Elin Nordegren

Sunday 20 March 2011

Elin Nordegren
Elin Nordegren Buys Mansion for $12 Million

Said to be twice the size of Tiger's.

We reported recently that Tiger Woods was making the final preparations to move into his $60 million estate in Jupiter, Florida. An intriguing new report has come out to reveal that Woods' ex-wife, Elin Nordegren, has purchased a beachfront mansion at a fraction of Tiger's price...for a home twice the size.

Elin Nordegren is clearly moving on with her life, as a new story describes the luxurious new North Palm Beach home she's spending a reported $12.2 million on. The 17,000 square-foot house sits on the ocean, just 10 miles from Tiger's expansive new estate, as the pair agreed that they wanted to stay close (geographically, anyway) for the sake of their two kids.

Interestingly, Elin's new home is actually twice the size of Tiger's new house -- she just has a lot less land than her ex's 12 acres. What are the amenities? Splash explains: "The two-storey home, built originally in 1932, boasts eight bathrooms and a 4,700 square-foot basement." The basement, of course, is said to be a rarity on the Florida coast.

Source : Lime Life
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Forever 21

Forever 21
Forever 21 Donating 100% of Today's Online Sales to Japan Red Cross

WOW. Just. WOW.

Many retailers have donated a percentage of profits to charity at one time or another, but according to Racked, Forever 21 is taking it to a whole new level.

It has pledged to donate 100% of today's sales (March 18) to Japan's Red Cross.

I'm sure that like me, you've been reading and watching the news from Japan and feeling pretty helpless, wondering what you could possibly do to support the Japanese in this time of unprecedented crisis.

Well ladies, I'm pretty sure that with this announcement, there has never been a better reason to shop!

Want to see what's in my cart (besides this adorably hip $22.80 Bollywood Paisley Print Dress)?

Source : The Stir
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Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins

( Minnesota Twins ) - The Minnesota Twins have made roster cuts on Saturday. Infielder Trevor Plouffe, optioning right-handed pitcher Alex Burnett and outfielder Ben Revere to Triple-A Rochester and then Danny Rams was reassigned to Minor League camp.

Even though things are changing for the Minnesota Twins there are still a favorite for many. There is one particular fan that was very excited to get to see his favorite team and his favorite player Justin Morneau. This is a 9-year-old boy named Ryan. He will get this chance to be up close and personal with the Minnesota Twins through the Make A Wish Foundation.

At the tender age of 2 years old Ryan was diagnosed with immune deficiency. Ryan must get regular infusions so that his antibodies in his blood can be replenished. Though life is hard on him Ryan has kept a good attitude about things and his parents are very proud of him. Getting to go to Florida and see the Minnesota Twins should really brighten up his day!

Source : Waggerrun
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$25 Million In Stolen Harry Winston Jewels Found In Paris Sewer

Sunday 13 March 2011

Harry Winston
French police have recovered a cache of stolen Harry Winston gems hidden in a rain sewer. The loot, spoils from a brazen 2008 heist, was found in a plastic container set in a cement mold, inside a drain at a house in Seine-Saint-Denis, according to police statements.

Nineteen rings—including one valued at $8.3 million—and 3 sets of earrings were found, part of a $111 million lift taken from a Harry Winston boutique two years ago.

As many as four armed thieves, some dressed as women in wigs, stormed the luxury jewelry store in December 2008. Police reports say the robbery was carried out near the Champs-Elysee in broad daylight and lasted a mere 15 minutes.

Authorities previously recovered some of the stolen valuables when 25 people were detained and questioned in June 2009.

Nine people were charged, including the alleged mastermind, who had already been sentenced to 15 years in prison in an unrelated drug trafficking case.

Source : Forbes
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Elisabeth Rohm Shares Her Thoughts About IVF

Elisabeth Rohm
Elisabeth Rohm breaks her silence about her IVF treatment and the difference it has made to her life.

Ecstatic as ever about her motherhood, the actress gushed, "I never thought I’d come out and talk about my experience with in vitro fertilization (IVF). It’s not that I’m shy or hugely private; it mainly comes from the subject being socially taboo and very personal. As a woman who has had to receive assistance to be able to carry a child and deliver a healthy baby girl, I am grateful that I had the right to make a choice for my family and regarding my own body."

She confesses that it is not easy for women to come out in the open and speak about their struggles of pregnancy, yet she wants her story to be an inspiration to the many who crave for motherhood but are having a difficult time with conception.

Elisabeth is happy when she sees her daughter growing up, and owes it all to the support of doctors, family and friends.

Elisabeth Rohm Photo's / Picture's Gallery

Elisabeth Rohm Elisabeth Rohm Elisabeth Rohm Elisabeth Rohm Elisabeth Rohm

Source : Medindia
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LIFE Releases Previously Unseen Photos of Eva Braun, Adolf Hitler

Eva Braun
Photos of Eva Braun that have not been previously seen are now displayed on LIFE.com. Braun is the long-term girlfriend and wife for one day of Adolf Hitler.

The United States Army confiscated the photos in 1945 but was only revealed recently by Reinhard Schulz, collector and curator. The newly-released photos of Braun showed her flirty and provocative streak especially in front of the camera. The photos were found contained in Braun’s private albums in her home.

The death of Hitler’s niece and rumoured lover Geli Raubal in 1931 made Brain the centre of the life of the German dictator.

Braun, who became a model at the age of 17, became a favourite but vain companion to the Nazi leader. She used to work at Reich official photographer Heinrich Hoffman’s studio in Munich.

She claims to have met a man with “a funny moustache” called “Herr Wolff” through her modelling job. It turned out that she was referring to Adolf Hitler. And as Hitler was getting high up in the Nazi Party ranks, they also became closer as a couple.

While hundreds of thousands of people died in the Battle of Berlin as the German and Russian troops sought to get control of Berlin in 1945, it was the death of 55-year old Hitler and 33-year old Braun in April 30, 1945 that ended the Third Reich and in effect the war.

The photos, starting with photos of her as a chubby infant, provided an insight into Braun’s life. It also chronicled her life as a teenager and her life with Hitler from the 1930s to the 1940s before they both committed suicide.

It also gave a glimpse of Braun’s habits which were loathed by Hitler such as smoking, swimming in the nude and wearing makeup.

Source : UK News Online
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Tsunami hits Japan after massive quake

Friday 11 March 2011

Japan Tsunami, Japane Earthquake
A massive earthquake has hit the north-east of Japan, triggering a tsunami that has caused extensive damage.

Japanese television showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away by a vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

The quake has sparked fires in several areas including Tokyo. At least 32 people were killed, officials said.

It struck about 250 miles (400km) from the capital at a depth of 20 miles. There have been powerful aftershocks.

The tremor, measured at 8.9 by the US Geological Survey, hit at 1446 local time (0546 GMT). Seismologists say it is one of the largest earthquakes to hit Japan for many years.

( Read Japan Tsunami more... )

Source : BBC News
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Google Japan Tsunami Alert

Google has warned about the earthquake in japan ...

This Message :
Tsunami Alert for New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, and others. Waves expected over the next few hours, caused by 8.9 earthquake in Japan.

Google Japanese Earthquake Alert, Google Alert, Japane Tsunami, Japan Earthquake


go to Google Page for Alert
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Raw Video: Tsunami Slams Northeast Japan

A tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake washed away buildings along the northeast coast of Japan. (March 11)




NHK TV video of tsunami striking northeast coast of Japan following 8.9 magnitude earthquake




Japan Earthquake - Massive 8.9 Earthquake - Tsunami hit Japan - Major Tsunami damage in Japan


Source : Youtube
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Giuseppe Zanotti Design Scarpe Primavera Estate 2011

Giuseppe Zanotti Design

Giuseppe Zanotti è un marchio tutto italiano che produce calzature realizzate a regola d’arte. Massima attenzione nelle forme, nei materiali utilizzati e alle ultime tendenze ma anche alle richieste delle signore, le utenti che acquistano scarpe Zanotti sanno di non acquistare solo un paio di scarpe, sono certe di fare un investimento. Le scarpe Zanotti sono amate anche all’estero e sono citate persino nei dialoghi del serial tv che detta stile ultimamente: Gossip Girl. Vi andiamo a presentare oggi la nuovissima collezione di calzature dedicata alle calde giornate della primavera e dell’estate 2011 firmate Giuseppe Zanotti.

Source : Tuttogratis
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Russian girls dive best in Europe

Yulia Koltunova

Russia’s Yulia Koltunova and Darya Govor have become first in the women's 10m platform final at the European Diving Championships in Turin, Italy.

Germany’s Christin Steuer and Nora Subschinski took silver while Ukraine’s Yulia Prokopchuk and Alina Chaplenko – bronze.

Source : The Voice of Russia
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Fidel Castro Tweets

Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro tweets to over 100,000

It looks like Fidel Castro is doing good also in cyberspace. A Twitter account of Cuba’s ex-president has passed has 100,000 followers - arguably the first official Cuban-themed Twitter account to break that threshold.

The account, set up about a year ago, has sent more than 1,700 tweets with Castro's musings about world affairs, above all his fears that the world is headed for nuclear Armageddon, and his warnings that NATO is planning to invade Libya.

Only 2 percent of the island's population uses the Internet though, the lowest such figure in the Western Hemisphere.

Source : The Voice of Russia
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Hollywood Walk Of Fame

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon gets star on Walk of Fame

Reese Witherspoon joined the elite group of entertainers with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame recently, and the Oscar winner revealed, "Never in 462 million years did I think this was going to happen to me. I thought I was going to live in Tennessee and be a doctor."

Reese, who has a new comedy called "How Do You Know" with Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson acknowledged her good fortune and luck "to have been embraced by the community of Hollywood".

"I’m just so lucky that I get the opportunity to do what I love every day," she said. "It’s so nice to go to the movie theater and just escape for two hours and dream, and hopefully my films do that for people."

The actress was accompanied by her two children, daughter Ava, 11, and seven-year-old son Deacon, for the induction ceremony which was held outside the W Hotel in Los Angeles. Reese looked stunning in a black and red polka dot dress as she was presented with her tribute – the 2,425th star dedication on the famous avenue.

Her boyfriend, Hollywood agent Jim Toth, was also there to see his girlfriend – who has appeared in a host of hit films, including "Cruel Intentions," "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Legally Blonde" – receive the accolade.

The 34-year-old actress, who divorced actor Ryan Philippe in 2007 and split from Jake Gyllenhaal in 2009, has admitted she is very "comfortable" in her relationship with Jim and says they are benefits to date someone who isn’t famous.

Source : Malaya Business Insight
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Napping

Napping, Weight Loss Diet Plans
Napping to Improve Weight Loss Diet Plans

For years studies have shown how a good night’s sleep can better prepare one’s brain for a day of learning. Now recent studies are showing that quick naps before learning new information is another way to increase memorization. The study looked at a variety of volunteers who took a nap lasting around one and a half hours directly before doing a memorization exercise.

Weight Loss Diet Plans

The results showed that those who napped prior to the exercise scored almost 20 percent more than those who did not nap before the exercise and found improvements in their weight loss goals. The study showed that people go about their everyday business their ability to learn and retain information decreases. Ones who did not nap and did the exercise both in the morning and the afternoon showed much better results in the first set of exercises.

Weight Loss and Exercises

Those who napped actually did better on the second set of exercises compared to the first set. This suggests that napping not only reboots the memory capacity, but actually improves it all together. The result makes a case for the way some Europeans schedule their workdays around a mid-day siesta.

Source : Adi News
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Deryck Whibley



Sum 41's Deryck Whibley Hospitalized With Pneumonia

Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley has had another mishap... just in time to coincide with the release of their fifth-full length album in 10 years, Screaming Bloody Murder.

Whibley has contracted a nasty case of pneumonia that has him holed up in a Sydney, Australia hospital bed for, well... it looks like a while.

A statement on Sum 41's website lets fans know the band were cancelling their upcoming Australian tour dates due to Whibley's illness. The notice also features a tiny black & white photo of Whibley, sprawled out in the aforementioned hospital bed and hooked up to a barrage of wires to prove he's really not faking it.

While we wish Whibley a speedy recovery, it should be brought to attention that this isn't his first time calling in sick to work.

Last August, Whibley faced a sneak attack in a Japanese bar that lead to a brief hospitalization.

Weeks prior, some Vans Warped Tour Dates had to be scrapped while Whibley tried to get over a bout of bronchitis.

Going back further, there were a slew of concert cancellations in 2005 and 2007 while the singer tried to recoup from a ruptured vocal cord and a back injury, respectively.

Dude has been in rough shape for a long time and needs to start taking better care of himself, or an onslaught of those pesky celebrity death rumours will start flying again.

Sum 41 are also scheduled to play this year's Vans Warped Tour. Here's hoping Whibley's better in time to perform.

Screaming Bloody Murder comes out March 29.

Here are Sum 41's cancelled dates:

March 4 Melbourne, Australia @ Melbourne Showgrounds (Soundwave Festival)
March 5 Adelaide, Australia @ Bonython Park (Soundwave Festival)
March 7 Perth, Australia @ Claremont Showgrounds (Soundwave Festival)

These Sum 41 dates remain unaffected by Whibley's illness (for now at least):

March 12 Valencia, Spain @ Ciudad De Las Artes Y De Las Ciencias (free)
March 16 Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
March 18 Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
March 25 Ventura, CA @ Majestic Ventura Theatre
March 26 Las Vegas, NV @ Desert Breeze Skate Park (Extreme Thing Sports & Music Festival)
March 27 San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues San Diego
March 29 Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
May 17 Sapporo, Japan @ Sapporo Zepp
May 19 Sendai, Japan @ Sendai Zepp
May 20 Yokohama, Japan @ Yokohama Blitz
May 21 Nagoya, Japan @ Nagoya Zepp
May 23 Fukuoka, Japan @ Fukuoka Zepp
May 24-25 Osaka, Japan @ Osaka Hatch
May 27 Tokyo, Japan @ Studio Coast
May 28 Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Zepp
July 2 Nove Mesto Nad Vahom, Slovakia @ Top Fest
July 3 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic @ Hradec Kralove Airport
July 9 Knebworth, England @ Knebworth House (Sonisphere)

Source : Chart Attack
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Academy Awards

The Academy Awards
The Academy Awards look toward next year

by Jake Davis

The 83rd annual Academy Awards occurred last week and there weren't many surprises.

"The King's Speech," behind a late push from the British theater and the Producer's Guild Association, took the spoils in Best Picture. More impressing than that, however, Tom Hooper's film is the first film to be awarded four of the Big Five (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay) since "American Beauty" in 2001.

"The Social Network" brought in a disappointing haul. The early favorite only received awards for three of its eight nominations. Director David Fincher must still await his long desired directing Oscar.

Natalie Portman and Wally Pfister were amongst the first time Oscar winners for their respective work in "Black Swan" and "Inception."

"Inceptions" unmatched imaginative prowess swept the sound editing and visual effects awards. While palpable performances by Christian Bale and Melissa Leo aided "The Fighter" in knocking out the supporting role categories.

The awards were not much for surprises; however, outside of a creative opening piece, the hosts were entirely shocking.

Anne Hathaway was so surprised and thrilled that she was asked to host the Oscars that she forgot how to act. Or maybe she never really knew how. You can't really blame the poor girl though. Despite an overly raunchy and overtly steamy appearance in "Love and Other Drugs," it seems she will always be the awkward, excessively giddy "tween" from "The Princess Diaries."

James Franco on the other hand was too "exhausted" to remember why he was asked to be a host. His lackluster approach stuck out like a sore thumb next to the overeager babbling of his counterpart.

The 83rd Oscars were down nine percent in ratings from 2009 and failed to appeal to a younger audience as the Academy had hoped. But this is not due to a less spectacular list of award winning movies.

"The Social Network" will be a film that defines a generation and speaks volumes about society. Inception pushed the boundaries of reality and moved blockbusters to a new level. The Coen brothers remade John Wayne's "True Grit" with absolute class regardless of a need for Cogburn subtitles. Danny Boyle's repackaging of the amazing story of Aron Ralston shook audiences and retold a painful story of redemption with gut-wrenching tangibility.

Source : The Samford Crimson
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Brody Jenner

Avril Lavigne and Brody JennerStar: Avril Lavigne and Brody Jenner are Engaged

In case you were worried that Avril Lavigne and Brody Jenner might not last after getting tattoos for each other and solidifying their love during drunken nights at Hollywood clubs, you can rest easy. These two crazy kids are reportedly engaged to be married. They’ve been together a whole year and only broke up once, so it’s time:
On Feb. 9, during the duo’s whirlwind trip to Europe, the divorced singer, 26, e-mailed a bandmate a picture of her left hand with what appears to be an engagement ring on it - with the subject line “ha ha.” And insiders tell Star that Brody, 27, did indeed pop the question to his girlfrien of about a year. “Avril has hinted to pals that she thought Brody was planning a big surprise during their trip to France,” says an insider. “It’s just her style to be coy rather than coming out with an announcement right away.”
[From Star Magazine, print edition, March 17, 2011]

I’m hoping that this is just some joke e-mail Avril sent and that Star is reading too much into it. I checked both Avril and Brody’s Twitter accounts, and neither of them have tweeted anything about this and they don’t send tweets to each other either as far as I could tell. (I just skimmed it honestly and didn’t go that far back.)

Last summer, we heard that Brody was “begging” Avril to do a reality show with him. He’s sort-of a Kardashian, after all. (His dad is Bruce Jenner.) Maybe they are engaged and soon we’ll be treated to the Avril and Brody show. Spare us, but you know that some TV exec would sign off on that.

Avril and Brody are shown on 2/16/11, 2/13/11 and 12/7/10. You can see her left hand on 2/13 and there’s no engagement ring. Credit: WENN.com

Avril Lavigne and Brody JennerAvril Lavigne and Brody JennerAvril Lavigne and Brody JennerAvril Lavigne and Brody Jenner
Source : Celebitchy
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Pete Wentz

Craig Owens, Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson’s Revenge On Pete Wentz — She’s Dating His Best Friend!

We understand Ashlee wants to move on after the split… but with Pete’s friend? So NOT cool!

It’s been just over a month since Ashlee Simpson filed for divorce from Pete Wentz, and she’s already been spotted out with a new guy — though he’s not really a “new” guy, because Ashlee has known him for years! In Touch Weekly reports that Ashlee is now going public with rocker Craig Owens, whose band D.R.U.G.S. released its first album on Pete’s record label, Decaydance.

”They were holding hands in the elevator, and a lot of the time had his arm around her,” a source tells the mag about Ashlee and Craig’s recent trip to Los Angeles’ Beverly Center Mall. “They even kissed each other on the lips. It was obvious they were a couple.”

It sounds like puppy love between the two — but Craig’s actions suggest he could be totally falling for Ashlee.

“He sends flowers to her every day, and that’s only the beginning,” another source says. “He has even offered to quit his band and let her pursue her career, but so far, she hasn’t budged.”

And while we’re sure Pete isn’t too thrilled with his soon-to-be ex-wife’s new man, he’s not the only one: Ashlee’s father, Joe Simpson, has been “looking for a professional athlete” to set Ashlee up with, another source reveals. (Because we know how well THAT works out for the Simpson girls…)

Source : Hollywood Life
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Roseanne Barr

Roseanne Barr
target='_blank'
Charlie Sheen Has a Fan in Roseanne Barr: “He’s Winning, I’ve Decided”

Roseanne Barr is in Charlie Sheen’s “corner.” The comedian posted some advice for the 45-year-old actor on her blog, where she assessed his recent behavior. Roseanne also has something in common with Charlie: a strong dislike for Hollywood mega-producer, Chuck Lorre.

Roseanne wrote on her blog, in a post entitled “Chucks Hit List,” that she, Brett Butler, Cybill Shepherd and Charlie are all “stars who lost big when working with Chuck,” adding she “was going to guest on 2 and a half men once, but when i got the script, it was putrid, so they got cam manheim to do it.”

“Chuck got pissed off at me for refusing to be part of his brilliance, and insulted me in the nyt, saying that I ‘beat the wit out of him.’ Then, right after he did that, he asked me to make a videotaped presentation honoring him at a vanity dinner…”

In another post, “Charlie Sheen makes me look sane,” Roseanne wrote a nice message to Charlie, suggesting he take a vacay.

Charlie is not on drugs, though he can get them from the porn star goddesses that come and go, but his urine shows clean–i think charlie is in a manic high, and is unable to get any drugs to bring him down anymore—his tiger blood statement is from that “eye of the tiger” focus that manics have. Manics can really work hard and play hard at the same time, until they hit a wall, and then they are in bed and depressed for a long time, so they start taking drugs again to get energy to work. Charlie, take a break dude. Go to Greece, Paris, China, look at great art and lay low…

And yesterday, the comic took to her blog to announce she deems Charlie as “winning.”

“He is off two and a half men, and will hopefully get the money they owe him. No longer will he have to be publicly hated derided and humiliated by intelligent women, and perhaps one might befriend him, which would so change his life. Knowing at least one woman who is not a coke whore might be good for Charlie. They say you should try something new sometimes,” she wrote in a post entitled, “Charlie Sheen is winning, I’ve decided…”

While many of her compliments to Charlie are masked with sarcasm, it looks like Charlie has at least one fellow actor to lean on!

Source : OK Magazine
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Gatsby Mansion

Gatsby Mansion

The Great Gatsby mansion in NY set to be destroyed

The beautiful 25-room mansion on Long Island that has been claimed to inspire F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic tale "The Great Gatsby" is getting ready to be demolished to make room for a subdivision.

Cincinnati local Mary H stated "This is sad. that home is a beautiful piece of history. Why does it have to be destroyed, why not made into a museum or an inn.? I hate when nice historical structures are wasted."

Yahoo News reported that Randy Bond, who is the Sands point village clerk on New York;s Long Island has revealed that in place of the mansion five houses worth about $10 million each will be built on the propriety location.

The Great Gatsby Movie Trailer



It has been claimed by some experts that F. Scott Fitzgerald was believed to have used the 1902 property as a model of the home of Gatsby character Daisy Buchanan. Today's property owner has stated that he believes the "Gatsby Mansion" connection is exaggerated.

The current owner's name is David Brodsky, he reveals that his family purchased the mansion in 2004, and has listed the property condition as beyond repair.

Newsday reported that historians in the area have revealed that numerous mansions in the area have been lost in the past 50 years because of rising taxes and the high cost of maintaining the properties.

Cincinnati what do you think a great loss of a superb piece of history? Is this just another piece of history lost to laziness and greed? Share your thoughts here with others.

Source : Examiner
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Tiki Barber

Tiki Barber
Tiki Barber Can’t Stay Gone

Posted by Ian Crouch

Tiki Barber had, for a while, an almost perfectly managed retirement. His announcement that the 2006 N.F.L. season would be his last was a surprise. He had played ten years, a long time for any football player, and especially for a running back, and was already the all-time rushing leader for the New York Giants, but he seemed to be at the height of his powers. (Indeed, his final season was the second-most successful of his career, in terms of rushing yards, and the previous one had been his best.) But he probably surprised more people when he actually followed through with his plan and walked away.

Professional athletes have over the years been about as inclined to abdicate their positions of power and prestige as have Middle Eastern dictators.

In the past year, though, Barber’s story has started to sound a bit more familiar, culminating with word earlier this week that he had filed papers with the league to return to football, after a series of ups and then rather furious downs. “After seeing my brother still have fun at our age, it reignited the fire,” Barber explained to FOXSports.com, referring to his twin brother Ronde, a cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “I’m really looking forward to the challenge of seeing if I can get back to the level of where I was.” But several sports columnists identified another factor: money. In the past year, Barber sparked a public scandal when he left his wife, Ginny—then eight months pregnant with twins—and began dating a twenty-three-year-old intern at NBC, where he had been a football analyst and contributor to the “Today Show.” Soon after, the network terminated his contract, citing a “morality clause.” In June, several news outlets reported that Barber was broke.

Un-retiring is awkward enough in the best of circumstances, but it’s especially tricky for Barber, who insisted in 2007 that he was thoroughly finished with the game, and then spent the next few years burning his bridges to the league; he spoke disparagingly about his former coach, Tom Coughlin, and his former quarterback, Eli Manning—and in so doing alienated the Giants organization and its fans. (The team said this week that they wished him luck elsewhere.) Antonio Pierce, a former teammate and current analyst for ESPN, offered this take on the Barber comeback:
Tiki Barber the person? The leader? The person in that locker room? He’s not going to do anything for your team. Now if that’s the guy you think you’re bringing in, you might want to look in another direction.
Some people had bristled at what they saw as Barber’s nearly season-long retirement tour in 2006, but generally Barber was remarkable for his widespread likability. When Ben McGrath wrote about him for the magazine, in 2007, both Barber and his agent, Mark Lepselter, were enjoying the far-reaching profitability of what they called Tiki Inc., which included forty-thousand-dollar appearance fees, ad contracts, and his entry into what Barber had announced as his post-football career: television news. Barber was also an intriguing character among professional athletes, a genuine Renaissance Man. McGrath notes that Barber wrote children’s books, acted in plays, and hosted a radio show with his brother Ronde. He had lunch with Condoleezza Rice and was an avid reader of history. Yet Barber was also a “shrewd businessman, methodical and calculating,” traits that, in concert with his revved-up engine of self-promotion, left some detractors cold. The hosts of WFAN’s “Mike and the Mad Dog” radio show, McGrath writes, “snickered about how Barber had come to see himself as Nelson Mandela.”

Barber seemed equipped to succeed in his life after football, but Frank Gifford, another former Giant turned television personality, expressed some skepticism to McGrath at the time:
He’ll have a very difficult time in television eclipsing what he’s done here … Unless he becomes Walter Cronkite, it’s not going to happen. He can be successful there, but to transcend what he’s done … I don’t think people will let him do it. Sometimes you get trapped in your own greatness.
Gifford might have been describing Barber’s current situation, only with the actors reversed. It seems Barber has trapped himself.

There have been signs that the Buccaneers, home to Ronde Barber, might give Tiki a look. (That’s assuming there will be a football season this year; team owners continue to threaten a lock-out for the fall.) Yet there have not been many successful thirty-six-year-old running backs. Even if you dial Barber’s odometer back a few years because of his retirement, thirty-something backs are not normally major contributors in the N.F.L. (Marcus Allen had success after thirty-five, but he’s an exception.) Will Barber be content to be a backup, a third-down option, and a veteran influence on up-and-coming players? And would any team really value that influence?

And should he even be thinking about playing? In 2007, Barber complained to McGrath about being old, and talked at length about the extensive rehab he required each week to recover from the poundings he took on the field. More recently, Barber has said that the game is inherently dangerous and that he feared he would suffer long-term brain damage from his playing days, in the form of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. McGrath, in his article on football head injuries from January, spoke to Barber:
“They can’t try to do more,” he said. “They can’t afford to change what it is: an aggressively fast, physically brutal game.” He added that he believes he will die with traces of C.T.E. in his brain tissue; he now views C.T.E. as “a necessary side effect of contact activity… It’s scary.”
Barber’s earning power came from his legs and his likability. The latter seems to be exhausted; we’ll see if there’s anything left in the former. Regardless, we’ve come a long way from 2007, when, as McGrath wrote at the time, Barber had sounded so confident while explaining his retirement plans to reporters: “You know, it’s better to leave ’em wanting more.”

Photograph: Mary Ellen Mark.

Source : Newyorker
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Facebook Movies

Facebook Movies
Facebook experiments with streaming movies

(NBC) - More than a half-billion people use Facebook to keep up with friends and family.

Now, Warner Bros. Pictures wants to find out if those same Facebook users might use the social website to watch Movies.

The company is now offering the film "The Dark Knight" for rental online to Facebook users.

It costs 30 Facebook credits, the equivalent of $3, with Facebook getting one-third of the take.

"If people show interest in watching 'The Dark Knight,' then potentially movie studios will want to offer other movies, either temporarily or permanently on Facebook, and Facebook would love this kind of profit," said CNET.com's Caroline McCarthy.

It's an experiment with lots of potential in the still-emerging world of online video.

With more than 20 million subscribers, Netflix has been the front runner in video streaming rentals. Recently, Amazon has challenged with a similar offering.

If Warner's test with "The Dark Knight" proves successful, it could make Facebook a game changer for online movie distribution.

"It certainly could become a threat as the video business evolves, and you have these 500 million users and the wisdom of friends," said The Hollywood Reporter's Marisa Guthrie.

Facebook users who rent "The Dark Knight" have 48 hours to view it as many times as they want.

Warner Bros. is already saying they plan to roll out other titles both for rent and purchase on Facebook in the months ahead.

Copyright 2011 NBC. All rights reserved.
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Julianne Moore To Play Sarah Palin

Julianne Moore, Sarah Palin

Julianne Moore will play Sarah Palin in HBO Films’ “Game Change,” an adaptation of Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s book about the 2008 presidential election.

Game Change,” written by two political reporters, describes the 2008 presidential election from a personal angle— “an intimate portrait of the candidates and spouses who stood a reasonable chance of occupying the White House,” states the New York Times. Sounds sexy, right?

Game Change” continues Hollywood’s compellingly awkward new trend of producing memoirs of powerful public figures while they’re still in their heyday, like “The Social Network.” Moore, and the rest of the class to a lesser degree, will have the same challenge as Jesse Eisenberg—portraying a famous, divisive person who is still alive and very much in the public eye. The NY Mag profiles will be amazing, and I can’t wait for them to meet up and make uncomfortable jokes on a 2012 episode of “SNL.”

I’d imagine that Moore will be able to pull off a pretty sympathetic performance of the political maelstrom. The actress has proved capable of covering both ends of the sanity spectrum—from her role as an esoteric, baby-hungry heiress in “The Big Lebowski,” to a sexually frustrated lesbian mom in “The Kids are All Right”—and I’m sure she’ll have to call both of those capabilities for this role. Palin is a figure that many relate to, but as the book divulges, staff members assigned to Palin during the campaign discussed a “threatening possibility: that Palin was mentally unstable.”

And while it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Tina Fey or Sara Benincasa impersonating Sarah Palin, it will be refreshing to see someone portray her in a manner that isn’t strictly mocking.

It will also be interesting to see who gets cast as the Clintons, Obamas and McCains (Bryce Dallace Howard as Bristol? Blake Lively as Meghan?). But the choice of Julianne Moore to play Sarah Palin must have been a big one. In the end, Palin wound up being a more significant game changer in the political climate than anyone in 2008, possibly including Obama.

Source : DT
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HCA

HCA, Hospital Corporation of America

HCA IPO will be biggest in a long time and is actually oversubscribed

Tonight will see the pricing of HCA Holdings Inc.’s third IPO and second from private equity ownership in what should be the largest U.S. private equity backed IPO ever. HCA is the largest privately owned hospital chain in the U.S. and is looking to raise about $3.5 billion from the offering. This would translate to a market cap somewhere in the $15 billion range. Back in 2006 the company was taken private by Bain Capital, KKR, and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity in a $32 billion deal at the peak of the LBO craze. Below is a sampling of the company’s business overview from its 10-K filing:

At December 31, 2010, we operated 164 hospitals, comprised of 158 general, acute care hospitals; five psychiatric hospitals; and one rehabilitation hospital. The 164 hospital total includes eight hospitals (seven general, acute care hospitals and one rehabilitation hospital) owned by joint ventures in which an affiliate of HCA is a partner, and these joint ventures are accounted for using the equity method. In addition, we operated 106 freestanding surgery centers, nine of which are owned by joint ventures in which an affiliate of HCA is a partner, and these joint ventures are accounted for using the equity method. Our facilities are located in 20 states and England.

Many of HCA’s hospitals are located in “high growth” urban and suburban areas with 9,808 beds and 38 hospitals in Florida, as well as 10,410 beds and 36 hospitals in Texas. On the company’s most recent earnings call Chairman Richard Bracken said that the company’s size, efficiency and diverse nature should promote future growth on the bottom line.

According to Renaissance Capital shares are expected to price in the $27-$30 range, but I have seen rumors that demand is high, the deal is significantly oversubscribed and that shares may actually price at $31. Some analysts, however, are suggesting investors wait until August after the 6 month lockup period expires to buy shares. At that time another 383 million shares will be eligible for sale.

The excitement about the offering ignores a heavy debt burden and a somewhat uncertain regulatory environment for healthcare providers. HCA has more than $27 billion of long-term debt on its balance sheet and the Republican majority in the House continues to try to hack away at Obamacare by withholding funding if not outright repeal. Nonetheless, I can understand the deal’s oversubscription. Healthcare spend in this country continues to grow and will approach 20% of GDP over the next several years. The aging of the Baby Boomer generation has just started and hospitals will be a prime beneficiary of this country’s largest generation’s diseases and surgeries. With an economic recovery underway (most would argue), it’s only a matter of time until hospitals see meaningful recovery in their patient volumes and the expansion of the insured population under Obamacare will further reduce bad debts. If nothing else the HCA IPO will bring some attention to a healthcare sector that has lagged the overall market for the past 2 years at a time when investors are looking for more than gold and silver as defensive plays.

Source : HedgeFund
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Peter King

Peter King

Peter King's Hearings Hurt Our Troops

Quick question - which U.S. President was the first to hold Ramadan itfar dinners at the White House, celebrating the breaking of the fast with Muslims? Hint: That same President visited Mosques more than once during his administration.

Many FOX News viewers may assume that it's President Obama. But, it was actually George W. Bush.

It's no secret that VoteVets.org had a number of issues with President Bush, most notably his decision to go to war in Iraq, and how he waged the war. However, one thing he understood, and often got right, was sending signals to reassure the Muslim world that the United States held no animus towards Islam, both in words and deeds.

I thought of President Bush as the debate heated up over Rep. Peter King's hearings today on Islam in America.

Rep. King is doing our troops no favors, as he specifically targets Muslims, and only Muslims, in his hearings on domestic terrorism. A key part of the work of our troops abroad is winning the hearts and minds of the people in any country we operate, and as of right now, most of them are Muslims. When they hear that the American government considers Islam a threat, and is investigating American Muslims, it only bolsters the message of al Qaeda and other terrorist groups that we are in a war with Islam.

Every wrong signal can be exploited, as we are in this important fight, and we must be extra-vigilant in ensuring that nothing we do aids the underlying message of our enemies, as they seek to recruit. Some signals, of course, are out of our control, like rumors that a soldier used the Quran as toilet paper at Guantanamo. But those things make it even more important that those in power do everything they can to combat the notion that we target this one religion. Peter King's hearings do just the opposite.

Now, there is no doubt that extremists who pervert the message of Islam present a threat to our security, and we need to continue to keep on top of them. Those who are protesting Peter King's hearings aren't saying we should be naïve about the threats we face - and any argument to the contrary is laughable. But, those extremists who are Muslim are not the only home-grown terrorists. In fact, just the other day, police in Washington State arrested a White Supremacist they suspect is behind the plot to set off a bomb at a Martin Luther King Day parade. I would say that plot was extremism and terrorism.

If Representative King was truly concerned about the threat of domestic terrorism, his hearings would cast a wide net, and examine every threat, regardless of heritage or religion. That would not only help us better understand threats within the United States, but would also make clear to the larger world that we do not target Muslims because of their religion.

But Congressman King doesn't seem interested in that - this is a political show to play to the fringe base, not a real attempt to better our security. And, unfortunately, it comes at the expense of our troops fighting overseas, who can't afford to have news of "a US lawmaker's anti-Islam hearings" floating around the population with whom they're trying to work.

Source : The Huffington Post
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Mike Starr Dead

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Mike Starr
Rocker Mike Starr Dead at 44

( Warnerbros ) - Former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr was found dead in Utah on Tuesday, he was just 44.

The rocker appeared on the third season of "Celebrity Rehab" in 2009. He was arrested last month for possession of six Xanax pills and six Opana pills, according to TMZ.

Friends and fellow rockers took to Twitter and shared their condolences. Former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Alder, who also appeared on "Celebrity Rehab," tweeted, "R.I.P. Mike Starr!! Such a sad day!"

"Devastating to hear of Mike Starr succumbing to his illness. So very sad. Our prayers are with his family," tweeted Dr. Drew Pinsky of "Celebrity Rehab."

Starr was the original bass player for Seattle-based Alice in Chains when they formed in 1987. He played with them through 1993, including his work on the grunge band's breakthrough album, "Dirt." Due to his substance abuse problems, he was replaced with Mike Inez in 1993.

The exact cause of death is not yet known.

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Source :Warnerbros
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Sally Meyerhoff

Sally Meyerhoff, Sally Meyerhof

Sally Meyerhoff tragedy reminds runners to take precautions

Sally Meyerhoff, a professional marathoner who recently won the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon in January, was killed yesterday in a cycling accident. According to reports, Meyerhoff "who was 27 and lived in Maricopa, Ariz., failed to yield at a stop sign and was struck by a pickup truck. Reports say she was killed instantly."

Meyerhoff's tragic death is a reminder to local runners to practice safety measures while running -- or cross training -- outdoors this spring. With the heavy snow that the Albany area has experienced this winter, road conditions, especially shoulders, can be slippery, wet, icy or snow covered. Moreover, even with the recent snow melt there are still many areas where plows have deposited snow and created large snow banks. These snow banks can make it difficult for drivers to see runners.

Take these precautions when running outdoors to help avoid accidents:

* Stop more frequently. If you normally just slow down at road crossings, take an extra moment to stop and be extra sure that there are no oncoming cars. Pause and look around you more frequently than you normally do.
* Run during daylight hours. If you must run in the dark, make sure you are illuminated and choose a familiar route.
* Run without music. When outdoor conditions are less than ideal, you need to be aware of your surroundings and ensure that you can hear oncoming traffic. Leave the headphones at home!
* Run against traffic. By running against traffic you will be able to see and observe cars as they approach.
* Run in parks or on local trails. While you can't beat the convenience of stepping outside your door and heading down the street for a run, when conditions warrant it, head to less trafficked areas like parks and trails. Head to places such as The Crossings, the Corning Preserve, Thacher Park or bike trail that runs from Schenectady to Albany to avoid running in traffic.

The transition period between winter and spring in the Albany area can be a great time to run. Practice common sense precautions to ensure your safety.

Source : Examiner
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Tericka Dye

Tericka Dye, Rikki Andersin

Tericka Dye (PICTURES): Teacher quits after students learn she was porn star Rikki Andersin

(CBS/KFVS) CHESTERFIELD, Mo. - Teacher Tericka Dye's X-rated past has come back to haunt her - again.

Pictures: Notorious teacher sex scandals

The Missouri high school science teacher and mom of four has resigned from her job after students learned that she was once an adult film actress, going by the name of Rikki Andersin.

Dr. Don Senti, interim superintendent of the Parkway School District in suburban St. Louis, confirmed to CBS affiliate KFVS that Dye asked to be placed on administrative leave for the remainder of the school year.

A statement from the Parkway School District says Dye's request came after a student asked her about her past, referring to the one or more pornographic movies Dye admitted to making while living in California in the mid-1990s.

The school agreed to accept Dye's request "out of respect for her privacy and that of her family." It also states Dye passed standard background and reference checks prior to being employed in August 2007.

Dye came under fire in 2006 while working as a science teacher and volleyball coach at high school in Kentucky. Teachers in Paducah stood by Myers when she was suspended with pay for the 2005-2006 school year and her contract was not renewed because the superintendent feared her presence would cause a distraction in the classroom.

Before leaving the high school, Dye said her decision more than a decade prior was the worst choice she'd ever made.

"I'm a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who's made a lot of bad decisions in life," Dye said in May of 2006. "Anybody who's been in my classroom could tell you how much I love teaching and how much I love these students, and that should be what matters more than anything in my past."

Dye's attorney announced in early 2007 that Dye had withdrawn an appeal of a ruling on a lawsuit she filed against the McCracken County School System and was leaving Kentucky. Her attorney declined to comment where she was headed.

What she did was not illegal, so it didn't show up on a background check.

Myers will be paid through the end of the school year, but not be returning in the fall.

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Source : CBS News
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Jon Cryer

Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

Jon Cryer a "turncoat, a traitor, a troll," Charlie Sheen says

(CBS) Charlie Sheen has already lashed out at his "Two and a Half Men" bosses, and now he has some harsh words for costar Jon Cryer.

"Jon has not called me," Sheen told E! Online on Tuesday. "He's a turncoat, a traitor, a troll... Is it gonna take me calling him a 'traitor, juvenile and scared' for him to get it?"

Pictures: Charlie Sheen
Timeline: Sheen's ups and downs

"Like I said: You're with me, or you're with the trolls," he added of Cryer. "Obviously he's with the trolls."

Sheen noted that many of his other castmates were "not trolls" because they had called him, including "half man" Angus T. Jones, Conchata Ferrell (Berta the housekeeper), Melanie Lynskey (Rose the neighbor), Marin Hinkle (Judith Harper) and show director Jamie Widdoes.

Holland Taylor (Evelyn Harper) has also come to Sheen's defense, stating in an email to The Associated Press that "Charlie was cordial and polite with all of his cast mates and crew, sometimes even courtly - and always witty."

"In this very sad and complicated time, I really have no comment," she added, "beyond valuing my own history with Charlie, and my abiding affection for him."

And if Cryer does decide to reach out to him?

"What's there to say? I'll tell him 'You're a little late. Goodbye, troll,'" said Sheen. "When I'm starring in multimillion-dollar films and he's begging me for a supporting role, I'll say, 'You left me out in the cold with all of your guilt and stupidity.'"

A source close to Cryer, 45, told the website that the actor has indeed reached out to Sheen, but has declined to comment publicly out of respect.

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Source : CBS News
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Biggie Smalls

Biggie Smalls, Christopher George Latore Wallace

Remembering Biggie Smalls, 05.21.72 – 03.09.97

( Sandra Rose ) - It was the stuff nightmares are made of…

Christopher George Latore Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls and The Notorious BIG, lost his life in a hail of bullets fired by an unknown assailant just moments after leaving the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA, 14 years ago today. He was just 24.

If you were logged on to the social networking site, Twitter.com, late last night then you saw Biggie Smalls’ only daughter, T’Yanna Wallace, tweet her touching shout out to her dad.

Tyanna WallaceOthers tweeted condolences, photos, videos and private memories of their precious time spent with Biggie before his untimely passing.

Writer dream hampton, one of Biggie’s closest friends, did all of that and more:

Biggie Smalls, Christopher George Latore Wallace, Tyanna Wallace
March 9, 1997
Los Angeles

My phone rings. It is after midnight and I am sleeping. I think it might be Biggie. He always calls late. But it is not. It is someone telling me that Biggie was shot, that he might be dead. I hang up on the person. Someone else calls. They tell me Biggie is indeed dead. I hang up on them too. But I call Puff. His cell phone is turned off. It is never turned off.

I feel the first signs of panic. I call my best friend in L.A. and she makes it to my house in Silver Lake in a matter of minutes. We drive to Cedars Sinai, where she heard he has been taken. In front of the emergency room is the Suburban he’d rented. There is police tape around it and a tightly formed pattern of bullet holes in the passenger dor, where Big would have been sitting.

The panic is real now. I call his best friend Damien. A girl answers the phone, tells me it’s true. Damien is with Faith at her hotel and he’ll meet me at Big’s hotel room. He has to make all the hard phone calls. To Un and L and Kim in New York, to Big’s girl Tiffany in Philly. To Big’s mom.

‘This nigga, who ain’t never hurt nobody,” Damien keeps saying. “I could see if it was one of us.” Cease stares out the window, unable to speak or move. In a few hours he will put his arm through the window and stitches will be required to close the wound. “One fucking bullet.” That’s how it happened. There were no last words. “I been shot mad times—niggas get shot.” Damien sounds as if he were up pacing the room, but he’s sitting on the couch, his head in his hands, exhausted. On his right arm is the psalm that Big had tattooed in the same spot a week earlier.

The hotel room is covered with Big’s clothes. Custom-made Versace, The gator loafers he bought when he came to Detroit. Big’s mother is on her way to the airport in Queens. Un is driving her. T’Yanna’s mother Jan and Mann from the neighborhood are accompanying her on the flight. She hears on the early-morning radio what she would not allow herself to believe when Damien called. The sun is beginnig to rise in Big’s hotel room. Damien needs to sleep but promises he will not, nor will he shower, until “I get my man out this motherfucker.”

When Mrs. Wallace lands at LAX it is scorching. She thinks L.A. is the cruelest, most awful place on the planet. She vows never to return, “except to look my son’s murderer in the face. To ask him ‘Why?’”

“This nigga died from one ass bullet,” Damien keeps repeating as if trying to find logic in the details of the absurd. Cease stares at the rising sun. Damien tilts his head back on the couch, covers his eyes with one arm, and lets his tears flow. “One ass bullet.”
Click the link below to watch dream hampton’s rare archival footage of Biggie and his entourage (including hampton) getting kicked out of a 4-star hotel.

Biggie Gets Kicked Out of a Hotel



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Source : Sandra Rose
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