soldier tries to take a stand for it.

If I had to give this movie a grade, it would be a B+. This movie was very good, it had outstanding acting, and had good story line to it. But I’m giving it a B+ because of the graphics. To me, the graphics were too over the top. It had a nice “outer coating” to it, but if you look closer, they just seem really over done.

Also, the movie was kind of long, it was like three hours! To me, it did not need to be this long. Or with it being this long, they could have had more of the story told in the movie. Although I am saying these thing in my review, do not let it make you NOT go see the movie– It’s a really good one! I would recommend it to anyone.

One more thing, if you are planning to see this movie in 3D, don’t. There are barely enough effects that make it worthwhile to see in 3D. Save your money for popcorn!

by Zyhir Brown, 7th Grade
Editor-in-Chief / THE LION LEDGER

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.

Early estimates indicate that as many as three million people may be affected by the catastrophic earthquake which hit Haiti on January 12, 2010. The American Red Cross’ efforts are currently underway to provide basic supplies like food, water and medicine. The people of Haiti are struggling to survive during this critical time of need and you have the power to help.

In an effort to inspire Americans to support relief efforts, First Lady Michelle Obama, The Advertising Council and the American Red Cross have partnered to create a national public service advertisement campaign (PSA) to raise money to assist Haitians during this critical time of need.

The PSAs encourage all Americans to contribute to the American Red Cross’ relief efforts by going to www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or texting “HAITI” to 9-0-9-9-9* to automatically donate $10 to the American Red Cross.

*Standard Text Message & Data Rates May Apply

(from the National Ad Council)

From Staff Reports
News Team / THE LION LEDGER

There were reports of some looting in the capital, even as the U.S. military assumed control of the airport and helicopters airlifted supplies from a carrier off the coast.

Evans Paul, former mayor of Port-au-Prince, summed up Haiti’s two most urgent needs: “We need rescue and security,” he said.

With the USS Carl Vinson stationed in the bay of Port-au-Prince, the commander of the U.S. military relief effort said personnel and supplies were moving into the country, though their distribution was hampered by impassible roads and a desperate population.

In some neighborhoods, angry and frustrated men created road blockades from corpses.

“If the citizens of Haiti will just remain in place and remain calm, help is on the way,” Gen. Douglas Fraser, the head of the U.S. Southern Command, said at a press briefing in Miami.

The Haitian government, he said, had begun broadcasting the locations of distribution centers for food, water and medicine.

“Go to those places. Use those places,” he said. “That’s where you can get help.”

A reprieve also arrived from President Barack Obama, who on Friday approved Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, which will allow them to stay and work in the U.S., and send money home to their loved ones.

Also Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would travel to Haiti on Saturday to review the U.S.’s ongoing relief efforts and survey damage from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the Caribbean nation Tuesday.

Vice President Joe Biden also planned a trip to Miami with Secretary of Homeland of Security Janet Napolitano to meet with Haitian-Americans.

As many sought to leave the island, rescue efforts for those who remained continued around the clock.

At one site in Port-au-Prince, at a house near the presidential palace, rescue workers extricated two older people — a man and a woman — and carried them away on stretchers, battered but alive. The crowd that had gathered burst into applause.

As relief workers focused their rescue efforts on the capital city, other parts of this country were still awaiting food, water and medicine.

In the coastal city of Jacmel in southwestern Haiti, scores of homes and buildings were reduced to rubble, and roads were impassible.

As encampments sprung up throughout the island, Haitians grew tired of waiting for international relief and took matters into their own hands — providing security, and rationing what little they have.

Twenty young men patrolled the rocky soccer field and surrounding community, keeping vigil over the hundreds of homeless who had camped out night after frigid night in the Marie Therese neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.

The tired and weary who camped in the field sang for comfort. “Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made … ”

Not far away, their cry for help was captured in a few Creole words painted on a bedsheet hung between two trees: “Help. We need water. We need medicine — food.”

Many Haitians were critical of their government for not acting faster to bring help.

“Nobody is coming,” said Jasmine Pierre, who along with 10 members of her family have been camped out in a Port-au-Prince park since Tuesday.

“I think only God is in charge. The government should be here, any government. There is no government in the palace right now. I don’t even really know if Haiti has a government today.”

Haiti’s government institutions struggled to recover from their own devastation.

No single federal government office building remains standing, and officials were looking for a proper headquarters from which to organize relief operations, first lady Elizabeth Preval said.

“The Haitian government has a problem,” conceded President Rene Preval on Thursday.

“Before we can help the people, we have to figure out how to function under an extraordinarily difficult situation.”

At a police station near Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, government officials set up a makeshift command center, said former Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis.

“All the government ministers — President Preval, parliamentarians, advisors — all are here and are looking at what will be the new strategy from the engagement of help and assistance of the international community,” he said.

Fraser, the commander of U.S. military operations, could not give a timeline for relief to reach the hardest hit areas.

“We don’t have a good idea of the full extent of the problems,” he said.

More military forces were on the way as well to help the 4,200 U.S. personnel already in the country or offshore on the USS Carl Vinson.

An additional 6,300 military personnel are scheduled to arrive by Monday.

(Charles, Daniel and Robles reported from Haiti. Jen Lebovich reported from Guantanamo Bay. Daniel Shoer Roth reported from the Dominican Republic. Chang reported from Miami, as did staff writers Douglas Hanks, Curtis Morgan, Carol Rosenberg, Nancy San Martin and Jim Wyss. Lesley Clark contributed from Port-au-Prince).

___
© 2010, The Miami Herald
Visit them online at: www.miamiherald.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

by Jacqueline Charles, Trenton Daniel, Frances Robles and Daniel Chang
McClatchy Newspapers / (MCT)

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.

But as you may know there have been questions about Zhu Zhu Pets safety.

After recent tests, Zhu Zhu Pets were said to have a chemical called antimony. Too much of this toxic chemical can give people cancer, or problems with their heart and lungs.

After all the commotion of hearing this scary news, the company that makes Zhu Zhu Pets decided to take the test again. The second time the results came back the Zhu Zhu Pets were said to be 100% safe.

So all of you who were asking for a Zhu Zhu Pet for Christmas, but your parents were worried about its safety, don’t worry. Go get a Zhu Zhu Pet for yourself! If you can find one.

After all who doesn’t want a pet you dont have to clean up after?

(Note: Special thanks to “Kidstown Toy Shop” in Alameda for access to product).

by Saba Kinfe, 6th Grade
Associate Editor / THE LION LEDGER

Most children want cell phones or skinny jeans. Not iPods anymore, because “everyone” has one. They really should upgrade, or add something new.

They have just made a new iPod nano that has a video camera and picture access, but it hasn’t made a huge wave. Even though the commercial was cool and catchy.

When they made it less expensive no one bought it because, most people like to buy expensive stuff so they could show off. I think Apple should come up with a new device, something that will make kids want to go to the store and buy it.

Most kids don’t even touch their iPods after they get it. I happen to own one and I don’t really use it anymore. In fact, I haven’t even bothered to charge mine!

iPods used to be the coolest thing but that is no longer true.

by Alinda A., 5th Grade
Editorial Assistant / THE LION LEDGER

“New Super Mario Bros. Wii” takes that success and expands it, shoring up weak points from the first game and adding new features that have never been in a “Super Mario Bros.” game.

Like “New Super Mario Bros.,” the game’s visuals are in 3-D but arranged on a 2-D plane, so the game play is similar to the classic “Super Mario” games.

The game feels most like a mixture of “Super Mario Bros. 3″ and “Super Mario World,” from the return of Bowser’s seven Koopalings to the haunted houses in several worlds. There’s an ice world, a desert world, deep caves and high clouds– in short, a variety of locations that will seem familiar to longtime players of the series but are presented in new and interesting ways.

Also interesting are the new items Mario and Luigi can find, from the Propeller Mushroom, which can be used for short flights upward, to the enemy-freezing Ice Flower and the new Penguin Suit. The Mini Mushroom that shrinks Mario returns from the DS game, along with the standard Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and Starman items. Hungry dinosaur Yoshi appears, as well.

These items are all useful in getting through the game’s numerous courses, which start out fairly easy but get harder. The game is tough in the old “Super Mario Bros.” way.

It’s easy to blunder into a pit or enemy, but players who plug away at a tricky stage will usually find the way through– if not, the new Super Guide will show them the path. Collecting Star Coins in each level allows players to buy hint videos.

But the most dramatic addition is a concept that’s been around for decades: cooperative play, which has never been seen in a “Super Mario Bros.” game. Up to four players can run, hop and bop through any of the game’s levels, which adds a new dimension to the proceedings.

It’s tricky to make jumps onto narrow platforms when playing solo; it’s trickier when multiple players are bouncing off each other or accidentally on purpose throwing Koopa shells at their allies. Multiple players can pick up and throw each other, pound the ground for a screen- clearing blast, and use each other’s heads as springboards.

While in standard multiplayer mode, the characters are meant to work together, there are two modes in which they compete. Free-For-All ranks players at the end of each stage by score, coins and enemies bopped. Coin Battle uses only coins as the deciding factor.

Nominal teamwork– or at least noninterference– is still needed to get through stages in these modes, because if everyone dies, game over.

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII

• Publisher: Nintendo
• System: Nintendo Wii
• Price: $49.99
• Age rating: E for “Everyone”

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© 2009, The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, CA)
Visit them online at: www.sacbee.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

by Justin Hoeger
McClatchy Newspapers / (MCT)

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.

The plight of the Raiders was discussed in a recent conversation with one of the team’s former stars. Slinging theories is popular among the distinguished alumni, nearly all of whom have one.

But I’d never heard anyone express his so bluntly.

“I hate to say it, because the old man is a legend,” the former player said. “But I think we’re going to be like this as long as he’s around to run things. And I really don’t see him giving that up.”

The conventional thinking is that Al Davis never will sell the Raiders, for they are his life’s passion. That’s the feeling among ex-players, former employees and the broad variety of people who make up the fan base.

Indeed, thousands of fans came together to raise enough cash for a billboard advertisement that went up Tuesday, visible from northbound I-880 above High Street, about a mile south of the Oakland Coliseum. It depicts a Lombardi Trophy– and a plea for the 80-year-old owner and general manager to hire an actual GM.

These fans weeks ago constructed a Web site — messagetoal.com — that, along with record-low attendance, makes clear the widespread disgust with the steady decline of the franchise. Asking Davis to sell, however, sends a message too easily dismissed.

It is entirely coincidental that this billboard went up two days after it was reported, for the second time since January, that Davis is trying to sell a portion of the Raiders. If Fox Sports reporter Jay Glazer is right — and everything I’ve heard indicates he is — at least 10 percent of the franchise is very available. Davis owns by far the largest percentage of the team.

While there are numerous wealthy shoppers gazing at that Silver-and-Black slice of the NFL’s massive pie, nearly all have no desire to invest heavily in the organization as currently being operated.

There is the hope that former 49ers Steve Young and Brent Jones, who have sniffed around in the past, still might consider lending their names to a group.

More intriguingly, one multimillionaire sports figure who does not wish to be identified has several times over the past 18 months expressed an unwavering curiosity. A longtime fan of the team, he is displeased about its decline and, moreover, says he is in contact with one or more billionaires with a definite interest.

So the desire to buy is there. The money is there. A deal probably could be assembled and presented in a matter of weeks.

The biggest hang-ups, the only hang-ups, are stipulations regarding percentage and control.

The last time Davis sold a portion of the team was in 2007, when he added three minority partners. They are considerably younger than the other partners; they did not, according to the Raiders, receive an option to buy.

They probably wish they had. After the sale was completed, Davis decided to “make it rain” in some of the unlikeliest places, sprinkling gargantuan deals to the likes of Tommy Kelly, Javon Walker, Terdell Sands, DeAngelo Hall and Gibril Wilson _ none of whom has proved a sound investment.

Though it’s unlikely another bucket of gold would lead to similarly irresponsible spending, it’s only reasonable that any new investor would demand some influence.

Just because the NFL is a cash cow doesn’t mean carelessness is acceptable.

The only way new partners could ensure their participation in the decision-making process is if Davis were to relinquish a measure of the control he has had for more than four decades.

Anybody checking the team’s books would find compelling evidence toward that end.

They’d discover Oakland is an NFL-worst 27-80 since losing the Super Bowl after the 2002 season, growing distrust in Davis as a deal-maker and team-builder and, above all, in the language billionaires speak fluently, depreciation of a franchise in a league where depreciation typically does not exist.

After years of rising despite declining performance, the value of the Raiders dropped from an estimated $861 million in 2008 to $797 million in 2009, according to Forbes’ annual report. That figure is the league’s lowest — roughly half that of Dallas and Washington — and others speculate it should be lower.

So moving a piece of this team under the current conditions won’t be as easy as it should be, if it can be done at all.

There is plenty of potential for growth, though, if you bring plenty of money, gain the trust of Al and persuade him to at least share authority. Good luck getting a man with the heart of a gladiator to budge from his favorite seat.

___
© 2009, The Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA)
Visit them online at: www.insidebayarea.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

by Monte Poole
The Oakland Tribune / (MCT)

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.