Latest Hot Trends

'The Killing', 'True Grit', Idris Elba win at Crime Thriller Awards

2011-10-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

Acclaimed Danish drama series The Killing has dominated this year's Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards.

The murder mystery scooped three trophies at the ceremony, which celebrates achievements in crime literature, TV and film.

The Killing was awarded the 'International TV Dagger', while its stars Sofie Gråbøl and Ann Eleonora Jørgensen grabbed 'Best Actress' and 'Best Supporting Actress' respectively.

In other categories, Jeff Bridges western True Grit won the 'Film Dagger' and BBC detective drama Case Histories received the TV equivalent.

The corporation's success continued as Luther star Idris Elba and Rafe Spall of The Shadow Line took home the 'Best Actor' and 'Best Supporting Actor' honours.

A US remake of The Killing premiered on AMC in April and was renewed for a second season in June.

'Honest' teens hand in £5,000 to police

2011-10-09T05:38:00.001-07:00

Two 17-year-old boys in Bath have found and handed in £5,000 ($7,800) to police.

Will Miles and Ryan McClory came upon a briefcase with the sum in £50 notes at a bus station.

The briefcase also included passports and letters from the University of Bath.

Miles told The Bath Chronicle: "We were a bit shocked when we saw all the money in the case. We didn't know exactly how much it was, but we could tell it was a large amount."

The A-Level students gave the briefcase to two police officers and were later told that the owner - who had intended to use the money to pay for his son's university tuition and accommodation fees - had claimed the money back.

McClory added: "I was pleased when I got the phone call saying he had the case back. It is a lot of money to have lost, and so I'm glad that we managed to get it back to him."

The teenagers were praised by local police for their "honesty and integrity". They received no reward for handing in the money.

Status Update: 'Facebook Pals Saved My Life'

2011-10-09T05:22:00.000-07:00

A man who woke up paralysed due to a spinal condition has told how his Facebook friends saved his life.

Peter Casaru, 59, posted on the social networking site that he was unable to move his legs.

He said he could not call for an ambulance from his remote cottage in Brecon, South Wales, because the battery in his mobile phone was dead.

Mr Casaru said it took him over an hour to crawl to his laptop where he managed to post a message alerting his contacts to the emergency.

The father-of-one, who lives alone, wrote: "Can someone call 999? Ambulance for me.

"I need one now. I have fractured my back. Stuck to floor. No phone and glasses. Touch typing. Please help me."

Friends as far away as New York and Vancouver replied when they saw his updates and tried to call for help.

But it was his friend Juliet McFarlane, who lives six miles away, who was first to call 999 and two ambulances arrived at his house just 20 minutes later.

Mr Casaru, a photographer, said his doctors told him the spinal spasm he suffered could have killed him if he had not received emergency treatment.

He has had spinal problems since breaking his back in a quad bike accident six years ago.

He said: "That's the luck part of the whole story: that Facebook friends saved me."

The photographer thanked all the friends who had left messages and tried to help, adding: "I'm always joking when I go on Facebook, so I'm just glad they took me seriously."

ncaa bracket printable

2010-03-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

ncaa bracket printable

BRACKET! Here is the official NCAA Bracket Printable. This is the NCAA Bracket Printable released Sunday with the March Madness announcement for the Men’s Division 1 Championship Tournament.

Today catch Florida vs. Bringham Young, Old Dominion vs Notre Dame, Robert Morris vs Villanova, and Murray State vs Vanderbilt.

Later today catch North Texas vs Kansas State, Sam Houston vs State Baylor, Saint Mary’s vs Richmond.

And then at 5 PM EST catch UTEP vs Butler. All games air on CBS.

D-I Basketball Committee Chairman Dan Guerrero recently said the following about the bracket.

“Generally once the seeding and selection and bracketing takes place, the committee members go down and have a very nice dinner. Of course, there I was in my suit dealing with a number of questions. But it’s an honor to represent the committee in this entire process, and I’m glad to be here with the media.

“A couple of things I’d like to say before I take questions. As you well know, when we get into this process, we select a field of 65: 31 AQs and 34 of the best at large teams. There’s no question when it’s all said and done there are going to be second guessers and individuals out there that might have some concern relative to the field that was put out. I can assure you with the highest degree of confidence that the members of the committee worked hard all year long monitoring various conferences, watching games, doing the best job they could to put forth a field that we feel will be one of the best in recent memory.

michelle bombshell mcgee pictures

2010-03-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

michelle bombshell mcgee pictures

In the wake of the news that Sandra Bullock and her husband Jesse James have split and that Bullock has left the home she shared with James, pictures of the porn star in the middle named Michelle "Bombshell" Mcgee are suddenly a hot search online.

While its no surprise this is the case, the tatoo-laden woman who calls herself "The Socal Bombshell" must hold the record for the most tatoos on a mistress in history. Michelle Mcgee's body is covered from top to bottom with tatoos,and is the polar opposite of Sandra Bullock. Bullock's clean, athletic, untatood body has been featured on the cover of glamour magazines; Michelle Mcgee's body is on her MySpace page.

Michelle "Bombshell" Mcgee comes off as the ultimate bad girl. But even bad girls don't like to be lied to, and that's the reason for McGee's In Touch interview. Jesse James told her he was separated from Sandra Bullock.

McGee's receiving words of support on her MySpace page:

Thank you for the add from your newest friend and fan. Can't stop looking at you. If you ever get to DC / Baltimore, let's do a shoot.

The Official Model of AngryWhiteBoy / AngryWhiteGirl Clothing!!!!! You Rock!!! Make the douche-bag paparazzi work hard to hunt you down and find you!!!!!
www.AngryWhiteBoyInc.com
-JimmyAWB!!!

Ooooh michelle, welcome to the shit show, don't worry about a thing, ill bring over all my trucker hats and big sunglasses to hide u from the paparazzi, or u can just walk behind my big ass when we go out! Loves ya!!

Sandra Bullock-Jesse James Split, Marriage Trouble Rumors Explode

2010-03-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

Sandra Bullock-Jesse James Split, Marriage Trouble Rumors Explode

A Sandra Bullock-Jesse James split looked crazy two weeks ago. However, Sandra Bullock-Jesse James split and marriage trouble rumors have exploded, after a new bombshell was revealed. More specifically, it was Michelle Bombshell McGee who was revealed as James' possible mistress on Wednesday. This marriage trouble comes after months of heartwarming stories about the couple, and how grounded it made the future Best Actress winner. Yet just two weeks later, Sandra Bullock-Jesse James split rumors have produced an unlikely twist to this story.

In Touch Weekly first alleged the marriage trouble, as Michelle Bombshell McGee claimed that she had had an affair with Jesse James. While Bullock was filming her Oscar winning role in "The Blind Side" James allegedly carried on an 11-month affair with McGee - including a five-week sexual affair.

According to McGee, she was led to believe that the couple was no longer together. If they weren't then, the Sandra Bullock-Jesse James split rumors are alleging that they are now. Since Bullock did not attend the London premiere of "The Blind Side" speculation is that In Touch Weekly is on to something.

Tabloids are becoming more and more accurate at reporting marriage trouble, like with John Edwards and Tiger Woods. But if Sandra Bullock's marriage is in jeopardy, it puts an ugly asterisk on what was a heartwarming, made-for-Oscar story.

During her big comeback last year, Bullock wasn't shy about discussing how much her marriage helped her. The two have been together for five years and have largely lived outside the Hollywood spotlight until the Oscars. However, she did not thank James in her Oscar speech, and with this new context, there is suspicion that she knew about McGee for a while.

The Sandra Bullock-Jesse James split reports are still just speculation, however. But People Magazine is now alleging that Bullock has moved out, and did so days before the In Touch Weekly interview.

GQ on Rielle Hunter's complaints: 'She knows what she...was doing.'‎

2010-03-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

GQ on Rielle Hunter's complaints: 'She knows what she...was doing.'‎ -

According to Good Morning America, GQ is in disbelief regarding Rielle Hunter’s complaints about her “repulsive” photo shoot in the magazine. Hunter — better known as John Edwards’ mistress — had told Barbara Walters that she thought all but one photo in the magazine spread would be headshots. (The pics that ran featured the videographer in only a shirt, pearls and underwear.) “Rielle is a smart woman,” GQ reporter Lisa DePaulo — who wrote the article on Hunter — told Good Morning America. “She knows what she wore and what she was doing in the photo shoot.”

GQ’s footage seems to support that: On the morning show, the magazine released a video of the photo shoot that showed the photographer asking Hunter, “You want to take a look at this?” following a shot.

Dissed by the Rock Hall of Fame: A list of must-have inductees

2010-03-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

Dissed by the Rock Hall of Fame: A list of must-have inductees

Last night some solid (Iggy and the Stooges) and not so solid (Genesis!?!) acts were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In what has become a yearly debate about which bands and performers make for worthy inductees, we offer our own list of top 10 acts totally neglected by Rock's legitimacy council. (As if rockers ever needed a mainstream stamp of approval, but that's another conversation.)

Keep in mind that Rock Hall rules state that an inductee is eligible for inclusion 25 years after the release of his/her/their first album (hence the lack of Public Enemy, Guns 'N' Roses and the Beastie Boys so far), and that inductees can fall into one of four categories: performers, non-performers, early influences and sidemen.

Our alphabetically arranged list of must-have inductees (honestly, we can't believe these acts didn't make it long ago) follows:

-- Bad Brains -- This D.C.-based fusion of punk and reggae virtually changed the tenor of the '80s underground music scene, influencing a whole generation of hardcore devotees and mainstream bands like Fishbone and Living Colour.

-- Duran Duran -- For some reason, no one ever mentions the Fab Five on their Rock Hall of Fame snub lists. But think of the band that most exemplified the MTV era during the 1980s, and what are the first two words out of your mouth? Duran, followed by another Duran. Not only did these guys pretty much pioneer the music video revolution, they also -- scoff if you will -- were and are legitimate musicians who have worked with and/or influenced everyone from the Killers to Justin Timberlake. Get over your "Union of the Snake" snobbery, Rock Hall of Fame, and induct these well-dressed British boys, or we'll have to both light our torch and wave it.

-- Go-Gos -- How is it possible that this all-girl outfit, a mainstay of the early '80s pop charts and MTV, isn't already included? Come on, "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Vacation" -- these are anthems.

Tiger Woods to make comeback at Master

2010-03-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Tiger Woods to make comeback at Master

Tiger Woods will make his comeback next month at the Masters, the opening major championship of the season.

The world No 1, who has not played since it emerged in November that he had conducted a series of extra-marital affairs, said he was ready to end his self-imposed exile but had work to do on his private life.

The American, 34, has spent much of his time out in therapy - said to be for a sex addiction - while also attempting to repair the damage to his six-year marriage to Elin Nordegren, with whom he has two young children.

Announcing his comeback via a statement, Woods said: "The Masters is where I won my first major, and I view this tournament with great respect. After a long and necessary time away from the game, I'm ready to start my season at Augusta.

"The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been a while since I last played.

"I have undergone almost two months of in-patient therapy and I am continuing my treatment. Although I'm returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life."

Woods has a superb record at the Masters, which takes place between April 8-11 at Augusta National in Georgia. He won his first tournament there in 1997 and has claimed the title on three subsequent occassions, most recently in 2005.

However, rumours at the weekend suggesting that he was about to make his announcement prompted a mixed response from players and officials. Steve Stricker, the world No 2, said: "I don't know if Augusta would like that to happen, you know? To turn it into 'Tiger's comeback tournament' instead of the Masters tournament."

However, Tim Finchem, the American Tour commissioner, insisted Woods would be welcomed on his return. "I'm as excited as everybody else to see him back," he said. "Everybody's done looking back at the circumstances that resulted in him stepping away from the game."

Woods last played on November 15, winning the Australian Masters in Melbourne, his 92nd title victory.

tim tebow superbowl ad

2010-01-26T10:07:00.000-08:00

tim tebow superbowl ad

Tim Tebow is in Mobile this week at the Senior Bowl. He's trying to prove he can be an NFL quarterback.
There's one thing the former Florida star doesn't have to prove. He has a strong belief system, and he's not afraid to stand up and speak out for what he believes.
His belief system will be on display during the Super Bowl in an ad that's starting to generate as much debate as his NFL prospects. You can read about the growing controversy in detail here.
In short, the ad features Tebow and his mom, and it's sponsored by the advocacy group Focus on the Family.
What's the ad about? Sounds like it's in the eye of the beholder.
Focus on the Family says the ad is pro-family because it focuses on Tebow's mother's decision, against the advice of doctors, to have a child despite some potential health risks.
That child is Tim Tebow.
Other advocacy groups, led by the Women's Media Center, are asking CBS to pull the ad because they say the ad's message is anti-abortion.

melinda duckett

2010-01-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

melinda duckett Talk show host Nancy Grace doesn't want her deposition in a central Florida wrongful death lawsuit videotaped.
Her attorney wants a federal judge to prohibit videotaping of Grace during a deposition Thursday or prohibit the release of the deposition if it is videotaped. Her attorneys say it's necessary to protect Grace from embarrassment. She's a host on HLN, formerly CNN Headline News.
Grace is being sued by Melinda Duckett's family. They blame her for inflicting emotional distress on the 21-year-old Florida mother during an appearance on her talk show.
Duckett was on Grace's show in 2006 after her son Trenton disappeared. Grace grilled the woman, accusing her of hiding something. Duckett shot and killed herself the day the taped interview was scheduled to air.

flagellated

2010-01-26T09:58:00.001-08:00

flagellated The late Pope John Paul flagellated himself regularly to emulate Christ's suffering and signed a secret document saying that would resign instead of ruling for life if he became incurably ill, a new book shows.

The book, called "Why a Saint? was written by Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the Vatican official in charge of the process that could lead to Roman Catholic sainthood for John Paul. It includes some previously unpublished documents.
John Paul, who died in 2005, was sick and suffering in several periods of his papacy. He was shot and nearly killed in 1981, he underwent several operations, including one for cancer, and suffered from Parkinson's disease for more than decade.
The book, which was published Tuesday, reveals that even when he was not ill, he inflicted pain on himself, known in Christianity as mortification, so as to feel closer to God.
"In Krakow as in the Vatican, Karol Wojtyla flagellated himself," Oder writes in the book, citing testimony from people in the late pope's close entourage while he was bishop in his native Poland and after he was elected pope in 1978.
"In his closet, among his vestments, there was hung on a clothes hanger a particular kind of belt for pants, which he used as a whip," Oder writes.
When he was bishop in Poland, he often slept on the bare floor so he could practice self-denial and asceticism, Oder writes.
Many saints of the Church, including St. Francis of Assisi, St Catherine of Siena and St. Ignatius of Loyola, practiced flagellation and asceticism as part of their spiritual life.
The book also confirmed that as his health failed, John Paul prepared a document for aides stating that he would step down instead of ruling for life if he became incurably ill or permanently impaired from carrying out his duties as pope.
He signed the document on February 15, 1989, eight years after the failed assassination attempt. The existence of the document had been the subject of many rumors and reports over the years but it has been published for the first time in full in the book.
John Paul wrote that he would resign "in the case of infirmity which is presumed incurable, long-lasting and which impedes me from sufficiently carrying out the functions of my apostolic ministry."
In the end, the pope decided to stay on until his death, saying it was for the good of the Church. Had he stepped down, he would have been the first Roman Catholic pontiff to do so willingly since 1294.
John Paul moved closer to sainthood last month when Pope Benedict approved a decree recognizing that his predecessor had lived the Christian faith heroically.
It was one of the key steps in the procedure by which the Church recognizes its saints.
The next step will be the recognition of a miracle attributed to John Paul. It involves a French nun who was inexplicably cured of Parkinson's disease after praying to him.
After the Vatican recognizes the event as a miracle, the late pope can be beatified, the last step before sainthood.

flagellated

2010-01-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

Tiger Woods' wife to divorce him

2009-12-16T20:44:00.000-08:00

Tiger Woods' wife to divorce him

Elin Nordegren, the wife of pro-golfer Tiger Woods, is reportedly set to divorce him, according to various U.S. media.

In its upcoming issue, People magazine cites a source who confirmed the former Swedish model and nanny will split from the billionaire athlete after reports surfaced that he had extramarital affairs with at least 14 women.

"She's made up her mind; there's nothing to think about," People's source says in the article, which comes out Friday. "He's never going to change."

Several media reported this week that Nordegren has been seen recently without her wedding ring.

ABC News reported on its website that a source said, "Divorce is 100 per cent on … She's not rushing to divorce, however. She's going to take her sweet time. She wants all the dirty laundry to be out on the table before she signs anything."

However, NBC said the breakup is imminent.

"She and Tiger are living separately now, but she'll be making this split very open and official right after Christmas," NBC said, citing a source.

"Elin is not going to be one of these 'stand by her man' women ...This is beyond embarrassing, and she has a daughter and son she has to think about, who will know about this one day. Forgiveness isn't exactly around the corner."

Married in 2004, the couple have a two-year-old daughter, Sam, and a 10-month-old son, Charlie.

Tiger and wife headed for permanent split

2009-12-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

Tiger and wife headed for permanent split

Pro golfer Tiger Woods and his wife Elin Nordegren are headed for an imminent split that will likely be permanent, according to sources who are familiar with the couple’s situation.

Recent photos taken of Elin without her wedding and engagement rings were meant to be a public message that the breakup is coming sooner rather than later.

“She knew what she was doing when she stepped out and pumped gas without her wedding rings,” said one source. “There are plenty of people who would have filled the tank for her so she wouldn’t even have to be photographed. She chose not to go down that road. Moreover, she chose to make it clear those rings were not on her. No hands shoved in pockets, no hiding. Remember, she’s still one half of a couple that has had, up until recently, a most-crafted image. She knows what she’s doing.”

She won’t be one half of that couple for long, according to another source.

“She and Tiger are living separately now, but she’ll be making this split very open and official right after Christmas,” said that source.

Another source said that Tiger has a long road ahead if he wants forgiveness. “Elin is not going to be one of these ‘stand by her man’ women,” the source said. “She’s a strong woman, this is beyond embarrassing, and she has a daughter and son she has to think about, who will know about this one day. Tiger’s got a long way to go to make things right, and have the kind of family he was fond of talking about. He’s going to have to play by Elin’s rules now. Forgiveness isn’t exactly around the corner.”

Kate Gosselin is lonely
Even though Kate Gosselin is surrounded by her eight children, she still feels lonely, according to her close friend Jamie Ayers.

“At night, when the kids are in bed, that’s a lonely time for her,” Ayers told Life & Style. “That’s when she calls and we chat. It gets lonely when you’re the only adult.”

Ayers said that Gosselin tries to keep busy, but without the demands of “Jon & Kate Plus Eight,” it takes a lot to fill the days and keep busy. “Mostly, she gets up at the crack of dawn, works out and makes breakfast,” Ayers said. “She runs errands while the kids are at school, and she does a lot of baking during the holidays.”

Speaking of the holidays: Jon and Kate are expected to spend Christmas together, with the kids.

Another woman emerges in Woods scandal

2009-12-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

Another woman emerges in Woods scandal

The Tiger Woods case might be closed in the opinion of the Florida Highway Patrol, but not according to some of the women who reportedly have had relationships with the pro golfer.

A Los Angeles-based cocktail waitress, Jaimee Grubbs, told Us Weekly that she had a 31-month fling with the married Woods. Grubbs said she has more than 300 text messages that prove this, and provided Us with a voicemail Woods reportedly left Grubbs on Nov. 24 in which Woods says that his wife suspects he is having an affair.

“I need you to do me a huge favor,” a voice reported to be that of Woods’ said. “Can you please take your name off your phone? My wife went through my phone and may be calling you. So if you can, please take your name off that.”

But Grubbs is not the last of the rumored mistresses. Another woman is expected to be named shortly. This one, an employee of the Bank nightclub in Las Vegas, has been in a relationship with Woods only “a couple months,” according to a source who knew of the alleged relationship.

A representative for the Bank nightclub had no comment on the matter, and the woman in question did not respond to messages.

What Happens in Vegas..

If Woods has strayed beyond the bounds of his five-year marriage, not just once, but with several women, then why hasn’t it come out before now?

According to a source who is a fixture on the Vegas nightlife scene, and has seen Woods on multiple occasions, “It’s one of those hush-hush things — no one talks about Tiger’s s— in Vegas. He goes there a bunch of times a year, and he loves his life there. But he’s got some s— in Vegas.”

Why speak out now?
In the case of Grubbs, all signs point to a payday as a motivating factor. Some rumors put her Us magazine compensation in the ballpark of $100,000 (Us Weekly’s comment: “As a policy, we do not comment on obtaining stories or photo transactions.”)

But some sources at media outlets who are reportedly negotiating with other women involved in this story say those numbers aren’t enough to get them to talk.

“A lot of these women make a really, really good living,” said one reporter at a weekly magazine. “They’re going to lose their jobs if they talk, so it better be a lot of money at stake. They know if they say what went on, they’ll have to sit this one out, so to speak, until they find a new job. So the stakes are high.”

SNL Takes On Tiger Woods Scandal (VIDEO)

2009-12-15T20:57:00.001-08:00

SNL Takes On Tiger Woods Scandal (VIDEO)

Tiger Woods and his marital problems proved a tempting target for "Saturday Night Live."

In both a skit and multiple "Weekend Update" jokes this weekend, NBC's comedy institution took on the golfer, who has admitted to letting his family down with "transgressions" that came to light following a strange Thanksgiving weekend incident outside his Florida home.

In one skit, actor Jason Sudeikis portrayed Wolf Blitzer on CNN's "Situation Room" reporting on a news conference that Woods (played by Kenan Thompson) and his wife (played by host Blake Lively) were holding outside his home. After Woods admitted to "multiple" transgressions, his wife looked surprised and the screen quickly shifted back to Blitzer.

"Breaking news," Blitzer said. "Tiger Woods is back in the hospital. "Apparently just hours after a press conference where he confessed to multiple transgressions, Woods had an accident in his home where he fell down a flight of stairs then inadvertently threw himself through a plate glass window."

Woods returned for a later news conference, his wife brandishing a golf club next to him, where he said, "Wow, I've been really clumsy this week."

He had more such "accidents," then returns to read a prepared statement with the words "help me" and "I'm scared" written on the back of the papers for the audience to see.

In "Weekend Update," anchor Seth Meyers peppered Woods with one-liners.

"Last Friday Tiger Woods hit a tree and a bunch of ladies fell out," he said.

Meyers noted that Woods and his wife were in negotiations over their prenuptial agreement, and "what's really weird is he presented her with one of those huge, oversized checks."

Woods' sponsors are sticking with him, Meyers said, "a gesture that only means one thing -- women don't watch golf."

Tiger Woods' sex scandal?

2009-12-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

Tiger Woods' sex scandal?

Tiger Woods' mysterious car crash outside his Orlando-area home has left him with facial lacerations, a public-relations nightmare, and an alleged sex scandal. Woods' has repeatedly declined to speak to the Florida Highway Police and his only public statement (on his website) includes an apology for an unspecified "situation." Amid tabloid reports that Woods is having an affair with New York cosmopolite Rachel Uchitel (who's hired celebrity lawyer Gloria Alfred), commentators are split: Is Woods' persistent silence making a bad situation worse? (Watch a CBS report about Tiger Woods' legal issues in this case)

Tiger’s silence will hurt more than the truth: "We all know how this will play out: It’s going to get much uglier," says George Diaz in the Chicago Tribune. Our thirst for "every gory, gossipy detail" will trump Tiger’s "look but don’t touch" game. And if he doesn’t fill the void with, at the very least, a real "mea culpa," the sex scandal and Rachel Uchitel will become the only story out there.
"Silence only feeds innuendo machine"

Woods' story is fishy, but he has every right to silence: Why avoid the police for three days and blog that you are "not perfect" and "will certainly make sure this doesn't happen again," asks Michael Rosenberg in the Detroit Free Press, if you've done nothing worse than back (soberly) into a fire hydrant? Still, this oblique, "heavy" apology is "all that Woods owes the public." Anything else is between him and his family. He’s never claimed to be anything but the world’s best golfer, so let’s judge him by that.
"If it's not about golf, Tiger Woods owes us no explanation"

If Woods doesn't clear this up, he risks losing his endorsements: "[Woods] is making it look like he has something to hide," said public relations expert Peggy Rose, as quoted in the Boston Herald. "If he made a mistake, admit it and move on. How he reacts now will determine his future image." As a face synonymous with Nike and Gillette, Woods could take a "huge hit to the wallet" if he doesn't break his silence soon.
"Experts to Tiger Woods: Come clean"

Tiger Woods doesn’t care what you think: Unlike Arnold Palmer, Tiger "has never yearned to be loved by the public," says John Paul Newport in The Wall Street Journal. "He just wants to be respected as a man and left in peace to play golf at the supernatural level." And that’s why this is a problem for him. Until Tiger puts this behind him, the sex scandal rumors and innuendo will get inside his head, and his golf game. He can’t afford that.
"The Tiger Woods crash: Why people even care"

danyl johnson x factor

2009-08-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

danyl johnson x factor

After 10 years of kicking around the music business — and being kicked down by it — 27-year-old Danyl Johnson admits he had given up his hopes for stardom. But then students at an arts school in Reading, England, gave their teacher a morale boost.

Drama and dance instructor Johnson now carries the heady title of “the next Susan Boyle” after wowing the judges — including the notoriously hard-to-please Simon Cowell — when he performed in the opening round of a British forebear to “American Idol,” “The X Factor.” Appearing in his first U.S. TV interview, the man with a million-dollar smile and voice to match told TODAY’s Matt Lauer and Ann Curry Thursday he’s still processing his sudden fame — and revealed how his students gave him the push to make one last grab at the brass ring.

“I’ve been singing for about 10 years now, and I didn’t really get much interest,” Johnson said live via satellite from London. “I thought that dream had gone past.

“The kids have been so supportive and they said I should go into the competition. I just thought, ‘OK, I’ll send an application, and if I hear back I will see what happens from there.’ I’m so glad they got me to do it now, I have to say.”

Overnight sensation
Johnson is now a household name in music circles, even though he’s just one show into his reality TV competition run. Performing the Beatles classic “With a Little Help From My Friends,” the teacher showed a veteran’s performing chops and a voice that got Cowell to give him what may have been the first standing ovation in all of his various TV judging duties in England and the U.S.

After his performance, Cowell said, “Danyl, that was single-handedly the best first audition I ever heard.” The estimated 11 million viewers evidently agreed — Johnson became front-page news in the British papers overnight. His performance has also become a viral sensation: Within days, a YouTube clip of his singing had attracted a million viewers.

movies and advertising and sales

2009-08-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

movies and advertising and sales

Nearly three years after the device launched and quickly fell behind its two major competitors, Sony is attempting to reposition its Playstation 3 video game console as an all-in-one entertainment device.

The Japanese electronics giant is launching a new advertising campaign for the crucial fall and holiday season that places less emphasis on its video game capabilities and more on its ability to play high-definition Blu-ray DVDs and to download movies from the Internet.

One of the ads, showed to The Times by Sony in advance of airing, touts the PS3 as "the greatest gaming, Blu-ray playing, movie downloading system around." Another features a teenager complaining that his grandmother is using the console to watch Blu-ray movies, preventing him from playing video games.

After years of charging more than its competitors, Sony last week cut the price of the PS3 to $299, putting it in line with Microsoft's Xbox 360, which has various models that cost $199 to $299, and the Nintendo Wii, which costs $249.

The device's high price and complex set of features have been cited by many in the industry as key reasons for its slow sales. According to NPD group, consumers in the U.S. have bought just over 8 million PS3s through the end of July, compared with more than 15 million Xbox 360s and over 20 million units of the Nintendo Wii.

That has been a source of particular frustration to Hollywood studios, which have been counting on the PS3 to boost sales of Blu-ray discs, which haven't grown fast enough to make up for an ongoing decline in DVD sales.

"We have been a game company for years and we would never walk away from that, but research confirmed there is a larger proposition under our nose," said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment America. "We wanted to reposition as a total entertainment solution. We felt like we can really own entertainment."

The Xbox 360 has a movie download store that's similar to the one on the PlayStation 3 and enables Netflix subscribers to stream movies from the Internet, a feature Sony doesn't have. The PS3 is the only one of the three major consoles, however, to play Blu-ray discs.

Dille said that although Sony will keep marketing the PS3 to avid gamers, with an emphasis on high-profile new titles such as October's Uncharted 2, the new ad campaign will target more "moms and families" than before. Although the Wii has been extremely popular with families, there may still be more potential buyers in that market than among the young men who play video games most.

"It's pretty clear looking at the numbers that the 360 has done a better job at capturing the core gamer audience," said Jesse Divnich, an analyst with Electronic Entertainment Design & Research.

Sony has spent much of the last few years trying to attract gamers, with mixed success, as highly touted titles such as LittleBigPlanet and Killzone 2 have failed to rack up big sales. Although the PS3 arguably offers more features than its competitors, the company hasn't been able to excite consumers about free wireless networking and multimedia downloads.

Dille said that the campaign, Sony's biggest and costliest since the launch of the PS3, is designed around the idea that Americans are now more interested in those capabilities.

Divnich agreed that Sony's chances of success with that message are much better now than before. He noted that although overall video game hardware sales are falling in the recession, some of the hottest-selling gadgets feature multiple digital capabilities.

"A year or two ago, the idea of an all-in-one media hub was kind of a foreign idea among the mass market," Divnich noted. "Today thanks to new technologies like the iPhone, we've warmed up to the idea of products that meet all our multimedia needs."

billy gillispie

2009-08-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

billy gillispie

What is it about basketball coaches in the state of Kentucky lately?

Rick Pitino admits to having sex with a woman in a Louisville restaurant, and then goes ballistic at the news media yesterday. John Calipari comes to Lexington as the new UK coach, and promptly learns the NCAA has erased his trip to the Final Four with Memphis from the record book.

And now Calipari's predecessor at UK, Billy Gillispie, has been arrested in Anderson County in Kentucky and charged with DUI. The Lexington Herald-Leader says Gillispie was released from jail this morning. Police told the TV station Gillispie was pulled over in a white 2009 Mercedes with Texas tags on US 127 after someone reported seeing the car driving erratically.

A male passenger also was arrested and charged with alcohol intoxication.

WLEX-TV says Gillispie told police he and his passenger had been golfing.

Police told WTVQ in Kentucky the arrest was at 2:45 a.m.

This is the third time Gillispie has been arrested for DUI. The previous two were in Texas and Oklahoma. The Oklahoma one was reduced to reckless driving and the coach pleaded guilty. In the Texas one, an El Paso prosecutor ultimately decided there wasn't enough evidence to determine Gillispie was drunk.

The Texas case drew a lot of attention, however, because Gillispie had been stopped after driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street. Also, he handed police officers a credit card instead of his license when he was first asked for identification.

Afterward, Gillispie sent more than 1,000 handwritten letters of apology to UTEP season-ticket holders, according to the El Paso Times.

Gillispie left the UK job in March this year, but still is embroiled in a contract dispute with the school.

ted kennedy quotes

2009-08-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

ted kennedy quotes

In his words, as in life, he was a politician unafraid to address issues in a direct and occasionally controversial manner.

* "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die" - addressing the Democratic National Convention after pulling out of the presidential race, August 1980.

* "Frankly, I don't mind not being president. I just mind that someone else is" - at Washington Gridiron Club dinner, March 1986.

* "Well, here I don't go again" - on not running for president in 1988.

* "Ulster is becoming Britain's Vietnam" - on The Troubles in Northern Ireland, October 1971

* "My brother need not be idealised or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it" - eulogy for brother Robert Kennedy, June 1968.

* "I regard as indefensible the fact that I did not report the accident to the police immediately" - during a televised statement after he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident in regards to the Chappaquiddick incident, July 1969

* "What we have in the United States is not so much a health-care system as a disease-care system" - on health care reform for which he campaigned throughout his life, 1994

* "With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion. With Barack Obama we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay" - endorsing Barack Obama for president, January 2008.

mary jo kopechne

2009-08-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

mary jo kopechne

Every person’s life is like a kaleidoscope. Some pick up another’s life, hold it to the light and all the glass chips fall this way or that. And the person sighting through the cylinder puts it down and turns away, saying they’ve seen it all, when in fact, they’ve only seen one facet, one pattern in another’s life. Thus some remember only one thing or two about the life of another long lived.

But there are other ways to see most of a life in depth, that is, to keep turning the kaleidoscope, letting the glass shards open and reveal, shade and hide, depending on the turn of the scope. Adding up all the patterns, keeping the sum of the brilliant and the dark turns: that’s a view in depth of the life of another.

I’d just lay out a few turns of the kaleidoscope of Ted Kennedy’s life here, a lost story:

Some of the glass shards part, and we see in paradoxically jeweled light that Ted Kennedy was born to a brutally ambitious father, Joe Kennedy, and his mother Rose, was a good Catholic girl, demure and subservient to her wealthy, bellowing husband.

Joe Kennedy true to his obsessive nature, kept his wife pregnant for most of sixteen years, she giving birth, not including miscarriages, to nine children in that time. Ted was the youngest born in 1932.

Ted would be eventually groomed and glossed, and also pressed to follow his father’s example… the ill and clearcut way the older Kennedy conducted himself politically and personally: teaching his male children that Kennedys’ get what they want when they want it how they want it for no other reason that they want it… and it is alright to use most any means to get it.

Another father, with different values, might have pressed an entire set of young Kennedy male offspring, to grow far more seated in heart and soul and clearcut ethics, far sooner.

As a young man, Ted, sent to the top school, Harvard, got kicked out for cheating. He was readmitted, but though some might say he cheated because of laziness, it may also be that his lack of studying and rousting about was his finger flapping in the face of his immensely overbearing father… yet Ted may have tried to fake the grade still fearing his old man.

Ted had reason to fear his father. Being the youngest child in the family, Ted was close to his sisters, and was doted on by Rosemary who was 14 years old when he was born. They laughed together and delighted in each other, and yet when Rosemary began displaying too wild a behavior by her father’s lights… showing interest in sex and sensuality… being too wild for her father’s hyper hypocritical tastes– he himself rumored to have many affairs–

Ted at age 9 witnessed his father dispose of his sister Rosemary as though she were a block of cordwood.

Joe Kennedy secretly arranged that his daughter Rosemary, age 22, to be forced bodily from their home, and incarcerated in a mental institution where Joe signed papers that were not his to sign, as his daughter was of legal age…

the papers the pater familias of the Kennedy clan signed were to ok a surgeon to slice into his daughter Rosemary’s brain through her eyelids, performing a lobotomy. This selfsame so-called “surgeon” would later be hounded from the medical profession for his butchery of human beings. But the good doctor at that time (1941), met Joe Kennedy’s needs.

Afterward, Rosemary no longer had sexual being. She also could not speak and could not hold her urine or her bowels for the rest of her life. She suddenly had the IQ of a child under seven. She had previously been, by all accounts, a bright, normal, willful, beautiful young woman, not retarded, not mentally ill. But to cover his egregious sin, Joe Kennedy spread the rumor over and over that Rosemary had always been ‘retareded.’

Women were a dime a dozen in his world, and Rosemary was shut away in diapers and babbling and out of sight, out of mind.

Joe Kennedy allowed no one to defy him without using all power at his disposal to destroy individuals. He was a bully and a boor. What he couldn’t get through power, he took by underhanded force… and then tried to cover his tracks, buying silence, or eliminating talkers.

To Joe, women were seen as Catholic scapulars, or as servants, or as good time girls. He carried and taught to his sons the old madonna/ whore split. A whore was to be used. A madonna was to be perpetually impregnated within marriage.

But a daughter, a woman, threatening his carefully built image, that was another story. For Joe, is was within his purview as a male to utterly harm a girl and leave her as good as dead.

Thus Joe Kennedy set hideous, puerile and murderous examples for his boys. And I believe, imprinted them, as well as intimidated and horrified them, when they were young… and yet evilly offered them riches and position as they became older… if they would just cover for and remain loyal to their corrupt father. He would be their Boston Machiavelli.

Thus he burnished and protected the family image at all costs. Except, in all his slit-eyed plans, all his prancing and smokers and under the table deals, all his pretense and vulgar displays of wealth and power, he never set in place examples of heart for others… Joe’s hope for his boys centered on eliciting in them and from them, chips off the old block, that is, greed and lust for power.

In time, as we witnessed, one of Joe’s sons, Ted, at age 37 would drive off the Dike Bridge late one night. A young woman, Mary Jo Kopechne, age 28, one of several “Boiler Room Girls” (girls who worked on Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign the year before) who’d held a party that night, was in Ted’s car. Ted Kennedy made it to shore. Miss Kopechne did not. Ted Kennedy did not report the accident until the next day.

Some say he had a concussion and wasn’t thinking clearly. Others say he was drunk and out of his mind. Others say the unthinkable: that he did not value a human life. That he tried to cover up.

We may not know which one it was, or which two, or all four– or more. What we do know is that the ill trajectory for harming an innocent was laid down in spades in Ted’s young life by an exemplar father who was supposed to instill life-sparing and life-endorsing in his boys …instead of a careless regard for life… especially the lives of women, be they wives, mistresses, girlfriends, daughters, women one found attractive. For some observors and historians, the life’s end of Marilyn Monroe rings a similar bell.

Are the sins of the father the sins of the sons? I dont think we know for sure. It seems that sometimes hell is on earth for some— and I think of Ted Kennedy’s ‘cant face myself in the mirror’ for a long time after Miss Kopechne’s death… but also the prior hellacious loss of Rosemary… and the loss of a dear older brother in war… and also the harrowing of Ted’s soul after his two brothers were murdered. The lessons, the opportunities to become human and humane at last, came one after the other, relentlessly.

… and even more so of how ancient Ted Kennedy suddenly became on the small boat, his face collapsed into iteself, his shoulders gone all ‘old man’… as he grimly sailed out to recover John-John’s body and the bodies of two others of the young from the tragic small plane crash in the ocean at niight… his nephew John, son of Jackie and JFK, who so promised in good looks and youth, in vitality and smarts… to maybe bring back the Kennedy political sheen… now the last charismatic male Kennedy of that generation was dead too. Also, literally, dead in the water. Like Mary Jo.

We who are religious are taught that all will be judged not with fury but with fairness when they die. Whatever was not learned on earth, some say, will be learned in heaven, or in a stopping and resting place on the way there. It’s said too that one receives credit for learning on earth from one’s abject suffering, no matter what crassness or separation from the God of Life and Love, preceded it.

So may it be for Ted Kennedy, having now left this world at age 77. So may rest continue for Mary Jo Kopechne who would be, had she lived, 68 years old this day.

mike barnicle

2009-08-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

mike barnicle

“The Kennedy brothers must be having a wondrous reunion.”

- Roy Johnson, a onetime Fortune editor, on Facebook this morning. “And sisters!” added one reader.

What an image–Ted Kennedy and his seven siblings convening in the afterlife. The great Senator, who was 77, was the last of the Kennedy brothers–oldest brother Joe died in a plane crash in WWII, and Teddy became the patriarch after Jack and Bobby were assassinated in the ’60s. Sister Eunice died two weeks ago. Jean Kennedy Smith, former ambassador to Ireland, is now the only one of the nine Kennedy siblings still alive.

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe today, journalist/pundit Mike Barnicle, a friend of the Senator from Massachusetts, said that he once asked Kennedy if, when he sailed his boat Maya in Nantucket Sound, did he ever see his brothers out there. “All the time,” Teddy replied.

Edward Kennedy, Senate Stalwart, Dies

2009-08-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

Edward Kennedy, Senate Stalwart, Dies

Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, a son of one of the most storied families in American politics, a man who knew triumph and tragedy in near-equal measure and who will be remembered as one of the most effective lawmakers in the history of the Senate, died Tuesday night. He was 77 .

he death was announced Wednesday morning in a statement by the Kennedy family.“Edward M. Kennedy – the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply – died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port,” the statement said. “We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him.”

Mr. Kennedy had been in precarious health since he suffered a seizure in May 2008 at his home in Hyannis Port, Mass. His doctors determined the cause had been a malignant glioma, a brain tumor that often carries a grim prognosis.

As he underwent cancer treatment, Mr. Kennedy was little seen in Washington, appearing most recently at the White House in April as Mr. Obama signed a national service bill that bears the Kennedy name.

While he had been physically absent from the capital, his presence had been deeply felt as Congress weighed the most sweeping revisions to America’s health care system in decades, an effort Mr. Kennedy called “the cause of my life.”

On July 15, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, which Mr. Kennedy heads, passed health care legislation that he had helped write and that may one day be regarded as the capstone to Mr. Kennedy’s government career.

Mr. Kennedy was the last surviving brother of a generation of Kennedys that dominated American politics in the 1960s and that came to embody glamour, political idealism and untimely death. The Kennedy mystique — some call it the Kennedy myth — has held the imagination of the world for decades and came to rest on the sometimes too-narrow shoulders of the brother known as Teddy.

Mr. Kennedy, who served 46 years as the most well-known Democrat in the Senate, longer than all but two other senators, was the only one of those brothers to die after reaching old age. President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy were felled by assassins’ bullets in their 40s. The eldest brother, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., died in 1944 at the age of 29 while on a risky World War II bombing mission.

Mr. Kennedy spent much of last year in treatment and recuperation, broken by occasional public appearances and a dramatic return to the Capitol last summer to cast a decisive vote on a Medicare bill.

He electrified the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August with an unscheduled appearance and a speech that had delegates on their feet. Many were in tears.

His gait was halting, but his voice was strong. “My fellow Democrats, my fellow Americans, it is so wonderful to be here, and nothing is going to keep me away from this special gathering tonight,” Mr. Kennedy said. “I have come here tonight to stand with you to change America, to restore its future, to rise to our best ideals and to elect Barack Obama president of the United States.”

Senator Kennedy was at or near the center of much of American history in the latter part of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st. For much of his adult life, he veered from victory to catastrophe, winning every Senate election he entered but failing in his only try for the presidency; living through the sudden deaths of his brothers and three of his nephews; being responsible for the drowning death on Chappaquiddick Island of a young woman, Mary Jo Kopechne, a former aide to his brother Robert. One of the nephews, John F. Kennedy Jr., who the family hoped would one day seek political office and keep the Kennedy tradition alive, died in a plane crash in 1999 at age 38.

Mr. Kennedy himself was almost killed, in 1964, in a plane crash, which left him with permanent back and neck problems.

He was a Rabelaisian figure in the Senate and in life, instantly recognizable by his shock of white hair, his florid, oversize face, his booming Boston brogue, his powerful but pained stride. He was a celebrity, sometimes a self-parody, a hearty friend, an implacable foe, a man of large faith and large flaws, a melancholy character who persevered, drank deeply and sang loudly. He was a Kennedy.

Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, one of the institution’s most devoted students, said of his longtime colleague, “Ted Kennedy would have been a leader, an outstanding senator, at any period in the nation’s history.”

Mr. Byrd is one of only two senators to have served longer in the chamber than Mr. Kennedy; the other was Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. In May 2008, on learning of Mr. Kennedy’s diagnosis of a lethal brain tumor, Mr. Byrd wept openly on the floor of the Senate.

Born to one of the wealthiest American families, Mr. Kennedy spoke for the downtrodden in his public life while living the heedless private life of a playboy and a rake for many of his years. Dismissed early in his career as a lightweight and an unworthy successor to his revered brothers, he grew in stature over time by sheer longevity and by hewing to liberal principles while often crossing the partisan aisle to enact legislation. A man of unbridled appetites at times, he nevertheless brought a discipline to his public work that resulted in an impressive catalog of legislative achievement across a broad landscape of social policy.

Mr. Kennedy left his mark on legislation concerning civil rights, health care, education, voting rights and labor. He was chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions at his death. But he was more than a legislator. He was a living legend whose presence insured a crowd and whose hovering figure haunted many a president.

academic earth

2009-08-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

academic earth

The University of Nevada, Reno is known for the quality of its journalism school and the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, according to the 2010 edition of "The Insider's Guide to the Colleges."

However, the guide, compiled by the staff of the Yale Daily News, faults UNR for a "too limited student population" in which 82 percent come from Nevada high schools.

While some students complain it's as if they're going to a bigger version of their high schools, one freshman said being with old high school friends made the transition easier, the guide states.

Overall, the guide's 36th edition paints a favorable picture of the Reno campus.

"With its renown specialized academic programs, a unique student population, a lively social scene, and a beautiful campus, UNR gives students the opportunity to receive a first-rate education at a great value."

The guide was published before Nevada's Board of Regents voted to approve a 10 percent increase in tuition this fall for all of the state's seven higher education institutions, with another 10 percent increase scheduled in fall 2010. But tuition at Nevada's public colleges and universities traditionally has been low in comparison with other institutions in the Western region.

The guide also points out that although UNR is a "dry" campus and fraternities and sororities are not allowed to serve alcohol, "students agree that it is 'definitely possible' to find alcohol at parties."

Students who are 21 or older and those who have fake IDs "can look forward to wild nights of drinking, dancing and gambling in downtown Reno," the guide said.

The 952-page book devotes slightly more than three pages to UNR, but does not include the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Of UNR, it concludes that the state's "generous Millennium Scholarship continues to draw many in-state students, but more and more out-of-state students are discovering UNR's educational benefits."

Earlier this month, both UNR and UNLV made Forbes' list of America's 500 best private and public colleges for 2009. UNR placed 406th and UNLV placed 486.

The Forbes' ranking is based on 25 percent student satisfaction with course instruction, 25 percent on indicators of postgraduation employment and 20 percent on estimated loan debt. It also is based 17 percent on the likelihood of graduation within four years and 13 percent on student and faculty academic and research awards.

name voyager

2009-08-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

name voyager

Launched from Cape Canaveral on Aug. 20, 1977, Voyager 2, as the name suggests, was the second of two identical deep-space probes originally dispatched by NASA to gather data on Jupiter and Saturn. Their primary mission completed, Voyager 2 continued on to make observations of Uranus and Neptune, while Voyager 1 hightailed it toward the edge of the solar system. Voyager 2’s flyby of Triton was the spacecraft’s last contact with a major heavenly body before heading off in the direction of Voyager 1 and interstellar space.

Triton was certainly worth a look-see.

Neptune’s largest moon, discovered in 1846 by British astronomer William Lassell, was named for the Greek god Triton, the son of Poseidon (Neptune to the Romans). Its diameter of 1,677 miles makes it roughly half the size of our own moon, unremarkable enough. But Triton is the only large satellite in the solar system with a retrograde orbit, that is, orbiting in the opposite direction of its planet’s rotation. It is also the coldest known object in the solar system, with a mean surface temperature of minus 391 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 235 Celsius). Unlike Earth’s moon, Triton has an atmosphere, albeit a very thin one, composed mainly of nitrogen and methane.

Voyager 2 returned a series of crisp photos of Triton’s surface, including closeups of ice formations, impact craters and other general surface characteristics. It also photographed a plume of frozen material in the process of being ejected at the surface, which is believed to be either liquid nitrogen or methane. Voyager 2 remains the only spacecraft to have visited Triton. (Voyager 1, launched on a shorter trajectory, took a different route than its sister and bypassed Triton entirely.)

As Voyager 2 passed beyond Neptune and Triton, the mission’s planetary exploration phase officially ended.

If that had been the end of it, the twin Voyagers mission would have been an unqualified success. Although designed and built to complete an exploration of only Jupiter and Saturn, both Voyager 1 and 2 proved far more durable. So NASA extended the original mission include to the outer two planets. But more was, and is, yet to come. Thirty-two years after launch both craft are sailing through the heliosphere at 38,000 mph, still returning data to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory through the Deep Space Network.

NASA expects to continue receiving data from both probes until at least 2025, nearly a half-century after their launch.

baby name wizard

2009-08-24T08:43:00.001-07:00

baby name wizard

If you think making a name for yourself is hard, try making one for someone else.

Once a mere reflection of the times, baby names are now considered shorthand for everything from the parents’ values to the likelihood of future child-therapy bills. Choosing a title that’s at once unique but not precious, stylish but not trendy, meaningful but not obscure, is seen by many expectant moms and dads as the first test of their prowess as parents.

It’s not quite a prenatal exam, but it feels like one.

“It used to be that a very large percentage of parents wanted a good, solid, ordinary name for their child,” says Laura Wattenberg, a noted name researcher. “But today, parents treat ordinary as a dirty word.”

The appeal of unusual baby names drew international attention last week, when news broke that a New Zealand judge had ordered a nine-year-old girl be made a ward of the court long enough to change her name: Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii.

A 2007 California State University study of turnover rates in baby names found fashions change because of a small minority of innovators amidst a majority of copycats. Tweaking the spelling of conventional names has become a predominant trend in Canada because it allows parents to choose an in-vogue moniker that still seems unique. Madison, for example, can become Madisson, Madisyn, Madisynne, or Madison.

“We all want our kids to be distinctive, and that’s created a kind of arms race because we might want to be different from one another but our tastes are very much the same,” says Wattenberg.

While parents have always suffered some degree of prenatal naming anxiety, the digital age has upped the ante exponentially.

Over 100 niche baby-name websites offer everything from popularity graphs to searchable databases, opinion polls and historical birth certificate data; For about $50, online consultants will do name research on parents’ behalf. At sites such as Celebrity Baby Blog, parents can obsess over the choices pop icons are making, which this year have included Ignatius (Cate Blanchett), Knox (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie), Clementine (Ethan Hawke), Sunday (Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban) and Callum Lyon (Kyle MacLachlan).

“Parents type a first and last name into Google and feel panicked when it’s taken, or when the domain name is taken,” says Wattenberg, founder of babynamewizard.com.

“When Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named their daughter Vivienne, I had multiple people writing to me who had that name, or a similar name, chosen and felt like it had been ruined.”

Factor in the cultural din of academics whose research warns of the damage a “bad” name can do to a child, and it’s no wonder parents are stressed before changing their first diaper.

For Jody Szabo, a 29-year-old mother of two from Calgary, the pressure of finding the right names for her sons was “overwhelming.”

“It was difficult, time-consuming and stressful,” she recalls. “There’s nothing worse than being nine months pregnant, due any day, and having no clue what you’re going to call this child.”

After poring over online name databases, combing through thousands of possible monikers in baby books, and launching an epic battle against her husband’s preferred choice of Argus - a name plucked from a Greek myth about a 100-eyed giant - Szabo happily settled on Jeremy for her first-born and Austin for her second.

For her part, 37-year-old Karen Markovics is suffering “namer’s remorse.” Five years after giving birth to Nicole Josephine, the North Carolina mom is considering legally changing the girl’s name to Josephine Marie; she has informally been calling her Josie since she was a year old.

“A lot of people were really cruel when it came out that we wanted to change her name,” says Markovics. Other parents have accused her of being superficial and “a flake” for wanting a mulligan on the birth certificate.

“I just wanted a name that when I yelled it on the playground, I didn’t get 12 kids running.”

Misty Verlik Kelleher, 26, blames a combination of information overload and having too many cooks in the kitchen for her own prenatal naming anxiety.

“These days, it doesn’t seem like any name, no matter how ridiculous, is off the table,” she says, citing actor Jason Lee’s son Pilot Inspecktor as an example.

After taking great pains to create a shortlist of names with her partner, it seemed everyone the Edmonton native knew wanted to weigh in on the couple’s choices.

“Let me tell you, no one was shy in the least,” says Kelleher. “All I heard for months was, ‘I don’t like Brandon, that reminds me of this jerk I went to high school with …’, and on and on it went.”

Kelleher ended up naming her son Valentin (val-in-teen), after her father.

“While I know he’ll definitely be made fun of in school, he’ll still have it easy compared to the kids whose parents named them after some kind of beverage, stereo equipment or someone else’s occupation.”

If current trends persist, however, the kids who stand out won’t be the ones with the exotic names but rather the ones called Ann, Joan, Todd or Ralph, all of which barely register in the most recent Canadian name listings.

Fifty years ago, 40 per cent of boys and 26 per cent of girls had Top 20 names. In 2005, the Top 20 accounted for just 19 per cent of boys’ names and about 14 per cent of girls’ names, according to Harper-Collins’ Best Baby Names for Canadians.

As ludicrous as some contemporary names sound, a leading branding expert says memorable monikers - and especially those with three syllables, such as Moon Zappa, daughter of Frank - can prove valuable later in life.

“People tend to favour the familiar; and unusual names, ironically, are more familiar to people because they only need to hear them once, or perhaps twice, to remember them,” says Harry Beckwith, author of You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself.

Ultimately, the branding advice he gives to businesses - to choose a name with backstory and meaning - applies equally to parents.

“Precious, contrived, meticulously-searched-for names always will eventually reveal their artifice, and artifice loses to authenticity every single time.”

caster semenya photos

2009-08-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

caster semenya photos

Caster Semenya is causing quite a stir on the internet lately. After winning the 800m at 2009 World Championships in Athletics, it was revealed that the International Association of Athletics Federations had demanded a gender verification test to confirm she is a woman. Semenya also won the 800 m and 1500 m at the 2009 African Junior Championships with times of 1:56.72 and 4:08.01 respectively. The 800 m time was the fastest was the fastest in 2009 when it was set.

I guess they have reasons to question it. What do you think based on this video and her photos?

nate quick death

2009-08-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

nate quick death

It's not enough that "BIG NATE" is a well-crafted comic. No, now Lincoln Peirce has to tantalize us with comics that hold the promise of being far, far better than some of what's now on the page.

What's this now -- an ax-wielding character who goes by the moniker Doctor Cesspool? At last, this could be just the strip to thrill, chill and cross-pollinate with "Lio." Warm up the Mac and color us intrigued.

So intrigued, in fact, that here at Comic Riffs, we're quick to take "Big Nate" up on his suggestion. What better way to weigh in on the blood-curdling "Doctor Cesspool" than to conduct an actual comics poll. To wit: If you could add ONE comic to The Post's, would it be "Doctor Cesspool" -- sight unseen -- or one of these other medical cartoon characters? You're invited to vote below.

megan wants a millionaire ryan

2009-08-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

megan wants a millionaire ryan

This cannot be stressed enough: reality shows really need to step it up in the background check/psychological profile department when casting their shows.

Ryan Alexander Jenkins, a 32-year-old finalist on the VH1 show "Megan Wants a Millionaire," is a person of interest in the murder of a woman who was found dead and stuffed into a suitcase over the weekend, according to TMZ.

Jenkins reported Jasmine Fiore, a swimsuit model who also had worked for Playboy and Hawaiian Tropic, missing on Saturday night. Police had already found her body ... in a suitcase ... in a dumpster ... in Orange County, Calif. that morning.

Authorities have since been trying to contact Jenkins but have been unable to locate him. They suspect that he's headed for Canada, where he's originally from.

According to Jenkins profile on the VH1 site, he's an investment banker with these enlightened views about women and relationships:

Says he has left many amazing women in his life primarily because he wanted more women.
States the only time he cheated on his ex was when he wanted to break up with her.
Claims that he molds "player girls" into "princesses."

Megan Hauserman, the professional reality show star of "Megan Wants a Millionaire," was annoying on "Beauty and the Geek" and downright obnoxious on "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels," but even she deserves better than this guy.

UPDATE: TMZ is now reporting that according to Hauserman, Jenkins went to Las Vegas right after being booted from "Megan Wants a Millionaire" when it was taped earlier this year, met Fiore at a strip club and married her two days later.

eric dane tape video

2009-08-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

eric dane tape video

Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart in nude video with former beauty queen; "Not a sex tape," says Dane's lawyer... Michael Jackson to be buried on 51st birthday, says Papa Joe... Judge approves deal for sale of Jackson merchandise... Steve Harvey joins "Good Morning America" for family, relationship segments... Shania Twain next up for "Idol" guest-judging slot... Robin Wright Penn says she won't reconcile with Sean Penn... Mark Wahlberg treated for smoke inhalation on set of new movie... Tyra Banks to reveal her "real" hair... "Real Housewives of Atlanta's" Nene Leakes admits to stripper past... John Cleese reaches $19 million divorce settlement with third wife.

Pix: Ryan Seacrest snapped filming E! stand-up on a booster box.

Rumor Mill: Paula Abdul negotiating a return to "Idol"... Colin Farrell spooked by obsessed fan... Robert Downey Jr. to play vampire Lestat?... Did Tony Romo dump Jessica Simpson because of booze?... Gwyneth Paltrow shunned Scarlett Johannson on "Iron Man 2" set.

Not News: Jessica Simpson not headed to "Idol," says rep... Brad Pitt not joining the cast of "Sherlock Holmes."

Say What?
"I still slip into different styles very easily. I can be a little bit hip-hop in sweatpants and sneakers and a baseball hat. Or I can put on a head wrap and get kind of bohemian with glasses and a caftan. I can dress conservative '60s glamour, or I can go supermodern chic ... I love all different kinds of things. I'm open. I think that's what makes it exciting to people. They don't know what I'm going to do next. Honestly, I don't know half the time." -- Jennifer Lopez, on keeping us guessing, in the September issue of InStyle.

hurricane bill update

2009-08-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

hurricane bill update

Hurricane Bill, upgraded to a Category 4 storm, tore across the Atlantic Wednesday with raging winds nearing 135 mph, threatening a possible strike near Bermuda in a few days, meteorologists reported.

Forecasters predicted the hurricane could get even stronger.

"The wind sheer is light and the waters are warm," said Todd Kimberlain, a forecaster at the National Hurricane Center.

"Those are two essential ingredients not just for the formation, but also the maintenance, of hurricanes."

Early Wednesday, Bill was centered about 460 miles east of the Leeward Islands and was expected to pass them later in the day or by early Thursday.

The most significant threat could be to Bermuda, which the storm could hit in three or four days, Kimberlain said.

It also could move directly between Bermuda and the eastern coast of the U.S. without making landfall.

Either way, people near the coast can expect wave swells and rip currents in the next few days, Kimberlain said.

Meanwhile, Ana, the first named storm of the Atlantic season, was downgraded to a tropical depression and dissipated before reaching Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

mark mcgrath

2009-08-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

mark mcgrath

In the late ’90s and early ’00s Cali party rockers Sugar Ray owned summer barbecues with a string of easy, breezy radio hits like “Fly,’’ “Every Morning,’’ and “When It’s Over.’’ The hits dried up in 2003, the quintet took an extended break to hang with their families, and frontman Mark McGrath took a job hosting the TV gossip and entertainment news show “Extra.’’ The band returned to the scene last week with a typically sunny album, “Music for Cougars,’’ which includes a tune written by Rivers Cuomo of Weezer. We caught up with McGrath by phone from the Hollywood Hills.

SUGAR RAY With Fastball at the Paradise tonight

at 7:30. Tickets are $27.50 at 877-598-8689

or www.livenation.com.

Q. What are you most glad that you will never have to do or say again since you no longer work for “Extra’’?

A. I didn’t have a bad time at “Extra.’’ I hated doing red carpets. Because I don’t mind talking to anybody, but when you have to have an agenda, like say Britney Spears is in the news and it’s a hot topic and then you see Al Pacino coming down the red carpet and they want you to ask him about Britney Spears. It just makes your insides twist and tangle, and I wasn’t good enough to do it, and I refused to do it.

Q. You’ve got the original lineup intact, and no one went off on any crazy benders. Why do you think Sugar Ray was able to keep it together?

A. What that speaks to is we started organically. We were five friends in Newport Beach, California, and all we wanted to do was hear our Marshalls loud on ten. We played a lot of keg parties; we played Judas Priest, Blondie, and Run-DMC songs. Now it’s 21 years later, it’s still the same guys, and except for playing covers we’re playing Sugar Ray songs. So we started for the right reason. The friendships still exist, and that’s the biggest reward of the band.

Q. You’ve been fairly candid over the years about where you thought Sugar Ray fell in the grand scheme of things. Where does that come from?

A. We knew we came in the back door and kind of fell into success. Like I say I’m not the best singer in the world, we’re not the best band in the world, but you can’t deny we can craft a pop song. I’m not a braggart - I never will be - but the people have spoken. When you have two number one songs and a number three and a number seven, you’re doing something right, and I’ll always be honored to be a part of that songwriting.

mindy mccready

2009-08-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

mindy mccready

The plot thickens in the McSteamy nude video scandal – just the way we like it.

Now dethroned Miss United States Teen Kari Ann Peniche (stripped of her crown for baring all in Playboy) claims that her "Celebrity Rehab" roommate, country singer Mindy McCready, swiped her hard drive, which housed the compromising footage of her, Eric Dane and his wife Rebecca Gayheart lounging about naked and apparently stoned.

Peniche tells TMZ that the strung-out trio shot the footage more than two years ago in her Studio City apartment, and that there was absolutely no sex involved.

But after getting into an argument with McCready over money, Peniche believes the singer took her hard drive when she moved out.

Peniche, 25, filed a stolen property report with the LAPD, fearing the salacious content on her hard drive would fall into the wrong hands.

It appears that information was more sensitive than the police expected!

In the scandalous video posted on Gawker.com, the threesome lounge about naked and pass the camera around while discussing what their pornographic names would be.

Gayheart picks "Nina" as her handle, while Peniche opts for "Fifi."

The ever-raucous Dane, accustomed to raising pulses on "Grey's Anatomy" as Dr. Mark Sloane, toys with "Peter," "Cocaine Manner," "Tristan Daily," and famous bull riding champ "Tuff Hedeman."

Last month, the threesome and McCready reportedly hammered out a deal with their reps as to who got what on the hard drive.

Dane, 36, won full rights to the video, but it was leaked on the Web yesterday, anyway.

Now Dane and Gayheart, 38, are threatening to sue anyone who exploits the video.

Attorney Marty Singer, representing the couple, said the tape "is simply a private, consensual moment involving a married couple, shot several years ago, which was never intended to be seen by the public."

He added, "Although the participants are nude, the tape is not a 'sex tape.'"

Singer also said Peniche told him she's innocent of the leak.

"I have no idea," she told him. "I have nothing to do with it."

janelle wang

2009-08-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

janelle wang

Today Chef Giada De Laurentiis; author Liz Vaccariello ("Flat Belly Diet"); Mark McGrath. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC

KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA

Good Morning America Christina Applegate; Renée Zellweger. (N) 7 a.m. KABC

Good Day L.A. Michelle Branch; Stefan Richter ("Top Chef"). (N) 7 a.m. KTTV

Rachael Ray Mary J. Blige. 9 a.m. KCBS

Live With Regis and Kelly Guest co-host Janelle Wang; James Spader ("Shorts"). (N) 9 a.m. KABC

The View A day of hot topics; author Sharlene Azam; Caroline Manzo, Dina Manzo and Jacqueline Laurita; blogger Michael Rogers and director Kirby Dick. 10 a.m. KABC

The Morning Show With Mike & Juliet Jeff Foxworthy; animal expert Jack Hanna; model Beth Stern. 11 a.m. KTTV

The Bonnie Hunt Show Cloris Leachman talks about her autobiography, "Cloris"; Johnny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory"); musician Dennis DeYoung. noon KNBC

The Tyra Banks Show Some of the surprises of the past season. 1 p.m. KTTV

The Martha Stewart Show Chef Takashi Yagihashi prepares two noodle recipes; author KF Seetoh prepares laksa; chef Chris Chung shows the art of hand-pulled noodles. 2 p.m. KNBC

Oprah Winfrey Dr. Oz discusses why America's children are fat; tips on how to make healthier choices. 3 p.m. KABC

The Tyra Banks Show Guests tell their unsuspecting friends and family that they are secretly jealous of them. 3 p.m. KTTV

Dr. Phil Guests who turn ordinary life events into huge spectacles. 4 p.m. KCBS

The Ellen DeGeneres Show Leslie Mann ("17 Again"); Rashida Jones ("Parks and Recreation"); the Pussycat Dolls perform. 4 p.m. KNBC

Larry King Live (N) 6 and 9 p.m. CNN, midnight CNN

Tavis Smiley Smokey Robinson. (N) 7 and 11 p.m. KCET

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Christopher McDougall. (N) 11 p.m. Comedy Central

Charlie Rose Zhou Wenzhong, China's ambassador to the U.S. (N) 11:30 p.m. KCET

The Colbert Report Christopher Caldwell. (N) 11:30 p.m. Comedy Central

Late Show With David Letterman Donald Trump; Diane Kruger; Billy Currington performs. (N) 11:35 p.m. KCBS

The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien Sacha Baron Cohen as fashion reporter Bruno; Stephen Moyer; Zumanity. 11:35 p.m. KNBC

Jimmy Kimmel Live Ashton Kutcher; the Script performs. 12:06 a.m. KABC

The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson Kevin Bacon; Michael Irvin. 12:37 a.m. KCBS

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon John Krasinski; Stephen Moyer; video game creator Kudo Tsinoda; Manchester Orchestra performs. 12:37 a.m. KNBC

Last Call With Carson Daly Oscar Nuñez; motocross rider Chad Reed; Cold War Kids perform. 1:36 a.m. KNBC

karen sypher pics

2009-08-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

karen sypher pics

New Delhi, Aug 13, 2009: Karen Sypher pics are being frantically searched on the internet. For the last two days she is again attracting a number of people.

Karen Sypher is in the news for accusing college basketball coach Rick Pitino of assault, rape, and for offering her money to have an abortion.

Pitino claims the sex with Sypher was consensual and has countered that Karen is guilty of extortion.

Sypher asked for money in return for silence, Pitino obviously wasn’t having any of it since the matter is now all over the news. Pitino’s wife has remained silent on the issue, and his employer, the University of Louisville, is standing behind him.

Rick Pitino is a leading basketball coach. Since 2001 he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996. He has coached on the professional level for the NBA's New York Knicks and Boston Celtics with mixed results.

Pitino holds the distinction of being the only men's coach in NCAA history to lead three different schools (Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville) to the Final Four. In addition, Pitino has achieved a measure of success as an author and a motivational speaker.

Pitino, an Italian American is considered by many to be one of the first coaches to promote fully taking advantage of the 3-point shot, first adopted by the NCAA in 1987. By exploiting the 3-point shot, his teams at Kentucky in the early 1990s were known as Pitino's Bombinos, as a significant portion of the offensive points came from the 3-point shot. Even now, Pitino's teams are known for the 3-point threat and all of his teams rank towards the top in 3-point attempts per season.

Many of Pitino's players and assistant coaches have gone on to become successful collegiate coaches. In total, 21 former Pitino players and coaches have become Division I head coaches, including Florida's Billy Donovan, Minnesota's Tubby Smith, Arizona State's Herb Sendek, and Cincinnati's Mick Cronin.

Pitino started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii in 1974, and became a full-time assistant in 1975. He was then the first assistant hired by Jim Boeheim in 1976 as Boeheim began his tenure at Syracuse University.

Pitino went back to the NBA in 1997, but returned to college—and his adopted home state—on March 21, 2001 to coach the University of Louisville following the retirement of Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum. In the 2005 season, Pitino led Louisville to their first Final Four in 19 years, and became the only men's coach in NCAA history to lead three different schools to the Final Four. Immediately following their Final Four run, several players graduated or entered the 2005 NBA Draft, leaving the 2005–06 team very inexperienced. The inexperience caused the Cardinals to limp into the Big East Tournament seeded 12th, and miss the NCAA tournament. They did rebound and made it to the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), where they were defeated by eventual champions University of South Carolina.

In the meantime there is news that Pinto told police about having sex with Karen Cunagin Syphera on Aug. 1, 2003, while he was drunk at a Louisville restaurant and later on he also paid $3,000 to Syphera as an abortion expense. Reportedly after required investigation and interviews with Sypher police found problem about her credibility. According to police she failed to disclose about the other persons who was always present in the restaurant, secondly Pitino was in California when Sypher claimed he sexually assaulted her a second time.

mendoza line

2009-08-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

mendoza line

At least some form of disappointment comes with every baseball season. (Well, maybe not the 1985 Tigers or the 1998 Yankees, but you get the idea.) In fantasy baseball, the disappointment comes when players we think will be solid contributors have subpar seasons. With news that Seattle's Erik Bedard will undergo surgery on his shoulder and miss the remainder of this year, we take a look at some of this season's most disappointing players.

Erik Bedard, Mariners. After only starting 15-games in an injury-shortened 2008 season, there were high hopes for the lefty returning to the power pitcher he was with the Orioles. But after an excellent start (5-3, 2.82 ERA, 1.19 WHIP), another injury-plagued season came to an unhappy ending ... after just 15 starts.

Chris Young, Diamondbacks. Keeper league owners have been waiting for a couple years now for the fleet-footed outfielder to flash the skills he showed as a rookie in 2007 when he hit 32 homers and stole 27 bases. Young reached a new low this week when he lost his starting job (hitting .194 may have been one reason) and was demoted to the minors.

Garrett Atkins, Rockies. In 2006-07, Atkins averaged 27 homers, 115 RBI and hit .315. But that was before the dreaded humidor started leveling the playing field in the Mile High City. His performance dropped off slightly last season, but he still managed 21 homers and 99 RBI. But nothing could prepare his fantasy owners for this year's slimmed-down .222 average, seven homers and 35 RBI. Talk going on an Atkins diet ...

Chris Davis, Rangers. After wowing fantasy owners with a .285 average, 17 homers and 55 RBI in a half-season with Texas, big things were expected from the 23-year-old slugger. Problem was, he just couldn't make contact. Davis was on pace to set a single-season strikeout record when he was sent to the minors early last month with his average hovering around the Mendoza Line. Things are looking up though. At Class AAA Oklahoma City, he's hitting .321 with a .542 slugging percentage. Even more important, he's cut his strikeout rate in half (42% in the majors vs. 21% in the minors).

pga championship

2009-08-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

pga championship

Chaska, MN (Sports Network) - World No. 3 Paul Casey withdrew from the PGA Championship Thursday morning before teeing off. Casey has been suffering from a strained intercostal muscle in his ribs.

The Englishman was originally injured just before the British Open. He battled through the pain to tie for 47th at Turnberry, but tried to play last week for the first time since.

Things did not go well in Akron for the 10-time winner on the European Tour. Casey withdrew from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last week and delayed his decision on competing in the season's final major until Thursday morning.

Casey, who earned his first PGA Tour win earlier this year at the Houston Open, was replaced in the field by Tim Petrovic, who has four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season.

Casey was the third player to withdraw from the championship, joining Robert Karlsson (eye) and Trevor Immelman (wrist) on the sidelines.

mary jane clark

2009-08-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

mary jane clark

Author Mary Jane Clark dropped by "Good Morning America" to give us a sneak peek at her new book "Dying for Mercy."

At Pentimento, a renovated estate in wealthy Tuxedo Park, N.Y., the host of a gala is found dead in an apparent suicide. Attending the event is Eliza Blake, co-host of the morning TV show KEY to America, who's determined to get to the bottom of the crime.

She and her colleagues, producer Annabelle Murphy, cameraman B.J. D'Elia and psychiatrist Margo Gonzalez realize that Pentimento holds the key. The mansion is full of clues hidden in its fireplaces, fountains and frescoes that all lead to the killer's victims. As Eliza keeps digging, it seems that no resident in the tony town is safe.

Read an excerpt of "Dying for Mercy" below, and head to the "GMA" Library for more good reads.

best buy 9.99 tv

2009-08-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

best buy 9.99 tv

You can get a latest Samsung LN52A650A1F 52” high-definition LCD TV for only $9.99 at Best Buy, although it usually costs $1,800, Unbelievable ? But these type of mistakes are quit normal and usually appeared in Best Buy site, which sometimes makes me and others feel that it might be one of their unique marketing policy.

However, to make it sure that I am not a mental just have a look the the website for yourself where you can buy the Samsung LN52A650 52″ 1080p HDTV for 10$ at Best Buy.

Interestingly to safeguard itself Best Buy has a clear policy when such errors occur and the guys in charge can “revoke” offers and to “correct” any errors. But when they will payback your money that you have already deposited through credit card , that nobody knows.

karen sypher photos

2009-08-12T08:17:00.001-07:00

karen sypher photos

New Delhi, Aug 12, 2009: Karen Sypher photos and Rick Pitino. Rick Pitino is facing heat for a chance sex he had with a woman six years ago. He may be ruing the unfortunate time when he was tempted to have sex with a woman named Karen Cunagin Syphera.

The ignominy continues even six years after that sexual dalliance of Rick Pitino. First the woman accused him of forcibly raping her and then he said the woman was trying to extort one million dollar.

Rick Pitino a leading basketball coach. Since 2001 he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996. He has coached on the professional level for the NBA's New York Knicks and Boston Celtics with mixed results.

Pitino holds the distinction of being the only men's coach in NCAA history to lead three different schools (Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville) to the Final Four. In addition, Pitino has achieved a measure of success as an author and a motivational speaker.

Pitino, an Italian American is considered by many to be one of the first coaches to promote fully taking advantage of the 3-point shot, first adopted by the NCAA in 1987. By exploiting the 3-point shot, his teams at Kentucky in the early 1990s were known as Pitino's Bombinos, as a significant portion of the offensive points came from the 3-point shot. Even now, Pitino's teams are known for the 3-point threat and all of his teams rank towards the top in 3-point attempts per season.

Many of Pitino's players and assistant coaches have gone on to become successful collegiate coaches. In total, 21 former Pitino players and coaches have become Division I head coaches, including Florida's Billy Donovan, Minnesota's Tubby Smith, Arizona State's Herb Sendek, and Cincinnati's Mick Cronin.

Pitino started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii in 1974, and became a full-time assistant in 1975. He was then the first assistant hired by Jim Boeheim in 1976 as Boeheim began his tenure at Syracuse University.

Pitino went back to the NBA in 1997, but returned to college—and his adopted home state—on March 21, 2001 to coach the University of Louisville following the retirement of Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum. In the 2005 season, Pitino led Louisville to their first Final Four in 19 years, and became the only men's coach in NCAA history to lead three different schools to the Final Four. Immediately following their Final Four run, several players graduated or entered the 2005 NBA Draft, leaving the 2005–06 team very inexperienced. The inexperience caused the Cardinals to limp into the Big East Tournament seeded 12th, and miss the NCAA tournament. They did rebound and made it to the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), where they were defeated by eventual champions University of South Carolina.

In the meantime there is news that Pinto told police about having sex with Karen Cunagin Syphera on Aug. 1, 2003, while he was drunk at a Louisville restaurant and later on he also paid $3,000 to Syphera as an abortion expense. Reportedly after required investigation and interviews with Sypher police found problem about her credibility. According to police she failed to disclose about the other persons who was always present in the restaurant, secondly Pitino was in California when Sypher claimed he sexually assaulted her a second time.

kate gosselin today show

2009-08-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

kate gosselin today show

It’s no secret that she’s been through the relationship ringer lately, and earlier today (August 10) Kate Gosselin was spotted at the “Today” show.

Giving her first interview since her separation from her husband Jon, the “Jon and Kate Plus 8” mommy looked a bit downcast as she explained how hard things have been for her family.

Speaking of her husband’s multiple flings since their split, Kate said, “I was shocked, but those things… to be very honest, that’s his life and they don’t affect me directly at this point.”

She continued, “It is hurtful. It’s very hurtful. To be very honest, the most hurtful part is when his decisions directly affect our children. That’s the hardest part for me.”

Ms. Gosselin also revealed her dismay that things didn’t work out. “You know, I go back very often to our vow renewal in Hawaii. I think very often of it, and in that moment, I meant those vows. And there was no option for us other than to be together. And so much has changed.”

josh hamilton pics

2009-08-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

josh hamilton pics

Josh Hamilton, the troubled and talented 28-year-old center fielder for the Texas Rangers, became a truly extraordinary figure in the world of baseball Saturday, and his team hadn't yet begun its key game against the Los Angeles Angels. Hamilton did the unthinkable: He admitted he was that most common of creatures, a human being.

Hamilton is a recovering addict, both of alcohol and a host of drugs, crack cocaine among them. Before the spiral, he was the first pick overall in the 1999 draft, but addictions derailed him from the game for more than three years until 2007, when he finally found his way to the big leagues. He said he had been clean since 2005. He said he was now a man of God. His wife, children, organization and support group sustained him. He had become an inspiration for recovering addicts about what was possible even when things appeared to be their worst.

But in January, at least for one night, Hamilton veered off to the raunchy side of the tracks. At a bar in Arizona, he got drunk. His wife not around that night, Hamilton had the kind of "Girls Gone Wild" moment available to ballplayers on a nightly basis if they're so inclined. He was photographed several times, but in one of the photos, he's shirtless and heavily tattooed, his baseball cap backward, smiling with three young women, two posing as if to lick his left biceps, the third with her hand over the fly of his pants, her tongue out, too. Deadspin.com published the photos Saturday. Hamilton held a news conference the same day, and acknowledged his binge as well as the incriminating, provocative photos. "I'm embarrassed about it. For the Rangers, I'm embarrassed about it, for my wife, my kids," Hamilton said before Saturday's Rangers-Angels game. "It's one of those things that just reinforces about alcohol." Three thousand miles to the east, at Yankee Stadium, David Ortiz, the Boston Red Sox slugger and anti-performance-enhancing-drug crusader, spoke at length for the first time since vowing to find out more information about how he could have tested positive during the league's 2003 nonpunitive drug testing survey. I did not attend the Ortiz news conference in New York on Saturday. We'd already been through all of that -- too many times to count. I wanted to step back, watch it with different eyes, to hear what he had to say. "I definitely was a little bit careless back in those days when I was buying supplements and vitamins over the counter -- legal supplements, legal vitamins over the counter -- but I never buy steroids or use steroids," Ortiz said during the news conference, which began about 3½ hours before the Red Sox lost a third straight game to the New York Yankees, 5-0. "I never thought that buying supplements and vitamins, it was going to hurt anybody's feelings." There are few people, if any, that fans want to see succeed more than David Ortiz. He is a good man. He has been what the public says it wants from its superstars. He is the lovable, flamboyant Big Papi, yet is committed to the game, a loyal teammate. He is outspoken yet aware of his good fortune, and the luxuries it provides. He is not disdainful of the environment -- baseball fans willing to spend their disposable income watching him, the public yearning to soak up his talent, which in turn necessitates overabundant press coverage. This is the mixture that creates his fame, and instead of acting as though he is busting rocks on a chain gang -- like Josh Beckett -- Ortiz loves it. Like Johnny Damon, he epitomizes what the player-public relationship should be. Maybe Ortiz and Hamilton each endured their conscience-clearing moment Saturday. Ortiz may have told the truth throughout his entire press conference. But because his explanations were identical to so many of the empty explanations that have defined a dishonest decade, it was Hamilton who sounded human, like a person who messed up -- as we all do -- while Ortiz sounded like the rank and file of the steroid era, like a cop maintaining the code of the blue wall.

"Honestly, I hate that this happened," Hamilton said. "But it is what it is. You deal with it. I realized that, obviously, I'm not perfect, in this ongoing struggle, battle, that is very real. A lot of people don't understand how real it is. "I don't feel like I'm a hypocrite. I feel like I'm human. I got away from the one thing that keeps me straightened out and going in the right direction." No one wants to sound shrill, unable to navigate the complicated realities by clinging to simple moralities, or even worse, the hollow talking points that restrict discussion. There has never been real and honest conversation about performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, so in a way, Hamilton had the easier task. Alcohol -- like the sexual opportunities it can lead to -- is a dangerous, often lethal vice that is generally acceptable in society. Hamilton made a mistake -- and we've all been there doing something we shouldn't have done -- faced it humbly and with less shading, and on Saturday appeared the more sympathetic for it. Performance-enhancing substances, meanwhile, are quite different. It is much easier to consternate about the sanctity of the record books than to examine the often irresistible factors that lead players to use PEDs. Miguel Tejada, he of the sixth-grade education and no prospects in the Dominican Republic beyond debilitating farm or factory work, made a choice to augment his talent, a choice in many ways no different than any other choices people make to escape poverty. The same is true for most players who used whatever substances they believed would help them do their jobs, indeed to even have their jobs. In terms of discussion, the ethical issues of PED use have always trumped the practical ones, largely because of the refusal on the part of the baseball industry to peel away its considerable layers of denial. To date, only two active players -- Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez -- have admitted they used the real stuff, the good, hard-core stuff, the kind of drugs that build muscle and help you hit home runs. No misunderstandings, no tainted supplements, no question marks. The rest of the baseball world, even though it is clear the culture of PED use was/is rampant, still hides behind the wall. Next to Ortiz was Michael Weiner, Donald Fehr's successor. Weiner did his job well and professionally. He rightly emphasized that the entire legal system is being compromised by leaks -- who could ever trust secret grand jury testimony or the consequences of a government subpoena again? -- but continued the union's tradition of refusing to admit the depths of player use. Management -- which refused to acknowledge the depth of front-office knowledge -- has behaved no better. He also played the bad cop for Ortiz, stating that the nine days it took Ortiz to speak publicly were at the behest of the union. "If David had his way," Weiner said, "he would have come forward publicly much sooner."

But Weiner also signaled, quite expectedly, that on the issue of performance enhancers, nothing has changed. Ortiz said he never used steroids, and the public has the right to believe him or not, but then he said he did not know what substances he took, and offered no insight on what may have triggered a positive test.

The reason for the charade, naturally, is both the level of the public breach when it comes to steroids and, for the elite player, the ultimate consequence of likely being barred from the Hall of Fame. But, it is a charade. If you took Weiner at his word, the entire steroids era has merely been a misunderstanding, naive but well-meaning guys mixing the wrong powders in their protein shakes.

The common talk is for everyone to "move on," but truth and reconciliation cannot occur when the particulars -- management and players -- don't want to admit the truth.

deadly doctors

2009-08-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

deadly doctors

BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. — Mary Primis had already taught several high-intensity fitness classes that day, putting dozens of students through their sweaty paces while barely breaking one herself.

As she kicked off the last class of the evening at a health club in the Pittsburgh suburbs — Latin impact dance aerobics — the 26-year-old Primis shared some big, happy news with the health-conscious women lined up in front of her: She was 10 weeks' pregnant with her first child.

It was 8 p.m. Tuesday, prime time for working out. The aerobics room at LA Fitness was packed with about 20 women. Among Primis' students that night were Heidi Overmier, a hardworking single mom; Betsy Gannon, an X-ray technician who loved walking her dog; and Jody Billingsley, who sold medical supplies and traveled to Tampa, Fla., this year to watch her beloved Pittsburgh Steelers win the Super Bowl.

A few minutes into the routine, a man in black workout clothes entered the room. None of the women paid any attention to him. It wasn't unusual for people to come in and out.

Then the man turned out the lights. He retrieved several guns from a duffel bag. Calmly, he opened fire on the class, spraying dozens of shots. Twelve women were hit.

As screams filled the darkened room, Primis lay in a pool of her own blood, wondering if she and her baby were going to make it. Nearby, two of the women were dead and a third mortally wounded.

The killer, 48-year-old loner George Sodini, didn't know his victims, but he knew their gender, and it was no accident that he chose this place and this time to commit murder. He was a failure with women, always had been. He wanted revenge; he'd make them pay attention.

His victims had been brought together Tuesday night by a passion for physical fitness. They were strong women, all of them. But they were no match for the gunman, who'd been plotting this rampage for at least a year.

They had a zest for living. His mantra, expressed in a Web diary: "Death Lives!"

___

Mary Primis taught as many as six fitness classes a day at the region's health clubs. She loved helping people get fit, and she was good at it. Even her husband of more than six years — a former personal trainer in great shape — benefited from her workouts.

"She's intense. Great workouts, focused," said Alex Primis, 29, a salesman.

She'd been in and out of their house in Moon Township all day Tuesday, teaching from morning till night. Alex himself took part in her 6:20 p.m. step class at another club.

"See you at home," he told her when it was over.

Tuesday began normally enough for Overmier, 46, a sales manager at an amusement park. Knowing that a colleague was stressed about work, she left a bagel on his desk before he got in. Jeff Filicko preferred doughnuts, but he appreciated the gesture.

"It's always bagels. She always tried to eat healthy," recalled Filicko, the park's public relations manager.

Later on, Overmier attended an employee picnic, then a social event hosted by a Pittsburgh tourism group. After stopping briefly at her Carnegie home, she drove to LA Fitness.

"She took care of herself," said her sister, Connie Maneck. "If you look at the pictures, she doesn't look 46. She looks 30. I think it was her energy, so positive about everything."

Jody Billingsley's job as a sales rep for a medical technology firm often had her on the road and into hospitals' operating rooms, where she helped doctors install high-tech pain-management devices. She worked long hours.

But Billingsley, 37, also knew how to have fun, cultivating a wide circle of friends. Her annual neighborhood Christmas party was a hit.

Physical fitness was another passion. A former college basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, she often ran or biked the hills around her Mount Lebanon home. She joined LA Fitness, a sprawling new club that had opened a few months earlier on the site of a former JCPenney.

After work Tuesday, Billingsley stopped at home briefly. As she pulled out of her driveway — on her way to the gym — she flashed a smile to neighbors Diane and John Williams.

"A big wave to everyone in the neighborhood when she would drive in and drive out," said next-door neighbor Jim Christner. "I'd never once seen her with a bad attitude."

___

George Sodini, on the other hand, had a very bad attitude.

The computer analyst from Scott Township was desperately lonely, and he couldn't understand why women weren't attracted to him. He wrote in his diary that he hadn't had a girlfriend since 1984, hadn't had sex since 1990.

"Who knows why," he wrote. "I am not ugly or too weird."

Trying to woo young women, he made a promotional video of sorts that he posted on YouTube, giving prospective girlfriends a tour of the two-bedroom brick ranch he bought in 1996 for $79,000.

On the video, he predicts women "will really be impressed" by his matching living room furniture. The camera settles on a pile of books on the coffee table, including one titled "How to Date Young Women: For Men over 35."

"RDS says I have 15 more years to be successful at this," Sodini says in another YouTube video, a reference to R. Don Steele, the book's 69-year-old author, who dispenses dating advice in books, videos and live seminars and says men should quit being so nice to women.

"My objective is to be real and to learn to be emotional and to be able to emotionally connect with people," Sodini says. "I'm gonna post this and see what comes back."

Evidently, nothing did. As social success continued to elude him, his frustration grew. He began fantasizing about killing women at least a year ago — and formulated a plan. An "exit plan," he called it.

He searched the Internet for information about serial killers, mass murderers and guns. He also researched laws regarding corruption of minors and the age of consent, according to WPXI-TV.

On Monday and Tuesday, Sodini took off from his job as a systems analyst at a Pittsburgh law firm — where he'd worked since 1999 — "to practice my routine and make sure it is well polished," he wrote in his diary. "I need to work out every detail, there is only one shot. ... Total effort is needed." He went to LA Fitness twice on Tuesday before returning again just before sundown for the last time.

A half-hour before the shooting, he called his mother, sounding distraught. Police say he did not disclose his plans to her.

___

There were four guns in the duffel bag. The killer retrieved three of them.

Sodini stood between Primis and the door. With nowhere to run, she hit the floor. But she couldn't escape the bullets. The first slammed into her left shoulder as she crouched down. The second, about 30 seconds later, went into her upper back. He continued firing, shattering mirrors and plugging the walls with bullets from two 9 mm handguns.

As blood pooled around her, Primis kept still and held her breath, hoping that if the shooter approached, he would think she was dead. She lay like that for what seemed to her an eternity — but in reality was no more than a few minutes — frantic for both herself and the new life growing inside her.

And then it was over.

Sodini shot himself in the head with a .45-caliber pistol. Two women, who had fled the class, ran back in to tend to Primis, who asked one of them to call her husband.

At Allegheny General Hospital, doctors were amazed that the bullet that had slammed into her back didn't kill her, saying its trajectory should have carried it to her lungs and heart. Instead, her shoulder blade acted as a shield, deflecting the round into her ribs and lower back.

The couple got more good news when a sonogram showed that the baby, due early next year, was fine.

"She could've, almost should've, died from it. It's a miracle she's alive, and the fact the baby seems OK too is twice (a miracle)," Alex said.

The first night at the hospital, though, was rough. Primis barely slept; every time she closed her eyes, she flashed back to those awful minutes in the aerobics room.

By Friday, she was up and walking, taking the first painful steps of what is expected to be a long road to recovery.

At a candlelight vigil held in Pittsburgh two days after the shooting, people expressed anger and sadness over the massacre. And another emotion, too: disgust.

Erin Maloney, 49, of Bellevue, called Sodini "some sick SOB who couldn't get a girl. But he had a decent job, he owned his own home. He didn't have it so bad." Brooklynite Vincent Cosenza, 46, in Pittsburgh for a stamp convention, said the gunman "probably got rejected a lot. But that's part of life. You gotta deal with it."

Funerals for Overmier and Gannon were Saturday. Billingsley will be laid to rest Wednesday.

josh hamilton drunk photos

2009-08-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

josh hamilton drunk photos

Pictures of Josh Hamilton's "wild drunken sex party" are sweeping the internet. Everybody seems to be cashing in on his blunder. It makes for great headlines.

As the conservative Christians cannibalize their own saying "I knew it wouldn't last" the non-believers exclaim no REAL change ever took place.

I do not believe that this is the place for my personal views to be vented about God and rebirth and this thing we Christians call salvation and a changed life, but it is the perfect place to remind all of us of a very key piece of information that we so easily forget:

Josh Hamilton is human.

In a statement Hamilton said: “I’m embarrassed about it for my wife Katie, for my kids and for the organization. I’m not perfect. It’s an ongoing struggle, and it’s real. It’s amazing how these things can creep back in. But I am human and I have struggles.”

Christians, atheists, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews... everyone makes mistakes. Most of us just make them behind closed doors and without cameras to reveal our missteps.

It is easy to judge the unwed pregnant teenager, the drunk driver that was arrested on Friday night, and the drug-addicted homeless man in the park because the result of their sin is obvious to the world. But there are skeleton's in everyones closet. Maybe even yours.

Hamilton is a married man with kids. He absolutely messed up, but the truth is that the failure is between him, his family, his team, and his God. Everything else is simply us getting a kick out of his misery.

As long as I have been writing news, reading news, and been absorbed in the process of understanding what news becomes front-page worthy, this kind of shock-value reporting should be old hat. But this one just rubbed me the wrong way.

While I understand the argument that his outspokenness of his personal "change" opened the door for all of this media spectacle, I also believe that there has to be a line in the sand somewhere between the right to know and purely wanting to judge and humiliate. This was not a corrupt politician or a money-grubbing CFO. This was a baseball player that messed up. And he will never, ever live it down.

pa unemployment

2009-08-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

pa unemployment

June's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in Pennsylvania was 8.3 percent, flat from May's rate according to the state. The unemployment rate was up from 5.3 percent in June 2008.

The state's rate stayed below the national average, which rose to 9.5 percent in June.

The seasonally-adjusted civilian labor force — the number of people working or looking for work— fell between May and June, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry said Friday. However, the figure was up year-over-year.

The number fell by 36,000 in June to 6,436,000. Resident employment was down 38,000 in June, while unemployment was up 2,000 for the month. Since June 2008, the labor force was up 45,000.

The hardest-hit sector in June was manufacturing, which was off 11.3 percent year-over-year.

For the complete report, visit the Department of Labor & Industry Web site.

phyllis mcguire

2009-08-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

phyllis mcguire

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Some boys never grow up, Brian A. Donelson freely admits when talking about his passion for trains and model railroads.

"It was in 1946 that I got a Lionel train for Christmas from my parents," said Donelson. Asked if he still has that train, he replied, "Sure do!"

From his Shelburne Falls childhood, he "knew the 'Hoot, Toot and Whistle Railroad,'" using the local nickname for the long-defunct Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad.

Now 70, the railroad buff is hoping to share some of his love for trains with "The Coming of the Train," the first in a two-volume set on the history and importance of rail in the region.

About 10 years ago, his concern that the history of the railroad was being forgotten sparked an interest in gathering information that he could share with historical societies — and anyone else who would appreciate the knowledge. As he became immersed in extensive research, however, the seeds of "The Coming of the Train" was planted in his mind.

"I wanted it to be more than a railroad book. In order to convey the importance of the Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad, its impact on the industries and the people of the upper Deerfield River Valley needed to be understood," Donelson writes in the book's foreword.

He'll give a free illustrated presentation this Saturday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. at Papyri Books on Eagle Street. Donelson will take the audience back to the latter part of the 19th-century, when the construction of a rail line through the Hoosac Tunnel connecting the Deerfield Valley and Wilmington, Vt., affected the development of small towns in northwestern Massachusetts and southern Vermont.

"The Coming of the Train," published last year, was four years in the making, said Donelson. While not an author, he had writing experience. "As a business man for many years, I wrote letters, technical articles and newsletters."

In his quest for information, the Rowe resident was most impressed with the cooperation and assistance extended to him by the local historical societies and their curators in Monroe and Rowe and the Vermont towns of Readsboro, Whitingham and Wilmington.

"Research can be very time consuming and tedious" said Donelson. "However, when you find that one photo or document that solves a puzzle that has eluded everyone for years, it gives you great satisfaction."

The book is filled with historical photographs and includes a brief history of the four Newton brothers, who like others growing up on the banks of the Green River worked as loggers and lumbermen. But the Newtons became entrepreneurs, establishing mills and then building the Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad.

Donelson describes the circumstances that led the Newtons to embrace the challenge of building a railroad. "Moses Newton often told about how he and his brothers remembered their time spent in the upper reach of the Deerfield River valley and the natural resources they observed. It was while they were sitting on a riverbank above Readsboro that they first decided to build the Newton Paper Company mill in Holyoke," Donelson writes in the book. "Now Holyoke was a successful paper manufacturing center in need of wood pulp and it was time to return to the upper Deerfield and utilize some of the resources that they observed years earlier."

The Newtons formed the Deerfield River Co., which began production of pulp in 1883. To supply their mill in Holyoke, the pulp was transported via the Fitchburg Railroad from the Hoosac Tunnel.

However, it took 40 horses to haul the mill's daily output to the railroad terminal and the Newtons soon realized that using freight wagons was not a practical means of transporting their pulp the 11-mile distance. "A faster and more practical way was needed," Donelson wrote. (Their pulp mill now lies beneath the waters of the Harriman Reservoir in Wilmington.)

The terrain between Readsboro and the Hoosac Tunnel was extremely difficult to navigate. As the Deerfield River entered Massachusetts, the valley narrowed and the mountains rose precipitously over 1,000 feet. "This is the terrain through which the Newton brothers decided to build a railroad," wrote Donelson, "and build it they did."

In "The Coming of the Train," Donelson has given readers an opportunity to enjoy a fascinating journey that covers the history of the railroad in the upper Deerfield Valley from 1870 to 1910.
.
A work in progress, Volume II will begin in the year 1911. Where will it end? That's a question Donelson has yet to answer.

jesse james music

2009-08-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

jesse james music

Roots-music purists love to complain about their inability to distinguish current Nashville product from poppy Top 40 fare. This 20-year-old Georgia native never knew there was supposed to be a difference; her boots-and-beats debut is equal parts Carrie Underwood and Christina Aguilera. Jessie James falters on a handful of snoozy power ballads but plays one heck of a small-town sex kitten on up-tempo numbers like ''Blue Jeans,'' where she claims her tight pants get her into the club for free, and ''My Cowboy,'' a sly country-rap jam co-written by Jamey Johnson and produced by John Rich.

jeff varner

2009-08-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

jeff varner

New Delhi, Aug 7, 2009: Jeff Varner is all set to be guest host on Live With Regis and Kelly. This is the first time that he will be co-hosting the show even if for a single day.

Jeff Varner is a man with a multifaceted personality. He is news anchor, a former entertainment reporter, and a former contestant on the CBS reality television series, Survivor.

He Jeff was a contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback in 2001. He was a member of the Kucha tribe, and made it to the merge, but not the core group of nine, as there was a tie between him and Colby Donaldson. At the time, in the event of a tie, previous tribal council votes would be used. Jeff had two but knew only of one, Colby had zero. It was revealed on the Survivor Australia Outback DVD, in the special commentary section, that it was Kimmi Kappenberg that inadvertently gave away the vote he had against him during the Episode 2 Reward Challenge.

Jeff worked as an entertainment reporter for KCBS in Los Angeles, CA then E! News Live, and then as a field correspondent and host for the TV Guide Channel. He was a weekend news anchor and field reporter at FOX 8 WGHP in High Point, North Carolina. In his first year in broadcast news, he won an Associated Press Broadcast News Award: "Rookie of the Year," in 2005.

Live With Regis and Kelly show began in 1983 as The Morning Show, a local New York program on WABC-TV with Philbin and Cyndy Garvey as co-hosts. They were previously co-hosts on A.M. Los Angeles, a similar program on KABC-TV in Los Angeles. Ann Abernathy took over Garvey's co-hosting position in 1984. Gifford, then known as Kathie Lee Johnson from her first marriage, replaced Abernathy on June 24, 1985, and the show—which had held its own against Phil Donahue's show in the local market—took off.

The show is still owned and produced by WABC-TV, and shares the same studio as WABC's venerable Eyewitness News broadcast. Not seen in the nationally syndicated show is a WABC Eyewitness News update, which is produced from its newsroom, as are all of its updates during Good Morning America due to the shared studio situation. In the beginning of the 2007-2008 television season WABC-TV has confirmed that Eyewitness News will once again acquire all of the current studio (TV13 and TV14), and Live with Regis and Kelly will move to the set used for the unsuccessful The Tony Danza Show located in the same building, or in the nearby vicinity. Construction on both sets began in the summer of 2007, and the new sets should have their debut in 2009.

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mel martinez

2009-08-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

mel martinez

Sen. Mel Martinez, is resigning, a senior Republican official told FOX News.

The first-term senator, who announced last year that he wouldn't seek re-election in 2010, told his staffers at a meeting Friday morning that will not return to the Senate after the August recess.

"My priorities have always been my faith, my family and my country and at this stage in my life, and after nearly 12 years of public service in Florida and Washington, it's time I return to Florida and my family," Martinez said in a letter to friends and supporters, obtained by FOX News.

"So today I'm announcing my decision to step down from public office, effective on a successor taking office to fill out the remainder of my term."

Martinez, the only Hispanic Republican in the Senate, will make a formal announcement at a news conference planned for Friday at 3 p.m. in Orlando.

The news immediately drew attacks from Democrats.

"Republicans seem to have a problem fulfilling their oaths of office," said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman Eric Schultz said in a written statement. "This is the largest number of retirements for one party in the Senate in the past 80 years."

"The country faces enormous challenges right now, and voters are watching who is up to the task," he added.

Several sources told FOX News that Martinez wants to return to Florida to help resolve some family issues.

Rumors had been swirling for months that Martinez would resign early.

His resignation will allow Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for the seat, to appoint a replacement. Sources told FOX News that Crist will appoint a placeholder and let the primary unfold as usual. But Crist is not likely to appoint himself because it could alienate voters.

It is unclear whether Martinez would endorse a candidate.

With Democrats holding a commanding 60-seat majority in the Senate, every seat is critical for Republicans. The Florida race has captured national attention because it is one of several contests in which the GOP must find strong candidates to run.

Martinez announced in December that he would not seek a second term in 2010, also citing a desire to spend more time with his family.

He denied that he faced difficult re-election prospects in a state won by President Obama. But he has struggled to boost public support because of his close ties to President George W. Bush and his efforts pushing an immigration bill that was unpopular with many Republicans.

Martinez was elected in 2004 after serving as the U.S. secretary of housing and urban development during the Bush administration. He served as general chairman of the Republican National Committee for 10 months, resigning in October 2007.

iain clayton

2009-08-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

iain clayton

Journalists Laura Ling, husband Iain Clayton and mother Mary Ling walk with former President Bill Clinton as Ling arrives with Euna Lee who is talking with former Vice President Al Gore at Hangar 25 on August 5, 2009 in Burbank, California after being released by North Korean authorities yesterday. Ling and Lee, of San Francisco based Current TV, were both arrested by North Korea in March for illegally entering the country on the Chinese border. Yesterday they were pardoned by President Kim Jong-Il after a meeting with former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Ling and Lee had been sentenced to 12 years in prison in June.

Former Vice President Al Gore, from left, Laura Ling, former President Bill Clinton, and Euna Lee arrive at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009. Lee and Ling, the two American journalists freed by North Korea, returned home to the United States on Wednesday for a jubilant, emotional reunion with family members and friends they hadn't seen since their arrests nearly five months ago.

Freed U.S. journalist Laura Ling (L, back to camera) hugs her mother Mary Ling (R) after her arrival with fellow journalist Euna Lee from North Korea in Burbank, California August 5, 2009. Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, American journalists freed by North Korea after months of detention, returned to the United States on Wednesday accompanied by former President Bill Clinton, who secured their release in a meeting with the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong-il. Also pictured are Laura Ling's husband Iain Clayton (L, rear) and sister Lisa Ling (2nd R).

george sodini

2009-08-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

george sodini

The madman who fatally shot three women in a fitness center outside Pittsburgh planned the massacre for months and "chickened out" on at least one other attempt, his venom-spewing journal reveals.

George Sodini, 48, walked into a crowded 20-by-20 foot aerobics room at the LA Fitness gym in Collier, Pa., at about 8 p.m. Tuesday. He turned off the lights and fired as many as 50 rounds from at least two guns
without saying a word, police said.

Three women were killed in the barrage and at least 10 others wounded before Sodini turned the gun on himself, police said.

When the massacre ended, Sodini lay dead on top of a gun near one of his victims. Sources told the Pittsburgh Gazette Soldini's girlfriend was among the dead.

For months before the killing spree, Sodini kept a log of his plans, filled with rage and hatred for women.

"Why do this?? To young girls? Just read below," he wrote. "I kept a running log that includes my thoughts and actions, after I saw this project was going to drag on."

The log shows he entered the club with loaded guns on Jan. 6, but backed out.

"It is 8:45PM: I chickened out!" he wrote. "I brought the loaded guns, everything. Hell!"

The journal drips with rage and names relatives and acquaintances. It also shows his frustration at not being able to connect with women.

On Aug. 3 he wrote: "I took off today, Monday, and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it is well polished. I need to work out every detail, there is only one shot. Also I need to be completely immersed into something before I can be successful. I haven't had a drink since Friday about 2:30. Total effort needed. Tomorrow is the big day."

In a Web site posted under his name, Sodini wrote rambling messages about his hatred of women and how he was tired of being rejected by them. He ended by writing, "Death Lives!"

Sodini was a member of the gym and lived in Carnegie, just a few miles from the health club, authorities said.

Detectives found a note in his gym bag, which he apparently used to bring two handguns into the facility.

Allegheny County Police Superintendent Charles Moffatt declined to reveal the note's contents.

"He did what he set out to do," Moffatt said. "I don't think anyone could have stopped him, to be honest."

Detectives were working to identify the dead and the wounded, who were being treated at area hospitals.

"As you can imagine, at a fitness club, they don't have their IDs on them, people don't know who they are," Moffatt said. He would not confirm the report that Sodini's ex-girlfriend was one of the women killed.

The wounded were taken to UPMC Mercy, Allegheny General and St. Clair hospitals.

Soldini purchased the guns legally, police said.

Stacey Falk, 26, of Bridgeville, told the Post Gazette newspaper she was in the aerobics room with 30 to 40 other women when a short, clean-shaven man in gym clothes, walked in with a bag.

He stood in a corner near a racquetball court for a moment, put down the bag, turned off the lights and pulled out a gun.

"Girls were just ducking behind each other. All I could hear were shots and screams," Falk said.

The aerobics class instructor, who announced she was pregnant, was shot in the shoulder.

"I saw these women running out of the aerobics room, hysterical," said Ron Michaels, a racketball instructor. "I think I saw three or four injured people being taken to ambulances after I was out in the parking lot," he said.

Many of the survivors credited the the staff of the fitness center staff, which opened just a year ago, with calmly steering people toward the exits.

steve bing

2009-08-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

steve bing

Euna Lee and Laura Ling are safely home after coming back with former president Bill Clinton on his friend Steve Bing's plane. Steve Bing is the owner of Shangri-La Entertainment, which owns the Boeing 737 according to reports.

According to Wiki, Steve Bing "donated US$10-25 million to the William J. Clinton foundation" The organization plays a huge role in trying to stop Global Climate change and other various issues outlined: "The William J. Clinton Foundation focuses on worldwide issues that demand urgent action, solutions, and measurable results -- global climate change, HIV/AIDS in the developing world, childhood obesity and economic opportunity in the United States, and economic development in Africa and Latin America." So that probably explains how Bing and Clinton are friends and why his plane was used.

aura Ling and Euna Lee came back in tears to their families. In he heartfelt moment everyone very relieved it was over. Lee and Ling admitted that they did not expect to be saved, apparently when they were issued to a meeting they were happily surprised to see Former President Bill Clinton standing here.

Clinton was asked by Former Vice President Al Gore to go on this humanitarian mission to save the two from 12 years of hard labor imprisonment.

tom brady sisters

2009-08-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

tom brady sisters

The morning stand-up routine kicks off just before 5 o'clock on the other side of the railroad tracks along the Monmouth Park backstretch.

The headliner at a stable filled with thoroughbreds hopped up on Guinness has no opening act, so he goes right into his material.

His soulmate: "Maybe I'll meet a rich woman with a bad heart. That's what I want."

His golf handicap: "I used to be pretty good. Not anymore. I'm the handicap now."

His future in the horse racing industry: "I'm sure I'll be stuck in it forever."

Derek Ryan's one-liners from Barn 32 thunder down the backstretch, punctuated with an Irish giggle.

He laughs at his success, jokes about his misfortunes, keeping his sanity with an extra large cup of coffee and a steady stream of self-deprecating humor.

Less than a month after Ryan lost his only realistic chance to win today's $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, when powerhouse colt Musket Man was injured, the 42-year-old trainer hopes Bunker Hill, a 30-1 long shot in the seven-horse field, can work a miracle.

"Musket Man was my Tom Brady," Ryan said. "Bunker Hill is like Doug Flutie. He's not overly big, not quite as talented, but he's got one of the biggest hearts you've ever seen in a horse."

Losing Musket Man, who finished third at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, sent a shock through Ryan's system. The thoroughbred that could have challenged filly superstar Rachel Alexandra bowed out due to a bone bruise in his left hoof, leaving Ryan searching for some Luck of the Irish.

"You finally walk into Yankee Stadium -- and get a big swing at the plate -- and then you're rained out," trainer Tim Shaw said. "It's a difficult thing. There's such great highs and such great lows in this game. But Derek's been around."

Ryan, of course, understands the peaks and valleys more than most trainers. Six years ago, he made a gaffe of epic proportions.

Ryan claimed Be Happy My Love for the bargain-basement price of $5,000 at Philadelphia Park in 2003. The filly came back lame in her first race, finishing 34.5 lengths off the pace, prompting the Irish-born trainer to practically give her away for $4,000.

Ryan knew the filly's bloodlines but never imagined her half-brother, Smarty Jones, would explode the following spring. The colt's magical near-miss Triple Crown run turned Be Happy My Love into a gold mine with an estimated worth of $350,000.

Ryan's not obsessed with the miscue.

"I tried to give her back to the people that owned Smarty Jones and they didn't even want her back," Ryan said with a laugh. "They didn't know how good Smarty Jones was going to be either. It's part of the game, you know."

It's a game that he's been a part of since 1989, when the Ryan World Tour made a stop in the United States.

He grew up in Tipperary, Ireland, with five brothers and three sisters, riding ponies and playing golf, before globe-trotting. Two years in France. One in England. Another in Italy.

"I always wanted to come to the States," said Ryan, who lives in Eatontown. "I figured I'd come here for a year before I go to Australia. But I never left."

A friend helped him get a job as an exercise rider and assistant trainer at Monmouth Park. By 1996, Ryan started training on his own with stables at Monmouth and Philadelphia Park. (Today, he trains 22 thoroughbreds in New Jersey, 10 in Philly and sends a string of horses to Tampa, Fla., in the winter.)

Ryan beat the sun to work every day, squeezing a bit of fun into the daily grind with a few unorthodox training methods like putting a pint of Guinness into his horses' feeds to give them a good appetite.

"A lot of European trainers think it's good for health," Shaw cracked. "I can't argue with them. It's good for my health."

Ryan's easy-going nature, honesty and knowledge of the sport turned him into a staple at Monmouth Park.

Along the way, he forged a friendship with owner Rich Sorge of Flying Dutchman Thoroughbreds in Toms River, who has entrusted the happy-go-lucky trainer with several horses, including Bunker Hill, during the past five years.

Sorge, the self-proclaimed "primary deliverer of the Guinness" to the stable each Monday, has mirrored Ryan's competitive yet blissful approach.

"We want to be competitive," Sorge said. "But we don't want to look back 10 years from now and say, 'You know what? I wish we enjoyed that more.' We're out to have a good time ... every time."

So, Sorge remains realistic about Bunker Hill's chances to topple Preakness winner and 4-5 morning line favorite Rachel Alexandra. He believes in Ryan.

After all, the trainer has a sure-fire plan to pull off the miracle over the filly: The timeless art of seduction.

"Derek's teaching Bunker Hill some pickup lines," Sorge said. "Whisper sweet things to her in an Irish brogue. Maybe she'll fall for him and just follow him around. That's our shot."

pat tomasulo

2009-08-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

pat tomasulo

Regis Philbin still got his share of air time, but WGN-Ch. 9 morning sports anchor Pat Tomasulo looked like he enjoyed keeping the co-host's seat warm Tuesday morning on "Live! with Regis and Kelly."

Tomasulo was one of five local TV personalities who won an online vote to become the "From Local To ‘Live' Co-Host for a Day" and to sit next to Kelly Ripa for an hour of live television this week. Tomasulo, whose "WGN Morning News" anchor Larry Potash missed the cut, came off as clean-cut and cheerful, with bright teeth, slightly squinty eyes, a dapper gray suit and some cranky undertones.

Referring to himself as "my station's Andy Rooney ," Tomasulo recounted the kind of pet peeves he confronts in his WGN man-on-the-street encounters (walking texters, cold-weather shirtless runners, vanity license plates), and he and Ripa also shared their dislike for lying on the beach near children.

"You get everything from a dog that you get from kids," said the childless Tomasulo, "but they don't grow up to resent you."

"Do you watch ‘Jon and Kate Plus 8 '?" Ripa later asked.

"I try not to," Tomasulo cracked.

Ripa then noted that Kate Gosselin would be on an upcoming show. Oh.

Tomasulo mentioned that the "WGN Morning News," which precedes "Live! with Regis and Kelly" in Chicago, is the only WGN show that doesn't go out nationally on the superstation, so this was his big shot at national exposure. Still, his "Live!" appearance became less about Chicago than New Jersey, as he and Ripa bonded over tales of their Garden State roots. (He's from north Jersey; she's from south.)

Philbin needed a fill-in because he was taping new prime-time episodes of "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" but he nonetheless was the focus of two promotional segments from the game show's set.

Tomasulo asked Philbin whether running into Meredith Viera , who hosts the daytime "Millionaire," was like "West Side Story" —i.e. a Sharks vs. Jets kind of rivalry—but Philbin didn't bite.

"She looks great, and she's a lot of fun to see," Philbin said.

The on-set interview with Vanessa Hudgens was relatively brief, with Ripa taking charge while Tomasulo managed the occasional aside.

Nonetheless, he apparently passed the audition, as Ripa toward the end of the show read viewer e-mails such as "Your co-host is smokin' hot. Is he single, and can you hook me up?"

Sorry, girls, Tomasulo revealed: "There is a lady in my life. I call her Woman."

Other e-mailers thought he looked like Ben Affleck , Tom Cruise and Gilbert Gottfried . Tomasulo's Gottfried impression was most convincing.

"Thank you, Pat, you've been a joy," Ripa said as the credits rolled. Tomasulo smiled again, and he was gone.

cash for clunkers car list

2009-08-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

cash for clunkers car list

The CARS program may be out of cash, but reports show that the program may have boosted some sales revenue for some hurting car manufactures and dealerships.

The top 10 list of cars that replaced the exchanged clunkers includes:

1. Ford Focus
2. Honda Civic
3. Toyota Corolla
4. Toyota Prius
5. Ford Escape
6. Toyota Camry
7. Dodge Caliber
8. Hyundai Elantra
9. Honda Fit
10. Chevy Cobalt

The White House warned yesterday that the Cash for Clunkers program would likely be gone by Friday if more money is not shoveled into it. The House has approved an extra $2 billion for the program already. Now it is just waiting for Senate approval.

Several Senators are saying they will not back the program. Many conservatives see it as another government bailout that will have long-term consequences.

Environmentally speaking, the program is doing a lot for the fuel economy of the US as consumers replace gas guzzlers with more efficient cars.

For more information on the Cash for Clunkers program, see:

The basics of the Cash for Clunkers program
What cars qualify for Cash for Clunkers?
Cash for clunkers strapped for money

Be sure to bookmark this page and check back often for the latest news and information of interest to Dallas-area residents. For your convenience, you can also subscribe to my RSS feed to get all the news delivered to you.

tiger woods fart

2009-08-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

tiger woods fart

There's debate as to whether it was Tiger Woods himself, a sound guy, or someone with an iPhone iFart application near a microphone on the 18th hole of the Buick Open, but Woods, his caddie Steve Williams, and viewers were clearly amused when some breaking wind interrupted the journey to his fourth win of the season.

louis aguirre

2009-08-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

louis aguirre

The good news over at WSVN-Fox 7 Wednesday was that Deco Drive anchor Louis Aguirre was chosen by viewers nationwide to co-host the syndicated talk show Live With Regis And Kelly on Monday (it airs locally at 9 a.m. on WSVN). He'll work with Kelly Ripa while Regis Philbin takes the day off.

The bad news is that Aguirre's victory means another WSVN anchor, Lynn Martinez, lost. She was holed up with lawyers Wednesday, considering a challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court alleging that voters were confused by butterfly ballots, not to mention Philbin's endless stream of cosmically esoteric trivia about Notre Dame football.

-- GLENN GARVIN

MOST DEFINITELY

The 305 was right on the ball: Mos Def will be bringing The Ecstatic Tour, along with opener New Orleans rapper (and father of Erykah Badu's baby) Jay Electronica, to the Adrienne Arsht Center on Aug. 15.

In what will be the first performance by a major hip-hop act at the center, the rapper/singer/actor/artist/musician is sure to bring his, um, unique, free-spirited style to the venue.

So what type of performance will Mos actually give?

His sets at the 2008 and 2007 Rock The Bells festivals in Miami left fans puzzled with more time dedicated to jamming to his favorite soul and reggae songs than actually performing his own hits.

Then again, the Brooklyn native (real name Dante Terrell Smith) has drawn critical praise for both small-venue residencies with a four-piece band and performing arts center performances with a Frank Sinatra-esque big band in New York.

Tickets are on sale at the Arsht Center's website, and range from $32-$59.

obama joker poster

2009-08-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

obama joker poster

PHOTOS! Here are pictures of the Obama Joker poster appearing in Los Angeles. Obama’s Joker poster appeared on Los Angeles freeways on-ramps reportedly starting this weekend.

Today’s is going viral.

Obama Joker Poster Pictures
Obama Poster Photo 2

The Obama posters feature Obama draw as Heath Ledger Joker and adds the captions of socialism or socialist. The Los Angeles location of the posters haven’t been identified which have appeared on some news sites crashing today and reportedly snapped by photographer “Chris”.

The poster’s author has not been identified. And all the snaps are reportedly from the same on ramp, yet with unconfirmed comments on blogs today saying the poster is appearing also at on-ramps / underpasses in the Hollywood area.

7 year old steals car

2009-07-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

7 year old steals car

7 Year Old Steals Car, Utah police say that a 7-year-old led officers on a low-speed car chase in an attempt to avoid having to go to church.

Dispatchers received reports of a young boy driving recklessly on Sunday morning. Klint Anderson, Weber County Sheriff’s Captain, says an eye-witness saw the boy drive right through a stop sign.

Anderson says two deputies managed to catch up to the boy and tried (unsuccessfully) to stop the Dodge Intrepid in an area that was approximately 45 miles north of Salt Lake City. The car got up to speeds of 40 mph before the boy finally stopped in a driveway and hid inside a home.

Later, when the boy’s father later confronted him, he said he simply didn’t want to go to church. The boy will not be prosecuted as he is too young and no citations were issued. Police, however, police did urge the father to make his car keys more inaccessible to children.

rorschach blots wikipedia

2009-07-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

rorschach blots wikipedia

Ever take the inkblot test—or at least see one administered on TV (like in any "Law & Order" episode)? If so, then you know that there are no right or wrong answers on a Rorschach test, but responses do provide insight to the test-taker's state of mind.

And yet, a controversy about the posting of 10 Rorschach inkblots on Wikipedia is rocking the scientific community, according to The New York Times. In addition to the blots themselves, the Wikipedia entry also includes the most common interpretations of what these blots look like—the old bison vs. butterfly vs. moth.

Taking the Test
The Rorschach test—a series of ink blots shown to patients, who are then asked to explain what they see—is named after Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach. Five of the blots are black-and-white, two are black, white, and red, and the last three are in pretty colors. (Or not pretty, depending on your view.)

The test-taker is evaluated on 100 variables, which will show what he/she truly feels deep inside—not just separating psychotic thinking from "normal" thought. One Rorschach FAQ site describes it as asking "How does someone view and organize the world around them?"

One nonprofit parenting site, SPARC, explains that it's not only what patients say in describing what they see, but also what "hand gestures and body movements" they make. (Interestingly, SPARC precedes its lengthy description of the whole process with a disclaimer, posted "after repeated letters from dozens of outraged psychologists and psychiatrists.")

Illuminating or Cheating?
Is the test's public availability stimulating free debate, or enabling test-takers to "cheat"? Depends on how you look at it:

• From the Wiki view: Supporters say it's informative—and searches on Yahoo! for "rorschach" have popped up 111% in the past week.

• From the psychologists' view: These "cheats" could help test-takers game the system and get in the way of research. And if patients peek at the interpretations beforehand, they may get in the way of their own diagnoses.

• From the test publishers' view: The test's publisher is "assessing legal steps" to have the images removed from Wikipedia, even though those images—created some 90 years ago—are in the public domain. Still, one spokesperson huffed that Wikipedia's position is "unbelievably reckless and even cynical" for recognizing concerned claims and posting the images anyhow.

But Does One See Results?
Despite the outrage over Wikipedia's posting, not all researchers believe in the test's validity. The method was severely criticized in the 1950s and revised in the 1970s. Scientific American revived its 2005 article that called Rorschach's test "frequently ineffective" as a mental health tool.

Ideally, at least two clinicians should be involved in the interpretation of the test's results, but often they may not agree. Even worse, according to the article "What's Wrong With This Picture?", research also "suggests" that the Rorschach can't really gauge violent tendencies, depression, sexual abuse in children, antisocial tendencies, and so on. Since the test is administered to all kinds of people, from convicts seeking parole to parents in custody battles, obviously a lot rides on the interpretation of the results.

By the way, the Wikipedia uproar erupted in June, when an emergency-room doctor added the remaining nine inkblots to the one Wikipedia already had. When The New York Times told the doctor about all the experts' complaints, he replied, "Show me the evidence." Preferably not in the form of an inkblot.

iphone virus

2009-07-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

iphone virus

Most marvel at the possibilities and features of the iPhone as a whole and also the newly released iPhone 3GS, but could this amazing Apple cellphone possibly be an easy device to hack into and take over?

Seems that Apple has a slight, but extremely dangerous flaw, in the iPhone Security foundation which could allow hackers to take over your iPhone. This iPhone security breach has been proven by and tested at the Black Hat Security Conference where Charlie Miller and Colin Mulliner illustrated the ease of the hack and just hinted at the ramifications for iPhone owners.

This hack arrives to an unsuspecting iPhone user as an SMS with a single character which could allow the hacker to do the following:
- Make calls from your iPhone
- Steal your personal data stored on your iPhone
- Send Text Messages from your smartphone, and…
- simply take over your phone making it useless…for you.

Even scarier is the ability for this hack or iPhone bug to spread like a virus. When the hacker takes over your iPhone, they could easily send this sms to your entire address book, hence sending an iPhone virus to duplicate its malicious take over.

This iPhone bug is demonstrated by a corruption bug in the SMS application of the iPhone. Unfortunately, as of now, Apple has not provided a patch to repair this tremendous flaw, even though they have known about it for 6 weeks.

Google Android showed a similar bug previously as well, but a successful patch was provided within 24 hours, making Google fans relax easier than Apple fans.

Knowing of this crazy iPhone virus development, one could only wait and hope for a quick and dependable patch to be officially released. In the meantime, if such an SMS arrives to you with one single character…immediately turn off your iPhone, in hopes that you avoided the takeover.

madonna photos

2009-07-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

madonna photos

Pop icon Madonna, 50, was recently spotted in London having dinner with her hot Brazilian boyfriend Jesus Luz, 22, and sporting a very veiny new look (see picture below).

Always known for her strict workout regime, the mother of four appeared to be taking her workout routine a bit too far.

"Her body fat is minimal, and she does a lot of strength training workouts that are going to build her muscles to look more visible."

As previously reported, Madonna has the same trainer as Gwyneth Paltrow and reportedly follows a strict two-hour workout six days a week. Not to mention, Madge is currently on her "Sticky and Sweet" tour which requires hours of dance rehearsal.

Bonci adds, "When muscles look that way, it's often the result of pretty restrictive eating and dehydration. With bodybuilders, the goal is to be sinewy, to make everything stand out. How do you get to that goal? You restrict your fluid intake. But then you might collapse on stage."

gossip cop

2009-07-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

gossip cop

Although 16-year-old Taylor Momsen is being featured in Teen Vogue, the Gossip Girl star feels her level of maturity far outshines most kids her age.

"Most of my friends are older, too. I live a very adult life: I have two different careers; I'm on tour. What am I going to do, hang out with the high school kids?" Momsen asked in her interview with the magazine.

That said, she wouldn't cop to a relationship with an older guy, much less with one her age. As Taylor tells it, "Boys are so much less mature than girls as it is; there's just no way, I would eat a boy my age alive." If she ate things, that is.

Check out Taylor's Teen Vogue video by clicking the continue reading link below.

madonna biceps

2009-07-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

madonna biceps

Madonna is a woman of so many missions: Kabbalah, AIDS advocacy, adoption.

Here's a new cause she might consider: gun control.

No, the material mom and pop superstar isn't toting AK47s to Malawi, Manhattan and beyond. Madonna's weapons of choice are her buff-beyond-belief biceps. Recent images of the singer display a double-barreled mass of sinewy veins that strike fear in the hearts of paparazzi and raise questions in the heads of fans and critics:

How and why does a 50-year-old woman get her arms to look like that?

"Oftentimes when your body fat is really, really, low, as Madonna's is, you're going to see veins pop," explained Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Her body fat is minimal, and she does a lot of strength training workouts that are going to build her muscles to look more visible."

But scant fat plus hardcore exercise doesn't necessarily translate to a healthy body.

"When muscles look that way, it's often the result of pretty restrictive eating and dehydration," Bonci said, noting the "pop" of Madonna's veins mimics the appearance bodybuilders attempt to achieve for competitions.

"With bodybuilders, the goal is to be sinewy, to make everything stand out. How do you get to that goal? You restrict your fluid intake. But then you might collapse on stage."

Take note, Madonna: if you plan to keep high-kicking your way through your Sticky & Sweet world tour, a couple sips of Vitamin Water between sets might not be a bad idea.

Madonna's bulky biceps contrast with her less-than-taut triceps, likely a factor of age and skin's waning elasticity. But when workouts fall short, many times, plastic surgery (literally) picks up the slack.

That appeared to be the case in February, when Madonna debuted a fresh face at Vanity Fair's post-Oscar party. The newly single queen of reinvention looked radiant on the red carpet, with supple skin and nary a wrinkle.

thunder over the valley

2009-07-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

thunder over the valley

VIENNA - Township residents here are getting ready for thousands of visitors next month.

With the turnout expected for the Youngs-town Air Reserve Station for Thunder Over The Valley, residents are learning how Vienna will deal with them all. The plans were discussed at a meeting of the Vienna Township Neighborhood Watch Monday night.

With more than 40,000 people expected to be moving through the Air base and early birds working their way to the parking lots as early as 6 a.m., organizers say it will take a little help from everyone to keep things running smoothly for the Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team on Aug. 8 and 9.

The show won't begin until Saturday, Aug. 8 but traffic around the air base may be slowed or restricted in some areas starting Friday afternoon. Lt. Col. Mark Ables said Friday will be a practice run for the Thunderbirds.

On each day through the weekend, there will be a 12,000-foot-by-3,000-foot restricted area surrounding the air base, which Ables said was for FAA regulations. Under the rules, there can be no ground traffic within that square. The personnel at the meeting said the only two buildings within that space are one vacant home and Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, which will close its terminals while the stunt planes are in use.

On Aug. 8 and 9, visitors are expected to arrive starting at about 6 a.m., three hours before the gates to the base open. The shows should start around noon, according to personnel.

Chief Trumbull Sheriff's Deputy Ernie Cook said parking would be restricted along the roadways surrounding the base. Residents near the show who are not home may want to consider posting 'no parking' signs in their front yards, he said.

Tickets to the three parking areas are color coded by lots, they said. Visitors should have their parking tickets displayed in their windows as they find their parking lot. There will be shuttle service from some lots, which will be free, according to Chief Master Sgt. Dave Kane.

Capt. Ryan Robin said everyone going into the base will have to go through a security screening.

"It's pretty close to TSA rules, like you're boarding a flight," Robin said.

Visitors will not be allowed to bring weapons or anything that could be used as a weapon inside the base. Those can be left in their cars. The base will also have boxes where these items can be placed, but their owners will not get them back, Robin said.

Per agreement with the vendors at the show, guests will not be allowed to have outside food or drink in the base. Guests can bring water in clear plastic bottles as well as hand coolers with baby formula, according to Robin.

Folding chairs are allowed.

No pets are allowed into the base, unless they are a service animal, such as a seeing eye dog.

Special Agent Corey Christman of the special investigations unit at the Air Reserve Station said that the base is not expecting anything dangerous to happen, but people should be on the lookout for suspicious activity around the base. He said people should call his 24-hour line at 330-609-1277 if they notice anything strange.

Vienna Township Trustee Phil Pegg said the township will have all of its officers on duty to help residents during the weekend. He also said that the 911 dispatch center would be staffed with extra dispatchers during the weekend. Their number is 330-675-2730.

lake george new york

2009-07-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

lake george new york

The state Department of Environmental Conservation will offer a workshop on "Becoming an Outdoors-woman" Sept. 18 through 20 at the Silver Bay YMCA on Lake George, in Warren County. The workshop is designed for women 18 or older with little or no outdoor activity experience.

About 40 different classes will be offered on subjects such as canoeing, fishing, kayaking, bowhunting, wilderness camping and first aid, shotgun shooting, outdoor photography and fish-and-game cooking.

Women can also earn a certificate in hunter or trapper safety education.

The cost is $120 for four classes, not including meals and lodging.

alexis cohen death

2009-07-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

alexis cohen death

Police have arrested a 23-year-old New Jersey man in connection with Saturday morning's hit-and-run death of two-time "American Idol" contestant Alexis Cohen. The Asbury Park Journal reports that Daniel Bark was arrested at 6 p.m. on Sunday and charged with causing Cohen's death by reckless driving and then leaving the scene of a collision.

Cohen, 25, the defiant blonde who auditioned for "Idol" in seasons seven and eight, became a fan favorite thanks to her clashes with judge Simon Cowell, who referred to her as the "Green Goblin" after her first high-energy auditions. Proudly proclaiming that she marched "to the beat of a different drummer," the Allentown, Pennsylvania native who shared a studio apartment with her mom didn't impress with her cover of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" in 2007.

She seemed humbled by the judges' criticisms at first, but then exploded once outside the audition room, dubbing the acerbic Brit Cowell "egotistical" when he failed to put her through to the Hollywood round, and vowing to go into acting instead after flipping the camera a double bird and ranting to Cowell to "Take it, take it, take it!"

Cohen was struck by a car early Saturday morning in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, and found around 5 a.m. by two passersby, who reported the death to 911. She was pronounced dead two hours later at the Community Medical Center in Toms River, New Jersey. Autopsy results showed that she had suffered chest, head and abdominal injuries. Cohen's body was found 350 yards away from her car, which was parked in a nearby lot. Police said it was unclear if Cohen was returning to her car when she was struck.

If convicted in Cohen's death, Bark could serve 10 to 15 years in jail. He is currently being held in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River on $35,000 bail.

erin andrews peephole tape torrent

2009-07-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

erin andrews peephole tape torrent

The demand for Erin Andrews Peephole Tape Video is still very high more than a week after the video spread like wildfire. Erin AndrewsErin Andrews is an ESPN sportscaster. She was also the Playboy Magazine’s America’s Sexiest Sportscaster for 2007 and 2008.

The Erin Andrews Peephole tape video was first seen in Dailymotion. The Dailymotion video can be dated as early as February 17, 2009 but it was only this July when Erin Andrews herself, through her attorney, confirmed that she was indeed the lady on the video. The video was reportedly UNCENSORED!

The original video on Dailymotion has been brought down already but the download and direct download links are still available on numerous file sharing sites. You just have to find them. It’s too dangerous for me to post those links for some reasons such as DMCA violations and privacy invasion.

We knew all along that she was popular, but high search for Erin Andrews’ peephole video shows her mammoth popularity among denizens. Everyone wants to have at least a look at her infamous video.

In the meantime she has taken to legal recourse to stop the misuse of her video that were put on several website before being hastily taken off due to fear of law.

Now her video is not available on any well-known websites.

In the meantime ESPN has taken some drastic steps to deter people doing anything of this sort.

ESPN has taken strict measures against New York Post after it carried a few photographs from the nude video.

It has banned any of New York Post reporters from appearing on any of its program. The broadcaster thinks that this step will deter other news outlets from carrying similar photos in the past.

Chris LaPlaca, a senior ESPN official said, “While we understand the Post's decision to cover this as a news story, their running photos obtained in such a fashion went well beyond the boundaries of common decency in the interest of sensationalism”.

In the meantime ESPN sports reporter Erin Andrews has said she will fight the person responsible for her nude video. She says she will fight back against people who planted a camera and secretly videotaped her changing clothes in her hotel room.

Erin Andrews is among top American anchors who have become as famous as me leading sports stars. She has won fame on her merits and not from favours.

Play Boy while naming her as America’s sexiest sportscaster said, “Erin is the subject of fanatic adoration in every arena or stadium she visits, and she even has YouTube tributes lovingly devoted to her.”

The magazine went on to add, “The former Florida Gator basketball team dancer is now one of ESPN's marquee names, and it's always a pleasure to watch her sideline reporting during ESPN's college football telecasts”.

It added, “The results might not come as a huge surprise. Erin is the subject of fanatic adoration in every arena or stadium she visits, and she even has YouTube tributes lovingly devoted to her. The former Florida Gator basketball team dancer is now one of ESPN's marquee names, and it's always a pleasure to watch her sideline reporting during ESPN's college football telecasts”.

Erin Andrews attorney says, “While alone in the privacy of her hotel room, Erin Andrews was surreptitiously videotaped without her knowledge or consent. She was the victim of a crime and is taking action to protect herself and help ensure that others are not similarly violated in the future”.

The attorney added, “Although the perpetrator or perpetrators of this criminal act have not yet been identified, when they are identified she intends to bring both civil and criminal charges against them and against anyone who has published the material. We request respect of Erin’s privacy at this time, while she and her representatives are working with the authorities.”

Andrews has become an Internet sensation, as she is popular among male sports fans for her physical appearance and knowledge of sports. In 2007 and 2008, she was voted "America's Sexiest Sportscaster" by Playboy Magazine.

Andrews began her career with FSN Florida as a freelance reporter from 2000–01, before serving as a Tampa Bay Lightning reporter for the Sunshine Network from 2001–02. She then worked as a studio host for Turner Sports from 2002–04, covering the Atlanta Braves and college football for TBS and Atlanta Thrashers and Atlanta Hawks for Turner South.

Andrews joined ESPN in May 2004 as a reporter for the network's National Hockey League coverage. Since the 2004 season, she has served as sideline reporter for the ESPN College Football Saturday telecast, the Saturday Primetime college basketball game and Big Ten college basketball coverage.

Erin Andrews in 2005 added Major League Baseball sideline reporting to her duties. She also provides reports and features on Great Outdoor Games coverage, covers Men's college baseball, and is a familiar sight during the College World Series. On July 8, 2009, Andrews was struck by a foul ball in the chin. The ball was hit by Alex Cora of the New York Mets. She was rushed to the hospital, but she only suffered bruises.

Searches for the video surged to the top of the Google Hot Trends list last weekend — as pervs “sports fanatics” risk violating laws and downloading computer viruses to get to the video.

Her attorney in a statement said, “while alone in the privacy of her hotel room, Erin Andrews was surreptitiously videotaped without her knowledge or consent. She was the victim of a crime and is taking action to protect herself and help ensure that others are not similarly violated in the future”.

alexis cohen american idol

2009-07-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

alexis cohen american idol

Former American Idol contestant Alexis Cohen is dead. The 25-year-old from Allentown, Pennsylvania was hit by a car early Saturday morning in New Jersey in an apparent hit and run. Read more about the story plus photos and video of Alexis Cohen below.

Alexis Cohen

Alexis Cohen, who auditioned for American Idol Season 7 and 8, was found lying on a Seaside Heights, New Jersey road at 4:00 A.M. Saturday morning.

A passerby noticed Cohen and called 911, where she was taken to Community Medical Center and pronounced dead at 6:30 A.M. An autopsy was performed and it was concluded that she died from injuries to her chest, abdomen and head, injuries sustained from a collision with a vehicle.

Alexis Cohen Biography

As a biography, Alexis Cohen is from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Her date of birth is unknown, but at the time of her death she was 25 years old.

Alexis was a college student studying to become a veterinarian. She auditioned for Season 7 of American Idol but did not receive her golden ticket to Hollywood. Video of her angry tirade after being rejected by Simon Cowell and the other judges made its rounds across the web. You can see video of that audition below. She auditioned in 2009 but once again did not make it to the Hollywood round.

You can see photos and a video of Alexis Cohen below. R.I.P.

encyclopedia of life

2009-07-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

encyclopedia of life

It's not every day that an 18-year-old art student has the opportunity to work with some of the rarest and most beautiful images ever created.

Yet here at the Academy of Natural Sciences is Stephanie Zuppo, a Moore College of Art sophomore, affixed to a tall stool, at her feet an enormous volume bathed in brilliant light.

She focuses on a flower - a rose, possibly the first rendering of that particular variation of flora - and carefully adjusts her scanner.

An image originally created at around 1800 by Pierre Joseph Redouté, the great Belgian painter and botanist, is about to enter the universe of digital electronics, invisibly passing into machinery and onto gold compact discs, eventually into various databases and then out to the virtual world, available to anyone.

The Academy of Natural Sciences, perhaps best known locally as home of dinos and butterflies, has just joined an elite library consortium with an ambitious democratic purpose. The Biodiversity Heritage Library, as the four-year-old collective is called, seeks to scan, digitize and make available on the Internet all published information on biodiversity held in its members' collections.

The academy, which has a strong collection of 18th- and early 19th-century works, now is one of the dozen libraries in the United States and Europe involved in the work. Their holdings contain "most of the taxonomic literature known to man," said Danianne Mizzy, the academy's library director.

"They've already got 13 million pages, 12 million different species" on the Internet, she said - at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org. That means only another 70 million or 80 million or 100 million pages to go.

And it doesn't stop there. The biodiversity library is only one element of an even larger digital project - the Encyclopedia of Life, an effort to digitize and make available all information on every species known to exist. Its organizers acknowledge that the project is audacious, but it is already building an online presence at www.eol.org.

With more than 200,000 items in its library, the academy is a natural participant, despite the fact that the vast majority of its holdings consists of manuscripts. (Unpublished manuscripts and other items, while historically interesting, are not relevant to the biodiversity library effort, which deals only with published material that serves to identify species.)

That, however, is overriden by the fact that in this instance, while old is good and early is better, first is always best - the first description of a plant or animal serves as a baseline for all future descriptions, undergirding the entire edifice of taxonomy, the science of classification.

"Taxonomic literature is the opposite of wanting to know only what's the most current and up to date by which everything is superseded," said Mizzy. "Nothing is ever superseded in taxonomy. The first description is always the typeset, so the half-life of 'how long is this relevant in taxonomic literature' is much longer than any other scientific literature."

Thus, what was good in 1709 is still good, which makes the academy's library of very rare illustrated texts of flora and fauna extremely useful. But many of these volumes, including Jardin de la Malmaison by E.P. Ventenat, published in 1802-03 with Redouté's vivid color plates, are difficult to digitize quickly and inexpensively: too big.

"The kind of scanning done here currently and starting back in 1998 is called boutique scanning, where you're doing one volume at a time, one page at a time by hand," Mizzy said. "The per-page costs are very high because of the method. The reason the Biodiversity Heritage Library was able to get to this critical mass [of 13 million pages] so quickly was they partnered up . . . and are using robotic scanning stations called scribes that are able to do . . . thousands of pages in a day."

That's not possible with many of the academy's old volumes.

"There are materials that are not susceptible to this kind of robotic scanning," she continued. "They're too small. Too big. Too fragile. Too tightly bound. Or they may have beautiful illustrations that are in the form of foldouts. You can never have a robot scanning this type of material."

So for the moment, Stephanie Zuppo is scanning images from the garden of Empress Josephine and the academy is joining other institutions with a federal grant to try to figure out how to do boutique scanning more efficiently and at lower cost.

For scientists and researchers - and anyone interested in the living world, really - the overall project offers enormous benefits.

"Essentially, it's democratizing access to the most important books of the last five centuries," said Robert McCracken Peck, the academy's senior fellow. "This early literature is still totally relevant today. It needs to be quotable and referenceable."

Ted Daeschler, a paleontologist and academy associate curator, emphasized the communications potential of such digital projects.

"So much of science is built on previous knowledge and access to resources," he said. "A resource is a book or a published scientific paper or an organism. For science to progress, the easier the access to various resources, the better."

A digital world will, at least in some cases, make it unnecessary to travel to a particular library or collection to see one unique resource; the resource, in this case published text and imagery, will be available on the Internet.

"When you're looking at a plant in the field and you want to know has this species been described before, you need to go all the way back to the beginning, to before [Empress] Josephine, to figure out if it's new or not," said Mizzy, gesturing at Zuppo's scan. "So the impact is that when a scan like this goes into the Biodiversity Heritage Library, that guy out in the field, if he has access to a satellite, can look at the taxonomic literature, can get into the taxonomic literature."

Eileen Mathias, the academy's information librarian, said the goal is even greater than that.

"Eventually the Biodiversity Heritage Library will connect to the Encyclopedia of Life," she said. "It will be an encyclopedia of all the world's species. Anyone can look on there. If you find an insect in the backyard and you want to know what it is, you can go to the Encyclopedia of Life to figure it out."

e lynn harris website

2009-07-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

e lynn harris website

E. Lynn Harris, the best-selling author of novels that addressed questions of identity and sexuality among black men, has died, his publicist told The Associated Press. He was 54.

According to his official biography at his Web site, Mr. Harris was born in Flint, Mich. and raised in Little Rock, Ark. At the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, he was the school’s first black male Razorbacks cheerleader and was a lifelong fan of the team. He sold computers for a living until he self-published his first novel, “Invisible Life,” in 1991; it was picked up by Anchor Books in 1994, spawning a prolific writing career spanning ten more novels, from “Just As I Am” in 1994, to “Basketball Jones,” published in January, as well as a 2004 memoir, “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.”

In a review of Mr. Harris’s 2006 novel “I Say a Little Prayer” in The New York Times Book Review, Troy Patterson wrote that Mr. Harris “has helped bring taboo topics — like closeted black men indulging their sexuality ‘on the down low’ — into mainstream conversation.” From his debut with “Invisible Life”, Mr. Patterson wrote that Mr. Harris offered a writing style that “was smoothly paced, and the prose occasionally opened up on Fitzgerald-lite moments of sparkling sentiment.”

In a statement, Alison Rich, the executive director of publicity for Doubleday, which published Mr. Harris’s novels, said: “We at Doubleday are deeply shocked and saddened to learn of E. Lynn Harris’ death at too young an age. His pioneering novels and powerful memoir about the black gay experience touched and inspired millions of lives, and he was a gifted storyteller whose books brought delight and encouragement to readers everywhere. Lynn was a warm and generous person, beloved by friends, fans, and booksellers alike, and we mourn his passing.”

wedding dancers video

2009-07-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

wedding dancers video

Drunken table dances. Inappropriate toasts. Lewd behavior in secluded banquet-hall alcoves.

The cutting-room floors of local photo studios and video-editing suites are littered with evidence of bad wedding-guest behavior the happy couple would just as soon forget. Intentionally or not, these guests managed to steal their thunder, making the day less about two people starting their new lives together and more about how that guy from the office puked in the planter next to the gift table.

You don't want to be that guest at this summer's upcoming weddings. We don't want you to be that guest either. So for your refrigerator posting pleasure, here are some tips on how to avoid stepping on toes, stealing the spotlight and committing any major crimes of poor wedding decorum.

RSVP: An order, not a request. The bride and groom did not purchase all those stamps for their health. Send back your response card promptly and make sure it's filled out correctly with your number of guests and entree selections if applicable.

"People send them in late, or don't send them in at all," says Kristin Neafsey, sales-and-catering manager for the Carriage House in Galloway Township. "We've had brides and grooms have to call their guests like 'Hey, are you coming?'"

If you do RSVP that you are coming, make sure you show up so the bride and groom don't end up paying for an uneaten dinner.

Be on time. The only people lined up at the back of the church when the wedding march starts should be the bride and her father, not you scooting in under the gun trying to figure out whether to sit on the bride's side or the groom's side of the church.

"If you're doing a wedding video, how do you edit that out?" says Bob Morgan, owner of Bob Morgan Entertainment DJ service in Millville. " It's horrible."

Show them the money. According to Steve Kemble, an expert on the Style Network's "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?" and "Married Away," there are different theories on how much to give as a cash wedding gift, ranging from how well you know the person to figuring out the cost per head for the reception.

"My personal feeling is that you should give what you can give comfortably," Kemble says. "If you are hesitant for any reason, then you should stick to the registry."

Don't overindulge on the open bar. This is a bigee. Tattoo it on your forehead if necessary. Just because it's an open bar doesn't mean you have to drink your weight in Guinness or Merlot. That's how disasters occur.

"One gentleman was so utterly intoxicated that he punched though a glass window of the reception hall, only to get glass in the other guest's nose who was on the other side of the window," recalls Miranda Duca, director of catering at Sand Barrens Golf Club in Swainton. "Both were sent to the ER, but no major injuries."

Pace yourself, especially if there's a long break between the ceremony and cocktail hour. Alternate beers or glasses of wine with water or soft drinks, or stay away from the hard stuff until after dinner.

Consider the DJ off limits. "Do not be the one to request the chicken dance or the electric slide," Duca advises. "You never know what the bride and groom put on their 'do not play' list."

Most couples know enough about their guests to play music they'll dance to. It's a safe bet that "Shout!," "YMCA" and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" will show up at some point. Do not lurch up the DJ's table and demand an immediate performance of "Stairway to Heaven" or "Crazy for You."

Don't load up on freebies. Some venues allow you to take the centerpieces or votive candles with you at the end of the evening. But wait for them to say so before you start packing the trunk.

The same goes for favors. True, not everyone at the table may want to take home their free monogrammed chocolate bar, but that doesn't mean you can stuff your purse with goodies.

No special orders. This is not Burger King. You can't have it your way. The bride and groom chose the menu or the serving style for a reason, whether for price or their own personal taste. Don't badger the waiters for special meals or a bottle of wine or beer that they aren't serving.

"Throughout the years I've been amazed at the number of people who ask for a better bottle of wine because they do not like what is being served," Kemble says. "If you want a better wine, you should be prepared to present a credit card to the banquet captain and pay for it yourself."

Stay out of the spotlight. This is the bride and groom's day, not yours. Enjoy the party, but keep yourself out of the spotlight. Leave the cleavage-bearing dresses, and the Worm at home, and be content to melt into the background of the ceremony and reception.

"There once was a mom who wanted to stand next to the altar, between the bride and groom," says Shaun Reilly, photographer at Foschi Photography Studio in Linwood. "You have to remember it's not your day."

Just keep repeating this mantra to yourself: This is not "Wedding Crashers" and you are not Vince Vaughn.

erin andrews peephole tape video watch

2009-07-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

erin andrews peephole tape video watch

Erin Andrews Peephole tape video is spreading like wildfire. It is still the undisputed number one news on the Internet today. It’s been nearly a week since this news about Erin Andrews Peephole Video came out but people are still curious about this very controversial video. The rumors that the video files pack were uploaded to a certain file sharing site is true. But we cannot publish the links for that once since doing such thing is against the policy and it may cause too much pain on our side.

But as what I have said, Erin Andrews Peephole Tape Video is still available the files are just spreading online.

Erin Andrews is among top American anchors who have become as famous as some leading sports stars. She has won fame on her merits and not from favours.

Play Boy while naming her as America’s sexiest sportscaster said, “Erin is the subject of fanatic adoration in every arena or stadium she visits, and she even has YouTube tributes lovingly devoted to her.”

The magazine went on to add, “The former Florida Gator basketball team dancer is now one of ESPN's marquee names, and it's always a pleasure to watch her sideline reporting during ESPN's college football telecasts”.

It added, “The results might not come as a huge surprise. Erin is the subject of fanatic adoration in every arena or stadium she visits, and she even has YouTube tributes lovingly devoted to her. The former Florida Gator basketball team dancer is now one of ESPN's marquee names, and it's always a pleasure to watch her sideline reporting during ESPN's college football telecasts”.

Erin Andrews attorney says, “While alone in the privacy of her hotel room, Erin Andrews was surreptitiously videotaped without her knowledge or consent. She was the victim of a crime and is taking action to protect herself and help ensure that others are not similarly violated in the future”.

so you think you can dance results july 23

2009-07-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

so you think you can dance results july 23

She thought she could dance. Was she right?

In Katie Holmes' case, it should have been more like, so you think you can strut around the stage and strike a few poses.

That much she did with aplomb - not bad for someone with no real training as a dancer or a singer.

But especially when viewed after the often mesmerizing talents of the contestants on the show, two of whom were sent home last night, it's hard to qualify Holmes' performance as dancing exactly.

Mrs. Tom Cruise took the stage (well, the video screen, actually) on "So You Think You Can Dance" for the show's 100th episode on Thursday night in a tribute to Judy Garland, in order to draw attention to the Dizzy Feet Foundation, which funds dance scholarships for kids.

She also drew attention to her stocking-clad legs and pursed lips, as the camera kept zooming in for close-ups on her attempts to be sultry.

Holmes sang a pleasant, on-key if not full voiced version of Garland's "Get Happy" from the 1950s musical "Summer Stock." She appeared to be lip-synching as she slunk around the stage surrounded by a bevy of male dancers, who at one point hoisted the former "Dawson's Creek" star high over their heads.

Holmes was no where to be seen during the show - she was in fact shooting her new movie, "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark," in Melbourne, Australia, the Mirror reports.

But she needn't have hid out. The reception to her performance was predictably gushy, especially from its choreographer, Tyce Diorio, who was still on a egotastic high from the superlatives the judges threw at his breast cancer dance the night before.

"We went on this journey together and it's wonderful to see it all come to fruition," he said backstage after the show, as quoted by People magazine. "And having Garland's son in the audience to experience that, it all just felt so right, I'm so excited — and I had a chance to direct!"

Thanks for reminding us, Tyce.

Garland's son Joey Luft, from her marriage to Sidney Luft, did indeed smile politely from the crowd after Holmes' tape rolled.

Holmes' performance did have one very positive effect - it was a welcome distraction from the very sad fate of two standout dancers on the show.

Janette and Jason were both sent home last night, and the judges were openly bummed about America's decision.

Both Mia Michaels and Nigel Lythgoe proclaimed that Janette - a self-identified salsa dancer from Miami with little to no formal training in other styles, who nonetheless wowed with everything she was handed, from disco to hip-hop - had been their favorite of the whole competition.

Lythgoe had also given Jason high praise after Wednesday's dances, telling him he channeled Gene Kelly in a jazzy Broadway number with Kayla.

With so many talented dancers on the show this season, it's only the beginning of heartache for fans who will be crushed to see them go.

erin andrews peephole tape video

2009-07-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

erin andrews peephole tape video

Over the years, the biggest criticism of ESPN, the self-proclaimed "Worldwide Leader in Sports," has been that it engages in shameless self-promotion that often makes it seem as if the network is bigger than the stories it covers. But in a strange twist, two stories have developed in recent days that have thrust ESPN into the national spotlight and made the network the story. Here's a look at those two stories one that made the network the focus through no fault of ESPN's and one that did through ESPN's doing and how they have been viewed.

The Erin Andrews videotape

What happened

A videotape surfaced on the Internet of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, who was filmed naked through a peephole in a hotel room. Andrews' representatives and ESPN acknowledged the grainy video was of Andrews and that they would seek civil and criminal action against those behind the video if they are caught.

Exploiting the story

While all agree that Andrews was the victim of an abhorrent act, that didn't stop several media outlets, including Fox News and CBS, from airing either photos from the video or the video (with parts of Andrews' body blurred). The New York Post also ran several still photos, and ESPN has responded by banning Post reporters from appearing on its shows.

In an e-mail to the St. Petersburg Times, ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer said, "Erin was grievously wronged here, and while we understand the Post's decision to cover this as a news story, their running photos obtained in such a fashion went well beyond the boundaries of common decency in the interest of sensationalism. This is not a decision we undertook lightly, but we feel it is an appropriate one."

Backlash

In the story's wake has come backlash against ESPN and Andrews. The Post's Page Six gossip page ran at item Thursday that blamed ESPN. The Post wrote, "No one would have known that a sick voyeur had secretly videotaped ESPN reporter Erin Andrews nude in her hotel room if the Mickey Mouse sports network hadn't sent a letter to an obscure Web site demanding that it take down its link to a fuzzy video of an unidentified blonde."

Meantime, USA Today columnist Christine Brennan seemed to criticize Andrews in a Twitter post, writing, "Women sports journalists need to be smart and not play to the frat house. There are tons of nuts out there. Erin Andrews incident is bad, but to add perspective: there are 100s of women sports journalists who have never had this happen to them."

Brennan clarified her comments Thursday, saying her "frat house" comment, "was not meant to be pointed specifically at Erin, and I'm sorry if it was taken that way." She added, "What happened to her is terrible, and she will always have my full support."

Interestingly, "Erin Andrews peephole tape" was the top Google search Tuesday and Wednesday this week and No. 3 on Thursday. As AOL Fanhouse's David Whitley wrote, "The fact is only one person committed the crime, but almost all of us have contributed to this revealing peep at our culture. That includes ESPN."

Bottom line

Andrews was the victim of a pervert who crossed all lines of decency. To somehow question her style as a reporter or ESPN's role in creating a media sensation such as Andrews in the context of this scandal is not only unfair, it's indecent. Certainly there is never an inappropriate time to have intelligent conversations about networks' hiring practices, the networks' role in developing popular personalities and why certain personalities become popular. But it is apples and oranges. In this case, the blame starts and stops with those responsible for drilling a hole in a wall, taping an unsuspecting naked woman and posting that video on the Internet.

The Ben Roethlisberger case

What happened

This week a woman in Nevada filed a civil lawsuit accusing Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her last summer. The story appeared in newspapers throughout the country (including this one), on other media outlets and on major sports Web sites with one notable exception: ESPN. The network did not report it on any of its broadcast outlets or its Web site. It said that it has a policy of not running stories based on civil suits without a criminal investigation or without conducting its own reporting.

The initial reaction

ESPN claimed to be taking the high road by not reporting the lawsuit, and there is precedent for its decision. In 2005 it did not report a story about a woman who accused then-Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in a civil suit of infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease. On the other hand, ESPN did report last month that a woman had planned to file a civil suit against Lakers guard Shannon Brown on sex-related accusations.

With Roethlisberger, many wondered if ESPN was refusing to address the story in order to stay in good standing with one of the country's most high-profile athletes.

Backlash

Late Wednesday, ESPN first reported the Roethlisberger story when authorities announced there would be no criminal investigation. Why did ESPN shift gears? ESPN says it simply was waiting for either Roethlisberger or law enforcement to make a statement. On Dan Patrick's national radio show Thursday, ESPN senior VP and executive editor John Walsh was asked if ESPN should have reported the story sooner.

"I don't think that question should be answered until we see how the news story unfolds," Walsh said. "In the blogosphere and sports talk radio, too many judgments are rushed to be made before we know what we should know about a case. You want to get to the bottom of it and honor and respect all the people who are involved, including the victims."

Bottom line

Any news organization has the right to set the standards by which it will report a story. But because this case involved a civil suit and a high-profile athlete and because reputable news organizations, including the New York Times, reported the story, it did seem odd that ESPN chose to ignore it, especially when it calls itself the "Worldwide Leader in Sports." If nothing else, ESPN's future practices on reporting such stories will be under heavy scrutiny.

The Erin Andrews videotape

What happened

Exploiting the story

Backlash

Bottom line

The Ben Roethlisberger case

What happened

The initial reaction

With Roethlisberger, many wondered if ESPN was refusing to address the story in order to stay in good standing with one of the country's most high-profile athletes.

Backlash

Bottom line

cash for clunkers stimulus

2009-07-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

cash for clunkers stimulus

The Cash For Clunkers stimulus program starts today! Officially known as Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), the ferderal program was officially signed into law today by President Obama.

The CARS program, modeled after similar successful European initiatives, is intended to encourage drivers to trade in their older, less fuel efficient vehicles for new cars with better fuel economy - for a credit worth up to $4,500 on new car purchases.

Cash For Clunkers puts cars, trucks, SUVs and minivans into several categories based on wheelbase size and weight, and the turned in vehicles will be crushed and reused rather than resold and driven again. Sticker proces for the new vehicles cannot exceed $45,000 - so no rebates will be given to those who choose to buy over-the-top luxury cars. The program begins today with a projected end-date of November 1, 2009.

This is all fabulous, however, if your used car is worth more than $4,500, participating may not make much financial sense.

recursion

2009-07-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

recursion

Having stumbled upon Project Euler sometime ago and solving the first problem, this disco dancer from the Age of Aquarius thought it was time to tackle problem two, which states:

Each new term in the Fibonacci sequence is generated by adding the previous two terms. By starting with 1 and 2, the first 10 terms will be:

1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, …

Find the sum of all the even-valued terms in the sequence which do not exceed four million.

Fibonacci, eh? Once again, memories of high school introduction to computing and college CS101 classes came to mind as the classic recursion example stared me in the face. A bit of reading and remembering yielded the following basic equation for solving a Fibonacci sequence (aside from 0 and 1):

fibonacci(n) = fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2)

That is, the Fibonacci number of some number n is the Fibonacci number of n-1 plus the Fibonacci number of n-2; thus making it a fun exercise in recursion, baby! Yet, while Fibonacci is a great example in recursion, more often than not, the downside to recursion isn’t addressed — that is, recursion is slower than brute force iteration.

While I implemented problem #1 in Groovy, I thought it would be interesting to solve problem #2 in both Java and Groovy as I wanted to get a good feel for the performance differences between solving Fibonacci via recursion and iteration in both languages.

The basic recursive Fibonacci method in Java can be coded like so:

public static long fibonacci(long num){
if(num == 0 || num == 1){
  return num;
}else{
  return fibonacci(num - 1) + fibonacci(num - 2);
}
}

I made the method static as the solution will be executed within a main method for simplicity’s sake. As you can see in the above code, there isn’t anything tricky going on there — just an implementation of the recursive algorithm I elaborated on earlier (and I’ve also handled the 2 base cases — those being 0 and 1).

Interestingly, a close inspection of the problem statement calls for one of my favorite looping constructs (which, sadly, isn’t available in Groovy (yet), by the way): the do-while. That is, the problem essentially states one must perform Fibonacci while the sequence is less than 4,000,000. Accordingly, my solution in Java is as follows:

long fib = 0;
long count = 0;
long answer = 0;
do{
fib = fibonacci(count++);
if(fib % 2 == 0){
  answer += fib;
}
}while(fib < 4000000);

As you can see, the recursive fibonacci call is made with an incremented counter until such time as the fib variable reaches 4,000,000. Note too, the problem specifies that the answer is the sum of even Fibonacci numbers, hence the modulo operation performed on each value of fib. Note too, that with a do-while there is no need for a bogue break statement, which would otherwise be needed to jump out of the loop (unless you leveraged a normal while loop with the said condition).

Of course, there is another mechanism to solve a Fibonacci sequence — iteration — that is, rather than recursively solving reach sequence, one can just as easily keep a few variables around that hold previous values required for generating a sequence. Thus, the same solution can be achieved in Java like so:

long curr = 0;
long prev = 1;
long answer2 = 0;
long fib2 = 0;
do{
fib2 = (curr + prev);
prev = curr;
curr = fib2;
if(fib2 % 2 == 0){
  answer2 += fib2;
}
}while(fib2 < 4000000);

Note, the hip code above is essentially the same — all I’ve done in introduced a two variables — curr and prev that facilitate generating a Fibonacci number without recursion.

Having solved the problem, I then went on to see the relative performance issues in Java between the recursive example and iteration-based one. Not surprisingly, running a simple test demonstrated that the recursive algorithm took roughly 580 milliseconds and the iteration-based one took less than 1 millisecond (please rest assured that this was a most un-scientific analysis and in no way should be regarded as reference-able). Thus, in Java, there is a performance hit (albeit slight) for leveraging recursion as opposed to brute force iteration.

The Groovy example is quite similar (most likely due to my laziness and desire to see the relative performance difference between both sets) — in fact, the only difference is the lack of a do-while, which is replaced with a simple while loop. Thus, my recursive loop looks like this:

def fib = 0
def count = 0
def answer = 0
while(fib < 4000000){
fib = fibonacci(count++);
if(fib % 2 == 0){
  answer += fib;
}
}

And my non-recursive loop like so:

long curr = 0
long prev = 1
long answer2 = 0
long fib2 = 0
while(fib2 < 4000000){
fib2 = (curr + prev)
prev = curr
curr = fib2
if(fib2 % 2 == 0){
  answer2 += fib2
}
}

Once again, I suppose I could have Groovy-ified the code a lot more and took advantage of the magic of Groovy; however, I wanted the code to be close to the same as Java so as to compare performance results. Thus, running the Groovy example yielded the following un-scientific and therefore un-reference-able data points: the recursive algorithm took approximately 100836 milliseconds (or almost 2 minutes), while the iteration based example took 20 milliseconds.

What’s this all mean, man? Is Groovy slow? Is recursion bogue? The answers are both yes and no — Groovy is going to be a bit slower than normal Java (that difference is becoming narrower and narrower each release though) — in the case of recursion with Fibonacci, Groovy is dramatically slower (most likely due to a lot of reflection magic adding up in terms of call time). Thus, if you find yourself needing deep recursion, Groovy might not fit your needs– all you simply have to do is leverage normal Java. Or you could examine why recursion is called for — you might find that iteration is faster — in which case the relative performance hit between Java and Groovy is slight.

Either way, because it’s my bag, I like to say that for every advantage, there is an equal but opposite disadvantage. That is, with Groovy you gain the advantage of easier coding constructs, no compilation step, etc, which leads to quicker development times; however, you might pay a price in terms of runtime speed. Copasetic developers must weigh these constraints carefully. Do you dig it, man?

peter cammarano

2009-07-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

peter cammarano

The mayors of Hoboken and Secaucus, a state assemblyman and dozens of others were rounded up early Thursday as the F.B.I. swept across four counties in New Jersey as part of a two-year corruption and money-laundering investigation that ranged from the Jersey Shore to Brooklyn and has even reached into the State House in Trenton.

Agents raided the home of Joseph V. Doria Jr., commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs, who also is the former mayor of Bayonne, an official confirmed Thursday morning.

Among the roughly 30 people arrested by mid-morning were Hoboken Mayor Peter J. Cammarano III and Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, both Democrats, and Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt, a Republican from Forked River, in Ocean County. Mr. Cammarano, who turned 32 on Wednesday, was elected mayor June 9 and sworn in July 1, after serving as councilman-at-large since 2005.

Also brought to the Newark office of the F.B.I. were the president of the city council in Jersey City, Mariano Vega, and that city’s deputy mayor, Leona Beldini.

Federal prosecutors said the arrests included several rabbis from enclaves of Syrian Jews in Brooklyn and from Deal and Elberon, communities along the Jersey Shore in Ocean County.

The Asbury Park Press reported that the investigation involved the Deal Yeshiva, a religious school which teaches children in the Sephardic Jewish tradition. The United States Attorney’s office in Newark scheduled a noon news conference.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who has fought corruption in New Jersey’s largest city, told The Star-Ledger it’s "an unbelievable morning so far."

erin andrews video peep pictures

2009-07-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

erin andrews video peep pictures

One sports writer called it the perfect storm.

The Internet + ESPN + blogs + folks like me feeding the fire all adds up to everyone wanting to see the Erin Andrews video peep or Playboy pictures of the young lady.

I confess. I don't even know who she is. I haven't watched ESPN ever unless it flashed by the tube while I was at the gym.

Yet, millions of folk, (billions?) are wanting just a peep at the ESPN star.

But, do you really?

If you don't care about sin and all that, you can stop reading. After all, this is a Christian Worldview site.

Christians will ask, what's the big deal? Why do you want to have a look? Is it really worth it.

Jesus has something to say in Matthew 5:28
"But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

I had a chance to see Farrah Fawcett's Playboy pictures way back when and passed. I am not about to start now. Do you really want to see?

Yes, I am a guy and I did want to look....

tony bernazard

2009-07-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

tony bernazard

WASHINGTON - The Binghamton Mets clubhouse nearly turned into a scene out of WWE Raw recently, when VP for player development Tony Bernazard removed his shirt and challenged the Double-A players to a fight during a postgame tirade, multiples sources told the Daily News.

Bernazard particularly went after middle infield prospect Jose Coronado, using a slang term associated with a woman's anatomy, a source indicated. The confrontation happened about 10days before the All-Star break, according to insiders.

"That's an all-timer if true," an AL official said upon hearing the account, which was corroborated by multiple people with ties to the Mets.

GM Omar Minaya acknowledged Bernazard spoke to the B-Mets in a "stern voice," but said he had no knowledge of the scope being portrayed.

"I know he did have a team meeting with them," Minaya told the Daily News. "It was not a 'you-guys-have-been-great meeting.' I know he spoke to them in a stern voice. But as far as what he was wearing, what kind of shoes he was wearing, I don't know anything about that."

While the 52-year-old Bernazard's actions were over-the-top no matter what the motivation, alleged underage drinking on the team apparently was one motivation for the eruption, an organization source said. Still, sending players to counseling rather than challenging them to a rumble might have been a more appropriate course of action.

Binghamton went 1-6 during an early July home stand against New Hampshire and Erie that coincided with that tumult. Three of the defeats came by at least seven runs. The team's longtime Double-A affiliate entered last night with a 36-58 record, in last place in the Eastern League's Northern Division.

"It's ridiculous that anyone in a professional baseball environment thinks it's acceptable," a friend of several B-Mets said about the treatment of the players.

The shoddy treatment of people in the system has led to mocking of the VP behind his back.

The News reported Tuesday that Bernazard, one of GM Omar Minaya's top lieutenants, recently erupted at the organization's manager of baseball operations. During a game at Citi Field, scouts took their customary seats in a row behind home plate. Bernazard showed up during play and wanted a seat occupied by a D-Backs scout. Bernazard's deputy, already seated in the row, suggested to the Mets VP that he wait until the half-inning ended, to minimize the disruption. Bernazard ripped into his deputy with a profanity-laced tirade as scouts and patrons watched in disbelief.

alex donnelley

2009-07-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

alex donnelley

A month after the “Piano Man” singer, 60, split up with his third wife, he is reportedly dating pretty brunette Alex Donnelley, a former star of “The Young and the Restless,” according to Page Six.

The pair reportedly met backstage at one of Joel’s concerts in Washington, D.C a few weeks ago. “The two hit it off immediately,” an insider told the gossip site, and have since been hanging out at Joel’s Long Island home.

Donnelley, who is 49 according to her Wikipedia page, recently played small roles in the films “Miss March” and “Drillbit Taylor.” She has two daughters with Robert Lamm, one of the founding members of Chicago.

erin andrews video peep

2009-07-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

erin andrews video peep

Two Web site says ESPN is looking at an employee as the Peeping Tom in the Erin Andrews case.

Radar Online says its sources confirm that ESPN is doing a full-scale internal investigation into who shot video of reporter Erin Andrews undressing and posted that video online. TMZ.com also issued a similar report.

Radar says there are seven videos of Andrews and its source says the footage was probably shot by an employee at ESPN.

ESPN is "freaking out, freaking!" the source told Radar.

That account is similar to TMZ's report ,which indicates there are six videos, and that the videos were shot in different hotels, by someone familiar with Andrews' travel schedule.

TMZ says it has viewed the six video segments taken and published without Andrews’ knowledge and permission, and the videos were shot at different times in different cities.

The videos raise the suspicion, TMZ says, that the person who shot them knew her work schedule and was traveling with her.

Lawyers for ESPN and Andrews are feverishly working to find the person responsible for the invasion of the reporter’s privacy.

It was not clear when the video first appeared on the Internet. Most of the links to it had been removed by Tuesday. There are reports that the videos of Andrews, 31, were posted in February 2009 on the Web site Dailymotion but not noticed until recently.

Ephraim Cohen, a spokesman for the video portal Dailymotion, could not confirm the video had actually appeared on his company's site, but said it may have been there months ago.

He said a search for the name of the user who purportedly uploaded the video showed the person had opened an account in February, but had since closed it.

"As far as we can tell, the user took the account and the video down a while ago,'' he said.

Illegal videos often are posted to multiple sites such as YouTube and Dailymotion, which remove them as soon as they are found. The videos also often circulate on peer-to-peer or file-sharing sites, much like illegal music downloads.

Graham Cluley, who writes a blog for the antivirus software maker Sophos, wrote that several links purporting to send Internet users to the Andrews video actually sent them to sites with malicious software and computer viruses.

He said the some of the hackers actually include a portion of the video on their sites, apparently hoping that the malware gets passed along as users share the link with friends.

"They keep on using (videos like this) because it works,'' Cluley said. "If more people thought with their head rather than with their trousers, maybe less of these viruses would spread on our computers.''

Sophos.com says the malware programs affect both Macs and PCs, and can catch Mac users off guard, since they have been led to believe all Macs are not susceptible to hacking.

Erin Andrews peephole video leads to malware from Sophos Labs on Vimeo.

andrea mcnulty

2009-07-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

andrea mcnulty

Yet Another Athlete in Possible Trouble With the Law

It seems to be a daily occurrence that either an athlete or politician is involved or allegedly involved in criminal activity, usually of a sexual nature. The star quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger has been accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual assault in July of last year in Nevada. Pro Football Talk broke the story, but other news outlets picked up the story and ran with it.

The plaintiff, Andrea McNulty, who works for Harrah’s casino, alleges that Ben Roethlisberger asked her to his room to fix his television and while there sexually assaulted her. Ben Roethlisberger has a reputation as one of the more religious of the sports figures, so it is even more shocking to hear this accusation.

David Cornwell, Mr. Roethlisberger’s attorney brings up two interesting points. Why wait so long to file the lawsuit? And why a civil lawsuit and no criminal charges filed?

The suit was filed while Ben Roethlisberger was playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. It is interesting to note that there are nine other defendants in the lawsuit. Does this mean that there were more alleged attackers involved than just Ben Roethlisberger? Or are the other defendants being sued for negligence in not running a safe establishment? Stay tuned for this interesting development in the world of sports.

craig gass

2009-07-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

craig gass

The 27th annual Taste of Minnesota kicks off Thursday, but this year, it "tastes" and feels a little different.

"Did a lot of listening over the course of the last six months," Andy Faris said. Faris and his two buddies bought the taste this winter. "Increased security was a concern for some people particularly those who wanted to bring their families down here. We've tightened security, we've made some big changes at the gates," he explained.

Perhaps the biggest change is you'll be required to cough up 10 bucks if you want to get on the grounds after 3 p.m. Those ten dollars will get you ten tickets for food and beverages. The theory is those that are willing to pay aren't passing through looking for trouble.

"We make a living selling food here and that's a big issue for us is to have the security," a satisfied Craig Gass said. Gass runs a hamburger joint a stone's throw from the main stage.

"You can feel good about bringing your family down here, we've beefed up police and security personnel," Faris said.

Organizers say its not just security that's been beefed up, the musical muscle on stage also got a shot in the arm this year. "We've doubled the entertainment budget," Faris explained.

This year's headliners include Staind, Elvis Costello, White Snake, and Judas Priest.

The Taste of Minnesota opens every day at noon and it runs through Sunday on Harriet Island. If you show up before 3 p.m. admission is free.

erin andrews peephole pictures

2009-07-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

erin andrews peephole pictures

The prurient interest many people have in seeing the “Erin Andrews peephole pictures” may end up with potential peeping Tom’s computers needing a visit to the repair shop. That’s because malicious hackers have made up a number of web pages designed to lure people in on the promise of satisfying their perverted fantasies but end up instead with installing malware that will quickly wreak havoc on their PCs.

People who are casually searching for such terms as “erin andrews peephole video link”, “erin andrews peephole megaupload”, or even “erin andrews peephole photos” will likely end up at a website that just doesn’t have their best interests in mind.

As Erin Andrews’ lawyer has already stated, any such pictures were taken without her consent. Now attempting to find these pictures could institute a major security risk for the unwitting dolts still desperately seeking them.

“There are lots more sites out there pretending to host the Erin Andrews peephole video, but really hosting malicious software,” wrote Graham Cluley of anti-virus software maker Sophos in a blog post.

“Hackers have created Web pages claiming to contain the notorious … video in their attempt to infect Mac and Windows computers,” he wrote.

“And — surprise, surprise — if you visit those Web pages you could be putting the security of your computer at real risk.”

Both Andrews and her employer ESPN have reacted angrily to the pictures being posted and have threatened to run down and persecute anyone involved. They maintain that Andrews is the victim of a crime and that any websites that host the images will be considered “an accessory after the fact” and could face criminal or civil penalties of their own.

That warning alone should be enough to stop any legitimate website from running the pictures. That fact alone should cause people to wonder about the legitimacy of any website they plan on visiting when it claims to have those pictures. If they’re willing to break the law so flagrantly and are so unconcerned with the concepts of personal freedom, you certainly can’t expect them to care about personal property either. So don’t be surprised when your computer stops working after your attempts to get a glimpse of the “peephole pictures.”

Of course the peephole pictures won’t be leaving the internet any time soon. Nothing ever does. Certainly many people who originally saw the photos downloaded them to their hard drives and can quickly upload them again to a new web page. Most likely Erin Andrews won’t be able to stop the dissemination of the pics no matter how much time, effort, and money she puts into it. As long as the internet remains relatively “anonymous” and people can view such pictures with relatively no pain they will.

After all, it’s just human nature to be curious about what celebrities look like naked.

It’s also just human nature to fake people out and install malware on their computers.

If you are an Internet Peeping Tom, I caution you to use great care in what sites you visit and always think twice about “installing” any software, no matter what the perceived benefits may be.

clougherty packing llc

2009-07-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

clougherty packing llc

Update: Phoenician in the comments sheds some light by pointing us to this article. It looks like a typo, but an odd one.

Clougherty Packing of Los Angeles won a $1.2 million contract to provide sliced ham to food banks as part of the Agriculture Department’s emergency food assistance program.

aaron andrews

2009-07-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

aaron andrews

Phil Kessel and the Boston Bruins are getting nowhere fast, and the there seems to be no end to their contract squabble. GM Peter Chiarelli has no doubt about what's ahead for the 21-year-old winger who scored 36 goals last season. He will be back, Chiarelli told NESN, the Bruins' telecast outlet.

"I don't like to talk about negotiations, but he's a player of impact. [He has] the speed, and he's still a young player," Chiarelli said.

"I can't dismiss me talking about players to trade because that's my job. It's unfortunate that [trade rumors] leak out but Phil's a good person -- a very good person and a very good player -- and we fully intend to keep him."

The Bruins' need for offensive talent would back up Chiarelli's sentiments.

The question is what will happen with other players as the Bruins try to stay under the salary cap. Defenseman Matt Hunwick is headed for arbitration, and the team is likely to accept the arbiter's decision. However, NESN notes that forwards Chuck Kobasew and Michael Ryder and defensemen Aaron Ward and Andrew Ference have been mentioned in trade rumors. Until a deal with Kessel is made, the team won't know if it must cut salary or how much.

The sooner the deal is done, the better, because the Bruins' return in trade might diminish the longer things drag out.

Meanwhile, questions are being asked about Kessel. Nobody seems to be calling about a deal or pitching a free-agent offer sheet.

Despite his scoring prowess, the Worcester Telegraph says critics point to Kessel's aversion to defensive play, "lack of a physical game and his allegedly weak role in the team dynamic."

Those questions could be pushed aside as Kessel matures, and the Bruins know he can be a presence in the playoffs. That means a contract settlement would be in the best thing for both the player and the team, assuming it falls within a reasonable financial plan. ...

Roman Polak and the Blues continue a long, slow negotiation but have yet to settle on a contract. Polak, 23, is a restricted free agent, meaning the Blues have control of his rights if the two sides are unable to negotiate a contract extension. The Blues say that while discussions have been drawn out, Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, they remain amicable, and the club is confident Polak will be re-signed by the start of training camp in mid-September. ...

To fill the hole left by the departure of Sergei Fedorov, the Capitals are counting on center Brendan Morrison as a second-line center. Morrison is a good playmaker with experience and has 505 points in 755 games. He fits the team's desire to get strong center to anchor their lines. The team also counts on defenseman Shaone Morrisonn to continue his improvement. Entering his fifth season with the team, he will be a stay-at-home defenseman and comes off a plus-4 season. ...

The Senators signed 2008 No. 1 pick Erik Karlsson before their prospect camp and see him as a good bet to crack the lineup this season. There were concerns about Karlsson's lack of size, but he has gained 20 pounds in the past year. ...

Having done little in free agency, the Devils' biggest offseason move so far was bringing Jacques Lemaire back as coach. They made a minor signing in giving veteran defenseman Cory Murphy a two-way deal. He had five goals and 10 assists last season with the Lightning, all on the power play. ...

Rick DiPietro remains on target to be skating by August and good to go for the start of Islanders training camp in September. Just to be sure, they signed Dwayne Roloson as a backup but also as a veteran starter if necessary. DiPietro had two knee surgeries that limited him to five games last season.

erin andrews peephole video link

2009-07-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

erin andrews peephole video link

This story isn’t making me want to stay in a hotel room anytime soon. Or look up celebrity sex tapes for that matter…

ESPN reporter Erin Andrews had her privacy violated when she was videotaped undressing in her hotel room without her even knowing. Now people who are looking for this tape are having their computers violated. There are lots of web pages claiming to have links to the tape. But if you click on it, you’re letting a virus into your computer.

I’ll admit, I’m a fan of the celebrity sex tapes and scandalous photos. Whether it’s a hot celebrity, a revolting celebrity, a man or a woman, I have to see it! I even looked up a naked Danny Bonaduce on Perez Hilton once…urgh, it was even worse than you’d expect. But as they say, curiosity killed the cat, so it might just come to bite me in the butt – like it did for all the web users who were trying to find links to Erin Andrews undressing in her hotel room.

heather zeo

2009-07-17T08:09:00.002-07:00

heather zeo

Here is a picture of Heather Zeo (Heather Lynne Zeo), that North Penn teacher on trial. Heather Zeo stands trial for allegedly having relations with one student and sending naughty emails to another.

Zeo was a teacher at North Penn High School in Lansdale. She has since been suspended from her duties.

One boy reportedly chatted up Zeo on Facebook - and homework was not the alleged subject of their chats! Prosecutors will claim Zeo told the boy to delete their chats after their ending.

Prosecutors report this week that Zeo led a “calculated seduction” of both 17 year old male students while her defense is they came onto her. Even more, Zeo is married, with three kids. And where do prosecutors claim she had relations? In the back of the family’s mini van, claims investigators.