7-Year-Old Shoots Mom

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- A 7-year-old girl accidentally shot her sleeping mother twice in a South Florida neighborhood, but the woman is expected to recover. Authorities said the 38-year-old woman was asleep in her bedroom Friday when her daughter walked over to a nightstand and picked up a handgun. Authorities said it accidentally fired.

[Source: Local6.com]

Serena says Sharapova is 'sexy'

Williams not bothered by WTA
marketing of Russian teenager

Fred Prouser / Reuters file Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova arrives as a guest at the premiere of the film "Wimbledon" in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Sept. 13.

LOS ANGELES - Serena Williams knows a thing or two about sex appeal. And the tennis star complimented Russian teenager Maria Sharapova on Tuesday for having lots of it.

“She’s sexy,” Williams said, smiling.

Organizers of this week’s WTA Championships have focused their advertising on Sharapova, the 17-year-old blond beauty who stunned tennis by winning Wimbledon in July. Her leggy image is featured in a tournament poster with the tag line, “The closer you sit the hotter she gets.”

[Source: NBC Sports]

Indy 5...Minus the Indy??

Los Angeles (E! Online) - The fourth installment of Indiana Jones doesn't hit theaters until Thursday, but there's already buzz about making a fifth film without Harrison Ford in the lead role.

While walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of Kung Fu Panda, George Lucas hinted to reporters about the possibility of a sequel to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

"I haven't even told Steven [Spielberg] or Harrison this," he said. "But I have an idea to make Shia [LaBeouf] the lead character next time and have Harrison come back like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out."

Although it's hard to imagine what Lucas has up his sleeve, passing the bullwhip to LaBeouf's character, Mutt Williams, could make sense. Rumors have been swirling for months that Mutt is Indiana's lovechild with Marion Ravenwood, played by Karen Allen.

But, for now, diehard Indy fans can breathe easy: Ford, 65, hasn't hung up his fedora just yet. On Friday he told reporters, "Till they tell me otherwise, I will continue to be Indiana Jones."

[Source: Yahoo News]

UFC 84 Live Results - BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk

As always we have one rule...NO SPOILERS! No talking about undercard bouts until either they are shown on the PPV broadcast or the PPV ends. I just don't want to ruin anything for anyone (read: people like me) who is waiting to watch the undercard bouts on the PPV (if any make the broadcast).

So check in once the show starts, and comment ya'll. We're a community site and I love to BS back and forth with you guys as the show is happening.

The PPV broadcast is starting. First fight up shortly. I'm going to try to power down some sushi before it starts so I don't get soy sauce all over my keyboard. I will say that Mike is rocking the worst attempt at a fauxhawk I've ever seen.

Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes - Good choice to open up the broadcast, it should be a pretty good "get the crowd going" scrap. Classic UFC featuring minor stars in the audience as we're treated to a shot of David Spade. Round 1 - Mendes is southpaw and flicks a few jabs out and then rocks Silva with a big high kick. Silva partially blocked it but she still dropped. A leg kick puts Silva back down and he still looks a little shaken. Mendes is smart and stands back up. He looks really crisp with his strikes and his hands are noticeably faster right now. Mendes goes for a throw out of a body lock and Silva turns it into a takedown of his own. Side control into full mount against the fence by Silva. Mendes is just covering up, he has no answer on the floor. Mendes gives up his back, Silva is dropping bombs and Antonio taps out. Wow...what'd I say about this being a good action fight? Mendes looks like he has a broken nose to top off the loss. Thiago Silva wins by submission - strikes 2:24 of Round 1. Wonderful turnaround by Silva as he was SERIOUSLY hurt but survived and was dominant less than a minute later.

Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz - I'm jacked about this fight and have been since it was announced. I'm one of the most outspoken Machida fans out there so this is a huge fight in my world. I'm very interested to see where Tito's mind is...is it on the fight at hand or on the whole situation with the UFC. It should be noted that Tito is being sent to the octagon first, which is a final little shot of disrespect. It'll be interesting to see if they let him have the mic after the fight ends. Round 1 - Tito doesn't come out and shoot right away as he says. A few low kicks from Lyoto to open up. Now Tito starts to back Machida up but Lyoto uses his footwork to get away from the cage. Tito with an attempted double and Machida avoids easily and then feints a left and throws a low kick. Tito tries to get a body lock but slips off and misses an attempted knee. Tito gets ahold of Machida fully this time and is just shrugged off. Leg kick lands again and this is going to affect the shot of Ortiz as the fight goes on. Body kick, right hand slick combo by Machida. Ortiz looks a bit frustrated. Head kick is blocked by Ortiz but Machida is starting to open up a bit. Machida's footwork is beautiful, Ortiz acts like Machida isn't fighting but he's busting him up. Machida with a great takedown and he blasts Tito with a bunch of shots. Ortiz looks pissed as the round ends and he was eating some big shots as Lyoto had side control. Round 2 - They showed Liddell between rounds and it looked like he was holding up an Affliction shirt to the camera. Counter left by Machida lands. Weak shot attempt by Ortiz and Machida blasts him with a sweet kick to the body. Rogan comments on what I was about to, Machida uses feints SO beautifully. Short uppercut lands and Tito is on his heels. The crowd is booing, but I think this is a beautiful fight to watch. Every time Tito works Lyoto's back to the cage he just slides away to safety. Tito throws (and misses) a few punches. Tito gets ahold of a leg with a double attempt and Machida just pushes him off. Tito pulls guard but ends up using the fence to stand up. Flying knee lands on the chest of Ortiz. Tito gets the crowd on his side by throwing his hands up in a "lets go" signal...so Machida hits him with a 1-2. Tito hits a body kick as the round ends. Round 3 - Tito says Machida is "running the whole time" in his corner as he has a cut below the eyebrow checked out. The cut came from somewhere buddy. Body lock and Ortiz couldn't do anything with it. Shot attempt is sidestepped. Knee attempt by Ortiz misses. Machida is a bit less active now. Ortiz lands a hook and grabs a Thai plum. He is scoring with some elbows and knees to the body and then drops for a shot. Machida fights it all off. Back to a standing clinch. Restart in the center and Machida circles. Knee to the body makes Tito collapse, I honestly think he may have broken a rib. Machida pounces and lands punches and elbows from the top. HOLY CRAP! Tito locks in a triangle and armbar combo! Machida escapes though. That was SO close to a sub win. The knockdown won the round for Machida in my book. I've got the score at 30-27 for Machida. Ortiz is bloodied and pacing around screaming...you know...the thing he does when he loses? Lyoto Machida wins by unanimous decision (30-27 all cards). The crowd boos Machida like crazy during the start of the post fight inverview...but um...why? He cut him up and dropped him. Tito says "I tried my hardest" to the camera. They do let Tito talk during the post fight. Pretty shocking in my book. But Ortiz is respectful enough. So that's good. He says he wants to fight for 3-4 more years, but the stuff between him and Dana is all bullshit and the Fertittas have always been good to him. He says he hasn't decided yet if he is leaving the UFC or not. So amazingly he changes his tune after the fight.

Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic - I'm still not thrilled with this getting main card over Soko/Naka. But that's where we're at. For the sake of liveblogging I much prefer fights between guys like Penn and Sherk...nice short names without too many vowels. No one cheers for either guy...exactly why this shouldn't be on the main card. Round 1 - Solid leg kick leads things off for Gouveia and another. Reljic isn't checking these kicks at all. High kick is blocked by Wilson. He throws three more BIG high kicks. These are going to hurt Gouveia's arm if nothing else. A few punches land for Goran and finally Gouveia scores with a hard punch. Counter body kick for Reljic is countered by Wilson with a straight punch. Two more head kick attempts. Wilson is coming forward and scoring now. Hard body shots are landing and some punches to the head and Reljic jump pulls guard to get out of trouble. Reljic throws hard high kicks but I don't like his one dimensional attacking with his hands. It's all left hands. Round ends and I'd give it to Gouveia just on the fact that while Reljic threw flashy shots it was Gouveia who scored with shots that landed and forced Goran to pull guard. Round 2 - High kick from Goran...of course, and that one almost landed. Wilson drops Goran with a left hand and he has to pull guard again and now Gouveia is unloading from the top. It was body shots standing that set up the left hand that dropped Reljic. He reacts very badly whenever Gouveia decides to go to the body so that's where Gouveia needs to go 100%. Goran pushes him away and gets back to standing. Reljic lands a punch and drops Gouveia. Reljic is flailing away and didn't land many shots from the top but Herb Dean stops the fight anyway. Gouveia wasn't really doing anything from the bottom but I'm surprised the fight was stopped right there. Left hand to the temple is what dropped Wilson. On the replay I only saw about 3 punches that landed once Wilson was on the ground, regardless...he isn't arguing...so whatever. Big win for Reljic but I don't see a big future in what I saw tonight. Goran Reljic wins by TKO (strikes on the ground) - Round 2 3:15.

Christian Wellisch vs. Shane Carwin - Hot prelim action! Round 1 - Carwin throws some straight punches as he comes forward to start the fight. Carwin eats a right from Wellisch. WOAH! Huge right hand for Carwin knocks Wellisch's mouthpiece out of his mouth and about 10 feet away and the fight is over. Shane Carwin wins by KO (punch) Round 1 0:44.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine - WHOO! Nothing excites me as much as a Wandy fight. He brings out the MMA fan in me that remembers how crazy fun things used to be. No matter how many losses he ends up taking I'm always excited to watch him fight. Damn...Jardine looks good...and HUGE. Wandy gets the lights out, fancy star treatment for his introduction. And the crowd is reacting very positively to him. Round 1 - Keith with an overhand right early. Silva hurts him with a big right...and another..Jardine is down. Wanderlei is POURING it on from on top and the fight...is...over. WANDY BABY! I'm not even remotely impartial right now. Jardine is out flat and stiff on his back as the doctors work on him. They just showed David Spade mouthing "holy shit" which is about perfectly right (even though I hate David Spade). Counter right hand over a kick is what hurt Jardine initially, then a left in the clinch as Jardine tried to get up. Then once it was on the ground there were some crazy hard shots to the jaw and you just saw Jardine's body stiffen suddenly. Wanderlei Silva wins by TKO (ref stoppage-punches) Round 1. The crowd is loving Wandy. Jardine walks out on his own power...very good to see.

Ivan Salaverry vs. Rousimar Palhares - More hot prelim action. Round 1 - Palhares with a quick, strong takedown. I picked Ivan in the staff picks but bet on Rousimar big time. Mount for Palhares, and Ivan gives up his back. Palhares is battling for the rear naked choke but Salaverry fights it off nicely. Slick transition to an armbar for Palhares and it's over as Salaverry taps. Rousimar Palhares wins by submission (armbar) Round 1.

BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk for the UFC Lightweight Championship - It's main event time and I'm pumped. Sherk is booed pretty heavily, but no surprise there. Round 1 - Penn with some punches and he defends against the first takedown attempt. Sherk with a nice hook that hurt BJ a bit. They're boxing right now and each guy is having his moments. Sherk looks a step quicker right now actually. He is so twitchy at times though. BJ's jab is starting to land a little and it's a nice weapon. Sherk is bleeding a bit under his eye..nothing serious and it's in a good spot. Penn is winning the round with his jab with 1 minute left. That jab is actually allowing BJ to slow the fight down. Sherk is doing the right thing and trying to counter with a left hook but it isn't landing so far. 10-9 round for Penn. Round 2 - Low kick from Sherk lands. Penn lands a few punches. Sherk lands some good combinations as the distance closes. Steroids chant goes up...classy as always fans. BJ isn't jabbing and that is allowing Sherk to push the pace again. Uppercut by Penn misses. Left hook, uppercut combo lands for Sherk. Sherk is throwing punches in bunches now which is a good plan. BJ is a one at a time striker right now...but he is landing cleaner and winning the round. Honestly this is good for Sherk. He's eating some shots but he isn't in trouble and BJ is having to work. Still..you can only eat so many shots. BJ is easilly winning the round so I hope I don't sound like Sherk is doing too well. Penn with a hook at the end of the round. His hands went to his hips for a second as he went to his corner....but it may just be a reflex thing. Round 3 - This is where Sherk needs to step it up...lets see if he can do it. More of the same for the first thirty seconds. Left hook lands for Sherk. Penn shoots for a takedown. Then lands a few crisp strikes. Less action over the next minute. Low kick lands hard for BJ. Sherk needs to change things up...like now. Sherk is shaking out his right hand...we may have a broken hand situation. Thirty seconds left in the round and this is a good time to try out a takedown. Penn with a huge knee that drops Sherk and several punches and Sherk was almost out but he is saved by the bell. ...actually no he isn't. It looks like they are stopping the fight. I'm not sure what happened, but it is all over. BJ Penn remains the UFC Lightweight Champion. BJ Penn wins by TKO Round 3. Penn hugs Sherk and says "come by anytime" and also says something to the effect of "I know you were mad but I was just trying to make it the biggest fight in lightweight history" (not a direct quote). They're starting to hype Penn/GSP...which is not something I want to see until each guy has cleaned out their division. Which is going to take a while for Penn to do.

Jon Koppenhaver vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida - Even MORE hot prelim action. Round 1 - Yoshida with a nice strike and a great judo throw...Jon had no business clinching with him. Choke attempt by Yoshida. Koppenhaver went to sleep...for...more than a few seconds before Herb Dean noticed. Boy...I really shouldn't have trusted Koppenhaver on this one. Yoshida is a great fighter, I just figured Jon's heart would carry him. I also figured he'd be smart enough to not clinch. Yoshiyuki Yoshida wins by Submission (anaconda choke) Round 1.

Rameau Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura - We're getting a lot of fights tonight. And that makes me happy. The Tito fight showed that Soko has no reason to feel bad for his last fight. Round 1 - They trade punches to start things out. Great leg kicks by Soko and a right hand lands. Soko is in heaven right now with a guy like Naka who is just going to plant his feet and be there for you to hit. Naka with a jump knee and a punch behind it. Right hand lands now and Nakamura is having a moment half way through the round. Soko has stopped throwing strikes for a good 45 seconds now. Rogan is questioning the heavily taped knee of Sokoudjou and the fact that after he slipped early in the fight he seems to have slowed down a bit. Body kick followed by a huge right hand drops Kazuhiro and the buzzer sounds before Soko could pour it on. Nakamura fell awkwardly when he got knocked down and he can barely walk. They're going to stop the fight. Rameau Sokoudjou wins by TKO - Round 1. I dunno, nice low kicks and the punch that landed was no joke. But there were moments where Nakamura was standing right in front of him and Sokoudjou wasn't pulling the trigger. Not totally impressive, but he needed the win badly. Soko says "one word, Shogun" after the fight. Trying to set up a huge fight.

[Source: Bloody Elbow]

Rare Tornado Strikes Southern California

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. — The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for parts of Southern California as the region is being pounded by wild weather including torrential downpours.

The weather service said at 4:38 p.m. Thursday that Doppler radar was tracking a tornado moving south near Moreno Valley in Riverside County.

A KABC-TV helicopter in the area has shown an overturned big rig blocking a highway and a half-dozen freight cars toppled over on nearby railroad tracks.

[Source: Fox News]

2010 Camaro Spotted on The Production Line

The 2010 Chevy Camaro is one of the most highly-anticipated new vehicles to come from GM in years. Ever since it was announced, a stream of pics and speculation have fed ever growing excitement for the reborn muscle car's return. Enthusiasts have already seen virtual road tests, camo-free spy shots, and even videos of the car in action, but now one intrepid spy has managed to take things a step further -- they may be a little blurry, but someone captured an example of the 2010 Camaro making its way down the production line.

It's unclear where or when they were taken, but speculation is these pics are from GM's Oshawa, Ontario plant where the Camaro will be built. Given that the car is set to launch as a 2010 model (and the assembly line is conspicuously empty) these are almost certainly just preproduction examples, but it's interesting to see how the hot new coupe will be put together. One surprising thing about the photos is the complete lack of human beings in them -- meaning either the plant wasn't running at the time, or the General's assembly robots have really come a long way. Also in some shots you can get a good view of the car's final shape, including the presence of a pretty serious blind spot from the large C-pillar. Then again, with a rumored 400 horsepower coming from either the 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 of the Corvette or the 6.0-liter L76 V-8 powering the Pontiac G8, you shouldn't have any trouble avoiding people on the freeway.

The all-new 2010 Camaro isn't set to debut until next year's Detroit Auto Show in January, and should go on sale midway through next year. Until then, if you happen to catch one out on the road, be sure to snap a photo -- you can never have enough spy shots out there.

[Source: Motor Trend]

David Cook Wins American Idol

Another memorable season of American Idol has come to an end. David Cook was crowned the seventh American Idol during the show's star-studded season finale at the Kodak Theater.

David Cook, 25, of Blue Springs,Montana, prevailed over David Archuleta,17, of Murray, Utah, after a triumphant performance Tuesday that wowed the viewers who gave him a majority of the votes cast.

Following are some facts about David Cook (Reuters)

* David Cook, 25, is a Missouri guitarist with a background in musical theater and who formed his own band, Axium, in high school. Working as a bartender while trying to launch his music career, he did not originally plan to try out for "American Idol," but went to auditions to support his brother. Once considered a long shot, Cook has won fans for alternative versions of pop classics, such as Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean."

[Source: Celebglitz]

Cameron Diaz Goes Bald!

Cameron Diaz sports a bald cap while filming scenes for her new movie "My Sister’s Keeper” in Santa Monica yesterday.

Co-starring with Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva, the film tells the sad story of a girl (Vassilieva) battling leukemia and the strife it causes within the family.

[Source: Celebglitz]

Ashlee Simpson Wedding Pictures — FIRST PHOTO!

Here is the very first photo of Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz’s weekend wedding, featured on the latest cover of People.

The mag, which reportedly shelled out $1 million for the exclusive wedding pics, described the ceremony as “the ultimate rocker event,” complete with 10,000 black magic roses, red-and-black décor and chandeliers dripping with crystals. But for the couple and their 150 guests, it felt more like a sweet fairy tale.

“She looked like a girl right out of a movie,” the groom, 28, says about his new bride, 23, who wore an ivory lace Monique Lhuillier gown and a cathedral-length veil during the nondenominational ceremony officiated by her father, Joe Simpson.

[Source: Just Jared]

Honda to Sell Cheaper Hybrid in 2009

Honda FCX Clarity - Design for New Honda Hybrid

Washington DC May 21, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that Honda Motor Co. announced today that it will launch a new, affordable gas-electric hybrid car in the U.S., Japan, and Europe in early 2009.

The vehicle will be one of four new hybrid models the car maker plans to release by 2015 to challenge Toyota's dominance in the green car market. These new vehicle launches, which will include a hybrid version of the Fit, highlight Honda's aggressive new push to reclaim its role as a leader in green car technology.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Honda now has an ambitious goal to sell 500,000 hybrids per year sometime after 2010. The vehicle - which is still unnamed - will be sold only as a hybrid, as is the Toyota Prius.

Honda expects to sell about 200,000 of the new vehicles annually, half of those in the U.S. market. The car is based on the design of the FCX Clarity, the fuel-cell vehicle.

Honda President Takeo Fukui said it would be affordable and that weight reduction, more compact components, and new technologies will help increase fuel efficiency.

[Source: Auto Channel]

After Cancer Diagnosis, Kennedy Leaves Boston Hospital

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

Senator Edward M. Kennedy walked out of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Wednesday.

By PAM BELLUCK and ANAHAD O’CONNOR Published: May 22, 2008

BOSTON — One day after learning that he has a malignant brain tumor, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the longtime Massachusetts Democrat and patriarch of the Kennedy family, walked out of a hospital to a crowd of well wishers on Wednesday, appearing strong and cheerful.

Multimedia

Photographs by Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

Senator John Kerry, left, and Senator Christopher J. Dodd spoke to reporters about Mr. Kennedy’s cancer diagnosis.

Mr. Kennedy was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital on Saturday after suffering a seizure at his Cape Cod compound. After several days of tests, a preliminary biopsy of the brain revealed that Mr. Kennedy, 76, has a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe on the upper part of his brain, a cancer that often carries a bleak prognosis.

But if there were any signs that the diagnosis had slowed Mr. Kennedy or dampened his spirits, they were not evident as he left the hospital on Wednesday morning. Holding hands with his wife and walking side by side with his children, Mr. Kennedy exited the hospital to cheers and cries of good luck from a few dozen supporters who had gathered outside the hospital. Mr. Kennedy waved and gave a thumbs up sign as he walked to his car, then circled back and played with his two dogs before getting into a car and driving off.

The only evidence of the procedure and diagnosis appeared to be a two-inch by two-inch bandage on the back of Mr. Kennedy’s head.

Dr. Lee H. Schwamm, the hospital’s vice chairman of neurology, and Dr. Larry Ronan, Mr. Kennedy’s primary care physician at the hospital, said in a statement that Mr. Kennedy “has recovered remarkably quickly” and would be awaiting further test results and treatment plans while recovering at his Cape Cod home.

On Tuesday, they explained his treatment options, saying that the usual course for someone with his history and diagnosis includes “combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy.”

News of the brain tumor jolted people in Washington, Massachusetts and beyond, generating reaction from around the world, where Mr. Kennedy’s family legacy and his 46 years in the Senate have made him a well-known figure.

Aside from an unsuccessful run for president in 1980, Mr. Kennedy has focused his energy on issues including health care, education and civil rights. Despite his liberal ideology and occasional loud clashes on the Senate floor, Mr. Kennedy is held in high esteem by the opposition for his determination, understanding of the issues, and a willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion on subjects like education, health care and immigration.

“Senator Kennedy enjoys great respect and admiration on this side of the aisle,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader. “He is indeed one of the most important figures to ever serve in this body in our history.”

In a statement, President Bush said, “Ted Kennedy is a man of tremendous courage, remarkable strength, and powerful spirit.” Mr. Bush said he and his wife, Laura, “join our fellow Americans in praying for his full recovery.”

Senator John McCain echoed that sentiment, and both Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton invoked Mr. Kennedy at length on Tuesday night in their speeches following the Oregon and Kentucky primaries.

Doctors and people close to Mr. Kennedy said on Tuesday that while he was in the hospital he was “in good spirits and full of energy” and “in overall good condition.” He has not had another seizure since he was hospitalized, they said.

“Right now, he’s his normal self, except for the news that he’s dealing with,” said a close friend who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “I bet he’ll be back at the Cape sailing this weekend. I expect he’ll go back to work” after the Memorial Day recess.

Senate Democrats and Republicans learned of Mr. Kennedy’s condition as they were gathered for their weekly closed-door party luncheons, and members of both parties were visibly shaken by the news.

As he opened debate on the Iraq spending bill, Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, at 90 the only current senator to serve longer than Mr. Kennedy, was distraught. “Ted, Ted, my dear friend, I love you and miss you,” Mr. Byrd said in halting remarks on the floor.

Malignant glioma is the most common form of brain cancer, accounting for about 9,000 cases diagnosed each year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. They are more common in older people, especially those between the ages of 75 and 84, according to the American Cancer Society.

The prognosis varies depending on the type and severity of the tumor, and the patient’s age. The American Cancer Society said survival rates dropped with increasing age.

Dr. Patrick Y. Wen, clinical director of the Center for Neuro-Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said the average prognosis for the most aggressive type of glioma was 14 to 15 months, while the prognosis for slower-growing tumors was two to four years.

“This is a sad situation,” Dr. Wen said. He said that such tumors can sometimes affect sensation, speech, or vision, and that tumors in older people tend to be harder to treat. “These are unfortunately aggressive tumors.”

Alain Charest, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Tufts Medical Center, said if the tumor could be removed surgically doctors would do so, although gliomas are difficult to remove because cells from the tumor tend to travel to other parts of the brain. Radiation and chemotherapy usually follow surgery.

Dr. Carl B. Heilman, chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Tufts Medical Center, said that most people went back to work after a biopsy, and that many patients responded well to radiation therapy and oral chemotherapy at first.

Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts said on Tuesday in Washington that he had visited Mr. Kennedy over the weekend.

“He’s in a fighting mood,” Mr. Kerry said. “He is asking questions about what the choices are for him. He’s deeply involved in making all the kinds of personal decisions that any of you would.”

Mr. Kerry added: “He would call you and help arrange a discussion with a bunch of doctors to talk about a wife who was sick or a child or any number of things — now everybody needs to do that on behalf of Ted. Everybody needs to pull for him and his family and remember that this guy is one unbelievable fighter.”

In Massachusetts, the impact of Mr. Kennedy’s persona and political legacy is hard to overestimate.

[Source: New York Times]

Who Will Win American Idol

One thing is for sure. David will win American Idol tonight. We can say that because there were two Davids competing in the finals Tuesday night on Fox -- David Archuleta and David Cook.

But if the judges are any indicator of the results to be announced on tonight's show, David Archuleta should win hands down.

Judge Randy Jackson said, "Dude you are so good tonight. You are exactly what this show is about. Finding the best singer we can find, and the best singer season 7 is right there!"

Judge Paula Abdul said Archuleta left her "speechless" and described his performance as "stunning."

Judge Simon Cowell, after scoring the first two rounds for Archuleta, called the show "one of the great finals." But after Archuleta finished his third and final performance, he told Archuleta: "In my opinion, David, you came out here to win, and what we have witnessed is a knockout."

Even host Ryan Seacrest seemed to agree, adding "Well said, Mr. Cowell."

The results will be announced in a live, star-studded two-hour finale tonight.

[Source: The Daily Voice]

feticide - Saints' Grant Charged in Death

Pregnant woman shot at nightclub
By LARRY HOLDER
lholder@sunherald.com

In this April 21, 2002 file photo, New Orleans Saints defensive end Charles Grant answers questions during a news conference at the Saints' training camp in New Orleans. Grant was indicted Tuesday, May 20, 2008 on a charge of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a shooting death after a February altercation at a Georgia nightclub.

In this April 21, 2002 file photo, New Orleans Saints defensive end Charles Grant answers questions during a news conference at the Saints' training camp in New Orleans. Grant was indicted Tuesday, May 20, 2008 on a charge of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a shooting death after a February altercation at a Georgia nightclub.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Charles Grant and six others have been indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges involving an incident at a Georgia nightclub Feb. 3 in which a pregnant woman was shot and killed.

The Early County Times in Georgia first reported the indictments stemming from the altercation in the early-morning hours leading up to Super Bowl XLII. Bill Johnson, Grant's agent, didn't return a phone call left by the Sun Herald on Tuesday.

An Early County grand jury also charged Laquient Macklin with felony murder and feticide in the death of Korynda Reed and her unborn child.

Grant was also charged with creating a disturbance.

Woodrow Gray, one of the six others charged with involuntary manslaughter, was also charged with aggravated assault with a knife in the stabbing of Grant, who was pierced in the neck during the brawl.

Grant came away from the attack not seriously injured.

The charges against Grant certainly could draw negative interest from the NFL office with the increased crackdown on off-the-field behavior after the lengthy suspensions of such players as Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones and former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry.

The Saints made Grant one of the highest-paid defensive ends in the NFL last offseason when they signed him to a seven-year contract worth up to $63 million with $20 million guaranteed.

Injuries and sluggish play led to one of his worst statistical seasons of his six-year pro career in 2007, when he tied a career low with 2½ sacks in 14 starts.

[Source: SunHerald.com]

Jessica Alba Marries Long-Time Boyfriend Cash Warren

Jessica Alba married Cash Warren in a secret ceremony on Monday. The 27-year-old actress who is pregnant with Warren's child, tied the knot on Monday, her representative Brad Cafarelli confirmed to People.

According to a source, they were married in the Beverly Hills courthouse's ceremony room under an arch of green silk foliage and white flowers. They were casually dressed, with Alba wearing a long blue dress and her hair back in a ponytail.

"She looked happy but nervous," the source says.

Alba recently said of her relationship with Warren, "It wasn't lust, or 'this is my soul mate.' It was, 'Oh, I'm going to know you for the rest of my life.' It was easy."

The mom-to-be Alba has been engaged to her baby daddy to be, Cash Warren, since December. The two met while filming "Fantastic Four."

Congrats to the happy couple!

[Source: CelebGlitz]

$175 Hamburger on Menu at Wall Street Burger Shoppe

If you thought dropping $81 on a hamburger at The Old Homestead was enough to prove you’ve arrived, think again, hayseed – New York’s newest culinary status symbol, the “Richard Nouveau” burger at Wall Street Burger Shoppe, is going to cost you over twice that. They’re charging $175 for the experience, but money’s no object when it comes to showing the other hedge-funders you’ve completely lost touch with reality, right?

Momentarily the city’s most expensive burger, the Richard Nouveau consists of 10 ounces of Kobe-raised beef crowned with a thick “lobe” of seared foie gras, 25 grams of shaved black truffles, and aged gruyere cheese. It comes enthroned on a brioche bun anointed with a homemade truffled mayonnaise and garnished with more shaved truffles. Oh, and gold leaf flakes from Japan, which has the yummiest gold.

This edible monument of decadence also eclipses chef/restaurateur Daniel Boulud, whose $150 “Royale” burger is now the Hyundai of haute burgers. While the star chef tells the Daily News he won’t get drawn into a pissing contest and raise his price, he’s none too impressed with this arriviste competitor: “It's not about extravagance; it's about respect for real cooking. The luxury is in the care and the ingredients.” It is so on. For more on the Richard Nouveau’s creation, Pocket Change has video of its assembly and subsequent devouring.

[Source: gothamist]

Doctors: Ted Kennedy Has Malignant Brain Tumor

BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor, doctors treating him at Massachusetts General Hospital said Tuesday.

Sen. Edward Kennedy suffered a seizure Saturday in Hyannisport, Massachusetts.

Kennedy, 76, was hospitalized Saturday morning after suffering a seizure at his family's compound at Hyannisport, Massachusetts.

"Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe," according to a statement from the doctors treating the senator.

Malignant glioma is the most common primary brain tumor, accounting for more than half of the 18,000 primary malignant brain tumors diagnosed each year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. Learn more about Kennedy's condition

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush was "deeply saddened" by the news and would keep the senator in his prayers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was confident Kennedy would get through his health crisis.

"Sen. Kennedy has been a fighter all his life," she said.

"He is a fighter -- a fighter for our children, for our workers, for our seniors. He is a champion fighting for health care for all Americans.

"I know that that fighting spirit will hold him in good stead in the challenge that he faces now."

Kennedy had surgery in October to clear his carotid artery in hopes of preventing a stroke.

In recent days, the powerful Democrat appeared in fine health. On Friday, he took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new maritime learning center in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

He suffers chronic back pain from injuries suffered in a plane crash in 1964.

The usual course of treatment for Kennedy's type of tumor includes radiation and chemotherapy, said a statement from Dr. Lee Schwamm, vice chairman of the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Dr. Larry Ronan, primary care physician at the hospital.

"Decisions regarding the best course of treatment for Sen. Kennedy will be determined after further testing and analysis," the doctors continued. Video Watch CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta describe treatment options »

"Sen. Kennedy will remain at Massachusetts General Hospital for the next couple of days according to routine protocol. He remains in good spirits and full of energy."

Kennedy has represented Massachusetts in the Senate since 1962. He is one of only six senators in U.S. history to serve more than 40 years. He is known as a liberal champion of social issues such as health care, family leave and the minimum wage.

Senate Democrats and Republicans were in their weekly closed policy lunches in the Capitol when the news of Kennedy's diagnosis broke.

Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada announced the news to his Democratic colleagues. The wind was taken out of the room, said one senator. There was "stunned silence," said another.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, a close friend of Kennedy's, released a statement saying, "Ted Kennedy has spent his life caring for those in need. Now it's time for those who love Ted and his family to care for them and join in prayer to give them strength."

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg said, "Ted Kennedy makes the Senate the place that it is, and has for so many years."

[Source: CNN]

WA Mom Planning Protest of Bikini Baristas

A Washington State mother is planning to protest several coffee shops that feature bikini-clad baristas.

She says she was shocked when she and her children were served by an employee sporting a swimsuit at this Roadside Coffee Stand in the Tacoma suburb of Bonney Lake.

Now she is planning a protest on Memorial Day weekend in front of the eateries asking them to post warnings about the barista's outfits.

One of the coffee shops says it will be holding a charity clothing drive to coincide with the protest.

Check out the video:

[Source: WSAV.com]

Ancestry.com and National Archives Join Forces | Ancestry.com/Military

Ancestry.com and National Archives Join Forces to Make Millions of Historical Documents Available Online to Americans Wanting to Research Family History This Memorial Day and Beyond

New Agreement Features On-Site Ancestry.com Technicians and Scanners at National Archives For Ongoing Digitization of Historical Content

WASHINGTON and PROVO, Utah, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com, today announced an agreement that makes millions of historical records more easily available to the American public. The agreement, which will be signed today at the NARA headquarters in Washington, D.C. and celebrated with a military theme in honor of this Memorial Day, allows for the ongoing digitization of a wealth of historical content, including immigration, birth, marriage, death and military records.

The new agreement provides critical access to these important historical records at a faster rate than ever before due to the placement of Ancestry.com technicians and scanning machines at NARA to continually digitize content for online access. The initial NARA collections to be digitized under the new agreement include INS Passenger and Crew Arrival and Departure Lists from 1897-1958 and Death Notices of U.S. Citizens Abroad from 1835-1974, which have not been available to the public outside of NARA research rooms before now.

"The mission of the National Archives and Records Administration is to provide access to the nation's historical records, and we are proud to have The Generations Network among our valued partners," said Professor Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States. "With this new agreement, citizens can discover and learn from these records in remote locations faster than ever before."

For more than a decade, Ancestry.com and NARA have collaborated to make important historical records available to the public, demonstrating their dovetailing commitment to preserving America's heritage. Ancestry.com currently has the largest online collection of digitized and indexed NARA content, including the complete U.S. Federal Census Collection, 1790-1930, passenger lists from 1820-1960 and WWI and WWII draft registration cards. Through this new agreement, Ancestry.com and NARA have greatly enhanced their working relationship. More on the agreement and the long-term relationship between Ancestry.com and NARA can be found at http://www.ancestry.com/nara.

"We are honored to be a part of NARA's progressive vision to provide access to our nation's historical records through this kind of public-private partnership," said Tim Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer of The Generations Network, Inc. "We hope the Ancestry.com-NARA relationship can help millions more Americans learn about their own family's history and then pass these stories to their children and grandchildren."

Formal Signing Ceremony at NARA

Ancestry.com and NARA will celebrate their new agreement with a formal signing ceremony at NARA headquarters at 10 a.m. today. In keeping with the Memorial Day theme, veterans as well as Ancestry.com members who have made important family discoveries in the NARA military documents already digitized and available on Ancestry.com will also be in attendance and on hand to share their stories.

Free Public Access on Ancestry.com

To commemorate the NARA-Ancestry.com agreement on the eve of Memorial Day, Ancestry.com is making its entire U.S. Military Collection -- the largest online collection of American military records -- available for free to the public. From May 20 through May 31, people can log on to http://www.ancestry.com/military to view more than 100 million names and 700 titles and databases of military records, the majority of which come from NARA, from all 50 U.S. states.

About the National Archives

The National Archives and Records Administration, an independent federal agency, is the nation's record keeper. Founded in 1934, its mission is unique -- to serve American democracy by safeguarding and preserving the records of our Government, ensuring that the people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. The National Archives ensures continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their government. It supports democracy, promotes civic education, and facilitates historical understanding of our national experience. The National Archives meets a wide range of information needs, among them helping people to trace their families' history, making it possible for veterans to prove their entitlement to medical and other benefits, and preserving original White House records. The National Archives carries out its mission through a nationwide network of archives, records centers, and Presidential Libraries, and on the Internet at http://www.archives.gov.

About Ancestry.com

With 25,000 searchable databases and titles and nearly 3 million active users, Ancestry.com is the No. 1 online source for family history information. Since its launch in 1997, Ancestry.com has been the premier resource for family history, simplifying genealogical research for millions of people by providing them with many easy-to-use tools and resources to build their own unique family trees. Ancestry.com is part of The Generations Network, Inc., a leading network of family-focused interactive properties, including http://www.myfamily.com, http://www.rootsweb.com, http://www.genealogy.com and Family Tree Maker. In total, The Generations Network properties receive nearly 8.5 million unique visitors worldwide. ((C) comScore Media Metrix, March 2008). To easily begin researching your family history, visit http://www.ancestry.com.

Website: http://www.ancestry.com/
Website: http://www.archives.gov/
Website: http://www.myfamily.com/
Website: http://www.rootsweb.com/
Website: http://www.genealogy.com/

[Source: PR Newswire]

Roku's $99 Netflix Box: Easy, Cheap, Fast Movies? | Roku

It sometimes seems as if every R&D dollar in the tech industry these days is going toward building a new movie-rental scheme. Tech firms, working through the byzantine Hollywood licensing rules, are looking to get you movies quickly, for little money, and without breaking up your nightly date with the La-Z-Boy.

Apple, Amazon, TiVo, several start-ups, and the cable companies have all released less-than-stellar efforts -- but has Netflix finally hit on the perfect service?

Reviews are streaming in this morning for the new Netflix rental box made by a Silicon Valley tech firm called Roku. The tiny device, which costs $99, streams Netflix's Watch Instantly movies to your TV -- one of several devices in the works to get Netflix's online movies to your living room.

Here's the best part. Most Netflix users can get the service for no extra fee. In other words, if you already get Netflix (at the $8.99 level or more) and you buy the Roku, you'll be in movie heaven: You'll continue to get your DVDs in the mail, plus you'll be able to watch any of 10,000 movies and TV shows on the Roku whenever you like.

I've raved about Netflix's Watch Instantly before. Its main advantage is price: It's free for Netflix subscribers. Moreover, Watch Instantly isn't hampered by rental limits. Many competing rental services -- Apple's, for instance -- give you a limited time in which to rent a movie. Apple's limit is 24 hours, meaning you can't start a film after dinner tonight and then finish it after dinner tomorrow.

But until now, Netflix's plan has only been available on Windows PCs. The Roku device sets streaming movies free to your TV.

The thing isn't perfect, still. "Netflix has 100,000 DVDs available, but only 10 percent of them can be procured for streaming," notes Wired's Mark McLusky. He adds: "Also, fast forwarding and rewinding is a bit of a chore, given the limitations of video streaming, although the player smartly displays a visual timeline of scenes to help with navigation."

What strikes me as beautiful about this system, though, is the way it fulfills all your movie needs. As always, you'll get the huge selection and no-late-fee goodness of Netflix's DVD plan, but with the bonus of instant-gratification, for those few nights when you find yourself lusting after something you didn't remember to put in your queue.

Seems like a good deal for $99.

[Source: Machinist]

Eastwood, Jolie Get Cannes Applause For New Drama | Christine Collins | Changeling

CANNES, France (AFP) — Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie drew warm applause at Cannes Tuesday for a wrenching drama based on a true story of a single mother in 1920s California whose son vanishes.

Eastwood, who will turn 78 next week, directed "The Exchange", a picture that picks up the themes of children in danger and lost innocence that have marked much of his acclaimed late-career work.

The film, originally titled "Changeling", tells the story of Christine Collins (Jolie) whose nine-year-old son Walter goes missing.

Months later police turn up with a boy they say is Walter. But Christine senses immediately he is not her son and her suspicion is quickly confirmed.

Helped by pastor and community activist Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich), she battles to prove that the corrupt and incompetent Los Angeles Police Department will go to any lengths to make the case disappear.

Eastwood said he was captivated by the story after producer Brian Grazer ("A Beautiful Mind") introduced him to the script.

"Children in danger of course is about the highest form of drama you can have," he said.

Eastwood said he was also drawn to stories of people who question authority.

"Most stories of intrigue certainly are trying to get at the truth and telling the truth is one of the most important things for an actor," he said.

"To be truthful is the greatest virtue on the planet and that's what makes every drama interesting."

Eastwood entered the picture in the competition for Cannes' coveted Palme d'Or despite walking away empty-handed in 2003 for his entry "Mystic River".

The Hollywood veteran told reporters he was ready to go head-to-head with top directors from around the world at cinema's most important showcase.

"To play it out of competition is kind of playing it safe," he said. "I'm not above it -- I put it out there for what it is."

Jolie, who is heavily pregnant with twins, arrived in Cannes last week to tout an animated children's movie "Kung Fu Panda".

The mother of three adopted children as well as a biological daughter with Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt told reporters she was able to tap into her own feelings about family in playing the role of Christine Collins.

"Certainly so much of it is being a mother and imagining if it was happening to me -- my pain and my frustration," said Jolie, 32.

She said also based her character in part on her own mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, who died last year.

"I lost my mother a few months before (shooting) the film," she said. "To me she's very much like my mother -- my mother was very passive in many ways and very, very sweet but when it came to her children she was a lion.

"It was a way to kind of revisit my mother after (her) passing, spend time with her."

Eastwood is to personally present a public screening Thursday on the Riviera town's palm-fringed beach of a restored version of his 1971 cop classic "Dirty Harry."

He denied rumours he was interested in making a new picture as the Magnum-toting strongman. Jolie joked she was ready to take over the franchise.

"Dirty Harriet," Eastwood quipped.

Gwyneth Paltrow brought another dash of Hollywood glamour to Cannes Tuesday as she promoted "Two Lovers", a James Gray drama also vying for the festival's top prize.

The event wraps up Sunday with a gala awards ceremony.

[SOurce: AFP]

Napster Starts Selling DRM-free MP3s

Napster is now selling DRM-free music files playable on any device, including iPods , and has streamlined its Web interface with version 4.5.

Napster claims to have the largest selection of music among online music services, with 6 million tracks, and is making all them available for purchase in standard MP3 format. The DRM-free tracks cost $0.99 and albums cost $9.95, which is comparable with Apple 's iTunes Plus DRM-free songs; Apple claims to have 2 million such tracks available. The Apple DRM-free tracks are also in the less-compatible AAC format, which Windows Media Player can't handle. Both companies' DRM-free files are encoded at a high-quality, 256Kbps bitrate.

The new Napster service does not require any monthly membership fee, as the current Napster unlimited-subscription, DRM-ed service does ($12.95 for the on-demand streaming service; $14.95 for the Napster-to-Go portable syncing service). The Web interface works on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux running Firefox 2.x or Internet Explorer 7.x (which is recommended). The downloadable Napster software, which is required for the service's portable device syncing, runs only on Windows XP or Vista and requires Windows Media Player 10.

The software was formerly required for purchasing and downloading music, but now that can be accomplished via the updated Web interface. Non-subscribers can preview music in 30 second clips, but subscribers can listen to full tracks.

"With this release, we give the consumers something they feel confident will be theirs on [whatever device they use]" Napster COO Christopher Allen said in a pre-briefing with PC Magazine, adding that "MP3 gives you the most flexibility." He also noted the high-resolution album art that now comes with purchased music.

The Napster site has undergone some usability enhancements: It now resizes with your browser window, and the header has been redesigned for a more streamlined look. A new Action button next to each song entry lets users add songs to playlists and offers the new "Buy MP3" choice.

Allen noted that the service offers over five hundred thousand albums by over four hundred thousand performers. In the fourth quarter of last year the company had two hundred fifty thousand paid subscribers and was No. 1 in portable subscriptions, with revenues of $126 million.

The subscription model, in which users pay a low monthly fee to listen to full-length songs for the entire catalog, continues to be shunned by Apple, making Napster and Rhapsody the major choices for major-label music content in that format.

In Apple's favor, previously purchased iTunes songs can be converted to DRM-free, higher bitrate versions for a 30% surcharge if those versions become available; Napster offers no such conversion capability as yet. So if you bought an album from Napster before this new offering, you'd have to buy it again for the full price to get a DRM-free version.

Unfortunately, although tracks purchased from the new Napster can be played on iPods and iPhones, there will continue to be no Napster subscription option available for those devices. Devices that support the unlimited music subscriptions include players from Creative, Dell, Samsung, iRiver, and SanDisk. Certain phones from LG, Motorola, Nokia, and Samsung also support the service.

[Source: PC Mag]

Report: Mutt Lange Cheated with Marie Ann Thiébaud

There’s no denying the fact that the 14-year marriage between Robert “Mutt” Lange and Shania Twain is over.

But there is controversy over the reasons behind the split.

Self-absorbed gossip blogger Perez Hilton reports that Lange had an affair with Marie Ann Thiébaud, a longtime secretary and manager of the couple’s chateau in Switzerland.

This dude cheated on Shania Twain. Really?!? We hope Marie Ann Thiébaud was worth it, Mutt.

“Mutt and Marie Ann left their spouses for each other and are still in a relationship,” a source said, though Lange denied this allegation.

“It’s absolutely not the reason [for the split],” he said.

Notice that Mutt - if that is his real name! - didn’t deny sleeping with Marie Ann Thiébaud, though.

This story causes us to question the sincerity of Twain’s classic song, “You’re Still the One.”

Looks like these two haven’t made it, after all. They may have taken the long way, but is this really where they hoped to get to someday?

[Source: The Hollywood Gossip]

How Americans Can Buy American, While Green

If you have been paying attention to the presidential primaries on either side of the aisle, chances are you have heard about two major themes from both the former and the remaining presidential candidates: the economy and the environment. The question is how Americans Can buy American, supporting the economy and protecting the environment.

Former 2008 republican presidential candidate Duncan Hunter (CA) urged Americans in a pre-Christmas 2008 republican debate to buy American when we shopped for Christmas gifts. Many of the democratic candidates have made trade policy and the environment a major issue, and all the remaining candidates continue to talk about their vision to create jobs and bolster the American economy.

Regardless of how you feel about global warming, most Americans agree that protecting the environment is a good idea, but how do you go green and remain red, white and blue, too? You can buy American and buy what’s good for the environment at the same time by purchasing Preserve products at www.recycline.com.

Preserve products are available at thousands of retail locations in the United States including Target stores, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market -- exclusive carrier of the Preserve Kitchen line of products. You can use their online store finder to locate the stores nearest you.

Buying American doesn’t have to be something you consider only when buying big ticket items like automobiles, washing machines and lawnmowers. We can also have a positive, powerful impact on the U.S. economy at the places we shop more often and as a result probably end up spending more of our hard-earned cash. Unless you live Alaska, Hawaii or Vermont, chances are there is a Target store near you. Contradictory to the mass email you might have seen about Target stores being owned by the French, I can confidently say through my research that Target is an American-owned, U.S. publicly-traded company based in Minneapolis, MN.

All Preserve products are made in the USA, with the exception of the replaceable steel blades contained in their razors which come from Mexico. You could buy BIC razors made in USA, but in doing so you would be supporting a French company since Société BIC has its corporate headquarters in Clichy, France.

But you don’t have to go to American-owned Target or any other brick-and-mortar retailer to find and buy Preserve products. By visiting www.recycline.com you can find American-made personal care, tableware and kitchen products. Check out their personal care line of razors, toothbrushes, tongue cleaners and flavored toothpicks. Their tableware line includes dishwasher safe plates, tumblers and cutlery. Preserve’s kitchen line features colanders, cutting boards and food storage items.

All Preserve plastic products are made from 100% recycled plastic including Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups which have kept tons of plastic out of America’s landfills. And you can return Preserve toothbrushes, razor handles and tongue cleaners to the company so they can have a second life as plastic lumber for park benches, decks and more.

Products like these are the kind that most consumers are really indifferent as to which ones to buy. Usually just about any toothbrush will do, any razor will do, and who cares what brand of plastic cutlery you buy as long as it does the job? And when you buy made-in-America products in any category, you are helping the environment by avoiding unnecessary world trade.

Excessive world trade is not only responsible for the loss of good-paying American jobs and the increase of sweatshops in China and other foreign countries. According to an April 2, 2007 Business Week article, global warming can be added to the list of negatives that come from excessive world trade. Over 90,000 commercial vessels crossing the oceans are responsible for more carbon dioxide than 29 industrialized nations combined. These vessels emit more sulfur dioxide than all the earth’s cars, trucks, and buses, and are responsible for one-sixth of the atmosphere’s nitrogen oxide.

The outsize emissions at sea reflect the limitations of world politics. While national governments have forced giant reductions in discharges from vehicles and smokestacks, the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization has maintained looser limits on ships, in part because 139 countries are involved in crafting controls. Some ships, for example, contain an average 27,000 parts per million of sulfur, where American standards don’t allow diesel fuel to have over 15 parts per million.

For patriotic-minded consumers who want to buy American products that save energy and preserve precious natural resources at the same time, patronizing Preserve products is a good place to start.

Author - Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. He also writes "Buy American Mention of the Week" articles for his website www.howtobuyamerican.com and is a member of the Machinists Union and National Writers Union. Roger has been a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, has been quoted in the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and US News & World Report among many other publications, and is now a weekly contributor to WorldNetDaily. - http://www.howtobuyamerican.com/

[Source: Huliq]

Obama Wins Backing of Senate Dean Robert Byrd

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Democrat Barack Obama's White House bid Monday won support from the Senate's oldest and longest-serving member, Robert Byrd, who acclaimed his freshman colleague as a "shining young statesman."

Byrd, 90, was one of five Democratic "superdelegates" to endorse the Illinois senator Monday and add new momentum to his drive to capture the party's presidential nomination from Hillary Clinton.

The distinguished dean of the Senate went public with his endorsement despite his state of West Virginia voting overwhelmingly for the former first lady last week.

Both Clinton and Obama were "extraordinary individuals," Byrd said in a statement.

But he stressed: "I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq, and to lead our nation at this challenging time in history.

"Barack Obama is a noble-hearted patriot and humble Christian, and he has my full faith and support," said Byrd, who has served in the Senate since 1959 and has long since renounced his youthful dalliance with the Ku Klux Klan, the secret, white supremacist group -- known for their distinctive white robes and pointy hats -- which has terrorized blacks and other minority groups since immediately after the US Civil War.

The African-American Obama, 46, is homing in on the Democratic nomination with just five contests left including Kentucky and Oregon on Tuesday.

But New York Senator Clinton, 60, is vowing to stay in the race despite a steady drift of superdelegates -- Democratic leaders who are free to vote for either candidate -- to her rival's camp.

Obama Monday also secured endorsements from two superdelegates in Alaska and one each from Kansas and Washington state.

Obama's campaign said he was now 109 delegates away from the total of 2,025 needed to secure the Democratic nomination and run against presumed Republican nominee John McCain.

A tally by the independent website RealClearPolitics had Obama 115 delegates short, with a total of 1,910 against Clinton's 1,720.

[Source: AFP

Apparent Blast at San Diego Building Site; 13 hurt | San Diego Hilton Explosion

SAN DIEGO (AP) — An explosion rocked a Hilton hotel under construction Monday, injuring 13 workers, five of them critically, authorities said.

Three of the five in critical condition were in a hospital burn unit and eight other victims had serious-to-minor injuries, fire department spokesman Maurice Luque said.

Some workers were burned and others were injured by flying debris, Luque said. The building did not burn after the explosion, which Luque said appeared to be accidental.

"The reason for the explosion is not yet known. It is under investigation," Mayor Jerry Sanders said. He said the blast damaged floors four through seven of the building.

The hotel near the San Diego Convention Center showed serious damage and debris littered a driveway beneath one corner of the structure. Facade material dangled from the structure, drapes dangled out windows, and a large equipment room with tanks and pipes was left exposed.

Firefighters searched the building to determine if there were any other victims. More than 400 construction workers were at the site at the time, Sanders said.

Matt McBride, general manager of the Tin Fish bar about 150 yards away, said he was setting up the outdoor patio bar when the explosion happened. He said he and other workers froze as they saw smoke come out of the building but no flames.

"It looked like a bomb," McBride said. "It shook the whole building like a bomb. The reverb was what scared us. Everybody was saying bomb, bomb, bomb, terrorist, terrorist, terrorist."

UCSD Medical Center in San Diego was treating nine injured, including three in the burn unit, said Kimberly Edwards, a hospital spokeswoman.

The site was surrounded by firefighters and utility crews, and a truck with the markings of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived.

The Padres baseball team, which plays at Petco Park across from the convention center, planned to host the St. Louis Cardinals Monday night, as scheduled, said Sandy Alderson, the team's chief executive officer.

The 30-story Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel was scheduled to open by the end of this year, according to Hilton's Web site. It will have 1,190 rooms and more than 165,000 square feet of meeting space.

Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat contributed to this report.

[Source: Associated Press]

Leticia Smokes Vegas | Leticia Cline

Beauty & The Geek finalist Leticia Cline will be hosting the upcoming Weekend Party at JET Nightclub. BTW, the blonde goddess and former Total Nonstop Action Wrestling backstage announcer will be one of the bikini clad babes on Howard Stern's Bowling Beauties television series when it debuts on Howard TV this month. She was the Playboy cover girl for September’s “Sexy Girls Next Door” issue and also one of Maxim’s 2007 “Hometown Hotties” finalists. She’s sure to show Sin City this weekend why blondes really do have more fun.

[Source: The Vegas Eye]

Kiefer's Marriage Finally Kaput | Elizabeth Kelly Winn

Kiefer Sutherland is officially divorced. Which surely comes as news to all but the handful of die-hard fans who even knew he was technically still married.

Nearly four years after the 24 star first filed for divorce from Elizabeth Kelly Winn Sutherland, and roughly nine years after the long-estranged duo first separated, the uncontested divorce was finally granted.

According to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the divorce was granted on May 16, with the Sutherlands' status subsequently restored to that of swinging singles. Which, really, is just another technicality, as the star has hardly been without arm candy for the better part of the past decade. (View the documents.)

Sutherland, 41, and Winn, a 46-year-old former model, had no children together and were married for eight years at the time of the divorce filing back in May 2004. At the time, Sutherland cited the ever-popular irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

It's the second, very long time coming divorce for Sutherland, who was previously briefly married to actress Camelia Kath.

[Source: E! Online]

Oprah brings the Mary Tyler Moore Show cast together on Monday

Have you ever wondered if Mary Tyler Moore can still turn the world on with her smile? You'll be able to find out this Monday on Oprah.

The daytime talk show host will host a reunion of the show. Not only will she get all of the surviving cast members together (Moore, Valerie Harper, Ed Asner, Betty White, Gavin MacLeod, Cloris Leachman, and Georgia Engel), they will also have duplicates of the WJM set and the set for Mary's apartment on the stage (the link above includes a preview of the show - no idea why Oprah is crying).

While I liked Moore's other show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, a lot more than this, The Mary Tyler Moore Show was and is quite good. It will be fun to see all of the cast together again, especially since Moore doesn't always do these type of things (she's not on the DVD DVDs or MTM DVDs, for example).

Wait, no John Amos? Come on, you gotta have Gordie too!

[Source: TV Squad]

Mariah Carey Plans For A Second Wedding

Mariah Carey is planning a second wedding to new hubby Nick Cannon and this time the world-renowned diva plans an over-the-top wedding, MSNBC's The Scoop reports. The couple secretly tied the knot in a small ceremony in the Bahamas on April 30.

A source said, “It’s going to be held in New York City in the next six weeks. Picture a wedding on the scale of Liza Minnelli’s (to David Gest) and you’ll be on the right track."

The source went on to say, “She wants over 2,000 guests and the budget will be well over $4 million and she’ll have at least 14 bridesmaids."

Enjoy the pictures of the newlyweds out for a romantic dinner at Beverly Hills eatery Gyu-Kaku restaurant.

[Source: CelebGlitz]

Janet Jackson to Tour for First Time in Seven Years

Janet Jackson

Pop star heading out on road in September

Janet Jackson has announced she will tour for the first time in seven years, kicking off the jaunt September 20 in Vancouver.

The singer announced the news today, and revealed that she didn’t tour her 2006 album ‘20 Y.O.’ after her record label asked her not to, despite the fact that she was already in preparation mode.

“I was supposed to go on tour with the last album," Jackson told the Associated Press. "We were actually in full-blown tour rehearsals at that point ... learning numbers, getting everything together, set designs, I had to kind of shut everything down and go into the studio."

The result was Jackson’s new album ‘Discipline’, which was released in February. She will now support her last two albums on the forthcoming ‘Rock Witchu’ tour, for which a handful of dates have been revealed.

Dates are scheduled for New York and Washington with the full tour itinerary expected to be announced shortly. Tickets will go on sale June 7.

[Source: www.nme.com]

Hulk Hogan Affair

Brooke Hogan Suffers “Breakdown” Over Brother

Atlanta, GA 5/19/2008 07:36 PM GMT (FINDITT)

According to reports, Brooke Hogan has been hit hard by her brother’s prison sentence and her father’s affair. Sources say the 20-year-old is “extremely sensitive” and has suffered a breakdown over her family’s recent troubles.

“She’s suffering the worst of all; she just can’t keep it together and has been hit the hardest,” says the source.

Brooke’s 17-year-old brother Nick was recently sentenced to 8 months in prison after pleading no contest to reckless driving charges in an accident that left his friend John Graziano disabled. Her father, wrestler Hulk Hogan, recently had an affair with one of her friends.

[Source: TransWorldNews]

Miley Cyrus Rocks Z100’s Zootopia

Disney sensation Miley Cyrus took the stage at Z100’s Zootopia 2008 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday (May 17).

The Hannah Montana actress/singer has been making more and more public appearances as of late - doing her best to put the Vanity Fair photo debacle behind her.

Meanwhile, Miley recently came to the defense of troubled young stars such as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, saying: “Everyone has their time. And I think most 21 to 25-year-olds go through this kind of thing. Basically, they’re being normal 21-year-olds, especially Lindsay (Lohan). I mean, most of that’s pretty normal. If you went to most high schools, I could point out Britneys and Lindsays.”

“I guess that’s why I’m so adamant about the Britneys and Lindsays and whatever, because I know those people and I know they have good hearts and they’re just struggling,” she adds.

[Source: Gossip Girls]

Google Phone Unveiled

The new Google open-source package will actively allow users to build their own mobile cell phones.

The new Google open-source package will actively allow users to build their own mobile cell phones.

By: Captain Maverick
Nov 5, 2007, 11:52 AM EST

Google Phone is the long-awaited wireless product that many have been hoping for, but the search giant has formally announced an ambitious piece of software newly intended to make cell phones cheaper and with full Web browsing technologies.

First, there is no "gphone" or "Google Phone", as in a mobile phone that's similar to the Apple iPhone. Instead, Google has gone open-source offering free software to anyone who wants it. The open-source license will enable developers to view the source code which is promised to be a powerful platform. The software will power thousands of different phone models.

The new Google platform has been endorsed by 33 international companies that make up the new Open Handset Alliance, including some of the world's largest wireless carriers and mobile phone manufacturers such as Motorola, Samsung, LG and HTC. Google is pushing towards a new alliance with mobile phone industry standards.

HTC said that the new software will permit consumers to create a new mobile industry with a new line of class phones. The new phones that will operate on Google's new software will be available May 2008.

Eight carriers have willingly agreed to ship handsets based on the Google platform which include Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI, China Mobile, Telefonica and Telecom Italia.

[Source: Game Shout]

Democrats Launch McCainpedia, An Attack Site Masquerading As A Wiki

The Democratic National Committee on Monday launched a new fusillade online against John McCain, the Republican party's presumptive presidential nominee, with the launch of a new software-enabled compendium of opposition research.

The DNC's McCainpedia site centralizes its opposition research on John McCain, but rank and file are not allowed to contribute.
Picture courtesy of the DNC

The DNC's dubbed the new site "McCainpedia," because it uses the same software that powers the phenomenally successful people-powered encyclopedia Wikipedia.

McCainpedia provides a centralized source of hyperlinked opposition research and DNC talking points. The subject matters, for now, cover McCain's statements on his prospective Supreme Court justice picks, positions on the economy, security, ethics, and social issues, among other things.

The DNC hopes that its new tool will operate as a centralized source of opposition research that its gigantic cadre of online party faithful will virally market both on and off-line.

But technologists criticized the effort because it violates the ethos and spirit that drives wikis.

Wikis are by their nature collaborative projects that enable a large group of people to contribute their efforts, to peer-review, finesse and openly dispute the information that's presented.

McCainpedia, however, is closed to the public. Only the DNC research department gets to enter information about the senator from Arizona, his policy positions and his presidential campaign.

"We want to make sure that the information that we put out there is as accurate and high-quality as possible," says DNC spokesman Luis Miranda.

"I think the idea of a closed wiki" is a bit of an oxymoron, says Isaac Garcia, the CEO of Central Desktop, which worked with Barack Obama's campaign to enable volunteers in the field to co-ordinate and turn-out the vote during key primaries. "This perpetuates that silo approach to communication, and Web 2.0 is about enabling the voice of the people and their opinions. It's only through these types of tools that they're able to do that."

Garcia says that for his part, he enjoys McCainpedia, and he thinks it's a good idea for the DNC to provide a centralized location for opposition research on the candidate. Yet at the same time, the site lacks the fundamental dynamic that distinguishes wikis from any other kind of source of information.

"Let's say I'm a middle-of-the-road voter. If I'm looking for information about McCain, and I realize that it's all coming from the Democratic party, I'm not really getting peer-review. It just feels so one-sided. It doesn't really serves the voters' purpose so much," he says.

The DNC's approach to McCainpedia is a typical case of old-school Washington politicking awkwardly adapted to the interactive culture of the web, says Ravi Singh, CEO of Electionmall.com

"Everytime the RNC (Republican National Committe) and the DNC try new technologies, they're really scared," he says. "The problem is that the Democratic party is the same as any other party -- they want to control the message."

"The whole point of this is to centralize opposition research, and they're looking to the communities to feed into it, but they can't feed it, so it defeats the whole purpose of the use if the technology," he says.

Central Desktop's Garcia says that the DNC could have gone at least halfway and implemented an invitation-only system that would allow people who are known quantities to contribute to the wiki.
That's the way the Obama precinct captain training wiki (provided by Central Desktop) worked for the Obama campaign in California and Texas.

[Source: Wired]

Google Health Goes Live

by Chloe Albanesius

Google Health is live.

After months of speculation, the search engine giant on Monday unveiled its health-related Web site, Google Health.

Users can now log in to the service at google.com/health to import their medical records, fill prescriptions, and get lab results, set up text-based pill alerts, keep track of immunizations, and get pertinent news alerts, the company announced during an event at its Mountain View, Calif. headquarters.

Partners include Walgreens, CVS Long Drugs pharmacies, the American Heart Association (AHA), Cleveland Clinic, and Quest Diagnostics, among others.

Users can opt to share their information with partners. If someone shares data with the AHA, for example, AHA will import information from a profile to fill out a survey on how likely it is that someone will have a heart attack in the next year, cutting down on steps.

Sharing at this point, however, is all or nothing. Patients cannot opt to share some information, but hide other bits of data. That functionality will likely be added, but Google thoughts users had been waiting long enough and wanted to be able to unveil it sooner or later, according to a spokesman.

Google stressed that the information entered into Google Health will remain completely private. When asked whether that information might be aggregated, Google said that any information that is shared will be done so in a way that is not identifiable. For example, Google might say that 10 percent of diabetics who are Google Health users had a flu shot in the last six months.

In terms of connecting that will other Google offerings, Google will import any contacts in Google Health into your Gmail contact list.

"What absolutely will not be the case – no Google Health user will ever find their health information as search results on Google," a spokesman said. "That information is yours and only you have access to it."

"The service is already very powerful, [but] we realize this is just the beginning," said Marissa Mayer, vice president of search and user products at Google. "There are literally thousands of additional partnerships that need to be performed."

Google will also publish its API for Google Health so that developers can create optional applications for Google Health.

The company is also partnering with the Cleveland Clinic to launch a Walk for Google widget. People can keep track of their walking over the next 15 weeks, and those who achieve a certain point will be able to vote for what charity to which Google will donate $100,000. It is part of "a broader wellness campaign to get our users walking, getting them out," Mayer said.

Also at Monday's event, Google announced that its Image Search offering will soon include photo-based advertisements. Just as web searches from Google.com produce text advertisements on the right-hand side of the results page, Image searches will also produce ads.

There is a "direct connection" between image search and commerce, said R.J. Pittman, Google product management director. "If we can align the nature of the images from the advertisers with the nature of the images from Image Search, it will help users find more of what they're looking for. You'll see that these renderings show a fairly seamless user experience rather than just a stack of ads across the top."

No word on when that feature will debut.

[Source: PC MAG.COM]

Taco Bell's new menu goes for a cheap fill

Taco Bell may be emerging from taco hell.
It hasn't been easy. There was the E. coli outbreak in late 2006 that sickened 70 and closed dozens of restaurants. Then, the rat infestation at a New York City unit in 2007 that became an Internet must-see.

Wednesday, the image-challenged chain — which has slowly but methodically regained its footing — will detail a 2008 product game plan that could nudge folks to forget the past and instead drive into Taco Bell in droves: cheap eats.

We're talking really cheap.

The same chain that turned the fast-food industry on its head back in 1990 when it introduced cut-rate, 59-cent, 69-cent and 79-cent menu items is about to do it again. Taco Bell on Thursday is rolling out its "Why Pay More?" value menu with 10 products — four of them new — priced at 79 cents, 89 cents and 99 cents.

For Taco Bell, the timing could hardly be better. The battered economy has sent much of the $558 billion restaurant industry tanking. After staying above the fray for months, the fast-food industry finally succumbed in March, when sales at units open at least one year dipped about 0.5% compared with the same period in 2007, reports research firm Technomic. Taco Bell's move also comes just ahead of the frantic summer season, when fast food bags more sales than any other time of year.

There's never been a better time to brag — and to brag loudest — about selling cheap grub. McDonald's is hyping $1 Double Cheeseburgers in some markets. KFC is hawking 99-cent Snackers. Subway and Quiznos are waving $5 foot-long subs.

"The tough economy plays to Taco Bell's strengths like no one else's," says Dennis Lombardi, a restaurant industry consultant. "This gives them something to shout about."

It might force the rest of the fast-food industry to take a second look at their own value items. But it will be extremely difficult for burger-heavy McDonald's and Burger King to match cheese-heavy Taco Bell.

Marketing blitz

The chain's image of cheap eats will be all over the tube as it unleashes TV spots this weekend that feature folks hunting for loose change — under couches, inside car cup holders and in their pockets — to pay for food at Taco Bell.

"This taps into the fundamental problem that many families are facing: Do I put gas in the car or feed the family?" says Greg Creed, Taco Bell's president, in his first extensive interview with a national publication since he took over nearly 18 months ago. With Taco Bell's new value program, he says, families can afford both.

But Taco Bell's not stopping there. It's doing this in tandem with a new, $1.89 frozen-fruit drink, Fruitista Freeze, with all-natural flavors and sliced strawberries on top.

Instead of using corn syrup as a sweetener — an ingredient that concerns a growing number of consumers — the drink is sweetened with sugar. The goal is to lure consumers back into the store for snacks from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., when business is typically at a lull.

Taco Bell continues to roll out its Fresco Menu of nine mostly lower-calorie items, each with fewer than 9 grams of fat.

In total, this will be Taco Bell's largest product rollout — and its biggest marketing campaign, says David Ovens, the chain's chief marketing officer.

"They're coming out with their guns blazing," says David Palmer, restaurant analyst at UBS.

But by taking on so much in such a short time, Taco Bell could be playing with fire. "They are trying to do a huge amount very quickly," warns Barbara Brooks, a corporate consultant. "It could overburden franchisees with way too many new things at once."

Then, there's the issue of whether cheap eats cheapen a brand's image.

Steven Addis, CEO of Addis Creson, a brand consultant, says that's the risk with Taco Bell's new value menu. "It may produce short-term gains. But in the long run, it's a disaster to brand equity," he says.

The new value offerings:

•At 79 cents: Triple Layer Nacho — topped with red sauce, beans and nacho cheese sauce.

Melted Three Cheese Roll-Ups — flour tortilla with three cheeses.

•At 89 cents: Cheesy Double Beef Burrito — a warm flour tortilla filled with two portions of seasoned beef, Mexican rice and nacho cheese sauce. This is expected to be the top seller and will be matched up against McDonald's Double Cheeseburger.

•At 99 cents: Big Taste Taco — a flour tortilla with beef, lettuce, cheddar cheese and crunch strips.

The key to the program, says Creed, is that Taco Bell is separating itself from the other fast-food $1 menus. "Compared to us, the rest of the category is one dimensional."

Sales of the value items have been brisk in test markets, Creed says. Taco Bell executives sensed they had a huge hit after speaking with one female customer in Bakersfield who gushed: "This is the last affordable fast food."

He-man loyalty

But it's young men — not women — who are Taco Bell's target. Young, hungry guys — many of whom can barely grow stubble on their chins — are Taco Bell's repeat customers.

"These are guys who only care about getting their food quickly and cheaply," says Gene Grabowski, a crisis-management expert who knows the inner workings of companies trying to repair their images. These 16- to 20-something customers, he says, "will sacrifice food safety, nutrition or whatever just to save a buck."

Which may help explain why Taco Bell didn't suffer an even bigger hit after its two very visible black eyes over the past 18 months.

First, there was the E. coli virus in the Northeast in December 2006, which shut down dozens of restaurants after Taco Bell customers in five states got sick.

It took 10 days to finally determine that the problem was from a supplier whose lettuce was tainted. Taco Bell's parent company, Yum Brands (YUM), has since hired a third-party tester to verify lettuce quality at the farm, before it reaches the restaurants.

Then, in February 2007, a TV camera crew in New York City discovered rats at a New York City KFC/Taco Bell and filmed through the restaurant's window. In an almost surreal scene, a dozen huge rats were filmed racing around the restaurant.

More than 1.2 million You Tube viewers watched clips of the rats at play.

Creed says it was construction under the restaurant that stirred up the rats. In any case, the restaurant was closed and never re-opened. Taco Bell has since set up third-party audits not only for food safety but for pest control.

After the PR double-whammy, Taco Bell was stymied, but not knocked out. Taco Bell's same-store sales for the first quarter of 2007 fell 11%. But it could have been worse. More recently, Taco Bell has had a modest rebound. Sales are up for the past three months, Creed says, though he declines to say by how much.

Just days after the E. coli mess, Taco Bell's "brand favorability" with consumers fell to 68%, according to a national, online survey of 400 consumers done for Taco Bell by a third party. The number rose to 83% in a survey taken roughly one year later. And consumer "purchase intent" has risen from a low of 74% right after the E. coli issues to 83% in a survey taken in November 2007.

Why pay mo'?

Somebody's buying tacos. Yum, which also owns KFC and Pizza Hut, rarely breaks out Taco Bell's numbers from the overall restaurant group. But in the first quarter of 2008, same-store sales for the combined Yum brands were up 3%, the company reported.

Considering how rough things were one year ago at Taco Bell, "They're lapping easy comparisons," notes analyst Palmer. But even then, he says, "The brand seems to have found its footing."

There's money to be made in tacos. Even in a tough year. Taco Bell's U.S. sales exceeded $6 billion last year, up 0.8% from the year before, estimates Technomic. Both KFC and Pizza Hut posted U.S. sales declines last year, Technomic says.

For Creed, it's been one wild ride. The first E. coli incident took place just two days after the former chief marketing officer took over as president.

"It certainly was an interesting start," Creed says. Days after he was named president — and the E. coli mess became headline news nationally, "My job was to reassure shareholders, customers and employees that this great brand was capable of rebounding."

Then came the rats two months later.

"In life there are ups and downs," Creed says. "I decided that I'd have all my downs in the beginning of my presidency."

Now, Taco Bell is trying to come off as fast food's version of the white knight. "Value is the core of who we are," Creed says. "We decided that we needed to get ahead of this one."

The native Australian hired Ovens, another Aussie, as Taco Bell's chief marketing officer last summer.

Besides the ad campaign, Ovens is overseeing an online component that encourages consumers to customize rap songs via the "Why Pay Mo' Rhyme Generator" — and e-mail to friends.

In test markets, Ovens says, consumers didn't just buy the budget items. The "vast majority," he says, bought other items as well.

That's one reason the chain can afford to charge so little for its value items. The other reason, Creed says, is that Yum Brands buys more commodities globally, such as cheese and chicken, than just about anyone. So it can negotiate lower prices on key ingredients even with commodity prices at record highs.

For Taco Bell, it's a gamble, but one that might be worth taking. By hawking items for 79 cents, Taco Bell isn't only thinking outside the bun, it's arguably thinking outside the entire fast-food industry.

"When times get tough, you can build a moat and walls around yourself — or go on a massive land grab," Creed says. "We're going on a massive land grab."

[Source: USA Today]

For Assassination Joke, Huckabee Should Be Off TV

Having joked less than a year ago about killing Mitt Romney (and his supporters), former Republican candidate for president, Mike Huckabee, has now made light of assassinating Sen. Barack Obama.

According to CNN, during his recent speech at the NRA convention in Louisville Kentucky, the former presidential candidate offered the following joke in response to a loud noise off stage:

"That was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair, he's getting ready to speak...Somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor." (from CNN PoliticalTicker.com)

As Huckabee transitions from presidential candidate to media pundit, his habit of joking about political assassination leads many Americans to question the place of violent rhetoric in the speech of high-profile political pundits, as well as the consequences that should result from it.

Legal vs. Civic Questions
Many would argue that joking about assassinating a Presidential candidate falls well within the realm of free speech and should not merit any particular consequences--legal, moral or otherwise. Indeed, past court rulings on the question of jokes about assassinating a sitting president suggest that it is very difficult to establish any kind of legal culpability in these instances. The question, it seems, falls down to two factors: (1) the often 'vituperative, abusive, and inexact,' nature of political rhetoric and (2) the legal difficulty of establishing intent to bring about actual harm in these instances (see Eugene Volokh, 'Jokes About Killing the President' Apr 27, 2005).

Legal questions, of course, are only one aspect of this issue. In addition to what is permissible by law, Americans are also deeply concerned with whether or not certain kinds of speech tend to undermine the necessary pragmatic nature of our civic process -- our ability to turn to the media and to each other to learn what we need to learn in order to achieve our common goals. When we turn away from legal questions and begin to examine the kinds of rhetoric that may undermine our deliberative democracy, we start to see that Americans are by-and-large opposed to violent jokes and speech tossed out by political pundits.

And yet despite this opposition on the basis of maintaining a healthy, civic process, violent-rhetoric from high-profile pundits continues largely unchecked.

In 2006, for example, Ann Coulter joked about the need for someone to assassinate Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens:

We need somebody to put rat poisoning in Justice Stevens' creme brulee," Coulter said. "That's just a joke, for you in the media. (Coulter Jokes About Poisoning Supreme Court Justice, FOX News)

A trained Constitutional attorney, Coulter understood the legal precedents regarding jokes about political assassination -- meaning that she knew how to craft a joke about political assassination such that it would not land her in any kind of jeopardy. Nonetheless, it is clear that Coulter also knows that joking about assassinating a Supreme Court Justice would earn her a great deal of media coverage and have an impact on national debate on abortion.

In a political context where anti-abortion activists have assassinated medical practitioners on the excuse that they were stopping the doctors from performing further procedures, many interpreted Coulter's joke as having contributed to an atmosphere of violence and threat in American politics.

Citizen Outrage Ignored By Media Companies
Citizens' concerns over Coulter, however, were not in any way heeded by corporate media--both broadcast and publishing -- nor by political parties. Following her remarks, Coulter continued to earn huge book deals and continued to enjoy virtual open access to high-profile broadcast media.

What Coulter and Huckabee share in common is that they both used rhetoric that was legal, but nonetheless toxic to healthy political debate.

When a political pundit uses a high-profile political forum to joke about assassinating his or her political opposition, the result is that deliberative debate shuts down. Indeed, the response that violent rhetoric elicits in the minds of Americans is not the desire to censor speech in any way, but a call for violent-speech to be channeled towards entertainment where citizens are provided with the resources to make more informed choices about what they will and will not watch or hear.

In the meantime, Mike Huckabee's joke about an assassination attempt on Sen. Obama will lead to the same outcome as Coulter's joke about assassinating John Paul Stevens: disruption of deliberative debate followed by greater broadcast presence awarded to him by the media.

The outcome should be the opposite: media marginalization instead of aggrandizement.

For joking about the assassination of Sen. Obama, Mike Huckabee should be removed from the rosters of all the various cable and network stations on which he regularly appears.

[Source: The Huffington Post]

Will Ashlee Simpson Wedding to Pete Wentz last longer than her sister Jessica?

Well we have known about the wedding between Ashlee Simpson and Fall Out bassist Pete Wentz for some time now, but on Saturday Ashlee’s dream wedding took place with an “Alice in Wonderland” themed reception which was held at her parents’ home in Los Angeles. The happy couple exchanged their vows in front of 150 guests; her father Joe performed the non-denomination ceremony with big sister playing her part as maid of honor.

Fans of Ashlee will want to know what the wedding dress that she wore was, it was one designed by Monique Lhuillier her earrings and necklace were diamond and was designed by Neil Lane. Many people who had been hanging around outside the gates of the Simpsons home new that the wedding was imminent, as a flurry of flower arrangements were turning up at the guarded gates.

As you are well aware, Ashlee is the younger sister to Jessica Simpson and has followed what her older sibling does, both sing and act. We do have to hope that Ashlee does not follow her sister with her personal life as well; Jessica has been in a few relationships that have not worked out, as well as a failed marriage to Nick Lachey. So let us hope that Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz can go the distance.

[Source: INEntertainment]