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Sophie Simmon in Family Jewels

2009-05-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

New York, NY, xx, 2009 – Legendary rock god and multi-hyphenate Gene Simmons and his unconventional family are back and better than ever for an all-new season of A&E's hit unscripted series "Gene Simmons Family Jewels," premiering with a special one-hour episode on Sunday, June 7th at 10:00 PM ET/PT. The 15-episode season kicks off with Sophie's sweet sixteen party, giving viewers an all access pass to the milestone celebration. When a case of sibling rivalry spirals out of control, Nick pulls on dad's heartstrings and his sense of theatrics to escalate the low key party she wanted into the blowout of the century, all to the dismay of shy Sophie.

In addition to Sophie's sweet sixteen, the new season will give viewers a behind the scenes look at the entire family's many adventures. From Gene's appearance on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?," to Gene filming a Japanese monster flick, to Shannon preparing for a role in a roller derby exploitation film, to Nick getting his own apartment, to Sophie fending off ill-intentioned teenaged boys, viewers will follow the Simmons-Tweed clan as they set out to prove, yet again, why they are the most non-traditional, traditional family in America.

Tongue-wagging, face-painted, radical rock legend Gene Simmons is back in the news. Bassist, vocalist of the hard rock legend band “Kiss”, Simmonds has always worn his demoniacal bad-man image on his sleeve. Onstage histrionics, outrageous outfits and make-up that bordered on the bizarre even, made Simmonds synonymous with an unfrosted hard core rock experience.

Source: http://www.postchronicle.com/commentary/article_212233966.shtml

rivals.com football | UCLA joins USC

2009-02-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Trojans get All-City choice Byron Moore Jr., UCLA picks up some key linemen, but both lose out for the services of top-rated linebacker Manti Te'o.

On a topsy-turvy day in college football recruiting, USC showed it's not about to relinquish its status as a national power while UCLA displayed signs of a resurgence with a finishing kick that hasn't been seen in years.

It was the first day for high school seniors to sign a letter of intent, and there were plenty of surprises.

While USC lost out on three players it thought were within reach, the Trojans came away with another top-five recruiting class. It started early this morning with Harbor City Narbonne defensive back Byron Moore Jr. signing with the Trojans after dropping them two weeks ago because of concerns about playing time.

There was bad news for USC when the No. 1 linebacker prospect in the nation, Manti Te'o of Honolulu Punahou, chose Notre Dame, and receiver Alshon Jeffrey signed with South Carolina after being a Trojans commit. And another top linebacker prospect, Vontaze Burfict from Corona Centennial, signed with Arizona State.

But the Trojans demonstrated their recruiting power by going out out-of-state to land three athletic national recruits in outside linebacker Frankie Telfort from Miami Gulliver Prep, defensive back Jawanza Starling from Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln and linebacker Jarvis Jones from Columbus (Ga.) Carver.

As of this afternoon, Rivals.com had USC ranked No. 2 behind Louisiana State, and Scout.com had USC No. 4 in the national team rankings.

But the school making the biggest jump today was UCLA, which went from No. 16 to No. 7 in Scout.com's ratings by landing a pair of huge offensive linemen, 6-foot-6, 320-pound Stan Hasiak from Hawaii Kapolei and 6-4, 285-pound Xavier Su'a-Filo from Provo (Utah) Timpview.

The Bruins also picked up running back Damien Thigpen from Manassas (Va.) Stonewall Jackson. All were late -decisions, something that the Bruins have struggled to pull off in their favor with top prospects. UCLA lost out on one commit, tight end Billy Sanders from Coeur d'Alene (Id.) Lake City, who signed with Miami.

USC and UCLA are the finalists for another top player, receiver-defensive back Randall Carroll of Los Angeles Cathedral. Carroll, considered the fastest teenager in California after winning the 100 and 200 at last year's state track championships, is scheduled to make an announcement later today on his college choice.

Perhaps the most startling decision was made by Te'o, who received strong wooing from USC and UCLA but ended up at Notre Dame. Only last weekend, Te'o took a visit to USC and was considered a top priority for Trojans Coach Pete Carroll. UCLA turned over its recruiting to assistant Norm Chow, a Punahou graduate. For the Fighting Irish to come out on top showed that Coach Charlie Weis isn't going away any time soon.

Ohio State started the day ranked No. 1 by Scout.com and Rivals.com, but the Buckeyes lost out on 6-5 All-American receiver Marlon Brown from Memphis (Tenn.) Harding. He signed with Georgia.

Alabama, LSU and USC were in a tight race with Ohio State to finish No. 1.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/football/la-sp-high-school-recruiting5-2009feb05,0,4339233.column

Rhonda Mitra | Hungry and Eated a Friend

2008-08-17T23:59:00.000-07:00

"If you're hungry, try a piece of your friend"

I wanted to see this movie for 2 reasons. 1 - The trailer looked action-packed, and 2 - Malcolm McDowell, whom I loved in Clockwork Orange, was in it, and also Bob Hoskins, who was great in Unleashed.

I've seen this movie twice. Once in the theater and once at home. I have to say I liked it better the first time. There's alot of action scenes, along with multiple decapitations, blown off limbs, and plenty of gore/blood. Yet I felt that what was portrayed in this movie copied several previous movie themes; Mad Max, 28 Days Later, and Resident Evil, to name a few. However, it was entertaining and held my attention.

The female lead, played by Rhonda Mitra, was well cast. I've seen her in the TV show, Nip-Tuck, and she was able to pull off the emotionally scarred heroine who has a childhood past linked to the "Hot Zone".

Sadly, Malcolm McDowell does not appear until close to the end (but does the narration, too). Bob Hoskins could have been in it more, too.

The visuals were good, however, in some scenes there is so much going on the screen at once that you can't catch it all.

Overall, I liked the movie. Could have been a tad bit shorter, at least to me. A great flick if you're in the mood for lots of blood and action.

I loved this movie, still love it. I'm a big fan of Rhona Mitra. My only knock is that Malcolm McDowell wasn't in the movie for much longer than he was. Hoskins was great,so your saying I should see Unleashed then, that sounds like a Jet Lee film.

Source: http://www.movieweb.com/review/REmpXvpnK3g1pq

Cloris Leachman spares Bob Saget

2008-08-17T23:43:00.000-07:00

Cloris Leachman spares Bob Saget little dignity in her feisty appearance at his Comedy Central roast.

In a video snippet of the taped event, set to air Sunday night, the award-winning actress snipes, "Can't believe I shaved for this. I mean, what am I even doing here? Who cares about Bob Saget?"

Low blow. But Saget laps it up, laughing large at the award-winning actress's routine. When asked why the cable channel singled him out to be roasted, he says with mock humility, "I don't know. You know, I guess a few other people turned it down. It's always how I look at it."

That shtick isn't fooling anyone, though. The actor-comedian is a bona-fide cultural icon, thanks to his role as squeaky clean single dad Danny Tanner on "Full House," the addictively cheesy ABC sitcom that launched the phenomenon known as the Olsen twins, who were barely out of diapers when the show debuted in 1987.

An entire generation will always know Saget by his "Full House" alter ego. But it was his scene-stealing cameo in the 2005 documentary "The Aristocrats" - in which 100 comics riffed on the world's dirtiest joke - that revealed his notoriously filthy sense of humour.

Saget kept things fairly clean, though, as he talked to The Associated Press about twin tycoons Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, who would play him in a "Full House" movie and why he wants good friend-roastmaster John Stamos to run for public office.

AP: How many Olsen jokes were cracked during the roast?

Saget: Too many, and that's why editing is so great. I'm a big fan of editing. There were a lot of jokes at their expense, more jokes at my expense.

AP: How many times a day does someone ask you about the twins?

Saget: It gets old. ... It can get a little bit exhausting. It's really not about anything. It kind of makes me really just want to go and read the news ... and then go to a movie. Or do some cardio.

AP: Do you ever have the urge to sit down with your TV daughters and give them a feel-good lecture?

Saget: It's not like that. Because I know Ashley and Mary-Kate since they're nine months old or six months old; I know Jodie (Sweetin) since she's four and Candace (Cameron) since she's nine. And I never talked to them like they were little kids ... because I just don't talk to kids like that. ... A lot of the conversations I have with Ashley and Mary-Kate have been (them saying), "No, I really like her, she's a really good girlfriend" or, "You should try that, I think that'd be good for you." That's the truth. So it's kind of reversed.

AP: What kind of music would you like to have in the background if you did do a heart-to-heart?

Saget: I guess something by Journey with Steve Perry because they had the synthesizers all down really well. It was all about the synth.

AP: What would Danny Tanner say about you on the roasting panel?

Saget: Danny Tanner would probably not say anything. The first thing he would probably do before he spoke is just spray Windex on the podium, and just clean it up because of all the disgusting hands that have touched it.

AP: In honour of Danny - if you could be a cleaning product, which cleaning product would you be?

Saget: Purell. You get used all day long. People rub their hands all over you.

AP: If there was a "Full House" movie, who would play you?

Saget: Let me think about this very carefully. It's a very important question. ... I'm actually looking up something because I have a couple thoughts on this, because I actually wrote this down once.

AP: Really?

Saget: Somebody was talking about (a movie). Who knows? It's a crazy little world we're living in, isn't it? ... Josh Radnor (CBS' "How I Met Your Mother," narrated in voice-over by Saget). I don't think he'd do it. He's too talented, but he would have to play Danny Tanner. I don't know if anyone should want to fill those shoes. But it'd be hilarious because I'm playing him as an older man. I'm his voice. I'm the discombobulated "Charlie's Angels" voice. Who else could be Danny Tanner? Let me think. ... Jason Biggs ("American Pie"), and maybe Danny gets caught in the kitchen with a pie.

AP: Or maybe you could play Danny ... again.

Saget: I don't know. Unless I can play him intoxicated, which I don't think they'll go for.

AP: You've hosted "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "1 vs. 100." Who would win in a host-off: you, Howie Mandel or Ryan Seacrest?

Saget: I would have to say Howie, because Howie doesn't let people touch him. Which I think is the answer. ... I would never put myself in the hosting-off. It sounds like you're doing something dirty, anyway, if you're "hosting off." But Howie, actually, I've known also since he was a young comic. He's a dear friend. Really great guy. And I think he's made more of a show (NBC's "Deal or No Deal") that didn't have that much to it.

AP: You directed the "March of the Penguins" straight-to-DVD spoof, "Farce of the Penguins." What do you have against penguins?

Saget: I love penguins, but I found out just what nasty little creatures they are just by watching documentary footage. I mean, we didn't do it what the real filmmakers of the real movie did. They're the real deal. I'm a penguin thief, basically.

AP: On a political note, who would make a celebrity running mate for Obama and McCain?

Saget: I think, after the roast, I would say Cloris Leachman ("Young Frankenstein," TV's "Malcolm in the Middle"). She'd be good for McCain because she would keep him looking younger. And I think for Obama the best running mate would be - god, this is trying to promote my roast - I'd say John Stamos because then I'd totally be hooked up at the White House.

Source: http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5i5IxvgF5WowlKL6fQTZwOzXZoJig

Donkey Test

2008-08-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

We had a little moment of hilarity tonight at dinner when photographer Tom Fox, perusing a thick, white menu, quite seriously posed the question: "What tastes better - the duck or the donkey?"

Much, much, much to my surprise, the donkey - which came out in a steaming stew with dove eggs - wasn't at all bad. Honestly, it was kinda good.

I've gone back-and-forth in my willingness to be adventurous with the food here in Beijing, though the opportunities are certainly endless. I ordered the sashimi, which wasn't as daring, but we'll be here three more weeks.

In other news, we've discovered getting around in a taxi cab isn't as easy as we thought it would be, even with these handy-dandy taxi cards we bought that spell out destinations in Chinese and English.

Also, though the skies were a good, impressive-for-Beijing blue this morning, the smog of pollution became evident as the day wore on. We hear it my be get worse in the next couple days.

Real Donkey Test
What is it??

This poker skill test is the first and only of its kind. Our unique scoring system measures your overall poker skill level and assesses performance in 13 sub categories, revealing key strengths and weaknesses. Developed by poker professionals, this test is for no limit Hold'em cash games and tournaments (MTTs and SNGs).

History of Intelligence Testing

Among the first to investigate individual differences in mental ability was a British scientist, Sir Frances Galton, who compared people based on their awards and accomplishments. This research convinced him that intelligence was inherited and led to further studies which involved evaluating individual differences in reaction time and range and specificity of the senses, which have since been shown to correlate with academic success.

A French psychologist, Alfred Binet, developed a test to accurately predict academic success when the French government asked him to help them determine which children in the public schools would have difficulty with formal education. He, and his colleague, Theodore Simon, found that tests of practical knowledge, memory, reasoning, vocabulary, and problem solving were better predictors of school success than the sensory tests used by Galton. Subjects were asked to perform simple commands and gestures, repeat spoken numbers, name objects in pictures, define common words, tell how two objects are different, and define abstract terms. Similar items are used in today�s intelligence tests.

Assuming that children all follow the same pattern of development but develop at different rates, Binet and Simon created the concept of mental age, whereby, for example, a child of any age who scored as well as an average twelve-year-old was said to have a mental age of twelve.

Binet�s test was not widely used in France, but Henry Goddard, director of a school for mentally challenged students, brought it to the United States, translated it into English, and used it to test people for mental retardation. Louis Terman, another American psychologist, adapted the test for use with adults, established new standards for average ability at each age, and called it the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, because of his affiliation with Stanford University.

Terman is also responsible for the term, intelligence quotient, or IQ. He changed the way the results of the test were stated from a simple mental age to a quotient, a number which is the result of dividing one number by another. In this case, the mental age is divided by the chronological age, and the result is multiplied by 100, just to get rid of the decimal point. So, a child who is eight years old and answers the test questions as well as a twelve-year-old scores an intelligence quotient of 12/8 x 100, or 150. A twelve-year-old who answers the test questions as well as an average eight-year-old would have an IQ of 8/12 x 100, or 66.

This formula works well for comparing children, but since intelligence levels off in adulthood, it is not appropriate for adults. A thirty-year-old who answers questions as well as an average twenty-year-old would have an IQ of only 20/30 x 100, or 66.

So intelligence tests today no longer use the IQ formula. Instead, the score on a modern intelligence test compares a person�s performance with others his/her own age, while arbitrarily defining the average score as 100. By convention, most people still use the term IQ to refer to a score on an intelligence test.

Group Intelligence Tests

Before World War I, all intelligence tests were administered on a one to one basis. During the war, a group of psychologists, led by Robert M.Yerkes, developed two tests, one for English speakers, and one for non-English speakers or illiterates, which could be administered to groups of recruits to help the army determine the most effective placement of individuals. Highest scoring recruits were considered for officer training, and lowest scoring recruits were rejected from service.

Following the war, group tests were more popular. The National Intelligence Test, developed by Terman and Yerkes, was first used around 1920 to test school children. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) was introduced in 1926 to help colleges and universities screen prospective students.

Today individual and group intelligence tests are widely used in education, the military, and business.

www.beijingticketing.com fraud Olympic Ticket

2008-08-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

Judge shutters Web site offering Olympic tickets
A federal judge has temporarily shut down a Web site that Olympic officials say is defrauding patrons by falsely advertising tickets to the games in Beijing.

It's the second such Web site ordered closed in the last two weeks.

The judge ordered the shutdown Tuesday, pending a resolution of the U.S. Olympic Committee's lawsuit alleging the site is a scam.

USOC lawyers say http://www.beijingticketing.com cheated numerous U.S. residents out of thousands of dollars by falsely promising to deliver tickets to the games starting Friday.

The site was apparently disabled by its operators Monday, but the lawyers want the court order to keep it down permanently.

Online ticket fraud being fought at Beijing Olympics

With the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing only days away, reports have surfaced of massive amounts of online ticket fraud that has left dozens of Americans and others stuck in China without tickets to the events.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), U.S. Olympic Committee and other officials, including the Attorney General in Texas, are working feverishly to weed out scammers who are erroneously listing Olympic tickets. One of the companies in the crosshairs is Ticket City in Texas, which is being investigated by the state's Attorney General Greg Abbott, according to KXAN-TV, for allegedly reselling tickets it didn't have. The company is still listing tickets on its Web site.

Two U.S.-based Web sties that allegedly scammed customers, BeijingTicketing and Beijing-Tickets2008, were shut down after Olympic officials obtained an injunction in federal court. Dozens of other fraudulent Web sites have been traced back to a UK company, Xclusive Leisure and Hospitality, which also had a U.S. address and allegedly has a history of online ticket scams.

Ticketing has been an issue for the 2008 Games, which saw its servers crash under heightened demand for tickets.

boys with girlfriends lyrics

2008-08-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

boys with girlfriends
when i first met you i knew you were the one
till you took me home and met her
she had your boxers on
she was listening to your song
and i thought right then that you had everything

but i knew
she was jealous from the start
yeah i knew
she was jealous from the start

cos i know better not to be friends with boys with girlfriends
oh i know better than that i know better
you play the victim and i'll be the bad guy
i know better than that, i know better
(oh oh oh oh oh oh X 2)

we started hanging around after 9
i couldve sworn you i was yours
you looked at me and said
its a little too late for bed
we went to hopesal and
talked about everything

but i knew
she was jealous from the start
yeah i knew
she was jealous from the start

cos i know better not to be friends with boys with girlfriends
oh i know better than that i know better
you play the victim and i'll be the bad guy
i know better than that, i know better
(oh)

what she did to us was tragic
oh oh oh
and i have to do what's right
oh oh oh
what we had was really magic
oh oh oh
but i have to get what's mine
oh
i don't get what's mine
and you get yours

cos i know better not to be friends with boys with girlfriends
oh i know better than that i know better
you play the victim and i'll be the bad guy
i know better than that, i know better
(oh)
X 2

Source: http://www.onlylyrics.com/hits.php?grid=1&id=1023752

latest news on caylee anthony

2008-08-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Tonight: ‘Dad, she's close.’ Casey Anthony's father visits her in jail and she says her missing daughter is close by. But tonight, there are new clues and new questions in the disappearance of Casey's 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. Casey Anthony is a person of interest in her child's disappearance after failing to report her missing for more than a month.

George Anthony visited his daughter in jail over the weekend, and cameras caught him as he left the meeting. Where does Casey say her daughter is?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE ANTHONY, CASEY'S FATHER: Dad, she says, we're going to find her. We're going to get her. And I said -- again, that's another question. I said, Where was she? Dad, she's close. Dad, she's close.

QUESTION: You said the photographs of Caylee (SIC) appearing to be partying during the time she says she was searching for Caylee were taken a year ago. You said there's proof and that there's someone who's come forward to say that. Can you offer some more about who that person is and what that proof is?
Related

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o Inside the CSI Search for Caylee
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o Did Packers Offer Favre $20M to Stay Retired?

Full-page Interview Archive
Stories
o Third Caylee Vigil Held as Missing Tot's Mom Tells Grandfather 'She's Close'
o CSI Team Visits Home of Missing Florida Toddler's Grandparents
o Mother of Missing Florida Toddler Makes Small Talk With Family
o Lower Bond Denied for Missing Florida Tot's Mom
o Video May Be Released of Missing Florida Girl's Grandmother Jailhouse Meeting With Daughter
o Missing Florida Girl's Grandmother Says Daughter Is Innocent
o Missing Florida Girl's Grandmother Asks Police to Arrest Daughter for 'Grand Theft' in 911 Call
o Judge Sets Bond at $500G for Mother of Missing Florida Tot, Police Name Her 'Person of Interest'
o Grandma Defends Daughter, Asks Public for Help Finding Missing Toddler
o Detectives Dig Through Backyard of Missing Florida Toddler's Grandparents for Clues
o 'Compulsive Liar' Florida Mother Arrested in Toddler's Disappearance Last Month
Video
o Watch the video
Photo Essays
o Search for Missing Caylee
Show Info
Airs Weekdays at 10 p.m. ET
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o Greta Van Susteren's Bio
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GEORGE ANTHONY: I am not going to state their name. The sheriff's department knows about it. Mr. Baez knows about that. This person did come forward and made a formal statement that the stuff happened prior to all this stuff happening. I'm not going to give you the person's name because, then again, that's going to invade their privacy, and we're trying to be sensitive to all of our friends and people that have given us information. I'm not going to have them being followed and being chased, like my son was last week. I'm not going to do that to them.

QUESTION: What's the proof? Just their word?

GEORGE ANTHONY: Well, their word, their statement that they gave directly to the sheriff's department, to Mr. Baez, to the FBI. They're not going to lie because, if they do, guess what? They're going to find themselves over here, so...

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) Time date stamps on these pictures.

GEORGE ANTHONY: OK...

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) You know what? It's easy for us to talk...

GEORGE ANTHONY: OK...

QUESTION: ... (INAUDIBLE) But there ain't no...

GEORGE ANTHONY: OK, guys. You guys have been on MySpace. You guys have been on these blogs and blogs and stuff that are out there. People throw photos around all the time. It's unfortunate that sometimes people throw these things thinking they're getting a new friend, and what do these friends do? They turn on them over these connections that they have. They turn on them and they -- stuff gets thrown out there. Well, So-and-So left this for me on such-and-such a date. I can't prove it. I don't know. I don't have that camera. I know one thing, it's very sophisticated how they get information off the camera, off your computer, and all this kind of stuff. It's very, very sophisticated how stuff is done anymore.

But I can tell you, the ones of my daughter -- and this is going to sound crazy. The one that she's standing like this, if you guys were to look and really look at that, you're going to see this -- that's when she was expecting our granddaughter, her daughter. That goes back three years ago. Come on, now! Why -- why -- How could she be like that a month ago? I don't think so. So just realize all that stuff -- oh, I'm sorry -- is not the exact time or this time that my granddaughter's been gone. That stuff happened prior to that.

QUESTION: How is this letter that people were speaking about, that you know, Lee, your son, was talking about -- how is that progressing? Because that, if I understand correctly, was supposed to be a bridge here to give really more concrete information? What do you know? What did your daughter tell you?

GEORGE ANTHONY: Well, this letter you're talking about, that was given to Mr. Baez. I have not actually seen it. I don't know the content of it myself yet. Hopefully, we're going to find out about that very soon. I'm...

QUESTION: So she wrote it and she gave it to the lawyer, is what you're telling us.

GEORGE ANTHONY: As far as I know, yes. She's been passing information. Anything that she writes down, you guys got to realize, there's someone from Corrections watching what she's -- not reading it, but watching what's she's writing. Anyone that's in there, they have very sensitive rules and regulations that when you're writing something down, someone's right there watching, not reading, but watching what you're doing.

So there's no privacy here. That's just the way it is. That's the rules and regulations, so -- I wish I had content. I didn't even know too much about that until, like, you brought it up, so -- hopefully, hope I'll get a chance to read it and understand it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN SUSTEREN: Joining us live from Florida is "On the Record" producer Steph Watts. Steph, tell me about this letter. What more background can you provide us?

STEPH WATTS, FOX PRODUCER: Well, Greta, from my conversations with attorneys and with the family, there is no letter. We've been spending half our day down here clearing out rumors. According to attorneys and the family, there is no letter. I just got off the phone with her mom, and she told me she doesn't even think that Casey has the ability to write letters in jail. She doesn't think she has access to pens, pencils and paper. So that's what I can report to you tonight.

Watch Greta's interview

VAN SUSTEREN: Steph, one of the things that's flying around there are rumors about some immunity deal being offered to her in exchange for giving information about where her daughter is. Is there any truth to that?

WATTS: No. Again, Greta, I spoke with Baez just before -- attorney Carlos -- Jose Baez -- I'm sorry -- just before the show, and he said to me there's absolutely no immunity deal whatsoever. He said they had a conversations early on, weeks ago, as you would know, which are part of a normal conversation that the state attorney would have with a criminal defense attorney. He said since then, his client's been accused of lying. He said, Why would the state's attorney's office offer my client an immunity deal, when they've accused her of lying? So he said there's absolutely no deal, and he appreciated the opportunity tonight for us to get that out and set the record straight -- no immunity deal.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Now the elephant in the room, the big news. Casey -- that Casey says that she is close, that her daughter is close. What in the world does that mean?

WATTS: I don't know, Greta, but it's really interesting that she said that statement to her father tonight because if you listen to the conversations she had with her brother, Lee, she said the same thing just days before, Caylee's close. We went and checked out a park that she had mentioned that she lost her cell phone at. Perhaps she was there. But maybe in her web of lies, they probably have to pick apart some of the language and find some truth in there. So perhaps she is close.

VAN SUSTEREN: Are the police operating on the basis that this is a homicide, or do they still have some hope that that child is alive? Are there any indications the child is alive?

WATTS: Well, I mean, there's no Amber Alert. There's no active volunteers searching. And when you see the crime scene investigators show up to the house for the second and third time, you have to understand that this is being investigated as a crime. They won't come forward and say on the record that, you know, We're looking at this as a crime, but we all know that have been on the ground down here working and talking with investigators and talking with police, you can tell that they're proceeding as a crime. They're relying very heavy on the evidence that they've pulled, the car, the stain in the trunk, the shovel, DNA on the shovel, dirt samples. They were back here again removing evidence just the other day when we were here, so as far as we can see, they're proceeding as a crime.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. We have 25 seconds left. Is there any reason why she is not talking to investigators, or at least, what reason is she giving?

WATTS: Well, I think it's a good question. As far as we know -- and I was told by investigators they're done talking to Casey, Greta. She's lied to them over and over again. She's told them so many mistruths and led them on so many wild goose chases, all they can do now is work the timeline with family members, friends, and piece together pieces of this puzzle.

They even called us tonight and asked us for some guests we had on the show. Hey, we haven't talked to these guys. Who are these guys, and where'd you find them? And can you hand us over their information? So they're really trying to piece together the timeline of where she was that entire month.

VAN SUSTEREN: Steph, thank you.

WATTS: You're welcome.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Now, there's been a lot of confusion around the disappearance of Caylee Anthony. This is an investigation, which means it's a very fluid situation. But here's what we know about this case right now.

June 9, 2008, family members say they saw Caylee Anthony at their house. Casey Anthony first claims this was the last day she saw her daughter. According to Casey, she dropped Caylee off with a babysitter. Casey says when she returned to pick up her daughter, her daughter was gone and so was the baby-sitter. Investigators have not been able to confirm that the babysitter even exists.

June 13, an "On the Record" source close to Casey Anthony and her boyfriend says he saw little Caylee with her mother at the boyfriend's house. June 15, Father's Day, Caylee's grandmother, Cindy, says she was with Caylee, and there is video to prove it. June 20, "On the Record" has obtained pictures of Casey at a club in Orlando at the time she claimed she was conducting her own search for her missing daughter. Casey has said she was looking for the alleged babysitter at local clubs.

July 15, Caylee is finally reported missing by Cindy Anthony, her grandmother. Cindy places three 911 calls that day. In one of them, she says a car driven by Casey, her daughter, smells like it had a dead body inside of it. The next day, July 16, Casey Anthony is arrested for child neglect and for lying to investigators.

July 17 and 18, police seize a shovel that a neighbor says Casey borrowed. Investigators dig through Casey's parents' back yard. Two cadaver dogs show some interest, but investigators find nothing. July 22, Casey Anthony's bond is set at $500,000. A prosecutor says the case may be a homicide, and an investigator testifies that Casey's car smelled like a decomposing body. Casey is called a person of interest.

August 1, CSI investigators return to Caylee's grandparents' house. They remove two bags of evidence from the home. August 3, Casey Anthony's father visits his daughter in jail. He claims Casey told him little Caylee is close, but failed to give further specifics.

Well, that brings us to now. Joining us by phone Captain Angelo Nieves from the Orange County sheriff's office. Welcome, Captain.

CAPT. ANGELO NIEVES, ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE:Yes. Thank you.

VAN SUSTEREN: Captain, is there anything new in the investigation tonight?

NIEVES: Well, as you reported, we continue to move forward in our assessment of all the information that we received, the information and interviews and statements from different parties that have been involved. And obviously, you know, we started this by going back from June 8 to the present, or actually until the date of the report that we received.

VAN SUSTEREN: Was there any biological material removed from her trunk that has been submitted for analysis?

NIEVES: Again, anything -- I know we've spoken about the stain in the vehicle and some of the hair samples or some of the other items that were recovered we continue to look at. Any and all information and evidence and items that are recovered are going to be moralized (ph), placed in evidence for evidentiary value and currently submitted some of the items to the FBI lab, and they will be processing those items.

VAN SUSTEREN: In terms of the location, which might have some bearing, it would be expected that you'd find her hair, perhaps some stain from the child in the cabin part of the car. Was the stain found -- and I realize that we don't know whose it is or what it is, but was that found in the trunk?

NIEVES: That's correct. That was stated in the court proceedings. They were recovered from the trunk of the vehicle.

VAN SUSTEREN: Is she cooperating at all? I mean, is she accessible? Is Casey trying to help you find her daughter?

NIEVES: As of this point, we have not received any information that we can deem credible or assisting us in any way, shape or form. But we continue to be available. Detectives continue to make themselves available to the attorney and to Casey, if she decides to provide us any information that would be useful.

VAN SUSTEREN: Are you getting tips of any sightings of the child?

NIEVES: We have received some tips regarding sightings, some tips and information regarding her whereabouts. But again, we have to establish the credibility of that information, the reliability of those calls and tips that are coming in. And that's one of the reasons why, after that assessment is done, we have not placed any additional information out to the public.

VAN SUSTEREN: Captain, thank you, sir. And good luck, sir.

NIEVES: Thank you.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,397685,00.html

Squab Lane Junction Speed Limit Campain

2008-08-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

VICTORY has been claimed by residents who fear a child could be killed on a busy road.
Carters Corner Action Group was set up nearly a year ago by neighbours living in Carters Corner, Cowbeech Road, near Hailsham.

The group feared for the lives of children, elderly people and horse riders along the road.

East Sussex County Council has agreed to reduce the speed limit from 60 to 40mph.

This would be enforced from the A271 Amberstone to south of the Squab Lane junction, sometime between 2009 and 2010.

Brian Wootton-Whitling, group chairman, told the Express they had hoped to get the limit down to 30mph.

He said: 'We are happy in as much as it is an improvement from nothing at all.

'We haven't achieved exactly what we want but we're very pleased to have something.'

Resident Sue Wilson was involved with the action group when it first started.

She often rides her horse along Cowbeech Road.

Ms Wilson said safety would still be an issue when she rode over the brow of a hill near Squab Lane.

She said: 'It's a start but unless they stop overtaking on the brow of the hill they won't satisfy my anxieties.

'It will be interesting to see where the cut-off point for the restriction by Squab Lane is.

'I would like to see whether they take the speed limit before or after the brow of the hill.'

The announcement came after a lot of campaigning by the group.

Petitions were handed in to the council asking for the speed limit to be reduced to 30mph.

The group also challenged police reports stating there had been few accidents along the road.

The council did not believe a lower limit (30mph) was 'appropriate' or 'justified on the current crash record'.

A spokeswoman emphasised the new 40mph restriction was 'agreed' rather than 'conceded'.

The new speed limit should form part of developer proposals for the Hellingly Hospital development.

But the development is likely to be late starting due to the nationwide housing market slowing down.

If this happens the council will include the restriction as part of a rural speed limit review.

* Council speed data shows mean speeds between 36 to 38 mph in the southern section of the Squab Lane junction.
This increases to 39.5 and 42.5mph north from that point.

Source: http://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/509/Speed-limit-victory-for-campaigners.4347061.jp

American Woman Lyrics

2008-07-31T18:55:00.001-07:00

American Woman lyrics by Lenny Kravitz
American woman, stay away from me
American woman, mamma let me be

Don’t come hangin’ round my door
I don’t wanna see your face no more
I got more important things to do
Than spend my time growin’ old with you

Now woman, stay away
American woman, listen when I say

American woman, get away from me
American woman, mamma let me be

Don’t come knockin’ on my door
I don’t wanna see your shadow no more
Colored lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else’s eyes

Now woman, get away
American woman, listen when I say

American woman, I said get away
American woman, listen when I say

Don’t come hangin’ round my door
Don’t wanna see your face no more
I don’t need your warm machines
I don’t need your ghetto scenes
Colored lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else’s eyes

Now woman, get away
American woman, listen when I say

American woman, stay away from me
American woman, mamma let me be

I gotta go,
I gotta get away
Babe, I gotta go
I wanna fly away

I’m gonna leave you woman
I’m gonna leave you woman
I’m gonna leave you woman
I’m gonna leave you woman

Bye, bye
Bye, bye
Bye, bye
Bye, bye

American woman
You’re no good for me
And I’m no good for you
American woman
I’m looking at you right in the eye
Tell you what I’m gonna do
I’m gonna leave you woman
You know I gotta go
I’m gonna leave you woman
I gotta go
American woman
I gotta go
I gotta go
American woman, yeah

Source: http://www.ringtonesz.org/various-artists-lyrics-american-woman

Sensa Weight Loss

2008-07-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

The Jonas Brothers give "20/20" viewers an all-access pass with an intimate look inside their tour bus and their daily life on the road as they promote their new CD, "A Little Bit Longer." Nick, 15, Joe, 18 and Kevin, 20, get personal with ABC News correspondent Juju Chang, discussing their music, rumored romances and the illness that nearly sidelined the band. The in-depth report on one of the hottest bands of the summer airs on "20/20" on FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, from 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET, on the ABC Television Network.

Then, a Barbara Walters exclusive: In her first American interview, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy speaks candidly to Walters about how she reconciles life as First Lady of France with a successful career as a recording artist, the provocative lyrics in her new album, "Comme si de rien n'Ã©tait" ("As If Nothing Happened"), which is No. 1 in France, and her surprising whirlwind romance and marriage to the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. During the interview, which took place in Paris, Bruni-Sarkozy also discusses her controversial past, including rumored high-profile affairs with such rock stars as Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton.

And: Imagine being able to eat cake, pizza or steak and still lose weight. It may sound too good to be true but, according to the a diet aid "Sensa," by sprinkling food with flavored flakes, people's extra pounds will disappear because a person will feel full faster and stop eating. The marketers of "Sensa" say it's a scientific breakthrough, but "20/20" interviews experts who say this breakthrough has yet to be proven. Jim Avila reports.

Plus: Most Americans spend about eight hours a day sitting behind a desk. Obesity expert Dr. Jim Levine says sitting on our bottoms at work is making us fatter and less healthy than ever before. "20/20" gets exclusive access inside Dr. Levine's ultimate office makeover and reports on a six month Mayo Clinic study to see if getting people up on their feet and moving could help workers lose weight. Deborah Roberts reports.

Source: http://realitytvwebsite.com/RealityTVNews/An-Intimate-All-Access-Look-At-The-Jonas-Brothers-Plus-A-Barbara-Walters-Exclusive-Carla-Bruni-Sarkozy-The-First-Lady-Of-France-On-20-20-Friday-August-1.html

Big Brother 10 Banner | Spoiler

2008-07-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

Angie finds herself not unexpectedly on the block in this episode of Big Brother 10, and Jessie feels that he has a lot to do this week. Memphis feels that Keesha just put a target on her back with her nominations, making two enemies where there were none before. Keesha feels that it is Jessie's fault that Steven is gone and sticks by her nominations.

Keesha speaks with Libra, Ollie, April, and Renny in the Big Brother 10 Head of Household room and says that Michelle was really worried that she would go up.

In a patio conversation, Jerry says that Memphis is a bartender, has a bit of a full head, and he is living a free life, and is a womanizer. Jerry thinks he has a chance to go far in the game with no one trying to take it away from him.

Jessie goes to Keesha, and when she asks him if he is mad at her, he says that he isn't holding any grudges, but he says that when he was Head of Household, if it had been up to him, he would not have put up Steven. April and Ollie try to interrupt their conversation with a knock on the Head of Household door, and Keesha advises Jessie to tell them to come back later. Jessie makes the point that Libra will promise her the world, but her actions are telling. She won't give Keesha space and she just used her. Jessie says that he proved to her in actions, and she proved to him in actions, and now look what Libra has done. Keesha says that she gave her her word and Jessie says that Libra is targeting her, and that her word means nothing. Immediately following Jessie's exit, Libra comes into the room. April joins them and Keesha says that he was good for the most part. Jessie goes downstairs and informs Michelle that he has convinced Keesha to put Libra up. As he leaves her, he gives her the thumbs up.

Keesha calles the group for the Big Brother 10 Veto Competition and Jessie says that it won't matter who is up. There is no one that he feels can give him any competition. Keesha draws Libra and Angie draws Ollie. Jessie calls Memphis. The host for the competition is Dan. They have to get dressed for it and look like flowers.

Keesha wants to win so she can make the decision she wants. Angie wants to win to stay in the game. Jessie has utmost faith in himself and says that he has won it three times before.

Dan announces the game. The Big Brother houseguests are to play "Garden of Veto." They have to lay in a garden bed and have water pouring on their head for one hour. The object of the game is to estimate when one hour is up and then rise from the garden bed which will release buttons under their head to mark the time. The Big Brother 10 houseguest closest to one hour without going over will win the Big Brother veto. At a point in the game the houseguests had a choice of pouring either worms or compost on them and Jerry says, "Worms," and they pour worms on them. After a few minutes there Keesha can't take the worms and gives up. Jessie asks Libra who wanted Steven up and she says that she was the one who felt targeted and Jessie reminds her that is why he is there now. The compost is then poured over the houseguets adn time ticks on. Libra decides to get up and Ollie agrees to stay for another five minutes. Jessie leaves next so that Libra won't beat him. On the bench Libra tells Jessie that she was upfront with Keesha and Jessie says to Keesha that he was trying to point out why he is there. Angie feels that she has a chance when Jessie leaves and Memphis and Ollie are out followed by Ange. The winner will be the person who left the game closest to the hour. Keesha had left the garden bed at the 21 minute point. The rest of them all went over the hour by at least fifteen minutes. Keesha is excited to have won the Power of Veto and Jessie says that he is going to continue to campaign.

While Jessie is showering, Jessie suggests that Angie go up and talk to Keesha. Libra is listening while sitting in the bathroom. Angie says that she feels that she has a connection to her through Steven, and if she is going to use the Big Brother 10 Power of Veto to use it on Jessie, and since she is unable to take another week with Libra, she would rather the house decide between the two of them.

Keesha approaches April and April says that she cannot trust Libra and with such a target on her back she could hurt their alliance. Keesha talks to Ollie as well and Ollie says that she is ruining the alliance and you can count on her whispering something to somebody. They decide that it has to happen sometime. Keesha is worried that she might have to cut Libra loose, but she gave Libra her word on Day 4 of the game. She says that it sucks that her mouth has gotten way way out of control.

Jessie approaches Keesha once again. He wants her to use the Big Brother 10 Power of Veto on him and replace him with Libra who has nothing to degrade and belittle her behind her back. Jessie says that if she thinks she is safe, she is not. She says that she gave her word and her word will be nothing if she doesn't follow through with it. Jessie says that she can make a wrong right, and he is being prosecuted for something he didn't do, for a crime he didn't commit, and she has the power and control it right now. She tells him that she is listening, but she made a promise.

America gets to play Big Brother by choosing America's Player. America votes for the one houseguest that they would like to see become America's Player for one week. That person will be offered the job and if they complete the tasks they will win $20,000. If that houseguest turns down the job, they will forfeit the money and we will have no America's Player.

Jessie pouts in the Big Brother 10 Diary Room that Keesha is sticking to her word. He uses a baby voice in his complaints. Keesha says that Jessie is coming up again and he confronts Keesha, Renny, and April about following her word. He raises his voice and she, Renny, and April leave the room. Keesha goes around the house and tells them as she finds them that she has given her word to Libra and will stand by it. She says she may be a complete idiot for that, but she is going to stand by it. Jessie starts talking again and she says that she isn't going to argue with him and walks away.

Big Brother 10 BannerOutside, Memphis, Angie, Jessie, and Michelle saw a banner.
Angie explains that they immediately have to go into the Big Brother 10 house for a lockdown when a banner plane appears, as they are not allowed outside influences. The houseguests who saw it can't make out what it said, but decide to carry the information upstairs as "Keesha, Libra is a liar, love Steven." As they leave after delivering the message to a doubtful group, Memphis says that it was not what it said, but he jumped up to read it and it said, Libra, and somebody, liar and love Steven. He says that it is the truth, Libra is a liar. Memphis says that he would love to ask a question about his name coming up on the second week. Memphis says that he doesn't go around the Big Brother house saying that he wants everyone out. As a matter of fact, he has only told them that he wanted one person out and that was Jerry. Jerry says that he knows that. Memphis explodes and says that Jerry called him a womanizer and he is a married man who grabbed some **** and he calls him a womanizer? He says that if he ever attacks him personally in the game again he won't take it easily. He calls him old man and is very angry when he leaves.

Keesha says that her mind is made up and nobody is changing it. Angie says that she wishes that she would take Jessie off and put Libra up because she has a better chance of staying than Libra. Jessie says that if Keesha was in a right mind she would take him off and put Libra up and right a wrong.

Keesha calls for the Big Brother 10 Power of Veto ceremony.
Angie and Jessie have been nominated and she has the power to take one of them off the block. Angie gets to speak. She says that it is a tough week, a struggle with her decision making, but her actions are true to her character outside of the house and this is the only way she can play the game. Jessie says that he came in to prove and to justify his word, and if he threw everyone under the bus, they threw him under the bus by nominating him. Keesha thanks them, but chooses not to use the Big Brother 10 Power of Veto on them. It was hard to put two people up and she doesn't think that she can put a third person up at this time. Libra is ecstatic that Keesha kept her word. Angie hopes that Jessie blows up and by doing so keeps her in the house. Jessie says that he was hosed and hosed again and if "they don't vote me out of this house, it is the biggest mistake ever."

Big Brother 10 is moving to its new time and the next episode is the live eviction, on Thursday, July 31, at 8 et/pt, 7 central.

All Help for Bangalore blasts

2008-07-25T05:25:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, July 25 (IANS) Home Minister Shivraj Patil Friday condemned the serial blasts in Bangalore, the country’s IT capital, promising all help to the state government in tracking down the perpetrators. One person was killed and six people were injured when a series of bombs fitted with timer devices went off in the space of 45 minutes.

“I strongly condemn today’s blasts in Bangalore. I convey my sympathies to the affected families and pray for speedy recovery of those injured in the blasts,” he said in a statement.

“The ministry is in close touch with the Karnataka government. Such incidents will not deter the government from pursuing its policy of dealing with anti-national elements in a resolute manner.”

Home secretary Madhukar Gupta said there were seven low-intensity blasts spread over five locations in the city in which a woman had died.

“All the concerned agencies like the bomb disposal squad are on the job. We can’t say now who did it any why. We will need time to figure the details of this incident. Investigations are on and it will take time,” he said.

“Nuts and bolts were planted in the explosives used,” he said.

Gupta refused to say whether state authorities had specific intelligence inputs on the blasts but said that he held a recent review meeting in which Karnataka officials were present.

The first blast took place at Madivala checkpost followed by explosions in three other places, including a park opposite the well-known Mallya Hospital, police commissioner Shankar Bidri said.

The police commissioner said the blasts appeared to be the acts of people who wanted to terrorise the Karnataka capital.

“We will investigate and arrest the suspects,” Bidri told reporters. “We are on complete alert.”

He appealed to people not to panic and to go about with their routine work.

However, most shops and shopping malls immediately shut down as news of the blasts spread.

This is not the first time that the southern state of Karnataks has been hit by such a terror attack. In December 2005, the militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba carried out an attack inside the prestigious Indian Institute of Science campus killing a scientist and injuring five others.

Two years back, police foiled a terrorist plot to attack the state legislature building in Bangalore after two suspected terrorists were shot down in Mysore.

The two suspected militants were carrying a laptop computer, a satellite telephone, an AK-47 assault rifle and one Pakistani passport. According to the police they also had the plans of the recently built state assembly building in Bangalore.

Source: http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/patil-condemns-bangalore-blasts-promises-all-help_10075868.html

Statue of Liberty maze unveiled in Yorkshire

2008-07-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

Composed of more than a million living maize plants and covering about 18 acres, is one of the biggest mazes ever constructed.

With a length of 1,300ft it dwarfs the real Statue of Liberty, which is just 111ft high.

Farmer Tom Pearcy said he wanted the design - built in fields just a few miles from the centre of York - to celebrate the connections between New York and the British city from which it took its name.

Mr Pearcy has been creating mazes every summer for the last five years on land just off the A64, near York.

His previous efforts included a Viking longship, the Flying Scotsman and Big Ben, but this is the first at a new site near the Yorkshire Air Museum.

"As a 'new' York Maze it seemed appropriate to base this year's design on New York," Mr Pearcey said.

"I also wanted to mark the links between York and New York.

"The Statue of Liberty is an instantly recognisable image and makes a great maze."

Mr Pearcy began building mazes as a diversification project following the foot and mouth crisis in 2001.

The mazes are open for just a few months in the summer, closing when the maize are plants harvested in September.

"We have invested over £1 million in York Maze's move to its new location and put in lots of new attractions," he said.

Stephen Briganti, president and chief executive of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, in New York City, said: "We are so pleased to see that the Statue of Liberty is being celebrated in such a unique way in York.

"Lady Liberty stands as a symbol for all the people in the world but it is especially gratifying to see her linking Old York with New York."

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2305955/Statue-of-Liberty-maze-unveiled-in-Yorkshire.html

Peloponnesian War

2008-07-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

WORLD trade gets a bad press: to many people globalisation seems more of a menace than an opportunity. Whether it is the threat to the environment posed by the phenomenal growth of Chinese manufacturing exports, the outsourcing of jobs by footloose corporations or the re-emergence of inflation as oil heads for $150 a barrel and food prices soar, trade is cast as the villain. As this year’s American presidential election campaign heads for the final straight, the candidates, especially Barack Obama, will face ever more strident demands to protect workers from “unfair” foreign competition.

By contrast, too little is heard about the positive effects of world exports that reached $14 trillion in 2006. The boost to Western living standards from all those cheap Chinese goods is taken for granted, while the astonishing increase in the sum of human happiness that has been wrought by lifting hundreds of millions of Asians from the misery of subsistence farming into comfortable prosperity is conveniently forgotten.
Click here to find out more!

William Bernstein’s “A Splendid Exchange” is a timely and readable reminder that the desire to trade is not only one of the oldest human instincts but also the cause of many of the most important developments in our shared history. As Adam Smith observed: “The propensity to truck, barter and exchange one thing for another is common to all men, and to be found in no other race of animals.”

Mr Bernstein’s purpose is to show how that trait evolved and shaped the world. His story begins with Sumerian farmers who realised, some time in the third millennium BC, that the surpluses of grain generated within Mesopotamia’s fertile crescent could be used as barter for things they did not have. Among these was copper, obtained from Sinai several hundred miles to the west, that could be used to make weapons to repel the nomadic raiders who were otherwise helping themselves to the fruits of Sumerian labour.

Mr Bernstein eschews a rigidly chronological narrative in favour of a more thematic approach. His discussion of the disastrous Peloponnesian war between Athens and Sparta serves to make a wider point about the importance (and vulnerability) of sea-lanes. The Athenians were driven by the dictates of trade to create first a powerful navy and then an empire.

Though Greek agriculture was rich in highly exportable wine and olive oil, thin soil, low rainfall and a mountainous topography made it impossible for farmers to produce enough grain for a growing and increasingly city-based population. The Spartans and their allies looked west to Sicily but the Athenians increasingly relied on access to the breadbasket of Pontus (modern Ukraine). This, in turn, meant keeping open those narrowest of choke points: the Dardanelles (to the Greeks, the Hellespont) and the Bosphorus.

Other states in the region were just as dependent on the trade with Pontus and were therefore prepared to contribute to the costs of Athenian naval operations. Before long, this “coalition of the willing” evolved into the Athenian empire. However, with two rival power blocks competing for resources within a relatively confined space, conflict was inevitable and when it came, it was Athens, always more exposed than Sparta, that was eventually starved to defeat. Today, it is the Straits of Hormuz, through which much of the world’s oil is carried, that has acquired the same strategic importance as the Hellespont had for the Athenians.

With an ability to switch gracefully from the macro to the micro, Mr Bernstein whisks his reader on a tumultuous journey. Along the way, it takes in the Pax Islamica established in the Mediterranean by the heirs of the Prophet Muhammad (a trader by profession himself); the rise and decline of Venice and Genoa; the devastation caused by the Black Death; the Portuguese-led age of discovery; the establishment of the great Dutch and British East India trading companies; the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade; the campaign (that led, among other things, to the founding of this newspaper) to abolish the Corn Laws; the golden period of the late 19th century in which trade flourished under the benign wing of the British empire; and the 20th century’s descent into beggar-my-neighbour protectionism.

The strength of Mr Bernstein’s book is the analytical rigour that overlays the rollicking history and the way in which he seamlessly weaves in the theoretical with the practical. For anyone wanting a painless primer in the ideas of Adam Smith, David Ricardo or more recent economists, such as Paul Samuelson, this is the place to find it. At the same time, Mr Bernstein never neglects the vital role of technology as a driver of trade, above all perhaps the coming of steam and reliable refrigeration.

The author also deserves credit for his willingness to take seriously the plight of the victims of trade, the workers and farmers displaced by the iron rule of comparative advantage. He argues, persuasively, that it is far better to help workers affected by disruptive change than it is to shield industries with efficiency-destroying tariffs.

If Mr Bernstein has one overriding message it is that trade “has yielded not only a bounty of material good, but also of intellectual and cultural capital, an understanding of our neighbours, and a desire to sell things to others rather than to annihilate them.” It is a truth that a President Obama would do well to remember.

Source: http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11745556

Baseball's Longest All-Star Game

2008-07-16T01:58:00.000-07:00

AL Beats NL 4-3 in Baseball's Longest All-Star Game
Michael Young of the Texas Rangers hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 15th inning to end the longest All-Star Game in Major League Baseball history, a 4-3 American League victory that extended its unbeaten streak over the National League to 12 years.

It was the second time in three years that Young drove in the winning run in the All-Star Game.

The game at Yankee Stadium ended at just after 1:30 a.m. New York time as Minnesota's Justin Morneau scored the winning run from third base, sliding home ahead of the throw from NL right fielder Corey Hart of the Milwaukee Brewers.

``Every single player was on the top step of the dugout, the energy, the enthusiasm, they knew where we were at,'' AL manager Terry Francona of the Boston Red Sox said. ``It was an honor to be a part of what they were doing.''

Both teams used all their pitchers in the 4-hour, 50-minute game, which easily surpassed the previous All-Star record of 3:41 set in the NL's 15-inning, 2-1 victory in 1967. That was the only other All-Star Game to go 15 innings.

``It was fun to be a part of, but it was a little difficult because it went a little longer than we were comfortable with,'' Francona said at a news conference.

Drew Wins MVP

Boston's J.D. Drew was voted the Most Valuable Player after going 2-for-4 with a game-tying two-run home run in the seventh inning. Drew was the 15th player to homer in his first All-Star at-bat, the first since the New York Mets' David Wright in 2006.

Scott Kazmir of the Tampa Bay Rays picked up the win after throwing a scoreless top of the 15th inning as the AL's 12th pitcher. Kazmir originally wasn't going to be used in the game because he threw 104 pitches the day before the All-Star break on July 13.

It marked the first win for the AL in 11 All-Star contests that have gone to extra innings.

Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge, the last of the NL's 11 pitchers, took the loss after allowing two singles and a walk in the bottom of the inning before Young's sacrifice fly scored Morneau.

``It was about as close as you can get. I think my foot just got in there,'' Morneau said. ``It felt like I was running in quick sand. You are hoping that the throw is off line.''

Young also gave the AL a 3-2 victory in 2006 with a two-run triple in the ninth inning in Pittsburgh.

All-Star Records

The 23 pitchers combined for 453 pitches and a record 34 strikeouts. The 63 players used in the game topped the previous mark of 60 set in the 7-7, 11-inning tie in 2002.

That game was called after both teams ran out of pitchers, leading to expanded All-Star rosters.

``I was thinking, `Is it ever going to end?''' said Russ Martin of the NL's Los Angeles Dodgers, who tagged out opposing catcher Dioner Navarro of the Rays at home plate to end the 11th inning. ``It was a never-ending game. It's not like they were easy innings. We had a few nice plays to save the game.''

Matt Holliday of the Colorado Rockies hit a homer for the NL, while Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins set an All-Star record with three errors, all in extra innings.

With the victory, the AL improved to 11-0-1 in the All-Star Game since 1996.

The American League's victory also means the team that wins the AL pennant gets home-field advantage in the World Series and the right to host four games if the championship round is extended to seven games.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=aPQlSn3QjOwU&refer=home

Miss Universe 2008 Winner | Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela

2008-07-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Miss Universe 2008

Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela has been crowned Miss Universe 2008.

Mendoza and three other Latin Americans women made the final five at Sunday's contest.

The four other finalists were Miss Colombia Tailana Vargas, Miss Dominican Republic Marianne Cruz Gonzalez, Miss Mexico Elisa Najera, and Miss Russia Vera Krasova.

Miss USA Crystle Stewart of Texas was in the top 10 but tripped on the train of her bejeweled evening gown as she made her entrance.

For the second year in a row, Miss USA has fallen down during the evening gown competition at the Miss Universe competition.

It was a nightmare come true for Miss USA Crystle Stewart, a Texan, who tripped on the train of her bejeweled evening gown as she made her entrance.

During the 2007 Miss Universe contest in Mexico City, Miss USA Rachel Smith also tumbled during the evening gown competition and became an unintended star on You Tube, where the video was shown over and over again.

Like Smith, Stewart quickly stood up after her fall and continued on as if nothing had happened.

Stewart, 26, is a motivational speaker who is working on a book called "Waiting to Win."

Her mishap occurred just after the judges had narrowed the field of 80 to the final 10: Miss USA, Miss Kosovo, Miss Australia, Miss Spain, Miss Mexico, Miss Colombia, Miss USA, Miss Dominican Republic, Miss Russia, Miss Italy and Miss Venezuela.

The NBC show is being hosted by talk show star Jerry Springer and Spice Girl Melanie Brown and broadcast live to hundreds of millions of viewers in 170 countries.

Eighty contestants gathered in the seaside city of Nha Trang, Vietnam, vying to succeed reigning Miss Universe Riyo Mori of Japan.

Sporting yellow, green and orange bikinis, the 15 semi-finalists strutted across the stage during the swimsuit competition to the sounds of Lady Gaga, who belted out the pulsating "Just Dance" in a platinum blond wig. Miss Vietnam, Lam Thuy Nguyen, was greeted with a roar from the Vietnamese audience.

The final 10 then competed in the evening gown event.

They are performing in front of a panel of judges that includes international fashion experts and Donald Trump Jr., whose father, the real estate magnate and TV star, co-owns the pageant with NBC.

This year's contestants span a wide range of experiences and aspirations.

Miss Albania was a professional basketball player. Miss Argentina says she has paranormal experiences. Miss Antigua & Barbuda is fascinated by snakes.

Miss Venezuela has been kidnapped and Miss Angola was in a plane crash while trying to escape a conflict during her country's civil war.

The shortest contestant in this year's show is Miss El Salvador, a petite 5-foot-3. The tallest are Miss Jamaica, Miss Mexico and Miss Peru, who measure 6 feet.

All the contestants are hoping to avoid the calamity that befell Miss USA during last year's contest, when she fell down during the evening gown segment and became an unintended star on YouTube, where the video was played over and over again.

The show is a publicity bonanza for Vietnam, where beauty contests are very popular. The contest featured segments on many of the nation's most popular tourist destinations, such as Hue, Hoi An, Sapa and Ha Long Bay.

The program set has been dominated by iconic Vietnamese images, such as bamboo trees, conical hats and lotus flowers.

The tuxedoed Springer made a grand entrance on a motorbike — the vehicle of choice in Vietnam where the streets are teeming with millions of the speeding two-wheelers.

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gx_4EOV12tt247EusNElDQncGOWwD91TC9GG0

Miss Universe 2008 Winner | Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela

Evelyn Keyes is Gone With the Wind

2008-07-12T01:51:00.000-07:00

Evelyn Keyes, 91, a leading lady of dozens of Hollywood films who wryly dismissed much of her career, noting that she was most remembered for a bit part as Scarlett O'Hara's younger sister Suellen in "Gone With the Wind," died July 4 at a care facility in Montecito, Calif. She had uterine cancer.

Ms. Keyes wrote two memoirs that brushed by her appearances in more than 40 movies. Instead, she spoke at length about her marriages to director John Huston and bandleader Artie Shaw, as well as sexual conquests that included Kirk Douglas, David Niven and Anthony Quinn.

"I was always interested in the man of the moment," she once said, "and there were so many such moments."

She was discovered by producer Cecil B. DeMille, then had a long career at Columbia studios in the 1940s and early 1950s. She never reached the front rank of performers but proved a versatile and appealing female lead.

Her light touch graced comedies ("Here Comes Mr. Jordan") and musicals ("The Jolson Story," "A Thousands and One Nights"), and she could convincingly adapt to the required accent, whether Georgia peach ("Gone With the Wind") or English cockney ("Ladies in Retirement").

She also proved more than adaptable to hard-boiled dramas ("99 River Street," "Johnny O'Clock") and several westerns, despite her allergic reaction to horses. Among her favorite, if lesser-known films, was "The Prowler" (1951), about a woman seduced and harassed by a rogue cop (Van Heflin).

Still, she told film scholar Eddie Muller: "I never got the part, the starring role that sends you shooting way up there, into the top ranks. I thought that would come. I obviously wasn't going to marry and have a family and give it all up.

"I was married, sure, but those weren't marriages -- they were legalized love affairs. So we wouldn't have the big stink -- Oh my God, they're living together! So what do you do? You get married."

Evelyn Louise Keyes was born Nov. 20, 1916, in Port Arthur, Tex., where her father was an oil-platform laborer. She was a toddler when he died because of an infected carbuncle on his chin.

Her mother moved her and four older siblings to Atlanta, where she described a neglectful upbringing. She found pleasure only in movies. Determined to crash Hollywood, she began dancing as "Goldie Keyes" and found her way to Los Angeles in 1936.

She was spotted by DeMille, who placed her under exclusive contract and cast her in minor parts in his major productions, including "The Buccaneer" (1938), with Fredric March, and "Union Pacific" (1939), with Joel McCrea.

She said a breakthrough eluded her because of her ill-timed affair with Anthony Quinn, who soon became DeMille's son-in-law.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071102971.html

IndyMac Bank Inclosure Information

2008-07-12T01:38:00.000-07:00

Federal banking regulators have closed and seized IndyMac after determining the California-based mortgage lender is unsound. It's the largest U.S. savings bank to have ever failed, a casualty of the subprime loans it made to high-risk consumers.

IndyMac had assets of $32 billion at the end of March. It's shares closed today at 25 cents.

Failed Bank Information Information for IndyMac Bank, F.S.B., Pasadena, CA

I. Introduction
On July 11, 2008, IndyMac Bank, F.S.B., Pasadena, CA was closed by the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was named Conservator. All non-brokered insured deposit accounts and substantially all of the assets of IndyMac Bank, F.S.B. have been transferred to IndyMac Federal Bank, F.S.B. (IndyMac Federal Bank), Pasadena, CA ("assuming institution") a newly chartered full-service FDIC-insured institution. No advance notice is given to the public when a financial institution is closed.

The FDIC has assembled useful information regarding your relationship with this institution. Besides a checking account, you may have Certificates of Deposit, a car loan, a business checking account, a commercial loan, a Social Security direct deposit, and other relationships with the institution. The FDIC has compiled the following information which should answer many of your questions.

II. Press Release
The FDIC has issued a press release (PR-56-2008) about the institution's closure. If you represent a media outlet and would like information about the closure, in California, please contact David Barr with the Office of Public Affairs at 703-622-4790, in Washington D.C. please contact Andrew Gray at 202-898-7192 or 202-494-1049.

III. Acquiring Financial Institution
All non-brokered insured deposit accounts have been transferred to IndyMac Federal Bank, F.S.B. (IndyMac Federal Bank), Pasadena, CA ("assuming institution") a newly chartered full-service FDIC-insured institution. The OTS appointed the FDIC conservator of IndyMac Federal Bank. All insured deposit accounts will be available as usual during regular business hours starting July 14, 2008.

Principal and interest on insured accounts, through July 11, 2008, are fully insured by the FDIC, up to the insurance limit of $100,000. You will receive full payment for your insured account. Certain entitlements and different types of accounts can be insured for more than the $100,000 limit. IRA funds are insured separately from other types of accounts, up to a $250,000 limit.

All accounts that exceed the $100,000 insurance limit, and/or all accounts that appear to be related and exceed this limit, are reviewed by the FDIC to determine their ownership and insurance coverage. If you think you might have uninsured deposits you should call the FDIC Call Center to arrange for a telephone interview with a Claims Agent at 866-806-5919.
FDIC Call Center
Hours of Operation
Friday, July 11, 2008 3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Pacific
Saturday, July 12, 2008 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Pacific
Sunday, July 13, 2008 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Pacific
Thereafter
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Pacific
If it is determined that you have uninsured funds, the FDIC will generate and mail to you a Receiver Certificate. This certificate entitles you to share proportionately in any funds recovered through the disposal of the assets of IndyMac Bank, F.S.B. This means that you will eventually recover some of your uninsured funds. The FDIC declared a 50% advance dividend for uninsured deposits.

To find out more about FDIC Deposit Insurance:

* Visit EDIE the FDIC's Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator
* View the FDIC Deposit Insurance Coverage Video

Checks that were drawn on IndyMac Bank, F.S.B. will be honored up to your available balance or the insured amount. You may withdraw funds from any transferred account without an early withdrawal penalty until you enter into a new deposit agreement with IndyMac Federal Bank. A hold may be in place on deposits accounts due to delinquent loans where the depositor is the borrower or guarantor. Additionally, any account pledged as collateral for a loan will be held.

V. Banking Services
The Automated Teller Machines (ATM) will remain available.

As of July 14, 2008 you may continue to use the services to which you previously had access, such as, online service, safe deposit boxes, night deposit boxes, wire services, etc.

Your checks will be processed as usual. All outstanding checks will be paid against your available insured balance(s) as if no change had occurred. IndyMac Federal Bank will contact you soon regarding any changes in the terms of your account. If you have a problem with a merchant refusing to accept your check, please contact IndyMac Federal Bank, Customer Service Department, at 800-998-2900. An account representative will clear up any confusion about the validity of your checks.

All interest accrued through Friday, will be paid at your same rate. IndyMac Federal Bank will be reviewing rates and will provide further information soon. You will be notified of any changes.

Your automatic direct deposit(s) and/or automatic withdrawal(s) will be transferred automatically to IndyMac Federal Bank. If you have any questions or special requests, you may contact a representative of your assuming institution at 800-998-2900.

VI. Loan Customers
If you had a loan with IndyMac Bank, F.S.B., you should continue to make your payments as usual. The terms of your loan will not change under the terms of the loan contract because they are contractually agreed to your promissory note with the failed institution. Checks should be made payable as usual and sent to the same address until further notice.

For all questions regarding new loans and the lending policies of IndyMac Federal Bank, please contact 800-998-2900 or visit the IndyMac Federal Bank website at www.IndyMac.com.
Back to top
VII. Priority of Claims
In accordance with Federal law, allowed claims will be paid, after administrative expenses, in the following order of priority:

1. Depositors
2. General Unsecured Creditors
3. Subordinated Debt
4. Stockholders

VIII. Dividend Information
The FDIC declared a 50% advance dividend for uninsured deposits.

Dividend Information on Failed Financial Institutions

IX. Brokered Deposits
The FDIC offers a reference guide to deposit brokers acting as agents for their investor clientele. This site outlines the FDIC's policies and procedures that must be followed by deposit brokers when filing for pass-through insurance coverage on custodial accounts deposited in a failed FDIC Insured Institution.

Deposit Broker Processing Guide

Source: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/IndyMac.html

Hot and Sexy Jennifer Hudson

2008-07-12T01:12:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Hudson Photo Album

Jennifer Hudson looks pretty hot on her album cover

Jennifer Hudson looks pretty hot on her album cover - good pout, slim and sexy waist, nice cups and modelish look. So what’s the deal about it? Well she looks very different from what she was and this has apparently happened overnight.

The magazines and websites have been screaming from the top of their voice if there is some “photoshop trick” involved or if she has actually undergone the change to become attractive and be noticed as she did not want to take any chance with her debut album. She reportedly looks different from her red carpet photos of 9th July when turned out to show her support at an aids benefit in London. You can check out the pictures here .

Jennifer Kate Hudson first gained notice as one of the finalists on the third season of the FOX television series American Idol. She went on to star as Effie White in the 2006 motion picture adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls for which she won numerous awards including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a SAG Award.

During an interview in May 2008, Hudson confirmed that her debut album, which will be self titled, would be released on September 30, 2008 under the Arista Records label. She also announced that her debut single “Spotlight” would be released in order to promote her debut album. The song leaked and can be listened on YouTube. The first single, “Spotlight,” will impact U.S. radio outlets on June 9 and be available for sale via digital outlets the following day. “Spotlight” was written by Ne-Yo, who co-produced along with Stargate. Additional contributors on the album include Timbaland, Robin Thicke, the Underdogs, Diane Warren and Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, among others.
Check out the jennifer hudson spotlight lyrics here.

Source: http://www.entertainmentandshowbiz.com/is-jennifer-hudson-weight-loss-only-on-her-debut-album-cover-20080712218

Jennifer Hudson Photo album

Free Kibble Feeds Dogs | Freekibble.com

2008-07-12T01:01:00.000-07:00

NBC Nightly News tonight showed a story about a girl at freekibble.com who's motivation helped her to start a website that donates free kibble to dog shelters.

When you visit Freekibble.com there is question on the home page. "Click on the answer that you think is correct. Right or wrong, you win! All you have to do is click on an answer, and every day you do, we'll provide 20 pieces of kibble to Animal Shelters to help feed their hungry dogs."

On May 14, Mimi delivered her first round of free kibble to the Humane Society of Central Oregon: 240 lbs, and enough to feed 456 dogs for one day! A great start! In May, freekibble.com generated 500 lbs, and enough to feed 1,000 dogs for one day! After feeding all the dogs and cats at HSCO we will be working with Zootoo.com to choose the shelters, and donate and distribute the kibble to the many thousands of hungry dogs and cats we plan on feeding around the country.

FreeKibble.com asks everyone to spread the word to help to feed more dogs.

"Spread the word! The more people that play Bow Wow Trivia, the more free kibble we can donate. So, the more people you share freekibble.com with, the more food for the dogs. Email friends, family, office mates... spread the kibble word and play every day!"

On each page of www.freekibble.com there is an ad from ZooToo.com which "has very generously committed to partner with Mimi by donating all the free kibble generated from freekibble.com. Any additional sponsors that may appear on the site will help pay for web maintenance costs."

This is a very good idea to help to care for pets and by getting a national coverage the project will donate many free kibbles to hungry dogs.

LITTLEST PET SHOP

A new game from EA's Casual Label, LITTLEST PET SHOP pets come to life this October in the LITTLEST PET SHOP video game. Launching on the Wii, Nintendo DS(TM: 90.52, -2.08, -2.24%) (3 versions), and PC, girls can explore three unique worlds as they discover their own magical Pet Shop. LITTLEST PET SHOP gives girls the opportunity to play with and collect 20 LITTLEST PETS on the Nintendo DS and 30 on the Wii and PC. Earn Kibble Coins to buy over 100 accessories for pets as well as tons of digital playsets in game from the 2008 toy-line. Players can play in either explore in free-play mode or in compete in more than 15 different fun and accessible mini-games.

Source:http://www.huliq.com/64042/free-kibble-feeds-dogs-freekibblecom

Darren Mack on Dateline News

2008-07-12T00:27:00.000-07:00

Darren Mack and Charla Mack

The Darren Mack crime saga that gripped Reno will be the subject of a special report on Friday night's "Dateline."

The show will look back at the Darren Mack case in which he stabbed his wife Charla to death before shooting his divorce judge, Chuck Weller. He then fled to Mexico where he later surrendered to authorities.

During his trial, Mack agreed to a plea deal. However, he then tried unsuccessfully to withdraw the plea and get a new trial.

Mack's appeal is pending before the Nevada Supreme Court.

Kathy Augustine, Chaz Higgs

Years ago, July 11, a funeral was held in Las Vegas for Nevada State Controller Kathy Augustine. She had died at age 50 of what originally seemed to be a heart attack. She was mourned by hundreds of family members, friends, and state officials. But her own husband did not attend. Chaz Higgs had attempted suicide. And by then, questions were swirling across the state from the casinos of Las Vegas to the quiet streets of the state capital in Carson City...

The husband of the late State Controller Kathy Augustine appeared in a Virginia courtroom this morning and waived extradition to Nevada.

Mr. and Mrs. Philip Augustine
Philip and Patricia (Yuskoski) Augustine celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on July 5, 2008. They were married in Holy Cross Church in Mount Carmel by Msgr. Dobins on July 5, 1958.
Philip is a son of the late Albert and Marcella Augustine, Shamokin. Patricia is a daughter of the late Vincent and Catherine Yuskoski of Mount Carmel.

They are the parents of three children, Jeffrey, David and Kathy. They have six grandchildren, Celeste, Katie, Karla, Heather, Justin and Kyle. They have one great-granddaughter, Nadia.

Their loving children sent them on a trip to Hawaii for their golden anniversary.

Greatest American Dog Show

2008-07-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Greatest American Dog,

CBS Touts 'Greatest American Dog'

NEW YORK CBS literally "puts on the dog" to promote Greatest American Dog, a reality series that bows tomorrow night.

The campaign is a mix of traditional and non-traditional marketing, with some elements created in collaboration with the network's media agency, Initiative. The campaign spans out-of-home, online, in-store, print, radio, cable and cinema advertising.

George Schweitzer, president of CBS marketing, pointed to several of what he deemed to be "unique promotions," such as an alignment with Dogster.com, "the Facebook for dogs," in which the network takes over the homepage of the site and introduces a "fan club."

In pet-food sections of certain supermarkets, motion-sensor video screens have been set up to run a 30-second spot. The monitor snaps to life with the sound of a barking dog when shoppers gets close, inviting them to press a button to view the program.

CBS has also employed walkers in New York who are sporting vests and T-shirts with the show's logo. The dogs are also outfitted appropriately, displaying pertinent information about the show.

Also in the mix: branded hot dog stands throughout Manhattan. "We thought it was a good way to create more visibility, especially in a city like New York, where there is so much going on," said Schweitzer. "We're playing off of the words, 'So you think you have a hot dog?' Well, we have 'hot dogs' here, too."

"We're trying to do as many things as we can to 'unleash' the media onslaught," said Schweitzer.

Just in time for the dog days of summer, we get the CBS reality show "Greatest American Dog," which premieres Thursday.

A dozen of them compete for fun, doggie treats and, naturally, the obligatory $250,000 grand prize (or the equivalent in dog biscuits, presumably).

These unscripted shows have all grown almost indistinguishable from one another, including the trio of judges (Wendy Diamond, Allan Reznik, Victoria Stilwell) and the back-biting (in this case almost literally). To be sure, the Westminster Kennel Club is nowhere in sight for this dog show, which turns out to be (surprise!) far more about the people than the canines.

Created and executive produced by Emmy-winning documentary specialist R.J. Cutler ("American High"), this series turns out to be far less than the sum of its parts, with the human egos far surpassing the stupid pet tricks in terms of relevance and screen time. And that's wholly unfortunate.

A dozen dog-human teams square off to judge which dog can best follow instructions. It's not really entirely clear what the criterion is for success here other than a capacity to impart silent cues to one's animal. And the not-so-silent ones might be nearly as equally important. The judges include dog magazine/book authors and TV series hosts. But it's the owners who are on center stage, make no mistake. And they turn out to be a predictably self-absorbed, if generally colorful, lot.

They range from a Manhattan doctor (with a Parson Russell Terrier named Elvis) to a building maintenance man from Flint, Texas (with a Brittany Spaniel named Star), to an aspiring dog salon owner from Portland, Ore. (with a Giant Schnauzer named Kenji).

Source: http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3i39993a2e41be15525e3a8a4844296fce?imw=Y
Greatest American Dog

New Temperature of the Sun

2008-07-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

n the middle of a punishing heat wave 72 years ago today, somebody up at the Northern Police Station on Keswick Road in Baltimore, had the bright idea of seeing how hot it was in the direct sunlight.

Now, it was plenty hot in the shade. The temperature had reached 103 degrees the day before - July 9. Baltimoreans were collapsing in the streets, and at work. Twenty-eight had swooned by the 10th, as a heat wave swept much of the nation, killing 331. Most people had no access to air conditioning in those days. Hundreds moved to the city parks in search of a good night's sleep.

By the next day, the papers said, the national toll had climbed to 658 souls. By some accounts, the Great heat Wave of June and July 1936 was the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, with as many as 5,000 killed. It was worst in the Midwest. In Baltimore, they counted one dead - a 10-day-old infant found in his crib - and 44 "prostrated." Frederick reported a high of 109 degrees - still the state record.

Here's the NWS account. And, for what it's worth, Wikipedia's.

BG&E offered Evening Sun readers Westinghouse electric fans "as low as $2.98." Stewart's urged customers to "step out of the heat into cool comfort" with "Misses' Chiffon Frocks with Slips" for $5.99.

Anyway, according to The Evening Sun's account of the police experiment, officers moved the thermometer to a sunny windowsill and waited. "Up went the mercury to 100 degrees - 105! - 110! - 120! On that thermometer 120 degrees was the maximum marking, but the instrument seemed determined to go higher or bust. Well - It busted!"

Over at the Northeastern Precinct, they tested the temperature in the "cooler," and found that prisoners were enjoying a relatively chilly 83 degrees. Out on a lamp post in front of the station it was 110 degrees.

In the 200 block of W. 29th St., the Evening Sun reported (nothing was too small to make the paper in those days) a carrier pigeon dropped from the sky. He took a drink from a rivulet emerging from a hose, rested a bit, then moved to a windowsill to spend the night. Revived by morning, he resumed his mission.

At 3 p.m., the National Weather Service reported a high temperature of 107 degrees at the U.S. Customs House in downtown Baltimore. It was a new record for the city, breaking the 105-degree mark set on Aug. 6, 1918. The new record has never been broken .

Source: http://weblogs.marylandweather.com/2008/07/weather_history_made_72_years.html
Temperature of the Sun

Jesse Jackson on Obama

2008-07-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Jesse Jackson

What did Jesse Jackson say

The Reverend Jesse Jackson apologized today for what he said was a ``crude'' comment he made about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama following a television appearance July 6, saying he supports Obama ``unequivocally.''

Jackson, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, was appearing on Fox News when a microphone picked up his remark suggesting that Obama was patronizing blacks.

Obama has been ``talking down to black people on this faith-based,'' Jackson said according to a tape of the comments played on Fox's ``The O'Reilly Factor'' tonight.

``I want to cut his nuts off,'' Jackson then said, according to a report on the Fox News Web site.

Jackson, who didn't know the microphone was on, was commenting on talks Obama has made in black churches about parental responsibility and other social issues.

``Anything I said in a hot-mic statement that's interpreted as a distraction, I offer apologies for that,'' Jackson said at a news conference today.

``I have supported Barack's campaign with passion from the very beginning. I thought the very idea made sense,'' Jackson said. ``We've been there all the way, because I think this campaign is a redemptive moment for America and a great opportunity to redefine America.''

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said Obama ``will continue to speak out about our responsibilities to ourselves and each other, and he of course accepts Reverend Jackson's apology.''

Not Much Impact

Jackson's comments shouldn't have much of an impact on the presidential race, said David Bositis, a senior research analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington-based research center that focuses on issues of concern to the black community.

``There is a leader who African Americans have selected. He's Barack Obama,'' Bositis said. ``Any individual black leader who tries to undermine Barack Obama will do so at their own risk.''

The Illinois senator, who in August stands to be the first African American to be nominated for president by a major political party, spent Father's Day last month at one of Chicago's largest black churches telling fathers that they should set better examples for their children and shouldn't abandon them.

``Any fool can have a child. That doesn't make you a father,'' Obama said at the Apostolic Church of God, which has more than 20,000 members. ``Too many fathers are AWOL, missing from too many lives and too many homes.''

Jackson told CNN today he was suggesting that Obama should also be talking in the black community about issues such as health care, jobs and justice.

``That's a range of issues on the menu,'' he said. ``Then I said something I regret was crude.''

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=azxuvBN.EouE&refer=us

Jesse Jackson