tuberaider video

Is this really legal? In England this week a court sent out a legal injunction...via a twitter tweet!

Apparently this person is impersonating a well known British blogger, but because they are anonymous the court decided has no other way of ordering him to cease and desist than sending a message to the twitter account itself.

Experts worry this sets a dubious precedent of being able to send legal notices through twitter, and one must admit this seems like an iffy idea at best. Generally a public figure can simply contact twitter directly to handle impersonators, so I'm not sure why this blogger took the circuitous legal route. And then perhaps his impersonator, if he's really doing it for satirical purposes as seems to be the case, can simply change his name to "fake_version_of_that_guy_who_sued_me" and keep on tweeting.

Court Order Served Via Twitter!

reuters

Britain's High Court ordered its first injunction via Twitter on Thursday, saying the social website and micro-blogging service was the best way to reach an anonymous Tweeter who had been impersonating someone. Solicitors Griffin Law sought the injunction against the micro-blog page www.twitter.com/blaneysblarney arguing it was impersonating right-wing blogger Donal Blaney, the owner of Griffin Law.

Court Order Served Via Twitter!

After their disastrous decision to delete all copies of 1984 from their Kindles, Amazon has reached a deal where it pays for also deleting a student's noted that he had taken on the book.

Amazon had sent out the digital zap and removed 1984 from all Kindles after a legal dispute about the rights to the Orwell book, but the move also deleted any noted that had been taken on the kindlle. So this student also lost his homework notes.

Soon afterwards, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said his company had acted foolishly in deleting 1984 from Kindles, and promised to make it up to customers. So I'm not surprised they quickly came to a settlement with Amazon customers. I still just don't like how these Kindles look though, and wish they didn't have such restrictive DRM setups for their content, but this does make a but more inclined to support!

Amazon Pays for Deleting Student's Book Notes
pc world

Two months after a high school student sued Amazon for removing George Orwell's "1984" from his Kindle e-reader, along with all his notes, Amazon has settled the lawsuit...

Amazon Pays for Deleting student's book notes

In the state of Tamil Nadu in India, hundreds of fossilized dinosaur eggs were found this month, and quite by luck!

The huge scientific find was made as scientists looked into an ancient riverbed. They say the eggs are from the dinosaurs known as the sauropod, one of the very large plant eating species. It is hoped the eggs may gie insight into why dinosaurs went extinct, and more detail about how they lived, as well.

Hundreds of Fossilised Dinosaur Eggs Found in India, Tamil Nadu
BBC

Geologists in southern India say they have found hundreds of dinosaur egg clusters which could be about 65 million years old...Each egg is the size of a football - about 13 to 23cm in diameter, lying buried in sandy nests...

Hundreds of Fossilised Dinosaur Eggs Found in India, Tamil Nadu

The Wall Street Journal has released their list of the hottest & hippest destination cities, AKA the "Net Hot Cities"..is your town's name on the list?

The panelists for the WSJ article say the recession and its ongoing effects will determine what the hot cities are in the future..young people will seek out stable larger cities where the job market will still be stronger, and employment opportunities won't be all dried up. And the list that oh hot, hip destination cities they predicted is as follows:

1) Washington DC
2) Seattle, Washington
3) New York City, New York
4) Portland, Oregon
5) Austin Texas

Better luck next year, Camden!

Hottest, Hippest Destination Cities
wall street journal

Where trendy smaller cities might have captivated youth in the past, today's recession-scarred young people are more pragmatic, placing "greater emphasis on where high-quality, high-paying jobs are created," says Ross DeVol, director of regional economics for the nonprofit Milken Institute...

Hottest, Hippest Destination Cities

You've heard the old joke about con artists trying to sell the Brooklyn Bridge? Well some guys in London almost pulled it off in real life, working a con to "sell" the Ritz London Hotel to some unsuspecting suckers.

The men, who were arrested and are now facing trial, apparently convinced a local businessman that they were somehow in a position to sell the famous hotel, for the lovely price of 250 millions pounds. Their scam played out over several years, but didn't make it to the finish line as Scotland Yard tracked them down. They should have just come to America and sold sub prime mortgages, then their scam would be too big to fail.

Con to Sell Ritz London!
BBC

Three men are to stand trial accused of fraudulently trying to sell the Ritz hotel in central London for £250m.At a hearing at Southwark Crown Court, retired construction manager Patrick Dolan, 67, of Tottenham, north London, denied conspiracy to defraud...

Con to Sell Ritz London!

Looks like Newt Gingrich won't be giving his award to that Texas strip club after all.

Latest reports say the conservative leader realized he was mixing up this club with another one that had a similar name.

Other rumors, though, indicate Gingrich just couldn't figure out how to pay out the entire prize money in singles.

That last sentence was not true.

Gingrich Award; Strip Club
KVIA

A Texas topless club owner says the decision by Newt Gingrich's conservative group to rescind her business award and dinner date is just plain rude. One minute, Dawn Rizos was set to receive an "Entrepreneur of the Year" award for her business acumen from American Solutions for Winning the Future, which the former U.S. House speaker chairs...

Gingrich Award; Strip Club

Remember when your mom told you that weed smoking would never get you anywhere? Now you can apply for this job as a Marijuana-Dispensary reviewer and prove her wrong!

In Denver Colorado, a weekly paper named Westword is looking for someone to review the states outlets for medical marijuana, where the drug, or pardon me, herb, is distributed for people who are suffering from the wide variety of ailments that can be ameliorated when you use marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Many believe cannabis is helpful for glaucoma patients, and pain reduction for various other major illnesses, especially reducing chronic pain, muscle spasms, and nausea. As far as this reviewing job, I'll spare you the obvious jokes about whether you get a per diem for Cheetos, etc, and just pass you on to the article below for details:

Marijuana-Dispensary Reviewer!
CNBC

Westword, an alternative weekly in Denver, is looking for a freelance writer to review marijuana dispensaries. Colorado is one of 13 states that allows the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes for patients who have cancer, HIV, glaucoma, muscle spasms and other conditions involving severe pain...

Marijuana-Dispensary Reviewer!

What do you do with a dad who gives his 7-year-old son a gang tattoo? Prosecutors thought he should face a life sentence, but now a judge has disagreed and given him a more merciful fate. Was this the right choice?

The father, Enrique Gonzalez, gave his seven year old a gang tattoo, and the District Attorney wanted him to face a charge of "aggravated mayhem" which carries a very heavy sentence, but the judge felt this was too harsh and asked for it to be reduced. The men will now face p to seven years for "cruel and inhumane treatment of a child."

Prosecutors still believe life behind bars is what the dad deserves, but defense attorneys say the DA is just serving his own ego b trying to make an example out of the defendant. What do you think is the proper punishment? See the article below for more background on the case:

Dad won't face life sentence for son's tattoo; VIDEO
fox news

A man facing a life sentence for having a quarter-sized gang sign tattooed on his 7-year-old son's hip let out a long sigh Friday when a judge said the act was not aggravated mayhem, a charge normally reserved for crippling attacks...

Dad won't face life sentence for son's tattoo; VIDEO

The Red Sox owner John Henry is all about keeping his business in the family, or so it appears. Affter marrying Linda Pizzuti, he put her in charge of new building plans for Fenway park, replacing the teams vice president Janet Marie Smith who had been in charge.

Nepotism? There's no nepotism in baseball! Supporters of Pizzuti, though, claim it's really Smith whho has a conflict of interest, when it comes to the big money architecture and design project. See the link below for the saucy business details.

Linda Pizzuti & Janet Marie Smith
fox sports

Boston Red Sox' principal owner John Henry's new bride is calling the shots when it comes to the team's development plans at Fenway Park. Sources tell the Herald that Henry benched Janet Marie Smith, the team's vice president for planning and development, just weeks after his June wedding to Linda Pizzuti.

Linda Pizzuti & Janet Marie Smith

Here's the controversial "Save the Boobs" video that scored lots of attention for the issue of breast cancer. It affects millions of women each year, and I say a little sauciness is more than worth it for raising awareness!

"Save the Boobs" Video

Campaign to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month. Boobyball Save The Boobs video in support of ReThink Breast Cancer. Starring Aliya-Jasmine who is a TV Host in Canada and also wrote & created, and was the creative director of the commercial. Boobyball conceived by Ashleigh Dempster & Amanda Blakley to create a new generation of young philanthropists

"Save the Boobs" Video

Oh snap! Lebron James is calling Braylon Edwards out, calling him "childish" for reportedly punching a friend of his at a club.

About the incident, Lebron said ""I've never said anything to Braylon at all. But for him to do that is very childish. My friend is 130 pounds. Seriously. It's like hitting one of my kids. It doesn't make sense." James went on to say Braylon was being childish because has an ongoing isssue with being jealous of Lebron, which was backed up by the statements, from his friend who got hit. But Braylon denies it and says he has nothing but respect for Lebron. I just with Braylon would have punched up his stats a bit more when I had him on my fantasy team. For more details on the story see the article below:

LeBron James; "Childish!"
detnews

LeBron James called Browns receiver Braylon Edwards "childish" for allegedly punching James' friend early Monday morning outside of a Cleveland night club. James said Edwards punched Edward Givens, a friend of James' and a promoter with a Cleveland marketing firm who was working outside the club around 2:30 a.m. EDT...

LeBron James; "Childish!"

A tattoo shop in Colorado named 5280 Tattoo is doing their part to spread breast cancer awareness, through tattoos! Shane Adair and his partners at 5280 are spreading awareness and paying tribute by offering a free pink ribbon tattoo to any breast cancer survivors, and any friends and family of a breast cancer victim.

Great inspiring work from those tattoo artists! Who says tattoos are only for people of ill repute? For more info on Breast Cancer Awareness Month go here. Some info from that site that explains why you should get informed: "According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States last year. Approximately 1,910 new cases are expected in men. The ACS also reports that an estimated 40,610 breast cancer deaths are expected in 2009 (40,170 women, 440 men)."

"5280 Tattoo" & Breast Cancer Awareness
my fox houston

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and one Colorado tattoo parlor is doing something very different to get the word out about the disease. The tattoo shop is offering free pink ribbon tattoos for the entire month...

"5280 Tattoo" & Breast Cancer Awareness

Legendary rapper Method Mad turned himself in this week on a tax charge, accused of failing to pay $33,000 in taxes from 2004 to 2007.

Method Man, of the legendary Wutang Clan and also a successful actor, is charged with repeated failure to file taxes, a felony, and failure to pay tax which is a misdemeanor. Let this be a lesson to all of you out there.. The IRS will give you many chances to pay before they take this step, but they will take this step! And not only with famous rappers. Get a good tax lawyer and take care of this, your attorney will know what to do and hopefully work out a deal so you don't pay the initial amount the IRS asks for.

Method Man; Tax Charge! CNNRapper and actor Clifford Smith, better known to fans as Method Man, was arrested Monday and faces charges of failing to pay taxes, the district attorney in Richmond County, New York, said. Smith, 38, owes the state nearly $33,000 for New York State income tax returns that he did not file between 2004 and 2007, district attorney Daniel Donovan Jr. said in a statement...

Method Man; Tax Charge!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and 181 women went the extra mile for that cause as they decided to sky dive in the name of fighting breast cancer!

The jump, which broke a world record for women's formation sky diving, required 9 different planes to bring all the women together, and many of the skydivers were themselves breast cancer survivors. For more info, and pictures and video, see the article below. Quite an impressive feat for a good cause!

For more info on Breast Cancer Awareness Month check here. This is some info from that site on why you should be aware: "According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States last year. Approximately 1,910 new cases are expected in men. The ACS also reports that an estimated 40,610 breast cancer deaths are expected in 2009 (40,170 women, 440 men)."

181 Women Sky Dive to Fight Breast Cancer
boston.com

181 female skydivers from 31 countries joined together on Sept 25 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time to set a new women's formation skydiving world record and raise over $900,000 for the fight against breast cancer, the most in the event's history. The week-long event was organized to raise funds for City of Hope's breast cancer research...

181 Women Sky Dive to Fight Breast Cancer

A waiter in Hollywood, Jon-Barrett Ingels, says he got fired this week for tweeting about an actress he served!

The actress, Hung co-star Jane Adams, ducked out on her bill and had her agent pay it up two days later, but with no tip. Adams heard about his tweet and a month later came back to give him a nice tip, but then, two weeks after that, she called the restaurant and got him fired! (according to Ingels)

Tough break for the guy, although I didn't like this quote from him:

"I'm a struggling actor too, and I felt like in that moment she lost the sense that I'm trying to do the same thing that's she's doing," Ingels told Slashfood. "I just became the guy that brought her soup."

So in other words, he thinks a waiter who's really an actor deserves respect, but a waiter who's just a waiter doesn't? Sounds like some lame Hollywood elitism to me, and makes his judgmental posts about celebs taste kinda funny.

Still though, if his claim is true that Jane Adams called and got him fired over that tweet (which nobody even saw since he only had about 25 followers at the time), she clearly went way overboard IMO, and needs to get over herself as well. Hollywood is just a bad scene all around, judging by recent news.

Waiter Jon-Barrett Ingels: Fired For Tweeting!
slashfood

A struggling actor is all a-Twitter claiming his celebrity-sighting Tweets cost him his job. Jon-Barrett Ingels, 31, says he worked at Barney Greengrass, and was fired for tweeting about a visit from Hung star Jane Adams...

Waiter Jon-Barrett Ingels: Fired For Tweeting!

Brett Favre made history yet again last night, as hsi win over his old team the Green Bay Packers made him the first quarterback to beat all 32 NFL teams!

The landmark came in a thrilling 30-23 game, that saw him going neck-and-neck with his Green Bay replacement Aaron Rodgers, and drew so much excitement it was not just the NFL's highest rated football telecast of the week, was the highest rated program in cable tv history! It drew in 21 million viewers. See the video below for Brett Favre's reaction as he was told about being the first to beat all 32 NFL teams.

Say what you will about Favre's melodramatic retirements and unretirements, but the man can still play! Invredible performance for a QB of any age, much less one who's about to turn 40. Congratulations to the man.

Brett Favre Beat All 32 NFL Teams! (VIDEO)
Fox 47

Brett Favre added another feat to his overflowing resume. He's the first quarterback in history to beat all 32 NFL teams. And, he saved the best for last - the Green Bay Packers...

Favre beats the Packers - Post Game Interview

Brett Favre Beat All 32 NFL Teams! (VIDEO)

Reggie Jackson was always known as Mr. October, and now he'll be the star of the month once again, as he takes over satellite radio with a show named "October Nights."

Reggie's show will be a call-in show that airs throughout the major league baseball postseason, with Reggie given his outspoken opinion on all the events up through the World Series. October Nights will air on Sirius XM Radio, tuesday nights.

Hopefully he won't emulate the other top radio hosts of the day, and start blaming every bad call on ACORN, and claiming Derek Jeter doesn't have an American birth certificate or anything like that.

Reggie Jackson "October Nights"
CNBC

Mr. October will host a radio call-in show during the baseball playoffs. Reggie Jackson will serve as co-host of "October Nights" on Sirius XM Radio each Tuesday for six weeks starting Oct. 6. The Hall of Fame slugger and Bill Pidto will take calls from listeners during the two-hour satellite radio show...

Reggie Jackson "October Nights"

Senator John Ensign has been called a lotof things lately, but hero hasn't been one of them..until now, as an advocacy group has declared John Ensign their "Taxpayer Hero" for 2009.

John Ensign has been in the news lately for the scandal around his extramarital affair with a staff member, but the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is lauding him for what they see as his efforts to lessen the tax burden on citizens, and looking out for taxpayers sby keeping government spending down, especially the "pork" that John McCain also railed against in his campaign. for more details see the article below:

John Ensign: Taxpayer Hero?
Forbes

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today honored Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) as a Taxpayer Hero for scoring 95 percent on its 2008 Congressional Ratings...Since 1989, CCAGW has tracked roll call votes to separate the taxpayer advocates in Congress from those who favor wasteful programs and pork-barrel spending...

John Ensign: Taxpayer Hero?

A man in Saudi Arabia, is facing 5 years in prison, and 1,000 lashes, for the crime of discussing his sex life on television.

Saudi Arabia is extremely conservative country, and this sort of public talk is a major offense. The man, Mazen Abdul-Jawad, says he would never have spoken this way if he knew he was being recorded, and he says the Lebanese show that broadcast his banter duped him into participating.

Hard to imagine this happening, as we Americans read about it from a country where it's practically illegal not to talk about your sex life when you're on TV. But in Saudi Arabia there are many repressive laws like this, sadly. The man is still hoping to appeal, and I hope he is able to avoid such a harsh punishment as 5 years and 1,000 lashes. If anything, this is who Harvey Weinstein and alll his friends should be signing petitions for.

Saudi Gets 5 Years, 1,000 Lashes for TV Sex Talk
foxnews

A Saudi court on Wednesday convicted a man for publicly talking about sex after he bragged on a TV talk show about his exploits, sentencing him to five years in jail and 1,000 lashes, his lawyer said. Talking about sex publicly is a taboo in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia...

Saudi Gets 5 Years, 1,000 Lashes for TV Sex Talk

Sonia Sotomayor is finally settling in to get on the job and start making history. The new Supreme Court term is now in full effect, and the first latina Supreme Court justice is ready to be in the thick of things.

AS the new term starts on Monday Sotomayor and her 8 fellow robe wearers will be taking on a variety of contentious legal cases, sure to have lawyers and laymen alike on the edge of their seats. A majot case about gun control laws is expected to hit their laps soon, as well as a case about how long a suspect has to request an attorney.

After all the hype about whether she's a radical or a troublemaker, the proof will now be in the pudding! I think Sonia Sotomayor will fare better in the new supreme court term than her haters expected, and be a moderate liberal that doesn't make as many waves as conservatives feared...and also not as many waves as progressives hoped. But you never know!

Sonia Sotomayor & the New Supreme Court Term
WHEC

The Supreme Court is beginning its new term with a new look. When the top U.S. court convenes Monday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic justice, will join the eight others...

Sonia Sotomayor & the New Supreme Court Term

Sonia Sotomayor is getting started with her first term on the Supreme Court, and so far she seems more than capable of playing in the big leagues. But there has been one weak point she may need to work on: remembering to turn on her microphone!

Several times during her first appearances with the court, she forgot to turn her microphone on before answering questions, and had to start over and answer again after switching it on. But hey, if this is the biggest problem she has i nher first term, I'd say that's a pretty good track record! More more details on her debut in the court, see the article linked below:

Sotomayor Forgot to Turn on Her Microphone
Sun Times

Sotomayor, who was confirmed as the replacement for retired Justice David Souter during the summer, jumped into the questioning early and often. The newest justice peppered the arguing lawyers with as many questions as her eight more experienced colleagues, although a couple of times she forgot to turn her microphone on and had to repeat her questions...

Sotomayor Forgot to Turn on Her Microphone

Bob Barker decided a high price is right when it comes to helping treat brain injuries, as he signs on to donate $3 Million to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

Barker's $3 Million dollar donation will go to help the group build a new treatment center for brain injuries. Being a WW2 veretan himself, Barker is sensitive to veterans and others the Heroes Fund helps, who suffered brain injuries and other serious ailments after their service to the country. Bravo to him for helping!

Bob Barker: $3 Million for Brain Cancer!
GMA

Bob Barker, famed TV icon and former host of "The Price Is Right," has given $3 million to finish funding the construction of a new hospital in Bethesda, Md., to care for the brain injuries of military personnel. Barker, a naval aviator who served during World War II, contacted the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund last week after learning that it was struggling to come up with the last $3 million for the new treatment center...

Bob Barker: $3 Million for Brain Cancer!

If you like big cans of beer, or little bottles of liquor, stay out of Arlington Heights! That's the message the town is trying to send with their proposed beer cannn ban.

The town's officials say they need to reduce fighting and litter on the streets, and that certain sizes of alcohol cans and bottles are most often sold to problem drinkers that get into trouble. But local vendors say this is unfair and it makes no sense to ban some sizes and not others.. plus the town wull just lose customers to neighboring towns. For more info see the article below:

Beer-Can Ban: Arlington Heights (VIDEO)
WBBM

There's a beer and liquor battle brewing in Arlington Heights. Village officials want to ban certain serving sizes. That would limit what stores can sell. At least one owner isn't happy about it...

Beer-Can Ban: Arlington Heights (VIDEO)

Before each olympics the International Olympic Committee decides if they will let new sports in...is it possible they are about to let golf become an olympic sport next time around?

2016 woukd be the year that Golf, as well as possibly rugby, would join the annals of olympics sport, and many are excited by the idea but other sports people are offended and want to oppose these new athletic forms being added. England's daily telegrapph says this is only a scheme by the golf industry to expand the sport internationally so they can make more money.

But others say some golf clubs and caddies would be a good addition to the olympic games, including a top advocate in Ireland, Padraig Harrington. He hopes to be the Irish representative and is arguing hard for Gold to taje its rightful place alongside, curling, badminton and all the other sports that don't even really seem like actual sports but still get into the olympics. Seriously though, best of luck to them, I'd love to see Tiger Woods stick it out and get an olympic gold medal!

Golf at the International Olympic Committee?
independent

Padraig Harrington's belief in the Olympic ideal and his burning desire to one day represent his country at the Games will play a key role as golf's campaign to regain admission to the Olympic family comes to a climax in Copenhagen today...

Golf at the International Olympic Committee?

Pretty much everyone thinks their town's airport is the worst for flight delays, or at least everyone here in NY does. But now study is out with the oficial results on the worst metro areas for flight delays. So what's the verdict?? See below for the lowdown.

I'm looking now and, turns out New York actually did come out as the worst! I swear I hadn't seen that yet when I wrote that first sentence. The research in airline delays at various airports was done by the well respected Brookings Institution, and showed NY airports have gotten progressively worse with their flight delays in recent years. So i you are a tourist looking for the best deal and most convenient plan for your trip, you might want to move to Boston, or Philadelphia maybe? That is, if you don't mind living in a town that's nowhere near as cool as NY in almost everyother way :)

Worst Metro Areas for Flight Delays

newsday

Airline delays, twice as common today compared with 1990, will worsen as the economy recovers, according to a report issued this week by the Brookings Institution. The report found New York to be the worst metro area in the country when it comes to late flights, not surprising news to frequent travelers. Average arrival delays into New York airports is 68.6 minutes, an increase of 22.1 percent over the past 10 years - and a 19.1 percent increase in the past five...

Worst Metro Areas for Flight Delays

Barack Obama's surprising win of the Nobel Peace Prize has everybody talking, but how unusual is it for a president to win the prize? As turns out, quite a number of other presidents have won the honor during their term, including Carter, Roosevelt and WIlson.

As seen in the article below. Jimmy Carter won the prize long after his presidency, in 2002, or his tireless efforts towards diplomacy since he left office. Woodrow Wilson won for his work in 1919 relating to World War 1, and Teddy roosevelt won in 1905 for his role in ending the war between Japan and Russia.

So it could be fair to say that these other presidents won the Nobel prize for concrete achievements, where Obama seems to have won more for what he represents in a different sense, and the potential he embodies..I think he was right to take this award as a "call to action" and I hope the rest of his term will prove worthy of the prize, and that he proves the haters wrong..

Presidents Who Have Won Nobel? Carter, Roosevelt, Wilson...
dailynews

Barack Obama on Friday became the fourth U.S. president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Here are some details about the other three..

Presidents Who Have Won Nobel? Carter, Roosevelt, Wilson...

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels got quite a shock kin the middle of the game, as he walked off the mound to the news that his wife was in labor!

Hamels' wife sent a text message to the team's manager, saying that she was in labor and to please tell Cole after he was done pitching. Luckily the team was apparently ready to take him out of the game anyway, so they pinch hit fofr him in the next inning and immediately broke the news, after which he darted upstairs out of the dugout and slid headfirst into the maternity ward! Best of luck to Cole and his wife on a happy and healthy newborn!

Cole Hamels Wife in Labor
thaindian

Cole Hamels' wife, Heidi sent a text at 4:07 pm to Frank Coppenbarger which read as, "I'm in the hospital going into labor. Could you please tell Cole as soon as he is done pitching"...

Cole Hamels Wife in Labor

Edgar Allan Poe died 150 years ago this year, but he's still never gotten a proper funeral! But the city of Baltimore, where he died is about to change that.

Poe died under mysterious circumstances at te age of 40, suddenly appearing in Baltimore stricken both physically and mentally and too inchoherent to explain what had happened to him. A week alter he died, but his family never sent out the word to the public that he had passed, so his funeral had almost nobody there.

But in 2009 Baltimore's Edgar Allan Poe funeral will finally go out in the grand fashion he deserves. Injustive to Poe? Nevermore! Sorry, I had to.

Edgar Allan Poe Funeral!
sfgate

For Edgar Allan Poe, 2009 has been a better year than 1849. After dozens of events in several cities to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth, he's about to get the grand funeral that a writer of his stature should have received when he died....

Edgar Allan Poe Funeral!

What a tragic story. A woman in Pennsylvania died this week after being attacked by the pet bear she had taken in as her own. The woman, Kelly Ann Walz, was found in the cage she had for the bear, which she was apparently cleaning at the time of the attack.

This storyof a pet vbear attacknig a woman would seem to raise questions about the safety and legality of owning a bear, but apparently this was fully legal and the woman was regularly inspected by the state and approved. For more details see the article below:

Pet bear Kills Woman
upi

Police say they're investigating the death of a Pennsylvania woman who was apparently killed by her pet bear. State Police confirmed Kelly Ann Walz, 37, of Ross Township, Pa., died Sunday while feeding and cleaning out the cage of her pet 350 pound black bear...

Pet bear Kills Woman

Are you goi ng to get in trouble for writing or drawing on your dollar bills? What about dissolving the face of a coin in the science lab? Here's the scoop on whether it is illegal to deface money:

It is indeed illegal to deface money, and here is the specific wording of the law:

"Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or
unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill,
draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking
association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System,
with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence
of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or
imprisoned not more than six months, or both."

My understanding of this, though, is since it talks specifically about defacing with intent to make the bill unfit to reuse, it only applies to actually ripping up the bills or other actions that make it unusable, not simply writing or drawing on it in a way that leaves the dollar bill intact, and doesnt obscure which kind of bill it is. For more info see below:

Illegal to Deface Money?
google answers

Defacing US currency is indeed illegal. Defacement of currency in such
a way that it is made unfit for circulation comes under the
jurisdiction of the United States Secret Service...

Illegal to Deface Money?

In these daunting economic times, it's hard for anything to seem safe and certain in the financial world. So after I read the expert advice on MSN.com, where should I invest my money?

I'll skip the obvious jokes, that you should probably invest MIcrosoft money in things like virus protection software, and just give some concise advice on the best investment strategies, as provided by bankaholic:

1. Open money market / high interest savings accounts - minium balance required, but safe short-term profit.

2. Treasuries - fully backed by the government (for whatever that's worth nowadays).

3.Certificates of Deposit. - Guaranteed safe by your bank (for whatever that's worth nowadays). You'll have to pay heavy for early withdrawal.

4. 401k Plans -
If your employer offers a 401k plan then you'd be wise to invest in it. This is your money that you put in on a pre-tax basis. Within your plan you can choose what funds you want to invest in. Whether you're willing to assume risk or need stable funds you'll find them in your overall plan.

5. Mutual funds - a little risky and brings extra fees but can be good profit.

6. Savings bonds - not much return, but no risk either

For more detailed breakdown, see the link below:

Where Should I invest My MSN Money?
bankaholic

With the stock market in such a volatile state these days, it's tempting to dig a hole in your backyard and bury your savings. This way you'd at least know where your money is at all times and how it's performing for you...

Where Should I invest My MSN Money?

The President's Cup Golf event is in San Francisco this year, and the American team is doing their home country proud so far!

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson and the other US golf all-stars have the US team up by three over the international golf club swingers. Judging by the reaction to Obama's prize this week, we're apparently supposed to be mad when Americans win something, but I still hope our boys come out on top! For more details see the article below:

Presidents Cup in San Francisco
azstarnet

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker were perfect as Presidents Cup partners, and they got enough help from everyone else Saturday to put the Americans in position to stay perfect on home soil, with an improbable rally by Woods in the morning, and pure putting by Stricker in the afternoon...

Presidents Cup in San Francisco

Top conservative pundits Rush Limbaugh and Joe Scarborough got knee deep into hip-hop style beef this week!

Rush Limbaugh said about MSNBC's Scarborough that he is "doing his best impression of a neutered chickified moderate" when Joe critiqued Rush's mockery of Chicago's losing Olympic bid.

Meanwhile Joe Scarborough said about Limbaugh:

"you've got all these people that sat there and said nothing while Republicans darted recklessly left with their spending, and suddenly they are the arbiters of who's conservative. And you can only be conservative by being intolerant, by waving your arms around, by screaming, by calling the President a racist or a Nazi or a communist. Come on!"

For more details on the Rush Limbaugh vs. Scarborough beef see the link below. I think I'd have to side with Joe Scarborough on this one.

Rush Limbaugh & Scarborough Beef! huff post

Rush Limbaugh & Scarborough Beef!

Obama's been getting lots of heat from conservatives, but now he's getting kind words as well! Jeb Bush this week said Obama is doing a great job, at least when it comes to his education policies.

Jeb Bush was especially positive about Obama's willingness to disagree with the teacher's union:

"I didn't know at the beginning that that would be the case, but it's happened and I think it's really important for people to be supportive, and if there's common ground, to express it, so kudos to the president for focusing on children first..."

It's good to see some right-wingers staying on the high road, I hope others can learn from Jeb Bush's example here! for more detail see the link below:

Jeb Bush: Obama Is Winning On Education!
abcnews

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) lavished praise on President Barack Obama's education policies on Thursday, telling ABC News that the Democrat who succeeded his brother in the White House has broken from the teachers' unions and should be applauded by conservatives...

Jeb Bush: Obama Thumbs Up!

Binge drinking is a major issue at campuses across the country, and has been for a long time, but now health advocates are trying to turn that around with a new "Red Watch" campaign.

The campaign to spread awareness about the health risks of binge drinking, which can sometimes be fatal and causes quite a few deaths each year among young people, gives out the red watch band after kids complete a training program, after which they are ready to help their friends avoid binge drinking. For more info, see below:

"Red Watch" Friends
msnbc

Health advocates are hoping that a cheap red watch worn by college students like Alicia Nelson will become the new fashion trend on campus this fall. The watches are part of the latest effort to counter the toll of binge drinking, a deeply entrenched problem at many colleges nationwide that appears to be getting worse...

"Red Watch" Friends

Here it is, tonight's world premiere of the new Michael Jackson single "This Is It"! Below are the complete audio of the song and the full lyrics:

Michael Jackson "This Is It" - Audio

Michael Jackson "This Is It" - Audio

Michael Jackson "This Is It" Lyrics

This is it, here I stand
I'm the light of the world, I feel grand
Got this love I can feel
And I know yes for sure it is real

And it feels as though I've seen your face a thousand times
And you said you really know me too yourself [?]
And I know that you have got addicted with your eyes [?]
But you say you gonna live it for yourself. [?]

I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan
I never thught that I would be your lover
C'mon baby, just understand

This is it, I can say,
I'm the light of the world, run away [?]
We can feel, this is real
Every time I'm in love that I feel

Michael Jackson "This Is It" Full Lyrics

And I feel as though I've known you since 1,000 years
And you tell me that you've seen my face before.
And you said to me you don't wnat me hanging round
Many times, wanna do it here before [?]

I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan
I never thught that I would be your lover
C'mon baby, just understand

This is it, I can feel
I'm the light of the world, this is real
Feel my song, we can say
And I tell you I feel that way

Michael Jackson "This Is It" Lyrics

And I feel as though I've known you for a thousand years
And you said you want some of this yourself
And you said won't you go with me, on a while
And I know that it's really cool myself

I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan
I never thught that I would be your lover
C'mon baby, just understand

I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan
I never thught that I would be your lover
C'mon baby, just understand

Michael Jackson "This Is It" Lyrics

The moment of truth us at hand for President Obama's health overhaul, as we see the Senate vote tuesday from one of the most import ant commitees overseeing the health care reform process.

It's been a tough road for Obama in this battle to bring America better health care and affordable life insurance plans, but affordable insurance and medical treatment may be one step closer after this vote by the Senate Finance Committee. But as critics like Bill Moyers point out, this process may fall short of what America needs, thanks to the influence of big money and lobbyists. See the article and video below for more analysis:

Health Overhaul Vote Tuesday
msnbc

Buoyed by a new congressional report boosting President Barack Obama's prospects for overhauling the U.S. health care system, Senate leaders on Thursday scheduled a key committee vote.

Health Overhaul Vote Tuesday

After making so much history there, Jersey's patron saint Bruce Springsteen is giving a final concert to help bid Giants Stadium Farewell!

60,000 plus fans rocked out to all the Springsteen classics as only a Jersey music loving crowd can, saying a raucous goodbye to the historic arena. Boy do I wish I'd had concert tickets for this one! But you can see highlights in the video below, and a blow by blow description of this rock concert for the ages in the article linked down there:

Bruce Springsteen Giants stadium Farewell! (VIDEO)
my central jersey

Nearly 60,000 people turned out Friday night to help Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band bid a fond farewell to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford. To celebrate the occasion, Springsteen performed the fan favorite "Spirit in the Night" early on...

Bruce Springsteen Giants stadium Farewell! (VIDEO)

The President is single! The president on 24, that is. Cherry Jones, who plays the President on 24, has confirmed her real-life split with longtime partner Sarah Paulson.

Sad news, but they say they are still close and it was an amicable split. And according to Jones she is now single for the first time in 29 years.. hope she enjoys it. Below is a vieo of them together, that makes me feel sad to watch now but is still very sweet. Best of luck to both of them in their next relationships, and their friendship with each other..

Cherry Jones Split Up!

Actress Cherry Jones has split with longtime girlfriend Sarah Paulson, she tells Usmagazine.com. "We're not together anymore, but we're still dearest of friends," she told Us Thursday at the Broadway opening night of The Royal Family in New York City.

Cherry Jones Split Up!

Tori Spelling has always made people talk, but lately it was for the wrong reasons as everyone wondered, "what's going on with Tori Spelling's weight?"

Many were reporting that she now weighed less than 100 pounds, sparking worries about her health and eating habits, and wonders about her having some sort of eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia, or some other medical conditions.

But Now Tori Spelling has gone where all celebrities go for important business, twitter, and cleared the air about her own weight problems, or lack thereof, to hear her tell it. She says there;s no truth to alll these whispe

rs, and she's doing just fine...

Tori Spelling Weight!? (VIDEO)
hollywood gossip

Tori Spelling does NOT weigh 95 pounds. Got that, celebrity gossip readers? Yeesh. The 90210 alum clarified this Thursday, stating she weighs a healthy 107! ...That reputable publication said Donna Martin collapsed and was rushed to the ER for being exhausted, emaciated and drastically underweight at 95 pounds. Tori took to Twitter to set the record straight....

Tori Spelling Weight!? (VIDEO)

Here are the full lyrics of the new Michael Jackson single "This Is It":
------------------------

Michael Jackson "This Is It" Lyrics

This is it, here I stand
I'm the light of the world, I feel grand
Got this love I can feel
And I know yes for sure it is real

And it feels as though I've seen your face a thousand times
And you said you really know me too yourself [?]
And I know that you have got addicted with your eyes [?]
But you say you gonna live it for yourself. [?]

I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan
I never thught that I would be your lover
C'mon baby, just understand

Michael Jackson "This Is It" Full Lyrics

This is it, I can say,
I'm the light of the world, run away [?]
We can feel, this is real
Every time I'm in love that I feel

And I feel as though I've known you since 1,000 years
And you tell me that you've seen my face before.
And you said to me you don't wnat me hanging round
Many times, wanna do it here before [?]

I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan
I never thught that I would be your lover
C'mon baby, just understand

Michael Jackson "This Is It" Lyrics

This is it, I can feel
I'm the light of the world, this is real
Feel my song, we can say
And I tell you I feel that way

And I feel as though I've known you for a thousand years
And you said you want some of this yourself
And you said won't you go with me, on a while
And I know that it's really cool myself

I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan
I never thught that I would be your lover
C'mon baby, just understand

I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan
I never thught that I would be your lover
C'mon baby, just understand

Michael Jackson "This Is It" Lyrics

Michael Jackson "This Is It" - Audio

Michael Jackson "This Is It" - Audio

Wondering whether the post office is open on Columbus Day? Well the answer i, yes and no. Here's the full scoop on how Columbus Day fits into USPS holidays, straight from the source:

USPS Holidays: Columbus Day USPS.com

United States Postal Service operations will be limited Monday, October 8, 2007, in observance of the Columbus Day holiday. Postal operations on the holiday will be as follows:

* There will be no regular home delivery, however, postal employees will be delivering Express Mail items.

* There will be no retail window service at any United States Postal Service station or branch.

* Customers using a debit or credit card can utilize the Automated Postal Centers at eight Indianapolis locations - Bacon, Castleton, Eagle Creek, Main Post Office, New Augusta, Nora, Park Fletcher and Southport. Other nearby cities with Automated Postal Centers are Bedford, Bloomington (Main and Woodbridge), Brownsburg, Carmel, Columbus, Fishers, Greenwood, Kokomo, Lafayette, Logansport, Noblesville, Plainfield, Richmond, Terre Haute, West Lafayette, Westfield and Zionsville. Automated Postal Centers are available 24 hours daily, every day of the week, including holidays and can conduct 80% of transactions available at postal retail counters such as mailing packages and purchasing postage.

* Mail delivery will resume on Tuesday, October 9, 2007.

USPS Holidays: Columbus Day

After all his tax troubles (and "Blade Trinity"), now it turns out Wesley Snipes may also have been the victim of a ponzi scheme.

According to the NY Post Wesley Snipes was also a victim of a ponzi scheme, carried out by a Scamming British investment firm. Who was giving Wesley Snipes financial advice all this time? His tax troubles are downright bizarre, with him allegedly claiming that some obscure legal technicality meant he didn't have to pay taxes, and claiming he was a "non resident alien" whatever that means, even though he is a US citizen and was born here.

He's still out on bail from those original tac charges while he appeals, so more unflattering news can't be welcome for Snipes. But at least this time the accusation is that he's the victim of a ripoff, and not the one ripping off the government

Wesley Snipes: Ponzi Scheme Victim?
nypost

A court case in Britain has revealed that Snipes may have lost millions of dollars in an alleged Ponzi scheme. Lincoln Fraser and Jared Brook, the two former bosses of a now-defunct British investment firm Imperial Consolidated, went on trial in London at the end of last month accused of defrauding as many as 3,000 victims out of nearly $400 million...

Here is a video from the coverage of his previous money worries:

Wesley Snipes: Ponzi Scheme Victim?

Pope Benedict XVI chose 5 Catholics to be granted sainthood this week, including a famous priest from the 1800s who devoted his life to living with lepers and caring for them after the world had made them outcasts.

The priest, Jozef De Veuster AKA Father Damien, was from Belgium but worked in Hawaii with the lepers and had long been considered a candidate for sainthood. Several others who gave care to the sick and the elderly were also made saints by the church. (So perhaps if the govt gets a really good health care bill through... okay probably not.)

The process for becoming a Catholic saint, known as canonization, has evolved over the centuries to make sure no fictional folk heroes are canonized by the church. But this story of the priest who lived lepers seems to be entirely true, and certainly worthy of making him a saint! Hopefully we can all take inspiration from him and be kinder to those around us when our first instinct is to back away.

Priest Who Lived With Lepers a Saint
boston herald

A 19th-century priest who courageously worked with lepers in Hawaii was elevated to sainthood yesterday by Pope Benedict XVI, along with four other Catholics... Belgium-born Jozef De Veuster, also known as Father Damien, who himself died from leprosy in 1889 after contracting the disease while working with ostracized patients...

Priest Who Lived With Lepers a Saint

Have you ever wondered why donuts have holes? Here's a donut hole history that will answer that question for you:

Here's the story as told by essortment.com:

In every country that makes bread , there arises the question of what to do with the leftover scraps of dough. In England, they dropped the bits into soup or water, and made dumplings. But in Holland and in Germany, cooks dropped the extra into boiling oil, and made fry-cakes, or olie-koecken. The Dutch fancied up their leftovers a bit more by shaping them into decorative knots (dough knots), and rolling in sugar afterwards...

So it looks like the hole just came from tying the dough into a knot! But not so fast, bcause residents of Rockport, Maine claim it was their town that invented doughnuts, as he got tired of waiting for the center part to finish cooking. (I wish I could do the same by cutting the middle out of a pot of rice!) For more on the controversial history of donut holes see the article below:

Donut Hole History
essortment.com

In any doughnut case there are yeast style and cake style. The yeast type is closer to its origins as leftover bread. This version is deceptively light, with a good deal of air between the layers. The cake style on the other hand, with a heavy, dense body, was a later development-essentially fried cake dough. ...

Donut Hole History

We've all seen the coverage on tv of angry Americans in this recession, but just how angry are they, and why are they so angry?

Well according to the latest polls, a whopping 66% say they are angry about the state of the economy and how the government is handling it with their financial advice and policies. And 60% say neither party has the right answers on this economic recession, according to the Rasmussen poll.

The difficulty of job hunting as unemployment rates rise is a key factor in people's anger, among many other concerns around balancing your budget and feeding your family. For more details on how the American public is feeling right now, see the article below:

Recession & Angry Americans
rasmussen

Opposition to the health care plan proposed by the president and congressional Democrats has now hit a new high. Voters continue to oppose the government bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler, and opposition has grown to the president's plan for greater government regulation of the financial sector...

Recession & Angry Americans

France has begun investigating syringes that were found during the Tour de France, but despite rumors to the contrary prosecuors have not said the Lance Armstrong team is being investigated for the syringes found.

Even though Lance Armstrong is unquestionably a hero for his triumph over cancer and tireless work to help others, many still perpetuate questions about the cycling legend and his possible use of performance enhancing drugs. So naturally many will just assume this case is about Lance Armstrong, but until I see proof, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

Armstrong Team Investigated: Syringes Found?
sports illustrated

French prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation to examine syringes found in medical waste containers during the Tour de France.

The case was opened after the discovery of several suspicious syringes in a container given by organizers to all the teams to collect medical waste, the Paris prosecutors office said Tuesday..

Armstrong Team Investigated: Syringes Found?

Everyone is aware of the financial toll of this recession that's been hammering Americans, but studies say there's also a very real emotional toll to the recession, that can affect our mental and physical health as we struggle to make ends meet.

According to business week, "the economic downturn could lead to higher crime, divorce, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, and suicide" as the stress of dealing with unemployment, debt and other financial hardship became impossible to bear.

If you are in this position, please think about using the many free resources out there like save.org, and get some help so you can keep your head up and make it through this!

Emotional Toll of Recession

business week

The federal government and nonprofit advocacy groups are getting the word out about the national suicide prevention lifeline (800-273-TALK) and focusing more on other prevention efforts because they are worried that the rising tide of unemployment and foreclosures could lead to more depression, drug and alcohol abuse, divorce, and ultimately for the most vulnerable, suicide...

Emotional Toll of Recession

Many NFL players and fans are up in arms over Rush Limbaugh's plans to buy an NFL team, but what is the truth behind this scandal? Rush and Al Sharpton have very different answers to that question..

Rush Limbaugh insists he is colorblind and not racist at all, and should have a fair shot at owning the St. Louis Rams. But Rev. Sharpton points out that it doesn't matter whether Rush is racist, it's the things that he says that have been offensive, regardless of what's actually in Rush's heart.

Limbaugh, the top conservative radio host, has a long history of racially charged comments, as listed here. And in ny opinion it is fair for the NFL to hold him accountable for those statements just like they have strict rules for how the players behave, as representatives of the league. If they think doing a dance in the end zone or taunting other players is embarrassing for the NFL, it would be pretty hypciritical for the league to deny that Rush's racial taunting is not also a bad look. Whatever you think about Sharpton, he's right about Rush Limbaugh this time.

Rush Limbaugh & Sharpton Beef Over NFL
boston herald

The Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson attacked the bid by Rush Limbaugh to buy the St. Louis Rams on Monday, saying the conservative radio host's track record on race should exclude him from owning an NFL team. Sharpton sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, arguing that Limbaugh has been divisive and "anti-NFL" in some of his comments...

Rush Limbaugh & Sharpton Beef Over NFL

We all know "Sully" Sullenberger as a hero pilot, but here's the scoop on what else you'll learn about him in Sullenberger's book that was released today, an autobiography entitled "Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters."

Sullenberger's new book, sure to be a bestseller, talks in detail about the events of that fateful day when he completed that miraculous water landing, and also about the life that he led up until then, that made him ready to be a hero. Especially poignant are the details of his humble beginnings, as his mother had to save up money so he could take flying lessons, which finally led to Sully getting into the Air Force academy. It also tells the sweet story of his courtship with the longtime Mrs. Sullenberger. For more details, see the article below!

you have to be impressed with a man who's sure to make a ton of money as an author now, but still sticks to his day job at the airline, making sure travelers fly safely. I'll feel a bit happier about airline ticket prices knowing someone like Sully is in the mix.

Sullenberger Book!
usa today

"Frankly, we're still trying to find the right balance between our family life and everything else," says Sullenberger, 58, who will keep the spotlight hot with the release today of his autobiography, Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters (William Morrow, 340 pp., $25.99). "It's a priority for me to get things right."

Sullenberger Book!

US Soccer star Charlie Davies remains in serious condition, following a car accident in which another passenger lost her life.

Charlie Davies and the woman, Ashley J. Roberta, were both passengers in the car according to authorities. The driver wasn't identified, but is reported to have been injured as well ini the car accident.

Davies was in town with the US national soccer team for a game against Costa Rica. It is not known yet whether his injuries will be career threatening. Utmost condolences to the friends and family of the woman who passed away, and love and strength to Davies and the other survivor.

U.S. Soccer Star Accident: Charlie Davies
huff post

U.S. national team forward Charlie Davies was in serious condition Tuesday evening following a one-vehicle accident...and underwent several hours of surgery at Washington Hospital Center Medstar. Hospital spokeswoman So Young Pak said Davies' condition was serious but offered no further details...

U.S. Soccer Star Accident: Charlie Davies

Al Sharpton, not surprisingly, has been among the loudest critics of Rush Limbaugh's plan to buy the St. Louis Rams. Below is the full text of his letter to the NFL on this subject, which in my opinion is fairly persuasive, whatever you may think of Sharpton himself:

Rev. Al Sharpton Letter to NFL: Full Text
national action network

Monday, October 12, 2009
Commissioner Roger Goodell
National Football League
280 Park Avenue
NY, NY 10017

Dear Mr. Goodell:

I was disturbed to learn that there is a potential bid by Rush Limbaugh to buy the St. Louis Rams and I would like to request a meeting with you to discuss the myriad of reasons as to why he should not be given an opportunity to do so.

Rush Limbaugh has been divisive and anti-NFL on several occasions with comments about NFL Players including Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb and his recent statement that the NFL was beginning to look like a fight between the Crips and the Bloods without the weapons, was disturbing (New York Daily News, October 9th).

I commend the executive director of the NFL Players Association DeMaurice Smith for publicly asking that the League seek to unify not divide in a letter to the executive committee. Mr. Smith courageously implored that the league reject divisiveness, and we, at National Action Network, and countless people across the country, strongly echo his sentiments.

I look forward to hearing from you to set up a meeting in the near future.

In Progress,
Reverend Al Sharpton
President, National Action Network

Rev. Al Sharpton Letter to NFL: Full Text

There has been lots of controversy lately over who will be the next owners of the St. Louis Rams. But just how much is the team worth, if it does get sold?

According to forbes.com, the St. Louis Rams are the 25th most valuable team in the NFL, which places them near the bottom in valuation. The team is consistently losing out on the field, with no improvement in sight, and in dire need of improvements when it comes to how they do business both on and off the field.

So the question may be, if the NFL won't let Rush Limbaugh and his friends buy the Rams, who else would ever be willing to cough up that $913 million?

St. Louis Rams Worth $913 Million?
forbes

The Rams are in disarray on and off the field. The team has won only five games over the past two years contributing to a 5% drop in attendance last season. This spring Chip Rosenbloom and his sister Lucia Rodriguez (both inherited the team when their mother Georgia Frontiere died in 2008) enlisted Goldman Sachs to sell their 60% stake to help meet a big estate tax bill.

St. Louis Rams Worth $913 Million?

You may not be surprised to hear that Bernie Madoff found himself in a prison scuffle, but more surprising are the reports that Bernie won the fight!

The 71-year old Wall Street master criminal got into a fight with another older man (about the stock market!) and from all reports Madoff was the victor in the altercation. Perhaps we shouldn't be TOO surprised after the muscle he put into shoving that paparazzi a few months ago, but the ponzi scheme master didn't seem like the fighting type.

Madoff was a master financier and former head of the NASDAQ exchange before his financial advice turned out to be the basis of a huge ongoing scam that bilked countless investors.

Bernie Madoff Prison Scuffle
boston herald

Jailed Ponzi king Bernard Madoff is apparently working his way up the prison pyramid scheme. The New York Post reports that Madoff, who's serving 150 years in a North Carolina federal prison, got into a prison-yard fight last week - and won. "I didn't think Bernie had it in him," an unidentified inmate told the paper...

Bernie Madoff Prison Scuffle

Jon Gosselin, formerly of "Jon and Kate Plus 8," has failed to $180,000 that he owes to his estranged wife Kate Gosselin, according to Kate's attorneys. Lawyers say the $180,000 in marital funds was agreed to be returned to Kate in arbitration, and how Jon is being ordered to pay up.

As fans of the show will know, the program has now been renamed "Kate Plus 8" as the couple goes through the legal process of separating, though Jon has sent a cease and desist order to the network, claiming he suddenly (and conveniently) thinks the show is "unhealthy" for his kids now.

Jon Gosselin already had a reputation as the least likable dad of th most lovable kids, and this lawsuit won't help him much with that. For more details see below.

Jon Gosselin $180K: Pay Up!
long island press

The divorcing stars of TLC's "Jon and Kate Plus 8″ appeared briefly in family court Tuesday in the Philadelphia suburb of Norristown. The couple have eight young children - twins and sextuplets. According to Momjian, Montgomery County Judge Arthur R. Tilson ordered Jon Gosselin to return the money or face contempt charges for violating an arbitrator's order...

Jon Gosselin $180K: Pay Up!

As seen in the video below, Tracy Turnure and her sister Tara made history this week as Washington's first back to back pageant winners who are also twins!

The twins, whose mother was also a pageant winner, are fraternal not identical, and look a bit different from each other, one is about 5 inches taller. But they both have the same charm and grace you need to succeed in the beauty pageant world. For more on these special twins and video of them in action, see the article below!

Twins Win Pageant, Tracy Turnure & Tara (VIDEO)
king5

This goes beyond sibling rivalry: 23-year-old Tara and Tracy Turnure are the only twins to be crowned back-to-back Miss Washington USA. Their accomplishment might even be a first in the country. "I was crowned Miss Washington USA 2010. I got crowned by my twin sister Tara Turnure. It was just surreal," said the new Miss Washington USA, Tracy Turnure... (video report here, it's not embeddable).

Twins Win Pageant, Tracy Turnure & Tara (VIDEO)

There have been many colorful mascots over the years on college sports, but I bet you never thought you'd see an official mascot made of asparagus!

After a painstaking search for the most reoresentative mascot for their hallowed institution, William & Mary college somehow settled upon this humble vegetable as the embodiment of their school spirit. This may seem a strange choice, but if it's between that and yet another demeaning Native American-themed mascot, I heartily endorse this random vegetable without hesitation. Go asparugus go!

William and Mary New Mascot: Asparagus!
slashfood

Go spears, go! That could be a new chant for College of William & Mary students, if administrators approve an asparagus stalk as the school's next mascot. Known collectively as the Tribe, the sports teams of the Williamsburg, Va., school have been without furry representation since a 2006 NCAA ruling eliminated its feathered Native American logo, the Associated Press reports. Since April, the school has solicited suggestions for a new mascot. Submissions close on June 30.//

William and Mary New Mascot: Asparagus!

One might think Oprah was the uncontested Queen of television in this day and age, but if anyone was qualified to challenge her talk show supremacy it might be Larry King. And this may now be put to the test, as Oprah and King are now feuding in a booking war, allegedly, over a guest.

The guest Oprah and Larry King are competing for is a man named Marcus Schrenker, the businessman who tried to fake his own death not too long ago, by crashing his own plane into a florida swamp. Schrenker was hoping to avod legal consequences for his shady business dealings that had come to light.

Why either Oprah or Larry King want to reward this man for such behavior is beyond me, but I'm definitely curious who will win the bidding war!

Oprah & Larry King Booking War: Marcus Schrenker

wthr

There is a booking war over who will be the first national journalist or talk show host to interview Marcus Schrenker. He is the former money manager from Hamilton County who pled guilty to trying to fake his own death by crashing his plane in a Florida swamp.

Oprah & Larry King Booking War: Marcus Schrenker

Garth Brooks has great news for all his friends in low places: Thursday Garth announced he's coming out of retirement once again!

The Country music superstar has been retired since 2000, popping up only on rare occasions for small music events. but in a press conference in Nashville Brooks said he was coming back full steam as a recording artist. His spokespeople said he is not planning a full concert tour, so it remains to be seen if coming out retirement just means a new album and maybe a smaller number of shows. Whatever Garth Brooks does, .we look forward to seeing it!

UPDATE: More info is coming out, and it looks like Garth Brooks will be taking up a residency in Las Vegas for an extended run of concerts there. The report is he will do a 16-week concert run at the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas.

SECOND UPDATE: Okay here's the full official scoop, from Garth Brooks' second press conference Thursday afternoon: Garth brooks is coming out of retirement for a 5 year run of concerts at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas's Wynn Casino. They will be weekend-only shows, and only for 15 weekends out of each year, so Garth can still spend time with his family. The concert tickets will be $125. so there you have it!

Garth Brooks Announces He's Coming Out of Retirement Thursday
MSNBC

Garth Brooks says he's coming out of retirement for the second time. Brooks made the announcement at a news conference in Nashville Thursday morning...

Garth Brooks Announces He's Coming Out of Retirement Thursday

Motocross daredevil Travis Pastrana is at it again, and wait until you see what he's doing this time!

On New Year's Eve, the motorcycle and rally car champ Pastrana will attempt his craziest driving stunt yet, with a daredevil rally car jump from Pine Street Pier in Long Beach, Calif., over the water and onto a barge in the middle of the harbor.

Motocross daredevil Pastrana has had other famous meetings with the water, as he celebrated his X-Games victory with a jump of his motorycle into the San Francisco Bay. But this time he'll be trying to keep himself dry.

Motocross Daredevil, Pine Street Pier in Long Beach Calif.
fox sports

For his latest stunt, Travis Pastrana will be going over the water, not into it. The freestyle motocross star and rally car champion will be barging into 2010 as only he can. On New Year's Eve, with the Queen Mary in the background, Pastrana will attempt to break the world record for the longest jump in a rally car...

Motocross Daredevil, Pine Street Pier in Long Beach Calif.

Many are wondering how long the economic recession ends, but according to a new study it already ended in 79 metros!

One in five metro areas in America turned up towards positive economic trends, according to the study my MSNBC and the financial experts at Moody's Economy. Notably, none of these recovering metros are in New York or California, with the largest number in places like Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.

Consumer spending is still down all around, which is slowing the economic recovery, but in the 79 metro areas where money is flowing, things like employment and industrial production are showing very positive signs. Financial analysts disagree on how to read these latest economic trends, but hopefully it means the worst is behind us.

For a full list of the American metro areas now in recovery from the recession, click the article below and see if your town is on the list!

79 Metros Where Recession Ends
msnbc

The recession finally ended in August in one out of every five metro areas in the United States, especially in the Midwest and Great Plains, according to the latest Adversity Index from Moody's Economy.com and msnbc.com.

79 Metros Where Recession Ends

In January 2009 Mary Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, landed a high profile position as a principal at the Navigators Global firm, specializing in lobbying and PR.

Here's now Navigators Global describes themselves: "Navigators is a full-service issues management firm with offices in Washington, D.C.; Sacramento and Los Angeles, California; and Tallahassee, Florida. Navigators specializes in providing corporate and trade association clients with integrated public affairs campaigns that include lobbying, policy development, strategic communications, and grassroots coalition building to solve difficult public affairs problems. Navigators also has extensive experience in helping industries and companies manage their reputations with lawmakers, opinion elites and the media."

Mary Cheney previously was Vice President for Standards and Practices at AOL, and held a longtime position at Coors Brewing Company. But this new job isa great step up for her in the field of public relations. For more detail see the press release below:

Mary Cheney Is a Principal at Navigators Global, a Lobbying and PR Firm
pr newswire

Today Navigators announced that Mary Cheney has joined the public relations firm's Washington, D.C. office as a vice president in the strategic communications practice.

"When you have the opportunity to bring on someone of Mary's caliber and strategic talents, you jump at it," said Phil Anderson, Managing Partner of Navigators. "She adds another dimension of communications expertise that we can offer our clients and we are incredibly lucky to have her."

Mary Cheney Is a Principal at Navigators Global, a Lobbying and PR Firm

Questions continue to swirl around yesterday's "balloon boy" incident, but was Falcon Heene's day in the attic just one big hoax?

Suspicions about a hoax or at least some kind of funny business were around from the beginning, but they reached new heights last night when the boy, Falcon Heene, told his parents on Larry King "you said we were doing this for the show." Since then other discrepancies have arisen such as the release of video where we see the balloon taking off, and see the father Richard Heene there even though yesterday's reports said he did not witness the balloon getting loose.

I'm not sure what to think, certainly this whole thing is starting to look very suspicious, but I also know from working with kids (and having a bunch of deveilish little cousins!) that they will sometimes just make things up or say random things, sometimes just because they think it'll be funny to embarrass the grownups or get them in trouble. So I don't think Falcon Heene's apparent admission of guilt is conclusive. But it sure does make you wonder!

Falcon Heene Hoax? (VIDEO)

Falcon Heene Hoax? (VIDEO)

You will not believe this video footage. A woman in Australia lostcontrol of her baby stroller, and it rolled right underneath an oncoming train..but miraculously the baby survived!

The woman, in Melbourne Australia, had her baby strapped into the stroller, but it suddenly started rolling towards the tracks right as a train was pulling in. THe mother and other onlookers watched in horror as the train rolled over the stroller and continued for 100 feet, and everyone was surely thinking the worst. but after they pulled the stroller out, they found the baby was still alive and had only suffered a minor bump on the head!

Whatever brand of baby stroller that was, sales are sure to skyrocket now. Thank goodness this video is of a miracle and not a tragedy!

Baby, Stroller, Train..! (VIDEO)

Baby, Stroller, Train..! (VIDEO)

At first everyone was mesmerized and terrified as we watched that balloon fly through the sky, thinking little Falcon Heene was inside. Then it landed and we were all mystified as we saw he wasn't inside at all.

But now the mystery has turned to doubt and suspicion, as we saw Falcon Heene on Larry King last night, telling his parents "you said we did this for the show." Wait... what? His storm chasing, "mad scientist" dad Richard Heene immediately seemed flustered, appparently trying to cover up what the son just said and do damage control, then getting belligerent and combative when reporters followed up on it.

Local authorities said they will now re-interview the family, and child protective services will be called in to investigate the family situation as well. Personally I don't think they should lose custody, even if they are proven guilty of a hoax.. but they should lose access to media nad rthe internet! Any reality show deals Hollywood had for the Heene's should now be put in a box in the attic.

Falcon Heene Said on Larry King "We Did This For The Show"

Falcon Heene Said on Larry King "We Did This For The Show"

Today is not just any day, today is Sweetest Day! And what is sweetest day, you ask? Well here's the scoop on the sweetness:

Sweetest day, not to be confused with Valentine's Day, is basically a holiday concocted by candy and chocolate manufacturers, to give us an excuse to buy chocolate and candy not for some corny romantic reasons, but simply for the love of chocolate itself! So on the one hand yes, this is crass commercialism at its worst. But on the other hand....CHOCOLATE!!!! You know you love chocolate.

You are encouraged to celebrate this sweetest of days by sending chocolate to a loved one, or try out some new cookie or cookie or cake recipes, or maybe some pudding or home made ice cream? Or you can just spend the whole day eating desserts on some candy and cookies yourself. And then we can all celebrate "Do Six Hours of Cardio" Day together on Sunday to make up for it.

Sweetest Day: How to Celebrate
chiff

This year, Sweetest Day is celebrated on Saturday, October 17, 2009.

Sometimes criticized as a "Hallmark holiday", Sweetest Day was first organized by candy manufacturers to promote the health benefits of eating candy and chocolate everyday! And why not? Today, Sweetest Day is a great way to brighten any a gloomy October day...add a personal touch by baking up a batch of chocolate or cookies as a thoughtful homemade gift, or try some fresh apple cider and a slice of pumpkin pie.

Sweetest Day: How to Celebrate

Which legendary heavyweight boxing champ might be up for a pardon,100 years after he was found guilty? Here's the scoop:

One of the most acclaimed champions of all time, Jack Johnson, was also one of the most hated in his day, because he was an outspoken and proud black champion at a time when White America wasn't used to such things yet. Along with constant hate and harrassment and discrimination, this also led the boxing champ to face frequent legal trouble for no good reason. But now Congress is close to making things right, and granting him a pardon for his unjust trip to jail, finally bringing justice where the lawyers and courts could not back then.

Boxing Champ Pardon?
chron.com

Congress has approved a resolution urging a presidential pardon for Jack Johnson, the late black heavyweight champion who was imprisoned because of his romantic ties with a white woman...In 1913, Johnson was convicted of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for immoral purposes...

Boxing Champ Pardon?

This weekend the internet is buzzing about this injured pilot's incredible story of surviving a plane crash, then surviving a 20 mile hike to reach help!

The pilot Daniel McGregor, crashed in a cessna in Alaska, and his passenger died in the crash, but he had the fortitude to struggle through an endless hike back to civilization despite some serious injuries including severe burns. The injured pilot is now at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, in satisfactory condition...

Injured Pilot's Hike
msnbc

From photographs of the wreckage, Richard Moore figured the odds were extremely poor that anyone survived the fiery plane crash in Alaska's Denali National Park. Remains were spotted in the burned tangle of metal. Then the park ranger medic got word that the pilot of the Cessna 185 had hiked 20 miles for help, despite significant injuries...he walked 16 miles before coming upon some other hikers, then walked back 4 miles with them to their car, then took a ride home before going to the hospital to receive treatment for his injuries...

Injured Pilot's Hike

Gardasil, already widely used as an HPV vaccine, has now been approved by an FDA Advisory Panel for use on young men and boys as a treatment for [last chance to click away if you are eating] ....genital warts.

Gardasil is already approved for other uses in many other parts of the world, but the FDA can be more conservative about approving drugs, and still says they want to study Gardasil's effects further. But for now it got a 7-0 vote for approval.

The drug was said to be 89% in treating the warts, and adverse side effects were generally limited to ever and headaches. So if you suffer from this condition that I'd rather not type out again, Gardasil may be the thing for you! Just don't talk to me about it, I am feeling queasy already.

Gardasil: OK for Boys
emedicinehealth

An FDA advisory committee voted to recommend approval of the vaccine Gardasil for males ages 9 to 26 to prevent genital warts. Gardasil targets four strains of human papillomavirus, commonly called HPV. Males can carry HPV and transmit it sexually to their partners. HPV can cause genital warts and penile and anal cancer in men. Each year, about 200 out of 100,000 males are newly diagnosed with genital warts...

Gardasil: OK for Boys

Osama Bin Laden has been called many things, but how many times have you heard him called an "austere nature lover"?

Well that's exactly what he's called in the new memoirs about to be published by his ex wife and one of his sons. The book, entitled, "Growing Up bin Laden: Osama's Wife and Son Take Us Inside Their Secret World ", gives lots of inside details of Osama Bin Laden's personal life and what he was like in his mundane day-to-day existence.

Personally I'm not sure I really need to know all of these things about him. But if they want to pass on Osama's current location, that'd be great. If you are interested in knowing Osama this way, the article below has many more details from this Osama Bin Laden biography, which you can order in hardcover from Amazon already.

Osama Bin Laden: Austere?
bangkok post

Osama bin Laden was an austere, but also a flower-growing nature lover who spoke fluent English and adored fast cars, according to his wife and son....In a book published at the end of this month, his first wife Najwa and fourth son Omar give a rare glimpse into bin Laden's personal life up to the September 11, 2001 attacks...

Osama Bin Laden: Austere?

As you may know, Lasik surgery has been become all the rage lately for corrective eye surgery, but now the FDA apparently has questions about how safe it is?

Lasik has been used commonly for years now to correct myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism, but recently the FDA has noted an uptick in reports of long term health effects. So they are now seeking more information and asking for others who experienced quality of life problems after their surgery to pass their stories on.

Reportedly they may only identify ways in which LAsik surgery may sometimes not be performed right, and try to establish better procedures, rather than finding that Lasik as a whole is not safe. But I suppose that remains to be seen when their study is completed. For more info, see the article below:

Lasik Surgery & FDA
AJC

The percentage of patients who experience serious quality-of-life problems after Lasik eye surgery is being studied by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has also issued warning letters to a number of Lasik facilities that weren't properly reporting problems with the procedure...

Lasik Surgery & FDA

Last night was a snowy night got the Titans and Patriots, but that didn't stop Tom Brady from setting the nigght on fire! In a stunning 59-0 romp, Brady through 5 touchdowns on the 2nd quarter alone, an NFL record for touchdowns in a single quarter.

Some fans were mad when Tom Brady came back out at halftime even though the Patriots were up 45-0, but after getting one more touchdown he finally sat down and let he backup take over. Among the blizzard of touchdown passes were two to wide receiver Wes Welker, who got the football into the end zone twice within the last couple of minutes of the game. So at least people who braved the elements to use their season tickets for the football game got a good show!

Tom Brady Five Touchdowns in 2nd Quarter, NFL Record! (VIDEO)
nbcsports

The low point for the Oilers/Titans was a high point for the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady, who connected on five 2nd quarter touchdowns, the most in franchise history... The decision to use Brady in the third quarter with a 45-0 lead likely will spark some criticism, but Brady stayed for only one more post-halftime drive before yielding to rookie QB Brian Hoyer...

Tom Brady Five Touchdowns in 2nd Quarter, NFL Record! (VIDEO)

If you haven't seen the video of the Dante Wesley hit on Clifton Smith last night, you'll see in the clip below it was an absolutely brutal hit, and Dante Wesley totally deserved to get ejected from the game, and get more punishment from the NFL.

It was a routine punt fairly early in the football game, and Clifton Smith was looking up at the ball when Dante Wesley plows straight into him full force even though the ball was nowhere near them, AND Smith had signaled for a fair catch. Afterwards Smith was lying there motionless and the officials and coaching staffs barely held back both teams from a huge fight on the football field.

Dante Wesley is expected to face further fines and suspensions for the hit, as well he should. NFL Football is already a rough sport, but we don't need to watch NFL games and see straight-up assault on the field. This was a bit too much!

Dante Wesley Hit Video
wbtv

Carolina safety Dante Wesley was ejected late in the first half of Sunday's game against Tampa Bay when he launched himself into Buccaneers punt returner Clifton Smith, who had signaled for a fair catch...The hit with 10 seconds left in the second quarter brought players from both teams off the sidelines.

Dante Wesley Hit Video

Sad news from the Detroit marathon, as reports come in that 3 runners died on the day of the race.

According to race officials, 3 competitors died during the race, which was actually a 13 mile "half marathon" for some, and a full marathon for others. Each of the long-distance runners collapsed near the 12 mile mark, apparently.

Detroit Marathon officials insist all proper safety precautions were in place, but its hard not to wonder if something was wrong, when 3 people passed away during the event. But long distance running and health experts say the weather should not have been a factor, and it may well just be a tragic coincidence. Either way, much sympathy and condolences to the 3 families who lost a loved one.

Detroit Marathon, 3 Died
fox 8

A half-marathoner and two other runners died during the Detroit marathon on Sunday, organizers said...Harshbarger told the Free Press that there were at least six medical stations on the race course and emergency personnel were on the scene within seconds. Every runner must sign a medical release form, and are encouraged to talk to doctors before they run...

Detroit Marathon, 3 Died

Richard Heene the father (using that word loosely, perhaps) of Balloon boy will now face charges for his family's media hoax, but according to TMZ's details below about Heene's 1997 arrest it turns out this isn't the first time he's been in trouble with the law.

According to the ever-nosy TMZ.com, Richard Heene was arrested in 1997 for vandalism, vehicle tampering, & disturbing the peace, in LA. He didn't face serious legal consequences for charges, apparently, and his attorney as he faces these current charges in court had no comment on the past arrest. Still he Richard Heene had better have excellent legal help this time around, because he's in much bigger trouble this time.

Richard Heene Arrested, 1997
myfoxeugene

Richard Heene , the man who is expected to be charged in the balloon boy hoax, has had a brush with the law in the past. TMZ.com reports that Heene was arrested in 1997 and charged with misdemeanor vandalism, vehicle tampering and disturbing the peace during an incident in Los Angeles...

Richard Heene Arrested, 1997

This weekend a man named Robert Thomas released email conversations he had with Richard Heene, as evidence of Heene's balloon hoax.

Robert Thomas released the baloon hoax emails as part of an exclusive interview with Gawker.com, talking about the time he spend working with Richard Heene on his scientific theories, and then later on his Heene's obsessive plans about landing a reality show for himself and his family.

Thomas described Heene as driven by ego and a lust for fame, as well as many wild pseudo-science conspiracy theories. As Thomas helped Heene write pitches for a possible reality show, he says Heene spoke directly about setting off some kind of helium balloon for publicity, both for himself and for his UFO theories...

Robert Thomas email: Balloon Hoax, Richard Heene
gawker

Robert Thomas spent several...developing a reality science TV show to pitch networks -- the "show," Thomas says, that Falcon was referring to when he told CNN "We did it for the show" ...[their pitch] involved a weather balloon modified to look like a UFO which they would launch in an attempt to drum up media interest in both the Heene family and the series he was desperate to get on the air....

Robert Thomas email: Balloon Hoax, Richard Heene

LeBron James might seem like one of the healthiest young men in the world, but not even King James is safe from getting a cancer scare!

In these interviews with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Lebron James talked about the stress of going to the doctor for a biopsy to see if a growth in his jaw shoed any signs of being related to cancer, and then waiting several days to get the biopsy test results. He described the stress that presumably came with wondering if he would suddenly have to face serious illnesss, and go from deciding how to spend millions to deciding whether to seek chemotherapy and other traditional cancer treatment, or maybe alternative cancer treatments, and how these health choices would affect his NBA career.

Thankfully it turned out to be benign, and he came away with a clean bill of health. But hopefully this scare will inspire LeBron James and all of us to get tested early and often, and take care of our health!

LeBron James Cancer Scare?
myfoxdfw

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James tells a newspaper that a cancer scare earlier this year was "nerve-racking" and had him on edge for a few days. James had to wait for biopsy results in January after doctors at the Cleveland Clinic found a growth in the right side of his jaw...

LeBron James Cancer Scare?

According to a new study by Symantec, your computer could be one of tens of millions that are infested with fake security software.

Many of the most common and most malicious bits of malicious software, whether viruses spyware or other malware, are foolishly put on home computers voluntarily by web surfers who think they are getting an offer for new antvirus software or some other sort of new security software. Typically a window pops up and shouts at you that your computer is infected somehow, and then invites you to click for a free download of some new program that will save you from evil malware. But this supposed saviour is actually the software you need saving from!

In order to avoid this tricky cyber trap of fake security software, that has already ruined millions of computers worldwide, you are advised not to download anything that just pops up like hat, and only download from verified reliable sites that you already researched. And don't let official sounding names like "officialantiviruspro" suck you in. And when in doubt: always google things first!

Fake Security Software in Millions of Computers
msnbc

Tens of millions of U.S. computers are loaded with scam security software that their owners may have paid for but which only makes the machines more vulnerable, according to a new Symantec report on cybercrime...

Fake Security Software in Millions of Computers

Great news for the 14 states where medical marijuana is legal! From now on their pot-smoking patients should be safe from prosecution, as Obama's justice department reinjects some common sense into the system.

Up until now, federal authorities were ignoring state laws and persecuting citizens who used medical marijuana to treat the many ailments it is known to help, including chronic pain, stress anxiety, nausea and glaucoma. But now the Department of Justice is ending this farcical and futile harrassment, and choosing to respect these state laws that are only in place to provide for the good health of hard working American citizens. At least that's one piece of health care reform I can get behind! (Not that I partake of it, myself.)

Pot-Smoking Patients: Safe!
AP

Pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that allow medical marijuana, prosecutors were told Monday in a new policy memo issued by the Justice Department...federal prosecutors are being told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law...

Pot-Smoking Patients: Safe!

It's been less than a week since we were introduced to the sad world of the Heene family, though it already seems like an eternity, and now we are meeting a new player: the Heene family lawyer.

As seen in the video below, their attorney David Lane is trying his best to muster up sympathy for the Heene family as they prepare to face serious legal consequences for the waste of government resources and the public's time, with their "balloon boy" fraud and arguable child abuse. Numerous felony charges are expected, and Richard Heene is going to wish he some more boxes in the attic, with a bunch of lawyers in them for extra legal assistance.

The family lawyer is adamant about them not being arrested in some sort of media circus, though this seems like it'd only be redundant, and says the Heene family feels like it is "under siege",though there is of course no one but themselves to blame for that. See the video of the Heene's family lawyer below:

Heene Family Lawyer (VIDEO)
canoe

"The whole Heene family feels that they are in fact under siege at this point," David Lane, the family's lawyer, said Monday. Criminal charges were reportedly in the works on Monday for Richard and Mayumi Heene following an alleged hoax last week involving their son and a runaway helium balloon...

Heene Family Lawyer (VIDEO)

The sad story of Steve McNair continues to get more complicated, as details of another alleged mistress named Leah Ignani are now surfacing.

Nashville police found evidence that Leah Ignani had been seeing Steve McNair regularly, and Ignani has now told police that Sahel Kazemi, McNair's mistress who took his life along with her own, was seen following Ignani, and that his affair with Ignani may have been what caused Kazemi, in hier sick mind, to take her horrible actions.

Frankly I don't even see the point of reporting this news, the man is gone from the world now and the details of his love life don't really matter much at this point (if they ever did), but the article below has more details if you want them..

Other Steve McNair Mistress: Leah Ignagni?

hollywoodgossip

According to Nashville, Tenn., police, Leah Ignagni was dating the late NFL star Steve McNair at the time of his July 4 murder at the hands of lover Sahel Kazemi. The other other woman recalled seeing a woman in a black Cadillac Escalade parked outside his condo 2-3 weeks before his murder. It is not clear who owns it.

Other Steve McNair Mistress: Leah Ignagni?

Sarah Palin & Oprah Winfrey are about to do the unthinkable, and be in the same place at the same time! And luckily for us, on Nov. 16 they will do it on television!

Oprah's show has announced they will be having Sarah Palin as a guest on the talk show, to talk about her new book "Going Rogue." This is a major coup for Sarah Palin, who gets the best promotional spot possible for her new book, and surely thousands of people will pre-order her book online when the show airs, since everything Oprah touches turns to bestseller gold.

And for Oprah it's sure to be a TV ratings bonanza, as the world tunes in to see how she gets along with Palin after famously supporting her opponent Barack Obama, and refusing to have Sarah on the show during the campaign. (She refused to have any other candidates on after she made her endorsement).

I may not be buying Sarah Palin's book, but I will be Tivo-ing her Oprah appearance on Nov. 16th for sure!

Sarah Palin & Oprah Nov. 16!
aol

Harpo Productions has just announced that Oprah Winfrey will welcome former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to her television show on Nov. 16. The interview, which marks the first meeting between Winfrey and Palin, will promote Palin's new memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life"...

Sarah Palin & Oprah Nov. 16!

A new book that features a high profile foreword from Nelson Mandela is now causing controversy, as the Mandela Foundation officially denies he wrote the foreword.

The book, by Denis Sassou-Nguesso who is president of the Republic of Congo, is named ""Straight Speaking for Africa," but apparently he wasn't speaking straight when he claimed on the cover that Nelson Mandela wrote the foreword that overflows with praise for Nguesso. Because Mandela denies that he wrote the foreword, or even read or saw the book at all! See below for the details:

Mandela Foundation Denies He Wrote Foreword
source

A new self-serving book by a central African president lists Nelson Mandela as the writer of the glowing foreword, but South Africa's iconic leader says he never wrote those words... "We condemn this brazen abuse of Mr. Mandela's name," Verne Harris, acting chief executive of the Johannesburg-based Nelson Mandela Foundation, said in a statement Tuesday...

Mandela Foundation Denies He Wrote Foreword

Alien Halloween costumes have always been popular, but this year some people are not happy with the new kind, that combine space aliens, with a mockery of illegal immigrant "aliens."

The Halloween costumes (see below for photos) were on sale in popular stores like Target and Walgreens, but after protests they were removed. Many other stores are still selling them though, and advocacy groups like Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights are not happy. But defenders say it's just a harmless costume.

Halloween costumes have never been on sale because they were tasteful, and being inappriopriate is pretty much the only thing people do on that night, filled with "slutty version of this" and "slutty version of that" costumes. But sometimes you do have to draw a line. Was it crossed here? What do you think?

'Alien' Halloween Costumes: Offensive?
wtop

A Halloween costume that depicts a space creature in orange prison garb emblazoned with the words "illegal alien" is reigniting debate over a long-used term based on the U.S. government's designation of all foreigners as aliens. The dispute has immigrant advocates calling on retailers to pull the costume from its shelves...

'Alien' Halloween Costumes: Offensive?

Suzanne Somers, is causing a ruckus once again with her controversial statements on cancer. And now she's even releasing an entire book about it.

Somers claims that chemotherapy should never be done, and the cancer treatments offered by the medical establihment should be avoided. She then offers a list of alternative treatments that she says will work better. But doctors and medical experts of course are displeased and say she is putting people in danger by telling them to avoid proper health care. The American Cancer Society says "We use current treatments because they've been proven to prolong life. They've gone through a logical, scientific method of evaluation. I don't know if Suzanne Somers even knows there IS a logical, scientific method." Ouch!

Personally I'm not biased against alternative medicine and I believe it often works wonders. but in this case, everything I've read indicates that all this advice from Suzanne Somers on cancer is dubious at best, and it is irresponsible for her to keep promoting it.

Suzanne Somers on Cancer
kansascity.com

Less than a year after the former sitcom actress frustrated mainstream doctors (and cheered some fans) by touting bioidentical hormones on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," she's back with a new book. This one's on an even more emotional topic: Cancer treatment. Specifically, she argues against what she sees as the vast and often pointless use of chemotherapy. Somers, who has rejected chemo herself, seems to relish the fight...

Suzanne Somers on Cancer

If you thought she couldn't get any more glamourous, now you may be proven wrong when you get to see Angelina Jolie in Gucci. Gucci, the movie, that is.

Angelina Jolie will have a starring role in the biopic about the fashion icon Maurizio Gucci, but her role might not be glamorous in every way, as she is slated to play his wife Patrizia Reggiani, who went to prison or hiring a hitman to put Gucci on the "out" list, literally.

Angelina has always been known for here cutting edge fashion style with sexy dresses and accessories mixed with her wild tattoo-sporting attitude. And she's certainly no slouch as an actress either, so this high fashion oriented story along with a juicy role alongsifd Leonardo DiCaprio should mean Jolie stays in vogue at the box office once again.

Angelina Jolie in "Gucci"
transworld

Angelina Jolie has reportedly accepted a role in an upcoming film about the Gucci fashion dynasty. The actress will portray Patrizia Reggiani, the wife of Gucci fasion house head Maurizio Gucci. Reggiano was sentenced to 29 years in prison for hiring a hitman to murder Gucci in 1995...

Angelina Jolie in "Gucci"

Apparently he thought it was funny, but Tennesee Titans fans may not have been amused to see their head coach Jeff Fisher in a Peyton Manning jersey this week.

Jeff Fisher attended an event honoring the great Colts coach Tony Dungy, and arrived sporting a Colts Peyton Manning jersey, saying he wanted to know how it felt to be representing a winner for once.

A little humor is all well and good, even if NFL football is now known as the "No Fun League" (and they're always happy for an excuse to promote throwback jerseys), so I don't think this is a big deal really. But then again, if I was a fan of his team I'd want to know that he's mad about losing, not taking it as a joke. Players get chewed out by their coached all the time for laughing on the sidelines while their team is in the middle of losing a game, so maybe it's fair for titans fans to be a little irked by this too.

Jeff Fisher: Peyton Manning jersey?? (VIDEO)
ballhype

Titans coach Jeff Fisher surprised coach Tony Dungy by wearing a Colts Peyton Manning jersey today. Fisher, who received a standing ovation as he took the stage, introduced Dungy during the Rally for Rocketown at Lipscomb University. The Manning jersey was hidden, and revealing it, he joked: "I just wanted to feel like a winner...."

Jeff Fisher: Peyton Manning jersey??

Will Bruce Springsteen fans find of juicy tidbits in the new Clarence Clemons memoir, 'Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales,' that his bookstores (and amazon) on Tuesday? Looks like the answer is yes.

According to Clemens, who is on a worldwide concert tour with Bruce Springsteen, tickets flying off the shelves across the country, his book will cover many prtra of life but definitely includes tales of the wild life on the road with a rock band, including admissions of "''serious recreational drug use.", although Bruce himself had a no-drugs policy for the band.

but Clarence Clemons says most of the book will not be about saucy gossip: "''Tell-all books are boring,'What you did, nobody wants to know about it, unless you did something exciting. ... I'm an entertainer, and this book is very entertaining, I think.'' for more from Clemons about his memoir see below:

Clarence Clemons Memoir on Bruce Springsteen
morning call

Tuesday marks the last show Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play at The Spectrum, which closes less than two weeks later. But Clarence Clemons -- the band's saxophone player and authoer of a new memoir -- says he doesn't think it will be the last time they will play their beloved Philadelphia...

Clarence Clemons Memoir on Bruce Springsteen

I'm sure anyone who is a pet owner like myself will not find this surprising, but for the rest of you here's a window into our world: According to a new poll by the AP most pet owners, 58 percent to be precise, would perform CPR on their pet...and by CPR I mean mouth to mouth, yes!

If there is a medical emergency with their pet 63% of dog owners and 53% of cat owners they say would go all out to save the animal's life, if it were sick and injured and CPR might save the little creature's life. I have to say, as an animal lover I'm surprised these numbers are so low! Who are all these dog and cat owners that wouldn't risk a little ookiness to save their companion's life?? That's just weird to me. Plus imagine how this feels for your pet! They must be thinking "wow you're willing to have me fixed but you're not willing to kiss me? what kind of relationship is this!?"

And as a cat owner I'm especially disappointed that our numbers are lower than for dog owners. so what do you say, would you go that extra mile for your pet? I wonder how other folks like snake owners and guinea pig owners would answer. For those who say yes, below is an instructional video on how to do pet cpr.

Most Pet Owners Would perform CPR On Pet: 58 Percent
cbs5

Most pet owners would leap into action for an injured pet, even if it meant risking dog breath by going mouth-to-snout. Fifty-eight percent of pet owners - 63 percent of dog owners and 53 percent of cat owners - would be at least somewhat likely to perform CPR on their pet in the event of a medical emergency, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll.

Most Pet Owners Would perform CPR On Pet: 58 Percent

The internet is going nuts for this video of Keion Bell, of the Pepperdine basketball team, doing an amazing human catapult dunk.

Keion Bell is a sophomore guard from Pasadena HS, already somewhat known for videos of his other dunks on youtube. but this one topped them all, as he soared over all five of his teammates after jumping from the free throw line. But this one doesn't really need a lot of snappy remarks to spice it up, so just watch the video:

Keion Bell Human Catapult DUNK (Video)

Pepperdine's Keion Bell threw down a sick "catapult" dunk over 5 teammates at the team's "Orange and Blue Madness" event that took place on October 16th to introduce this year's team to fans.

Keion Bell Human Catapult DUNK (Video)

We already know about the countless people who lost money dealing with the evil financial wizard Bernie Madoff, but it turns out there are some who actually came out with a profit after investing with him, and one of them is the New York Mets.

The owners of the team that is. After a book claimed the Mets owners lost so much with Madoff they would soon lose the team, representatives of the Wilpon family came back with evidence they in fact gained $48 million from their dealings with the ponzi king. So great, we've established that the Mets came out winners with Bernie Madoff. Maybe now they can figure out how to come out winners on the baseball field again?

New York Mets Gain $48 Million From Madoff
comcast

The owners of the New York Mets baseball team made about $48 million in dealings with swindler Bernard Madoff, court documents showed. The Mets Limited Partnership, which is connected to the Wilpon family, led by Mets owner Fred Wilpon, deposited $522.8 million in two accounts with Madoff and withdrew $570.6 million...

New York Mets Gain $48 Million From Madoff

With all the extra fed Airlines are adding to the price of plane tickets, how do you make sure to get a good deal on your airfare? Now we know the answer: all you have to do is make sure to be born on an airplane!

A boy in Malaysia was unexpectedly born in the middle of a flight, as his mother went into labor after takeoff, and instead of charging her for an extra ticket or tacking on an extra carry-on luggage fee, as you might expect these days, the airline has announced that the boy will now have free flights for life in their airline.

So there you have it, try and book your vacation in the 9th month, everybody!

Lifetime Free Flights for Baby Born on Plane
abs-cbnnews

A baby boy who made a surprise arrival on board an AirAsia flight this week will be given free flights for life with the budget carrier, as will his mother, the airline said Friday. AirAsia said 31-year-old passenger Liew Siaw Hsia went into labour on Wednesday's flight from the northern island of Penang to Kuching on Borneo island.

Lifetime Free Flights for Baby Born on Plane

A terrible story from Russia. where a Russian circus bear killed his manager and critically injured another circus worker.

The bear, who was trained to ice skate and was wearing skates at the time of the attack, was 5 years old, and was also killed by police on the scene. The manager was only 25, and the othe rinjured worker was 29. This story of an ice skating bear may sound strange to Americans but this type of trained bears is very common in Russian circuses, and they are often trained to skate and play hockey. So it might not be fair to judge all circus bears by this incident. Still, this will raise questions about whether it's appropriate to use animals that way, because it can put humans at terrible risk.

Russian Circus Bear Kills Manager: BBC - VIDEO
bbc

An ice-skating bear with a touring Russian circus has killed a circus manager and seriously injured a trainer in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. Kyrgyz officials said the bear turned on the manager, 25-year-old Dmitry Potapov, during a rehearsal...

Russian Circus Bear Kills Manager: BBC - VIDEO

Get a load of this one: A man in Minnesota just got convicted and sentenced for a DUI, that he got while driving....a motorized La-Z-boy!

The man tried to drive his chair home from a bar, and crashed his chair into a car. Then the man was seeing stars, and how he's going behind bars. Not sure why this post just turned into a Dr. Suess book, but for more details see below:

Man Gets DUI in Motorized La-Z-Boy
bodoglife

1-year-old Dennis LeRoy was arrested for drunk driving a motorized recliner last August. Powered by a converted lawn mower, LeRoy's motorized La-Z-Boy was his ride of choice after he got wasted at a Minnesota bar last year and tried to drive home.

(this is video of another motorized La-Z-Boy, not the one from the arrest)

Man DUI Motorized La-Z-Boy

As Wall Street notes the 80th Anniversary of the 1929 Wall Street, what can we learn from that financial collapse and the economic trends that followed it, as we recover from the current financial crisis?

Many experts look at the 1929 crash and say we will see a similar contraction and depression in the world economy over time. But others argue this situation will not play out the same way. One well known economic theory is that the economy snaps back like a rubber band, even stronger, once supply and demand settle back into a healthy balance..but, as laid out in a recent issue of the Economist (to which I subscribe bcuz I is smart and stuff), if the literal and figurative machinery of the supply end are left stagnant for too long, they will be unable to adjust back when the economy allows demand to rise again, so we never get back to the previous levels of productivity and prosperity. The Economist piece had charts and stuff to explain this theory, but I'm not smart enough to elaborate further. either way, the article below has cool photos and more info:

Wall Street, 1929 Crash & 80th Anniversary
guardian

The biggest financial disaster of the 20th Century was the 1929 Wall Street Crash. The crisis began on Thursday 24 October 1929. After a bull market that had lasted most of the decade, shares began to fluctuate dramatically. On Black Thursday, panic set in. Nearly 13m shares changed hands -- then a record -- as investors tried to get out of the market...

Wall Street, 1929 Crash & 80th Anniversary

The most highly anticipated new car is finally on it's way! The $375,000 Lexus LFA Japanese supercar debuted at this year's Tokyo Motor Show. And though it won't come to car dealerships until 2011, excitement for the new luxury car is soaring. According to their press release:

Lexus announces today the official launch of the LFA, a two-seat supercar scheduled to go into production at the end of 2010 as the pinnacle of the Lexus "F" premium sports car series. Pre-sales start today...The LFA combines high output, superb chassis design and meticulous aerodynamics to achieve instantaneous total-vehicle response with high-rev, seamless acceleration echoed by self-defining resonance from its 4.8-liter V10.

And in addition to the $375,000 price tag, there will only be 500 manufactured of this $375,000 Lexus. So start saving up those thousand dollar bills and get in line now!

$375,000 Lexus (VIDEO)
autoblog

It seems like the Lexus LFA has been around forever. In reality, the first concept version was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2005, but that's a long time in the automotive world...and now the futuristic Lexus is finally seen!

$375,000 Lexus (VIDEO)

The web was buzzing all week about this video of 12-year-old Mark Benevento Jr. & Tiger Woods, showing the little boy out-driving woods on the golf course!

Tiger was entertaining some fans at a golf course in Asheville, but after his driver went astray, he asked the audience if they wanted to step on the golf course and try to better. And 12-year-old Mark Benevento Jr. was more than up to the task! It may still be a little while before the PGA comes knocking for Mark, but if I were Tiger Woods I'd watch my back.

12-Year-Old & Tiger Woods! (VIDEO)
total pro sports

Tiger Woods was in Asheville, and showed off his swing, but after a few of his balls found the trees he challenged his onlookers to do better. Woods picked Mark Benevento Jr. out of a crowd of about 100 people. Maybe it was because he was confident a 12-year-old could not out-drive him. Think again....

12-Year-Old & Tiger Woods! (VIDEO)

Carrie Prejean is being sued by the pageant for the cost of her breast implants that they paid for as part of her pageant run. Prejean's attorneys claimed this was confidential info, but the pageant officials say it was no longer a secret that she had breast implants once she was seen in the swimsuit competition:

Beauty Queen Sued: Breast Implants
ny post

t's a breast-case scenario as California pageant officials target dethroned beauty queen Carrie Prejean over her implants. The conservative Prejean, 22 -- who came in second in the Miss USA Pageant in April -- is being accused of ripping off the state pageant for the cost of her $5,200 breast implants, Fox News reported last night...

Beauty Queen Sued: Breast Implants

The official Obama family photo has been released, and as you can see it is a beautiful shot, taken by Annie Leibovitz.

Leibovitz has worked with the Obama family numerous times in the past, taking photos for Vanity Fair and earlier photos during Barack Obama's Senate run in 2004, so it's only natural that the Obamas would trust her to take a good portrait. Certainly a splendid photograph of a beautiful family, and isn't it striking how quickly the daughters are growing?

Obama Family Photo By Annie Leibovitz Released
beltway blips

President Barack Obama and his family released their official first family portrait Friday, shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz. The president and first lady are shown smiling, with the arms of their daughters, Sasha and Malia, draped around them...

Obama Family Photo By Annie Leibovitz Released

Are you tired of having a million different connections for charging your cell phone, none of which are compatible with each other? Well so is the UN, and their Telecom Agency has now approved a universal cell phone charger to address this.

The universal charger will be in the mini-USB format, already found on many phones, which seems to be a good choice. For more details see below:

UN Approves Universal Cell Phone Charger
CNBC

The U.N. telecoms agency said Friday it has approved technology for a universal cell phone charger that aims to reduce the confusion, clutter and waste caused by today's proliferation of devices. The new chargers will use a micro-USB plug, similar to that used for digital cameras, to enter the cell phone for charging, said Sarah Parkes, spokeswoman for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

UN Approves Universal Cell Phone Charger

Anyone who drives has had run-ins with road rage before, but have you hever heard of someone going to jail just for dropping an f-bomb?

That's what might happen to Mike Shahrokhi, who was charged after a torrent of abuse aimed at a fellow driver. Now, if you watch the video and read the article in the link below, the guy was being extremely obnoxious, and it wasn't that he just said the f-word once. But still, is 30 days in jail really called for here?

Jail For F-Bomb?
fox kc

Mike Shahrokhi, 43, of Leawood faces disorderly conduct charges that he says stem from a case of road rage along 135th Street in Overland Park. Shahrokhi admits dropping an F-bomb during an argument with another driver, but he says that it's ridiculous that he could be facing jail time over it...

Jail For F-Bomb

We always heard that fats and oils were bad for us, but lately that advice is changing, and one of the biggest trends in health advice is Omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, recent studies suggest an Omega-3 deficiency may be hurting our hearts.

Omega-3s are found in many fish, and also available in the form of Omega-3 Fish Oil supplements, both as dietary supplement pills and in the form of oil or liquid. It's pretty much universally accepted now that they are important for good health, the only debate is over exactly how good they are. For more info see below. My favorite source of omega-3s is salmon, which is also great as part of a high-protein diet to keep weight down and build muscle. Likewise, any good quality Tonno tuna in olive oil. but the health supplements are often the easiest way to work it into your diet.

Omega-3 Deficiency May Be Hurting Our Hearts
msnbc

...A growing body of scientific literature touts the benefits of omega-3 supplementation. Studies show that these special fatty acids accumulate in the brain and can aid children with learning disabilities, reduce violence in prison populations, and even improve everyday mood...

Omega-3 Deficiency May Be Hurting Our Hearts

FYI: If you think we've already seen the worst of the H1N1 Swine Flu, think again. According to the CDC, swine flu deaths have now topped 1,000, and are sure to go higher.

H1N1 vaccinations and other flu vaccinations have been given out more than ever this year, but the government still expects swine flu to spread further. There's currently what they classify as "widespread flu activity" in forty-six states, and over 100 of the deaths so far have been children. For more details from the CDC see below:

CDC Swine Flu Deaths
guardian

Swine flu is more widespread now than it's ever been, and has resulted in more than 1,000 U.S. deaths so far. Flu illnesses are as widespread now as they are at the winter peak of normal flu seasons, said CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden...

CDC Swine Flu Deaths

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will be hearing from his wife Jamie's lawyers soon, which is what you'd expect to happen after the Dodgers husband fires his wife.

His wife, from whom he is estranged currently and who is also part owner of the franchise, had been the chief executive of the baseball team until being abruptly terminated by her erstwhile spouse. Jamie's attorney kept it short and sweet: "Jamie is disappointed and saddened by her termination. As co-owner of the Dodgers, she will address this and all other issues in the courtroom." Full story below:

Dodgers Husband Fires Wife
la times

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has fired his estranged wife, Jamie, from her position as the team's chief executive, triggering what her attorney said would be an imminent legal response...

Dodgers Husband Fires Wife

A tough-talking Hotel owner may have taken things too far this time, coming to New Mexico and demanding his hispanic emplyees changes their names so they won't sound hispanic.

Apparently the hotel owner, Larry Whitten, had this rule for hispanic employees at other hotels before, but in his new town of Taos, New Mexico, near the Sangre de Cristo mountains, the local people are not tolerating this disrespect.

The hotel owner is probably nota bad person, he's just doing what was always traditional for him, in his generation. But really in 2009 there's no need for it, and it's time for traditions like that to check out for good. Bravo to the town for taking a stand on it.

Hotel Owner Tells Hispanic Employees to Change Their Names
abcnews

A New Mexico hotel owner forbade the Hispanic employees at a run-down, Southwestern adobe-style hotel from speaking Spanish in his presence (he thought they'd be talking about him), and ordered some to change their names. No more Martin (Mahr-TEEN). It was plain-old Martin. No more Marcos. Now it would be Mark...

Hotel Owner Tells Hispanic Employees to Change Their Names

It's been 25 years now since the Baby Fae baboon heart transplant, and debate still continues over the pros and cons ethics of the surgery. Many in the medical profession hail the surgery as courageous even though the baby died in the hospital after 21 days, and look back on it as a miracle that the little one was given that little bit of life. But others question whether it was ethical, both for the humans involved and the baboon donor, who was a hospital research animal. For more background see below:

Baby Fae Baboon Donor Was Hospital Research Animal
encyclopedia.com

The baboon heart experiment offered hope that animal organs could be used in ailing infants for whom transplant organs were difficult to obtain. Baby Fae was born with a fatal congenital deformity known as hypoplastic left heart, which left the entire left side of her heart useless. A successful transplant from a baboon promised a new life for Baby Fae and a revolution in pediatric heart surgery...

Baby Fae Baboon Donor Was Hospital Research Animal

After lots of speculation about airline pilots possibly being asleep on the job, the real story is now out, and it's hard to tell whether it's better or worse. Apparently the NTSB says the wayward pilots were working on laptops, during the hourlong stretch in which they dropped out of contact and missed the flight's destination by over 100 miles.

The pilots, from Northwest airlines, could face termination according to the policies of the owner Delta Air Lines. Delta's rules state that this activity, which jeopardizes their ability to provide a safe and professional flight with every plant ticket, is ground for firing.

So if any pilots are reading this blog from the cockpit, please stop right now and get back to work!

NTSB Says Wayward Pilots Were Working On Laptops

startribune

The pilots aboard Northwest Flight 188 were using their personal laptops and were able to hear radio chatter when the plane dropped out of radio communications and overflew the Twin Cities airport by more than 100 miles, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report out today...

NTSB Says Wayward Pilots Were Working On Laptops

After all the negative press we're accustomed to from NFL players, it's a joy to read this news about Bears star Charles Tillman, who is in Washington this week to tell members of Congress about the medical device called a "Berlin Heart," and how it saved the live of his baby daughter Tiana.

Charles Tillman's daughter was born with a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, which meant a heart transplant was necessary, and with surgery to implant the Berlin Heart doctors were able to prolong her life until a transplant was found.

Hopefuflly Charles Tillman's time in Washington can help bring health care advancements like the Berlin Heart to more heart-disease patients! For more info see the article:

"Berlin Heart," Charles Tillman & Washington
chicagobears.com

When Charles Tillman was asked to speak to Congress in Washington about the Berlin Heart, the Bears cornerback didn't hesitate to accept the invitation. A year ago, the revolutionary device kept his infant daughter, Tiana, alive while she awaited a heart transplant that saved her life...

"Berlin Heart," Charles Tillman & Washington

After lots of anticipation from fans (and doubters), the Michael Jackson movie, "Michael Jackson: This Is It" is opening this Friday, October 28th.

Michael Jackson: This Is It" is culled from exclusive footage of Michael Jackson's life and career, including extensive footage of his final rehearsals right before his death. It will be in movie theaters for only two weeks, so order your Michael Jackson movie tickets now!

"Michael Jackson: This Is It" Opening!
lifelounge

Drawn from more than 100 hours of footage of Michael over the years, and chronicling the months from April-June 2009 before his death, Sony have just announced the release of 'This is it'. Below is the Official Movie trailer, and it will be in theaters everywhere October 28, for two weeks only...

"Michael Jackson: This Is It" Opening!

Another associate of the financial manager turned master criminal Bernie Madoff died this week, afer having a heart attack and then drowning.

The man, Jeffry Picower, was allegedly the biggest money winner from Bernie Madoff's illegal financial schemes, walking away for about $7 billion in ill-gotten profits from Madoff's Wall Street big money skullduggery. Picower was the latest of several people connected to the Madoff case who have died since his arrest.

Bernie Madoff, who used to run NASDAQ, was behind the biggest stock market investment firm fraud in Wall Street history.

Madoff Business Associate Dies
msnbc

A man accused of making more than $7 billion off the investment schemes of jailed financial manager Bernard Madoff drowned after having a heart attack, authorities said Monday...

Madoff Business Associate Dies

Metallica is now offering a $50,000 reward for their missing fan, Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington

Morgan has been missing for a week now after trying to go to Metallica's concert tour, where her friends lost track of her at the arena and she was never heard from since. Video of the concert is now being reviewed by authorities and any other leads are being pursued, but her disappearance is still a mystery. If you have any information that might help in the search, please go to findmorgan.com to pass it on.

Metallica and Reward and Missing Fan
mywire

American heavy metal band Metallica has stumped up 50,000 dollars in reward money for a fan who disappeared at one of their concerts, a campaign website said Monday. Police have been searching for blond-haired, blue-eyed Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, 20, since she went missing from a Metallica concert in Charlottesville, Virginia on the evening of Saturday, October 17.

Metallica and Reward and Missing Fan

The annual Forbes magazine list of America'ssafest cities came out this week, and this Minneapolis tops the list!

Also listed as the safest & best places to get an apartment or some real estate: Milwaukee, Boston and Seattle. Among the criteria are safe driving, low crime and low accidental injury rates. For the full list and why they picked each city, see the Forbes article:

Minneapolis, Safest Cities: Forbes List forbes

Minneapolis tops our list of America's safest cities, and not just for its crime rate. In ranking the cities on our list, we looked at workplace fatalities, traffic-related deaths and natural disaster risk; the City of Lakes ranked in the top 10 of all four categories. It's also one of America's best places to live cheaply and offers easy access to some of the most scenic drives in the country....

Minneapolis, Safest Cities: Forbes List

Harry Reid's latest salvos in the health care reform battle could lead to a battle between Sen. Olympia Snowe and Reid.

Sen. Snowe had made big news by becoming the first prominent Republican to approve of a Democratic reform bill, but with Harry Reid's announcement of his more aggressive proposal, including a limited version of the much debated public option, Snowe now says she could not vote with the Democrats on Reid's bill as it is. This could become crucial as the Democrats seemto have lost that weaselly Joe Lieberman guy already...but there is sure to be more change between now and any final vote, so we'll see.

Sen. Olympia Snowe & Reid
TPM

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) has already suggested she won't vote for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's health care bill if it comes to the floor. Now she says she could prevent it from getting there in the first place...

Sen. Olympia Snowe & Reid

That Texas polygamist sect that made big news last year is about to be back in the news, as the trial Begins for Raymond Jessop, their leader.

Jessop, a 38 year old known as the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is facing years maximum in prison for his alleged sexual assault of a child, based on his marriage to an underage girl in the sect. Over 400 children were taken away from the sect in what became a legal quagmire, and is sure to be a hugely complex legal process again, as they are just starting to try and find a viable jury. For the initial details on the trial, see below:

Trial Begins for Raymond Jessop
my fox

The first of a dozen polygamist sect members charged with abuse of women stands trial Monday, 18 months after agents raided the group's remote ranch and carted off more than 400 children in the largest child-custody case in American history...

Trial Begins for Raymond Jessop

As Raymond Jessop gets set to begin his trial stemming from the raid on his religious sect, we are now all revisiting the details of that strange case, including the anonymous phone call that sparked rte YFZ raid.

The raid, that led to numerous arrests and hundreds of children being carted away, was allegedly sparked by an anonymous phone call from someone pretending to be a 16 year old girl who was pregnant and trapped inside the polygamist sect. It led to authorities investigating the YFZ ranch, where they believed they found evidence of abuse and continued the case even though it later became clear the original call was a fake. For more details on this hot mess of a case, read below:

Anonymous Phone Call Sparked YFZ Raid
deseret news

Someone pretending to be a pregnant 16-year-old named "Sarah" who was trapped in an abusive, polygamous marriage called a family crisis hotline in San Angelo, Texas. Similar calls were made to hotlines in Utah, Arizona, Washington and Florida.

Anonymous Phone Call Sparked YFZ Raid

As Congress hold hearings on the plague of head injuries in the NFL and their long-term effects, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is still claiming there's nothing to worry about. A lot of former NFL players, as well as medical experts, feel otherwise though.

Many studies have shown that the constant barrage of concussions and other head injuries on the field every Sunday are linked to the many health problems NFL players tend to suffer from in later life.

But NFL commissioner Goodell, sounding very much like one of those tobacco executives who denies that the sun is in the sky, loyally defended his product and denied that any studies have truly proven a link between the NFL's frequent head injuries and long term brain problems for the league's former players.

Critics, including congress, say the NFL should be doing much more to help those players who have developed long term health problems relating to the brain, and doing more to prevent the injuries.

NFL Commissioner & Head Injuries: Life and Death

NPR

The suspected link between football head injuries and brain problems has been the subject of great debate, and it played out again at the hearing. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, under direct questioning, wouldn't acknowledge a link. None of the members of the NFL's medical committee on concussions, which has famously discounted independent studies showing a link, was there to testify...

NFL Commissioner & Head Injuries: Life and Death

Executives learned the price of not doing your paperwork today, as the verdict comes in on PepsiCo's $1.26 Billion Case, in which they have lost a copyright infringement suit after an employee misplaced the documents alerting them of the suit.

Pepsico was sued by two men who claimed it was their idea to sell purified water, and Pepsi ripped them off by coming out with Aquafina. But a secretary apparently forgot to pass on the letter informing Pepsi that they were facing a $1.26 Billion case. How this possible? It's hard to believe Pepsi's lawyers will allow this judgment to go through, surely appeals are coming, but it goes to show you need to be on top of your bureaucracy.

PepsiCo's $1.26 Billion Case
reuters

It's an expensive lesson on the importance of reading your mail. A Wisconsin judge has ordered PepsiCo Inc to pay $1.26 billion to two men who said it stole their idea to sell purified water after a secretary mislaid a document alerting the world's No. 2 soft drink maker the lawsuit existed...

PepsiCo's $1.26 Billion Case

Scientists believe they may have proof that a curry compound kills cancer cells.

The compound, found in the curry ingredient turmeric, is showing signs it might help fight esophageal cancer (cancer of the esophagus). Doctors and researchers who treat cancer have been looking at the chemical, called curcumin, for a long time, after studies showed lower cancer rates in people who eat a lot of curry, and it appears curcumin has a short-term effect of making cells dispose of themselves.

As seen in the video below, proponents of herbal medicine and alternative medicine/alternative treatments have long promoted turmeric as an effective treatment for many issues, including arthritis, bronchitis and cancer. Hopefully this study from mainstream researchers will help us develop better cancer treatments!

Curry Compound Kills Cancer Cells?

A molecule found in a curry ingredient can kill esophageal cancer cells in the laboratory, suggesting it might be developed as an anti-cancer treatment, scientists said on Wednesday. Researchers at the Cork Cancer Research Center in Ireland treated esophageal cancer cells with curcumin, and found it killed cancer cells within 24 hours...

Curry Compound Kills Cancer Cells?

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has offficiallly fired his wife, as details emerge about the marital strife behind the news of Jamie McCourt out from the Dodgers, and teams of divorce lawyers and other attorneys battle this out in court.

His wife, from whom Frank is estranged, is also part owner of the Dodgers, and was chief executive of the ream but was recently terminated by her spouse. Jamie's divorce lawyer said "Jamie McCourt is disappointed and saddened by her termination. As co-owner of the Dodgers, she will address this and all other issues in the courtroom." We'll see how the divorce settlement and business arrangements work out in this mess of a case.

Jamie McCourt Out from Dodgers!
wdbj

Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt was fired Thursday by her estranged husband, team owner Frank McCourt, a day after the Dodgers lost the National League championship series. Jamie McCourt's attorney, Dennis Wasser, said his client learned she was no longer employed by the Dodgers, who ended their season Wednesday after being bounced in the NLCS by the Philadelphia Phillies for the second straight year,,.

Jamie McCourt Out from Dodgers!

A new Boeing assembly llne is opening in South Carolina, to help build a new line of planes, 787 jetliners that require an expanded work force and ramped up manufacturing. This should bring many new job opportunities, but how much benefit will it really bring?

Commercial airlines have been struggling, but Boeing is putting lots of investment into this new fleet of planes, hoping airline tickets will bring more profit as the economy improves. They hope an improved airline experience for travelers will come with a new fleet of jets, are taking advantage of the chance to use non-union workers in South Carolina, and hopefully workers will still benefit from solid work opportunities. But union reps might caution workers to be wary of buying a ticket on this plane. For more detail, see the article below:

Boeing Assembly Line
honoluluadvertiser

Boeing Co. will open a second assembly line for its long-delayed 787 jetliner in South Carolina, expanding beyond its longtime manufacturing base in Washington state to take advantage of economic incentives and a nonunion work force...It chose the site in North Charleston over Everett, Wash., because it best suited plans to boost production of the highly anticipated jet, designed to carry up to 250 passengers...

Boeing Assembly Line

Word has it some of the stars of "Slumdog Millionaire" have been skipping out of school, and the 'Slumdog' kids' truancy puts them at risk of losing their trust fund money?

The two child stars of the oscar winning movie that showed the life of poverty in India's slums, and used real kids from there to play the parts, have a trust set up now by the filmmakers to make sure they are well cared for. But the people who run the trust say the kids' attendance rates are only at 37% and 27% percent right now, and this may put their trusts in jeopardy. The families say there have been reasons for the low attendance, and threatening to stop the money because of the Slumdog kids' truancy is unfair.

I certainly would hope for these kids to attend school, but I have to ask: are American child actors held to the same standards before they can get their paycheck for the movies they are in? I'm all in favor of encouraging the kids to stay on the right path, but seems to me if they earned the money they (or at least their family) should get the money, at the end of the day.

'Slumdog' Kids Truancy? WJZ

The two child stars of "Slumdog Millionaire" are at risk of losing their monthly stipend and their trust fund if they don't attend school more regularly, a trustee for the fund said Thursday. Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 11, and Rubina Ali, 10, shot to fame after starring in the Oscar-winning movie...

'Slumdog' Kids Truancy?

Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee had a spectacular, star making performance last night in the opening game of the 2009 World Series, striking out 10 Yankees and throwing a 6 hit complete game as he totally dominated the big money New York squad. And he wowed the crowd with some amazing catches! See the Cliff Lee catch video here.

This world series is looking like a heater! The Yankeed are not likely to take this defeat well, and will be out for revenge in game 2. Should be more great video highlights to come for baseball fans.

Cliff Lee Catch Video!
huff

Cliff Lee had an amazing game Wednesday night in Game 1 of the World Series. The ace pitcher threw a six hit game, striking out 10 batters...

Cliff Lee Catch Video!

A man recently lost his job, not because of poor performance, or even poor hygeine..allegedly his bosses had the man fired over a God button!

The man says his employers, at Home Depot, told him he was not allowed to wear his button that said "One Nation Under God", because it's against the rules to express your personal beliefs on the job. A company rep said it wasn't because of the religious message, but they have a policy that only buttons provided by the company can be worn.

Still, this sounds like good news for Home Depot customers because if they don't allow anything with messages about God on it, that must they can't take those little green papers that say "In God We Trust" on them...free shopping spree for everybody!!

Man Fired Over God Button
abc news

A former cashier for The Home Depot who has been wearing a "One nation under God" button on his work apron for more than a year has been fired, he says because of the religious reference. The company claims that expressing such personal beliefs is simply not allowed...

Man Fired Over God Button

Halloween is almost here, and if you have kids, or a hot date, you might be looking for how to find haunted houses in your area.

There are many resources online you can use to find a cool halloween haunted house in your town. halloween.com is a good resource for this, and your local weekly nwewspaper probably has listings on their website for Halloween events, costume parties and haunted houses. For more ideas see below:

Find Haunted Houses in Your Area
halloween.com

There are haunted houses and haunted attractions all over the United States (and in fact all over the world). Some of the best Haunted House and Haunted Attraction locator sites are the ones at halloween.com. They will help you find a haunted house in your area or a haunted attraction wherever you are traveling...

Find Haunted Houses in Your Area

Months after their ballyhooed visit to the White House, Henry Louis Gates and James Crowley met up for a second Prof-Cop "Beer Summit" in Boston.

They met the first time after a controversial incident where Officer Crowley arrested Professor Gates inside his own home, and President Obama himself stepped in to bring them together for a summit. This time the prof and cop met away from the tv cameras and politicans, at a local Boston bar named the River Gods. Supposedly they talked for a good hour, according to other patrons of the bar.

Whatever one thinks of the original incident, I think both men have handled the afftermath with class, and set a great standard for how we can resolve conflicts even when they turn ugly at first. Now we just need to get Kanye and Taylor Swift together like this.

Prof, Cop and "Beer Summit"
usa today

Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley have been spotted schmoozing together at a pub in Cambridge, WBZ-TV reports. The owner of River Gods pub tells WBZ that the two sat in a booth and talked for about an hour Wednesday night. The Boston Globe carries a similar report...

Prof, Cop and "Beer Summit"

You've heard of family feuds before, but probably never anything like this, as two billionaire Saudis feud over billions and billions of dollars lost to financial debt and fraud.

The global economic meltdown and credit crisis have placed Saudi Arabia in tenuous circumstances financially and politically, and this clash of the economic titans linked by marriage is bringing further turmoil and damage to the country's reputation as a stable econonmic leader. As the feuding Saudi billionaires freeze huge amounts of assets and engage in other monetary skullduggery, international financial leaders are wondering whether the Saudis have their act together enough to be a safe place to put money...

Billionaire Saudis Feud
wn.com

It goes well beyond the average family squabble. For months, two billionaire families in Saudi Arabia, linked by marriage, have been locked in a bitter legal battle centered on an estimated $22 billion debt implosion and allegations of billions of dollars in fraud...

Billionaire Saudis Feud

New words came from U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on bailouts this week, with some optimism and some caution advised on the current state of the economy. Geithner said progress has been made on the financial crisis but regulatory policies stiull need to be improved to banks and lending agencies can remain stable, and employment and inflation and the like can turn in the right direction.

Fore more detail on the bailouts, AIG and Geithner's take on things, see the link and video below (and try to ignore the creepiness of Spitzer's presence in the room).

Geithner on Bailouts
forbes

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said third quarter growth figures showed the U.S. economy was stabilizing but in the early phase of recovery and difficulties still lay ahead. The U.S. government must keep reinforcing economic growth as risks of a credit crunch remain, Geithner said at the Economic Club of Chicago....

Geithner on Bailouts

New information is coming in about possible connections between cholesterol drugs & flu, and if you care about your health you'll want to listen up!

Latest studies show that drugs designed for reducing a patient's cholesterol may also increase people's chances of surviving the H1N1 swine flu. The drugs, that are commonly used as Lipitor and other brands, are known as "statins", and as quoted in the article below, an expert in this medical field said "there are relatively few downsides to trying statins" and that research is promising so far for the prospects of using these drugs to treat swine flu as well as other illnesses. Hopefully it can also reverse my baldness, have you figured that out yet? Well, I guess preventing actual deaths is pretty worthy also.

Cholesterol Drugs & Flu
msnbc

A new treatment for swine flu may already be on pharmacy shelves -- cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor and Zocor. A large study found that these drugs taken for seasonal flu when hospitalized made one twice as likely to survive than those who were not on such medicines...

Cholesterol Drugs & Flu

A lost Warhol painting is going on auction by Sotheby's and is expected to fetch a tidy sum for the lucky discoverer.

The painting is a self-portrait of Warhol, that he gave to his secretary at the time, Cathy Naso. Naso had the Warhol painting in her closet for 40+ years! So not that it's going to auction finally, people can't wait to see how much the lost Warhol painting could fetch.

How Much Could Lost Warhol Painting Fetch?
seattle pi

Sotheby's is auctioning a self-portrait by Andy Warhol that was recently found after being forgotten in a closet in New York City for more than 40 years. They expect the lost Warhol painting could fetch as much as $1 million dollars.

How Much Could Lost Warhol Painting Fetch?

A TV ad featuring David Spade with the late Chris Farley is causing controversy, as fans of Farley say it is an inappropriate usage of the dead star's likeness.

Many are decrying the ad as being in bad taste, but David Spade insists there shoold be no issue, as Farley's family approved the ad and Farley was a close friend of his. Personally I don't think there's anything wrong with the ad in theory, and I'm Chris Farley wouldn't mind his best friend and family doing this, but the way the Direct TV ad plays out does feel a little weird and morbid. I'd file this as an okay idea that was just badly executed.

Chris Farley Ad Controversy
popcrunch

The Chris Farley ad controversy wages on - by now you've seen the DirecTV Chris Farley ad, featuring a scene from Tommy Boy, with the late Farley and very-much-alive-and-collecting-a-paycheck David Spade. David Spade isn't backing down on this one - while many weigh in on the Chris Farley ad controversy as being in poor taste, Spade maintains it's a great tribute and that Farley's family gave the okay to do the DirecTV ad...

Chris Farley Ad Controversy

Rock legend Eric Clapton is pulling out of a big concert for health reasons, but they are not of the usual rock star variety.

Clapton announced to fans that he has to pull out at the last minute from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame show for emergency surgery to get gallstones removed. The procedure is expected to be safe and minor, but will sideline him from performing for a short time. He was supposed to join many other stars at Madison Square Garden for the R&R HOF super-show. Bruce Springsteen also recently pulled out, due to a death in the family (a cousin who died while on tour with him last week).

Eric Clapton's Surgery
showhype

Ageing rocker Eric Clapton has pulled out of this week's Rock and Roll Hall concert extravaganza in New York to have gallstones removed...Clapton, 64, "will spend time recuperating at home in the UK and is very sorry to disappoint the fans and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," a statement released by his publicist said. ..

Eric Clapton's Surgery