Geffen Records Signs New Artist: Pope Benedict XVI

He'll be home for Christmas. Pope Benedict XVI will, according to reports, release an album in time for the Christmas season.

Pope Benedict XVI will sing a Marian prayer as well as speaking Lauretan Litanies in Italian, Portuguese, French and German, accompanied by eight original pieces of modern classical music.

The album will be named Alma Mater. It will be released in 30 November 30th, during the post-Thanksgiving Christmas rush. According to reports, some of the proceeds from the album sales will be used to provide musical education for underprivileged children worldwide.

The album will be on the Geffen Records label. Hhe new compositions, by three as yet unnamed composers, will be announced by the Vatican in September. All that is really kow so far is that the pieces have been recorded this week by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road studios in London.

Geffen president Colin Barlow noted that the album may surprise people.

"When you are sitting in the basilica listening to it, you suddenly think that you are hearing something that could be incredibly special.

"The Pope has got almost a lullaby tone to the way he sings."

That could be bad, if it puts people to sleep. No word as yet if the album will be available on iTunes.

Tancredo: "Sonia Mayor" Appointment Could Mean Obama is Racist

Last night former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) defended Glenn Beck's rant that Obama is racist. While some, like Stephen Colbert, point out the illogic to that statement, Tom Tancredo said that the evidence is there, in the "Sonia Mayor" nomination.

I do not know if he has a hatred for white people. I can say that his [Obama] statements and his appointment of someone I do believe to be a racist, “Sonia Mayer,” for her racial views by the way — that is an indication, that could be used as an indication by some, that he is indeed a racist. Because it’s depending on what you use as a definition.

First of all, if you're going to criticize someone, can you at least get the name right? In reality, I'm sure it's not a mistake, but rather an overt usage of the wrong name.

At any rate, Tancredo has stated previously that the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. of which Sonia Sotomayor is a member, is the "Latino KKK."

Watch a video:

Beck Has a Deep-Seated Hatred of Logic: Colbert

A few days ago, Glenn Beck made a visit to Fox & Friends. On it, he made this statement, which makes absolutely no sense if you think about Barack Obama's family at all:

This president has exposed himself as a guy, over and over and over again, who has a deep-seated hatred for white people, or the white culture, I don't know what it is.

Hmmm. Considering that Barack Obama has expressed his great love for his mother, and that he was raised for a great deal of his life by his white grandparents, that really is surprising!

“This president has exposed himself, I think, as a guy — over and over and over again — who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture. [...]

“I’m not saying he [Obama] doesn’t like white people, I’m saying he has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist.”

Not only does that not make sense since Barack Obama's mother was white, and his grandparents, who pretty much raised him, were white, it also makes no sense. He's a racist, but Beck isn't saying he hates white people?

Last night, on The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert noted that Glenn Beck has a problem as well.

“Right, that’s not saying [Obama] dislikes white people. He’s saying that he has a deep-seated hatred for them.

“Like how Beck likes arguing but has a deep-seated hatred for logic.”

Watch the video:

Cash for Clunkers Proves Too Popular; Will Be Suspended at Midnight

According to congressional sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Cash for Clunkers program has been suspended, proving too popular for its own good.

The program will be suspended as of midnight Thursday. Why? It's quite possible the entire Cash for Clunkers allotment of $1 billion has been spent already.

Official figures show that through late Wednesday, 22,782 vehicles had been purchased through the Cash for Clunkers program, amounting to $96 million being spent.

However, the National Automobile Dealers Association surveyed 2,000 dealers and found that about by the found about 25,000 deals had not yet approved by the NHTSA, which oversees the program. If you extrapolate that number across the 23,000 dealers taking part in the Cash for Clunkers program, you would come up with over 280,000 rebates that have not yet been finalized.

That would already exceed the 250,000 estimated rebates that the Cash for Clunkers program would cover. The program gives rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 for a new car lease or purchase, depending on the specifications of the trade-in and the new vehicle.

Even if the total exceeds the allotted amount, any deals done through midnight Thursday would be honored, the sources said.

While seen as a "green" program, it's also been seen as a stimulus. Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) wants more money allocated. Yes, a Republican wants more money spent. She said:

"There can be no doubt that the Cash for Clunkers program is a complete success given the fact that the entire $1 billion allocated to the program was expended in less than a week. This is simply the most stimulative $1 billion the federal government has spent during the entire economic downturn. The federal government must come up with more money, immediately, to keep this program going.

"Whether we look at returned TARP funds or reprogram stimulus funds to a truly stimulative purpose, the administration must take action."

Whether or not more funds are allocated will probably be a contentious discussion. The administration originally sought $4 billion for the Cash for Clunkers program, but by the time it had been approved the amount had been reduced to $1 billion.

Seven-Year-Old Steals Car to Avoid Church

A 7-year-old led police on a merry chase. Yes, you read that right, not only did a 7-year-old steal a car, he managed to stay ahead of police for quite a while.

The reason for the car theft? The 7-year-old didn't want to go to church. That's obviously reflected in the fact that he broke the "thou shalt not steal" commandment.

The Plain City, UT boy managed to not just stay ahead of police after he stole the car, he managed to make it all the way home. In the process, he ran a stop sign, and even got the car up to 40 MPH. He also nearly hit another car.

Despite all that, the 7-year-old boy managed to get the car all the way home. The only relatively redeeming fact in the car chase is that the stolen vehicle was his father's Dodge Intrepid.

At least the 7-year-old kept it all in the family. When he got home, his father asked him why he would steal a car (obviously having his curiousity piqued by the police cars surrounding the house). He gave his father the church avoidance story.

Tape of Erin Andrews 911 Call Released

You might have thought the bruhaha over the Erin Andrews peephole video had died down, as its been a few days since she topped the Google Trends. As I said previously, though, any new news will create another Internet firestorm of activity.

In this case, TMZ managed to get the audio tapes of an Erin Andrews call to 911 she made last week. Based on the transcript of the tape, Erin Andrews most certainly isn't basking in the increased attention via the peephole video.

Surprisingly, based on the amount of Erin Andrews peephole video publicity, the dispatcher did not know her name. I am, however, surprised that Andrews even brought it up. You can read the 911 call transcript below.

Dispatcher: DeKalb 911. What's the address of your emergency?

Andrews: Um, I was in the news recently about being in a hotel naked, and I have paparazzi outside my window, and I was told by law enforcement that if I did to call 911.

Dispatcher: Do you want to meet with an officer? Do you want to meet with an officer, ma'am, when they come out?

Andrews: Yeah, these guys are sitting in a car outside my house right now. I would like to tell the officer to have them leave because the cops have told me to call 911 if they're outside my house.

Dispatcher: And what's your name?

Andrews: My name is Erin. My last name is Andrews. I'm all over the news right now.

Dispatcher: I'm not familiar.

Andrews: I'm the girl that was videotaped without her knowing, without her clothes on in the hotel.

Dispatcher: Really?

Andrews: And I've got two *ssholes sitting outside my house.

Dispatcher: I'm so sorry.

Andrews: I am, too. Thank you.

Dispatcher: We'll send someone out. What kind of vehicle are they in?

Andrews: They're in a RAV, a white RAV4. I'm in a gated community, and I don't know how they got in. Mom, can you see their license plates? It's a handicap license plate that they have. What's the license plate number?

Dispatcher: What's the tag number?

Andrews: We're trying to see. Do you see it, Mom? OK, I'm gonna try and go to another room and see if I can read it. I can't believe these jerks are knocking on my door. F**king *ssholes. Mom, you're totally being obvious.

Dispatcher: Are they black, white or Hispanic?

Andrews: What?

Dispatcher: Are they black, white or Hispanic?

Andrews: They're both white males. I think it's — they know I'm here, 'cause I have a car out front. So they know I'm inside. I have private security that I'm working with, but they're not with me currently, and they said call 911. OK, here's the license plate. It's a handicap license plate for Georgia. They're looking at me through my window.

Dispatcher: Are you OK?

Andrews: Yeah, I'm just — I did nothing wrong, and I'm being treated like f**king Britney Spears, and it sucks. I'm sorry.

Dispatcher: OK, the first available unit will see you as soon as possible.

Andrews: Thanks. Do you know how far they're out?

Dispatcher: No. They should be in — they'll be here as soon as possible.

Andrews: OK.

Dispatcher: OK, thank you.

Andrews: Thanks.

Listen to the call here. The site seems a little slow, so it might skip on you. I'd recommend downloading it to your computer and listening from a local copy.

Boston Cop Calls Gates "a Banana-Eating Jungle Monkey" in Email

As if to confirm Henry Louis Gates' accusations of racism and racial profiling against the Boston PD, Boston police officer Justin Barrett sent an email containing racist comments to The Boston Globe, members of his National Guard unit and a select few Boston police officers. He has since been suspended, pending a termination hearing.

In the email, Barrett said the following:

"(Gates') first priority should be to get off the phone and comply with police, for if I was the officer he verbally assaulted like a banana-eating jungle monkey, I would have sprayed him in the face with OC deserving of his belligerent non-compliance."

Although it seems many seem to need reminding, the term monkey, in reference to a black person, is well-known to be a very low racist remark.

According to the Boston Herald, when confronted by a supervisor, Barrett admitted to writing the email, so there's no question about authenticity.

For those under a rock for the last two weeks, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a Harvard scholar, was arrested on the front porch of his own home on a disorder conduct charge July 16. Gates came home and found the door stuck, and was reported via 911 as a possible burglar when he tried to unstick the door.

Gates said he was a victim of racial profiling. Charges against him were quickly dropped.

However, when asked about the event, President Barack Obama stepped into a major mess when he said the police had acted "stupidly." This created a major firestorm, and this new incident will just re-ignite the flames.

However, the site Crooks & Liars had the best take on the matter:

Policemen should not be allowed to arrest someone for being an *sshole in their own home. [...] That's really over the line of what cops should be allowed to do, regardless of the motivations, racial or otherwise.

Let's not forget that the statute for disoderly conduct requires a"public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof." Hard to do that in your own home.

Me? I agree with C&L. Rather than arresting Gates, a well-trained officer would have defused the situation, and walked away. Instead, a show of force, and some would say, power.

Watch a video report below.

GOP Uses "Soylent Green" Scenario to Frighten Older People About Health Care Reform

The right has used a number of misstatements (OK, lies) to discourage interest (OK, scare people away from) health care reform. The latest, however, is a doozy: Betsy McCaughey, chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths and former lieutenant governor of New York, said the bill pushes senior citizens toward assisted suicide.

On the former Sen. Fred Thompson's radio show on July 16th, McCaughey said:

"Congress would make it mandatory — absolutely require — that every five years people in Medicare have a required counseling session that will tell them how to end their life sooner."

In reality, what page 425 says is clarified by AARP (which has some sort of vested interest in retired persons):

In no way would these sessions be designed to encourage patients to end their lives, said Jim Dau, national spokeman for AARP, a group that represents people over 50 that has lobbied in support of the advanced planning provision.

McCaughey's comments are "not just wrong, they are cruel," said Dau. "We want to make sure people are making the right decision. If some one wants to take every life-saving measure, that's their call. Others will decide it's not worth going through this trauma just for themselves and their families, and that's their decision, too."

Both Keyserling and Dau were particularly troubled that McCaughey insisted — three times, to be exact — that the sessions would be mandatory, which they are not.

For his part, Keyserling said he and outside counsel read the language carefully to make sure that was not the case.

"Neither of us can come to the conclusion that it's mandatory." he said. "This new consultation is just like all in Medicare: it's voluntary."

"The only thing mandatory is that Medicare will have to pay for the counseling," said Dau.

As Rachel Maddow states, it's not just the fringe and the crazies sending around emails with this nonsense, it's the GOP as well. Yes, for example, as shown below, Rep. Virginia Foxx of NC says that the GOP plan is better because it "will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government."

Some other lies: that a Canadian health care system would limit your choice. Canadians can see any doctor they want. Here's what's really limiting your choice: insurance companies. They decide who gets what treatment and from whom (e.g., your network), all based on not what's best, but the bottom line.

Watch the lunacy:

Accused Financier Allen Stanford Unhappy With Jail Conditions

Texas financier Allen Stanford is unhappy with his jail conditions. Yes, yes, it's jail. I suppose the only factor that might be taken into account is that he has not yet been convicted.

Stanford's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said in a court filing on Sunday:

"For at least a week, during the hottest part of the summer, with outside temperatures of 100 degrees (38 Celsius) or more, the place where Allen Stanford is being held as a pretrial detainee has had no air conditioning and for part of that time was without power altogether."

Allen Stanford is being held without bail while awaiting trial on charges that he swindled investors out of $7 billion. Originally he had been granted bail, but the judge revoked it, after determining him to be a serious flight risk.

Also, according to the filing, Allen Stanford's "accommodations" require him to share a cell with 8 - 10 other people. Readers, what is your opinion on this? It's not supposed to be a resort, but no A/C, and that many people seems a little extreme.

Tanning Beds Cause Skin Cancer: WHO

This likely falls under the category of "common sense." The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced on Tuesday that it has moved UV tanning beds to its highest cancer risk category: "carcinogenic to humans."

This moves sun lamps and tanning beds out of the prior category (which was bad enough) "probably carcinogenic to humans." The IARC stated that the evidence linking tanning beds and skin cancer is “sufficient and compelling.”

To be honest, the evidence linking tanning beds and skin cancer should have been clear for all to see. The evidence was there in the tan itself.

A tan is a reaction by the skin, produced by increased melanin to protect the skin against the UV radiation from the sun (or tanning beds). Skin cancer aside, just look at someone who's "suffered" a lot of exposure to the sun as they age; their skin looks decidedly older because of the damage.

However, a tan has always been considered attractive, particularly among women. According to the IARC, combined analysis of over 20 epidemiological studies showed that the risk of skin cancer, or melanoma, increases by 75% when the use of tanning beds begins before the age of 30.

The IARC noted that a dramatic increase in the incidence of melanoma, especially among young women, has occurred in recent years. The research was published online in the medical journal Lancet Oncology on Wednesday.

Vincent Cogliano, one of the cancer researchers said:

"People need to be reminded of the risks of sunbeds. We hope the prevailing culture will change so teens don't think they need to use sunbeds to get a tan."

Naturally, sunbed manufacturers disputed the information, stating that tanning beds and skin cancer are not linked if use is "responsible." This however, ignores the fact that doctors have been saying for years that any sun exposure at all damages the skin.

Bill Kristol Admits to Jon Stewart: The Government Already Runs First-Class Health Care

When will these guys learn not to appear on The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. Jon Stewart managed to draw out Bill Kristol tonight on The Daily Show, and even got him to admit the government can run a health care system that's better than private insurance.

First, Kristol earned the wrath of the audience by saying that the general public did not deserve a public option.

Stewart: “So no public option, even though that’s good enough for the military — not good enough for the people of America?”

Kristol: “They do not deserve the same quality of health care the soldiers fighting deserve, and they [the soldiers] need all kinds of things we don’t need."

Stewart: “Are you saying that the American public shouldn’t have access to the same quality of health care that we give to our better citizens?”

Kristol: “To our soldiers? Yes, absolutely.”

Stewart: “Really?”

Foolishly, Kristol then stated that “one of the ways we make it up” to soldiers that they receive relatively low pay is by “giving them first class health care. The rest of us can go out and buy insurance.”

Oops! That gave Stewart ammunition.

Stewart: “Bill Kristol just said … that the government can run a first-class health care system and a government-run health care system is better than the private health care system.”

Kristol: “You trapped me somehow."

Beck: Obama Has "a Deep-seated Hatred for White People"

Glenn Beck made a visit to Fox & Friends today. On it, he made this statement, which makes absolutely no sense if you think about Barack Obama's family at all:

This president has exposed himself as a guy, over and over and over again, who has a deep-seated hatred for white people, or the white culture, I don't know what it is.

Hmmm. Considering that Barack Obama has expressed his great love for his mother, and that he was raised for a great deal of his life by his white grandparents, that really is surprising!

Watch the insanity!

Jillian and Ed Still Together: Do We Really Care?

Has reality TV run its course? I wish. When you look at the soap opera-ish moments on many shows, you have to wonder just how much is reality. With last night's finale to The Bachelorette, the question is, do we really care that Jillian and Ed are still together?

The answer to that question, based on ratings, is probably yes.

Jillian Harris chose Ed Swiderski in the finale, and accepted his proposal. IT seems somewhat scripted, however, when one recalls that Ed is the same one who left mid-season because his job was more important than Jillian. He then returned (surprise!) to win her hand.

It sounds so movie-ish, does it not? Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl in the end. Jillian and Ed, still together.

Newsweek even goes so far as to ask that loaded question: Is The Bachelorette rigged? One need only look at this spring's Bachelor finale to see similar soap opera-ish antics: the show's star dumped the winning girl for the runner-up.

Speculation like this is to be expected when real-life seems so much like drama. Perhaps that goes to show that people who watch soap operas aren't missing as much real-life as we think. Nah, I don't know anyplace where everyone has been married or involved with everyone else at one time, as in a soap.

Here's how the Jillian Harris and Ed Swiderski moment unfolded: first, Jillian had to reject Kiptyn. Then Jillian had to reject Reid, in a surprise return. Then Ed came on for the ultimate question.

“I want to be with you forever. I want a family with you. I want you to give me a hard time when we’re 80-years-old. Jillian, will you marry me?”

“Absolutely.”

The biggest question is whether, Bachelorette finale aside, Jillian and Ed will still be together say 10 years from now?

The Bachelorette: After the Rose Ceremony airs Tuesday night on ABC.

Otty Sanchez KIlls Infant Son, Then Eats His Brain

Infanticide is horrific, but this has to be the most disgusting occurrence of infanticide that could ever happen. Otty Sanchez, 33, of San Antonio, TX, did not just allegedly murder her 3 1/2 week-old-son, police reported on Monday that she used a knife and two swords to dismember him and eat portions of his brain.

Not that it makes a difference, but after all that, Otty Sanchez stabbed herself in the torso and slit her own throat, though she did not die. She is currently recovering from her wounds at a hospital, and is being charged with capital murder. Her bail has been set at $1 million, though why any bail is allowed is beyond me.

Why did she do it? According to Otty Sanchez, she did it because "the devil" told her to kill her son, Scott Wesley Buchholtz-Sanchez. The incident occurred approximately one week after the boy's father left (small wonder that he left, honestly).

Otty Sanchez's sister and her sister's two children, ages 5 and 7, were in the house during the incident. However, none were harmed.

Gloria Sanchez, Otty's aunt, said Monday that her niece had been "in and out of a psychiatric ward." It seems evident that there was a psychological problem there; hearing voices is a symptom of schizophrenia.

Man Shoots Toddler at Wedding Reception

An uninvited "guest" opened fire at a wedding reception on Saturday night, which resulted in an 18-month-old Indiana girl being shot in the head. She is in critical condition.

Francisco Ponce, 21, and his brothers Isaias, 28, and Jose, 23 (left to right in the photo), are in custody for Yuridia Sosa's shooting, as well as for the shootings of the girl's mother and another woman, both shot in the legs.

The shootings took place at Lawrence Community Center in Indianapolis, IN. The three brothers were gate-crashers, and after a scuffle began between guests and themselves, Francisco Ponce pulled a 9mm and began firing.

When officers arrive, they saw Francisco Ponce run across a parking lot and toss a gun under a car. He was arrested on a preliminary charge of attempted murder, while Isaias faces a charge of public intoxication and Jose is charged with battery, disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

Francisco Ponce was being held without bond Sunday at Marion County jail, according to court records.

Parole Denied for the Killer of Kelsey Grammer's Sister

There will be no parole in the case of Freddie Glenn, 52, who is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder of Karen Grammer, the sister of actor Kelsey Grammer.

Karen Grammer, 18, was raped and murdered in 1975. According to published reports, Freddie Glenn and several other men attempted to rob a Red Lobster, but left with no money, but with Karen Grammer, who they felt could ID them.

After robbing a convenience store, the men took Karen Grammer back to Freddie Glenn's apartment, where she was repeatedly raped. put While it seemed they were about to let her go in a mobile home park, before they let her go, Glenn, stabbed her in the throat, back and hand. She bled to death from her wounds.

Freddie Glenn was also convicted in separate trials of the killing on June 19, 1975, of motel cook Daniel Van Lone, 28, in a robbery that netted $0.50, and the June 27, 1975, murder of Army soldier Winfred Proffitt, 19, during a drug deal.

Kelsey Grammer had meant to be at Freddie Glenn's parole hearing, but inclement weather prevented him from catching a flight to Colorado. Instead, he sent a letter. Excerpts appear below:

"I am saddened that I missed this opportunity to be at the hearing. You know the circumstances: rain delays at Kennedy that made it impossible for me to be in Colorado Springs in time to attend…Please tell the members of the parole board that it is my sincere hope they do not release my sister's killer. [...]

"She was so smart and good and decent. She wrote poetry and loved being alive; we could laugh for hours together, she had the greatest smile. She was my best friends and the best person I knew. She had so much to live for. I loved my sister, Karen. I miss her. I miss her in my bones. I was her big brother. I was supposed to protect her -- I could not. I have never gotten over it. I was supposed to save her. I could not. It very nearly destroyed me. [...]

"Please consider, when you wrestle with the fate of this man that killed my sister, the degree of suffering he has inflicted on his victims but also on the families of his victims. It has been many years since the murders and he has spent many years in jail. We, whose lives were so altered by his selfishness and brutality, have spent those years in a prison of our own. Yes, time has helped. But we will never be free. Why should his fate be any different? More importantly, however, how can you believe this man can be safely returned to society? Consider the extreme nature of his crimes - the disregard for simple humanity. This is a butcher. This is a monster. Is it really possible for him to live on the outside again without returning to his old ways? Can you be certain that he will not slaughter another innocent life and destroy another family?"

Freddie Glenn was denied parole, but will be eligible for another hearing in 2014. Still, it appears Kelsey Grammer's letter about his sister Karen had an impact: 5 years was the maximum the parole board could give as a delay to the next hearing.

Michael Vick Receives "Conditional" NFL Reinstatement

In a move that should surprise few, but will likely upset many, former NFL QB Michael Vick, who had earlier been convicted and served 23 months on dogfighting charges, has been conditionally reinstated by the NFL.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had suspended Michael Vick indefinitely in 2007. Earlier this year, his team, the Atlanta Falcons, released him.

The conditions of his conditional reinstatement include limitations: Michael Vick can participate in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games. He will not be eligible to compete in regular-season games until week 6 (Oct 18 - 19), if then.

Another obvious hurdle for Michael Vick is finding a team to play on. While you can bet there will be at least one team who will jump at the chance, many have already stated they will not sign him. You can also bet than any team that does sign him will face the wrath of pet lovers and PETA.

Goodell noted in a letter to Michael Vick that playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right, and that he has very little margin for error. He did add that if Michael Vick was sincere and worked hard, "the NFL will support you."

In a statement released through his agent Joel Segal, Michael Vick said:

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to commissioner Goodell for allowing me to be readmitted to the National Football League. I fully understand that playing football in the NFL is a privilege, not a right, and I am truly thankful for the opportunity I have been given.

"As you can imagine, the last two years have given me time to re-evaluate my life, mature as an individual and fully understand the terrible mistakes I have made in the past and what type of life I must lead moving forward.

"Again, I want to thank the commissioner for the chance to return to the game I love and the opportunity to become an example of positive change."

Princeton Review's Latest Party School Ranking Released

The Princeton Review has released its "The Best 371 Colleges" annual guide, which polls 122,000 students nationwide on differing topics. However, the "topic" that always catches the most attention, both positive and negative, is the party school ranking.

Penn State takes the top spot in the Princeton Review's top party school category. Of course, the school was close in 2008, finishing third.

Penn State also ranked at the top for two other Princeton Review categories: most packed stadium (popular intercollegiate sports) and beer consumption (high reported usage), which probably contributed some to the party aspect, as well.

Here is the list of the top party schools, as surveyed by the Princeton Review.

1. Penn State University, State College, Pa.
2. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
3. University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.
4. University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
5. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
6. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.Va.
7. University of Texas, Austin, Texas
8. University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.
9. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.
10. University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif.
11. University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.
12. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
13. Union College, Schenectady, N.Y.
14. Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.
15. DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.
16. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.
17. Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn.
18. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D.
19. Tulane University, New Orleans, La.
20. Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.

"Bikini Bandit" Suspect Charged

Morgan Haley, 24, has been arrested in Desoto County, Mississippi for carjacking, and immediately following the carjacking, then going to an RV dealership in an attempt to rob it. All the while she was wearing, you guessed it, a bikini.

Southaven Police Chief Tom Long described the events as follows:

"The suspect (Morgan Haley), wearing only a bikini, approached a woman and threatened her to get out of her car. The woman did not see a weapon, but fearing for her children, she got out of the car with her kids, and then the suspect left the scene in the car."

Morgan Haley then drove to the aforementioned RV dealership, where events unfolded as follows, according to Long:

"Once inside the RV center, she approached employees with something under a towel resembling a weapon and told them it was a robbery."

For some reason, perhaps because with only a bikini (even with a towel) Morgan Haley had very little way to hide anything (like a gun), employees at the RV dealership restrained her and held her for police. The police say that Haley appears to have been under the influence (no!) during the crime.

Unfortunately, the police do not seem to have a mug shot of her in the bikini for us, just the mugshot above.

Man Arrested in Alexis Cohen's Hit-and-Run Death

A man has been arrested in the hit-and-run death of two-time former American Idol contestant Alexis Cohen. Daniel Bark, 23, was arrested at 6 PM Sunday in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, and is being held in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River.

If convicted of Alexis Cohen's death, Bark could serve 10 to 15 years. Bail has been set at $35,000.

Alexis Cohen was found early Saturday morning in Seaside Heights. While originally it was reported that Alexis Cohen's body was found at 4AM on Saturday, police now say they were called at 5:05 AM by a driver and passenger who saw the body while passing the intersection of Bay Boulevard and Dupont Avenue in Seaside Heights. Cohen was pronounced dead at 6:30 AM.

While never a making it to the Hollywood round on American Idol, Cohen auditioned twice, and it were her acidic remarks pointed at judge Simon Cowell that earned her notoriety.

In 2007, besides an expletive-laden reaction to her failure, Alexis Cohen also capped things off by flipping off the camera, after asking several times "why do I feel like flipping off the camera."

You can watch her season 7 audition below:

Sarah Palin's Farewell Speech Gives Few Clues for the Future

Sarah Palin resigned as governor of Alaska on Sunday, turning over the reins to Lt. Governor Sean Parnell. While she lambasted the media for making things up, she also tried to emphasize why she was leaving office:

It is because I love Alaska this much, sir, that I feel it is my duty to avoid the unproductive, typical, politics-as-usual, lame-duck session in one's last year in office.

Wait, if that's the case, then every politician who has a term-limit should quit in their last year. But that would make the prior year a lame duck year! Heck, the first year in your final term could be a lame duck year!

Please, Palin, that makes little sense, why even bother running then, for a final term? Ah, yes, maybe it makes sense to someone who thinks Africa is a country.

There is something up, but it ain't what she said above. Watch her farewell speech:

Rickey Henderson Enters the Hall of Fame, Humbly

Rickey Henderson, arguably the all-time greatest leadoff hitter in major league baseball history, entered the major league baseball Hall of Fame today. Rickey Henderson has, in his own mind, has long been the greatest leadoff hitter. Based on that, and his well-known ego, people were looking for perhaps a less-than-humble speech from Henderson. That did not happen, however.

Here is Rickey Henderson's entire acceptance speech, transcript via the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame:

Hey, hey. I hope everyone is having a great time. First, I would like to thank God, the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and the Commissioner of Baseball for this true honor. I also want to thank the members of the Hall of Fame for being here today. Thank you.

I love the game of baseball. That's why it was so hard for me to walk away from the game. I thought if Satchel Paige can still play in major league baseball at the age of 45, then with my dedication, hard work and desire, I can play the game until my body said it was time to hang it up.

I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for my wife, Pamela, who took care of the home while I was away, and brought up our wonderful daughter and supported me in my career. Thank you, and I love you.

To all my beautiful and intelligent daughters, I wouldn't be a complete man without
your love and support. I love you, girls.

A special thanks to my mother, Bobbie. Back in high school, I played football, a little hoops and baseball. My dream was to play football for the Oakland Raiders. But my mom thought I would get hurt playing football, so she chosed baseball for me. I guess mom do knows best. Thanks mom.

I would like to say thanks to my father, my brothers and my sister for their support. To my father and mother-in-law for always being there when I need them. I would like to say thank you.

Several of my high school friends are here today to help me celebrate this wonderful and important event. I want to say thank you.

Now let me tell you a story about how I got into playing baseball. When I was a kid in Oakland, Mr. Hank Thomas tricked me into playing Babe Ruth baseball by coming to pick me up with a glazed donut and a cup of hot chocolate. That was the way he would get me up and out of bed and onto the ballpark.

My first year in high school, my favorite sport was football. I did not like baseball. My counselor, Mrs. Wilkinson, bribed me into playing baseball. She would pay me a quarter every time I would get a hit, a run scored or stole a base.

After my first ten games, I had 30 hits, 25 runs scored and 33 steals. Not bad money for a kid in high school.

As a kid growing up in Oakland, my heroes were Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson. What about that Reggie Jackson? I stand out on the ballpark in the parking lot waiting for Reggie Jackson to give me an autograph. Reggie used to come out all the time and I'd say, "Reggie, can I have an autograph?" He would pass me a pen with his name on it. He never gave me an autograph.

To all my coaches out there that taught me along the way, I want to say thank you for believing in me.

I would like to give a very, very special thanks to James Guinn, the scout that signed me out of high school. He believed in my talent as a baseball player when teams was afraid to draft players that throw left handed and bat right handed.

In 1976, my first year in the minor league, my coach, Tom Treblehorn, helped me develop my skill in base running and taught me to play the game hard. I had not perfected how to take a lead or how to slide. Tom asked me to come to practice early every day and work on my sliding and base running skill. I guess, Tom, that hard
work paid off for me, and I am very grateful.

In June of 1979, I received a call from Charlie O. Finley. He wanted me to play in the big league for the Oakland A's. That was the most thrilling time of my life, playing the game that I loved in my home town in front of my family and friends was a dream come true. Charlie, wherever you at, and that donkey, I want to say thank you
for the opportunity.

In 1980, the A's hired a new manager that I would look up to for the rest of my life, one of the best teachers and managers anyone could ever play for, Mr. Billy Martin. Billy always got the most out of me. He taught me to compete at the highest level and respect the game of baseball. Billy, I miss you very much, and I wish you were here with me today.

To the Haas family, Mr. Wolf of the Oakland A's, the City of Oakland, John Morris of the San Diego Padres, George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees and the other general managers and owners of major League baseball teams, I would not be here or the player that I became. Thank you for giving me the chance to play the game that
I love so much.

I played with the some of the greatest players in the game, Jim Rice, Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield, Tony Guinn, I called him "Dear Mr. Ek", Cal Ripken, Jr., Dave Henderson and my best friend and long friend Dave Stewart, and so many other players that I will never forget.

It's an honor to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and have my name next to players like Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig, Roberto Clemente, and the list goes on and on.

I would like to congratulate Jim Rice and Joe Gordon. It is a pleasure to be inducted into the Hall of Fame with you gentlemen.

In my career, I had the good fortune to play for nine teams. It was wonderful because this allowed me to meet fans all over the country. It's the fans that makes the game fun. To all the fans, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your wonderful support over all these years.

I would like to thank everyone here and all over the country for sharing this special moment with me and my family. To all the kids out there: Follow your dream. Believe in your dream. Because dreams do come true.

When you think of me, I would like you to remember that kid from the inner city that played the game with all of his heart and never took the game for granted. Thanks to everyone here for making my dream come true today.

In closing, I would like to say my favorite hero was Mohammad Ali. He said at one time, "I am the greatest." That is something I always wanted to be. And now that the Association has voted me into the Baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete. I am now in the class of the greatest players of all time. And at this moment, I am very, very humble. Thank you.

Watch the video of Rickey Henderson's acceptance speech (in three parts):

Farewell to the Woman Who Thought Africa Was a Country

In a move reminiscent of Richard Nixon's "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore" speech, Sarah Palin is to leave office as Alaska's governor today. While the reasons are still unclear, one thing is certain: we won't have the woman who didn't know Africa is a continent, not a country, to kick around anymore.

Many feel that Sarah Palin hurt the GOP during her VP run last year, particularly her interview with Katie Couric, which seem to present her as a ... well, idiot. Not being able to name anything she read regularly, thinking she had foreign policy experience because Russia is (relatively) close to Alaska, and out-and-out lying about not supporting the Bridge to Nowhere (which she did, at first) didn't help her.

Sarah Palin announced her resignation on July 3rd with 18 months of her term still left. While her future remains cloudy, a run at the 2012 GOP presidential ticket is an obvious possible goal.

While Sarah Palin said she was leaving office for the good of Alaska, because the the ethics complaints (which continue to surface) against her had become a distraction, others, including Levi Johnston, the father of daughter Bristol Palin's son, have pointed to a possible and lucrative post-gubernatorial career, including speaking, books, and more.

In terms of the ethics complaints, Sarah Palin has said it has cost Alaska more than $2 million to investigate the claims.

Lt. Governor Sean Parnell will take office after a Sunday afternoon picnic ceremony. Sarah Palin's first stop will be the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA. She is scheduled to speak at the library on Aug. 8. After that, who knows?

Man to Sue After Sodomy with Police Taser

A man who was tased, and threatened with tasering between his genital and anal regions plans to sue the Boise Police Department for excessive use of force.

It all started on Feb. 14 of this year. Two Boise, ID police officers were called to a possible domestic disturbance between a man — the complainant — who had in fact just been released from jail, and a woman. A 3-year-old boy was also present.

The man was tasered, and subdued, but the complaint he filed involved being tasered between his buttocks and genitals. An ombudsman's report (.PDF) of the incident was completed by Boise Community Ombudsman Pierce Murphy. The report did not mention either the names of the suspect or the officers involved, but it did highlight this exchange:

• Officer #3: Do you feel this?
• Complainant: Yes, sir.
• Officer #3: Do you feel that? That’s my -
• Complainant: Okay
• Officer #3: -Taser up your *ss.
• Complainant: Okay
• Officer #3: So don’t move.
• Complainant: I’m trying not to. I can’t breathe.

You can listen to an MP3 of the incident here.

While the report addresses the entire incident, it also clearly states that the suspect certainly was tased between the buttocks.

The evidence clearly proves that the Complainant was tased on the inside of his right, lower buttock. The Complainant had visible injuries there ten days after the incident. The same marks were photographed during a forensic medical examination conducted thirteen days after the incident. [...]

Based on the preponderance of evidence, Officer #3’s second use of the Taser on the Complainant while he was handcuffed was neither reasonable nor necessary. For this reason, I have issued a finding of Sustained to this allegation of excessive force.

While the ombudsman did find that excessive force was used, he did not find that a criminal act took place on the part of the officer.

While the report indicates the officer has been disciplined, the complainant's attorney, Ron Coulter, noted that the officer is still on the job.

“I don’t think he should be back on the street, but then I’m not the chief of police. When you do things like he did I’m not sure that person’s even fit to wear a uniform.”

Coulter added that he plans to file a lawsuit, and that his client's name will be revealed then.

Nicolas Sarkozy Rushed to Hospital

On Sunday, Nicolas Sarkozy, 54, was rushed to a military hospital. The French president reportedly collapsed suddenly while jogging on the grounds of the Chateau of Versailles. His office said he will stay at the hospital under observation overnight.

In a statement, Nicolas Sarkozy's office added:

"When he was jogging in the park of the Chateau of Versailles, the president was taken ill. This episode, which happened after 45 minutes of intensive physical exercise, was not accompanied by a loss of consciousness."

It was only three weeks ago when the results of Sarkozy's latest annual health check-up were released, describing the results of recent blood and heart tests as "normal."

While the obvious suspicion would center on some sort of cardiovascular problem, television and radio quoted a source "close to Sarkozy" as saying that he had suffered from an "vagal problem." The vagus nerve can lower the blood pressure and heart rate.

Former American Idol Contestant, Alexis Cohen, Found Dead

Alexis Cohen, who auditioned unsuccessfully for "American Idol" in 2008 and 2009 has been found dead. She was 25.

Alexis Cohen he was found unconscious around 4 AM in Seaside Heights, NJ. A resident of Allentown, PA, she was pronounced dead at 6:35 AM.

Autopsy reports show Alexis Cohen's death was caused by injuries to the head, abdomen and chest, he said. Her death has been listed as vehicular homicide.

She didn't succeed in her auditions, but she surely gained notoriety in her American Idol Season 7 audition. After being rejected, she promised she was going to be an actor (not actress) and the she would be victorious.

Alexis Cohen also slammed Simon Cowell, who is known for his acerbic "reviews" of those who audition for "American Idol," and who compared her to Willem Dafoe after she left the stage.

Alexis Cohen also capped things off by flipping off the camera, after asking several times "why do I feel like flipping off the camera." I guess that answered that question.

Watch the season 7 audition video:

Bill Maher: Not Everything in America Has to Make a Profit

On Friday's Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill noted that "not everything in America has to make a profit." That's true, after all we don't care if police or fire stations make a profit, do we? Read the transcript (emphasis mine), and watch the video.

And finally, New Rule, not everything in America has to make a profit. You know, if conservatives get to call universal health care "socialized medicine," I get to call private for-profit health care "soulless vampire bastards making money off human pain."

Now I know what you're thinking. "But Bill, the profit motive is what sustains capitalism." Yes. And our sex drive is what sustains the human species, but we don't try to f**k everything. It's OK for some things to remain nonprofit just when like when it comes to sexual relations, some people are off-limits, like your cousin, or your sister, or if you're a leading Republican, your wife.

Now it wasn't that long ago that when a kid broke his leg, his parents took him to the local Catholic hospital, the nun stuck a thermometer up his a**, the doctor stuck some plaster on his ankle and you were done. The bill was $1.50, plus you got to keep the thermometer.

But like everything else that's good and noble in life, some bean-counter decided that hospitals could also be big business, so now they're not hospitals anymore; they're Jiffy Lubes with bedpans. The more people that get sick and stay sick, the higher their profit markets. Which is why they're always pushing the Jell-O.

Did you know that the United States is ranked fiftieth in the world in life expectancy. And the forty-nine loser countries where they live longer than us, oh, it's hardly worth it. They may live longer, but they live shackled to the tyranny of nonprofit health care. Here in America, you're not coughing up blood, little Bobby. You're coughing up freedom.

The problem with President Obama's health care plan isn't socialism, it's capitalism. When did the profit motive become the only reason to do anything? When did that become the new patriotism? Ask not what you could do for your country. Ask what's in it for Blue Cross-Blue Shield.

And it's not just medicine. Prisons used to be a non-profit thing. And for good reason --­ who the hell wants to own a prison? By definition you're going to have trouble with the tenants. It is not a coincidence that we outsourced running prisons to private corporations and then the number of prisoners in America skyrocketed. There used to be some things we just didn't do for money.

Did you know, for example, that there was a time when being called a "war profiteer" was a bad thing? FDR said there he didn't want WWII to create one millionaire. But I'm guessing Iraq has made more than a few executives at Halliburton into millionaires. Halliburton sold soldiers soda for $7.50 a can. They were honoring 9/11 by charging like 7/11. Which is wrong; we're America. We do not fight wars for money. We fight them for oil.

And my final example of the profit motive screwing something up when it used to be non-profit: TV news. You know, I heard all the news anchors this week talk about how much better the news coverage was back in Cronkite's day, and I thought, "Gee, if only you were in a position to do something about it."

But maybe they aren't. Because this isn't Cronkite's day, when delivering the news was considered a loss leader and a civic duty. Making money was the job of The Beverly Hillbillies. And now that we have reporters moving to Alaska to hang out with the Palin family, the news is The Beverly Hillbillies.

Oops! Charlie Crist's Office Praises Nazi Film

You have to know that much of the stuff that bears a signature doesn't necessarily mean it was signed by the signee. That's apparently what happened in this case, where a "thank you" letter bearing the signature of Florida governor Charlie Crist praising a anti-semitic Nazi film went out.

The film, Jud Suss, is a 1940 film by Veit Harlan filmed under the supervision of Joseph Goebbels. It should be noted that a 2010 Jud Suss film is planned, but that version is a documdrama that focuses on actor Ferdinand Marian who starred in the anti-semitic version.

In the letter mailed from Crist’s office on June 30 and posted online by John Ubele, who is the operations manager of a group called the Nationalist Coalition that promotes "white activism," the governor says:

“Thank you for sending me the DVD ‘Jud Suss.’ It is my pleasure to accept this on behalf of myself and the people of Florida. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in sharing this DVD.

Serving the people of Florida is a great honor, and I am pleased to have the opportunity of leading the state. Your kind thoughts are appreciated.

Thank you again for your generosity. I am delighted to share this DVD with the people of Florida.”

Whoops. Sterling Ivey, the governor's press secretary said the signature was automated and they (foolishly) sent the thank you prior to looking at the DVD.

"We are NOT sharing the DVD with the people of Florida. The governor does not support this view. The letter was sent out prior to us reviewing the DVD that was sent."

Two U.S. Toddlers Shot By Siblings Within Hours of Each Other

Two U.S. toddlers have been shot within hours of each other, both by siblings who somehow found guns. Both incidents occurred on Thursday night.

In Las Vegas, a two-year-old girl was in a critical condition after being shot by her four-year-old brother at their home. The father was at home at the time of the incident, but nevertheless, the four-year-old managed to get his hands on a 9mm handgun.

In South Carolina, a four-year-old boy was shot in the stomach by his three-year-old brother, once again after his sibling found a gun. The two boys and their father had stayed overnight at a family friend's house, but the two-year-old found a .22 handgun under his bed when he awoke in the middle of the night and accidentally shot his brother.

These shootings come less than a week after a five-year-old boy, Giovanni Kopystenski, shot himself in the head, killing himself with a handgun he found in his father's car. That incident occurred on Monday night,

Giovanni Kopystenski's father, 31-year-old Alex Kopystenski, has been charged with child endangerment.

Voyeurs That We Are, People Continue Searching for Erin Andrews' Video

Another day, another 24-hour period with Erin Andrews at the top of the Google Trends list. Today, the search term is "erin andrews peephole tape video watch." In other words, people still want to watch the darn thing, more than a week later.

You haven't seen it yet? Realistically, the Erin Andrews peephole video is not "all that." I watched it the first day that the s*** hit the fan over it, and really, it's so grainy you can't tell much, except to tell it's a naked blonde who obviously doesn't shave.

The Erin Andrews peephole video, as you may or may not know, had been up since February, but had been pretty unknown until ESPN told a site hosting it to pull it down. After they did that, everyone (and I mean everyone) picked up on it and all of a sudden everyone (and I mean everyone) wanted to watch it.

Reputable sites aren't, under threat of legal recourse, not hosting the video, but there are plenty of questionable sites that will allow you to watch the Erin Andrews peephole video. These sites will either make you fill out some crazy offer, or else give you a virus.

Meanwhile, mainstream media has posted the pics (one above), and based first-hand viewing of the peephole video, you aren't missing much if you can't watch it. Additionally, while Erin Andrews' legal team and ESPN are trying to figure out who posted the video, Radar Online seems to think it was an inside job.

So far, the only details known are that the poster was a user named Goblazers1, IDed as a 49-year-old male from the United States, which may or may not be true. Even the location could have been spoofed with a proxy server.

At any rate, this Erin Andrews peephole video story will not go away. Even if the need to watch it fades away (and it won't), once ESPN and authorities figure out who posted it (and they probably will, the story, and interest, will rise again (no pun intended).

Nadya Suleman Inks Deal for Reality Show

Guess who signed a reality TV contract? Octomom, Nadya Suleman. While the project had been in the works, the ink is finally dry on the contract.

Nadya Suleman signed the deal with European production company Eyeworks. Among its other shows Eyeworks lists "Breaking Bonaduce" and "The Biggest Loser."

The deal isn't huge. Each child will receive $250 for each day of filming. The production deal is for 3 years, which when totaled will amount to $250,000.

The contracts will require the approval of a judge. Paperwork was filed Friday in Los Angeles. If approved, filming will begin on September 1st. A trust has been established for the Suleman children, as required by California law. Eyeworks will place 15% of the gross compensation into the trust.

You can bet everything will be clearly and carefully outlined in the contract. Nadya Suleman and Radar Online are facing allegations of child labor abuse.

State regulators brought four citations against Radar Online with regards to video taping of the first two octuplets to go home from the hospital. The California Labor Commissioner said the site did not obtain the required permits, amd videotaped the infants for lengths of time and at hours that are illegal.

As you most likely know, Nadya Suleman gave birth to the world's longest-surviving set of octuplets on Jan. 26th. While first proclaimed a miracle, the public turned on Suleman when it was discovered that she already had six children, and that all of them were the result of in vitro fertilization.

Officers Forced to Mace Rampaging Groundhog

Don't worry, it's not Punxsutawney Phil, but a "berserk" groundhog attacked police, forcing them to mace the animal.

The incident occurred in Boonton Township, New Jersey on Thursday. A resident, Alex Scott, told police he had attempted to leave his house at 11:46 AM. When he entered his garage to get his truck, the groundhog began to chase him. Scott ran back into his house and called police.

Police Sgt. Mike Danyo and Officer Paul Ryan arrived and were promptly set upon by a groundhog on a rampage. Ryan discharged pepper spray into the groundhog's face, which allowed the officers to snare the animal.

The groundhog was later euthanized and its remains will be shipped to the Department of Health and Senior Services for rabies testing.

Big Pharma Spends $40M in Three Months of Lobbying, But "It's the Statistics, Stupid"

It's been said that America is no longer a republic, because in reality, those in office do little to represent our interests, and more to represent the interests of those with big pockets. In this case, NPR reports that the pharmaceutical industry has spent $40 million over the past three months lobbying.

Lobbying what, you might ask? What else, but lobbying for health care reform.

You read that right: they are lobbying for health care reform. While quite obviously insurance and pharmaceutical companies seem to stand to lose a lot if health care reform passes, Big Pharma has managed to take many items off the table, such that health care reform will not include drug re-importation from Canada, and government-negotiated drug prices.

That shows you the power of Big Pharma, because Medicare, for example, can negotiate everything but drug prices.

Lobbying or no, Americans need to get better-educated, and not from ads. They need to dig into statistics. Go to the Unicef website, and use their tools to generate customized statistical tables.

Compare numbers between countries. Check it out. My example uses Canada, Cuba, the U.S., and the U.K.

In every column we lag the others, except for lifespan where we manage a tie with Cuba and trail the U.K. and U.S. Cuba? How do you like knowing a child has a better chance for survival at birth due to a lower infant mortality rate in Cuba than in the U.S. Why?

All those countries have Universal Health Care. To paraphrase: "It's the statistics, stupid."

JK Wedding Entrance Dance Video Becomes Viral Sensation

A couple, Jill and Kevin Heinz (hence JK), who decided, mostly due to the wishes of the bride, to dance not at the wedding reception, but into the wedding ceremony, has had the YouTube video version go viral. The couple and wedding party boogied their way down the aisle on their wedding day.

The JK Wedding Entrance Dance video, as it's become known, is so popular, it's had 1.7 million views already. Jill and Kevin Heinz have also appeared on The Today Show and Good Morning, America, as a result of dancing down the aisle.

Jill Heinz told GMA how the JK Wedding Entrance dance video idea came about, saying: "I grew up dancing and I danced in college. It was something I always wanted to do. I wanted to dance in on the wedding. And Kevin jumped in on board."

Besides Jill and Kevin Heinz, the entire wedding party was encouraged to dance down the aisle, all in their own style. One groomsman even walked down the aisle on his hands.

Aside from the wedding party, no one else knew of the arrangement. The audience can be seen laughing it up and smiling, however, so they obviously appreciated the JK Wedding entrance dance.

Let's hope that Jill and Kevin Heinz' dance however, doesn't become a trend. That would, in fact, remove the spontaneity and and cleverness, if everyone started copying it.

Four boys, Aged 9 - 14, Accused of Raping Eight-Year-Old

Four boys, aged 9 - 14, have been accused of raping an eight-year-old in the Phoenix, AZ area. Police say the boys lured the girl to an empty shed on July 16th, using the pretense of giving her gum.

Officers responding to cries from the girl arrived to find the four boys running from the shed and the girl only partially clothed. A good guess would be that the boys heard the sirens and ran for it.

Worse for the girl: her parents have shunned her. The family consists of refugees from Liberia. In some parts of Africa, families often accuse girls who are raped of bringing shame on the family.

According to police sergeant Andy Hill,

"The father told the case worker and an officer in her presence that he didn't want her back. He said 'Take her, I don't want her.'"

The 14-year-old boy was charged Wednesday as an adult with two counts of sexual assault and kidnapping. The other boys, aged 9, 10, and 13, were charged as juveniles with sexual assault. The 10-year-old and 13-year-old were also charged with kidnapping.

Some Blame ESPN, Erin Andrews Herself Over Peephole Tape Firestorm

Erin Andrews peephole video, first revealed last Friday, has been a continuing source of media attention, blame, speculation, and angst. It's the story that just won't go away.

Admittedly, it's one of those stories that everyone has jumped all over. Not only has the media jumped on it, it's clear from the fact that search queries for the Erin Andrews peephole tape or similar terms continue to be in the top 5 every day. The fact that virus writers jumped on the bandwagon as well just goes to show how "big" the story is.

Realistically, the Erin Andrews peephole tape (I've seen it) is grainy, and hardly worth the time. The photos leaked by various media outlets are just as grainy. If Erin Andrews hadn't, via her lawyers, admitted to the legitimacy of the video, it would be hard to be sure it was her.

Some are even pointing the finger at both ESPN and Erin Andrews, as though they had something to do with the peephole tape. For example, USA Today sports reporter Christine Brennan posted the following tweets, which raised hackles:

Women sports journalists need to be smart and not play to the frat house. There are tons of nuts out there. Erin Andrews incident is bad, but to add perspective: there are 100s of women sports journalists who have never had this happen to them.

Unfortunately, the only thing that brings to my mind is "huh?" It's not as though Andrews ended up drunk somewhere and that's how the video resulted. Brennan later backtracked, saying in another tweet:

Time to address mini-firestorm. "Play to the frat house" is a term I use in speeches, for all women to avoid.

I'm still thinking "huh?," wondering if Brennan wants Andrews to avoid hotels with peepholes.

On the other hand, the NY Post (remember that they are now banned from ESPN, based on their leaking Erin Andrews peephole tape pictures, not the video) said:

NO one would have known that a sick voyeur had secretly videotaped ESPN reporter Erin Andrews nude in her hotel room, if the Mickey Mouse sports network hadn't sent a letter to an obscure Web site demanding that it take down its link to a fuzzy video of an unidentified blonde. The video had gone largely unnoticed since it first went up in February, according to a girlie-posting site, DonChavez.com.

Now that's interesting, but still, why blame ESPN and Erin Andrews? The sicko who posted this needs to be caught and prosecuted for posting the peephole tape, and according to Andrews' attorneys, he will be. Can we move on to newer stories now? Heck, there was a perfect game just yesterday!

Perhaps I am just asking for too much.

Pro-Abstinence GOP Legislator Had Affair with Intern

Another fine, upstanding, GOP legislator has an affair. Hardly seems like news, except there's plenty more where that came from.

Tennessee state senator Paul Stanley is, according to his website "a member of Christ United Methodist Church, where he serves as a Sunday school teacher and board member of their day school." He's also anti-gay and a strong believer in abstinence.

This is what Joan Carr, director of community affairs for Planned Parenthood of the Greater Memphis Region said he told her in April:

"Sen. Paul Stanley is my state senator, and he made it clear at our meeting that he didn't care about my concerns about these issues that have a major impact in the Memphis area and that he would not ever support Planned Parenthood. He told us that he didn't believe young people should have sex before marriage anyway, that his faith and church are important to him, and he wants to promote abstinence."

Ah, yes, young people shouldn't have sex before marriage. Does that mean they have to be married to the person they are having sex with? I guess it doesn't matter, as in this case there was no marriage involved, period.

Paul Stanley has admitted to police via an affidavit that he had sex with a 22-year-old female intern (whew, he dodged one bullet; at least it was a woman, and neither a male nor a minor). He made this admission after the intern's boyfriend tried to blackmail him with video of the tryst.

Said boyfriend is now in custody and charged with extortion.

Ah, but it gets better. Paul Stanley (BTW, up for election in 2010) has more skeletons in his closet.

Judy Martin, Stanley's first wife, Judy Martin, filed for a restraining order against him in '94, charging that he had physically assaulted her three times. Stanley and Martin divorced the following year.

Finally, and quite possibly the most ironic news of all, Paul Stanley met his current wife, Kristi, soon afterwards. They were both working for Bill Frist's U.S. Senate office in Memphis. She was working as an intern.

The "Cash for Clunkers" Program Begins

"Cash for Clunkers" kicks off today, July 24th. Although nicknamed "Cash for Clunkers," it is officially named the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS, no!). While billed more as an environmental program, it's also hoped it will be prove to be a stimulus for car dealers.

The official website for "Cash for Clunkers" is at http://www.cars.gov/. While the program kicks off today, the site itself says rebates won't start until July 27th, which would be Monday. Still, car dealers have said they are seeing more interest, and hope for an immediate stimulus to sales.

How does "Cash for Clunkers" work for you, the consumer? Is it going to be a stimulus for you, someone hanging on to an older, less-green automobile, to upgrade? One thing to remember, if you are willing to shop Chrysler vehicles: to "celebrate" the event, Chrysler is offering a matching rebate to customers, doubling the rebate.

It should be remembered that "Cash for Clunkers" requires you to buy (or lease) a new car. You cannot buy a used car and still get the rebate, and that should be remembered, since depreciation, as I hope you know, is highest at the beginning of a car's life. That already is a "sort of" rebate. Still, many want new cars, and only new cars.

Now the big question: how much do you save and how does it work? From the official "Cash for Clunkers" website, here are the details:

The "Cash for Clunkers" trade-in must be less than 25 years in age.

Generally, trade-in vehicles must get 18 or less MPG.

"Cash for Clunkers" New Passenger Car Rebate Details: The value of the credit for the purchase or lease of a new passenger car depends upon the difference between the combined fuel economy of the vehicle that is traded in and that of the new vehicle that is purchased or leased. If the new vehicle has a combined fuel economy that is at least 4, but less than 10, miles per gallon higher than the traded-in vehicle, the credit is $3,500. If the new vehicle has a combined fuel economy value that is at least 10 miles per gallon higher than the traded-in vehicle, the credit is $4,500.

"Cash for Clunkers" New Truck, Van, or SUV Rebate Details: The value of the credit given for the purchase or lease of a category 1 or 2 truck also generally depends on the difference between the combined fuel economy of the vehicle that is traded in and that of the new vehicle that is purchased or leased. If the new vehicle is a category 1 truck that has a combined fuel economy value that is at least 2, but less than 5, miles per gallon higher than the traded-in vehicle, the credit is $3,500. If the new category 1 truck has a combined fuel economy value that is at least 5 miles per gallon higher than the traded-in vehicle, the credit is $4,500.

If both the new vehicle and the traded-in vehicle are category 2 trucks and the combined fuel economy value of the new vehicle is at least 1, but less than 2, miles per gallon higher than the combined fuel economy value of the traded in vehicle, the credit is $3,500.

If both the new vehicle and the traded-in vehicle are category 2 trucks and the combined fuel economy of the new vehicle is at least 2 miles per gallon higher than that of the traded-in vehicle, the credit is $4,500.

A $3,500 credit applies to the purchase or lease of a category 2 truck if the trade-in vehicle is a category 3 (work) truck that was manufactured not later than model year 2001, but not earlier than 25 years before the date of the trade in.

"Cash for Clunkers" New Work Trucks Rebate Details: A work truck, which is called a category 3 truck under the CARS Act, is subject to special rules. Work trucks are not rated for fuel economy by the EPA. Thus, the eligibility of work trucks for the program does not depend on combined fuel economy. Instead, work trucks may only be traded in under the program if they were manufactured not later than model year 2001 and not earlier than 25 years before the date of the trade in. In addition, work trucks may only be traded in for the purchase of a category 2 truck or another category 3 truck that is of similar size or smaller than the traded-in vehicle. Finally, the Act provides only for a $3,500 credit for trading in a work truck.

The CARS Act limits the amount of funds that can be used to provide credits for purchases or leases of work trucks. Only 7.5 percent of the funds appropriated for the program may be used for credits for work trucks. Once that limit is reached, NHTSA will stop making payments for these transactions. NHTSA will keep the public informed as to the funds that remain available for these credits.

"Cash for Clunkers" rebates will not be taxable as income, so don't worry about it acting as a negative stimulus to your wallet, of any type.

Further, dealers cannot further create a "Cash for Clunkers" stimulus to their bank account by charging you a fee for the program.

More questions? Go to the "Cash for Clunkers" official website linked above.

Jon Stewart Takes Over for Walter Cronkite as America's Most Trusted Newscaster

With the passing of Walter Cronkite, who do Americans consider to be the most "trusted newscaster in the country?" Katie Couric? Brian Williams? Nope, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show.

This could be seen as a bad thing. Stewart has always been clear in stating that The Daily Show is satire. At the same time, many have noted that the news that comes out of the show is more truthful and on the mark than mainstream media.

The poll was done by Time magazine, and is definitely unscientific. Here are the results:

Jon Stewart - 44%
Brian Williams - 29%
Charles Gibson - 19%
Katie Couric - 7%

Constipation Relief Via Hammers: Not Such a Good Idea

Viorel Firoiu of Romania decided tools would be more useful to cure his constipation than something like Metamucil. Granted, he was drunk at the time, but ...

As hospital spokeswoman Dr. Cristina Bontescu said:

"He was a bit drunk and said he had been eating cherries that had left him badly constipated.

"He said he had a few drinks to dull the pain and then came up with the idea of poking a hammerhead up his backside in the hope of sorting out the constipation.

"But the hammerhead got stuck and then he came up with the idea of using a second hammerhead in order to try and get out the first - but then he lost the second one as well."

Seems to me one shouldn't attempt de-constipating himself with tools while one is hammered, but that's just MHO. Could have been worse; he could have tried power tools.

Does Michelle Beisner in 2007 Even Remotely Resemble the Erin Andrews Video Scandal?

The Erin Andrews peephole video incident is by no means secret, but fingers are being pointed in rather strange places. For example, Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports says that Deadspin's A.J. Daulerio is to blame for this mess for "sexually objectifying Erin Andrews."

That's not all, though. Whitlock obviously does not like Daulerio, and he goes on to state that Daulerio's "invasion of Stuart Scott's and Michelle Beisner's privacy in 2007" is just bad as the Erin Andrews peephole video scandal.

Michelle Beisner is a former Denver Broncos cheerleader, and a current NFL Network sideline reporter, by the way. Here's what Whitlock said:

But let me refresh your memory once again regarding Deadspin's original, unpunished sin. At a Super Bowl party Daulerio looked over Stu Scott's shoulder and read a text message that Scott sent to Beisner at 12:30 a.m. The message simply stated, "Lemme know."

Here's how Daulerio interpreted the text:

"Now, obviously, "Lemme know" is pretty non-descript. But at 12:30 a.m., in Miami, well, it means "Are you coming out tonight to f--- me or what?" Especially given who Scott was texting (I literally read the name right off his phone):

"Her name is Michelle Beisner, former Denver Broncos cheerleader and aspiring D-list Hollywood actress-type. Blonde. White Woman. Hey, nobody likes to start rumors about Stuart F---ing Scott, but if Michelle Beisner is his booty call, well, BooYa, my friend. Boo F---ing Ya."

It's true, that with that post, which admittedly could have meant anything, Michelle Beisner was basically being called a home-wrecker, as Scott was married, but still, it's hard to compare with someone being taped nude through a peephole. What do you readers think?

PETA Video Alleges Ringling Bros. Cruelty to Elephants

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has released an undercover video that reportedly shows abuse of Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey circus elephants. PETA said that the video was shot earlier this year.

The four-minute video shows circus trainers using bullhooks striking elephants across the head, legs and body. Critics of bullhooks have called them cruel and painful. An example of such criticism is at the "Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants" site:

Bullhook supporters rationalize bullhook use and claim they are like a "leash" or that they can be used "properly" or that it's like the extension of a keeper's "arm" or that it's like a mother elephant's "trunk."

Each of these claims is ridiculous.

Bullhooks are rods with solid steel pointed ends (resembling a fireplace poker) which are specifically designed to inflict pain. If it were like a leash, it would look like a leash ... people's hands and elephant trunks are not made of steel. The claim that this weapon can be used positively is pure nonsense - the very nature of the bullhook is to dominate through fear and violence (i.e. get the elephant to fear the bullhook through violence). This is the only way it works - there are no "good" ways to use the bullhook .. which is why all sanctuaries forbid use of the bullhook and more than 50% of all zoos no longer use bullhooks. Only circuses and backward zoos and handlers still use this archaic and violent method of domination.

Meanwhile, Ringling Bros. defends its bullhook use, with circus spokeswoman Amy McWethy denied saying:

"Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey loves its elephants. Bullhooks are used harmlessly by elephant trainers throughout the world."

PETA further requests readers to boycott circus events, and to send an email via its site to Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack. Watch the PETA video:



Watch an MSNBC report:

Romaine Lettuce Recalled Over Salmonella Fears

A Salinas, CA company is issuing a romaine lettuce recall because of fear it may be contaminated with salmonella. The recall is limited to one lot of lettuce, but that amounts to 22,000 cartons.

According to Tanimura & Antle Inc. of Salinas, the romaine lettuce recall affects lot number 531380. The lettuce was sold to retail, wholesale and food service outlets in Canada, Puerto Rico and 29 states. The recall affects only this single lot of romaine lettuce, no other products are involved.

States affected by the romaine lettuce recall are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, North Carolina, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The romaine lettuce recall was issued on Wednesday, and to this point, no illnesses related to salmonella have been reported. According to Tanimura & Antle's website, the romaine lettuce recall is due to a finding of Salmonella in a routine box check.

The U.S. has seen a spike in these sorts of salmonella-related recalls in the past few years. Many food experts believe it is our reliance on centralized food processing and distribution centers that has led to the increase.

Consumers interested in more details on the romaine lettuce recall can call the company at (877) 827-7388. Additionally, the company will issue updates via its website.

ESPN Bans NY Post Reporters After Paper Publishes Erin Andrews Photos

The Erin Andrews peephole video story is old news, but still extremely popular news. Let's be honest, she's a hottie.

Since some sites are reportedly trying to slap malware on your PC if you try to view a video, many are searching for photos of Erin Andrews nude, instead. That brings us to the New York Post, which printed pictures from the peephole video recently, and has thus earned the wrath of ESPN.

ESPN has been NY Post reporters, or at least reporters involved in the posting of the Erin Andrews peephole video photos. ESPN senior vice president of communications Chris LaPlaca said in a statement Wednesday night:

"While we understand the Post's decision to cover this as a news story, their running photos obtained in such a fashion went well beyond the boundaries of common decency in the interest of sensationalism."

The New Post published three different photos taken from the Erin Andrews peephole video.

Meanwhile, the search for the original poster of the video continues. Erin Andrews' attorneys made this statement previously (perhaps a mistake since it confirmed the validity of the peephole video):

"While alone in the privacy of her hotel room, Erin Andrews was surreptitiously videotaped without her knowledge or consent. She was the victim of a crime and is taking action to protect herself and help ensure that others are not similarly violated in the future. Although the perpetrator or perpetrators of this criminal act have not yet been identified, when they are identified she intends to bring both civil and criminal charges against them and against anyone who has published the material. We request respect of Erin's privacy at this time, while she and her representatives are working with the authorities."

You can see the other two Erin Andrews peephole video photos at the NY Post story linked above; we have attached one.

After Two Year Search, Va. Tech Gunman's Mental Health Records Found

The mental health records for Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho, who on April 16, 2007, massacred 32 people before killing himself, have been found. They had been missing for more than two years and were discovered in the home of the university clinic's former director, along with the records of some other students.

The information was shared with victims' families via a memo from the university to Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine's chief legal counsel. According to the memo, Robert Miller, the former director, had moved the records into his home more than a year before the killings.

Mike Pohle, whose son was killed in the shootings, said:

"The words that come to mind are cover-up, collusion, obstruction. I'm spinning. Who knows what could be in those records, but this is just potentially more information that says: Virginia Tech, you failed to do your job."

It's unclear, however, that Va. Tech can be implicated in the missing records, as they were taken home by Miller himself, and well before the shootings. The incident does, however, point to lax security at the clinic.

Robert T. Hall, an attorney involved in the "gross negligence" lawsuit filed by the families of slain students Erin Peterson and Julia Pryde, said:

"Why would he (Miller) take any student mental health records to his home at any time, and why that student? It certainly is a question of whether there is more to the Seung-Hui Cho mental health history than we've been told."

The families of Erin Peterson and Julia Pryde were the only ones who did not participate in a settlement paid last year by the state of Virginia.

"Yo Quiero Taco Bell" No More as Taco Bell Dog Dies

Gidget, the chihuahua used in those old "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" commercials which originated back in 1997, has died. She was 15.

To be exact, Gidget was the second chihuahua used in the commercials. The first Taco Bell dog was Dinky, whom Gidget replaced.

The Taco Bell commercials were both controversial, and a hit. While most found the ads funny and the dog cute, many accused them of being stereotypical.

Besides the Taco Bell commercials, Gidget appeared in a commercial for the '90s edition of Trivial Pursuit and played Bruiser's mom in Legally Blonde 2.

Watch one of the ads below. In this ad, the Taco Bell dog is not happy with the menu selection so he decides to go to Taco Bell without his girlfriend.

Oakland, CA Approves Country's First Medical Marijuana Tax

The voters of city of Oakland, CA, have approved the first tax on medical marijuana in the country. The city has four dispensaries that took in about $19.7 million in revenue in the last fiscal year.

While affecting only the city of Oakland, it is hoped that the new tax will could help legitimize medical marijuana; the entire state is also considering such a tax.

The measure will levy an $18 tax for every $1,000 in gross marijuana sales. Oakland firms in the city already pay a $1.20 business tax on each $1,000 in sales. Voters approved Measure F by a margin of 80%, according to preliminary results released by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.

Oakland's city administrator estimates that the new marijuana tax will generate an estimated $294,000 for the city in its first year. Oakland city councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, who co-sponsored the measure, is a bit more generous, estimating as much as $1 million per year.

An earlier pledge by Eric Holder, Attorney General, that the Obama administration to stop prosecution of dispensaries that follow state laws led city officials to consider taxation of marijuana as a revenue source.

Kaplan said, with regard to the new guidelines over medical marijuana:

"It was the perfect moment. We had a horrible budget crisis in the city, and we were looking for revenue. But it would hardly make sense for us to tax a business that might be shut down by the federal government."

Sprite Oral Sex Ad Was Unauthorized, Fake: Producer

An ad which many media outlets had reported was "banned" from television was actually a fake ad. The ad, purportedly for Sprite, shows a woman apparently performing oral sex, but ending up with a faceful of Sprite instead (of what you might think).

In fact, the ad was a SPEC ad. A SPEC ad is a "speculative ad. It's an ad you're writing on your own to build your portfolio. This isn't a 'real' assignment. It's material you're writing to show potential clients or employers samples of your writing."

The producer / director sent out the following statement about the video:

My name is Max Isaacson, I directed and produced the fake Sprite ads that have been making the rounds over the past five days. There have been quite a lot of false statements made regarding these and I would like to make a few things very clear about these spots. First, there was no involvement from either The Coca-Cola Company or Greencard Pictures. Second, this was not supposed to be taken seriously by anybody. They were made completely on spec, which was clearly stated on the YouTube pages on which the ads were primarily seen. I paid for, produced and directed both spots independently. I am frankly quite surprised that spots of this nature were so quickly and easily believed to be legitimate. I hope that all parties involved will understand that this was a simple mistake that went much too far too fast, and that it is now made clear that these were not real commercials, nor were they ever produced with intention of being taken as such.

The video itself was pulled from YouTube for copyright reasons, but you can see it here, via the Young Turks.

Villagers Fall Back on Frog Marriage to Bring Rains

Lack of monsoons got you down? Maybe a frog wedding would cheer you up?

While often India's monsoons can bring flooding, this year the country suffered its worst start to its monsoon rains in eight decades. Instead of vital water supplies, drought came to some states.

Because of this, villagers in Madhya Baragari village in West Bengal state pooled their money and married Ram and Sita. Not people, these were two frogs named after India's most revered mythological couple from the epic Ramayana.

The ritual should be rains, if things work as planned. The frogs' heads were smeared with vermilion paint and the pair were held up in the air in front of a traditional clay candle.

Shobin Ray, head of a local council in Madhya Baragari village told Reuters:

"We feted about 3,000 villagers and solemnised the marriage with every single ritual."

Bill Moyers on the Influence of Money on the Health Care Reform Debate

From last week's Bill Moyers Journal, Bill chimes in on the influence of money on the health care reform debate. This was the closing segment from last Friday's show:

BILL MOYERS: This week, Regina Benjamin was nominated by President Obama to be our next surgeon general, charged with keeping the American public informed about our health. She's a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation 'Genius Grant.'

But more important, she's a country doctor, a family physician along the Gulf Coast of Alabama, serving the poor and uninsured. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed her clinic a second time, she mortgaged her own home to rebuild it. The day it was to reopen, a fire burned the clinic to the ground. Moving to a trailer, Dr. Benjamin and her staff never missed a day of work. Dr. Benjamin will no doubt bring that same ethic to the fight for health care reform.

Many of the folks in Regina Benjamin's bayou town are so poor that sometimes she's paid with a pint of oysters or a couple of fish. She buys medicine for her patients out of her own pocket, and she makes house calls.

Now meet H. Edward Hanway, the Chairman and CEO of Cigna, the country's fourth largest insurance company. At the beginning of the year, Cigna blamed hard economic times when it announced the layoff of 1,100 employees. But it reported first quarter profits of $208 million on revenues of $4 billion. Mr. Hanway has announced his retirement at the end of the year, and the living will be easy, financially at least. He made $11.4 million dollars in 2008, according to the Associated Press, and some years more than that.

That's a lot of oysters, although he lags behind Ron Williams, the CEO of Aetna Insurance, who made more than $17 million dollars last year, or John Hammergren, the head of McKesson, the biggest health care company in the world. His compensation was nearly $30 million.

Here's the difference. To Dr. Regina Benjamin, health care is a service, helping people in need with grace and compassion. To Ed Hanway and his highly paid friends, it's big business, a commodity to be sold to those who can afford it. And woe to anyone who gets between them and the profits they reap from sick people.

That behavior includes spending nearly a million and a half a day--a day!--to make sure health care reform comes out their way. Over the years they've lavished millions on the politicians who are writing and voting on the bills coming out of committee. Now it's payback time. See for yourself here on our website, where you'll find a link to campaign contributions and the politicians who right now are deciding who wins and who loses the heath care debate.

That's it for the week. I'm Bill Moyers and I'll see you next time.

Watch the video:

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Named in Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Star Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has been named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a woman in Nevada. The lawsuit names a total of nine defendants. Andrea McNulty is listed as the plaintiff.

Atlanta-based attorney David Cornwell released the following statement on behalf of Ben Roethlisberger:

"This weekend Andrea McNulty served Ben Roethlisberger with a civil complaint accusing him of sexually assaulting her in July 2008. Ben has never sexually assaulted anyone; especially Andrea McNulty. The timing of the lawsuit and the absence of a criminal complaint and a criminal investigation are the most compelling evidence of the absence of any criminal conduct. If an investigation is commenced, Ben will cooperate fully and Ben will be fully exonerated.

NFL training camps open in a week.

While it is true that many among celebrities / athletes / the wealthy consider themselves privileged and some (we're not saying Big Ben) think the word "no" means "yes, you are a star, go for it," there are no details as of yet. Still, one wouldn't expect much to come of it based on the history among these sorts of things.

Professionally, Ben Roethlisberger was named the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2004, and became the youngest Super Bowl–winning QB in NFL history in his second season, when he led the Steelers to a 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL at the age of 23.

Named to his first Pro Bowl in 2007, Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a second Super Bowl title in four seasons this year as they defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, 27-23, after he made a game-winning TD pass to Santonio Holmes in the final 35 seconds.

Brian Kilmeade Apologizes for Racist Comments (Sort Of)

Every time you turn around, the right is exhibiting racism in one form or another. This one here verges on xenophobia. Of course, Kilmeade apologized today. Whoopee.

On July 8th, Brian Kilmeade of Fox & Friends made this ridiculous comment, in reference to a study that marriage reduces Alzheimer's.

“We keep marrying other species and other ethnics. The problem is that the Swedes have pure genes, cause they marry other Swedes, because that’s the rule. Finland, Finns marry other Finns, so they have a pure society. In America we marry everybody, Italians, and Irish, so this study does not apply to us. That’s how I feel."

Dementia aside, we're not pure in America. Huh.

Species. This implies that anyone not white is a different species, which is what they first tried to palm off on people during the days of slavery.

Watch it:
Kilmeade "apologized" today, saying:

“I made comments that were offensive to many people. That was not my intention. Looking back at those comments I realize they were inappropriate. For that, I sincerely apologize. America, is a huge melting pot and that is what makes us such a great country.”

What he really apologized for is that he thought only Fox viewers would see it, no harm there. And in terms of a sincere apology, this is about a 2 out of 10 for sincerity.

Watch the video of the "apology":

Michael Vick Released from Home Confinement

Ex-NFL QB Michael Vick is baaaaaack. He's been released from home confinement, where he's been since May, after spending 18 months at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas.

With this, Michael Vick no longer has to wear the electronic monitor he’s had while under home confinement. He also can rejoin the NFL, if he's allowed back in, that is.

Michael Vick hopes to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell soon. Goodell has previously said he would review Vick’s status after his release. Of course, if Vick is able to return to the NFL, it won’t be with Atlanta. The Falcons released him in June.

Michael Vick was convicted of facilitating, hosting, and bankrolling dogfighting rings. He will be on probation for the next three years. He also is under a three-year suspended sentence for a state dogfighting conviction.

Some fans will undoubtedly embrace his return, if it happens. Teams as well as fans are usually forgiving of a talented player, but this crime has surely stirred the anger of many. What do you readers think? Would you watch and cheer for Michael Vick?

Hackers Spread MalwareThrough Erin Andrews Video

Reports of a peephole video showing ESPN's reporter Erin Andrews nude first emerged on Friday, but since then it's continued to be one of the most widely searched for terms on the Internet. Hackers aren't wont to pass that sort of opportunity up, and are attempting to infect your computer via purported links to the video.

Erin Andrews' lawyers say that they will take legal action against anyone distributing the footage, which, peephole video that it was, was taken without her knowledge or consent. In fact, this sort of announcement just verifies that the video is real, and makes people interested in finding a link to the video all the more desperate. Here's what they said in a press release:

"While alone in the privacy of her hotel room, Erin Andrews was surreptitiously videotaped without her knowledge or consent. She was the victim of a crime and is taking action to protect herself and help ensure that others are not similarly violated in the future. Although the perpetrator or perpetrators of this criminal act have not yet been identified, when they are identified she intends to bring both civil and criminal charges against them and against anyone who has published the material. We request respect of Erin's privacy at this time, while she and her representatives are working with the authorities."

On Friday, I managed to find an Erin Andrews peephole video link with the aid of Google, and armed with common sense and good anti-malware software, checked it out. It's not really all that worth it, guys. Anyway, that was earlier, and AV firm Sophos reports that hackers are redirecting folks to links which spread malware:

Of course, hackers are no slacks when it comes to taking advantage of a hot internet search trend, and although the real video has now been removed from YouTube, they have been quick to set up bogus webpages claiming to contain the video footage of Ms Andrews in her hotel room.

And - surprise surprise - if you visit those webpages you could be putting the security of your computer at real risk. For instance, in the video I have made I show how a website has been set up to look like a genuine CNN video page - but in fact, it tries to fool you into thinking that your browser's popup blocker has prevented the peephole video from playing and tries to make you download a malicious program.

Likely, you'll see (if you haven't already) email spam trying to spread the same sort of malware with an Erin Andrews peephole video link embedded in it. Want to try to watch it? There are valid links, but cross your fingers if you try any links, and don't get faked into installing anything.

Gays. Straights, Hold Kiss-In at Mormon Temple

Less than two weeks after a gay couple was arrested for kissing at the plaza next to the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, a mass kissing protest near the Mormon church temple Sunday grew into a shouting match between gay activists and a group of Mormons.

The protest involved not just gay couples, but straight couples as well. This is the second consecutive weekend in which about 100 people gathered to stage a "kiss-in" to protest the treatment of two gay men cited for trespassing July 8th after they shared a kiss on the plaza owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Both gay and straight couples exchanged kisses during the protest.

A mass-kissing protest near the Mormon church temple Sunday drew a shouting match between gay activists and a group of faithful Mormons. This is the second consecutive weekend that about 100 people gathered to stage a "kiss-in" in protest of the treatment of Matt Aune and his partner, Derek Jones, who were cited for trespassing on July 9 after they shared a kiss on the plaza owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

No one was arrested or cited, despite a large group exchanging kisses by a reflecting pool at the plaza's center, and a large group of Mormons holding signs deprecating homosexuality and shouting between the two groups.

The plaza was built in the 1990s alongside the Temple. While Matt Aune say he and his partner, Derek Jones, exchanged a modest kiss at the plaza 11 days ago, church officials deny that assertion.

Church spokeswoman Kim Farah said in a statement issued Friday:

"There was much more involved that a simple kiss of the cheek. They engaged in passionate kissing, groping, profane and lewd language, and had obviously been using alcohol."

The Salt Lake Tribune reported that some Mormon church members appeared in support of the protest:

LDS Church members in support of the protest, and troubled by their church's support last fall for California's Proposition 8, also made a showing. One handed out fliers promoting an online petition for "reconciliation" between the church and gay and lesbian community. Another, 25-year-old Brigham Young University graduate, Kate Savage, attended with her boyfriend, Tristan Call.

"It's as if the doctrine of the importance of families we're taught is used to destroy other people's families, and we don't understand that," Savage said.

Lobbyists Pay Homeless to Stand in Lines for Them

Ever wish you could paid someone to stand in line for you while you wait for concert tickets or a blockbuster movie? Lobbyists, who sometimes need to stand in line for hearings, are paying people to hold their places.

As CNN noted, many of the contracted line-standers are homeless or formerly homeless. For big hearings with limited availability, the wait may be as long as 20 to 30 hours. Those in line are paid anywhere from $11 to $35 an hour.

Maria Foscarinis, an advocate for the homeless, finds the practice ironic.

"They're likely to be standing in line for people who well may be opposed to universal health care that would be a benefit for poor and homeless people. And yet they may be standing there for the purpose of access for the interests that are opposed to their own."

Watch the video report:

Bono Dishes on Sidestepping Bush Hug

On Johnathan Ross' BBC talk show Friday night, U2 frontman Bono recalled how he sidestepped an attempted hug by George W. Bush in 2006 at the National Prayer Breakfast.

There was no love between Bono and the former president during Bush's "reign," so Bono "dodged the hug" by jumping behind a podium. While it worked, just about no one in the audience knew, though it was all captured on video.

As Bono said, however, there was one sharp-eyed Senator who noted the incident. He sat down, next to a then-Senator Barack Obama, who whispered to him: "Nice work with the hug dodge."

Watched the full or edited versions of the interview.

Wife Shoots Ex-Husband in Groin to Create Exit for Demons

Surely there are easier ways to create an exit for demons from your ex-husband's body than shooting him in the groin. Seriously, you think?

The problem for me, and probably for the Chattanooga, Tennessee police, is the ex- attached to the word husband. Generally, that means there was some enmity involved.

At any rate, Tina Loher, 41, is accused of shooting her ex-husband, 38-year-old Terry Loher in the groin on July 10th. Still worse, it was at his chiropractic clinic while their two daughters waited outside.

Investigators obtained her diary after the shooting; in it she wrote that she needed to create "portals of exit" for demonic spirits. Here's what the entry said:

"Terry is filled with three demonic spirits. One is assigned to me, one to each of my children. The purpose is to destroy us. The only way Terry will stop trying to destroy us is if the spirits exit his body today. I will have to create three portals of exit, that way they can leave."

Tina Loher has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and two counts of reckless endangerment. Interestingly, the two Lohers are involved in an ongoing dispute over the children, their two daughters, ages 5 and 7.

Hamilton County DA Bill Cox told the judge Tina Loher intends to "finish the job" if she's freed. Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Ronald Durby increased her bond from $140,000 to $600,000.

Ann Coulter: "Being Black Trumps Being an Insect"

Ann Coulter on the Glenn Beck show on Friday, decided to spew out another new nutty idea.

First, she noted that blacks are true victims, but then she notes Liberals haven't done much to help them. Wait, considering the GOP is showing itself to be the party of racists (hey, it's done so many racist things of late, it's hard to debate it), no mention of that?

But she also said Liberals want to be black so they can be victims.

Beck: Does everybody wanna be Black?

Coulter: Liberals do because that's the official, the top victim status so that being black trumps being an insect and ahhh, huh...

Being black trumpbs being an insect? Watch the video:

Man Ticketed for Showering in His Truck

But, officer, the A/C wasn't working! A driver in China was ticketed for taking a shower while driving his truck.

Police pulled the truck over after water was seen leaking from the driver's cab as it sped along the expressway. Police were concerned there was some sort of mechanical problem.

Nope. The man had been enjoying a shower using a jerry-rigged sprinkler system rigged up above his head. Meanwhile, his wife, who was sitting in the passenger seat, had been holding up a sheet of plastic to protect the instruments from the water.

The woman explained that they were rushing to deliver goods in another city and she had rigged up the shower to keep her husband cool after the A/C broke down.

Amputee Pulls Gun Over Missing Straw

Reminds me of "The Fugitive," but in this case they're not trying to find a one-armed man, but a one-legged man. And they've caught him, actually.

A Jonesboro, Arkansas couple's was arrested on weapons and drug charges. To think it all started over a missing straw. Well, french fries, as well.

According to police, Johnathan Hensley, 29, and his wife Jessica, 23, became upset when their Wendy's drive through order was shorted some french fries and a straw. According to the Mrs., she went inside and was insulted by an employee. At that point, she responded with the term n*gger. Whoops.

There isn't much argument as to what happened next. Jessica Hensley exited the building, followed by the employee, at which point Johnathan Hensley decided to start waving around his .38.

The two left, but police arrested the couple a short time later. A search of the truck turned up ingredients for making meth, pills, $12,000 in cash, and two cashiers checks worth $250,000 each.

The $12K was explainable. Maybe. That assumes that Jessica's story that Johnathan had just won a settlement for a lawsuit was the truth.

At any rate, Johnathan Hensley is facing several drug charges, as well as aggravated assault. Jessica wasn't charged in the Wendy's incident. However, she had an outstanding warrant, so she's in the pokey as well.

With so much cash, if they'd just gone to a decent restaurant, perhaps none of this would have happened. Nah.

ESPN's Erin Andrews Exposed Via Peephole Video

Erin Andrews, ESPN's popular reporter and blogger was overexposed this week when the a site uploaded a peephole video of her taken while she was nude. Obviously, based on the image above, there are plenty of men (and some women) who would be interested in a video like that.

The now highly-searched for Erin Andrews peephole video was uploaded to the site NSFWpoa.com, but was removed after attorneys for ESPN sent the owners of the site a threatening notice. The video was described "hot naked blonde who looks a lot like a sports blogger favorite in her hotel room."

Despite the fact blurb didn't describe Erin Andrews by name, it's pretty clear the peephole video was indeed her. Why? Well, a press release by her attorney, no less. It states:

"While alone in the privacy of her hotel room, Erin Andrews was surreptitiously videotaped without her knowledge or consent. She was the victim of a crime and is taking action to protect herself and help ensure that others are not similarly violated in the future. Although the perpetrator or perpetrators of this criminal act have not yet been identified, when they are identified she intends to bring both civil and criminal charges against them and against anyone who has published the material. We request respect of Erin's privacy at this time, while she and her representatives are working with the authorities."

A brief Google search brought up a YouTube video which, while it doesn't have the video itself, directs you to a site where, after you out some garbage offer (you don't really have to use your real name or email address), you are purportedly given the link to the video.

Journalist that I am, I took a look. It's grainy and hardly worth the effort. If in fact it's even Erin Andrews; it's hard to tell from a brief six second clip. However, I guess it is, based on that press release, above.

Walter Cronkite Signs Off at the Age of 92

Walter Cronkite, who I reported earlier was on his deathbed, has died. He was 92.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Walter Cronkite was often cited in viewer opinion polls as "the most trusted man in America." Cronkite was anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News" from 1962 to 1981.

In late June, Walter Cronkite's family issued the following statement, indicating that the longtime newsman was very ill:

"In order to dispel false rumors, Walter Cronkite's family want it known that, sadly, he is very ill and is not expected to recuperate; he is resting at home surrounded by family, friends and a wonderful medical team. We thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes."

Walter Cronkite's last day as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" was on March 6, 1981; he was succeeded the following Monday by Dan Rather. Here is the text of his final statement in that chair:

“This is my last broadcast as the anchorman of The CBS Evening News; for me, it’s a moment for which I long have planned, but which, nevertheless, comes with some sadness. For almost two decades, after all, we’ve been meeting like this in the evenings, and I’ll miss that. But those who have made anything of this departure, I’m afraid have made too much. This is but a transition, a passing of the baton. A great broadcaster and gentleman, Doug Edwards, preceded me in this job, and another, Dan Rather, will follow. And anyway, the person who sits here is but the most conspicuous member of a superb team of journalists; writers, reporters, editors, producers, and none of that will change. Furthermore, I’m not even going away! I’ll be back from time to time with special news reports and documentaries, and, beginning in June, every week, with our science program, Universe. Old anchormen, you see, don’t fade away; they just keep coming back for more. And that’s the way it is: Friday, March 6, 1981. I’ll be away on assignment, and Dan Rather will be sitting in here for the next few years. Good night.”

Walter Cronkite signed off for the final time at 7:42 PM in New York. And that’s the way it is: Friday, July 17, 2009. May he rest in peace.

Calif. City Councilman Sends Racist Emails to Staff, Citizens

California is a Blue state, but there is still plenty of Red in it, particularly in the central portions of the state. The Merced Sun-Star reports on an Atwater, CA city councilman who sent racist jokes about President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and black people in general to prominent citizens in the town.

Councilman Gary Frago admitted sending the e-mails comparing Obama to O.J. Simpson, about Obama taxing aspirin because "it's white and it works" and one about Michelle Obama posing nude for National Geographic.

In terms of general racism, one said:

The Detroit Police Department announced this morning that all Detroit police dogs will be replaced by coon hounds due to the fact that the city is not having any problems with Germans.

Oh, joy. The good thing is, I suppose, that these escapades continue to expose the GOP as the party that's behind the times, very close-minded and yes, racist.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with it, said Frago.

"I don't see where there's a story, I'm not the only one that does it. I didn't originate them, they came to me and I just passed them on."

I have to remember that next time. "But officer, other people speed! Oh, OK, then, that's fine."

Riiiight.

The sort of mentality in the city is obvious from a comment by ex-city worker Bob Rieger, who sent some of the e-mails to Frago.

"They are poking fun at somebody. If it makes somebody laugh I don't see anything wrong with it."

Harry and Louise Return, This Time Supporting Health Care Reform

TV ads featuring the fictional couple "Harry and Louise" were pivotal in undoing President Bill Clinton health care reform effort in the 1990s. Actors Louise Caire Clark and Harry Johnson played a middle-class couple concerned. about the changes, The ads were sponsored by (who else?) the insurance industry.

A new ad campaign features the same actors playing the same characters in a pro-health care reform ad. The two have come to the same conclusion as many Americans: that our current system is dysfunctional and needs fixing.

Those against health care reform fail to look at the statistics on how Universal Health Care increases lifespan and decreases infant mortality. Canada, which used to have nearly identical figures as ours, and has virtually the same lifestyle, is the perfect example.

They also claim that such a plan would reduce choice --- which it does not: in Canada you can see any doctor. Meanwhile, in the U.S., doesn't anyone recall how your doctor has to be "in network" for many insurance policies?

Also, insurance companies won't cover --- or charge egregious rates --- for people with pre-existing conditions. Most of us will eventually have that sort of problem.

Watch the video:

If All Else Fails, VA GOP Candidate Will Use Bullets

This is indeed not just strange but frightening. Catherine Crabill, the Republican Party's nominee for Virginia's 99th District in the House of Delegates, gave a speech at a recent political event suggesting that if the GOP cannot retake the government through the vote, an armed insurrection may be necessary.

"We have the chance to fight this battle at the ballot box before we have to resort to the bullet box. But that's the beauty of our Second Amendment right. I am glad for all of us who enjoy the use of firearms for hunting, but make no mistake, that was not the intent of the Founding Fathers. Our Second Amendment right was to guard against tyranny."

Plotting an armed insurrection against the U.S. government? That's treason, "make no mistake."

In no other developed country do people talk like this. It seems to show that the U.S. has degenerated and is on the verge of falling apart. To be honest, it's scary. It seems, according to my psychologist wife, that society is "caving in on itself."

Watch the video.

Exclusive Michael Jackson Pepsi Ad Accident Footage Unearthed

US Magazine obtained never-before-seen footage of Michael Jackson's horrific 1984 Pepsi ad accident, in which his hair was set on fire by stage pyrotechnics.

The video shows things went well until the sixth take of the Pepsi commercial, whereupon the fireworks went off too early, before Michael Jackson descended the stairs. It's a much scarier moment on video; I'd only seen stills in the past.

Some have theorized, and US Magazine says, in the article in the magazine, that Jackson was never the same afterward, and that this led him down the road to his painkiller addiction.

Watch the video:

Sotomayor Should Be Disqualified: Didn't Know Which Case Perry Mason Lost

Al Franken, the nation's newest senator, fell back on his comedy roots today when questioning Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Noting that she had said that the series Perry Mason was influential to her legal career and that she admired the character of prosecutor Hamilton Burger who lost all but one case to Mason, he asked her to name that case.

Franken: "What was the one case in 'Perry Mason' that Burger won?"

Sotomayor: "I wish I remembered the name of the episode, but I don't," Sotomayor said. "I just was always struck that there was only one case where his client was actually guilty."

Franken: "And you don't remember that case?"

Sotomayor: "I know that I should remember the name of it, but I haven't looked at the episode."

Franken: "Didn't the White House prepare you for that?"

To be honest, Franken didn't know the name of the episode, either. It also appears there were actually three. According to the Perry Mason TV Showbook, there are 3:

1. "The Case of the Witless Witness"
2. "The Case of the Terrified Typist"
3. "The Case of the Deadly Verdict"

Watch the exchange:

Woman with Two Wombs, Gives Birth to Miracle Baby

I saw the movie "The Man with Two Brains," but this is a real-life case of a rarity: a woman with two wombs. Lindsay Hasaj is that woman and she managed to give birth successfully, despite the condition.

The actual name of the condition is uterus didelphys. Eight in 10,000 women in the U.K. suffer from some form of the condition, but only one in a million has Lindsay Hasaj's exact condition: a double womb, double cervix and double vagina.

The condition was 1-in-a-million, and because of it, Lindsay Hasaj, 27, had to have sonograms every two weeks. Her daughter, Mirela Elizabeth, was born successfully by C-section, at 6 lbs. 3 oz., making Lindsay and husband Tony, 31, very happy. Lindsay said:

"Bringing her home was the most wonderful experience that no words in any language can explain. It was just massive amounts of tears of joy and relief."

Congratulations to Lindsay and Tony Hasaj for their miracle baby. Will they have another? Perhaps, but it would have be delivered by C-section, like Mirela.

Ridiculous Right-Wing Ad Says Sotomayor Supported Terrorists

Apparently an organization that a publicly funded, nonprofit, nonpartisan group with the goal of "changing discriminatory practices via advocacy and legislation" is a terrorist organization.

The right-wing Committee for Justice has released a totally crazy TV ad that compares Sotomayor to Bill Ayers and claims that she supported terrorism by serving on the board of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF).

This sort of ad seems to indicate that the GOP has given up on the Latino vote, cuz they aren't going to get it this way. Let's not forget both Sen. Jeff Sessions and Sen. Mitch McConnell calling the group extremist and questioning it.

A letter from the National Hispanic Bar Association to Sessions calls the PRLDEF a “mainstream, well-respected organization.” It says:

As organizations committed to helping Latinos across this great nation overcome barriers of racism and poverty so that they may flourish in pursuit of the American Dream, your attacks on LatinoJustice PRLDEF send a chilling message to us all.

LatinoJustice PRLDEF is a mainstream and respected civil rights organization found ed in 1972 -- a time when Puel10 Ricans living in the United States had no voice and were largely excluded from pal1icipating in public life. [...]

Attacks on Latino advocacy and civil rights organizations are not new - we have seen figures in the media mischaracterize and slander our good works, using provocative terms that fan the flames of ethnic animosity. We expect and are entitled to better from a sitting member of the United States Senate.

Watch the ridiculous ad:

All-Pet Airline Takes Off

Pet Airways, an airline catering to pets, and only pets, is ready for take-off. In fact, it flew its first flight this week.

While airlines do allow a limited number of dogs to travel in the cabin, most of them are relegated to the cargo hold. Anyone who has seen the condition of some packages and baggage after a flight probably doesn't want their pets to experience that. Additionally, the cargo hold's temperature varies wildly.

Right now, the company only has a "fleet" of five planes, and will only do one flight a day. Pet Airways will fly a pet between five major cities — New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. Here's how it works, according to their site.

• Drop your pet off at our Pet Lounge, located at the airport. You must check in your pet no later than 2 hours before take off. If you choose, you may check in your pet up to 72 hours before the flight. We’ll be happy to board your pet at our PAWS Lodge until the flight.

• Potty Breaks are very important to your pet. With the human airlines, your pet could be made to hold themselves for a very very long time. Pet Airways monitors the last time your pet had a potty break, and makes sure that they get regular potty breaks along the way. This means that it may take us longer to get to where we are going, but the care of our pawsengers is our first priority.

• Pets board the plane and our Pet Attendants make sure they’re all comfortable and that they, and their pet carrier, are secure.

• A Pet Attendant monitors and checks the comfort of all pawsengers every 15 minutes during the flight. After landing, pets will be disembarked, given a potty break, and will be available for pickup at the Pet Lounge.

• Pick up your pet at the Pet Lounge at your destination, knowing he or she has traveled comfortably and safely in the main cabin of our plane. If you cannot pick up your pet that day, we will be happy to board your pet overnight at the PAWS Lodge.

Will such a niche airline be able to exist, in the long run? In fact, some airlines charge more than Pet Airways does just to transport pets in the cargo hold. As I pet lover, I hope this airline thrives.

Jon Gosselin Already Engaged to New Girlfriend: Report

Earlier reports pointed a finger squarely at Hailey Glassman's ring finger last weekend. It seems now that In Touch Weekly is saying that Jon Gosselin, 32, has positively gotten engaged to his 22-year-old girlfriend.

Apparently, Jon Gosselin gave Hailey Glassman a $180,000 ring. Does that mean that TLC pays better than I thought they did? That's one hunk of change.

Seriously, though, he'd best be careful. As I wrote earlier, she was busted by cops for possession of marijuana, hashish and hashish oil in 2005.

Additionally, let's face it: they should be in two different worlds in terms of their life experience and what really, really is important to them. I'd like to think one of Jon Gosselin's priorities is his kids; hard to see how Hailey Glassman would like being the step-mom to eight.

According to the source for In Touch Weekly:

“They started dating two months ago and they both just knew the other was the one instantly."

"The one" could mean different things to different people, however. In Touch Weekly found people who knew Hailey Glassman in college who say that she's "fame-hungry" and "she's with him to use his money."

Jon Gosselin had better watch out, but it looks like it's too late, at leat $180,000-wise.

NBA Star Breaks Engagement, Forgets to Tell Guests

Now this is funny. NBA player Richard Jefferson, recently traded from the New Jersey Nets to the San Antonio Spurs, also broke off his engagement to former Nets dancer Kesha Ni'Cole Nichols at the same time. Thing is, he didn't tell his guests.

One has to wonder how both Richard Jefferson and Kesha Ni'Cole Nichols forgot to tell his guests. Weren't those wedding presents that kept coming in a good reminder??!

In reality, don't blame Kesha Ni'Cole Nichols. She apparently told family and friends right away that the gig was off. However, Richard Jefferson did not. Of course, the dumping occurred, according to reports, just prior to the weekend, and friends showed up last Saturday at the ritzy Mandarin Oriental in Columbus Circle for the $2 million wedding.

Maybe Richard Jefferson is concerned about the recession, since he was traded, and wanted to save some cash? At any rate, the New York Post reports that since he had given his best friend his Amex card, his friends managed to drown their sorrows on Jefferson's dime.

I suppose, if one wanted to, one could think of this as the male version of the movie "Runaway Bride." It's unclear why Richard Jefferson and Kesha Ni'Cole Nichols split, but reports are that she wasn't surprised. New girlfriend in San Antonio, already, perhaps?

Traffic Stop Turns Fatal as Man's Neck is Broken

In Livingston, LA, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office has released dash cam video of a traffic stop in which a man was killed, his neck broken, when a deputy tried to restrain him. The office added that it felt its deputies followed procedure.

The dash cam video shows Deputy Chris Sturdivant of the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office attempting to restrain Adam Stogner, 42, with a hold around his neck. Sturdivant suspect Stogner of attempting to hide a drugs in his mouth.

Stogner died, with preliminary results from the coroner showing that he died from “severe coronary artery disease, an enlarged heart, and a fracture of the hyoid bone in his neck.” Hyoid bone? Anyone watch those forensics shows. The hyoid bone is usually fractured when someone is strangled to death.

According to WAFB,

"He was appropriate in his actions. He followed departmental protocol in trying to arrest a subject who tried to resist."

It's true that Stogner was resisting, but does that mean the deputy is totally innocent of any wrongdoing? You be the judge.

Southwest Airlines 737-300 Lands Safely After Fuselage is "Holed"

A Southwest Airlines 737-300 landed safely on Monday, after a hole measuring 1 foot x 1 foot appeared in the fuselage. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in West Virginia.

The flight, Southwest Airlines 2294, originated in Nashville and was destined for Baltimore. It is unclear what caused the hole. The cabin lost pressure, forcing passengers to do oxygen masks, but passengers were calm and no one was injured.

NBC's Today Show reported on the incident, and call the hole small. I'm sorry, a 1 ft. x 1 ft. hole isn't small to me. Metal fatigue is, of course, suspected. Obviously this Southwest Airlines hole was nothing in comparison, but remember that in 1988, that an Aloha Airlines plane's roof basically peeled off and a flight attendant was sucked out to her death.

Passenger Michael Cunningham's seat was right below the hole, and he told the Today Show on Tuesday that he was awakened by a loud roar while napping. "You could see the sky through it. I could put my arm out of it if I wanted to."

Southwest Airlines said the company was inspecting all of its Boeing 737-300s as a precaution. The company added that despite the hole, passengers weren't in any serious danger at any time.

Watch the Today Show report:

The Daily Show - Half-Baked Alaska: Palin to Quit as Her Family's Mother

The Daily Show's Senior Alaskan Correspondent Samantha Bee took on Jon Stewart in a segment titled "Half-Baked Alaska" on Monday night.

As Bee said, calling Sarah Palin's resignation as quitting, or even resigning is off-base:

"That is such an in the box elitist way of framing it."

Bee and Stewart continued:

BEE: She's a point guard dishing the ball for an open shot.

STEWART: That's one play, a point guard then has to defend and play the rest of the game. It's like leaving half way through the third quarter!

BEE: Yeah, maybe in Harvard main stream basketball.

STEWART: No, that's the rules of basketball.

BEE: Not maverick basketball.

STEWART: There's no such thing as maverick basketball. You're either playing basketball or you're not playing basketball.

BEE: She can't win, can she? If she leaves, she's a quitter. If she stays, she has to govern Alaska. This whole conversation makes me realize how right her decision was, and how even righter her latest decision is.

STEWART: Her latest decision, which is what?

BEE: Well, as all the media attention continues to swirl around her and her family, she's made her decision that she can best help them by stepping down as her mother.

Watch the hilarity:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Half Baked Alaska
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Joke of the Day

With a Donor Heart's Help, Young Girl's Heart Regenerates, Heals

In 1995 British doctors implanted a donor heart directly onto Hannah Clark's failing one, rather than risk a heart - lung transplant. Now, after 10 years with 2 hearts, and the donor heart removed, her original heart has healed.

Many experts have said in the past that the heart can't regenerate and totally heal. Despite that seeming impossibility, Hannah Clark's heart has done so.

It was, in fact, somewhat of a Pyrrhic victory. The anti-rejection drugs Hannah Clark took malignant cancer that required chemotherapy. The details of this remarkable recovery were published Tuesday in the journal Lancet.

Clark's heart began failing while she was only two. While waiting for a possible heart transplant, her lungs started to fail as well. Doctors wanted to avoid an even riskier heart - lung transplant, so they decided to allow her original heart to "rest" with the aid of a donor heart.

In 2006, because the immunosuppressive drugs were reduced to aid in the cancer treatment, the donor heart was rejected and was removed. Since then, her heart has recovered, and Hannah Clark is now a 16-year-old looking forward to life.

Sir Magdi Yacoub of Imperial College London said:

"Now we are a lot more confident (about this procedure). The heart muscle itself, which was not doing anything at all, has recovered."

Buchanan: Johnston Should Be Drowned for His Palin Comments

In response to Levi Johnston's statement from a few days ago that Sarah Palin resigned for the money, Pat Buchanan made no bones about what should happen to him, during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

“Well, first, with regard to Levi, I think First Dude up there in Alaska, Todd Palin, ought to take Levi down to the creek and hold his head underwater until the thrashing stops."

Of course, there was some levity involved in this, as even the MSNBC commentators laughed at the statement. Interestingly, they made sure that viewers knew that Buchanan's recommendation for Johnston didn't reflect MSNBC's stance on the matter, saying:

"That was priceless, Pat."

Watch the video, via Crooks & Liars:
Watch Levi Johnston's statement from a few days ago:

Soldiers Charged with Filming Female Unit Members Showering

Two soldiers have been accused of filming and photographing female members of their unit while they were taking showers and then distributing the video and images. Sgt. Gilbert Parker and Spc. Matthew Delia, are both National Guardsmen of the 266th Military Police Company, 8th Military Police Brigade stationed in Basra, Iraq. The company is out of Manassas, Virginia.

Parker is alleged to have filmed and photographed females in his unit while they showered at Fort Dix, during mobilization training in the fall of 2008. He is also charged with distributing the video and photo, an Army statement said. He is charged with committing an indecent act, violating a general order, conspiracy, obstructing justice and distributing pornography.

Delia was charged with conspiring with and assisting Parker, as well as with distribution of the material.

The maximum sentence for Parker’s charges would be 18 years in confinement and a dishonorable discharge. The maximum sentence for the Delia's charges would be 12 years in confinement and a dishonorable discharge.

Pastor Admits to Praying for President Obama's Death

Conservative pastor Wiley Drake has admitted praying for the death of Barack Obama. This is the pastor of the Buena Park Southern Baptist Church, taking a decidedly un-Christian point of view.

Here's what he said to Alan Colmes:

Alan Colmes: “So you’re praying for the death of the president of the United States?”

Wiley Drake: “Yes.”

Colmes: “You would like for the president of the United States to die?” Colmes asked once more.

Drake: “If he does not turn to God and does not turn his life around, I am asking God to enforce imprecatory prayers that are throughout the Scripture that would cause him death, that’s correct.”

Listen:
He also caught the attention of Keith Olbermann, who named him the "World's Worst Person" today.

Drake is the same pastor who posited that God would strike down Rick Warren for daring to speak at President Obama’s inauguration.

Watch Olbermann:

Tony Romo Dumps Jessica Simpson: Report

Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo, and his celebrity girlfriend, Jessica Simpson, are no more. At least, that's the story according to E!

Worse for Jessica Simpson, she was the dumpee, and Tony Romo was the dumper. Many Cowboys fans may be happy, as Simpson was considered a jinx after a game in December 2007 in which Romo had a horrible game when she attended.

Jessica Simpson had planned to throw a Barbie and Ken-themed party for her birthday, but it fell through, and that makes sense. After all, Ken, er, Romo broke up with her the night before. According to a message she wrote on her Twitter page Saturday. "Barbie party didn't happen, but I turned 29 and feel like I am on top of the world yelling I LOVE GETTING OLDER!"

A source told E!:

"She was surprised. She wouldn't have planned a party if she knew this was coming. They're both going their separate ways."

People confirmed the break-up, as well. A source told People:

"She is heartbroken. She loves Tony. But it's been difficult lately. He's busy with his career and she's getting ready to shoot her show (The Price of Beauty). They decided to part ways."

Will Sotomayor Shank Scalia?

Ah, the Republican party shows its racist roots again. On the first day of Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, Young America’s Foundation spokesman Jason Mattera reacted (on Facebook), as shown above.

It says, as noted in the Washington Independent:

If Sotomayor gained life experience from The Ghetto, does that mean she'd have a tendency to shank Scalia?

It's interesting, because the GOP is not popular with Latinos, and they have been cautious, for the most part, in terms of making statements about Sotomayor that might appear racist --- like this one.

Suspects Arrested in Murder of Couple with 16 Kids, 12 Adopted

Two men have been arrested in the murder of a FL couple who were parents to 16 kids, 12 adopted. The couple, Byrd and Melanie Billings, were well known for taking in children with developmental disabilities, ranging from autism to Down's Syndrome.

Byrd and Melanie Billings were found shot to death Thursday night in their bedroom of their home in Beulah, FL, just west of Pensacola near the Alabama border. Eight of the children were home at the time, aged 8 to 14.

Fortunately for investigators, and unfortunately for the culprits, the house had an extensive surveillance system that captured the break-in, including a red van. Tips led police to the van on Saturday. The suspects were arrested on Sunday, and are to appear in court on Monday.

Wayne Coldiron, 41, and Leonard P. Gonzalez Jr., 35, were arrested. Earlier on Sunday, authorities arrested Gonzalez's father, Leonard P. Gonzalez Sr., 56, with evidence tampering. The red van was widely publicized, and he attempted to paint over and hide damage on it.

Police believe the men intended to burglarize the house. Byrd and Melanie Billings were wealthy, and had built a nine-bedroom home designed especially for their developmentally-disabled children.

In a 2005 story the couple said they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but that they did not imagine their family would grow so large. Melanie Billings said:

“It just happened. I just wanted to give them a better life.”

Private Swim club Accused of Racism Asks Kids Back

The Valley Club, a private suburban swim club in Huntingdon Valley, PA, was accused of racism after it canceled the memberships of 65 minority children. It has now backtracked and said it will seek a meeting with the kids' camps in an attempt to work out an agreement for the children to return.

The Valley Club's site is down at the time of this writing, but a Google cache view of their site shows the following message:

The Valley Club is deeply troubled by the recent allegations of racism which are completely untrue.

We had originally agreed to invite the camps to use our facility, knowing full well that the children from the camps were from multi-ethnic backgrounds. Unfortunately, we quickly learned that we underestimated the capacity of our facilities and realized that we could not accommodate the number of children from these camps. All funds were returned to the camps and we will re-evaluate the issue at a later date to determine whether it can be feasible in the future.

Our Valley Club deplores discrimination in any form, as is evidenced by our multi-ethnic and diverse membership. Whatever comments may or may not have been made by an individual member is an opinion not shared by The Valley Club Board.

Unfortunately, here's a tough question: since this is a private club, people have to apply to be members. If you do not share the racist view of some of your members, why do you not expel those who made such comments? Oh, I forgot, they pay membership fees.

The Creative Steps camp had arranged for 65 mostly black and Hispanic children to swim each Monday afternoon at the gated club. However, after the group arrived June 29, camp director Alethea Wright said, several children reported hearing racist comments and some swim club members pulled their children out of the pool.

A few days later, the club refunded the camp's $1,950. Apparently, a) the club didn't realize the children were minorities, b) the club tried to "get rid of them" as soon as they found out.

What's happening now is that all the bad publicity has made the club try to backpedal. You know as well as I do, these children have been psychologically traumatized, so they probably don't want to go back, and thus, the club can safely "make this kind offer" knowing full well it won't be taken.

If the club was serious, they should give them rights to use the pool free!

Amy Goldman, a member of The Valley Club, told AP that despite the fact the club advertises itself as multi-ethnic, she hadn't seen a black member all year. Hmmm.

She also added what probably spurred the club on with its magnanimous offer: members were told that the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, which has opened an investigation, is going to visit the club on July 30th on make a fact-finding visit. Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), said on Friday he had asked the Justice Department to investigate to see if any action is required by the Civil Rights Division. Oof!

Fear, and embarrassment, that's what gets racists on the run.

The president of the swim club's board of directors, John Duesler, told WPVI-TV:

"We have near-unanimous approval from our membership, so at this point we'll be figuring out ... how to approach all the camps and see how we can move forward."

Near unanimous support means: except for the racist members.

LaToya: Michael Jackson Was Murdered

Two U.K. newspapers are reporting that Michael Jackson's sister, LaToya Jackson, has stated that her brother was murdered, and that the motive was (what else) money.

According to the published interviews with The News of the World and The Mail on Sunday, LaToya Jackson said she knows who is responsible for her brother's death and is determined to see them brought to justice.

LaToya Jackson was quoted by News of the World as saying:

"I feel it was all about money. Michael was worth well over a billion in music publishing assets and somebody killed him for that. He was worth more dead than alive."

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail, quotes LaToya Jackson as saying:

"I am going to get down to the bottom of this. I am not going to stop until I find out who is responsible. Why did they keep the family away? It’s not about money. I want justice for Michael. I won’t rest until I find out what – and who – killed my brother."

Additionally, LaToya Jackson is quoted as saying that Michael never wanted to do 50 shows in London. It all started with 10 and the number was raised when shows began selling out.

Finally, she stated that Michael Jackson, in the end, hated Neverland Ranch.

After the second [child abuse] trial, he said to me, “I will never come back to this place again. I hate it. This place helped destroy me.”’

Family Suing Genie for Harassment

A family in Saudi Arabia is suing a "genie," accusing it of theft and harassment. Just to be clear, in Islam, a genie isn't necessarily the benevolent wish-granting entity one might imaging from the TV show "I Dream of Jeannie."

In Islamic theology, genies are spirits that can harass or possess humans. They are believed to be normally invisible but can assume human or animal form, and are often motivated by revenge or jealousy.

The head of the family, who come from Mahd Al Dahab, said:

"We began to hear strange sounds. At first we did not take it seriously, but then stranger things started to happen and the children got particularly scared when the genie started throwing stones.

"A woman spoke to me first, and then a man. They said we should get out of the house."

Genies are also known as djinn or jinn, in Islamic theology. It's unclear exactly what the court could do, in this case.

Former Health Care Exec Details "Sicko's" Accuracy, Plot to Discredit It

Wendell Potter, former bigwig at CIGNA, revealed on this week's Bill Moyers Journal the secret plan used by the insurance industry to discredit Michael Moore's health care documentary, "Sicko." The plan included scare tactics aimed at consumers, misinformation, and lobbyists threatening politicians who supported the formation of government sponsored public health care during election runs.

Here's some of what was said (video below), but the main point by Potter is that the film contained truth that insurance companies felt would dent their profits, or end the private industry once and for all.

First though, before people chime in with responses that say he is saying this because he is angry with the industry because he was passed over or something of the sort, that's not true. He even had access to corporate jets (later mentioned in the broadcast, but here's what he said):

BILL MOYERS: You worked for CIGNA 15 years and left last year.

WENDELL POTTER: I did.

BILL MOYERS: Were you pushed out?

WENDELL POTTER: I was not. I left-- it was my decision to leave, and my decision to leave when I did.

BILL MOYERS: Were you passed over for a promotion?

WENDELL POTTER: Absolutely not. No.

BILL MOYERS: Had you been well-paid and rewarded by the company?

WENDELL POTTER: Very well-paid. And I, over the years, had many job opportunities, many bonuses, salary increases. So no, I was not. And in fact, there was no further place for me to go in the company. I was head of corporate communications and that was the ultimate PR job.

BILL MOYERS: Did you like your boss and the people you work with?

WENDELL POTTER: I did, and still do. I still respect them.

BILL MOYERS: And they gave you a terrific party when you left?

WENDELL POTTER: They sure did, yeah.

BILL MOYERS: So why are you speaking out now?

WENDELL POTTER: I didn't intend to, until it became really clear to me that the industry is resorting to the same tactics they've used over the years, and particularly back in the early '90s, when they were leading the effort to kill the Clinton plan.

Now, about the scare tactics and misinformation about "Sicko."

BILL MOYERS: You were also involved in the campaign by the industry to discredit Michael Moore and his film "Sicko" in 2007. In that film Moore went to several countries around the world, and reported that their health care system was better than our health care system, in particular, Canada and England. Take a look at this.

MICHAEL MOORE: I went across the city to a crowded hospital waiting room. How long did you have to wait here to get help?

CANADIAN WOMAN #1: 20 minutes

CANADIAN WOMAN #2: 45 minutes

CANADIAN MAN #2: I got helped right away.

CANADIAN WOMAN #3: You can see how crowded this is. They really do an amazing job.

Note: this discounts the misinformation about waits. Anyone see an ER waiting room?

MICHAEL MOORE: Did you have to get anyone's permission to come to this hospital?

CANADIAN MAN #2: No.

CANADIAN MAN #3: No.

CANADIAN WOMAN #1: No.

CANADIAN WOMAN #3: We can go anywhere we want.

Note: this discounts the misinformation such plans preventing you from choosing your own doctor.

MICHAEL MOORE: You don't have to get pre-approved?

CANADIAN WOMAN #3: No, no. You just--

MICHAEL MOORE: By your own insurance company?

CANADIAN WOMAN #3: Oh no, oh heavens no.

MICHAEL MOORE: Can you choose your own doctor?

CANADIAN WOMAN #3: Oh sure. Oh yes.

Note: this discounts the misinformation such plans preventing you from choosing your own doctor.

MICHAEL MOORE: What's your deductible?

CANADIAN MAN #1: Nothing.

CANADIAN WOMAN #1: I don't think we have any.

CANADIAN MAN #2: I don't know. I don't think there's any as far as I know.

CANADIAN WOMAN #3: It's really a fabulous system for making sure that the least of us and the best of us are taken care of.

BRITISH WOMAN #1: Oh, really it's not like that in the US? No. Not at all, no.

MICHAEL MOORE: So what do you pay to stay here?

BRITISH WOMAN #1: No one pays. They're asking, "How do people pay?" And I said, well there isn't, you don't, you just leave.

BRITISH MAN #1: It's just the insurance. There's no bill at the end of it, as it were.

MICHAEL MOORE: Even with insurance, there's bound to be a bill somewhere. So where's the billing department?

BRITISH WOMAN #1: There isn't really a billing department.

BRITISH WOMAN #2: There's no such thing as a billing department.

MICHAEL MOORE: What did they charge you for that baby?

BRITISH WOMAN #3: Sorry?

MICHAEL MOORE: You've got to pay before you can get out of here, right?

BRITISH WOMAN #3: No.

BRITISH MAN #1: No, no, no. Everything's on NHS.

BRITISH WOMAN #3: This is NHS.

BRITISH MAN #1: You know, it's not America.

BILL MOYERS: So what did you think when you saw that film?

WENDELL POTTER: I thought that he hit the nail on the head with his movie. But the industry, from the moment that the industry learned that Michael Moore was taking on the health care industry, it was really concerned.

BILL MOYERS: What were they afraid of?

WENDELL POTTER: They were afraid that people would believe Michael Moore.

BILL MOYERS: We obtained a copy of the game plan that was adopted by the industry's trade association, AHIP. And it spells out the industry strategies in gold letters. It says, "Highlight horror stories of government-run systems." What was that about?

WENDELL POTTER: The industry has always tried to make Americans think that government-run systems are the worst thing that could possibly happen to them, that if you even consider that, you're heading down on the slippery slope towards socialism. So they have used scare tactics for years and years and years, to keep that from happening. If there were a broader program like our Medicare program, it could potentially reduce the profits of these big companies. So that is their biggest concern.

BILL MOYERS: And there was a political strategy. "Position Sicko as a threat to Democrats' larger agenda." What does that mean?

WENDELL POTTER: That means that part of the effort to discredit this film was to use lobbyists and their own staff to go onto Capitol Hill and say, "Look, you don't want to believe this movie. You don't want to talk about it. You don't want to endorse it. And if you do, we can make things tough for you."

BILL MOYERS: How?

WENDELL POTTER: By running ads, commercials in your home district when you're running for reelection, not contributing to your campaigns again, or contributing to your competitor.

BILL MOYERS: This is fascinating. You know, "Build awareness among centrist Democratic policy organizations--"

WENDELL POTTER: Right.

BILL MOYERS: "--including the Democratic Leadership Council."

WENDELL POTTER: Absolutely.

BILL MOYERS: Then it says, "Message to Democratic insiders. Embracing Moore is one-way ticket back to minority party status."

WENDELL POTTER: Yeah.

BILL MOYERS: Now, that's exactly what they did, didn't they? They--

WENDELL POTTER: Absolutely.

BILL MOYERS: --radicalized Moore, so that his message was discredited because the messenger was seen to be radical.

WENDELL POTTER: Absolutely. In memos that would go back within the industry — he was never, by the way, mentioned by name in any memos, because we didn't want to inadvertently write something that would wind up in his hands. So the memos would usually-- the subject line would be-- the emails would be, "Hollywood." And as we would do the media training, we would always have someone refer to him as Hollywood entertainer or Hollywood moviemaker Michael Moore.

BILL MOYERS: Why?

WENDELL POTTER: Well, just to-- Hollywood, I think people think that's entertainment, that's movie-making. That's not real documentary. They don't want you to think that it was a documentary that had some truth. They would want you to see this as just some fantasy that a Hollywood filmmaker had come up with. That's part of the strategy.

BILL MOYERS: So you would actually hear politicians mouth the talking points that had been circulated by the industry to discredit Michael Moore.

WENDELL POTTER: Absolutely.

BILL MOYERS: You'd hear ordinary people talking that. And politicians as well, right?

WENDELL POTTER: Absolutely.

BILL MOYERS: So your plan worked.

WENDELL POTTER: It worked beautifully.

BILL MOYERS: The film was blunted, right?

WENDELL POTTER: The film was blunted. It--

BILL MOYERS: Was it true? Did you think it contained a great truth?

WENDELL POTTER: Absolutely did.

BILL MOYERS: What was it?

WENDELL POTTER: That we shouldn't fear government involvement in our health care system. That there is an appropriate role for government, and it's been proven in the countries that were in that movie.

Watch the video:

Arturo Gatti's Wife Amanda Suspected in His Death

Yesterday, the sports world was shocked by yet another death, as Arturo Gatti, former world boxing champ, was found dead while on a second honeymoon in Brazil. It now appears, much like Steve McNair, this isn't just any death, it may be a murder, and possibly at the hands of his wife, Amanda Rodrigues Gatti.

Amanda Rodrigues Gatti has been named a suspect in the case, but to be honest, anyone who watches any of those reality crime showws know that the spouse is always the first person suspected. Arturo Gatti was found dead without a gun shot or stab wound, but with blood on his neck and back of his head.

Arturo Gatti, 37, was apparently strangled with the strap of a purse, which was found with blood stains at the scene. There was also a mark on the bad of his head, perhaps due to some blunt force trauma. Amanda Rodrigues Gatti, 23, was taken into custody because of contradicting testimony when she was interrogated.

It would seem hard to believe that a young woman could strangle a former boxing champion. Arturo Gatti and wife Amanda Rodrigues Gatti were supposedly on their second honeymoon at the Porto de Galinhas resort, and were traveling with their 1-year-old son, as well.

Detectives are also investigating reports that the couple had been arguing before returning to their room on Friday evening and that Arturo Gatti had been drunk. It is also unclear how However, Amanda Rodrigues Gatti stayed in the apartment for approximately 10 hours, along with the couple's one-year-old son, without noticing that her husband was dead.

Jon Gosselin Hits the French Riviera with New Girlfriend

Jon Gosselin, 32, separated from Kate Gosselin of "Jon & Kate Plus Eight," hit the French Riviera this weekend with his new girlfriend, Hailey Glassman, 22. What's ironic is that Hailey is the daughter of Kate Gosselin’s doctor Lawrence Glassman, who performed Kate’s tummy tuck.

According to Radar