Tabloid Archives...
Saturday, April 30, 2005
· Hatcher not so desperate. "Desperate Housewives" star Teri Hatcher didn't look quite so desperate when she was spotted leaving a hot Chelsea nightclub at 3 a.m. yesterday holding hands with a young, tattooed stud. 
· Cynical look at Tom's latest romance. Less than 48 hours after Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' publicists sought to convince the world that the unlikely pair have embarked on a hot romance, CNN's Bill Hemmer said on "American Morning": "What kind of sham is this, by the way?"
· Georgia Runaway Bride's 9-1-1 call. On the 911 tape, Jennifer Wilbanks told the dispatcher she was at a 7-Eleven but doesn't know where. "I've got my family and police on the phone," she said. "I was kidnapped from Atlanta, Georgia. My parents said it's been on the news. I don't know."
· Mexican TV Actress Dies After Seeing Gun. A Mexican television actress died on Friday of a heart attack after a man armed with a pistol approached her vehicle on a Mexico City street, officials said.
· Some Balk at Naming Highway After Willie Nelson. A state legislator had proposed naming a 49-mile stretch of Texas Highway 130 being built around Austin in honor of the Texas country music singer. But two Republican senators, Steve Odgen of Bryan and Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio, said they didn't want Nelson's name on the road that crosses their districts, citing the musician's fondness for drinking and smoking, and active campaigning for Democratic candidates.
· Japan sex industry ensnares Latin women. At least 1,700 women from Latin America and the Caribbean are lured each year into sexual slavery in Japan's huge illicit sex industry.
· Hair Club customer flips lid over head tumor. An Oregon member of Hair Club for Men has accused the company of failing to warn him during monthly visits to reglue his hairpiece that a malignant tumor was developing on his scalp. Sy Sperling unavailable for comment.
· Birds remake is an insult, says Tippi. One of Alfred Hitchcock's most praised - and most frightening - films is to be remade, to the dismay of its original star. Tippi Hedren, who starred in The Birds and became known as one of "Hitchcock's blondes," said: "It's appalling, I find it so offensive. To take a work of art like that and try to copy it is like trying to imitate the Mona Lisa."
· Wynn Las Vegas executive, councilman's aide arrested, jailed. Wynn Las Vegas executive was Tasered by police and jailed on drunken driving and hit-and-run charges early Thursday after he dragged an officer who tried to prevent him from fleeing a car accident in front of the newly opened Strip resort, police said.
· Cleaning lady finds wallet; her honesty questioned. Cleaning woman Darla Gingerella, 41, found and turned in a wallet containing more than $1,000 in the trash - then the owner said he had $3,000 in the wallet. After she took a lie detector test and passed, the owner finally admitted he was probably wrong about the amount. With all the confusion and stress of the ordeal, the cleaning lady now questions whether she would be so helpful in the future.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Aesthetic [aes·thet·ic] adj. 1. Of or concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste. 2. Characterized by a heightened sensitivity to beauty.
· Leash Girl to Plead Guilty to Prisoner Abuse. Pfc. Lynndie England will plead guilty to abusing Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib prison, her lawyer said late Friday, about a year after photos of her sexually humiliating inmates made her the face of a scandal that damaged the credibility of the U.S. military.
· L.A. on Edge After Freeway Shootings. A string of highway shootings since mid-March has left four people dead in Southern California and raised fears of a return to the bad old days of the 1980s, when the Los Angeles area gained a reputation for freeway gunplay.
· 'American Pie' Star Klein Pleads Guilty to DUI. "American Pie" star Chris Klein pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, was fined $1,800 and ordered to perform 150 hours of community service.
· $208M jackpot winners come forward. A Michigan couple Friday claimed a downpayment on their $208 million Mega Millions lottery win - the third-largest-ever jackpot for the game - and then promptly hit the road in a recreational vehicle.
· PETA Targets Jennifer Lopez Film Premiere. Dozens of protesters representing People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals greeted Jennifer Lopez at the premiere of her new movie "Monster-in-Law with signs declaring her the "monster-in-fur" for her Sweetface fashion collection.
Friday, April 29, 2005
· LPGA Golfer Seduced Caddie. A former caddie for LPGA golfer Jackie Gallagher-Smith is suing her, saying she seduced him in order to get pregnant. Gary Robinson says Gallagher-Smith, who is married, used him as "an unwitting sperm donor." He is suing claiming fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
· Dave Matthews Band Settles Bus Waste Case. The Dave Matthews Band, settling a lawsuit stemming from human waste dumped from a tour bus onto people touring the Chicago River, has agreed to pay $200,000 to an environmental fund and take measures to avoid a repeat of the incident, the Illinois attorney general said Friday. The agreement with Attorney General Lisa Madigan does not settle several personal-injury lawsuits that also have been filed.
· Brando possessions up for auction. More than 250 personal items belonging to late actor Marlon Brando are to be auctioned in New York. The collection includes an annotated Godfather script and a letter from author Mario Puzo saying he was "the only actor" who could play the lead.
· Pat O'Brien to Get Session With Dr. Phil. This didn't take long: Pat O'Brien, fresh from rehab, will have to face Dr. Phil next week in a prime-time CBS special. Dr. Phil McGraw will "confront O'Brien about the incidents that led up to his stay in the recovery program, the issues he faced while in treatment and the stories about his personal life that made headline news," CBS said Friday.
· Agent convicted of charges he bilked famous speakers. A New York agent has been convicted of bilking tens of thousands of dollars from his famous clients. Alan Walker booked speeches for the likes of Magic Johnson, actor James Earl Jones and Andy Rooney of "60 Minutes" -- but failed to pay them. He was convicted today of fraud and conspiracy.
· Girl Sticks Schoolmates With Used Needle. A third-grader stuck 19 schoolmates with her mother's diabetes blood-testing needle this week, and one pricked student tested positive for HIV on a preliminary test, officials said.
· Cops Call Off Search for Missing Woman. Police said Friday they had called off the search for Jennifer Wilbanks and also asked her fiancé to undergo an officially administered polygraph test. "We've turned over every leaf in this city. I have suspended all future searches" until more evidence is found, Duluth Police Chief Randy Belcher told reporters.
» Family offers $100,000. The family of a missing Georgia woman whose wedding was scheduled for Saturday has offered $100,000 for information leading to a breakthrough in the case.
· Cash for You! Seinfeld Sued. So Jerry Seinfeld and his wife buy a brownstone in Manhattan and, yada yada yada, they're hit with a lawsuit. When Seinfeld and wife Jessica Sklar plunked down $4 million on their new digs, real estate broker Tamara Cohen claims they neglected to pay her company the $117,000 commission.
· R.I. Police Say Man Offered Steak for Sex. He didn't have any money. But police say that didn't stop Wayne Glaude, 22, from soliciting sex from an undercover officer Thursday night. Instead, police said, he offered steak.
· Jackson Prosecution May Use 1993 Evidence. Prosecutors in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial on Friday showed jurors two books seized from his bedroom in 1993 that include pictures of nude boys.
· Girl Scouts Sue Deadbeat Cookie Buyers. Girl Scouts File Small-Claims Lawsuits Against Deadbeat Cookie Buyers, Alleging Fraud. Girl Scout cookies aren't free, as a few alleged deadbeats are about to find out. One scout group has filed small-claims lawsuits against people who failed to pay up.
· Internet posting stirs bin Laden mystery. A posting on an Islamist Web site stirred speculation over the fate of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, and prompted a flurry of denials on Friday that the world’s most wanted man was dead.
· Koppel on Bad Hair Days and Howard Stern's Money. Koppel reflects, "I've been watching with great interest the fact that Howard Stern got $500 million for a five-year contract, and it does open all kinds of new possibilities."
· Update: 2 Arrested After Claiming Buried Treasure. Two men who claimed in numerous national media interviews that they found buried treasure in the back yard of a home were arrested early Friday after being questioned by police, who said they had determined that the money was stolen.
» Police Say Roofers Found Money In Someone's House. From the beginning it sounded a bit like a tall tale, and it turns out it may well have been just that. Police say the roofers actually found the money in the rafters of an old house they were renovating in Newbury, Mass., so it doesn't belong to them.
· CSU Asks Students To Only Use Cold Water. School Says It Could Save $30,000 If Students Wash Clothes In Cold Water. A week after proposing tuition increases, Colorado State University is asking students to help the school save money by warming up to cold water.
· Cruz regrets getting too close to Salma. Penelope Cruz regrets grabbing pal Salma Hayek's backside during a recent photo shoot, because it sparked stories the friends were lesbians. The Spanish star blames her indiscretion on being sick with the flu.
· How the President's News Conference Ended Up Live on Four Networks. In a showdown that featured inside-the-Beltway lobbying and bare-knuckle boardroom negotiating, Donald J. Trump and President Bush effectively squared off yesterday in pursuit of the same parcel of real estate - a piece of the NBC-TV prime-time lineup. And it was the president who blinked first.
· FEMA Worker Buys Storm Victim's Oceanfront Home For $250,000. Gary C. Jones was sent to Florida in October by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help hurricane victims rid their homes of mold and mildew. He wound up ridding a 72-year-old woman of her oceanfront home - for $250,000 - after she walked into a FEMA service center seeking his advice on mold removal.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Genteel [gen·teel] adj. 1. Refined in manner; well-bred and polite. 2.
Free from vulgarity or rudeness. 3.Elegantly stylish: genteel manners and appearance.
· ‘Apprentice’ turns into a dogfight. This was officially the last week for team competition on "The Apprentice" this season, but you’d never know it from watching Thursday’s show, since there was almost no teamwork to be found. The winning project manager did almost everything herself and ignored her teammate except when she had the chance to snipe at him, while the loser took a cab ride to Staten Island in search of beads.
· Legionnaires' killed wife - hospital kept mum. A Queens woman was diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease and died more than a month ago at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center - but the hospital didn't tell her devastated husband until this week.
· 'Alcohol makes your brain grow.' Drinking alcohol boosts the growth of new nerve cells in the brain, research suggests. But while good in theory, the Swedish team believe these new cells could contribute to the development of alcohol dependence.
· Gov. Praises 'Minuteman' Campaign. Calling the nation's borders dangerously porous, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday praised the private "Minuteman" campaign that uses armed volunteers to stop illegal immigrants from crossing into the U.S.
· Former Sen. Zell Miller Falls Ill While Giving Speech. Former Sen. Zell Miller fell ill while giving a speech in Gainesville Thursday night and was taken to a hospital emergency room.
· Professor Suspended After Students Complain Of Scam. A college professor has been suspended with pay, after students complained he tried to get them to take part in a Nigerian investment scam.
· Spitzer Sues Intermix Over 'Spyware.' New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued a major Internet marketer Thursday, blaming it for secretly installing software that delivers nuisance pop-up advertisements and can slow and crash personal computers.
· Akbar Sentenced to Death for Grenade Attack A military jury sentenced a soldier to death Thursday for a grenade and rifle attack on his own comrades during the opening days of the Iraq invasion, a barrage that killed two officers and that prosecutors said was driven by religious extremism.
· Kids, blogs and too much information. Teenagers are among the most active Internet bloggers, and many are posting pictures, names, addresses, schools, even phone numbers, almost always without their parent's knowledge.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
· Mason Adams, 'Lou Grant' star, dead. Mason Adams, known for his Emmy-nominated role on the television series "Lou Grant" and as the voice behind the Smucker's jelly commercials, died Tuesday at his home in Manhattan. He was 86.
· Melania Trump to star with duck. In her first big commercial, model Melania Trump is starring alongside a duck — and it's not The Donald.
· "Idol" Finalist Dodged Cocaine Rap. One of the five remaining "American Idol" finalists was once arrested for felony cocaine possession, but had the charge dismissed last year after completing a so-called "diversion program" for first-time offenders.
· Star Tabloid Fakes Photo of Pitt, Jolie. To match Us Weekly's real cover photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie together on an African beach, Star magazine doctored two separate oceanside pictures of each actor. Tucked away on page 8 is a disclaimer noting the image is a "composite of two photographs." Us Weekly won a bidding war for the real photos of Brad and Angelina together, by spending a reported $500,000 to $1 million for the pictures.
· White Supremacist Runs for School Board. First came the leaflets. Left on front porches around the college town of Bozeman last summer, they called for a white homeland and espoused a need to protect the white race. Then, residents learned a month ago that a member of the group that distributed the leaflets had gathered enough signatures to run as a candidate in next Tuesday's school board election.
· Ex-Wife Calls Jackson Associates 'Vultures.' Michael Jackson's ex-wife is blasting the singer's associates in her testimony at the pop singer's child-molestation trial. On the stand for the second day Thursday, Debbie Rowe called some of Jackson's people "opportunistic vultures."
· Fla. Court Refuses to Hear Limbaugh Appeal. The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday declined to consider an appeal from commentator Rush Limbaugh claiming his privacy was violated when his medical records were seized for an investigation of whether he illegally purchased painkillers.
· Apple gets a dose of its own medicine. Apple Computer has been slapped with a lawsuit by Tiger Direct Inc. for allegedly infringing its trademark with the new Mac OS X "Tiger'' operating system scheduled for release on Friday.
· Idiots figure out how to prevent their car from being stolen. Car thefts were down substantially last year in St. Louis after barring residents from leaving their cars running unattended.
· Missing fiancee case a 'criminal investigation.' The search for a bride-to-be who disappeared while jogging two nights ago has been classified as a criminal investigation, police said Thursday.
· Mother let kid starve; now she wants money. The abusive mother of a boy found starved to death in Newark two years ago is now going to court, claiming that state child welfare officials should have stepped in and saved her son. Yep, mama wants money.
· Tina Fey and Husband Expecting First Baby. This just in: "Saturday Night Live" comedian-writer Tina Fey is pregnant. The baby is due in September, People magazine reported Wednesday. It will be the first child for the Weekend Update co-anchor and her husband, "SNL" composer Jeff Richmond.
· Exxon Mobil Profit Soars. Exxon Mobil Corp. on Thursday posted a 44 percent rise in quarterly profit on high oil prices, but its still not as much as they predicted - and hoped for.
· Kelly Vs. Katie. What a week for Katie Couric. First came a raft of negative publicity for the "Today" show, following the firing of its executive producer. On Monday, a scathing Times story blamed Couric's "downright scary" image for the program's declining ratings. Then Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Universal Television, gave high praise to another network's morning personality - Kelly Ripa - at an off-the-record meeting of magazine execs.
· Pope products proliferate. The Vatican sent up smoke a little more than a week ago to declare a new pope. But already Joseph Ratzinger's emergence as Benedict XVI is being announced in another, less-ceremonial way, with a stream of licensed pope products coming on the market.
» Rush on last Pope John Paul II euro coins, prices skyrocket. The Vatican issued the last set of euro coins bearing the portrait of the late Pope John Paul II, but the collector's item quickly ran out and sent prices skyrocketing within minutes.
· Microsoft Wants No Limit On Hiring Foreigners. Bill Gates is urging an end to federal limits on foreign engineers who can be hired by U.S. companies.
· Sniper terror on the LA freeway. Motorists in Los Angeles are being terrorised by seemingly random shootings on the city’s freeways which have left four dead from car-to-car gunfire in the past month.
· 'ET' Snares Rights to Letourneau Wedding. The television show "Entertainment Tonight" has won the rights to the planned May wedding of Mary Kay Letourneau and her former sixth-grade pupil Vili Fualaau, the father of her two youngest children.
· Rule #1, don't leave baby behind if you're going to shoplift. A woman confronted and accused of shoplifting in a Wal-Mart store fled into the parking lot on foot Wednesday - leaving her 8-month-old baby in a shopping cart in the store.
· Miss France stripped of her crown. Miss France 2004 has been stripped of her title for six months after posing for Playboy. The head of the committee that runs the contest said she was "dismayed and appalled" by the half-naked photos of Laetitia Bleger in the magazine.
· 'Internet evangelist' held on child rape charges. A self-described Internet evangelist who has preached about everything from morality to spirituality on his family's Web site was arrested Wednesday and charged with raping a child younger than 12.
· Lap Dance Leads To Robbery Plot, Shooting. A 22-year-old man was shot in the abdomen Wednesday during an alleged robbery plot hatched by a Central Florida stripper and two friends, according to authorities.
· Update: Two Men Sue Chicago Tribune for Defamation. Two men claim photographs in the Chicago Tribune misidentified them as high-ranking mobsters, prompting one of the men Wednesday to sue the newspaper. Retired businessman Frank Calabrese is suing the Tribune Co. for more than $1 million in damages, claiming defamation.
· McGreevey Resigns From Law Firm. Amid conflict of interest allegations, former Gov. James E. McGreevey resigned Wednesday from a law firm that hired him last year after he left office over a homosexual affair.
· Homeowners association sells woman's house. Pamela Bernhardt was close to completing renovations on a house she owned and hoped to sell. She had installed a new roof, new granite tops in the kitchen and new tiles in the bathroom. Earlier this month, she found a small, yellow note stuck to the front door. The handwritten note said that the house had been sold at a foreclosure sale seven months earlier. The local homeowners association had sold the house, valued at about $250,000, saying Bernhardt failed to pay a $420 assessment fee.
· Cruise dating actress Katie Holmes. Cruise, 42, and 'Dawson's Creek' star Holmes, 26, have been dating a few weeks, Cruise's publicist and sister, Lee Anne DeVette, said Wednesday.
· Jackson's ex-wife contradicts prosecution. Michael Jackson's ex-wife testified Wednesday that she was not honest when she praised her former husband as a parent during an interview she gave in February 2003 to help defend him after the broadcast of a damaging television documentary. However, contradicting earlier statements from the prosecution, Debbie Rowe said her comments in the interview, while not truthful, were also not scripted or rehearsed, and she said she even turned down an offer to see the questions in advance.
» Jacko ex stings DA. In tearful testimony that may backfire on prosecutors, Michael Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, called the pop star "my friend" yesterday and said she hoped to "reconnect" with him and the two kids she bore for him.
· Witness in Marine Case Taken Off Stand. A key witness in the case against a Marine officer accused of murdering two Iraqi civilians was abruptly taken off the stand Wednesday on suspicion of violating orders on giving interviews about the case.
· Shocking find at supermarket. Firefighters found more than 200 vehicle airbags believed to be stolen in the back room of a Brooklyn supermarket, where materials were found to make pipe bombs, and newspaper clippings about Osama bin Laden and beheadings in Iraq covered the walls, authorities said. The biggest shocker: The FBI says it doesn't believe it is related to terrorism.
· Internet Growing As Main Source Of News Among Online Adults. The number of online adults who prefer the Internet as their main source of news has grown by over 35 percent in the last four years, at the expense of television and newspapers, a market research firm said Tuesday.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Expeditious [ex·pe·di·tious] adj. Acting or done with speed and efficiency.
· Hollow glass stops drinks being spiked. A design student has come up with an invention he hopes will help eliminate drinks being spiked in bars. The idea for the glass came after a friend was sexually assaulted when her drink was spiked in a bar last year.
· Washington interns are still struggling to shake off the Lewinsky tag. In Washington, playing the role of the gullible intern is an effective way to move up the ladder. One intern says that everyone should understand the relationships between older men and young women in Washington - the women use the men to "work their way up". And if they have to use sex, that's a fair tactic.
· Cemetery To Begin Vertical Burials. An Australian company has been given approval to begin work on a cemetery where bodies will be buried vertically to save space and minimize impact on the environment, a spokesman said Thursday.
· Scientists Say Everyone Can Read Minds. Simulation theory states that we are natural mind readers. We place ourselves in another person's "mental shoes," and use our own mind as a model for theirs, according to scientists.
· Too Little Sleep Could Cause Diabetes. If your schedule robs you of slumber, you may be setting yourself up for diabetes. But don't press the snooze bar too many times, because oversleeping might bring the same result.
· Sex Offender Caught Driving Special Needs Van. A convicted sex offender arrested in Stoughton, Mass. driving a van for special needs students will be in court Thursday on charges he violated his probation and failed to register as a sex offender.
· Nevada ghost town sells for $150,000. For sale was a 135-year-old Nevada ghost town by the name of Palisade, located halfway between Reno and Salt Lake City and a long walk to the nearest gas station after a visitor's car breaks down.
· The most expensive ZIP codes. What's in a ZIP? In this case, some of the priciest real estate in the country. From Beverly Hills to TriBeCa, from notorious enclaves of mansions and lush lawns to little-known niches of wealth, we looked at ZIP codes around the country to find the ones where home prices were the highest last year.
· 7 men sue Florida City Denny's after being called 'bin Ladens.' Seven men of Middle Eastern descent have sued a Denny's restaurant in Florida City, claiming the restaurant refused to serve them. According to the $4 million suit, Ascano said, "We don't serve Bin Laden's here."
· Best Man Arrested in Honeymoon Blaze. A honeymooning couple was to return Wednesday night to find their home had been set on fire while they were away, and that police arrested the best man at their wedding and charged him with setting the blaze.
· Exploding toads baffle scientists. More than 1,000 toads have puffed up and exploded in a Hamburg pond in recent weeks, and German scientists still have no explanation for what's causing the combustion.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
· Thieves Load Up on Lohan's TVs, Booze. Lindsay Lohan, the star of the upcoming "Herbie: Fully Loaded," had her Los Angeles-area home burglarized by thieves who loaded up on her expensive electronics and alcohol.
· Boy Scout leader charged with molestation. The assistant scoutmaster of a local Boy Scout troop has surrendered to authorities today after being charged with sexually molesting a 12-year-old member of his troop during an overnight sleepover in 2003, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
· 'Extinct' woodpecker found. The ivory-billed woodpecker, long feared extinct, has been rediscovered in a remote part of Arkansas some 60 years after the last confirmed U.S. sighting, bird experts said Thursday.
· Wynn's $2.7B Vegas Hotel-Casino Opens. For five years, casino developer Steve Wynn has labored over his latest creation, the $2.7 billion Wynn Las Vegas, forbidding photographs of the interior and keeping most of its design aspects secret.
· Late regrets: Tenet says he regrets 'slam dunk' comment. Former CIA Director George Tenet said he regretted assuring President Bush in 2002 that he had "slam dunk" evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
· Update: Man on Trial for Not Paying Celebrities. Alan Walker kept his company's doors locked all day long, apparently afraid that Andy Rooney or Erin Brockovich or Magic Johnson would try to force their way in, looking for cash.
· "You got the wrong man!" At first, Frank Calabrese thought Tuesday's front-page Tribune story was simply another article about the mobster who shares his name. Then he turned to page 18. There, in black-and-white, was his own picture in a graphic titled "Infrastructure of a Chicago mob." Calabrese, a longtime Chicago businessman and horse owner who has no mob ties, could barely believe his eyes.
· Julia Roberts tops 50 Most Beautiful list. The actress graces the cover of People's annual "50 Most Beautiful People" issue, on newsstands Friday. It is a record-breaking third time that Roberts has been the issue's covergirl.
· Tony Blair's Labor party has apologized for canvassing funeral. Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor party has apologized for canvassing voters heading to the funeral of a family member.
· Man Demands Ransom for Pooch. A man whose truck was stolen with his 11-week-old puppy inside said the thief threatened to kill his pet unless he paid a $500 ransom. Instead, the dog owner brought the police along to the planned rendezvous, and a suspect was arrested.
· Anti-Castro Majority Leader Tom DeLay enjoys a fine Cuban cigar. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And sometimes, according to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a cigar is an economic prop to a brutal totalitarian regime.
· Garland's 'Oz' Dress Nets $250,000. The blue and white gingham dress worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" was sold for $252,000 at auction Wednesday. The dress, one of the most recognizable in movie history, went to a buyer bidding by telephone who did not wish to be identified.
· Man shot by cops was in handcuffs. The body of a man who was shot by a sheriff's deputy arrived at the state medical examiner's office with his hands cuffed behind his back, according to an autopsy report. State police had told the coroner that the man died in an exchange of gunfire.
· Third-Grader Found Hanging From Hook In School Coatroom. A 9-year-old boy was in critical condition after he was found unconscious in a school coatroom, hanging from a hook by his shirt collar, authorities said.
· Convenience Stores Aim to Remake Image. Gas stations as gourmet destinations? It's an unlikely culinary revolution, but Slim Jims are making way for sushi as convenience stores transform themselves with upscale eats and shed their image as junk food pit stops.
· Congress tries again for a dollar coin. Despite two wildly unsuccessful attempts to introduce a dollar coin, legislators are trying again. On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to create a new $1 coin, which would accompany the current Sacagawea piece. The measure enjoyed enormous bipartisan support, passing by a vote of 422 to 6.
· Bush Signs Bill to Let Parents Strip DVDs. President Bush on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at helping parents keep their children from seeing sex scenes, violence and foul language in movie DVDs.
· Nike to capitalize on Woods' historic shot. Two weeks after Tiger Woods' historic shot on the 16th hole in the final round of The Masters, Nike is finally ready to capitalize. One reason the Nike ad couldn't be turned around even quicker was because the company had to negotiate for the rights to the footage with Augusta National, with CBS for the rights to the audio and with announcer Verne Lundquist for the rights to use his voice.
· Survey: U.S. Trusts the News but Sees Bias. A national survey conducted by the Missouri School of Journalism's found 85 percent said they detect a bias in news reporting. Of those, 48 percent identified it as liberal, 30 percent as conservative, 12 percent as both, and 3 percent as other bias.
· Laura Ingraham has cancer. Feisty radio gabber Laura Ingraham yesterday revealed she's fighting breast cancer, and insisted she'll beat it. "People have gone through much worse, and I know I'll obliterate this," Ingraham, 40, said on her Web site.
· California to put serial number on every bullet. A state Senate committee approved a proposal Tuesday to put a serial number on every handgun bullet made or sold in California.
· UCLA Researchers Produce Nuclear Fusion. A tabletop experiment created nuclear fusion - long seen as a possible clean energy solution - under lab conditions, scientists reported.
· House Speaker Ready to Scrap Ethics Rules. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, leading a Republican retreat, said Wednesday he stands ready to scrap controversial new ethics rules, possibly by day's end.
· Announcement Expected In Child Porn Probe. Canadian investigators are in Orlando Wednesday to make a major announcement about an ongoing case of child pornography involving a Disney hotel.
» Update: Photo Of Girl Released In Child Porn Probe. Detectives released a photo Wednesday of a young girl who has been known to be with another girl sought in an ongoing case of child pornography involving a Disney hotel.
· NFL player blown off boat, killed. Stanley Shakespeare, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers replacement player and member of the 1983 national champion Miami Hurricanes, died when he was blown off his boat.
· Reese Witherspoon is ‘Legally’ bland. Reese Witherspoon’s former director has confirmed what unnamed sources have long been buzzing: the “Legally Blonde” star was difficult to work with.
· Lightning strikes Blair's plane. Prime Minister Tony Blair's plane has been struck by lightning during a flight.
· Flight was diverted over medicine. A report of suspicious material aboard a United Airlines flight from New York to San Francisco led authorities to divert it and make an unscheduled stop in Chicago. The 'suspicious materials' ended up being two vials of medicine, an MP3 player and wires for his laptop computer, a TSA spokesman said.
· Black student confesses to 'hate mail' hoax. After an evacuation and a visit from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a Christian university discovered that "racist hate mail" reported on campus actually was sent by a black student looking for a way to be pulled out of school.
· Homeless man sues bus company. A homeless man who sued and received $230,000 after being ejected from a New Jersey library is suing a bus company, alleging it refused to allow him and other homeless men to board buses while allowing clean-cut passengers to ride.
· Brosnan 'will stay on as 007.' Pierce Brosnan will play James Bond in the next 007 film, co-star Dame Judi Dench has revealed. After much speculation, the 51-year-old will reprise his role as the suave secret agent in Casino Royale, she said.
· Russian Cosmonaut Says Alcohol Should Be Allowed on ISS. Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov, just back from space, said that alcohol should be allowed on the International Space Station as it helps to cope with stress and enhances performance.
· Vanity Stamps Go Postal Again. Personalized postage approved despite Unabomber, Lewinsky glitch.
· Two men go hunting together, die of heart attacks. Two elderly men who had gone turkey hunting together died of apparent heart attacks just minutes apart, authorities said.
· Update: Gyllenhaal 9/11 Comments Spark Outcry. Maggie Gyllenhaal has waded into sensitive political waters by raising questions about Sept. 11 and American foreign policy. The 27-year-old actress, who stars in a new film about the 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center, said in an interview last week that the United States "is responsible in some way" for the attacks.
· Horse dies in 'Flicka' filming. A mustang horse broke its neck and died during filming of the 20th Century Fox movie "Flicka," a remake of 1943 classic "My Friend Flicka."
Word of The Day by WordThink
Ostentatious [os·ten·ta·tious] adj. Characterized by or given to pretentiousness.
· 'The Simpsons' Hit 350th Episode Milestone. As the legendary Fox series wraps up its 16th season, the denizens of Springfield are wading in some uncharted prime-time waters. When executive producer Al Jean boasts that "The Simpsons" "just enjoyed the best 16th season of any comedy ever," that's because no other comedy has ever made it this far.
· Casino Camera Operators Accused Of Ogling. Four more surveillance camera operators at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel Casino have been accused of using the equipment to ogle women, according to a complaint filed Tuesday. In December, the same casino was fined $80,000 for incidents involving two camera operators who trained their in-ceiling cameras on low-cut blouses and revealing clothing.
· Tyco chief: 'I just was not thinking.' The former CEO was the first defense witness in the trial of Kozlowski and former chief financial officer Mark H. Swartz, who are accused of looting the conglomerate of $600 million.
· Woman stops rape by shooting attacker. A woman being raped ended the assault by shooting her attacker, police said.
· Apple allegedly angered by CEO biography. Technology publisher John Wiley & Sons said Apple Computer Inc. had removed all of its books from Apple store shelves ahead of the publication of a biography of Apple CEO entitled "iCon Steve Jobs."
· North Pole expedition breaks world record. A five-person team using huskies and wooden sledges has set a world record by reaching the North Pole in 37 days.
· Woman surprised by stranger in bed. A Virginia woman went to bed Sunday night with her eight-year-old daughter sleeping at her side, but awoke yesterday in the arms of a neighbor - who is a convicted sex offender.
· Airbus 'superjumbo' begins maiden flight. The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, has taken off from Toulouse, France for its first-ever flight.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
· 'Insider' Host Pat O'Brien Out of Rehab. "The Insider" co-host Pat O'Brien has allegedly been released from rehab and could be headed back to TV as soon as next week. O'Brien was spotted Sunday at L.A.'s tony Hotel Bel Air and is expected to appear on an upcoming edition of "Dr. Phil."
· World's most expensive hotels. At a certain level - and price point - a hotel room ceases to be simply a place to sleep and shower in a strange city and, instead, becomes a physical manifestation of one's status and power. Like buying a $100,000 wristwatch, the point is not to tell time better but to show the world you can afford it.
· The progression of age. This is a 30-year timeline of a family who takes individual photographs of themselves every year.
· Pamela Anderson Joins PETA Boycott of KFC. Pamela Anderson has another beef with Colonel Sanders. The former "Baywatch" star is calling for a boycott of KFC, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) announced Tuesday. Anderson narrates a new 5-minute video produced by the animal rights group that documents the alleged mistreatment of chickens.
· Nazi Arms Supplier's Heir Pays Reparations. The billionaire grandson of a Nazi arms supplier has paid $6.5 million into a fund for former slave laborers after years of pressure, a move that a senior German Jewish official said Tuesday was long overdue.
· Thief's interview takes priority. A former Provident bank employee who last month pleaded guilty to stealing $70,000 from a bank customer couldn't make his court sentencing hearing - because he said he had a job interview.
· 'CBS Evening News' Hits Low Ratings Mark. While critics have praised changes made to the "CBS Evening News" since Bob Schieffer took over for Dan Rather last month, viewers clearly haven't been intrigued. The show's average of 6.1 million viewers last week was the lowest since Nielsen Media Research began measurement with "people meters" in 1987.
· Man Who Put Mom in Freezer Had Odd History. As a teenager, Philip Schuth was teased mercilessly by the other kids because his mother still walked him to school. As an adult, he lived with his mother, cut his backyard with a scythe, and once bought $150 worth of Spam in a single grocery store outing.
· How to blow a career with the highway patrol. Leading authorities on a motorcycle chase and going the wrong way on the highway in rush-hour traffic is no way to impress a potential boss. Authorities said David Carpenter, 24, was set to take his physical exam next week to be a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, but his dangerous habit of riding at 140 mph on the Florida Turnpike and fleeing from troopers likely put an end to his law enforcement career.
· ABC exposes "American Idol." ABC News has discovered "startling" things about Fox's singing competition series "American Idol." ABC News announced yesterday that a special hour-long "Primetime Live" report "will explore explosive claims about behind-the-scenes activities at 'American Idol,' the hit television show that became a cultural phenomenon."
Another teacher faces sex charges. A teacher’s aide has been accused by prosecutors of stripping naked in the classroom and touching herself in a seductive manner and of having sexual contact with seven students, both boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 15, was charged today with nine criminal counts.
· Brother, sister arrested on incest charge. A brother and sister were arrested on felony incest charges after the man's wife called Trafford, Alabama sheriff's deputies, who allegedly caught the '40-something' siblings having sex.
· Men Dig Up Over $100,000 In Buried Treasure. Two men digging up a small tree in Methuen, Massachusetts, found more than just roots. The men uncovered a wooden box, which contained nine rusty tin cans filled with one-, two- and 20-dollar bills. There were about 1,800 bills in all, dating from 1899 to 1929. There also were some gold and silver certificates as well as notes from local banks at the time.
· More evidence of Saudi Arabian doubletalk. Sheik Saleh Al Luhaidan, seen in video seated to the right of the crown prince, is chief justice of Saudi Arabia's Supreme Judicial Council. His sermons and words carry great significance. In a secret audiotape recording, Luhaidan encourages young Saudis to go to Iraq to wage war against Americans.
· Bully case verdict a warning to doctors. When a jury recently ordered an Indiana heart surgeon to pay $325,000 to a hospital employee on a claim of "workplace bullying," experts who have studied the subject said it was a significant decision in a growing, yet murky, area of law.
· Microsoft Says PC Users Drowning in Info. Computer storage technology is getting so cheap a person could record every conversation of a lifetime and decades of photographs, but experts must improve search systems so users can make sense of such mind-boggling amounts of information.
· Bono bunks with Bill Gates when in Seattle. When U2's lead singer came to Seattle over the weekend for a concert, there was only one logical place to stay - the home of Bill Gates, who shares Bono's passion for Third World development and relief efforts.
· Felons overseas can carry guns in U.S. The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that people convicted of a crime overseas may own a gun in the United States. The court reasoned that U.S. law, which prohibits felons who have been convicted in “any court” from owning guns, applies only to domestic crimes.
· Schoolgirls using steroids to get toned, experts say. An alarming number of American girls, some as young as 9, are using bodybuilding steroids - not necessarily to get an edge on the playing field, but to get the toned, sculpted look of models and movie stars, experts say.
· Wife Saves Lopez's Life. George Lopez underwent a kidney transplant with an organ donated by his wife, a publicist for the actor-comedian said Monday.
· Florida Man Arrested For 16th DUI. The Seminole County sheriff's office said a Volusia County man is in custody on his 16th drunken-driving arrest. Mitchell Raulerson, 55, of Seville, was stopped in Sanford by an officer who was suspicious about his hand-drawn license plate.
· Florida Law Expands Right to Kill in Self-Defense. People in Florida will be allowed to kill in self-defense on the street without trying to flee under a new law passed by state politicians that critics say will bring a Wild West mentality and innocent deaths.
· School Administrators Arrested For Soliciting Prostitute. Two assistant principals from different Orange County, Fla., schools were arrested Monday for allegedly soliciting sex from a police officer posing as a prostitute.
· Man who used billboards to get liver dies. A man who got a liver transplant after advertising for the organ on Houston billboards has died.
· Woman gets choice: Go to jail or give up Packers tickets. It's a choice that could give pause to some Green Bay Packers fans. A judge ordered an Appleton woman convicted of theft to decide whether to spend 90 days in jail or donate her family's Packers tickets next season to charity.
· Is dead last good enough for Utah's kids? Congratulations, Utah. You're No. 50! As in dead last in the nation in money spent on public school students. According to news reports, all they need is another $300 million to improve their ranking — to No. 49. Next goal: Overtake Mississippi.
· Jackson's legal team shaken up. Michael Jackson's legal team is undergoing a shakeup just days before the defense is expected to start presenting its case to jurors in the pop star's trial on child molestation charges.
» Jacko Lawyer Axed. After court Monday, several reporters watched as Oxman had an animated conversation with lead Jackson attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. The two then embraced in a hug. Oxman did not return a call for comment Monday. Oxman was taken from court last month and hospitalized with what turned out to be right lung pneumonia. Jackson and his mother welcomed him back with hugs when he returned. Oxman is the fourth attorney to part ways with Jackson.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Cerebral [cer·e·bral] adj. Appealing to or requiring the use of the intellect; intellectual rather than emotional: "Her methods were cerebral, analytical, and cautious."
· Would-Be Car Burglar Locks Self in Trunk. A man attempting to burglarize a car over the weekend locked himself in the trunk and was swiftly arrested, police said. A security guard at an apartment complex in southeast Fresno followed a trail of blood to a banging noise coming from the trunk.
· Palace: Paparazzi endangered Harry. Aides to Britain's royal family have complained to the country's press watchdog that paparazzi put Prince Harry in danger by chasing after his car to snap photos of him on safari in Botswana.
· Was Kidnapped Teen's 911 Call Thought To Be A Prank? The Elgin Police Department is investigating a call made by a kidnapped teen who was later found brutally murdered. David Steeves dialed 911 from inside the trunk of a car seconds after his abduction. Now there's speculation that operators thought the call was a prank.
· Reunion? Phil Jackson to meet with Bryant. ESPN reported on Monday night that Phil Jackson, who coached the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999-2004 and earned three championship rings, is scheduled to meet with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles later this week. The meeting could be seen as a step to Jackson possibly returning to coach the Lakers.
· Update: Japan Train Crash Death Toll Up to 73. death toll from Japan's worst rail accident in four decades rose to 73 on Tuesday as searchers pulled bodies from twisted metal train cars and rescued a 19-year-old student believed to be the last survivor.
Monday, April 25, 2005
· Nolte son charged with possession. The 18-year-old son of actor Nick Nolte and an acquaintance were arrested early Sunday in St. Albans, West Virginia and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.
· Missing Georgia toddlers found dead. The bodies of two toddlers reported missing over the weekend were found Monday in a pond near their rural Georgia home, state investigators said.
· Benedict Says He Prayed Not to Be Elected. Pope Benedict XVI said Monday he had viewed the idea of being elected pope as a "guillotine," and he prayed to God during the recent conclave to be spared selection but "evidently this time He didn't listen to me."
· Elton John to wed partner. British pop star Elton John intends to marry his long-term partner David Furnish some time this year or in 2006, his publicist said on Monday.
· On-demand airline could alter travel to midsize cities. DayJet, of Delray Beach, Fla., will marry two advanced technologies: Very Light Jet (VLJ) aircraft, which can seat four passengers and operate at half the cost of today's small jets; and sophisticated computer databases that can determine the most efficient ways to route those aircraft to pick up customers.
· Tennessee Man Discovers What May Be The Deepest Cave In U.S. That pleases caver Kent Ballew because he thinks he's found the deepest pit cave in the country, perhaps 800 feet deep. The Center for Cave and Karst Studies at Western Kentucky University will map caves in the region for the next two years.
· NASA offers prize for 'space elevator' Beams of light could propel cargo, humans. NASA has $400,000 in prize money riding on a competition to stimulate the innovative concept - no matter how weird it may seem - for sending people, spacecraft and robots directly out to Mars and the other planets of the solar system.
· Chicago Mobsters Rounded Up. Federal agents on Monday began a long-expected roundup of reputed Chicago mob members in connection with more than a dozen unsolved murders dating back to 1970.
· Nick Lachey staying close to Jessica Simpson. Lachey has flown down to Louisiana, and has been doing business in Baton Rouge, not far from the set of the “Dukes of Hazzard” movie, amid reports that wife Jessica Simpson is getting a tad too cozy with her co-star Johnny Knoxville.
· 'Will & Grace' May Get Salary Cuts. The aging NBC sitcom's producers are close to signing a deal with the network that would significantly lower the licensing fee they are paid to produce the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
· Declaring cars as scrap? Bangladeshi customs officials found luxury cars, large-screen television sets and refrigerators in a container declared to be carrying metal scrap - so they made it just that at a public ceremony on Monday.
· GM Recalls 2 Million Vehicles, Most Sold in U.S. General Motors Corp. on Monday said it was recalling more than 2 million vehicles to fix a variety of potential safety defects, most of them on cars and trucks sold in the United States.
· Sheriff was warned about man accused of killing Jessica Lunsford. State law enforcement officials say they alerted the Citrus County Sheriff's Office six months ago about potentially missing sexual offenders. The warning included the man charged with abducting and murdering Jessica Lunsford.
· 'Today' show seeks yesterday's glory. Something has to be very wrong with NBC's "Today" if viewers are turning to ABC's Diane Sawyer as a refreshingly wholesome alternative. Panic is now setting in at Rockefeller Center. Last week NBC dismissed the executive producer of "Today," Tom Touchet, and replaced him with a sports producer, Jim Bell, the program's fourth impresario since 2001. It gets worse: NBC also fired a longtime contributor, style and fashion expert, Steven "Cojo" Cojocaru, three weeks after he underwent a kidney transplant.
· Is the bubble about to burst in the real estate market? In manias, a few people buy in at the top. They buy an asset that will fall like a stone from astronomical levels. People who would not normally have been willing to roll the dice on such a high-risk venture buy in and gratefully sign the mortgage papers. Normally, no lender would have loaned to them. But the mania affects lenders, too.
· Jackson Prosecutors Plan to Wrap Up Case. Stung by several recent rulings favorable to the defense, prosecutors in the Michael Jackson child-molestation case said they planned to wrap up their case as early as this week.
· Taser contributes to police families. Barely 24 hours after Officer James Prince was gunned down during a traffic stop in January in rural North Carolina, a package arrived in the office of Boiling Spring Lakes Police Chief Richard White. Inside, the chief says, was a black envelope embossed with a police badge. Attached was a message with the condolences of the Taser Foundation and a check for $6,500, made out to Prince's family.
· Reality TV Makes It Tough for Miss America. How about Miss Arkansas in a cat fight with Miss Texas? Or Miss Alaska plotting with Miss Tennessee to get Miss Maine voted off the runway? Or a swimsuit contest featuring bikini-clad women walking the runway while covered in leeches?
Word of The Day by WordThink
Lucid [lu·cid] adj. 1. Easily understood; intelligible. 2. Mentally sound; sane or rational. 3. Translucent or transparent.
· New York about to lose track of 3,000 sex predators. Thousands of convicted sex fiends will vanish from the Megan's Law-mandated registry beginning next January.
· Redfaced professor made up scary story. Last week we told how University of Berkeley professor, Jasper Rine tried to put the fear of god into the student who nicked his laptop by claiming it had all sorts of top secret government data on it. He warned that almost every James Bond in the world was hunting that laptop. He also said he knew who the thief was.
· Holy fraud, Batman, aspiring councilwoman cheated. An aspiring city councilwoman admitted to forging dozens of signatures, including those of "Batman" and "The Joker," on her petition to get on the ballot
· FEMA inspectors include people with criminal records. A newspaper reports that government inspectors who visited disaster victims' homes to verify damage claims include at least 30 people with records for crimes such as embezzlement, drug dealing and robbery.
· Good Samaritans Lift Flipped Truck, Save Pinned Baby. Some quick-thinking motorists lifted a flipped truck and rescued a baby trapped underneath the vehicle after a crash.
· Driver slips on his grease. A Brooklyn man turned a traffic ticket into four felony charges last night by trying to use $100 to bribe a cop who had pulled him over for running a red light in lower Manhattan, police sources said. The quick-thinking officer, realizing the he would need witnesses to prove a bribe attempt, responded to Holiam Clement Ho's offer by saying that two fellow officers wanted in on the action, cop sources said. Ho hand the trio of officers $100 each, cops said.
· Restaurant fined for throwing out kissing lesbians. A Swedish lesbian couple who were thrown out of a Stockholm restaurant in 2003 for kissing won an appeal on Monday against an earlier court ruling that cleared the restaurant owner of sexual discrimination.
· Man Ordered To Pay Support For Child That's Not His. Maine officials are coming after a 35-year-old man who they said owes thousands in back child support for a child that is not his. They said Geoffrey Fisher owes about $11,000 in child support to cover the time from the child's birth until paternity tests proved that Fisher was not the father.
· Microsoft: 'Trusted Windows' still coming, trust us. After nearly a decade, Microsoft's vision for how to protect sensitive information within Windows remains largely that - a vision.
· Bringing Back NFL Could Be Bargain for NBC. NBC says its re-entry into the business of televising NFL football is not an admission that it was a mistake to walk away eight years ago. "We never really regretted that decision, simply because of the price," said Randy Falco, president of the NBC Universal Television Group. "It wasn't because we didn't think that it had value, it was just what we thought that it was worth."
· 50 dead in Japan rail disaster. A packed commuter train left the tracks and slammed into an apartment building, killing 50 people and injuring more than 340 others in Japan's deadliest rail accident in four decades.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
· 'Interpreter' Translates to Box-Office Win. Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn's "The Interpreter" translated into solid box-office as the United Nations thriller debuted with $22.8 million to top the weekend for Hollywood. Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet's romantic comedy "A Lot Like Love," had a so-so opening of $7.7 million, coming in at No. 4, according to studio estimates Sunday.
· Rumsfeld/Dolly Appearance a Hit With Opry Fans. As members of the U.S. military watched on television via satellite from Iraq, Dolly Parton invited their boss, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, onstage at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday.
· Bruce Springsteen's drummer says vintage car dealer sold him $93K lemon. The longtime drummer behind rock legend Bruce Springsteen will not be cruising around in a glamorous vintage Thunderbird to celebrate his birthday today — but he might be behind the wheel of a $93,785 lemon. New Jersey native Max Weinberg, who is also the bandleader on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," has filed a lawsuit against the car dealer.
· Woman Accused Of Holding Up Salon After Bad Haircut. Police say a woman unhappy with her haircut held up a hair salon in Richland and shot out the window of her stylist's car.
· Mitch Albom disciplined after newspaper review. Best-selling author Mitch Albom and four other employees of the Detroit Free Press were disciplined after an investigation prompted by a column by Albom that contained errors and purported to describe events at a game even though it was written before it took place, the newspaper said in a letter to readers in Saturday’s paper.
· Did Martha break house arrest? The U.S. Probation Department is investigating whether Martha Stewart violated the terms of her house arrest when she attended a Time magazine dinner last week, The New York Post reported Sunday. "We're going to do some investigating to see if this event was directly related to her employment," Chris Stanton, chief federal probation officer for the Southern District of New York.
· Satellite to Help Determine Muslim Holidays. Muslim countrier are to use satellite technology to help in moon sightings, used to determine Islamic holidays, the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference said Sunday. The OIC, the world's largest Muslim body, plans to launch an $8-million satellite within two years to take pictures of the moon to find lunar calendar dates.
· Jackson Jurors Face Dilemma With Witnesses. As the prosecution nears the end of its case against Michael Jackson, jurors face a dilemma: how much should they believe testimony from key witnesses who have admitted past lies?
· Brad and Angelina spotted on beach. They've been denying it for ages but sources last night claimed Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are finally an item. Onlookers said they were relaxing together on a beach in Morocco - just four weeks after his actress wife Jennifer Aniston filed for divorce, according to the London Sun.
· Actress: 9/11 our fault. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, star of a new flick about the aftermath of 9/11, believes the United States "is responsible in some way" for the devastating terror attacks.
· BlackBerry users feel thumb-struck. Many people have been forced to shelve their BlackBerry, a handheld device that combines telephone, e-mail, messaging and Internet services with a personal organizer. Orthopedists say they are seeing an increasing number of patients with similar symptoms, a condition known as "overuse syndrome" or "BlackBerry thumb."
· A Law Dogs Would Write, if They Were Lawyers. Dog owners in Turin will be fined up to $650 if they don't walk their pets at least three times a day, under a new law from the city's council.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Perpetuity [per·pe·tu·i·ty] n.pl. 1. Time without end; eternity. 2. The quality or condition of being perpetual: "The perpetuity of the Church."
· Woman Says Horn Honking Part Of Free Speech. A California woman says being ticketed for honking her car horn violates her right to free speech. Carol Harris is appealing the $143 citation for "unreasonable use of horn."
· Fraudster sells Indian PM's residence on Web site. intelligence department is investigating reports that a fraudster sold an American businessman the prime minister's residence in the heart of New Delhi recently, a leading daily reported on Sunday.
· The Blind Struggle As Gadgets Proliferate. As technology has evolved, it's become lighter, smaller and more portable. For most people, that makes it more convenient. For millions of blind and vision-impaired people, it's anything but.
· Oscar-Winning Actor John Mills Dies at 97. Actor Sir John Mills, the quintessential British officer in scores of films, died Saturday after an Oscar-winning career spanning more than 50 years that included roles in "Gandhi" and "Ryan's Daughter."
· Sky Diver Hit, Killed By Plane During Jump. A skydiving cinematographer died Saturday after his legs were severed in a midair collision with airplane as both descended over a Central Florida airport, authorities said.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
· Versace Hopes to Put Addiction Behind Her. Donatella Versace has designs on staying sober after a trip to rehab last year. The fashion guru tells the May issue of Vogue that her 18-year addiction to cocaine began at 32, when she mostly used the drug at parties in New York and Los Angeles.
· Kobe spends $50,000 to rite his wrongs. Kobe Bryant is still paying for his one-night stand. The L.A. Lakers star shelled out $50,000 this week for a recommitment ceremony with his wife, Vanessa.
· Update: Johnny Carson Microphone Sells for $50,787. An anonymous bidder Friday snatched a piece of TV history, offering $50,787 for the microphone that sat prominently on the desk of late-night king Johnny Carson until the 1980s. The offer was about twice that expected at auction.
· Jacko ex-wife to take stand. Prosecutors in Michael Jackson's child molestation case are expected to call the pop star's bitter ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, to the witness stand next week.
· Sheriff's Office To Post Photos Of Juvenile Sex Offenders. The Orange County Sheriff's Office will become the first agency in Florida to post online photos and release information about juvenile sex offenders, some as young as 11 years old.
· N.H. bans man from hunting for 10 years. An FBI firearms instructor has been acquitted of negligent homicide after fatally shooting a fellow hunter has been banned from hunting in New Hampshire for 10 years.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Enigmatic [en·ig·mat·ic] adj. Of or resembling an enigma; puzzling: "An enigmatic tax form."
· Why New Coke and other ‘good’ ideas fizzle. It was early 1985, and the news was slowly leaking out: The Coca-Cola Co. was working on a new kind of Coke, a variation of a product that reached back through American history and a rejoinder to the emerging challenge from an upstart called Pepsi.
· Director pleads guilty in ferry accident. A former director of the Staten Island ferry admitted yesterday that he deliberately failed to enforce a rule that could have prevented the deadly 2003 crash - one of the worst mass transit disasters in city history.
· Bandits get reward to go straight. Nigeria's Yobe State is to pay bandits $193 if they repent their violent ways, a huge sum in this impoverished west African country, an official said.
· Woman stopped bus, joined daughter's fight. The Lee County, Florida school bus driver accused of hopping off her loaded bus while the engine still was running and jumping into her daughter's street brawl resigned Friday.
· Army clears senior commander in Abu Ghraib. The Army has cleared four top officers — including the three-star general who commanded all U.S. forces in Iraq — of all allegations of wrongdoing in connection with prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, and they will not be punished, officials said Friday.
· Littleton Teacher Says She's Targeted For Being A Lesbian. An elementary school teacher in Littleton said she is being targeted for dismissal because she is a lesbian. Coronado Elementary School teacher Susan Romeo has been called a bully and has been accused of intimidating teachers, students and parents. Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Cynthia Stevenson has recommended she be fired.
Friday, April 22, 2005
· Mayor Bloomberg says school sex is 'business as usual.' New York Mayor Bloomberg yesterday downplayed the ongoing sex scandal rocking city schools, calling recent sex-abuse charges against a string of teachers "business as usual."
· Key Setbacks For Jackson D.A. Prosecutors in the Michael Jackson molestation case lost a key battle when a judge refused their request to allow testimony from a domestic violence expert to explain why the mother of Jackson's accuser lied under oath.
· Pammy slams J-Lo. Pamela Anderson has slammed Jennifer Lopez for wearing fur, calling the Latin diva an "idiot." People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) of which Anderson is a member, say they will step up their campaign against the sultry singer.
· Golfer's shot lands in unlikely spot - a gator's tail. A Hilton Head golfer recently landed his ball in one of the more difficult lies of his golfing career - smack dab in the middle of an alligator's tail. When he saw where the ball landed, he wasn't tempted to remove it from the gator's tail. He put down a new ball and, in compliance with course rules, wasn't penalized a stroke for the drop.
· Feds probe realtors' 6 percent commissions. Did you pay your real estate broker too much? The U.S. Department of Justice is gathering information on the bully tactics that full-commission brokers in Tulsa allegedly use against discount rivals.
· Police Handcuff 5-Year-Old After Tantrum. The videotaped altercation with a 5-year-old girl who was hauled off in handcuffs following an extended tantrum at her St. Petersburg, Fla., school has led to questions about whether the police overreacted.
· Woman fingered: Arrest made in Wendy's chili case. The woman who claimed she found a finger in her bowl of Wendy's chili has been arrested.
Anna Ayala, 39, was arrested at her Las Vegas home Thursday night on a charge of felony attempted grand theft, including a penalty enhancement for inflicting more than $2.5 million in losses on Wendy's.
· Carson's famous microphone up for sale. A microphone that sat on late TV host Johnny Carson's Tonight Show desk in the 1960s and '70s is being auctioned. The microphone was an ever-present prop for Carson, who hosted the talk show for 30 years and died in January at 79.
· Air Marshal Sues Homeland Security Chief. A federal air marshal sued Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to block government rules that prevent him from speaking out about possible security lapses.
· Michael Brim, former NFL player, dies in shootout. Michael Brim, a cornerback who played for five NFL teams, died in a shootout with another man after an argument about a woman, police said Friday.
· Warren Buffett buys Budweiser. Anheuser-Busch said Thursday that billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has acquired a "significant" stake in the nation's largest beermaker.
· Augusta to Unveil James Brown Statue. To honor the man the mayor calls "the most famous person to come out of Augusta," the city will unveil a life-size bronze statue of entertainer James Brown on May 6.
The statue will stand in front of Augusta Common on Broad Street, with the unveiling coming three days after the "Godfather of Soul" celebrates his 72nd birthday.
· Jackson witness arrested for sex with minor. A person on the witness list in the Michael Jackson trial is accused of having sex with a minor.
· Abdul: I'm Addiction Free. Don't mistake Paula Abdul's "American Idol" niceties or silliness for drug addiction. Despite a neuropathic disorder and 12 operations, Abdul says she's "not addicted to pills of any kind."
» Ex-‘Idol’ contestant claims Abdul affair. Has Paula Abdul been judging more than the singing talents of the hopefuls on “American Idol”? Corey Clark, a 24-year-old former contestant, is claiming that he had a “secret affair” with the 42-year-old judge from the hit show, according to the new issue of Globe magazine.
· Phyllis Diller hurts head, neck after falling out of bed. Comedian Phyllis Diller injured her head and neck after falling out of bed at her Brentwood mansion, her manager said Thursday. "She has a big bruise on her forehead," Milt Suchin said. "I think she blacked out. ... She just awoke and a housekeeper came in and found her on the floor."
· 10-times Cosby woes. The woman suing Bill Cosby for sexual assault has lined up 10 witnesses to testify they also were doped and groped by America's favorite TV dad, her lawyers said in court papers.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Contemporaneous [con·tem·po·ra·ne·ous] adj. Originating, existing, or happening during the same period of time: "The contemporaneous court cases for the two defendants."
· Update: Stolen 18th-century violin found in Los Angeles alley. An 18th-century violin reported stolen from an aspiring performer's car was returned by a man who said he found it in a nearby alley while walking his dog, authorities said.
· Murder, Suicide Rates Up in Parts of U.S. Murder rates are on the rise in a handful of U.S. states, according to a federal study that bolsters indications the nation as a whole may be experiencing its first significant jump in violent deaths since the early 1990s.
· Moussaoui set to plead guilty today. Alleged Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui is writing the latest chapter in his strange journey through the U.S. criminal justice system, demanding that he be allowed to plead guilty to crimes that carry a possible death sentence.
· Officer on Toilet Accidentally Fires Gun. Officer Craig Clancy strolled to the appropriate facility and was lowering his trousers when his pistol fell from his waistband. When Clancy fumbled for the falling firearm, it went off, twice. One of the bullets nicked a bit of floor tile into the leg of a man who was washing his hands nearby. That man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
· Juror’s 74-cent purchase costs her $25,000. The juror in the Prince William County murder trial swore to the judge that she had not bought any newspapers. The defense attorney swore that she had. Then came the videotape.
· Moore's Law original issue found. A copy of the original Electronics magazine in which Moore's Law was first published has turned up under the floorboards of a Surrey engineer. Now he's celebrating after collecting the $10,000 reward which was offered on eBay by chip maker Intel.
· Inmate files 'no smoking' lawsuit. A former Rikers inmate can sue the city for not placing him in a no-smoking section while he was in jail, a Manhattan judge has ruled.
· Famed Shakespeare portrait a fraud. One of the best-known portraits of William Shakespeare is a fraud, painted 200 years after the playwright’s death, experts at Britain’s National Portrait Gallery said Thursday.
· Sex Offender Kills Self Over Neighborhood 'Child Rapist' Signs. Residents in a Ocala neighborhood could face charges after a convicted sex offender apparently committed suicide in despair over signs labeling him a "child rapist" posted in his neighborhood.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
· Affleck, Garner engaged. Call it Bennifer: Part Deux. Nine months after they started dating, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are engaged, People magazines is reporting. Citing a "close friend" of Affleck's, People says the "Pearl Harbor" actor has been privately spreading the news.
· 'Fashion guru' fired from 'Today Show' after kidney transplant. Three months after Steven Cojocaru's kidney transplant, Oprah Winfrey rolled out the red carpet for the fashion maven. Unfortunately, "The Today Show" fired him - after more than four years - because he made plans to appear on "Oprah." "I wasn't just fired, I was dumped," he said. "I was shot at the crack of dawn, I was left in the gutter, I mean, it was so cold."
» Monday: 'GMA' threatens dominance of 'Today.' The steady rise of ABC's "Good Morning America" threatens "Today's dominance. So far this season, the "Today" ratings lead has averaged 662,000 viewers, down from 1.3 million last year.
Corporation.
