Trends & News

Danica Patrick Fight on Indy!

2009-04-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

Danica Patrick had a rough altercate with hottie Milka Duno. You can check here the Danica Patrick fight video. The two ladies were arguing at the Indy car racing when one threw the towel to the other one's face. I still don't have clear who is who.

That's about it, the fight was pretty boring. mostly girl talking at each other and a bunch of confused guys trying to cool them down. Danica Patrick is one of the most beautiful ladies in motorsports and Milka doesn’t stay too far behind.

Next time, they have to put on a show when fighting!

First dog Bo Obama is a Portuguese Water Dog

2009-04-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

Finally, we know what kind of dog the Obama dog will be: a portuguese water dog!

The next addition to the Obama family will arrive next week from a kenel in Texas, the same kennel where Senator Kennedy got his dog. By the way he will present the dog to the family.

Let's remember that the first pet was a popular issue back in campaign days, where Obama asked for suggestions as what dog would the best ones for his daughters at the White House.

The name of the dog is Charlie, although Barack Obama plans to name him Bo.

Angel Actor Dies of Cngestive Heart Disease

2009-04-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Sad news today, as Angel actor dies. Andy Hallet who played te demon Lrone on the show has passed away today because of congestive heart failure. He was the green demon who was a friend of Angel in the show, and creator Joss Whedon made this role specially for him, who was his wife's assistant.

The angel actor had been in bad health for years, since the ending of the show, when he was diagnosed with this disease that ultimately led to his death. Many fans cry with this news.

Our condolences to his family, he was very young, only 33 years old.

Rest in peace Andy Hallet

American Idol Theme Tonight - March 31

2009-03-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

American Idol Theme Tonight - Okay, so you guess what will be tonight's American Idol theme? iTunes! Yes, the participants of this famous reality singing competition will get the chance of choosing from the iTunes top downloads catalogue.

The American Idol Theme march 31 has people confused. At first we believed that songs were from the current top 100, but now some insiders believe that in fact songs belong to the Top downloaded songs since 2005 to this date. Why 200? Because that's the year when Billboard started tracking downloads.

That's it folk, we are down to only 9 contestants now! Who do you think will win?

Discovery Landing Schedule

2009-03-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

Discovery Landing Schedule - Problems with bad weather have kept the Discovery space shuttle to land as schedule. Shuttle landing schedule was for today in the morning, but there are too many risks right now.

Repors from the NASA tell us that later another attempt will be made to land the Discovery, if not, the Discovery landing schedule will be posponed to Sunday.

NASA spoke out:

"“The weather forecast is ‘no go’ today for the first landing opportunity.”

Those were the news on the Discovery Landing Schedule.

Jonas Brothers Tickets for 2009

2009-03-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

Jonas Brothers Tickets for 2009 - Jonas Brothers Concert tickets are on sale! Go running to buy your tickets before they are not available anymore! I'm not kidding JB fans out there, when the pre sale was open their fan site crashed with the flood of visitors to the teen new sensation.

I don't particularly like Jonas Brothers but many of you out there yes. the World tour will begin on June on Dallas and you can start buying Jonas Brothers Tickets for 2009 until the last presentation on Canada.

Well actually the World tour starts on May on South America.

Those were the news on Jonas Brothers Tickets for 2009.

Vince Shlomi Arrested Photos

2009-03-28T04:15:00.000-07:00

Vince Shlomi Arrested Photos - Shamwow guy is in the spotlight again, but this time is not for seling products in infomercial, raher, he's been involved in charges of felony along with a woman after he solicited her. Here are the Shamwow guy pictures taken at the police station:

Vince Shlomi arrested photos, because the women according to him bit his tongue while kissing and wouldn't let go, so he HAD to use the force.

Let's see how investigations unfold, those were the Vince Shlomi Arrested Photos.

New Yorker Obama Cover Sparks Controversy

2008-07-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama's team has decried The New Yorker magazine for a cartoon cover depicting him in traditional Muslim garb and his wife as a terrorist.

The magazine says the cartoon is intended as a satirical comment about some of the distorted right-wing attacks on the Democratic senator.

An Obama campaign spokesman said the cartoon was "tasteless and offensive".

A spokesman for John McCain, Mr Obama's Republican rival in the presidential election, also criticised the cartoon.

The image, drawn by Barry Blitt and featured on the front cover of this week's New Yorker, shows Mr Obama wearing traditional Muslim dress, while his wife, Michelle, is dressed in combat trousers and carrying a machine-gun.

The couple are shown standing in the Oval Office, greeting one another with a "fist bump", with an American flag burning in the fireplace, and a portrait of Osama Bin Laden on the wall.

'Mirror to prejudice'

In a statement, The New Yorker magazine said the cartoon "combines a number of fantastical images about the Obamas and shows them for the obvious distortions they are."

The New Yorker said the cover, called "The Politics of Fear", was a critique of unfounded allegations that have tried to portray Mr Obama, a Christian, as a closet radical Muslim.

"The burning flag, the nationalist-radical and Islamic outfits, the fist-bump, the portrait on the wall? All of them echo one attack or another. Satire is part of what we do, and it is meant to bring things out into the open, to hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful, and the absurd. And that's the spirit of this cover," the statement said.

The portrayal of the Obamas "fist-bumping" one another was a reference to a campaign rally in St Paul, Minnesota, back in June, at which the couple were seen to "fist-bump", an action described by one Fox News commentator as a "terrorist fist-jab".

The presenter - E D Hill who subsequently lost her Fox News show - later apologised for the comments, and insisted that they had not been meant seriously.

The New Yorker said that this week's edition carried two "very serious" articles about Mr Obama.

But Obama spokesman Bill Burton dismissed the cartoon, saying: ""The New Yorker may think... that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create, but most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree."

Source: BBC

Finding Missing Money with Missingmoney.com

2008-07-14T12:48:00.001-07:00

In these tough economic times.. who couldn’t use a little ‘free’ money?
The state is holding millions of dollars in unclaimed property – and you could be the rightful owner to some of that cash.

ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATOR HEATHER CATALLO HAS THE STORY IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ON THE RIGHT.

[HEATHER]
A lot of people don’t realize that an old bank account… or an un-cashed paycheck.. could be waiting for you to claim right now.
In the last fiscal year alone, the state paid out more than $55 million dollars to people… and you could have some money just sitting out there, waiting to be claimed.

Bricks of silver, gold coins, collectibles, jewelry, and cold hard cash…
Those are just some of the items being held by the Michigan Department of Treasury’s unclaimed property division.

Since 1988 – the state has handled about $1.2 billion dollars in unclaimed property.

[Gonzalo Llano/Michigan Dept. of Treasury] “The state never takes ownership of these funds. The state is simply a custodian for these funds.”

So how do you lose track of your own money?

[Gonzalo Llano/Michigan Dept. of Treasury] “Most of what we receive is money, representing uncashed checks, dormant bank account, proceeds from insurance policies.”

Gonzalo Llano is the administrator of the state treasury’s unclaimed property division. He says often, a relative will have a safe deposit box at their bank, but when they pass away… the heirs are never told about the box.
That means the items inside.. end up with the treasury department.
While the state has inventoried everything from dolls to sports collectibles to items from World War II… most of what ends up in the treasury is – money.

[Gonzalo Llano/Michigan Dept. of Treasury] “If we have money for them today, they can make a claim today, or 30 years from now, and the money will still be there.”

So how do you know if the state has some of your money? Michigan has created a website that can you can use to search your name.

I wanted to find out just how easy it is to find unclaimed property…

[Heather with Carlos Capers – searching his name] “Here’s where we are, we’re on the department of treasury website, and there’s an unclaimed property division.”

So I set up shop inside Warren’s Community Center… and invited people to search the state website with me.

[Heather with John Jeffire] “You can type your name in, and let’s see what we find. Keep your fingers crossed! Oooh – Nothing. Nothing yet! But – hold on, hold on, do not lose faith yet! JJ: I’m losing faith. Let’s just try doing just your last name. Cause – you might find a relative?”

I didn’t have any luck finding any money for John Jeffire from Clinton Township.

[Heather] “Ooh – ouch – nothing!”

But I did find some money for John’s brother when I ran his name on a national website, Missingmoney.com.

“Oh so my brother’s got some money out there? You going to tell him about that? Oooh – if he splits it! Goes 50/50 with it!”

Chester Buc from Warren had similar luck… with a relative.

[Chester Buc w/ HC] “Know any of these people? Stacey Buc! Who’s that? That’s my daughter - what’s she doing in there? Well, it looks like Peoples State Bank owes your daughter some money, and the state of Michigan is holding on to it.”

Sharon Reid hit the unclaimed property jackpot, so to speak.

[Sharon Reid/HC] “Is that you, in Warren? Yeah, I’m in Warren.”

I helped Sharon find her name. She’s not sure how much money might be there, but everyone listed on the states website has at least $50 in unclaimed property.

[Sharon Reid/Found Money] “Oh, it’s really great. 50 dollars is a whole family outing, especially with the gas now.”

Once you find your name, you have to download some forms from the state’s website, prove your identity to the treasury department… and your money will be back in your pocket. State officials say the process usually takes about 90 days if you’re claiming property for yourself… longer if you’re filing a claim for a relative.

And there’s something else you should know about – Fee Finders.

[Gonzalo Llano/Michigan Dept. of Treasury] “What they will do is try to contact the property owners or heirs, and for a fee, try to collect the monies on their behalf.”

Gonzalo Llano says those fees often range from 20 to 40 percent. And you don’t need a fee finder – just do your own free web search and collect 100% of your unclaimed property.

[Edwin Bara/Searched for Unclaimed Property] “It’s great for people who are out of jobs right now. They can use the money.”

[HEATHER]
If you would like to search for your name to see if you have any unclaimed property, just click on the links below.

Nike “Air McFlys” Are Awesome!

2008-07-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

The Nike Air McFly's will hit the store shelves soon and I'mm pretty excited. I can't wait to get them! I can see that these new Air McFlys will fly off the shelves. Many of us were wondering "When will these future shoes will come out if we are in the future?"

Well, almost 20 years after the movie hit the screen, Nike will be releasing their new Hyperdunk in a teal version to make it look like the “Air McFlys.” Shoe collector shop Undefeated in Santa Monica will get first dibs as they’ll sell less than 100 pairs today. Over the next couple weeks, stores will get these in extremely limited supply. We’re told less than 1,000 pairs will be made and about half those will be released in the U.S. It’s a great step for Nike to actually make this something that looks like this shoe since it’s probably the most famous fake Nike shoe, not unless you believe that it’s recently been topped by the Air Force 1’s worn by Turtle in “Entourage.”

Well, still they don't look exactly like the original, but there is a step!

Google Lively - Virtual Reality

2008-07-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

In the latest expansion beyond its main mission of organizing the world's information, Internet search leader Google Inc. hopes to orchestrate more fantasizing on the Web.

The Mountain View-based company unveiled a free service Tuesday in which three-dimensional software enables people to congregate in electronic rooms and other computer-manufactured versions of real life. The service, called "Lively," represents Google's answer to a 5-year-old site, Second Life, where people deploy animated alter egos known as avatars to navigate through virtual reality.

Google thinks Lively will encourage even more people to dive into alternate realities because it isn't tethered to one Web site like Second Life, and it doesn't cost anything to use. After installing a small packet of software, a user can enter Lively from other Web sites, like social networking sites and blogs.

The Lively application already works on Facebook, one of the Web's hottest hangouts, and Google is working on a version suitable for an even larger online social network, News Corp.'s MySpace.

"We know people already spend a lot of time online socializing, so we just want to try to make it more enjoyable," said Niniane Wang, a Google engineering manager who oversaw Lively's creation over the past year.

Although Google is best known for the search engine that generates most of its profits, the company has introduced other services that are widely used without making much, if any, money. Google's peripheral products include its 3-D "Earth" software, Picasa for sharing photos and programs for word processing, calendars and spreadsheets.

Google has no plans to sell advertising in Lively, Wang said.

But the service could still indirectly help the company if it encourages people to remain online longer. Google's management reasons that more frequent Web surfing ultimately will lead to more moneymaking clicks on the ads it shows alongside its search results and millions of other Web sites.

Lively's users will be able to sculpt an avatar that can be male, female or even a different species. An avatar can assume a new identity, change clothes or convey emotions with a few clicks of the mouse.

The service also enables users to create different digital dimensions to roam, from a coffeehouse to an exotic island. The settings can be decorated with a wide variety of furniture, including large-screen televisions that can be set up to play different clips from YouTube.com, Google's video-sharing service.

Lively users can then invite their friends and family into their virtual realities, where they can chat, hug, cry, laugh and interact as if they were characters in a video game.

As a precaution, Google is requiring Lively's users to be at least 13 years old — a constraint that hasn't been enough to prevent young children from running into trouble on other social spots on the Web.

Google spent several months testing Lively among a group of Arizona State University students before opening the service to the public through its "Labs" section — a technology sandbox set up for the company's experimental products.

Source: Associated Press

Those were the news on Google Lively

Matt Grant: The New Bachelor

2008-03-17T23:20:00.000-07:00

Many a dewy rose — and a few engagement rings — have been doled out to ladies in waiting, but so far none of ABC's "bachelors" have found lasting love with the women they met in the show's bubbling hot tubs. (Only the first star of "The Bachelorette," Trista Rehn, wedded her TV pick, Ryan Sutter.)

The franchise's newest prince, 27-year-old global financier Matt Grant, hopes to change all that with "The Bachelor: London Calling," debuting Monday night.

"I'm in love," Grant said in his British accent. "That's all you need to know."

Viewers have heard that one before. But before you balk, perhaps this strapping Londoner deserves a chance. After all, he is the first International "Bachelor"! At the very least, he's not just another American guy.

"I'm not bothered about previous shows," Grant said. "I'm bothered about myself and 'the one.' I think we have what it takes. I really do."

"The One" is how Grant now refers to the woman he fell for on "The Bachelor." He's unable, of course, to speak her real name, urging us — daring us — to watch the drama unfold onscreen.

And unfold it does.

"I had a thong pushed down my pants," Grant said. "At first I thought it was like a message on a napkin or something … that was pretty gross."

(The thong incident comes courtesy of a bachelorette named Stacey, who proudly declares that she is "all that and a bag of chips." )

Of course, anyone who watches reality TV knows that Grant's got it easy. On VH1's "Rock of Love 2," Poison rocker Bret Michaels is subjected to half-naked women gyrating to get his attention as he searches for his supposed soul mate (for the second time). Rapper Flavor Flav's three seasons of reality TV romance on "Flavor of Love," also on VH1, have been replete with hair-extension pulling and high-pitched shrieking.

But "The Bachelor" started the trend of reality matchmaking shows, and Grant's trying to keep things classy. With his fondness for American women somehow still intact, Grant describes his "chosen one" as "an exceptional individual" with depth, substance, warmth and sincerity.

Source: ABC News

Those were the news on Matt Grant

Dennis Quaid Twins Overdose

2008-03-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

Dennis Quaid said there was "blood everywhere" as doctors and nurses worked to save his newborn twins after they were given an overdose of a blood thinner.

"They were working on [my son] Boone, whose belly button would not stop bleeding. ... Blood squirted across the room about six feet and landed on the wall," the actor told CBS' 60 Minutes.

The twin boy and girl born to Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, by a surrogate mother were mistakenly given an overdose of heparin, a blood thinner, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles last November.

"We all have this inherent thing that we trust doctors and nurses that they know what they're doing," Quaid said in his first at-length TV interview about the ordeal. "But this mistake occurred right under our noses."

Quaid, 53, said the twins "were basically bleeding out at that point."

In December, the Quaids sued Baxter Healthcare Corp., saying the drug maker was negligent in packaging different doses of the medicine in similar vials.

Source: South Florida Sun Sentinel

Those were the news on Dennis Quaid twins

Shayne Lamas (Lorenzo Lamas Daughter) on Reality Show

2008-03-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

The daughter of Hollywood heartbeaker Lorenzo Lamas will be among the 25 women hoping to land the star of the latest edition of "The Bachelor."

Shayne Lamas, 22, who has appeared on "General Hospital" and three unheard-of movies - most recently as "red bikini girl" in something called "Endless Bummer" - hopes to be the winner of the dating show, which this season will feature the first British bachelor, Matt Grant.

Lamas' dad has famously been accused of being a serial bed-hopper, especially during his days on "Falcon Crest." Recently, he was seen on TV's "Bold and the Beautiful," but has since appeared in at least three major motion pictures, including upcoming "30,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

"The Bachelor" has managed to hang on to a piece of ABC's primetime schedule for nearly seven years even though no bachelor has ever married the girl he chose at the end of the show.

"Bachelorette" Trista Rehn and fireman Ryan Sutter did get - and stay - married after the show, however.

Source: The NY Post (nypost.com)

Those were the news on Shayne Lamas

Jeffrey Epstein Sued Again

2008-02-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

A woman filed suit Wednesday accusing a New York billionaire of sexually assaulting her when she was underage.

The unidentified woman said she was 16 when she was brought to Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach mansion and paid $200 to give the money manager a massage. Instead, she claims he abused her.

The suit seeks more than $50 million in damages from the billionaire money manager.

Epstein's attorney, Guy Lewis, said the lawsuit is defamatory and the allegations are false.

Another teenage girl made similar claims against Epstein in a lawsuit filed last month. She is also at the center of a criminal case against Epstein in West Palm Beach, where he is charged with one felony count of solicitation of prostitution. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted. A hearing in that case is set for March.

He also faces a similar sex abuse lawsuit in New York.

Epstein was named one of New York's most eligible bachelors in 2003 by the New York Post. He has lavish homes in Manhattan, New Mexico, Florida and the Virgin Islands.

Source: AP

Shuttle Launch Delayed Because of Weather

2008-02-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

NASA fueled shuttle Atlantis for liftoff Thursday, exhilarated over the success of fuel gauge repairs but mindful that bad weather could delay the mission to add another science lab to the international space station.

Forecasters said there was a 70 percent chance that rain, clouds and possibly even a severe afternoon thunderstorm would keep Atlantis on the pad for yet another day. The space shuttle already is two months late in delivering the European lab, Columbus, to the space station.

Faulty fuel gauges grounded Atlantis in December. Engineers worked round the clock and through the holidays to fix the problem, which turned out to be a bad connector in the external fuel tank.

Their efforts paid off. All four fuel gauges checked out fine as the countdown entered its final few hours. NASA never got so far in the countdown in December, and the excitement was evident in launch control and astronaut quarters, where the seven-man crew suited up.

"We have a good system and we're ready to go fly," said launch director Doug Lyons. "Everything looks real good out there."

Even NASA's normally emotion-free boss, Michael Griffin, was enthusiastic. He said he was sure Atlantis' fuel gauges would continue to work properly and predicted no further problems with the system.

The fuel gauges are part of a critical safety system to help ensure that the main engines do not run on an unexpectedly empty tank during the 8 1/2-minute climb to orbit. They have performed erratically during countdowns for nearly three years and postponed several launches.

As for the weather, "We're still talking what, 60, 70 percent probability of no-go. But it doesn't look too bad," Griffin said, pulling aside blinds and looking out a window at the cloudy sky. "We've launched on days when we said we couldn't and we've scrubbed on days when everybody thought we could."

Columbus — a $2 billion high-tech laboratory — is the European Space Agency's primary contribution to the space station. In the making for 23 years, the lab has endured station redesigns and slowdowns, as well as a number of shuttle postponements and two shuttle accidents.

It will join the U.S. lab, Destiny, already flying for seven years. The much bigger Japanese lab Kibo, or Hope, will require three shuttle flights to get off the ground, beginning in March.

The Europeans also are on the verge of launching their new cargo ship, Jules Verne. It's scheduled to blast off from French Guiana in early March.

"There's going to be a lot of pride, a lot of people with good feelings in their stomachs, when these things go up," said Europe's space station program manager, Alan Thirkettle.

The European Space Agency already has spent more than $7 billion on the station program and plans to invest another $6 billion by 2015, Thirkettle said.

Besides Columbus, Atlantis will drop off a new space station resident, a French Air Force general who will take the place of NASA astronaut Daniel Tani and get Columbus working. Tani will return to Earth aboard the shuttle, ending a mission of nearly four months.

NASA is anxious to get Atlantis flying as soon as possible to keep alive its plan for six shuttle missions this year. The space agency faces a 2010 deadline for finishing the station and retiring the shuttles.

Source: Associated Press

John McWethy, Former ABC Reporter Dies in Ski Accident

2008-02-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

Retired ABC News correspondent John McWethy died Wednesday after crashing into a tree while skiing at the Keystone resort, the Summit County coroner said.

Witnesses said McWethy, 61, was skiing fast on an intermediate trail when he missed a turn and slid chest-first into the tree shortly after 10 a.m., Coroner Joanne L. Richardson said.

She said he died of blunt force chest injuries.

He was pronounced dead at Summit Medical Center at about 2 p.m.

McWethy had moved to Boulder after he retired.

He was a 1969 graduate of DePauw University, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2002. He also held a master's degree from Columbia University's journalism school.

The longtime ABC correspondent was at the Pentagon when an American Airlines plane hijacked by terrorists crashed into the building Sept. 11, 2001.

Source: FoxNews

Chinese New Year celebrations

2008-02-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

China heralded "Year of the Rat", amidst the thunder of firecrackers and mirth but the celebrations were overshadowed by the snowstorm-caused havoc for millions who could not make it to be with their families for the biggest festival.

Fireworks lit up the skyline and the deafening sound of crackers echoed in keeping with the true traditional spirit of the festival that sees millions of people in movement across the country to spend their holiday for family union.

The rat is the first of the 12-year cycle of 12 animals appearing in the Chinese Zodiac and the pig last. The Year of the Pig ended on Wednesday.

As the tell tale havoc left by the worst-ever snowstorm remained, the top Chinese leadership, including the President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao spent their New Year eve with the victims, speaking soothing words and lifting up their spirits.

With the weather clearing and traffic resuming on highways, millions managed to reach home after being stranded in shivering cold for days together at railway stations.

But the travel plans of millions of others were blighted by chaotic rush, forcing them to call off their most-cherished annual trip for the Spring Festival.

Nearly 12 million migrant workers opted to stay back in the southern Guangdong, a province with a population of 30 million migrant workers.

Coming to relief of those who could not make it to their homes, the local governments organised banquets and other programmes to keep their spirits high inspite of being away from their families.

Source: Times of india

Shaq Trade Rumors Almost True

2008-02-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

The seemingly improbable pairing of an aging Shaquille O'Neal and the run-and-gun Phoenix Suns is just a final "yes" from the Suns away from happening, according to NBA front-office sources. Shaq trade will be true?

Sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday night that the Miami Heat have already agreed to send O'Neal to the Suns in exchange for All-Star forward Shawn Marion and out-of-favor guard Marcus Banks. Miami is simply waiting for Phoenix management to complete a medical examination of O'Neal and formally accept what would rank as one of most unexpected trades in league history.

"It looks like it's going to happen," said one source close to the situation. "We should know for sure by tomorrow."

ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher reported Tuesday night on SportsCenter that O'Neal is scheduled to arrive in Phoenix on Wednesday to undergo a physical. A source close to Marion told ESPN.com early Wednesday that the Suns have informed the 29-year-old that the deal will go through, with the forward eager now to move on after playing with the Suns for his whole career.

The Arizona Republic also reported that a deal could be imminent and that O'Neal had contacted some Suns players Tuesday night. The Suns pushed back their shootaround, originally scheduled for 9:45 a.m. MT to 4:45 p.m., shortly before Phoenix plays New Orleans.

The Miami Herald first reported on its Web site Tuesday night that the Heat have informed O'Neal that they are shopping him and that talks with the Suns were serious.

That apparently surprised O'Neal ... but also pleased him. Sources told ESPN.com that the 35-year-old -- in the midst of his least productive season and with the Heat cratering from a championship in 2006 to a 9-37 record less than two years later -- is eager to leave Miami and his deteriorating relationship with Heat coach Pat Riley.

Source: ABC

Rebecca De Mornay Gets 3 years Probation

2008-02-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

Rebecca De Mornay must serve three years' probation after a no contest plea was entered on her behalf to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge H. Chester Horn also ordered the 48-year-old actress to complete a three-month program for DUI offenders and pay $350 plus unspecified penalties.

Defense attorney Blair Berk entered the plea on the behalf of De Mornay, who wasn't in the courtroom for the brief hearing Tuesday. A second DUI charge was dismissed as a result of the plea, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

De Mornay was arrested Oct. 30 for a traffic violation in Beverly Hills when officers smelled alcohol on her breath.

De Mornay is best known for playing the prostitute who befriends Tom Cruise's high school student in the 1983 film "Risky Business." She also starred in the HBO surf drama "John From Cincinnati" and the films "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle," "Lords of Dogtown" and "American Venus."

Source: AP

Tennessee Tornadoes

2008-02-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

Tornadoes swept through Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois late yesterday, killing at least 47 people and causing a deadly explosion at a natural-gas pipeline near Nashville before heading east.

The ``extremely dangerous'' twisters, spawned by unseasonably warm temperatures, prompted the first high-risk weather alert issued in February in 10 years, AccuWeather.com said. Heavy rain, damaging winds and hail are possible from the Carolinas to southern New Jersey today, AccuWeather said.

``Tornadoes in February, especially this many and this strong, is a rare event,'' Buddy Rogers, spokesman for the Kentucky Emergency Management Office, said by phone. ``We have seven deaths, and if we're fortunate that number won't rise.''

The twisters first struck in the late afternoon, killing 24 people in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, seven in Kentucky and three in Alabama, the Associated Press reported, citing emergency officials. Authorities were searching for any other victims, including in the wreckage at a Sears mall store in Memphis, Tennessee, where the roof collapsed, the newswire said.

About a fifth of Arkansas's counties reported storm-related damage from floods, tornadoes and wind, said spokeswoman Renee Preslar of the state Emergency Management Department. At least four tornadoes touched down in the state.

Pump Blast

The number of deaths following the blast at a Columbia Gulf Transmission Co. pumping station wasn't immediately known, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office in Trousdale County, Tennessee, said today. The fire was put out early today and gas flows may be diverted around the damaged pumping station, Kelly Merritt, a spokesman for Houston-based Columbia Gulf Transmission, said in a phone interview.

Snow last night fell from the central Plains to southern Lake Michigan, Accuweather said, and was forecast to move into New York and New England. Atwood, Kansas, had 10 inches (25 centimeters) as of 4 a.m. local time. Bethany, Missouri, picked up 6 inches, and winds and white-out conditions threatened motorists, the private weather forecaster said.

Source: Bloomberg

NshapewithN by Nettie Reeves

2008-02-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

Ms. Reeves is a business owner, motivational speaker and fitness expert with over twenty years of experience in fitness and wellness training and education. She has a proven track record in starting and managing fitness programs, expanding networks and developing community outreach programs. She has an established clientele and have participated in fitness events nationally. “My philosophy is ‘The mind, not the mirror, is the judge.’ I know that in order for one to become fit on the outside, one must first get fit on the inside. It’s a cleansing that only you can do. And, it is with the help of God that you will first recognize that the change is needed, secondly to make up your mind to make the change, and last but not least, work on the change for the rest
of your life.

The change is about being healthy. It’s much more rewarding to live a short healthy life than a long unhealthy one. How much time do you have left to make it a healthy one? Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s do it! N’shape with’N has a double meaning. On one hand it means that you are definitely getting sweaty with Nettie. On the other hand it means that you are getting in shape within – within yourself; making a change; breathing new life; a metamorphosis; a new you! With this change will come a new attitude; a new way of thinking and a new way of giving and receiving. Remember, life is what you make it. Have fun but make it healthy!

About N'shape with'N, LLC

Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, N’ shape with’ N, LLC is a health and fitness business specializing in group and individual fitness. The business provides fitness education, personal training, weight management and nutrition guidance. Specialized programs are designed for institutions, groups or individuals. Market niche includes majority diverse groups (African-American, Women and Older Adults), ages 9-90.

Union University Devastated by Tornado

2008-02-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

Union University students and administrators returned to campus this morning and encountered an even more dramatic look at the damage storms brought to their school Tuesday night.

Cars were pushed together in the student parking lot as if heavy equipment shoved them around, roofs were torn off student dorms and the sides stripped away.

The reality of the devastation was such that David Dockery, Union president, revised the date the school would reopen from Feb. 13 to at least Feb. 18.

The university president said the morning look at the damage was shocking and unbelievable.

“We’ve seen some damage to this campus before, but nothing that has come close to this,” he said.

Injuries sent 51 students to the hospital Tuesday night, nine of whom were still hospitalized this morning, university officials said. None were considered life-threatening.

“It’s more of a reality check now that we can actually see it,” said Mark Ellison, a freshman from Newport, Tenn.

Dockery said 40 percent of the student housing buildings were destroyed and another 40 percent are heavily damaged. Across the campus, at least 17 buildings were damaged from the library where books were destroyed, to the White Hall Science Building. Of the 1,200 student cars on campus, fewer than 100 escaped damage. Many of them had windows blown out.

But Dockery and students praised the preparedness and reaction by students, and emphasized that their actions avoided any further injuries. When the sirens activated, the president said, the plans went in place and probably saved lives.

“They gave us plenty of warning,” said Jacob Carr, an 18-year-old freshman from Union City. “Union did an amazing job.”

The campus has been damaged by other storms in recent years.

Students who rode out the storm in their dorm buildings told stories of rushing wind, stout pressure variations and an eerie silence after the storm passed.

Ellison and Carr were among 10 people who packed into a bathroom in an interior part of one dorm.

“The wind was rushing,” Ellison said of the atmosphere when the storm passed. “Our ears popped and then there was complete silence.

“We were like, ‘Is it over?’ Then we went outside and everything was destroyed.”

The students praised the warning system by the university, saying resident leaders even went door-to-door telling them to take cover. Ellison and Carr lived in an upstairs room on the end of one building. They could see inside their room from a nearby parking lot this morning because the storm had ripped away their outer wall.

Many students displaced by the storm stayed with university employees overnight.

Dockery said today would be spent assessing the damage and talking with insurance representatives. He said students would be allowed on campus to see if their cars are drivable and if they can recover a few items from their rooms. After that, he was advising those who can to return home until the school gets closer to reopening.

“That’s the best thing they can do,” he said.

Source: Commercial Appeal

M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening trailer

2008-02-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

M. Night Shyamalan's next film The Happening trailer is already turning plenty of heads as it seems a darker level has been reached.

The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, and more. It is about a family that goes on the run to try and get away from the strange things happening. People are starting to turn on each other and just start killing.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Dead at 91

2008-02-05T16:28:00.000-08:00

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a guru to the Beatles who introduced the West to transcendental meditation, died Tuesday at his home in the Dutch town of Vlodrop, a spokesman said. He was thought to be 91 years old.

"He died peacefully at about 7 p.m.," said Bob Roth, a spokesman for the Transcendental Meditation movement that the Maharishi founded. He said his death appeared to be due to "natural causes, his age."

Once dismissed as hippie mysticism, the Hindu practice of mind control that Maharishi taught, called transcendental meditation, gradually gained medical respectability.

He began teaching TM in 1955 and brought the technique to the United States in 1959. But the movement really took off after the Beatles visited his ashram in India in 1968, although he had a famous falling out with the rock stars when he discovered them using drugs at his Himalayan retreat.

With the help of celebrity endorsements, Maharishi — a Hindi-language title for Great Seer — parlayed his interpretations of ancient scripture into a multi-million-dollar global empire.

After 50 years of teaching, Maharishi turned to larger themes, with grand designs to harness the power of group meditation to create world peace and to mobilize his devotees to banish poverty from the earth.

Maharishi's roster of famous meditators ran from The Rolling Stones to Clint Eastwood and new age preacher Deepak Chopra.

Director David Lynch, creator of dark and violent films, lectured at college campuses about the "ocean of tranquility" he found in more than 30 years of practicing transcendental meditation.

Some 5 million people devoted 20 minutes every morning and evening reciting a simple sound, or mantra, and delving into their consciousness.

"Don't fight darkness. Bring the light, and darkness will disappear," Maharishi said in a 2006 interview, repeating one of his own mantras.

Donations and the $2,500 fee to learn TM financed the construction of Peace Palaces, or meditation centers, in dozens of cities around the world. It paid for hundreds of new schools in India.

In 1971, Maharishi founded a university in Fairfield, Iowa, that taught meditation alongside the arts and sciences to 700 students and served organic vegetarian food in its cafeterias.

Supporters pointed to hundreds of scientific studies showing that meditation reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, improves concentration and raises results for students and businessmen.

Skeptics ridiculed his plan to raise $10 trillion to end poverty by sponsoring organic farming in the world's poorest countries. They scoffed at his notion that meditation groups, acting like psychic shock troops, can end conflict.

"To resolve problems through negotiation is a very childish approach," he said.

In 1986, two groups founded by his organization were sued in the U.S. by former disciples who accused it of fraud, negligence and intentionally inflicting emotional damage. A jury, however, refused to award punitive damages.

Over the years, Maharishi also was accused of fraud by former pupils who claim he failed to teach them to fly. "Yogic flying," showcased as the ultimate level of transcendence, was never witnessed as anything more than TM followers sitting in the cross-legged lotus position and bouncing across spongy mats.

Maharishi was born Mahesh Srivastava in central India, reportedly on Jan. 12, 1917 — though he refused to confirm the date or discuss his early life.

He studied physics at Allahabad University before becoming secretary to a well known Hindu holy man. After the death of his teacher, Maharishi went into a nomadic two-year retreat of silence in the Himalayan foothills of northern India.

With his background in physics, he brought his message to the West in a language that mixed the occult and science that became the buzz of college campuses. He described TM as "the unified field of all the laws of nature."

Maharishi's trademark flowing beard and long, graying hair appeared on the cover of the leading news magazines of the day.

But aides say Maharishi became disillusioned that TM had become identified with the counterculture, and he spent more time at his ashram in Rishikesh in the Himalayan foothills to run his global affairs.

In 1990 he moved onto the wooded grounds of a historic Franciscan monastery in the southern Dutch village of Vlodrop, about 125 miles southeast of Amsterdam.

Concerned about his fragile health, he secluded himself in two rooms of the wooden pavilion he built on the compound, speaking only by video to aides around the world and even to his closest advisers in the same building.

John Hagelin, a theoretical physicist who ran for the U.S. presidency three times on the Maharishi-backed Natural Law Party, said that from the Dutch location Maharishi had daylong access to followers in India, Europe and the Americas.

"He runs several shifts of us into the ground," said Hagelin, Maharishi's closest aid, speaking in Vlodrop about his then-89-year-old mentor. "He is a fountainhead of innovation and new ideas — far too many than you can ever follow up."

Source: Associated Press

Lori Appelbaum to retire?

2008-02-05T16:27:00.001-08:00

Lori Appelbaum, a top-ranked banking analyst at Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N: Quote, Profile, Research), said on Tuesday she is retiring from the Wall Street bank.

Appelbaum is expected to leave next month following a transition period. She joined Goldman in 1995, and became a managing director in 2001.

Confirming her departure, Goldman said Appelbaum had consistently been ranked first in investor surveys for her coverage of large banks.

"Thirteen years is a long time," Appelbaum said in an interview. "I've been working day and night for a decade, and I'm getting married."

Appelbaum did not say where she might work next, but said she has been approached to serve on boards of some public and private companies.

Prior to joining Goldman, Appelbaum was a bank analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein. She received a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.

Brian Foran will take over coverage of bank stocks on an interim basis, Goldman said. He joined the company in 2005, it said. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Braden Reddall)

Source: Reuters

Ash Wednesday 2008

2008-02-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

Christians don't normally stand out in a crowd.

On Wednesday, however, millions of Christ's followers around the world will celebrate the beginning of Lent by repeating the ancient ritual of wearing smudges from the ashes of burned palm leaves on their foreheads.

Lent marks the 40-day period from Ash Wednesday 2008 to Easter Sunday, when Christians celebrate their holiest observance, the resurrection of Christ. Traditionally, the Lenten season includes fasting, praying, charity and other methods to get closer to God.

The mark of the cross made in ashes across the forehead is a visible sign of repentance and a reminder of mortality, said the Rev. Charles F. Buckhahn, 55, senior pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 808 Weiss in Carrollton Township.

While Roman Catholics have worn the marks for centuries, Bethlehem members began wearing the smudges six years ago, Buckhahn said.

"The main concern when we started was would it go over with the congregation," Buckhahn said. "We sent newsletters and put information in our bulletins informing them of the tradition and the meaning behind it. Since then, more and more people are coming forward to take part in the service."

Adults aren't the only ones responding.

"The children really look forward to having dirt on their foreheads," said Buckhahn, who spent 30 minutes Monday burning leaves in an old pot on a stove with a "good exhaust fan" in the church's kitchen for this year's observances.

Buckhahn will add those ashes to the few left from last year to mark the foreheads of about 200 people attending either the 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. services Wednesday.

Many Christians consider the season, which continues through Saturday, March 22, as a time of sacrifice. Consequently, they opt to replace red meat with seafood or vegetarian fare during the period as a penance for sin.

This week, more than 40,000 registered Catholics in the 11-county Catholic Diocese of Saginaw will receive copies of Bishop Robert J. Carlson's 34-page cq pastoral letter on penance, "Jesus Christ, the Divine Physician," encouraging them to participate in the Sacrament of Penance, also known as Reconciliation and Confession, during the Lenten season.

"One of the major purposes of the letter is the attempt to move us away from a guilt-centered notion of sin and the sacrament. Sin means that we feel guilty, that God is angry, and the Sacrament of Penance is about softening our guilt and God's anger," said Carlson, 63.

"I want to move us toward a different notion of sin -- sin means that something is deeply wounded in us, that we have weakened or ruptured our relationship with God, and the Sacrament of Penance is where God's desire to heal our relationship meets our desire to be healed."

Sam Lufti cannot get close to Britney Anymore

2008-02-05T16:23:00.000-08:00

He's been seen squiring around a dazed looking Britney Spears, at times acting as her spokesman, referring to himself as her manager and friend, and insisting all the while that her best interest is his only concern.

All the same, Sam Lutfi, the 33-year-old man in the baseball cap who's been behind the scenes throughout Britney's public downfall, has not been easy to define.

Then on Tuesday, accusations in a restraining order cutting him off from the troubled pop star would seem to support at least one theory: that he was a Svengali figure in her life, a shady hanger-on who controlled everything — from doling out her pills to holding the paparazzi's leash.

The day before the court documents were released, Lutfi told The Associated Press in a text message: "I have no problems with anyone writing anything negative against me. My image is not of concern, hers is." Lutfi did not immediately respond to further inquiry.

The restraining order, based on a statement from Spears' mother Lynne, was not the first against Lutfi, who is listed in legal documents as Osama Lutfi. Accusations in at least three prior orders range from obscene messages following a business deal to a neighbor who said he was hounded incessantly and threatened with bodily harm.

Spears remained hospitalized Monday for psychiatric evaluation after being committed last week. The order, which bars Lutfi from contacting her in any way, was granted the same day a court turned control of her affairs over to her father and a lawyer.

Though Lutfi had recently reached out to various magazines and media personalities with information on Spears' condition and state of mind, details on him have proved elusive.

Public records show he was born August 16, 1974 in Los Angeles. Music magazine Blender, in a March cover story on Spears, states that Lutfi grew up in Woodland Hills, where his mother reportedly owns several gas stations.

According to the movie database IMDb.com, Lutfi served as associate producer of 1998 film "Circles" (also known as "Crossing Paths") and 2001's "Crossing Cords." And a profile titled "Sam Lutfi" on the networking Web site LinkedIn lists him as an "Independent Media Production Professional" with education from the University of Southern California. The school's alumni Web site does not list Lutfi as a past student.

How Lutfi connected with Spears in the first place isn't clear.

Brandy Navarre, co-owner of celebrity photo agency and Web site X17, told the AP that Lutfi contacted the agency about nine or 10 months ago — after her head-shaving incident and others — about telling Spears' side of the story.

Since then, X17 photographers have cultivated a close relationship with both Spears and Lutfi, whom they have photographed together numerous times. Lutfi communicates with X17 by text messages, instant messages and e-mail regularly, and has had long conversations with Navarre, she said.

Navarre said she never asked him how he and Spears met. Still, "I think I've always had a positive feeling of him," Navarre said. "He seems to have Britney's best interest in mind."

In the order against Lutfi, Lynne Spears says her daughter met him in October 2007, and that he "essentially moved into Britney's home and has purported to take control of her life, home and finances." She describes witnessing a situation of tight control and manipulation, with Lutfi calling the shots on her medications, cutting her phone lines, and deciding who's let in to see the pop star.

A court commissioner on Monday extended temporary conservatorship of Spears to her father, from whom she's been estranged, through Feb 14. Adam Streisand, an attorney who said he believed he had been authorized to represent Spears, argued Monday that James Spears should be removed because his role "is causing her more agitation and more distress."

"Her family hasn't been around," Navarre said. "(Lutfi) has kind of been filling that void. ... He's done everything from being a default manager and publicist to being a brother, a dad."

Navarre denied rumors that the agency was paying Lutfi for access.

"We have paid people for information, for pictures, but we've never paid Sam Lutfi and have never paid Britney Spears," Navarre said. "And he's never asked us for any money."

Last month, Barbara Walters said on ABC's "The View" that Lutfi had contacted her, telling her Spears "is suffering from what he describes as mental issues which are treatable." She also said Lutfi "seems to be enormously supportive" of Spears.

Court documents from previous cohorts of Lutfi present a darker picture.

In October 2005, businesswoman Jumana Issa filed a complaint in Los Angeles against Lutfi; it was dismissed in March 2006 because she failed to appear for a preliminary hearing. When contacted by phone, Issa refused to comment.

In court papers, the Westside Escrow Corporation owner claimed Lutfi started harassing her from the day of closing an escrow account for him after he demanded canceling an escrow check which she said she was unable to stop payment on.

Issa said Lutfi antagonized her repeatedly with obscene e-mails, offensive faxes and late-night voice mails, hanging up on her around 15-20 times a day, according to court documents. Issa described the ordeal as "an overwhelming nightmare."

Lutfi allegedly wrote in one fax provided by Issa, "Come on big lady, I know you are capable of responding. Put down the donuts and call me."

In October 2004, a restraining order was issued demanding Lutfi stay at least 100 yards away from Mark Douglas Snoland, a neighbor in Lutfi's condominium building, for three years. Snoland's attorney Ronald Ziff referred questions to Snoland, who did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

According to Snoland's petition for a restraining order, Lutfi began "pounding" on Snoland's front door on the night of Sept. 6, 2004 and tried to kick the door in while also pounding on a kitchen window and "yelling verbal threats of bodily harm" against Snoland and his mother, who lived in the unit.

Snoland claimed Lutfi returned 15 minutes later to continue to kick the door and yell threats. Snoland also alleged Sam Lutfi buzzed him on an intercom "non stop" and, hours later, called his home phone number and hung up every few minutes.

Lutfi claimed in a response to the petition that Snoland only "knocked" on the door, and that Snoland "was never threatened," but actually "angry he was removed from the board of the condo complex."

In April 2007, an Orange County Superior Court granted a restraining order against Lutfi for 29-year-old Danny Haines, who told Blender he had been a close friend of Lutfi for two years and that Lutfi once told him he should kill himself. Attempts by the AP to reach Haines for comment were unsuccessful.

According to Blender, Haines said he and Lutfi met on Myspace.com in 2005 when Haines was struggling with relationships with his relatives and friends. The two became tight pals, Haines told the magazine, and Lutfi emphasized that he could be a mediator between Haines and his family.

Haines claims Lutfi showed a jealous side, leaving voicemails calling Haines "worthless," and then divulging, "I love you, man. I love you to death." Haines alleges Lutfi later suggested Haines take sleeping pills, "lots of them," following a dispute over money Lutfi allegedly borrowed from Haines, according to the magazine.

Haines claims when he stopped communicating with Lutfi, Lutfi retaliated by e-mailing naked photographs of Haines to his family, friends, colleagues and employer, and text messaged and called repeatedly.

Source: Associated Press

Shell Kepler dies at 49

2008-02-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

Actress Shell Kepler, who for years played the gossipy nurse Amy Vining on the TV soap opera "General Hospital," has died. She was 49. Kepler died Friday at Oregon Health & Science University hospital, which did not give the cause of death.

Kepler's busybody character on "General Hospital" was a fan favorite and enjoyed a long run, 1979-2002.

In addition to her run on "General Hospital," she was also in a 1982 Joan Collins film, "Homework," and a couple of episodes of the situation comedy "Three's Company."

On the side, she was a businesswoman, marketing clothing on the former Home Shopping Club. She said in a 1994 Associated Press interview that her "Lacy Afternoon" collection had sales topping $20 million that year alone.

Kepler was born in Ohio and the family moved to California when she was 10. She recalled in 1994 that she didn't yet have a driver's license when she began trying out for film roles.

"I managed to get my girlfriends to drive me to auditions because I wasn't old enough to drive. I was a rather ambitious kid," she said.

She moved to Portland after her TV career and became involved in charity fundraising.

Source: Washington Post

Jennifer Kukla Received Notes from Stephen Grant

2008-02-05T09:46:00.000-08:00

Here are excerpts of notes written by convicted wife killer Stephen Grant to Jennifer Kukla, who was convicted of killing her two young daughters. The letters were written from summer to fall while the two were in the Macomb County Jail. Grant, who is awaiting sentencing, is believed to have slipped the notes to Kukla beneath lunch trays.

• "I figure that you might like someone you can just 'talk' to. Because of the publicity surrounding both of our cases, it's not like either of us is going to give our letters to the news media. ... At least I hope not. (Smiley face.)"

• "I apologize for assuming that you know about me ... everyone does. (LOL) So much so that (the deputies) call me 'celebrity.' I am here in jail charged with murdering my wife. Ask the other ladies if they know 'Steve Grant.' They probably do. (Indifferent face.)"

• "I figured that, because of the news coverage of my case, you would know all about me. ... I'm 37, brown curly hair, 6 ft. ... by the way, I don't normally have 'those' eyes, they just used the same picture over and over on TV. (Smiley face.)"

• "The reason it's safe for me ... is the notoriety of my case. I have been told that I am the Sheriff's re-election priority. Also, every time that I am in court, the TV cameras are ALL there and if I have a black eye it will be on CNN. (Smiley face.)"

• "I'm glad you're not too mad. (Smiley face.) It has been nice writing/talking to you these past couple months. I still laugh when I remember your one note ... You asked 'are you scared of me?' (LOL) You are too nice to be scared of. I just wish we could arrange a rendezvous in the closet one of these days. (Smiley face)."

• "I hope you know that you will be OK no matter what happens. I'm pretty sure you're stronger than you think you are."

• "Before this current situation, I loved being outside ... running, mountain biking, etc. ... spending time with my kids also was very important. I really miss them."

Source: freep.com

Fat Tuesday! Fat Tuesday is Here!

2008-02-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

A ticker tape parade for the Giants. Twenty-two states hold presidential primaries. And to top it all off: it's Fat Tuesday, the last day of Mardi Gras. This is ain't your ordinary Tuesday, and we'll try and keep up with the action.

Mardi Gras celebrations come to a climax today on the Alabama coast and in New Orleans. It's Fat Tuesday — a full day of parades are scheduled, beginning with the Order of Athena at 10:30 a.m. and ending with the Order of Myths at 6:30 p.m..

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach also have Fat Tuesday parades planned. And there's a boat parade set for the Intracoastal Waterway in Baldwin County.

In New Orleans, Fat Tuesday is marked by family-friendly events uptown and in the suburbs -- and by heavy drinking and near- nudity in the French Quarter .

Source: al.com

Willie Nelson thought Twin Towers Were Imploded On 9/11

2008-02-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

Straight talking American icon Willie Nelson today told a national radio show that he thought the twin towers were imploded like condemned Las Vegas casino buildings, as the country music superstar forcefully voiced his doubts about the official 9/11 story.

Agreeing with host Alex Jones that he questioned the official story, Nelson elaborated, "I saw those towers fall and I've seen an implosion in Las Vegas - there's too much similarities between the two, and I saw a building fall that didn't get hit by nothing," added Nelson, referring to WTC Building 7 which collapsed in the late afternoon of September 11.

"How naive are we - what do they think we'll go for?," asked Nelson, pointing out that his doubts began on the very day of 9/11.

"I saw one fall and it was just so symmetrical, I said wait a minute I just saw that last week at the casino in Las Vegas and you see these implosions all the time and the next one fell and I said hell there's another one - and they're trying to tell me that an airplane did it and I can't go along with that," said Nelson.

The former Highwayman, fresh from his appearance at this past weekend's superbowl, questioned why Afghanistan became an immediate target in the aftermath of 9/11 when the official story posited that mostly Saudi Arabians were responsible for the attack.

"When I get hit I like to look around and see who did it before I start swinging at everybody in the room and that's kind of what we were doing," said Nelson, "We get hit over here and then next thing you know we're jumping on everybody in the town - so (if) we got hit from Saudi Arabia, I think we've got some questions that need to be answered from those folks," said Nelson.

In light of his viewpoint, Nelson said that recent revelations concerning the impartiality of the 9/11 Commission and its close links with the White House did not surprise him.

"What does it take for us to realize we're having the wool pulled over our eyes one more time?" he concluded.

Nelson is not the first high-profile public figure to question 9/11. In March 2006, actor Charlie Sheen voiced his doubts and was followed last year by his father Martin Sheen.

Aside from celebrities - professors, scientists and other experts the world over have questioned the inconsistencies in the official story, and the topic was most recently even a subject of serious debate in the Japanese Parliament.

In December, former Italian President Francesco Cossiga told Italy's most respected newspaper, Corriere della Sera, that the attacks were run by the CIA and Mossad and that this was common knowledge amongst global intelligence agencies.

Source: Prison planet

Steve Spagnuolo To Interview With Redskins

2008-02-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will meet with Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder Tuesday to discuss the vacant head coaching position.

Snyder had reportedly been waiting for the Giants season to end so he could speak with Spagnuolo. Prior to the Super Bowl, Spagnuolo was one of Snyder's prime targets, but he cemented his credibility with by leading a phenomenal defensive performance in Super Bowl XLII.

The Giants turned down a request by the Atlanta Falcons for a chance to talk with Spagnuolo the week before the Giants' win over the Cowboys in the divisional playoff round, a decision Spagnuolo endorsed.

The Redskins already have offensive and defensive coordinators in place. The Redskins recently fired their offensive coordinator Al Saunders and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. They were replaced by Seattle offensive coordinator Jim Zorn and Redskins defensive line coach Greg Blache, respectively.

Due to this, there has been speculation that former Giants coach Jim Fassel, who has interviewed three times with Snyder, or former 49ers coach Steve Mariucci, who reportedly interviewed on Saturday, would be the leading candidate and not Spagnuolo, who would likely prefer to assemble his own staff.

Source:Transworld news

Raymond Jacobs, Last Marine in Iwo Jima Photo Dies at 82

2008-02-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

Raymond Jacobs, believed to be the last surviving member of the group of Marines photographed during the original U.S. flag-raising on Iwo Jima during World War II, has died at age 82.

Jacobs died Jan. 29 of natural causes at a Redding hospital, his daughter, Nancy Jacobs, told The Associated Press.

Jacobs had spent his later years working to prove that he was the radio operator photographed looking up at an American flag as it was being raised by other Marines on Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945.

Newspaper accounts from the time show he was on the mountain during the initial raising of a smaller American flag, though he had returned to his unit by the time the more famous AP photograph was taken of a second flag-raising later the same day.

The radioman's face isn't fully visible in the first photograph taken of the first flag-raising by Lou Lowery, a photographer for Leatherneck magazine, leading some veterans to question Jacobs' claim. However, other negatives from the same roll of film show the radioman is Jacobs, said retired Col. Walt Ford, editor of Leatherneck.

"It's clearly a front-on face shot of Ray Jacobs," Ford said.

Annette Amerman, a historian with the Marine Corps History Division, said in an e-mailed statement "there are many that believe" Jacobs was the radioman. "However, there are no official records produced at the time that can prove or refute Mr. Jacobs' location."

Jacobs was honorably discharged in 1946. He was called up during the Korean conflict in 1951 before retiring as a sergeant, his daughter said.

Jacobs retired in 1992 from KTVU-TV in Oakland, where he worked 34 years as a reporter, anchor and news director.

Source: Associated Press

Lane Bryant Shooting

2008-02-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

Lane Bryant Shooting. The five women came to the suburban clothing store for such ordinary reasons.

One, the mother of a disabled child, wanted to find something nice to wear for a rare girls' night out.

Another needed work clothes for her first post-college job.

One was choosing an outfit to wear at a gathering of old college friends later that night, and yet another was shopping, reportedly while in town with her husband for a conference.

And the final victim, the manager of the Tinley Park Lane Bryant store, came in to help on a busy Saturday, even though she had not been scheduled to be there.

Police on Sunday identified the five women killed in the shopping center shooting a day earlier as Connie R. Woolfolk, 37, of Flossmoor; Jennifer L. Bishop, 34, of South Bend, Ind.; Rhoda McFarland, 42, of Joliet; Sarah Szafranski, 22, of Oak Forest; and Carrie Hudek Chiuso, 33, of Frankfort.

They were five women of different races and walks of life, strangers bound only by an unthinkable fate that brought them to the clothing store within an hour of its opening.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Dieter Uchtdorf, named new counselor in First Presidency

2008-02-04T12:34:00.000-08:00

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 67, who was sustained to the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve on Oct. 2, 2004, was introduced Monday as the new second counselor in the church's First Presidency.

He was ordained an apostle on Oct. 7, 2004, at the age of 63.

President Uchtdorf, a native German and former senior vice president for flight operations and chief pilot for Lufthansa German Airlines, was sustained to the Second Quorum of the Seventy on April 2, 1994.

He was sustained to the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 6, 1996, and called to the Presidency of the Seventy on Aug. 15, 2002, and sustained on Oct. 5, 2002.

A former stake president and stake mission president, President Uchtdorf received education in engineering and later studied business administration and international management.

He was born Nov. 6, 1940, in Ostrava, Morava, Czechoslovakia, to Karl Albert and Hilde Else Opelt Uchtdorf. He and his wife, Harriet Reich Uchtdorf, are the parents of two children.

Source: Deseretnews.com

Silver State Helicopters closes down

2008-02-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

Rotorhub.com has received the following email from the private address of an unnamed employee of Silver State Helicopters, apparently forwarded from their SSH company address. While we realise that we cannot yet verify this fully, our investigation on various internet forums suggests that it is all true. This is provided in good faith, and will be withdrawn immediately should it be proven as incorrect.

What follows is the text of an email from SSH boss Jerry Airola to his employees:-

I know the rumors have been flying and I’ve been told some of you have taken action in anticipation of a company shut down some time today. The Board of Directors has been working diligently with student lenders and the financial institution that carries the majority of Silver State’s debt. The entire lending industry was crippled in October and the impact hit all student lending sources particularly hard; we felt this full force. Silver State Helicopters has done everything possible to weather the storm and will continue to work on a solution that will allow this company to continue to explore options.

The Board of Directors has not made a final decision as to Silver State Helicopters. Because the monthly operating expenses, even at the recently streamlined levels, continue to exceed cash flow the Board has elected to suspend all operations effective at 5:00 PM today. All offices are closed effective immediately and all employees are terminated as of 5:00PM today as well. All employees will receive a final payroll check via your normal payment method (check or direct deposit by ADP). I know there are many questions that you will have and I will attempt to answer some of those now:

1. When will I receive my final paycheck and what will it include? Your paycheck will be processed immediately and sent to you via ADP as it has in the past. You will be paid through close of business today. The company does not have time cards collected already to reflect the most recent days so, as is common practice in these cases, non-salaried employees will be paid assuming a full 40-hour work week.

2. What will happen to my 401K? Your 401(k) remains secure with the outside service Company as it always has been.

3. If Silver State Helicopters are able to restructure will I be offered re-employment? The Board of Directors will continue to work to find the best possible solution for Silver State Helicopters. If the company can be restructured it would certainly make most sense to allow priority hiring to former employees that apply.

4. Should I seek other employment? Yes - Silver State Helicopters can make no promise of re-employment at this time and there should be no hesitation on your part to secure alternative employment.

5. Will I be able to retrieve my personal belongings from the office? Yes - You will be notified as to the available times and procedures to recover any personal property from a locked office within the next few days. Please do not take anything from the locations that does not belong to you unless you have written permission to do so as that would constitute theft. Surveillance equipment has been recently installed in most locations to protect assets.

6. I have a company vehicle, should I turn that in? Yes - Non-employees are not authorized to drive company vehicles. It is presumed reasonable that all vehicles will be returned to the closest Silver State Location no later than Monday, February 4th. You should co-ordinate all vehicle returns with Lisa Gunther.

7. What will happen to students? The students will be notified as soon as a clear direction is confirmed.

8. I have company assets at my home or in my possession, what should I do? Contact Steve Shaw or Lisa Gunther and make arrangements to return all items no later than Monday, February 4th.

9. What about health insurance? Angi will be processing termination for all employees on Monday. This will trigger COBRA notices and you can contract the carrier directly to preserve your coverage. The company also encourages you to begin your process immediately so that you may collect unemployment insurance.

Please accept my most sincere apologies for the stress and sadness this may cause you. I know that many of you consider this company and the employees to be your home and your family. Holly and I have made a decision to fight for every option to help the people of this company put something together so we may again enjoy the success we have shared in the past.

Most of you have been comfortable in writing me or calling me I the past and I will continue to keep my door open. Please realize that I am inundated with calls and e-mails right now and it is difficult to return all in a timely manner when there is so much work to do. Regardless of the final outcome over the next few weeks I will be eternally grateful for the friends that I have made and the greatness that we all have shared. There are few people in the world that will ever have the opportunity to share in the experience that we all have over the past eight years. If someone had told me back in 1999 that this company would do all it has done and then face the challenge that it is facing now I would still gladly sign on as an opportunity of a lifetime and an education that can not be bought. Thank you all for the opportunity to work with a great group of people.

I can not tell you how hard it is to push “send”.

With love and respect for all of you,

Jerry Airola

Phthalates in shampoos put babies at risk

2008-02-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

A U.S. study said many baby powders, lotions and shampoos expose infants to high levels of hormone-altering chemicals

The report by University of Wshington Pediatrics said infants exposed to those products had markedly increased levels of phthalates in their urine.

Animal and human studies have linked phthalates to reduced male reproductive function.

The researchers tested phthalate levels in 163 infants born between 2000 and 2005 and found 81 percent had detectable levels of phthalate in their urine.

The report said the highest levels were found in young infants who may be more vulnerable to developmental and reproductive toxicity of the chemicals.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics said a 2002 study found phthalates in more than 70 percent of products tested, including shampoo, deodorant and perfume.

The chemicals were not listed on labels, the group said Monday in a release.

The European Union bans some phthalates from cosmetics and toys. California has banned the chemicals from baby toys.

Source: The Money Times

Plastech Bankruptcy

2008-02-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

Chrysler LLC has had to shut down four plants today, as it deals with the bankruptcy filing of Dearborn-based auto supplier Plastech Engineered Products Inc.

Plastech filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Friday night, after Chrysler said it would terminate its business with the supplier company, which has been undergoing financial trouble amid rising oil prices.

In 2006, the private company posted losses of $73 million on sales of more than $1 billion, nearly tripling its losses in 2005. Plastech has 35 plants.

The affected Chrysler plants are in Sterling Heights; Newark, Del.; Toledo, Ohio; and Belvidere, Ill. A second Toledo plant will also be shut down.

The idling has affected 10,500 workers, said Chrysler spokeswoman Michele Tinson.

Tinson said the plants have been temporarily shut down due to a parts shortage.

“These actions are to ensure the highest levels of quality,” she said. “The delayed volume will be rescheduled in the near future.”

The bankruptcy filing followed a stand-off between Chrysler and Plastech. On Friday, the automaker filed a restraining order to seize the tooling Plastech uses to make parts for nearly every vehicle Chrysler produces.

Chrysler representatives went to some of Plastech’s plants demanding the molds, dies and other tools used to make the parts

As these teams of Chrysler representatives were entering Plastech’s plants Friday evening, the supplier filed its Chapter 11 petition, which stays all legal action against the supplier, according to legal documents filed by Chrysler.

In a court filing over the weekend, Chrysler said it had to close one plant and eight additional plants would likely shut down due to Plastech bankruptcy.

Source: freep.com

The Growing Trend of Helicopter Parenting

2008-02-04T09:56:00.000-08:00

Parents’ concern for their children’s safety has both shifted and intensified, and that is leading to the creation of monitoring and tracking tools that are increasingly sophisticated, according to a new report from the futurist research and consulting firm Social Technologies.

“The growing trend of ‘helicopter parenting’ is fueling this development,” explains senior analyst Kevin Osborn. “It is characterized by micromanagement of kids from birth to college—and beyond—and carries the message that unwatchful parents are bad parents.”

The rise of social networking sites that virtually link tens of millions of kids, teens, and college students to each other is viewed by parents as another source of bad influence—and potential abuse, Osborn adds, noting that exposure to computers is occurring at increasingly younger ages.

Fortunately, concerned parents can breathe a sigh of relief.

“While developments in information technology fuel new fears, they are also providing a stream of new products designed specifically to alleviate parental concerns,” he explains. “Parents can now monitor a child’s activities with everything from toys to mobile phones.”

IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT

The decreasing cost of sensor technology, and advances in sensing and virtual interaction technology, is helping this new generation of tech- and Internet-savvy parents.

Osborn forecasts: “These new products will significantly expand the monitoring and tracking capabilities of parents, enabling them to keep track of whom their kids meet online, monitor their kids’ movements and location, and keep tabs on their behavior and lifestyle.”

Here's How
• Monitoring virtual interactions. Parental fear of social networking is so strong that a new genre of websites has sprung up around the idea of safe networking.
“With names like WeeWorld and Stardoll, these sites are specifically targeting eight- to 14-year-olds and millions of users are flocking to them,” Osborn says, adding that behind the colorful graphics and cute characters, these sites employ high-powered content filters aimed at blocking any suggestive language or exchanges of contact information.
Some sites even have meta-accounts for parents, allowing them the final say over whom their child may add to a virtual friend list.
• Monitoring physical location. Driven by advances in sensors and the proliferation of GPS, RFID, and mobile phones, parents can also keep track of their children’s physical location.
“New gadgets with GPS trackers are being built into wristwatches and running shoes, and in some cases they also include panic buttons that send alerts to law enforcement officials,” Osborn explains. “Mobile phones have also become an important tracking tool. About 70% of teenagers have a mobile phone, and a product called Guardian Angel allows parents to program routes into it. For instance, if a parent wants to ensure a teen stays on the straight and narrow path to school, her cell phone monitors whether she stays on the pre-programmed path.” What if the child strays? Osborn says parents know because they receive an alert—and can contact the child—should the monitor indicate the child has gone off-course.
• Monitoring behavior. Increasingly, helicopter-parenting tendencies have also spurred demand for products that monitor most aspects of a child’s life—from eating to driving.

Consider the “cafeteria police.”

“A website called mealpay.com was originally conceived as an expedited way of paying for school lunches, eliminating the problems of lost or stolen lunch money,” Osborn explains. “However, due to consistent parental inquiries about what their children were eating, the manufacturer introduced an option in 2005 that allows parents to monitor online—or even proscribe limits on—all of a child’s lunch purchases.”

Edline is another service enabling new levels of educational micromanagement, Osborn notes. “It provides parents with comprehensive grade readouts—down to the smallest quiz—along with information on class attendance, daily subject matter, and pending assignments.”

BUSINESS IMPLICATIONS

As sophisticated kid monitors become mainstream, will more parents feel that continuous monitoring is part and parcel of being a good parent? “I’d venture to say yes,” Osborn forecasts, “and thus the demand for child safety and monitoring services will increase.”

Here are few of the devices we may we seeing:

• Subcutaneous devices. Technological advances in this area could allow for a whole new range of tracking products, creating demand for sensing implants and environmental scanners.
• Optimized parent guides. Continuous child monitoring may enable companies to offer data-driven products that analyze the detailed statistics collected by monitoring devices and provide personalized recommendations to help “improve” children.
• Personal freedom products. Aimed at helping young adults dodge monitoring by overzealous parents, this could emerge as a new growth market.

LEARN MORE
What are some other potential outcomes of these innovations? To find out more, set up an interview with Kevin Osborn. Contact Hope Gibbs, Social Technologies’ Leader of Corporate Communications: hope.gibbs@socialtechnologies.com.

About ) KEVIN OSBORN
An award-winning author and editor, Kevin Osborn is one of Social Technologies’ senior writers/analysts. He has contributed briefs on a wide range of business and lifestyle topics to the firm’s multiclient projects, as well as performing custom writing and analysis work for individual clients. A generalist by inclination, Osborn authored, co-authored, or ghostwrote more than 40 books as an independent writer for top US publishers before joining Social Technologies, including: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Bringing Up Baby (Macmillan, 1997; 2006), The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Classical Mythology (Macmillan, 1998; 2004), and The Encyclopedia of American Sports Heroes (Scholastic, 1996). Areas of expertise: Boomers / Gen X / Gen Y, China and Chinese consumers, the future of parenting and kids.

About ) SOCIAL TECHNOLOGIES
Social Technologies is a global research and consulting firm specializing in the integration of foresight, strategy, and innovation. With offices in Washington DC, London, and Shanghai, Social Technologies serves the world’s leading companies, government agencies, and nonprofits. A holistic, long-term perspective combined with actionable business solutions helps clients mitigate risk, make the most of opportunities, and enrich decision-making. For information visit www.socialtechnologies.com, our blog: http://changewaves.socialtechnologies.com, and our newsletter: www.socialtechnologies.com/changewaves.

Raquel Regalado dead at 60

2008-02-04T07:19:00.001-08:00

Raquel Regalado, a well-known Spanish-language radio commentator and wife of a Miami commissioner, died early Sunday.

She died at Mercy Hospital from heart failure, said her son, Tomas N. Regalado.

She was 60.

Regalado co-anchored a daily morning show on WWFE-La Poderosa (670-AM) called Lo Que Otros No Dicen (What Others Won't Say). She was also married to Tomas Regalado, a veteran commissioner, who is also radio and television personality.

''At the end of the day this community has lost a voice,'' she son Tomas said. ``A voice that spoke for them, a microphone, has been silenced this morning.''

Source: Miami herald

Van der Sloot was with American teenager Natalee Holloway

2008-02-04T06:33:00.000-08:00

It was trial by television last weekend as literally half the population of the Netherlands tuned in to watch a bizarre twist in the unsolved case of Natalee Holloway, an 18-year-old American who went missing in May 2005 after a night out on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Acting as the prosecution: Peter de Vries, a Dutch crime journalist, who presented his eagerly awaited take on the case on a Dutch commercial television station. The advocate for the defense: a rival channel, which aired an interview with one of the prime suspects in the case. Left in the dust as hapless bystanders were the official prosecutors in Aruba, who have failed to bring anyone to trial almost three years since Holloway was last seen leaving a nightclub with Joran van der Sloot and two friends on the night of May 29, 2005.

The case revolves around Van der Sloot, 20, a Dutch student who was then living in Aruba, a self-governing part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He was arrested several times for alleged involvement in Holloway's disappearance, but prosecutors were never able to build a case against him. De Vries, working outside official channels, aired his own case, fashioned around repeated taped confessions weaseled out of Van der Sloot by Patrick van der Eem, a friend he met in 2007.

De Vries says he was approached by Van der Eem with an offer to try to find Van der Sloot out. They videotaped a number of conversations Van der Eem had in his car with Van der Sloot, in which the latter tells how Holloway collapsed while the two were making out on the beach. "We were at the beach and suddenly she did nothing," Van der Sloot said on the tape that De Vries aired. "I tried everything, I shook her, but nothing." He said he then called a friend, named as 'Daury', who dumped the body at sea by boat. Asked by Van der Eem how he could be so sure that Holloway was dead, Van der Sloot admitted that he couldn't be.

De Vries showed chief Aruban prosecutor Hans Mos some of the video material beforehand. Apparently acting on these leads, Mos reopened the case last Friday. But his attempt to get an arrest warrant for Van der Sloot was struck down on Monday by the court, which deemed the new developments insufficient to warrant incarceration for now. Interviewed in De Vries' show, Mos had deemed the taped confessions "convincing," but urged caution in taking the case to court. "This calls for additional research and that is what we are going to do," he said.

Source:times

Maria Shriver endorses candidate Obama

2008-02-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

California First Lady Maria Shriver delivered a surprise endorsement of Barack Obama on Sunday, overcoming qualms about going public because, she said, the Illinois senator was the presidential candidate able to unify the country across racial, ethnic and other lines of division.

"He's not about himself," she told a cheering crowd at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. "He's about the power of us and what we can do if we come together. . . . He is about empowering women, African Americans, Latinos, older people, young people. He's about empowering all of us."

Shriver's announcement -- made at the end of a rally featuring Oprah Winfrey, Caroline Kennedy and Obama's wife, Michelle -- aligned the first lady with much of the rest of the Kennedy clan. It also marked a split with her husband, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who last week endorsed Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

"I thought, if Barack Obama was a state, he'd be California," Shriver said as the crowd of thousands roared in a chorus that rose as she ticked off each attribute: "Diverse. Open. Smart. Independent. Bucks tradition. Innovative. Inspirational. Dreamer. Leader."

Shriver's break with her husband was not unusual. The two -- she a fierce Democrat, he a loyal Republican -- have one of the nation's most famous political mixed marriages.

Shriver apparently wavered until close to the last minute. In fact, aides to Obama were not certain she would come through until she strode onstage -- without makeup and her hair unbrushed, she said, after arriving straight from a daughter's equestrian show.

Like many, Shriver said, she felt pulled in several directions.

"Every single person can come to you and tell you, 'You should vote for this person' or 'You should vote for that person.' `It's not right to speak up. It's not right to speak out,' " Shriver said, her voice echoing through the arena. "But this is a moment to have a conversation with yourself, not anyone else. Have a conversation with your own heart. And ask yourself, 'What kind of America do I believe in?' "

Like the Democratic Party in miniature, the Kennedy family has split over the two top presidential contenders. Also supporting Obama are Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts; his son Patrick; and niece Caroline, the daughter of President Kennedy. On Saturday, Obama also received the endorsement of Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York has picked up the support of three of Robert and Ethel's children: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Kerry Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Shriver's endorsement and Winfrey's celebrity pageant, which included walk-on guest Stevie Wonder, guaranteed Obama extensive news coverage in the final 24 hours of the campaign -- an enormous asset in this far-flung state.

"The drama of it all was just delicious," said USC political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe. Shriver "probably edged out Bill Clinton" -- who spent Sunday morning visiting Los Angeles-area black churches -- "and Oprah Winfrey as the story of the day, at least in California."

Source: latimes.com

GM To Showcase Chevy Tahoe Hybrid

2008-02-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

US based automaker General Motors has now displayed their hybrid pickups, including Chevy Tahoe Hybrid. America's first full-size two-mode hybrid SUV is coming early 2008.

The 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, available in two- or four-wheel drive, provides the power and capability you expect from a utility vehicle while offering fuel efficiency you never imagined — an outstanding EPA estimated MPG of 21 city, 22 highway for 2WD models, and 20 city, 20 highway for 4x4. In fact, 2008 Tahoe Hybrid 2WD offers the same EPA estimated city fuel efficiency as a four-cylinder Toyota Camry

Chevy Tahoe Hybrid optimizes efficiency and performance whether you're driving in the city or on the highway and offers up to 50% better city fuel economy over the non-hybrid Tahoe. And it's one of the many ways GM is working to reduce our dependence on petroleum.

Tahoe Hybrid is lowered in both the front and rear and features other aerodynamic enhancements, including integrated assist steps with flared fronts, streamlined hood and specially tuned fascias and front air dam. Another difference between Tahoe Hybrid and the normal production model is the inclusion of Tahoe Hybrid-specific badging and graphics.

In addition, the hood and liftgate are made of lightweight aluminum and the low-mass aluminum wheels are outfitted with low rolling-resistance tires.

Limited availability of Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is starting early 2008. Check back in the coming months for more information and updates.

Souce: Via GMC, poviding more information on Chevy Tahoe Hybrid

Historic Ernie Pyle Death Photo Surfaces

2008-02-03T15:34:00.000-08:00

The figure in the photograph is clad in Army fatigues, boots and helmet, lying on his back in peaceful repose, folded hands holding a military cap. Except for a thin trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, he could be asleep.

But he is not asleep; he is dead. And this is not just another fallen GI; it is Ernie Pyle death photo, he was the most celebrated war correspondent of World War II.

As far as can be determined, the photograph has never been published. Sixty-three years after Pyle was killed by the Japanese, it has surfaced -- surprising historians, reminding a forgetful world of a humble correspondent who artfully and ardently told the story of a war from the foxholes.

"It's a striking and painful image, but Ernie Pyle wanted people to see and understand the sacrifices that soldiers had to make, so it's fitting, in a way, that this photo of his own death ... drives home the reality and the finality of that sacrifice," said James E. Tobin, a professor at Miami University of Ohio.

Tobin, author of a 1997 biography, "Ernie Pyle's War," and Owen V. Johnson, an Indiana University professor who collects Pyle-related correspondence, said they had never seen the photo. The negative is long lost, and only a few prints are known to exist.

"When I think about the real treasures of American history that we have," says Mark Foynes, director of the Wright Museum of World War II in Wolfeboro, N.H., "this picture is definitely in the ballpark."

How Old is Paula Abdul?

2008-02-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

After her appearance at the Superbowl, many people are wondering How old is Paula Abdul?, and that's a very easy question to answer:

Paula Abdul as of this day is 45 years old.

To find it, just search iton the Wikipedia, is the easiest way to find it.

Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American multi-platinum selling Grammy Award-winning singer, dancer, television personality, jewelry designer, actress, and Emmy Award-winning choreographer. She is the former daughter-in-law of actor Martin Sheen.

In the 1980s, Abdul rose from being a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team to being a sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era, then to being a Pop-R&B singer with a string of hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s. According to Abdul, she has sold over 53 million records to date.[1] After her initial period of success, she suffered a series of reverses in her professional and personal life, until she found renewed fame and success in the 2000s as a judge on the television series American Idol. In the beginning of 2008 the official site of the singer has confirmed hearings about an output of a new long-awaited album.

Tired of the Super Bowl? Watch the Puppy Bowl!

2008-02-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

The referee blows the whistle. “Puppy foul!”

Unfortunately for Puppy Bowl referee Andrew Schechter, this call means just what you imagine. In real life, Schechter, a production coordinator for Animal Planet, is training to be an actor. He probably never expected to have a role that requires so many paper towels and plastic bags. But they’re part of the deal at the channel’s “Puppy Bowl,” to be broadcast on Super Bowl Sunday.

For the uninitiated, “Puppy Bowl” consists of a pack of puppies turned loose to play on a miniature football field. There’s no script or plot, just all puppies, all the time – except of course for the kitten half-time show.

Watching it can teach you lots about puppy play, an important part of a dog’s development.

“One of the best parts of ‘Puppy Bowl’ is watching the pups figuring out how to interact with one another,” says. dog trainer Victoria Schade, who works on the show. “Pups are constantly testing the mechanics of social interaction.”

Source: kcchronicle.com

7 Layer Mexican Dip

2008-02-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

This 7 Layer Mexican dip is delicious, super easy and a beautiful dish to entertain with. I have a big colorful platter that I put it on. It's always a hit!!

16	ounces refried beans
1 (1 1/4	ounce) package taco seasoning
1	cup sour cream
1	cup guacamole
1	cup salsa
1	cup lettuce
1	cup Mexican blend cheese
4	ounces sliced olives
1	cup tomatoes

----------------

7 Layer Mexican Dip

Bob Ryan’s son found dead in Pakistan

2008-02-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

According to the Associated Press, Keith Ryan, a U.S. diplomat in Pakistan and son of Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, was found dead in an apparent suicide. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ryan family at this time.

Here is a portion of the Associated Press story:

BOSTON (AP) — Keith Ryan, an American diplomat posted to Pakistan and the son of Boston Globe sports columnist Bob Ryan, has been found dead in his Islamabad residence.
Ryan, 37, apparently took his own life Monday just before a scheduled return to Maryland to visit his wife and 8-year-old triplets, the State Department said.
Pakistani authorities are still investigating the death.
“As anyone who has been confronted with the suicide of a family member can tell you, the only word to describe the sensation is devastated,” Bob Ryan, who returned to the Boston area from Arizona where he had been covering the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, said in an obituary posted on the Globe’s Web site. “We will always have questions.”
Ryan was an attache for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Ryan previously worked for the Border Patrol and the Immigration and Naturalization Service where he was assigned to the violent gang task force.
“Mr. Ryan was a well-respected, trusted, and longtime member of the U.S. Mission in Pakistan,” the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement. “His death is a great loss. He will be sorely missed by all who have known and worked with him here in Pakistan.”
Bob Ryan remembered his son for his academic determination and conservative political outlook that helped lead him to a career in government service. Keith Ryan was a graduate of Hingham (Mass.) High School, Trinity College in Connecticut, the London School of Economics and Boston College Law School.
In addition to his father, Keith Ryan leaves behind his wife of 12 years, Kate; his children, Conor, John, and Amelia; his mother, Elaine, and sister, Jessica.

Superbowl Kickoff Time 2008

2008-02-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

It's Superbowl kickoff time, folks!

Well, not exactly, the Super Bowl time is at 6:17pm EST, but you should be in front of your TVs at around 3:00pm to catch the pre-game shows and commentaries. And now we will take a final look at the odds and spread on the Super Bowl game, a few hours from kickoff time. At the online sportsbook Bodog Sports (world-wide instant deposits available), there is no change in the odds, the New England Patriots remain the favorite team to win the Super Bowl with money line -440 and the New York Giants are still a big underdog with odds to win the 2008 Super Bowl at +320.

The point spread on the Super Bowl game is sitting at -12 point chalk the Patriots with the total at 54.5 points. Naturally, live betting on the Super Bowl will be available at Bodog, a great way to correct any "mistakes" made before Super Bowl kickoff time. Again, the Super Bowl starts at 6:17pm EST and could be seen live on FOX.

Don't miss out the Superbowl kickoff time

Source: ogpaper

Falling Satellite expected to 'drop' in February

2008-01-28T17:00:00.000-08:00

A defunct U.S. spy satellite is falling from orbit and could hit the Earth in late February or March, agencies reports said Saturday.

"Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation," Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the National Security Council, told reporters.

"Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause," he said.

The satellite, which has lost power and propulsion, could contain hazardous materials, U.S. government officials said. Because the satellite could not be controlled any longer, it is unknown where the Earth it might hit, the officials said.

Asked whether it is possible to intercept the falling satellite with missiles before it hits the Earth, spokesman Johndroe refused to comment.

In 1979, Skylab, a 78-ton abandoned NASA space station fell from orbit in an uncontrolled manner. Its debris eventually dropped into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of western Australia harmlessly.

Source: Xinhua

Joey Mcintyre preparing for NKOTB Reunion

2008-01-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

This is just the kind of loopy news we love to report on a Sunday. If you thought you'd heard the last of New Kids On The Block...brace yourselves, because they're reportedly planning a comeback. Didn't they try this already once? I don't know, but we sort of mentally filed the New Kids On The Block under what-happened-in-the-early- 90's-stays-in-the-early-90's.

People Mag is reporting that "After months of speculation and rumor, the Kids are coming back." They cite a "well-placed source" that told People NKOTB are "indeed getting back together."

And, in fact, as People reports, the band's website, NKOTB.com, which had been stale for perhaps a decade, is suddenly tricked out and back up and running. Although, it's just a static-y TV screen with 80's and 90's images of the group and an e-mail signup list at the moment...but still, we never thought we'd see Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight, and Danny Wood in flash.

Source: ConnieTalk

Cell Phone Directory Is Online

2008-01-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

Think your cell phone number is private? Think again! The nation's first online cell phone directory is now at your fingertips.

We talk on our cell phones just about everywhere so sometimes our conversations are a little less than private.

Cell phone user Brad Hakala says "we use our cell phones for everything. School Principal and everything. It's just a little bit more convenient."

But until recently, the only people calling us were people we gave our numbers.

Now, a company called Intelius has an online cell phone directory of 90 million numbers. Sort of a 411 for the wireless.

Cell phone user Nathan Hughes says "I have friends out there that I have lost contact with or never had a phone number for and you know, this would be a way of getting in touch with them. Yeah, people that I don't, if you don't want to be found than that's going to make it harder to do."

Cell phone user Joseph Bergen says "it makes it easy to find information which I like, but there are privacy concerns that I think over time those get ironed out."

One of the concerns is that no one explicitly gives Intelius their cell numbers to publish. The company gathers them from public sources like property records and sweepstakes lists.

Joe Ridout of Consumer Action says "to be able to sell peoples' cell phone information and unlisted information to anyone who wants to buy them is a fundamental violation of their privacy."

Consumer and privacy groups say another problem is that, though it just takes a few keystrokes to find a number on the website, you can't opt-out of the directory online.

Joe Ridout says "Intelius requires people to use the mail, to fax requests, to make copies of drivers licenses and other things. It's clearly an attempt to drag their feet and discourage as many opt outs as possible."

The intelius cell phone directory is the first of its kind, but likely not the last since one in about 10,000 only have a wireless phone.

Intelius couldn't comment because the company is in the process of going public. An IOP requires a quiet period in which the company is banned from promoting itself.

Source: NBC

New Kids On The Block to reunite

2008-01-28T16:54:00.000-08:00

New Kids On the Block are reportedly preparing to reunite after 14 years.

The hugely successful American boy band, which broke up in 1994, are expected to make an official announcement in the coming weeks, reports People magazine.

The band's website has been dormant but is now active in anticipation of the announcement.

New Kids On The Block sold more than 70 million albums worldwide during their 10 years together from 1984 to 1994.

Original members include brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood and Donnie Wahlberg, who has had a successful acting and producing career.

Source: NBC

Bush's State of Union Address 2008

2008-01-28T07:25:00.000-08:00

It's state of the union time, and president Bush will head to the congress to address to them regarding this matter, it would be great time to remember his past state of the union claims:

"AXIS OF EVIL"

In 2002, Bush branded Iraq, North Korea and Iran as members of an "axis of evil."

Iraq: The U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, but the war goes on. About 160,000 U.S. troops are on the ground today. The current plan is to reduce U.S. forces in Iraq by roughly 30,000 troops by July.

North Korea: International pressure has led North Korea to begin disabling a plutonium-producing reactor. But the North missed an end-of-2007 deadline to declare all its nuclear programs.

Iran: A recent U.S. intelligence report said Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003; the U.S. and allies say Iran is still a threat and want tougher U.N. penalties against the country.

IRAQ

In the run-up to the war in Iraq, Bush said in 2003 that Saddam had taken elaborate steps to build and keep weapons of mass destruction. No banned weapons were ever found in Iraq.

ECONOMY

Bush said in 2002, "We will defeat this recession."

Technically, the recession was over before Bush pledged to defeat it. The National Bureau of Economic Research said the last recession started in March 2001 and ended that November. Bush's $1.35 trillion in tax cuts in 2001 were credited with helping make the recession short and mild. Recession fears today are back and Bush is pushing a $150 billion economic recovery plan.

AIDS

In 2003, Bush outlined a $15 billion plan for emergency AIDS relief in Africa, calling it a "work of mercy" that would save millions of lives. In May 2007, he announced plans to double that initial $15 billion commitment to $30 billion over the next five years.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Bush pledged in 2005 to make changes to Social Security the top priority of his second term. His plan went nowhere in Congress.

IMMIGRATION

Bush pushed Congress in several State of the Union speeches to overhaul the immigration law and set up a guest worker program for immigrants. The idea died, mostly because of opposition from Bush's own conservative base.

ENERGY

Bush announced plan in 2007 to reduce dependence on foreign oil by cutting gasoline use by 20 percent by 2017.

Last month, Bush signed energy legislation to bring more fuel-efficient vehicles into auto showrooms and require wider use of ethanol. Congress altered the president's proposal, but Bush applauded the measure.

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ieTH6HS_OmCGRCev4NkVYmKSEx4wD8UEUDC00

Google Lego, Celebrating the 50th Lego Birthday

2008-01-28T06:54:00.000-08:00

Legos is celebrating their 50th lego birthday today and Google is joining in on the celebration by posting a Google Lego version of the Google logo on Google.com.

According to Search Engine Land, “Google’s culture has always had a special place for Lego. Google’s first servrs were ‘modded’ up with legos.” Apparently “computer ‘geeks’ cant get enough of their Legos.” Lego art is proudly displayed in Google offices and some lego fans have even used the connectable pieces to create the Google logo. Google apparently thought the design was a good idea.

This Lego Google is Awesome

Source: http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=34524&cat=1

George Piro on 60 Minutes Surprise with Sadam Info

2008-01-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

Saddam Hussein let the world think he had weapons of mass destruction to intimidate Iran and prevent the country from attacking Iraq, according to an FBI agent who interviewed the dictator after his 2003 capture.

According to a CBS report, Hussein claimed he didn't anticipate that the United States would invade Iraq over WMD, agent George Piro said on "60 Minutes," slated for Sunday broadcast.

"For him, it was critical that he was seen as still the strong, defiant Saddam. He thought that (faking having the weapons) would prevent the Iranians from reinvading Iraq," said Piro.

During the nearly seven months Piro talked to Hussein, the agent hinted to the Iraqi that he answered directly to President Bush, CBS said in a posting on its Web site.

"He told me he initially miscalculated ... President Bush's intentions. He thought the United States would retaliate with the same type of attack as we did in 1998 ... a four-day aerial attack," Piro said. "He survived that one and he was willing to accept that type of attack."

"He didn't believe the U.S. would invade?" Correspondent Scott Pelley asked.

"No, not initially," Piro answered.

Source: CNN

Screen Actors Guild Awards SAG red carpet news

2008-01-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

Australia’s Cate Blanchett was among the stars adding red carpet glitz to the Screen Actors Guild awards in Los Angeles today.

Blanchett has been nominated for her starring role in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and the Bob Dylan chronicle I’m Not There, which won her a best supporting actress Golden Globes earlier this month.

Normally a small cousin to the Globes and the Academy Awards, the SAG Awards could end up being the biggest celebration of Hollywood’s film-honours season due to the ongoing writers’ strike.

The swanky Globes were cancelled because of the strike by the Writers Guild of America, which refused to let its members work on the show, and the fate of the Oscars on February 24 is in question because of the same labour quarrel.

The actors’ union, however, has been steadfast in support of striking writers, who in turn gave their blessing to the SAG ceremony.

But tonight’s event was not without its issues - the weather.

Heavy rain soaked a section of the red carpet before organisers could get a clear, plastic tent around it to protect the cadre of stars that began arriving more than an hour before showtime.

The rain let up, however, and rays of the setting sun began peeking through the storm clouds.

Early red carpet arrivals included Debra Messing and Christina Applegate, who ran right into each other.

Ellen Page, nominated for an Oscar for her star turn as a pregnant schoolgirl in Juno, chatted with reporters about her breakout year.

And Adrian Grenier of Entourage turned the lens on his own entourage, photographing a friend with a small video camera he carried.

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and Forest Whitaker were also among the guests expected at the Shrine Auditorium for the 14th annual awards.

Before the big ceremony began, The Bourne Ultimatum and 24 won the guild’s first-ever prizes for best stunt ensemble.

Source: Thewest.com

Safecosmetics.org lets you take care of your health

2008-01-27T10:27:00.000-08:00

"Recently, a lipstick brand called `Red Earth' decreased prices from $67 to $9.90. It contained lead. Lead is a chemical that can cause cancer. The higher the lead content, the greater the chance of causing cancer. Some of the lipstick brands that contain lead are Christian Dior, Lanc"me, Clinique, Y.S.L., Estee Lauder, Shiseido, Red Earth (Lip Gloss), Chanel (Lip Conditioner) and Market America-Motnes Lipstick.

After doing a test on these lipsticks, it was found that Y.S.L. contained the highest amount of lead. Watch out for lipsticks that are supposed to stay longer. If your lipstick stays longer, it is because of the high content of lead. There is a simple test you can do at home. First put some lipstick on your hand. Then use a gold ring to scratch it. If the lipstick color changes to black, it contains lead.

Dear Reader: I have done some minimal research regarding this matter and have found that this information is misleading. It is true that the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics conducted a study in 2007 when it purchased 33 brands of lipsticks in four cities and tested them. They claim that more than half tested positive for lead.

Source: http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_8088250

Christopher Allport Dies in Avalanche

2008-01-27T10:23:00.000-08:00

Before you hear it in the inevitably snarkier fashion, let me be among the first to report the death of actor Christopher Allport in an avalanche that occurred on Friday at the Mountain High Ski Area in Los Angeles' San Gabriel Mountains.

A busy character actor, Christopher Allport enjoyed an almost 40 year career, from the underrated missing girl drama MAN ON A SWING (1974) to the recently completed GARDEN PARTY (2008). Allport's genre credits include SAVAGE WEEKEND (1979), a memorable small role as a victim in DEAD AND BURIED (1981), in the disturbing nuclear incident TV movie SPECIAL BULLETIN (1983), Tobe Hooper's INVADERS FROM MARS (1986), JACK FROST (1996) and JACK FROST 2: REVENGE OF THE MUTANT KILLER SNOWMAN (2000).

Christopher Allport also appeared in William Friedkin's TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA (1985) and was a guest on a number of hit TV series, including the "Lazarus" episode of THE X-FILES and as Pete Campbell's father on AMC's critically acclaimed MAD MEN.

Christopher Allport was 60 years old.

Source: By Arbogast On Film Blog

Christian Brando Dies at 49

2008-01-26T18:21:00.000-08:00

Christian Brando, the troubled eldest son of the late actor Marlon Brando, has died from pneumonia at a Los Angeles hospital, an attorney said Saturday. He was 49.

Brando died Saturday morning at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, said David Seeley, an attorney representing Marlon Brando's estate. Seeley said Brando was taken to the hospital on Jan. 11.

"This is a sad and difficult time for the family," Seeley said.

Born on May 11, 1958, Brando was a high school dropout and never had much of a career. He had small roles in a handful of movies, including 1968's "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!" but he was better known for his brushes with the law.

He spent five years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in 1990 for killing his sister's boyfriend, Dag Drollet, at the Brando family's hilltop estate.

Brando said he accidentally shot Drollet as they struggled for a gun during an argument over whether Drollet, 26, had beaten Brando's pregnant half-sister, Cheyenne.

Cheyenne, who later gave birth to Drollet's son but lost custody of the child, committed suicide in 1995. She was 25. Family associates said she had been distraught since her boyfriend's death.

In a 1991 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Brando said he never intended to kill Drollet, but wanted to scare him. "I just sat there and watched the life go out of this guy," Brando said.

At his son's trial, Marlon Brando pleaded for leniency, telling the court: "I think that perhaps I failed as a father."

Brando's ex-wife, Deborah Brando, sued him for domestic violence in 2005. She claimed that shortly after their 2004 marriage, Brando repeatedly beat her and threatened to kill her in the presence of her teenage daughter.

Brando countersued, alleging that his ex-wife broke into his home and beat him because he wanted to annul their marriage only 10 weeks after exchanging vows.

The lawsuits were settled last year on undisclosed terms.

Brando was charged January 2005 with two counts of spousal abuse and he later pleaded no contest. He was placed on three years' probation and ordered to drug and alcohol rehabilitation as well as a spousal-abuse prevention program.

Brando also was the one-time lover of Bonnie Lee Bakley, who was shot to death in 2001. At one time, Bakley claimed Brando had fathered her child but tests showed it belonged to actor Robert Blake, whom she later married.

Blake was tried for her murder and acquitted but later ordered to pay $30 million in a wrongful death lawsuit. During that civil case, Blake's lawyer suggested Brando was the killer, although police never implicated him.

Brando, who had denied any involvement, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on the stand during the trial.

Seeley said Brando was not married at the time of his death and did not leave any children.

Brando was the eldest of the actor's nine children, according to a will the Oscar-winner left following his death in 2004. Brando's mother was actress Anna Kashfi. She and Marlon Brando divorced after a year.

That touched off a 16-year custody battle for Christian, who was 5 months old at the time of the separation.

"I found him to be an extremely personable, bright gentleman," said Bruce Margolin, an attorney who represented Brando. "He was very well-loved in his family. I think his life was too short."

There are no funeral plans yet scheduled, he added.

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g2Dm2-TOSeGGJA6YLVXZXbk3bW8wD8UDTLH00

Ava Fiore, ex-boxer and playboy model charged in I-80 drug bust

2008-01-26T15:34:00.000-08:00

According to a report out by the Associated Press, Ava Fiore, A female boxing champ who turned Playboy model has been charged in a drug bust. The drug bust occurred on Interstate 80 near Kimball, Nebraska.

According to the report, the Nebraska State Police reported that on Wednesday a car driven by Fiore (age 27) was pulled over on I-80 east. Fiore consented to a Police search of the vehicle. It was during the search that Troopers came across three large suitcases full of Marijuana in the trunk of the vehicle.

Police confiscated around 60 pounds of marijuana from the vehicle Fiore was driving. That amount of marijuana is said to have an estimate street value of $50,000.

Fiore was arraigned on Thursday on a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. Fiore posted bail which was set at $250,000.

Fiore won the 2002 Golden Gloves championship and went on to appear in the popular Men's Magazine, Playboy.

Tonie Perensky

2008-01-26T15:33:00.000-08:00

Tonie Perensky Movies

8 Seconds (1994) [Buckle Bunny] <24>
Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind (1991) (TV) [Waitress #2] <20>
Bad Habits (1999) [Marcy] <2>
Crusader: No Remorse (1995) (VG) [Sgt. Shannon Brooks] <2>
Fish Don't Blink (2002) [Frances] <4>
Fool's Gold (1998) [Lorna] <5>
Murder Rap (1987) (as Toni Lee Perensky) [Edison's Girl] <19>
Project Redlight (2002/I) [Marilyn Poser] <1>
Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The (1994) (as Tonie Perenski) [Darla] <4>
Sanity (1998) [Roxanne] <1>
Seduction in Travis County, A (1991) (TV) [Interviewer] <29>
Seeking the Cafe Bob (1994) [Roseanne] <5>
Shadow Force (1993) [Kim] <10>
She Fought Alone (1995) (TV) (as Tonie Perenski) [Nurse] <20>
Spamarama the Movie (1996)
Strike Commander (1992) (VG) (voice) [Janet]
Ten Rules, The (2002) [Petey]
Texas Justice (1995) (TV) [Luanne] <32>
Underneath (1995) [Ember Waitress] <17>
Varsity Blues (1999) [Miss Davis] <13>
Vision, The (2004) [Hostess] <9>
Without Warning: The James Brady Story (1991) (TV) [Brady Secretary] <35>
Witness to the Execution (1994) (TV) [TV Reporter] <37>
"Austin Stories" (1997) {The Story of Cereal} [Naomi]
"Dangerous Curves" (1992) {An Eye for an Eye (#1.1)} [Eileen]
"Walker, Texas Ranger" (1993) {The Guardians (#4.3)} [Susan York]

Tonie Perensky Other Works

Played Slim Shady's Mom in Eminem's music video, "My Name Is" (1999)

Tonie Perensky Where Are They Now?

Senior Bowl News

2008-01-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

NFL personnel men make their annual pilgrimage to Mobile, Ala., to see the nation's top senior prospects. What they hope to see is what they saw on film when they scouted these players during the season.

Would their film study agree with what they saw on the practice field this week? That's always a big issue for scouts.

We did our own scouting this week, so let's take a look at who stood out on the practice field.

Offense

Jacob Hester, FB-RB, LSU: Here's a fun player. Hester may not have great speed or a ton of athletic ability, but he has a good sense of the game. He understands where to line up and where to be. Hester made an outstanding one-handed catch in seven-on-seven drills during practice earlier in the week. He'll be a solid utility player at the next level.

Matt Forte, RB, Tulane: He was one of the nice surprises of the week. Forte has good size and looked like a cross between former NFL backs Rodney Hampton, Eddie George and Dorsey Levens. Forte ran with great power and vision and was very patient on his runs. While he's still a bit of a high runner, Forte is the kind of downhill runner that teams will covet at the next level. There are few players who helped themselves this week more than Forte.

Chauncey Washington, RB, USC: The backs stood out this week, and Washington was no exception. He ran with good power and surprisingly good quickness. And another surprising trait was that he showed a little shiftiness. Washington is yet another back that helped his draft stock this week.

Donnie Avery, WR, Houston: He was one of the three most impressive receivers on the field this week from both squads. Avery seemingly got open on every route and, for the most part, didn't drop a pass that was catchable. His route running was very impressive, as was his speed. In fact, he got to the second level pretty easily, and defensive backs were trailing him for most of the week. Avery had the catch of the week on the first day of practices, when he timed his jump perfectly on an out route and came down with two feet in bounds.

Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida: Caldwell was very smooth all week and got open repeatedly. He ran good routes and did well with running after the catch, which could catch the eye of teams that run a West Coast offense. Caldwell runs better than his older brother, Reche.

Source: FOXsports

Smartest man in america

2008-01-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

Chris Langan is the World’s Smartest Man. That’s not an opinion, it’s a statement of fact. Mr. Langan’s IQ is nearly 200. Oh, and he’s spent 20 years being a bouncer at a bar.

This guy has had a rough life. As a kid he was abused by other kids and even his step father because he was smarter than all of them were. And if you listen to this entire interview with him you’ll see why he’s kind of pessimistic.

In reality, it’s pretty easy to see why he’s this way. In addition to the fact that he’s been brutalized all his life, during the interview he points out:

“Smart people are vastly outnumbered by average people. Its the nature of the bell curve.”

Chris Langan IQ ComparisonHere’s another way to think about this. Think about how much smarter you are than a really, really mentally retarded person.

An average person’s IQ is about 100, and that really retarded person is maybe 65 for a measly 35 point difference. Well, the deficit between Chris and the average person is nearly 300% greater! Heck, the difference between him and a genius is as great as the difference between a genius and a retarded person!

Now, imagine if you were that much smarter than every single living person around! Actually, don’t bother. Your puny brain probably doesn’t have the capacity to imagine that… Damn. I guess I’d be bitter too. It reminds me of the movie Idiocracy.

Anyway, having said all that, one problem I’ve noticed with extremely smart people is that they begin thinking that their one brain is actually more powerful than all the other brains around them combined. And Chris falls into this trap during the final video when he begins espousing the virtues of placing genetic controls on “human breeding”.

Chris Langan:

People who wanted to have children would apply to make sure they have no diseases. Why do we have to do it through genetic engineering? Well, we have to let only the fit breed…. Freedom is not necessarily a right. It is a privileged that you have to earn. A lot of people abuse their freedom and that is something that people have to be trained not to do.

Interviewer:

But who? Who does this training?

Chris Langan:

Well, I’d be perfectly willing to do it myself. Just put me in charge.”

Yikes! Pretty scary stuff. Sounds like the precursor to Nazi Germany, or something from a Borg episode of Star Trek.

Source: cnntwist.com

Meet The Spartans Review Roundup

2008-01-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

The reviews of Meet the Spartans are In! Let's see what everyone is saying:

Another movie “parody” from the folks who brought you Date Movie and Epic Movie. This takeoff of 300 -- with side trips to take gratuitous kicks at Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and other celebrity unfortunates -- is obvious and witless, but there are a couple of moments that verge close to actual humour. No laughs, but there was a half-smile in there somewhere.
ET Canada

I don’t hold out much hope for Meet the Spartans and think it will only do about $12 million in business in the 2,600 theaters it is in. There’s too much competition at the theaters and people have seen this kind of stuff before. Ho, hum.
http://www.filmschoolrejects.com

People, please, do not go see this movie. Today is was proven that if we stop going to see piece of shit movies, they will stop being made. Today Uwe Boll had his backers pull out of all future productions with him. Uwe Boll will no longer be making shit fuck movies going to theaters with big name actors. They will now be small budget shitty direct to DVD movies, the way it should be.
http://devonlohan.com

Meet the Spartans is the latest parody from Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the writing/directing duo responsible for the pop-culture spoofs Epic Movie, Date Movie and the Scary Movie series. All of which contain enough funny moments combined to rank on par with the average Judd Apatow flick.

Al Davis asks Lane Kiffin to resign

2008-01-25T15:33:00.000-08:00

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis wants head coach Lane Kiffin to resign, a report on ESPN.com said Friday.

Kiffin just completed his first season as Oakland's head coach, when the team went 4-12, and has two years remaining on his contract. But according to the report, Davis drafted a letter of resignation for Kiffin two weeks ago -- which Kiffin has refused to sign.

The report indicates that Davis and Kiffin "clashed" toward the end of postseason evaluation meetings, when Kiffin wanted to fire defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

ESPN.com also said Davis is considering Dennis Green as a replacement for Kiffin.

The 32-year-old Kiffin has scarcely held the position for a year, as he was introduced as head coach on January 23, 2007. Then 31, Kiffin became the youngest current head coach in the NFL.

Source: http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=nfl/news/abn4125627.htm

Brody Jenner New Girlfriend Cora Skinner

2008-01-25T15:27:00.000-08:00

Brody Jenner has finally introduced his new girlfriend, 22-year-old model Cora Skinner. Jenner says his parents already approve but he won’t be introducing Skinner to the reality show 'The Hills’ or to his ex-girlfriend Lauren Conrad.

“She’s met the parents. She’s part of the family,” he says. “But no, she’s not on the show. I’m choosing to keep her away from being on The Hills because that would bring a lot of conflict [and] drama to the relationship concerning me and Lauren [Conrad].”

Skinner is no stranger to the camera. She has appeared in CSI: Miami and has done photo shoots for Maxim and Playboy’s lingerie catalog.

Source: TransWorldNews

Angelina Jolie Pregnant!?

2008-01-25T13:53:00.001-08:00

According to a less than reputable celebrity gossip tabloid, Angelina Jolie has been bitten by the pregnancy bug that’s inflicting so many Hollywood beauties
We’ll try to find out if the female half of Brangelina really has been drinking the same water as Jessica Alba, Halle Berry, Camila Alves and Jamie Lynn Spears. But, for now, Star magazine is reporting that Jolie canceled a long-scheduled trip to Europe because she’s knocked up. With twins!
“Brad and Angelina are absolutely ecstatic,” a source said. “But I still think there will be more adoptions to come.”
There are also reports that Angie has been making visits to the OB GYN office of the doctor who helped Nicole Richie through her recent pregnancy. We’ve heard they don’t serve any food in that waiting room.

Source: http://www.fashion.ie/aggregator/gossip/43647-report-angelina-jolie-pregnant

Richard Darman Dies

2008-01-25T13:51:00.000-08:00

Richard Darman, an influential adviser to Republican presidents who had a hand in Ronald Reagan's landmark 1981 tax cuts and the 1990 increases that marked George H.W. Bush's retreat from his ``no new taxes'' pledge, has died. He was 64.

Darman died at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington today after battling acute leukemia for several months, said John Williams, a spokesman for James A. Baker III, a friend of Darman's from the Reagan administration. Darman was a Virginia resident.

Darman was a central figure in White House policy making during the 12 uninterrupted years of Republican reign from 1981 to 1993. He called himself ``a creature of the center'' and advocated deficit reduction and spending restraint as top priorities even when surrounded by fervent tax-cutters.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aI4nbB5CLceo&refer=home

Parkland High School in Porn Scandal

2008-01-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

At least 40 students are involved in a porn scandal at Parkland High School in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Police say photos of two high school girls were sent to most of their classmates by cell phone. One of the girls is pictured in a sex act while the other is of the girl’s bare breasts.

Authorities say they are giving everyone who received the images a chance to delete them, but after the deadline anyone who keeps the photos will be charges with possession of child pornography. District Attorney James B. Martin said a state trooper would be checking student’s cell phones to ensure the images were deleted.

“Most people got it and kept passing it along for fun to everyone in their phonebook,” said 16-year-old Jon Gabriel, a junior at Parkland.

“The school isn’t going to get everybody because it is everybody. I don’t know anybody who didn’t get the pictures,” added 16-year-old Samantha Smith.

Students also said the photos have been sent to people outside the school.

Source: http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=34358&cat=15

Monte carlo's Vegas Fire Under Control

2008-01-25T13:49:00.000-08:00

A fire charred the top of two of three wings of the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino on Friday, causing no major injuries but forcing visitors and employees to evacuate, authorities said.

About two hours after it began, the fire was fully contained, according to the fire departments in Las Vegas and Clark County.

Firefighters would remain at the hotel until "the fire is completely knocked out," said Clark County Fire Chief Steven M. Smith.

That would be at least through the afternoon, he said.

It was mainly an exterior fire, although there might have been slight damage to some rooms, he told CNN after a news conference.

The cause of the fire was unknown. Welders had been working on the roof.

No one was trapped, and there were no reports of major injuries, said Ed Cagalo of the Clark County Fire Department. The 32-floor building was completely evacuated.

Source: CNN

Shank Racing takes Rolex 24 front row

2008-01-25T13:48:00.000-08:00

Michael Shank Racing's two Daytona Prototypes will lead the field for the start of the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Saturday. Oswaldo Negri Jr. put the No. 6 Riley-Ford on the pole Thursday afternoon, beating out teammate A.J. Allmendinger by less than 0.01 seconds.

"This is going to give us a little bragging rights for right now," Negri said. "But regarding the race, we have been working very hard on the car. I'm glad we are on pole, but I think we have a stronger race car."

Oswaldo's time of 1:40.793 broke the Daytona Prototype lap record by more than 2.5 seconds. Oswaldo credits the new Pirelli tire, which all competitors must use, with the fast times. Another change specific to Shank is the use of a Ford engine instead of a Lexus. Three Fords qualified in the top five.

"I think it's a good [engine]," team owner Michael Shank said. "But it's not as good as some people think it is. It's definitely a piece of our puzzle. But, as far as I'm concerned, we just made up the ground to the Pontiac."

Besides a grippy tire and a stout powerplant, Shank also brings a solid driver lineup. Mark Patterson, Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson accompany Negri, while Allmendinger teams with Burt Frisselle, Ian James and John Pew. Michael Shank Racing has never won the Rolex 24 in its five attempts but this is arguably its best chance.

"Mike puts together a great program," Allmendinger said. "I love driving for Mike because he is a true racer. Everybody is laughing and smiling. We just have one problem: Oswaldo and I have a $500 bet on who is going to lead lap one, so it's going to be ugly getting to turn one."

Read more at http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080125/FREE/76092962/1569/VEHICLEREVIEWS

Cooper Lawrence Vs Gamers! It's ON!!!!!

2008-01-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

Enjoy some of these review snippets from Cooper Lawrence Amazon page.

“Do not buy this book! It is filled with graphic sex acts and full frontal nudity. The sad thing is that most of the information and supposed “facts” are complete lies. And to top it all off this book is marketed towards children, disgusting!”

“Her testimonials on TV have been backed by blatant prejudice and lack of research, and if anything she is trying to bank off of catering to extremist right wingers. This book is no different in addition to encouraging violent acts with children and granting them exposure to full on female nudity as a man looking for the snatch. Keep this book far away from your homes, lest you damage your children.”

“This book contains full, frontal nudity and explicit descriptions of graphic sex acts. What’s worse is that it’s marketted toward children! This book teaches young boys that women are objects and have no value other than their sexuality. I’ve gotta go with the research, darling.”

“Some of these reviews might be from immature teens pissed off at how you vented on Mass Effect, but this is coming from someone who actually works in the business.

You seriously have some nerve to talk down on such a piece of art that took years of sweat to bring out to us that enjoy this form of media. You talk down on it, as if woman are used as tools when CLEARLY, you’re too stubborn and posh to play it yourself. As Geoff told you, maybe you forgot that you can BE a woman in it and one of the MAIN 2 characters ARE FEMALE.

So please, continue your little feminist vibe here, I find it very inappropriate how you acted on the show..and I sent you a peaceful and mature email by the way, only to get sent back to this and still no response.

Very kind of you.”

Source: http://www.thebitbag.com/2008/01/24/cooper-lawrence-feels-the-wrath-of-gamers/

2008 MLS Supplemental Draft TODAY!

2008-01-24T15:58:00.000-08:00

The New England Revolution today selected four players in the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft, which was conducted via teleconference. The Revs selected forward Kheli Dube out of Coastal Carolina, midfielder Chris Tierney from Virginia, midfielder Kyle Altman from Trinity (Texas) and forward Saidi Isaac from Winthrop in the draft.

With the eighth selection in the first round, the Revs chose Mkhokheli "Kheli" Dube, the Big South Player of the Year in 2007. The 6-foot-1, 155-pound Zimbabwe native scored 11 goals as a senior, adding five assists as the Chanticleers finished atop the Big South standings with a perfect 6-0-0 record. Before his two-year stint at Coastal Carolina, Dube transferred from NAIA powerhouse Lindsey Wilson. Dube is a former member of Zimbabwe’s Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 squads.

With the its second selection the first round – the 13th overall pick – the Revolution chose Wellesley, Mass., product Chris Tierney out of Virginia. The 6-foot, 180-pound midfielder appeared in 79 games with the Cavaliers, scoring 11 goals and adding 16 assists in his four-year career. As a senior, Tierney scored a career-high seven goals, and assisted on seven more. Tierney played his prep soccer at Noble & Greenough in Dedham, Mass.

In the second round, the Revs drafted midfielder Kyle Altman from Trinity University (Texas). The 6-foot-1, 170-pound player was a two-time NSCAA Division III All-America selection, earning conference defensive player of the year honors as a junior and four all-conference honors. Altman captained the Tigers to an undefeated regular-season record before the team fell in the championship game of the NCAA Division III national tournament.

New England chose Saidi Isaac in the third round with the 41st selection overall. A native of Kenya, the 5-foot-8, 160-pound forward was a two-time NSCAA All-South Atlantic selection, and was the Big South Conference Player of the Year in 2006. After scoring 39 goals as a freshman at Park University and earning NAIA All-American honors, Isaac transferred to Winthrop where he scored 46 goals and added 16 assists in his final three seasons. He was a three-time All-Big South honoree.

The Revs passed on their final selection in the fourth round, the 55th pick overall.

The Revs open preseason training for the 2008 season on Tuesday, Jan. 29, when the team reports to Foxborough for entrance physicals and a team meeting. The first conditioning session will be Wednesday, Jan. 30.

Source: http://www.oursportscentral.com

Uremic Poisoning

2008-01-24T15:47:00.001-08:00

The term uremia was first used in 1847 to describe the symptoms of kidney failure. Doctors of 150 years ago saw patients with reduced urine output, and thought that the urine was instead going into the blood - - uremia means, “contaminating the blood with urine.” We now know that this is false - patients with kidney failure do not have urine flowing into their blood. Nonetheless, the terms uremia or uremic poisoning have persisted, and now mean the symptoms that patients feel when they have kidney failure.

Patients with kidney failure often say to me, “I have no pain, no trouble urinating, no symptoms in my kidneys. Why do you say I have kidney disease?” When the kidneys stop working normally, the effects are widespread, affecting many of the body’s organs, and affecting the way millions of cells function. It is sometimes confusing to patients and to doctors that abnormalities of the heart, lungs, stomach and intestines, skin, blood, eyes, glands and brain really represent kidney disease. Thus, symptoms of uremic poisoning may come from many different places.

It's a dirty little secret of food poisoning: E. coli and certain other foodborne illnesses can sometimes trigger serious health problems months or years after patients survived that initial bout. Scientists only now are unraveling a legacy that has largely gone unnoticed.

What they've spotted so far is troubling. In interviews with The Associated Press, they described high blood pressure, kidney damage, even full kidney failure striking 10 to 20 years later in people who survived severe E. coli infection as children, arthritis after a bout of salmonella or shigella, and a mysterious paralysis that can attack people who just had mild symptoms of campylobacter.

"Folks often assume once you're over the acute illness, that's it, you're back to normal and that's the end of it," said Dr. Robert Tauxe of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The long-term consequences are "an important but relatively poorly documented, poorly studied area of foodborne illness."

Uremic Poisoning

Economic Stimulus Package Likely Will Not Include State Funding for Medicaid

2008-01-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

A $150 billion economic stimulus package being debated by lawmakers likely will not include a temporary funding increase for states' Medicaid programs because Republicans are questioning whether the money would benefit the economy, CongressDaily reports. Congressional aides said the Medicaid provision could re-emerge in the planning of the package, but "they added there is little enthusiasm about it," according to CongressDaily. Unemployment benefits and food stamp increases appear to be higher priorities than Medicaid for lawmakers crafting the measure (Johnson, CongressDaily, 1/24).

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday met with House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Treasury Department Secretary Henry Paulson to discuss the parties' different priorities for the package. Lawmakers are hoping to send the measure to President Bush by Feb. 15, CQ Today reports. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and House Financial Services Chair Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said the package's provisions will last for no more than 12 months (Rubin, CQ Today, 1/23).

If Medicaid funding is not included in the House stimulus plan, "it could cause problems in the Senate," where some lawmakers are calling for a broader state aid package, according to CongressDaily (CongressDaily, 1/24). The Congressional Progressive Caucus is drafting a letter to Pelosi that includes a list of items they want included in the package, including an increase in food stamp benefits, extra Medicaid money to states, unemployment benefits and changes to the child and earned income tax credits. The letter is expected to be sent to Pelosi this week (CQ Today, 1/23). However, CongressDaily reports that "Republicans' distaste for the Medicaid language has spelled its doom because the stimulus package needs bipartisan support" (CongressDaily, 1/24).

Avoid Unwanted Catalogs with Catalog Choice

2008-01-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

A new and FREE service from Catalog Choice now lets you stop receiveing catalogs you don't want to receive. A big step to avoid the mountains of unsolicited e-mail people get every-day AND is also a big step to preserve the environment avoiding paper wasted i those catalogs.

We live in a crucial time for the environment, and is good to see things like this that cleverly help the environment and tha massive destruciton of forests. All while keeping you free from paper cluter in your home.

What is Catalog Choice?

Catalog Choice is a sponsored project of the Ecology Center. It is endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council, and funded by the Overbrook Foundation, the Merck Family Fund, and the Kendeda Fund.

The mission of Catalog Choice

The mission of Catalog Choice is to reduce the number of repeat and unsolicited catalog mailings, and to promote the adoption of sustainable industry best practices. We aim to accomplish this by freely providing the Catalog Choice services to both consumers and businesses. Consumers can indicate which catalogs they no longer wish to receive, and businesses can receive a list of consumers no longer wanting to receive their catalogs.

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo is Unveiled

2008-01-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

Entrepreneur Richard Branson on Wednesday unveiled a model of the spaceship he hopes will be the first to take paying passengers into space on a regular basis as soon as next year.

Branson, whose Virgin Galactic is charging $200,000 for a short trip into space, said his SpaceShipTwo will start test flights later this year.

"We really do want to have a situation where hundreds of thousands of people who want to experience space travel are able to do so," said Branson at a media event at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan.

"Even though the dollar isn't worth much anymore, $200,000 is still too expensive for the majority of people," he said. "Within five years of launching, I would hope the price would come down fairly dramatically."

Virgin Galactic, part of Branson's airline, vacation and retail company Virgin Group, now has more than 200 people signed up for the ultimate sightseeing trip, stumping up more than $30 million in deposits.

Passengers getting ready for the suborbital trip include physicist Stephen Hawking, former soap star Victoria Principal and designer Philippe Starck.

Suborbital space flight is the easiest and briefest form of space travel, where the spacecraft technically reaches space -- about 62 miles (100 km) above sea level -- but then falls back to Earth without completing a revolution of the Earth.

Source: Guardian Unlimited

PGA Tour Caddy Steve Duplantis Killed by Taxi

2008-01-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

Today, long time tour caddy Steve Duplantis was killed by a taxi while he was crossing a street in California. He was known as one of the top caddies out there that really helped PGA golf players.

Duplantis, 35, was in Del Mar when this unfortunate accident happened, according to San Diego's Sheriff Department. Duplantis was working at the Buick Invitational for Eric Axley. He previously won four times with Jim Furyk early in his career, with Rich Beem at the Kemper Open and with Tommy Armour III when he set the PGA Tour's 72-hole scoring record at the Texas Open in 2003.

Our thoughts go to his family, and to everyone who realized he was irreplaceable.

Dana Jacobson is in trouble over video

2008-01-23T12:54:00.000-08:00

Dana Jacobson is in trouble due to some comments she made. Now ESPN has suspended her for a week because what she said at a roast for Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, both personalities at the same TV network.

The Chicago Tribune says:

At the roast, Jacobson made a rambling speech that included vulgar references about Notre Dame. Jacobson is a Michigan graduate, and she and Golic, a former Irish defensive lineman, often have exchanged barbs about the rivalry between the schools.

One eyewitness labeled it an "embarrassing display," and a newspaper account said the crowd booed Jacobson. Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis also was in attendance.

Jacobson reportedly made a number of personal apologies the following day, including to Greenberg and Golic.

Dana Jacobson has reportedly said: "I am sorry. My remarks about Notre Dame were foolish and insensitive. I respect all religions and did not mean anything derogatory by my poorly chosen words. I also deeply regret the embarrassment I've caused ESPN and Mike and Mike.

"My actions at the roast were inappropriate and in no way represent who I am. I won't make excuses for my behavior, but I do hope I can be forgiven for such a poor lack of judgment."

Heath Ledger Found Dead

2008-01-22T17:21:00.000-08:00

Sad news for today, I didn’t have the time to stay updated today, and when I get back to the house, I find that Heath Ledger is dead, he was only 28 and was one of the best actors of his generation.

I still feel odd about the news. After watching the Batman trailer I was very eager to see how well his role was. The news of his dead are strange as no real cause is given yet.

People Magazine says:

Ledger was found in the bedroom of his Soho apartment around 3:30 p.m. by his housekeeper and a masseuse Ledger, who was in bed, did not respond when they shook him, and the housekeeper called 911. He was pronounced dea at 3:45 p.m. Authorities said they did not suspect foul play but that pills were found near the body. "There were some drugs found around the body – prescription type drugs," a police spokesman tells PEOPLE. It's still unclear whether the death was accidental.

Heath Ledger was married to actress Michelle Williams known for her role in Dawson’s Creek. He also leaves a daughter. They are both naturally devastated and are heading to New York where Heath Ledger was found dead. Rest in Peace, Heath, we’ll miss you.

SunTrust Cuts Prime Rate

2008-01-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

SunTrust Bank on Tuesday lowered its prime rate by three-quarters of a percentage point after the Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate.

SunTrust said its prime rate is now 6.5 percent. The Fed cut the federal funds rate, which is what banks charge each other for overnight loans, to 3.5 percent from 4.25 percent previously.

The prime rate is what banks charge their best customers, and serves as the benchmark for lending rates to all customers for mortgages, credit cards and other products.

Most banks typically raise or lower their prime rate by an amount equal to the Fed's rate action within minutes of its decision.

Bill Clinton Falls Asleep During MLK Speech

2008-01-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

Bill Clinton apparently got inspired by the speech of Martin Luther King, but I think he had another kind of "dream". He was nodding off at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem where a service for MLK was being held.

"If I can take a nap, even 15 or 20 minutes in the middle of the day, it is really invigorating to me,” he once said during his presidency. And he's not only nodded off here but previously at a Mets game and Reagan's Funeral too.

"On the days when I'm a little short of sleep, I try to work it out so that I can sneak off and just lie down for 15 minutes, a half an hour, and it really makes all the difference in the world."

Amy Winehouse Caught Smoking Crack

2008-01-22T07:29:00.001-08:00

A video of Amy Winehouse smoking crack has hit the web and fans of all over the world have pleaded her to get help.

On her website many have said what they think and asked her to stay away from substances that can ruin her career and her life. "Amy, please get some help before it's too late," one wrote.

"You are a young woman with a lot of musical talent," another said. "Don't throw it all away."

Others were a little more harsh.

"You ain't a legend yet, baby, and — newsflash — you and Blake [husband Blake Fielder-Civil] ain't Sid and Nancy. Time to get a reality check and lose the idiots around you who are supplying you with one hand and making money off you with the other."

The video was showed by The Sun:

"These pictures couldn't have come at a worse time for Winehouse," Sky News entertainment editor Jon Bennett said.

"The Grammy Awards ceremony takes place in early February and the American authorities will take a dim view of her visa application having seen this footage.

"She's up for six awards at the show and there had been speculation that she would perform there, giving her a platform to be seen by a huge audience in the music industry's biggest shop window.

"But this isn't just about her career, if she really is smoking crack as the pictures suggest, then the decline of her health and state of mind — which have clearly been in freefall ever since the release of Back to Black — is clearly worsening."

Oscar / Academy Awards Nominations 2008

2008-01-22T07:23:00.000-08:00

The list is here, now is time to make your bets and pick your favorites for the Academy Awards Nominations 2008. The Oscar this year have as always great movies, people and a few surprises. Here's the complete list of nominations:

1. Best Picture: ''Atonement,'' ''Juno,'' ''Michael Clayton,'' ''No Country for Old Men,'' ''There Will Be Blood.''

2. Actor: George Clooney, ''Michael Clayton''; Daniel Day-Lewis, ''There Will Be Blood''; Johnny Depp, ''Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street''; Tommy Lee Jones, ''In the Valley of Elah''; Viggo Mortensen, ''Eastern Promises.''

3. Actress: Cate Blanchett, ''Elizabeth: The Golden Age''; Julie Christie, ''Away From Her''; Marion Cotillard, ''La Vie en Rose''; Laura Linney, ''The Savages''; Ellen Page, ''Juno.''

4. Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford''; Javier Bardem, ''No Country for Old Men''; Hal Holbrook, ''Into the Wild''; Philip Seymour Hoffman, ''Charlie Wilson's War''; Tom Wilkinson, ''Michael Clayton.''

5. Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, ''I'm Not There''; Ruby Dee, ''American Gangster''; Saoirse Ronan, ''Atonement''; Amy Ryan, ''Gone Baby Gone''; Tilda Swinton, ''Michael Clayton.''

6. Director: Julian Schnabel, ''The Diving Bell and the Butterfly''; Jason Reitman, ''Juno''; Tony Gilroy, ''Michael Clayton''; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, ''No Country for Old Men''; Paul Thomas Anderson, ''There Will Be Blood.''

7. Foreign Film: ''Beaufort,'' Israel; ''The Counterfeiters,'' Austria; ''Katyn,'' Poland; ''Mongol,'' Kazakhstan; ''12,'' Russia.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Hampton, ''Atonement''; Sarah Polley, ''Away from Her''; Ronald Harwood, ''The Diving Bell and the Butterfly''; Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, ''No Country for Old Men''; Paul Thomas Anderson, ''There Will Be Blood.''

9. Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, ''Juno''; Nancy Oliver, ''Lars and the Real Girl''; Tony Gilroy, ''Michael Clayton''; Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava and Jim Capobianco, ''Ratatouille''; Tamara Jenkins, ''The Savages.''

10. Animated Feature Film: ''Persepolis''; ''Ratatouille''; ''Surf's Up.''

11. Art Direction: ''American Gangster,'' ''Atonement,'' ''The Golden Compass,'' ''Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,'' ''There Will Be Blood.''

12. Cinematography: ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,'' ''Atonement,'' ''The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,'' ''No Country for Old Men,'' ''There Will Be Blood.''

13. Sound Mixing: ''The Bourne Ultimatum,'' ''No Country for Old Men,'' ''Ratatouille,'' ''3:10 to Yuma,'' ''Transformers.''

14. Sound Editing: ''The Bourne Ultimatum,'' ''No Country for Old Men,'' ''Ratatouille,'' ''There Will Be Blood,'' ''Transformers.''

15. Original Score: ''Atonement,'' Dario Marianelli; ''The Kite Runner,'' Alberto Iglesias; ''Michael Clayton,'' James Newton Howard; ''Ratatouille,'' Michael Giacchino; ''3:10 to Yuma,'' Marco Beltrami.

16. Original Song: ''Falling Slowly'' from ''Once,'' Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; ''Happy Working Song'' from ''Enchanted,'' Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; ''Raise It Up'' from ''August Rush,'' Nominees to be determined; ''So Close'' from ''Enchanted,'' Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; ''That's How You Know'' from ''Enchanted,'' Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.

17. Costume: ''Across the Universe,'' ''Atonement,'' ''Elizabeth: The Golden Age,'' ''La Vie en Rose,'' ''Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.''

18. Documentary Feature: ''No End in Sight,'' ''Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience,'' ''Sicko,'' ''Taxi to the Dark Side,'' ''War/Dance.''

19. Documentary (short subject): ''Freeheld,'' ''La Corona (The Crown),'' ''Salim Baba,'' ''Sari's Mother.''

20. Film Editing: ''The Bourne Ultimatum,'' ''The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,'' ''Into the Wild,'' ''No Country for Old Men,'' ''There Will Be Blood.''

21. Makeup: ''La Vie en Rose,'' ''Norbit,'' ''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.''

22. Animated Short Film: ''I Met the Walrus,'' ''Madame Tutli-Putli,'' ''Meme Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven),'' ''My Love (Moya Lyubov),'' ''Peter & the Wolf.''

23. Live Action Short Film: ''At Night,'' ''Il Supplente (The Substitute),'' ''Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets),'' ''Tanghi Argentini,'' ''The Tonto Woman.''

24. Visual Effects: ''The Golden Compass,'' ''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,'' ''Transformers.''

Coachella 2008 lineup leaks

2008-01-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

Coachella music festival's lineup is set to be announced today with leaks and rumours already appearing on the net like for example the possible appearance of the Raconteurs, the band leaded by White Stripes singer Jack White.

Last year, Bjork, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine all anchored evening performances at the main stage.

The Press Conference is going to be held at Mexico City, stay tuned for more updates on the Coachella 2008 lineup.

Can Caffeine During Pregnancy Lead to Miscarriage?

2008-01-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

New studies show that women who drink a half cup of coffee everyday have a greater risk of miscarriage than those women who don't drink coffee. Caffeine and pregnancy don't get very well and now people are starting talking about caffeine miscarriage.

The study, published today in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is one of the largest to look at the connection between caffeine and miscarriage, and the first to interview women about their caffeine habits before they've actually suffered a miscarriage.

While there has been much research into caffeine and miscarriage - some of it dating back to the 1960s - no studies have been definitive, and the effect of caffeine, and coffee in particular, on miscarriage has been a subject of controversy.

But the Kaiser study, said doctors who were not involved in the research, makes a fairly solid case against drinking coffee, or any kind of caffeinated beverage, early in pregnancy.

"I would probably not even recommend a cup a day, based on this. It's not a huge risk, but it's a real effect," said Dr. Aaron Caughey, a perinatologist at UCSF.

Despite the new findings, Caughey said it's important to note that the majority of miscarriages - up to 80 percent - happen due to chromosomal abnormalities that have nothing to do with the mother's behavior. The last thing women who have had miscarriages need to do is blame themselves, he said.

The question of wether caffeine is really bad for the fetus is somewhat old, and this extensive study confirms the serious implications drinking coffee during the early stages of pregnancy has.

Study Conclusions

-- Women in early pregnancy who drank 200 mg or more of caffeine every day - the equivalent of about 1 1/2 cups of coffee - had roughly twice the risk of miscarriage as women who drank less caffeine or none at all.

-- The greatest risk from caffeine was in the second eight weeks of pregnancy.

-- Where the caffeine came from - coffee, tea, soda or some other beverage - did not make a difference in the risk.

Sources: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/01/21/MNIUUHS4F.DTL

Amazing Race 12 Winner is...

2008-01-20T22:39:00.000-08:00

The Amazing Race Winner is the talk of the day, did you seee the season finale? This winner took home a million bucks!

One can only wonder what a dude with dreadlocks might do with $1-million.
Consider the benefits of a fine shampoo – or any shampoo – perhaps?
It’s hard to say. But something’s telling me The Amazing Race 12’s hippie winners TK Erwin, 22, and Rachel Rosales, 23, will use their newly acquired wealth for good, not evil. (Or maybe they’ll just invest in a lush new, ahem, herb garden.)
Whatever they do with the cash, it was mighty fun watching them get it. Sunday’s Amazing Race 12 finale was one of the most exciting hours of reality TV I’ve watched, well, ever. The adrenaline rush and the neck-in-neck competition between the three teams – TK and Rachel, father-daughter duo Ronald and Christina Hsu and grandpa-grandson pair Donald Jerousek and Nicholas Fulks – was just what the doctor ordered for a cold winter’s night. And the lack of long commercial breaks didn’t hurt, either.
It was anybody’s game from the start. All three teams departed Taiwan on the same flight to Anchorage, Alaska, the mountainous spot for the Race’s 11th leg.

Read the full original story at: http://winnipegsun.com/Entertainment/Television/2008/01/20/4784039-sun.html

Lawrence Tynes Puts the Game on His Shoulders

2008-01-20T22:35:00.000-08:00

Lawrence Tynes was the hero today for the Giants, making up for 2 misses and leading his team to recovery:

Lawrence Tynes did not wait for Giants Coach Tom Coughlin to call for the field-goal team in overtime. He knew roughly where the ball was, inside the 50. He had already missed two critical fourth-quarter attempts, one with four seconds left that would have sent the Giants to the Super Bowl. He wanted another try as badly as anything he ever wanted in his life.

“I just ran out onto the field,” Tynes said. “He had to make a decision, and I wanted to make the decision for him.”

This time, Tynes did not miss. His 47-yard field goal defeated Green Bay, 23-20, for the National Football Conference championship. After the kick went through, Tynes sprinted to the locker room, forcing the jubilant quarterback Eli Manning to hug holder Jeff Feagles instead.

Read the full original article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/sports/football/21giants.html?ref=sports

Green Bay Bikini Girls

2008-01-20T22:31:00.000-08:00

These Green Bay bikini girls showed some sacrifice to the team, she stood there in the freezing weather wearing just their yellow bikinis!

How did their nipples managed to stay warm is beyond my knowledge maybe they used some kind of padding inside knowing that the "stiff nipple" would appear :P

Look at those Green Bay bikini girls!

Texas candidate Dean Hrbacek Gets a Photoshop Makeover

2008-01-19T06:49:00.000-08:00

Candidate for Texas, Dean Hrbacek appears in a mailer strangely thinner and a little different from what he normally looks in person. It was pretty evident that this picture was a computer photographic composition.

So evident that his campaign manager couldn't denied when asked about it.

"He may appreciate that we took a few pounds off him," said Scott Broschart. "I think the voters ... are more concerned with the issues as opposed to pretty photo shoots."

The image according to Broschart was used becuase Mr. Hrbacek didn't have te time for a proper photoshoot, so they had to use unventional methods. However as you can see in this detail close-up, the picture was so badly done that it was easy to spot it was a fake one.

Can this have an impact on voters? Will this hurt the campaign? What do you think?

What is a Snollygoster!?

2008-01-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

I came across the word Snollygoster today. So, naturally I asked myself WHAT IS A SNOLLYGOSTER?

First off, this is a word that is no longer used today, but it was commonly used in the 19th century. According to the Oxford Dictionary it might have been a derivate of the word snallygoster, that is itself derived from the german schnelle Geister (a fast moving ghost).

When it became used in the english language it acquired the meaning of a "shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician."

There is a definition dating from the year 1895 that puts snollygoster as:

“A Georgia editor kindly explains that ‘a snollygoster is a fellow who wants office, regardless of party, platform or principles, and who, whenever he wins, gets there by the sheer force of monumental talknophical assumnacy’.”

So who can you call a snollygoster?, I have plenty of people in my mind, and a nice word to add to my reprtoire.

John Harbaugh is the New Coach of the Baltimore Ravens

2008-01-18T17:04:00.000-08:00

Today, John Harbaugh was named as the new coach for the Ravens who hope this way the team will enter a new and better path.

He has never been a main coach, but he's acted as a secondary coach in Philadelphia and comes from a family of coaches - his dad being a coach for Western Kentucky. Harbaugh, 45, will be officially introduced tomorrow at a press conference.

Harbaugh is set to replace coach Brian Billick who worked on the team for 9 years. The Ravens first approached Jason Garrett who preferred the offer at Dallas ( a raise and a better position). bit Harbaugh will do his best after being selected as the NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year by his peers in 2001.

Watch the NEW Star Trek Teaser Trailer

2008-01-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

Every fan of Star Trek is expecting anxiously the next movie. Today, a cameraphone version of the teaser trailer has hit the Web! This is a teaser played in front of Cloverfield.

In case you don't know this movie will be Star Trek XI. starring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk. The story will be like the original Star trek adventures, form the TV series, not much is said about the plot, it is secret, although you can find some plot spoilers here. So enjoy the Star Trek Trailer!

Greendimes - The Quest to Eliminate Junk Mail

2008-01-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

Greendimes is generating some buzz on the net with their service that helps people get rid of junk mail:

In just over a year, GreenDimes (www.greendimes.com) has already brought relief to thousands of consumers throughout the United States by eliminating 2.5 million pounds of unsolicited junk mail. The comprehensive service that GreenDimes provides has given the consumer back control of the mail delivered to their mailbox. It has also given back time formerly spent sorting through, tearing up and disposing of junk mail, leaving its members more time to do the things they want!

ANews Imagemidst the powerful direct marketing industry that is continuously finding ways to make it harder for consumers to get off the lists and get rid of the junk, GreenDimes works diligently every day to present a powerful and unified voice to combat junk mail on each member’s behalf.

When customers sign up, GreenDimes contacts dozens of marketers including companies who send frequent catalogs. When necessary, GreenDimes will inform customers who they need to contact directly to ensure up to 90% of their catalogs and junk mail is eliminated. While consumers can take steps to manage the problem themselves, they quickly encounter the roadblocks that GreenDimes works hard each day to tear down. Some companies ask for fees and others ask for personal information to remove consumers from their lists; certain catalogs require a call on every recipient’s behalf in order to remove them from their database. GreenDimes stays one step ahead, ensuring that the consumer is getting the most effective service out there. GreenDimes’ online catalog screener also allows customers to add or remove catalogs that arrive at their homes at any time.

“We provide a voice for thousands of consumers who are fed up with their overstuffed mailboxes and want an inexpensive full service solution for stopping junk mail and unwanted catalogs,” said Dan Estabrook, General Manager of GreenDimes. “That solution is GreenDimes, and we will continue to go above and beyond for our customers until we eliminate their junk mail for good.”

Britney Spears hospitalized

2008-01-04T16:58:00.001-08:00

The big news that I've refused to talk about finally reaches the blog. Yes more Britney news to spice up this new year. I actually had enough of these types of news, she's just a person and not a stable one. Anyway, y'all want this:

We have got to hand it to Britney Spears. Just when we've figured she's done her worst, she constantly eclipses herself with something amazing, like a white-trash phoenix from the ashes of celebrity disaster. Now, we've got Brit-Gate '08, the biggest and best incident yet. Today, Spears is hospitalized after police had to come to her home to retrieve her children, who were supposed to be with their father, after the reportedly intoxicated Britney refused to give them up.

Perhaps more shocking than the resolution to this situation is the pictures of the event, showing Britney being pulled from her home on a stretcher, alternately crying hysterically and smiling maniacally. She is now reportedly under suicide watch at Cedars Sinai hospital in Beverly Hills.

Wow. WOW! What a start to 2008.

'One Missed Call' Review

2008-01-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

This is a review on the movie "One Missed Call" a remake of a Japanese movie.

Here’s proof positive that awards season is over. In “One Missed Call,” French director Eric Vallette creates an American horror film based on a Japanese shocker.

This ungainly hybrid’s original premise is bizarre enough — a cell phone service whose Friends & Family Plan includes death. But the final product is worse yet, a filmed version of the party game where a spoken message is passed from player to player until it’s gobbledygook.

Shannyn Sossamon frowns and frets as a university student whose friends receive supernatural cell phone minutes before they croak, complete with a chiming ring tone of death. Ed Burns impersonates Luke Wilson minus the humor as cop investigating the case.

The film gets off to a weird, promising start along the lines of Drew Barrymore’s cameo in “Scream” as “Stomp the Yard’s“ Megan Good is killed by something nasty in a goldfish pond, which then adds insult to injury with a second attack too amusingly twisted to describe. The dead girl’s phone becomes possessed, involving her contacts in a lethal game of phone tag.

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/movies/story/430599.html

Dick Morris Speaks Agains Huckabee

2008-01-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

In a New York Post column, Dick Morris and Eileen McGann wrote that Mike Huckabee's "refusal to indulge in negative advertising sent a message to Iowa voters showing his strength under fire." But on Hannity & Colmes, Morris criticized as "a stupid move" Huckabee's actions at a press conference during which Huckabee played an anti-Mitt Romney ad for the assembled media, after stating that he was renouncing negative advertising in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses and had decided not to air the ad.

Discussing Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's victory in the Iowa Republican caucuses in a January 4 New York Post column, Fox News contributor Dick Morris and co-writer Eileen McGann stated that Huckabee's "refusal to indulge in negative advertising sent a message to Iowa voters showing his strength under fire." But during an appearance on the January 1 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Morris criticized as "a stupid move" Huckabee's actions at a December 31 press conference during which Huckabee played an anti-Mitt Romney ad for the assembled media, after stating that he was renouncing negative advertising in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses and had decided not to air the ad. On Hannity & Colmes, Morris said: "[I]f you're going to have a negative ad, have it. If you're not going to have it, don't." Later, co-host Alan Colmes asked Morris if Huckabee was "being sly, knowing full well everybody's going to see the ad, I'm not going to have to pay for it? Or did he sincerely believe, 'Aw, you know what? All of a sudden, I don't want to have to show a negative ad'?" Morris responded: "You know, it was probably the latter, but it sure looks like the former."

Source: http://mediamatters.org/items/200801040007?f=h_latest

PG&E Outages in California

2008-01-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

A fast-moving storm packing high winds cut power to more than a million persons in northern and central California on Friday, utility companies said.

More than 1.1 million Pacific Gas & Electric Co customers were without power at some point Friday, and as of midday about 250,000 had been restored which left 851,000 without power, said a PG&E spokeswoman.

An additional 100,000 businesses and homes were without power in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, down from 130,000 earlier on Friday, said Dace Udris of SMUD.

In the San Francisco Bay area, about 285,000 homes and businesses had no power, said PG&E. The outages are spread through the PG&E territory from Humboldt County in northern California to Bakersfield in central California.

The cause of the outages are mainly downed power lines, said PG&E spokeswoman Darlene Chiu. Nineteen miles of power lines were damaged, along with 50 transformers, Chiu said.

PG&E, with about 5.1 million electric customers, is a unit of PG&E Corp which is headquartered in San Francisco.

SMUD has about 600,000 customers, mainly in Sacramento County.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0429918420080104