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kirksville mo

2009-05-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Violent storms tore through four Midwestern states, killing three people in northern Missouri, damaging dozens of homes and leaving thousands without power.
Kirksville apparently took the hardest hit Wednesday night. Police Detective Sgt. Ron Celian said the storm damaged 30 to 40 homes and flipped cars and shattered windows at a car dealership. One home was destroyed.
"It just tore everything up," said Don Williams, who rode out the storm in his basement with his wife and four children. "It was just a blur. Insulation and trees blowing everywhere. I could see stuff just flying through my house."
Sullivan County Emergency Management director Rick Gardner said a woman was killed Wednesday night when what appeared to be a tornado struck a mobile home east of Milan in Sullivan County.

Two other people died in a neighborhood near the car dealership, said Adair County coroner Brian Noe. Authorities did not release the victims' names pending notification of family members.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Brent Bernhardt said the Adair County sheriff flew over the area to inspect the damage and said in some places the tornado was only 500 feet wide.
"It was not wide," Bernhardt said. "It would be on the ground and then come back up and be on the ground again."

afpc

2009-05-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

In the latest news, U.S. Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) is moving its on premise RightNow solution to a new highly secure, Department of Defense (DoD) SaaS solution. Released in April, RightNow's new defense-ready SaaS offering meets intense levels of compliance and security to help AFPC reap the benefits of RightNow's On Demand CRM, such as rapid time to deploy, more frequent access to ongoing solution innovation, increased reliability and lower cost of ownership, as it shares in a press release. In the new platform, more than 100 AFPC agents would be able to provide accurate, up-to-date information across multiple touchpoints to military and civilian employees of the U.S. Air Force. In addition, would be AFPC website with a self-learning knowledge foundation, ability to monitor constituent feedback, disseminate consistent information, and easily update content to ensure relevancy.

There will also be, as claimed, reduced inbound email by guiding constituents to submit questions via the web, where it is converted into an incident that AFPC can track and respond to. RightNow adds that it has pioneered the SaaS delivery model for government agencies and has successfully served the U.S. government for more than ten years.

Over 155 public sector clients, including nearly every U.S cabinet level agency, Army, Marines, Air Force, members of the Intelligence Community and DoD, is what it cites in its roster.

plum island

2009-05-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

An odd creature has apparently washed up on New York's coast, sparking claims that it may be another so-called "Montauk Monster."

A similar carcass sparked an online and media frenzy last July after appearing at a popular surfing spot near Montauk, N.Y.

Nicky Papers, who runs a Web site dedicated to the mystery, says he was contacted by a couple on May 5 who "think they’ve found what appears to be the Montauk Monster" on the North Fork of Long Island.

Papers wrote that he traveled to Southold, N.Y., to view the remains.
"The beast smelled like a mix of low-tide and rotten garbage," Papers wrote. "It really smelled horrific. I couldn’t help but take numerous pictures of it and video clips."
He said the carcass was being kept in a "cooler full of ice."

cell for cash

2009-05-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

Cell for Cash (CellForCash.com) is a company of RMS Communications in Ocala, Florida. It provide services of consumers and business to sell their cellular phones for cash. That is, Sell your old phones for cash. CellForCash.com program manager is Andrew Hinkle and CEO is James Mosieur.

This site is very helpful to sell your old phone best price without shipping rate.James Mosieur states his website lists over 200 cell phones his company is willing to buy. Users select a manufacturer and model and complete a registration. The company provides a box and a prepaid shipping label for mailing. Boxes are usually received, within 3 to 7 business days.

who won america s next top model cycle 12

2009-05-13T21:16:00.001-07:00

It's final panel time and the girls are wearing bikinis for their final judging. Weird. Still, both girls look gorgeous.
It's critique time:
Allison, to my surprise you came through. The judges were all shocked and amazed by how great Allison did on the runway. Tyra says she expected her to be a buck-eyed mess, but was the exact opposite. Thanks? I think.
The judges liked Teyona's walk, but said that it was robotic at times. We totally agree with the judges on that. Teyona' s walk was fierce, but no fun.

It's time for the judges to critique the girls entire portfolio. First up is the light yourself challenge, which Teyona won, but the judges have decided they like Allison's better now. Next up is the face paint photo shoot, the judges think that Teyona's photo was beautiful, while Allison's was startling and weird. Next is the Ciara photo shoot and the judges are really chatting up Allison's photos. We knew they loved Teyonas, but it turns out they love Allison's too. Lastly it's Tyra's photo: Tyra says she enjoyed shooting Allison more. Regarding Teyona's photo, Nigel says it's not her best. While Tyra says she thinks Teyona's photo is stunning, but she could have done better. Miss J poo-poos it all and says Teyona is all sorts of fabulous.

Wow, this is really a close one. It's obvious the judges have loved Teyona all Cycle, but it seems like Allison is making a very strong argument why she should be America's Next Top Model. What do you think, will ANTM shock us all and name Allison the winner? Someone who could actually be a *gasp* top model

lemniscate

2009-05-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

What is Lemniscate? First let's take a look at the definition of Lemniscate.. Lemniscate is any of several figure-eight. The infinity symbol is an exact example of Lemniscate.

On one hand there is also a novel called "Lemniscate" written by Gaynor McGrath which I believe is the one people are actually looking for.

little rascals

2009-05-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

If you’ve never ever watched these cute Little Rascals then you might have missed out all the fun. I’ve watched them several times through TV home videos that are aired on local channels. I had always admired all the cute little kids who turned out to be very good little actors and actresses who are chosen not get too shy and unintelligible in front of the camera.I’ve first seen this movie in the TV several years ago, several years before my kid was born.

My kid was also able to watch this movie through one of the cable channels. My little kid was so amused: she laughed out loud at the funny antics that these little actors and actresses do in the movie. My kid couldn’t understand yet what these kids in the movie are talking about, but we sure enjoyed watching those reruns together.The Little Rascals Where are They Now
In case you are wondering where these kids are up to know, I got hold of the YouTube video that shows what these little rascals now look like. Some of them became hot hunks, and one grew up to be a sexy voluptuous vixen.I still wished that these cute Little Rascals would still stay the same, but kids will always grow up!

everything that rises must converge

2009-05-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

The $1.7 trillion federal deficit is now coming in at $1.8 trillion.
The additional amount is five times the savings of $17 billion proudly announced by the Obama earlier this week.

Uncle Sugar is now borrowing 46 cents of every dollar spent.
That's $6000 in deficit per American citizen. Just this year, of course.
WaPo quotes the blog of White House Budget Director Peter Orszag: "The deficits ... are driven in large part by the economic crisis inherited by this administration."
OK, that makes us feel better.

tasmanian tiger

2009-05-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

AFTERSHOCKS will inevitably be felt in Tasmania from the implosion of the National Basketball League.
This is the feeling of Tasmanian Institute of Sport basketball coach Justin Schueller, who fears the State's impressive production line of elite male players may run dry without a complete pathway.
Basketball Australia announced yesterday that it plans to go ahead with a seven-team NBL this year. This followed the withdrawal of both Melbourne clubs, which left the competition without its reigning champions or any teams in the major markets of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
But BA chief executive Larry Sengstock conceded it may yet be forced to scrap the season if there was not sufficient support from clubs.

While welcoming the job opportunities provided by the interim league, Schueller warned a depleted or non-existent national competition would impact on a State that has produced NBL players Matthew Knight, Sam Harris, Nic Campbell and two-time champion Adam Gibson.
"It would have been devastating if this league had not gone ahead because the players, fans and sponsors would all have gone elsewhere," he said.

"(But) it's going to be tough to keep kids in the sport, particularly where an athlete is good at another sport.

"Because basketball is so professional now, if the professional opportunity is not there another door will open elsewhere so it is a major concern.

katie perry

2009-05-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Last week, we had six performances from 4 contestants, and this week we again had six, this time from the Top 3. For the first time this season, the performers all had multiple solos, something I wasn’t sure was going to happen. And, for the first time in a long while, the talk after the performance show was not the gifted Adam Lambert, but instead the gutsy Kris Allen, the one Simon had discounted in several interviews in the last few days as unworthy, and his cover of a Kanye West tune. Kris was the high-point of the night for many.

A Night At the Museum’ gets the opening pimp spot, and it was funny, yet a little drawn out. Crusty is out, and announces over 88 million votes came in. 1 million separating the top two tonight. The judges are introduced, and we hear that Jordin Sparks and Katie Petty are in the house tonight

jordan sparks

2009-05-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

The internet was sent into a mini frenzy Monday when American Idol season 6 winner Jordin Sparks‘ new single Battlefield leaked online. With word coming in that she would officially debut the song on tonight’s intense American Idol results show, fans could barely wait to see the performance.

Joined on stage by the song’s co-writer OneRepublic singer/songerwriter Ryan Tedder, Jordin Sparks returned to the Idol stage and gave a completely rocking performance–looking every bit like a mini Beyonce! Jordy will debut the single to radio tomorrow on the Elvis Duran morning show.

Related Articles:
//New Music: Jordin Sparks - Battlefield////Daughtry Debuts New Single During American Idol Results Show Performance////Kelly Clarkson Performs “My Life Would Suck Without You” On American Idol’s Results Show////Jennifer Hudson Returns To American Idol, Performs On Results Show////Taylor Hicks And Jamie Foxx Perform During American Idol Results Show//

who won the biggest loser 2009

2009-05-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

An amazing weight loss of 54.47% has given Helen Phillips that extra edge to beat out all the other contestants and grab the title of biggest loser with a booty of $250,000 to take home. The season premiered on January 6, 2009, with eleven overweight couples. This was highest percentage of weight loss in Biggest Loser history, 54.47%. She also became the third consecutive winner to originate from the Pink Team. Mike came in a close second, and Tara was third.

Jerry won the $100,000 at-home prize with a total percentage of weight loss of 47.97% .
The Biggest Loser is an American reality television show that began broadcasting on the NBC network on October 19, 2004. The seventh season began on January 6, 2009. As of May 2009, NBC is casting for an ninth season.

biggest loser season 7

2009-05-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

The 3-hour season finale of the Biggest Loser revealed 48-year old Helen lost the largest percent of weight (55%) and won the challenge. You only had to tune in during the last 10 minutes to find this out.
See a slideshow of Helen's transformation here
She beat out Tara and Mike for the $250,000 grand prize. They all looked amazingly slim. Mike lost 207, Tara lost 155 and Helen lost 140 pounds.

The rest of the show was a lengthy weigh-in of the other 19 contestants who were eliminated over the past 18 weeks of the season. Sixty-four year old Jerry, who left after 2 weeks on the ranch, won the at-home prize of $100,00. He lost nearly 50% of his weight.

Season 7 was a landmark season. It had the heaviest, oldest, youngest and sickest contestants. Tara never fell below the yellow line and also won a record number of challenges.
Season 8 starts in September. Casting for season 9 is now open. Family member teams of 2 who each have over 100 pounds to lose are needed.

frontier communications

2009-05-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

U.S. stocks were down Wednesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 140 points to 8326, the S&P 500 declined 16 points to 892 and the Nasdaq Composite slid 31 points to 1684. Among the companies whose shares are actively trading in the session are GT Solar International Inc. (SOLR), BMC Software Inc. (BMC) and Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT).

GT Solar's ($5.73, -$1.49, -20.64%) fiscal fourth-quarter profit plunged 59% as the solar-equipment maker's margins slumped. On top of the disappointing results, the company issued on a weak fiscal-year view.
BMC Software ($33.00, -$2.05, -5.85%) posted a 14% decline in fiscal fourth-quarter earnings as higher charges masked increased sales at the maker of business software. Income beat expectations but revenue fall short of analysts' estimates.

Applied Materials ($11.02, -$0.46, -4.01%) swung to a fiscal second-quarter loss as sales plunged a less-than-feared 53% in a tough environment for the chip sector. The latest quarterly loss marks the second in a row for the semiconductor-equipment maker after a string of profits running back to 2003.
Medicines Co. (MDCO, $6.55, -$4.59, -41.20%) said it is discontinuing its Phase 3 Champion clinical trial of cangrelor in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. The company said an independent interim analysis review committee reported the trial wouldn't demonstrate persuasive evidence of clinical efficacy. Cangrelor is an antiplatelet agent Medicines Co. was developing for intravenous use during coronary procedures.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.'s (DPS, $22.48, +$1.22, +5.74%) first-quarter earnings rose 39% on a gain related to changes in distribution agreements as the company saw increased margins and sales improvement in carbonated soft drinks. Profit was well above analysts' expectations, prompting the beverage giant to increase its full-year earnings forecast. It still expects revenue to decline 2% to 4%.

american idol may 12

2009-05-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

American Idol on May 12 of 2009 is down to its Top 3 and for its 300th episode each of the guys had to sing two songs: a choice of their own and one chosen by one of the judges. Hands down, the guys picked better songs for tonight's American Idol than the judges. Between the guys, the competition is going to be close and the results may be narrow.

Danny Gokey started out tonight's American Idol with a song chosen by Paula – “Dance Little Sister” by Terrence Trent D’Arby. I’m not a big fan of the song to begin with, but I really didn’t like what Danny did to it. The graveliness of his voice is really starting to grate on my nerves. Personally, I thought it was a poor song choice and Danny did nothing to improve on it.

On the other hand, One Republic’s “Apologize” was the perfect song for Kris Allen’s voice and personality. He did a beautiful rendition of the song. And as Randy said, I think the song showed us what kind of future Kris has in the music business. And that’s the kind of music, I would buy

the fray heartless

2009-05-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

Let me go on the record right now and say Kris shut it down!
Talk about going out on a limb!!!

He selected Kanye West/The Fray’s “Heartless,” and it was acoustic and not to be believed! This guy is amazing when it comes to the full-on artistry. Adam gets all the love for bringing something fresh and different to this year’s competition, but he needs to share some of that shine with Kris Allen.

Even Simon had to give him his props because Kris smacked it up, flipped it and rubbed it down. OOOOO noooo!

Gokey better watch his back, because Kris seriously came full force. Way to go dark horse!!!

adam lambert one

2009-05-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

Adam Lambert One Video - When the time came to Adam Lambert to perform on the Top 3 night, he was given a song picked out by judge Simon Cowell. The song luckily for him was very popular, but it has a bad side to it, because it is also an anthem and a difficult song to sing.

The start was really good, but then again I find that Adam Lambert likes to scream. It lacked the type of screaming Bono does in this song. This song is one of those songs when you actually want to sing with pure emotion, not with acting and screaming. Actually his style reminds me of the 80s.

terrence trent darby

2009-05-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

The show begins and not only is Adam Lambert in the spotlight, but Danny and Kris are as well. Will Katherine hate it quite as much if they all get to do it?

As the opening credits roll, I must tell you that I got a new laptop. It's teeny tiny and I love it.

OK. On to the show. The chick from Lie to Me is in the audience. You'd think they'd have someone from Fringe there to focus on since the finale is tonight. What do I know? I only work in promotion.

Ryan tells us we are down to the three amigos and then intros the judges, who are, unfortunately, not able to be called the three amigos due to that extra baggage seated between Randy and Paula. Boo.

The top three hit the stage and Kris Allen looks awkward and out of place between the other two heavy weights. He seriously looks as if he believes he doesn't belong there. I believe he is right. Allison was robbed!

First up, we head to Danny Gokey's hometown of Milwaukee and learn that Danny is singing Paula's song choice, “Dance Little Sister” by Terrence Trent Darby.

He looks like he's constipated - I mean, concentrating. This is a terrible song choice for him. This is so not good. AND, this is the first time that I will admit Danny MAYBE should have gone home last week. Allison was robbed!

Randy says, “Let the games begin.” He then refers to this as the way to jump it off tonight and calls the performance “dope.”

Dead weight likes that Paula picked this song b/c it keeps Danny in his “money spot.” She did not like the gyrating dancing though and she isn't sure she will remember the performance tomorrow. What's HER name again?

Paula is a choreographer and she thinks he did really good...fantastic even.

Simon thinks the dancing was a bit desperate but his biggest problem was the toy sax solo in the middle. He apparently liked it – though he didn't say so in so many words. He does, however, think it was the wrong song choice.

Next, we head to Arkansas to learn that Kris' first song was chosen by Randy(they list Kara's name as well, but let's be honest, she just parrots whatever Randy says). He is singing “Apologize” by One Republic.

Kris is on piano tonight and his face is in full force Mayer mode. He is sliding to the notes and it's killing my ears. His tone is inconsistent. This is karaoke for me...very amateur. I am so not loving tonight so far. Alison was robbed!

Randy rambles and doesn't give much of a critique.

The bane of my existence says it was a really confident performance but she thinks Kris didn't hit it out of the park. She says he should take more chances by doing something like playing accoustic guitar. 'Cause nothing says “guts” like something you've done before. God, I hate her.

Princess P heard a loud bum note but she is so proud of Kris. She says all three of them are worthy of the top two spots. Based on that non-critique, I'd say Paula is fibbing.

Simon calls what Kara said a “cop out.” He tells her that she can't choose a song for someone and then blame them for doing the song. Note to Simon: Randy chose the song. He says it was a competent version of the original but not quite as good.

Argument between Simon and Kara/Randy ensues b/c Simon says they should have worked out the arrangement for Kris. Randy claims he didn't know they were allowed. C'mon guys, we all know the show is steered by the judges and producers. Don't act like the contestants make the decisions themselves

netflix

2009-05-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

I talked the other day about taking profits off the table for your market winners for the year. One of those stocks that I had recommended in my 4 stocks to buy in 2009 is Netflix (NFLX).

Once up at $50 not to long ago, the online video rental company has taken a bit of a dive. At this same time, the market as a whole was moving higher, so many traders were obviously taking their money out of Netflix and moving it elsewhere. The question is how much further can Netflix go? Is the move up done?

Regardless of the decline downwards, Netflix has still posted solid numbers and news. If there is any hopes for a bounce back, the charts will show us

Both RSI and full stochastic are at the low level of the range, which 1) tells us that the stock could become oversold and 2) chances of heading higher is more probable.

How much higher we can go is another question. As you can see in the chart, Netflix broke through the support (blue line) of the previous trend on more than normal volume. So that line could now play a pretty strong resistance.

bilious

2009-05-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

What does "Bilious" mean? What's the meaning or definition of Bilious? I thought it's one of those crazy phishing websites aimed at facebook users. Or I did think of it as something like some weird name for a newborn baby..hheheh.. whatever! But people are searching for it and I don't know why.Anyway, Bilious means:

a: of or relating to bile b: marked by or suffering from liver dysfunction and especially excessive secretion of bile c: appearing as if affected by a bilious disorder."

kris allen heartless

2009-05-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

This is when it’s good to have my own blog. Vote for Kris Allen tonight and he just might make it into next week’s AMERICAN IDOL season finale. Kris is the dark horse to make it through to next week but I think he has a shot, especially after his brilliant performance of Kanye West’s “Heartless” tonight.

Vote for Kris: 1-866-IDOLS-02 1-866-IDOLS-05 1-866-IDOLS-08 (I’ve been calling and I’ve been getting through. That’s not good. Let’s step it up, people!)
If you missed it (or like me just want to relive it over and over again), then check it out.

carrie prejean tmz

2009-05-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

Carrie Prejean has addressed photos maliciously released during a photoshoot - and she says the photos that reveal her breasts were "in-between" shots that were never meant to be released.

During her speech Tuesday as the remaining Miss California, Prejean addressed the new photos that were released hours ago baring her breasts. She says the photos were "in-between" shots maliciously released by a photographer who was never supposed to release those pictures

myfi

2009-05-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

THE eyes of the Commonwealth could be focused on Caernarfon this year which has emerged as a front runner to host the Queen’s Baton Relay.

Caernarfon, along with two other major Welsh towns, is in contention to host the event which is the Commonwealth Games’ equivalent of the passing of the Olympic torch across the globe.
If the town is selected, the relay is likely to take place on November 10-11, either on the revamped Maes, in Caernarfon Castle or at both locations.

The baton will pass through towns and cities in 71 countries eventually reaching the host city, New Delhi, India by October 2010 in time for the opening ceremony.
Wales will be the second country in the Commonwealth to host the baton as it makes its way from Buckingham Palace, across the four corners of the globe.

It is one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar and is held after every four years. The most recent games were held in Melbourne, Australia in 2006.
Caernarfon town council clerk Katherine Owen revealed the news to councillors at a meeting on Tuesday night, who unanimously supported the proposal to hold the ceremony in November.

She said: "If we are successful there will be no shortage of former Commonwealth Games competitors to carry the beacon, including Caernarfon weightlifter Ieuan Thomas."
It was important to stress that nothing had been finalised but if the town was picked then the eyes of the world would be turned to Caernarfon.

mark landon

2009-05-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

The son of late actor Mike Landon has been found dead.
Mark Landon, the eldest son of the "Little House on the Prairie" star, has been found dead in his home and according to authorities, no foul play was suspected.

Mark Landon was found his West Hollywood home on Monday, reports the Associated Press, but his cause of death is not yet known, according to officials.
Mark's father Michael Landon died at the age of 54 after a battle with cancer.

ntsb

2009-05-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Colgan Air, operator of the regional aircraft that crashed in Buffalo, N.Y., on Feb. 12, is defending its training and policies as the NTSB opens hearings into the incident. The company said Capt. Marvin Renslow had passed six consecutive hands-on tests, known as check rides, since joining the airline, but it was unaware of at least two tests he had failed as a general aviation pilot.

"Consistent with standard practice in the airline industry, Colgan did not attempt to access information on prior, general aviation check-ride failures," the company said. Combating rumors of fatigue and poor training, Colgan also noted that Renslow had "nearly 22 consecutive hours of time off before he reported for duty" and "all the training and experience" needed to fly the Bombardier Q400 aircraft. New York Times, The (05/11) Wall Street Journal, The (05/12)

one minute minister

2009-05-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs seems to be under orders to engage more effectively with men. This was revealed after the Greens submitted a written question to the Minister, Pansy Wong, asking who was invited to the pre Job Summit meeting organised by the Ministry. The answer was basically “we won’t tell you” but a journalist found out some interesting background under the Official Information Act. The new Minister of Women’s Affairs with the strong guidance of our Prime Minister want Women’s Affairs to be more inclusive. That means inviting men along to help “champion” women’s rights.

The Chief Executive of the Ministry Shenagh Gleisner said that inviting men would be helpful to “champion the actions”; is that because she believes that men make most of the business decisions?

What actions came out of the meeting many women’s organisations might ask, as very few were invited? Why is it okay with Shenagh that men make most of the decisions in business? And which male champions did turn up

house both sides now

2009-05-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

Spoilers for the "House" fifth season finale coming up just as soon as I squawk...

"So, this is the story you made up about who you are. It's a nice one." -Amber"Too bad it isn't true." -KutnerI have no interest in letting my Twitter account overtake my blogging or column-writing -- I have trouble expressing an opinion in 140 words, let alone 140 characters -- and yet I'm half-tempted to just copy and paste what I Tweeted immediately after watching this episode, which was "David Shore and company need to lay off the M. Night Shyamalan marathons.

"You get the point. It's not that I necessarily object to surprise twists -- it's that I object to the same kind of surprise twist, told over and over, by the same storyteller. Piling one hallucination on top of House's previous hallucination, on a show that already did a season finale where the main character was unwittingly hallucinating (and then did a season finale last year where he was having visions but was aware of it), well... that's too much. Sorry. When you go to that well multiple times, it stops being a cool trick and becomes just a trick.

bagpipes from baghdad

2009-05-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

First Eminem released “Crack a Bottle,” then videos for the jokey “We Made You” and deadly serious “3 A.M.” This past weekend, some fans may have found a way to hear a few more cuts from Relapse, Slim Shady’s first album in nearly five years. But Rolling Stone has listened to the entire album the way it was meant to be heard — and our official review of Eminem’s Relapse is right here.

In his four-star review, Rob Sheffield explores the true target of Relapse’s barbs: Eminem. After falling into a prescription-pill addiction that took him out the rap game and threatened to turn him into biggest adversary (his mom), Em is back, rhyming about Lunesta, Ambien and Vicodin with the brutal honesty of Richard Pryor’s 1982 Live on the Sunset Strip. The Dr. Dre beats are spare, the guest spots minimal — just brief cameos by 50 Cent and Dre.

sweet silver lining lyrics

2009-05-11T21:34:00.001-07:00

Hot News: house season 6 house season 5 finale britney star ecreamery brittany starr mayfield psychiatric hospital sweet silver lining lyrics bagpipes from baghdad house both sides now one minute minister jesse ventura ap psychology practice test the hucksters charm school wounded knee pancreatic cancer symptoms ernest provetti carrie prejean underwear delonte west mark cuban kenyon martin paciugo ap environmental science robert loggia baba booey robert losier In Omaha, Neb. is a historic neighborhood called Dundee.

If it sounds vaguely familiar it may be because it is home to Warren Buffet, the second richest man in the world. It is also home to a unique parlor and online venture named eCreamery.
eCreamery employees

eCreamery and its website, eCreamery.com, sells ice cream but with a twist. All orders are custom made. You name the flavor and eCreamery will make it from scratch. Some favorites include Almond Joy, Banana Foster, Green Tea and Doug’s Happy Hour, which includes a mix of premium stout ice beer and pretzels.

Business partners Becky App and Abby Klusmire purchased the company in 2007 and what they’ve done and they way they’ve done it has recently resulted in a dramatic increase in sales

mayfield psychiatric hospital

2009-05-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

I read one TV addict said in her blog that House Season 6 would be titled Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital. This fictional name of a hospital is actually Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital. Well, it remains to be seen, no one really knows what would season 6 be like.

brittany starr

2009-05-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

The Game season 3 finale guest star Gabrielle Dennis) has a false alarm with the baby's delivery, Melanie (Tia Mowry) decides she wants to get married to Derwin (Pooch Hall) right away before the baby arrives, even if it means giving up her dream wedding. When Jason (Coby Bell) is arrested for assaulting Kelly's (Brittany Daniel) boyfriend, Kelly rushes to be by Jason's side and the ex-couple have an emotional moment.

Tasha (Wendy Raquel Robinson) finally admits to Kelly that she was the one who set Jason up with ... Author: Glamheidi; Tags: The Game finale

OLTL: I Wanna Be Sedated 7 Blair McBain, Rebecca Lewis, Marty Saybrooke, Becca Salzman, Lola Montez, Powell Lord, Dorian Cramer, and Jack Manning. Starring Eddie Alderson as Matthew Buchanan Kristen Alderson as Starr Manning Camila Banus as Lola Montez Brandon Buddy as Cole Thornhart Kassie DePaiva as Blair McBain Michael Easton as John McBain Shenell Edmonds as Destiny Evans Susan Haskell as Marty Saybrooke Jessica Kaye as Rebecca Lewis Carmen LoPorto as Jack Manning Florencia Lozano as Tea Delgado Sean Moynihan as ... Author: Fullhousefreak2007; Tags: OLTL

OLTL: I Wanna Be Sedated 6 Blair McBain, Rebecca Lewis, Marty Saybrooke, Becca Salzman, Lola Montez, Powell Lord, Dorian Cramer, and Jack Manning. Starring Eddie Alderson as Matthew Buchanan Kristen Alderson as Starr Manning Camila Banus as Lola Montez Brandon Buddy as Cole Thornhart Kassie DePaiva as Blair McBain Michael Easton as John McBain Shenell Edmonds as Destiny Evans Susan Haskell as Marty Saybrooke Jessica Kaye as Rebecca Lewis Carmen LoPorto as Jack Manning Florencia Lozano as Tea Delgado Sean Moynihan as ... Author: Fullhousefreak2007; Tags: OLTL

britney star

2009-05-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

Sam Lutfi faced off against Britney Spears's legal team – and lost, slapped with a three-year restraining order last month.
His wallet may be taking a hit next.

Lawyers for the singer asked a Los Angeles court last Friday to order Lutfi, who once was her manager, to pay $123,142 to cover Spears's legal fees for the courtroom battle over the restraining order.

In addition, her lawyers are seeking $129,922 from Jon Eardley, an attorney who has challenged Jamie Spears's control over his daughter, and $72,292 from her ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib. Both Eardley and Ghalib were also ordered to stay away from the pop star

house season 5 finale

2009-05-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

I was excited back in the fall when Noel said he was stepping down from regular House coverage; I loved his write-ups, but the chance to do my own was too good an opportunity to pass up.

The resulting season has been, to put it mildly, a mixed bag--I'd say it's the worst season the show has yet to put out, and there are troubling indications that the creative team has exhausted all reasonable possibilities and is now resorting to cliche. There've been flashes of brilliance, but it's not consistent, and despite their best attempts, the New Coke team haven't ever yielded the same chemistry of the original trio.

house season 6

2009-05-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

Suddenly these phrases are highly searched. The reason is the House Season 5 Finale. House "Both Sides Now" is scheduled May 11, 2009.

In this connection, there are rumors that House crew was spotted filming at the Gryestone Park Psychiatric Hospital. There were talks as well that it was chosen as the venue for the next House Season 6. The hospital will be made into a fictional - Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital.PLEASE STOP COPYING MY POSTS VERBATIM.

hoopz sextape

2009-05-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

Nikkie Alexander is the star of the upcoming Mr. ZZee, Hoopz sex tape. Check out pictures, plus we have more links to the Hoopz sex-tape story here.

Nikki Alexander, aka Hoopz, is best known as the girl that almost won Flavor Flav’s heart on reality show “Flavor of Love.” Now she is set to be the star of a brand new flick the “Hoopz Sex Tape” which you will be able to download for free somewhere.

Infamous celebrity sex tape distributor Mr. ZZee, who is the anonymous man behind many other best selling sex tapes, announced that he acquired a sex video of the reality star. According to reports the high quality video features numerous positions, several different camera angles, and some incredibly nasty things that you’re going to have to watch yourself to find out. Currently safe-for-work redacted screen shots are available here, but the full video will be put on DVD and online pay-per-view soon.

Of course with a little digging around you can also find nude photos of Hoopz. The girl loves showing off her

national review

2009-05-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

We Boomers were the children that the Second World War was fought for. Parents who had endured both war and the Great Depression devoted themselves sacrificially to ensuring us a better life than they had. We were pampered in ways no children in human history would recognize. With minor exceptions, we have lived in blissfully fortunate times. The numbers of us who perished in plagues, in famine, or in combat were tiny in comparison to previous generations of Americans, to say nothing of humanity elsewhere.

All our lives, it's been all about us. We were the "Me Generation." We wore t-shirts that said "If it feels good, do it." The year of my high school commencement, a hit song featured the immortal lyric "Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today." As a group, we have been self-centered, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, and all too often just plain selfish. Our current Baby Boomer President has written two eloquent, erudite books, both about..himself.

space shuttle launch

2009-05-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Seven astronauts boarded NASA's space shuttle Atlantis this morning, preparing for the long-awaited final mission to repair and improve the Hubble Space Telescope. The launch is scheduled for 2:01 p.m. ET.

"Outstanding to be here, looking forward to getting off the pad," Cmdr. Scott Altman radioed from the shuttle on Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Arguably the most technically ambitious in-space servicing project ever, the 11-day NASA mission includes five planned spacewalks to install new instruments and perform difficult repairs on Hubble, which was launched more than 19 years ago.

The current mission is the fifth and final servicing trip to Hubble and could provide the space telescope with 10 to 70 times its current discovery power. New batteries should keep the enhanced Hubble active for at least another five years and possibly as many as ten, NASA scientists say.

gary dell abate

2009-05-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

Longtime Howard Stern show producer Gary Dell'Abate threw out the ceremonial first pitch Saturday at the Mets game and now the wildly thrown pitch is the latest Internet sensation. Indeed, the Gary Dell'Abate first pitch is buzzing the web like nobody's business.Gary Dell'Abate First Pitch Becomes Internet Sensation You can see a video clip of Baba Booey's first pitch blunder by clicking the link at the bottom of this article.

Before we delve in to the reasons why the Gary Dell'Abate first pitch is such a hit, it needs noting that Mr. Dell'Abate was at the game because he was the host of Autism Awareness Day. So it seems that there is some truth to the old saw that no good deed goes unpunished. But in his usual self-deprecating manner, Dell'Abate brushed off the hilarious blunder by noting on Mondays show that the ball managed to stay in the frame.

I started listening to Howard Stern in the early 90s (I was late to the party) and immediately took notice of the fact that Howard teased his producer, Gary Patrick Dell'Abate, with merciless zeal. But, it was also very clear that Stern did so because of his great affection for Gary Dell'Abate. When he's not ripping Gary, he's commending him for his crackerjack management skills.

godaddy email

2009-05-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, I decided it would be nice to own my own domain name, www.kimberlypalmer.com. So I visited www.GoDaddy.com, a popular domain name and web hosting company, and checked on its availability. (When I went to the site itself, it was blank.) The GoDaddy search function told me that someone already owned the site, but I could place a backorder on it for $18.99, which would give me the chance to own the domain name when it came up for auction a year later. So I went ahead and paid the $18.99.

A few days ago, shortly before the domain name was scheduled to come up for auction, I received an email from someone in Australia. (E-mails from international addresses automatically trigger my scam sensors, so I was suspicious.) It was from a man from an Australian technology company (at least that's what he was claiming to be) offering to sell me www.kimberlypalmer.com for $250 -- far above what I would ever consider paying. The E-mail came with a pitch:

canon powershot sd1100 is

2009-05-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this was supposed to be an office or condominium building, or what company was constructing it, but it has been standing unfinished behind the Quezon City Hall for more than a decade. An eyesore and a waste.

All the photos in this blog were taken either by me or my husband. I can't really stop you from using any of these on your own blog or website, but do please acknowledge the source of the image and let me know by leaving a comment or emailing me at happyinmanila2008 at yahoo dot com, and sending me the url of your site. I'd really appreciate it.

austin community college

2009-05-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Business After Hours, Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, Austin. 437-7519. 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Find out what's new in nature and programs. Food and door prizes, ribbon cutting at 4:30 p.m.
Free bird watching walk, Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, Austin. 437-7519. 6:30 a.m. Binoculars provided; meet at the nature center.
THURSDAY
Wellness clinic, Mower County Senior Center, 400 Third Ave. N.E., Austin. 433-2370. 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. 10-minute massages available.

Hearing aid clinic, Mower County Senior Center, 400 Third Ave. N.E., Austin. 433-2370. 3:15 p.m.
AHS Class of '53 lunch, Blue Belle Inn, St. Ansgar, Iowa. 1 p.m.
Rummage and bake sale, First United Methodist Church, 204 First Ave. N.W., Austin. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday.
Free bird watching walk, Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, Austin. 437-7519. 6:30 a.m. Binoculars provided; meet at the nature center.

Retirement celebration, Neveln Elementary School gym, Austin. 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Celebrate the retirement of Jeff Ollman. Free, refreshments will be served.

Cosmetology fashion show, Riverland Community College, West Building, 1900 Eighth Ave. N.W., Austin. 6:30 p.m. Enjoy fashion from the Victorian age, the '20s, '40s, 60s, '80s and '90s as students prepare models with clothing, hair and makeup. Free admission.

FRIDAY
Rummage and bake sale, First United Methodist Church, 204 First Ave. N.W., Austin. 9 a.m. to noon; bag day.
SATURDAY
Oak Savanna bird festival, Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, Austin. 437-7519. Enjoy area birding tours in the mornings and a free National Eagle Center presentation at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Vehicle fair, Mower County Fairgrounds, Austin. 433-0973. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Let your child experience the fun and excitement of transportation. There will be a variety of large and small vehicles for children of all ages to explore.

Spring plant sale, Oak Park Mall Community Room, Oak Park Mall, Austin. 433-2415. 9 a.m.-noon. Hosted by the Mower County Horticultural Society. Featuring perennials from members' gardens. Come early for best selection.
SUNDAY
Oak Savanna bird festival, Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, Austin. 437-7519. Enjoy area birding tours in the mornings.

American Legion baseball breakfast, American Legion Post 91, Austin. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Donations.
MAY 19
Eye-care clinic, Mower County Senior Center, 400 Third Ave. N.E., Austin. 433-2370. 1 p.m. Free.
Free bird watching walk, Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, Austin. 437-7519. 6:30 a.m. Binoculars provided, meet at the nature center.

truecar.com

2009-05-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

This may not come as a huge surprise, but most automakers are selling their vehicles these days below sticker price.

What is kind of shocking is the weakness of some new-car prices. TrueCar.com, which claims it has access to thousands of sales at dealerships throughout the U.S., compiled a list of the top 10 2009 car deals.

Kia dominated last year's top 10 with four cars. In 2009, though, Ford Motor Co. took over, with nine cars and trucks. The automaker has been trying to move away from incentives, which puts more pressure on window sticker prices. But the price distress is widespread, analysts say.
Terry Box

free mothers day e cards

2009-05-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

The hawking of Mother's Day is hardly new. This year, within an hour, my e-mail inbox filled up with Plow & into being.

The women who originally celebrated Mother's Day conceived of it as an occasion to use their status as mothers to protest injustice and war. In 1858, Anna Reeves Jarvis organized Mother's Work Days in West Appalachian communities to protest the lack of sanitation that caused disease-bearing insects and polluted water to sicken or even kill poor workers.

In 1870, after witnessing the bloody Civil War, Julia Ward Howe—a Boston pacifist, poet, and suffragist who wrote the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"—proclaimed a special day for mothers to oppose war. Committed to ending all armed conflict, Howe wrote, "Our husbands shall not come to us reeking with carnage. … Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience."

new kids on the block

2009-05-08T07:46:00.001-07:00

SUMMIT -- The Board of Education has approved the recommendation of Superintendent of Schools Nathan Parker and appointed a new assistant principal at Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School to replace Emile George, who is retiring at the end of the school year after 40 years of service to the Summit Public Schools.

Jeffrey Heaney, a science teacher and athletic director at Branchburg Central Middle School, was selected from more than 340 applicants for the position, which officials noted is an unprecedented response for an administrative opening in the Summit schools. A committee interviewed 27 candidates and narrowed the pool to three finalists. The committee was chaired by Dr. Ken Shulack, Summit's human resources director.

Committee members were Summit Middle School Principal Matt Block, middle school social studies supervisor Erik Parks, middle school teachers Donna Mariano, Kim Stevens and Melissa Garcia, middle school guidance counselor Jane Parkinson, school secretary Eunice Churchill and middle school parent Wendy Graeb.Mr. Heaney brings more than 10 years of experience as a science teacher and athletic director.

"He clearly knows middle school students," said Dr. Shulack. "He is familiar with middle school curriculum and has worked very successfully with middle school staff and students." He has also served as a team leader and understands the nature and importance of teaming and small learning communities at the middle school level, the director added

mickey carroll

2009-05-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

Frank Melton, mayor of Jackson, Miss., dies at 60; Donald 'Ean' Evans, bassist for Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, dies at 48; Mickey Carroll, one of the Munchkins in 'The Wizard of Oz, dies at 89.

Frank Melton, 60, the mayor of Jackson, Miss., died early Thursday, less than two days after losing a reelection bid in a contentious Democratic primary that came a week before his second federal trial.

statue of liberty

2009-05-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

Although we do not have any obligation to monitor this board, we reserve the right at all times to check this board and to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us in our sole discretion and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request.

We also reserve the right to permanently block any user who violates these terms and conditions. All threats to systems or site infrastructure shall be assumed genuine in nature and will be reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities

realchocolate.com

2009-05-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

Go to RealChocolate.com to sign up and receive a FREE Mars chocolate bar. It’s only for the first 250,000, so you’ll have to hurry since it starts at 7 AM Mountain Time. You can get up to four coupons per household! Thanks, Kelli.

PS - I’m having a hard time getting this site to pull up - a lot of people want their free chocolate

body works exhibit

2009-05-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

Like Amy, I despised the "Body Worlds" exhibit, considering it to be defiling the human body for entertainment purposes (despite its scientific pretensions). Guenther von Hagens, its originator, has now tipped his hand, showing what a sick SOB he's always been: his new exhibition depicts cadavers having sex. Says Wesley J. Smith:

But breaking "taboos" is all that matters in a hedonistic culture crumbling from the destruction of social cohesion. Further, hedonism denigrates human exceptionalism by reducing us to the level of instinctive and self indulgent beings living for the next, ever more nihilistic, thrill. We can break this downward spiral only by seeing clearly what is happening and refusing to participate in it.

Now that the von Hagens has created actual pornography with dead bodies. As Smith says, what's left now? This stuff is Satanic. In a sane society, this ghoul would be in prison or in an insane asylum. In our culture, he is rich and famous

dominic dimaggio

2009-05-08T07:08:00.001-07:00

Dominic DiMaggio, the bespectacled Boston Red Sox center fielder who was overshadowed by his older brother Joe’s Hall of Fame career, died early Friday at his Massachusetts home. He was 92.

DiMaggio was surrounded by his family at his death, according to his wife, Emily. She did not give a cause of death but said that DiMaggio had been ill lately.

“He was the most wonderful, warm, loving man,” his wife of 61 years said. “He adored his children, and we all adored him.”

henry lee summer

2009-05-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

Green Day have enlisted Franz Ferdinand and the Kaiser Chiefs as the opening acts for the second half of their U.S. summer tour; openers for the first half are still being sorted out, Pitchfork reports. The Kaisers will join Green Day from July 27th at New York’s Madison Square Garden to August 7th in New Orleans, with Franz taking over between Houston’s August 8th date and the tour’s finale, August 25th in Los Angeles.

For the Kiss fan who has everything, there are some new action figures coming this August. You can check out unpainted models of the toys at Kiss Online; all four figures — Starchild, Catman, Spaceman, and the Demon — will be released in a limited-edition collectible window box, depicting the band onstage. Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist bassist Donald “Ean” Evans died after a battle with cancer in Mississippi at age 48, the AP reports. Evans joined the band after Leon Wilkeson passed away in 2001.

Late-’80s pop singer Henry Lee Summer, the man behind the Top 20 hit “I Wish I Had a Girl (Who Walked Like That)” was arrested Tuesday after tossing drugs from his car during a traffic stop in Indianapolis, according to the Associated Press. He was also charged with one count of obstruction of justice and two counts of resisting law enforcement

dom dimaggio

2009-05-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

Mickey Carroll, one of the last surviving Munchkins from the beloved 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz," died Thursday. He was 89.

He suffered from heart problems and died in his sleep at the suburban Crestwood home of his caretaker, Linda Dodge, she said.

Carroll was one of more than 100 adults and children who were recruited to play the movie natives of what L. Frank Baum called Munchkin Country in his 1900 book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

Carroll played the part of the Munchkinland Town Crier, marched as a Munchkin Soldier and was the candy-striped Fiddler who escorted Judy Garland down the yellow brick road toward Emerald City.

Born Michael Finocchiaro, Carroll danced at the Muny Theater in St. Louis when he was in grade school, he said, and in the 1920s worked in Chicago clubs and on the Orpheum Theater vaudeville circuit.

He warmed up crowds for President Franklin Roosevelt while campaigning in New York City and served as a crowd-getter in President Harry Truman's whistlestop campaign.

Over the years, he appeared with Mae West and did radio shows with George Burns, Gracie Allen, Jack Benny and Al Jolson.

In November 2007, Carroll and six other survivors were on hand in Los Angeles when the Munchkins received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
___
BOSTON (AP) — Dom DiMaggio, the bespectacled Boston Red Sox center fielder who was overshadowed by his older brother Joe's Hall of Fame career, died early Friday at his Massachusetts home. He was 92.

DiMaggio, a seven-time All Star, was surrounded by his family at his death, according to his wife of 61 years, Emily. She did not give a cause of death.

Known as the "Little Professor" because of his eyeglasses and 5-foot-9, 168-pound frame, DiMaggio hit safely in 34 consecutive games in 1949, still the longest consecutive game hitting streak in Boston Red Sox history. The streak was broken when his big brother caught a sinking liner in the eighth inning of a 6-3 Red Sox win over the Yankees.

The younger DiMaggio also had a 27-game hitting streak in 1951, which still ranks as the fifth longest in Red Sox history. Joe set the major league record with a 56-game hitting streak with the Yankees in 1941.

The oldest of the three center field-playing DiMaggio brothers was Vince, who had a 10-year major league career with five National League teams. Vince died in 1986 and Joe in 1999.

basking shark

2009-05-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

They swim all the way from New England to the Bahamas and across the equator to South America. Researchers have long thought that basking sharks spent all of their time in cooler waters.
“This is equivalent to finding polar bears in Kansas,” Discovery News quoted marine biologist Greg Skomal as saying. “This was a mind-blowing discovery for us.”

Like most large fish, basking sharks are difficult to keep track of because they rarely come to the surface. To learn more, Skomal and his team attached complicated tracking devices and satellite technology to 25 basking sharks off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Once each tag was attached to a shark, it collected data on depth, temperature and light levels for a preprogrammed amount of time — from 12 days to more than a year. When its time was up, the device popped off the animal and sent its data back to the researchers.

nick urban

2009-05-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

Junior first baseman Mike Dufek (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain) put together a career-best 6-for-6 day with five runs batted in and a pair of home runs to help the University of Michigan baseball team to its second-highest run total of the season in a 20-1 thumping of Western Michigan on Tuesday afternoon (May 5) at Hyames Field.

The Michigan offense pounded out 23 hits as 12 different players registered base knocks in support of sophomore starting pitcher Travis Smith (Austin, Texas/Stephen F. Austin) as he evened his season record to 5-5.

The Maize and Blue wasted no time, scoring four in the opening frame as senior leftfielder Kenny Fellows (Holt, Mich./Holt) drew a leadoff walk, stole his team-leading 15th base and scored on an RBI single from sophomore centerfielder Ryan LaMarre (Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi) to make it 1-0. Dufek then started his monumental day, launching a three-run homer to left, giving Smith and the Wolverines a 4-0 cushion.

bhutan

2009-05-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

The first-term lawmaker was unbelievably honest. His humility was equalled by the young editor of a weekly newspaper who admitted that it had been a huge mistake to publish a recent editorial that ridiculed newly-elected members of Bhutan's parliament and their role in democracy. The criticism was made worse as the controversial editorial was adapted from another published editorial, written by an unknown author, whose target was the notorious Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and his iron-fisted running of his country.

It was heartening here to see members of the media and lawmakers apologising to each other for their inability to communicate effectively or to provide information and data to promote the world's youngest democracy. Indeed, both sides are on a fast-track learning curve.

Over the past few years, Bhutan has undergone sea changes. In 2003, the kingdom had no mobile phones; now one-third of the population has a mobile phone while there are only 25,000 fixed lines. With the proliferation of satellite dishes and cable and direct TV, even the remote villages hidden in the mountains now have access to hundreds of channels - and the means to get more of the information they will need to make democracy work

eddie george

2009-05-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

The tribe has spoken: Middle-school principal Debbie was voted out because she decided to suddenly turn on her early ally, Coach, which made the others suspicious.

"You gotta watch out for people like that," J.T. said about Debbie after she approached him and Stephen, promising them that if she made it to the final three with them, she'd give up immunity and go home third. They liked that idea, but ultimately couldn't trust her enough, so Debbie joined the jury.

drew peterson latest news

2009-05-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Drew Peterson, the brash, mustachioed former police sergeant who found tabloid fame after his fourth wife's disappearance more than 1 1/2 years ago, was indicted Thursday in the drowning of an ex-wife found dead in an empty bathtub in 2004.

Peterson, charged with first-degree murder in the death of Kathleen Savio, was arrested during an evening traffic stop near his Bolingbrook home and was being held on $20 million bond, Illinois State Police Captain Carl Dobrich said.

We are very confident in our case," Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow said.

Savio's body was found in a dry bathtub, hair soaked in blood from a head wound, just before the couple's divorce settlement was finalized. Her death initially was ruled an accidental drowning, but authorities later said it was a homicide staged to look like an accident.

The indictment alleges that "Peterson on or about Feb. 29, 2004 ... caused Kathleen Savio to inhale fluid," causing her death.

Savio's family has long voiced suspicions, saying she feared Peterson and told relatives if she died it wouldn't be an accident. Their fears resurfaced after the October 2007 disappearance of Stacy Peterson, then 23.

Drew Peterson, 55, is a suspect in the disappearance, which police have called a possible homicide, but he has not been charged. He repeatedly has said he thinks Stacy Peterson ran off with another man.

"I guess I should have returned those library books," a handcuffed Peterson said as state police led him into headquarters after his arrest, according to The (Joliet) Herald-News.

drew peterson

2009-05-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

Former Bolingbrook police sergeant Drew Peterson was arrested today in the death of his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio, who was found drowned in an empty bathtub in March 2004, according to Will County State's Atty. James Glasgow.

At an evening news conference, authorities said a $20 million bail was included in the arrest warrant for Peterson.

Will County state's attorney's office spokesman Chuck Pelkie confirmed Peterson was arrested about 5:40 p.m. during a traffic stop at Lily Cache Lane and Weber Road in Bolingbrook in connection with an indictment in the murder of Savio.

When reached early Thursday evening, Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky, said he was unaware of the arrest.

"You know more than I do. I'm on a plane it's taking off in 5 minutes to go to NYC. I guess they'll have a bond hearing Monday," he said.

Another attorney representing Peterson, Andrew Abood, released the following statement:
"Drew has steadfastly maintain (sic) his innocence regarding the rumor and innuendo that has circulated regarding the unfortunate death of Kathleen. Although he is disappointed with the decision of the state, he looks forward to the opportunity to once and for all prove his innocence in a court of law.

no doubt lead singer

2009-05-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

The reunited No Doubt electrified The Bamboozle festival tonight, bringing this massive, sprawling, waterlogged festival to a close. A night after performing a sparkling show at the Event Center of the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City - the band's first since going on hiatus in 2004 - the California quartet offered the shivering crowd in East Rutherford a heart-warming dose of power pop, ska, and soul-inflected gems.

With no new material to play (the band has said that it plans to write a new record while on tour), No Doubt was free to give the thousands who had braved the weather all day exactly what they wanted: a collection of old favorites and radio hits to sing along with.

chris daughtry

2009-05-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

remember when Chris Daughtry was eliminated on “Idol.”
What a shocker that night was. Good to see him and his band Daughtry on the “Idol” stage.

If their new single, “No Surprise,” is any indication of what their new album will be like, I am ready to download it now!
I love it when an artist can perform live and really rock it out.

I felt like I was at a concert, and I still can’t believe he didn’t win “American Idol.”
No worries though cause Chris Daughtry is a superstar and the band gets awarded a plaque acknowledging more than five million sales to prove it.

american idol top 3

2009-05-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

After American Idol performances last night on May 5 I thought for sure that tonight’s American Idol top three results show would be the end of the line for Danny Gokey. However, apparently Danny has got some unbelievable luck or some devoted (although deaf) fans.

The announcement of the American Idol Top 3 was given in random order this week – no bottom three (or two). But that didn’t diminish the surprise when Kris Allen was sent to safety first, especially after the judges panned his performance on Tuesday. Kris really is a dark horse contender

And lastly, Chris Daughtry returned to the Idol stage with his band Daughtry to debut his new single “No Surprise.” Chris is living proof that you don’t have to win Idol to be successful. I really enjoyed his performance and even turned to my husband to asked why we don’t have a Daughtry album (he was on the show before I started watching it

gwen stefani

2009-05-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

It’s good to see Gwen Stefani and her wife-beater with the bra straps showing back with the fellas.

They perform “I’m Just a Girl,” and Gwen’s voice seems to have matured from the early years. Not sure why she felt compelled to do some push-ups, but I get that her body is still sick after two babies.
I think her vocals might have sounded better if she didn’t feel the need to run all over the place. Still, it was fun in a comic-book kind of way.

Ryan is so cheeky with his “Hi babe” to Gwen. I’m excited that No Doubt is going on tour. I’m just a fan!

no doubt

2009-05-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

So far, 22 percent of people who've taken the current lehighvalleylive.com Entertainment Poll -- which of the four remaining "American Idol" finalists do you pick to win it all? -- got it wrong. Allison Iraheta is going home.

The teenager rocker got the boot tonight, leaving Kris Allen, Danny Gokey and frontrunner Adam Lambert to battle for the title of "Idol" king. This is the first time in the show's eight-year history that there's been an all-male final trio.

The voters' decision undoubtedly came as a shock for our Marcia White, who earlier today predicted that Iraheta would make it through tonight's elimination on the strength of her "electric" duet with Lambert. The two performed Foghat's "Slow Ride."

It looks like the judge's response to her solo performance of Janis Joplin's "Cry Baby" had a bigger impact on Iraheta's vote-getting ability than White anticipated. They described the 17-year-old California resident's take on the classic as unoriginal.

what odor

2009-05-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Unless your cat was taken away at gunpoint by the police (see The Far Side post below), you have a litter box. And sometimes litter boxes can…you know…even with a fastidious cat like Taki when the owners don't...you know...

SeaYu® Enterprises has launched a great line of Clean+Green®,Eco-friendly aerosol pet cleaning products. They sent me some to try out and we were most impressed with this one.

The CLEAN+GREEN's Litter Box Odor Eliminator & Cleaner is everything you are looking for to eliminate litter box odor. The odor isn’t just covered up with a perfumy smell; the odor disappears. Seriously.

It gives instant results in a non-toxic formula. It can also be used as an air freshener in the bathroom or anyplace you want your house to smell fresh and not like honeysuckle or something.
Hopefully you’ll never need it, but they even have a product that takes care of skunk odors.

face transplant

2009-05-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

When Connie Culp heard a little kid call her a monster because of the shotgun blast that left her face horribly disfigured, she pulled out her driver's license to show the child what she used to look like. Years later, as the nation's first face transplant recipient, she's stepped forward to show the rest of the world what she looks like now.

Her expressions are still a bit wooden, but she can talk, smile, smell and taste her food again. Her speech is at times a little tough to understand. Her face is bloated and squarish. Her skin droops in big folds that doctors plan to pare away as her circulation improves and her nerves grow, animating her new muscles.

But Culp had nothing but praise for those who made her new face possible.

"I guess I'm the one you came to see today," the 46-year-old Ohio woman said at a news conference at the Cleveland Clinic, where the groundbreaking operation was performed. But "I think it's more important that you focus on the donor family that made it so I could have this person's face."

Until Tuesday, Culp's identity and how she came to be disfigured were a secret.

Culp's husband, Thomas, shot her in 2004, then turned the gun on himself. He went to prison for seven years. His wife was left clinging to life. The blast shattered her nose, cheeks, the roof of her mouth and an eye. Hundreds of fragments of shotgun pellet and bone splinters were embedded in her face. She needed a tube into her windpipe to breathe. Only her upper eyelids, forehead, lower lip and chin were left.

A plastic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Risal Djohan, got a look at her injuries two months later. "He told me he didn't think, he wasn't sure, if he could fix me, but he'd try," Culp recalled.

She endured 30 operations to try to fix her face. Doctors took parts of her ribs to make cheekbones and fashioned an upper jaw from one of her leg bones. She had countless skin grafts from her thighs. Still, she was left unable to eat solid food, breathe on her own, or smell.

Then, on Dec. 10, in a 22-hour operation, Dr. Maria Siemionow led a team of doctors who replaced 80 percent of Culp's face with bone, muscles, nerves, skin and blood vessels from another woman who had just died. It was the fourth face transplant in the world, though the others were not as extensive.

"Here I am, five years later. He did what he said — I got me my nose," Culp said of Djohan, laughing.

In January, she was able to eat pizza, chicken and hamburgers for the first time in years. She loves to have cookies with a cup of coffee, Siemionow said.

On NBC's "Today" program Wednesday morning, Siemionow described the operation as a last resort.
"There was really an entire mid-face missing and there was no way to reconstruct with conventional means," the lead surgeon said.
No information has been released about the donor or how she died, but her family members were moved when they saw before-and-after pictures of Culp, Siemionow said.
Culp said she wants to help foster acceptance of those who have suffered burns and other disfiguring injuries.

"When somebody has a disfigurement and don't look as pretty as you do, don't judge them, because you never know what happened to them," she said. "Don't judge people who don't look the same as you do. Because you never know. One day it might be all taken away."

It's a role she has already practiced, said clinic psychiatrist Dr. Kathy Coffman.

Once while shopping, she heard a little kid say, `You said there were no real monsters, Mommy, and there's one right there,'" Coffman said. Culp stopped and said, "I'm not a monster. I'm a person who was shot," and pulled out her driver's license to show the child what she used to look like, the psychiatrist said.

Culp, who is from the small town of Unionport, near the Pennsylvania line, told her doctors she just wants to blend back into society. She has a son and a daughter who live near her, and two preschooler grandsons. Before she was shot, she and her husband ran a painting and contracting business, and she did everything from hanging drywall to a little plumbing, Coffman said.

Culp left the hospital Feb. 5 and has returned for periodic follow-up care. She has suffered only one mild rejection episode that was controlled with a single dose of steroid medicines, her doctors said. She must take immune-suppressing drugs for the rest of her life, but her dosage has been greatly reduced and she needs only a few pills a day.

The clinic expects to absorb the cost of the transplant because it was experimental, doctors said. Siemionow estimated it at $250,000 to $300,000. That is less than the $1 million that other surgeons estimate it costs them to treat other severely disfigured people through dozens of separate operations, she said.

Also at the Cleveland Clinic is Charla Nash of Stamford, Conn., who was attacked by a friend's chimpanzee in February. She lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids, and will be blind, doctors said. Clinic officials said it is premature to discuss the possibility of a face transplant for her.

In April, doctors at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston performed the nation's second face transplant, on a man disfigured in a freak accident. It was the world's seventh such operation. The first, in 2005, was performed in France on Isabelle Dinoire, a woman who had been mauled by her dog.

avuncular

2009-05-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

Afghan President Hamid Karzai began talking as soon as his luncheon guests had taken their seats in his wood-paneled dining room at the presidential palace in Kabul, across a long table covered with platters of lamb and rice, baskets of flatbread and glasses of pomegranate juice.

Security was improving, he declared, according to two people in the room. The cultivation of opium-producing poppies had been eliminated in many areas. The economy was on the upswing. He looked across the table at the most important of his visitors and pledged to work closely with a new U.S. administration.

"I'm at your disposal, Senator Obama."
The Democratic presidential candidate listened intently but revealed few of his own views about Afghanistan over the two-hour lunch last July. It was not until later that day, as a U.S. government jet flew him to Kuwait, that Barack Obama confided in his two traveling companions, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. and then-Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.

Obama voiced concern that the situation was worse than Karzai had acknowledged, Hagel recalled. He "was not taken in," Hagel said, "by all of the happy talk."

As the two leaders meet in the White House today, that skepticism drives the administration's evolving policy toward Afghanistan and the battle against Taliban insurgents, a conflict whose outcome will, in part, define Obama's presidency.

Senior members of Obama's national-security team say Karzai has not done enough to address the grave challenges facing his nation. They deem him to be a mercurial and vacillating chieftain who has tolerated corruption and failed to project his authority beyond the gates of Kabul.
"On all fronts," a senior U.S. official said, "Hamid Karzai has plateaued as a leader."

At the same time, the consensus view among State Department, Pentagon and CIA officials is that Karzai almost certainly will win re-election to another five-year term this August.

Obama's advisers have crafted a strategy that amounts to a fundamental break from the avuncular way President George W. Bush dealt with the Afghan leader. Obama intends to maintain an arm's-length relationship with Karzai and will also seek to bypass Karzai by working more closely with other members of his cabinet and by funneling more money to local governors.
No videoconferences
Ten days before Obama's inauguration, Karzai told Vice President-elect Joseph Biden during a private meeting in Kabul that he looked forward to building with Obama the same sort of chummy relationship he had with Bush, which included frequent videoconferences and personal visits.
"Well, it's going to be different," Biden replied, according to a person with direct knowledge of the conversation.
Obama advisers believe the relationship that Bush developed with Karzai masked the Afghan leader's flaws and made it difficult to demand accountability. Obama has not held a videoconference with Karzai, and the two have spoken by phone just twice. The administration rebuffed Karzai's request for a bilateral visit to Washington this spring, telling him he could come only as part of this week's tripartite summit with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, according to U.S. government officials. Karzai's meeting with Obama today is scheduled for 20 minutes, as is Zardari's.
Karzai's aides contend he alone is not to blame for Afghanistan's ills — and Obama administration officials readily agree. Advisers to both leaders, as well as many diplomats who have served in Kabul, maintain that the U.S. approach to dealing with Afghanistan since 2001 — a lack of troops and reconstruction dollars, periods of intense diplomatic engagement followed by stretches of inattention, and constantly shifting priorities — whipsawed and weakened Karzai.

His defenders also point to decisions by the Bush administration not to send more forces to Afghanistan. As Taliban activity has increased in recent years, overwhelmed soldiers have increasingly resorted to calling in airstrikes, resulting in numerous civilian casualties. When complaints in private failed to diminish the use of air attacks, Karzai started to denounce the U.S. military in his speeches, prompting consternation in Washington.

"The Karzai that gives Washington such a headache today is, in large part, a product of how we dealt with him," said Robert Finn, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan during the first two years of Karzai's presidency.
Exile in Pakistan
Born in Afghanistan and educated in India, Karzai spent much of the 1980s living in exile in Pakistan. After the Soviets withdrew and their proxy government was toppled, he returned to serve as a deputy foreign minister, but he fled back to Pakistan after being falsely accused of plotting with the then-president's political rivals.

Once the Taliban came to power, he sought support from the United States and other nations to organize an anti-Taliban movement among his fellow ethnic Pashtuns, who make up about 40 percent of the country's population and who are heavily represented among the Taliban.

Although he didn't get the political and financial commitments he wanted, he did establish a reputation — from Tehran to Moscow to Washington — as a moderate Pashtun interested in the reconciliation of his diverse nation.

Then came Sept. 11, 2001. After the Taliban was overthrown and Afghan leaders assembled in Bonn, Germany, to form an interim administration, the person who had the most support — among not only Afghans but the international community — was Karzai.

Karzai, who did not have a militia of his own, reached out to powerful warlords, pledging to include their representatives in his government. He sought to unite, not to hold them accountable for the violence of the rough-and-tumble years after the Soviets left.

When Karzai did seek to project his authority, he often faced opposition from the Bush administration — not because it always wanted him to be a peacemaker, but because it didn't want to deploy the resources, particularly troops, to support him in the early years of his presidency.

The most significant U.S. act that weakened Karzai early on, according to his allies and diplomats, was the decision to funnel almost all of the U.S. reconstruction assistance to for-profit development contractors, nongovernmental organizations and the United Nations — not through the Afghan government, which U.S. officials regarded as insufficiently capable of administering the aid.

The result was that Karzai's government was starved of resources to pay its workers or provide services.

In February 2003, as the U.S. military was preparing to invade Iraq, Karzai took the unusual step of testifying before a Senate committee. He was asked if he had any advice for the United States. "Whatever you do in Iraq should not reduce your attention on Afghanistan," he said. By then, however, many U.S. military assets that had been in Afghanistan had been sent to Iraq.
Dinner at palace

In November 2003, as the U.S. engagement in Iraq was becoming more violent, the Bush administration dispatched Zalmay Khalilzad, its foremost expert on Afghanistan, as ambassador to Kabul.

An animated former professor who speaks Dari and Pashto, the country's two principal languages, Khalilzad was far more than an ambassador. U.S. diplomats described his role as the country's chief executive — with Karzai as the figurehead chairman — for the 19 months of his ambassadorship.

Khalilzad ate dinner six nights a week at the presidential palace. No significant decision was made by Karzai in that time without Khalilzad's involvement. "Khalilzad's approach fundamentally weakened Karzai," said a veteran Western diplomat. "Karzai was seen by many Afghans as a puppet of the Americans. It delegitimized him."

In June 2005, Khalilzad was made the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad. He was replaced in Kabul by Ronald Neumann.

Subsequently, Karzai refused to remove incompetent subordinates, and he fired officials whom the U.S. Embassy regarded as effective. He named as his anti-corruption chief an Afghan-American who was imprisoned in Nevada on drug charges for nearly four years.

Karzai's advisers said his U.S. critics did not fully understand his decisions, which were designed to avoid tribal and ethnic strife.

By late 2006, as concern grew in the White House over Karzai's leadership, Bush initiated biweekly videoconferences with Karzai, just as he was doing with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

But the familiarity came at a cost. In late 2007, Bush's National Security Council authorized aerial spraying of poppy fields because of concern that drug profits were financing the Taliban, according to that official and another senior Bush administration official.

Bush was passionate about spraying. "I'm a spray man myself," he declared, according to one of the officials.

But when Karzai objected during a videoconference, saying the sight of spray planes would "look like chemical warfare" to the Afghan people, Bush backed down.
Strategy change
For Karzai, a dinner in February 2008 with Biden, then chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and two other committee members — Hagel and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. — was a portent of what a Democratic administration would bring.

"Mr. President, how are you attempting to control the corruption in your government?" Hagel recalled asking Karzai.

"Who is corrupt?" Karzai responded, according to Hagel. "Show me. Give me the names."
Hagel mentioned that U.S. and Afghan officials had accused one of Karzai's brothers, Ahmed Wali Karzai, the head of the provincial council in Kandahar, of links to narcotics trafficking. But Hagel couldn't cite specifics, and Karzai refused to budge.

When the conversation moved to poppy cultivation, Karzai insisted his government was making good progress.
"Mr. President, you're not doing very well," Biden responded, according to Hagel. "Your poppy production is at record levels."

On other subjects, according to Hagel and two others in the room, the discussion seesawed in the same way, with Biden disputing Karzai's claims of progress.

The back-and-forth circled back to corruption, and when Karzai again refused to acknowledge any problem, Biden stood up and threw his napkin on the table.

"This dinner is over," he said, according to Hagel and the others in the room.
By last summer Obama was already hedging his bets. A few days earlier, he told an interviewer that "the Karzai government has not gotten out of the bunker and helped organize Afghanistan and its government — the judiciary, police forces — in ways that would give people confidence."
Given the likelihood of a Karzai election victory, the administration is seeking to increase its engagement with local and tribal leaders — not to persuade them to forsake Karzai but to get them to be more effective administrators.
Administration officials hope that improvements in local government, coupled with improvements in security, will convince Afghans to stop supporting the Taliban.

But cultivating disparate local leaders could be just as challenging as dealing with Karzai.

"Because we've been so enamored with Kabul, we don't really to this day understand the tribal structure well enough to use it as a base of our strategy," said a senior administration official.

"The chances of our engaging tribes clumsily and dysfunctionally, rewarding the power tribe that oppresses all the other tribes, and forcing the peripheral tribes into the hands of the Taliban — that's the kind of stuff we're probably doing right now and we don't even know it."

"But we don't have a choice," the official said. "We have to build a bottom-up dynamic to counterbalance Karzai. And that's a whole lot harder than working with one guy at the top."

judy trunnell

2009-05-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Relatives grieve for woman with fluwho died* CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, Associated Press WriterHARLINGEN, Texas (AP) - This week should have been a joyous time for Judy Trunnell, a 33-year-old schoolteacher who had just given birth to a healthy baby girl.

But the friends and relatives whose cars lined the quiet street in front of her home in a quiet subdivision Tuesday instead were mourning her, the first American with swine flu to die."We're grieving now," said a woman with tear-streaked eyes who declined to give her name.In Maryland, her cousin told WMAR-TV in Baltimore that Trunnell had died after spending two weeks in the hospital. She slipped into a coma, and her baby was delivered by Cesarean section, Mario Zamora said."She was just a beautiful person, warm at heart.

She worked with disabled children as a teacher," Zamora said. "Those that knew her will always remember her."Texas health officials stopped short of saying that swine flu caused Trunnell's death. State health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said the schoolteacher had "chronic underlying health conditions" but wouldn't give any more details.She died early Tuesday after being hospitalized since April 19, said Leonel Lopez, Cameron County epidemiologist.

Trunnell's death came as life in the areas hardest hit by the outbreak began returning to normal. In Mexico, where the current strain is thought to have originated, stores, restaurants and factories were officially allowed to reopen Tuesday. And U.S. health officials withdrew their recommendation that schools with suspected swine flu cases shut down for two weeks.

The only other swine flu death in the U.S. was that of a Mexico City toddler who also had other health problems and had been visiting relatives in Brownsville, near Harlingen. He died last week at a Houston children's hospital.There have been 29 other confirmed swine flu deaths, all in Mexico. Hundreds of cases of the disease have been confirmed in several countries, but mostly in Mexico and the U.S.Trunnell was from Harlingen, a city of about 63,000 near the U.S.-Mexico border, and taught in the Mercedes Independent School District about 15 miles west of her hometown.She was first seen by a physician April 14 and was hospitalized on the April 19.

Zamora said she had complained of difficulty breathing and was put on life support.Doctors knew she had a flu when she came in, but did not know what kind, Lopez said. The area is undergoing a Type A influenza epidemic right now, and swine flu is one variety of that, he said. She was confirmed to have swine flu shortly before she died, he said.Dr. Joseph McCormick, regional dean of the University of Texas School of Public Health's Brownsville campus, said the woman was extremely ill when she was hospitalized.Mercedes school district officials announced that it would close its schools for the rest of the week and reopen Monday.

brown bear

2009-05-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

Simeon Rice has been on the comeback trail since the scouting combine and is still seeking a team to, well, make his comeback official.

Profootballtalk.com unearthed a radio interview Rice did last week with WQYK-1010 AM in Tampa where the former Illinois star mentioned the Bears as one the possibilities for his services.

"I'm going to play this year,'' said Rice, who has 122 career sacks. "I've got about two weeks. I have a chip that is so big on my shoulder it couldn't even get inside the building I left it by the car.

"I called my boy Raheem [Morris, the Bucs coach] up. This is the place I want to play. I've got the Bears, I've got other other teams that are talking to me, but I want to finish out with the team I love. I love Tampa Bay. I love being a Buccaneer. It's not a money situation. It aint the money. My motivation is going out there on top, going out there and claiming my crown back and saying, `OK, I reign supreme. That's my love jones.''

It's a good thing Rice has identified Tampa Bay as the place he wants to be because we don't see an opening for him with the Bears, not after they used a fourth-round draft pick on Texas' Henry Melton. He will be the fifth end with Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije. If Rice has anything left at 35--that's an if--he's got one year remaining. That would give the Bears four, count 'em, ends with one year left including Ogunleye, Anderson and Idonije.

Rice very well may be talking with defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who coached him in Tampa Bay when his career took off as one of the dominant pass rushers of his era, but the Bears are intent on developing Anderson and Melton and an aging veteran who has not played since 2007 when a shoulder injury did him in.

Rice hit the radio circuit in Chicago before free agency and has not been able to drum up enough interest to land a gig yet. He said on WQYK that he would likely have something in place in the next two weeks. Rice claims he's fully healthy and is running the 40-yard dash in the 4.5's again and is doing 360's on the basketball court. That's great but can he, you know, jump out of a swimming pool standing up? That might get the Bears' attention.

"Right now, if I was to put on a helmet, I'm automatically in the top five in this league at that spot," he proclaimed.

"I want to say I'm the number one guy, I'm the king, baby. But I'm not gonna say that because that's always an earned spot. So I'm humble enough to say, 'You know what? I gotta go back and do my work.'"

We'll take a closer look at how playing time is going to be divided on the defensive line a little later on today. We've got some interesting stuff to look at. Check back later on.

todayshow.com recipes

2009-05-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

Senior Editor, iLounge Published: Monday, April 20, 2009 News Category: iPhone Applications
NBC’s Todayshow.com has released the official Today Show application for the iPhone and iPod touch. Developed by Zumobi, the app offers video and audio clips from the show, top stories and photos form popular Today topics, including health, food and wine, entertainment, relationships, and fashion.

The Today Show application is available now as a free download from the App Store.

Digital Chocolate has released Mini Golf 99 Holes Theme Park, its latest game for the iPhone and iPod touch. The game offers players five different characters, each with their own secret power, four unique courses, a total of 99 holes, and obstacles such as bumpers, teleporters, and spring jumps. Mini Golf 99 Holes Theme Park is available now from the App Store and sells for $5; a free Lite version is also available.

Glu Mobile has released its Cooking Star game for the iPhone and iPod touch. In Cooking Star, players are asked to solve a varied set of cooking puzzles using multi-touch- and accelerometer-based controls, such as flipping kebabs, stirring soups, slicing ingredients, mixing salad, and more. Users who achieve five-star proficiency in the eight mini-games can unlock real recipes to build their cookbook; Glu Mobile also promises that new mini-games will be added periodically. Cooking Star is available now for $3.

Mac developer Steve Capps, under the company name onedoto, has released AliceX, a new iPhone and iPod touch game created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Mac.

AliceX is inspired by Through the Looking Glass, a game Capps wrote for the original Mac while working for Apple; the title also has the distinction of being the only game Apple ever sold for the Macintosh. Based loosely on the rules of chess, the game puts Alice on a chess board with the objective of capturing all of the opposing pieces, and Alice begins playing as a queen but eventually moves to acting like a pawn in later levels. In total, the game offers 96 levels in four speed groups, and players must score at least 750 points to advance to the next level. AliceX is available now from the App Store and sells for $2. [via Mac Rumors]

anodyne therapy

2009-05-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we now have a real estate agent working with us. It's someone we met at an open house and planned to call and then she got in touch with us to get feedback on what we didn't like about the house. Worked out well.Also, we finally got our preapproval letter!

We gave them the paperwork on April 24 and received the letter yesterday. They weren't kidding when they said their turn around time was decreased because everyone and their brother is refinancing.

School related news....last night was my last night of class. Now to study for the final...we were given a study guide (the exam is the first closed book exam of my graduate career) which was three pages long. Good thing the test is 2 weeks away....Two more clinic days left and I'm done. I survived!

lex and terry

2009-05-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

The Givers get together with over 1000 of their closest friends in their goal to raise $1,000,000 for The Autism Society of America.
Florida - Lex & Terry’s Ticket to Ride started seven years ago.

The Givers teamed up with Missy Lybrand and Darryl Scott to put together a charity event for the ASA. What started humbly as a local fundraiser has grown to two events and possibly a third one and has raised nearly $1,000,000 over its lifetime.

The Jacksonville event is the mother of all of the events they do every year. The Giver team up with several businesses including Planet Radio 107.3, Venus Swimwear, Adamec’s Harley-Davidson, Carrabba’s, Starbucks, Miller Lite, and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to feed the riders, provide drinks, and give them the chance to bid on some killer stuff. The attendees have the chance to auction on guitars signed by Nickelback, Keiffer Southerland, Jesse James Dupree, and Chris Cornell.

Starbucks caffeinated the riders before the ride. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office closed down the streets of the River City, escorted the ride, and even gave some killer demonstrations including my favorite on picking up a downed bike. Carrabba’s fed the riders some chicken marsala, pasta, and a tasty caesar salad. Miller Lite donated the beer that was sold to raise additional money.

The ride sold out all 750 motorcycle slots to riders from all over the Lex & Terry listening area and beyond. Although we don’t have numbers for this event at press time, we’re certain that the event is well on its way to the $1,000,000 mark.

There was live music, hot babes like the 50/50 raffle girls, great food, cold drinks, and good times! The weather was great and the bikes and babes were hot.

santa barbara fire

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

Southern California's brush is dry and fire is raging in Santa Barbara this afternoon, making this the perfect time to review fire safety.

Ideally, you would have planned for the possibility of wildfire, including picking an evacuation route (and a backup route), making an inventory of your property (keep a second copy in a remote spot such as a bank safe deposit box), making a list of what you would take and gathering your important documents, which you then put in a safe place that you can get to easily.

If evacuation looks likely, here's what fire safety experts say you should grab:

Medicines, prescriptions and first aid kit Bottled water Clothing and bedding Flashlights, battery-powered radio and extra batteries Special items for infants or elderly or disabled family members Computer hard drive or laptop Photographs Pet food and other pet items such as leashes and water bowls Important papers, including insurance policies; a list of prescriptions; birth and marriage certificates; passports; drivers license or other personal identification; Social Security cards; recent tax returns; employment information; wills and deeds; stocks, bonds and other negotiable certificates; bank, savings and retirement account numbers; home inventory.

For those outside of today's fire area, now is the time to get ready.

The National Fire Protection Assn. advises:
-- If you're moving to a new home in a rural area or buying land to build a new home, do a thorough outdoor fire safety check before you proceed. Locate the home on thelot with adequate setback from downhill slopes. Wildfires travel uphill rapidly -- make sure that your home won't be in its path. -- Make sure that the area has adequate public fire protection available. Will emergency vehicles have easy access to the house? Is your address clearly visible from the road? Will firefighters have access to a water supply to put out a fire? -- Make your roof fire safe. Untreated wood shake roofs are the leading cause of wildfire losses.

A roof made of fire-resistant or non-combustible materials can make your home safer. Also, use non-combustible (metal) screening in eave vents and for windows. -- Sweep gutters, roofs and eaves regularly, and remove dead branches from around or near chimneys. Burning firebrands or embers can collect in the same space that leaves and pine needles do. Remove leaves and needles from cellar window walls and from corners and crevices around the outside of your home.

-- Create a survivable space, safety zone or "fire break" around your home. Flammable (highly resinous) plants, woodpiles and debris should be kept as far away from the exterior walls of the home as possible. Fences, decks or outbuildings connected to the house must be considered part of the house; construct them out of non-combustible materials and keep them clear of pine needles, dead leaves, etc.
At the Firewise Communities website, you'll find several checklists and printable brochures to help make sure your home and yard are as fire safe as you can make them. Among the tips:
-- If you wish to attach an all-wood fence to your home, use masonry or metal as a protective barrier between the fence and house.-- Use non-flammable metal when constructing a trellis and cover with high-moisture, fire-resistant vegetation.-- Prevent combustible materials and debris from accumulating beneath patio deck or elevated porches; screen underneath or box in areas below the deck or porch with wire mesh no larger than 1/8 of an inch.

dream on

2009-05-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been complaining that Adam Lambert shrieks when he sings in falsetto, I offer you one Danny Gokey. His final note on "Dream On" was perhaps the most painful single note I have ever heard on "American Idol." Honestly, I feel a little bad for the guy, since he's not the type who could ever sell a rock song. (It's not like Sammy Davis Jr. would have sounded any more credible doing Aerosmith.) Still, with nearly every rock song in the world to choose from, Danny chose this one, and that's all on him.

Kris, too, is no rocker, and as he sang "Come Together," I was mostly thinking about the strange shapes his mouth forms every time he sings. (It's interesting that neither he nor Danny chose to turn a rock song into a soft, plaintive ballad -- sort of like what Brooke White did last year with "Love is a Battlefield." Maybe the presence of Slash was too intimidating.) I'm hardly a Styx person anyway, so I found the Kris-Danny duet fairly painful. It had a Jonas Brothers kind of feel, and -- no offense to tween girls -- I don't mean that as a compliment.

Allison is a rocker, but, like the judges, I was left a little cold by her Janis Joplin. There was something weirdly thin about the arrangement. But her duet with Adam was smokin'. And Adam...what can I say? As Randy said, there warn't nothin' Broadway about that. The man dares to do Zeppelin -- a huge, frightening dare -- and he pulls it off. I'm not sure he's ever looked as comfortable onstage. This week, his fans will be supercharged, too. Can we shut this thing down already?

Agree? Object? Have something you need to say about Kara's rocker-grrl grommets and Paula's, um, stripes? Have at it in the comments, then come back here tomorrow at 10 for our weekly "Idol" chat!

spontaneous combustion

2009-05-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we must be getting close to the end of the first season of “Fringe,” as the clues are coming fast and furious now. ZFT! Massive Dynamic! The Observer! Agent Harassment! They were all accounted for, will just one piece of the puzzle left to appear: William Bell himself. When Nina Sharp says he’s traveling, she ain’t kidding around.

The firestarter that kicked off the events this week was almost beside the point, narratively speaking. Sure, twins that can generate massive amounts of heat on a molecular level is nothing to sneeze at, but served primarily to further Olivia’s search into her past for patterns in the present. Her search was complicated, however, by recurring visions of slightly altered versions of her surroundings. It’s hard enough finding a needle in a haystack; it’s quite another when you realizing you’re looking at a haystack in another reality.

But that’s where Olivia occasionally finds herself this week: in another reality. Walter calls these experiences déjà vu, explaining that reality is determined by personal choice. Stay home instead of going to work, and reality changes. However, Olivia’s childhood exposure to cortexiphan (which affects perception) allows her visions of the “road not traveled.” These visions are occasionally minuscule (Broyles’ desk is in a different location) to the curious (a second body appears at a crime scene that once had one) to the ginormous (Boston’s on fire, with the words “He is here” scribbled in graffiti on a brick wall).

The “He” in this case could refer to one of three people: The Observer, Mr. Jones, or William Bell. I’m leaning towards Bell, only because Bell’s mysterious absence coupled with Nina’s cryptic line tonight about him “traveling” made me think that he wasn’t in another country so much as another reality. But in any case, Olivia’s visions give a sense of a butterfly effect governing the laws of the “Fringe” universe, in which small changes can lead to massively different results.

Cue the conspiracy theory, uttered by Clint Howard himself: William Bell and Walter Bishop experimented on children using a variety of drugs in order to potentially activate an army of supersoldiers to change a reality in which Boston burns as the War of the Multiverse is waged.

Indeed, a missing chapter of the ZFT Manifesto gives Whitney Houston’s assertion that the children are our future a sci-fi twist: the experiments in Jacksonville during Olivia’s childhood were designed to do nothing less than save humanity.

That knowledge puts the seemingly random Crazy Science Meltdown of the Week into some context. It’s unclear that Bishop/Bell knew exactly what drug would produce what effect, and in the name of science, essentially threw everything but the kitchen sink at the kids in Jacksonville.

Cortexiphan was but one of the drugs used. That worked on perception, but others worked on pyrokinesis, telepathy, and a host of other abilities seen throughout the season. (Remember the lab fire that sent Bishop into the nuthouse? Was the assistant that died a potential firestarter herself?)

This knowledge does little to assuage Olivia’s increasing anger at Walter’s violation of her cellular structure as a child. Couple that with Agent Harassment’s involvement in the ZFT, and you have a woman at the end of her rope. She picks a helluva time to read Walter the riot act, as The Observer stops by Walter’s laboratory soon after to take him…well, not to Friendly’s, that’s for sure. Nina and Philip apparently have knowledge of The Observer, along with a fearful memory of what happened the last time he appeared with such frequency. I think FOX should thank The Observer for increasing his visits during May sweeps.

Other bits from tonight:
Loved the payoff of Peter’s project. In my notes, I scribbled, “They make a cheaper one at Best Buy” until I realized the records in question were damaged in a fire. I love the Bishop Boys when they are bonding. Anyone else see the ZFT light box behind Nancy’s chair in the warehouse? Nice touch. Also enjoyed how once again Olivia calmed and focused a fellow Jacksonville study buddy.

I think this only confirms what many of you thought months ago: that only together could Olivia and Peter turn off the light box rigged by Mr. Jones. Peter was 1) exposed to the types of tests conducted in Jacksonville, 2) in fact the inspiration for them stemming from the incident in which The Observer saved his life, or, in a third and most mind-bendy version, 3) a version of Peter from another part of the multiverse, a Peter that did not drown. Given the massive amounts of product placement in television these days, I giggled at Olivia mentioning she had an app on her phone for dialing phone numbers her phone could here.

Can’t wait until Apple makes a commercial based around a day in the life of Olivia Dunham. “Say you need to find a teleporting German. There’s an app for that. And if your crazy-go-nuts team scientist wants to know the location of the nearest ice cream parlor, there’s an app for that. And if you’re having a hard time discerning which plane of the multiverse you’re in…well, there’s an app for that too.” Bye, Agent Harassment. Wish I could say I didn’t cheer watching you go up into flames, but I did. So there.

Maybe you liked the unsubtle shout-out to the plot of the upcoming “Star Trek” flick, but I found it tackier than watching the U.S.S. Enterprise go through the “Lost” logo at warp speed during "The Variable." With only one episode left, the show has a lot of ground to cover. But thanks to the news that it’s officially renewed for another full season, we need not worry about cliffhangers not being resolved next week.

adam lambert led zeppelin

2009-05-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

Imagine a freight train speeding toward you at midnight. Or a rockslide barreling down a hill as you try to outrace it. That's the feeling of the ominous, chugging Jimmy Page riff that kicks off Led Zeppelin's 1970 Stonehenge of rock, "Whole Lotta Love."

And that's before singer Robert Plant leans into one of the nastiest, ecstatic rock screams this side of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."

That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on "American Idol" rock night Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues icon Willie Dixon during their second U.S. tour after working it out in their live show, including it on their 1969 classic album Led Zeppelin II. Like many of the songs Zeppelin performed early in their career, "Love" was a blues standard turned on its head with a heavy dose of crunching psychedelic guitar and thundering drums, courtesy of late drummer John Bonham. The song was based on a 1962 tune by another blues forefather, Muddy Waters, called "You Need Love," which was penned by Dixon.

For Zeppelin's version, Plant customized the lyrics by adding some lyrical quotes from a few other songs Dixon wrote for Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man" and "Shake For Me," nailing the tricky vocal in a single take. It was also inspired by 1966's "You Need Loving" from the British rock group the Small Faces, for whom Zeppelin had great affection, but they also did not credit Dixon for his part in writing the original lyrics. The song became Zeppelin's first U.S. single and their only U.S. top 10 hit. Though their manager would not let them release singles in the U.K. because he thought it cannibalized album sales, the song was finally released as the band's only British single in 1997.

Dixon sued Zeppelin over the song in 1985, claiming it borrowed too heavily from his "You Need Love," and Zeppelin reached an agreement with him, with Dixon using the money he received to set up a program that provided musical instruments for schools. A cornerstone of heavy rock, the tune -- which was the theme song for the long-running British countdown show "Top of the Pops" in the 1970s and '80s -- has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, from Tina Turner and Ben Harper to Prince, Slash, Leona Lewis, Train's Pat Monahan, the London Symphony Orchestra and Jane's Addiction.

connie culp

2009-05-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

Connie Culp, center, who underwent the first face transplant surgery in the U.S., is helped to the podium by her head surgeon, Dr. Maria Siemionow, right, as well as Renee Bennett, the nurse manager for the Clinic's transplant program, far left, and Pat Lock, a nurse with the transplant team, third from left, before speaking to the media at a news conference at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, on Tuesday.

puzzlewit

2009-05-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

Roosevelt Calls Taft a PuzzlewitThe Daily Show - May 23, 2007
Executive Derision

Senior Presidential Historian John Oliver was on the show to talk about whether or not a former President criticizing a present President (as Carter did) is an unprecedented situation.
Apparently it isn't!

John Oliver said for instance that Teddy Roosevelt called Taft a "Fathead"and a " Puzzlewit" (the language!)

According to Oliver, this namecalling inspired a comedy act by Geoffrey Foxworthington that included jokes along the lines of:
If you recently booked a voyage on the Titantic ... you may be a Puzzlewit.
If your dream Vice-President is William Jennings-Bryan, you may be a Puzzlewit.
All very funny stuff of course!
Other highlights:
Oliver called George Washington an a**hole.
The only time for a former president to make comments about a currentadministration is beyond the grave - (classy Ford did this)

Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr don't have time to make comments as they are too busy with each other - Oliver said they were recently married in Hawaii ... without a dry eye on the beach.

dancing with the stars 2009

2009-05-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Honestly, after tonight's scores, could the judges make it any more personal?They want Ty gone,and granted, he's not in the same league as the other four remaining dancers, but could the judges be a little more obvious about it?

Melissa's samba had an awkward solo at the very beginning, and yet the judges didn't even mention it on the way to giving her a perfect "30" for what really wasn't that spectacular of a samba (look back at a few really great, fun sambas this season). Yet, Gilles' "opening" solo of his rhumba was labeled quite awkward, on the way to his score of 27. Give me a break!.

Okay Len, Okay Bruno.... Melissa will undoubtedly be back next week. But do you have to be so cruel to Ty to send your message home to viewers: "Don't vote for Ty"? He's made it quite far in the competition, and at the very least deserves the judges' respect. I can honestly say, I routed all season for Ty, not because I thought he could win, but because he embodied what this show was all about way back in season one: taking folks COMPLETELY out of their element and turning them into respectable dancers. He may not end up with the mirrorball trophy, but Ty Murray is a winner when it comes to dancing.

Still don't know what Lil Kim was thinking with her salsa or her Viennese waltz. This is no time to make the number of mistakes she made throuhgout the routines. Her startling scores of 25 and 27 could really jeopardize her chance at a final four spot. And Gilles, what has happened? His over-danced rhumba left me (and the judges) shaking our heads. What should have been a chance at another 30, wound up a 27, and cost him the lead in tonight's competition. Shawn was equally impressive but again, stupid judgement mistakes were made in the choreography of her quick step routine, costing her a chance at a 30; she had to settle for a 27. She did come back with her 29 for a sizling paso doble.

Tomorrow night's results show is anybody's guess. The competition going into next week's semi-finals is just out-of-this-world intense. I'm predicting Ty goes home Tuesday night, leaving Melissa, Lil Kim, Shawn and Gilles set for the greatest semi-finals in the show's history.
Stay tuned...

costume institute gala 2009

2009-05-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Tyra Banks dons a crazy bun of hair at the “Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion” Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday (May 4).

The 35-year-old talk show host accompanied designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka to the swank event. Tyra wore a Badgley Mischka Couture metallic black strapless fishtail gown.

She accessorized her look with BM jet chandelier earrings, BM glass stone, crystal cuff and Couture shoes.

james beard awards 2009

2009-05-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

Start spreading the news: The 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards, which honor professionals in the culinary and beverage industries, were all about New York, New York.

New York City nearly swept the major culinary awards, which were announced Monday night, snaring prizes for outstanding restaurant (Jean Georges), outstanding chef (Dan Barber of Blue Hill), outstanding restaurateur (Drew Nieporent of Myriad Restaurant Group), outstanding pastry chef (Gina DePalma of Babbo) best new restaurant (Momofuku Ko), outstanding service (Daniel), outstanding wine service (Le Bernardin) and outstanding wine and spirits professional (Dale DeGroff of Dale DeGroff Co.).

New York failed to capture the rising star chef of the year award, which went to Nate Appleman of A16 restaurant in San Francisco.

It was wait until next year for Chicago nominees, including repeat nominees Rich Melman of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (outstanding restaurateur), Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate (outstanding pastry chef), Bruce Sherman of North Pond (best chef: Great Lakes) and Bin 36 (outstanding wine service). Paul Kahan of Blackbird and The Publican was a first-time nominee for outstanding chef, L2O for best new restaurant and Spiaggia for outstanding service.

Chicago didn't even win the best chef: Great Lakes award, a regional award that Chicago chefs customarily dominate. This year, the award went to Michael Symon, chef/owner of Lola restaurant in Cleveland.

The Publican did win the award for outstanding restaurant design, which went to Design Bureaux Inc. of New York. "Alinea," the cookbook by chef Grant Achatz, won in the cooking from a professional point of view category. And Paul Bartolotta, one-time Chicago chef, won the best chef: Southwest award for Bartolotta's Ristorante di Mare in Las Vegas.

deanna hummel

2009-05-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

Deanna Hummel - the woman who was photographed with Jon Gosselin last week opens up about her relationship with the married reality star of TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8.
23 year old Deanna Hummel denies any affair saying she and Jon are "just friends." "It's absurd that anyone would think otherwise," Hummel tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Hummel says she met Gosselin through a mutual pal a couple of months ago. Since then, the two have been hanging out – as part of a group of friends, not as couple.
"We just talk and socialize, the normal things you do when you see friends," says Hummel.
According to Hummel, the photo which shows her driving Gosselin's car has been misinterpreted. "He just got this new car and I wanted to drive it. I'm into cars," she says. "We all have guy and girl friends. Because of who he is, it gets portrayed the wrong way, and it's unfair to him and his family."
"He's a very nice guy, don't get me wrong. But he's married with eight children," says Hummel, who is single. She adds that Gosselin "has a great family life. I would never ever think to pursue anything."
The dad-of-eight (twins Madelyn and Cara, 8, and 5-year-old sextuplets, Aaden, Joel, Collin, Hannah, Leah and Alexis) also denies any affair. After reports broke last week that Gosselin had been spotted out late at night with a woman who is not his wife, he released a statement saying he'd shown "poor judgment."
"My family is the most important thing in my life and it kills me that these allegations have hurt them," he added.
Jon has been dodging rumors of infidelity for past several months. The National Enquirer recently ran a story about yet another cheating scandal. According to the tabloid, Jon was caught kissing a beautiful young brunette at a motel hideaway - only a short distance from his 26-acre Pennsylvania estate.

lavalier

2009-05-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

I talked earlier about the typical hi-tech presentation where the content is largely on the slides. In that case you must add color by what you say rather than simply reading what is on the slides.

The alternative approach is essentially to make a speech. The real content is in what you say. The slides then should be graphical backup (pictures, graphs, key points) to what you are saying. Watch a Steve Jobs keynote from MacWorld (example) to see this type of presentation done really well, or presentations from TED (but beware, not all of them have slides at all).

But just like Steve Jobs or the TED presenters, to carry this off well you need to rehearse until you have your speech perfect, either basically memorizing it or doing it from notes. Whatever you do, don’t write it out word for word and read it. The slides are not going to help you remember what to say, they are another complication for you to make sure is synchronized with your speech. So rehearse it without the slides until you have that perfect. Then rehearse it with the slides. Then rehearse it some more. Like a good actor, it takes a lot of repetition to make ad libs look so spontaneous.

This approach will not work presenting to foreigners who don’t speak fluent English. There is simply not enough context in the visuals alone, and your brain has a hard time processing both visuals and speech in a second language. If you know a foreign language somewhat, but are not bilingual, then watch the news in that language. It is really hard work, and you already know the basic story since they cover the same news items as the regular network news.

If you are giving a keynote speech, then this is the ideal style to use. You don’t, typically, have a strong "demand" like you do when presenting to investors (fund my company) or customers (buy my product). Instead you might want to intrigue the audience, hiding the main point until late in the presentation. So instead of opening with a one-slide version of the whole presentation, you should try and find an interesting hook to get people’s interest up. Preferably not that Moore’s Law is going to make our lives harder since I think we’ve all heard that one.

I find the most difficult thing to achieve when giving speeches to large rooms of people is to be relaxed, and be myself. If I’m relaxed then I’m a pretty good speaker. If I’m not relaxed, not so much. Also, my natural speed of speaking is too fast for a public speech, but again if I force myself to slow down it is hard to be myself. This is especially bad if presenting to foreigners since I have to slow down even more.

I also hate speaking from behind a fixed podium. Sometimes you don’t get to choose, but when I do I’ll always take a wireless lavalier (lapel) mike over anything else, although the best ones are not actually lapel mikes but go over your ear so that the mike comes down the side of your head. That leaves my hands free, which makes my speaking better. Must be some Italian blood somewhere.

Another completely different approach, difficult to carry off, is what has become known as the Lawrence Lessig presentation style, after the Stanford law professor who originated it. An example is here where he talks about copyright and gets through 235 slides in 30 minutes, or watch a great presentation on identity with Dick Hardt using the same approach here. Each slide is on the screen for sometimes just fractions of a second, maybe containing just a single word. I’ve never dared to attempt a presentation like this. The level of preparation and practice seems daunting. I'd be interested if anyone else has any experience of trying this.

scrub in and win

2009-05-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

The Celtics trailed by as many as 28 points and looked ready to pull off the impossible comeback, but the Magic hung on for the 95-90 win. Dwight Howard scored 16 points and grabbed 22 rebounds for the Magic, who stole home-court advantage and looked prepared for the defending champs.

Headliner: The Magic displayed a perfectly balanced offensive attack. Five players scored in double figures, led by Rashard Lewis‘ 18 points and Mickael Pietrus‘ 17 points off the bench. Hedo Turkoglu (15 points, five assists) and J.J. Redick (12 points) rounded out the scoring for Orlando. Due to some poor shooting in the fourth quarter, their shooting percentage was not overly impressive (43 percent), but the Magic’s lights-out shooting in the first half built a lead that proved to be too great for the Celtics to overcome.

Unsung hero: The talk going into the game centered on Kendrick Perkins. If he could stay out of foul trouble and contribute in the paint, the Celtics would win. Well, he did, but they didn’t. Perkins scored a modest six points but pulled down 16 rebounds (five offensive), made three blocks and committed just three fouls. It wasn’t enough for the Celtics to win, but it was an encouraging sign for the rest of the series.

Brian Scalabrine gets an honorable mention for scoring 10 points (2-3 from 3-point range), four rebounds and a game-high plus-22 rating in 27 minutes.

Scrub: With Kevin Garnett out, the Celtics can’t afford an off night from the remaining members of the Big Three. Ray Allen had an off night. In 40 minutes, Allen scored just nine points, shooting 2-12 from the field and 1-7 from 3-point range. When the Celtics were trailing big, it looked like a bad night from Allen was the least of their concerns. When the Celtics made it close, Allen’s night stood out as a deciding factor in the game.

Rajon Rondo had a rough night as well, turning the ball over seven times and shooting just 20 percent from the field.

Turning point: As the Celtics climbed back into the game and the home crowd was starting to believe, the Celtics needed a big bucket. Trailing 91-87 with 45 seconds left in the fourth, Ray Allen pulled up for the 3-pointer. The shot looked perfect but rattled in and out. The Celtics would later cut the lead to three points, but would not get any closer.

cook yourself thin cookbook

2009-05-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

There's a new book that may help you achieve that knockout sexy look, the Cook Yourself Thin Cookbook. This book is the basis of the new Lifetime series by the same name premiering tonight. Cook Yourself Thin Cookbook was first made into a successful British TV series and now comes to Lifetime May 4.

Here's what some people say about it:
I bought this book at the weekend after watching the show on Channel Four. I’m always slightly sceptical when it comes to cook books because usually I spend lots of money on a glossy thick book , open it up , and find there’s only one or two dishes I actually would like to eat , and then I have none of the ingredients! This book it totally different. It’s all the classics that we eat anyway , fish and chips , roast chicken dinner , tomato soup etc… except that the recipes have been created with slimming in mind.

…. All of the main courses are around five hundred calories , and there are tips on how to either beef it up , or cut down even further if you want to.There are also sections on calorie counts and general everyday tips for snacks and drinks , as well as some realistic advice on exercise.

zoe pound

2009-05-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

The swine flu outbreak is benefiting Manchester-based based Byotrol, which makes a biocide product that helps to prevent the spread of infections such as MRSA. Its share price climbed by 61 per cent to 14.5p, increasing its market cap to more than £11.5m as investors believed the pandemic would spark a rush in sales.

Similarly, Stockport-based PZ Cussons said sales of its Carex range of antibacterial hand wash and hand gel products had climbed by 400 per cent since the outbreak was announced. “All of my team are slightly nervy about seeming to profit from misfortune but we have a real sense at the moment that we can make a difference,” said Byotrol's sales director Stephen Falder. “Even if (and I hope it is) the current alarm turns out to be an epidemic that never fully took hold, the behaviour of taking hand hygiene seriously, without developing an obsessive compulsive disorder, is a good life habit.”

- Jerrold Holdings, the Manchester-based loan broker which owns the Blemain Finance, Bridging Finance and Cheshire Mortgage Corporation brands, grew pre-tax profits by 21 per cent to £68.8m in the year ended June 30, 2008, on a 4 per cent increase in revenues to £166m. The business, which makes short-term bridging loans secured against properties, also saw the value of its loan book increase by 13.4 per cent to just over £1bn. The company is majority-owned by its founder Henry Moser, but the Manchester office of Barclays Private Equity bought 30 per cent of the business for £113.5m in September 2006.

During the year, the firm managed to arrange a new £900m banking facility by securitising £500m worth of loans and arranging a new £400m banking facility. It said the funding had provided the group with sufficient headroom to continue its development plans.

- Neptune Innovations, a Canadian-owned outsourcing business, is relocating its UK headquarters to Manchester in a move which is expected to create up to 130 jobs. The company is to open its new base at Towers Business Park in Didsbury having outgrown existing sites at Glasgow and Basingstoke. Its managing director, Mike McKenzie, said that the site was chosen because of the strength of the talent pool within the city.

“We've invested in a showcase site that's a step above the average contact centre and boasts excellent public transport connections. I'm confident that we'll be able to recruit a strong team with the right skills and flexibility by tapping into the diverse workforce in and around south Manchester.” The firm was advised on its move by inward investment agency Midas.

- Runcorn-based airport ground handling agent Servisair said it was assessing the impact of Ryanair's decision to close check-in desks at Manchester and other airports. Servisair has a total of 350 check-in staff at Manchester and provides all check-in staff for Ryanair across the country. Spokesman Tony Brunskill said the impact on staff at Manchester was as yet unclear.

He said: “It may have an effect, it might not. We have just heard as well. We are just assessing at the moment.” Ryanair said the decision to close all desks by October would save it £44.7m annually and stressed that 75 per cent of its customers checked in online already. Only a small number of “drop desks” will be left open to process larger luggage.

- Irish outsourcing firm Agilisys Contact Services is to close its base in Shannon and transfer its operations to the UK, including a site in Rochdale. The company, which provides contact centre services to UK public and private sector organisations, employed 71 permanent staff, who have been offered the chance to relocate to either Rochdale or another site in Barrow-in-Furness.

Kay Andrews, Agilisys chief executive, said: “This decision has been driven by the current economic conditions, with the strength of the euro against the pound meaning that overhead costs in Shannon are proving to be uneconomic. We hope that some staff will take the opportunity to join one of our contact centres in the UK. We also hope that economic circumstances will revert and we can return to Shannon in the near future.” The company is also in consultation with workers over redundancies.

- Manchester-based law firm Halliwells has been appointed to the general legal panel of the region's only FTSE 100 company, United Utilities. The two firms already have an established relationship, and Halliwells has advised its Insurance, commercial litigation, intellectual property commerce, debt recovery and property litigation departments, but the appointment to United Utilities' overall panel “paves the way for a broader service offering”, according to Halliwells. “This is a major appointment for the firm,” said managing partner Ian Austin.

- The new Ramada Manchester Salford Quays hotel has been granted four-star status by the UK's official tourism agency Visit Britain. The 142-bedroom hotel, recently passed an inspection by the organisation which measured standards of cleanliness as well as its accommodation and conferencing facility. “Four-star status shows we mean business and think very highly of our customers,” said general manager Paul Gallon. “We welcome our new status and regard it as the ideal way to round off a fantastic first year for the team at the hotel.”

- Manchester-based Indigo Planning has secured planning permission for a proposed 165-bedroom Hilton Garden Inn hotel at Kings Reach, Stockport. The scheme will deliver a new landmark building at the King's Reach business park, near Stockport town centre. The hotel will include a restaurant, bar and gym as well as meeting and conference rooms and could create around 50 jobs. Grapevine Developments and Seddon Developments will renovate the site in partnership with the Hilton chain.

- Knight Frank has promoted Richard Walters, based in its Manchester office, to regional head of planning. Aged 34, he joined in February 2008 as head of Manchester's planning team from Gerald Eve, where he led the firm's regional planning and development team.

- Ivan Heywood, chief executive of Legal & General Ventures (LGV), has resigned as a director of Wilmslow-based gyms chain Total Fitness. Heywood, who had sat on Total Fitness's board since LGV took a majority stake in the business as part of an £80m buyout in 2004, became chief executive of LGV in 2008 last year and will focus on its strategy. LGV's Zoe Clements has replaced Heywood as the investment director responsible for Total Fitness.

- Bury-based ventilation products firm Senior Hargreaves has won a second major contract from Costain, via the Highways Agency, to provide equipment for tunnels at Bell Common on the M25. The firm installed similar systems at Holmesdale Tunnels, also on the M25, in 2007.

who won i love money 2

2009-05-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

If you have a 150 I.Q., sell 30 points to someone else. You need to be smart, but not a genius.”

So said Warren Buffett, the world’s most famous value investor, at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting here on Saturday, a regular pilgrimage for some 35,000 shareholders that many call Woodstock for capitalists. This year there wasn’t as much free-flowing love, given what a difficult year it’s been for capitalists, Mr. Buffett included.

But shareholders still hung on every word from the 78-year-old investor’s lips. Between sips of Cherry Coke and bites of peanut brittle, he served up some wisdom that might have saved a lot of heartache (not to mention jobs and untold financial losses) had investors heeded it over the last decade: keep it simple.

During the boom, the country became too enamored with the idea that the best and brightest could predict the future; too dependent on complicated financial models developed by quant jocks; and too reactive to every uptick or slight drop in the market. It still may be today.

“If you need to use a computer or a calculator to make the calculation, you shouldn’t buy it,” he said. Given that the stress tests for the banking system — developed with complex spreadsheets and using sophisticated formulas predicting the next two years’ worth of earnings and write-downs — are being released this week, it was timely advice. (He still likes his investment in Wells Fargo, by the way, and suggests it has enough capital already. Though, it’s worth noting, he seemed less optimistic about the economy than officials in Washington.

Charlie Munger, Mr. Buffett’s 85-year-old business partner, added his two cents: “Some of the worst business decisions I’ve ever seen are those with future projections and discounts back. It seems like the higher mathematics with more false precision should help you, but it doesn’t. They teach that in business schools because, well, they’ve got to do something.”

I had traveled to Omaha to sit on stage, along with two other journalists, to pepper Mr. Buffett and Mr. Munger with questions — some quite tough — for more than five hours. Shareholders had sent in thousands of them by e-mail before I left. Even while I was on stage, they kept arriving, stuffing my BlackBerry.

Some questions I received showed flashes of real anger. Mr. Buffett, who had earned the nickname “the Oracle of Omaha” for his long-term performance, had let some of these shareholders down, they said. This past year was his worst ever. Like everyone else, he missed the credit crisis and subprime debacle.

Not surprisingly, however, his fan club is still strong, dismissing his bad year as part of the “markets go up and markets go down” inevitability of value investing. Even so, Mr. Buffett himself acknowledged, “I didn’t cover myself in glory” in 2008.

Others, though, wanted to know why Mr. Buffett was still invested in Moody’s, whose credibility took a huge hit in the bust along with other credit rating agencies after it doled out Triple-A ratings the way McDonald’s sells hamburgers (a shareholder’s analogy, not mine). There were plenty of questions about Mr. Buffett’s succession plan (or lack thereof, to the dismay of many investors

if it was not about Mr. Buffett’s successor, it was about his reinsurance guru, Ajit Jain, who runs Berkshire’s wildly profitable reinsurance business. “The Titanic-like ending of A.I.G., after Greenberg left, has me spooked,” wrote Ben Knoll, in reference to Maurice Greenberg, A.I.G.’s former chief. He wanted to know who was next in line to take over a job that requires assessing risk.

Mr. Buffett sometimes meandered, but he did not skirt the questions. It “would be impossible” to replace Mr. Jain, he said, saying that “we won’t find a substitute for him.” He suggested that if Mr. Jain were ever to leave, Berkshire didn’t have anyone it would allow to write the same size insurance policies. Most C.E.O.’s I know would have said they had a succession plan even if they didn’t.

To the question about Moody’s, he said the company “eagerly sought stupid assumptions that enabled them to do clever mathematics.” As to why he didn’t exert his influence, he said: “I don’t think I’ve ever made a call to Moody’s. We don’t tell Burlington Northern what safety procedures to put in or AmEx who they should lend to. When we own stock, we are not there to try and change people.”

When asked why the conglomerate structure seemed to work so well for him, he remarkably — and surprisingly, to me — explained the structure is efficient and comes in handy around April 15. “We’ve got this ability in terms of moving money around into various opportunities” without tax consequences, he said, describing how he can invest the profits from one business into another without being taxed.

Most of what Mr. Buffett said was basic and obvious — and was roundly ignored during the period leading up to this mess. “Leverage is what causes people real trouble in this world,” Mr. Buffett said. “You don’t want to be in a position where someone can pull the rug out from under you or, emotionally, where you pull it out from under yourself.”

Not that Mr. Buffett doesn’t have a rug or two of his own. For a man who preaches the virtues of simplicity in all things investing, he is wrapped up in a lot of complicated investments, namely the very same derivatives that he has called “weapons of mass destruction.” On Saturday, he acknowledged that he had futures and options contracts on stock indexes and foreign currencies, but added that, in and of themselves, “derivatives aren’t evil.”

Insurance, by the way, is not exactly simple, either. There is a crystal-ball aspect to the industry, papered over with spreadsheets of probability calculations.

On Sunday morning, the day after the meeting, I attended a private brunch for the company’s directors and managers. It was a star-studded affair (for financial types): Bill Gates, Don Graham of The Washington Post, Charlie Rose, Steve Wynn, Mr. Jain and even a movie star, Glenn Close.

It had been a long weekend. Everyone was heading to the airport. One C.E.O. told me, “If I can just hold on and try to think like Warren for a couple of days when I get home every year after this weekend, it’s a success.”

I shook Mr. Buffett’s hand goodbye and tried to remember his words from the day before: “There is so much that’s false and nutty in modern investing practice and modern investment banking,” he said. “If you just reduced the nonsense, that’s a goal you should reasonably hope for.”

michigan lottery

2009-05-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

A Kalamazoo-area man who won $10,000 in the Michigan Lottery's Club Keno game has donated his winnings to a charity.

Soon after winning the money on March 11, Jim Dancy of Richland decided others needed it more than he did. So he gave it all to the Greater Kalamazoo United Way...Full Story Michigan Lottery
Hw To Get Priza Money
Depending on which game you've played, there are different validation periods in which your prize can be claimed. For Michigan Lottery on-line games (Mega Millions, Classic Lotto 47, Fantasy 5, Keno, Daily 3, Daily 4, Lucky 7s Raffle, Millionaire Raffle and Super Raffle), your prize must be claimed within one year of the drawing date.

InformationIn case you are the winner of the Michigan lottery the following information will hopefully answer any questions you have, but if not, please call Public Relations at (517) 373-1237, or e-mail the lottery and we'll find you an answer as soon as the Michigan lottery organizers can.

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dilaudid

2009-05-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

To help battle pain and other problems caused by his debilitating bone disease, Irv Rosenfeld used to take multiple daily doses of at least eight prescription medications, including strong pain pills Dilaudid and Percocet.

Rosenfeld no longer takes any of those medications to curb the effects of his disease, multiple congenital cartilaginous exostoses.

Nowadays, the Florida-based stock broker, who routinely takes disabled children sailing and plays softball, relies on just one medication: Cannabis sativa, commonly known as marijuana.

“Without cannabis, most likely I would be homebound and on disability. That’s if I was alive,” Rosenfeld said this week in a phone interview. “It has literally made my life bearable.”

Rosenfeld is one of just four participants grandfathered into the now closed federal Compassionate Investigational New Drug program.

The 56-year-old has been in the program nearly 30 years, during which time he has continued to push for cannabis to be legalized for medicinal use.

Rosenfeld is not alone, as there has been a surge in recent months by pro-medicinal cannabis activists pushing for changes in law.

One local activist group, Patients Out of Time, for years has been at the forefront of the fight to make cannabis legal medicinally.

Based in Nelson County, just across the Albemarle line, POT is run by Al Byrne and Mary Lynn Mathre, and Rosenfeld is on the group’s board of directors.

They think that, with a presidential administration that appears to be open to their cause, now is the time to win the fight to make cannabis a legal medication — and they believe the change can come at the federal level. Yet there are still many activists and government agencies that condemn marijuana as a dangerous drug that should remain illegal.

When Byrne was a youngster, his father told him marijuana was evil and his son believed it.
When Byrne was 22, his father was diagnosed as having liver cancer, and eventually succumbed to the disease.

Chemotherapy treatments made his father deathly ill,
and a doctor told the younger Byrne to get his father marijuana.

After smoking marijuana, Byrne said, his father was able to eat and hold the food down.
Byrne, a Navy veteran who is now 66, has been a believer in medical marijuana ever since.

Experiences lead to activism

Mathre, who for two decades was an addiction specialist consultant with the University of Virginia Health System, had similar experiences as a Navy nurse who has seen patients treated with medicinal marijuana. She has also written articles and books on medicinal cannabis.

Both have testified in front of agencies and in court hearings in favor of medicinal cannabis.

In the 1980s and ’90s, Byrne and Mathre were on the board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

In 1990, the couple helped to orchestrate a conference at which several of the federal medicinal marijuana patients spoke. It was covered live by C-SPAN.

Afterward, Byrne said, NORMAL was inundated with thousands of phone calls.

“And Mary Lynn and I realized we were onto something,” he said. “Patients were the key.”

So the couple informally started their own activist group, which in 1995 officially became POT.

In 2000, the couple began hosting conferences touting the legitimacy of medicinal cannabis research, something the federal government for years has said didn’t exist.

They have held three conferences. The last, in 2004, was held in Charlottesville and co-sponsored by the Virginia Nurses Association, the Pain Management Center and UVa’s medical, law and nursing schools.

Byrne said he has made it a point over the years to stay in the federal government’s face on the issue.

He and Mathre now see real potential that the fight can be won.
Is science clear?
For more than 30 years, cannabis has remained a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it is considered to have the highest potential for abuse; there is no medically accepted use for it; and it is unsafe for use under a doctor’s supervision.

Byrne considers the government’s stance absurd.

“The myth out there by the government and people who believe the government is that [cannabis] hasn’t been recognized as a medicine yet,” he said. “There is no logical explanation for the government’s approach.”

He said research has proven cannabis’ medicinal value, noting a study sponsored by POT in which four of the federal Compassionate Investigational New Drug program patients were thoroughly tested and the results showed that cannabis helped relieve their symptoms with minimal side effects.

There also is the Center for Medical Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

Researchers there have reported positive results of smoked marijuana in HIV patients and in a study focused on alleviating nerve pain, for instance.

There is much more medicinal cannabis research being conducted worldwide.

But others are not convinced of cannabis’ medicinal value or they believe science can isolate the herb’s medicinal properties and thereby create a safe drug.

Steven Steiner, founder of Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers, believes legalizing cannabis is a bad idea.

“My stance on marijuana is it is not a benign drug that people equate it to be,” he said. “It’s a drug that intoxicates people who make bad choices.”

He admits that cannabis seems to help some with their health problems, but said science can, and has in the form of Sativex, isolate marijuana’s medicinal properties without the need to smoke it.

Sativex is a cannabinoid-based oral spray that was developed by United Kingdom-based GW Pharmaceuticals, and it has been approved for use by multiple sclerosis and cancer patients in Canada. It also is currently undergoing late-stage studies in the UK and in the U.S., according to GW’s web site.

Steiner believes pro-medicinal cannabis advocates are afraid of Sativex, which he said could be “the nail in their coffin.”

The Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Agency also are not convinced of cannabis’ medicinal value.

The DEA Web site section on its stance concerning cannabis (last updated in May 2006) clearly states that the department does not believe marijuana has any medicinal value.

Indeed, the DEA describes marijuana as dangerous.
“Legalization of marijuana, no matter how it begins, will come at the expense of our children and public safety,” the site says. “It will create dependency and treatment issues, and open the door to use of other drugs, impaired health, delinquent behavior, and drugged drivers.”

Mathre and Byrne believe the federal government for too long has used propaganda and lies to keep cannabis illegal.

“This whole thing is ludicrous,” said Mathre.
Still, Byrne believes it is only a matter of time before medicinal cannabis is legal on the federal level.
“We’re about to win here in the United States,” he said. “We have the science.”
A long fight nearing e?
ndRecently, there appears to have been a shift in medical marijuana attitudes.
Legislation to make medicinal marijuana legal is pending in four states. There are 13 states that have legalized medicinal marijuana. (Virginia has a law, passed in 1979, that permits doctors and pharmacists to prescribe marijuana to cancer and glaucoma patients, but because marijuana is illegal federally, there is no legitimate way for the drug to be prescribed.)
In March, U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said the Justice Department would no longer raid marijuana dispensaries that comply with state laws, a reversal from the Bush administration.
Significant hurdles remain, however, and Jon Gettman knows this better than most.
Gettman, the leader of the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis, has filed petitions with the DEA to have cannabis rescheduled.
His original petition in 1995 was denied on a technicality. But he refiled the petition in 2002.
The newer petition has stalled for years, but he said last week that a decision could come sometime this year.
“It’s alive and well,” he said.
He said the petition relies on some 350 scientific research articles and clearly spells out that cannabis should not be a Schedule 1 drug.

The ultimate decision will be made by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which currently is considering his petition, said Gettman, a senior fellow at the George Mason University School of Public Policy. He also teaches courses at three other universities and is a writer, researcher and policy analyst.

“We do expect some movement in the near future,” he said.
Yet, he acknowledges that with the Barack Obama administration stuck in the long process of filling positions, there could be more delays in a decision.

Either way, he is more confident in his case than in the past.
“We think we have a pretty good case,” he said. “I’m confident in the science and the law.”
While marijuana is habit forming for some and has negative side effects for others, Gettman said it is more comparable to Schedule 3 and 4 drugs, which are legal for medicinal purposes.
Like Gettman, Byrne and Mathre, Rosenfeld believes others will eventually be allowed to do what he has been doing for nearly 30 years — legally use medicinal cannabis.

the art of war

2009-05-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

I just watched a very good interpretation on Sun Tzu on History Channel. The Art of War applies to the Art of NFL Football and Life and Capitalism and etc. I have at least three copies of this book some more understandable and practicle than others. I see that the Chiefs can and should apply these principles to TEAM.

Discipline - Follow the orders of your leaders "Explicitly". The TEAM is first. Objective is the reason for battle, Winning only objective.

Pioli - Job description is providing means and enviroment for Winning. Strategic. Coercing talent and identifying weakness in enemy and subterfuge (ala Denver QB situation) to benefit the Chiefs.

Haley - Job description to implement Tactical plan to overcome enemy in battle. Emplace subordinates in position to carry out plan of attack in game/battle situations. Allowing enviroment for sub components and players to Perform.

Players - Job description to perform functions assigned regardless of cost. Do not question the leaders/subordinates of Team. Perform job function at 100% of ability.

The Art of War is I believe a theory to avert War and to practice political policies to prevent it whenever possible. NFL Football is politics failed and the best TEAM wins. The best TEAM has the probability of winning 90% of time. Pioli and Haley are responsible for putting the best TEAM on field, that is their responsibity and what they will be held accountable for. In NFL 90% is usually unattainable BUT...

As Fans we are not required to perform to enhance the TEAM concept. As KC fans we have always tried to make it as difficult for the enemy to communicate as possible during the battle. I've been hoarse on Monday many times. We need to not allow the enemy to gain intelligience about our team even though we wish to know the inside info.

We need to support our Leaders even though they tell us nothing. As fans we have the right to question when they under-perform or fail. The season will start soon enough and we will see the implementation of Pioli/Haley's Warcraft.

jessica osmond

2009-05-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

essica Osmond, Marie Osmond’s eldest daughter, is rumored to be a lesbian. Jessica Osmond lives in LA with her girlfriend. Marie was supposedly worried about Jessica as she had dreamed for Jessica to be happily married and having children. The gossip site wrote that Jessica Osmond is happy and almost married although she has not made it official with her partner.

Jessica Osmond and her partner have been together with three years.
A reader commented to look at the relationship between Marie Osmond and her co-author of one of her books, Marcia Wilke.

* Marie Osmond: Might As Well Laugh About It Now by Marie Osmond

* Tom Mahoney: Marcia Cross husband, Tom Mahoney has cancer

* David Osmond: David Osmond American Idol audition

* Jessica Seinfield’s “Deceptively Delicious” on Oprah Winfrey Show

* Marcia Stirman: “Why I’m A Republican” by Marcia Stirman

adam cook

2009-05-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Reigning "American Idol" champ David Cook stunned the crowd at today's Race for Hope 5K in downtown D.C. by announcing his brother died the night before of a brain tumor -- the cause that got him involved in the annual fundraiser.Adam Cook, 36, a lawyer with a wife and children, had battled the tumor for more than a decade before dying in Terre Haute, Ind.

David Cook joined 9,000 other runners this morning -- finishing the 3.1 mile course in 28 minutes, he later said -- before taking the stage. This year's race, the 12th annual, raised $2 million for brain cancer research.

"I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now," Cook said, getting briefly choked up and wiping away tears. "I've lost one but I've gained 9,000 ..... I will be here every year that they will have me

myopic

2009-05-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

auren Conrad plays a genius on a new episode of "Family Guy." She told reporters she studied up for the role: "I had to research some of [the words] because the acting coach I worked with told me if I really understood what I was talking about, it would come through a little more true." Tune in to see if she pulls it off. (Fox, 9 p.m.)

VH1 loves itself some Tiffany "New York" Pollard. The former "Flavor of Love" contestant is back in yet another series, "New York Goes to Work," where each week America will vote on what they want her to be -- i.e. a Caltrans sewer worker, a mortuary beautician or a fast-food employee -- and if she gets through it, she'll get a cash prize. (VH1, 10 p.m.)TUESDAY The stars of a possible "NCIS" spinoff -- Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J -- go undercover to bring down a terrorist cell during the conclusion of the show's two-part event.

(CBS, 8 p.m.)WEDNESDAY It's the last episode of "Scrubs" on ABC: J.D (Zach Braff, below left, with Donald Faison) bids Sacred Heart farewell. Will he score that hug from Dr. Cox? Learn the Janitor's real name? He's got one hour. (ABC, 8 p.m.)THURSDAY Can Bravo possibly replace "Project Runway" (which relocates to Lifetime this summer)? It's going to try. In "The Fashion Show," 15 professional designers compete for a chance to have their designs sold in the retail market and win a $125,000 prize.

Isaac Mizrahi hosts alongside singer Kelly Rowland. (Bravo, 10 p.m.)FRIDAY Where does the fourth-season finale of "Everybody Hates Chris" leave our intrepid 10th grader (Tyler Williams, above)? Possibly repeating his year? For tardiness? That's no way to go! (KTLA, 8 p.m.)SATURDAY It's "Intervention" meets "The Biggest Loser." In "I Want to Save Your Life," Charles Stuart Platkin goes undercover to help people whose friends, family or co-workers could stand to change their ways. (WE, 10 p.m.)

myopic

2009-05-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

DEAR DR. GOTT: You are my last hope. My wife has Parkinson’s, but is doing well. Oddly enough, that is not our problem. The problem is her resistance to wearing glasses. Vanity has reared its ugly head, and she has opted not to use her glasses but has instead chosen to use store-bought reading glasses. Sadly, she still needs the distance glasses we paid a lot of money for.
She went to an eye doctor for an exam. We bought glasses for $500, which were destroyed by one of our dogs. They could have been replaced for the price of new lenses, but that wasn’t what she wanted, so we went off to another doctor for yet another exam and this time ordered a pair for the grand total of $700. Well, they aren’t really what she likes, so she won’t use them. I’m going crazy. She needs glasses to read and see distance. She says bifocals make her dizzy, and she refuses to wear them. I can’t convince her that they take getting used to before they feel good.
She reads your column religiously, and I know if she hears the same advice from you, she would heed it and use the glasses or at least go back to her eye doctor for help.

DEAR READER : It appears some things are within your control and others are not. Despite the fact that you care deeply, keeping your sanity must remain at the top of your priority list. Don’t even bother to waste your money on another exam or glasses if she cares so little that she allows the dog to use them as a chew toy.

Share your concerns with your wife, especially if she cannot see any distance without appropriate glasses. If she refuses bifocals, suggest that she get two pairs of glasses, one for reading and the other for distance vision. That way, she can’t complain about dizziness from the bifocals but will be able to see more clearly. If she continues to resist glasses, your hands may be tied.

It’s bad enough she might fall down a flight of stairs or have an accident at home because of poor vision, but your wife also has a diagnosed neurological condition that could cause gait abnormality, unsteadiness, dementia and more. She needs all the help she can get, and that includes seeing where she is walking.

I can only hope that she is no longer driving an automobile. To allow vanity to cause an accident or hit someone while on the road or when parking the car in a busy grocery-store lot would be a disaster. No one needs the grief or the expense. If she has a driver’s license, I suggest you share your concerns with her physician who should contact the Department of Motor Vehicles in your state and request a new driving test. If her vision causes a problem, she may be required to retake the test following an eye exam and could be required to wear glasses, at least when driving.

To provide related information on the condition that should be at the top of your wife’s priority list, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Parkinson’s Disease.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a check or money order for $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
q
Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of the book, Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet , available at most chain and independent bookstores, and the recently published, Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook.
q
If readers would like to contact Dr. Gott, they may write him through your newspaper or send their mail directly to Dr. Gott c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., fourth floor, New York, NY 10016. However, if readers want to request a newsletter, they should write to the Ohio

taking five

2009-05-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

If there is an optimistic take on Parkinson's disease, it is this: "It opened up other possibilities to me," said actor Michael J. Fox last week. "I went in directions I could not have gone. It's a great journey.

Fox, who has channeled his fame into fighting the degenerative neurological disorder that struck him when he was just 30 years old, has been on the road to promote his latest book "Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist," also the name of this week's TV special on ABC.

The book is an extension of his earlier best-selling memoir "Lucky Man," but the TV show explores more journalistically - in what he calls a "Charles Kuralt-y way" - the theme that has shaped his post-diagnosis life. It took him to Bhutan to learn about Gross National Happiness, to the golf range to discuss positive thinking with Bill Murray and to England, where a scientist confirmed what Fox knew intuitively. He's a pretty cheerful guy, even though he is also, as he calls himself, a "human whirligig."

"She has this test she developed where she identified genetic markers of people who have increased serotonin output and are born optimistic, and she did it on me," Fox, 47, said in a recent phone interview. "There is a second part where you are given a series of images, one horrific and one benign or sentimental, and depending on how you respond, it is further proof. I was attracted to positive images."

Fox came to San Francisco on Friday to talk about his career as an actor, activist and optimist at a sold-out event sponsored by City Arts & Lectures at Herbst Theatre and a later fundraiser to benefit his foundation that's dedicated to seeking a cure for Parkinson's. The appearance at Herbst was a different venue for Fox, who has talked lately with Katie Couric, Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel. This time he took the stage for the first time with the other Michael in his life, his wife Tracy Pollan's brother, the writer Michael Pollan.

The two Michaels, one tall and thin, the other short and thin, are used to talking around the kitchen table. Fox lives in New York with his wife and three kids (oldest son Sam is now at Stanford University) and Pollan is an award-winning writer known for his investigations into agriculture and the American diet and is a professor at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. The two are also a mutual admiration club. Pollan, Fox said, was his writing coach, teaching him the beauty of a good metaphor. "To have someone offer to teach you to write..." said Fox. "One time I was really down. It was all about me and I said, 'Who gives a crap?' and Michael said, "Hey, I write about angiosperm.' "

Fox, Pollan said, has an irrepressible spirit and sense of humor, never seeking the limelight at home, instead taking his place as one more character in the extended family of "extroverts and eccentrics."

"He's just Mike, or Uncle Mike, or as his daughter calls him 'Shaky Dad,' " Pollan said in his introduction, which included a short video with classic clips from "Back to the Future," "Spin City," "Family Ties," "Stuart Little" (in which Fox provided the voice for the animated star rodent) and his most recent acting foray, "Rescue Me," where he plays a character who does not, to put it mildly, share Fox's optimism in the face of challenge.

From the moment Fox walked onstage with the slow characteristic gait of someone with Parkinson's, he drew bursts of applause from the audience. Some were donors to his foundation or also suffer from the disease, but all were clearly fans.

Fox looked boyish in a black blazer and jeans. His symptoms, the bobbing and weaving that are only partially controlled by medication, were easy to forget as he began talking. Born in Canada, Fox started acting at 15, then dropped out of high school and moved to the United States at 18. He had early huge hits - "Family Ties," where he met his co-starring wife, and Steven Spielberg's "Back to the Future" movies.

First symptom

In 1990, he had his first symptom, a twitchy pinky finger. Diagnosed a year later, he kept the illness secret for seven years, and continued his run on the series "Spin City." Initially, he said, he worked more and drank more. He tried in vain to hide symptoms until, he said, logistics instead of creativity consumed most of his effort. Eventually, he quit drinking and realized he would have to go public and alter his career.

Leaving acting work - at least as his mainstay - was surprisingly easy, he said. He recalled an epiphany during a trip to Hawaii's Turtle Bay, where he jumped in the water to see a rare sea turtle swimming near the reef and stayed out long after the rest of his family went back to shore. He noticed an injury on the turtle's flipper as it made its way around the reef and was struck, he said, by its "survivorhood."

lost boys the tribe

2009-05-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

Dean Parrott netted four goals and the Roseburg boys lacrosse team defeated Sprague 9-4 at Finlay Field on Saturday. Jamie Lebert added three goals and Ryan Potter and Taylor Cardillo each scored one.

Dylan Harvey added two assists and goalkeeper Anthony Steingrobe made 10 saves. The Indians outshot the Olympians 41-26 and earned a 37-12 groundball advantage in the match, which the Tribe led 5-3 at halftime.

“We moved the ball through the midfield, picked up groundballs and played a much more aggressive defense,” Roseburg head coach Dave Heverly said. “And we limited their shots.” On Friday, the Indians lost to Churchill, 15-8. Matt Timm scored a team-high three goals and Parrott, Lebert, Harvey, Potter and Ricky Duffy had one goal apiece. Steingrobe made 12 saves. Roseburg (3-8, 1-6 Willamette Division) travels to Sheldon Tuesday.

GIRLSSheldon 15, Roseburg 11The Roseburg girls lacrosse team went back and forth with Sheldon until the Irish created separation late in its win at Finlay Field Friday.With the loss, the Indians’ post-season fate is decided. They’ll face Three Rivers Conference powerhouse Oregon City (13-1, 8-0) on May 12 in the playoffs, Roseburg coach Randy Snelling said.

Sheldon, which evened the series with the win, led 9-8 at halftime. “It was a very tight game the whole time,” Snelling said. “It was a great match to watch.” Katie Wafer paced the Tribe with four goals.

Chelsie Heberling added three goals and two assists, Sarah Belloir two goals, Susanna DeBell a goal and three assists and Brooke Painter one goal. Molly Budge led Sheldon (10-2) with six goals.The Indians (9-4 South Division), who beat the Irish 18-14 last month, travel to last-place South Eugene in their regular-season finale on Tuesday.

nyc bike tour

2009-05-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

Cycling enthusiasts and anyone else who wants to take a bike ride for a good cause will be hitting 42 miles of streets in New York City for the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour.
The fun takes place on Sunday, May 3.

On Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 the 5 Borough Bike Tour will kick off, rain or shine (the route is labeled in detail below). Riding will start at approximately 8:00am, following the opening ceremonies with city officials and others at the start stage. At around 11am, the festival at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island begins.

The festival is open to the public, and will feature areas designated to the sponsors, whom all provide some service to its attendee's. Here is a list of some of the sponsors and the services they will provide: -Td Bank (the tour's title sponsor) asks for people to stop by for a free massage, photos, giveaways, and other fun activities.

-Con ED will have a tent, where information about its programs will be provided, also giving away free cell phone carrying cases. -Fuze Beverages, Naked Juice, Snapple, and Starbucks will provide treats for all to sample.

-Cannondale, Michelin, and Specialized will have bikes and gear on display, plus live demos, of what I can only guess will be people utilizing their bikes and gear. If that is not enough, people can travel over to the Bike New York Concession area, where a hearty and healthy lunch of salads, sandwiches, desserts, and beverages will be offered at decent prices.

The Route: 1. The Ride begins in Downtown Manhattan at Battery Park. 2. From there, riders travel up Church Street continuing onto 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas)through Midtown Manhattan, where they will enter Central Park. 3. From Central Park, riders will travel north into, and through Harlem. 4.

Once through Harlem, the route continues over the Madison Ave. Bridge (Mile 8 of the tour), and into the Bronx for a pleasantly short time. 5. Then it is back to Manhattan, traveling over the Third Ave. Bridge (Mile 9), and onto the FDR.

6. Traveling down the FDR (at 116th street is the first rest area), bikers exit onto the Queensboro Bridge (59th Street Bridge) and enter Queens (Mile 15). 7. Once over the bridge, the route follows north up the East River, and into Astoria Park (where 2nd rest area is located). 8. It then loops back around and down along the river, heading towards the Con Edison Learning Center (location of 3rd rest area), before crossing the Pulaski Bridge (Mile 22). 9. Once over the bridge, bikers travel south through Greenpoint and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to Commodore John Barry Park (4th rest area).

10. From the 4th rest area, riders bike through Downtown Brooklyn, under the Brooklyn Bridge, and enter the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. 11. Travelling down the expressway, riders pass over the Gowanus Canal and along the South Brooklyn waterfront, reaching the shoreline park in Bay Ridge (the final rest area at John Paul Jones/Cannonball Park).

12. Next, riders will travel onto the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (Mile 35), and into Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. 13. Finally, it is only 3 more miles to the Staten Island Ferry, where riders can enjoy a free ride back to Manhattan.

carnaval sur la plage

2009-05-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

First of all, Caleb Madison is brilliant. Sunday puzzles, pure genius, and he’s about four years old. Amazing. I just want to say that part now. Because I’m about to talk about a handful of crossings in today’s puzzle that made me kinda cranky, but I want to make it clear that I think Caleb is a genius. And personable.

We need to get him on the podcast one of these days. I so enjoyed meeting him at the ACPT. Right now, if I had to put money down on who I think could possibly be Will Shortz’s eventual replacement at the New York Times, I might put that money on Caleb Madison. But only if he gets a haircut and grows a mustache. Caleb, get to work on that.

Okay, let’s get the theme and cleverness covered. The puzzle is called “A Stately Garden,” and in the long entries, some letters are circled. The clues each end with a state name in brackets (I guess to make it clear that the states are not part of the clues?), and ultimately, what I think happens is that the circled letters spell out the state flowers. I don’t know anything about state flowers, so Caleb could be mixing up states and flowers and I’d never know the difference.

Unless he cited Maine. The state flower for my home state of Maine is the pine cone. (Here, I lower my head in shame, sigh dejectedly, and mutter, “oh lord” under my breath. The pine cone? Don’t we already have it tough enough in Maine, with our one-syllable name and our lobster obsession? We need our flower to be a horrible lump of who-knows-what that serves no purpose except to clog up the lawn mower?)

23A: Five works of Mozart [Rhode Island] : VIOLIN CONCERTOS [VIOLET]
29A. Not completely settle an argument [New York] : AGREE TO DISAGREE [ROSE]. Unrelated to this puzzle, I hate this phrase. It’s in the language, so it’s totally great for a puzzle, but in real life, I hate it. Agree to disagree? Whoever says that is bascially saying, “You’re wrong, but I’m going to be the so-called bigger person here, and take the so-called high road where I get to be all superior over you for agreeing to something, whereas you still hate my opinions. However, since I’m the agreeing one, I’m the good guy, even though what I’m agreeing to is not seeing eye-to-eye — yes, I’m basically putting you in a horrible position of having to either continue to defend your cause (since I’ve abandoned the battle) or give in to my cunning little games. I win, you lose, everyone hates you and thinks I’m smart now. Ha ha ha.” Yes, that’s what the phrase means to me.

48A. “Revelation” choreographer [Utah] : ALVIN AILEY [LILY]. There are only two choreographers in crosswords. The other is Twyla Tharp. Go ahead, name a third one. Also, this was the entry during which I had my “aha!” moment. I think I may have even said it out loud.
58A. Trial hearing? [Indiana] : EXPERT TESTIMONY [PEONY]

68A. It’s never made with plastic [Ohio] : CASH TRANSACTION [CARNATION]. Somehow, I never looked at the circles here. I had, as circles were concerned, –RNUTION for the flower. Yes, a U. I thought this entry ended with SUCTION. Only when I angrily decided that 75A. Public squares in ancient Greece was AGORAE instead of AGORAS, and therefore saw 65D. Gets ready for a date, perhaps was PREENS, only then did I get TRANSACTIONS (and not TRANSUCTIONS, which isn’t anything). Can I ask now — AGORAE? Isn’t the A-to-AE pluralization a Latin thing? What were the Greeks doing with it?

82A. Country singer with the #1 album and single “Killin’ Time” [New Hampshire] : CLINT BLACK [LILAC].
95A. He played a Nazi in “Marathon Man” and a Nazi hunter in “The Boys from Brazil” [Connecticut] : LAURENCE OLIVIER [LAUREL].

108A. “Bye Bye Birdie” tune [California] : PUT ON A HAPPY FACE [POPPY]. No one ever rose to my challenge the other day about songs from Kismet. Let’s lower the bar a little — can anyone who isn’t Dan Feyer or Amanda Yesnowitz tell me another song title from “Bye Bye Birdie”?

doc hollywood

2009-05-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

The Birth of Benjamin Button, the feature doc on the Button Criterion Bluray, clocks in ten minutes longer than the movie -- 2 hours and 55 minutes. And it covers almost everything one could want. Nearly half the running time focuses on the various stages of practical and CG work, and rightfully so. I found myself replaying each of the post-production chapters covering the replacement effects after watching the whole thing in one go.

The consummate professionalism brought to the production value of this doc is why a single-disc edition wasn't going to cut it. The movie's craft deserved better, and it got the best. Even if you didn't fall in love with the movie, the doc alone is worth purchasing the set. It's a high-end film school class on a disc. I could actually see re-watching it, and more than once." -- from Moises Chiullan's Bluray review on Arthouse Cowboy.

nyc bike tour

2009-05-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

Bike New York, in association with the City of New York and the New York City Department of Transportation, says that the TD BANK FIVE BORO BIKE TOUR has returned to the city streets on Sunday, May 3, 2009. The Tour, which is presented by Con Edison, travels 42 miles through New York City using car-free streets, highways, and bridges.
LIST OF STREET CLOSURES (pdf)
Founded in 1977 with just 250 participants, this non-competitive ride has grown to involve some 30,000 cyclists and 1,500 volunteers, including fitness enthusiasts, families, and friends from around the globe. For the third consecutive year, the Tour filled up well in advance—a record seven weeks ahead of Tour day.
IMAGE GALLERY: Five Boro Bike Tour of NYC
“The TD BANK FIVE BORO BIKE TOUR provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for participants to experience all five boroughs of New York without motorized traffic,” stated Bike New York Executive Director Pam Tice. “We hope that a ride through the city on May 3rd will encourage cyclists to keep up this healthy, economical, environmentally friendly habit throughout the year.”
The Tour begins in Battery Park in Lower Manhattan. Taking advantage of car-free roads, the tour then travels north through the heart of Manhattan to Central Park and continues on to historic Harlem and the Bronx, returning south along the East River on the FDR Drive. From there it crosses into Queens and then Brooklyn, where cyclists take over the highway before making the thrilling climb up--and down--the Verrazano- Narrows Bridge.

The Tour ends with a celebratory Festival on Staten Island. After enjoying the live entertainment, exhibits, and food concessions, riders take a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry back to Manhattan, completing the ultimate of New York experiences.

“This premiere car-free event is an exciting introduction to this healthier, cleaner and greener way to get around the City" said NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. "It's no surprise that commuter cycling has doubled since 2003, and we are working hard to improve the mobility and safety of all bicyclists by dramatically expanding the network of bike lanes on our streets.
The TD BANK FIVE BORO BIKE TOUR receives valuable support from its partnerships with sponsors. TD Bank, “America’s Most Convenient Bank,” returns for its third year as title sponsor. Long-time presenting sponsor Con Edison returns for its 14th year, and the Tour also welcomes back WPIX, Fresh 102.7 FM, Snapple, Lärabar, Bonita

Bananas, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, The New York Post and New York Sports Club.
Through a new partnership with nine local charities, including Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Marriage Equality New York, and the Lymphoma Research Foundation, a select number of TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour riders are using the event as a fundraiser. In return, they receive a pass to start in the front of the Tour as well as other benefits from the charity. The designated charities are expected to raise more than $250,000 as a result.

pittsburgh marathon

2009-05-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Officials with the 2009 Pittsburgh Marathon have certified the winners from Sunday's race.
The men's winner was Kassahun Kabisco of Bronx, N.Y. He finished the race in 2:22:51.
The women's winner was Kristin Price of North Carolina. She finished the race in 2:36:33.
The race began at 7:30 a.m. Sunday with approximately 10,500 runners at the start line in the Strip District.

Approximately 4,300 runners are taking part in the full marathon; 4,400 in the half marathon; and 1,800 in the relay.

For the 26.2-mile route, runners started at Smallman and 12th streets; crossed the Allegheny River on the 16th Street bridge; went through the North Side and the West End; crossed the West End bridge to the South Side; went into Oakland, East Liberty and Lawrenceville; then headed back toward downtown Pittsburgh.

The finish line is on the 10th Street bypass under the David L. Lawrence convention center overhang.

Following a six-year hiatus, this is the 20th running of the Pittsburgh Marathon.

angus sutherland

2009-05-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

A Grade Piobaireachd1st

Gavin Walker2nd Fiona Manson3rd Finlay Johnstone4th Simon McKerrell
A Grade MSR1st

James Murray2nd Finlay Johnstone3rd Allan Johnstone4th Gareth Rudolph
Judges Hugh McCallum & Neil Mulvey
B Grade Piobaireachd1st Faye Henderson
B Grade MSR

1st Ashleigh Bell
Under 15 -

Piobaireachd1.Sandy Cameron2. Bridghde Chaimbeul3.Angus J. MacColl4.Calum Winter5.Connor Sinclair6. Ciaran Sinclair Under 15- March1.Sandy Cameron2.Ian Wilson3.Connor Sinclair4. Angus J. MacColl5.Ian Crawford6.Bridghde Chaimbeul Under 15 - Strathspey & Reel1.Sandy Cameron2.Ian Wilson3.Angus J. MacColl4.Ian Crawford5.Griogair Norris6.Ross MacKay

Under 15- Jig1.Connor Sinclair2.Bridghde Chaimbeul3.Ciaran Sinclair4.Ian Crawford5.Ian Wilson6.Sandy Cameron U18- Piobaireachd1.Craig Sutherland2.Scott McLean3.Ross Ferguson4.Laura McMillan5.Laura Underwood6.Alisdair Lenny Under 18- March1.Laura McMillan2.Craig Sutherland3.Alexander Scougall4.Scott McLean5.James Rosie6.Ross Ferguson Under 18- Strathspey & Reel1.Laura McMillan2.Craig Sutherland3.Scott McLean4.

Ross Ferguson5.Euan McNab6.Sarah Muir/ Niall Jordan U18 Hornpipe/Jig1.Scott McLean2.Sarah Muir3.Laura McMillan4.Laura Underwood5.Ross Ferguson6.James Rosie U 15 Best Local Ian WilsonU 15 Overall Sandy Cameron U 18 Best Local Laura McMillanU 18 Overall Laura McMillan