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The 56th inauguration of the American president is in many ways no different than its predecessors, but in others, this is no ordinary swearing-in ceremony. Barack Obama’s election to the presidency astonished the country and the world; few believed they would ever see a black man in the Oval Office, or a black family residing in the White House.
Yet, on January 20, 2009, 145 years -- almost to the day -- after President Lincoln issued the second of two executive orders constituting the Emancipation Proclamation, and 143 years after ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, taking the oath on the very same Bible used to swear in Abraham Lincoln.
In light of this historic event, we present 5 things you didn’t know about the Obama inauguration.
1- Tickets go for $40,000Actually, every one of the 250,000 or so tickets to the Inauguration Day are given to members of Congress, who then distribute them -- free of charge -- to their constituency on request.
Yet, the excitement surrounding this inauguration has made them the hottest ticket in the land of the (free) market economy; thus, opportunists, including professional ticket agencies, went to work almost the moment news outlets declared the winner. They began advertising online, and prices reached as high as $40,000 for tickets they neither had in hand nor knew with any certainty they would have, since the tickets won’t be released until about a week before the inauguration.
This behavior outraged the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies so much that Chairperson Dianne Feinstein asked for emergency legislation to be passed making it illegal to sell Inauguration Day tickets.
2- Umbrellas are banned As you might imagine, the level of security at this inauguration will be unprecedented. Presidential inaugurations, along with the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards and other high-profile events of national significance, are designated by the Department of Homeland Security as National Special Security Events (NSSE), meaning the U.S. Secret Service assumes leadership in coordinating and implementing security for the event.
The actual swearing-in ceremony takes place on the west front lawn of the U.S. Capitol and requires one of those much sought-after tickets to attend. At this time of year in D.C., it’s not uncommon for the temperature to hover in the high 30s; despite this, among the dozens of items prohibited by security are umbrellas, so although there is no official dress code, attendees are urged to bundle up and even bring a poncho.
Check out a few more things you didn't know about the Obama inauguration.
3- Phone calls are frowned upon Another thing you didn’t know about the Obama inauguration is that phone calls from your cell will be frowned upon.
With so many cell phones expected to be crammed into one place, wireless companies are worried about massive bandwidth gridlock. They have been building added cell sites in the D.C. area, but believing this won’t be enough to prevent delays, congestion and dropped calls, they are encouraging their customers to stick with text messages, since they require less bandwidth.
4- Up to 5 million will attendNobody can say with any accuracy just how many will be in Washington, D.C. on January 20, but the estimates are staggering, with some officials anticipating there being as many as 5 million people. Compare this to the District’s resident population of just under 600,000, a figure which, thanks to commuters, rises to around a million during the work week. Furthermore, the population of the entire Washington Metropolitan Area -- the 8th largest in the country, which includes D.C. and numerous counties in Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia -- is around 5.3 million.
To date, the largest inauguration attendance occurred in 1965, when 1.5 million showed up to see Lyndon Johnson take the oath of office. The swearing in of Barack Obama will likely swamp that number.
5- The Inaugural Ball will be webcast The last thing you didn’t know about the Obama inauguration concerns the first party of the evening.
That night, the Obamas and the Bidens will attend all 10 of the official inaugural balls, and in a break with tradition, the first one will not only likely be free (although tickets will be required), but it will also be webcast. The Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, taking place at the Washington Convention Center, is the first of its kind in history, meant to give more people greater access to the new President and the celebration of his inauguration.
Tags: Barack Obama Inauguration President Biden
She's originally from Peoria, Illinois. But this small town girl followed her dreams all the way to the City of Angels. Where the angels and just about anybody else who takes a good look at her, falls immediately in love with this graceful gal. Don't believe me? Take a look.
 - AmyWeber.net Another girl we'll never get a date with. Sigh...
 - AmyWeber.net Nobody's eyes can make me look away from cleavage like that. Damn it Amy! How do you do it? It all started with an appearance on Saved By The Bell and includes guest spots on Melrose Place, Undressed and CSI.  - AmyWeber.net Ogle at will. Amy also had a brief run in the WWE. She appeared on Smackdown as Bradshaw's image consultant in "The Cabinet".  - AmyWeber.net Sultry, redefined.  - AmyWeber.net We're suckers for the over-the-shoulder look.
Tags: Amy Weber Girl Gamer Hot Sexy
Many gamers now have personal war stories of consoles that died on them, but the strange surprise is that most of these machines were still fairly new went they gave up the ghost. The dreaded "three red lights" of the Xbox 360 are legendary, but no shortage of gamers went through multiple PlayStation 2 consoles or was turning their PSones upside-down in order to play a game. The old hardware? The NES? It died hard. But if your 8-bit machine has failed you or you are eager to get into retrogaming without scouring thriftshops or eBay for an old system, Innex might have the perfect solution for you. Here at CES in Las Vegas, Innex is showing off the Retro Duo, a combo NES/SNES remake.
 The special edition gold-and-read Retro Duo.
The Retro Duo plays both NES and SNES game in its dual cartridge slots. It's a top-loader, so no nostalgic penny shoving to get Super Mario Bros. 2 to work. The Retro Duo ships with two controller that are spitting images of the SNES pad, save for the new color schemes of the different Retro Duo consoles. Right now, Innex is promoting a limited edition red-and-gold system that looks like Iron Man's custom SNES. However, there are other color combos, like blue-and-white and red-and-black. And, if you still have your old SNES controllers in your closet, those will work in the Retro Duo.
  Retro Duo at CES
The Retro Duo presents itself not just as some sort of nostalgia trip, although I suspect the majority of users will be thirtysomethings relived childhood favorites via the machine. In this current economy, value matters. You can score a lot of classic game carts on the cheap. Maybe not the rarest of the rare, like Chrono Trigger for the SNES, but there are plenty of totally affordable retro games that provide dozens and dozens of hours of entertainment.
Tags: CES 2009 Retro Duo Console NES SNES
Dell has announced its latest PC with "extreme gaming power" -- the Dell XPS 625 desktop, which features support for AMD platform technology (codenamed "Dragon"). The company says the machine is for "power users who want to turn the dial up to 11," presumably whether the consumer purchasing the machine knows what that is in reference to or not.
The XPS 625 is powered by AMD Multi-core Black Edition processors (unlocked) and high-performance ATI Radeon HD graphics, all overclockable through AMD performance tuning software. It can be configured with AMD Dragon platform technology, including the 3.0GHz AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition processor combined with dual ATI CrossFireX technology-enabled ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics cards, 8GB of memory with a 64-bit edition of Windows Vista plus 10,000 RPM hard drive options for faster startups, faster data retrieval and shorter wait times.
"The XPS 625 is the ideal desktop for gamers looking for a high-performance rig that won't break the bank," says Arthur Lewis, president, Alienware and general manager, Dell Gaming Group. "The robust nature of this system gives users the flexibility to configure anything from an aggressive, value-based platform to an all-out benchmark killer."
The system is available now on the company's website starting at $999.
Tags: CES 2009 Dell XPS 625 Gamer Computer
Top 10 Remaining MLB Free Agents
With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report for Spring Training in just five short weeks and a bevy of talented free agents left on the market, we've set out to identify which are the best players still available from this off-season's free agent class. In doing so, we've taken into account not only what each player will likely bring to his club in 2009, but also what kind of value he's likely to represent moving forward. So, with that in mind, here are the top 10 remaining free agents available…
 Abreu may not be much of a fielder anymore, but he can still hit.
10 – Bobby Abreu (OF)
Abreu, 34, is clearly past his prime as a defensive outfielder and his speed on the base paths isn't nearly what it used to be (he stole 22 bags in 33 attempts in 2008), but the guy can definitely still hit. In 2008 he batted .296 with 20 homers and 100 RBIs for the Yankees and reached base at a fantastic clip (.371 OBP). Moving forward Abreu's greatest value appears to be as a DH (where he can't hurt a team with his terrible defensive play) or as a fourth outfielder on a contender with outfield depth looking for a boost.
9 – Joe Crede (3B)
Crede was plagued by back injuries in 2007 and 2008, and those injury concerns, coupled with his age (he'll be 31 in April) will certainly cause potential suitors to take a long, hard look at his medical records before they float any offers his way. But, when healthy, Crede has proven to be an above average defensive player at third base and a dangerous slugger capable of driving fastballs out of the yard. He's unlikely to find a lucrative multi-year deal out there this winter and he's surely a "boom or bust" type player, but he could end up being of very nice value to a team willing to take a flier and sign him to a short-term, incentive laden deal.
 Penny looks to bounce back from shoulder trouble.
8 – Brad Penny (SP)
Penny, who turns 31 in May, is coming off a terrible, injury-marred 2008 season with the Dodgers, which certainly impacts his standing in this year's free agent class. However, Penny was sensational in 2007, posting a 16-4 record and a 3.03 ERA and has shown other flashes of brilliance over the course of his nine-year MLB career. Penny's injured shoulder, which he opted not to have surgically repaired last year, may not allow him to return to form in 2009, as surgery still may be required to repair the damage, but if and when he returns to full health there's little reason to believe he can't still be a top-three pitcher in somebody's rotation for a number of years to come.
7 – Juan Cruz (RP)
With Francisco Rodriguez, Kerry Wood and Brian Fuentes all signed, the best remaining option for teams looking for a closer may just be Cruz, who, at 30 years old, appears to be ready to make the step up from setup man to finisher. Cruz is coming off a fantastic 2008 campaign in which he posted a 2.61 ERA and struck out 71 batters in just 51.2 innings of work for the Arizona Diamondbacks, a testament to just how nasty his stuff is.
 Perez is young, proven and left-handed. Now it's time to get paid.
6 – Oliver Perez (SP)
Perez has two key factors working in his favor as he weighs his options in free agency: 1) He's the youngest starting pitcher on the market at just 27 years old, and trends tell us that he should be entering his prime right about now. And, 2) he's left-handed, which many teams are likely to find particularly enticing. However, Perez has yet to distinguish himself as anything more than a solid starter over the course of his seven-year career. Still, he's got good stuff and he misses bats (he has a career K rate of 9.25 per nine innings pitched), so you can be sure somebody will overlook his 4.39 career ERA (4.22 in 2008) and ink him to a lucrative multi-year deal.
 Derek Lowe isn't getting any younger, but he can flat-out deal.
5 – Derek Lowe (SP)
Age may be working against Lowe, who will turn 36 this June, but his stuff and his track record certainly are not. In fact, if we were simply looking at which free agents figure to make the biggest impact in 2009, Lowe would likely be featured higher on our list of the best available talent. Lowe was scary-good in 2002 as a member of the Boston Red Sox, and despite struggling mightily in 2004, was able to bounce back after signing with the Dodgers in 2005 to post four consecutive strong seasons. In 2008 he started 34 games, going 14-11 with an ERA of 3.24, and I think it's safe to expect similar numbers from the big right-hander in 2009. The only question mark about Lowe moving forward is how long it will be before time begins to catch up to the starter, as he's thrown 1,456 innings over the last seven seasons.
4 – Orlando Hudson (2B)
Hudson, who turned 31 in December, may not wow anybody with his offensive numbers (which are very solid, particularly given the scarcity of quality bats among second basemen) or his defensive acumen, but he's still got to be considered a top-10 player at his position. Last year he batted .305 with 8 homers, 54 runs scored and 41 RBIs despite being limited to just 107 games due to injury, and his career averages of .282, 13 homers 78 runs scored and 70 RBIs leads me to believe those numbers were no fluke. He may not be a game-changer offensively, but he'd be a very nice complimentary component to any contender.
 When Sheets is healthy he's one of the best pitchers in the game.
3 – Ben Sheets (SP)
Sheets, 30, was probably the one of the three best pitchers available this winter at the start of free agency (behind CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, both of whom have signed with the New York Yankees), but concerns over his health appear to have raised a red flag in the minds of most GMs. Sure, Sheets is an injury risk (he had two trips to the DL in 2005 and in 2006 and one in 2007), but when he's healthy he's one of the best pitchers in the game. He posted a 13-9 record with an ERA of 3.09 in 31 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers last year, striking out 158 batters with just 47 walks in 198.1 innings of work.
2 – Adam Dunn (OF/1B)
Dunn, who turned 29 this winter, is the best left-handed bat remaining on the market despite his horrific career batting average. Dunn may be a career .247 hitter and a sub-par defensive outfielder, but his tremendous power and fantastic plate discipline make him a serious threat in the heart of the batting order. He's hit at least 40 homers in each of the last five seasons, and, despite having never struck out fewer than 100 times over the course of a full major league season, he's managed a very impressive .381 career OBP. At 29, Dunn figures to be right in the thick of his prime production years and, with no history of serious or nagging injuries, projects to enjoy several more seasons as a dominant power bat.
 Manny being Manny resulted in two World Series titles in Boston.
1 – Manny Ramirez (OF)
Ramirez may be reaching that point in his career when player typically start to see their production begin to decline (he turns 37 in May), but the enigmatic slugger has shown absolutely no sign that decline is eminent. He hit .332 in 153 games in 2008, blasting 37 homers and driving in 121 RBIs as a member of the Red Sox, then Dodgers, and was the most dominant hitter in the game after being dealt to the National League (batting .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 games as a Dodger). At this point it appears that Ramirez and his agent, Scott Boras, are angling for a three- or four-year contract, and I don't see any reason to believe that he can't continue to be one of the game's most productive right-handed hitters for that period of time. Whichever team eventually signs Ramirez, who's reportedly being pursued by both the Dodgers and rival Giants, should be able to count on the outfielder to be a game-changer in the heart of their order for years to come as he pursues his milestone 600th career homer.
Tags: Top 10 Remaining MLB Free Agents Baseball
Final Fantasy XIIIis due out this year in Japan. For those who are unfamiliar with its battle system, let's learn about it. Everyday you should learn about something, you know.
• Command Stock: Players selection which action they'd like to from a cluster of five "Action" slots.
• Cost: Each of these five actions has a number attached to it and denote the number of slots a particular action requires.
• Enhanced ATB (Active Time Battle): This refers to the bar under Lightning's name (the one with "444"). Players can perform various actions before it is empty. Commands with higher "Cost" drain the ATB bar faster.
• Symbol Encounter: Enemies appear on the game's map. There is no battle screen transition.
• Chain & Bonus: Found at the screen's top right. "Chain" refers to the number of consecutive hits inflicted. It's not clear what "Bonus" refers to, but Famitsu thinks it's related to Final Fantasy VII's Limit Break.
• Enemy HP: The HP and names of your foes are displayed — unlike previous games. 
Tags: Final Fantasy XIII's Battle System Walkthrough
According to sources speaking to CVG, Ubisoft are planning to release new versions of both Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six this year. Try and regain your composure from the shock of it all to read on.
Yes, after lacklustre, lazy previous outings for both brands, new games in the series are to be shown off this year. Far be it from us to play the prophet, but if both games don't turn up as reboots for the franchises, we'll eat our soft, purple prophet's turbans.
Tags: Ghost Recon Rainbow Six Ubisoft Shooter Sniper Clan Xbox 360
That's Gears of War 2 Flashback Map Pack is now available on Xbox LIVE Markeplace. Remember that? The five maps are 400 Microsoft Points (US$5). Not a bad deal. These maps were supposed to be available for free only to those who purchased the game new at GameStop game retailers. Well, there the formerly free maps are, waiting for your LIVE patronage.
Tags: Gears Of War 2 Map Pack GOW Epic Games Xbox 360
Metal Gear Solid 4 promotional LittleBigPlanet posters
Metal Gear Solid 4's promotional campaign was quite easy on the eye. But it was also serious. These Metal Gear Solid 4 posters by LittleBigPlanet creators Media Molecule are less serious.
There are three sackified posters to ogle, along with a printer-friendly, high-resolution version of a replacement box art for Metal Gear Solid 4. Or LittleBigPlanet. Whichever tickles your fancy, or is in most need of looking sickeningly adorable.
Tags: Metal Gear Solid 4 Promotional LittleBigPlanet Posters Ps3 Playstation 3
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