News & Views

Zombie Crash

2010-07-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

This was taken from a website, so... yeah. Have fun reading:

Car full of zombies crashes in Portland, baffles police and onlookers

Last night, a car full of zombies flipped over on I-84 near Portland, Oregon. The zombies (who were just flesh-and-blood folks going to a party) were unharmed, but authorities initially mistook their undead costumes for real wounds.

At 9:30 PM on July 9, the zombies' car swerved and rolled onto its top on the eastbound side of I-84. Five crash victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and went to local hospitals. Here are some more details from KGW:

Police said that in their investigation they learned that the people inside the car were dressed as zombie costumes and they were headed to a party at the time of the crash.

Sgt. Greg Stewart said people who witnessed the crash initially thought the victims' injuries were much more serious, because of the zombie costumes.

"We're glad that everyone is alive, despite being 'undead'," Sgt. Stewart said, referring to the costumes.

You and me both, Sgt. Stewart. The moment the walking dead become the driving dead is the moment I buy all the cans of Dinty Moore beef stew from my corner bodega and build a bunker out of them.

Jon Stewart and South Park on Censorship

2010-04-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Jon Stewart, 'South Park' duo tee off on network censorship and Muslim death threats

Fri Apr 23, 5:17 pm ET
Last night, Jon Stewart defended his Comedy Central colleagues, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of "South Park," in a 10-minute segment bashing a radical Muslim group for issuing a death threat against the rude-humor duo. You can watch the segment here (warning: some PG-13 language).

"I say this to anyone who's threatening death in the name of religion or politics," Stewart concluded, standing in front of a gospel choir for the second time this week, before offering his now-trademark bleeped-out sign-off, which begins with "Go" and ends with "yourselves."

"South Park," which has satirized just about every major religious and political figure, dead or alive, can still stir up controversy after more than a decade on the air. In last week's 200th episode, the creators — mindful of Islam's strict ban on any visual depictions of the the Prophet Muhammad — concealed the animated Muhammad character in a bear costume or in a U-Haul truck. So viewers never actually saw Muhammad.

Even so, a group called Revolution Muslim — based in New York City — issued a threat on its website alongside a photograph of Theo van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who was murdered by a radical Muslim.

Not surprisingly, Comedy Central got nervous. Even with the figure of Muhammad tucked behind the word "CENSORED" in a new episode on Wednesday, the network took additional measures that went beyond Stone and Parker's intentions, bleeping out the prophet's name and some other selected dialogue. Stewart called out his own employers for altering Stone and Parker's script without their consent — and the show's creators also issued their own statement expressing dismay over the network's actions.

"In the 14 years we've been doing "South Park," we have never done a show that we couldn't stand behind," the statement said. "We delivered our version of the show to Comedy Central and they made a determination to alter the episode. It wasn't some meta-joke on our part. Comedy Central added the bleeps."

"In fact, Kyle's customary final speech was about intimidation and fear," they continued. "It didn't mention Muhammad at all but it got bleeped too. We'll be back next week with a whole new show about something completely different and we'll see what happens to it."

— Michael Calderone is the media writer for Yahoo! News.

Walking Pill for MS

2010-01-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

FDA Approves the Walking Pill for Multiple Sclerosis
As of Friday afternoon, a long awaited addition to our arsenal of MS symptomatic drugs has been approved.

We had a conversation about Ampyra which is a timed-release version of the drug 4-Aminopyridine (and formerly known as Fampridine SR), last May. At that time the drug was being resubmitted to the FDA for approval (rejected, originally, due to “formatting issues” during the application process).

This drug is thought to increase signal conduction by blocking tiny pore-like potassium channels on nerves of the central nervous system (CNS).

The time-released part of the drug is what is new, for those of you who have been getting 4-Aminopyridine from compound pharmacies.

Phase III clinical trials suggest that some 34-43 percent of people taking Ampyra had positive results in the areas of leg strength and walking speed. An average of 25 percent increase in walking speed!

No drug, of course, is without risk. Potential side effects include back pain, dizziness, headache, insomnia, urinary tract infection (UTI), fatigue, nausea, balance disorder and falls (which may or may not have been increased by subjects trying to walk without their assistive devices). There were also enough cases of seizure that anyone who has a history of seizure disorder are warned NOT to take Ampyra.

Patients with moderate or severe renal disorder (kidney issues) are also warned against taking Ampyra as this could lead to an unsafe level of the drug in the body.

The drug is administered in capsule form and, in clinical trials, was dosed every twelve hours.

The price of prescription Ampyra has yet to be announced, but many in the MS world are expecting a net cost around $10,000 per annum and will likely be ready to dispense in March of this year.

When we last discussed this drug, several of you commented about your use of the compounded version of the drug. I’d be interested to hear more from you, as well as those of you who may consider Ampyra in your treatment regime… or not.

Wishing you and your family the best of health.

Florida plan advises hospitals to bar some patients in event of severe flu pandemic -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

2009-10-19T17:55:00.001-07:00

Florida plan advises hospitals to bar some patients in event of severe flu pandemic -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

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Heath Ledger's Last Movie

2009-10-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

Heath Ledger's Friends Complete His Last Movieby Jonathan Crow · October 7, 2009

Heath Ledger was on a break from shooting the fantasy film "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" when he tragically died in January of 2008. It was the latest and saddest unexpected turn of events for the movie's director, Terry Gilliam, who has a legendary track record of seemingly cursed film productions. In 1984, Universal Pictures refused to release the his masterpiece "Brazil" until critics dubbed it the best movie of the year. His next movie "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" was crippled by studio politics and a shiftless producer. More recently, the production of "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" suffered one disaster after another until it was shut down after only a week of filming.
So when the star of his latest effort died after only about a third of the film was completed, "Imaginarium" looked like yet another casualty to Gilliam's freakishly bad luck. Yet he pulled it off, earning raves at this year's Cannes International Film Festival.
So how did he do it? If Gilliam made quiet domestic dramas, the movie would have been completely derailed. But as it happens, Gilliam makes films that are so hallucinatory and surreal that he can even change the actor playing the lead character and still make the story work. In this case, he enlisted Ledger's friends Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to step into his role. The three A-listers not only jumped at the chance to make sure Ledger's final work made it to the screen, but they also donated their salaries to Ledger's young daughter, Matilda.
The movie tells the story of the titular Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), a thousand-year-old traveling showman who invites audience members to venture into an alternate reality through his magical mirror. He gained his unusual abilities and eternal life through a bet with the Devil (Tom Waits), and when the evil one tries to collect, a mysterious figure named Tony (Ledger and friends) comes to save the day.

The one bit of luck that Gilliam did have during the making of "Imaginarium" was that he shot all of the "real world" scenes before Ledger died. So when the character of Tony steps through the magic mirror into a fantasy world he is transformed, allowing Depp, Law and Farrell to take over the role.
It's a bold and risky way to salvage the project. The question with "Imaginarium" becomes, will these shifts between Ledger and the other actors will feel natural or they will feel forced? According to Gilliam, the transition happens so smoothly that a sound mixer who worked on the movie assumed it was always intended to be that way.
Gilliam has clearly taken out all the stops, making "Imaginarium" as visually wondrous and bizarre as anything he's put on the screen since "Baron Munchausen." To get a look at the movie's startling images, and to see how Heath Ledger's pals look in his role, watch the exclusive trailer below. "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" opens on Christmas Day.

Leave Giant Squids Alone

2009-10-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

Giant SquidDon't mess with them.By Grady HendrixPosted Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, at 1:59 PM ET
U.S. scientists accidentally caught a giant squid in the Gulf of Mexico last week, the first spotted in those waters since 1954. But perhaps we should be more careful about how we treat this terrifying beast. After a Japanese crew snapped hundreds of photographs of the Architeuthis dux in 2005, Grady Hendrix warned that we had "violated our contract with the giant squid" and urged caution. The article is reprinted below.

Is there any doubt that the scariest animal in the world is the giant squid? Just its name paralyzes my heart with fear in a way that "killer whale" or "jumbo shrimp" do not. Most of us first caught a glimpse of this denizen of the deep trying to kill Kirk Douglas in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and we all had the same question: How angry do you have to be to try to kill the recipient of an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement? The answer was instantly branded onto all of our brains: as angry as a giant squid.
The giant squid is an "eat the crew, ask questions later" kind of cephalopod, and motion pictures have rightly depicted it as a very angry animal that's not given to conversation. To see a giant squid is to be attacked by a giant squid, the saying goes. But, like Tom Cruise between movies, the giant squid is camera-shy. And, just like the diminutive actor, Architeuthis dux spends long periods lurking out of sight, surely up to no good, before bursting forth, tentacles flailing, and exercising its alternate belief system. In Mr. Cruise's case, the alternate belief system is Scientology. In the giant squid's case, the alternate belief system is a desire to wrap you in its horrible tentacles and poke you to death with its poisonous beak. There are similarities.
Usually we only see giant squid in artist's conceptions fighting sperm whales (very scary) or washed up dead on beaches (not very scary at all). But now the Japanese have ruined it for everyone. With the aid of a very long string and a bag of mashed shrimp, Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori have taken 500 pictures of the giant squid at home. Stripping all the mystery and dignity from this great beast, they got the not-very-coordinated, 26-foot-long monster to snag itself on their bait bag. No one said the giant squid was very bright, but the fact that it tried to free its tentacle for more than four hours before giving up and tearing the thing off doesn't do much for its reputation. Even the researchers' statement that the giant squid seems "much more active … than previously suspected" comes across as a little condescending.
Kubodera and his crew have taken great pains to emphasize that losing a tentacle hasn't harmed the squid, but if they knew anything about giant squid they'd cut the press conferences short and run home to protect their families from this now-livid cephalopod that almost surely wants revenge. The giant squid hates everything: It hates Kirk Douglas, it hates the crew of the Pequod, and it especially hates scientists who make it look stupid.
If man is to live in harmony with nature we must respect nature's needs, and the needs of the giant squid are simple:
a) three (3) metric tons of small fish per week, or one (1) sperm whale;
b) if giant squid is to make more than two appearances in one day, giant squid must be supplied with a rest area equipped with Bose sound system and six large, clean towels;
c) no flash photography.
We have violated our contract with the giant squid. Will any of us ever feel safe in the water again?

Bad Economy = Good Health??

2009-10-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

Could the Recession Be Good for Your Health?

TUESDAY, Sept. 29 -- The economic downturn may not be all bad - in fact, researchers say recessions may actually be good for health.
University of Michigan researchers looked at death rates during the Great Depression, the worst economic slump in the 20th century. From the stock market crash of 1929 through the early 1930s, economic activity fell sharply, dropping 14 percent in 1932, while unemployment hit 22.9 percent that same year.
Black and white images from the era of bread lines and migrant farmers make it easy to assume the economic misery would have affected public health.
But when the researchers looked at mortality rates among men, women and children from 1920 to 1940, they found death rates declined during years of falling economic activity and rose when times were better.
The study is in the Sept. 28 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
During the two decades spanning the 1920s and 1930s, overall life expectancy increased by 8.8 years. But it wasn't a steady rise, instead shooting up and falling back in a pattern that correlated with the rise and fall of economic activity.
Between 1921 and 1926, the so-called "Roaring 20s" and a time of robust economic growth, life expectancy for non-white men fell by 8.1 years. Yet between 1929 and 1933, the years of steepest economic decline, their life expectancy grew a similar amount.
Likewise, non-white women lost 7.4 years of life expectancy during the Roaring 20s, but they gained 8.2 years of life expectancy during the Depression.
Whites showed a similar pattern, though the loss in life expectancy wasn't as extreme as for non-whites.
"The basic finding of the paper is that mortality rates tend to evolve in parallel to the economy," said lead study author Jose Tapia Granados, an assistant research scientist at University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. "When the economy goes up, mortality tends to go up. When the economy goes down, mortality rates tend to go down, too."
Researchers did find one exception. During the 1920s and 1930s, two-thirds of all deaths were caused by cardiovascular and renal diseases, cancer, influenza and pneumonia, tuberculosis, motor vehicle accidents and suicide.
All became less deadly during difficult economic times, with the exception of suicides. But suicides accounted for fewer than 2 percent of all deaths, not enough to alter the overall trend, the study authors added.
The country's climb out of the Great Depression began in 1933. The economy grew by more than 10 percent annually from 1933 to 1936. Mortality again peaked in 1936, four years after the worst year of the Depression, even for children under age 4.
The surge in deaths in 1936 isn't just attributable to lag time, the researchers noted. Deaths from motor vehicle accidents went up, in which lag time would not play a role.
So why would the return of good times be bad for health?
More economic activity means people have money to drive cars, meaning more die in auto wrecks, the researchers theorize. In the 1920s and 1930s, cars became objects of mass consumption.
As motor vehicle use increases, so does pollution. Recent studies have linked particulate matter from cars and trucks and carbon monoxide with heart attacks and strokes.
During periods of growth, people have more money to spend on alcohol and cigarettes. And more economic activity means more factory orders, meaning people are working harder and longer and sleeping less.
Still, this is not to say that losing a job is good for your health. The study looks at the bigger picture -- fewer cars, fewer people working overtime, less pollution -- and how it may benefit public health as a whole.
A similar pattern may be at work during the current downturn, the authors suggested.
"My expectation is that mortality rates in 2008 will be lower than in 2007, and probably in 2009 will be lower than 2008," Tapia said. "There is a general improvement, even though suicides are going up."
Joshua Klapow, associate professor at the University of Alabama Birmingham's School of Public Health, said he would be cautious about applying any of the findings to today's recession.
Society has changed significantly in the past 60 to 80 years, he said. Medical advances enable people to live with chronic diseases for much longer nowadays. Infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, kill fewer people today. Fewer people do manual labor, smoking has declined, and obesity has shot up.
"The only points of similarity are the economic factors," Klapow said. "You can't equate health status, health care, health costs or lifestyles with the 1920s or the 1930s. You have confounding factors right now that prevent us from drawing any reasonable conclusion about our current state."
And during this downturn, studies show that many Americans are making poor health choices, such as cutting back on medications and putting off medical care because of costs.
"We have a lot of indicators during this economic turmoil that the health status of our population is not getting better," Klapow said. "The study is fascinating, but we have to be very careful not to forecast a trajectory to our present day."
More information
The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum has more on the Great Depression.

The President's Speach

2009-09-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Russian Winters Not

2009-09-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

This was what I got listening to a program on the BBC radio today: The Russians are trying to do away with their snowy winter weather for good by cloud seeding. They, along with a few other places, have been using cloud seeding for a while to make sure sunny days were in the forecast for whenever they planned large events/parades and such. But now they want to use it to get rid of their snow!
This is amazing to me, and I listen and understand how they do the process now, but really? Taking the snow out of Moscow? How sad. If anyone could find the actual report given (it was today, not that long ago), I would really appriciate it. All I'm finding is general information on cloud seeding, and I want to know how and why they plan on getting rid of their wonderful winter weather.

Jell-O 1-2-3

2009-08-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

I remember this stuff! It was so cool, and had such a unique texture to it when eaten. Ymmmm... makes me want some, too bad it's off the shelves:

Jell-O 1-2-3 debuted in 1969, offering consumers a new wrinkle in homemade desserts. Jell-O gelatin itself was nothing new by that time; the product had been concocted in 1897. But what made this version of the product different was that once it was mixed with boiling water and set aside to cool, it would separate into three layers: a clear bottom, a chiffon middle and a creamy top.

After a few decades, the novelty may have worn off, and the product was discontinued in 1996 due to declining sales.

Bing: Find recipes for Jell-O 1-2-3

To console any remaining disappointed fans, Kraft recently added a recipe to its Web site showing how to make a similar dessert using sugar-free Jell-O and Cool Whip Lite.

Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away!

2009-08-11T19:56:00.001-07:00

Before digital cameras came to dominate the scene, taking pictures was all about capturing images on film. And for professional photographers (and serious amateurs), choosing the brand of film to use was as important as picking the kind of camera.

Kodachrome, a brand of film immortalized in a 1973 Paul Simon song of the same name, was introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1935. It was actually developed as a motion-picture film, but Kodak developed versions in a variety of formats, including the slide film that became prized by photographers for its rich, bright colors.

Bing: Search for Paul Simon's 'Kodachrome'

Alas, after 74 years of production, Kodak discontinued the film in June, citing falling demand in a digital age. The move added new poignancy to Simon's refrain of "Mama don't take my Kodachrome away."

Breast-feeding Doll?

2009-08-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Controversial new doll mimics breast-feeding

Manufacturers claim ‘Bebe Gloton’ promotes nurturing — but is it creepy?

By Mike Celizic

TODAYShow.com contributor

updated 10:40 a.m. CT, Thurs., Aug 6, 2009

It’s probably all Betsy Wetsy’s fault.

If the iconic baby-boom generation baby doll hadn’t introduced the world to the notion that dolls could have bodily functions, then maybe today we wouldn’t be talking about Bebe Gloton — the doll that that suckles 6-year-old girls.

“I just worry about what’s next,” TODAY’s Kathie Lee Gifford said after watching a video clip showing a young girl wearing a vest with daisies where her breasts would be ... if she had any.

The girl held the doll to the daisies, and the doll made suckling noises.

“It’s got a little creep factor,” Gifford opined to co-host Hoda Kotb.

“Why would you want a suckling doll for an 8-year-old?” Kotb wondered.

Some are wondering why you would want a suckling doll for anyone. The Spanish manufacturers of Bebe Gloton — “Baby Glutton” in English — say the doll is meant to encourage nurturing in young girls and to promote breast-feeding. But others, including Kotb and Gifford, are wondering whether it’s too much, too soon.

Then there’s the idea that it was just a matter of time. After all, Gifford observed, “we have dolls that go potty.”

That was Betsy Wetsy’s big trick when she was introduced in the 1930s. It made the doll one of the most memorable and creative playthings of the 20th century, according to the Toy Industry Association, which enshrined Betsy in its Century of Toys list in 2003.

Betsy’s success, which peaked in the 1950s, led to the invention of the next big thing in live-action dolls, Tiny Tears. Whereas Betsy Wetsy wet her pants after being fed a bottle, Tiny Tears cried after drinking hers.

Little girls were enthralled.

Today, there are anatomically correct dolls sold by specialty manufacturers such as Amamanta Family that take little girls and boys — and big ones, too — through the entire birth process. There are therapy dolls and disabled dolls and talking dolls and walking dolls.

And now a doll that sucks on a daisy on a little girl’s chest.

“I guess it teaches you about nurturing,” Kotb conceded.

“But to see a 6-year-old,” she added, “it’s just weird.”

2009-08-01T08:44:00.001-07:00

#2.

Lie About Who The Star Is

So you're a studio exec, and you just greenlit a $70 million movie called Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow to be shot entirely in front of green screens. You're planning on using CGI to fill those screens with giant robots trundling around 1930s New York. Unfortunately, your focus group results just arrived, and the majority of the audience tells you all they really wanted to see was a sexy hamburger.

Where's the fucking beef people?

As you're preparing to clean out your desk, you notice that one of the focus group members mentioned Angelina Jolie for some reason. After re-watching the film, making sure not to blink the second time, you confirm that Jolie does in fact make a brief cameo. But since she's the most bankable star in Hollywood, you release a trailer that uses that cameo like Native Americans used a buffalo carcass.

She isn't kidding when she tells Gwyneth, "It's a pleasure to finally meet the competition," as they meet an hour and two minutes into the movie, resulting in Angelina getting slightly more screen time than Sir Lawrence Olivier, who was cast as the villain using stock footage recorded before he died.

Can we imply that Angelina has sex with the dead guy?

Using a star's brief cameo as bait in a cinematic bear trap is nothing new. The trailer for Star Trek: Generations seemed to promise Kirk and Picard standing shoulder to shoulder saving the universe, like a galactic 48 Hours if Eddie Murphy was also old and white. Of course, in the actual film they unceremoniously drop a bridge on Kirk so fast he might as well be wearing a red shirt.

But devotees of the Star Trek and Angelina Jolie's remarkable boobs have nothing on the apparently sizable, and oft-mislead talking-animal fanbase. The trailer for the 2002 movie, Snow Dogs, featured Cuba Gooding Jr. playing second fiddle to a team of wise cracking sled dogs to the strains of "Who Let the Dogs Out." Look Who's Talking fans marked their calendars, while the rest of us wondered just how the fuck Cuba Gooding, Jr. had gone from Best Supporting Actor to comedic foil for a team of jive talking huskies.

Well, he didn't. The scene with the talking dogs is actually from a brief dream sequence. The film is a zany comedy, sure, but it's a zany comedy about Gooding's emotional quest to find out who his real parents are. As mortified as Gooding must have been when he saw the trailers had hidden him behind CGI animals, imagine how depressed he was when the dogs opened at #1 in the box office. Actually, that makes us a little depressed too.

That, by the way, reminds us of the single most annoying thing trailers do...

#1.

Just Completely Lie About What Kind of Movie It Is

As should be clear by now, Hollywood hates new things. They might reluctantly let a successful enough filmmaker take on a movie that's a little different than the ones he's made in the past. Just don't expect the trailer to tell you that.

Just your typical Spielberg awesomeness, folks.

When E.T. was released, the trailer used a creepy POV shot to make it look like Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the hit supernatural thrillers that Steven Spielberg was known for churning out up to that point.

Marketing magic.

Of course, E.T. went on to become bigger than all of his previous films, so when Gremlins was released four years later with Spielberg as the Executive Producer, the campy horror film was made to look like a tale of a little boy and his furry alien friend.

It works the same way for stars. Giving Robin Williams some coke and setting him loose in a light-hearted family comedy used to be one of the few ways a studio could ensure their movie would shit solid gold at the box office. However, Williams's desire to play dramatic roles has led to an incredible resume of lighthearted trailers for depressing films:

But what if nobody in your movie has ever made anything good before? What sort of movie are you supposed to pretend you've made then? In 2004, Jerry Bruckheimer was pitching around an R-rated buddy comedy as Midnight Run in Australia, which would have been an apt description if the stars of Midnight Run were Kush from Jerry Maguire and that fat comedian nobody likes.

No, the black one.

Frantically searching for an unoriginal idea to steal, Bruckheimer found his answer in a Cuba Gooding, Jr. film that had tricked audiences into theaters with talking huskies. A dream sequence was added featuring a rapping CGI kangaroo wearing shades and performing "Rapper's Delight" with a sassy Australian accent. Then the ads for the movie featured basically nothing but that.

The film's name became Kangaroo Jack, a play on the slang term "to steal" that was clearly meant to trick audiences into thinking the Kangaroo was the star. Fans of talking animals, most of them under five-years-old, were duped once again. But where Snow Dogs had tricked them into seeing a light-hearted family comedy, Bruckheimer had tricked them into seeing a raunchy, boob and gay joke-centric action movie.

The results? Kangaroo Jack took the #1 spot at the box office its opening weekend, Jerry Bruckheimer's balls got a little closer to bursting forth from his scrotum and everyone in Hollywood once again learned that no matter how much the Internet bitches and moans about their evil trickery, that shit works.

5 Things Movie Trailers Need to Stop Doing

2009-08-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

5 Things Movie Trailers Need to Stop Doing

By Conrad Schickedanz, Jack O'Brien July 29, 2009 457,037 views

At a movie studio, once the pesky task of actually making a movie is out of the way the guys in the suits go to work. Their job is to bend and manipulate the movie footage into a short trailer that will tell you exactly what they think you want to hear. And it should be noted at the outset, they think you're retarded.

Here are five things we'd ask them to kindly stop doing, and why we know they never will.

#5.

Show Scenes That Are Not In The Movie

Superbad's 30 second trailer promised that "Every generation has one iconic movie that is... quoted non-stop... Superbad is that film." That's high praise for movie producers; while we might mutter "douchebag" when a grown man emerges from a public restroom, fans his crotch and says, "Do not go in there!" in his best Jim Carrey inflection, the marketing community considers that shit free advertising.

What makes less sense is why, in a movie that's chock full of quotable nuggets, they chose "McLovin, sounds like a sexy hamburger!" to be the one line that turned up in the trailer that bragged about quotability. You know, since that line was so memorable that the filmmakers left it out of the movie altogether.

It didn't matter that the line was in no way quotable since it was a response to a name that doesn't exist anywhere outside of the movie, nor did it matter that both Jonah Hill and Michael Cera had funnier TV-friendly lines that were actually in the film. The studio wanted a line by Seth Rogen since he was in the previous summer's "once in a generation" quotable movie, Knocked Up. So the suits rifled through the footage left on the cutting room floor until they found a Seth Rogen line that didn't contain the word fuck, and we got a preview that did a great job hiding the fact that Superbad was actually pretty funny.

"This is a line in a movie!"

But what happens when marketing folks don't have an over abundance of good material to discard in favor of a deleted scene? The trailer for Black Christmas got around that problem by featuring a few moments that were shot just for the trailer. And by a few moments, we mean just about everything you see in the trailer was shot just for the trailer.

According to the IMDB page, the list includes:

An unknown caller saying, "All is calm, all is bright, who is in my house tonight?"

A woman rubbing the snow off her car and a hand reaching through it.

A woman falling off the roof tangled in Christmas lights.

A woman being dragged through the snow by a Christmas lights machine.

Melissa in the hallway with a flashlight while Billy is on the ceiling ready to strike with an axe.

For all of the actual film footage the trailer shows us, Black Christmas very well could be a remake of A Miracle on 34th Street starring Danny Glover and Webster.

#4.

Use The Same Damn Songs Over And Over Again

Soon after it was released in 1989, Ton Loc's "Wild Thing" was put to use in the trailer for Uncle Buck, which actually made sense because the movie was about a wild man played by John Candy, and also because it was still 1989.

Since that time, Mr. Loc's anthem has been used in trailers for every fish out of water comedy that has been released in the last 19 years, including Undercover Brother, Garfield: The Movie, Bedazzled and the Rob Schneider vehicle, The Animal.

So why continue to use a song that had quickly become shorthand for "No matter how low your expectations, get ready to lower them!" Well, Hollywood thinks you need to be told exactly what sort of movie you're going to be getting. When you need to communicate that the main character is a live wire, why use cliched dialogue when you can use a cliched Ton Loc song instead?

The voice of several generations, apparently.

If the comedy has a big enough budget, they might even go with the nuclear option: Smash Mouth. Hollywood loves the shit out of some Smash Mouth; presumably because their songs are genetically engineered to get stuck in your head like some sort of incurable mind-AIDS. Also, they all sound the same, so instead of using that "All-Star" song like Shrek (and Mystery Men, Inspector Gadget, Shrek 2 and Shrek 3), you can get the exact same effect by using one of their many other identical-sounding songs; like in Made of Honor, Can't Hardly Wait, the two shittier Dr. Suess Movies and the shittiest Austin Powers.

In fact, every comedy genre has a preset approved-for-trailer list that runs about two songs deep. Romantic comedies get The Cranberries "Dreams" or the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin.'" Feel good comedies almost always use "Walking on Sunshine" or the most overused song in movie trailer history.

Yes, the only way to communicate that your film is the "feel good comedy of the summer" is to play James Brown's "I Feel Good." Apparently, Hollywood believes that you not only need to be trained like a Pavlovian dog to know what kind of movie to expect, you need the lyrics to literally tell you how to feel.

#3.

Just Go Ahead And Ruin The Entire Goddamn Movie

When they're not lying to audiences, trailers are telling them too much. Hollywood has been known to treat films with a unique plot, or a surprising twist ending with all the delicacy of Lenny in Of Mice and Men.

"I see dead people...wink."

Take, for instance, one of the first genuine twist endings in the history of Hollywood cinema. The studio knew they had a twist that would leave audiences head spinning if they could just get them to watch it. The whole trailer teases you with the mystery at the heart of the film's mind blowing ending, asking "What is the secret of Soylent Green?"

You'd just have to watch the movie to find out. Or, you know, keep your eyes open for the part of the trailer where Charlton Heston breaks into the factory and sees all the bodies moving down the conveyor belt. If you caught that, then don't worry about showing up, you can probably put it together from there.

With time, this became common place. The trailer for Ransom was geared around a dramatic scene in which Mel Gibson's character announces that he is offering his own ransom as a bounty on the kidnapper's head, a plot twist that kills any suspense you might have felt during the first half of the movie. The trailer for Wild Things ruined the first half of that movie by giving away the fact that the sexual harassment suit against Matt Dillon is a hoax.

A sexy hoax.

And of course there's Cast Away's trailer that shows the plane crash that lands Tom Hanks on the island...

Tom Hanks battling the elements, and then Tom Hanks being rescued by his friends who tell him, "You've been gone for four years."

They actually end the trailer with the final shot of the film, but commendably show the restraint to cut things off before the credits start to roll.

continued below...

Listening to Music

2009-07-11T10:14:00.001-07:00

Exclusive First Listen: Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse Team Up With David Lynch

Hear The Year's Most Mysterious Album In Its Entirety, Before Its Official Release

By Robin Hilton

Hear The Entire Album: 'Dark Night Of The Soul'

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From left: David Lynch, Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse.

Official Site For 'Dark Night Of The Soul'

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NPR.org, June 14, 2009 - When the first cryptic bits of news about Dark Night of the Soul began trickling in earlier this year, it all sounded too good to be true. Though the whole project was shrouded in mystery, it appeared that Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous, two of the most inspired artists making music today, were collaborating on a new album. That alone was enough to get our geek gears spinning with excitement. But there was an unusual twist that few of us at NPR Music could make sense of: Director David Lynch was somehow involved.

It all started back in March, at the South by Southwest music festival and conference. A number of us on the NPR Music team had noticed strange posters around downtown Austin, Texas, that read "Dark Night of the Soul." They looked like movie posters and had David Lynch's name on them, alongside names of some of our favorite artists, like Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse, Vic Chesnutt, Jason Lytle and more. We wondered if it was some sort of musical film.

Soon after our Austin trip, NPR Music received copies of the mysterious posters in the mail. No return address. Someone was messing with us. I tried to find out more, but had zero success. Then, weeks later, I finally got a note from a publicist with all the details we'd been waiting for.

It turns out Dark Night Of The Soul is an album and the songs were written by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse (Mark Linkous), though the myriad singers featured on each track also had a big hand in composing and producing the work. The album was initially going to be packaged with a book of photos taken by David Lynch. But now there's word that the music may never be officially released at all.

An unnamed spokesperson for Danger Mouse says that "due to an ongoing dispute with EMI" the book of photographs will "now come with a blank, recordable CD-R. All copies will be clearly labeled: 'For legal reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.'" While offering no specifics, EMI has acknowledged the legal dispute with Danger Mouse and released a statement saying, "Danger Mouse is a brilliant, talented artist for whom we have enormous respect. We continue to make every effort to resolve this situation and we are talking to Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) directly. Meanwhile, we need to reserve our rights."

You can order the book, sans music, from the official Dark Night Of The Soul Web site. In the meantime, you can hear the entire album here on NPR Music as an Exclusive First Listen.

I've listened to the record all the way through at least a dozen times, and can confirm that Dark Night of the Soul delivers in every way you'd hope for. It's beautiful but haunting, surreal and dark, but sometimes comical and affecting, with ear-popping, multilayered production work. It just gets more mesmerizing with every listen.

In addition to Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse (Mark Linkous), other artists appearing on Dark Night of the Soul include James Mercer of The Shins, The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Frank Black of the Pixies, Iggy Pop, Nina Persson of The Cardigans, Suzanne Vega, Vic Chesnutt, David Lynch, and Scott Spillane of Neutral Milk Hotel and The Gerbils.

Firefighter Shoots Dogs to Avoide Boarding Them

2009-07-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Ohio Man Faces Jail Time for Killing Dogs

CNN

posted: 2 DAYS 17 HOURS AGO

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (July 8) - An Ohio firefighter faces jail time and may lose his job for shooting his two dogs to death rather than pay to board them while he went on a cruise.

Columbus firefighter David P. Santuomo, 43, took Sloopy and Skeeter to his home's basement, suspended them from a pipe near the ceiling and fired at least 11 shots from a .22-caliber rifle fitted with a homemade silencer, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Ron J. O'Brien said.

Santuomo then wrapped the carcasses in plastic and dumped them in a trash bin behind Firehouse 27, where he worked, O'Brien said.
"This is pretty heinous," said Cheri Miller, spokeswoman for the Capital Area Humane Society, which carried out a search warrant in Santuomo's home. The humane society has limited law enforcement powers in Franklin County.
Santuomo pleaded guilty in June to two misdemeanor counts of improperly killing a companion animal and a felony count of possession of a criminal tool. Santuomo had fashioned a makeshift silencer by taping a 2-liter soda bottle to the end of the rifle. The incident happened in December.
Miller said appalled fellow firefighters turned Santuomo in to authorities.
"There were reports that he was bragging about this," she said.
Santuomo initially told investigators the dogs had ingested antifreeze and he killed them to put them out of their misery, Miller said. However, after necropsies showed the dogs were not poisoned, the firefighter admitted shooting them because he couldn't afford to board them, she said. Public records show Santuomo has twice filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection and underwent a home foreclosure in 2003.
The Columbus Division of Fire has received more than 2,000 outraged e-mails and calls from the public, said Battalion Chief David Whiting, the department's spokesman.
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"People are not very happy," he said. "We had people say they should do to him what he's done to the dogs. A lot of people want him fired. They don't want him coming into their house. They're worried about their animals; they're worried about their kids. They'd just as soon let their house burn down if he shows up."
The Division of Fire has concluded an internal investigation, including interviews with Santuomo, Whiting said. The report now goes to Fire Chief Ned Pettus Jr., who will schedule a disciplinary hearing. Punishment, if any, could range from a verbal reprimand to firing, Whiting said. With appeals and possible arbitration, the whole process could take a month or more, he said.
In the meantime, Santuomo is working in the division's fire alarm office, "where he is not dealing face to face with the public," Whiting said. If he remains employed with the fire division, he will return to his regular assignment, though that could bring a new set of challenges, Whiting added.
"If someone did this that worked next to you at work, how would you feel about working with him?" Whiting asked. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. ... There are a lot of options."
Santuomo has only minor disciplinary matters, such as tardiness, in his record, Whiting said.

Santuomo was sentenced to 90 days in jail, to be served in 10-day increments over the next two years. He also has to pay $4,500 in restitution, perform 200 hours of community service, stay away from companion animals for five years and write a letter of apology to be published in the local newspaper and the International Association of Firefighters magazine, the humane society's Miller said.
Santuomo's attorney said that his client is remorseful over his actions and that people need to temper their outrage. "It's the same old story. They couldn't care less about people and they love animals," lawyer Sam Shamansky said.
The firefighter, who could not be reached for comment, has no criminal history other than traffic violations, Shamansky said.
"It, of course, was a heinous act, and it's an act for which he's sorry and has accepted responsibility," Shamansky said of the dog killings. "He's been punished appropriately, and I think it's now time for the public to practice what they preach and show a little forgiveness and mercy. Maybe that might be a novel approach."
© 2009 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2009-07-08 16:20:03

So that's 6

2009-07-01T13:51:00.002-07:00

Okay, so in most places they say that death comes in 3s. Well, we skipped straight to 6 today. That's what's been in the news' mind the last few days. Morbid, but...

Karl Malden dead

2009-07-01T13:51:00.001-07:00

Oscar-winning actor Karl Malden dies at 97

By BETH HARRIS, Associated Press Writer Beth Harris, Associated Press Writer – 9 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – Karl Malden, the Academy Award-winning actor whose intelligent characterizations on stage and screen made him a star despite his plain looks, died Wednesday, his family said. He was 97.

Malden died of natural causes surrounded by his family at his Brentwood home, they told the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He served as the academy's president from 1989-92.

While he tackled a variety of characters over the years, he was often seen in working-class garb or military uniform. His authenticity in grittier roles came naturally: He was the son of a Czech mother and a Serbian father, and worked for a time in the steel mills of Gary, Ind., after dropping out of college.

Malden said he got his celebrated bulbous nose when he broke it a couple of times playing basketball or football, joking that he was "the only actor in Hollywood whose nose qualifies him for handicapped parking."

Malden won a supporting actor Oscar in 1951 for his role as Blanche DuBois' naive suitor Mitch in "A Streetcar Named Desire" — a role he also played on Broadway.

He was nominated again as best supporting actor in 1954 for his performance as Father Corrigan, a fearless, friend-of-the-workingman priest in "On the Waterfront." In both movies, he costarred with Marlon Brando.

Among Malden's more than 50 film credits were: "Patton," in which he played Gen. Omar Bradley, "Pollyanna," "Fear Strikes Out," "The Sting II," "Bombers B-52," "Cheyenne Autumn," and "All Fall Down."

One of his most controversial films was "Baby Doll" in 1956, in which he played a dullard husband whose child bride is exploited by a businessman. It was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency for what was termed its "carnal suggestiveness." The story was by "Streetcar" author Tennessee Williams.

Malden gained perhaps his greatest fame as Lt. Mike Stone in the 1970s television show "The Streets of San Francisco," in which Michael Douglas played the veteran detective's junior partner.

During the same period, Malden gained a lucrative 21-year sideline and a place in pop culture with his "Don't leave home without them" ads for American Express.

"The Streets of San Francisco" earned him five Emmy nominations. He won one for his role as a murder victim's father out to bring his former son-in-law to justice in the 1985 miniseries "Fatal Vision."

Malden played Barbra Streisand's stepfather in the 1987 film "Nuts;" Adm. Elmo Zumwalt Jr. in the 1988 TV film "My Father, My Son;" and Leon Klinghoffer, the cruise ship passenger murdered by terrorists in 1985, in the 1989 TV film "The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro."

He acted sparingly in recent years, appearing in 2000 in a small role on TV's "The West Wing."

In 2004, Malden received the Screen Actors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award, telling the group in his acceptance speech that "this is the peak for me."

Malden first gained prominence on Broadway in the late 1930s, making his debut in "Golden Boy" by Clifford Odets. It was during this time that he met Elia Kazan, who later was to direct him in "Streetcar" and "Waterfront."

He steadily gained more prominent roles, with time out for service in the Army in World War II (and a role in an Army show, "Winged Victory.")

"A Streetcar Named Desire" opened on Broadway in 1947 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Circle awards. Brando's breakthrough performance might have gotten most of the attention, but Malden did not want for praise. Once critic called him "one of the ablest young actors extant."

Among his other stage appearances were "Key Largo," "Winged Victory," Arthur Miller's "All My Sons," "The Desperate Hours," and "The Egghead."

Malden was known for his meticulous preparation, studying a script carefully long before he stepped into his role.

"I not only figure out my own interpretation of the role, but try to guess other approaches that the director might like. I prepare them, too," he said in a 1962 Associated Press interview. "That way, I can switch in the middle of a scene with no sweat."

"There's no such thing as an easy job, not if you do it right," he added.

He was born Mladen Sekulovich in Chicago on March 22, 1912. Malden regretted that in order to become an actor he had to change his name. He insisted that Fred Gwynne's character in "On the Waterfront" be named Sekulovich to honor his heritage.

The family moved to Gary, Ind., when he was small. He quit his steel job 1934 to study acting at Chicago's Goodman Theatre "because I wasn't getting anywhere in the mills," he recalled.

"When I told my father, he said, `Are you crazy? You want to give up a good job in the middle of the Depression?' Thank god for my mother. She said to give it a try."

In 2005, the U.S. Postal Service honored Malden by putting his name on a post office in Los Angeles to honor his achievement in film and his contributions to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, which meets to discuss ideas for stamp designs.

Malden and his wife, Mona, a fellow acting student at the Goodman, had one of Hollywood's longest marriages, having celebrated their 70th anniversary in December.

Besides his wife, Malden is survived by daughters Mila and Cara, his sons-in-law, three granddaughters, and four great grandchildren.

___

Associated Press writer Polly Anderson in New York contributed to this report.

Jackson life and death

2009-06-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

June 30, 2009

Jackson's Life - and Death - a Spectacle

Confusion Over Singer's Will and Estate, As Well As Future Of Three Children

(CBS) Michael Jackson's life became a bizarre spectacle in his later years. In death, nothing has changed, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker. Family, associates, attorneys, publicity seekers all gearing up to do battle over Jackson's money and his legacy - while the whole world watches.

"I wish Michael could be here to see all this," Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson's father, has said.

The headliner in "all this:" a brewing, complicated, sordid mud fight over what, and how much, the "King of Pop" left behind - and to whom. The greatest confusion centers on Jackson's will - or wills. The singer's attorney says he has one. The singer's family says one will be filed in court- and that others are likely to come out of the woodwork.

"You don't know, there could be competing wills here," said Andrew Katzenstein, a lawyer with expertise in estate management. "In California, if you write something out on a piece of paper and sign your name to it, that can count as a will."

"What we know is that a will apparently does exist that was written up for Michael, and we understand by his lawyer John Prank in 2002," said J. Randy Taraborrelli, a Jackson biographer." What we're hearing is that Michael made provisions for his mother, for his children and for certain charities. And we're also hearing that his father is not mentioned in the will."

All this confusion, a continuation of the bedlam set loose over the last six days by Jackson's sudden death: the spontaneous crowds, the instantaneous controversy over two as-yet inconclusive coroner's reports - one by the county, one for the family, and controversy over the singer's alleged prescription drug abuse, reported as fact in tabloids around the world.

"I think it's safe to say that since the 1980s, Michael Jackson has been addicted to different prescriptions off and on at different times," Taraborrelli said. "You know, he's been under a lot of stress, under a lot of pain for a long time."

Q&A: Taraborrelli On Jackson's Illnesses

And now controversy over his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who was with Jackson when he collapsed. The LAPD called Dr. Murray in for questioning over the weekend. They say he's not a criminal suspect. The family says the promoter of Jackson's planned concerts in London hired Dr. Murray. The promoters insist he was Michael Jackson's choice.

"Michael said to me that my body is the body that fuels the business," said Randy Phillips, an AEG promoter. "I want a doctor 24-7 like President Obama."

But now the court is center stage. On June 29, Jackson's mother, Katherine, got a judge to appoint her special administrator of her son's estate. Court documents outline a tangled legal mess: numerous bank accounts that are in the control of third parties, confusion over who controls Jackson's stake in the Sony-ATV music publishing catalogue, including works of the Beatles said to be of "tremendous value." But Jackson also had tremendous debt, $500 million by some accounts - plenty to keep the courts busy for years figuring it all out.

"There are going to be legal struggles on a number of levels," Katzenstein said. "His estate would pass equally to his three kids. The thing that is so interesting about that to me is the kids would get it when they are 18 years old, so there could be a significant amount of money landing in the hands of 18-year-old kids, which for those of you that are parents, you know that's not always a great idea."

Another court battle looms over custody of Michael Jackson's three young children. Jackson's mother also got the court to grant her temporary custody of 12-year-old Michael Joseph Jr.; Paris Michael Katherine, 11; and 7-year-old Prince Michael, ll. Attorneys for Jackson's former wife, Debbie Rowe, the mother of the older two children, say she is considering challenging Katherine Jackson for custody.

"This is where they belong," Joe Jackson has said. "We are the parents … We love those kids, too."

"All we can really know is that this promises to be a big drama in weeks and months to come if Katherine Jackson and Debbie Rowe both decide that they want those children," Taraborelli said.

Michael Jackson was rehearsing for his big comeback the night before he died. Now, the London promoters and the Jackson family are talking about staging a huge tribute concert for the "King of Pop," with performances by his brothers who shot to fame with him four decades ago in the Jackson 5, and his one-time superstar sister, Janet Jackson.

But the biggest show is likely to be the funeral for Michael Jackson, reportedly shaping up to be a several day event with a motorcade from Hollywood to Neverland, a private service and a public service.

"When I suggested to someone in the family that there might be 100,000 people, the answer was 'What are you talking about? We're hearing that there might be as many as one million people,'" said Brian Oxman, a former Jackson attorney. "When you hear those astronomical numbers that there might be a million people turn out, you just kind of go, 'Whoa, is that possible?' And lo and behold, for all we know, it's highly possible."

For Michael Jackson, the show must go on. His family and the public demand it.

Billy Mays Dead

2009-06-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

'Infomercial King' Billy Mays Found Dead in Home

Sunday, June 28, 2009

In this Dec. 6, 2002 file photo,TV pitchman Billy Mays poses with some of his cleaning products at his Palm Harbor, Fla., home.

Television pitchman Billy Mays — who built his fame by appearing on commercials and infomercials promoting household products and gadgets — died Sunday.

Mays, 50, was found unresponsive by his wife inside his Tampa, Fla., home at 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Police said there were no signs of forced entry to Mays' residence and foul play is not suspected. Authorities said an autopsy should be complete by Monday afternoon.

"Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times," Mays wife, Deborah, said in a statement on Sunday.

Mays was well known for his numerous television promotions of such products as Orange Glo and OxiClean. He was also featured on the reality TV show "Pitchmen" on the Discovery Channel, which followed Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs.

Born William Mays in McKees Rocks, Pa., on July 20, 1958, Mays developed his style demonstrating knives, mops and other "as seen on TV" gadgets on Atlantic City's boardwalk. For years he worked as a hired gun on the state fair and home show circuits, attracting crowds with his booming voice and genial manner.

After meeting Orange Glo International founder Max Appel at a home show in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s, Mays was recruited to demonstrate the environmentally friendly line of cleaning products on the St. Petersburg-based Home Shopping Network.

Commercials and informercials followed, anchored by the high-energy Mays showing how it's done while tossing out kitschy phrases like, "Long live your laundry!"

Recently he's been seen on commercials for a wide variety of products and is featured on the reality TV show "Pitchmen" on the Discovery Channel, which follows Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs. He's also been seen in ESPN ads.

His ubiquitousness and thumbs-up, in-your-face pitches won Mays plenty of fans. People line up at his personal appearances for autographed color glossies, and strangers stop him in airports to chat about the products.

"I enjoy what I do," Mays told The Associated Press in a 2002 interview. "I think it shows."

Mays was on board a US Airways flight that blew out its front tires as it landed at a Tampa airport on Saturday, MyFOXTampa.com reported.

US Airways spokesman Jim Olson said that none of the 138 passengers and five crew members were injured in the incident, but several passengers reported having bumps and bruises, according to the station.

Authorities have not said whether Mays' death was related to the incident.

Discovery Channel spokeswoman Elizabeth Hillman released a statement Sunday extending sympathy to the Mays family.

"Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth," Hillman's statement said. "Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend."

Click here to read more on this story from MyFOXTampa.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Farrah Fawcett Dead

2009-06-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

Farrah Fawcett dead at 62 after long battle with anal cancer

by Vicki Hyman/The Star-Ledger
Thursday June 25, 2009, 12:45 PM

RAY STUBBLEBINE/AP PHOTOFarrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal at the 1989 premiere of 'Chances Are.' Fawcett died after a 3-year battle with anal cancer today.

Farrah Fawcett, the 1970s jiggle icon known equally for "Charlie's Angels," her feathered hair, that skimpy red swimsuit, and her stormy love life, died this morning after a long struggle with anal cancer, Entertainment Tonight reports. She was 62.

Longtime love Ryan O'Neal, who recently promised to marry Fawcett, and her friend Alana Stewart, who filmed a documentary about her cancer battle, were by her side when she died at 9:28 a.m. PST at a Los Angeles hospital. Her only child, Redmond O'Neal, is in jail on drug charges, but did receive permission for a final visit with his mother a few weeks ago.

The Star-Ledger's Alan Sepinwall looks back at Fawcett's career.

JASON SZENES/EPAFawcett in the front row at New York Fashion Week in 2004.

Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006, and though it went into remission, it reappeared last year. She wanted to keep her struggle private, but the National Enquirer published stories about her health, apparently gleaned from hospital employees who illegally pried in her records. Fawcett even cooperated with a sting operation to flush out the prying employees.

As of a few months ago, Fawcett still had hope that she would beat cancer. Her doctor said in April that Fawcett "remains in good spirits with her usual sense of humor. She's been in great shape her whole life and has an incredible resolve and an incredible resilience."

Not long after, O'Neal confirmed that Fawcett hadstopped treatment, was bed-ridden and has lost most of her famed locks.

Barbara Walters said on "Good Morning America" this morning that Fawcett had received last rites, and that she had been too weak to marry O'Neal, as he had promised. Fawcett and O'Neal dated through most of the 1980s and 1990s, then reunited after O'Neal's own cancer scare a few years ago. Fawcett was previously married to "Six Million Dollar Man" star Lee Majors in the 1970s.

ABC/AP PHOTOFarrah Fawcett, right, Kate Jackson, left, and Jacyln Smith were the original 'Charlie's Angels.' Fawcett only spent a season on the show, but she's inextricably linked with it.

VINCE BUCCI/GETTY IMAGESJackson, Fawcett, and Smith were reunited at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in August 2006.

Michael Jackson Dead

2009-06-25T07:23:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson is dead [Updated]

2:06 PM | June 25, 2009

Latest news: Pop star Michael Jackson dead at 50

Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead today after paramedics found him in a coma at his Bel-Air mansion, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.

Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told The Times that paramedics responded to a 911 call from the home. When they arrived, Jackson was not breathing.

The paramedics performed CPR and took Jackson to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda said. Hundreds of reporters gathered at the hospital awaiting word on his condition. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said family members rushed to Jackson’s bedside, where he was in a deep coma.

The circumstances of Jackson’s death remain unclear. Law enforcement sources said that Los Angeles Police Department robbery-homicide detectives have opened an investigation into the death, though they stressed that there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

The detectives plan to interview relatives, friends and Jackson’s doctors to try to figure out what happened. The L.A. County coroner’s office will determine a cause of death. A Los Angeles Fire Department source told The Times that Jackson was in full cardiac arrest when rescue units arrived.

A doctor was in the house performing CPR on Jackson, said the source who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Paramedics were called to a home in the 100 block of Carolwood Drive off Sunset Boulevard.

Jackson rented the Bel-Air home -- described as a French chateau built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater -- for $100,000 a month. The home is about a six-minute drive from UCLA Medical Center. Jackson has three children -- sons Prince Michael 7, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11.

Jackson, 50, died as he was attempting a comeback after years of tabloid headlines, most notably his trial and acquittal on child molestation charges.

In May, The Times reported that Jackson had rented the Bel-Air residence and was rehearsing for a series of 50 sold-out shows in London's O2 Arena. Jackson had won the backing of two billionaires to get the so-called "King of Pop" back on stage.

His backers envisioned the shows at AEG's O2 as an audition for a career rebirth that could have ultimately encompassed a three-year world tour, a new album, movies, a Graceland-like museum, musical revues in Las Vegas and Macau, and even a "Thriller" casino. Such a rebound could have wiped out Jackson's massive debt.

[Updated post]

-- Andrew Blankstein and Phil Willon

Ed McMahon Dead

2009-06-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

'Tonight Show' personality Ed McMahon dead at 86

BY David Hinckley
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Updated Tuesday, June 23rd 2009, 4:10 PM

NBC

Ed McMahon became the most famous sidekick in television history working alongside Johnny Carson on 'The Tonight Show.'

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/06/23/2009-06-23_tonight_show_personality_ed_mcmahon_dies_at_86.html#ixzz0K1GOih0Z&D

He was 86.

McMahon reportedly had been battling bone cancer and, in recent weeks, pneumonia.

He remained active until early this year, filming a "Cash4Gold" commercial that poked fun at his own financial troubles and aired during the Super Bowl.

Riding what he called a "whisky baritone" voice, McMahon became known as "the king of second bananas." During his 30 years on "The Tonight Show" he often seemed more like Carson's appreciative audience than his announcer.

He started his career as a salesman, pitching vegetable slicers on the Atlantic City Boardwalk to pay his college tuition, and he viewed his television jobs as better-paid continuations of his mission to sellthings.

But he remains best remembered for simply saying "Heeeeeeere's Johnny," the phrase that brought Carson on stage.

"Ed's introduction of Johnny was a classic broadcasting ritual - reassuring and exciting," David Letterman said Tuesday. "Ed was a true broadcaster and an integral part of Johnny Carson's 'Tonight Show.' We will miss him."

The new "Tonight Show" host, Conan O'Brien, paid tribute to McMahon during his monologue.

"For 30 years Ed played his part perfectly, he played it with effortless joy, and sitting alongside Johnny, Ed was an indelible part of what I think is the most iconic two-shot in broadcasting history. There will never be anything like that again," said O'Brien.

Joan Rivers called McMahon "a terrific man. There wasn't a mean bone in his body. It is always a loss when a decent person dies."

Television viewers also saw him as a solid, ordinary citizen, and that made him a natural to hawk products from Breck shampoo to Budweiser beer.

He is less fondly remembered for the notorious Family Publishing House sweepstakes promotions that flooded millions of mailboxes in the 1990s.

Still, they underscored the fact that this second banana ultimately became almost as well known as his boss.

Jack Nicholson's famous "Heere's Johnny!" line from "The Shining" suggested how far McMahon's persona had spread, and over the years he made hundreds of cameo appearances playing himself on shows from "Hee Haw" to "The Simpsons."

Born in Detroit and raised in New England, McMahon flew military combat missions in World War II and Korea. In between hegraduated from Catholic University with a degree in speech and drama.

After a few minutes in radio he moved to Philadelphia television in the early 1950s, and in 1957 he began co-hosting "Who Do You Trust?" with Carson.

When Carson moved to "Tonight" in 1962, McMahon went along and stayed until Carson retired in 1992. On his own, he hosted "Star Search" from 1983 to 1995.

In later years, McMahon had health and financial problems. He won a $7 million insurance settlement in 2003 over mold that infested his Beverly Hills home, but last year he was served with a foreclosure notice for falling $644,000 behind on mortgage payments.

He was married three times and is survived by five children. In television lore, he will be remembered as a man who understood the enduring value of playing his position.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/06/23/2009-06-23_tonight_show_personality_ed_mcmahon_dies_at_86.html#ixzz0K1GGzKDx&D

How Many Balloons to fly a house?

2009-06-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

How Many Balloons Would It Take To Lift a House?The physics of Pixar's Up.

By Nina Shen RastogiPosted Thursday, June 4, 2009, at 6:35 PM ET

Up In the new Pixar film Up, a crotchety old man named Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house and proceeds on an awesome flying adventure to South America. This left several Explainer readers wondering: Just how many balloons would it take to lift a house?

Between 100,000 and 23.5 million. The lower figure comes from the Wired Science blog, which took a crack at the calculation last week. After consulting with a house mover, Wired estimated that Carl's home in Up would be about 100,000 pounds. (Most houses weigh between 80,000 and 160,000 pounds.) Given that 1 cubic foot of helium can lift 0.067 pounds, it would take 1,492,537 cubic feet of helium to lift the house—or about as much as would be contained in 105,854 balloons, each 3 feet in diameter.

This figure doesn't account for the weight of the balloons themselves, however. A 3-foot latex balloon—which is bigger than your average party balloon but smaller than the ones used in the extreme sport of cluster ballooning—might weigh about 1 ounce. So 105,854 of them would add 6,615 pounds to the weight of the house. The weight of the strings also needs to be taken into account. (A Wired Science commenter estimates that "non-optimal rigging" would require about 1,800 pounds of rope.) The Wired piece noted that it would take more balloons to lift Carl's house above the cloud cover, but according to experienced cluster balloonists, that's not necessarily true. If the balloons are made out of an elastic material like latex and haven't been fully inflated beforehand, they'll expand as they rise into the thinner atmosphere, which should keep the house rising steadily.

If Carl were trying to use regular old party balloons to fly his house, he'd need a whole lot more. A typical party balloon—11 inches in diameter, with 26 inches of curling ribbon—can lift 4.8 grams, or about 0.17 ounces. Assuming these flimsier balloons could withstand the strain—and not counting the extra string that would be involved—it would take more than 9.4 million balloons to lift Carl's house.

Meanwhile, Up co-director Pete Docter recently told Ballooning magazine that technicians at Pixar estimated it would take 23.5 million party balloons to lift a 1,800-square-foot house like Carl's, though it's unclear exactly what size balloon they were using to make their calculations. (In the film, the animators used 20,622 balloons for the liftoff sequence, but most of the other floating scenes have just 10,297.)

These figures all assume that Carl's house is simply being lifted off the ground. In the movie, however, Carl's house rips free from its foundation, which would likely require a dramatic increase in the number of balloons needed. (Consider that in a storm situation, shifting a house clean off its foundation requires wind speeds of around 120 mph, which is what you'd find in a Category 3 hurricane.) Plus, if the cluster were big enough to have that much lifting force, the house wouldn't leisurely float away after being unmoored, as it does in the film—it would shoot off like a rocket. Another physicist has taken issue with the manner in which the balloons were deployed in the film, noting that Carl didn't seem to have factored in the need for an anchor to keep the house weighed down until he was ready to unleash his balloons.

Bonus Explainer: Is it legal to set off in a flying house? Not without the proper certification. Most cluster-balloon systems, which carry a solo flier in a harness or chair, are considered ultralight vehicles, like hang gliders or para-gliders. Under Federal Aircraft Regulations, the pilots of these vehicles must follow certain rules, such as flying only during daylight hours and staying out of particular airspaces. But Carl's house would clearly surpass the 155-pound cutoff for unpowered ultralight vehicles, which means he'd need to have his house certified as an airworthy experimental aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration. Inspectors would probably use guidelines designed for "manned free balloons" to determine whether Carl's house was safe for American skies.

Got a question about today's news? Ask the Explainer.

Explainer thanks Rhett Allain of Southeastern Louisiana University, John Ninomiya of Clusterballoon.org, and Jonathan Trappe of ClusterBalloon.com.

Bruce Campbell on NPR

2009-06-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

I somehow came across NPR and stopped to listen to a different news story. Suddenly, NPR started this interview and I was able to catch the whole thing. I'm glad I didn't change the channel. Bruce is the best!

Bruce Campbell, King Of The B Movie

Listen Now [17 min 19 sec] add to playlist | download

Andrew Walker

Bruce Campbell last March in New York. Getty Images

Talk of the Nation, June 4, 2009 · As Sam Axe on cable channel USA's Burn Notice, Bruce Campbell plays the disreputable sidekick to the hero. In conversation with Neal Conan, he said he's enjoying being on a show "that has ratings."

You may also remember Campbell as the star of numerous B movies — think Man With the Screaming Brain. He's now directed and produced his own B movie, My Name is Bruce. He built the Western town featured in the film on his own property out of dead timber, and calls it "a very Little Rascals affair."

Of the film, which didn't hit most movie major theaters, he says "it wasn't released, it escaped."

'Kung Fu' Star David Carradine Dies

2009-06-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

A very sad tale happened today. David Carradine died. I remember him from Kill Bill and the commercials for yellowpages.com

Palm's New Pre Takes On iPhone

2009-06-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

From the Wall Street Journal; by Walter S. Mossberg

In the new era of hand-held computers — super-smart touch-screen phones that run sleek, compelling software — Apple’s iPhone has been king. A new, improved iPhone is expected to be announced on June 8.

But on June 6, Apple will get a powerful competitor in this category. It’s a beautiful, innovative and versatile hand-held computer that’s fully in the iPhone’s class. It’s called the Pre, and it comes from Palm, the company that pioneered the hand-held computer in the 1990s.

I’ve been testing the Pre for a couple of weeks, and I like it a lot, despite some important drawbacks that will have to be remedied.

Pre sports an all-new operating system called webOS. Like the iPhone, Google’s new Android phone operating system, and the modern BlackBerry models from Research in Motion, the Pre is meant to do much more than make phone calls, send and receive messages, and browse the Web. It’s a platform, like a PC, that’s designed to run a wide variety of sophisticated third-party programs, or apps, from social-networking gateways to games to business tools. Palm plans to build a whole line of devices based on webOS.

The Pre is launching on the Sprint network in the U.S., though it will be offered by other carriers later. It includes Wi-Fi connectivity. Like the iPhone, it costs $200 — but there’s a catch. At most stores, you get that price only after a $100 mail-in rebate. And there’s another catch. Production of the Pre will be limited at first, so they’ll be hard to come by for a while.

I consider the Pre to be potentially the strongest rival to the iPhone to date, provided it attracts lots of third-party apps, which it sorely lacks at launch. Its design is much better than that of the two other main iPhone-class competitors: the T-Mobile G1, which uses Android, and RIM’s touch-screen BlackBerry Storm.

Whether the Pre is better than the iPhone depends on your personal preferences, though I’d note that the new iPhone to be unveiled next week will have lots of added features that could alter those calculations.

The Pre’s biggest advantage over the iPhone is that, in addition to sporting an elegant touch-screen interface that matches or exceeds Apple’s, the new Palm device has a real physical keyboard that slides out from its curved body. While I like the iPhone’s virtual on-screen keyboard, others hate it, and yearn for a device with both a great touch interface and a physical keyboard. The Pre delivers.

Many other iPhone wannabes have physical keyboards, including the G1. But none combine that keyboard with the stylish software of the Pre and its beautiful industrial design, which makes the new Palm feel great in the hand. The phone is relatively small — though pretty thick — and has a gently curved back.

The Pre also features an elegant new take on the multitouch user interface. It uses a card metaphor. Each program, or window, appears in virtual cards on the screen, and you can flip through them and zoom in to use one, or quickly dismiss one by flicking it up and off the screen. An individual email, or contact, can occupy its own card. And, unlike on the iPhone, the Pre can simultaneously run any programs you choose.

Also, some gestures — like a quick sideways swipe to go to the previous screen — are performed in a black area below the display, which also has a button that zooms in and out of card view.

The other big, new idea in this phone is called Synergy. It automatically can merge similar contacts from disparate sources, like Google and Facebook, and can display multiple calendars from different sources as well.

Palm stresses wireless capability. It automatically syncs over the air with Google’s calendar and contacts, and with Microsoft Exchange. This worked pretty well in my tests, though syncing some items wasn’t instant. It also can connect with numerous email services and performs BlackBerry-style push email.

Going further, the Pre features a wireless backup service that automatically stores a copy of your data — email, contacts and calendar — on remote servers, so you can recover your stuff if need be.

For syncing big files, like photos, videos and music, Palm has taken an audacious approach: It simply uses its rival’s software, Apple’s iTunes. The Pre team, headed by a former top engineer at Apple, figured how to make iTunes think a Pre is an iPhone or iPod, and the software acts accordingly. Of course, Apple can alter iTunes to block this, but in my tests, it worked perfectly.

The Pre’s biggest disadvantage is its app store, the App Catalog. At launch, it has only about a dozen apps, compared with over 40,000 for the iPhone, and thousands each for the G1 and the modern BlackBerry models. Even worse, the Pre App Catalog isn’t finished. It’s immature, it’s labeled a beta, and Palm has yet to release the tools for making Pre apps available to more than a small group of developers.

In fact, during my testing, one of my downloads from the App Catalog caused my Pre to crash disastrously — all my email, contacts and other data were wiped out, and the phone was unable to connect to the Sprint network or Wi-Fi. Palm conceded the catastrophe was due to problems it still has getting the App Catalog to work with the phone’s internal memory, and explained that this is one reason it hasn’t widely distributed the developer tools.

The good news is that the Pre’s impressive backup system allowed me to quickly and easily get back almost all my data and to restore the phone’s connectivity.

Sprint has loaded the Pre with some of its own apps, including its turn-by-turn navigation and mobile TV services. But whether the Pre will be a powerful platform for third-party apps remains an open question.

The Palm Pre is a short and thick, black plastic device that easily fits in a pants pocket or small purse when the keyboard isn’t exposed. The screen, while smaller than the iPhone’s, is still vibrant and very readable. The keyboard has a slightly sticky feel, but worked pretty well for me, and has dedicated keys for typing periods and the @ symbol used so often online.

There are only a handful of buttons, and my only real criticism of the industrial design is that these were rubbery and protruded too little from the body, making them hard to press unseen. The power button is clumsy to use when the keyboard is open.

The Pre’s 3 megapixel camera has a flash and took decent pictures, but it can’t record video. The device has 8 gigabytes of built-in memory, but no slot for adding more.

In my tests in San Diego and Washington, phone calls on the Pre were clear on both ends, and conference calls worked fine. Calls even worked over Bluetooth in my car, though my address book failed to transfer to the car’s dashboard display.

The Pre was about as fast as my iPhone when using Wi-Fi, but, at least in the cities where I did my testing, its data speeds on Sprint’s network handily topped AT&T’s data speeds on the iPhone.

The Pre has some other nice advantages over the iPhone, at least for now. It includes MMS — the ability to send photos directly to other phones — copy and paste, and a universal search function that looks up terms not only on the phone, but also online, even in Twitter. In certain screens, you can just start typing and the search begins. Oddly, though, it can’t search email, though it does search the built-in Google Maps program.

Unfortunately for Palm, Apple has both a new iPhone operating system and new iPhone hardware coming, likely available within a month, that could obviate many of these advantages.

Apple already has announced it’s adding MMS, universal search, and copy and paste. And, although Apple hasn’t announced any new hardware features, I expect to see an iPhone with up to 32 gigabytes of memory, video recording, a higher-resolution camera, a compass, and greater operating speed. Plus, there are persistent rumors that Apple will announce at least one iPhone at a drastically lower price than $199.

However, Apple isn’t likely to match two of the Pre’s big advantages: multitasking and a physical keyboard.

The Pre has two more nice features. One is its monthly calling plan from Sprint. While its minimum cost, with voice and data, is the same $70 as AT&T’s plan for the iPhone, Sprint includes unlimited text messaging, while AT&T charges extra for texting.

The other is Palm will offer a $70 Pre accessory, Touchstone, that charges the phone when you simply lay the Pre on top of it, and automatically puts the Pre into speakerphone mode when a call comes in during charging.

But the Pre has a few other important downsides. Battery life between charges is relatively weak. While it’s in line with competitors with a claimed five hours of talk time, and matches the iPhone’s claimed five hours of Web surfing time, it offers only half the iPhone’s 24 hours of continuous music playback and claims just five hours of video playback, versus seven for the iPhone.

In my testing, the Pre mostly made it through the day without running out of juice. But on at least one day, it died in midafternoon, even though I was using Wi-Fi most of that day and not the power-hungry cellphone network. Unlike the iPhone, the Pre does include a removable battery. Extras cost about $50.

Another downside: the Pre’s autocorrect system, for instantly fixing mistyped words, is puny. Even with a physical keyboard, people make typos, and Palm only fixes about 2,500 common words, like “the.” By contrast, both the BlackBerry and iPhone have tens of thousands of autocorrections built in, including fixes for long, complex words.

There are several smaller problems, too. There’s no easy way to get to the top of a long list or to quickly delete a large group of emails, no keyboard shortcuts, no voice control and no Facebook app. Palm says it plans to add most of these, and notes that the Pre was designed to be updated over the air, without requiring users to plug it into a PC.

All in all, I believe the Pre is a smart, sophisticated product that will have particular appeal for those who want a physical keyboard. It is thoughtfully designed, works well and could give the iPhone and BlackBerry strong competition — but only if it fixes its app store and can attract third-party developers.

Find all of Walt Mossberg’s columns and videos online, free, at the All Things Digital Web site, walt.allthingsd.com. Email him at mossberg@wsj.com.

Barista Coffee Art

2009-05-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

Tulsa Baristas Show Off At Latte Art Competition

Posted: May 08, 2009 9:13 PM CDT Updated: May 09, 2009 7:50 AM CDT

FEATURED VIDEO

Tulsa Baristas Show Off At Latte Art Competition

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The most serious artists take a frothy drink and spin it into a masterpiece.

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In seconds, an intricate design can bubble up as tantalizing to the eye as to the tastebuds.

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The baristas faced off, comparing rosettas, the signature latte art creation.

By Ashli Sims, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Artists usually don't challenge each other to throwdowns, but that's what some local artists did.

But their medium isn't oil on canvas. Some shops in Tulsa take their steam, milk and coffee pretty seriously.

The most serious take a frothy drink and spin it into a masterpiece.

"It's a sign that you are good at making coffee 'cause it's hard to make latte art," said Brian Franklin, owner of Double Shot Coffee Company. "If you get it too thick, it won't work. If you get it too thin, it won't work. So you know if you got latte art, it was the right consistency of milk."

In seconds, an intricate design can bubble up as tantalizing to the eye as to the tastebuds.

Franklin wanted to bring the latte art competitions he's seen in other cities to Tulsa.

"We're trying to create a community with the baristas here in town," Franklin said. "Other places we go there's a tight-knit barista community, and it builds the coffee industry in those towns. And we're trying to make that happen in Tulsa and get better coffee here."

So the baristas came from all over town, lining up to lay their latte skills on the line.

Double Shot even rigged a camera and a few monitors, so folks could watch in the shop and online, through U-Stream.

The baristas faced off head to head, or cup to cup, comparing rosettas, the signature latte art creation.

Judging is a bit informal, but with cash on the line and the contestants hopped up on caffeine, the competition can get fierce.

In the end, organizers hope self-expression through espresso will draw Tulsa's coffee community together and boost business, a cup at a time.

Breakthrough of Hope

2009-05-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

Breakthroughs Offer Hope to MS Patients

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By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter

SUNDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- There's no one single way to suffer from multiple sclerosis.

Every patient exhibits different symptoms as the disease gnaws away at the nerve endings in the brain, the spinal cord and even the eyes.

Doctors aren't even sure what causes MS, or what makes one person more likely to get it than another.

"I have a patient who is 6 years old," said Dr. Daniel Kantor, director of the Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of Florida. "I have a patient who is 71 years old. I have patients from all walks of life, all ages."

But, the recent discovery of a second gene linked to multiple sclerosis -- hailed as a major breakthrough -- is giving researchers hope that they are zeroing in on useful treatments -- and, ultimately, a cure.

In what is considered the most significant genetic breakthrough in MS research in three decades, scientists last year announced they had found a gene that increases the risk of developing the disease by 30 percent.

"This discovery is very significant, because it is hopefully the first of many, and after more than 30 years of finding nothing," said Dr. Jennie Q. Lou, professor of public health and internal medicine at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"We will expect to find many more of these genes over the next few years. Either these genes, or genes related to them, may be an excellent target that researchers can use to develop treatments and cures for MS," she added.

The symptoms of multiple sclerosis are many and varied, as the disease attacks different parts of the nervous system.

One MS patient may have trouble walking, while another is wheelchair-bound. One person may experience terrible fatigue, while another might struggle with blurred or double vision. Still another might have slurred speech, tremors, stiffness and bladder problems, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

"A lot of the symptoms are invisible symptoms to an outsider," Kantor said. "Pain, extreme fatigue, memory problems -- these are problems you just can't see."

Multiple sclerosis is considered an autoimmune disease, because it attacks the central nervous system.

The nerve fibers of the central nervous system are surrounded and protected by a fatty tissue called myelin, which helps the fibers conduct electrical impulses. With MS, myelin is lost in multiple areas, leaving scar tissue called sclerosis. Sometimes, the fiber itself is harmed.

When myelin or the nerve fiber is destroyed or damaged, the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain is disrupted, producing the various symptoms of MS.

Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, and twice as many women as men have the disease. About 400,000 Americans are known to have MS, and every week about 200 new cases are diagnosed. Worldwide, the MS toll may run as high as 2.5 million people, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The exact cause of MS is unknown, but doctors suspect it comes from some combination of genetic and environmental factors, Kantor said.

"There's a genetic predisposition and then something happens, they are exposed to something, and it makes the body's defense system attack itself versus attacking a foreign invader," he said.

That's why the discovery of the second gene is so important. Researchers now know they have to cast a wider net.

"We've been looking at one gene the whole time, and we thought that was going to be the answer to understanding MS," Kantor said. "This is just telling us there's another part of the immune system that is important as well. It's made things more complicated, but if it's true, it's true."

The gene discovery is one of a number of advances that are occurring at a rapid pace.

Lou noted that new research has successfully used stem cells to help replace myelin in the brains of mice. "This discovery has shed light on the great potential of using stem cells in MS treatment," she said.

And last year, researchers proved that an experimental DNA vaccine to fight multiple sclerosis is safe and stands a good chance of being effective. The vaccine works by thwarting the immune system's attack on the myelin sheaths protecting nerve fibers.

Other advances noted by Lou include:

Better and earlier diagnosis owing to advances in imaging technology.
Improved drugs to reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms, and the accumulation of lesions in the brain and spinal cord.
More aggressive rehabilitation programs developed specifically for MS patients.

"Every time we get our Journal of Neurology, more than half of it is about MS and how we can treat MS," Kantor said. "The MS of today is not the MS of even 15 years ago. We are learning more about it at a rapid rate."

More information

To learn more, visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

SOURCES: Daniel Kantor, M.D., assistant professor, neurology, and director, Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Center, University of Florida, Jacksonville; Jennie Q. Lou, M.D., MSc, professor, public health and internal medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; National Multiple Sclerosis Society

The Growing Push for "Mad-Pride"

2009-05-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

Listening to Madness

Why some mentally ill patients are rejecting their medication and making the case for 'mad pride.'

on newsweek by Alissa Quart

We don't want to be normal," Will Hall tells me. The 43-year-old has been diagnosed as schizophrenic, and doctors have prescribed antipsychotic medication for him. But Hall would rather value his mentally extreme states than try to suppress them, so he doesn't take his meds. Instead, he practices yoga and avoids coffee and sugar. He is delicate and thin, with dark plum polish on his fingernails and black fashion sneakers on his feet, his half Native American ancestry evident in his dark hair and dark eyes. Cultivated and charismatic, he is also unusually energetic, so much so that he seems to be vibrating even when sitting still.

I met Hall one night at the offices of the Icarus Project in Manhattan. He became a leader of the group—a "mad pride" collective—in 2005 as a way to promote the idea that mental-health diagnoses like bipolar disorder are "dangerous gifts" rather than illnesses. While we talked, members of the group—Icaristas, as they call themselves—scurried around in the purple-painted office, collating mad-pride fliers. Hall explained how the medical establishment has for too long relied heavily on medication and repression of behavior of those deemed "not normal." Icarus and groups like it are challenging the science that psychiatry says is on its side. Hall believes that psychiatrists are prone to making arbitrary distinctions between "crazy" and "healthy," and to using medication as tranquilizers.

"For most people, it used to be, 'Mental illness is a disease—here is a pill you take for it'," says Hall. "Now that's breaking down." Indeed, Hall came of age in the era of the book "Listening to Prozac." He initially took Prozac after it was prescribed to him for depression in 1990. But he was not simply depressed, and he soon had a manic reaction to Prozac, a not uncommon side effect. In his frenetic state, Hall went on to lose a job at an environmental organization. He soon descended into poverty and started to hear furious voices in his head; he walked the streets of San Francisco night after night, but the voices never quieted. Eventually, he went to a mental-health clinic and was swiftly locked up. Soon after, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was put in restraints and hospitalized against his will, he says. For the next year, he bounced in and out of a public psychiatric hospital that he likens to a prison. The humiliation and what he experienced as the failure of the medication were what turned him against traditional treatment. Since then, Hall has been asking whether his treatment was really necessary. He felt sloshily medicated, as if he couldn't really live his life.

Hall and Icarus are not alone in asking these questions. They are part of a new generation of activists trying to change the treatment and stigma attached to mental illness. Welcome to Mad Pride, a budding grassroots movement, where people who have been defined as mentally ill reframe their conditions and celebrate unusual (some call them "spectacular") ways of processing information and emotion.

Just as some deaf activists prefer to embrace their inability to hear rather than "cure" it with cochlear implants, members of Icarus reject the notion that the things that are called mental illness are simply something to be rid of. Icarus members cast themselves as a dam in the cascade of new diagnoses like bipolar and ADHD. The group, which now has a membership of 8,000 people across the U.S., argues that mental-health conditions can be made into "something beautiful." They mean that one can transform what are often considered simply horrible diseases into an ecstatic, creative, productive or broadly "spiritual" condition. As Hall puts it, he hopes Icarus will "push the emergence of mental diversity."

Embracing "mental diversity" is one thing, but questioning the need for medication in today's pill-popping world is controversial—and there have been instances in which those who experience mental extremes harm themselves or others. Icaristas argue that some of the severely mentally ill may avoid taking medication, because for some the drugs don't seem to help, yet produce difficult side effects. And while some side effects like cognitive impairment are surely debilitating, others are more subtle, such as the vague feeling that people are not themselves. Icaristas call themselves "pro-choice" about meds—some do take their drugs, but others refuse.

Mad pride has its roots in the mad-liberation movement of the 1960s and '70s, when maverick psychiatrists started questioning the boundaries between sane and insane, and patients began to resist psychiatric care that they considered coercive. But today the emphasis is on support groups, alternative health and reconsidering diagnostic labeling that can still doom patients to a lifetime of battling stigma. Icarus also frames its mission as a somewhat literary one—helping "to navigate the space between brilliance and madness." Even the name Icarus, with its origin in the Greek myth of a boy who flew to great heights (brilliance) but then came too close to the sun (madness) and hurtled to his death, has a literary cast.

Although Icarus and Hall focus on those diagnosed as mentally ill, their work has much broader implications. Talking to Hall, I was acutely aware just how much their stance reflects on the rest of us—the "normal" minds that can't read through a book undistracted, the lightly depressed people, the everyday drunks who tend toward volatility, the people who "just" have trouble making eye contact, those ordinary Americans who memorize every possible detail about Angelina Jolie.

After all, aren't we all more odd than we are normal? And aren't so many of us one bad experience away from a mental-health diagnosis that could potentially limit us? Aren't "normal" minds now struggling with questions of competence, consistency or sincerity? Icarus is likewise asking why we are so keen to correct every little deficit—it argues that we instead need to embrace the range of human existence.

While some critics might view Icaristas as irresponsible, their skepticism about drugs isn't entirely unfounded. Lately, a number of antipsychotic drugs have been found to cause some troubling side effects.

There are, of course, questions as to whether mad pride and Icarus have gone too far. While to his knowledge no members have gravely harmed themselves (or others), Hall acknowledges that not everyone can handle the Icarus approach. "People can go too fast and get too excited about not using medication, and we warn people against throwing their meds away, being too ambitious and doing it alone," he says.

But is this stance the answer? Jonathan Stanley, a director of the Treatment Advocacy Center, a nonprofit working to provide treatment for the mentally ill, is somewhat critical. Stanley, who suffers from bipolar illness with psychotic features, argues that medication is indispensable for people with bipolar disease or with schizophrenia. Stanley's group also supports mandatory hospitalization for some people suffering severe mental illness—a practice that Icarus calls "forced treatment."

Scholars like Peter Kramer, author of "Listening to Prozac" and "Against Depression," also take a darker view of mental extremes. "Psychotic depression is a disease," Kramer says. As the intellectual who helped to popularize the widespread use of antidepressants, Kramer is nonetheless enthusiastic about Icarus as a community for mad pride. Yet he still argues that mental-health diagnoses are very significant. "In an ideal world, you'd want good peer support like Icarus—for people to speak up for what's right for them and have access to resources—and also medication and deep-brain stimulation," he says.

For his part, Hall remains articulate, impassioned and unmedicated. He lives independently, in an apartment with a roommate in Oregon, where he is getting a master's in psychology at a psychoanalytic institute. He maintains a large number of friendships, although his relationships, he says, are rather tumultuous.

Nevertheless, it's not so easy. Hall periodically descends into dreadful mental states. He considers harming himself or develops paranoid fantasies about his colleagues and neighbors. Occasionally, he thinks that plants are communicating with him. (Though in his mother's Native American culture, he points out, this would be valued as an ability to communicate with the spirit world.)

On another night, I had dinner with eight Icarus members at a Thai restaurant in midtown Manhattan. Over Singha beer, they joked about an imaginary psychoactive medication called Sustain, meant to cure "activist burnout." It was hard to imagine at the dinner what Hall had suffered. While he and his "mad" allies were still clearly outsiders, they had taken their suffering and created from it an all-too-rare thing: a community.

Andy Hallett Dies

2009-04-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

Angel actor Hallett dead at 33

Posted Thu Apr 2, 2009 12:00pm AEDT

Andy Hallett starred as demon Lorne on Angel. (www.imdb.com)

Andy Hallett, a singer who gained fame playing a green-skinned demon on cult US TV series Angel, has died of congestive heart disease aged 33.

Hallett was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles after having problems breathing and died there on Sunday, his agent Pat Brady said.

Mr Brady said Hallett's death followed a five-year battle with a heart condition.

The star proved himself a fan favourite on Angel as Lorne, a green-skinned, red-horned good guy demon who ran a karaoke club and could read a person's aura when they sang.

He appeared in more than 70 episodes of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off between 2000 and 2004.

America's Worst Lunches

2009-03-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

America's Worst Lunches—And What You Should Eat Instead

Hits and misses in the drive-through lane.

By Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, Men's Health

If you're like two-thirds of working Americans, you pick up lunch from a fast-food joint or restaurant at least once a week. Sure, it's not as healthy as packing your own celery sticks, but eating out every once in a while can't hurt, right?

Not so fast: There might be trouble in the drive-through lane.

Not only could the window worker pile an entire day's worth of calories through your car window, but you might also be sapping your energy and productivity: Carb overloads lead to energy spikes and crashes, and studies have shown that the bigger your waistline, the lower your cognitive functioning and the more sick days you take. Kind of ironic, considering "convenience" is the most common reason people give for buying lunch during the workday. In this economy, it's hardly convenient to snore through the 2 o'clock meeting, or miss a few crucial days when the boss is looking for you.

A healthy lunch can help you maximize your afternoon performance, but if you're in a hurry to grab and go, you might not take the time to sort through the menu hits and misses. Let the Eat This, Not That! folks be your efficiency experts: DON'T order the following items. Opt instead for less outrageous alternatives (also below), and reap the benefits at bonus time.

QUIZNO'S

Large Prime Rib Cheesesteak Sub

1,490 calories
92 g fat (22.5 g saturated, 2 g trans)
2,620 mg sodium

Fat equivalent: Like eating 4 Dunkin Donuts cheese danishes!

It's hard enough to make the argument for one cheese Danish, but four? And we're just talking fat, here—with more than 800 calories of the stuff in just one sandwich. You're also be filling up with more than a day's worth of sodium and saturated fat. While this is one of the worst items you could choose, the rest of the Quizno's menu has hazards, as well. But if your co-workers insist on eating there, order this:

Small Turkey Ranch and Swiss Sub

410 calories
17 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
1,230 mg sodium

CHILI’S

Crispy Sweet Chile Glazed Chicken Crispers
1,930 calories
112 g fat (17 g saturated)
4,190 mg sodium

Calorie equivalent: Like eating an entire medium Pizza Hut 12" pepperoni pizza!

If you have the time for a sit-down meal, you have the time to think this through. Chicken Crispers are fun, but account for almost a whole day’s worth of calories and almost two days' worth of sodium. Your smarter choice is to eat this instead:

Classic Chicken Fajitas

370 calories
11 g fat (1.5 saturated)
2,000 mg sodium

And another hint for a healthy sit-down lunch: forgo the appetizers. Chili’s Texas Cheese Fries with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing made the top of our list when we rounded up the worst appetizers money can buy. Check out the other appetizer land-mines here. You'll be shocked.

ARBY'S

Roast Turkey Ranch and Bacon Sandwich

817 calories
37 g fat (11 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
2,146 mg sodium

Calorie equivalent: Like eating 23 Thin Mints (one whole sleeve)!

Just because you could prepare it at home doesn’t mean it’s good for you when you order it away from home—the Roast Turkey Ranch and Bacon Sandwich packs nearly half of your daily allowance of calories and almost an entire day’s dose of sodium. Doesn’t leave much room for anything else, does it?

Eat this instead:

Sourdough Roast Beef Melt

351 calories
14 g fat (4 g saturated)
1,048 mg of sodium

DAIRY QUEEN

Chicken Strip Basket with Country Gravy (6 piece)

1,640 calories
74 g fat (12 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,690 mg sodium

Sodium equivalent: Like eating 11 large orders of McDonald's French fries!

Talk about a value meal: One Chicken Strip Basket gives you almost two days' payload of sodium! If thinking about it doesn't elevate your blood pressure, eating it might. Don't become a statistic.

Eat this instead:

Crispy Chicken Sandwich

560 calories
28 g fat (3.5 g saturated)
980 mg sodium

PANERA

Italian Combo on Ciabatta sandwich
1,050 calories
47 g fat (18 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,050 mg of sodium

Fat equivalent: Like eating 6 slices of Papa John’s cheese pizza!

You were on the right track in choosing Panera, but don’t be sidelined by the allure of the Italian Combo. Ciabatta bread may sound sophisticated, but you won’t look so refined when you’re lugging that spare Pirelli around your midsection.

Eat this instead:

Smoked Turkey Breast on Sourdough sandwich

470 calories
17 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
1,680 mg sodium

CHIPOTLE

13” Tortilla with steak, black beans, rice, cheese, sour cream and lettuce
955 calories
38 g fat (18 g saturated)
1,600 mg sodium

Calorie equivalent: Like eating 37 Hershey’s Kisses!

The good news about this tortilla is that it contains 56 grams of protein, but that’s hardly worth the outrageous calorie and carbohydrate load—with 94 grams of carbs, you’ve already covered a third of your recommended daily intake, plus you’re taking in nearly a day’s worth of sodium and saturated fat. Downsize to drop pounds.

Eat this instead:

Three hard tacos with steak, pinto beans, sour cream and lettuce

615 calories
24 g fat (11 g saturated)
710 mg sodium

(Another hint: When it comes to Chipotle chips, just say "no." They add an outrageous 570 calories and 73 extra grams of carbs.)

HARDEE'S

2/3-lb Monster Thickburger

1,420 calories
108 g fat (43 g saturated)
2,770 mg sodium

Saturated fat equivalent: Like eating 43 strips of Oscar Mayer bacon!

It’s called Monster for a reason. It’s a monster load of saturated fat (more than two days’ worth). The good news is that it has a friendlier, healthier cousin in the 1/3-lb Low-Carb Thickburger, with 1,000 fewer calories and a third the amount of fat. Even better, the Low-Carb Thickburger is true to its name—it only has 5 grams of quick-burning carbohydrates, compared to 46 grams in the Monster.

Eat this instead:

1/3-lb Low-Carb Thickburger

420 calories
32 g fat (12 g saturated)
1,010 mg sodium

BURGER KING

Triple Whopper Sandwich with cheese and mayo

1,250 calories
84 g fat (32 g saturated, 2.5 g trans)
1,600 mg sodium

Fat equivalent: Like eating 10 slices of Papa John's cheese pizza!

You should know by now not to order a triple anything. In this case you're getting egregious calorie, fat, and sodium overloads. It’s not bad, though, compared to the shockers on our list of the trans-fattiest foods in America. Choose a regular cheeseburger instead and slash 920 calories, 68 g of fat, and save yourself from the judgmental stares of your co-workers, who are three times as likely to be grossed out!

Eat this instead:

Cheeseburger

330 calories
16 g fat (7 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
780 mg sodium

And once you’ve navigated lunch’s landmines, don't blow your day with a bad dinner. Check out these 15 fast and easy ways to get more from your microwave dinner.

Provided by Men's Health

A Barbie World

2009-03-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

No wonder Barbie looks so great at 50—the ultimate blonde bombshell has 25 hair and makeup pros on call.

By Lindsy Van Gelder

Like Linda Blair, Marie Osmond, Mackenzie Phillips, and Irene Cara, Barbie turns 50 this year.

We don't know how the rest of them are coping with the Big Five-O, but at the halfcentury mark, Barbie is still one of the most powerful beauty icons in the world. That's no small feat considering that Barbie has had more than 50,000 makeovers since she was born in 1959. The original Barbie set the mold for all the looks to come, with her exaggerated black eyeliner and sexy red lips. (Her famous blonde hair, it turns out, was dictated by all the kids and mothers who didn't buy the brunette model.) She's since had a Jackie Kennedy bouffant (Bubble Cut Barbie, 1962), taken her glamour cues from Farrah Fawcett (Superstar Barbie, 1977), and gone goth (the new Hard Rock Barbie). Even when she's straddling a Harley or tricked out as an astronaut, "Barbie always has what the high heel has -- a kind of hyperfemininity," says Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

Finding and executing Barbie-worthy beauty trends is an actual job -- many, many jobs, in fact. Mattel employs some 25 "hair-and-face designers" (including two licensed cosmetologists), plus teams of marketing mavens and other idea people who visit the Paris runways, trek to the streets of Tokyo and Hong Kong to check out what teenagers are wearing, and stay au courant with everything from "magazines like Allure to fashion-industry trade shows like Première Vision," says Evelyn Viohl, senior vice president of product design. Celebrities are examined ("We're especially inspired by ones who constantly change their look, like Gwen Stefani"), and hairstyles are auditioned for the designers' friends and kids. "We talk about her as if she were a real person," says Viohl. "We find ourselves getting into deep conversations about stuff like what colors she would never wear in a million years." Fifteen artists wield teeny, tiny sable brushes for up to three hours to put makeup on each new Barbie prototype -- foundation (regular Barbies wear one of seven tones, with "L.A. Tan" being the most popular), blush, lip gloss or lipstick, eyeliner, eyebrow pencil, and shadow. As with most life-size women, Barbie's preferred eye-shadow color is brown, with more than 300 shades of chocolate, taupe, espresso, and café au lait in her makeup arsenal.

For all her trendiness, Barbie is still a toy for little girls -- which is why you'll never see a Heroin Chic Barbie or a Pole Dancin' Barbie, however much those influences may have permeated fashion in the real world. That's also why Barbie sometimes adopts styles that better reflect the sensibilities of the fourth grade than those of Fifth Avenue -- especially where hair is concerned. Little girls definitely like it long: The bestseller of all time, Totally Hair Barbie in 1992, had 10 1/2 inches of hair down her 11 1/2-inch frame. And though there are now redheads and dark-haired dolls of all ethnicities, blondes still rule in sales. (There have even been blonde African-American Barbies, à la Beyoncé.) The original single-process shade has been updated with seven gradations of blonde tones that are now woven together to create an array of highlights and lowlights. Each hairstyle takes hours to construct and involves a top-secret gel and 10 to 20 minutes inside a low-temperature dryer. And this year, Barbie's even getting her own special detangler (which, alas, doesn't work on humans). "Her hair gets knotted when kids play with her," Viohl says. "After 50 years of making dolls, we finally cracked that nut."

So how has Barbie prepared for her big birthday year? Well, she's inked a deal to launch a makeup and skin-care line for fans young and old, teamed up with 50 big-name designers for a fashion show -- and, judging by the height of her new eyebrows, we're guessing she's also gotten Botox.

2009-03-07T18:19:00.000-08:00

Hello, 911? McDonald’s is Out of McNuggets!

McDonald's 911 CallA Florida woman called 911 three times to report that a Fort Pierce McDonald’s had run out of McNuggets. Investigators have now released the audio recordings of all three calls.
McDonald’s 911 Call: No McNuggets!

The woman, a 27-year-old named Latreasa Goodman, told police the McDonald’s didn’t have any chicken nuggets and wouldn’t give her her money back.

“The manager just took my money and won’t give me my money back, trying to make me get something off the menu that I don’t want,” she said on the phone. “”I ordered chicken nuggets. They don’t have chicken nuggets, and so I told her, ‘Just give me my money back,’ and she tells me I have to pick something else off the menu.”

When police suggested to Goodman that her issue might not be an emergency, she responded:

“This is an emergency. If I would have known they didn’t have McNuggets, I wouldn’t have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don’t want one. This is an emergency.”

The McDonald’s, by the way, issued an apology and said it would make sure Goodman got her money back. She may need it, too: Police arrested Goodman on charges of misusing of the 911 system — and odds are, that kind of criume results in a fine slightly higher than $1.99.
McDonald’s 911 Call Audio

911 Nugget update

2009-03-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

Woman Says She's 'Embarrassed' By McNugget Meltdown

Fort Pierce Woman Calls 911 3 Times After McDonald's Runs Out Of Nuggets

WPBF-TV

updated 3:51 p.m. CT, Thurs., March. 5, 2009

FORT PIERCE, Fla. - She's been called "McNut" by TMZ.com and "loco 4 pollo" by PerezHilton.com.

Now, after becoming an Internet sensation for calling 911 three times to report an emergency after McDonald's had run out of McNuggets, a Fort Pierce woman said Wednesday she is embarrassed by all the media attention.

"I'm embarrassed to show my face in public," Latreasa Goodman told WPBF News 25's Alexis Rivera one day after her McNugget meltdown was first reported.

Goodman, 27, was issued a written notice to appear in court for misusing the 911 emergency communications system.

According to the police report, Goodman called 911 three times Saturday to report that a McDonald's employee wasn't giving her a refund for the chicken nuggets she wanted.

"The manager just took my money and won't give me my money back, trying to make me get something off the menu that I don't want," Goodman said in one of the 911 calls. "I ordered chicken nuggets. They don't have chicken nuggets, and so I told her, 'Just give me my money back,' and she tells me I have to pick something else off the menu. She is not going to give me my money back, and she don't have the right to take my money."

Goodman told WPBF News 25 that she didn't "have a right to jump across the counter and snatch" the money, so she chose to handle it another way.

"Inside Edition" was there when WPBF News 25 spoke to Goodman on Wednesday. She said all the media exposure has resulted in several profanity-laced, hateful messages on her personal cell phone.

"I think it's wrong, because like I said, it's not about no chicken nugget meal," Goodman said. "If everybody listen(s) to the news, they'll understand my statement that McDonald's took my money. They didn't have any chicken nuggets, and so I asked for my (money) back."

The 10-piece chicken McNuggets meal is valued at $3.49.

"When you feel that you've been mistreated or misused or robbed out of your money, you have the right to call 911," Goodman said. "That's the purpose of 911, so I thought."

But Tiffany Bennett, an emergency coordinator for St. Lucie County, said the incident does not constitute an emergency.

"It's not an emergency unless there was some kind of disturbance or somebody threatening someone, and I don't believe that was the case in this matter," Bennett said.

Carlos Solorzano, operations manager for all McDonald's restaurants in Florida, issued a statement Tuesday apologizing for the incident.

"Satisfying each and every customer that visits our restaurants is very important to us," Solorzano said. "Regarding this isolated incident, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. In the event that we are unable to fill an order, a customer should be offered the choice of a full refund or alternative menu items. We regret that in this instance, that wasn't the case.

"We want to correct our mistake. We will be sending the customer her refund, along with an invitation to return for her original order, on us. We never want to disappoint a McNuggets fan or any McDonald's customer. Customer satisfaction is our top priority."

Goodman said she'll continue to go to McDonald's, but she also said she'd order with a little more caution next time.

"I'm not going and just giving up my money like that, no, but I'm going to ask them would they please check and see if they have what I want on the menu, and if they tell me yes, then I will order," she said.

Hogwarts Castle

2009-03-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

Indian Potter fans cheer Hogwarts Castle ruling

Posted Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:06am AEST
Updated Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:29am AEST

The life-size replica of Hogwarts Castle. (AFP: Deshakalyan Chowdhury)

Indian fans of the Harry Potter book series have welcomed a court verdict that gave the go-ahead to organisers of a religious event to build a life-size replica of the fictional Hogwarts Castle.

The Delhi High Court threw out a claim by author JK Rowling that the giant structure constructed in the city of Kolkata infringed copyright.

Organisers now have permission to keep the papier mache and bamboo castle in place until Durga Puja, the biggest Hindu religious event in eastern India, on October 26.

"The court has done the right thing. We have read about Hogwarts in books and seen it in films and now we will finally get a chance to see it," said 19-year-old Sayona Mandal, who founded a Harry Potter fan club in Kolkata.

Organisers say they hope to get a record turnout from the publicity Rowling's suit had generated.

"We think there will be a big turnout as the media has already publicised our work," said organising secretary Santunu Biswas.

Scores of school children visited the park over the weekend where the elaborate structure is located.

The marquee replicates the castle contours and includes an imitation marble staircase and flagged stone floor in the entrance hall, lit with flaming torches.

Rowling's fictitious world depicts the castle as an ancient school of witchcraft where her hero Harry Potter learns wizardry.

Obama Stem Cell Shift Will Speed Hunt for Cures, Scientists Say

2009-03-06T00:17:00.000-08:00

By Rob Waters

March 7 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama’s expected reversal of an 8-year-old restriction on U.S. funding for embryonic stem cell research has excited scientists and health advocates who say the action will accelerate the search for cures to major illness.

Obama plans to lift the funding ban, imposed by former President George W. Bush, in a March 9 signing ceremony, said two government officials, who spoke yesterday on condition of anonymity. Bush objected to the use of the tissue because the process caused the destruction of human embryos.

The change will free federally backed scientists to work with hundreds of newer cell colonies that have been off-limits under Bush’s order, including some that carry genetic mutations causing diseases such as juvenile diabetes and Huntington’s. If scientists can study these cells using U.S. government funding, it will speed research into those conditions, said Larry Soler, executive vice president of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The expected shift will “update the current policy, which has been frozen in place since 2001 and allow broad use of new technologies discovered over the last eight years,” Soler said yesterday in a telephone interview. “For 30 million Americans with some form of diabetes, stem cell research offers a possibility to develop new treatments.”

Repairing Damaged Organs

Stem cells derived from days-old human embryos have the potential to form any of the body’s 200 or so cell types and to repair or replace damaged tissue or organs. Those that contain mutations may reveal how illness develops and identify targets for prevention or treatment.

Opponents of the research consider embryos to be human life and research that destroys them to be immoral. They say stem cells from adult tissue and umbilical cord blood are available without harming embryos and already in clinical use, while treatments from embryonic cells are years off.

Bush allowed government support only for cell colonies made from embryos before August 9, 2001. Just 21 such colonies are available today to researchers, while hundreds of newer lines can be used only by researchers funded from private sources.

House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio said research advances allowing adult skin cells to be turned into so-called pluripotent stem cells with powers similar to those from embryos makes federal support for embryonic cells unnecessary.

‘Precious Human Life’

“Republicans enthusiastically support adult, cord blood, and pluripotent stem cell research that have shown so much promise in recent years,” he said in an e-mailed statement. “The question is whether taxpayer dollars should be used to subsidize the destruction of precious human life. Millions of Americans strongly oppose that, and rightfully so.”

Obama’s policy will encourage investment into stem cell companies, said Michael West, the founder and former chief executive of Geron Corp., the first company to use human embryonic stem cells after they were discovered in 1996.

“As the entrepreneur who was out there trying to move the industry forward, the Bush policy massively impacted the willingness of investors to put up money,” West said in a telephone interview yesterday. “Many of us hope this will spawn the new era of regenerative medicine we’ve been waiting for all these years. What a sigh of relief.”

West’s current company, Biotime Inc., based in Berkeley, California, is selling 88 cell lines carrying genetic diseases, including muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease and multiple sclerosis. The cells were created by a Chicago fertility center from embryos left over from in-vitro fertilization treatments.

Campaign Pledge

As a presidential candidate, Obama had pledged to overturn the Bush policy and many observers had expected him to act sooner.

“Indeed, that Obama has waited seven weeks into his presidency to sign this executive order is the only surprising aspect, said Rogan Kersh, associate dean of New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, in an e-mail yesterday. “Amid so much policy turmoil, reversing the Bush ban won’t be as big a story as it normally might, but will arouse opposition from religious groups and other social conservatives opposed to this research on embryos.”

Reports that Obama would reverse the ban began circulating after the close of regular trading yesterday, with the first headlines coming from the Washington Post and ABC News.

The news sent shares of the stem cell companies higher. Geron, based in Menlo Park, California, gained $1.51, or 39 percent, to $5.38 and StemCells Inc. of Palo Alto, California, rose 91 cents, or 66 percent, to $1.38 in extended trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The timing of Obama’s announcement couldn’t be better, said Arnold Kriegstein, director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. It comes just days after the National Institutes of Health began requesting proposals for research projects using some of the $10 billion it was awarded from the from the economic stimulus package passed by Congress, Kriegstein said.

2009-01-20T10:08:00.001-08:00

Here is a transcription of President Obama's inauguration speech:

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Obama's Speech Writer

2009-01-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

Obama inauguration: Words of history ... crafted by 27-year-old in Starbucks

• Chief speechwriter known as president's mind reader
• Young aide studied past inaugural orations

Ed Pilkington in New York
The Guardian, Tuesday 20 January 2009
Article history

Jon Favreau, head speech writer for US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

When Barack Obama steps up to the podium to deliver his inaugural address, one man standing anonymously in the crowd will be paying especially close attention. With his cropped hair, five o'clock shadow and boyish face, he might look out of place among the dignitaries, though as co-author of the speech this man has more claim than most to be a witness to this moment of history.

Jon Favreau, 27, is, as Obama himself puts it, the president's mind reader. He is the youngest chief speechwriter on record in the White House, and, despite such youth, was at the centre of discussions of the content of today's speech, one which has so much riding on it.

For a politician whose rise to prominence was largely built upon his powers as an orator, Obama is well versed in the arts of speech-making. But today's effort will tower over all previous ones.

It is not just that Obama has set an extremely high bar by invoking the inaugural speeches of Abraham Lincoln as his inspiration - admitting to feeling "intimidated" when he read them. It is also that, as he begins his term with the US in an economic crisis and two wars, he knows he needs to kick start his presidency with a soaring rhetoric that both moves and motivates the American people.

The tone of the speech could be decisive in determining how the public responds to his first 100 days, as Franklin Roosevelt's famous line "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" helped to determine his.

Obama aides have let it be known that a key theme will be restoring responsibility - both in terms of accountability in Washington and the responsibility of ordinary people to get involved. Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, talks of a "culture of responsibility" that would "not just be asked of the American people; its leaders must also lead by example."

In composing the high notes of the speech, Obama has leant on Favreau, whom he discovered almost by chance four years ago when the younger man was working on John Kerry's failed presidential bid. "Favs" has since studied Obama's speech patterns and cadences with the intensity of a stalker. He memorised the 2004 speech to the Democratic national convention which first brought Obama into the limelight. He is said to carry Obama's autobiography, Dreams From My Father, wherever he goes. As a result, last November when Favreau sat down to write the first draft of the inaugural address, he could conjure up his master's voice as if an accomplished impersonator.

That skill had been put to almost daily use in the 18 months of brutal campaigning on the presidential trail. Favreau would be up most nights until 3am, honing the next day's stump speeches in a caffeine haze of espressos and Red Bull energy drinks, taking breaks to play the video game Rock Band. He coined a phrase for this late-night deadline surfing: "crashing".

He crashed his way through all Obama's most memorable speeches. He wrote the draft of one that helped to turn Iowa for Obama while closeted in a coffee shop in Des Moines. For the presidential election, he wrote two speeches: one for a victory, one for defeat. When the result came through, he emailed his best friend: "Dude, we won. Oh my God."

The tension between such youthful outbursts and his onerous role has sometimes cost the 27-year-old. In December, pictures of him and a friend mocking a cardboard cut-out of Hillary Clinton at a party, Favreau's hand on her breast, were posted on Facebook to his huge embarrassment.

Obama is an accomplished writer in his own right, and the process of drafting with his mind reader is collaborative. The inaugural speech has shuttled between them four or five times, following an initial hour-long meeting in which the president-elect spoke about his vision for the address, and Favreau took notes on his computer.

Favreau then went away and spent weeks on research. His team interviewed historians and speech writers, studied periods of crisis, and listened to past inaugural orations. When ready, he took up residence in Starbucks in Washington and wrote the first draft. The end result will be uttered on the steps of the Capitol.

Obama's mind reader has crashed his way through yet another deadline.

Saturday Night Live Save Broadway Sketch

2009-01-11T13:13:00.001-08:00

In these hard economic times, Theatre gets hit hard... and here's SNK to make fun of it. It's so very funny!

Sea World Dolphin Dies in Collision With Another

2009-01-09T16:04:00.001-08:00

SeaWorld's Punishment For Shamu

2009-01-09T16:02:00.001-08:00

oye vey

11 Places to See Before They Dissapear

2009-01-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

Those of us who are concerned about earth's survival already hear the warning alarms around us on a daily basis. But this is a travel site, not an eco-sermon, so these eleven picks make up a carefully chosen list of destinations for eco-conscious travelers to enjoy. That verb "enjoy" is crucial — for in the process of cherishing these natural and cultural wonders we renew our commitment to preserving them.

Babylon: A city of both history and legend, has been seriously damaged by war and development, and those remain the two major threats to the ancient city. The U.S. war in Iraq continues to endanger Babylon and other ancient sites in Iraq, and Iraqi officials' own plans for post-war Babylon could be just as destructive.

Fenway Park: Having won the World Series, in both 2004 and 2007, the Boston Red Sox are lovable underdogs no longer — now they are certified winners. And as a result, management has, at least temporarily, stopped making noises about replacing Fenway Park.

Gu Gong — The Forbidden City: This vast complex in Beijing is half a millennium old — the emperors lived here from 1420 to 1923, beginning long before Columbus sailed to the Americas and ending right before Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic — and the heavy traffic is taking its toll.

Kootenai River: Kootenai wetlands in Idaho were almost decimated by agricultural development; part of the wetlands is now being restored by environmental groups. In Montana, the endangered and aging white sturgeon population has stopped spawning due to loss of habitat caused by the Libby Dam; unless young fish live to spawning age the species is expected to be extinct in as few as 20 years.

Little Green Street isn't in the center of London, but maybe that's why it survived so long — it's one of only a few intact Georgian streets left in the whole metropolis. These two-story brick houses may have survived the Blitz in World War II, but the inexorable march of gentrification is another thing altogether.

Lord Howe Island, Australia: More than half of the original recorded species of birds on this island are extinct due to hunting; non-native predators such as black rats, cats, and owls; and overgrazing by farm animals. Now that the island is protected and managed, the most serious threats are oil and chemical water pollution, and groundwater pollution from sewage management.

Michoacán Monarch Biosphere Reserve, Mexico: Monarch butterflies face a variety of risks all along their 2,000-mile (3,220-km) migration route between Canada and Mexico. Pesticides are a constant threat, and the monarchs' low tolerance for cold and wet conditions leave them vulnerable to winter storms, increased rainfall, and other climate changes. Meanwhile, deforestation of their winter habitat could be the fatal blow for the butterflies.

Taj Mahal: If the plan to close the Taj Mahal goes into effect, it would reduce this over-the-top mausoleum — built by Shah Jahan (fifth emperor of the Mughal dynasty) in Agra, India, to mourn his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal — to a mere postcard silhouette instead of the spiritual experience it can be.

The Galápagos Islands: Legions of tourists who visit the Galápagos each year have helped and hurt the islands' delicate ecosystem. But despite laws to protect the Galápagos, increased land and sea tourism, population growth (which brings pollution and habitat destruction), and invasive species continue to threaten the wildlife here. Fishing and poaching also threaten the survival of native marine life.

The Pyramids of Giza: Unrestricted development and urban sprawl from nearby Cairo threaten the ancient pyramids and the Great Sphinx. Air pollution eats away at the magnificent structures, and sewage from adjacent slums weakens the plateau upon which they stand. Ongoing efforts to complete a multilane beltway around Cairo pose additional risks to these irreplaceable wonders.

Versailles: The fierce winter storms that pummeled Europe in December 1999 were bound to take down some property — but did it have to be Louis XIV's showplace?

NEW marvel civil war movie trailer

2008-08-26T18:37:00.001-07:00

Not a real movie... yet. It's just cut together pieces from other real movies.

Is this a real movie!

2008-08-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

... if so, Awesome!

The crime that created Superman: Did fatal robbery spawn Man of Steel?

2008-08-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

By David Colton, USA TODAY
On the night of June 2, 1932, the world's first superhero was born — not on the mythical planet of Krypton but from a little-known tragedy on the streets of Cleveland.
It was Thursday night, about 8:10 p.m., and Mitchell Siegel, a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania, was in his secondhand clothing store on the near East Side. According to a police report, three men entered. One asked to see a suit of clothes and walked out without paying for it. In the commotion of the robbery, Siegel, 60, fell to the ground and died.

The police report mentions a gunshot being heard. But the coroner, the police and Siegel's wife said Siegel died of a heart attack. No one was ever arrested.

What happened next has exploded some of the longest-held beliefs about the origins of Superman and the two teenage boys, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who invented America's best-known comic-book hero.

Past accounts suggest Siegel and Shuster, both 17, awkward and unpopular in high school, invented the meek Clark Kent and his powerful alter-ego, Superman, to attract girls and rise above their humble Cleveland beginnings.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: United States | Cleveland | Jewish | Lithuania | Depression | Plain Dealer | DC Comics | East Side | Man of Steel | Clark Kent | Lex Luthor | Krypton | Brad Meltzer | Jerry Siegel | Gerard Jones | Joe Shuster | Ross Macdonald
But now it appears that the origin might have been more profound — that it was the death of Jerry Siegel's father that pushed the devastated teen to come up with the idea of a "Superman" to right all wrongs.

"In 50 years of interviews, Jerry Siegel never once mentioned that his father died in a robbery," says Brad Meltzer, a best-selling author whose novel, The Book of Lies, due Sept. 2, links the Siegel murder to a biblical conspiracy plot.

"But think about it," Meltzer says. "Your father dies in a robbery, and you invent a bulletproof man who becomes the world's greatest hero. I'm sorry, but there's a story there."

The first 'Superman'

The evidence for such a psychological underpinning is strong.

It was just a year after Mitchell Siegel's death, 1933, that writer Siegel and artist Shuster came up with "The Superman," a grim, flying avenger they tried to sell to newspaper syndicates and publishers for five years. In the oldest surviving artwork, this early Superman, whom they call "the most astounding fiction character of all time," flies to the rescue of a man who is being held up by a masked robber.

Was it Jerry's alter-ego flying to rescue his helpless father?

"America did not get Superman from our greatest legends, but because a boy lost his father," Meltzer says. "Superman came not out of our strength but out of our vulnerability."

The more Meltzer looked, the more intriguing things became. A letter published in The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer on June 3, 1932, the day after the robbery, denounces the need for vigilantes in the harsh days of the Depression. The letter is signed by an A.L. Luther.

"Is that where (Superman foe) Lex Luthor came from?" Meltzer says. "I almost had a heart attack right there. I thought, 'You have to be kidding me!' "

In search of answers

Meltzer was not the only one looking. Comic-book historian Gerard Jones first disclosed the fact of the robbery in 2004 for his book, Men of Tomorrow, after interviews with Siegel's cousins.

"It had to have an effect," Jones says. "Superman's invulnerability to bullets, loss of family, destruction of his homeland — all seem to overlap with Jerry's personal experience. There's a connection there: the loss of a dad as a source for Superman."

Although they never went public, the father's side of the family was told for decades that the elder Siegel had been shot in the robbery. That's the dramatic angle Meltzer takes in his conspiracy novel. Siegel was shot twice in the chest at his store, he writes, and "a puddle of blood seeped toward the door."

In an afterword to his work of fiction, Meltzer concedes that the facts remain murky. In an interview, Meltzer said that some in the family were told "since they were little kids" that Siegel died by gunfire. Others were told he had a heart attack. "It was probably a heart attack," Meltzer said.

And yet Meltzer is not ready to embrace either answer as final.

More definitive is Marc Tyler Nobleman, author with artist Ross MacDonald of this year's illustrated book Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman, who concludes that Mitchell Siegel died of a heart attack during the robbery. The coroner, he notes, reported "no wounds" on Siegel's body, and the gunshot might not have been related to the robbery.

"I spent a long time going after this," Nobleman says. "I believe I have the first accurate account. Jerry's father wasn't shot and robbed. He had a heart attack during a robbery."

A fortune sold for $130

The rest of the saga of Siegel and Shuster is better known, but no less tragic. It wasn't until 1938 that the familiar red-and-blue-garbed Superman appeared on the cover of Action Comics No. 1. The creators got a check for $130. In return, DC Comics acquired rights to the character "forever."

Siegel and Shuster bristled as Superman grew in popularity — on radio, in wartime cartoons and serials in the 1940s. They went to court several times, winning settlements but never rights to the character. By the 1970s, Siegel had been working as a mail clerk for $7,000 a year, and Shuster was almost blind.

"A shameful legacy," says Blake Bell, author of The World of Steve Ditko, a biography of the co-creator of Spider-Man. Comic-book creators "had no pensions, no contracts, no health benefits, and companies didn't even pay for the artists' supplies. When these artists tried to negotiate greater rights for themselves, they were either collectively cast out or made false promises."

After hearing that Warner Bros. had paid $3 million for the rights to make Superman the Movie in 1975, Siegel and Shuster tried again to reap some benefits. This time, though, they had help from the artistic community and from fans who knew their work.

In a landmark settlement, DC Comics agreed to pay the two men $20,000 a year for life. More important, friends say, DC agreed to add "Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster" on all printed and filmed material in the future.

"Having their names listed as Superman's creators was the biggest victory of all," says Steve Younis, editor of SupermanHomepage.com. "It's worth more than any kind of monetary reimbursement."

The man who helped negotiate the Siegel and Shuster deal was artist Jerry Robinson, who co-created The Joker in 1939 but who received little recognition for decades. (He's now a creative consultant for DC Comics in the wake of The Dark Knight film.)

Robinson says he threw a party in his Manhattan apartment when the Siegel and Shuster settlement was announced.

"Kurt Vonnegut, Jules Pfeiffer, Will Eisner, Eli Wallach and his wife were there," Robinson, 86, says. "Walter Cronkite came on, and they showed Superman flying, and he described what had happened. At the end, he said, 'Another triumph for truth, justice and the American way.'

"We opened Champagne. Jerry and Joe were there, and it was a very emotional moment. There wasn't a dry eye in the place."

The struggle goes on

Michael Uslan, executive producer of the six Batman movies since 1989, including The Dark Knight, says there has been a "sea change" in how corporations view comic books and their creators. "Here you have people in their 80s and 90s seeing their comic-book work being taken seriously," Uslan says. "They are deriving economic benefits now either directly or through consultancies."

Shuster died in 1992 and Siegel in 1996, but their legal battles have been never-ending. In March, a court ruled that Siegel's heirs (wife Joanne and daughter Laura) were entitled to parts of the billion-dollar Superman copyright. Because of the ongoing litigation, neither the families nor DC Comics would comment, not even about Mitchell Siegel's death 76 years ago or its implications.

But in an e-mailed response, the Siegel family did say, "It is gratifying to know people want to know about Jerry Siegel, and that he is getting recognition for his creativity."

A Boy is Too Good at Baseball

2008-08-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

9-year-old boy told he's too good to pitch By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer
Mon Aug 25, 7:17 PM ET

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Nine-year-old Jericho Scott is a good baseball player — too good, it turns out. The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said.

Officials for the three-year-old league, which has eight teams and about 100 players, said they will disband Jericho's team, redistributing its players among other squads, and offered to refund $50 sign-up fees to anyone who asks for it. They say Jericho's coach, Wilfred Vidro, has resigned.

But Vidro says he didn't quit and the team refuses to disband. Players and parents held a protest at the league's field on Saturday urging the league to let Jericho pitch.

"He's never hurt any one," Vidro said. "He's on target all the time. How can you punish a kid for being too good?"

The controversy bothers Jericho, who says he misses pitching.

"I feel sad," he said. "I feel like it's all my fault nobody could play."

Jericho's coach and parents say the boy is being unfairly targeted because he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league's administrators.

Jericho instead joined a team sponsored by Will Power Fitness. The team was 8-0 and on its way to the playoffs when Jericho was banned from pitching.

"I think it's discouraging when you're telling a 9-year-old you're too good at something," said his mother, Nicole Scott. "The whole objective in life is to find something you're good at and stick with it. I'd rather he spend all his time on the baseball field than idolizing someone standing on the street corner."

League attorney Peter Noble says the only factor in banning Jericho from the mound is his pitches are just too fast.

"He is a very skilled player, a very hard thrower," Noble said. "There are a lot of beginners. This is not a high-powered league. This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport."

Noble acknowledged that Jericho had not beaned any batters in the co-ed league of 8- to 10-year-olds, but say parents expressed safety concerns.

"Facing that kind of speed" is frighteneing for beginning players, Noble said.

League officials say they first told Vidro that the boy could not pitch after a game on Aug. 13. Jericho played second base the next game on Aug. 16. But when he took the mound Wednesday, the other team walked off and a forfeit was called.

League officials say Jericho's mother became irate, threatening them and vowing to get the league shut down.

"I have never seen behavior of a parent like the behavior Jericho's mother exhibited Wednesday night," Noble said.

Scott denies threatening any one, but said she did call the police.

League officials suggested that Jericho play other positions, or pitch against older players or in a different league.

Local attorney John Williams was planning to meet with Jericho's parents Monday to discuss legal options.

"You don't have to be learned in the law to know in your heart that it's wrong," he said. "Now you have to be punished because you excel at something?"

What's going to happen to the Beijing Buildings?

2008-08-26T18:18:00.001-07:00

Beijing trumps Athens … and then some
By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports
Aug 24, 11:29 am EDT

BEIJING – It is the biggest buzz word in Olympic circles, and the promise of it can dramatically sway the bidding process for future Games.

Legacy.

These days, any hopeful city with Olympic aspirations must not only show its ability to provide venues and infrastructure of the highest standard, but also prove there will be a lasting positive effect on the local community.

The 2004 Olympics in Athens showed how to get it embarrassingly and disgracefully wrong. Over the past 16 days, Beijing has shown the world how to get it magnificently right.

Four years since the Athens Games, a Greek tragedy is taking place. Incredibly, many of the 22 Olympic venues now lie abandoned, as a sad and litter-strewn reminder of sport’s greatest festival.

Gypsy camps have sprung up in the shadow of stadiums where the world’s finest athletes once battled for gold. Graffiti is scrawled over the outer walls of many sites, and it has been reported in Greece that upward of $1 billion has been spent simply to maintain these ugly wrecks.

That is Athens’ legacy.

Sixteen days of glory, but at what price? The Olympics are now almost a dirty word in Athens, most regularly used by politicians who use the issue of decay as a powerful campaigning point.

There was an element of tokenism in awarding the Olympics to Athens in the first place, a symbolic gesture intended as a nod to Ancient Olympia.

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The Games will never return there. They will not be allowed to, if for no other reason than that the level of public outrage at the grotesque waste of money on oversized venues with no future is extreme.

Beijing is not going to let that happen. For a start, the Chinese capital has several huge advantages over Athens.

“The reason why some countries have been challenged with economic downturns after hosting an Olympics is that hosting cities are often very small,” said Chen Jian, executive president of the Beijing Economy Research Association. “Their investments in infrastructure construction were excessive. Fluctuations arose in the economic growth when no new hotspot for investment occurred after the Olympics.”

Beijing is a city that deeply loves its sports, even more so now given the host nation’s extraordinary success over the past fortnight.

The Bird’s Nest will be used for major international events, concerts and domestic soccer matches.

The Water Cube aquatic center was built to a sensible size, and will mainly be used for international diving competitions and exhibitions. Diving’s popularity in China should ensure that it is often filled to near capacity.

The luminescent light show on the glowing exterior of the stadium will be turned off soon after the Games, but will be put back on whenever there is a major event taking place in Beijing.

Other sites such as Workers’ Stadium and Workers’ Gymnasium were already in place. The Olympic Park Tennis Center has been tabbed to host an ATP event next year.

Whereas the list of Athens’ failures goes on, so too does the depth of Beijing’s successes.

The Games have sparked economic growth, and experts predict a continued surge in tourism as many fans who traveled to the Olympics are expected to return for a second look.

Here, there is a legacy of pride, and a spectacular standard of responsible spending for future hosts to uphold.

Whether you agree with China’s foreign policies or political ideals, no one can deny this has been a truly superb Olympic Games.

Congratulations, Beijing.

London Theatre Museum

2008-07-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

While I am staying here in London, I was looking at visiting the London Theatre Museum once and for all. Unfortunately when I looked it up the news is that it's been perminantly closed. It made me so sad. To think the center of theatre can't find enough money to back a museum dedicated to the artform. The Victoria & Albert Museum has taken in the LTM's things and have dedicated an exhibit to Theatre, the art form.
If you're more interested, just google the museum and read on. It's so sad.

Brit truck drivers Strike, part 2!

2008-05-29T02:10:00.000-07:00

Fuel demo adds to road taxes row

Lorry drivers have staged a protest at the rising cost of fuel, at the same time as speculation mounted about a government rethink on road tax.
Hundreds of lorry drivers protested in London and a two-mile line of lorries crawled along the M4 towards Cardiff.
Hauliers say diesel prices topping 120p a litre, plus the planned 2p fuel tax rise, will drive firms "to the wall".
Meanwhile, ministers said Alistair Darling was "listening" to fears over plans to raise vehicle excise duty.
The government is planning to increase road tax on older, more polluting vehicles, and next week the chancellor will meet Labour MPs opposed to the plan.
So far, 42 MPs have signed a Commons motion asking him to reconsider the policy on the grounds that it is retrospective and therefore "unfair" to people who have already bought their cars.
Blockades
While the chancellor cannot control global oil prices, hauliers want an "essential user" duty rebate on fuel of between 20p and 25p a litre to ease competition with foreign haulage companies.
UK'S CHEAPEST & MOST EXPENSIVE FUEL
Cheapest unleaded: 108.9p (Mansfield)
Most expensive unleaded: 126.9p (Newport, Isle of Wight)
Cheapest diesel: 115.9p (Banff)
Most expensive diesel: 140.9p (Isle of Mull)
Latest figures from PetrolPrices.com
Car tax rates guide
In pictures: Fuel protests
'We can't carry on like this'
Mike Greene, leader of the protests in Wales, told the BBC that, unless the government agreed to the rebate within seven days, lorries would blockade refineries and ports.
Peter Carroll, from TransAction 2007 which organised the London protest, said he did not condone blockades, but found it "hard to condemn them", given how much hauliers were suffering.
The BBC's environment analyst, Roger Harrabin, said it was family-run, small and medium-sized firms that were worst hit.
See how UK petrol and diesel prices have risen
He said large companies were able to raise their rates to absorb higher fuel costs and could also more easily pass on the pain of price rises to consumers.
'Real crisis'
Organisers had hoped as many as 1,000 lorries would take part in the protest in London, but Peter Carroll, from TransAction, said the turnout was about 500. Police put the figure at 300.
HAVE YOUR SAY
We have a worldwide reputation for being an expensive country for fuel. No wonder they call us 'treasure island'
Adrian, Chester
Send us your comments
The lorries parked on the eastbound A40 closing the carriageway between the northern roundabout A3220 junction and Paddington from 1000 BST until 1600 BST.
Some drivers also joined a rally in central London before petitioning 10 Downing Street. Mr Carroll said hauliers were being "murdered" by rising costs, and the public's response to their plight had been "enormously positive".
"We feel we couldn't have put on a better or bigger display to show the government this is a real crisis," he said.
"The acid test will now be whether they listen to us."
In Wales, police said about 100 lorries took part in a 60-mile convoy protest from Cross Hands, near Llanelli. Other reports put the figure at about 170.

Convoys have blocked the A40 and disrupted traffic on the M4
They had planned to hand in a petition to the Welsh assembly at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, but police turned back many vehicles and diverted others to a service station west of the city.
Martin Arthur, who owns a haulage firm in Usk, Monmouthshire, said: "We have to make ourselves heard or people will keep walking all over us.
"People will have to stop working sooner or later because there's no point working for a loss."
Commons Transport Committee chairwoman Louise Ellman said ministers should acknowledge widespread concerns over soaring fuel costs but not be forced into policy decisions by protests.
"Everybody is feeling the impact of the increased cost of living," she said. "That's something the government will have to think about."
LONDON CONVOYS

Trucks from Cowbit, Lincolnshire head to A40 in London via M1, A406 and Hanger Lane Gyratory
Trucks from M2 Medway Services, Kent head to A40 in London via Vauxhall Bridge, Grosvenor Road, Chelsea Embankment, Finborough Road, Warwick Road, Holland Road and West Cross Route (A3220)
Coaches take drivers from parking on A40 to 1130 BST Marble Arch rally
All vehicles supposed to leave A40 by 1530 BSTA Treasury spokesman said the government understood businesses and families were "feeling the pressure from high fuel prices".
But they said the "immediate priority" was to encourage oil-producing countries to increase output, that a 2p-per-litre fuel duty increase had been put back from April to October and fuel duty was "still 11% below its 1999 level in real terms".
The Treasury also defended its plan to increase vehicle excise duty for vehicles registered since 2001 that emit higher levels of pollutants.
Owners of the most polluting cars could face a rise of as much as £200, but a spokesman said the policy was needed to "strengthen the environmental incentive to develop and purchase fuel-efficient cars".
Business Secretary John Hutton told the BBC the chancellor was "listening to what people are saying about vehicle excise duty".
He also said the government wanted UK hauliers to have "a fair deal" and the chancellor would have "to consider how he wants to go forward on this".
Justice Secretary Jack Straw told the BBC he "fully understood" the hauliers' concerns, but "government revenues have to come from somewhere".
He said any decisions made about increased road tax would be made in the autumn statement.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7420792.stm

British Truckdrivers strike?!

2008-05-29T01:59:00.000-07:00

There was supposed to be mass chaos and whatnot in the Nanny state as the Truck Drivers all around Britain came to a full stop at entryways and off-ramps on major roads throughout the land. But so far, I've only been able to find briefist of mention on the subject with a Kuwait Newspaper article from two days ago:

Truck drivers in UK to strike soaring fuel prices

Power & Materials 5/26/2008 1:39:00 PM

LONDON, May 26 (KUNA) -- Truck drivers in Britain are to pour into London on Tuesday for what organisers hope will be the largest-ever fuel duty protest in the British capital, it was announced Monday.
Hauliers are angry at soaring fuel prices which have resulted in the average cost of diesel passing far beyond the 120 pence-a-litre mark, the organizers said. Led by lorry drivers from Kent, southern England, the protest is expected to attract hundreds of hauliers from all around the UK. The convoy will make its way to central London, parking close to Marble Arch. Police said a number of roads will be closed in London so that demonstrators can park their lorries. A delegation from the demonstrators will hand a letter to 10 Downing Street demanding the immediate introduction of an essential user rebate which would allow Huge lorries operators to claim some of the fuel duty back. Mike Presneill, a leading member of Transaction 2007, who is helping to organise the protest, said: "Fuel is rocketing. The Government has the power to act but appears not to be listening. Hundreds of UK transport firms are being driven to the wall. Thousands of UK jobs are being lost," he said. Another Kent-based haulier, Peter Knight, said "Foreign hauliers are entering the UK with cheaper fuel purchased abroad. They contribute nothing to our economy." Knight added. "This is the economics of the mad house. If we are wiped out, the work will be done by foreign hauliers who pay nothing to the UK in tax."

Ewan McGregor won't do "Porno"

2008-05-29T01:44:00.000-07:00

McGregor won't do 'Porno'
5 commentsMay. 27, 2008 12:00 AM
BANG Showbiz
Ewan McGregor will not make a sequel to Trainspotting.

The Star Wars actor has ruled out ever starring in a follow-up to the 1996 film because he isn't a fan of Irvine Welsh's Porno, the sequel to Trainspotting.

Ewan, who played heroin addict Renton in the original movie, said: "There has always been talk of a sequel but I was disappointed with the book that Irvine wrote afterwards, Porno. It was like he wrote a sequel to the movie.
"I would hate to damage Trainspotting. It would be awful to damage the reputation of that film."

Despite his reluctance to reprise his role, the actor said starring in Trainspotting was a fantastic experience.

"It was mindblowing. I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking, 'Yeah, here we go!' It was extraordinary for lots of reasons, but I remember it being great because I was in my early 20s in the mid-90s when it came out."

Plane Lands on Tulsa Highway

2008-05-29T01:25:00.000-07:00

Plane Makes Emergency Landing On Highway

POSTED: 1:37 pm CDT May 28, 2008
UPDATED: 6:10 pm CDT May 28, 2008

TULSA, Okla. -- A Texas man told authorities that engine problems forced him to make an emergency landing on U.S. Highway 75 near Tulsa.

No injuries are reported, and the only damage appears to be to a road sign.

Allen Braden said he was flying his single-engine Cessna from Emporia, Kan., to his home in Houston when he developed engine trouble.

Braden said he tried to make it to Tulsa International Airport but couldn't so he landed on the highway after seeing an opening in traffic.

The Federal Aviation Administration is being called to investigate the incident.

Information from: KOTV-TV, http://www.newson6.com

5.898 GPA student NOT valedictorian!

2008-05-29T01:19:00.000-07:00

Grapevine student with top grades won't be valedictorian

12:27 AM CDT on Thursday, May 29, 2008
By LAURIE FOX / The Dallas Morning News
lfox@dallasnews.com

Grapevine High School senior Anjali Datta holds the highest grade-point average of the 471 students graduating from Grapevine High School this year.

In fact, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD officials believe her GPA of 5.898 may be the highest in the high school's history.

Anjali Datta's GPA of 5.898 may be the highest in the Grapevine High School history, but she can't be valedictorian and get a one-year scholarship from the state because she graduated in three years instead of the usual four.
View larger More photos Photo store It's still not enough to make her the valedictorian, which brings a one-year college scholarship from the state.

Her closest competitor's GPA is 5.64. No one disputes that she's the top student in her class numerically. The problem rests with another number entirely.

Anjali rocketed through high school in only three years. But a school district policy states: "The valedictorian shall be the eligible student with the highest weighted grade-point average for four years of high school."

The dispute over Anjali's status as valedictorian comes down to interpretation: Does four years mean calendar years of school attendance or does it mean completing the credits it takes most students four years to earn?

It depends on whom you ask.

The 16-year-old started taking high school classes in middle school and says her teachers encouraged her to graduate a year early because she had more than enough credits for graduation.

She said a counselor assured her that doing so wouldn't affect her valedictorian status because she earned her four years of high school credit in the district's schools. Officials had no comment about what a counselor may have said.

The policy was created to protect students from others who might transfer into the district close to graduation and usurp the class ranking of longtime students.

Though that's not the situation in this case, the district's attorneys interpreted the policy literally.

So at graduation ceremonies, 18-year-old Tyler Scott Franklin of Colleyville will be the Grapevine High School valedictorian.

Anjali will be "Valedictorian – Three-Year."

District officials said the title was created for this situation.

"We're doing what we can to extend an additional honor within accordance of school board policy," said Megan Overman, a district spokeswoman. "I'm not going to say that this has been an easy situation. This is something that is new for all of us. We've not faced this situation before."

Ms. Overman said the district researched the decision for months.

"There was a lot of thought involved in this. There is no perfect answer," she said.

Anjali says she and her parents are baffled.

"I have not heard of any educational institution penalizing a student for excellence – for completing a demanding set of classes 'too quickly,' " said her father, Deepak Datta. "Anjali's experience will surely send a strong negative signal to other talented students trying to excel.

"They will most certainly be discouraged from trying to do their best – instead will be more focused on gaming the system."

On Tuesday, Grapevine High School principal Jerry Hollingsworth notified the family via e-mail of the district's position that would arrive this week by certified letter.

"The determination of valedictory honor is one that rests squarely on Grapevine-Colleyville ISD board policy," Dr. Hollingsworth wrote. "In determining an appropriate interpretation of our policy, inquiries were made to both the school district's attorney as well as an attorney at the Texas Association of School Boards.

"Both were clear in their opinions that this honor should go to a student who has four school years in his or her high school career. We are compelled to adhere to school board policy," he wrote.

So, Tyler will receive the college scholarship.

His mother, Kathy, said her family didn't raise the issue with the school district. She said someone brought the district policy to her family's attention.

"We feel obviously that the other student deserves recognition as well," she said. "Considering all of the different factors, this was a good solution."

Anjali says she's struggling to understand the move because the Texas Education Agency doesn't even mention the word "valedictorian" when defining eligibility for the college scholarship.

The state provides Texas high schools with an "Honor Graduate Certificate." The certificate is to be presented to the "highest ranking graduate" in the senior class, according to Texas Education Code.

State officials say it is the local school district's responsibility to determine the highest ranking student, and the state has no authority to get involved. At graduation June 7, Anjali will be honored for her perfect ACT score. She will be acknowledged as an honor graduate and allowed to address her classmates.

But Anjali said it still doesn't feel quite right.

"This really diminishes the value of the valedictorian title," she said.

In fact, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD officials believe her GPA of 5.898 may be the highest in the high school’s history.

It’s still not enough to make her the valedictorian, which brings a one-year college scholarship from the state.

Her closest competitor’s GPA is 5.64. No one disputes that she’s the top student in her class numerically. The problem rests with another number entirely.

Anjali rocketed through high school in only three years.

But a school district policy states: “the valedictorian shall be the eligible student with the highest weighted grade point average for four years of high school.”

The dispute over Anjali’s status as valedictorian comes down to interpretation: Does four years mean calendar years of school attendance or does it mean completing the credits it takes most students four years to earn?

It depends on whom you ask.

The 16-year-old started taking high school classes in middle school and she says her teachers encouraged her to graduate a year early because she had more than enough credits for graduation.

She said a counselor assured her that doing so wouldn’t affect her valedictorian status because she earned her four years of high school credit in the district’s schools. Officials had no comment about what a counselor may have said.

The policy was created to protect students from others who might transfer into the district close to graduation and usurp the class ranking of longtime students.

Though that’s not the situation in this case, the district’s attorneys interpreted the policy literally.

So at graduation ceremonies, 18-year-old Tyler Scott Franklin of Colleyville, will be the Grapevine High School valedictorian.

Anjali will be “Valedictorian—Three-Year.”

District officials said the title was created for this situation.

“We’re doing what we can to extend an additional honor within accordance of school board policy,” said Megan Overman, a district spokeswoman. “I’m not going to say that this has been an easy situation. This is something that is new for all of us. We’ve not faced this situation before.”

Ms. Overman said the district researched the decision for months.

“There was a lot of thought involved in this. There is no perfect answer,” she said.

Anjali says she and her parents are baffled.

“I have not heard of any educational institution penalizing a student for excellence – for completing a demanding set of classes ‘too quickly,’” said her father, Deepak Datta. “Anjali’s experience will surely send a strong negative signal to other talented students trying to excel.

“They will most certainly be discouraged from trying to do their best – instead will be more focused on gaming the system.”

On Tuesday, Grapevine High School principal Jerry Hollingsworth notified the family via e-mail of the district’s position that would arrive this week by certified letter.

“The determination of valedictory honor is one that rests squarely on Grapevine-Colleyville ISD board policy,” Dr. Hollingsworth wrote. “In determining an appropriate interpretation of our policy, inquiries were made to both the school district’s attorney as well as an attorney at the Texas Association of School Boards.

“Both were clear in their opinions that this honor should go to a student who has four school years in his or her high school career. We are compelled to adhere to school board policy,” he wrote.

So, Tyler will receive the college scholarship.

His mother, Kathy, said her family didn’t raise the issue with the school district. She said someone brought the district policy to her family’s attention.

“We feel obviously that the other student deserves recognition as well,” she said. “Considering all of the different factors, this was a good solution.”

Anjali says she’s struggling to understand the move because the Texas Education Agency doesn’t even mention the word “valedictorian” when defining eligibility for the college scholarship.

The state provides Texas high schools with an “Honor Graduate Certificate.” The certificate is to be presented to the “highest ranking graduate” in the senior class, according to Texas Education Code.

State officials say it is the local school district’s responsibility to determine the highest ranking student, and the state has no authority to get involved. At graduation on June 7, Anjali will be honored for her perfect ACT score. She will be acknowledged as an honor graduate and allowed to address her classmates.

But Anjali said it still doesn’t feel quite right.

“This really diminishes the value of the valedictorian title,” she said.

Sub fired for magic

2008-05-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

Teacher Fired for Magic Trick, County Calls It "Wizardry"
POSTED: 7:24 pm EDT May 5, 2008
UPDATED: 9:39 am EDT May 6, 2008

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. -- A Florida substitute teacher says his job disappeared after doing a magic trick in front of his students.
STRANGE PHOTOS

VIEW 99 PICS capturing a variety of strange news.Substitute teacher Jim Piculas made a toothpick disappear, then reappear in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land O' Lakes, Florida. The Pasco County School District says there were several other performance issues, but none compared to his "wizardry."
"I get a call the middle of the day from head of supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, 'Jim, we have a huge issue. You can't take any more assignments. You need to come in right away.' I said, 'Well, Pat, can you explain this to me?' 'You've been accused of wizardry,'" Piculas explained.
The assistant superintendent with the district said Piculas had other issues, like not following lesson plans and allowing students to play on unapproved computers.
Piculas said he's concerned the incident may prevent him from getting future jobs.

Not-So-Jolly Roger

2008-05-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

Father who flew Jolly Roger for daughter's birthday prosecuted by councilBy OLINKA KOSTER - More by this author » Last updated at 23:43pm on 6th May 2008
Comments (60) One particular pirate prop was a must for David Waterman as he organised a themed party for his daughter's birthday.
With cutlass-wielding youngsters running around in eye patches, he thought, a Jolly Roger flag would add the perfect finishing touch - and he duly hung the Skull and Crossbones from the side of the family home.
Unfortunately the local council didn't see the jolly side and Mr Waterman has been threatened with prosecution unless he removes the 5ft by 3ft banner.
Scroll down for more

All aboard: Firefighter David Waterman with children Ewan and Madeleine
Last night, the fireman and former soldier hit out at the "disgraceful" waste of taxpayers' money.
While his daughter Madeleine's eighth birthday party went off successfully, he is so angry at the council's pettiness that he has decided to leave the flag in place on a point of principle and pay the £95 administration fee to apply for 'advertising consent' which would enable him to continue flying it outside his home in Ashtead, Surrey.
A senior council officer has warned him it is unlikely to be granted.
Father-of-four Mr Waterman, who works at Battersea fire station in South London, said: "I find it ridiculous that the council are fighting me over this.
"It's a £5 flag, not hurting anyone, and they're probably spending hundreds of pounds of our cash getting me to take it down. That could be spent on improving the local area."
The problems started when the council received a complaint about the flag from a neighbour on April 16.
Scroll down for more

Causing a flap: Mr Waterman is paying £95 to apply for advertising consent for the flag after a neighbour complained
Mr Waterman, 41, was sent a letter on April 21 informing him he had seven days to remove it.
He was told that the flying of flags was controlled by the Town and Country (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992.
These stipulate that only 'a national flag of any country, the flag of the European Union, the Commonwealth, the United Nations, English County flags and saints' flags associated with a particular county' can be flown.
The regulations also set out commercial flags that are normally allowed, such as those used by housebuilders and car showrooms. But they state that specific permission has to be granted to fly any other type of flag - such as a Jolly Roger.
Mr Waterman, a former trooper with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, said he believed the complaints made about the flag were linked to a dispute about his children-playing outside. "My kids are well-behaved but there's one set of neighbours who would rather they sat inside playing computer games than run around on the lawn," he said.
"They don't like my kids being outside but they can't complain to anyone about it so they've picked on the flag.
"I can't believe the council is backing them. This is a point of principle and I'm standing firm."
A spokesman for Mole Valley District Council said it had not yet launched legal proceedings against Mr Waterman and would consider his application.
"We received a complaint about the flag flying outside Mr Waterman's house and are duty-bound to investigate complaints and enforce Government regulations," he added.
The term Jolly Roger is used to describe various flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates. The Skull and Crossbones is the most famous.

Florida to Split in Two!

2008-05-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

Florida to become two states?
Reported by: Brandon Moseley Email: bmoseley@abcactionnews.com Last Update: 3:11 pm

Related Links
Weary pirates continue road trip in Florida NORTH LAUDERDALE -- Tired of what they say is mistreatment by the State government, the North Lauderdale City Commission is pushing a resolution that would split Florida into two separate states - North and South.North Lauderdale city leaders say South Florida contributes more tax dollars to the State than they're getting back and are unable to meet all the needs of tax payers.The commission is trying to rev up support by sending out hundreds of resolutions to other South Florida cities and the Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties.The resolution will be up for discussion Wednesday at the City of Margate commission meeting.
Copyright 2008 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The New Cult Canon: Clerks

2008-04-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

By Scott Tobias
April 3rd, 2008

Welcome to Cult On The Cheap month, where we celebrate the DIY outsiders who maxed out their credit cards, sold their plasma, participated in medical experiments, or did whatever else they could to scrape together the paltry sum needed to share their irrepressible vision with the world. Many of these Cinderella stories are a master class in resourceful and innovation, with first-time filmmakers stretching budgets so shoestring that they wouldn't cover craft services on other cheapo independent productions. In the absence of money, these scrappy little movies made the most of things that are free—making bold choices in the editing room, taking advantage of viewers' imaginations, and advancing big ideas over expensive special effects.

Kevin Smith's Clerks is not one of those movies.

Clerks may be the only $25,000 movie ever made that leaves people wondering where all that money went. There's the film stock, of course, but next week's NCC entry, Primer, was shot on 16mm a decade later for a third of the cost. Presumably, the surplus was spent on hookers and blow, because there isn't much to the film—a couple of locations, a small troupe of rank amateurs, no complicated setups, and a mise-en-scène that's only a hair more sophisticated than a day's worth of surveillance-camera footage. And it's not as if Smith's ideas were carrying the day, either: Aside from a thoroughly juvenile treatment of male sexual hang-ups, the film is just a crude assemblage of comic vignettes. Cut one away, and nothing's lost but a few minutes off the running time, which may or may not bother you, depending on how much you'd miss throwaway gags about an egg-obsessed guidance counselor or a virulent pro-gum lobbyist.

So why was Clerks such a sensation? Back in 1994—the first and last time I saw the film until this week—I had no idea. It was just after college, and I was in the perfect mindset to appreciate the film: Much like Dante Hicks, a reasonably intelligent guy mired in a dead-end job, I was logging time doing grunt work at a stone quarry outside Toledo, Ohio. (This is what that Bachelor's Degree in Literature will get you, kids: $8 per hour shoveling limestone sand from under the conveyor belts.) Whenever I had the chance, I'd drive an hour north to Ann Arbor to take in all the arthouse cinema I could (Hoop Dreams, Oleanna, Spanking The Monkey, et al.), and I remember heading up there on a weeknight to see Clerks, knowing full well that I'd pay for it in the morning. The film had come out of Sundance with tremendous momentum, and earned even greater cachet by winning its David vs. Goliath battle with the MPAA, which originally slapped it with an NC-17 for foul language alone. Reviews were good, the theater was packed, and…

I don't think I laughed more than a couple of times. And for the past 14 years, all I could remember about the film was the pick-up hockey game on the roof and the big punchline about Dante's ex-girlfriend's encounter in the bathroom. In the years that have followed, the cult of Kevin Smith has waxed and waned but mostly endured, spinning off into comic books, diaries, and concert appearances, several well-trafficked websites (and many other fan sites), and other assorted merchandise and pop-cultural flotsam. His "View Askewniverse" builds on a mythology not unlike that of the Star Wars movies, only much, much punier—akin to George Lucas basing two sequels and three prequels around the goofy creatures in the Mos Eisley Cantina. Yet for all his lingering deficiencies as a filmmaker, Smith has been expert at finding a cult audience and nurturing it like a delicate flower, one strong enough to weather the cold winter frost of Jersey Girl.

So again, why was Clerks such a sensation? Kevin Smith, obviously. There have been plenty of inspiring DIY success stories in independent film past and present, but Smith remains a special case. He's a true outsider: a Jersey boy who's down-to-earth and fundamentally unpretentious; who likes Star Wars, comic books, and dirty jokes; and who could never be mistaken for a Hollywood phony. Throughout the years, he's been remarkably accessible to friends and foes alike, unchecked by the usual phalanx of agents and publicists who keep artistes away from the common man; say something about Kevin Smith, and damned if the man himself doesn't turn up, Rumpelstiltskin-like, on the message boards to mix it up. Even this non-fan finds him likeable, and trusts that his "one of us" persona isn't a pose.

It isn't as catchy as "May the Force be with you," but there's a line in Clerks that defines Smith's philosophy in a nutshell: "Title does not dictate behavior." As spoken by Randal (Jeff Anderson), the more unruly of two clerks running adjacent convenience and video stores, the line is meant to inspire his mild-mannered cohort Dante (Brian O'Halloran) to break the rules a little. Clerks are supposed to be subservient to the customer, but Randal isn't one to believe that the customer is always right; just because the customers aren't logging time behind the counter at a video store doesn't mean they're superior to the hump who is. And if, say, a mother annoys Randal by asking him about some kid's video for her daughter, he isn't shy about ordering Ass-Worshiping Rim-jobbers in front of them. Dante, on the other hand, is so used to absorbing the petty abuses of his customers that he's come to believe that being a clerk is his sorry lot in life.

"Title does not dictate behavior" also helps explain the Clerks phenomenon, which now seems as revolutionary in its own way as Reservoir Dogs did two years before. Once the province of earnest, buttoned-down indies and imports, the arthouse seemed too hoity-toity a place for movies this rude and ill-behaved. But Clerks, with an assist from the Weinsteins, muscled its way into theaters anyway, creating an audience that hadn't existed previously, and challenging people's expectations of what an art film could be. The odd thing about Smith is that unlike Quentin Tarantino—who legitimized genre pictures for arthouse consumption—he's really just opened the door for himself. It's possible that mainstream American comedies have gotten cruder in the Smith era, but it's hard to think of a single Clerks-inspired independent film that has made it past the straight-to-DVD market.

Plot-wise, there isn't much of consequence to Clerks. It takes place over a day in the life of Dante and Randal, and the only story arc concerns Dante's screwed-up relationships. He's currently seeing Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti), a ball-buster who castigates him about not doing more with his life, but is devoted enough to bring him lasagna and make him one of only three men she's bedded. (Unless he cares to count the 36 others she's blown, including "Snowball," the bearded goofball who likes to taste his own ejaculate after a BJ.) But Dante can't stop thinking about Caitlin (Lisa Spoonhauer), an ex-girlfriend who appears poised to marry an Asian design major. Will Dante keep chasing Caitlin, whom he's idealized out of proportion to the real thing, or settle for Veronica, who ignites his Madonna-whore complex?

The sexual politics in Clerks are dubious, to put it mildly. It's true that men often have a hard time dealing with their girlfriends' sexual history—a subject that Smith tackled more thoroughly with Chasing Amy, if not necessarily with more maturity. (Noah Baumbach's underrated Mr. Jealousy, made the same year as Amy, did the job with a deftness and wit that seems beyond Smith's capabilities.) But the women in Clerks are broadly sketched, in part because the film spends so much time spinning its wheels with Dante and Randal (and Jay and Silent Bob, for that matter) that it doesn't have time for them. Dante's choice is between The Whore Who Brings Him Lasagna or The Whore Who Fucks The Dead Guy In The Bathroom. To me, the latter is a prime example of sacrificing too much for a joke; rather than find a more subtle way for Dante to deal with his romantic past and present, Smith makes the choice easy by turning his ex-girlfriend into an unwitting necrophiliac.

As a portrait of male friendship, Clerks isn't much better. The dynamic between Dante and Randal isn't that far off from buddies like Dane Cook and Dan Fogler in Good Luck Chuck: The hero is a base, sex-addled doofus, but compared to his Neanderthal best buddy, he's the sensitive guy who deserves our affection. O'Halloran and Anderson aren't skilled enough as actors to serve as more than mouthpieces for Smith's lowbrow gags and bits of philosophy, and they often choke on his reams of dialogue. (Smith has always been praised for his tart screenplays, but to me, he's a writer much too in love with his own voice; his films are littered with scenes that are allowed to drag on several beats longer than they should.) That said, even Anderson can't trample over this fine monologue about the destruction of the Death Star in Return Of The Jedi:

As Star Wars theory goes, that speech is second only to Patton Oswalt's recent riff on the prequels ("At Midnight I Will Kill George Lucas With A Shovel"). It also establishes Smith as a champion of blue-collar types like the poor roofers, aluminum-siders, and other wage slaves who paid the price for their boss' tyranny. A second viewing didn't bring me around to liking Clerks, but Smith's scrappy, workaday roots provide the film's best touches: filling up the newspaper rack with Asbury Park Press papers stolen from the box; the shoe-polish sign assuring customers that the store is open in spite of the gummed-up shutters; the litter box set on the countertop; the pile of change for coffee-and-paper buyers to serve themselves; and the fact that guys like Dante will do anything to keep people from disrupting the numb, dead-eyed inertia that propels him from one day to the next. It's when the movie starts running off at the mouth that things go awry.

Attack of the Sith

2008-03-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

Star Wars comes to Holyhead as Darth Vader strikes back in Jedi's back garden

By Tom Chivers

Last Updated: 1:12am GMT 29/03/2008

A Star Wars fan got closer to his idols than he would perhaps have liked when he was attacked in his garden by Darth Vader.

How About That? Because news doesn't have to be serious

Aliens, Star Trek and King Kong: Hollywood memorabilia goes under the hammer

Use the force: Star Wars spoofs take off

Jedi Master Jonba Hehol - known to family and friends as Barney Jones, 36, of Holyhead - was giving a TV interview in his back garden for a documentary when a man, dressed in a black bin-bag and wearing Darth Vader's trademark shiny black helmet, leapt over his garden fence.


	How the assailant may have looked

Wielding a metal crutch - his lightsaber presumably being in for repairs - the Sith Lord proceeded to lay about his opponent, whose Jedi powers proved inadequate for the task of defending himself.

After besting Master Hehol in single combat, Vader, who The Sun reports was under the influence of alcohol, went on to assault the camera crew and a hairdresser.

Master Hehol, a hairdresser, who founded the first-ever British Jedi Church in loving homage to the world-famous science fiction franchise with his brother Daniel, was unimpressed by the revenge of the Sith.

"This wasn't a joke. This was serious," he said.

Police are investigating a claim of assault.

The Jedi "religion" was born as a joke in the 2001 census, when almost 400,000 people claimed to believe in the Jedi faith.

Based on the teachings of Yoda, the crinkly green dwarf of the films, the "church" has a branch in Florida and plans to open another in the Philippines.

A Knight out on the town

2008-03-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

Owner reuinited with stolen Knight armor

Last Update: 2:44 pm

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SALEM, Ore. - The owner of a suit of armor police found at a Salem bus shelter claimed her porch decoration after seeing it on TV.

Police said the suit was found inside a Salem bus shelter about 6 a.m. Friday on Wheatland Road North, just south of Parkmeadow Drive Northeast.

The owner was not able to give a dollar value but did state it was taken from her front porch sometime during the early morning hours of March 28^th.

After a local television news station aired a photograph of the suit, a woman saw it and claimed it. Police delivered it to her around 9 a.m. Saturday.

Wikipedia 10 Million!!!

2008-03-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia Hits Milestone of Ten Million Articles Across 250 Languages

Nicholas Hilliard, subject of the 10 millionth article

Hungarian biography of 16th century painter Nicholas Hilliard declared ten millionth article

San Francisco, California, March 28, 2008

Earlier this week the Wikimedia Foundation reached a significant new milestone: on Thursday, March 27, at 00:07 UTC the official article count for all Wikipedias combined reached 10 million. The ten millionth article, a short biography of 16th century English goldsmith and painter Nicholas Hilliard, was created in the Hungarian Wikipedia by user Pataki Márta.

Wikipedia now boasts articles in more than 250 languages, with the English Wikipedia having the largest number, followed in descending order by the German, French, Polish, Japanese, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish Wikipedias. The project is also experiencing rapid growth in many young Wikipedias, including Marathi, Tagalog, and Cantonese.

Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation remarked on the occasion of this milestone, "It's incredible to think that we've grown from one Wikipedia in English to over 250 language Wikipedias. Ten million articles is something we could never have imagined happening so fast when we embarked on Wikipedia in 2001. This is a testament to the incredible dedication of our volunteers around the world."

In December 2007, the German magazine Stern announced in an independent study of 50 articles that the German Wikipedia was more accurate, complete and up-to-date than the longstanding print encyclopedia Brockhaus. In April 2007, a study conducted by the Hewlett Packard Information Dynamics Laboratory found that the best articles on the English Wikipedia are those that have been edited the most frequently, by the largest number of people. It concluded that the correlation between article quality and the number of edits validates Wikipedia as a successful collaborative effort.

Similar studies around the world continue to point to the increasing accuracy and quality of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that is written, edited and maintained by a global community of thousands of volunteers.

Wikipedia is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation, a charitable, non-profit organization based in San Francisco, California.

Murder in London town

2008-03-29T15:23:00.001-07:00

Murders in London mapped after latest death

By staff and agencies

Last Updated: 4:40pm GMT 29/03/2008

Figures from the Metropolitan Police Service have revealed the density of murders occuring on London's streets, as officers investigate the latest killing of a teenager in the capital.

A 16-year-old has been accused of the murder of a 14-year-old boy, another victim of London's violence crisis.

The boy, of Queens Park, will appear at West London Youth Court on Monday in relation to the death of Amro Elbadawi.


	Click to enlarge: Murders in 2007 by London borough

The news came as statistics compiled by the Metropolitan Police Service revealed that more than half of murder victims in the capital last year were from ethnic minority groups.

Amro crawled into a health centre bleeding heavily from his neck, apparently after a petty row with a friend escalated.

Despite the desperate attempts of employees and paramedics to save his life, the teenager died in hospital about an hour later.

The schoolboy was the second teenager to die from a knife wound in the capital that day, which was London's bloodiest day of youth violence this year.

The deaths brought the toll of teenage murders in the capital so far this year to 11.

A total of 26 teenagers were killed last year.

The attacks led to calls from all quarters for a renewed drive to force young people to stop carrying weapons.

Figures for 2007, seen by the Financial Times, show that the borough of Lambeth had the highest murder rate at 23, followed by Newham, which was the scene for 13 murders.

The murder rates, when mapped out, reveal that a large number of homicides take place in socially deprived neighbourhoods.

The middle-class enclaves of Harrow, Richmond, Merton, and Kensington and Chelsea, did not witness any murders last year.

Eddie Murphy's Funnies Movie...20 Years ago

2008-03-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

Bark like a dog! 'Coming to America' turns 20

Anyone wondering why Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America" has been playing non-stop on cable movie channels lately? It's celebrating its 20th anniversary this year!

I'm going out on a limb here by saying this: "Coming to America" might be Eddie Murphy's best film ... period. Sure, you want rationale -- in list form, of course.

10 REASONS WHY 'COMING TO AMERICA' IS EDDIE'S BEST FLICK:

10. HELLO AGAIN AND GOODNIGHT: After two slightly subpar showings (Golden Child, Beverly Hills Cop 2), this movie is almost Eddie's swan song. So far, Eddie's only watchable flick after "Coming to America" is "Boomerang" (1992). It's also the last great flick by director John Landis.

9. MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES: This would be the first time Eddie played more than character, tackling Prince Akeem, Clarence the barber, Saul (the old white guy in the barber shop) and Randy Watson, the singer of the band Sexual Chocolate.

8. A NOD TO HIS HERO: Richard Pryor was a big influence on a young Eddie Murphy. So when it came time to pick a name for his fictional African country, Eddie chose "Zamunda" -- a name Pryor used in an old comedy bit.

7. BEST FAKE PRODUCT EVER: "Just let your Soul-Glo!" I dare say just about anyone who ever saw this movie can still sing along to the TV commercial. "Feeling all so silky smooth!" [Watch it again]

6. THEY CAN BE FUNNY TOO: Still not convinced? What about James Earl Jones playing a comedy role? Or future "E.R." moper Eriq La Salle as the "Soul Glo" heir? Brilliant. And you gotta love the cameo performances by Samuel L. Jackson and Louie Anderson. (And the kid getting his hair cut in the barber shop -- Cuba Gooding Jr.)

5. ARSENIO CAN ACT: Even Arsenio Hall, the Bud Abbott of the '80s, shows some rare acting skills here. Whatever happened to him?

4. THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH HIM: Star Wars freaks out there, did you catch James Earl Jones' "Darth Vader" homage? When King Jaffe Joffer comes looking for Akeem, he tells Mr. McDowell, "Do not alert him to my presence. I'll deal with him myself."

3. THE SEQUEL FACTOR: Our fond memory of two other great Murphy flicks -- "48 Hours" and "Beverly Hills Cop" -- is tainted by the criminally awful sequels they spawned. Thankfully, at the end of "Coming To America," everyone lives happily ever after -- sequel-free.

2. "WE'RE BACK!" One of the funniest scenes: The "Duke Brothers" -- Randy and Mortimer -- from 1983's "Trading Places" are bums on the street until former co-star Murphy hands them a bag of money.

1. THE GREAT LINES OF COURSE: "There is a very fine line between love and nausea" ... "Bark like a dog -- a big dog!" ... "My buns have no seeds" ... "The royal penis is clean, your Highness."

A New Anus for a Leg

2008-03-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

Woman Goes for Leg Operation, Gets New Anus Instead

Thursday, March 20, 2008

A German retiree is taking a hospital to court after she went in for a leg operation and got a new anus instead, the Daily Telegraph is reporting.

The woman woke up to find she had been mixed up with another patient suffering from incontinence who was to have surgery on her sphincter.

Click hear Dr. Manny talk about medical errors.

The clinic in Hochfranken, Bavaria, has since suspended the surgical team.

Now the woman is planning to sue the hospital. She still needs the leg operation and is searching for another hospital to do it.

Click here to comment on this story.

The Physics of Sci-Fi... Broken

2008-03-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Bad Movie Physics: A Report Card

Space epics almost always play fast and loose with science, treating the laws of physics like suggestions. Sound in space, unprotected bodies splatting in vacuum, and alien planets that all look just like Calabasas. But some movies dismember Newton and Einstein with way more gusto than others. We rated 18 movies based on how many laws of physics they mangled, and here's our report card.

To some extent, it's understandable that space adventures play fast and loose with physics. After all, who wants to watch Han Solo spend years on the journey to Alderaan, only to find that the planet has twice Earth gravity and he can barely stand up, much less swagger?

The categories of mistakes in our report card should be pretty self-explanatory, but just in case, I'll expand on them a little bit:

There's no sound in space
Not all planets have Earth gravity
Planets should have diverse climates, instead of one unified climate across a "desert planet" or "forest planet."
It shouldn't be too easy to communicate with alien creatures, without some kind of high-technology "translator" explanation.
And it definitely shouldn't be too easy for humans to interbreed with aliens.
Humans exposed to vacuum without a spacesuit shouldn't explode or shatter. And a "hull breach" where the ship's crew is exposed to vacuum should kill everyone instantly.
You can't have fires in space, unless there's oxygen leaking out somehow.
Asteroids or other objects shouldn't be able to float close together without falling into each other's gravity
People shouldn't be able to dodge lasers and other speed-of-light weapons
And there's no reason why someone would move in slow-motion in zero gravity.
Faster-than-light travel is probably not ever going to be possible.

By the way, we left out Star Trek because there's so much of it, even if you just include the movies, and if you look hard enough you can find places where it violates almost all of these rules. Illustration by Stephanie Fox. Research by Nivair Gabriel.

Raimi what are you thinking?!

2008-03-18T12:25:00.001-07:00

Raimi Doing Horror Reality Show

(FROM VARIETY) – Spider-Man director Sam Raimi and reality vet Jay Bienstock (Survivor, The Apprentice) are developing an unscripted horror-themed show for The CW. The project, titled 13, will see players compete with one another in horror-related challenges until there is one contestant left standing. Bienstock said the inspiration for the show came from horror franchises like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. ''We want to cast it like a horror movie,'' Bienstock told Variety. ''And shoot it a little differently as well. Think about those old movies — we want to put people in a place like that, where they have to deal with their fears and anxieties. They'll end up surprising one another.'' Raimi's horror credits include The Evil Dead, The Gift, and Army of Darkness. (Variety)

Cobain and Converse

2008-03-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Converse To Release Kurt Cobain-Inspired Shoes

Late Nirvana rocker Kurt Cobain is to be commemorated in a series of shoes from footwear manufacturer Converse. The shoes, which so far include a pair of Converse One Tops and several pairs of Converse High-Tops, feature Cobain's autograph and select drawings and writings first published in 2002's Journals scrawled on them.

Morbidly, the black Converse One Tops are the same shoes that Cobain was wearing when he shot himself dead at his Seattle, Washington home in April 1994.

The footwear line, which is being launched to help celebrate Converse's 100th birthday, has the support of Cobain's widow Courtney Love.

Another Dune to climb

2008-03-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

Berg to direct 'Dune' for Paramount
Misher producing adaptation of sci-fi novel
By TATIANA SIEGEL

Peter Berg is attached to direct a bigscreen adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel "Dune" for Paramount Pictures.

Kevin Misher, who spent the past year obtaining the book rights from the Herbert estate, will produce via his Par-based shingle.

Herbert's 1965 novel is a sweeping, futuristic tale set on the remote desert planet Arrakis, which produces the interstellar empire's sole source of the spice Melange -- used for distant space travel. An empirewide power struggle ensues over the control of the spice. Berg would be the latest helmer to take a crack at the property, which spawned a 1984 David Lynch film as well as a 2000 Sci Fi Channel miniseries starring William Hurt.

The project is out to writers, with the producers looking for a faithful adaptation of the Hugo- and Nebula Award-winning book. The filmmakers consider its theme of finite ecological resources particularly timely.

New Amsterdam's Richard Rubenstein, who produced Sci Fi's "Dune" and sequel "Children of Dune," is also producing alongside Sarah Aubrey of Film 44, Berg's production banner. John Harrison and Mike Messina exec produce.

Paramount envisions the project as a tentpole film.

Berg and Misher enjoy strong ties dating back to Misher's executive days at Universal Pictures. Misher also produced Berg's second directorial outing, "The Rundown."

Actor-turned-helmer Berg most recently directed the upcoming Will Smith starrer "Hancock." His directing credits include "The Kingdom" and "Friday Night Lights."

Harry Puffer

2008-03-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

Daniel Radcliffe smokes 20-cigarettes a day
Mar. 17, 2008 10:26 AM
Daniel Radcliffe's friends are pleading with him to quit his "disgusting" 20-a-day cigarette habit.

The 18-year-old actor - who is currently filming 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' - has become so addicted to nicotine he has been nicknamed 'Harry Puffer' by his co-stars.

A source said: "Daniel has been smoking up to 20 cigarettes a day. Every time they call 'cut', he lights up. It's disgusting. Friends, including co-stars Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, have been warning him about the dangers of smoking. But he doesn't take any notice."

Daniel reportedly got through a whole pack of cigarettes when he had to film a difficult stunt last week.

The insider added to Britain's The Sun newspaper: "He was really nervous about the scene and was sparking up constantly."

Movie bosses are said to be worried Daniel's habit could tarnish his schoolboy image and have reportedly told him not to smoke in public.

However, their warnings have fallen on deaf ears and Daniel is still said to be "smoking like a trooper" on nights out.

The source said: "He's been having late nights out with stars including Kevin Spacey and Stephen Fry and been puffing up a storm.

How to Spot a Mafiosa Tourist Guide!

2008-03-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

How to spot a mafioso: a tourist's guide
Tom Kington in Rome
The Guardian,
Friday March 14 2008
Article history
About this articleClose
This article appeared in the Guardian on Friday March 14 2008 on p29 of the International section. It was last updated at 10:28 on March 14 2008.
A Sicilian tour guide who got fed up with answering the same questions about the mafia has written a pocket-sized book he thinks visitors will be unable to refuse.
The Mafia Explained to Tourists - which has been published in Italian, English, Japanese, German, Spanish and French - tackles questions such as: what a mafioso looks like, whether the mafia will exist forever and "why haven't we seen a shoot-out in our 10 days here?"
"I included the 10 questions I am always asked, so from now I can just hand out the book," said Augusto Cavadi, a Palermo-based guide and mafia scholar.
The template for his 55-page, €5.50 (£4.20) book was the frequently asked questions section in a washing machine manual. Responding to the question, how is it possible that 5 million Sicilians cannot defeat 5,000 mafiosi?, Cavadi tries to explain the "grey zone" in Sicily, which consists of those who are not part of the mafia but turn a blind eye to its activities. He also lists books and films which present the mafia realistically.
Cavadi said his book was just as suitable for Italians as for foreign tourists: "Italians sometimes insist there are 'good' mafiosi who do not kill, as well as 'bad' mafiosi."
To clear up any doubt on the matter, the book contains the question: is it true the mafia will not kill priests?
"They certainly kill them when they take a stand against the mafia," he said.
As for mobster spotting, Cavadi said it was not straightforward. "They are usually elegant and polite and move in high circles," he said. "I have known dozens, but only found out years later they were mafiosi when they were arrested. It was 15 years before I figured out my apartment building was owned by a mob family."

Dennis Hopper Debunks 'Easy Rider' Myths

2008-03-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

Dennis Hopper is tired of others taking credit for his Easy Rider movie because he and co-star Peter Fonda are the only people who made the cult 1969 film.
The veteran movie star wants to clear any confusion about those responsible for the road trip movie before the film's 40th anniversary celebrations next year.
He says, "I wrote and directed 'Easy Rider' with Peter. Terry Southern, who gets a writers credit, broke his hip and he didn't write anything. He gave us the title, 'Easy Rider,' but I called it 'The Loners.' Peter and I talked out the screenplay and then I wrote it. We made it for $340,000 all across the United States, and filmed it in four and a half weeks.
"After it became famous, there was a hundred million people who took credit for making it. I don't know how that happened."
And there's another Easy Rider myth Hopper would like to address - the fact that the film was a chaotic mess of edits and reshoots.
He adds, "All the crazy talk about how unprepared we were wasn't true. It took a year for me to edit it because I had so much film. That's it."

Split Harry Potter VII into Two

2008-03-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

Final "Harry Potter" movie split into two parts
Fri Mar 14, 2008 12:29am EDT
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Warner Bros. has conjured up some Hollywood magic for the final installment of the wildly popular "Harry Potter" movies, splitting the seventh and final book into two films, the movie studio said on Thursday.
Part one of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will debut in late 2010 and be followed months later by part two.
"We feel that the best way to do the book, and its many fans, justice is to expand the screen adaptation of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' and release the film in two parts," Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, said in a statement.
The first five films in the series have been huge hits with a total global box office nearing $4.5 billion. The sixth movie is now being filmed.
The movies are based on British author J.K. Rowling's best-selling fantasy novels about the adventures of boy wizard Harry Potter and his friends as they grow from kids into teenagers at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final book in Rowling's series, was published last July to huge fanfare, selling some 11.5 million copies in its first 10 days in the United States.
But the final volume is a long saga at more than 750 pages, and it is filled with many twists and turns as Harry and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley wrap up their story lines. Harry faces -- once and for all times -- the dark Lord Voldemort who murdered his parents.
Because of the many adventures in "Deathly Hallows," Rowling, the movies' producers and Warner Bros. all agreed that two movies were necessary to truly tell the end story.
"'The Deathly Hallows' is so rich, the story so dense and there is so much that is resolved that after discussing it with Jo, we came to the conclusion that the two parts were needed to do it justice," said producer David Heyman, who first took the project to Warner Bros. in 1997.
The books and movies also have been a huge money maker beyond theater box offices and DVDs. They have spawned products from toys to T-shirts to a planned theme park.
By some estimates, "Harry Potter" represents a $20 billion business, so an eighth film will likely only expand the enterprise.
Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry, and his co-stars Emma Watson (Hermione) and Rupert Grint (Ron) are now filming the sixth movie -- "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." All three have said they would appear in "Deathly Hallows."
Warner Bros. is a unit of media giant Time Warner Inc.
(Editing by Jill Serjeant and John O'Callaghan)

What was Sen. Kern thinking?

2008-03-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

A Brilliant Reply to Sally Kern
Category: Posted on: March 13, 2008 9:16 AM, by Ed Brayton
Found this at Pam's House Blend. It's a letter from a high school senior whose mother died in the Oklahoma City bombing. He's not happy about Kern claiming that gays are worse than terrorists and he tells her so with great eloquence. Full text below the fold:
Rep Kern:
On April 19, 1995, in Oklahoma City a terrorist detonated a bomb that killed my mother and 167 others. 19 children died that day. Had I not had the chicken pox that day, the body count would've likely have included one more. Over 800 other Oklahomans were injured that day and many of those still suffer through their permanent wounds.
That terrorist was neither a homosexual or was he involved in Islam. He was an extremist Christian forcing his views through a body count. He held his beliefs and made those who didn't live up to them pay with their lives.
As you were not a resident of Oklahoma on that day, it could be explained why you so carelessly chose words saying that the homosexual agenda is worst than terrorism. I can most certainly tell you through my own experience that is not true. I am sure there are many people in your voting district that laid a loved one to death after the terrorist attack on Oklahoma City. I kind of doubt you'll find one of them that will agree with you.
I was five years old when my mother died. I remember what a beautiful, wise, and remarkable woman she was. I miss her. Your harsh words and misguided beliefs brought me to tears, because you told me that my mother's killer was a better person than a group of people that are seeking safety and tolerance for themselves.
As someone left motherless and victimized by terrorists, I say to you very clearly you are absolutely wrong.
You represent a district in Oklahoma City and you very coldly express a lack of love, sympathy or understanding for what they've been through. Can I ask if you might have chosen wiser words were you a real Oklahoman that was here to share the suffering with Oklahoma City? Might your heart be a bit less cold had you been around to see the small bodies of children being pulled out of rubble and carried away by weeping firemen?
I've spent 12 years in Oklahoma public schools and never once have I had anyone try to force a gay agenda on me. I have seen, however, many gay students beat up and there's never a day in school that has went by when I haven't heard the word **** slung at someone. I've been called gay slurs many times and they hurt and I am not even gay so I can just imagine how a real gay person feels. You were a school teacher and you have seen those things too. How could you care so little about the suffering of some of your students?
Let me tell you the result of your words in my school. Every openly gay and suspected gay in the school were having to walk together Monday for protection. They looked scared. They've already experienced enough hate and now your words gave other students even more motivation to sneer at them and call them names. Afterall, you are a teacher and a lawmaker, many young people have taken your words to heart. That happens when you assume a role of responsibility in your community. I seriously think before this week ends that some kids here will be going home bruised and bloody because of what you said.
I wish you could've met my mom. Maybe she could've guided you in how a real Christian should be acting and speaking.
I have not had a mother for nearly 13 years now and wonder if there were fewer people like you around, people with more love and tolerance in their hearts instead of strife, if my mom would be here to watch me graduate from high school this spring. Now she won't be there. So I'll be packing my things and leaving Oklahoma to go to college elsewhere and one day be a writer and I have no intentions to ever return here. I have no doubt that people like you will incite crazy people to build more bombs and kill more people again. I don't want to be here for that. I just can't go through that again.
You may just see me as a kid, but let me try to teach you something. The old saying is sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt you. Well, your words hurt me. Your words disrespected the memory of my mom. Your words can cause others to pick up sticks and stones and hurt others.
Sincerely
Tucker
What is it with kids writing brilliant letters these days? Whatever it is, let's see more of it. Nice job, Tucker.

Madam: Sex too hard to sell these days, the competition is stiff and you're always getting the shaft

2008-03-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Madam: Sex too hard to sell these days
Fri Mar 14, 10:29 PM ET
HAMBURG, Germany - The oldest bordello in Hamburg's red-light district is shutting down for lack of business, according to newspaper reports published Friday.
The family-run Hotel Luxor, established in 1948, is being sold to an investor and will close down for good next month, madam Waltraud Mehrer said, according to the Hamburg Morgenpost and Bild newspapers.
She blamed the decline in business on easily available Internet porn, the rise of call-girl services, and "noisy discos and dance clubs" on the same street as her business, the newspapers reported.
"You can't make any big money selling sex in St. Pauli any more," she was quoted as saying, referring to the area that includes the red-light district. "The only thing still in operation are the table dance clubs."
The club's heyday was in the 1970s, when it was open 7 days a week, with 12 prostitutes on hand.
"Our customers were well off, they didn't scrimp," she said. "That's also changed today."
Hotel Luxor today employs four prostitutes, and is only open Tuesday through Friday nights.
"Two thousand euros (US$3,080) per night — it was like that once," one of the women, who gave her name only as "Nicole," told the Morgenpost. "Now I can only dream of that. I've been here a year and only earn around euro200 (US$308) per shift."

Fine Drunk Brits

2008-03-14T14:53:00.001-07:00

Call to fine public drunks £100

Alcohol consumption has been rising for the last 15 years

People should be fined £100 for being drunk in public, even if they do not cause a nuisance, a leading medic says.

Plastic surgeon Peter Mahaffey told the British Medical Journal police should carry breathalysers and fine those three times over the drink-drive limit.

The Bedford Hospital medic said his suggestion came after seeing patients injured in drunken fights and disorder.

The government rejected the idea, saying the police already had the ability to deal with problem drinking.

We think the government would be much better to force bars and clubs not to serve people when they have had enough

Alcohol Concern spokesman

Mr Mahaffey said he had been motivated to speak out after seeing patients with facial scarring and nerve injuries sustained during drunken disorder.

He criticised the decision announced in this week's Budget to raise taxes on drinks.

"Why should we all pay when many drink responsibly?

"We are also part of a European community where taxes are generally low. I am not sure it is the best way of tackling the problem."

HAVE YOUR SAY

If someone is drunk and not causing a problem, then it's no-one's business but their's

Steve Edwards, Bishop's Stortford

Send us your comments

He said by imposing fines the message would soon get across that binge-drinking was not acceptable.

"I think as a society we have had enough. We need to send out a strong message.

"The levels of drinking and the harm it is causing is depressing. I see people with terrible injuries that they will never recover from. Now is the time to act."

Consumption

Alcohol consumption has been rising steadily for the past 15 years, with figures suggesting a third of men and a fifth of women drink more than the recommended levels each week.

Alcohol is a factor in the majority of crimes and is estimated to cost the economy £7bn a year.

But the Home Office said the proposed extra powers were unnecessary.

Police already have powers to fine people between £50 and £80 who are drunk and disorderly - although under Mr Mahaffey's plans they would not need to be causing a nuisance to be punished - and ban drinking in public places.

A spokesman said: "We recognise that while most people adopt a safe and sensible approach to alcohol, there are a minority whose drunken behaviour leads to violence or anti-social behaviour.

"The government is determined to tackle those who act in this way."

And an Alcohol Concern spokesman added: "We would not support this. There are already laws in place to tackle drunken behaviour.

"We think the government would be much better to force bars and clubs not to serve people when they have had enough."

Scarlette Affair

2008-03-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Date with Scarlett sells for $40,100 on eBay
Winning bidder from England will accompany star to her movie premiere

Access Hollywood
updated 5:22 p.m. CT, Thurs., March. 13, 2008

LOS ANGELES - Scarlett Johansson put herself on the auction block — and it paid off well for the actress and the Oxfam relief organization.

The eBay auction, which was for charity, closed with a winning bid of $40,100 by a lucky bidder who lives in England, Page Six reports. The winner will get to accompany the star to the premiere of her upcoming film, “He’s Just Not That Into You.”

Oxfam is an organization which "works to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice," according to Oxfam.org.

However, Johansson isn't the first starlet to put herself up for bids.

In 2002, Charlize Theron auctioned off a chance to have dinner with her on eBay. A California man shelled out $38,000 to meet the actress, according the New York Post. Proceeds from the dinner went to the South African Children's Charity Project.

Student Sues Teacher

2008-03-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Student Suing After Being Awakened By Teacher
DANBURY, Conn. (AP) ― Danbury officials have been notified they are being sued by a student who was awakened in class by a teacher who made a loud noise.

Documents filed with the Town Clerk, a prelude to a lawsuit, claim that a sleeping student suffered hearing damage when his teacher woke him up by slamming her hand down on the boy's desk. in December.

Attorney Alan Barry says 15-year-old Vinicios Robacher suffered pain and "very severe injuries to his left eardrum" when teacher Melissa Nadeau abruptly slammed the palm of her hand on his desk on Dec. 4.

A city official says the matter has been referred to Danbury's insurance carrier.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Prison guards eat cake baked by prisoners. What could possibly go wrong?

2008-03-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Prisoners drug guards

http://www.stopimpaireddriving.org/planners/Holiday2006/creative/Preview/File-Cake-Final.jpg

Copenhagen - Four Danish prison guards were treated for poisoning after eating a cake laced with drugs that was baked by prisoners, Denmark's Ekstra Bladet tabloid reported on Thursday.

The two male and two female guards were treated for stomach pain at the infirmary in a prison in Nyborg, on Denmark's eastern Fionie island, according to an anonymous prison official quoted by the daily.

Prior to feeling sick all four guards had eaten a cake baked by prisoners - some of whom belong to Denmark's most notorious criminal gangs.

Officials said the cake was laced with an unidentified narcotic.

Deputy prison warden Una Jensen confirmed the cake had been baked by "one or several prisoners", hardened criminals belonging to the Black Cobra and Den Internationale Klub gangs.

"We've never experienced such a violent attack on our members," Bo Soerensen, head of the Danish prison guards' union told Ekstra Bladet.

He called the drugging an "attack on the entire Danish penitentiary model and the good tradition of where guards and prisoners interact in an informal manner."

Authorities at the prison have banned guards from accepting cakes, sweets or other goodies made by prisoners.

Complaint dismissed in social host ordinance arrest - due to MS

2008-03-04T22:08:00.000-08:00

By John A. Williams
Staff Writer
For the first time since its inception 13 months ago, a complaint against a person arrested for violating Edmond's social host ordinance has been dismissed.

Elizabeth Ellen Duncan, 53, and her son Timothy Donald Duncan, 18, were arrested Jan. 26 on the complaint of allowing underage drinking in their home.

Before the Duncans' arraignment hearing Thursday, City Attorney Paul Lakin said he made the decision to dismiss the complaint against Elizabeth Duncan based on medical information and because Duncan's son took full responsibility for the party.

"Had she been the one who set up the party, ran it, knew about it, that would have been the situation,” Lakin said.

Duncan's attorney, Pattye High, said the woman had no idea that there was a party going on in her house.

"She was upstairs asleep,” High said. "Ms. Duncan has multiple sclerosis, so when she came to the door, yes, she was unsteady on her feet, and yes, her speech is slurred, and no, she was absolutely not intoxicated. It was the result of her disability.”

According to an Edmond police report, 15 to 20 people were seen leaving the residence, several of them minors. High said police officers assumed that Duncan was intoxicated and arrested her.

"She was attempting to tell them that she had multiple sclerosis and there was no listening,” High said.

Duncan and her son posted $544 bail each, which also counts as the fine and court costs. Lakin said the money will be returned to Elizabeth Duncan.

Edmond's social host ordinance holds adults responsible when minors drink alcohol in their homes, but High said the wording of the ordinance makes it clear that a person must "knowingly permit” a gathering to be in violation.

"You can't be held criminally responsible for something if you have no knowledge about it going on,” she said. "This poor woman had no idea.”

Edmond City Attorney Stephen Murdock said he doesn't see that as a problem with the ordinance.

"We don't think it's a loophole at all,” he said.

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