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Cell Phone Savvy

2010-05-12T12:38:00.006-06:00

More and more girls carry cell phones, and with Cell Phone Savvy they can personalize their phones to make them stand out from the crowd of black and gray look-alikes. This hip little kit provides a cute dangling charm on a cord, rhinestone stickers, and a booklet of fun cell phone hints and text messaging tricks.

Cameron is urged again to go it alone: Now senior backbenchers follow Tebbit's call not to give in to LibDem demands

2010-05-10T02:25:00.000-06:00

David Cameron has been urged to go it alone and lead a minority government by one of his senior backbench MPs.

Graham Brady, who is tipped to be the new chairman of the powerful Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, insisted there was little enthusiasm among his colleagues for a full-blown coalition deal with the LibDems.

The Tory Right has also told David Cameron to give Iain Duncan Smith a Cabinet job and hand more ministerial posts to Right-wingers if he wants a deal with Lib Dems.

In return he may be able to match Labour's offer to Nick Clegg for a referendum on changing the electoral system, Tories told The Times.

Graham Brady told the BBC's Politics Show: 'My inclination is more towards seeking to operate as a minority government bringing in the support of others where it exists and where there is a consensus that can created '.

'I think that is probably, generally, the mood of colleagues. But we, I think, do need to see a far more inclusive approach inevitably in these circumstances. I think if you don't have an overall majority you need to make sure you take people with you.'

His words came on a day in which Mr Cameron was warned not to give too much ground to the LibDems or face open revolt from the Tory Right.

Senior figures said he should attempt to lead a minority government, even if it meant a second election within weeks or months, rather than compromise over voting reform as the price of Nick Clegg's support.

Former Tory chairman Lord Tebbit said that any deal which did more than throw the Liberal Democrats 'a few crumbs' would be a mistake.

DENIED BY 16,000 VOTERS

David Cameron has been kept out of moving straight into Number 10 by the will of just 16,000 voters.

The Tories' ability to form a majority government was thwarted by just 0.06 per cent of the voting public.

The way Britain was plunged into the uncertain scenario of a hung parliament was uncovered by researchers at Plymouth University who pointed to the Tories missing out in just 19 target constituencies.

Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher said Mr Cameron came tantalisingly close to forming a government. The directors at the university's elections' centre wrote: 'Cameron came so near and yet so far. Just 16,000 extra votes for the Tories, distributed in the 19 constituencies in which the party came closest to winning, would have spared us a weekend of negotiation and speculation.'

The figures show however that if there is another election in the next few months, a small push could deliver the majority that Mr Cameron wants.

He also insisted that the Conservatives should instead try to form a minority government, essentially daring the opposition to vote their proposals down.

Last night there was speculation that a senior figure from the Tory Right - probably former leader Iain Duncan Smith, who championed plans to offer tax breaks for married couples - would be offered a Cabinet job in a Lib-Con coalition to reassure that wing of the party.

Despite the biggest Tory advance since 1931, some MPs are privately critical of the party's election campaign, particularly Mr Cameron's 'big society' message which they say was launched too late to engage voters.

They are also calling for the Conservative leader to adopt a more collegiate leadership style amid concern that key decisions have been taken by a tight inner circle.

One senior backbench MP said:

'If David is now going to deal with the Liberals, then he is also going to have to start dealing with the rest of us.'

Mr Cameron is understood to have phoned key Right-wing MPs over the weekend to sound them out about the prospects of a deal.

Last night he arrived at his Commons office and invited any concerned MPs or shadow ministers to speak to him about his power-sharing offer to the LibDems.

He will hold a crunch meeting with MPs to outline the terms of a potential deal tonight.

Mr Cameron's former leadership rival David Davis said: 'Whether it's LibDem Cabinet ministers or a much more simple arrangement, I'm comfortable with anything on that spectrum.

'But it is a fact of political life that David will have to carry the party with him. I am quite certain that he is as aware as anybody that proportional representation is anathema to the majority of the party.'

One Tory frontbencher said: 'He is going to need to broaden his Cabinet and adopt a much more collegiate style of leadership if he thinks he can pull this off.'

But in a sign that the Tory Right is split over how to react, Euro MP Daniel Hannan said Mr Cameron was right to try to ensure a stable coalition government, adding: 'It would be irresponsible of David Cameron not to seek to maximise support for an austerity administration.'

Curse of the Tatler ToriesThey were dubbed the 'Tatler Tories'. These five Conservative candidates were confident enough about their election prospects to pose for pictures for the glossy style magazine in 2008.

Two years on, the humbled quintet - who were part of the much-criticised Tory 'A-list' - are licking their wounds after failing to be elected.

Their defeats have prompted serious soul searching inside the Tory camp about whether the tactic of imposing handpicked candidates on local associations was the right one.

In 2006, Mr Cameron had promised to 'change the face of the Conservative Party by changing the faces of the Conservative Party'.

The Tatler Tories who are licking their wounds after failing to be elected: (From left to right): Shaun Bailey, Mark Clarke, Joanne Cash, Annunziata Rees-Mogg and Peter Lyburn

His A-list was to contain 50 per cent women, and a 'significant' number of ethnic minorities and the disabled. Of the original 100 A-list candidates favoured by the Tory leader, 38 ended up being elected to Parliament.

Here the Mail profiles the Tatler five:

1 SHAUN BAILEY He was standing in Hammersmith, West London, and won a swing of only 0.5 per cent - resulting in a 3,549 majority for Labour. Despite being hailed as a living embodiment of the 'Big Society', the black youth worker was hit by questions over his My Generation charity's accounts.

2 MARK CLARKE Hoping to take Tooting in South London, he attracted a 3.6 per cent swing but saw Labour transport minister Sadiq Khan hold the seat with a majority of 2,524.

Mr Clarke ran a 'model' campaign and used techniques learned on leadership courses in America, but claims from a former girlfriend and Labour's insistence that Lord Ashcroft had helped bankroll his bid both hurt him.

3 JOANNE CASH Standing in Westminster North, she won a tiny swing of 0.6 per cent, which meant that Labour's Karen Buck held on to the seat with a majority of 2,126.

Miss Cash claims it was because of a media agenda against her. But insiders say it was her decision to quit as a candidate halfway through the campaign over an internal row and then be reinstated after an intervention from Mr Cameron's office that did for her.

4 ANNUNZIATA REES-MOGG Fighting the Somerton and Frome constituency in Somerset, she actually produced a 0.9 per cent swing away from the Tories. LibDem frontbencher David Heath held on by 1,817.

She fought hard, but rejected Mr Cameron's advice to 'de-toff' herself by changing her name to Nancy Mogg, allowing Mr Heath to portray her as posh. To rub salt in the wound, her brother Jacob won North-East Somerset with fewer votes.

5 PETER LYBURN In Perth and Perthshire North he too saw a swing away from the Tories, one of 2.9 per cent, with the result that the SNP's Pete Wishart, former keyboardist in the band Runrig, increased his majority to 4,379.

Scotland resoundingly rejected the Tories at all costs, actually shoring up Labour's vote in most seats and voting for the Tories' nearest rivals in all but one seat.

Tory Jo Johnson is 1 of 20 ex-Etonians in parliament

New boys fuel the private school ParliamentBritain has elected its most socially elite Parliament for 13 years following an influx of privately educated Tory MPs, a study has found.

Fee-paying schools educate only 7 per cent of the pupil population but they produced 54 per cent of Tory MPs, 40 per cent of LibDems and 15 per cent of Labour.

Overall, 37 per cent of MPs from the three main parties elected last week were privately schooled - up from 34 per cent in 2005 and 30 per cent in 1997.

The study, by the Sutton Trust educational charity, suggests that David Cameron's bid to create a diverse base of Tory MPs has flopped.

There are 20 Old Etonians in Parliament - five more than in 2005 - the study found, with 19 of them Tory and one LibDem. All six Eton-educated candidates standing for election for the first time this year won their seats, including Boris Johnson's brother Jo in Orpington, Kent.

The authors said the findings confirmed fears over poor social mobility in Britain. Parliament must not be composed of an 'elite cadre of schools largely serving the affluent', they said.

The breakdown will deepen fears over standards in state comprehensives. Just 41 per cent of MPs from the main parties attended a nonselective state secondary school, with 23 per cent having been to grammars and the rest independent schools.

Thirteen schools - 12 of which are private --produced a tenth of all MPs in the new Parliament. The public schools Highgate, Millfield, Westminster and Nottingham High produced several MPs each, as did Reading School, a state grammar.

The study also found that serving as an MP has largely become a graduate profession. Nine in ten MPs in 2010 went to university - by far the highest proportion of any Parliament to date.

Just under three in ten - 29 per cent - went to Oxford or Cambridge.

James Chapman

OIL FUTURES: Crude Rises After IMF Approves Loan To Greece

2010-05-10T02:19:00.002-06:00

SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--Crude oil futures in Asia rose sharply Monday after the International Monetary Fund approved a $38 billon loan package for Greece to help prevent its debt problems from spreading to the rest of Europe's economy.

The loan, which was approved Sunday, is the largest financial commitment the IMF has ever made to one country and triggered a sharp rise in the euro against the U.S. dollar, making commodities priced in dollars such as oil cheaper for investors.

The IMF's move also made investors more optimistic about the region's economic recovery and future demand for oil.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light, sweet crude futures for delivery in June traded at $77.23 a barrel at 0705 GMT, up $2.12 in the Globex electronic session. June Brent crude on London's ICE Futures exchange rose $1.79 to $80.06 a barrel.

"Concerns that Greece's issue would lead to a contagion in Europe were challenging the market's thinking of economic recovery," said David Moore, a commodities strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

In the coming days investors will be scrutinizing the loan package to determine whether it is adequate or aggressive enough on key issues, he added. "The markets will still be very focused on developments in Europe."

However, not all traders were convinced the loan package would support higher oil prices.

"In the short run crude should be strong because of a stronger euro," said Clarence Chu, a trader at Hudson Capital Energy in Singapore. "But if you ask me, I don't think the package solves the problem, it merely postpones it."

Chu added that there might be political obstacles that may prevent European countries from contributing the funds necessary to pull Greece out from its crisis.

Nymex reformulated gasoline blendstock for June--the benchmark gasoline contract--rose 496 points to $2.1747 a gallon, while June heating oil traded at $2.1202, 407 points higher.

ICE gasoil for May changed hands at $668.75 a metric ton, up $11.00 from Friday's settlement.

By Wayne Ma

New Tiger looks nothing like the old 1

2010-05-10T02:17:00.000-06:00

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Even at his worst, Tiger Woods has never looked this bad.

It was only a month ago that Woods returned to golf with a performance that satisfied everyone but him. He tied for fourth in the Masters, his first competition in five months. And while his personal life was a mess, it appeared his golf game wasn't about to suffer.

So much has changed in such a short time.

Woods looked lost on the golf course in missing the cut at Quail Hollow last week with the highest 36-hole score of his career. He looked even more distant as he sat in front of his locker Sunday at the TPC Sawgrass with his head bowed, elbows resting on his knees. He failed to finish another tournament, this time because of a sore neck that forced him to withdraw after six holes.

It was the first time Woods, with more than $93 million in career earnings, has gone consecutive weeks without making a dime.

"It's early," Paul Goydos said. "What he's going through is unprecedented. We don't know what's going on. At some point, his life will normalize, as normal as Tiger's life ever gets. And then we'll see."

When he looked up to take a few questions, Woods leaned against his locker with his eyes closed as if he were not listening. At one point, he slammed his shoe to the floor.

Three months ago in the same clubhouse at the TPC Sawgrass — down the hallway and up a flight of stairs — Woods appeared in public for the first time to read a statement about the extramarital affairs that shattered his image and fractured his family.

He wore a dark suit then, his Sunday red shirt now.

In both cases, his aura of invincibility was missing.

It is too early to judge how Woods will recover from this scandal, and it doesn't help that Woods is no more forthcoming about his game or his health than he was even in good times.

Only at the Masters did he reveal he had a torn Achilles' during 2009. And while he said Friday that his rebuilt left knee was 100 percent, he never said anything about his neck until Sunday, when he mentioned that it had been bothering him before the Masters.

Who knew?

He has received warm receptions, though the praise is not universal. One woman in Charlotte, N.C., gave a thumbs-down when Woods walked by on his way to the tee. The low point might have come Saturday, when a young boy with an autograph from Phil Mickelson yelled out to Woods, "Tiger, say so long to No. 1. Kiss it goodbye."

Mickelson, who could have replaced Woods at No. 1 with a victory Sunday, was standing only a few feet away.

"He got heckled by a 7-year-old," Goydos said with wonder. "That's brutal. He's got to get used to that. He's got a lot on his head and the game is hard. And it's hard for everybody. He made it look so easy, so when he's not making it look easy, we wonder what's wrong. He's going through a tough patch. If he has 80 percent of the people completely idolizing him, that's still a big drop.

"He hasn't been playing, and he's not playing well," Goydos said. "And he's never been under a microscope like this before."

Woods bristled at the media for making a big deal about hitting five balls in the water during nine holes of practice Tuesday. He said he was working on his swing, not overly concerned with the results when he wasn't keeping score. But when the tournament began, there were shots that didn't belong to the No. 1 player — or any PGA Tour player.

Woods twice popped up a tee shot so badly that he had to hit 5-wood for his second shot into a par. Another went 45 degrees to the right and landed in the pond on an adjacent hole.

Even the shots that stayed inside the gallery looked ordinary. This hardly looked like the guy who collected his 82nd title worldwide in Australia six months ago, or who has 14 majors going into a year in which he is expected to resume his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus.

The U.S. Open next month is at Pebble Beach, where Woods won by 15 shots. Then comes the British Open at St. Andrews, where he already has won twice by a combined 13 shots.

"His history is particularly good at those golf courses, "Goydos said. "If he goes through all those places and is not competitive, then you can ask questions."

So many questions still remain.

Woods will not delve into family matters, although a divorce seems imminent. He spent some of his time at The Players Championship denying speculation that he is about to leave Hank Haney, his swing coach since 2004.

Haney said he had been paid last week for work in the next quarter. Woods followed by confirming that he was still working with Haney, although he didn't go into specifics and spoke throughout the week about changes to his swing.

Meanwhile, it already is May and Woods is No. 122 on the PGA Tour money list. He is tied for 147th in the FedEx Cup standings. He will stay No. 1 in the world for the next two weeks, at least until Mickelson next plays at the Colonial and gets another shot at him.

Above all, he does not look like the same Tiger — and he's certainly not playing like him.

"Tiger is facing his greatest challenge," Hal Sutton said earlier in the week. "Tiger meets every challenge with his head held high and knowing that he will overcome. He's had better control of his mind than almost any player I've ever watched play the game.

"You know, I'm sure Tiger will figure that out," he said. "He's figured everything else out."

Wayne Rooney shows off baby son Kai to Manchester United fans at Old Trafford

2010-05-10T02:15:00.000-06:00

Roo cheered by baby

Wayne Rooney is cheered up with a cuddle from son Kai yesterday after Man United were pipped to the Premier League title by Chelsea.

The England striker, 24, beamed with pride as he carried the sixmonth-old round Old Trafford in an end-of-season lap of honour.

Kai showed a few dribbling skills of his own - blowing bubbles and smiling as he was shown off in front of more than 75,000 fans after the 4-0 victory over Stoke City.

Down in London it was another family affair after Chelsea clinched the title with an 8-0 thrashing of Wigan at Stamford Bridge.

Love rat captain John Terry paraded round the pitch holding the trophy with wife Toni and their children Georgie and Summer dressed in Blues kit. And hat-trick hero Didier Drogba grabbed an Ivory Coast flag to celebrate with sons Joel and Freddy.

England boss Fabio Capello - who announces his provisional 30-man World Cup squad on Tuesday - will be nervously waiting to hear if Rooney has aggravated his groin injury. He limped off the pitch. But United boss Alex Ferguson said: "He'll be OK. I don't think it's serious."

Despite all the smiles on the last day of the season, there were angry scenes as angry United fans held protests against the club's American owners, the Glazers.

Earlier, the club store was closed after a smoke bomb went off.

Hundreds of fans, wearing green and gold in protest, chanted at the directors' box and one group apparently tried to storm the entrance to the lounge. Fan John Corless, 39, said: "They were furious."

Paul Byrne

Prader-Willi Syndrome

2010-05-10T02:12:00.003-06:00

May is Prader-Willi Syndrome awareness month and we would like to help spread its awareness. Prader-Willi Syndrome or PWS is an uncommon genetic disorder that can be present since birth. The common symptom is overeating that do not stop even when the person is already full, other symptoms include muscle weakness and behavioral problems. This rare disease and its symptoms are currently observed to be shown by 40 people in Uruguay.

The rare chronic disease is very hard to fight as only little information is known on how to treat and support the patients and their families. This was the case for Maria Ines Fonseca whose daughter was diagnosed with the Prader-Willi Syndrome recently after birth.

Doctors say that the disease has different symptoms that can be observed the same way or same intensity for each case of the Prader-Willi Syndrome. To add with muscle weakness and other disabilities, an insatiable appetite which leads to obesity can be observed on all cases.

The rare disease which is not hereditary records only one case per 15,000 births. It is first observed in 1956 by Swiss Doctors Andrea Prader, Alexis Labhart and Heinrich Willi where the disease got its name. The doctors observed that nine patients are showing the same symptoms of obesity, short stature, muscle weakness, and other physical and intellectual disabilities.

Lena Horne, Singer and Actress, Dies at 92

2010-05-10T02:12:00.000-06:00

Lena Horne, who was the first black performer to be signed to a long-term contract by a major Hollywood studio and who went on to achieve international fame as a singer, died on Sunday night at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. She was 92 and lived in Manhattan.

Lena Horne appeared in “Jamaica,” a musical that ran on Broadway from 1957 to 1959.
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Ms. Horne and Cab Calloway in “Stormy Weather.” The title song became one of her signatures.

Her death was announced by her son-in-law, Kevin Buckley.

Ms. Horne might have become a major movie star, but she was born 50 years too early, and languished at MGM in the 1940s because of the color of her skin, although she was so light-skinned that, when she was a child, other black children had taunted her, accusing her of having a “white daddy.”

Ms. Horne was stuffed into one “all-star” musical after another — “Thousands Cheer” (1943), “Broadway Rhythm” (1944), “Two Girls and a Sailor” (1944), “Ziegfeld Follies” (1946), “Words and Music” (1948) — to sing a song or two that could easily be snipped from the movie when it played in the South, where the idea of an African-American performer in anything but a subservient role in a movie with an otherwise all-white cast was unthinkable.

“The only time I ever said a word to another actor who was white was Kathryn Grayson in a little segment of ‘Show Boat’ ” included in “Till the Clouds Roll By” (1946), a movie about the life of Jerome Kern, Ms. Horne said in an interview in 1990. In that sequence she played Julie, a mulatto forced to flee the showboat because she has married a white man.

But when MGM made “Show Boat” into a movie for the second time, in 1951, the role of Julie was given to a white actress, Ava Gardner, who did not do her own singing. (Ms. Horne was no longer under contract to MGM at the time, and according to James Gavin’s Horne biography, “Stormy Weather,” published last year, she was never seriously considered for the part.) And in 1947, when Ms. Horne herself married a white man — the prominent arranger, conductor and pianist Lennie Hayton, who was for many years both her musical director and MGM’s — the marriage took place in France and was kept secret for three years.

Ms. Horne’s first MGM movie was “Panama Hattie” (1942), in which she sang Cole Porter’s “Just One of Those Things.” Writing about that film years later, Pauline Kael called it “a sad disappointment, though Lena Horne is ravishing and when she sings you can forget the rest of the picture.”

Even before she came to Hollywood, Brooks Atkinson, the drama critic for The New York Times, noticed Ms. Horne in “Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds of 1939,” a Broadway revue that ran for nine performances. “A radiantly beautiful sepia girl,” he wrote, “who will be a winner when she has proper direction.”

She had proper direction in two all-black movie musicals, both made in 1943. Lent to 20th Century Fox for “Stormy Weather,” one of those show business musicals with almost no plot but lots of singing and dancing, Ms. Horne did both triumphantly, ending with the sultry, aching sadness of the title number, which would become one of her signature songs. In MGM’s “Cabin in the Sky,” the first film directed by Vincente Minnelli, she was the brazen, sexy handmaiden of the Devil. (One number she shot for that film, “Ain’t It the Truth,” which she sang while taking a bubble bath, was deleted before the film was released — not for racial reasons, as her stand-alone performances in other MGM musicals sometimes were, but because it was considered too risqué.)

In 1945 the critic and screenwriter Frank Nugent wrote in Liberty magazine that Ms. Horne was “the nation’s top Negro entertainer.” In addition to her MGM salary of $1,000 a week, she was earning $1,500 for every radio appearance and $6,500 a week when she played nightclubs. She was also popular with servicemen, white and black, during World War II, appearing more than a dozen times on the Army radio program “Command Performance.”

“The whole thing that made me a star was the war,” Ms. Horne said in the 1990 interview. “Of course the black guys couldn’t put Betty Grable’s picture in their footlockers. But they could put mine.”

Touring Army camps for the U.S.O., Ms. Horne was outspoken in her criticism of the way black soldiers were treated. “So the U.S.O. got mad,” she recalled. “And they said, ‘You’re not going to be allowed to go anyplace anymore under our auspices.’ So from then on I was labeled a bad little Red girl.”

Ms. Horne later claimed that for this and other reasons, including her friendship with leftists like Paul Robeson and W.E.B. DuBois, she was blacklisted and “unable to do films or television for the next seven years” after her tenure with MGM ended in 1950.

This was not quite true: as Mr. Gavin has documented, she appeared frequently on “Your Show of Shows” and other television shows in the 1950s, and in fact “found more acceptance” on television “than almost any other black performer.” And Mr. Gavin and others have suggested that there were other factors in addition to politics or race involved in her lack of film work

Although absent from the screen, she found success in nightclubs and on records. “Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria,” recorded during a well-received eight-week run in 1957, reached the Top 10 and became the best-selling album by a female singer in RCA Victor’s history.

In the early 1960s Ms. Horne, always outspoken on the subject of civil rights, became increasingly active, participating in numerous marches and protests.

In 1969, she returned briefly to films, playing the love interest of a white actor, Richard Widmark, in “Death of a Gunfighter.”

She was to act in only one other movie: In 1978 she played Glinda the Good Witch in “The Wiz,” the film version of the all-black Broadway musical based on “The Wizard of Oz.” But she never stopped singing.

Ms. Horne in 1981 after she won two Grammy awards for “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music.”

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.She continued to record prolifically well into the 1990s, for RCA and other labels, notably United Artists and Blue Note. And she conquered Broadway in 1981 with a one-woman show, “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music,” which ran for 14 months and won both rave reviews and a Tony Award.

Ms. Horne’s voice was not particularly powerful, but it was extremely expressive. She reached her listeners emotionally by acting as well as singing the romantic standards like “The Man I Love” and “Moon River” that dominated her repertory. The person she always credited as her main influence was not another singer but a pianist and composer, Duke Ellington’s longtime associate Billy Strayhorn.

“I wasn’t born a singer,” she told Strayhorn’s biographer, David Hajdu. “I had to learn a lot. Billy rehearsed me. He stretched me vocally.” Strayhorn occasionally worked as her accompanist and, she said, “taught me the basics of music, because I didn’t know anything.”

Strayhorn was also, she said, “the only man I ever loved,” but Strayhorn was openly gay, and their close friendship never became a romance. “He was just everything that I wanted in a man,” she told Mr. Hajdu, “except he wasn’t interested in me sexually.”

Lena Calhoun Horne was born in Brooklyn on June 30, 1917. All four of her grandparents were industrious members of Brooklyn’s black middle class. Her paternal grandparents, Edwin and Cora Horne, were early members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and in October 1919, at the age of 2, Lena was the cover girl for the organization’s monthly bulletin.

By then the marriage of her parents, Edna and Teddy Horne, was in trouble. “She was spoiled and badly educated and he was fickle,” Ms. Horne’s daughter, Gail Lumet Buckley, wrote in her family history, “The Hornes.” By 1920 Teddy had left his job with the New York Department of Labor and fled to Seattle, and Edna had fled to a life on the stage in Harlem. Ms. Horne was raised by her paternal grandparents until her mother took her back four years later.

When she was 16, her mother abruptly pulled her out of school to audition for the dance chorus at the Cotton Club, the famous Harlem nightclub where the customers were white, the barely dressed dancers were light-skinned blacks, Duke Ellington was the star of the show and the proprietors were gangsters. A year after joining the Cotton Club chorus she made her Broadway debut, performing a voodoo dance in the short-lived show “Dance With Your Gods” in 1934.

At 19, Ms. Horne married the first man she had ever dated, 28-year-old Louis Jones, and became a conventional middle-class Pittsburgh wife. Her daughter Gail was born in 1937 and a son, Teddy, in 1940. The marriage ended soon afterward. Ms. Horne kept Gail, but Mr. Jones refused to give up Teddy, although he did allow the boy long visits with his mother.

In 1938, Ms. Horne starred in a quickie black musical film, “The Duke Is Tops,” for which she was never paid. Her return to movies was on a grander scale.

She had been singing at the Manhattan nightclub Café Society when the impresario Felix Young chose her to star at the Trocadero, a nightclub he was planning to open in Hollywood in the fall of 1941. In 1990, Ms. Horne reminisced: “My only friends were the group of New Yorkers who sort of stuck with their own group — like Vincente, Gene Kelly, Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen, and Richard Whorf — the sort of hip New Yorkers who allowed Paul Robeson and me in their houses.”

Since blacks were not allowed to live in Hollywood, “Felix Young, a white man, signed for the house as if he was going to rent it,” Ms. Horne said. “When the neighbors found out, Humphrey Bogart, who lived right across the street from me, raised hell with them for passing around a petition to get rid of me.” Bogart, she said, “sent word over to the house that if anybody bothered me, please let him know.”

Roger Edens, the composer and musical arranger who had been Judy Garland’s chief protector at MGM, had heard the elegant Ms. Horne sing at Café Society and also went to hear her at the Little Troc (the war had scaled Mr. Young’s ambitions down to a small club with a gambling den on the second floor). He insisted that Arthur Freed, the producer of MGM’s lavish musicals, listen to Ms. Horne sing. Then Freed insisted that Louis B. Mayer, who ran the studio, hear her, too. He did, and soon she had signed a seven-year contract with MGM.

The N.A.A.C.P. celebrated that contract as a weapon in its war to get better movie roles for black performers. Her father weighed in, too. In a 1997 PBS interview, she recalled: “My father said, ‘I can get a maid for my daughter. I don’t want her in the movies playing maids.’ ”

Ms. Horne is survived by her daughter, Gail Lumet Buckley. Her husband died in 1971; her son died of kidney failure the same year.

Looking back at the age of 80, Ms. Horne said: “My identity is very clear to me now. I am a black woman. I’m free. I no longer have to be a ‘credit.’ I don’t have to be a symbol to anybody; I don’t have to be a first to anybody. I don’t have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’m like nobody else.”

ALJEAN HARMETZ

Nash, Suns Finally Get Past Their Rivals

2010-05-10T02:07:00.000-06:00

SAN ANTONIO -- It didn't matter that Two-Time, as teammates call Steve Nash because of those two MVP trophies back home, was down to one functioning eye.

It didn't matter that the Phoenix Suns' double-digit lead vanished almost as soon as Nash left the floor to get six stitches to close a deep cut.

It didn't matter that the San Antonio Spurs would also hit the Suns with a four-point play in the final minute, which only added to the here-we-go-again dread that even Nash couldn't completely fend off -- when he wasn't arching his eyebrows as high as he could during stoppages in play in an unsuccessful attempt to keep that right eye open.

Nash and the Suns survived it all on this bloody Sunday night. They weathered Tim Duncan's inadvertent elbow to Nash's face on a drive and every last ounce of the San Antonio's old desert-haunting mojo, pulling out a 107-101 victory in a sweep-sealing Game 4 that somehow generated the tension of a Game 7.

When he finally made it to the postgame podium, with his eye swollen completely shut and his eyelid unmistakably (and fittingly) purple once you got up close to him, Nash cracked: "Do we need to even say anything?"

The implication was clear. Nash couldn't see his audience too well, but he figured everyone in the room had a fair idea of what it meant for the Suns to complete a 4-0 brooming of their longtime playoff tormentors, after San Antonio KO'd Phoenix from the postseason four times in a six-season span from 2003-08.

You've also surely heard that six of Nash's previous 13 seasons ended with a loss to the hosts. That should help explain why Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, Duncan and finally Spurs legend David Robinson, spilling onto the floor from his courtside seat, looked legitimately happy for Nash during the postgame exchange of hugs.

"I couldn't be happier for a class, class, class guy," Popovich said. "I hate him, but he's classy."

Said Nash: "Fortunately someone was smiling on us tonight."

That's true to some degree. Unlike the unforgettably bloody nose he suffered in crunch time of Game 1 of the teams' 2007 epic series, Nash had the good sense to get nailed in the third quarter this time, giving the Suns' training staff sufficient time to sew up this gash and set him up to return for the whole fourth quarter.

In this series, though, these Suns consistently earned a good slice of their fortune, repeatedly proving -- despite the absence of injured center Robin Lopez -- that they're tougher, deeper and more legit defensively than any of the teams San Antonio tortured throughout the previous decade. Phoenix failed to score 20 points in the first quarter in both games in San Antonio and still managed to creep past 100 in both cases, finishing off this improbable sweep of a team that had just dumped No. 2-seeded Dallas with a vintage display of two-man dominance from the Suns' longest sufferers.

Nash (10 points, five assists) and Stoudemire (12 points) combined for 22 of the Suns' 35 points in the final period, despite vintage San Antonio pressure on the ball in the backcourt and the rather limited peripheral vision that admittedly had Nash "pretty worried" when he first went back in. It was the famously steady Duncan, meanwhile, who committed a bad fifth foul out of frustration with nearly six minutes to play in regulation and finished a fatal 16-for-34 from the free-throw line for the series.

Stoudemire wound up with 29 points, Nash totaled 20 points and nine assists and Jared Dudley emerged as the latest difference-maker off the Phoenix bench, contributing 16 points and six boards on near-perfect shooting.

"As you can see," Dudley said, "it's a different [Suns] team and a different year."

Nash believes it, too, but admits that his confidence was briefly shaken after taking the hit from Duncan with 5:52 to go in the third, after which Phoenix quickly surrendered the final seven points of its seemingly comfortable 64-53 lead.

"We'd gone 3 1/2 games with clear sailing," Nash said, explaining why he initially assumed the worst while being worked on in the Suns' locker room.

Then Nash caught himself, realizing he was falling prey to "something always happens against San Antonio" thinking that could easily spread to less-experienced teammates.

Here-we-go-again pity, Nash concluded, is "just a self-fulfilling prophecy."

So he came back and flourished, offering up a decent facsimile of the 36-year-old who shredded the Spurs for 33 points and 10 assists in a tone-setting Game 1. The Spurs responded with plenty of their trademark toughness -- Tony Parker, for example, had to get a pre-game painkiller shot in his posterior to deal with his sore shoulder and back after multiple falls in Game 3 -- but couldn't prevent their 15th successive loss in the playoffs when surrendering 100 points.

"It just hard to guard those guys -- for us to guard them -- for 48 minutes," Popovich said. "You have to be pretty perfect. We have to be pretty perfect."

It proved too much to ask. The Spurs quietly managed to hold Jason Richardson under 20 points for the third successive game -- well aware that Phoenix is 30-4 this season when Richardson gets to 20 -- and still couldn't avoid the sight of a joyous Stoudemire, walking off the podium as Nash was heading for the microphone, to make a giddy joke about his own eye issues last season.

"Two-Time with the Stoudemire vision," Amare said to his point guard.

For once they're leaving this town with a laugh ... along with an endorsement from Duncan about their chances of surprising the mighty Lakers next.

None of this was expected back in October when the Suns convened for training camp, or even as recently as February when Stoudemire was nearly dealt before the trading deadline. Now?

The Suns are on a 36-9 roll since Jan. 26. And it certainly can't hurt Nash, Lopez or Grant Hill -- reincarnated at 37 as a defensive stopper -- that the Suns' trip to the conference finals probably won't start for another week.

"The way they're playing," Duncan said, "they have a chance against anyone."

By Marc Stein

Malik Sealy’s Death Remembered by Kevin Garnett

2010-05-10T02:03:00.000-06:00

Malik Sealy (February 1, 1970 – May 20, 2000) was a professional American basketball player who was active from 1992 until his death in 2000. He was Kevin Garnett’s most admired player and also his close friend.

Malik Sealy was first seen as a college varsity player for St. John’s College. In that college, Malik caught the eye of the young ‘Kid’, Kevin Garnett. Kevin Garnett also had the same team number as Malik, 21. At the year 1999, they became team mates under the team of the Timberwolves.
During their reign in the NBA arena, Sealy and Garnett were inseparable due to their bond together as close friends, but at the date of May 19, 2000, Sealy went with KG to a party to celebrate Garnett’s 24 birthday.
As Sealy went home at the morning of May 20, 2000, he had a car collision which caused his death.

Now, as Kevin Garnett celebrates his 34 birthday, he remembers the death of his team mate, and close friend, Malik Sealy.

Einsel Davenport

Braden throws 19th perfect game

2010-05-10T02:01:00.000-06:00

When Cliff Pennington picked up the roller by Gabe Kapler and flung the ball to first, Dallas Braden came off the mound - his mound - and he gave a little undercut fist pump. Then he raised his arms in triumph as he was mobbed by his teammates near first base.

Braden, 26, had just thrown the 19th perfect game in big-league history, and the second in A's franchise history. He retired all 27 men he faced Sunday, and there weren't even any near misses or close plays in Oakland's 4-0 victory over Tampa Bay.

"I just let Dallas work," A's catcher Landon Powell said. "He was magical."

Braden did something he insists he is incapable of doing: He dominated the league's top team, keeping hitters honest with his inside fastball and then fooling them with the great movement on his changeup.

"The guy had the pitches when he needed them," sad Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, who was in the lineup last year when Chicago's Mark Buehrle threw the majors' last perfect game, also against Tampa Bay. "I didn't see two pitches in the same spot the whole game. And that was the same way Buehrle was on the day he did it. He had something special going."

Many of the A's said they sensed something unusual might happen, even in the early innings as Braden was making short order of the Rays. Powell said he started to get nervous in the sixth inning. "Not for me, for Dallas," Powell said.

Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff described the feeling in the dugout and on the field as one of nervous energy, and he put that to good use: He ran into the A's dugout to chase down a foul ball by Carlos Peña for the second out of the eighth inning. Then Braden struck out B.J. Upton, and the mood was, according to Kouzmanoff, "It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen!"

Braden took the mound to a standing ovation in the ninth, and the crowd of 12,228 remained on their feet. Braden might have been the least anxious person in the building; the effervescent left-hander was just taking it all in.

"Running out there and hearing everyone yelling was pretty cool," he said, then he added jokingly. " 'I've never pitched a complete game before - is that what they're yelling about?' "

First, Willy Aybar hit a soft, curving liner to first that Daric Barton corralled. Then Dioner Navarro lined out to Eric Patterson in left, and Kapler, on a 3-1 pitch, hit the grounder to shortstop, where Pennington was waiting.

"You know the situation, obviously," Pennington said. "It's one of those things - you've got to do everything right. It's like, 'Oh, God, here we go.' But it was good. It was great. It was perfect."

Then Pennington dashed over to congratulate Mr. History. "I had my arms around him, I was jumping up and down," Pennington said.

Asked if he'd even thrown a no-hitter before at any level, Braden said, "In Little League, I had a couple under my belt. And in the bullpen, I'm damn near perfect every day."

Navarro's liner in the ninth and a lineout by Peña in the fifth might have been the most difficult plays of the game, Braden said. Jason Bartlett hit a shot toward third to open the game, but Kouzmanoff got it with a real big stretch.

In the sixth, Kapler had the best at-bat of the day against Braden, who needed 12 pitches before getting him to hit a foul pop toward third.

"I was thinking maybe the knuckleball, the gyroball, the behind-the-back pitch, because I'd tried everything else," Braden said. "I threw him a 64 mph screwball and he fouled it off. I threw him one more pitch and it was the correct location."

Braden threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of 27 hitters. He went to three-ball counts only four times, including the last batter.

"I'm not going to blow anything by anyone," Braden said. "I just need them not to square it up."

"It's a great feeling to know the guy on the mound is in control," A's pitching coach Curt Young said. "That's really the art of pitching, right there."

Still in full uniform an hour after the game, and doing nonstop interviews, Braden had the game ball and the Tampa Bay lineup card, personalized by Rays manager Joe Maddon, in front of him.

"Of all the games ever played, only 19?" Young said of Braden's perfecto. "Wow."

A's no-hitters

Oakland

Sunday, Dallas Braden vs. Tampa Bay, 4-0-x

June 29, 1990, Dave Stewart at Toronto, 5-0

Sept. 29, 1983, Mike Warren vs. Chicago, 3-0

Sept. 28, 1975, Vida Blue (5 innings), Glenn Abbott (1), Paul Lindblad (1) and Rollie Fingers (2) vs. California, 5-0

Sept. 21, 1970, Vida Blue vs. Minnesota, 6-0

May 8, 1968, Catfish Hunter vs. Minnesota, 4-0-x

Philadelphia

Sept. 3, 1947, Bill McCahan vs. Washington, 3-0

Sept. 9, 1945, Dick Fowler vs. St. Louis, 1-0

Aug. 26, 1916, Joe Bush vs. Cleveland, 5-0

May 12, 1910, Charles Bender vs. Cleveland, 4-0

July 22, 1905, Weldon Henley at St. Louis, 6-0

No-hitters vs. Tampa Bay Rays

May 9, 2010, Dallas Braden, A's, 4-0-x

July 23, 2009, Mark Buehrle, White Sox, 5-0-x

April 27, 2002, Derek Lowe, Red Sox, 10-0

27 up, 27 down

1. Bartlett lined out to third

2. Crawford grounded out to first

3. Zobrist flied out to center

4. Longoria flied out to center

5. Peña grounded out to first

6. Upton struck out looking

7. Aybar struck out looking

8. Navarro lined out to center

9. Kapler flied out to left

10. Bartlett grounded out to third

11. Crawford struck out swinging

12. Zobrist grounded out to short

13. Longoria struck out swinging

14. Peña flied out to left

15. Upton grounded out to third

16. Aybar struck out swinging

17. Navarro fouled out to third

18. Kapler fouled out to third

19. Bartlett lined out to left

20. Crawford grounded out to second

21. Zobrist flied out to right

22. Longoria flied out to center

23. Peña fouled out to third

24. Upton struck out swinging

25. Aybar lined out to first

26. Navarro lined out to left

27. Kapler grounded out to short

Susan Slusser, Chronicle Staff Writer

Jesse Stone: No Remorse on CBS Network

2010-05-10T01:52:00.000-06:00

Jesse Stone: No Remorse, starring Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Tom Selleck, will be broadcast Sunday, May 9th, on the CBS Television Network. Jesse Stone: No Remorse is the sixth entry in the CBS series of TV-movies based on the characters created by the late Robert B. Parker – and the first to not be based, in any way, on a Parker novel.

In No Remorse, police chief Jesse Stone (Tom Selleck), who was suspended by the Paradise, Mass. Town Council, begins moonlighting for his friend, State Homicide Commander Healy, by investigating a series of murders in Boston, leaving Rose and Suitcase to handle a crime spree in Paradise on their own. Jesse pours his energy into his work in an effort to push away his twin demons: booze and women. When his investigation leads to notorious mob boss Gino Fish, Jesse’s pursuit becomes hazardous.

Kathy Baker (“Picket Fences”) and Kohl Sudduth (“Grosse Pointe”) reprise their roles as Rose Gammon and Luther “Suitcase” Simpson, the only police officers in Paradise. Stephen McHattie (“2012″) reprises his role as State Homicide Commander Healy, as does William Devane (“24″) as Jesse’s psychiatrist, Dr. Dix, and William Sadler (“The Shawshank Redemption”) as Gino Fish. Saul Rubinek (“Warehouse 13″) returns as Hasty Hathaway, fresh from a stint in prison, and Krista Allen (“The Starter Wife”) joins the cast as Hathaway’s ex-wife, Cissy, who never misses an opportunity to tell Jesse she’s interested.

Elena Kagan Personal Life

2010-05-10T01:50:00.002-06:00

Elena Kagan Personal Life, Elena Kagan (pronounced /?ke???n/), born April 28, 1960) is Solicitor General of the United States. She is the first woman to hold that office, having been nominated by President Barack Obama on January 26, 2009, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 19, 2009. Kagan was formerly dean of Harvard Law School and Charles Hamilton Houston Professor of Law at Harvard University. She was previously a professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School. She served as Associate White House Counsel under President Bill Clinton.

Late in the evening of May 9, 2010, MSNBC, followed by the New York Times, reported that Kagan will be nominated as an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, replacing retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, by President Obama on May 10, 2010.[3][4] If nominated and confirmed, she would become the fourth female Supreme Court justice in United States history and third on the court’s current bench. She would also be the eighth Jewish justice in United States history and the third on the current bench.

Airports reopen after volcanic ash cloud air disruption

2010-05-10T01:49:00.000-06:00

Airports across Europe are reopening after travellers faced weekend flight disruption caused by the volcanic ash cloud.

Most European airports, bar a few in Portugal, are due to open as normal.

Eurocontrol, the European air safety body, said some airspace closures were still in place over Iceland, the Atlantic and Portugal.

Porto Santo and Funchal, in Madeira, and Cascais and Lisbon in Portugal will remain closed until at least 1000 GMT.

In all, more than 200 flights were grounded over the weekend in Portugal, including 71 at Lisbon's airport.

There will still be re-routing of aircraft over the Atlantic Ocean on Monday, which may cause some delays.

UK air traffic control service Nats has no airspace closures.

Portugal, France and Austria were all forced to ground some flights on Sunday night.

Abta's Frances Tuke says volcanic ash is hitting air travel less than in April

In Italy, airports at Milan, Pisa and Florence reopened after midday but disruption was widespread and there were delays for UK-bound flights.

And French authorities grounded at least 70 flights bound for southern Europe from airports in Paris, Lyon, and Nice.

Spanish airspace began returning to normal on Sunday after 19 airports in the north of the country were closed on Saturday.

However, seven airports - Asturias, Santander, Bilbao, Salamanca, Valladolid, Leon and Burgos - were forced to close again from 1600 BST on Sunday.

In Scotland, airports in Inverness, Kirkwall, Wick, Benbecula and Stornoway were shut for a time, but later reopened.

And the Irish Aviation Authority imposed restrictions on Donegal, Sligo and Knock airports in the west of the country on Sunday afternoon

Last month, ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano shut down airspace across Europe for five days.

Recent images have shown activity in the volcano increasing and emitting ash up to 20,000ft (6,000m).

Passengers are urged to check details of their flights before travelling to the airport.

Michelle Obama honors her mom, South Sider Marian Robinson, at Mothers Day Tea

2010-05-10T01:47:00.002-06:00

WASHINGTON--First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated Mothers Day at the White House early this year, with a Friday tea that honored her "mommy" Marian Robinson, who left Chicago's South Side to move in with the First Family and others, including former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and daughters and grandaughters of Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon. There were cabinet members, military spouses and "Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon--not the daughter of the president, that's Patricia, and she was there.

Clark finally gets US win at Players Championship

2010-05-10T01:46:00.000-06:00

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Tim Clark was good enough to win on three continents and play on three Presidents Cup teams. He was better than everyone but Phil Mickelson in the 2006 Masters.

Good enough to win on the PGA Tour? Clark was starting to wonder.

In more than eight years and 204 tournaments on golf's toughest circuit, he was a runner-up eight times but nothing more. The worst moment was last year at Colonial, where he missed two putts to win, in regulation and a playoff.

"There was a part of me that thought, 'Man, what have I been doing?' When you play that many tournaments, and when you have weeks where you feel like you've played well enough to win and you haven't, it gets a bit frustrating," Clark said. "You do start to wonder, 'When is it going to happen for me?'

"Luckily for me, this week I did play my best," he said. "That's about as good as I can play."

Regarded as one of the best players to have never won on the PGA Tour, Clark ended that conversation Sunday by beating the best field in golf at The Players Championship.

And he did it in style.

Trailing by seven shots going into the weekend, Clark set a TPC Sawgrass record with the largest 36-hole comeback, breaking by one the previous mark by Tiger Woods in 2001.

On a frightening Stadium Course that played its toughest in the final round — the greens were so firm they were brown — he didn't make a single bogey. The 34-year-old South African dropped only one shot on the weekend, and he played the final 26 holes at par or better.

The streak never mattered more than on the final hole.

Having survived the famous island-green 17th hole, Clark faced an 8-foot par putt on the 18th hole. He had a two-shot lead over Robert Allenby of Australia and Lee Westwood of England, but they still had three holes to play, including the par-5 16th that could easily be reached in two shots with an iron.

For Clark, it was about the same length he faced at Colonial last year. It was close to the same length of the birdie putt at the Bob Hope Classic this year, when he finished one shot behind.

"I knew I needed that putt, and I knew I needed it at the Colonial," Clark said. "Today, I just trusted myself and just tried to get into that shot and tried to hit that shot as best as I could. That's really the whole key. I think in the past, I've maybe been thinking about winning way too much. Today, I just tried to hit every shot as good as I could."

Allenby hit them just as well. He just didn't hit two putts quite hard enough.

Allenby can relate to Clark, having won plenty around the world, but not on the PGA Tour since September 2001. Two shots behind, he drilled his approach into 18 feet for eagle and a share of the lead. It lacked just enough pace to fall in.

One shot behind on the 17th, Allenby hit another pure shot that cleared the water, the bunker and looked as though it would funnel to the hole for a tap-in birdie. Instead, it checked up. His putt looked good all the way until it rolled up to the edge of the cup, then turned away. Allenby was so shocked he walked to the edge of the water, and no one would have blamed him for jumping in.

"For it to go up to the hole and take a little look over the top and then come back, that was a bit rude," Allenby said. "But obviously, the golfing gods were with Tim today, and I can accept that. I did everything that I could possibly do to try and win the tournament."

Allenby closed with a 70 to finish runner-up for the seventh time since his last PGA Tour victory.

Clark finished at 16-under 272 and earned $1.71 million from the richest prize in golf. It comes with a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, and a three-year exemption to the Masters.

U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover wound up third with a strong finish — a 31 on the back nine, including a 50-foot birdie putt on the 17th.

Westwood tied for fourth, four shots behind, although he had as good of a chance as anyone. He had a one-shot lead going into the final round, just as he did at the Masters, and held it going to the back nine.

Clark, however, ran off four straight birdies starting and ending with 18-foot putts on No. 9 and No. 12 to take the lead. Westwood, who made so many clutch pars early in the round, kept within two shots by making a 50-foot par on the 15th.

But his birdie putt caught the lip on the 16th, and his tee shot on the 17th clattered against the boards and went into the water, giving him a double bogey.

"Disappointed, but not something I'm going to pull my hair out over," Westwood said. "If you don't play well, you don't deserve to win. And I just didn't play well over the weekend."

No one will question whether Clark played well. He was simply at his best.

"I did all I could out there," Clark said when he finished his round. "That's as good as I could have played. I feel like I hit every shot I like I wanted to today."

It led to the best feeling of all — a victory on the PGA Tour.

By DOUG FERGUSON

Arroyo's shadow over Philippines election

2010-05-10T01:44:00.000-06:00

Manila, Philippines

After a mud-slinging presidential campaign, some 50 million Filipinos are heading to the polls Monday to choose from a field dominated by the son of a beloved former president and a wealthy real-estate developer.

Philippines election: Doubts arise over electronic voting machines

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who took office in 2001, isn’t eligible to run. But her legacy, and her influence, has loomed over the contest. While her own party’s candidate has kept his distance from her, the frontrunners have accused one another of being in her pocket, a slur that is considered a major turn-off for voters, such is the president’s unpopularity.
“The main issue in this campaign is not corruption. It’s not poverty. It’s Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” says Ramon Casiple, who runs the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform in Manila.

Lame-duck presidents are often a liability, as during the 2008 US presidential campaign in which John McCain steered clear of outgoing President Bush. But Arroyo’s negative drag is amplified by deep suspicion of her political ambitions after she steps down as president in June.

In an unusual move, Arroyo is running for Congress in her home district in central Luzon. From fading away, she seems determined to stay on the political stage. With enough seats, her party says it would propose Arroyo as House Speaker, setting up a potential rivalry with the next president.

Avoiding the incumbent

Leading the pack is Sen. Benigno Aquino, son of former President Corazon Aquino. Since February, he has pulled ahead of second-placed opponent, Sen. Manuel Villar, a real-estate tycoon. Mr. Villar has been dogged by speculation that Arroyo is secretly backing him and not her party’s struggling candidate, Gilberto Teodoro. Commentators call the alleged joint candidacy "Villaroyo," combining the two surnames.

Villar has denied any dealings with Arroyo. His side has shot back with a similar allegation against Mr. Aquino, using the coinage "Gloriaquino," and identifying several members of Aquino’s family who serve in Arroyo’s administration. Villar has argued that he doesn’t need help from Arroyo as he has plenty of his own money for campaigning.

But analysts say the "Villaroyo" tag has stuck, in part because pro-Aquino media has pushed it hard. There has also been a stampede of ruling-party defections to Villar, as well as reports that the party isn’t investing heavily on its presidential hopeful, suggesting that resources and orders are going elsewhere.

Alberto Lim, executive director of the Makati Business Club, a lobby group that favors Aquino, says the outgoing president isn’t leaving anything to chance. “(Arroyo) has several irons in the fire. She’s not just betting on one house. That’s why Villaroyo is not so far-fetched,” he says.

Arroyo's plans

By running for Congress and allegedly making deals with presidential frontrunners, Arroyo may simply be trying to stay in the political game. Some opponents have warned that she is angling to become a future prime minister under a long-mooted and still inchoate plan of constitutional reform.

But a more likely explanation is legal and political protection after she loses her presidential immunity, says Prospero De Vera, an expert on elections at the University of the Philippines. Civil-rights groups are planning to sue Arroyo over human-rights abuses, including the disappearance or murder of hundreds of activists, mostly from leftist groups that are targeted by security forces in anti-communist campaigns. Her administration has also been dogged by several corruption scandals.

Philippines election: Doubts arise over electronic voting machines

“A lot of civil society groups are waiting to bring cases against her locally and internationally,” says De Vera, who is an unpaid advisor to Villar.

Much of the campaign has turned on personality attacks, with Villar’s rags-to-riches narrative being picked apart by Aquino’s camp and retaliatory attempts to frame Aquino as an idle aristocrat. Most candidates have sought to win over voters by promising to tackle poverty and revive the economy, but have offered few specifics on how to plug the budget deficit or advance the peace process in troubled Mindanao.

Fears of violence

The election process remains a big concern. Widespread vote-rigging in 2004, allegedly at Arroyo’s behest, cast a shadow over the poll results. Some of the most egregious cheating was in Maguindanao province, where 57 people were massacred last November in a political dispute. On April 17, the government dropped murder charges against two members of the Ampatuan family blamed for the massacre, a move that sparked protest from relatives of the dead, then reapplied them. The Ampatuans are longtime allies of Arroyo.

This time the national ballot count will be fully automated, in what critics say is a risky bet on the efficiency of counting machines that have had a mixed run in other countries. Election monitors have warned that power cuts may disrupt the count and that voters haven’t been taught properly how to fill out the new type of ballot.

In a close race, any breakdown in the counting system might spark unrest, warns Mr. Lim. Already, dozens were killed during the campaign season, and four more were shot dead on Monday. “If people don’t believe in the process, there could be blood on the streets,” he says.

By Simon Montlake

Pound strengthens against US dollar

2010-05-10T01:41:00.000-06:00

The pound has risen against the dollar and leading shares have jumped sharply despite continuing uncertainty about who will form the next UK government.

However, sterling fell sharply against the euro after European leaders agreed measures to try to stop the Greek debt crisis affecting other countries.

The pound rose by almost a cent against the dollar to $1.4865. Against the euro it fell by a cent to 1.1510 euros.

The FTSE 100 rose 3.4% in early trading, after sharp falls on Friday.

Last week's UK general election failed to give any party a clear majority.

The major parties have been holding talks to try to form a coalition government.

Reports of progress on the talks seem to have calmed investors' nerves for the time being.

Sharp falls

However, there are fears that if the process takes too long, the pound and share prices could be hit.

The main concern is that a weak government will not be able to pass measures to reduce the UK's budget deficit quickly.

The pound fell sharply against the dollar on Thursday - the day of the general election - and Friday.

It also fell heavily against the euro at the end of last week.

The political uncertainty also hit shares, with the FTSE 100 index losing 2.6% on Friday.

Emergency funding

The pound's fall against the euro on Monday had less to do with concerns about the political situation in the UK, and more to do with the measures agreed in Europe to tackle the Greek debt crisis, which threatens to engulf other highly-indebted nations.

On Sunday, European Union finance ministers brokered a 500bn euro ($649bn; £436bn) emergency loan deal.

Under the terms of the deal, the 16 members of the eurozone will have access to 440bn euros of loan guarantees and 60bn euros of emergency European Commission funding.

In addition, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will also contribute up to 250bn euros.

On Friday, eurozone leaders approved an 110bn-euro loan package to Greece, which will be backed by the EU and IMF.

Braden's grandmother put him on right track

2010-05-10T01:39:00.000-06:00

Perfect pitcher's closest relative steered him toward success

OAKLAND -- Dallas Braden's undying love for his hometown of Stockton, Calif., extends much farther than the rather large "209" tattoo inked across his midsection honoring the city's area code, and is exemplified by his closest relative.

That much has been evident by his numerous volunteer efforts in the Stockton community, where he still calls home just five blocks from his grandmother, Peggy Lindsey -- the selfless woman who raised Braden by herself following his mother's death when he was in high school.

On Sunday, he took that love and shared it with several fellow Stockton natives by offering them a special ticket deal in Section 209 at the Oakland Coliseum, where fans from his hometown and surrounding areas -- including his grandmother -- cheered him on against the visiting Rays.

Braden plans on extending the half-price discount ($12) for a handful of games he pitches in this year, but it's safe to assume none of those will amount to the historic measures that came out of Sunday's outing.

The A's lefty tossed just the 19th perfect game in Major League history in a 4-0 victory over the Rays, who entered the series with baseball's best record. It also marked Braden's first career complete game and the sixth no-hitter in Oakland history.

To be able to do it not only in front of Lindsey on Mother's Day but in the presence of those who surrounded his upbringing made an already perfect day "pretty cool," Braden admitted with a smile.

"I didn't know that today was going to be the first day of the ticket deal until earlier this week," he said. "Everything like that coming together in my mind, it's something that I never thought I'd be a part of in terms of big league baseball -- that I'm going to have this section of mine for people to sit in, and that I'm going to be toeing the rubber on Mother's Day with everything we've gone through. So in that respect, it's pretty special."

The city of Stockton likely feels the same way -- especially considering the roller-coaster ride that has been Braden's life. Long before making a name for himself wearing a Major League uniform, Braden didn't exactly pave a path for himself to succeed at all, let alone as a professional baseball player.

As a student at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, Braden found himself kicked off the baseball team during his freshman and junior years for not making grades and "doing other stuff." He mentioned he missed 79 of 81 days during a quarter in his junior year, a point during which Lindsey put a stop to all the nonsense.

"I veered off enough to only play two years of high school baseball," he said. "I was not doing what I should have been doing when I should have been doing it. I was doing pretty much everything in my power to take every opportunity that my mother and grandmother have given me away. But she wasn't going to let that happen.

"My grandmother just made it very clear to me that all the sacrifices my mom had made and that she had made and the life that we had led up till that point was all to get me on the baseball field and to keep me out of jail. ... She made it very clear like, 'This is what we're going to do.' She didn't leave an option."

Thus, Braden quit his trips to Chico, where he had friends at the school he deemed "a pretty cool party college." Rather, he took to the diamond again and eventually ended up at American River College and Texas Tech University before being selected by the A's in the 24th round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft.

Braden spent four years in Oakland's Minor League system, including a stint for his hometown Stockton Ports in 2005 and '06, before making his Major League debut in '07 in Baltimore, where Lindsey sat in the stands just as she does at every home game.

It was no different on Sunday, when she arrived at the Coliseum for a tailgate at 9 a.m. on Mother's Day.

"It's very exciting," she said. "We had a lot of friends with us from Stockton visiting today. ... Dal and I are really close. We've been close since Dallas was born."

Following Braden's historic performance, Lindsey said she planned to celebrate with her grandson back in Stockton, where the two are so much more than just neighbors.

"It's phenomenal having her so close," Braden said. "Any time she needs anything or any time I start to worry, I can go over there or she can come over to me. We've got over 30 close, close, close-knit friends -- when I say close, I mean 30 people that I can leave my house to and would not have a problem with it. It's not just neighbors, these are people that I've grown up with, and so she's got a pretty big network. They were all here."

By Jane Lee

US solicitor general Elena Kagan to be nominated to Supreme Court

2010-05-10T01:37:00.000-06:00

President Barack Obama will today nominate Elena Kagan, the US solicitor general, for the American Supreme Court.

The former dean of Harvard Law school will become only the fourth woman to serve on America’s highest court, after Mr Obama chose hispanic Sonia Sotomayor last year.

Ms Kagan, 50, who will replace retiring liberal Justice John Paul Stevens, 90, if she is confirmed by the Democratic-controlled Senate will be the youngest member of the current court.

A high-powered legal scholar and veteran of the Clinton White House, Ms Kagan, unlike most Supreme Court nominees has not served for years as a judge. Some liberal and legal interest groups had pressured the president to chose someone from outside the “judicial monastery.”

She is also said to have cultivated ties with some conservatives, which could help her prospects of confirmation.

Mr Obama said in April that he would chose a replacement for liberal icon Mr Stevens who “knows that in a democracy, powerful interests must not be allowed to drown out the voices of ordinary citizens.”

Republicans may make a show of opposing Kagan’s nomination, but many observers believe that she is almost certain to win Senate confirmation.

When she was facing Senate confirmation as solicitor general, Attorney General Eric Holder praised Ms Kagan’s “intelligence, experience and commitment to the rule of law.” She was confirmed to serve as solicitor general last year by 61 votes to 31 in the Senate.

Ms Kagan, who was passed over by Mr Obama last year when he chose Ms Sotomayor as his first Supreme Court nomination will be only the fourth woman after Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Ms Sotomayor, who made history as the first Hispanic justice, to sit on the nation’s top court.

A 1981 graduate of Princeton University, Ms Kagan completed her studies at Harvard Law School in 1986, leaving just two years before Mr Obama arrived there.

She was professor of law in Chicago, Mr Obama’s home town and was chosen by then President Bill Clinton to serve as his associate counsel and then advisor on domestic policy between 1995 to 1999.

During her time with the Clinton administration, Kagan cultivated contacts with many of the lawyers now serving in various capacities in the Obama administration.

She went on to become a visiting professor of law at Harvard in 1999 and then professor of law in 2001. She was appointed dean in 2003.

In a letter to the Harvard Law School when Mr Obama chose her as solicitor general, Ms Kagan said she had accepted the nomination “to help advance this nation’s commitment to the rule of law at what I think is a critical time in our history.”

Anne Barrowclough

Obama picks Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court

2010-05-10T01:35:00.000-06:00

Founding dean of the School of Law at the University of California at Irvine

No one is surprised that Elena Kagan is President Obama's pick to replace Justice John Paul Stevens. Like Sonia Sotomayor last year, she is someone sure to be confirmed by the Senate and will require little of the president's political capital. Kagan is impeccably qualified. Unlike other recent nominees, she has a small paper trail. She's never been a judge, so there are no prior opinions to scrutinize. She's written only five major law review articles, and none are controversial.

On the other hand, that is the risk in Obama's selection of Kagan: no one is sure of her views on key issues. Presidents who have picked nominees without a paper trail often have been stunned by the results. David Souter, for example, had been a justice on the New Hampshire Supreme Court, but no one knew where he was on the ideological continuum. He deeply disappointed Republicans after being selected by President George H. W. Bush when he turned out to be a fairly liberal justice. No one knows whether Kagan will be as liberal as Stevens, more conservative or even more liberal. And no one will know until she's on the high court.

ERWIN CHEMERINSKY

Be frank when facing temptation of franks

2010-05-10T01:32:00.000-06:00

Have you ever been to Las Vegas? If you have, you know the opportunity to gamble hits you as soon as you deplane. Slot machines welcome you at nearly every gate, drawing you in with pings, dings and electronic sounds. Come on, "throw a few in" before hitting the Strip.

For me, going home to Chicago is the same kind of experience, except instead of blinking one-armed bandits I am welcomed by the temptations of Chicago food, starting with the famous Chicago-style hot dog available at the stand right there inside O'Hare Airport.

It's a soft sesame seed hot dog bun, a Vienna Beef frank, mustard, onions, green relish, hot peppers, cucumbers, tomato slices and a pickle wedge topped off with a sprinkle of celery salt. Now that's good eatin.'

Some of you might be saying, "That's too much to put on a hot dog." Well, it isn't. That's why hot dogs are famous in Chicago. They are a part of the city.

Whenever I go home, my friends here ask me if I'm going to have any of that Chicago pizza or Italian beef.

Well, the answer is never easy. I say no. "This trip I might have my favorite Chinese food (at least an egg roll or two) or maybe a hot dog." I have to be sooooo careful whenever I go home because a trip home usually means being tempted by the same foods that helped me grow to more than 400 pounds.

Going home and eating is so automatic, instant and, most of all, dangerous. It's all the foods I love in my favorite place in the world. It's comforting, but very tempting to have my being home experience begin as soon as I get off the plane.

Do I enjoy myself? You bet! But now I am almost hyper aware of my surroundings, situations and emotions whenever I'm near my favorite Chinese food places, hot dog stands, Italian beef purveyors, pizza parlors, fried chicken eateries, rib joints or restaurants.

An egg roll here and an order of French fries covered in homemade BBQ sauce there and it's all over. This is what I have to think about when I go home.

Nowadays, I am better. Not perfect, but better, about eating when I go home. I give myself a big pep talk before stepping foot on the plane. I tell myself, "OK, Larson. I'm sending you into the game. You know you need to make smart choices. If you're going to have this, you can't have that. Got it? Now go get 'em!"

And if I am lucky I avoid giving in to all the culinary temptations that surround me on almost at every street corner.

However, I do admit that having slot machines (and hot dog stands) in the airport is a smart idea. They may or may not get you coming in, but if you've had that much fun on your trip you'll want just one last taste before heading back to reality.

That's what I feel in the airport. Whenever I'm home I have such a blast, walking the streets, hanging with friends and eating my favorite foods. I want just one more taste of Chicago before heading back to South Jersey. You know, one more hot dog for the road.

Bill Larson

Nirvana 'Nevermind' Baby Works For Barack Obama Poster Designer

2010-05-07T06:38:00.000-06:00

The baby on the cover of Nirvana's 'Nevermind' has secured a job with President Barack Obama's 'HOPE' poster designer Shepard Fairey.

The now 19-year-old Spencer Elden is employed by Fairey's 'Obey' company in Los Angeles and works on a variety of projects including making record covers.

As well as the iconic 'HOPE' posters in support of the then Democrat candidate in 2008, Fairey also created the famous 'OBEY Giant' images of Andre The Giant in the nineties.

Speaking about his work with Fairey, Elden said: “I’ve always loved art. My Dad’s an artist – he works in the film industry and makes custom props. I used to help him out when I could.

“Having Shepherd as a boss is pretty awesome. He’s very inspiring”.

Elden also spoke about the famous Nirvana cover on the promotional video posted on Vimeo.

“My nickname is Nirvana Baby,” he said. “That's because I'm the baby on the front of the Nirvana album. It's kind of a fun fact about me I guess – everyone in the world has seen my penis.”

Explaining how it came about, he added: “My parents were going to art school with a photographer Kirk Weddle so they kind of supported him.

“He kind of got this portfolio together of underwater photography and his first big job was this Nirvana baby shoot.

“He called up my dad and said 'I've got my first big shoot and they're paying me to take this baby underwater and I don't have a baby', well I was just born so they took me down to the local pool and threw me in.”

Scott Colothan

CHP blitz slowing on Bay Bridge S-curve

2010-05-07T06:35:00.000-06:00

Fewer squad cars will assemble on the Bay Bridge to prevent accidents involving S-curve speeders.

Nearly $4 million, largely taken from bridge tolls, has already been spent enforcing the curve’s 40 mph speed limit during a safety blitz that will start to wind down.

Caltrans, the state agency that manages the bridge, isn’t recovering enforcement costs from tickets issued to speeding S-curve motorists. That money largely goes to counties.

To save money, fewer officers will be deployed to target S-curve speeders, according to Tony Anziano, a Caltrans official who oversees toll bridges.

The reduction could cut costs from $660,000 to $270,000 a month, but details have not been finalized.

“The intention is for people to understand that there is going to be enhanced enforcement out there,” Anziano said. “Exactly when it’s going to be and where it’s going to be will be determined on an ongoing basis.”

The enforcement blitz began Nov. 11, two days after truck driver Tahir Sheikh Fakhar plunged to his death from the snaking roadway, which was installed in September to reroute traffic while a replacement span is built.

Officials say Fakhar was traveling at 50 mph, the bridge’s normal speed limit, in the special 40 mph zone.

California has not responded to a claim filed by Fakhar’s family that alleges the roadway’s condition was dangerous and defective, attorney Lewis Van Blois said Thursday.

The tragedy followed two months of traffic-snarling nonfatal crashes and flipped vehicles.

The California Highway Patrol has deployed 11 officers daily since November to police speeds, according to John Goodwin, Metropolitan Transportation Commission spokesman.

Increased speed-limit enforcement was among many steps taken to slow traffic.

Rumble strips, additional signage, reflective striping and nighttime lane closures have helped slow traffic. Fencing was installed to prevent vehicles from flipping over the guardrail.

“We haven’t had any major roadway-closing accidents or fatalities since Nov. 11,” Goodwin said. “The vast majority of drivers have been driving safely through the corridor.”

The rate of accidents at the S-curve fell from nearly six per week to roughly 1.6 per week after militant speed enforcement began, figures show.

New roadway sensors will track traffic speed and patrols could be stepped up again if speeding problems grow, according to Goodwin.

The curve will be used until construction is finished on a replacement eastern span between Yerba Buena Island and Oakland. That’s expected in 2013 or later.

John Upton

Ellen Barkin Won $4.3 Million Suit From Ron Perlman

2010-05-07T06:30:00.000-06:00

Ellen Barkin, an American actress and film producer. Good news is that she won the suit from her ex-husband Ron Perlman, which costs $4.3 million. Judge ordered Ron Perlman to pay the huge amount of $4.3 million to Ellen Barkin.

Ellen and Ron had a five year marriage relationship and they agreed to split in the year 2006. She won this money in Apple head contract. According to Manhattan Supreme Court Justice, Debra James, Apple head contract and the divorce agreement were separate deals.

In this case, the judgement was given in favor of Ellen Barkin. But, Ellen Barkin was not satisfied with the justice; she expected $20 to $60 million. Ron Perlman was ordered to pay an amount of $3.4 million along with interest. So, the net amount would become $4.3 million.

She wants to invest this amount for her film production company, Barkin’s Production’s company which was co- founded by his ex husband, Ron Perlman.

E. coli forces lettuce recall; 19 ill in 3 states

2010-05-07T06:28:00.000-06:00

WASHINGTON — A food company is recalling lettuce sold in 23 states and the District of Columbia because of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 19 people, three of them with life-threatening symptoms.

The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that 12 people had been hospitalized and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was looking at 10 other cases probably linked to the outbreak.

Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio, said it was recalling romaine lettuce sold under the Freshway and Imperial Sysco brands because of a possible link to the E. coli outbreak.

College students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Ohio State in Columbus and Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y., are among those affected, according to local health departments in those states.

The FDA is focusing its investigation on lettuce grown in Arizona as a possible source for the outbreak, according to two people who have been briefed by the agency. Donna Rosenbaum, director of the food safety advocacy group Safe Tables Our Priority and one of those briefed, said the agency held a phone call with public health advocates Thursday.

Rosenbaum and other public health advocates have long been pushing for stronger food safety laws. The House passed a bill last year that would give the agency much more authority to police food production, but the Senate has not acted on it.

The New York state Public Health Laboratory in Albany discovered the contamination in a bag of Freshway Foods shredded romaine lettuce on Wednesday after local authorities had been investigating the outbreak for several weeks. The bag of lettuce came from a processing facility that was also linked to the illnesses, the FDA said. The agency would not disclose the name of that facility or its location but said an investigation was under way.

E. coli infection can cause mild diarrhea or more severe complications, including kidney damage. The three patients with life-threatening symptoms were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause bleeding in the brain or kidneys.

It was not immediately clear why students on college campuses were sickened. Freshway Foods said the lettuce was sold to wholesalers, food service outlets, in-store salad bars and delis.

Susan Cerniglia, spokeswoman for the public health department in Washtenaw County, where the University of Michigan is located, said it doesn't appear that students who were sickened ate the contaminated food on campus. It is believed they may have been sickened at local restaurants, she said.The Erie County, N.Y., health department issued an alert late last month, however, that linked at least one diagnosis of E. coli to a student who ate at a Daemen College dining facility.

The most common strain of E. coli found in U.S. patients is E. coli O157. The CDC said the strain linked to the lettuce, E. coli 0145, is more difficult to identify and may go unreported.

Freshway Foods said in a statement Thursday that the FDA informed the company about the positive test in New York on Wednesday afternoon. The statement said "an extensive FDA investigation" of Freshway Foods' facility in Sidney has not uncovered any contamination at the plant.

The recalled lettuce has a "best if used by" date of May 12 or earlier. The recall also affects "grab and go" salads sold at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets and Marsh grocery stores.

The lettuce was sold in Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

By MARY CLARE JALONICK

Mother’s Day Quotes

2010-05-07T06:27:00.000-06:00

Mother’s Day is here so wish your mother and tell her how much you love her. Mother is a precious gift of God and she spends her life to bring up her children selflessly. She is the true guide who is so much loving and caring. So what did u decide? Are you going to present a beautiful gift to your mom? You can give your mother a card with Mother’s day quotes or Mothers day poems.

Everyone is searching for Mother’s Day quotes and Mother’s day poems on internet because they want to wish their mother in a best way. So don’t waste your time.
Mother’s Day is celebrated on 9th May in most of the countries of the world. In U.S Mother’s day is an annual holiday. On the day many people arrange events to highlight the importance of a mother and to recognize mothers and motherhood and their contribution in our lives. This beautiful day is dedicated to all those great mothers who help their children to achieve success and spend their whole lives in their care.
This day grabbed the world attention with the efforts of Ms. Julia Ward Howe and Ms. Anna Jarvis. Salute your mother for all the love and support which she gives you throughout your life. For your ease here are some Mother’s Day quotes and poems:

Mothers Day Quotes:

My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune. ~Graycie Harmon

A mother is a mother still,

The holiest thing alive.

~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

If the whole world were put into one scale, and my mother in the other, the whole world would kick the beam. ~Lord Langdale (Henry Bickersteth)
The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

Mothers Day Poems:
When I was a small child.

you held my hand and smiled.

When I got hurt I would cry.

you would giggle and dry my eye.

life has difficult decisions and you were my guide.

you taught me how to decide.

you told me that the bad should be denied.

and that family should never be put aside.

when I was a small child.

I was a little wild.

as I grew I’ve done a few wrong things and it’s true.

there’s a lot of things I’ve wanted to tell you.

and when we have problems we always make it through.

but one thing that I want you to know is that

I LOVE YOU.

Happiness is like a sunny day:

All one’s bitterness is drowned in light.

Praise be the light, though it must pass away,

Perhaps because compassion needs the night.

Yet when one feels like swallowing barbed wire,

More or less does nothing for the pain.

Old memories return as if on fire,

Tormenting one with unforgiving shame.

How can I, who love you, come inside,

Each wound to bind up with an ointment rare,

Restoring the once effervescent bride

‘Neath misery no happiness can spare?

So shall I sing to you of all life’s beauty,

Doing through the night my daytime duty.

A song of love may not bring back your noon,

Yet in your darkness, let me be your moon.

Larry Kings divorce still on hold

2010-05-07T06:24:00.000-06:00

Larry King’s divorce from wife Shawn Southwick King remains on hold, his lawyer says.
After beginning proceedings last month, only to withdraw them soon afterwards, the couple reportedly decided to put a two-week stay on the legal action.
'The hold has been continued until the middle of next week,' King’s lawyer Dennis Wasser told E News.
'Stay tuned.'
The couple, whom it has been alleged had both been unfaithful during the course of their 12-year union, are reported to be undergoing marriage counselling. By Daniela Elser

J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 Movie Trailer Available

2010-05-07T06:22:00.000-06:00

LOS ANGELES (GaeaTimes.com) — Super 8 movie, the secret project by J.J. Abrams has been leaked by someone. The trailer of Super 8 movie has made its way to YouTube and currently available at the site.

Super 8 movie is produced by Steven Spielberg. The movie set in the 1970s, features a train transporting something from Area 51, that has been closed down.

As of now, there is no confirmed news whether the trailer is the original one. We don’t know how much time Paramount Pictures will tolerate this trailer before forcing YouTube to remove it. So, hurry up friends, lest you miss the hilarious trailer of the movie Super 8.

By jayita

Oil spill spreads in the Gulf of Mexico

2010-05-07T06:20:00.000-06:00

As an orange slick of oil washed onto sandy barrier islands prized as a historic wildlife refuge, crews on Thursday worked to lower a containment vessel over a leak 5,000 feet deep in the Gulf of Mexico, and federal officials extended a temporary freeze on new offshore drilling nationwide.

"We have now had reports of oil ashore," Coast Guard Petty Officer David Mosley said. Overflights found the sheen that marks the advancing edge of the massive slick hovering off the Louisiana coast, as well as heavier oil on both sides of the Chandeleur Islands, about 60 miles east of New Orleans.

Cleanup crews were dispatched to the crescent-shaped string of islands, which are part of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge created in 1904 by President Theodore Roosevelt.

Jaqui Michel, an oil spill cleanup expert with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said "light-orange mooshy-looking stuff" was working its way toward island marshes and rookeries for thousands of pelicans, the state bird.

The oil had pushed up against marshes but had not yet penetrated them. Booms were being placed to protect plants from floating oil, Michel said, and vegetation will be flushed gently with water to drive residual oil away from the shore, where it can be skimmed.

The slick arrived a little more than two weeks after the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, which left 11 workers missing and presumed dead and sent oil gushing into the gulf at a rate of at least 200,000 gallons a day.

BP teams started lowering a huge coffer dam containment device over the main leak, a delicate operation that is the company's best hope of capturing much of the oil pouring from a leaking pipe on the seabed, nearly a mile beneath the surface.

"Everyone wants this to work. It's never been done before at this depth. That's the scary part," said BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles.

The work with the dome was stopped Thursday night after worrisome levels of gas fumes were detected, but BP spokesman Scott Dean expected the delay to be temporary. "They may have taken a pause because of air monitoring results that may have indicated hydrocarbon vapors, which can be explosive at high enough levels," Dean said.

The four-story metal box, which will be hooked to a pipe system leading to an oil processing ship, should be operating by early next week. But Suttles said he expected the project would encounter some start-up troubles.

Political fallout continued in the aftermath of the rig disaster, which occurred about 50 miles offshore.

After meeting in Houston with BP officials, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that his department would issue no new offshore drilling permits until investigators determined the causes of the accident. That review is due to President Obama by May 28.

The decision is not a total moratorium — drilling will continue on existing platforms offshore — but it freezes new drilling in the gulf and the Arctic Ocean, where Shell is set to begin exploratory drilling this summer. Salazar could still approve the Arctic permit in time for that drilling to begin as scheduled.

The department also is putting a temporary hold on public hearings that would have been the next step in opening the Virginia coastline to offshore oil and gas drilling.

On Capitol Hill, Reps. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) proposed an independent commission with subpoena power to investigate the spill and recommend measures to prevent similar disasters. A bipartisan delegation of House members planned a flyover of the spill site Friday, along with meetings with officials overseeing the response.

Breton was the nation's second wildlife refuge, founded by a nature-loving president who wanted to save its rich bird life from slaughter by hunters seeking feathers for women's hats.

"The islands are very vibrant places," said Kelby Ouchley, a temporary manager at the Interior Department's wildlife refuge visitors center in Venice, La. He described the islands, mostly sand, mud and grass, as "places where thousands of birds are wheeling and whirling around you. You see pelicans toting big limbs to make nests and peregrine falcons flying over. It is rife with life."

Michel said workers must be careful not to clean the oil-hit areas too vigorously because that could do more harm than good. Any remaining oil will be left to biodegrade. Teams have placed double booms to protect pelican nesting areas on the lee side of the islands, but not on the east where the waves are too large.

The movement of the oil plume, which spread to the west Thursday, continued to frustrate predictions. "It's pretty amazing to have oil in the water for this period of time and so little shoreline oil," Michel said.

So far the only reports from wildlife officials about oil on marine animals have been "a gannet and several pelicans," said Jeff Dauzat of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

NOAA has started sampling fish and shellfish, both in the gulf and in stores, and has directed a research ship to collect samples of seafloor sediment and the water column. None of the fish tests are complete yet, but spokesman Brian Gorman said NOAA had no reason to believe that tainted seafood had entered the country's food chain.

By Bettina Boxall and Jill Leovy

Times staff writers P.J. Huffstutter in Los Angeles and Richard Simon and Jim Tankersley in Washington contributed to this report.

Oil Rises, Stemming Weekly Loss as Dollar Weakens Against Euro

2010-05-07T06:17:00.001-06:00

May 7 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rose, snapping three days of declines, as the dollar weakened versus the euro and on speculation this week’s 10 percent fall may have been excessive.

Futures are still heading for their biggest drop since July on concerns Europe’s debt crisis will derail the economic recovery. Prices touched an 11-week low of $74.58 a barrel in New York yesterday. U.S. inventories of gasoline are 7.6 percent above their seasonal norm as the country’s peak driving season approaches, according to the Energy Department.

“The downward movement of the last two to three days was fueled by concerns on the economic situation, but the fundamentals haven’t changed so today we’re seeing a recovery,” said Alexandra Kogelnig, a consultant with JBC Energy GmbH in Vienna. “Prices shouldn’t fall much below $80 as demand is recovering, and you need a certain price level.”

Crude oil for June delivery traded at $77.75 a barrel, 64 cents higher in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange as of 11:22 a.m. London time. Brent crude oil for June settlement was at $80.43, up 60 cents on the London-based ICE Futures exchange.

Oil settled at an 11-week low of $77.11 in New York yesterday after the euro fell against the dollar and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost almost 1,000 points, a 9.2 percent plunge that was the biggest intraday percentage loss since 1987. The dollar was at $1.2752 per euro as of 11:21 a.m. London time, compared with $1.2619 in New York yesterday.

“A small bubble has burst,” said Gerrit Zambo, a trader at Bayerische Landesbank in Munich. “It’s not a catastrophe, but market participants are nervous that the problems in Greece may be repeated in Portugal or Spain. It’s not about fundamentals now, oil is being driven by capital markets.”

A 110 billion-euro ($140 billion) aid package to avoid a default by Greece has failed to prevent bond yields from rising, driving up borrowing costs for countries including Spain and Portugal. Moody’s Investors Service yesterday placed Portugal on review for a possible downgrade.

U.S. Jobs:

“The non-farm payrolls, if as expected, should trump the euro-zone woes,” said Anthony Nunan, an assistant general manager for risk management at Mitsubishi Corp. in Tokyo. “There is a greater possibility for U.S. demand gains than euro-zone demand losses. The euro area is a bit of a dead zone for oil demand.”

Oil found support at price levels noted by traders using technical analysis. Crude reached a low today of $76.68 a barrel, close to the 200-day moving average of $76.43.

Prices may also trade above $76.24 a barrel, the 61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement from the low of Feb. 5 to the May 3 high of $87.15, said Mitsubishi’s Nunan.

“Both of those should be strong support levels,” he said.

-- With assistance from Christian Schmollinger in Singapore. Editors: John Buckley, Raj Rajendran

By Grant Smith

Tories should have first shot at power: Clegg

2010-05-07T06:15:00.000-06:00

LONDON — Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who looks set to play kingmaker in a hung parliament, said Friday the Conservatives had the "first right to seek to govern" after the election.

"I've said that whichever party gets the most votes and the most seats, if not an absolute majority, has the first right to seek to govern either on its own or by reaching out to other parties, and I stick to that view," he said.

"It seems this morning that it is the Conservative Party that has more votes and more seats though not an absolute majority," Clegg added.

"That is why I think it is now for the Conservative Party to prove that it is capable of seeking to govern in the national interest."

Thursday's election gave the Conservatives the most seats in the House of Commons, but they fell short of the absolute majority needed to form a government alone.

Less than an hour after Clegg's remarks, the Conservatives announced leader David Cameron would make a statement at 2:30 pm to "set out how he will seek to form a government that is strong and stable with broad support, that acts in the national interest".

Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour party, which came second in the vote, has also indicated that it would consider trying to cling to power, possibly with the help of the Liberal Democrats.

This is the first time Clegg has indicated he could work with the Conservatives. Previously it was thought the Liberal Democrats would be more likely to work with Labour, as both are seen as "progressive" parties.

Brown fired the starting gun on the horse-trading Friday by asking the head of the civil service to provide support to parties engaged in discussions about the formation of a government.

He also made clear he was not intending to step down immediately, saying: "It is my duty as prime minister to take all steps to ensure Britain has a strong, stable and principled government."

Cameron insisted earlier Labour had "lost its mandate to govern" after finishing with the second-biggest party.

Greg Giraldo As Celebrity Guest For NBC’s The Marriage Ref

2010-05-07T04:30:00.001-06:00

NBC’s Last comic standing judge and former Lawyer Greg Giraldo and actress Gwyneth Paltrow will be the celebrity panelists for the reality show “The Marriage Ref”. Hosted by Tom Papa and produced by Jerry Seinfeld.

Gwyneth Paltrow is one of those Hollywood’s most likely fake marriage to Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Greg Giraldo is fresh from his second divorce.

The show involves real life couples who have been on an ongoing fight. A video clip is being shown to the panelists, showing both sides of the story. The members of the panel then discuss the virtue of each side of the arguments and votes on whom they think is right.

They focus on arguments about cell phones, stripper attires, knife-throwing and snoring.

Together, the three guest judges will observe marital tiffs and offer their advises and thoughts in a way to help the host and “Marriage Ref”, Tom Papa, to make the decision on who is right .

The topics for this week’s show include a husband who wanted to see his wife dresses well and sexier, a snoring partner, and a husband who wants the help of her wife as a human target for his knife-throwing magic act.

myYearbook’s Chatter Driving 1 Million Updates A Day, 1 Billion Page Views A Month

2010-05-07T04:29:00.000-06:00

Many people have never heard of myYearbook, a social network that skews pretty young (half of its members are teenagers). But it’s got a substantial audience, with around 55.7 million visits and 4.3 million uniques a month, according to comScore. And recently, it’s been growing very quickly — according to comScore, unique visits are up 23% since last November, and page views are up a whopping 83% over the same time frame, to 998 million. Earlier this week, I sat down with CEO Geoff Cook to talk about what’s driving the growth.

The key, Cook says, is a feature that launched in November called Chatter (which has no relation to the Salesforce feature by the same name). Chatter is a lot like Facebook’s News Feed — it’s a stream of content recently posted by other users on the network. But unlike Facebook, which populates your feed with items from your friends, Chatter is geared more towards meeting and interacting with people you don’t know. Cook says one contributor to the feature’s popularity is the fact that you can filter what type of items you’re seeing — for example, I could elect to see only content posted by women aged 20-30 (for this reason, the site has a more flirty nature than what you’ll find on Facebook). That’s helped the feature catch on, and Chatter is now seeing 1 million user updates a day.

To help boost engagement, myYearbook has borrowed features popular on other sites and incorporated them into Chatter. First, the site added Ask Me, which is a Q&A feature very similar to Formspring.me. It then added ‘Rate Me’, which lets you post a photo and have it rated by strangers (which sounds like a recipe for low self esteem, but Cook claims that people receive quite a few ’10′s). The site also plans to add a feature called ’2 Truths & A Lie’, which is an online version of the classic game.

Some of the site’s growth — the boost in unique users, in particular — is likely due to the fact that myYearbook now syndicates Chatter updates to Twitter, which direct users back to the site. But he says the rise in engagement (page views have jumped from 544 million in November to 998 million in March) is primarily from users interacting more with the site, and it’s driven by Chatter, along with the site’s redesign. Cook also points out that according to comScore, myYearbook has more page views than Twitter.com does in the United States (though he concedes that much of Twitter’s traffic comes from third party clients, and Twitter has a large international audience).

Looking forward, Cook says that the company will soon be launching applications for both the iPhone and Android.

Here’s a video the site is using to promote its recent growth;

by Jason Kincaid

Victoria Rowell Daughter

2010-05-07T04:25:00.000-06:00

We all know that Sandra Bullock has announced the adoption of an black baby. She adopted the child in January 2010 but she revealed the adoption last week. Sandra and Jesse James begun the adoption process four years ago and in January the couple adopted the baby boy but they decided to keep the whole process as a secret till Oscar Awards. Last week she announced the adoption and also confirmed the news of divorce from her husband Jesse James.

Sandra Bullock adoption of a black boy was not very good news for all and many brows are raised at the color of the baby. But it’s not the first time that a celebrity adopted a black baby as many celebrities are also a part of industry that are either brought up by multiracial parents or have themselves adopted a baby of different race. So if Sandra has adopted a black baby then it’s not surprising. American actress and dancer Victoria Rowell is best known for her roles as Drucilla Winters and Dr. Amanda Bentley. She also appeared in several roles and gained so much popularity in a short span of time.
American actress Victoria Rowell, who is the daughter of an English mother and an African-American father, is one of those who belong to multiracial descent. She is with Sandra Bullock and supports her decision. All other celebrities who support Sandra are really very happy that the time and concepts are changing and it’s not the same time when the nation was not in the favor of black kid’s adoption. Victoria Rowell also revealed the secrets of her life in her book “Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva”.

'Markets want Tory majority': Sterling and Government bonds rise as results show swing to Tories

2010-05-07T04:24:00.000-06:00

UK equity futures tumbled and government bond futures soared on Friday after heavy falls in global stocks overshadowed signs Britain's Conservatives would emerge from an election as the largest party but fall short of an overall majority.

The prospect of the first hung parliament since 1974 left uncertain the composition of the next government with markets already approaching full-blown panic about the euro zone's debt crisis spiralling out of control.

'The irony is that the UK election is taking a back seat to contagion worries at the moment,' said Andrew Roberts, head of European rates strategy at RBS.

Fears: The Dow Jones briefly crashed by 3 per cent over concerns about high levels of European government funding

'We have seen a muted reaction in sterling. It seems that markets are reacting more to the weakness in U.S. equities than anything else.'

By 1.50am, futures on Britain's FTSE 100 were down 3.2 per cent, while financial bookmakers predicted the index would open around 130 points or 2.5 per cent lower. U.S. stocks plunged as much as 9 per cent in late trade on Thursday before clawing back some of the losses, while Japan's benchmark Nikkei average fell 3.7 per cent.

The UK's blue-chip index has already slipped 5.3 per cent this week, on track for its biggest fall since March 2009.

The June gilt future hit a contract high of 118.51 - up 4 points for the week - before paring gains to stand 62 ticks higher on the day at 117.90.

'Given how U.S. Treasuries have performed it's not a surprise that gilts have rallied,' said Moyeen Islam, gilts strategist at Barclays Capital.

'It's a much to do with the rally across all fixed income markets as it is the election result.'

Government bond and equity futures were open for a specially extended trading session to allow investors to react to the election results.

The pound briefly bounced against the euro and dollar, but failed to sustain those gains as traders waited for a clearer picture of the make-up of the next British government to emerge.

An outright win for the Conservative party, seen as the most willing to sharply cut public spending to tackle Britain's record deficit, would be welcomed by many investors.

Sterling and Government bonds rallied today as a series of big Conservative swings suggested the party may scrape a majority.

The Liffe exchange opened more than six hours early to satisfy huge election night demand from major players such as banks and hedge funds.

Michael Hewson, currency analyst at CMC Markets, said: 'What we saw after the exit poll was the impact from the suggestion of a hung parliament.

'Now that we have seen some of the swings, investors are putting much more confidence in a Conservative victory.

'Sterling has strengthened against both the dollar and the euro since the earlier lows, and gilts have also firmed.'

He added: ‘Essentially the markets want to see a Tory majority. The perception is that you have a safer pair of hands on the tiller.

‘Anything else brings the risk of a look at the country's credit rating.'

To win a majority the Tories would need a swing from Labour of around 7 per cent – but early returns suggested they were doing better than that in many parts of the country.

The notional swing in Houghton and Sunderland South was 8.44 per cent from Labour to the Conservatives, and the Tories snatched Kingswood in Gloucestershire from Labour with a swing of 9.4 per cent.

David Jones, chief market strategist at IG Index, said: 'There's definitely a feeling building that the Tories are going to scrape in with a majority.

'The exit poll results suggested we shouldn't really believe them, but there's been such a big swing in some of these other seats to the Conservatives.

'People are expecting we are going to have a decisive government in place who are going to cut the deficit.'

Traders have been at their desks through the night as they digest the incoming results from around the country.

They will be looking to hedge their positions should the unexpected happen - as well as potentially dumping Government bonds and the pound if predictions of a hung parliament are realised.

Yesterday investors had to wrestle with the ongoing fallout from the Greek debt crisis, with markets around the world slipping over concerns about high levels of European government borrowing.

The fears helped drive the FTSE 100 Index down more than 1.5 per cent and New York's Dow Jones by more than 3 per cent over concerns about high levels of European government borrowing.

Justin Urquhart Stewart, director and co-founder of Seven Investment Management, said he did not think the overall UK election result would spook the market.

The city analyst said: 'Short of an overall majority, the next best thing that can happen is a party having a good lead.

'This is an encouraging start if we are going to have to deal with a hung parliament.'

Jeremy Cook, chief economist at currency broker World First, added: 'This is by no means over but we will see a very volatile morning.'

By Daily Mail Reporter

Detlef Schrempf: Appearance In TV Show

2010-05-07T04:21:00.000-06:00

At University of Washington where Detlef Schrempf played college basketball, where he was named to the All-Pac-10 Team and The Sporting News All-America Second Team. At college, he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and majored in International Business.

The Dallas Mavericks in the 1985 NBA Draft originally selected overall eighth, Schrempf became a regular after being traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for veteran center Herb Williams. With the Pacers, he won consecutive NBA Sixth Man Awards in 1990 and 1991. He finished second in the NBA with a .478 three-point percentage in 1987, and eventually worked his way into the starting lineup. In the 1992-93 season, he was selected to the first of his three National Basketball Association All-Star Games with the others being in 1995 and 1997. He was the only player in the NBA in 1992-93 to finish in the top 25 in scoring (19.1 ppg), rebounding (9.5 rpg) and assists (6.0 apg).

Schrempf was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for forward Derrick McKey and guard/forward Gerald Paddio on the following the 1992-93 NBA season. He ranked second in the NBA in three-point accuracy during the 1994-95 season with a 51.4 three-point field goal percentage.

In 1999 when Schrempf was released and signed the same day by the Portland Trail Blazers, with whom he played until his retirement from professional basketball in 2001, playing in a total of 1136 regular season games and 114 playoff games. He was the first European player in NBA history to score over 15,000 career points. On January 24, 2006, the Seattle SuperSonics hired Schrempf as an assistant coach under Bob Hill, who coached Schrempf in Indiana.Schrempf played for the West Germany national team in the 1984 Olympics and the 1983 and 1985 European championships. In 1992, he played for the German Olympic team.

The Detlef Schrempf Foundation was establised by Schrempf in 1996 to benefit local charities. The foundation hosts the Detlef Schrempf Celebrity Golf Classic at McCormick Woods Golf Course in Port Orchard, Washington every summer.

Schrempf appeared in a commercial for IBM in 2004. Schrempf also appeared in two episodes of the German soap opera Gute Zeiten Schlechte Zeiten. Schrempf also had a cameo appearance in the hit television show, Married… with Children.

Schrempf appeared as himself on the NBC Television show, Parks And Recreation On May 6, 2010.

Court Yard Hounds: new album released by 2/3s of Dixie Chicks

2010-05-07T04:19:00.000-06:00

Courtyard Hounds also known as Court Yard Hounds is the new album to be released by sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison. Today, the pair released an album on the Columbia label called Court Yard Hounds.

Based on Billboard.com, Robison and Maguire first determined to record as Court Yard Hounds when Dixie Chicks lead vocalist Natalie Maines sought after taking time off and they were “itching to create some new music.” “She was happy for us that we were able to find an outlet for the stuff that I’d been writing,” Robison stated. The album comprises acoustic, rock, country and folk influences. The Court Yard Hounds are even traveling the U.S. for tour, doing the Lilith Fair, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and other shows. They will also be doing the talk show circuit, to appear on Good Morning America, Late Night With Jimmy FallonJimmy Fallon, Late Show With David Letterman, The View, The Ellen DeGeneresEllen DeGeneres Show and the Late Late Show With Craig FergusonCraig Ferguson.

UK election results - Tories fail to reach majority

2010-05-07T04:18:00.000-06:00

In today's UK election, 649 constituencies are due to declare their results, with 326 seats needed for an outright victory.

Election latest: Antique political system is left creaking under the strain

2010-05-07T04:09:00.000-06:00

The mother of parliaments was showing her age as election day turned into the morning after. In the early hours, as the uncertainty of the election result deepened, every aspect of the antique British political system seemed to be creaking under the strain.

The loudest screech came from a constitutional setup that, it suddenly became clear, was not so much stuck in the 19th century as the medieval era. With both the initial exit poll and the early results pointing to a hung parliament, Labour and Conservative politicians began duelling over who would get to wield power if such a situation persisted beyond daybreak. The Tories said Gordon Brown had no right to continue in power; Labour insisted he could stay in Downing Street so long as the Conservatives lacked an overall majority.

At first glance it looked like a thoroughly modern tug of war, conducted via conflicting live TV interviews – the kind of standoff that happens in the "emerging democracies" of central and eastern Europe, when two sides claim victory in the same election.

But then Peter Hennessy, one of that select band of constitutional scholars who explain the rules of our system to the rest of us, appeared on the BBC to deliver his ruling. The only person who could settle the matter definitively was, the professor declared, the Queen. "She is the Heineken beer of our system: there are parts of our constitution only she can reach."

There was no point David Cameron insisting that he had the moral right to govern, Hennessy said. In the hard-headed business of forming a British government, moral rights counted for nothing. The Conservative leader could only become prime minister if Brown resigned and he, Cameron, kissed the hand of the Queen.

If that was a shocking truth few Britons had seen so starkly before – that the casting vote is ultimately held by an unelected monarch – there were more. The first-past-the-post system, defended so stoutly by Cameron in recent weeks, also revealed its age and rust. Those who had seen the Lib Dems surge during the campaign, sometimes edging Labour into second place in the polls, will have grown depressed as the hoped-for breakthrough failed to materialise. Seats they had hoped to gain – such as City of Durham or Guildford – stayed out of reach and seats they thought were safe went down, as they lost Harrogate and Montgomeryshire.

It seemed the Lib Dems had failed once again to break the mould, falling victim to the old two-party squeeze in a system they regard as a relic of a binary era that should be long gone.

Nor did Cameron's boast that our current electoral setup delivers clear, decisive outcomes hold up. Instead the picture only got murkier as the hours went by. Yes, the Tories recorded big swings, but they failed to bag seats they would have coveted: Tooting and Gedling stayed with Labour. On the other hand, the Conservatives gained the likes of Kingswood. What was the trend? Where was this going to lead? In the depths of the night no one could tell.

But perhaps the most dispiriting evidence of ancient machinery that couldn't cope came from those places where would-be voters were denied the right to cast a ballot, turned away or locked out of polling stations.

Whether that prompts a series of court cases probably depends on the overall result: if parliament is hung that handful of seats could really matter. The importance was magnified as Labour ministers lined up to profess their willingness to form a coalition with the Lib Dems. Gordon Brown himself seemed to hint at such an outcome, offering to do his bit for a "strong, stable principled government". But in the early hours no one could see through the murk. All that was visible were the outlines of a system designed a long, long time ago.

Jonathan Freedland

Freddy Krueger and 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' scare up $32.2 million

2010-05-03T03:45:00.000-06:00

Freddy Krueger found a new generation of moviegoers to frighten this weekend, but Hollywood's big money came from Iron Man's blastoff overseas.

In the U.S. and Canada, the reboot of "A Nightmare on Elm Street' opened to a solid studio-estimated $32.2 million, while the Brendan Fraser environmental comedy "Furry Vengeance" proved about as popular as smog, with a $6.5-million debut.

Meanwhile, summer's first event film, "Iron Man 2," opened in 53 foreign markets and took in $100.2 million. That's just $5 million short of what every movie playing in the U.S. and Canada collected this weekend.

Although it's usually foreigners who have to wait for big Hollywood movies, distributor Paramount Pictures decided to start "Iron Man 2" early internationally to get ahead of June's World Cup mania and take advantage of the May Day holiday overseas. In the U.S., meanwhile, Paramount held the movie until this Friday to make sure it will still be playing over the lucrative Memorial Day weekend.

"We felt like the sequel had enough momentum that international could take the lead this time," said Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore. "I think our $100-milion opening showed that was the case."

"Iron Man 2" grossed 26% more than the original "Iron Man" on its opening weekend in the same foreign markets two years ago, according to Paramount.

Though impressive, the foreign opening of "Iron Man 2" still ranks behind the mega-successes of the recent "Harry Potter" pictures, and "Spider-Man 3," which remains the biggest overseas launch ever.

Top-grossing foreign markets for "Iron Man 2" were, in order, Great Britain, South Korea, Australia, France, Russia and Mexico.

Several recent hit event films, including "Avatar," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Clash of the Titans," have grossed substantially more overseas than domestically, and it remains to be seen whether "Iron Man 2" will follow that pattern or, like the original, do better at home.

Pre-release surveys indicate "Iron Man 2" could open around $150 million and might even have a chance at surpassing the all-time biggest opening weekend: $158.4 million for "The Dark Knight" in 2008.

Can Crist Win Florida's Senate Race as an Insurgent Independent?

2010-05-03T03:44:00.000-06:00

As a former college quarterback, Charlie Crist often talks in the motivational tenor of gridiron pep talks. Over the weekend, after formally announcing he'll bolt the Republican Party and run as an independent in the November Senate election, the Florida governor did his best to maintain a heady sense of optimism about his new solo undertaking. In a phone interview with TIME, Crist insisted that "this candidacy is about framing the future for our broken political system." But at times the Sunshine State governor's voice betrayed a rare nervousness, like a quarterback who's holding the ball on a broken play and can't find an open receiver. "I'll definitely have to thread the needle this time," he admitted.

It would be understandable if Crist had private misgivings, considering the challenge he faces. Just a year ago, he was one of the Republican Party's hottest commodities, a shoo-in to win Florida's open U.S. Senate seat this year. But after months of being pilloried by the GOP's leadership and base for what they called his betrayal of core conservative values — and after seeing his 20-point lead in GOP primary polls plunge to a 20-point deficit — the more moderate Crist will now try to run an insurgent general-election campaign against his conservative Republican primary opponent, former Florida state house speaker Marco Rubio, and the likely Democratic candidate, Congressman Kendrick Meek.

There are some glimmers of daylight. The state does hold one of the nation's largest caches of independent voters — a fifth of the electorate — and its general elections are often decided in notoriously centrist pockets like the I-4 Corridor between Tampa and Orlando. Despite Crist's long odds, more Sunshine State voters might be with him than Republican (or Democratic) leaders would care to admit. Even before his party divorce last week, a Quinnipiac University poll gave the popular governor a slight lead over Rubio and Meek in a three-way race.

Crist's bet is that he can co-opt the current Tea Party frustration with U.S. politics and direct it at both the left and the right as a viable campaign strategy. So what does he have to do in order to, as he has pledged, save the American moderate from political extinction?

First, Crist has to convince skeptics that this really is about correcting a polarized and paralyzed political culture and not just about saving his political butt, as Republican leaders charged last week. He gets plaudits for being a pragmatic, postpartisan governor, but he also gets his share of jeers for naked ambition and opportunism. I reminded Crist that we didn't hear him complaining about a "broken" primary system in 2006, when he handily won the Republican nomination for governor; or in 2008, when he moved Florida's presidential primary up two months so he could play kingmaker; or last year, when he was burying Rubio in the polls and many Republicans cried foul after the national party peremptorily endorsed Crist for the Senate, which seemed to contradict his "listen to the people" ethos.

Crist argues that both parties have used the severe recession as an excuse to let their extremists loose, with the Republicans bowing to the conservative Tea Party movement and Democrats surrendering to liberal big-government impulses. "The party system is two big clubs, which is fine," he says. "But the party primary system has now been hijacked by less tolerant clubs within the clubs, and their power has brought us nothing but this 24/7 cycle of vicious bickering." The Republican base, he adds, "seems remarkably frustrated, amazingly angry" at anyone not in lockstep with its hard-right thinking. "That's not a good place to be."

After concluding it wasn't the place for him anymore, Crist says he went down to his hometown, St. Petersburg, at Easter weekend and, while cruising on his boat and talking with locals, decided to go indie. A phone chat later with Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman — a Democrat who won re-election as an independent in 2006 when primary voters decided he was too conservative for their tastes — confirmed for Crist that "caucusing with the people of your state is more important than caucusing with a party."

That may not be the most realistic philosophy. But on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday morning from Pensacola, Fla., where he was monitoring the Gulf oil spill, Crist got to use the crisis as a handy backdrop for his independent positioning — a governor trying to protect his state from both Republican-backed oil corporations and a Democratic Administration that some have argued has been slow off the mark to contain the disaster. Asked which party he'd caucus with in Washington if he wins in November, Crist was noncommittal, saying he was open to voting for either a Republican or Democrat as Senate majority leader.

Yet before he can wrestle with that decision, Crist has to cobble together — and finance — a credible campaign infrastructure. Most of his top campaign aides declined to join his independent crusade, and it's still unclear how much, if any, of his $10 million war chest he's obligated by law to return to donors who ask for it back. Crist is moving his campaign headquarters from Tallahassee to St. Petersburg, where he'll be able to recruit loyal talent more easily. But while his coffers are still bigger than Rubio's, the 38-year-old former speaker has proved to be an especially smart and energetic campaigner whose Republican-generated funds are certain to outstrip Crist's by the fall.

Crist does stand a decent chance of collecting cash from Florida's independents. But a recent Rasmussen survey offers him mixed news: while 54% of the nation's voters say they'll be more likely this year to give to individual candidates instead of parties — and only 18% say they'll give to parties — most nonaffiliated voters say they feel less inclined to give at all.

As a result, Crist has to cultivate sizable swaths of Florida's Republican and Democratic voters. He believes he can pull enough Republicans to his cause — "at least the ones who come out for general elections and prefer Florida common sense over Washington nonsense," he says. And those, he might add, who may well get fed up with their state party if recently announced federal probes into large-scale spending shenanigans by Florida GOP leaders — including Rubio and some of Crist's own allies — turn up serious sleaze. Many Florida Republican veterans who back Crist also feel his bipartisan style, like last month's veto of a GOP-championed teacher merit-pay bill he deemed too draconian, will help him poach just enough Democratic voters to put him over the top.

At the same time, Crist can alienate both Rubio and Meek from their own bases by forcing them to compete with him in the center. Up to now, says Florida GOP lobbyist Mac Stipanovich, "Charlie has struggled to get around Marco to the right. Now Marco will have to get around Charlie to the center."

Republican leaders may be having a field day charging Crist with opportunism, but Florida voters in the end aren't likely to overlook the GOP's own hypocrisy — lionizing Crist as the party's future one moment and then demonizing him when the political ground shifted the next. They also seem to forget that if John McCain in 2008 had followed Crist's more moderate counsel in Florida instead of the red-meat-conservative approach there — when Sarah Palin all but called Barack Obama a terrorist — McCain might not have lost the state.

By Tim Padgett

Latino Rep. Luis Gutierrez slams new Arizona

2010-05-03T03:41:00.000-06:00

Latino Rep. Luis Gutierrez slams new Arizona immigration law on 'Face the Nation'

WASHINGTON - Arizona's new immigration law has fired up Latinos who say it opens the door to racial profiling, a top Latino lawmaker said Sunday.

"To say that somehow we are all this criminal element and to target us with the discriminatory law is wrong. It has galvanized and unified," Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) told "Face the Nation" on CBS.

The law's backers contend the Arizona statute is needed to stem the flow of illegal immigration. Republican J.D. Hayworth, a conservative ex-congressman who's trying to unseat Arizona Sen. John McCain, cringed when asked about the Nazi comparisons.

"That is overblown rhetoric," he countered and a "deliberate distortion to move this from a question of enforcement to one of ethnicity." He denied the show-me-your papers law will lead to racial profiling.

The Justice Department is in the early stages of preparing a lawsuit to block the law, and opponents have called for boycotts of Arizona companies and tourism.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a former Arizona governor, defended the federal effort to guard the border with Mexico and called on lawmakers to pass "comprehensive immigration reform."

BY Kenneth R. Bazinet

Canucks, Bruins Win to Open NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Semifinals

2010-05-03T03:38:00.002-06:00

May 2 (Bloomberg) -- The Vancouver Canucks beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 and the Boston Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 in overtime to open the National Hockey League Stanley Cup semifinals.

Christian Ehrhoff and Mason Raymond put the Canucks ahead 2-0 in the first period, while Henrik Sedin, Kyle Wellwood and Michael Grabner added three goals in the second period at United Center in Chicago.

Patrick Kane gave Chicago its only score in the third period.

The Canucks, who took a 1-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series, meet the Blackhawks tomorrow for their second game.

At TD Garden in Boston, Marc Savard scored with 6:08 left in overtime to give the Bruins the win. Savard was playing his first game since suffering a concussion in March.

Patrice Bergeron and Miroslav Satan each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins, who host Game 2 of their Eastern Conference series tomorrow. Mike Richards had a goal and two assists for the Flyers.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nancy Kercheval in Washington at nkercheval@bloomberg.net

By Nancy Kercheval

General Election 2010: Bigot jibe has shown us the real Gordon Brown, says Alex Salmond

2010-05-03T03:37:00.000-06:00

ALEX Salmond has claimed that the public were given a "window into the character" of Gordon Brown after the Prime Minister was recorded describing a Labour-voting pensioner as a "bigoted woman".

After what could be seen as the worst day of his political career, Gordon Brown gets back on the campaign trail with wife Sarah. Picture: Getty

In a withering personal attack, the SNP leader said that the whole country had been given an insight into the real Brown.

He said he had never known a "more devastating and devastatingly bad presentation of someone's character" and declared that, as a result, Labour's campaign was "holed below the water line".

Mr Salmond's damning remarks came as Labour continued its attempts to limit the damage of Mr Brown's comments about Gillian Duffy, 66.

The Prime Minister's colleagues told voters yesterday that Mr Brown was "not a monster" as he desperately tried to bounce back from his insult of the grandmother in Rochdale.

The Scotsman understands that Labour strategists considered switching tactics again to stop ordinary people from meeting the Prime Minister, but decided that this would be seen as an act of cowardice and that the campaign was at too late a stage to change direction.

It seems they also rejected an idea of having Mr Brown's wife, Sarah, along with him as a modifying influence.

Instead Mrs Brown joined a slew of Cabinet ministers rallying round in an attempt to limit the damage, insisting her "caring" husband "hated the fact he had hurt someone".

Poll ratings showed that, almost as soon as the incident was broadcast, Mr Brown's personal ratings began to fall, leaving the Labour campaign fearing it might trigger the loss of numerous seats next week.

While Mr Brown's other challengers have remained silent over the remarks, Mr Salmond, asked about the comment yesterday, said: "The key difficulty for Gordon Brown is the demonstrable difference between how he reacted to the woman in public and how he described her in private.

"Various claims have been made about the Prime Minister in various books and things, but not with the same immediacy and impact because they were not recorded on television or heard on the radio.

"To me, I can't remember in my political life a more devastating, and devastatingly bad, presentation of someone's character. It's as if we got a window into the character of the Prime Minister the whole country has watched. I think the Labour campaign is holed below the water."

Yesterday, Labour campaign organisers stuck to the plan to get the Prime Minister to meet ordinary voters in Halesowen in the west Midlands, a crucial battleground, where he took questions on a range of subjects from factory workers.

Asked about what had happened in Rochdale, Mr Brown told them: "Yesterday is yesterday. Today, I want to talk about the future of the economy."

But during his visit Mr Brown could not escape the issue of immigration, with one worker at the Thompson Friction Welding plant demanding to know what he was going to do about it during a question-and-answer session with staff.

Mr Brown insisted he understood the sense of public concern, pointing to the government's introduction of an Australian-style points system for workers coming from outside the European Union.

"I understand the worries people have about immigration. I understand the concerns about what is happening to people's neighbourhoods," he said.

Afterwards he acknowledged he should not have described Mrs Duffy as "bigoted" after she raised the issue of immigrants coming to Britain from eastern Europe. "I think that I have apologised and I have said that it was the wrong word to use. I am concerned about immigration and I am concerned about controlling immigration," he said.

However, he did not believe the issue would affect the outcome of the General Election.

"Really, when it comes down to it, this election will be about the economy and about public services and how people see the future of the economy and the future of public services," Mr Brown said.

Earlier, Home Secretary Alan Johnson conceded: "No-one can suggest this wasn't damaging."

He said Mr Brown was mortified for having made such a "dreadful mistake", and Labour fully accepted that immigration was a legitimate election issue.

"The term 'bigoted' – unreasonably prejudiced and intolerant – certainly doesn't apply to Mrs Duffy," he said. "Mrs Duffy isn't bigoted, Gordon isn't a monster and the issue of immigration isn't off limits."

Shadow chief treasury secretary Philip Hammond said voters would draw their own conclusions from what he said.

"What I was most struck by was the difference between what he said to Mrs Duffy when he was chatting to her and what he said about Mrs Duffy when he was in what he thought was the privacy of his own car," he said. "People will draw their own conclusions about that."

By David Maddox and Eddie Barnes

Pirate Bay sees 'Iron Man 2' ahead of U.S. debut

2010-05-03T03:34:00.000-06:00

With the North American debut of "Iron Man 2" still five days away, scores of pirated copies of the comic-flick began popping up online this weekend.

The film, starring actor Robert Downey Jr., generated a whopping $100 million in ticket sales this weekend in its overseas debut, according to Reuters. Apparently, among the millions of International moviegoers to see the film were some hiding handheld cameras.

At The Pirate Bay on Sunday evening, there were dozens of copies of the Paramount Pictures' film available for download. According to comments by users, the copies available were recorded by people sitting in the theater who videotaped the movie off the screen using handheld cameras. This kind of pirated film often offers mediocre viewing quality: unsteady picture, blocked views, and poor sound.

But at least one copy of the movie at The Pirate Bay received kudos for being a "decent copy."

"Props for getting your hands on this so early," wrote one Pirate Bay user. "You guys rock, thanks so much."

"This sort of theft is intensely disrespectful and damaging to those who pour their creativity and capital into movies and television," said a spokesman for Viacom, parent company of Paramount Pictures. "It is time responsible governments put an end to it."

Hollywood has seen this kind of pre-release leak before.

A year ago, an unfinished copy of another comic-inspired film, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" appeared on the Web. In that case, the FBI is investigating and has a suspect.

Kerry Gonzalez, the New Jersey man who uploaded the superhero film "Hulk" to the Web weeks before its 2003 theatrical release, pleaded guilty to felony copyright infringement and was sentenced to six months house arrest and ordered to pay a $7,000 fine.

Law enforcement authorities have traced the video-cam recordings of movies to organized crime.

When it comes to the distribution of pirated works online, it's unclear how much they actually harm ticket sales. Some people argue that when pirated copies circulate prior to a release they can ignite favorable word-of-mouth publicity--provided the film is any good.

The Motion Picture Association of America has said piracy is one of the main causes for shrinking DVD sales.

"Iron Man 2" is scheduled to debut in North America on Friday.

Steve Jobs Slams Adobe’s Flash

2010-05-03T03:32:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Steve Jobs published a message on the Apple site titled "Toughts On Flash.". In it the Apple CEO finds six reasons on why Flash is not supported on the iPhone and the iPad. Steve Jobs concludes that Flash is PC era and not ready for touch enabled mobile era.

All in this entire message was quite an attack on Adobe. Yesterday evening Adobe responded on their blog with calmly and very grown-up.

Adobe reemphasizes that they already shifted resources away from Apple devices for Flash and AIR.

Adobe looks forward to delivering Flash Player 10.1 for Android smartphones as a public preview at Google I/O in May, and then a general release in June.

Adobe basically says they do not need Apple.

Microsoft Courier: Not The Right Time

2010-05-03T03:30:00.000-06:00

Lately Microsoft has seemed to awaken and realize that it needed to start putting out decent products if it didn't want to be left behind. Windows 7 was one sign of that; Windows Phone 7 and Internet Explorer 9 look like they may follow in the same vein. So it may seem a bit strange that Microsoft is cancelling its Courier tablet.

Gizmodo first broke the story of Courier back in September of last year. To be fair, Microsoft never officially confirmed that Courier was ever on track to become a product. Yet the reception to the concept was rather positive, perhaps because it was truly innovative. If Courier was just a Microsoft lab project, or some elaborate trial balloon complete with detailed videos, then the public reaction should have given Microsoft executives a clue that it was a really good idea. I think it's more likely that Courier really was on its way to becoming a product until this week, when Microsoft confirmed that Courier is -- at least for now -- dead.

If Courier was so cool, why wouldn't Microsoft continue to develop it? I think the problem was one of timing. The concept video of Courier shows a very innovative and integrated software interface. But what is the operating system underneath it? There are several possibilities, a scaled-up phone OS (like the iPad), a scaled-down desktop OS (like the HP tablet with Windows 7), or some custom platform.

A custom OS platform of some type would draw fire from just about all the other groups at Microsoft. They would be lobbying to have their platform used in a product that cool, and might well prefer to kill the product than to release it without their group playing a part. It wouldn't be the first time that Microsoft killed a good idea because of internal company politics. But even when a cool product teams up with an existing Microsoft team, that guarantees nothing.

No matter how stellar the built-in software is, Microsoft would want the ability for third-party developers to extend the platform. That also offers a way to create a continuing revenue stream similar to the App Store. Apple leveraged its iPhone apps to be able to have software available for the iPad. Microsoft would need to do something similar.

Let's say that Microsoft followed Apple's lead and used a phone OS for Courier. The current Courier prototype would probably be using Windows Mobile 6. That would be a problem because the platform that Microsoft would really want, Windows Phone 7, won't ship until the end of this year. Even then, trying to simultaneously release an OS for two very different form factors would be a lot of work; remember that Apple didn't release the iPad until more than two years after the original iPhone OS was released. If Courier was delayed far into 2011 after the release of Windows Phone 7, that's an eternity. Who knows what the mobile device market will look like by then.

Another possibility, Courier using a desktop OS, would raise other concerns inside Microsoft. Courier has essentially built its own unique user interface and wouldn't necessarily need or want any of the user interface that Windows 7 offers. It's not even clear that Courier would expose anything that looked like Windows 7, or allow standard Windows applications to run. If all Courier needed was the standard Windows plumbing, that could be done with Windows Embedded.

We don't know where Courier was in its development. Let's say that the software was as complete as the demo video shows. Even if that was the case, there is still a lot of work to do because Courier development isn't standard Win32 development. That means Microsoft might have seen the need to create an SDK specifically for Courier, and they may not have been willing to do that. In another year or two it might be time for Courier, but Microsoft isn't ready for it right now.

by Dave Methvin

BP has history of problems in years before Gulf oil spill

2010-05-03T03:28:00.000-06:00

Pro Publica is reporting that BP - the firm responsible for the current Gulf of Mexico oil spill - is no stranger to major accidents.

BP has been at the center of several of the worst oil and gas disasters in the U.S. during the past five years.

In March 2005, a massive explosion ripped through a tower at BP's refinery in Texas City, Texas, killing 15 workers and injuring 170 others. Investigators later determined that the company had ignored its own protocols on operating the tower, which was filled with gasoline, and that a warning system had been disabled. It was fined $50 million in that incident.

It had to shut down an pipeline in Alaska after six-miles of pipeline was corroded causing a huge disruption in U.S. oil supply. And, a congressional committee also found BP had ignored opportunities to prevent an oil spill in Alaska and that cost-saving measures had led to shortcuts in BP operations.

TCM plans second classic film fest

2010-05-03T03:25:00.000-06:00

LOS ANGELES, April 26 (UPI) -- Turner Classic Movies says it is making plans for a second TCM Classic Film Festival to be held in Hollywood in spring 2011.

The first edition of the four-day festival wrapped up Sunday.

"It's been a thrill for all of us at TCM that our first classic film festival has been such a success, so we're definitely going to do it again," TCM prime time host Robert Osborne said Sunday night, prior to the North American premiere of the restored version of the 1927 film "Metropolis. "It's been great fun bringing together so many legendary stars and movie fans in a place where they could interact and, at the same time, see great films. To paraphrase Bogart in 'Casablanca,' I think this is the beginning of a beautiful tradition."

The first festival included screenings of more than 50 films and appearances by celebrities such as Mel Brooks, Luise Rainer, Ernest Borgnine, Alec Baldwin, Eva Marie Saint, Tony Curtis, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Martin Landau, Anjelica Huston, Danny Huston, Buck Henry, Eli Wallach, Esther Williams, Betty Garrett, Peter Bogdanovich, Stanley Donen, Norman Lloyd, Nancy Olson, Tim Roth, Illeana Douglas, Tab Hunter, Susan Kohner, Juanita Moore, Darryl Hickman, Curtis Hanson, John Badham, Richard Rush and special-effects artist Douglas Trumbull.

The festival also featured the showing of numerous restored films, including the opening-night event, the world premiere of the restored 1954 movie "A Star is Born."

'All My Children''s Ricky Paull Goldin Tries 'Seeing vs. Believing'

2010-05-03T03:23:00.000-06:00

"All My Children" star Ricky Paull Goldin (Jake Martin) has been on a quest to understand the life of his father, Paul Goldin, since the senior Goldin, a well-known hypnotist and psychic, died in 2008. Armed with his father's journal, Ricky and his skeptical friend Jeff Gurtman travel the country in search of abnormalities, unexplained phenomena and the paranormal for a one-hour event, "Seeing vs. Believing," premiering Sunday night at 8 p.m. on TLC.

ET: How did you get time off from "All My Children" to do this project?

Ricky Paull Goldin: When I walked into my executive producers, I said, "Here is a project that is inspired by my father and his real-life experiences. And he asked me on his death bed to go and find these people who are touched and special and have claims and show them to the world." I told my executive producer that, I told my network that and they said, "We love you. We want you to be happy. Go and do what you need to do."

The schedule on a daytime drama is grueling, but we pushed some days and we pulled some days. I got out of Dodge and started our paranormal investigations. It is as if I never left "All My Children."

ET: Tell me about your dad.

Ricky Paull Goldin: My father was the world-famous hypnotist Paul Goldin, renowned around the world. He hypnotized hundreds of thousands of people. He was an entertainer as well because he did have a gift and he did have to make money. We found out a lot more about my father in his death than in life. He worked for the CIA. He worked on cases like the Jonestown Massacre. He was famous for hypnotizing 10,000 people at one time. He was a man who was asked to start a new religion in India, but he bowed out gracefully. He has a clinic in Beijing and Ireland and a new one opening in London. My little sister Katie Goldin and I will open a new one in America eventually. Meanwhile, she is running the one in Ireland. She is the most popular and youngest hypnotherapist in Ireland.

ET: Back before reality TV became so popular, you produced "Street Match," a reality dating show that was before its time. Was this harder to produce or easier to produce?

Ricky Paull Goldin: "Street Match" would hook up people on the street who had never met. I was the cupid. That was a hard show because that was a very human thing. You were waiting for that human moment to happen. This is not an easy show either. This is also based on: I want to capture on-camera something real happening. I am a firm believer that believers all have something in common. Believers have all had an experience and come face to face with something they can not explain. I think that skeptics have never seen anything, so they have never had a reason to be believe. I would like to give them that reason.

ET: What is the spookiest thing that happened while you were filming?

Ricky Paull Goldin: The reason I have my dear friend Jeff Gurtman along is he is absolutely a relentless skeptic, who doesn't believe anything, but that is because he has never experienced anything. I don't know who is a younger soul or an older soul between the two of us. I have my opinions and I am sure he has some very strong opinions of his own. That is what helped to keep this show on track and keep it real while we kept cameras rolling, no matter what happened.

The scariest thing so far is when we went to the cursed demonic land in Arkansas called Hell's Half Acre, where I got told not to go. The entire town is freaked out by this property. We went there and trampled all over Hell's Half Acre for three days and nights and it turned into like the 'Blair Witch Project.' I [ended up getting] 21 stitches in my face.

ET: Has "Seeing vs. Believing" changed what you believe now and have you made a dent in Jeff?

Ricky Paull Goldin: I think I made a little scratch in Jeff. I have to tell you that I was raised in my family with something to keep us kids from fibbing and that was called "On Your Honor." If you say something is "On Your Honor," it better be true. On my honor, I was really shook up after Hell's Half Acre and so was my crew. Our timecodes got really screwed up after that event, Jeff almost lost his job at home and the Native Americans told us if we go back up there, the spirit will follow us home. I don't care who you are, if you have a chief elder telling you that if you go up there one more time this spirit will follow you home, and that they don't let their children go there or play there, and they don't let the name of that place cross their lips, I don't care who you are, that is enough to terrify anybody.

ET: If the ratings are good, is there enough material out there to do more shows?

Ricky Paull Goldin: I've got to tell you, my personal opinion is it is a bottomless pit. We have already gotten thousands of e-mails, Twitters and Facebooks messages saying, "Come and check this out. Or I know a person who can do this, or I have an aunt whose house is so terrifying, she moved out and hasn't been able to sell it in 10 years." There is a family in Pennsylvania who bought a house and six months later they are getting all kinds of crazy activity. The neighbors told them, "Didn't anybody tell you that last year the man went crazy and killed his whole family?" They didn't and now they have a lawsuit, because in most states, you have to disclose if a house is haunted. How can that be a law, how can that stand in court if there is not something to it?

Jose Andres Tops Conan O’Brien in Post-”60 Minutes” Buzz Battle

2010-05-03T03:21:00.000-06:00

Any additional interest in this week’s “60 Minutes” can certainly be traced to Conan O’Brien. His first televised interview since departing NBC and its “Tonight Show” franchise, O’Brien’s comments promised intrigue to any entertainment fan even remotely aware of the year’s most interesting television story.

Ultimately, however, it appears viewers were not blown away by his comments. Devoid of controversy or juicy attacks on his predecessor and successor Jay Leno, Conan’s interview revealed nothing particularly groundbreaking about his soured relationship with NBC. Consequently, internet buzz following O’Brien’s interview was tame–as of 11PM EST, “Conan O’Brien 60 minutes” was only Google’s eleventh most popular search.

Chef Jose Andres, meanwhile, was tracking at number two and had landed in the top spot earlier Sunday evening. Andres’ unique cooking style was profiled during a separate segment on the weekly CBS newsmagazine, and it produced significantly more curiosity from internet searchers.

Ratings, sure to increase over recent “60 Minutes” airings, should nonetheless vindicate O’Brien’s ability to spark viewer interest.

by Brian Cantor

Eric Trump, son of Donald and Ivana Trump, first time on The Celebrity Apprentice!

2010-05-03T03:18:00.002-06:00

Eric Trump, the son of American business magnate Donald Trump, is to appear on the television show “The Celebrity Apprentice” on 2nd May 2010. He would appear as a judge along with his parents, Donald and Ivana Trump.

Sources like Entertainment Weekly etc. report that the episode 8 of season 9 of The Celebrity Apprentice would feature Eric Trump and Ivana Trump along with Donald Trump. The episode airs on 2nd May 2010 at 9-11PM ET on NBC.

The upcoming episode shows the participants are given the task to create three radio commercials for three different areas of a home repair company called Clockwork Home Services. The creations must be original and have the perfect combination of ability, techniques and uniqueness.

We know it would be unfair to spill the bean beforehand, but the winner of episode 8 is team Rocksolid as their presentation have been better than that of Tenacity in terms of originality.

The judges present on 2nd May 2010 are Donald Trump’s son and ex-wife, Eric and Ivana. Donald married Ivana in 1977 and later divorced her in 1992. They have three children together and Eric is the second son.

Eric Trump is the Executive VP at The Trump Organization as well as Founder & Chairman of the Board of the Eric Trump Foundation. The 26 year old good looking son of Donald Trump stands at a height of 6’5” making him the tallest in his family!

Want more of Eric Trump? Catch him with his parents on 2nd May 2010 on the episodes of “The Celebrity Apprentice”!

'As The World Turns' Mourns Death Of Helen Wagner

2010-05-03T03:17:00.000-06:00

Soap star Helen Wagner passed away Saturday at the age of 91. "As the World Turns"' production company, TeleNext Media Inc., reported the news to the Associated Press.

A fixture of daytime television for more than half a century, Helen earned the Guinness World Record for portraying the same television character for the longest time running, 54 years.

Her role of Nancy Hughes will forever be a part of the soap's history. She was bestowed the honor of uttering the show's first words on its April 2, 1956 premiere episode, saying, "Good morning, dear."

"All of us at 'As the World Turns' are deeply saddened by Helen's passing," executive producer Christopher Goutman said. "She is loved by generations of fans, and while we will miss her greatly, Helen will always remain the heart and soul of 'As the World Turns.'"

Helen's participation in the show dwindled over time, but her character did remain in the storyline. Her final appearance was on April 5, according to the AP, and the show's final episode is set to air in September of this year on CBS. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences acknowledged Helen's longevity with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

Born in 1918, Helen earned a degree in 1938 from Monmouth College in Illinois for drama and music. Following a stint on Broadway, she found a home at "As the World Turns" for the greater part of her career. Married to Robert Willey in 1954, she was widowed last year following his death.

Erie Canal: Loads Of Fun, Experience

2010-05-03T03:14:00.000-06:00

Erie Canal - – The Erie Canalway Trail can be use any time of year, but now you can lock-through in your kayak.

On the other hand, a world class experience awaits if one has tried in the Erie Canal, loads of fun. Just be sure to take a pair of old gloves with you (to hang onto the cables as you descend) and it’s helpful to have a compressed air horn with you to get the lock keeper’s attention. I cover a fun loop paddle that includes going through a lock (Cayuga/Seneca canal – Clyde River – Erie Canal Loop) in my guidebook “Take A Paddle – Finger Lakes New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks.”

The 12th anniversary of Cycling the Erie Canal bicycle tour on this year marks the 12th anniversary of Cycling the Erie Canal bicycle tour, taking place from July 11-18. The Canal Corporation is once again partnering with Parks & Trails NY to co-sponsor the eight-day, 400-mile, recreational bike tour from Buffalo to Albany along the historic and scenic Erie Canal. The tour continuously draws over 500 riders from many states and several foreign countries.

On Saturday, June 5 in conjunction with National Trails Day where the 7th Annual Erie Canalway Trail Celebration will be held. With more than 270 miles of Trail completed, and access to hundreds of historic sites and attractions, the Erie Canalway Trail is fast becoming one of the nation’s premier cycling destinations.

In addition, during 2010, from September 19-24 the World Canals Conference will convene upon Rochester. During the nearly week long conference, the Canal System will take center stage as hundreds of canal enthusiasts from around the world will gather in Rochester to experience all that New York’s Canal System has to offer and to showcase the numerous investments New York State has made in the Canal System over the past decade.

A free email service called TRANSalert to its customers via email or text messaging to inform them of major incidents in the New York State Thruway Authority/Canal Corporation offers and emergencies that may affect travel on the Thruway or navigation on the Canal System.

Amafelo Curant Amsterdam

Boondocks Season 3 Episode 1 Synopsis, Video Preview

2010-05-03T03:11:00.000-06:00

Boondocks Season 3 Episode 1 — Boondocks season 3 will be premiering today. The Boondocks Season 3 Episode 1 will is entitled It’s a Black President, Huey Freeman is written by Aaron McGruder and directed by Sung Dae Kang. It’s scheduled to be aired on the 2nd of May.

Not much is published about Boondocks Season 3 Episode 1 so we won’t know what to expect on the show. Wiki just has this about Boondocks Season 3 Episode 1.

The episode will be airing later today so before that, you can watch the trailer or preview of Boondocks Season 3 Episode 1 above.

Michael Mcateer

2010-05-03T03:09:00.000-06:00

Black Shore founder John Sweeney had teamed up with DCC, the quoted investment firm, in a bid to retain control of the group, which is nearing the end of its 100-day examinership period. However, the plan has been rejected by Anglo, which is owed €50 million by Sweeney and Black Shore.

Despite the Anglo decision, the firm’s examiner, Michael McAteer, is working on a plan to rescue parts of the group that are not financed by Anglo.

There are four Black Shore companies in examinership, and McAteer is devising a scheme of arrangement to save companies behind its fuel business and service stations.

However, one of the group’s main assets, the Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Galway, is backed by Anglo and it is unclear if a deal can be agreed to keep the hotel out of liquidation or receivership.

Anglo has already installed a receiver over a number of Sweeney’s assets, including a 30-acre site in Galway and a petrol station. It has also effectively taken possession of Sweeney’s 33 per cent stake in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel.

Cumberland Gap: Panthers Vs Bulldogs

2010-05-03T03:02:00.003-06:00

In the Cumberland Gap High School Baseball field, the two rival met for the very first game of a two series. The Panthers have been manufactured two runs but in the 5th, the Bulldogs rallied and force to tie the game between them. The Bulldogs had a runner at second at the top of the lst and final inning but could not get the only key hit to advance him.

The Panthers got a runner on the bottom half and has been able to get him across the plate for the winning run and to be followed by an errant throw to first. The final results of scores was 3-2. The Bulldogs hosted the game 2 but the Panthers got on the board moving out standing 4-0 advantage at the top of third place. The Panthers have added another run at the top of the fourth.

Sgt. Basilone : His brother is a profile in courage

2010-05-03T03:00:00.001-06:00

TAMPA - Don Basilone was 12 years old when his older brother John went to fight in World War II.

John, 23, had enlisted in the Marines in 1940 and eventually was shipped off to fight the Japanese in the Pacific.

During the bloody battle of Guadalcanal, Gunnery Sgt. Basilone held off 3,000 Japanese troops after his 16-member unit was reduced to two.

Manning two machine guns, Basilone fired nonstop during an overnight battle, cutting down wave after wave of attacking soldiers.

Sgt. Basilone became the only enlisted Marine in World War II to receive the Medal of Honor, a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross (for the battle of Iwo Jima).

"He was a hero, and now people are learning about what he did because of the TV series ("The Pacific") on HBO," said Don Basilone, who is 80 and lives in New Port Richey.

"I was just a kid when he left," he said. "I was the youngest of 10, and I remember when my brother came home after Guadalcanal. There were 50,000 people who came to the parade in our little town."

It was the last time Don would see his brother.

John Basilone, a wisecracking former boxer and truck driver from Raritan, N.J., is one of the central characters in the 10-episode miniseries "The Pacific."

Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, "The Pacific" intertwines the true stories of three real-life hero Marines: Robert Leckie, Eugene Sledge and Basilone. Their stories began with the series debut on March 14 recounting the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The second episode, which debuted March 21, covered Basilone's heroism at Guadalcanal.

Actor Jon Seda, who plays Basilone, has said, "It's such a privilege and honor to have had the opportunity to portray these men. ... I only wish and hope that I had an ounce of the same courage that these guys had."

In February, Don Basilone attended a special screening in Raritan of the first episode of "The Pacific" series. He said he thought it was accurate.

"It was a terrible war, but it had to be fought," he says.

For 28 years, Raritan has held an annual John Basilone Memorial Parade.

Don Basilone, who retired to New Port Richey in 1999, says a series such as "The Pacific" is important because it shows young people the sacrifices that were made for freedom.

He said that after his brother came home for a visit in 1943, John went on a war bond tour with movie stars such as John Garfield and Virginia Grey. The beginning of his celebrated return was covered in Episode 3 of "The Pacific," which aired March 28. More about his war bond tour airs on Episode 5, debuting Sunday.

"He wanted to go back to the war," Basilone says. "Usually a Medal of Honor winner didn't have to go back, but he wanted to, and he kept bugging them."

John Basilone seemed to be uncomfortable with his celebrity status. The Marine Corps at first turned down his request to go back to the front. And he turned down the Corps' offer of a commission and an assignment as an instructor.

The Marines finally agreed he could return. While stationed at Camp Pendleton, he met Lena Mae Riggi, a sergeant in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve. They were married just before he shipped out for the Pacific.

Their whirlwind courtship and marriage will be covered in Episode 8, debuting May 2. "He only knew her a short time before they were married," says Don Basilone.

Basilone says it's going to be tough for him to watch the episode depicting the battle of Iwo Jima, where his brother died. His brother was serving as a machine-gun section leader when his unit became pinned down by enemy fire from a blockhouse.

He circled the Japanese, made his way to the top of the blockhouse and single-handedly destroyed it with grenades and demolitions. He then helped an American tank get through a minefield before being cut down by a machine gun.

Don Basilone remembers getting the news that his brother had died.

"There was no television back then, and it took longer for news to be reported," he says. "But his death was big news. I think it was harder for me and my sister to handle his death because there was so much publicity."

By WALT BELCHER

What time does halo reach beta start, people ask

2010-05-03T02:57:00.000-06:00

People seem to be searching for “what time does halo reach beta start” and you are also asking us in comments, so we felt that we should let you know in a new article, so you won’t miss the start. According to Bungie’s blog, the Halo Reach beta will begin today, May 3rd late AM for PT, late afternoon for ET or early evening for GMT. So you should check out their website at around 1PM EST or 10AM PST.

The Halo Reach Beta will begin today and will be running until May 19th. Bungie will introduce new features during the beta and keep them during the 3 phases of the beta, so you shouldn’t miss any day of beta if you want to try them all.

If you still don’t have a Halo Reach Beta code, you can sign up in our contest and win one. Until the Beta begins, you can take a look at the great screenshots we’ve published a few days ago.

Sandra Bullock adoption : finally revealed her ‘new boy’, photo

2010-04-28T10:53:00.000-06:00

Sandra Bullock, an Oscar winning actress, has finally accomplished the adoption of an African baby boy as a single parent. She in fact had adopted the 3,5-month-old Louis Bardo from New Orleans for four years with her husband, Jesse James, at that time.

Nobody knew about this information until James’ affair got revealed. She had strong-willed to fill for a divorce paper one she realized that James had an affair with 4 women at a time.

She confessed that, “The reason I didn’t expose my baby boy during the award seasons as I didn’t wish for bringing him to all this kind of crowd. I want him to be all himself. And now that everything has been revealed, we perhaps have a plan to do some parties in an open space,” she smiled.

Meanwhile, Bullock admitted that she would love to take care of James’ kids together with Louis. “They knew how hard I was struggling with this situation. They were even standing by to ensure my baby boy was safe and had everything he needed,” she said of James’ kids, Sunny, Jesse Jr. and Chandler.

Now that James’ affair has come to public, Bullock once got heartbroken, but somehow Louis has brought back some happiness into her life. He now has become a part of her life.

Gary Louis

Robert Pattinson makes People magazine's "World's Most Beautiful list 2010"!

2010-04-28T10:51:00.001-06:00

It should come as no surprise that Robert Pattinson has made People magazine's "World's Most Beautiful List 2010". In this sneak peak revealed this morning, Robert Pattinson joined the ranks of celebrity men such as Channing Tatum (yum!), Justin Bieber (eh, maybe in 10 years), and Bradley Cooper (double yum and hilarious).

Though I personally don't find Robert Pattinson attractive, it would be a travesty if he wasn't included. The Twi-hard fans have spoken and it would be wrong to ignore them. Whether you like Edward Cullen or not, he's made a HUGE impact in pop-culture. (If you look closely enough, you can see the indent of his fangs and it's not going away anytime soon.)

Who else will make People's World's Most Beautiful 2010 list? I'd love to see Glee's Mark Salling (Puck), Colin Farrell (he's making a comeback!) and Eclipse's Kellan Lutz. What other hot Hollywood men do you think are worthy of People's yearly list?

No Coupon Codes Needed for ProFlowers Mother's Day Gifts

2010-04-28T10:48:00.000-06:00

Online flower merchant extraordinaire, ProFlowers, is offering several Mother’s Day exclusives that require no coupons, but offer huge savings. ProFlower’s latest promotion is a good, quick and easy way to get mom that perfect gift without breaking the bank. Moreover, the flower kings are offering a wide array of flowers – not just roses – to fit every taste.

For many, Mother’s Day is yet another holiday to worry about the getting the right gift that says ‘I love you’, but in a unique way. Not to worry, flowers are always a classic, despite the ubiquity factor. ProFlowers has a great deal for Mother’s Day, with bouquets on sale for as little as $19.99 for ‘Grower’s Choice’ vase filled with a surprise mix, picked by the grower him/herself. Two dozen roses can be had for $30, $20 off the usual price of $50.

Although a seemingly mundane holiday, Mother’s Day, draws in competition too. ProFlowers is getting in the Mother’s Day competition spirit with a promotion sponsored by FarmVille. FarmVille is a popular real-time simulation game for Facebook, in which users can create and develop their very own farm.

Each time ‘farmers’ purchase flowers from ProFlowers.com, FarmVille will offer them 100 farm cash. The farm cash is good for purchases of fresh flowers like tulips, roses and more. Once bought, customers will receive the farm cash within two days.

ProFlowers also offers chocolates, plant bulbs, teddy bears and fruits among the dozens of flower arrangements and plants. Be sure to order early to take advantage of deals and get the flowers to mom on time. Search the web for ‘ProFlowers coupon codes; to find even better deals.

Dancing with the Stars Elimination April 27 Goes According to Script

2010-04-28T10:46:00.002-06:00

Dancing With the Stars elimination April 27 finally went like it should. The Dancing With the Stars elimination April 27 sent home the lowest scoring couple from the week, eliminating any drama that could have built up

about the fans saving the bottom couple. The couple that was eliminated on April 27 was Jake Pavelka and Chelsie Hightower, and it wasn't the first time that this pair was in the bottom two this season. This week Jake Pavelka and Chelsie Hightower performed a Samba before taking part in the all-couple swing dance face-off, but at the end of the night, found themselves with only 25 out of 40 points according to the judges. As you can see from the scoreboard just below, they were the lowest couple of the night.
Week Six Dancing With the Stars April 26 Judges Scores
Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough (Samba) -- 36/40
Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Samba) -- 34/40
Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke (Tango) -- 31/40
Pamela Anderson and Damian Whitewood (Tango) -- 30/40
Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya (Samba) -- 27/40
Niecy Nash and Louis Van Amstel (Tango) -- 26/40
Jake Pavelka and Chelsie Hightower (Samba) -- 25/40
Kate Gosselin and Tony Dovolani had become quite good at being the lowest scoring couple but surviving week after week to compete again. With Pamela Anderson and Damian Whitewood in the bottom two last week, it seemed like they could be at risk of going home this week. With the fans voting combined with the judge's scores though, it was Jake Pavelka and Chelsie Hightower who had performed their last dance on the show. Now there will just be six couples left as the season moves forward, and it will be interesting to see where the fans of Jake and Chelsie lend their support in the coming weeks.

RC DeVault

Oil Spill Gulf of Mexico 2010 Satellite Images, Photos, and Pictures

2010-04-28T10:45:00.000-06:00

2010 Gulf of Mexico Satellite Image (NASA)
Oil Spill Gulf of Mexico 2010 Satellite Images, Photos, and Pictures. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was caused by last week’s Deepwater Horizon oil explosion and fire. Thousands of barrels of oil is getting dumped into the Gulf of Mexico daily as workers try to stop the spill.
A ruptured oil head is to blame for much of the damage.
Because many of us don’t live near the oil spill, seeing pictures is the only way to get in touch with what happened.
The spilled oil is already covering an area bigger than the state of Rhode Island . In addition, some fear that the slick could come ashore, which would do horrific damage to the ecosystem.
The fishing industry will be hardest hit by the spill. Shrimp and fish naturally migrate away from the oil in order to survive. The oyster population could experience some damage, as oysters are not mobile and the oil can get in their gills.

SporkleTrivia

2010-04-28T10:42:00.002-06:00

SporkleTrivia - Sporkle is FREE games and entertainment! No login is required, but if you want to get on the highscore you do have to register.Gospel Trivia is a fantastic game which can help you fill all of that spare time on your hands!Gospel Trivia 1.2 is a fantastic game which can help you fill all of that spare time on your hands!Gospel Trivia is a game for the Palm that contains questions from the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Church History and Scripture Mastery scriptures.It allows you to save your high scores.

The Ticket Fires Mike Bacsik

2010-04-28T10:41:00.000-06:00

Now who's going to mix with the Orphanage on Saturdays?

The escalation of the punishment here from suspension to termination is interesting, or at least the timing is -- it's almost as though once Cumulus headquarters got wind that the story had blown up onto the national scene, they sent word down to KTCK saying, "Okay, you may have suspended him temporarily, and that's all well and good, but we've decided to override your decision and dismiss him, and you have no real say in the matter."

Should Bacsik have been terminated? I don't know. Probably? His remarks were obviously way over the line (and the apparent confluence of alcohol-induced poor judgment and Ticket schtick, which doesn't always translate well to other mediums), but he's given every indication of being genuinely remorseful, which is evidently more than what The Ticket ever got out of Greggo as he spiralled out of control and eventually threatened to take the Hardline down with him in 2007. I didn't start listening to the Hardline until near the end of Greggo's run, so I never really had the opportunity to hear what "good" Greggo sounded like, but I had a friend assure me that, yes, "bad" Greggo was truly dreadful on the relative scale.

Barry Horn also talks about Bacsik aspiring to host his own weekday talk show someday, which makes me wonder if he wasn't being groomed to succeed Norm once he retires (and let's face it, he can't keep going forever) ... that should make for some interesting rocking of the boat once it does eventually go down.

Joey Matschulat

Baskin-Robbins 31 Cent Scoop Night: DETAILS, Locations For Deal

2010-04-28T10:39:00.000-06:00

It's Baskin-Robbins 31 Cent Scoop Night tonight, April 28, 2010, at Baskin-Robbins locations across the country.

The fourth annual event offering scoops of ice cream for 31 cents each will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. This year it will in part benefit The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Baskin-Robbins has already pledged to donate $100,000 to the fund.

Select Baskin-Robbins locations will also accept donations for local firehouses.

As of Noon Eastern Time today, more than 36,000 people had already said they plan on attending 31 Scoop Night on its Facebook page.

Not sure about the closest Baskin-Robbins location to you?

Jeff Ireland asks Cowboys WR Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute

2010-04-28T10:36:00.000-06:00

Former Bears and Saints head coach Mike Ditka said Tuesday it was completely inappropriate for Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland to ask Cowboys WR Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute during a pre-draft interview.

"I think the individual who asked that question," Ditka told 790 AM radio in Miami about Ireland, "somebody ought to whack him in the head. You don't ask that question."

Ireland apologized on Tuesday for the aggressive questioning of Bryant, who Ireland said accepted his apology. Bryant, drafted 24th overall by Dallas, had a troubled youth and his mother spent time in prison while he was a boy.

"What are you going to confront a young man with that situation for?" Ditka said. "He probably loves his mother no matter what she is or who she is."

Bryant said he restrained his anger when the question was asked. Ditka said he would not have blamed Bryant if he had tried to hit Ireland upon hearing the question.

Ditka said it's fair to ask players questions about their background, but he said the question about Bryant's mother crossed the line.

"I want to know what kind of character that individual has," Ditka said. "That's what I want to know. I want to know if he is a stand up guy. Will he get in the foxhole with me and stay in that foxhole until the battle's over.

Sean Leahy

Noah's Ark found in Turkey: Claims and Doubts

2010-04-28T10:33:00.003-06:00

Is it the time to believe all our myths?Because an evangelical exploration group calimed to have found the Legendary and Biblically significant Noah’s Ark atop Turkey’s Mt Ararat.The explorers claimed that they found the seven wooden compartments amidst the snow and volcanic debris as The Bible had originally claimed about the Ark’s position.

The 15 strong team of fundamentalist Christians along with filmmakerYeung Wing-Cheung that they are “99.9 percent sure” that they have found the real Ark.The team also informed the press that the wood taken from the site,13,000 feet above sea level dates back to 2800 B.C.The team of Turks and Chinese archeologists of Noah’s Ark Ministries International stated that they discovered the Ark back in last October.But The Deaprtment of Ancient History at Oxford University refuted the claims as “nonsense”.

The Legend of Noah’s Ark is found in Chapters 6-9 in the Book of Genesis in The Bible.It refers to the story how the righteous man Noah saved his family and a representative of each lifeform on a vast wooden ship at the God’s command after He punishes the wickedness of mankind with a devastating flood.If the claims of these explorers prove to be true,then it would be one of the greatest Discoveries in the History and perhaps the most significant regarding Biblical History.

Norris: S.E.C.’s Timing Seals Overhaul Deal

2010-04-23T04:29:00.001-06:00

Sometimes there really are coincidences. Those who campaign for greater financial regulation have benefited from two of them over the last decade. In each case, the coincidence offset a lot of expensive lobbying, Floyd Norris writes in his latest column in The New York Times.

The first was the collapse of WorldCom in 2002. Until that happened it appeared that the accounting industry and corporate America had managed to stave off the harshest reforms proposed in the wake of the Enron scandal. Suddenly, passing a tough bill became politically necessary.

The second coincidence came this year, but it is not as easy to pinpoint exactly when it happened. It was not just the suit by the Securities and Exchange Commission against Goldman Sachs; by the time that complaint was filed, the most important decisions about a regulatory overhaul had already been made. But the existence of that complaint sealed the political climate.

Wall Street is being routed on one of the most important parts of the debate over financial regulation — that of derivatives reform. As a result, it appears that the vast majority of derivatives trading will be done in the open, quite similar to the way stocks and bonds trade. Customers will have to put up money to take positions, and provide more money if the market moves against them. The prices being paid will be clear for all to see.

If that happens, it will damage Wall Street profit margins. Some corporate customers have been persuaded that such transparency will hurt them, but that is not likely to be true. Their apparent costs may rise as they are forced to put up cash, which they may have to borrow. But that is a cost they would eventually pay anyway, and they will be compensated by better pricing from a transparent and competitive market.

In the end, Wall Street may make less on each trade, and have fewer trades as well.

“We beat back a lot of Wall Street lobbyists,” exulted Michael S. Barr, an assistant Treasury secretary, after the Senate Agriculture Committee voted on Wednesday to approve a bill far tougher than had seemed possible only a few weeks ago.

It was expected that the committee, with a history of bipartisanship and a chairwoman, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, who faces a difficult re-election campaign this year, would put together something mild that would dilute the tougher provisions in Senate Finance Committee’s version of the legislation.

Instead, negotiations broke down, and last Friday — before the suit against Goldman Sachs was announced — Senator Lincoln unveiled her own bill, which went beyond what the finance committee wanted.

The most surprising provision in the Lincoln bill would effectively force banks to spin off their operations that trade swaps. That may well be negotiated out before a merged bill is presented to the entire Senate. But her decision to seek it is in itself a commentary on just how unpopular Wall Street has become.

Perhaps she concluded there was more to be gained in political capital from opposing bankers than there was to be gained in campaign contributions if she cooperated with them. When the committee voted on her bill, she even got one Republican vote, from Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, who is also up for re-election this year.

Republican opponents of strong legislation cried foul. “The events of the past five days have fueled legitimate suspicion on the part of the American people that the commission has attempted to assist the White House, the Democratic Party and Congressional Democrats by timing the suit to coincide with the Senate’s consideration of financial regulatory legislation,” Representative Darrell Issa, a California Republican, wrote in a letter to Mary L. Schapiro, the S.E.C. chairwoman.

Ms. Shapiro promptly denied that anything of the sort had taken place. So did the White House.

One reason to think it did not happen is simply the way the S.E.C. works. Goldman knew of the enforcement division’s thinking last summer. In September, it tried to persuade the S.E.C. staff that the case was unreasonable.

Under normal S.E.C. procedures, the enforcement division would have asked for commissioners’ approval of a court filing at least a month before the commission acted. It is not clear how anyone in the commission would have known in early March what the Senate would be doing in late April.

In any case, someone could use the suit as an argument against legislation. “See, the S.E.C. charged Goldman,” the argument might go. “They already have the tools they need.”

The more interesting question may be why the Republicans thought it was good politics to seem to be allied with Goldman.

This case is damaging to Goldman’s already tattered public image, but not because of the battle its lawyers will have to fight. The commission’s legal theory may well be a stretch, and a judge may reject it. But the case has details that make people squirm.

It may have been legal for Goldman to put together synthetic collateralized debt obligations, known as C.D.O.’s, to allow people to bet on the collapse of the housing market. But such a product does not raise capital for any useful purpose. And we know that the buyers of this paper went broke.

Nor does it help that the man who put the deal together, the Goldman trader Fabrice Tourre, wrote in an e-mail message to a friend, “More and more leverage in the system. The whole building is about to collapse.” He went on to describe himself as “fabulous Fab,” a man who created “complex, highly leveraged exotic trades” that he called “monstruosities” (sic) whose implications he did not understand.

He wrote that as he was putting together this deal.

The S.E.C. case asserts that Goldman should have told potential buyers that John Paulson, a hedge fund manager who wanted to short the synthetic C.D.O., had been heavily involved in choosing which earlier deals would provide the reference points for the C.D.O., and misled some people who did know of his role into thinking that Mr. Paulson was bullish.

Goldman argues that few people knew at the time who Mr. Paulson was and so his involvement would not have mattered to the investors. It also argues that the selections he influenced were immaterial in the end because the whole market collapsed, just as Mr. Paulson had expected.

The final straw for Goldman, and Wall Street, may have been the statement by Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman’s chief executive, that he and his firm were doing the Lord’s work. Such praise is normally reserved for those doing selfless acts of charity, which is not exactly the public perception of investment bankers.

A joke that went around this week had Goldman offering to settle with the S.E.C. on terms that would include Mr. Blankfein performing community service — as Treasury secretary.

Wall Street thought that its lobbying could weaken any reform, and it appeared to work when the House bill’s section on derivatives was filled with loopholes late last year, while the public and the news media were focused on health care.

All that has changed.

As in 2002, there is political risk for any politician who opposes harsh treatment of perceived financial evildoers. Back then it was accountants who let Enron and WorldCom lie to investors. Now it is Wall Streeters who cause financial disasters and then profit from them.

Goldman claims, with some justification, that the S.E.C. is using “perfect hindsight” in bringing its case. Goldman’s shareholders may want to ask whether its management lacked the foresight to realize how bad its conduct would appear.

Goldman evidently thought it would get a warning before the S.E.C. acted, at which point a settlement could be discussed, and the S.E.C. evidently thought Goldman had all the warning it needed. At a minimum, a settlement probably could have kept the e-mail of fabulous Fab from public exposure.

Those who want to see a more transparent market in derivatives should be grateful to Wall Street for its strategy.

UPDATE 1-UK GDP growth weakens unexpectedly after icy weather

2010-04-23T04:26:00.000-06:00

Q1 GDP growth slows to 0.2 pct q/q from Q4's 0.4 pct

* Labour, Conservatives swap jibes over recovery

* Sterling falls after weaker than expected outturn

* Retail, hotels and restaurants act as drag on output
LONDON, April 23 (Reuters) - Britain's economy grew at a slower pace than expected in the first three months of this year as the harshest winter weather in 30 years hit hard, official data showed on Friday.

The Office for National Statistics said GDP grew by 0.2 percent in the first quarter, half the 0.4 percent rate forecast by analysts, who had expected a repeat of the pace of growth seen in the last three months of 2009.

The figures gave the ruling Labour Party a chance to reprise its charge that economic recovery remains too fragile for fiscal tightening of the scale being proposed by the opposition Conservatives in campaigning for a May 6 national election.

The data will also support expectations that the Bank of England will hold interest rates at their record low rate of 0.5 percent until the strength of the recovery becomes clearer.

Sterling weakened by almost half a cent versus the dollar GBP= and by a quarter of a cent against the euro EURGBP=.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said recovery was under way but it could be threatened by Conservative policies.

"The dangers of the Conservative policy of cutting ... 6,000 million pounds out of the economy as they propose for an emergency budget in June are as grave as they are ill-judged," he told a news conference.

Conservative finance spokesman George Osborne, on Sky Television, countered: "We now have this jobless recovery from this weak government."

Year-on-year, GDP contracted by 0.3 percent, the smallest decline since the third quarter of 2008.

Britain suffered its deepest downturn since at least the 1930s in the 18 months to September 2009, losing more than 6 percent of economic output.

The ONS said there was anecdotal evidence that harsh winter weather, the worst in 30 years, depressed output from both the retail sector and industry in the first quarter of this year.

"It is not a disaster but I think the overall story is that this economy is not powering its way out of the blocks. This reinforces my view that we are going to get a very sluggish recovery," said Ross Walker, economist at Royal Bank of Scotland.

REVISIONS TO COME?

The 0.2 percent overall GDP growth was at the bottom of the range of forecasts from a Reuters poll of 33 economists, and analysts noted that the ONS's preliminary estimates of GDP were frequently revised higher.

An initial reading of 0.1 percent growth for the last quarter of 2009 eventually ended up at 0.4 percent.

"Over the last year or 18 months, markets have learned to treat these first estimates with kid gloves," said Philip Shaw, economist at Investec.

"It's true the snow did depress services and manufacturing in the first part of the period ... it's likely that the underlying pace of recovery is greater than these figures suggest."

Friday's preliminary data showed distribution, hotels and restaurants -- which includes retail and makes up 15 percent of the economy -- bore the brunt of the bad weather and contracted by 0.7 percent, the biggest drop since the first quarter of 2009.

However, business services and finance -- which accounts for 30 percent of the economy -- grew by 0.6 percent, its best performance in two years, providing the lion's share of total GDP growth in the first quarter.

The overall service sector, three quarters of the economy, expanded at less than half its pace of late 2009, growing by just 0.2 percent in the first quarter.

While quarterly manufacturing growth slowed to 0.7 percent from 0.8 percent, the broader industrial production measure grew by 0.7 percent on the quarter, its strongest pace in four years.

By David Milliken and Fiona Shaikh

(Reporting by David Milliken and Fiona Shaikh, editing by Mike Peacock)

Belgian Catholic bishop 'resigns'

2010-04-23T04:23:00.000-06:00

A Belgian bishop has resigned in connection with the abuse scandal that has shaken the Catholic Church, local media reports say.

The name of the bishop and the details of the case are due to be given in a press conference by the Belgian episcopal conference.

The move would be the latest in a series of bishops' resignations.

The Church has come under severe pressure over child sexual abuse allegations emerging across the world.

In Germany, where recent allegations have caused widespread anger, Church figures were expected to participate in a round-table discussion about widespread abuse in schools, mainly in the 1970s and 1980s.

It was announced on Thursday that the German bishop of Augsburg, who had been accused of beating children at a Catholic children's home during those decades, had offered his resignation to the Pope Benedict XVI.

Bishop Walter Mixa, who has not been accused of sexual abuse, has also been under pressure over allegations of finanicial irregularities at a children's school under his responisibility.

This week the Pope accepted the resignation of Bishop James Moriarty of Kildare in Ireland and US Bishop John Favalora of Miami, both in connection with abuse cases.

The Pope said on Wednesday the Church was taking "action" over abuse against children by priests, in his most direct remarks to date on the recent allegations.

Scouting Report: Devin McCourty

2010-04-23T04:21:00.001-06:00

Name: Devin McCourty
Round chosen: 1st
Overall pick: 27th
Position: Cornerback
College: Rutgers
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 193
40 time: 4.42
Age: 22
Hometown: Nanuet, N.Y.

Skill set: A tough, physical cornerback, McCourty excels in man and zone coverage. He is also a special teams star, as shown by his seven blocked kicks in his career. His 80 tackles - 7 for a loss - show he isn’t afraid to get dirty. He may not be flashy, but he’s gritty.

Reason to cheer: In 158 passes thrown in his area, McCourty held receivers to 42 catches for 386 yards. He had just one interception, but few passes went his way. For all the Patriots [team stats] struggles against the pass, this is one huge addition. They have some talent there, but when facing Peyton Manning and the rest of the top-flight corners, there can never be too much.

Reason to jeer: McCourty or not, the Pats still have pass-rush issues. They watched potential targets Jared Odrick of Penn State and Sergio Kindle of Texas slide, doing nothing to collect sacks. And this is the second consecutive year they’ve used their top pick on a defensive back.

By Ian R. Rapoport

Cowboys take a risk with Bryant

2010-04-23T04:18:00.000-06:00

IRVING, Texas -- Jerry Jones, the man who signs the checks around Valley Ranch, had said the wide receiver spot wasn't a need for the Dallas Cowboys.

But on Thursday night, the first of the extended three-day NFL draft, Jones made a bold decision, moving up to take Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant.

Dez Bryant has surrounded himself with a solid support system, but the Cowboys still have concerns about potential off-the-field habits.

The Cowboys could have waited with the No. 27 pick and taken a cornerback such as Boise State's Kyle Wilson, or Penn State defensive end Jared Odrick. Indiana tackle Rodger Saffold was also hanging around. How about Sean Lee, the middle linebacker, from Penn State?

Jones and his coaches, scouts and front office personnel rated three players they had to have -- Texas safety Earl Thomas, Idaho guard Mike Iupati and Bryant.

When Thomas and Iupati were taken off the board, Jones acted swiflty. He got on the phone, as did his son, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones. At one point during the negotiations with the New England Patriots, Jones was talking on the cell phone of Todd Williams, the Cowboys' assistant director of player personnel.

When the deal was done, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett gave a fist bump to Jerry Jones Jr. Wade Phillips, the head coach, smiled.

"We saw it coming," Jones said of the trade. "So we didn't have to hesitate or be apprehensive about it."

The Cowboys should, because drafting Bryant comes with risks.

The front office likes Bryant personally and values his talent, but it is concerned that he doesn't have a foundation. He grew up with a mother who was in and out of jail and a father who barely wanted him.

Bryant was outstanding on the field at Oklahoma State, but he was often late to games and meetings. He was suspended just three games into his junior season for lying to the NCAA about his relationship with Deion Sanders.

"Yes, the concerns are we can't start our meetings around here for him. Those ball games start at a certain time," Jones joked.

While the media laughed, the concerns about Bryant slap you in the face.

"I think that probably we mitigated a lot of the risk in the pick to some degree by getting to get him where we got him, as opposed to where we had him graded," Jones said. "We felt all along that you can mitigate that risk the lower you go in the first round. That's one thing. Secondly, I think that the issues we won't address, and he should addres,s are not the kinds of issues that really cause me to jump back -- substance, work ethic, his ability 'get it' -- in terms of his mental playing ability."

Bryant is a good kid who has the support of others. His mother is in his life. He's surrounded himself with Sanders, who sends him spiritual text messages every morning. David Wells, a successful bail bondsman who is a relative of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree, is another mentor.

"His intentions weren't to hurt me," Bryant said of Sanders. "He's a great person and he's going to forever stay in my life, and I'm enjoying every moment of it."

Jones talked about the Cowboys' player development program that helps players from all walks of life. Funny, Jones never talked about that when his team selected Felix Jones in 2008. Maybe he didn't have to.

We're not saying that a dysfunctional background means you won't succeed in life, but when an organization invests millions of dollars into you, it better do its homework.

Then again, sometimes the stories about Bryant seem outrageous.

Calvin Watkins and Tim MacMahon have the Cowboys blanketed for ESPNDallas.com. Check in with their constantly updated coverage. Blog

While visiting St. Louis, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that he acted like a diva. Bryant's people disputed that account, saying that he was tired after a five-hour flight from San Francisco and declined a dinner invite because he had eaten before arriving.

He made nearly 10 visits to teams and was poked and prodded on every one.

Jones liked what he saw when he met him.

"Like you said, there's really some good information there," he said. "Really good input from where he's lived and where he's gone to school. There's great information out here. That doesn't mean every bit of it was A-plus on a measurement information, but there was real good information, and it got very consistent."

The Cowboys got their No. 3 receiver, for now. They also got their new punt returner.

It seems the Cowboys have done their homework with Bryant, and when you talk to people, they say he will make an impact.

How he does off the field -- or simply getting to the field -- could become the the issue.

"The things that happened in the past, they happened in the past," Bryant said. "We're trying to fix what's going on now. My family and I have been doing great, we're doing fine, and people don't talk about that. They don't look at that. They just look at my background. They didn't look at what's going on now."

By Calvin Watkins

Packers take Iowa OT Bulaga with 23rd overall pick

2010-04-23T04:13:00.000-06:00

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers picked Iowa lineman Bryan Bulaga with the No. 23 overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, landing the left tackle they hope will protect their quarterbacks for years to come.

Bulaga, a 6-foot-5, 312-pound junior, immediately becomes the likely successor to veteran left tackle Chad Clifton. He also adds depth to what was one of the league's shakiest pass protection units last season as quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked 41 times in the first nine games alone.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson said he was "a little surprised" that Bulaga still was on the board.

"He's a finisher," Thompson said. "He's a tough guy, he's athletic, he's got great size."

Bulaga might begin his NFL career behind Clifton on the depth chart, but doesn't intend to stay there.

"I don't exactly know what my role will be, but I'm definitely going to come in and expect, push myself, to win a starting job," Bulaga said. "Obviously that's going to be my expectation. I'm still going to put that expectation on myself. I'm not going in thinking, 'Hey, I don't have to play right away.'"

Bulaga played left guard as a freshman, then moved to left tackle as a sophomore. Despite missing three games last season because of a viral infection in his thyroid, Bulaga passed up his senior year to enter the draft.

Bulaga said he has received regular checkups and hasn't had any problems with the illness since then.

"That was kind of a freak thing," Bulaga said.

Bulaga struggled in games against two of the Big Ten's best pass rushers last season, Michigan's Brandon Graham and Wisconsin's O'Brien Schofield.

He said he hadn't fully recovered from his illness in those games and would like another shot at blocking both players. He could see Graham right away; Graham was taken by Philadelphia at No. 13 overall and the Packers play the Eagles in their season opener.

Offensive tackle was the biggest position of need for the Packers, who also could use help at cornerback and outside linebacker. Thompson, however, insisted the pick wasn't made based on need.

"This was a value pick for us," Thompson said.

The Packers came into this year's draft needing help for an offensive line that allowed a league-worst 51 sacks last season.

Clifton and right tackle Mark Tauscher — who rejoined the team in the middle of last season to help stabilize the line's shaky pass protection — both re-signed with the Packers as unrestricted free agents earlier in the offseason. But both are in their 30s.

The Packers have a potential successor to Tauscher in second-year player T.J. Lang, although coach Mike McCarthy has said Lang's ideal position might be guard. The Packers didn't, however, have an obvious successor to Clifton.

And given Clifton's age and nagging injuries, establishing a backup plan was one of the Packers' top priorities.

Having taken care of that, the Packers could turn to other positions of need starting Friday.

There's cornerback, where Charles Woodson was the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year and is showing no signs of slowing down at age 33. There are more questions about fellow veteran Al Harris, who is 35 and coming off a season-ending knee injury.

Tramon Williams is a good No. 3 cornerback, but there isn't much depth behind him — a fact made painfully apparent at the end of last season, when the Packers' defense was shredded by multiple-receiver formations.

Green Bay also could use help at outside linebacker, where 2009 seventh-round pick Brad Jones did an admirable job filling in after a season-ending knee injury to Aaron Kampman. Now Kampman has signed with Jacksonville, and Jones and Brady Poppinga could be options to start opposite Clay Matthews III.

Another need that could be addressed in later rounds is at punter, an unsettled position in Green Bay for several seasons. After the Packers parted with Jeremy Kapinos, the only punters on the roster are former University of Kentucky kicker Tim Masthay and Chris Bryan, a former Australian rules football player.

By CHRIS JENKINS

2010 NFL Draft Results

2010-04-23T04:11:00.001-06:00

After the completion of first round picks of NFL draft, the teams are heading towards second and third picks that are scheduled on Friday 23 at 6:00 PM ET. The nest day after Friday (Saturday) is reserved for fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh picks. The results for the 2010 National Football League Draft have been come out and there is one big surprising selection in it. Out of total 32 picks in each round, the teams are allowed to pick one player for them and remaining players are purchased in later rounds like second, third etc, etc.

A lot of fans are searching for the results of the first round picks and we have results for you but before we go to the results we should talk about that surprising pick. That surprising pick is of Tim Tebow that is purchased by Denver Broncos and a lot of speculations are being made over this selection. It is being asked why Broncos chose a player that was usually taken during third round picks. Despite of the fact that he is the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, questions are being raised over the abilities of the player. He is the 25th overall pick for the Denver Broncos.

The top picks are as follows:

(1)St. Louis Rams pick Sam Bradford of Oklahoma

(2) Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska -Detroit Lions

(3) Gerald McCoy for Tampa Bay Buccaners

(4)Trent Williams for Washington Redskins

(5) Eric Berry for Kansas City Chiefs

(6)Russel Okung for Seattle Seahawks

(7) Joe Haden for Cleveland Browns

(8)Rolando McClain for Oakland Raiders and

(9)CJ Spiller for Buffalo Bills

With Round 1 of the NFL draft over, where will Jimmy Clausen end up?

2010-04-23T04:09:00.001-06:00

Despite his seeming lifelong NFL apprenticeship and a three-year tour at Notre Dame, QB Jimmy Clausen will never be known as a first-rounder.
Round 1 of the 2010 NFL draft concluded Thursday night, and Clausen remained unemployed. The question now is, how long will he stay that way? The league conducts the second and third rounds Friday night.

Here are 10 teams that may not be able to resist rescuing Clausen from his draft free fall:

•Arizona Cardinals: If they don't think Matt Leinart or Derek Anderson is the long-range answer, they might have an opportunity to give themselves another option.

•Buffalo Bills: Apparently they were hoping Tim Tebow would be there for them in the second round with pick No. 41. Ain't gonna happen. After taking RB C.J. Spiller with their first pick -- which seemed a bit of a luxury -- do they address myriad other needs (both lines, receiver) or take a chance on Clausen to be the franchise quarterback they've lacked since Jim Kelly's retirement?

•Carolina Panthers: They're not scheduled to pick until No. 48, and coach John Fox and GM Marty Hurney probably need ready-made players to help secure their tenuous jobs, but ...

•Cleveland Browns: They didn't have much luck with another Golden Domer, departed Brady Quinn, and many believe Browns president Mike Holmgren might prefer that Texas QB Colt McCoy runs his precision offense. But Holmgren could have quite a second-round dilemma at slot No. 38 on his hands.

•Kansas City Chiefs: Yes, QB Matt Cassel is set to enter the second year of a six-year pact. But any chance new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis might prefer his former lead Irishman?

•Minnesota Vikings: Only the Rams are sitting ahead of them in Round 2, and we're guessing St. Louis isn't looking to deploy a Sam Bradford-Jimmy Clausen platoon under center. Minnesota's in prime position to secure a successor for Brett Favre whenever he finally hangs it up.

•Oakland Raiders: Clausen doesn't necessarily have the booming arm owner Al Davis tends to prefer ... but surely he couldn't do any worse than JaMarcus Russell has (and at a fraction of the cost if he's selected 39th!).

•Seattle Seahawks: They had quite a night Thursday by getting offensive (Russell Okung) and defensive (Earl Thomas) cornerstones. But despite the presence of QBs Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst, coach Pete Carroll has insisted the team isn't wed to either player, and his relationship with Clausen goes back many years. Seattle likely would have to move up from the 60th spot to get something done.

•San Francisco 49ers: Their offensive line looks to be in great shape after adding T Anthony Davis and G Mike Iupati on Thursday night. Now they just need some consistency behind it. Do they bring Clausen home to California given they don't have long-term ties to starter Alex Smith or backup David Carr?

•Washington Redskins: Currently relegated to wait until Round 4, they'd have to get creative to move into position to get Clausen. But if you believe the rumors that Mike Shanahan wants to get a guy he can groom, and given Donovan McNabb can go free next year ... suffice it to say, splashy moves tend to come from Redskins Park.

Nate Davis

'Project Runway’ winner Seth Aaron Henderson makes San Diego proud

2010-04-23T04:08:00.001-06:00

Welcome to San Diego, home to not only great weather and beautiful beaches but amazing talent.

In 2008, hip-hop dance crew JabbaWockeeZ won the first season of MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew.” In 2009, singer Adam Lambert was named the runner-up for the eighth season of Fox’s “American Idol.” On February 2 of this year, the San Diego City Council declared it “Meghan and Cheyne: Amazing Race Winners Day” in honor of the San Diego couple that won the CBS television show.

And on Thursday, fashion designer Seth Aaron Henderson was crowned the Season 7 winner of Lifetime’s “Project Runway,” making him San Diego’s latest homegrown success story.

After San Diego resident Jesus Estrada was booted for his bad taste early on, Henderson remained the only contestant with ties to San Diego. Although the 38-year-old designer currently resides in Vancouver, Wash., he grew up in America’s Finest City. And he made his hometown proud.

During the season finale, judges Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and guest judge Faith Hill praised Henderson’s work. He deserved to win. Just as in every other episode this season, Henderson’s edgy style stood out from the rest.

Every piece he makes says “Henderson.” In fact, if you’d watched only one episode of the competition series this season, you would still be able to pick his collection from the finale’s lineup.

Henderson’s collection, which was inspired by 1940s German and Soviet military uniforms, was a variation on his usual black-and- gray dresses and separates as well as a few bold red, yellow and purple outfits. He used stripes, polka dots, houndstooth and other patterns along with leather belts, gloves, leggings and hardware for accessories.

And the tattooed designer managed to step it up without swaying from his style. The judges said he had “matured” and called his collection “sophisticated.”

Henderson, who is married and the father of two children, proved that he has what it takes to make a statement in New York’s super competitive Fashion Week. After all, he went home with a variety of prizes, including $100,000 to launch his own line.

Even more, Henderson proved that a person can do anything if he or she believes strongly enough. His confidence has been undeniable all season long.

Several of his peers sometimes questioned his work. In fact, Mila Hermanovski, who came in third, said in Thursday’s episode that Henderson’s collection looked like “glamorous Hot Topic.”

But nothing or nobody could take away from what Henderson has accomplished.

“I’m showing my kids that hard work and love for what you do pays off,” Henderson tearfully said. “And I see it in their eyes. They’re proud of their father. I think that’s what this is all about for me.”

For Henderson’s many fans, it was also about a well-deserved victory. Bravo!

Kristina Blake is an SDNN intern. Contact her through valerie.scher(at)sdnn.com

By Kristina Blake

Darling Movie Review, Prabhas Darling Telugu Movie Review

2010-04-23T04:05:00.001-06:00

Darling Telugu movie is releasing today featuring action hero Prabhas and cute girl Kajal Agarwal. Darling is one of the bigger films making their way to silver screen this summer in Tollywood. The much awaited Prabhas Darling film has finally releasing today, with great expectations from fans. Already the Darling movie songs were out and scored good marks. Fans expect Prabhas to hit the gold with his new flick Darling. The combination of Prabhas and Kajal Agarwal is surely going to attract lot of viewers.

Darling Movie Cast & Crew

Actor: Prabhas

Actress: Kajal Agarwal

Co-actors: Prabhu, Shraddha Das

Director: A. Karunakaran

Proudcer: B.VS.N. Prasad

Music: G.V. Prakash Kumar.

Darling Movie is coming with one of the good combinations Telugu audience has seen these days. The dream combination of Karunakaran and Prabhas has added much more talk to the film. As Karunakaran is known for his romantic love flicks, Prabhas fans expect this movie to be an action packed love story. Kajal Agarwal too gained a lot of popularity these days in Tollywood. Especially with her performance in Magadheera, Kajal Agarwal won lot of hearts in Telugu movie fans. She also attracted the attention of many big producers, as Prabhas Darling movie is her bigger project after Magadheera. As per the initial inputs, Tamil actor Prabhu and Shraddha Das are playing important roles in Darling movie.

Darling movie has all the capabilities to give Prabhas a much awaited hit. From long time, Prabhas and his fans are waiting for a sensational hit. After his Varsham and Chatrapati movies, there are no great films from Prabhas which can be termed as super hits. Of course many films of Prabhas did decently well, but his fans are anticipating a huge hit with Prabhas Darling movie. Prabhas is known as an action hero in Tollywood film circles. He is taller, muscular and fits action roles very well than any other hero in Telugu film industry. However, Prabhas is not getting any good roles that can suit him well. With his Darling movie, fans are eagerly waiting for a record breaking performance from action star Prabhas.

Darling movie is releasing today, on 23rd April 2010. Darling Movie talk has not been out yet. We constantly keep our efforts to bring the latest news, views and Darling movie reviews. The best source we can consider for Darling movie review is words of fans and other who watched the film today. Please share your Prabhas Darling movie review in comments.

Shiva Remala

Colts add to defense with TCU DE Jerry Hughes

2010-04-23T04:02:00.000-06:00

A long, frustrating search ended late Thursday for the Indianapolis Colts.

Never able to find a suitable complement to Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis since the Pro Bowl defensive ends became a disruptive pass-rush tandem in 2003, they finally discovered him deep in the heart of Texas.

Jerry Hughes, who generated 261/2 sacks in his final two seasons at Texas Christian, is the guy. The Colts selected the 6-1, 255-pounder with the 31st overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft.

Team president Bill Polian admitted he had made inquiries about trading out of the first round, and was prepared to do so, as the Colts' time on the clock neared.

But when that time came and Hughes still was on the board -- Polian said he was his last player with a first-round grade -- the decision was simple. Take Hughes. Insert another quarterback chaser into a defense that is at its best when Freeney and Mathis are at their best, but struggles when one or the other is out or slowed by injury, as Freeney was in the Super Bowl loss to New Orleans.

"We've said seemingly for the last seven years, 'We need a third pass rusher. We need a third pass rusher,' " Polian said. "We need a guy that, when one of the other two fellas is incapacitated or out of the lineup or not 100 percent, can step in there and perform at a similar level.

"We have not had that guy because they are hard to find."

Hughes was recruited by TCU as a running back after rushing for 1,412 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior at Stephen F. Austin High School in Fort Bend County, Texas.

The Horned Frogs quickly switched him to defense, and Hughes did the rest. He finished with 281/2 sacks, 401/2 tackles for loss and eight forced fumbles in a four-year career that saw him appear in 49 games, 27 as a starter.

The Colts had Hughes on their radar from the early portion of his senior season, but never let on their interest in him.

"Oh, no, I had no idea," he said in a conference call with Indianapolis media. "I had no visits, any type of contact with the Colts."

When Polian called to inform Hughes he would be the Colts' first-round pick, "I was just shocked," Hughes said. "I was excited and overwhelmed."

He described Freeney and Mathis as "the epitome of what defensive end/pass rushers are. You've got Freeney and Mathis coming off that edge, bringing that speed, bringing all that force . . ."

Occasionally, though, injuries have limited the availability or effectiveness of Freeney and Mathis.

Freeney had the only sack of Saints quarterback Drew Brees in Super Bowl XLIV, but a sprained right ankle cut into his effectiveness as the game unfolded. When the Colts lost to San Diego in the 2007 playoffs, Freeney was out with an injury to his left foot and Mathis was slowed by a knee injury.

By Mike Chappell

Eagles draft U-M's Brandon Graham with No. 13 pick

2010-04-23T04:00:00.000-06:00

Many experts thought Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham was the second best defensive end prospect in the NFL draft.

But the Eagles thought so highly of him they moved up 11 spots from No. 24 to No. 13 to get him.

The Eagles traded two third-round picks (No. 70 and No. 87) to the Broncos to move up.

The Eagles felt so good about Graham they made him the first linebacker they have taken in the first round in 31 years (Jerry Robinson No. 21 in 1979). No. 13 is the highest the Eagles have taken a linebacker in 40 years (Steve Zabel No. 6 in 1970).

"Never in a million years did I think Philadelphia was coming for me," Graham said on the Eagles Web site. "That makes me feel very good and know that I have a lot of responsibility because you know if they're going to trade up for me then they're expecting a lot from me. I'm going to give them what they're looking for. I just appreciate the opportunity to be a Philadelphia Eagle."

Graham, 6-foot-1 and 268 pounds, led the nation with 26 tackles for a loss last season and registered 10 1/2 sacks. He's a hybrid type player who could play defensive end or outside linebacker.

Some scouts projected Graham to switch to outside linebacker, but the Eagles are expected to use him at end. He could start on the left side opposite two-time Pro Bowl right end Trent Cole.

"I'm trying to come in and get as much done as I can," Graham said. "I'm trying to learn from the coaches as much as I can. I'm just going to show it.

"I don't like to talk about it too much. I'm going to do whatever the team wants me to do. I'm going in with the mentality to try to learn anything I can to get out there on the field the best way I can."

The Eagles defense was ranked 12th in the NFL last season, but recorded the third most sacks (44). Graham seems to fit right into the Eagles' attacking, blitzing style of zone defense. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.7 at nearly 270 pounds and was unblockable at times during the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., where he was named MVP.

He was the first defensive player ever voted Bo Schembechler MVP twice (2008, 2009) at Michigan. Graham closed out his Michigan career ranked second in forced fumbles (eight), evidence he knows how to get to the quarterback and get after the football when he gets there.

Tim Twentyman

China Mourns Loss Of 'Dream - Maker' Samaranch

2010-04-22T04:26:00.003-06:00

BEIJING (Reuters) - China mourned the death of Juan Antonio Samaranch Thursday, remembering a "good friend" who eased its return to the Olympic movement and was instrumental in fulfilling the "100-year dream" of hosting the Games.
Samaranch, who died Wednesday aged 89, ran the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1980, when China returned to the Olympic fold after more than two decades, until 2001, when Beijing was awarded the 2008 Games.
China topped the medals table at those Games, firmly establishing its position as a major world sporting power.
China's President Hu Jintao sent a message of condolence to the IOC and Samaranch's family Thursday, the foreign ministry said -- an honour usually reserved for heads of state.
"Mr Samaranch was the old friend and good friend of the Chinese people," Hu's message said.
"He made great contributions to China's return to IOC, the expansion of exchanges and cooperation between IOC and China, and the China-Spain friendship, which we will never forget."
Although the absence of colour from Chinese newspapers and news websites Thursday was to mark the official day of mourning for the recent deadly earthquake in Qinghai, Samaranch's death received widespread coverage.
'100-YEAR DREAM'
"I am shocked by the news. I am very sad. As a sportsperson, he led the Olympic Movement to a new peak, a new era," Deng Yaping, the multiple Olympic table tennis gold medallist, told state television.
"We lost a great leader. But I think his spirit will lead us continuously to develop the Olympic Movement. He helped we Chinese fulfil our 100-year dream," added the 37-year-old, who enjoyed a warm friendship with Samaranch despite their age difference.
Samaranch, an IOC member from 1966, took a keen interest in China and personally awarded the country's first Olympic champion, shooter Xu Haifeng, with his gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
The Spaniard also lobbied strongly for the Chinese capital to host the Olympics in 2000 and, when it was beaten by Sydney, again for 2008. One of his last acts as president was to announce the success of the second bid, sparking huge jubilation in China.
"Mr Samaranch supported China regaining its seat in the IOC, and advocated China play a bigger role in international sports affairs," He Zhenliang, an IOC member known as "Mr Olympics" for his long service to the movement, told the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily.
"The International Olympic movement has lost a great leader. Chinese people have lost a good friend. I personally have lost a close colleague and brother."

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, Liu Zhen and Huang Yan; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Wu Tang Clan Name Generator Is Live And Kicking

2010-04-22T04:24:00.001-06:00

The internet is full of crazy stuff like weird Google suggestions, epic fails, lolcats, and others that you probably are aware of, but you haven’t heard the latest one: the Wu Tang Clan name generator. What’s this? Well, if you were part of the Wu-Tang Clan then you would have had a Wu Tang Clan name, but you aren’t and you don’t have one. To the rescue comes the Wu Tang Clan name generator that can tell you what name you would have had if you were part of the New York City hip-hop band.
The Wu Tang Clan first appeared in 1992 and their name is rather unusual as it comes tom China from the “Wu Dang” mountain. You can find the Wu Tang Clan name generator at this link right here and you should let us know in comments or at our forum what’s your Wu Tang Clan name. Sadly I cannot post my Wu Tang name because it would be safe for your work.
Just hit the link above and the enter your first and second name. After that hit enter or “Wu Am I?” and look a little to the right as your Wu Tang name will be displayed. Soldier, use your Wu Tang Clan name wisely!

South Park airs 'censored' episode after threat from U.S. Muslim group

2010-04-22T04:22:00.003-06:00

LOS ANGELES — Satirical animated TV show South Park beeped out the words Prophet Muhammad and plastered its Wednesday episode with the word "CENSORED" after being issued a grim warning by a U.S. Muslim group.
The irreverent comedy show on Comedy Central also substituted a controversial image seen last week of the Prophet Muhammad in a bear outfit with one of Santa Claus in the same costume.
It was not immediately clear if the move was a bid to tread carefully following the warning against the South Park creators, or if they were poking fun at the fuss.
The little-known group RevolutionMuslim.com posted a message on its website earlier this week warning creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker "that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show."
The website posted a graphic photo of Van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who was killed in 2004 by an Islamic militant over a movie he had made that accused Islam of condoning violence against women. It also posted a link to a news article with details of a mansion in Colorado that Parker and Stone apparently own.
Most Muslims consider any depiction of the founder of Islam as offensive.
The website warning followed the first in a two-part episode of South Park a week ago in which Prophet Mohammad was depicted in a bear outfit.
South Park has a history of biting satire against politicians, celebrities and the media. The two Colorado filmmakers are known to often work on "South Park" until just before they air, enabling them to react to current events.
In Wednesday's new episode, Jesus Christ was depicted watching pornography, while Buddha was portrayed snorting cocaine in last week's episode.
The head of Revolution Muslim, Younus Abdullah Muhammad, 30, defended the Web posting by his group.
"How is that a threat?," he told Reuters earlier on Wednesday. "Showing a case study right there of what happened to another individual who conducted himself in a very similar manner? It's just evidence."
According to U.S. law enforcement officials, the federal government rarely prosecutes threat cases. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives broad protections to free speech, and what constitutes a threat is often subject to interpretation.
Muhammad described his group as an alternative media outlet with about 20 active posters to the website. He said the group "didn't tell anyone to go to their houses and conduct violence" against Parker or Stone.
Comedy Central, a unit of Viacom Inc VIAb.N, has declined to comment on the controversy.
The new episode, the 201st, had another surprise for viewers — Eric Cartman isn't an only child.
Scott Tenorman, a side character who starred in Scott Tenorman Must Die, an episode where Cartman kills Tenorman's parents and then feeds them to him, is revealed as Cartman's half-brother.

By Alex Dobuzinskis, Reuters
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Who Got Kicked off American Idol Gives Back on April 21?

2010-04-22T04:20:00.001-06:00

Tonight, American Idol hosted its special one night event Idol Gives Back. Throughout the two-hour program, various celebrities and music acts rose awareness for organizations such as Feeding America, Save the Children, and Malaria No More. Viewers had the opportunity to call in throughout the program to donate. Even if you missed the show you can still help out by going online to donate any amount you can afford to the Idol Gives Back Foundation. Keep in mind, every dollar counts!
Though I applaud the talent show for helping children and families in need throughout the world on tonight's show, I found it completely tacky that American Idol would kick a contestant off that same night. Idol Gives Back is about inspiration. What sort of message does American Idol send to viewers by shooting down the dreams of a hard-working contestant the same night? Really, does that make any sense?
But on to elimination. The bottom three contestants were Casey James, Aaron Kelly, and Tim Urban. Aaron Kelly was the first to be saved. Between Casey and Tim, who got kicked off American Idol on April 21? Despite his improvements over the past weeks, Tim Urban was sent packing. However, of the bottom three, he was the most deserving to be sent home.
Do you think American Idol should have kicked a contestant off the show during the Idol Gives Back event? Do you think Tim Urban deserved to be eliminated?
In case you missed it, watch Tim Urban's performance of "Better Days" from this week's show.

by Liz Gellar

Don Frye Ready to Fight Back Exclusive

2010-04-22T04:17:00.002-06:00

Frye (born November 23, 1965) is a retired American professional mixed martial arts fighter, actor, and professional wrestler. Frye rose to fame fighting in early Ultimate Fighting Championship events, winning the UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournaments.
"You don't come to quote movies or thank your sponsors," Don Frye recently barked on SportingNews.com’s The Rumble. "You don't come to have your fingernails or your toenails painted. Goddamn, you come to fight, not to be a fairy. Fight, that's what these two old boys are going to do.”

Those “two old boys” in question are, of course, Randy Couture and Mark Coleman. The legendary former UFC champions are set to do battle at UFC 109 next month.

Frye, a former UFC tournament winner and true icon of the old PRIDE FC, went on to explain that this particular event is the first UFC PPV he’s ordering in the last 10 years.

Most fans are complaining about the main event. So why is Frye, a non-UFC fighter, going so far out of his way to create hype for this show?

Well, we got our answer early this morning.

“I’m not saying Don Frye’s coming back to fight in the UFC,” Dana White told the wildly popular Juiceboxing 101 author Justin Orel. “What I’m saying is, Don Frye’s coming back to dominate the UFC.”
Don Frye began acting in movies with Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), playing the role of Captain Douglas Gordon. In an interview, Frye mentions that unlike his fights where he has complete control, acting in a Godzilla film he had no control but enjoyed the experience nonetheless. The director of the film, Ryuhei Kitamura, mentioned that he wrote the role with Frye in mind since he was a fan of Frye's fighting matches. Kitamura found Frye's tough-guy/good-heart demeanor to be the perfect role for the comic book character of Gordon. Curiously, for a prominent character in a Japanese-language film, all of his dialogue was spoken in English.

CurrentBlips

Annie Lennox “HIV Positive” Making A Positive Statement

2010-04-22T04:15:00.001-06:00

Annie Lennox turned a few heads when she donned a black fitted T-shirt with the words “HIV Positive” on it. Many were instantly drawn to the T-shirt and more so drawn towards knowing the meaning behind the bold statement Lennox was making. For those suddenly horrified by the possibilities that Lennox herself maybe HIV Positive then be assured that apparently she is not.
Always the stylish rock icon Lennox choose the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert on HBO to make a statement for lives touch by the disease. Lennox performed an amazing version of Aretha Franklin ‘s “ Chain of Fools” much to the delight of the packed auditorium. Honored in 2009 with a Woman of Peace Award for her contribution to the HIV Positive / AIDS campaign, Lennox is definitely committed to the cause.
The British born singer who’s career spans several decades has successfully managed to keep the focus on the cause rather than ever allowing it to be overshadowed by her personal life. Maybe, Jolie could benefit from the concept. Keeping humanitarianism about the humanity and people and not merely the free publicity.

Download PS3 Update 3.30 To Get 3D Support And Trophy Improvements

2010-04-22T04:14:00.003-06:00

Sony has just released the PS3 Update 3.30 for all PlayStation gamers worldwide and you should be prompted to install the software as soon as you turn on your gaming console. The PS3 Update 3.30 comes with lots of exciting features like Trophy improvements and support for 3D HDTV so that you can play 3D games at home. Please note that this is not full 3D support meaning that your PS3 console is not yet ready for those soon-to-come Sony Bravia 3D television sets. Sony says that full 3D support is coming in the following weeks, but you shouldn’t hold your breath until then.
If you download PS3 Update 3.30 then you will get a bunch of Trophy improvements meaning that you can sort your Trophy Collection in a better way. Also now you can sort and compare trophies properly in the Comparing Trophy section. Sony says that you can sort Trophy Collection in the Game Category as well as comparing them in the Friend Category.
In the Trophy Folder you can sort the title list by the game’s name and by their title. Now you can also sort them by the date when you earned the trophy.
Let’s get back to 3D support as now you can enjoy some cool 3D games like PAIN, WipeOUT HD, MotorStorm Pacific Rift, and Super Stardust HD.
Join our forum to let us know if the update works. Don’t get me wrong but most of you complain that your discs don’t work anymore after installing a PS3 firmware update.

Sofr Sailor

C.F. '9' bow to PCD

2010-04-22T04:12:00.000-06:00

EAST PROVIDENCE --- The Warriors’ offensive woes finally caught up to them.
Central Falls High, which had averaged less than five hits a game en route to a surprising 5-0 start, managed just five singles on Friday afternoon and wasted a superb performance on the mound by Albert Bello in a 4-1 loss on the road to Providence Country Day.
Bello struck out 13 batters and ended up with a splendid four-hitter for the Warriors, who at 5-1, are enjoying their best start in recent memory and lead the Division II-East circuit by two games over PCD (3-3) and Mount Hope High (3-3).
Unfortunately for Bello, his teammates not only committed three miscues behind him that led to three unearned runs, but also stranded eight runners on base and two in each of the second and fourth innings.
“We weren’t mentally prepared to play,” added C.F. coach Mike Goodson. “Albert threw great and pitched good enough to win, but we didn’t do much behind him. We got the bat on the ball, but nothing happened today.”
The Warriors raised a lot of eyebrows around the division during the first two weeks of the season by totaling just a dozen hits -- but scoring 36 runs -- in their first four victories of the season.
On Wednesday, they collected 12 hits in a 21-4 trouncing of Davies Tech, but against the Knights, they were done in by the crafty pitching of southpaw Andrew Potter, who struck out seven batters and walked four.
Potter also received all the offensive support he would need in the bottom of the first on a suicide squeeze bunt by Steve Coccio that drove in a run, but when the visitors made two errors on the play, it brought home two more runs.
With one out, and after the Knights loaded the bases via a pair of walks and an infield hit by Potter, Coccio got the bunt down and scored Dan Audette by getting his bat on a high strike. Coccio was out at first, but collided with first baseman Tyler Pineda as he crossed the bag and caused him to drop the ball.
Sean Quinn, who was on second, poured on the jets once he rounded third and sped home without a throw to the plate. Pineda then surprisingly fired the ball past Bello and into the Knights’ dugout, and that allowed Potter to cross the plate with the third run.
“We had a bonehead play that cost us,” said Cookson. “He got mad and just fired the ball past the pitcher. That really hurt.”
The Warriors had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the frame, when with two outs, Luis Lubo (the only player in the game with two hits) lined a single to second, stole second off a late pickoff throw to first by Potter, and sped home on a line single to right by Antonio Mena.
Down 3-1, the Warriors had a golden opportunity to cut into their deficit in the second on consecutive one-out walks to the bottom three batters in their lineup -- Joel Peralta, Felix Cepeda, and Larry Cruz. But Potter wiggled off the hook by inducing the speedy Bello to ground into a 4-6-3 double play.
In the fourth, the Warriors had runners on the corners for Cruz, who laced a grounder past the reach of Audette at second base and into right field. But right fielder Marquis Harper, who was playing shallow in the field’s short right field, charged the ball and fired a quick strike to first to nab Cruz by a whisker.
“They work that,” noted Cookson. “I’ve seen them work on that during the warm-ups, the right fielder throwing to first. They choke it up.”
The Knights scored their other run with two outs in the fifth. Lubo, the Warriors’ catcher, was unable to handle the third strike on what would have been an inning-ending strikeout to Potter, and after Potter stole second, he raced home on a dropped fly ball in right field.
The Warriors collected their other three hits in each of the last three innings (off the bats of Lubo, Anthony Rivera, and Bello), but couldn’t get any of those runners past second base.
The Warriors return to action next week with key battles against two of their neighboring division rivals. On Tuesday at 11 a.m., they will host Shea High at Macomber Stadium, and on Wednesday at 11, they will duel Tolman High at McCoy Stadium.

By ERIC BENEVIDES

Earth Day plus 40: The need for activism remains

2010-04-22T04:07:00.001-06:00

For the first Earth Day in 1970, I organized my junior high to clean up the Elizabeth River. We wrote letters to our congressman, we painted signs that said "Give Us Back Our River," and we removed six truckloads of garbage and debris.
In all the years since we have continued to clean the Elizabeth River, and we have stopped the major pollution sources. But because of overdevelopment, this river is still considered one of the most polluted rivers in New Jersey.
Forty years, ago environmental threats were obvious. Rivers caught fire, including the Passaic, toxic chemicals were dumped on the ground and noxious air pollution was choking us. The problems stared us in the face, so we took action.
In 1972, President Richard Nixon vetoed the Clean Water Act. Later that year, on Earth Day, a half-million people gathered outside the White House in opposition; months later he signed that legislation. The same year, hundreds of thousands more people came together to help pass the Clean Air Act. These pieces of legislation moved the country forward by protecting our environment and pushing our economy, but they would not have happened without strong public support.
The environmental battles of 2010 are subtler. They take the form of a governor trying to streamline permitting or eliminate red tape (euphemisms for cutting environmental protections). Or a Legislature that passes new programs but doesn’t include money for implementation. Or politicians who cut money for green jobs in the name of economic development. The sum of all these small jabs is a gradual erosion of environmental protections.
The irony of our times is that as more and more businesses and people "green" their homes and their businesses, the government is doing less and less to protect us. More people support environmental protections and are concerned about their family’s health and future. But in New Jersey, we are seeing enormous cuts to clean energy and mass transit that will destroy two of the most successful programs in the United States. Simultaneously, we are privatizing toxic cleanups and rolling protection of drinking water and open spaces. At the federal level, it is still easier to put oil rigs off our coast then windmills.
In New Jersey and across the nation, we are at the most critical time within the last forty years. The power plants of the 1970s need to be replaced. Either we will choose to continue investing billions in coal plants or instead develop an economy based on renewable energy and efficiency. Those decisions are being made in Washington and Trenton right now and the special interests are winning.
This is why we have to look back to the first Earth Day and take a lesson from history. Environmental victories result from mass movements. People are making personal choices to go green, but we have to move those choices to the political and activist arena. If we want to get strong climate legislation, we need to bring together a million people in Washington D.C.
In 1970, environmentalists targeted the 12 worst environmental congressmen, the dirty dozen. Seven of them lost, including leaders in the House. This event really proved the muscle for the environment movement at the time. If we want to stop politicians from raiding clean energy or open space money, we need to call them until they listen and then hold them accountable for their decisions.
The only way environmental leaders or public health advocates have influence on the inside is by what we can do on the outside. Environmental progress comes from our ability to understand the issues and to rally public support.
Together we can move environmental protections forward through action. Real action means being involved politically, standing up for the public good, engaging our family, and staying vigilant.

By Jeff Tittel

South Park 201

2010-04-22T04:05:00.001-06:00

South Park is definitely everyone’s most favorite adult cartoon show that features on the Comedy Central Channel. It’s funny, critical, cynical, absurd and idiotic, all the ingredients of a hit American comedy. Sometimes the makers do tend to cross certain lines, and may even have to pay for it, but all in all it’s a good show.
The 201 episode of South Park is basically second part of the series in which the celebrities return to take revenge on the town of South Park because they made so much fun of them.
The gist of the episode was that the Gingers took South Park hostage and were threatening to destroy the town unless Santa was given back to them. As it happened Santa was given back to them.
Mechazoid Streisand was on the run and the Legion of Doom wanted to call her off, but it turns out Tom Cruise had a lust for blood. This was in Tom’s house, which was their secret hideout. Kenny, Kyle and Stan had a plan to save the day.
Moses told the Super Best Friends about the weakness of Streisand, which was that she, couldn’t resist singing Duets with Neil Diamond. After that the gingers trapped Cartman in the place he dreads the most, the Chili Con Carnival.
Krishna took the form of Neil Diamond and kept Streisand busy while the Super Best Friends went to the Legion of Doom Headquarters.
Cartman’s father was finally revealed, but he killed him and fed him to his half brother Scott.
Like all the crazy stuff that happens in South Park, this episode also ended in this weird way

Inter v Barcelona preview

2010-04-20T07:47:00.002-06:00

Mourinho plans to shackle Messi at the Giuseppe Meazza
The Special One meets the special player on Tuesday night as Inter Milan welcome Barcelona to the Giuseppe Meazza for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final.
Inter manager Jose Mourinho will have been plotting ways to shackle the magical Lionel Messi ever since the Barcelona star's wonderful four-goal performance eliminated Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
Mourinho's team progressed to the last four in slightly less spectacular fashion than their defending champion opponents following a comfortable 2-0 aggregate elimination of CSKA Moscow.
But Inter's clinically-efficient knockout job on Chelsea in last 16 has significantly increased the stock of a team perennially labelled as underachievers on the European stage and there is a suggestion that Mourinho is the man to derail Barcelona.
The Italians' cause will be helped by the fact that Pep Guardiola's Spanish pass-and-move kings arrived in Milan having endured a 14-hour coach journey due to the travel chaos caused by the volcanic ash cloud that has engulfed Europe
Barcelona, though, remain favourites after avoiding defeat to Inter in Group F earlier in the competition as they drew 0-0 in Italy and inflicted a 2-0 defeat at Camp Nou, with Mourinho admitting his team were second best 'in terms of individual qualities and profile'.
Confidence
But the Portuguese is adamant that his side have drastically improved since visiting the Catalan giants at the end of last November and he goes into the tie with a degree of characteristic confidence.
Inter are without defender Davide Santon due to a knee injury, while goalkeeper Francesco Toldo has a leg problem and also misses out.
Samuel Eto'o will play against the club he left last summer, which saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic move in the opposite direction, while former Real Madrid player Wesley Sneijder will be expected to play a key role.
Walter Samuel, Maicon, Javier Zanetti and Dejan Stankovic are all one booking away from missing the second leg.
Andres Iniesta is missing for Barcelona as the Spain international is recovering from a thigh injury.
Ibrahimovic returned from a calf problem to feature in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Espanyol and Eric Abidal is available after a groin tear.

Columbine prepares for shooting anniversary

2010-04-20T07:44:00.002-06:00

CNN) -- The scrolling list of online student activities for Tuesday, April 20, lists a spring play rehearsal, a talk by "famous photographer, John Fielder" -- and "NO SCHOOL."
It's a tough day to be within those walls.
It was there, 11 years ago, that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold embarked on a massacre -- shooting 12 classmates and a teacher dead and injuring 23 others before turning the gun on themselves.
Columbine High School was forever etched into the psyche of America.
The top news story of 1999. An iconic shooting. An event prompted intense debate over gun control.
"A day that changed us forever," as former President Bill Clinton said at 10th anniversary observances last year. Clinton, who was in the White House at the time of the killings, said he was personally inspired by the courage of the Columbine community.
Tuesday marks anniversary number 11, an odd-year milestone that millions of Americans will let come and go without notice. But for the survivors, for the victims' families and friends, time's steady march is not enough to dull the pain. The memories are still raw in Littleton, Colorado.
Principal Frank DeAngelis attended a teary prom last weekend when Columbine crowned a king and queen with special needs. An act of goodwill and fraternity. An act exemplifying the human spirit.
"This," DeAngelis told CNN affiliate KMGH in Denver, is what Columbine is all about."
In far away Dallas, Texas, Jordan Niland, 17, said he is sure to pick up his telephone Tuesday. He will dial the number of Richard Castaldo.
Castaldo, a junior at Columbine in 1999, suffered five gunshot wounds to his chest, back, arm and colon that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Niland was a young boy then. But after seeing Michael Moore's documentary, "Bowling for Columbine," he struck up a MySpace conversation with Castaldo. The two have been friends since."
"The anniversary means so much to me," Niland said. "I have had the privilege to talk and get to know a survivor and to fully understand what really went on that day."
If people could personally hear Castaldo's story, Niland said, they would stop to reflect on this day. Because such a horror, he said, should not be forgotten.
And because life goes on.
A Columbine memorial dedicated in 2007, is sure to be visited Tuesday. But like the tragedy itself, the memorial, meant as a place of reflection, is incomplete, gaps running through it like the voids in people's lives.
The memorial park has posted a wish list to complete the peace it is intended to bestow.
Hackberry trees, lavender mist, spirea, purple asters. And 24 columbines. Any variety will do, the memorial's website says. As long as they are columbines.

Moni Basu

SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL: John Landis accepts award via Internet

2010-04-20T07:40:00.002-06:00

Director John Landis peered through his computer screen to see the 2010 Master of Cinema Award he received Saturday at the Sarasota Film Festival.
Landis, who has been working on his latest film in London, was unable to fly to the United States this weekend because of the volcano in Iceland that stopped almost all air traffic out of Europe.
Director John Landis accepts his 2010 Master of Cinema Award via the Internet at the Sarasota Film Festival Saturday night. HERALD-TRIBUNE PHOTO / JAY HANDELMAN
“I never knew there were film critics in Iceland,” Landis quipped through an Internet connection on Skype, his face larger than life on a screen on the stage of the Sarasota Opera House.
Landis, who made such hit films as “Animal House,” “The Blues Brothers, “Trading Places” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video, reviewed and laughed about his career at the prodding of Festival Artistic Director Tom Hall.
John Landis talks on via an Internet connection with Sarasota Film Festival Artistic Director Tom Hall during Saturday night's filmmakers' tribute. HERALD-TRIBUNE PHOTO / JAY HANDELMAN
It has been years since he directed a major Hollywood hit film, and he said, “I’ve always had the Jerry Lewis thing, they love me in Europe.”
The problem with Hollywood run counter to the words of his idol Mark Twain.
“He is my God,” Landis said of Twain. “He once said something like in the old world an artist is regarded for his greatest work and in the new world, the artist is regarded for his latest work.”
But he takes some comfort from the words of legendary director John Huston, who he quoted as once saying, “Motion picture directors are like buildings and prostitutes. They grow more respectable with age. And hey, now I’m being honored in the United States.”
He also offered some advice for the many young filmmakers in attendance at the Sarasota Opera House.
Actor Vincen D'Onofrio talks with guests at the Sarasota Film Festival's Filmmakers' tribute. HERALD-TRIBUNE PHOTO / JAY HANDELMAN
“Read books. I’m shocked at how illiterate my peers are. You should be reading Dickens and Twain and Tolstoy and everything,” because they will help filmmakers learn more about telling a story and developing characters.
“Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer have made a career out of not telling stories.”
The Filmmakers’ tribute evening began with awards presentations for narrative, documentary and independent visions features, youthFEST awards and audience favorites, which included the documentary “For Once in My Life” and the narrative feature “The New Year.” For a complete list, click here.
A dance troupe does a live version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" during a tribute to director John Landis at the 2010 Sarasota Film Festival.

Jay Handelman