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Wednesday, June 30, 2010
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Baby Steps
Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.
-Mia Hamm
-Mia Hamm
States Packing The Most Heat
Top 40 Armed States: 1. Kentucky (photo: Population: 4,314,113 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 134,028
2. Utah Population: 2,784,572 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 30,315
3. Montana Population: 974,989 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 25,745
4. Wyoming Population: 544,270 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 22,827
5. Alaska Population: 698,473 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 22,273
6. West Virginia Population: 1,819,777 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 21,455
7. South Dakota Population: 812,383 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 19,062
8. North Dakota Population: 646,844 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 17,829
9. Arkansas Population: 2,889,450 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 17,483
10. Alabama Population: 4,708,708 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 16,860
2. Utah Population: 2,784,572 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 30,315
3. Montana Population: 974,989 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 25,745
4. Wyoming Population: 544,270 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 22,827
5. Alaska Population: 698,473 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 22,273
6. West Virginia Population: 1,819,777 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 21,455
7. South Dakota Population: 812,383 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 19,062
8. North Dakota Population: 646,844 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 17,829
9. Arkansas Population: 2,889,450 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 17,483
10. Alabama Population: 4,708,708 NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 - May 2010): 16,860
Teen Sailor Goes Public
Calif. teen, back home, recounts sailing ordeal: MARINA DEL REY, Calif. — Abby Sunderland was below deck repairing the waterlogged engine of her ocean racer Wild Eyes when a monster wave rose up out of the gathering darkness on the Indian Ocean, flipped her vessel, sent her tumbling and dashed her dreams of sailing around the world alone. The rogue wave snapped off the ship's mast, destroyed her telephone line and left her adrift at sea, banged up and bruised in the boat's watertight hold 2,000 miles from land. "Things went black for a second," Sunderland said Tuesday, about 12 hours after she returned home, as she recounted in detail for the first time the terrifying moments when she lost touch with civilization and realized her quest was dead. "There were times I was scared, definitely," she said. "But you get scared and then you have to get over it because being scared, it doesn't do anything good. It just makes you hesitate and makes more problems start coming." Sunderland returned Tuesday to the port where she set sail Jan. 23. She arrived by car not to a victory parade, but to a news conference to detail what went wrong, thank her rescuers and _ once again _ defend her family for letting her chase her dream. The appearance was something of an anticlimax for the young sailor, who has been interviewed several times since her rescue on June 12. But in recounting how her endeavor to be the youngest sailor to lap the globe turned to a mere solo circumvention attempt and then left her at the mercy of the turbulent open seas, Sunderland was like the calm after the storm, looking straight at reporters and providing the most detail to date of her ordeal. Sunderland had just spoken to her family by satellite phone on June 10, when the massive wave broadsided Wild Eyes, knocking the 40-foot boat over and sending her tumbling in its hold. When she regained consciousness and rushed to the boat's deck, she found a one-inch fiberglass stump where her mast once stood. Back in the boat's hold, she tested the engine she had just repaired. It would not start. She reached for the satellite phone she had used to call her family a short while ago with the good news that her engine was running again. It too had been ruined by the water that flooded her boat. Sunderland had a backup phone stowed in a separate compartment of the boat, but was anxious to seal herself in for the night against the churning ocean. She had left just one means of communication: the so-called EPIRB distress beacons that she was only to use as a last resort. She activated the beacons, letting her family and support team know she was in trouble _ and that her journey was over. "I worked to try and find some way that I could get myself and the boat to land without having to set off my EPIRBS," she said. "Once I realized that wasn't going to be happening, I set them off." The next morning, Sunderland felt a mix of excitement and disbelief when she spotted the rescue plane that tracked her beacons. She told searchers aboard the Airbus A330 that she was doing fine with a space heater and at least two weeks worth of food when they made contact with her via radio. It would be three days before the French fishing vessel sent to pluck her from the sea arrived at her boat. While she waited, she tidied up Wild Eyes. She knew she'd be leaving it behind soon, but needed something to distract her from her fears and the worry she knew she was causing her family. But when the fishing ship, called Ile de la Reunion, arrived, her rescue was tinged with regret as she parted with Wild Eyes, which a spokesman valued at $120,000 with the equipment on board. After her months on Wild Eyes _ depending on it for her survival and working to keep it seaworthy after passing through rough seas _ it pained her to leave it behind. "I wasn't quite ready to leave," she said. "To just step off of it and know that I'm never going to see that boat again, it was really hard." Thus began her 16-day voyage to Reunion Island, where she was met by her 18-year-old brother Zac, who successfully completed a round-the-world voyage last year, briefly becoming the youngest person to do so. His record has since been broken. Her first meal on the fishing ship was better than the freeze-dried rations that sustained her on Wild Eyes _ though she never found out what it was, since nobody on the almost-exclusively French-speaking crew could tell her. She spent her days staring out windows and flipping through French magazines, she said, reflecting on her journey, while her French hosts did their best to make her feel welcome. Indeed, Sunderland family spokesman Lyall Mercer said Abby's soon-to-be-born sibling _ her seventh _ would be named Paul in honor of the Ile de la Reunion's captain, Paul Louis Le Moigne. Sunderland said she was grateful that little news reached her on the ship, so she didn't have to hear the criticism heaped on her parents over their decision to let her set sail alone despite her youth. "It's extremely hurtful. It's sad to see some of it," she said. Her family issued a separate statement Tuesday saying they had been subjected to intense personal criticism they felt crossed the line of decency. Many people criticized Sunderland's parents for allowing the high-risk adventure, calling it all but irresponsible to send a teenager off alone in a small boat, knowing it will be tossed by the giant waves that rake the Southern Hemisphere's oceans this time of year.
The Sunderlands have maintained they did nothing wrong and that criticism of her should have ended months ago when she safely sailed around Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope. Abby Sunderland said in her remarks Tuesday that she was as prepared as anyone possibly could be for the journey, but that sailors of any age or experience are vulnerable to unexpected, rapidly forming waves like the one that slammed into her boat. "My trip didn't end because of something I did wrong," she said. The family said in their statement said the family was willing to forgive critics who don't know them or understand Abby's experience and ambition. Sunderland dismissed reports that she was cooperating with reality show and documentary film crews on productions about her journey and her family's seafaring life, but said she may write a book based on the notes she's written herself to help remember her experience. "I loved pretty much every second of my trip and I really don't ever want to forget all the great memories of that," she said. A lifelong sailor, Sunderland had begun her journey trying to be the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop around the world. She continued her trip after mechanical failures dashed that dream. She said that she has no immediate plans to try the journey again, planning instead to focus on more commonplace teenage pursuits. "I'm just going to be focusing on school, a driver's license, all that, getting back to a normal life," she said.
The Sunderlands have maintained they did nothing wrong and that criticism of her should have ended months ago when she safely sailed around Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope. Abby Sunderland said in her remarks Tuesday that she was as prepared as anyone possibly could be for the journey, but that sailors of any age or experience are vulnerable to unexpected, rapidly forming waves like the one that slammed into her boat. "My trip didn't end because of something I did wrong," she said. The family said in their statement said the family was willing to forgive critics who don't know them or understand Abby's experience and ambition. Sunderland dismissed reports that she was cooperating with reality show and documentary film crews on productions about her journey and her family's seafaring life, but said she may write a book based on the notes she's written herself to help remember her experience. "I loved pretty much every second of my trip and I really don't ever want to forget all the great memories of that," she said. A lifelong sailor, Sunderland had begun her journey trying to be the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop around the world. She continued her trip after mechanical failures dashed that dream. She said that she has no immediate plans to try the journey again, planning instead to focus on more commonplace teenage pursuits. "I'm just going to be focusing on school, a driver's license, all that, getting back to a normal life," she said.
Just Who Is Alleged Spy?
The Spy Among Us?: 1. A total of 11 people have been arrested in the U.S. and accused of being members of a Russian spy ring. One of those nabbed is a mysterious woman identified as Anna Chapman.
2. Chapman was arrested Sunday in Manhattan and allegedly was on the verge of traveling to Moscow.
3. It is still unclear if her impending departure was what triggered the series of arrests.
4. The allegations of spying recall the Cold War era of the 20th century. Russia's foreign ministry angrily denounced the arrests as an unjustified throwback to that politically charged era.
5. 'This looks like an Alfred Hitchcock movie with all this stuff from the 1960s. This is preposterous,' said the son of one of the arrested couples.
6. The suspects allegedly were in the United States to gather intelligence on President Obama's foreign policy, particularly as it related to Russia.
7. They have been charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government.
8. Some of the suspects, including Chapman are seen in this sketch from their court appearance on Monday. Their operation allegedly dates back to the 1990s.
Glamour, intrigue surround accused spies: Anna Chapman mixed with the NYC elite, while others who were indicted led more mundane lives.
Lives of Anna Chapman, other Russian spy suspects ranged from mundane to glam: Anna Chapman — one of 10 people the FBI arrested as Russian spies over the weekend — was dogged by a common IT headache, according to the criminal complaint filed against her: She spent a great deal of time trying to get her laptop to work. According to the FBI, she belonged to a spy network the Russians dubbed "illegals," a group tasked with posing as Americans in order to get close to American policymakers. But she had persistent trouble getting the computer issued by her Russian handlers to wirelessly transmit her weekly intelligence reports, the Justice Department complaint alleges, because the connection didn't work. Still, she liked her American computer well enough. In January, she raved on her Facebook page: "My new Mac has been the buy of the year... Love it!" Apparently, Russian spies are Mac evangelists. Who knew?
2. Chapman was arrested Sunday in Manhattan and allegedly was on the verge of traveling to Moscow.
3. It is still unclear if her impending departure was what triggered the series of arrests.
4. The allegations of spying recall the Cold War era of the 20th century. Russia's foreign ministry angrily denounced the arrests as an unjustified throwback to that politically charged era.
5. 'This looks like an Alfred Hitchcock movie with all this stuff from the 1960s. This is preposterous,' said the son of one of the arrested couples.
6. The suspects allegedly were in the United States to gather intelligence on President Obama's foreign policy, particularly as it related to Russia.
7. They have been charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government.
8. Some of the suspects, including Chapman are seen in this sketch from their court appearance on Monday. Their operation allegedly dates back to the 1990s.
Glamour, intrigue surround accused spies: Anna Chapman mixed with the NYC elite, while others who were indicted led more mundane lives.
Lives of Anna Chapman, other Russian spy suspects ranged from mundane to glam: Anna Chapman — one of 10 people the FBI arrested as Russian spies over the weekend — was dogged by a common IT headache, according to the criminal complaint filed against her: She spent a great deal of time trying to get her laptop to work. According to the FBI, she belonged to a spy network the Russians dubbed "illegals," a group tasked with posing as Americans in order to get close to American policymakers. But she had persistent trouble getting the computer issued by her Russian handlers to wirelessly transmit her weekly intelligence reports, the Justice Department complaint alleges, because the connection didn't work. Still, she liked her American computer well enough. In January, she raved on her Facebook page: "My new Mac has been the buy of the year... Love it!" Apparently, Russian spies are Mac evangelists. Who knew?
Emotional Win For Ex-NBA Star
Scottie Pippen's tearful day in court: The nearly broke ex-NBA star cries after he wins a $2 million verdict over a disputed jet.
Scottie Pippen is a little less broke these days: If you've read any of the numerous books about the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s then you know that Scottie Pippen is kind of funny about money. Raised in a poor household, Pippen jumped at the chance to sign a long-term contract prior to the 1991-92 season, choosing the security of a long deal over being paid what he was worth. Throughout his career, Pippen would endorse anything and everything, assuring that the money kept flowing in. Following the end of his playing career, Pippen was involved in a number of bad business deals that left him nearly broke. One of the notable money mistakes that Pippen made was the purchase of a $4 million Gulfstream jet in 2002. Due to a missed inspection, the jet's engine needed $1 million worth of repairs shortly after the purchase. Rather than paying that, the jet was grounded, making it the world's most expensive paper weight. Pippen sued his attorney for the missed inspection and Monday was awarded a settlement of $2 million. He was pretty happy about it. One-time Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen dissolved in tears Monday and gasped as a Cook County jury awarded him a $2 million verdict in a jet deal that went south.Pippen had sued two attorneys at the Chicago law firm Pedersen & Houpt for malpractice, alleging they failed to closely monitor his purchase of the jet, which was grounded only months after the 2002 purchase. "I don't want to really say anything, I'm just exhausted and tired," a red-eyed but smiling Pippen said before leaving the courthouse with wife Larsa Pippen. You know how they say you can't have your multimillion dollar jet and eat it too? Well, tell them that they're wrong. And also that that is a weird saying. But really, this is good news. Yeah, it's kind of hard to feel bad for a guy filing lawsuits because he didn't get to use his super expensive airplane, but with all the 1990s basketball players that have been going broke these days, it's nice that something good actually happened for one of them. [Former No. 4 draft pick is seriously in debt, seeking a loan] That being said, I think we've all learned a valuable lesson here. Whenever you spend $4 million on a jet, make sure it works first.
Scottie Pippen is a little less broke these days: If you've read any of the numerous books about the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s then you know that Scottie Pippen is kind of funny about money. Raised in a poor household, Pippen jumped at the chance to sign a long-term contract prior to the 1991-92 season, choosing the security of a long deal over being paid what he was worth. Throughout his career, Pippen would endorse anything and everything, assuring that the money kept flowing in. Following the end of his playing career, Pippen was involved in a number of bad business deals that left him nearly broke. One of the notable money mistakes that Pippen made was the purchase of a $4 million Gulfstream jet in 2002. Due to a missed inspection, the jet's engine needed $1 million worth of repairs shortly after the purchase. Rather than paying that, the jet was grounded, making it the world's most expensive paper weight. Pippen sued his attorney for the missed inspection and Monday was awarded a settlement of $2 million. He was pretty happy about it. One-time Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen dissolved in tears Monday and gasped as a Cook County jury awarded him a $2 million verdict in a jet deal that went south.Pippen had sued two attorneys at the Chicago law firm Pedersen & Houpt for malpractice, alleging they failed to closely monitor his purchase of the jet, which was grounded only months after the 2002 purchase. "I don't want to really say anything, I'm just exhausted and tired," a red-eyed but smiling Pippen said before leaving the courthouse with wife Larsa Pippen. You know how they say you can't have your multimillion dollar jet and eat it too? Well, tell them that they're wrong. And also that that is a weird saying. But really, this is good news. Yeah, it's kind of hard to feel bad for a guy filing lawsuits because he didn't get to use his super expensive airplane, but with all the 1990s basketball players that have been going broke these days, it's nice that something good actually happened for one of them. [Former No. 4 draft pick is seriously in debt, seeking a loan] That being said, I think we've all learned a valuable lesson here. Whenever you spend $4 million on a jet, make sure it works first.
Flying Car Close To Reality
Flying car a step closer to reality: After receiving a key federal exemption, the pricey vehicle is poised to go into production. Weird-looking cars are a dime a dozen. Far less common are weird-looking cars that can also fly AND have approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Indeed, as far as we know, there's only one of those babies: The Terrafugia Transition. The private aircraft/funky-looking car has been in the news before. But the recent announcement that it's going into production sparked mega-searches on the Web. Almost immediately, online lookups for "terrafugia transition" and "terrafugia transition pictures" both, well, took off. A popular article from the UK's Daily Telegraph explains that the FAA's special exemption allows the vehicle to function as both a "light aircraft" and a car. Normally, for a plane to meet the "light aircraft" designation, it can weigh no more than 1,200 pounds. The Terrafugia Transition weighs 1,320, due primarily to the number of car-related safety features, like airbags and crumple zones. The "light aircraft" designation is key, because licenses for planes with that label require only 20 hours of flying time. Fewer hoops to jump through means more potential sales. So, how does the plane/car work? Check out the flying car's official video below. So far, 70 people have placed a deposit. The total retail cost: $194,000. Expensive, but really, can you put a price on skipping commercial flights?
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
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We have made it very easy for you to access legal services at Dynamic City Unlimited “The Mall that never closes!” as you will note the contact addresses below. This includes identity theft services. And finally, bargain shopping for your consumer needs. One stop provides all of these valuable services. Finally, we have provided a place at our Guest Book for you to leave suggestions and contact information if you need a follow up or consultation. Please take the time to browse and improve your life.
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URL: http://www.dcuny.com - All services: Contact us by signing the Guest Book at DCUNY’s website.
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Information Contact:
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Independent Associate and Member
URL: http://www.dcuny.com - All services: Contact us by signing the Guest Book at DCUNY’s website.
http://www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/rpcarelock - Membership for Legal Services. https://www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/rpcarelock - Identity Theft Shield.
The next link to view a short video: https://www.prepaidlegal.com/info/rpcarelock This next link will take you into the heart of many well known stores www.ppl.blastoffnetwork.com/dcuny - shop well!
THAT’S THE STORY BEHIND THE NEWS!
Rocker Arrested In Las Vegas
Celebrity Mug Shots: 1. Motley Crue singer Vince Neil was arrested near the Las Vegas Strip on suspicion of drunk driving after his Lamborghini was pulled over. He is only the latest celebrity to have his mug shot taken.
2. In this photo released by the Ramapo Police Department on Thursday, May 6, 2010 in Suffern, N.Y., former New York Giant and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor, is shown in a booking photo. Taylor was arrested Thursday on rape and prostitution charges in an assault on a 16-year-old runaway who police said was brought to his suburban New York City hotel room against her will.
3. Nick Nolte, charged with Driving under the influence.
4. Comedian Andy Dick was arrested in July 2008 on drug and sexual battery charges. Dick was booked into the Southwest Detention Center on $5000 bail.
5. Actor Mel Gibson has his police mug shot taken July 28, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Gibson was arrested July 28, 2006 for drunk driving after he was caught speeding and had a blood alcohol reading of 0.12 percent according to authorities.
6. This is a Los Angeles police booking photo of British actor Hugh Grant who was arrested Tuesday June 27, 1995 by Hollywood vice officers and charged with lewd conduct involving a prostitute.
7. Actress Heather Locklear poses for a mugshot September 28, 2008 in Santa Barbara, California. Locklear was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance in the Santa Barbara.
8. Larry King was arrested in Miami on December 20, 1971 on charges of grand larceny.
9. Paris Hilton in a booking mug after her Sept. 7, 2006 arrest.
10. Actor Robert Downey, Jr. was arrested on April 24, 2001 by officers of the Culver City Police Department for being under the influence of a controlled substance.
11. Carmen Electra was arrested by Miami Beach police in November 1999 and charged with battering her husband, former NBA star Dennis Rodman. However, charges against the 'Baywatch' star were eventually dropped.
12. Glen Campbell was arrested in November 2003 for drunk driving and hit-and-run.
13. Actress Mischa Barton poses for her mug shot December 27, 2007. Barton was arrested driving under the influence overnight.
14. Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh is shown in this handout mugshot photo supplied by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office April 28, 2006 in Palm Beach, Florida. Limbaugh turned himself in to authorities on a warrant for fraud to conceal information to obtain prescriptions.
15. Stormy Daniels, 30, whose real name is Stephanie Gregory Clifford, after her arrest in Tampa, Fla. Daniels was arrested Saturday, July 25, 2009 on a domestic violence battery charge after she allegedly hit her husband Michael Mosny,at their home in Tampa, Fla.
16. James Brown, who was arrested January 28, 2004 and charged with Criminal Domestic Violence.
17. Actor Tim Allen is shown in this 1979 mugshot from the Kalamazoo, Mich. sheriff's department after being arrested for dealing cocaine.
18. O.J. Simpson on June 17, 1994, after being charged with two counts of murder in connection with the slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole, and acquaintance Ronald Goldman.
19. This photo released by the El Segundo, Calif., Police Department shows actress Joyce DeWitt, who portrayed Janet on 'Three's Company,' after she was arrested Saturday, July 4, 2009, on the suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
20. Rip Torn was arrested after a collision in North Salem, N.Y.
21. Macaulay Culkin is seen in an Oklahoma County Sheriff's booking mug Friday, Sept. 17, 2004, in Oklahoma City. Culkin, star of 'Home Alone,' was arrested for possession of a controlled dangerous substance without a prescription and possession of marijuana. He was booked into the Oklahoma County Jail. Bond was set at $6,000. Where Culkin was arrested and other details weren't immediately available. It was unclear why Culkin was in Oklahoma City and whether he was traveling alone.
22. Mindy McCready, 31, was taken into custody at Nashville International Airport and booked into the Williamson County jail just south of Nashville as she returned to Tennessee. She is charged with violating probation on a 2004 drug charge.
23. Sportscaster Marv Albert after being booked Tuesday in Arlington County, Va. on assault and forcible sodomy charges.
24. Nicole Richie was arrested on charges of driving under the influence.
25. Axl Rose, lead singer for the band Guns N' Roses, shown here in a Maricopa Sheriffs booking photo after he was arrested Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1998 on a misdemeanor conduct charge for allegedly verbally abusing a security checkpoint employee at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Ariz. The rocker and designer Tommy Hilfiger capped a Thursday, May 18, 2006 evening out at a new club called The Plumm in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood with midnight fisticuffs.
26. Actress Jane Fonda is shown in a Nov. 3, 1970 police mug shot after she was arrested for assault and battery in Cleveland, Ohio after she allegedly kicked a cop. All charges were later dropped.
27. Mike Tyson was arrested in Phoenix on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of cocaine.
28. Lindsay Lohan surrendered to the Los Angeles County women's detention center in Lynwood at 10:30 a.m. Thursday Nov. 15, 2007, to serve a one-day sentence for drunken driving.
29. Rapper Jay-Z was arrested on December 1999 for allegedly stabbing a record executive at a Manhattan nightclub. He was originally charged with felony assault.
30. Actor Al Pacino is seen in this 1961 mugshot after he was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon in Woonsocket, R.I.
31. Former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss is shown in a booking mug in Pahrump, Nev. The Nye County district attorney on Thursday, July 10, 2008 filed a two-count complaint accusing the 42-year-old Fleiss of unlawful use of methamphetamine and possession of the painkiller hydrocodone without a prescription stemming from a February traffic stop in the rural Nevada town where she lives.
32. This booking photo released by the Chicago Police shows Shia LaBeouf who was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing after he refused to leave a Chicago drugstore on Nov. 4, 2007. LaBeouf was booked then released for misdemeanor DUI after an early morning wreck in West Hollywood in which he injured his hand and knee authorities said.
33. This photo released by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows music producer Phil Spector on Friday, June 5, 2009, in prison in Kern County, Calif. Spector is serving a 19-year sentence for the second-degree murder of actress Lana Clarkson.
34. Actor Matthew McConaughey, 29, shown in this Austin Police Department booking photo, was arrested Monday, Oct. 25, 1999, in Austin, Texas. During a court appearance Monday, two drug-related charges were dismissed by Municipal Judge Penny Wilcov and McConaughey faced only a charge of resisting transportation, a misdemeanor. He was released on $1,000 bond. McConaughey had initially been booked on suspicion of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting transportation after an early morning disturbance at his home in which police said he was dancing naked and playing the bongo drums.
35. Singer R. Kelly is shown in this police handout photo January 22, 2003 at the Dade County Jail, Florida. Kelly was arrested on charges of child pornography after police found pictures of Kelly engaging in a sex act with an underage girl. Kelly is currently facing child pornography charges in Illinois for a separate incident.
36. Musician Kid Rock, or Robert J. Ritchie, poses for a mug shot October 21. 2007 in DeKalb County, Georgia. Kid Rock was arrested in the early morning of October 21 after a fight at a Waffle House restaurant in DeKalb County.
37. Actor Kiefer Sutherland poses for his mugshot photo at Glendale City Jail December 5, 2007 in Glendale City, California. Sutherland, 40, reported to the facility to serve a 48-day sentance after pleading guilty to a second drunk driving offense.
38. Bon Jovi guitarist Richard Sambora poses for his mug shot March 26, 2008 in Laguna Beach, California. Sambora was released from Laguna Beach jail after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on March 25.
39. Actor Ryan O'Neal is seen in a mugshot September 17, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. Ryan O'Neil and his son Redmond O'Neil were arrested the morning of September 17, after Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputies and probation officers went to O'Neil's Malibu home to check on Redmond O'Neil, who is serving three-years of probation for drug possession charges, and allegedly found drugs.
40. Michael Jackson is shown in a Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department booking mug shot on Thursday Nov. 20, 2003, in Santa Barbara, Calif.
41. Singer Bobby Brown was arrested November 7, 2002 in Atlanta for possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and was later transferred to DeKalb County were he was wanted for failure to appear in court in 1997.
42. This police booking photo released Monday April 26,2010 by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department shows Randy Quaid after his arrest in Santa Barbara, Calif. Randy and his wife Evi Quaid showed up in a criminal courtroom two weeks late Monday and were arrested on outstanding warrants, authorities said.
43. Former Houston Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini is shown in this booking photo made available by Brazos County's Judicial Records Search Monday, April 26, 2010. Pastortini has been charged with driving while intoxicated following a traffic accident in Bryan, Texas. Officer Jason James says Pastorini was involved in a three-vehicle collision late Sunday. He was arrested Monday, after being treated for minor injuries, then freed after posting $3,000 bail.
44. This picture provided by the Aspen Police Department on Friday, Dec. 25, 2009 shows Charlie Sheen. Sheen has been arrested in Aspen, Colo. on charges related to an alleged case of domestic violence. Authorities said Sheen was arrested Friday on charges of second-degree assault as well as menacing, both felonies, and criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. Police said the alleged victim didn't have to be taken to the hospital but didn't identify who the victim was.
45. In this Dec. 5, 2009 booking photo provided by the Boulder County, Colo. Jail via The Daily Camera, former child television star Brian Bonsall is shown. Bonsall, who played Andy Keaton in 'Family Ties,' has been arrested for investigation of assault in Colorado. Police said Monday Dec. 7, 2009, that 28-year-old Bonsall got into a fight at an apartment on Saturday and hit a friend with part of a broken wooden stool.
46. The Green Day singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, was arrested in January 2003 and charged with drunk driving. Armstrong blew a .18, more than twice the state's legal limit of .08.
47. Former basketball star Dennis Rodman is seen here in a police mugshot after he was arrested with actress Carmen Electra Friday, Nov. 5, 1999, by Miami Beach Police after they allegedly fought in a hotel. The couple was release on $2,500 bond after being booked in the Miami-Dade County Jail.
48. Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee is shown in a Maricopa County Sheriff's photo Wednesday, Dec. 10, 1997, in Phoenix, after he was arrested for allegedly knocking over a security guard during a performance.
49. Vanilla Ice (read name Robert Vab Winkle) was busted in 2008 on domestic battery charge.
50. George Clinton, the P-Funk star, was charged with possession of cocaine.
51. Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is seen in this July 4, 2003, Eagle County Sheriff's Department booking mug in Eagle, Colo. Prosecutors say they want more information before deciding whether to charge Bryant with sexual assault. A 19-year-old woman accused Bryant of attacking her June 30 at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in nearby Edwards.
52. Bernard Madoff swindled $65 billion from investors.
53. In this photo combo provided by the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007, actor Mickey Rourke is shown. Rourke was arrested Thursday for driving under the influence on a green scooter, in Miami Beach, Fla., authorities said.
54. This photo provided by the Coweta County Sheriff Dept. shows comedian and rapper Katt Williams after his Nov. 8, 2009 arrest in Newnan, Ga. on burglary and criminal trespassing charges after allegedly breaking into a home.
55. Jackass star Steve-O was arrested in August 2002 for exposing himself during a nightclub performance in Louisiana. The star allegedly stapled his scrotum to his thigh and also participated in other stunts. He was charged with obscenity and being an accessory to second-degree battery.
56. Nick Hogan was been charged with several violations for a serious car crash that happened in 2007. He was charged with third degree felony, reckless driving, and a person under the age of 21 operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.02 or higher.
57. Daniel Baldwin was arrested in 2007, on suspicion of stealing a sport utility vehicle in Santa Monica, Calif.
58. This photo of inmate Charles Manson was taken Wednesday March 18, 2009 at Corcoran State Prison, Calif. The photo of the 74-year-old Manson was taken Wednesday as part of a routine update of files on inmates at Corcoran State Prison, where he is serving a life sentence for conspiring to murder seven people, said Seth Unger, spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
59. Actress Tawny Kitaen Is Seen April 1, 2002 In Newport Beach, Ca. Kitaen Faces Two Misdemeanor Counts Of Spousal Abuse And Battery After Allegedly Hitting Her Husband, Cleveland Indians Pitcher Chuck Finley.
60. This Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010 booking photo provided by the Utah County jail shows Gary Coleman. Coleman, 41, was arrested in Utah Sunday on a warrant for failing to appear in court, police said.
2. In this photo released by the Ramapo Police Department on Thursday, May 6, 2010 in Suffern, N.Y., former New York Giant and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor, is shown in a booking photo. Taylor was arrested Thursday on rape and prostitution charges in an assault on a 16-year-old runaway who police said was brought to his suburban New York City hotel room against her will.
3. Nick Nolte, charged with Driving under the influence.
4. Comedian Andy Dick was arrested in July 2008 on drug and sexual battery charges. Dick was booked into the Southwest Detention Center on $5000 bail.
5. Actor Mel Gibson has his police mug shot taken July 28, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Gibson was arrested July 28, 2006 for drunk driving after he was caught speeding and had a blood alcohol reading of 0.12 percent according to authorities.
6. This is a Los Angeles police booking photo of British actor Hugh Grant who was arrested Tuesday June 27, 1995 by Hollywood vice officers and charged with lewd conduct involving a prostitute.
7. Actress Heather Locklear poses for a mugshot September 28, 2008 in Santa Barbara, California. Locklear was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance in the Santa Barbara.
8. Larry King was arrested in Miami on December 20, 1971 on charges of grand larceny.
9. Paris Hilton in a booking mug after her Sept. 7, 2006 arrest.
10. Actor Robert Downey, Jr. was arrested on April 24, 2001 by officers of the Culver City Police Department for being under the influence of a controlled substance.
11. Carmen Electra was arrested by Miami Beach police in November 1999 and charged with battering her husband, former NBA star Dennis Rodman. However, charges against the 'Baywatch' star were eventually dropped.
12. Glen Campbell was arrested in November 2003 for drunk driving and hit-and-run.
13. Actress Mischa Barton poses for her mug shot December 27, 2007. Barton was arrested driving under the influence overnight.
14. Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh is shown in this handout mugshot photo supplied by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office April 28, 2006 in Palm Beach, Florida. Limbaugh turned himself in to authorities on a warrant for fraud to conceal information to obtain prescriptions.
15. Stormy Daniels, 30, whose real name is Stephanie Gregory Clifford, after her arrest in Tampa, Fla. Daniels was arrested Saturday, July 25, 2009 on a domestic violence battery charge after she allegedly hit her husband Michael Mosny,at their home in Tampa, Fla.
16. James Brown, who was arrested January 28, 2004 and charged with Criminal Domestic Violence.
17. Actor Tim Allen is shown in this 1979 mugshot from the Kalamazoo, Mich. sheriff's department after being arrested for dealing cocaine.
18. O.J. Simpson on June 17, 1994, after being charged with two counts of murder in connection with the slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole, and acquaintance Ronald Goldman.
19. This photo released by the El Segundo, Calif., Police Department shows actress Joyce DeWitt, who portrayed Janet on 'Three's Company,' after she was arrested Saturday, July 4, 2009, on the suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
20. Rip Torn was arrested after a collision in North Salem, N.Y.
21. Macaulay Culkin is seen in an Oklahoma County Sheriff's booking mug Friday, Sept. 17, 2004, in Oklahoma City. Culkin, star of 'Home Alone,' was arrested for possession of a controlled dangerous substance without a prescription and possession of marijuana. He was booked into the Oklahoma County Jail. Bond was set at $6,000. Where Culkin was arrested and other details weren't immediately available. It was unclear why Culkin was in Oklahoma City and whether he was traveling alone.
22. Mindy McCready, 31, was taken into custody at Nashville International Airport and booked into the Williamson County jail just south of Nashville as she returned to Tennessee. She is charged with violating probation on a 2004 drug charge.
23. Sportscaster Marv Albert after being booked Tuesday in Arlington County, Va. on assault and forcible sodomy charges.
24. Nicole Richie was arrested on charges of driving under the influence.
25. Axl Rose, lead singer for the band Guns N' Roses, shown here in a Maricopa Sheriffs booking photo after he was arrested Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1998 on a misdemeanor conduct charge for allegedly verbally abusing a security checkpoint employee at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Ariz. The rocker and designer Tommy Hilfiger capped a Thursday, May 18, 2006 evening out at a new club called The Plumm in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood with midnight fisticuffs.
26. Actress Jane Fonda is shown in a Nov. 3, 1970 police mug shot after she was arrested for assault and battery in Cleveland, Ohio after she allegedly kicked a cop. All charges were later dropped.
27. Mike Tyson was arrested in Phoenix on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of cocaine.
28. Lindsay Lohan surrendered to the Los Angeles County women's detention center in Lynwood at 10:30 a.m. Thursday Nov. 15, 2007, to serve a one-day sentence for drunken driving.
29. Rapper Jay-Z was arrested on December 1999 for allegedly stabbing a record executive at a Manhattan nightclub. He was originally charged with felony assault.
30. Actor Al Pacino is seen in this 1961 mugshot after he was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon in Woonsocket, R.I.
31. Former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss is shown in a booking mug in Pahrump, Nev. The Nye County district attorney on Thursday, July 10, 2008 filed a two-count complaint accusing the 42-year-old Fleiss of unlawful use of methamphetamine and possession of the painkiller hydrocodone without a prescription stemming from a February traffic stop in the rural Nevada town where she lives.
32. This booking photo released by the Chicago Police shows Shia LaBeouf who was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing after he refused to leave a Chicago drugstore on Nov. 4, 2007. LaBeouf was booked then released for misdemeanor DUI after an early morning wreck in West Hollywood in which he injured his hand and knee authorities said.
33. This photo released by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows music producer Phil Spector on Friday, June 5, 2009, in prison in Kern County, Calif. Spector is serving a 19-year sentence for the second-degree murder of actress Lana Clarkson.
34. Actor Matthew McConaughey, 29, shown in this Austin Police Department booking photo, was arrested Monday, Oct. 25, 1999, in Austin, Texas. During a court appearance Monday, two drug-related charges were dismissed by Municipal Judge Penny Wilcov and McConaughey faced only a charge of resisting transportation, a misdemeanor. He was released on $1,000 bond. McConaughey had initially been booked on suspicion of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting transportation after an early morning disturbance at his home in which police said he was dancing naked and playing the bongo drums.
35. Singer R. Kelly is shown in this police handout photo January 22, 2003 at the Dade County Jail, Florida. Kelly was arrested on charges of child pornography after police found pictures of Kelly engaging in a sex act with an underage girl. Kelly is currently facing child pornography charges in Illinois for a separate incident.
36. Musician Kid Rock, or Robert J. Ritchie, poses for a mug shot October 21. 2007 in DeKalb County, Georgia. Kid Rock was arrested in the early morning of October 21 after a fight at a Waffle House restaurant in DeKalb County.
37. Actor Kiefer Sutherland poses for his mugshot photo at Glendale City Jail December 5, 2007 in Glendale City, California. Sutherland, 40, reported to the facility to serve a 48-day sentance after pleading guilty to a second drunk driving offense.
38. Bon Jovi guitarist Richard Sambora poses for his mug shot March 26, 2008 in Laguna Beach, California. Sambora was released from Laguna Beach jail after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on March 25.
39. Actor Ryan O'Neal is seen in a mugshot September 17, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. Ryan O'Neil and his son Redmond O'Neil were arrested the morning of September 17, after Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputies and probation officers went to O'Neil's Malibu home to check on Redmond O'Neil, who is serving three-years of probation for drug possession charges, and allegedly found drugs.
40. Michael Jackson is shown in a Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department booking mug shot on Thursday Nov. 20, 2003, in Santa Barbara, Calif.
41. Singer Bobby Brown was arrested November 7, 2002 in Atlanta for possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and was later transferred to DeKalb County were he was wanted for failure to appear in court in 1997.
42. This police booking photo released Monday April 26,2010 by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department shows Randy Quaid after his arrest in Santa Barbara, Calif. Randy and his wife Evi Quaid showed up in a criminal courtroom two weeks late Monday and were arrested on outstanding warrants, authorities said.
43. Former Houston Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini is shown in this booking photo made available by Brazos County's Judicial Records Search Monday, April 26, 2010. Pastortini has been charged with driving while intoxicated following a traffic accident in Bryan, Texas. Officer Jason James says Pastorini was involved in a three-vehicle collision late Sunday. He was arrested Monday, after being treated for minor injuries, then freed after posting $3,000 bail.
44. This picture provided by the Aspen Police Department on Friday, Dec. 25, 2009 shows Charlie Sheen. Sheen has been arrested in Aspen, Colo. on charges related to an alleged case of domestic violence. Authorities said Sheen was arrested Friday on charges of second-degree assault as well as menacing, both felonies, and criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. Police said the alleged victim didn't have to be taken to the hospital but didn't identify who the victim was.
45. In this Dec. 5, 2009 booking photo provided by the Boulder County, Colo. Jail via The Daily Camera, former child television star Brian Bonsall is shown. Bonsall, who played Andy Keaton in 'Family Ties,' has been arrested for investigation of assault in Colorado. Police said Monday Dec. 7, 2009, that 28-year-old Bonsall got into a fight at an apartment on Saturday and hit a friend with part of a broken wooden stool.
46. The Green Day singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, was arrested in January 2003 and charged with drunk driving. Armstrong blew a .18, more than twice the state's legal limit of .08.
47. Former basketball star Dennis Rodman is seen here in a police mugshot after he was arrested with actress Carmen Electra Friday, Nov. 5, 1999, by Miami Beach Police after they allegedly fought in a hotel. The couple was release on $2,500 bond after being booked in the Miami-Dade County Jail.
48. Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee is shown in a Maricopa County Sheriff's photo Wednesday, Dec. 10, 1997, in Phoenix, after he was arrested for allegedly knocking over a security guard during a performance.
49. Vanilla Ice (read name Robert Vab Winkle) was busted in 2008 on domestic battery charge.
50. George Clinton, the P-Funk star, was charged with possession of cocaine.
51. Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is seen in this July 4, 2003, Eagle County Sheriff's Department booking mug in Eagle, Colo. Prosecutors say they want more information before deciding whether to charge Bryant with sexual assault. A 19-year-old woman accused Bryant of attacking her June 30 at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in nearby Edwards.
52. Bernard Madoff swindled $65 billion from investors.
53. In this photo combo provided by the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007, actor Mickey Rourke is shown. Rourke was arrested Thursday for driving under the influence on a green scooter, in Miami Beach, Fla., authorities said.
54. This photo provided by the Coweta County Sheriff Dept. shows comedian and rapper Katt Williams after his Nov. 8, 2009 arrest in Newnan, Ga. on burglary and criminal trespassing charges after allegedly breaking into a home.
55. Jackass star Steve-O was arrested in August 2002 for exposing himself during a nightclub performance in Louisiana. The star allegedly stapled his scrotum to his thigh and also participated in other stunts. He was charged with obscenity and being an accessory to second-degree battery.
56. Nick Hogan was been charged with several violations for a serious car crash that happened in 2007. He was charged with third degree felony, reckless driving, and a person under the age of 21 operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.02 or higher.
57. Daniel Baldwin was arrested in 2007, on suspicion of stealing a sport utility vehicle in Santa Monica, Calif.
58. This photo of inmate Charles Manson was taken Wednesday March 18, 2009 at Corcoran State Prison, Calif. The photo of the 74-year-old Manson was taken Wednesday as part of a routine update of files on inmates at Corcoran State Prison, where he is serving a life sentence for conspiring to murder seven people, said Seth Unger, spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
59. Actress Tawny Kitaen Is Seen April 1, 2002 In Newport Beach, Ca. Kitaen Faces Two Misdemeanor Counts Of Spousal Abuse And Battery After Allegedly Hitting Her Husband, Cleveland Indians Pitcher Chuck Finley.
60. This Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010 booking photo provided by the Utah County jail shows Gary Coleman. Coleman, 41, was arrested in Utah Sunday on a warrant for failing to appear in court, police said.
Too Sexy For Office?
Fired NY banker's suit, and suits, raise eyebrows: NEW YORK -- It went viral as the ultimate example of being punished for circumstances beyond one's control: a woman who said she was fired from her banking job because she complained that her male colleagues called her bodacious figure a workplace distraction. Then -- after the tabloid headlines, the TV interviews, the New York Times column -- came the disclosure that the buxom banker who said she couldn't help the way she looked had, in fact, helped it a lot, through a series of cosmetic surgeries she had extolled on reality TV. When Debrahlee Lorenzana asked state human-rights officials on Monday to investigate her claims against Citibank -- which the bank denies -- her story had already become a crucible teeming with touchy subjects: sexual harassment, women's workplace fashion, society's obsession with beauty, Americans' mixed feelings about publicity-seeking. It's a morality play for the YouTube era. But as commentators ranging from legal analysts to comedians debate whether she's a novel form of discrimination victim or a gold digger trying to cash in on male attention she courted, the 33-year-old single mom at the center of it all says she's unbowed and trying to teach corporate America a lesson. She followed the bank's dress code and tried to do her job, she says, and so what if she strove to look -- in her own words -- like a Playboy model? "There's nothing wrong with that," Lorenzana said at a news conference Monday. "One thing has nothing to do with the other." Then she went off to work at her new job at another bank, dressed in a yellow sleeveless top, a form-fitting ecru skirt and tan stiletto peep-toe pumps. Lorenzana isn't the first woman to take legal action over workplace dress requirements; famous examples include a Nevada casino bartender who unsuccessfully sued after she was fired for refusing to wear makeup. But many such cases revolve around claims that the woman was pushed to look more like a sex object -- not less, as Lorenzana alleges. Her claim that she was dressed down by bosses who said she was too alluring to wear turtlenecks or pencil skirts seized the cultural moment because "it just sounded so sort of 'Mad Men'-esque," said Brenda Weber, a gender and cultural studies professor at Indiana University, referring to the AMC television series that often dwells on masculine privilege in a 1960s advertising firm. It's no surprise the frenzy only intensified after the revelation of Lorenzana's plastic surgery, Weber said. In a culture that cherishes ideals of genuineness and meritocracy, "there's this sort of stripping of her authenticity that then, in an American context, we really sort of dislike," she said, but "it doesn't mean that we're not fascinated." Lorenzana began working at a Citibank branch in September 2008, in a job soliciting and opening up new accounts for businesses, according to her new complaint to the state Human Rights Division and a lawsuit she filed last fall. Managers soon began hassling her about her work wear, saying she looked "too distracting" for her male colleagues to handle, her lawsuit said. When she pointed out that some co-workers wore more revealing clothes than she, a manager told her that "your body is very different from them" and that because the others "are short or fat, it's OK for them to dress like that," her human-rights complaint said. She complained repeatedly to Citibank human resources officials and was transferred to another branch. After what she calls a deliberate campaign to keep her from meeting performance targets -- including by giving her an out-of-the-way desk where customers couldn't find her -- she was fired in August, according to her complaints. Citibank, part of banking giant Citigroup Inc., says poor performance was the sole reason for her firing, and that the bank is confident it will prevail in the legal fights. "Her current attempts to gain personal publicity are as transparent as her legal claims," Citibank spokeswoman Natalie Riper said in a statement Monday. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, is headed for arbitration. The human-rights complaint will trigger a separate investigation that could ultimately lead to a ruling from an administrative judge. The agency declined to comment Monday. The alternative newspaper The Village Voice first wrote about Lorenzana's lawsuit June 1. Soon, fashion editors assessed her work wardrobe. Bloggers decocted the effects of beauty on the beholder and the holder. Newspapers from Canada to Florida weighed in, some calling the case a flashpoint for debate over workplace sexual harassment. Within days, Lorenzana made the rounds of network morning shows. Times columnist Maureen Dowd examined her case in light of studies on societal responses to people's attractiveness. A panelist on NPR's "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" pronounced her predicament "the most flattering way ever to get fired." Then the Daily News disclosed that Lorenzana -- who had told the paper, "I can't help how I look" -- had been featured in a 2003 Discovery Channel series called "Plastic Surgery New York Style" as she planned her fourth breast enlargement, to a size 32-DD. "I know men have a fantasy of having a Playboy Playmate -- that's what I want to be," she says on the show, noting that she had also had a tummy tuck and liposuction. Lorenzana said Monday she was simply trying to restore her curves after breast-feeding, and that the show directed her comments. Discovery Channel representatives didn't immediately return a call. The twist in Lorenzana's story only sparked more dissection of whether she was standing up for women's rights or setting them back. In one of the most curious debates, National Organization for Women President Terry O'Neill faced off against actor and radio personality Danny Bonaduce on CNN's "The Joy Behar Show," while Behar wondered aloud about whether women's enduring concern for their appearance marked a failure of feminism. While Bonaduce lambasted Lorenzana as an attention-seeker, O'Neill says the banker shouldn't have been subjected to the kind of attention Lorenzana says she got. "If a woman has breast implants, that really doesn't justify inappropriate comments," O'Neill said in an interview Monday. As for Lorenzana, she said Monday that the saga has left her more media-savvy but not sorry: "I don't regret anything in life."
Handgun Ban Struck Down
.High Court Expands Gun Rights, Bids Stevens Farewell as Session Ends: The Supreme Court decided on June 28, 2010 to restrain local and state power to limit gun right, ordering a federal appeals court to reconsider a Chicago ruling banning guns. Despite the ban, it has retained one of the highest murder rates in the U.S. On its busy final day before a three-month recess, the court also ruled that a public law school can legally deny recognition to a Christian student group that won't let gays join, agreed to review an Arizona immigration law and said farewell to Justice John Paul Stevens, who is retiring after more than 34 years.
One-Time Star OD's on Drugs
Capriati recovering from 'accidental' OD of meds: Former tennis star Jennifer Capriati was recovering Monday from an accidental overdose of prescribed medication, a family spokeswoman said. The 34-year-old Capriati, once ranked No. 1 in a career sidetracked by personal troubles, was in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery, spokeswoman Lacey Wickline told The Associated Press. She declined to identify the medication. Capriati was rushed to a South Florida hospital early Sunday morning, she said. Wickline would not say how Capriati was found or who called emergency services. "In response to an outpouring of concern and support shown by Jennifer's fans and friends worldwide, we would like to acknowledge that Jen is recuperating at a South Florida hospital from an accidental overdose of medication prescribed to Jen by her personal physician," Wickline said. "Jen is recovering fully and stably." Public records show Capriati owns a condo on Singer Island in Palm Beach County, Fla. Riviera Beach city spokeswoman Rose Anne Brown said a person was transported from Capriati's address Sunday morning but could not provide details, citing privacy laws. Nearby hospitals did not have a patient listed under Capriati's name. At Wimbledon, Venus and Serena Williams paused after wins Monday to extend their concern. "I probably will definitely see how that goes and pray for everyone involved," Serena Williams said. "If there's any way I can do anything to help, reach out, I definitely will do that." Added Venus Williams: "I remember her match against Monica (Seles) in the semifinals of the (French) Open. I remember watching that and just thinking how great that tennis was. So definitely a lot of fond memories just watching her growing up, and obviously even playing against her, respecting her game so much." Kim Clijsters also posted on her Twitter site, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about Jen! I hope she makes it through ok and can get some help!" A child prodigy on the tennis court, Capriati burned out and retired several times from a game she had been pushed to play nearly her entire life. Capriati was arrested in 1993 for shoplifting at a Florida mall, and again the next year for marijuana possession. She also spent more than a week in drug rehabilitation in 1994, and acquaintances alleged she used crack cocaine and heroin during a weekend party before her arrest at a Coral Gables motel. Capriati, however, came back strong several times from both injuries and personal issues. She won three majors _ two Australian Opens and one French Open between 2001-02 _ to go along with her gold medal in the 1992 Olympics. She was the youngest semifinalist at the French Open in 1990, when at age 14 she lost to Seles, the eventual champion. Capriati reached the U.S. Open semifinals in 2003, losing to Justine Henin. She failed to gain any momentum from that run and soon faded from the game again.
Some Tension On Team LeBron
Tension among LeBron James' inner circle: Not everyone on Team LeBron will be happy about where he chooses to play, one writer says.
Team LeBron reaches for prominence: It’s clear why advisor William Wesley has been so relentless courting suitors with conditions and circumstances with which they can secure LeBron James(notes): For basketball’s biggest dealmaker, there’s little personal benefit to James re-signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. To team executives in the chase and those familiar with the dynamics of James’ inner circle, World Wide Wes’ agenda is clear: Get LeBron out of Cleveland and push himself into a prominent place of power. To be considered the architect of the sport’s grandest transaction, World Wide Wes needs James out of the clutches of the Cavaliers. “If LeBron leaves, Wes is going to get carte blanche wherever he signs,” one source told Yahoo! Sports. “He’s going to have the run of the place, and he doesn’t have that in Cleveland. He has access there, but Maverick Carter is the guy with the keys there. …[Carter’s] much more influential, and would always be in Cleveland.” This is the push and pull on the inside of Team LeBron, sources say – agendas colliding in self-interest as the start of free agency creeps closer on Thursday. In the end, James is too strong to let someone else make a decision for him, but there remains strong influences deeply immersed in this process with him. Beyond James’ own sentimentality and belief of staying the course with Cleveland, the best chance the Cavaliers have to re-sign James likely belongs to Carter, his business manager, and the high school buddies on the payroll. Should James leave for the bright lights and big cities, his childhood associates become less relevant, less impressive. “No one cares about those guys walking around in Chicago or Miami or New York,” one league executive said. James’ friends have had the run of Cleveland for seven years, unchecked power within the corridors of the Cavaliers organization. Around Cleveland and nearby Akron, where they were brought up with James, they don’t need to have the two-time MVP surrounding them to be considered VIPs. Maybe that doesn’t end with James elsewhere, but it dramatically changes. Carter has counted upon James’ money to bankroll a fledgling marketing company, LRMR, and James’ staying with Cleveland would be worth $30 million more over the life of a six-year contract than if he signed with another team. LRMR has little revenue coming in, and going out they have offices, staff, attorneys, five-star hotel bills and the use of private jets. For James’ associates, the cost of living promises to be far steeper beyond the life they’ve made for themselves in Northeast Ohio. There isn’t strife within Team LeBron, but tension? Yes, there’s tension, sources say. After all, Carter has set himself up as the conduit to James, his marketing guru, the man all things must go through before they reach James’ ears. He controls his own people in the media, plants the stories he wants reported. Team LeBron had the grand idea for a city-to-city free-agent tour that had to be cancelled because of the backlash this frenzy had started to incur. World Wide Wes doesn’t spend the time that Maverick does with James, but he has far greater influence with front offices and teams. Carter tried to work an arrangement with David Geffen to buy controlling interest of the Los Angeles Clippers, but owner Donald Sterling has shown no interest in selling. This would’ve been Carter’s coup, his way to move James into Hollywood and an epic tangle with Kobe Bryant(notes) and the Los Angeles Lakers. It would’ve been his score, his deal, and Wes would’ve been on the outside. Only, it never happened and the process is back where it started: With Wesley selling New York and New Jersey on making deals for Chris Paul(notes), and advising Chicago and Miami to clear cap space to make room for James and other star free agents. Cleveland isn’t out of this, but the world changes around LeBron James if he declares he’s leaving home. One of those teams will owe World Wide Wes, and payback will come with raises for the coaches he represents, with contracts for the players he’ll want to eventually bring there. The power of World Wide Wes – real, mythical or blurred in between – is on trial now. Ultimate deal for Wesley or ultimate bust. Which is why he’s pushing for James to leave Cleveland, to leave the superstar’s comfort zone. Wes’ ability to work the league for years could come down to the NBA’s most historic free agent staying or going, stepping out and moving away or clinging close to the people and place he has always known. Yes, this is LeBron James’ choice, and it needs to be because the agendas surrounding serve every interest but his own.
Team LeBron reaches for prominence: It’s clear why advisor William Wesley has been so relentless courting suitors with conditions and circumstances with which they can secure LeBron James(notes): For basketball’s biggest dealmaker, there’s little personal benefit to James re-signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. To team executives in the chase and those familiar with the dynamics of James’ inner circle, World Wide Wes’ agenda is clear: Get LeBron out of Cleveland and push himself into a prominent place of power. To be considered the architect of the sport’s grandest transaction, World Wide Wes needs James out of the clutches of the Cavaliers. “If LeBron leaves, Wes is going to get carte blanche wherever he signs,” one source told Yahoo! Sports. “He’s going to have the run of the place, and he doesn’t have that in Cleveland. He has access there, but Maverick Carter is the guy with the keys there. …[Carter’s] much more influential, and would always be in Cleveland.” This is the push and pull on the inside of Team LeBron, sources say – agendas colliding in self-interest as the start of free agency creeps closer on Thursday. In the end, James is too strong to let someone else make a decision for him, but there remains strong influences deeply immersed in this process with him. Beyond James’ own sentimentality and belief of staying the course with Cleveland, the best chance the Cavaliers have to re-sign James likely belongs to Carter, his business manager, and the high school buddies on the payroll. Should James leave for the bright lights and big cities, his childhood associates become less relevant, less impressive. “No one cares about those guys walking around in Chicago or Miami or New York,” one league executive said. James’ friends have had the run of Cleveland for seven years, unchecked power within the corridors of the Cavaliers organization. Around Cleveland and nearby Akron, where they were brought up with James, they don’t need to have the two-time MVP surrounding them to be considered VIPs. Maybe that doesn’t end with James elsewhere, but it dramatically changes. Carter has counted upon James’ money to bankroll a fledgling marketing company, LRMR, and James’ staying with Cleveland would be worth $30 million more over the life of a six-year contract than if he signed with another team. LRMR has little revenue coming in, and going out they have offices, staff, attorneys, five-star hotel bills and the use of private jets. For James’ associates, the cost of living promises to be far steeper beyond the life they’ve made for themselves in Northeast Ohio. There isn’t strife within Team LeBron, but tension? Yes, there’s tension, sources say. After all, Carter has set himself up as the conduit to James, his marketing guru, the man all things must go through before they reach James’ ears. He controls his own people in the media, plants the stories he wants reported. Team LeBron had the grand idea for a city-to-city free-agent tour that had to be cancelled because of the backlash this frenzy had started to incur. World Wide Wes doesn’t spend the time that Maverick does with James, but he has far greater influence with front offices and teams. Carter tried to work an arrangement with David Geffen to buy controlling interest of the Los Angeles Clippers, but owner Donald Sterling has shown no interest in selling. This would’ve been Carter’s coup, his way to move James into Hollywood and an epic tangle with Kobe Bryant(notes) and the Los Angeles Lakers. It would’ve been his score, his deal, and Wes would’ve been on the outside. Only, it never happened and the process is back where it started: With Wesley selling New York and New Jersey on making deals for Chris Paul(notes), and advising Chicago and Miami to clear cap space to make room for James and other star free agents. Cleveland isn’t out of this, but the world changes around LeBron James if he declares he’s leaving home. One of those teams will owe World Wide Wes, and payback will come with raises for the coaches he represents, with contracts for the players he’ll want to eventually bring there. The power of World Wide Wes – real, mythical or blurred in between – is on trial now. Ultimate deal for Wesley or ultimate bust. Which is why he’s pushing for James to leave Cleveland, to leave the superstar’s comfort zone. Wes’ ability to work the league for years could come down to the NBA’s most historic free agent staying or going, stepping out and moving away or clinging close to the people and place he has always known. Yes, this is LeBron James’ choice, and it needs to be because the agendas surrounding serve every interest but his own.
Kagan Heads For More Scrutiny
Polarizing nominee faces more questioning: Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan moves on to another round of scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
Second day of Kagan hearings to draw out partisan battle lines: As the Senate heads into its second day of confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan, lawmakers will get their first chance Tuesday to publicly question President Obama's Supreme Court nominee. The ensuing display will be familiar to any viewer of any recent confirmation process: Democratic and Republican lawmakers will be fighting to define who Kagan is and what kind of justice she might be. On day one, there were two dueling images of Kagan presented in testimony, which will no doubt be the focus as questioning gets under way on day two. In opening statements, Democrats and Kagan herself advanced a portrait of a politically neutral nominee who could be an impartial monitor of the nation's laws. Using words like "modest" and "restraint" to describe the kind of justice she would be, Kagan said she didn't believe the court should overreach beyond the will of the American people and their elected representatives. But that uncontroversial image was at odds with the portrayal Republicans pressed in their opening statements: They depicted Kagan as a left-leaning opinionated activist, a hard-charging operative who had spent more time in politics than in the law. Kagan has "less real legal experience than any nominee in at least 50 years," Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Judiciary Committee's ranking GOP member, said in his opening statement. "Ms. Kagan's career has been consumed more by politics than law." Several other Republicans voiced criticisms of Kagan's lack of experience. But Sessions' critique was perhaps the most scathing, and appeared to offer an advance blueprint of GOP strategy in fighting the nomination. Today, Sessions is second in line behind Judiciary chairman Patrick Leahy as questioning begins. Sessions will likely quiz Kagan on her time as a political adviser to President Bill Clinton, her role in restricting military recruiters at Harvard, and her personal political views. On Monday, Sessions raised questions about Kagan's college thesis — which he said "seems to bemoan socialism's demise" — and her choice of judicial heroes, including the late Surpreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, whom he and other Republicans repeatedly described as an activist judge. While Sessions argued Monday that this "is a confirmation, not a coronation," Kagan, barring any serious gaffes, is likely to be confirmed. As a result, much of the political theater to come will be aimed less directly at Kagan than at the Obama administration, as Republicans and Democrats look to boost their standing ahead of the November elections. Democrats will no doubt seek to bolster Kagan's image as an impartial justice, working firmly within the mainstream. They will also look to counter GOP attacks by arguing their view that the most activist judges on the Supreme Court now are not liberals but conservatives — an argument that Leahy floated in his opening statement Monday. What's unclear is how candid Kagan will actually be under questioning. Well before she was the nominee, Kagan argued in an article for the University of Chicago Law Review that confirmation hearings were a "vapid" sham, in which participants revealed little to nothing. Will she break tradition? Or will she hew to the official playbook followed by other nominees?
Second day of Kagan hearings to draw out partisan battle lines: As the Senate heads into its second day of confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan, lawmakers will get their first chance Tuesday to publicly question President Obama's Supreme Court nominee. The ensuing display will be familiar to any viewer of any recent confirmation process: Democratic and Republican lawmakers will be fighting to define who Kagan is and what kind of justice she might be. On day one, there were two dueling images of Kagan presented in testimony, which will no doubt be the focus as questioning gets under way on day two. In opening statements, Democrats and Kagan herself advanced a portrait of a politically neutral nominee who could be an impartial monitor of the nation's laws. Using words like "modest" and "restraint" to describe the kind of justice she would be, Kagan said she didn't believe the court should overreach beyond the will of the American people and their elected representatives. But that uncontroversial image was at odds with the portrayal Republicans pressed in their opening statements: They depicted Kagan as a left-leaning opinionated activist, a hard-charging operative who had spent more time in politics than in the law. Kagan has "less real legal experience than any nominee in at least 50 years," Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Judiciary Committee's ranking GOP member, said in his opening statement. "Ms. Kagan's career has been consumed more by politics than law." Several other Republicans voiced criticisms of Kagan's lack of experience. But Sessions' critique was perhaps the most scathing, and appeared to offer an advance blueprint of GOP strategy in fighting the nomination. Today, Sessions is second in line behind Judiciary chairman Patrick Leahy as questioning begins. Sessions will likely quiz Kagan on her time as a political adviser to President Bill Clinton, her role in restricting military recruiters at Harvard, and her personal political views. On Monday, Sessions raised questions about Kagan's college thesis — which he said "seems to bemoan socialism's demise" — and her choice of judicial heroes, including the late Surpreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, whom he and other Republicans repeatedly described as an activist judge. While Sessions argued Monday that this "is a confirmation, not a coronation," Kagan, barring any serious gaffes, is likely to be confirmed. As a result, much of the political theater to come will be aimed less directly at Kagan than at the Obama administration, as Republicans and Democrats look to boost their standing ahead of the November elections. Democrats will no doubt seek to bolster Kagan's image as an impartial justice, working firmly within the mainstream. They will also look to counter GOP attacks by arguing their view that the most activist judges on the Supreme Court now are not liberals but conservatives — an argument that Leahy floated in his opening statement Monday. What's unclear is how candid Kagan will actually be under questioning. Well before she was the nominee, Kagan argued in an article for the University of Chicago Law Review that confirmation hearings were a "vapid" sham, in which participants revealed little to nothing. Will she break tradition? Or will she hew to the official playbook followed by other nominees?
Monday, June 28, 2010
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Planning Is Very important
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-Gandalf to Frodo, The Fellowship of the Ring (movie)
-Gandalf to Frodo, The Fellowship of the Ring (movie)
Four Dead In Knife Attack
Man charged in Pa. stabbing rampage that killed 4: NORTHAMPTON, Pa. — A man who served prison time for a 1992 murder was charged Sunday with fatally stabbing four people, including a woman described as the suspect's former girlfriend and her 87-year-old grandfather. Police charged Michael Eric Ballard, 36, with four counts of homicide for Saturday's rampage in the eastern Pennsylvania town of Northampton, about 70 miles north of Philadelphia. Police allege Ballard killed 39-year-old Denise Merhi, her father and her grandfather along with a neighbor who rushed over to help when he heard the initial screams from Merhi's home. Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said he will seek the death penalty. "It was a very difficult crime scene to see these individuals essentially slaughtered by this fellow using a knife," Morganelli said. Confidantes of Merhi told The Associated Press that she and Ballard dated briefly about two years ago. Ballard told police he "murdered (his) girlfriend and her family and then the neighbor," according to court documents. Ballard pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in 1992 and was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison, according to court records in Lehigh County. Ballard, then 18, was accused of stabbing Donald Richard in December 1991 in Richard's Allentown apartment, according to newspaper accounts from the time. The motive for Saturday's attack remained unclear. Friends and relatives of Merhi said there was no indication that Ballard posed a threat to the family. Police identified the other victims as Merhi's father, Dennis Marsh, 62; her grandfather, Alvin Marsh Jr.; and her neighbor, Steven Zernhelt, 53. Merhi had two children, but neither was home at the time of the attack. Ballard, who was injured in a car accident shortly after the rampage, was arraigned at his hospital bedside. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. Merhi's close friend, Nicole Young, and her cousin, Desiray Dolly, told the AP on Sunday that Merhi and Ballard once dated, but that it wasn't serious and she broke it off. Dolly said Ballard showed up at her 16th birthday party two years ago and behaved inappropriately around her friends. "He just gave you that kind of feeling, that uneasy feeling," said Dolly, now 18. "He was offering us, 'If you ever need (alcohol), just let me know.' Constantly touching, putting hands on shoulders." Ballard, however, did not bother Merhi after their relationship ended, according to Dolly and Young. "I just don't get it," Dolly said. "He didn't give any kind of warning that I know of." Merhi, who was divorced, recently celebrated her daughter's 10th birthday ("Happy bday babygirl," she wrote on her Facebook page), attended a Phillies game and a Sugarland concert, and spent a "hot as hades" weekend at the Jersey shore with her children. The medical assistant was "bubbly, funny, cheery, high-spirited," said Young, 35. "She was always there when you needed someone to talk to." Police were called to the brick twin house at 4:47 p.m. Saturday and found a gruesome crime scene, with blood puddled on the floor and splattered on the walls, according to Morganelli. Each victim had been stabbed multiple times. Zernhelt, who lived in the adjoining twin, heard the commotion, ran over to help and was stabbed as he got through the front door, according to his brother. "I'll say this about my brother: He died a hero to me because he was trying to go over there and do whatever he could to help. I love him, I always will," said David Zernhelt, 36, of Allentown. Steven Zernhelt, who hailed from a family of 10 children, worked as a heating and air conditioning instructor. He and his wife had three grown children. "Growing up, he always tried to resolve situations," his younger brother said. "He was the political family member of the brothers and sisters, who would always try to get everybody to get along with each other. So it wasn't surprising that he would try to help his neighbor like that." After the attack, Ballard drove away in Merhi's Pontiac Grand Prix, and crashed it less than 10 minutes after police discovered the bodies. He had extensive leg injuries and was bleeding heavily. Medics who treated him at the scene spotted an empty knife sheath attached to his belt, according to a police affidavit. An off-duty state police trooper who saw the accident asked Ballard what happened. Ballard replied, "It's obvious, I just killed everyone," the affidavit said. Many of Merhi's family members learned of the rampage while attending a high school graduation party for Dolly at a local park. Merhi was supposed to be there, too, but she had suffered a bad sunburn at the beach and didn't feel well enough to go, Dolly said. It was unclear Sunday whether Merhi knew of Ballard's past while they were dating. "Michael Ballard, I hope you get what's coming to you," Young wrote on her Facebook page. Ballard served about 18 years for the murder of Richard, 56, according to The Express-Times. He was released for a year in 2007 but was jailed again for a parole violation and then paroled on April 19, the newspaper reported. On Saturday, Ballard was scheduled to return at 2 p.m. to a halfway house for state prison inmates where he had been living, the paper said, citing a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections spokeswoman. But three hours later, he crashed a stolen car, officials said.
New Light Shed On Mystery Island
Documents show vast cleanup of Plum Island land: GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — Government documents obtained by The Associated Press show extensive efforts since 2000 to remove vast amounts of waste and contaminants from Plum Island, site of top-secret Army germ warfare research and decades of studies of dangerous animal diseases. Yet some environmentalists remain concerned about the secrecy surrounding the 840-acre, pork chop-shaped island off northeastern Long Island _ and they're dubious of any claims that pollution has been remedied. "We are highly concerned that when the government acts alone they may not be doing the best job," said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "Every government cleanup needs the public's involvement and independent oversight to ensure its validity." The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to sell the island 100 miles east of Manhattan and build a new high-security laboratory in Kansas to study animal diseases. Documents, some obtained by the AP under the Freedom of Information Law, reveal that hundreds of tons of medical waste, contaminated soil and other refuse have been shipped off the island for disposal. Other island sites have been cleaned in compliance with federal regulations, the reports indicate. Also, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined in 2006 that no munitions or ordnance remain from the Army base on Plum Island that once housed as many as 4,000 troops from the Spanish-American War through World War II. And as late as 2007, New York government inspection reports said there is no environmental threat on the island. Plum Island's remote location, restricted public access, and best-selling books have all helped fuel a mystique about what goes on there. It wasn't until the early 1990s that tours of the facility were given to the news media _ about the time the government declassified files revealing secret germ warfare research there in the 1950s. The last media tour was in 2004. Before the island, its ferry dock and mainland offices can be sold, the General Services Administration, which manages federal properties, is studying the environmental impact of the research activities. A draft is expected by summer's end and public hearings will follow. "There has been some EPA investigation and remediation," said Bob DeLuca, president of the Group for the East End, which focuses on environmental issues. What has not been assessed _ and what we have asked for is _ what is the legacy of contamination?" The Preserve Plum Island Coalition, a new consortium of more than two dozen environmental groups, opposes the sale. Spokesman John Turner said the island should not be developed because it is home to a number of endangered bird species and other wildlife. "We want it (the sale) to be reversed," Turner said. "We think there are very significant ecological, natural and cultural resources on the island." That's a view shared by author Nelson DeMille, who wrote a 1997 murder mystery with Plum Island as the backdrop. He says it would be best to close the lab and open a nature preserve. Democratic U.S. Rep. Timothy Bishop questions the wisdom of moving the lab to Kansas. He estimates the sale could fetch $50 to $80 million but says building the new facility would cost 10 times that much. DHS, which took over Plum Island operations in 2003, considered several locations, including Plum Island, before choosing a site at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. But questions remain; the Senate last year ordered DHS to study whether operating a lab and studying pathogens in the "beef belt" could imperil America's livestock industry. DHS has determined that an accidental release of foot-and-mouth disease would have a $4.2 billion impact on the economy, regardless of the lab's location. A 2006 Army report noted how the Chemical Warfare Service researched pathogens in the 1950s that could be used for "both defensive and offensive purposes" on a variety of animals. The island was used because of federal laws banning germ warfare research on the U.S. mainland. Army records also indicate at least hog cholera virus and Newcastle disease, a virus of poultry and other birds, were "field tested" on Plum Island, but the report noted it was never clearly established "how many other viruses the CWS may have used in their research." A former Plum Island administrator, David Huxsoll, told the AP that anthrax, a lethal disease affecting humans and animals, was studied for decades in the facility's bio-containment lab. The bacteria can form dormant spores able to survive long periods in the environment. Scientists have also studied foot-and-mouth disease, swine fever, and other foreign animal diseases. Gigi Gronvall, a senior associate at the University of Pittsburgh-based Center for Biosecurity, said there was little need to worry about any residual disease contamination. "I'd say it's extremely unlikely that any pathogens could have been released," Gronvall said. "Those labs are designed to be one of the barriers between the pathogens and the environment." A 2007 DEC letter confirmed the island's motor pool and nearly 20 other locations on the island had been cleaned to comply with the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. In some instances, sites were excavated and contaminated soil was removed to landfills. DEC spokesman Bill Fonda added that between 2000 and 2007, some 970 tons of medical waste _ material that could not be burned in one of the lab's incinerators _ was taken from 10 Plum Island sites to landfills in Pennsylvania. Another building which DEC says was certified as clean was Building 257, the subject of the 2004 best-selling book "Lab 257" by attorney Michael Carroll. He believes Plum Island's mysterious past inspired the move to Kansas. "Plum Island raised too many red flags," Carroll said. "I think that's why they decided to pick up and move somewhere else."
Divers Search For Woman In Harlem River
Divers resumed a search for a woman who witnesses say jumped into the Harlem River early Sunday. Police were called to the scene at 147th Street and Harlem River Drive. Authorities said there was a party in a lot near the pier. Witnesses said the woman jumped into the water and three men went in to rescue her. The men were taken to Harlem Hospital and were expected to recover. Strong tides forced officials to temporarily stop the search before resuming it Sunday afternoon. By Sunday evening, the woman's identity had not yet been revealed.
Senate Icon Passes Away
Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia dead at 92: WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, a fiery orator versed in the classics and a hard-charging power broker who steered billions of federal dollars to the state of his Depression-era upbringing, died Monday. He was 92. A spokesman for the family, Jesse Jacobs, said Byrd died peacefully at about 3 a.m. at Inova Hospital in Fairfax, Va. He had been in the hospital since late last week. At first Byrd was believed to be suffering from heat exhaustion and severe dehydration, but other medical conditions developed. He had been in frail health for several years. Byrd, a Democrat, was the longest-serving senator in history, holding his seat for more than 50 years. He was the Senate's majority leader for six of those years and was third in the line of succession to the presidency, behind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a fellow West Virginian in the Senate, said it was his "greatest privilege" to serve with Byrd. "I looked up to him, I fought next to him, and I am deeply saddened that he is gone," Rockefeller said. The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said Byrd "combined a devotion to the U.S. Constitution with a deep learning of history to defend the interests of his state and the traditions of the Senate." "We will remember him for his fighter's spirit, his abiding faith, and for the many times he recalled the Senate to its purposes," McConnell said. Byrd's death followed less than a year after the passing of venerable Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a nationally recognizable figure who had been a most vociferous spokesman for liberal causes for years. In comportment and style, Byrd often seemed a Senate throwback to a courtlier 19th century. He could recite poetry, quote the Bible, discuss the Constitutional Convention and detail the Peloponnesian Wars _ and frequently did in Senate debates. Yet there was nothing particularly courtly about Byrd's pursuit or exercise of power. Byrd was a master of the Senate's bewildering rules and longtime chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which controls a third of the $3 trillion federal budget. He was willing to use both to reward friends and punish those he viewed as having slighted him. "Bob is a living encyclopedia, and legislative graveyards are filled with the bones of those who underestimated him," former House Speaker Jim Wright, D-Texas, once said in remarks Byrd later displayed in his office. In 1971, Byrd ousted Kennedy, the Massachusetts senator, as the Democrats' second in command. He was elected majority leader in 1976 and held the post until Democrats lost control of the Senate four years later. He remained his party's leader through six years in the minority, then spent another two years as majority leader. "I have tangled with him. He usually wins," former Sen. Dennis DeConcini, D-Ariz., once recalled. DeConcini supported Byrd's bid for majority leader. "He reciprocated by helping me get on the Appropriations Committee," DeConcini said. Years later, DeConcini said, he displeased Byrd on another issue. "I didn't get on the Intelligence Committee when I thought I was up to get on it." Byrd stepped aside as majority leader in 1989 when Democrats sought a more contemporary television spokesman. "I ran the Senate like a stern parent," Byrd wrote in his memoir, "Child of the Appalachian Coalfields." His consolation price was the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee, with control over almost limitless federal spending. Within two years, he surpassed his announced five-year goal of making sure more than $1 billion in federal funds was sent back to West Virginia, money used to build highways, bridges, buildings and other facilities, some named after him. In 2006 and with 64 percent of the vote, Byrd won an unprecedented ninth term in the Senate just months after surpassing South Carolinian Strom Thurmond's record as its longest-serving member. His more than 18,500 roll call votes were another record. But Byrd also seemed to slow after the death of Erma, his wife of almost 69 years, in 2006. Frail and at times wistful, he used two canes to walk haltingly and needed help from aides to make his way about the Senate. He often hesitated at unscripted moments. By 2009, aides were bringing him to and from the Senate floor in a wheelchair. Though his hands trembled in later years, Byrd only recently lost his grip on power. Last November he surrendered his chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee. Byrd's lodestar was protecting the Constitution. He frequently pulled out a dog-eared copy of it from a pocket in one of his trademark three-piece suits. He also defended the Senate in its age-old rivalry with the executive branch, no matter which party held the White House. Unlike other prominent Senate Democrats such as 2004 presidential nominee John Kerry of Massachusetts, who voted to authorize the war in Iraq, Byrd stood firm in opposition _ and felt gratified when public opinion swung behind him. "The people are becoming more and more aware that we were hoodwinked, that the leaders of this country misrepresented or exaggerated the necessity for invading Iraq," Byrd said. He cited Iraq when he endorsed then-Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination in May 2008, calling Obama "a shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure." Byrd's accomplishments followed a childhood of poverty in West Virginia, and his success on the national stage came despite a complicated history on racial matters. As a young man, we was a member of the Ku Klux Klan for a brief period, and he joined Southern Democrats in an unsuccessful filibuster against the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act. He later apologized for both actions, saying intolerance has no place in America. While supporting later civil rights bills, he opposed busing to integrate schools. Byrd briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976 and later told associates he had once been approached by President Richard M. Nixon, a Republican, about accepting an appointment to the Supreme Court. But he was a creature _ and defender _ of Congress across a career that began in 1952 with his election to the House. He served three terms there before winning his Senate seat in 1958, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House. He clashed with presidents in both parties and was implacably against proposed balanced budget amendments to the Constitution. "He is a fierce defender of the Senate and its prerogatives in ways that I think the founding fathers really intended the Senate to be," said one-time rival Kennedy. In a measure of his tenacity, Byrd took a decade of night courses to earn a law degree in 1963, and completed his long-delayed bachelor's degree at West Virginia's Marshall University in 1994 with correspondence classes. Byrd was a near-deity in economically struggling West Virginia, to which he delivered countless federally financed projects. Entire government bureaus opened there, including the FBI's repository for computerized fingerprint records. Even the Coast Guard had a facility in the landlocked state. Critics portrayed him as the personification of Congress' thirst for wasteful "pork" spending projects. Robert Carlyle Byrd was born Nov. 20, 1917, in North Wilkesboro, N.C., as Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr., the youngest of five children. Before he was 1, his mother died and his father sent him to live with an aunt and uncle, Vlurma and Titus Byrd, who renamed him and moved to the coal-mining town of Stotesbury, W.Va. He didn't learn his original name until he was 16 and his real birthday until he was 54. Byrd's foster father was a miner who frequently changed jobs, and Byrd recalled that the family's house was "without electricity, ... no running water, no telephone, a little wooden outhouse." He graduated from high school but could not afford college. Married in 1936 to high school sweetheart Erma Ora James _ with whom he had two daughters _ he pumped gas, cut meat and during World War II was a shipyard welder. Returning to meat cutting in West Virginia, he became popular for his fundamentalist Bible lectures. A grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan suggested he run for office. He won his first race _ for the state's House of Delegates _ in 1946, distinguishing himself from 12 rivals by singing and fiddling mountain tunes. His fiddle became a fixture; he later played it on the television show "Hee Haw" and recorded an album. He abandoned it only after a grandson's traumatic death in 1982 and when his shaky hands left him unable to play. At his 90th birthday party in 2007, however, Byrd joined bluegrass band Lonesome Highway in singing a few tunes and topped off the night with a rendition of "Old Joe Clark." After six years in the West Virginia legislature, Byrd was elected to the U.S. House in 1952 in a race in which his brief Klan membership became an issue. He said he joined because of its anti-communism. Byrd entered Congress as one of its most conservative Democrats. He was an early supporter of the Vietnam War, and his 14-hour, 13-minute filibuster against the 1964 civil rights bill remains one of the longest ever. His views gradually moderated, particularly on economic issues, but he always sided with his state's coal interests in confrontations with environmentalists. His love of Senate traditions inspired him to write a four-volume history of the chamber. It also led him to oppose laptops on the Senate floor and to object when a blind aide tried bringing her seeing-eye dog into the chamber. In 2004, Byrd got Congress to require schools and colleges to teach about the Constitution every Sept. 17, the day the document was adopted in 1787.
Friday, June 25, 2010
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Bionic Cat's Faux Paws
Bionic British cat gets faux paws: LONDON — Oscar the cat may have lost one of his nine lives, but his new prosthetic paws make him one of the world's few bionic cats. After losing his two rear paws in a nasty encounter with a combine harvester last October, the black cat with green eyes was outfitted with metallic pegs that link the ankles to new prosthetic feet and mimic the way deer antlers grow through skin. Oscar is now back on his feet and hopping over hurdles like tissue paper rolls. After Oscar's farming accident, which happened when the 2 1/2-year-old-cat was lazing in the sun in the British Channel Isles, his owners, Kate and Mike Nolan, took him to their local veterinarian. In turn, the vet referred Oscar to Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick, a neuro-orthopedic surgeon in Eashing, 35 miles southwest of London. Together with biomedical engineering experts, Fitzpatrick gave Oscar two metal prosthetic implants, or pegs. Those were attached to custom-built faux paws that are a bit wobbly, to imitate a cat's natural walk. But first, he covered the brown implants with black tape to match Oscar's fur. Fitzpatrick said he and biomedical engineers designed the artificial paws so that they would be fused to the bone and skin. "That allows this implant to work as a seesaw on the bottom of the animal's limbs to give him (an) effectively normal gait," he said. "Oscar can now run and jump about as cats should do." The veterinarians then inserted the peg-like implants by drilling them into Oscar's ankle bones in his rear legs. The metal implants are attached to the bone where Oscar lost his paws and were coated with a substance that helps bone cells grow directly over them. The cat's own skin then grew over the end of the peg to form a natural seal to prevent infections. After rehabilitation training that taught Oscar how to walk again, the cat was on all four feet in less than four months. Oscar's owners said they hoped his new paws would also further the technology for developing artificial limbs for humans. "This is a pretty lucky cat," said Dr. Mark Johnston, a veterinarian and spokesman for the British Small Animal Veterinary Association. "Giving a cat artificial limbs is a very novel solution." Johnston said that while there are many "perfectly happy" three-legged cats and dogs, animals that lose two legs do not usually fare as well. Dogs might cope better with some sort of animal-wheelchair for their back legs, but cats don't usually adapt to that because of their freer lifestyle, he said. "If a cat has two legs that are damaged beyond repair, it's very hard to keep him going," he said. "We would generally euthanize a cat in that situation." He doubted the technique would be widely available due to the cost and said it was still relatively rare for animals to lose two legs at once. Gordon Blunn, head of biomedical engineering at University College London, who led the effort to make Oscar's fake paws, said they cost about 2,000 pounds ($2,996) to make, not including the cost for the operation itself. In 2008, Fitzpatrick made an artificial knee for a cat named Missy who was struck by a hit and run driver. In the U.S., several animals have received artificial limbs directly attached to their bones at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Johnston said the next six months to a year would be critical for Oscar. He said veterinarians would have to closely monitor the feline to make sure no infections, sores or other movement problems crop up. "It may not last forever, but even if you provide the cat with a few years of pain-free mobility, it may well be worth it," he said.
Jackson Estate Now Flourishes
Fans Help Once Troubled Jackson Estate Flourish One Year After Michael's Death: Like the estates of Elvis Presley and Yves Saint Laurent, Michael Jackson's has grown immensely since he died on June 25, 2009. Without Jackson's lavish spending, and with the help of new revenue pouring in from nostalgia over the reign of the King of Pop, estate executors have dramatically turned around Jackson's finances. A kingdom that was on the verge of collapse from more than $500 million in debt now looks to be able to support his three children and his mother and donate healthily to children's charities.
Century-Old Wreck Found
Lake Michigan shipwreck found after 112 years: MILWAUKEE — A great wooden steamship that sank more than a century ago in a violent Lake Michigan storm has been found off the Milwaukee-area shoreline, and divers say the intact vessel appears to have been perfectly preserved by the cold fresh waters. Finding the 300-foot-long L.R. Doty was important because it was the largest wooden ship that remained unaccounted for, said Brendon Baillod, the president of the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association. "It's the biggest one I've been involved with," said Baillod, who has taken part in about a dozen such finds. "It was really exhilarating." The Doty was carrying a cargo of corn from South Chicago to Ontario, Canada in October 1898 when it sailed into a terrible storm, Baillod said. Along with snow and sleet, there were heavy winds that whipped up waves of up to 30 feet. The Doty should have been able to handle the weather. The ship was only five years old, and the 300-foot wooden behemoth's hull was reinforced with steel arches. But it was towing a small schooner, the Olive Jeanette, which began to founder in the storm after the tow line apparently snapped, Baillod said. The Doty probably sank when it came to the schooner's aid. All 17 of its crew members died, along with the ship's cats, Dewey and Watson. As a maritime historian Baillod spent more than 20 years researching the shipwreck. He knew that swaths of debris had washed up afterward in Kenosha, about 40 miles south of Milwaukee. But he found news accounts that it had last been seen closer to Milwaukee, near Oak Creek. Meanwhile, a Milwaukee fisherman in 1991 reported snagging his nets on an obstruction about 300 feet under water. The observation was largely forgotten for decades until diving technology improved enough to enable exploration at that depth. A number of explorers did some preliminary scouting on the lake's surface in recent months, using deep-sea technology to find a massive submerged object. Divers waited until last week to descend, when the weather was just right. As soon as they got to the lake floor they knew they had found the Doty."It felt so good to solve this," said Jitka Hanakova, 33, a diver and captain of the charter boat that led the exploration. "This ship has been missing for so many years and it's one of the biggest out there." Divers found the ship upright and intact, settled into the clay at the lake's bottom. Even the ship's cargo of corn was still in its hold. The Doty is so well-preserved because it's in a cold, freshwater lake. It's also far enough below the surface that storms don't affect it. Those same factors mean the crew's corpses are likely intact as well, Baillod said. Their bodies are probably still in the boiler room, where the sailors must have huddled as the ship went down, he added. While details of the sinking remain unclear, Baillod said the most likely explanation is that rudder chain snapped while the Doty was turning around to aid the Olive Jeanette. That would have left the 20-foot-tall ship at the mercy of 30-foot waves that would have dumped tons of water on the fragile wooden hatches. "When the rudder broke (the crew) must have known they were going to die," Baillod said. "They probably had a good hour to contemplate their fate until the cargo holds collapsed." There are no plans to raise the Doty, which is now the property of the state of Wisconsin. The ship will remain preserved indefinitely where it is, rather than exposing it to air that would cause it to rot away within a few years, Baillod said. Few divers are expected to disturb it. It's in such deep water that only a small group of highly experienced divers can access it, Hanakova said. Thousands of ships remain submerged in the Great Lakes, some vessels scuttled and others the victims of shipwrecks. Lake Michigan has about 500 dive-worthy ships still to be found, Baillod estimated. He said his next target is the largest known missing ship: the car ferry Pere Marquette 18. He said it went down in 1910, about 20 miles from the southeastern Wisconsin shore. The new technology that made finding the Doty possible can also help locate the Pere Marquette, he said. "What's nice about finding these ships is, it contributes to our cultural history," he said. "Many people are disconnected from history so it's nice to reconnect to our past _ to maybe look out today and think of the wooden steamships that were out there 100 years ago.
Health Department To Begin Spraying For Mosquitoes
The Health Department will begin spraying for mosquitoes next week. Crews will be on Staten Island, in the Bronx and Queens next week applying larvicide by helicopter to marshes and non-residential areas that are common breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The spraying will take place on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Mosquitoes are a known carrier of the West Nile virus. Homeowners can reduce the risk of the disease by eliminating standing water on their property, repairing torn screens on windows, and making sure pools have proper levels of chlorine.
Steve Jobs On iPhone Issues
Steve Jobs responds to iPhone complaints: Apple's CEO has advice for iPhone 4 owners who say reception sometimes drops sharply.
Poor iPhone 4 signal? You're holding it wrong, Jobs says: Yep, turns out the lower left corner of the iPhone 4's antenna-housing stainless-steel rim is sensitive to human skin, so much so that your AT&T reception may drop precipitously when you hold the phone on the left side. Steve Jobs' advice: Don't hold it like that. That's the response Ars Technica got from a query to Apple corporate — with Jobs cc'd — about the iPhone 4's widely reported reception issues, which seem to strike if your hand covers the lower left corner of the phone, particularly near a thin black stripe across the steel band that rings the phone. For the record, Jobs' exact reply to Ars was: "All phones have sensitive areas. Just avoid holding it that way." Meanwhile, a reader over at TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) who asked Jobs via e-mail whether the iPhone 4 reception problem was due to a "design flaw" got a similar response: "Nope. Just don't hold it that way." After a little back-and-forth with a second TUAW reader, Jobs' answer eventually morphed into a somewhat more corporate phrasing: "Gripping any phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases." While Jobs denies that the iPhone 4's sensitive lower left corner is a "design flaw," one can't help but second-guess Apple's decision to boost the iPhone 4's reception by essentially turning the steel band that encircles the handset into a big antenna — an idea that sounds great on paper, but as my fellow Yahoo! News blogger Chris Null points out, antennas don't necessarily react that well to being touched. I'm having no problem re-creating the iPhone 4's reception woes. Just now, I dialed the Moviefone number while holding the iPhone in my fingertips: perfect reception, with five bars, all loud and clear. But once I cupped the iPhone in my hand on the left side, touching that lower-left corner, the AT&T reception bars began to disappear one by one, until finally the Moviefone guy went silent and a "Call Failed" notification popped up. To be fair, though, I should point out that when my hand isn't in contact with the specific no-touch zone in the lower left corner, reception on my iPhone 4 seems markedly better than it was on my iPhone 3GS. Usually I have to resort to Skype when trying to make voice calls in my apartment (believe me, I've become quite the Skyper in the past year or so). In my testing so far, however, regular voice calls on the iPhone 4 have gone through without a hitch, and I've yet to fall back on Skype. Why has my new iPhone not been dropping calls one after another, given its aversion to being touched? Well, now that I'm paying attention, I've noticed that when I'm making iPhone voice calls, I usually hold the handset with just my fingertips rather than cupping it in my palm. I'm also right-handed, which means if I do end up touching its bottom corner with the base of my palm, it's usually on the right side, not the left side. But that's just me. What if your habit is to hold a phone the (ahem) "wrong" way? You might have to resort to buying one of Apple's $30 Bumper iPhone cases, which seems to cure the iPhone 4 reception problems. (Kinda makes you wonder, right?) Now, as Jobs points out, other makes and models of phones also suffer reception problems when they're held the "wrong" way. Still, the bottom line from Apple seems to be that this is just another iPhone quirk we have to live with, similar to the 3.5mm headset jack on the original iPhone that would only take headset jacks specifically designed to fit its unusually narrow opening. In other words, it's not the phone's fault. We're just using it wrong. Silly us.
Poor iPhone 4 signal? You're holding it wrong, Jobs says: Yep, turns out the lower left corner of the iPhone 4's antenna-housing stainless-steel rim is sensitive to human skin, so much so that your AT&T reception may drop precipitously when you hold the phone on the left side. Steve Jobs' advice: Don't hold it like that. That's the response Ars Technica got from a query to Apple corporate — with Jobs cc'd — about the iPhone 4's widely reported reception issues, which seem to strike if your hand covers the lower left corner of the phone, particularly near a thin black stripe across the steel band that rings the phone. For the record, Jobs' exact reply to Ars was: "All phones have sensitive areas. Just avoid holding it that way." Meanwhile, a reader over at TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) who asked Jobs via e-mail whether the iPhone 4 reception problem was due to a "design flaw" got a similar response: "Nope. Just don't hold it that way." After a little back-and-forth with a second TUAW reader, Jobs' answer eventually morphed into a somewhat more corporate phrasing: "Gripping any phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases." While Jobs denies that the iPhone 4's sensitive lower left corner is a "design flaw," one can't help but second-guess Apple's decision to boost the iPhone 4's reception by essentially turning the steel band that encircles the handset into a big antenna — an idea that sounds great on paper, but as my fellow Yahoo! News blogger Chris Null points out, antennas don't necessarily react that well to being touched. I'm having no problem re-creating the iPhone 4's reception woes. Just now, I dialed the Moviefone number while holding the iPhone in my fingertips: perfect reception, with five bars, all loud and clear. But once I cupped the iPhone in my hand on the left side, touching that lower-left corner, the AT&T reception bars began to disappear one by one, until finally the Moviefone guy went silent and a "Call Failed" notification popped up. To be fair, though, I should point out that when my hand isn't in contact with the specific no-touch zone in the lower left corner, reception on my iPhone 4 seems markedly better than it was on my iPhone 3GS. Usually I have to resort to Skype when trying to make voice calls in my apartment (believe me, I've become quite the Skyper in the past year or so). In my testing so far, however, regular voice calls on the iPhone 4 have gone through without a hitch, and I've yet to fall back on Skype. Why has my new iPhone not been dropping calls one after another, given its aversion to being touched? Well, now that I'm paying attention, I've noticed that when I'm making iPhone voice calls, I usually hold the handset with just my fingertips rather than cupping it in my palm. I'm also right-handed, which means if I do end up touching its bottom corner with the base of my palm, it's usually on the right side, not the left side. But that's just me. What if your habit is to hold a phone the (ahem) "wrong" way? You might have to resort to buying one of Apple's $30 Bumper iPhone cases, which seems to cure the iPhone 4 reception problems. (Kinda makes you wonder, right?) Now, as Jobs points out, other makes and models of phones also suffer reception problems when they're held the "wrong" way. Still, the bottom line from Apple seems to be that this is just another iPhone quirk we have to live with, similar to the 3.5mm headset jack on the original iPhone that would only take headset jacks specifically designed to fit its unusually narrow opening. In other words, it's not the phone's fault. We're just using it wrong. Silly us.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
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Nobility Comes Into Play; Magnanimous
Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye, and say, "I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me."
-Ann Landers
-Ann Landers
Jackson Heirs Are 'Normal' Kids
Family Attorney: Jackson children just normal kids: LOS ANGELES— They are show business royalty, heirs of the King of Pop. Someday, they will be very rich. But a year after their father Michael Jackson's death, Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson are normal kids full of fun and pranks, devoted to each other and to their grandmother who is their guardian, according to a lawyer who sees them frequently. They talk about their father and his presence is everywhere in the ranch-style house in the San Fernando Valley where they live. Pictures and memorabilia adorn the walls. The gated compound has additional residences where other members of the family have lived over the years. "The children are seemingly as normal as normal can be under pretty extraordinary circumstances," says Adam Streisand, the lawyer who represents Katherine Jackson and a frequent visitor to the compound where she lives with the children. He provided an account of life inside their guarded world. The large Jackson family, including eight of Michael's siblings and their families, has been a source of emotional support for the children, who frequently play with their cousins, Streisand says. And over the past year, Michael Jackson's parents, children and siblings have moved on with their lives in a world with his music but without him. The three youngsters have seen Michael Jackson's final concert movie, "This Is It," but their grandmother, still devastated by the death of her son last June 25, has not watched it. In an interview with London's Daily Mail, published Sunday, Katherine Jackson said she misses her son every day but sees his spirit in his three children, whom she is raising "a little less strict" than her son would have. Prince, whose birth name is Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., is the eldest of Michael's children. At 13, he has developed an interest in filmmaking, and his brother, sister and cousins have been starring in their own home movies. "They have props and sets, and one of them acts as director. They all have roles," says Streisand. Recently, a snippet of film was leaked to YouTube showing Paris and Blanket in what might have been scenes from one of their movies. Katherine Jackson told the Daily Mail that Paris, who has a photo shrine to her father on her wall, wants to be an actress. The one disturbance that brought social workers to the home, in March, stemmed from the kids' moviemaking, Streisand says. Jermaine's son, Jafar, 13, saw an Internet ad for a stun gun. He bought it by mail, thinking it would be a prop for their movies. When he tried shooting it into a towel, security guards came running. No one was injured. The children love going to the movies, especially action and fantasy films, and are usually transported by security guards who are also on duty at the family compound 24 hours a day. The Jackson kids are avid students of karate and have made friends at their karate classes. Since Michael's death, the children have continued the home schooling that had been their routine when he was alive. Streisand says a room has been set aside in a building at the estate and turned into a classroom where a tutor conducts classes. But in the fall, Prince will leave the cloistered realm to go to private school, a choice that was made by him and his grandmother. "He is ready to branch out and have a more socialized experience," Streisand says. Whether his 12-year-old sister, Paris Michael, will join him is undecided, although in the Daily Mail interview Katherine Jackson suggested they all would. Eight-year-old Blanket, whose given name is Prince Michael Jackson II, is described by Streisand as "totally cute and personable -- a very bright little boy who looks a lot like his father." In a brief interview this week, their uncle, Jackie Jackson, said the children were "very excited about going on vacation." They plan to visit Disney World, the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., and other sites where "they can learn as well as have a good time." Since Michael's death, Jackie said the family has continued to have gatherings: Last week, everyone came together for a party at the family home when two of his nephews graduated from high school. On the anniversary of Michael's death, he said the family will gather for a quiet, private memorial. As for Katherine Jackson, who recently turned 80, life has become a whirlwind. She is busy overseeing the children's activities, but is also involved in the administration of Michael's estate. Although not an executor, she is kept informed by the estate administrators, John Branca and John McClain, on projects that are undertaken. "She is energetic and active. Her health is perfect," says Streisand. "She has very clear ideas about what she wants and does not want as to estate matters." She is also putting out a book, "Never Can Say Goodbye: The Katherine Jackson Archives," filled with photos of her son. "I want the world to know the real Michael," she told the Daily Mail. "I'd like him to be remembered as the loving person he was." Streisand says Katherine Jackson has made it clear that she does not want Neverland to be sold, and for the time being, it is not on the market. But the 3,000-acre spread costs millions to maintain and a decision to sell could be reconsidered. Streisand recently made a statement for Katherine in response to an interview given by her husband, Joe, in which he blamed her for their son's death. Streisand called the charge "preposterous" and says Katherine was "very hurt" by the statements. Nevertheless, days later, the couple arrived together at a courtroom for a hearing in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, charged with improperly administering a mixture of sedatives, including the anesthetic propofol, in an attempt to get the chronic insomniac to sleep. Joe lives in Las Vegas but stays at the family compound when he is in California. Other members of the Jackson clan have their own homes.
A rundown on their activities since Michael's death: 1. Katherine Jackson: Katherine told the Daily Mail that Paris, who has a photo shrine to her father on her wall, wants to be an actress.
2. JOE JACKSON: Joe has been the family's wild card. He has criticized prosecutors for not filing stronger charges against Murray, accused concert promoter AEG Live of wrongdoing and has given interviews that promoted his own business ventures in the days after his son's death. He is battling Michael's estate, seeking more than $15,000 a month, even though Michael Jackson omitted his father from his will and trust. The singer also excluded him from guardianship duties, and Joe filed a declaration stating he would not play a primary role in raising his grandchildren. The move was not altogether surprising, considering Michael's strained relationship with Joe. Michael said at one point that he used to get physically sick at the sight of his father. Joe has attended every court hearing involving Murray's prosecution. Now nearly 81, he is likely to remain a constant figure in his son's post-death affairs. He is expected to sue Murray for his son's death and is appealing the legitimacy of the executors of his son's estate, which pays his wife and grandchildren more than $86,000 a month. Michael's brothers and sisters were also omitted from his will.
3. JANET JACKSON: The highest-profile living member of the Jacksons continued to balance acting and singing over the past year. She put out a greatest hits album with a couple of new tracks to lackluster sales, but had success with her starring role in the movie "Why Did I Get Married Too?" Janet has also been cast in the film adaptation of the Ntozake Shange play, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf," and is writing a book detailing her yearslong battle with weight. "It's not an autobiography, even though it gives anecdotes throughout my life. ... It talks about self-esteem as well, and acceptance from within," she said in a recent interview. Janet was seen on the finale of "American Idol"; in July, she will perform at the annual Essence Festival in New Orleans.
4. TITO JACKSON: Tito participated in the short-lived reality show "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty." He has been touring with a blues band _ he plays guitar _ with planned stops in Japan, China and New York. His sons, who are in their 20s, have become close to Michael's children, says Streisand, who describes them as "smart, loving and supportive young gentlemen." Tito joined the family in court for Murray's arraignment.
5. JERMAINE JACKSON: Jermaine spent the first few months after his brother's death trying to plan an all-star tribute. One was to be held in Vienna, Austria, but was later canceled as top acts that had been touted to appear were not confirmed. With three other brothers, he appeared on the Jackson's reality show, and accepted awards for Michael at the American Music Awards, bringing his sons on stage with him. The children live with their mother, Alejandra, at the family compound but are expected to move out soon. Alejandra also has two children by Randy. Jermaine has attended all court hearings in the Murray case.
6. RANDY JACKSON: Randy was the only brother who declined to be on the Jackson reality series; he said on Twitter that he was a private person. But the youngest Jackson brother, who was recently hospitalized for chest pains, has been vocal on Twitter about various matters, ranging from Murray's prosecution to unauthorized tributes to his brother. "At times I'm sad & broken," he wrote on Twitter, thanking fans for boosting his spirits with their support.
7 & 8. MARLON AND JACKIE JACKSON: Along with Tito and Jermaine, Marlon and Jackie participated in the Jackson brothers reality show, and were executive producers. Jackie said the show continues to play in Europe but there are no plans for a second season. He and Marlon have been in a recording studio with estate executor McClain preparing Michael's unreleased music for a new album. Jackie is also a producer of the planned Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show, working closely with the estate executors and lawyers. Of the Jackson family, he said, "We have come together to make sure that we keep Michael's name and likeness alive."
9. REBBIE JACKSON: The oldest Jackson sibling has made a few albums and is best known for her 1984 hit, "Centipede." She has stayed out of the spotlight but started performing again this year, a comeback she had planned last year but halted when her brother died. She spent a while after Michael's death in the family's compound, helping her mother with Prince, Paris and Blanket. Rebbie _ in a rare interview _ told NBC's "Today" show in April that like the rest of her family, she had difficulty coping after Michael died, even dissolving into tears when she heard her brother's music playing in a store. But she said enough time had passed that she felt comfortable performing again.
10. LATOYA JACKSON: LaToya was among the most vocal family members after her brother died. With Jermaine and Joe, she said she believed Michael was "murdered." She also put out a song, "Home," in tribute to Michael; the song had previously been released before his death. But her album, delayed after Jackson's death, has yet to be released. She has appeared with her family in court for the Murray case.
A rundown on their activities since Michael's death: 1. Katherine Jackson: Katherine told the Daily Mail that Paris, who has a photo shrine to her father on her wall, wants to be an actress.
2. JOE JACKSON: Joe has been the family's wild card. He has criticized prosecutors for not filing stronger charges against Murray, accused concert promoter AEG Live of wrongdoing and has given interviews that promoted his own business ventures in the days after his son's death. He is battling Michael's estate, seeking more than $15,000 a month, even though Michael Jackson omitted his father from his will and trust. The singer also excluded him from guardianship duties, and Joe filed a declaration stating he would not play a primary role in raising his grandchildren. The move was not altogether surprising, considering Michael's strained relationship with Joe. Michael said at one point that he used to get physically sick at the sight of his father. Joe has attended every court hearing involving Murray's prosecution. Now nearly 81, he is likely to remain a constant figure in his son's post-death affairs. He is expected to sue Murray for his son's death and is appealing the legitimacy of the executors of his son's estate, which pays his wife and grandchildren more than $86,000 a month. Michael's brothers and sisters were also omitted from his will.
3. JANET JACKSON: The highest-profile living member of the Jacksons continued to balance acting and singing over the past year. She put out a greatest hits album with a couple of new tracks to lackluster sales, but had success with her starring role in the movie "Why Did I Get Married Too?" Janet has also been cast in the film adaptation of the Ntozake Shange play, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf," and is writing a book detailing her yearslong battle with weight. "It's not an autobiography, even though it gives anecdotes throughout my life. ... It talks about self-esteem as well, and acceptance from within," she said in a recent interview. Janet was seen on the finale of "American Idol"; in July, she will perform at the annual Essence Festival in New Orleans.
4. TITO JACKSON: Tito participated in the short-lived reality show "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty." He has been touring with a blues band _ he plays guitar _ with planned stops in Japan, China and New York. His sons, who are in their 20s, have become close to Michael's children, says Streisand, who describes them as "smart, loving and supportive young gentlemen." Tito joined the family in court for Murray's arraignment.
5. JERMAINE JACKSON: Jermaine spent the first few months after his brother's death trying to plan an all-star tribute. One was to be held in Vienna, Austria, but was later canceled as top acts that had been touted to appear were not confirmed. With three other brothers, he appeared on the Jackson's reality show, and accepted awards for Michael at the American Music Awards, bringing his sons on stage with him. The children live with their mother, Alejandra, at the family compound but are expected to move out soon. Alejandra also has two children by Randy. Jermaine has attended all court hearings in the Murray case.
6. RANDY JACKSON: Randy was the only brother who declined to be on the Jackson reality series; he said on Twitter that he was a private person. But the youngest Jackson brother, who was recently hospitalized for chest pains, has been vocal on Twitter about various matters, ranging from Murray's prosecution to unauthorized tributes to his brother. "At times I'm sad & broken," he wrote on Twitter, thanking fans for boosting his spirits with their support.
7 & 8. MARLON AND JACKIE JACKSON: Along with Tito and Jermaine, Marlon and Jackie participated in the Jackson brothers reality show, and were executive producers. Jackie said the show continues to play in Europe but there are no plans for a second season. He and Marlon have been in a recording studio with estate executor McClain preparing Michael's unreleased music for a new album. Jackie is also a producer of the planned Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show, working closely with the estate executors and lawyers. Of the Jackson family, he said, "We have come together to make sure that we keep Michael's name and likeness alive."
9. REBBIE JACKSON: The oldest Jackson sibling has made a few albums and is best known for her 1984 hit, "Centipede." She has stayed out of the spotlight but started performing again this year, a comeback she had planned last year but halted when her brother died. She spent a while after Michael's death in the family's compound, helping her mother with Prince, Paris and Blanket. Rebbie _ in a rare interview _ told NBC's "Today" show in April that like the rest of her family, she had difficulty coping after Michael died, even dissolving into tears when she heard her brother's music playing in a store. But she said enough time had passed that she felt comfortable performing again.
10. LATOYA JACKSON: LaToya was among the most vocal family members after her brother died. With Jermaine and Joe, she said she believed Michael was "murdered." She also put out a song, "Home," in tribute to Michael; the song had previously been released before his death. But her album, delayed after Jackson's death, has yet to be released. She has appeared with her family in court for the Murray case.
Wrestler's Widow Sues Candidate
Wrestler's widow suing WWE, Conn. Senate candidate: HARTFORD, Conn. — The widow of a World Wrestling Entertainment performer who died in a televised 1999 stunt filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Connecticut-based company and its leaders, including Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon. Martha Hart said she learned two months ago that McMahon, who stepped down as WWE chief executive in the fall to run for Senate, and her husband, Vince, the current chairman, for years have used the image of her late husband, Owen Hart, in at least 37 videos and other materials without her knowledge and permission, and despite her objections to his likeness being associated with the pro-wrestling company. "They'd have to be living under a rock if they didn't get that I don't want any association with them whatsoever or Owen to be associated with them whatsoever," said Martha Hart, who lives in Calgary, Alberta, with the couple's two children, now 18 and 14. "I believe it is morally, ethically and legally wrong for the WWE to seek profit from Owen's death," she told reporters at a news conference held at a hotel in downtown Hartford. The WWE is based in Stamford. Jerry McDevitt, an attorney for the WWE, called the lawsuit "a political stunt" coming as McMahon campaigns. Martha Hart's request for an injunction from a Canadian court in March to stop a video featuring Owen Hart _ a request that was denied _ was the first time the company had heard from the widow since she legally settled with it in 2000, he said. WWE said it paid $10 million to Martha Hart, $3 million to each of her children and $1 million to each of Owen Hart's parents. McDevitt also pointed out that Linda McMahon wasn't the CEO of the company when the video was released earlier this year, but Martha Hart said McMahon was in charge when the WWE decided to use his images in other videos. "I don't think you'd see what happened today if Linda wasn't running for Senate," McDevitt said. Martha Hart denied her case had anything to do with the campaign but said voters in Connecticut should question Linda McMahon's moral character. McMahon recently won the endorsement of the Republican Party to seek retiring Democrat Christopher Dodd's seat. She faces a primary challenge from Weston businessman Peter Schiff, and Republican former Rep. Rob Simmons has not removed his name from the Aug. 10 primary ballot. McMahon, who has pledged to spend up to $50 million of her own money on the race, trails the Democratic candidate, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, in public opinion polls on hypothetical general election matchups. "The death of Owen Hart was a tragic accident and this claim is nothing more than pure political orchestration," said Robert Zimmerman, a spokesman for the WWE. "For Vince and I and the WWE and fans of the WWE, our hearts and souls went out to Martha and her two young children," McMahon told WFSB-TV in an interview taped Tuesday. "It was our desire to make sure Martha and their children were cared for for the rest of their lives. "This particular suit is a copyright issue, a contract issue that the WWE will be dealing with." McDevitt, the WWE attorney, argued that the company has the right to use its copyrighted material featuring Owen Hart. The publicly traded company released the video in April called "Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology," which features Owen Hart and other wrestlers in the Hart family, some of whom still perform for the WWE. Martha Hart then learned about the other videos made over the years while she was reading court documents the WWE filed over the injunction. "Martha Hart does not have some exclusive right to the story of her husband; it's just that simple," McDevitt said. Besides stopping the WWE from using Owen Hart's images, Gregg Rubenstein, a Boston-based attorney for Martha Hart, said his client, as the personal representative of her late husband's estate, is seeking any profits due from his appearances in the videos and other materials that would be due under his contract with the WWE. The WWE attorney said it will be up to a court to decide whether the estate is owed any money from the sale of the videos. Owen Hart died May 23, 1999, after falling from an apparatus about 80 feet high into the wrestling ring before a crowd of 16,500 people at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. Hart, who was making an aerial descent into the ring, fell after the device that connected his body harness to the rigging malfunctioned, McDevitt said. Both McDevitt and Rubenstein agree there is nothing in a wrongful-death settlement that WWE reached with Martha Hart in 2000 addressing the company's use of Owen Hart's image. Rather, Rubenstein points to a provision in Owen Hart's 1996 booking contract with Titan Sports _ a former name of the wrestling company _ that says control of "original intellectual property," such as his legal name, ring name, likeness, personality, character, caricatures, voice, gimmicks and routines, reverts to the wrestler after the contract is terminated. Rubenstein said that the contract was terminated when Owen Hart died and that Martha Hart and Owen Hart's estate control his likeness, name and celebrity. The same contract, which was signed by Linda McMahon, says the promoter, its licensees and sublicensees "may continue to exploit materials, goods, merchandise and other items incorporating any original intellectual property made before such termination until all such materials, goods and merchandise are sold off."
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