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Monday, October 31, 2011

Texas Introduces Interstate 69. No Joke.

 


I-69 signs to go up in South Texas

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Well it's official. Texas has a new Interstate highway.
Texas transportation commissioners voted minutes ago to begin erecting Interstate 69 signs on a 6.2-mile stretch of U.S. 77 between Interstate 37 and State Highway 44 in Nueces County in South Texas near the Gulf of Mexico . The Texas segment of the 1,000-mile interstate is expected to eventually stretch from Texarkana to the border.

Polk County Judge Judge John Thompson, chairman of the Alliance for I-69, hailed the decision in a press release issued by TxDOT.

"It's a visible sign of the progress being made on I-69," Thompson said. "This is the result of the strong partnership between the Alliance for I-69 Texas, TxDOT, the I-69 Segment Committees, the I-69 Advisory Committee and the many elected officials and community leaders along the I-69 route in Texas that have remained committed to and focused on the development of the system."

The I-69 corridor, which TxDOT began upgrading in 2008 to meet federal interstate standards, was once part of the Trans Texas Corridor, and some elements of that project are still alive in the toll projects that the state and developers are hoping will fast-track the building of the free lanes on the highways.

The statement by TxDOT notes that the department is also asking the FHWA for approval to add completed sections of US 59 in the Houston metropolitan area to the Interstate Highway System as I-69.

Phil Wilson, in his first month as executive director at TxDOT, said bringing the interstate system to south Texas is vital.

"Access to an interstate is an important driver of economic development activity, so this effort is of particular importance to South Texas communities and businesses," said Phil Wilson, TxDOT executive director. "It's not every day that a transportation department gets to add a new interstate to the books, and it's thanks to the collaborative relationship between TxDOT, local stakeholders and planning groups, and elected officials that we can make this happen."

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Romo & Wife Pregnant

 

CONGRATS!

Now win us some more damn games Tony.

Dirks Tell Rangers "One Suit. One Shirt. One Tie."

 

Dirk Nowitzki lends the Rangers some advice on how to pack

Dirk Nowitzki lends the Rangers some advice on how to pack
ARLINGTON, Texas — With the Texas Rangers needing just one victory in St. Louis to win their first-ever World Series title, Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki is advising his baseball brethren to save the baggage fees and just go with a carry-on.

"One suit. One shirt. One tie," the idle basketball star tweeted after Monday's 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5.


That quote used to have negative connotations down here in the Metroplex, because it was then-Miami Heat coach Pat Riley who famously dropped it during the 2006 NBA Finals. Riley thought the Heat would need only one Game 6 victory in Dallas to win the title. It turned out that he was right.
[Video: Rangers pitcher's funny Arnold Schwarzenegger impression]

Dirk Nowitzki lends the Rangers some advice on how to packBut during this last NBA Finals, the two teams found themselves in the exact opposite positions with the Mavericks needing one Game 6 win in Miami to beat LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and company. Though the Mavericks didn't utter Riley's line — "I don't believe at this point that I'm ready to share the number of pairs of underwear I packed," coach Rick Carlisle said — they did show up in their traditional elimination-day black and closed out the series without needing a Game 7.

Now the Rangers have the chance to deny the World Series an extra day of gate receipts, though after listening to Ron Washington on Monday, it's doubtful they'll be fully following Nowitzki's advice.

"We can't be thinking about we've got to win this game," said Washington. "Because all of a sudden we might miss something. We want to stay in the moment, we want to play our game, and if it's good enough Wednesday, we'll win. If not, we'll play Thursday.

"But we certainly won't be out there thinking about we've just got to win one game. I've been there before, and that doesn't work."

Fine. Be that way, Wash. But given the rainy weather report for St. Louis on Wednesday, can we get Dirk to at least convince you to pack a slicker?
Maybe a pair of galoshes, too?

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[Must Read] PETA Suing Sea World For Slavery

 


SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal court is being asked to grant constitutional rights to five killer whales who perform at marine parks — an unprecedented and perhaps quixotic legal action that is nonetheless likely to stoke an ongoing, intense debate at America's law schools over expansion of animal rights.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is accusing the SeaWorld parks of keeping five star-performer whales in conditions that violate the 13th Amendment ban on slavery. SeaWorld depicted the suit as baseless.

The chances of the suit succeeding are slim, according to legal experts not involved in the case; any judge who hews to the original intent of the authors of the amendment is unlikely to find that they wanted to protect animals. But PETA relishes engaging in the court of public opinion, as evidenced by its provocative anti-fur and pro-vegan campaigns.

The suit, which PETA says it will file Wednesday in U.S. District Court in San Diego, hinges on the fact that the 13th Amendment, while prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude, does not specify that only humans can be victims.

Jeff Kerr, PETA's general counsel, says his five-member legal team — which spent 18 months preparing the case — believes it's the first federal court suit seeking constitutional rights for members of an animal species.

The plaintiffs are the five orcas, Tilikum and Katina based at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla., and Corky, Kasatka and Ulises at SeaWorld San Diego. Tilikum, a six-ton male, made national news in February 2010 when he grabbed a trainer at the close of a performance and dragged her underwater until she drowned.

Captured nearly 30 years ago off Iceland, Tilikum has enormous value as a stud and has fathered many of the calves born at SeaWorld parks.

The lawsuit asks the court to order the orcas released to the custody of a legal guardian who would find a "suitable habitat" for them.

"By any definition, these orcas are slaves — kidnapped from their homes, kept confined, denied everything that's natural to them and forced to perform tricks for SeaWorld's profit," said Kerr. "The males have their sperm collected, the females are artificially inseminated and forced to bear young which are sometimes shipped away."

SeaWorld, which is owned by private equity firm Blackstone Group LP, said any effort to extend the 13th Amendment's protections beyond humans "is baseless and in many ways offensive."

"SeaWorld is among the world's most respected zoological institutions," the company said. "There is no higher priority than the welfare of the animals entrusted to our care and no facility sets higher standards in husbandry, veterinary care and enrichment."

The statement outlined the many laws and regulations SeaWorld is obliged to follow, touted the company's global efforts to promote conservation of marine mammals, and said the orcas' performances help give the public a better appreciation and understanding of these animals.

SeaWorld and other U.S. marine parks are governed by the Marine Mammals Protection Act, which allows public displays of the creatures if permits are obtained and the facility offers and education/conservation programs for the public.

Overall, under prevailing U.S. legal doctrine, animals under human control are considered property, not entities with legal standing of their own. They are afforded some protections through animal-cruelty laws, endangered-species regulations and the federal Animal Welfare Act, but are not endowed with a distinct set of rights.

However, the field of animal law has evolved steadily, with courses taught at scores of law schools. Many prominent lawyers and academics have joined in serious discussion about expanding animal rights.

Rutgers University law professor Gary Francione, for example, contends that animals deserve the fundamental right to not be treated as property. Law professor David Favre of Michigan State University has proposed a new legal category called "living property" as a step toward providing rights for some animals.

Favre was skeptical that litigation seeking to apply the 13th Amendment to animals would prevail.
"The court will most likely not even get to the merits of the case, and find that the plaintiffs do not have standing to file the lawsuit at all," he said by email. "I also think a court would not be predisposed to open up that box with fully unknown consequences."

Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe, who in past writings has proposed extending legal standing to chimpanzees, also expressed doubt that the courts were ready to apply the 13th Amendment to animals. But he welcomed the PETA lawsuit as a potentially valuable catalyst for "national reflection and deliberation" about humans' treatment of animals.

"People may well look back at this lawsuit and see in it a perceptive glimpse into a future of greater compassion for species other than our own," Tribe wrote in an email.

Tribe noted that some Americans might find it bizarre or insulting to equate any treatment of animals to the sufferings of human slavery. But he argued that the 13th Amendment was written broadly, to address unforeseen circumstances, and could legitimately be applied to animals.

An African-American constitutional expert, Nicholas Johnson of Fordham University School of Law, said he could understand why some blacks might be insulted by the lawsuit, but didn't share that reaction: "I'm more entertained by it in the legal context than I am offended by it."

PETA addressed this issue in the suit, noting that repeated Supreme Court rulings have applied the 13th Amendment to many forms of involuntary servitude beyond the type of slavery that existed during the Civil War.

"The historical context is undeniable," said Jeff Kerr, the PETA lawyer. "But that's not what this case is about. It's about the orcas in their own right, not whether they are or aren't similar to humans."

The five orcas are represented in the case by PETA and four individuals: Ric O'Barry, a longtime orca and dolphin trainer; Ingrid Visser, a New Zealand marine biologist who has studied orcas extensively; Howard Garrett, founder of the Orca Network, an advocacy group in Washington State; and Samantha Berg, a former orca trainer at SeaWorld Orlando.

The lawsuit details the distinctive traits of orcas, the largest species within the dolphin family, including their sophisticated problem-solving and communicative abilities and their formation of complex communities.

The suit alleges that captivity in the "barren tanks" of a marine park suppresses the orcas' abilities and relationships, and subjects them to stress. This sometimes leads to instances where the orcas injure themselves, other orcas or humans that interact with them, according to the suit.

Naomi Rose, the Humane Society's marine mammal biologist, said there's a growing body of research suggesting that whales, dolphins and porpoises have the cognitive sophistication of 3-to-4-year-old human children.

As for the orcas at SeaWorld, she said, "They don't seem to adapt to captivity. I would say they're miserable."

At SeaWorld San Diego, visitors are shown a film touting the park's rescue efforts that have saved thousands of sea creatures. During the main performance, trainers point out how much the orcas are similar to humans: The babies cry before moving on to babbling and finally imitating the crackling sounds of the adults' voices.

Jenny Raymond, 47, who was visiting from Switzerland, said she was delighted by the show and does not buy the argument that the orcas are slave laborers.

"I think they are in better conditions here than in the wild," she said.
___
Crary reported from New York City.

Sued for 200K, Dr J's Trophies Up For Auction

 

After being sued for $200K, Julius Erving puts his trophy case up for auction

After being sued for $200K, Julius Erving puts his trophy case up for auction Times are tough for business owners both big and small in 2011, and Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving is no exception. The former Philadelphia 76ers legend is being sued for nearly a quarter of a million dollars after an investment in a golf club went belly-up.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the breakdown:
Erving's company was given a $1 million line of credit in April 2009, which was due the following April, according to the lawsuit obtained by the AJC. Erving used a Gwinnett County home as collateral to secure the loan, the lawsuit states.
In August 2010, the line of credit was reduced to $750,000 and the maturity date extended to July 24, the bank stated in the suit. But, an outstanding balance of $205,277.84 has not been paid, despite a demand letter for payment sent Sept. 29.
Erving, better known by his nickname Dr. J, moved to the Atlanta area in 2008, about two years after purchasing the Heritage Golf Club, near the Gwinnett-DeKalb county line. The AJC reported in April 2010 that the golf club was in foreclosure.
That's just all sorts of unfortunate. Erving has taken in plenty of post-playing work since retiring from the NBA in 1987, including stints as an analyst on NBC and a gig with the Orlando Magic as an advisor. It's not clear what his role in the failed golf club was, but he's certainly on the hook here.
In what the AJC is calling an "unrelated" event, a litany of Dr. J's personal memorabilia has gone up for auction, through the SCP Auctions company. It's a pretty significant list of swag, available here:
Some of the marquis items from the collection include Dr. J's 1974 and 1976 New York Nets ABA World Championship ring; 1983 Philadelphia 76ers World Championship ring; 1996 NBA's 50 Greatest Players ring; MVP trophies from 1975-76 (ABA) and 1980-81 (NBA); 1977 and 1983 NBA All-Star game MVP trophies; 1979, 1981 and 1985 Eastern Conference All-Star game-worn uniforms, 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers game-worn road uniform; and his final game-worn jersey from Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference playoffs.
That's not just some of his memorabilia -- that's all his memorabilia. Championship rings? MVP trophies? His jersey from his final game as a Sixer? It's a cool stash, but it's also more than a little depressing.

President Obama To Ease Student Loan Debt

 


WASHINGTON (Reuters) -  

President Barack Obama issued an executive order on Tuesday to lessen the burden of student loans, allowing millions of cash-strapped college graduates to breathe a sigh of relief.

Obama's plan is to cap student loan payments at 10 percent of income, bringing it forward to start in 2012 instead of 2014. This way, recent college grads swamped by loan payments can begin to contribute to our faltering economy. 

Obama stuck it to Congress when he said, "Steps like these won't take the place of the bold action we need from Congress to boost our economy and create jobs, but they will make a difference,". POW!

The loans initiative will be the third such move by Obama in as many days, following action to aid homeowners and boost hiring of military veterans. The White House wants to show he is an activist president battling a "do-nothing" Congress.

Executive orders by the president do not require approval by Congress.

Republican lawmakers blocked a $447 billion jobs plan put forward by Obama in September because it proposed to raise some taxes.

Students helped Obama reach the White House in 2008. As he campaigns for reelection in 2012, Obama's public approval ratings have fallen near 40 percent, the low of his presidency, because people are unhappy with America's economy and his role in bringing us out of this funk.

Americans owe more on student loans than on outstanding credit card debt. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, total loans outstanding are slated to exceed $1 trillion this year! 

The rise in private student lending and growing debt defaults have also been highlighted by the Occupy Wall Street protesters.

Obama will announce the student loan measure in Denver on Wednesday as he wraps up a West Coast road trip that will be crucial to his re-election campaign in 2012.

 
The White House estimates the loan changes could cut monthly payments for 1.6 million graduates.
Student debt will also be forgiven after 20 years, compared with 25 years under current law.

Obama will also make changes to allow 6 million students to bundle together certain federal loans to allow a single monthly payment, reducing the risk of default caused by juggling multiple debt obligations. BRILLIANT!
The option will be open in January and those that take it up will also get a 0.5 percentage point cut in the interest rate on some of their loans, lowering monthly payments and potentially saving them hundreds of dollars in interest.

"College graduates are entering one of the toughest job markets in recent memory, and we have a way to help them save money by consolidating their debt and capping their loan payments," said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

(Reporting by Alister Bull; editing by Todd Eastham, Steven Mullen)

T.O. Drew Zero NFL Attention At Televised Workouts

 


Six months after ACL surgery, 37 years old Terrell Owens had his first televised workout yesterday morning at Calabasas High School in Los Angeles. Nobody came. Well, at least nobody from the NFL came. There was plenty of media types and the workouts were televised which may add insult to injury. T.O. and Plaxico Burress have the same agent; Drew Rosenhaus. This was his circus. He staged a successful comeback for Burress but it's not looking so good for Owens, who looked "good" in workouts but couldn't accelerate well enough after making cuts to draw any interest from NFL scouts or coaches. I say "good" meaning "average nfl receiver" good; not good for T.O. Owens is still 2-3 weeks away from full recovery. The chances of T.O. making a comeback on a Super Bowl contender are astronomically low. Terrell Owens is still a physical specimen but at 37, an ACL surgery is extremely hard to come back from and not lose a step or two.

"I feel good," Owens told a reporter after the workout. "This is actually shorter than I've been going the last couple of weeks, so I feel good. It's been challenging from a physical standpoint, just to get my knee back to where it needs to be, and to have the confidence to go out here and run and cut. This is what I've been training for, I'm not worried about the naysayers who say that I can't come back, that I'm wasting my time. I think what I showed today -- it speaks for itself."

Owens is staying positive.

"I have faith that I'll land on my feet."

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Playboy's Newest Playmate: Lindsay Lohan?

 

Sources have confirmed that Lindsay Lohan will bare it all for Hugh Heffner. The price? $750,000.000!!! The original asking price was a cool MIL but Heff counter offered with a lower price. Needless to say, they settled on the original. People are curious how all the drugs & alcohol have affected her body. It is almost certain that she will get the cover but will people buy the mag to see a train wreck or will Playboy make her sexy again?

Here is the closest that we have come to seeing her in the nude....






I don't get the hype

Monday, October 24, 2011

The McRib is Back Til Nov 16!

 

, On Monday October 24, 2011, 1:48 pm 
 
 
NEW YORK (AP) -- The McRib, the elusive sandwich that has inspired a cult-like following, is back.
McDonald's Corp. announced Monday that the boneless barbecue pork sandwich, usually available in only a few stores at a time, will be sold at all U.S. locations through Nov. 14.

Most of the time, it's up to local franchises to determine when and if they want to sell the McRib -- except in Germany, the only place where it's available perennially. But McDonald's said the response was so great last November when it made the McRib available nationally for about three weeks that it decided to bring it back this year. The company, which previously hadn't sold the McRib nationally since 1994, declined to give specific sales numbers.

The sandwich, which is dressed with onions, pickle slices and barbecue sauce, was introduced nationally in 1982. With 500 calories and 26 grams of fat, it's slightly trimmer than the Big Mac, which has 540 calories and 29 grams of fat. And just like the Big Mac, the McRib has become a popular McDonald's offering.
There are Facebook groups like "Bring Back the McRib!!!" There are Twitter tags, where posts range from "Lucky me, the McRib is back" to "If you eat McRibs, you need to re-evaluate what it is you actually want in life." Last year, the guy who won McDonald's $1 million Monopoly grand prize was ordering -- you guessed it -- a McRib. Earlier this month, former Playmate Jenny McCarthy contacted the McRib Locator website for help finding a McRib in southern California: She got one in Fountain Valley.

The website's creator, Alan Klein, said he suspected something was up when traffic exploded from about 150 hits a day to about 4,000 in the past week or so, as more fans reported sightings. People are sending him photos of their McRib variations: the McRib with lettuce and tomato, the McRib with bacon, three McRibs stacked on top of each other.

Klein, a meteorologist in the Minneapolis area, runs the website in his spare time with help from his wife, Kimberly. He created the Locator in 2008 because he wanted to learn how to use the Google Maps program for work, and because he had fond memories of eating the pork sandwich while growing up on a hog farm.

"We've been spoiled this year and last year with it being around nationwide," he said. "But I hope it stays elusive because otherwise nobody will come to our website."

If the McRib is so popular, why not just offer it all the time? McDonald's likes to stoke the enthusiasm with an aura of transience.

"Bringing it back every so often adds to the excitement," said Marta Fearon, McDonald's U.S. marketing director, who added that she's not sure if the McRib will reappear in stores every fall.

And how can it be called a McRib if it doesn't have any bones? Said Fearon: "That gives it this quirky sense of humor."

Friday, October 21, 2011

Get Your Schweddy Balls Off The Shelf!

 




HARTFORD, Conn. — Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls ice cream is too hot to handle for some supermarket chains.

While the new limited-edition flavor has brought chuckles from fans of the "Saturday Night Live" skit on which it's based, some supermarket chains aren't laughing and have been giving it a cold shoulder.

The flavor featuring fudge-covered rum balls has been absent from some grocery freezers since it was unveiled. The title was inspired by an innuendo-laced 1998 skit featuring Alec Baldwin as baker Pete Schweddy, who promises, "No one can resist my Schweddy balls."

But apparently some grocery store chains can, and so can supporters and members of the One Million Moms group.

That Mississippi-based moms organization has been putting the heat on retailers to keep Schweddy Balls out of their freezers and encouraging parents to ask the Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's to stop production of the item, saying the name is nothing but locker room humor that's not appropriate for young children.

Store chains that have decided not to carry the flavor are not saying whether their decisions were influenced by the One Million Moms group, their own reservations about the name or other factors.

Suzi Robinson, a spokeswoman for the Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop chain, said that for proprietary reasons, the company does not disclose the reasons behind decisions about what the stores do and don't carry. She said they have a very strong relationship with Ben & Jerry's, though, and its products are generally strong sellers.

"We haven't received any complaints that we're not carrying that flavor. However, if we do get feedback from customers that they want it, we'll certainly revisit the decision," she said.

Messages were left Thursday for spokespeople from the Roche Bros. and Big Y grocery chains, both based in Massachusetts; and Publix, which has scores of locations in the southeastern U.S., about whether they had decided to stock the flavor.

Even with limited availability, though, Ben & Jerry's spokesman Sean Greenwood said Thursday that Schweddy Balls has quickly become the most popular limited-edition flavor the company has produced.
Greenwood said about one-third of the retailers that carry its other products are offering Schweddy Balls, about the same as any other specialty flavor it has produced — though this one has outpaced those in sales at the stores and the company's "Scoop Shops."

"We've heard from lots of folks who are fans of the flavor," he said. "Yes, some supermarket chains decided not to carry Schweddy Balls. That is true, possibly because they found the name too irreverent. We respect their decision."

Ben & Jerry's, a division of consumer products giant Unilever, has toyed with language in some other products, too, such as its widely stocked Karamel Sutra ice cream and the peanut butter-laden What a Cluster, formerly known as Clusterfluff.

But it was Schweddy Balls that raised the ire of the conservative One Million Moms group.
Monica Cole, director of the Tupelo, Miss.-based organization, said Thursday they hesitated to call out Ben & Jerry's publicly about the name because they did not want to give it publicity.

She said they felt obligated, though, especially given that they did not step forward with their concerns about its "Hubby Hubby" flavor, a play on its "Chubby Hubby" flavor and created to recognize same-sex marriages.

"We don't want the envelope to continue to be pushed," Cole said of the Schweddy Balls name. "I realize it could be a lot worse, but are they going to progressively get worse if we don't say something? Maybe they'll think twice before they come up with another inappropriate name for ice cream."

The company's website encourages members and supporters to warn the company they will stop buying its products if more Schweddy Balls or other products with offense names are produced.

"The vulgar new flavor has turned something as innocent as ice cream into something repulsive. Not exactly what you want a child asking for at the supermarket," the organization's website says.

But some are — including Gina Ragusa's 14-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter, whose mother said Thursday they all eagerly await the day when they can find Schweddy Balls in a supermarket near their home in Davie, Fla.

Ragusa, 44, said they find the name and the skit itself to be just harmless humor, and she checks for the item almost every time she stops at her nearby Publix store.

"I get it, I know 'Saturday Night Live' isn't geared toward a 10-year-old, but they know when Justin Timberlake is on," said Ragusa, whose family has the "Schweddy balls" skit on a DVD of Baldwin's greatest SNL appearances.

"We just think it's funny, that's all," she said of the ice cream name, "and honestly we all really want to try it."

Associated Press contributed to this report.

"Martha Marcy May Marlene" kickstarts two film careers

 

By Michelle Castillo
Elizabeth Olsen and Sarah Paulson in "Martha Marcy May Marlene."
(Credit: Fox Searchlight)

(CBS) The reviews are in for "Martha Marcy May Marlene," and many critics are lauding the lead actresses' star performance.

Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, stars in the psychological thriller about a woman who returns home after escaping an abusive cult. The film, which also includes performances by John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, and Hugh Dancy, was directed by first-time feature filmmaker and screenwriter Sean Durkin.

The film was screened at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at Cannes this year.
While Olsen has been acting in minor roles since the age of four, "Martha Marcy May Marlene" is the first of three movies this year that she is starring in. She already has won the Calvin Klein Collection Emerging Star award at Elle's Women in Hollywood 2011.

"The story hinges on a believable lead performance, and Olsen is mesmerizing in her first film role," Claudia Puig from USA Today wrote in her review of the film. "She starts out wide-eyed and vulnerable and eventually assumes the look of a captive, communicating raw paranoia with subtle gestures."

"Elizabeth Olsen gives a sensational performance in a gripping psychological thriller," Peter Travers from Rolling Stone echoed.


Many people are attributing Olsen's strong presence on screen to the skills of Durkin. The director formed a filmmaking collective with his NYU classmates Antonio Campos and Josh Mond, called Borderline Films. He said in an interview with Cinema Blend that the three split duties within the company so they each have time to work on their individual projects. More importantly, the director always has complete control over the final version of the film.

"Durkin -- remarkably, making his first feature -- specializes not in apocalyptic grandeur but in the creak and the tinkle of the uncanny," Anthony Lane from the New Yorker praised.

"Martha Marcy May Marlene" opens in limited release on Oct. 21, 2011.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Obamas Don't Like The Kardashians

 


We live in a Kardashian nation, but President Barack Obama isn't exactly a fan of reality TV's royal family!
First Lady Michelle Obama told iVillage that her hubby, 50, doesn't like Sasha, 10, and Malia, 13, keeping up with Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian's antics on the boob tube.

PHOTOS: The Obama family is just like Us!

Michelle, 47, says that like most parents, she and Barack regulate how much TV their daughters watch and what they're allowed to see. "Barack really thinks some of the Kardashians -- when they watch that stuff -- he doesn't like that as much," she told iVillage.

PHOTOS: Kardashian family album

"But I sort of feel like if we're talking about it, and I'm more concerned with how they take it in -- what did you learn when you watched that," Michelle explained. "And if they're learning the right lessons, like, that was crazy, then I'm like, okay."

I agree with their parenting decision. What do the Kardashians have to offer a 10 and a 13 year old? NOT A DAMN THING! Before the little 14 year old girl who got caught in the middle of a web media storm last week for her antics at school, she tweeted that her influences were Kim Kardashian and Lil Kim. Hmm...way to go Barack & Michelle!

Friday, October 14, 2011

WANTED: Joseph Kony & The Lord's Resistance Army

 

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has authorized the deployment of up to 100 combat-equipped U.S. troops to central Africa to help hunt down the leaders of a rebel force known as the Lord's Resistance Army.

Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army during a meeting with a delegation of officials and lawmakers from northern Uganda in 2006.

A senior administration official said 12 troops have been deployed so far under what he called a training mission aimed at helping African forces find and kill Joseph Kony, the fugitive head of the rebels.

The U.S. forces will deploy to Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"Although the U.S. forces are combat-equipped, they will only be providing information, advice, and assistance to partner nation forces, and they will not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for self-defense," Mr. Obama said in a letter to Congress released Friday.

The U.S. deployment will include special operations forces, defense officials said. Pentagon officials noted that U.S. forces are routinely deployed to Africa for training missions.

The Lord's Resistance Army is believed to have killed, kidnapped and mutilated tens of thousands of civilians since the 1990s. Military officials said they believed Mr. Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, and other top LRA leaders are currently hiding the Central African Republic.

The LRA, which says it is a religious group, first emerged in northern Uganda in the 1990s but was driven out by the Ugandan military. Although Mr. Kony is thought to command just a few hundred armed loyalists, the LRA's mobility and the difficulties of the terrain has made the group hard to find, officials said.

Rapper Rick Ross Death Scare

 


"Rick Ross is unconscious and paramedics are desperately trying to resuscitate him. Rick was on a flight going from Ft. Lauderdale to Memphis today, when the rapper lost consciousness.  The plane was forced to make an emergency landing.  Emergency workers tell us the call came in at 12:55 PM ET ... the caller reported a seizure. Ross is currently on a gurney at the airport, and an eyewitness tells us EMT workers are administering CPR.  Members of Rick's entourage are standing by, some of them extremely emotionally upset. 11:05 AM PST: It appears Rick Ross is now tweeting, claiming he is okay. 10:57 AM PST: Police confirm Ross has been transported to a nearby hospital. A family member tells TMZ, Rick is currently under close supervision and is doing fine. We're told drugs and alcohol were not involved. 10:50 AM PST: Rapper Wale -- one of Rick's closest friends -- just tweeted, "I just talked to Ross...he's 100 pct ok.." Another member of Rick's entourage DJ Sam Sneaker also says the rapper is okay. 10:36 AM PST: A witness tells TMZ, Rick fell unconscious right after take-off. We're told his entourage jumped out of their seats to alert plane personnel -- at which point a doctor on board administered CPR on the rapper. The plane made an emergency landing right away -- and we're told, as Rick was being wheeled off the aircraft, he appeared to show signs of life. Story developing ..." - TMZ           
       
           

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

MMA Fighter King Mo Talks About His Undefeated Streak

 

Out for a year due to injury he sustained during his first Strikeforce title defense, King Mo Lawal came back stronger than ever with the KO defeat of Roger Gracie September 10th, 2011.

Last year, leading up to his first light heavyweight championship fight with Strikeforce, King Mo Lawal talks about his journey. Animated action at the end of the video provided by EA Sports. Song: "It Goes Down" by Wreckamic


Brains & Beauty: Rachel Chee A Tow on Mixed Mag

 

Have you ever met that girl that just seems like there is something special about her? Well it happened with Rachel Chee-A-Tow the first second I saw her. Rachel is a pure Genius. This 24 Surinamese knockout boasts perfect scores in the same ranks as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckelberg(Facebook Inventor). She scored a perfect 1600 on her SAT and a 36 on her ACT and has a Genius level IQ of 148. But she is not only book smart she is also business savvy and street smart. She does all the international negotiations for her fathers business and in her normal life she is in complete control and knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. She is working towards a few masters degrees is has been a commissioned officer in two countries.

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