tuberaider video

With all the hype around the swine flu this year, drugstores are expecting a big rush on their usual free flu shots, so they're going to start offering the customary free flu shots earlier than usual..in fact they start today, to be exact.

Major drugstores like CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid are all stepping up their flfu shot game, in advance of increased demand everyone is expecting thanks to the bad news about H1N1 as it continues to spread.

The government experts recommend any one who is elderly, a child or otherwise has a weakk immune system, should go in and get the free flu shot. Hopefully I can convince Walgreens to throw in some free Snuggies and a Slap-Chop.

Drugstores to Start Giving Free Flu Shots
philly.com

Drugstore operators are beginning their seasonal flu shot campaigns several weeks early this year, saying they expect greater demand for the vaccine in a year when the swine flu strain has dominated the news...

Drugstores to Start Giving Free Flu Shots

Ashton Kutcher's new tv show "Beautiful Life" just got another big name boost, with reports that his wife Demi Moore has accepted a role.Demi, who usually turns down TV appearances, is said to be taking a role based on former model and current reality tv star Janice Dickinson.

It's not totally confirmed, and some sources are saying it's just a rumor, but as seen below the UK Daily Mail says it is legit.

People always talk Ashton Kutcher like he's dumb, but he must be doing something right! Still on Hollywood's A-List after many years (or at least the A-minus list), still happily married to Demi Moore and she has enough faith in his brains to trust him on this project. Plus, when he goes on Bill Maher's show he actually seems pretty smart. I don't think we give this guy enough credit.

Demi Moore: 'Beautiful Life' Role w/ Ashton?
daily mail

Ashton Kutcher had already signed up Mischa Barton and Elle Macpherson to star in his new TV show The Beautiful Life but now he's managed to get a huge Hollywood A-lister - his wife Demi Moore...The character is said to be based on I'm A Celebrity star Janice Dickinson...

Demi Moore: 'Beautiful Life' Role w/ Ashton?

Carrie Prejean, the controversial Miss California who answered Perez Hilton's question about gay marriage, is now suing the Miss California pageant for discrimination, saying she was fired for representing her Christian beliefs.

Prejean continued to cause controversy after her pageant appearance, with top pageant boss Donald Trump at first defending her, but as various issues continued Carrie Prejean was removed by the Miss California team. For some reason Donald Trump is not included in Prejean's suit.

The pageant people say Carrie Prejean was missing many public appearances and not living up to her responsibilities, but Prejean insists they are exaggerating that, and her real crime was representing her religion. I say this entire beauty pageant scene is absurd and should just go out of business, and Carrie Prejean should move on and get a job at Fox News.

Carrie Prejean Suit Against Miss California
LA Times

..Miss Carrie Prejean is back. And she's brought a nice fat attention-getting lawsuit against the folks at the Miss California pageant - including Shanna Moakler and Keith Lewis - for firing her. She claims she was fired for her religious beliefs...

Carrie Prejean Suit Against Miss California

Erin Andrews went on Oprah this week to talk about the "nightmare" of having nude footage of her appear on the internet.

The nude video footage, which was filmed through a hotel room door peephole, spread all across the internet even after the original copy was taken down very quickly. Erin Andrews has long been a sex symbol from her work as an ESPN reporter, with photos and videos of her alwas being a hit on the web, but this sort of attention was something nobody needs or deserves..a nightmare indeed. Here's hoping she can overcome the trauma and get back to work as the NFL season starts anew.

Erin Andrews: "Nightmare" Nude Video
abc news

ESPN reporter Erin Andrews said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that having secretly videotaped nude footage of her distributed on the Internet was a "nightmare."

Erin Andrews: "Nightmare" Nude Video

If you want to win at sports, a team of German psychologists say the have the secret formula: always wear red while you play.

According to the German sports psychologists, in any sport that is judged or scored by officials, in a close match the referees and judges will be more likely to see the red team as winning, because psychologically red is associated with strength. In their studies, the same taekwondo matches were judged differently when they digitally changed the colors of each fighter's outfits, on the video tape judges watched. Is this also the secret to Republicans winning certain elections than they shouldn't have?

There's always been lots of theories by psychologists about how colors affect people's perceptions and desires, and lots of advertising is based on this, such as Mcdonald's using colors that supposedly make people hungry. So it's not surprising these German psychologists would find that red colors affect how people see performances, at least a tiny bit. But unfortunately for my Knicks, changing colors won't make the ball go in the basket.

German Psychologists: Red Is For Winners
Fox Reno

Researchers find that athletes who wear red during competitions are 10 percent more likely to win over their opponent. German sports psychologists at the University of Munster conducted a study, which was reported in New Science magazine...

German Psychologists: Red Is For Winners

We've seen lots of crazy toys over the years, but would you believe a strip club dancing doll, complete with stripper pole?

As seen in the photo in the gizmodo article below, this pole dancer doll seems to be an actual kids' toy, with a somewhat creepy looking doll with oddly shaped legs clinging to a pole, promising on the box to go "up and down" and "around and round" with "music, flash and style."

It's difficult to believe somebody actually thought a pole dance stripper doll was a good idea for kids.. maybe they thought it would be a good joke gift for grownups? Either way, between this and the Miley Cyrus performance last month, you may want to have a talk with your kids about not putting on the clear heels.

Pole Dance Doll: Gizmodo Scoop
gizmodo

It rotates. It has blinking lights, a disco ball, and a pole. And it's probably one of the wrongest toys you can give to any girl. Because, unlike the USB Pole Dancer, this pole dance doll is actually for kids.

Pole Dance Doll: Gizmodo Scoop

Gossipers and pundits are on fire today about Paris Jackson's haircut, wondering why her people had to pick up all of Paris's cut hair annd take it with them when they left.

Apparently they had the salon meticulously pick up all of the hair that was cut, and put it in a bag, which Paris Jackson's caretaker took with them when they left? This is actually not an uncommon practice in some cultures, and in the case of someonee like Paris Jackson it can also to make sure nobody tries to take her hair and sell it somewhere, which wouldn't be too surprising if you think about it.

But still, some are speculating they needed to clean up after Paris Jackson's haircut to make sure nobody took the hair for DNA testing, and are trying to make it into a bigger story.

It seems anything the Jackson family does, even the most mundane activities, can become a scandal in today's media, and they proved this today with the press jumping all over the details of this Paris Jackson haircut story. I think we should let this family, expecially the children, have a little more space and not make every little thing into a scandal. In fact, looking at the video below I'm a little disappointed in the Today Show for presenting this in such a sensationalistic way.

Paris Jackson's Haircut

Paris Jackson's Haircut

Here's the video of Whitney Houston singing "I Look to You" on Good Morning America this week. Whitney's voice was not the strongest in these new performances, and at one oiint she apologized, blaming it on the pressure of all the new media attention, but it's hard not to wonder if there are more long term issues with her vocal strength after all these years away from singing.

Still, Whitney's new music sounds great (I really like "Million Dollar Bill"), and after all she's been through it'd be great to see her return to the top of the charts.

"I Look to You" Video, Good Morning America

"I Look to You" Video, Good Morning America

The latest update on Hell's Kitchen from the youtube experts.

"This week the challenge is for each team to go head to head in the blindfold taste test. Tennille sat out. Each head to head pair had to taste 4 items. The ladies were leading 5-3 when the last pair Andy & Amanda stepped up. In the end the ladies won because Andy didnt know Ahi Tuna."

Phil Defranco breaks down why that Chris Brown interview on CNN was so terrible. Some adult language is contained in this video.. kind of a lot, actually.

A true hero in Britain, quadriplegic Hilary Lister has successfully sailed around her homeland solo, the first quadriplegic to do so.

Hilary Lister pulled off the feat thanks to an ingeniuous navigational system on her boat, that let her control the sails through a series of straws that she blew into. Hilary, an Oxford graduate, suffers from reflex sympathetic dystrophy, which keeps her in constand pain in addition to making her quadriplegic.

Absolutely an inspiring story for anyone who doubts they can oversome their obstacles, and the coolest thing to come out of sailing since the Christopher Cross song about it. Bravo to Britain's Hilary Lister!

Quadriplegic Hilary Lister First to Sail Around Britain (With Straws!)
timeonline

The first female quadriplegic to sail solo around Britain, using a system straws to guide the boat, arrived back at Dover harbour yesterday. As the sun set, Hilary Lister, 37, sailed into the harbour to be greeted by cheering supporters...

Quadriplegic Hilary Lister First to Sail Around Britain (With Straws!)

OKAY, WE ALL KNOW IT IS ANNOYING WHEN PEOPLE TYPE LIKE THIS. But it is annoying enough to make someone lose their job for it?

In New Zealand apparently the answer is yes. Vicki Walker, in Auckland, sent a routine email in all-caps in her office, and was summarily fired for being too "confrontational." Really?

There are a bunch of people I'd like to fire from my Twitter account for typing in all-caps..almost every rapper I follow there, in fact.. but should someone really lose their job for it? I think maybe her boss just needs to get fired from the internet.

Woman: All Caps Email Got Me Fired!
cbc

An accountant in Auckland, New Zealand has been awarded $12,800 Cdn for unfair dismissal. The offense that got her fired? Writing an email using red, blue, bold and all-capital letters...Her employer reportedly found the email "confrontational," and sacked her without warning. ProCare told the Employment Relations Authority that the email had caused "disharmony in the workplace."...

Woman: All Caps Email Got Me Fired!

This is scary. A man in an Atlanta Walmart was caught on video tape repeatedly slapping a two year old child..and not his own child, the child of a total stranger in the Walmart.

The man who is named Roger Stephens, from a town near Atlanta named Stone Mountain, told the mother he was going to make her daughter "shut up" after the kid had been crying, and proceeded to slap the child 4 times in the face. Luckily the man as immediately arrested in the Walmart, and now faces felony charges for it. Everyone knows loud kids can be annoying in the store, but using that as an excuse to do this is just psycho. Absolutely appalling story, and I hope they put him under the jail. Or under the Walmart.

Man Slaps Child in Walmart (VIDEO)
news.aol.com

Police say a 61-year-old man annoyed with a crying 2-year-old girl at a suburban Atlanta Walmart slapped the child several times after warning the toddler's mother to keep her quiet. A police report says after the stranger hit the girl at least four times, he said: "See, I told you I would shut her up."

Man Slaps Child in Walmart (VIDEO)

Lee Redmond, who used to hold the world record for her 28-foot fingernails, is talking to now about what life is like after losing her record-setting manicure to a car crash.

Lee had been famous for years now for her Guinness-book statis fingernails, but says she is in some ways releived to be able to live a more normal life without her 28-foot claims to fame. I guess she can be thankful that was the worst that came from the accident! See the video below for what her fingernails used to look like:

28-Foot Fingernails, Lost in Car Crash
Mercury News

A Salt Lake City woman who held a Guinness World Record for her long fingernails before they broke off in a car crash says it was the most dramatic event of her life. But Lee Redmond, who lost the fingernails in February, says it's now much easier to do things and her hands seem to fly with the weight of the nails gone...

28-Foot Fingernails, Lost in Car Crash

Forbes magazine released their list of the most expensive zip codes in America, and the neghborhood with the most expensive real estate is a little town named Alpine in New Jersey, zip code 07620.

Alpine NJ may be little-known to most, but anyone who keeps track of hip-hop and other showbiz news will know Alpine is a mecca for top Black celebrities, from Mary J Blige to Ll Cool J to Damon Dash to Jay-Z to Stevie Wonder to Chris Rock, who has talked about the neighborhood in his comedy routines. Also anyone who used to listen to Wendy Williams' radio show will be well familiar with the nation's most expensive zip code.

For more names of the top cities on the list, including several near me in Manhattan, check the article below.

Nation's Most-Expensive ZIP Codes 2009: Alpine New Jersey!
daily news

Beverly Hills 90210? That's so '90s. If you're looking for a pricey place to hang these days, try Alpine 07620. The tiny New Jersey town ranked No. 1 this year on the Forbes.com list of the nation's most expensive zip codes, with a median price of $4.14 million for one of its luxurious mansions.

Nation's Most-Expensive ZIP Codes 2009: Alpine New Jersey!

A reporter who mocked Russell Crowe for smoking and eating fatty foods has been challenged by the actor to a bike duel.

The reporter suggested that Russell no longer keeps himself and top physical shape, and probably needs to take better care of his health and lose these unhealthy habits, but Russell Crowe says he is as fit as ever, and wants to prove it by racing against the local reporter in Australia.

Surprisingly the reporter, Annette Sharp, then took Russell up on the offer and the two actually had a bike racing duel.. which video shows was won easily by Russell, clearly in fine physical health as he left the reporter in the dust. But kudos to the reporter for taking him up on it, and props to Russell Crowe for handling the bad press with a sense of humor, and coming out on top.

Russell Crowe Bike Duel? (VIDEO)
sfgate

An Australian newspaper mocked Russell Crowe for smoking and shoveling down a fatty meal during a recent bike ride, so the notoriously salty actor set out to prove he is still in gladiator shape -- by challenging the paper's gossip columnist to a duel by bicycle...

Russell Crowe Bike Duel? (VIDEO)

Congrats to Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel! The "Rent" couple has announced their new baby boy's arrival into the family last Wednesday.

The couple, who both starred in the Broadway version of Rent in 1996, have both become Hollywood stars since then, and got married in 2003. This is Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel's first child, and they have released that they are naming it Walker but haven't released any baby pictures yet.. can't wait to see photos of the kid, I'm sure it will be a beautiful baby!

'Rent' Couple Taye Diggs & Idina Menzel: Baby Boy!
CNN

It's a boy for Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel. The couple welcomed a son, Walker Diggs, on Wednesday, the couple's reps confirm to PEOPLE. "Mother, father and son are all doing well," the reps said in a statement...

'Rent' Couple Taye Diggs & Idina Menzel: Baby Boy!

Justice denied may in some ways become the sweetest justice of all, for people in Texas who are released from prison after it is proven that they were wrongly convicted. Under the new setup now in Texas, anyone who is freed after it's proven they were wrongly convicted will receive $80,000 for each year they spent behind bars, plus various other benefits to ensure they can try to get their life back.

I can't even imagine what it's like to be falsely convicted of a serious crime, and spend serious time behind bars for something you didn't do..all the money in the world probably couldn't heal all the wounds you get from that. But it's good to see some proper restitution being made, and that the state of Texas is trying to make things right, where they acted wrongly in the past. Now, can we get them to pay all of us back for giving George W. Bush to the world? We suffered through 8 years of that, after all..

Wrongly convicted in Texas? $80,000 Payback
msnbc

...exonerees in Texas, which leads the nation in freeing the wrongly convicted, soon will become instant millionaires under a new state law that took effect this week. Exonerees will get $80,000 for each year they spent behind bars. The compensation also includes lifetime annuity payments that for most of the wrongly convicted are worth between $40,000 and $50,000 a year -- making it by far the nation's most generous package...

Wrongly convicted in Texas? $80,000 Payback

In news that should surprise nobody, the NY Times reports a new study that says low wage workers in urban areas are most likely to be cheated of basic things like overtime and are also likely to be paid less than the legal minimum wage.

The study shows that a very high percentage of all low-wage urban workers face routine mistreatment on the job, and are often intimidated from taking action against their employer even when they have every right to. Also notable is this finding:

"The study found that women were far more likely to suffer minimum wage violations than men, with the highest prevalence among women who were illegal immigrants. Among American-born workers, African-Americans had a violation rate nearly triple that for whites."

Yet another reminder that we've got a long way to go, for real universal justice in America. Urban businesses may claim they have to cheat their workers this way so they can stay in business, but one way or another something ought to change if the people who work the hardest for the least money are getting even less than the little bit they are owed.

Low-Wage Urban Workers: Cheated!
ny times

Low-wage workers are routinely denied proper overtime pay and are often paid less than the minimum wage, according to a new study based on a survey of workers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago...

(and as you can see in the video below, low wage workers outside of urban areas don't have it easy either..)

Low-Wage Urban Workers: Cheated!

Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham, who just finished getting married about a month ago, now have another piece of great news, confirming that they are expecting their fourth baby.

Wahlberg and Durham already had three kids together from before their marriage, and now the happy family is set to get even happier. They have often spoke of hoping to have a big family, and why not! They're more than able to support it, and seem very together and level headed as Hollywood couples go. Congratulations to Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham and best wishes for health and happiness. Wahlberg is due to be seen next in a movie named "The Lovely Bones."

Mark Wahlberg & Rhea Durham 4th Baby!
hollywood gossip

Mark Wahlberg and new wife Rhea Durham, with whom he already had three kids before tying the knot, are now expecting their fourth child, the actor announced. Durham, 31, showed off her growing bump during a weekend shopping trip to The Grove in L.A. She and The Departed star married on August 1 in Beverly Hills.

Mark Wahlberg & Rhea Durham 4th Baby!

After years of serving America as a fashion superhero, Project Runway's TIm Gunn is now set to become a superhero for real, as he joins the ranks of Marvel Comics Crimefighters.

Tim Gunn will appear in comic form as the "Loaded Gunn" who helps some vintage Marvel heroes from the sixties return to action and protect a collection of superhero costumes fomr falling into the wrong hands.

I'm not a fashion person at all but even I appreciate the class and style Tim Gunn brings to Project Runway, and I respect that he does a reality show not based on vapid people suffering humiliation and degradation, but on real artists showing their talent and skill. It's only fair that someone who celebrates people with real gifts gets the chance to enter the world of super powers! I'll be looking out for Tim Gunn's crimefighter debut with Marvel Comics.

Project Runway's Tim Gunn: Marvel Crimefighter!
yahoo news

Tim Gunn is taking his fight against fashion crimes from the workrooms of "Project Runway" to the pages of a comic book... as part of a book that reintroduces a group of Marvel's high-fashion "Models Inc." comic characters from the 1960s.

Project Runway's Tim Gunn: Marvel Crimefighter!

New US tennis sensation Melanie Oudin continues her cinderella run at the US Open, as she is now throughto the quarterfinals!

The 17-year-old Oudin (whose boyfriend is 15!) has set the country on fire with her quick ascent to the top of the tennis world, putting on a great show with her scrappy emotional style of play, and showing incredible tennis skill and athleticism at such a young age. America hasn't had a real top tennis star rise in quite some time, so Melanie Oudin could be the next big thing. Here's hoping she makes a good run of it in this 2009 US Open! Although I'm not really ready to say goodbye to the Williams sisters either.

Melanie Oudin: Quarterfinals Bound!
detroit news

When Melanie Oudin wakes up each morning in the hotel room she's sharing with her mother, she's basically your average teen visiting the big city. Then the 17-year-old from Marietta, Ga., gets out on court at the U.S. Open in those pink-and-yellow sneakers with the word "BELIEVE" stamped near the heel, and there is nothing ordinary at all about her...

Melanie Oudin: Quarterfinals Bound!

History was made yesterday as Sonia Sotomayor officially joined the highest high court as a Supreme Court Justice.

The day's seating was ceremonial, but happened only one day before she joins the court on this season's next round of cases, starting today as Sotomayor and the oter justices ponder a campaign finance law case.

Sonia Sotomayor, the first latino on the high court and only the third woman, faced all sorts of controversy on her way to this seat, but I expect it will be smooth sailing from here on in, and if anything she may only be slightly disappointing to progressives who were hoping she'd be more the left than she actuallyis. The paranoid fears of Sonia Sotomayor as a racidal on the high court should be forgotten soon enough as her skill and level headedness becomes apparent. Here's to a long and righteous reign on the high court for Sonia Sotomayor!

Sonia Sotomayor: High Court Bound!
sun times

Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday took her seat at the Supreme Court in front of a packed courtroom that included President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Sotomayor, 55, last month became the first Hispanic and third woman to be a justice.

Sonia Sotomayor: High Court Bound!

Okay this is scary as heck. A boy who was hidden behind a wall by his mother remains in state custody today, after authorities figured out the boy was being hidden in a secret room whenever anyone came around, so nobody would know he was there.

The mother had lost custody of the boy and all rights to see him about two years ago, and then disappeared along with the kid. The mother and grandmother are apparently claiming that the father was abusive so they had no choice but to take these extreme measures, but the authorities seem to have found no evidence to support that, and are siding with the dad by all appearances.

Whatever the whole story is, it's clearly an unhealthy situation for the boy hidden who was behind the wall, so perhaps he should remain in state custody until it all gets sorted out. Hopefully sanity can prevail somehow for his sake.

Boy Hidden Behind Wall Remains in State Custody
abc news

A 6-year-old boy whose mother is accused of hiding him in a crawl space for nearly two years whenever visitors arrived will remain in state custody while he gets counseling meant to eventually reunite him with his father.

Boy Hidden Behind Wall Remains in State Custody

I've heard of big expensive coffins before, but getting buried in a Pontiac Catalina? That's exactly what one man did yesterday in South Carolina.

Lonnie Holloway lived to the ripe old age of 90, and was a car lover all his life long, so he had talked for years about getting buried in his Pontiac Catalina, and when he finally passe his family and friends made sure he got his wish.. see the article below for details.

Gotta love the man for doing things his own way in grand style, and his family for rolling with it and making it happen..must have been a special man to know!

Man Buried in Pontiac Catalina
wis tv

Lonnie Holloway was laid to rest at the age of 90 in his 1973 Pontiac Catalina Tuesday.

He believed in certain things, and what he believed in, he was going to carry it out. Lonnie Holloway made sure his wishes were granted up until the end.

Man Buried in Pontiac Catalina

A tragic story fro Kenya, where drought & poaching have now killed 100 of the region's legendary and endangered elephants.

The elephants have long been endangered by poachers who kill the elephants for their ivory tusks, and this practice is steadly rising despite efforts to restrict it. And now a terrible extended drought has compounded the problems for one of nature's grandest creatures.

The drought is not only affecting elephants either as well, as it is ruining crops, stifling tourism, and putting human lives in jeopardy as well. It is also leading to a worldwide shortage of tea, which is a major export from the region. Surely one of the most frustrating sorts of news stories, since at the end of the day you just have to hope that mother nature will br merciful, but in the meantime here's hoping we human beings will do all we can to provide help for the people and animals affected, instead of using it as an opportunity for greed.

Drought and Poaching Kill 100 Elephants
msnbc

Poaching and drought-related hunger have killed more than 100 of Kenya's famous elephants in the north of the country so far this year, conservationists say. Zoologist Iain Douglas-Hamilton, who founded Save the Elephants, said the drought is Kenya's worst in 12 years...

Drought and Poaching Kill 100 Elephants

Make sure you don't fall for this scam! Many people lately have been getting an email that says it is from the IRS, saying that you havbe been busted hiding unreported email. But don't be fooled, this "notice of unreported income" email is a scam.

The email says it is from irs.gov, and tells you to download a copy of your last return to review it, but it's not really from the IRS, and the "return" you download is actually a bit of malicious hacker-type software.

So make sure you don't fall for the "Notice of Unreported Income" email scam, or you wind up reporting an unexpected loss of income after you get hacked, scammed and ripped off. Be careful out there! Don't click on strange attachments.

Notice of Unreported income Email: Scam!
tech herald

A new IRS related scam is hitting mailboxes across the globe thanks to a botnet that is sending upwards of 90,000 messages per hour. The scam, which starts with a notice of unreported income, attempts to trick victims into downloading and installing a malicious executable...

Notice of Unreported income Email: Scam!

A column by sports writer Mark Whicker, about all the sports events Jaycee Dugard missed while in captivity, is being hailed today as the worst column ever written, and had people everywheree wondering "what the heck was Mark Whicker thinking?"

The piece shows a bizarre disregard for the horror of Dugard's captivity and abuse, irreverently lamenting that Dugard missed so many great sports stories while she was busy being helpd captive and psychologically and physically abused.. Whicker than listed some of the best sports news she was distracted from by the years of inhumane treatment.

Whicker has now put out an apology, or a partial apology, for his column, but as shown in the Jezebel article below his private emails to readers suggest he doesn't relaly know what he did wrong. So much for the story that print writers are more professional than bloggers!

Mark Whicker Dugard Column: Worst Idea Ever
jezebel

On Tuesday, Orange County Register columnist Mark Whicker came up with a new angle on Jaycee Dugard's brutal kidnapping and rape: she missed so many amazing sporting events! He's now apologized for his insensitivity... kind of.

Mark Whicker Dugard Column: Worst Idea Ever

Mel Brooks, king of lowbrow comedy, now has a very high profile award coming as he is honored this year at the Kennedy Center!

The year the Kennedy Center will take five (get it? "Take Five"? I'll be here all week) more people in as honorees including jazz legend Dave Brubeck, Robert Deniro, Bruce Springsteen, opera singer Grace Bumbry and comedy master Mel Brooks.

Mel Brooks is a huge influence on American humor, and made some of my favorite movies including cinema's best commentary ever on race relations, Blazing Saddles. So I supposed it's only right that this administration, that represents a hgue historical landmark in race relations, would honor Mel Brooks's career. Let's just hope they don't act out the Blazing Saddles campfire scene at the Kennedy Center ceremony!

Mel Brooks: Kennedy Center Honoree!
ny times

The Kennedy Center announced on Wednesday that Bruce Springsteen and Robert De Niro, who won his first Oscar for playing Don Vito Corleone in 1974 for "The Godfather Part II," would receive Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement in the arts. The writer and director Mel Brooks, the jazz pianist Dave Brubeck and the opera singer Grace Bumbry will also be recognized at a Dec. 6 gala at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The honorees are chosen by the center's board.

Mel Brooks: Kennedy Center Honoree!

The Fed's "beige-book" survey for September 2009 was released yesterday, and gave a rather positive outlook on the state of the economy as we enter the fall.

The influential financial report had good tidings for the future, indicating that the foundation for economic recovery is starting to be in place, judging by unemployment figures and various other factors. It also cited Cash for Clunkers as having a positive impact.. but there were negative money trends in the report as well and skeptics still warn there are many reasons to remain cautious about the economy in the months and years to come.

So what is the bottom line for investors? Don't look at me, you'd better read all the details and study for yourself. I'm just some random blogger!

Fed's Beige-Book Survey 2009: Good News!
post bulletin

The recession is ending and the economy is finally growing again. That's the message implicit in the Federal Reserve's latest survey of businesses around the country, which found economic activity stabilizing or improving in most regions...

Fed's Beige-Book Survey 2009: Good News!

9 Women in Istanbul found what what happens when a "reality tvg show" goes wrong, as they were kured to a house and allegedly kept there for two months where they were secretly filmed for an adult website.

The nine women thought they were there fora version of Big Brother, but soon figured out they had gotten tricked and tried to leave the home, when allegedly they were prevented fromm leaving and help captive. The producers of the "show" claim they really were filming for a legitimate website and there was no nudity being shown, but the women say they were being filmed in their most private moments.

I visited Istanbul last year and had a wonderful experience, so I hope news like this doesn't keep people away from it, but it does remind me of the various scams that I was warned about before I went, that hustlers play on unwary tourists. If true, this should serve as a warning to everyone to be more wary of hustlers (and reality shows).

9 Women Lured By Fake Reality TV Show
nine msn

Nine women have been rescued after being lured into a fake reality television show by pornographers who sold naked photographs of them to adult websites...

9 Women Lured By Fake Reality TV Show

Reports are in that tests on South African runner Caster Semenya's gender are in, and they show she is a hermaphrodite, but the IAAF says they cannot confirm or deny these reports, which they won't officially release until November.

News spread all over the web of the test results on Caster Semenya's gender, saying the results found she has 3 times the normal testosterone for a female, but now the IAAF is casting doubt or at least uncertainty on those leaks, saying they have not released their results yete and will not for several months. Also still not known how they will act on the test results, if they do find anything unusual.

Many in South Africa and elsewhere are outraged by the way Caster Semenya is being treated, saying this is unfair, based on a poor understanding of how gender is more complex than the simple male/female binary, and sends the wrong message to many young people who don't fit into that simplistic binary and are meant to feel like freaks or outcasts.

Caster Semenya Gender: Hermaphrodite
abc news

The results of the gender tests run on South African runner Caster Semenya are in, but the International Association of Athletics Federation refused today to confirm or deny reports that the 18-year-old medal winner has the biological make-up of hermaphrodite...

Caster Semenya Gender: Hermaphrodite

Who is Marian McQuade? Marian McQuade was the mother of 15 children who became famous as the founder of Grandparents Day.

Marian, who raised 15 kids of her own and then was blessed with 43 grandchildren, was inspired to honor her fellow grandparents after working with the elderly and seeing how unappreciated they were. She campained for this grandparent's holiday throughout the 70s, and on into recent years, hoping to have a national Grandparents Day established.

Many of her children and grandchildren now carry on promoting the cause, hoping that everyone in America will give grandparents their proper respects, at least just for one day!

Marian McQuade 15 Children
la times

Marian McQuade began her campaign for a day honoring grandparents in the early 1970s, decades after she first visited nursing homes and the home-bound elderly. As a girl, she would go with her grandmother to take food and small gifts to senior neighbors. Many of them had no other friends nearby. "It's not for grandparents like me to get presents," McQuade said of her idea for a National Grandparents Day in a 2003 interview with The Times. "It's to alleviate some loneliness..."

Marian McQuade 15 Children

There've been a lot of inappropriate toys on the shelves in recent years, but none of them tops this one: a pole-dancing doll, complete with stripper outfit and pole.

AS first reported on the tech site Gizmodo, this toy is real and has been seen on shelves, though it's hard to imagine it wasn't made as an ironic joke. The pole dancing doll seems is a somewhat creepy looking doll with oddly shaped legs clinging to a pole, promising on the box to go "up and down" and "around and round" with "music, flash and style."

Like i said the first time I read about this: "between this and the Miley Cyrus performance last month, you may want to have a talk with your kids about not putting on the clear heels."

Pole-Dancing Doll - Inappropriate Toys
EW

Oh, look, Mommy! A stripper starter-kit for the pre-K set! The pic's originator, Gizmodo.com, can't definitively verify that the doll is in fact real, or available in the U.S. But either way, are we really so surprised? The scene in 2004's Mean Girls when high-school queen bee Regina's little sister pumped her tiny grade-school booty to Kelis's salacious hit "Milkshake" was meant to be satirical; these days, it feels increasingly real...

Pole-Dancing Doll - Inappropriate Toys

Rifqa Bary has made lots of news after running away from her Muslim family and moving in with a Christian Reverend, claiming her parents wanted to kill her according to what she says are their Muslim laws for apostasy. But the parents claim this is not the case, and there's been widespread debate and uncertainty about whom to believe and what to make out of this very delicate issue.

Some have reported that Bary was "outed" by a local mosque that is known to be extremist, and that she could really be in serious danger, but others say this is all based on misunderstandings and distortion of Muslim law, and the parents are being falsely accused. According to this expert on Islam in the huffington post, the apostasy law Rifqa Bary claims her parents want to enforce on her is not actually meant to work that way, and the law was made in reference specifically to Muslim soldiers:

"The issue of apostasy is actually addressed in a controversial and oft-misunderstood law. Centuries ago, the apostasy law was actually a treason law, created to address what should happen when a soldier in a Muslim army converts to the other side and then fights against a Muslim country. That's the equivalent of an American working for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, or for the Nazis in World War II. Under U.S. law, treason is punishable by death."

I am by no means an expert on these issues and will not presume to take sides, but I hope a safe and healthy resolution can be found for the girl and her family, one way or another.

Rifqa Bary Apostasy
huff post

Fathima Rifqa Bary, who goes by Rifqa, is a 17-year-old from Columbus, Ohio who ran away from home -- not an uncommon occurrence for 17-year-olds. But the circumstances surrounding her story have opened a host of legal, cultural and theological issues.

Rifqa Bary Apostasy

Rumors are flying about a battle between Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox to play Barbarella in an upcoming remake of the sci-fi camp classic that originally starred Jane Fonda.

A report from splashnews later reprinted on msnbc.com said that both actresses are fighting for the Barbarella role, and said the older Jolie is "petrified" by Megan Fox's ascendancy as a younger version of Jolie herself. But the story only cites one anonymous "insider" as the source of this information, with no other Hollywood or showbiz sources to back it up. So I'm inclined to believe Angelina Jolie's petrification is being exaggerated somewhat.

I'd love to see either of them in the role though, in fact if the movie is being made they should make it like that Bob Dylan film from last year and let both Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox alternate as Barbarella as the movie plays out. Or perhas make a movie where they fight it out a la Highlander, "there can only be one.."

Angelina Jolie Barbarella, or Megan?
splash news

Actress Angelina Jolie is battling with Megan Fox for a role in the new remake of Barbarella. Jolie, 34, is reportedly feeling under threat from the 23-year-old. The pair both want to star in the remake of the 1968 film and are both auditioning for the lead role.

Angelina Jolie Barbarella, or Megan?

Apparently not. There were reports for quite some time that Nicholas Cage had been tapped by Michel Gondry to star as the villain in his version of Green Hornet. But now the latest word is that Cage is dropping out of the project, which has already seen its share of setbacks.

The Green Hornet movie, a remake of the original that co-starred Bruce Lee, has already started filming with Seth Rogan in the lead role, and Jay Chou apparently playing Bruce Lee's old role (if I'm not mistaken this part was originally supposed to go to Stephen Chow, which would have been infinitely cooler).

Not sure what to think about this cast now, but Gondry is one of the most interesting directors around so I'll definitely want to see how this movie comes out.

Nicolas Cage: Villain in "Green Hornet", or Not?
yahoo

After months of will he, won't he, Nicolas Cage, who was tipped as the villain in Michel Gondry's 'Green Hornet', has officially declined to play the negative character. Imdb.com reports a source saying that 'the actor and the studio were not able to come to terms on a deal.'

Nicolas Cage: Villain in "Green Hornet", or Not?

Michelle Obama is headed to Copenhagen, to help get Chicago their Olympics!

As you may know, the city of Chicago has been fighting for a shot at hosting the 2016, and there was much speculation about whether Barack Obama would fly over to help with the negotiations, on behalf of both his country and his Chicago hometown. As it turns out, the President has decided he is too busy with little things like his historic push for health care reform, so the First Lady Michelle Obama will now go in his stead, and try and help the Olympic bid to go to Chicago.

Michelle Obama is more than worthy as a representative of the cause, coming from Chicago's south side right near where the Olympics would take place.. the Obama hometown of Chicago could surely greatly benefit from the economic boost of the Olympic event, so hopefully Michelle's charm will turn the tide!

Michelle Obama & Olympics in Chicago?
seattle pi

The White House announced Friday that first lady Michelle Obama will travel to Copenhagen ahead of the Oct. 2 vote by the International Olympic Committee. President Barack Obama called IOC president Jacques Rogge personally to tell him that his priority right now has to be the fight to reform the health care system, but he'll continue to work on behalf of his adopted hometown...

Michelle Obama & Olympics in Chicago?

In a strange case, a death row chaplain in Texasgot busted smuggling letters on behalf of a death row inmate, possibly connected to that inmates online threats against state officials.

All mail from inmates is supposed to be screened, and this particular guy was known to send threats out to people, so it would seem to be extremely poor judgment by the chaplain to sneak things out on his behalf. Authorities had been trying to figure out how the inmate was getting these threats out to website that was posting them, since they thought they were screening all of his communication, so now prison officials are looking into whether this chaplain was the unwitting middleman for these leaks. See the article linked below for full details...

Death Row Chaplain Trouble?
star tribune

A death row chaplain is facing dismissal after he acknowledged smuggling out letters for a condemned inmate who has posted Internet messages threatening a state lawmaker and that man's family, Texas prison officials said Friday...

Death Row Chaplain Trouble?

The Gray Wolf has long been considered endangered and protected from hunting, but a federal Judge may be opening the door for gray wolf hunts to start again.

Environmentalists and other activists are fighting hard to prevent the judge's change in the regulations, but supporters of the change claim the gray wolf has been effectively repopulated and is not so endangered anymore, so it is safe to have a limited amount of hunting reinstated. There would apparently be a quote system in place, as they have for various other animals, where only a certain number could be killed by hunters in a particular area each year, to make sure the overall gray wolf population wasn't affected too much by the hunt. But critics of the hunt say even if they're not technically endangered now, restarting the gray wolf hunts would put them back on the endangered list before long, and we need to keep protecting them. See the article below for the full scoop.

Gray Wolf Hunts: Judge Approves?
msnbc

A federal judge said Wednesday that gray wolf hunts in the Northern Rockies can go on, denying a request by environmentalists and animal welfare groups to stop the first legal wolf hunts in decades in Idaho and Montana...

The gray wolf used to live in many more places, but because of human hunters, its territory has been wiped out, the wolves are no longer able to live in some of those areas...

Gray Wolf Hunts: Judge Approves?

One thing everyone knows about health is" it's always good to get a nice long night's sleep. But now some scientists may be proving that wrong, and showing that people who are "long sleepers" are also more likely to develop dementia!

The research, conducted in Spain was on serious long sleepers who don't just get the traditional 8 hours of sleep, but who slept 9 or more hours per day (this included naps). And the findings were that those who slept 9 hours or more were twice as likely to develop dementia!

The study only found the pattern though, and did not prove a cause and effect relationship, which means that instead of sleeping longer making you crazy, you might be sleeping longer because you're already crazy! Read the details below, and maybe it'll cause some sleepless nights to help bring down our average a bit...

Long Sleepers & Dementia?
msnbc

How could something that feels so good -- a long night's sleep -- have negative consequences? Unfortunately, that is one possibility that results of a new study suggest: Older adults who sleep nine or more hours each day may have a higher risk of developing dementia than those who spend fewer hours in bed...

Long Sleepers & Dementia?

A baby in Danbury Connecticut entered the world in grand style last week, with a date of birth that was all nines: 9/9/2009, at 9:09 AM!

The parents came in to have a c-section birth that morning, and were planning to complete it earler but delays in getting the blood work back just happened to push that magical moment of childbirth right up to that magical array of numbers. The doctors and family both said it was not on purpose, and they didn't realize until afterwards.

Either way, it's a beautiful baby and here's hoping it's only the first of many good luck charms..

Baby's All Nines! 9/9/09 9:09!
news times

Anthony and Heather Nunes went to Danbury Hospital early Wednesday -- Sept. 9, 2009 -- to have their daughter delivered by Caesarean section. To their -- and their doctor's -- surprise, little Isabel Casimira was born at 9:09 a.m...

Baby's All Nines! 9/9/09 9:09!

Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol hits stores this week, but how to the Freemasons feel about their secrets possibly being revealed?

The Freemasons are probably America's best known secret society. but defenders say they really aren't all that secret at all (some prefer to just call them a "society with secrets"), and those who are expecting a shocking expose of Freemasonry may be disappointed, as word is Dan Brown's Lost Symbol puts the group mostly in a positive light.

The Freemasons may be best known by young people for the satirical homage to them on The Simpsons, where many of the town's men were members of the Stonecutters. Masons do have an air of mystery, and really do keep a vow of secrecy, but most who have experience with them say there is nothing evil being hidden.

No confirmation yet on rumors that Dan Brown's next book is about
ACORN.

Freemasons, Dan Brown and 'The Lost Symbol'
sfgate

Six years after Brown intrigued millions of readers, and infuriated scholars and religious officials, with "The Da Vinci Code," he has set his new novel, "The Lost Symbol," in Washington and probed the fraternal order that well suits his passion for secrets, signs and puzzles.

Freemasons, Dan Brown and 'The Lost Symbol'

Big news in the fashion world (ok not really) as Jon Gosselin sets to launch his "Gosselin Gear" clothing line. So if you want to look like the man America hates, you may soon get your chance!

Jon Gosselin had been rumored to be starting a line with Ed Hardy, but now he denies that connection and says he is setting out on his own wit hthis clothing line. No details are in yet on how the Gosselin Gear clothes will look exactly, but given Jon's love for that tacky Ed Hardy style, one would expect similar tackiness... Gosselin Gear will be the go to brand when you want your clothes to tell the world "I've got terrible judgment in life, and you really shouldn't be paying attention to me, but somehow everyone keeps watching me. Go ahead and try to stop, you can't!"

Jon Gosselin to Launch "Gosselin Gear"
fab life

Who needs Ed Hardy? Jon Gosselin is going to start his own clothing line. "I'm doing a line called "Gosselin Gear," Jon told The FABlife while hanging out at the Hotel on Rivington House of Hype post-VMA party. As for that rumored line with Ed Hardy owner Christian Audigier? "I think Christian just used me to get publicity," Jon told us...

Jon Gosselin to Launch "Gosselin Gear"

A Malaysian woman who is 107 years old and has been married 22 times, is now looking to leave husband No. 22 and marry again with No. 23!

Wok Kundor is still married (to man in his 30s!) but apparently has that nagging feeling he's been messing around town back in the big city of Kuala Lumpur. So she's trying to stay one step ahead of the game, and speaking aloud of her plans to possibly marry husband no. 23 sooner than later. She already has the 50 year old replacement set to go, but hasn't committed yet, waiting to see if her current man can still convince her he is for real.

At least that's how I'm understanding it? Quite a peculiar story, she must be a pretty remarkable woman, that's for sure. Here's hoping she finds happiness however it works out!

Woman, 107, and Husband No. 22 Marry Again! CNN

Afraid that her husband will leave her for a younger woman, a 107-year-old Malaysian woman is looking to marry again -- for the 23rd time. Wok Kundor has been happily married for four years to her husband, a man 70 years her junior. But since he left their village in northern Terengganu state for a drug rehabilitation program in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, Wok has had a gnawing feeling...

Woman, 107, and Husband No. 22 Marry Again!

As seen in this video below, a student at Johns Hopkins University reportedly killed an intruder...with a samurai sword!

According to police the man died at the scene, after the young student found him in the garage and was attacked by the man after telling him he was calling the police.

It's always sad for a human being to lose their life, but if the student's description of what happened is accurate it's hard to say he doesn't have a chance to defend himself inside his own home, even if it was done in an unusual way. According to the article below, authorities go on a case by case basis when deciding whether to press charges in cases like this, so we'll have to see whether they consider this a justified killing.

Student Killed Intruder With This?
wbal

A Johns Hopkins University student armed with a samurai sword killed an intruder/suspected burglar in a garage behind his off-campus home early Tuesday, hours after someone broke in and stole electronics...

Student Killed Intruder With This?

After winning everyone's hearts last year, Susan Boyle made her 2009 debut on America's Got Talent last night, with a rousing rendition of "Wild Horses."

Susan Boyle sang the Rolling Stone's classic with lots of charm and grace, and reminded everyone why she was a favorite last year. There's been mich speculation about whether all the fame and attention might have been too much for Susan Boyle, but she certainly seemed to be at her best last night! Great to see her still shining.

Susan Boyle "Wild Horses" on America's Got Talent (VIDEO)

9/16/2009 Susan Boyle - Wild Horses * Americas Got Talent 2009 HD. The final ten performers return to the stage to find out how the American audience has voted, and the winner of the competition, who will take away the $1 million prize and the title of most talented American, is announced.


Susan Boyle "Wild Horses" on America's Got Talent (VIDEO)

Yes, you read that correctly. A woman in Florida recently had successful surgery to regain her eyesight by implanting a tooth in her eye.

The procedure is called Modified Osteo-Odonto-Keratoprosthesis surgery, and is actually not so rare as one might think..it's been done before in Europe, but is still quite new and this was the first successful tooth-in-eye surgery in America. In the surgery, if I'm understanding this correctly they pull one of the patient's teeth and attach an artificial lens to it, then put it back in their cheek so it can fuse together, and then put this tooth-lens contraption into the patient's eye? Amazing.. see the details in the link below..

Now maybe these scientists can work on a foot-in-mouth surgery for Kanye West? He needs some help too...

Tooth in Eye Surgery
indychannel

After nine years without sight, a grandmother is finally able to see again thanks to a revolutionary tooth-in-eye surgery procedure she underwent in South Florida, WPLG-TV reported.

Sharron Thorton, 60, lost her sight in both eyes in 2000 as the result of a skin condition that destroyed her cornea. In March, she flew from Mississippi to South Florida for a procedure called osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis at Miami's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

Tooth in Eye Surgery

Dick Cheney this week goes in for back surgery, to try and alleviate a common condition among older people known as spinal stenosis.

According to the article below, "Spinal Stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal - the passage for the spinal cord - which in turn puts pressure on nerves, causing pain." for more details on how the surgery works see the link.

I am no fan of the former Vice President, to say the least, but I'd never use this as an opportunity to take shots at him, so best of luck to Dick Cheney for a swift recovery from his surgery!

Dick Cheney Back Surgery

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is having elective back surgery at George Washington University Hospital. Cheney spokeswoman Lucy Tutwiler says the surgery Thursday is to deal with lumbar spinal stenosis, a common cause of lower back pain in older adults...

Dick Cheney Back Surgery

The SEC is proposing new rules for credit rating agencies, who have been under fire for some time for their role in the subprime mortgage debacle among other issues.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's nre set of rules would hope to expand the field beyond the 3 firms that currently the field, and reduce conflicts of interest and other problems. The agencies would have to reveal more of their credit histories as well, and companies that started new financial products would have to share their data with each agency.

Far be it from me to judge whether these new measures will be effective, but maybe after this they can establish some regulations to do away with those freecreditreport.com ads, once and for all? Please?

Credit Rating Agencies & SEC
nashua telegraph

Regulators on Thursday proposed rules designed to stem conflicts of interest and provide more transparency for credit rating companies. They also proposed banning "flash orders," which give some traders a split-second edge in buying or selling stocks...

Credit Rating Agencies & SEC

Nancy Pelosi yesterday gave a sobering statement reflecting on how the hateful and escalating animosity towards the President possibly warns of violence in the future.

Pelosi said that this current environment, and the loud hateful speech being uttered and shown on signs in this health care debate, reminds her of the atmosphere that led up to the deaths of George Moscone and Harvey Milk in Californiain the late 1970s.

"I have concerns about some of the language that is being used because I saw this ... I saw this myself, in the late '70s in San Francisco... This kind of rhetoric was very frightening, and it created a climate in which violence took place."

There's been much controversy about speculation that prejudice and hatred lies beneath the extreme side of the current protests against the Obama administration. Whatever the truth, lets hope that reason prevails and we can keep moving forward.

Nancy Pelosi Warns of Violence
daily news

An emotional Nancy Pelosi fought back tears and warned Thursday that the nation's angry political climate could inspire deadly violence...

Nancy Pelosi Warns of Violence

Coming fresh off his gig as host of the Tonys, Neil Patrick Harris is stepping up as this year's Emmys host!

It wasn't so long ago that people thought of Doogie Howser and thought "where is he now", but Neil Patrick Harris has actually been working steadily since that classic show, and ever since his great turns in the Harold and Kumar films, and his new sitcom success with "How I Met Your Mother", Neil Patrick Harris has been hotter than ever.

I'm still mad at the Emmys for failing to recognize The Wire, but I'm looking forward to see how Neil Patrick Harris does as Emmys host. He's a smart guy who can bring just enough funny without trying too hard like, say, Russell Brand (who I loved in Sarah Marshall but on MTV he was a disaster!).

Emmys Host: Neil Patrick Harris!
sfgate

If only one awards show host at a time holds the "it" title, then the current darling is Neil Harris entered the big leagues with this year's Tony Awards, using his musical theater .skills and easy charm to win over the audience and critics. A phone call enlisting him as host of Sunday's Emmy Awards (8 p.m. EDT, CBS) followed -- which leaves a certain movie ceremony for the hat trick..

Emmys Host: Neil Patrick Harris!

The Gosselin's nanny, Stephanie Santoro, says it's true that she had an affair with Jon Gosselin.

The 23 year old Santoro supposedly signed a non-disclosure agreement, but now she is speaking in great detail about her alleged affair with Jon Gosselin to In Touch magazine.. among the details revealed by Gosselin's nanny are.. um.. you know what, I can't do this. I can't pretend I care about this story. If you want way more detail than anybody really needs about the lives of these random people, the article below will sate your appetite. I'm gonna go out in the alley and watch paint dry.

Gosselin's Nanny Affair!
daily news

Jon Gosselin's tangled web of lies and affairs is becoming more complicated by the moment than that of Lindsay Lohan's... Stephanie Santoro, the former waitress and single mom who was hired as the Gosselin family's baby-sitter, is now coming clean about their affair in a new interview with In Touch magazine...

Gosselin's Nanny Affair!

Volkswagen has revealed details about their new new hybrid car, that first of all is the coolest looking car ever, and which second of all they say gets no less than 240 MPG.

The car, called the L1, is a two seater, and has a revolutionary design unlike any car on the market now. Far from the bland and corny appearance that used to be associated with eco-friendly cars, this is a hybrid car I could see appearing in rap videos soon after it comes out. (has anyone made a "ghost-ride the hybrid" video yet?)

check out the photo below, and more details in the article on this new car with its amazing look and mileage. we'll see how drivers actually feel about it once they drive it though, maybe it's not as good as it looks.

Volkswagen's 240 MPG Car
chron

Volkswagen introduced the L1 two-seater concept full-hybrid, which it reports is the "most fuel-efficient car in the world." When driven in an eco-friendly manner, Volkswagen says it uses only one liter (roughly a quart or quarter gallon) in a 62-mile trek -- translating to about 240 miles per gallon. It can achieve an estimated 100 mph (of course, at the sacrifice of fuel economy).

The L1 is a full-hybrid vehicle, which weighs a mere 838 pounds. Passenger sits behind the driver in its narrow cockpit.

Volkswagen's 240 MPG Car

As of September 2009, according to some the answer is yes. PInnacle Digest for example says the world should prepare for oil prices to hit $100 a barrel in the near future:

"Today we're going to be looking at the crude oil (NYMEX_CL) market. This market has rapidly become the world currency of choice for many countries. What do I mean by that? With the dollar going down in value, it automatically pushes the value of crude oil higher."

According to Reuters: "World oil demand was expected to fall 1.56 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2009 before rising 500,000 bpd in 2010, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which supplies over a third of global oil, said in a monthly report...."

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was in the news previously for his reports of oil at $100 a barrel:

Is Oil Headed to $100?
reuters

World oil prices are headed for $100 per barrel, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez predicted on Saturday, and said he will cut supplies to the United States if the U.S. government "attacks" the South American nation again...

Is Oil Headed to $100?

A review from indymogul of the new Megan Fox movie.

"Jennifer's Body Movie Review. Its bloody girl power as Megan Fox, Diablo Cody and director Karyn Kusama whip up this entry to the horror genre. Host Grace Randolph asks audiences if Megan Fox is a one hit wonder."

Usually a $29,000 tip would be like a dream, but for one woman who worked for Notre Dame it's becoming a nightmare,. as the college is now suing her to get it back!

The woman, named Sara Gaspar, received the $29,000 tip for catering services she did for Notre Dame, and says she contacted them several times to confirm it wasn't some kind of error, and never heard back. Then months later she found out Notre Dame was suing her for the money, saying the tip was supposed to be $29, and there was a typo.

The Notre Dame lawsuit claims Gaspar never notified them of the obvious error. Hard to tell what the truth is from what's been reported so far, what do you think about them taking her to court? Is this lawsuit bogus or is the woman really ripping Notre Dame off?

Notre Dame & $29,000 tip?
fresno bee

A woman who worked catering events for the University of Notre Dame says it was her lucky day when the school tipped her $29,000 in her check. But now the university is suing to get back the money she says she's already spent...

Notre Dame & $29,000 tip?

Not many people ever get a hole-in-one in their lifetime, so imagine the thrill of getting two of them, in the same round of golf! That's what happened to Ruth Day in England, when the retired grandmother had the day of her life on the golf course and snaggged two holes-in-one on the same day, in the same round.

Have you ever head of this happening before? I'm sure other golfers have done it, but it must be extremely rare.

Woman Shoots Two Holes-in-One in the Same Round
daily herald

Ruth Day, a 64-year-old retiree from northern England, had the day of her life on the golf course last week. Day managed to shoot two holes-in-one in the same round at Whitley Bay Golf Club, where she is a member...

Woman Shoots Two Holes-in-One in the Same Round

Kyle Turley, who retired from football a year and a half ago, is now facing crippling long term health effects from the head trauma he received in his years as a player. And as his grim prognosis makes itself clear, Turley is now considering a lawsuit against the NFL.

turley and his doctors believe he may have a neurological condition called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which has proven fatal for several other NFL players. Turley believes the NFL did not keep him properly informed and treated during his career, a concern that many have when they look at how the NFL treats head injuries. See the article below for details...

Kyle Turley & Head Trauma
yahoo news

More than a year and a half removed from his playing days, Turley is now experiencing symptoms of head-related trauma.which, he and his doctors fear, could point to a chilling prognosis...Late last month Turley, with no apparent cause or warning, collapsed while listening to music at a club near his Nashville-area home and passed out for several seconds. Shortly thereafter, while battling vertigo, he began vomiting uncontrollably as Stacy rushed him to a nearby hospital...

Kyle Turley & Head Trauma

Many in California are asking whether local police went too far this week, with reports that they used a taser on a legless man in a wheelchair.

The police were investigating a domestic violence complaint, and say that the man, Gregory Williams was being uncooperative. But Williams insists he was unarmed and doing nothing to justify this treatment, in which he says he was also humiliated as he fell out of his wheelchair and was left handcuffed on the ground with his pants hanging down. Williams is Black and the officers are White but there's been no word on how race may be involved in the incident.

A lot of people have concerns about whether police are over-using tasers these days, and asking whether police arrest procedures need to be reformed with tighter regulations on when tasers are used, as seen from the California ACLU here and Amnesty International here.

Whatever the details turn out to be for this unarmed & legless man in a wheelchair getting tasered, I hope authorities wull continue to take a close look at how tasers can be properly used and not overused.

California Police Taser Legless Man in Wheelchair VIDEO
boston herald

The Merced Police Department's Internal Affairs Division is investigating whether an officer twice used a Taser on an unarmed, wheelchair-bound man with no legs. The man who was Tased, Gregory Williams, 40, a double-leg amputee, spent six days in jail on suspicion of domestic violence and resisting arrest, but the Merced County District Attorney's office hasn't filed any charges...

California Police Taser Legless Man in Wheelchair

Say goodbye to summer! Tomorrow, September 22, 2009 is the official Fall Equinox. What does that mean exactly? Here's the scoop:

The Autumnal Equinox is the day when the earth's axis becomes even with the sun, and the night and day are each of the same length. This is the marker of the passage between Summer and Fall, and the official change of the season.

It seems like it came quicker than ever this year! I hope the weather will star warm for at least a little while longer, we'll see what the weather portends in these turbulent times for the climate. I'm none too happy about the shorter hours of daylight, though.

Fall Equinox September 22, 2009
infoplease

In the language of science, an equinox is either of two points on the celestial sphere where the ecliptic and the celestial equator intersect. For the rest of us, it's one of two times a year when the Sun crosses the equator, and the day and night are of approximately equal length.

At the autumnal equinox (Sept 22, 2009; 5:18 P.M. EDT), the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, from north to south; this marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere...

Fall Equinox September 22, 2009

This is a remarkable story. A woman who was implanted with the wrong embryo is carrying the baby to term so she can give it to the real parents, instead of having it aborted as the doctors suggested.

The woman, Carolyn Savage, is deeply religious and so was opposed to getting rid of the baby, ,and she decided with her husband that they would go through with the pregnancy so that the other couple could have their child. Mrs. Savage said ""Of course, we will wonder about this child every day for the rest of our lives. We have hopes for him, but they're his parents, and we'll defer to their judgment on when and if they ever tell him what happened and any contact that's afforded us. We just want to know he's healthy and happy.

A touching story to say the least, I hope they also get to stay in touch with the other family one way or another!

Woman Implanted With Wrong Embryo
msnbc

Carolyn and Sean Savage found out shortly after becoming pregnant with their fourth child through in vitro fertilization that the fertility clinic had mistakenly implanted the embryos of another couple. Due to their religious beliefs, the Savages would not consider the clinic's offer to terminate the pregnancy...

Woman Implanted With Wrong Embryo

In case you missed it, here is the video of President Obama & Letterman on CBS last night. you can judge for yourself but I thought it was an excellent interview, and David Letterman was the perfect man to interview Obama. He has the perfect dry & understated wit, and ability to think seriously when the occasion calls for it.

They touched on a wide range of topics, including the ecconomy, health care & insurance reform and the questions of racism towards his presidency (on which I felt he gave a somewhat political answer but I suppose this is inevitable). Overall Obama and Letterman both performed well, and it's worth watching in its entirety.

Obama & Letterman VIDEO

There will be tougher crowds for Barack Obama. Pausing to accept a gift of a heart-shaped potato from an admiring audience member, the US president bantered fluently on racism, healthcare and the economy with the late-night chat show host David Letterman. "One of the things you sign up for in politics is that folks yell at you," Obama said of vitriolic rallies around the US attacking his plans for healthcare reform...

"Obama on the David Letterman show brushing off the racist GOP, Teabaggers, and Alex Jones cronies."

Obama & Letterman VIDEO

With all the attention Glenn Beck is getting lately, many are hoping to learn more about him, and one hot subject is his wife Tania, who can be seen with him in the video interview below.

Glenn Beck and his wife Tania have two kids together, also seen in the video, along with Beck's two kids from his previous marriage. When asked how he became a Mormon, Glenn Beck said ""I apologize, but guys will understand this. My wife is, like, hot, and she wouldn't have sex with me until we got married. And she wouldn't marry me unless we had a religion."

Whatever you think of Glenn Beck's analysis and conspiracy theories, he certainly seems to have a cool & happy marriage! More power to him on that front.

Glenn Beck Wife Tania Video
wash city paper

Glenn Beck's wife Tania does listen to Glenn's radio show, although sometimes it makes her want to slap him.

Glenn Beck Wife Tania Video

Keith Olbermann may be clear-sighted on his show, but his vision is not so clear on the road. In fact he doesn't drive at all, because of a decades-old issue with his depth perception.

Way back in 1980, Keith Olbermann had an accident in which he hit his head on a subway door in New York, and it left him with impaired vision that prevents him from driving as he has no depth perception when moving over 15 miles per hour. There are various ocular conditions that can oaffect depth perception, including amblyopia, optic nerve hypoplasia, and strabismus And if one of your two eyes is damaged, your binocular depth perception will of course be impaired by that.

Here's hoping Keith Olbermann stays healthy from now on.. but it's probably just as well that he doesn't drive, since I imagine he would never want to turn right! (BOOM, thanks I'll be here all week.)

Keith Olbermann & Depth Perception
wikipedia

Olbermann suffers from a mild case of celiac disease,[79] as well as restless legs syndrome.[80] He also suffered a partial loss of depth perception following a head injury from "leaping" on to the NYC subway in August of 1980...

Keith Olbermann & Depth Perception

Another sign of how far we are from an economic recovery: As seen in the photo from the article below, a man named David Rowe in London has resorted to walking down the street wearing a sandwich board, as a last resort for finding a job in the financial sector.

Rowe, a 24-year old recent graduate, found that the shame of this desperate maneuver was outweighed by the debt hanging over his head from his college years, which were supposed to put him in line for a corporate job, but of course in today's climate that path is obstructed.

There are of course many working class people, and folks who didn't get a chance to go to collega at all, that are subjected to even more demeaning activities every day, so they can earn a living and support their family. So there is nothing uniquely tragic about what this young graduate is going through with his sandwich board job hunting. But nonetheless, I respect his perseverance and hope the many people of his generation facing this dilemma will soon see the economy turn around! See the article below for photos and more details on David Rowe.

David Rowe Sandwich-Board Job Hunt

ib times

In a pinstripe suit, silk tie and polished shoes, David Rowe has all the trappings of a successful London city worker, except for one stark difference -- he is wearing a sandwich board that says "JOB WANTED." As he walked down Fleet Street, home to legal firms and investment banks, the 24-year-old history graduate showed the human face behind the "lay-offs" and "recession" headlines...

David Rowe Sandwich-Board Job Hunt

In a story that is both dreadful and difficult to believe, news reports from India say a local man in Bengal gave his own daughter away in a card game.

Gambling is illegal in India but according to the reports it still thrives among the country's poorer citizens (a situation that is perhaps not entirely unlike our American lottery system). Apparently the father, using the term loosely, had lost all his money, and went in on an double-or-nothing bet of sorts by putting up his daughter. Obviously he lost that bet as well, and the other man dragged the young girl away against her will, so the story goes.

The reports I saw about this were low on details, and it's difficult to believe a man would really put up his daughter in a card game, but I suppose it could be true. If so, I hope the Indian authorities are on point in tracking her down and finding a good home for her, which would probably not be with either of these gambling men.

Man Loses Daughter in Card Game
brisbane times

A father in eastern India gave away his teenage daughter to a fellow gambler after he lost a card game, media reported on Sunday, with police launching a hunt to retrieve the girl. Ismail Sheikh, from a village in West Bengal, used his 18-year-old daughter as a stake after he lost all his money...

Man Loses Daughter in Card Game

The list of 2010's nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is out, and among the all-star names are Kiss, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and LL Cool J (who still looks young to be a hall-of-famer!)

LL Cool J would be the third Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee representing hip-hop, after Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five and Run-DMC, and deseredly so. Other nominees include The Stooges, who deserve to get in for "I Wanna Be Your Dog" alone, Jimmy Cliff who deseres it for making a movie as kickass as "The Harder They Come", Darlene Love, Kanye West;s favorite sample source Laura Nyro, the Chantels, the Hollies and ABBA.

All these names are worthy, but I'll be rooting for LL most of all! What about you? I sort of want Kiss to lose just because it would be fun to hear Gene Simmons keep complaining about it.

2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees: Kiss, LL Cool J, the Red Hot Chili Peppers
rolling stone

The ballot for next year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class is one of the most diverse ever and includes Red Hot Chili Peppers, LL Cool J, Kiss and Genesis,,,This is Kiss' first time on the ballot, and their wait for a nod has frustrated the band and its army of fans. "There are disco bands, rap bands, Yiddish folk song bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but not Kiss," Gene Simmons said last year...

2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees: Kiss, LL Cool J, the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Ann Minch is a hero today, for the millions of Americans who've been mistreated by banks and credit card companies. After staging a Youtube rebellion against Bank of America, she has now gotten a deal to reverse their unfair interest rate increases.

Minch became an internet sensation after taking to Youtube with her story of the ridiculous interest-rate hike, which was then picked up by the Huffington Post, and then other media outlets. And then, as is all too often the case, Bank of America suddenly found a different perspective after their shady treatment was getting too much attention. This week they called and "negotiated" back down to the rate she already had.

Now if only the banks would give fair treatment to those of us who aren't getting a million views on Youtube!

Ann Minch and YouTube Bank of America Deal
huff post

Two weeks ago, Ann Minch of Red Bluff, Calif. announced in a YouTube video that she'd launched a one-woman "Debtors' Revolt" and would refuse to pay off her credit card balance after an unfair interest-rate hike. Now, after her video made a huge splash, Bank of America has agreed to reduce her rate.

Ann Minch and YouTube Bank of America Deal

Sports fans always say they want a refund after a crappy game, but for Oregon fan Tony Seminary it actually happened, when Oregon's coach sent Tony a full refund!

After his beloved Oregon Ducks lost their college football season opener to Boise St., loyal fan emailed an invoice to their coach, demanding a refund for the game, which ended in disgrace after their star player LeGarrett Blount punched out an opposing player and subsequently got banned for the season.

Tony Seminary sent a demand for $439 in traveling expenses, and this week he was shocked to find a check in the mail from the coach, for $439! Seminary proed himself just as much a class act as the coach, sending the check backk instead of depositing it, with a thank-you note to the Oregon coach for his gesture.

Oregon Coach & Tony Seminary
syracuse.com

Oregon lost its season opener to Boise State on September 3, during which star running back LeGarrett Blount's behavior got him suspended for the rest of the season. Alumnus and longtime fan Tony Seminary was so disgusted, he emailed an invoice to coach Kelly for $439 in travel expenses...

Oregon Coach & Tony Seminary

An Arkansas woman shocked both here family and her doctors when tests found she is expecting two babies, but babies that are not twins, and were apparently conceived at two different times.

Her doctors believe that Julia Grovenburg conceived her first child, and then another one several weeks later, in a rare medical occurence known as "superfetation", in which a woman basically gets pregnant again while she's already pregnant. Medical experts say this is extremely rare, and has only ever been seen less than a dozen times, but the ultrasounds look like this might be that one in a billion case!

If it is indeed one of these "double pregnancies", the babies will each have a separate due date and not be considered identical or fraternal twins. Doctors won't be able to tell for sure until after childbirth whether the Arkansas woman really was impregnated twice somehow, or there is some other explanation. Either way heere's hoping for two healthy and happy babies!

Arkansas Woman Expecting Two, But Not Twins! (Superfetation)
abc news

A pregnant woman in Arkansas surprised doctors twice over when she went in for a routine ultrasound this June. Doctors successfully located Todd and Julia Grovenburg's growing baby girl Jillian, but then discovered another smaller baby -- what could be Jillian's younger brother -- growing beside her...

Arkansas Woman Expecting Two, But Not Twins! (Superfetation)

Ok this is very cool and creepy at the same time. A new cooking product named the Cocoon claims that it grows meat in your kitchen, when you use it to heat up a packet that contains muscle cells, nutrients and oxygen,

The product, winner of the Electrolux design competition, is said to produce something just like real meat from this collection of cells whatever else comes in the packet, as seen in the photo in the article linked below. The creators hope this can help provide food for starving peoples around the world, and address hunger issues in various parts of the world. Unfortunately, reading about it means I will never eat again.

Cocoon Cooker Grows Meat
daily mail

A controversial cooker that 'grows' meat and fish by heating animal cells in your kitchen claimed first prize in the Electrolux design competition tonight. The invention, called Cocoon, could develop food with the make-up and nutrients of real meat. Mr Hederstierna, 27, said: 'This will create 100 per cent pure meat without the need for animals to be killed and with no risk of contamination. It will change everything...'

Cocoon Cooker Grows Meat

A woman in Chicago is seeking offline justice for her son's online abuse, as she sues over the fake Facebook profile made of her son.

The fake account mocked her son with racially and sexually derogatory material, and was allegedly posted to Facebook by the son's fellow students. The targets of the lawsuits are not named publicly because of their age.

Good for Janet Cook for standing up for her kid and taking this to court, I hope justice is served and the kids who did this learn how to act right. People think there is no accountability on the internet, and we need more reminders that what you do online is real and can really hurt people.

Woman Sues Over Fake Facebook Profile of Son
chicago news

A mother is fighting back against four youngsters she said created a fake Facebook account of her son, posting racist and sexual information purportedly by him. The mother, Laura Cook, filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court today against the youths identified only by their initials, claiming they purposely defamed her teenage son and damaged his reputation...

Woman Sues Over Fake Facebook Profile of Son

Matt Carson hit his first home run this week, but he won't get to keep the home run ball, thanks to a greedy fan who demanded $10,000 for it!

Traditionally when a baseball fan catches a home-run ball at the stadium and the player would like to have it, the fan gets to exchange it for a signed bat and/or other such memorabilia, but in this case, the unnamed and unprincipled man who caught the home run ball refuses to give itup for anything less than $10,000. So Matt Carson is letting this greedy nincompoop keep the ball and eat it, while keeping the bat he used as his own souvenir.

It's one thing to demand money for a historic home run ball ball hit by a wealthy all-star, but Matt Carson is not rich at all, and was in the minor leagues most of his life. So as far as I'm concerned whoever this fan is needs to learn a thing or two about class.

Matt Carson Home Run Ball: $10,000?

A's outfielder Matt Carson smashed his first big league home run last week, but encountered some trouble when he tried to retrieve the ball from a fan.... Bay Area news reports had the unidentified fan seeking $10,000 for the ball. Carson instead settled for keeping the bat used to hit it....

Matt Carson Home Run Ball: $10,000?

As John Travolta pursues his extortion case, more details are arising about this appalling plot to exploit the death of John Travolta's son Jett.

The trial for this alleged extortion plot is beginning now in the Bamahas capital, Nassau, and it is expected John Travolta himself may testify against the ambulance driver and the former Bahamian senator that are believed to have conspired to blackmail him for millions of dollars. A highly serious crime, for which these people should be prosecuted and placed directly under the jail if they did it. Much respect to John Travolta for finding the courage to tackle this head-on in a court of law, despite all the pain that must come with facing these memories. For more details on the court case, see the article below..

John Travolta Extortion Case
kansascity.com

John Travolta is among the potential witnesses at a Bahamas trial beginning Monday for the extortion case in which two people are accused of trying to extort $25 million from the movie star, according to court officials. An ambulance driver and a former Bahamas senator allegedly targeted Travolta after his chronically ill son died in the Bahamas...

John Travolta Extortion Case

Michael Vick's got nothing on these four British suspect, arrested and jailed or allegedly running the biggest dog-fighting syndicate in Europe.

According to the charges, this syndicate smuggled pit-bulls in from America through an elaborate system, involving a gang in Northern Ireland. Those who were busted in this dog-fighting ring did not receive very long jail sentences, but are also banned from any further animal ownership, and eveyone who ever sees them around town is allowed to kick them in the shins. I made that last part up, but hopefully it will happen.

Four Jailed for Europe Dog-Fighting Syndicate
guardian

Four people have been jailed for their part in one of Europe's largest dog-fighting syndicates. Claire Parker, 44, who was convicted earlier this month of holding dog-fights at her home in Lincolnshire, was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison...

Four Jailed for Europe Dog-Fighting Syndicate

As seen in the video below, many have been wondering whether James May's famous lego home would be on the market for buyers, but tragically the one-of-a-kind house has now been demolished.

The amazing two-story lego house was made for James May and his BBC show Toy Stories, and there were hopes it could be bought by the nearby Legoland and preserved, but it was decided that the cost was too high to preserve the house, and sadly it was knocked down this week as you can see in the photos in the article below.

I wish this lego house could've stayed around forever! but at least we'll have it memorialized in photos and video. The BBC show on the James May's lego house is slated to air in the Spring of 2010.

James May Lego Home on the Market?
apartment therapy

A sad day for LEGO maniacs everywhere! Just a few weeks after its completion, the temporary life-size LEGO home built for an episode of James May's Toy Stories has been dismantled!

James May Lego Home on the Market?

It turns Sarah Palin's long awaited memoir won't be awaited too long at all; publishers announced Palin's debut book will be released on Nov. 17!

The book, entitled "Going Rogue" (no joke), was slated to drop in the spring, but now has been pushed up due to popular demand, or perhaps author impatience. It will be 400 pages, and the publisher is expected to press 1.5 million copies in the first printing, equal to the printings of Ted Kennedy's autobiography.

Sarah Palin's memoir, full title "Going Rogue: An American Life," was apparently co-written with a "collaborator" named Lynn Vincent. Whatever you think of her politics (and to be frank I don't think very much), she is clearly a very bright woman, and will never be accused of being boring! So I'll be checking in on Nov 17th to peek at Sarah Palin's memoir. I mean I probably won't buy it, hardcovers are so expensive! But at least I'll see how much I can get through in a sitting at Barnes & Noble.

Sarah Palin Memoir: Nov. 17
macleans

Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate, has finished her memoir just four months after the book deal was announced, and the release date has been moved up from the spring to Nov. 17, her publisher said...

Sarah Palin Memoir: Nov. 17

Those public school kids who were singing for Obama may want to change their tune when they find out this news: the President is calling for even more days to be added to the school year for America's kids!

President Obama insists that we need to give students more time in school so we can be competitive as a nation and give our children the best possible chance to succeed. no word yet on if he also wants to take away Christmas because his heart is 3 sizes too small.

Serioiusly though, I'm all in favor of improving the educational system and setting high standards for our kids, but one could easily argue that there's lots of work still be done as far as making the schools work better in the days they already have, instead of just adding more days on to the system as is. I'll wait to see the details before I set my mind against it, though.

Obama: Longer School Year?
volunteertv

President Barack Obama is calling for a longer school day or school year. He says he knows it may not be a popular idea, but making American children globally competitive means more schooling is needed...

Obama: Longer School Year?

Paul's Newman's daughter Nell Newman is telling stories about her life with the beloved actor, sharing memories of, among other things, how Paul Newman used to joke about his famous blue eyes.

According to Nell Newman, her father Paul used to joke that one day his blue eyes may turn brown, and then his career would be ruined. She also talked about how Paul Newman took pride in being on Richard Nixon's famous enemies list, which ought to come as no surprise given his strongly held liberal principles that he often acted upon in public life. See the article below for more of Nell Newman's memories of Paul:

Nell Newman & Blue Eyes
cbs13

Paul Newman's daughter says her father liked to joke about his trademark blue eyes, musing that if they turned brown his career might be in jeopardy. Nell Newman's father died a year ago at age 83. She says he considered himself lucky and wanted to give back, leading to his passion for philanthropy...

Nell Newman & Blue Eyes

Toyota announced today a recall of 3.8 million cars...because of a problem with their floor mat!

The vehicles, which include the bestselling Toyota Camry and the famous hybrid Toyota Prius, are said to be at risk of getting the accelerator stuck in the floor mat while you are driving. Toyota advises anyone who alreadty owns these cars to take the floor mat out right away, and don't try to replace it with another mat. Here is the complete list of cars involved, so you can know whether you are affected:

"The recall will affect 2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry, 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon, 2004-2009 Toyota Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350 and 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350."

Please be aware and drive safely! For more detals see the article below.

Toyota Recall: 3.8 Million, Floor Mat
huff post

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will recall 3.8 million vehicles in the United States, the company's largest-ever U.S. recall, to address problems with a removable floor mat that could cause accelerators to get stuck and lead to a crash.

Toyota Recall: 3.8 Million, Floor Mat