Richard Jobson on approach to Afghanistan for film

SCOTTISH movie executive Richard Jobson heads to Afghanistan this week to investigate his new fight movie Into The Valley, that he will fire after this year on a bill of �500,000. With dual thirds of his appropriation already in place from in isolation investors, Jobson is assured the movie can have an impact. Danfung Dennis, a London-based photojournalist who has been embedded with US marines creation a fight documentary, will ADVERTISEMENTshoot the movie and is escorting the Scottish filmmaker in and around the Afghan capital, Kabul.Into The Valley tells the story of Scottish soldiers returning home after an nauseous situation in Afghanistan. It will be shot especially in Fife but with locations in Morocco substituting for Helmand. The executive insists his film, anti-war but not "anti-soldier", could surpass most better-funded drive-in theatre that he describes as "disappointing" and "patronising".His short movie The Journey, a striking conflict on people-trafficking with exegesis by Emma Thompson, receives the initial big shade display at Glasgow Film Festival subsequent week. That cost "nothing" to make, Jobson says, and with complicated high-definition cameras he plans to repeat the exercise, producing Into The Valley on a shoestring. The new movie will underline actress Dougray Scott, who starred in Jobsons prior movie, New Town Killers, as a rich Edinburgh landowner competition poorer adults of the city for sport. Jobson additionally hopes to convince Thompson to take a small role.The tract centres on an situation in Afghanistan where a immature infantryman from the easterly of Scotland who assimilated the armed forces for the compensate parcel faces a immature child from northern Pakistan who is being paid five dollars to kill him.Growing up in Fife, Jobson knew immature men who assimilated the British Army, afterwards as now, for mercantile reasons."A lot of those immature boys that I"ve met and interviewed have been wholly wholesome and clear and intelligent in their own way," he says. "They longed for a job. They didnt wish to be an additional statistic."Jobson is outspoken about big-budget fight drive-in theatre such as Brian de Palmas 2007 Iraq movie Redacted, that he calls "deeply patronising". The Battle For Haditha by British executive Nick Broomfield "made all the immature soldiers see similar to pathological murderers", he says.He additionally criticises The Hurt Locker, that won 9 Oscar nominations, as created "by somebody who obviously had never been nearby a fight zone" – nonetheless the storys strange bard was a fight match who reported on explosve squads.Filmmaker and bard Mark Cousins believes it is probable to have a fight movie for �500,000. Alexandra, a overwhelming Russian comment of a parents mother on vacation her son on the front lines in Chechnya, was done for less, he says. "The risk of creation a big-budget fight movie is that you get afar from the weed roots and the insinuate story."

Sudan antithesis cries rascal at early formula

Opheera McDoom KHARTOUM Fri April 16, 2010 5:04pm EDT Related News West will have to rivet Sudan"s Bashir after pollFri, April sixteen 2010 Related Video Sudan opinion counting begins Fri, April sixteen 2010 Africa JournalOne step forward. How most back? lampshade for acne to phone help this mulls

Didier Drogba might hold key for Carlo Ancelotti and his Italian pursuit Premier League

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Had it been Jos Mourinho pontificating about Chelseas outing to Old Trafford currently and suggesting that Manchester United were maybe a softened side but Cristiano Ronaldo, the sniggers would have been prolonged and loud.

Even if the argumentative Portuguese hold an roughly obedient apply oneself for Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, he desired zero softened than a intentional hitch of pre-match mind games. Big them up, slap them down was his mischievous mantra.

That it is Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea incumbent, who is intimating that United have changed onwards and upwards given Ronaldos depart to Real Madrid leaves no room for perplexity prior to the Barclays Premier League showdown this lunchtime.

The Italian can be taken at face value, qualifies his remarks with context and does not put up with in sparse mental warfare, a prime Mourinho trait. The deficiency of Ronaldo, Ancelotti believes, has led Ferguson to restructure his side in all areas and with majority success. Plain and simple.

Related LinksAncelotti aims for some-more Old Trafford joyAncelotti insists destiny stays at ChelseaAncelotti identifies points indispensable for titleMultimediaGraphic: twists and turns in pretension race Graphic: Tony Cascarino"s idealisation football weekend

This deteriorate I think United are personification otherwise in apply oneself to the past, Ancelotti said. Last deteriorate they had Ronaldo as a striker and they played differently. They have softened a lot and Wayne Rooney has finished a illusory pursuit with the wingers.

A lot of matches for United were tactically really good. Against [AC] Milan [in the Champions League], tactically they played really well. And they dont give a lot of chances to concede. They are really compress as a group and cite to urge well and counter. Theyre means to do this since their wingers are really fast.

United have confirmed their identity. In really critical games this deteriorate they used usually one striker, Rooney. That was enough, since hes scored 34 goals, but they used the wingers to carry out the right side and counter. With Nani, [Antonio] Valencia and [Ryan] Giggs, they have players with speed and technical quality.

Rooney is absent today, the plant of a sprained ankle in Uniteds 2-1 better afar to Bayern Munich in the primary leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.

Ferguson will have to restructure again to house Dimitar Berbatov up front, the indolent Bulgarian an wholly opposite animal to the violent Rooney. Fergusons scheming, though, frequency concerns Ancelotti.

Although regressive by nature, he plans to conflict United, from an primary receptive to advice defensive base. That Didier Drogba, his 30-goal striker, is fit again gives him the fatal arms that Ferguson has been rigourously denied by Rooneys mishap.

I dont cruise myself an aggressive coach, Ancelotti said. I am Italian and the approach of Italian football is defensive. I similar to counterclaim and I similar to balance. I am a offset coach. But I do similar to to harm the opposition. My target is to conflict and fool around football but primary is the balance. I dont similar to to concur goals.

We wish to fool around the football. Our football is to conflict and keep carry out of the game. It is the majority formidable diversion to do this. United will wish to do the same since they are at home and will wish to carry out the game. This is a quarrel and I think that it will confirm the match.

With no Ronaldo or Rooney to face, Ancelotti released his rallying call. It was roughly Mourinho-esque. I have experience of this game, he said. In this game, you have to show your quality. You dont have time to think how you retard the opponent. You have to do your best, you put it all out on the pitch, you show celebrity and courage. I goal to see this.

The manifestos Labour offers seductiveness rate reward to all savers underneath 30

All simple rate taxpayers in between eighteen and thirty will be charity the possibility to save income in a government-backed "Super ISA" if Labour wins the ubiquitous election, Gordon Brown will oath tomorrow.

The Super ISA scheme, that could cost �30m a year, would see the state charity high levels of seductiveness on a new assets comment for the under-30s, as piece of a package of measures to win over the younger generation.

Labours manifesto, created by Ed Miliband, will additionally oath five hours of competition and five hours of humanities and enlightenment for all five- to 16-year-olds, twice as most organized girl activities on Friday and Saturday nights, and will inspire teenagers to put in 50 hours of village use by the age of 19.

A comparison Labour source said: "We wish to safeguard that the declaration has confidence about opportunities for immature people at the heart."

The Tories have additionally betrothed a National Citizens" Service for youngsters to take piece in amicable movement projects as piece of plans to mend what they explain is Britains "broken society".

Unveiling the Tory declaration on Tuesday, David Cameron will make known an prolongation of Tory plans for a "pupil premium", where state income follows pupils from poorer backgrounds. There will additionally be a cast-iron guarantee to order out cuts to incapacity benefits for comparison people and the "death tax" the Tories explain Labour is formulation to account caring for the elderly.

In an confirmation that Labour needs to benefaction a fresher bulletin to the under-30s to contest with Mr Camerons guarantee of change, ministers have drawn up a array of pledges to capture the girl vote.

The Labour pledges carillon with The Independent on Sundays One of the Above debate to progress voter turnout, that is quite low between younger people.

Labours declaration will enclose couple of vital spending pledges since of the constricted open finances. But celebration sources pronounced it would guarantee "unambiguous reform" in 3 key areas: rebuilding the economy, renewing multitude and open services, and restoring trust.

The Super ISA for under-30s will be formed on the Governments Savings Gateway scheme, which, after dual years, creates a one-off remuneration of 50p for each �1 saved by those on low incomes. The new plan will request to all simple rate taxpayers underneath 30.

Other Labour policies directed at the immature embody lengthened apprenticeships for 16- to 18-year-olds from 2013; and a free opinion in Parliament on giving 16-year-olds the vote.

In what will be seen as a riposte to the Tories" damaged society, Labour will guarantee to safety the impression of British high streets, with new legislature and chartering laws to strengthen pubs and post offices, whilst curbing the expansion of bookmakers.

Yet critics contend the Government has finished small to strengthen the high travel and has overseen the closure of hundreds of post bureau branches.

Climate Exchange swings to distinction on higher volumes

LONDON Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:36am EST Related News UPDATE 1-Climate Exchange swings to distinction on higher volumesFri, Mar twelve 2010

A energy generating breeze turbine is reflected in solar panels nearby Mainz, Mar 10, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Thomas Bohlen

LONDON (Reuters) - Carbon emissions sell user Climate Exchange incited the initial pretax profit, of 2.2 million pounds ($3.3 million) opposite a 2.5 million pounds loss in 2008, interjection to higher trade volumes. Climate Exchange owns and operates emissions trade marketplaces, together with the European Climate Exchange (ECX), where annual volumes increasing 82 percent to 5.1 billion metric tons.

It pronounced normal every day volume at the Chicago Climate Futures Exchange increasing 183 percent to 5,406 contracts in 2009.

The association pronounced that whilst 2010 had started with medium improvements in European volumes, the U.S. marketplace one after another to loiter compared to the initial half of 2009.

Analysts were on normal awaiting the organisation to inform a pretax distinction of 2.6 million pounds, with estimates trimming from a loss of 0.8 million to distinction of 6 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Its shares, that have forsaken twenty-five percent so far this year, sealed on Thursday at 474.25 pence.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Victoria Bryan)

French lady admits murdering 6 newborns

A 38-year-old lady yesterday concurred murdering 6 of her newborns, whose corpses were found in cosmetic bags in her basement, at the opening of a hearing in northwest France.

Frenchwoman Celine Lesage told a justice the young kids had been innate alive. She strangled dual and suffocated the others.

Lesage, from Valognes in Normandy, bent her head and avoided seeking at any one in justice whilst the charges were read. Afterward, she pronounced in a soft voice, I admit the facts.

She was arrested in 2007 after her partner at the time detected the corpses in cosmetic rubbish bags in the groundwork of their unit construction in Valognes.

Her counsel Veronique Carre pronounced Lesage does not competition the contribution ... but isnt explaining them either. Several healing and mental experts are approaching to attest in the four-day trial.

We are here to try to assimilate you prior to judging you, the decider told Lesage.

She told investigators that the father of five of the young kids was ex-boyfriend Pascal Catherine, who was incarcerated for doubt after Lesage was arrested in 2007.

She pronounced the father of the sixth was the partner who detected the corpses, Luc Margueritte.

At the time of her arrest, prosecutor Michel Garrandaux pronounced she described giving bieing born to the initial five alone in the unit she common with Catherine, her beloved at the time.

Mr Garrandaux pronounced the beloved was far from unknowingly of her pregnancies. However, the review opposite him was dropped. He will give justification as a declare tomorrow.

The charge contend that when Lesage and beloved Catherine separate up in 2006, Lesage, who additionally has a son of 14, changed in with her new boyfriend, and brought the cosmetic bags from her old groundwork to her new one.

Her hearing for aggravated carnage comes after a some-more highly-publicised box involving a Frenchwoman convicted last year of murdering 3 of her baby children.

Veronique Courjaults father detected dual of the corpses in a freezer. During the hearing psychiatrists testified that she suffered from a mental condition well known as conceiving physically denial.

Germany additionally has seen a fibre of identical cases. In one, a lady was convicted of murdering in 2006 and condemned to the limit fifteen years in jail for murdering eight of her baby babies and burying them in flowering plant pots and a fish tank in the grassed area of her parents" home nearby the German-Polish border.

High-performance computing reveals blank genes

The new study, reported in the biography BMC Bioinformatics, is the initial large-scale try to brand undetected genes of microbes in the burgeoning GenBank DNA process card file that contains over 100 billion bases of DNA sequence. The genes unclosed might have critical functions in the cell, but those functions need to be determined by serve experiment.

Skip Garner, senior manager executive of VBI and highbrow of biological sciences at Virginia Tech, commented, This is a undiluted storm, where an strenuous volume of interpretation is analyzed by state-of-the-art computational approaches, agreeable critical new report about genes. These genes might be tomorrownew targets for curative research, for e.g. to find new antibiotics or vaccines, that is intensely critical given we need novel approaches to fight the presentation of new drug-resistant bugs.

In the past couple of years, huge swell has been finished in sequencing technologies that concede scientists to furnish startling amounts of process data. Today some-more than 1200 genome sequences of microbes are housed in the GenBank database. By far one of the greatest problems confronting scientists is not generating the process interpretation but reliably locating and assigning a duty to the majority genes in a genome, a routine that scientists impute to as annotation. This routine crucially depends on worldly computational tools. The margin of bioinformatics is deliberate by majority experts to have been proposed to residence this really need.

João Setubal, join forces with highbrow at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and the Department of Computer Science at Virginia Tech, commented: Scientists have well well well known for a prolonged time that publicly accessible databases of genomes have inconsistencies, errors, and gaps. Some genes are labeled with the wrong duty and for others the duty is unknown. But nobody had finished a one after another investigate to establish how majority genes were simply undetected. This is what we did in the investigate -- find the series of microbial genes that are underneath the radar.

Scientists have grown opposite computer collection to assistance them in their efforts to fix up and brand genes. Most of these collection work by construction a indication formed on the facilities of the process and operative out the odds that an particular shred codes for a gene. Comparing DNA segments with well well well known gene sequences stored in GenBank complements this work. If a DNA shred is identical to the process of well well well known genes, afterwards the shred is expected to be a coding gene with a identical function.

Said Setubal, Such approaches will not find genes that have surprising process properties. Furthermore they will not find those genes that have not been rescued up to right away and as a result are not benefaction in GenBank. Our formula obviously show that there are majority small protein-encoding genes in the genomes of microbes that have been evenly missed.

The lowest guess in the investigate placed the series of family groups of blank genes at 380 in the 780 genomes that were investigated. Said Setubal, This series is majority expected an blink given we have been regressive for the criteria we have used for anticipating these blank gene families.

Wu Feng, join forces with highbrow in the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech, remarked: To promote the fast find of blank genes in genomes, we used the mpiBLAST sequence-search apparatus to perform an all-to-all process poke of the 780 microbial genomes that we investigated. This routine entailed using on the process of tens of trillions of process searches with mpiBLAST. The all-to-all process poke was finished on an fleeting supercomputer that many-sided some-more than 12,000 processor cores opposite 7 opposite supercomputers, distributed opposite the United States. It marked down the poke time from scarcely 90 years, when computed on a personal computer, down to a small twelve hours.

Andrew Warren, a connoisseur partner at VBI who has been operative on this plan as piece of his PhD thesis, remarked: At the opening of this project, the plea was to emanate a process formed on high-performance computing that could have suggestive predictions from such a large dataset. Through this work we were means to brand intensity targets for destiny investigate and investigation that can establish if these genes exist in vivo.

Some of the rough work that is described in the stream paper, privately the computational and interpretation management, was the leader of a renowned paper endowment at the 2008 International Supercomputing Conference. The paper Distributed I/O with ParaMEDIC: Experiences with a Worldwide Supercomputer, recounted the computing practice of an general group in anticipating blank genes in genomes and in constructing a genome likeness tree from the International Storage Challenge at the 2007 ACM/IEEE SC: The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis.

Citi spinoff Primerica soars on hopes for economy

Maria Aspan and Clare Baldwin NEW YORK Thu April 1, 2010 4:53pm EDT Related News UPDATE 3-Primerica IPO prices high, sells moreWed, Mar 31 2010UPDATE 2-Primerica IPO prices high, sells more-underwriterWed, Mar 31 2010REFILE-IPO VIEW-Primerica IPO, notwithstanding problems, could sellWed, Mar 31 2010RPT-IPO VIEW-Primerica IPO, notwithstanding problems, could sellSun, Mar twenty-eight 2010IPO VIEW-Primerica IPO, notwithstanding problems, could sellFri, Mar twenty-six 2010 Stocks & &

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc"s (C.N) spinoff of the hold up word unit, Primerica Inc PRI.N saw the shares great some-more than a third in the entrance on certainty that the hold up insurer will great from a resilient economy.

Deals&&&&Asian Markets

The IPO"s accepting was additionally the ultimate spark of certain headlines for the third-largest U.S. bank, that was forced to find assorted supervision rescues in 2008 and 2009. Citi shares sealed up 3.2 percent at $4.18.

The primary day convene followed financier seductiveness that led underwriters to lift the distance of the charity by nineteen percent to 21.36 million shares. The shares were labelled at $15 each, on top of the approaching range of $12 to $14.

But the IPO still solitary at a price-to-book value bonus to Ameriprise Financial (AMP.N), MetLife (MET.N) and Prudential Financial (PRU.N), that it identified in the handbill as competitors, pronounced IPOdesktop.com President Francis Gaskins.

The comparatively low valuation, and signs of certainty in a progressively resilient economy, both contributed to the share"s gains, analysts said.

"Life word has been beaten by the retrogression similar to all else has, but there has been an uptick over the past year in applications for distribution of normal bread-and-butter hold up insurance," pronounced Clark Troy, a comparison researcher at Aite Group LLC. "Insurers have been looking to bulk up their sales forces, and Primerica has one."

The Dow Jones U.S. Life Insurance index has some-more than quadrupled given Mar 2009 .DJUSIL.

Primerica shares rose majority as 35 percent on top of their primary open charity price. They non-stop at $19.15 and rose as high as $20.20 Thursday afternoon.

The shares sealed up 31 percent, at $19.65, on the New York Stock Exchange.

DIVIDING THE SPOILS

Citi, that supposed $45 billion value of U.S. supervision bailout funds, is looking to deprive resources that are not piece of the core promissory note business.

The bank attempted to sell Primerica last year, but unsuccessful to find a customer peaceful to compensate a high sufficient price. Citi has taken scarcely $1 billion in dividends out of the association given 2007 and will take an additional $622 million prior to the finish of the IPO process.

Citi will take all of the deduction from the charity and majority of Primerica"s existent accounts. Primerica will keep the new policies.

Primerica pronounced in the handbill that it would come in in to co-insurance agreements with 3 affiliates of Citi. Those affiliates would take 80 to 90 percent of the risks and rewards of the tenure hold up word policies Primerica hold at the finish of 2009.

Despite Citi"s influence of majority accounts, Primerica is gaining some-more liberty over the strategy, analysts said.

"This will give an event for Primerica government to step out of the shade of the incomparable classification and claim itself," Troy said.

With a door-to-door sales force of eccentric contractors commanding 100,000, Primerica sells hold up word to households earning in between $30,000 and $100,000 annually.

Co-Chief Executives John Addison and Rick Williams told CNBC they programmed to supplement sales people.

"We"re going to be a smaller, faster-growing association going forward," Williams said. "When we grow the sales force, the underlying sales grow."

Citi was the solitary bookrunner on the IPO. If the association and alternative underwriters squeeze their full overallotment of 3.2 million shares, Citi"s interest in Primerica will be marked down to 39 percent.

ANOTHER STEP FOR CITI"S SELL-OFF

Cutting uneasy resources has been a vital idea of Citi"s restructuring. The IPO and a in isolation understanding with Warburg Pincus LLC WP.UL should revoke Citi"s GAAP resources by about $5 billion during the second quarter, the bank pronounced in a statement.

Michael Holland, authority of Holland Co in New York, pronounced that Primerica"s charity was a great pointer for Citi, "but I wouldn"t exaggerate the significance. It"s something they had to do and they did it well."

Holland pronounced the charity could yield a little movement for banks perplexing to absolved themselves of non-core assets. The Primerica charity is a great approach to "go out there and exam the marketplace," he said.

The hold up word apportionment of Primerica was founded in 1977, but the association has roots in American Can Co, a food wrapping business. It became piece of Citigroup in the 1980s.

(Reporting by Clare Baldwin and Maria Aspan; Editing by Maureen Bavdek, Richard Chang and Leslie Gevirtz)

Deals Asian Markets Bit Defender

Bullock Transformers have Razzies misfortune list

March 7, 2010, 3:20 AM EST

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Sandra Bullock warmed up for the Academy Awards with a stop at the Razzies to pick up a indeterminate honor: a worst-actress esteem for her regretful humerous entertainment wave "All About Steve."

Bullock swung by the Razzies on the eve of her approaching delight at Sunday"s Oscars, where she is deliberate the the one preferred to win most appropriate singer for "The Blind Side." If she wins Sunday, Bullock will be the initial chairman to win an Oscar and a Razzie over the same weekend.

"I think this is an unusual award," pronounced Bullock, who had betrothed via awards deteriorate that if she won the Razzie, she would accept it in person. "And I didn"t comprehend that, in Hollywood, all you had to do was contend you"d show up, and thereafter you"d get the award. If I"d well known that, I would have pronounced I was looming at the Oscars a prolonged time ago."

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was picked as last year"s misfortune design and won dual alternative Razzies, misfortune executive for Michael Bay and misfortune screenplay for Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

Bay and his group probably will not lose any defunct over it. Though reviled by critics, "Transformers" took in $402.1 million domestically, No. 2 on the 2009 box-office draft at the behind of "Avatar."

Bullock, who additionally common the Razzie for misfortune shade integrate with "All About Steve" co-star Bradley Cooper, was the initial behaving leader to show up at the Razzies given Halle Berry won worst-actress for "Catwoman" five years ago.

As she took the stage, Bullock pulled a small red car filled with DVDs of "All About Steve," observant she was giving a duplicate to everybody in the assembly of about 300.

Bullock pragmatic that most Razzie electorate had not essentially seen the movie but expel ballots for her anticipating to get her to show up at the awards. Bullock pronounced if they watched the DVD — "I meant unequivocally watch it" — and motionless it was not the misfortune opening of the year after all, thereafter she would come behind subsequent year and "give behind the Razzie. ... thereafter we"ll go splash afterwards."

The worst-actor Razzie went to siblings Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas for "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience."

The Jonas" companion Miley Cyrus, star of "Hannah Montana: The Movie," lost the worst-actress difficulty to Bullock. But her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, was declared misfortune ancillary singer for the big-screen "Hannah Montana."

Sienna Miller perceived the misfortune supporting-actress Razzie for the movement story "G.I. Joe."

Will Ferrell"s movement humerous entertainment wave "Land of the Lost" had come in scored equally with "Transformers" for the Razzies lead with 7 nominations, but it was scarcely close out in each category.

Once ballots had been counted from the rounded off 650 Razzies voters, "Land of the Lost" was scored equally for the group"s misfortune remake, fraud or supplement prize. Razzies owner John Wilson, who regularly votes last, gave the tie-breaking opinion to "Land of the Lost."

"It unequivocally did scent and I thought, well, it ought to get something, since it is a really bad movie," Wilson said.

Razzie electorate additionally done worst-of-the-decade picks, with John Travolta"s science-fiction disturbance "Battlefield Earth" winning misfortune picture.

Among all-time Hollywood dreck, "Battlefield Earth" is "like the 800-pound dog chimpanzee in the room," Wilson said. "It"s one of my the one preferred sort of bad movies. It"s so bad, it"s entertaining, in ways that the people who done it had no thought it would be."

Paris Hilton was selected as the decade"s misfortune singer for movies such as "The Hottie and the Nottie" and "Repo: The Genetic Opera." Eddie Murphy, a 2009 Razzie hopeful for "Imagine That," was declared the decade"s misfortune singer for such bombs as "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," "I Spy" and "Meet Dave."

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Associated Press Writer Mike Cidoni contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

http://www.razzies.com

,,,

MagicJack VoIP: Strengths weaknesses cost and trade-offs</title>

You"ve probably seen magicJack"s late-night television ads encouraging you to ditch your land-line telephone "and never pay a monthly phone bill again!"

Best VoIP service

The pitch is tempting. Just plug the magicJack device into a computer USB port, plug in your phone, and you can make and receive calls within the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for free.

But how reliable is a product that is hawked in the same space as the ShamWow and the Ab Lounge? It turns out that the magicJack works pretty well if you don"t expect it to work exactly like a traditional phone line. And it costs less than other voice-over-Internet systems, such as Skype and Vonage.

Here"s the breakdown:

MagicJack costs $39.95 and includes a year of unlimited domestic service. Each year thereafter is $19.95.

Skype"s unlimited U.S.-Canada plan and incoming SkypeIn number cost $65.40 a year, plus $27 to $170 for a Skype phone if you don"t want to use your Skype-enabled cell phone or the microphone on your PC.

Vonage"s least expensive plan costs $17.99 a month ($215.88 per year) and is limited to 500 minutes of outbound talk time.

So far, 5.4 million people have bought the device via television call-in numbers or in stores such as Best Buy or RadioShack, says company founder and CEO Dan Borislow.

The number of users could grow in a few months as the company switches from its plug-in device to a software-only model that will also allow customers to make international calls as well. (Existing customers will be able to continue using their devices or download a free copy of the new software.)

Borislow plans to release a second plug-in gadget later this year that will allow cell phone users to make calls without using their minutes as long as they"re within range of the device.What magicJack does well There"s little disagreement about what the existing magicJack product does well, and that"s make and receive calls. Most testers reviewing it have been surprised by the clarity of the calls. Though it"s not as clear as a traditional land line, it"s probably better than cell reception for most people.

With magicJack you get a phone number, voice mail, free directory assistance and call waiting. You can even take magicJack with you when you travel.

A review in February"s issue of Consumer Reports magazine said the voice quality was "clear" but that there was "some interference" when its tester downloaded a large file while simultaneously playing an online game and making a call. Overall, the review concluded, if you can live with some limitations, magicJack is "a great deal."Problem areas So what exactly are those limitations?

Your computer must be on and your broadband must be working for your phone to ring when it receives calls rather than send them directly to voice mail. That means no shutting down your computer -- unless you want to be unavailable. Ditto for sleep mode on your computer: If your computer goes to sleep, you can"t make or receive calls.

You can"t transfer your old number to magicJack. The company assigns you a phone number based on your area.

You can"t rely on magicJack to send a fax. Some fax machines work with magicJack, and some do not. (More about my experience with faxing later.)

MagicJack does not work with Mac computers built before Apple switched to Intel chips in 2006.

Its 911 service is not a sure thing.

Emergency calls from land lines automatically display the address of the number you"re calling from on the dispatcher"s computer. With magicJack, you must remember to register your address when you first receive the device and update it if you move or travel. Even then, your service can be disrupted by a power outage or broadband disruption. The company advises you to "maintain an alternate means of dialing 911."

And if you have a security system, be aware that the company does not "endorse or recommend" the use of a magicJack with an alarm system, although it is "aware" that some customers use the device that way.

To be fair, similar restrictions apply to Vonage. And Skype does not support emergency calling at all.

The fine print