3 reasons why Lauren Alaina just might win “American Idol”
TrendPK.com: We’ve been predicting the finalists for nearly three months, and, as always, the future seems clear. Blue-eyed teen heartthrob Scotty McCreery from Garner, North Carolina seems like a cinch to win Season 10 of “American Idol”.
The reasons are plenty—more young southern males have won “American Idol” than any other demographic, and the number of southern male runners up is also high. Yet, history dictates that Lauren Alaina might just have a shot at winning the Season 10 title:
Reason #1: Though southern men represent the top winning demographic, southern women are a close second. Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, David Cook, and Kris Allen comprise four of nine “American Idol” winners and are all from the south. Yet southern women Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, and Carrie Underwood make up a close second; Lauren Alaina could even things up.
Reason #2: Two of the four female winners so far beat out southern male contenders in the finals. Kelly Clarkson beat fellow southerner Justin Guarini and Carrie Underwood beat Bo Bice. Neither Fantasia Barrino nor Jordin Sparks went up against a southern male in the final.
Reason #3: Underdogs sometimes do well. Scotty McCreery has sailed through the competition wholly unscathed, never having been named among the bottom two or three. Sympathy for “wild card” or underdog competitors has often seen a boost in support for contestants. If Lauren Alaina is seen as a distant second to Scotty McCreery, such an image may come to her rescue just in time.
Yet, for every reason Lauren Alaina just might be able to pull off a win, there is at least one other strike against her. For one, most “American Idol” voters are young girls whose teen hormones may dictate favor for a male contestant. And, to many, Lauren Alaina, who fared better than most, may not seem like an underdog at all.
Photo by American Idol
Allies to ‘stay the course’ in Afghanistan: NATO chief
May 9, 2011 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
AFGHANISTAN: Osama bin Laden may be dead but NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Sunday that western powers will “stay the course” in Afghanistan amid growing calls for the decade-old war to end.
“International terrorism still poses a threat toward our countries,” Rasmussen told Fox News, while acknowledging that the Al-Qaeda leader’s death in a dramatic US commando raid a week ago may have marked a crucial milestone.
But Rasmussen said he was “optimistic” US and NATO forces will abide by a timetable to transition security to Afghan responsibility this year, with an aim to complete that process in 2014.
About 150,000 foreign troops — 100,000 of them US forces — are deployed in Afghanistan in a protracted counter-insurgency campaign against the Taliban, which was ousted in a US invasion in 2001 for its support for Al-Qaeda.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers have stepped up their calls for a more rapid US withdrawal from Afghanistan after the death of bin Laden.
A group of legislators from both parties has introduced a bill requiring President Barack Obama to provide an “exit strategy” for troops from Afghanistan. But the legislation is not expected to gain much traction as it has little support from congressional leaders.
The United States should “think very carefully about our objectives” in light of the war in Afghanistan’s heavy impact on the US military and its budget, Senator Richard Lugar told CNN’s “State of the Union.
“I would like to see this administration defining this much more precisely as opposed to the fact that we’re simply going to have a general review and 2014 is out there in some fashion,” added the Indiana senator, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Speaking on CBS television’s “Face the Nation,” the panel’s chairman Senator John Kerry said Congress should consider whether the United States can use fewer troops to realize its goals in Afghanistan.
“I think we have the ability to have a different footprint and still accomplish our goals,” said the Massachusetts Democrat.
But White House National Security Adviser Tom Donilon stressed that “we haven’t made those determinations yet” as far as concerns changing the pace of a withdrawal from Afghanistan.
On Friday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called bin Laden’s death a potential “game-changer” for the US-led war effort in Afghanistan, noting the killing could aggravate tensions between the Taliban insurgency, which includes spiritual leader Mullah Omar, and Al-Qaeda.
However, in speaking to service members at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, the Pentagon chief cautioned that it was “too early to make a judgment in terms of the impact inside Afghanistan, but I think in six months or so we’ll probably know if it’s made a difference.”
US: Blizzard Warning, More Than 1400 Flights Cancelled
December 27, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under Breaking News
The US National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for parts of New York, New Jersey and other states along the east coast of the United States as a major winter storm bears down on the area on Sunday.
American media reported that more than 1400 flights have been cancelled due to the treacherous weather conditions and heavy snow. The US National Weather Service has warned for more heavier snowfall in the coming 12 hours thus advising the people to stay inside their homes.
A band of frigid weather was snaking up the East Coast on Sunday, promising blizzards and a foot of snow for New York City and New England, while several states made emergency declarations as the storm caused crashes on slick roads.
Heavy snow and blizzards in parts of North Carolina were making driving conditions difficult, and there were dozens of traffic accidents.
Earl weakens to tropical storm as it moves toward Canada
September 4, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
SOUTH YARMOUTH, Massachusetts: Storm Earl barreled toward Canada past the northeastern US state of Massachusetts early Saturday after it weakened further and was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm.
But it still lashed the US East Coast with heavy rains and strong winds.
Residents in North Carolina were mopping up after a storm surge sent waves crashing ashore, flooding roads on the low-lying barrier islands as the high winds caused sporadic power outages.
New England and the outlying tourist hotspot of Cape Cod was close to Earl’s path, although it was not expected to receive a direct hit.
“At this time we have no official reports of fatalities related to the storm track nor do we have any report of damage,” Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told reporters.
Despite the downgrade of the storm,
matt harvey
June 8, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
SECAUCUS, N.J. — The New York Mets selected North Carolina pitcher Matt Harvey with the seventh overall pick in Monday night’s draft, comparing the right-hander to Mike Pelfrey.
Harvey, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound junior, was 8-3 with a 3.09 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 96 innings for the Tar Heels this season.
“This pick goes in line with what we feel is important 
Harvey was a third-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels out of high school in 2007, but chose not to sign. He went 7-2 in both his freshman and sophomore years, but saw his ERA rise from 2.79 to 5.40. He bounced back this season to show he has ace-type ability.
“After going through college for three years, what I feel were the best three years of my life, getting to watch the draft and being selected by the Mets seventh overall is something I really take pride in,” Harvey said.
Harvey sometimes struggles with his command, but has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and mixes in a power curve and a hard slider. His top performance came when he had a career-high 15 strikeouts against Clemson in April.
“As far as comparing him to someone that’s in the big leagues, you know, perhaps he’s someone in the mold of Mike Pelfrey,” scouting director Rudy Terrasas said during a conference call. “Big, strong, durable-type body with a good arm.”There has always been a disconnect between college coaches, who obviously want to win, and the pro teams scouting their players and want to preserve them for their own use. McPhail admitted he was “a little nervous, quite frankly,” when Harvey was chucking so many pitches. “I don’t know what other word to use. Anybody who likes a kid, you get nervous when things like that happen.”
nc lottery powerball results
June 3, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
The NC Lottery Powerball results are in! The latest Powerball numbers were drawn Wednesday night and there was one big jackpot winner! There were also 1,593,727 players who won prizes which total more than $15.3 million. So check your tickets, you could be one of the winners!
Wednesday’s winning numbers are 4, 9, 14, 39, 43 and a Powerball of 38. Powerball.com lists a state-by-state breakdown of winners in the latest June 2, 2010 drawing. North Carolina had 44,119 prize winners overall. One of those winners matched four numbers plus the Powerball for a prize of $10,000. You can see the breakdown of NC winners here. Florida had over 150,000 winners while Pennsylvania had 134,419 and New York 101,978.
Wednesday’s winning numbers are 4, 9, 14, 39, 43 and a Powerball of 38. Powerball.com lists a state-by-state breakdown of winners in the latest June 2, 2010 drawing. North Carolina had 44,119 prize winners overall. One of those winners matched four numbers plus the Powerball for a prize of $10,000. You can see the breakdown of NC winners here. Florida had over 150,000 winners while Pennsylvania had 134,419 and New York 101,978.
With a winner of the jackpot in Wednesday’s Powerball, the Powerball now resets to a jackpot of $20 million, or $10 million cash prize. For more information, please visit Powerball.com.
Miss Michigan 2010 winners of Miss USA 2010
Miss USA | Rima Fakih | Miss America 2010 | Miss USA 2010 Contestants
Miss USA 2010, will be the 59th Miss USA competition. It will be held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on 18 April 2010.
The winner will represent the USA in the Miss Universe 2010th Miss USA 2009, Kristen Dalton, from North Carolina, will crown her successor at the end of this event. 50 states and the District of Columbia will compete for the prestigious title and the competition will be broadcast live on NBC.
2010 Miss USA contest was held yesterday evening at the Theatre of Performing Arts at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. And if you wonder who was crowned the new Miss USA in 2010, it was Miss Michigan Rima Fakih.
The 51 participants were quickly reduced to 15 and then to five. The lucky women chosen to participate in the last five, including Miss Michigan, Miss Virginia, Miss Maine, Miss Colorado and Miss Oklahoma.
Our personal favorite from the beginning, Miss Michigan, so we are not surprised she won. Not only has she left impressive from a small drop during the evening gown portion of competition, but she also gave a shout out to her mother and her teacher during her interview questions. Miss Michigan was the only woman to do so throughout the competition.
Not only has Michigan (Rima Fakih) have the most grace, elegance and beauty throughout the competition, but she was also the most true. Her answer does not seem rehearsed, and her smile seemed forced, much as the other finalists.
Time for someone who deserves to win actually wins. Let’s hope she does not end up in the middle of the dispute that former Miss USA contestants - Tara Conner, Carrie Prejean.
liz murray
May 14, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Liz Murray – From Homeless to Harvard
may 12, 2010 Hood Hargett Breakfast Club awarded $13,000 in scholarships to area student athletes during the 2009-2010 school year, including $6,000 to Student Athlete of the Year Claudia Hanby of HopewellHigh School.
Each month of the school year, Hood Hargett Breakfast Club presents a local high school student athlete with $1,000 from its Liz Murray Scholarship Fund. the Student Athlete of the Year is selected from the eight monthly winners and presented with an additional $5,000 scholarship at the end of the year.
These students are hardworking and driven to succeed in all aspects of life, said Jenn Snyder, executive director of Hood Hargett Breakfast Club. we are proud to contribute to their college educations and help them take a big step toward their future.
Hanby is a varsity tennis and varsity soccer standout with a weighted grade point average of 4.9. She is president of the National Honor Society and National Math Honor Society, and she is ranked second in her senior class of 533.
The winner of Mays Liz Murray Scholarship is Eric Hogue of CharlotteCatholicHigh School. Hogue, who has a 4.25 weighted grade point average, is the 2010 North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A wrestling champion in the 140-pound weight class.
Other monthly winners include Jeremy Dennis of Zebulon B. Vance High School, Brady Stephenson of South Mecklenburg High School, Alex Polofsky of Butler High School, John Michael Tart of Mallard Creek High School, Montana Horton of West Mecklenburg High School and Jennifer Rosene of Ardrey Kell High School.
Homeless to Harvard a best seller and a true story of an author by her self known as Liz Murray. Liz born on September 23, 1980 in the Bronx, New York, USA. She was daughter of insolvent, HIV infected and heroin addicted parents.
When she was 15 her mother died due to AIDS… She did not attend the school at that time. Her father moved to homeless shelter and left him homeless.
She left alone to in streets of New York eating from the dumpsters and taking shelters at the subway stations. Her life takes twist when she started attending Humanities Preparatory School, in Chelsea, Manhattan. She successful gradates from the while living on the streets. She earned the scholarship for needy students called New York Times scholarship. After accepting into Harvard School, in fall semester she did metrication.
In 2003 , she left Harvard to take care of her sick ADIS infected father and started her studies in Columbia University , so that’s she would look after her farther , still living in homeless shelter. Liz father died in 2006 because of AIDS. In 2008 she returns to Harvard and graduated in June 2009 in psychology. Later she stared class at the Harvard Summer School to take doctorate degree in clinical psychology.
miss usa
May 10, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
She was the Miss USA contestant last year who was attacked first for her views on gay marriage and then again weeks later for a series of sexy photos that were deemed so racy, they almost cost the reigning Miss California her crown.
Well, times sure have changed at Miss USA under the tutelage of its owner, real estate tycoon and media personality Donald Trump.
Last week, the 51 Miss USA hopefuls convened in Las Vegas and shot their official contestant photos with photographer Fadil Berisha.
The look?
Lacy lingerie, fishnets, smudged black eyeliner, knee-high boots, ample cleavage and plenty of bare skin, all while positioned in seductive poses on a large bed.
SNEAK PEEK: The 51 New Pageants Photos: Are They Too Much?
Miss Virginia and Miss Kansas are even braless, donning only open shirts and panties.
For some Miss USA hopefuls, participating in such a sexy shoot caused quite a bit of apprehension. Paula Miles, the state director for South Carolina, North Carolina and Louisiana, told Pop Tarts she received a distressing call from two of her pageant contestants just prior to having had their pictures taken.
“They happened to have gone up in the room and they saw what was taking place, and they called concerned, and my best advice to them was just to not compromise yourself,” Miles told Pop Tarts. “They made sure their breasts were covered and that they weren’t in provocative attire. They knew that their family was going to see these. They were concerned, knowing that they had to participate in order to be competitive.”
Miles said the theme of the Miss USA shoot went against how she ran her state pageants.
“We’re from the South, we have a business, and we have to be broad-based and have an open mind, but we run our business as a wholesome, family, basic experience,” she explained. “Once it gets to the national level, it takes on a different feel.”
VOTE: Do the New Miss USA Photos Go Too Far?
Miles did add that the final photographs were better than she expected, and for the most part artistic and beautiful. California’s state director, Keith Lewis, who was involved in a lawsuit with Prejean after she was stripped of her Miss California crown, had no problem with them at all.
It seems some folks are getting their panties in a twist over a bunch of photos showing this year’s Miss USA contestants wearing not much more than…their bra and panties.
Take Rima Fakih, aka Miss Michigan. She, like all the ladies who will be strutting their stuff during the May 16 pageant in Las Vegas, posed provocatively for her promo pics.
Acc Tournament 2010,Acc Basketball Tournament 2010
March 12, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
TrendPK.com
Acc Tournament 2010,Acc Basketball Tournament 2010:– The ACC Tournament 2010 is moving to the quarterfinals. The event is takes place at North Carolina’s Greensboro Coliseum. The winner of the ACC Basketball Tournament will be able to earn a bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
Below is the ACC Tournament 2010 Schedule.
12:00 [...]
