ALL AROUND THE NEWS

Michael Jackson's last photo

2009-06-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

FUNNY JERRY SEINFELD CARTOON

2008-02-29T08:43:00.001-08:00

CELEBRITY GOSSIPER IS QUITE THE PERVERT

2008-02-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

February 28, 2008 -- MARIO Lavandeira - better known as online gossip "Perez Hilton" - encouraged a handsome young blogger to send sex tapes of himself while he was making promises of promotion for the blogger's own fledgling Web site.

Jonathan Jaxson - a former publicist and founder of gossip site JJ's Dirt - told Page Six he sent Lavandeira sexually explicit videos of himself with the hope of Lavandeira's help, which never materialized.

"He would tell me he would give me stories for my blog," Jaxson, 24, said of Lavandeira, 29. "He used me."

We've obtained pages of lengthy AOL Instant-Messenger chats between Jaxson and "Perez Hilton," who has risen to fame with his Web site, where he doodles on photos of celebrities accompanied by scathing insults.

The New York Times ran a gushing puff piece on "Perez" Tuesday, reporting he gets 2.8 million visitors a month and is in talks with Warner Music for his own label because he has such a great ear for new music.

In an exchange from Sept. 1, 2007, Lavandeira told Jaxson, "you should totally make a sex tape . . . (but not with me)." Jaxson wrote back, "I will have to make one on here for you tomorrow and e-mail it to you." Lavandeira responded, "Hot! Do it now!"

The next afternoon, Lavandeira asked Jaxson, "When are you sending me that video you promised?" Jaxson responded, "If you do a phone blog with me for my blog . . . as if I am cold calling you in attempt to get advice for my blog. You can be totally rude. I don't want others to know we talk."

The next day, Lavandeira asked again, "Where is that video?"

Jaxson told Page Six he sent Lavandeira videos of himself masturbating and other forms of "sex videos," but said he only met Lavandeira in person three times - once in Florida and twice in New York.

"I fell in love with Perez. I thought he had a huge heart . . . but he's just a [bleep]hole," Jaxson told us. "We started working together and communicating on how to make my blog bigger. Then it got more personal and intimate."

Lavendeira had no comment.

Prince Harry Battling Taliban on Front Lines in Afghanistan

2008-02-28T09:40:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

LONDON — Prince Harry has been serving on the front line in Afghanistan with the British Army, the Ministry of Defense said Thursday.

Officials said the prince was still deployed in the country.

Harry, who is third in line to the throne, has been in Afghanistan since December. The deployment was not reported due to an agreement between the Ministry of Defense and news organizations, including The Associated Press.

The story was leaked by an Australian magazine and a German newspaper.

OBAMA AND HILLARY CARTOON

2008-02-28T09:08:00.000-08:00

From Sean Delona:

SIMON COWELL ON HILLARY CLINTON

2008-02-27T08:54:00.000-08:00

“I think she’s struggling with the likeability. I genuinely think she should cry more. That’s what happened before. She cried, she won.”

- Simon Cowell on Hillary Clinton to TV's Extra

HILLARY CLINTON AND BARACK OBAMA CARTOON

2008-02-27T08:36:00.001-08:00

From Sean Delona:

GARY BUSEY ABUSES AN 11-YEAR OLD REPORTER AT THE OSCARS

2008-02-27T08:14:00.001-08:00

$100 MILLION LAWSUIT AGAINST DATELINE NBC

2008-02-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

A New York judge has refused to throw out a $100 million lawsuit brought by the family of a man who committed suicide after police, accompanied by a camera crew from "Dateline NBC: To Catch a Predator," showed up at his house to arrest him.

The lawsuit, brought by the sister of former Kaufman County, Tex. Districy Attorney Louis "Bill" Contradt Jr., alleges that NBC and police acted with deliberate indifference to Contradt and that cops had a duty to protect him. She says, "Apparently unable to face the humiliation of the public spectacle that faced him, Conradt took his own life."

Cops say Conradt solicited sex from a decoy online posing as a 13-year-old boy as part of a sting operation conducted jointly by "Dateline NBC" and the internet watch dog group Perverted Justice.

Amanda Leith, a lawyer for NBC Universal, had no comment on the ruling. The company previously called the lawsuit "completely without merit."

Bruce Baron, the lawyer for Patricia Contradt, tells TMZ, "This decision sends a strong message to law enforcement officials throughout our country, that you may not subcontract your uniform, badge, and the oath you take."

TWIN BROTHERS, TOGETHER IN PORN, TOGETHER IN ROBBERY

2008-02-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

Taleon and Keyontyli Goffney, 25 years old, were arrested Wednesday in South Philadelphia for a series of burglaries.

And if those faces look familiar, it's because they are.

The twins are also gay porn stars!!!

According to reports from NBC 10 News in Philadephia, Taleon and Keyontyli got into a Rite Aid by cutting a hole in the roof and climbing down from a rope. They got away with money and several goods.

The twins are also thought to be involved in at least 35 other burglaries throughout the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Police are also reporting the twins broke into a beauty supply store, again by cutting a hole in the roof. The owner, Young Moon, said "Just over there, they made the hole right here. Took money from the register, and change, too. He left only pennies." The burglars emptied out the cash register and ATM machine.

But the fun doesn't stop there. Once they robbed the beauty supply store, the twins went back up through the roof and then broke into the Wings and More Store right next door. Again they stole money from the cash register and ATM machine.

Luckily while the twins were in the process of robbing the store, the alarm went off, and police nearby were able to arrive and arrest them.

Both storeowners are said to have lost thousands of dollars due to the break-ins.

GREAT INFO SITE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PHARMACY DRUG USERS

2008-02-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

I rarely post my personal thoughts on topics, because I'm mainly interested in driving traffic to my site, but this new site I came across is amazing. If you want information on drugs and pharmacies, do yourself a favor and check out EDRUGSEARCH.COM. It is an amazing FREE resource for everyone.

TEACHER'S AIDE QUITS AFTER HOSTING SEX AND DRUG PARTY FOR STUDENTS

2008-02-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

From the Post Gazette.com:

A special-education aide at Highlands Senior High School resigned under pressure yesterday and faces possible drug and corruption of minors charges for a hotel party involving high school teenagers.

New Kensington police said they found suspected crack cocaine, empty beer cans and used condoms in a room that Abbiejane Swogger, 34, of Harrison, shared with minors Thursday night at New Kensington's Clarion Hotel. The room contained drug paraphernalia and a marijuana odor when officers arrived just before noon on Friday to follow up on reports of missing teens, said Detective Dennis Marsili.

Abbiejane SwoggerInvestigators questioned Ms. Swogger at the New Kensington police station Friday afternoon, but did not arrest her. Charges could be filed as soon as today, Detective Marsili said.

He said police would consult with the Westmoreland County district attorney's office about whether there's a basis for charges of possession of controlled substances and corruption of minors against Ms. Swogger, and whether any charges should be filed against others involved.

Ms. Swogger was in the hotel lobby when police from New Kensington, Harrison and Tarentum arrived, Detective Marsili said. Two female juveniles from Harrison and Tarentum whose relatives had contacted police after they failed to come home Thursday night were in the room, along with three males.

The police investigation did not factor into action taken against Ms. Swogger yesterday morning by Highlands School District officials, according to Superintendent Karol Galcik. She said Ms. Swogger failed to report for work, without explanation, either Thursday or Friday. A letter was sent to her Friday about her conduct, Dr. Galcik said, advising her to meet with administrative representatives yesterday.

"She did not follow proper procedures in not showing up for work," the superintendent said after yesterday's meeting. "We said that she had a choice to either resign or we would be taking this to the school board [for possible dismissal], and she chose to resign at that time."

The one-time exotic dancer worked since September for the school district at a job paying minimum wage or slightly above. At the time Ms. Swogger was hired, the school district had no drug-testing policy for employees at her level, Dr. Galcik said. The school board later expanded its policy to require such testing in January for new employees, she said.

Ms. Swogger says she rented a hotel room to socialize and drink beer with adult acquaintances, but teenage friends of her son showed up and refused to leave. She maintained yesterday that she knew nothing about drugs in the room and did not give the teens any beer.

"I think if they drank, I would have known about it," she said, adding that she unsuccessfully urged the two girls to leave.

Ms. Swogger also said she did not have sex with any of the young people present. They may have had sex with one another, she said, but did so "discreetly."

She said she was upset to lose her job providing one-on-one personal-needs assistance for a disabled student: "I loved it. I loved the little girl I worked with."

She said she relied on her school income along with child support payments and Social Security checks sent to her on behalf of one of her two sons, whose father died. Her older son, a 10th-grader at Highlands Senior High School, was distraught about the attention her case has received and will transfer to a cyber school, she said.

FUNNY HILLARY CLINTON CARTOON

2008-02-26T08:23:00.000-08:00

GREAT BARACK OBAMA CARTOON

2008-02-26T08:20:00.001-08:00

From Sean Delona:

MOM GOES ON "STRIKE" FROM UNRULY TEEN BOYS

2008-02-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

From My Fox Orlando:OCALA, Fla. (AP) --

Police say an Ocala mother is facing charges after telling investigators she was -- quote -- "on strike" from taking care of her four boys.

She is out of jail on bond.

According to an Ocala Police Department report, Melissa G. Dean told investigators that she was leaving her children alone in her home because she wanted them to quit fighting with each other and to clean up.

According to the report, Dean told investigators that she had lost control of her children and could not get any help from the police or the court system. She's been charged with child neglect.

On Wednesday FOX 35 sent a reporter and photographer to the family's home for a story. When they got there Dean’s sons walked up to the news car when they pulled up and started swearing, and yelling out racial slurs three times the kids came back at the news crew. After the first time, the FOX 35 news crew called 911. The four kids then surrounded the FOX 35 news photographer. One of the kids stood behind him with a pipe in his hand while another kid threatened to hit him.

When police showed up they talked to some of the kids, who had scattered then took a report. A woman with the Department of Children and Families also showed up. We’re told the boys are staying with neighbors. No word on where the mother is after bonding out of jail.

30 Fired After Cockroach Scurries Across TV News Set

2008-02-22T09:48:00.000-08:00

From the Guardian.com:

For the viewers of Turkmenistan's popular nightly news programme, Vatan, it was another routine bulletin. But as the newsreader began the 9pm broadcast, viewers across the central Asian country spotted something unusual crawling across the studio table: a large brown cockroach.

The cockroach managed to complete a whole lap of the desk, apparently undetected, before disappearing. The programme, complete with cockroach, was repeated at 11pm that night.

It was only at 9am the following day that horrified officials from Turkmenistan's ministry of culture discovered the cockroach's guest appearance. And that, perhaps, should have been the end of the matter, the mildly entertaining footage being consigned to the occasional airing by the Turkmenistan equivalent of Denis Norden on a telly bloopers show.

But the consequences of this particular cockroach's impromptu five minutes of fame were immediate and severe.

The country's president, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, took news of the insect so badly that he responded by firing no fewer than 30 workers from the main state TV channel, the news website Kronika Turkmenistan reported yesterday.

Before the cockroach debacle, Berdymukhamedov had instructed Turkmenistan's minister of culture, Gulmurat Muradov, to revamp the country's Soviet-era TV channel. However, a new ministerial supervisory committee founded to carry out this task only worked 9am to 6pm - allowing the cockroach to make its audacious run undetected.

Berdymukhamedov became leader of the oil-rich former Soviet republic in December 2006,following the sudden death of Turkmenistan's longstanding and flamboyantly authoritarian ruler Saparmurat Niyazov, who also had run-ins with state TV executives. Several executives were sacked after drunken technicians failed to screen the new year's address to the nation by Niyazov.

They eventually managed to get the bulletin on air at 3am.

Those sacked in the cockroach debacle included journalists, directors, camera operators, and technical staff, the website reported. Yesterday nobody from the Turkmen embassy in Moscow was available for comment.

Berdymukhamedov has been credited with improving relations with the west, and embarking at home on a series of mild liberal reforms.

He has announced the opening of internet cafes in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan's capital, and reintroduced foreign languages to the school curriculum.

Last March the president restored pensions to more than 100,000 elderly citizens and in January he reversed another of his predecessor's more bizarre bans - on opera and ballet performances.

"Our flourishing nation should not stand separate from the world," Berdymukhamedov told state-run television. He added: "It absolutely should have a worthy operatic theatre and a worthy state theatre." The first opera would be performed in six or seven months, he suggested.

Berdymukhamedov has moved to end Turkmenistan's isolation from the rest of the world in other ways too. He has overseen attempts to attract larger numbers of foreign tourists to Turkmenistan, including the building of a multibillion pound tourist resort on the Caspian Sea. The president has also dropped in on Washington.

Berdymukhamedov's apparent dislike of cockroaches may have something to do with his previous career as a dentist. He graduated from Turkmenistan's state medical institute in 1979, completing a PhD in medical sciences in Moscow, and working as a dentist from 1980 to 1995. In December 1997 he was appointed minister for health.

· 4,500 cockroach species have been classified, but there are thought to be at least twice as many species yet to be discovered around the world

· Despite the belief cockroaches would be the only survivors of nuclear war, being 15 times more resistant to radiation than humans, other insects such as fruit flies can survive even higher doses

· A cockroach will live after decapitation for several weeks before starving to death; the severed head survives several hours

· The world's largest species is the wingless Australian rhinoceros (Macropanesthia rhinoceros), weighing up to 33.5 gms and up to 90 mm in length

GREAT JOHN McCAIN CARTOON

2008-02-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

SEPARATED TWINS ACCIDENTALLY MARRY EACH OTHER

2008-01-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

From Cnn.com:

LONDON, England (CNN) -- British twins who had been separated at birth learned they were related only after they had become husband and wife, a senior British lawmaker said. The marriage has been annulled.

The couple's identities have been protected for legal reasons.

Their case was first highlighted by Lord Alton of Liverpool during a discussion on donor conception in the House of Lords in December, but only came to light Friday.

The peer told the House of Lords that a court annulled the union as soon as the twins' true relationship became known.

"They were never told that they were twins," he said during the Dec. 10 debate on a law covering human fertility and embryology. They had been adopted by separate families and "met later in life and felt an inevitable attraction, and the judge had to deal with the consequences of the marriage that they entered into and all the issues of their separation."

No further details about the couple have emerged, and it is not known when the marriage took place or how long they were together before they discovered the truth.

Adoption groups said Friday the case proves the need for openness and transparency during the adoption process.

Mo O'Reilly, director of child placement for the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, said released a statement saying: "Thirty or 40 years ago it would have been more likely that twins be separated and brought up without knowledge of each other."

However, she said, greater emphasis in recent years on ensuring adopted siblings stay in touch meant this "traumatic" case will remain "incredibly rare."

Daisy O'Clee, a spokeswoman for the agency, said that of more current concern is the lack of legislation surrounding fertility treatment.

Under British law the parents of a donor-conceived child do not have to declare that fact on the child's birth certificate, O'Clee told CNN. This means a child conceived with a donor sperm or egg may never know their true origin.

Lawmakers will vote Tuesday on whether to pass a law covering human fertility and embryology that would relax the rules on who can have fertility treatment.

O'Clee warned that in its present form the proposal does little to address the rights of donor-conceived children.

"The rights of donor children are being ignored," she said.

10-YEAR OLD BOY GLUES HIMSELF TO BED TO AVOID GOING TO SCHOOL

2008-01-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

A 10-year-old boy thought he had discovered a novel way of getting off school — glueing his hand to the bed.

Diego Palacios had so much fun over the Christmas holiday he was in no rush to get back to lessons.

He had to be freed by emergency services in Monterrey, northern Mexico, after his master plan went wrong.

His mother, Sandra, spent nearly two hours trying to free his right hand with water, oil and nail polish remover, but to no avail.

"I didn't want to go to school because vacation was so much fun," the youngster explained.

He told how he sneaked into the kitchen in the early hours and then covered his hand with industrial-strength adhesive.

His mother woke up to find him watching TV with his hand stuck to the bed.

"I don't know why he did it," she said. "He's a good boy but mischievous — like all kids."

His hand was freed by paramedics — just in time for school.

Kneeboarder Finds Lost Nose Ring Inside Fish Boyfriend Caught

2008-01-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:
IT is a tale some would say smells a bit fishy, but Kristy Brittain swears it is true.

Last Friday she was kneeboarding behind a boat off Slopen Main on the Tasman Peninsula, east of Hobart, when she was tossed from her board in rough conditions.

In the fall she lost a nose stud from a piercing she had done only a week before Christmas.

Brittain, 25, of Magra, never expected to see the tiny stud again.

Enter a hungry flathead.

You guessed it, the stud turned up in a fish caught by her fiance, Darren Triffett, when fishing with his friend Tim Hall three days later.

Triffett and Hall were in roughly the same area where the stud was lost on Monday. When filleting one flathead they found a tiny nail-like object inside.

"They thought it was a little tack or nail," Brittain said. "I was standing near them talking to them and realized it was the nose stud I had lost in the ocean."

"How could it have ended in the fish? I suppose it would have sparkled and they (flathead) eat pretty much anything.

"But you think how many fish are in the sea . . . and to catch this one."

It's no surprise Brittain regards the stud as lucky. And it won't be lost again.

"I have put it in a sachet so I don't lose it again," she said."I will go and buy a Tattslotto ticket and put this on it."

MC Hammer Hoping for Comeback as Internet Titan

2008-01-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:
SAN FRANCISCO — MC Hammer hasn't topped the music charts since the early 1990s, but the former rap star says he has another hit in him — only this time around he'll produce it as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

Hammer, whose real name is Stanley Burrell, is choreographing a new career as co-founder and chief strategy officer of Menlo Park-based DanceJam.com.

The Web site, scheduled to debut in mid-January, will try to upstage YouTube and become the Internet's hub for sharing and watching dance videos.

DanceJam then hopes to make money by grabbing a piece of the rapidly growing Internet advertising market, which is expected to rake in $27.5 billion in 2008, according to eMarketer.

If the business pans out, DanceJam could help Hammer compensate for losing his fortune when he went bankrupt in 1996 with nearly $14 million in debts.

The bankruptcy was a sobering comedown for Hammer, who parlayed the popularity of his once-ubiquitous song, "U Can't Touch This," to become a pop icon in the early 1990s.

Although Hammer isn't churning out best-selling records any longer, everyone still seems to know his name. Even children born after his downfall are familiar with his music because "U Can't Touch This" still gets played in TV shows and movies.

But Hammer's involvement in DanceJam has more to do with his technological savvy than his celebrity, said Ron Conway, a longtime Silicon Valley investor who is part of a small group that provided DanceJam with $1 million in startup funds.

"I expect him to integrate all his knowledge into this Web site," said Conway, who befriended Hammer at a baseball game seven years ago and has been tutoring him in the ways of technology ever since. "He is the lightning rod for this whole thing."

Hammer, 45, started poking around Silicon Valley while he was still selling millions of records. He often hung out at computer makers like Silicon Graphics Inc. and Apple Inc., hoping to learn more about how technology might help his music career.

"There is no high-tech lingo or business strategy that you can talk that is above my head," Hammer boasted during an interview. "I breathe this stuff."

Hammer's entrepreneurial roots date back to the 1980s when he began recording songs with financial help from a few Oakland Athletics, where he once worked as a ball boy. His nickname came from his resemblance to the former home run king, Hammerin' Hank Aaron.

Without the support of a major music label, Hammer built a loyal fan base by hitting the streets and selling his early recordings out of a car.

His success in grass roots marketing prompted Salesforce.com Inc. to call on Hammer for advice in its early days. The company wanted to raise awareness about its online software service without paying a lot for traditional advertising, said Marc Benioff, Salesforce.com's chief executive officer.

"We really learned a lot from Hammer. He is the most entrepreneurial individual I have ever met," said Benioff, whose San Francisco-based company is now worth $7 billion.

Hammer and his DanceJam partners — Geoffrey Arone, the chief executive, and Anthony Young, the chief technology officer — are wading into a market already saturated with dozens of Web sites that have built huge video libraries.

Arone became convinced the Web needed a site devoted exclusively to dance shortly after he left Web browsing startup Flock, which he had co-founded.

Hammer had been feeling the same way about dance for years so they quickly hit it off when they first met and hammered out the concept for DanceJam.

Drawing upon the popularity of reality shows like "Dancing With The Stars," DanceJam will stage head-to-head competitions where contestants submit videos that will be judged by viewers.

The site also will provide demonstrations and information about a wide variety of dances, ranging from the Boogaloo to the Krump.

Arone, Hammer and Young have spent several months videotaping people around the country dancing. They say they have stockpiled about 100 gigabytes of video to help launch DanceJam.

James McQuivey, a media analyst with Forrester Research, doubts that will be enough to lure people away from Google Inc.'s YouTube, which listed 1.7 million dance videos in its index as of late December.

"When people are looking for any video, whether it be about skateboarding, dancing or a science project, they don't stop to think about where's the best place to find it. They just start off by going to YouTube," McQuivey said.

The most watched video in YouTube's 2 1/2-year history happens to be about dancing. The 6-minute clip, a facetious tribute called "Evolution of Dance," includes about 25 seconds alluding to some of the moves that Hammer made famous back when he was still wearing colorful parachute pants as he sang "U Can't Touch This."

Hammer recognized YouTube's potential before most people he did. Besides putting some of his own clips on the site, Hammer visited YouTube's offices in February 2006 when there were still just a handful of people running the site above a pizza parlor. (A clip of that visit is at http://www.youtube.com/blog?month=2&year=2006.)

Until he saw what YouTube was doing, Hammer had doubts about the Web's entertainment value.

"When everybody started raving about the Internet, I always wondered, 'If it's so great, why can't you see my videos on the Internet?'" Hammer said. "It looks like technology has finally caught up with my vision."

Officer Accused of Paying Hooker with Wife's Clothes, Shoes

2008-01-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

From myfoxaustin.com:

AUSTIN -- An Austin Police Officer is accused of hiring a prostitute and paying her with his wife's clothing and shoes, according to a search warrant.

The search warrant shows 45-year-old Scott Lando used his wife's new pair of boots, jeans and shirt to pay the prostitute for her services. The warrant also shows Lando also took the prostitute on shopping trips to Wal-Mart and Payless ShoeSource, and to dinner at Threadgill's on North Lamar on one occasion.

APD first heard about Lando's possible involvement with prostitution in June of 2006 during the arrest of a different prostitute, according to the warrant. While that prostitute was making her sworn statement to police about her own case, she mentioned to investigators that Officer Lando had been engaging in "tricks" with another hooker. Officers were able to find that prostitute in the Burnet County jail and questioned her about Officer Lando.

The warrant shows the prostitute confirmed from June to September of 2006, she had engaged in sexual acts with Lando for money or clothing. The prostitute also told police her first sexual encounter with Lando happened in an Austin Police patrol car in North Austin.

The prostitute told investigators on her last encounter with Lando in August of 2006, Lando took her to his home in Cedar Park, the warrant says. The prostitute told investigators Lando asked her to take a bath before having sex with her. Instead of money, Lando allowed the prostitute to take some clothes from his wife's closet after telling the woman that his wife would never miss them. The warrant shows that the prostitute took a new pair of black Harley Davidson leather boots still in their box, studded and jeweled jeans, and a pink and yellow top.

Investigators confirmed the prostitute's story after issuing the search warrant for Lando's Cedar Park home and tattoos. Investigators concluded that the prostitute's description of the home and tattoos were accurate, and could only be described by someone who had seen them. During a visit to the home last month, Lando's wife also confirmed she was missing a new pair of Harley Davidson boots and jeans, had assumed that a neighborhood kid had taken them.

Lando has not been charged with a crime, he is still under He has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.

According to archived versions of former APD Cheif Stan Knee's newsletter 'The Shield,' Lando received the Distinguished Service Cross for Valor in 2004. Lando was honored after being shot at by a suspect. Lando fired a shot back at the suspect then continued the pursuit on foot.

MP3 Player Father Bought at Wal-Mart for Daughter, 10, Was Preloaded With Porn

2007-12-28T13:54:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — A father gave his 10-year-old daughter a Christmas present that would make Santa blush.

Now Daryl Hill wants to know why an MP3 video player he bought at a Wal-Mart in Sparta was preloaded with pornography and explicit songs.

Hill bought three of the players as Christmas presents for his children. He said one of the devices had apparently been returned to the store from a previous owner who loaded sex clips and songs with lyrics about using drugs.

"Within 10 minutes, my daughter was crying," Hill said Thursday. "I wish I could take the thoughts and images out of her head."

Hill questioned why Wal-Mart Stores Inc. would sell used merchandise as new, which he said violates its own policies.

A company spokesman said in an e-mail to WSMV-TV of Nashville that stores are not supposed to return opened packages to the sales floor and that the matter was under investigation.

Hill said he declined Wal-Mart's offer to replace the MP3 player. He said he has already bought his daughter a new one and is hanging onto the controversial one until he talks to a lawyer.

Teacher Arrested After Offering Good Grades For Oral Sex

2007-12-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

BARTOW, Fla. — Police say a Bartow High School student hoping to improve her math grades through extra credit instead got a lewd request from her teacher.

Isaac Nathan Tillis was arrested after repeatedly telling student she could earn an "A" if she gave him oral sex. He lured the girl into a teacher's lounge bathroom on Wednesday, but once inside police and the girl sprung a trap.

The 16-year-old was wearing a hidden listening device, which recorded Tillis' proposition after he dropped his pants, police say. The 29-year-old teacher had also scribbled his request on a hall pass, an arrest report states.

Officers arrested Tillis and charged him with soliciting a lewd sex act from a minor.

JOHN EDWARDS MISTRESS PREGNANT?

2007-12-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

SOURCE:

Presidential candidate John Edwards is caught up in a love child scandal, a blockbuster ENQUIRER investigation has discovered.

The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively that Rielle Hunter, a woman linked to Edwards in a cheating scandal earlier this year, is more than six months pregnant — and she's told a close confidante that Edwards is the father of her baby!

The ENQUIRER's political bombshell comes just weeks after Edwards emphatically denied having an affair with Rielle, who formerly worked on his campaign and told another close pal that she was romantically involved with the married ex-senator.

The ENQUIRER has now confirmed not only that Rielle is expecting, but that she's gone into hiding with the help of a former aide to Edwards. The visibly pregnant blonde has relocated from the New York area to Chapel Hill, N.C., where she is living in an upscale gated community near political operative Andrew Young, who's been extremely close to Edwards for years and was a key official in his presidential campaign.

And in a bizarre twist, Young — a 41-year-old married man with young children — now claims HE is the father of Rielle's baby! But others are skeptical, wondering if Young's paternity claim is a cover-up to protect Edwards.

Meanwhile, Edwards' cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth has joined him on the campaign trail.

In a statement issued to The ENQUIRER through her attorney, Rielle said: "The fact that I am expecting a child is my personal and private business. This has no relationship to nor does it involve John Edwards in any way. Andrew Young is the father of my unborn child."

But a source extremely close to the 43-year-old divorcée says Rielle has told a far different story privately: "Rielle told me she had a secret affair with Edwards. When she found out that she was pregnant, she said he was the father."

Rielle loves Edwards and will do anything to protect him, the source says.

In The ENQUIRER's Oct. 22 issue, we revealed that Edwards, 54, was involved in a mistress scandal and the shocking allegations — if proven true — could devastate the Democratic hopeful's campaign.

At the time, we withheld Rielle's name, but reported that an insider told The ENQUIRER that she claimed that she began the affair some 18 months earlier. She talked about her relationship in phone calls and e-mails.

After our story was published, several political bloggers correctly identified "the other woman" as Rielle, a self-described filmmaker whose company was hired by a pro-Edwards group called One America Committee and paid $114,000 to produce videos for Edwards' campaign. She worked with Edwards on those videos.

Reporters asked Edwards about The ENQUIRER report during a campaign stop in Columbia, S.C., on Oct. 11. Edwards responded: "The story is false. It's completely untrue, ridiculous," adding: "Anyone who knows me knows that I have been in love with the same woman for 30 plus years."

Rielle issued her own statement through MyDD.com, a pro-Democratic Web site, saying: "The innuendos and lies that have appeared on the Internet and in the National Enquirer concerning John Edwards are not true, completely unfounded and ridiculous.

"My video production company was hired by the Edwards camp on a six-month contract, which we completed Dec. 31, 2006. When working for the Edwards camp, my conduct as well as the conduct of my entire team was completely professional."

But what the rest of the press didn't know is that when Rielle made that claim, she was pregnant, hiding it and had told her confidante it was Edwards' baby.

That's also when it was decided Rielle would relocate to North Carolina, said the source.

The ENQUIRER has confirmed that Young placed Rielle in a rental home in the Governors Club, the same gated community where he lives in a multimillion-dollar home with his wife Cheri and their young children. That home is owned by an Edwards' backer and is less than five miles from Edwards' national campaign headquarters in Chapel Hill, N.C.

A former "Director of Operations" for Edwards' campaign, Young's last official position with the campaign was "North Carolina Finance Director." He left that job about a month ago - about the same time Rielle settled in Chapel Hill.

A source close to Young vehemently denies that he funneled campaign money to Rielle - who drives a BMW SUV registered in Young's name.

The ENQUIRER spotted Rielle — visibly pregnant in a black sweater and loose-fitting slacks — leaving her OB/GYN's office in Cary, N.C., on Dec. 12.

And when asked for a comment about her relationship with Edwards by an ENQUIRER reporter, Rielle responded: "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Asked why she was living in Young's gated community, she answered: "I have no idea what you are talking about."

When asked who fathered her baby, she answered: "I have no idea who you're talking about or what you're talking about."

She even denied that she was Rielle Hunter!

But things changed dramatically when The ENQUIRER contacted Edwards for a comment just days later.

Edwards' lawyer called The ENQUIRER and denied the well-coiffed Democratic candidate is the father of Rielle's baby, adding that Rielle would deny it as well.

A day later, in a shocking twist, the attorney for Mr. Young issued a statement that Young fathered Rielle's baby!

"Andrew Young is the father of Ms. Hunter's unborn child," declared his Washington, D.C.-based attorney.

"Sen. Edwards knew nothing about the relationship between these former co-workers, which began when they worked together in 2006.

"As a private citizen who no longer works for the campaign, Mr. Young asks that the media respect his privacy while he works to make amends with his family."

Neither Young nor Rielle offered any evidence of their prior romantic relationship, and both turned down an ENQUIRER request to take polygraph tests on the claim that Young fathered her child.

Now some insiders wonder whether Young's paternity claim is simply a cover-up to protect his longtime pal Edwards.

"If you have an alternate explanation for a scandal, you don't take 24 hours to offer that explanation, let alone days or weeks," a political insider told The ENQUIRER.

Simply put, Edwards could have nipped the earlier cheating scandal in the bud by instructing his aides to explain that Rielle had been romantically involved with a married man on the campaign. But he didn't.

Instead, Rielle has been telling a confidante that Edwards is the father of her child.

"Rielle told me while Andrew Young is a friend, she's not romantically involved with him," says the source close to Rielle. "Rielle says he's been responsible for finding her a place to live and even getting her a car to drive.

"If he really were the father of her baby and had engaged in an extramarital affair with her, I doubt seriously that he'd bring his wife and kids over to her house for dinner — which Rielle told me he did a few weeks ago.

"Rielle has said from the beginning that the baby is John's, but she appears willing to do whatever they want her to do to protect his candidacy.

"I think what's taking place is simply a cover-up by Edwards' campaign."

And no one has denied the source's information that Rielle has been in phone contact with Edwards since finding out she is pregnant.

When ENQUIRER reporters contacted Young in person at his home on Dec. 12, he became furious — and denied he was Andrew Young.

He also denied knowing "any Rielle Hunter," yelling at the top of his voice: "You don't even know who I am!" But when his wife called him "Andrew," he shot her a dirty look.

An enraged Young called police, demanding our reporters be arrested for trespassing. Officers from the Chatham County (N.C.) Sheriff's Department responded, questioned everyone and made no arrests.

While controversy swirls around her, Rielle — a wannabe actress who by her own admission was a drug-using New York party girl in the '80s — stayed in touch with Edwards.

"Rielle told me that she remains in phone contact with John, but can't see him for obvious reasons," said the source close to her.

JUDGE SIDES WITH MAN FIRED OVER "DILBERT" COMIC STRIP

2007-12-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:
DES MOINES, Iowa — A judge has sided with a man who was fired for posting a "Dilbert" comic strip that made fun of managers on an office bulletin board.

David Steward was fired from the Catfish Bend Casino because management found the cartoon "very offensive," human resources director Steve Morley testified at a recent unemployment benefits hearing. The casino had challenged his claim for unemployment benefits.

"Basically, he was accusing the decision-makers of being drunken lemurs," Morley testified. "We consider that misconduct when you insult your employer."

According to state records, Steward posted the comic in late October, shortly after officials announced the casino in Burlington would be closed.

In the strip, Dilbert and another character are shown having the following exchange:

"Why does it seem as if most of the decisions in my workplace are made by drunken lemurs?"

"Decisions are made by people who have time, not people who have talent."

"Why are talented people so busy?"

"They're fixing the problems made by people who have time."

Steward testified that he posted the comic partly because of the impending layoffs.

"I thought maybe it would cheer some people up," he said. "I found it humorous."

Administrative Law Judge Lynette Donner sided with Steward, ruling it was "a good-faith error in judgment," not intentional misbehavior.

"Dilbert" creator Scott Adams said it might have been the first confirmed instance of a worker being fired for posting a "Dilbert" strip in a workplace.

Gay Ind. teen sues school that wouldn't let him go to prom in a dress

2007-12-19T10:51:00.000-08:00

from CourtTV.com:

When Kevin Logan went to his high school prom in 2006, he was hoping it would be a night to remember. What he'll remember, though, will be standing outside in the parking lot while his classmates danced inside.

As Logan walked up to the prom, clad in a pink prom dress, West Side High School Principal Diana Rouse blocked the doorway and refused to let him inside.

Logan, who goes by the name "K.K." and describes himself as a gay bisexual male, filed a suit Dec. 12 against Rouse and the school board, claiming they violated his civil rights by denying him entrance to the prom based on his attire.

"What should have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Logan to share memories with friends before graduation became an episode of humiliation and exclusion," the suit states.

When contacted by phone, Rouse declined to speak, referring comment to the school board public information spokesperson before hanging up. The school board declined to comment because of the pending litigation.

According to the suit, Logan had long expressed his sexual identity through clothing and makeup at school, and was never punished for it. During the first week of Logan's senior year in high school in Gary, Ind., he was taken to Rouse's office by security guards, where he was questioned about the purse he was wearing. But, he was sent back to class without being disciplined, according to the suit.

In the time leading up to prom, Logan had discussed his prom outfit with the assistant principal and Rouse. Rouse opposed a dress and suggested a pantsuit. However, the assistant principal told Logan he should wear whatever he wanted, according to the suit.

On May 19, 2006, Logan headed to the Avalon Manor in Hobart, Ind., wearing an ankle-length pink prom dress. He walked past the groups of parents and friends taking pictures outside the prom and toward the main door. That's when Rouse stretched her arms across the door, blocking Logan from entering, according to the suit.

Logan claims Rouse ordered him to leave and called security. Humiliated, Logan claims, he walked to the parking lot to take pictures with his friends while everyone else danced inside. As they snapped photos, word spread inside that Logan was not being allowed into the prom. According to the suit, students and teachers came outside to voice their support, with some asking Rouse to change her mind. She refused.

Although Logan was denied entrance, according to his attorney Jim Madigan, a lesbian student was allowed inside the prom wearing a tuxedo-style outfit.

"Society thinks it's OK for women to want to be a little more masculine, but it's not OK for male students to act in a way that is feminine," Madigan told CourtTVnews.com "That double standard really is something that's sort of an old stereotype. It's a double standard that's a remnant of sex discrimination."

Madigan said he contacted the school asking for all the reasons why Logan was denied entrance to the prom. The school cited a community school board policy governing dress code, which prohibits any clothing or accessories that advertise "sexual orientation, sex, drugs, alcohol tobacco, profanity, negative social or negative educational statements."

In addition to unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, Madigan and his client are seeking to have the dress policy ruled unconstitutional on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment.

"You simply cannot tell gay students that anything in their clothing that makes clear that they are gay, lesbian or transgender is inappropriate," Madigan said.

The suit is not only an attempt to justify Logan's right to wear a dress to prom, Madigan said, but is an effort to provide protection to other students who will follow after him.

"A judgment in Logan's favor not only will vindicate the violation of his civil rights but will also protect countless other students whose expression of their sexual orientation or gender identity would otherwise be chilled by Defendants' unconstitutional actions," the suit states.

MAN SUSPECTED OF MURDERING EMILY SANDER ARRESTED

2007-12-19T10:45:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

EL DORADO, Kan. — A man suspected in the slaying of a college student who led a secret life as an Internet porn performer was arrested Wednesday in Mexico, authorities said.

Israel Mireles, 24, was arrested in Melchor Muzquiz, Mexico, U.S. Deputy Marshal Logan Kline said. Mireles was being held in that country until he can be extradited to the U.S., Kline said.

Emily Sander, 18, was last seen alive on Nov. 23 as she left an El Dorado bar with a man police identified as Mireles. Her disappearance drew nationwide attention after it was discovered that she also led a secret life as an Internet porn model named Zoey Zane.

Kline declined to provide additional details about the arrest. A news conference was scheduled for later Wednesday in El Dorado.

Surgeon in Hot Water After Photographing Patient's Tattooed Genitals

2007-12-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

PHOENIX — A surgeon faces a disciplinary hearing for snapping a photo of a patient's tattooed genitals during an operation and showing it around to other doctors.

Mayo Clinic Hospital administrators said Dr. Adam Hansen, chief resident of general surgery, admitted taking the photo with his cell phone on Dec. 11. The tattoo on strip club owner Sean Dubowik's penis reads: "Hot Rod."

Dubowik, who had undergone a gallbladder operation, said he learned of the photo Monday when the Mayo Clinic called.

"I got a strange call after my surgery from a doctor who said there was a problem. He said Hansen was on the phone and would explain," he said.

Dubowik, 27, said Hansen told him he took the picture while inserting a catheter into his penis. A member of the surgical staff made an anonymous call about the photo to The Arizona Republic on Monday.

"He told me he didn't want me to read about it in the newspaper first," Dubowik said.

Hansen wasn't available for comment Tuesday and has been placed on administrative leave. He could face a range of punishment from probation to dismissal.

"Patient privacy is a serious matter, and photographing someone in this manner without a good reason is something we will investigate down to the last detail," said Dr. Joseph Sirven, education director for Mayo Clinic Arizona, the hospital's parent organization based in Scottsdale.

Dubowik said he got the tattoo on a bet and that "it was the most horrible thing I ever went though in my life."

He said he planned to contact an attorney.

"The longer I sit here the angrier I get," he said.

FUNNY MICHAEL JACKSON CARTOON

2007-12-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

County Tries To Stop Drag-Queen Bingo

2007-12-18T10:13:00.000-08:00

From the Sarasota Herald Tribune:

SARASOTA - They want to see what all the hype is about.

But the 150 people who reserved a seat at tonight's drag queen bingo might not get a chance to see the drag queens call the first bingo number.

On Thursday, city officials sent Canvas Cafe owner Louis Schultz a letter warning that the upcoming bingo night cannot go on because Schultz does not have a bingo license.

The letter orders Schultz to obtain a license, a process that can take up to a month, before he holds another bingo night.

"I don't think we should be allowing it to continue if they don't have the required license," said City Attorney Robert Fournier. "There are solutions that can be worked out there. They just have to adhere to the code requirements."

What started as one resident's complaint against loud noise and profane language at the bingo night has turned into a whirlwind in this quiet, laid-back neighborhood two blocks south of Main Street.

Neighbors who were on the sidelines are now speaking out against the noise and language, saying they do not want their children hearing it.

As neighbors protest the bingo night, a wave of Sarasotans are voicing support for the risque game.

And Schultz said the show will go on. Schultz said he was out of town for the weekend and had not received the letter.

Schultz plans to tell city commissioners his side of the story at a meeting this afternoon, a few hours before the game is scheduled to begin.

Like some other area residents, Bobby and Stacy Fletcher chose to live near Towles Court because they like the artsy, creative vibe. On the streets bordering the small artists' oasis, residents know just about everything that is going on in the neighborhood.

Some say they do not mind a little live jazz or sounds drifting north from downtown on the weekend, but do not think drag queens strutting around a cafe patio and yelling off-color jokes belong in the neighborhood.

The Fletchers, who live several houses south of Canvas, are just now getting involved in the dispute. Last Monday, Bobby Fletcher called Schultz and said the loud noise was keeping his three children awake.

The couple's request is a simple one. They want the owner to turn down the volume and the drag queens to stop using profanity.

"We expect some character here," Stacy Fletcher said about living downtown, "but not something our children will take to school and get in trouble by the principal."

The feud began when Skip Dyrda, who lives in a house 20 feet away from the cafe with his wife and 7-year-old daughter, called police three times and began writing e-mails to commissioners about the loud noise and cursing.

Dyrda still does not think Schultz will listen. Two city commissioners say the city should get involved.

Schultz said he is not breaking any laws, and plans to take a stand.

He defends the bingo night event as a way to get people to Towles Court. Schultz also said he told the drag queens to stop using megaphones, which amplified their off-color jokes to houses more than a block away.

XuXu (pronounced shoo-shoo) Fontana, the drag-queen master of ceremonies at the Canvas event, said he gets people to laugh by "saying things people think but won't say."

His goal is to entertain -- not offend. And Fontana said he has never seen anyone walk away from the cafe because of one of his jokes.

Fontana expected some negative attention, but he never guessed bingo night would make an appearance on CNN.

"To me, it's mind-boggling," Fontana said. "There are mud slides, a war and a presidential campaign going on, and drag queen bingo is a problem."

Betty Madden, 76, is one of many whose curiosity was sparked by recent media reports. She stopped at the Canvas Cafe on Thursday afternoon to reserve a table for tonight's bingo.

"We want to get a group of girls together and rent a limo," Madden said.

Madden and Pat Aylmer, also 76, will have to postpone their girls' night out until next month because the cafe is completely booked for today.

Schultz said he decided last spring to bring the drag queen bingo, which got its start in the early 1990s in Seattle as a fundraising idea, to Canvas Cafe on South Links Avenue. The event benefits the Community AIDS Network.

For $10, patrons get four bingo cards and a night of colorful jokes and ribbing from three drag queens as they call the numbers.

"The people come to see them be outrageous," Schultz said. "They're not here to see Mary Poppins, although it would be funny if there was a guy being Mary Poppins in drag."

Matt Orr, one of the founders of the Young Professionals Group, is a regular at bingo night. He reserved a table for 20 at the last event.

"We have worked really hard for years to create a downtown that everyone wants to be a part of," Orr said. "Now that we have achieved that, we can't handpick which kind of noise we hear."

Woman accused of groping mall Santa

2007-12-18T08:04:00.000-08:00

I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD BELIEVE THIS OR NOT.

From the NY POST:

ANBURY, Conn. (AP) -- A Danbury woman was charged with sexual assault after allegedly groping Santa Claus at the Danbury Fair mall.

Sandrama Lamy, 33, faces fourth-degree sexual assault and breach of peace charges.

Danbury police were called to the mall over the weekend. The mall Santa told them Lamy had touched him inappropriately while sitting on his lap.

"The security officer at the mall said Santa Claus has been sexually assaulted," Danbury Detective Lt. Thomas Michael said.

Lamy has been released on a promise to appear in court on Jan. 3.

A message seeking comment was left on Lamy's answering machine Tuesday morning. A woman at that number called back to say "It's a false report and I don't have any idea."

"Santa Tim" Connaghan, president of RealSantas.com, teaches hundreds of prospective Santas a year and said he's never heard of a similar incident, though it's not unusual for adults to want to pose with Santa.

"I've had some very nice ladies sit on my lap," Connaghan said. "Once in a while they'll say 'I hope Mrs. Claus isn't going to be upset.' You have to be discreet and kind and say 'Oh no, she'll be OK. You can sit here, but only for one photo.'"

A spokeswoman for Cherry Hill Photo, the company that coordinates the Santas for the mall, declined comment Tuesday.

Air Canada Passenger Tapes Mid-Flight Freak Out on Trip to Europe

2007-12-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

Truck Driver Angered Over Ticket Tries to Tow Police Cruiser

2007-12-14T12:15:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

PORTLAND, Ore. — A tow truck driver, upset over a recent ticket, tried to tow a Gresham police cruiser Thursday. Police said Steven Syverson, 32, was arrested after he hooked his truck to the marked police vehicle while the officer was responding to a domestic disturbance call.

The police press release said the arrest unfolded this way:

A fellow officer noticed Syverson and ordered him to release the cruiser. After some hesitation, he did.

When the other officer returned to his cruiser, Syverson got back in his tow truck, locked the doors and refused to cooperate.

Then Syverson called the police station, "apparently unsatisfied with the police response he had generated when he tried to tow a marked police vehicle."

The manager of the tow company was summoned and finally coaxed Syverson into surrendering.

Syverson was charged with unlawful use of a vehicle, obstructing governmental administration, interfering with a peace officer and criminal mischief.

HULK HOGAN WOULD LIKE TO SEE A GLADIATOR PUMMEL ROSIE O'DONNELL

2007-12-14T11:39:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

This is one match-up you wouldn't expect to see in the ring: Hulk Hogan vs. Rosie O'Donnell.

At Thursday's press day for his new show "American Gladiators," Hogan was asked which celebrity he'd like to see a Gladiator pummel. His answer: "Without a doubt Rosie O'Donnell. Somebody needs to shut that big mouth up," TMZ reported.

O'Donnell responded in her blog, saying:

hulk hogan
the wrestler guy
wants to pummel me
isnt that sweet
and wildly odd

its like a gang of gross guys
a club almost
old dumb white and on tv

O'Donnell hosted her own daytime talk show from 1996 to 2002. She also produced a Broadway musical and founded a short-lived, namesake magazine before her tempestuous run on "The View."

Celebrity wrestler Hogan and Laila Ali co-host NBC's "American Gladiators," a revival of the '90s competition series. The new edition debuts Jan. 6.

"Things are bigger and faster," Hogan said of the show. "Now we've got water — and I wish it was shark-infested."

Hogan's wife, Linda, recently filed for divorce after 24 years of marriage, and the couple's 17-year-old son, Nick Bollea, is facing charges of reckless driving after an Aug. 26 crash in Clearwater, Fla., that left a friend critically injured.

Woman Married To 10 Men At Same Time

2007-12-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

From Local10.com:

MIAMI -- A 26-year-old Miami woman was married to 10 men at the same time, prosecutors allege, in a marriage-for-pay scheme to enable the men to remain in the United States.

Eunice Lopez was charged with nine counts of bigamy Wednesday.

The charges say she married the men between 2002 and 2006 without divorcing any of them. In one case, she married two men in the same month.

On June 22, 2002 Lopez married Mauricio Carlo Matos as evidenced by a Certificate of Marriage filed with the Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Court on June 27, 2002.

On Aug. 11, 2003, while still married to Natos, Lopez married Jose L. Ramos. A Certificate of Marriage was filed with the clerk of the court on Aug. 19, 2003.

On March 5, 2005, while still married to Natos and Ramos, Lopez married Antonio Roberto Cordeiro. A certificate of marriage was filed with the clerk of the court on March 15, 2005.

On Nov. 5, 2005, Lopez married Humberto Navarro Suarez. A certificate of marriage was filed on Nov. 8, 2005. Lopez was still married to Natos, Ramos and Cordeiro.
Just 12 days after her marriage to Suarez, Lopez married Leandro Abelha on Nov. 17, 2005. The same day a marriage certificate was filed with the clerk of the court.

On Jan. 6, 2006, Lopez married Euclides Yepes Ceballos. There were still no divorce proceedings on file for Lopez with the clerk of the court, but a marriage certificate was issued on Jan. 9, 2006.

On May 11, 2006, Lopez married Martin Errazola Alvarez. The same day a marriage certificate was filed with the clerk of the court.

On June 2, 2006, Marco Antonio Serrano and Lopez were married. Again, on the same day, a certificate of marriage was filed with the clerk of the court.

On July 24, 2006, Diego M. Hernandez-Figueroa and Lopez were married and the same day a certificate of marriage was filed with the clerk of the court.

On Nov. 21, 2006, Lopez married Fernando Jose Urroz Leguisamo. A certificate of marriage was filed with the clerk of the court the same day.

She was held at the Women's Detention Center on $75,000 bond, but posted bond Friday morning, according to the state attorney's office.

The investigation is continuing.

THE WORST DRESSED OF 2007

2007-12-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE FOR THE "WINNERS"

Pirate Captain William Kidd's Ship Possibly Found

2007-12-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews:

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A U.S. underwater archaeology team announced Thursday it has likely discovered the shattered remnants of a ship once captained by the notorious buccaneer William Kidd off a tiny Dominican Republic island.

The barnacled cannons and anchors found stacked beneath just 10 feet of crystalline coastal waters off Catalina Island are believed to be the wreckage of the Quedagh Merchant, a ship abandoned by the Scottish privateer in 1699, Indiana University researchers say.

"When I first looked down and saw it, I couldn't believe everybody missed it for 300 years," said Charles Beeker, a scuba-diving archaeologist who teaches at Indiana University. "I've been on thousands of wrecks and this is one of the first where it's been untouched by looters."

Beeker said the wreckage has been aggressively sought by treasure hunters, including a group with a permit from the Dominican government to scour Catalina for remnants of the ship, which historians believe was scavenged of treasure and burned shortly after Kidd abandoned it.

The Dominican government has licensed the U.S. university to study the wreckage and convert the sea floor where the cannons and anchors are marooned into an underwater preserve, where it will be accessible to divers and snorkelers.

"We believe this is a living museum," said Beeker, who has previously helped the Dominican government open underwater parks that feature cannons, jar fragments and other items recovered from early 18th-century shipwrecks. "The treasure in this case is the wreck itself."

The scattered cannons and anchors, partially hidden by swirling sand, were first spotted by a local man who reported his discovery to the Dominican government, according to Francis Soto, director of the National Office of Subaquatic Heritage and Culture.

The Indiana University team then examined the wreck at the request of the Caribbean country's government.

The find will likely reveal key information about piracy in the Caribbean and about the elusive Captain Kidd, according to John Foster, California's state underwater archaeologist, who will participate in the research.

"I look forward to a meticulous study of the ship, its age, its armament, its construction," Foster said. "Because there is extensive written documentation, this is an opportunity we rarely have to test historic information against the archaeological record."

Historian Richard Zacks, who wrote a book about the seafaring privateer called "The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd," said the Scotsman had captured the 500-ton Moorish ship in the Indian Ocean but left it in the Caribbean in 1699 as he traveled to New York to try and clear his name of criminal charges.

Kidd failed to convince authorities of his innocence and was hanged in 1701 in London, Zacks said. His body was suspended in a gibbet, a kind of cage, on the Thames River as a warning to other privateers.

Study: Students Who Pull All-Nighters Have Lower GPAs

2007-12-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

ALBANY, N.Y. — Students who rely on all-nighters to bring up their grades might want to sleep on that strategy: a new survey says those who never study all night have slightly higher GPAs than those who do.

A survey of 120 students at St. Lawrence University, a small liberal arts college in northern New York, found that students who have never pulled an all-nighter have average GPAs of 3.1, compared to 2.9 for those who have. The study, by assistant professor of psychology Pamela Thacher, is to be included in the January issue of Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

"It's not a big difference, but it's pretty striking," Thacher said. "I am primarily a sleep researcher and I know nobody thinks clearly at 4 in the morning. You think you do, but you can't."

A second study by Thacher, a clinical psychologist, had "extremely similar" results showing lower grades among the sleep skippers.

Many college students, of course, have inadequate or irregular sleep, for reasons ranging from excessive caffeine to poor time management.

Prav Chatani, a St. Lawrence sophomore who wasn't involved in either study, said the findings made sense. The neuroscience major has been pulling fewer all-nighters, but recently stayed up until "around 4 or 5 in the morning" to prepare for an organic chemistry test and a neuroscience presentation, he said.

He found himself unable to remember some of the things he had studied.

"A lot of students were under the impression all-nighters were a very useful tool for accomplishing work, that caffeine intake was very useful in meeting deadlines and stuff like that," said Chatani, who had a 3.4 GPA last semester and doesn't expect to do too badly this semester, either.

Dr. Howard Weiss, a physician at St. Peter's Sleep Center in Albany, said the study results make sense.

"Certainly that data is out there showing that short sleep duration absolutely interferes with concentration, interferes with performance on objective testing," he said.

Some night owls do get good grades, of course, which may be explained by circadian rhythms, Weiss said. Circadian rhythms can be tracked through body temperature and hormonal transmissions.

Some people have different 24-hour body clocks than others, and may do better depending on class and testing times, Weiss said.

ChloJe LaFrance, a St. Lawrence junior from Elizabethtown majoring in psychology and English, said she's never studied all night. "If I get less than six hours of sleep I just do not function at all," she said.

LaFrance, who has about a 3.7 GPA, said she's never had a situation where she couldn't get all her work done.

"I'm in a crunch period right now," she said. "I just find I work better when I get sleep. I'm actually more productive."

In Thacher's first study, 65 students said they had pulled one or more all-nighters, and 45 said they hadn't done any. The survey was conducted in Psychology 101 classes, and included students in a variety of majors.

Oprah getting backlash from some fans for Obama support

2007-12-13T22:08:00.000-08:00

From CNN.com:

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Oprah Winfrey's recent campaign swing with Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama was greeted with wild cheers and record-breaking crowds.

But some of the talk show host's fans aren't happy she's become politically outspoken, and many are sounding off on Oprah's Web site.

"Oprah," says one, "count me as tuned out for now." Another writes, "It's a real turn off for a lot of your fans." And yet another says "She has crossed a line and lost my trust completely."

But, what's especially interesting about reading Oprah's Web site is why some of those fans seem to be upset: the way she stumped for Obama, they say, seemed to pit white against black.

"I've been inspired to believe that a new vision is possible for America,"
Oprah said while on the stump with Obama in South Carolina. "Dr. King dreamed the dream, we get to vote that dream into reality."

Back on Oprah's Web site, one commenter wrote, "Winfrey has artfully begun her stump speeches alongside Obama with a negative racial tone."

And another commenter wrote, "Don't pit blacks against whites."

Interviewed on ABC's Good Morning America Wednesday, Winfrey rejected the notion she is supporting Obama merely because he is black.

"I get a little..I guess the word is 'offended,'" Winfrey said. "To think that I would be supporting someone just because of their skin would mean we haven't moved far from Dr. King's speech in 1963, where he said we should be judged by the content of our character not the color of their skin."

In another interview, Winfrey told CNN that she weighed carefully whether she should get involved in politics, wondering whether she would "lose viewers as a result."

"I made the decision that I have the right to do it as an American citizen," she said.

– CNN's Carol Costello

MARCIA CROSS NAKED

2007-12-13T13:09:00.000-08:00

I guess the "Desperate Housewives" star decided it's a good idea to take nude photos.
Supposedly these pics were found in the trash and are now leaked.

Click here for the photos.

FUNNY NEW YORK KNICKS CARTOON

2007-12-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

Feds Raid Al Sharpton Offices, Subpoena Financial Records, Employees

2007-12-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

NEW YORK — Federal authorities have subpoenaed financial records and employees in an apparent probe of the Rev. Al Sharpton's 2004 presidential bid, nonprofit civil rights group, and for-profit businesses, a newspaper reported Thursday.

As many as 10 Sharpton associates were subpoenaed Wednesday to testify before a federal grand jury in Brooklyn Dec. 26, his lawyer told the Daily News.

They were told to provide investigators with financial records from the campaign and roughly six Sharpton-related businesses, as well as personal financial documents of Sharpton and his wife, the newspaper said.

The FBI and Internal Revenue Service are seeking the records, which go back to 2001, according to the Daily News.

A Sharpton spokeswoman did not immediately return phone calls or e-mail messages early Thursday.

An FBI agent who answered the phone at the agency's New York headquarters declined to comment, and an agency spokesman did not immediately return a telephone message. An IRS spokesman did not immediately return phone calls.

"It was like a sting or a raid," said Carl Redding, Sharpton's chief of staff for eight years during the 1990s. "They converged on everybody."

Redding said FBI agents awoke him at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday with a subpoena to testify and to bring records to the grand jury, but would not tell him the reason for the investigation.

Several staffers from the National Action Network, a Sharpton-led civil rights organization, also got subpoenas to testify, said Sharpton lawyer Michael Hardy. Sharpton himself did not receive a subpoena, the Daily News said.

Sharpton spokesman Charlie King said the minister and the National Action Network were cooperating with the probe. Hardy was sanguine about the developments.

"I can't think of a time when the Rev. Sharpton wasn't under investigation," he said.

Sharpton agreed in 2005 to repay the government $100,000, plus interest, for taxpayer money he received during his failed effort to win the Democratic presidential nomination the year before, though he denied wrongdoing.

The Federal Election Commission had determined that he spent more of his own money on the campaign than the qualifications for federal matching funds allow.

In 1993, Sharpton pleaded guilty to not filing a state income tax return in 1986.

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Caught With Burglary Tools, 2 Men Say They Were Fixing Toilet

2007-12-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

From FOXNEWS.COM:

APPLETON, Wis. — A police officer didn't buy the story offered by two men who were seen in the early morning hours, walking out from behind a local restaurant that was burglarized the night before.

The officer found they had some interesting gear with them — channel-lock pliers, a screwdriver, other tools and a flashlight.

No problem, they told the officer, explaining they were going to help a friend fix a toilet.

But the officer said they couldn't give a last name, phone number or address for the friend.

The two men, one 19 and the other 18, wound up booked into Outagamie County Jail on Wednesday for possession of tools that could be used for burglary.

According to police, the officer also found a large crowbar stuck in a snow bank and footprints in the snow leading to back doors of several businesses.

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Wal-Mart Yanks Pink 'Credit Card' Panties Off Shelves

2007-12-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

From FoxNews.com:

Suggestive pink Santa panties targeting young girls are being removed from Wal-Mart stores after parents objected to the offensive undergarments.

The panties, which were sold in the juniors department, seemed to suggest that girls don't need money, they just need a sugar daddy — in this case Santa Claus.

The hipster briefs — carrying the slogan "Who needs credit cards ..." on the front and "When you have Santa" on the derriere — caused an uproar among parents, who called for the $2.96 drawers to be pulled off the racks.

"We have directed our stores to remove this merchandise from our shelves," Linda Brown Blakely, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, told FOXNews.com Wednesday.

The undergarments had caused a stir on some blogs prior to Wednesday's announcement. Scarlett, a reader of Feministing.com, alerted the blog to the holiday-inspired undies, which she found on a rack in the juniors department of a Wal-Mart in Cary, N.C.

"There's nothing quite like telling adolescent girls that they don't need to worry about finances since they have their very own moneypot between their legs," Jessica Valenti, the executive editor of Feministing.com, wrote on the panty blog post.

Scarlett was so incensed by the message on the front of the panties, she didn't even see the Santa kicker in the rear, she wrote on the blog.

"I still think that the entire thing is messed up. This isn't just a cute T-shirt that says 'Just ask Santa,'" she wrote. "This is a pair of panties. Exactly how nice to Santa would the girl have to be in order to get stuff?"

Lock of John Lennon's hair sells for $48,000

2007-12-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

From Yahoo News:

LONDON - Imagine that. A lock of John Lennon's hair sold for $48,000 Wednesday in an auction of Beatles' memorabilia collected by the band's hairdresser.

The hair — inside an autographed copy of Lennon's book "A Spaniard in the Works" — sold to an unnamed telephone bidder.

Gorringes auction house had estimated the hair would sell for $4,000 to $6,000.

Lennon gave the book and the lock of hair to Betty Glasow, the Fab Four's hairdresser during their heyday. He wrote in the book, "To Betty, Lots of Love and Hair, John Lennon xx."

"It is astonishing that there is still so much interest in the Beatles and the sale goes to prove that John Lennon is still an icon," said Francesca Collin, a spokeswoman for Gorringes.

"To have some of Lennon's hair along with a signed note from him really does give it fantastic provenance and authenticity," Collin said.

Glasow, who kept the Beatles' moptops trimmed on the set of their films "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!" in the 1960s, decided to sell the items because she wanted fans to have them, said Nick Muston, a director of the auction house.

"She feels that rather than these things being stuck in a drawer with nobody enjoying them, real enthusiasts (could) get their hands on these things," Muston said.

Other items sold at the auction in Worthing included signed photographs of the band dedicated to Glasow, including one that George Harrison signed "George "Dandruff" Harrison." It sold for $13,000.

MARION JONES STRIPPED OF MEDALS, BANNED FROM BEIJING OLYMPICS

2007-12-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

From ESPN.com:

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The IOC formally stripped Marion Jones of her five Olympic medals Wednesday, wiping her name from the record books following her admission that she was a drug cheat.

The International Olympic Committee also banned the disgraced American athlete from attending next year's Beijing Olympics in any capacity and said it could bar her from future games.

Jones had already handed back the three gold medals and two bronze she won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Last month, the International Association of Athletics Federations erased all of Jones' results dating to September 2000, but it was up to the IOC to formally disqualify her and take away her Olympic medals.

"She is disqualified and scrapped from the results,'' IOC president Jacques Rogge said at the close of a three-day executive board meeting.

"It was an easy decision,'' added IOC vice president Thomas Bach, a German lawyer who headed a three-member disciplinary panel in the case. "The facts were clear.''

Jones won gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 1,600-meter relay in Sydney, and bronze in the long jump and 100-meter relay. She was the first female track and field athlete to win five medals at a single Olympics.

After long denying she ever had used performance-enhancing drugs, Jones admitted in federal court in October that she started using steroids before the Sydney Games. She said she'd used the designer steroid "the clear'' from September 2000 to July 2001.

In addition to stripping her Sydney medals, the IOC disqualified Jones from her fifth-place finish in the long jump at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The IOC postponed a decision on redistributing her medals, including whether to strip her eight American relay teammates and whether to upgrade doping-tainted Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou to gold in the 100.

Rogge said the IOC had initiated the process for removing the relay teams' medals, but would give the runners a chance to state their case at a hearing. He said the athletes would be represented by the U.S. Olympic Committee, even though the body has already said the relays were tainted and the medals should be returned.

Rogge said he expects the relay medal issue to be resolved at the next executive board meeting in Beijing in April.

"Should the IOC decide to disqualify the teams, it would be a consequence of the doping offense of Miss Jones and not the consequence of any faults committed by other members,'' Rogge said.

The U.S. 1,600-relay team included Jearl-Miles Clark, Monique Hennagan, LaTasha Colander-Richardson and Andrea Anderson. Chryste Gaines, Torri Edwards, Nanceen Perry and Passion Richardson were on the 400-relay squad.

Jamaica took silver behind the United States in the 1,600 relay. Russia was third and Nigeria fourth. In the 400 relay, France was fourth behind the Americans.

The executive board also declared Jones ineligible for the Beijing Games "not only as an athlete but also in any other capacity.''

Jones has retired as an athlete and is banned by U.S. officials from competition for two years. But the IOC wants to keep her from going to the Olympics as a coach or in any other role, and said she could face a lifetime Olympic ban pending the outcome of the BALCO investigation.

"The issue has been damaging for Miss Jones, that goes without saying,'' Rogge said. "I still think that this is a good thing for the fight against doping. The more athletes we can catch, the more credible we are, the more deterrent effect we will have and the more we are going to protect clean athletes.''

Jones' doping admission came as part of her guilty plea to lying to federal investigators in the BALCO case about using steroids. She will be sentenced on Jan. 11 and is expected to face a term of between three and six months.

Jones becomes the fourth American athlete in Olympic history to have a medal taken away by the IOC, and the third for a doping offense.

Jerome Young was stripped of his 1,600-meter relay gold from the Sydney Games for an earlier doping violation; swimmer Rick DeMont lost his gold in the 400-meter freestyle from the 1972 Munich Games after testing positive for a banned substance in his asthma medication, and Jim Thorpe was stripped of his pentathlon and decathlon gold medals in 1912 when it was revealed he earned $25 a week playing minor league baseball. The IOC reinstated Thorpe in 1982 and returned his medals to his children the following year.

The reshuffling of Jones' medals could affect the medal status of more than three dozen other athletes.

IOC officials said they need more details from the ongoing BALCO probe to determine whether any other Olympic athletes were linked to the scandal.

There is reluctance among some IOC officials to upgrade Thanou, who finished second behind Jones in the 100. Thanou later served a two-year ban after failing to show for drug tests in the leadup to the 2004 Athens Olympics.

One option under consideration is leaving the gold medal spot vacant.

The bronze medalist in the 100 in Sydney was Tanya Lawrence, with fellow Jamaican Merlene Ottey fourth.

In the 200, Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas took the silver behind Jones. Sri Lanka's Susanthika Jayasinghe was third and Jamaica's Beverly McDonald fourth.

U.S. Refuses 'Any Wounded Soldier' Mail

2007-12-11T14:41:00.000-08:00

From FoxNews.com:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Hundreds of thousands of holiday cards and letters thanking wounded American troops for their sacrifice and wishing them well never reach their destination. They are returned to sender or thrown away unopened.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks and the anthrax scare, the Pentagon and the Postal Service have refused to deliver mail addressed simply to "Any Wounded Soldier" for fear terrorists or opponents of the war might send toxic substances or demoralizing messages.

Mail must be addressed to a specific member of the armed forces -- a rule that pains some well-meaning Americans this Christmas season.

"Are we going to forget our soldiers because we are running in fear?" Fena D'Ottavio asked. The suburban Chicago woman was using her blog to encourage friends to send mail to unspecified soldiers until she learned of the ban, which she called a sad commentary on society.

Last season, despite the rule, officials say as many as 450,000 pieces of mail not addressed to anyone in particular managed to reach Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. But they were returned or, if they had no return address, were thrown out altogether, because the hospital lacked the manpower to open and screen all the mail, spokesman Terry Goodman said.

"A lot of this is because of security concerns because it's unsolicited mail that someone is going to have to go through," Goodman said. "Also, being a democratic society, there could be inappropriate mail from someone who, say, doesn't support the war, and then you've got a wounded soldier getting it."

Lt. Col. Kevin Arata, a spokesman with the Army Human Resources Command, said no one tracks the amount of unnamed-soldier mail being returned, so it is impossible to judge the size of the problem.

The busiest part of the holiday season has yet to arrive, but officials said they are receiving far less mail this year addressed simply to "A Recovering American Soldier" or "Any Wounded Soldier."

Candy Roquemore of Austin, Texas, was also promoting the idea of sending cards to wounded soldiers until she found out about the rule. She suggested the ban is an overreaction.

"I think there are some wackos who might do something, so I can understand that. But I think with a Christmas postcard it would be pretty easy to see it doesn't have anthrax in it," Roquemore said.

She added: "I just wanted to say, `Thank you, sorry you're hurt, and happy holidays."'

USO spokesman John Hanson said that like the military, the nonprofit service organization does not deliver unopened mail to unspecified recipients. He said the USO worries about security as well as hateful messages from war critics.

"We just want to make sure it's not, `Die, baby killer,"' he said. "There are people out there who act irrationally, and we don't want anyone to get a message that would be discouraging."

The USO is one of the organizations the military is encouraging people to support with donations as an alternative to sending cards to unspecified soldiers. The military is also referring people to the American Red Cross and a Defense Department Web site where supporters have posted thousands of messages to troops.

Some groups are offering to forward mail to the troops. Aides to Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., are offering to accept letters, screen them through the U.S. Capitol mail operation, and get them to members of the armed forces.

"We've had about a dozen complaints from constituents about returned mail that they sent to troops," said Steven Boyd, a Sessions spokesman.

------

Ex-Cop Drew Peterson Launches Web Site for Defense Fund After Wife Disappears

2007-12-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

From FoxNews.com:

CHICAGO — Drew Peterson, a suspect in his 23-year-old wife's disappearance, wants the public to help fund his legal defense.

The former Bolingbrook, Ill., police sergeant launched a Web site Tuesday seeking donations to help pay his legal fees, as well as pay for a private investigator to search for his wife, Stacy Peterson, who has been missing since Oct. 28.

"For the cost of a few cups of your morning coffee, you can help to ensure that Drew can afford to support his ongoing legal defense, find his missing wife and divert any remaining funds into a trust for his children," the Web site says.

But Stacy Peterson's family believes the site is just a ploy to get money, not to help find the mother of two.

"What will this man do next?" Pamela Bosco, a spokeswoman for Stacy Peterson's family, told FOXNews.com. "It's all part of his plan. He's a very manipulative man; he has been all the way."

The site, DefendDrew.com, offers several options for donation amounts, ranging from $5 to $250.

Click here to visit Drew Peterson's Web site.

Officials have named Drew Peterson a suspect in Stacy Peterson's disappearance, but he has not been arrested or charged. Bosco said she believes it's just a matter of time before he's in handcuffs.

"Drew obviously had something to do with Stacy's disappearance," Bosco said. "What he did with her, we have no idea."

Stacy Peterson was reported missing after she failed to show up at a friend's house. Her 53-year-old husband says she left him for another man, but Stacy Peterson's family says she would never leave her children behind.

Any money collected for Drew Peterson's defense fund will go first to legal fees and hiring a private investigator to find Stacy Peterson, said Joel Brodsky, Drew Peterson's attorney. Any remaining funds will go to a trust fund for the Petersons' children.

“If you believe that a person should be able to defend themselves properly, then Drew needs a hand,” Brodsky said. “If we don’t get a hand, then there’s going to be a fairly weak defense.”

He said Drew Peterson needs help to fund his defense against the hundreds of investigators working the case against him.

“Do you believe that somebody should be steamrolled because this case has become a media sensation, or do you believe that everybody should have a fair shot, that there should be an equal playing field?” Brodsky asked.

The Web site says that Drew and his four children, two of whom are from a previous marriage, need help.

"Drew and his children should not have to lose everything accumulated in thirty years of public service," it says on the site. "Drew and his children risk losing their life savings, house, automobiles and may end up impoverished, all by simply defending himself against allegations."

Meanwhile, a team of FBI special agents, Illinois State Police and other law enforcement authorities are searching canals for any signs of Stacy Peterson.

Bosco said she did not know what specific clues led officials to search the area. There is a lot of debris in the water, and search teams are awaiting sonar equipment for a more extensive search.

There is a $25,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in Stacy Peterson's disappearance.

Rudy Giuliani Says He Wished He Could Have Deported All Illegal Immigrants

2007-12-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

From FoxNews.com:

WASHINGTON — Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani — whose GOP rivals have been hammering him for weeks, accusing him of running a "sanctuary city" friendly to illegal immigrants — now says he wanted to depart all 400,000 of them from New York City, but federal officials' incompetence made him tailor policy friendly to immigrants.

"If they could [have deported them], I would have have turned all the people over. It would have helped me. I would have had a smaller population. I would have had fewer problems," Giuliani said in an interview given for an upcoming book.

Click here to read the excerpt from, "Meet the Next President," published in The (Washington, D.C.) Examiner.

Giuliani has faced heavy criticism from his more conservative rivals along the campaign trail for a number of moderate positions he has taken on immigration, homosexuality and abortion.

With respect to immigration, Giuliani in 1994 said: "Some of the hardest-working and most productive people in this city are undocumented aliens. ... If you come here and you work hard and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you're one of the people who we want in this city. You're somebody that we want to protect, and we want you to get out from under what is often a life of being like a fugitive."

In the interview, Giuliani laid blame on the U.S. immigration system, saying that the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service — now Immigration and Customs Enforcement — was unable to handle the crush of deportation referrals made by city law enforcement. Given that, he said, he was left with a population that could either be marginalized or put under the law.

"My objective was to make New York City safe," Giuliani told author Bill Sammon.

McDonald's in England Fines Customers Who Take Too Long to Eat

2007-12-11T08:57:00.000-08:00

From the guardian.com:

The question of just how long it should take to eat fast food is being answered by the burger giant McDonald's, which is making customers finish within 45 minutes or face a charge of £125.

Motorists who care to linger over their McMeals for any longer at some drive-throughs are receiving demands from a private company that manages car parks for the burger chain.

If they do not pay, the fee rises steadily and customers are threatened with court action and approached by bailiffs. A spokeswoman for McDonald's said the 45-minute restrictions had been introduced at about 40 restaurants because car parks were being abused. She said signs explaining the policy were displayed and leaflets given out.

Many supermarkets and restaurants are handing over the management of their car parks to companies which use number plate recognition cameras to log when people enter and leave.

If they stay too long, the details of the registered keeper of the vehicle are obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), and he or she is billed. An elderly Wiltshire couple were recently berated by Tesco after taking too long to do their Christmas shopping at the supermarket.

The company that manages McDonald's car parks, Civil Enforcement, also works with a string of other blue-chip companies. BP used it until recently to monitor some of its petrol station forecourts.

One motorist, Jamie Thomson, told the Guardian of his experience at a McDonald's near Gatwick: "I ordered a burger, chips, a doughnut, coke and coffee. I sat in my car eating my lunch, and listening to the radio. After eating, I continued to sip my coffee for a time, and ate my doughnut. Then I left. All perfectly normal." He says he was in his car for about an hour.

Several weeks later, he received a letter from Civil Enforcement demanding £125, or £75 if the charge was paid quickly. At first Thomson, a businessman from Sussex, did not even realise that he was being charged for spending too long at McDonald's, as the notice gave only a partial address.

When he remembered his visit to McDonald's, Thomson asked Civil Enforcement for photographic proof of his "offence", but was told he would have to pay for a photo. He contacted the DVLA to ask how Civil Enforcement had obtained his details, and was told the DVLA releases data to bodies which have "reasonable cause" to ask for it.

McDonald's told Thomson that the use of "enforcement methods" happened only in "extreme" circumstances. The company added: "At this restaurant we have stipulated that a member of the public may be parked for 45 minutes unless permission is given to stay longer by the duty manager."

McDonald's in effect washed its hands of the charge, saying it had been imposed by Civil Enforcement and the burger giant did not profit from it.

Thomson's charge has risen to £213. He has been threatened with court action and received a letter from a debt collection company. He said that neither he nor any member of his family would eat at the chain again.

Civil Enforcement operates more than 700 car parks, and says it issues a "considerable number" of parking tickets every year. Its founder, Gary Wayne, argued its "hi-tech approach" was "less confrontational than clamping and towing".

PASTOR: COP TOLD FOURTH WIFE HE KILLED THIRD WIFE

2007-12-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

From CNN.com:
BOLINGBROOK, Illinois (AP) -- A former police officer's missing wife once confided in a pastor that her husband admitted killing his third wife, the pastor said.

Former Westbrook Christian Church pastor Neil Schori told Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren in an interview broadcast Monday that Stacy Peterson told him in August that her husband, Drew Peterson, admitted killing his previous wife, Kathleen Savio.

Schori said he asked Stacy Peterson, Drew Peterson's fourth wife, to clarify what she had said and she responded, "'He killed Kathleen."' Schori said the conversation occurred when he and Stacy Peterson met at a coffee shop.

Savio's body was found in her bathtub in 2004 and her death initially was ruled an accidental drowning. After Stacy Peterson disappeared in October, prosecutors opened another investigation into the Savio case, and said it appears her death was a homicide staged to look like an accident. Drew Peterson has not been named a suspect in her death.

Stacy Peterson offered enough detail to be credible, said Schori, who declined to discuss the details in the interview.

"But it was very clear that this was not just speculation," he said. "She was not jumping to conclusions."

Joel Brodsky, Peterson's attorney, did not immediately return an after-hours phone message seeking comment from The Associated Press. But he said on the Fox program that "I'd love to get to cross-examine (Schori) because there are a lot of problems with his story."

Schori said he thought Stacy Peterson never shared the information about Savio with police. Asked why Stacy Peterson chose to stay with her husband after learning about his former wife's death, Schori said, "My guess would be out of fear."

Although he has not been arrested or charged, Drew Peterson, 53, has been named a suspect in Stacy Peterson's disappearance by Illinois State Police, who have labeled the case a possible homicide.

Stacy Peterson was last seen October 28 and was reported missing by her family the next day. Drew Peterson, a member of the Bolingbrook Police Department until he quit after his wife went missing, has denied any involvement in her disappearance. He has said he believes his wife left him for another man and is alive.

Last month, the Westbrook Christian Church's pastor of spiritual formation told The Associated Press that Stacy Peterson requested an August meeting with a member of their pastoral staff when the church made a routine call to see why she and Drew Peterson had not attended services in recent months.

The church official made a "judgment call" not to alert authorities and did not consult with other church staff, Rob Daniels said.

At the time he spoke to the AP, Daniels would not identify the clergy member who met with Stacy Peterson or say where the meeting took place. E-mail to a friend

DREW PETERSON'S FACE PLASTERED ON A PINATA

2007-12-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

From the Chicago Tribune:Apparently, it's not easy being Drew.

Drew Peterson said Thursday he would rather be remembered for something positive than something that would result in his picture being plastered on a pinata.

That creation was on display Saturday at a prayer vigil held for Peterson's wife, Stacy, 23, who vanished Oct. 28. Illinois State Police soon named Peterson, 53, a suspect in the case, which has been labeled a possible homicide.

Since then, Peterson, an ex-Bolingbrook police sergeant, has become infamous.

"I'd rather be a celebrity for something good," Peterson said. "They snuck me in and out for the 'Today' show. I remember sitting in the New York airport, and all of a sudden there was my face on TV."

In a telephone interview Thursday, Peterson talked about why he wouldn't join searches or vigils for his missing wife, and about the friends and former police colleagues who now shun him. He has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.

"It's like they had this vigil for Stacy, and the next thing you know there's a pinata with my face on it," he said. "All these policemen who were my friends, and I would have jumped in front of a bullet for, don't even talk to me."

Peterson has not participated in any searches since his wife disappeared and has contended she ran off with another man.

On Thursday, his former friend, Ric Mims, acknowledged selling his story to the National Enquirer.

Earlier in the day, Mims appeared before a special grand jury investigating the Stacy Peterson case.

Peterson chalked up Mims' deal with the Enquirer as just another moment of "et tu Brute?"

"I've befriended him, he was just some street kid ... and all of a sudden he was here -- my best friend," he said. "I went ahead and let him watch the house when I couldn't be here, and then he's changing sides."

Peterson claimed Mims has been looking for a way to profit since Stacy disappeared.

"The first couple days after this happened, he kept saying, 'How can we make money on this?'" he said.

Mims scoffed at the allegation. He said it was his cell phone bill and big heart that motivated him to talk to the Enquirer. Mims said he would pay his $480 phone bill, most of which came from talking to reporters, then donate the proceeds to the Benefit for Stacy Peterson charity, which will fund the ongoing search.

"I have not profited from this. This whole thing has cost me money," he said.

He wouldn't say how much the Enquirer paid him. Mims also declined to discuss the grand jury investigation.

Should that investigation lead to charges, Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky, said any alleged evidence from Peterson's vehicles may be tossed out by a judge on the grounds it was illegally seized. Peterson's vehicles were towed Nov. 1, when the first search warrant was executed. But, according to copies of the warrants, the first one authorized only the search -- not the seizure -- of the vehicles.

Brodsky said investigators tried to rectify their mistake in a warrant served Tuesday by including language that authorized seizure of the vehicles, which remain in police custody.

Richard Kling, a clinical professor of law at Chicago Kent with nearly four decades of criminal defense experience, said while there are reams of case law stating items need not be searched where they are found, Brodsky's argument could have merit.

"The 4th Amendment and the cases that interpret it say that in order for a search and seizure to be valid, the premise to be searched and the things to be seized have to be specified with particularity, other than those things which are in plain view, such as contraband," Kling said. "He may have a point that the first search warrant is problematic because it didn't describe that the cars were able to be seized."

After reviewing copies of the search warrants, Kling said it appears investigators pieced together a detailed theory about how Stacy Peterson's body could have been disposed of.

"It's pretty clear that either somebody from the police has come up with this wonderful hypothesis about how the car was used, the body disposed of, or they have witnesses who are giving them what they believe is credible information [and are] looking for specific items," Kling said.

Some categories were broadened in each subsequent search warrant, and others were more narrowly defined. One example is a section in the second warrant authorizing seizure of "chemicals or chemical containers having the quality to dissolve biological evidence, caustic in nature, or having the qualities of a preservative." In the latest warrant, the language was changed to "objects with chemical traces relating to pool chemicals or any chemical which might be utilized to either retard, mask or accelerate the deterioration or decomposition of a human body."

"You have to assume that the judge is not issuing warrants on somebody's fantasy conjecture," Kling said. "You have to assume that the judge knows the law, and that if he's issuing warrants, they're based on specific information."

When Peterson was asked Thursday about going from cop doing the investigating to being investigated, he said: "I gotta go now. It's very ugly being on the other side."

BARRY BONDS PLEADS NOT GUILTY

2007-12-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

From ESPN.com:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds pleaded not guilty Friday to charges he lied to federal investigators about whether he used performance enhancing drugs.

The home run king's arraignment in U.S. District Court marked his first public appearance since a Nov. 15 indictment charging him with four counts of perjury and one of obstruction of justice.

Bail was set at $500,000. Prosecutors also asked the court to restrict Bonds' travel to the United States.

If he's convicted of all five charges Bonds could spend more than two years in prison.

Wearing a dark blue suit and tie and accompanied by his wife, Bonds stepped from a black sport-utility vehicle and waded through a crush of television cameras, reporters and onlookers outside the Phillip Burton Federal Building. He went through the metal detectors and waved to the crowd before stepping into the courthouse elevator and heading to the 19th-floor for the hearing.

Television satellite trucks lined the streets around the courthouse -- some having staked out a spot more than 20 hours before. San Francisco Giants fans joined reporters and other spectators, who presumably hoped to catch a glimpse of Bonds upon his arrival.

A 43-year-old travel agent from Sacramento was holding a broomstick with a witch costume hanging from it. He carried a sign welcoming the crowd to what he called a George Mitchell "witchhunt," referring to the baseball steroids investigator.

Across from the courthouse, a giant marquee reading "Say it ain't so, Barry," hung from a tire store.

MOM GETS PROBATION FOR TRYING TO SELL 4-YEAR OLD SON

2007-12-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

DAVENPORT, Iowa — A Davenport woman received five years of probation Thursday for attempting to sell her 4-year-old son to help pay for a wedding dress.

Marcy Gant, 32, was convicted in October of purchase or sale of an individual and could have been sentenced up to 10 years in prison.

Gant was arrested in October 2006 after offering her son to a retailer to settle a $200 bill for the dress. Police said Gant offered the trade at least twice.

Gant's sons, ages 4 and 10 at the time, have been removed from the home by Iowa Department of Human Services.

Prosecutor Julie Walton requested prison time for Gant, citing "out-of-control behavior" fueled by alcoholism.

Lauren Phelps, Gant's attorney, requested probation.

"She's making better choices," Phelps said, saying she is keeping in touch with her children and maintaining a stable residence. "She's doing things she needs to do."

Gant will have to follow several special provisions, including bans on alcohol and contacting the prosecution's main witness in the case. Gant also will have to submit to random tests for drugs and alcohol, follow the advice of mental health professionals and attend two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a week, Scott County District Judge James Kelley ruled.

Gant could be sent to prison for up to 10 years if she violates the order.

BOARD GAMES HELPED FREE POWs

2007-12-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

From Cnn.com:

Park Place, Boardwalk, and a hidden map with a secret escape route? For Allied POWs during World War II, Monopoly® games came equipped with real-life "get out of jail free" cards.

During World War II, the British secret service hatched a master plan to smuggle escape gear to captured Allied soldiers inside Germany. Their secret weapon? Monopoly boxes.

The original notion was simple enough: Find a way to sneak useful items into prison camps in an unassuming form. But the idea to use Monopoly came from a series of happy coincidences, all of which started with maps.

Maps are harder to smuggle than you might think. They fall apart when wet, and they make a lot of noise when unfolded. Allied officials feared paper maps might draw the attention of German troops, so they turned to an unlikely source for help -- silk. Not only would silk maps hold up in all kinds of weather, but they'd also come with the life-saving benefit of being whisper quiet.

To produce these silent maps, the Brits turned to John Waddington Ltd., a company that had recently perfected the process of printing on silk and was already manufacturing silk escape maps for British airmen to carry. What else was Waddington known for? You guessed it -- being the licensed manufacturer of Monopoly outside the United States.

Suddenly, the popular board game seemed like the perfect way to get supplies inside German-run POW camps. At the time, the Nazis were hard-pressed to get provisions to their own troops, much less to the Allied soldiers they'd captured.

Wishing to hide this less-than-stellar upholding of the Geneva Convention, they happily welcomed Red Cross aid packages for POWs. So throwing Monopoly games into the care kits along with food and clothing was met with little scrutiny. Monopoly was already a well-known game throughout Europe, and the German guards saw it as the perfect way for their detainees to remain occupied for hours.

In 1941, the British Secret Service approached Waddington with its master plan, and before long, production of a "special edition" Monopoly set was underway. For the top-secret mission, the factory set aside a small, secure room -- unknown to the rest of its employees -- where skilled craftsmen sat and painstakingly carved small niches and openings into the games' cardboard boxes.

Along with the standard thimble, car, and Scotty dog, the POW version included additional "playing" pieces, such as a metal file, a magnetic compass, and of course, a regional silk escape map, complete with marked safe-houses along the way -- all neatly concealed in the game's box.

Even better, some of the Monopoly money was real. Actual German, Italian, and French currency was placed underneath the play money for escapees to use for bribes.

Also, because of its collaboration with the International Red Cross, Waddington could track which sets would be delivered to which camps, meaning escape maps specific to the area could be hidden in each game set. Allied soldiers and pilots headed to the front lines were told to look for the special edition game if they were captured. The identifying mark to check for? A red dot in the corner of the Free Parking space.

By the end of the war, it's estimated that more than 35,000 Allied POWs had escaped from German prison camps. And while there's no way to set an exact figure on it, more than a few of those escapees certainly owe their breakout to the classic board game.

But despite its brave and noble role in all of it, Monopoly's heroic war deeds would go unrecognized for decades. Strict secrecy about the plan was maintained during the war, not only so that the British could continue using the game to help POWs, but also because Waddington feared a targeted reprisal by German bombers.

After the war, all remaining sets were destroyed, and everyone involved in the plan, including the escaped prisoners, were told to keep quiet. In the event of another large-scale war, Allied officials also wanted to make sure the seemingly innocent board game could go back into action.

Believe it or not, it wasn't long before Monopoly found itself in the middle of yet another international conflict -- this time defending itself from Communist leaders in Russia.

Being that Monopoly is essentially a game in which one player gets rich at the expense of others becoming poor, Soviet officials had long seen the board game as an overt symbol of capitalistic frivolity and greed. So, as its popularity soared, Communists took more and more efforts to curb the enthusiasm.

Cuba, the U.S.S.R., and other Eastern Bloc countries outlawed the game for fear it would corrupt the public with positive notions about a free-market economy. Soviet leaders even tried coming up with their own Marxist-themed spin-off games designed to highlight the virtues of frugality. The title of one such knockoff from Communist-era Hungary loosely translated to "Save," while another in Russia had a name that roughly meant "Manage."

But bans and spin-offs couldn't hold down the individualistic drive of the human spirit. Monopoly became an underground success, secretly coveted and played behind the Iron Curtain as a way of escaping the drudgery of Soviet life. It wasn't until 1987, four years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, that Monopoly was allowed to be legally sold there.

Today, Monopoly is licensed in more than 80 countries, and no fewer than 200 spin-off versions exist. Of course, playing it in the cozy confines of your living room, it's easy to take for granted that there was a time when, to many, Monopoly was a lot more than just a game

GENNIFER FLOWERS CONSIDERS VOTING FOR HILLARY CLINTON

2007-12-07T08:05:00.000-08:00

From FoxNews.com:

LAS VEGAS — The one-time other woman in Hillary Rodham Clinton's life says she's considering casting her vote for the former first lady.

"I can't help but want to support my own gender, and she's as experienced as any of the others — except maybe Joe Biden," Gennifer Flowers said in a recent telephone interview from her home in Las Vegas.

Flowers said she is still undecided, supports abortion rights and has long wanted to see a woman in the White House.

"I would love to see a woman president, I just didn't think it would be her," Flowers said.

In the 1992 presidential race, the former television reporter claimed to have had a 12-year affair with then-candidate and Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton. Clinton initially denied the allegation, but later, during his deposition in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, acknowledged a single sexual encounter with Flowers.

Today the media frenzy, the book tour and the Penthouse shoot is behind her. The defamation suit she once filed against Hillary Clinton was dismissed. The 57-year-old lounge singer says she plans to stay far away from presidential politics.

"I don't have any interest whatsoever in getting back out there and bashing Hillary Clinton," Flowers said.

That's not to say she isn't watching the race closely. Democratic Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, she said, is "smart, sexy and experienced." She liked Clinton's response to a question about immigration at a recent debate in Las Vegas ("I like the way she was so definite about it, the others are trying to play to the middle.")

Mitt Romney is also on the short list, though in general "the GOP has yet to start impressing me," said Flowers, a registered nonpartisan who has recently voted Republican.

Flowers moved to Las Vegas about a year ago, after years of singing at a cabaret club in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina wrecked her home and her marriage, she said. Sin City offered her a chance to perform in Bottom's Up, a variety show at a casino in downtown Las Vegas.

She's now looking for other performing opportunities, involved in a plastic surgery reality series and has begun writing an advice column for a community Web site.

Hillary Clinton also contributes to the same site.

A typical Clinton campaign post: "Clinton Unveils Bold Plan to Tackle Energy and Climate Crisis."

Flowers' inaugural column: "The Secret Society of Undercover Button Pushers."

Flowers says she hopes to use the column to impart wisdom on how to overcome challenges.

"I feel like I have a Ph.D. in life, I'm a survivor. I've not only survived, I've thrived," she said.

And she has no advice for Clinton.

"She wouldn't take any advice from me anyway. Looks like she's doing just fine on her own," Flowers said.

ARTIST COMMITS SUICIDE AFTER BECK BACKS OUT OF MOVIE

2007-12-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

December 7, 2007 -- An East Village artist fell into suicidal depression after telling friends that oddball rocker Beck backed out of her movie project, according to a published report.

In January's Vanity Fair, Nancy Jo Sales bares e-mails written by Theresa Duncan suggesting Beck pulled the curtain down on her beloved movie development, "Alice Underground."

"Beck and I met repeatedly to discuss the film," Duncan wrote to a friend in early 2003.

But Duncan said the Los Angeles-based Beck backed out, fearing that his Scientologist handlers wouldn't like the movie, Vanity Fair reported.

"[Beck] really, really tried to get away . . . [by] using going to NY to be in 'Alice Underground,' " Duncan e-mailed a friend in late 2006.

"He told me he wanted to leave the cult desperately, and this what they do when someone knows that."

The tragedy this year of Duncan's July 10 fatal drug overdose was compounded one week later when heartbroken boyfriend Jeremy Blake, a noted artist himself, waded into the choppy waters off Rockaway Beach, leaving behind a suicide note.

Friends said Duncan had once been beaming in confidence because her "Alice" script was generating hot Hollywood buzz.

The story would have been about two New York prep-school girls who kidnap a rock star, after he told them he wanted to leave the Church of Scientology and they offered help.

The selling point of Duncan's project was having the movie's protagonist played by real-life Scientologist rocker Beck, according to the doomed artist.

Beck said he was only casual friends with Duncan and Blake, and certainly had no intentions of leaving the Church of Scientology.

"That's ridiculous. Totally false," Beck told the mag about his alleged agreement to work on "Alice."

"Had we been closer and discussed anything as personal as religion, I would have only had positive things to say about Scientology."

Beck, 37, admitted he and Blake had a business relationship in 2002 when the ill-fated artist helped design the album cover on "Sea Change."

The rocker insists he wouldn't have been interested in acting at that time because of personal and scheduling restraints.

Beck and his wife had their first child in May 2004.

"We never met to discuss the film," Beck said. "I did explain to her I wasn't looking to act right then, and with the album, tour schedule, and a baby on the way, it wouldn't be feasible."

A spokesman for the rocker told The Post last night that Vanity Fair's quotes from Beck were accurate.

But the mouthpiece said Beck didn't want to add any additional comments: "That's about as on-the-record as you're going to get from him."

FAMILY SHUNNED OVER MYSPACE HOAX, TEEN'S SUICIDE

2007-12-07T07:49:00.000-08:00

From FoxNews.com:

DARDENNE PRAIRIE, Mo. — Waterford Crystal Drive is one of those suburban streets that seem so new as to have no history at all. But the suicide of a teenage girl — and allegations she had been tormented by a neighbor over the Internet — have brought a reaction that is old, almost tribal, in its nature.

Residents on the middle-class subdivision have turned against the neighbor, Lori Drew, and her family, demanding the Drews move out. In interviews, they have warned darkly that someone might be tempted to "take matters into their own hands."

"It's like they used to do in the 1700s and 1800s. If you wronged a community, you were basically shunned. That's basically what happened to her," said Trevor Buckles, a 40-year-old who lives next door to the Drews.

Drew became an outcast after she admitted inventing "Josh Evans," a good-looking teenage boy who chatted online with 13-year-old Megan Meier. Megan received cruel messages from Josh that apparently drove her to hang herself in her closet in 2006.

Through her lawyer, Drew, a mother of two in her 40s, has denied saying hurtful things to the girl over the Internet, and prosecutors have said they found no grounds for charges against the woman. Neverthess, the community reaction has been vengeful and the pressure on the Drews intense.

Last December, after neighbors learned of the Internet hoax, someone threw a brick through a window in the Drew home. A few weeks ago, someone made a prank call to police reporting that there had been a shooting inside the Drew's house, prompting squad cars to arrive with sirens flashing.

Someone recently obtained the password to change the Drew's outgoing cell phone recording, and replaced it with a disturbing message. Police would not detail the content.

Clients have fled from Drew's home-based advertising business, so she had to close it. Neighbors have not seen Drew outside her home in weeks.

Death threats and ugly insults have been hurled at Drew over the Internet, where she has been portrayed as monster who should go to prison, lose custody of her own children, or worse. Her name and address have been posted online, and a Web site with satellite images of the home said the Drews should "rot in hell."

Some of the threats "really freak me out," Buckles said while standing on his front porch after dark Tuesday night. As he spoke, a car slowed and stopped in front of Drew's home. It sat there idling for a few long minutes, then sped away. Buckles said it is a common occurrence.

"I just really hope that no one comes out here and does something insane," Buckles said. "If they do, I hope they get the right house."

Sheriff's Lt. David Tiefenbrunn said patrols have been stepped up around Drew's house. "There could be individuals out there with a vigilante-type attitude that might want to take revenge," he said.

The Drews — Lori, husband Curt and two children — live a one-story ranch. An older man at the house who described himself only as a relative said Lori Drew would not comment. He would not say if the family planned to move.

Ron and Tina Meier's home is four houses away from the Drews'. The sidewalk is curved, so the neighbors can't see each other from their front doors. The breach between the once-friendly families seems beyond repair.

"I think that what they have done is so despicable, that I think it absolutely disgusts people," Tina Meier said. "I can't take one ounce of energy worrying about who does not like Lori Drew or who hates Lori Drew. I could not care less."

Just a year ago, Waterford Crystal Drive was the kind of quiet suburban street where joggers waved hello while kids played in their front yards. Lately the road has been choked with TV news trucks, and neighbors hustle inside to avoid questions.

The row of brick-facade homes, with basketball nets and American flags out front, was carved out of the woods and pastures in the mid-1990s. Between rooftops, residents can see the neon signs of the strip mall restaurants near a highway that carries commuters some 35 miles to jobs in downtown St. Louis.

The subdivision and those surrounding it have street names evoking the good life, from Quaint Cottage Drive to Country Squire Circle.

The Drews used to fit in just fine, said John McIntyre, who described Lori Drew as an intensely social woman who never hesitated to stop and talk. She and Curt came over to McIntyre's home to look at his glassed-in porch because they were thinking of adding their own, he said.

McIntyre fondly remembered another guest — Megan. She came across the street to baby-sit McIntyre's 4-year-old daughter Genna and arrived with a clipboard and notes, determined to do the job right. He said the activity was good for Megan, who suffered from depression for years.

"She was a good kid," McIntyre said.

Megan became friends with the Drews' young daughter and the girls remained close for years, according to a report provided by prosecutors. But the girls had a falling-out in 2006.

Lori Drew and an employee, referred to only as a teenager named Ashley in the report, created a fake MySpace page so they could monitor what Megan was saying online about Drew's daughter, the report said. Ashley sent Megan most of the messages from "Josh," and Lori Drew was aware of them, prosecutors said.

On Oct. 16, 2006, there was a heated online exchange between Megan and Ashley, who was posing as Josh. It ended when "Josh" said the world would be better off without Megan.

Tina Meier said her daughter went to her room, crying and upset. About 20 minutes later, Megan was found hanging from a belt tied around her neck.

Drew's attorney Jim Briscoe said on NBC on Tuesday that Drew "absolutely, 100 percent" had nothing to do with the negative comments posted online about Megan and wasn't aware of them until after the girl took her life.

BARRY BONDS SET TO APPEAR IN COURT

2007-12-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

SAN FRANCISCO — The satellite dish-equipped news truck began arriving at the courthouse nearly 20 hours before Barry Bonds was scheduled to be arraigned on perjury and obstruction charges.

When Bonds shows up in courtroom 10 on the 19th floor of the Phillip Burton federal building for his 9 a.m. hearing Friday, it will mark the home run king's first public appearance since he was indicted on Nov. 15 — and an event that's expected to draw hundreds of journalists, protesters of various causes and the just plain curious.

Bonds is expected to plead not guilty in federal court to four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction after being charged with lying to a grand jury about his performance-enhancing drug use. If he's convicted, the five charges could mean more than two years of prison time.

In an attempt to corral the horde, the court has taken the rare step of bringing the judges to Bonds rather than requiring him to appear in two courtrooms, as is often the case with routine initial appearances by criminal defendants. Bonds also will be fingerprinted and have his mugshot taken. The whole affair is expected to last less than an hour.

"It's going to be a very quick hearing," said Golden Gate University law professor Peter Keane. "He'll have the charges read to him and likely enter a plea."

U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James will serve as the warm-up act. She will introduce Bonds to the federal court system, discuss bail and then turn over the case to U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston, who will formally accept Bonds' plea to the charges.

Bonds is accused of repeatedly lying when he testified under oath that he never knowingly used performance enhancing drugs. Several of Bonds' former associates are expected to contradict that testimony, and prosecutors claim to have a blood test from November 2000 that shows a "Barry B" testing positive for two types of steroids.

Bonds' defense team is expected to attack the credibility of the witnesses, who include Bonds' former mistress and a one-time business partner who had a bitter split with the slugger over memorabilia sales. Legal experts say the drug test, seized during a raid of the BALCO steroids lab, also will be subject to fierce scrutiny by Bonds' lawyers.

Late Thursday, the San Jose Mercury News reported that Bonds has added attorneys Cristina Arguedas and Allen Ruby to his legal team. Unlike his current attorney, Michael Rains, the two new lawyers have extensive federal experience. Neither could be reached for comment late Thursday.

Bonds, who is a free agent after the San Francisco Giants cut him loose this fall after 16 seasons, has long been a controversial figure.

His surly nature and alleged use of steroids have made him a pariah during a career that is among the greatest in baseball history, but also saw him grow from a slender, base-stealing outfielder to the muscle-bound slugger.

His combination of talent and temperament is exactly what's driving the public's interest in Bonds' case.

The spectacle will continue to mount Thursday night and into Friday morning with even more television trucks setting up camp before dawn and hopeful observers lining up at 7 a.m. for a chance at one of the coveted public seats in the courtroom.

By the time the proceedings begin at 9 a.m., Iraq war protesters, abortion foes and many more will likely have gathered outside the federal building in weather forecast to be chill and rainy.

Hoping to capitalize on what promises to be a circus-like atmosphere, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will send a pair of bikini-clad "lettuce ladies" to hand out faux-turkey sandwiches outside the courthouse.

The group announced its plans in a statement Thursday: "The growth-promoting drugs given to chickens make them grow faster than Barry Bonds' hat size."

A FUNNY CARTOON

2007-12-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

KANYE WEST, AMY WINEHOUSE LEAD GRAMMY NOMINATIONS

2007-12-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

From CNN.COM:

Kanye West earned eight nominations Thursday, including album of the year and rap album of the year for his "Graduation," leading the competition for the 50th annual Grammy Awards.

Amy Winehouse earned nominations in the big three categories -- album, song and record of the year.

British retro soul singer Amy Winehouse also made out well, earning six nods, including nominations for album of the year ("Back to Black"), song of the year, record of the year and best new artist.

In a surprise, Bruce Springsteen -- whose critically praised "Magic" was expected to do well -- didn't get an album of the year nomination. The competition in that category, besides West and Winehouse, includes the Foo Fighters ("Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace"), Vince Gill (the four-disc set "These Days") and Herbie Hancock ("River: The Joni Letters").

Two members of the Foo Fighters -- Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins -- as well as Gill and Hancock were on hand at Thursday's announcement to hear their names read.

Springsteen, who earned four nods, was nominated for best solo rock vocal and best rock album, among other awards.

Aside from Winehouse's "Rehab," the nominees for song of the year -- a songwriter's honor -- are "Before He Cheats" (performed by Carrie Underwood), "Hey There Delilah" (Plain White T's), "Like a Star" (Corinne Bailey Rae) and "Umbrella" (Rihanna).

Record of the year nominations went to "Rehab," Beyonce's "Irreplaceable," the Foo Fighters' "The Pretender," Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around ... Comes Around."

In addition to Winehouse, best new artist nominees are Feist, Ledisi, Paramore and Taylor Swift.

Winehouse has struggled personally since breaking into the big time in the U.S. this year. "Rehab" was no joke; the singer has coped with drug abuse allegations and ended up canceling weeks of concert dates because of "intense emotional strain," according to a statement from her promoter.

"She makes Lindsay Lohan look cool," comedian George Lopez cracked as he helped announce the nominations.

West also had great success in 2007 -- "Graduation" sold almost 1 million copies its first week out -- but he has also faced difficulty. In November, his mother died suddenly after plastic surgery at age 58.

Common ("Finding Forever"), Jay-Z ("Kingdom Come"), Nas ("Hip Hop Is Dead"), T.I. ("T.I. vs. T.I.P") and West all earned nominations for best rap album.

Peripatetic producer Timbaland, who received five nominations total, was among those receiving producer of the year (nonclassical) nominations.

Paul McCartney, whose album "Memory Almost Full" received good reviews, earned nominations for best pop vocal and best solo rock vocal.

At one point, the announcement turned into a festival of hugs, with an emotional Swift embracing many of her colleagues after hearing her name called. Grohl had fun with the idea, grabbing producer Jimmy Jam after Jam announced the Foo Fighters' album had made the album of the year list.

The 50th annual Grammys are scheduled for February 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and the show will air on CBS.

KIEFER SUTHERLAND REPORTS TO JAIL

2007-12-05T21:19:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

Kiefer Sutherland is in custody in California's Glendale City Jail, seen in his prison mugshot (above), he has begun serving a 48-day sentence for his latest DUI charge. Law enforcement officials close to the case revealed the details to PageSix.com exclusively.

The 24 star was handed the sentence in a Los Angeles courtroom, along with five years probation. He is to spend Christmas and New Year behind bars. He was charged with DUI after being pulled over in Hollywood on September 25 and was found to be driving while three times over the legal limit. Kiefer had a previous drunk-driving conviction in 2004 and was arrested for DUI in 1989 and 1993.

In today's court hearing, Kiefer was ordered to serve his time in full by March 30. As his hit Fox show is currently sidelined due to the writers' strike, Kiefer is serving his time as soon as possible and avoid affecting the production schedule. He will be behind bars for the Christmas holiday and will serve the entire 48-day sentence.

The actor is doing his time at the Glendale City Jail instead of a Los Angeles County Jail because of jail overcrowding. The insider tells PageSix.com that this isn't a pay-for-stay program, and the 40-year-old star will be serving his sentence in Glendale through the regular inmate program with no special privileges.

Calls to Kiefer's attorney weren't immediately returned.

Glendale City Jail spokesman told PageSix.com that "it was lights out at 10:00 pm for Jack Bauer."

SAME KIDS, SAME GRADES---STRAIGHT OR STONED

2007-12-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

From the Boston Herald.com:

A national pro-pot group that backs a Bay State campaign to decriminalize marijuana is shopping around a new Swiss study showing that teens who smoke grass are just as likely to get good grades as kids who abstain.

The study, which is being promoted by the Marijuana Policy Project, found teens who smoked pot were also more likely to have strong relationships with friends and were not any more likely to be depressed than their substance-free counterparts.

A top Beacon Hill lawmaker slammed the study, which was published in last month’s issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

“It’s really outrageous. I’m appalled,” said Rep. Peter Koutoujian (D-Waltham), chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Health. “This is a perfect example of academics gone wild.”

Bruce Mirken, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, said the group is hoping the study will force “an honest discussion of what the data actually say” and prove that the federal government “twists the data to try to frighten parents about marijuana.”

Mirken said kids should not be smoking pot, but “that rather than panicking parents about the straight-A student caught smoking pot with their friends, perhaps we should be focusing on the kids using multiple drugs who are in real trouble and clearly in need of help.”

But Koutoujian blasted Mirken’s group, saying, “What this study does is send a very bad message. This only damages their cause because it’s salacious and baseless.”

The study’s author, J.C. Suris of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, said light users of marijuana “don’t have great additional problems. They are kids who function well.”

“Those who use cannabis sometimes do better than we think,” Suris said in a recent interview with Bloomberg News.

Koutoujian noted that the 2002 study - which surveyed more than 5,200 students ages 16 to 20 - doesn’t prove that smoking pot caused the various positive outcomes but only shows correlations. He called the study irresponsible in that it took only “a snapshot in time” rather than following students to determine the long-term effects of drug use.

“In another 10 to 20 years, where will these young people be?” Koutoujian asked

No More Biting: Police Dogs Learn to Headbutt Criminals

2007-12-05T13:45:00.000-08:00

From k9magazine.com:

You really couldn't make it up... a Welsh police force is training its dogs to headbutt criminals rather than bite them, because politically correct - 'PC' - bosses are afraid that allowing the dogs to bite criminals will infringe their human rights!

The policy, devised by North Wales Police, comes as a result of increased compensation claims from members of the public who have been bitten by police dogs.

Officers say the toothless tactic provides a safer way to tackle uncooperative offenders, and dog squads may soon adopt it across the country. But critics say it is another example of political correctness gone mad - putting the rights and safety of criminals before cutting crime and protecting the public.

Rather than biting suspects, the dogs have instead been trained to disable their targets by leaping at them and delivering a flying 'head-butt'.

The scheme is being pioneered by North Wales police, which is headed by controversial chief Richard Brunstrom, using the Belgian Shepherd Malinois, which are fast becoming the police dogs of choice in the UK, as they are smaller, more agile and stronger than the traditional German Shepherd.
Under the scheme, the dogs would be muzzled to prevent them from biting. To protect the animals, a metal rod across the front of the muzzle helps absorb the impact of the strike.

'Instead of biting, the dog is muzzled and launches itself like a missile at the midriff of the target,' said Deputy Chief Constable of North Wales, Clive Wolfendale.

'It is one of the additional options open to us to muzzle our dogs and get them to use a head butt,' added Sgt Ian Massie. 'We believe it is a safer option for an offender to be head-butted.'

The scheme was launched after the Association of Chief Police Officers published a paper for dog handlers on human rights. In it, police dog handlers in a position where they are considering setting their dog after a suspect should ask are told to ask themselves: ‘Are there human rights issues involved in what I am about to do?’

But retired dog handler John Barrett, who served for 18 years with the Metropolitan Police, is critical of the new tactic and said: 'This sounds like political correctness. It is very strange - I think the public would laugh at you with a muzzled dog, and it could be counterproductive if people think the dog has to be muzzled because it is dangerous.'

The move comes after a surge in compensation claims from bite victims - including officers. One of the UK's biggest police forces, Greater Manchester paid out £59,000 in compensation in five years.
But alleged wrongdoers are warned - the dogs have a powerful butt, especially after a long run-up.

The force's Dog Section Manager Sergeant Gareth Crow, who pioneered the technique, says the flying Malinois head-charge is the equivalent of a baton blow if the dog has a full run-up. Apparently, the technique has been deemed so successful that muzzled dogs are also being used for crowd control at football games. Sgt Crowe said: "People may think a muzzled dog can't do anything but they are caught out by the power and speed of the tactic.

'For me, it is a high-level use of force to physically bite a person. We've now got a continuum of force that gives us another tactical option to deploy the dog.

'The 'conflict management model' of policing says that any force must be reasonable under the circumstances. It is clearly to gain control, prevent injury to the officer or others, and prevent damage to property.'

Sgt Crow did not say, however, how the dogs would manage to headbutt a suspect in the stomach when they were running away from them and would thus have their backs to the dogs. A headbutt into the suspects’ lumbar region would surely cause greater injury and lead to further compensation claims.

North Wales Police Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom earlier this year faced criticism from within his own ranks for plans to award his officers points for making arrests or handing out fines. Under the scheme, they could receive twice as many for seizing an abandoned car as for making an arrest.

Mr Brunstrom, the Government's adviser on road safety and speed cameras, has earned himself the nickname the 'Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban'.

In 2003, he called for the number of cameras to be trebled and the following year admitted getting officers to 'hide behind road signs and walls' with handheld devices.

His force has also been criticised for its appalling burglary clear up rate and for launching costly inquiries into alleged anti-Welsh comments by Tony Blair and Anne Robinson.

AL QAEDA HAS BETWEEN 5,600 AND 17,000 WEB SITES

2007-12-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

From FOXNEWS.COM:

YADH, Saudi Arabia — Al Qaeda has established a firm presence on anywhere between 5,600 and 17,000 Web sites, and could add as many as 9,000 more sites a year unless nations agree on ways to counter the terrorist organization.

That dire picture was presented by Saudi Internet security specialist Khaled Al-Firm, who told the conference on Information Technology and National Security that nations need to do more to combat radicalism and terror, according to the Arab News newspaper.

Al-Firm quoted Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz on the proliferation of Al Qaeda sites, which he warned were bent on finding new recruits and "brainwashing people."

“Terrorists do not just focus on military success. There is a third angle to the operation which is the glory of publicity, which compensates for the failure of the operation,” Al-Firm told the conference.

"The real battle with Al Qaeda is no longer on the ground, but rather a media battle, and it is a real threat to national security," he added.

Al-Firm said it was difficult to track the sites because they often change addresses to avoid detection or restart elsewhere once discovered.

Saudi intelligence launched a public Web site this week asking the public to send information anonymously about any suspicious activity, Reuters reported.

"For Al Qaeda, media coverage is more important than the actual operations," Al-Firm said.

Mike Huckabee Leads Republican Field for First Time in Latest National Tracking Poll

2007-12-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

For the first time, presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has taken the lead among the Republican field in a national poll.

The Rasmussen daily presidential tracking poll released Wednesday showed the former Arkansas governor with 20 percent, compared with Rudy Giuliani at 17 percent. Even though Huckabee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney have played strong in early voting states like Iowa, Giuliani has led the field in practically every national poll since the race began.

The Rasmussen poll, an automated survey obtained through nightly phone interviews that is reported on a four-day rolling basis, showed Romney and Arizona Sen. John McCain each with 13 percent. The poll of likely Republican primary voters showed former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who once held a strong second-place position, with 10 percent.

The latest survey could be a sign Huckabee's seemingly contained surges in popularity are expanding. The Baptist minister has consolidated support among Christian evangelicals and recently gave a strong performance at a GOP debate in Florida. The sudden success has come with equal surges of criticism, as his opponents attack him for raising taxes as governor and supporting tuition breaks for children of illegal immigrants. He has also come under fire recently when as governor, he supported the parole of Wayne Dumond, a convicted rapist who went on to rape and kill a Missouri woman after being freed.

The new poll figures conflict sharply with other recent polls. A USA Today-Gallup poll from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 showed Giuliani with 25 percent and Huckabee with 16 percent.

In the Democratic field, the Rasmussen poll also showed Hillary Clinton with her lowest level of support yet since Rasmussen began daily tracking in mid-July. The poll showed her with 34 percent, compared with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama at 24 percent and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards at 16 percent.

The poll gauges the views of 600 likely voters. The margin of error is 4 percent.

Indonesian Woman Gives Birth to 15.2-Pound Baby

2007-12-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

From News.com:

A WOMAN has given birth to Indonesia's heaviest ever baby, a boy weighing 6.9kg, hospital staff say.

The baby was born at a private maternity clinic on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, a nurse there said.

"He was born at about 4.30pm (7.30pm AEDT) on Monday, but because of respiratory problems, the baby was taken to Fatmawati (hospital) a few hours later," the nurse said.

The 37-year-old mother had gestational diabetes, which puts babies at risk of being heavier than normal.

Indonesia's previous heaviest baby, according to the Indonesian Museum of Records website, was born in East Java's Surabaya and weighed 6.4kg.

ASHANTI CROTCH SHOT

2007-12-05T10:10:00.001-08:00

WHY DO CELEBRITIES THINK THIS IS COOL?

A MODERN DAY BONNIE AND CLYDE

2007-12-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

For more picks click here:

December 5, 2007 -- They traveled the world on other people's money.

A stylish young couple from Philadelphia - the privileged children of well-to-do doctors - face years in jail for allegedly pulling off an identity-theft scheme that allowed them to live like jet-setters.

Edward K. Anderton and Jocelyn Kirsch - who have already become known as a 21st century version of Bonnie and Clyde - lived the lifestyle of the rich and famous for the past year.

They bought expensive jewelry and designer clothes, lived in a luxury apartment and vacationed in romantic hot spots around the world.

They went horseback riding along white-sand beaches in Hawaii and the Caribbean. They stayed at resorts where champagne was served in private hot tubs. There were trips to New York, Paris, London and Montreal.

Everything was first class and fabulous.

And all of it was documented in photo after photo.

Anderton, 25, who graduated the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics, and his 22-year-old gal pal, who studied international relations at Drexel University, were repeatedly photographed smiling and smooching around the world.

Back home, their $3,000-a-month apartment had closets filled with designer clothes.

All of it - police said - was financed through fraud.

"They are parasites," Philadelphia Detective Terry Sweeney told The Post.

"The only thing different about these two is they come from a privileged background and add a bit of sex and glamour."

Sweeney busted the duo Friday for allegedly scamming more than $100,000 through identity theft.

Despite Anderton's Ivy League economics degree, they were anything but criminal masterminds.

They also found $18,000 in cash, a Rolex, dozens of bogus credit cards, phony driver's licenses and keys to some 30 of their neighbors' apartments.

Cops also found a book titled "The Art of Cheating: A Nasty Little Book for Tricky Little Schemers and Their Hapless Victims," along with a newspaper article headlined "How to Spot Fake IDs."

The two allegedly continued their cons until the day of their arrest. Police got tipped off to the grifter lovebirds on Nov. 19 after a neighbor reported her identity was stolen. The next day she was told she had a package waiting for her at a local UPS store.

So cops waited until Anderton and Kirsch went to claim the package - containing high-end lingerie from London - last Friday and nabbed them.

The day before, Kirsch - who was fond of changing the color of her hair and contact lenses every few weeks - used a bogus check to pay for a $2,200 hair-extension treatment, cops said.

Barbara Nocon, the manager of the upscale beauty salon Giovanni & Pileggi, said a young couple with lots of money did not raise her suspicions.

"We get a lot of out-of-town people here, a lot of university students who are clients and have parents who can pay for this," she said. "It's not unusual."

The stylist said that after she left messages on the grifters' cellphone, she got a text message warning, "I know how you get home, you look like a smart girl, you better back off now."

Kirsch, a senior at Drexel, is the daughter of a prominent plastic surgeon in Winston-Salem, NC. She told friends she wanted to be an ambassador.

"I always thought she was a fake person, the person that she presented herself to be wasn't the person she actually was," said classmate Ian Jacobson, 23.

"I'm not surprised by the whole thing. I just feel bad for the people she took advantage of. I hope she gets what's coming to her."

Anderton, originally from Everett, Wash., met Kirsch at a college party last year. Soon after, the two moved in together.

For still-unclear reasons, he was fired this year from his job as an analyst with Lubert-Adler Real Estate Funds. The company did not return calls for comment.

But, to the surprise of friends, the good times never stopped - until last week.

"There is nothing original about [either] of them, absolutely not," Sweeney said. "There is nothing sophisticated about arrogance and greed."

They simply used off-the-shelf scams that anyone could find on the Internet, Sweeney said.

Neither returned calls for comment yesterday.

Sweeney said cops seized four computers, two printers, a scanner and an industrial identification-card-making machine over the weekend from their Rittenhouse Square apartment.

Source:

MAFIA BOSS SWALLOWS SECRETS BEFORE BEING SHOT

2007-12-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

From FoxNews:

A top Mafia boss swallowed secret notes with names and telephone numbers just before he was shot dead by police this week, officials said today.

Daniele Emanuello, boss of a Mafia family in the city of Gela who was one of Italy's 30-most wanted men, was shot on Monday as he tried to flee a police raid on a farmhouse in central Sicily where he had been hiding.

An autopsy showed fragments of the notes still lodged in Emanuello's esophagus, the officials said.

It was not immediately clear whether the fragments were of any use to investigators, however.

The 43-year-old mob boss had been on the run since 1993.

Anti-Mafia police counted the raid among a string of successes against the Cosa Nostra.

On November 5, police arrested Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who had assumed the role of Mafia "boss of bosses" following last year's capture of Bernardo Provenzano.

DRIVERS ED INSTRUCTOR IN "BORAT" SUING MAKERS OF FILM

2007-12-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

A DRIVERS education instructor is suing the makers of "Borat," claiming Sacha Baron Cohen and 20th Century Fox took him for a wild, life-threatening ride. Michael Psenicska was duped into participating in the film believing it was "a documentary about the integration of foreign people into the American way of life," according to a suit filed in Manhattan federal court seeking $400,000 in damages. Instead, Psenicska encountered Cohen's "kissie huggie" routine. Then, Cohen "attempted to engage the seatbelt on by wrapping it between his legs, and twisting it all different ways, and struggling like a child," the suit says. The comic, playing a phony Kazakh reporter, then took off down the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic. When Psenicska protested, the suit states, Cohen rolled down the window and offered a female pedestrian $10 for "sexy time" and hollered "Chocolate man!" to a black pedestrian. Psenicska says he told Cohen as he exited the car "that he needed a lot of practice, but not to call [him]." Psenicska claims he was paid just $500 and signed paperwork without reading it after he was told it was "standard." Calls to 20th Century Fox were not returned.

DARK KNIGHT MOVIE POSTER

2007-12-04T19:58:00.001-08:00

EX-TEACHER DEBRA LAFAVE BUSTED AGAIN

2007-12-04T14:44:00.001-08:00

From the NY POST:

December 4, 2007 -- Tampa cops today busted teaching temptress Debra Lafave for allegedly having illegal contact with a teenager at their job.

Lafave, 27, is best known for having a lewd-and-lascivious affair with a 14-year-old boy in 2004, and now she's serving three years of house arrest.

Lafave's allowed outside to work, and while on the job at a Danny Boy's restaurant is Ruskin, Fla., she allegedly had one-on-one contact with a 17-year-old female co-worker, state correction officials said.

The spoke privately about personal issues, in violation of Lafave's probation. Lafave was released without bond, but she'll have to face a judge about this alleged violation.

50-CENT AND FRIENDS SNORTING COCAINE?

2007-12-04T13:44:00.001-08:00

WOMAN BECOMES A GRANDMOTHER AT THE AGE OF 29

2007-12-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

From QC Times:

Quad-City area teenagers are still having babies. But the good news is that fewer teens are doing so across the region — and in Iowa, Illinois and the United States as a whole — than 10 years ago.

Some say the teens who are having babies seem to be getting younger and younger, including a few junior high or middle school students, but the most recent state health department

statistics available do not closely track the ages of teen parents.

What the statistics do show is an overall decline in births among people younger than 20 years since about 1995.

And then there are stories such as Celia’s.

She sits clad in pink Eeyore pajamas, flipping through channels from her hospital bed.

The room is dark and quiet, just right for sleeping. But Celia Magee is wide-awake. She can’t stop looking down at the tiny boy cradled in her left arm.

“I don’t know even what color his eyes are yet,” she says. “He never opens his eyes.”

Russell Eugene is 1 day old.

His mother is 15.

She fidgets with a bottle of milk as she talks.

She can’t wait to get back into her old clothes. When will the baby weight go away?

And shopping. She loves to shop. She can’t believe her son already has more new clothes than she does.

Then, sitting up straighter in bed, she asks, “When do you think I can play basketball again? I want to go out for the team at school.”

She can’t yet imagine the sleepless nights, the responsibility.

Until a few days ago, Celia’s bedroom was the biggest in the house.

And she didn’t have to share it with anyone.

The big bed, the colorful comforter set, the fluffy pillows: She loved it all.

But the teen especially loved the sense of family, and the tranquility, that came with it.

For six months, Celia lived at the new Brighter Futures Maternity Home, which operates from a house in Davenport.

She had to find somewhere to live because her mother was so angry, she says.

And it turned out to be a good choice. The house parents and volunteers treated her like family. She still talks to them almost every day now that she has moved out.

Celia, who moved in when she was three months pregnant, was the first to finish the program and have her baby while living in the home.

“That was a special bond,” said Tammy Ryan, a member of the home’s board of directors and the resident child birth assistant and educator. “I got to know a lot about her.”

Celia’s mother, Leticia Magee, always warned her to never get pregnant. It would complicate things, she said.

Leticia is a grandmother at 29. She was 13 — a seventh-grader — and living in Chicago when she gave birth to her oldest child.

She lived with her grandmother and named the baby after her: Celia.

“I was determined to finish high school, but college wasn’t for me,” she said. “I was 20 when I had my next child.”

Now she has four: Celia; 9-year-old Romeo Johnson, 4-year-old Ramone Johnson and 1-year-old Romello Johnson.

She always urged Celia to tell her if she was having sex so she could arrange birth control for her.

But when Celia did tell her, it was too late. They found out during a doctor’s appointment that she was already pregnant.

“I cried,” Leticia said. “I was upset.”

Celia said she could not believe it, either.

She and Russell’s dad are not together. They are more like friends, she said.

Celia has known her own father, who lives in Chicago, only since she was 10.

She and Russell are living with her mother and three little brothers in the Lincoln Homes complex in Rock Island, where the family moved five years ago.

They left Chicago after Leticia heard about a friend moving to the Quad-Cities and how much low-income housing was available.

She wants to open a beauty shop, but for now she stays home with her youngest sons and new grandson.

Back at home with her mother and brothers, Celia — wearing pajamas and a do-rag that covers her hair — holds the baby. Her tank top shows off two black tattoos on her arms.

One, which winds down her forearm, reads “Tish,” her mom’s nickname. Another, below her shoulder, reads “Manica Magee,” which is the teen’s rap name.

Leticia told the girl she could get inked if she kept her grades up. They went to Chicago to get it done.

“She earned them,” Leticia said, nodding her head.

Celia writes rap songs in her spare time, but she does not foresee making a living by doing that.

“I want to do computers,” she said, or maybe health occupations.

Leticia wanted Celia “to have more out of life” than becoming a teenage parent.

“But anything can happen,” she said. “I want her to go to college.”

Her mother admits that sometimes she is “too much of a friend than a parent” to her daughter, who turned 16 on Oct. 18.

“Everybody’s gotta make their own decisions and your own choices, too,” Leticia said. “But she’s cool. She’s gonna be all right.”

Celia was supposed to return to Rock Island High School six weeks after having the baby Sept. 26.

But she and her mother say there was a mix-up with the credits she earned from the Kimberly Center in the Davenport School District while staying at the maternity home.

Celia finally returned to school Nov. 13, but not at Rocky. Now, she’s going to the district’s Thurgood Marshall alternative school, which offers “credit recovery,” she said.

By the end of the school year, she should qualify to start back in August as a junior at Rocky, she said. She is taking basic courses such as math, health, English and physical education.

And she’s dog-tired most days.

Russell — almost 2 months old now, wide-eyed and alert — does not sleep much at night.

“He got his days mixed up,” she said, gently rubbing Vaseline on his little face. “He sleeps all day. I try to switch him around, but he won’t.”

The baby has cradle cap on his scalp, too, she says. Her mother tells her not to worry: The baby will grow out of it.

So she tries to focus on school, but mostly she thinks about gym class.

“You can leave early, but I stay,” she said. “I play basketball.”

The hoops are unlike the ones near her apartment where people hang on the metal rims and bend them. At school, they’re just right.

She can’t wait to get back.

FUNNY GILLIAN GIBBONS CARTOON

2007-12-04T10:45:00.001-08:00

From the NY POST:

EVEL KNIEVEL DIES AT AGE 69

2007-11-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

From CNNsi.com:

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) -- Evel Knievel, the hard-living motorcycle daredevil whose exploits made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.

Knievel's death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Krysten Knievel. He had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs.

Knievel had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his bone-shattering spills.

American Idol alum Kellie Pickler makes Miss Teen South Carolina look like a genius.

2007-11-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

CARTOON ABOUT MUHAMMAD TEDDY BEAR SCANDAL

2007-11-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

BOB KNIGHT HUNTING CONFRONTATION CAUGHT ON TAPE

2007-11-30T08:18:00.000-08:00

VICK CO-DEFENDANTS RECEIVE PRISON TERMS

2007-11-30T07:30:00.000-08:00

From CNN.com:

RICHMOND, Virginia (CNN) -- The judge who will decide how long Michael Vick stays in prison sentenced two of the fallen NFL star's dogfighting parnters to prison on Friday.

Purnell Peace, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Quanis Phillips, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 21 months.

Federal sentencing guidelines suggested a year to 18 months. Vick faces the same potential prison time.

U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson, who has presided over the dogfighting case, is not bound by the guidelines. Vick will be sentenced December 10. Tony Taylor of Hampton, Virginia, who was the first to plead guilty, will be sentenced on December 14.

Peace, Phillips and Taylor pleaded guilty last summer and agreed to testify against Vick, prompting the suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback to enter his own plea agreement a few days later.

"You may have thought this was sporting, but it was very callous and cruel," U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson told Phillips.

Sentencing guidelines called for punishments of 12 to 18 months for Peace and 18 to 24 months for Phillips, who has a more extensive criminal record.

Prosecutors recommended sentences at the low end of the range because of the co-defendants' cooperation. But Hudson said he felt sentences on the high end of the range were appropriate because of the nature of the crime.

Hudson told Peace that he was concerned because a pre-sentencing report quoted Peace as saying he saw he nothing wrong with dogfighting.

According to court papers, Vick financed virtually the entire "Bad Newz Kennels" dogfighting enterprise at his 15-acre property in Surry County in rural southeastern Virginia and participated in executing several underperforming dogs by drowning, hanging and other means.

Vick publicly apologized for his role in the dogfighting operation and unexpectedly turned himself in Nov. 19 to begin serving his prison term early. He is being held in a state jail in Warsaw, Virginia.

All four men also face state charges. Vick's attorneys this week requested a jury trial, which is set to begin in Ap

Cops Say Body Found During Search Matches Description of Emily Sander

2007-11-29T14:52:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

EL DORADO, Kan. — Police say the preliminary physical description of a body found east of El Dorado matches that of missing college student Emily Sander.

Authorities searching for the missing Kansas college student found the body of a young woman about 50 miles east of here on Thursday, along U.S. 54., Police Chief Tom Boren said.

Although authorities had not yet identified the body, they said late Thursday that the woman found matched Sander's description.

Sander, 18, was last seen leaving a bar with a man who has been the focus of a nationwide search since police found large quantities of blood in a Kansas motel room where he was staying.

Investigators have not yet found a link between Sanders and her activities as an online porn star named Zoey Zane, but publicity about her explicit photos has brought a flood of tips, many of them false leads.

Before she vanished, nude photos of Sander appeared on various Web sites. The national publicity surrounding her double life kept phones ringing continuously at the El Dorado police station.

The police chief said the publicity was unlikely to help.

"We did talk to the lady that operates the site. We didn't find any viable connection with this main suspect at this point," he said.

Sander, who attended Butler Community College, was last seen Friday leaving the bar with Israel Mireles, 24. Authorities are looking for him and his 16-year-old pregnant girlfriend.

The rental car Mireles was driving was found abandoned Tuesday in Vernon, Texas, where he has relatives. Investigators interviewed family members and planned to bring the vehicle back to Kansas for processing.

"We feel they know where he is at, but they haven't shared that with us," Boren said.

On Thursday, searchers on foot and all-terrain vehicles were checking the tall grass along each side of Highway 54 near Neal, Kan., as they traced the route Mireles may have taken Saturday on the way to Baxter Springs to pick up his girlfriend.

Dozens of people gathered Wednesday in El Dorado for a candlelight vigil for Sander. The turnout moved her grandfather, Clement Sander, who said Emily Sander's disappearance shows tragedy can suddenly strike anyone.

"All I can say to you young folks out there is be careful," he said. "It is a cruel world."

JUDGE WHO JAILED 46 PEOPLE FOR RINGING CELL PHONE REMOVED FROM BENCH

2007-11-28T09:36:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

NIAGRA FALLS, N.Y — A judge who jailed 46 people who were in his courtroom when a cell phone call interrupted proceedings was removed from the bench Tuesday by a state commission.

Niagara Falls City Court Judge Robert Restaino "snapped" and "engaged in what can only be described as two hours of inexplicable madness" during the March 2005 session, Raoul Felder, chairman of the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, wrote in the decision to remove Restaino from the $113,900-per-year post.

A phone rang while Restaino was hearing the cases of domestic violence offenders who had been ordered to appear weekly to update the judge on the progress of their counseling. A sign in the courthouse warns that cell phones and pagers must be turned off.

"Everyone is going to jail," Restaino said. "Every single person is going to jail in this courtroom unless I get that instrument now. If anybody believes I'm kidding, ask some of the folks that have been here for a while. You are all going."

When no one came forward, Restaino ordered the group into custody, and they were taken to jail, where they were searched and packed into crowded cells. Fourteen people who could not post bail were shackled and bused to another jail.

Restaino ordered them released later that afternoon.

Restaino told the state panel he had been under stress in his personal life.

His attorney, Terrence Connors, said Restaino would appeal.

O.J. SIMPSON ARRAIGNED

2007-11-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

From CNN.com:

(CNN) -- O.J. Simpson was due in court Wednesday to be arraigned on charges that could send him to prison for life.

Simpson and two co-defendants were to appear before Eighth District Judge Jackie Glass for a felony arraignment on charges stemming from a confrontation in a Las Vegas hotel room on September 13.

Simpson's attorney, Yale Galanter, told The Associated Press the arraignment process was likely to be brief -- but added, "There's nothing in this case that has been standard."

Simpson, 60, has pleaded not guilty to 12 criminal counts in connection with what prosecutors contend was an armed robbery.

The counts include conspiracy, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, coercion and assault with a deadly weapon.

Prosecutors allege Simpson and five other men burst into a room at the Palace Station Hotel, held two memorabilia dealers -- Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong -- against their will and flashed at least one gun while removing items.

Simpson said he was merely taking back items that belonged to him, but one of the two alleged victims described it as a "military-style invasion."

Three of the men initially charged along with Simpson in the incident -- Walter Alexander, Charles Cashmore and Michael McClinton -- testified against him during a preliminary hearing under the terms of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Alexander and McClinton testified Simpson requested they carry guns and "look menacing" during the incident.

The other two co-defendants, Charles Ehrlich and Clarence Stewart, were bound over along with Simpson on November 14 by Las Vegas Township Justice of the Peace Joseph Bonaventure.

In making his ruling, Bonaventure said many issues raised during the hearing by defense attorneys for Simpson, Ehrlich and Stewart -- including intent, whether kidnapping occurred and the credibility of the witnesses who testified -- should be sorted out by jurors at trial.

During the hearing, Ehrlich's attorney John Moran referred to those who testified as an assortment of "crackheads, groupies, pimps, purveyors of stolen merchandise ... con artists, crooks."

The defense called no witnesses.

In his testimony, Fromong said he had bought the memorabilia legally.

Bonaventure, however, acknowledged the ownership of some of the items was "at least questionable."

Simpson has denied asking anyone to carry weapons or knowing any guns were used in the confrontation.

According to earlier testimony, Fromong and Beardsley were offering more than 600 Simpson-related items for sale, including ties Simpson wore during his criminal trial for the 1994 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.

Simpson was acquitted after one of the most sensational trials in American history, but a civil jury later found him liable for their deaths, slapping him with a $33 million judgment. In the years since, attorneys for the Goldman family have doggedly pursued Simpson's financial assets to pay the judgment.

IS MICHAEL VICK GOING BROKE?

2007-11-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

From CNN.com:

(CNN) -- Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick has agreed to pay nearly $1 million for the care of about 54 pit bulls found on his property during a dogfighting raid.

His lawyer William R. Martin said in court documents that Vick will deposit $928,073.04 by Friday to an escrow account.

The money is "to be used to pay whatever restitution money is ultimately ordered in this case," states the document, known as a consent order.

The order was filed a week after federal prosecutors asked a federal court in Virginia to order Vick -- also known as "Ookie" -- to keep that much money on hand to cover the dogs' care.

Vick had agreed under his plea agreement to pay "restitution for the full amount of the costs associated with the disposition of all dogs" in the case.

Those costs, Vick agreed, could include "the long-term care and/or the humane euthanasia of some or all of those animals." They were seized from the Bad Newz Kennels on his property in Surry County, Virginia.

Prosecutors pointed in court documents to Vick's deteriorating financial condition. Among the points cited:

• The Atlanta Falcons' attempt to recoup bonus money from his 10-year, $130 million 2004 football contract,
• Vick's alleged default on a $1.3 million bank loan for a wine store,
• Another bank's lawsuit seeking payment for default on a $2.5 million line of credit,
• A third bank's lawsuit seeking at least $2 million for loans related to a car-rental business.

"In addition, published reports also indicate that Vick is in the process of selling assets, specifically a suburban Atlanta home listed at $4.5 million," the court papers said.

Vick, 27, surrendered November 19 to federal authorities to get a jump start on the sentence for his August guilty plea to a federal conspiracy charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation.

He is being held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia, until an upcoming sentencing hearing.

Vick pleaded guilty to the federal charge after three associates admitted their own roles in the operation and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

The quarterback, who has been suspended indefinitely by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, faces 12 to 18 months in prison on the conspiracy charge.

On September 25, a Virginia grand jury indicted Vick and the three co-defendants on state charges of running a dogfighting ring.

The Surry County grand jury brought two felony charges against the four men: one count of unlawfully torturing and killing dogs and one of promoting dogfights. Each could result in a five-year prison term.

EVEL KNIEVEL, KANYE WEST SETTLE LAWSUIT

2007-11-28T08:35:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com:

TAMPA, Fla. — Evel Knievel and Kanye West have worked it out.

The 69-year-old iconic motorcycle daredevil said he and West met at his Clearwater condo recently. They settled a federal lawsuit over the use of Knievel's trademarked image in a popular West music video.

Knievel sued West and his record company last year. He took issue with a 2006 music video for the song "Touch the Sky," in which the rapper takes on the persona of "Evel Kanyevel" and tries to jump a rocket-powered motorcycle over a canyon.

Knievel failed in his attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho in 1974.

West's attorneys argued the video amounted to satire, covered under the First Amendment.

"We settled the lawsuit amicably," Knievel said Tuesday. "I was very satisfied and so was he."

They agreed not to publicly discuss the terms of the settlement, he said. The two had agreed to mediation in July.

Gabriel Tesoriero, a spokesman for West, confirmed the settlement of the lawsuit, in an e-mail Tuesday.

In the lawsuit, Knievel claimed the "vulgar and offensive" images depicted in the video damaged his reputation. And he accused the 29-year-old rapper of using the Knievel image to "promote his filth to the world."

Meeting West changed his mind, Knievel said.

"I thought he was a wonderful guy and quite a gentleman," he said.

Knievel also expressed concern for West, who is grieving the sudden death of his mother earlier this month.

"I know he's had some tough times the past few weeks, and I hope things work out," Knievel said.

DUMBASS TRIES TO OPEN BANK ACCOUNT WITH FAKE MILLION DOLLAR BILL

2007-11-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

From FoxNews.com:

AIKEN, S.C. — A bank teller had a million reasons to deny this transaction.

Police say a man tried to open an account with a $1 million bill, which does not exist. The teller refused and called police while the man started to curse at bank workers, said Aiken County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Michael Frank.

Alexander D. Smith, 31, of Augusta, Ga., was charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of forgery, Frank said.

The second forgery charge came after investigators learned Smith bought several cartons of cigarettes from a nearby grocery store with a stolen check, Frank said.

Smith has a bail hearing scheduled Wednesday, but Deputy Angela Shunn of the Aiken County Detention Center did not know if he had an attorney. An off-hours call to the public defender's office went unanswered.

SPANKING KIDS A CRIME? IN MASSACHUSETTS MAYBE

2007-11-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

From the BostonHerald.com:

Parents who spank their kids - even in their own homes - would be slapped by the long arm of the law under an Arlington nurse’s proposal to make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to outlaw corporal punishment.

Kathleen Wolf’s proposed legislation will be debated at a State House hearing tomorrow morning.

If signed into law, parents would be prohibited from forcefully laying a hand on any child under age 18 unless it was to wrest them from danger, lest they be charged with abuse or neglect.

Rep. Jay Kaufman, a Lexington Democrat, submitted the 61-year-old Wolf’s petition at her request, but is not taking a position for or against corporal punishment.

“He does recognize and understand the concern many would have on legislating parental rights,” said Sean Fitzgerald, Kaufman’s chief of staff, “but the problem is the boundary is often overstepped. The right to hit should never be the right to hurt.”

Charles Enloe, 45, of Plymouth, knows a little something about that. In 2005, he was infamously arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for taking a belt to his then 12-year-old son during an argument over homework.

The charges were later dropped and Enloe told the Herald yesterday the experience “didn’t change my views at all. I believe discipline starts at home. Are they going to start legislating that you can’t raise your voice to your kids? That you can’t tell them when to go to bed? We’ll be communists then.”

The state Supreme Judicial Court agreed in principle when it ruled in 1999 that parents can spank their kids provided they don’t threaten bodily injury.

Corporal punishment in the home is already illegal in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the Ukraine.

In 1979, Sweden became the first country in the world to ban spanking. Anders Erickson, spokesman for the Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C., said in the 1960s 53 percent of Swedes backed corporal punishment of children. By the 1990s, that number was less than 10 percent.

“There are other ways and means to bring up children than to beat them,” Erickson said. “Much better ways.”

An ombudsman is available to children in Sweden to report allegations of corporal punishment. Parents face jail time if it’s found they’ve stepped out of line

NORTH KOREAN FACTORY CHIEF EXECUTED FOR MAKING LONG-DISTANCE CALLS

2007-11-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

From FoxNews.com:

SEOUL, South Korea — A North Korean factory chief accused of making international phone calls was executed by a firing squad in a stadium before 150,000 spectators, a South Korean aid group reported.

Public executions had declined since 2000 amid international criticism but have been increasing, targeting officials accused of drug trafficking, embezzlement and other crimes, the Good Friends aid agency said in a report on the North's human rights.

In October, the North executed the head of a factory in South Pyongan province for making international calls on 13 phones he installed in a factory basement, the aid group said. He was executed by a firing squad in a stadium before a crowd of 150,000.

Six people were crushed to death and 34 others injured in an apparent stampede as they left the stadium, the aid group said.

Most North Koreans are banned from communicating with the outside world, part of the regime's authoritarian policies seeking to prevent any challenge to the iron-fisted rule of Kim Jong Il.

The North in recent months has carried out four similar public executions by firing squad against regional officials and heads of factories, the aid group said.

"It is aimed at educating [North Koreans] to control society and prevent crimes," Good Friends head Venerable Pomnyun said at a news conference.

Good Friends, which did not say how it obtained the information, gave no exact figures of the public executions this year. Some of the group's previous reports of what was happening inside the North later have been confirmed.

The report came a week after a U.N. General Assembly committee adopted a draft resolution expressing "very serious concern" at reports of widespread human rights violations in North Korea, including public executions.

The resolution, co-sponsored by more than 50 countries including the United States and many other Western nations, was sent to the 192-member General Assembly for a final vote.

The North has condemned the draft, saying it was inaccurate and biased.

The communist country insists it does not violate human rights but long has been accused of imposing the death penalty for political reasons, holding thousands in prison camps, torturing border-crossers and severely restricting freedom of expression and religion.

BABS ENDORSES HILLARY CLINTON

2007-11-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

Barbra Streisand, who hedged her bets months ago with donations to Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, has settled on one presidential candidate. It's Hillary Clinton.

"Madame President of the United States ... it's an extraordinary thought. We truly are in a momentous time, where a woman's potential has no limitations," Streisand said in a statement released Tuesday by the Clinton campaign. "Hillary Clinton has already proven to a generation of women that there are no limits for success."

The Oscar-winning actress and singer is a FOB - Friend of Bill Clinton - and the endorsement is hardly surprising. In Hollywood, as in politics, timing is everything, and Streisand's endorsement comes one day after another entertainment superstar, Oprah Winfrey, announced she would campaign for Clinton rival Barack Obama.

"Hillary is a powerful voice for change as we find our country at an important crossroads. Under her leadership, our country will regain its respect within the global community. She will prioritize issues of global climate change, universal health care and rebuilding a strong economy. After eight long years, the public will once again have faith in their government," said Streisand, a longtime supporter of Democratic candidates.

In the statement, Hillary Clinton said she was honored for the support.

"Barbra has used her immense talent to be an advocate for truth, justice, and fairness and I deeply appreciate her confidence in my candidacy as we work together to change the direction of our nation," Clinton said.

TRANSVESTITES ATTACK MCDONALD'S WORKERS

2007-11-27T11:24:00.000-08:00

From FoxNews.com:

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A troublesome trio of transvestites allegedly laid siege to a Memphis McDonald's restaurant Sunday night, sparking a brawl with the restaurant's crew, according to reports.

Police said they were working on a more detailed description of three men dressed in drag who came into a McDonald's restaurant and started swinging.

Restaurant employee Martez Brisco was working the drive-through window when he reportedly got into an argument with the suspects. When Brisco ignored them tapping at the window, they came in.

"They come to the window, 'Tap, tap, tap.' I'm still ignoring them," Brisco told WMC-TV. "I guess that just pissed them off worser."

The transvestites allegedly struck the manager with a tire iron, and when he swung back, the drag queens took off their stiletto boots, removed their earrings and prepared to attack. The manager, Albert Bolton, was covered with scratch marks after suspects clawed him with their fingernails.

Bolton grabbed a pot of scalding french-fry grease and hurled it at his attackers. One of the cross-dressers then smacked Bolton with a wet floor sign, sending him to the hospital in an ambulance, WMC-TV reported.

Before driving off, the three attackers smashed the drive-through window.

COUPLE HAS SEX IN WAITING ROOM AT TRAIN STATION

2007-11-27T11:17:00.000-08:00

From Couriermail.com:

PASSENGERS at a Danish train station were left out in the cold when a couple began having sex in the waiting room, according to police.

"We don't know if it's due to the glacial weather this morning or to unbridled passion, but a couple did not hesitate in having sexual relations in a waiting room at the Koge train station," just south of Copenhagen, police spokesman Carsten Andersen said.

Freezing passengers had called the DSB rail company to complain that while they were stuck out in the cold, a 37-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman had steamy sex inside.

The amorous couple had not been charged with indecency as they had remained dressed, a police spokesman said.

"JUNIOR" GOTTI PISSED AT THE NY POST

2007-11-27T10:46:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

A furious John "Junior" Gotti blasted the New York Post this morning over yesterday's front-page story that law enforcement officials were hoping to nail him with five murders, claiming his life was now in jeopardy.

"My family lives in fear as a result of this. If I get one in the head does that makes it all better?" he said.

Gotti also took aim at the law enforcement officials who were gunning for him.

"I feel an agent in the FBI has put my family in harm's way," he said.

Earlier this morning in federal court in White Plains, a judge ruled that Gotti's financial records could not be turned over to the US Attorney's office in a separate probe into the beleaguered Mafioso business dealings.

Gotti, decked casually in a yellow sweater and jacket, was accompanied by his two lawyers for the 45-minute hearing.

US Attorney David Massey asked for the government to have access to Gotti's financial records that had been turned over to the fed's probation department to check against any irregularities.

The government claims that Gotti already owes $200,000 in back taxes, which Gotti denies.

Judge Stephan Robinson asked Massey if he knew of any irregularities in the probation report. Massey said no. The judge then denied the request.

He ruled that it was up to the probation department to probe whether Gotti's financial statements are truthful.

The defense has until Thursday to file with the court why Gotti doesn't owe the government any more in back taxes

BARACK OBAMA ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT DRUG USE

2007-11-27T09:55:00.000-08:00

From CNN.com:

Does a good role model talk about using illegal drugs?

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama started the debate when he admitted to a high school audience in New Hampshire that he had experimented with drugs while he was in high school.

"There were times when I got into drinking, experimenting with drugs. There was a stretch of time where I did not really apply myself," Obama said.

He added that when he left for college he realized he wasted a lot of time using drugs.

"It's not something I'm proud of," Obama said. "It was a mistake as a young man."

What a change from Bill Clinton's 1992 admission that he had smoked marijuana a time or two and didn't like it. "And I didn't inhale and didn't try it again."

"I never understood that line," Obama said, who said he did inhale marijuana when asked by a student. "The point was to inhale. That was the point."

Clinton's admission has become a cultural joke. Obama's comments? If you ask Republican rival Mitt Romney, Obama's comments were too honest.

"I think in order to leave the best possible example for our kids, we're probably wisest not to talk about our own indiscretions in great detail," Romney said.

Romney isn't alone in that belief. When George W. Bush was governor of Texas in 1999, he talked briefly about his use of alcohol, but refused to talk about other drugs because he feared kids might think what he did was "cool."

Bush said at the time, "It is irrelevant what I did 20 or 30 years ago. What's relevant is that I have learned from the mistakes that I made."

So what's a role model to do? Should he be discreet or open about past indiscretions?

According to Steve Pasierb, president of Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Obama is right on the money. Pasierb says kids are not naive; they know people in high places have experimented with drugs.

"The key is to be honest and to put it the context of saying I did this and it was a dumb choice," Pasierb said. "Obama talked about how it wasn't the right thing to do. When he got serious about his life, he left it behind. If he were to lie, I think most kids would know."

Pasierb says the worst thing to do is feed kids a story they're not likely to believe. In other words, never tell them that you tried it, but didn't inhale.

"Most kids are going to see right through that and will ask themselves, 'How could you know if you didn't like it if you didn't inhale?'" Pasierb said. "Clearly not recognizing something when you did it is probably not the best course."

Pasierb says role models and parents should not be afraid to admit they did the deed.

"Really the truth works best. You owe your kids honesty," he said. "But you don't need to tell them every little detail. You don't have to give them blow by blow."

Is talking about past drug use the best thing for a someone running for president? That's a question much harder to answer.

According to a 2007 Pew Research poll, 45 percent of Americans would be less likely to support a candidate for president who had used drugs.

Obama has to hope his honesty with kids translates in a good way to the adults deciding whether to vote for him.

MySpace Teen Who Fled to Middle East Breaks Up With Arab Beau on 'Dr. Phil'

2007-11-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

From Fox.news.com

GILFORD, Mich. — A Michigan teenager who flew to the Middle East last year to be with a man she met on MySpace.com has broken up with him on the "Dr. Phil" show.

"This is really hard for me to tell you, but I'm not going to be with you anymore," 18-year-old Katherine Lester said as her Palestinian boyfriend, Abdullah Jinzawi, watched on a monitor from the West Bank town of Jericho where he lives.

Lester told Jinzawi he was possessive and swore at her. Under questioning by host Phil McGraw, Jinzawi denied being verbally abusive but said he called her names.

Her father, Terry Lester, told Jinzawi he tried to be nice so he wouldn't lose his daughter. "But I'm so glad you're not in front of my face right now because they'd have to take me to jail. You're never going to touch her again."

Lester developed an online romance in 2005 with Jinzawi. For months, she kept the relationship secret before disappearing in June 2006 from her mother's home in Gilford, 80 miles north of Detroit in Tuscola County.

Lester, then 16, was en route to a Tel Aviv, Israel, airport a few days later to marry Jinzawi, then 20, when she was intercepted in Amman, Jordan, by U.S. authorities. They seized her passport and put her on a flight to the United States.

Following her return, the Tuscola County prosecutor's office filed a runaway juvenile petition against her in family court. But prosecutors withdrew it under a deal with Lester and her parents.

After Lester broke up with him via satellite during Monday's show, Jinzawi took out his ear piece, removed his microphone and left the room. He returned a few minutes later, wanting to know why she was ending the relationship and accusing her family of brainwashing her.

DID LARRY FLYNT HELP EXPOSE TRENT LOTT?

2007-11-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

From Larry Flynt.com:

"Once upon a time," writes Big Head DC, "there was a twentysomething boy-next-door type with reddish blond hair and a brillantly white smile."

This boy-next-door is male escort Benjamin Nicholas, whose blog 15 Minutes helped him make some connections in business and politics.

One of these connections is rumored to be Senator Trent Lott, Republican Minority Whip and former Senate Majority Leader, rumored to have planned a resignation by the end of this year to avoid being scandalized by Hustler publisher Larry Flynt. Flynt had, back in June, offered cash rewards for substantiated accounts of sexual liaisons with elected officials.

OPRAH'S ENEMY STRIKES AGAIN

2007-11-26T07:01:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

POOR Oprah Winfrey. Not only does she have to deal with the shameful lesbian abuse scandal at her South African girls school, but now a sleazebag is threatening to publish a supposed exposé about her company, Harpo, intended to further embarrass the billionaire Queen of Daytime Talk.

Last year, Keifer Bonvillain was hit with a federal extortion charge after he allegedly tried to sell Winfrey audiotapes for $1.5 million of a high-ranking Harpo employee bad-mouthing her. But the charge didn't hold up in an Illinois court.

Now Bonvillain, 37, who touts himself as a Louisiana-born "civil-rights activist," has launched a Web site in a bid to get a publisher for his exposé, titled "Ruthless."

His breathless pitch reads: "An office manager at Harpo broke his silence and his confidentiality agreement when he spoke freely about Oprah Winfrey's private life and business affairs. Keifer Bonvillain underestimated one of the world's most powerful women when he, armed with clandestinely recorded tapes, decided to write a 'tell-all' book unmasking the famed celebrity. Within days of Harpo learning about the book, two men were attempting to break into Keifer's home - presumably to get the tapes. Oprah was desperate to keep the truth from being revealed . . . The fallout was Keifer's highly publicized arrest."

Bonvillain vows to disclose that Harpo may have been involved in "blatant discrimination . . . This CEO not only knows about these practices . . . she condones them . . . Hours of taped conversations . . . reveal what they don't want the public to know about [Oprah's] private life, and a business that prides itself on its diversity."

Winfrey's reps at Harpo did not return our calls placed over two days, with a message saying the staff was off for the holiday. Bonvillain did not respond to our e-mail.

Last month, Winfrey was jolted when Tiny Virginia Makopo, 27, a dorm matron at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy near Johannesburg, was suspended over allegations involving indecent assault and soliciting under-age girls to commit indecent acts. Makopo faces 13 criminal charges.

JOE FRANCIS SAYS, "JAILS GONE WILD!"

2007-11-24T07:35:00.000-08:00

From the NY POST:

ovember 24, 2007 -- "GIRLS Gone Wild" crybaby Joe Francis continues his torture tour of America, now whining about how he supposedly suffered in an Oklahoma jail and revealing what went on behind bars in Panama City, Fla.

Francis - who's now in relative comfort in a third jail in Reno, Nev. - told Page Six, "I fear for my life if I have to go back there [Florida]. These are the same people that killed a 14-year-old boy," a reference to a February 2006 incident in which a teen died while being restrained by guards.

A Bay County medical examiner later said the boy died from internal bleeding due to sickle cell anemia.

"These are scary people down there. If I get sent back, they will retaliate. They killed that kid . . . I think I would have been dead or I'd be drooling in a cup," added Francis, who must return to the Florida jail if he posts bail in Nevada.

He said guards at the Florida jail, in addition to not giving him toilet paper or meals, forced him to wear ankle shackles that cut his skin and made him bleed in the shower.

"They treated me like I was a terrorist," he said. "They'd put my food just out of reach and laugh with each other, 'Oh, I guess Joe wasn't hungry today.' "

He said that he "hysterically cried" and screamed in his cell but that no one cared: "They had me next to a cop killer and Herman Harmon, who shot a guy in the head with a .38 then escaped from his cell."

He also said he was "tortured" in Oklahoma's Grady County Jail, where he stayed for three weeks while being transferred to a prison in Nevada. He claims guards threatened to strap him naked to a chair for 48 hours and refused to give him a blanket.

Francis is awaiting trial in Reno for federal tax evasion. In Florida, he faces charges for using minors in a sexual performance when two girls, then 17, were videotaped by his company in 2003 in a motel shower. It was later revealed the girls lied about their age.

He was jailed for contempt in Florida, and his bail was revoked when contraband was found in his cell. He has since elected to stay in jail in Reno rather than post bail there and be sent back to custody in Florida.

TEXAS TOWN SELLS FOR 3.8 MILLION ON E-BAY

2007-11-24T07:29:00.000-08:00

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) -- Someone in Italy placed the winning bid of $3.8 million on Friday in an online auction for an unpopulated, one-house Texas town.

No one lives permanently in the 13-acre town of Albert, about 60 miles north of San Antonio, but the tavern created from the frame of the old general store is open on weekends.

The town also includes a pavilion, an 85-year-old dance hall, a tractor shed, a three-bedroom house, plus peach and pecan orchards.

But before town owner Bobby Cave signs the deed over, he must ensure the eBay bid is legitimate. Cave said that unlike the usual items bought through eBay, there are no contractual obligations when it comes to real estate.

"There's just not any way to insist that a guy from Italy write me a check for three million," said Cave, 47, an Austin, Texas, real estate agent.

The reserve price for the town was $2.5 million. Even if the deal doesn't go through, Cave said he has about five other prospective buyers genuinely interested in the town.

Bridgeville, in northern California, was the first town ever put on the eBay auction block. The 83 acres were twice sold on the site, in 2002 (that deal fell through) and again last year.