Hot Trends

Channel 5 Jade Seah saying the F*** word when broadcasting Olympics 2008

2008-08-21T09:29:00.001-07:00

I cannot imagine someone like Jade Seah so chio will say the F*** word so frequently. I always feel that Jade Seah is one of the most pretty in mediacorp. After this incident I think I will only think of the F*** word Jade Seah says in television. I think Jade Seah also having a hard time now explaining to mediacorp about the word she says.

Rumer Willis is Micah Alberti’s Bunny

2008-08-21T09:24:00.001-07:00

clipped from justjared.buzznet.com

Rumer Willis and actor Micah Alberti pair up at the premiere of The House Bunny held at the Mann Village Theater on Wednesday in Westwood, California.

Micah and Rumer have been spotted together twice at LAX airport, but this time they’ve gone public with their relationship. Rumer’s family, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, and Ashton Kutcher were there at the premiere to support her.

clipped from socialitelife.celebuzz.com

The man trap and roofies worked! Why do I feel like Rumer is that cluck in the blue bonnet in the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons who was always screaming "a maaaaannn!" whenever she sees an available dude? Here's Rumer WIllis lovin' it up at LAX with rumored new boyfriend Micah Alberti.

Get this - this might be the dude that Rumer's dumped her current boyfriend for. What? Yeah, there are reports that she's been seeing Ryan Eggold, who is part of the new 90120 cast (the tool in the vest). How timely of her. Can she get me Shannen Doherty's autograph? I love that harpy.

Beth Ann Chester sentenced to prison

2008-08-21T09:19:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.timesoftheinternet.com

Beth Ann Chester, a former teacher, has been sentenced to 1 and 1/2 to 3 years in prison for having sex with a student, according to the Pittsburgh Gazette.

clipped from celebrity.rightpundits.com

Meet Beth Ann Chester, a naughty High School teacher from Moon Area School in Pittsburgh, was charged with sexual abuse of children. See her picture and read more below !

Beth Ann Chester is a 26-year-old health and physical education teacher at Moon Area High School in Pittsburgh who faces nine criminal charges for having sexual contact and sending nude pictures of herself and sex-related text messages to a 14-year old male student. She was arrested on Friday, after the district officials filed a report with the police, stating Chester may have had in appropriate contact with the student.

clipped from www.timesoftheinternet.com

"I wanted to apologize to everyone," Chester told the judge during her sentencing. "I know this is the punishment I deserve. I'm really sorry for everything."

Gene Upshaw, Head of Football Players' Union, Dies

2008-08-21T09:15:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.bloomberg.com

Aug. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Gene Upshaw, a one-time Oakland
Raiders lineman who earned a place in the Pro Football Hall of
Fame for his playing career and in the sport's history as head
of the players' union, died today. He was 63.

Jeffrey Kessler, a lawyer who has represented the
organization, said in an interview that Upshaw was ``one of the
greatest leaders of athletes in the history of sports, a great
human being and someone who will be sorely missed.''

clipped from www.washingtonpost.com

Upshaw, seven times selected as a Pro Bowl guard during his playing career with the Raiders, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987 and had served as executive director of the players' union since 1983.

Upshaw, born in Robstown, Texas, played collegiately at Texas A&M. He was a first-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders in 1967 and became the starting left guard as a rookie. He played on two Super Bowl title teams with the Raiders.

HENRY CEJUDO WINS OLYMPIC GOLD!

2008-08-19T04:52:00.000-07:00

Henry Cejudo (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) controlled the action to claim a two-period victory over Tomihiro Matsunaga of Japan in the gold-medal match, 2-2, 3-0 at 55 kg

Cejudo becomes the first U.S. wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. He is believed to be the youngest wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling.

Cejudo won the first period by scoring the highest point move, a two-point exposure. He won the second period on a three-point high crotch takedown.

Cejudo is competing in his first Olympic Games. He was a member of the 2007 U.S. World Team. He hails from Phoenix, Ariz., and finished high school in Colorado Springs, Colo. He became a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete as a high school junior. He was the first high school wrestler to win a USA Wrestling Senior National freestyle title in 2006. His older brother Angel is his training partner in Beijing. Cejudo defeated 2004 Olympic silver medalist Stephen Abas in the finals of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

55 kg/121 lbs. – Henry Cejudo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)

Gold medal finals - Henry Cejudo (USA) vs. Tomohiro Matsunaga (Japan), 2-2, 3-0

First period – Matsunaga scored a one-point single leg takedown to a pushout at 1:10 to lead 1-0. Cejudo took a leg shot and scored a two-point exposure, with Matsunaga getting a reversal at 2-2. No more scoring. Cejudo won the period by scoring the higher value move, a two-pointer.

Second period – Cejudo hit a high crotch and took Matsunaga to his back for three points in just 12 seconds to lead 3-0. Cejudo got a low single leg, which Matsunaga countered and time ran off the clock to 1:43 when the officials stopped the move. Cejudo held off Matsunaga attacks until the time ran out.

Source - TheMat

Cervical cancer information and symtoms

2008-08-19T04:45:00.000-07:00

Cervical cancer is caused by a very common virus called Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Most women get HPV without knowing and without it causing any harm. For a tiny few, around 2,800 women a year in the UK, it can lead to cervical cancer. However a new HPV vaccine could eradicate the virus completely and stop the next generation of women from getting cervical cancer. Meanwhile, regular smear tests are the best way to prevent it, so make sure you have yours. If diagnosed early, the vast majority of women can be treated very successfully.

For a full medical explanation of the causes, symptoms and treatments of cervical cancer from patient.co.uk, read on.

The most common early symptom of cervical cancer (cancer of the cervix) is abnormal vaginal bleeding. Most cases develop in women in their 30s or 40s. If cervical cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, there is a good chance of a cure. Regular cervical screening tests can detect 'pre-cancer' which can be treated before cancer develops.

The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb) which extends slightly into the top of the vagina. The cervix is often called 'the neck of the womb'.

A narrow passage called the cervical canal (or endocervical canal) goes from the vagina to the inside of the uterus. This is normally kept quite tightly shut, but allows blood to flow out from the uterus during a period, and sperm to travel inside if you have sex. It opens very wide during labour if you have a baby.

The surface of the cervix is covered with skin-like cells. There are also some tiny glands in the lining of cervical canal which make mucus.

What is cervical cancer?

There are two main types of cervical cancer.

Squamous cell cervical cancer is the most common. This develops from a skin-like cell (a squamous cell) that covers the cervix which becomes cancerous.
Adenocarcinoma cervical cancer is much less common. This develops from a glandular cell (a cell that makes mucus) within the cervical canal which becomes cancerous.

Both types are diagnosed and treated in a similar way. Most cases develop in women in their 30s or 40s. Some cases develop in older and younger women.

Over 2000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK. However, the number of cases diagnosed each year has fallen over recent years. This is because cervical cancer can be prevented by regular cervical screening tests which most women now have.

Weeds season 4 Episode 9

2008-08-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan Bersumpah di Masjid Wilayah

2008-08-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

Good Morning America Video, Steven Curtis Chapman: Maria Sue Tragedy

2008-08-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

Steven Curtis Chapman, a Grammy-winning and successful Christian musician, had his world shaken when he discovered his 5-year-old daughter Maria Sue was killed.

Steven Curtis Chapman and his family were forced to endure a horrifying tragedy when their daughter Maria Sue's 17-year-old brother accidentally hit and fatally injured Maria while backing his SUV out of the family's driveway.

Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife appeared on 'Good Morning America' Wednesday morning, August 6. He revealed what got his family through the tragic accident: "We have talked a lot, and you will hear all of us talk about the process of grieving with hope."

"That's what has kept us breathing, kept us alive, is that while we are grieving this process, there is a hope that we have that we're anchored to in the midst of just what sometimes seems unbearable."

Bia and Branca Feres têm day of beauty

2008-08-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Exposição ao sol exige cuidado extra com a pele Exposição ao sun requires extra care with a pele

Que vida de atleta não é mole, isso todo mundo já sabe. That life athlete não é mole, isso entire world already knows. Agora ser atleta e musa ao mesmo tempo - caso das gêmeas do nado sincronizado, Bia e Branca Feres - é pior ainda. Agora be an athlete and muse ao mesmo tempo - if das gêmeas do synchronized swimming, Bia and Branca Feres - is still pior.

As meninas, que posaram juntas para o Paparazzo, acabaram de voltar do US Open e, para repor suas energias, tiveram um dia de beleza, nesta sexta-feira, 1. As meninas, or posaram together to Paparazzo, acabaram-back U.S. Open and do, to repor suas energies, tiveram a day of beauty, nesta sábado, 1.

.Veja o ensaio e Bia e Branca para o Paparazzo . Veja or ensaio and Bia and Branca or for Paparazzo

"Começamos por um peeling de cristal, um peeling superficial que promove a renovação da pele, ideal para elas que estão sempre expostas à luz solar e ao cloro”, explica o dermatologista Fabrício Lamy, que cuida da pele das musas. "Começar um by peeling glass, um peeling surface that promote da Renovação pele, ideal for elas that estão always exposed to sunlight and chlorine ao," says dermatologist or Fabrício Lamy, who cares da pele das muses.

Escova Escovar

Depois da pele, foi a vez dos cabelos. Depois da pele, was the time two Cabel. Bia e Branca fizeram um tratamento de reconstrução dos fios, que começa com um xampu anticloro e segue com a reposição de queratina. Bia and Branca fizeram um treatment of two reconstrução FiOS, which começa com um xampu anticloro and segue com a reposição keratin.

Mauritania coup leaders announce new junta

2008-08-06T06:01:00.000-07:00

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — Renegade soldiers in Mauritania have announced a new junta will be led by the head of the country's presidential guard.

The news came after renegade army officers staged a coup early Wednesday and detained the president and prime minister, after they fired the desert country's top four military officials, the presidential spokesman said.

A brief announcement read over state television says the "state council" will be led by presidential guard chief Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. It gave no other details.

In recent weeks, lawmakers have accused the president of corruption and poor governance, and 69 of the country's 95 parliament members have called for his resignation.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — Renegade army officers staged a coup Wednesday and detained Mauritania's president and prime minister, after they fired the desert country's top four military officials, the presidential spokesman said.

President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi is being held by renegade soldiers at the presidential palace in Nouakchott, spokesman Abdoulaye Mamadouba said.

Soldiers also detained Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waqef, the spokesman said.

State radio and television have gone off air, and witnesses said soldiers are deployed throughout the capital. No violence was immediately reported.

Abdallahi's civilian government took control from a military junta which seized power in a 2005 coup and and stepped down after 2007 elections.

No official reason was given for firing the military commanders, which were announced early Wednesday. Among those fired was army chief staff Gen. Mohamed Ould Sheikh Mohamed.

A Mauritanian lawmaker, Mohammed Al Mukhtar, told the Arab satellite television staiton Al-Jazeera by telephone that many of the country's people were supporting the takeover attempt. He described the government as "an authoritarian regime" and asserted that the president had "marginalized the majority in parliament."

Source - AP

Paris Respons To Mc Cain Ad A Video By Funny Or Die

2008-08-06T05:54:00.000-07:00

Funny or Die has tapped "Saturday Night Live" scribe Andrew Steele to serve as the creative director of the comedy website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.
Steele will oversee development and production of a range of programming that Funny or Die is developing through its recent partnership with HBO (Daily Variety, June 11). Steele will also be tasked with keeping the original vid pipeline stocked for FunnyOrDie.com.
Funny or Die has been looking for a seasoned comedy writer to oversee its operations ever since it struck the deal with HBO, which calls for the company to develop 10 half-hours of programming for the pay cabler. Steele is a 12-year "SNL" vet who was one of three head writers on the show in recent years. He worked with Ferrell and McKay during their respective tenures on the NBC latenight mainstay.
"When we were talking about who we wanted to hire, we kept saying, 'We need someone like an Andrew Steele,' " McKay said. "Finally, Will just called him. We're overjoyed that he said yes."
Ferrell quipped: "He's one of the funniest people on the planet, not counting South America and parts of Russia."
Steele will coordinate the unconventional HBO development deal, which calls for Funny or Die to field traditional half-hour comedy formats to five-minute bits. It's an eclectic assignment that is a good fit with Steele's varied experience on "SNL."
"His job will be to find interesting ways to divvy up the money (HBO has given them) to get the maximum creative bang for it," McKay said.

Way2sms.com - Send unlimited free sms to your friends

2008-08-03T01:13:00.000-07:00

Way2sms offers you to sent unlimited sms (messages) to your friends free of cost to any mobile numbers in India. It is just like other free messaging websites that have crawled up on the web offering free sms. Features Supports all mobile networks including CDMA ie tata indicom and reliance also 92 characters for user message out of 160.

Way2SMS is an easy-to-use communication tool which helps you to send SMS to your friends, family etc. Also, Send Messages to the Group contacts with single click. Way2SMS is really catching with young and internet savvy people. It seems to be emerging as a favorite way of many people to send message to mobile devices.

Way2SMS.com make money with Mobitisements - Out of the 160 characters of a standard SMS, Way2SMS offers only 92 characters to the User to send out their personal SMS. The rest of the characters are appended with an Advertisement or Mobitisement.

Rekaman Kotak Hitam Adam Air

2008-08-03T01:08:00.000-07:00

Manajer Lalu Lintas Penerbangan Bandara Hasanuddin Edi Amiruddin menyatakan,
rekaman percakapan dalam kotak hitam Boeing 737-400 milik Adam Air yang beredar di internet bukan berasal dari pihaknya.

"Tidak mungkin rekaman itu dari Makassar," kata dia saat
ditemui wartawan di kawasan Bandara Hasanuddin Makassar, Sabtu (2/8).

Alasannya, pembicaraan yang dapat terekam oleh Airport Traffic Center (ATC) Bandara, hanya percakapan ATC dengan pilot. Sementara dalam rekaman yang beredar juga terdengar percakapan pilot dengan pilot. Ia termasuk yang meragukan keaslian rekaman itu. Sekalipun ada
beberapa istilah penerbangan yang terlontar, pemalsu kemungkinan mengerti soal dunia penerbangan.

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : ini —-

ATC : trigana 161, the surface conditions, wind 290 degrees 07 knots, current visibility about 2 until 3 kilo mike, request descent?

in the background (Adam’s pilot chatting: —- —– headingnya…..ini posisinya dia, di sono…. iya 21 mile) .

TGN 161 : say again sir?

ATC : trigana 161, visibility 2 until 3 kilo mike, surface wind 290 degrees 07 knots, runway in use runway 13, confirm ready for approach or make holding waiting for weather improvement?

TGN 161 : affirmative, we are make holding

ATC : roger, trigana 161, now fly heading… ee… two six zero expect holding on one five miles mike kilo sierra, radial three one zero mike kilo sierra…

in the background (Adam’s pilot chatting: —- —– —–, ujung pandang…. bos…. ujung pandang jelas?)

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : aiyyah…. cuaca di mike kilo sierra (means…. Makassar… ampun deh)

TGN 161 : —-heading 260, 15 miles holding, trigana 161

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : loh, ini DMEnya nih yah…

iya makanya juga ngaconya disitu

nah, ini mike kilo sierra

yah…

ATC : adam 574 confirm maintain heading 070 or tracking to DIOLA?

DHI 574 : affirm

mach 74 maintaining 070…

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : Bearing 074

anginnya dah mulai normal lagi

iyah….

ATC : Syahrizal confirm? (ATC asking for pilot’s name)

selamat tahun baru mas….

DHI 574 : Gatu

ok dicopy, disampaikan nanti, Insyaallah….

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : —- koq DMEmu beda sama DME gambarnya ini

iyah…

ngaco dia tuh brarti

dah ngaco dah emang …dah ngaco

udah mulai gambar bambu ini

udah, kita percaya ama ini aja deh…

hehehe… iyalah….

—- cewe-cewe

makanya, terlalu jauh banget

—-

___noise___

salah lagi ini dia….

—-

iya nih

coba.. tolong confirm posisi aja, confirm on radial sekian.. 124 DME gitu

(on the background, FO calling ATC)

ATC : go ahead

—- : —- —-

DHI 574 : roger… adam 574 position is 125 miles mike kilo sierra, crossing radial 307 mike kilo sierra

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : ok….. that’s confirm… that’s confirm

affirm

iya khan.. ngaco

ngaco FIDSnya udah —-, FMSnya…

FMS telah mengacaukan dirinya sendiri… UEDANN opo…

oi terbangnya melanglang buana eh….

TGN 161 : trigana 161, maintain visibility now

ATC : standby one

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : ini aja kep yah

coba ini.. apa.. ee.. gw pake ini aja deh untuk navnya, pake —- audio altitude

yes

yah ini aja

TGN 161 : Trigana 161 request visibility now?

ATC : standby one

TGN 161 : standby

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : masuk ke….

fail aja

fail?

yah, vault aja nih

—-

ntar attitude (or) altitude aja nih

ada semua —- cable? (probably AM/Air Mechanic try to repair something on cockpit)

attitude (or) altitude? nggak..

yang laen…

ATC : trigana 161 the visibility 2 until 3 kilo mike and runway change, 290 degrees 08 knots

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : (Adam’s AM: klo angin dan headingnya saja, masukin ini …)

TGN 161 : copied, trigana 161

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : —- SELCAL dan altitude

masukin ini

heading brapa nih kep? (FO asking)

zero… zero seven nine yah (captain)

iya

masukin ini keatas

TGN 161 : trigana 161, request ILS.. visual at runway 13

ATC : trigana 161, ee.. roger make left turn now heading on zero zero one descent two thousand feet, clear ILS approach runway 13

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : ini kep?

taro NAV lagi….

TGN 161 : trigana 161, ….descent to two thousand confirm?

(in the background, warning sound ….—-….)

ATC : affirm

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : taro NAV lagi, taro NAV lagi….

TGN 161 : descent to two thousand, trigana 161

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : yes?

taro NAV lagi (in the background, WARNING sound …. —- …. WARNING alarm)

taro NAV lagi

NAV!…… ok kep?

JANGAN DIBELOKIN Nih… kita —- —–

captain, captain, captain…

(WARNING sign…. ticking….)

aduh kep, kep, kep….

ya, ya…

Allahuakbar……. Allahuakbar…….. Allahuakbar…….. Allahuakbar……..

DHI 574 : Mayday…..

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : argh…

Allahuakbar….

DHI 574 : MAYDAY… MAYDAY…!!

Voice on DHI 574 cockpit : Allahuakbar….

allahuakbar….

(…sounds like windshield kracking…)

argh…

allahuakbar….

Singfest 2008 Is Back

2008-08-03T01:06:00.000-07:00

Singapore's biggest music festival will see highly acclaimed British folk rock band, Travis and eleven times Grammy award winner Alicia Keys headlining the show, over Saturday and Sunday respectively. The huge music extravaganza is expected to feature 20 acts over a two day affair.

Dates: Saturday & Sunday, August 2 & 3, 2008
Venue: Fort Canning Park, Singapore
Time: 12pm - 11pm. Doors open at 12pm and the last act will perform at 11 pm.

Line-up on August 2
Travis
Simple Plan
Melee
Lost Prophets
New Found Glory
Crowned King
Dearest
Melanie Subono
Plainsunset

Line up on August 3
Alicia Keys
Jason Mraz
Rick Astley
Panic At The Disco
OneRepublic
Jamie Scott
Stacie Oricco

Ticket Prices (exclude booking charges):
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Pre-Sale - S$150
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Pre-Sale - S$200
Week-ender Pass (i.e. 2-day pass)
Pre-Sale - S$300

Tickets are now available at SISTIC: www.sistic.com.sg
Official website: www.singfest.sg

Osama "Sam" Lutfi No Restraining, But No Contact Either

2008-07-31T07:22:00.000-07:00

Osama "Sam" Lutfi is one of the strangest personalities that exists in the downward spiral of Britney Spears drama. Osama Lutfi is in the media attention because of Britney's apparently good will.

Britney's lawyer today told the media that Spears will not seek restraining orders against Osama Sam Lutfi, but this does not mean she wants him to be back in her life either.
In other words Britney tells Osama Sam Lutfi Smell But Don't Touch.

"Britney has made clear to everyone that she does not want to be further harassed or contacted in any way by Osama 'Sam' Lutfi, now or at anytime in the future," Spears' attorney Samuel D. Ingham III said in a statement to The Associated Press.

So let's see who is Osama Sam Lutfi by looking at what the media has written about him.
Britney Bash writes that "Sam Lutfi was born August 16, 1974 in Los Angeles. This makes him a 33 yr old Leo. A Leo is defined as “Stubborn yet impulsive. Showy, dramatic and sometimes vain. Have a sunny demeanor and love to be the center of loved ones' adoration. Make a great actor."

According to IMDB, he was the producer of a few movies we never heard of a few years ago, Crossing Cords (2001) (associate producer), Circles (1998) (executive producer), Bug Buster (1998) (producer). These are obvious failures. His film “career” seems to end in 2001.
He did get an “extra special thanks “ for Underworld (2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006) whatever the hell that means. I am pretty sure it means… friends to the director or producer, or coffee boy, etc. but no actual involvement in the production. Those are successes he wasn’t really a part of.

MSN lists Osama Sam Lutfi as producer for SFX: Life Behind Bars (2001) a 48 minute movie about dirt biking.

Lutfi's LinkedIn claims he is an "Independent Media Production Professional", has 8 connections and says he went to USC. He is currently interested in contacts for “consulting offers”, “new ventures”, “expertise requests”, “getting back in touch”.

No one ever really heard or talked about Osama Sam Lutfi before October 2007 when he went to the DMV with Britney to get her Cali driver’s license and now he’s known as “Britney Spears Friend”, “sidekick”, “cling-on”, “Howard K. Stern”, and sometimes “producer”. FOX Sources say he was introduced to her by her mother, Lynn. According to public documents, he’s had numerous tax liens and a couple of lawsuits brought against him. FOX also says his real name is Osamah Lutfi.

Bristol-Myers offers $60/shr for ImClone

2008-07-31T07:21:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (BMY.N: Quote, Profile, Research) offered to buyout the remaining stake in its biotechnology partner ImClone Systems Inc (IMCL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) for $60 a share in a deal to gain full control of the cancer drug Erbitux.

The bid, revealed in a regulatory filing on Thursday, represents a premium of 30 percent over ImClone's closing stock price on Wednesday. Bristol already owns 16.6 percent of ImClone's outstanding shares, according to the filing.

ImClone shares jumped 44.5 percent to $67.13 in pre-market trading, well above the offer price.

COMMENTS
BRIAN RYE, ANALYST, JANNEY MONTGOMERY SCOTT.

"I think from Bristol's perspective they are trying to get ahead of potential positive events for ImClone that could push the value of ImClone's shares up by themselves."

"I think that $60 is insufficient given what ImClone is likely to look like 12 to 18 months from now, and the stock is reacting accordingly."

"I think they may have to pay closer to a 50 percent premium."

"ImClone has a superb pipeline, and I think you have to value that somehow."

MORTON PIERCE, CHAIRMAN, DEWEY & LEBOEUF'S MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS GROUP, IN NEW YORK

"It makes sense to consolidate the drug industry. It's a way of cutting cost and getting firmer control on a pipeline of drugs."

"Obviously people expect that this deal is going to settle out at a higher price. Whether it's Bristol-Myers or somebody else, they expect a higher price."

Bristol-Myers Squibb Proposes to Acquire ImClone Systems for $60.00 Per Share in Cash

2008-07-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK, Jul 31, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced that it has proposed to enter into an agreement to acquire ImClone Systems Incorporated ImClone Systems Inc, a global leader in the development and commercialization of novel antibodies to treat cancer, for $60.00 per share in cash, or a total payment of approximately $4.5 billion, to equity holders of ImClone, other than Bristol-Myers Squibb. Bristol-Myers Squibb currently owns approximately 17 percent of all outstanding shares of ImClone.

Bristol-Myers Squibb's all-cash offer, which is not conditioned on the receipt of financing or on the conduct of due diligence, represents a premium of approximately 30 percent over ImClone's closing stock price on July 30, 2008, the last trading day before Bristol-Myers Squibb sent its proposal to ImClone's Board of Directors, a premium of approximately 40 percent over the average closing price of ImClone's stock during the most recent one-month period and a premium in excess of 40 percent for the average closing stock prices of ImClone stock during each of the most recent three-month and 12-month periods.

James M. Cornelius, chairman and chief executive officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, said, "Our proposed acquisition of ImClone represents an evolutionary development in our companies' seven-year-long relationship, and is in the best interests of Bristol-Myers Squibb and ImClone shareholders and employees, and the patients we serve together. Bristol-Myers Squibb is the natural partner for ImClone as we possess the knowledge base and resources to advance the company's growth over the long-term, not only with respect to ERBITUX(R), the important cancer therapy we jointly commercialize, but also in terms of developing ImClone's pipeline assets. Our current contractual relationship with ImClone, in which we hold exclusive, long-term marketing rights to ERBITUX in the U.S., has been very successful, and we believe that, by applying Bristol-Myers Squibb's financial, R&D and marketing capabilities to support the product, we will be able to reach an even broader patient population."

"For Bristol-Myers Squibb, the proposed acquisition of ImClone represents a strategically and financially sound add-on to our business, consolidating a relationship we have had for nearly seven years. The acquisition is expected to contribute to our financial performance in the 2012-2013 timeframe as well as drive growth beyond 2013," continued Mr. Cornelius.
"Bristol-Myers Squibb is prepared to proceed to work with ImClone's Board of Directors quickly and efficiently to reach a definitive merger agreement regarding our all-cash offer, which delivers full and fair value to ImClone's shareholders. We look forward to meeting with ImClone's Board and management to effect this transaction in an expedited manner," concluded Mr. Cornelius.

ERBITUX (cetuximab) is indicated for use in the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and for use in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Bristol-Myers Squibb and ImClone have been engaged in the co-development and co-commercialization of ERBITUX in the U.S. and Canada under an agreement entered into in September 2001. Under the agreement, ImClone receives a distribution fee based on a flat rate of 39 percent of net sales in North America. This Agreement was amended in July 2007 to provide for additional development funding for certain indications. The Agreement expires in September 2018 with respect to ERBITUX in the U.S.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and ImClone have also been engaged in the co-development of ERBITUX in Japan with Merck KGaA since December 2004. In October 2007, the three companies amended this agreement to provide for co-commercialization of ERBITUX in Japan. The companies received marketing approval for ERBITUX in Japan on July 16, 2008, for use in combination with irinotecan to treat unresectable advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer.
Bristol-Myers Squibb's proposal to acquire ImClone for $60.00 per share in cash was conveyed earlier this morning by Mr. Cornelius to Carl C. Icahn, chairman of the Board of Directors of ImClone, and confirmed in a letter sent to the Board of Directors. The full text of the letter follows:

Board of Directors
ImClone Systems Incorporated
180 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014
Care of Mr. Carl C. Icahn, Chairman of the Board
July 31, 2008

Dear Carl:

This confirms that Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is offering to enter
into an agreement to acquire ImClone Systems Incorporated for $60 per
share in cash. Our all-cash offer represents a premium of
approximately 30% over the closing price of ImClone common stock on
July 30, 2008, a premium of approximately 40% over the one-month
average closing price of ImClone common stock, and a premium in
excess of 40% over the three-month and one-year average closing
prices of ImClone common stock. A full combination of BMS and ImClone
is a natural fit for both our companies, and we are convinced our
proposed price represents a full and fair offer for ImClone.
For nearly seven years, BMS and ImClone have worked in concert to
bring ERBITUX(R) to patients and build a strong product. We value our
commercial agreement with ImClone and believe our respective
commercial teams have forged an excellent working relationship. We
also value our interactions with your scientists and clinicians. We
have high regard for the potential of ImClone's pipeline assets,
while recognizing the early stage of their development and the
significant investment which is required to further their
development.

Our Board of Directors has approved this offer. We and our advisors
are prepared to meet with you and your advisors to answer any
questions you may have about our offer. We are confident that, with
ImClone's cooperation, we can reach a definitive agreement very
quickly. We do not foresee any regulatory or other impediment to
closing. Our offer is not conditioned on financing or due diligence.
As you know, as a result of our current ownership of ImClone stock, we
are subject to U.S. securities laws which require us to disclose any
material change in our intentions with respect to ImClone as
reflected in our Schedule 13D on file with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission. Accordingly, we are filing with the SEC an
amendment to our Schedule 13D disclosing our offer and including this
letter as an exhibit.

In my view, and in the view of our Board of Directors, this
transaction makes compelling business sense for both of our companies
and is in the best interests of our respective shareholders and the
cancer patients for whom our companies' life saving medicines are so
important. The price we are offering represents an extremely
attractive opportunity for the shareholders of ImClone to realize
today the future value of the company. Our desire is to conclude a
transaction which is enthusiastically supported by you and all other
members of the ImClone Board. We look forward to your prompt response
to our offer.

Sincerely,
/s/ James M. Cornelius
James M. Cornelius
Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer

Bristol-Myers Squibb has filed today an Amended Schedule 13D and a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Those filings may be accessed at www.sec.gov or via Bristol-Myers Squibb's website at www.bms.com/ir.
Morgan Stanley & Company Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC are serving as financial advisors to Bristol-Myers Squibb in connection with the proposed acquisition. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is acting as legal counsel to Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Conference Call Information

There will be a conference call today, July 31, 2008, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT) during which Bristol-Myers Squibb executives will address inquiries from investors and analysts regarding its offer to acquire ImClone. Investors and the general public are invited to listen to a live web cast of the call at www.bms.com/ir or by dialing 347-284-6930, access code 3044806. A replay of the conference call will be available until midnight on August 15, 2008 at 402-280-9013, access code 3044806.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to extend and enhance human life.

Statement on Cautionary Factors

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding, among other things, statements relating to a proposal to acquire ImClone Systems Incorporated, future financial performance and the company's business strategy. These statements may be identified by the fact that they use words such as "anticipate", "estimates", "should", "expect", "guidance", "project", "intend", "plan", "believe" and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. These factors include, among other things, the risk that the proposed transaction will not be completed and the company's ability to execute successfully its strategic plans. For further details and a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see the company's periodic reports, including the annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Communications:
Tracy Furey, 609-252-3208
Robert Zito, 212-546-4341
Investor Relations:
John Elicker, 212-546-3775

Ken Griffey Jr. traded to White Sox, foxsports.com reports

2008-07-31T07:11:00.000-07:00

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. is being traded to the Chicago White Sox, pending his approval, foxsports.com reported Thursday morning.

Griffey, 38, was acquired by the Reds in 2000, after 11 seasons with the Seattle Mariners. While he’s one of the six Major League Baseball players to hit 600 home runs in his career, he’s had to suffer through a streak of losing seasons with the Reds, who haven’t played in a World Series since 1990.

During his career with the Mariners, Griffey led the American League in home runs for four seasons and was voted the Most Valuable Player in the league in 1997. He has a hitting average of .245 for the current season.

A trade could give Griffey his first chance to play in a World Series. The White Sox are in first place in their American League division, with a win-loss record 60-46, or .566.

Ken Griffey Jr. must approve trade to White Sox

2008-07-31T07:08:00.000-07:00

White Sox general manager Ken Williams has been on the prowl for lefty-swinging slugger Ken Griffey Jr. several times in recent years before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and apparently he has landed the future Hall of Famer.

According to sources, the Sox have a tentative deal in place for Griffey, but are waiting this morning for the veteran who has no-trade protection to approve the deal before the 3 p.m. deadline.

Since Griffey hit his 600th home run earlier this season, it was clear the Cincinnati Reds were interested in dealing him. He is expected to OK the trade.

‘‘I’m strapped in for a long day,’’ general manager Ken Williams said in a text message to the Sun-Times this morning. ‘‘I will talk about all that has or hasn’t happened when I get to the park at 3 p.m.’’

If the Sox do complete the deal, Griffey likely will be used primarily in center field, a position he hasn’t played on a regular basis since 2006. The deal likely will cost first baseman Paul Konerko playing time as Nick Swisher would probably move from center field to first base.

Konerko has hit just .212 (14-for-66) since coming off the disabled list on July 8. Manager Ozzie Guillen had been considering a day off to give Konerko a mental break. It could be an extended day off for the team captain who has struggled since the start of last season. Swisher pulled out of his own funk when he replaced Konerko at first base last month.

Griffey, 38, is hitting .245 with 15 home runs and 53 RBI in 359 at-bats. Just as important to the White Sox, he has a .355 on-base percentage and will be a much bigger presence in the lineup than Konerko.

Griffey is in the final year of a nine-year, $116.5 million contract, with a club option for 2009 at $16.5 million or a $4 million buyout.

Harry James - Concerto for Trumpet

2008-07-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

Gene Krupa's Biography

2008-07-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

Gene Krupa was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 15, 1909 and was the the youngest of Bartley and Ann Krupa's nine children. His father died when Gene was very young and his mother worked as a milliner to support the family. All of the children had to start working while young, Gene at age eleven. His brother Pete worked at "Brown Music Company", and got Gene a job as chore boy. Gene started out playing sax in grade school but took up drums at age 11 since they were the cheapest item in the music store where he and his brother worked. "I used to look in their wholesale catalog for a musical instrument - piano, trombone, cornet - I didn't care what it was as long as it was an instrument. The cheapest item was the drums, 16 beans, I think, for a set of Japanese drums; a great high, wide bass drum, with a brass cymbal on it, a wood block and a snare drum."

At age 7(in sidecar) with brother Julius
His parents were very religious and had groomed Gene for the priesthood. He spent his grammar school days at various parochial schools and upon graduation went to St. Joseph's College for a brief year. Gene's drive to drum was too strong and he gave up the idea of becoming a priest. In 1921, while still in grammar school, Gene joined his first band "The Frivolians." He obtained the drumming seat as a fluke when the regular drummer was sick. The band played during summers in Madison, Wisconsin. Upon entering high school in 1923, Gene became buddies with the "Austin High Gang", which included many musicians which would be on Gene's first recording session; Jimmy McPartland, Jimmy Lannigan, Bud Freeman and Frank Teschemacher. In 1925, Gene began his percussion studies with Roy Knapp, Al Silverman & Ed Straight. Under advice from others, he decided to join the musicians union. "The guy said, 'Make a roll. That's it. Give us 50 bucks. You're In.'" Krupa started his first "legit" playing with Joe Kayser, Thelma Terry and the Benson Orchestra among other commercial bands. A popular hangout for musicians was "The Three Deuces." All of the guys playing in mickey mouse bands would gravitate here afterhours and jam till early in the morning. Gene was able to hone and develop his style playing with other jazz players such as Mezz Mezzrow, Tommy Dorsey, Bix Beiderbecke and Benny Goodman in these local dives. Krupa's big influences during this time were Tubby Hall and Zutty Singleton. The drummer who probably had the greatest influence on Gene in this period was the great Baby Dodds. Dodds' use of press rolls was highly reflected in Gene's playing, especially during his tenure with Benny Goodman.

Benny and Gene in 1937.
Gene has often been considered to be the first drum "soloist." Drummers usually had been strictly time-keepers or noisemakers, but Krupa interacted with the other musicians and introduced the extended drum solo into jazz. His goal was to support the other musicians while creating his own role within the group. Gene is also considered the father of the modern drumset since he convinced H.H. Slingerland, of Slingerland Drums, to make tuneable tom-toms. Tom-toms up to that point had "tacked" heads, which left little ability to change the sound. The new drum design was introduced in 1936 and was termed "Seperate Tension Tunable Tom-Toms." Gene was a loyal endorser of Slingerland Drums from 1936 until his death. Krupa was called on by Avedis Zildjian to help with developing the modern hi-hat cymbals. The original hi-hat was called a "low-boy" which was a floor level cymbal setup which was played with the foot. This arrangement made it nearly impossible for stick playing. Gene's first recording session was a historical one. It occured in December of 1927 when he is noted to be the first drummer to record with a bass drum. Krupa, along with rest of the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans were scheduled to record at OKeh Records in Chicago. OKeh's Tommy Rockwell was apprehensive to record Gene's drums but gave in. Rockwell said "All right, but I'm afraid the bass drum and those tom-toms will knock the needle off the wax and into the street."

With Goodman and Hampton at Carnegie Hall 1938
Gene moved to New York in 1929 and was recruited by Red Nichols. He, along with Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller, performed in the pit band of the new George Gershwin play "Strike Up the Band." Gene had never learned to read music and "faked" his parts during rehearsals. Glenn Miller assisted him by humming the drum parts until Gene got them down. After "Strike Up the Band" completed in January 1930, Hoagy Carmichael gathered several great musicians together for many historical sessions. Gene played on some legendary "jazz" recordings with Bix Beiderbecke, Adrian Rollini and Joe Venuti. Krupa played in one more pit band with Red Nichols for Gershwin's "Girl Crazy." He then joined Russ Columbo's band in which indirectly led to his joining Benny Goodman's group. Benny Goodman urged Gene to join his band with the promise that it would be a real jazz band. After joining, Benny soon became discouraged with the idea of having a successful jazz group. The band was relegated to playing dance music and Benny was considering packing it in. Upon the band's engagement at the Palomar, Benny decided to go for broke and play their own arrangements. The audience went wild and the band took off. The Goodman group featured Gene prominently in the full orchestra and with the groundbreaking Goodman Trio and Quartet. The Trio is possibly the first working small group which featured black and white musicians. On January 16, 1938, the band was the first "jazz" act to play New York's Carnegie Hall. Gene's classic performance on "Sing Sing Sing" has been heralded as the first extended drum solo in jazz. After the Carnegie Hall performance, tension began to surface between Gene and Benny. Audiences were demanding that Gene be featured in every number and Benny didn't want to lose the spotlight to a sideman.

At Carnegie Hall with John Kirby, 1942
Gene departed on March 3, 1938 and less than 2 months later formed his own orchestra. His band was an instant success upon it's opening at the Marine Ballroom on the Steel Pier in Atlantic City during April of 1938. His band went through several incarnations during it's existance and at one point even featured a string section with 30 to 40 members. During this time Krupa authored his own book titled "The Gene Krupa Drum Method"(1938) and began an annual Drum Contest(1941). The contest attracted thousands of contestants each year and saw drum legend Louie Bellson as the first year's winner. Gene appeared in several motion pictures including "Some Like it Hot" & "Beat the Band", becoming a sort of matinee idol. His noted likeness to Tyrone Power and musical fame was a magical combination in the eyes of Hollywood. In the summer of 1943, Krupa was arrested in San Francisco in a bogus drug bust. He was charged with possession of marijuana and contributing to the deliquency of a minor. Gene was sentenced to 90 days, of which 84 were served. He was later cleared of the latter charges. During this time, Roy Eldridge led Gene's band and eventually had to break up the group. After Gene got out of jail, he briefly joined up with Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey before re-forming his own band. Krupa's groups of the early 1940's were often criticized as being too commercial but Gene's big band was one of the first in the mid-forties to introduce Bop arrangements with the help of Gerry Mulligan and the playing of trumpeter Red Rodney. Gene managed to keep the full band together until December of 1950, when most big bands had already fallen apart. He kept a smaller version of the big band together through 1951.

Read a detailed accounting of Gene's Drug Arrest.

With Tommy Dorsey in 1944 after his release from prison.
After breaking up his big band, Gene wasn't sure which direction to take. He had led small groups within his big band during the 40's, this was a logical choice with the growing popularity of be-bop. The Gene Krupa Trio was one of the first acts recruited by Norman Granz for his "Jazz At The Philharmonic" concerts(due to contractual reasons, Gene was first billed as "The Chicago Flash."). The JATP dates introduced the famous "Drum Battles" with Buddy Rich in October of 1952 and the subsequent studio recordings on the Lp "Krupa and Rich" in 1955. Some of the greatest jazz recordings of all time were the result of the "All-Star" jams at JATP. The alumni of these dates included Lester Young, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Shavers, Ray Brown, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich and of course, Gene. Along with Cozy Cole, Gene formed the Krupa-Cole Drum School in March of 1954. He also began studying tympani with the New York Philharmonic's Saul Goodman(1951). In 1959, actor Sal Mineo portrayed Gene in the motion picture "The Gene Krupa Story." The film was very loose in the facts of Gene's career but did feature an excellent soundtrack recorded by Krupa himself. Gene's huge resurgence in popularity eventually led to his departing the teaching role he had at the Drum School.

The Gene Krupa Story
By the late fifties Krupa was prompted to slow down due to increasing back problems. He had a heart attack in 1960 which forced him into a retirement for many months. After recuperating, the ever-changing Quartet continued to perform, record and regularly appeared at New York's Metropole. The Goodman Quartet reunited and played several live dates. Gene led a hectic schedule with the Quartet through the early and mid-sixties, performing throughout the US and abroad. His health once again became a problem and his second marriage fell apart. He retired in 1967 proclaiming that "I feel too lousy to play and I know I must sound lousy." During his hiatus, Krupa practiced and coached his baseball team. In 1969, Gene began a series of anti-drug lectures and clinics for Slingerland Drums. He officially came out of retirement in the spring of 1970, re-formed the Quartet and was featured at Hotel Plaza in New York. Gene's last commercial recording was in November of 1972, titled "Jazz At the New School" with Eddie Condon and Wild Bill Davison. Gene's final public performance was with a reunion of the old Goodman Quartet on August 18, 1973. His soloing ability was greatly diminished but his overall playing had become more modern sounding than ever. Gene died October 16, 1973 of a heart attack. He had also been plagued by leukemia and emphysema. He was laid to rest at the Holy Cross Cemetary in Calumet City, Illinois.

New York February, 1973
Gene Krupa will forever be known as the man who made drums a solo instrument. He single-handedly made the Slingerland Drum Company a success and inspired millions to become drummers. He also demonstrated a level of showmanship which has not been equaled. Buddy Rich once said that Gene was the "beginning and the end of all jazz drummers." Louie Bellson said of Gene, "He was a wonderful, kind man and a great player. He brought drums to the foreground. He is still a household name."

Alton Glenn Miller Biography And History

2008-07-30T22:43:00.001-07:00

Shortly after the beginning of the 20^th century, in a small rural Southwestern Iowa town, a boy was born to Elmer and Mattie Lou Miller. The date was March 1, 1904 and the town was Clarinda. The boy that was born that night was named Alton Glen Miller (later changed to Glenn) and when he uttered his first cry, Clarinda heard Glenn Miller’s first "moonlight serenade." Glenn’s first serenade was not particularly unique as it had been sung by children for centuries and was barely heard across South 16th Street. However, his second Moonlight Serenade was a composition he wrote while studying music under Dr. Schillinger in New York City. Glenn’s second Moonlight Serenade was unique, becoming the theme song of his number one Big Band and heard literally all around the world.

Glenn’s grandparents were a part of the westward movement of people during the 1800's and moved to the Clarinda area around 1870. During their stay in Southwest Iowa, their son Elmer married Mattie Lou Cavender and before this young couple left Clarinda, their first son, Dean, was born; followed by a second son, Alton Glenn Miller, on March 1, 1904.

In hopes of a brighter future, the young couple decided to homestead and moved on west in 1907 to Tryon, Nebraska where they lived in a sod house. In the evenings, Glenn’s mother, Mattie Lou, would play a simple pump organ which helped ease the lonesome existence on the flatlands of Nebraska. If you think it is a long lonely drive across Nebraska today, you can imagine what it was like to be there in 1907. Mattie Lou started a school called Happy Hollow and her children would sing songs as they rode in a wagon on their way to school. The soothing music of his mother in their sod house and the uplifting songs on the way to school must have given Glenn a greater meaning and appreciation for music. Before leaving the sod house, Mattie Lou gave birth to a third son, Herb, in 1913.

In 1915, Glenn’s family moved to Grant City, Missouri where he went to grade school, worked for the town bandsman John Mosbarger, was given his first trombone and then played in the town band.

In 1918, Glenn’s family, including an infant daughter, Irene, moved again to Fort Morgan, Colorado where Glenn went to high school. During his senior year, Glenn decided to try the game of football, and by the end of the season, he was chosen by the Colorado High School Sports Association as "the best left end in Colorado." Football wasn’t Glenn’s only interest, however, as he had become very interested in a new sound called dance band music. Glenn enjoyed this music so much that he and some classmates decided to start their own band. In fact, Glenn was so excited about this new music that when it came time for his graduation in 1921, he decided to skip his graduation ceremonies and instead traveled to Laramie, Wyoming to play in a band. Meanwhile, back home, Glenn’s mother had to accept his diploma and the principal commented, "Maybe you’re the one who should get it anyway; you probably worked harder on it than he did!"

By now, Glenn had made the decision that he was going to be a professional musician. His first professional contract was signed with a Dixieland group called Senter’s Sentapeeds. To most people it sounds like something you would step on rather than listen to. Then another opportunity opened up where Glenn could play in the Holly Moyer Orchestra in Boulder and earn enough money to attend the University of Colorado. This lasted for two years, but in 1924, Glenn’s musical ambition, and a new job with the Tommy Watkins Orchestra, caused him to discontinue his college education so that he could spend full time playing and arranging music. Glenn eventually headed for Los Angeles, where he had heard there were numerous band opportunities. He soon got the chance to join the Ben Pollack Orchestra, a band noted for finding talented musicians. While playing with Pollack’s band, Glenn roomed with another rising star, a clarinetist from Chicago named Benny Goodman.

In 1928, after working in Los Angeles and Chicago, Glenn moved on to New York City where he worked with bands of Ben Pollack, Red Nichols and Paul Ash as a trombonist and arranger. In 1932, Glenn organized the Smith Ballew Band, and worked two years as manager, arranger and trombonist. In 1934, he helped the Dorsey brothers to organize their first full-time Big Band and in 1935, he organized Ray Noble’s American band.

Finally, in 1937, Glenn decided to fulfill his dream and organize his own band. This first band soon ran into financial difficulties and had to disband, but Glenn was not one to give up and he tried again in 1938. This time was different, and in March of 1939, his band was chosen to play the summer season at the prestigious Glen Island Casino, in New Rochelle, New York. This big break led to another important engagement at Meadowbrook, New Jersey in the spring of the same year. Both places offered frequent radio broadcasts, and by mid-summer, the Miller Orchestra had developed a nationwide following. In the fall of 1939, it began a series of radio broadcasts for Chesterfield cigarettes which increased its already great popularity. Thereafter, the band was in constant demand for recording sessions and appeared in two films; Sun Valley Serenade in 1941 and Orchestra Wives in 1942.

In 1942, at the peak of his civilian career, Glenn decided he could better serve those in uniform by putting one on himself. By doing this, the band gave up a $20,000 weekly income. Too old to be drafted at age 38, Glenn first volunteered for the Navy but was told that they didn’t need his services. Not giving up, Glenn wrote to the Army’s Brigadier General Charles Young on August 12, 1942. Miller persuaded the Army to accept him so he could in his own words, "put a little more spring into the feet of our marching men and a little more joy into their hearts and to be placed in charge of a modernized army band." After being accepted in the Army, Glenn’s civilian band played their last concert in Passaic, New Jersey on September 27th, 1942. It was such a sad event that the band couldn’t finish playing the closing theme song, Moonlight Serenade.

Glenn soon became part of the Army Specialists Corps with the rank of captain. For the next year and a half, besides arranging music, Glenn created and directed his own 50-member band. Captain Miller’s mission was morale building, bringing a touch of home to the troops and modernizing military music. Glenn was also a talented fund raiser, and raised millions of dollars in war bond drives. He also attracted Air Corps recruits through his I Sustain the Wings weekly radio broadcasts.

Still wanting to do more, Glenn arranged for overseas duty for the band. Arriving in London, the band was quartered at 25 Sloane Street, an area in constant barrage by German V-1 buzz bombs. Glenn was immediately concerned for the band and made arrangements for the unit to move to new quarters in Bedford, England. The band moved on July 2, 1944, and the very next day a buzz bomb landed in front of their old quarters, destroying the building and killing 100 people. The Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band was extremely busy and Glenn wrote home that in one month they played at 35 different bases, while performing 40 radio broadcasts in their spare time.

Finally, on December 15, 1944, Glenn boarded a single engine C-64 Norseman aircraft to travel to Paris, France where he was to make arrangements for a Christmas broadcast. Tragically, the plane never reached France and was never found. The band, without Miller, performed the scheduled Christmas concert under the direction of Jerry Gray and continued to perform, playing their last concert on November 13, 1945 at the National Press Club dinner for President Truman in Washington, D.C. At that time, General Dwight Eisenhower and General Hap Arnold thanked the band for a job well done.

Glenn Miller will be remembered for many things; his musical style, showmanship, hard work, perseverance, and much more. But his patriotism in giving up his number one civilian band to enlist in the United States Army Air Corps, his pioneering efforts to modernize military bands and his supreme sacrifice for his country have caused him to be remembered as Clarinda’s and America’s favorite musical patriot.

Glenn Miller’s life cannot easily be summed up in a few words. He put more in his short life of 40 years than most people do in a longer lifetime.

Donna Reed Biography

2008-07-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

Actress. Born Donna Belle Mullenger (she would later change it to Donna Reed), on January 27, 1921, in Denison, Iowa. The oldest of five children, the 16-year-old Reed left America's heartland to attend secretarial school at Los Angeles City College. When she was named Campus Queen of the local college, her photograph appeared on the front page of the Los Angeles Times. The striking beauty was inundated with offers from agents and studio executives. Reed signed with the prestigious Feldman-Blum agency, after which she gave an impressive screen test for MGM, who signed her to a studio contract.

Reed first gained a foothold in show business, in 1941, with supporting roles in the thriller Shadow of the Thin Man, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy; and the musical Babes on Broadway, featuring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. The two projects proved to be auspicious debuts, winning Reed attention and positive notice. Shortly after, she landed a succession of more substantial parts in popular features, such as Calling Dr. Gillespie (1942) and See Here, Private Hargrove (1944). In 1945, she was featured in her first mainstream role as Gladys Hallward in the film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's haunting novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was a box office success despite mixed reviews from critics.

After several years of grooming by MGM in bland studio fare, Reed was lent out to Frank Capra's Liberty Films for the independent picture, It's a Wonderful Life (1946). The film, which featured Reed as Jimmy Stewart's wife (Mary Hatch Bailey), barely got off the ground at the box office, but went on to become a perennial holiday favorite.

Limited to squeaky-clean parts, Reed endured several more years of unrewarding projects. However in 1956, she staged a remarkable comeback when she was cast in the prized role of Alma, the dancehall prostitute in From Here to Eternity (1953). Featuring the stellar cast of Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr and Frank Sinatra, the film swept the 1954 Oscars securing a total of eight wins, including a Best Supporting Actress Award for Reed.

In spite of Hollywood's prestigious acknowledgement, Reed's career remained stagnant. As a result, Donna and her husband Tony Owens decided to launch their own production company, Todon Productions. The ambitious couple sought to translate Reed's film talent into success in the increasingly influential medium of television. With the demise of her motion picture career, Todon Productions launched The Donna Reed Show (1958-66), which provided the perfect vehicle to display the actress as the picture of sophisticated charm. In 1958, the family sitcom premiered and Reed came to personify the quintessential mother of suburban America. The series enjoyed an eight-year run, during which she received four Emmy nominations.

After ABC retired the series in 1966, Reed's career predominantly consisted of minor parts in forgettable TV projects. However in 1984, she signed a three-year contract to play the juicy role of Miss Ellie on the popular TV series Dallas. After only one season, she was unceremoniously fired from the hit show. Infuriated by her abrupt dismissal, she successfully sued the production company for breech of contract.

On a personal level, Reed led a far more complex life than the characters she played. During the 1970s, she was a fervent anti-nuclear weapon and anti-war activist, co-chairing the protest organization "Another Mother for Peace."

In 1986, the resilient actress lost her two-year bout with pancreatic cancer. She was 64 years old. Later that year, friends and family created The Donna Reed Foundation for the Performing Arts, which awards scholarships to young people studying the Arts.

Reed's first two marriages, to makeup artist William Tuttle and producer Tony Owen, ended in divorce. Upon her death, she was survived by her third husband Grover Asmus, whom she married in 1975.

Benny Googman (1909-1986)

2008-07-30T22:37:00.000-07:00

Born into a large, poverty stricken family, Benny began playing the clarinet at an early age. He was associated with the Austin High School Gang, having gone to school with drummer Dave Tough. By the time he was twelve, Goodman appeared onstage imitating famous bandleader/clarinetist Ted Lewis. It was at this concert that Ben Pollack heard the young clarinetist and Benny was soon playing in Pollack’s band. Goodman’s first recordings were made with the Pollack group in 1926, and give a strong example of Benny’s influences at the time including Jimmie Noone, who was then with Doc Cook and His Dreamland Orchestra and Leon Roppolo of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. During this period Goodman recorded his first sides as a leader with members of the Pollack band including one 1928 date which features the only known recording of Benny on alto and baritone saxophones.

Following the musical migration out of Chicago and into New York, Goodman became a very successful and popular free-lancer, joining the likes of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey in New York studios. In 1934 Benny put together his first big band, featuring Bunny Berigan on trumpet, Jess Stacey on piano and Gene Krupa on drums. With the addition of some excellent, sophisticated arrangements by Fletcher Henderson, the “Swing Era” was born.

Goodman spent the next fifty years recording and touring with various groups big and small, including some very successful trips to Russia and the Far East. He also played many concerts on a classical format that received mixed reviews.

Known by musicians for his stand-offish and “cheap” nature, many sidemen had a love/hate relationship with Goodman. Many musicians claimed that Benny was dishonest when it came time to pay off the band and many more recalled the Goodman “ray”, the dirtiest of looks received when a mistake was made. That aside, its clear that without Goodman the “Swing Era” would have been nowhere near as strong when it came, if it came at all.

After his death, the Yale University library received the bulk of Goodman’s personal collection including many private never-before-heard recordings and rare unpublished photos.

Carp Fishing - Corn and Vanilla Extract Will Work Wonders

2008-07-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

Carp fishing has not caught on in the United States like it has overseas in Europe, but there are still many people that fish for carp over here. Although, I do not fish for carp regularly, I fished for carp when I was younger because the pond that was in my neighborhood was loaded with carp and catfish, but no bass. I learned a lot about fishing for carp and I even entered a local carp fishing tournament when I was a kid. The yearly carp fishing tournament was fun and I either won or finished second 4 years in a row.

All I used was sweet corn out of a can mixed with a little bit of vanilla extract. One teaspoon or tablespoon will work when mixed with a can of corn. You can also use frozen corn that comes in a bag. I didn't use the frozen corn in tournaments, but it will work just fine and you can mix the corn in the bag that the corn comes with. If you use the canned corn, pour the vanilla extract into a sandwich bag with the corn and shake it up.

Use a small to medium sized hook, and fill the hook with corn. A short-shanked hook is preferred and 4 to 6 kernels should fill up your hook. Add enough weight to get your bait out there, set your rod down and wait. Carp love corn and they will hold onto the corn a little longer when it has a touch of vanilla added to it. This will result in more hookups. Carp can blow out your bait instantly, but it happens less often when you add the vanilla extract to the corn. If you add too much vanilla extract, you will not catch as many fish. Just use a teaspoon to a tablespoon and see how it works for you.

If you want more information on carp, take a look at our carp fishing page.

Article provided by Kevin Sewell at Ultimate Fishing Site

Take a look at our most popular pages on our website. You will find everything you need from these pages.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Sewell

Hooked On Carp Fishing

2008-07-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

What is carp fishing all about? Why do people, me included, spend days (and nights) on end on the lakeside, often ending up without having caught a thing?

I've often wondered, when soaked to the skin on the lakeside, "What am I doing here". But I realize that carp fishing is not just about catching a few fish and putting them back.
Carp are special fish. Many are even given names. Some are legendary, like "Mary" the former British record carp that used to grace the occasional landing net from Wraysbury.

Of course, part of the lure is that, other than the occasional catfish, no British freshwater fish grows as large as the carp. There are several carp in UK lakes over the magical 50 pound mark, and if you venture across the English Channel to France, carp of this size are almost common place, with 60 and 70lb fish regularly caught - often by British anglers on a carp fishing holiday.

Carp are clever fish too. One of the reasons that we try out so many different rigs and tactics is that we know that the carp have learned to be wary of certain types of baits and presentations. That makes it a battle of wills between you and the fish. I know of guys who have targeted a particular carp and not been satisfied until they have had it on the bank. Often they have spent a whole season (in the old days when there was such a thing) pursuing that one fish.

And of course, when you are lucky enough to hook into a decent sized carp, they fight all the way to the net.

But carp fishing is even more than that. The social side of things can be great fun too. A couple of lads in a bivvy, chatting over a brew. A fry up by the lake on a cold winter morning with a few mates. It all adds up to make carp fishing a great way of making friends for life.

For more on carp fishing, including catch reports, rigs, bait talk and more, visit http://www.baggingup.co.uk/blog Tight lines. Dave Offen

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Offen

Fly Fishing for Carp

2008-07-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

Carp, a non Native Fish

The Carp is a native of Asia, but extensive introductions in lakes and rivers have helped to make the carp the worlds most widely distributed freshwater fish. The nonindigenous carp are the most abundant species of fish in many local lakes and rivers and out-compete native fish for food. To date, carp have been removed from fishways through labor intensive trapping,placing considerable stress on native fish. This hasn't stopped the carp from spreading to many lakes and rivers. Although many anglers find carp fun to catch with baits and lures, bighead and silver carp are primarily filter feeders, eating a variety of small plants and animals called plankton.

Fly Fishing for Carp

In the last few years fly fishing for carp has become the fastest growing craze amongst diehard fly fisherman in America. Just about everyone that fly fishes has an area close to home where they can enjoy fly fishing for carp. A few years ago, a friend of mine asked me to join him for a day of fly fishing for carp on our local lake. I landed quite a few carp that day and found myself involved in yet another obsession in fly fishing. I would highly recommend getting out to experience fly fishing for carp on any lake near you that has carp. However, fly fishing for carp on the sand flats of local rivers is drawing lots of attention as well. Just about any nymph can be productive for fly fishing for carp when presented properly to actively feeding fish. Catching a large carp on a fly rod is something you won't forget. Carp can easily reach ten pounds.

Mississippi River Carp

Bighead and silver carps are spreading rapidly but are found mainly in the Mississippi River drainage basin. Black carp have been collected in the Mississippi River but are not thought to have established reproducing populations at this time. But emerging reports of wild, fertile black carp being caught in the lower Mississippi River basin may suggest otherwise. Carp are a very prolific fish and spread quickly.

Where to Find Carp

Carp are extremely adaptable animals and can thrive in environments that would kill other freshwater fish. They can be found in almost any body of water or river. This means there is a good chance there are carp waiting to be caught by you. Carp are also good to eat, when they are smoked.

I have been fly fishing for over 30 years and enjoy catching all types of fish. If you would like more indepth information on fly fishing for carp and carp fishing in general please visit my website for FREE information at http://carpfun.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Disrud

Wholesale Fishing Tackles

2008-07-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

It is very easy to be hooked in fishing and that can happen in the blink of a reel. People get motivated in fishing for various reasons. The peace and calmness is very relaxing and stress buster. Catching the fish is also an excitement and an angler feels the flow of adrenaline whenever he is on a fishing boat. Main excitement in fishing lies in fishing tackle, the science of design and engineering, and in locating that perfectly balanced fishing rod.

Anglers are always on search for top-rated fishing tackle and accessories. For a beginner, the collections of fishing tackle and related paraphernalia can look daunting and might be costly. With the advent of technology, anglers also long for something like a Garmin fishing tackle finder to point you in the right direction. Fish finder is now an important part of all fishing trip.

Here you will get some simple advises on fishing equipments.

You need to choose fishing gear based on types of fishing trip. Clothing for bass fishing, ice fishing and deep-sea fishing are different and you need to select appropriately.

Fishing boats and other accessories differ for different fishing trips.

If you plan to go Alaska for salmon fishing, you need to plan for terminal tackle in all shapes and sizes, tempting treats in the form of worms and the like, the best-designed rods and reels, and fishing maps. Many prefer to go for fishing using a fishing charter service and this is most probably a best decision to make your trip successful.

You can visit Bass Pro shops for bass fishing tackle. Similarly, you need to visit a proper shop for saltwater fishing tackle or carp fishing tackle. Remember you can't really select the perfect one unless you hold that perfectly balanced fishing rod for the first time, knowing it fits your angling style like glove.

Do you need more information on bass fishing equipments? Visit http://www.fishingletsgo.com and download your free report on fishing from the author of best selling Book on Fishing

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arindam_Chattopadhyaya

Judge Judy Cameras Capture California Earthquake

2008-07-30T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Judge Judy cameras caught more than just courtroom drama today after a massive earthquake hit Southern California.

The Judge Judy set, at the Paramount lot in Hollywood, was full of audience members and case-participants when the earthquake struck. The cameras kept rolling the entire time.
Kudos to the plaintiff who clearly cares more about the US Justice System than her own life, as she stayed in place during the quake.

Mel Karmazin - SIRIUS Satellite Radio

2008-07-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

Mel Karmazin is Chief Executive Officer of SIRIUS Satellite Radio. SIRIUS gives its more than 7.1 million subscribers the Best Radio on Radio. SIRIUS delivers 100% commercial-free music channels as well as broadcasts nationwide the best and most compelling talk, entertainment, news, information, and sports programming. Karmazin oversees all aspects of the company's operations from its New York City corporate headquarters. Previously, he was President and COO of Viacom from May 2000 until June 2004.

Karmazin served on the Viacom board of directors and was responsible for overseeing all of Viacom’s operations. Viacom Inc. is one of the world’s largest entertainment and media companies and a leader in the production, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, and music. The company’s properties include CBS Television, MTV Networks, BET, Showtime Networks, Infinity, Viacom Outdoor, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television, Paramount Parks, UPN Blockbuster, Simon & Schuster, and theatrical exhibition operations in North America and abroad.

Prior to that, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation from January 1999 – May 2000. Before becoming Chief Executive Officer, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of CBS Corporation from April 1998 to January 1999. He joined CBS in January 1997 as Chairman and Chief executive officer of CBS Radio through a merger of Westinghouse/CBS and Infinity Broadcasting. He had served as Infinity’s President and Chief Executive Officer from 1981 until Infinity became a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom in February 2001. He was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Station Group (Radio and Television) in May 1997. Prior to Infinity, Karmazin spent 10 years with Metromedia.

Karmazin also served on the board of directors of Westwood One, Blockbuster, and the New York Stock Exchange, and is vice chairman of the board of trustees of The Paley Center for Media. He was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and has received the National Association of Broadcasters National Radio Award and the IRTS Gold Medal Award.

AKA Melvin Alan Karmazin

Born: 24-Aug-1943
Birthplace: New York City

Gender: Male
Religion: Jewish
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Business
Party Affiliation: Republican

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: President and COO of Viacom, 2000-04

Wife: Sharon Karmazin (div. 1994, one daughter, one son)
Daughter: Dina (b. 1971)
Son: Craig (b. 11-Jul-1975)

University: BS Business, Pace University (1967)

Sirius CEO (2004-)
Viacom President and COO (2000-04)
CBS President and CEO (1999-2000)
CBS Chairman and CEO of Westinghouse/CBS Station Group (1997-99)
Infinity Broadcasting CEO (1988-96)
Infinity Broadcasting President (1981-96)
CBS Radio advertising sales (1960-70)
Dreier for Congress Committee
McCain 2000
McCain for Senate '98
National Association of Broadcasters
National Republican Senatorial Committee
New Leadership for America PAC
Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame
Radio Hall of Fame
National Radio Award
Jewish Ancestry

Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince Trailer

2008-07-29T23:46:00.000-07:00

Though I'm still surprised we didn't see the first trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince before The Dark Knight, we've luckily only had a short wait. The trailer is here! And while the title bears the name of the ostensible lead character, it's all about Tom Riddle in the sixth movie of the series. The filmmakers seem to have found a structure within J.K. Rowling's book by focusing on Dumbledore and Harry's efforts to explore Riddle/Voldemort's past. We see a lot of the 10-year-old Riddle, whom Dumbledore visits in the orphanage, and a few glimpses of what's to come-- including a second or two of the ghostly white, scary-as-all-get-out Voldemort as played by Ralph Fiennes.

Of course, this is just a teaser, so who knows how much of it will apply to the actual movie. But who cares! It's the new Harry Potter, and it promises to be even darker than the ones that have come before it. Even though we now know how the series ends in the books, it's no less exciting to see it all play out on the screen. See the trailer below, along with four new images from the film just sent over to us by WB.

Playstation 3 2.42 Firmware Update Available Now

2008-07-29T23:38:00.000-07:00

Sony's put out a ninja firmware update, 2.42. It took eons to download, and it seems to be a meaty update. We can't yet decipher what exactly it does (wasn't the XMB's "Turn-Off System" button there since 2.40), so we imagine it's loads of back-end stuff.

At the moment there have been no press releases or updates on the Playstation website to tell us what the update entails, so for now we have no idea what the update adds, updates or fixes.

The update server is very congested at the moment and it is almost impossible to download the new software, we will keep you up to date with details on the update as we find them.

UPDATE:

From Playstation Blog: "Just wanted to give everyone a quick heads up that a PS3 firmware update (v2.42) is now available for download. This update improves the playback quality of some PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation format software."

Also it looks like the trophies have been optimized and are loading alot quicker too.

Join this forum to ask whatever about this update.

Sabina Johansson was charged with promoting prostitution at Big Daddy Lou's

2008-07-29T06:10:00.001-07:00

Cops have busted a stunning 23-year-old Swedish model for allegedly working as the "house mom" at a high-end midtown brothel they say was run by a prominent lawyer.

Sabina Johansson of West New York, N.J., was charged with promoting prostitution at Big Daddy Lou's Hot Lap Dance Club, according to court records.

Johansson, who has appeared in an Avril Lavigne music video and on "The Tyra Banks Show," was arrested Thursday in the ongoing investigation of the W. 38 St. club owned by lawyer Lou (Daddy) Posner.

While Johansson has publicly denied knowing about the sex-for-sale activities going on in the private rooms of the club, cops allege she was wise to the tricks.

NYPD vice unit officers posing as patrons claim Johansson greeted them at the club in April and told them they could expect more than lap dances from the strippers if the price was right. "Defendant told [the undercover officer] that she was aware prostitution activity was going on at the club in its private rooms," court records contend.

One undercover officer claimed prostitution was blatant at the club. "On each occasion, he received offers from scantily clad female lap dancers working at the club to engage in sexual conduct, including intercourse, in exchange for money in the private rooms of the club," court records say.

Johansson, a brown-haired beauty who proudly boasts of her 34-24-34 frame on her modeling Web site, worked at Big Daddy Lou's from January 2007 until she quit just days before cops raided the club July 17.

As the house mom, Johansson allegedly collected nightly fees of up to $80 from the club's 120 dancers, scheduled shifts and rented out the private rooms and suites, prosecutors claim.

Johansson could not be reached Monday for comment and did not respond to an e-mail from the Daily News.

She was defended by her new boyfriend, Richard (Richie) Randazzo, a 44-year-old Park Ave. doorman who in June won $5 million in the "Set for Life" lottery. "She's fine, she's safe and that's all that matters," Randazzo told The News. "I believe she's a good girl, and her name is going to be cleared and everything is going to work out."

Randazzo of Gravesend, Brooklyn, insisted he didn't know of Johansson's employment at Big Lou's before he began dating her about three weeks ago. Despite her troubles, he claims meeting her is the best thing to happen to him since winning the lottery.

Johansson was charged with a third-degree felony and released on her own recognizance. So far, 22 people, including four dancers, have been pinched in the probe.

Posner and his wife, Betty, have been charged with promoting prostitution and money laundering. Prosecutors said Posner's club brought in at least $1 million in the past year. Two dancers told The News last week that Posner merely paid lip service to the "No Sex" signs posted around the club and that he would pressure employees for sex.

But Posner claimed he fined the dancers if he caught them having sex with customers. Posner denied any wrongdoing in an interview with The News, blasting prosecutors and cops for "making a mountain out of a molehill."

"I'm just flabbergasted," Posner said. "The Hot Lap Dance Club is one of the cleanest clubs around."

A grand jury is hearing evidence in the case and could indict Posner and others as early as next week.

NASA Established to Explore Space

2008-07-29T06:01:00.000-07:00

On this day in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was created by an act of Congress. NASA was formed to learn about and explore outer space. Since its creation, NASA has sent astronauts to the moon and satellites to the farthest planets of our solar system. NASA has also sent robotic rovers to Mars and over a hundred Shuttle missions into orbit around the Earth. NASA is currently working with other countries to build a space station.

This Day In History

1958 NASA Established. The United States Congress passes legislation formally inaugurating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The establishment of NASA was a sign that the United States was committed to winning the "space race" against the Soviets. In October 1957, the Soviet Union shocked the world, and particularly the American public, by launching the first satellite into orbit around the earth. Called Sputnik, the small spacecraft was an embarrassment to the United States, which prided itself on its leadership in the field of technology.

Sputnik also provided the Soviets with an important propaganda advantage in terms of reaching out to underdeveloped Third World nations that were looking for scientific and technological assistance. The initial U.S. response to this challenge was not altogether successful. The Eisenhower administration passed the National Defense Education Act that provided federal funds for improving the teaching of science and mathematics in America's public schools. In December 1957, the United States attempted to launch its own satellite. Named Vanguard, the "spaceship" got a few feet off the ground and then blew up. America had better luck with Explorer I a month later--the satellite completed its orbit of the earth. It was obvious to many U.S. officials, though, that a more organized and focused effort was needed.

In July 1958, Congress passed legislation establishing NASA as the coordinating body of the U.S. space program. During the next decade, NASA became synonymous with the space race. In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced that the United States should set a goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Eight years and billions of dollars later, Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module Eagle and onto the moon's surface on July 20, 1969. The great space race was over.

Miss Singapore - Valentane Huang

2008-07-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

'IT'S kind of a shallow reason,' said Valentane Huang when asked why she joined beauty pageants.

It was - you guessed it - because of a boyfriend.

This one used to boast about dating models, pageant winners, actresses and Valentane said she was the only one who wasn't 'famous' in this area.

One day, as a joke, she told him maybe she might win a pageant someday too.

'So go ahead and prove it to me,' she recalled him saying.

So she went and took part in Miss Singapore Chinatown last November and got into the final five.

The 1.7m-tall Valentane, who has modelled part-time since she was 14, decided to join the bigger Miss Singapore World in March.

Miss Singapore Chinatown didn't give her a great sense of accomplishment as it was only competing among the Chinese, she said, while Miss Singapore World is multiracial.

What does her father think of her participation?

'Not encouraging but not discouraging either,' she said.

She didn't even tell him - or colleagues, friends and other family members - that she was taking part.

He got wind of it only when Lianhe Wanbao ran a story on her and he only brought it up briefly, she said.

She recalled how, during the preview shows, the parents and friends of other contestants would shout their support, but when she went on stage it was very quiet.

The Miss Singapore World 2008 grand final will take place at the Raffles Ballroom, Swissotel TheStamford, at 7pm on 16 Aug.

The Grand Final of Miss Singapore 2008
16th August 2008, Saturday at the Swisshotel - The Stamford,
Raffles Ballroom - 7.00 pm

One dream - to be Miss Singapore World 2008.
The Contestants winner goes to Miss World 2008.

Miss World 2008, the 58th Miss World beauty pageant, will be held on October 4, 2008, at the Ukraina National Palace in Kiev, Ukraine.

Meet 25 Beautiful ladies :

01 Fiona Teo Age: 20 Occupation: Student
02 Sydney Ho Age: 19 Occupation: Undergraduate
03 Cherlyn Loke Age: 20 Occupation: Undergraduate

04 Hannah Lau Age: 19 Occupation: Account Manager
05 Samantha Toh Age: 20 Occupation: Property Executive
06 Helena Age: 18 Occupation: Undergraduate

07 Fiona Cheong Age: 24 Occupation: Public Relations Specialist
08 Ernany Siregar J. Age: 22 Occupation: Nurse
09 Sherry Peng Age: 19 Occupation: Makeup Artist

10 Chloe Fong Age: 20 Occupation: Undergraduate
11 Preeti Sawlani Age: 22 Occupation: Undergraduate
12 Valentane Huang Age: 25 Occupation: Logistics Manager

13 Andrea Lim Age: 22 Occupation: Undergraduate
14 Adeline Quek Age: 23 Occupation: Graduate
15 Dione Chan Age: 23 Occupation: Product Specialist

16 Charlyene Choo Age: 22 Occupation: Undergraduate
17 Veriza Yew Age: 26 Occupation: Associate
18 Phoebe Tan Age: 20 Occupation: Graduate

19 Joyz Goh Age: 25 Occupation: Money Broker
20 Sherlyn Tan Age: 19 Occupation: Undergraduate
21 Catherine Tan Age: 24 Occupation: Personal Banker

22 Faraliza Tan Age: 21 Occupation: Undergraduate
23 Katie Kang Age: 19 Occupation: Undergraduate
24 Sharifah Shazana Age: 19 Occupation: Guest Service Agent

25 Nicole Ang Yu Jun Age: 20 Occupation: Undergraduate

Unabomber Manifesto - Oklahoma City Bombing

2008-07-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

The Bombing

On April 19, 1995, around 9:03 a.m., just after parents dropped their children off at day care at the Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, the unthinkable happened.

A massive bomb inside a rental truck exploded, blowing half of the nine-story building into oblivion.

A stunned nation watched as the bodies of men, women, and children were pulled from the rubble for nearly two weeks. When the smoke cleared and the exhausted rescue workers packed up and left, 168 people were dead in the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Just 90 minutes after the explosion, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer pulled over 27-year-old Timothy McVeigh for driving without a license plate.

Shortly before he was to be released on April 21, McVeigh was recognized as a bombing suspect and was charged with the bombing.

When McVeigh's ex-Army buddy, Terry Nichols, discovered that he, too, was wanted for questioning, he voluntarily surrendered to police in Herington, Kansas, and was later charged in the bombing.

McVeigh and Nichols are awaiting trial in Denver, Colorado, and could receive the death penalty if convicted of terrorism, murder, and conspiracy charges.

Quicktime Movies

Source - CNN

Cuil looks kewl

2008-07-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

When you've got Google, who needs another search engine, right? That didn't stop the folks over at Cuil (pronounced COOL) who claim to provide a new approach to search which combines the biggest Web index with content-based relevance methods, results organized by ideas, and complete user privacy.

Do we need a new way to search? Why not? Ask Jeeves (now Ask.com) encouraged users to enter search queries as questions that they'd ask a normal human being. More importantly though, according to Cuil's Management page some of their employees used to work at Google. Me thinks that's reason enough to pay attention. Of course, most Internet users don't care for revolutionary search algorithm techniques; it's the final search results that matters.

Running my own rudimentary test I searched for Street Fighter (don't ask me why, it's just how I test out new search engines.) The first thing I noticed was the horizontal list of tabs that help further define my search results, in this case the different releases of Street Fighter.

A very neat addition but surprisingly the hottest thing in Street Fighter right now, the barely-one-week-old Street Fighter 4, is hidden within the more... tab. If the tabs implemented some intelligent current-event context, and I wouldn't rule this out completely, they'd be much more helpful.

Secondly, Cuil provides a panel along the right that suggests particular categories related to my search. In my case it offers me, among other things, to search among the different Street Fighter characters. Since Safe Search was on it didn't suggest more, erm, revealing results.

What I find most interesting though is the way the search results are laid out. By default they are displayed in 2-columns but with a quick click you can have them display in 3. It makes me wonder why I put up with Google's listing of search results (though Google Images does layout the results in a column-row grid fashion.) Selectively adding images to the search results is also a nice touch though I'd much prefer a screenshot of the linked site.

So far, Cuil looks promising enough to warrant changing my default search engine for a few days. I only hope they do away with the Apple-inspired Web 2.0 design. That's so 2007.

I still remember the first day I laid eyes on Google's main page. It looked pretty much the same it does now: undistinguished. On that same day I also stumbled upon the now-defunct Teoma (which now points to Ask.com). Google stayed, Teoma didn't. Let's see if Cuil will become the new Internet-inspired verb.

Ex-Google engineers debut 'Cuil' way to search

2008-07-28T05:35:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Anna Patterson's last Internet search engine was so impressive that industry leader Google Inc. bought the technology in 2004 to upgrade its own system.

She believes her latest invention is even more valuable — only this time it's not for sale.

Patterson instead intends to upstage Google, which she quit in 2006 to develop a more comprehensive and efficient way to scour the Internet.

The end result is Cuil, pronounced "cool." Backed by $33 million in venture capital, the search engine plans to begin processing requests for the first time Monday.

Cuil had kept a low profile while Patterson, her husband, Tom Costello, and two other former Google engineers — Russell Power and Louis Monier — searched for better ways to search.

Now, it's boasting time.

For starters, Cuil's search index spans 120 billion Web pages.

Patterson believes that's at least three times the size of Google's index, although there is no way to know for certain. Google stopped publicly quantifying its index's breadth nearly three years ago when the catalog spanned 8.2 billion Web pages.

Cuil won't divulge the formula it has developed to cover a wider swath of the Web with far fewer computers than Google. And Google isn't ceding the point: Spokeswoman Katie Watson said her company still believes its index is the largest.

After getting inquiries about Cuil, Google asserted on its blog Friday that it regularly scans through 1 trillion unique Web links. But Google said it doesn't index them all because they either point to similar content or would diminish the quality of its search results in some other way. The posting didn't quantify the size of Google's index.

A search index's scope is important because information, pictures and content can't be found unless they're stored in a database. But Cuil believes it will outshine Google in several other ways, including its method for identifying and displaying pertinent results.

Rather than trying to mimic Google's method of ranking the quantity and quality of links to Web sites, Patterson says Cuil's technology drills into the actual content of a page. And Cuil's results will be presented in a more magazine-like format instead of just a vertical stack of Web links. Cuil's results are displayed with more photos spread horizontally across the page and include sidebars that can be clicked on to learn more about topics related to the original search request.

Finally, Cuil is hoping to attract traffic by promising not to retain information about its users' search histories or surfing patterns — something that Google does, much to the consternation of privacy watchdogs.

Cuil is just the latest in a long line of Google challengers.

The list includes swaggering startups like Teoma (whose technology became the backbone of Ask.com), Vivisimo, Snap, Mahalo and, most recently, Powerset, which was acquired by Microsoft Corp. this month.

Even after investing hundreds of millions of dollars on search, both Microsoft and Yahoo Inc. have been losing ground to Google. Through May, Google held a 62 percent share of the U.S. search market followed by Yahoo at 21 percent and Microsoft at 8.5 percent, according to comScore Inc.

Google has become so synonymous with Internet search that it may no longer matter how good Cuil or any other challenger is, said Gartner Inc. analyst Allen Weiner.

"Search has become as much about branding as anything else," Weiner said. "I doubt (Cuil) will be keeping anyone at Google awake at night."

Google welcomed Cuil to the fray with its usual mantra about its rivals. "Having great competitors is a huge benefit to us and everyone in the search space," Watson said. "It makes us all work harder, and at the end of the day our users benefit from that."

But this will be the first time that Google has battled a general-purpose search engine created by its own alumni. It probably won't be the last time, given that Google now has nearly 20,000 employees.

Patterson joined Google in 2004 after she built and sold Recall, a search index that probed old Web sites for the Internet Archive. She and Power worked on the same team at Google.

Although he also worked for Google for a short time, Monier is best known as the former chief technology officer of AltaVista, which was considered the best search engine before Google came along in 1998. Monier also helped build the search engine on eBay's online auction site.

The trio of former Googlers are teaming up with Patterson's husband, Costello, who built a once-promising search engine called Xift in the late 1990s. He later joined IBM Corp., where he worked on an "analytic engine" called WebFountain.

Costello's Irish heritage inspired Cuil's odd name. It was derived from a character named Finn McCuill in Celtic folklore.

Patterson enjoyed her time at Google, but became disenchanted with the company's approach to search. "Google has looked pretty much the same for 10 years now," she said, "and I can guarantee it will look the same a year from now."

Cuil search engine takes on Google

2008-07-28T05:34:00.000-07:00

A new search engine dubbed Cuil is hoping to offer a rival to the likes of Google, Yahoo and Ask.

Cuil is pronounced 'cool' and comes from an old Irish word meaning 'knowledge'.

The site has indexed 120 billion web pages, which it claims is three times more than any other search engine, and results are organised by ideas rather than just rankings. Cuil also boasts complete user privacy.

The new search engine will attempt to analyse the context of each page and the concepts behind each query, thereby grouping similar results together and sorting them by category.

These groups are divided by tabs which aim to clarify subjects, offer images to identify topics and search refining suggestions.

"The web continues to grow at a fantastic rate and other search engines are unable to keep up with it," said Tom Costello, chief executive and co-founder of Cuil.

"Cuil presents searchers with content-based results, not just popular ones, providing different and more insightful answers that illustrate the vastness and the variety of the web."

However, it seems that the new site has been more popular than its makers had anticipated, as the servers seem to have buckled under the strain.

Many users trying to access the site are seeing an error message which reads: "We'll be back soon ..."

"Due to overwhelming interest, our Cuil servers are running a bit hot right now. The search engine is momentarily unavailable as we add more capacity. Thanks for your patience," the notice says.

Meditations In An Emergency -Frank O'Hara

2008-07-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

Am I to become profligate as if I were a blonde? Or religious as if I were French?

Each time my heart is broken it makes me feel more adventurous (and how the same names keep recurring on that interminable list!), but one of these days there'll be nothing left with which to venture forth.

Why should I share you? Why don't you get rid of someone else for a change? I am the least difficult of men. All I want is boundless love.

Even trees understand me! Good heavens, I lie under them, too, don't I? I'm just like a pile of leaves.

However, I have never clogged myself with the praises of pastoral life, nor with nostalgia for an innocent past of perverted acts in pastures. No. One need never leave the confines of New York to get all the greenery one wishes--I can't even enjoy a blade of grass unless i know there's a subway handy, or a record store or some other sign that people do not totally _regret_ life. It is more important to affirm the least sincere; the clouds get enough attention as it is and even they continue to pass. Do they know what they're missing?

Uh huh.

My eyes are vague blue, like the sky, and change all the time; they are indiscriminate but fleeting, entirely specific and disloyal, so that no one trusts me. I am always looking away. Or again at something after it has given me up. It makes me restless and that makes me unhappy, but I cannot keep them still. If only i had grey, green, black, brown, yellow eyes; I would stay at home and do something. It's not that I'm curious. On the contrary, I am bored but it's my duty to be attentive, I am needed by things as the sky must be above the earth. And lately, so great has _their_ anxiety become, I can spare myself little sleep.

Now there is only one man I like to kiss when he is unshaven. Heterosexuality! you are inexorably approaching. (How best discourage her?)

St. Serapion, I wrap myself in the robes of your whiteness which is like midnight in Dostoevsky. How I am to become a legend, my dear? I've tried love, but that holds you in the bosom of another and I'm always springing forth from it like the lotus--the ecstasy of always bursting forth! (but one must not be distracted by it!) or like a hyacinth, "to keep the filth of life away," yes, even in the heart, where the filth is pumped in and slanders and pollutes and determines. I will my will, though I may become famous for a mysterious vacancy in that department, that greenhouse.

Destroy yourself, if you don't know!

It is easy to be beautiful; it is difficult to appear so. I admire you, beloved, for the trap you've set. It's like a final chapter no one reads because the plot is over.

"Fanny Brown is run away--scampered off with a Cornet of Horse; I do love that little Minx, & hope She may be happy, tho' She has vexed me by this exploit a little too.--Poor silly Cecchina! or F:B: as we used to call her.--I wish She had a good Whipping and 10,000 pounds."--Mrs. Thrale

I've got to get out of here. I choose a piece of shawl and my dirtiest suntans. I'll be back, I'll re-emerge, defeated, from the valley; you don't want me to go where you go, so I go where
you don't want me to. It's only afternoon, there's a lot ahead. There won't be any mail downstairs. Turning, I spit in the lock and the knob turns.

'Mad Men': Smart, subtle character study

2008-07-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

In the first episode of the second season of "Mad Men," there's a great moment - in fact, many great moments - that immediately justify the runaway critical acclaim for this series while underscoring the primary mechanism for its brilliance, which is acute subtlety.

Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the central character in AMC's "Mad Men," and perhaps the only figure in prime-time television to be absolutely mired in existentialism, is at a bar, having a drink. This should come as no surprise, even to new fans interested in jumping on the heavily hyped, multi-Emmy-nominated drama, which starts Sunday. Drinking and smoking and stylized sets and clothes are the touchstones of the series and are frequently mentioned in the buzz that surrounds the show.

Almost none of the coverage for "Mad Men" explains that this is a show about interiors.

So Draper, the advertising executive at the heart of darkness that is this contemplative character study, is not out of place having a drink at midday.

But, as he's about to find out, he's out of place in the world. (He always has been - it's one of the primary drives in the "Mad Men" narrative - but Season 2 looks to be bringing this personal isolation into sharper focus.) Sitting at the bar with Draper is another man, perhaps slightly younger, reading Frank O'Hara's "Meditations in an Emergency," a collection of poems from the young, acclaimed poet. Don remarks that reading at the bar is a convenient excuse for not doing anything, not being at work. He barely hears the reply, which is a veiled swipe at the notion that doing something (like work) is even important.

"Is it good?" Draper asks the other man. "I don't think you'd like it," comes the reply. And there's an ever-so-faint look on Draper's face - the kind of nuanced acting that Hamm is rightfully getting credit for - he can't quite figure out whether he's been insulted or if it's merely the end of a conversation going nowhere between two disparate men.

But right in that moment, series creator and main writer Matthew Weiner has reset the hook on what's so alluring about Don Draper and "Mad Men." Times are changing. Men like Draper don't really know it yet, but the world has inched in a different direction from the way they are going. It's a wonderful scene, evocative of the nuances at the heart of "Mad Men." It's note perfect. Understated, undersold.

Out of place

Later Draper will be seen reading "Meditations in an Emergency," looking as if he's trying to understand some kind of coded text, some message he doesn't quite get. (No doubt copies will be flying off the shelves soon.) In some way, the poems are a message from the future - which is already surfacing in the New York that Draper walks through every day. And the insinuation is that despite his not being a man who values poetry - he's an adman, after all - there's something in the words that made a connection. At the end of the episode, part of one of the poems is voiced as Draper walks down the street looking, as always, out of place.

The first two episodes of "Mad Men" reaffirm its place in the upper echelon of television dramas. The writing is a real thing of beauty - from the aforementioned nuance to searing workplace witticisms and pitch-perfect tone from a multitude of characters. You can't overstate how accomplished "Mad Men" is at understanding the vagaries of dialogue among disparate characters.

So too is the acting. Hopefully "Mad Men's" subtlety will appeal to the new viewers expected to turn out in response to the series' rising profile. You don't find a lot of physicality in "Mad Men" - fights or guns or running or screaming fits. The series is mannered. The first season took place in 1960 for a reason: The country was still living in a 1950s-influenced time. The roiling decade ahead was in its nascent form. For the Don Drapers of the world, change was going to be what other people did, at least initially. The racism and sexism and old-school values and habits (which often form the basis for the best jokes in "Mad Men") were in their DNA.

Others at Draper's advertising firm, Sterling Cooper, are aware of the changes, but not the series' central character. Paul Kinsey (Michael Gladis), one of the copywriters at the firm, has grown a beard and started smoking a pipe, playing at being hipper than he really is. Even Draper's disaffected wife, Betty (January Jones), is feeling the cultural plates shift below her.

Kennedy era has begun

Weiner has smartly started Season 2 in 1962. John Kennedy is in the White House. A new era has begun. Draper is the core of the "Mad Men" universe. His worldview is beginning to be at odds (especially in advertising) with what is percolating up in the zeitgeist. He's only 36 and straddling two eras. Even in two episodes, you can tell that Weiner and company will be mining the change for all it's worth. When Joan (Christina Hendricks), the office manager at Sterling Cooper, goes to a would-be bohemian party that Paul throws, she sees that he's got an African American girlfriend and calls him out the next day in the office.

"You, out there in your poor little rich-boy apartment in Newark or wherever. Walking around with your pipe and your beard. Falling in love with that girl just to show how interesting you are." When Paul looks peeved, Joan adds casually, "Go ahead. What part is wrong?"

In perfect contrast, Draper is not playing at being someone other than himself or embracing change - mostly because he doesn't truly know who he is or where he fits. No doubt all around him will grapple at a quicker pace with what 1962 really means - his wife, his co-workers, the agency. His existential state might not yet be an emergency, but it's something Don Draper will have to meditate on, and that's going to make for compelling television of the smartest (and possibly most subversive) kind.

Meditations In An Emergency

2008-07-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the premiere of the second season of AMC's Mad Men (great show), and one short scene led me to a pretty cool poem. One of the central characters is eating lunch in a bar and strikes up a conversation with the barfly to his right, who's intently reading Mediations In An Emergency by Frank O'Hara. The show, set in the early 1960's, is great about little details of the era, so I decided to google the book. Turns out it's a book of selected poetry, and the following is a short part of the poem by the same name:

My eyes are vague blue, like the sky, and change all the time;
they are indiscriminate but fleeting, entirely specific and
disloyal, so that no one trusts me. I am always looking away.
Or again at something after it has given me up. It makes me
restless and that makes me unhappy, but I cannot keep them
still. If only i had grey, green, black, brown, yellow eyes; I
would stay at home and do something. It's not that I'm
curious. On the contrary, I am bored but it's my duty to be
attentive, I am needed by things as the sky must be above the
earth. And lately, so great has their anxiety become, I can
spare myself little sleep.

Pitzer College dorms become award-winners

2008-07-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

Last fall, there was plenty of buzz about the completion and dedication of the first wave of new environmentally friendly residence halls on the Pitzer College campus.

It’s nearly one year later and the residence halls are already receiving significant acclaim.

The Atherton, Pitzer and Sanborn Halls were awarded Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) back in May and also received a 2007 City of Claremont Excellence in Design Award from the Claremont Architectural Commission in June.

“It’s a recognition of a well-done process,” Pitzer College President Laura Trombley told the COURIER in June. “People were really dedicated to the project and worked really hard to make it happen. It’s really opened up a whole new part of the campus and the students just love living there.”

Pitzer College became the first Claremont College to receive the Gold LEED certification for its 3 newer residence halls, a recognition that is only held by a select few colleges and universities in the country. The Gold LEED certification is a distinction awarded by the USGBC, a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. LEED represents the rating system the award is based on, which is broken down into 6 different categories: Sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design.

The dorms contain 318 beds, 3 community living rooms, a large community courtyard containing 3 thematic gardens and the existing swimming pool, 25 study rooms, a shared community kitchen, apartments for faculty members and more. Built “green” and with sustainability in mind, some of the features of the dormitories include light pollution reduction, water-efficient landscaping, building materials made of recycled and local content and photovoltaic roof panels. It is those types of features that also won them the Excellence in Design recognition in the area of new construction and sustainability.

“Pitzer College is to be congratulated for achieving Gold LEED certification,” said USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi in a released statement. “These facilities are ones that the community can be proud of. Pitzer College will be a showcase for high-performance, energy-efficient, healthy living and an inspiration for others.” (story continues below)

COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy

Earlier this year, the new Pitzer College dorms became the first residence halls within the Claremont Colleges to receive Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design by the US Green Building Council. An outdoor patio area in Atherton Hall is pictured here.

Not only built with the environment in mind, the residence halls—part of the Pitzer College Housing Master Plan—were also meant to be places of both formal and informal learning and places that encourage more student interaction. Pitzer students were also involved in the original planning of the project that also included Pitzer faculty, staff and alumni.

According to Jim Marchant, Pitzer College’s dean of students, the goal of more student interaction has been reached with the new dormitories also helping to create more of a student presence at the campus’ student center as well.

“It’s had an impact on the community and the students,” Mr. Marchant said. “It has created a strong sense of community in providing communal spaces where students are interacting outside of class. We’ve been successful in that.”

Pitzer’s 3 newest residence halls represent just one phase of the Housing Master Plan’s Residential Life Project. The plan calls for 4 more dormitories to be built, bringing the total number of new dorms to 7 once the Residential Life Project is completed. When the 3-phase building project is finished, Pitzer College will have the chance to become the first college in the nation to have all Gold LEED certified dormitories.

“We had been planning building the residence halls for years,” Mr. Marchant pointed out. “We’re happy with our 318 beds and most of our occupants in the newer residence halls are first year students. Now we plan to build more residence halls over the next few years with our ultimate plan being to eventually have all new residence halls on campus.”

Forecasting the NFC North?

2008-07-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

OK, kids. Science experiment time.

Materials you'll need: Four ping pong balls with logos of each NFC North team on one ball apiece; one of those giant lottery-style water cooler tanks; and an official-looking guy with graying hair in a nice suit.

Now, take those ping pong balls and place them in the water cooler tank. Once inserted, have the balls rattle around for a bit, and get the official-looking guy in the suit to pull one of the four balls out. Which team's logo came up?

That's my pick for the NFC North title this season.

Got a better idea? Let me know.

If ever there was a crapshoot of a division, it's the 2008 NFC North. Pick a team; any team. Throughout the division, there are question marks, confusion, and chaos.

There's less drama on an episode of "The Hills" than what's been going on in Green Bay the past few weeks. Detroit's got a completely new offensive coordinator, backfield and defense. Chicago's got two new offensive linemen, a pair of historically inconsistent quarterbacks signed to "deal or no-deal" one-year contracts and not one legitimate NFL first option at receiver. As for everybody's preseason NFC North favorite? The team that several pundits are donning the leading contenders in the NFC? Well, Minnesota has more hype surrounding it this season than Guns N' Roses' long-awaited "Chinese Democracy" album. Of course, their leading man under center doesn't have quite as many fans as Axl Rose.

And that's not saying much.

In truth, the 2008 NFC North is an eclectic mix of young and unproven quarterbacks, coaches on the hot seat, offensive question marks, defensive enigmas, potential locker room chasms and a never-ending list of individuals who must live up to potentially unachievable high expectations. In other words, this puppy is wide the heck open.

The defending champs

Let's start with Green Bay. Like Christmas or the first snowstorm, the Brett Favre "Will He or Won't He Retire" media circus has become a rite of passage every winter. We're used to it by now. This year, though, it seemed like the circus had seen its last hoorah. Barnum and Bailey were hanging it up. And so was Favre.

Six months later, we've got Hall of Fame sportswriters reporting about unanswered text messages from No. 4 as if that's news, interviews with Greta Van Susteren and 24-7 around-the-clock coverage on every uttered word like it's Watergate. Favre stole the July 4th sports weekend right from the Yankees, Red Sox, Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut — with the cable sports channels loading up on interviews with local Green Bay bartenders, bar patrons and uninformed Favre family members. Basically, everyone with a 920 area code not named Brett Favre became a credible news source.

This week has been absolute mayhem, too. It's made the A-Rod-Madonna media madness from seven days ago seem like a quaint stroll in the park.

Of course, whatever happens in Green Bay — whether Favre stays and starts at quarterback (absurd), Favre stays and backs up Aaron Rodgers (foolish) or Favre goes somewhere else (bizarre) — the Packers are worse off than they were a month ago. Say what you want about maturity and the growth process, but Rodgers was as ready as he'll ever be to start for the Green Bay Packers the day the 2007 season ended. This circus isn't helping the kid in any way. He's not "overcoming adversity" here. He's dealing with nonsense. If anything, it's put even more unwanted attention and media spotlight on the guy. Can't a kid just play football already?

And no matter what moves Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy make in the chessboard that's become the Favre Game, they'll be rubbing some folks in Packer Nation the wrong way. Trade him, and Thompson's the evil villain giving away the longtime face of the franchise. Bench him for an inexperienced 20-something, and McCarthy's an idiot. Start him, and you're both men who've betrayed the young kid. Your move, fellas. Nope, not a precarious situation at all.

Yet, through all this madness remains a team that went 13-3 last season, won its division with ease, and was just a few plays away from a Super Bowl berth. Most of that very same squad returns — a year older, a year wiser — focused for a division title defense.

This Favre stuff is a circus, yes. And the fans may be split as to what they want to see happen. But if the Packers start the season 3-0 with Rodgers at quarterback, they won't exactly be losing sleep over Favre tossing interceptions for Tampa Bay or a non-contender like Houston. If he's with the Vikings, Lions, or Bears, though ... well, that's a whole other story.

Green Bay, as of mid-July, could end up one of many different teams two months from now. A Favre-led title contender, a Rodgers-led title contender, a Rodgers-led dud, a Favre-led nightmare. How's one supposed to handicap a team that's clearly so undefined? You really can't.

The offensively challenged

If Green Bay's immediate future resembles a twister, Chicago's is a murky, drizzling rain. Readers of my work over the past few months know I've not exactly been kind to the Monsters of the Midway. In short, I hate their quarterback situation, question their running back situation, get sick thinking about their receivers and don't trust their suddenly inexperienced offensive line. But aside from that, they're great!

In truth, the Bears' strength has never been its offense anyway, and the defense — with a healthy Mike Brown and an apparently happy Tommie Harris — is really not that much different than the 2006 unit that finished third in the league in defense, forced a league-high 23 fumbles and led Chicago to its first conference championship in 21 years. The D was banged up last season. They should be back in full force this year.

And what if Grossman finally delivers on a weekly basis? Or Matt Forte and Kevin Jones mesh perfectly in the Chicago backfield? What if the receivers and the offensive line do enough to get by? A lot of "what if's", sure, but who knows? Chicago could be OK, after all. Drizzling rain or glimmering rainbow of hope — you can't argue with either forecast.

The chronically bad

In the Motor City, fans aren't expecting much. After a promising 6-2 start in '07, the Lions did just as they've done every season since the Matt Millen era began in 2001 — collapsed, missed the playoffs, and finished in third place or worse in the division standings. As he did last off-season, Jon Kitna's "guaranteed" 10 wins again this year. Hopefully, he'll be able to stay on his feet long enough to see it happen. Kitna was sacked more than any other quarterback in the NFL last season.

But they shook things up in Detroit this offseason. There's hope! Gone is Mike Martz's pass happy/sack happy offense. Gone is the Kevin Jones and T.J. Duckett duo at RB. And gone is Shaun Rogers in the middle. In comes a newly-installed offense from '07 offensive line coach Jim Colletto. In comes rookie Kevin Smith, the leading rusher in the college game last year. In comes a new offensive lineman from B.C., rookie Gosder Cherilus. The Lions defense, a unit that gave up both the most points and yards per game in the entire league last season, has three new starters in the defensive backfield.

Yet, for all these changes, it's hardly been the extreme makeover from top to bottom that Detroit so desperately needs.

It seems as though each August, some pundit pegs the Lions as the NFC's "darkhorse" sleeper. There will most likely be some more talking heads doing that this year. Alas, they'll likely be wrong again.

The summertime champs

Which leads us to everybody's summertime NFC champs: the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota has received rave reviews for its off-season activity and has been practically handed the 2008 NFC North title by pundits across the board. Rarely do we see teams get so much mid-summer hype. But there's something worth noting about summertime champions — they're rarely the ones hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February.

Sure, the acquisition of Jared Allen solidified Minnesota as owners of arguably the most dominant offensive and defensive lines in the entire league. The Bernard Berrian pickup was a no-brainer, too. Madieu Williams adds another tough safety to an already solid defensive backfield as well.

But I'm a bit hesitant crowning any team that finished 8-8 a year ago anything, let alone labeling them as conference favorites.

After all, pressure and lofty expectations are a curious beast. Especially with a 25-year-old quarterback who's thrown just 11 career touchdowns leading the way. Keep in mind, this is a franchise that hasn't won a conference championship in 32 years; a franchise that has experienced postseason football just once in the past seven years; a franchise with a fan base as passionate as any other in the league. Minnesota fans want this. Hell, Minnesota fans need this.

Is Tarvaris Jackson going to be able to live up to these expectations? Is he going to be able to stay confident when the fans turn on him and are calling for John David Booty? It's a fragile situation. And one that has the potential to explode. As is the case with their three NFC North rivals, we'll have to wait and see.

As of mid-July, I'm going to slate the NFC North as anybody's division to win. It's truly a crapshoot.

Picking a winner? Well, your best bet is investing in some ping pong balls and a water cooler tank

Thanks '4' the memories, but it's either retirement or the AFC

2008-07-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

The reason in a nutshell is that you have to start looking into the future.

I've heard from some of the hundreds of pundits who have weighed in, 'Who gives you a better chance to win?' They all seem to agree that it's Favre.

I'm not completely sure that's true—see his 2005 and 2006 performances. But even with the assumption that the 2008 Packers would be better with No. 4, I'd argue that if they don't think he can get them to the Super Bowl it's smarter to start the Aaron Rodgers era now.

The Packers will have growing pains no matter when it starts and you might as well start now when the team is pretty good and the division is this bad.

If Favre comes back and is handed the reins, you can forget about the Rodgers era, because he'll need to be traded.

From what I've read and heard about Rodgers and his teammates, he has been a different individual this offseason. He's been more confident, he's shown more leadership qualities, and if he's sent back to the bench, all that gets sidelined with him.

His confidence and likely his trust in the organization is shot, not to mention that his progression as an NFL quarterback is set back another year. At some point, a quarterback ceases to learn anything while watching from the sideline.

At that point the Packers would have to trade Rodgers and start grooming Brian Brohm as the heir apparent. Of course, Favre's not going to be willing to help Brohm, and unless Favre announces his retirement on a stretcher, there's no way Brohm could feel safe after being announced as the starter.

So the Packers bring back Favre. Now they might win another division title, lose in the playoffs because Favre can no longer handle the pressure unless he's playing Seattle, then enjoy his maybe-I-am-maybe-I'm-not retiring party again next spring, and then for the next few seasons Packer fans get a trip back to the 1980s when the team was awful.

So if you don't want Favre the obvious question is what do you do with him?

Certainly Thompson can't release him and let him go to Chicago or Minnesota. Not because he's great anymore, but because a blind monkey is better than the Grossman/Orton combo or Tavaris Jackson.

So Favre would improve either team thus making two more games more difficult.

Instead, the team should trade Favre to an AFC team or a non-competitive NFC team and not have to suffer the short-term consequences while improving the team's long-term possibilities.

While Thompson could wait out Favre and probably force him to stay retired, that also doesn't do the team any good. He should get rid of the drama and all the distractions now before training camp starts and this corrupts the locker room and leaves the starting quarterback constantly looking over his shoulder.

The Modern Mixologist

2008-07-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

Tony Abou-Ganim, currently featured on the Iron Chef America competition with Mario Batali, "Battle Mango", just released his first DVD “Modern Mixology: Making Great Cocktails at Home” (February 2007).

Most notably featured demonstrating the art of cocktail preparation on the Fine Living Network program “Raising the Bar: America’s Best Bar Chefs,” grew up in the bar business, learning the craft from his cousin Helen David at the Brass Rail Bar in Port Huron, Michigan.

Tony's initial introduction to the business was steeped in the tradition of classic cocktails and professional barmanship, grooming him to become a leader in the beverage industry.

Mixologist

2008-07-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

At the Ravari Room, it's all about the music. And for Ravari Room bartender Donovan Roth, it's all about, you guessed it — the music.

He's been serving happy-hour PBRs at the dimly lit, dual-sided bar since it opened four years ago. His past employers read like a laundry list of Columbus' live music venues: Byrne's, High Five and Little Brother's, and he also plays with the band Sick Thrills.

How would you describe this bar?

It's different every day. Like, Tuesday is karaoke night, so you get all these crazy people that want to be freaks on stage. And Wednesdays, he's in and out, but Tony Monaco plays here.

We support touring bands a lot, so it can be anything from jazz to metal to bluegrass, or rockabilly or punk rock, anything.

What kinds of crowds do you get?

Pretty much 85 or 90 percent of the people who come here are either musicians or artists.

What's the most common drink order?

We have a lot of PBR drinkers. During happy hour, PBR drafts are $1. But after happy hour, they're $1.50.

What do you enjoy most about bartending?

I just like figuring people out. I think because as long as I've been working in the bar business, I consider that I have a degree in psychology. I mean, if you think of all the people I've been meeting — they're going from sober to drunk, that's like four different personalities anyway.

What's the worst part?

When it's dead — when it's really slow. Don't look at your watch ... because every minute's an hour.

So it sounds like this is a career for you?

I guess so. I mean, after how many years? Twelve years? Yeah. That's a long time.

The thing is, it's kind of just a side thing because I play in bands, and last year one of my bands toured Europe for two months.

Is there a drink you hate to make?

I hate making "one of" — you know, somebody wants just one of a drink, and then they keep coming back and ordering it again and again. If somebody wants to order a really fancy shot or a drink — especially a shot — order five of them for your friends.

What do you like to drink?

Right now, I'm not drinking. Every year, I take like two months off ... 'cause I save a lot of money. But when I do drink, I drink Pabst and Old Grand-Dad bourbon.

Where else do you like to hang out when you're off work?

I love Bourbon Street.

Donovan Roth's specialty drink

Hawaiian Punch

1 oz. Southern Comfort

1/2 oz. amaretto

Splash of pineapple juice, grenadine

2008-07-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - In a saloon town such as San Francisco, the bartender plays a crucial role. Confessor, friend, sounding board — the man or woman behind the plank sees to it that our needs are met with elegance, grace and often wit. They see humanity at its best and most convivial, but also offer a nod and a welcome to the lonely. But what do they see when they look at us? What are the tricks of their trade? And what lessons have they learned along the way? In this Examiner weekly feature, we talk to some of our local bartenders to find out.

The Cosmopolitan

121 Spear St., San Francisco; (415) 543-4001; www.thecosmopolitancafe.com

When we met up with Katrine Alendal, a bartender at The Cosmpolitan, we were a little concerned. The poor girl was sporting a black eye and a busted lip. Then we learned that this pretty blonde from Norway is a fighter — the kind you see on television using a blend of martial-arts styles to kick the absolute life out of their opponents. Her fighting career has allowed her to accomplish some pretty amazing feats: She was one of the first women to fight in the ring that once featured Muhammad Ali in the Philippines. Don’t let her brute force intimidate you, though. Not only is she full of interesting conversation, she sure knows how to shake up a cocktail. You’ll leave wanting more of both.

How long have you been in San Francisco? Since the mid-’90s.

What brought you out here? The San Francisco Art Institute. I got my degree there in photography.

And you’re a fighter? Yes, I started with Muay Thai, and my instructor thought I should enter a smoker [a competition for amateur fighters]. It’s a full-contact fight. And then my Jiu-Jitsu instructor said I should do a tournament.

Do you not have to wear a helmet? Is your face protected? Yes. Your face is fully covered, that’s just from training. I train with some really talented girls and they definitely go hard, which is good, so when I go into a fight, I’m not shocked.

Do you ever drink before a fight, to take the edge off? No, no.

How’d you get into bartending? Since I was at the Art Institute, I thought, “How can I make enough money to pursue my passion?” So I started cocktailing and then eventually bartending. It’s a small establishment and my bosses are really caring.

Do your co-workers come see your fights? Well, my last fight was in Manila [Philippines].

Really? Isn’t that awesome? I’m fulfilling my dreams. My goal is to live an extraordinary life, and I’m doing that so far.

You’ve chosen to make us a drink that’s inspired by your homeland, right? I am going to make for you the Northern Lights. It’s made with aquavit.

What’s that? I think every nationality has a liqueur that means “water of life.” There’s a strong caraway flavor, so you either love it or you hate it. In this drink, it’s not that strong. It’s a nice way to introduce Americans to it.

What do you typically drink? I don’t drink. I’ll do a shot for birthdays, or some good wine for sure with good company. When I’m with my mom, I’ll definitely enjoy a bottle, maybe two, of delicious red wine. But [alcohol] interferes with my training, so I try to stay away.

Since this is The Cosmopolitan, has the demand for Cosmopolitans been insane thanks to “Sex and the City”? Oh my gosh. When we started, we were making Cosmo after Cosmo.

Which of the “SATC” girls would you have a drink with, and which one would you fight? Probably [drink] with Samantha; she’s the one who is the most independent.

Mixologist

2008-07-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

It wasn't until she started classes at three different colleges and bartended at just as many establishments that Lindsay Fry found what she'd been looking for.

The Sandusky native moved to Columbus two-and-a-half years ago and has loved the pace and patrons at Gahanna's Signatures since starting there three months ago.

"There's no puking, there's no fighting, there's no any of that business," Fry said. "I'll take this any day."

And she's equally excited about studying sociology and psychology — fitting fields for such a background — at Otterbein College.

How would you describe this bar?

We're a local, neighborhood hangout. It's a sports bar. We have a big lunch crowd, a big dinner crowd, and then people just stay and have some beers.

What's the food like here?

The food is amazing. All I ever eat is a sandwich called the Monte Kristin. It's pretty fantastic. The pizzas are so good, and we sell a lot of burgers.

What kind of crowds do you get?

A lot of people have been coming here for 15 years, so the crowd's kind of a mixture of the people that have been coming here forever and their kids, who grew up liking the food and the atmosphere.

What do they like to drink?

Lot of Bud Light, lot of Michelob Ultra and scotch on the rocks.

What do you enjoy most about bartending?

I love probably the people. It's just always fun to hear everyone's stories, and especially because a lot of the crowd here is older, it's always fun — "When I was your age ..."

What's the worst part?

I think the only bad thing is just sometimes what people think is acceptable to say to you, especially being a female behind the bar. I can laugh off anything, but sometimes people say things that just really aren't very appropriate.

Is this a career or a money-maker for you?

It's definitely a way to make a living that's stress-free, and it's fun. It's about as good of a gig as they get. But it's definitely not a career.

Is there a drink you hate to make?

I think the only thing I don't really like making, and it sounds weird, is a straight martini. Because people that drink martinis are really particular about how they like them.

What do you drink?

I'm definitely a Coors Light or Snakebite girl. Go big or go home.

Where else do you like to hang out?

On my couch in my pajamas.

A's trade Blanton

2008-07-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

The A's are trading Joe Blanton to Philadelphia for three minor-leaguers. Blanton, 27, is 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA this season, after going 14-10 with a 3.95 ERA last year.

"It's one of those deals where it's very bittersweet," Blanton told The Chronicle. "I'm going to a very good team with a very good lineup. They're in the division hunt and they're out to win a championship, and that's what any player wants. But I've always been with the A's, and I have great relationships there. It's one of those double-sided coins."

Blanton has had a rocky season. In a notable recent loss, on June 29 against the Giants in Oakland, he was tagged for seven runs and eight hits over four-plus innings in the Giants' 11-1 victory. In losing that game, he became the first pitcher in the AL to lose 11 games. At the time, he had given up 16 runs in his last 14 innings and lost five of six starts. He has been better at home (4.63 ERA) than away (5.74).

Blanton is 2-2 over his past four starts and in that stretch, he has been excellent in the first three innings, not allowing a run and giving up all of three hits in 39 at-bats (.077). From the fourth inning on in those four starts, he has an 11.25 ERA and the opponents are hitting .429.

The new A's are second baseman Adrian Cardenas, pitcher Josh Outman and outfielder Matthew Spencer.

Olney: Phils Trade Cardenas, Outman, and Spencer for Joe Blanton

2008-07-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

Appearing on ESPN 950, Buster Olney has reported that the Phillies have traded a package of SS/2B Adrian Cardenas, P Josh Outman, and OF Matt Spencer to the A's for pitcher Joe Blanton.

Despite not being anywhere near a top-tier starter, Blanton brings a healthy appetite for innings to the Phillies rotation, though it will likely be as a 4th or even 5th man. His split stats show that he hurls better away from Oakland, but Citizens Bank Park isn't exactly pitcher-friendly, so we'll have to wait and see how those stats are affected by the new surroundings.

Olney says that although he won't always shine, Blanton should fit in well in Philly. He is hard-nosed and competitive, and he'll get through 6 on most nights, allowing the bullpen to stay fresh down the stretch. He'll also be in town through 2010, as opposed to the rentals that were snagged of off the market earlier (who were admittedly much bigger talents). The good news on Blanton is we already know his downside, as he's currently pitching as poorly as ever, but there's definitely a chance he could turn things around and become a solid starter here. He's only 27 after all. He's not the #2 this team desperately needed, but depth at SP is good no matter how you slice it. Right? Guys?

We'd like to know who the odd man out in the rotation is, since Brett Myers is set to return from his 'Piggin stint. Will the Phillies grant his wish and convert him to a reliever (albeit in a set-up role), or will they figure out a solution to the Adam Eaton situation?

Phils Inquiring About Joey Bland

We all know that starting pitching is the Phillies most pressing need, and also that they lost out on the premier talent that was available in CC and Rich Harden. The quality of the arms falls off a cliff after that point, and the Phils have been linked through scout-spotting to the Blue Jays for a few weeks now. The target in a Jays deal would be AJ Burnett, who can go from lights-out K master to Adam Eaton in just under 1.2 starts. On top of his inconsistency, he also has a very club-unfriendly contract situation. Unless the price is damn near free (and so far it's not), we'd probably be happy to see the Phils pass on Burnett.

Buster Olney [Insider] reports that those talks have indeed calmed down, but he confirms some rumors we've heard that the Phillies are now asking the A's about Joe Blanton.

After CC and Harden went to the NL Central, Pat Gillick made it clear the team would be looking at "B-list" pitchers, and Blanton is definitely in that category, if not lower. However, I didn't think much of Kyle Lohse before the Phils acquired him last year, and that turned out pretty well for the most part ('til he wasn't retained). But from what we've seen of Blanton, not only does he have Burnett's inconsistent start patterns, he's not all that great even when he's on. The Fightins crew is split on who they like more between Blanton and Burnett, which probably has more to do with concerns about which SP is worse rather than which is potentially better.

Blanton is currently sporting an ERA just south of 5.00, a 1.42 WHIP, and only 62 Ks in 122 innings. He's given up 6 or more runs in three of his last five starts (four times all season), so his trade value probably couldn't be much lower. With his ERA a full run higher than his final stats from 2007, maybe Gillick sees him as a buy-low candidate, but usually that banner is reserved for solid guys in a slump, not average guys who are pitching worse than usual. Also, Blanton's current ERA is almost exactly the same as he put up in 2006, so I think what we see is what we get. Somehow, he's put together 47 wins in 122 career starts, compared to 46 losses. On the Phillies rotation, he'd be no better than a fourth starter, which won't help much in the playoffs.

Still, if Billy Beane is just looking to dump at the deadline (he traded their best starter already, making them sellers in the market), Gillick owes the situation a look. I do get a little nervous thinking about Old Baseball Gillick and Moneyball Beane at the table though.

Blanton Traded to Phillies for 3 Prospects

2008-07-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

According to Buster Olney at ESPN, the A's have sent Joe Blanton to Philadelphia for second baseman Adrian Cardenas, pitcher Josh Outman and outfielder Matthew Spencer.

The A's must really think Mark Ellis is going to leave as a free agent, as the A's are loading up on second base prospects all of a sudden. First they drafted Jemile Weeks, then they traded for Eric Patterson in the Rich Harden trade, and now they add Cardenas. Meanwhile, we're still stuck with no heir apparents to either Bobby Crosby or Eric Chavez.

But heck, you can't get a better name for a pitching prospect than Josh Outman, can you?

I like this trade better than the Harden trade, because I expected to get less from Blanton. But Cardenas and Outman are legit prospects. In the preseason, Kevin Goldstein gave them both 3-star ratings, while John Sickels ranked them both as solid B's. Spencer didn't make Goldstein's list, while Sickels gave him a C+.

BTW, if you don't like either of the two trades, you can blame this article of mine. I was literally two minutes from publishing it when the Rich Harden trade went down, and this Blanton trade goes through two minutes after I finally pressed the publish button on the thing.

Old Drug Dimebon Shows Promise in Alzheimer’s

2008-07-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

A nearly forgotten allergy drug first used in Russia more than two decades ago is showing promise for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

In a study of the antihistamine Dimebon, Alzheimer's patients with mild to moderate disease continued to show improvements in memory, thinking, and daily and overall functioning over six months of treatment.

Some patients showed improvements when treated for up to a year.

Results from the Russian study were presented this week at the 60th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Chicago. Study results were also reported last summer at an international conference on Alzheimer's disease.

Dimebon Alzheimer's Trial

Dimebon was approved as an antihistamine in Russia in the early 1980s.
It attracted attention as a potential Alzheimer's treatment following positive animal studies in 2000.

The human trial conducted in Russia included 183 patients with mild-to-moderate disease treated for six months with either Dimebon or placebo. Some patients continued to take the antihistamine for as long as a year.

Researchers reported significant improvement in memory, thinking, and other cognitive measures over placebo in as little as 12 weeks, and the differences were maintained over six months to a year.

Tests to measure mental function and interviews with caregivers confirmed improvements or disease stabilization in 81% of the Dimebon-treated patients after six months.

In a presentation delivered Thursday at the AAN meeting, Steven H. Ferris, PhD, reported that the drug's impact in Alzheimer's patients appears to be broad, rather than selective.

Ferris directs the Alzheimer's Disease Center at NYU School of Medicine.

"Our sub-analysis of the trial results suggests a broad, general benefit affecting language, memory, and other domains of cognition," Ferris tells WebMD.

International Trial Planned

The biopharmaceutical company Medivation Inc., which hopes to market Dimebon for the treatment of Alzheimer's in the U.S., is funding a second study of the drug to be conducted in the U.S., Europe, and South America.

If the earlier findings are confirmed, Medivation Inc. CEO David Hung, MD, tells WebMD that the company plans to petition the FDA for the drug's approval as an Alzheimer's treatment in 2010.

Dimebon has not been compared to the currently approved Alzheimer's drugs, but Hung says there are suggestions from the Russian study that it has a different mechanism of action that is unrelated to its antihistamine properties.

Three of the drugs -- Aricept, Razadyne, and Exelon -- block the activity of an enzyme in the brain called cholinesterase and are approved for the treatment of mild to moderate disease.

"What happens in Alzheimer's disease is that the neurons in the area of the brain that govern memory and thinking get sick and die," Hung says. "The cholinesterase inhibitors can slow this down, but they don't keep the cells from dying."

Early findings suggest that Dimebon may keep the neurons alive and even make sick neurons healthy again, he says.

Because many patients in the Russian trial showed improvements in memory and other aspects of mental functioning over time, there is some suggestion that the drug could modify the course of Alzheimer's disease.

Longer, rigorously designed studies would be needed to prove this, however.

Alzheimer's disease researcher Steven DeKosky, MD, who was not involved with the Dimebon research, calls the findings from the Russian study very promising. But he adds that the findings must be confirmed.

DeKosky directs the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh.

"If the Russian findings hold up, that would be a big deal," he tells WebMD. "There isn't anything out there that works as well as this drug appeared to in that study. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions. We will know more when the phase III international trial is completed."

Medivation's Dimebon(TM) Significantly Improved Thinking And Memory In Alzheimer's Disease Patients Over One Year

2008-07-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

Dimebon Significantly Improved Cognitive Function at One Year

The data presented at the AAN Annual Meeting included results of an analysis of the 11 subdomains of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), a standardized measure of cognition in patients with AD and one of two endpoints the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has used to approve all currently marketed drugs for mild-to-moderate AD. In the study, ADAS-cog was assessed at the beginning of the study and at weeks 12, 26, 39 and 52.

Results showed that Dimebon-treated patients were significantly improved compared with placebo on 9 of the 11 ADAS-cog subdomains after one year of treatment. Benefits were observed in memory (word recall, p=0.04; word recognition, p=0.03; remembering instructions, p=0.10); orientation (p= 0.01); constructional praxis (the ability to copy simple drawings or patterns, p=0.005) and ideational praxis (the ability to perform a familiar but complex sequence of actions, p=0.006); and language (following commands, p<0.0001; naming objects, p<0.0001; word finding, p=0.005; comprehension, p=0.15; overall language, p=0.0002).

"We have recently presented a number of different findings from our first pivotal trial of Dimebon at scientific conferences, demonstrating that this investigational drug has a beneficial impact on the key aspects of Alzheimer's disease -- from behavioral symptoms to thinking and memory problems to impairments in daily function," said Lynn Seely, M.D., chief medical officer of Medivation. "Medivation is committed to rapidly developing Dimebon as a treatment for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease to make it available to the millions of people who suffer from this increasingly prevalent disease, for which new treatment options are desperately needed."

Dimebon Showed Statistically Significant Benefit Versus Placebo on All Key Efficacy Endpoints

Medivation previously announced efficacy and safety results from the pivotal, 12-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Dimebon in 183 patients with mild-to-moderate AD. Dimebon improved the clinical course of Alzheimer's disease patients by causing statistically significant improvements over placebo in each of the five primary aspects of the disease -- memory, thinking, activities of daily living, behavior and overall clinical function. Significant gains over placebo were evident after as little as 12 weeks of treatment, and were maintained after both six months and a full year of treatment. In addition, after six months of treatment, Dimebon patients were significantly better on all five disease aspects than they were at the beginning of the study. The real-world impact of these data was evaluated by independent assessment, including caregiver interviews, which confirmed improvement or stabilization in 81 percent of Dimebon-treated patients after six months of treatment. Importantly, Dimebon's overall benefit compared to placebo continued to increase over time, and was larger at one year than at six months.

Dimebon was well-tolerated throughout the entire one-year treatment period. The majority of adverse events were mild, with dry mouth (18.0 percent Dimebon, 1.1 percent placebo) and depressed mood the most common events. There were significantly fewer serious adverse events in the Dimebon group than in the placebo group at one year.

Medivation is planning to initiate a second, confirmatory pivotal Phase 3 trial of Dimebon in mild-to-moderate AD in the second quarter of 2008 with the goal of completing the trial and applying for U.S. and European marketing approval in 2010. The Company is also evaluating Dimebon in an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial in mild-to-moderate Huntington's disease. Dimebon is an orally-available small molecule that has been shown to inhibit brain cell death in preclinical models relevant to Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases, making it a potential treatment for these and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Dimebon

2008-07-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

Overview

Dimebon is an orally-available, small molecule that has been shown to inhibit brain cell death in preclinical models relevant to Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease, making it a potential treatment for these and other neurodegenerative diseases. Based on clinical and preclinical data generated to date, Medivation believes that Dimebon works through a novel mechanism of action improving mitochondria function.

We are currently evaluating Dimebon in clinical trials for both Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s diseases.

Medivation Announces Publication in The Lancet of Dimebon Pivotal Trial Results in Alzheimer's Disease

2008-07-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO, July 17, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Medivation, Inc. today announced publication of the results of its first Alzheimer's disease pivotal clinical trial of the investigational drug Dimebon in the July 19, 2008 issue of The Lancet. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease treated with Dimebon experienced statistically significant improvements compared to placebo in all the key aspects of the disease: memory and thinking, activities of daily living, behavior and overall function.

After both six months and a full year of treatment, Dimebon-treated patients were significantly better than placebo-treated patients on all key aspects of the disease. The benefit on the primary endpoint, the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) at six months, was highly significant (p<0.0001). Patients treated with Dimebon were also significantly improved at six months over baseline on all measures (p=0.005 on ADAS-cog). Dimebon's benefit over placebo continued to increase throughout the 12-month treatment period. At the end of 12 months, Dimebon-treated patients preserved their starting level of function on each measure of Alzheimer's disease.

"In this study, Dimebon improved the clinical course of Alzheimer's disease, which is important given that the natural course is progressive deterioration over time," said Rachelle Doody, M.D., Ph.D., lead author and the Effie Marie Cain Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Research at the Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders Center, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "There is a clear need for new treatments that can add value and enduring benefit to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The results of this trial suggest that, if the findings are replicated, Dimebon could advance Alzheimer's treatment, offering more hope for patients and their caregivers."

Dimebon was well-tolerated throughout the trial. There was no difference between the Dimebon and placebo groups in the number of patients with adverse events, and the most common side effects seen were dry mouth (18 percent versus 1 percent for placebo) and depressed mood/depression (15 percent versus 5 percent for placebo). Importantly, fewer patients treated with Dimebon had serious adverse events than did patients on placebo at the end of the study (3 percent versus 12 percent; p=0.03).

Additional analyses of the Dimebon pivotal study data presented at recent medical conferences showed that Dimebon's impact extended to caregivers. Behavioral improvements in Dimebon-treated patients resulted in a significant decrease in caregiver distress at six months and at one year compared to the distress of caregivers of placebo-treated patients. Further, after six months, caregivers of Dimebon-treated patients saved approximately one hour per day assisting patients with activities of daily living compared to caregivers of placebo-treated patients.

"The magnitude, consistency and duration of the beneficial effects of Dimebon demonstrated in this trial are striking," said Paul Aisen, M.D., Director, Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) and Professor in the Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego (UCSD). "In addition, the drug has been well-tolerated to date and, if the safety profile is replicated in the ongoing international trial, it will be a substantial advance for this patient population prone to drug side effects."

"We are pleased to see our first pivotal trial culminate with publication of its significant findings in such a prestigious journal," said David Hung, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Medivation. "Currently available therapies treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease with only modest effect. The Dimebon study is the first study in which a drug has achieved statistically significant benefits of this breadth, size and duration in a one year, well-controlled trial. These data, coupled with our recently announced positive results in Huntington's disease, suggest that Dimebon could be a novel therapy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. We look forward to the completion of our confirmatory pivotal Phase 3 study of Dimebon in Alzheimer's disease."

About the Pivotal Study

In the trial, 183 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease were randomized to receive Dimebon (20 mg three times a day, administered orally) or placebo for six months. 134 patients continued treatment in a blinded manner for an additional six months (one year total treatment) in the same group to which they were originally randomized; 120 of these patients (90 percent) completed the trial.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) informed Medivation that this study can be used as one of the pivotal studies required to support the approval of Dimebon to treat mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, as long as a significant proportion of the sites in the confirmatory Phase 3 trial are located in the United States. The Company recently began a confirmatory pivotal Phase 3 trial of Dimebon in Alzheimer's disease known as the CONNECTION study. Patients and caregivers can learn more about the study by visiting http://www.connectionstudy.com or by calling 1-877-888-6386.

About Dimebon

Dimebon is an orally available small molecule that has been shown to inhibit brain cell death in preclinical models relevant to Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases, making it a potential treatment for these and other neurodegenerative diseases. Preclinical data generated to date suggest that Dimebon operates through a novel mitochondrial mechanism of action.

On July 7, 2008, Medivation announced positive safety and efficacy results from its Phase 2 trial of Dimebon for the treatment of Huntington's disease, which was conducted in collaboration with the Huntington Study Group. The study met its primary endpoint of safety and tolerability; in addition, Dimebon showed statistically significant benefit versus placebo in cognition as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination, a secondary endpoint in the study. Huntington's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the gradual development of involuntary muscle movement, progressive deterioration of cognitive processes and memory and severe behavioral disturbances. There are currently no approved drugs in the United States to treat this uniformly fatal genetic disorder.

About Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease that destroys brain cells and affects areas of the brain involved in memory, cognition, judgment, language and behavior, eventually leading to severe impairments in cognition and function. The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's disease affects as many as 5 million Americans.

About Medivation

Medivation, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the rapid development of novel small molecule drugs to treat serious diseases for which there are limited treatment options. Medivation aims to transform the treatment of these diseases and offer hope to critically ill patients and their caregivers. The Company's current clinical development program includes a pivotal and confirmatory Phase 3 trial of Dimebon in Alzheimer's disease and a Phase 1-2 clinical trial of MDV3100 in patients with castration-resistant (also known as hormone-refractory) prostate cancer. Medivation recently announced that it plans to continue further development of Dimebon in patients with mild-to-moderate Huntington's disease based on the positive results seen in its Phase 2 trial. For more information, please visit us at http://www.medivation.com.

SOURCE Medivation, Inc.

Angelina's secret sadness - by her brother

2008-07-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

Even by the standards of Hollywood it is an extraordinary project.

When three-year-old Pham Quang Sang explores his new home for the first time this week, he will become the latest addition to what must be one of the fastest-growing families on the planet, not to mention the most colourful.

Little Pham, from Vietnam, joins Maddox from Cambodia, Zahara from Ethiopia and Shiloh, born in Namibia last May. Equally remarkable are the parents, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, a superstar couple prepared to embrace domesticity on a heroic scale.

Ms Jolie has promised to adopt babies from every corner of the globe, without limit, and this is no empty threat. Already she has collected a family that resembles the United Nations.

Family: Angelina Jolie, dad Jon Voight, and brother James Haven Voight

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She faces constant criticism, claims that she is a publicity-seeker, and demands that she take American babies instead of looking to the developing world for children.

But the 'Brangelina' circus rumbles on, unperturbed, which on past form is no surprise. Since she first hit stardom, she has been defiantly unconventional, whether it is boasting about unusual sex, showing off her collection of knives, or her large, and some will feel disfiguring, collection of tattoos.

Although recognised the world over, she is a woman truly known by very few, but her brother, 33-year-old actor and director James Haven Voight, can honestly claim to be one of them.

A reticent man who has spent much of his life in the shadow of his famous younger sister, he rarely seeks the limelight.

But with concern mounting about Angelina's behaviour, he has used his first-ever newspaper interview to defend her reputation and shed some light on the damaged and dysfunctional upbringing which has shaped them both.

In a fascinating insight into a very private world, he blames the bullying and manipulation of their handsome movie-hero father, Jon Voight, star of Midnight Cowboy, for blighting both their lives.

And he says it is the trauma of their childhood which has driven his sister to create a huge and independent family of her own.

Already emotionally vulnerable, the death of their mother in January of this year has left 31-year-old Angelina shattered. She is eating little and already seems to be losing her famous curves.

Now, more than ever, says her brother, she is determined to place her faith in the lives of the children - and who knows how many more there will be - she is gathering around her.

"I have no memory at all of my mother shouting at me or at my sister," James explains. "But I do have horrible memories of my father and the way he behaved. He was so tough on our mother.

"He lived in the same town. We saw him around Christmas time or at school recitals. He was always around but he never did his job as a father.

"I think one of the reasons Angelina and I care so much for other people is his treatment of our mother. Angelina and I were very protective of her for that reason."

It was their mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who provided the emotional underpinning to their lives, he says - the one point of stability amid the chaos. Her loss to cancer, aged just 56, has been devastating.

"Angie has become very thin because she's grieving," he admits. "It's even difficult for her to eat. I keep saying to her, 'Don't forget to eat'.

"But you know she doesn't pay much attention to food anyway and she's been going through a process of grief like me. She has not wanted to eat, nor has she been able to."

It ought to have been a privileged childhood for James and Angelina. Born in 1973 and 1975 respectively, they were members of Hollywood aristocracy. As teenagers they were educated at the Beverly Hills High School, alma mater to the stars - a school made more famous still by its central role in the long-running series Beverly Hills 90210.

Certainly, James remembers the domestic security of his mother's routine with affection.

"There was very much that home feeling when we came back from school," he recalls.

"Angie and I would walk in and comment on how we could smell things cooking and baking in the kitchen.

"My mum was methodical in making sure we did our homework perfectly. She would do outlines to help us. When we were younger, she used flash cards.

"Or she'd be in the middle of cooking and pick up a carrot and teach us about the vegetable or the fruit so that it was visual as well. Angie is now the same with her kids."

Marcheline, a beauty of mixed French-Canadian and Iroquois heritage, was an actress in her own right when she married Voight in 1971. But it was a brief partnership. They separated in 1976, shortly after Angelina's birth.

James and Angelina refuse to talk about the reasons for their parents' break-up - although there have been persistent rumours of womanising.

For all Marcheline's efforts to create a happy home, it was impossible to escape the destructive influence of Voight.

Money was one of many battlegrounds, although there should hardly have been a shortage of cash.

By 1975, he was a household name, handsome, blue-eyed and in demand.

Yet according to James, it was a constant battle - to the point that Angelina and her older brother were reduced to pleading with him to pay the child support he owed.

"I tried hard when I was alone with him," recalls James. "The alimony was always an issue. He would claim he was taking good care of her.

"But in reality Mum was stressing out and we had to tell him he was causing the problem. This would be when I was 13 and Angie was 11.

"We definitely had a taste of his manipulative behaviour. But it was when he dealt with my mother that we really saw him pulling the strings.

"And that made us very sad and angry. Angelina and I saw my mum oppressed. Now we're protective of women on their own and, of course, of children."

It was an experience which drove brother and sister closer and even today their relationship borders on intensity. H for 'Haven' is tattooed on Jolie's wrist.

Notoriously, she gave him a long and passionate kiss when celebrating her Oscar success for Girl, Interrupted in 2000.

James, who has the same striking looks as his sister, travels with Brad and Angelina on many of their foreign expeditions, and spends hours in the company of her growing brood.

Growing up, they never went hungry, but there were hardships. No one in Hollywood walks - Los Angeles is not built for the convenience of pedestrians - yet neither Angelina nor James could afford a car.

He explains: "One of the saddest things in my life happened when I was 16, which is when you can get your permit to drive in LA. I did not have a car in High School and neither did Angelina.

"Try to imagine. You go to Beverly Hills High, one of the wealthiest High Schools in the nation. Even the cheapest car that anyone has is brand new. All my friends are well off. I have a movie-star father and no car.

"It was debilitating. I did not to go to the prom [the social highlight of an American high school career] because I felt uncomfortable that Dad would have to drive me. It's an embarrassing thing.

"The significant years of dating and getting to know yourself, I didn't experience any of that. I didn't experience what I think is one of the most important times in a person's life, and neither did Angelina. It affected both of us.

"When I was in college and finally dating I went to my dad and told him what it was like for me in High School. He didn't try to understand at all. He said he didn't have money."

It was a lesson that neither of them forgot. James says: "Angie has been driven to be an independently wealthy woman now because we saw what it was like to be at the mercy of someone who controls the money and pulls the strings.

"There were times when our dad was awesomely good with us, but my biggest and most abiding memory is that he would look more to our faults than to our strengths."

It must, then, have been particularly hard to follow him in the movie industry. Certainly for all his sensitivity and good looks, James has scored only modest success with parts in the 2001 movies Original Sin - starring his sister - and Monster's Ball, which starred his sister's then husband, Billy Bob Thornton.

James says: "Look at what Angelina is doing - her work with the United Nations, raising awareness of refugees. It would just be great if Dad would commend her, or send her a message of encouragement. But she's never heard those words from him."

However, it did nothing to blunt her ambitions or her determination. In fact, the young Angelina was precocious in many ways.

This was a girl sufficiently confident to start a sexual relationship at the age of 14 and bring her lover back to live under the same roof with the tolerance, if not the approval, of her mother.

James denies that his sister is a domineering character, claiming that her famed decisiveness is, like her love of knives and her boasts about sadomasochistic sex, an attempt to be independent of other people's control.

But he is not ashamed to admit he is under her influence, in all sorts of ways.

"She's always been very protective of me with regards to my romantic life, which I love," he smiles. "She wants me to be with the right woman. When you come from a divorced home, divorce is what you desperately want to avoid.

"Maybe I haven't found the right woman because my sister is too picky for me. Any woman has to go through two filters, me and then my sister.

"I'm a perfectionist by nature. Then, because I'm so close to Angie it's like I've already got the perfect woman in my life and it's hard for anyone else to live up to that.

"I go to Angie for advice and won't do anything without her because we were so close as children."

Her influence on him is so profound, he claims he has even been persuaded to adopt a child himself - provided he can find a partner first. Angelina has even brought about a change of career, persuading him to spend large parts of his time campaigning for charity. He is currently preparing to take part in a major US campaign to fight the AIDS pandemic in Uganda.

James is outraged by the claim that their relationship might in any way be inappropriate - claims prompted by 'that' kiss after the 2000 Oscars.

"I did not give Angie a French kiss, it was something simple and lovely," he insists.

"She was about to go off to Mexico to finish filming Original Sin with Antonio Banderas. I congratulated her on the Oscar win and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. It was snapped and became a big thing round the world."

It seemed at one point the fractured relationship between Angelina and her father was on the mend. The pair took part in the 2001 movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, for example, with Voight playing her on-screen father.

But Voight spoiled it by going on Access Hollywood, a prime-time US talk show, and accusing his daughter of having 'serious mental problems'. Jolie responded by legally erasing her surname, Voight, and banning him from seeing her children. They have not spoken since.

Voight's relationship with his son, meanwhile, is a little better. But not much. Voight has yet to talk to James in person following the death of his mother, an omission the son finds barely able to believe.

"My dad left a voicemail message that was very kind, wishing condolences to me and my sister. That was what he did," says James, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

Now, with the death of their mother, the wound is red raw.

"He was very tough on my mum for years and then the person he was tough on has gone. He can't do anything now, he can't fix that and it's very painful," James says.

"At some point I've got to be able to let my bitterness and anger towards him go and I'm working on that now. I believe my mother's in a better place. What I have to deal with is that there's no such thing as him making amends now - he's lost his chance and that just makes me and Angelina even more upset.

"When I first lost my mother, I couldn't stop crying. Fortunately, I was with Angie when we heard. It was such a big moment.

"If Angelina understood something about missing parents before, she understands completely now. Angelina and I are orphans too, in a way. When you see those kids in orphanages, they cling to each other. And that's exactly what they have - they have each other."

James Haven Visits Sister Angelina Jolie & The Twins

2008-07-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

NICE, France -Angelina Jolie’s brother, James Haven, stopped by to visit his sister and her newborns earlier today in France.

Haven was captured by an Associated Press photographer entering Nice’s Hospital Lenval, at around 10 AM local time.

In a baseball cap, sunglasses and red gym top, Haven arrived at the hospital surrounded by bodyguards, according to People.

Haven pulled up in a Mercedes with blacked out windows.

Angelina and her newborns – Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline — are still at the hospital, where she gave birth to the babies via C-section over the weekend.

Haven was last spotted at the facility when he brought Angelina’s first child, Maddox, to see his mom, on July 5, People reported.

Anuar Ibrahim Caught Again

2008-07-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

Supposed that today I'm already not really in mood due to some lady's sick.When I reach home after work,i thought of having a nice bath and then have a great nap/rest.But out of sudden,my mum asked me for some minor help-fetch the maid back to agent's office and pick up my bro from school.

So,after my bath,I drop down 'kakak' first then drive all the way to town to fetch my bro.When I'm back,one of my course mate asked me about my result.I was totally blank and got very nervous with that.I tried many way to get myself logged in but after few hours trying with that,my username blocked.I dare not to wait,so..i dare up myself to complain for the complicated web info.Is kinda confusing when I go through the web site.Few minutes later,the in charge person reset my password to the origin password.And finally,i can log in already.At the very first glance,I was happy with my result..BUT when I scroll down further......

OMG..I can't believe I got such 'ugly' result.

I've broken my own heart and my very own hope.I thought that I can prove it to my parents,but seems like I need to work triple harder compared to previous sem!I even thought that some one could accompany m and talk to me to pass this night.

Second big disappoint drop on me again.On a very first that i heard when I answer a call,I heard the unexpected background-car engine running on.Because I really thought that he can forgo his outing for 1 night and to talk to me..but.......

Thirdly,I even think that I can handle my disappointment but seems like,I can't make myself to have a better sleep tonight.

Too many surprise with a big disappointment happen at the same time,on the same day and what bad is..it happen before I sleep.Tomorrow,I still need to stand from 11am to 5pm.I'm here wondering,under hot sun/temperature,without sleeping at night,and headache,will i faint down again like last time I always does during school time..??

At this late night,I can't do anything..Most peoples sleep.So,what I can do now is listen to MY FM and also HITZ FM while blogging.And now,I found that I really make full use of my laptop.Ah,I downloaded all those latest news from BULETIN UTAMA,TV3 which something related to Dato' Anuar Ibrahim and also our economy.

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, was arrested yesterday at 1PM after finished giving a statement to the Anti-Corruption Agency in Putrajaya regarding in his 'black-eye' incident in 1998.

When there will be a break for this thing ! Malaysian concentrating in growing it but there's interruption in building the community well !

Emmy Nominees Announced Today!

2008-07-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

This morning, we brought you the Emmy noms live online as Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother") and Kristen Chenoweth ("Pushing Daisies") announced this year's contenders!

America Ferrera made the list again for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series with her performance on "Ugly Betty," which earned her the trophy last year. She is joined by fellow funny ladies Mary-Louise Parker, ("Weeds") Tina Fey, ("30 Rock") Christina Applegate ("Samantha Who?") and Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("The New Adventures of Old Christine").

Their male counterparts include the hilarious Tony Shalhoub ("Monk"), Steve Carell ("The Office"), Lee Pace ("Pushing Daisies"), Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock") and Charlie Sheen ("Two And A Half Men").

Charlie tells ET: "I'm extremely proud of our show. I'm flattered and honored to be nominated, and as usual, I am more excited for my fellow 'Two and a Half Men' nominees."

Out of the top 10 comedies previously announced for consideration, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Entourage," "The Office," "30 Rock" and "Two And A Half Men" made the cut.

In the drama category, "Boston Legal," "Damages," "Dexter," "House," "Lost" and "Mad Men" took the top slots.

Taking top nods with 23 bids is HBO's historical drama "John Adams." Paul Giamatti, who played Adams, is up for best lead actor.

"30 Rock" followed with 17 noms, "Mad Men" with 16, "Pushing Daisies" with 12, "Recount" with 11, "Bernard and Doris" with 10, "Tin Man" with 9, the mini-series "Cranford", "Dancing with the Stars" and "The Office" with 8 noms each.

For the first time ever, the awards will include a trophy for Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program. Ryan Seacrest, Tom Bergeron, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Jeff Probst have the honor of being the first nominated in this new category.

In a surprise move, both Neil and Kristen were told they're nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actor/Actress categories! They're joined by Jeremy Piven ("Entourage"), Kevin Dillon ("Entourage"), Rainn Wilson ("The Office"), Jon Cryer ("Two And A Half Men"), Jean Smart ("Samantha Who?"), Amy Poehler ("Saturday Night Live"), Holland Taylor ("Two And A Half Men") and Vanessa Williams ("Ugly Betty").

Upon learning of her nomination, Vanessa told us that she is "happy to be nominated amongst such an amazing group of women. I'm a huge fan of all of their work."

About Global Grind

2008-07-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

Global Grind is a community based website allowing people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web, by linking to, voting for, and commenting on each others content, in a social and democratic way. To view the content in full, Global Grind links to the website that published the story, therefore driving traffic to that website and creating a larger market for sites that publish their own news stories, photos, and videos. Voting submitted content up and down is the cornerstone functionality of the website, and is respectively referred to as grinding and trashing. Headquartered in New York City, Global Grind is a privately held firm funded by Accel Partners and Russell Simmons.

Website	globalgrind.com
Blog	blogs.globalgrind.com
Stage	Live
Launch Date	September 26, 2007
Tags	social-networking, community, globalgrind, news, hip-hop, urban

Voting submitted content up and down is the cornerstone function of the website, and is respectively referred to as grinding and trashing.

Headquartered in New York City, Global Grind is a privately held firm funded by Silicon Valley venture capital firm Accel Partners and Hip-Hop Mogul Russell Simmons.

Mediterranean Diet - The Cretan Diet From Crete Island

2008-07-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

In an international scale there is much discussion about, and deep interest in, finding the ideal diet, which will improve the health of human beings warding off illnesses. Ever since antiquity, the traditional diet of Cretans seems to be just such a one, including all the right ingredients. The Greek island of Crete has always been identified with healing and regeneration. And once again, an ancient culture may offer lessons to the people of today!
Following scientific research and statistical analyses, the Cretan nutrition and diet has been proven to promote health and longevity. It consists almost exclusively of products that the people of Crete produce naturally. Products that only the island of Crete and its ideal climatic conditions can offer.
	t is not only the unique in taste and quality Cretan products but also their combination, which gives an enormous nutritional value and can be found in every Cretan dish. A comparative study among several developed countries, which began in 1960 on behalf of seven countries, has a group of about 700 Cretan men from the countryside under medical observation, regularly checking the state of their health: so far this group has had the lowest percentage of deaths caused by heart attacks and different kinds of cancer.
his study has also shown the Cretan population to be the longest living one: when, in 1991, thirty one years after the beginning of the study, the Social Health Sector of the University of Crete undertook the medical checkup of the group, about 50% were found to be still alive as opposed to the rest of the six participating countries where there wasn't a single survivor (even in the rest of Greece)!Until recently the diet was simple and wholesome: olive oil, which counted for the 1/3 of the individual's daily need in energy, but mainly cereals, principally bread, pulses, vegetables and fruit and, to a lesser degree, cheese, milk, eggs, fish and a little red wine with every meal. Taking into account the conditions of today's life, we would recommend a return to the traditional Cretan eating habits. If someone decides to incorporate a Cretan-like diet, it is good to know the following basics: Use olive oil as the principal fat, replacing other fats and oils. Drink a moderate consumption of wine, normally with meals; about one to two glasses per day for men and one glass per day for women. Eat fresh fruit as a typical daily dessert; limit sweets with a significant amount of sugar and saturated fat. Incorporate an abundance of food from plant sources, including fruits and vegetables, breads and grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Eat minimally processed and seasonally fresh and locally grown foods. Total dietary fat should range from less than 25 percent to over 35 percent of energy, with saturated fat no more than 7 to 8 percent of total calories. Eat low to moderate amounts of cheese and yoghurt daily. Consume low to moderate amounts of fish and poultry weekly; and limit eggs from zero to four servings per week. Only eat red meat a few times or just one time per month

Mediterranean Diet Research Deeply Flawed

2008-07-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

A new study published in the British Medical Journal reports that the Mediterranean diet "helps reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 83 percent." The research uses a flawed "Mediterranean Diet Scale" developed a few years ago to determine just how "Mediterranean" a person's diet is. It's a nine-point scale, and test subjects get a point for each aspect of their diet that falls within range. For example, a male who eats a certain quantity of fruit per week gets a fruit point. If he eats an amount of whole grains above a certain amount he gets a whole grain point. Falling outside the scale results in a zero. Getting a nine means someone has a perfectly "Mediterranean" diet. The scale is horribly flawed for four reasons:

First of all, it concerns itself only with quantities of specific things, not quality. So nutrient-poor industrialized, toxin-compromised foods are given the same score as organic and nutrient-rich foods free from toxins.

Second, Mediterranean Diet research assumes that only diet, or only diet and exercise are factors in the superior health and longer lifespans of Mediterranean people, but as other research is showing, sunshine is another factor. This is a problem because Mediterranean diet research does not include advice to get more sun.

Third, with the exception of alcohol and saturated fats, the Mediterranean Diet Scale doesn't concern itself with consumption or over consumption of unhealthy foods. So it's possible to get a perfect 9 on the Mediterranean diet scale, and still consume huge amounts of cotton candy and Red Bull and every day.

Fourth, subjects get an alcohol point for consuming from one to three glasses of alcohol for men and slightly less for women. That means drinking zero alcohol -- the healthiest option, assuming the rest of your diet is healthy -- is treated the same as drinking a bottle of scotch every day. The upper end of this scale -- three glasses per day -- is enough to develop chronic alcoholism.

Also: The research presents Mediterranean food as a drug that "reduces the risk" of diabetes. In fact, the Mediterranean diet is simply closer to what people have eaten for millennia, and that our science-fiction industrialized modern diet *causes* diabetes and other diseases.

When scientists discovered that children were suffering from growth retardation and nervous system damage from eating lead paint, they didn't say that "switching to paint that contains lower amounts of lead can help reduce nervous system damage by 83 percent." No, they reported that lead causes the damage.

The same is true for industrialized diets: They *cause* diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer and other maladies.

Best Diet: Low-Fat, Low-Carb or Mediterranean?

2008-07-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

In the ongoing battle royale between the hottest American trend diets, it seems one of them in particular always wins title of "most widely followed trend diet" — the standard low-fat diet.

The idea, it seems, has been that the lower in fat a diet is, the better its results. But this notion is one that is under fire from new research released today. And the study has already reignited a debate within the diet and nutrition community that could determine the eventual fate of the low-fat diet.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., found in a study of 322 obese subjects that the so-called Mediterranean diet — a diet plan characterized by high levels of healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables — beat out the low-fat diet both in terms of how much weight patients lost, as well as how many health benefits they gained as a result of the diet.

Anuar oh Anwar

2008-07-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

I had a really good lunch with my colleagues today, courtesy of AP Dr Mike and AP Dr Vijay due to their recent promotions. The menu was 'nasi beriyani gam' cooked by my dearest mum, plus a myriad of other food including fruits and satay. The mangoes Shanty brought from her house was divine and so was the fruit salad that Azian made.

We also had a good chat,Prof Ann,Dr Mike,Dr Vijay,Zaidi and I. Among other things discussed were Anuar Zain's concert in that Prof Ann's daughter who's just come back from Germany has asked her to go together with the 'dulang hantaran meminang' as apparently she is so nuts about him but he met her once and said to her personally, come see me when you are older. Then Shanty broke the secret about me singing with Anuar Zain on Astro ( and I went- come on!malu!!) so everyone had a laugh.

Later we talked about Anwar Ibrahim and the debate last night. I missed it and could have kicked myself for having forgotten, but what to do when you have kids and their tae-kwondo lessons. All the same,no regrets they said on the debate as the Info Minister was rubbish and foaming at the mouth it was so sad to watch (True ka?) Dr.Vijay said the DSAI won the debate hands down.

Anyway, we then talked about how we don't want him as Prime Miniter and all that, and how the Malays should stop taking handouts from Govt and start thinking like our Non-Malay compariots. Quote " How long should the Malays stay on crutches?" Unquote - Exact words of Dr.Vijay. And he cannot be anymore right.

After the hearty meal, I went upstairs to my office.Before continuing with my lectures on " Genetic Engineering (YUCKS!!SUCKS!!) I browsed through the internet a bit to read Utusan Online. That was when I read the bit on Anwar being arrested again by the same modus operandi they used 10 years ago, commandos wth masks and the works.

Oh dear.

I am not sure if it was the food, but then I could not help but feel a pang of sympathy for him as well as for his family.

The Government by this recent action has loudly proclaimed to us all that not only it is flip-flop,it is also unimaginative . This commando crap with masks this time will bear no effect and is a total waste of time in trying to instill the seriousness of the situation as it has "STALE" pasted all over it.

Why la Government you do this kind of things???WHY???Cannot do something a bit more exciting like Incredible Hulk kaa??

And then the Ketua Kelong Pendatang Haram a.k.a Katherine Jackson has demanded Anwar give his DNA samples asap. What rubbish. If there are any DSAI supporters out there, I suggest you tell DSAI to masturbate in front of KJ and give him the samples personally while it is still fresh. Then he has no reason to complain of the validity of his samples. Or that it has been changed as he was right there to receive it.( Sorry younger readers reading this!)

And my dearest PM , if you so criticise the actions of our former PM, why did you replicate his very actions? I believed you have more intelligence than that,epecially after your marriage to this so-called first lady whose names we have to pronounce in French for it to be right.

I am sorely disappointed by this most recent arrest. Although I do not like DSAI, I do not expect for him to be subjected to again a few tumultous years of not being with his family.That is a need. It is also a basic right. Like what Prof Ann said just now and I quote : Why does have to spend years behind bars for something that all the ministers do anyway?Unquote

In order to develop the people in our country fear should not be used as an instrument. The people of Malaysia are not stupid. To me the right thing to do is let him stand for election if he wants and then we the rakyat shall choose . Do not deprive him of what he seeks to do; in so far I have not seen him do anything unlawful. I do not like him yes, but that does not mean we have to be unjust.

Tonight I will pray to Allah to let DSAI be released and for him to go about his own business for the sake of our country. Although I do not support him, the sad fact is we the rakyat need people like him to open the eyes of our ministers who do not care to see. Enough to open, but definitely not win.These are interesting times in our nation and so it must be observed and dealt with properly and justly for the sake of our future generations.That' s my two cents on this matter.

OMG, it MUST be the food.Or have I gone soft?

Naw, I am just saying what I think is right.
All the same,I think the PM at some point should be Mukhriz.

High Glycemic Foods for Diet

2008-07-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

Eat healthy 'vision' foods daily

Along with exercising routinely, protecting the eyes and getting regular eye exams, eating certain foods can help maintain vision health.

The American Health Assistance Foundation recommends including the following foods in your diet:

Dark green, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables. These contain carotenoids, which help defend against a number of medical conditions, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Two carotenoids important to vision health are, Lutein and zeaxanthin.

Lutein is found in spinach, collard greens, kale, okra, broccoli, papaya, oranges, kiwis, mangoes, green beans, peaches, sweet potatoes, lima beans, squash, red grapes, green bell peppers and egg yolks. Zeaxanthin can be found in yellow corn, honeydew melons, squash, oranges, mangoes, kale, apricots, peaches and orange bell peppers.

Fruits and vegetables abundant in vitamin C, including green peppers, citrus fruits, tomatoes, broccoli, strawberries, sweet and white potatoes, leafy greens and cantaloupe.

Foods containing vitamin E, such as: eggs, fortified cereals, fruit, wheat germ, green leafy vegetables, nuts, nut oils, vegetable oils and whole grains.

Sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as: wild salmon, tuna, sardines, walnuts and flaxseed oil.

Whole grain versions of rice, bread and pasta that contain complex carbohydrates are metabolized slower and are healthier than their "white" counterparts. White rice, bread and pasta have a high glycemic index and some studies have shown that eating foods with a high glycemic index may increase the risk of developing AMD.

Plumpin' Megan Fox & Baby Megabucks

2008-07-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

I always see pictures of celebrity children in magazines, and they always seem to be happy. I mean, do these kids just not cry, or do magazines not print bad pictures of the child?
—Becca

Just for you, a photo of Maddox Jolie-Pitt, who pretty much looks like this in every pap shot. Onward, to more of your Burning Q's!

I hear they told Megan Fox to put on 10 pounds for Transformers 2. Can an actress really be toooo skinny?
—Dale, Waukegan, Ill.

Yes. And "they" didn't tell Fox to gain 10 pounds. The director did. "I'd lost a lot of weight [for a role] and got really scrawny," Fox said during a Television Critics Association interview. "But I was told I had to put on size for Transformers, because Michael Bay doesn't like skinny girls."

As an aspiring screenwriter, is Hollywood really worth pursuing? It seems most everyone that goes there is left even more messed up than they came.
—L-Town, La.

Good point. You may as well stay in the state of Louisiana, that squeaky-clean beacon of uncorrupted innocence.

Who/what started the Ugg trend?
—T.K.

Haven't you heard? The Crocs have eaten the Uggs, honey.

But to your Q. Some trend watchers point to Pam Anderson, who wore them regularly on-camera during her mid-'90s Baywatch run. The animal-loving actress eventually realized she was wearing skin and dumped her Uggs. On her website, she wrote: "I'm getting rid of my Uggs. I feel so guilty for that craze being started around my Baywatch days. I used to wear them with my red swim suit to keep warm, never realizing that they were SKIN! I thought they were shaved kindly. People like to tell me all the time that I started that trend—yikes! Well let's start a new one—don't buy Uggs."

No need to beg me on that one. Not big on Mastodon legs meself.

Which is more important to a celebrity when it comes time to sell their baby pictures to a publications—the reputation of the magazine, or how much money the magazine will pay them?
—Jen, Toronto

"I have brokered a baby pic deal," personal publicity veteran Howard Bragman tells me, "and my client took the highest offer.

"People will often pay more," Bragman continues, "because not only do they want the picture—they don't want anyone else to have the picture even more."

Are Rob Kardashian and the Cheetah Girl still an item?
—J.P.

Yiss.

Has anyone who has won America's Next Top Model actually become a true "top model"?
—Mattonito

Hmmm. Lemme leaf through this here latest issue of Vogue, here. Daria Werbowy. Chanel Iman. Daria again. That Jetsons-looking space girl with the white hair and the black eyebrows. Lily Donaldson...Nope, no Cha-Cha Diva. So, in a word, no.

Walking Catfish Startle Residents

2008-07-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

PINELLAS PARK -- Residents in a Pinellas County subdivision found about 30 catfish walking around their neighborhood on Tuesday.

The walking catfish uses its pectoral fin to shuffle up the street and can breathe out of water as long as it stays moist.

Dianna Fernandez maintains the lawns in the area and drove up on the incredible sight.

"I was, like, 'No way, there's fish in the street.' And I kept going further and further, seeing fish everywhere. In driveways. I've never seen anything like it,"

Paul Shafland, a scientist with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said walking catfish can travel short distances on land as long as they stay moist.

"Scientists say these walking catfish are pretty tough. They actually live in storm drains, and when it rains a lot they come up with the water and start walking around the streets," Shafland said.

"We thought it was a prank at first. That, maybe, somebody dumped some fish, but then we realized that it was coming up from the sewer -- that we had to so much rain last night," said Pinellas Park resident Hannah Cline.

A fisherman on the St. Petersburg Pier who wasn't having much luck, was skeptical that he could catch plenty of fish on the street.

"Oh, walking on the street? Nah," said Marcilinio Ramierez.

Even though the slippery walking catfish are easy to catch, scientists say people should not try to save them because the fish are an invasive species that does harm to Florida's ecosystem.

According to Shafland, the walking catfish has been in Florida since the 1960s.

"Walking catfish gained huge notoriety in the 1960s that they were going to take over Florida and devastate the area," Shafland said. "Those predictions have not been realized. But while their numbers seem to have declined the walking catfish are still problematic."

Comedian Andy Dick arrested in drug, sex case

2008-07-16T13:08:00.001-07:00

MURRIETA, Calif. (AP) — Andy Dick was arrested early Wednesday for investigation of drug use and sexual battery after the comedian allegedly pulled down a teenager's top, police said.

The former co-star of the TV sitcom "NewsRadio" was released from a detention center after posting $5,000 bail. Calls to his representatives seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Police were called to the Buffalo Wild Wings in Murrieta at about 1:13 a.m. to investigate a report of "an intoxicated male" urinating outside the bar and causing a disturbance, according to a police statement.

When they arrived, a 17-year-old girl told police that she was outside when Dick left the bar, walked up, "grabbed her tank top and bra and pulled them down and exposed her breasts," the statement said.

Friends escorted Dick to a truck, which officers stopped at a nearby Sam's Club, police said.

Dick was identified by the teenager and a witness, police said.

Marijuana and the drug Xanax were found his pants pockets during a search and he appeared "extremely intoxicated," police said.

Dick, 42, was booked at Southwest Detention Center in French Valley on suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor sexual battery and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

Dick has a reputation for crude behavior. He has been reported to have exposed himself to audiences at least twice. He was forcibly removed from the set of the show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" last year after he repeatedly touched guest Ivanka Trump without her permission.

Also last year, Dick was cited in Columbus, Ohio, for urinating on the sidewalk. A comedy club owner in the city said the actor also made inappropriate comments while onstage, groped patrons, took women into the men's room and urinated on the floor and on at least one person.

In 1999, Dick was arrested for possession of cocaine and marijuana after driving his car into a telephone pole in Hollywood. He pleaded guilty but the charges were dismissed after he went into a diversion program.

Video Debat Anuar Ibrahim vs Ahmad Shabery Cheek

2008-07-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Money Tampabay

2008-07-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

Link Details for : Money tampabay.com — St. Petersburg Times

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Site Description : Friday is Take Your Dog to Work Day, but for Pixie, it'll be business as usual. ... Get the Tampabay.com Breaking Business News widget and many other great ...Added on : 2007 06 22

New videos from JibJab, Harry Shearer

2008-07-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

First, the JibJab — remember them? Take away the clever animation and this is just another dumb Mark Russell/Capitol Steps song parody. But it's really clever animation...

JibJab - Time for Some Campaignin'

And by the way, if you go here you can insert your picture (or anyone else's) in the place of the white guy who's "probed" in the video.

But if you'd just like to watch something funny, here is another amazing live-feed grab Harry Shearer's minions made. How they get these out of the Fox News bunker I have no idea, except that someone there might have it in for Laura Ingraham.

Watching this video, though, I can't understand why ANYONE would have it in for Laura ....

Three formally accused as Meredith Kercher murder inquiry wound-up

2008-07-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

Prosecutors in Perugia have wound up their eight-month investigation into the murder last November of the British exchange student Meredith Kercher, accusing all three suspects in the case of murder and sexual violence.

Amanda Knox, the American student from Seattle who shared lodgings in Perugia with Ms Kercher; Raffaele Sollecito, her Italian former boyfriend; and Rudy Guede, a Perugia resident and basketball player with joint Italian and Ivory Coast nationality, are all in prison on suspicion of having taken part in the killing. All deny the allegation.

Giuliano Mignini, the prosecutor who led the investigation, has today desposited his findings with Claudia Matteini, the preliminary investigating judge, who will decide within 20 days whether to bring charges.

The three suspects are also accused by prosecutors of "simulating a crime" by allegedly smashing a window to make it appear that there had been a break-in at the whitewashed hillside cottage Ms Kercher shared with Ms Knox and two female Italian students.

Investigators said that the inquiry had been finalised after forensic experts brought in by the judge had given their "definitive conclusions" on evidence found at the scene of the crime. The prosecution reconstruction is that Ms Kercher was forced to her knees and stabbed in the throat after refusing to take part in "a sexual game".

The prosecution report also accuses Ms Knox of falsely implicating Patrick Lumumba Diya, a Congolese musician and bar owner in Perugia, who was arrested but later released and cleared of all suspicion.

Ms Kercher, 21, from Coulsdon, Surrey, was in Perugia to attend the University for Foreigners on an exchange from Leeds University under the European Erasmus programme. Last weekend Ms Knox's parents — Edda Mellas, her mother, and Curt Knox, her father, who are divorced and have both remarried — told The Sunday Times that the handling of the crime scene by investigators had been "shoddy", with evidence such as Ms Kercher's bloodstained bra mishandled.

They challenged police forensic evidence that allegedly shows DNA traces of both Ms Kercher and Ms Knox on a kitchen knife seized at Mr Sollecito's flat, with Ms Knox's trace near the handle and Ms Kercher's at the tip. They also criticised leaks to the Italian media of interrogations, and said a "confession" made by Ms Knox to police late at night had been made under duress and without a lawyer present.

Ms Knox subsequently maintained she had been with Mr Sollecito at his flat on the night of the murder, saying she was "confused" because both she and Mr Sollecito had been high on cannabis.

This week Mr Guede's landlady in Perugia took legal action against him over non payment of 2,365 euros (£1,900) in rent on his flat in Via del Canerino. Nicodemo Gentile, Mr Guede's lawyer, said that Mr Guede was not responsible for keeping up rent payments because the flat had been confiscated and sealed by police after his arrest.

Mr Guede, who fled to Germany after the muder but was intercepted and extradited to Italy, maintains that he and Ms Kercher had "incomplete" consensual sex at the cottage, and that he was in the bathroom with stomach pains when an intruder entered and killed her. He later identified the intruder as Mr Sollecito, and claimed Ms Knox had also been present. Lawyers for both Mr Sollecito and Ms Knox have dismissed this.

Wiispeak - Animal Crossing City

2008-07-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

If life were an endless vacation, what would you do? Go fishing, collect shells or watch fireworks with friends? Build a snowman, exchange presents with family or decorate your house for the holidays? Take a trip to the city, go on a shopping spree or visit friends from all over the globe? In Animal Crossing: City Folk, life moves at a relaxed pace, but the world brims with endless possibilities.

Features:

There's always something new to do. In the living, breathing world of Animal
Crossing: City Folk, days and seasons pass in real time, so there's always
something to discover. Catch fireflies in the summer, go trick-or-treating on
Halloween or hunt for eggs on Bunny Day. If you're in the mood for something a
little faster paced, take a bus to a new urban city area that's unique to Animal
Crossing: City Folk. There you can catch a show at the theater or check out the
sales at Gracie's boutique. But if you don't show your face back home for too
long, your neighbors will miss you.

Up to four people from your household can live and work together to build the perfect town. Design clothes and patterns, write letters and post messages on the bulletin board for each other, or invite up to three friends to visit your town using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. With the new WiiSpeak microphone, it's like you're all in the same room. The microphone sits atop the sensor bar and picks up the conversation of everyone in the room to encourage a more inclusive experience.
Get to know your neighbors. The heart of Animal Crossing: City Folk is building relationships with the animals in your town as well as with other players. Befriend your animal neighbors by exchanging letters, gifts and favors. Animals can also move from town to town, bringing their memories and stories from their old towns with them. And since animals are notoriously loose-lipped, they spill all the juicy details.
Express your personal style. Customize your town, your house and
yourself by collecting bugs, fish, fossils, art, furniture, clothes and
accessories. You can also go to the salon in the city to change your hairstyle
and get a Mii makeover. Plus, if you design clothes in the tailor's shop,
animals will wear them and maybe even bring them to other towns.

All Star Parade in New York

2008-07-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

More than one million people, including 64 current Major League Baseball players, and 49 retired Hall of Famers are expected to attend the All Star Parade in New York City today according to Major League Baseball (MLB). The All Star Parade preceding the Major League Baseball All Star Game is scheduled for 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. The All Star Parade comes hours before the much-anticipated 79th All-Star game which starts at 8 p.m. at Yankee Stadium on July 15, 2008.

All Star Parade Route

The All Star Parade, aka the All-Star Game Red Carpet Parade, begins at 40th Street and Sixth Avenue. The All Star Parade heads North to 58th Street, where it moves East to Plaza Street. The all stars will head North on Plaza Street, to Central Park. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be in attendance.

Attending the All Star Parade

New York Yankees fans will be pleased by All Star Parade participants Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Alex Rodriguez.Some of the Major League Baseball players on the All Star Game roster are also expected to be in attendance.

American League Players

American League playing in the last All Star Game at Yankee Stadium include Joe Mauer (MIN), Kevin Youkilis (BOS), Dustin Pedroia (BOS), Derek Jeter (NYY), Alex Rodriguez, (NYY), Josh Hamilton (TEX), Manny Ramirez (BOS) , Ichiro Suzuki, (SEA), and David Ortiz (BOS).

National League Players

National League players on the team include Geovany Soto, Lance Berkman, Chase Utley, Hanley Ramirez, Chipper Jones, Ryan Braun, Kosuke Fukudome, Matt Holliday and Alfonso Soriano.

Hall of Famers

Baseball fans can see 49 Hall of Famers in the All Star Parade, including Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Goose Gossag, Hank Aaron, illy Mays, and Reggie Jackson. (MLB)

Navigating Around New York City

New Yorkers accustomed to taking buses may be diverted on July 15, 2008 until 6 p.m. due to the All Star Parade, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. For more information please call New York City Transit Travel Information Center at (718) 330-1234.

New York City streets which will be closed until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 include 6th Ave. between 58th and 40th Streets. Note; the western lanes will remain closed until 6 p.m.

40th Street between 6th and Madison Aves., and between 6th Ave. and Broadway

47th and 48th Streets between 6th and 7th Avenues

58th Street between Plaza St. and 6th Ave. until 6 p.m.

Bus Diversions for All-Star Parade

2008-07-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Several major bus routes will be diverted from 9:30 a.m. until about 6 p.m. on Tuesday because of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Procession, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Monday.

Uptown-bound M5, M6, M7 and BxM2 will run on Eighth Avenue instead of Sixth Avenue, making corresponding street stops on Eighth Avenue.

Crosstown QM1, QM1A, QM2, QM2A, QM3, QM4, QM15, QM16, QM17, QM18, QM10, QM12 and QM22 buses will stop at Madison Avenue instead of Sixth Avenue.

In addition, M.T.A. New York City Transit warned that the Police Department’s Transit Bureau might request that the agency close certain subway entrances at the following stations during the parade: Times Square-42nd Street, 42nd Street-Bryant Park, and 57th Street on the F line.

Customers who rely on any of the affected bus routes are advised to allow extra travel time for their commute on Tuesday. Information is also available from the M.T.A. New York City Transit Travel Information Center at (718) 330-1234 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., or through the Trip Planner feature at mta.info.

The Police Department also announced that Sixth Avenue from West 40th to 58th Streets will be closed for the parade, which is to last from 12:45 to 3 p.m. Three traffic lanes on the west side of Sixth Avenue will be closed starting at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday; the entire stretch of the avenue will be closed starting around 11 a.m. until the end of the parade.

The parade is a prelude to Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

Girls Gone Wild Magazine Adds Precisely Nothing to Teen Skin Media Landscape

2008-07-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

Joe Francis’ Girls Gone Wild magazine doesn’t hit newsstands until April 15, but here’s what’s purported to be the first issue — all 14 pages of it. A $9.99 cover price gets you features like “The Search for the Wildest Bar” and “The Insane Life of a Girls Gone Wild Camera Man,” both of which you can already find on Thrillist and, well, a Girls Gone Wild DVD. [P6]

Adrienne Bailon , Amber Hay & Kristen Renton at “GIRLS GONE WILD” MAGAZINE LAUNCH PARTY AREA, WEST HOLLYWOOD

2008-07-15T07:08:00.001-07:00

Source:http://www.celebutopia.net/forum/showthread.php/adrienne-bailon -amber-hay-kristen-renton-girls-gone-70265.html

Anger, anguish and analysis: Bloggers react to New Yorker cover

2008-07-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

Reaction to The New Yorker cover that Mark wrote about earlier has been pouring in on blogs since last night. Some commenters say they don't get the big deal. Others are wondering whether the magazine will be publishing covers on Republican John McCain that they would view as comparably offensive.

The mood is angry and anguished at Jack and Jill Politics, a blog that says it offers "a black bourgeoisie perspective on U.S. politics." The post is called "With friends like these" and, a cautionary note, the language in the post and comments is raw. At Daily Kos, there are suggestions for other "satirical" covers featuring Barack Obama. At Talking Points Memo, J. Thomas Cronin says the cover reveals the cluelessness of "limousine liberal Manhattanites" about the concerns some Americans have about Obama -- and in fact feeds those concerns.

On the right, some conservatives agree the cover is offensive and tasteless, not just to Obama but to them. It is meant to show conservatives as "ignorant racists," says Philip Klein at the American Spectator. If Obama loses, says Jim Geraghty at National Review's Campaign Spot, the magazine will blame it on "Republican smear artists." Ed Morrissey at Hot Air says Obama is lucky the cover will divert attention from the article inside.

David Brody, a Christian conservative blogger at CBN, says the cover perpetuates stereotypes and creates danger for Obama: "While The New Yorker may think that portrayal isn’t accurate, Obama’s critics on the right think the picture is spot on. I mean, this thing has ‘copy and paste” written all over it. Expect to see this jpeg picture popping up in conservative emails everywhere."

Joe Gandelman at The Moderate Voice analyzes and summarizes much more reaction here.

Legally Blonde the Musical

2008-07-14T23:14:00.000-07:00

Ghostlight Records continues to deliver on its promise to bring modern technology to the next generation of Broadway music fans, as it confirms the July 22nd digital release of the single 'So Much Better,' performed by the winner of MTV's "Legally Blonde THE MUSICAL: THE SEARCH FOR ELLE WOODS."

'So Much Better' is the first act finale from the popular Broadway show, and was the key 'competition' song on MTV's reality series search to find a new star for the production. Fans will be able to purchase the track July 22nd, after the winner is announced on the 7/21 finale of MTV's series. Ghostlight's single will be available on all MP3 outlets, including Amazon and iTunes. For those who prefer to have a physical single, copies will be available exclusively via www.GhostlightRecords.com as of July 22nd.

The single was recorded with members of the Broadway company of 'Legally Blonde The Musical,' in New York City, last week. The winner of MTV's competition will begin her starring role in the production on July 23rd.

Ghostlight's sales of the Original Cast Recording for 'Legally Blonde The Musical' recently exceeded 100,000 copies. The popular label has also released the OCRs for 'In The Heights' and 'Passing Strange'. The brick-and-mortar release of 'Passing Strange' is July 15th.

Ghostlight is a label created by and for the Broadway community. They are committed to bringing the music of the 'New Broadway' to a contemporary audience, using modern technology, innovative marketing and artist involvement. Utilizing music videos, digital downloads and other aggressive strategies new to the Broadway arena, Ghostlight continues to be on the vanguard of interacting with the next generation of Broadway music consumers. The label and its artists continue to generate significant attention. President Kurt Deutsch was interviewed by PLAYBILL, regarding the label's embrace of 'Broadway's Digital Age': http://www.playbill.com/features/article/118331.html

Sh-K-Boom Records and its imprint Ghostlight Records is a Grammy-nominated record label, a producer of recorded and live entertainment, and an interactive community at www.sh-k-boom.com, and www.ghostlightrecords.com. Since being founded seven years ago by Kurt Deutsch and Sherie Rene Scott, Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight is the leading producer of Original Broadway and Off Broadway cast albums, and solo recordings by the new generation of Broadway stars and composers. Their winning philosophy has been to work in close partnership with performers and producers, to create product that comes from directly within the community of Broadway artists. With over 50 albums in their catalogue, titles include: The Smash Broadway Hit Legally Blonde, Grammy and Tony Nominated Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Grammy nominated and Tony Winning The Drowsy Chaperone, Grammy nominated and Tony Winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the Grammy nominated all-star benefit recording of Hair for The Actors' Fund of America, as well as The Last 5 Years, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Bright Lights, Big City (with Patrick Wilson and Jesse L. Martin), and Michael John LaChiusa's See What I Wanna See and Bernarda Alba. Solo Artists include: Patti LuPone, Billy Porter, Jason Robert Brown, Christine Ebersole, Adam Pascal (original star of Rent), Sherie Rene Scott (star of Aida and The Little Mermaid), and Kelli O'Hara's debut solo album, Wonder in the World. On May 27, Ghostlight released the Passing Strange OCR as the first-ever Digital Exclusive release via iTunes for a Broadway show.

Ghostlight releases are distributed by Razor and Tie.

Dateline NBC that I might be rich! - Tiki Barber

2008-07-14T23:07:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you have tried all night long to get onto states where I have resided to see if I have any unclaimed funds or property!

I mean, Tiki Barber reported on Dateline NBC that I might be rich! The problem is that you may be rich too, so might your friend and their friend - and well basically anyone could be rich and everyone is burning the unclaimed funds sites state-by-state.

Your best plan is to head over to dateline.msnbc.com and play the waiting game. It may actually be worth it, because you might be rich!

If you're trying to search on Monday night or Tuesday morning, you might be waiting a while. Don't worry, if it is yours, it will still be there!

Team Blackout

2008-07-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

The boys of Team Blackout consist of Reggie, Zach, and most notably Rev. Run’s (member of the legendary Run DMC) son Jojo, a.k.a. Young Simmons. Most of their fame has been established by their appearances on MTV’s “Run’s House,” where their rise has been partly televised.

The release of their album on August 19 probably won’t cause a lot of ruckus, even with the addition of Rockwilder, whom the guys recruited as a “big name” to produce a track. What’s written all over “Lights Out” is the fact that the boys are still wet behind the ears, and their voices have yet to be found.

The ability to slide right into a record deal seems effortless due in part to Rev. Run’s clout, and the opportunity they’re given to produce something worthwhile seems taken for granted. “Why Wouldn’t I” has the teenagers regurgitating what a lot of ego-driven artists expound on today, which illustrates their lack of originality. Young Simmons annoyingly boasts over a minimal beat: “I got cars, why wouldn’t I floss it, I’m gettin’ money, why wouldn’t I toss it?/ And everybody got something to say, so I ask ‘em: Why wouldn’t I?”

“J5 On ‘Em” wreaks havoc on the ears, being nothing but a lone thumping beat with the yells of DJ Webstar upping the track and the crew. Unfortunately, the Blackout boys spit rhymes that no one will remember over the most minimalist, uninteresting beat ever heard.

Keeping up with the “minimalist” tradition, the Team adds another joint to the pot with “Lights Down Low.” It includes elements of Snoop’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” and some Swizz Beats concoction. “Automatic” is a fast-tempo joint that illustrates the clichéd ego and swagger to the fifth power. Think of something that would give Diddy millions.

In the end, Team Blackout doesn’t present anything new to hip-hop. “Lights Out” only pollutes the scene with more of the usual, but on the up side (the very small up side) the Team will probably appeal to the “106 and Park” crowds. It is them that they should rely on to stay alive in this industry.

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