Hot Research Topics Around The World

Bank Of America Online

2010-07-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

Bank Of America Online:Charlotte, NC – Bank of America Corp. plans to offer online bank account that charges $ 8.95 monthly fee for a paper application and use of counters, as it seeks ways to offset the revenue loss due to new regulations.

Under the new account, the Bank of America customers will be driven to the use of ATMs and online banking to basic services, how to make your deposits and withdrawals.

The new rules, the U.S. banking implemented on July 1 fees cover the overdraft, in particular, encouraging some analysts suggest that a free bank accounts may be doomed to extinction.
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For two decades, banks offer free bank accounts, and charged high fees for overdrafts to cover administrative costs.

Banks can now instead of follow Bank of America and try to make a cheaper current accounts to manage, instead of ending with a free test at all, analysts say.

“This is a clever way, perhaps, more thoughtful way than what I think many people predicted,” said Jefferson Harralson, an analyst at investment bank Keefe, Bruyette and Woods Inc.

A spokesman for Bank of America, said customers will continue to have the opportunity to consult with the counters on banking matters without charge, and the company is focus on the national level to respond to the changing preferences of consumers of banking services.

Article From : http://www.12news.us/bank-of-america-online.html

Cliff Lee To Texas For Justin Smoak, Finalized

2010-07-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

Everybody thought earlier today that Cliff Lee would be on his way out of Seattle. They were right. Instead of heading to the visitor’s clubhouse in Seattle to join the New York Yankees, however, he joins the division rival Texas Rangers, along with RP Mark Lowe. Coming back to Seattle will be Justin Smoak and three others according to this Joel Sherman tweet. This deal has also been confirmed by Ken Rosenthal, who adds that the Mariners will be sending cash to the Rangers to help cover the $4M that Lee is owed over the rest of the season.

Earlier today, some thought that Jesus Montero was a solid haul for Lee, along with the rest of the package. In that case, the return of Justin Smoak has to be seen as an absolute steal. Smoak had an .885 OPS between three different leagues in 2009. Smoak then posted a 1.010 OPS in 15 games with AAA Oklahoma City before receiving a call up to the big leagues. His power hasn’t really materialized at the big league level (.145 ISO), but a 13.8% walk rate in 275 PAs is incredibly encouraging, and his .238 BABIP is bound to see a boost.

Smoak was the #13 prospect by Baseball America entering the season, ranking below Montero’s rank as #4. However, Smoak is obviously closer to the big leagues and his position is clear; I feel that Montero’s #4 rank may be influenced by an unrealistic projection of him as a catcher. Smoak is probably better than Matt LaPorta was at the time of the Brewers acquisition of CC Sabathia in 2008, the gold standard of pitcher rental deals. Given that Smoak is already in the big leagues and carries tons of promise with him, the Mariners have to be exceptionally happy with this deal. The deal also includes RHP Blake Beavan, RHP Josh Lueke, and 2B Matt Lawson going to Seattle.

For the Rangers, they pick up the man who has obviously been the best pitcher in the American League. It’s a large boost for a rotation with a meager 4.54 FIP and 4.66 xFIP. Cliff Lee gives them the legitimate ace that just isn’t there with Rich Harden, Scott Feldman, Colby Lewis, C.J. Wilson, Tommy Hunter, Derek Holland, and the others that have inhabited the Rangers rotation this season. Lee could ostensibly be a three win gain for this team down the stretch – likely unnecessary for making the playoffs, as I don’t think the Angels would’ve been able to make up 7.5 games, but this is another nail in the Angels’ coffin. Still, Lee has to increase the Rangers’ chances of making a deep run in the postseason, as he showed he can put his mark on a series last season.

This trade also has the interesting dynamic of being an intradivisional trade. Picking up Lee means certainly avoiding him in the remaining games that Texas has against Seattle. At the same token, though, the Rangers traded an exceptional hitting talent to a team that they play 20 times a season for the next six years. My initial reaction is that this trade is a dangerous proposition for the Rangers. With Lee only on their team for the next three months, the Rangers have to hope for instant gratification, in the sense of a World Series victory, as this trade has the potential to bite them for years to come.

Source :

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/cliff-lee-to-texas-for-justin-smoak-finalized/

BET Awards 2010: Prestigious Viewers Choice Award

2010-06-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

The BET Awards 2010 celebrating African American entertainers takes place this evening at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. It’s the tenth anniversary of the awards and there’s a long list of 19 awards and many nominees and entertainers from the celebrity world attending.

According to Ian Ritz on The Epoch Times, the BET Awards are the No. 1 rated show with African American viewers in the U.S. This year’s awards will be hosted by Queen Latifah while singer Alicia Keys and rapper Kanye West, will both be performing.

Actors, actresses, musicians and sports stars will all be paid tribute to at the awards and honorary awards will be presented to both Prince and John Legend. Jay-Z meanwhile has 5 separate nominations including Best Male Hip Hop Artist, and the most prestigious Viewers’ Choice Award.

Alicia Keys has four nominations which include Best Female R&B Artist and the Viewers’ Choice Award. For more on this go to Theepochtimes.com. Who do you think may win the Viewers’ Choice Award this year? We’d be interested to hear your thoughts.

Article From :http://www.onlykent.com/20100627/bet-awards-2010-prestigious-viewers-choice-award/

Toronto Earthquake

2010-06-23T17:59:00.000-07:00

Toronto Earthquake happened earlier this day with a magnitude 5.5. It happened exactly at Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa while Canada prepares to host 2010 G8/G20 Summit and welcomes dozens of world leaders.

Although the Geological Survey of Canada considered a 5.7 magnitude of the earthquake, the Geological Service of the United States downsized it to a 5.5 magnitude. The epicenter of the seism occurred approximately 30 kilometers north of Buckingham, Quebec which is a little town situated approximately 25 kilometers north-east ofOttawa.

There were no damages and injuries reported except for some walls that shook in downtown Montreal.

In Ottawa, some tall buildings had been evacuated and the streets were filled with workers who ran out from their workstations and were banned to return to their posts for a few minutes.

Witnesses said that there were visible cracks on the walls of the Parliamentary Press Gallery and the office of the AFP in Ottawa.

The quake also occurred in some parts of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Vermount, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York.

Article From : http://www.hovied.com/site-news/2010/toronto-earthquake-2-23063733.html

Honda Canada confirms Edmonton backing for Paul Tracy

2010-06-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

Honda Canada has confirmed that it will sponsor Paul Tracy’s KV Racing Technology No. 15 Dallara-Honda car for the Honda Indy Edmonton, again in support of Make-A-Wish Canada. Tracy, the 2003 Champ Car World Series champion, will aim to put the disappointment of failing to qualify at Indianapolis behind him as he will drive for KV Racing again at Toronto and Edmonton in back-to-back weekends next month, July 18 and 25.

“Honda is a company built on the dreams of its founder and all of its associates, which is why Honda’s corporate slogan is The Power of Dreams,” said Steve Hui, assistant general manager of the Honda Prairie Zone.

“It’s the power of dreams that has led us to innovations and new technologies over the years. We’re very pleased to be associated with Make-A-Wish Canada which is helping to turn the wishes and dreams of Canadian children with life-threatening medical conditions into a reality. We believe Make-A-Wish Canada and Honda Canada are a perfect fit because of our shared belief in and pursuit of the power of dreams.”

Commenting on the support, Jennifer Ritter, CEO of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Canada, said, “Because of this generous support, we will be able to promote awareness of our vital mission and to continue to fulfill the dreams of our courageous ‘wish children’ across Canada.

“Make-A-Wish exists for one reason only – to grant wishes to children living with life-threatening medical conditions. We impact our wish families’ lives at a time when they need to know that their community cares about what they are going through, as their child battles for his or her life.

“To a child living with a life-threatening medical condition, a wish is more than a desire – it is an experience that can create a life-changing impact, not only for the wish child and their family, but for other families, friends, volunteers, donors and entire communities. We believe that Make-A-Wish, through our mission, volunteers and supporters, is helping to nurture a kind and caring Canada.”

Ontario native Tracy, a Canadian fan favorite, will be contesting his sixth race in Edmonton.

“I want to thank Honda Canada, Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser for the opportunity to race in front of Canadian fans,” Tracy said. “I am especially thankful because it is a tremendous honor to represent Make-A-Wish Canada. I am proud to be able to support and raise awareness for this organization that assists Canada’s children in need of wishes coming true.”

source: racer.com

World Cup TV schedule: U.S. listings for first three days

2010-06-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

(All times are Eastern U.S.)
FRIDAY’S MATCHES

SOUTH AFRICA vs. MEXICO
Soccer City/Johannesburg, 10 a.m.
English: ESPN.
Spanish: Univision.
Portuguese: ESPN Deportes.
Online: ESPN3.com
Delay: ESPN Classic, 6 p.m.

URUGUAY vs. FRANCE
Cape Town, 2:30 p.m.
English: ESPN.
Spanish: Univision.
Portuguese: ESPN Deportes.
Online: ESPN3.com
Delay: ESPN Classic, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY’S MATCHES

SOUTH KOREA vs. GREECE
Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, 7:30 a.m.
English: ESPN.
Spanish: Univision.
Portuguese: ESPN Deportes.
Online: ESPN3.com
Delay: ESPN Classic, 6 p.m.

ARGENTINA vs. NIGERIA
Ellis Park/Johannesburg, 10 a.m.
English: ESPN.
Spanish: Univision.
Portuguese: ESPN Deportes.
Online: ESPN3.com
Delay: ESPN Classic, 8 p.m.

USA vs. ENGLAND
Rustenburg, 2:30 p.m.
English: ABC.
Spanish: Univision.
Portuguese: ESPN Deportes.
Delay: ESPN Classic, 10 p.m.

SUNDAY’S MATCHES

ALGERIA vs. SLOVENIA
Polokwane, 7:30 a.m.
English: ESPN.
Spanish: Univision.
Portuguese: ESPN Deportes.
Online: ESPN3.com
Delay: ESPN Classic, 6 p.m.

SERBIA vs. GHANA
Tshwane/Pretoria, 10 a.m.
English: ESPN.
Spanish: Univision.
Portuguese: ESPN Deportes.
Online: ESPN3.com
Delay: ESPN Classic, 8 p.m.

GERMANY vs. AUSTRALIA
Durban, 2:30 p.m.
English: ABC.
Spanish: Univision.
Portuguese: ESPN Deportes.
Delay: ESPN Classic, 10 p.m.

Article From : http://project-2010.net/?p=1418

The Future Of Google TV Is...

2010-05-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Google TV is going to be very interesting. It is far from a certainty that it will be more than Apple TV in terms of consumer sales. From a first glance the Marketplace is the most important and interesting element of the announcement. As a development platform, Android creates the potential for untold unique and interesting applications that could capture users imagination.

Early on, I don’t think TV oriented apps will have the most impact. If I understood the announcement, in the beginning of 2011, there will be an Android Marketplace. The money and the opportunity won’t be in TV apps. It will be in gaming and social apps. The low hanging fruit will be in taking apps that work on facebook and Iphone/Pad and moving them (if they haven’t already) to the Android platform and upsizing them to take advantage of working on a big screen.

The Google TV box could be a very cool and hopefully inexpensive gaming console. That is where the money will be.

What about TV ?

The success of Google TV will come down to one thing….PageRank. Can you imagine the white hat and black hat SEO battles that will take place as video content providers try to get to the top of the TV Search Listings on Google TV ? Like Google said, there are 4 billion TVs and growing and the US TV Ad market is $70 BILLION. There is a lot at stake if Google TV takes off. How Google does its PageRank for this product will have a bigger impact on the success of the product in the TV market than anything else it does.

If you search for “House” on your Google TV and it returns a Youtube Video of some kid doing a parody of the Fox tv show House, you can bet the shit is going to hit the fan. Not that Fox or any big media company will sue Google. I don’t think they will. What will happen is that they will “turn off” the Google TV Chrome Browser, just as they did to Boxee. They will fight and possibly sue over what meta data is used to determine search results. It will be a mess. That would kill the product because if it doesn’t work with the TV shows you want to watch, why buy it ?

On the flipside if the best Google offers users is what they showed in today’s demo, returning 5 or fewer results from a search with content from the cable/sat provider showing first and possibly consuming all 5 results, every internet content creator is going to scream loud and long at Google for putting them at a disadvantage. No one is going to be able to find your video if you show traditional TV shows first and dont show more than 5 results. They aren’t going to be satisfied with referrals or Google Suggestions as their only access to Google TV users. They are going to claim that this is all just a ruse to get them to advertise and that Google sold out to big media.

Even if Google lets the user decide how to rank results, it creates too much risk for TV content providers and their distributors. More mess.

On the other other side, if traditional TV makes it to the top, Google TV is the best thing to ever happen to Cable , Satellite and Telco TV providers. Why ? Google just solved their biggest problems, their user interface and programming guide. Not only that, if Google TV is what big content providers and distributors consider to be a good partner, they just off loaded much of the future R&D for the set top box to Google and its partners and developers. Should cable and companies adopt Android on their set top boxes ?

They will watch and decide. Even better for the TV Providers, maximum utility from the Google TV comes from having a TV subscription. They may actually gain subscribers as a result of this product. Which is exactly why Charlie Ergen had Dish Network participate. Its win win win for Dish Network

Google TV isn’t the answer. It’s the question. I’m sure Apple, Microsoft and even Facebook have an opinion on the announcement. Their response will be even more interesting.

The Future of TV is….. TV. But Google sure sped up the timeline today.

Article From : http://blogmaverick.com/2010/05/20/the-future-of-google-tv-is/

Miss USA 2010: Six Ways to Revive the Pageant

2010-05-16T18:22:00.000-07:00

They were textbook Trump, the lingerie photos of Miss USA hopefuls that spread across the Internet this week. News outlets tripped over each other trying to be the first to call them a publicity stunt, plain and simple. Well, yeah. Professional outlandishness is the Donald’s forte — and no one needs the profile boost like Miss USA, who, after 58 years, is looking over the hill.

Still, there are things besides a black mesh corset that could turn this trainwreck around. Not in time for today’s edition, of course. But, Mr. Trump, if the pinup shots don’t leave you rolling in ratings, there’s always next year.

A makeover, in the most literal sense.
We know what we’re getting when we tune into a pageant: stiff smiles, shellacked hair and spackled faces. In other words, the epitome of beauty, circa 1952. Times have changed. Compare the painted-doll look with the glowy, tousle-haired models gracing magazine covers and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway. That’s what brings in viewers. And speaking of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show…

Learn from the angels.
Know how many people watched the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show last year? 8.3 million. Only 5 million watched last year’s Miss USA, and that was a 12 percent drop from the year before. The Angels wear lingerie for a living, so you could argue they’ve got an edge over pageant queens. But the skin quotient aside, the two can’t be compared in terms of spectacles — with its elaborate costumes, energetic music and high production values, the Fashion Show is the Cirque du Soleil to Miss USA’s middle-school band concert. The pageant could benefit from loosening up the format and taking some creative chances — we’re living in the age of Gaga, after all.

Amp up the talent portion.
Here’s a big reason why Miss USA has trouble capturing today’s audiences — Americans are used to seeing truly gifted people flaunt their stuff, a la programs like “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” The talent portion of a beauty pageant comes off as an afterthought, a box they have to check off, and it’s a wasted opportunity to memorably connect with viewers.

Introduce the girls sooner — like, weeks sooner.
A couple years back, Trump had a brainstorm: he’d throw some pageant girls in a condo, film them and edit the footage into a reality show. Genius idea. One problem: these girls had all already won their respective contests. There was nothing at stake and nothing for viewers to sink their teeth into. Now, if Trump would have made the show before the pageant — and aired, say, six episodes of the girls preparing for the penultimate moment of their young lives — you can bet viewers would have tuned into the contest, and maybe would have even cared who won.

Invite designers to the table.
Here’s something I’ve always found strange about pageants. A large part of them is devoted to watching girls strut around in floor-length gowns — yet, with the exception of one recent Miss America contestant whom I distinctly remember wearing Reem Acra, these girls are never in couture. In a world of Zac Posen for Target and Rachel Zoe reality shows (read: in a world where the entire fashion community needs all the press it can get), there’s got to be a way to bring better clothes to pageants.

Work harder in the off-season.
Quick — who’s Katie Dalton? Answer: the reigning Miss USA. Like most pageant queens, she spent her year working for a great cause — in this case, ovarian and breast cancer awareness. If only the pageant’s publicity department had done as admirable a job. A recap of Dalton’s reign names a stint on “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” as one of the highlights. Now you know why you didn’t know who she was. Getting pageant winners into cosmetics campaigns would help a lot, but even getting them onto more red carpets would, too. And to anyone who wants to argue that it’s not easy to turn everyday girls into household names, I leave you with one word: Snooki.

Article From : http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/05/16/miss-usa-2010-six-ways-to-revive-the-pageant-without-making-anyone-get-naked/

Brian Vickers To Miss Sprint Cup Series Event Sunday At Dover International Speedway Because Of Medical Issues

2010-05-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

Red Bull Racing announced today that Sprint Cup Series driver Brian Vickers will miss Sunday's Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway because of a recent diagnosis of a medical condition.

According to a release from the Red Bull Racing team, the 26-year old Vickers was hospitalized Wednesday evening "and continues to undergo testing and further evaluation."

Casey Mears has been tabbed to fill in for Vickers in the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota at Dover.

"It is unfortunate that I will not be able to participate in the Dover race," Vickers said in the release. "Casey is a good friend of mine, and I know he will do his best for the No. 83 team this weekend."

Vickers sits 20th in the Sprint Cup Series standings.

Mears raced full-time in the Sprint Cup Series from 2003-09, spending time with Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing.

He has made 254 career Sprint Cup Series starts. He was released after spending the 2009 season with Childress. He has made two starts this season in the Sprint Cup Series, one for Tommy Baldwin Racing and one for Keyed Up Motorsports. He has attempted to make six other events.

Mears' lone Sprint Cup Series victory came in 2007 when he was racing for Hendrick Motorsports.

"Our main concern right now is with Brian and his health and recovery," said Red Bull Racing general manager and vice president Jay Frye. "All things are looking good at the moment; this is just a minor setback. We appreciate Casey filling in this weekend and know he will represent the team well."

Article From : http://blogs.courant.com/autoracing/2010/05/brian-vickers-to-miss-sprint-c.html

Edmund de Rothschild and Global Warming

2010-05-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

How Edmund de Rothschild Managed to Let 179 Governments Pay Him for Grasping Up to 30% of the Earth

Woe to him that … establisheth a city by iniquity!… that the people shall labor in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity (Habakkuk 2:12-13)

Summary: After Edmund de Rothschild’s statement, without basis, at the 4th World Wilderness Congress in 1987, that CO2 is the cause of a non-existent global warming – and that combating it needs money (our money), he founded the World Conservation Bank for this reason. In 1991 its name was changed to The Global Environment Facility (GEF). The purpose of this facility is to lend money to the poorest countries, printed by the IMF out of thin air, and with the guarantee of our governments.

The facility takes wilderness areas with mineral riches as security. The GEF money is then to flow back to our governments as reimbursement for paid loans. I.e. We give away our tax money. For what? When a country cannot repay loans to the GEF it must give up a piece of its territory to the Rothschild banks (GEF, IMF, World Bank) – up to 30% of the Earth are meant. If land cannot be offered as collateral the country must starve (Haiti, Argentina and others). Rothschild´s stroke of genius was that he had his GEF smuggled into the UN system at the Rio UN Summit in 1992 by his friend, Maurice Strong.

So now high-ranking ministerial officials from 179 countries are in the the council of the bank – blessing Rothschild grabbing the world! This article brings interviews with a man who was a participant at the 4th World Wilderness Congress,a man who knows what happened there and knew Rothschild personally – as well as David Rockefeller, who tried to threaten him to silence about what he had learned at the Wilderness Congress.

via Edmund de Rothschild and Global Warming.

There’s Nothing Good About The Ham Game:Christine Staub

2010-05-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

There’s Nothing Good About The Ham Game:Christine Staub:This week on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”, Danielle Staub has flashbacks, Jacqueline Laurita gets backhanded, figuratively speaking, from Caroline Manzo and Teresa Giudice, and fatback makes a decorative statement in the Manzo household.

House poor: Danielle gets a visit from Karin, her realtor; she’s considering selling her house, although she says that her husband gets half the sale, so she’s not very motivated. She is very proud of her bathroom, the nicest in Wayne. It has a bidet! She doesn’t want to spend any money to fix up the house, which she says cost nearly $2 million to buy and now will be listed for $1.495 million. She also whines to the realtor about her husband not sending her money on time, if at all (this is the husband of whom Danielle once said, “There’s no finer man in the world”).

Ambush over arugula salad: Caroline and Jacqueline Laurita meet up with a 9-months-pregnant Teresa for lunch. Teresa complains that hubby “Juicy” Joe Giudice still wants to have sex her. She sighs and tells him, “Do what ya gotta do.” “At least he’s still interested,”Caroline says. Very. Awkward. Pause. Teresa asks Jacqueline if she’s heard from Danielle. Another. Awkward. Pause. Thought not as Awkward. As. The first. In voiceover, Jacqueline says that she wasn’t expecting to talk about Danielle.

(Yeah, right. What show did Jacqueline think she signed up for? “Top Chef: Passaic County”?) Jacqueline says that she’s spoken to Danielle on the phone, and that she wouldn’t snub her. Imagine Tony Soprano’s reaction if the deli guy told him they were out of capicola. Certainly not for the edification of anyone at that table, Teresa proceeds to recapDanielle’s long-ago arrest. Jacqueline says it was “many, many years ago.” Caroline says that’s not excuse for kidnapping someone. “You hang around garbage, you start to stink … She’s a con artist, and she’s going for the weakest link.” Silence. IfDanielle wants to make things right with anyone, she should be reaching out to Caroline and Teresa, not Jacqueline, they tell her. “She will never win against us,” Caroline says. “Never.” We are officially terrified.

Girls don’t poop: We didn’t make that up; that’s what Christopher Manzo’s shirt says. He and siblings Albie and Lauren have a food fight in the Manzo kitchen; ham is flying.Caroline is not amused. “There’s nothing good about the ham game. There’s nothing funny about the ham game. There’s nothing responsible about the ham game.” (Which may rank up there with Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino’s “You are excluded from surf-and-turf night” litany.) There’s tension over Albie’s best friend Vito dating Lauren. Albie: “Thinking of him holding your hand makes me throw up in my mouth a little.” Later, Vito comes by, and there’s tension between Vito and Albie as well, but they have a little man-to-man in the kitchen and clear the air.

The prodigal daughter: Ashley stops by Jacqueline’s house to do some laundry. Jacqueline is upset when Ashley, 18, admits that she goes clubbing, and wants Ashley to make sure she always uses a designated driver. “I don’t understand why it’s so horrible for me to ask if you’re being safe?” “Can you stop?” Yelling. “If I wanted to come here and argue with you,” Ashley says, “I would just live here.” Later, Dina Manzo meetsJacqueline at a baby boutique to buy a present for Teresa. Jacqueline tells Dina that Ashley moved out of the house. Dina says Jacqueline “needs to open a can of whoop-ass.” We can’t disagree.

Work it: Danielle says that IMG modeling agency wants her 15-year-old daughter Christine to model for them. Completely coincidentally, Teresa’s daughter Gia, 8, gets a go-see to walk in a fashion show. (Voiceover fromDanielle : “I don’t know if Gia has what it takes. I’m not cutting on her. I’m just saying, she’s not a supermodel. She’s four foot tall.”) Gia gets the job. Meanwhile,Christine goes on her photo shoot with Gilles Bensimon, the creative director of Elle magazine, which is actually pretty major. Christine gets annoyed by her mother’s running commentary. Point taken. Bensimon offers to take Danielle’s picture as well. They pose together. “I would probably like modeling again,” Danielle says. Christine lands the cover of The Daily, an industry magazine, and her modeling agent tells her she has a real future. Danielle invites Dina and Jacqueline to a luncheon she’s throwing to celebrate Christine’s cover. Dina, who texted Danielle congratulations when she heard about Christine’s coup, tells her she might have a conflict. Jacqueline says her husband doesn’t want her involved and begs off.

Indigestion: Danielle throws the luncheon. Among the guests: Kim D., boutique proprietor and apparent back-stabber. Dina does not come. Incidentally, the fashion spread includes one of the photos withDanielle, so Christine’s coup clearly had nothing to do with the fact that her mom is the star of a popular reality show. Nothing at all. Danielle points out Dina and Jacqueline ’s absence to the other ladies at the luncheon, saying it shows their true colors. She insists she’s going to “stay in the positive.”Danielle says that one of the women who did attend the luncheon, Kim G., is a friend of Caroline’s, and tells the woman that she doesn’t want to make her feel like she’s being put in the middle. As Danielle puts her in the middle. Kim G. says she’s not friends with Caroline. Huzzahs all around.

Article From : http://www.thenewspk.com/2010/05/theres-nothing-good-about-the-ham-gamechristine-staub/

Your request is being processed... Dallas Braden PERFECT GAME: Oakland A's Pitcher Perfect Against Tampa Bay Rays

2010-05-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

OAKLAND, Calif. — Dallas Braden definitely owns the mound now.

Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in major league history on Sunday, shutting down the majors' hottest team and leading the Oakland Athletics to a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Braden threw his arms in the air after Gabe Kapler grounded out to shortstop for the final out, his simmering feud with Yankees star Alex Rodriguez merely a footnote to the first perfect game for Oakland in 42 years.

The closest the Rays got to a hit was Jason Bartlett's liner to third leading off the game. Evan Longoria tried to bunt leading off the fifth, drawing boos from the small crowd.

"Pretty cool," Braden said. "I don't know what to think about it just yet. There's definitely a select group. I'd like to have a career more than today."

Before this gem, Braden was best known for his enraged reaction to Rodriguez walking across the mound on April 22. Still angry after the game, he told the slugger "to go do laps in the bullpen" if he wanted to traipse across a mound.

The squabble was still simmering last week. On Friday in Boston, Rodriguez said he didn't want to extend Braden's "extra 15 minutes of fame."

A-Rod struck a far more conciliatory tone Sunday.

"I've learned in my career that it's always better to be remembered for some of the good things you do on the field, and good for him," Rodriguez said before facing Boston. "He threw a perfect game. And, even better, he beat the Rays."

That said, Braden's grandmother may have gotten the last word:

"Let's forget it, uh huh – and stick it, A-Rod," said a chuckling Peggy Lindsey, who was in the stands watching.

This was the majors' first perfect game since Mark Buehrle did it for the White Sox against the Rays on July 23, and the second no-hitter this season after Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez accomplished it in Atlanta on April 17.

"I'm a bad omen. That's the third perfect game and fourth no-hitter I've been on the wrong side of," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "When Kenny Rogers threw his I was the bullpen coach. If you want to see another one, just follow me around."

Braden pitched the A's first perfect game since Hall of Famer Jim "Catfish" Hunter's gem on May 8, 1968, against the Minnesota Twins. Only 6,298 were there to witness it. Sunday's crowd at the Coliseum wasn't much better: 12,228.

Braden (4-2) wasn't fazed by anything, locating his fastball in every spot, throwing two-strike changeups and getting quick outs against a Rays team that lost on the road for just the third time this year. He struck out six in the improbable 109-pitch performance, throwing 77 strikes in his 53rd career start and first complete game.

Braden's teammates mobbed him when the Mother's Day masterpiece was over, leaving bats and gloves scattered on the field. The left-hander pointed to the sky in honor of his single mom, Jodie Atwood, who died of skin cancer when he was a high school senior. He shared a long and tearful hug with Lindsey, who helped raise him, in front of the dugout.

"It hasn't been a joyous day for me in a while," Braden said. "With my grandma in the stands, it makes it a lot better."

Braden's perfect game was the sixth no-hitter in Oakland history. The 26-year-old Braden, a native of nearby Stockton, was a 24th-round draft pick by the A's in 2004. He improved his career record to 18-23.

"Little League, I got a couple of them under my belt," Braden said. "In the bullpen, I'm damn near perfect every day."

His grandmother gets the game ball, the Stockton Hall of Fame everything else. Dozens of supporters from Stockton packed the Coliseum's Section 209 – the number of their area code.

Last Mother's Day, Braden was hit by a line drive by Vernon Wells.

"You know, a year later you don't expect anything like this," he said. "I'm just happy to be putting on the costume a year later."

The A's defense didn't even have to make a really tough play in fair territory.

Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff sprinted to the dirt in front of Oakland's dugout to catch a foul popup by Dioner Navarro for the second out in the sixth. Kapler then fouled out on a 12-pitch at-bat on another ball caught by Kouzmanoff. Navarro fouled off five straight pitches before the popup.

In the eighth, Kouzmanoff went down the dugout steps to snare Carlos Pena's foul.

"I told him he needs to quit stealing my thunder," Braden said. "He makes ridiculous plays."

Landon Powell – who caught the game with regular catcher Kurt Suzuki injured – Kouzmanoff and Ryan Sweeney each singled in runs for the A's, who added two unearned runs in the fourth after catcher Navarro's throwing error.

This was even a first for longtime umpire Jim Wolf, who worked home plate.

"You do get caught up in it a little bit," said Wolf, who watched younger brother Randy throw a perfect game and no-hitter as a high-schooler.

James Shields (4-1) failed to beat the A's for the second time in 12 days after striking out 12 in a 10-3 win April 28.

NOTES: The A's last no-hitter was by Dave Stewart on June 29, 1990, at Toronto. ... Maddon is open to the idea of Longoria playing every day this season. "I'm not opposed to it," Maddon said. "We'll look at it. If he's well, I believe he's capable of all the games."

Article From : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/09/dallas-braden-perfect-game_n_569416.html

People: Hasselbeck apologizes to Erin Andrews – San Jose Mercury News

2010-05-05T17:45:00.000-07:00

New York Daily News People: Hasselbeck apologizes to Erin Andrews San Jose Mercury News Elisabeth Hasselbeck was crying on "The View" Wednesday, and not because she saw Tuesday's heartbreaking episode of "Lost." Hasselbeck, who spoke tactlessly of Erin Andrews' costumes on "Dancing with the Stars" on Tuesday's "View," … Elisabeth Hasselbeck's apology to Erin Andrews: Was it enough? Entertainment Weekly Elisabeth Hasselbeck sorry for Erin Andrews stalker comment Chicago Tribune Erin Andrews: Elisabeth Hasselbeck Made Me Cry Us Magazine CBS News - New York Daily News - Seattle Post Intelligencer all 231 news articles »

Via Google News

Article From :http://www.funkybell.com/people-hasselbeck-apologizes-to-erin-andrews-san-jose-mercury-news/

Health and Beauty News: George Huguely, UVA Lacrosse player …

2010-05-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

George Huguely, UVA Lacrosse player, charged with murder of Yeardley Love

According to Charlottesville police, George Huguely,22, a University of Virginia (UVA) lacrosse player has murdered another lacrosse player, Yeardley Love, 22.

Reports state that police were called to Yeardley Love’s apartment by her roommate at approximately 2:15 a.m. the found Yeardley Love unresponsive. Police have not stated how she died but said that there were signs of ‘obvious physical trauma.’ Police said that they immediately began a murder investigation.

Both Yeardley Love and George Huguely are four year students at the school. Yeardley Love is originally from Cockeysville, Maryland; George Huguely from Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Yeardley Love lived with two female roommates and had been involved with George Huguely. It is unclear whether they were together as a couple or had ended their relationship. Police spoke with Huguely and at approximately 6:00 a.m., George Huguely was arrested and charged with murder in the first degree.

An autopsy is scheduled to be performed. Police said that at first they thought that they were answering a call involving a drug or alcohol overdose but once they saw Yeardley Love’s condition, they knew she had been assaulted. It is unclear whether Yeardley had drugs or alcohol in her system.

Article From : http://www.vx50.com/latest-news/health-and-beauty-news-george-huguely-uva-lacrosse-player/

McIlroy, 20, wins first PGA Tour event

2010-05-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- All the buzz about Rory McIlroy came to life Sunday at the Quail Hollow Championship with one dazzling shot after another in a record round that made him the PGA Tour's youngest winner since Tiger Woods.

Explosive as ever, the 20-year-old from Northern Ireland was 5 under over the final five holes to set the course record at 10-under 62 and win by four shots over Masters champion Phil Mickelson.

McIlroy finished in style, rolling in a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole and thrusting his fist into the air.

[+] Enlarge

Scott Halleran/Getty ImagesRory McIlroy celebrates after rolling in a 40-foot putt for birdie on the final hole.

"I suppose I got into the zone," said McIlroy, who celebrates his 21st birthday on Tuesday. "I hadn't realized I was going in 9, 10 under. I just know I got my nose in front and I was just trying to stay there."

It capped a big Sunday for golf's young stars. Earlier in the day, 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa shot a record 58 in the final round to win on the Japan Golf Tour.

McIlroy delivered an awesome display of skill that left two-time major champion Angel Cabrera in his wake and thrilled thousands of fans on a steamy day at Quail Hollow.

With a one-shot lead, McIlroy hit a 5-iron from 207 yards up the hill to 3 feet for eagle on the 15th. From a fairway bunker on the 16th, he hit 7-iron to 5 feet for another birdie. Then came the finish, when he knocked in a 40-foot putt that made fans leap from their chairs and had made McIlroy's freckled-face burst with joy.

He finished at 15-under 273 and won $1.17 million.

Woods, who missed the cut this week, was 20 years and 10 months when he won his first PGA Tour event in Las Vegas in 1996.

Mickelson was in the hunt until he had to play a right-handed shot from the woods on the 10th hole and made bogey. When he got around to making a charge, McIlroy already was too far ahead. Mickelson closed with a 68, which he figured would be good enough to win.

The roars he heard ahead of him told him otherwise.

"I've got to congratulate Rory," Mickelson said. "He played some incredible golf. He's an amazing talent. You knew he was going to come out and win out here. He is some kind of player."

Cabrera was tied for the lead with eight holes to play until his putter failed him. The former Masters and U.S. Open champion missed five putts inside 10 feet on the back nine and shot 68.

Quail Hollow Championship Leaderboard

1. McIlroy (-14)
2. Mickelson (-11)
3. Cabrera (-10)
4. de Jonge (-9)
T-5. Van Pelt (-8)
T-5. Mayfair (-8)

• Complete scores

Billy Mayfair, who had a two-shot lead going into the final round, lost the lead by hitting into the water on the par-5 seventh for a double bogey and closed with a 76.

McIlroy becomes the first player since Chris Couch at New Orleans in 2006 to make the cut on the number and win the tournament. McIlroy was two over the cut line on Friday with three holes to play until making an eagle on the seventh hole. He followed with a 66 on Saturday to get back in the hunt, then blew everyone away with a round that ranks among the best.

The previous course record at Quail Hollow was 64.

Padraig Harrington of Ireland closed with a 68 and hung around for two hours to congratulate the kid when he finished. He was growing concerned for McIlroy, under enormous pressure since turning pro when he was 18.

He won the Dubai Desert Classic last year at 19 and nearly won the Order of Merit. McIlroy had been struggling this year with lower back problems, alarming for someone so young. He had missed two cuts going into Quail Hollow, and had not had a top 10 since the first week of February.

"At home, no matter how he does, the focus is on him," Harrington said. "When you're not winning, not delivering, the focus becomes a burden. If he can get across the line here, he can go from strength to strength. He will be a lot more comfortable with who he is, a lot more patient. The win is significant -- very significant -- at this time."

He crossed the line at full speed.

McIlroy shot a 128 on the weekend at Quail Hollow, considered one of the toughest tracks on the PGA Tour.

Everything was going his way.

"It's been a crazy ride until this point," McIlroy said. "I'm just delighted to get here. To get my first win in the U.S. is special."

Article From : http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=5156375&campaign=rss&source=GOLFHeadlines

Kentucky Derby 2010 TV Schedule in Anticipation of "Lucky" Winner

2010-05-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

NBC Sports has traditionally covered Kentucky Derby and as long as the TV ratings remain high NBC's TV schedule may not change. This year NBC won't make an exception for the 2010 coverage either. Here is the complete TV schedule of the 2010 Kentucky Derby as fans finalize their odds due to the weather and anticipate the winner of the "roses."

See which horse winner will claim the garland of the roses as the posting time starts this evening at about 6:24 Eastern Time.

* Kentucky Derby Odds and Bets Keep Changing

Kentucky Derby 2010 TV Coverage per kentuckyderby.com

ESPN will have the coverage of the Kentucky Derby undercard. It will start at 11AM and go until 4PM. They will discuss prestigious stakes races like the Eight Belles, Churchill Downs and Humana Distaff.

* 2010 Kentucky Derby May Run Under Lights 1st Time

Between 4 and 5PM NBC will start its "Access at the Kentucky Derby / Kentucky Derby Red Carpet Special," The program will bring behind-the-scenes look at the general social setting that leads up to the final race. As the watchers wait to learn about the much anticipated winner, see what they eat and wear.

Kentucky Derby 136 is the TV schedule time you don't want to miss. It will be between 5-7 PM. This is where you will know the winner of the 2010 Kentucky Derby horse race. This two hour TV program's highlight will be the 2 minute run, which some say is one of the greatest two minutes in sports.

Written by Armen Hareyan

Submitted by Armen Hareyan on Sat, 2010-05-01 14:13

Article From : http://www.huliq.com/1/93093/kentucky-derby-2010-tv-schedule-anticipation-lucky-winner

BBL: Terrence Jones announces decision at 6:30 p.m.

2010-04-30T17:04:00.000-07:00

Big Blue Links for Friday:

Christopher Lawlor of espn.com on Terrence Jones’ announcement today:

Jones, the versatile 6-foot-9 power forward from Jefferson High in Portland, Ore., will break his silence Friday afternoon (6:30 p.m. ET) when he announces his college choice. The decision is late in the process for the prolific prospect, who played in the Jordan Brand Classic, Nike Hoops Summit and McDonald’s All-American Game — the trinity of senior all-star contests — this spring.

The Lawrence Journal-World will carry the press conference live.

Kentucky Sports Network has re-posted its interview with Terrence Jones from last month.

Percy Allen of the Seattle Times writes on the Jones’ pick:

While prolonging his recruiting with Washington, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, Oregon and Oklahoma, he was able to gain more information about the recruiting process to make an informed decision. The extra time allowed him to make an official visit to Lawrence, Kansas and determine where another standout recruit, C.J. Leslie, was going to college. Leslie decided to play at North Carolina State, which perhaps makes Kentucky’s offer more sweeter to Jones.

Brett Dawson of the C-J reports that John Calipari is considering a JV team:

Might John Calipari revive the junior-varsity basketball concept at Kentucky? According to a series of messages on his Twitter account today, he’s considering it. Calipari has been teasing this week about a suggestion made by Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown. Today, he revealed that Brown suggested adding a JV squad, a longstanding fixture of the North Carolina program.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports says there is zero chance Bledsoe and Orton return:

Zero (Technically, Daniel Orton and Eric Bledsoe are “testing the waters,” but nobody expects either to be a Wildcat next season. Both are projected first-round picks. Once they were told that, they were gone. For good.)

Michael Rosenberg of CBS Sports writes on Brandon Knight not signing a letter-of-intent:

Knight gamed the system. The whole point of signing with a school is to enforce a two-way commitment: The school and the prospect swear to love each other, in sickness and in health, in the NCAA tournament and the NIT. Schools can take scholarships away after players spend a year on campus (which I don’t like, but that’s another column). The Letter of Intent ends the recruiting process.

Metz Camfield of the Kentucky Kernel writes that bashing players for following dreams is wrong:

I’ve heard everything from ‘John Calipari might as well be a trainer for the NBA,’ to ‘Why isn’t Calipari making his players stay to earn their degrees?,’ to ‘Everyone going pro is going to be broke in five years anyway.’ I don’t get it. Actually, it genuinely makes me upset.

Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches has the entire list of early entrants for the NBA draft.

James Pennington of the Kernel writes on the SEC/ESPN deal:

The inherent problem with ESPN promising so much coverage is that it can’t all go on the flagship station or even ESPN2. If an ESPN crew is going to cover a SEC early-season baseball game in the middle of basketball season, how deep into your cable company’s sports package will you have to dig to watch? By the time you get down to watching games live on ESPN Classic, something doesn’t feel right.

Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger on Joker Phillips’ captain’s breakfast:

Joker Phillips certainly feels an obligation to keep the University of Kentucky football program moving forward. However, because he’s a Kentucky native and former UK receiver, he also has a sense of history that he wants to share with his players. That’s why he started the Kentucky Football Captains Breakfast, an event he hopes to make an annual affair on the day of the Blue-White Game that ends spring practice.

Mark Maloney covered Louisville baseball’s win over Kentucky:

After blowing a 6-4 lead by giving up five runs in the top of the ninth, 12th-ranked Louisville came back with four in the bottom of the inning to edge Kentucky 10-9. A regular-season record crowd of 4,039 filled Patterson Stadium, just a few furlongs from Churchill Downs. U of L salvaged a series split, having lost 5-0 at UK 22 days earlier.

Aaron Smith of the Kernel on the UK baseball loss:

It was a game that saw closers from both teams blow leads, a game that saw the bases loaded three separate times in the last two innings, a game that saw two ninth-inning comebacks and a game that drew a Patterson Stadium regular season school-record 4,039 fans.
Article From :http://johnclay.bloginky.com/2010/04/30/bbl-terrence-jones-announces-decision-at-630-pm/

Friends…how many of us have them?

2010-04-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

There is something amazing about social media web sites. I guess it revolves around the notion of re-inventing the wheel. Viewers, listeners, readers,the audience as we are known in communications studies have become creators. Without all the filtering of traditional media such as radio, tv and newspapers, we are the message because the medium of the net is the message.

Or is there much more to it than the magnetic and somewhat addictive characteristics of the Web 2.o Revolution?

Just think about it, ten or fifteen years ago did we sit in front of the TV or listen to the radio for say 6 hours each day. Television was important, but who actually viewed that much 7 days a week without fail. But many of us do spend that much time online, Facebooking, Youtubing, sending, receiving, writing and answering emails, surfing the net and yes BLOGGING!

I lived life without a TV as a student. Radio was different for me as I worked on a campus station so it was an occupational production hazard. But I never listened to 6 hours worth of radio every day without fail. There’s also the mobility of the net. You can go all mobile and wi-fi. My son for example, who is 12, sits in Bennigans while we wait for the nosh and answers emails. He has also been designing web pages for a couple of years.

In a way, we can’t really get away from it and every year something else comes out to the point where Star-Trek like next generation technology will be determining our lives.

Another dimension is the plain sociability of it all. I have for example 1,428 friends on Facebook and around 6,000 on MySpace. Don’ t ask me to name them because I can’t. Being an artist making music has influenced this kind of ‘friend’ base and I am not knocking social media sites for doing this as they are a vital tool for promoting new music, ideas and things which more mainstream media would just bypass.

There are also many people who tend to abuse this by hyping how many ‘friends’ they have through programs like ‘Friendblaster’ making them look way more popular than they are. It’s sinister and so desperate when you think about it. A bit like releasing a CD and then getting your friends to buy a couple of copies from retailers to bump up the sales and create a pseudo-buzz.

So where is all this leading one may ask? Well just how many real friends do we all still have? And how many virtual friends are real? Just think about it if there are a handful of things that have eternal continuity, friends are up there with family and life itself. I have a friend who have known since I was 10. Another since I was 22 and so on. But some one I chat to on Facebook, who I have not even met and would probably not recognize on the street, is that really a friend?

At the same time however, the net has been a magical tool for me music and production wise. I have spent the last 8 months recording a CD completely online with a cyber-friend by the name of Dub Caravan. Having Ftp’ed hundreds of files back and forth, we finally completed a mastered release, entitled ‘Virtual Oasis’, set for a release this June, but have not as yet, physically met. We have become close collaborators and partners in a business sense. The virtuality of the work has made it very special for both of us. We will meet finally this summer, on a stage in Cyprus when we start gigging together until then we are cyber buddies who have made a CD together.

It can also go terribly wrong online. Having worked with people from different contexts, some times things just don’t work out. The biggest hurdle is a lack of communication. This is why it is always better to be honest with people when they send you a track. If you don’t like it, just say so. There’ s no point in going with a flow which leaves a bad taste in your mouth aesthetically, emotionally and creatively. And this works both ways. Some one might not like my lyrics, just as much as I may not like the song or production quality.

So having done this online collaboration thing for the last four years its just probability, but I eventually found some one who understood me work and vice versa. It was perhaps then inevitble that I would encounter Dub Caravan, because he too has gone through very similar experiences online that on some occasions just did not work out the way he wanted.

Not every one however is a musician, lyricist, or promoter utilising the net to forward their works. Some people limit friends to people they actually know physically. This makes for a supereb way to keep in touch with actual friends and immediate family. A friend of mine that does this feels no need to add any one else as there are not enough hours in the day for work, kids, and dumbing out on Facebook with complete virtual strangers,

Social media sites then are allusive giving many of us a much more exaggerated notion of who we are and who our friends are. How many of us actually are friends and have become friends is open to much debate. I can still count my closest friends in this world on one hand. I know and they know who we all are. I am not saying all my facebooks, youtubes and myspaces will be terminated. I am not that much of a Luddite. New technology and techniques should always be tried and tested. They are great as long as we know how to use them and as long as we don’t let them take us all over and use us.

Friends…as the pioneering Hip Hop trio Whodini once said “How many of us have them”

Article From : http://sublimeridiculous.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/friends-how-many-of-us-have-them/

Police Raids House of Gizmodo’s Jason Chen with Search Warrant – 4 Computers Seized

2010-04-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

Even after one eventful week of the “lost” iPhone 4G, Gizmodo/Apple saga is getting worse. Gizmodo has just posted that there was a Police raid on their editor Jason Chen’s house in California. This happened on Friday night when Police entered Jason Chen’s house with search warrant. Police seized 4 computers and 2 servers belonging to Jason Chen at a time when Jason was away with his wife. Founder of Gawker, Nick Denton, has tweeted about it saying that it will help them in finding out whether bloggers were considered as journalists or not. It’s because journalists are protected by law and such a warrant can’t be issues against them. Here is the full story as published by Gizmodo:

Article From :http://www.techpetals.com/police-raids-house-of-gizmodo-jason-chen-with-search-warrant-4-computers-seized.php

Kristin Cavallari Shows Off Hot Body in Black Bikini!

2010-04-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

Kristin Cavallari

Looking as sexy as always, 23 years old Kristin Cavallari showed up at the Liquid Pool Lounge at Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday wearing a hot black bikini with a sheer top.

"I'm donating a good chunk of the proceeds from today to my charity One Kid One World. Every little bit counts", Kristin wrote on her Twitter page during the event.

Article From : http://gossip.whyfame.com/kristin-cavallari-shows-off-hot-body-in-black-bikini-4419

Bret Michaels -- The Odds of Survival

2010-04-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Bret Michaels doesn't just need good medical attention to survive his current condition -- he also needs luck.

According to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, people who don't receive proper medical treatment after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage have a 20% to 30% chance of experiencing a second bleed within the first month -- and the odds of surviving a second bleed are extremely slim.

Cedars states, "Recurrent bleeding has a 70% mortality rate."

Fortunately, Michaels is reportedly being treated in a capable medical center.

However, it appears as though Michaels is already beating the odds -- Cedars reports that roughly 1/3 of people who have a subarachnoid hemorrhage die during the hemorrhage because of extensive brain damage. Obviously, Michaels has already cleared that hurdle.

As for Michaels' treatment, Cedars warns, "Because of the ominous prognosis with delayed definitive therapy, referral to a center of excellence with experience in treating subarachnoid hemorrhage is imperative."

Why President Obama Needs to Block the Backroom Deal on International Whaling

2010-04-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Plans are underway to gut the international whaling moratorium first approved in 1982 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

The secret IWC deal, originally negotiated by the Bush administration, would allow Japan, Norway and Iceland to continue their slaughter of whales despite the existing IWC moratorium on commercial whaling. In fact, the deal would allow those countries to continue their illegal whale slaughter for commercial gain under the approval of the IWC, including whaling in the southern Antarctic Ocean whale sanctuary designated by the IWC.

Japan has been flaunting the IWC treaty by issuing “scientific” permits as a cover for their ongoing commercial whaling operations. Norway and Iceland objected to the moratorium and have continued their whaling operations despite the international whaling moratorium.

A large coalition of international environmental and animal welfare organizations recently completed an analysis of the newly proposed IWC deal and are uniformly opposing it.1 The deal, as currently formulated, would legitimize commercial whaling practices, allows continued illegal trade in whale products, and would undermine historic efforts to end international whaling. These quotas would be approved for ten years. Other nations, such as South Korea, are already complaining that the deal does not include their country returning to commercial whaling.

While the proposed deal reputedly includes safeguards in the form of quotas for whaling nations, the sham “quotas” actually do nothing to protect potentially endangered species of whales and are based on commercial demands by the whaling nations, not scientific analysis of how many whales can be killed without detriment to the population.

A recent scientific study published in Marine Mammal Science indicates that most “precipitous declines” in populations of whales (a decline of 50% or more in 15 years) would not be detected.

In fact, there would be a 75% chance that precipitous declines in large whales would not be detected.

To anyone concerned about protecting our environment and the world’s oceans, this proposal is a chilling indictment of IWC’s backroom politics and a failure of U.S. leadership in efforts to protect whales and marine mammals.

The devastating impact of this new proposal would seriously undermine efforts to protect endangered whale populations. This cynical deal would lift current restrictions and encourage other nations to begin whaling operations.

The IWC will meet in Morocco in June to vote on the secret deal, although the final wording of the agreement is still under wraps (especially the number of whales Japan, Norway and Iceland will get to kill).

The Obama administration needs to know that this deal is unacceptable and a sell-out to all who are concerned about marine conservation and protecting our environment.

While the U.S. IWC representatives profess not to officially support the proposed deal until they see the final wording, insiders have knowledge that they in fact helped write the deal and are actively supporting it behind the scenes with other countries.

This duplicity undercuts the historic U.S. position of support for the moratorium on all commercial whaling.

(On the positive side, the Obama Administration recently submitted comments requesting a ban on trade in whale meat as part of the IWC Deal.)

It is not clear why the Obama Administration would risk its environmental reputation by lending its support for such a dangerous and disingenuous international agreement.

We call on the Obama Administration to reject the proposed deal and instruct our U.S. IWC representative Monica Medina to block any agreement or administrative efforts to gut or limit the current international moratorium on commercial whaling.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

You can contact President Obama at www.whitehouse.gov/contact or phone the White House comment line: 202-456-1111 or contact your Congressional representatives at www.congress.org.

Urge them to oppose the IWC Deal allowing commercial whaling for ten years. The US position should be that Japan, Norway and Iceland must end their illegal whaling activities NOW. Thank you.

Article From :http://savejapandolphins.blogspot.com/2010/04/why-president-obama-needs-to-block.html

Who gets voted off American Idol 4/21/10 Idol Gives Back?

2010-04-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a wonderful American idol show and Idol Gives Back Show, but unfortunately, one of the contestants had to go home and say good bye to their participation in the famous talent show.Who gets voted off American Idol 4/21/10 Idol Gives Back episode? Who among this season’s Top 7 Idols will be eliminated? Who do you think will be kicked off in American Idol 4/21/10 results show tonight? We’ll find out who’s going home tonight and will be leaving the competition in American Idol 4/21 results and Idol Gives Back episode show.

Remaining in the bottom three, we had Casey James, Tim Urban, and Aaron Kelly. They were kept in suspense for some time, and finally Ryan Seacrest revealed the latest American Idol results, giving the news.

So who got voted off American Idol April 21?….. Tim Urban!

Sadly it was by bye for Tim Urban, who couldn’t stay for another week! Good luck for him in his future projects, we doubt we have seen the end of him!

Article From :http://frontpage-news.blogspot.com/2010/04/who-gets-voted-off-american-idol-42110.html

Boston Marathon 2010 – Robert Cheruiyot smashess CR

2010-04-19T16:26:00.001-07:00

114th edition of the Boston Marathon is already underway we already have a lead group of runners. As expected, strong contenders in the Mens event – 4 time winner – Robert Cheruiyot, defending champion Deriba Merga, Yegon, and the US pair of Meb and Hall are all there in the mix. In the Womens race, Dire Tune and Salina Kosgei would probably be the one to watch out for.

Final Results are in – Robert Cheruiyot / Teyba Erkesso win!

Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya crossed the finish line in a stunning 2:05:51 to win the Men’s Marathon. The course record has been smashed to bits, from 2:07:14 in 2006 (also by Robert Cheruiyot). This is a historic 5th time win for Cheruiyot! Second and third places went to runners from Ethiopia, with Tekeste Kebede’s 2nd place finish ahead of compatriot Deriba Merga being a real surprize.

Ryan Hall finished as the fastest US finisher at the race, finishing 4th overall in 2:08:41. Meb Keflezighi, the New York City Marathon winner finished 5th and right after Hall in 2:09:26.

Teyba Erkesso of Ethiopia won the women’s marathon in 2:26:11, with Russian Tatyana Pushkareva finishing second just three seconds behind in 2:26:14. Defending champion Salina Kosgei finished third in 2:28:35.

Results Summary

Marathon (Men) – at Finish

Robert Cheruiyot KEN 2:05:52
Tekeste Kebede ETH 2:07:23
Deriba Merga ETH 2:08:39
Ryan Hall USA 2:08:41
Mebrahtom Keflezighi USA 2:09:26
Gashaw Asfaw ETH 2:10:53
John Komen KEN 2:11:48
Moses Kigen Kipkosgei KEN 2:12:04
Jason Lehmkuhle USA 2:12:24
Alejandro Suarez MEX 2:12:33

Marathon (Women) – at Finish

Teyba Erkesso ETH 2:26:11
Tatyana Pushkareva RUS 2:26:14
Salina Kosgei KEN 2:28:35
Waynishet Girma ETH 2:28:36
Bruna Genovese ITA 2:29:12
Lidiya Grigoryeva RUS 2:30:31
Yurika Nakamura JPN 2:30:40
Weiwei Sun CHN 2:31:14
Nailya Yulamanova RUS 2:31:48
Albina Mayorova-Ivanova RUS 2:31:55

Live tracking of individual athletes can be done on the Boston Marathon Live Individual Tracking page. Complete results of the event will be available on the official results page.

Article From :http://runinfinity.com/2010/04/boston-marathon-2010-results.html

ACM Awards 2010 – TV Schedule

2010-04-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

What time will the ACM start? The 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, ACM, will start its broadcast at 8 pm, on CBS tonight, Sunday. Watch out for the winners to be postted later.

2010 ACM Awards Nominations Full List.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Kenny Chesney
• Toby Keith
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood
• Keith Urban
• Zac Brown Band

TOP MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Kenny Chesney
• Brad Paisley
• Darius Rucker
• George Strait
• Keith Urban

TOP FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Miranda Lambert
• Reba McEntire
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood
• Lee Ann Womack

TOP VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Lady Antebellum
• Little Big Town
• Randy Rogers Band
• Rascal Flatts
• Zac Brown Band

TOP VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

• Brooks & Dunn
• Joey + Rory
• Montgomery Gentry
• Steel Magnolia
• Sugarland

Larry King Files For His Eighth Divorce

2010-04-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

In these days of constant tumult and distress that we’re bombarded with every day in the news, we long to hear something familiar and soothing. An hour ago, the celebrity gossip-hounds at TMZ gave us just that. Reading that Larry King has filed for divorce from Shawn Southwick, his wife of almost thirteen years (and 25 years his junior), is about as familiar as wrapping yourself in your favorite blanket and eating chicken soup your mother made.

All kidding aside, divorce is a terrible thing and King and Southwick, whom he married in 1997, do have two children together. We have to remember though, that this is King’s eighth divorce. His attorney must be so rich.

So, in summary, divorce is not funny at all and nothing to make jokes about. However, an eighth divorce is…inevitably a late-night punchline.

Article From ;http://www.mediaite.com/online/larry-king-divorce/

GALLERY: Baxter shows there's no U-T spell

2010-04-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

There’s the famed Sports Illustrated cover jinx, but there is no Union-Tribune hex. On Saturday, U-T columnist Nick Canepa let readers know that Mission Bay High product Dillon Baxter isn’t exactly tripping over himself during USC spring football.

USC coach Lane Kiffin called Baxter’s debut, “phenomenal.”

At a Trojans scrimmage Saturday, Baxter let loose with a 50-yard TD run.

Kiffen repeated the phenomenal word again, then added, “It didn’t matter who was there. Nobody could tackle him.”

TRIVIA TIME

Who won the first sudden-death playoff at the Masters?

WESTWOOD’S A NICE CHAP

“Despite another close loss in a major, Lee Westwood was in a playful mood on Sunday night. When he sat down in the interview room and there was no moderator, he made the introductory announcement himself.

Then when a reporter accidentally started a question by calling him “Phil,” Westwood responded, “I’m Lee. Phil is coming in a minute. He’ll be wearing a green jacket.”

JUST WONDERING

Gallery poses a question. Had Tiger Woods been in Westwood’s shoes, would he have handled the reporter’s gaffe as gracefully?

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Phil Mickelson, no doubt, will grace the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. Some possible headlines:

• A Phil Good Story (stolen from a Dan Patrick radio show listener);

• Cornering the Amens;

• MasterPhil;

• Tears & Triumph;

• Lefty Gets It Right;

• WonderPhil.

BUT DO THEY BITE?

“Sharks are a concern for triathletes competing in Sydney this weekend,” noted Drew Curtis at Fark.com. “But on the bright side, record times are expected.”

IN NOT-SO-GOOD TASTE

Montana Tech football coach Bob Green, to Butte’s Montana Standard, applauding his defensive backs’ aggression in the Orediggers’ first spring scrimmage: “There could have been some interference there, but they stuck like a Toyota gas pedal.”

A WOULD-BE COSTLY FUMBLE

From the Orlando Sentinel’s Mike Bianchi: “Congratulations to new grandpappy Brett Favre, whose daughter Brittany just gave birth to an infant son. Cracked one radio caller this week, “I hope Favre doesn’t let Adrian Peterson hold the baby.”

TRIVIA ANSWER

Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

Article From :http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/13/gallery-baxter-shows-theres-no-u-t-spell/

Jimmy Rollins Injured

2010-04-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins was a late scratch from the lineup for that Phillies’ residence opener Monday as a result of a strained right calf.

Rollins apparently injured the calf running within the outfield during warmups. There was no immediate word about the severity with the injury. He’s hitting .391 with eight runs scored in the very first six games this season.

Rollins took batting practice and was announced inside the starting lineup before the game. It was Juan Castro who jogged out to shortstop in the initial inning, his first look being a member with the Phils.

Castro, a journeyman infielder in his 13th season in the Key Leagues, was signed as a free agent in December. He started 29 games last couple of years to the Dodgers, which includes 19 at shortstop.

Castro also moved into Rollins’ spot as the leadoff hitter. He grounded out to third base in his initial at-bat.

Article From :http://scarlett-journey.net/2010/04/13/jimmy-rollins-injured/

Masters 2010 Leaderboard, Tiger Will Fall

2010-04-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

As we approach the final round of the Masters, let us look upon the Masters 2010 leaderboard.

Westwood is leading the pack, with Mickelson on his heels. Michelson is the favored winner and I would be honored to have him with the Masters title for this year.

Behind these two are Tiger Woods (four shots back), along with Couples and Choi.

Tiger Woods is not worthy of being called Master, as the name itself should be enough to know why he has no business with such title.

As Tiger tries to rally today, let us remember it is the Lord’s Day so our prayers for gusts of wind to knock his shots into traps and for puts to just veer off a bit to the side due to several divinely stiff shards of grass guarding the cup, as to break his heart, will be heard. There is no miracle too small for God and it will be a great day to watch Tiger lose the Masters and never win a tournament again. It starts now so less pray Tiger’s day is cursed.

If you take a look at the Masters 2010 Leaderboard and the odds for the Final Round, Mickelson is holding steady at 11/10, Lee Westwood at 7/5, Tiger Woods at 9/5, K.J. Choi at 10/10 and Couples hanging in there, albeit at 20/1.

Article From :http://christwire.org/2010/04/masters-2010-leaderboard-tiger-will-fall/

UFC 112 Results (spoiler alert!)

2010-04-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

Jon Madsen def. Mostapha Al Turk via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Paul Kelly def. Matt Veach via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:41.
DaMarques Johnson def. Brad Blackburn via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:08
Rick Story def. Nick Osipczak via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Phil Davis def. Alexander Gustafsson via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 4:55
Mark Munoz def. Kendall Grove via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:50
Rafael Dos Anjos def. Terry Etim via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 4:40
Matt Hughes def. Renzo Gracie via TKO (strikes) Round 3, 4:40

Article From :http://mmawesome.com/?p=2978

Kenny Chesney Livin’ La Dolce Vita

2010-04-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

Kenny Chesney may have taken the year off from touring, but that doesn’t mean he has been staying home, either.

The country superstar spent several weeks this winter in L.A. editing his new concert film Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D, which hits theaters April 21, and managed to squeeze in his first-ever Italian vacation.

“We went to Capri, Positano and a little town called Ravello,” Chesney says. “I ate a lot of bread, drank a lot of wine and ate some really good cheese. And it was great. It’s somewhere I’ve wanted to go my whole life, but I never afforded myself the time to do things like that. Now it’s one of my favorite places in the world.”

Though taking the time off “was the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” Chesney says, “I’m so glad I made it. I haven’t felt this content in a long time.”

The drive that had made the singer the biggest North American ticket seller of the past decade had also taken a toll on his personal life. “Someone said ‘You sure do give a lot of your life to this’ and I said, ‘No, this IS my life.’ There’s no room for anything else. And that’s gotta change.”

Step one has been spending more time with the people closest to him. “I’ve been getting reacquainted with people who you shouldn’t have to get reacquainted with: my family,” he says.

Chesney, 42, is also opening himself up to romance. “If I want a relationship, I have to give to it too.”

Not that the singer is racing down the aisle. Although he has been dating Nashville nurse Amy Colley since 2008, “it’s not like I’m taking a year off so I can get married again,” he says. ” ‘Cause that could or couldn’t happen.But I want to put myself in a position to do it if it did happen. I want to put myself in a position to have a relationship in my life.”

He also has more travel on the horizon. “I want to go to places I’ve never been,” he says. “China? The Pyramids?”

“Who knows? I want to go explore,” Chesney says. “I want to taste everything. I want to take a big spoon, dip it in and taste it all.”

Article From :http://icydk.com/2010/04/09/kenny-chesney-livin-la-dolce-vita/

WNBA Draft 2010: let the opinionating begin

2010-04-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

Completed draft board:

2010 WNBA DRAFT - ROUND 1

Pick Team Record

1 Connecticut Sun | Tina Charles | Connecticut 16-18
2 Minnesota Lynx | Monica Wright | Virginia 14-20
3 Minnesota Lynx | Kelsey Griffin | Nebraska (traded to Connecticut) 14-20
4 Chicago Sky | Epiphanny Prince | Botas/Rutgers 16-18
5 San Antonio Silver Stars | Jayne Appel | Stanford 15-19
6 Washington Mystics | Jacinta Monroe | Florida State 16-18
7 Connecticut Sun | Danielle McCray | Kansas 16-18
8 Los Angeles Sparks | Andrea Riley | Oklahoma State 18-16
9 Atlanta Dream | Chanel Mokango | Mississippi State 18-16
10 Seattle Storm | Alison Lacey | Iowa State 20-14
11 Indiana Fever | Jene Morris | San Diego State 22-12
12 Los Angeles Sparks | Bianca Thomas | Mississippi 18-16

2010 WNBA DRAFT - ROUND 2

Pick Team Record

13 New York Liberty | Kalana Greene | Connecticut 13-21
14 Washington Mystics | Jenna Smith | Illinois 16-18
15 Connecticut Sun | Allison Hightower | Louisiana 16-18
16 New York Liberty | Ashley Houts | Georgia 16-18
17 San Antonio Silver Stars | Alysha Clark | Middle Tennessee 15-19
18 Washington Mystics | Shanavia Dowdell | Louisiana Tech 16-18
19 Tulsa Shock | Amanda Thompson | Oklahoma 18-16
20 Los Angeles Sparks | Angel Robinson | Georgia 18-16
21 Atlanta Dream | Brigitte Ardossi | Georgia Tech 18-16
22 Seattle Storm | Tanisha Smith | Texas A&M 20-14
23 Indiana Fever | Armelie Lumanu | Mississippi State 22-12
24 Phoenix Mercury | Tyra Grant | Penn State 23-11

2010 WNBA DRAFT - ROUND 3

Pick Team Record

25 New York Liberty | Cory Montgomery | Nebraska 13-21
26 Minnesota Lynx | Gabriela Marginean | Drexel 14-20
27 Connecticut Sun | Johannah Leedham | Franklin Pierce 16-18
28 Chicago Sky | Abi Olajuwon | Oklahoma 16-18
29 San Antonio Silver Stars | Alexis Rack | Mississippi State 15-19
30 Washington Mystics | Alexis Gray-Lawson | California 16-18
31 Tulsa Shock | Vivian Frieson | Gonzaga 18-16
32 Los Angeles Sparks | Rashidat Junaid | Rutgers 18-16
33 Atlanta Dream | Brittainey Raven | Texas 18-16
34 Seattle Storm| Tijana Krivacevic | Hungary 20-14
35 Indiana Fever | Joy Cheek | Duke 22-12
36 Phoenix Mercury | Nyeshia Stevenson | Oklahoma 23-11

This actually ended up being a fairly deep draft. From top to bottom, there is a lot of talent in all 36 slots. The thing that fans might argue about is who should go in each of those positions.

Random musings.....feel free to post your own:

- As a west coast person, I'm pleased to see Vivian Frieson, Alexis Gray-Lawson and Abi Olajuwon selected. I'm praying hard that they'll stick.
- No surprise on any of the top five, although I thought Prince would go ahead of Griffin. I'm glad to see Monica Wright went number two; she's been a tremendous player these past four years.
- Surprised to see Kalana Greene and Alison Hightower go in the second round instead of the first.
- It's ironic that Jayne Appel went to San Antonio, where she just finished her college career.
- As a Sparks season ticket holder, I am mystified as to why Los Angeles took so many guards. The Sparks need a center - someone to help Candace Parker on the low blocks. No offense to Junaid, but I don't know if 5.7 points per game average will cut it. General Manager Penny Toler better have a trade in the works.
- Fans and commentators always get excited when a team picks a player who is from the area or went to school there, such as Tina Charles going to the Sun. Is the same assumption made about male players, that more people will attend a particular NBA game if an athlete is from or went to school in the area? I'm curious.
- I'm wondering why more trades haven't yet occurred. There are usually at least 2-3 good ones on draft day.
- Who came out on top today? I'll leave that up to the experts, who have been strangely silent this afternoon so far.

Article From : http://hoopism.blogspot.com/2010/04/wnba-draft-2010-let-opinionating-begin.html

Demi Moore blasts Kim Kardashian for using ‘Big pimpin’ on Twitter

2010-04-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

The actress, 47, took offence when Kardashian, 29, captioned a pic on her Twitter page using the words ‘Big pimpin’.

According to the Daily Mail, Kardashian was attending a glamorous charity event in Miami and wanted to show her Twitter fans a snap of herself with her celebrity pals, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The snap, which appears to have been clicked by a cell phone camera, shows the reality TV star with singer Kelly Rowland, tennis star Serena Wiliams and DJ La La Vazquez.

Kardashian posted the pic on Twitter and added a message, which said: ‘Big pimpin w @SerenajWilliams @LaLaVazquez @Kelly_Rowland Love u girls!’

However, Demi did not like Kardashian’s use of the word pimpin and asked her: ‘Are you using the word “pimpin” as in pimping?’, to which Kardashian replied: ‘Doesn’t everyone? LOL.’

Demi then shot back: ‘No disrespect I love a girls night out but a pimp and pimping is nothing more than a slave owner!’

Demi added that people should stop ‘glorifying the pimp culture’.

One follower tried to explain what Kardashian meant: ‘She doesn’t mean it quite so literally’, to which Demi said: ‘It’s not her! we have allowed it 2 B considered cool, but it still is what it is!’

Kardashian then decided to defend her own comment, saying: ‘Nothing wrong with dancing to Big Pimpin’ by Jay Z in the club! Having agirls night out, gotta love that song!’The number was a single from the Jay Z’s 1999 record, Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter.

All that Demi could say in the end was that she just wanted to ‘provoke thought and conversation’. (ANI)

Article From : http://blog.taragana.com/e/2010/03/30/demi-moore-blasts-kim-kardashian-for-using-big-pimpin-on-twitter-104612/

Yummy Tummy – Yummie Tummie Heather Thomson Honored

2010-04-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

Heather Thomson, of Yummy Tummy, has been selected to receive the SPIRIT OF LIFE Award from the East End Chapter/Jeanne Kaye League of City of Hope. The SPIRIT OF LIFE Award is their highest philanthropic honor. They recognize the notable contributions that women have made to their profession, community and charitable causes.

You can read the full article from the Yummy Tummy blog.

Mark Bradley Live from Opening Day: Heyward homers his first time up!

2010-04-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

Bobby Cox couldn’t think of a suitable antecedent. Neither could Terry Pendleton. Neither could Chipper Jones, who was himself a rookie of immense promise.

“The media spotlight is 10, 20 times bigger than it was even 10 years ago,” Jones said, and that’s true.

When Jason Heyward picked up a bat and walked to the cage Monday, he took in his wake a camera crew and two still photographers. And when he, on his sixth practice swing — actually his fourth full swing, the first two having been bunts — he hoisted a delivery from China Cadahia over the fence in right-center, a writer who has been covering the Braves since 1984 (i.e., me) felt compelled to note it.

“Everyone who gets here has talent,” said Pendleton, the Braves’ hitting coach, speaking as he watched Heyward take his pregame swings. “What’s impressive about him is the way he carries himself, the way he goes about his business.”

Said Chipper: “He’s the real deal.”

Having been here these past 26 years, I can say with some measure of authority that there has never been a Braves rookie whose Opening Day debut has stirred such anticipation. Chipper was a September call-up in 1993. Andruw Jones arrived in August 1996. John Smoltz, Steve Avery and Tommy Hanson were midseason promotions.

Bottom line: There aren’t many rookies who ever make their first big-league start on Opening Day, and there have been few in the history of the sport whose advent has been a bigger deal than Heyward’s. Think not? Just click on this link and you’ll find a story by Ben McGrath in the The New Yorker, which isn’t to be confused with Baseball Digest, on Jason Heyward.

“We had Rafael Furcal start on Opening Day,” Cox said, “and he was 19.” Or thereabouts, someone noted.

“Sometimes 19, sometimes 22,” Cox said, laughing.

And Rafael Furcal, however old he was, wound up being the 2000 Rookie of the Year. If the projections for Heyward are accurate, he’ll win the 2010 ROY award and then the MVP before 2015. You wonder if the wattage of this spotlight will prove too great for any 20-year-old, but everyone who has been around Jason Heyward makes the same point: He’s not just another 20-year-old. He’s different. He’s special.

And we’ll be here all afternoon and into the evening to see how he fares. Join me for this august occasion. (Though technically it’s April. I made a little joke.) I’ll be obliged if you did.

Update: On cue, Jason Heyward hit a home run his first time up. Off Carlos Zambrano. Three-run shot way back into the bullpen in right-center. Crushed it. Whoa.

Article From :http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2010/04/05/live-from-opening-day-batting-seventh-jason-heyward/?cxntfid=blogs_mark_bradley_blog

Aral Sea shrinking – Environmental ‘disaster’ says Ban

2010-04-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

Urgent environmental action is needed for the Aral Sea, according to U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon, who was flown over the disaster area by helicopter today. The Aral Sea has been shrinking over recent decades, so that while it was once the fourth largest lake in the world it has now shrunk by over 70%.

In his latest trip to Central Asia, Mr Ban spoke to reporters after his helicopter tour and said the incident was shocking. Clearly taken aback he then said, “It is clearly one of the worst environmental disasters in the world? It really left me with a profound impression, one of sadness that such a mighty sea has disappeared”. He had toured the region with Uzbekistan Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev

It’s thought that the environmental damage to the Aral Sea has been caused by tributary rivers being diverted for irrigation. The region suffers grave pollution and the salinity of the soil in the area has climbed. A fund to rescue the Aral Sea from its poor state has been founded by the 5 leaders of Central Asia, a move Ban Ki-moon praised, pledging U.N. assistance to help out, at an official dinner in the capital of Tashkent.

Mr Ban stressed that it was a political and moral imperative to pass on Planet Earth to the next generations to enable them to live in a more hospitable and environmental manner. Sometimes it takes something as truly shocking as the state of the Aral Sea to wake people up to what is happening to our planet. We’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on this story.

Source: un.org

Easter is on Sunday and learn how to boil eggs

2010-04-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that the Easter for 2010 is on Sunday April 4. Many of you who find this page may be interested in knowing how to boil eggs. I hope you will appreciate what you learn from here. If you are seeking ways to dye Easter eggs, please check out other sites.

Here are some tips you can use to boil eggs so that the eggs can actually be consumed after the Easter is over. Be careful that eggs can be over cooked easily and the egg protein can be hardened by prolonged boiling particularly at high heat. In addition, you need to do something after you boil eggs so that the shell/membrane of the shell can be easily removed.

Here is how:

Place eggs in cold water. Please do not use hot water. Make sure water covers all eggs completely if possible.

Use low heat to boil eggs for about 15 minutes. When you use low heat, 15 minutes will be sufficient. But if you use high heat, outer egg protein may be "scorched" while the inner egg content egg yolk may be still cold.

You need to exercise some patience. Many people use high heat to boil eggs because they want to speed up the boiling process. The potential problem is that high heat may over cook eggs. Over cooked eggs have hardened texture and may taste bitter. So use low heat to slowly boil eggs, which will be nice and tender because not much of moisture from the eggs will be lost when you cook eggs this way.

After you complete boiling of your eggs, make sure to place them immediately in a large amount of cold tap water to cool down the eggs quickly. This will make it easier for you to separate the membrane attached to the shell from the cooked egg when you want to eat an egg. The membrane can be consumed if it cannot be removed from the eggs.

Article From :http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/6/Cooking/Easter_is_on_Sunday_how_to_boil_eggs_0204100729.html

John Forsythe, Debonair ‘Dynasty’ Star, Dies

2010-04-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

John Forsythe, the debonair actor whose matinee-idol looks, confident charm and mellifluous voice helped make him the star of three hit television series, including ABC’s glamour soap “Dynasty,” died on Thursday in Santa Ynez, Calif. He was 92.

His publicist, Harlan Boll, said the cause was complications of pneumonia, following a yearlong battle with cancer. He had earlier received a diagnosis of colon cancer, and in 1979 underwent quadruple bypass surgery.

He may be best remembered as Blake Carrington, the ruthless but dapper silver-haired Denver oil tycoon on “Dynasty,” which ran from 1981 to 1989 and took its place as the symbol of the affluent decade of the Reagan administration. He often expressed amusement that the role, as the object of two women’s fierce affection — that of Joan Collins and Linda Evans — had made him a sex symbol in his 60s.

Mr. Forsythe’s first series character was another dashing, well-dressed, self-possessed man of means. He was Bentley Gregg, the playboy Beverly Hills lawyer in the sitcom “Bachelor Father” (1957-62). Gregg was bringing up his teenage niece (Noreen Corcoran), whose parents had died in an accident. Between those two series, Mr. Forsythe played a crucial role in the crime show “Charlie’s Angels” (1976-81), about three young, scantily clad policewomen. His was the sexy telephone voice of their boss, a millionaire private eye who had others handle his cases.

Mr. Forsythe was often endearingly forthright with interviewers. “Moldavia – we’re still living that down,” he said, referring to a fictional nation featured in the later seasons of “Dynasty.” “That was one of our less effective story lines.” It was certainly one of their most preposterous. The story hit its peak with a season finale, in which revolutionaries barged into a royal wedding with machine guns blazing; half the glamorous cast were left for dead until fall.

A full obituary article can be found here.

Article From :http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/02/john-forsythe-debonair-dynasty-star-dies/

What Does Topeka Mean On Google

2010-04-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

No, there are no plans for Lawrence to quickly rename itself Yahoo! We’re not going to get into that type of competition with our neighbor to the west.

Lawrence City Hall leaders, though, did take notice on Thursday that Google gave Topeka gobs of international publicity by renaming its site after the Capital City for a day.

But Lawrence city commissioners insist they’re not jealous, and are not wishing they had done more to attract the attention of Google as it considers where to test its planned super-fast fiber optic network.

“No, not at all,” said City Commissioner Aron Cromwell. “I think ultimately there is a fine line between people laughing with you and people laughing at you. I believe Topeka maybe has crossed that line.”

Topeka, can you Google zing?

That’s not to say that Lawrence leaders wouldn’t love for Google to place its high-speed network here. City Hall used its Web site to urge residents to nominate Lawrence for the project. The city also submitted its own nomination and secured a recommendation from Kansas University, said Megan Gilliland, a spokeswoman for the city.

More than a thousand cities have expressed an interest, and a decision is expected to be announced before the end of the year, according to previous statements from Google.

Google’s decision to change its name to Topeka for a day — after Topeka changed its name to Google for the month of March — doesn’t mean the city is the front runner for the project. But it is hard to imagine any city has gotten more free publicity out of the effort thus far.

That’s OK with Lawrence’s mayor.

“It has been a strategy certainly,” Mayor Rob Chestnut said. “But Lawrence is just too good of a name to change.”

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Article From :http://thatkush.com/what-does-topeka-mean-on-google

April Fool’s Pranks – Be the Prank Master at Home & Work

2010-03-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day and everyone is trying to come up with the best April Fool’s Pranks. April Fool’s Pranks are meant to be funny and light-hearted, so the pranks below are perfect if you’re hoping to dupe someone.

At Home:

Squirt!: An all-time classic prank. Scotch tape the spray nozzle down so the next person that turns on the sink gets a squirt! Here’s a tip: Remember not to be the first person to turn on the sink!

Wake-Up Call: Hide the victim’s alarm clock and set it for 3am (or some other crazy time). To take this joke a step further you can also unscrew the lightbulb so they have more trouble finding the alarm clock that’s beeping incessantly.

Slippery soap: Rub dish soap on your hands and then on the door knob to their room. Watch as they attempt to get in!

At Work:

Push/Pull: Put push/pull signs on the doors so that people are pushing when they should be pulling or vice versa. Warning! Do not do this prank on fire escape doors.

Yum! Cake: Cover a box with frosting and leaving the kitchen. Watch as your co-workers attempt to take a slice!

Mouse Trouble: Put a post-it over the ball of a mouse. This will prevent the mouse from working and the victim will get very frustrated.

Frozen!: Take a screenshot of a co-workers computer and blow it up on their monitor to actual size. They’ll think their computer is frozen.

What are some of the best pranks you've pulled or been on the receiving end of? Hope you have a fun and funny April Fool’s Day!

Article From :http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978142263

Difference Between CVS and SVN

2010-03-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

CVS (Concurrent Versions System) and SVN (SubVersioN) are two version control file systems that are popularly used by teams who are collaborating on a single project. These systems allow the collaborators to keep track of the changes that are made and know who is developing which and whether a branch should be applied to the main trunk or not. CVS is the much older of the two and it has been the standard collaboration tool for a lot of people. SVN is much newer and it introduces a lot of improvements to address the demands of most people.

Probably the biggest improvement to SVN is the addition of atomic commits. Atomic commits allow each commit to be applied in full or not at all. This can be quite useful when the server crashes in the middle of a commit. With SVN, the commit can be rolled back while CVS could not undo the partial commit. Another addition is the ability to cleanly rename and move the files in the repository. With SVN the files that have been renamed or removed still carry their revision history and metadata. CVS is also unable to push any new changes to parent repositories while it can be achieved in SVN with the use of some tools. These features are simply not supported by CVS or were not a part of its initial design and often cause a lot of problems for some people.

In terms of accessing the either via a network, both support proprietary protocols that can be tunneled through an SSH connection to ensure the security of the information that is being transmitted across the network. SVN adds a little bit more with WebDAV+DeltaV. This protocol is based on HTTP and HTTPS and provides users with another option to connect to the SVN.

For most people who are just starting with SVN and CVS, SVN is the superior and logical option between the two. It provides the user with the right feature set to match his needs. The only reason to keep using CVS is if you are stuck with a legacy system that is quite difficult to move to an SVN system.

Summary:
1. SVN is newer and more advanced compared to the much older CVS
2. SVN allows atomic commits while CVS does not
3. SVN allows renaming and moving while CVS does not
4. SVN allows for propagating changes to parent repositories while CVS does not
5. SVN supports two networking protocols while CVS only supports one

Read more: Difference Between CVS and SVN | Difference Between http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-cvs-and-svn/#ixzz0jlsLx5du

Ricky Martin -- 'I Am a Fortunate Homosexual'

2010-03-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

Ricky Martin has revealed that he is a gay man.

Martin -- who has dodged questions of his sexuality for years -- just posted the following message on his official website: "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."

Martin says the birth of his twin sons led to his decision to come out -- and according to the singer, "To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where [sic] born with."

Ricky's kids were born in August 2008.

Taking a Closer Look at the Sweet 16

2010-03-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Sweet 16 have received a great deal of attention lately, but these schools have more to offer than just great basketball teams. Here’s a quick overview of each school and what it has to offer.

Baylor University

Baylor University is a private university located in Waco, Texas. Affiliated with the Baptist Church, Baylor University features 145 areas of study as well as 300 student organization. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending Baylor University was about $39,276, with 93% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at Baylor University include accounting, biology, forensic science, nursing, marketing, psychology and journalism.

Butler University

Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Located on 290 acres, Butler University was founded by attorney and abolitionist Ovid Butler in 1855. The school offers 140 student organizations and 55 undergraduate programs while boasting an average class size of just 20. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending Butler University was $40,526, with 92% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at Butler University include biology, elementary education, chemistry, marketing, finance, marketing and physician assistant.

Cornell University

Cornell University is an Ivy League university that is located within the Finger Lakes region in the state of New York. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending Cornell University was $50,384, with 44% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at Cornell University include agricultural business, economics, animal science, electrical engineering, hotel management, mechanical engineering and human development.

Duke University

Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina, making it part of the famous “research triangle” along with North Carolina State University and UNC Chapel Hill. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending Duke University was $50,925, with 47% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at Duke University include English, biomedical engineering, biology, economics, psychology, political science and public policy.

Kansas State

Located in the town of Manhattan in Kansas, the Kansas State campus sits up 668 beautiful acres of land. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending Kansas State was $17,712 for in-state students, while the cost for out-of-state students was $28,017, with 91% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at Kansas State include biology, animal science, elementary education, business administration, kinesioligy, human development, journalism, mechanical engineering, social sciences and psychology.

Michigan State University

Situated on 5,200 acres of land, Michigan State University is located along the banks of the Red Cedar River in East Lansing, Michigan. The university, which is home to the largest study abroad program in the country, features nearly 700 buildings serving 45,000 students. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending Michigan State University was $19,930 for in-state students and $35,388 for out-of-state students, with 92% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at Michigan State University include accounting, biology, advertising, communication studies, criminal, psychology, marketing, social sciences and finance.

Ohio State University

Founded in 1870, Ohio State University is the largest university in the country. The total cost of attending Ohio State University during the 2008-2009 school year was $22,554 for in-state students and $35,793 for out-of-state students, while 95% of students received financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at Ohio State University include communication studies, biology, family resource management, English, human development, finance, psychology and international relations.

Purdue University

With over 40,000 students and more than 200 academic programs, Purdue University is located in West Lafayette, Indiana. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending Purdue University was $18,820 for in-state students and $34,294 for out-of-state students, with 62% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at Purdue University include architectural engineering, aeronautics, business, apparel and textiles, electrical engineering, communications studies, hotel administration, elementary education, operations management and mechanical engineering.

Saint Mary’s College

Locate just 20 miles east of San Francisco in Moraga, California, Saint Mary’s College is a Catholic liberal arts college with an average class size of just 20. Saint Mary’s College offers 38 different majors, with some of the most popular being business administration, accounting, English, communication studies, psychology and liberal studies. During the 2008-2009 school year, the cost of attending Saint Mary’s College was $43,630.

Syracuse University

Located in the Finger Lakes region within the state of New York, Syracuse University is home to the largest college dome stadium in the country. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending Syracuse University was $45,280. Some of the most popular majors at Syracuse University are commercial and advertising art, architecture, finance, biology, marketing, information science, psychology, political science and radio and television.

University of Kentucky

Located in Lexington, Kentucky, the University of Kentucky is the largest university in the state of Kentucky. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending the University of Kentucky was $19,488 for in-state students and $27,636 for out-of-state students, with 91% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at the University of Kentucky are advertising, accounting, business/commerce, biology, elementary education, communication studies, finance, English, mechanical engineering, marketing, political science, nursing and psychology.

University of Northern Iowa

Located just west of Cedar Falls, Iowa, 93% of the students at the University of Northern Iowa are from the state of Iowa. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending the University of Northern Iowa was $17,386 for in-state students and $25,606 for out-of-state students, with 88% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at the University of Northern Iowa include biomedical science, accounting, communication studies, business administration, English, criminology, family and community services, elementary education, marketing, history, parks and recreation, public relations and social work.

University of Tennessee

Founded in 1794, the University of Tennessee is located in Knoxville, Indiana. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending the University of Tennessee was $19,618 for in-state students and $32,576 for out-of-state students, with 92% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at the University of Tennessee include biology, accounting, finance, English, journalism, history, political science, marketing, logistics and materials management and psychology.

University of Washington

Located in Seattle, Washington, the University of Washington is the largest university on the west coast. During the 2008-2009 school year, the total cost of attending the University of Washington was $19,138 for in-state students and $35,555 for out-of-state students, with 57% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at the University of Washington include cellular biology, biochemistry, communication studies, accounting, electrical engineering, economics, political science, finance, sociology and psychology.

West Virginia University

Located in Morgantown, West Virginia, West Virginia University offers 185 degree programs while offering a 23 to 1 student to faculty ratio. During the 2007-2008 school year, the total cost of attending West Virginia University was $14,608 for in-state students and $24,486 for out-of-state students, with 77% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at West Virginia University are accounting, communication studies, exercise physiology, biology, general studies, journalism, nursing, marketing, sociology and psychology.

Xavier University

Founded in 1831, Xavier University is located on a 125 acre campus just 5 miles away from downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. During the 2007-2008 school year, the total cost of attending Xavier University was $36,320, with 96% of students receiving financial aid. Some of the most popular majors at Xavier University are communication studies, business administration, finance, elementary education, marketing, history, nursing, liberal arts and psychology.

Article From :http://www.top-colleges.com/blog/2010/03/28/taking-a-closer-look-at-the-sweet-16/

Dr. Dorothy Height in Intensive Care on 98th Birthday

2010-03-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Dr. Dorothy Height is in intensive care in a Washington, D.C. hospital on her 98th Birthday. Former Clinton Labor Secretary Alexis Herman says her "birthday celebration will go on because Dr. Height wanted it." The event has shifted from a party to a birthday filled with prayers for her speedy recovery.

Dr. Height is the last female activist icon of the Civil Rights era. She is an institution who has been meeting with Presidents, Democratic and Republican, since President Roosevelt to President Obama. She was last at the White House in early March for a Women's History Month event. During the occassion, First Lady Michelle Obama called her "friend."

Dr. Height has mentored women from all races. Many have said Dr. Height, the President Emerita of the National Council fo Negro Women, has been a mentor to many to include Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Those who know Dr. Height and her accomplishments contend she is a tireless worker for issues of education, jobs and healthcare. They say her voice is espercially strong for African American women and the black family.

Dr. Height's reach has stretched around the globe to include a Micro Lending program in Africa. She is the founder of the Black Family reunion, and she is also known for garnering the respect of those in Washington at a time when blacks and women did not have a prominent place at the table with the policy makers.

Some words used to describe her have been that of intregrity and honor. A high ranking Democrat who wishes not to be identified says she is a "low key woman with a High Profile." All of her accomplishments while wearing her signature hats.

Article From : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/april-d-ryan/dr-dorothy-height-in-inte_b_511756.html

Beyonce Pregnant

2010-03-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

The report says that Beyonce is doing well and is “expected to continue working during her pregnancy.”

Although the internet is ablaze with people wondering this, and rumors that the pregnancy have been confirmed, there is no proof of this as we speak. Of course this rumor has popped up numerous times, each time supposedly confirming the pregnancy.

Note, this rumor appears occasionally. Google “Beyoncé pregnant” and prepare for a flood of speculation.

Jay-Z is said to be extremely happy, to be expecting his first child with Beyonce. The couple has not actually confirmed the ‘baby’ news to larger media outlets, but Beyonce has said in previous interviews that having a child was definitely on her mind.

Jay-Z packed Philips Arena last month and the day after their concert was seen with Beyonce and Jermaine Dupri in Atlanta in Statistics, the sports bar

March 25, 2010. It’s been a long wait. . . but now it’s finally happened. MediaTakeOut.com just learned from a source of the legendary Solid Rock singerBeyonce and her husband, hip hop mogul Jay Z are expecting their first child together.

This also isn’t the first baby rumor to circulate. In fact, those rumors pop up regularly, especially around the time they tied the knot. Many speculated the surprise wedding was of the shot gun variety, but no baby materialized that time.

That said, there’s been much tittering since the New Year from bloggers who’ve heard the same Beyonce baby rumors from their own sources. Perhaps this time it is the truth.

Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, filed for a divorce last year on November 11, 2009. They were married for nearly 30 years.

Article From : http://www.breakingnewsviews.com/03/beyonce-pregnant.html

Wikipedia back up after server meltdown

2010-03-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

[UPDATE: It appeared that Wikipedia was back online as of about 4:30 p.m. ET.]

Wikipedia was offline Wednesday afternoon after an overheating problem at the online encyclopedia's European data center.

Wikipedia's technical blog said the site's servers shut themselves down to avoid damage from the heat.

Administrators tried to shift traffic to a cluster of servers in Florida, but "it turned out that this failover mechanism was now broken, causing the DNS resolution of Wikimedia sites to stop working globally," according to the blog.

"This problem was quickly resolved, but unfortunately it may take up to an hour before access is restored for everyone, due to caching effects," the blog said.

Trying to access wikipedia.com and wikipedia.org at about 2:45 p.m. ET produced a navigation error message.

One post to Wikipedia's technical blog, by a user named Jimmy, found some humor in the situation: "And so we remember Thursday, March 25, 2010 as the day every English speaking student failed their research papers."

Article From :http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/24/wikipedia-down-after-server-meltdown/

MF Global Brings Corzine Back to Wall Street

2010-03-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

Jon S. Corzine, the former governor of New Jersey, is back in finance.

Mr. Corzine, who is also a former chief executive of Goldman Sachs, has become the chairman and chief executive, of MF Global Holdings, a broker in futures, options and derivatives. He will also become a partner at J.C. Flowers & Company, the private equity firm specializing in financial companies.

MF Global said Tuesday afternoon that Mr. Corzine would take over from Bernard W. Dan, who resigned from MF Global as chief executive for “personal reasons.” Mr. Dan will remain with MF Global through May 16 help with Mr. Corzine’s transition.

“MF Global is a firm with tremendous potential and excellent talent,” Mr. Corzine in a statement. “I see a substantial opportunity for the firm to expand its leadership position in serving clients globally in cash and derivatives markets.”

J.C. Flowers said in its own statement that it had recommended Mr. Corzine as a replacement for Mr. Dan. The firm is a major shareholder in MF Global: according to Bloomberg News, J.C. Flowers invested at least $300 million in MF Global in May 2008 and controls two seats on MF Global’s nine-member board.

“We know he is very excited by MF Global and its potential for further growth,” a J.C. Flowers spokesman said in a statement. “We are also very proud to have played a role in bringing Mr. Corzine back to the financial services arena.”

Mr. Corzine and J. Christopher Flowers, the eponymous head of the buyout shop, have known each other since their days at Goldman Sachs.

Mr. Corzine, a Democrat, was defeated in his re-election bid in November 2009 by Chris Christie, the Republican candidate.

Article From : http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/mf-global-brings-corzine-back-to-wall-street/

Dating advice from Sharon Tay

2010-03-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

Her Channel 2 colleague, Kent Shocknek, blogs Sharon Tay's personal dating do's and don't's, starting with the preamble "I have been single for a long time. But HATE dating! In fact I can probably write a book about my experiences.. no.. two books! OK, a series! They would all be based on the quirky.. borderline horrible... process of finding Mr. Right.. OK.. I'll settle for Mr. Right Now!" She offers six tips, including no married guys.

Article From :http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/12/dating_advice_from_sharon.php

The 2010 Sweet Sixteen: NCAA Bracket 2010 update

2010-03-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

The Latest on 2010 Sweet Sixteen: NCAA Bracket 2010 update. Syracuse singlehandedly beat Gonzaga in a wide open game through their hot shooting on the floor 87-65 to enter to the 2010 Sweet Sixteen. From 64 teams it was cut down to 32 and from 32 into Sweet Sixteen. There are still games going on like the Ohio State vs Georgia Tech which is getting serious attention from the fans. As of the moment it is 28-26 in the first half.

2010 Sweet Sixteen: NCAA Bracket 2010 update. Another Big Ten Conference team playing today is the Michigan State. MSU vs Maryland is son interesting that viewers are watching it. Will MSU beat Maryland? A big game between west Virgina and Missouri is underway also.

Out of the eight teams, four are Big Ten Conference. Wisconsin is trying to avoid an upset from Cornell by leading nine points early in the first half. Meanwhile Purdue will have to work hard on defense against Texas A&M. Xavier vs Pittsburgh is also highly anticipated. How about the California vs Duke? The two powerhouse teams with great flexibility on offense and defense.

2010 Sweet Sixteen will be completed once all these games are over. Let’s wait which are the teams in 2010 Sweet Sixteen.

Gonzaga Zags vs Syracuse Orange Live Stream Online

Gonzaga Zags vs Syracuse Orange Live Stream Online. Two thrilling teams are gunning for the higher score in NCAA Basketball Tournament 2010 on Sunday. The upcoming Big East / West Coast division game between Gonzaga vs Syracuse is scheduled to air on Sunday, 21st March 2010 kick-off at 12:10 PM. Who do you think will win this interesting game? Gonzaga won the match against Florida State caring score of 67-60 while Syracuse moved ahead next round after beating Vermont. Syracuse might miss center Arinze Onuaku in this match, which is a disadvantage, however they will not give up easily. This is going to be very competitive game, so don’t miss out on Gonzaga vs Syracuse live stream on Sunday!

If you want to follow and watch Syracuse vs Gonzaga live stream online, you can have it on Justin TV. Surely, it will be an exciting basketball game. Will this be an upset of the Gonzaga Zags vs Syracuse Orange Live Stream Online?

This is going to be a great and competitive game. Absolutely, all the college basketball fans will surely watch this Syracuse Orange vs Gonzaga Zags Live Stream online.

Article From : http://bubble20snarkgroup.com/the-2010-sweet-sixteen-ncaa-bracket-2010-update/

This weekend: Oprah Winfrey talks up ‘Life’; Bryan Cranston shines in ‘Breaking Bad’; John Barrowman on Wisteria Lane

2010-03-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Beyond March Madness, the weekend brings two biggies:

***The natural history epic “Life” starts on Discovery Channel.

***”Breaking Bad” begins its third season on AMC. (Star Bryan Cranston is pictured in this Getty Images photo by Jason Kempin.)

The 11-part “Life” is a gorgeous survey of animal and plant life that hopscotches around the globe. You get two parts each Sunday at 8 p.m., plus a third hour on April 18.

The first hour, “Challenges of Life,” showcases cheetahs in Kenya, ibexes in Israel, seals in Antarctica, stalk-eyed flies in Malaysia and dolphins in Florida Bay. And those are just a few of the stops. The second hour celebrates “Reptiles & Amphibians,” from toads to lizards to snakes.

The photography is astounding; the narration isn’t. The words have an awed, we’re-all-in-this tone that can run counter to scenes of animals hunting their prey.

Oprah Winfrey delivers the narration like a wise earth mother, which will please her fans and probably annoy others. Still, the photography is the main thing, and it is sublime. ”Life” isn’t deep, but it sure is pretty.

“Breaking Bad” gives us more of Bryan Cranston in his Emmy-winning role as Walt White. This bleak, risk-taking drama is unlike anything else on television; its boldness and fury are operatic. The third season starts at 10 p.m. Sunday on AMC.

Walt is a dying chemistry teacher who has turned to producing meth to leave some money for his family. Yet his secret, desperate measures have cost him his family.

His wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn in a ferocious performance), wants a divorce. And their son, Walter Jr. (RJ Mitte) is angry at her.

“Breaking Bad” is clearly Cranston’s show — he has won two Emmys for his bravura performance. If you know him only for the dizzy dad on “Malcolm in the Middle,” you are missing out on a classic performance. But Cranston has excellent suport from many players, notably Aaron Paul as Walt’s partner Jesse and Dean Norris as Hank Schrader, Walt’s brother-in-law and a DEA agent.

Elsewhere this weekend:

***CBS’ “60 Minutes” will profile the Bryan brothers, the doubles champions of professional tennis. Lesley Stahl talks to identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan, whose savvy play confounds opponents. The brothers cite their solidarity for their success. “We’re never going to give up on each other,” Bob says. “Other teams are worried if they play a bad match, ‘Is the guy … going to leave me on the street?’ But we’re never going to do that.” The newsmagazine airs at 7 p.m. Sunday.

***”Undercover Boss” puts Michael Rubin, CEO of GSI Commerce, through the show’s learn-from-the-workers routine. The popular reality series airs at 9 p.m. Sunday on CBS.

***”Desperate Housewives” brings on John Barrowman as a guest star. It’s a big deal for “Torchwood” fans. Barrowman comes to Wisteria Lane as Angie’s former boyfriend. The ABC comedy-drama airs at 9 p.m. Sunday.

Article From :http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2010/03/this-weekend-oprah-winfrey-talks-up-life-bryan-cranston-shines-in-breaking-bad-bryan-twins-on-60-minutes.html

Tiny Wofford College Makes Cinderella Run for NCAA Baseball Championship

2010-03-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

Tiny Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, continued its unlikely Cinderella run in the NCAA Division I baseball championships. On Saturday evening, Wofford pitcher Austin Redwine held The Citadel to one run and four hits over nearly seven innings, while Brandon Waring slammed a go-ahead two-run homer to lead Wofford College to a 4-2 win over The Citadel in the championship game of the Southern Conference tournament at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park in Charleston, South Carolina. The tournament victory marked the first Southern Conference baseball championship in Wofford’s Division I history. Beginning tournament play as the lowly no. 9 seed, Wofford became the lowest seeded team in history ever to win the Southern Conference tournament championship.

But there is much, much more to this magical story. over the last 50 years, only a handful of college baseball teams have been able to put together an offensive lineup capable of launching 100 or more home runs in a single season. Perennial university baseball Goliaths such as The University of Alabama, Louisiana State University, Florida State University and The University of South Carolina adorn the list of 100 home run clubs, but recently on May 23, another college team powered its way into that select national NCAA Division I baseball group. and that team is not ranked among Baseball America’s Top 25, nor is it a perennial College World Series contender.

The newest member of the 100 home run circle is Wofford College, a member of the Southern Conference and the smallest NCAA Division I school in the country. Wofford’s baseball team team draws from about 625 male students in a coed student body that totals just 1,250 students. Wofford had smashed 103 home runs this season by May 23rd, giving it the second highest home run total in the entire nation. they were only the second team in the country to reach triple digits this season and trailed only ninth-ranked South Carolina by one homer for the national lead. However, by slamming two more home runs during their winning Southern Conference Championship game tonight, Wofford passed The University of South Carolina to take the lead in the nation’s college home run derby, with a total that now stands at 106 for the regular playing season.

Wofford College, located in Spartanburg, S.C., is traditionally renowned for its superb academics and a historic campus that is so beautiful it has gained official status as a national arboretum. Wofford’s football program has enjoyed consistent success, even claiming a Southern Conference championship in 2003, but its other athletic programs have been a mere blip on the national radar. That is until the 2007 baseball team began drawing national attention after climbing the nation’s home run list and making its unlikely winning run for the Southern Conference tournament title.

The Wofford Terriers began the 2007 season by mustering only seven runs over a three-game series against Longwood University, while losing two of three to the visiting Lancers. but after sweeping a series against The University of Dayton and scoring a combined 21 runs over the three-game spread, Wofford’s powerful bats came to life and the Terriers homered in their next 22 straight games. Fifty-three homers later, the Terriers stood atop all NCAA Division I teams in the country as the national home run leader. Since then, Wofford had battled for the home run lead with The University of South Carolina and Florida Atlantic University, two universities that each boast student bodies of over 25,500.

Wofford’s new-found power took them further into the Southern Conference baseball championship tournament than the team has ever gone before. after drawing a no. 9 seed to begin the tourney, Wofford blasted its way into the finals by slamming seven home runs during its first three tournament games. The road to the finals included a 5-3 first-round victory over no. 8 seed Furman University, a 19-6 romp over no. 1 seed The College of Charleston, a 12-5 trouncing of no. 5 seed University of North Carolina (Greensboro) and a 6-2 semi-final triumph over The Citadel. Wofford’s unlikely championship charge culminated in tonight’s decisive 4-2 finals rematch triumph over The Citadel.

Having won the Southern Conference tournament title, Wofford has earned an official bid to the NCAA Division I Regional Championships and will learn exactly where it will be playing when bracket selections are announced during the selection showcase to be held on Monday, May 28 at 12:30 p.m. However, early news reports from reliable college sports sources are indicating that Wofford is likely to open regional championship play in the bracket taking place at The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Technorati: Wofford College, Wofford, Terriers, baseball, Spartanburg, Southern Conference, Southern Conference champions, sports, sports news, national home runs leader, home runs, NCAA, Division I, NCAA Division I
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Article From :http://mashtrends.com/03/google-trends/tiny-wofford-college-makes-cinderella-run-for-ncaa-baseball-championship/19/

About The Belavezha Accords

2010-03-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

The Belavezha Accords is the agreement signed at the state dacha in the Bia?owie?a Forest (a.k.a. Belovezhskaya Pushcha) on December 8, 1991, by the Presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus (Boris Yeltsin, Leonid Kravchuk and Stanislav Shushkevich), which declared the Soviet Union dissolved and established the Commonwealth of Independent States in its place. While doubts remained over their authority to dissolve the Union, on December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as the President of the USSR and turned the powers of his office over to Boris Yeltsin, de facto accepting the dissolution of the Soviety Union.

The name is variously translated as Belavezh Accords, Belovezh Accords, Belovezha Accords, Belavezha Agreement, Belovezhskaya Accord, Belaya Vezha Accord, etc.

Article From :http://scarlett-journey.net/2010/03/19/about-the-belavezha-accords/

Ron Washington: 'I notified the league about the drug use'

2010-03-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

This from the Rangers:

STATEMENT BY RON WASHINGTON

I am here today to apologize for a huge mistake I made during the first half of the season in 2009.

I am not here to make excuses. There are none.

I am not here to ask for sympathy. That would be asking too much.

I fully understand that I disappointed a lot of people----my family, my players, coaches, as well as the team's leadership, especially Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels, as well as young people who may have looked up to me.

I am truly sorry for my careless, dangerous, and frankly, stupid, behavior last year.

Clearly, you have never seen me speak from a script before. But this is a time that I need to get the words exactly right.

Here's the biggest question: how and why did this happen?

That's a question I have had to face in numerous sessions with counselors. I've learned a lot about myself personally, and I recognize that this episode was an attempt to dodge personal anxieties and personal issues I needed to confront.

That was the wrong way to do it. It was self-serving, and believe me, not worth it. I know you will ask, and so here's the answer: this was the one and only time I used this drug.

I made a huge mistake, and it almost caused me to lose everything I have worked for all of my life.

Shortly after I did this, MLB notified me that I would have a routine drug test. Before even taking the test, I notified the league about the drug use. Right after that test, I told Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan about my shameful behavior. I offered them my resignation.

They asked a lot of difficult questions. Remarkably, these two men, after a lot of thought and prayer, allowed me to stay here through last season.

However, they also directed me to immediately begin MLB's drug treatment program, which is a thorough and exhaustive process, and it includes the administration of drug tests at least three times a week.

I am proud to report to you that I have completed that program.

I am not proud to admit this terrible error.

This morning, I talked to our players. I assured them that this will never happen again, and I asked them to forgive me. In the true spirit of a "team," they seemed to embrace me not only as a manager but as a human being. I won't let you down again. Please know that I will personally take on the challenge of telling young people my story and my mistake. I don't know what form that will take, but I am committed to do that.

I am hopeful that our fans, both Rangers fans and Major League Baseball fans, will accept this heartfelt and humble attempt to say: I'm so sorry for what I did.

Article From :http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/03/ron-washingtons-statement-on-h.html

Ncaa Bracket Blank

2010-03-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

Ncaa Bracket Blank : Texas A & M will be the elite eight. (Or: Duke will not have the final four.) Do not get me wrong. Duke has the easiest path to the semi-final in any of the seed number (1). The Blue Devils had a really big on justice and on paper – they hint at Ken Pomeroy exercised group potency in the country for a reason. Duke must be the final four. But if there were demands by dissapoint No. 3 – seed Baylor in the southern region, it’s Texas A & M University. And [Aggies] were smart defensive team, ranked number twenty – three in efficiency exercise.

Mark Turgeon has a stretch of talented players in the competition, Donald Sloan and Bryan Davis, both of which have been in the NCAA Championships 4]. And [Aggies] be the good does not depend on the rush to get to hone the same points. Instead, the rest of the [Aggies] based on their ability to reach the line donations Chuck, and this is what you do during the sixth highest rate in this country. This is the order the diversion of development rates, which should provide them with any good person otherwise, even madness Duke.March ready to roll and the millions of Americans willing to bet on any of the 65 top teams will win this year’s National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball.

And the public is to fill the brackets and engage in office complexes, and the media are followed through the sharing of today tips.USA Tim Gardner, who succeeded USA Today men’s basketball on the Internet to cover the past five years, the University of Kentucky is to choose a winner. While the United States today in the hands of sports Timanus choose number one Jayhawks.Kentucky Kansas has won seven national titles, but behind the University of California, with 11 titles. While the Indiana Hoosiers have won five title, followed by the University of North Carolina Tar Heels with four.According for Chiff.com, No. (1) seed has won every time the first round in the past 16 years, No. (2), seeds lost only the first three games of the Round.

New York Daily News sports Ian offer a selection of the winners “based on the knowledge and wisdom of the tournament, using some basic statistics the following cams.” It is proposed to put a number 1 and 2 seeds in the second round and then moving the seed number (1) in the third round.

He said that the forces other than at least one of the teams second seed will fall in the second round as No. 2s are 64-32 in the second round match. The number of 3 teams are 52-33 in spite of six seeds 35-31, which leads him to the proposal put your favorite six seeded 16 in the summit.

He said CBS News business story provides some different tips. Lose sight of the “talking heads”, which suggests how to win. Mathematicians and game theorists who study the results of the tournament to suggest some methods.Fill other No. 1 seeds to win in the first round, that since the tournament expanded 25 years ago, no No. 1 seed has lost against the team 16th – seeds.

Then verify that the Vegas odds on the favorite choice of remaining in the first round. Games between 8 and 9 of the seeds and 7-10 seeds are usually very close, so keep them on the blank for now.Then, according to CBS News, and choose a champion. Scientists say mathematics to choose either the third or fourth ranked (1) or seed in the first or second ranked No. 2 seed. Everyone is betting on No. 1 and No. 2 teams, and often not the team is dominant enough to be sure of anything.

There are online tools, including a calculator to Poologic.com. It also helps to know the difference is rivals.Also If you are looking for [NCAA Basketball World Cup 2010 and the forecast, check out these shots the final four, choose the sleeper teams for avoid.If you looking for help to fill in your brackets, try this [NCAA Championship prediction interactive tool. Just do not tell your friends you cheated.

Article From : http://www.pakmahfil.com/us-news/ncaa-bracket-blank.html

Check out Lady Gaga’s Tour Dates for 2010!

2010-03-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

he tour dates for the North American leg of Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball tour were announced today!

Lady Gaga is scheduled to start her concert legs in North America on June 28, right after the European leg of her Monster Ball tour. The NA tour will kick off at Montreal’s Bell Centre, and is slated to hit 31 cities in the USA and Canada all the way to September.

Tickets for the Monster Ball tour will start going on sale in select cities via LiveNation.

Check out Lady Gaga’s 2010 Tour Dates for North America below (or check out her Europe tour here):

· June 28 – Montreal, QC (Bell Centre)
· July 01 - Boston, MA (TD Garden)
· July 04 – Atlantic City, NJ (Boardwalk Hall)
· July 06 – New York, NY (Madison Square Garden)
· July 11 – Toronto, ON (Air Canada Center)
· July 14 – Cleveland, OH (Quicken Loans Arena)
· July 15 – Indianapolis, IN (Conseco Fieldhouse)
· July 17 – St. Louis, MO (Scottrade Center)
· July 20 – Oklahoma City, OK (Ford Center)
· July 22 – Dallas, TX (American Airlines Center)
· July 25 – Houston, TX (Toyota Center)
· July 28 – Denver, CO (Pepsi Center)
· July 31 - Phoenix, AZ (US Airways Center)
· August 03 – Kansas City, MO (Sprint Center)
· August 11 – Los Angeles, CA (Staples Center)
· August 13 – Las Vegas, NV (MBM Grand)
· August 16 – San Jose, CA (HP Pavilion)
· August 19 – Portland, OR (Rose Garden)
· August 21 – Tacoma, WA (Tacoma Dome)
· August 23 – Vancouver, BC (General Motors Place)
· August 26 – Edmonton, AB (Rexall Place)
· August 30 – St. Paul, MN (Xcel Energy Center)
· September o1 - Milwaukee, WI (Bradley Center)
· September 04 – Detroit, MI (The Palace of Auburn Hills)
· September 05 – Pittsburgh, PA (Consol Energy Center)
· September 07 – Washington, DC (Verizon Center)
· September 08 – Charlottesville, VA (John Paul Jones Arena)
· September 14 – Philadelphia, PA (Wachovia Center)
· September 16 - Hartford, CT (XL Center)
· September 18 - Charlotte, NC (Time Warner Cable Arena)
· September 19 – Raleigh, NC (RBC Center)

Broncos trade Peyton Hillis, 6th Round Pick for QB Brady Quinn

2010-03-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

The Denver Broncos have agreed to trade fullback Peyton Hillis, a 2011 6th-round draft selection and a conditional 2012 draft selection to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for quarterback Brady Quinn, pending physicals

Credit to the Broncos on this one. They saw an opportunity to improve the quarterback situation and jumped at it. I'm not saying that Brady Quinn will be the starting quarterback, not at all, but Quinn is an improvement over Chris Simms and he has upside.

For a chance at that upside, the Broncos traded Peyton Hillis and two low-round draft picks in future years. Before we go any further, I like Peyton Hillis. I always have. For one reason or another, Hillis was not going to play. I have my reasons why, but the important thing is he wasn't going to play. I hope for nothing but the best for Hillis - and this is a great place for Peyton to land. He's a West Coast guy. He flourished in that system under Mike Shanahan and should do the same under the Mike Holmgren version.

Back to Quinn. Whether your like Brady Quinn or not, there is nothing about this trade to not like. There is ZERO risk for the Broncos. The Broncos now have some insurance with Kyle Orton playing on the 1-year deal. If Quinn finds himself in a new city, the Broncos come out huge winners. If not, the Broncos are no worse for wear. What's not to like?

We'll have more about the trade tonight on MHR Radio!

http://www.milehighreport.com/2010/3/14/1372761/broncos-trade-peyton-hillis-6th

Rockin' in the wee world with Laurie Berkner – The Star-Ledger

2010-03-12T15:28:00.000-08:00

Clockwise, from bottom left) Jack, keyboardist Susie Lampert, Laurie Berkner, Mel, bassist Brian Mueller and Mary.
By Tad Hendrickson
If you have a preschooler, you probably already know Laurie Berkner.

The Princeton native and Rutgers grad is a superstar for the pint-sized set whose videos can be seen almost hourly on Nick Jr. — an outgrowth of the Nickelodeon cable network — where she’s a regular on “Jack’s big Music Show” and the channel’s “Move to the Music” episodes that run between shows in lieu of ads.

Berkner, 40, performed with several tri-state area bands over the years, but she has been performing children’s music since 1997. she originally started writing children’s tunes from necessity; a would-be rock star, she supplemented her income by teaching kids’ music classes and playing birthday parties, making up her own tunes for those gigs as she went.

“I realized I could write songs for these kids,” Berkner says. she had such a knack for it that soon she was writing a new song for each class she taught — even while she continued writing for her adult band, Red Onion.

“It actually made it a lot easier to work with them because it was hard to find a song that every kid would like,” she says. “And by me writing, it allowed them to move around the room in a way that I had control over the situation without them even realizing it.”

Berkner jumped from local favorite to national phenomenon when she landed a 15-minute spot on “The Today Show” in 2001. three years later, her popularity rocketed into the kiddie stratosphere with the arrival of the Noggin (now called Nick Jr.) cable channel.

Berkner’s style eschews revamped nursery rhymes in favor of upbeat songs that come out of the folk music tradition. Inspired by singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon, as well as more contemporary artists like Beck, Berkner has the same aesthetic touchstones as her core audience’s parents.

Berkner, her band in tow, comes back to her home state Saturday to perform two concerts at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank. she returns in April for more shows at the McCarter Theatre.

“I’ve been lucky that I’ve had a good following out here. . . . I can play the nice rooms, and I know that people will come, or I hope they will come,” she says — with more than a dash of humility. she has, after all, headlined Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and even played the White House Easter Egg Roll.

And these aren’t just any old concerts — they’re “birthday party concerts.”

While her TV appearances, DVDs and CDs have made her one of the big success stories of the children’s music revolution, she still fondly remembers her early days of playing at birthday parties — hence the theme of her tour.

“One of the nice things about doing the parties was the intimacy, and I sometimes miss that,” she says.

Her upcoming shows “are still a concert, but there will be a stage set that will help create the feeling of being at a birthday party but with lots of music.”

Accordingly, kids are invited to show up in party hats; a picture of a cake can be downloaded from Berkner’s website, to be colored in and brought to the concert.

Families can also bring new children’s books to donate to the Kids Care Clubs’ “Parties with a Purpose” program, which encourages families to ask for charitable donations rather than gifts at children’s birthday parties. The books will be given to needy New Jersey children.

Article From : http://mashtrends.com/03/google-trends/rockin-in-the-wee-world-with-laurie-berkner-the-star-ledger/12/

Remembering Merlin Olsen, the Football Player

2010-03-11T15:41:00.000-08:00

Andy Barall writes about pro football history for the Fifth Down. Merlin Olsen died of cancer at age 69 on Thursday.

At 6 feet 5 inches tall and 270 pounds, Merlin Olsen possessed tremendous natural size and strength. Unlike today’s players, he never lifted weights. He got bigger as a young man by, as he told Paul Zimmerman for “The New Thinking Man’s Guide to Pro Football,” “hefting hod and bucking bales of hay.” He added, “I also worked as a ranger in Yellowstone Park until visitors began mistaking me for a bear.”

Olsen was the model professional football player, and that included off the field. He was tough, smart, physical, durable, consistent and relentless. He didn’t take plays off and was always trying to improve. He didn’t need coaches to critique his performance. He was his own toughest critic.

The original Fearsome Foursome – Olsen, Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier and Lamar Lundy – helped popularize defensive football in the mid-1960’s (Grier was replaced by Roger Brown in 1967). Before the late 1950s, almost all of the N.F.L.’s biggest stars played offense. Many teams never even introduced their defensive players before the game. That started to change with Sam Huff, Andy Robustelli, Grier himself, and the success of the Giants in the late 50s and early 60s. It really took off in Los Angeles a few years later. The Fearsome Foursome were colorful characters who played with style and flair. Hollywood loved them.

At left tackle in the standard 4-3 defense, Olsen could always anchor-in against the run, both at the point of attack and in the gaps, especially to his left. Offenses frequently tried to take advantage of the quick upfield rush of Jones, the left defensive end, by running up inside him. Olsen was usually there to cover and fill.

In the 1960s, after running the power sweep a few times, the offense, at a key point in the game, would usually try the sucker play: pulling the guard and expecting the defensive tackle to follow while the running back found the vacated area. Against Olsen, he usually read the play immediately or recovered so quickly that it didn’t work. He was too smart, and had done too much preparation, to be fooled.

Early in his career, Olsen was a devastating pass-rusher. His favorite move was the basic bull-rush. He would pound and pound on a usually smaller guard, then supplement it with an additional tactic not available to today’s pass rushers: the head-slap. I even remember him occasionally using the double head-slap. Once the guard was softened up, Olsen would run a stunt to force that guard to block the unbelievably quick and fast Deacon Jones. Olsen and Jones embarrassed many an offensive lineman in the 1960s.

Most people know about the Fearsome Foursome, but Olsen also played on a great defensive line at the end of his career. Starting in 1973, he teamed with defensive ends Jack Youngblood and Fred Dryer and the underrated tackle Larry Brooks to form one of the N.F.L.’s best fronts for Chuck Knox’s Rams. At that point in his career, Olsen was more of a stay-at-home guy reading for draws and screens, and covering for the pass-rushers.

Merlin Olsen was one of the greatest and most respected players, and people, in N.F.L. history. He would have been, and later was, successful in any field he had pursued. Lucky for us, he chose pro football.

Extra point: The Times obituary by Richard Goldstein is here. Roger Goodell released a statement: “Merlin Olsen was an extraordinary person, friend and football player. He was a tremendous Hall of Fame football player who then became an accomplished football broadcaster and actor. In recent years, it was an honor to work with Merlin on developing improvements for retired players. We all experienced how passionate and effective he was on that issue. He cared deeply about people, especially those that shared the game of football with him. Merlin was a larger-than-life person, literally and figuratively, and leaves an enormously positive legacy. On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our deepest sympathy to Merlin’s wife Susan and the Olsen family.”

Article From :http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/remembering-merlin-olsen-the-football-player

Jamie Jungers Wins Tiger Woods Mistress Beauty Pageant

2010-03-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

Jamie Jungers won the Tiger Woods Mistress Beauty Pageant on the "Howard Stern Show" this morning. The winning alleged mistress earned $75,000 for her championship performance, and listeners were treated to juicy tidbits from Jungers, Jaimee Grubbs and Loredana Jolie.

According to tweets from listeners and attendees, Jungers claimed that Woods was well endowed. "Tiger's wood was nine inches," she evidently said. Former Playboy model Loredana Jolie, meanwhile, claimed Woods was "bigger and better" than Michael Jordan.

Both Grubbs and Jungers said that Woods never used condoms when sleeping with them, which echoes previous reports. Jungers reiterated that she slept with Woods the night his father died.

For those with a financial interest in the outcome of today's pageant, Jungers' victory is a bit of an upset. The gambling odds made both Jungers and Grubbs a +500 bet, while Jolie was the favorite at +250. (Another alleged mistress, the sometimes revealingly dressed Cori Rist, was also at +250, but she did not compete.)

Article From : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/10/jamie-jungers-wins-tiger_n_493341.html

Lindsay Lohan v. Etrade Over Baby Commercial

2010-03-09T15:54:00.000-08:00

"Lindsay Lohan v. Etrade Over Baby Commercial." Young and troubled actress Lindsay Lohan has filed a lawsuit against the online brokerage firm Etrade. In her lawsuit, Ms. Lohan says that in one of Etrade's commercials - one of the baby's in the ad is named Lindsay and that child bears an extreme likeness to Lindsay Lohan. I have seen and laughed at that commercial many times, but not once did I associate Lindsay Lohan with any of the children presented. Lohan is asking for $100 million in damages. If there was still anyone in the world that didn't think Lindsay Lohan had lost her mind, this lawsuit should clinch it for them.

For years, Lindsay Lohan has suffered with bouts of extreme alcohol and drug abuse and she has also checked herself into drug rehab facilities on more than one occasion. Sadly, the long nights of substance abuse have taken a toll on Ms. Lohan's physical appearance and likely millions of brain cells have also died too as a result of all those drugs. Now, rather than spending her time getting her own life in order - she has decided to sue Etrade in an attempt to collect money in what I believe is a frivolous lawsuit. While it's easy for me to blame many of Lindsay Lohan's current problems on herself, it is true that when it comes to being blessed with good parents - Ms. Lohan came up on the short end of that stick.

Hopefully, a judge will soon throw out Lindsay Lohan's lawsuit against Etrade. What Lindsay Lohan really needs right now is a positive mentor that will convince her to leave the Hollywood area for good. The hard truth is that some young stars can live in Hollywood and avoid the many negative temptations available there. However, there are others like Lindsay Lohan that cannot. When I think now of Lindsay Lohan, I can't help but flash back to what happened to Michael Jackson last year. Both Jackson and Lohan have one thing in common and that is the overuse of drugs. Those drugs cost Michael Jackson his life at the age of 50, but if Ms. Lohan does not get a firm grip on her problems soon - she might be dead long before that.

Article From : http://mhutch.blogspot.com/2010/03/lindsay-lohan-v-etrade-over-baby.html

Tiger Woods… the ultimate Sugar Daddy

2010-03-08T15:15:00.001-08:00

I am sure everyone has had enough of the Tiger Woods debacle, however, I think it is very important to take a step back and give him credit where credit is due. He is a great Sugar Daddy!

He kept all of his ladies on payroll and provided them with a very generous allowance. Tiger kept in contact with them and it appeared that he had developed a relationship with them which extended beyond a causal sexual encounter. Last, he provided them with amazing experiences, took them out on trips and showed them a great time.

Now if someone provided me with all of the perks above I would think that I have hit the Sugar Daddy Jackpot! Sure he had MANY sugar babies, but lets get realistic, many SDs have more than one SD. It is part of the NSA territory. We as Sugar Babies should be aware of this and learn how to respect the boundaries.

I think that the only mistake he made was getting caught… and all of that could have been avoided should he had followed some basic precautions. This week I will write a 4 part series of how to safeguard your privacy and avoid getting caught, so stay tuned and take note… unless having a press conference where you apologize to the world is something on your bucket list.

Article From : http://www.sugarsugar.com/blog/212/tiger-woods-the-ultimate-sugar-daddy

Some good free, semi-free/cheap and fun things to do w/ or show to a foreigner visiting…?

2010-03-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

…Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas?
My best friend (a brit) is finally coming to visit me! I live in DFW area… North Texas. We can travel some but probably only will do one bigger "field trip" elsewhere (probably San Antonio). Mostly want to think up some places to go around here that are fun. Preferably free or cheap… but if it’s worth going to and costs a bit that’s ok too. I’ve already thought of Six Flags/Hurricane Harbor, Deep Ellum/Dallas and maybe going to San Antonio… Horse back riding, camping/picnic/bbq… the zoos… maybe even a rodeo even though I am not crazy about them… haha. And of course some good restarants… maybe a steakhouse one night. I am not sure what all there is to do here even though I’ve lived here forever. I want him to remember his trip to Texas! And most of all I want him to have a fun time here. Has anyone else ever had a foreign friend visit here and what kinds of stuff did you do with them? What would you suggest? Any ideas would be appreciated

Here is a list of 50 free things to do in Dallas:

Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive

A growing number of bronze, larger-than-life-size steers and their cowboy escorts moo’ve along Pioneer Plaza – adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center. This bronze cattle drive is located on the actual Shawnee Trail drive of the 1850s – and is the largest bronze monument of its kind in the world.

Downtown, Young & Griffin Streets
Outdoor Sculpture Tour

Discover over 30 distinctive sculptures on the sidewalks of Downtown. Along with pieces from the 19th century, there are contemporary works, including a painter capturing magnificent Dallas on canvas – Can you find him?
Art Garden

Enjoy the Sculpture Garden at the base of the statuesque Trammell Crow Center in Downtown. More than 20 statues from the French masters, including Rodin, reside in this peaceful setting with cascading waters and beautiful gardens.

Free/Donations Accepted
Tues. – Sun. 10 am – 5 pm
Thurs.10 am – 9 pm

Downtown, 2010 Flora Street, 214-979-6430
Uptown and West Village

Dallas’ popular Uptown District is exploding with new residential and retail centers with a variety of elements coming together for a shopping, dining, and entertainment experience that will appeal to all types of tastes. The West Village focal point is the new Magnolia Theater that supports independent film and arts.

Uptown, McKinney Avenue and Routh Street, 214-922-9622
Mustangs Sculpture in Las Colinas

Nine mustangs, bronze, beautiful and larger-than-life, splash their way across a stream cut through the stone and granite plaza of Williams Square. Stroll across the plaza and visit the Mustangs of Las Colinas Sculpture & Exhibit, which includes an informative 20 minute film about mustangs and the making of this breathtaking sculpture.

Exhibit Center Open: Weds. – Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.www.mustangsoflascolinas.com

In nearby Irving, O’Connor Road, North of Highway 114, 972-869-9047
Tour the Morton H. Meyerson

The acoustically renowned Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, designed by I.M. Pei, is yours to tour on selected Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. (please call in advance for monthly tour schedule as tours are subject to change with rehearsals and performances) Discover the 4,535 pipes on the Herman W. Lay Family Organ – this $1.36 million organ, crafted by C.B. Fisk Inc., is truly an acoustical wonder!

Enthusiastic and experienced volunteer docents are available to welcome visitors, school groups, conventions, families, and others for a one-hour tour detailing points of interest throughout the Meyerson. Once a month, schedule permitting, a thirty-minute organ demonstration of the Lay Family Concert Organ is presented, followed by a tour of the Center.

Free one hour tours at 1 pm. Events hosted at the center are by admission only.

Downtown, 2301 Flora Street, 214-670-3600
Dallas Central Library

Read all about it at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library. This public library includes one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, printed in 1776 – also on permanent display, is William Shakespeare’s First Folio of Comedies, Histories & Tragedies. The library’s Children Center is one of the largest in the country.

Mon. – Thurs. 9 am – 9 pm
Fri. – Sat 9 am – 5 pm
Sun. 9 am – 1 pm

You can see more at this link: http://tourtexas.com/content.cfm?id=136

Article From : http://www.christiandating.savingarelationship.com/cheap-and-fun/some-good-free-semi-freecheap-and-fun-things-to-do-w-or-show-to-a-foreigner-visiting.php

More ‘Full Throttle Saloon’ is possible after successful first season on TruTV

2010-03-06T16:23:00.000-08:00

Massive biker bar Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, S.D. this past August got throttled by a massive hailstorm, sticky-fingered bartenders and a lousy economy. Owner Mike Ballard bemoaned his economic problems and wondered if he’d be able to last another year.

But TV viewers on Atlanta-based TruTV may have saved him and his business.

An average of 1.3 million viewers caught the show’s six episodes, better than average for the network and a solid enough performance to merit a second season. TruTV has not announced a renewal but Atlanta rock star and a show executive producer Jesse James Dupree is optimistic.

“We knew we had something real America would connect with,” he said by phone from his office in Kennesaw, where he is developing other TV shows. “Luckily, it was validated.”

He admitted the show is amazing marketing for Full Throttle next year, virtually ensuring an increase in attendance at the annual bike rally and a greater chance for the saloon to make a profit. Dupree said he was recently at a bar in Marietta off Barrett Parkway nursing a scotch and water when a bunch of Kennesaw State students came up to him and said they plan to go to Sturgis next year. He said the would never have considered the rally as a destination if they had not seen the show.

Dupree, who spent years trying to sell the Full Throttle reality show concept to networks to no avail, is involved in several aspects of Full Throttle, including marketing and entertainment. His band Jackyl performs every year.

In fact, Jackyl is booking dates earlier and at bigger venues than in the past thanks to the exposure as well. In other words, there is no downside here for Dupree. Ballard and his girlfriend Angie (and her Flaunt Girls act) are joining him at appearances as well now that they too are reality show celebrities among the biker set.

“Mike is on fire right now,” said Dupree, who considers Mike one of his best friends. “He is loving the fact he’s got a big to-do list in front of him.”

Full Throttle is open only about 14 days a year so Ballard has major pressure to garner as much revenue as he can ina tiny time window. This past August, it rained five times. Normally, it rains only once. We got to see much of the drama and tension. And in the end, it made for good TV.

Here are TruTV’s five biggest shows this year, according to the network:

“Operation Repo” 2,046,000

“Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura” 1,503,000

“It Only Hurts When I Laugh” 1,368,000

“The Smoking Gun Presents” 1,322,000

“Full Throttle Saloon” 1,318,000

Join me on Facebook or Twitter.

Credit to : http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2009/12/30/more-full-throttle-saloon-is-possible-after-successful-first-season/

Meet Sarah Killen, Conan O'Brien's Favorite Twit

2010-03-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

Since joining Twitter on Feb. 24, Conan O'Brien has amassed more than 534,000 followers and posted 10 tweets. Contractually exiled from late night television until September, O'Brien has embraced the new medium, sharing inane personal details of his life, airing petty grievances and even posting a Twitpic of how many people it takes for him to compose each tweet.

Thirty minutes ago, O'Brien announced that he has taken his first follower:

I've decided to follow someone at random. She likes peanut butter and gummy dinosaurs. Sarah Killen, your life is about to change.

Killen, a Fowlerville, Michigan, resident who has the username LovelyButton, has already acquired 6,700 followers and become one of Twitter's trending topics.

Furthering the insanity, her recent tweet calling Fowlerville resident Russell Bigos "an idiot" is making him a figure of scorn and sympathy. Killen's fiance John Slowik Jr. posted on Facebook Jan. 12 that he was "about to woop bigos in nba2k10," so this could be a videogame basketball rivalry gone terribly wrong. We'll have to wait for the media to dig for answers, because I'm not making any calls on a Friday evening.

By the way, I've also decided to follow someone at random. He likes nipple clamps and the metric system. Jonathan Bourne, your life is about to change.

Update: Sarah Killen is friends on Facebook with Aaron Bleyaert, the former Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien blogger, so it's possible that the selection wasn't entirely random. This scandal could go all the way up to the top! What did Coco know and when did he know it?

Article From : http://workbench.cadenhead.org/news/3593/meet-sarah-killen-conan-obriens-favorite

Haven Homes does good business in a bad economy

2010-03-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

Haven Homes — manufacturer of custom modular homes, otherwise known as prefab homes — is currently experiencing a rare phenomenon in today’s housing market: Haven Homes is selling houses. Haven Homes makes customized mansions that cost less and are completed in a fraction of the time it takes to finish a traditional home. Here’s a look at why buyers are choosing manufactured, modular houses from Haven Home.

Haven Homes are less expensive

The Haven Homes concept is no different than the concept of manufactured homes that most people are familiar with. The pieces of the homes are built in a factory, then shipped and assembled on site. Haven Homes simply makes bigger houses, like the six-bedroom, six-and-a-half bathroom modular home recently constructed in Bethesda, Md.

This concept is not going to amount to struggling families who rely on quick payday loans being able to afford huge houses. The six-bedroom house mentioned above cost $2.5 million. However, a similar sized home built in a traditional manner would have cost a lot more.

Designing Haven Homes is user-friendly

“Computer-driven drafting is mapping out prefab rooms with the ease of a Lego game,” says The Washington Post. Home buyers who want customized homes can quickly and easily design the houses themselves. Part of the draw of Haven Homes is that, within certain limitations, buyers can get exactly what they want faster and easier than they would otherwise.

More people are turning to modular homes. My guess is that the recession is causing people to worry less about the stigma that many associate with prefab homes and more about saving money where they can. I’ve seen photos of Haven Homes on the company’s web site. After they’re complete, these high-end prefab homes are indistinguishable from “regular” homes.

Hasty homes

Part of what makes Haven Homes’ modular homes less expensive is decreased labor costs. The modular mansions take only a couple of weeks to manufacture in the factory, and just a couple of days to assemble at the building site. Finishing the home — building staircases, constructing the outer finish and hooking up plumbing and electricity — only takes a couple of weeks, too.

Homes similar in size take several months to complete with traditional construction. Thanks to easy customization, price and speed, Haven Homes is seeing more business in a housing market filled with mortgage loan modification and people who have been unable to sell their homes, even at deeply discounted prices.

Credit to : http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2010/03/04/haven-homes/

NFL Combine Results 2010

2010-03-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

The NFL Combine Results 2010 are in after 6 days of drills, tests, and interviews at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Over 600 NFL executives, head coaches, general managers and trainers came to the Combine to find new players for their teams. Hundreds of the very best college football players attended the 2010 NFL Combine with hopes of making it to one of the NFL’s 32 teams. The first round of the NFL draft will be held Friday April 22nd with the St. Louis Rams having the number one selection.

The series of drills these prospective NFL players were put through included the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, 3-cone drill, and shuttle run. During the past week some outstanding performances where put up by many of the participants. Highlighted by Clemson’s Jacoby Ford posting a 4.28 second 40 yard dash and Chris Cook reaching 11 feet in his vertical jump. The participants also took part in psychological tests along with informal and formal interviews.

The NFL Combine has been around since 1982. The purpose of the National Invitational Camp is the same then as it is now to give the current NFL teams a look at the college football players looking to be drafted. The NFL Combine results 2010 surely proved the skill of the young players of today.

Article From : http://scarlett-journey.net/2010/03/03/nfl-combine-results-2010/

Nancy Benoit Hustler Lawsuit Update, Reaction To Armstrong’s Release, Mickie On Music Career

2010-03-01T16:30:00.000-08:00

By Keelan Balderson • March 1, 2010

- From Associated Press:
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is allowing a lawsuit to proceed against Hustler Magazine over decades-old nude photographs of a woman that were published after she was killed by her husband, wrestler Chris Benoit.

The court turned down Hustler’s appeal Monday. Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and their son before committing suicide in 2007.

Hustler published 20-year-old nude photographs of Nancy Benoit after the deaths gained international attention.

- The biggest reaction backstage to the recent releases was that of Scott Armstrong. He is of course a long time referee from the WCW days; so he had lots of supporters in the locker room. There’s a feeling that there might be more to the story.

However a report last year suggested that WWE were opting to release senior referees because they demanded higher paychecks that the younger refs. This could be the case in Armstrong’s case.

- Thanks to Nick Noel:
WWE star Mickie James was interviewed by Country Music website www.the9513.com. Highlights from the interview:

“Disassociating” herself from WWE with her country music career: “I do want to keep them separate but I think one hand feeds the other. I worked really long and hard to get at the top of my game at wrestling, so I can’t deny that, it’s part of who I am. But why not embrace it? It’s part of who I am and what I do and there’s a huge fan base there of my fans and they are all really excited about this adventure for me. I’d like for them to share the journey with me.”

Whether there’s a crossover between country and wrestling: “Oh yeah. I think the same rings true for NASCAR and country fans. Our demographic is very similar. I know that there are tons of country fans that are wrestling fans and tons of wrestling fans that love country music. So, I definitely think so.”

What James wants people to remember about her: “That I’m real. What you see is what you get. I don’t try to put on this phony image of like this is who I am, or this is like some image. I’m just the girl next door, and at the end of the day, I’m just Mickie James. These are just accomplishments in my life that help make me who I am. You can have whatever you want in your life if you really strive for it.”

What Led to the Country Music Venture: “I was already toying with the idea, but it was one of those things where we’re already touring 250 days out of the year, where am I gonna find time to do this? I really want to, and if you have enough passion to do something you find a way to do it. I was driving to the gym one day, and this song popped into my head and I pulled over and I wrote it in like five minutes. I sat on it for about a week because I thought God doesn’t just throw these kind of things in your pathway without a reason for it. I called my manager Sherry up and said “Let’s do it!” and the journey started.”

Article From : http://wrestlingtruth.com/news/nancy-benoit-hustler-lawsuit-update-reaction-to-armstrongs-release-mickie-on-music-career/

NBC Olympics Hockey Finals

2010-02-28T16:49:00.000-08:00

NBC Olympics Hockey Finals : Vancouver, Canada, and will soon be completed Winter Olympics, and the winter’s biggest sporting event will end with the final men’s hockey gold medal for Canada the United States the gold medal game time.

Hockey World Cup is the most awaited, lovers and sports fans the most prestigious in the United States and Canada, and Europe as well. This is the United States hocky game time, and when the game is quite exciting. Men’s hockey team in America can lead the Canadian team with 5-3 in the first phase at the end of last week. But there’s more at stake in the World Cup this time, Canada has a set of high expectations with a lot of support. After that, there will be closing ceremony of theWinter Olympics in prime time, broadcast live by NBC

Article From :http://www.abreakingnews.us/nbc-olympics-hockey-finals.html

Ventura CA Tsunami – Ventura Tsunami Damage

2010-02-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

According to a report on Hawaiin televison the Tsunami has apparantly caused damage in the Ventura, CA area. Earlier today, a Tsunami was triggered off the coast of Chili as a result of a major earthquake in that country.

No confirmed reports of any damage so far in Ventura County other than the above named report. The effects of the tsunami are going to be felt up the California coastline, but the severity of it is not known. The effects of the tsunami are starting to hit Hawaii now.

Article From :http://365daynews.com/ventura-ca-tsunami-ventura-tsunami-damage.html

Desiree Rogers to Leave White House

2010-02-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

White House social secretary Desiree Rogers, who has been under fire ever since Michaele and Tareq Salahi crashed President Barack Obama’s first state dinner, will resign in March, she told Chicago Sun-Times columnist Lynn Sweet.

“As we turn the corner on the first year,” Rogers told Sweet, “this is a good time for me to explore opportunities in the corporate world.”

Rogers has been a glamorous and somewhat controversial figure in the White House from the beginning, posing for fashion shots and bringing eye-catching style to her post but sometimes being accused of neglecting the nitty gritty of the job. (Read more on Desiree in our WSJ. Magazine cover story from last April.) When the Salahi security came to light, Secret Service leaders took the fall, saying they had neglected to keep a watchful eye on the guests coming into the dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

But critics said Rogers and her crew were equally responsible for matching the guests to the guest list.

In her interview with Sweet, Rogers said, “When I took on this assignment, we talked about the importance of creating the people’s house. My work was really to create this framework. I think I completed that work. Our office has been able to lay the foundation for what will be known as the ‘people’s house’ and it has already taken shape.”

UPDATE: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama issued a short statement on Desiree Rogers’s resignation: “We are enormously grateful to Desiree Rogers for the terrific job she’s done as the White House Social Secretary. When she took this position, we asked Desiree to help make sure that the White House truly is the People’s House, and she did that by welcoming scores of everyday Americans through its doors, from wounded warriors to local schoolchildren to NASCAR drivers. She organized hundreds of fun and creative events during her time here, and we will miss her. We thank her again for her service and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

Article From : http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/02/26/desiree-rogers-to-leave-white-house/

Tony Kornheiser Suspended From ESPN For Hannah Storm Wardrobe Remarks

2010-02-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

ESPN have got a habit of banning employees, and Tony Kornheiser is the latest one to get the ESPN wrath after comments he made about SportCenter anchor Hannah Storm’s outfit.

Kornheiser being the character he is, mocked Storm’s wardrobe by commenting on her “very, very tight shirt,” and said that she looked like she has a “sausage casing wrapping around her upper body.” After these remarks he admits that he is not supposed to be “critical” of any ESPN employee’s but asks Hannah Storm to “stop!” and asks her “what are you doing?”

The Pardon the Interuption host must have realised that he done wrong, and when he appeared on his radio show the next day, he apologised for being a “sarcastic, subversive guy” and called himself a “troll.” He ends the sentence by saying that he has no right to insult what anyone looks like, or what they wear.

ESPN obviously didn’t think the apology was good enough, and still suspended Kornheiser for a few days.

The PTI co-host is very well known for mocking media personalities, as it is part of his character, but do you think that ESPN have done the right thing in suspending him for a few days?

Source: Back Porch Fanhouse

Evan Lysacek and Nastia Liukin: Dating!

2010-02-22T16:40:00.000-08:00

As celebrity couples go, Evan Lysacek and Nastia Liukin are a gold-medal pair. Seriously, they've both won Olympic gold medals in their respective sports.

On his way to becoming the first U.S. man to win figure skating gold in 22 years last week, Lysacek had a little help from Liukin, a gymnastics champion.

The couple met in October 2008 in Rapid City, S.D., performing on the NBC special Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular and have dated since last summer.

"We became good friends and became really close since," says Lysacek, who attended the ESPYs with Nastia last July and things progressed from there.

Lysacek went to Dallas to cheer on Liukin during her gymnastics comeback at the U.S. Nationals in August, then this month, the couple switched roles.

"To see his dreams come true was amazing," Liukin, 20, who had a cameo on Gossip Girl last season, says of watching her man triumph at the Olympics.

"Even though we're not in the same sport, there's nothing like the Olympics. It was nice to be on other side, to be the support system. But I was nervous."

"She been so helpful to me," adds Lysacek. "She has been through it herself. If I'm having a bad day, she tells me to have faith and to keep going."

"Sometimes your support system has more faith in you than yourself. And when she tells me things are going to be fine, I really believe it."

Article From : http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2010/02/evan-lysacek-and-nastia-liukin-dating/

Vancouver 2010 Team Canada vs Team USA Hockey

2010-02-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

It comes to this – our neighbouring nations play each other in tournament hockey action at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Team Canada takes on Team USA at 4:40pm PT today over at Canada Hockey Place and even last night you could see flags from both countries being paraded up and down Granville street. The city is a rumbling mass of patriots from around the globe and none more loud and present than those representing Canada.

People keep asking who we will be cheering for, me being born and raised in Metro Vancouver and John being a permanent resident of Canada, originally from Iowa. Even though he’s in love with his new host country, one thing is certain, he is a Team USA guy to the core. John will be cheering on the team that brought us the legendary Miracle on Ice back in 1980, a team that has a proud, strong tradition of hockey and undying patriotism. The Vancouver Canucks’ own Ryan Kesler will also be sporting the red, white and blue, which is another reason he’s excited to cheer for his home country.

On the other hand, I did spend some time in Boston so you’ll catch me cheering for the Bruins now and then (when the Canucks aren’t in the picture). However, when it comes to international play such as this you can be sure that there is only one team that will move my soul, and that’s Team Canada. I know where I was when we won gold in Salt Lake, I have painted a maple leaf on my face, I have joined in on spontaneous versions of O! Canada (in either French or English), and growing up I played pond hockey on frozen fields in Surrey (even though as the goalie I had to use a broom).

This is Canada’s game, this is my country’s pride and joy. No matter how much I love America for being such a friendly and loving neighbour (filled with amazing people, most of them with the last name Bollwitt) I’ll be wearing red and white today.

Sitting with my husband wherever we choose to watch the game I know there will be cheers for both side of the 49th parallel. The city will erupt with each goal, regardless of the net in which the puck lands. This is the beauty of Olympic hockey.

Article From : http://www.miss604.com/2010/02/vancouver-2010-team-canada-vs-team-usa-hockey.html

Ron Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll

2010-02-20T16:58:00.000-08:00

And the winner is … Ron Paul.

Mr. Paul, a Republican Congressman from Texas who inspired an intense following for president in 2008, swept the 2012 presidential straw poll Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

He won with 31 percent of the nearly 2,400 votes at the conference, edging out Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who won the straw poll last year and who captured 22 percent of the vote.

When Mr. Paul’s name was announced in the packed ballroom of a Washington hotel, it elicited hoots and boos along with applause. Although Mr. Romney won fewer votes, he seemed to draw stronger applause.

Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, who did not attend the conference, was a distant third, with 7 percent of the vote.

About half of the 10,000 people attending the conference are students, according to the poll. The straw poll in past years has rarely predicted the winner of the Republican nomination.

Despite the poll, David Keene, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, which runs the CPAC conference, said that there was little talk at the conference of the 2012 presidential race, largely because Republicans are focused on the 2010 midterms.

“We all have our eyes on the closest target,” he said.

Article From :http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/ron-paul-wins-cpac-straw-poll/

Watch Tiger Woods Press Conference Live Online at 10AM Central

2010-02-19T16:46:00.000-08:00

Tiger Woods will be making his first public statement since his big scandal and hiatus from golf in December of 2009. The press conference will start at 10am central standard time, and will stream live on YouTube.

Late last year, Tiger Woods destroyed his once stellar reputation. Women all across the united states came out detailing their affairs with the married superstar golfer. Since then, the golfer has been taking a break and hoping that the pad press will die down. Some sponsors have dropped the athlete, and some have stood by his side.

It will be very interesting to see what Tiger Woods has to day. Will he own up to what he has done? Or will he make excuses? Either way, there are many apologies in order.

More story http://www.reviewstl.com/watch-tiger-woods-press-conference-live-online-10am-cst-0219/

Joe Stack STATEMENT: Alleged Suicide Note From Austin Pilot Posted Online

2010-02-18T17:02:00.000-08:00

A Joe Stack statement has surfaced online, allegedly a suicide note by the pilot of the Austin plane crash today.

Local newspaper The Austin Statesman tweeted a link to the statement as an "Internet note left by Joe Stack, the man linked to today's plane crash."

Stack, also known as Joseph Andrew Stack III in records, begins the 36-paragraph note:

If you're reading this, you're no doubt asking yourself, "Why did this have to happen?" The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time. The writing process, started many months ago, was intended to be therapy in the face of the looming realization that there isn't enough therapy in the world that can fix what is really broken.

Stack writes at length about the state of the economy and claims the government has stolen from the middle class. He writes that, "I know I'm hardly the first one to decide I have had all I can stand."

Article From :http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/18/joe-stack-statement-alleg_n_467539.html

Report: Cavs Get Jamison For…Nothing; Salmons On Way Out

2010-02-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

The big news of the day: Those of you worried about the Cavs getting Jamison are going to be even angrier about how they got him. The Cavs and Wiz took advantage of the Clippers’ cheapness/smart desire to get far under the cap for next season and roped them into the a three-teamer, according to Yahoo!

Cavs receive: Antawn Jamison, Sebastian Telfair

Wizards receive: Al Thornton, Brian Skinner (expiring), Zyndrunas Ilgauskas (expiring, likely to be waived), Cleveland first-round pick, the rights to Emir Preldzic, Cleveland’s second-round pick in last year’s draft.

Clippers receive: Drew Gooden

So, if you wondering what it took for the Cavs to land Antawn Jamison and his 20.5 points per game, it took this: A late first-round draft pick and Ilgauskas, who may return to the Cavs in a month. J.J. Hickson remains a Cavalier, giving the Cavs a pretty healthy stable of power forwards once Leon Powe returns.

This is mostly possible because of the Clippers.

The Clips shave another $5.5 million off of next year’s payroll by ridding themselves of Thornton and Telfair (who held a player option), putting them about $20 million under the projected cap. You better believe they are going after LeBron guns-a-blazin’.

The Clips also provide a semi-promising young-ish player (Thornton, who recently turned 26) to entice the Wiz to pull the trigger without Hickson in the deal.

You have to admit: This is a pretty genius deal for the Cavs. Danny Ferry did well here…unless LeBron signs with the Clips in a few months. And the Clippers are either unbelievably cheap (they’ll likely save about $700,000 this year) or smart and forward-thinking (the aforementioned cap space). It’s not like Thornton and Telfair could be considered super-promising at this point. Bassy is Bassy, and Thornton, though he averaged nearly 17 per game last season, has never had a PER as higher than 13 and has intermittent shot selection issues.

• In other news, John Salmons will not play tonight at New York, apparently because the Bulls are trading him, according to Marc Stein. No word on where Salmons is going, but it’s not a surprise. Chicago, like the Clips, is positioning themselves for this summer, and Salmons has a $5.8 million option he’s sure to exercise for next season.

I’ve always thought Salmons would fit well in Boston and have mentioned him here often. We’ll see where he goes.

Article From : http://celticshub.com/2010/02/17/report-cavs-get-jamison-for-nothing-salmons-on-way-out/

Hotmail Down: Service Unavailable Feb 2010

2010-02-16T16:31:00.000-08:00

After Hotmail went down earlier today, whereby many customers were denied access to services and e-mail accounts, we can report that Microsoft Corp. have now fixed their Windows Identification service.

According to Bloomberg Business Week the trouble happened in Microsoft’s Windows Live ID service which customers use to sign in to live messaging and Hotmail. A company spokesman, Ted Roduner, said that consumers trying to make a new game account on Xbox Live online would also have hit problems.

Customers will be relieved to know that the issue appears to have been sorted as many people have been greatly inconvenienced by it. Windows Live ID has over 460 million people users, in competition with Yahoo! Inc.’s Mail and Google Inc.’s Gmail.

This year Microsoft shares have dropped 7.6 per cent. How do you think this latest concern will affect the company now?

Article From :http://www.onlykent.com/20100216/hotmail-down-service-unavailable-feb-2010/

XBOX Live Down – Modern Warfare 2 Server is Down?

2010-02-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

Xbox Live Downtime Updates and Modern Warfare 2 Server maintenance. February 16 , 2010 – It seems lots of gamers in the Xbox Live community are now going crazy because of the recent Xbox Live service on downtime. Also the players of Modern Warfare 2 is now on the midst of nowhere because they can’t connect and play to MW2 servers.

Now there’s lots of complaint airing because of this unannounced incident on the Xbox live. You can find the current updates regarding Xbox live servers so if you have question and wanting to know more about the recent down time you can check their Twitter account.

We hope that this outage will now be fix.

Credit To : http://study5.info/xbox-live-down-modern-warfare-2-server-is-down.html/6772

USA women s hockey winter olympic game 2010

2010-02-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

usa women’s hockey 2010 olympic game video
Watch usa women’s hockey 2010 olympic game video only on misshotz.com The United States opened the preliminary round of the women’s hockey tournament with a 12-1 romp over China on Sunday. Jenny Potter scored three goals in the first 22 minutes while becoming the leading scorer in American Olympic history. Meghan Duggan scored twice for the Americans, who got the expected result when a seasoned power takes on a developing team. The outcome, however, didn’t quite match Canada’s 18-0 rout of Slovakia on Saturday. Watch the recap video below. usa women s hockey roster, kelly stack, cammi granato, 2010 olympics tv schedule of events, usa women s hockey team roster

Article From : http://www.usnewsdot.com/usa-women-s-hockey-winter-olympic-game-2010.html

Chris Bertish Won Mavericks 2010 Surf Contest

2010-02-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

Chris Bertish Won Mavericks 2010 Surf Contest - Chris Bertish, who come across from South Africa, finally won the 2010 Mavericks Big Wave Surf Contest today.

Announcers claims that the waves were among the biggest ever contested in a ‘paddle in’ contest.

The Mavericks big wave surfing contest awards $150,000 in prize money. It is one of the most lucrative big-wave contests in the sport. The Mavericks event is held only when swell and waves are ‘big enough’ to test the skills of the world’s best big wave riders. Competitors voted to hold thecontest because forecasts called for record-breaking waves.

The final heat of this year’s contest began in the early afternoon, when the tide was well on it’s way out. As the tide got lower, the waves got harder and harder to surf. Chris Bertish manages to drop into some of the only successful drops and rides of the heat.

The Mavericks Surf Contest is considered one of the most premiere ‘big wave’ contests in the world and attracts a worldwide audience.

Tags: Chris Bertish, Chris Bertish won, Mavericks 2010, Surf contest.

Article From : http://phreakaholic.com/sport/chris-bertish-won-mavericks-2010-surf-contest/

University of Alabama Shooting, At Least 3 Dead

2010-02-12T17:13:00.000-08:00

An on campus shooting incident at the University of Alabama in Huntsville has left three people dead and several others wounded, reports said. The shooting occurred inside the university’s Shelby Center while faculty members of the biology department were on a meeting. Police said all of the victims were faculty staff. A suspect is already in custody, police said.

The school has been locked down after the incident. Students who are still on campus have been feeding information to the media through text messaging. The university administration has ordered all students to go home following the shooting on Friday. An e-mail alert was also sent to students who have signed up for the service. However, some students complained that they received the e-mail almost an hour after the incident took place while others did not get the alert at all. SWAT teams have also been dispatched to the area.

Meanwhile, an official at the nearby Huntsville Hospital said doctors are treating three people, with two of them in critical condition.

Article From : http://www.buzzvee.com/university-of-alabama-shooting-at-least-3-dead/

Bill Clinton has two stents placed in heart artery after being hospitalized with chest pain

2010-02-11T17:03:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK — Former President Bill Clinton had two stents inserted Thursday to prop open a clogged heart artery after being hospitalized with chest pains, an adviser said.

Clinton, 63, “is in good spirits and will continue to focus on the work of his foundation and Haiti’s relief and long-term recovery efforts,” said adviser Douglas Band.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton left Washington and headed to New York to be with her husband, who underwent the procedure at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Stents are tiny mesh scaffolds used to keep an artery open after it is unclogged in an angioplasty procedure. Doctors thread a tube through a blood vessel in the groin to a blocked artery, inflate a balloon to flatten the clog, and slide the stent into place.

That is a different treatment from what Clinton had in 2004, when clogged arteries first landed him in the hospital. He underwent quadruple bypass surgery because of four blocked arteries, some of which had squeezed almost completely shut.

Angioplasty, which usually includes placing stents, is one of the most common medical procedures done worldwide. More than half a million stents are placed each year in the United States.

With bypass or angioplasty, patients often need another procedure years down the road because arteries often reclog.

“It’s not unexpected” for Clinton to need another procedure now, said Dr. Clyde Yancy, cardiologist at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and president of the American Heart Association.

The sections of arteries and veins used to create detours around the original blockages tend to develop clogs five to 10 years after a bypass, he explained. New blockages also can develop in new areas.

“This kind of disease is progressive. It’s not a one-time event, so it really points out the need for constant surveillance” and treating risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, he said.

Doctors will have to watch Clinton closely for signs of excessive bleeding from the spot in the leg where doctors inserted a catheter, said Dr. Spencer King, a cardiologist at St. Joseph’s Heart and Vascular Institute in Atlanta and past president of the American College of Cardiology.

Complications are rare. The death rate from non-emergency angioplasty is well under 1 percent, King said.

A White House official said the former president’s condition did not come up during a meeting Thursday between President Barack Obama and thesecretary of state. The afternoon meeting took place a few hours before word of Clinton’s heart procedure became public.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the meeting were considered private.

Aides to Mrs. Clinton said she still plans to go ahead with a previously scheduled trip to the Persian Gulf. The trip is to begin Friday but could be delayed slightly.

The former president has been working in recent weeks to help relief efforts in Haiti. Since leaving office, he has maintained a busy schedule working on humanitarian projects through his foundation.

Clinton’s legend as an unhealthy eater was sealed in 1992, when the newly minted presidential candidate took reporters on jogs to McDonald’s. He liked hamburgers, steaks, french fries — lots of them — and was a voracious eater who could gobble an apple (core and all) in two bites and ask for more.

Two of his favorite Arkansas restaurants were known for their large portions — a hamburger the size of a hubcap and steaks as thick as fists.

He was famously spoofed on “Saturday Night Live” as a gluttonous McDonald’s customer.

Friends and family say Clinton changed his eating habits for the better after his bypass surgery.

Other than his heart ailments, Clinton has suffered only typical problems that come with aging.

In 1996, he had a precancerous lesion removed from his nose, and a year before a benign cyst was taken off his chest. Shortly after leaving office, he had a cancerous growth removed from his back. In 1997, he was fitted with hearing aids.

AP Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione reported from Milwaukee. Julie Pace, Matthew Lee and Darlene Superville contributed from Washington.

Article From : http://blog.taragana.com/health/2010/02/11/bill-clinton-has-two-stents-placed-in-heart-artery-after-being-hospitalized-with-chest-pain-19264/

Good-Time Charlie Wilson

2010-02-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

From Texas comes word that Charlie Wilson's heart--his second--finally gave out. Which wasn't all that surprising, when you considered how much he had lived. If you measured Charlie Wilson's life in years, it came to only 76. But if you looked at the number of miles the former Texas Congressman put on his odometer, well, that added up to more than most men could manage in three lifetimes.

Charlie Wilson was the kind of man who would declare on 60 Minutes: "I just love stickin' it to the Russians." The kind of man who would make a fact-finding trip through Pakistan, taking his then-girlfriend, a former Miss World USA, in tow through that Islamic country. And then, when the Defense Intelligence Agency refused to ferry her, he was the kind who would use his position on the House Appropriations Committee to slash the funding for two DIA planes, and have them transferred to the national guard instead. His House colleagues used to say Charlie Wilson was the only person they had ever met who could strut while sitting down. And, yet, he also managed to get elected 12 times from Lufkin, Texas--a town so socially conservative that it didn't vote to allow alcohol sales until 2006, which was 73 years after the rest of the country ended Prohibition.

Pretty much everyone else who ever met him developed a fondness for Charlie Wilson. They just couldn't help it. The columnist Molly Ivins once pondered how it was that a liberal feminist such as herself could love such an unreconstructed chauvinist so very, very much. "I've been worrying about my fitness to write for Ms. Magazine on account of I like Charlie Wilson," she wrote in that magazine in 1988. "Good Lord, that is embarrassing. Congressman Wilson is the Hunter Thompson of the House of Representatives; a gonzo politician. He's a sexist and has made war a spectator sport. By way of redeeming social value, he's funny, a good congressman for his district, and hasn't an ounce of hypocrisy. ... I called Wilson to ask him why we like him, thinking he might know. He said: `Feminists like me because I am an unapologetic sexist, chauvinist redneck ... who ... votes with 'em every time. I have proven that I can vote with 'em without kissing their ass. I try not to let 'em know I vote with 'em; it's more fun to have 'em mad at me.' "

When they made a movie a few years back about how Charlie had secretly funded the ouster of the Soviets from Afghanistan, Tom Hanks played him. And Hanks did it just the way Charlie had wanted, right down to the opening scene. In 1990, which was sixteen years before the movie hit the screen, Charlie had told Washington Post reporter Tom Kenworthy that he wanted it to start with him in a hot tub with two Las Vegas showgirls, even as a fruitless Justice Department investigation of him was under way. "It would be a lot better movie if I was retired," Charlie had told Kenworthy. "Or if I moved into the witness protection program. Then it'd be one hell of a movie."

It turned out to be a hell of a movie anyway, because it was about a hell of a life. Fact is, no one could have made up a character like Charlie Wilson.

UPDATE: Carl Hulse notes the congruity in the passing of Charlie Wilson and John Murtha in the same week.:

The pair had a connection that goes far deeper than their expertise at playing the inside game in Congress to full advantage for themselves and their pet interests.

As recounted in the book, “Charlie Wilson's War,” then Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O'Neill asked the colorful Mr. Wilson to take a spot on the House ethics committee to help shut down an inquiry into Mr. Murtha, who had gotten caught up in the Abscam bribery investigation. Mr. Murtha wasn't prosecuted for his role, but the internal watchdog committee was looking into whether he broke House rules by not reporting a bribery attempt.

In the book written with Mr. Wilson's cooperation by investigative journalist George Crile, Mr. Wilson agreed to take the seat on the ethics panel in return for appointment to the board of the Kennedy Center, which would provide him with plenty of access to exclusive entertainment events. The inquiry was quickly derailed, leading the chief investigator to resign.

“It was the best deal I ever made,” Mr. Wilson told Mr. Crile. “I only had to be on Ethics for a year, and I get to stay on the Kennedy Center for life.”

Mr. Wilson and Mr. Murtha went on to cooperate closely in providing secret funding for the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan, and Mr. Murtha's role in helping engineer that embarrassing defeat by the mujahedeen was noted in obituaries this week.

Does Megan Fox Have a Thumb Double?

2010-02-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

Megan Fox ’s Motorola Super Bowl commercial was as sexy as you’d expect from the brunette beauty, but fans of the Jennifer Body ’s star noticed something different about her… In the ad, Megan holds her Motorola phone as she lounges sexily in a bubble bath. Watching her scrolling on the touch screen, eagle-eyed onlookers noticed that Megan’s thumb looked suspiciously long and thin.

OK ! NEWS: MEGAN FOX’S FLAWLESS FIGURE FEATURED IN NEW ARMANI CAMPAIGN Although Megan’s hands are perfect in every way, she has “clubbed thumbs” which means that her thumbs are shorter and wider than your average fifth digit — a cute imperfection on an otherwise flawless star. OK ! NEWS: BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN’S ENGAGEMENT TWEET IS FAKE So, was her real thumb replaced on the commercial? See Megan’s Super Bowl ad for yourself HERE .

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Does Megan Fox Have a Thumb Double?

Murtha Dead at 77

2010-02-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

Just now posting a story to Military.com on the death of one of the most influential defense lawmakers on Capitol Hill ever.

I’ve had my beefs with Rep. Jack Murtha in the past, but I truly am shocked and saddened by his death. He was a tireless advocate for Pentagon programs he believed in and forced them down a left-leaning Congress in years where defense spending was less than a priority. And despite our sometimes butting heads over the Haditha incident, he and his staff have always treated me with respect and professionalism.

We’ll slice and dice his record tomorrow, but today, let’s offer his family and staff our condolences and take a moment of silence to honor the decorated Vietnam vet and Marine officer/public servant.

– Christian

Article From : http://defensetech.org/2010/02/08/murtha-dead-at-77/

Kleen Energy Middletown CT

2010-02-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

FOXNews has just announced that there are “mass casualties” at the Kleen Energy Plant in Middletown, Connecticut. It is believed about 100 employees may have been at the plant at the time. I’ll be updating all day. Updates as available. See a video below.

Kleen Energy Explosion

MSNBC is reporting an “unknown” number of people dead and injured. CNN cites police officials saying two are dead.

The “massive explosion” at 1340 River Road, was apparently due to a gas line rupturing at about 11:00 – 11:30 AM EST today. The explosion could be felt all the way to Long Island Sound. Multiple emergency vehicles are on the scene.

An hour after the explosion and what is believed to be the Kleen Energy Systems plant on River Road, emergency rescue personnel were continuing to arrive by vehicle and helicopter. Helicopters were airlifting victims to area hospitals.

Witnesses across the river from the plant say the main plant building seems to be “substantially leveled.”

Kleen Energy Plant

Officer Kevin White of Middletown Police said there were “mass casualties.”

Article From : http://www.abreakingnews.us/kleen-energy-middletown-ct.html

Jill George | Jill George going upside down | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jill George Arca | Danica Patrick | James Buescher | ARCA | NASCAR

2010-02-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

Jill George going upside down on a crash on Lap 27 stopped the race. The wreck slightly damaged the catchfence. Even though 27 laps have officially been recorded — only six of those have been under a green flag.

Danica Patrick has stayed clean from the early crashes and is currently in 10th place. James Buescher leads the race.

The fence has been fixed and cars have fired up again in the 80-lap race.

The Budweiser Shootout is coming up next at 8:10. Depending on what else happens in the ARCA race, it might have to be cut short so as not to interfere with the Bud Shootout.

Article From : http://buzzingstock.in/general/jill-george-jill-george-going-upside-down-jennifer-jo-cobb-jill-george-arca-danica-patrick-james-buescher-arca-nascar/

Send a ball | send a ball in the mail, qubits, sendaball, mail a ball, have a ball

2010-02-06T00:32:00.000-08:00

Send a ball | send a ball in the mail,Send a ball qubits, sendaball, Send a ball mail a ball, Send a ball have a ball.

Send a ballOne of my favorite shows on T.V right now is Shark Tank, Multi-Millionaire business owners who hear investment proposals from entrepreneurs and consider whether to invest in the businesses. While watching this show I came across this company founded by two moms, Send a Ball. While the “Sharks” did not invest in this company I couldn’t bear not to spread the word about this great service. I have 5 nieces and nephews all under 7 and know they would love to receive this in the mail.

Better yet, what babies don’t love to play with balls? I avoid the stack of balls in Target every time we go because Ball, Ball, Ball would be the word of the day for the rest of the day out of Isabella’s mouth! This is a great way to congratulate a new baby, say Happy Birthday, Happy Valentine’s day or how about just for fun! Forget the Balloons, these last longer! Not to mention, I love the personality of these women! They seem so fun and genuine. Go get’em Send a Ball Moms!

How does it work? The balls are sent fully inflated and are sent First Class Mail by USPS. The balls are addressed by hand, stamped and mailed. Not in a box, no bubble wrap, string or tape…..Just the ball! Send a Ball is Sealed with Approval by BabyMomma Blog!

Article From : http://ballwell.blogspot.com/2010/02/send-ball-send-ball-in-mail-qubits.html

L.A. Coroner tells Gossip Cop why Casey Johnson did not need to die

2010-02-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

The late heiress Casey Johnson died of natural causes due to diabetic ketoacidosis, according to the L.A. County Coroner.

Diabetic ketoacidosis is the medical term for when the body lacks sufficient levels of insulin.

L.A. Coroner’s office Assistant Chief Ed Winter told Gosssip Cop, Johnson “wasn’t taking any of her [diabetes] meds.”

Sadly, it was as simple as Johnson being negligent with her medical regimen. “If you’re not taking any of [the medications], this is what the result is,” added Winter.

Johnson had reportedly fallen into two reported diabetic comas prior to her death.

And as to whether there were any illicit drugs in Johnson’s system, Winter told Gossip Cop categorically, “No.”

Johnson’s full autopsy report will be available within two weeks.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter for updates…

Article From : http://www.gossipcop.com/casey-johnson-cause-of-death-reported-by-coroner/

The Passing Of Gina Campisi

2010-02-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

Gina Campisi’s death today brings up the subject of depression and its possible consequences. Regardless of your place within the community or your financial situation, there are services. . . excellent services with professional, caring people who are available 24-hours-a-day to help. There is absolutely nothing wrong in reaching out for help.

We have added the Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas to our web roll and regret that it was not included before. Consider looking at it, just in case you know of someone who might need its services. If you know of any similar organizations of assistance, please place them in the comment section and we’ll add them to the SweetCharity web roll.

Our thoughts are with the Campisi family, Gina’s wide circle of friends, and those who have lost someone due to similar circumstances.

Article From : http://sweetcharity.dmagazine.com/2010/02/03/the-passing-of-gina-campisi/

iPhone 3.1.3 Update : iTunes Upgrade

2010-02-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

iPhone 3.1.3 Update and Firmware/Software Upgrade via Itunes. Yes It’s been 3 months since the last firmware upgrade for iPhone users and most of the user of iPhone is user the 3.1.2 firmware update. This day a new firmware is released for Iphone and it’s iPhone 3.1.3 update this firmware upgrade for iPod Touch and iPhone users. Well this current Iphone 3.1.3 update really doesn’t get anything new at all but it will fix some of the important errors in the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The iPhone 3.1.3 software / firmware update includes:
Improved accuracy for the battery level on iPhone 3GS.
Fixes issues on Phone Applications to crash.
Fixes the Application crash for Japanese Kana keyboard is being used

iPhone Jailbreaks update
According to the news there’s no harm on those jailbreak Iphones so it will be safe to update your Iphone firmware to 3.1.3.

Article From : http://study5.info/iphone-3-1-3-update-itunes-upgrade.html/6080

Jay Novacek Wife Dead

2010-02-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

After 2 previous sad news we heard a few moment ago, now the world has been surprised with the death of Jay Novacek’s wife, LeAnne Novacek. So far, there is no official announcement about the cause of death of Jay Novacek wife, however, according to some local news portals, there is a possibility she committed suicide because Jay Novacek wife found dead in the bedroom of the residence at 9:05 a.m. this morning. Responding to this case, the local police said that there will be performed an autopsy on Tuesday why LeAnne Novacek died as for now, the investigation still remains.

Jay Novacek, was a former NFL tight end, but Jay Novacek known for being a part of the Dallas Cowboys team because in that team, he won three Super Bowls in the early 90s. However, since 1997, he officially decided to retire NFL in 1997 due to lingering injured.

Now, let’s give a sympathy to Jay Novacek family after Jay Novacek wife died.

PS: Just before I heard news that tells Jay Novacek wife dead, there was Jack Brisco who passed away previously.

Article From ; http://phreakaholic.com/news/jay-novacek-wife-dead-leanne-novacek-committed-suicide/

American Idiot Musical

2010-02-01T00:56:00.000-08:00

What's the latest update about the American Idiot Musical? Who among thinks that not all bands can do musical in Broadways? If you are that person who is negative with that, think again. Greenday will be having their musical with the Song American Idiot. Watch the video at the link below now!

Read more about it from the article of tonic.com:

Well, Broadway fans and punk rockers, get ready for a new rock opera to, uh, rock your world (thus concludes the last usage of the word "rock" in this piece). Green Day's 2004 concept album American Idiot, which has long been rumored to be on its way to becoming a stage production, has finally been turned into a full-blown musical production.

It's not your ordinary run-of-the-mill musical, either. The entire concept of Green Day's album was based on the zeitgeist of 2004 — Americans were confused about the post-9/11 climate of the country and young people felt more disaffected and out of touch than ever despite how plugged in everyone thought they were because of the dawn of the Internet and smart phone era.

Watch the full videos of American Idiot Musical at the URL below, just copy and paste the URL below to your address bar now:

Article From : http://www.junaldpascua.info/2010/01/american-idiot-musical.html

Senior Bowl 2010 Time, Schedule, TV Channel and Roaster

2010-01-30T16:04:00.000-08:00

Senior Bowl 2010 Time, Schedule, TV Channel and Roaster – On Saturday, January 30, the top seniors from around the country will participate in the Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. The game will be played at 3:00 p.m. Central time and will air on the NFL Network live from Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Many are wondering about the time and channel of the 2010 Senior Bowl so we decided to gather the information and share it with your readers while we release our winning betting prediction in the last major college football game of the year.

The start time of today’s Senior Bowl is set for 4:00 PM ET and you won’t want to miss a second of the action as Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Cincinnati wide receiver Marty Gilyard go against each other in their last college football action ever.

The Senior Bowl is the nation’s most unique football game and football’s premier pre-draft event, annually featuring the country’s best senior collegiate football stars and top NFL draft prospects on teams representing the North and South which are coached by the entire coaching staffs from two National Football League teams.

Senior Bowl practices are also attended by over 800 general managers, head coaches, assistant coaches, scouts and other front office personnel from the 32National Football League teams, making Mobile and the Senior Bowl the week-long host to a one-of-a-kind NFL Coaches Convention.”

It will be the final time for these hopeful future NFL stars to showcase their talents on the field and in real game-time conditions. Chances are that a lot of those boys won’t be on NFL rosters next year, but they need to make sure they take every single opportunity to impress the scouts.

Article From : http://www.showbizgalore.com/4324/senior-bowl-2010-time-schedule-tv-channel-and-roaster/

Online PR Crisis: Bank of America Website Down, no Explanation from the Owner

2010-01-29T16:53:00.000-08:00

When an institution like the Bank of America has technical problems and its corporate site stays offline without notice, the customers’ concerns flow, and the media has a duty to keep the public informed. The first to report BofA’s problem was Business Insider’s John Carney, who specified in his report that “a tipster speculates that it is possible that Bank of America has been the victim of a cyber-attack.”

Regardless the cause of this malfunction, when a site stays offline a few good hours – especially a site that is basically a portal between consumers and their financial accounts – the owner has the duty and the obligation to release an announcement that explains the issue. On its Twitter account, BofA doesn’t offer explanations, but the following statement:

Yes, we are aware of the issue and our technical team is working to resolve it as soon as possible. Thx for your patience.

Not long ago, the same BofA Twitter team posted the following:

Our website is available. However, some customers are having intermittent issues with access. We are working to determine the root cause.

But the site is not available, as customers continue to ask for support, unable to access the site. The idea that only “some” have difficulties doesn’t fly. None of the above qualify as a reasonable answer that would give users peace of mind. And of course, not all BofA customers would look for answers on Twitter. What happens with the other users, who are still using the old fashioned browser? Even mobile users don’t have it any easier, although some do manage to get trough and access their personal accounts, according to commentators on Business Insider Clusterstock.

Did BofA send a bulk email notification to customers explaining the issue, something in the art “Dear valued customer, we are experiencing a technical difficulty with our website. No reason to worry, your online accounts are safe, etc”? No – we haven’t received anything yet. Even Twitter finds a way to communicate with its users when the site is down, or over capacity.

In the meanwhile, BofA’s customers who want to use their online accounts have no other choice but to wait for the tech team who is “working diligently” to solve the problem.

Article From ; http://www.pamil-visions.net/bank-of-america-website-down/211255/

The Catcher in the Rye Bread

2010-01-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

Leave it to the dining critic to find a food angle on the death of J.D. Salinger. Sam Sifton led us to “This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise,” a story in the October 1945 Esquire that has nothing to do with sandwiches or mayo. It’s about a soldier waiting to go to a dance and thinking of his brother, Holden Caulfield, who is missing in action.

There’s more food imagery in ‘Franny and Zooey, as when Franny’s date orders a sophisticated French meal and she has a chicken sandwich that she doesn’t touch.

Of course, Eric Asimov’s recollections of “Catcher in the Rye” are more bibulous.

“I remember somebody drinking a Tom Collins,” he said, “only because it inspired me at an impressionable age to try to make one.”

Salinger’s father, Sol, was a successful food importer, who took him to Austria and Poland in 1937, “where the father’s plan was for him to learn the ham business,” Charles McGrath writes in his wonderful obituary of Salinger.

And in 1961, James E. Bryan wrote an essay called, “J. D. Salinger: The Fat Lady and the Chicken Sandwich,” although I can’t find the full text online.

Can you think of any other Salinger food references?

Article From : http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/the-catcher-in-the-rye-bread/

Apple Announcement Live - The Truth On The iPad

2010-01-27T15:25:00.000-08:00

Starting at 10am Pacific time (1pm Eastern), Apple will kick off their press conference which will, in all likelihood, reveal the secrets behind the much rumored and anticipated Apple Tablet device. We'll learn the name, the price and all of the fancy apps it'll run. We may even hear about a new age for iTunes, with the rumored iCloud, which would enable people to access their iTunes music from any computer via the Internet.

We're kicking off the Apple Tablet live blog a little before 10am PST/1pm EST, so make sure you stay tuned and be the first to know about the secrets of the Apple Tablet.

10am PST
Show is starting! Here we go!

10:03
Steve Jobs takes the stage, kicking off 2010 with "truly magical products today."

10:03
But first, some updates on current sales numbers. 284 Apple stores, 250 million iPods sold. 140,000 apps in the App Store, 3 billion downloaded.

10:04
Apple has been focused on 3 product lines for mobile (laptops, iPods, iPhone).

10:05
Pic of Moses holding up the tablet of the 10 commandments with a quote from the WSJ. Um...quite the statement.

10:08
Before he discusses the tablet itself, he's going to talk about the introduction of the iPhone 3 years ago.

10:09
Is there room between a smartphone and a laptop? Something that handles Email, Photos, Videos, Music, Games, eBooks?

10:10
OFFICIAL NAME: The iPad.

10:12
Jobs pulls out the iPad. About the size of an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. "Very thin."

10:13
On-screen keyboard, accelerometer control for landscape or portrait mode, just like the iPhone. "It is the best browsing experience you’ve ever had."

10:14
Interface very similar to the iPhone, but bigger. Flick and touch controls throughout.

10:15
New version of iTunes specific to the iPad, flick controls.

10:16
Opening Apple.com with the Safari browser. Goes over to Fandango to buy movie tickets. All with touch controls. Zoom and swipe, just like an iPhone. Multi-touch controls, predictably, with heavy pinching and swiping.

10:19
Showing off email now. Clicking compose brings up on-screen keyboard. Do you have to hunch over this thing to type?

10:20
Jobs is typing on his lap, slightly hunched. Not quite as natural as a laptop, but pretty close.

10:22
Cross-platform support, works with PC and Mac. Showing off new iPhoto, looks a lot like iPhone image browsing experience.

10:23
Now onto iTunes. Showing off album cover view, swiping through album covers. Tap individual cover to bring up songs in that album, tap song to play.

10:24
iTunes store, selling movies, TV shows, audiobooks.

10:25
Calendar and maps. Maps has Google street view and location sensing.

10:27
Steve Jobs starts playing a scene from the newest "Star Trek" movie. When in landscape mode it doesn't take up the whole screen, with black around the edges of the movie.

10:29
Episodes of Modern Family for sale in the iTunes store. Woo.

10:30
iPad Stats:
9.7 inch display
Touch screen
1.5 pounds, .5 inches thick
1 ghz apple A4 chip, 16 to 64 GB flash storage
WiFi 802.11n
Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
Speaker, Microphone, 30-pin connector
Accelerometer & Compass
10 Hours of active battery life, 1 month of battery life on stand by
Earth-friendly!

10:32
Can run all iPhone apps without any software modifications. That means plenty of games at launch!

10:35
iPhone apps can be played in small, standard size or can be expanded to fill the whole screen. iPad specific apps can fill the whole screen without scaling, though.

10:37
iPad SDK available at Apple.com. New section of the App Store dedicated to iPad apps.

10:38
Gameloft showing off some of their new games. Halo-esque FPS, NOVA, being shown.

10:41
Discussing the New York Times now. NY Times app, looks like the the layout of the paper. Embedded video in some articles.

10:44
Showing off the Brushes app next. Basically Photoshop with image editing, layers, painting, and so forth. All with touch controls. Available at launch of iPad.

10:47
Travis Boatman from EA is on stage showing off some new games. Need For Speed Shift being shown off.

10:52
iBooks is next. This is where Apple tries to take on the Kindle.

10:54
Like a digital bookshelf/store, five major publishers attached so far.

10:57
iBooks store interface just like iTunes. Customer ratings/reviews, browse by genre. Turn pages by swiping, just like a real book.

10:59
Moving on to iWork for the iPad. Spreadsheets! Powerpoint! Ok, enough with the iWork. How much is this thing gonna cost?

11:05
Moving on to Pages...still in the iWork package. Gallery of different documents being shown. Yeah, not super thrilling at present.

11:09
You can make spreadsheets of your kids soccer team, determining just who you should cut. All from the field! That's just cruel.

11:11
iWork demo is over. Charging $30 for full iWork package, or $10 for each app.

11:13
Every iPad has WiFi support, some models have 3G support.

11:15
Pricing on 3G data plans:
250MB per month for $14.99
Unlimited per month for $29.99
Data plan with AT&T, free use of AT&T WiFi hotspots
No contract, cancel anytime

11:16
3G models are all unlocked, use new GSM micro SIM cards

11:17
"What should we price it at?"

11:18
iPad Prices

16 GB - $499
with 3G - $629

32 GB - $599
with 3G - $729

64 GB - $699
with 3G - $829

11:23
Showing off attachments now. Dock available. Also a dock with a real keyboard attached.

A case which lets you stand the iPad up at a good viewing angle without having to hold it.

11:27
Apple wrapping up all the info on the iPad. Thankfully you can just scroll up.

11:31
Steve Jobs returns to the stage with enthusiasm.

11:32
"Our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price."

11:34
And that wraps up the live blog. Hope you've enjoyed it! We'll have video and official pics of the device shortly.
Article From : http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/01/27/apple-tablet-live-blog/

Body found on farm, may be that of Morgan Harrington

2010-01-26T16:25:00.001-08:00

Skeletal remains found on a Virginia farm may be that of Morgan Harrington, but an official identification has not yet been made.

Harrington’s mother Gil spoke to a local CBS affiliate, saying the remains are “probably” her daughters, and Harrington’s parents were on the scene to assist in identifying the body:

“We don’t think it’s been proved definitively yet, but it’s most likely,” she said. “So, we want to go and be on hand and see if that determination can be made. Or if we can help in making that determination.”

Gil Harrington said she wanted to thank people for all their prayers and the efforts to find Morgan.

“I was hoping we would find her alive, but at least we won’t always be wondering for a lifetime,” she said.

David Bass, owner of Anchorage Farm where the body was located, told press he was checking fences in a cow pasture when he discovered the remains. He initially believed the body to be that of a deer, but contacted police when he realized that it may have belonged to a human.

Morgan Harrington was last seen between 8:30 and 9PM on October 27th, 2009. Harrington attended a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia, but was denied re-entry after leaving during the show. She has not been seen since.

Update: Police say they are “fairly confident” the body is Harrington’s, and the farmer says his first thought upon discovering the body was that the remains belonged to the missing student.

Article From : http://www.inquisitr.com/59145/morgan-harrington-found/

Liveblog: Apple’s Q1 2010 results conference call

2010-01-25T16:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks for joining TUAW for our liveblog of Apple's first quarter 2010 earnings conference call.

If you've never joined us for a liveblog before, it's a blast. You can send us your questions or comments as the phone call is progressing. We'll be supplying our "expert commentary," but we invite your inquiries and opinions as well. Just use the CoverItLive tool below to join in.

To listen to the phone call, you can tune in at http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/01/21alert_results.html. After the phone call has been completed, you can revisit our liveblog at this page and listen to the phone call at the same URL.

Article From : http://ifones.com/liveblog-apples-q1-2010-results-conference-call/