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Johnny Maestro, Crests and Brooklyn Bridge singer, dies at age 70 of cancer

2010-03-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

Johnny Maestro, who started out singing on the New York subways and a few years later recorded one of the great teen love anthems, "Sixteen Candles," died late Wednesday night in Florida after a battle with cancer. He was 70.

A distinctive and highly respected vocalist both among his peers and fans of early rock ‘n' roll, Maestro spent his life in the music business, scoring hits as lead singer of the Crests in the 1950s and then the Brooklyn Bridge a decade later.

He continued performing live shows with the Brooklyn Bridge until he was diagnosed several months ago with an invasive cancer.

The Crests were best known for "Sixteen Candles," which peaked at No. 2 on the national charts and later lent its name to a John Hughes movie in which Hughes used a later Stray Cats version of the title song.

"Sixteen Candles" was originally written as "21 Candles," but the number was downsized on the theory that "16" would better reflect the rock 'n' roll demographic.

The Crests followed with a number of catchy uptempo hits, including "Trouble In Paradise," "The Angels Listened In" and "Step By Step" – though many R&B aficionados today favor their lesser-known early classic ballads like "Sweetest One" and "No One To Love."

Maestro, who was born Johnny Mastrangelo and grew up on Mulberry St., broke off in 1961 for a solo career that went nowhere. Then in 1968 he formed the Brooklyn Bridge, whose swelling instrumental and vocal sound scored a No. 3 hit in early 1969 with "The Worst That Could Happen."

The Bridge also had some lesser hits, including "Blessed Is the Rain" and "Welcome Me Love."

While Maestro had one of the strongest and most distinctive voices in early rock ‘n' roll, he was not a flamboyant personality and didn't seek the spotlight off-stage.

In many ways, he was the quintessential New York kid singer of the ‘50s. He began singing for fun on the streets and in subway stations, which had the perfect echo for harmony vocals.

He was unusual in that he often performed with black singers at a time when interracial groups were a relative rarity. In 1956 at the Henry Street Settlement, he met a black group from the Alfred E. Smith projects in Chinatown and became their lead singer.

Their members included second tenor Patricia Van Dross, who had a kid brother named Luther.

Bass J.T. Carter named them the Crests and they were singing on the Lexington Avenue IRT, coming out of the Brooklyn Bridge station, when a woman handed them a business card and told them to contact her husband.

He turned out to be Al Browne, a musician, music store and record label owner in Brooklyn. The group recorded "Sweetest One" and "No One To Love" for his low-tech Joyce label, which he ran out of the back room of his shop.

Browne didn't have much promotional power, but a year later songwriter Billy Dawn Smith steered the Crests to Coed Records, which did.

Coed's desire to break Maestro off as a solo artist eventually led to some tension with the other Crests, who included Carter, Talmadge Gough and Hector Torres. When Maestro left, the others kept the group name, though Maestro continued performing "Sixteen Candles" and other Crests songs in Brooklyn Bridge shows.

Maestro recorded occasionally in recent years and he was living in Cape Coral, Fla., at the time of his death.

Democrats Who Voted Against Health Care Bill

2010-03-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Which Democrats voted against health care bill? I watch the proceedings unfold last night on CNN. While all Republicans were united to vote against the passing of the Health Care bill, the Democrats, who are supposed to be on Obama’s side, are partly divided. There were 34 Democrats who voted against Health Care Reform bill.

Who are they?

Katrina Hodge, Miss. England is changing the world of beauty pageants as we know it

2010-03-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

2009 Miss. England winner, Katrina Hodge is changing the world. Well, sort of. Hodge, who is known as "combat barbie" because she was in the army, wants to do away with the swimsuit portion of beauty pageants. She says, "I think it's nerve-racking enough for girls to get up on a stage and speak, let alone appear in a swimsuit" (Hodge via Huffington Post).

For years, the swimsuit portion of beauty pageants has been discussed for many reasons. Hodge, who is the face, er, body for La Senza underwear company, may have just gotten through. It has been reported that the 2010 Miss. England pageant will replace the swimsuit portion of its' competition with a sport portion. Who knows what that will be like and if it will effect pageants here in the US.

Fluidnow

2010-03-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

The most red hot topic on the very world wide web at this very moment is the fluidnow. The very fluidnow is actually an agency for the unemployed Floridian workers on the internet that provides for the unemployment Compensation which is as well known up as the unemployment insurance to the very workers that are currently out of their very line of works for no mistake of their own.

The very website named up as the fluidnow.com is currently being searched up by hordes of unemployed workers on the cyberspace, as for them to claim some sort of a compensation through and through which they can actually see through the very days of their unemployment.

The fluidnow is actually a hope for the people who are struck up with the current economical crisis that is prevalent within the entre world and is affecting the United States of America economy on the whole and the FL economy pretty overmuch especially. The people have been fired up from their very jobs and their currently is no hope of betterment for them because their currently is no hope fro the very betterment of the businesses throughout the United States of America.

The current situation demanded for so much to be done for these workers and the fluidnow is actually a single step towards the very betterment of the state’s workers and their daily lives, so that they can easily search for another ways to earn some sort of a respectful income and not to worry to much regarding not getting a proper job.

Till the very time that they get the job, they can apply up to the fluidnow and claim some sort of a compensation or insurance on their very idol days.

Sex movie boss Anna Arrowsmith's porn-again Lib-Dem

2010-03-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

he porn director who wants to be a Lib Dem MP used to be a red-hot Labour supporter, it emerged yesterday.

Anna Arrowsmith, 38, who is standing as a candidate in Gravesham, Kent, is believed to have switched her allegiance only recently. Her website says: "Anna is liberal and open-minded, but politically she supports The Labour Party."

It goes on to list her interests as "fashion, music, shopping and porn, porn, porn." Married Anna, who has directed more than 250 raunchy scenes under her working name Anna Span, insists she will be "a passionate campaigner".

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Yesterday she was backed by party leader Nick Clegg, although he admits her films are "not my cup of tea".

He said: "I think it's important that people like her who really care a lot are encouraged to enter politics. He added: "At least you could never accuse her of being a cardboard cut-out Westminster politician."

On her Twitter site, Anna has written: "From porn to Parliament, here I come!"

Ultimate Fighting Chamionship to hold UFC 111 veiwing party at Radio City Music Hall

2010-03-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

Ultimate Fighting Championship president, Dana White, announced that the MMA tournament's organization will hold a viewing party and pre-fight press conference at the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City for the UFC111 event taking place on March 27h at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

“We are holding this viewing party so all of our fans in New York can experience UFC 111 at the iconic Radio City Music Hall, one of the coolest places in the city, and with some of our biggest UFC stars,” said UFC President Dana White.

The event will be broadcast in High-Definition on Radio City Music Hall’s 70’ x 35’ screen, the largest screen to broadcast a UFC event. The viewing event will be hosted by Stephan Bonnar and Jason Ellis. In addition, former UFC champions Chuck Liddell and Matt Serra will be making a special guest appearance at the viewing party.

The first 200 fans attending the event will get access to a pre-fight autograph session with "The Iceman" starting at 7:15 p.m ET. The autograph session will be followed by a Q&A session with Liddell, Serra and Bonnar.

UFC 111 fight card is headlined by a welterweight title main event between champion Georges St. Pierre and Dan Hardy and co-headline by a interim heavyweight championship match featuring Frank Mir and Shane and that will determine who will face Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in June.

Doors for the closed-circuit viewing party are scheduled to open at 7:15 p.m. ET. The UFC111 preliminary fights will be aired on Spike TV beginning at 9 p.m. ET, followed by the main card on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET.

Brianne Matthews: Of Softball, Sorrow

2010-03-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- A few months ago, Nadia Martinez and her 16-year-old daughter, Brianne Matthews, drifted into an uncharacteristic conversation about life and death.

Martinez is not sure about what led to the discussion, but she felt a little odd when Matthews calmly told her how she would like to be remembered after she died.

"She wanted her ashes to be sprinkled all over a softball field because that's where she lived," Martinez said about Matthews, who had a 14-4 pitching record as a freshman last year for Mater Dei (Calif.) High School. "It didn't matter where. As long as it was a softball field with a mound. That's where she dominated."

Always an overachiever, Matthews had gotten it done off and on the softball diamond. She carried a 4.0 grade point average at academically testing Mater Dei and was committed to pursue a career as a neonatologist. Despite being only a high school sophomore, Matthews already had accepted a full-ride college scholarship offer to play softball for national powerhouse Arizona after she graduated in 2012. A phenom.

Socially? Forget about it. At 16, Matthews had friends for days, thanks to a dynamic personality and her huge softball following. Considered the No.1 young pitching prospect in the nation, Matthews had a way for attracting crowds and had grown into a Pied Piper character for the sport.

For unknown reasons, though, Matthews did not feel right in this role and on Feb. 25, she killed herself hours after returning home from softball practice.

A tragic ending to a young life with so much promise.

An ending that has left many unanswered questions.

"I don't want to talk about the suicide," Martinez, who found Matthews dead at their Anaheim apartment, told FanHouse recently. "And I don't want to talk about what may have led her ... we can only speculate and I don't want to do that. No answer is going to be good enough."

According to official reports, on the night of Matthews' death, Anaheim fire and police were sent to the family's apartment regarding a girl not breathing. Paramedics administered CPR to the girl and she was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead at 8:22 p.m. PT.

The Orange County Coroner's report ruled Matthews' death a suicide, "by ligature hanging."

"I don't believe it was spontaneous," said Bill Jackson, who coached Matthews for three years when she played for the Firecrackers, a youth softball travel team based in Orange County. "She was depressed. Everything you hear indicates to us that it was something that was thought out a little bit. She knew what to do and how to do it. ... Teenagers and the internet nowadays. I don't think we're ever going to know why she did it."
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- A few months ago, Nadia Martinez and her 16-year-old daughter, Brianne Matthews, drifted into an uncharacteristic conversation about life and death.

Martinez is not sure about what led to the discussion, but she felt a little odd when Matthews calmly told her how she would like to be remembered after she died.

"She wanted her ashes to be sprinkled all over a softball field because that's where she lived," Martinez said about Matthews, who had a 14-4 pitching record as a freshman last year for Mater Dei (Calif.) High School. "It didn't matter where. As long as it was a softball field with a mound. That's where she dominated."

Always an overachiever, Matthews had gotten it done off and on the softball diamond. She carried a 4.0 grade point average at academically testing Mater Dei and was committed to pursue a career as a neonatologist. Despite being only a high school sophomore, Matthews already had accepted a full-ride college scholarship offer to play softball for national powerhouse Arizona after she graduated in 2012. A phenom.

Socially? Forget about it. At 16, Matthews had friends for days, thanks to a dynamic personality and her huge softball following. Considered the No.1 young pitching prospect in the nation, Matthews had a way for attracting crowds and had grown into a Pied Piper character for the sport.

For unknown reasons, though, Matthews did not feel right in this role and on Feb. 25, she killed herself hours after returning home from softball practice.

A tragic ending to a young life with so much promise.

An ending that has left many unanswered questions.

"I don't want to talk about the suicide," Martinez, who found Matthews dead at their Anaheim apartment, told FanHouse recently. "And I don't want to talk about what may have led her ... we can only speculate and I don't want to do that. No answer is going to be good enough."

According to official reports, on the night of Matthews' death, Anaheim fire and police were sent to the family's apartment regarding a girl not breathing. Paramedics administered CPR to the girl and she was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead at 8:22 p.m. PT.

The Orange County Coroner's report ruled Matthews' death a suicide, "by ligature hanging."

"I don't believe it was spontaneous," said Bill Jackson, who coached Matthews for three years when she played for the Firecrackers, a youth softball travel team based in Orange County. "She was depressed. Everything you hear indicates to us that it was something that was thought out a little bit. She knew what to do and how to do it. ... Teenagers and the internet nowadays. I don't think we're ever going to know why she did it."
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- A few months ago, Nadia Martinez and her 16-year-old daughter, Brianne Matthews, drifted into an uncharacteristic conversation about life and death.

Martinez is not sure about what led to the discussion, but she felt a little odd when Matthews calmly told her how she would like to be remembered after she died.

"She wanted her ashes to be sprinkled all over a softball field because that's where she lived," Martinez said about Matthews, who had a 14-4 pitching record as a freshman last year for Mater Dei (Calif.) High School. "It didn't matter where. As long as it was a softball field with a mound. That's where she dominated."

Always an overachiever, Matthews had gotten it done off and on the softball diamond. She carried a 4.0 grade point average at academically testing Mater Dei and was committed to pursue a career as a neonatologist. Despite being only a high school sophomore, Matthews already had accepted a full-ride college scholarship offer to play softball for national powerhouse Arizona after she graduated in 2012. A phenom.

Socially? Forget about it. At 16, Matthews had friends for days, thanks to a dynamic personality and her huge softball following. Considered the No.1 young pitching prospect in the nation, Matthews had a way for attracting crowds and had grown into a Pied Piper character for the sport.

For unknown reasons, though, Matthews did not feel right in this role and on Feb. 25, she killed herself hours after returning home from softball practice.

A tragic ending to a young life with so much promise.

An ending that has left many unanswered questions.

"I don't want to talk about the suicide," Martinez, who found Matthews dead at their Anaheim apartment, told FanHouse recently. "And I don't want to talk about what may have led her ... we can only speculate and I don't want to do that. No answer is going to be good enough."

According to official reports, on the night of Matthews' death, Anaheim fire and police were sent to the family's apartment regarding a girl not breathing. Paramedics administered CPR to the girl and she was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead at 8:22 p.m. PT.

The Orange County Coroner's report ruled Matthews' death a suicide, "by ligature hanging."

"I don't believe it was spontaneous," said Bill Jackson, who coached Matthews for three years when she played for the Firecrackers, a youth softball travel team based in Orange County. "She was depressed. Everything you hear indicates to us that it was something that was thought out a little bit. She knew what to do and how to do it. ... Teenagers and the internet nowadays. I don't think we're ever going to know why she did it."
Last week, a standing room only crowd of more than 1,500 attended an outdoor ceremony for Matthews at the Huntington Beach Sports Complex, a multi-softball field site where many of her games were played.

High school players and travel ballplayers were encouraged to wear their uniforms and most did. With a stage set behind second base and the remainder of the softball diamond filled with well-wishers, the afternoon felt more tribute than wake as family and friends took time to talk about Matthews, called Bri by family and friends.

"Sometimes, you meet people and right away you know that they were supposed to be there [in your life]...," said Shannon Bustillos, a teammate on Orange County Batbusters, a travel team Matthews joined a year ago. "Anybody who knew Bri, knew that she was filled with life, love and happiness. She had a laugh that anybody could hear. A hug that could crack anybody's back and a drop-off [pitch] that nobody could hit."

For Martinez, the ceremony was a fitting sendoff.

"We are taking it moment by moment and day by day," Martinez said. "That's really all we can do. It's unimaginable."

"Bri just loved sports and she probably got that from me ... But she was different. She was very driven. She competed in everything she did in life. She just went after everything 100 percent and I don't know where she got that from. I don't know what her motivation was but she was very very motivated.

"That's just who she was. If she was going to throw a ball, she was going to throw it harder and farther than everyone else. If she was going to hit it, she was going to hit it harder and farther. I don't know ... that's just how she was made."

News about Matthews' death traveled fast among southern California's softball followers, a community where everyone seems to know each other. And that's because they basically do.

For years -- from elementary school to college -- the same group of softball players and parents not only play and travel together but also compete against one another on a regular basis through school teams, local park leagues and travel squads.

"The softball community is a very small world," said Jackson, who coached Matthews for three years with the Firecrackers. "The entire country is on the phone, the internet and everywhere else. We are a very in-touch community, even though we are very spread out geographically."

It's this type of family environment that has added to the sadness. Many families can relate to the demands that come with the sport.

Cindy Kelly, whose daughter Jenna started playing against Matthews when they were both nine, is one of those parents.

"It was just a terrible shock," Kelly said about Matthews, who on the day of her suicide reportedly gave her athletic bag to a teammate and told her that she likely would not need it the next day. "You don't know if she put too much pressure on herself or what. But the thing is, she had so much going for her. She had a full-ride for college and a bright future. You just had to think that everything was good with her."

Some people involved in softball believe the sport's ultra-competitive nature has evolved into a major problem for today's players. Too many are working under tough circumstances in hopes of making it to the highest level and that has added extra pressure to their lives.

"You realize that these kids give up many many hours to develop their softball skills," veteran southern California softball umpire Paul Morines said. "They sacrifice social time with friends. They spend all weekend on the ball field. Some days they want to go home, but they can't because they have to play.

"I am always so impressed in how these kids are willing to give up so much of their time to dedicate themselves to one sport in order to be a top notch softball athlete. But that's the only way that you're going to get yourself a scholarship."

According to Morines, that's one reason why Matthews was considered a hero to so many.

"These kids are hard core and Bri was probably the epitome of that type of ballplayer," Morines said. "Everyone looked up to her as the model for the commitment that you needed to make in order to go to the highest rank as possible.

"I only umpired one game with her last year and you could tell that she was one intense kid. She definitely had a presence on the field. She just stared you down. And you knew that she put in hard work to become so good."

Always an All-Star

From young biddy players to crusty, old coaches, it was always "The Bri Show" whenever Matthews was around. Dominating ability can attract that type of attention.

"Obviously we thought very fondly of Bri and her talents," said Arizona Coach Mike Candrea, who along with his coaching staff attended Matthews' tribute. "That's why we wanted her to be a Wildcat.
"She was such a very special athlete. A very special student. She worked very hard to be the best at what she did."

Umpire Mike Carver, who worked numerous games involving Matthews, said he will always remember how she played.

"I've been around the game for over 20 years and you can spot a kid with that much raw talent a mile away," Carver said. "She was throwing at least 70 miles per hour, and that's something. I know some people may not agree but I thought [Bri] was as good or better as [U.S. Olympic gold medal pitcher] Jenny Finch."

Matthews -- who grew up in a modest environment with her sister, mother and stepfather, Diondre Price -- played a variety of sports. After excelling in everything from basketball to volleyball, she took to softball after Martinez signed her up for a local youth league when she was 8.

"She didn't know what it was to go half-speed, literally, with anything that she did," Martinez said about her daughter, who had a 0.94 ERA with 138 strikeouts in 107 innings last season for Mater Dei.

"I remember when she was 8 or 9 years old and was just starting pitching lessons. Her pitching coach at the time wanted her to slow down and feel what she was doing with her pitching. So they moved her up closer to the catcher and told her to take her time so she could feel her pitch.

"But my daughter couldn't do it. She just could not slow down. She threw the ball as if she was pitching at full distance. That's just how she was. Everything she did, she did it at full speed."

It's this never-back down attitude that helped separate Matthews from her peers. She was known to arrive to practice an hour early in order to warm up for warm-ups, and was always the last person you wanted to promise a ride home after practice.

That's because Matthews also put in extra time to work on her game and often considered her workouts just half over once practice ended.

"She wanted to achieve things in life," Jackson said. "Everything she tried, she excelled at and physically, she could have been a star in any sport."

Matthews, who had a complete career goal list by the time she began to play for Jackson when she was 11, also proved her toughest critic.
Bri always had kind of a little cloud in her life," Jackson said. "She was a happy kid who worked hard but she always had a little cloud. Personally, I don't know why. But it was there."

At the tribute for Matthews, Jackson addressed rumors that have surrounded her death.

"People are saying different things," Jackson said. "They come up to me and say, 'Do you think it was the pressure? Do you think it was the boyfriend? Whatever it was, it really doesn't matter now. So that's what I didn't want to do and that's talk about those issues. I was trying to make the point that if you even discuss what it might be, you are lending credence that one of those reasons might be good enough."

It's been the out-of-sight whispers that have bothered Martinez the most since her daughter's death.

"The toughest thing has been coming to grips with the fact that your child is no longer here and that you did your best but somehow that wasn't enough," Martinez said. "You can't help but think about why you couldn't do more.

"I know that it's probably something that I should not have done but to fill my time, I've read all of the comments that people have left on stories about her death and on different internet sites.

"Anybody that has done anything at the level that [Bri] was at knows that you don't get that good without a personal commitment. I know that people like to speculate about pressure being put on her but I would like to stress the fact that there's nothing anyone can do to push people to excel at the level where she was.

"It takes a personal commitment and that's the truth. You can't make people go run. You can't make them put in that extra work to be great. ... It's something that she did. Something that she wanted to be the best at."

Janet Yellen Tapped By Obama As Fed Vice Chairman

2010-03-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama intends to nominate Janet Yellen, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, to take over as vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, a person familiar with the selection said Friday.

Yellen is considered a dove on monetary policy, meaning she is more concerned about high unemployment than rising inflation. As vice chair she would be the second highest ranking Fed official.

Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn's decision to step down at the end of June opened a third seat on the seven-member board, giving Obama a chance to put a bigger imprint on the central bank. His selections would have to be confirmed by the Senate.

The Federal Reserve can control economic growth, employment and inflation through its power to set interest rates. It also is the country's lender of last resort when banks can't get their money elsewhere – a tool that the Fed exercised fully at the height of the financial crisis. It also supervises thousands of banks, ranging from large bank holding companies to small state-chartered institutions.

The Fed vacancies have stirred debate over the future direction of interest-rate policy at the Fed. Given the fragile state of the economic recovery and the high jobless rate, Obama may come under pressure to choose people more inclined to keep interest rates low to spur growth and fight unemployment than to raise them to control inflation.

Yellen served as a top economic adviser to President Bill Clinton. She has had a long history with the Federal Reserve system and has been president of the San Francisco Fed since 2004. Before that she was a member of the Fed's Board of Governors from 1994 to 1997.

The Marriage Ref’ Curbs Everyone’s Enthusiasm

2010-03-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

There hasn’t been much of a honeymoon period for “The Marriage Ref,” the new NBC comedy-reality series created by Jerry Seinfeld. Though the show, in which celebrities meddle in real-life marital fights, has gotten good notice from some critics (in The New York Times Alessandra Stanley wrote it was “funny, despite a cheesy game show premise”) and scored healthy ratings, other critics and online commenters would prefer to serve it with divorce papers. But at least the show still has the support of its celebrity panelists, right? Right?

It wasn’t clear from Thursday night’s episode, whose guests were Madonna, Ricky Gervais and Larry David, Mr. Seinfeld’s longtime friend and the co-creator of his eponymous NBC sitcom. How did they enjoy their inaugural visits to “The Marriage Ref”? Here’s a sampling of remarks they made during the show, as a national television audience watched:

“What is going on? What is going on? This is a strange program. I feel like someone’s put crack in my drink. What is going on? This is the weirdest show I’ve ever been on. It’s already weird. It’s weird that I’m here with you two. I don’t know what they’re doing up there.” -Ricky Gervais

“This is insane, what I just watched.” -Larry David

“They’re so moronic, I don’t even want to help them.” -Larry David

“If people of America are having a problem, I think the first three people they turn to is Ricky Gervais, Larry David and Madonna.” -Ricky Gervais

“Can we wrap this up? I have to go to the bathroom.” -Larry David

“What is the point to the whole thing?” -Larry David

“This is easily the most uncomfortable hour I’ve ever spent in my life.” -Larry David

“I hate you.” -Madonna, to Larry David

“ ‘bye, everybody.” -Ricky Gervais, pretending to exit the stage

Grifter

2010-03-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

Grifter : If the transmitting way to your heart, fantasy or murder, and Carey Ferrell made a name for themselves by lying, cheating and love men with beards. After six months in prison, “loving Grifter” is out on the streets again, this time making a new name for itself all over the internet. We decided to ask her some questions about her new life, and believe in the pattern of grifter she toes the line between hungry for attention and sincere. We’ll leave the final verdict up to you, and readers. But watch out, because now you know how [hotwire] car.

What were you thinking when I first started “grifting”? When I initially started scamming people, and I am personally convinced that by the time I returned checks that the correct amount of scrilla to pay them again, or if anything else I can trade sexual services for more time. When the time comes around, I never had the money, and will be allocated excuse after excuse to save face. In the end all of my lies Haktni, and everyone knows what happened after that.

When that article came out the observer, do you know you did not? I did not think that this story will be such a big deal, and I still can not understand why that is. My assumption is that the story will take its course (a few weeks at most), calm down, and then I can get on my life. At that time I was not sure which course of action I was going to take; does not necessarily mean I think the story will culminate with me to spend six months in the clink, even though you know that this is what should be done.

How was prison? I actually did not learn anything from this experience? I learned how to [hotwire] car in the forty-seven seconds, and how to go to the bathroom in public places. They say that prison does not fit her! Seriously though, I learned what it’s like to be taken away from everything you love, and how to accept the consequences of one of the wrong decisions.
I think you will resume your old ways? Above all, even if you are, do you think that you say? Secondly, no, never. Not only because I’m trying to stay on the straight and narrow, but I do not think I could even Jay walk at this stage, without knowing anyone.

Do you ever actually like any of the men you refer? Yes, this is a terrible thing. I felt a real attraction and admiration for all the friends that I hurt. Coincidence, and I was only dating one of them, has not committed any crime anywhere in addition to the state of Utah.

Why do you think that these men fell for your stories? I would like to say that it was not just “men” but the real friends, and I think that this is your answer. These people really cared about my well-being, and I had the best interest in mind, at all times.

How do you feel about the term “lover”? I like the origin of the word, and so did not really have a problem with the contemporary meaning. People to focus on the labels a little too much, and I find it absurd to even get up in arms over some words. Who cares? Hey, this is just loving me at the exit.

How to get the animal New York column going? Why do you think you are qualified for that more than one person and perhaps more efficient? I do not think I’m qualified! There are much better than the book there, and I just happen to do it in traffic on the network. I think it’s because I regularly publishing pictures of my breast.

If you have decided you are going to do porn? The people have spoken, and now we’ll see if you’re listening to.

How are you dealing with the new computer “celebrity”? You are going to try to exploit this for a career? As I said before, it’s interesting to me that people even care. I recently did a Q & A for the clumsy, do not expect much, but it was more than five hundred questions submitted, and more than 29,000 page views. If this sounds like I’m talking about myself, it’s because I am. It’s weird knowing that at any time, a person can very well and will provide a “vision Ferrell Carrie” to Stalker, and that if I end up blowing the bearded boy in a toilet, and everyone is going to know about it. As far as using it to achieve my “career” Well, a girl has to make money and sometimes a legitimate means, right?

Any planned new tattoo? I want to get under the title of Wu-Tang burrito.

So you live in New York now? Where, and how you want it? Yes, again in an undisclosed area that he had clothes in the U.S. within five minutes of that, fair trade coffee nearby, and the abundance of their beards. Mainly the sky.

Scott MacIntyre

2010-03-12T06:35:00.000-08:00

Scott MacIntyre : Scott McIntyre is a return to familiar turf to perform a duet on ‘American Idol,’ as the show announces 9 in the final season Top 12. McIntyre, who finished eighth in the season after 8 singing survivors ’search is over,’ is to see and the dumb, and both his story and music, and won him admiration and a whole nation of fans.
Less than one year later, and singer-songwriter is set to release the first full-length, after ‘Idol’ album, ‘nerves,’ March 11 (available on iTunes in theMcIntyre and the Internet.) The album is a mix of pop music inspired by the tracks, and more sad songs, but all of that, he says, is a reflection of his personal experiences, including the highs and lows.McIntyre spoke with us shortly before the release to discuss what inspired him, what he thinks back to the ‘Idol’ will be like and what to get sacked for ‘Idol’ is the best part of being a rider.
Your new album, ‘nerves,’ sounds very heartfelt. What’s your take on the album, which inspired this?
It’s really exciting for me to achieve this feat, for the first function, ‘Idol’ album … It’s really a personal project to me. 12 songs are like snapshots 12: things that have passed, and things that I was thinking that I want to share. Album talks about love, loss, and hope when you feel that there is hope around you. I’ve been in all those cases, in a variety of different forms … My heart went through some ups and downs, and thus the title.
How is the heart of these days?
The heart is good! There are a lot of my story that people do not know. I write a book in the coming months, and the album comes out … I am thankful for my life … I had a successful kidney transplant. I remember the time when I literally can not sit on the piano andsinging , and the right that every event by the ‘American Idol’. … She has a degree of stability in the Middle, for me … We hope that many people can grab deep into it.
What do you have gravel attribute? What would you say to people with other barriers to self-face?
I get this question a lot, and in different forms … I have been in many cases where abandonment could be a popular decision. And very tempting to settle for less, I think that is probably the place where you’re supposed to be. And I just did not see myself doing that … I mean, [even] ‘Idol’ itself. You can imagine, and when she appeared to the test, and producers and probably had no idea what to do with me. Here in this man with the white cane, and any idea on how to look at the camera lens. We really ventured into uncharted territory for me, and to show the part. I felt like I was able to … Break down some barriers.
Therefore, my goal all happens in the ‘American Idol’ and the goals in the release of this album – album ranges in tempo, and there is some optimism pop and rock, and there is some intimate moments … But it’s really about a lot more than justsinging a song. … I really wanted people to walk away with something tangible, it can apply to their lives, and feel the impact of this music and to be able to forget after you hear
Scott McIntyre on the performance of America IdolYou’re return to ‘Idol’ to perform on Thursday to show the Top 12. What you expect it will be like, and what will be singing?
I’m singing ‘Tell her about it,’ by Billy Joel [in a duet with his colleagues in the final season, Matt Giraud 8]. It will be a wonderful opportunity to return, I think. It’s really close view from a different angle. When I was in the show, and you fear for your life appellant. All of these guest artists come on stage, and I was sitting off to the side … On the other hand, you have all this pressure weighing on you: “I’m going to last about a week? What will happen? What does this mean for my career?” Frankly, the moment I got voted off the show. I was sad for about an hour. I was very, very sad.
But, then I felt overjoyed. I think getting started on ‘American Idol’ is probably the best part of the whole experience.
What makes you say that?
We all leave at some point, except for one person. That was the moment I felt like the rest of my career began. Stop everything, you get out of ‘Idol’ bubble, and then I realized what an impact you’ve made. I have no idea of the impact of my story was making in all parts of the world … I felt like because of what I went through, and I was able to reach many people.
What advice do you have for this year’s final?
You have to know who you are as an artist, and how you want to be in the competition. It’s almost impossible to figure this out during the competition. Some people happen to figure it out through [the show] and the judges and say, “Have you found him.” But frankly, I was too busy … The last thing you have time to do is sit down and have an intimate thought process for yourself. What helped me is I know the artist you want to be when I came out of the competition from the moment a test. Which helped to guide my choices song, and that it helped to draw a road map of my country.
Looking at the ‘Idol’ final who are about to be the place that was this time last year, is there any who are your favorite personal or who you relate?
It’s funny to say, but it is too early to say. I thought, going into the Top 24 a week, there will be a few people that stood by me. There were a few … But I feel that everyone is still calculated on how to extract that spark. I think we need to see someone throw in both feet, and act as if they really believe in what they are doing there … I feel like everything is a bit random at this point. There [final], who I really enjoy, but this can not be predicted by a little. We hope in the next week or so, and we’ll see everyone who comes to the fore.
Even if I can tell you one thing and behind the scenes tomorrow, it would be something like, “Give what you have everything!”
Yes, I would like to take them in one room with a coach to me and them! [Laughter] and can be used to urge all a little bit.

Gary Allan Brings on the 'Pain'

2010-03-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

Cause I love the long shots, and the left out lost causes, hanging out in the back of the pack with the dark horses, I ride the wrong road just as fast as I can, God knows there's no one else to blame, sometimes I think I get off on the pain."

Those are the relatively autobiographical lyrics from the title track of Gary Allan's new album, 'Get Off on the Pain,' out this Tuesday (March 9). Gary, who relocated from California to Nashville several years ago, says the song describes his life, both on a personal and professional level.

When The Boot sat down with Gary to talk about his new album, he appeared happy, relaxed and most importantly, at peace. In 2004, Gary's wife Angela committed suicide, and the devastated widower poured his heart, soul and pain into his 2005 release 'Tough All Over,' with songs such as 'Life Ain't Always Beautiful' and 'Puttin' Memories Away.'

On 2007's 'Living Large,' a change occurred with a few songs of reflection, introspection and wistfulness, including 'Watching Airplanes' and 'Learning How to Bend.' He wrote several songs on that album that he said brought more truth to what he was singing, since he tends to write from personal experiences. Some of those personal experiences can be found on the new album, as well, in songs like 'No Regrets,' which is a tribute to his late wife. Gary has come out on the other side of tragedy and loss with a strength and sense of hope, due in large part to the therapy of making music.

During our interview, Gary also chatted about the healing process he went through, writing songs with one of his daughters, his all-or-nothing attitude towards love, recent troubles with a stalker and what he learned from touring with Brooks & Dunn.

Given all you've been through these past few years, is it therapeutic for you to put your thoughts down on paper?

Absolutely! Gosh, when my wife passed, that's how I got through it. Having your friends come over and kicking around every emotion, just turning it over from every angle really gives you a peace. For a while, I wondered what that was, but I recently met somebody who went through the same things that I did with family members and if anybody mentioned anything about it, they were a mess. And you wonder what that's gonna get you -- the therapy and all the things that you do -- but that's what it gets you is you're able to talk about that and live with it in a comfortable place, instead of just falling apart at the mention.
A great tribute to Angela and your love for her is 'No Regrets.' How was that writing session, and have you performed it live?

I don't know if I can perform it. There's lots that I can't sing just because it would be too emotional. But writing it, I can distinctly remember [my co-writers] Jon Randall and Jaime Hanna -- we had three hooks that we were kicking around. It was more of just "Are you willing to go there?," and I said, "Yeah." And we were able to get a real heartfelt, honest song out of it. That's where the best ones come from. It's just whether you feel like crying, whether you feel like going down that path. Yeah, I like that song, 'No Regrets.' I sleep well at night.

What about the kids, how are they coping?

We all went to a lot of therapy. There were six kids at the time. She had three, and I had three. Just making sure everybody was well taken care of, that was really healing to me. With the writing, what that gives you when you kick it around so much is the ability to speak about it and a peace with it, and I think that everybody's got a peace with it.

When people go in to buy this album, what do you want them to go away with?

A glimpse of me, where I'm at, what I'm going through and how I'm healing.They get a little piece of every album that I've done in the past with this one, too. I feel like it's got a good round. I've got that 'Smoke Rings [in the Dark]' vibe on there with '[We] Fly By Night,' and I've still managed to take turns I've never taken, like 'That Ain't Gonna Fly' ... and 'Kiss Me When I'm Down' -- those are just directions I haven't headed y

Sunan International Airport in North Korea

2010-03-09T08:46:00.001-08:00

Sunan International Airport is the main airport serving Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, located 24 km from the city’s center.

When traveling to this unique country you are likely to arrive at this international airport. Pyongyang has undergone great restoration following the Korean War of the 1950s. Massive buildings line the streets and large monuments catch your eye. When visiting the city be sure to look out for land marks such as the Juche Tower, Rungnado May Day Stadium, Kim II Sung Stadium and the Pyongyang TV Tower.

On arriving at Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport you are certain to be impressed with the fine facilities including a business center, disabled facilities, passenger lounge, few souvenir shops, duty-free stores, a bookshop and the Korea Trade Bank. Passengers looking for something to eat or drink can stop by the bar or restaurant. The airport also has a baggage storage facility; service hours are from 08:00 to 21:00 and the charge is 1.5 Korean Won (KPW) per piece. Air Koryo offer bus fares to Pyongyang and to Sunan airport.The airport’s book shop opens at 10:00. The airport’s restaurant, bar and the Korea Foreign Trade Bank all operate from 09:00 to 18:00. The airport also can cater for four aircraft simultaneously. There are also 17 separate parking bays for additional aircraft. The airport also has a maintenance area that consists of two hangars one large and one smaller along with a large apron.

The airport possesses 2 concrete runways. The first is in a 01/19 direction and measures 13 241ft or 4 037m. The second is in a 17/35 direction and measures 11 480ft or 3 500m. The larger runway handles international flights, whilst the smaller is for civil aircraft and domestic flights. Navigational aids for aircraft at the airport are VOR-DME (VHF Omni-directional Range Distance Measuring Equipment) and NDB (Non-Directional Beacon).

Airlines which fly to and from Sunan International Airport are Air China, Aeroflot and Air Koryo.
In fact, Air Koryo is the chief airline operating from the North Korean airport. During the Summer months Far Eastern Air Transport and Mandarin Airlines do offer chartered flights for tour groups to Pyongyang from Taipei.

Air Koryo, based at Sunan Airport in Pyongyang, is state-owned and has scheduled flights to the following destinations: Beijing, Bangkok, Shenyang and Vladivostok. The airline also occasionally organizes chartered flights to other areas of Asia, Europe and Africa.

Tags: Aeroflot, air koryo, air koryo airline, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, north korea, north korea news, pyong yang, pyongyang, pyongyang airport, Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport, sunan, sunan international, sunan international airport, sunan international airport north korea, sunan international airport pyongyang

Sunan International Airport in North Korea

2010-03-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

Sunan International Airport is the main airport serving Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, located 24 km from the city’s center.

Russian Launch Keys Appeared on Pawn Stars

2010-03-09T07:08:00.000-08:00

Russian Launch Keys were seen on TV via the Pawn Stars TV show. A guy came in the shop with what was thought to be an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile). It turned out, after an inspection from the expert, that the items were Russian Launch Keys.

The Russian Launch keys were used for launching space craft.

The guy wants $10,000 for the item, Rick can only offer $1500. The guy thought it was too small an amount and decided not to have a deal.

How to Watch Gossip Girl Full Episodes

2010-03-09T06:42:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (GaeaTimes.com) — Gossip Girl is a popular TV show, that features young teenagers from well-off families of New York city. Besides enjoying a great acting career some of them are also doing well in music industry. You can take the example of Leighton Meister, famous for the recent hit song “Good Girls Gone Bad”.f you are not living in America or facing problem watching Gossip Girl episodes in your area, you can simply rely on the web. Just turn around some sites such as watchgossipgirlshow.com, sidereel.com, youtube.com that are providing live streaming of some interesting episodes of Gossip Girl.

You can watch Gossip Girl episodes just following some easy steps, I recommend.

Step 1. Open your internet browser and type in watchgossipgirlshow.com, press enter.
Step 2. Click on Season 1, Season 2 or Season 3.
Step 3. Click on the Episode, you want to watch.
Step 4. Scroll down, select a episode mirror and click on it.
Step 5. Fill out a free survey to watch gossip girl episodes.

Enjoy watching Gossip Girl. Share your experience in the comment section below.

Seneca Wallace

2010-03-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

Trnding Topic: Seneca Wallace

Breaking news: Seneca Wallace traded to Cleveland

Posted in: Seattle Times
“Backup quarterback Seneca Wallace has been traded from Seattle to Cleveland for a future draft pick. The move was first reported by John Clayton of ESPN, but has been subsequently confirmed.”

Link:
Breaking news: Seneca Wallace traded to Cleveland

ESPN reports Browns trade for Seneca Wallace

Posted in: The Morning Journal
“ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that the Browns have traded for Seattle backup Seneca Wallace.”

Link: ESPN reports Browns trade for Seneca Wallace

Report: Seahawks trade Seneca Wallace to Browns

Posted in: Everett Herald
“The Seahawks have traded backup quarterback Seneca Wallace to Cleveland according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter . The terms of the trade were not yet know according to the report.”

Link: Report: Seahawks trade Seneca Wallace to Browns

From the Blogosphere

Breaking News: Browns Trade for Quarterback Seneca Wallace …

Breaking News: Browns Trade for Quarterback Seneca Wallace Monday, March 8, 2010 · Could D.A. be Kurt Warner’s Successor? Monday, March 8, 2010 · NFL Free Agency: Browns Add Pashos and Fujita Sunday, March 7, 2010 · NFL Free Agency: …

Browns Trade for Seneca Wallace

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported via twitter that the Browns have traded for Seneca Wallace. The details of the trade are not yet known. Schefter Tweeted: Filed to ESPN: Seattle traded QB/WR Seneca Wallace to the Cleveland Browns. …

Could Jerome Harrison For Seneca Wallace Swap Go Down Between …

When the National Football Post came out with a report that the Cleveland Browns may be interested in Seattle Seahawks QB Seneca Wallace, it generated a fair amount of intrigue (obviously) among bloggers and media sources alike.

The Rise and Fall of a Female Captain Bligh

2010-03-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

Women are so common in the upper ranks of the U.S. military these days that it's no longer news when they break through another barrier. Unfortunately, the latest benchmark isn't one to brag about: being booted as captain of a billion-dollar warship for "cruelty and maltreatment" of her 400-member crew. According to the Navy inspector general's report that triggered her removal — and the accounts of officers who served with her — Captain Holly Graf was the closest thing the U.S. Navy had to a female Captain Bligh.

A Navy admiral stripped Graf of her command of the Japan-based guided missile cruiser U.S.S. Cowpens in January. The just-released IG report concludes that Graf "repeatedly verbally abused her crew and committed assault" and accuses her of using her position as commander of the Cowpens "for personal gain." But old Navy hands tell TIME that those charges, substantiated in the IG report, came about because of the poisonous atmosphere she created aboard her ship. (See the best pictures of 2009.)

The case has attracted wide notice inside the Navy and on Navy blogs, where her removal has generated cheers from those who had served with her since she graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985. While many denounced Graf, even greater anger seems directed at the Navy brass for promoting such an officer to positions of ever-increasing responsibility. The Navy declined to make Graf available for an interview.

While in command at sea — where a captain's word is law and she or he has the power to make or break careers — Graf swore like, well, a sailor. She "creates an environment of fear and hostility [and] frequently humiliates and belittles watch standers by screaming at them with profanities in front of the Combat Information Center and bridge-watch teams," a crew member told the IG. According to 29 of the 36 crew members who were questioned for the Navy's report, Graf repeatedly dropped F bombs on them. "Take your goddam attitude and shove it up your f______ ass and leave it there," she allegedly told an officer during a stressful maneuver aboard the 567-ft., 10,000-ton vessel.

Junior officers seeking her guidance were rebuffed. "This is one of the reasons I hate you," she allegedly told one who was seeking her help. When another officer visited her quarters to discuss an earlier heated discussion, her response was terse: "Get the f___ out of my stateroom." She allegedly told a male officer, "The only words I want to hear out of your mouth are 'Yes ma'am' or 'You're correct, ma'am.' " She also allegedly put a "well-respected master chief" in "time out" — standing in the ship's key control room doing nothing — "in front of other watch standers of all ranks."

While most of the witness statements contained in the IG report didn't specify whether the person testifying was male or female, the IG asked at least two female officers whether they viewed Graf as a role model. A younger woman recalled going to Graf to seek her help. " 'Don't come to me with your problems,' " she said, quoting Graf. " 'You're a f______ department head.' " The officer also said that Graf once told her, "I can't express how mad you make me without getting violent."

A second female officer told the IG that Graf was a "terrible role model for women in the Navy," alleging that Graf once told her and a fellow officer on the bridge, "You two are f______ unbelievable. I would fire you if I could, but I can't."

Weekend Window to Grand Teton National Park

2010-02-28T07:10:00.000-08:00

The jagged peaks of the Teton Range are some of the most recognizable mountains in the world. Just 40 miles long and approximately 8 miles wide, the Tetons are the defining feature of Grand Teton National Park.

"The Tetons are so iconic and so dramatic because you have this flat plane, the valley of Jackson hole, and you have this abrupt vertical rise of these granite peaks," said Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer, for Grand Teton National Park.

The Tetons boast eight peaks over 12,000 feet. The highest of the peaks, Grand Teton, rises to height of 13,770 feet. The peak was given the name Grand Teton, or "large breast" in French, by Iroquois or French-Canadians settlers.

Located in northwest Wyoming, just north of the town of Jackson, Wyo., Grand Teton National Park is 485 square miles of rugged western landscape featuring a vast array of indigenous plants and wildlife. The mountains receive over 400 inches of snow annually, and nearly 200 inches in the valley, transforming the lush summer landscape into a winter wonderland.

Wyoming's sprawling, 485-square-mile park is full of rugged, beautiful terrain.

More Photos

Ventura Tsunami

2010-02-28T06:59:00.000-08:00

Tsunami means high sea waves generated in the sea due to earthquake. After yesterday earthquake of Chile tsunami warning was issued not only in Chile but also in many different Places on Pacific Ocean. Hawaii, Peru and Australia were also tsunami receiving places. People on the west coast of the United States, such as Ventura in California were advised to move to some safer places to avoid the destruction that will be caused by tsunami. National Weather Service said the 2 to 3 feet height waves are expected in Ventura. After the tidal waves reached California they make some destruction. Thankfully no causalities are recorded. Authorities are trying to save people lives and properties. There was no major damage caused on the Ventura Harbor by the 6 foot high waves. Harbor officials are trying to make off shore boats move to harbor.

Brett Thompson, who spent the night at Ventura Harbor on his 46-foot sailboat Grace, said that there was no damage caused to boat and it was retrieved without any damage. He also said on telephone call from boat

“It was quickly captured and retied. I haven’t heard of any boats being damaged. Some pilings and channel markers broke loose, but just minor stuff.”

Channel Islands Harbor Master’s Office said that no major damage caused by the waves. Officials have warned the people to stay away from the beach and avoid sitting on the rocks. 14 tsunami waves higher then 3 feet had been observed in California since 1812. 6 of them were destructive. 12 people were killed by 1964’s magnitude-9.2 quake in Alaska.

Ventura Tsunami

2010-02-28T06:54:00.000-08:00

“It was quickly captured and retied. I haven’t heard of any boats being damaged. Some pilings and channel markers broke loose, but just minor stuff.”

'Saturday Night Live': Jennifer Lopez in 'Besos y Lagrimas,' plus Betty White (sort of)

2010-02-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

Jennifer Lopez didn't sing (or joke) about her Louboutins on "Saturday Night Live," but she did turn in a pretty strong stint as host. As musical guest? Well ...

Oh, and Betty White got on the show, in a manner of speaking.

Lopez took part in the show's cold open, which acknowledged the, uh, less than stellar quality of the remade "We Are the World" that's raising money for earthquake victims in Haiti. Lopez (playing Rihanna), Kristen Wiig (Gwen Stefani), Andy Samberg (Josh Groban) and the rest of the cast called out the liberal use of Auto-Tune on the vocals, Vince Vaughn's random presence and more. It was a good -- and relatively concise -- way to open the show.

As for White -- the subject of a fan campaign to have her host the show -- she made a cameo in the digital short, a completely goofy but infectious bit called "Flags of the World." The golden girl's face appeared on the We Love Betty White flag, so at least Samberg is paying attention to the Internets. (And I absolutely have the "Flags" song stuck in my head. I suspect I'll be randomly saying "neo-Nazi Potsie flag" for the next few days.)

The early part of the show had a couple of lame sketches -- another one-note ESPN Classic sketch with Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte and Lopez facing Wiig and Bill Hader's "Hollywood Dish" hosts -- but throughout the episode Lopez reminded us that she can be a pretty strong comic actress.

We can't really say the same for her musical performances though. Randy Jackson would've called it pitchy, dawg.

Most unusual on this week's "SNL"? The number of quality sketches after "Weekend Update," including another installment of "Besos y Lagrimas" ("Kisses and Tears"), the show's telenovela parody with Wiig, Fred Armisen and, this time, Lopez as an amorous but conflicted nun. (Christina Aguilera and Antonio Banderas have done "Besos" sketches" in the past.)

The Smash Mouth sketch, with a little girl afraid of the 1990s band coming out of her closet to sing "All Star," and the "Car Horns and More" bit with Jenny Slate (reprising her "Doorbells and More" saleswoman) and Lopez, were both funnier than they had any right to be.

Megan Fox Yearbook Picture

2010-02-28T06:42:00.000-08:00

Megan Fox is an American actress and supermodel, who began her career in 2001 and become one of the most popular and hit star today. She is known for her amazing looks and acting skills. She was casted in transformers. She is one of the hottest stars rising in the world of Hollywood. She began her career with the TV serial Hope And Faith. She luckily got a role in transformers which pushed her fame and abilities to a new and unreachable height.
Her yearbook photo was sneaked out on the web today on 28 February, 2010 in Los Angeles. The photo showed her as a teenager in high school. The photo is now all over the web and is being searched by millions on the web.

Vanafest 2010 – FINAL FANTASY XI ‘Abyssea’

2010-02-28T05:51:00.000-08:00

aw this over at the Final Fantasy XI site, a new announcement from Square Enix Vanafest 2010 regarding ‘Abyssea’, what they are calling “an all-new three-part series of battle-oriented add-ons.”

The continue with this more thorough description:

A parallel world existing beside Vana’diel, Abyssea is a land fraught with perils and home to savage hordes of heretofore unseen creatures. Ferocious, towering NMs, new-look HNMs?even the garden varieties will confound would-be challengers with their unfamiliar and formidable powers. These and a whole host more await hapless adventurers with open arms and voracious maws.

In Abyssea, concerns such as the over-population of battle areas and the need for large time investments will be a thing of the past. The development team is hard at work creating a world where parties can engage in rewarding battles with powerful foes and collect prized equipment with the least of fuss.

You check out the official Abyssea site. The first release, “Vision of Abyssea”, will be released this summer & was shown via a new trailer at the event. It will be followed by “Scars of Abyssea” and “Heroes of Abyssea” will be released later in2010.

Vanafest 2010 – see the official site – is taking place currently in Tokyo.

These fans may be outnumbered, but their spirit still rides high

2010-02-28T05:43:00.001-08:00

Terry Trovato learned a lot of things while he was a student at the University of Kentucky from 1961-1965.

But perhaps the lesson that stuck with him the most was some words of wisdom that legendary basketball coach Adolph Rupp gave to Trovato and his fellow freshmen during registration.

“Now when you graduate from Kentucky, you’ll go out and make our state a better place to live,” Rupp said according to Trovato. “And by God, you’ll know good basketball from bad.”

“We never forgot that,” Trovato said. “And we do, we do know good basketball from bad.”

Trovato has a lot to be excited about this basketball season, as the Wildcats have been ranked in the top five most of the year and ascended to No. 1 for the first time in seven years earlier this season.

“It’s wonderful,” Trovato said. “They call Kentucky the Roman Empire of college basketball. It’s a tremendous following set by Adolph Rupp over 50 years ago.”

Born and raised in the Bluegrass State, Trovato has lived in Natchez for the past 16 years, where most people either bleed LSU purple and gold, Ole Miss red and blue, Mississippi State maroon and white or Southern Miss black and gold.

But the strong bonds around him — and being the odd man out — haven’t tempered his love for his alma mater one bit.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Trovato, who was a drummer in the UK marching band. “It’s a beautiful place, and the really attractive things were the horse farms. When I was in school you could take a date, go to Colonel Sanders to get a chicken lunch and go out to those horse farms, sit and have lunch and enjoy the beauty of the horses.”

But for Trovato, his love for Natchez equaled or even eclipsed his love for Kentucky.

“I came down here because I loved the architecture and antiques, and it is so charming,” Trovato said. “I’ve lived in big cities like Louisville, New Orleans and I was ready for something like this. I was very fortunate that I got on with Callon Petroleum, and I’ve been here 16 years.”

And now that Trovato is in LSU country, he is a little more discreet proclaiming his love for the Wildcats.

While many people put stickers, flags and license plates proclaiming their love for their alma mater all over their car, the only UK memorabilia is a tiny Wildcat sticker on his license plate.

“That’s the only thing you’ll see on my car,” Trovato said with a laugh. “I’m very discreet and don’t gloat over anything because I have to live with all these people, especially the LSU folks.”

While Trovato is discreet with his Kentucky support, Bill Murphy lets everyone that passes his house on Park Place know his allegiance to Oklahoma University.

A large OU flag hangs from his front porch letting the world know his love of his alma mater.

Murphy is originally from Oklahoma City, and graduated from OU in 1967.

After living in Vicksburg for 38 years, Murphy moved to Natchez after his retirement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

He knew as an Oklahoma fan he would be outnumbered by LSU fans, but he didn’t know by how much.

“I was real surprised (by the number of LSU fans) when I moved here,” Murphy said. “There were some in Vicksburg, but it’s nothing like it is here.”

But Murphy has learned to live with LSU, as well as Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss fans by abiding by a simple principle.

“You kind of have to stay in the background a little bit and hope your team wins every now and then so you can get some bragging rights,” Murphy said. “Of course when they play badly you throw all that stuff in the closet.”

Murphy also quickly learned that LSU fans, as well as fans of most SEC schools, can be a little short sighted when it comes to schools outside of their conference.

“Some of these LSU fans don’t even know other teams exist,” he said with a laugh. “I talked to a woman who was a died in the wool LSU fan, and she didn’t even know where Oklahoma (University) was, much less know that they have seven (football) national championships.”

Trovato has also learned when to stay in the background, especially when Kentucky and LSU play each other.

“The overtime football game in 2007 (when Kentucky defeated No. 1 ranked LSU), I was watching that game with Bradley and Genny Harrison,” Trovato said. “He’s an LSU graduate and had some other LSU people over there, and they were all decked out in purple and gold. I had on my UK stuff just for fun, and I never thought Kentucky could win. But at the end of the game when Kentucky stopped LSU on fourth down in overtime, it got very quiet in the room.

“I wasn’t going to aggravate them because they’re my friends. I just stayed very quiet and just said ‘Well I can’t believe it.’”

But Trovato’s LSU fans do have a comeback for him if the 2007 game is mentioned.

“They still remind me about the Bluegrass Miracle (when LSU scored on a 75-yard touchdown pass as time expired to beat Kentucky 33-30 in 2002) by the way,” Trovato said. “But that’s OK.”

And it is, because for Trovato, Murphy and others who are far away from their alma mater, the bonds they have created with Natchez are just as strong or stronger than those tying them to their college.

“I love Natchez and I love all my friends who are rival school fans,” Trovato said. “We enjoy going to The Grove at Ole Miss when they play Kentucky. The Grove is wonderful and we have Ole Miss friends there.

“We love going to Starkville when Kentucky plays Mississippi State. We have some State fans there that let us tailgate with them. And in Baton Rouge, when you go by, everybody’s cooking jambalaya and gumbo. And of course the atmosphere for football in Tiger Stadium is absolutely wonderful.

“I love Kentucky, but I love Natchez and the people. I’ve had a great time down here.”

Kentucky State Flag to be at half-staff on March 1 in tribute

2010-02-28T05:38:00.000-08:00

On Monday March 1 all flags at Kentucky state offices are to be lowered to half-staff. The directive comes from Gov. Steve Beshear who wanted to pay tribute to a Kentucky native Marine, Lance Cpl. Adam D. Peak, who died during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Peak from Florence, Kentucky, was only 25 years of age and died in Helmand province while helping in combat operations in Afghanistan. He was in 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

His funeral will take place on March 1 at Lakeside Presbyterian Church in Lakeside, with a burial to follow at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens in Taylor Mill. The lowering of the flags will occur between sunrise and sunset.

Organizations, government agencies, individuals and businesses are all being urged by Gov. Beshear to follow suit and embrace this tribute. For more information go to iSurfPaducah.com. Do you think this is a fitting tribute to this courageous soldier, and will it go some way to helping his family get over his loss in any way?

NJ Transit suspends north Jersey bus service

2010-02-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

Wind-whipped snow is slowing traffic, lowering visibility, closing many schools and forcing weather-weary New Jerseyans to face another day with snow shovels in their hands.

Forecasters say the snow will taper off through the day. Unlike Thursday's wet snow, Friday's downfall is powdery. Accumulations range anywhere from 3 inches in south Jersey to 2 feet in the northwest part of the state.

NJ Transit buses are not operating in northern New Jersey because of the snow Friday.

The agency has suspended bus service from Mercer County to Bergen County, including routes in and out of New York City.

NJ Transit trains are honoring bus passes.

Rail service is suspended on the Montclair-Boonton line from Montclair State University to Penn Station and Hoboken because of power problems.

Port Jervis Line trains to Hoboken are subject to delays up to 60 minutes because of signal troubles.

Power outages are minimal during the latest snowstorm that's blanketing New Jersey.

Nearly 1,600 customers are without electricity Friday mostly because of branches taking down wires.

Jersey Central Power & Light says about 1,000 homes and businesses don't have service. They're mainly in Newton, Pequannock, Ringwood and Montville.

The state's largest utility, Public Service Electric & Gas, says there are about 575 scattered outages.

Nearly 5,000 utility customers in New Jersey lost power Thursday.

State government offices in New Jersey will delay opening for two hours Friday. Essential employees should report on schedule.

The slow-moving winter storm hammering a swath of the East Coast is bad enough that Mayor Mike Bloomberg has decided to give New York City's 1.1 million public school students a rare snow day.

It's the second snow day there this month, but only the fourth in the past six years.

As late as Thursday, Mayor Mike Bloomberg said school would be on. But spokesman Stu Loeser says conditions have made him change his mind.

The city has received 10 inches of snow, and more is expected.

From Pennsylvania through New England, utility companies are preparing for power outages caused by the combination of snow and strong winds. Gusts of 50 mph have been reported across the region.

Officials are blaming the wind for fanning a hotel fire in Hampton, N.H., and destroying an entire block of businesses.

ony Kornheiser Suspended For Remarks at Hannah Storm

2010-02-24T06:12:00.000-08:00

TV commentator Tony Kornheiser has been suspended for three days by ESPN because of nasty and unpleasant remarks about his colleague Hannah Storm, according to various reports yesterday.

TV host Kornheiser is popularly known for his show “Pardon the Interruption,” in which he makes humorous criticism about popular sports figures. But recently, his subject became his fellow ESPN personality and not the usual sports figures. He hits annotation and remarks at Storm’s wardrobe.

He humorously said that Hannah Storm was in a horrifying, horrifying outfit because she got on red go-go boots and a catholic school plaid skirt, way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now. He even added that Storm got on her typically very, very tight shirt and she looks like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body. Kornheiser sarcastically praises Storm by saying she’s very good and is not supposed to be critical of ESPN people. “Come on now! Stop! What are you doing?”-he plead.

Kornheiser already made a public apology through radio saying he apologize, unequivocally because of being sarcastic and subversive. He admits that he has no right to insult what anybody looks like or what anybody wears. The 61-year-old Kornheiser — a former columnist for the Washington Pos t and broadcaster for ESPN’s Monday Night Football telecasts — has hosted PTI

since 2001

Cricket live score: Sachin Tendulkar scores 200, highest ODI score

2010-02-24T06:06:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar played some scintillating cricket to become the first man in the history of one-day cricket to complete a double century against South Africa in India Vs South Africa 2nd ODI match being played today in Gwalior on February 24.

SACHINI TENDULKAR played some scintillating cricket to become the first man in the history of one-day cricket to complete a double century against South Africa in India Vs South Africa 2nd ODI match being played today in Gwalior on February 24.

This could be described as one of the greatest innings in the history of one day cricket as Tendulkar became the first man to scale the Mountain Everest in form of 200 runs. No other batsman has ever made 200 runs in the short form of the game.

Sachin Tendulkar was on fire as soon as he stood on the batting crease completing his 50 in 37 balls. Tendulkar played some exquisite shots to all parts of the ground and looked invincible as he toyed with the South African bowling, which looked completely incapable of troubling the master.

His century against the South Africans in 2nd ODI match came almost in 100 balls and it was a tribute to the skills and guile of the master blaster. After completing his century, Tendulkar did not relax and kept firing with all cylinders.

There was pin drop silence on the ground as Tendulkar was near the double century with the crowd waiting with bated breath for him to complete the first double century in one day cricket, a feat unachieved in the the game.

Skipper Mahindra Singh Dhoni ably assisted Tendulkar in reaching the highest score in the history of one-day cricket.Congratulations to the little master for scoring the highest score in one-day cricket and it is hoped that he repeats the same game in the coming world cup.

Report: Former Patriot Tatupu dead at 54

2010-02-24T05:57:00.000-08:00

Former Patriots running back Mosi Tatupu, a popular player during his tenure in New England from 1978-90, died Tuesday at his Massachusetts home at the age of 54, according to a report in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Tatupu reportedly had been dealing with high-blood pressure and other problems. “He had some health issues,” family friend Barry Markowitz told the newspaper. Markowitz said he had been informed of the death by Tatupu’s ex-wife, Linnea.

Tatupu, who was born in Samoa and raised in Hawaii, was named to the Patriots 50th Anniversary Team last year as a special teams player. The USC product made the 1986 Pro Bowl as a special teams player after helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl.

Tatupu finished his career playing five games for the Rams in 1991. His final stats include 612 rushes for 2,415 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Tatupu had been coaching running backs coach at Curry College and previously had served as head coach of King Philip High School in Wrentham, where he coached his son, Lofa, who now is a linebacker for the Seahawk

Miss Willie Brown

2010-02-24T05:39:00.000-08:00

Miss Willie Brown: latest news about updates in Miss Willie Brown, miss willie brown honeyhoney, miss willie brown hotel cafe, miss willie brown myspace, mississippi blues willie brown, Kasey and Amanda aka Miss Willie Brown, are it!
What can I say? These sassy Southern women are gorgeous, talented (they sing like angels) and on their way to the top.

They have a decidedly Country leaning, but i would be more inclined to call it Western/American. Whatever you call it, the songs are full of catchy hooks, sing along choruses and sweet sweet soul. While the women harmonize sweetly, the band rocks it Memphis style. Miss Willie Brown is pure entertainment.

Natalee Holloway, Joran van der Sloot Confession

2010-02-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

It appears that there is another confession in the Natalie Holloway case. One of the three main suspects reportedly confessed to dumping the missing teen’s body in the marshes of the Caribbean. Officials are extremely wary and doubt his confession is close to the truth of what happened.

Holloway went missing while on a graduation trip to Aruba and no trace has ever surfaced and the story of what happened after she was last seen at a bar has changed repeatedly. Joran va der Sloot is the main suspect and has now given to two confessions to killing the teen and disposing of her remains. The first time he told reporters that he had dumped her body at sea. This time he told a Dutch newspaper, De Telegraaf, that he hid her body in the swamp on the north end of the island.

“Aruban justice department officials doubt Van der Sloot’s latest confession, telling De Telegraaf that although it has sparked new inquiries into the investigation, “it soon became clear this statement is a mixture of lies and fantasy.” Aruba’s chief prosecutor Peter Blanken told NBC News that the suspect’s story was “very unbelievable.” A justice department spokesman told De Telegraaf that if Van der Sloot were telling the truth he would name the exact spot where Halloway’s body is hidden.”

I am not a detective but I’d be searching the marshes and anyway. However, I understand it is clear that this moron is just wasting everyone’s time. Joran seems more willing to talk to the media than the police. The first confession was on Dutch tv show in which stated that he had sex with Natalie on the beach and afterward she began “shaking” and lost consciousness. After being unable to help her, he said he called a friend who had a boat to take care of her and he went home. The “friend” told him he dumped her body in the ocean and van der Sloot closed the interview by stating, “I didn’t lose a minute of sleep over it.”

He was arrested again after the tape of his confession was given to police. A court in Aruba deemed that their wasn’t enough evidence to keep him in jail and freed him after he began denying any involvement.

Luke Air Force Base Shooting: 1 Shot to Death, 1 Injured as Car Smashes Through Gate

2010-02-23T09:13:00.000-08:00

GLENDALE, Ariz.(CBS/AP) Luke Air Force Base is on high alert after two men who crashed through the front gate late Monday night in a stolen car were shot, killing one and wounding the other, according to base officials.

Base spokesman Capt. Jerry Gonzalez said the pair allegedly stole a car and attempted to flee from authorities. Gonzalez said base security forces set up a roadblock. As the driver tried to run it, security officers fearing for their safety opened fire.

Luke Air Force Base is located in Glendale, Ariz., outside Phoenix, and is used to train pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets.

Jayson Williams gets 18 months for killing

2010-02-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

SOMERVILLE, N.J. - Former NBA star Jayson Williams was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for fatally shooting a hired driver in 2002, ending an eight-year legal odyssey by tearfully apologizing to the victim's family. He will be eligible for parole in 18 months.

Williams, avoiding a retrial on a reckless manslaughter count that deadlocked the jury at his 2004 trial, pleaded guilty last month to aggravated assault in the death of Costas Christofi in February 2002. At the same 2004 trial, he was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter but convicted on four counts of covering up the shooting.

State Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman sentenced Williams to five years for the cover-up counts, a sentence that will run concurrent to the assault sentence.

Story continues below ↓

In court Tuesday, a tearful Williams turned and apologized to Andrea Adams, Christofi's sister, saying "there's not a day I wake up that I don't feel sorry for what I did to Mr. Christofi and that I put you through this."

Adams wrote in a letter read by a court employee that the punishment "didn't fit the crime" and spoke of "eight years of agony watching Jayson Williams prance around and live his life and acting like nothing happened."

Williams paid Christofi's family more than $2 million in 2003 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.

He had been free on bail since being charged in 2002, but was taken from the courtroom in handcuffs to begin serving his sentence.

Most of the facts of the shooting are not in dispute. Christofi had driven Williams and several of the basketball player's friends to Williams' mansion after taking them to a local restaurant.

Williams admitted at his plea hearing last month that he gave the group a tour of the house and showed them his gun collection in his bedroom. While showing off a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun, Williams admitted, he failed to check the safety mechanism and inspected only one of the two barrels before snapping it shut.

The gun fired, striking Christofi once in the chest and killing him. Witnesses testified that Williams tried to cover up his involvement by initially placing the gun in Christofi's hands and instructing those present in the bedroom to lie about what happened.

"Had the defendant exercised one ounce of caution that night, Gus Christofi would still be alive and we wouldn't be here," Deputy Attorney General Steven Farman said Tuesday.

The legal wrangling in the case eventually took on a life of its own, beginning with a change of venue for the trial from Hunterdon County, the site of the shooting, to Somerset County.

In 2007, defense attorneys tried to get the case tossed out after Hunterdon County Prosecutor J. Patrick Barnes divulged that a white investigator in his office had used a racial slur to describe Williams, who is black, in a 2002 meeting.

Williams, who turned 42 on Monday, played nine seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets before a leg injury forced him to retire in 2000. He was in the second year of a six-year, $86 million contract.

He became an NBA analyst for NBC but was suspended after Christofi's shooting. He attempted a short-lived comeback in the minor league Continental Basketball Association in 2005.

Williams has suffered several recent personal setbacks.

His wife filed for divorce last year, but has attended some of his recent court appearances.

Police used a stun gun on him in a New York hotel last year after a female friend said he was acting suicidal. He was charged with assault in May after allegedly punching a man in the face outside a North Carolina bar, but charges were dropped. His father, E.J., with whom he owned a construction business, died in South Carolina in November.

Last month he was charged with drunken driving after he crashed his SUV in Manhattan. Prosecutors said his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit

Song honors soldier who raised Iwo Jima flag

2010-02-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

The focus on Louis Charlo, when there's a focus at all, is how he helped raise the first flag on Iwo Jima and how he died there.

There is so much more to the story, and Jack Gladstone is determined to tell it.

"This is a coming out of the bear's den for this grizzly," Montana's Native "PoetSinger" from Kalispell and the Blackfeet Indian Nation said last week.

Gladstone is making an epic cut he calls "Remembering Private Charlo" into an 11-minute, 45-second centerpiece for his first new CD in seven years, one he's calling "Native Anthropology."

On Tuesday, the 65th anniversary of the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi on the tiny Japanese island in the South Pacific, Gladstone will be in the second day of a recording session in Tucson, Ariz. He'll be working with the likes of Montana virtuoso David Griffith and Will Clipman, a percussionist-drummer for Native flutist R. Carlos Nakai. Clipman, like Nakai, is a multi-Grammy nominee.

"I'm going to lay the rhythm beds for probably the best thing I've ever done," said Gladstone.

He'll be back in Montana next week to record, and said he would love to have the CD out by mid-May.

In "Remembering Private Charlo," Gladstone invokes the long history of Charlo's Bitterroot Salish people and ties it to what he calls "the predominant question in becoming human." That is, the biblical query, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Chief Three Eagles and the Salish said "yes" to that question when they welcomed a weakened Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Bitterroot Valley in 1805 and supplied the strangers with horses. The chief laid down white robes, signifying a covenant, a symbolic treaty of good will.

Gladstone's song traces relations between the Salish and the U.S. government over the next century and more. It was a relationship tinged, he said, by the "growing pains of a young nation that sometimes goes through fits of amnesia and attention deficit."

It was a true trail of tears that Chief Charlo, Louis Charlo's great-grandfather, and his people followed on a journey from their homeland in the Bitterroot to the government-formed Jocko Agency in 1891, Gladstone said. Within two decades, that reserve would be opened to white settlement.

He said Chief Charlo's own grandfather had served the United States in the Indian Wars. War after foreign war, the Salish and other American Indian tribes have distinguished themselves by serving their country in ratios surpassed by no other segment of society.

***

So it was that Louis Charlo, barely 17, brought home to Evaro a box of chocolates in 1943 and begged his mother to let him enlist in the Marines as the guns of war boomed. Maybe it was coincidence, maybe fate, that placed Pvt. Charlo on the USS Missoula en route to Iwo Jima, along with the other soldiers who would raise the first flag on Mount Suribachi to a celebratory cacophony of American soldiers and gunboats.

It was the first foreign flag to be planted on Japanese soil in four millennia, and it came five days after the initial invasion of the island deemed critical for American air strikes on Japan.

The battle, which involved more than 100,000 U.S. and Japanese warriors, would last another 31 days after the first flag and then a second, larger and more famous, were planted. More than 6,800 Americans died, as did all 22,000 Japanese defenders.

On the morning of Feb. 23, "Chuck" Charlo was one of four men selected to scale the island's tallest feature, Mount Suribachi, in what many saw as a suicidal mission. They made it unscathed.

Gladstone has meticulously researched the battle and Charlo's part in it - "I probably know more than I emotionally should be allowed to know without having been there," he said.

The four-man squad then retreated down the slopes, but later in the day joined a 40-man platoon that went back up. There's debate about whether Charlo physically helped plant the first flag. Gladstone is convinced he was, based on a conversation with Chuck Lindberg.

Gladstone was working on a CD in the 1990s that included a song about Navajo Codetalkers in World War II. Lindberg was the last survivor of the flag raisers. As the two visited, he told Gladstone of Charlo's role that day. It was the first Gladstone had heard of the story.

He became more interested a few years ago, when Louis' sister, Mary Jane Charlo, told him about her brother's heroism. She worried about his legacy.

"She said, ‘It's like nobody even cares.' It was kind of a call for me to do something," Gladstone said.

***

Shortly after, Gladstone heard from Bill Worf in Missoula. Worf, from Montana's Rosebud County, was also an 18-year-old Marine on Iwo Jima. He was less than a mile away when the first flag went up.

Now 82, Worf is retired from the U.S. Forest Service. He said Monday he had heard Gladstone's musical tribute to Ira Hayes, an American Indian from the Pima Reservation in Arizona who helped raise the second flag on Suribachi. The photo of that won a Pulitzer Prize for Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal.

Johnny Cash took Peter LaFarge's "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" to No. 3 on the Billboard country music chart in 1964. The 2006 Clint Eastwood film, "Flags of Our Fathers," based on James Bradley's 2000 bestseller of the same name, cemented Hayes' legacy as a war hero who died forgotten and exploited.

"When I heard that song, I wanted Jack to know there was another flag-raising and there was a Montana Indian involved," said Worf, who learned of Charlo the day the flag was raised. His platoon leader, Owen Jarvis, told him when he reported to pick up rations.

"He said, ‘I just wanted you to know another kid from Montana was one of the ones who raised it,' " said Worf. "He told me the man's name was Louis Charlo, and I put it in my head that I was going to meet him as soon as I could."

Worf had made it known he planned to go to the University of Montana to become a forest ranger. So Jarvis also pointed out that day that the flag and the men who raised it had reached Iwo Jima aboard the USS Missoula.

Louis "Chuck" Charlo died on March 2, 1945. In a sector nicknamed "The Meat Grinder," he tried to carry wounded private Ed McLaughlin of Boys Town, Neb., to safety. Both were gunned down.

***

According to the Bible, Cain slew his brother Abel in a fit of jealousy.

"God asked Cain, ‘Where is your brother?' " Gladstone said. "And Cain responded with another question: ‘Am I my brother's keeper?'

"In the last spontaneous act of his life, Private Louis Charlo of the Bitterroot Salish nation answered that question with action. He answered it with compassion, with an understanding that he was linked with his brother, and in saving his brother, he would save himself."

Some 140 years after his forefathers rescued Lewis and Clark, Louis Charlo made the ultimate sacrifice to carry a private from Nebraska to safety.

"When we look at (Feb. 23, 1945) in history, we say, ‘Yeah, there was an Indian up there. Oh, yeah, the drunken Ira Hayes,' " Gladstone said, echoing the words of "The Ballad of Ira Hayes."

"I don't want to hear about the drunken Ira Hayes any more. I want to hear about Private Louis Charlo. I want the country to understand that at the highest levels of the human spirit, he had risen up and he had given himself - it seemed overtly to the United States and maybe to his Bitterroot Salish nation. But in the final act of his existence, he simply was trying to save another fellow human being, in a total selfless context."

A Peek Inside The Bloom Box

2010-02-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

60 Minutes" Gets The First-Ever Look At This Potentially Revolutionary Energy Generating Device

(CBS) This coming Wednesday, Bloom Energy will debut its "Bloom box," a potentially revolutionary energy generating device. As "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl reported, several large companies in Californa - including Google and eBay - have been putting the Bloom box to the test.

Before Stahl, the Bloom box had been out of sight to the media. The company's CEO, K.R. Sridhar, gave "60 Minutes" a peek at his invention.

The Bloom Box: An Energy Breakthrough?
Full Segment: The Bloom Box
Web Extra: The Magic Box
Web Extra: Plug-In Power Plant
Web Extra: Naming The Bloom Box
Web Extra: A Skeptic's View

"Nobody has seen this before," Sridhar told Stahl. "This is just a steel frame around an insulation that keeps all the heat inside, to utilize it how we want to utilize it...for, the 30,000 square foot office building."

"[It] Would have four of these things," he explained. "And the electricity from all four will get combined and come out as a single outlet."

"Wow, and if this were in my house it would supply the energy for everything?" Stahl asked. "Air conditioning, heat?"

"This would more than supply…much larger than what you need," Sridhar said. "Single-family house would be less than a quarter of the size of this box. And it cannot just be in your garage. It can be outside next to your air-conditioning unit."

Former White House adviser Haig is hospitalized

2010-02-19T08:47:00.001-08:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alexander Haig, the retired four-star general who served as Richard Nixon's chief of staff during the Watergate scandal, was in a Baltimore hospital on Friday with an undisclosed medical condition.

U.S.

Johns Hopkins Medical Center spokesman Gary Stephenson confirmed that the 85-year-old Haig had been admitted as a patient. But he did not provide details.

Haig served as a top adviser to three Republican presidents -- Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. A career Army officer, he was also NATO supreme allied commander and later Reagan's secretary of state.

Haig ran for president in 1988, but was dogged in the campaign by his famous declaration "I'm in control here" after the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan.

Critics called that statement, which seemed to incorrectly state the line of presidential succession, pompous and militaristic and used it against him.

Lysacek Wins Figure Skating Gold

2010-02-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

By slightly more than a point, Evan Lysacek of the U.S. won his throw-down with Russian rival Evgeni Plushenko, claiming the gold medal Thursday in men's figure skating.

Mr. Lysacek, who was ranked second after Tuesday's short program, skated a clean long program Thursday that nailed both jumps and spins -- yet lacked the quadruple toe loop, figure skating's most physically demanding move. That won him a combined score of 257.67.

"I couldn't have asked for much more than to have my personal best at the most important moment in my life,'' said Mr. Lysacek, after his performance.

Mr. Lysacek's win also proved it's possible to be No. 1 without performing the quad, where the skater leaps up and twirls four times in the air. The skater stopped doing the maneuver last year, after a broken foot made it too painful.

The brash Mr. Plushenko, who's called the quad the "future of figure skating,'' landed one early in Thursday's program, but lost points for sloppy execution and wobbly jumps elsewhere. He scored a total of 256.36 for the short and long programs.

The quad proved risky for other less sure skaters. Japan's Daisuke Takahashi, who took home bronze, attempted one and fell, costing him points. Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland, who performed two quads -- both a bit shaky in execution -- still ended the night ranked behind Messrs. Lysacek and Plushenko, largely because his moves weren't as clean as they should have been.
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* discuss

“ Hard, hard work pays off when all is said and done. We should all take note. ”

—Dave Georgeson

The Olympic battle between Messrs. Lysacek and Plushenko is philosophical as well as physical. Mr. Plushenko has argued that figure-skating should be like any other sport: It should feature tougher and tougher feats of physical prowess. Mr. Lysacek notes that figure skaters are rewarded for form and consistency as much as anything else.

"If it was a jumping competition, they would give us 10 seconds to run and do your best jump,'' said Mr. Lysacek after his performance. "But it is a four minute and 40 second performance, about sustaining that level of skating, excitement and endurance.''

Mr. Plushenko remained dismissive of the way the performances were judged, even in defeat. "If you exclude quads then the males just do ice dancing,'' he said, after Mr. Lysacek's win. Mr. Plushenko did concede that Mr. Lysacek was a good skater.

Of course, Mr. Lysacek is no slouch at jumping either. Triple jumps are tough to land, and Mr. Lysacek's program had eight of them, several of them linked with other leaps in combination.

Steadiness also helped him on Thursday, compared to Mr. Plushenko, said Frank Carroll, Mr. Lysacek's coach. "Plushenko was brilliant in the jumping,'' said Mr. Carroll. "But his ... skating was up very brilliant and down.''

* Slideshow: Day Seven of the Vancouver Olympics

Shaun White Olympics 2010 Video Update

2010-02-18T08:50:00.000-08:00

Shaun White Olympics 2010 video update. Shawn White has live up into the expectations of millions. The most decorated and probably the best snowboarder today, he grabbed his first gold in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in the men’s halfpipe. Shawn White’s performance goes viral in the internet because he did the improbable and impossible that no person has done it yet, the Double McTwist 1260.

Yes, Sean White Olympics 2010 video still is one of the hottest in the internet today. It is a breakthrough performance that it will not passed away soon. White led the leaderboard all through the game. Shown White scored 48.4 to get the gold medaly while Finland’s Peetu Piiroinen got the silver.

Shaun White Olympics 2010 Video Update

2010-02-18T08:41:00.000-08:00

With TIGER grant in hand, Moynihan Phase I set to begin

2010-02-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

A federal TIGER grant approved today ensures that at least the first phase of the Moynihan Station proposal will see the light of day. (Rendering via Friends of Moynihan Station)

After years of proposals, politicking and promises, Moynihan Station is finally poised to become something of a reality. Earlier today, Sen. Chuck Schumer, long a champion of the Penn Station expansion project, announced an $83 million TIGER grant for the station, and the money closes the Phase I budget gap. Construction will commence before the end of 2010.

As Elana Schor at Streetsblog DC details, the grant is part of the Obama Administration’s competitive $1.5 billion Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery program, and New York’s plan is the first bid winner. This award is a clean sign of the federal Department of Transportation’s move toward a more merit-based funding solution. “Moynihan Station is the poster child for the best way to use federal funding,” Schumer said. “It creates jobs, upgrades aging transportation infrastructure, and leaves behind an economic engine for the entire region.”

With this $83.3 million grant in place, the Moynihan Station now has a guaranteed $267 million set aside for it. The breakdown, per a press release is as follows: $110 million in previously earmarked federal funding, $35 million from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, $14 million from the State of New York, and $10 million from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

So what then does $267 million buy at the planned site of a new transportation hub? Unfortunately, not very much. Per Friends of Moynhian Station, the money will go toward:

* Building two new entrances to Penn Station’s platforms from West of Eighth Avenue through the corners of the Farley Building;
* Doubling the length and width of the West End Concourse;
* Providing 13 new “vertical access points” (escalators, elevators and stairs) to the platforms;
* Doubling the width of the 33rd Street Connector between Penn Station and the West End Concourse and;
* Other critical infrastructure improvements including platform ventilation and catenary work.

Phase II, construction of the train hall in the Farley Building, will be independently funded and is currently estimated to cost between $1 and $1.5 billion. The Friends of Moynihan Station stress that all Phase I elements will be independently functional in the very likely event that Phase II doesn’t get off the ground any time soon.

Still, long-term advocates of the station were thrilled with today’s developments. “We’re very pleased this critical project is finally getting underway, after years of delay,” Bob Yaro, president of the Regional Plan Association, said. “There is no more important project for creating needed transportation capacity in the regional rail system and for catalyzing the redevelopment of New York’s Far West Side.”

Bo Griffin, Southern Florida Radio Host, Dies of Intestinal Cancer

2010-02-17T06:56:00.000-08:00

South Florida lost one of its much-beloved radio hosts yesterday, when Bo Griffin died of intestinal cancer at the age of 51. She is survived by her father, the Rev. David L. Hellams, and two sisters.

This story is particularly sad because it was reportedly only last month that Griffin learned of her condition, after seeing a doctor about a pain in her lower back.

Bo Griffin is remembered by many as "Bo the Party Animal," and as co-host of the Mindy and Bo Morning Show on Power 96, a Miami-based top 40 radio station. More recently, she made various television appearances on shows like 'Extra' and 'Good Day Live.' She may have just recently signed on has a regular correspondent for 'Extra.' She also owned a boutique called Goddess in Greenville in Greenville, South Carolina.

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Fat Tuesday in the "Big Easy

2010-02-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

It's Fat Tuesday in New Orleans and that means it's time to party: Mardi Gras-style!

Throughout the Big Easy, people are crying out "Go Saints! Who Dat!" The city is still revelling in its Super Bowl win, so Mardi Gras has become one big extended party. "Oh, this is the best! We come every year and the crowds are bigger this year," said Chris booth, who was dressed as a pig with wings.

Even the chilly temperatures haven't stopped Saints fans from filling the streets for more than a week now. And ruling the celebrations is New Orleans' favorite adopted son, Drew Brees. The Super Bowl MVP and King of the hugely popular Bacchus Parade.

Half the fun at Mardi Gras is to try to catch the beads they throw from the floats. It's not as easy as it looks, but most sought after items this year are purple Drew Brees footballs. They're hard to catch! Raynell Hughes tried to catch one of the 10,000 toys thrown out during the parade. "It feels so great. It feels like I am in love," Hughes said.

And on Bourbon Street, the businesses are also feeling the love. Restaurant Manager Henry Sauviac says it's the busiest he's ever seen it.

Bernard not the favourite in women's curling

2010-02-16T07:03:00.000-08:00

Cheryl Bernard and Sidney Crosby have something in common.

When the Canadian women's curling skip and the best player on the men's hockey team step onto the ice in Vancouver, they'll both be held to a standard bordering on unreasonable: gold medal or bust.

Like Crosby, Bernard plays a sport that Canadians claim to own, despite ample evidence that other countries are capable of going toe-to-toe at the highest level. The curler, though, faces an added problem.

Sid the Kid can at least take comfort in the fact that his team is widely considered the best in its tournament — even if only by a slim margin — by hockey cognoscenti. But those in the know in curling will tell you something that many casual Olympic viewers may not realize: Bernard is not the favourite in women's curling.

In fact, she may not even rank in the top two. CBC curling analysts Mike Harris and Joan McCusker both say the championship final is most likely to pit China's Bingyu Wang, the reigning world champion, against Sweden's Anette Norberg, the defending Olympic gold medallist.
'Unfair expectation'

"Cheryl Bernard is going to have to fight really hard for a medal," said McCusker, a member of the 1998 Olympic championship rink skipped by the late Sandra Schmirler. "That's not saying that medal can't be gold, but it's going to be a really hard road for her.

"That's what people need to know. Canadians expect our curlers to win a gold medal. I think that's an unfair expectation."

This is not a reflection on Bernard, the analysts are quick to say. Though the Calgarian, who's never won the Tournament of Hearts, came into December's Canadian curling trials as something of an afterthought, she left no doubt that she was the cream of an exceptionally deep field.

Bernard and teammates Susan O'Connor, Carolyn Darbyshire and Cori Bartel lost just one round-robin game, earning a bye to the final with their 6-1 record. There, Bernard showed nerves of steel, executing a heart-pounding draw with the game's final stone to defeat 2006 Olympic bronze medallist Shannon Kleibrink and earn the trip to Vancouver.

"This isn't a flash-in-the-pan team," McCusker said.
International invasion

Bernard's victory disappointed some Canadian fans who were hoping to be represented by Jennifer Jones (the Winnipegger would go on to capture her third consecutive national title in February).

But both Harris and McCusker say it wouldn't matter who skips Team Canada: the international competition is simply that good. Just look at Jones's record at the world championships, where in three appearances the reigning Queen of the Hearts has won just one medal (gold in 2008).

More proof can be found on the World Curling Tour, where international teams account for half of the Top 10 money winners this season. Great Britain's Eve Muirhead (No. 4), American Debbie McCormick (No. 5), Wang (No. 6), Japan's Moe Meguro (No. 7) and Germany's Andrea Schopp (No. 10) will all compete at the Olympics.

"In the past, you wouldn't have found [non-Canadian] teams in the top 50," McCusker said. "Now they're all in the top 20. That speaks volumes."

Muirhead and McCormick are both legitimate medal contenders. Muirhead, who's only 19, won the last two world junior titles, and she'll have former world champ Jackie Lockhart (at 44, old enough to be her mother) at her side. The Saskatoon-born McCormick won the world championship in 2003 and was the runner-up in 2006.

Switzerland's Mirjam Ott (No. 17 on the Tour's money list) also has the ability to spoil the party in Vancouver after taking silver at each of the last two Winter Games. Ott will face Bernard in the opening draw on Tuesday.

China and Sweden, though, are the class of the field.
Curling 9 to 5

Wang's rink has a unique advantage: paid by their national government, curling is their full-time job (virtually everyone else spends their 9-to-5s in another occupation). During the season, the 24-year-old skip and her teammates live and train in Canada — allowing them to work under Canadian coaching and play a full slate of bonspiels in the country that still boasts, by far, the largest number of top-flight curlers. They are the future.

And the present, too: after losing to Jones in the final of the 2008 worlds, Wang and company dominated last year's tournament in South Korea. Dropping just one game along the way, they beat Norberg in the final to claim China's first (and probably not last) world title in curling.

"They know exactly what they're doing out there," Bernard told CBCSports.ca in the lead-up to the Olympics. "It doesn't take as long [to improve your game] when you have that kind of time and the opportunities that their government gives them."

Norberg represents "the old guard," as McCusker calls it. The 43-year-old actuary can trace her Olympic history all the way back to the 1988 Games in Calgary, where she skipped Sweden to a silver medal in the demonstration event. Norberg went on to capture seven European titles, back-to-back world championships in 2005 and '06, and of course the Olympic gold in Turin.

"This is a powerhouse team," McCusker said. "Many people think maybe they've passed their peak, which was four years ago, but I think they're still an unbelievable threat."

So Bernard clearly has her work cut out for her. But don't forget what her team did last time it entered a big-time tournament as an underdog.

"The pressure of being the favourite wasn't there [at the Canadian trials]," Bernard told CBCSports.ca. "And it worked the right way for us."

"Being under the radar wasn't such a bad thing."

Bye Bayh: Senator Evan Bayh to Retire in Big Blow to Democrats

2010-02-15T09:40:00.000-08:00

Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh will announce today that he's not seeking another term, handing a huge blow to Democrats and giving Republicans a key opportunity to pick up another Senate seat in 2010.

The moderate senator from Indiana plans to announce his decision at a news conference this afternoon in Indianapolis, according to two Democratic officials familiar with his plans.

The decision, which comes as a surprise to many Washington insiders, blows a sizeable hole in the Democrats' 2010 lineup. The party faces several other retirements -- Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., both have said they will not seek reelection -- and challenges ahead in trying to hold on to those seats, among a range of others.

Republicans have long eyed Indiana as a prime pick-up opportunity and Bayh's retirement is likely to intensify chatter about the GOP's chances to take over the Senate this year. Republicans are favored to win in North Dakota. They may also be able to capture Vice President Joe Biden's old Senate seat in Delaware.

Olympic Luge Tragedy Video Appropriateness and Dialog

2010-02-15T09:33:00.000-08:00

Olympic Luge tragedy video appropriateness and dialog. The Olympic luge tragedy video continues to be a viral desire of Internet users. Nodar Kumaritashvili died on Friday during a training run down the Whistler track in Vancouver, British Columbia preparing for the Olympics.

Prior to his death, Kumaritashvili spoke to his parents and told them that he would “make them proud.” He also spoke with them days before the accident and told them he was “scared” of the track.

There are two main issues surrounding the appropriateness of the video. First, many feel that news networks shouldn’t have shown footage of his death. After all, it was very graphic coverage.

Second, many feel that Whistler track was at least partially to blame for the incident. Lugers are not recommended to go over 85 mph, and the track clocked speeds of 96 mph. Furthermore, the metal support beams surrounding the track were not padded.

After the Olympic luge tragedy, officials padded the metal support beams and lowered the start. Some competitors said that the track is a “child’s” race after the adjustments were made. This, of course, sounded very disrespectful to many Nodar Kumaritashvili fans.

If you wish to see the Olympic Luge Tragedy video, click here.

Jean Simmons: an unforgettable English rose

2010-02-15T09:13:00.000-08:00

Philip French pays tribute to the Rank Organisation starlet who went on to become one of Hollywood's most luminous actresses

ean Simmons, who has died at the age of 80 of lung cancer in Santa Monica, California, was among the finest, most beautiful British movie actresses of the postwar years. She was one of only two from that great 1940s flourishing of our native industry under J Arthur Rank to become a major star in Hollywood; the other was Deborah Kerr, with whom she twice appeared.

Born in 1929, the daughter of a gym teacher who had represented Britain in the 1912 Olympics, she grew up in Cricklewood, north London, of which she once disloyally remarked: "No Cricklewood girl would ever admit to being from there." She got a deal of work as a child actress, without becoming a child star (her most memorable early appearance is singing at a forces concert in the morale-building wartime favourite The Way to the Stars), then found fame as a teenager.

She is often spoken of as a demure English rose, and indeed a 2004 American TV documentary was called Jean Simmons: Rose of England, and she crossed the Atlantic at a time when British actresses were not required to adopt American accents. But the early roles that established her reputation were dangerously troubled figures in postwar British classics: Estella, the wilful agent of the destructive Miss Havisham in David Lean's Great Expectations (1946); the eastern temptress in the Himalayan convent in Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus (1947); and Ophelia in Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948).

In his review of Hamlet, America's greatest film critic of the time, James Agee, said she was "the only person in the picture who gives every one of her lines the bloom of poetry and the immediacy of ordinary life". She received the first of her Oscar nominations for the part, though she had never read or seen a Shakespeare play before, and Olivier's suggestion that she go to drama school was vetoed by the Rank Organisation. Rank then sold her contract to Howard Hughes, and she went to Hollywood in 1950 with her husband, Stewart Granger, then a major star and 16 years her senior, whom she had worked with on the romantic comedy Adam and Evelyne (1949).

The capricious Hughes ill-used her talent. She flourished, however, as soon as she broke free of him, becoming for more than a decade one of the dominant performers in an industry where the studio system was in decline. The first great part was playing the Roman patrician converted to Christianity in the widescreen epic The Robe (1953), the first feature made in CinemaScope. In it she acted opposite Richard Burton, and at different times she co-starred with Robert Mitchum, Spencer Tracy (she called her first child Tracy Granger), Gregory Peck, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster and Cary Grant, and was directed by Otto Preminger, George Cukor, Joseph L Mankiewicz, William Wyler, Stanley Kubrick, Stanley Donen and her second husband, Richard Brooks (with whom she had a daughter named Kate after Katharine Hepburn).

Simmons was impressive in her first Hollywood role as a homicidal psychopath in the noir thriller Angel (made under Hughes's auspices) and in 1958 gave one of her greatest performances as an overbearing academic's wife experiencing a breakdown in Home Before Dark.

Her characteristic roles at this time were strong but never sanctimonious super ego figures, people of moral stature, as varied as the Salvation Army officer Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls (which allowed her to sing and show her delightful sense of comedy), the schoolmarm acting as a restraining influence during a Texas range war in The Big Country, the slave Verina courted by Kirk Douglas in Spartacus, and the dedicated evangelist in Elmer Gantry. There are unforgettable scenes in all these pictures.

From the mid-70s onwards, her work was mainly for television in such mini-series as The Thorn Birds and North and South, and her career came full circle when she played Miss Havisham in a television version of Great Expectations. She made a notable return to London and the stage in 1975 as Desirée Armfeldt in a West End production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, a role created on Broadway by Glynis Johns, another British expatriate and Simmons's closest friend. She was excellent, and infinitely superior to Elizabeth Taylor in the film version.

Most recently she came out of retirement to appear in a final movie in Britain, David Rocksavage's Shadows in the Sun, playing a frail, terminally ill poet determined to hang on to her family house in East Anglia, who dies shortly after watching an alfresco production of that wise play about departure and death, The Tempest. It opened last June, the same day that Spartacus was reissued, and it was a deeply moving experience to see the two performances, separated by nearly half a century, on the same day.

Presidents Day 2010: Michelle Williams Sings Your U.S. Presidents

2010-02-15T08:51:00.001-08:00

Today is Presidents Day, a federal holiday that commemorates the birthday of our first president, George Washington. While you're enjoying your day off from work, take a moment to think about the 44 presidents this country has seen. Better yet, take a moment to sing about it, with Michelle Williams, star of Sundance fave "Blue Valentine."

Seriously... she sings all of them.

Presidents Day 2010: Michelle Williams Sings Your U.S. Presidents

2010-02-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

Chloe Dufour Lapointe

2010-02-14T06:43:00.000-08:00

Chloe Dufour Lapointe is one of the deserving athletes who receive an award being a competitor in Freestyle skiing: Women's Moguls Division. You can also read more of the results below or visit the site I have included in this post.

You can read more news and updates from the article of www2.journalnow.com:

1. Hannah Kearney, Norwich, Vt., 26.63; 2. Jennifer Heil, Canada, 25.69; 3. Shannon Bahrke, Tahoe City, Calif., 25.43; 4. Aiko Uemura, Japan, 24.68; 5. Chloe Dufour-Lapointe, Canada, 23.87.

6. Margarita Marbler, Austria, 23.69; 7. Ekaterina Stolyarova, Russia, 23.55; 8. Arisa Murata, Japan, 23.22; 9. Regina Rakhimova, Russia, 22.70; 10. Deborah Scanzio, Italy, 22.19.

11. Yulia Galysheva, Kazakhstan, 22.17; 12. Miki Ito, Japan, 21.63; 13. Marina Cherkasova, Russia, 21.09; 14. Darya Rybalova, Kazakhstan, 20.85; 15. Daria Serova, Russia, 20.84.

I was once saw Chloe Dufour Lapointe in her skiing competitions and I was truly amazed on the way she does her styles. She is indeed a great athlete!

Printable Valentines Cards Free : Valentine Card online

2010-02-14T06:25:00.001-08:00

They say it’s the idea that counts. If you do not have the budget this season, then maybe you can just send a Valentine’s Day eCard to your loved ones or to download and print a Valentine Card online.

The important thing is actually to remind them that you simply love them and will continually be of their hearts. That’s the Valentine’s greeting and message that may show them that you just care enough to send the very best (pun intended).

read full article: Printable Valentine’s Day Card FREE

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Printable Valentines Cards Free : Valentine Card online

on Feb 14th, 2010 and filed under Featured, Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
Printable Valentines Cards Free : Valentine Card online
printable valentines cards free

printable valentines cards free

They say it’s the idea that counts. If you do not have the budget this season, then maybe you can just send a Valentine’s Day eCard to your loved ones or to download and print a Valentine Card online.

The important thing is actually to remind them that you simply love them and will continually be of their hearts. That’s the Valentine’s greeting and message that may show them that you just care enough to send the very best (pun intended).

read full article: Printable Valentine’s Day Cards for FREE
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* Super Bowl XLIV : Google aims for cute with Super Bowl ad
* Romeo and Juliet, New online Shakespeare game becomes internet hit
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* Home
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* Shopping
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Printable Valentines Cards Free : Valentine Card online

on Feb 14th, 2010 and filed under Featured, Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
Printable Valentines Cards Free : Valentine Card online
printable valentines cards free

printable valentines cards free

They say it’s the idea that counts. If you do not have the budget this season, then maybe you can just send a Valentine’s Day eCard to your loved ones or to download and print a Valentine Card online.

The important thing is actually to remind them that you simply love them and will continually be of their hearts. That’s the Valentine’s greeting and message that may show them that you just care enough to send the very best (pun intended).

read full article: Printable Valentine’s Day Cards for FREE
scarlett-journey.net
TwitThis
Related Posts

* Valentines Day Cards Printable and eCards Online
* Hottest January On Record: UAH Satellite
* Super Bowl XLIV : Google aims for cute with Super Bowl ad
* Romeo and Juliet, New online Shakespeare game becomes internet hit
* Facebook photo costs IBM employee insurance
* Brütal Legend video game, heavy metal and an epic tale of adventure

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JR Celski Wins Bronze Medal in Men’s 1500 Short Track Olympics Skating at 2010 Vancouver Winter games

2010-02-14T05:57:00.000-08:00

Newcomer JR Celski won a bronze medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter games after an amazing ending to the race featuring Apollo Ono. Celski was behind in the race when two Korean skaters got tangled up and fell during the final lap.
(Media-Newswire.com) – Newcomer JR Celski won a bronze medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter games after an amazing ending to the race featuring Apollo Ono. Celski was behind in the race when two Korean skaters got tangled up and fell during the final lap.

JR Celski Wins Bronze Medal in Men’s 1500 Short Track Olympics Skating
media-newswire.com

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* A look ahead at the Vancouver Olympics on Saturday

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720 Dunk : This is Taurian Fontenette winning the Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown

2010-02-14T05:39:00.000-08:00

I know many of you are scrambling for footage of Taurian Fontenette winning the 2010 D-League dunk contest after TNT’s Kenny Smith mistakenly said he was the D-League champ. Fontenette won a highly entertaining Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown, featuring the top amateur dunkers and judged by LeBron James, Darryl Dawkins, and Drake. Although he didn’t break out his trademark 720, Fontenette did manage to win the contest.

Merrill leads swim team at district

2010-02-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hornet Cameron Merrill was impressive at the District 6-4A swim meet conducted at the Keller ISD natatorium.

Merrill qualified for the regional meet in four events. He won two individual races and will compete as a member of a pair of relay teams.

No one could top the Azle swimmer in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly.

“His times were the best of the season and he is peaking at the right time,” coach Billy Morgan noted. “He had a great night.”

Even a 30-minute delay caused by electronic difficulties didn’t slow Merrill.

He will join Kyle Crum, Curtis Mahlmann, and Ryan McCann in the 200-yard freestyle and medley relays Feb. 12-13 at Fort Worth Wilkerson-Greines Athletic Complex pool.

Crum also qualified for regional in the 100-yard backstroke. He took eighth in the 100 freestyle, too.

Merrill finished in a three-way tie for 6-4A Swimmer of the Year honors, Morgan recalled.

Also competing were Lady Hornets Abby White, Aubrey Murphy, and Krysele Martinez.

Morgan said, “I am very proud of the swimmers for all their hard work and dedication.”

The coach added that he is trying to build the program and anyone interested in joining can contact him at bjmorgan@azleisd.net.

Hornets are seeking a state berth in Austin Feb. 26-27.

Iran: Destroy Israel if it strikes

2010-02-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

Ahmadinejad tells Assad Jewish state must be "resisted with full force."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Syrian President Bashar Assad that Israel "must be resisted" and finished off "once and for all" if it launches a military operation in the Middle East, Reuters cited an Iranian report as saying on Thursday.

"We have reliable information ... that the Zionist regime is after finding a way to compensate for its ridiculous defeats by the people of Gaza and Lebanon's Hizbullah," Ahmadinejad told his Syrian counterpart in a phone conversation on Wednesday evening, according to IRIB, Iran's state broadcaster.

"If the Zionist regime repeats its mistakes and initiate a military operation, then it must be resisted with full force to put an end to it once and for all," Ahmadinejad reportedly asserted.

Related articles:
IAEA: Iran's new enrichment modest
Iran braces for Islamic Revolution anniversary
Op-Ed: We're ready to pay the price
Analysis: Is Iran pre-revolutionary?

The Iranian president has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" multiple times and has voiced harsh criticism against Israeli policies.

At the UN General Assembly in New York in September, Ahmadinejad gave a fiery speech that targeted Israel as a "Zionist regime" guilty of "inhumane policies in Palestine."

Through a translator, the Iranian leader likened actions by Israel in Gaza to "genocide,"' and said the international community "is impatiently waiting for the punishment of the aggressors and the murderers of the defenseless people of Gaza."

Ahmadinejad portrayed Israel and its allies, including the United States, as part of a vast conspiracy.

Iran Blocks Gmail After Google Launches New Web Feature

2010-02-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

(Feb. 11) -- A government crackdown has officially blocked Iranians from accessing Google's basic e-mail service, Gmail. Could Google's introduction of a flashy new social-media feature, Google Buzz, be the reason?

On Tuesday, Google began rolling out a free product for sharing media and keeping track of friends in real time through Gmail. Many analysts interpreted it as a direct challenge to similar real-time update streams on competitor Web sites Facebook and Twitter.

On Wednesday, the official Iranian communications agency said it would permanently suspend access to Gmail and replace it with a state-sponsored e-mail service, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Journal notes that this is but one of many efforts to discourage and disrupt dissidents. Iranian security forces reportedly confiscated satellite-TV dishes, searched mobile phones and commandeered a bus station to use as a security outpost. Also, in recent days there have been suspiciously timed outages on Iran's Internet and mobile-phone networks.

Although Iran is notorious for its strict media censorship, the latest push comes as the country observes its most significant national holiday of the year, the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

On Feb. 11, 1979, students led an uprising that deposed Iranian's secular, Western-backed monarchy, replacing it with the current anti-American and theocratic regime. The annual celebration of this day is traditionally marked by large public festivities. But many Iranians opposed to the current government were expected to engage in public protests, using the Web and cell phones to coordinate their response.

Internal opposition to the Islamic Republic has continued over the past eight months, following the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009. In the immediate aftermath of the vote, green-garbed Reformist protesters took to the streets to contest the election's validity. Security forces were called in to suppress the protesters, resulting in violent clashes that led to dozens of fatalities and numerous injuries.

Protests have occurred sporadically since, gaining the support of many journalists and politicians around the world. On each occasion, Iranian protesters used Web-based social-media tools to organize their activities and disseminate eyewitness reports of the violence on the ground to global media outlets.

Specifically, the opposition's use of Twitter was so prominent that the U.S. State Department asked administrators to defer site maintenance to ensure continued service. According to the blog TechCrunch, it's likely only a matter of time before the Iranian government bans Twitter alongside Gmail.

But while the Iranian government can claim Gmail as its latest casualty in the ongoing "cyberwars," it too was recently victimized by a mischievous hack on the president's Web site.
Filed under: World, Tech

Blame China for Iran's Nukes

2010-02-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

Beijing's friendship with Tehran makes war in the region more likely.

Iran's threat to "punch" the West will exacerbate the worries of many people who follow events in the Middle East and are increasingly worried the world is sleep-walking towards a new regional war. The causes of this possible war are typically categorized as, first, Iran's determination to build nuclear weapons, and second, the world's apparent inability to stop it.

But a third cause often gets overlooked: If there is a war, a large part of the responsibility will rest with Beijing. China has assumed the status of a great power, including a veto at the U.N. Security Council. But instead of becoming a responsible member of the community of leading states, acting jointly with other powers to avert the prospect of wars, China is using its new-found power in ways that make war more likely.

China's military and diplomatic power have increased enormously over the past 20 years. But unlike the world's other leading powers, China is a poor country economically and a dictatorship politically. After decades of rapid growth, China's per capita GDP is still only $6,500–less than Ecuador or Angola, and only 14% of per capita GDP in the United States.

China's approach to Iran can be explained by the political situation at home: The Chinese people have come to expect constantly rising standards of living, and this the greatest weakness of the Chinese Communist regime. The Chinese people will tolerate the communists' monopoly of power only so long as their living standards keep rising.

The weak link in this system is China's inadequate energy sources. Even with coal, nuclear power and its huge hydro-electricity schemes, China is short of energy, and its dependence on imports is growing. Australia, as a major exporter of coal and natural gas, has been one of the major beneficiaries. But China's greatest need is for oil, and this Australia cannot supply.

China can buy all the oil it wants on the international market, but the communist leaders don't want China's prosperity—and their own hold on power—to be dependent on a free market they don't trust. They want control and certainty. They see the way to get these things is through deals with selected oil-exporting countries, preferably ones which are at political odds with western powers, so that their need for friends and protectors is greater.

This explains China's deep involvement with Sudan–one of the world's nastiest regimes, responsible for the deaths of up to 300,000 people in Darfur. Sudan now supplies nearly 10% of China's oil imports. It's a cozy deal–China gets a secure oil supply and Sudan gets arms and diplomatic protection. The Sudanese regime knows it will never face U.N. sanctions, because China uses its Security Council veto to protect it.

An even bigger supplier of oil to China is Iran. China now gets 15% of its oil from Iran, and is Iran's second-biggest customer after Japan. As with Sudan, China pays for its oil by protecting Iran against U.N. sanctions over its nuclear program. Even with Russia threatening to support sanctions against Iran, China's foreign minister has made clear that Beijing opposes sanctions.

This is a very dangerous game. President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad is determined to build nuclear weapons and has threatened Israel with destruction many times. He may be bluffing, but this is not a risk Israel can afford to take. If the international community cannot restrain Iran, the government of Israel will face great pressure to take pre-emptive steps to protect the country against attack.

Thus, China's greed for secure oil imports and its willingness to deal with outlaw regimes to get these imports is causing a breakdown in the world's only system for disciplining countries that endanger peace. If the U.N. sanctions break down in Iran, this opens up a serious danger of war—and China will bear a heavy share of the blame.

Iran marks 31st anniversary of Islamic Revolution

2010-02-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

Thursday 11 February is the 31st Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, the day which brought Ayatollah Khomeini and clerical rule to power.
The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has addressed vast crowds in the capital, Tehran, at an official rally to mark the anniversary.

Confrontations have been reported in several parts of Tehran, where police have clashed with opposition supporters trying to mount counter demonstrations to push their demands for political reform.

Newshour's Lyse Doucet takes an in-depth look at events in the country, with contributions from:

* The BBC's Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne, who is in London after being expelled from Iran shortly after last year's disputed election.
* Abdulkarim Soroush, a former Iranian revolutionary from 1979, currently living just outside Washington DC.
* Siyavesh Ardalan, a reporter with BBC Persian TV and presenter of the interactive programme click Your Turn.

MTA New York City Transit Keeps Trains Rolling During Winter Weather

2010-02-10T07:02:00.000-08:00

Providing safe, reliable service has always been MTA New York City Transit’s top priority. During inclement weather, especially snow storms, NYC Transit works even harder to ensure riders get to where they need to go safely and quickly.

MTA New York City Transit’s Department of Subways maintains a fleet of snow and ice-busting equipment designed to keep outdoor tracks and the third rail clear of snow and ice during harsh winter weather. The fleet includes super-powered snow throwers, jet-powered snow-blowers, and specially-built de-icing cars, all designed to keep service moving. This equipment provides the ability to run trains more often, which also serves as a way to keep tracks clear of snow.

“Our goal is to keep our services up and running so that our customers can get to where they need to be no matter what the weather,” said NYC Transit President Thomas F. Prendergast. “We have a tremendous investment in machinery, manpower and experience so that customer confidence remains high in our ability to transport them safely.”

The expectation of heavy snow brings the order to move all out of service trains from outdoors yards and store them underground. But while the subway portions of the system remain unaffected, there are nearly 220 miles of outdoor track around the system and NYC Transit has heavy-duty equipment designed to move snow, melt ice and do anything else required to maintain service in less than ideal weather conditions. Routes running along the surface and in open cuts, such as the Rockaway, Sea Beach and Dyre Ave. Lines, are particularly vulnerable to snow and freezing weather.

During a heavy snowstorm, such as the one that hit the city in 2006, tracks on outdoor subway lines must be cleared often, and the third rails kept free of ice. Also, the outdoor steps at all 468 subway stations must be shoveled and salted along with the outdoor platforms.
Subway Snow Fighting Equipment

Snow Throwers (four) – Precise directional snow throwing equipment that includes a two stage impeller and side mounted rotating brushes to throw snow up to 200 feet and can remove 3,000 tons of snow an hour. This is similar to a household snow blower, just a lot bigger.

Jet Blowers (five) – This equipment uses a jet engine to remove accumulated snow from the roadbed and deposit it a distance from the tracks so that it cannot slide back. This piece of equipment is used primarily to keep the yards clear.

De-Icer Cars (six) – Equipped with scraper shoes that scrape off ice and directs a stream of de-icing fluid to melt and/or prevent ice buildup on the third rail. If ice is permitted to build up, subway car power pickup equipment will not be able to draw electric current from the third rail and the train will stop.

Ballast Regulator – Uses brush/broom to evenly sweep and push up snow onto an undercab conveyer and away from the track.

Rider Cars – Heated/Insulated work cars that can be used to carry crews and equipment to snow removal work sites. These cars are equipped with ice-scraping equipment to help keep the third rail clear.

Locomotives – All Diesel Locomotives are equipped with small snow plows at both ends to assist in scraping snow and ice off the road bed and transporting the other snow removal work cars. The locomotives are also fitted with scraper shoes to remove ice from the third rail.

Bone Black

2010-02-10T06:49:00.001-08:00

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Dirty Jobs is a reality television show on Discovery Show which aims to find the dirtiest job.

And the episode just featured was titled “Bone Black” for a reason.

Mike Rowe the host for the show, sure found a job that was hard to beat, at the Downriver at Ebonex. A cow bone processing plant in Melvindale.

The Discovery Channel supposedly found the plant online, and according to the Downriver News-Herald, contacted them to be on the show.

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Shelly Toenniges who is the Ebonex office manager, said that the company thought about contacting the show, but debated whether being on it would force them to give up secrets of their process.

Employee Chris Harper showed Rowe his first job as he worked throughout the day at Ebonex, by putting a very unhappy Rowe in a dust collector. Harper said, “The poor cameraman was lying on his back inside this thing, and Rowe just kept saying that it was the dirtiest job ever.”

Rowe actually deemed the cow bone processing plant one of the “top two dirtiest jobs he’s ever done.”

The plant deals with the “blackened” or charred cow bone dust which is primarily used as a pigment such as ink or wood stain, but is also used in the process of refining sugar and stripping it of it’s natural color.

The powder is often on the workers clothes and skin for days after and is ironically used to make white sugar.

Dirty Jobs will air at 9 p.m. on Feb. 9 on the Discovery Channel.

Students Anticipate Bonnaroo 2010

2010-02-09T08:09:00.001-08:00

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (UTC/The Loop) — It’s February again, the time of year when students really start to feel bogged down by dismal weather and the rigors of academia. Many students find themselves already looking forward to summer – the second weekend in June to be exact. That’s when the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival returns to Tennessee.
The name has become synonymous with summer fun since its inception in 2002. Each year since, it has showcased a wide variety of musical acts to the more than 75,000 that flock to Manchester, Tenn. for the mother of all four-day weekends. Some of the amenities included are an arcade, a cinema, a comedy club, and a “silent disco” where the not-easily-embarassed can dance along to music heard only in their headphones.

Carson O’Shoney, a junior from Franklin, Tenn. plans to be there for Bonnaroo 2010, as he has been for the last three. He calls it “the highlight of the year, every year.” Some of his fond memories from previous years include seeing The White Stripes, Metallica, Sigur Ros, and My Morning Jacket.

While this year’s lineup will not be officially announced until Feb. 9, the rumors have flown even more rapidly in the days leading up to the unveiling of the official lineup. Numerous websites and discussion boards are devoted to speculation on which big name artists will be entertaining the crowds. Among them is Inforoo.org, a site composed of discussion boards where fans can spread information and dispel theories. Radio personality DJ JD Farmhand has helped fans figure out some acts, and has at the vary least has fanned the flames of debate about who will be in Manchester June 10-13.

O’Shoney hopes to hear plenty of Pink Floyd, this year, with abundant rumors indicating an appearance by band member Roger Waters performing their epic 1979 album “The Wall” in its entirety, and The Flaming Lips rumored to be performing Pink Floyd’s entire 1973 “Dark Side of the Moon” album.

He is also keeping his fingers crossed to catch former Beatle Paul McCartney and folk-rock legend Neil Young this year.

Kent Green, a sophomore from Memphis, was in attendance in 2008, enjoying such diverse acts as Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Pearl Jam, Sigur Ros, and MGMT. This year, he plans to return to the festival and hopes to see hip-hop innovators Gorillaz and rap icon Jay-Z.

Festival creators and producers Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment will announce the official lineup February 9 on the official Bonnaroo website.

George W. Bush Miss me yet? Billboard

2010-02-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

iss me yet?: The Billboard of former President George W. Bush is real with the words “Miss me yet?”.

The Miss me yet? Billboard sign has been the talk of the internet as to whether it was real or not. The Miss e yet? Billboard located along I-35 near Wyoming Minnesota, where it was and who paid for it? tha is still a mystery. hey guys, do you Miss him yet?:-(

Jackie Collins New Book Release 2010

2010-02-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

Jacqueline Jill “Jackie” Collins is an excellent English novelist and former actress. She is the younger sister of actress Joan Collins. She has written about 30 novels till date, all of which have been on the New York Times bestsellers list and have sold over 400 million copies worldwide. And now nook promo pro that she is, she’ll be talking up “Girl” on “Today” February 9, “The View” the following day, and then hitting the syndicated talk-show trail.

“Girl” jackie collins new book, has a triple power setting in New York, Washington and L.A. along with a quick detour to Vegas. Its story is driven by the murder of a Hollywood actress whose movie star husband’s the prime suspect. Their estranged daughter operates a call-girl ring in New York with her cocaine-loving boyfriend. You must check out the new release of Jackie Collins if you have been following all her books!

Jamie Colby Biography

2010-02-09T07:33:00.000-08:00

Jamie Colby is a national news correspondent and anchor for Fox News Channel (FNC). She hosts America's News Headquarters along with Kelly Wright on Saturdays and Eric Shawn on Sundays. Colby's book "Back to Life After a Heart Crisis" will be published in February 2010.

Attending the University of Miami International School of Business at age 14, she received a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting as well as her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami School of Law at age 22.

She is married to Dr. Marc Wallack, a general surgeon and cancer researcher from New York City. She has one son, Gregory Greenberg.

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Frances Reid (Alice Horton) Dead

2010-02-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

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(GaeaTimes.com)- The American actress Frances Reid (Alice Horton), who is still remembered for her gracious performance in the soap opera, “Days Of Our Lives” is reportedly dead. As per the sources, the 95 year old actress, who had made her acting debut in the year 1938 had entertained people with some outstanding acting skills. She was one of the most talented actresses of her time and the reports of her death has disheartened thousands of people.

The news that Frances Reid (Alice Horton) dead on February 3, 2010 has become one of the most searched news since last night. Though there are some reports indicating the death of the celebrated actress, the major outlets have not yet reported the news of her death and so there is a doubt whether she had died or it is one more rumor of celebrity death.

The actress, Frances Reid, who had graced the role of Alice Horton for almost 37 years is reportedly dead. However, there is no confirmation regarding her death cause. Media representatives had tried to contact the sources, who could provide some valuable inputs on her death report but none of them were available for comments. Therefore, the news of the actress’ death is shrouded in mystery and people will have to wait for some more time if they want to know whether the actress had died yesterday. Frances Reid has been one of the most prominent actresses of the film and television industry. She had received several award nominations and was honored with the Emmy Award for her brilliant acting skills.

Man dies in rare fatal shark attack in Florida

2010-02-04T06:01:00.000-08:00

updated 8:48 a.m. ET Feb. 4, 2010

STUART, Florida - A man kite surfing off a Florida beach died Wednesday after being surrounded and attacked by sharks.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office said a lifeguard first saw the man in distress about 500 yards from shore near Stuart, on the Atlantic coast. The lifeguard paddled out and found sharks encircling 38-year-old Stephen Howard Schafer.

The lifeguard put Schafer on his rescue board and paddled back to shore. Paramedics took Schafer to a hospital, where he later died.

Jon Stewart on O’Reilly Factor

2010-02-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

Jon Stewart took a trip to no-spin zone yesterday, where the two basically played a soft game of tag (I want to say that Letterman really got O’Reilly during a visit, but I could be remembering wrong). Personally, I don’t really care about the combative element between the two – who probably represent some form of opposite political/social thought – I just like Stewart because I find his show amusing–at the end of the day both are simply entertainers (not that there is anything wrong with that). At the end of the bit, Dennis Miller gives his opinion about the interview.

It’s probably worth seventeen minutes if you have it to burn. I think it may be time for a Colbert clash for the win!

The Day the Music Died -- 51 years ago we lost the Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly

2010-02-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

On Feb. 3, 1959 a plane took off from Clear Lake, Iowa carrying three stars of rock n' roll (from left): JP "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly.

They finished playing a show at the Surf Ballroom and were headed for the next stop on the Winter Dance Party tour. After a miserable experience with a tour bus the day before, Holly chartered a plane, but the plane crashed about five miles from the airport due to poor weather conditions and pilot error.

In a weird bit of fate, Valens and Richardson weren't supposed to be on the plane. It was supposed to be for Holly's band members, but bandmate Tommy Allsup and Valens flipped a coin for who would get to one seat and bandmate (and now-famous country singer) Waylon Jennings gave up his seat for the flu-stricken Richardson.

At the time of the crash, Buddy Holly was 22 years old and left behind a pregnant widow, who miscarried shortly after the crash. JP "The Big Bopper" Richardson was 28 and Ritchie Valens was just 17 years old.

The first verse of Don McLean's famous song "American Pie" called Feb. 3, 1959 "The Day the Music Died" and goes on to chronicle that tumultuous time in history using various musical milestones, starting with the death of these three musicians and ending with a verse about Janis Joplin's death in 1970.

The song is full of interesting references and metaphors, it's definitely worth a listen for any fans of 1960s music or any history buffs out there.

Just as an aside, we grew up not far from the Surf Ballroom. It's a neat old building and most summers there is some kind of festival to commemorate the Day the Music Died. If you're ever out that way, it's worth a trip.

Montgomery College looks for student trustee

2010-02-03T06:56:00.000-08:00

The nominating committee for the Montgomery College Board of Trustees is accepting applications from Montgomery College students interested in serving a one-year term on the Board of Trustees starting July 1, 2010.

The Board of Trustees is the governing body for Montgomery College, a public, open admissions community college with campuses in Rockville, Germantown, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, plus Workforce Development and Continuing Education centers throughout Montgomery County. Montgomery College serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through credit and noncredit programs, in more than 100 areas of study.

Montgomery College students who wish to be considered for the student trustee position must have successfully completed at least 18 credit hours at Montgomery College and possess a cumulative grade point average and a current semester grade point average of at least 2.0. At the time of appointment, and during the term of office, the student must be a Montgomery County resident enrolled in at least six credit hours of course work at Montgomery College. Employees of Montgomery College are not eligible to apply.

Student applicants must attend an orientation session at Montgomery College before being interviewed by the nominating committee. The student trustee position requires an extensive time commitment beyond the regular Board meetings and trustees receive no financial compensation. The student trustee is appointed by the Governor, upon recommendation of the five-person Nominating Committee.

Students interested in serving on the Montgomery College Board of Trustees must submit, via e-mail, a letter of intent and a resume, along with supporting references, to Fred S. Evans, chairman of the nominating committee, at fevans424@comcast.net. All applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. Feb. 26. Applications will not be accepted at Montgomery College. Interviews will be conducted by the end of March 2010.

Additional information about the nominating process is available by contacting Arlean Graham at the Montgomery College Board of Trustees office at 240-567-7120 or Mr. Evans at 301-424-5169.

On campus

Silver Spring resident Danielle Douglas was named to the Dean's List for the fall semester at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI. Douglas is a sophomore majoring in applied psychology.

Blair student named finalist

in national science competition

Yifan Li, a 12th grade student in the Science, Mathematics, Computer Science Magnet at Montgomery Blair High Schoo in Silver Spring, has been named one of 40 finalists in the 2010 Intel Science Talent Search. Li, a resident of Rockville, was recognized for his research project, "Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells into Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells in Culture."

The national finalists in the talent search are high school seniors who entered papers on their independent research projects in science, engineering, mathematics, or computer science. The finalists will compete for college scholarships from the Intel Foundation totaling more than $600,000, with a top prize of a $100,000 scholarship.

Li is one of 15 semifinalists in MCPS this year — 12 of them from Montgomery Blair High School and one each from Thomas S. Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Walt Whitman high schools. Montgomery County Public Schools is tied with the New York City Department of Education for the school district having the largest number of semifinalists in the nation.

The finalists will participate in a judging process in Washington, D.C. from March 11-16. The top winners will be announced at a black-tie gala award ceremony at the National Building Museum in the District on March 16.

Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, has owned and administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in 1942. This year marks Intel's 12th year sponsoring the program.

Youth art contest

accepting entries

Montgomery County students in grades six through 12 are invited to enter their artwork in the 2010 Youth Art Contest and Exhibition sponsored by the Montgomery County Federation of Women's Clubs. All forms of media, including oil, lead pencil, pastels, photography and computer art, will be accepted.

Judging will be held March 13 at Leisure World in Silver Spring. Nine cash prizes will be awarded to the top entries, and the winners' art will go on to a state competition.

For more information, contact Ruth Melson at 301-221-4469 or e-mailrockinruth@verizon.net.

Free financial aid workshop

for students, parents

The Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus will hold College Goal Sunday 2010 from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 14.

The free one-day program will offer assistance to parents and students in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — the form required by colleges, universities and private career schools to qualify for federal grants and loans, as well as many state and private scholarships.

Spanish interpreters will be available.

The event will be held in the Charlene R. Nunley Student Services Center on the school's campus at 7600 Takoma Ave. in Takoma Park. The snow date is Feb. 21.

At least one week before the event, parents and students should register for a PIN number at www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pin

index.jsp. Parents and students should bring the PIN numbers to the event, along with completed 2008 or 2009 IRS 1040 tax forms, a W-2 form and other 2009 income and benefits information.

For more information about College Goal Sunday, visit http://college

goalsundaymd.org/index.htm. The program is sponsored by the Delaware-D.C.–Maryland Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

Items appropriate for this column should be sent to syarborough

@gazette.net. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday for consideration for the following week's paper. Items are used on a space-available basis.

Gold rises as U.S. GDP grows more than expected Strong dollar keeps gains in check

2010-01-29T08:28:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures rose on Friday, after the U.S. reported growth rose more than expected in the fourth quarter, lifting the value of the precious metal as a hedge against inflation, even as a rising dollar capped gold's gains.

Signs that Greece might be avoiding a default on its debt also helped lift investors' appetite for risk-taking, which has benefited gold and commodities for more than a year.

"GDP figures and Greece apparently not defaulting gave positive reads enough for some Friday short-covering as today is the last day of the roll over from February gold to April gold," the metals team at RBC Wealth Management wrote in a note.

Gold for April delivery was recently up 30 cents at $1,085.10 an ounce in electronic trade.

Coming out of the worst recession in generations, the U.S. grew at the fastest pace in six years in the fourth quarter. Real gross domestic product increased at a 5.7% seasonally-adjusted annual rate in the final three months of the year, the best quarterly growth since late 2003, the government estimated. The economy grew 2.2% in the third quarter.

The 5.7% increase was faster than the 5.4% gain expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch. Read more on the GDP.

Gold's gains were somewhat held up by a rising dollar, which rose sharply after the U.S. GDP. A stronger dollar has tended to pressure gold and commodities. Over the past year, investors have used the safety of the cheap dollar, which can be borrowed at near zero interest rates.

But "for the foreign exchange market, the critical question is whether the strong U.S. [GDP] report will finally cause the dollar to trade off of its economic outlook and not risk appetite," said Kathy Lien, director of currency research at Global Forex Trading, in a note.

Nick Godt is MarketWatch's markets editor, based in New York.

Donnie Simpson Says Goodbye

2010-01-29T06:52:00.000-08:00

It was a party in the WPGC studios Friday morning, because after 32 years on Washington's airwaves, radio personality Donnie Simpson is signing off.

Celebrities from across the country called in to say farewell and thank you to the radio pioneer.

Simpson began in radio as a teenager in Detroit before coming to Washington. He was with 93.9 WKYS for 16 years before moving his morning show to WPGC 95.5 in 1993, where he spent 16 years.

It is reported that contract negotiations for Simpson fell through with CBS Radio. Simpson is not allowed to work on air in Washington for 13 1/2 months per the non-compete clause in his contract with CBS.
This is a temporary separation until February 2011," Simpson told his listeners Friday morning, but did not reveal his future plans.

Experts Say a Rewrite of Nation’s Main Education Law Will Be Hard This Year

2010-01-29T06:38:00.000-08:00

In his State of the Union address, President Obama held out the hope of overhauling the main law outlining the federal role in public schools, a sprawling 45-year-old statute that dates to the Johnson administration.

But experts say it would be a heavy lift for the administration to get the job done this year because the law has produced so much discord, there is so little time and there are so many competing priorities.

In 2001, when Congress completed the law’s most recent rewrite, the effort took a full year, and the bipartisan consensus that made that possible has long since shattered. Today there is wide agreement that the law needs an overhaul, but not on how to fix its flaws.

Since it was recast into its current form by the second Bush administration — and renamed No Child Left Behind — it has generated frequent, divisive debate, partly because it requires schools to administer far more standardized tests and because it labels schools that fail to make progress fast enough each year as “needing improvement.” That category that draws penalties and has grown to include more than 30,000 schools.

Several states sued the Bush administration over the law in the last decade, unsuccessfully. Connecticut challenged its financing provisions, saying it imposed costly demands without providing adequate financing. Arizona fought rules on the testing of immigrant students.

“Its hard to see how they can get” a rewrite done, said Joel Packer, executive director of the Committee for Education Funding, which includes about 80 groups representing teachers, superintendents, principals, school boards and others. “If there’s some bipartisan agreement about what the administration proposes, and the Republicans say, ‘We want to work together,’ then maybe. But I think its going to be tough.”

During the 2008 campaign and his first year in office, President Obama’s posture was popular with almost everyone: the law embodies worthwhile goals like narrowing the achievement gap between minority and white students, he said, but includes flawed provisions that need fixing. Once any rewrite begins in earnest, however, Mr. Obama will need to support specific changes that will be unpopular with at least some groups.

“Few subjects divide educators more intensely,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a speech about the law in September.

In that speech, Mr. Duncan leveled some of his own criticisms of the law, including that it labeled schools as failures even when they were making real progress, and that it often inadvertently provided incentives for states to lower academic standards to avoid sanctions. He said he was eager to begin a rewrite.

“This work is as urgent as it is important.” Mr. Duncan said.

Mr. Obama communicated a lower sense of urgency on Wednesday, perhaps because the administration’s legislative agenda for the year is already packed.

“I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay,” the president said.

While he also urged Congress not to abandon the health care overhaul, on the education law, he said only, “When we renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we will work with Congress.”

Mr. Duncan said in an interview on Thursday that key lawmakers “share our sense of urgency” about the need for an immediate rewrite, and were already pitching in.

Last week Mr. Duncan and more than a dozen other administration officials met with the Democratic chairmen and ranking Republican members of the education committees in both houses of Congress to discuss the rewrite of the law, first drafted in 1965 as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

“We are blue-skying this thing, taking a big-picture approach, to try to coalesce the themes that are most important,” Mr. Duncan said. “It’s early, a million things could go wrong, but I’m hopeful.”

Changes in the Congressional leadership could complicate the effort. The death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who worked closely with President George W. Bush in 2001, removed a passionate believer in the law.

Senator Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who replaced Mr. Kennedy as chairman of the Senate education committee, has other priorities. He wants to continue the law’s focus on closing achievement gaps, but to include an emphasis on school nutrition and physical fitness programs.

“We also need to take a new approach to things that are not working, like using the same solutions for all school problems,” Mr. Harkin said.

Some Republicans, including Representative John Kline, the Minnesotan who is the ranking minority member of the House education committee, say they want changes to the law, but are in no hurry.

“He’s not interested in an arbitrary deadline,” said Alexa Marrero, Mr. Kline’s spokeswoman. “It’s a lot more important on something like this to get it right than to just get it done.”

Chester E. Finn, Jr., an assistant secretary of education in the Reagan administration, wrote in a blog post on Thursday: “One can only wish them well, but reworking this monstrously complex statute is apt to prove almost as challenging as health care.”

“The odds of getting a full-dress reauthorization done between now and August are very, very slender,” Mr. Finn said in an interview.

The Apple iPad: It's just ahead of its time

2010-01-29T06:29:00.000-08:00

t's hard to argue the fact that this week's Apple iPad launch disappointed the tech crowd, and not just because of that inexplicable name. Despite its lovely design, beefier core apps, and new e-book features and store, the iPad is hampered by a well-documented string of missing features: a camera, 16:9 support, Flash support (seriously?), multitasking, SD card slot, HDMI or high-res video output support, USB ports, GPS, and so on. Plus, it's exclusive to the AT&T network (again: seriously?) in this iteration, the pricing scheme is overly complex, and while I'm not sure it's genuinely overpriced, it's nevertheless expensive, and you can't imagine the price going much lower without crashing into the 64GB iPod Touch and making the iPad look a lot like a sucker's buy.

OK, but all that said, I think we all need to take a deep breath and remember: it's not that the iPad is a failure. It's just a product ahead of its time. No one should actually buy this iPad--between its inevitable first-generation bugs, fulfillment problems, and buyer's remorse over added features and price drops, it's heartbreak waiting to happen. Try to think of the iPad as, like, a proof of concept. A concept car, even. A work in progress, really.

Now, I know tablet PCs are nothing new, and I know Microsoft's been trying to get the idea off the ground for a decade now. But this is the concept design for the e-reader/media device we'll all own in three to five years--when every publication is available as a feature-rich, interactive reading experience, when Apple (or someone else) has introduced the Newsstand app store with some actual newspaper and magazine content partners, and when prices are in the $100 to $200 range and 3G wireless is not a $130 add-on (SERIOUSLY?), and the idea of consuming just 250MB of data a month on a true multimedia device is recognized as the belly-busting joke that it is.

Right now, the iPad is a product in search of a market. It's kind of poorly implemented, feature-wise; it's been poorly articulated, market-wise; and it's hard to imagine why on earth you'd ever need such a thing at such a price. But I think there will be a market for a touch-screen, all-in-one device that's more than a Kindle and less than a laptop, and it's easy to imagine getting all my media on one slick Internet-connected device that also works as one heck of a pretty digital picture frame.

Here's what Apple needs to do: stop trying to convince me that an iPad is better than a Netbook. That's not the point. I have plenty of things in my life that can bring me a calendar, music, photos, and touch-screen painting. I don't need more of that (no matter how pretty you make it). Don't try to put the iPad between a laptop and a smart phone--that positioning doesn't make any sense to anyone, and no one needs that.

Start pitching this thing as the actual replacement for paper. Get some serious content deals with periodicals and papers, and maybe even offer a combined subscription service that lets you choose 8 or 10 papers and magazines for a flat fee. Get the bookstore up to Amazon stock levels, put an e-ink/LCD hybrid display in the next version, and get serious about what this really is: a multimedia reader. (Also, get your product line and pricing in order and stop trying to act like a 3G chip really costs an extra $130.) See you in three to five years!

Shon Coleman travel tour continues to Miami

2010-01-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

Shon Coleman, the highly rated offensive lineman from Olive Branch, Miss., who has pronounced himself "100 percent committed" to Auburn, is on the road again this week.

After a trip to Tuscaloosa, Coleman is reportedly going to spend some time at Miami before signing.

Does this mean he's leaving the Tigers? Not necessarily. He's been committed for a long time, and he may have decided to get all the enjoyment he can out of the recruiting process.

After all, no one is paying attention right now to players who committed back in June. All the attention in the days before National Signing Day is focused on those few players who still have a decision to make.

Check out the Coleman ticker here.

The other player Auburn seems in danger of possibly losing is D.J. Howard, an athlete/running back from Lincoln. Auburn says he'll get a chance to play running back on the Plains, but Clemson's pitch be a bit more convincing at the moment. We'll see. His news ticker is here.

Brett Favre says he's 'highly unlikely' to play again

2010-01-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

The Watch is officially on. Brett Favre is doing his now annual retirement song and dance.

Favre, who spent the NFC Championship game getting pounded into the turf courtesy of the Super Bowl-bound New Orleans Saints, tells ESPN's Ed Werder he's leaning toward ending his career. Again. For now.

In fact, the 40-year-old, who said after his valiant, but losing effort in the Louisiana Superdome Sunday night that he felt more like 49, said he's "highly unlikely" to come back. If true - and until the middle of training camp, nothing is certain - Favre will end a brilliant career on an interception at the end of regulation.

Of course, the man's probably too beat up to get into his Wranglers by himself, so this declaration may end up meaning very little, as Favre retirement announcements often do. So Vikings owner Zygi Wilf would be well-advised to keep the corporate jet available and coach Brad Childress should have his Escalade gassed up for the trip to the airport.

And all NFL fans need to come to grips with the beginning of the Favre Watch season, which runs through mid-summer. Maybe we can make a drinking game out of it or something.

Orange County Choppers

2010-01-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

If you’re into rock and roll, you inevitably have heard of the rock super group West Bruce Jr. and Laing, an offshoot of the 1970’s group Mountain, which featured Leslie West, Corky Laing and Jack Bruce of Cream. And, if you’re into rock and roll, you probably also like guitars and really great motorcycles…you might even like Howard Stern. Well, on January 28th, you’ll have it all at The Ridgefield Playhouse. Not only do you get a great rock show featuring West, Bruce Jr. and Laing (Jack’s son Malcolm is filling his dad’s shoes), but each ticket buyer is automatically entered to win a signed Leslie West signature series Dean guitar or a Harley Davidson motorcycle, courtesy of Harley Davidson of Danbury, for a week (you must have a valid motorcycle license to win this.) And, if that wasn’t enough, you also get two other great bands – the guys from Orange County Choppers will be here with their band, as Fred Norris, of Howard Stern fame, along with his band King Norris! This rock evening like no other is sponsored by i95 The Home of Rock ‘n’ Roll and starts at 8 p.m.

When West Bruce Jr. and Laing toured together, the trio released two studio albums, 1972's “Why Dontcha” and 1973's “Whatever Turns You On.” They disbanded shortly before the release of their live, and most successful, album “Live 'n' Kickin'” in 1974. West, Bruce Jr. & Laing will perform songs from those albums plus songs from Cream and Mountain. Malcolm Bruce, a seasoned instrumentalist and the son of Jack Bruce, has been well received as his father’s stand-in for the band. And, every ticket holder who attends the concert that night will automatically be entered into a raffle to win a signed signature Les West guitar. Leslie himself will announce the winner from the stage of the Playhouse!

When the stars of American Chopper aren’t filming their TV show, they’re practicing with their band -- Orange County Choppers - The Band. And, boy they can play! Kicking off the evening will be Fred Norris’s band King Norris. Norris has been a fixture on the Howard Stern show for more than 30 years. A college student at the time, Norris first met Howard Stern while working the overnight shifts at WCCC, on FM and AM radio station in Hartford, Connecticut in the spring of 1979.

So, whether it’s for the music, to meet your favorite radio or TV celebrity or just for a chance to win the Leslie West guitar or Harley Davidson bike, January 28th is a night for the rocker in all of us!

For tickets ($65/55) and information about The Ridgefield Playhouse, call or visit the box office at 203-438-5795, 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT, or buy tickets online at www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

Jersey Shore Reunion Questions Answered: When Was the Reunion Filmed? Are Ronnie and Sammi Still Together? Friday January 22, 2010

2010-01-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

After watching the dramatic Jersey Shore reunion on Thursday night, some fans were left asking: When was the reunion filmed? And sammi still together?
The questions were sparked because dating castmembers Sammi and Ronni appeared to break up during the Jersey Shore reunion, after the host introduced previously unaired footage of Sammi being friendly with Mike behind Ronnie’s back. Ronnie seemed extremely upset during the taping, and even though he was close to tears, he said, “It really makes no difference to me. I cut girls quicker than barbers do, to be honest with you, so she could be right down the list if she wants. I really don't care."

So, when was the reunion filmed? According to a previously-written article in the New York Post, The Jersey Shore reunion was shot last week at LA's Sunset Bronson Studios — and that leads us to believe that Ronnie and Sammi are still together!

The couple shot an episode of The Rachael Ray show on Tuesday, after the Jersey Shore reunion was reportedly filmed. During the show, which aired on Thursday, Ronnie told Rachael “We’re still together... It's a different kind of relationship because of everything that’s going on. It’s pretty hard, but I mean you just deal with it day by day and that’s it."

Our own spy also spotted Ronnie and Sammi together at an event on Wednesday looking like they were very much a couple.

So, the answer to the question “Are Ronnie and Sammi still together?” seems to be yes. But do you think these two have what it takes to last after seeing what went down at the Jersey Shore reunion? Let me know in the comments!

More Jersey Shore Finale Links:

* Take the Jersey Shore quiz
* Who will you miss the most?

Martin Luther King Jr Quotes

2010-01-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

Its almost the Martin Luther King Jr day soon, and we will be having a holiday. A lot of people are looking for quotes that have been raised by Martin Luther King Jr. I have a couple of selections right below. Which can be used to inspire. A lot of people have been moved by Martin Luther King Jr. And through his Quotes , we will understand not just the likeness of his life, but also the beliefs that Martin Luther King Jr has lived to stand out for. See some of the Martin Luther King Jr quotes right below.

The following below are some of the quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.

-A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
-A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.
-A right delayed is a right denied.
-Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better
-At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
-Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
-Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.
-Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

The following below are some of the quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.

-A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
-A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.
-A right delayed is a right denied.
-Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better
-At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
-Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
-Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.
-Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

Martin Luther King Jr still has a lot of quotes to offer, Lets just all stand and believe, that its not the religion that binds us, but its the fate and the unity of soceity that makes us hold on forever. MOre Martin Luther King Jr quotes below. Hope you found this enjoyable.

are banks open or closed on Martin Luther King day Jan 18 2010

2010-01-18T08:25:00.001-08:00

are banks open on martin luther king day Jan 18 2010? No All banks will be closed on Martin Luther King Day since its a federal holiday. That means you can't do some banking transaction however you can always withdraw cash from ATM. If you are visiting banks for Mortgage or loans or anything related to that, you might want to get your Free Credit Report 2010

No answers posted yet
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A Rough Ride Across Drake Passage

2010-01-17T07:15:00.000-08:00

Rough weather this morning. We’re just under halfway across the Drake Passage, which separates South America from Antarctica, and the sea is handing us a whipping. Winds up to 55 knots and gusts up to 100 have piled the sea into an endless stampede of rolling swells.

The swells rise 45 feet. The ship pitches and creaks as its bow bucks over the top of one wave and plunges down to the belly of the next. Viewed through the round windows at water level, the world outside resembles the churning contents of a washing machine

As I step out of bed, my bare feet slide across the tilting floor—right, then left, then right again. I resort to sitting on the floor as I gather my things. Showering while holding on white-knuckled with one hand, lathering with the other, and bracing both feet evokes a feeling of absurdity—an attempt to maintain normalcy when things are in fact far from normal, like awakening into an episode of Laverne & Shirley or I Love Lucy. Except in this case the hanging on isn’t just funny; it’s all that separates me from serious injury.

Downstairs, the labs sit deserted—laptop computers bungee-corded to counters, monitors bobbing, and a few chairs capsized on the floor. Motion sickness pills or not, most people haven’t ventured far from their beds today.

Pilots have eased the Nathaniel B. Palmer’s throttle back from ten to six knots and turned her into the wind. That adds a few hours to our dash for the shelter of the Antarctic Peninsula, but it also eases the punishment being heaped on both man and machine. With the course deviation calming things just a tiny bit, crew members hurry to secure a 20-foot rescue speedboat—hanging on our starboard side along with lifeboats—that clanged ominously through the night. Mechanics check the two helicopters. Even with them tied down, the hanger affords their blades only four inches’ clearance above. A stray bounce could damage a blade, ground a helo, and prevent our scientists from getting to the glaciers they hope to study.

Today separates those of us with sea legs (and stomachs) from those without. And the ship, with its decks stacked one atop another, has become a Jungian metaphor: The higher you climb above the water, the worse the side-to-side motion becomes. The stronger your stomach, the higher you can climb. I climb six flights of stairs, slowly, to the highest level—the bridge. Four of our scientists gaze out the panoramic windows, chatting serenely about the decomposition of whale bones on the seafloor. I lie flat on the floor to steady my stomach, then beat a rapid retreat downstairs.

In the galley a light fare of sandwiches is served for those with the stomach to eat. I pull aside Gary Talbot, one of the mates responsible for piloting the Palmer. “You’re really not taking anything for seasickness?” I ask. “No,” he says, “just a BLT.” His nonchalance says more than his words.

By 10 p.m. the seas settle down slightly, and the Palmer reaches a milestone: We’re now officially outside Argentine waters. We can begin collecting scientific data. The multibeam sonar is turned on. An XBT (expendable bathymetric temperature probe) is fired like a harpoon into the water. It will tell us the temperature of the water as it sinks to a depth of 6,000 feet, before falling to its permanent resting place on the seafloor.

A map on a computer screen displays our current position, and the multibeam sonar (multibeam for short) paints a swath of yellow-green onto the map—with different colors representing different depths in the undulating terrain below. From where we stand, the seafloor is 12,000 feet down.

The multibeam will map the seafloor for the rest of our journey. These are some of the least known seas in the world. Knowing the seafloor is crucial for understanding Antarctica’s glaciers. Many of them rest on beds that lie below sea level—in some cases up to 6,000 feet below. Map the seafloor around Antarctica and you can see a bit of history: troughs carved by the glaciers as they expanded out to the edge of the continental shelf during dozens of ice ages over the past 30 million years.

Those same grooves will play a part in modern history as temperatures rise. They're an Achilles’ heel for many of Antarctica’s glaciers, providing a path for warm, deep water from farther north to follow to the glaciers’ feet. Some of the most worrisome melting is already happening far below sea level and out of sight.

We should see our first Antarctic islands tomorrow night—hopefully a smoother ride than we’ve seen so far. From there on, the ship will become busy with science. Come round again, and we’ll share some of it with you.

Attention Parrotheads: box office lottery for Jimmy Buffett tickets

2010-01-16T08:49:00.000-08:00

COLUMBIA (WACH) – Jimmy Buffett is coming back to Columbia February 23rd and tickets will go on sale Saturday at 8 a.m.

Officials with the Colonial Life Arena say they will institute a random lottery to discourage overnight camping and potential ticket scalping.

Wristband distribution for the “SUMMERZCOOL TOUR 2010” lottery will be available at the Colonial Life Arena Guest Services Desk.

According to a Colonial Life Arena release tickets will be priced at $38, $78 and $128. They will be available in person at the Time Warner Cable Box Office at Colonial Life Arena, Lexington, and Columbia's Play It Again Sports.

You can also buy tickets by phone at 1-877-4-TWC-TIX or online at www.TWCtix.com.

Earthquake Response - Haiti

2010-01-12T23:34:00.000-08:00

Latest Updates
Direct Relief International Responding to 7.0-Magnitude Earthquake in Haiti
January 12, 2010

Direct Relief International is responding to a 7.0-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks that struck Haiti today. The earthquake, centered off Port-au-Prince, destroyed a hospital in Petionville and damaged other buildings. Early reports indicate significant property damage and deep concern about large numbers of injured persons.

Emergency aid is being offered to all our partners in Haiti to support their response to the quake. Two shipping containers of medical material aid were scheduled to arrive today in Port-au-Prince today as part of Direct Relief’s ongoing humanitarian and emergency-preparedness work in the country.

The 40-foot and 20-foot containers, containing over $420,000 of essential medicines, supplies, and nutritionals, were destined for St. Damien Children’s Hospital. The hospital is one of three local facilities in Haiti with which Direct Relief has partnered in its Emergency Pre-Positioning Program. The program stages essential medical materials on site with key partners for immediate use in emergency situations such as this one.

The organization announced it will commit up to $1 million in aid for the response and is coordinating with its other in-country partners and colleague organizations.

Direct Relief’s partners in Haiti include Partners in Health, St. Damien Children’s Hospital, and the Visitation Hospital. St. Damien and Partners in Health are particularly active in emergency response and last year received pre-positioned materials in anticipation of hurricane season. The pre-positioned materials become available for general use by the facilities November 30, the end of hurricane season.

Since 2000, Direct Relief has provided more than $60 million in medical material aid to Haiti.

Direct Relief's partners in-country provide medical care for thousands of vulnerable Haitians. Partners in Health began in 1985 as a small community clinic; today that clinic has grown to a 104-bed, full-service hospital and eight other clinic sites across Haiti's Central Plateau. Food for the Poor, a Catholic relief agency founded in 1982, offers assistance to the poor throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Visitation Hospital serves between 80 and 90 patients a day at its facility outside Port-au-Prince, which houses a lab and pharmacy, seven exam rooms, two medical/dental procedure rooms, and a food bank.

As partners' needs become clear, additional emergency aid consignments will be dispatched.

Elvis' 75th birthday celebration at the Egyptian this weekend

2010-01-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

Elvis Presley left the building, cosmically speaking, at the young but bloated age of 42. Had he been an avid jogger and into juice fasts instead of pills, he just may have celebrated his 75th birthday this week. In his absence, Angelenos can gather at the Egyptian for a marathon celebration that includes a quiz game and a double feature of 1957's "Jailhouse Rock" and the documentary "Elvis '56." There also will be karaoke, birthday cake, barbecue and banana-peanut butter pancakes. Oh, and a lot of people wearing open-to-the-navel bespangled jumpsuits. Just a warning.

Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Sunday, Jan. 10, 5:30 p.m.; screenings at 7:30 p.m.; $11

The Happiness Project: Gretchen Rubin Describes Her Year-Long Pursuit

2010-01-08T08:06:00.001-08:00

The Today Show this morning talked about an inspirational new book by Gretchen Rubin. It's call The Happiness Project, and it describes her experience dedicating a full year to figuring out ways to increase her happiness, without making the sort of rash changes (divorce, expensive purchases, moving) that many people consider as options to shake off that "midlife malaise."
As Rubin describes it, "I wanted to change my life without changing my life, by finding more happiness in my own kitchen." She takes an incremental approach to self-improvement, focusing on making small changes in one area of her life each month. January was preparation for the rest of the year - she organized her living space and made healthy changes to increase her energy. February she works on her marriage, March she works on work, and April brings her to parenting, and so on.

In the end, Gretchen Rubin says the approach worked for her. She's formulated so-called "Four Splendid Truths" and her own "Twelve Commandments" for happiness. I plan to check it out! For now, we can all check out Rubin's The Happiness Project blog.

The Happiness Project: Gretchen Rubin Describes Her Year-Long Pursuit

2010-01-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

Playas paradisíacas y una ciudad que busca reinventarse

2010-01-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

Simple, sin lujos ni grandes infraestructuras. El principal -y casi único- atractivo es la playa, su mar transparente y paisajes típicos del Caribe. Si uno busca eso, la Isla de San Andrés (Colombia) lo proporciona y con creces. Pero es importante saberlo de antemano para evitar sorpresas.

Para llegar a la isla hay que volar 6 horas rumbo a Bogotá y otras 2 horas hasta San Andrés, porque no existen vuelos directos. El aeropuerto es chico y la primera impresión es la de llegar a un pueblito muy rústico, no tan bonito y con poca actividad. El calor es sofocante y no todos los vehículos que transportan a los turistas están equipados con aire acondicionado. Llama la atención la cantidad de motos y carros de golf. Son, junto a las bicicletas, el medio de transporte más utilizado. La gran mayoría de los autos son taxis.

La isla es pequeña (33 km de largo por 4 de ancho), tiene 90 mil habitantes, casi todos viven del turismo y en segundo lugar del comercio, que concentra su oferta en los productos electrónicos, indumentaria, joyas con esmeraldas y artículos de free shop.

Entablar conversación con un nativo es a veces complicado. En un principio se muestran recelosos de responder, pero si se logra intimidar, el panorama se vuelve interesante. Recién ahí es posible comprender qué ha pasado en el archipiélago desde su descubrimiento en los tiempos de Colón y su colonizaje por puritanos ingleses en 1629 y luego por leñadores jamaiquinos con sus esclavos negros, y especialmente desde su declaratoria de puerto libre en 1953. Si bien el idioma oficial es el español, hay un predominio de la lengua inglesa debido a que la cultura nativa es la anglocaribeña.

Todos los hoteles tienen muelle y playa propia, piscina (algunos con pileta natural), bar, restorán y la mayoría cuenta con discoteca, que sólo abren por la noche. La actividad del turista en la isla se divide entre el hotel y la playa. Hay algunos tours imperdibles, como el paseo en lancha por las islas Haynes Cay, el Acuario y Johny Cay. El programa, que cuesta 10 dólares por persona y dura 4 horas, comienza en Haynes Cay y el Acuario, que están una al lado de la otra y es posible cruzarlas caminando. Haynes Cay está repleta de vegetación autóctona, hay buena sombra y varios puestos con venta de tragos, jugos y licuados. El Acuario es más parecido a un gran banco de arena blanca y fina, cuenta con un par de locales que ofrecen refrescos y es posible darles de comer pan a los peces que llegan hasta la costa y nadan alrededor del visitante. Luego de 2 horas un guía recoge a los turistas y los lleva a una isla más grande, Johny Cay. La infraestructura allí es otra: hay restaurantes, puestos de venta de artesanías, y -como en las dos anteriores- una playa paradisíaca.

Otra excursión recomendada es el Semisubmarino (u$s 25 p/p). Se trata de un viaje de 2 horas en un barquito que sale de la cooperativa de lancheros. La embarcación tiene un túnel subterráneo desde donde se observa todo lo que sucede bajo el agua. También es posible meterse al mar y darle de comer a los peces.

La mejor forma de recorrer la isla por tierra es en carrito de golf. Se alquilan a 30 dólares por 5 horas en todos lados. Es conveniente pedir un plano turístico para facilitar el recorrido. Lo ideal es ir por el borde de la isla. Los mejores sitios para visitar son: las playas del lado oriente, el hoyo soplador (ideal para comprar artesanía o souvenirs, ya que en el centro es más caro y existen pocos lugares), muelles o embarcaderos, la Piscinita, la primera iglesia de la isla, el Mirador, que ofrece una vista espectacular de la isla, y por último el centro comercial.

Entre los tours que recomiendan en los hoteles hay algunos prescindibles. Uno es la Cueva de Morgan. Por 3 dólares, el paseo consiste en transitar distintas salas relacionadas con el pirata Morgan, y finaliza en la cueva donde supuestamente escondía tesoros. Otro paseo para el olvido es la Lagunita de agua dulce (u$s 5), que en realidad no es más que un gran charco de agua estancada, donde la principal atracción pasa por ver como el guía de turno alimenta a los yacarés con pequeñas lagartijas que caza en la corteza de los árboles durante el recorrido. Mejor abstenerse que arrepentirse después.

Gastronomía y compras

La riqueza gastronómica se basa en platos compuestos de frutos marinos, como el tradicional Rondón, uno de los más apetecidos de la cocina típica, elaborado a base de pescado, caracol, yuca y dumplings (trozos de masa), en salsa de leche de coco, ingrediente principal de casi toda la cocina isleña.

El cangrejo es otro ingrediente fundamental; con él se preparan los crab backs (caparazones rellenos), empanadas, guisos y -lo mejor- las muelas a la vinagreta. También hay restoranes de comida típica colombiana, cocina internacional y algunos pocos sitios de comida rápida.

Para salir de compras, es fundamental recorrer y comparar precios antes de concretar la operación. Existen más de 500 negocios y hay mucha diferencia de costos entre unos y otros. De todos modos, si bien se consiguen productos económicos, no es más barato que cualquier free shop.

Indira’s secret wish and other stories, by Natwar

2010-01-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

New Delhi Did you know that Indira Gandhi yearned for a daughter, or that veteran communist parliamentarian Hirendranath Mukherjee tried to find out if Comrade Jyoti Basu had accepted money to deliver the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture in 1998?

These and other nuggets of information are recorded in former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh’s book Yours Sincerely, a selection of correspondence between him and eminent public personalities — among them Indira Gandhi, P N Haksar, H Y Sharda Prasad, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Rajiv Gandhi, E M Forster, Nadine Gordimer and Mulk Raj Anand.

The book, released earlier this month, does not include any correspondence with Sonia Gandhi. But many letters, written by people long gone, remain relevant even today.

In December 1971, Indira wrote: “It is not important what the Chinese think or what they want. What is important is what they do. So far they have kept to the expected line.” Nearly four decades later, her advice would still make sense.

In April 1975, with Morarji Desai on a fast demanding elections to the dissolved Gujarat Assembly, Indira wrote to Natwar, then India’s Deputy High Commissioner in London: “We have given in to a part of Morarji’s demand... It seemed such a silly point for which to fast or for us to hold out... However, our difficulties are acute and varied enough without having a dead Morarji haunting the scene... I was deeply shocked at the manner in which some (Opposition parties) seemed to (claim) that his disappearance from the scene would clear the way for Opposition unity.”

Congress leaders grappling with the fallout of their seeming capitulation before the fasting K Chandrasekhar Rao earlier this month would find Indira’s reaction insightful.

Some of the correspondence reveals Indira’s softer, affectionate side. In January 1970, after Natwar suffered a slipped disc while bending to give his son a teddy, she wrote to him, “Do you remember when the same thing happened to KPS Menon? He had to stand in a very artistic Ajanta pose for quite some time. Now you know the pleasures of fatherhood.”

When Natwar’s daughter was born, she wrote, “You certainly have done better planning than many of us. My heart has always yearned for a daughter, so I can imagine your joy in Jagat’s having a baby sister.”

A letter from Hiren Mukherjee demonstrates the CPI veteran’s commitment as a public representative.

On January 10, 1999, he wrote to Natwar: “For reasons I can guess but cannot relish, the Jawaharlal Trust got my old comrade of close to sixty years to give the annual lecture (November 1998). I remember in the old days the lecture carried an honorarium of a hundred thousand rupees (plus, expenses, etc.,) which may well have been enhanced. As the only surviving original trustee, I might perhaps inquire (thought I am not doing so — this is a purely personal request) if Jyoti was offered and declined or accepted any such payment...”

There is no indication why Mukherjee decided to contact Natwar instead of asking Basu directly.

The book contains the gracious letter Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to Natwar the day after he resigned in the wake of the oil-for-food scandal. “I have received your letter of 6 December 2005... I have... asked the Rashtrapati to accept your resignation,” the PM wrote.

“Under your leadership, the external relations of the country have seen immense progress and we have been able to make giant strides on all fronts. In the last 17 months the prestige and standing of the nation has risen to unprecedented heights on the international plane. Your contribution to the peace process with Pakistan, moving forward our relations with neighbours and in making a historic breakthrough in our relations with the US are indeed praiseworthy accomplishments,” he added.

A.M. news links: Sen. Chris Dodd won't seek re-election

2010-01-06T06:15:00.000-08:00

January 06, 2010, 7:14AM

Good morning. Here are some of the latest news highlights:

Connecticut Democratic Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, who was a major player in both efforts to deal with the economic meltdown and the debate on overhauling health care, has decided not to seek re-election in November, according to Democratic officials.

Dodd, who has served five terms but has seen his popularity ratings plummet after his failed 2008 presidential bid and questions about a VIP mortgage loan, was expected to make an announcement today.

» The New York Times: Senator Dodd will not seek re-election, Democrats say

And in other news:

» The Post-Standard: Penn Traffic Co. says auction off all our stores; Schumer asks Penn Traffic, creditors to 'cool it'

» Utica Observer-Dispatch: DA's Office investigates death threats on Utica Topix

» Jezebel: Americans hate their jobs more than ever

» WSYR Channel 9: Non-profits having a tough time getting car donations

» Detroit Free Press: Arab-American students clash with school officials over 9/11 sweatshirts

» The Associated Press: Buffalo's debt collectors accused of bullying

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The NY Times (hearts) Apple's iSlate

2010-01-04T06:50:00.001-08:00

It's not just bloggers who are obsessed with Cupertino's tablet computer

"I'm hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that." — New York Times managing editor Bill Keller

Keller's videotaped speech to his digital staff last October, excerpted below the fold, has been getting a lot of play lately on the off-chance that he had been briefed by Apple (AAPL) and let slip the presumptive name — iSlate — of Steve Jobs' next big thing. (See, for example, here.)

But the off-the-record, all-hands speech may have been something else. It may have been a signal from the top of the newsroom that the paper of record's reporters and columnists were to start focusing for self-serving reasons on a particular product, not on the editorial page but in the paper's news hole.

We've certainly been reading a lot about Apple's tablet in the Times recently; a quick search turned up more than two dozen mentions in December alone, including a Bits item declaring 2010 the Year of the Tablet.

But two pieces Monday — one in the Times and one in Times Co.'s (NYT) International Herald Tribune — stand out: design columnist Alice Rawsthorn's "Impact of the 'iSlate' Could Rival iPhone," and David Carr's "A Savior in the Form of a Tablet."

"There hasn’t been this much hype about a tablet," writes Carr, the Times' star new-media columnist, "since Moses came down from the mountain."

It's no secret that the Times — and nearly every other company in the print business, including Time Inc. (TWX), which publishes this blog — is struggling to adapt to the exigencies of the digital age. And it's an open secret that Apple has been courting publishers, encouraging them to prepare redesigned content for a possible forthcoming tablet device. (See, for example, the Sports Illustrated tablet demo.)

Rawthorn's piece in Monday's IHT, despite some cluelessness (she calls tablets "one of the the fastest growing areas of the computer market," apparently confusing them with netbooks), is right on message:

"Many people like their e-readers (not least because they save them from having to haul around books, newspapers and magazines) but I’ve yet to meet anyone who loves them. That’s the key. If a really great e-reader appeared, the market would explode … If it comes through, demand for electronic books, newspapers and magazines should soar."

Carr, who is anything but clueless, puts the issue in its starkest terms, calling the iSlate a "Jesus tablet" and exploring the ways it might save "some embattled print providers from doom."

"For one thing," he writes, "it helps magazines and newspapers enter a world where they can measure consumer engagement with ads, which is pretty much the only game in town going forward."

And why, he asks rhetorically, would people pay on a tablet for what they've been getting for free on the Internet?

"That’s where Apple comes in. A simple, reliable interface for gaining access to paid content can do amazing things: Five years ago, almost no one paid for music online and now, nine billion or so songs sold later, we know that people are willing to pay if the price is right and the convenience is there.

"People have pointed out that there is far more value in repeat uses of 'Stand by Me,' by Ben E. King than, say, a copy of this column. But somewhere between the iTunes model and the iPhone app store, where people pay for applications that make their life better or simpler, there may be a model for print."

Carr opens the piece by saying he'd buy an iSlate in a minute, even if it did cost closer to $1,000 than $200. But being David Carr, he ends it by putting some distance between himself and the device to which his boss seems to have hitched the paper's wagon.

"I haven’t been this excited about buying something since I was 8 years old and sent away for the tiny seahorses I saw advertised in the back of a comic book. Come to think of it, the purchase didn’t really meet my expectations, but with the whole new year thing, a boy can dream, right?"

The NY Times (hearts) Apple's iSlate

2010-01-04T06:50:00.000-08:00

Morning Snow Causing Traffic, School Delays

2010-01-04T06:37:00.000-08:00

PITTSBURGH (KDKA)-Streamers of lake effect snow continue to affect the western Pennsylvania region, Monday morning and is affecting travel and school districts.

KDKA-TV Meteorologist Dennis Bowman said that visibility is down to about a mile and roads are getting covered with snow. We can expect a coating to an inch of snow, generally, today with one to two inches in the Laurels and near I-80.

Today's high will near 24 with single-digit wind chills and little change can be expected for several days.

As a result of the snow traffic in the area is being impacted.

KDKA-TV's Traffic and Transit reporter, Jim Lokay said that at one point this morning, traffic on the inbound Parkway West (I-376) was backed up to the Interstate 79 junction due to snowy and icy road conditions.

In addition, outbound traffic is also slowing between Parkway Center and Rosslyn Farms. The roadway is generally snow covered, with only tire tracks visible.

At one point, West Liberty Avenue was backed up to Scott Road in Mt. Lebanon.

Also, Saw Mill Run Boulevard saw delays as far back as Baldwin.

The road conditions and lingering snow is also forcing schools to either cancel or delay classes this morning.

Celtic v Rangers live stream

2010-01-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

Celtic v Rangers live stream. This is a game that you want to see. Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League Celtic v Rangers on January 3, 2009 at 12:30 PM GMT at the Celtic Park. Yet again a soccer match that we have to follow as Celtic have dropped striker Scott McDonald and defender Stephen McManus for Sunday’s derby with Rangers.

You can watch Celtic v Rangers live stream through Justin TV, US Stream, and using Sopcast and TVants. You can also check your local channel for the live coverage. Enjoy the Rangers vs Celtic live stream.

Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez Collaborated On New Year’s Rockin Eve

2010-01-03T07:56:00.003-08:00

Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez collaborated on New Year’s Rockin Eve TV show. Up and coming popstars Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez recently collaborated for the song, “One Less Lonely Girl” on Dick Clark’s “New Year’s Rockin Eve” the other night (video below). The show was hosted by American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest.

Justin came out to lead off the performance. He worked the crowd with theatrics, hand gestures,dance moves,and of course,singing. He continued to work the crowd and hit the notes,which made the teeny bopper girls scream. Then, about a minute and half through the performance, a guy walks Selena Gomez onto the stage so she could act like Justin’s girl during his performance.

He gave her a hug and started serenading her. Selena appeared to enjoy the performance as she started bopping a little bit to the song. Towards the end of the performance, Selena got up and started dancing along with the other back-up dancers. He ended it, by thanking everybody and giving Selena a big hug.

Leeds United shock Manchester United in the FA Cup third round

2010-01-03T07:42:00.000-08:00

Leeds United caused the biggest shock of the FA Cup third round so far with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Jermaine Beckford, the Leeds striker, scored in the 19th minute for the League One leaders as United lost at this stage of the competition for the first time since losing to Bournemouth in 1984.

Beckford looked to have miscontrolled Johnny Howson's long diagonal pass, but he angled a low finish past Wes Brown, the Manchester United centre half, and goalkeeper Tomas Kuszczak.

It was the first time Alex Ferguson had suffered defeat in the third round, the stage at which the top clubs enter the FA Cup, since he became United manager in 1986.

Lawrence brothers sue ex-officer and city for police brutality

2010-01-03T06:17:00.000-08:00

LAWRENCE — Two Lawrence brothers have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against an ex-police officer and the city, alleging police brutality.

The suit comes nearly three years after the brothers said they were beaten by the officer.

Moises and Rubenito Fernandez also accused the city and the Police Department of "tacitly condoning mistreatment of prisoners" by ex-officer Kyle Wilcox. Their allegations came in a 14-page complaint filed yesterday in Federal District Court.

"The Lawrence Police Department, the Mayor and the Chief of Police are also aware of individuals being physically mistreated, beaten and otherwise abused by police within the walls of the Lawrence Police Department by Mr. Wilcox and other members of the force," the lawsuit reads, in part.

Wilcox, 31, a four-year member of the police force, was convicted last year of two counts of assault and battery on the Fernandez brothers after a week-long bench trial before a Worcester District Court judge. He received a suspended one-year jail sentence and a year probation for each offense.

The Fernandez brothers accused Wilcox of beating them after their arrest during a tenant dispute on Myrtle Street on Dec. 22, 2006. Rubenito Fernandez, 44, said Wilcox forced him to the ground in the vehicle bay of Lawrence police headquarters. Fernandez said he later received 26 stitches to close a cut on his face.

Moises Fernandez, 41, said Wilcox hit him across the head with a hard object while he was handcuffed in a basement holding area known as the "pink room."

The Fernandez brothers faced a variety of charges stemming from their arrest, in which Wilcox said the pair threw a tenant's property outside and resisted arrest. Those charges were later dismissed by a judge because prosecutors and police failed to provide critical information to a defense attorney in a timely manner.

"The city and supervisors of officers in the police department have demonstrated deliberate indifference to the rights of the Fernandez' brothers," the lawsuit reads.

"This has fostered and perpetuated an understanding within the ranks of the Police Department that gratuitous, violent abuse of persons by officers would not result in discipline, and, indeed, may be done with virtual impunity," the suit continued.

Also named as defendants are the city, Mayor Michael Sullivan, police Chief John Romero, police Lt. Scott McNamara and officers Terrance Pennington, Ryan Guthrie and Fabian Guerrero.

Worcester lawyer Hector Pineiro said the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, which his clients want determined in a jury trial. The lawsuit noted that Wilcox and the city are defendants in several other federal lawsuits, but said the city has done little to address the problem of police brutality.

"The Mayor, the city, Chief Romero and other officers knew of Wilcox's dangerous propensities, but failed to do anything about it," Pineiro said yesterday.

"These failures in training, disciplining and supervision caused Moises and Ruben to be deprived of their constitutional rights," he said of his clients.

Romero declined comment on the lawsuit, but defended his department's efforts to remove Wilcox from the force.

In fact, the chief noted that the city tried to fire Wilcox in July 2007, when the mayor terminated him for mistreating a prisoner in a holding cell at the police station early that year.

That firing was overturned in February, when a civil service hearing officer concluded there wasn't enough evidence to support the prisoner's allegations.

Wilcox was fired again last year after being convicted of abusing the Fernandez brothers.

He appealed the firing, But the arbitrator ruled in the city's favor this time.

Death Tunnel – Waverly Hills Sanatorium

2010-01-03T05:45:00.000-08:00

Death Tunnel – Waverly Hills Sanatorium

This morning I heard for the first time about of a deserted hospital which is very famous to be a haunted hospital!
It is located at Waverly Hills near Louisville, Kentucky (USA), the Waverly Hills Sanatorium.
This kind of deserted places always fascinates me a lot so I made some research about it.
In fact it is a sanatorium which was built in 1910 on a hill, south-west Louisville, to accommodate tuberculosis patients. It closed in June 1962. It reopened the same year but as a geriatrics hospital. In 1981 it was forced to close allegedly due to patient abuse.
The place became a mythical place with some urban legends. One of them says that “63,000 deaths” occurred at the Sanitorium. The deserted building is today one of the most famous haunted place of USA!
During my research I discovered that under the old building there is an inclined tunnel (150 meters length) which links the first floor to the bottom of the hill near a railroad.
On one side of the inclined tunnel there are steps and on the other side there is an inclined plane on which there were rails and a carriage which was pulled by a motorized cable to carry supplies.
The tunnel was a way to reach the building without using the main road. The tunnel was lighted and ventilated by some vertical air ducts leading from the roof of the tunnel to above ground level.
The tunnel was used to discreetly evacuate the bodies of the dead patients away in full view of other patients. Another urban legend says that the bodies were tossed and thrown on the slope of the tunnel!
The name of the tunnel is “Death Tunnel” or “Body Chute)!

New Year’s Resolutions

2010-01-03T04:45:00.000-08:00

New Year’s resolutions – it’s that time of year again. The time when many of us say we’re going to change ourselves, change our lives, maybe even change the world. Some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight, exercise more, save money and manage debt, get a better education, and reduce stress.

Making resolutions specific increases the chance that we’ll follow through on them. Below, I have a few specific suggestions for New Year’s resolutions that shouldn’t be too hard to keep and will, I hope, be worth trying.

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1) Master the basics of cooking. Proper technique improves any recipe and can make cooking more enjoyable. Stuart Stein wrote a list of the top ten techniques every cook should know (part 1 and part 2) . I would add deglazing a pan, cooking onions to the proper texture, and cooking garlic without burning it to a list of basics.

2) Find out what grows within one hundred and fifty miles of your home. Try to eat entirely locally for one week. It’s not easy, but it doesn’t have to be boring if you do a bit of homework. Eating locally not only gets you the freshest foods—and fresher means more vitamins and better flavor—it also keeps your money in the local economy. It benefits the farmer directly, since the farmer doesn’t have to share the profit with distributors and retailers, and it benefits the localities by improving the tax base.

3) Round out your repertoire. Master at least one recipe for every occasion. While you probably have recipes for the family holidays down pat – I mean, you got them from Grandma, right? – you need that quick meal for when you got caught in traffic on the way home and everyone’s starving. Or a few appetizer recipes for an impromptu gathering of friends at your place.

4) Give up junk food for a week. This one goes towards the classic “lose weight this year” New Year’s resolution. Junk food is popular for many reasons: convenience, uniformity of flavor, comfort. But one thing junk food lacks is nutritional density. While there’s nothing wrong with junk food as an occasional treat, many of us (including me) tend to reach for it too often for our health. Even making the same food at home that you can pick up at a fast food place will cut down on calories and likely increase nutrition since you’ll be selecting quality ingredients.

5) Broaden your palate. We all get stuck in a rut from time to time. Try a new vegetable or spice. If you try eating locally, you’ll probably have plenty of opportunities to experiment as you meet farmers who are testing out varieties to see what grows best and sells best in the area.

This was YouTube's decade. Plus: Top ten Web moments of the '00s

2010-01-03T04:22:00.000-08:00

It seems inevitable and permanent now, as much a fixture in the American mind as McDonald's or Time magazine.
But YouTube, it is easy to forget, did not exist when the current decade opened.
It didn't exist in 2001 or 2002.
There was no YouTube in 2003 or 2004, either.
Not until "Me at the zoo," a video of co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo, was posted in April 2005, was there, really, a YouTube.
Yet despite being around for fewer than half of the past 10 years, the video-sharing service is the decade's most-influential popular-culture force on the Internet.
From Karim talking about the length of the elephants' trunks in the still-available 19-second clip, it has spearheaded the widespread availability of video on the Web, everything from golf's Masters tournament, live, to brand-new episodes of popular sitcoms such as "30 Rock" in the same week they aired on TV.
These developments, of course, threaten traditional and long-standing delivery systems.
YouTube became the clearinghouse for the short, shared, "viral" videos that were key to making Internet culture into mainstream culture, and started to play a role in politics, especially in the 2008 presidential campaign.
It developed as a kind of chaotic library, a go-to reference resource for people seeking video of musical artists, old cigarette commercials or the latest news sensation.
And it has championed the decade's DIY aesthetic: Skip the professionals, was YouTube's implicit message.
Shoot your own video. Upload it here, fast and easy.
And in the end, it doesn't matter so much if your backyard trampoline-stunt footage (ouch!) isn't great art; what matters is the validation it seems to get by being hosted on an external site.
With YouTube, if you wanted your friends to watch what you made, you didn't have to drag them into your living room and plug the camcorder into the TV.
You just sent them a link, and they watched it at the same Web site that also has professional material by TV stars. The site echoed similar revolutions happening in writing, as blogs came to prominence, and in photography, where people shared photos on sites including Flickr. But with YouTube, it was even more so, because the bar to getting videos shown in public had been higher.

Professional creators of content tried to fight YouTube for a while, policing their copyrights zealously and seeking takedowns whenever possible. But eventually, they decided they'd rather switch than fight. Deals were struck, and the providers who didn't form their own YouTube channels to show highlights (as CBS, for one, does) offered the equivalent of YouTube clips and much more on their own sites or on professional aggregators. But even as YouTube has become a ubiquitous brand, it hasn't yet proved that it can translate its traffic — it is ranked among the top five Web sites — into revenue. The site has struggled to integrate advertising in a manner that won't alienate customers.

Rival Hulu — a project of General Electric (NBC), News Corp. (Fox) and Disney (ABC) that might be termed a professional version of YouTube — has announced that it will, next year, begin charging its users.

But the battle of getting people to pay for content on the Web — or of getting content to pay for itself via ads — is a, and possibly the, question for the next decade.

2010-01-03T04:09:00.000-08:00

Rush Limbaugh 'Resting Comfortably' at Honolulu Hospital

2009-12-31T06:47:00.000-08:00

Limbaugh Taken to Hospital for Chest Pains, Reportedly on Medication for Back Pain

Popular talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh is recovering in a Honolulu hospital today, hours after being admitted for chest pains he suffered while on vacation. "Rush was admitted to and is resting comfortably in a Honolulu hospital today, after suffering chest pains," according to a statement from "The Rush Limbaugh Program."

"Rush appreciates your prayers and well wishes, and he will keep you updated via RushLimbaugh.com."

Limbaugh had been scheduled to return to his talk show Jan. 4 but a spokesman told ABC News that it is unclear whether he will be back by then.

Paramedics arrived at the Kahala Hotel and Resort at 2:41 p.m. Wednesday and found Limbaugh, 58, sitting in a chair in his ninth-floor hotel room, according to ABC's Honolulu affiliate KITV.

Sources say Limbaugh told emergency workers he was taking medication for a back problem. He was treated at the hotel before being transferred to the hospital.

While in Hawaii on vacation over the holidays, Limbaugh had been seen golfing at the Waialae Country Club, according to KITV.

Limbaugh has been a polarizing figure in U.S. politics, once asking, "What is so wrong with saying I want Barack Obama to fail?"

But he made headlines in 2003 by admitted an addiction to painkillers after reports claimed he was illegally obtaining narcotics. He settled the charges against him in a plea deal that included a $30,000 fine. He entered a drug rehabilitation program.

Yet in recent years he has seemed to have a renewed commitment to healthy living, even announcing in the fall that he'd lost about 90 pounds since March.